TIGER THE

PRINTBLUE VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL

Vol. 42 Issue 7 February 2012

Stilwell, KS

AWARDING THE HOURSDocumented communityservice merits Presidential Service Award

READY FOR RUGBYDistrict team bonds while preparing for fourth season

FRESH FASHIONNew trends brighten up any spring wardrobe

page 4

page 14

page 13

Photo by Jun Ham.

Local convention celebrates popular Japanese anime genre : pages 8-9

Manga Mania

Photo by Jun Ham.

inthenews2 February 2012

Unprecedented number of Relay teams fuels high expectations

Counting money, Relay for Life committee member senior !amara Subramanian volunteers during Bank Night. At Bank Night, team captains submit their team’s donations. “Committee helps with collecting, counting and donations,” she said. “It’s a tedious process, but worth it at the end.” Photo by Bailey Outlaw.

annawonderlichads manager

On March 2 and 3, from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m., almost one thousand BV, BV West and BV Southwest students will attend Relay for Life.

Sponsor Adam Wade said RFL experienced about a 50 percent growth in participants since last year.

“We have more students signed up than ever before,” he said. “Right now, I think we have about 450 students on either Committee or a team, so it will be much bigger on our end. !e three schools combined will probably have close to a thousand kids. Last year, we had about 300.”

Committee co-chair junior Bingjie Li said she is excited about the increase in RFL participation.

“I’m de"nitely looking forward to seeing a crowded gym because there will be so many people there,” she said. “It will de"nitely be nice to see all those smiling faces and people having fun.”

Because 38 teams are registered, Wade said many teams will share campsites.

“Due to spacing issues, we’re not going to have 38 campsites,” he said. “!ere will de"nitely be a large amount of combining two to three, and in some cases, even four campsites. We’re going to make it work be-cause, in the end, we’re all here to "ght cancer.”

Wade said he expects BV to raise the most money because of all the BV students participating.

Last year, BV raised $33,000, so this year the RFL

Committee wants to raise $100,000 between the three schools.

“I’d like to say we’d raise more than both of them put together,” he said. “At the same time, we have to remember that all three schools are working together against cancer.”

Li said events will occur every 15 minutes to keep everyone awake and excited.

!is year’s activities could include ceremonies, Fi#h Wall and drumline performances, a bouncy house, a glow stick dance party, a talent show, a photo booth and a caricature artist.

Wade said he likes being involved with RFL because he feels like he’s making a di$erence.

“!e more involved I become, and the longer I sponsor it, the more of a connection I feel to the event itself and to those dealing with cancer,” he said. “In the end, everyone unfortunately has to deal with cancer in some way or another, whether it’s a family member or friend getting sick, or even worse, themselves getting sick. To me, it’s just mind-boggling that something can be as scary and powerful as cancer can.”

Wade said he understands why students are in-volved with RFL every year.

“Students really grab a hold of the impact that they can have on society,” he said. “Raising money for such a good cause that really a$ects everyone is just a natural "t. It’s something that is relatable, and I think it’s something that’s really just crucial for everyone to participate in.”

saranaatzco-editor

On Saturday, Feb. 11, the Scholars Bowl team won its second consecutive 5A State championship.

!e team, consisting of juniors Calvin Cochran, Asim Zaidi and Jamie Brower, sophomores Luke Chen and Ajay Sub-ramanian and freshman Luke Conners ended its season with a record of 70 wins and six losses.

!e team prepared for State by going through practice questions with sponsor Adam Wade.

“We had been doing practice ques-tions, and we had been consistently hitting 80 to 85 percent of those questions per run-through,” Cochran said. “!at’s pretty amazing for just the six of us. If you get that many questions, you’re pretty much set.”

Wade kept track of the team’s statistics, and Cochran said Wade provided guidance that proved to be key in the team’s success.

Cochran said the team performed well in all categories, but he and Zaidi led the team in world language questions.

“!ere’s just so much concentrated knowledge in the six of us,” he said. “It was pretty intense. We were all pretty excited. !e tension, especially at the end, was evident. We all realized it was a big deal to all of us.”

Scholars Bowl team wins State

In the March issue of the Tiger Print

sleep deprivation

the best cupcakes in town

the new Hunger Games movie

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inthenews4 February 2012

All community service forms going toward the Presidential Community Service Award are due Feb. 29. !e hours that count for this award are hours that were earned between March 1, 2011 and the due date.

Service hour forms can be submitted any time but are only counted for the Presidential Award if turned in by Feb. 29.

!ere are three di"erent levels for the Presidential award: bronze, silver and gold. !e bronze level is for students who received 100 to 174 hours of community service.

!e silver is for 175 to 249 hours, and the gold is for 250 or more hours.In the past, service involving teaching religion did not count towards the Presidential

Service Award. However, this rule has changed so teaching religion does count.“Besides managing sports, if you are doing something that helps those in need, it will

probably count,” community service sponsor Kristin Asquith said. “I would love for kids to branch out — try to get out of Johnson County and help others.”

If there is ever a dispute about whether something should count for community service, Asquith said it is discussed among a group of teachers.

“We have an oversight group of teachers who, if there is ever a question about what hours count, I just send it to them if there might need to be something changed,” she said.

Asquith said the Presidential Award is a good way to recognize the students who have put in e"ort and passion to community service.

“You do service for your soul and to better yourself,” she said. “But we live in a world that people also like to be recognized for what they do.”

Sophomore Lorelle Katz volunteered a total of 270 hours of community service this year.

Katz said she does a lot of volunteering with

her church. She helps there in the o#ce whenever they need assistance, teaches Sunday school, and goes on mission trips.

She also helps with a dance program called Access Dance. She volunteers with a couple of friends, and they help teach kids with special needs how to dance. At Access Dance, she helps teach $ve classes — four jazz and one tap.

Each class is divided into age groups. Ages range from $ve-year-olds to ten-year-olds. !e tap class wel-comes all the age groups.

“In each class, we stretch for like $ve to ten minutes and then each volunteer goes and $nds a buddy to go across the %oor with,” Katz said. “Basi-

cally we just help them with each step and make sure they are doing it right. Each class has a dance that they learn, so every week we practice that dance and then perform them at di"erent places.”

She said getting to be around the kids a lot is very enjoyable.

“!e kids get so attached to you,” Katz said. “!ere’s this one girl named Harper and every week she just runs in, and she gives everybody a hug. She’s so sweet. !e emotional attachment, like the bond that you create with them, it’s like nothing that I’ve ever seen before. !ey’re all pretty trusting people. Once you get comfortable, and they fully $gure out that you’re trying to help them, it just clicks.”

Katz said she loves knowing she is truly helping others.

“You can tell that the people who have asked for help are so apprecia-tive of what you have been doing,” she said.“It’s a really good experience to be able to help out. It’s one of those things that it’s not required, but you still really want to do it.”

Senior Hannah Skid-more completed more than 300 hours of com-munity service this school year.

She began volunteering in sixth grade.

She said her parents’ in%uence led her to start

doing community service.“My parents have always pushed me to help

others,” Skidmore said. “!ey taught me to always put others before myself.”

She receives many service hours through managing varsity volleyball, varsity boys bas-ketball and track and $eld. Skidmore also does community service through her church by go-ing to homeless shelters and on mission trips.

She said one of her favorite parts about do-

ing community service is building friendships.“A couple years ago, I went to Florida, and

we helped at this horse ranch,” she said. “It’s a therapeutic riding center where kids with dis-abilities can go and relax. A few of the people I have met there I have life-long relationships with.”

She said she builds strong relationships by getting others to con$de in her.

“You just ask them questions, and they start to really open up to you,” Skidmore said. “You get to know them on a deeper level by asking them these questions.”

People she helped come to her church to visit her regularly. She also stays connected with people she goes on mission trips with through Facebook and email.

“We are so close still,” she said. “We have never broken our family bond.”

Serving

LorelleKatz

HannahSkidmore

Find us on Facebook at Robeks Overland Park.

Exp. 3/31/12 Exp. 3/31/12

Stories by Hailey McEntee

with asmileStudents experience positive impact from helping others, service hour forms for Presidential Service Award due soon

Katz

Skidmore

outloud 5February 2012

maegankabelwebsite editor

Before we start, let me make something clear: I’m not claiming to be a victim, nor am I writing this for pity.

It’s simply my story — a story I’m hop-ing will help others.

Let’s start at the beginning.At the end of eighth grade, my two

friends moved to di!erent states. Starting high school alone almost incapacitated me.

My parents reassured me that, in high school, groups would reform, and I would make new friends.

"ey were wrong.People from the di!erent schools

already knew each other, and I felt com-pletely alone.

I wasn’t an outgoing person, and any hope of #nding friends was lost.

I went through my schedule without

saying a word to anyone. When the bell rang at 2:50, I le$

through the 200 hall doors and walked to the corner where my mom picked me up.

I would go home and go straight to my room. Sometimes I did homework. Most of the time, I was in bed staring at my ceil-ing or in the shower, crying.

As days turned into weeks, rolling out of bed in the mornings took more e!ort.

I was miserable at school, but didn’t think I had a reason to be — I wasn’t pushed into lockers or teased. I was just lonely, which didn’t seem like enough to merit feeling bad.

To try to cope, I turned to self-injury. I accumulated scars and Band-Aids under my clothes, no one noticing but me.

As weeks turned into months, I became suicidal. Trying to create four-year plans was futile. I could barely imagine living into tomorrow, much less the next four years.

I wasn’t happy, and I didn’t think I ever would be.

A$er one student reached out to me, things turned around. By sophomore year, I had a group of friends.

My phone constantly buzzed with texts, and I had weekend plans.

I thought I’d found happiness. But

something still didn’t quite feel right. Even in a group of friends, I still felt alone.

Now, let’s fast-forward to this year. I’m a senior. I have two good friends,

but no group of people with whom I click. I’m virtually in the same social situation I was my freshman year: I come to school, go through the motions and go home. But I’m not depressed about the situation.

Let me explain.I know depression can be debilitating. I

know what it’s like to walk the halls alone or to be in a group of people but feel like you can’t truly relate to anyone.

You’re physically included, but emo-tionally alone.

I think there are more of us out there than it seems, and I’m here to tell you that it gets better, and high school isn’t worth giving up your happiness or your life.

Adults told me this, but I never be-lieved them. I hope hearing it from a high school student will make it stick.

I’m not going to say, “Keep your head up and smile.” I know, when you’re there, every breath is di%cult.

Just remember: it isn’t about who is turning around in class to talk to you, how many people walk the hallways with you or how o$en your phone is ringing with texts.

It is about who you are, what you do and what you believe.

It took almost four years for me to real-ize that happiness starts with being happy with myself.

"e light at the end of the tunnel is easier to see when you spend your time doing something you love, even if it isn’t popular. "ere will always be someone who will look down on you because of your interests.

Don’t worry about them. Don’t change for them.

Once you embrace who you are, friends will fall into place, even if they aren’t in high school. As I’ve started expressing interests I used to hide, I’ve found college students who are just as, if not more, pas-sionate than I am.

Try not to let the lonely days eat away at you until it seems there is only one way out. Hang on until you can get out of the high school hierarchy and #nd other people you may relate to.

"e stress and pains of today are worth enduring because you’ll be around to experience life when it opens up beyond Blue Valley.

And, who knows — maybe someday you can share your story and create hope for someone else.

A Modest Proposal by Pierre Dukan

saranaatzco-editor

Pierre Dukan is pretty much a genius.In his book, An Open Letter to the Future President,

released Jan. 5, he made a recommendation to the future president of France: give high school students grades based on body weight.

As France prepares for its next election, Dukan will be sending copies of his book to all the candidates in hopes of integrating his ideas into the French government.

According to his plan, students would be judged based on a combination of weight and height that determines Body Mass Index. So, sorry short, stout kids. You may have

studied all night for the chemistry exam, but your e!orts were futile. Maybe you should have put down the book and jumped on the treadmill instead.

A$er all, studying for a test and losing 20 pounds pretty much take the same amount of time, right? Stop moping about how weight loss isn’t immediate. You’re only kidding yourself. "ere are plenty of quick ways to shed pounds.

Take up smoking. It suppresses the appetite.Go on an all-juice diet. It’s healthy to never eat solids."ose sketchy weight loss pills you saw at 2 a.m. in an

infomercial? Give them a go.It really doesn’t matter how you meet our standards for

weight loss. Lose pounds and you can get good grades just like the naturally skinny kids.

But what about those kids who have overweight parents, overweight grandparents and overweight great-grandpar-ents?

Psssh. Genetics. "ree generations of your family may not have been able to overcome their weight issues, but that doesn’t mean a few push-ups and squats won’t make your problem magically vanish.

And obviously, overweight kids don’t really have any other motivation to get thin.

"ose billboards, magazine ads, commercials and Victoria’s Secret catalogues make everyone feel good about themselves, and the only way the government can really ensure people stay thin is to grade them on it.

"at way, fat kids won’t have any self-esteem in their personal lives or their academics. "ose thin, popular kids need more of a boost, and the only way to do that is to make them superior in school, too.

Let’s say there’s a big project due in AP Psychology. "e thin student spent approximately 20 minutes on his, and used only ripped paper, pencil and some expired Elmer’s glue.

"e obese student spent his whole weekend on the proj-ect and has created a dazzling poster depicting each part of the brain, color-coded accordingly.

But when it really comes down to it, it’s not the #nal product that matters. "e thin student deserves an A, and the obese student would be lucky to get a D.

Because let’s face it, that’s how the real world works. High schools need to prepare students for the work force, and jobs require all employees to be skinny.

If you’re fat, you will probably just end up living out of a shopping cart.

Students on social fringe should stay true to themselves

outloud6 February 2012

On almost every college application students are asked how many commu-nity service hours they have earned.

But how much does community service count towards college accep-tance?

According to forbes.com, not as much as it used to.

As surprising as it may seem, col-lege admissions o!cers are aware of many schools’ mandatory community service requirements.

"ey are becoming more and more wary of the students who merely volunteer for the sake of college ap-plications.

Unless the school you are applying to is highly selective and every correct punctuation adds to your chance of becoming the chosen one, community

service isn’t going to make or break you.

So, why do colleges even ask for volunteer hours?

"e word volunteer hints that the person volunteering should be doing it voluntarily — out of their own free will and heart. Not because they want to remain in a speci#c honor society or because they want to $u% up their college application.

Volunteering should be something personal, private. Something that in your heart, you can hold on to. Not something that a&er a few random hours here and there, you have a per-mission slip signed, and you are done for the rest of the school year.

Because when students start count-ing their community service hours, they are, in a way, being ‘paid’ for being kind, helpful and empathetic to others. What kind of people does that make us? "at we have to be given an incentive to help others?

Every time a student brings a per-mission slip to a volunteer supervisor — o&en an adult who takes time out of their busy lives to help other people —

what must they think of us?"at we are simply helping other

people to help ourselves? By perpetuating the idea that

every single achievement needs to be recognized with a reward or written on every single application, are col-leges taking away the meaning behind volunteering?

Completely. Since college admission o!cers

have already confessed that volunteer hours count less in the admission process, colleges should stop asking for community service hours all together. Let the students #nd the pleasure of helping others on their own time.

For those who think that requiring community service truly aids the com-munity, think about how many things now count as community service that really don’t better our community in any way. By promoting community service, we are, in fact, diminishing it.

Let students who volunteer treasure the memories, not because the com-munity service hours helped get them into Stanford, but because they helped someone else.

staffeditorial

Requiring students to complete community service hours diminishes true meaning

the tiger printco-editors-in-chiefJordan HuesersSara Naatz

website editorMaegan Kabel

photo editorsDakota BehrmanMaria Fournier

news editorKelly Cordingley

features editorAnnie Matheis

entertainment editorOdi Opole

opinion editor Emily Brown

sports editorJordan McEntee

ads managerAnna Wonderlich

circulation managerTaylor Yeazel

sta! writersAbby BamburgJansen Hess Maddie Jewett Meghan KennedyHailey McEntee Caroline MeinzenbachKatie Wells

photographersJun HamBailey OutlawOlivia Roudebush

cartoonistEvelyn Davis

adviser Jill Chittum

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

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

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

Cartoon by Evelyn Davis.

staff editorial

19agreed

2 disagreed

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emilybrownopinion editor

!ousands of people dressed in costumes in"uenced by Japanese anime and manga, video games, TV shows and Japanese fashion, crowded the halls of the Overland Park Convention center. !ose in the most intricate costumes were swarmed by people wanting to take photos, and strangers asking them to glomp.

A girl with choppy, blue hair and sapphire eyes made her way down past the line of hundreds of people waiting to buy passes to enter.

As she walked, a person called out “Aqua.” She smiled and turned.

On Feb. 10 and 11, senior Jessica Becker co-splayed as Aqua from the video game “Kingdom Hearts” for the second time at the 2012 Naka-Kon anime convention.

One of the #rst anime conventions of its kind in the Kansas City area, Naka-Kon hosts panels, costume contests and a variety of vendors sell-ing everything from manga-inspired artwork to pocky.

Becker #rst stepped into the world of anime and manga a$er her sister encouraged her to watch the #rst season of Naruto. She said she immediately fell in love with the series.

“I was thinking, ‘Why haven’t I watched these before?’” she said. “I just love the characters. !ey are so easy to get attached to. You pick your favor-ites, and they continue on for the rest of the series.”

!e #rst manga series she read was Shaman King, and the connection she felt with the charac-ters inspired her to continue reading other series like Beauty Pop, Bleach and Wall!ower.

“[Manga] is like a story with really good charac-ters, but you also get to see what they look like and

see their actions,” she said.Later, she discovered a role playing video game

called “Kingdom Hearts” that had both anime and Disney in"uences. Aqua, one of the main female characters in the game, quickly became one of Becker’s favorites.

“When I #rst started playing, I was like ‘Oh, my gosh, an actual girl heroine,’” she said. “I was very excited by that. I started playing as her, and I liked how powerful she was. She had a lot of con#dence.”

When she decided to cosplay at the 2011 Naka-Kon at the Hyatt Regency, Becker chose to dress up as Aqua.

Rhiannon Riesenmy, Becker’s friend and fel-low cosplayer, said Becker’s cosplay selection was a good choice because of Aqua’s reputation in the gaming world.

“Aqua is a character who has a strong sense of justice, cares for people and is optimistic in the face of adversity,” Riesenmy said. “Aqua is very popular among the ‘Kingdom Hearts’ fan base.”

Becker started preparing her Aqua costume months in advance.

A$er gathering all of the material needed, Beck-er’s grandmother, a former professional seamstress, sewed it all together.

Still, Becker needed one last accessory to #nish o% Aqua’s costume: a keyblade.

When she #rst looked at keyblades online, she saw that some of them cost hundreds of dollars. She found an aerial view shot of the blade and realized that she might be able to make one instead.

Becker and her father went shopping for wood, and Becker drew the outline of the keyblade onto the wood. Her father cut it, and she sanded and painted it.

Becker said there are two main bene#ts to mak-ing a costume rather than buying one online.

“You de#nitely save a lot,” she said. “I’ve also been told that my costume looks better than any of the ones you can buy online because the coloring. Sometimes the color that they use doesn’t exactly match what the character has. I was dead set on trying to match my character to try to make it look really good.”

An average Aqua costume without the wig costs $80-$155, not including shipping. !e price of the blue wig varies from $20-$40.

Finally, the day to show o% her costume came. With several friends, Becker traversed the hallways of the Hyatt Regency in her Aqua cosplay.

“It felt so good when you are walking around, and you get stopped by people commenting on your costume and wanting to take pictures of you,” she said. “It is a good feeling knowing your hard work paid o%.”

Riesenmy said Becker was the most realistic Aqua she has seen in her three years of cosplaying.

“She #ts the part very well, and her accuracy on the cosplay speaks to that,” Riesenmy said. “Her keyblade is perfectly accurate as well.”

A$er shopping and attending panels, Becker and other “Kingdom Hearts” cosplayers met up and took photos at a scheduled photo shoot.

“!ere were four other Aquas, so I was kind of intimidated,” she said. “But I felt good about mine a$er seeing others. Some people when they cosplay, they don’t really care if it looks exactly like the char-acter. I felt like mine was more realistic looking.”

cosplaycongregating for

a fewfavorites

Terms to know:Information gathered from naka-kon.com

anime: A style of animation developed in Japan. Manga are o$en developed into anime.

manga: Anime graphic novels or comic books. Must be read right to le$.

glomp: When anime fans hug someone wearing a popular costume.

cosplaying: Dressing and acting like a character. O$en from anime, manga or Japanese-inspired video games.

Naka-Kon: A Kansas-based anime convention that celebrates Japanese animation and the in"u-ence of anime across the globe.

pocky: According to whatispocky.com, pocky is a thin Japanese biscuit, commonly covered in chocolate.

keyblade: Weapons wielded by the main charac-ters in “Kingdom Hearts.”

otaku: Anime fans.

shojo manga: Geared towards girls. Tends to focus on romance and emotions.

shonen manga: Geared towards boys. Tends to have more action, less emotion.

Becker shares her treasured manga books

Beauty Pop centers around three popular boys: Narumi Shougo, the hairstylist; Minami, the nail artist; and Ochiai Kazuhiko, the stylist. !ey give makeovers to girls. !ey challenge Kiri, a master hairstylist, to a transformation showdown.

Information gathered from amazon.com

Naruto is an animated series and manga created by Masashi Kishi-moto. !e series, based upon a world with numerous warring ninja villages, focuses on Uzumaki Naruto’s struggle to become a great ninja.

Information gathered from leafninja.com

Japanese genre inspires participants to dress as favorite characters at local convention

indepth8 February 2012

9indepthFebruary 2012

Bleach focuses on a boy, Ichigo Kurosaki, who has the ability to see restless spirits. He befriends a Soul Reaper who helps spirits !nd peace. A"er the Soul Reaper is gravely injured, Ichigo is forced to become a temporary Soul Reaper.

Information gathered from amazon.com

Shaman King centers on a young Shaman, Asakura Yoh, who can see and speak to ghosts. He wants to become the Shaman King, and the series follows his training and the friends and enemies he meets along the way.

Information gathered from myanimelist.net

Japanese genre inspires participants to dress as favorite characters at local convention

&QAQ: What made you want to volunteer at Naka-Kon?

A: First of all, it was for the price drop for the badge. Another reason was just to get in early and get a parking space.

Q: Describe your experience.

A: Well, knowing I could volunteer was an opportunity for me, and I thought it was a good experience because I got to see every-one setting up and got to meet people there.

Q: What did you do while you were volun-teering?

A: We set up the room for everyone to come in. I was in the gaming room, so I would set up all of the systems, TVs. I also helped set up other panels and the stage.

Q: What were the best costumes you saw?

A: The best costumes that I saw were from Final Fantasy. I also remember a girl who was

was really vivid. She had the long hair, braids.

Q: Are you a big anime or manga fan?

A: I guess you could say that. I started with Bleach, and my all-time favorites are Death Note and still Bleach.

Q: Have you been to Naka-Kon before?

A: in a really diverse place. I actually had quite a bit of fun with other fans of anime.

Q: What was the best part of Naka-Kon?

A: The best part of Naka-Kon was mostly the panels, for me, and just getting to meet lots of people. I went to the Death Note Fan Panel, the J-pop Panel, the Nintendo 3DS Party Panel, and I went to the Old School Final Fantasy Panel.

Q: Would you do it again next year?

A: Yes. Not only just to hang out with my friends but also to get that same experience. I will dress up next year, too.

with Naka-Kon volunteer senior Nick Kawaguchi

centerstage10 February 2012

jansenhess

staff writer

Two men, dressed in tuxedos, stand up on stage and attempt to get a few laughs from the 270-person audience sitting before them. !e guests are dressed for the occasion — men in tuxedos and women in their evening gowns.

!ey all sit at round tables in !e Blossom Room at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel as they wait for the ceremony to begin. It was May 16, 1929. Admission for the "rst-ever Academy Awards ceremony, also known as the Oscars, was only $5.

!ere was no media exposure, and the awards had al-ready been announced three months prior to the event. At

this banquet, winners received their 13.5 inch, 8.5 pound, 24-karat gold statue, Oscar.

!e second Academy Awards ceremony was aired via a one-hour radio broadcast by a Los Angeles station, and the winners were not announced until the night of the ceremony. A list of winners was, however, given to an L.A. newspaper before the event so the recipients’ names could be printed in the next edition.

!is went on until 1940 when the newspaper printed the names in their evening edition of the paper. !is edi-tion came out before the ceremonies began, thus ruining the suspense and surprise that is the Oscars.

!is incident was the reason the Academy decided to switch to the sealed-envelope policy in 1941, where no

one knows the results until the envelope is opened live on stage. !is method is still used today.

Twelve years later, in 1953, the Oscars were televised for the "rst time in history. !e event was only televised in Canada and the U.S. until 1969, when the Awards went international.

Today, it is broadcast in more than 200 countries. Men still wear tuxedos, but women wear anything from a simple black dress and heels to a shimmering prom-like dress. Paparazzi catch every embarrassing moment and capture the night’s events.

!e 2012 Oscars, hosted by Billy Crystal, airs on Feb. 26, 6 p.m., from Hollywood’s Kodak !eater.

Information collected from Oscars.org

MOVIE MAYHEMIt’s a Friday night and you’re look-

ing for a good movie to watch with your friends.

“Let’s go to Blockbuster and pick one out,” your friend suggests.

Oh, wait — the nearest Blockbust-er isn’t open anymore.

Since the Blockbuster on 151st Street closed in July, people can no longer go in and chose a movie to watch. You’re either forced to just buy the movie you’re looking for, drive to another Blockbuster in the area or "nd an alternative way to rent movies.

To stay out of Blockbuster with-drawal, try one of these other ways to get movies.

NE

TF

LIX

Net#ix is perfect for a viewer who watches TV shows or movies all the time.

For only $7.99 a month, Net#ix has unlimited episodes and movies available 24/7 — more for your money. And it doesn’t involve going to a store

to pick it up.Net#ix can stream shows through

the TV or computer or gaming devices like the Xbox 360, Wii or PS3.

With a wide library to choose from and commercial-free programs, the only disadvantage is not knowing what to watch.

!e company seems really #exible with no due dates or late fees and the option to cancel your subscription at any time. But why would someone want to do that?

To start a free one-month trial, go to the Net#ix website for more details.

Information from net!ix.com

Media coverage, new technology change Academy Awards ceremony

Going to the library to check out movies might seem like a thing of the past, but there’s always a library nearby, and it doesn’t cost a thing.

In fact, there are 13 locations in Johnson County alone. Plus, a library card is free and anyone can sign up for one.

Libraries have a variety of books, movies and TV shows, so you’ll prob-ably "nd something that’s not o$ered on Redbox or Net#ix. If they don’t have

a movie you’re looking for, you can suggest it for purchase on their web-site.

!e problem is, the library might not have the newest movie releases right away, or if they do, there might be a long wait to check it out.

Don’t forget to pay attention to when your checkouts have to be returned.

If you forget to return them by the

designated time, you will get charged 30 cents per day until it reaches a maximum of $6.

!e Johnson County libraries allow people to rent a DVD for up to two weeks.

To "nd the library nearest you, visit jocolibrary.org.

Information from jocolibrary.org

Movies On Demand allows people with digital cable to instantly rent a movie with their remote control — no leaving the house. All you need is a digital cable subscription, digital set top box and a remote control.

Prices range from $2.99 to $5.99 depending on the movie and cable

provider. Generally new releases cost about

$4, which is higher than both Redbox and Net#ix’s prices.

!e Movies On Demand channel is di$erent for each cable company, so check the channel guide to see if it’s available. Only certain cable companies have On Demand.

Some features unique to On Demand include optional parental controls, a free trailer preview, 3D mov-ies and special 48-hour rentals instead of the usual 24 hours that On Demand o$ers.

One thing that I like about On Demand is that you can’t get charged for not returning your movie on time — you don’t even have to return it at all.

When the 24 hours are up, the title just disappears from your list of pur-chased movies.

Despite the higher prices, On De-mand adds new selections to the library weekly and releases movies on the same day the DVD is released — usually weeks before Redbox and Net#ix.

Information from rentmoviesondemand.com

LIB

RA

RY

MO

VIE

S O

ND

EM

AN

D

If you’re at a Walmart, Price Chopper or McDonalds, you’ll most likely see a Redbox at the front entrance.

With DVDs and Blu-rays for only $1 per day and video games for $2, it’s one of the best ideas in the movie-renting business.

To rent a movie, go to a Redbox kiosk and browse through the available movies on the touchscreen — it’s fast, simple

and easy to use. All the movies include the rating and a short summary to help you decide.

One of the best things about Redbox is that the movies can be returned to any kiosk nationwide, and there’s over 28,000 locations to choose from.

With Redbox there’s no running around town searching for a speci"c movie.

You can reserve a movie or "nd which kiosk it’s at by going online.

Redbox requires a credit or debit card to check out a movie, which can be a downside if you don’t have one. Also, don’t forget to turn the movie in within the 24-hour period.

Although Redbox makes you wait

longer for new releases and has a limited selection of movies, it seems like there’s new movies coming out all the time, which makes up for it.

To get a free Redbox movie, start a new account on the Redbox website — valid for "rst-time online rentals only.

Information from redbox.com

RE

DB

OX

Story by Anna Wonderlich.

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JCCC Honors: Dig deeper. Aim higher.

“As an Honors student, I am able to enroll in classes early andhave extra one-on-one time with my Honors professors.”

Brandon, JCCC Honors student and Shawnee Mission North graduate

Johnson County Community College’s Honors Program stimulates and challenges academicallytalented students. An Honors application is required for admission. For more information, call Pat Decker at 913-469-8500, ext. 2512, or visit www.jccc.edu/honors

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centerstage 13February 2012

It may only be February, but stores have already stocked their shelves with swimsuits and shorts for spring as fashion trends gather steam. !e most popular in"uences include nautical, tribal and feminine styles. Here’s how to rock them this year:

funfashion Story by Odi Opole.Photos by Jun Ham.

Tribal

Feminine

Nautical

Girly girls of the world, your time has come. Pastel colors, "oral prints and skirts are all huge trends this spring — and why shouldn’t we celebrate all the perks of being feminine?

Dress up a pair of jeans with a blouse and some pearls, or keep it simple with a knee-length sundress and a cardigan.

!e trend is all about playing up femininity, so don’t be afraid to pile on the pink and have fun with "owery prints. However, be careful not to cross from so#-and-sweet to sickly-sweet.

Too many frills can become overkill very quickly, and so can becoming a walk-ing garden.

Time to display your inner wild child — Rawr?

!e tribal trend, characterized by bright colors, bold prints and big, simple accessories, brings fun into your spring wardrobe while also toning down to a school-appropriate level.

If you’re going out, a bold dress with leggings and a neutral cardigan looks best — but for school, pair a printed shirt with jeans, or try a simple shirt-and-skirt out$t with chunky necklaces and fun bangles.

But make sure to remember the most important rule of this trend: don’t overdo it.

One wild piece will pull together an en-tire out$t, so don’t you dare pair leopard-print jeans with a zebra-striped jacket.

with

Slip on your Sperry shoes, sailors.

!is season, feel free to put your own twist on the stripes and primary colors that dominate the nautical trend.

Instead of pairing navy blue with red and white all the time, pick a deeper color like ma-roon, or a lighter, more fun color like peach or pastel yellow. If you pick one strong color like navy blue or white as your dominant color, then stick with shades and tints of primary colors for your accents and accessories.

A good pair of high-waisted denim/navy blue pants or shorts will make this trend easy to follow by providing a quick, easy and neutral dominant piece for all of your maritime-inspired out$ts.

!is trend also translates to men’s fashion as casual-yet-classy wardrobe op-tions. Sperry Top-Siders with a pinstriped shirt instantly dress up any pair of pants while stay-ing casual enough for everyday wear.

Floral skirt Flower headband

Andrew !ompson models the nautical look with Sperry Top-Siders and a white pinstriped shirt.

Chunky necklace

Printed shirt

tigerturf14 February 2012

jordanmcenteesports editor

Fog creeps its way across the top of the !eld. "e stillness of the black night is broken when the BV rugby team takes to the turf.

“Ball, ball, ball!” One of them picks up the ball.

“Ruck, ruck, ruck!” One of them tackles the man with the ball.

“Down, down, down!” He falls to the cold turf and holds the ball behind him.

“Right, right, right!” Another o#ensive player tosses the ball to the side, and the drill continues.

"e district rugby team began practicing in January for its fourth season. "e team is made up of boys from BV, BV West, BV Northwest and BV North.

Senior Hank Kellerman started playing for the rugby team his freshman year, the !rst year the team was created.

“It was kind of a spur-of-the-moment decision,” he said. “I checked it out fresh-man year, and I just said ‘Hey, I’ll give this a try.’”

"e game of rugby has numerous rules and speci!cations, but Kellerman said both are easy to pick up.

“It started o# being really confusing,” he said. “But at the !rst game everything started clicking, and it became really easy. So that’s what we tell the new guys, ‘Just wait ‘till the !rst game.’”

Coach Matt O’Donnell said rugby can be compared to a combination of several other sports.

“It all starts with a kicko#,” O’Donnell said. “"en from there, it’s a good mix of ideas from soccer, hockey and basketball. "ere’s a big focus on o#ensive to defensive transitions and switching the !eld.”

Rugby player senior Mark Nichols said the game requires athletes to stay in shape. Substitutions are made, but players must be !t enough to compete in the full 60-80 minutes every game.

“It’s really independent,” he said. “You have to be driven. You have to work by yourself to get !t, running and going to the gym. You have to be honest with yourself. If you don’t stay in shape, you don’t play. So it just makes everything more fun if you’re in shape.”

Kellerman said building up to the cur-rent team has taken quite a bit of recruiting.

“It’s taken a lot of one-on-one conversa-tions with people,” he said. “If you keep bugging people, they eventually come out, then they get hooked on the sport.”

"e district is in the process of starting a youth rugby team to prepare kids for the sport before they enter high school.

“Most guys come into high school not

knowing the sport, never having played the sport and some of them have never even seen it on TV,” coach John Cutter said. “But here in Kansas City, we tend to get quite a few quality young adult players.”

Several boys on the rugby team previ-ously played football.

“We get a lot of young guys exposed,” Cutter said. “Especially guys who leave football for one reason or another. It’s a drag to be third string and get no playing time in football. But with rugby, there are 15 dif-ferent positions for 15 di#erent body types. "ere’s something for everyone.”

Two of the coaches previously played for the U.S. National rugby team.

“We’re really lucky to have the six or seven coaches we have,” Kellerman said. “We’re always learning new stu# because ev-ery coach has something di#erent to bring to the table.”

Kellerman said the most exciting mo-

ment on the rugby team was a !ght with the team from Rockhurst High School last season.

“Somebody threw the !rst punch, then adrenaline started pumping, and next thing you know, everybody was throwing !sts,” he said.

Even though the team focuses on per-forming well, Kellerman said they have their fair share of laughs.

“No one takes anyone seriously on our team,” he said. “"ings get done but only a$er quite a few sarcastic comments. "e coaches will be like, ‘All right, take a lap.’ "en somebody will say, ‘Um, I think I’m just going to go sit down.’ It’s a good time.”

Nichols said the boys on the team have become tight-knit throughout the years.

“When you play for a team that !ghts for every single game, there’s this sense of brotherhood,” he said. “It de!nitely keeps me coming back for more.”

District rugby team works to build solid foundation

Terms to know:Knock-on — When the ball is passed forward. Results in a turn over.Scrum down — The bigger guys (the forwards) and the smaller guys (the backs) challenge position.Ruck — Defending the ball.Tri-zone — The endzone.Touchlines — The sidelines. Jumper — The man lifted up to grab the ball on a throw-in.

Scoring:3 points — Drop kick or penalty kick through the posts.5 points — Downward pressure on the ball in the try zone.2 points — Kick the ball through the posts, only after a try is scored.

rules of rugby

Preparing to catch the ball, senior Hank Kellerman practices at the Overland Park Soccer Complex at a weekly rugby practice. Kellerman said he was very close to his teammates. “We were best friends a$er one practice, everyone is so close.” Kellerman said. Photo by Olivia Roudebush.

RUGBYroughin’ it with

tigerturf 15February 2012

sports in brief

BOYS BASKETBALLPrevious action: 2/10 vs Aquinas (L 58-51)

2/14 @ Gardner (L 56-46)Upcoming action: 2/24 @ BV WestRecord: 4-13

GIRLS BASKETBALLPrevious action: 2/9 @ Aquinas (W 38-23) 2/14 @ Gardner (W 26-24) Upcoming action: 2/21 vs BV North 2/23 @ BV WestRecord: 14-3

WRESTLINGPrevious action:

2/11 EKL2/18 Regionals

Upcoming action: 2/24 - 2/25 State BOYS SWIMMINGPrevious Action:

2/3 - 2/4 EKL @ BVSW 2/14 Regionals2/18 State Finals

GIRLS BOWLINGPrevious action:

2/15 @ Olathe East LanesUpcoming Action:

2/24 Regionals @ Topeka West Ridge Lanes

B V S P O R T S

TIGER TURF

Results current as of Feb. 17

Girls basketball team’s unity drives successjansenhessstaff writer

Monday, Feb. 6. Home game against BV Southwest. Final Score: 49-17. Win for BV.

Leading scorers — senior Mackenzie Johnson and junior Bailey Geiman, both with 11 points.

Leading rebounder — Johnson with 11. Four o!en-sive, seven defensive.

Leading stealer — sophomore Brooke Zimmerman with two.

Leading 3-point shooter — senior Taylor Leathers with two three-pointers on the night.

Coach Andy Unrein said the Lady Tigers have a special connection on and o! the court that helps them out-will other teams.

“"ey get along better than any group of kids we’ve ever had,” he said. “We’ve had some groups that have been really close, but there always seems to be some drama at some level. "ere really doesn’t seem to be any with this group at all, which I think has been a huge reason why they’ve been able to be consistent — just focus on what they’re supposed to do and not a bunch of other junk.”

Johnson said the team’s chemistry is the best in the EKL.

“We know what we’re doing before we do it,” she said. “I think we know each other better than we know ourselves.”

Geiman said she and Johnson have a unique bond when they play together.

“We always #nd each other open, and we always are passing to each other,” Geiman said. “I mean, I always pass to everyone, but we have something special. We know where each other is on the court.”

Geiman and Johnson have been playing basketball together since fourth grade.

Unrein said since they learned the fundamentals together, they play the same way.

“A lot of them have been playing together for a really long time,” he said. “You start to develop a sense of what each other is doing and how they’re trying to do it. "at goes a long way as them being successful as a group. We’ve had teams that have been good, but they didn’t really play well together because they didn’t understand what each other was trying to accomplish.”

Geiman said learning the game with Johnson has helped throughout the years.

“We know each other’s weaknesses and strengths,” she said. “I knew when we were little what things we were good at and what things we were bad at.”

Unrein said the team doesn’t have one go-to-player — everyone plays a part. During the SW game, all but one Lady Tiger scored a basket.

“We have a lot of kids that share roles and that from night-to-night can #ll those types of roles,” he said. “One night, it can be one of the seniors, one night it could be a junior, one night it was a bench kid that kind of li$ed us. I think that’s one of the things that’s so great about it — they don’t have to lean on one person. It cuts the anxiety down.”

Geiman said each player has a main role, but their responsibilities can shi$ depending on the night.

“Kenzie’s the post, we look for her inside,” she said. “Taylor, we look for her to drive and spot up.

Geiman said junior Sara Hanna is the team’s ultimate rebounder and aggressor. Sophomore Sydnie Hanson helps handle the ball. Juniors Jarin Braithwait and Kelsie Carpenter come in and bring a lot of #re.

"e Lady Tigers lost the State championship game last year, but Unrein said losing in the #nals was not as big of a set back as people may think.

“It just proves a point that we can get to that point, and it’s fun to get to that point, but it’d be a lot more fun if we were able to get it done,” he said. “So I think it cre-ates a little bit of hunger for the kids.”

Johnson said the team has a really good chance at winning State, especially if they keep improving.

“I think that the more that we’re together, the more we realize each other’s goals and how we are all going for the same thing,” she said. “We de#nitely know how it feels to be there in the end, so I think that losing helps you realize how much better you’d feel if you win.”

Unrein said the team unity will ultimately help them throughout the post season because they play for each other.

“I think this is something that’s consistent every year,” he said. “You want to try and win the state title, but I think the bigger issue is they don’t want to lose because they don’t want to let each other down. I think that’s the biggest thing. "ey don’t want to let the school down, they don’t want to let the parents down, they don’t want to let the coaches down, but the biggest thing is they don’t want to let each other down. "at pushes them even farther.”

save the dates!e State Wrestling tournament is this weekend, Feb. 24 and 25, in Wichita.

Tryouts for spring sports begin the week of Monday, Feb. 27.

Relay For Life will take place at BV West from 7 p.m. on Friday, March 2 until 7 a.m. on Saturday, March 3.

in the news

"e University of Kansas and University of Missouri basketball teams face o! in Lawrence on Saturday, Feb. 25. Tip-o! is at 3 p.m. on CBS.

"e basketball teams from Kansas State University and Iowa State University go head-to-head in Manhattan on Saturday, Feb. 25. Tip o! is at 12:30 p.m.

incolor16 February 2012

(Top le!) Senior Lauren Doolittle il-lustrates her thought that Tiger Tokens are laudable.

(Le!) Junior Becky Winegarner’s “Silly "ings Hipsters Say” cartoon.

(Top right) Senior Austin Averkamp’s cartoon shows a se-nior’s struggle to make it to class on time.

Creating cartoonsDrawing II students submit original cartoons

Check out more student cartoons on our website atbvtigernews.com