April Issue of The North Star by The North Star Newspaper

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Volume 31 | Issue 6 | April 2017 | bvnnews.com

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North Time in Review

How to use:

Aurasma

1| Download the Aurasma app to your phone

(Shoe)per Star

3| Look for the photo with this symbol (Located on page 18) 4| Click the purple square and scan the photo and watch a short clip from Studio 424. square and scan 4| Click the purple the photo and watch a short clip A Midwestern Renaissance (Part III) from Studio 424.

3| Look for the photo with this symbol (Located on page 18)

The Hand(s) that Feed You

3| Look for the photo with this symbol (Located on page 18) 4| Click the purple square and scan the photo and watch a short clip from Studio 424.

Pursuing Peace

The Year in Review

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Announcing our Spring menu Lineup

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4 / The North Star / April 2017

NORTH

TIME IN REVIEW

(Top Left) Students eat lunch in the lunch room. (Top Right) Junior Wonbin Park studies in the hallway. (Bottom Right) Senior Audrey Brooker completes homework during North Time. (Bottom Left) The Hot Spot is available for students to quickly grab food.

Data 69 students responded to the question “How has North Time helped you?”

78%

Spend more time with friends

74%

Have reduced homework load

54%

Have relieved stress

50%

Receive help from teachers

17%

Are more organized

Have not been helped

April 2017 / The North Star / 5

Students and staff share the benefits, fallbacks and potential solutions to problems found in North Time.

thought there would be some people who still try to leave the school, not pick up their stuff, trash the place [and] not use it to get help from teachers,” McMahon said. Although there continues to be issues with students leaving the school without permission, the faculty has been taking steps to control the situation during North Time. “We have a lot of eyes on that,” Ostroski said. “Fact of the matter is, it’s a very large school with lots of different doors. We’re always going to have things that we’re going to By Connor Clary have to deal with in terms of students leaving throughout the day, not just North Time. But we’ve been pretty diligent in pursuing people As the bell rings to dismiss students from who are leaving the building.” fourth hour, it no longer signals a passing There have also been issues with crowd period but the beginning of an hour-long free control. Most recently, students were informed period called ‘North Time’. It was designed to that freshmen were no longer allowed to gather allow students to study, eat lunch, socialize and in the freshman locker area. This decision was meet with teachers in clubs. made to encourage the freshmen to be Students are given the opportunity more productive and to keep the to shape the hour to meet their area less congested. individual needs, and some No “We found that some of develop their own habits and 13% our freshmen were not using personalized schedules. the time as effectively as we “Usually, I just eat lunch Is North Time would hope that they would, the first half and then work a success? and that the freshman on any homework that I have locker area was being a the second half,” sophomore disruption to the overall Mickey McMahon said. “The Yes process of North Time,” time that I have the second 87% Ostroski said. “We made half really helps me out with the decision to have them not math and stuff like that.” 68 students respond congregate in that area. It’s kind Parents of students have also of just thinned out that big group, expressed that they believe North encouraging them to use that time effectively.” Time has been beneficial for students. With the sheer number of students filling “A big positive is that our parents have the halls, some have expressed concerns about really been supportive of this as well,” Assistant seating. There are limited tables and chairs in Principal Tyson Ostroski said. “It eliminates a the school, and many students end up sitting lot of excuses for students who say they can’t meet with a teacher due to practice or before or on the ground in the locker areas and hallways. “It’s uncomfortable to sit on the ground,” after school. You have five hours every week to junior Liam McConnell said. “I think the best get some things done.” option would be to supply seating to people.” Teachers have approached North Time in In spite of these issues, Ostroski said that a variety of ways. Laura Frost, the ceramics North Time has largely been a success, with teacher, opens her room to her students for most students using the time as intended. both classwork and for experimentation. “A vast majority of our students have used “North Time is a chance for different it positively,” Ostroski said. “It’s taken a while, things,” Frost said. “If [students are] behind on but people are finding out what this can do for an artwork, they can come in and work on it. them.” If they just need to glaze something and they Ostroski said that North Time is expected haven’t had time because we’re building, they to be continued in the next school year. can come in and use that time to just glaze, so they don’t have to do it during class. I’ve had several kids come in because they wanted to try something that’s not on the curriculum.” Despite the benefits that have come from North Time, there have been some concerns. “I expected most people to use it well, but I

6 / The North Star / April 2017

New Contact: Happiness i Helpful tips for students on how to live a happy, healthy life.

opinion column by Lauren Graham

STAY FIT This is not to say that students should run a marathon every weekend; however, physical health is GET AT LEAST EIGHT HOURS OF SLEEP important for the mind and body. It can be hard for students Not getting enough sleep the night before can lead with homework, tests and work to be able to get enough exercise. to an unproductive and yawn-filled day. When you get at Nevertheless, walking to the park, going to the gym or even least eight hours of sleep, getting out of bed in the morning jogging for 15 minutes is enough to get the blood pumping, as is not as hard as it would be if you only slept for three well as a healthy mind and body. “In the fall, I have more athletic hours. A good night’s sleep leads to a productive day full of stuff since I have marching band every single day, and I go on energy and smiles. “On my phone you can set a bedtime, walks occasionally and sometimes I do workouts on my own,” and then I have my alarm the same time every day,” junior Anna Hudson said. “Staying fit has really reduced my sophomore Lauren Cassaday said. stress during the school year too.”

STAY OFF THE PHONE Don’t act like it doesn’t happen, because it happens to everyone: the phone addiction is real. Some students spend too much time on their phones at night when they should be sleeping, or when they are supposed to be studying for a huge test. There is really no explanation for it, just stay off the phone. “Before bed, I turn the ringer and vibration off and the brightness down, so I don’t get any notifications,” Cassaday said.

DO NOT PROCRASTINATE

Most, if not all, students have procrastinated at some point during the school year. Whether it was putting off an essay until 10 p.m., or deciding to hang out with a friend the night before a big test, it happens. Procrastinating only leads to a stressful night ahead, not enough sleep, and being sleep deprived the next day. By not procrastinating, most students can get their homework done sooner and be better prepared for the day ahead. “I don’t procrastinate [on] my homework,” Hudson said. “I used to [procrastinate] a bunch freshman year, but then I learned that I just need to get home and get it done before any of my activities.”

EAT FRUITS AND VEGGIES Sure, eating 10 cookies and two packages of candy on Sunday night might seem like a good idea, but the next day will feel completely different. Sweets and junk food will not only upset the stomach, it also creates blemishes and breakouts, causing stress. By eating fruits and vegetables, students can feel good by eating well and come to school feeling healthy and refreshed. “We don’t really have a lot of junk food at my house, and my mom makes really healthy meals for me, so I’m blessed to have a mom that makes me meals every night, and I try not to snack so much,” Cassaday said.

DO NOT STRESS OUT Stress is hard, but in reality, it is a simple instance of mind over matter. Sometimes, students can get so caught up in the moment, in the drama and in the negatives of life that they cannot take the time to step back and breathe. Whether it’s drama among friends, something happening at home or a test being harder than expected, there is no point in stressing out over what doesn’t matter or what is going to be different in the future. “You have to look at the bigger picture in my opinion, and I have a positive and open attitude pretty much about every single thing. If I’m upset, I’m not upset for a long period at all and I get over it pretty quickly,” Hudson said.

Text message by Alfredoh.com/icons

April 2017 / The North Star / 7

(SHOE)PER STARS

Antoine McAbee

A look at the different shoe trends at BVN

What do you look for in shoes? I look for shoes that will last, shoes that are a little different than what everyone else is wearing. When did you start having an interest in shoes? I had an interest in shoes when I began upping my wardrobe around seventh grade, just because I like to be different than everyone else. What is your go to shoe? Chukka Boots. I’m a boot guy, they pretty much go with everything and you can’t really go wrong with them. They have a retro look to them as well. They are that mix [between comfortable and fashionable]. Once you really get into them they mold to your foot because of the leather. They’re really fashionable, you can wear them with anything and they can still look pretty classy. What is your inspiration? I try to look at what other people are wearing, not necessarily modern, but people who are doing stuff that are somewhat modern, things that are more retro as well because those stay in style for the most part.

Junior

Grant Harvey Senior

Haoyun Wang Freshman

What do you look for in a shoe? Wearability is definitely a big thing. Then style, if it is appealing, and color is also a thing to consider because some shoes have some really interesting colors. What is your go to shoe? My red Nike Flyknit Racers. They have really good structure. What inspires your footwear style? Definitely a lot of celebrities—Kanye of course, A$AP Rocky is also a big inspiration for a lot of fashion and clothes in general. There’s a lot of different things you can look at, just seeing how different people pair shoes with clothes and what they think of shoes. There’s a lot of people online, too, in different forums and communities—that’s definitely sparked my interest because it shows that people can do their own thing; it doesn’t have to be big celebrities. Where do you find your inspiration? I go to online forums…[which is] a community of people that are really into shoes and it’s people talking about what they have, so you can see all of the different kinds of shoes you normally wouldn’t at stores. You can add it to [a list of] shoes that you want and look for new releases and stuff like that. People can share tips or tricks for how to get to a specific [website—it’s just a way to get shoes easier. What do you look for in a shoe? I would look for some brand that I like first. I like Nike, Vans and Puma. I like some dark colors, along with sport shoes. [My main style is] classic with a little bit of sports style. I look for both [fashionable and comfortable shoes] but I think I look for fashionable more. What is your go-to shoe? My Puma Fenty’s. How many pairs of shoes do you own? About 25 pairs, [I usually wear] 12 of them. I would wear the rest in some special situation like a performance day or a party. How do you shop for your shoes? I would go to the stores; I don’t online shop, I would just drive to the store and get them. [I don’t buy online shoes] because the shipping is very expensive. I go to Lady Foot Locker, or sometimes I just go to the store of the brand.

Martha Tryban Junior

Why do you draw on your shoes? [I drew on my shoes] mostly out of boredom in school, I do doodle on paper and stuff, but with paper you end up losing it or throwing it away, but with these [shoes] I can just continue drawing the same drawing and ideas on them. I focus better when I’m moving my hand and drawing something so that helped a lot with that. Where do you find the inspiration for your drawings? Sometimes I see designs on Pintrest that I try to do.

by Amanda Mok

100

THE FIRST 8 / The North Star / April 2017

Sworn in as President | Signs Executive Order to “ease the burden” of the Affordable Care Act | Inaugural Ball | | Visits the CIA | Signs a directive for US to reverse support for a trade deal | Signs order to quicken building of Keystone Pipeline and other energy projects | Visits Department of Homeland Security | Takes first ride on Air Force One | Signs executive order to hold off refugee program, ban immigrants from seven Muslim countries, look into more vetting efforts | Fires acting attorney general | Announces Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch | Spends time at Mar-a-Lago | Visits school in Florida | Announces new national security adviser | Revises travel ban | Orders missile strike on Syria | Endorses U.S. military use of “Mother-Of-All-Bombs” on ISIS

An inside look at the beginning of Trump’s Presidency As President Donald Trump’s first 100 days come to a close, the media, citizens of the United States and foreign countries have all shared their views on his efforts so far. The first 100 days are often crucial in the eyes of the public and can define the president for the rest of their term. Trump’s first 100 days have not taken the traditional pathway that most presidents’ have taken in the past. “I think that he sees our country more as a business and wants to perfect our country as if it is an industry or enterprise. This probably explains why he chose the EPA agent he chose as well as the new secretary of education,” AP U.S. History teacher Jason Smajda said . After being inaugurated, Trump took on the task of nominating a Supreme Court justice to fill the late Justice Scalia’s seat on the court. He nominated Neil Gorsuch, a conservative judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the

Tenth Circuit. After more than 400 days of a vacancy on the Supreme Court, Gorsuch was confirmed by the Senate (with a bipartisan vote). In Trump’s presidential campaign he set various goals such as building a wall on the United StatesMexico border, temporarily banning muslims from the country, keeping more jobs within the United States, repealing Obamacare, and renegotiating the Iran deal. Thus far, he has reached some of his goals, and he is promising to achieve his other goals as his presidency progresses. Trump has had a difficult time achieving some of his goals in his first 100 days. Due to a lack of support from the Democratic party, Trump has used

“The United States should not be the only country that should be funding NATO.” -Susie Whitfield, English teacher

DAYS by Sri Veerisetti

34 executive orders to pass legislation. Recently Trump tried to repeal and replace Obamacare legislation and implement a new Republican health care legislation, but his lack of Democratic supporters and support within his own party inevitably led to not getting enough votes for any change. “He was not able to gain support within his own party and that is critical. The fact that he can’t work across the aisle and form relations with the Democrats is a huge problem,” English teacher Susan Whitfield said.

Foreign Relations

In terms of how to approach various foreign problems, Trump has taken a hardline stance against other countries. For example, Trump’s demand for more funding from other nations in the NATO organization could be beneficial for our economy due to the fact that the United States would not be the sole contributor to the funding of NATO. “The United States should not be the only country that should be funding NATO when so many nations are benefitting from our financial support,” Whitfield said. On the other hand, Trump has negated

April 2017 / The North Star / 9

the START initiative, which caps the nuclear weapons the United States and Russia can have. This has raised security concerns from citizens across the United States because of Russia’s rapid nuclear proliferation, which some say may lead to another war. “If there is one thing that terrifies me the most right now it is the nuclear arms race that seems to be happening and I struggle with the thought of getting in an arms race with Russia because they are on a whole new level,” English teacher Cynthia Younger said. Most recently, Trump issued a missile attack on a Syrian airbase, following reports that Syrian president Bashar al-Assad ordered a deadly chemical attack on Syrian civilians. While Americans had mixed reactions, the strike warranted disapproval from Iran and Russia, allies of Syria, who warned in a joint statement that further aggression toward the Syrian government would be met with “force.”

Climate Change

“If there is one thing that terrifies me the most right now, it is the nuclear arms race.” -Cynthia Younger, English teacher

Recently, Trump appointed Scott Pruitt as the head of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Some have criticized this appointment because Pruitt himself said that he doesn’t believe in climate change.

Trump has prioritized the economy and business ahead of climate change. Recently, Trump passed an order that reverses the Clean Power Plan, which had required states to regulate power plants. In addition, the XL pipeline was given an affirmative stance by Trump and Congress as whole. The legislation creates a long pipeline between the border of Canada to southern United States. The pipeline is predicted to increase oil efficiency within the country, but the risk of oil spills and oil disasters pose a threat to biodiversity. The immediate impact of Trump’s stance on climate change has led to a coalition of 17 states filing a legal challenge against the Trump administration. The recent legal challenge that was led by New York argued that the Trump administration has an ethical and legal obligation to regulate the overall emissions and oil leaks that many believe have caused climate change.

Immigration

Trump has placed a heavy emphasis on the United States’ southern border with Mexico. Recently, he made a visit to the border to evaluate his options for a possible wall in the coming years. Trump has made said that the wall would end up costing $8 billion to $12 billion and will rise 40 to 50 feet, or higher. He’s said the wall doesn’t need to run the nearly 2,000 miles of the border because of the natural barriers that surround the United States. Recently, Trump attempted to pass an immigration ban on six countries by using his executive legislative power, but was later shut down by the judicial courts due to the first amendment constitutional violation that the executive order posed. Trump claims to have passed this travel ban because the countries Iran, Libya, Syria, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen all pose a threat to the citizens of the United States.

Key Dates Thus Far January 27, 2017 - Trump signs an exectuve order halting all refugees for 120 days. February 28, 2017 - Trump nominates Neil Gorsuch to fill in the position for the latest Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia March 4, 2017 - Trump alleges on Twitter of Barrack Obama witretapping his phones at the Trump Tower prior to the 2016 election. March 16, 2017 - Trump administration releases a budget blueprint that increases military fuding and decreases the budget for the State Department, EPA, and Department of Agriculture photo from whitehouse.gov

10 / The North Star / April 2017

A MIDWESTERN RENAISSANCE p a r t iii

nion station, built in 1914, was once considered the ‘gem’ of Kansas City. Hundreds of thousands of travelers would pass through its terminals, making their way across the country on the rail lines. However, this historical station was left to crumble as airplanes surpassed trains for means of travel and was officially closed in the 1980s. Its rail lines no longer

acted as a port for the middle of the country and the industries alongside them relocated, leaving empty warehouses and buildings. In the past 20 years, these vacated lots have been a playground for developers. Art galleries, shops, restaurants, and lofts blend with the historic architecture to create a newly defined district — the Crossroads District.

Now anchored by Kansas City’s newest architectural marvel, the Kauffman Center, as well as multiple theaters, festivals, and early developments of Google Fiber — the crossroads district exemplifies the regrowth of Kansas City. Highlighting its past through preservation while creating a new identity through art, the area has much to offer Kansas Citians. This is the Midwestern Renaissance.

c r o ss r o a d s

t was the first Friday of April, and there were no parking spots in sight. Streets were mobbed with people exploring the vendors, waiting for an empty table at a restaurant, or traveling through each art gallery. Each corner had a different style of music playing from speakers, somehow overreaching the conversation of the crowds. “It’s really artistic, and there is always something going on,” sophomore Sophie Slusher said. “It usually puts me in a good mood to be in such a cool place.”

Slusher, along with thousands of other visitors, attends the First Friday’s event at the beginning of each month. On this day, galleries, businesses and entertainment venues open their doors for people to view live music and art. “The event first came about in the mid 1990s as many of the artists and gallery owners came together to create an event that would draw people to the community in transition,” president of the Crossroads Community Association, Jeff Owens, said. “At first, invitations were mailed,

but eventually the popularity of the event spread by word of mouth.” The event has gained so much popularity that an estimated 10,000 people visit the district each month. With this exposure, vendors and independent artists have the ability to stay in business for the remainder of the month “When I go down there, it puts me in a good mood because it’s a cool place to be,” Slusher said. “There are a lot of cool stores and different art.” The district has proven to be the

April 2017 / The North Star / 11 artistic backbone of Kansas City. Its creative foundation has proved beneficial for the culinary arts, multimedia companies, art galleries, as well as engineering and architectural firms. “The last 10-20 years has seen phenomenal growth in the Crossroads Arts District,” Owens said. “Twenty years ago the neighborhood was still in transition, transforming from an area of vacant, vulnerable buildings, crime, and deserted streets to one reclamation by artists, art galleries and a few adventurous individuals who had a vision of what the community could become.” Crossroads has also been a historical hotspot of the city. In the 1930s as the movie industry boomed, its need for a point of distribution led to the creation of the Film Row: a four square block area with more than 20 buildings designated to housing film. Some of the tenants occupying

those warehouses included MGM, 20th Century Fox, Warner Brothers, Paramount and United Artists. While the movie industry eventually abandoned its Midwestern location, the Crossroads District is considered to be the best preserved Film Row in the United States, with many of the historic buildings still intact today. “Amidst former abandoned warehouses and historic buildings on Kansas City’s famous Film Row, one now finds cutting edge entrepreneurial ventures, contemporary office spaces and modern event venues,” Owens said. Artists began taking advantage of these historic places in the 1980s, when the first art gallery, Leedy-Voulkos Gallery, opened. Today, regional and national artists alike fill the once empty warehouses with studios and galleries, and coat the brick walls outside with murals.

“It used to be super bad in this area,” an employee at the Crossroads store Raygun said. “But it’s gotten a lot better. It’s [been] built up from what it used to be.” Raygun, a clothing shop located on Baltimore Avenue, is one of the dozens of retail locations within the district. In the past 20 years, business and art have preserved the Crossroads’ charm and atmosphere. Of late, the addition of the streetcar has brought development along Main Street, while the east side of the district has seen recent change with more restaurants and creative industries. The Crossroads Community Association and businesses alike hope to keep the character of the district alive as it grows. “There’s so much to do here now,” the Raygun employee said. “It’s not just a plain city, it’s Kansas City — you can’t miss it.”

On the left: A storefront and cafe inside of the Crossroads District; Middle: The interior of the Raygun store along Baltimore Avenue; On the right: A jazz bland plays in front of a restaurant during a First Friday event. photos by Tara Kaplan.

12 / The North Star / April 2017

SLANG CAN With new slang words coming out of the media — such as Twitter, Snapchat and Instagram — the following North teachers were given a challenge: to define a slang word in their own words. Definitions are attributed to Refinery29’s article on popular 2017 slang words.

A term of endearment among female companions, especially for your most responsible friend.

MOM

Younger: Someone who follows all the rules Wills: Somebody who takes care of you or looks like a mom and dresses like a mom Dalton: A caring figure Baldwin: Nurturing

MÄM

SALTY SÔLTĒ

EXTRA EKSTRA

by Nicole Dolan

To be exceptionally bitter or agitated. This particular irritation typically stems from a past event that you still haven’t gotten over. Younger: That’s a person who is really bitter Wills: Obnoxious, angry and upset Riss: Annoyed or sassy about something Dalton: You’re angry Baldwin: You have an unpleasant disposition

Anyone or anything who isn’t necessary in a situation, or someone who you or your friends don’t know or like. Younger: Is it what you say before you take a picture? Wills: Above and beyond, more than what you would have normally Riss: It means you’re doing too much Dalton: You have too much energy and are in need of riddling Baldwin: Like an extra on a movie set

H A N G

April 2017 / The North Star / 13

Shaken up, flustered. Younger: The past tense of shaken, I feel like it’s when something really rattles you Wills: Flabbergasted, all messed up Dalton: Emotionally messed up and, like, emo Baldwin: Anxious or apprehensive

SHOOK

An informal way to address any male and can also be said with a slight inflection to signify an interest in said male. Younger: Is he like the creeper? Is he the person who tries to act cool when they’re not? Wills: Somebody who doesn’t do all those things that a mom does and is the one who likes to have fun and not worry about the consequences Dalton: You are more not responsible? Baldwin: The male parent

SHOOK

DAD DAD

Muscular, in good shape. Younger: Means you’re big and muscular Wills: Big and large Dalton: Swollen? You’re really worked up about something and hopefully not pregnant Baldwin: You’re really muscular

Indicates that a woman has a good amount of curves on her body. Younger: When she has the booty Wills: Somebody who is lame brain and doesn’t know anything Dalton: You’re stupid Baldwin: A woman is not really skinny but also not fat

SWOLE SWŌL

THICC THIK

14 / The North Star / April 2017

Allergies in Action Students share their struggles of having a food allergy by Anna Martin

fter frequently getting rashes, having breathing problems and becoming sick, junior Sami Skibell took a trip to the doctor to learn that she was allergic to gluten and dairy. “I found out I was allergic [to gluten and dairy] when I was 2, but I didn’t avoid it like I do now,” Skibell said. “I still ate that stuff and suffered the consequences.” According to the Food Allergy Research and Education organization, one in every 13 children under the age of 18 in the United States is affected by a food allergy. Researchers estimate up to 15 million Americans also have food allergies. What some may not

realize is the amount of food that contains eggs, peanuts, gluten or dairy, and how hard it is to avoid all of the foods containing one or more of these allergens. Avoiding the most common allergens, such as gluten or dairy, can be especially difficult when going out to eat or going to a friend’s house. “[Gluten and dairy] is in everything, and when going out to a restaurant you don’t know exactly what ingredients are being used, so it’s hard for the waiter to cater to your needs,” Skibell said. “When going to a friend’s house, parents don’t know either.” Skibell said she goes out to eat every once in awhile to

restaurants that serve gluten and dairy options. Sophomore Reece Melber found out he was allergic to milk, eggs and peanuts when he was a baby. “When eating out, I have to get whatever [food I want to eat] plain, without any of the sides, no butter, everything plain,” Melber said. If Melber or Skibell were to eat or drink something containing one of their allergens, depending on how much and what was consumed, the allergen could trigger a variety of effects such as upset stomach, headache or swelling in the throat which would cut off breathing and cause

April 2017 / The North Star / 15

suffocation. Melber and Skibell have to avoid food that comes in contact with each of their allergies. Since Melber can’t eat or drink anything containing eggs, peanuts or milk, he substitutes almond milk for milk, and he has a cookbook that contains recipes of foods he can eat. Even when making extra efforts to avoid his allergies, Melber has not always been successful. Once, when Melber was in kindergarten, he accidentally had cereal with the wrong milk. He was

rushed to the hospital, where he was helped. Melber’s allergies have changed over time and now he can eat some things he once couldn’t. It is possible to grow out of an allergy or become more immune to it. For example, he is slowly getting introduced to foods and drinks with less than one percent of milk. “My milk [allergy] has gotten a lot better. I still can’t have milk, but if I accidentally got some milk in [my food], I wouldn’t die,” Melber said. While it can be

Allergy

Intolerance

A food allergy is a reaction to protein in a food. The body’s immune system thinks the protein is harmful and tries to protect the body.

An intolerance means there is difficulty digesting and metabolizing a food.

Common symptoms: -Itching in the mouth and throat -Skin rashes or eczema -Swelling of tongue or throat -Difficulty breathing -Cramps, nausea, diarrhea, and/or vomiting -Drops in blood pressure -Loss of consciousness -Anaphylactic shock (can cause death) Eight most common food allergens -peanuts -wheat -tree nuts -soy -fish -milk -shellfish -eggs

challenging for Skibell to inspect all her food before eating it, she does find it beneficial. “Gluten free and dairy free eating has affected my running because it led me to want to have a healthy diet,” Skibell said. “Eating the right foods gives me a better source of energy than other foods would.” Although gluten and dairy cause Skibell to get sick, she still craves macaroni and cheese and chocolate, along with many other gluten and dairy products.

MILK

Common symptoms: -Abdominal pain -Bloating -Gas -Cramps -Nausea -Diarrhea Two most common food intolerances -Lactose intolerance (lactose is sugar in milk) -Gluten intolerance (gluten is in wheat, rye, barley and some oats)

16 / The North Star / April 2017

THE HAND(S) THAT FEED YOU

by Sophie Roldan

A summary of what goes on behind the scenes of the cafeteria.

ost of the students at BVN have seen the lunch ladies and many have eaten the food they prepare, but what some students may not know is who the lunch ladies are and how much work they put into their job. “[There’s] a lot more to it than what [the students] think,” food service assistant Gwen Boone said. “It’s not just getting food ready and putting it out there. There’s a lot that goes into it, and a lot of people that all have to work together in order to make sure everything gets out there in time.” The lunch ladies start coming in at 6 a.m., and they immediately get to work preparing breakfast and lunch. They cook, serve food, work the register and clean up after lunch has ended. “I usually start as soon as I get here and throw breakfast stuff that we prepared last night into the oven,” Boone said. The constant cooking, serving and cleaning keep the ladies busy throughout their shifts. “It’s really busy, and we have a lot of food to prep and get out for you guys,” cafeteria manager Kathy Dietz said. While the constant busyness and

movement might get some down, these ladies love always having something to do. “I like the environment, and I like being busy all the time,” Boone said. “It’s just a lot of fun.” It’s not only the busyness that the lunch ladies like about their job. All the women said they love everything about what they do. “We really love what we do. We take a lot of pride in what we do, and we want to give you guys the best we can give you,” Dietz said. The lunch ladies want the students to be happy with the food that has been prepared for them and welcome suggestions, so they can provide the best lunches possible. “We’re willing to listen to new ideas — not that we can always get what you want — but if anybody has an idea of something they’d like to have, [they] can talk to us about it,” Dietz said. While suggestions are welcomed, they cannot always be made possible because of government regulations and health codes. “We don’t get to say ‘well we’re just going to have this’ — it has to fall into

the guidelines of the government-funded school lunch program,” Dietz said. “That’s why now we don’t have as many snacks as we used to have.” A lot of work and calculations go into deciding what can be served in a school lunchroom. Food doesn’t just have to be labeled as healthy — it has to follow specific rules. “It all goes by calories, fat and sodium that determines what we can get,” Dietz said. “We also have a licensed dietician that takes care of all that.” Because of these regulations, most of the food served in the cafeteria has been ordered and then delivered as frozen food. All of the food served at school used to be made from scratch by the lunch ladies. They said that they loved making food from scratch and wish they were still allowed to. “We used to have everything ‘homemade’. We had a baker who came in and made desserts every day,” Dietz said. Making food isn’t the only memory that the ladies reminisce about. They also recall old students — frequent customers — that they grew close with.

April 2017 / The North Star / 17

“We’ve had kids, and if they were having problems they’d come and cry and we’d tell them it would be okay,” Dietz said. In fact, the women said that their favorite part of the job is interacting with the students. “Most of us are here because of the kids,” Dietz said. “We enjoy talking to the students.” However, being able to interact with the students is sometimes difficult because there isn’t much time. “[North Time] has had a little impact with being able to have conversations with the students and being able to interact,”

former food service assistant Ellen Kraft said. The lunch ladies do enjoy communicating with the students and going to school events to see the students perform. “We go to the plays,” Dietz said. “Some of the girls go to the games. We read the papers. If I see the paper and the basketball team did [well], and I know who the basketball players are, I’ll say something to them.” When asked, the ladies could not come up with any negatives about their job. They love what they do and strive to do it well.

Page 16: Polly Arscott brings food out during lunch. photo by Hanna Ellington. Page 17: Top: (From left to right) Veronica Haro, Kathy Dietz, Cindy Lee, Gwen Boone, Lorie Simpson, Polly Arscott, Roxana Hidalgo, Cordelia Ho. photo by Tara Kaplan. Bottom left: Sophomore Alyssa Barnhart purchases a lunch from Veronica Haro. photo by Tara Kaplan. Bottom right: Lorie Simpson restocks food in the lunchroom. photo by Hanna Ellington.

Kahoot.lit

18 / The North Star / April 2017

by Laura Evans

North students are typically passionate about Kahoot!, but why is this?

hile traversing through the halls of BVN, one may hear the familiar “boom boop-boop, boom boop-boop” Kahoot! theme song. Kahoot! is a learning-based game that utilizes technology in a quiz-like competition and has become a prominent classroom tool at BVN. The game is played by going to the Kahoot! website on any mobile device and entering a numerical game code. Each participant will then enter a nickname, and the game will begin. To play the game, participants choose from one

Juniors Shannon Falke, Ted Bordeau, Ian Hulshof and Sarah Smith play Kahoot! in their second hour Honors Spanish 4 class.

of four multiple choice answers within a time period set by the quiz creator. Points are awarded for correct answers, with the fastest answer earning the most points. Between questions, the number of participants who selected each answer is displayed, which gives a teacher the opportunity to know which questions or concepts the students are struggling with. The leaderboard of the participants with the highest scores is also shown in between questions, after the answer distribution display.

Annie Peavler- Sophomore

ophomore Annie Peavler, who plays Kahoot! the most frequently in her science and history classes, has noted how intense Kahoot! games can become. “Competitiveness between the people playing [is important], because if you’re just playing and it’s just like a quiz that you’re all playing up on the board, then it’s not fun,” Peavler said. “The fun part is getting competitive and trying to beat the other person and going as fast as possible.”

Peavler attributes some of the source of this competitive environment to the music of the game. “I think the whole point

to click in really quickly,” Peavler said. In whole, many consider Kahoot! to be a welcomed deviation from normal classroom activities. “I think it’s just a break from the daily routine so that [students] don’t have to just sit at a desk and do papers and lecture and things like that,” Peavler said. “They get to be competitive, which is not something they usually get in the classroom.”

“[Students] get to be competitve, which is not something they usually get in the classroom.” -Annie Peavler of [the Kahoot! music] is to add suspense to the game and to add to the competition so that everyone is trying

April 2017 / The North Star / 19

Audrey Brooker- Senior

imilar to Peavler, Senior Audrey Brooker has experienced the competitiveness of Kahoot! games in her classes, namely in her Yearbook and AP Biology classes. “We play Kahoot! sometimes in Yearbook when...our deadline has been met, like we find random ones,” Brooker said. “Also, I play in my AP Bio class. It’s a lot of fun and really intense.” Brooker enjoys a variety

of aspects in the classroom game. “I love the music,” Brooker said. “The music to Kahoot!

competitive, and it just brings us together. If I don’t like someone in my class, I’ll just make it my goal to demolish them in Kahoot!, and then I’ll resolve all of my issues through Kahoot!” Though Brooker is enthusiastic about Kahoot!, she can see aspects in which the game could be improved. “I like how on Quizlet Live, you can work in groups,” Brooker said. “If they had the option to work in teams [on Kahoot!], that would be cool.”

“If I don’t like someone in my class, I’ll just make it my goal to demolish them in Kahoot!...” -Audrey Brooker really just gets me going. It’s the best thing about it. I also love how everyone gets super

Amanda Riss- AP and Honors Biology Teacher

ahoot! is used by a variety of different teachers in different subjects and different levels. One such teacher is Amanda Riss, who teaches both Honors and AP Biology. “I use it in AP [Biology] when we need to review for tests, and that’s really the only time that I use it,” Riss said. “I think that, at least the way I use it, it gives students a good idea of what they still need to do to prepare for their exams since I do use it for review. It’s something that’s fun for them to do—it’s not sitting and filling

out a review worksheet—so it gets kids engaged.” Riss has used alternative review techniques in the past, but has since changed her previous review materials to Kahoot! games. “I make my own [Kahoot! games] using some review questions that I’ve come up with in the past,” Riss said. “I used to make jeopardy games before I knew about Kahoot!.” However, in Riss’s time teaching with Kahoot!, she has experienced some issues with the game. “One thing is that students can put in their own names,” Riss said. “In the past, I’ve had some ‘naughty nicknames,’

[which] is what Kahoot! calls it, so that’s kind of an issue. I try to always catch it before I let them play. There was one time, though, when I didn’t catch it and it was like, ‘I hope they never end up on the leaderboard,’ and they didn’t, so it worked out.” In Riss’s experience, students typically respond well to Kahoot! “From what I’ve seen, [students] seem to enjoy it,” Riss said. “It does keep them engaged. They get very competitive. For first place in my class, I’ll bring candy or a snack or whatever a student wants as a prize, so they get very competitive.”

20/ The North Star / April 2017

PURSUING PEACE By Shantha Burt

In Interview translated from Arabic by freshman Tameem Jaber (quotes indirectly derived based on translation) Statistics from syrianrefugees.eu Illustrations/graphics from thenounproject.com Main photo by Mstyslaw Chernov, Creative Commons. Photo of unknown refugees crossing the Mediterranean Sea.

In 2011, senior D AlMehbani left behind his friends, house and life in Homs, Syria, pursuing security in Overland Park, Kan.

the fall of 2015, the body of 3-year-old Syrian refugee Alan Kurdi washed up dead on a Turkish shore. Immediately, the picture went viral, bringing the crisis in Syria to global attention. Yet the wounds of the crisis trace back further and deeper than just one death. In 2011, BVN senior Odai “D” Al-Mehbani left behind his house, friends and life in Homs, Syria, as authoritarian Syrian leader, President Bashar al-Assad, executed an attack that threatened his safety. “Homs was attacked, so [my family and I] went to another place in Syria called Bilad Al-Sham, but I was soon injured from a missile,” Al-Mehbani said. The injury affected Al-Mehbani’s leg, and later forced him to move to the United

April 2017 / The North Star / 21

HIS JOURNEY Affter his community was atacked, Al-Mahbani left Homs, Syria, and went to a different region.

There, his family was connected with a program that prompted their relocation to KS. States. Despite the physical and emotional alterations the attack induced, Al-Mehbani said he was unaware of who had led the attack. “The situation in Syria is different than most violence,” Al-Mehbani said. “There are so many different groups creating chaos that it’s hard to even know who’s attacking you sometimes.” After the injury, the Al-Mehbani family fled from Syria and made their way toward Egypt. “We originally wanted to go to Lebanon, but the health care was poor,” Al-Mehbani said. “Our second choice was Jordan, but it was too expensive, so we fled to Egypt.” Al-Mehbani and his family remained in Egypt for four years. While there, he didn’t attend school, but he often worked at a pizza restaurant, where he made numerous friends who he is still in contact with. However, Al-Mehbani’s injury didn’t fully heal, and he soon left by plane to Washington, D.C., for medical treatment. There, his family was connected with a program that prompted their relocation to

As his injury worsened, he came to Washington DC for medial treatment.

Overland Park, Kan. He then enrolled at Blue Valley North, hoping to finally receive a formal education. Immediately, he noticed clear-cut differences between his life in the Middle East and his life in the United States. “I feel safe here,” Al-Mehbani said, “which is something I could never fully feel in Syria.” Although Al-Mehbani has finally reached a feeling of security, the same cannot be said for countless others in the Middle East. Since the Al-Mehbani family has left, chaos in Syria has escalated even further with the introduction of chemical weapons and the continued rise of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL or ISIS). “There isn’t just one thing that needs to be fixed in Syria,” Al-Mehbani said. “Everything is messed up.” In the past five years, the already prevalent chaos has escalated dramatically. According to syrianrefugees.eu, 11 million Syrians are estimated to have been forced out of their homes. Things have only become worse with the implemen-

SYRIAN REFUGEE STATISTICS

4.8

million Syrians have fled to Turkey, Jordan Lebanon, Iraq, and Egypt.

In this other region, he acquired a leg injury during a missle attack, and fled Syria, going to Egypt.

million Syrians have been forced to flee there homes due to conditions.

tation of chemical weapons by President Al-Assad in 2013. Al-Mehbani believes the situation is out of control, and he wonders if his childhood friends ever found safety outside of Syria. “I’m not in contact with my Syrian friends anymore,” Al-Mehbani said. “Out of curiosity I would like to know if they’re alive or dead.” Al-Mehbani believes it’s vital for people to realize the extent to which the pain of the crisis is felt. The phrase “when one dies it’s a tragedy, when millions die it’s a statistic” can sometimes hold true to the way non-Middle Eastern countries view the situation. “When you see a dog dying, you’re sympathetic, and you help,” Al-Mehbani said. “But you don’t help when you hear about mass suffering around the world.” Al-Mehbani wants for more students at BVN to recognize their everyday blessings that they may take for granted. “You have been blessed with rights,” Al-Mehbani said, “and the bliss of not knowing what it’s like to endure hatred.”

13.5

million Syrians are in need of humanitarian assistance within the country.

COFFEE CHAT 22/ The North Star / April 2017

by Mathew Cotton

here are a variety of places to get coffee, but two particular coffee franchises within the school’s vicinity seem to be the most popular among BVN students: Starbucks and Dunkin’ Donuts. There is an ongoing debate over which one of these two chains is better, and there are a variety of factors to consider: quality of coffee, atmosphere and prices. First things first: the coffee. Senior and former Starbucks employee Kusal Kularatne said he prefers Starbucks coffee to Dunkin’. “I personally prefer Starbucks coffee because I know the different blends that they have and the different tastes,” Kularatne said. Junior Emily Eubank,

another Starbucks employee, agrees with the idea that Starbucks coffee is superior to Dunkin’s. “[Starbucks coffee] is very strongly brewed every 30 minutes,” Eubank said. “Dunkin’s coffee isn’t very strong; it’s kind of watered down.” On the other hand, junior Addison Breedlove says that the coffee from Dunkin’ is better than Starbucks’. “I think Starbucks has more sugar in it and is more appealing to most people, whereas Dunkin is [better] for pure coffee lovers,” Breedlove said. In addition to coffee, both Starbucks and Dunkin’ offer food items like pastries and breakfast sandwiches. Kularatne claims that although Starbucks has better coffee, Dunkin’ has better donuts and pastries. “I’d say that what Dunkin’

is doing best is offering their main product, which is really good donuts,” Kularatne said. As for the atmosphere, both Kularatne and Eubank prefer Starbucks, but Breedlove said she prefers Dunkin’. “I like Dunkin’ more because I know the people because of how often I go there,” Breedlove said. “They’re just entertaining people.” However, Eubank says that Starbucks has a better atmosphere because it has a more quiet, peaceful vibe. Another factor to consider is the difference in price between Starbucks and Dunkin’. While Kularatne says that it does not influence where he goes, Breedlove says that it impacts her decision. “[The price difference] impacts my decision very much,” Breedlove said. “I have to pay for most of my own stuff, and Starbucks is expensive.”

Number of Americans who go to Dunkin’

11% Number of Americans who go to Starbucks

13% Number of Americans who go to Dunkin’ as an alternative

29% Number of Americans who go to Starbucks as an alternative

MEDIUM ICED COFFEE MEDIUM ICED COFFEE Dunkin’ Donuts

Starbucks

33% study by Experian

Year Review

April 2017/ The North Star / 23

Looking back on important events from the 2016-2017 school year.

August

-School begins for the 20162017 school year -Fall sports begin -Band performs at a Royals game against the Minnesota Twins -White-out game gets canceled

October

-The fall play, The Nerd, debuts in the Little Theater -Varsity cross country goes to the EKL championships -Girls tennis wins back-toback state title -End of first quarter

December

-20 students qualify for the All-District orchestra concert -Girls basketball goes to the Springfield tournament -End of first semester -Winter break

February

-The winter musical, Kiss Me Kate, debuts in the PAC -Varsity wrestling goes to state -Boys swimming goes to state -Spring sports begin

April

-The spring play, Romeo and Juliet, debuts in the PAC -Orchestra. band, and choir all recieve ratings of 1 at the state festival -Prom at Childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Mercy Park

by Lexie Herman

September

-Homecoming Spirit week -Homecoming Tailgate party and football game at the DAC -Homecoming Dance -Gold-out game raises money for St. Jude Childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Research Hospital

November

-Hoops for Hope Basketball tournament -NHS induction ceremony -Choir teacher Jason Sickel is awarded Kansas teacher of the year -Winter Sports begin

January

-Second Semester begins -State Drama Conference in Wichita -Sweetheart Spirit week, basketball game and dance -School is canceled for the ice storm that never hits Overland Park

March

-Language NHS inductions -Varsity boys basketball goes to state -End of third quarter -Spring break

May

-Mustang Showtime -Senior graduation at Municipal Auditorium -School ends for the 2016-2017 school year

24 / The North Star / April 2017 Students depicted from left to right: senior Noora Batrash and junior Jack Jenkins.

tips from

UPPERCLASSMEN by Kristen Xu

As the school year draws to a close, students reflect on what they have learned in previous years.

rom debaters to varsity “A lot of the time [the athletes, students gain things I was stressing about] knowledge and expedidn’t matter, because... I think rience throughout their high that it’s just going to work school years. Because transiout in the end,” senior Noora tioning into a new grade leads Batrash said. “I see a lot of to new classes, people trying new teachers and “CAPS is for anyone. to overnew challenges, It’s only a semester; load their upperclassmen it’s a ton of fun. Try it.” schedules are here to help, way early offering their past -Summer Savoy on when it’s experiences and completely advice for younger students. unnecessary.” Stress is a common probHowever, some students lem in high school. Standardrecommend others to do as ized testing, AP classes and much as they can, as long as other resume builders can all they don’t overdo it. contribute to anxiety. “I would say take the classes

that interest you; don’t take too many,” junior Jack Jenkins said. “I took all honors and AP because I wanted to challenge myself, and I think it’s definitely doable. You just have to be willing to work hard.” The Blue Valley School District also offers the CAPS program, which gives high schoolers a sneak peek into professional life. Junior Summer Savoy encourages students who can handle the work to look into classes there. “CAPS is for anyone,” Savoy said. “Anyone can do CAPS if they go into it willing to try; you really get out of it what

April 2017 / The North Star / 25 you put into it. It’s only a semesclaimed procrastinators. In order ter; it’s a ton of fun. Try it. Worst to combat the epidemic, Jenkins that happens is you find out you suggests doing assignments as don’t like it, but you probably soon as possible. had fun on the way.” “Sophomore year, I watched CAPS ‘The Office’ “My success is includes group literally every day projects, but after school in the because a lot of Savoy claims she’s people have guided fall and I didn’t been in some start homework that have turned me to get to that until 6 or 7,” into individual point... it’s important Jenkins said. “I assignments. just felt kind of to have that kind “I have a unmotivated of guidance and work ethic and because I just people tend to wanted to keep mentorship.” take advantage watching.” of it because they -Noora Batrash Others claim know I’ll get everyone is differthings done, so ent and has their they just kind of dump it all on own way of studying that works me and know I’ll get things done for them. and they don’t contribute, which “Everyone has their own is frustrating,” Savoy said. ‘study style’,” junior Max Orchard To combat this, she suggests said. “So if it works for them it working with friends and trustworks for them, even if it’s not worthy students with similar necessarily the best thing [for work ethics. you].” “Work with better people; Although everybody is differkeep your circle small,” Savoy ent, Batrash advises upperclasssaid. “Work with people you men to steer younger students in actually trust and can be honest the right direction. with.” “I generally try to guide For freshmen, a people [who “Everyone has their looming sophomore need it] beclass is AP European own ‘study style’ So cause I feel History, infamous for if it works for them it like a lot of its difficulty. my success works for them, even if is because a “I kind of regret not studying for my it’s not necessarily the lot of people AP test sophomore best thing [for you].” have guided year, because I didn’t me to get to do that well on it,” that point,” Jenkins said. “AP Euro -Max Orchard Batrash in general—I don’t said. “So I recommend it. If you’re feel like it’s not really into history and not important to have that kind of willing to spend a lot of time guidance and mentorship.” working really hard on it, then don’t take it. I feel like I wasn’t ready for that.” Procrastination is also a problem for many high school The poll was done on survey monstudents. According to Studykey, distributed through Mode, an ed-tech company, groupchats and included 24 87 percent of high school and responses from upperclasscollege students are self-promen.

75% of students are stressed.

33%

of students are taking 2-3 classes, while 50% are taking more.

52% of students claim they’re “constantly busy.”

58%

of upperclassmen help underclassmen.

26 / The North Star / April 2017

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April 2017 / The North Star / 27

Theater

Student visits Blackboard Virtual Learning. photo by Ellie Anderson

Throughou t the schoo departmen l year, the th t puts on se eater veral plays For studen and musica ts serious ab ls. ou in a fun su mmer activ t acting or interested ity, many co area welco mp me newcom ers and old anies in the in their pro -pros to try ductions. out “There are many com munity thea here, at leas t two doze ters around n, such as Mission Th Shawnee eatre in the Park, and m Rec. depar ost Parks an tments hav e theater cl departmen asses,” thea d t head Jere ter my Riggs sa id.

Sophomor e Reece Mel ber in Kiss Kate. photo Me courtesy of Reece Melbe r.

In addition to commu area hosts nity theate a variety o r groups, th f for-profit e “There’s CY groups. T , T ri lo gy, Culture of them off House. Mo er summer st classes as w Riggs is ho ell,” Riggs sa peful for th id. theatre, an e future of B d wishes th VN e school off of summer ered some progra sort “I’m thinkin m for drama kids. g ab o u t st of summer arting som e sort theater cam p to give p additional eople an opportunit y to grow o summer,” R ver the iggs said.

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Students so running ou metimes encounter th t of e is many classe space in their schedu sue of les. Since s are requir ed to gradu difficult to ate, it can b fit in electi e ves. Some to take onli students ch ne classes o oose ver the sum attempt to mer in an knock man datory clas way. ses out of th e One of thes Wellness. M e online classes is Hea lth and oll for the cou y Haggerty, one of th e instructo rse, teaches rs a class of st summer. udents each “[Online cl asses] allow vigorous co students to urses out o get less f the way,” Online clas Haggerty sa ses can be id. great for st udents

Language

Programs

Language is an importan curriculum t part of th . However, e BVN over the su students te mmer man nd to lose y so m language d e fluency in ue to lack o their f practice. interested For those in languag e practice o there are o ver the sum ptions. mer, “The easies t way to kee on a daily p up with la basis is Du nguage oling website],” S enorita Tan o [a language learnin g kel said. “O really like to ne way I encourage students to language is keep up wit throug h For some st h listening to music.” udents wh o are more eager to be

worried ab out are interest spacing their busy sc h ed in takin g more elec edules, or there can al tives. How so be down ever, falls to virtu “There are al learning a lot of tou . really feel li gh topics… ke the stud .where I ents benefi speakers, d t on in-class iscussions and questi brought up ons that get . They real ly m interaction s,” Haggerty iss out on those extra said. Even so, on line classes for many p can be a gre eople. at option “[For] stud ents who ar responsible e great self , great at ti -motivators me manag , really tryin ement and g to accele are rate their st might be a u dies, this great optio n,” Hagger ty said.

immersed in a languag e, Madame a few extra Johnson off option ers “The numb s. er o ne thing to experience do is travel immersion and .” Joh also differen t types of ca nson said. “There ar e mps you ca One examp n attend.” le of a lang can attend u age camp st is th u Language V e program at Concord dents illage in M ia innesota. Th a great way ese outlets to keep up are with langu summer. age over th e

Senorita Ta nkel at Mac hu Picchu with friend in Peru s. photo cour tesy of Kat herine Tank el.

28 / The North Star / April 2017

CLOSING UP SHOP

One of BVN’s most beloved elective classes is being story by Sammy Galapo shelved for the foreseeable future. photos by Tara Kaplan

THANK YOU WHITFIELD Students say their thanks to Mrs. Whitfield: “She taught me really how to not limit myself and be a better writer and broaden what I believed could be a good writing style. She’s just such an incredible teacher and I’ll miss her” -Peter Donaldson, junior “She’s been an amazing teacher and she’s created an environment in which people are comfortable sharing their pieces in a way that otherwise wouldn’t have happened, and I’m sorry that the program is leaving” -Abby Souder, senior “Thank you for giving us a class where we can be creative and come up with new ideas, because that doesn’t happen in our other classes” -Lily Strauss, sophomore

or the past 10 years, the Writers’ Workshop class has been offered to BVN students of all grades as an elective course that counts toward an English credit. To many, though, Writers’ Workshop has become more than a schedule-filler; it’s a place where students can share stories and poems in an open, relaxed setting. “Writers’ Workshop has kind of provided me with a place where I can share stories that I’ve written that otherwise I would’ve kept to myself, or probably wouldn’t have written,” senior Abby Souder said. It’s become a place where students can express themselves. “It’s a really important class for people that want a creative outlet, and for most of the people that aren’t necessarily good at art or music, this is a great creative outlet for them,” sophomore Lily Strauss said. The class was initially conceived as just that — a place where students could express their creative interests in less traditional ways. “[I wanted to shape the class into] a place where people could write creatively with very few, if any, restrictions, just the occasional guidelines, because there’s really not the option to do that in any traditional English class,” English teacher Susan Whitfield said. A decade ago, before Whitfield took up teaching Writers’ Workshop, the class lay dormant. “It was described in the course guidebook, but it had not been taught for many years,” Whitfield said. “And because I had taught it at Shawnee Mission East, I thought it would possibly be something students would also want to experience here.” Since then, Whitfield has molded the class into the loose, unrestricted environment it has become today. The openness and simplicity makes Writers’ Workshop a unique class that allows

students freedoms they don’t usually get elsewhere. “It’s kind of Whitfield’s legacy…It’s just a different style, and [she] gives such broad prompts that people really get to take it any way they want it,” junior Peter Donaldson said. “Having the ability to write a different way, not being bounded by any specific prompt, where you really just get to express your feelings — it’s a type of writing that we don’t usually get in other classes.” However, despite the uniqueness, popularity and appreciation students have for the class, the Writers’ Workshop program will not be offered next year. This may not seem like a significant issue; classes are cut every year usually due to lack of student interest. Yet, the omission of Writers’ Workshop is striking as a lack of popularity among students doesn’t seem to apply. Student interest in the class is typically high — usually enough to fill two classes of about 30 students each semester. Sherry Kuehl, a BVN parent, wrote an article called, “High School Writers’ Workshop...try it,” published in the 913 section of the Kansas City Star on March 22, where she expressed her outrage at the class being cut. After the article was published, Kuehl was contacted by someone in the district who told her that the class was being cut due to an increase in students who signed up for AP English classes. Other students had heard this same reasoning as well. Kuehl said later that she could not remember who she spoke with. BVN’s Associate Principal of Curriculum and Instruction, Tyson Ostroski, denied this claim. He said, officially, administration decided to cut Writers’ Workshop because they could not find a way in which to keep the class while also reducing class sizes across the board under their current Full Time Equivalency (FTE) allotment. “We’re trying to kind of balance those

April 2017 / The North Star / 29 two challenges, the number of FTE that we’re allotted as well as our desire to have smaller class sizes,” Ostroski said. Essentially FTE is a district-mandated value that reflects a Blue Valley School’s projected enrollment, taking into account any adjustments that need to be made for each individual school. Each teacher is then used to fill the FTE value distributed to their department, as a teacher’s individual FTE value is based upon how many classes they teach. “If a teacher is considered a 1.0 FTE it means that they’re a full time teacher. If they’re 0.5 it means they’re a part time teacher,” Blue Valley Director of Human Resources, Bob Kreifels said. “We take the number of students projected to be enrolled at the school, and we make some adjustments for CAPS, the Academy, for kids coming from the middle schools who might take a high school class, and then we have a formula that projects out that number.” BV District Office generates this FTE value and then hands it off to the building administrator teams at each of the schools to allow them to decide which classes they will offer the following year. This year, BVN was given an FTE value of 81.7, a slight increase from the 81.1 value administration was given last year. In deciding how to allocate FTE to specific departments within the school, administration decided this year that they needed to lessen the amount of students in English classes. “We had to do something about our ELA classes because they’re just too big, nobody wants to sit in a class with 31, 32 kids. No teacher wants that,” Principal David Stubblefield said. “So, do we do something with writer’s workshop, or do we continue to have 31, 32 kids in a class.” At North, the team that was tasked with making these FTE decisions chose to create smaller class sizes as they believed that smaller classes provide for better learning environments. “We know that smaller class sizes are more conducive for learning. In order to do that you have to create more sections of those classes because the fewer hours you have, the bigger those classes are,” Ostroski said. “If you’re trying to create smaller class sizes say in math, that means you need to have more math classes. That means that a teacher is not going to teach something else other than math, they’re going to be teaching more math classes.” In cutting the Writers’ Workshop program, along with a few other elective classes, administration is making teachers, like Whitfield, more available to teach more English classes so that the number of students in each class is lessened. Currently, each class at BVN has a maximum

enrollment set at 32 students, which will remain the same. “The cap is always going to be 32,” Stubblefield said. “What I thought was, instead of filling [classes] up to 32 kids, we need to add some sections, take away Writers’ Workshop and some other classes, that way our number instead of being 32 kids in a class, that number is going to be more like 24, 25, 26.” However, the most unfortunate — what some see as borderline deplorable — part of this whole situation is that Whitfield is retiring at the end of this school year and won’t get to see her class be passed on. “She’s been such an important factor in the school, and an incredible mind that’s helped the school in so many different ways. The fact that her legacy doesn’t get to live on the way she wanted it to, is just disappointing,” Donaldson said. Under these circumstances, it’s easy to understand why some students are disappointed. They think, with Whitfield’s retirement coinciding with the end of her beloved class, it seems a little suspicious. “There doesn’t seem to be a reason really for it [getting cut],” Souder said. “It just seems like they’re getting rid of it because Whitfield is leaving and they’re not giving students any alternative, they’re just saying that it’s going to be gone, and students who kind of depend on classes like that aren’t going to have anything to go to.” Ostroski denied this claim as well. “It really has nothing to do with [Whitfield’s retirement]. We have staff who

“I was just really disappointed in the school because I feel like [Writer’s Workshop] should be one of the last classes to be cut” -Lily Strauss leave and join each year and it’s about what’s going to be best for our overall student population,” Ostroski said. None of this is to say that administration maliciously intended for the class to be cut, they too were disappointed with the position they had found themselves in. “This is one of the harder parts of my job, making these types of decisions,” Ostroski said. “Especially as a former English teacher, I know the merit of creative writing and I know the necessity for that

within our school, and that’s something that I did not take lightly.” Ostroski explained that making the decision to cut any class is difficult, in its own right, because it limits the avenues students are given to explore. “[Cutting a class] cuts an opportunity for a student, and that is the extremely hard part about this,” Ostroski said. “We want to offer as many opportunities as possible for our students and when something goes away, whether it be for a year or whatever, that’s a big deal because that eliminates one option for a student.” Undoubtedly, it’s a difficult position that neither side wanted to be in. “I think our building administrators are faced with difficult decisions, based upon enrollment trends, they have to make difficult decisions on where to put the FTE to best meet the needs of all the kids in the school,” Kreifels said. However, all hope is not lost. Being that new FTE values are generated annually, Writers’ Workshop could come back in the future. “Those are decisions that I reevaluate every single year,” Stubblefield said. “Is Writers’ Workshop gone forever, no. What I’m saying is that for this year it made the most sense to reduce those ELA numbers so that we can get a manageable number in all of our English classes.” If that doesn’t happen, though, there are still other ways to honor and carry on Whitfield’s legacy. “I would be hopeful that if that class was lost that there would be some way for students to get together to develop those skills, whether it would be through another course, or maybe a club, or maybe as an activity during Blue Valley North Time,” Kreifels said. In the end, this is a disheartening situation for many students. “I was just really disappointed in the school because I feel like [Writers’ Workshop] should be one of the last classes to be cut,” Strauss said. “I feel like it’s one of the most important classes at North because of the opportunity that it gives students to express their ideas.” Nevertheless, while Writers’ Workshop may no longer be offered, students will keep in mind how significant the class has been for them. “[Writers’ Workshop] showed me a different type of intelligence that I didn’t really appreciate before,” Donaldson said. “I thought that people, that intelligence, was defined by maybe a STEM-based standard, but really [Writers’ Workshop] showed me that people can just be the smartest people and just have a different way of showing it through writing.”

30 / The North Star / April 2017

SENIOR COLUMNS Graduating seniors from The North Star newspaper staff give their final words

It’s now 1:37 but I have an idea A few hours before I started writing this column, I had been telling one of my staff writers about how I became an Editor in Chief. As I chronicled my experiences during these past few years on staff, I found myself reflecting on how unlikely it actually has been. For the majority of my high school career, I never had any intention of being EIC, let alone on the newspaper staff. As an incoming freshman I was more interested in participating in sports and being actively involved with my youth group. Yet, after playing school basketball my sophomore year I figured, “Yeah, basketball’s over, I should try to join the newspaper,” because somehow those two things had become connected in my brain—I was fifteen,

Aaaaannnnddd we’ve made it to 2:35.

Sri

Sammy It’s legit 1:16 in the morning, I have no advice.

I’d rather not try to figure out how my brain got from point A to point B back then. Now, two years later, here I am trying to advise you on what to make of your time at BVN. JOIN NEWSPAPER, obviously. But, if caps lock still doesn’t convince you, that’s fine. Do whatever you want, as long as you do something. I think we sometimes take for granted how many opportunities we are given here that we don’t realize just how many there are. Do you want to play a sport, be in a musical, or sing in a choir? Cool, you can do that. Or maybe you’re thinking of doing something more out of the ordinary. Do you want to join a Korean Pop Music club or play the cello? Cool, you can do that too. BVN offers us many different opportunities to express ourselves and explore our interests throughout our high school lives. Take it from me. I started out as a freshman preparing affirmatives in debate, played basketball my sophomore year, joined newspaper to write articles my junior year, and got involved in DECA by my senior year. I guess what I’m trying to say is that you should take advantage of your time here, it goes by quickly.

My high school career was very fast and very hard, but I don’t regret any decision throughout it all. Throughout high school, I have been a part of soccer, debate, and newspaper. Along with taking many AP classes, my schedule was often packed and I was often chuggin’ down coffees to stay awake. Although I was always involved in schoolwork and activities, I ended up making some of the best friends and memories that I have ever had here at Blue Valley North. Whether it was going to dances or playing sports in the scorchin’ heat with my close friends, the memories I made here were incredible. Since the beginning of freshman year to now, there have been people to support me every single day. What I have learned is that there will always be people out there to help you get to your goals, but you just have to ask. Make mistakes; try new things, but just never ever settle because

April 2017 / The North Star / 31 everyone in the Blue Valley North indeed has a miracle waiting to happen.

Lila

Gigi

Finishing our last issue for the year has been a mixture of emotions. I am incredibly relieved that all of the chaos is going to be over, I’m proud of how far we have come this year, and I’m also feeling very sappy and emotional. Through journalism I have made wonderful friends and had experiences that will last a lifetime. Thank you Sammy for being my platonic husband and keeping me sane through some of my tougher moments in life. Gigi, you’re my partner in scheming and I don’t trust anyone’s fashion opinions besides yours, to be honest. Ms. Klote, I would be nowhere without your constant guidance, so thank you for the advice and your companionship. To the rest of the staff, thank you for putting up with me even when I was angry, and for teaching me how to be a better person. High school has been a roller coaster filled with laughs, tears, sighs and many other forms of expression. I have made a lot of decisions throughout high school, where to eat lunch, what pen to use, but one of my most important decisions I ever made, was the one to join journalism my freshman year. I was shy and nervous and not sure how I was ever going to make it through an interview alive, but I made it out and pursued my way onto yearbook. Yearbook has taught me about how to work as a team, how to communicate better and overall has helped me better understand myself and my own interests. I enrolled in newspaper on an impulse last year, in an attempt to help make the newspaper better than ever, and I feel that as a staff we have created

something wonderful this year, or rather six something wonderfuls. I was faced with challenges I never expected before, and by facing these challenges, I have grown so much and expanded my knowledge. My advice to anyone starting high school is to find something they love, I found journalism, but you can chose whatever stands out, and stick with that thing. There is something wonderful about having the consistency of a subject, sport, or activity throughout your journey through high school. It has saved my sanity and helped me look forward to something every single day.

Since this is my last editorial for The North Star, I want to give some advice on how to survive high school. Take note: most of this I learned the hard way; please live as I say and not as I do. • Write in your planner every day. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve forgotten about a homework assignment because I didn’t have it written down somewhere I’d remember to check. Taking a hit on even one or two 20-point homework assignments can make a ~letter grade~ of difference. • Try to think about things in perspective. Especially in a competitive and academic-driven environment such as BVN, it can be easy to measure your value and self-worth from your grades. And while grades are important, they do not define you and aren’t the only indicator of intelligence. Just ask either of the George Bush’s, or Joe Biden, all of whom were mediocre students yet went

on to lead the country. High school is only four years; do your best, and remember that there’s more beyond high school — so get excited! And don’t sweat it too much. • Don’t binge-watch The Office while simultaneously doing your homework. Actually, no — you know what? Live your life. Everyone needs some occasional (or frequent) comedy TV to help relieve the stress and tension of school. As Michael Scott once said, “I am running away from my responsibilities. And it feels good.” • Get organized and stay organized. I didn’t use binders or folders for the majority of high school, and it was pretty much a disaster — I lost track of countless homework assignments, rubrics, etc. Your life will be so much easier if you have a specific place for all of your schoolwork. If you can stay organized, you’ve already won half the battle. • Join newspaper, or some kind of team-oriented activity. Learning to collaborate with others toward a common goal is an essential skill you will have to develop sooner or later. But honestly, newspaper is the best. 10/10 would recommend. It has been such a blessing to be surrounded by all of the amazing, amazing staffers, who have been the best community I could ever have asked for.

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Jonah Allen (GSA)

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Kornelle Kirke (JSU)

Matt Miller (FCA)

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