TH E NORTH STAR
BLUE VALLEY NORTH H IGH ScHOOL | OVERLAN D PARK, KANSAS | VOLUM E 36 | ISSUE 2
OFF TH E BEATEN PATH
Read more about seniors who are pursuing a future outside the bounds of traditional, four-year college on pages 16-19.
CONTENTS N EWS
FEATURE
Where’s My Bus? Emmett Abar 4,5
Dresses, Shoes and Suits, Oh My! Adelaide Edwards 6,7
Absolutely Devious Bennett Palmer 10,11
The Next Level Anna Sandage 8,9
Alterations in Applications Calla Jordan 20,21
To the Beat of the Drums Ella Shafer 12,13
edITORIAL
From Building Blocks to Building Dreams Ella Thomas 14,15
Fall Book Recommendations Lauren Austin 26
Letter from the Staff Caroline Clarke, Arshiya Pant 30 Want to Learn More? Caroline Clarke, Arshiya Pant 31
Rolling Together Max Wolf 22,23
StudeNT li fe Happy Holidays? Ruby Bierman 24,25 Goosebumps: BVN Edition Sejin Hahn 28,29
Photo by Arshiya Pant
natalie in the mirror doing makeup? / chase’s tools? cars? idk? car things?
Off the Beaten Path Alexa Newsom 16-19
Spice Spice Baby Paige Novak 27
10,11
16-19
12,13
Photo by Ella Thomas
2 | THE NORTH STAR | NOVEMBER 2021
22,23
Photo Provided by Emma Jacobson
Seniors Natalie Christensen and Chase Nightingale share their experiences as they pursue post-graduate plans outside the bounds of four-year college. Photo by Calla Jordan
27
Photo by Arshiya Pant
TH E NORTH STAR STAFF ON LI N E
EDITORS-I N-CH I EF
BVN Tennis Takes on State Championship Calla Jordan Clue Comes to BVN Theatre Oct. 15-16 Bennett Palmer BVN Goes Gold Jack Toal, Max Wolf
Behind the Float Anna Sandage
Abi’s Closet: Fall Fashion Abi Patterson Spotify Courtroom Jack Toal
Coffee Now Available for Purchase in School Store Lauren Austin Rivalry Game Feeds Excitement Anna Sandage
There Needs to be More Protection for Women on College Campuses Abi Patterson
Caroline Clarke Arshiya Pant
WEB EDITORS Jack Toal Max Wolf
DESIGN EDITOR Ella Thomas
SOCIAL M EDIA EDITOR
TH E NORTH STAR PODCAST
Reece Bachta
COPY EditoRs Alexa Newsom Ella Shafer
with Jack Toal and Max Wolf
ADVISER Diana Manglos
STAFF WRITERS
I NSTAGRAM
WEBSITE
@BVN N EWS
@BVN N EWS
BVN N EWS.COM
Emmett Abar Lauren Austin Ruby Bierman Adelaide Edwards Sejin Hahn Calla Jordan Paige Novak Bennett Palmer Abi Patterson Anna Sandage
NOVEMBER 2021 | The NORTH STAR | 3
NEWS
Wh eRe’s my Bus? An insight into the chaos of recent bus problems. By Emmett Abar
T
he crackle of the P.A. sounds
(delivery driver or truck driver), are
for a CDL specifically for passenger
off in the classrooms as it
making it more difficult for Durham to
transportation, that’s the classroom work
announces, “Bus five and bus
find candidates willing to drive their buses.
and a driving course test and all of them
four both are missing drivers
“[Durham Bus Service] were looking
have to pass a drug test.”
today. Again, if you ride on bus five and
pretty good up until about two weeks
bus four you will need to find a ride home.
before school started… that was right
occurring, freshman Lilly Copeland was
Sorry for the inconvenience, have a great
about when all the news stories were
surprised by the announcement that her
day!” A sigh releases from the classrooms.
coming out about the Delta Variant spike
bus was canceled.
This is the fourth time this week that buses
in positive rates,” Gillam said. ”It freaked
are missing their drivers and riders alike.
out some of our bus drivers, and about 20
ended and all of a sudden I hear this
of them left us.”
announcement, and it says, ‘Bus 36 will
Recently, school buses at BVN have dealt with a significant increase in problems, from late arrivals to missing
buses hasn’t been easy,
drivers. Students who rely on buses are
according to Gillam.
getting home later than usual, or even left
Becoming a bus driver
at school waiting for a ride home.
for Durham requires
The Director of Business for the Blue
screenings and tests,
Valley School District, Jason Gillam,
and it takes about eight
handles the exchange of information
weeks for people to
between the Durham Bus Service and
become legally certified
the BVSD. According to Gillam, recent
to drive buses.
problems with buses have been more prevalent due to multiple reasons. “Historically, attracting and hiring bus
“
Trying to find people to drive the
“We just can’t hire anybody and put them behind the bus
When these problems started
“It was about 30 minutes before school
be canceled. Try to make arrangements for rides,’” Copeland
Historically, attracting and hiring bus drivers [at] Blue Valley has always been a challenge, but I would say, since the pandemic, it’s been even harder,
-Jason Gillam
“
said. “My whole class was kind of in shock, because this was the first bus announcement and so I was thinking, ‘What am I going to do?’” Another student impacted by these recent occurrences
drivers [at] Blue Valley has always been
tomorrow,” Gillam said,
a challenge, but I would say, since the
“Drivers have to pass
pandemic, it’s been even harder,” Gillam
a driving background
said.
check and a criminal background check.
often late, and we also have to go pick up
They also have to pass a physical. In
the middle schoolers because they have a
addition to that, they have to train, test
lack of bus drivers as well,” McGraw said.
Gillam said he thinks similar job openings created by the pandemic
4 | THE NORTH STAR | NOVEMBER 2021
is sophomore Klein McGraw. “Our buses are
When the buses are late, it can cause major time delays for students, depending on their afternoon plans. “I get home from school either 3:45-
however, if students have to wait for their bus it can take up to an hour. “There’s people who take way longer than I might, I’m in the middle when they
3:55 p.m, so it takes quite a while, and
drop people off so I noticed people getting
I’m always kind of late to my after school
off way later than me,” McGraw said.”I
activities because of that,” McGraw said.
heard some of my friends where they have
McGraw guesses the three main factors
to get rides with either faculty or other
of the recent problems are the pay of bus
students home because the bus isn’t coming
driving, getting certified as a driver and
for them.”
the pandemic making it risky to be in close proximity to a bus full of kids.
Top: Students walk to their buses after school. Bottom Left: Bus driver waits for more students after school. Bottom Right: Buses pull away from school to take students home. Photos by Emmett Abar
Even with late buses and missing drivers, Gillam thinks Durham has been
According to Gillam, on average a bus
trying their best to solve these problems.
route within Blue Valley takes 35 minutes
“We always make sure that there is a
to complete. That includes dropping
ride, you know. It may be late, but there’s
kids off after picking them up. Recently,
always a ride,” Gillam said.
NOVEMBER 2021 | THE NORTH STAR | 5
FEATURE
S
th e dress
enior Marie Connelly is passionate about fashion, so when it came to finding a homecoming dress, she wanted to portray herself through her outfit. Connelly was interested in a dress that was longer than the traditional homecoming dress, and she was also looking for something with a pattern on it. “I was really uncomfortable with short dresses because at prom I kept having to pull mine down, and I was looking into more midi-length,” Connelly said. “I was looking for that kind of design, too, like instead of just one solid color, just something floral.” Connelly found her perfect dress at Lulus, an online clothing website, after only 45 minutes of looking “As soon as I saw that one I immediately fell in love with it,” Connelly said. When it came to the price of her dress, Connelly said she didn’t mind spending a little more than $75. Although she thought the price was slightly high, she ultimately decided it was worth the cost. “I really loved how I wasn’t uncomfortable wearing it, I felt like it was a perfect dress,” Connelly said. “I could dance in it and I wasn’t afraid of it slipping.” Connelly accessorized with simple jewelry and a pair of strappy heels. “I wore — I actually borrowed my mom’s jewelry — I just wore gold jewelry, like a simple necklace, simplistic jewelry because my dress was so in-your-face,” Connelly said. Connelly wanted to find the perfect shoes to match her dress, and she did. Her shoes were also from Lulus, and cost around $25. “My shoes were like a small heel with straps, they matched my dress perfectly,” Connelly said.
anyth i ng but a backpack
6 | THE NORTH STAR | NOVEMBER 2021
wh ich witch is wh ich?
TUESDAY
the themes for homecoming spirit week
Monday
SPIRIT WEEK
m i dwest mon day
risky busi n ess
dresses, suits aNd shoes
oh my!
A spotlight on two uniquely dressed students at the homecoming dance
by Adelaide Edwards
M
th e suit
ax Blinn, along with a few friends of his, took a different approach, avoiding a traditional suit, in favor of a cheetah print to stand out. He wore a cheetah print suit
jacket. “I wanted to be different than everybody else and so did our group,” Blinn said. Blinn shopped for about five minutes at JCPenny’s before he found the suit jacket. “It was around $70,” Blinn said. Blinn’s goal was to look different and have fun, and with his friends, he achieved that goal. The boys in the group all wore cheetah print suit jackets. “We all wanted to do something different, we all wanted to do something fun,” Blinn said. “We were a big hit, a lot of people liked our suits and told us that.” Blinn paired the suit jacket with a black undershirt and black pants, along with some loafers. The shoes were slightly less expensive than the suit jacket. “The shoes were separate, the loafers were around $60.” According to Blinn, the group achieved their goal of looking unique and having a good time.
dress li ke your date
m ustang pri de
FRIDAY
2000’s day
twister th ursday
THURSDAY
WEDNESDAY
We’re not i n Kansas anymore
NOVEMBER 2021 | THE NORTH STAR | 7
FEATURE
Th e N eXt Level O
Sophomore Felicia Wu recently found out she was moved from junior varsity volleyball to varsity. What did that look like for her, and what is in store for her in the future? By Anna Sandage
ne month into her sophomore volleyball season, Felicia Wu heard the news; she was going to play on varsity. Only four days later, she got her first set of playing time as a defensive specialist on the team. Previously, Wu had been playing as the libero for BVN’s junior varsity team. The libero one is the defensive player that plays back row, often for the middle hitters, throughout the whole game. They are also the players that wear different colored jerseys. Wu was having a great season, but more was waiting for her on the varsity team, according to head varsity coach Matt Allin. “We wanted to give her some time on JV as a libero because in club she was a setter, so she just needed some time and some reps being a libero and playing defense. So once we got to about a month into the season we moved her up,” Allin said. While the coaches had anticipated Wu’s move to varsity this season, Wu herself did not. Wu said convinced that
this season she would play for JV and hopefully move up to varsity next year as a junior. “I wasn’t expecting to get moved up, because of COVID,” Wu said. “We weren’t able to practice with [varsity] in the same gym so I just assumed that the teams were set because of that.”
“
“I like being on varsity because it challenges me as a player, and I feel like I am getting better at every practice.”
-Felicia Wu
“
According to Allin, Wu brings many valuable skills to the varsity team.Wu
A progression of Felicia Wu serving during the senior night game against Mill Valley. Photos by Anna Sandage
8 | THE NORTH STAR | NOVEMBER 2021
thrives in the back row, specifically when passing and serving. “We moved her up because we needed someone who could serve and pass and also play defense for us. That was the plan all along,” Allin said. Since Wu plays a different position for club volleyball, she worked hard to transition into being a DS and libero during her school seasons. Luckily, Wu recognizes this challenge and puts in the effort to improve her skills. “In my opinion, setting and passing are pretty similar because they sort of use the same skills,” Wu said. “It’s just that I don’t serve receive during club season, which is most of my year, so it can be a little rough when we get back to school… so I have been working on getting more reps and holding my platform when I am passing.” According to Wu, being added to a team late in the season isn’t always easy. However, Wu has been playing volleyball since third grade, and her experience has allowed her to quickly adjust to the new environment that comes with varsity volleyball.
“She’s already done a good job serving aggressively, passing and playing defense for us,” Allin said. “She is a great ball handling kid.” According to Wu, she enjoys playing on a highly competitive club team, and her favorite parts of the sport are the comradery and team aspect. “I was really excited about getting moved up because over the summer I had a lot of fun playing with the [varsity] girls and doing tryouts with them… I love all of the team bonding activities that we are able to do together,” Wu said. Because being on varsity will present new challenges, Wu has set goals for herself, as well as for her team. “My goal for myself is just to become a better defensive player because I play a different position [setter] for club, and then I really want our team to win state because that is the goal,” said Wu. Being moved up to varsity this year is just the start of varsity volleyball for Wu. Since she is only a sophomore, she will get to grow with the team and get better over the next few years. “I like being on varsity because it challenges me as a player,” Wu said. “And I feel like I am getting better at every practice.”
Wu celebrates during the BVN versus BVNW match. Photo by Reece Bachta
NOVEMBER 2021 | THE NORTH STAR | 9
News
ABSOLUTELY
DEVIOUS
How stealing from the school became a trend across the U.S. By Bennett Palmer
An empty 600 hall bathroom. Photo by Bennett Palmer
A
strange phenomenon is occurring in schools all across America. Soap dispensers, paper towels and toilet seats are disappearing with no obvious cause. These disappearances aren’t random, however. The theft of school property is sweeping across the nation, and school bathrooms have become the main target. The trend is called “devious licks,” which usually entails students stealing items from their schools’ bathrooms. Paper towel dispensers, sinks and entire toilets have gone missing from American high schools, gaining millions of views in the last three months.
Tina Morse, a school resource officer for BVN, does not approve of the trend. “It’s juvenile, it’s immature,” Morse said. “Kids come to school to get your education, not tear up a bathroom.” The challenge spread on TikTok, although TikTok itself has not endorsed the emerging trend, partly due to its illegal nature, and also because of the influence it has on viewers. TikTok banned the “devious licks” hashtag on Sept. 15, but not before the trend gained 235 million views. BVN itself has enforced physical restrictions because of the trend. School resource officers have closed down all
10 | THE NORTH STAR | NOVEMBER 2021
bathrooms except those in the 100 and 400 halls during North Time. “It doesn’t feel right that I have to go around and lock up bathrooms because you guys keep tearing them up,” Morse said. “I don’t think that’s fair for anybody.” Instagram pages run by BVN students displaying and chronicling these thefts have also grown. School staff have their own speculations as to why the trend has become massively popular. “I think in the back of their mind they’re going to gain something,” Morse said. “Likes and views drive this sort of thing.” The trend harms more than just the staff, as all students, even those
T h e
H i sto ry
The first video with “devious licks” was posted by TikTok user juggs4elias, which entailed the user stealing disposable masks from his school. The video garnered more than 300,000 views before being taken down by TikTok.
o f
D e v i o u s
The trend hit its peak in September, with a video of a hand sanitizer dispenser with the caption, “only a month into school and got this absolute devious lick.” The video gained more than 2.7 million views before being taken down.
L i c ks The counter trend, known as “angelic yields,” have also grown in popularity in the last few months. The trend entails giving supplies at school, giving away money or generally helping others during the day.
is created for people who don’t have respect,” Ostroski said. “I think it’s unfortunate that some of our kids decided to take part in it.”
“
These days on TikTok, anything that’s really crazy will go viral,” Bolton said. “People like cloutpeople like getting exposure. It’s obnoxious, to be honest.”
-Austin Boulton
A soap dispenser in the 600 hall bathroom. Photo by Bennett Palmer not involved, are affected as well. This sentiment is shared by students such as freshman Maryn Triplett. “I just think it’s stupid,” Triplett said. “I think it’s just funny on TikTok, but then when it starts getting a little personal, and when everybody starts getting affected by it, I think that’s when it goes too far.” Disapproval of the trend can be seen in comment sections, among students and teachers alike, although the trend keeps rising in views. As of September 2021, more than 235 million views have been attributed to the “devious” hashtag on
TikTok. Sophomore Austin Boulton said recognition and popularity may be explanations behind the growth of the trend. “These days on TikTok, anything that’s really crazy will go viral,” Boulton said. “People like clout — people like getting exposure. It’s obnoxious, to be honest.” Teachers and administrators share a negative opinion of the trend. A general feeling of distrust has grown in parents’ and teachers’ minds. Principal Tyson Ostroski shares this opinion well. “I think [the trend is] something that
“
Ostroski has been dealing with this issue since it started, working with students, taking special precautions and putting restrictions on the students, such as taking away bathroom privilege. He still believes that it is not enough, however, and the only thing his administration can do is hope that the trend won’t get out of hand. “As teachers, as administrators, we obviously have limited power,” Ostroski said. “We can’t be in the bathrooms 24/7, but I hope that our students can take pride in the school and influence each other in a way that’s positive.” Teachers, administrators, and students all share one opinion of the trend itself. They want it to be over. “I would hope that this is a passing fad,” Ostroski says. “I hope this sees its way through, and that people will acknowledge that as well.”
NOVEMBER 2021 | THE NORTH STAR | 11
STUDENT LIFE
to th e
Beat of th e Drums The Marching Mustangs work countless hours a week to perfect their craft and boost school spirit. What makes it all worthwhile? Ella Shafer
Marching along the field, the drum line prepares to perform their pregame show for the football crowd. The crowd cheered on the band as they introduced the football team to the field. photo by Ella Thomas competitions a year. The band takes a bus and drives for a couple of hours to their performance site. According to senior flutist Emily Nelson, they spend almost the entire day at these competitions.
“
You feel as if you’re in the spotlight of a Broadway production on the field...
“
M
any students at BVN take pride in school spirit. The question is, where do students get that spirit, and who works every day to keep it? The Mustang Marching Band consists of students who put countless hours into their craft to perform at football and basketball games, as well as competitions outside of school. Senior Keaton Lewis is a drum major who has been involved in band since middle school. He said that he spends up to 15 hours a week practicing marching band and that it is a large time commitment. “On Monday we have rehearsal from 7 a.m. until first hour ends, on Tuesday we have a 7 a.m. rehearsal until 8 a.m., on Wednesday we have a rehearsal during first hour and another one in the evening from 6:30 p.m. until 8:30 p.m., and we have one final rehearsal on Friday during first hour,” Lewis said. Along with all of their time spent practicing, the Marching Mustangs also perform in two- to- three marching
- Madison Dean
“Depending on the festival, we have to perform two times, once in the afternoon and once at night, so the competitions usually take all day. I’m always exhausted by the end, but they are so much fun,” Nelson said.
12 | THE NORTH STAR | NOVEMBER 2021
The band competes at the festival Neewollah, which is one of the longestrunning festivals in the Kansas City area. Marching bands from all over the state can participate, and BVN attended it for the first time two years ago. Nelson recounted her first time at the festival and all the activities they participated in. “We got to march in their parade and hang out around the fair for a few hours. Then we went to this park and rode a train and played mini golf before we performed. We ended up winning the competition and we didn’t get home until around 1 a.m.,” Nelson said. With all the time they spend on practicing in order to perform well, the Marching Mustangs have little time to keep up with school work, let alone to enjoy some free time. However, Lewis said the people and environment make it worthwhile. “My favorite part of marching band is the energy everybody has towards it,” Lewis said. “People are always excited to be at rehearsal or go to a football game
and it’s great to always have that energy around me.” Football games attract students whether they are playing in the band or cheering in the stands. Nelson personally said she loves attending football games and playing for the crowd. “Football games are a really enjoyable time because I get to be surrounded by my friends and make music. Performing for an audience is always a great experience because we get to show people what we spent so much time working on,” Nelson said. Game day has become increasingly important to students, especially after COVID-19 took away many school activities last year. Madison Dean, a senior on color guard, said she is excited to be performing again because it’s the moments on the field that can mean the world. “You feel as if you’re in the spotlight of a Broadway production on the field, and in the stands you’re surrounded by your friends, cheering on the football team and doing little dances. Both are equally great feelings,” Dean said. Dean said that some of her most memorable moments have come from performing in color guard. As the honored soloist, she begins and ends the marching show and hears her name being cheered by fans in the stands. “Watchers, especially those who have been in marching band, are usually amazed by our abilities and show it in their faces and in their cheers. From the field especially, I love hearing it and seeing
Conducting at the football game, senior Hammad Javed leads the marching band through their performance. Javed enjoyed being the leader of a welcoming community. “Being able to lead a band that I’m close friends with and being a leader for them is my favorite part,” Javed said. photo by Ella Thomas it. It gives you a fuzzy warm feeling that is indescribable,” Dean said. BVN is full of students trying to find their place in the school and make a community with each other. According to marching band students, the band helps bring that community to those both participating and watching from the stands. “The marching band brings energy and excitement to football games but also provides a place for people who may all be very different but love music to come
together and support each other,” Lewis said. According to Nelson, the marching band is like a second family to her. She said her friends in the band make every rehearsal fun and worthwhile, and she enjoys bringing spirit to the school. “I think marching band adds a sense of community to the school.” Nelson said. “I’ve made so many great friendships because of marching band and I am so grateful for all the memories I have made these past few years,” Nelson said.
Up Th e Scale... Along with the time and effort put into memorizing music and formations, the marching band also has to adjust to the weight of the instruments they carry on the field. How heavy are their instruments?
35 lbs.
40 lbs. NOVEMBER 2021 | THE NORTH STAR | 13
FEATURE
From Building Blocks to Building Dreams How have students’ childhood dream jobs changed through the years?
By Ella Thomas
A
stronaut, baseball player, ballet dancer and rock star: children typically dream of these careers. During their time in high school, students are forced to think about their careers during meetings with their counselors and Naviance lessons. For some, this process may include letting go of their childhood dream job. Here are three students’ stories, each on their own path to life after high school.
S
ophomore Jack Hancock has held onto the same dream job since elementary school. Being a sports announcer always enticed Hancock and is still his dream job. “In eighth grade I did public address announcing for the first time and immediately fell in love with it,” Hancock said. Hancock also draws inspiration from his grandfather, an executive director of the college football playoff. Hancock was inspired to pursue broadcasting after watching his grandpa and the people
J
unior Elie Textor wanted to be a marine biologist as a child, because of her love of sea animals. Textor said that she cannot pinpoint exactly when she changed her mind, but she is now headed down a different path. Textor wants to enter the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) for the Air Force to be an engineer or do logistics. The ROTC allows students to take regular college classes and military classes at the same time as long as the student enrolls in the U.S. Army, Navy or Air Force once they graduate.
Jack Hancock
around him work. “I’ve grown up around the most incredible sports broadcasters ever,” said Hancock. “From Jim Nance to Al Michaels and Kirk Herbstreit, and all these great people.” Now that Hancock is a sophomore, he is pursuing his broadcasting and announcing dream. Hancock runs the broadcast for Blue Valley North’s football team via a YouTube livestream and commentates the game. He also does public address statements for any sports that athletic director Kelli Kurle allows
him to do. Hancock wants to continue to improve on his skills and go down the broadcast path. He plans to attend a traditional four-year university to major in journalism and broadcast. After college, Hancock hopes to work for a major broadcast company and announce sports professionally. “It makes me happier than anything else,” Hancock said. “I’m an actor and so I love performing but I’m also a bit of a nerd and love stats so announcing combines the two things perfectly.”
Elie Textor “I chose [ROTC] because multiple of my grandparents, my cousins, and uncles have all gone into the air force and it’s just something that I’ve grown up with.” Textor started her junior year off with a concrete idea of what she wants to do in college. She toured the University of Texas in Austin earlier this fall and talked to recruiters and teachers for the ROTC program. She learned that as part of the ROTC program Textor would have to go off campus once a month to do separate training. The idea of helping others appeals to Textor and is the main reason she plans
14 | THE NORTH STAR | NOVEMBER 2021
to serve. She also considers herself a team player making her a good fit. Textor acknowledges that it is less common for women to serve in the Air Force but says she is ready for the challenge. “As a woman going into the service it’s not really common so just having that stigma and stereotype on only men going into this field is definitely a little pressure,” Textor said, “but I know that I can do it and that I will persevere through it and prove myself.”
Megan Meyer
I
n May, Senior Megan Meyer dedicated her free time to learning to fly planes. This means that she takes frequent lessons with a private instructor over the summer, or whenever she has free time. Meyer is now able to take small flights by herself. “I always thought it would be fun to have a job that a little kid would think ‘that’s what I want to be when I grow up’ and not be some random thing that someone’s never heard of,” Meyer said. “I think if a little kid thinks it’s fun, then it must be fun as an adult.” Meyer’s elementary school dream was to be a veterinarian. A few years later, Meyer decided that she could not take the emotional toll of caring for sick animals and shifted her focus to the travel industry. Meyer’s was inspired by her uncle who had flown planes in the past. Meyer also plans to pursue piloting as a career path after she graduates. This would send Meyer to a four year university where she would take flight lessons at the same time. Meyer estimates that it would take about two years to complete her training if she were to complete university classes on the side. “In college it would be me going to
classes, like a general major, but then I’m always flying on the side,” Meyer said. “That’s what I want to focus on. Of course there is always ‘school-school’ but it’s always like, ‘I wish I could be doing [flying] instead.’”
Junior Elie Textor stands in front of the aviation sculpture at the University of Texas in Austin during her tour in October. Photo Provided by Elie Textor. Senior Megan Meyer sits in the cockpit of a plane. Photo Provided by Megan Meyer.
NOVEMBER 2021 | THE NORTH STAR | 15
FEATURE
off th e beaten patH
The next three pages are dedicated to post-highschool planning. Trade schools, career-ready programs and the like are all providing benefits that are often underrated. What are students in these programs doing? What are their future plans? By Alexa Newsom
16 | THE NORTH STAR | NOVEMBER 2021
O
ver seven hours, five days a week, nine months a year, for 12 years we have been working. Sitting at desks, completing worksheets and projects, discussing books, solving math problems — whether we like it or not, we have grown up in classrooms. So if this is ending, what comes next? No matter their interests, this is the question going through the minds of seniors as they finalize their post-highschool-plans. Senior Natalie Christensen had her heart set on cosmetology in junior year. But the desire for a cosmetic career started earlier, when she was a sophomore. Christensen had dyed her hair before, but the first time she tried to bleach it ... nothing went according to plan. “That was the first time that I messed up my hair,” Christensen said. “[My friend, who had been helping me] and I had to go to the salon. I think … the first time I ever had interest in being a hairstylist was meeting that lady who did my hair.” The woman connected with Christensen while she styled Christensen’s hair, sharing an eerily similar story from her own childhood — and then prophetic. “She was like, … ‘one of you is going to end up being a hairstylist,’” Christensen said. After that appointment, Christensen kept her hair blond, with help from a friend’s mother who had previous cosmetic experience. Then, quarantine hit, and she bought a bleaching kit from Amazon to continue the work herself. “[I] watched a bunch of tutorials and got a mirror … because I had to bleach my roots,” Christensen said. “... And I just found this technique of doing it myself. And from then on, I’ve just gotten super into it.” Since then, Christensen has planned to go to Johnson County Community College (JCCC) for cosmetology. She hopes the course will allow her to meet people with similar interests as her. “I am really excited [to be] in a community of people that love to do what I love to do because I have not met anyone at my age who is super into dyeing hair to the extent that I am,” Christensen said. “... I’m excited to ... just learn and make friends.” As an added bonus, Christensen’s
FEATURE father works at the college, making her education free — a cost that is a massive benefit of trade schools and careerready programs. While not all of these options are cost-effective to the extent of Christensen’s future training, for Blue Valley Students, career-ready programs are free — and students are making money sooner. Sarah Beren is the director for career-ready programs in the Blue Valley district and works with students interested in such a path. “These are kids that are working towards a career-ready certification that allows them to leave high school with a piece of paper that gets a decent paying job,” Beren said.
“
I am really excited [to be] in a community of people that love to do what I love to do ... I’m excited to ... just learn and make friends.
-Natalie Christensen
“
Due to a partnership with JCCC, Blue Valley will cover the cost of career-ready programs while the student is enrolled in the district, making them incredibly costeffective. Senior Chase Nightingale is in the automotive tech program. “It’s a really good program,” Nightingale said. “A lot of people would probably think that it’s not the best because it’s community college, but I think it’s the best option if you’re taking high school. Everything’s being paid for. So nothing’s really out of pocket. And I mean it’s a good chance to see if you really want to continue [in that field].” Chase has been interested in cars since he was little, and feels that this program gives him the opportunity to do what he wants to do. “I wouldn’t be mad if I was stuck in a job, just working on cars all day,” he said. Additionally, these programs are a better fit for students who do not know
what they want to do, or want to enter the workforce soon. With this in mind, scheduling is different. Cosmetology school is completed based on hours rather than credits or years, according to Christensen; students work through their career-ready program while finishing high school, spending half of their day at a Blue Valley school and the other at JCCC. Beren estimates there are 96 students currently enrolled in one — a large number considering that this program is technically in its infancy. Her position leading this program started only two years ago. But the options may be expanding. “We’re starting a program in we’re going to introduce cybersecurity — that’ll have a limited number of seats. We’re starting a program in nail technology, which will have a very limited number of seats, like possibly three. And that’s for the whole district ...” Given the technological industry is employing beyond those with college degrees, the district’s technology department is working to create a careerready program for students interested in tech, according to the district’s CIO Brian Daley. While their planning was delayed by COVID-19, Daley says it is underway again. “... [We are] laying out the plans to integrate a technology track for students, starting in middle school all the way through when they graduate, that most likely ends up in a student graduating with a certification and utilizing our own technology department here at Blue Valley as part of their internships,” Daley said. The plan currently includes separate, specialized tracks, like analytics, cybersecurity and software development. “[What we] are hoping to do is create a mechanism to allow kids to enter in to fulfill their technology by taking computer classes,” Daley said. “… And then once they enter high school, picking a track. Staying with that track, graduating with a certification. That way if they don’t plan on doing a four-year college, they can [work] immediately with that certification.” However, the modern trend is pushing towards four-year university. With the pressures of parents, friends and Blue Valley North in particular, the question arises: is there a stigma surrounding these other programs? “Not really, actually,” Nightingale said.
NOVEMBER 2021 | THE NORTH STAR | 17
FEATURE
“... There wasn’t really any pushback ... The thing I’ve noticed the most is that it’s usually, I mean, about the same as CAPS.” Christensen feels more encouraged to do what she loves. “[My parents have] been supportive of me ... wanting to do hair,” Christensen said. “They do kind of want me to take like other classes at Johnson County Community College and we haven’t really figured that out yet because cosmetology is its own like program[,] but they want me to take business classes because my real dream is to own my own salon and run my own salon … They’ve been totally 100 percent supportive of it and they know that I love doing hair.” Her teachers have been just as supportive. “I know ... the majority of my peers are planning on going to college[, but] ... I’m not too worried about it because I’m like, if I’m going to Johnson County Community College, a lot of my friends are going to KU. If I want to see them, I can just go up there, and like, I know I’m going to make friends at cosmetology school.” For Christensen and Nightingale, this is one of the main rewards of trade school and career-ready programs: the people. Nightingale has met some of his friends through taking auto-tech; beyond that, he has been given the opportunity to meet with professionals. “I met a lot of new people … I wouldn’t have met if I didn’t take the class,” Nightingale said. “You get a lot of interaction with experienced technicians, and the other day we had a career day. People from dealerships would come in, talk about what it would be like to work in a dealership.” Students are truly looking ahead to what comes next — their goals, and how to achieve them. “... College is not for everyone. There is a big majority … of people who go to college and don’t even know why they’re there,” Christensen said. “And you don’t have to feel bad about it not being for you if you don’t think it’s the right fit for you.”
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Title: Christensen does her makeup. Above: The Student Service building at JCCC, which has partnered with Blue Valley to offer career-ready programs. Below: Overland Park Fire Training Center, where OFPD gives outreach and trains its Fire Science program. Photos by Lexi Newsom
FEATURE
CAREER-READY PROGRAMS at Blue Valley Established Programs - Basic Information Blue Valley School District has a partnership with Johnson County Community College (JCCC) and with the Overland Park Fire Department (OFPD) to offer a variety of career-ready programs. Students spend half of their day at their Blue Valley High School and half in their program at JCCC or OFPD. At the end of two years, students earn their certificate — and enter the workforce as soon as they want to.
Automotive Tech Construction Management Culinary & Hospitality Metal Fabrication & Welding Fire Science Program
New Programs - Looking to What’s Ahead Yet these programs are expanding. Not all of the details are confirmed yet, but these can be expected in the coming years.
Nail Technology (JCCC) — 2022 Cybersecurity (JCCC) — 2022 Technology (BV District) — to be determined
To Find Out More Scan the QR code to the career-ready program information Canvas page or reach out to Sarah Beren at sberen@bluevalleyk12.org.
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News
AlteRatioNs iN ApplicatioNs
Colleges have started to rethink their application process due to the effects of COVID-19 creating difficulties for the current senior class.
By Calla Jordan
A
t the start of every school year, the college application process begins for the senior class. This year, the process is changing due to COVID-19. For some schools, standardized testing is becoming optional, and colleges are starting to look more at the progress and growth a student has experienced throughout high school rather than perfect test scores. According to The Spike Lab, each year more people are applying to highly selective schools. Columbia University had a 51 percent increase in applicants in 2020 but was unable to adjust how many students they take per year, causing the acceptance rate to lower from 6.1 percent to 3.7 percent at Columbia. Last year, COVID-19 made it difficult for students to find the time and place to take standardized tests, causing colleges to rethink their test policies. According to U.S. News, the organization Fair Test reported that 1,050 colleges have become test-optional or test-flexible, meaning students can choose which tests they want to submit. They believe by fall 2022 that more than 1,600 colleges will
be test-optional. Many students chose to defer last year due to COVID-19. The University of Wisconsin had twice as many students defer in 2020 compared to the year before. The number of applicants increased by about 20 percent partly because of their new test-optional policy. Colleges have stated that they will not be penalizing students who opt out of testing, although having the average score published by the school or above can only be a benefit. According to BVN counselor Vicki Peterson students could use Naviance for reference. “Look at what the average ACT or SAT is for the school they [students] are looking at in terms of admission, or it can be found on Naviance, our program here, you can look up any school, and it tells you the middle ACT or SAT ranges for kids who are accepted,” Peterson said. Because standardized testing no longer holds the same weight in admissions as it used to, extracurricular activities and essays can now be the difference between an acceptance and rejection letter. BVN counselor Megan Standefer said,
Interview with senior Qasim Chohdry Q: Since essays and Q: What do you wish you’d known extracurricular activities have become more important now that standardized tests are becoming more optional, how did that affect your planning for your application process?
A: “I heard of that but I felt like a
strong standardized test would still be useful. So I studied for the standardized test early and I put a lot of time into extracurriculars. With essays, I wish I had started earlier since I know those are really important and I am trying to improve those now.”
before applying to college?
A:“How many essays I would have to
write and how much time I have to put into editing them since it takes a really long time and they’re really important too.”
Q: What has the college
application process been like for you?
A: “It’s been kind of stressful and
time-consuming, especially all the tests, schoolwork and especially the essays.”
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“I think schools place an emphasis on a good transcript that shows the school your soft skills, your ability to meet deadlines, your attention to detail, and also whether or not you challenged yourself. But besides your transcript, it’s going to be your essay.”
“
Schools place an emphasis on a good transcript that shows your soft skills, your attention to detail, and also whether or not you challenged yourself. -Megan Standefer
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Q: What advice do you have for juniors starting to think about college applications?
A: “I’d say, start all your activities early, and make sure you have a college list early so you can know what essays you need to write. And if you get started on that, it’s going to be easier to manage with all the tools you have.”
Vicki Peterson Q: Does applying with an undecided major affect your chances of getting accepted?
A: “Not necessarily. I think at least half of our graduating senior
class doesn’t know what they want to do. The only difference I guess would be like, let’s say you know you want to be a business major, KU lets you directly admit to your business program to go ahead and apply right out of high school, and maybe start getting involved in what their requirements are right away rather than waiting a year or two. To do that, there’s some benefit to you, to get right into your program. But in terms of being admitted to the school, I don’t think there’s a detriment.”
Q: What resources do you find most helpful for students who are starting to write their essays?
A: “There’s a lot of them out there, and it’s one thing we don’t
have a lot of on our Naviance program that we do a lot of stuff with here. I went to a webinar on college admissions once and there was a gentleman by the name of Ethan Sawyer, he calls himself the college essay guy, and he has some really cool ideas and how there’s apparently four different ways you can structure an essay. He talks about those common topics and topics that are overworked but are still good to use.”
Interviews with BVN counselors Q: What makes a college application stand out? A: “They want to picture you as a student. They want to be able to get a sense of who you are. So, putting in something in either your essay that you’ve been writing or even letters of recommendation that people are writing for you. One of the words I’ll never forget they used when I was listening to a panel of college admissions people is that they said the application needs to be compelling. That was a word that stuck with me a lot. Compelling means there’s something about it. You want them [college administrators] to kind of sit back and say wow.”
Q: Do you believe that submitting test scores gives students an advantage or disadvantage?
A: “I think it depends on their test score. I’ve been telling my
students to look at what the average ACT or SAT is for the school they are looking at in terms of admission, or it can be found on Naviance, our program here, you can look up any school and it tells you the middle ACT or SAT ranges for kids who are accepted.”
Megan Standefer Q: What changes have you seen lately in college
Q: Would not submitting test scores to colleges put
A: “I think the first thing is just the standardized testing
A: “Colleges will say that they will not penalize a student for
Q: Do you encourage everyone to go to college?
Q: How important are the essays on college
admission standards and procedures?
requirement. Colleges are already starting to place less emphasis on the standardized test scores and the overall holistic approach. But once the pandemic hurt, they realized that students would likely have fewer opportunities to test. And so, they either went the test optional or just so that it was part of the scholarship process but not part of the admissions. Even some of the schools that have maintained the test requirement have still encouraged people to reach out if there is an issue with being able to produce test scores.
A: “There are so many great careers out there that don’t
require your standard four years of college. Most careers require some sort of training; it could be a six-month, nine-month, year- or- two-long certificate-based program. A lot of these types of programs can be found in a place like Johnson County Community College, where you don’t have to spend four years. And then there are opportunities straight out of high school without any kind of training as well. So I do think the student needs to think ideally and look at what they think they want to do while they’re still in high school to help make that decision.”
students at a disadvantage?
not submitting scores. So, the rule of thumb that we have started trending towards is if your score is the same as or higher than the school’s publicized average to go ahead and send it. But there is not a penalty for not sending it if the school doesn’t require it.”
applications?
A: “I think that is one of the biggest components. All of the
other data on your transcript and the demographic data doesn’t tell who you are and admissions reps are very interested to know more about you and to hear your voice to find out what type of person you are and what you care about. So the essay is your only opportunity to really promote yourself and share with an admissions director who you are. Schools do place an emphasis on a good transcript that shows the school your soft skills, your ability to meet deadlines, and also whether or not you challenged yourself, it’s going to be your essay if the school requires it.”
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FEATURE
Rolli Ng Togeth er
By Max Wolf
A new sport in Blue Valley School District — Unified Bowling — brings students with and without disabilities together to compete on a state level.
A
s the crash of the pins echoes through Aaron’s Family Fun Center, the smell of mineral oil fills the air. Cheers and claps are heard by parents, athletes and coaches alike. Athletes and partners embrace and high-five in joy as the pins strike the floor. Unified Bowling has been approved by KSHSAA (Kansas State High School Activities Association) for eligibility for the 2021-2022 school year, meaning that students with and without disabilities can letter and compete together in a sport on a state competitive level. Although Unified Sports such as basketball, soccer and bocce are not new to BVSD, this is the first year that one of the sports offered to students counts for KSHSAA eligibility. Blue Valley North athletic director Kelli Kurle met with BVSD athletic director Matt Ortman over the summer to discuss adding a new sport to the repertoire of activities at BVN. The decision was made quickly and with the inclusion of all students in mind, according to Kurle.
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He wanted a KSHSAA event that allowed students with different abilities to have the opportunity to be able to compete at districts and win state titles.
-Kelli Kurle
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“The charge was led by Shawnee Mission South Athletic Director John Johnson,” Kurle said. “He wanted a KSHSAA event that allowed students with different abilities to have the opportunity to be able to compete at districts and win state titles.” Unified Bowling is coached by BVN teachers: math teacher Erin Nathan, school psychologist Sarah Young and special education teacher John Daigle. While having coaches, the sport also includes partners without disabilities for each athlete with a disability. “In eighth grade, I did peer tutoring for a boy and it was really fun, it was the highlight of my year,” sophomore Olivia Davis said., “...I wanted to get involved with Unified Sports just because I thought it would be fun.”
Oth eR UN i fi ed SpoRts While Unified Bowling falls under the Unified Sports category, not every unified sport is KSHSAA eligible.
BasKetball
Unified Basketball is played in the fall and is just a club sport. Coaches for the 21-22 season have not been named.
Involvement in Unified Bowling includes participating in the program as well as attending practices and meets. The team will also go to regionals at the end of the regular season, which partners need to attend as well. “We practice one day per week and have a meet one day per week starting Oct. fourth,” said head coach Erin Nathan. “There’s four meets and then we just have regionals and state, so it’s a fairly short season.” Similar to other sports, Unified Bowling will be competing against schools from the rest of BVSD and the Eastern Kansas League. According to Nathan, schools across the EKL and the state have athletes, partners and coaches alike working together to compete. “I feel like it’s really beneficial for
Bocce
SOCCER
Unified Bocce is played in the fall and is not KSHSAA eligible. Coaches for the 21-22 season have not been named.
Unified Soccer is played in the spring and does not qualify for KSHSAA eligibility. Coaches for the 21-22 season have not been named.
“
both sides [students with and without disabilities] to be on the same team because typically, high school sports and something like Special Olympics are thought of as totally separate,” said school psychologist and Unified Bowling coach Sarah Young. “So the idea of having everyone on the same team and having fun and bowling really just gives everyone mutual understanding of each other.”
I wanted to get involved with Unified Sports just because I thought it would be fun. -Olivia Davis
Photos by Max Wolf and Takras
“ NOVEMBER 2021| THE NORTH STAR | 23
STUDENT LIFE
Happy Holidays?
A look into the celebration, or lack thereof, of Jewish holidays inside the school. By Ruby Bierman
C
anvas notifications, unopened emails, textbook pages to read and a full to-do list. These are what Jewish students deal with when it comes to missed days of school. At North, they are often absent around important holidays, due to religious traditions and services. It’s never an easy decision to miss a day of school, but it’s one religious students must make throughout their years of schooling. Students say solutions for this dilemma are needed. Senior Emma Jacobson, president of BVN’s Jewish Student Union, said Jewish students should definitely have excused days off. Jacobson has experienced the stresses of having to miss days of school for major holidays. “Even if I don’t have a test scheduled on Yom Kippur, I’ll have one maybe the next day, or it creates, like two days off of studying for me, where I can’t be studying. And that’s always really stressful. To kind of balance that academic Jewish life,” Jacobson said. “I used to go to a Jewish day school, so it was kind of hard to adapt from that. I should be able to take off the whole day and not be worried about what’s going to happen if I don’t study.” She added that excused absences aren’t the only way the school can help Jewish students during holiday times.
“If there’s not an excused absence, I think that there should be an email sent out to teachers in advance, notifying them of the holidays,” Jacobson said. “And just making them aware that those days are important to a big amount of students at school, under that demographic, and that accommodations need to be made and flexibility should be present.” Other students agree, saying that Jewish students don’t necessarily need days off of school. Added flexibility for Jewish students and students of other religions could be helpful since everyone celebrates differently, said Jewish sophomore Noah Tarjan. “I don’t think that [Jewish students need days off] and the reason I think that is because it should be one of those things that are flexible, and it might be worth it if in something like the “North Notes,” if they said, ‘wishing a happy holiday’ to whichever religious group has a holiday during that day,” Tarjan said. “But I don’t think that we should have all Jewish kids exempt from coming to school all day because different people will have different things that they do on certain days.” These problems don’t just lie with students. Teachers must also make the decision to take a major holiday off, math teacher Erin Nathan said. “It is hard to miss school,” Nathan
Rosh Hashanah
said. “Teachers can’t just not teach, the day must go on. Students feel the pressure of missing content. Teachers are told not to test on religious holidays. However, as a student, I would rather miss a test and have time to make it up, rather than miss reviews or new content. Either way, it is hard to miss school, especially now that classes are 80 minutes. I had a hard time being gone, trying to make quality lesson plans. I would rather observe later with my family, and not have the hassle of dealing with planning for a substitute or worrying my classes are going to be disrespectful.” Principal Tyson Ostroski said that the Blue Valley School District has policies to accommodate students missing days of school for religious reasons. “We will always excuse assessments on those days, and if something is on a certain day and it’s not in accordance with a holiday inadvertently, then we will make accommodations that can be made up at another time,” Ostroski said. Ostroski adds that testing accommodations and excused days off are a part of a larger-scale effort to make all groups of people at North safer. “Like any policy within our board, the policy for our district is that it is a safe area for any ethnic, racial, religious group of any type of creed — that every
What is it?
Rosh Hashanahis a Jewish holiday that allows Jews a chance to not only celebrate and look ahead, but to look into the past year and review one’s relationship with God. It also marks the first day of a period known as the Days of Repentance, a time where a person’s actions are thought to be able to influence both God’s judgment and plan for that person.
How is it celebrated?
Rosh Hashanah is celebrated with symbolic foods such as round challah, apples and honey. Symbolizing God and the cycle of the year, a rounded challah loaf, often with raisins, is usually dipped in honey and eaten in a celebratory meal. So are apples, which represent hope for a sweet year ahead.
24 |THE NORTH STAR | NOVEMBER 2021
school is a safe environment for them. And really, that is, honestly, my most important job about learning is that it’s safe,” Ostroski said. “And so that’s hand in hand with when students observe certain holidays or times of the year, that they not only are supported in doing that, but they’re celebrated in doing that, and that we’re working with them to make sure that school does not infringe on that observance.” This freedom to be comfortable in the space that BVN provides is all students want, Tarjan said. “I think that it’s important to build an environment where people feel that they can come forward and receive the comfort that they deserve,” Tarjan said. At top of page: BVN’s Jewish Student Union. Photo provided by Emma Jacobson Left: Emma Jacobson and friends in front of the Western Wall in Jerusalem. Photo provided by Emma Jacobson
What is it?
The holiest day of the Jewish year, Yom Kippur means “day of atonement.” Yom Kippur marks the end of the Days of Repentance, that begin with Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish new year. During the 10-day period, a person is believed to be able to influence God’s plans for the coming year. Jews believe that they can perform acts of prayer, repentance and charity during this time to influence God, changing how they are categorized before the books are sealed on Yom Kippur.
Above: Noah Tarjan at the Western Wall in Jerusalem. Photo provided by Noah Tarjan
Yom Kippur
How is it celebrated?
Yom Kippur is celebrated with a day of fast and pray. From sundown to sundown Jews will fast as a means of self-deprivation and compassion. Yom Kippur is largely spent in Synagogue. The final service concludes with the blowing of the shofar, a hollowed out rams horn, to signify the end of the fast. It is also an occasion to spend times with friends and family. Often there will be a get together after services for a meal where friends and family can break the fast together.
NOVEMBER 2021 | THE NORTH STAR | 25
EDITORIAL
Fall Book Recom m eN datioNs
by Lauren Austin
Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman
“It took me about 50 pages to get into this book, but once I did I couldn’t put it down and I was enthralled with the character Eleanor and what was happening in her life … I would highly recommend it.” — Shelley Moran
Silverview
by John le Carré “[The book] tells the story of a retired man who opens a seaside bookshop, then receives a visit from a friendly, suspicious customer urging him to stock the classics. The past is returning, of course. ...[it’s] a brief, .... nearly perfect autumn read.” — Christopher Borrelli, Chicago Tribune
Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
“[It’s a] historical fiction book about this lady in the marsh land, and she has a really, really hard life and siblings and ends up studying the ecosystem, and there is a lot of intrigue and relationships that happen in the book.” — Abby Cornelius
Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr
“Not unlike his Pulitzer-winning “All the Light We Cannot See,” [the book] considers idealism in the face of doom, but with more ambition, watching a 15th-century manuscript wind its influence across centuries and worlds.” — Christopher Borrelli, Chicago Tribune
Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell “If you like stories about real people. About a girl and a boy that ride a bus together and come from totally different backgrounds. He’s got two parents at home with a stable life and she does not have that at all.” — Abby Cornelius
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EDITORIAL
Spice Spice Baby
Who says fall has to end in October with these fun activities?
By Paige Novak
KC City Market
The City Market Farmers Market is open this fall, selling different treats to satisfy your autumn cravings. Treats such as apple cinnamon buns, pumpkin bread, apple donuts, maple cookies and many more are featured at the market. They also have fresh flowers, such as mums, to add color to your space. According to City Market, they have a variety of foods and treats for everyone to enjoy. Farmer’s market manager Paula Stocker promises fresh produce during the fall season. “We just got our pumpkin patch up,” Stocker said. “We love the fall as the weather cools, but some of the best produce is still available. It is great to enjoy live music and the sights and sounds of the market.”
Turkey Trot
If you’re looking to burn some calories, you can participate in a five or an eight kilometer race with heart monitors in the Turkey Trot. Racers can be tracked live so spectators can see how far they are in the race. Participants often wear costumes and celebrate after the race with celebratory donuts. According to the organizers at Turkey Trot, the event is a great way to get exercise and still have fun within the community. The race occurs on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 25, so make sure to come with your holiday spirit!
Arrowhead Stadium
November starts week eight of the Kansas City Chiefs Football season. This November, support the Chiefs at the two home games. Arrowhead will be hosting the Chiefs versus the Green Bay Packers on Nov. 7 and the Chiefs versus the Dallas Cowboys on Nov. 21, both at 3:25 p.m. Tickets start at $275.00, so make sure to grab yours for some football fun. Wear your red and back the Kansas City Chiefs this fall season.
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FEATURE
BVN EDITION
GOOSEBUMPS By Sejin Hahn
From a merciless killer, such as Chucky, to the demon clown Pennywise, many horrifying tales have been introduced by books and film productions. However, these paranormal stories have not been limited to the imagination. Members of the BVN community recount their frightening real-life stories for one last chill down the spine.
The Haunted Sorority Gifted Teacher Amanda Marion
In college, our sorority had a story about our house and the fraternity next door, which were haunted by a couple that had been dating in the ’70s. There was a fire in the fraternity one night, and they both got out through separate doors, couldn't find each other outside, both went back in and ended up dying. She ended up haunting our house and she was very sweet about it. She would just be around, but the fraternity member would kind of traumatize his fraternity brothers, shutting doors on them and knocking things off tables. What was your experience with the ghost? We were playing a blackout game in
28 | THE NORTH STAR | NOVEMBER 2021
the old three-story basement house. All the lights were shut off, and the blinds were closed so that the houses was pitch dark. One person would hide, while everybody would run around in the house in the dark, try to find the one hiding. Two of my friends and I were walking from the main floor up to the second, which was just a really long hallway with a full-length mirror on one end. We came down the hall, and at the end we saw a white pillar, coming out of the bedroom at the end of the hall. She crossed the mirror, paused as if she was acknowledging us, and then continued down the stairs. All of the blinds were shut, so it was not outside light that's coming in. We were on the second floor so it wasn’t a car going by that was getting reflected. We then turned
around, and we ran up to the third floor. That was my experience with her, but there were many other cases through the years — probably every seven to 10 years she made an appearance to someone. Were there situations where you were scared or creeped out? No, I was more surprised because she was never malicious or mean, and all the stories that we had about her, she was never scary. It was just that she was a presence there. Do you think you were actually haunted by a ghost? Yes, because there is no logical explanation. We were of age but since it was a house function, there was no alcohol, so there was nothing impairing our judgment.
The Infinite Road that Ends Junior Jake Sayers
What is your story? This random October evening, I was asked to take my brother to baseball practice, which is in the middle of nowhere. I drove 20 minutes in this creepy wood section, surrounded by the “watch out” signs. I had only been there once, so I had navigation on. I was driving up the road, and eventually the navigation said a new route was found. I took the new route, which leads me through this really rundown town, very dark with only a few houses. I continued going deeper and deeper into this rabbit hole of more and more houses. As I was driving, I noticed something was weird. The navigation had stopped for the last five minutes, and my phone was frozen. I also found myself in that same place in that same store where I started driving from the rundown town. I kept driving forward and then it happened again. I was stuck in this loop. What did you end up doing? What I decided to do was take a left turn into a different direction. Then all of a sudden, the navigation turned on and kept repeating U turn. U turn, U turn. So I just turned the navigation off, and thankfully I remembered how to get to practice from there, so I was able to drop my brother off. Unfortunately, there was the ride back home. I turned navigation on again because I didn't know how to get
back home. But this time I decided not to take that same route. After some time, I got to a point where it was just a straight road, there was no veering off to the left or right. There was no inlet, it was just straight, and it kept going. Eventually it turned to a gravel path, and then the path just stopped. No road left. What emotions were going through your head? I started driving back, and I stopped to redo my navigation. Then somebody stopped behind me. At that moment I was horrified because where would they be coming from? They just emerged from nowhere. So I quickly got the navigation on, and I started to drive but the car followed me. Then I made a right turn, then switched lanes, and the car did the same. By this point, the car was still behind me, and I was very creeped out. Finally, I got back to my house, and I ran inside and locked all the doors. Then the car pulled into the driveway. The door opened and out came my brother. It turns out, baseball practice got canceled. It was raining earlier, so the field was wet. My brother’s friend's dad was the one driving in the car, and was just dropping my brother off. What is one thing you are still creeped out about? The fact that there was no path from which the car could’ve come from is the part that still freaks me out, the supernatural.
A Dreamy Reality Senior Lauren Novak
What is your experience? Two weeks ago, I had a dream where I saw this woman, and she was looking at me. Then, she started counting down from five. The creepy part is, when she counted to one, my school alarm went off. I thought, that's super weird. Also, later that day after school, my door opened and closed on its own very aggressively. Then, my dog started freaking out, for no reason and she doesn't do that, so that was kind of weird. What did the woman look like? It was a woman with brunette hair wearing all black, and everything
around her was black as well, except she was sitting in a wooden chair with almost like a spotlight on her. What was the scariest part of the story? I definitely think the door opening and closing was the scariest, just because it actually happened in real life and not just in a dream. What do you think is the logical explanation? I don't have much of an explanation on why this happened because I have never experienced anything like this. I do believe in some paranormal ‘entities’ so maybe my beliefs had something to do with it.
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A EDITORIAL
A
Word From The Staff
ll our lives, we have been told that education is a privilege. Kicking yourself when the numbers that determine your future slip from 90 to 89. Fighting against your body to force your eyes open as you study for the fourth test you’ve taken this week. Tears smudging the numbers on your math homework, turning them into distorted figures of disappointment and gut-wrenching aggravation. Do these scenarios sound like privilege? We have been taught education is a privilege, and while this is absolutely true, today’s education system does not make it easy for students to understand that. The misuse of resources and funding that occurs in our education system is frankly insulting to communities that dream of having the resources we do. We are butchering a system that plays an extremely important part in individuals’ lives. The manner in which academia is approached at our school also has a myriad of negative, intrinsic effects among students. Students are known to hotly contest busywork during their classes, but we do not investigate this nearly as often or as thoroughly as we should. If students complain about coursework to a significant extent, it should invite us to look into why they feel this way, and what the effects of this shared sentiment might be. When content is taught in an uninteresting, passive way, this inadequacy is reflected in the work ethics, motivations and passions of students. As a school that prides itself upon encouraging educational excellence, we do not do enough to encourage an actual passion for it. The environment encourages memorization over comprehension, grades over knowledge and retention over perception. The way topics are taught can kill the potential love a student could have for a subject, and we
have grossly overlooked the importance of this. BVN culture is plagued by academic pressures that are conducive to success in only a narrow set of spaces, especially prestigious universities and the highpowered careers that will hopefully follow. However, this environment does nothing to develop skills that promote personal development, or foster healthy habits that allow students to grow into well-adjusted adults, able to take on the challenges of daily life outside of academia. BVN does its students a disservice by emphasizing grades and test scores over holistic learning that encourages students to develop their passions, academic or otherwise. At BVN, students learn the insider tricks necessary to survive in a toxic, competitive environment. Searching restlessly for answer keys and shortcuts takes precedence over authentic knowledge retention. And why wouldn’t it? When we foster an environment rooted in stress and competition, where the workload is too overwhelming to comprehend, taking the loophole is occasionally the only way to make the grade while retaining some mental stability. Academic competition at BVN can be easily considered one of the biggest factors in the devolution of mental health and confidence in students during an integral part of their lives in which they are already vulnerable in terms of self-identity. The notion of competition existing between students who have such a wide variety, and frankly, a disparity, in resources is ridiculous. Students do not have the same level of resources among themselves; academic competition murders students’ ambitions through this unfair playing field. While inequity of resources precedes and extends past the walls of high school, BVN can do better
30 | THE NORTH STAR | NOVEMBER 2021
to at least advocate for equity in resources in school. Academics have equated to success for so long. Students who may not be fitted for the narrow academics provided in the BV district feel as though they aren’t capable of leading any type of successful life. During a period where our schedule is in flux (who knows if we even have North Time anymore?) and our old standards of quality education are being challenged, maybe it’s time for BVN to rethink our priorities. One suburban high school cannot dismantle antiquated ideas about education that have existed since what feels like the beginning of time. But what we can do is make an active effort to contribute to fight these issues. When counselors offer these careeroriented courses, they are careful to reassure students that these are valid paths. There exists, however, an inherent condescension in the way these programs are offered as an “other” and must be validated by a flimsy comparison to traditional academics. Often, our publication features students who are involved in traditionally academic activities. In this issue, we want to celebrate students who are, in a sense, off the beaten path — at least, by the accepted standards of BVN. In addition, we hope to provide insight into a program not often advertised to students with the same enthusiasm as rigorous academic courses and activities. Because, after all, education is both a privilege and a right — and it’s time to allow students to take ownership of their journey. Sincerely, The North Star Staff
EDITORIAL
Want to Learn More?
Books and podcasts that expand upon three unique topics covered in this issue. By Caroline Clarke and Arshiya Pant
About College ... College Matters. Alma Matters. College Matters. provides students with a large variety Alma Matters. of college-related advice. Host Venkat Raman Venkat Raman invites guests who are passionate about academia to converse about anything from college admissions advice, to discussing the role college plays in an individual’s life. Raman’s podcast offers a unique, multi-faceted take on college and what it truly has to offer.
In a market saturated with insider tips and how-to guides for admission to the Ivy League, New York Times columnist Frank Bruni deconstructs the media’s depiction of higher education. Through Brunni careful investigation into the effects of higher education, Bruni proves their college experience is not a life sentence, but an opportunity for growth and change.
Where You Go Is Not Who You’ll Be
This collection of fictional short stories, a collaboration by 15 Jewish authors, details the diverse lives of Jewish teenagers. Through complicated romances, enduring friendships and biting humor, gain insight into the Jewish identity and the unique ways individuals understand their culture.
It’s A Whole Spiel
Frank Bruni
About Judaism ... Hosted by professional Jewish Jewish-ish educator and PhD Maria Carson, Maria Carson Jewish-ish discusses how the weekly parashah and other Jewish texts are applicable to modern, daily life. From mulling over dating in the Jewish community to exploring the effects of COVID-19 on synagogues, Carson maintains a unique balance between humor and analysis that shines through her conversational tone.
About the Paranormal ... The Dark A biweekly podcast that features true stories from people who have Paranormal allegedly experienced paranormal Kevin Eustace encounters, paranormal enthusiast Kevin Eustace invites a new guest to tell their story every episode, delving into their experiences and examining the implications of the paranormal in terms of human existence. Eustace investigates the role that fear plays in our lives, adding a human touch to the inhumane.
In Ghostland, Colin Dickey takes readers along as he tours the U.S., searching for places haunted by untold history and long-held secrets. Restless in his pursuit of these stories, Dickey is willing to question everything. His journey becomes a study of how paranormal is used to manipulate the normal, wrought with cruelty that may be even more bizarre than ghosts.
Katherine Locke, Laura Silverman
IT’S A
WHOLE SPIEL
Ghostland
Colin Dickey
31 | THE NORTH STAR | NOVEMBER 2021
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“The North Star” is the official high school news publication of Blue Valley North High School, an open forum distributed to all the students six times a year. This is the November issue of volume 36. This issue of “The North Star” is published digitally through ISSUU and in print by “The Sedalia Democrat.” This is a student publication and may contain controversial matter. Blue Valley School District No. 229 and its board members, officers and employees disclaim any responsibility for the content of this student publication; it is not an expression of School District Policy. Students and editors are solely responsible for the content of this student publication.