JagWire Newspaper: Volume 24, Issue 7

THE FINAL STRETCH

As the 2024 school year comes to a close, it is important to reflect on how far the senior class has come

The varying experiences seniors have had filling out this year’s FAFSA form

Seniors on the JagWire nespaper staff stand together smiling. photo by avery clement

cover by jules shumaker

Editors in Chief

emma clement

editor in chief

jules shumaker

editor in chief

anna zwahlen

editor in chief

Online Editors in Chief

emma clement editor in chief

anna zwahlen

editor in chief

Photo Editor

luke wood photo editor

ian chern copy editor

Relay For Life raises $100,203 during their annual event Saturday, April 23 2022. photo by abby stieger

elizabeth summa writer/photographer

hailey perrin writer/photographer

avery writer/photographerclement

barron fox writer/photographer

eva hernandez writer/photographer

evan leroy writer/photographer

maddie martin writer/photographer

madelyn writer/photographermulryan

olivia peters writer/photographer

Professional Associations

Kansas Scholastic Press Association

National Scholastic Press Association

Journalism Education Association

Journalism Educators of Metropolitan KC

The JagWire earned a 2024 All-Kansas rating from KSPA and were 2023 NSPA Pacemaker finalists. It is also a member of the NSPA All-American Hall of Fame.

Editorial Policy

We value your opinions. If you wish to submit a column or a letter to the editor to the JagWire, you can do so by handing it in to a member of the staff or to the print journalism room (C101). Additionally, you may email any member of the staff with opinions, as well as tweet us at @millvalleynews. Anonymous content will not be accepted. Please understand that we have the right to edit all copy that runs in this publication.

quinlyn writer/photographerpeters

Holding up a picture, Mrs. Smith shows a picture of her 2013-2014 second grade class that are 2024 graduates Thursday, April 25. photo by eva hernandez

Much of high school has felt like running through each year at an all out sprint. Whether it be advanced classes, extracurriculars, sports, jobs or any of the other events that characterize the teenage experience, our class has raced to make up for a lost freshman year.

Unfortunately, the reality of sprinting through a long distance race is that running out of energy is inevitable. As we reach the finish line, we are running the final stretch with the weight of exhaustion and burnout.

As tired as we may be, the glimpse into the future of graduation provides that second wind seniors need to make it to the end. With all of the accomplishments the senior class takes with them, it will be no small feat to have crossed the finish line.

The senior class has accomplished many things from state titles to community service. The senior class is undeniably involved in our school and community, and that involvement

should continue wherever we may end up. However, as we transition into the real world, we’ll have to balance our accomplishments with our own well being.

Many seniors have sacrificed their well being for their accomplishments. Pulling all-nighters to study for a test and waking up ear- ly to finish an assignment became routine for many with every waking hour dedicated to something school related. That kind of schedule isn’t sustainable. We will need to find time to take care of not just our bodies, but also our mind. We need to do things outside of school or work.

When we leave high

TAKING A LEAP

Graduating seniors work to forge a new balance as they conclude their busy and tumultuous high school years by jagwire staff

school, we explore who we are as independent adults with friends, jobs and hobbies. Finding a balance between fulfilling involvement and taking time to figure out our own needs will be critical for making it through the next stages of our lives.

The way we’ve gone through high school won’t be sustainable once we leave. We’ll face all new challenges and many of them we’ll have to face on our own.

Luckily, our class isn’t a strang- er to life-changing events. We’ve gone through global disasters and faced the uncertainty of financial aid, not to mention the firsts of driving, relationships, failures and successes.

The COVID-19 pandemic launched our lives into chaos, and for many of us, the dust still has not settled. As we move into this next chapter of our lives, we should find a way to settle it. We’ll need to take a deep breath, steady our pace and move forward one step at a time.

FINANCIAL AID CRISIS

How this year’s Free Application for Federal Aid has prevented students from getting their college funds by evan writer/photographerleroy by ian chern copy editor

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is usually a relatively simple and easy part of the college application process. However, this year the application had students across the country waiting for their delayed financial aid letters. These issues have pushed back the college decision day which typically occurs on May 1.

The delays stem from problems with a new version of the FAFSA form which was released by the Department of Education last year. Although the new version was initially designed to make the process easier, many issues arose early on with the new versions.

More common problems with the forms include signatures disappearing, not being able to continue filling out the form, not being able to submit the form when finished and not allowing students from foreign countries to submit a mailing address from their home coun- tries. These issues caused students to not know when or if they

would receive the money they applied for.

Counselor Megan Mixon explained that of the numerous changes made to the form was the type of financial contributors that students could add to the form.

“In the past, [the FAFSA form] was all based on tax, but now we look at guardians,” Mixon said. “[In the old form], they’re based on the nuclear family with mom and dad. It wasn’t easy to do when parents are divorced so the [new] form was supposed to simplify that so you could put contributors, as opposed to [just] mom and dad.”

For senior Saad Fraitekh, his FAFSA form was not processed until mid-April. Fraitekh had submitted his form earlier in the year, but with all of the problems with the form it took him a long time to get“[Theprocessed.form] was not cooperat- ing when I filled it out,” Fraitekh said. “I had to wait three weeks just to even confirm that it got sent.”

T H I S Y E A R S F A F S A

Why the new FAFSA has been hard for students

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Signatures removed from forms after returning to them

Parents unable to access the form

Dashboard not loading on Safari and Edge browsers

Users with no SSN who have ITIN must manually enter financialinformation

However, Fraitekh was able to work around his struggles by contacting the FAFSA support team.

“I just contacted FAFSA, and they just let me know that everything was alright,” Fraitekh said. “They said it was just the change in the system which was why everything was delayed.”

For senior Colson Knight, the issues were more user error than faults with the form. These issues he experienced along with the slow processing times have caused his form to still be unprocessed through decision day.

“I had to fill it out twice because I thought I submitted it before winter break,” Knight said. “But I got an email in March saying that I hadn’t submitted, so it was a big inconvenience.”

If issues occur when filling out the form, there are several resources to fix problems. Students can talk to their counselor in person or through email, the college’s financial aid department’s advice and the FAFSA website offers workarounds and support.

“My [FAFSA form] has been processing for [almost] three months. I had to redo the form after the new one came out.”

“[Filling out FAFSA] was confusing. There was a lot of tax forms you had to turn in, and I had to go back and fill those out.”

Senior Evan Mack Senior Jenna Tuttle

Three

Three

Three

SPREADING OUR WINGS

The post-high school plans for each of the 2024 graduates

Source: Student information found through JagWire/counseling surveys

ARIZONA

UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA

Preston Fischer

Finance

ARKANSAS

UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS

Molly Bilhimer

Human Resources Management

Ella Bowling Psychology

Aidan Edenfield

Biology

Reagan Enemark

Nursing

Hailee Ford

Nursing

McKinley Graves Vocal Performance

Kate Helm

Communication and Science Disorders

Audrey Holick

Global Studies

Stella Hoog

No Major Given

Olivia Kerstetter

Undecided

Olivia Maddox

Pre-Nursing

Blake Powers

Music Education

Halle Wampler

Biology

UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS AT LITTLE ROCK

Dillon Cooper Finance

CALIFORNIA

LONG BEACH CITY COLLEGE

Anthony Chau Valdivia

Computer Programming

POINT LOMA NAZARENE

UNIVERSITY

Violet Hentges

Media Communication

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA SAN DIEGO

Sarah Anderson

Chemical Engineering

UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

Walt Midyett

Neuroscience

COLORADO

COLORADO STATE

UNIVERSITY

Anna Zwahlen

Chemical and Biological Engineering

UNITED STATES AIR FORCE

ACADEMY

Robert Hickman Undecided

UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO

Ethan Long Physics

GEORGIA

MOREHOUSE COLLEGE

Robert Hill

Business Administration/Finance

SAVANNAH COLLEGE OF ART AND DESIGN

Jules Shumaker

Illustration

ILLINOIS

COLUMBIA COLLEGE

CHICAGO

Ella Doyle

Graphic Design

Nate Garner Film

DEPAUL UNIVERSITY

Riley Martin

Comedy Arts

LOYOLA UNIVERSITY

CHICAGO

Kaitlyn Burke

Exercise Science

IOWA

DRAKE UNIVERSITY

Ashley Makalous

Business Management and Entrepreneurship

IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY

Abby Sommerfeld

Graphic Design

KANSAS

AVILA UNIVERSITY

Kiara Gonzalez Undecided

BAKER UNIVERSITY

Tristan Baker

Exercise Science

Ethan Diehl

Mass Media

Julian Meneses

No Major Given

Jaden Scobee

No Major Given

Evan Seifert

No Major Given

Peyton Zenger

Biochemistry

COFFEYVILLE COMMUNITY

COLLEGE

Davion Harris

Criminal Justice

EMPORIA STATE

UNIVERSITY

Aaron Gallimore

Health and Human Performance

Megan Kephart

No Major Given

Allison Mulder

Communications

Sarah Reynolds

Elementary Education

FORT HAYS STATE

UNIVERSITY

Jenna Graber

Nursing

Kaylen Hyde

Elementary Education

HUTCHINSON

COMMUNITY COLLEGE

Reid Livingston

No Major Given

Adam Seymour

Construction Management

JOHNSON COUNTY

COMMUNITY COLLEGE

Kaitlyn Andrews

No Response

Xavier Anson

Nursing

Nikhil Arora

Criminal Justice

Ashlyn Bellmyer

Culinary Arts

Micah Boatwright

Education

Harley Quinn Boehm

Automation Engineering Technology

Ethan Brownfield

Liberal Arts

Gabriel Budimlija

Sales

Jasmine Cruz-Ramirez

No Major Given

Mya Diacono

No Major Given

Leah Dresvyannikov

Undecided

Kael Drummond

No Major Given

Corbin Garnand

Undecided

Benjamin Gomez

Accounting

Emerson Esser

Sociology/Domestic Abuse & Family

Violence

Axel Flores Cadena

No Major Given

Sireen Fraitekh

Pre Pharmacy and Illustration

Mia Hernandez

Literature Arts

Jenna Kingsbury

No Major Given

Livianna Kirkpatrick

Psychology

Charles Kistler-Uhde

Welding

Hannah Lovell

Dental Hygiene

Julian Maddox

Undecided

Michelle Marney

Music Education

Adam McClendon

Culinary

Kevin McIntire

No Response

Josh Onkoba

Information Technology

Nikki Owens

Undecided

Chase Parker

Animation

Cannon Rhodes No Response

Trent Richardson

Computer Science

Andrew Runyon No Response

Jack Schaffer

Food and Beverage Management

Brayden Skeels

No Major Given

Emma Stanton

General Sciences

Jules Tracy

Undecided

Lydia Watson

Psychology

SIGNINGS

Symbol key for those that signed to do their sport/activity in

Logan White

No Major Given

Luke Wilson

No Major Given

KANSAS CITY KANSAS

COMMUNITY COLLEGE

Mia Hernandez

No Major Given

Caden Slaven

No Major Given

Lucian Zaragoza

Automotive Technology

KANSAS STATE UNIVERSITY

Madison Angell

Business

Haden Applebee

Undecided

Dawson Berg

Mechanical Engineering

Macy Bidnick

Marketing/Sales

Daniel Blaine

Construction Management

Gracie Bowline

Nursing

Joshua Breninger

Marketing

Noah Brueggemann

Business

Maci Burger

Business Marketing

Colton Clark

Civil Engineering

Conner Clifton

Pre-med

Valeria Cruz-Gonzalez

Biological Systems of Engineering

Bella Dumler

Marketing

Madeline Epperson

Fashion Studies

Jake Fischer

No Major Given

Katie Fredericks

Chemical Engineering

Alli Gervais

Human Integrated Sciences on a Pre-Nursing Track

Lincoln Gray

Undecided

Reid Grier

Marketing

Truman Griffith

Finance

Anna Guest

Biology

Avery Gullach-Ruiz

Aviation

Nathalie Gutierrez

Biology

Banner Hall

Psychology

Gus Hawkins

Civil Engineering

Ava Jones

No Major Given

Cade Jonscher

No Major Given

Dylan Judd No Response

Kendall Lien

Psychology and Political Science

Evan Mack

Mechanical Engineering

Kate Marten

Human Development and Family Science

Sydney McGlasson

Criminology

Augusta Miller

Music Education

Claire Moberly

Elementary Education

Olivia Moore

Accounting

Natalie Moreland

No Major Given

Marc Muntzek

Marketing

Blake Neis

No Major Given

Keira Patty

Fisheries, Wildlife, Conservation and Environmental Biology

Kambry Rader

Architectural Design

Broden Resch

No Major Given

Mia Reese

No Major Given

Reagan Roberts

Kinesiology

Anna Roche

Elementary Education

Lucy Roy

Elementary Education

Sebastian Smith No Major Given

Owen Smouse

Engineering

Evangelina Snyder

No Major Given

Renée Steinle

Kinesiology

Sophia Steinmetz

Accounting

Brett Stockwell

Computer Science

Emily Stove

Architecture

Aiden Stroebel

Business

Sully Suderman

Mechanical Engineering

Elly VanRheen

Microbiology

Kynley Verdict

Sales and Marketing

Ellie Walker

Business Finance

Abigail Warren

Criminology

KANSAS STATE UNIVERSITY

Liam Watson

Veterinarian Medicine

Brooklyn Welton

No Major Given

Bryant Wiltse

Accounting

Abby Wolff

Marketing

Kathryn Yockey

Biology

Noah Zade

Mechanical Engineering

MCPHERSON COLLEGE

Luke Wood

Automotive Restoration

Technology

PITTSBURG STATE UNIVERSITY

Christy Atkinson

Accounting

Taylor Hey

Psychology

Jamie Lutz

No Major Given

Emma Rathbun

Elementary Education

Maggie Reigle

Criminology

Elizabeth Summa

Criminal Justice and Criminology

UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS

Meron Abebe

Behavioral Neuroscience

Caroline Alley

Vocal Performance

Nathan Anderson

Linguistics

Peyton Aucoin

Atmospheric Science

Wylie Barnes

Business

Allister Calkins

No Major Given

Aileen Chen

Human Biology

Austin Cline

No Major Given

Sarah Coleman

Music Education

Lanie DeWitte

Biology/Pre-Dental

Bridgit Duffin

Chemical Engineering

Ella Edwards

Psychology

Grant Feuerborn

No Major Given

Keira Franken

Health Science

Jack Fulcher

Computer Science

Isaac Funes

Mechanical Engineering

Kenzie Gorr

Business Administration

Gage Graham

Kinesiology

Kate Haney

Business Administration

Georgia Hansen

Chemical

Kai Hayes

Engineering

Ecology, Evolution and Organismal

Biology

Gwen Heideman

Psychology

Aleena Ismail

No Major Given

Gavin Johnson

Business

Leah Johnson

Computer Science

Jack Kellogg

Chemical Engineering

Brittany Knickerbocker

Social Work

Colson Knight

No Major Given

Andrew Kouris

Finance

Camryn Kunik

No Major Given

Ben Lamothe

Business Management

AJ Lauer

Mechanical Engineering

Jackson Lawler

Business

Emma Lehn

No Major Given

Austin Leiker

Mechanical Engineering

Cooper Line

Pre-Pharmacy

Ian Marr

Undecided

Brady Mason

Pre-Med

Ryleigh McCall

Marketing

Alexavier Middleton

No Major Given

Molly Morgan

Nursing

Aidan Morton

Business Management

Jacob Morton

No Major Given

Maddy Olivier

Biochemistry on Pre-Med track

Kate Pfiester

Business

Luke Pittenger

Business

Samuel Pittenger

No Response

Rachel Reynolds

Elementary Education

Kaelyn Russell

No Major Given

Paige Schooley

No Major Given

Lucas Serrano

No Major Given

Mackenzie Simpson

Marketing

Isabella Skramstad

Psychology

Drew Snyder

No

Major Given

Chaley Spauding

No Major Given

Annaliese Strack

Business

Arpit Toor

No Major Given

Aubrey Wescott

Marketing

UNIVERSITY OF SAINT MARY

Brooklyn LaFon

Biomedical Sciences

Jenna Tuttle

Criminal Psychology

WICHITA STATE UNIVERSITY

Addison Bailey

Business Administration

Carys Kristensen

No Major Given

Xaviana Reece

Graphic Design

KENTUCKY

UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY

Bryn Simpson

Psychology and Pre-Med MASSACHUSETTS

BOSTON UNIVERSITY

Emma Clement

Education and Human Development

NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY

Sophia Estes

Journalism and English

MICHIGAN

MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY

Brandon Munson

No Major Given

WAYNE STATE UNIVERSITY

Logan Holdren

Conservation Biology

MINNESOTA

UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA

Trinity Baker Kinesiology

MISSOURI

DRURY UNIVERSITY

Porter Slattery

No Major Given MARYVILLE UNIVERSITY

Makai Nzioki

No Major Given

MISSOURI STATE UNIVERSITY

Athena Solomon

Theatre

MISSOURI WESTERN STATE UNIVERSITY

Cooper Schreiber

No Major Given

NORTHWEST MISSOURI

STATE UNIVERSITY

Brooke Bellehumeur

Psychology

Keira Bret

No Major Given

Julia Coacher

Undecided

PARK UNIVERSITY

AJ Vega

Business Management

SOUTHWEST BAPTIST

UNIVERSITY

Sam Mullen

Sports Psychology

UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL

MISSOURI

Makenna Payne

Exercise Science/Kinesiology

Kate Ricker

No Major Given

UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI KANSAS CITY

Chloe Clayton Dentistry

Chetanjit Parmar

No Major Given

Ellee Wheelock

Early Childhood Education

UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI

Danika Dulitz

Pre Nursing

Ella Hansen

Media Studies

Kally Silvey

Nursing

WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY IN ST. LOUIS

Saad Fraitekh

Biochemical Engineering for Pre-Dental

WILLIAM JEWELL COLLEGE

Waylon Schenk

Biochemistry on Pre-Med track

Aubri Swanson

Nursing

WILLIAM WOODS

UNIVERSITY

Jacob Evans

Business

NEBRASKA

UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA

Colin McAlister

No Major Given

UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA

LINCOLN

Will Lehan

Software Engineering

NORTH DAKOTA

UNIVERSITY OF NORTH

DAKOTA

Kenten Laughman

No Major Given

OKLAHOMA

OKLAHOMA STATE

UNIVERSITY

Madelyn Warmke No Major Given

ORAL ROBERTS

UNIVERSITY

Sophia Franco Psychology

UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA

Kyla Newton Accounting

PENNSYLVANIA

GANNON UNIVERSITY

Mason Kemp

Business Administration

TEMPLE UNIVERSITY

Grace Cormany

Neuroscience and Vocal Performance

TEXAS

UNIVERSITY OF NORTH TEXAS

Olivia Peters Psychology

UTAH

BRIGHAM YOUNG

UNIVERSITY

Tenley Moss

Bio-Engineering

UTAH TECH UNIVERSITY

Dallin Wallace Undecided

WASHINGTON

GONZAGA UNIVERSITY

Lucas Longhofer

Pre-dental

WORKFORCE

Hayden Albertson

Oregon Tradesmen Hockey

Caden Allen

HVAC

Nicholas Billinger

Filmmaking

Greyson Bruce

Auto

Nathaniel Carter

Marketing

Denver Coulter

Family and Consumer Services

Nicholas Harris

No Field Given

Alannah Hart

No Field Given

Joseph Hoelting

Landscaping/Construction

Jaxson Horn

Welding

Shai Kalthoff

Graphic Design

Sam Oldham

Self Employment/ Entrepreneurship

Jackson Rose

No Field Given

TRADE SCHOOL/ CERTIFICATE PROGRAM

Hayden Baird

HVAC

Ava Bilyeu

Entourage Institute of Beauty and Cosmetics

Carley Broyles

Cosmetology

Samuel Colletti

Welding

Emma Hicks

Cosmetology

Maddie Hopkins

Court Reporting

Olivia Huston

Cosmetology

Lily Jensen

Culinary

Haley Johnson

Missouri Institute of Taxidermy

Braedan McCaslin

Missouri Welding Institute

Faith Parker

Cosmetology

Maxim Roh

Welding/Automotive

Emily Summa

Paul Mitchell Esthetics

Addisyn White

The Skn Academy

MILITARY

Maddox Casella

Air Force

Brodie Connor Army

Kyan Carroll

No Branch Given

Ebrima Sabally

Marine Corps

THE BRIDGE

Gus Gosch

UNDECIDED/ GAP YEAR

Milo Allen

Ayed Abuhamda

Andre Arnold

Quentin Enslinger

Aiden Ferguson

Ava Fleetwood

Logan Mothersbaugh

Gabriella Nielsen

Alex Skeels

Josiah Walmsley

SENIOR SUPERLATIVES

MOST LIKELY TO BE PRESIDENT

MERON ABEBE

“I’m happy that my fellow peers voted for me, I did the math and I would actually be running for presidency in 2044 so I really can count on my fellow students’ votes. Vote for

WALT MIDYETT

“It’s definitely an honor. I appreciate the respect I got for my senior class and maybe one day I will be president. I hope you guys vote for me.”

MOST LIKELY TO BE A PRO ATHLETE

Exploring past high school superlatives of staff members

TRUMAN GRIFFITH

“I feel very honored, it’s a pretty good feeling. If there’s any award I was going to win, I feel like it’d be this one. I appreciate everyone who voted for me.”

GUS HAWKINS

“I thought it was pretty cool to get voted. I think it’s because I’m going to go play D1 football. I had a pretty good senior season and I’m excited to see where I stack up with the other guys [on the team].”

SUPERLATIVES

The senior class voted to on which student best aligned with each superlative

MOST LIKELY TO BE ON SNL

by madelyn writer/photographermulryan

by anna zwahlen editor in chief

by ian chern copy editor

RILEY MARTIN

“It’s very validating to win because [comedy] is the career path I want to go into so to know that people thought that of me is cool. People probably voted for me because I’ve talked about wanting to go into comedy, and I also hope I’m funny.”

NATE GARNER

“I’m glad people think I’m funny. Sometimes I’m worried that people think that I’m stupid actually, but it’s cool to know that people think I’m funny. I’m probably not the funniest, but I’m the loudest. When people think of goofy goobers, they think of me.”

MOST LIKELY TO BE AN INFLUENCER

EMILY SUMMA

“I think I got most likely to be influencer because of my TikToks. I love posting my school outfits.”

VIOLET HENTGES

“Being voted for this makes me feel like I need to be an influencer now. I vlog my entire life on my private story and the entire school is on it, so it makes sense that this is what I’d be voted for.”

MOST LIKELY TO MAKE SOMEONE’S DAY

MOST LIKELY TO DRESS THE BEST BRIDGIT DUFFIN

“It feels great to win. It feels like such a compliment. I try to walk around the halls with a smile on my face, so I hope that had something to do with [why I won].”

ETHAN BROWNFIELD

“Feels great to win, it’s awesome that most people think that [I make people’s day] and I’m very grateful to have this award. Maybe they voted for me [because they] think I’m nice, I’m happy they voted for me.”

KEIRA PATTY

“It’s exciting to see that other people appreciate my outfits, it was really cool to win [best dressed]. I think my style is unique, so it stands out when you walk down the hall and see it.”

SARAH COLEMAN

“I definitely have a pretty unique sense of fashion this year. I haven’t dressed as consistently as I used to, but when I do wear outfits that I actually put effort into I feel like they’re pretty different and people probably remember that.”

JOEY LAZOR

MATH TEACHER MOST ATHLETIC

JESSIE REIMER

CHOIR TEACHER BEST SINGER

MOST LIKELY TO END UP ON BROADWAY

“I was surprised since I really only started participating heavily in theater during my junior year, but I felt very honored. I’ve been the lead in a lot of shows recently, so people have seen me on stage a lot.”

CAROLINE ALLEY GRACE CORMANY

“I was really surprised at first but really excited to have that recognition. Being on stage and performing has always been my passion and having people perceive that is very nice. I’m very thankful to all my classmates.”

MOST LIKELY TO WIN A NOBEL PRIZE

”It feels good to win, I think I complained a lot about some of my harder classes, so then people think that I’m in hard classes and want me to win.”

SARAH ANDERSON GEORGIA HANSEN

“I think I won because I’m in a lot of STEM classes. And in those classes, I’m known for helping out my peers whenever they struggle, and I think the assumption is that I never struggle. But even if that’s not the case, I think that people believe that I’m smart and that I’m driven and that I’m hopefully going to make a difference one day.”

BUSINESS TEACHER MOST LIKELY TO NEVER LEAVE JOHNSON COUNTY

LASTING MEMORIES

JagWire seniors reflect on their high school experience and give advice for future students

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LEAVE YOUR COMFORT ZONE

by luke wood photo editor

The stereotypical “High School Musical” social classes are an outdated system that needlessly divides students. In my time at Mill Valley, I have had the opportunity to mingle with people of all backgrounds and interests. These experiences range from things like taking welding classes at CTEC, being on the sidelines with the football team every Friday and reaching out of my comfort zone to try things like enrolling in Drama or taking on a leadership position in the JagWire. Through these experiences, I have learned that most Mill Valley students are surprisingly similar. I

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have made connections with people in all of the classes I’ve been in and realized that most students could easily be friends without the restraints of old-fashioned social constructs.

Students need to realize that while high school is an important time to learn about who you are and who you do and do not work well with, it’s not the time to shut out those who don’t appear to be like you. While it seems farfetched, connections made in high school could last a lifetime, all you have to do is reach out and engage with the people around you. Ultimately, we are all teenagers learn- ing how to live life together.

REACH OUT, GET INVOLVED

by elizabeth summa writer/photographer

When you start high school you consistently hear “high School goes by fast, take it in.” You never think it goes by fast until you have one month left. My advice to underclassmen would be to take every moment in. Go to sports events, get involved in school activities and join clubs. I wish I got involved in more activities at the school. Getting involved in the newspaper was incredibly beneficial. For me, it helped me get out of my comfort zone. When I joined my sophomore year, I did not want to reach out to anyone in person, I barely talked to anyone and I had no confidence in my work. Three

years later, I can comfortably say I can now talk to people without needing someone with me, I can talk to anyone in class without being scared and I can say that I have a lot of pride and confidence in my pictures.Another piece of advice I would give to underclassmen would be stop caring what other people think of you. I can assure you the majority of the people here do not care what you do. Go out, have fun with your friends and don’t worry about people’s opinions. Do what makes you happy, not what other people want you to do. At the end of the day, it’s your life and you deserve to be happy.

There is a delicate balance between challenging yourself and overworking yourself, and it’s not always easy to spot the difference until too late. In my freshman and sophomore years, I joined debate deliberately in order to challenge myself. I knew it would be hard and it was, but I grew a lot as a speaker, a researcher, and a friend. Still, debate is an incredibly intensive activity, and I found it taking over almost all my free time. My life was out of balance.

I quit debate going into my junior year, and I’ve been working to find a healthy balance since. Making time for activities, homework, work, friends, and sleep can feel like juggling a million things

FIND BALANCE

by olivia writer/photographerpeters

if you don’t have a solid plan. Intentionally prioritizing my to-dos, setting firm boundaries with myself and others, and saying no to things I don’t have time for made it possible. I still work to challenge myself, but I understand the difference between challenge and overwork. I’ve also allowed myself to let go of things that don’t serve me any more. It can be stressful to drop something you’ve already poured time into, but it is such a relief to stop wasting your energy on something you don’t like. If I could give any advice to my younger self, it would be to give myself more grace as I was figuring my balance out. It’s not shame- ful to be overwhelmed, but it is a sign to reflect. Finding balance is a process. Be kind to yourself.

LET YOURSELF LIVE

by emma clement editor in chief

Beginning early on in my childhood, I had a plan for my life. At first it was to become an astronaut, then to attend an Ivy League college, then run for president; the list went on and on. My ambition motivated me through my pre-teen years and even when my specific plans fell away, I continued through high school with the same vigor. However, now that I’m approaching graduation I’ve come to the realization that I never really took the time to experience high school. Throughout middle and high school, I threw myself into clubs and activities; so much so that I had very little time to just relax. I don’t regret getting involved in extracurriculars: I have enjoyed every single thing I’ve been involved

in, but it was too much.

Having time to spend with friends and family, read a book or just exist were rare occurrences for me in high school. I was happy with the things I did fill my time with, but I can’t lie, it was exhausting at times.

If I had one recommendation for incoming freshmen, it would still be to get involved, but with caution. Joining everything can be incredibly fulfilling, but it often leads to more stress than it’s worth.

Getting involved in the activities that are truly an interest is so worth it, but so is having the time to take a breath and relax. If I could go back and do it all again, I would tell myself to save time to just live life.

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IT’S OKAY TO LEARN

by jules shumaker editor in chief

There was a time between freshman and sophomore year when I stopped filling up my sketchbooks. I could not stand to fill it with things that were not high quality or a finished product. Failure seemed inevitable, so I thought, “why not cut it off at the source?”

It seemed like a good idea at the time, but I soon found myself falling behind in my artistic skills, missing the quick messy doodles, the fun of trusting the process and getting an original product. Watching YouTube videos of sketchbook tours made me jealous, but I realized the only thing holding me back from creating the same thing was my fear of messing up. I wanted to be better at art, and the only way to do that was to continue

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by anna zwahlen editor in chief

When you’re in high school, it feels like every decision could be the most important one of your life. Who your friends are, what classes you take and what colleges you get into seem to be make or break decisions. One wrong choice could ruin your life for the foreseeable future. But if I’ve learned anything this year, it’s that most of the decisions you make in high school aren’t that serious. It often seems like we need to have every step of our lives planned out from the time we walk through the front doors of the school to when we stand on that stage to receive our diplomas, but that simply isn’t the case. For most of high school, we don’t even know who we are, much less who we want to be for the next sixty years.

failing; which now I understand is just as natural a part of the process as art itself.

It will be rough at the beginning, but you’ll learn to love seeing yourself progress and enjoy the journey in bad art. This year I am in AP Art, and even though the main hope for the end of the class is 10 finished, perfect pieces, I have learned through trial and error that this is not attainable, but that is okay. For the first time in my life, I have completed my very own sketchbook, mistakes and all. It took a while but it paid off. Although I am focused on speaking about art, this mentality should apply to all areas of life. Practice really does make perfect, or at least, better work, and failure should not be the end.

EXPLORE IN HIGH SCHOOL

As we leave high school, we start to figure out who we are. That means exploring new places and interests. With that exploration, what we want to do with our life is going to change drastically. I’ve gone from wanting to study culture, to linguistics, to engineering in just three years. If sophomore me had it her way, I would’ve left everything I know behind to study a niche that pays poorly. She had no idea how complicated life would get. She stubbornly refused to believe that her interests might change in a few years. I wouldn’t trust that sixteen year old to plan out my entire life, so why was she expected to? There’s a lot that’s going to change in the next five years, so expecting yourself to calculate every single decision is just setting yourself up for failure. design by hailey

UNFORGETTABLE MEMORIES

by evan writer/photographerleroy

Local elementary teachers and the class of 2024 reminisce on their past memories together

JENNIFER DONOVAN & SULLY SUDERMAN

CLEAR CREEK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Senior Sully Suderman at- tended elementary school at Clear Creek Elementary and has very fond memories of his music teacher Jennifer Donovan.

“She was always really nice. [Her class] was always a lot of fun,” Suderman said. “One of my biggest memories [from Clear Creek] is the [music] programs that you do each year as a class. Those were my favorite, I really liked doing them.”

Donovan recalls what casting Suderman in the programs was like and how attentive he was in class.

“Their fourth-grade musical

CRISTI SMITH & KENZIE GORR

PRAIRIE RIDGE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Senior Mackenzie Gorr attended Prairie Ridge Elementary School and had a positive experience going there. One of the teachers she has good memories with is 2nd grade teacher Cristi Smith.

“She definitely had a positive impact on me”, Gorr said. “I think elementary school is such an important learning period and you learn who you are as a student. It was nice to have all their support throughout the early years because it definitely helped me be confident in my academics now.”

“The Gorrs are both two of my favorites [students] of all time. I had both of them and it’s good to see them and visit [with them] I think they have really fond memo- ries of me as well,” Smith said.

Smith has enjoyed watching Gorr grow up throughout the years and loves to see her students grow and evolve.

“McKenzie Gorr is one student I have a lot of fond memories of and I’ve kept up with her family because it’s nice to see them grow and change. she’s still just the lovely little girl she was and she want- ed to be a teacher,” Smith said.

was the Wright Brothers musical and Walt Midyett and Sully Sud- erman were the Wright brothers in the musical,” Donovan said. “I pulled Walt and Sully aside and said, ‘Would you be willing to be the Wright brothers?’ And they of course obliged me because they’re great kids.”

Donovan hopes students have great memories of her class.

“[Students] need to learn music. We have content and we have standards,” Donovan said. “But what I want kids to remember is the feeling they got from my classroom, a safe place and a place that’s for everybody.”

photos by luke wood

GETTING CLASSY

Exploring bonds forged between seniors and their teachers throughout their classes by maddie writer/photographermartin

ABBY SOMMERFELD

“I was never a fan of the science part of [his Physics class], but the way he taught it and the way he allowed you a lot of freedom with projects was what I really liked about it. As a teacher, he is so chill about everything. We were supposed to make posters of Galileo, but the poster I made of Galileo was so ridiculous that he let me make it and put it up on his wall.”

CHAD BROWN

“I think the main thing [I do is] provide a safe space for her, encourage the abilities she has and not discourage her because science is not her thing. I wanted to encourage her to be involved and she ended up joining the Science Olympiad team.”

CHLOE CLAYTON

“In my Advanced Ceramics class junior year, it was [Matyak] and five other seniors. It was just the best class, where she would talk to you and tell stories. I think that entire time I was just invested in her.”

ERICA MATYAK

“My favorite memory is the collective memory of the banter that we’ve had because she’s a student that I can say anything to and she’s not going to be offended, and we can tease each other and joke around.”

CHOIR

BLAKE POWERS

“She’s taught me how to prioritize my time and [how] to figure out what I should be focusing on most.”

JESSIE REIMER

“Once he finally joined choir, his junior year, he’s been super active. He has the type of personality that is very outgoing, so it’s really easy to get to know him. [Because of this he] immediately became a leader in chorale last year.”

THINGS WORTH CELEBRATING

Shining

a

spotlight on the

accomplishments

and careers of the senior class

“Photo Imaging with B Lloyd, he showed me how to use a camera and was overall a very fun class, and now it is going to be my main motivation for my major in college”

“Being a chair for Relay for Life because I was able to be a part of an event that makes an impact on people who are fighting for their life”

“Senior Sunrise”

“It’s okay if you don’t make a team or get cut, don’t let it ruin your high school experience, there are other opportunities”

“My calculus 1 class junior year. The class was not fun but Mr. Rodkey made it fun everyday”

“Having a bunch of snow days”

“Completing a CDA, which is pretty much an associates degree”

“Senior prom with my best friends”

“Don’t go through highschool alone. It’s so much better once you find your people” information gathered by maddie martin

“Don’t take classes just because your friends are in them, take classes you think you will be interested in, and once you are in those classes determine if you enjoy the content and find what you really love doing” “Be kind to people, you don’t know how far kindness can go”

“Earning the silver seal of biliteracy for Spanish because I had to work very hard to get the score I needed”

“Sophomore year video productions. I had a great teacher and for the first time in my life I felt like I was truly meant to do something”

“Going to state for choir because I had always doubted my singing but after going twice back to back I felt like my singing might actually be good”

TRENT RICHARDSON

“It was the second open mic night, and when I got done playing my song, the owner came up to me, and said, “Hey, you sound really cool.” They ended up inviting me to come back and play for them. It was my first real gig, the start of my music [and] being paid for music.”

COOPER LINE

“I forgot to put [my tennis shoes] back in my bag when we headed out and so when I went out there, I had no shoes, so I had to play an entire JV tournament in a pair of HeyDudes and I somehow won it all. It was just surreal. It honestly felt awesome in the moment.”

Favorite Memories (specific seniors)

Favorite Memories From Senior Year Advice for incoming freshmen

Favorite Class Proudest Accomplishment

SCHOOLYARD STATS

60% qualified for state for a sport/ activity

The statistics behind the senior class from a survey of 121 people WHAT WAS

pick beefy nachos as their favorite school lunch

53% averaged 5-6 hours of sleep 79% dated during highschool

MACKENZIE SIMPSON

“I would say [blue bomb] was my favorite because all of my friends gathered there and it was like a last hurrah of high school. It was nice to see everyone having a good time and messing around with whatever they could find.”

IT’S ALL ADDING UP FAVORITE

attended a Homecoming dance

94% attended a prom dance

44% extroverted

56% introverted

JULIA COACHER

“[Winning State Soccer] is my favorite memory because it was something our team had worked so hard for. The year before that we got second place, so it was a comeback season for us. It was so memorable and such an amazing experience.”

photos by eva hernandez

2021 2022 2023 2024

An excavator sits parked in front of the new softball press box and

was

to remove dirt in order to level the field so the future

be

down December

Holding their trophy overhead, the boys soccer team celebrates winning the state championship title Saturday, Nov. 5 2023 against Olathe West’s. photo by

PATH TO THE END

Key events that define the class of 2024’s experience throughout high school

Sitting on the MTMS gym floor, groups of students wait for updates from the school about the fire alarms March 7 2024. photo by emma clement

Students walk through the halls wearing COVID-19 masks Oct. 18, 2021. photo by evan sherman

bleachers. The excavator

used

turf can

laid

2021. photo by luke wood

Juniors Ellie Walker, Maddie Angell, Kaitlyn Burke and Abby Wolff huddled around junior Lucy Roy to take a picture at Pink Out night Friday, Sept. 30 2022. Keria Patty photo by keira patty

Down on one knee, Mr. Bingley, played by junior Blake Powers, proposes to Jane Bennett played by senior Grace Cormany during the Pride and Prejudice play April 2023 photo by ally sul

lauren aycock

The football team celebrates their state win while head coach Joel Applebee holds up the 5A championship trophy. The team beat Kapaun 62-37 to win their fifth consecutive state title Saturday, Nov. 25 2023. photo by luke wood