Why did you give up your plan period?[The eighth graders] are going to be freshmen next year, and I like to build the relationship. Secondly, the more teachers you have the easier it is and the more help the students get.

When were you able to get your own work done since you gave up your plan period?Before school, after school, or on the weekend. I know I don’t have to [go to the middle school] but it’s something that I think is important to do.

Do you think you will keep doing this? Why?Yes, I feel like the band is getting much better each year. It’s probably one of the best things I can do to help grow my program.

Peering through her red rimmed sunglasses, band director Deb Steiner observed the marching band walking back and forth on the lawn in front of the school. Working on precision, the band prepared for upcoming festivals and competitions where they would receive feedback on their perfor-mance. Senior drum major Ian Waters believed the Kaw Valley League Festi-val at Bonner Springs on Wednesday, Sept. 23, helped the band improve at later festivals. “League is not as nerve-wracking [as festivals],” Waters said. “It is just a chance for us to see where we are at rating-wise and improve on that for the bigger festival.” Steiner agreed the band needed the feedback from league. “It is good for the [the band stu-dents] to have somebody else evaluate them besides me,” Steiner said. “They get better every year we go.” After the band received a rating of two and earned second place at league, it gained a clear idea of what needed to be worked on. “We were working on precision,

Band members walked out of the front doors for practice, carry-ing their individual instruments and chatting with friends as they walked towards the front lawn. The front lawn presented problems while practicing, however.

There were holes and dips in the ground from construction, but the dips were not the only problem.

“The yard lines are crooked so it’s hard for us to get our marching lines straight,” sophomore Katy MacGill said. “It’s nice because we get to practice, but on the football field it takes a lot longer for us to be straight and a lot more effort.”

The band members kept on marching despite the problems with practicing on the front lawn.

“We just keep on moving,” freshman Patrick Tapang said. “We never stop for a break.”

By Allie Love

Below Passionately directing the band at the Emporia State Festival on Wednesday Oct 6th, senior Ian Waters competes to win.“I feel pretty important because am the beat of the band,” Waters said. “I am their heart and their pulse.” By Bailey Crosbie

making sure everybody is account-able,” Steiner said. “Working on the small things to make sure that every-body is in uniform.” Forgetting the smaller details weak-ened the band, according to Waters. “We get counted down at festivals on really simple things. If people just hit their step offs and hit their forms we could get a one,” Waters said. “We just have to deal with it and do the best we can.” Although getting critiqued proved difficult at times, some band members said it helped ratings overall. “It’s kind of disappointing when you hear them saying you are out of step, but it’s also helpful,” junior Ryan Hannah said. “We knew what we did wrong and we know what to fix individually and as a whole group.” The band used the critique from league to prepare for the Emporia State Festival where they marched on Wednesday, Oct. 6. The band worked on marching and breathing exercises to earn a rating of two. “If they perform as well as they can, then I’m happy,” Steiner said. By Allie Love

WH

AT D

O Y

OU

D

O W

HEN

YO

UR

PLA

NS G

ET CA

N-

CELED

?

“I feel bad and I w

alk a lot but then I think of som

ething happy,” sophom

ore Sarah Jane C

lark said

“I try to find som

ething to do or just be m

ad at that person,” sopho

more M

organ Lay said.“

I make new

plans,” junior Lauren H

ara said.

Dominate Performing “Don’t Stop Believin’,” junior Austin Ross gets the crowd excited at the football game on Friday, Oct. 1. “I feel like we’ve done a lot better than we have in the past couple years,” Ross said. “Everyone was a lot more comfortable with the songs.”

By Carly Granato

Band students fix small things

to receive

Band teacher Debra Steiner

prepares middle shoolers for the

Above During the halftime performance at home, sopho-more Color Guard member Brooklyn Sloop concentrates on remembering the routine on Friday, Oct. 1. “It was fun at the beginning of the year,” Sloop said. “Especially meeting new people.”

By Carly Granato

Left Directing the band in “Don’t Stop Believin’,” junior Morgan Ottesen performs her role as drum major during the halftime performance at a home football game against Piper on Friday, Oct. 1. “Leading the band is probably the most amazing feeling I have felt,” Ottesen said. “I feel like I am on a cloud.”

By Braxton Matlock

Far Below Concentrating on staying in unison with the rest of the Marching Band, senior Cassie White performs “Don’t Stop Believin’” on Friday, Oct. 29 during the football game against Turner. “Trying to get such a large group of people to do the exact same thing at the exact same time in the exact same way [is difficult,]” White said.

By Camden Bender

Band students practice

marching on

By Braxton Matlock

By Braxton Matlock

WH

AT

IS YO

UR

ST

RA

NG

EST

TA

LENT

?

“I can make a loudop

sound with m

y mouth.”

senior N

aomi A

yalew

“I can fly a plane. I’m

getting my private pilot’s

license.” ju

nior J

ason T

harp

“I can balance chairs in my

mouth.”

jun

ior Zach

Latas

Thirty students from the year-book, newspaper and broadcast staffs attended the Fall National High School Journalism Conven-tion in Kansas City on Nov. 11-14. The JagWire and The Jag both recieved 7th place in Best of Show. The new website, mvnews.org, earned 9th place in publica-tion website for small schools category. The Write-off competitions hosted 1,963 students and winners received a ranking from superior to honorable mention from judges. Sophomores Josie Hanson and Kylie Andres were two of these students who placed, earn-ing an honorable mention rating in the Feature Story category for broadcast. “It felt good,” Hanson said. “Me and Kylie are both new members so it made us feel like part of the team.” Students learned from sessions at the convention as well as the competi-tions on how to improve all areas of journalism. “It’s helped us make our stories even better than before,” Andres said. “It was a great learning experience.”

By Paige Hamilton

For the first quarter, MVTV did not air due to installment complica-tions with new broadcast equipment. The broadcast room gained a studio, teleprompter, three cameras, as well as several other additions. The first episode aired Thursday, Nov. 18 with several improvements, including HD quality and a virtual desk. “We still have a lot to improve on because we still have to learn how to work all the equipment,” senior Hayley Lollar said. While MVTV continued to air, the staff still faced difficulties with new cameras and lighting. “It’s not user error,” senior Aaron Harrington [above] said. “A lot of it just doesn’t work, but we’ve found ways to get around it.” Despite problems with the new equipment, the staff remained positive. “We want to improve our quality of stories and be more professional,” Lollar said. “We are just trying to get better every week.”

By Paige Hamilton

Below With the new mvnews.org website, the journalism staff was able to reach a wider audience. “We got some views from Canada and some from Britain,” junior Josh Duden said. “It was exciting because people all across the world get to see it instead of just our small community.” By Austin Becker

Far Right Typing an article for mvnews.org on Friday, Jan. 7, sophomore Austin Gillespie works to finish his story to put up on the web before deadline. “I think adding the web site was a good move,” Gillespie said. “We can more efficiently share news with the school and community.” By Rachel Mills

Right Senior Kaitlyn Butko and junior Em-ily Johnson add to the journalism website, mvnews.org, on Friday, Jan. 21. Johnson worked on her online photo gallery. “I like it because it’s kind of like an outlet for my photography,” Johnson said.

By Marcia Ebb

JagWIRE staff members create

a second publication to

Journalism students

compete to earn

MVTV staff members work

around complications

Photo submitted by Kathy Habiger

Photos By Marcia Ebb

Room C-101 filled with the sound of typing as the JagWire staff worked to finish their assignments on Thurs-day, Dec. 9. Students yelled across the room to one another to check their progress. The staff worked on not only the newspaper, but also the newly added website, mvnews.org. The website featured stories and photo galleries as well as videos from MVTV. “We started small, mainly just me and [junior] Sarah Darby,” senior editor-in-chief Kaitlyn Butko said. “But it has grown as we slowly teach people how to use the site.” Butko attended camp the sum-mer of 2010 to learn how to create a website and taught staff members how to use the website. While the staff felt excited about the new website, some found that communication differed between the two medias. “This brings us to a whole new level of editing and work,” sophomore Austin Gillespie said. “It’s difficult to make sure things aren’t repetitive be-tween publication online and in print.” The workload increased for the members, but Butko made sure to dis-

tribute the work evenly between those working on the website and those working on the printed newspaper. “It’s like having two publications while we only have the amount of people for one,” Butko said. Gillespie agreed about the heavy workload, but found it worth it. “It’s really nice to have a whole new platform that we can publish content on,” Gillespie said. The website provided the staff with the opportunity to combine several different medias. “With the newspaper we can only put one photo with a story,” Rounds said. “[On the web] we can add a slideshow to a story, which is so cool.” The website received 9th place in the small schools category for Best of Show at the National High School Journalism Convention in Kansas City in November. Butko found the award exciting as well as the fact that the website received views from places other than Johnson County. “When we did the foreign exchange story, we were getting hits from Italy,” Butko said. “This is why we do what we do; we are connecting people.”

By Paige Hamilton

Dominant Updating the mvnews.org website, junior Kaitlin Rounds uses Word Press, a website-designing program, on Thursday, Jan. 27. “I like that we’re able to give everyone, especially photographers, a chance to display their work because with the print edition there is only so much room,” Rounds said. By Allison Weis

Dominant Senior Ross Platt goes over a debate case Thursday, Jan. 4. “I like debating because there’s a lot of critical and upper level thinking,” Platt said. “It has to be done quickly to do well.” By Lauren King

Tapping his foot on the floor, pencil in hand, senior Daniel Tracy waited for the next question at region-als on Thursday, Feb. 7.

“What is the sum of the prime factors of 38?” moderator Kristen Crosbie said.

The scribble of pencils on paper and the team’s whispers temporarily filled the room.

“21,” senior Sam Ellis said.The correct response helped the

team’s 60-30 win over Topeka Seaman High School in the first round of pool play. The team went undefeated in pool play, but quickly fell apart in the championship rounds. Because of the losses, the team did not advance to state for the first time in five seasons.

“I thought we’d go on to state,” sponsor Mary Beth Mattingly said. “It’s a very strong team, and the guys are great. It was a hard loss for the team.”

Above Talking with his teammates before the start of a round, sophomore Alex Reeves sits at a desk with the buzzer system at the regional quiz bowl tournament at home on Monday, Feb. 7.“I didn’t play at the varsity tournament,” Reeves said. “So I was the machine operator. I say who buzzed in.” By Austin Becker

HO

W D

O Y

OU

GET

Y

OU

R T

EAC

HER

O

FF TR

AC

K?

“Yell random

things during aw

kward m

oments.”

freshm

an J

ohn

Beck

“I flick rubber bands.” sen

ior Qu

incey

Ad

ams

“You just get them

talking about their personal life and they’ll go on and on.” fresh

man

Nen

a K

aush

al

Above Handing out buttons to fellow com-petitors, sophomore Sarah Jane Clark pro-motes team spirit at the Greater Kansas City FIRST Robotics Competition on Monday, March 11. “[My favorite aspect of Robotics] is meeting different people and seeing what we accomplished in the six weeks we worked on the robot,” Clark said. By Katherine Beck

The crowd stood in unison, cheer-ing while junior Anna Burland waved the team flag in celebration of the sixth place finish at the Greater Kan-sas City FIRST Robotics Competition on Friday, March 11.

“It’s fun to watch our robot com-pete because we put so much work in it to see it perform,” Burland said.

The team spent six weeks building two robots. Bullwinkle, the larger ro-bot, lifted inflatable tubes and placed them on elevated pegs in the arena. They also built a mini robot, Rocky, capable of climbing a pole.

Because of their use of plastic as opposed to sheet metal for the robots’ material, the team won the Xerox Creativity Award.

Small conversations carried on as six members of the debate team ate at J. Alexander’s restaurant before heading to the state competition at Blue Val-ley North on Friday, Jan. 14.

Circled around the booth, team members discussed their upcoming debates. A sense of an-ticipation and excitement accompanied the strategic conversations.

“Everybody there is trying to win state and they’re not going to slip up like they normally would,” senior Sam Ellis said.

Students spent the semester practicing their ar-guments and worked in the Media Center research-ing information about reducing military and police presence in foreign countries.

“We went out at the beginning of the year preparing for state, not the general level,” Ellis said. “We researched the type of arguments the state judge would like.”

Out of his four years on the debate team,

Left The team of sophomores Stephen McEnery and Hanna Torline prepare their rebuttals for the end of the round at the debate tournament at Basehor-Linwood High School on Saturday, Nov. 20. “[I like] making and structuring the argument, then giving a speech,” McEnery said. By Carly Granato

Debate students compete to earn valuable

senior Ross Platt qualified for state three times. He attended the competition his sophomore and senior years.

“We took a lot of teams this year,” Platt said. “Normally we take one or two teams. This year we took three.”

Each of the three teams debated in six rounds, arguing affirmative and negative cases.

“[The hardest part of debating is being] able to think quickly during the entirety of the round,” Platt said. “You have to think on your feet. Every debate round is different so you never have the same experience.”

Despite the difficulties of state level debating, the team finished with a 3-2 record. Sponsor Jea-nette Hardesty thought the students performed well under the challenging conditions.

“The experience at state was very competitive yet gratifying,” Hardesty said. “Students had to be at their best for every round. They maintained their professional demeanor throughout the entire state tournament.”

By Katherine Beck

A number of reasons contributed to the loss at regionals.

“It’s a toss up to whether you know [the questions] or not,” Tracy said. “We just didn’t know them enough and the other team did.”

While Tracy thought the team lost due to “the luck of the draw,” sopho-more Cole Clay believed otherwise.

“Our weakness was definitely hesi-tation,” Clay said. “If we communi-cated and talked first, the other teams [answered the questions] before us.”

Despite the disappointment of not advancing to state, Tracy believed their performance at regionals was satisfactory because of the second place finish at the Kaw Valley League tournament earlier in the season.

“Not getting to state wasn’t that bad because we did well all season,” Tracy said. “We did the best we could.”

By Allie Love

Right Making some last-minute adjusments to the robot Bullwinkle, junior Ryan Hannah works tediously on Tuesday, Feb. 15. The robotics team took part in the Greater Kansas City FIRST Robotics Competition and placed sixth out of 56 teams. “The most difficult part was building the manipulator,” Hannah said.

By Braxton Matlock

Right Competing in the re-gional quiz bowl tournament at home on Monday, Feb. 7, seniors Daniel Tracy and Ian Waters attempt to calculate the answer to a math ques-tion on scratch paper. The team placed fifth. “I enjoy doing [quiz bowl],” Tracy said. “If I’m ever on Jeopardy, I have one up on the competi-tion because of my buzzer experience.” By Austin Becker

“I think we deserve it because it’s a good idea to use plastic,” Burland said. “I don’t know why other teams don’t do it. Plus, we don’t have to train people to cut metal.”

Sponsor Mary Beth Mattingly attributed the success to dedicated mentors and members.

“We had both strong senior team members and also a lot of smart and dedicated freshmen joined this year,” Mattingly said. “They are just really remarkable students.”

The team felt satisfied with its sixth place finish out of 56 teams.

“That’s our best yet,” Mattingly said. “Every year we get higher and higher so that was a good feeling.”

By Allie Love and Katherine Beck

Quiz Bowl students

finish with a

Robotics season is

anything but

“Please understand my reasons for not speaking today. I am participating in the Day of Silence, a national youth movement bringing attention to the silence faced by lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people and their al-lies.” The small slip of paper bearing these words told the GSA members, and anyone they came in contact with, why they took a vow of silence for the day. The GSA decided to share how they felt about the bullying of the Lesbian-Gay-Bisexual-Transexual com-munity by not speaking for the day on Friday, April 15. “I thought it was a good cause,” junior Riley Long said. “Since I’m one of the larger personalities in my class, people would recognize that it’s a problem and shouldn’t be overlooked.” Throughout the day, students walked the halls with duct-taped mouths and colorful T-shirts, symbolizing their stand of silence. “[Members of the GSA] know who supports them,” Long said. “[They] know who will help them and who their true friends are if they’re in trouble.” By Megan York

WH

AT

DO

YO

U D

O

DU

RIN

G PA

SSING

PER

IOD

?

“I talk to my am

igos.” fresh

man

Cou

rtney

Norris

“Walk around and talk.”

jun

ior Megan

Korte

“I push kids into lockers.” ju

nior Z

ach C

arey

Laughter filled club sponsor Jeff Wieland’s room as sophomore Emily Costello and junior Jacob Kidney attempted to act out a bad and good scenario that could occur on a date on Friday, Dec. 10. Part of an activity sponsored by the newly-formed Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA), the club demonstrated how to handle different situations. Club founders senior Kayla Vogensen and sophomore Misty Adkins created the group which met after school on Fridays in Wieland’s room, after they saw a need for it. “We had a lot of friends being put down for their [sexual] orientation,” Vogensen said. “We wanted them to have a safe, positive environment that they could go to.” Students approached Wieland, who helped them form the GSA as a separate group instead of adding it to the Diversity Club, as the administra-tion wanted to do. “I think that maybe we have tried to minimize the Lesbian-Gay-Bisexual-Transexual community, and I didn’t want to see them minimized any fur-ther,” Wieland said. After hearing about the new club, some

The new organization GSA provides an enviornment

Below Leading a Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) meeting, senior Kayla Vognsen writes on the board on Friday, December 10. “[GSA] is more effective than I thought it would be,” Vognsen said. “We got a lot of people in-volved.” By Aleksandra Milewski

Right Putting in his two cents of the conver-sation during a meeting on Friday, Jan. 21, GSA sponser Jeff Wieland is proud to provide an enviornment where students don’t have to be afraid to be themselves. “It’s nice watching the members not being afraid to have deep conversations,” Wieland said. “It reminds me why I said yes to being their sponser.”

By Rachel Mills

Above Prior to acting out a skit of a pos-sible situation, sophomore Miranda Snyder and freshman Stephanie LeBlanc read their prompts on Friday, Dec.10. “[I go to GSA] because I think it is important to promote a safe environment in school,” Snyder said.

By Trenton Webster Above During a GSA meeting on Friday, Feb.11, sophomore Jayce Knowles helps paint signs to promote the club. “My friends are in [the club] and I enjoy standing up for the cause,” Knowles said. By Trenton Webster

Dominant Discussing how religion and sexual orientation relate during a meeting on Friday, Jan. 14, senior Iniki Juarez-Haden uses the conversation to connect with other GSA members. “I always left [the meetings] feeling closer to the group as a whole because of the deep discusstions,” Juarez-Haden said.

By Rachel Mills

students did not feel the administration and faculty should promote it. In protest, students tore down informational posters about the club from the walls in hallways. “I know some people were a little biased against the club,” Vogensen said. “It kind of makes me sad. In a way it just shows that there isn’t really a high level of tolerance which [the club is] trying to fix.” Despite the fact that other students attempted to voice their negative opinions, it did not negatively affect the turnout of the organization. About 20 students regularly attended club meetings. “I really like the atmosphere in the group,” Adkins said. “[The members of the group] know that anyone who’s there is there for the same reason and they’re in a room full of like-minded people.” Having been in a group with a common inter-est, the members felt comfortable around each other. “I think [the club] is amazing because you’re constantly being judged because it’s high school,” Costello said. “If you can find a place where you’re not being judged then that’s when you feel you’re best.”

By Megan York

GSA members make an impact through

Students surrounded a table in the commons waiting to sign a banner that encouraged the Spread the Word campaign on Wednesday, March 2. Their signatures pledged to remove “retarded” from their vocabulary, a campaign organized by jag PRIDE. “Getting people aware and bring-ing people to the same page was the best part [of the campaign],” jag PRIDE sponsor Debbie Gudenkauf said. “It was fun watching the kids go by and sign [the banner].” District director of special services Dr. Joan Robbins contacted all of the schools in the district to encourage them to spread awareness of the hurt-ful word. “The district called to see if we wanted to help out,” sophomore jag PRIDE member Taylor Hunter said. “And [jag PRIDE] jumped on that idea.” Gudenkauf and the members of jag PRIDE spent several weeks perfecting every detail of the project. The project continued to be pushed

back due to complications with a company that supplied all of the materials needed to carry out the campaign. Despite the challenges, they still accomplished their original goal of spreading awareness. On Wednesday, March 2 members of jag PRIDE and students from the special education department hung posters around the school during seminar. Students also took a school wide survey. “I heard from kids that they catch each other saying [the r-word], Guden-kauf said. “It sounds like it makes students think about how offensive it is.” Satisfied with the results of the campaign, jag PRIDE members thought like they succeeded with spreading awareness throughout the school. “I think [the project] went well,” Hunter said. “People didn’t take it like a joke. I thought they would. There was a lot of participation.”

By Lisa Galvan

WH

AT

DO

YO

U

DO

ON

YO

UR

SICK

D

AY

S?

“I play some video gam

es and try to get som

e sleep.” ju

nior T

ony V

itale

“I mostly relax, finish any

homew

ork I have, play guitar, or fall asleep.” ju

nior R

yan

Kavan

augh

“I usually watch T

V or play

Xbox. N

ot much, really.”

jun

ior Au

stin

Geb

hard

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Below Representing jag PRIDE, sophomore Taylor Hunter sells bracelets to help raise awareness of the Spread the Word campaign on Thursday, Feb. 3. “I think it got our name out,” Hunter said. “Hopefully people took it to heart.” By Cassie Linville

Above Pledging not to use the r-word, senior Mandy Organ adds her name to the campaign pledge on Thursday, Feb. 3. “I’m against the word,” Organ said. “I think it’s offensive.”

By Cassie Linville

Far Above In support of the cause, freshman Maegann Parsons buys a Spread the Word bracelet during lunch on Thursday, Feb. 3. “I think [the campaign] was successful,” Parsons said. “Everybody’s saying don’t say the r-word.”

By Cassie Linville

jag PRIDE members spread the word of

Dominant Assisting jag PRIDE with the Spread the Word campaign, junior Connor Bickle helps place posters around the school on Wednesday, Feb 2. “I liked putting up the post-ers so everybody knew,” Bickle said. “It was so much fun.”

By Cassie Linville

How do you think the Spread The Word campaign went?Pretty well, people responded to it well.

Do you think it had an impact on Mill Valley?I don’t know. Most students have always been accepting. I think we have a lot of support, we have a good group students.

Do you think students took it seriously?I do, I think they paid attention to people. And they read the posters.

Did the special education students enjoy hanging up the posters?They had a blast. They love doing that type of stuff.

Has the campaign had an impact on you?I just think it makes people more aware of who is around them. It allows people to look twice before they say something.

Attempting to walk in a straight line, sopho-more Quinn Jones (left) struggled to keep his balance while wearing goggles that simulated being intoxicated on Friday, March 25 at the basketball game. Jag PRIDE members set up a table outside of the basketball game to en-courage fellow classmates

to abstain from illegal substances, by having people try on the goggles and brochures with statistics about drinking and doing drugs.

“It was crazy, I couldn’t walk like that, and definitely not drive like that,” Jones said.

Jag PRIDE wanted to get students to realize what it is like to view the world from an intoxicated person’s perspective.

“It made me think twice about drinking,” Jones said. “It freaked me out a lot that people are on the road with that impaired vision.”

By Lisa Galvan

Students against underage

drinking show others its effects

Photo by Austin Becker

Left Setting an example for the school, as-sociate principal Matt Fedde signs the pledge in the commons on Thursday, Feb. 3. “I don’t know if I hear the word that much,” Fedde said. “But I completely agree with what [the campaign] is trying to do.” By Cassie Linville

on the R-Word campaign

Photo by Lisa Galvan

Patty Beck gives her Paraprofessional,

WH

AT

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O

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U C

RA

VE IN

T

HE M

IDD

LE OF

TH

E NIG

HT

? WH

Y?

“Goldfish crackers,

because they have a unique flavor.” sop

hom

ore Ch

ris S

tack

“Frozen swiss m

iss rolls. T

hat’s just always w

hat I crave.” sen

ior Jord

an

Clin

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“Ice cream, because in

the summ

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Local children watched as junior thrower Jordan Campbell demonstrated jav-elin techniques at the track and field clinic on Saturday, April 9. Looks of excitement crossed their faces as they waited for their turn to mimic the older athletes. The team held the clinic to raise money for new equipment and other needs. They decided to host a clinic to get the community more involved, and team handed out brochures to family, friends and neighbors to spread to word. The cost to partici-pate was $35 with an optional $5 for lunch that included a hot dog, chips and a drink. “I wanted to get to spend time working with some kids that would be running, jumping and throwing at Mill Valley in the future,” junior Jordan Campbell said. Student athletes helped by running stations where the younger kids could learn different events. The athletes showed examples of their event while the kids observed and then tried themselves. The kids took advantage of the chance to set personal records throughout the day as they participated in different sessions. “I felt great knowing that I was helping the kids participate in a sport that may have been new for them,” Campbell said. Despite the fear of not having people get involved, 50-60 partici-pants showed up, making the event a success for the team. “You know that you are successful-ly impacting someone when they’re having a good time,” Campbell said. “Each and every one of those kids were smiling and laughing with their peers.”

The cheer squad also worked to raise money, selling puff pastries to fellow students before school the first week of May, raising $2,500 by selling 444 items. They deposited the money into their individual accounts that con-tributed to the personal cost of $600 they needed each year for practice uniforms, bags, spandex, shoes and pom poms. “It was a success because a lot of [cheerleaders] took advantage of it and made it so their parents didn’t have to pay as much as they usually do,” sophomore Kaelynn Parsons said. In preparing for the fundraiser, the squad met with the coaches to try samples and discuss how the sales worked. “[My favorite thing was] trying the different kinds of pastries at the meet-ing,” Parsons said. “I also liked finding out how much money I earned back from selling.” The dance team offered treats for the students as well by sending out order forms for parents to purchase a goodie bag to give to their student during finals week. They stuffed 228 bags, using the profits to buy new costumes and pay for summer camps. “It is a thing we do to help people during their finals since it’s a stressful time for everyone and everyone is just ready to get out of school,” sopho-more Caroline Kain said. “It’s just like a good luck thing to make your week better.” To stuff the bags, the dancers formed an assembly line where they filled each bag with several treats. Af-ter all the effort, students appreciated receiving the bags. “I like getting them from my parents and the note from them,” Kain said. “I think everyone else who gets one probably likes it as well, so you

288 final survivor

8 boxes of bubble 5 boxes of

Dance team members stuff final survivor

“The hardest part [with filling final survivor bags] was making sure each bag gets the same amount stuff,” junior dance team member Paige Hillebert said. “The best part was being able to eat some of the left

Three athletics raise

Above Stamping paper sacks, freshman Stephanie LeBlanc helps make finals care packages to raise money for new dance team uniforms on Friday, May 20. “[The goal is to] keep students motivated for finals,” LeBlanc

Far Below Getting set on the blocks, ju-nior Ashton Proctor prepares to race some of the kids at the track fundraising clinic after track members demonstrated proper sprinting techniques. “[The clinic] provided them with a preview of what track will be

Below Writing down personal records for javelin at the track fundraising clinic, junior Kristyn Harding works with sophomore Mallory Baska on Saturday, April 9. “I liked being a coach because when I was younger I went to camps like this in the summer. I al-ways thought the students teaching it were really cool,” Harding said. By

Right After cheer practice, sophomore Jo-hanna Van Holland picks up pastries ordered as a fundraiser for the team on Wednesday, May 4. “It helps get us our clothes for camp, and pay for our fees,” Van Holland said.

By Ally GartonBelow Showing some of the kids how to hold a javelin, senior thrower Macauley Garton volunteers at the track fundraising clinic on Saturday, April 9. “[The point was] to raise kids to enjoy track at an early age,” Garton said. “It was fun teaching the kids about tra

Dominant While stuffing finals bags for the dance team fundraiser, sophomore Kylie Andres talks to fellow dance members about finals in the commons on Friday, May 13. “We stuff the finals bags because we like to give students something nice to look forward to for finals week,” Andres said. “ I think that the students enjoy it.” By Carly Granato

Why did you decide to donate blood ?I got out of class. I also wanted to help save lives because it’s a good thing to do.

What’s the scariest aspect of donating blood?When they first put the needle in your arm because you don’t know when it’s going to happen.

What is the best part about donating blood?Knowing that you’ve helped someone live longer and have a better life.

How did you feel afterwards?I actually blacked out afterwards because I hadn’t eaten very much before. I was really nauseous and woozy.

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ore Preston

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“To be successful w

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The scoreboard read 72-69, a vic-tory for the students in the first faculty-student basketball game on Tuesday. The new event highlighted StuCo’s annual Mayhem week, May 9-14.

“I think [the basketball game] was a great idea because people always love student teacher-competitions,” junior student body secretary Sarah Fulton said.

StuCo members did not originally think to add the new event to the week’s lineup.

“We had some faculty members say it would be fun to add a faculty basketball game,” StuCo advisor Erica Crist said.

The members of StuCo consid-ered the proposal and the extra work that would accompany adding another event.

“I think we felt like it was a great idea for something new that people would like to see, so we added it,” Fulton said.

Along with the new basketball game, StuCo hosted the traditional events, including the video game tour-nament on Monday, talent show on Wednesday, dodge ball tournament on Thursday, and mud volleyball on Saturday.

“I think there’s an event for every-one,” Fulton said.

With a lower attendance at the video game tournament, StuCo mem-

For its first year, the teacher vs. student basketball game made a

Far Below Singing “Stay” by Sugarland, freshman Alexis Reidel preforms at the talent show on Wednesday, May 11. “The second I stepped on stage, all my nerves went away,” Reidel said. “The lights help because you can’t see anyone’s face.” By Bailey Crosbie

Right Waiting for the opposing team to make a move, sophomore Knute Holden and his team, Yin, compete in the dodgeball tourna-ment on Thursday, May 12. The team placed 3rd. “Yin was all white and team Yang was all black,” Holden said. “We had too many for one team, so we made two. I thought it was really fun.” By Austin Becker

Above Keeping active to stay warm, junior Emily Johnson tackles teammates on Saturday, May 14 at the StuCo mud volleyball tournament. “I hated how cold it was, but I loved everything else. It was fun all around,” Johnson said. By Allison Weis

As dollar bills stack up so does the amount of doughnuts that Student Council has eaten all year

768 doughnuts 32 gallons of orange juice$49.02 per month

Right Getting ready to block a ball at the dodgeball tournament on Thursday, May 12, junior Bret Holloway plays alongside his teammate, junior Andrew Tapang. Their team placed 4th. “My and [junior] Greg Ma-son’s girlfriends told us to wear their short shorts, so we did,” Holloway said. “It was just fun and competitive.” By Austin Becker

bers hoped the basketball game would bring in a larger crowd. 31 people signed up to participate in the game.

“Attendance was up [at the game],” senior student body president Henry Thomas said. “Overall, seniors and other kids who showed up en-joyed the event.”

Mud volleyball and the dodge ball tournament had the most student participation. Over 30 teams signed up for mud volleyball and 14 teams played dodge ball.

With five events to plan, StuCo members had to work harder than in the past to make sure the week ran smoothly.

“The week has been pretty pro-ductive,” Thomas said. “Everyone’s followed through on their roles.”

In order to stay organized, StuCo members split into groups that focused on one event. Planning began the week after spring break with six meet-ings devoted to organizing Mayhem.

“It’s all about delegation. You have to trust in other people to get their jobs done,” Thomas said.

Student involvement became a large factor in the success of the week.

“Mayhem has gone well because of the fact that the students are excited about it,” Crist said. “There’s small ways we’re improving it. If kids are excited, they want to be involved.”

By Katherine Beck

“The worst part [about picking up doughnuts] was if I picked up too many plain [doughnuts] nobody liked them and I had to find a way to ditch the left-overs,” student body president Henry Thomas said. “The best part was being up early enough to get Starbucks.”

Below Prior to the presentation of the talent show winners, senior StuCo member Angela Chu presents StuCo sponsor Erica Crist with a bouquet of flowers as a year-end gift. “Being able to work with a group of students [over four years] let us act more like a family,” Crist said. By Camden Bender

Dominant During the faculty vs. student bas-ketball game on Tuesday, May 10, art teacher Jerry Howard attempts to block senior Matt Perkins as he dribbles the ball down the court. “The best part of the competition with the teachers was how much each teacher wanted to win,” Perkins said.

By Trenton Webster

Sophomore Alec Santaularia skips class to

Photo by Camden Bender

The lights dimmed in the little theatre as new and old NHS members held celebratory candles symbolizing their commitment to the group.

“When everyone got back to their seats [was my favorite part] because it was a relief knowing you didn’t fall, and it felt like you were a part of something when we blew the candles out,” senior and returning NHS member Rachelle Lange said.

All of the members received a certificate and positive words of encouragement from principal Tobie Waldeck for their hard work and dedication to academics.

“It was rewarding,” Lange said. “Just knowing that you had made it through the application and selection process and could make a difference within the society now.”

By Megan York

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Below Startled by a sudden awakening, junior Aaron Lee is kidnapped by senior NHS members Andrew Van Holland and Henry Thomas on Friday, April 29. Current NHS members inducted new members by waking them up at 5 a.m. and taking them to IHOP for breakfast. “It is an honor,” Lee said. “Not everyone gets to do it.” By Braxton Matlock

Above Opening her front door, sophomore Sarah Wetzel is greeted by NHS members on Friday, April 29 before a surprise breakfast for new inductees. “I was surprised to see them so early in the morning,” Wetzel said. “It was fun. We had a good time.”

By Allison WeisLeft Cutting into her blueberry pancakes, junior Amanda Morgan rushes to finish her breakfast after being kidnapped for NHS on Friday, April 29. “[The service] was horrible. The employees didn’t understand how many people we had,” Morgan said. “The service was slow and there was one person working the cash register.” By Rachel Mills

The television lit up sophomore Andrew Eigsti’s living room when the doorbell interrupted at 5:50 a.m. on Friday, April 29. Two students stood on his doorstep as looks of confu-sion swept over his face. When they announced that he made NHS, shock turned into happiness.

“I was surprised that my family wasn’t really concerned [that they were there],” Eigsti said. “I didn’t even know they came to your house.”

Junior returning member Sarah Fulton enjoyed the fact that she got to deliver the good news to the new members and got the opportunity to see their sleepy reactions.

“How happy they all were [was my favorite part],” Fulton said. “It makes people feel like they’re cared about and that’s my favorite part is making people’s day.”

The kidnapping allowed new and old members to get better acquainted.

“I was so thankful to be selected in such a great group,” Eigsti said.

After kidnapping the members,

Crates of chips, bags of fruit, and cookies lined the tables in the lunch room as students mingled on Tuesday, May 3. As part of volunteering for the Booster Club, the parents of students served food, cleaned up and made sure everything went as planned for events such as the NHS-led R.E.A.C.H. parties. Rewarded for their academic achievements, students with the highest grades could attend parties where they played games and ate food provided by the Booster Club. While the parents interacted with students, they also became close with other volunteers. “I enjoy meeting the other parents who are also volunteering and seeing the community come out to support our athletes,” booster club volunteer Kim Perkins (above left center) said. Greatful for the help that the Booster Club provided, NHS members appreciated the time they dedicated and their hard work. “We could not have done it without them,” senior Emilie Winn said. “We really appreciated them taking time out of their day to help us out.”

By Megan York

Far Below At 6 a.m, junior Malayia Reece walks into IHOP with fellow NHS members after kidnapping a new member on Friday, April 29. “Getting up early wasn’t too bad. I had gone to bed early [the night before],” Re-ece said. By Allison Weis

In congratulations to the new NHS members, old NHS members became

Old and new NHS members pledge to live by the four pillars and

they all met up at I.H.O.P to have breakfast and get to know one another.

“It was just a really happy and positive attitude,” Eigsti said. “Every-one was happy to see everyone and see the new people.”

The celebration reminded the new and returning members of the chal-lenges and work they needed to do as a member of NHS.

“The main thing I am looking forward to is doing community service projects with other members and just getting to know everyone,” sophomore and new NHS member Ellen Bodine said.

Knowing that she worked hard to achieve academic excellence, Bodine was happy she received recognition.

“Being honored for my academics [was my favorite part],” Bodine said. “I had just never received a lot of congratulations for my academics.”

By Megan York

Dominant Waiting for her food, senior Cassie Gerhart talks with friends on Friday, April 29. “I liked [going to IHOP] because it’s a tradition. It gets everyone together and it is exciting to wake people up,” Gerhart said.

By Allison Weis

Parent volenteers and NHS members

Photo by Allison Weis

Photo by Marcia Ebb

Photo by Braxton Matlock

Why did you choose to transfer from Emporia High School?It was an opportunity to come to Kansas City to be closer to my son. [Band teacher] Deb Steiner and I also went to college together, and I thought it would be fun to work with her. I’m also excited about the growth that is happening here.

How did you handle the transition from your old school to here?

Change is hard for everyone. Getting to know the students at first helps you to be able to design the program. I actually picked the music last summer without meeting any of them but the singers here are eager to learn. I call them sponges because they’re eager to learn.

What was the hardest part about transitioning to a new school?Not having an accompanist. This is my first job I’ve had without an accompanist. It’s dif-ficult to only have one set of eyes and ears in a class of 60 people.

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The audience fell quiet as new choir director Sheree Stoppel raised her hands. As the upbeat “Surfin’ USA” began, choir members sprinted to the large surfboard propped up on the side of the risers, quickly tak-ing their positions lying on the floor in front of the audience. Laughing uncontrollably, they rapidly rolled in synch as junior Brendan Kendall rode the board over them. Stoppel opted to produce a spring performance that provided entertain-ment for both the performers and the audience. “I like to do themes. Although I’ve done Fun in the Sun in the past, the songs were new,” Stoppel said. “All of these songs had rain or sunshine in them.” Stoppel implemented choreog-raphy to match the theme of the concert. “I thought [the audience] really enjoyed it based on their reaction,” junior Madrigals member Jason Tharp said. “Their feedback was really great.” In addition to entertaining the au-dience, Stoppel hoped choir students would further explore their interest in music. “One of my biggest things was for the student to make music, not

Right Surfing to the song, “Surfin’ in the USA,” on Thursday, May 12, junior Brendan Kendall rehearses for the last choir concert of the year. “I liked doing the actions, it was fun for the whole choir to do together,” Kendall said. “but I prefer just singing.”

By Bailey Crosbie

Above Right Performing a solo during the song “I Love a Rainy Night,” junior Jason Tharp displays his talent alongside the rest of the choirs at their end of the year Fun in the Sun concert on Friday, May 13. “There was a lot of preparation time that went into it,” Tharp said. “It paid off well in the end.”

By Cassie Linville

Left Practicing for the end of the year Fun in the Sun concert, freshman Jordan Free-man does vocal exercises during class on Thursday, May 12. “My favorite part was the medley at the end,” Freeman said. “We all harmonized really well.” By Cassie Linville

Below Freshman Ashley Kitchen weaves between the blue fabric during “Before the Parade Passes By” at the spring performance on Friday, May 12. “I was in choir throughout middle school and I like it and thought it would be fun in high school,” Kitchen said.

By Camden Bender

Dominant Rehearsing for her first show with choreogra-phy on Thursday, May 12, freshman Tori Kilkenny weaves in and out of the water-like fabric to give a feel of the ocean for the song, “Surfin’ in the USA.” “I volunteered to be the shark and had a lot of fun participating in the choir,” Kilkenny said. “I’ll definitely be in it next year.”

By Bailey Crosbie

New choir teacher Sheree Stoppel stepped

just sing notes,” Stoppel said. “[The purpose of] the spring concert was for the students to have fun and I think they did.” While students enjoyed producing the performance, they encountered obstacles during their preparation. “Memorization of the songs was really difficult,” Tharp said. “We didn’t have as much time this quarter to prepare for the performance.” Choir students also faced the difficulty of not being able to practice in the auxiliary gym prior to the per-fromace. They only held one practice with all four choirs and two ensembles combined before the Friday, May 12 concert. “[The most difficult part] was not being able to rehearse in the place we performed,” Stoppel said. “I also played the piano because we didn’t have the money for an accompanist. It was hard to get used to the sound. It was hard to adjust.” After producing both the spring and fall performances with her new students, Stoppel hoped to further build tradition within the program. “I think this year went really well,” senior Madrigals member Nichole Kennelly said. “Stoppel really likes traditions so she took her ideas and went with them.”

By Camden Bender

Upbeat summer songs and entertaining choreography shows that the choir will have a

Photo by Cassie Linvillle

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For junior forensics performer Ty-ler Owsley, his task was an 8-minute long, two and a half paged paper. He needed to memorize it in its entirety.

“It’s not that difficult [to memorize] because you have already written out [the speech]. It would be harder for people with duets who don’t have it all written.” Owsley said.

Students mostly prepared during class with the guidance of coach Jeanette Hardesty, but Owsley also worked on his own to prepare for his performance.

“The night before meets, I practice and memorize for a half hour. During class we just perform our pieces but working with them helps memorization,” Owsley said.

Through all of the time working on his piece, one memorization technique stuck with him.

“To help me remember my piece, I just recite and repeat until I remem-ber.” Owsley said.

Although Owsley used techniques to help him memorize and worked hard to perfect his piece, he sometimes forgot parts of the speech.

“I don’t always memorize it perfectly. I don’t perform it the same way twice; I get the main points but make it up as I go along,” Owsley said. “When it comes to [competition], sometimes I think I should memorize better.”

By Lauren Shurley

Junior Brayton Young poised himself in front of the classroom with his printed speech in hand. He spoke with animation, but his hands told the story.

“Good gestures; I like the inten-sity,” coach Jeanette Hardesty said.

In Hardesty’s room, the team’s success was displayed by its 11 first-place plaques lined up on the whiteboard. Because of the team’s hard work, 21 performers qualified for the 5A state forensics tournament on Saturday, May 7.

“Students that qualify for state must be dedicated, have a high vocabulary, and be willing to practice, practice, practice,” Hardesty said.

Before performances, sophomore competitor Megan Marquardt went into a separate room to practice on her own. Performers secluded them-selves to concentrate and memorize

With the knowledge of being state bound, Forensics students keep

Improvised Duet Acting (IDA): “It’s no-script, free-for-all acting with a partner. It’s the hardest for me

because I’m not good at improvising.”Duet: “There’s a required eight to ten minutes in length. My favorite part is working with my partner, being out with them and getting to know more about them.”Prose: “A short story that can’t be memorized; it has to be read from a book.”

By Lauren Shurley

Below Preparing for an improvised duet, senior Sara Brigham begs her partner for at-tention as a part of their piece. Brigham’s im-prov required her to be a crazed fan of a rich music producer. “I love [forensics],” Brigham said. “You get to do a ton of crazy stuff that you would never do.” By Lisa Galvan

Far Below Performing their Improv Duet Acting skit, junior Brayton Young and senior Sara Brigham try to impress the judge at the Osawatomie meet on Friday, April 15. “[The best part of forensics] is making your own forensics family,” Young said. By Trenton Webster

Right Presenting an informative speech over Hondas, senior Ross Platt gives various reasons why someone should purchase them. “[Our team] was on the bus one day and one of our teammates was not there so I had to give an informative over something,” Platt said. “It started as a joke and then turned into something real.” The forensics team placed first at the Osawatomie meet on Friday, April 15. By Lisa Galvan

Dominant Annoyed with her partner in crime, sophomore Chloe Stewart continues to portray driving a car to a house they are about to break into for her improvised duet. “[Improvised duets] are a lot of fun.” Stewart said. “It’s different every time, you get to make up a new story line every time.” Stewart and her partner, senior Ronnie Sloop, competed together in the tournament on Friday, April 15 in Osawatomie.

By Lisa GalvanRight With his hands around her neck, junior Josh Duden forcefully pushes sophomore Kylie Andres into a chair at the meet in Osawatomie on Friday, April 15. “The duet I do with Kylie was a little creepy, but it’s just a character I had to play. Kylie and I worked well together and after a while we got to the point where we didn’t even realize how creepy it was,” Duden said.

By Trenton Webster

Junior Tyler Owsley memorizes mass amounts of perfor-mance material the old fashioned way:

their pieces.“People say that forensics kids look

mental because we talk to walls when we practice on our own,” Marquardt said.

The team took home 15 one ratings, the highest possible rating, at the state tournament. Marquardt performed in the poetry event at state and received a rating of one.

“A one rating at state is significant. At state, there are very qualified judges,” Hardesty said. “Some have [education up to] a PhD.”

Of the seven tournaments in which they competed, including competition against high level 6A competition, the team collected five first place trophies. The team earned points based on ratings given to individual performances.

“Forensics is as much of a team sport as individual, since the points [scored] in each event go toward a team trophy,” Marquardt said.

By Lauren Shurley

Photo by Lauren King

Junior Hannah Brinker summarizes three different