the tiger print — october 2012
DESCRIPTION
The October 2012 issue of The Tiger Print newspaper.TRANSCRIPT
TIGER THE
PRINTBLUE VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL
Vol. 43 Issue 3 October 2012Stilwell, Kan.
TRADING TRADITION“Invest in BVHS” replaces traditional fundraiser. page 2
DESERTING DIFFERENCESLacrosse teams combines students from multiple school districts for competition. page 23
PART OF THE FAMILYForeign exchange student, host family gather life lessons from each other. page 16
Hear no evil, see no evil, do no evil:Censorship in school touches multitude of subjects. Pages 12-13
Photo illustration by Bailey Outlaw.
inthenews2 October 2012
Events calendarOct. 19 — Pizza Dance
Oct. 23 — Fall Choir Concert, 7:30 p.m. in the PAC
Oct. 24 — Parent/Teacher Conferences, 4:30 - 7 p.m. in the gymFreshman AVID meeting, 7 p.m. in the BV Library
Oct. 25 — Parent/Teacher ConferencesClass Ring Delivery, 7:30 - 9 a.m.Additional Graduation Announcements Order, 10:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.Veteran’s Writing Project, 7 p.m. in the BV Library
Oct. 26 — No SchoolHaunt for Harvesters Food Drive ends95.7 !e Vibe at the BV v. BV West foot-ball game, 7 p.m. at the DAC
Oct. 30 — Four Year Planning Night, 6:30 p.m. in the PAC
Oct. 31 — Halloween
Nov. 1 — Fine Arts Potpourri
Nov. 5 — Pizza Hut Fundraiser
Nov. 14 — CAPS Informational Session, 6-7 p.m. at CAPS building
Nov. 16 — It’s Paper Day: November Tiger Print paper distributed
haileymcenteedesign & news editor
A new PTO fundraising program called “Invest in BVHS” has begun this year to replace TigerFest. !ere will be no TigerFest this year.
“Invest in BVHS” raises money through annual, tax-deductible dona-tions. Anyone in the community can donate.
!is fundraising technique was ad-opted from multiple middle schools in the Blue Valley School District.
“We felt like TigerFest had run its course,” PTO Board member Janette McElwain said. “We had done it forever and it was time for something new. Also, TigerFest was very time consuming for everyone involved so we were looking for something new to do. Some of the middle schools had already been doing it in the past, so we decided to try it.”
Without TigerFest, girls basketball
coach Andy Unrein said sports teams are going to have to adjust to these new funds.
“We used TigerFest money to buy uniforms, practice jerseys, bags, etc.,” he said. “[TigerFest] also allowed us to use our budget for a video system, a camera and annual things. We are going to have to do some type of fundraising. We have tossed around the idea of a pancake breakfast at Applebees.”
Unrein said he understands the com-plications and reasons for getting rid of TigerFest.
“It was a lot of work to get TigerFest organized,” he said. “Also, the timing was hard for the sports. Coaches were asking parents for donations for TigerFest while they didn’t even know if their kid was on the team. I don’t know much about [Invest in BVHS] but the concept seems like a pretty solid idea.”
!e money donated is available to administrators to be used when needed.
McElwain said the money can be used for anything ranging from sports to debate.
“!e cool thing is that the money goes straight to [Principal Scott] Bacon and [Athletic Director Matt] Ortman, so they can use the money directly to invest in anything the school needs, anytime they want,” McElwain said.
She said she has high expectations for this new program.
“I’m hoping that people will like it because it is e"cient,” she said. “It is a quick and easy way to raise money, and it is great that the money is for the bene#t of the whole school.”
Donations are accepted throughout the whole year. !e PTO suggests each family invest $75 annually, but any amount is accepted.
!e “Invest in BVHS” donation form can be found on the BV website.
Money can be donated by writing a check or by paying online.
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Blue Valley’s debate team started their season o$ Septem-ber 14th at Washburn Rural and Blue Valley Southwest.
At Washburn Rural, juniors Josh Jilovec and Aquib Jamil participated in the open division and placed third out of 70 teams. Senior Calvin Cochran and junior Luke Chen placed fourth in the same division.
Jamil said he and Jilovec have prepared for the season since summer.
“We did a lot of individual research before the tournament to try and get ready,” Jamil said. “It really paid o$.”
At BVSW, BV placed #rst overall out of 18 schools with four teams bringing home medals. Seniors Archana Vasa and Blake Staley were champions of the varsity division and ended the tournament with a perfect score of 5-0.
“I was glad to have started the season o$ on the right track,” Vasa said. “We knew that we were doing pretty well, but we weren’t sure about the results. Not knowing made us focus for a strong #nish, which helped us win.”
With the team’s strong start to the season, Vasa said there are high hopes they will bring home another State Champion-ship title. !e team has 12 overall titles, the most recent being from 2010.
“We will put in a lot of time and e$ort to bring the State Championship back to BV,” Vasa said.
Even though only a few teams will get to represent BV at State, Vasa said it will be a team e$ort that will push them to where they want to go.
“On our squad, we always want to work smart in order to beat our opponents,” Vasa said. “As long as we practice, re-search, work smart and work hard together as a team, I know BV Debate will have a good #nish at State.”
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Check out bvtigernews online
for more debate news and scores
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inthenews 5October 2012
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Science teacher Larry Hare recently began Tie Tuesday, a new competi-tion at Blue Valley, where the sta! member wearing the best tie on each Tuesday wins a prize.
“Tie Tuesday is a chance to wear a tie and have it judged by another faculty member and potentially win the Tie Tuesday contest,” he said.
"e winner of the week receives a soda bought for them by Hare. Math teacher K. Dean Snell won on Tuesday, Sept. 18, wearing a soccer-ball patterned tie.
“I think it’s a fun idea, and it’s a fun way to have a competition with the other teachers,” Snell said. “Win, lose or draw.”
Past judges include cheerleading coach Mi-chelle Wirt, communication arts teacher Kelsey Baka-lar, math teacher Robin Lerner, science teacher Azie Taghizadeh and business teacher Mallory Joseph.
“I actually volunteered [to judge] because I thought it was a really positive thing for our sta! to do,” Bakalar said. “I like clothes and style — it’s kind of an art form to me in and of itself.”
She chose winner art teacher Mark Mosier’s tie, which depicted the painting
“"e Scream” by Edward Munch.
“It was actually kind of a funny story,” Bakalar said. “[Math teacher] Mr. [Kyle] Braden, who is a huge K-State fan, wore KU colors, so it was hard for me not to give him the title. I’m a huge KU fan.”
Hare said the competi-tion bene#ts the sta! for many reasons.
“I just think it makes teachers look more profes-sional, and it’s fun,” Hare said. “And it’s competitive. I like competition. I think it has helped our faculty’s camaraderie.”
Snell said the competi-
tion is bringing teacher dress to a more professional standard.
“"is is my 32nd year teaching, and in my #rst probably 20 years of teach-ing, I wore a tie everyday,” he said. “As time went on, the trend became more acceptable for teachers to dress more in business casual clothes. It was a blast from the past to go back to wearing a tie.”
Bakalar said students should participate, too.
“I try to encourage some of the boys,” she said. “I despise Tank Top Tuesday. I don’t want to see that much skin.”
Photo Illustration by Bailey Outaw.
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Numerous Internet tycoons includ-ing Facebook, Google, Amazon and eBay have come together in the #rst-ever Internet Lobbying group, "e Internet Association. "ey plan to take a uni#ed stance on piracy, copyright, privacy and cybersecurity, according to !e Washing-ton Post online.
"e Stop Online Piracy Act, SOPA, pushed the group to form.
SOPA was never enacted due to pro-tests online.
According to CNN.com, if SOPA were in e!ect, YouTube would be unable to function.
“Something like SOPA or PIPPA wouldn’t have changed things overnight,” Advanced Placement American Gov-ernment teacher Brian Mowry said. “It would have opened the door. We could have looked back 30 years and wonder how we got here.”
Both Microso$ and Apple have opted not to be part of "e Internet Association.
"e Policy Platform, as stated on "e Internet Association’s website, is to “sup-port policies that protect and promote Internet freedom — information should %ow freely across national borders,
uninhibited by tari!s, regulations and government censorship...”.
Mowry said he thinks a lobbying group coming together for the public in-terest di!ers from most lobbying group’s motives.
“It seems very interesting,” he said. “"e only thing against it would be peo-ple for anti piracy, it’s very interesting.”
"e full list of members include Amazon, AOL, eBay, Expedia, Face-book, Google, IAC, LinkedIn, Monster Worldwide, Rackspace, salesforce.com, TripAdvisor, Yahoo! and Zynga.
According to a 2012 press release from "e Internet Association’s President and CEO Michael Beckerman, “"ese companies are all #erce competitors in the marketplace, but they recognize the Internet needs a uni#ed voice in Wash-ington.”
He goes on to explain the future of the Internet is at stake.
“Policy makers must understand that the preservation of that freedom is essen-tial to vitality of the Internet itself and the resulting economic prosperity,” he said
"e group will also lobby on obtaining visas for engineers and will try to in%u-ence regulations on cyber security, sales tax and revenue repatriation, according to an article on the Hu"ngton Post online.
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Ties overTshirts-
!e 1980’s.A time when popular culture was consumed by Madon-
na, Nike sneakers and “Back to the Future.” In 2012, teens are more interested in country music,
Sperry’s and “!e Dark Knight Rises.”For the most part, teenagers act the same way they
did 30 years ago. We come home past our curfews, get in countless arguments with our parents and just want to have fun.
However, could we say that teenage romance is the same in both generations?
Probably not, and for one reason: technology.I know, we’ve all heard it before, “When I was your age,
no one had cell phones.”
Well, although we hate to admit it, that annoying adult who constantly reminds us how times have changed is right.
Back then, young people had to talk to each other in person. !ey didn’t have Facebook, Twitter, email or texting.
If a guy wanted to ask a girl out, he had to ask her while looking at her face.
!ere was no computer screen to hide behind if he was rejected.
And how weird would it be meeting someone at a par-ty and not being able to Facebook stalk them a"erward?
Pretty weird, if you ask me. Nowadays, people don’t go out with someone they
haven’t texted at least a few times before. But we can’t truly get to know someone by only texting them.
Sure, texting might be less nerve-wracking, and it may give us more time to think about what to say next, but it means more when we take time out of our day to hang out with each other.
When we’re physically with someone, they know we are only focusing on them.
When we are texting them, it’s hard for the other person to tell what we are actually doing at that moment.
We could be on another date, and the other person wouldn’t even know it.
Call me old-fashioned, but there are some situations that require more than just a “send” button.
!e bottom line is, instead of Facebook-stalking or texting people, try talking to them face-to-face because genuine communication will be much more rewarding.
Republicans and Democrats used to get along. Politicians crossed party lines for the good of their
constituents. Compromise was not a dirty word. Look how far we haven’t come in the past few decades. America is the land where voices are heard and the
public matters. Politicians are supposed to be up in Washington D.C.
#ghting for the average person, not for who can back their campaign the most.
When did that honor disappear?Democrats and Republicans don’t cross the aisle, and on
the rare occasion it happens, he or she better be prepared to
be the ugly stepsister of the party.It is reprehensible the antics that go on in Washington,
and yet politicians continue to blame the other side for things not getting done.
Well, as if it hasn’t been said, written and screamed enough, we the people have had it.
I know what party I align myself with, and I’m still disgusted nothing can get done.
Did the men and women up on the Hill not have mothers who told them that you can’t always get what you want?
Did no teacher ever teach a lesson about playing nice?I’m sure they did, but maybe the message has been long
forgotten in the dog-eat-dog political world. If that’s the case, we should have a quick refresher course
before the next election takes place.Political hopefuls cannot continue to pit one group
of people against another. We are a family of Americans, regardless of party a$liation, and we should treat each other as such.
Although what is best for our brother may not be best for us, compromise makes families work.
Money is material. !e one with the most toys does not
always win. According to the New York Times online, the Democratic
party has spent $615.6 million, and the Republican party has spent $530.7 million.
Only a handful of American’s can fathom what that much money looks like, let alone what it could be used for.
!at much money is shoveled into campaign funds to get a single person elected to o$ce, yet that much money could feed nations.
A beachfront home should not be more important than those who elected a politician into o$ce.
Washington wonders why their approval ratings are dismal, and why the voter turnout rarely ever hits 40 percent.
News%ash: most American’s aren’t concerned with a beachfront home, but rather with paying the mortgage or college loans.
We listen to enough arguing in the real world, we don’t want to hear it from those who are supposed to represent us.
It is insigni#cant who wins the 2012 election if our politicians can’t get it together.
Go back to kindergarten, and learn how to play nice.
outloud6 October 2012
kellycordingleyeditor-in-chief
Ruining theRomance
Politicians should be more concerned with the people they represent, learn to be civil
Technology diminishes face-to-face communication, value of relationships
Cartoon by Becky Winegarner.
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outloud 7October 2012
jansenhesssports editor
A referee is an individual whose job is to o!ciate and make sure a sporting event goes as smoothly and fairly as possible. Un-fortunately, all referees don’t do their jobs as well as they should.
As an athlete, and someone who has been playing soccer for more than a decade, I seem to know the rules a little better than the referees do.
Take the o"side rule — if I make my run when I am behind or even with the last defender when the ball is played, then I’m
onsides. And if I do happen to be o"side, then please feel free to make the call before I sprint 30 yards down the #eld.
Aside from the little calls, soccer referees don’t know what constitutes a foul. If I’m getting hacked from behind, pushed in the back or elbowed in the face, then I strongly suggest you blow your whistle. Granted, not all referees are going to call everything, but it really makes me mad when the ref only calls something because he was pressured into the call by a parent, player or coach.
For example, last year, a goalie and I were both going a$er the ball. We both knew neither of us was going to stop, it was just a matter of who was going to get knocked down. She ended up falling and the ref came up to me and told me to calm down.
I apologized to both the goalie and the ref, stating it was my fault and proceeded to walk away. Suddenly I heard a dad yell from the stands, “Ref, that’s a card.” %e referee came over to me, a$er everything was said
and done, and gave me the yellow card. I’m sorry sir, but if you’re relying on a
middle-aged father who has most likely never played soccer before, then you seri-ously need to reevaluate yourself as a ref.
Why are you so afraid of a parent or a coach when you’re the one with all the power? Don’t let their uneducated ideas and opinions in&uence your calls.
Honestly, you’re the one who sat through the referee certi#cation classes. Parents only know the rules from what players or other adults have told them.
Plus, parents are always going to protect their kids, even if it isn’t a foul.
But even though refs have all the power, they shouldn’t let it go to their heads. I’ve seen it happen way too many times, especially when yellow cards are given for “talking back to the ref.”
Most of the time we’re just asking what the call was. Even if we are saying some-thing derogatory, it’s most likely not towards the ref.
Assistant referees (AR) are probably worse than center referees.
My freshman year: JV girls soccer was facing o" with the Saints of St. %omas Aquinas at STA. Obviously, this is a major rivalry. We were matched up pretty evenly. Well, that was until STA scored their #rst of three goals.
%e girl dribbled the ball out of bounds. Everyone, including her, stopped playing, but the AR was so far away from the touch-line that he couldn’t see the ball was out of bounds.
Since nothing was called, the girl pro-ceeded to dribble the ball back in bounds, shot and scored.
I had never seen such an uproar out of my team or my coach.
Our con#dence was shot, and we ended up letting in two more goals.
Referees have, and will still, cost some teams a win, whether we like it or not. And unfortunately, refs in every sport make controversial calls.
Short term thinking leads to long term consequences for violating driving laws
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Teens from all over the district have been guilty of driving without following the conditions of their Learner’s Permits or Restricted Licenses.
Unlicensed teenagers may be very ca-pable of driving well, but that doesn’t make it legal, even if their parents let them.
“You’d be amazed how many parents al-low that to happen, because they’re tired of driving their kids around, so they go ahead and take that chance, but it’s just not worth the risk,” School Resource O!cer Ken Braden said.
Restrictions are not just made for fun, they’re made to be followed.
Lately, it seems like there’s an all-time high of students driving around with no license, and in some cases, not even a restricted.
I think a lot of teenagers enjoy rebelling, whether it’s against their parents or the law.
In most cases, it doesn’t make them a bad person because their perception of fun is di"erent, it’s just the fact they’re putting their safety in jeopardy.
%at’s one of the main reasons why laws are created — safety.
Sometimes it’s not even a matter of get-ting hurt, it’s getting caught.
%is doesn’t mean with your parents, which can be pretty bad as it is. It means getting caught with the police.
Braden said he thinks it’d be a lot easier to get 50 hours and follow restrictions op-posed to waiting two years because your license was suspended when you weren’t following the rules.
“If you have a restricted license and you’re working on getting your 50 hours, I understand that in a teenager’s mind 50
hours is a long time,” he said. “My guess is in one week or in two weeks you can get those 50 hours in driving your parents to school or the store or whatever the case may be.”
Another reason why laws are made is the aspect of order.
If you’re not the type of person to abide by that, good for you.
I’m not here to tell you what or what not to do, but be prepared to deal with your consequences in the event that you get caught for something you know you’re not supposed to be doing.
Braden said teenagers in violation of the restrictions of their permit or restricted will get a ticket and go to court.
In court, they face possible suspension of their license until they’re 18 years old.
As cool as you think you may look driv-ing around unsupervised with all of your friends, having the time of your lives, the fun will come to a quick end once you get pulled over.
Braden said since he sees students at
school everyday, he usually knows whether or not someone can legally drive.
“If I see someone that came in here, and I knew they had a restricted license and I see they have four or #ve people in their car, of course I would stop that person. %at’s the di"erence between being a school resource o!cer and someone that’s on a regular patrol,” he said.
So, if getting caught isn’t one of your concerns, another thing you should take into consideration is what could happen if you get into an accident.
It’s not just about your safety, it’s about the safety of others, too.
Waiting to drive when it’s actually legal and earning some extra experience with your parents now, while you can, means lowering the risk of hurting yourself and others.
I think lately this is one of the main reasons why most teenagers in general are afraid or at least intimidated by cops — because they are simply not following the rules.
Sixteen-year-olds with a less-restricted license are al-lowed to drive with one non-sibling passenger between 5
a.m. and 9 p.m.
A driver with a learner’s permit can only drive with an adult over 21 years old with at least one year of driving expe-
rience.
Fifteen year olds with a re-stricted license are allowed to go to school, work or church with their siblings without an
adult.
Rules&Restrictions
outloud8 October 2012
abbybamburgentertainment editor
“Good luck with that.”“!at is never going to happen.”“Yeah, right.”I have heard these phrases over and over again through-
out my life.I wanted to be a princess, then a ballerina and then a
pop star. Unrealistic careers, I know. But that still doesn’t give anyone the right to rain on a
little girl’s parade. Yes, I have grown up a little since then. I stopped think-
ing I was going to marry all "ve of the Backstreet Boys. I stopped thinking I had the best voice on the face of the planet.
I started to focus on more realistic careers to make a living.
Going into fashion journalism is my biggest passion.I want to move to California, go to a fashion institute for
college and work at a fashion magazine. Now, this is where most people will say, “Good luck with
that,” to me sarcastically.At "rst, it made me question my whole plan. It made me
ask myself if all that hard work, and, maybe failure, would be worth it.
!en I realized how much better it will be to do some-thing I actually love in a new place with new people, than just settling for a career in Johnson County.
So, I just simply say, “!ank you.”
Not because I think they are wrong, but because they should keep their opinions and doubts to themselves. !ose people obviously don’t care about you enough to believe in you.
No matter what you want to do with your life, you’re always going to have people tell you that you can’t.
!e good news is, there will always be those few people who tell you that you can.
Although I am completely aware of how hard it will be, I will still try.
What is the real harm in trying? !at it might not work out?
If you have any chance to do what makes you happiest, then do it.
When you actually accomplish those dreams, you can laugh in all of the people’s faces that told you it will never happen.
A#er all, go big or go home, right?
“Why do you guys get along so well? Aren’t you sup-posed to hate each other?”
It’s a question I get asked all the time about my rela-tionship with my sister Maria.
I "nd it funny people think it’s weird we’re so close. Wouldn’t it be weird if we didn’t spend time with each other? I mean, we are just 18 months apart.
Of course Maria and I get into stupid "ghts about controlling the music in the car or borrowing each oth-er’s stu$, but, for the most part, we get along — maybe even more than most siblings do. In fact, my sister and I are basically best friends.
Now, is that really so weird?Growing up, Maria and I were always each other’s
playmate, whether we were playing school, American Girl dolls or some make-believe game. At "rst, our parents forced us to play together, but eventually we just chose to because we had fun with each other.
Now that we’re older and both in high school, we’re still just as close — doing homework together, going on Sonic runs and just hanging out like friends do.
I wouldn’t trade any of our late night conversations, inside jokes or memories for anything.
In general, brothers and sisters are the ultimate best friend.
You can con"de in them or stay up for hours on end just having random conversations with them. You can stick together when dealing with your parents, especially when negotiating family rules like curfew. You can easily relate to each other because you have so much in common just from being in the same family. Plus, having a sibling means you’re guaranteed someone to endure all the family vacations, holidays and gather-ings with.
So here’s my advice to all you sibs out there: just get along.
!e quote “Friends come and go, but family is for-ever” sums it up perfectly: there’s no getting rid of our siblings for good.
However, you only have a limited number of years le# together before one of you goes to college — why not enjoy that time with each other instead of wasting it by "ghting?
For those of you with siblings out of the house, it’s still not too late to start getting along. My challenge for you is to do something simple to show how much you appreciate them.
Sure, all siblings get into "ghts — it’s an inevitable part of having brothers and sisters — but it’s just not worth your time or energy to hate each other when you could have fun together instead.
I guarantee it’s a decision both you and your siblings won’t regret.
SiblingLove Siblings should get along, share close bond
GoBigorGoHome People’s opinions should not
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Anna, 4, and her sister, Maria, 2, pose for the camera. Photo submit-ted by Anna Wonderlich.
For young children, the highlight of Halloween is running around their neighbor-hoods dressed as an athlete, a
princess or a superhero, ringing doorbells yelling, “Trick-or-Treat.”
!ey take the candy back home to be sorted and traded amongst themselves. For these kids, Halloween isn’t about the scare factor — it’s all about the candy.
!e older kids get, the less they trick-or-treat, or at least that’s the way it should be.
High school students shouldn’t be going to houses, dressed in a hoodie and mask and consider themselves “dressed up.”
If you’re going to go trick-or-treating, at least make an e"ort to dress up. Otherwise, you just look pathetic. Young-er kids will go to great lengths to #nd the perfect costume. It’s all about dressing up and going out trick-or-treating. No child goes without costumes. Does that suddenly change when you grow up?
Many adults don’t even want to give candy to older kids, especially if they aren’t dressed up. It’s annoying, and the
adults buy that candy for little kids. If the adults won’t let their high school kids go trick-or-treating, chances are they won’t give candy to other high school kids.
It’s also creepy. Seeing tall, dark #gures running around is frightening
for kids and for parents. High school students are notorious for causing trouble on Halloween. Even if that doesn’t apply to you, don’t give people a reason to suspect you.
Halloween for high school kids should be haunted houses, scary movies and costume parties.
!ere are tons of alternatives to trick-or-treating. If you want some candy, drive to Walmart and buy yourself a $4 bag. Go to a haunted house — there’s a bunch around Kan-sas City. You won’t #nd any young kids to bother there, and it is a great thing to do with friends.
Enjoy the fact that you’re older and able to do more than just trick-or-treat.
At a younger age, many of us wished to grow up and go to parties and haunted houses.
!ink back to when you were young. Wouldn’t you be angry if some high school kid came and took all of your candy?
For younger kids, Halloween is the “treat.” For the older kids, Halloween is the “trick.”
Let this generation of kids have their time to trick-or-treat. We had ours.
outloud 9October 2012
staffeditorial editor-in-chiefKelly Cordingley
website editorOdi Opole
photo editorBailey Outlaw
design and news editorHailey McEntee
features editorMaddie Jewett
entertainment editorAbby Bamburg
opinion editor Caroline Meinzenbach
sports editorJansen Hess
business manager, managing editorAnna Wonderlich
sta! writersRaine AndrewsSally CochranColin GregoryMeghan KennedyRiley MillerMitch SundquistDanielle Williams
photographersMegan BallEllie FehligAlex Kontopanos
cartoonistBecky Winegarner
adviser Michelle Wilmes
!e Tiger Print is published 10 times a year for students, faculty, and the surrounding community of Blue Valley High School. It is an open forum for student expression. !erefore, the opinions expressed within this paper do not necessarily re$ect the views of the administrations of Blue Valley Uni#ed School District #229. Letters to the editor and reader responses are encouraged for publication. !e Tiger Print reserves the right to edit all submissions for both language and content and encourages letters to be no more than 350 words. Letters should be submitted to room 450, emailed to [email protected] or mailed to:
!e Tiger Print c/oBlue Valley High School6001 W. 159th St. Stilwell, KS 66085phone: 913-239-4800
Pacemaker #nalist, 2009, 2010, 2012. Member, Kansas Scholastic Press Association, National Scholastic Press Association and Columbia Scholastic Press Association.
Cartoon by Becky Winegarner.
TIGER THE
staff editorial
17agree
3 disagree
Trick-or-treating should be an activity for young kids
upclose10 October 2012
kellycordingleyeditor-in-chief
!e posters are displayed throughout the school. As one walks down the 600 hallway, a poster of the Statue of Liberty stands out with, “Veterans’ Writing Project” written across the top. !e poster has hung there since this time last year, and yet the purpose is still somewhat unknown to the student body.
!e Veterans’ Writing Project was started by librarian Ken Stewart and com-munication arts teacher Kelsey Bakalar last year.
“It is an opportunity for veterans and veteran’s families to come in,” Stewart said. “It’s a spur to get them to start writing about their memories. !ey can write about a person, place or time for their own
bene"t or to leave memories behind for generations who don’t know.”
!e group began meeting again this year on Oct. 4 in the library and will meet every week for six weeks.
“!e hardest part at the beginning is to get them writing,” Stewart said.
Veteran Writing Project participant Chris Campbell said begining the writing process was nerve-wracking for him.
“It was a long time since I’d written for someone,” he said.
Bakalar said although she was initially worried she wouldn’t be able to contribute much to the project, she said she was ex-cited the veterans were eager to learn.
“!ey wanted to know what an Oxford comma was and how to organize their story,” she said “!ere are so many memo-ries they have, I’m thrilled to be a writing
coach for them.”Although last year the group was just
veterans, this year it has expanded to their families.
“We included them this year because they have served from home,” Stewart said.
He said the group is especially dear to his heart because he had grown up hear-ing stories about war from older family members.
“I always thought ‘these stories aren’t written down. !ey’ll be lost,’’’ he said. Bakalar said she got involved because of her admiration for service men and women.
“!ey face death to give to our country,” she said. “My calling was teaching, they say theirs was to serve. I want to give back.”
!rough the project, Bakalar said she has developed a thicker skin.
“Most of them, through what they’ve been through, have become hardened,” she said. “Listening to their stories breaks you down and builds you back up. It has taught me to appreciate life more.”
!e veterans in the past have written about their experiences during wartime, but Stewart said the topics can vary.
“We had one person who wrote it sounding like a report,” he said. “!en we had one person doing a deep introspection of themselves — there are just so many areas to write about.”
Another vital part of the group is the healing that can occur.
“I hope they gain camaraderie, peace
and happiness,” Bakalar said. “I want them to feel appreciated.”
Campbell said his experiences in the project have given him a chance to meet other veterans.
“I didn’t know anyone, but it gave me a chance to meet new people,” he said. “!ere are so many varied backgrounds.”
Bakalar said this year’s project will di#er from last years in that she will be stepping back some.
“I’d like more teachers involved,” she said. “I know time is precious, and we have so many teachers involved in so many things. But if we got them there, I know they’d see the value.”
Veteran Writing Project participant Chris Camp-bell points at his home state sign while stationed in Central America during 1984. Each member of the squad posted what state they were from. “!ere were people from all di#erent cultural backgrounds,” he said. “!ere are so many life les-sons. Photo submitted by Chris Campbell.
Preserving thepast
Writing project encourages veterans, families to write about experiences
upclose 11October 2012
maddiejewettfeatures editor
When someone is asked to describe what their teammates look like, the words “four-legged,” “furry” and “animal” would not typically come to mind.
However, for horseback riders, this is not the case.
Junior Brianna Butler and senior Juli-ana Himmel are just two of the students at Blue Valley who ride horses competitively.
!ey both spend three to "ve days a week at barns, practicing and taking care of the horses, as well as many weekends at horse shows.
Butler has been riding since she was two years old.
“My grandpa’s friend had horses at the Leawood stables, and he just decided to take me out one day,” she said. “Ever since then, I was hooked — and I was only two years old. I started riding competitively when I was six.”
Himmel started riding when she was nine years old.
“When I was a kid, I had a friend who rode horses,” she said. “One time, I went to one of her shows and saw her do it, and I told my mom I wanted to try it.”
Butler has had four di#erent horses. She takes care of them, and then boards
them at a stable.Each horse is a di#erent level, so as she
got bigger and increased in skill, she had to
move on to a new horse.Rather than owning her own horse,
Himmel belongs to the Peeper Ranch barn, where there are about 15 di#erent horses.
She participates in a lesson program at the barn, and also works there as an intern.
“We get the horses ready for everyone else,” she said. “Two other girls and I are the head interns. We help the little kids and teach them how to handle the horses.”
Himmel said having multiple horses to ride at her barn has helped her grow as a rider.
“I like having the chance to ride multi-ple horses because they are all so di#erent,” she said. “I love them all, and they each challenge you in a di#erent way.”
Butler said her favorite of her four horses was one named Al Capony.
“I went through a lot with him, and we went to Nationals,” she said. “!e bond that I had with him is kind of like a partnership between us — we can read each other’s body language. !e companionship I feel
with him is so strong. I loved Al Capony so much because I had him the longest and out of all of the horses I’ve had, he taught me the most about riding.”
Butler said she appreciates the emotion-al aspect that comes with riding horses.
“I love being able to trust the horse and having the horse trust you back,” she said. “When you’re jumping and you’re in the air, it almost feels like you’re $ying.”
Butler competes in pony jumping.“I travel all over the U.S., mostly in the
Midwest region,” she said. “Basically, I follow my trainer. I discipline jumpers, and at the competitions, they judge the horse’s accuracy and how fast they can go through the course. We are judged by our time, but we can’t knock over the rails.”
Each show gives di#erent amounts of points to winners. In order to qualify for Nationals, a rider has to have earned a cer-tain number of points throughout the year.
Himmel, on the other hand, rides Saddle Seat
“!ere are two classes in saddle seat competitions — Pleasure and Equitation” she said. “In Pleasure, the judges give points based on how the rider and the horse work together. In Equitation, they give points based on how the rider actually looks on the horse.”
Himmel said patience is key when deal-ing with horses.
“Obviously, you can’t really talk to the horses,” she said. “So, it gets frustrating
when they are doing something wrong. You have to be very patient with them.”
Butler said riders develop unique bonds with their horses.
“As you progress, you get to know the horse’s personality, and you get to know them really well,” she said. “!ey are just like any other pet — you get to know them and start to love them.”
Butler said the main thing riding horses has taught her is responsibility.
“Owning horses really is not the easiest thing in the world,” she said. “It’s taught me to love animals and have a so% spot for animals.”
In 2011, Butler competed in the Na-tional Pony Jumpers, where her team won the gold medal. Individually, Butler placed 10th out of the top 40 jumpers in the na-tion.
Butler said getting tenth at Nationals was a surreal experience.
“When I was standing up on the podi-um, I had so many emotions going through me,” she said. “I was crying with happiness and couldn’t stop smiling.”
Himmel said people don’t think rid-ing is a sport because they typically don’t understand it.
“I’ve heard people say negative things about horseback riding, and that it isn’t re-ally a sport,” she said. “I kind of just laugh. I can understand why they don’t under-stand, but I personally know how hard the sport actually is.”
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morethan ateammate
Horse back riding o#ers unique experiences, bonding opportunities
Butler Himmel
indepth12 October 2012
Art t
each
er M
ichae
l Joh
nsto
n sa
id, o
ccas
iona
lly, c
enso
rshi
p a!
ects
stude
nt-p
rodu
ced
art i
n ar
t cla
sses
. “W
e obv
ious
ly h
ave t
o be
care
ful a
bout
cert
ain
topi
cs,”
he
said
. John
ston
said
he r
uns i
nto
the i
ssue
of c
enso
rshi
p m
ore
o"en
in p
hoto
grap
hy cl
asse
s tha
n ot
her c
lass
es b
ecau
se o
f the
re
alism
dep
icte
d in
a ph
otog
raph
.“O
ne is
sue i
n ph
oto
a lot
is w
hat c
onsti
tute
s nud
e,” h
e sai
d.
“We h
ave t
o ta
lk ab
out i
dent
i#ca
tion
of st
uden
ts be
caus
e we
are d
ealin
g with
min
ors a
nd st
uden
ts wh
o go
her
e.”H
e sai
d th
at st
uden
ts ar
e not
allo
wed
to sh
ow d
rug o
r alco
-ho
l usa
ge in
thei
r art
.“A
nyth
ing t
hat r
elate
s to
alco
hol,
drug
s or t
obac
co is
not
al
lowe
d ex
cept
for a
bot
tle o
r som
ethi
ng li
ke th
at to
impl
y al
coho
l or t
obac
co.”
Art t
each
er M
ark
Mos
ier s
aid
he w
ill li
mit
what
subj
ects
stude
nts c
an ad
dres
s thr
ough
the s
choo
l art
pro
gram
s but
will
no
t disc
oura
ge p
ursu
ing i
t else
wher
e. “I
’m n
ot go
ing t
o ge
t int
o te
lling
stud
ents
mor
al st
anda
rds,”
he
said
. “I w
ould
sugg
est t
hat w
ould
be a
fam
ily-p
aren
t iss
ue.
I’m n
ot go
ing t
o sa
y don
’t do
it. I
will
say t
he sc
hool
can’
t.”Jo
hnsto
n sa
id o
n th
e rar
e occ
asio
n he
has
to ce
nsor
a stu
-de
nt’s
work
, it i
s usu
ally
bec
ause
of e
xces
sive g
raph
ic vi
olen
ce.
“$at
pro
babl
y get
s cen
sore
d m
ore t
han
anyt
hing
— gr
aphi
-ca
lly vi
olen
t im
ages
,” he
said
. “I’v
e had
a fe
w stu
dent
s do
that
, us
ually
arou
nd H
allo
ween
.”Jo
hnsto
n sa
id m
ater
ial i
s cen
sore
d du
e to
the l
aw.
“Mos
tly w
e avo
id [c
enso
red
mat
eria
l] be
caus
e of l
egal
issu
es,
not b
ecau
se o
f bei
ng co
nser
vativ
e in
view
s,” h
e sai
d.M
osie
r sai
d th
e sch
ool c
ould
be h
eld re
spon
sible
for n
egli-
genc
e in
cert
ain
case
s. “I
f I sa
w so
meo
ne d
oing
som
ethi
ng d
ange
rous
[in
a wor
k of
ar
t], an
d if
I did
n’t n
otify
a pa
rent
, a ca
se co
uld
be m
ade t
hat
the s
choo
l was
neg
ligen
t,” h
e sai
d. “H
ealth
-wise
, saf
ety-
wise
an
d be
havi
or-w
ise, y
ou h
ave t
o co
nsid
er th
e welf
are o
f the
stu
dent
.”Jo
hnsto
n sa
id h
e has
not
cens
ored
a stu
dent
’s wo
rk in
man
y ye
ars.
He h
as o
nly h
ad to
do
so a
few
times
sinc
e he h
as b
een
at
Blue
Val
ley.
“I h
ave t
old
stude
nts t
o pi
ck le
ss o
!ens
ive i
mag
es, a
nd
they
’re u
sual
ly O
K wi
th th
at,”
he sa
id.
John
ston
said
he t
ries t
o re
mai
n op
en to
stud
ents
idea
s.“S
tude
nts w
ill gi
ve m
e ide
as, a
nd I’
ll te
ll th
em if
it cr
osse
s th
e lin
e,” h
e sai
d.M
osie
r sai
d we
hav
e res
pons
ibili
ty as
a sc
hool
.“W
e are
a pu
blic
insti
tutio
n wi
th re
spon
sibili
ty to
the d
is-tr
ict,”
he s
aid.
“We a
re n
ot in
depe
nden
t, an
d we
can’
t jus
t do
what
ever
.” $
eatr
e dire
ctor
Je!
Yarn
ell sa
id h
e will
cut o
ut la
ngua
ge o
r se
xual
ly ex
plici
t par
ts of
a pl
ay.
“$er
e’s la
ngua
ge w
e won
’t us
e, lik
e the
F-w
ord,”
Yar
nell
said
. “[I
cut o
ut] a
nyth
ing o
verly
sexu
al I
don’
t fee
l lik
e my
16-y
ear-o
ld st
uden
ts ne
ed to
be p
erfo
rmin
g.”Ya
rnell
said
in h
is M
edia
and
Pop
cultu
re cl
ass h
e cho
oses
to
cens
or ce
rtai
n R-
rate
d m
ovie
s tha
t cou
ld b
e ben
e#cia
l. H
e sai
d he
doe
s so
beca
use o
f his
relig
ious
beli
efs,
not s
choo
l reg
ula-
tions
. “I
thin
k m
y con
serv
ativ
e vie
wpoi
nt is
par
t of t
he re
ason
,” he
sa
id. “
It’s i
mpo
rtan
t to
prot
ect k
ids a
nd k
eep
them
from
grow
-in
g up
too
fast
.”
Art c
enso
rshi
p va
ries
base
d on
sub
ject
, sch
ool r
ules
$is
Page
Can
not B
e Disp
laye
dBa
sed
on yo
ur co
rpor
ate a
cces
s pol
icies
, acc
ess t
o th
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Ban
ned
Boo
k W
eek
prom
pts
revi
ew
of o
vera
ll ce
nsor
ship
in s
choo
lSt
orie
s by
Sal
ly Co
chra
n an
d Ke
lly C
ordi
ngle
yPh
oto
Illust
ratio
n by
Bai
ley
Out
law
indepth 13October 2012
Vice
Prin
cipal
Mar
k D
alto
n sa
id h
e isn
’t su
re if
it w
ould
be
calle
d ce
nsor
ship
, but
ther
e are
rules
rega
rdin
g wha
t may
and
may
not
be w
orn
at sc
hool
. “W
hat y
ou lo
ok at
are t
hing
s tha
t pro
mot
e dru
g and
alco
hol
abus
e, th
at ar
e pro
fane
or t
hat p
rom
ote p
rom
iscui
ty,”
he sa
id.
“You
can’
t wea
r the
m in
scho
ol, a
nd th
e sch
ool h
as a
right
to
requ
est t
hat s
tude
nts n
ot w
ear a
shirt
that
wou
ld p
rom
ote a
ny
of th
ose t
hing
s.”Se
nior
Gra
yson
Yoc
key h
ad to
chan
ge h
is sh
irt, w
hich
was
de
cided
to b
e ina
ppro
pria
te b
y adm
inist
ratio
n.
“!e s
hirt
feat
ures
a pi
ctur
e of a
bea
r with
dee
r ant
lers a
nd
says
‘bee
r’ in
big
bol
d let
ters
,” he
said
. “It’
s kin
d of
pro
voca
tive,
but t
hat’s
not
the p
oint
. My p
oint
is to
dra
w at
tent
ion
to th
e m
ytho
logi
cal c
ombi
natio
n be
twee
n a d
eer a
nd a
bear
calle
d a
‘bee
r,’ an
d th
e adm
inist
rato
rs ju
st di
dn’t
see i
t tha
t way
.”Yo
ckey
said
Dal
ton
appr
oach
ed h
im in
the h
allw
ay b
efor
e se
vent
h ho
ur ab
out h
is sh
irt’s
cont
ent.
“He g
oes,
‘Hey
, you
can’
t wea
r tha
t shi
rt,’ a
nd I
go, ‘B
ut, I
’m
wear
ing i
t now
,”’ h
e sai
d. “H
e goe
s, ‘B
ut yo
u ca
n’t.
You
have
to
chan
ge.’ !
en h
e too
k m
e int
o th
e o"
ce, a
nd th
en w
e too
k a
poll.
A co
uple
of la
dies
in th
e o"
ce w
ere l
ike,
‘Is it
or i
s it n
ot
inap
prop
riate
?’ !
ey al
l vot
ed th
at it
was
inap
prop
riate
, eve
n th
ough
it’s
not i
napp
ropr
iate
. It j
ust s
ays b
eer i
n bi
g bol
d let
-te
rs.” D
alto
n sa
id h
e ask
ed Y
ocke
y to
chan
ge h
is sh
irt b
ecau
se o
f th
e alco
hol r
efer
ence
. “!
e rea
son
he w
as w
earin
g it w
as b
ecau
se it
said
bee
r, an
d he
wan
ted
to ge
t by w
ith it
bec
ause
it h
ad a
bear
with
dee
r ant
-ler
s,” D
alto
n sa
id. “
So, o
ne o
f the
rules
[is a
gain
st pr
omot
ing]
al
coho
l or d
rugs
. Well
, tha
t’s o
bvio
usly
alco
hol.”
Yock
ey sa
id h
e rec
eive
d a n
ew sh
irt to
wea
r in
plac
e of t
he
“bee
r” sh
irt, w
hich
he k
ept.
“!e s
hirt
they
gave
me w
as re
ally
itch
y, so
I rip
ped
o# th
e sle
eves
and
I tor
e it i
nto
a v-n
eck,”
Yoc
key s
aid.
Dal
ton
said
stud
ents
have
man
y clo
thin
g cho
ices
with
in th
e bo
unda
ries.
“Stu
dent
s hav
e a lo
t of f
reed
om to
wea
r wha
t the
y wan
t to
wear
,” D
alto
n sa
id. “
I wen
t to
Cath
olic
scho
ol, s
o [s
tude
nts]
ha
d to
wea
r uni
form
s eve
ry d
ay, a
nd th
e [gi
rl’s]
skirt
had
to b
e a c
erta
in le
ngth
and
ever
ythi
ng. N
ot as
muc
h in
pub
lic sc
hool
.”D
alto
n sa
id h
e fre
quen
tly h
as to
cens
or st
uden
ts clo
thin
g.
“It’s
kin
d of
your
free
dom
of s
peec
h,” h
e sai
d. “I
thin
k it
goes
und
er yo
ur fr
eedo
m o
f spe
ech
of w
hat y
ou w
ant t
o we
ar
on yo
ur sh
irt o
r how
you
want
to w
ear i
t, bu
t it c
an n
ot p
ro-
mot
e tho
se th
ree t
hing
s.”D
alto
n sa
id B
V al
so d
oes n
ot al
low
stude
nts t
o we
ar h
ats
durin
g sch
ool.
“It m
akes
for a
resp
ectfu
l pla
ce to
be,”
Dal
ton
said
. “I’v
e be
en to
di#
eren
t sch
ools
wher
e the
y do
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CNN
.com
upclose14 October 2012
jansenhesssports editor
Debate and forensics classes o!en go hand-in-hand but are two very di"erent activities.
Debate involves creating a speci#c speech and a plan — an a$rmative side and a negative side — whereas forensics is more like a track and #eld event.
%ere is acting and speaking, partner events and singular events.
Senior Rajvi Shah, co-captain of both the debate and the forensics squads, said the captains’ main purpose is to oversee the new participants.
“We’re in charge of di"erent functions, making sure all the students know what they’re doing, know what our end
goal is and pretty much facilitating the smooth transition between seasons for [debate and forensics teacher] Mr. [Chris] Ri!er,” she said.
Junior Aquib Jamil has been involved in debate and forensics since his freshman year.
He said experienced debaters persuaded him to take both classes, but he enjoys debate more than forensics.
“I ended up loving [debate] because, in a sense, it’s like a word game,” Jamil said. “It’s like, they run this argument, and you have to #gure out the best way to beat their argu-ment. %ere’s a judge sitting right in the back room, so you have to have good people skills. You also have to be smart and be able to think on the spot about how you’re going to destroy someone’s case.”
Every year, there is a di"erent topic that is debated throughout the course of the debate season.
“%is year the topic’s infrastructure,” he said. “So, you have to make a case talking about how you want an in-crease in the structure. %en, the negative team has to get up and argue why that’s a bad idea. So, every tournament you go one round with your case and one round saying why the other teams case is bad.”
%ere are many di"erent events forensics participants can compete in, ranging from speaking to acting to poetry.
“I do informative and extemporaneous speaking,” Jamil said. “Informative is when you write a speech about anything. I wrote one about Snickers bars. I didn’t actually take that to a tournament. %en, the one I legitimately worked on was about sleep paralysis. It has to be about seven minutes long, and you go up and present it in front of a judge.”
Another forensics event is extemporaneous speaking, where no outside preparation is done.
“In extemporaneous speaking, you pull a political ques-tion out of an envelope, and then you have 30 minutes to prep a speech for it,” Jamil said. “%en you write the speech
and memorize it. %en you give it.”Shah said she’s more of a debater because of the speech
class she took in eighth grade. “I’ve always liked voicing my opinion and telling it like
it is,” she said. “Being argumentative was something that was really big for me, and being able to construct and be logical in arguments is what I really like. You always have a partner with you, and the rounds, I feel like, are more educational.”
Jamil said forensics is more relaxed than debate. “It’s a lot more laid back in the sense that you don’t have
to do as much work throughout the year,” he said. “It’s still a lot of work when you have to prep your speech and stu". In debate, it’s an hour and a half of straight just getting up there and talking over and over again. If you go to quarter-#nals or semi-#nals, you have to do it again because each round is an hour and a half long.”
Shah said debate is much more time consuming than forensics.
“It’s de#nitely more of a time commitment,” she said. “You have evidence you have to #le, and you have to think of di"erent arguments and everything; whereas, forensics is more individual, you can pick a piece, go over it in like a week, then be done with it.”
Ri"er said he changes his teaching style depending on the class.
“%ere’s head-to-head competition in debate,” he said. “You spend a lot more time talking about strategies, and [the class is] centered around the topic you’re debating. For forensics, it’s a lot more individually focused in teaching. I work with various speakers on their individual speeches.”
Ri"er said he couldn’t see his life without debate and forensics.
“%ey’re both so di"erent to me, but I have to teach both of them,” he said. “It’d be like trying to give up one of my kids — I couldn’t do it.”
BV
As teacher Chris Ri"er reads an a$rmative, senior Rajvi Shah takes notes. Shah has been involved in debate since eighth grade. “Debate has helped me become more comfortable with forming opinions and sharing my ideas,” she said. Photo by Alex Kontopanos.
Debate
Forensicsvs.
Seemingly similar classes vary in technique, structure
upclose 15October 2012
abbybamburgentertainment editor
“Happy birthday, Mrs. Harris.”!is has been a common saying heard around Blue Val-
ley in the past few years. Building substitute Deborah Harris’ actual birthday is
on Jan. 2 — not even a school day.“!e ‘Happy Birthday’ thing got started last year by
[2012 graduates] Justin Fulks and Matt Floyd,” Harris said. “Don’t ask me why because I don’t know. !ey started saying it every time they saw me, and at "rst, I said, ‘No, no it’s not my birthday,’ and then I just thought later that it was just easier to smile and say, ‘!ank you.’ My line now is ‘Everyday is like a birthday at Blue Valley High School.’”
Harris started as a paraprofessional at BV in 1992. She then started substituting and became a main building sub-stitute in 2000.
“I basically do the administrative work of taking roll and trying to keep the class on task for whatever lesson plans the teacher has le# me,” she said. “!at’s when I’m doing what they call a short-term or one-day job.”
Harris has also been a long-term substitute.“!at is a little more intense,” Harris said. “Only because
you have to prepare your lesson plans, grade papers and try to keep at least a few weeks ahead of the students in terms of what you’re teaching.”
Junior Grant Dickerson wishes Harris a happy birthday every time he sees her.
“I think Mrs. Harris is a pretty intelligent person for being able to sub for pretty much any class on demand,” Dickerson said. “She also cares about all of the students and is very accepting of me wishing her a happy birthday every day.”
Harris said she enjoys the interactions with the students.“I would describe my relationship with the students as a
very fun one,” she said. Because Harris is o#en in the building and everyone
knows who she is, math teacher Robin Lerner said she thinks the students get a better opportunity to get to know Harris.
“Because [Harris and the students] get to know each other better than other substitutes and students would, that makes it a better relationship,” she said. “She also gets to see more of the relationships of who’s friends with whom than I might necessarily get to see.”
Dickerson gave Harris a valentine on Valentine’s Day. “It was a picture of a Care Bear,” he said. “She taped it to
her lunch box, so ever since then, we have been pretty tight.”Lerner said Harris always strives to teach the lessons
how the teacher would want them to be taught.“She has subbed for me a couple of times in math, and
she always wants to know ‘Am I doing it right?,”’ she said. “She wants to teach as if she were the teacher. Everyone knows that if she’s there, she is going to do the best job that she can.”
Lerner said she thinks the sta$ and students have a cer-tain respect for what Harris does.
“Mrs. Harris is there when we need her to be there,” she said. “She always gets done what we need her to get done.”
Lerner said she and Harris have a very interesting rela-tionship.
“One December, we were in line at the holiday luncheon that the sta$ has, and we were discussing the snow, and I said it reminds me of Iowa,” Lerner said. “[Harris] said, ‘You lived in Iowa?,’ and I said yes. We "gured out that we lived in the same area, and I asked her if she knew where Colo., [Iowa] is. She said that her mom used to teach "rst grade
there. I asked her what her name was and "gured out that she was my "rst grade teacher. It’s just one of those ‘what a small world’ things.”
Since then, Harris’ mom has been down for a couple of visits and met up with Lerner.
Harris said the rest of the sta$ have also been very friendly.
“One school I was a para for, it was my "rst week there and I sat down at a table for lunch,” she said. “Some teachers there told me, ‘!is is the teacher’s table. You have to sit over there.’ I’ve never had something like that happen at Blue Valley.”
Harris said her most memorable moment at BV was when all of the students came together in 1998 when three girls were killed in a car accident in front of the school.
“!e thing that I remember the most was coming in that day, and all of the kids were just lined up throughout the whole halls just hanging on to each other and holding hands,” she said. “It said so much. To me it was a moment of coming together as a school.”
“Happy Birthday, Mrs. Harris”
FactsAboutHarris
Has sung in the Johnson County Community Choir for 28 years
Plays hand bells
Enjoys traveling, theater, watching KU Basketball and reading
Substituting for Spanish teacher Tina Martinet, building substitute Deborah Harris lectures a student. Harris became a main building substitute at BV in 2000. “My favorite part about my job is working with the students here,” Harris said. She plans to continue substitut-ing for a while. Photo by Ellie Fehlig.
Well-known building substitute re%ects on time spent at Blue Valley, fond memories
upclose16 October 2012
Georgia lies where Europe meets Asia.
Georgian and Russian are the main languages.
Information gathered from news.bbc.co.uk
Georgia quick facts
There are approximately 4.3 million people.
maddiejewettfeatures editor
Senior Ani Mamisashvili, a foreign exchange student from Georgia, said she came to America for a world full of new things.
“I came [to America] for the new experiences, new culture and new friends,” she said. “I love the adventure.”
In order to come to America, Mamisashvili entered a contest with other students hoping to become foreign exchange students and then became a !nalist.
For the contest, Mamisashvili had to write several essays and pass multiple rounds of applications.
Mamisashvili said, a"er the ap-plication process was over, her host family chose her.
Mamisashvili’s host mother Amy Morbeck said her family got the idea of hosting a foreign exchange student from their family and friends.
“We were inspired by our family and friends who had [been host families] in the past,” she said. “#ey all had great experiences with it, and so we wanted to try it out as well.”
Mamisashvili is not the Morbeck’s !rst foreign exchange student. Lingling Khopanlert lived with the Morbecks last year as a foreign exchange student, and, like Mamisashvili, attended Blue Valley as a senior.
#e Morbecks and Khopanlert still keep in touch via Skype and other methods.
In order to become a host family to both Mamisashvili and Khopanlert, the Morbecks applied and went through background checks. #ey then wrote essays about their family and why they had a passion for becoming a host family.
Once they had applied, the Morbecks were sent pro!les of the students who met their criteria.
A"er the family chose their student, both the Morbecks and Mamisashvili were approved by the school.
Mamisashvili said she likes BV more than the schools in Georgia.
“In Georgia, we don’t choose classes,” she said. “We don’t rotate from classroom to classroom. To go to univer-sity, you write four tests, and that’s all you do. If you have good scores, you’ll go to university. #e teachers here are more helpful and pay attention more to each student.”
Festivals, horseback riding and Taekwondo are just a few of the activities the Morbecks and Mamisashvili have tried.
Mamisashvili said her favorite activity so far has been horseback riding.
“We did a 5K [run], and that was very hard,” Mamisash-
vili said. “I’ve never done any sports in Georgia, and now I come here and have to try and break a board in Taekwondo.”
Morbeck said both Mamisashvili and Khopanlert have been great role models for their three-year-old daughter, Kaylee.
“It’s really just been amazing,” she said. “Both Lingling and Ani are incredible people. #ey are both so loving and caring, and they both provide a great example for Kaylee.”
Mamisashvili said she has learned a multitude of things from her host family.
“#ey have taught me how to !nd a balance between relaxing and study-ing,” she said. “Also, I have improved my English a lot. I have learned so many di$erent things from the Mor-becks. #ey are very cheerful, very kind and very sweet. It’s sad to have to think about leaving later.”
Mamisashvili said, so far, she has gained both friend-ships and knowledge from her experience of being a foreign exchange student.
“I have made a lot of friends here,” she said. “I have seen the di$erent cultures, and I see both positives and negatives of both. Here, there is a huge relationship between family and friends. #e education here is very di$erent.”
Morbeck said being a host mother is an incredibly rewarding experience.
“I’ve gained a mountain of things,” she said. “I’ve gained two beautiful daughters that I love with all my heart. When you take in students, they really are your children now, and I really do love them to pieces. I’ve also learned more than I can even begin to say about cultural di$erences. I’ve learned how fortunate we really are — freedom really is understated in America. From being a host mother, I have learned that love has no boundaries.”
Taking a break from picking pumpkins, Ani Mamisashvili and her host family, the Morbecks, pose for a picture. Mamisashvili is a foreign exchange student from Georgia. “I always say work hard, play hard,” Mamisashvili’s host mother Amy Morbeck said. “Work hard all week, play on the weekends and clean in between.” Photo by Megan Ball.
HomeHome
away from Host family, foreign exchange student form lifelong bonds, learn from each other
upclose 17October 2012
meghankennedyZ[HɈ�^YP[LY
In college, the majority of people change their major a few times. A lot of college students end up doing something they never even imagined. However, Blue Valley psychologist Julie Seitter said she knew she wanted to be a psychologist from a young age.
Seitter said she went into college planning to major in psychology. She has a Bachelors Degree and an Educational Specialist Degree in psychology.
“I’m one of those weird people who knew from a very early age that I was going to be a psycholo-gist,” she said. “When I was in sixth grade and we were doing careers, we were supposed to interview two people — I interviewed a psychologist and a psychiatrist. I feel that I really enjoy helping other people, and all my friends brought their problems to me. I was always pretty good at listening and helping others solve problems. It just felt right.”
Seitter has been a psychologist for 29 years, and this is her second year at BV. She worked at BV Northwest for 18 years before coming to BV.
“In complete honesty, I love both schools,” she said. “I loved being at Northwest, but I am really glad that I made the change to High. I really like the environment here. It’s a little bit more of a small-town feel here, and I love that. Even though we are a large school, it doesn’t feel as large to me at North-west did. I love the sta!, and I quickly made friends who I’ll have for the rest of my life.”
REbeL is one of the many extracurricular activi-ties Seitter participates in.
Before senior Oksana Spindler joined REbeL, she said the only interaction she had with Seitter was seeing her in the halls.
“I am one of the leaders of REbeL, so whenever we do activities throughout the school year, I touch-base with her about what’s going on,” she said. “We keep each other informed. She helps me keep everything organized.”
Seitter said it’s important to balance her schedule and make time to re-energize herself.
“Sometimes it’s a tricky task,” she said. “Some-times I get too involved and have to stay at school until 6 [p.m.]. When I came to Blue Valley High, I made the decision I would only do a few things. I
am on the district level Diversity Team. I am on the Suicide Prevention Task Force. I do quite a few things, but I enjoy everything I do. I have a pretty good inner radar as to, ‘OK, I need to back o! a bit and get some more sleep.’”
Seitter said her biggest priority is working with the students.
“I wear a lot of hats,” she said. “I am in therapeu-tic situations to help support them, and if need be, I get outside help. I also work a lot with the Special Education department. I do a lot of consultations with parents, teachers, counselors, administrators, outside therapists and outside agencies.”
Spindler said she would describe her relation-ship with Seitter as easy-going and supportive.
“I know if I have any issues I need to discuss, I can always go talk to her, and that’s really cool,” she said.
Spindler said Seitter has taught her things that help with her everyday relationships.
“When we talk about things in our REbeL meet-ings, I now apply them to my own life,” she said. “One of the things we talked about was compli-
ments and how we shouldn’t say so many super"cial compliments like, ‘Oh, that shirt looks so cute on you.’ We should be saying compliments that actu-ally mean something, like telling your friends how much you appreciate what they’ve done for you. I’ve found myself doing a lot more of that because of REbeL and knowing Mrs. Seitter.”
Even though Seitter said her job is exhausting, she said it is rewarding.
“At the end of the day I am really, really glad I came to work,” she said. “It is such a great joy to see students grow and learn more about themselves and learn ways to help themselves. It is an amazing thing to watch.”
Seitter said she always tells students to not get too caught up in high school.
“High school only lasts four years,” she said. “Your whole life is ahead of you, while it seems this is the most important time of your life. In one way, it is because you’re living it right now, but there is so much more out there. You are going to meet so many new people in your lifetime. Learn to "nd joy in every day.”
Psychologist Julie Seitter writes out a pass for one of her students. Seitter had previously worked at Blue Valley North-west and has been at Blue Valley for two years. “I love the students [at Blue Valley] and everyone is very welcoming,” she said. Photo by Alex Kontopanos.
Balancing act School psychologist aims to work most with students
upclose 18October 2012
daniellewilliamsZ[HɈ�^YP[LY
!ought your "rst day of high school was stressful? Imagine starting your day o# in a school packed with people you have never met, in classes full of students up to two years older than you. !is is the life of certain middle school stu-dents, whose only chance at being challenged in a math class is to travel to Blue Valley for "rst hour.
Maci Virgillito, an eighth grader at Blue Valley Middle School, has been in an advanced level math class since kindergarten.
“I am very motivated, hardworking and re-sponsible,” Virgillito said. “I think this separates me from other students in my grade level.”
Math teacher Richard Gill welcomes middle schoolers into his classroom each morning.
“I have had about fourteen to sixteen middle schoolers in my classes for the past few years,” Gill said.
He said you can tell if a student isn’t being challenged enough in their particular class by how bored they are or how fast they are getting through the material.
Ben Wang, a seventh grader at Prairie Star Middle School, takes Honors Geometry at BV. Wang will have completed the math credits of a junior, by the time he starts high school.
“I skipped sixth grade and seventh grade math,” he said. “I always thought my classes were easy, and I was able to "gure things out faster than the rest of the students in the class.”
Gill said the students that come to the high school are above the rest, regarding math ability.
“!ey’re not always the ones most interested in math, but they always have a strong ability in math,” he said. “!ere are usually at least one or two that I know are going to become successful engineers and scientists.”
Wang and Virgillito were both approached by Gi$ed Education teachers or their current math teacher about starting classes in the high school.
“I was nervous and excited all at the same
time,” Virgillito said.Most of the middle schoolers have math "rst
hour, so they don’t have to take multiple trips to and from their school.
“I wake up at a normal time and take the bus to the high school,” Wang said. “A$er my math class, I take the bus back to the middle school and go straight to Spanish.”
Gill said he has always been enamored by how well the high school students welcome the middle schoolers.
“!e students always seem to integrate well, and the upperclassmen seem to appreciate the intelligence of the middle schoolers,” Gill said.
Freshman Bella Carpenter said she has had her share of classes with students a grade below her.
“I always try to interact with the middle schoolers so they feel more comfortable in the class,” Carpenter said. “Last year [at the middle school], some seventh graders were in my math class, and I asked them to sit with me at lunch so they felt included.”
Wang said he enjoys his Honors Geometry class and feels very comfortable and accepted.
“Everyone is pretty nice, and I don’t "nd it too hard to "t in,” Wang said. “I’m just a little too short.”
Virgillito and Wang said they both feel some-what timid about participating in class.
Virgillito said she feels even more pressure than the rest participating in class because she feels like she is being judged by students older than her.
“I am self-conscious about raising my hand because I don’t know a lot of people in my class,” Virgillito said.
Although Wang said he still doesn’t feel chal-lenged enough in an advanced math class, he is glad he has the opportunity to take a class at the high school so early on.
“Taking classes at the high school has helped me learn to interact well with larger groups of people, as well as learn new math concepts,” Wang said.
Middle school students attend high school math classes, adjust to new environment
Boarding the bus, seventh grader Ben Wang prepares to return to Prairie Star Middle School. Wang is currently enrolled in Honors Geometry with math teacher Richard Gill. Photo by Bailey Outlaw.
Making theGRADE
centerstage 19October 2012
Rapperson theRise
You’ve all heard of rappers like Lil’ Wayne, Eminem and Kanye West. !ose guys certainly have their merit. But, if you’re looking for some rappers o" the beaten path, read on. !ese are some of my favorite artists, and I listen to these guys virtually every day. If you like rap, then you’ll certainly want to give these guys a listen.
You can #nd most of this music on iTunes, especially Macklemore and Lecrae. !e rest can be legally downloaded for free on websites like GoodMusicAllDay.com or !isSongIsSick.com.
Rap TermsKLÄULK!
colingregoryZ[HɈ�^YP[LY
!is Seattle-hailing emcee, o$en paired with producer Ryan Lewis, is one of my all-time favorite artists. !is is due to the depth of the messages in his music. Whether he’s warn-ing about consumerism in “Wings” or drug and alcohol addiction in “Otherside,” Mackl-emore makes re-listening necessary to gain the full meanings of his tracks. He recently had his biggest hit with the wonderfully o"-the-wall “!ri$ Shop,” which had a stint in the top 25 on iTunes.
You can check out his debut album, “!e Heist,” which dropped Oct. 9 on iTunes.
Macklemore
Best Songs: “Otherside,” “My Oh My!,”
“Make the Money” and “Same Love (featuring Mary Lambert)”
Logic has three mixtapes out, the best of which being the middle one, “Young Sinatra.” He has a smoother, jazzy Drake-like style, along with a tremendous %ow. He raps about a wide range of topics, making him hard to pin down to one style.
What sticks out the most about Logic is his earnest demeanor. He never talks down to the listener. He shows us that he understands what it’s like to struggle in life. He is the de#nition of consistency, as his releases rarely disappoint.
Logic
Best Songs: “Mind of Logic (featuring Camille Michelle Gray),” “Are You Ready
(featuring Phil Ade),” “Just Another Day (In My Mind)” and “Juice”
OnCue, who also sings the hooks on most of his songs, is one of my favorites because of his unique sound. At times he can sound like an alternative rock artist, as evidenced by the artists that he samples. Sounds of Modest
Mouse, !e Red Hot Chili Peppers and Dave Matthews Band are o$en heard on OnCue’s tracks. Not only is his sound dif-ferent, but I also like that OnCue raps about more than just drugs, sex and money — those kind of things gets monotonous.
Best Songs: “Feel Tall,” “Crashing Down,”
“All the Way,” “Running” and “It Usually Goes”
OnCue
Mike Stud
Best Songs: “You Don’t Know Me (feat. Tarik),”
“Happy Ending,” “Back Again (featuring Huey Mack)” and “Bottle It Up (feat. Kinetics)”
To the outside observer, Mike Stud may seem like just another “frat rapper,” which has been popularized over the last few years by guys like Mac Miller and Asher Roth.
However, Stud, a former pitcher on Duke Uni-versity’s baseball team, brings something fresh to the table with his clever wordplay, catchy beats and infectious hooks.
One of my favorite songs of his is “You Don’t Know Me” because it has a good tune and funny lyrics.
Stud also proves himself as a gi$ed storyteller on the mic, evidenced by his best song, “Happy Ending,” which tells a trio of heartbreaking stories.
True versatility is rare these days in rap, yet the talent of Mike Stud makes him a force to be reckoned with.
From Wichita, Kan., XV gets his name from the age he started rapping — #$een. XV, cur-rently 27, is able to bring a youthful gusto to the mic, as well as an astounding level of maturity.
His song, “T.A.L.K.,” perfectly embodies how rumors spread in high school, and “Pictures On My Wall” tells a story of how idols whom we adore can inspire and motivate us.
XV is noteworthy for his work ethic. He has produced 17 mixtapes since 2006. His #rst album, titled “!e Kid With !e Green Backpack,” is expected to come out in early 2013.
XV
Best Songs:�¸7PJ[\YLZ�6U�4`�>HSS�¹�¸;L_[IVVR�:[\Ɉ��MLH[\YPUN�2LUKYPJR�3HTHY��¹�
“T.A.L.K.” and “The Last Hero (featuring Patrick Stump)”
You might have seen Lecrae recently topping the iTunes hip-hop charts with his most recent album, “Gravity.” His hard beats and rapping style might confuse the listener, as Lecrae is perhaps the best known Christian rapper. Chris-tian rap can o$en sound preachy, but Lecrae possesses a keen level of awareness on the mic. He is able to encompass the opinions of many, while at the same time imparting to us his own views.
Additionally, the amount of passion and steadfast deter-mination shown by Lecrae is second to none.
Best Songs: “Don’t Waste Your Life (featuring Cam,
Dwayne Tryumf),” “Chase That (Ambition),” “Gotta Know (featuring Benjah) ” and “New
Reality (featuring Chiuna Hawk)”
Lecrae
Information from urbandictionary.com.
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centerstage20 October 2012
meghankennedy
Z[HɈ�^YP[LY
Your senses are being tested to the very point
in which you won’t know if you’re in Heaven or
on the Edge of Hell. Surrounded by utter dark-
ness, with nothing but blood-thirsty savages in the
same room, and you will experience a face-to-face
encounter with !e Beast. One might even be buried
alive in the Chambers of Poe. All those avid theatre
fans have the opportunity to star live in a horror "lm in
the haunted Macabre Cinema.
!ese four haunted houses, located in the West Bot-
toms, are owned by a Blue Valley family, the Bequeaiths.
!e houses open the last weekend in August and close
the "rst weekend of November.
Senior Savannah Bequeaith said her family is very pas-
sionate about the creative and dramatic aspects of the houses.
“It’s really hard to put together, and we take pride in the
hard work that we do,” she said. “It’s really hard on my mom
because she works all the time in the fall. !at takes away from
some family time we might have had otherwise.”
Savannah said it takes a lot of coordination between the paint-
ers and carpenters to get the house ready for the season.
“It’s really intense,” Savannah said. “!ey are permanent sets, so
we obviously change them from time-to-time. At the beginning of
the summer, we go through the houses and take notes
like, ‘Oh, this wall needs to be repainted,’
or, ‘Oh, this set needs to be
"xed.’”
Sophomore Beau Bequeaith said the haunted houses are the
scariest in the nation.
Beau said his favorite parts of his family owning the haunted
houses is skipping the line, getting in for free and having everyone
ask him for tickets.
!e haunted houses employ 15 full-time workers, over 300 part-
time, seasonal workers and 125 volunteer workers. !ey get paid
anywhere from $7.25 to $10.00 per hour, depending on the job.
Haunted house Vice President and mother of Savannah and
Beau, Amber Arnette-Bequeaith said even when the Halloween
season ends, they still have a lot of work to do.
“Two of our main attractions bene"t a charity, the Dream Fac-
tory,” she said. “We have a little party with the Dream Factory, and
we have to take care of our employees, so payroll has to be com-
pleted. We go into renovations and completely prepare for winter.
!at usually takes us into Christmas, and, in January, we start it all
over again.”
Arnette-Bequeaith said the task is a major undertaking.
“We work all year because it isn’t something that’s just like a
checklist,” she said. “You work on scenes and new ideas, and
there is always new technology and props. We
then go into company training and
expectations, costume "t-
tings, and we
hire a makeup artist and set designer.”
Beau said in order to have the haunted houses reach their full
potential, they attempt to re-envision a new set.
“Usually we pick a day and one of the houses to look at every-
thing,” Beau said. “You have to go through and clean up every-
thing and decide where you want new pieces and what pieces
you want to take out. We still have year-round things, but we
just focus on the next year.”
Savannah said it is a big time commitment to own the
houses.“During the season, my mom still works all day making
sure everything is running smoothly, coordinating the
media and coordinating all the actors,” Savannah said. “I
usually go into work around 6 [p.m.], and the haunted
houses open at 7:30, and they’re open until there is no
line. We usually get home from like 2-3:30 in the morn-
ing.”To ensure safety, Amber said each attraction is
equipped with safety buttons for employees to push
if a situation occurs, and a manager will arrive on
scene within seconds. In addition to safety buttons,
cameras run through each room, so managers can
watch guests in the entire attraction.
“It is a haunted house, so you enter at your
own risk,” Arnette-Bequeaith said. “Yes, there
is the possibility of you being touched. All the
warning signs are posted when you walk in. If
someone has a broken arm and they want to
go in, they speci"cally have to sign a waiver
for safety reasons.”
Savannah said she always has stories
to tell of her experiences working at the
houses. “Some lady literally peed her pants
walking up the stairs,” she said. “She
wasn’t even in the haunted house yet —
she was just walking up the stairs, and
she very visibly peed her pants. !at
was a "rst.”
Spectacular Spooks
Blue Valley family owns four haunted
houses downtown, maintains year-round
BeauSavann
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Few people can do the “Cat Daddy” moves correctly, but for those who can, don’t be afraid to show them o!. For those who can’t, you can still have fun trying. According to Urban Dictionary, the “Cat Daddy” is an addition to the Dougie. "e “Cat Daddy” is performed as if you were sitting in a wheelchair. You cross your arms in front of you and move your hands as if you were pushing an imaginary wheelchair, all while getting lower to the ground — sounds complicated, right? To remember the moves, just think, “Seatbelt, seatbelt, wheelchair.” In a MTV News interview, one of the Rej3ctz members said the dance actually came #rst, and the song was just created to go along with it. In 2011, hip-hop artist Chris Brown made the dance more popular by performing it in the music video.
“Cat Daddy” by The Rej3ctzFebruary 2011
I love the song “Teach Me How to Dougie.” However, I wish someone would actually teach me how to Dougie, because I still don’t completely know how to do it. "is song is a spin-o! from the jerk dance movement, like the songs “Teach Me How to Jerk” and “You’re a Jerk.” If someone is doing the Dougie correctly, they should be sway-ing from side-to-side and raising their hand over their head as if they were slicking their hair back. "en you switch hands and do the same motion to the other side of your head.
“Gangnam Style” by PsyJuly 2012
"is catchy, upbeat Korean-pop song has taken the U.S. by storm as the newest dance craze. To do the “Gangnam Style” dance, all you have to do is imitate riding an invisible horse. Cross your wrists in front of you and bounce from leg to leg with a lasso mo-tion in the air — now you can “Gangnam Style” like a pro. How is this a popular dance, one may ask? I have no idea, but it’s still fun to do. I’ve already heard this song played on the radio several times. I’m sure we’ll be hearing it at all of our upcoming school dances.
Maybe you’re at a pizza dance or Homecoming and that certain song comes on. Ev-eryone instantly knows what song it is and arranges themselves, so they can do the
dance moves that go with the song. Every time we have a school dance, it seems like the disc jockey always plays a few songs everyone automatically knows the dance to. "ese popular dances are called “fad dances.” For older generations, their fad dances
included “YMCA,” “Macarena,” “Electric Slide” and the “Hustle.” Nowadays, these songs are mainly hip-hop or rap songs made popular by a music video, movie or
famous person. How many of these fad dances can you do?
theevolution
of danceannawonderlich
business manager & managing editor
centerstage 21October 2012
“Teach Me How to Dougie” by Cali Swag DistrictApril 2010
“Do the John Wall” by Troop 41May 2010
If you didn’t think $exing your arm muscles le% and right could be considered a dance move, you’re wrong. “Do the John Wall” is all about showing o! your “muscles.” "e song was inspired by the point guard for the Washington Wizards team, John Wall, who started the “$exing of the arm” dance at one of his college basketball games. All you have to do is hold up one or both of your arms in a #st and turn in back and forth to the beat, as if you were $exing — it’s as simple as that. You can even toss in some basketball shoot-ing moves if you want. It’s easy and funny, plus the song is catchy.
“Moving Like Bernie” by ISANovember 2010
If someone told me that leaning your shoulders back and $opping your arms around would become a popular dance move, I would probably laugh in their face. Little did I know, “Moving Like Bernie” made this crazy movement popular. To successfully Bernie, you just have to lean as far backwards as physically possible and swing your arms and shoulders around as crazily as you can. Whoever can impersonate a dead person the best is doing it right. "e dance was inspired by the 1980s movie Weekend at Bernie’s. I have a feeling we’ll probably look back in a few years and realize how ridiculous we looked while Bernie-ing, but at least we have fun doing it now.
“"e WOP” is de#nitely one of my favorite fad dances. "e song is catchy, the dance is pretty simple — what else could you ask for? During the chorus, all you have to do is swing your arms back and forth in front of you or pretend to toss money out of your hands. At the end of the song, there are more dance moves to go along with the lyrics, like leaning to the side, turning around, wiggling, playing dead and striking a pose, but these moves are up to you. Do whatever you want to make it your own, but just have fun while you’re doing it.
“The WOP” by J-DashDecember 2010
Ah, the “Cha Cha Slide” — an oldie-but-goodie. "is song takes me all the way back to those Skate City parties and my elemen-tary school years. "e words and dance are probably ingrained into our brains by now, a%er doing it at every single event involv-ing a disc jockey and dancing. It’s so easy to do, and how could you not clap to the beat when Mr. C says, “Freeze! Everybody clap your hands”? However, I could never com-pletely master the “Cha-Cha real smooth” or “Charlie Brown” steps. If you’ve been living under a rock for the past 12 years and don’t know how to do these moves, it’s OK — the words basically describe the steps you’re supposed to do, like “Le% foot let’s stomp,” “Slide to the right” or “One hop this time.” "is line dance was originally made as an aerobic workout.
“Cha Cha Slide” by Mr. CSeptember 2000
"e “Wobble” is essentially the new version of the “Cupid Shu&e” or “Cha Cha Slide” line dance because you repeat the same steps each time you turn a new direction. It was released in 2008, but it didn’t top the charts or be-come a BV crowd favorite until 2011. You’ll also hear it played at weddings, cruises, etc. "e “Wobble” has several variations to the dance steps. I learned the steps we do at BV are somewhat di!erent than the ones people were doing on the cruise I took last spring break. No matter what version you do, the more people that know the steps to this line dance, the more fun it is to do as a group. "e steps to the “Wobble” might seem more complicated than other fad dances, but once practiced several times, you’ll catch on quickly.
“Wobble” by V.I.C.July 2008
August 1996
Few may know this, but the dance to the song “Jump On It” actually originated from an episode of the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. Will and Carlton must raise money to a!ord their way home, so they enter a dance competition and perform the “Jump On It” routine. During the refrain, you place your hands on your hips and rotate to the beat. "en every time the song says “jump on it,” you do a lasso dance move and spin in a circle. "e Fresh Prince characters also stick their hands out to the beat when the song says “Oh” three times in a row at the beginning.
“Jump On It” by Sir-Mix-A-LotAugust 1996
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tigerturf22 October 2012
Switching
daniellewilliamsZ[HɈ�^YP[LY
In March of last year, an overwhelming !ood of emotion surfaced inside all the members of the Blue Valley volleyball team. "ey were informed their beloved head coach Jessica Palmer had announced her resignation.
“When I realized Palmer was leaving, I was initially shocked,” senior Lexi Kuharich said. “When she called me, it was out of nowhere. I was sad because I loved Palmer as a coach and a teacher.”
Sophomore Mary Hastert was con#dent she knew who would be replacing Palmer.
“I believed that our assistant coach [Dave Johnson] would get the job,” she said. “I knew he had the trust of the players and the trust of the parents.”
Hastert was correct. Johnson was chosen to be the head volleyball coach. He had spent many years with the program and had
more than enough volleyball experience.“I played college volleyball in Wichita, Kan. at Newman
University,” Johnson said. “ I was the captain of my team for three years.”
He played in the National Championship game his se-
nior year, but lost. He also played professionally in the sand for a couple of years.
Johnson was also recently admitted into the Hall of Fame at Newman University.
He received his #rst coaching opportunity in 2005 at BV.“I had just gotten done playing college volleyball, and
I wanted to coach,” Johnson said. “A friend of mine, Mr. [Keil] Pittman, who was the head volleyball coach at the time, gave me my #rst coaching job.”
Johnson started coaching the sophomore team and later became the varsity assistant coach.
Hastert said she was glad Johnson was the new coach because she knew he could really contribute to the program.
“I was excited because I didn’t have to start over with someone new,” Hastert said. “I knew he was going to make it a di$cult season so we could improve.”
Kuharich said she #nds Johnson and Palmer’s coaching techniques similar in the sense that they are both intense coaches.
“"ey want to win just as much as we do,” she said. “"ey both know what we are capable of and want to see that transferred onto the court.”
Johnson said the team this year plays a “Dave Johnson” style of volleyball. He teaches them to play with an aggres-
sive technique.“I teach them to play like boys,” he said. “I hold kids ac-
countable.”Kuharich said Johnson knows what he’s doing and has
bene#ted the program.“He knows how to help out each position and knows
what we need to succeed,” she said.Kuharich credits Johnson for a lot of her success last year
in volleyball. She said he gave her faith to become a better player.
“Last year I went from sophomore team to varsity, which was a big jump,” she said. “He helped me everyday and trained me with my footwork and everything. He has invested a lot of time into our team in helping everyone get better.”
Hastert said she has high hopes and expectations for this years team.
“I expect us to do better than we have in the past,” she said. “I feel like as the years go on, we get better and better, and this is the year we could go all the way to State.”
Johnson said he hopes to teach his players many impor-tant lessons by the end of the season.
“I hope to teach them to never stop hustling,” he said. “If you work hard in practice, it will show in the games.”
Volleyball coach Dave Johnson talks to his players during a team huddle. Johnson took over for former volleyball coach Jessica Palmer this year. “I feel like there’s a mutual respect between me and my players,” Johnson said. Photo by Ellie Fehlig.
New volleyball coach brings experience, eases transition
Coaching player senior Jarin Braithwait, volleyball coach Dave Johnson teaches volleyball techniques. He said he is more directly involved in coaching this year. “"ere’s a lot more responsibility, and it’s a lot more work,” Johnson said. Photo by Ellie Fehlig.
Styles Laying down the law, vol-leyball coach Dave Johnson coaches player senior Anna Burton. Johnson has been coaching for eight years. “I’ve been around for a while, so I’ve known most of these kids for years,” Johnson said. Photo by Ellie Fehlig.
tigerturf 23October 2012
B V S P O R T S
TIGER TURF
sports in brief FOOTBALLPrevious Action: 10/4 v STA (29-28 W) 10/12 v BVSW (28-21)Upcoming Action: 10/19 v Pittsburg High School Record: (4-3) VOLLEYBALLPrevious Action: 10/11 @ Lansing (W) 10/11 @ SMW (W) 10/11 @ SMNW (W)Upcoming Action: 10/20 Substate @ SMNW Record: (25-11)
BOYS SOCCERPrevious Action: 10/16 v BVN 10/18 v BVSWUpcoming Action: Regionals Record: (3-10-1)
CROSS COUNTRYPrevious Action: 10/11 EKLUpcoming Action: 10/20 Regionals @ Shawnee Mission Park 10/27 State @ Rim Rock Farm
GIRLS TENNISPrevious Action: 10/13 State (6th)Record: (8-2)
GIRLS GOLFPrevious Action: 10/15 State
Results current as of Oct. 14
mitchsundquistZ[HɈ�^YP[LY
Founded by Dan McNeese in the fall of 2009, the Mus-tangs Lacrosse Club o!ers an opportunity for students from Blue Valley and Blue Valley North to play lacrosse on the same team.
Before coaching the team, McNeese was an All-State mid"elder in high school and played college lacrosse at Di-vision III Washington College (Md.). In college, he was able to play in the NCAA Division III playo!s and the National Championship game.
Sophomore Luke Slagle, who plays for the Mustangs Lacrosse Club, has played lacrosse since he was young. He said he started playing lacrosse as a way to pass the time between football seasons and has played for a few teams.
“I played for a Johnson County team until sixth grade and then a team called the Blue Valley Spartans up until eighth grade,” he said. “#en played for Blue Valley North last year.”
While the Mustang Lacrosse Club has players from both BV and BVN, Slagle said the team has no trouble bonding.
“#ey tease us a bit, but they don’t actually hate us,” Slagle said.
McNeese said school rivalries are disregarded when the two schools come together.
“Once somebody becomes a member of the Mustang Lacrosse Club, you are embraced as a member of the team,” he said. “Rivalries between the two schools are tossed out the window.”
#e Mustang Lacrosse Club is not the only lacrosse team in the district. #ere is also the Jaguar Lacrosse Club, which is made up of students from BV Southwest, BV West and BV Northwest.
#e two teams from the district compete in the Lacrosse Association of Kansas City (LAKC). #e league also con-sists of teams from Saint #omas Aquinas, Olathe South, Olathe East, Shawnee Mission South, Shawnee Mission East, Leavenworth, Mill Valley, Rockhurst, Pembroke Hill, Lees Summit, Lees Summit West, Lees Summit North and Park Hill.
McNeese said the team is required to play each league team once, but is allowed to play teams outside the league as well. #ey have played teams from Nebraska, Iowa, Mis-
souri, Oklahoma and Arkansas. #e lacrosse season starts at the beginning of March
and runs through the rest of spring. #e team practices every night, except on game days. McNeese said lacrosse is a physically demanding sport, and he tries to center their practices around that.
“We do drills that not only mimic game situations, improve skills, and increase a players’ lacrosse I.Q., but also conditions the players,” McNeese said. “We try to cover all facets of the game in each practice if time permits.”
#e playo!s include the top eight teams from the LAKC. #e semi-"nals and "nals are played at Livestrong Sporting Park, and the JV tournament is played one week a$er the varsity tournament.
During the o!-season, the team has conditioning begin-ning the week a$er students return from winter break. McNeese said players are also encouraged to attend various activities around Kansas City.
“#ere are several camps, summer and fall ball leagues and coaching clinics in the KC Metro area,” McNeese said. “If a person wants to learn how to play lacrosse, Kansas City is "lled with opportunities.”
Although lacrosse is not a popular sport in the U.S., Slagle said he believes it is gaining popularity.
“It’s growing as a sport because it’s getting more expo-sure on television,” Slagle said.
Sophomore Jack Carrigan also plays for the Mustang Lacrosse Club. He said he believes Blue Valley should get a lacrosse team because of the players’ passion towards the sport.
“We have more love for the game because we practice and play in rain or shine without large crowds,” Carrigan said. “We still push ourselves harder than we think we can go.”
McNeese said he would also like to see the interest in lacrosse at BV increase so they can have their own team.
“#e hope is that one day there are enough lacrosse play-ers at Blue Valley High that they can have their own team and help to continue growing the sport,” he said.
McNeese said the teams goals for each season are very simple.
“Work hard every day, improve every day, honor the game and your teammates, make the season ending play-o!s, and enjoy being a team and playing lacrosse,” he said.
If you’re interested in joining the Mustang Lacrosse Club, check out www.mustanglacrosse.org
District lacrosse team overcomes ZJOVVS�KPɈLYLUJLZ��JVTWL[LZ�YLNPVUHSS`
PTWVY[HU[infoWinter sports practices begin Nov. 12
#e World Series begins Oct. 24 and ends Nov. 1
#e Chiefs face o! againt the Raiders at 4:05 p.m. Oct. 28 at Arrowhead Stadium
Tomorrow, Sporting Kansas City competes at 7 p.m. against #e New York Red Bulls at Red Bull Stadium
incolor24 October 2012
PerformingPurposew
ith
Student performers participate in !rst annual Talent Show, raise funds for United Way Charity
Seniors David Cline (right) and Grayson Yockey (le") rehearse their comedic monologue in the PAC. Talent show participants met on Wed, Oct. 10 before the show to practice with technical support and did two more run-throughs the morning of Oct. 13 before the show at 7 p.m.
(Above) Working as Masters of Ceremonies, Se-nior Grayson Yockey and freshmen Gennifer Geer and Marie Hornung practice their opening act for the show. “When the seniors leave next year, the freshmen will have the experience to help out with the next show,” show organizer senior Anna Zheng said. “It was a good way to get freshman involved.”
(Le!) Senior Jeni Allison practices working with a spotlight during rehearsal. While most lights are controlled by a sound booth in the PAC, two students sat in a catwalk above the audience seats to manually control spotlights. “It was really cool because you could see the whole show,” Allison said. “It was also stressful because you didn’t want to mess up.”
Sophomore Nate Hardy plays his banjo at re-hearsal on Wednesday. Students who auditioned for the show were allowed to perform whatever act they wanted to, as long as it was school-ap-propriate. “I like playing the banjo,” Hardy said. “I started because of the Andy Gri"th Show.”
Photos by Bailey Outlaw.