the standard vol. 4 issue 2

content|

onlineedition|foreign exchange students

Check out whats happening around the school every week.

Go online to read more about the six new foreigners.

| feature life of Denah Gregory

| opinion increase in SW spirit

| feature beauty pageants

| feature foreign exchange students

printedition|

page 6

outdoor pep assemblyschool gathers on football field for multiple perfor-mances

Photo by anna glennon. Cover photo by anna glennon.

Im not talented in the area of athletics. When I was seven years old, I played soccer and instead of running for the ball, Id wait on the other end of the field because I didnt want to run. I also cant sing to save my life, and instead of singing on stage, I limit myself to singing in the car and the shower. I really havent accomplished anything exceptional. Im basically average.

And as much as Id love to have the skills and opportunity to travel the world dancing, get a lead role in the school play, or be a highly accomplished volleyball player, thats not who I am.

The people covered in our issue have all achieved something incredible. Theyve all accomplished something worth sharing; and, while they deserve the applause for these things, the average people in the world are left to compare themselves to people theyll never be.

We may be talented in our own special ways, but we arent what the world calls amazing.

Partly, because the definition that the world perceives as amazing is distorted.

Not all of us are going to be the next president, but we all have something worth congratulating.

You dont have to be amazing to be accomplished.So congratulate yourself on the small things and dont worry

about being the next best thing, because chances are you probably already are in your own way.

editorsnote|

weekly coverage vol. 4issue 2sept. 2014the standard

news editor

2 | sept. 2013 | southwest | www.bvswnews.com | news

or Netherlands Dance Theatre, when she turns 18. Gregory says she will be focusing on her ballet technique for the next four years until she is able to audition and begin her future.

Dancing for a total of four companies, two pre-professional and two professional, Gregory con-tinues to dance at The American Dance Center, Devotion Dance Company, Artists Simply Human, and TOKYOtheCOMPANY. Greg-ory also assists at these companies and trains to reach her dream.

While training to be the best, Gregory has traveled to over 29 U.S. states and other countries such as France, Australia, England, Germany, Finland, Poland, Canada and Mexico. With all the traveling that occurs for Gregory to reach her dream, she also has to make sacrifices

of being a teenager in high school.

For the last five years, Gregory has been training and competing, which doesnt leave her with much free time or even time to go to school. Gregory is home-schooled

by her mother and only attends...

Behind every dance, she tells her story. And with eve

ry graceful leap

and every small step, a truly skilled

dancer tells her story to anyone who

will listen. She loves every sensa-

tion that dancing lets her feel. The

feeling of her skirts rustling around

her legs; the feeling of her feet mov-

ing rhythmically across the floor;

the feeling of power through every

movement.Since she was two

and a half

years old, freshman Denah

Gregory has pursued her passion

every day on the dance floor hopi

ng

that her story and love for dance

will be told through her dedication.

Spending over 40 hours in the studio

a week, Gregory reaches for great-

ness every day by training through

intense workouts in the studio and

conventions. I have a goal I wa

nt to

reach, and I am very dedicated

to reaching that goal, Gregory

said. Its not easy but I am

incredibly fortunate to have

my parents that support my

goal and dance teachers

that continue to push me to

strive to be better.

Gregory plans on

trying out for a profes-

sional contemporary

ballet company such

as Complexions in

New York, Lines

in San Francisco

cont. to pg 5.

4 | sept. 2013 | southwest | www.bvswnews.com | feature


cont. from pg 4

Southwest in the mornings for Honors Biology and French 1.

I definitely havent had much time for my friends since I trav-el so much, Gregory said. I do meet a lot of wonderful people while traveling and keep in touch with most of them.

Currently Gregory is not travel-ing for dance but training right in the Kansas City area. Gregory says she has been enjoying her time off to spend time with her friends, family, boyfriend Dylan Pand-jaris and being a part of the crowd at Timberwolf football games.

There are definitely a lot of things that other kids my age do that I just dont have time for, Gregory said. Sometimes I wish I had more time to be a teenager but I am determined to make it to the next level in my dancing career.

Gregory says she could not

make it to her dream without the help of her parents, dance teach-ers, grandmother and godfather.

Gregorys mother, Debi Greg-ory, has been a great impact on Gregorys career and giving her the education she needs. A sacri-fice for Debi was that she had to quit her teaching job at Blue Val-ley High School in order to homes-chool her daughter during the day before she had to rush off to the studio. Debi not only teaches her daughter in school-related courses but also trains Gregory in dance as well. Debi says that she wouldnt change a thing but some family sacrifices were difficult to get used to.

We dont have much time to-gether as a family, but we make the most of what we do have, Debi said. Our philosophy is that quality is better than quantity.

Denahs father, Mike Greg-ory, has also had to make some

sacrifices in order to keep his daughters dream alive. He says the hardest part is having to go to work every day in order to keep up with the financial side of Denahs dream.

We just want Denah to be happy, Mike said. She has her own dance goals and we try to do our best to help support her in reaching those goals.

All of Gregorys family and teachers contribute to her goal of being a professional dancer after she graduates high school. One dance teacher of Gregorys, To-kyo, says Gregorys hard work and 100 percent dedication will make Gregorys dream to be a profes-sional dancer a reality.

Denah attends every class and every rehearsal in addition to every extra class that is available in her schedule plus understand-ing multiple roles for the shows, Tokyo said. She even took class

sitting on the ground while she was healing from a stress fracture in her knee last spring.

Tokyo is pleased to be able to work with Gregory and to help her make it to the next level in her dance career. Tokyo always helps put Gregorys interests in per-spective when helping her choose working for other dance compa-nies. Tokyo believes that Gregory can make it anywhere she wants with the amount of talent and pas-sion she has for dance.

Denah is a very gifted dance student as well as a wonderful person, and she is extremely mo-tivated, Tokyo said. She tries to make every correction that she is given because she is driven to succeed.

| mariemtowakoli

6 | sept. 2013 | southwest | www.bvswnews.com | photo essay

PRIDE OF THEPACK

students gather for the first pep assembly of the year

| annaglennon

Top: With the flag balanced on her shoulder, senior Hayley Cape watches the students fill the bleachers. Bottom left: Senior Monica Pickett per-forms an award-winning routine along with the other Glitter GIrls. Bottom right: Silhouetted by the sun, senior drum major Shelby Farris leads the band in their performance of Strange Humors during the assembly.

photo essay | www.bvswnews.com | southwest | sept. 2013 | 7

Top left: Things get a little rough as junior Jack Rose and social sciences teacher Tyler Alexander fight to answer the trivia question first. Above: Principal Scott Roberts cringes as a bucket of cold water is dumped on him reward for the students winning the trivia competition. Left middle: As the band performs the Alma Mater, seniors Phillip Commons and Pate Nowlin sing along. Bottom left: Head football coach Bill Lowe, disguised as Batman, delivers a speech about the football game. Below: Seniors Issac Gillihan and T.J. Martin shout the words to the Alma Mater. Bottom right: Senior football players Salifu Vanesse, Luke Scott and Ben Guenther crack up as Batman charges the field.


DefendingVarsity celebrates first home win

home turf


Top: Senior Vince Loffredo leads the pack out onto the field, holding the rope while senior Drake Herr-man carries the flag beside him. Bottom Left: Junior Cody DeMoss warms up with the rest of the team on the sideline. Bottom Right: Timberwolves tackle Washington players on the field before halftime.


Top: Southwest evades Washington in an attempt to get to the 50 yard line. Middle Left: Varsity cheerleaders

amp up the Southwest crowd. Bottom Left: Junior Johnny Dunlap dodges his opponent as he sprints to the

touchline, scoring a touchdown for the Timberwolves. Middle: The student section cheers on the players after a touchdown. Middle Right: One of the coaches celebrates

the teamwork of the players. Bottom Right: Senior Dakota Lebofsky punts the ball, starting a play.

Photos by Ciara Murphy

in the crowd

We have great potential this year.

Were the first year to go 2-0

| seniorvinceloffredo

With a home game there is just a greater sense of community

| teachershaunarinearson

I like how it made

the fans really excited and when were ex-

cited it pumps up the players

| seniorgracewood


The mass of students are filling up the staircase. That kid in the middle of them is walking slower than the grass grows. The two-min-ute warning bell rings as the stairs finally start to clear. A speed-walk will be necessary to reach class on time and avoid a trip to the tar-dy-tracker.

Its a bit more difficult to get to class this year. The hallways of Southwest are finally full.

Since the schools first year the student population has rapidly ex-panded, and now the school has a lit-tle over 1,000 students. Southwest is still small, by normal public school standards, but the school is starting to catch up.

The amount of students at the school has certainly grown since year one. The school ended the first official year with 786 students, and currently has 1,074 students en-rolled. The hallways being crowded is certainly something new for the seniors, who will be the first gradu-ating class to go all four years at the school.

The hallways are definitely more crowded, senior Rachel Kir-by said. It makes it harder to get around the school, but its so excit-ing to see the school getting more students.

In 2010, 786 students were en-rolled at the school. Many of those students who had transferred from their old schools returned soon after becoming Timberwolves.

It was kind of sad seeing so many people switch back to their old high schools, Kirby said. I think the community of people we have at Southwest is something the other schools didnt have.

Even after losing so many students to transfers, Southwest is starting to make a comeback numerically. Aubry Bend Middle School was built for the 2011-2012 school year and since has

serviced Southwest as its main feeder middle school. The new freshmen class has the most students so far in South-wests short history as a high school.

With more students enrolling at Southwest comes the chances of stu-dent life being disrupted.

Getting to school can be an issue sometimes, sophomore Collin Web-ber said. The four-way stop sign on Quivira is really bad.

Between the times of 7:25 and 7:40, a traffic gridlock will most likely be present at the intersection at Quivira Road and 175th Street. Most students come from the north, and trying to get to school can be problematic.

The first week was terrible with traffic, junior Marise Ibraham said. I was late to school multiple times even though I left early.

cont. on page 13.


Reaching capacity The hallways of southwest are starting to fill up

Southwest students pack the hallways during pass-

ing periodPhoto by erica good.

13 | sept. 2013 | southwest | www.bvswnews.com | news

High School Hallway Rules

Do:Walk straight with

your head up

Take the most direct route

Walk on the right side of the hallway(This isnt England)

Dont be a slow poke; walk at a

steady pace

Manners are a defi-nite must: always

apologize if you run into someone

Dont:Talk in groups and block the hallway

Swerve throughout the hallway

Have your earbuds in

Be glued to your phone screen

Randomly stop

Students have to leave their house early so they can get to their classes before they hear the bell ring.

I really think they need to add a stoplight at that intersec-tion, sophomore Jack Weidner said.

A traffic light would lessen the backup on Quivira Road but would also slow down the traf-fic flow during the rest of the day when its not needed.

More students at the school means fewer parking spaces avail-able; however, the school is cur-rently well- equipped with areas for students to park. Southwest has 826 parking spaces; which, for the time being is enough, but with the school gaining more stu-dents there will most likely have

to be more parking restrictions for underclassmen.

There are a lot more cars in the parking lot, Kirby said. If you dont get to school ear-ly enough, then you have to park further away, which can be stress-ful.

Cafeteria lines are also lon-

ger. Getting food can actually be a long and annoying process, es-pecially if the kid in front of you keeps punching in his code wrong. The cafeteria has added two extra

cash registers to speed up the flow of the lines, but with more and more students inside the cafeteria area at once comes the chance of bumping into someone holding a tray with a heap of mashed pota-toes that could end up on some-ones brand new shorts. With the amount of students growing at the

school, adding more lunch periods may be necessary, which could re-sult in shorter lunches.

Some of the issues with the hallway being overcrowded can be

avoided.The freshmen will sometimes

just stand in the middle of the hall-way and talk, Ibraham said.

With the school starting to fill up, students, especially the new ones will need to start learning basic hallway etiquette. Simple things, like to not stand in the middle of the hallway and chit-chat with a friend, or to be glued to a phone screen while walking. School administration recognized the student growth, and hired 10 new staff members, most of which are core class instructors.

Everyone is a real Timberwolf now, senior Sarah Spore said. The people at our school now ac-tually want to be Timberwolves, not Jaguars and Tigers.

| michaelmagyar

Everyone is a real Timberwolf now - senior Sarah Spore

Southwest students pack the hallways between

classesPhoto Credit: Erica Good


>School hasnt taught me to pay bills or balance a checkbook and all of the stuff that deals with money and how to handle it, freshman Londyn Bogseth said.

>I think they have pretty much covered all the things I can think of, junior Parker Stoops said.

>Theres nothing in high school that I chose not to learn. I could complain about resumes or loan payments or something like that but we have classes tailored toward those things. So honestly, Ive learned what Ive needed to learn, senior Riley Clark said.

>That in real life you probably wont have enough money to get Starbucks every morning, sophomore Izabella Borowiak-Miller said.

Blue Valley sets standards high to help students reach successReadiness for life after high school

Ever since the time of JFK, the debate over what should be done to amp up the United States ranking in educational stan-dards has been slowly dragging along. The only difference between schooling in the 60s and schooling today is the increase in technol-ogy and the decrease in people walking around determined to change the world.

At least for the few hippies left out there, the pressure to change the world is still alive and often shoved down the throats of students starting in kindergar-ten. America wants to tackle other leading countries with a new and improved educa-tional system that out-smarts the rest of the world. The only prob-lem? That educational system doesnt exist.

In order to catch up, some education experts advocate year-round schools. Others say we need longer school

days. Some schools have even added Satur-day classes. But recent-ly, a growing number of schools in the country are going in a complete-ly different direction.

They are taking Mondays off.

Although I like the idea of a four day school week, I think that stu-dents wouldnt be as focused and would for-get more because of the longer weekends, se-nior Brianna Betsch said. Therefore, the teachers would prob-ably spend more time re-teaching us things and the extra day off would do more harm than good.

However, despite the question of whether or not students knowl-edge would increase, 20 schools in Missouri re-ported in 2012 that ever since they switched to a four day week, their students ACT scores actually improved by roughly two points.

The change might be effective for kids to

learn more in class it-self, instead of rushing to get things finished before the end of the hour, freshman Ian Fines said.

According to the Times Free Press, which reports disci-plinary write-ups for high school students, it dropped from 1,344 in 2008 to just 375 in 2011.

Even though the week would be short-ened, students would have to attend classes an hour longer than normal, in order to meet the required school hours.

I think the four day school week would be much more beneficial, senior Mati Moes said. It allows students to take the extra day to catch up on sleep and study. Five day school weeks can cause too much stress and allow students to fall behind. It ultimately widens the gap from the top stan-dard to the low.

What havent you learned in school?

11 things they dont teach you in school| billgates

Kurt Vonnegut Jr. wrote about a lot of frightening things that many people are embarrassed to admit are true: the firebombing of Dresden, and the aftermath of war in Vietnam. But the one thing Vonnegut Jr. put on paper that may be the most unnerving, was written as he recounted the words of a fellow high school grad: When you get to be our age, you all of a sudden realize that you are being ruled by people you went to high school with You all of a sudden catch on that life is nothing but high school. But during our time in high school, is our school system really using every method to prepare us for what comes next? Or are there other options out there that could benefit us better?

Changing the schedule

|carolinefronczak

Rule 1: Life is not fair get used to it.Rule 2: The world wont care about your self-esteem. The world will expect you to accomplish something BEFORE you feel good about yourself.Rule 3: You will NOT make $40,000/year right out of high school. You wont be a vice-president with a cell-phone, until you earn both.Rule 4: If you think your teacher is tough, wait till you get a boss. He doesnt have tenure.Rule 5: Flipping burgers is not beneath your dignity. Your grandparents had a word for flipping burgers--they called it opportunity.Rule 6: If you mess up its not your parents fault, so dont whine about your mistakes, learn from them.Rule 7: Before you were born, your parents werent as boring as they are now. They got that way from paying your bills, cleaning your clothes, and listening to how cool you are. So before you save the rainforest from the parasites of your parents generation, try delousing the closet in your own room.Rule 8: Your school may have done away with winners and losers, but life hasnt. In some schools they have abolished failing grades and theyll give you as many times as you want to get the answer right. This doesnt bear the slightest resemblance to ANYTHING in real life.

continued at www.bvswnews.com


Common Core HypeIn following the MLB draft back in

June, I was amazed at how much attention and money was spent break-ing down every player: how they run, throw, hit and pitch. They were examined by their strengths and weakness-es. Everything depended on getting things right for both the team and player. The stakes were high as each MLB team got the chance to select their prospects. Yet with all the analysis, there are going to be plenty of mis-takes. Some cant miss prospects will miss, and others who were picked in one of the last rounds of the draft will eventu-ally become stars. Most fall somewhere in be-tween. Having standards that try to measure the likelihood of a players success on the baseball field is inexact at best.

So it is with the Common Core State Standards, the latest set of standards schools

around the country are beginning to launch in hopes that it will predict career success.

Common Core clear-ly pinpoints the higher level students opposed to working to build a system where everyone is successful, senior Mati Moes said.

Yet, understanding what makes people successful so it can be replicated with certainty is as impossible with baseball players as it is with students, and testing to see if someone is measuring up to the standards will produce mixed results at best.

I think the idea of Common Core in general is great, except for the fact that it expects too much of every student, Moes said. I dont see it doing well in the future because it is setting a standard for every student to reach and not all of us can get to that point.

Pros and Cons

1.Difficult to transition into.2. Currently no science or social studies standards.

3. No equivalency tests for students with special needs.

1. Teachers wouldnt have to rush through assignments.2.Studies conducted by schools in Massachusetts practicing the four day school week found students come back to school more refreshed and attendance went up. 3. District would save money on buses.

1.Students will have to learn at a faster pace. 2.The long weekend could result in students forgetting the topics they learned.3. Longer days and how this could affect students attention span

Pro:

Con:1. Common Core standards are internationally benchmarked. U.S. stan-dards will be able to catch up to that of other countrys.2. This will allow states to compare standardized testing scores more accurately. 3.Increase rigor in classrooms which will better prepare students for college.

Con:

Four day school week

The education system in Finland thinks that children should all have the same educa-tional opportunities. Not in the way Americans will let all men are created equal slip off their tongue and then not take notice that there exists a deep chasm between public schools in this country. No, the Finns believe it in a way that directed their educational reform to focus on equality over excellence.

Monday night: Dancing with the Stars. Tuesday night: Pretty Little Liars. Wednesday night: Survivor. Thursday night: Greys Anatomy. Friday night: Americas Next Top Model and Say Yes to the Dress. A jammed pack week full of hit television shows and no time to study.

While high school students in America are sitting at home on the couch, watching their nightly sessions of reality t.v., enjoying the comfort of the American bubble, students around the rest of the globe are outsmarting

them in every possible way. And by the rest of the world, I mean Finland.

Recently, Finland has taken the lead when it comes to which countrys kids are the smartest, especially in the areas of sci-ence and math, according to PISA (Program for International Student Assesment)

So what exactly is Finland doing that America isnt? And most importantly, what should America be doing to restart the climb to the top again?

Pro:

Information from National Governors Association Center for Best Practices

>The Finnish school system uses the same curriculum for all students, and students have light homework loads. >There are no special classes for gifted students, and standardized testing is used very little. >Children dont start school until the age of seven and Finlands preschool program is used for socializing, not learning. >Class rankings are not compiled. >Teachers must have masters degrees and becoming a teacher in Finland is highly com-petitive. >College in Finland is free.

What the U.S. hasnt learned from Finland

photo by lauren zahner

Common Core


It's terrifying as a freshman, but after that it's not too hard.

| sophomoreryleebrown

I dont get nervous anymore because Im the best and everyone knows it.

| seniorjakelouis

I get especially nervous with Shakespeare because its a lot harder than regular text.

| junioramandamiller

fall playIm not going to say that I dont get nervous about auditions anymore, I just take the nervous energy and try to use it for my performance instead of dwelling on it. | senioralexpeuser


auditionsthespians try out for Hamlet


Top: Theater Director Dan Schmidt inspires his performers before auditions. Bottom left: During callbacks, students observe their peers onstage, auditioning for Shakespeares Hamlet. Bottom Right: Senior Adam Schifman announces thespians up to stage to try out in front of Schmidt.

Photos by Charlotte Davis

photo essay | www.bvswnews.com | southwest | sept. 2013

southwest students get amped up for homecoming at

th e Bonfire | sambillman


Top left: Senior quarterback Drake Herrmann and Vince Lofredo look on

after speaking on behalf of the football team. Top right: Varsity cheerleaders

Addison Daniels and Abby Pelfrey stand clean in preparation for their routine.

Bottom: Varsity football players watch the mascot of their Homecoming game

opponents burn in the bonfire.Photos by Sam Billman.

22 | sept. 2013 | southwest | www.bvswnews.com | ads


ShreddingtheStreetstwo students dedicate their free time to skateboarding


Top: Ian McRoberts performs a trick he has perfect-ed over the five years he has been skating. Top right:

Jackson Reeves executes a kickflip. Bottom right: RideFourEver is a company that donates a portion of

their profit to skate parks in Kansas to improve them.

Their afternoons consist of kickflips, boardslides, and ollies. The wheels of their skate-boards grind the pavement as they prepare for the trick theyve been perfecting for years. They jump, spin, and land like its easy. For them, it is. For sopho-more Ian McRoberts and fresh-man Jackson Reeves, skate-boarding is everything.

When I was younger, I used to watch my cousins skate-board, McRoberts said. It in-terested me because of how hard it looked, and how you could jump up into the air and land on something, and the board was still with you. Thats really what influenced me to start, and Ive been skating ever since.

Theyve dedicated their lives to skating ever since they first dropped a board down in front of them, similar to a few profes-sionals whom they look up to. Their inspirations are the guys who share the exact same pas-sion as them.

My inspirations are Sean Malto and Ryan Sheckler, McRoberts said.

My inspiration is my cous-in, Reeves said. He used to skate and he is in the Marines now.

Then, laughing, Reeves changed his answer.

My inspiration is actual-ly the Skate God himself, Ian Steezman McRoberts, Reeves said.

Ryan Sheckler. Sean Malto. Tony Hawk. These are just a few of the professionals that some look up to as skating in-spirations. But the chance of this becoming a career is just a mere dream for most.

If I could make this a career I would, McRoberts said. But its not likely. I dont play any other sports because I dedicate so much of my time to skate-boarding. It isnt something Ill give up.

Unlike organized team sports, skateboarding doesnt have a coach. Its just the skater and his board.

The best part about skating is that its your fault if you mess up, McRoberts said. You dont

get yelled at by a coach, and you dont let down your teammates. Its just you, and you only have yourself to get mad at you.

No matter how much a skat-er practices, theyll never run out of tricks to perfect or even new ones to learn. They go out every day just because they love the activity. They arent trying to prove anything, its just an undy-ing passion.

Its never really over, McRoberts said. You can always learn new tricks and get better. Also, its hard. Its a challenge that you constantly work at. Ive been skating for five years, and I still go out and skate every day. I just want to keep getting better.

Typically, students have a

certain image in mind when they think of a skater.

I see a lot of skateboarders wearing Vans and skinny jeans, junior Ashley McKenny said. They all seem to look and dress the same.

Sophomore Ellie Augustine has a similar opinion as McK-enny.

All skaters have wispy hair and ear piercings, Augustine said. And they wear Vans and skinny jeans every day. They look punk rock.

Contrary to popular belief, not all skaters are the same. They arent all the stereotypical punk rockers sporting the skinny jeans and rocking the hair flip.

A lot of so-called skaters

Photos by erica good.


Skate Talk: A Guide for Non-Skaters

Tricks: shoveit- trick performed

by spinning the board 180 degrees beneath the feet without the skater spinning.

boardslide- the board straddles the obstacle per-pendicularly as the skate-boarder slides along the center of the board

grind- scraping one or both

trucks axles on a curb, rail-ing, or other surface

DescriptiveWords:

steez/steezy- swag

buttery- clean, smooth

gnarly- cool

sketch- not landed or bad landing

certain image in mind when they think of a skater.

I see a lot of skateboarders wearing Vans and skinny jeans, junior Ashley McKenny said. They all seem to look and dress the same.

Sophomore Ellie Augustine has a similar opinion as McK-enny.

All skaters have wispy hair and ear piercings, Augustine said. And they wear Vans and skinny jeans every day. They look punk rock.

Contrary to popular belief, not all skaters are the same. They arent all the stereotypical punk rockers sporting the skinny jeans and rocking the hair flip.

A lot of so-called skaters

wear skinny jeans and try to look punk rock, McRoberts said. Which is terrible because real skaters have style.

In sports, uniforms are a giv-en. Looking more like a profes-sional team is something that is desired for coaches and players alike. The same goes for skaters.

Baseball players wear base-ball uniforms, Reeves said. Skaters wear what skaters wear. It just happens.

Beyond the clothing stereo-type, people can also generalize what a skaters personality is like.

Skaters have a weird vibe, sophomore Seth Wingerter said. They hide their emotions and act like they dont care.

However, there is more to skaters than people expect. They arent the emotion hiding, skin-ny jean wearing, bad kids that you often hear people talking about in the halls. Despite what people say about skateboarders, not all fall under the stereotype.

Its common for people to think that skaters are bad kids, Reeves said. But we arent as bad as people think we are, were just like everyone else.

Story continued on www.bvswnews.com

| ericagood


cult

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shoc

k: s

ix f

orei

gn


teen

s fa

ce U

.S. h

igh

scho

ol

Photo courtesy of Mispahn.


Qiuhan

'Micha

el' Liu

Age- 17, Sen

ior

Home- Shan

ghai, China

Favorite act

ivity- baske

tball, Ameri

can football

Favorite Am

erican food:

pizza, hamb

urgers

Preconcepti

ons of Amer

icans: "It is

a romantic co

untry," said

Liu.

Goals for th

e year: "[I w

ant to] make

friends and

improve [my

] English,"

said Liu.

Elisa

March

eschi

Age- 17, Sen

ior

Home- Aix-

en-Provence

, France

Favorite act

ivity- swimm

ing

Favorite Am

erican food:

turkey, bag

els

Favorite mu

sic: Snoop Li

on, Eminem

On high scho

ol: Like a m

ovie, it is. W

e have locke

rs. All movie

s from

America are

in big high

schools like

this, Marc

heschi said.

six foreign exchange

students take on high schoolPhotos by charlotte davis.


Alexa

n

Hintz:

Age- 17, Sen

ior

Home- Ham

burg, Germa

ny

On America:

I think a lot

of American

sports, like

Amer-

ican football,

baseball, an

d basketball,

Hintz said

. More than

fifty percen

t of Americ

ans, I think

, are athlet

ic.

Magda

Pikala

:

Age- 17, Sen

ior

Home- War

saw, Poland

Activities:

I cant dance

at school be

cause they to

ok everybody

in May, sa

id Pikala. A

nd now I can

t go

there, but n

ow I go to J

odie Phillips

Dance stu

dio [to dance

] hip hop and

jazz.

Der


Max Von HobeAge- 16, SeniorHome- Orfhel, GermanyFavorite activity- handball

Favorite class: U.S. Histo-ry with Tyler Alexander

On Americans: Where I live in Germany, every-

body thinks of Americans as barbeque and guns,

Von Hobe said. It is a little bit different.

Lukas EismannAge- 17, SeniorHome- Melle, Germany

Favorite food: sauerkraut, Kassler with mashed

potatoesOn Americans: There are stereotypes, but they

are mostly not that nice in Germany, Eismann said.

Americans live in a kind of bubble, they say, so they

only care about America and dont care about the

rest of the world. We also say that Americans are

very nice, and I have to say thats true.Digital Imaging creations:

Read more about this years foreign students

online at www.bvswnews.com

features | www.bvswnews.com | southwest | sept. 2013 | 31

Expectation vs. realityFreshmen speak out on how their views on high school have changed

During eighth grade, you are at the top of your school looking down on the two grades below you. However, during the following school year, as a freshman you are placed back at the bottom with three grade levels stacked above you. Before starting high school, everyone has an idea of how high school will be like. But expectation and reality are two very differ-ent things. It can be changed drastically depending on the individual.

I thought high school would be a lot scarier than it really is because of how big the school is. I have been able to get around the school a lot easi-er than I thought. I think my views

changed because of the actual experi-ence I have had so far. I have started in more challeng-ing classes and I have started to like school more. Not really any difficul-ties so far.

I thought I would get extremely lost in the school and be always late to my classes. I really am liking high school so far. I havent had too much trouble finding my classes. The school is so big. My thoughts have changed because now I have had some actual high

school experience. Ive been having trouble transitioning from sum-mer break to school work every day. The biggest change for me is now I dont go to my locker much, being able to carry my backpack around. Theres also so many bigger and taller people than me now.

I thought it would be a bit harder than middle school but I wasnt re-ally expecting anything really intimidating. My views have not changed since beginning. I wasnt expecting much, which explains the lack of change. I have

a lot more homework than I did last year, but I didnt have much last year anyway. It was difficult on the first day trying to find stuff and classes, but other than that I have yet to face any real difficulties.

Before I started high school, I thought it would be bigger and scarier. I thought this from movies Ive seen. Since starting Ive realised that every-one is pretty nice and sports are a blast. I think Ill like high school. High school just seems more

enjoyable and we have more freedom. My big-gest change is my friends. I think I will make a lot of new friends, even with older kids. I think the greatest difficulty for me will be scheduling be-cause I will be busy with sports.

| rachelconner| emmaholland

| angelafornelli

| finnmurphy

editor-in-chiefgrant laster

managing editormariem towakoli

web editorcaroline fronzcak

news editorcaroline fronzcak

photo editoranna glennon

features editorananda bhatia

opinion editornicole becker

special sections editorlauren stoneadviserheather lawrenz

photographerssarina acharyasam billmancharlotte daviserica goodciara murphy

staff writersmargo johnsonmichael magyarlexi tarter

| thesouthweststandard

The Southwest Standard is published seven times a year for students, faculty and surrounding community of Blue Val-ley Southwest. It is an open forum for stu-dent expression. Therefore, the opinions expressed within this paper do not neces-sarily reflect the views of the administra-tion of Blue Valley Unified School District #229.

Letters to the editor and reader responses are en-couraged for publication. The Southwest Standard re-serves the right to edit all submissions for both language and content and encourages letters to be no more than 350 words. All letters must be signed and names will be published.

Letters should be submitted to room 118 emailed to [email protected] or mailed:

The Southwest Standard c/oBlue Valley Southwest High School

17600 Quivira Overland Park, KS 66085

The Southwest Standard also encourages guest photography.

| samgettings


work hard,play hard

Over 19 years of playing and over 20 years of coaching, he has shared his successes with his players. He has taught them to push themselves to be the best that they can be so they, too, can grow to love the sport and achieve victories of their own.

Winning every match we play means that we are going to win the State Championship.

That is our ultimate goal.

-MattSonnichsen


work hard, play hardthree-time All-American player sets volleyball team up for success

Matt Sonnichsen has had many suc-cesses in his volleyball career, both as a player and as a coach. Before entering the coaching field he was a standout player. He was a four-year letter winner at The University of California, Los Angeles [UCLA], where he was a three-time All-American setter and led the Bruins to NCAA Championships in both 1987 and 1989.

He also was named the MVP of the 1989 National Championship. After competing with the U.S. Senior National Team and an internation-al tour of Japan, along with a domestic tour of Russia, he went on to play professionally for five years on the AVP Pro Beach Volleyball tour. In addition, Sonnichsen won two indoor Swiss Vol-leyball Championships playing for Lausanne and Nafels, and participated in two European cham-pionship tournaments competing in France, Slovenia and Romania.

Volleyball has been the common factor in my travels, which makes it much easier to get a true feel for a new area, Son-nichsen said. It creates a whole new environment having another volleyball player or coach to help guide you and show you so many things that you would never experience if you were a typical

tourist.Coach Sonnichsen

just recently has retired after 15 years of being an NCAA Division I Head Coach. He has approxi-mately 20 years of NCAA coaching experience in total. He has coached for Louisiana Tech and The University of Tulsa.

After all of his years of traveling around the world, he decid-ed to move to Overland Park because it is closer to his family.

I joined NCSA [National Collegiate Scout-ing Associa-tion] Athletic Recruiting, when I decided to step away from collegiate coaching last year, and NCSA allows me to live wherever I want, Sonnichsen said. We believed Prairie Village would be a great place to settle into.

This is Coach Sonnichsens first year coaching high school players. There are many differences between the players, such as physical aspects as well as experi-ence levels.

Im used to coaching collegiate and profession-

al athletes, Sonnichsen said. The skill sets are less developed at the high school level and we [the coaching staff] will work to strengthen those skills to better our players.

The coaches all have had experience playing and coaching the sport. All of the other coaches have played collegiate level volleyball. They know what it takes to make it to the more advanced lev-els, and they push their players in order to shape them into more skillful individuals.

We want all of the

players in our program to work hard, Sonnichsen said. I want them to ap-ply what the coaches tell them. We are very bless-ed here. I have a very rich and deep volleyball history, but our other coaches have also played collegiate level volley-

ball. Our program is very lucky and we

have people who know what they

are doing so we want our players to do what

we tell

them to so we can make them better. Also, we want to always remain positive.

Although he is now coaching younger players, Coach Son-nichsen has the same expectations as he does for his more experienced players.

Our varsity goal is to win every match we play, Sonnichsen said. By extension,

winning every match we play means that we are going to win the State Championship. That is our ultimate goal. For our other teams, we are aware of trying to win but we want to continue to develop skill sets so that they can grow into good varsity players.

Coach Sonnichsen has a great deal of insight on how to someday make his players successful, high level athletes.

With my years lead-ing up to varsity I know I will learn a lot from both the players as well as coach Sonnichsen,

freshman player Donna Arm-

strong said. Im looking forward to working hard in order to eventually make it to varsity.

Matt Son-nichsen differs

from the others due to his experience with

the U.S Senior National Team.

It is an honor to have him coach us, sopho-more and varsity player Lexie Penichet said. I feel like he will take our team very far this year.

| lexitarter

Head coach for Louisiana

Tech.

Head coach for

University of Tulsa.

5 year tour-

ing with AVP Volleyball League.

1989 NCAA

Champion-ship with the

Bruins.

1987 NCAA

Champion-ship with the

Bruins.

Joined NCSA

recruiting.

Head coach for

BVSW Tim-berwolves.

Photos by Charlotte Davis.


sophomore Madison Moore competes in beauty pageants

As sophomore Madison Moore walks across the stage of the Scottish Rite Temple at the Miss Kansas Teen USA 2013 pageant, her ruched mermaid-style dress cascades from beneath her with each step she takes. The dazzling cobalt and silver crystal embellishment under the bust of the dress glimmers under the bright stage lights, and the chiffon train flutters behind her. As the slow pop music plays, she gingerly walks down each step, careful not to trip in her 4-inch heels, and then stops at the foot of the stairs posing for the judging panel situated in front of her.

For someone who had no previous experi-ence in pageants prior to Miss Kansas Teen USA 2013, held in Wichita on Dec. 2, 2012, Madison accomplished what many pageant contestants only dream of doing. After practic-ing and preparing for the pageant for months beforehand, Madison walked away as a Semi-finalist, finishing in 6th place out 29 girls. She was also awarded Peoples Choice and the Con-geniality Award.

Madison recently got involved in pageantry in 2012 with the support of her parents, Troy and Angela Moore. With Madison express-ing an interest in modeling, Troy and Angela discovered pageants through Angelas sisters sister-in-law, Courtney Gay, who had previ-ously competed in pageants.

[Gay] said that a great way to figure out whether you like [modeling], or if youre into that world or if you would like it, is through

pageants, Madison said.While Troy and Angela also wanted to get

Madison involved in modeling, they learned from Gay that important life skills can be learned through pageants.

[Gay] was talking about how [pageants] built her confidence and interviewing skills, so [Angela and I] thought that that might be an avenue for [Madison], Troy said. I thought it would be a great experience for her to step outside of her comfort zone.

After learning about pageants and deciding that she wanted to get involved, in July 2012 Madison started meeting weekly with a pageant coach, Lisa Forbes, who won Miss Kansas USA 2004 and the United States Miss Earth title in 2007. She worked with her until the pageant in December in order to perform her best at the pageant.

[Forbes] would come for about an hour and a half to two hours, and wed work on walking and interviewing, Madison said. She taught me interview skills, she taught me how to walk and that there are different kinds of walks.

Some days wed work on hair and makeup tech-niques.

In order to prepare for the competition, Madison would also practice on her own, whether she was at school or home.

I walk around my house sometimes and walk in front of mirrors, Madison said. Some-times Ill even walk when Im alone in the hall-way. My parents will just sometimes ask me questions randomly that I have to answer like Im in the pageant.

At Miss Kansas Teen USA 2013, contes-tants competed in three different events in the preliminary round including: Opening Num-ber, Swimsuit and Evening Gown. Contestants who made it to Finals answered questions pre-sented by judges until a winner was decided.

The first event in the pageant is Opening Number, when contestants are first introduced to judges through a choreographed dance with all the other contestants, all while wearing co-ordinating dresses.

[Opening Number] is just supposed to be fun, Madison said. Everyone is synchro-nized, and its totally cliche. Its the first time judges see you, and even if you cant dance, which I cannot, [the judges] want to see you having fun and being outgoing.

Although she did not particularly enjoy opening number she was the first one to vol-unteer to go to the back row she felt more in her element during the Swimsuit portion of the pageant.

cont. to page 36.

I have loved everything about [pageants]. [Miss Kansas Teen USA] was

probably the highlight of my school year.

crowning moment

Madison Moore poses onstage during Evening Gown. However after her walk, she

had a wardrobe malfunction onstage. I had a big [train that] flowed behind me, and

a girl actually stepped on it and ripped it, Madison said. The judges were still watch-ing, and all of a sudden you heard a ripping

noise. Apparently, nobody noticed.Photo courtesy of Madison Moore

| MadisonMoore


cont. from page 35.

Her sister, 13-year-old Malerie Moore, who is an 8th grader at Aubry Bend, also enjoyed her older sisters Swim-suit walk.

I loved her Swimsuit walk, Malerie said. Id probably have to say the Swimsuit walk [was her best.]

The last event in prelim-inaries before judges tallied up their scores in order to see who would be competing in Fi-nals the next day was Evening Gown, which Madison was most nervous for.

Evening gown is really showing off elegance and beau-ty and just how [contestants] carry themselves, Madison said. Its awesome because you feel so gorgeous and pret-ty. Youre showing off your nice pretty dress, and youre walking around. Everyones looking at you. Its your little moment.

The following morning, af-ter discovering that she was a Semifinalist, Madison advanced to Finals, where judges inter-view contestants about their personalities and their beliefs on issues such as politics.

In Interview [the judges] try to find out who you are as a person, Madison said. They are really keen on if youre into

giving back to the community, and if youre involved in things outside of typical teenage life. They want to make sure that theyre picking a girl thats as beautiful on the inside as she is on the outside.

Although this was a nerve-wrecking event in the competition for Madison, it is one that Troy finds the most important for developing skills that will be beneficial later on in life.

[I wanted her to get in-volved] to build poise and con-fidence, Troy said. Those are things that you can take with you on job interviews in the fu-ture or just speaking in a group where you may not know any-one. Its a good skill to have.

While mastering the grace-ful and elegant walk of Evening Gown or rehearsing answers that will impress the judges are important to have down for when the judges are scribbling on their scorecards and tallying up points, contestants must also go through intense beauty rou-tines in order to look the part on stage.

I have gotten makeup les-sons from the MAC counter, Madison said. Ive gotten [les-sons] from my coach. Ive been learning hair from pretty much everyone under the sun. I go get

my nails shellacked on French tips. I have to get specific eye-lashes. I have to trim them. Thank goodness that I got my braces off when I did because its awful, but you cant win the competition if you have brac-es.

Madisons passion for pag-eants has rubbed off on Malerie, who plans on competing when she meets the age requirement of 14, which will be in the 2015 pageant.

[Pageants] look like a lot of fun because [Madison] gets to wear pretty dresses, but the award part looks like a lot of fun, Malerie said. I also like doing hair and makeup.

Madison and Malerie have high hopes from the upcoming years of the pageant.

I thought it would be cool if Madison won this year, and then next year I won so she could crown me, Malerie said.

Although Madison has taught Malerie strategies for walking and posing on stage, they do not plan on competing against each other in the pag-eant.

I dont know how well we would do competing against each other because we...

cont. to page 37.

insideMadisons

closetBrand: Mac DuggalEvent: Evening GownThe cobalt color really popped, Madison said. It bumped up the green in my eyes.

Brand: Helens HeartEvents: Evening Gown and Swimsuit The reason that [the shoes] have to be nude is because [the judges] want your

legs to look longer, Madison said.

Brand: French ConnectionEvent: Interview[The dress has] this blocking on the sides that makes my waist look smaller, Madison said.

Brand: Enzo Angi-oliniEvent: InterviewThe shoes have plat-forms with sparkles, Madison said. The way they catch the light is awesome.

Brand: Meriell Club CollectionEvent: SwimsuitI knew that I wanted to do something that was going to not be typical [in Swim-suit], Madison said.

I wanted cutouts. Brand: MICHAEL Michael Kors Event: Opening NumberIn Opening Number you have to have the dress on, Madison said. You could do

whatever you wanted with the shoes.

Madison Moore accepts the Congeni-ality Award. The winner of the award is voted for by the other contestants. Contestants make their decisions on

who is the nicest. and most charis-matic girl in the pageant.

Photo courtesy of Madison Moore

feature | www.bvswnews.com | southwest | sept 2013 | 37

q&a:How did you get involved in pageants?I tried out for my school drill team when I was in the 7th grade with all my friends, and I was the only one who didnt make it. All those girls who I was friends with started being really mean to me, and I decided to turn around and do something that would give me my confidence back so I started doing pageants.

How do you prepare for pageants?There are a lot of things that go into prepartions. Sponsorship is one of the main things. Theres also the fitness portion and just adopting a healthier lifestyle.

How did you feel when you won Miss Kan-sas Teen USA 2013? It was very surreal. My heart was probably about to beat out of my chest because I was so nervous. It was a very overwhelming feeling. I get chills when I think about it.

How was competing at Miss Teen USA 2013 different from Miss Kansas Teen USA 2013?The competition doubled but it was still the same amount of fun. I was in the Atlantis Paradise Islands for five days with 50 other girls that I can now call my sisters. Out of the 51 girls I was in the top 16.

What is the best part about being in-volved in pageants?Making new friends all across the state and country is probably my favorite part. I have met more genuine girls through pageantry than I have through school.

What is your advice for girls wanting to get involved in pageants?Go for it because if you would have asked me two and a half years ago if I would have ever done a pageant, I would have thought you were nuts. Fol-low your dreams and it can really be you. You can be the one having your crowing moment.

Alyssa Klinzing

| margojohnson

Madison Moore (right) poses with other contestants, including winner Alyssa

Klinzing (second from left), during open-ing number. Im not a good dancer but it

was still fun, Madison said. Photo courtesy of Madison Moore

cont. from page 36.

would do competing against each other because we would get pretty competitive, Malerie said. The family would be divided. Itd be rough.

Malerie is looking forward to competing in the upcoming years, and is not only excited about the possibility of winning, but also the social aspect of the pageant.

Im just excited because it looks like a lot of fun, and you get to meet a lot of cool new friends, Malerie said. If you win you get to go to the national pageant, and I watched it this year, and it looked really fun.

With the Miss Kansas Teen USA 2014 competition being held in Maize, Kan. this upcoming Decem-ber, Madison has been busy pre-paring for the competition, which she hopes to win this year. As for pageants beyond the teen category, Madison is open to thinking about it.

I might do the Miss [USA or America] pageants, she said. It just depends on what my life looks like at that point when Im eligible, and how Ive done in the teen cat-egory, but as of right now I would love to do the Miss [pageants]. I think its a lot more fun because its less conservative.

However, pageantry does come with a downside. TLCs hit show Toddlers and Tiaras has shown a negative light on the world of pag-eants and focuses on the drama and

cattiness side of pageantry.All the stereotypes that peo-

ple talk about [is the downside to pageants,] Madison said. There are some girls that fit the mold of Toddlers and Tiaras, and I dont think they should be here if theyre going to act and say things that way. There are so many great things that you get out of [pageants] that I think you have to take it upon yourself to look past all the negative stuff.

While Toddlers and Tiaras fo-cuses on sassy preschoolers used to getting their way and throwing a fit if they do not, it also features the pageant moms and pageant dads who are portrayed to be more interested in pageants than their own children. However, Troy does not see this is a common situation among other parents involved in Miss Kansas Teen USA.

We havent really noticed [the parents being] that sensational-ized, Troy said. It is a television show, and 99 percent of it is enter-tainment. Im sure that deep down were fierce competitors. We want her to do well but its not something we impose on her competitors.

The negative stereotypes and non genuine girls do not distract Madison from her goal of winning, and she finds that the positives of pageantry outweigh the negatives.

Continued at www.bvswnews.com

It was a typical August afternoon, but as junior Megan Tolar drove home, something caught her eye that made her heart stop. Blowing gently in the breeze, a line of bright yellow police tape surrounded her front porch, alerting Tolar that her house could be the scene of a seri-ous crime. With sweaty palms, she got out of the car, unsure of what to think until she noticed boyfriend Ryan Pascos writing on the side-walk that said Im dying to go to Homecoming with you. Feelings of concern were replaced with excite-ment as she whipped out her phone and typed up one message, Oh my god yes, this is awesome.

This year Homecoming was held on Sept. 21, much earlier than the mid-October date from past years. For anyone willing to look hard enough, ideas on how to ask someone to the dance are count-less, regardless of relationship sta-tus. While having the dance early in the school year helps keep up school spirit, it also leaves students with less time than usual to find someone that they want to ask to the dance and actually go through with asking. For upperclassmen, this may not be much of a problem because they already know their peers, but freshman havent had the time to get to know their fellow classmates.

Well, I think its fine [that Homecoming is early], except that in terms of people getting to know each other and scoping out a pos-sible date, I think its really hard, freshman English teacher Marin McCrossen said. Especially for the younger kids. I think the fresh-

men are still trying to find their way in every regard- physically, emotionally, mentally. Theyre still in that limbo area, especially this early.

Freshmen, with their lack of Homecoming experience, are work-ing to understand the ins and outs of school dances, but that hasnt dampened their spirit.

For the freshman, we havent done this yet, so its a big deal for us, freshman Trevor Seyl said. Its our first time so thats proba-bly why [Homecoming is such a big deal].

For students who have already dealt with Homecoming, the big-gest issue they are facing is trying to come up with unique ways to ask their special someone to the dance. Even couples that are in an estab-lished relationships have pressure put on them to be flashy when ask-ing each other to the dance.

The thing that strikes me as so funny is that if youre already in a relationship with somebody, there is still the expectation that you ask your boyfriend or girlfriend to the dance in a very creative way, which is kind of funny because its not like youre going to get a no an-swer probably, McCrossen said. But the pressure is still there to come up with something really cre-

ative.That pressure leaves students

turning to every resource they have,

especially friends, to find the per-fect idea.

cont. to page 39.

38 | sept. 2013 | southwest | www.bvswnews.com | special sections

Students ask each other to the dance in unique ways

| seniorhaileyweston | sophomoretylerhoward

When asking some-one to the dance, is it best to be creative or

traditional?

Unique, because everyone else

does flowers and chocolates. You should be creative because it makes a girl feel special.

Photo courtesy of Megan Tolar

Biggest The Question

cont. from page 38.

One of my friends told me that doing stuff with chalk is always fun, Pasco said. But I was like, you know, chalks a little bit lame, so I might just think about it for a little bit. Then I came up with the idea to do a crime scene with an outline of chalk and ask that way.

Instead of bouncing ideas off of friends, other students rely on inside jokes to base their homecoming ideas off of.

I wanted to surprise him, senior Matilyn Moes said about asking her boy-friend to the dance. We both had an inside joke that the po-lice would be out to get us one day, so thats how I came up with the idea to go over to his work and get all his managers and co-workers involved. I stood outside with a cake and balloons that said, Will you go to the dance with me? and his co-workers told him that the police were outside waiting for him since they saw him speed-ing down 119th Street, so he flipped out and ran out back and I asked him that way.

With so many ideas float-ing around, it leaves students with the choice of using a classic approach, or making a big, bold statement as they ask their would-be date to the dance. While asking someone to the dance in a creative way has its supporters, some favor the traditional approach be-cause it puts less pressure on the person being asked to say yes.

Id go with flowers and chocolate just because its not like Im going to buy this gazil-lion dollar something and you have to say yes, Seyl said. I might put a rose in her locker through the vent with a note

attached to it saying Home-coming and her name on it.

Despite which approach they take, students often tend to try to one-up each oth-er when asking dates to the dance.

I think the trend has been toward outdoing one an-other with the creativity, and thats fun as long as youre not the one who has to come up with it, McCrossen said. I dont have to think of any ideas, so I love looking around and thinking Oh, that was a really good one.

Regardless of how they plan on doing it, students agree that adequate time for planning and preparation is a solid first step in asking their date to the dance, and some-times preparation requires getting friends and co-workers in on the master plan.

It took a week to figure out what I wanted to do and then another week to plan with all of his co-workers and get his friends involved, Moes said. 13 people knew, and I

had full trust in them because they knew it was supposed to be a surprise.

Even though some em-ploy the help of a small army, others choose to only have a select group of close friends assist them in getting ready to ask.

I didnt tell anybody until one or two days before because I needed somebody to

help me set up, Pasco said. After all the planning and

preparation has been carried out, the final step students have to take is to make sure that their date doesnt find out how they are going to get asked.

I had no idea. At first when my car pulled up, I was like Holy crap someone got murdered on my porch, To-lar said. But then I saw that I was getting asked to Home-coming, and it was awesome.

|laurenstone

special sections | www.bvswnews.com | southwest | sept. 2013 | 39

| sophomorecorbettoliver| sophomorefreddiecharlesworth

Before you askA checklist of things to do before asking your special someone to the dance.

Nothing is worse than asking someone to the dance and finding out that they cant go because you didnt do your research. Make sure that they arent already in a relationship or have a date before you ask.

Check their relationship

status

Spend some time finding out their inter-ests, their likes and dislikes, and then use that information when asking them to the dance. Whoever you ask will be touched that you put a personal touch on your idea.

Take time to get to know

them

Asking someone to the dance may be nerve-wracking, but the worst someone can do is say no. Even though rejection is hard, it isnt the end of the world. Calm down and tell yourself that everything is going to work out, and it probably will.

Take a deep breath

Dont just wing it. If youre going to ask someone to the dance, be sure to come up with a game plan before going through with it. This will help you make sure that you dont forget something and make a fool of yourself.

Come up with a plan

If youve got something big in the works, get friends, family or co-workers to help you get set up. Just be sure to choose trustworthy people to help you out so that your big plans dont get spilled to the person you are asking.

Get help from friends

Creative, because that usually goes

down better

A lot of people arent original, so be creative

because it shows you put a lot of thought into it

Last year, Moes was asked to prom by boyfriend, Mitch Easley. He had his uncle, a cop, pull her over for reckless driving, and then handed her a ticket

that said Prom? Photo courtesy of Matilyn Moes

40 | sept. 2013 | southwest | www.bvswnews.com | opinion

green machineSouthwest spirit continues to grow and develop.

Juniors cheer their class to victory in the class com-

petition at the first outdoor assembly.

Photo by Anna Glennon

opinion | www.bvswnews.com | southwest | sept. 2013 | 41

The crowd cheers on senior Alexander Hintz as he dribbles the ball around three defenders towards the goal. At Bishop Miege, for the first boys soccer game of the season, a group of 20 students made the 30-minute drive to come and support the team.

The fans give me an extra push, Hintz said. It pushes me more to play better and want to score for them.

Students definitely have built up the school spirit since the in-augural year, but there is still work to be done. From the crazy spirit day outfits, to the crammed student section at football games we have made so much progress and we cant just stop here. The Southwest student population is growing, and so is its spirit. This spirit is vital to the developing unity of the student body.

I think we have come a long way in the last t h r e e y e a r s , s e n i o r E m m a Stewart said. It definitely showed in our first assembly, but I think we still have a long ways to go.

Spirit can be promoted through three primary things: assemblies,

spirit days and attending school activities. These things are cre-ated in order to bring us together and promote the school.

Assemblies are a time created specifically to pump up the school and get excited. Not only do stu-dents get the benefit of shorter class schedules, but they get to have a time where its actually encouraged to cheer and be loud in school. Since we get the luxury of having assemblies at the end of the day, some use that as an opportunity to go home and en-joy some extra free time. It may not seem like it but participation in assemblies greatly affects the way students carry the pride of the school.

I hope to see a lot of the fresh-men step up and get into pep as-semblies and football games this year, junior Jack Rose said. Theres so many of them that they have the potential to boost us

up and make so much noise.

O u r school con-sists of many d i f f e r e n t c l o t h i n g styles, but spirit week

is a week dedicated to putting away differences and dressing in unity. Spirit days create a fun and lighthearted atmosphere. Some

students may think that going all out during spirit days make you look dumb or overdressed. If you have fun with it, itll turn out great and generate confidence within the enitre school.

I think spirit day is a day where the entire student body pulls together, Assistant Princi-pal Richard Bechard said. We have to make sure that the themes are tasteful and doesnt take away from the learning environment. I think that this years spirit days

are great and will bring us togeth-er like its supposed to.

The biggest form of spirit is supporting the activities that stu-dents participate in. Students who participate in school activities represent Southwest, which goes to represent the whole student body.

cont. to pg 42

The stands filled with students for the first

home game ever at Southwest against

Washington.Photo by Ciara Murphy

nicolebecker

Disney hawaiian what not to wear throwback thursday

I think spirit day is a day where the entire student

body pulls together. Richard Bechard

spirit days Photos courtesy of Molly Menefee, Liz Putnam, Blake Gustafson and Haley Fahnholz

cont. from pg 41

Having the support of other students encourages partici-pants in activities to do better. It reminds them who theyre playing for and excites them to know that people care about what theyre doing.

Hintz is a foreign exchange student from Germany, where they dont have activities for their school.

Its cool to hear them[the fans] screaming the school name, Hintz said. In Germa-ny, we dont play for a school and there isnt cheerleaders, its only parents. I like it way better with a crowd in the stands.

Other Blue Valley schools argue that we arent as spirited as them which could lessen our pride. Recently, the Twitter world has heated up with debates on the best schools in Blue Valley. Students from Blue Valley West continue to make remarks on how theyre the best school and Southwest is lacking spirit and pride.

I truly think that the fights on Twitter dont have a winner or loser, Blue Valley West ju-nior David Pickett said. You could never convince someone

that the school they go to isnt as good as they think in only 140 characters.

With this being our fourth year open, were forming our own personality and coming out of the developing stages. It takes time to create traditions and great spirit and we are continuously improving. We may be called unspirited by other schools, but we should use that as motivation to prove them wrong.

I think the hatred will fade once Southwest stops being recognized as the new school of Blue Valley, Pickett said. You have to earn your share here. Before Southwest was the prime target, it was West; so, itll eventually die down for you guys.

This is our fourth year, and we are coming out of our shell. Its time to prove to everyone what we are made of. We have made so much progress and theres so much more we can do. We will no longer be the Southwest student body, we are the Southwest family.

I believe that the other Blue Valley Schools have really started to notice us, Bechard said. The students here have grown through the Southwest

way and have really committed to our school. I really sense a pride from almost every student for Southwest that transfers into positive spirit.

vote

Go online to bvswnews.com to cast your vote for this months editorial ques-tion. Read other student responses and comment on the editorial. Make your voice heard at www.bvswnews.com. or mention us on twitter @bvswnews

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your vote

Top Left: Fans raise their voices at the opening kickoff

of the first home game.Top Right: The cheerleaders bring the fans to their feet to

cheer on the football team.Bottom Right: After scoring their first touchdown of the season, the football players

celebrate.Photos by Ciara Murphy and

Anna Glennon



bubblelivingin the

the pros and cons of staying in Kansas after high schoolLast year, 120 out of the 206

students in the senior class stayed in-state for college, and out of those who didnt, 22 remained in the Midwest.

Of course, every student con-siders the factors of cost and dis-tance from home when looking at universities. In-state schools are enormously cheaper, and no one wants to spend another years worth of tuition on traveling for Thanksgiving.

But so many kids refer to John-son County as the bubble, and it usually does not have a positive connotation. If so many students feel trapped, why does over half of the school choose to stay in Kan-sas each year?

Staying In-State

Sophomore Callie Williams hops into the SUV with her family and heads off to tailgate before ev-ery Wildcats football game. Plen-ty of avid college sports fans ride down to watch the games as well, and there might even be some others whove been attending the same games for about 15 years.

But for Callie, theyre more than just games. They were part of her childhood, something she grew up with, and theyre just one of the reasons why she wants to stay in-

state for college.Callie has lived in Kansas for

as long as shes been alive. She wants to grow up to teach children who speak Spanish. She considers herself to be a city person. She wants to study abroad. But in or-der to reach these goals, she sees no reason to have to leave Kansas after high school.

I didnt go on many vacations outside of Kansas [as a kid] be-cause all of my grandparents and relatives live here, Williams said. I didnt really see what it

was like [outside of the state] until later on.

Callies parents both grew up in Kansas, and her moms parents lived here their whole lives as well. Her mother, Denise Wil-liams, decided not to leave the state she grew up in after high school and attended Kansas State University.

Its a big school, but it had a small town feel to it, Denise said. Most people who go there are from Kansas, so it seems like thered be connections. Youd meet people and youd know someone in com-mon just because most people are not from far away.

Denise eventually met her husband Mark at K-State, and af-ter college they got married and moved within the Blue Valley School District. Callie plans on attending her parents alma mater as well.

Its the only place I really know, Callie said. Ive always loved it and Ive always pictured myself going there.

By choosing to go to K-State, Callie knows she will always be close to home: Denise has no

doubt about for how long the fami-ly plans to live in Kansas.

Probably forever.

Bordering State Lines

Math teacher Kelley Alexan-der ended up at an in-state school, even though she initially wanted to leave Kansas. Alexander grew up attending the same Nazarene church her mother went to when

she was younger, so Kelley knew she wanted to find a Nazarene col-lege. But at first, the school her mother, father and older sister attended, MidAmerica Nazarene University, didnt seem appealing because of its proximity to home.

Photo illustration by Anna Glennon.


Do you want to go to college in Kansas?

For me, I thought I didnt want to go to MidAmerica, Al-exander said. I thought, I dont want to stay here. I dont want to be in this city still. [But] I looked at three or four different Nazarene schools, and with every one except for MidAmerica, when I went on campus it didnt feel right. And I didnt feel that way at MidAmeri-ca. I was holding a grudge against it because it was close to home, but in the end it turned out to be the right choice.

Aside from the three years she spent in Dallas during elementary school, Alexander spent her entire childhood in Olathe. She met her husband, who grew up in Topeka where his mom was raised, the first year after she decided to attend MidAmerica.

Sometimes I wish I would have gone away for college, just so I would have seen something different, Alexander said. Mr. Alexander and I have talked about how we think after wed met each other freshman year, maybe we wouldve liked to transfer some-where together. But you cant re-ally have any regrets you cant look back and think what if.

After college, the Alexanders briefly lived in an apartment in Lenexa before moving back to Olathe. But traveling became a part of their lives right away; they took four different vacations just during their first year of marriage.

I could see us staying here

forever, just because this area were in is so good to raise fami-lies, she said. We have our nice house, easy commutes and jobs that we really like, and we have [almost] all of our cousins and aunts and uncles right here. [But] if we didnt travel, I could see us wanting to move somewhere else to see something new.

Alexander suggests not worry-ing too much about the location of the school initially.

I wouldnt pick a school based on where it is saying like I want to get away from my family or I want to be on the beach, she said. I would pick it more on the atmosphere, because you can have a college in a great location, but when you actually get onto the campus it doesnt feel right. If you get both location and that good feeling then thats great, but I would pick it more on what it has to offer for you.

Eager to leave Kansas

On the opposite end of the spectrum are the students who have a strong desire and reason to leave. Senior Connor Davis has a future in mind, hopefully at Har-vard University.

I love its location and I love the campus if I dont get into Harvard, I want to find a college where its the same kind of scenar-io and atmosphere, Davis said. Everyone there you know is just

as smart or probably smarter than you, and I think thats a cool feel-ing.

Davis is one of seven kids. He has a brother at Harvard and a sis-ter at Yale, and his parents have started their own business.

Just seeing so many different things like what my brother and sister are doing; there are just so many new things and new people that I want to meet and see, and I think college is a great opportunity to do that, he said.

Many people are afraid of leav-ing home, but for Davis, being on his own is nothing new.

Ive grown up with a lot of brothers and sisters, so I know how to take care of myself and other people, Davis said. I dont feel the need to have a parent within a couple of hours. Thats not lim-iting me.

Over the summer, Davis at-tended a three-week camp at Co-lumbia University in New York City, where he was exposed to a

new potential career path in in-ternational relations. Without that experience of being in a complete-ly different environment, he might not have ever considered the pos-sibility.

I dont think Kansas is a hor-rible place; I just think there are a lot of places that are better than Kansas, Davis said. Its proba-bly a great place to raise a child, but I dont think its a great place to be when youre 20 and learning, trying to meet new people. Theres a type of crowd Kansas would be ideal for, but I dont think its the college kid.

Like Callie, Davis describes himself as a big city person. He is also studying Spanish and con-sidering studying abroad in Spain. But Davis doesnt see himself reaching his full potential in the same place he grew up.

I think it [living far away] builds character in a way that you have to figure out your own prob-lems, Davis said. Youre on your own. It forces you to reach outside of your comfort zone making new friends, finding your way around a new place its a whole new life that you have to learn. Whereas if you go to K-State, you probably already know a lot of the people that are going to that college, and I dont think it stretches you as far as going someplace else would.

I want to go out of state for college because

Kansas is a black hole of death and Ill

never get out of it if I dont

go to college anywhere

else. I want to see the world.

Probably in-state be-cause its cheaper and its close to home. Its all I know and I dont want to leave Kansas.

Im probably going to UMKC. I have more schol-arship opportunities, and it has the program Im looking for, and I dont want to

go far away because I feel like I still have responsibility

here.

| anandabhatia

| seniorandylindsey | seniormeganedwards | junioralyssayarbrough

ads | www.bvswnews.com | southwest | sept. 2013 | 45

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stylish alternatives for risqu fashions

I like that I can show my personality and beliefs through my clothes regardless of my emotions.

DressedforSuccess

| sarinaacharya

opinion | www.bvswnews.com | southwest | sept. 2013 | 47

Fashion Timeline1930s- Women wore loose, flowy, and very elegant dresses. The theme was a conservative but feminine look. The men went for a more rugged look with double breasted suits and wide trousers.1940s- A more modern look came along as represented by feminine suits, shorter skirts and nylon stockings. Pants were also acceptable for women to wear.1950s- Clothing such as pencil skirts, swing skirts, poodle skirts, Peter Pan collars and shirt dresses were in style.1960s- In the early part of the decade, women sported leather boots, mini skirts and tall hair. The later part of the decade was dominated by the hippie look. There was a lot of floral, tie dye and loose fitting clothing. 1970s- Neon and crazy colored clothes were all the rage. Uni-sex fashion was also a big thing. Flared jeans (bell bottoms), hot pants, crops tops and mules are some piec-es of this decade. 1980s- The men started dressing simplistically with jeans and a t-shirt. Womens fashion got even more complicated with tons of accessories (chunky bracelets, big belts). 1990s- Denim becomes more popular.2000s- Styles from the past are making a reap-pearance, but with a modern twist.

School Dress CodeWhat to avoid: bare midriff, showing under garments, too tight/loose clothing, extremely short shorts/skirts, low necklines, bare backs, provocative clothing, hats, clothing advertising illegal things. Consequences for violating the Dress Code include being asked to change, being sent home, and/or an assort-ment of disciplinary actions (i.e. detention).

With the sweltering heat brought on by the summer months, it only seems logical to wear shorts and a tank top, but students also have to think about what is appropriate according to the dress code when considering what they are going to wear to school. As the years go by, fash-ion is constantly on the move from one trend to another. This year, it seems as if the shorts have gotten shorter and the shirts sheer-er.

The purpose of the dress code is to construct the ideal learning environment and remove any dis-tractions that inappropriate cloth-ing may cause. It is implemented in order to create a positive image concerning the school and the students. Dress codes are also intended to help prepare students for the future, since adults cannot dress as they please in a work environment. As part of the staff at Blue Valley Southwest and a member of the dress-code-enforc-ing team, assistant principal Lisa Wilson shares her views about the dress code.

We do not have a dress code to be punitive, Wilson said. We have a dress code to not distract from learning. Students need to be dressed for success.

When a student is caught vi-olating the dress code, it is up to the administrator to choose the proper method of disciplinary ac-tion.

We take the time to talk and educate the students about the ex-pectations when they violate the dress code so that it doesnt hap-pen in the future. Good commu-nication with the students about expectations is important.

Current fashion trends can make finding attire that fits within the dress code difficult, but there are ways that dressing suitably can be achieved. The most im-portant thing to remember is that

clothes must cover the necessary areas, meaning there can be no midriff showing or any extremely short bottoms.

Like many other students, se-nior Rachel Rutledge has her own opinions about the dress code.

Yes, I think that the dress code can be restricting at times, Rutledge said. Personally, the no exposed shoulders rule seems stupid to me because V-necks can be more revealing than that.

Some stu-dents may ar-gue that the dress code is too restricting and therefore breaching upon freedoms of ex-pression.

A l t h o u g h there are limita-tions, student in-dividuality is not suppressed. The current fash-ion may be too loose and may push the bound-aries of what is considered appropriate for school, but es-sentially, fash-ion is all up to interpretation.

S t u d e n t s can adapt a trend such as t r a n s p a r e n t shirts to the dress code by simply putting on a tank top u n d e r n e a t h . Students can also cover excessively exposed skin by choosing to wear a light jacket over tank tops or skimpy dresses.

Often times, the dress code is focused upon girls, but it also ap-plies to the guys. Commonly seen violations occur on days such as Tank Top Tuesdays, or when shirts contain unsuitable or ille-gal slogans.

It is very frustrating to see students wear clothes that are completely sheer or that show their bellies just because it is the current fashion, Wilson said. But when I look around, the vast majority of the student body is

well within the dress code.

Top left: Junior Hope Riley is wearing a black and gray maxi skirt with a solid white tank top. Top right: Senior Kelly Urschel has on a polka dotted black dress with a skinny brown belt. Bottom

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