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The March issue of Play newsmagazine from Maize (Kan.) High School.TRANSCRIPT
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Maize High School. 11600 W. 45th St. N, Maize, KS 67101
read. watch. play.VOL7.ISSUE5.MARCH2013
Fighting Students participate and excel in sports not offered at MaizePage 10
to win
2playmarch
editor-in-chiefashley golden
managing editorjordan watkinsphotography
editorbrittany neigenfind
reportersalec fields
gabby hermesjustin noble
haley mounes
Senior PortraitsElly Bean Photography
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Get updated with PlaySports, clubs, activities and columns by Play staff members are made convenient for you
on the Play newsmagazine website.Learn about the Fly Girls new
head coach on our website.
Visit us at http://my.hsj.org/mhsnewsmag
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ABOVE: Sophomore Daley Handy attempts a free throw at the state tournament March 7. COVER: Sophomore Mady Mitchell poses in her boxing gear March 6. PHOTO BY BRITTANY NEIGENFIND.
RAISE YOUR VOICE BY USING YOUR WORDSSubmit a letter to the editor for the senior issue to D18 or to [email protected]
For the latest updates on scores, news and more, check out Play newsmagazine online at http://myhsj.org/mhsnewsmag or click on the link on the MHS website.
Play is the official newsmagazine for and by Maize High School students. Play is published six times throughout the year. Play is a student publication and a forum for public opinion. Letters to the editor should be signed and around 300 words. The editorials and columns are the sole opinion of the writers and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the USD 266 Board of Education, the administration, the faculty or the adviser. Printed by City Print
Play newsmagazine staff
BROOKE JOHANSON
editor-in-chiefashley golden
managing editorjordan watkinsphotography
editorbrittany neigenfind
reportersalec fields
gabby hermesjustin noble
haley mounes
ad managerdagny castelli
photographers/reportersbéle benard
cheyenne esserhannah henricksmaite menendez
lauren nicholsbrooke johansonshelby carpenter
adviserdan loving
TABLE OF CONTENTS04
Senior places in national bagging competition, Fly Girls perform with alumni and more.
LIFESTYLES
NEWS
Athletes provide a preview of upcoming spring sports.
Students share budgets and expenses spent on prom.
SPORTS
ENTERTAINMENT
21
22
10
12
14
15
16
18
Five students enjoy unique sports outside of school.
NOW PLAYING
EDITORIAL
COLUMN
PHOTO FOCUS
SPORTS
Learn the steps to a successful graduation.
Maize should keep way of distributing students between schools.
Reporter misses the thrill of tumbling and gymnastics.
Students submit photos of snow-day activities.
Winter sports athletes speak about their seasons.
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NEWSMaize student bags her way to Vegas
By Cheyenne Esser
Bagger, checker, self-checkout attendant and now a cham-pion.
Senior Taylor Cantrell, who works at the 21st and Maize Dil-lons, participated in the National Grocer Association’s National Bagging Competition Feb. 9 in Las Vegas. She left Vegas with a big check.
“I thought it was kind of stupid that I was in a bagging competi-tion. It was just weird how that was something that’s even a competi-tion,” Cantrell said.
If it weren’t for her managers, Cantrell never would have pursued the competition.
“One of my managers made me do it because she thought I would be good at it,” Cantrell said.
Cantrell first competed in the Wichita-area competition against several other Dillons baggers. After placing first, she won the state title before competing in nationals in Las Vegas.
The top prize in Vegas was $10,000. Second place earned $5,000.
“The people that got third, fourth, fifth received $1,000 in Las Vegas,” Cantrell said. “So when
they called my name saying that I was in the top five, I was pretty much in shock and all of my family and managers that were there with me were screaming and jumping up and down with me.”
To her surprise, Cantrell finished second.
“I didn’t think I would make it anywhere close to winning, but my managers that went with me thought that I would make it really far,” Cantrell said. “I was so happy that I even made it that far.”
She said she wasn’t certain what she’ll do with the money.
“I’ll probably put [the money] away for college or part of a new car,” Cantrell said.
With the new title, Cantrell didn’t expect any different treat-ment from her co-workers.
“Everybody at my store knows who I am now since there are post-ers of me all over the store. And they had a surprise party for me when I got back from Las Vegas. This has also made the other baggers want to compete in the competition next year because they all say that they can beat me if I de-cide to compete next year,” Cantrell said. n
By Dagny Castelli
The Fly Girls invited all alumni dancers to perform in a reunion dance at the home-coming game Feb. 15 in honor of coach
Lori Heger’s retirement. Twelve dancers from previous years danced alongside the current Fly Girls at the girls basketball game. Heger planned the special performance “so all the girls could get together and see each other,” she said. “Plus I wanted to see them all. I had a great time and I believe everyone else also had a great time.” Following the performance, Heger had time to catch up with current and past Fly Girls over cookies and punch. The girls said that it was a fun experience and they would like to do it again in the future. “What a throwback to perform again in the MHS gym. Thanks flygirls for having an alumni dance,” Kristina Sims, Fly girl alumni, tweeted after the performance. n
Maize Fly Girls and alumni dancers perform together at the homecoming game Feb. 15.
MATT POGUE
Fly Girls bring back alumni for homecoming performance
Senior Taylor Cantrell took second at the NGA’s national bagging competition on Feb. 9.
BRITTANY NEIGENFIND
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By Cheyenne Esser
As the opposing player steps up to the free-throw line, loud voices fill the air in attempt to throw
off the players’ focus. The cheers and screams and stomping of the bleachers echo off of the brick gymnasium walls as a Maize basketball player grabs the rebound and takes the ball down the court for a lay-up.
Now commonly referring to the student section as “the Nest”, Maize students have taken an initiative to heighten school spirit and game attendance.
The change has been especially noticeable within this year’s basketball season.
Inhabitants of the Nest have contributed creative crowd-involvement tricks like the “I Believe” chant, which involves shouting “I BELIEVE THAT
WE WILL WIN” broken into six parts, and tossing handfuls of baby powder into the air.
“I know we can’t do it anymore, but the baby powder thing was pretty cool,” principal Chris Botts said before the end of the season. “Our girls team is doing really well and our boys team is right now on a little winning streak and I think there might be something to the crowds having something to do with that. I like that they’re getting behind one another.”
Students participated in themed nights such as Hawaiian, western, nerdy, and white-out night. Promises of free pizza and free tacos for those who attend have also been fulfilled.
“I love it. I feel like our teams out there playing get a lot more support so they get more pumped up and they are more
focused,” junior Brady Hoover said. “If they don’t have people supporting them, then they don’t feel a need to play the game.”
The improvement has not only impacted the teams, students and school but has influenced parents and Maize community members by making games a more enjoyable and spirited atmosphere to be apart of.
“We have a lot of parents that come and a lot of community members that come, and it is really nice to see the support they’re showing for our school and our kids,” assistant principal Julie Cannizzo said.
The Nest exposes a more exciting, enthusiastic and supportive side of Maize that students and administration say they hope will set a precedent for future Eagles to carry on.n
Students display strong incline in school enthusiasmBy Shelby Carpenter
Greta Harper was asleep in her cabin on the Carnival Triumph cruise ship on Feb. 10 when crew
members started banging on her door.Harper, the mother of Maize student
Hannah Henricks, was ordered to put on her life jacket. There had been a fire on the ship.
“I kept it together, but I was a little concerned,” Harper said.
The Triumph was at sea with no power after a leak in a fuel oil return line caused a fire that disabled the ship’s en-gines. In all, 4,200 people were without power or working toilets for five days.
The ship originally left the shores of Galveston, Texas, Feb. 7 for a four-day trip to Mexico. Although the automatic fire extinguishers stopped the fire from spreading, the engine room was closed due to the extreme heat.
Harper said she was scheduled to come home Feb. 11 at 8:30 a.m. but
didn’t get back until Feb. 16.Gretchen Roy, the mother of juniors
Shea and Sydney Roy, also was on the ship and said the only way to commu-nicate with her family was to wait for a ship to pass by. With the other’s ship’s cell phone reception, she managed to call her husband, Bill.
“My husband was worried, more than I knew,” she said.
Roy’s husband wrote a blog about the mishaps of the ship and the restrictions of communication to inform other worried families.
Gretchen Roy also was worried about her obligations left at home.
“I was in fear of losing my job,” said Roy, who couldn’t communicate with her employer.
Carnival CEO Gerry Cahill apologized and compensated the passengers.
“They reimbursed us for the cruise, gave us $500, gave us a free cruise and
paid any alcohol bills,” Harper said. Sydney and Shea Roy were happy
when they were reunited with their mother.
“I felt good, so excited to see her,” Sydney said.n
Maize parents experience mayhem on vacationBy Maite Menendez
SUBMITTED BY GRETCHEN ROYPassengers spend time on the deck due to harsh heat in their rooms.
CHEYENNE ESSER
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NEWS
Student IDs, drug testing help securityIn the past 35 years, the Maize library has changed drastically. From the huge increase of students to the use
of computers, Margie Eaton witnessed all of it.
Eaton was hired to work as a librarian in 1978 when Maize only had roughly 200 students and the current Maize Cen-tral was the high school building. There were no computers or checkouts in the Maize library until around 1988 when computers were becoming more relevant in libraries.
“The Internet was too cumbersome,” Eaton said. Although it was difficult to use, Maize was one of the first schools in the state to use them.
Through the technology transitions, Eaton was the person learning it all. The International Society for Technology in Education awarded her with the national Making It Happen award for using new technology and video editing software.
She won a new computer among other various things.
After working at Maize for much of her life, Eaton has decided to retire after this school year.
“I have been thinking about it for a couple of years, and it felt like it was the right time,” Eaton said.
Along with Eaton, Mary Grimes is retiring this year after working at Maize as a reading specialist for 17 years. She started out at Maize Elementary in the reading lab, helping students who had a hard time learning to read. Grimes enjoyed working with the younger kids but moved to the current Maize High building five years later. When she transferred, the district did not have a workspace for her, so she worked in what she calls the “reading closet.” This small room where she worked is now a printer room.
“I decided to retire because I have
three beautiful grandchildren that live in Colorado and I would like to see them more often, and I’m old,” Grimes said. She plans to move to Colorado and perhaps be a reading tutor on the side.
When math teacher David Powell was young he never thought he would become a teacher. His family had been farming for years, and he assumed that he would do the same thing. However, when Powell was in high school, par-ents and schools were pushing hard for college. His counselors told him that he should be an engineer because of his high ACT scores, but he ended up get-ting his degree in math.
Powell has taught at various schools, his first being Mulvane Middle School in 1984. After 29 years of teaching he has decided to retire.
“My wife has a long list of things for me to do,” Powell said.n
1982 REGAL RED YEARBOOK PHOTO SUBMITTED BY MARY GRIMES KAYLA DUARTEMargie Eaton Mary Grimes David Powell
By Alec Fields
After years of service, teachers to leave Maize
“I decided to retire because I have three beautiful grandchildren that live in Colorado and I would like to see them more often, and I’m old.”
Mary GriMes, readinG specialist, who is retirinGafter 17 years in the Maize school district
Healthy eating can prevent illnessBy Lauren Nichols
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Student IDs, drug testing help securityBy Haley Mounes
When a student arrives at an after-school event such as a dance or sporting event, they
are asked to show their school-issued ID to prove that they have agreed to the drug test policy. If the student does not have their ID, they cannot enter the event. Some students disagree with these rules because they tend to be inconve-nient. The small ID cards can be easily lost, destroyed or accidentally forgotten. “I really don’t feel that they are impor-tant,” sophomore Rhiley Wall said. “I’ve been denied into a game before, I think its really silly.” Despite these common complaints, the IDs stay in use. “In a school of 1,500 kids, as hard as we try to know everyone, it’s impossible for one person to know every kid,” Prin-cipal Chris Botts said. “Your ID is kind of your ticket to participate in extracur-ricular activities.” The ID rules add another layer of protection for events. They ensure that Maize remains a drug free and safe envi-ronment.
Students who refuse to agree to the random drug test consent form are not allowed in extracurricular events. If they do not agree to the random drug test-ing, they will have their student ID card hole punched, making it easy to identify them at events and restrict their access. “I would think that they helped with events exclusively at Maize like dances or prom, but not exclusively things like sports,” Botts said. The policy is not in place solely for catching students with drugs. It also is in place to give students who are consider-ing drug usage a reason to avoid doing so. Maize’s drug testing policy states: “The mission of the Maize USD 266 random drug testing policy is to provide an addi-tional deterrent to curb issues related to substance abuse in students. The objec-tive is to provide a system of assistance for students, as well a purpose for opting out of the peer pressures associated with using drugs/alcohol.” The full policy can be found on the Maize High School website. n
If students choose not to participate in the random drug testing policy, their student IDs get holes punched in them.
PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY HANNAH HENRICKS
National Nutrition Month is celebrated annually in March by the Academy of Nutrition
and Dietetics. The theme this year to encourage personalized healthy eating habits is “Eat Right, Your Way, Every Day.” Unhealthy eating can shorten a lifespan. According to Health.com, making a few changes in your lifestyle can help you live longer. Poor nutrition can alter a person’s health more than some think. Nutrition keeps a human body healthy and allows a person to live a longer life. Not only is it important to watch what is eaten, but it is also important to eat more than the average three times a day. Smaller meals every three hours can
help metabolism and will keep a body healthier. Experts say skipping meals can cause low blood sugar. Nurse Dana Desjardins said it is important to eat breakfast every day. “So far this year we’ve had over 300 students with signs and symptoms associated with low blood sugar,” Desjardins said. “And in all of those cases they did not eat breakfast.” Skipping a meal, especially early in the day, causes the body to fast, or go into starvation mode, causing people to gain weight rather than lose. Because the human body starts to fast while asleep, breakfast is the opportunity to wake your body up and break the fast. If people skip breakfast, the fast continues
until they finally decide to eat. Another way to stay healthy is by substituting unhealthy foods for foods with more nutritional value when cooking. For instance, instead of using white flour, use whole wheat flour; instead of using sugar, use unsweetened applesauce. There are many ways to substitute foods and make a healthier meal without sacrificing taste. More ways to keep a healthy body include staying active, eating a plant-based diet, eating whole grains, picking healthy protein sources, and drinking water, coffee or tea instead of sugary beverages. Eating healthy can make a big impact on the way you feel and can help prevent illness. n
Healthy eating can prevent illnessBy Lauren Nichols
INFORMATION PROVIDED FROM THE USDA
GRAINSMake half your grains whole
MEAT & BEANSGo lean with protein
MILKGet your calcium-rich food
FRUITSFocus on fruits
VEGETABLESVary your veggies
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In his state of the union address Feb. 12, Obama called for raising the national minimum wage to $9 an hour. The announcement, which received a standing ovation
from many Democrats and scorn from many Republicans, was largely unexpected because it wasn’t a focus of Obama’s 2012 campaign. And although no new legislation related to minimum wage has been introduced, Obama has mentioned it several times in speeches and in his weekly web address.
So is it a good idea? Will it help or hurt high school students, many of whom earn less than $9 currently? The answer, of course, depends on who’s asked.
The speaker of the house, Republican John Boehner, said a higher minimum wage would make it harder for companies to hire, reducing employment.
“When you raise the price of employment, guess what happens? You get less of it,” Boehner told reporters the day after the state of the union. “At a time when Americans are still asking the question ‘Where are the jobs?’ why would we want to make it harder for small employers to hire people?”
His comments align with the current Republican platform, which says that minimum wage “has seriously restricted progress in the private sector.” It says that “A stronger private sector can raise wages, reduce dependence on public sector employment, and lead toward local self-sufficiency.”
What Republicans mean by this is that government-imposed regulations, such as minimum wage, hurt companies’ profits, which prevent them from hiring. That worsens the economy because people will then have less money.
Republicans would argue that an increase in minimum wage would not benefit most high school students because it will make it harder for companies to hire, therefore harder for them to get jobs.
But most Democrats disagree. A document released by the Obama administration to accompany the state of the union says that “raising the minimum wage increases earnings without reducing overall employment, and in fact employers may see a more stable workforce due to reduced turnover [meaning how often a company has to replace employees] and a customer base with more money to spend.”
That’s a stark contradiction to what Republicans have said, and many Democrats agree. The House minority leader,
Democrat Nancy Pelosi, told the Washington Post that “raising the minimum wage is the right thing to do.” Pelosi said that putting more money into the pockets of workers would improve the economy.
“Our economy is best served by rewarding work, by having those workers be stronger consumers, providing for their families, spending money, and injecting demand into the economy,” she said. “You cannot deny that putting money into the hands of working people at that level is the best way to grow the economy.”
But is she right? Does raising the minimum wage benefit the economy, and more specifically, high school aged workers? According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the unemployment rate for teenagers is 22 percent, nearly three times higher than the overall rate. Would an increase in minimum wage cause that number to rise?
Again, there’s no solid answer. While economists are divided on the effects of minimum wage increases, a majority agree that they do slow job creation. A study by University of California economist David Neumark found employment levels fell for low-income demographics after minimum wage increases. A similar study by Welch Consulting found that employment for certain low-income demographic groups fell as much as 7.5 percent.
But as for teens in particular, those numbers could be different. University of California economist David Card conducted a survey of more than 400 New Jersey and Pennsylvania restaurants a few months before and after a New Jersey minimum wage increase and found that a majority of New Jersey restaurants had increased employment after the minimum wage increase.
Card’s study found that restaurants in New Jersey were performing better after the increase than restaurants in Pennsylvania which saw their business remain stagnant. Teen employment raised 13 percent in New Jersey during that time period, while it also remained stagnant in Pennsylvania.
So while empirical evidence on the topic leads to mixed results, it could be possible to conclude that while an increase in minimum wage results in some businesses having to hire less, the increased money in people’s pockets leads to some industries, such as restaurants, growing their revenue, therefor growing employment. n
NEWS
Would minimum wage hike benefit students?By Jordan Watkins
JORDAN WATKINS
marchplay9
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Would minimum wage hike benefit students?By Jordan Watkins
JORDAN WATKINS
LIFESTYLES
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Practicing to perfection
Whether it be Friday night football, Wednesday night racing practice or Monday
and Thursday night tumbling, sports rule many students’ lives. For most, that means school sports or club sports. But for senior Jadyn Mark, junior Brandon Stringfellow, sophomores Tasha Wentling and Mady Mitchell and freshman Ashley Villarreal, things are a little different.
Mark and Mitchell box competitively. Mitchell started boxing a year and a half ago at the Hurt Locker and Via Boxing. Mark has been boxing on and off since freshman year at Northside 316 Boxing Club.
Mark joined boxing because she wanted to do a sport and she and her father always wrestled.
“My dad motivates me to go,” Mark said. “Mom was skeptical at first, until she saw me fight.”
Mark displayed her talent in two competitions in the last few years, winning one and losing one.
Mitchell also had some trouble with her mom accepting the sport and the harm that comes with it.
Mitchell believes many people misjudge the violence in boxing.
“Boxing keeps kids out of trouble; it lets their anger out,” she said.
Mitchell has competed in the Silver Gloves Tournament and in the Boxing Nationals.
“I won all my events until I got to Nationals,” she said.
Mitchell’s commitment to boxing takes up a lot of her time. She practices four times a week.
“I put a lot of time toward boxing,” Mitchell said. “Almost everything I do is towards boxing.”
She hopes to go even further with boxing and wants to get a college scholarship for the sport.
“I want to compete in the Golden Gloves, which is where Olympic boxers are from,” she said.
Boxing is not the only sport students do outside of school.
Wentling and Villarreal compete in gymnastics. Wentling has been in gymnastics since she was 4 but didn’t start competing until two years ago. Villarreal started gymnastics in fifth grade and started competing in sixth grade. They both attend and compete for Skywalkers Trampoline and Tumbling.
Wentling started at Acrobatic Academy but recently changed gyms to join Skywalkers.
“I got bored and wanted to challenge myself, so I switched gyms,” she said.
Wentling is working her way to compete in her third season of nationals. During her first year of nationals, she was undefeated in floor all season and took first.
“My favorite event is floor (tumbling),” she said.
Even with her previous wins, her practice hours aren’t as much as other gyms. Skywalkers Trampoline and Tumbling has two-hour team practices twice a week. Wentling finds other means of practice hours such as open gym.
“Because we don’t practice as much, I feel better when I beat someone who practices more,” she said.
Villarreal also finds herself at open gym and at a private lesson for an hour a week.
“I put quite a bit of time into gymnastics; it’s what is most important to me,” she said.
With the time she puts in, she works on new skills. Her favorite thing in gymnastics is gaining new skills and the satisfaction that comes with it.
She said her parents are supportive of her gymnastics.
“My parents are ready to take me anywhere to be my best,” Villarreal said.
Villarreal has competed in three national championships. She placed second by a 10th of a point in the double mini event during her second season of nationals.
“My goal for this year is getting a national championship,” she said.
An entirely different kind of sport, junior Brandon Stringfellow races cars.
His dad and uncle got him involved almost three years ago, and he now spends his Wednesday nights practicing to get better.
“To practice, I go race, then change the setup to see what works better,” Stringfellow said.
To keep busy during the off-seasons, Stringfellow continues to practice but also enhances his car.
“I change the engine, check bolts and save money for new parts,” he said. “Racing is a lot funner than other sports, but the downside is that it costs more.”
“I’ve been in so many races, I can’t really count how many,” Stringfellow said. “The highest I’ve placed in a race was first at 81 Speedway last year.”n
By Maite Menendez and Gabby Hermes
Non-school sports rule students’ lives
Tasha Wentling does a tumbling sequence at Skywalkers Trampoline and Tumbling.
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PHOTOS BY LAUREN NICHOLS
Ashley Villarreal jumps up from the trampoline, creating a pose. LAUREN NICHOLS
SUBMITTED BY MADY MITCHELL
Mitchell shows her medal after
winning her fight.
Mark practices with her
instructor.
BRITTANY NEIGENFIND
SUBMITTED BY MADY MITCHELL
Mitchell hugs her opponent.
SUBMITTED BY BRANDON STRINGFELLOWStringfellow, No. 37, races at 81 Speedway.
SUBMITTED BY BRANDON STRINGFELLOW
Stringfellow poses with his car at
81 Speedway.
BRITTANY NEIGENFIND
Mark jump ropes as part of
her training.
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NOW PLAYING
STEPS TO SUCCESS: GRADUATION EDITION
START
FINISH
“If I could go back and change one thing I’d be more involved.
My advice to others is to be sure that you don’t procrastinate,
and if you do, make it look like you’ve got everything done on
time.”
“Focus on where you want to end up and see what you need
to do to get there. You are in control of your future. No one
else.”
Get involved in high school activities such as clubs, sports, attending games, dances, etc.
Maintain a high GPA
Submit scholarship applications
Send final transcript(s) and verification to college
Make final campus visits
Retake ACT/SAT if necessary
Student should make appointments with his/her counselor to review credits,
college choices, college requirements, and go through
the application process
Consider interests and abilities, begin exploring career options
Make official college visits
Freshman Sydney Logan
Junior Shea Roy
(DESIGN BY BÉLE BENARD AND PHOTOS BY HANNAH HENRICKS)
“Challenge yourself with hard classes in the areas you want to
study. Apply for scholarshipsand go on official visits.”
Senior Cooper Downs
STEPS TO SUCCESS: GRADUATION EDITION
“If I could go back and change one thing I’d be more involved.
My advice to others is to be sure that you don’t procrastinate,
and if you do, make it look like you’ve got everything done on
time.”
“It is very important to keepup your grades. Colleges look
at the grades you makeand will reward you withscholarships if you make
good grades. ”
“Focus on where you want to end up and see what you need
to do to get there. You are in control of your future. No one
else.”
Consider interests and abilities, begin exploring career options
Student should know whatis on their transcript
Maintain a high GPA Take ACT/SAT in the fall and again in the spring
Consider graduation requirements when filling out
senior schedule. Studentsshould make an appointment
with their counselor forfurther help
Make official college visits
Start post-high schoolplanning with your counselor.
Review strengths andinterests to help select the
right college
Freshman Sydney Logan
Junior Shea Roy
Sophomore Kara Kolar
By Béle Benard and Hannah Henricks
(DESIGN BY BÉLE BENARD AND PHOTOS BY HANNAH HENRICKS)
83%graduateSource: Kansas State Department of Education
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EDITORIAL
In January, parents of about 1,000 Maize fifth and eighth graders received letters in the mail explaining
which school their students would attend next year. Nearly all were content with the building assignments.
But the parents of 26 students were not. Those parents, of 15 eighth graders and 11 fifth graders, appealed their building assignment with the board of education, saying they wanted their student to attend a different school than they were assigned.
Although all 26 families were granted their appeals and the building assignments were changed, the parents say the district’s current school assignment system needs to be changed. A big change in the policy would not be a good idea and likely would make more people unhappy.
Currently, parents of fifth graders and eighth graders receive a postcard in the mail with the options their student has for next year, and the parents are given the opportunity to list their preference for the following year.
“The current policy that we have is a five-year-old policy, and it’s worked really well for us,” Maize superintendent Doug Powers said.
He’s right, the policy has worked well. Before this year, only one assignment has been appealed to the board of education. Thousands of building assignments, one appeal. Even this year, Powers said, the district had “around 97 percent getting their preference, which on any grading scale, is not a bad grade.”
So what’s the problem?To keep high schools from going over
capacity, the district needs to divide incoming freshmen in a two-third/
one-third split. Two thirds of students are sent to the larger Maize high school, while the other third goes to South. That means some South Middle School students have to leave the South campus.
This year, for the first time, not enough South students preferred Maize High.
“We’ve got about 300 eighth graders coming from Maize South Middle; we can’t fit 300 freshmen at Maize South High,” Powers said. The district couldn’t honor every request and had to place some students at a building they didn’t prefer.
Some parents weren’t too happy and told TV stations and The Wichita Eagle that they felt the district wasn’t straightforward with them. But the district was straightforward with parents from the beginning. The preference card that parents receive clearly states “I understand signing this card indicates a preference and does not guarantee my student’s placement.”
“Our policy has been in place since 2008, and I think we’ve been up front with folks and we’ve communicated … that this is a preference; it does not guarantee placement,” Powers said.
Some are saying that the district would be better served by a boundary system, where students are automatically assigned a building based on where they live. This is a bad idea for many reasons.
First, the current system allows the district to satisfy almost every family’s preference. With a boundary system, if students weren’t satisfied with the building they were at, they’d have to move. And even if the district could honor a few special transfers, it couldn’t provide transportation from those students’ neighborhoods to the other
school building.Boundary systems serve some school
districts well because schools are spread out across the district and students can attend the building closest to them. Maize has two campuses that are about 2 miles apart. Some students live a mile from both, while some live five miles away from either campus. There aren’t logical ways to set boundaries for the Maize school district.
Boundaries wouldn’t solve parents’ main complaint of students getting separated from their friends during the placement.
Even with a boundary system, Maize South Middle would still have an eighth grade class larger than Maize South High’s freshman capacity. So all a boundary system would do is create more problems and complications, without solving anything.
Still, the district is forming a task force to take a look at options, including using a boundary system. Powers recognizes that no matter what the district decides to do, people are going to complain.
“I am absolutely certain, no matter what you had in place as a solution, you’re going to make somebody mad,” he said.
This is a problem that eventually could work itself out. If the district adds a third middle school, which is being considered, the new middle school and Maize Middle could feed Maize High, putting things more in balance.
Although this solution is still a few years away, it doesn’t make sense for the district to adopt a new policy to solve temporary problems. Maize should keep its existing preference system to serve families best in the long run. n
District should keep preference systemBy Jordan Watkins for the Play editorial board
JORDAN WATKINS
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COLUMN
District should keep preference systemJORDAN WATKINS As far back as I can remember, I was taking
gymnastics classes at Acrobatic Academy. My parents put my brother Nathan and
me in gymnastics classes as soon as we were walking.
Everything we did as children somehow related to gymnastics. When Acrobatic was having ‘kids night out’ we would go. We were always served pizza, got to play in the gyms, and watch movies until our parents came back and got us. I guess you could say it was more of a parents night out, but they had to make us think it was for us some-how. That was what we did for fun, but yet we were still doing something gymnastics related.
We both took our own classes and advanced at different times. Not very many boys took gym-nastics, so there was only one boys class that hap-pened every Thursday night. Classes were always an hour long for both of us. Occasionally to get better, we would go to open gym and practice.
My favorite thing to do was balance beams. I was so good at these. I could do front flips off, back flips off, cartwheels across them and even aerials off them. I was the best in my class at beams. Sadly, we only got to do beams a few times a month.
Every week we would do something different, ranging from bars, beams, floor, tramp and vault. Vault was my least favorite thing, mainly because one time when I was doing a running tuck jump over the vault I somehow managed to knock the wind out of myself and pass out. It was embar-rassing.
After many years of practice, practice, prac-tice, I sadly couldn’t continue to go anymore due to the fact I was attacked by a dog. The dog got parts of my nose and of my arms, and I spent months in recovery. By the time I could go back to classes, my class was so far ahead of me, my teacher couldn’t get me caught up and stopped teaching me new things. I was tired of not getting the help I needed, and I quit.
Nathan still goes to classes, teaches classes, and teaches private lessons. He can do almost every-thing a person can think of. His best is probably floor tumbling. I enjoy watching my brother cheer and do gymnastics because it reminds me of my childhood and all the dedication I put into something. Even though sometimes it makes me sad because I gave up something that meant so much to me. n
By Gabby Hermes
Dog attack forces columnist to stop doing what she loved
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Unexpected changes
Gabby Hermes has received dozens of ribbons during her years of gymnastics
BRITTANY NEIGENFIND
16playmarch
PHOTO FOCUS
Snow Days
1. Sophomores Aspen Norris, Micala Milliner, freshman Kori Rowley.2. Junior Jared Spencer and freshman Santana Miller. 3. Senior Kylie Stamper and her sister, Brenna Stamper.4. Sophomore Cassie George. 5. Maize students Taylor Standiford, Ashley Zane, Riley Pfeifer, Brooke Bugbee, Blake Standiford, Trevor Reid, Tanna Benefiel, Ladd Koster, Levi Koster, Blake Davison, Cameron Zane and Josh Wilcox.
Maize had a six-day break in February when more than 20 inches of snow fell on Wichita. Students submitted photos of how they spent their time.
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SPORTS
The boys basketball team finished their season 8-13 with a sub-state loss to Dodge City. The Eagles started off slowly, losing their first four games. However, they ended the regular season winning four of their last five games.
“We could have won more games, but this year was a lot of fun,” the only senior on the team Tavon Morrow said.
“I think I improved my shooting and my ability to finish strong at the rim,” Morrow said.
The boys team will be looking to their juniors next year for leadership as Morrow hopes to play at college level.
Boys basketball
The girls basketball team made it back to the state tournament, finishing the season fourth after falling to Blue Valley North in the third-place game.
The girls opened the tournament with a victory over Topeka Washburn Rural before falling to Heights in the semifinals.
The girls won their sub-state for the fourth consecutive year and also claimed the AVCTL I title. They finished the season with a 21-4 record after spending part of the season as the state’s top-ranked 6A team.
“My biggest accomplishment as a team is really trying to be the best leader I can be on the court and having our team as one, and pulling out that league championship,” said Paige Lungwitz, the only senior on the team.
Girls basketball
18playmarch
Winter
BROOKE JOHANSON
SHELBY CARPENTER
BROOKE JOHANSON BROOKE JOHANSONSenior Tavon Morrow sets up a the ball down the court against Salina Central.
Sophomore Daley Handy looks to pass in the state quarterfinal game against Washburn Rural. The Eagles won 46-36.
Senior Tavon Morrow passes the ball during a game against Salina Central. He was the only senior on the team this year.
W R A P - U PBy Justin Noble and Brooke Johanson
Sophomores Keiryn Swenson (5) and Daley Handy (33) fight for the basketball against Wichita Heights Friday in the state semifinals. The Eagles lost 48-39.
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Junior Fernando Nuno and freshmen Brett Moon and Landon Wood qualified for state, which was Feb. 22-23 at Hartman Arena in Park City. Moon took second in his 126 weight class while Wood took third in his 106 weight class. Nuno was second at regionals but was unable to place at state. With the three wrestlers the Eagles had at state, they got a total of 43 points and took 17th out of 33 teams.
“I thought [the season] was pretty good,” Nuno said. “I’ve improved a lot since last year.”
Nuno wants to come back next year and win it all.“It’s my senior year and I have got to get first in state,” Nuno said.
Wrestling
Boys swimming
Senior Jordan Allan and Jeff Light qualified for the state bowling competition at Northrock Lanes. Allan took 13th with a score of 647. His best game was a 233. Light took 57th with a score of 544 with a 210 being his best game. There was a total of 72 bowlers at state.
The bowling team this year was young, but succeeded over the course of the season.
“[At] the Bishop Carroll Baker game, they really worked well as a team,” Allan said. “Taking third was pretty impressive for a team full of brand new people.”
Boys bowling
This girls bowling team had a particularly good season considering the loss of seniors who graduated last year. Overall the team had good scores and was trying to send bowlers to state as their main goal.
Junior Ariana Perez was one of the team's top bowlers this season.
"I haven’t had a performance this year that I can say I’m really proud of, but I just have to keep trying to get better and figure out what’s wrong,” Perez said.
Considering she had a rough time this season, Perez qualified for state as an individual. She took second at state bowling Feb. 28 and March 1 at Northrock Lanes scoring a 663, with a 247 as her best game.
"I'm really happy on how I finished a very mediocre season with success. I'm happy with taking 2nd," Perez said.
Girls bowling
Junior Fernando Nuno wrestles against Derby. Nuno was one of three wrestlers to go to state this year.
Junior Ariana Perez practices. Perez took second at
state and was the only Maize girl
bowler to go.
Sophomore Chris Clemons improves his freestyle during practice. Clemons took second in the 200 individual medley in state.
LYDIA DEMING
KAYLA DUARTE
The boys swim team finished seventh at state. Senior Lucas Popp set a state record for the 100-yard freestyle in the prelims by a tenth of a second. Popp later won that event along with the 50 freestyle and the 200 freestyle relay that he participated in with senior Grant Latimer, sophomore Chris Clemons and freshman Preston Barley. The same swimmers also took second in the 400-yard freestyle relay.
Clemons took second in the 200 individual medley, which is all the strokes done in the one race. Barley took third in the 200 freestyle.
The swim team will be looking for fresh talent next year, as the team will lose seniors Popp and Latimer.
“We have talented freshmen,” Clemons said. “We want them to get better and have guys who are interested to try out and have fun.”
Senior Jordan Allan bowls during practice. He was one of two boy bowlers to go to state.
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SPORTS
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SPRING SPORTS PREVIEWPlay: How did your season go last year?Tricia Severe: My season wasn’t great last year. I barely swam because I was still injured.P: How do you think this season will go?TS: I hope it goes good because we only have about five or six girls swimming this year.P: What do you hope to improve on?
TS: I hope to improve my times this year and work harder.GIRLS SWIMMING
Junior Tricia Severe Play: What is your favorite part about your sport?Alec Edmisten: That we can just go out and have fun playing golf.
P: What do you hope to accomplish this season?AE: I would like to win a couple varsity tournaments. I also hope to make state and place.
P: Why do you play golf?AE: When I was young, my dad told me that it was a good sport for businessmen to play.
BOYS GOLFJunior Alec Edmisten
Play: How did your season go last year?Lucas Schauer: It ended a little sooner than we would of liked it to.
P: What do you hope to accomplish this season?LS: I want the team to get back, to work hard and get a championship under our belt.
P: Why do you play baseball?LS: I have been playing it my whole life, and I love it.
BASEBALLSenior Lucas Schauer
Play: How did your season go last year?Whitney Lucas: We won the Titan Classic and were regional champions. We went into the state tournament 19-0 and lost to Blue Valley West, taking third place. P: How do you think this season will go?WL: I’m hoping the tougher competition will better prepare us for our ultimate goal of holding
up that first place state trophy. P: What do you hope to accomplish this season?WL: I hope that as a team we will be able to improve our speed of play and just really connect this year.
GIRLS SOCCERJunior Whitney Lucas
Play: How do you think this season will go?Leah Taliaferro: We are a fairly young team, but I think we will still do very well.P: What is your favorite part about your sport?LT: The feeling I get when I make an important play or get a key hit for my team. I also love my goofy teammates.
P: What do you hope to accomplish this season?LT: To win a state championship.SOFTBALL
Senior Leah Taliaferro Play: How did your season go last year?Trevor McChristian: For me personally, it was my best. I placed 12th at state.
P: What do you hope to accomplish this season?TM: I would like to place higher at state than last year.
P: Why do you play tennis?TM: I just play to play.
BOYS TENNISSenior Trevor McChristian
GIRLS TRACKSophomore Daley Handy
Play: How do you think this season will go?Daley Handy: I don’t think I will be competing this year because a disk in my lower back over rotated causing a lot of pain when I jump or sprint. P: What is your favorite part about your sport?DL: Definitely high jump.
P: How long have you been doing track?DL: Since I was 7 years old. Track has always been a part of my life, so I will be back next year.
Play: How did your season go last year?Tyler Weber: I had a goal, and I accomplished that goal by going to state.
P: What is your favorite part about your sport?TW: Just being able to throw a spear.
P: Why do you do track?TW: I’m pretty good at it, so I was thinking “Why not?”.
BOYS TRACKSenior Tyler Weber
By Justin Noble and Brooke Johanson
22playmarch
ENTERTAINMENT
The price of promProm comes once a year, affecting juniors, seniors and occasionally an underclassman with an older date. Some girls
begin shopping for dresses in January, while some wait until weeks before the big day. Some guys feel pressure to find a date and ask them to prom in a special way, while some may not even attend. Prom preparation affects students
(and their wallets) in different ways — either going cheap or to the extreme. From their own cars to party buses and limos, students find a way to make their own statement through a night of dressing up. Students share how they are maintaining (or losing) their money during the 2013 prom season. PHOTOS BY CHEYENNE ESSER AND BÉLE BENARD
By Ashley Golden and Cheyenne Esser
Senior Michaeli Hennessy’s dress cost $520, but she chose a dress that fit perfectly to avoid alteration costs. Her junior year she had three dresses for two proms. Dress No. 1 was ruined in alterations, so she got a replacement dress for free. This year, she hopes to spend $800 or less.
With experience under her belt, senior Kenzie Mayta plans on doing many things different for this year, like splitting the cost of her dress with her parents. “I’m making my own flowers this year. A mom I baby sat for works at a hair salon, so she’s doing my hair and makeup for free,” Mayta said.
Freshman Sandy Carlo had a dress budget of $200. She searched online on Craigslist and found a local dress for $100. “I thought it was really cheap,” Carlo said. Her prom plan includes going in a group with her upperclassman date and his friends.
Sophomore Dani Bever will attend prom for the first time this year with an upperclassman. Bever ordered her dress online for $80. “I didn’t want to spend a lot of money since I am only a sophomore,” Bever said. She thinks her total will be around $200 this year.
Junior Ashtyn Dalal began prom dress shopping without a budget this year, but thinks she will spend around $600 total. She got her dress online through Parrot-fa-Nalia for about $400. “We have a group for the dinner, prom and after parties. There will be 12 people,” she said.
Senior Megan Hawkinson purchased her dress from Foggy Bottom for $718 this year. Although her dress is expensive, she doesn’t plan on spending much more. “I don’t like a lot of accessories. Our dinner is going to be hosted by our parents so I’m guessing I’ll spend around $800 tops,” Hawkinson said.
Last year, senior Jessi Holman spent $1,100 on prom activities, so she is trying to go cheaper this time. Holman plans on having a budget of $800, including her dress, hair, nails and accessories.“This year I’m just going with a friend, so it will give me a little more freedom to hang out with friends,” Holman said.
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Thanks toVia Christi’s west side ER
Back in the saddle
Short ride, Short wait
When Amanda Guthrie needed emergency care for internal bleeding,
the Garden Plain resident felt fortunate Via Christi Hospital on St. Teresa — home to west Wichita’s only ER in a hospital — wasn’t far.
An on-call specialist quickly responded, and within minutes she was undergoing life-saving surgery in a state-of-the-art operating suite.
Now, Amanda is back in the saddle of her busy life. “I’m still here for a reason, so I’m making the most of the second chance I’ve been given.”
Amanda Guthrie, patient
To hear Amanda’s story, scan or go to viachristi.org/fastER.
Via Christi Hospital14800 W. St. TeresaWichita, KS