blue valley north high school
North Star
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12200 Lamar Ave, Overland Park, KS 66209
October 2018 • Volume 33 • Issue 2
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Staff List
2 | The North Star | October 2018
A
Letter FROM THE
Editors
W
ith September being national suicide prevention month, a wave of awareness spanned our school, community and country, but 30 days isn’t nearly enough time to enact change. Mental health is a complex issue that continues to plague society, and it can’t be summed up in a simple article. While this issue of The North Star fails to cover all angles of mental health, we hope that the angles we do cover provide insight and understanding of the problems students with poor mental health may face. However, suicide prevention is not merely about increasing awareness; it also requires taking action. From “suicide talks” to the new mental health awareness club, students and faculty have tried implementing different methods of action to address this prevalent issue. But it’s not enough. If change is going to happen, everyone must make a conscious decision to help. It’s no secret that our school has experienced loss to suicide, nor is it a secret that students suffering from depression, anxiety and more walk the halls every day. Whether it directly affects you, a relative, a close friend or a peer, mental health is a pressing issue that can’t be brushed aside. Due to its relevance in all of our lives, mental health may be an uncomfortable subject to read about and discuss, but as mentioned in our September issue, the North Star staff ’s intention isn’t to comfort our readers, it’s to inform them. The following few articles cover different angles of mental health and its effect on both a local and global scale. We encourage students, parents and staff to not only read these articles, but actually digest and discuss them. It is our belief that the first step to prevention is understanding.
EDITORS IN CHIEF Shantha Burt Sooim Kang Taylor Mills
ONLINE EDITOR Briley Everhart
PHOTOGRAPHER Grace E. Rudman
COPY EDITORS Anna Martin Lyndsey Henkel Megan McConnell Ramya Chilappa
SOCIAL MEDIA EDITORS Chris Lucas Genevieve Hulshof
STAFF WRITERS Angelica Henson Angelica Lyndsey Charitha Lakkiredey Daniel Park Delaina Sanden Emma Brunner Genevieve Hulshof Samantha Perez Alice Wu
The North Star is the official high school news publication of Blue Valley North High School, an open forum distributed to all students six times a year. This is the October issue of volume 33. The North Star is printed by the Sedalia Democrat. This is a student publication and may contain controversial material. Kansas law prohibits the suppression of a student publication solely because it 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.
On the cover: photo by Sooim Kang Top table of contents: photo provided by Jordin MacKenzie Top middle: photo by Kendall Barnes Bottom middle: photo by Amy Whitworth Bottom: photo by BVN Yearbook Staff
Table of Contents
October 2018 | The North Star | 3
MENTAL HEALTH 4
Behind the Scenes of Mental Health
6
Student Movements
8
When Words Cross the Line
SCHOOL HAPPENINGS 10
Words Do (Not) Matter
12
Fair For All?
14
It Piles Up
FEATURE 16
How To Interview
18
Jordin MacKenzie’s Music
20
ASMR
OPINION 22
Vote: Change Depends On It
24
The Power of the Pen
SPOOKY SEASON 26
Fall Recipes
28
Haunted House Reviews
30
Howl-ween
4 | The North Star | October 2018
Staff and students talk about the Blue Valley School District’s changes to re-entry protocol.
Behind the Scenes of Mental Health By Delaina Sanden
S
uicide is the third leading cause of death for people aged 10 to 24, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness. The Blue Valley School District is making changes to their health policies in hopes of lowering this statistic. Within the past year, the district has raised expectations for its staff when it comes to addressing mental illness and suicidal tendencies within student bodies district-wide. These policy changes focus heavily upon the process of assisting students while they return to school after taking time off to focus on bettering their mental health or after being discharged from any kind of mental institution. Mark Kenney, the school psychologist, shined light upon this process, which many students may be unfamiliar with. “We really put a new emphasis this year on re-entry meetings with student[s] and, hopefully, the parents,
to sit down and develop a plan for how… we can support the student in the school environment,” Kenney said, “and so [we decide] things like… who’s going to follow up,… [and] how often, certainly in the short-term, when they first come back.” Along with making efforts to aid the student at school, the staff places importance on whether the student is receiving adequate support outside of school. If the student and his or her family find this to be of value, Kenney would contact the psychological specialist that is working with the individual in order to keep up with the efforts being made to support the student outside of school. “We also will ask what’s the ongoing support outside of school,” Kenney said. “Are [they] seeing a psychiatrist? Are [they] going to start taking medications? If so, is that something they need at school? Are [they] seeing a therapist? Would
[they] be willing to sign a release of information so the therapist and someone here at school can talk about their recommendations for what we can provide at school?” While the district has put these policies in place, the support system they hope to offer to students who struggle with mental illness and those who re-enter the school after taking time to focus on their mental health does not always work as planned. “Ideally, that’s what happens,” Kenney said. ”Does it always happen that way? No. Hopefully, more often than not now, we’re doing something along those lines. Frankly, sometimes kids are gone, [and] we don’t know why, and they come back, and we find out they’ve been hospitalized, but we didn’t know that. So, we’re kind of left hanging on those. We may try to follow up with the student. We may try to make a phone call to the parents, but for some families, and
some students, it’s a very private, personal matter that they don’t want to discuss. As much as we wish we could be of more help, we also will honor that.” Even when the school doesn’t get the chance to support a student as much as they would like, the staff still tries to support those who are struggling in any way possible. Kenney said he hoped that all students, those that struggle with mental illness and those who do not, understand the seriousness of the commitment the school has in supporting its students. “What I hope we present as a school is that there’s a willingness to provide any level of reasonable support that we can here at North,” Kenney said. “We’re not perfect, but we’re trying harder and harder every day to be.” A participant in this process that gradually re-introduced students into the academic environment, math teacher Sheryl Stein, didn’t know much about the process. She partook in helping students cope with reentering school, unknowingly so. “I know I’ve had some students that went to [a psychological institution], but I’m not so sure I know much about the re-entry,” Stein said. One student, who wished to remain anonymous for privacy reasons, had first-hand experience with the results of the district-wide policy changes. It
may be extremely difficult for those who decide to re-enter school after taking a break for their mental health, but this may be difficult for others to understand. This student explained their anxieties they experienced when coming back to school.
“We’re not perfect, but we’re trying harder and harder every day to be.” -Mark Kenney “I was really, really nervous to go back to school because at [the psychiatric hospital], everyone gets it and it’s really, legitimately a safe place because all the adults know what’s going on with you, and all the kids are just really nice people, and at school, the mix of people is a lot [different],” the students said. “You don’t know what kind of questions people are going to ask, and that’s really stressful because it’s unknown and, of course, not everybody at our school would understand.” After being discharged from the psychiatric hospital, the student was
October 2018 | The North Star | 5 met with the support system that was put in place for them. The system offered aid and advice to help the transition of returning back to school an easier process. “I went to the school and met with my counselor and the social worker and somebody else and my mom,” they said. “And they were like ‘what can we do to make school better?’ One of the ladies said ‘don’t worry about schoolwork or anything, just go through the motions,’ which really did help a lot because when you’re trying to focus on getting everything [done], that’s not really realistic when you’ve been gone for a long time. Being there is half the battle.” When it comes to dealing with mental illness at school, an individual’s day-to-day life may be strenuous. This student dealt with mental illness, the anxieties that came along with their return to an academic environment, the actual act of coming back to school as well as the worry that their peers may not take their diagnoses seriously. “Mental illness is talked about,” the student said, “but it’s not something that everybody is super comfortable [talking] about because it is uncomfortable, and it is really scary because… you can’t see mental illness,… so it’s hard for a lot of people, I think, to think of it as actually a serious thing.”
If you are or someone you know is struggling, reach out to a trusted parent, a friend or to student services. To reach a crisis text line, text HOME to 741741. To reach the suicide hotline, call 1(800) 273-8255. These resources are confidential, free and available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
mental illness in numbers:
#3
Suicide is the third leading cause of death in youth.
50%
of all lifetime cases of mental illness begin by age 14.
20% of teens live with a mental
50%
of youth 14 and older with a mental illness drop out of high school.
10
years is the average delay between onset symptoms and intervention.
#
6 | The North Star | October 2018
The Student Movement
Students are raising awareness and making change at BVN and throughout the metro area.
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By Megan McConnell
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ike the phrases strung together by the chords of her keyboard, Emma Mathieson, junior at Shawnee Mission West, brought people together as she sang her original song “Don’t Go Away” for suicide prevention week. As Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, September is a time of communication that sheds light on the struggles of mental illness, according to National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). Some schools take this opportunity to spread knowledge about depression, anxiety and suicidal thoughts. Mathieson chose to spread awareness through music. Her song, “Don’t Go Away” was released Sept. 1 on Spotify. Her goal: to create a song with lyrics that put the experience of losing someone to suicide into words. “It was inspired by my sister-in-law after she lost her cousin to suicide and having to watch her family go through that,” Mathieson said. “And trying to put myself in that mindset of how absolutely heartbreaking it would have been to lose a best friend.” Suicide prevention and awareness has become a growing global movement. Suicide prevention month has found a home on social media with hashtag movements such as #SuicidePrevention and #StigmaFree, both allowing people to share their stories with others in similar situations. Along with spreading knowledge about suicide prevention, Mathieson has donated all funds and profits to the Tom Karlin Foundation, which was founded by the Karlin family after Tom took his own life in 2011. The foundation partners with schools to spread information about the issues teenagers actively face. They also raise funds for research, provide support for students, increase awareness and host a Turkey Trot in November. Since the release of “Don’t Go Away,” Mathieson has performed her original for a school assembly and talked to the Shawnee Mission Post about the importance of suicide awareness. Mathieson is just one of several students trying to make a difference. Music has also played a part in suicide awareness at BVN. At the 2017 Fall Concert, Chorale performed “Please Stay” in wake of the loss of senior Chad Harrell. The large group performance consisted of nearly 60 people, creating a wall of sound filled of impassioned students. Several selected students, adorned with blue ribbons to spread awareness, stepped down to share messages of hope and struggle with the audience. There are a variety of movements calling
attention to global issues that have reached the local area. A movement is defined as a group of people working together to advance their political, social, or artistic ideas, according to Dictionary.com. At BVN, a variety of clubs and students have been able to play a part in popular movements of 2018, including March For Our Lives, MeToo, Never Again and a variety of others. Many students have started clubs in hopes to increase political and social participation within school environments. Similar to Mathieson, students at BVN have begun to speak up about mental illness. Newly introduced in 2018, BVN’s Suicide Prevention or At-Risk club (ASAP) offers students a safe space every Wednesday to share their thoughts, stories and spread awareness about mental illness. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, anxiety disorders, depression, ADHD and eating disorders are all common mental illnesses in children and teens. ASAP hopes to spread awareness of these signs and allow students to participate in student-run groups firsthand. Student participation extends beyond awareness for mental health. Clubs like Gender Equality work to comment upon issues regarding female equality. With the #MeToo movement, spreading knowledge about sexual abuse and female roles in society has become a focal point of discussion. Growing amongst the halls of BVN are political participation and activism spurred by the growing call for common equality throughout the country. Whether it be being more active on social media, participating in movements like the walkout or taking steps to better improve the community, student participation has steadily increased. However, many people still want stronger participation from the students. “I would say that it’s something I would like my school to work on more by getting more involved,” Mathieson said. “I think it should be more student-led because it elicits more of a reaction. I feel like if you could get students and your peers to be more open with experiences, it would feel more like a conversation and less of a lecture.” Students like Mathieson, are only some of the many students who have participated in movements around the area. Whether through music or social media, students have played a diversifying role in suicide awareness and gender equality and have involved themselves in the social movements taking hold of the 21st century.
October 2018 | The North Star | 7
March for Our Lives 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0
Percent of participants without previous participation in protests Percent of participants with previous participation in protests
8.8 5.5 5.0 2.5 0
10
Participants in March for Our Lives Participantes in Inaugural Women’s March Participation in Demonstrations against Vietnam War Participants in March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom Approximate values in 100,000. In Washington D.C. From the Washinton Post.
8 | The North Star | October 2018
When Words Cross the Line Students discuss how they think trigger words and warnings affect people. By Chris Lucas
October 2018 | The North Star | 9
C
ontroversial discussions dominate society. One facet of this is trigger words, which circulate discussions of free speech and political discourse. The University of Chicago recently informed their student body that their campus would not tolerate “safe spaces” or “trigger words” to circumvent discussions of controversial topics. As political correctness has evolved, understanding what trigger warnings are and how they function is crucial to navigate a more political world. A trigger in psychology is a stimulus such as a smell, sound or sight that triggers feelings of trauma. Examples of triggers can include Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder for military veterans during violent movies or certain smells making individuals relive past experiences. Verbal cues can also be triggers for individuals. Trigger warnings are usually statements alerting individuals of potentially distressing material. For example, jokes about suicide could invoke painful memories of loved ones, and casual references to mental illness could normalize and dismiss real health concerns.
“If they feel uncomfortable or they don’t feel like they can talk about it, then I don’t think they should be forced to participate.” - Aarthi Aruna Discussions of trigger words and safe spaces, an environment where people can feel confident that they will not be exposed to discrimination, criticism, harassment, or any other emotional or physical harm, have spilled over into academia. As mentioned, the University of Chicago published a letter to its 2020 class outlining that it did not support the use of safe spaces on campus to circumvent
the discussion of controversial topics. The letter outlined it did not support trigger warnings, and that the university was unwilling to cancel speakers due to the controversy of their topics. The university emphasized the need for its students to engage in “rigorous debate, discussion and even disagreement.” Addressing the backlash that followed, the university clarified that it did not infringe upon safe spaces for minority groups but just ones in regard to academic contexts. Sophomore Aarthi Aruna believes individuals have a right to safe spaces in academic settings. “If they feel uncomfortable or they don’t feel like they can talk about it, then I don’t think they should be forced to participate,” Aruna said. In an article for “The Washington Post,” Northwestern University President Morton Schapiro identified that safe spaces in academia are important because individuals have plenty of opportunities to be in uncomfortable situations, so there should be a place in school to relax and avoid anxiety. At BVN, there are different perspectives about the nature of academic freedom and controversial topics. For some, trigger warnings are a crucial aspect to preserve the mental health of students in academic spaces. Students, like senior Tatum Trysla, believe that teachers are aware of trigger words and are cautious to reference them in the classroom. “I feel like that would have to be left to the judgment of each teacher,” Trysla said. “If they know what they are talking about is controversial and could upset some of their students, then I think it’s great if they say you don’t have to participate in this.” Other students, like senior Brooks Bailey, do not believe in the productivity of trigger warnings. “The big movement is we are gonna get trigger warnings on books,” Bailey said, “which would ultimately lead people to not reading [these] books, and I think these books have a theme, a value that’s important and needs to be heard.” Many other students also believe that safe spaces could impede on critical discussion over classroom content. Introducing controversial topics into
the classroom can help students develop multiple complex perspectives, in turn opening up mindsets about issues that could be polarized.
“We are gonna get trigger warnings on books, which would ultimately lead people to not reading [these] books and I think these books have a theme, a value that’s important and needs to be heard.” - Brooks Bailey
“If they’re gonna get offended, [...] either stray away from the topic and don’t get as controversial, or technically not discuss it, but I feel like [people who may be uncomfortable] also have good viewpoints,” senior Noah Scanlon said. Similarly, a recent Harvard study identified that trigger warnings increase anxiety. These findings support another argument published in “The Atlantic” that gradual exposure to “triggering content” can positively affect your response to trauma. Rob Whitley, a Social Psychiatry Research and professor at McGill University, identifies that there is zero evidence to support the contrary. Ultimately, it’s impossible to make a definite decision about whether or not trigger warnings should be mandatory, how they would be used and what they would look like. However, while science may say one thing, student experiences can say the opposite and should not be discounted. When navigating the terrain of trigger words and warnings, prioritizing the health and safety of students should always come first.
10 | The North Star | October 2018
Words Do (Not) Matter
Students and staff discuss the effectiveness of the drug and alcohol talks. By Charitha Lakkireddy
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VN, like most public schools, holds several drug and alcohol safety talks. They’re school-wide and held in the main gym. Most every student is expected to be seated in the bleachers, absorbing the message and understanding the consequences their actions can have. However, that outcome is most likely unrealistic and overly optimistic, and both the staff and students at BVN are aware of that. “Everyone kind of knows that the school-wide talks are ineffective,” BVN Activities Administrator Kelli Kurle said. “We know that they aren’t getting the message across to most students.” Students, including a source who chose to remain anonymous because they use illegal substances, echoed Kurle’s thoughts. They explained that no matter the number of talks that were held, they didn’t see it impacting them, or their peers, in any way. “People just dismiss [the talks] as nothing,” Anonymous said. “[Students] don’t really care about what they do, even when they know the consequences from [the talks].” The No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act, signed in 2001, required that schools use federal funding to promote alcohol and drug prevention during and after school. The number of schools that were affected by this change was relatively low. In several studies completed before and during 2011, back when NCLB was still in practice, only 35 percent of public schools and 13 percent of private schools reported implementation of prevention programs with demonstrated effectiveness. The need to include drug and alcohol safety education in schools first took off in 1986 when then first lady Nancy Reagan prioritized keeping kids from doing drugs. Her approach turned into the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E) program, which found a home in schools nationwide. The D.A.R.E program was
declared unsuccessful by multiple agencies and studies, and the 117 alcohol related high school suspensions reported by the Kansas Substance Abuse Epidemiological Indicators Profile is just one instance where that rang true. BVN has made a habit in recent times, like many schools in the U.S., of using time-honored, one-time programs, even if they’re lacking in effectiveness and general influence over the student body. An example of this could be a speaker who, despite having a vague connection to the
“Everyone kind of knows that the school-wide talks are ineffective.”
- Kelli Kurle
topic of their presentation, simply throws facts that bounce off of students, rather than giving a speech that sticks with them. The talks tend to explain the dangers of using substances while underage, or in general if they’re illegal, and nothing else. There are theories that talks like this are counter-productive and increases a student’s interests in experimenting with drugs and alcohol. “The talks sometimes do the exact opposite of what we want them to,” Kurle said. “When they’re trying to scare kids away from a drug, they list all the effects and consequences, but that can sometimes just entice them to try it even more.” Another common characteristic in school-wide presentations is scare tactics, some of which Kurle admits have been observed at assemblies. They usually feature extreme, yet possible, scenarios. This may include pictures of gruesome car crashes caused by underage drinking, a
speaker who’s recovering from addiction or someone who’s lost friends or family to drugs or alcohol. Many students say that although those presentations are emotionally meaningful, they often remain inneffective because it’s hard to empathize with speakers in such extreme situations. “I feel like if it was someone you know, you would feel more passionate about it because you know the person,” the anonymous student said. “If it was a stranger, [then] you couldn’t really care.” One of the biggest factors that attributes to the ineffectiveness of schoolwide assemblies is the reality that many students don’t show up. Although many of the substance abuse programs are during the day, some are held at the end of the day and provide an easy opportunity to leave the building unnoticed. “[The staff] knows that not everyone comes to the assemblies, so those students who just leave aren’t getting that message,” said Mickey Masterson, Associate Principal and Athletics Director. “What we have right now isn’t working for all students.” Students who don’t attend the assemblies are obviously not getting the message, but it can be just as ineffective for some students who are in the crowd. It’s hard to change someone’s mind about something that they’re already doing and experiencing no consequences for, Kurle said. If a student, who does exactly what the speaker is saying not to do, is sitting in the audience listening, many believe that it won’t be enough to make them change their habits. “If [students] have been vaping, for example, since they were in the seventh grade, then go to a talk where they hear about how dangerous it is to do what they’re doing, [the talk] is going to be useless to them,” Kurle said. “They’re thinking they’ve done it, and they’re fine, so one talk isn’t going to change what they’ve been doing for years.” The student, who admits to not
October 2018 | The North Star | 11
“I don’t believe the school can really do anything because at the end of the day, it is the student’s choice to do that. Even after everything they learn, some people make the wrong choice.”
attending the school-wide talks, can see why some students don’t attend the assemblies, but suggests that the school approach drug and alcohol safety differently if they want to get the message across. They believe the way to reach students is to use parents as a gateway. “Bring [students’] parents into the talks,” the student said. “Parents learning what a Juul is, or what any other sort of [product] is, is very important to helping stop the issue.” Kurle, among others, believes that the talks are ineffective for most students in general, but they’re also insufficient as the main source of drug and alcohol safety discussion in schools. She explained that there’s only so much that a school-wide talk can do and only so many kids that it can reach. “[The talks] are held in the gym, and there’s 1,500 students all sitting in the same room,” Kurle said. “They have so much more freedom than in a classroom setting, and it’s easier for them to be on their phones, or talk to their friends, or just not pay attention because their teachers aren’t next to them, being like, ‘Hey, don’t do that!’” That’s part of the reason that BVN hasn’t had any school-wide assemblies about drug and alcohol safety this year. Kurle and Masterson both said that, this year, they plan to implement programs that are tailored to be in a classroom setting, like advisory, for each grade level. “[The staff] wants to change the way the talks are structured because different kids have different problems we have to address,” Masterson said. “We want to do smaller, class size talks and tailor them to be about what that grade level is most affected by because what freshmen are exposed to is much different to what seniors are exposed to.” Kurle explained that instead of
expecting people who have a vague experience with the topic of the talk, it’s more effective for students to be hearing the same message from someone they know and respect. She believes that having a connection between the speaker and the audience makes it easier to get the point across to the students. “Hearing that message of ‘don’t do drugs, don’t drink’, over and over again, from a total stranger isn’t going to get through to kids the same way it would if it came from someone they knew, like a teacher or a friend or a parent,” Kurle said. “Having a connection to the person they’re hearing it from is going to be a lot more effective.” The student said that having a presentation, in which the speaker was directly affected by the substance they’re speaking about, is much more effective than other forms. They point to the drug and alcohol meeting athletes attend at the beginning of the year as an example of how the school-wide talks should be run. “For the student athlete drug talk, [the speaker] talked about their experience and they went more into detail and made it a bigger issue, which was important,” the anonymous student said. Many experts, including Kurle and Masterson, agree with that idea. They believe keeping kids from getting involved in drugs and alcohol requires an effort from all aspects of their life. The message of not being underage users and staying safe even after they’re legal is a message that must be reiterated from all fronts, whether it be through teachers and administrators at school, or parents and other figures at home. “[Drug and alcohol safety] has to be embedded in the culture,” Kurle said. “It won’t do any good to just talk about it randomly a few times a year. Instead, we have to embed it everywhere else, like in
the classroom and at home with parents and people they have a connection to.” Students agree with that last idea. The anonymous student believes that having influences at home, who make it clear what they expect of their child and the consequences that come with disputing them, are necessary for a child to stay away from drugs and alcohol. They say that having rules that are actively enforced at home are vital and do more than the talks or the threats of trouble with the school. “It could help a lot if [parents] talked about it more and [students] got the message at home,” the student said. Kurle and Masterson said that they are both aware that discussions at school aren’t enough to stop a student from using drugs and alcohol, but they believe it can have some kind of impact. The student, on the other hand, explained that while they understand what the school is trying to do, it won’t be enough. “I don’t believe the school can really do anything because at the end of the day it is the student’s choice to do that,” they said. “Even after everything they learn, some people make the wrong choice and still proceed to do drugs and drink alcohol or vape or do stuff like that.” The student cites their own experience with drugs and alcohol as proof that the talks given by the school were ineffective. They explained that the talks are good at educating students about the effects of drugs and alcohol, but do little in changing students’ minds about using in general. “From personal experience, I have used some substances even after the talks.” Anonymous said. “I think that they are effective at letting us know what we’re putting into our body if we do decide to use, but it’s really up to the person. You can educate as much a you want, but people will do what they feel like doing in the end.”
12 | The North Star | October 2018
By Ramya Chilappa
Fair For All?
Students and staff members talk about crime and discipline policies for BVN.
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chool discipline policies have increasingly become the topic of intense scrutiny over the past several years, as controversies have emerged about the varying severity of such policies in schools and the material impact those policies have on the lives of the students, according to multiple studies articles put out by organizations like the the New York Times, the Congressional Research Service, and State Education Reports. Discussions have centered around the disproportionate enforcement of discipline in certain districts and the presence of police officers within school. Especially concerning, according to the Center for American Progress, is that the highest rate of expulsions and suspensions happen in preschools more than any other grade level, meaning targeting is happening far before students have the opportunity to grow up or receive a real education. At BVN, however, students and faculty think many of the problems stemming from targeted punishment policies aren’t seen. Part of this is because of BVN’s academic culture, senior Sneha Kannan says. “You don’t hear about a lot of kids doing crazy things,” she said. “I think it’s because most of the students here care so much about school that no one really steps out of line that often.” However, perhaps a larger part can also be attributed to the affluence of the Blue Valley School District, as Blue Valley is the best and richest district in Kansas, according to rankings by U.S. News and World Report and Niche. Blue Valley has sufficient resources and funding to ensure equitable enforcement across schools. The administration has a wide array of
responsibilities when it comes to school punishments, and a lot of the more serious ones are shared with the school resource officers, who handle all criminal activity within the school. “Most of the time, it’s just vaping in the bathroom,” officer Tina Morse said. “Occasionally, we’ll have to deal with reports of social media or cyber bullying, you know, with Snapchat and everything else.”
“For the most part, I think the punishments are fair.” - Caleb Nelson
Punishments for these infractions vary. For vaping, students usually receive a few days of suspension and some additional disciplinary measures. For other problems like bullying, punishments vary based on the severity of the crime and the situation of the individual who commited the infraction. “We always look at whether or not we should charge the student,” Morse said. “If they have family who can support them, if they have the financial stability and support to go to trial, if it would actually rehabilitate them or just crush their spirit … These are all things we look at before we decide what the punishment should be.” In general, the administration and Morse think this policy has allowed BVN to be fair in all of their handlings with student discipline, but the type of problems
and threats they’ve had to deal with have evolved over the past several years. “It’s terrifying when we get a shooting or bomb threat,” Morse said. “I feel like I have to be constantly vigilant all the time because that’s something we have to worry about now.” Morse said that they carefully investigate each threat seriously because they don’t want to risk overlooking something important. In general, all school resource officers view the safety of the students as their number one concern and make sure that every punishment is suitable for the crime. As a result, most students seem to be satisfied with the school’s discipline policies. Students had a variety of opinions on the policies, but most had only heard of the things the SROs had outlined. “The only thing I’ve really heard people getting in big trouble for is vaping in bathrooms,” junior Nick Eyen said. “I’ve heard [that they] get one or two days of suspension. But really that’s it.” Generally, Eyen and others believe that punishments have always been fair and that if people followed the rules and did what they were supposed to, they would never get unfairly punished or targetted. “I’ve heard about in and out of school suspensions mostly for bullying and vaping,” junior Caleb Nelson said. “For the most part, I think the punishments are fair, but it doesn’t really make sense to me why you would want to give out-of-school suspension for vaping. Like, that’s what they want, and they would just use the time to mess around.” Most other students agreed with Nelson on the question of out-of-school suspension and seemed to believe that it
October 2018 | The North Star | 13 gave “troublemakers” more freedom than it did punishment. “I think it would be so much more effective just to keep them in school,” senior Madelyn Kingsley said. “It’s much more of a punishment, and that way they could be monitored, so they’re doing homework or something instead of just messing around at home.” Principal Tyson Ostroski said that the BVN administration tries to make all punishments as equitable and fitting as possible. “We look at each situation differently, and we exercise progressive discipline, meaning we don’t issue a consequence in an extreme manner right off the bat,” Ostroski said. “We start with conversations, than
detentions, and then eventually it could escalate to suspensions.” Ostroski says that the administration recognizes the problem with out-of-school suspensions, and that they aren’t always the best solution when they want to hold students accountable for work. “We try to avoid it as much as possible, because we want to create a conducive environment,” Ostroski said. “However, there are some instances where it’s unavoidable, like violence or drugs and alcohol.” According to Ostroski, the reason school policies seem equitable and nondiscriminatory is because the administration tries to always operate in a team mentality, keeping in
Are BVN’s punishment policies fair?
communication with the student’s family and maintaining a holistic vision on what actions would be most effective for the student’s future. Overall, the Blue Valley School District seems to have largely taken measures to make their discipline policies fair and equitable to all students. Discrepancies still exist between what the students think is effective and what the district thinks is effective, but the affluence of Blue Valley and its ability to access resources, like Student Resource Officers and extended counseling for students, allows them to avoid the controversies that are swamping the rest of the country.
Are out-of-school suspensions effective?
Don’t Know
43%
25% 49% 32%
32%
0
--250 ---22
No
Yes
25%
No
Yes
10
20
Don’t Know 30
40
50
preschoolers are suspended or expelled everyday.
Preschoolers are
3x
more likely to be suspended than any other grades.
states have proposed legislation related to suspension/ expulsion.
Center for American Progress 2017 “New Data Reveal 250 Preschoolers are Suspended or Expelled Every Day” Education Commission of the States 2018 “Policy Snapshot: Suspension and Expulsion” Top left icon by the Juan Pablo Bravo
14 | The North Star | October 2018
IT
LES I P UP Students and staff reflect upon the wasteful habits of school lunches and propose solutions that can change them. By Genevieve Hulshof
O
n July 6, Starbucks announced their plan to eliminate all plastic straws from their stores worldwide by 2020 in an effort to reduce environmental plastic pollution. As the largest food and beverage retailer to make this global commitment, Starbucks has decided to replace their plastic straws with cups made of 10 percent post-consumer recycled paper fiber, resulting in an elimination of an estimated 1 billion plastic straws from waste per year. This echoes a recently growing trend towards reducing singleuse consumer items from landfills. Plastic, in addition to Styrofoam, poses a huge threat to the environment due to its difficulty and, in some cases, inability to decompose. According to National Geographic, in 2017, scientists found that 9.2 billion tons of plastic had been made since 1950. Of the 9.2 billion tons, 6.9 billion had become waste with over 90 percent of that waste never making it to a recycling bin. Many people may lose sight of the environmental impact their waste has or fail to acknowledge this impact. “It does take a conscious effort to be kind to the earth, and some people just don't care or have the money to make
better choices,” said senior Jackie Perry, an active member of the Environmental club. “And when people don't know the effects of their actions, they obviously won’t find conservation a priority.” Every day, the majority of students who buy lunch at BVN use—and promptly discard—countless Styrofoam trays and plastic bottles. Like many others, sophomore Ellianna Cierpiot buys school lunch every day and uses a Styrofoam tray. While students have the option to choose between a single-use and a reusable tray, many choose to use the single-use Styrofoam trays because of a lack of knowledge of an alternative option. “The way the system to put up the reusable trays is set up takes nearly 10 extra minutes of your time,” Cierpiot said. “It’s really hidden back there, and I didn’t even know where it was for my whole freshman year.” However, with the introduction of North Time, the district’s Director of Food and Nutrition Services, Charles Rathbun, noted that while reusable trays are always an option, usually only 10-15 students a day use them. “It tends to be a bit of a challenge
because of the lunch formats and the free reign to go wherever. [North Time] doesn’t blend well with the hard tarys because you have to figure out a way to get it back to the kitchen and students tend to be in a mobile mode,” Rathbun said.
"It does take a conscious effort to be kind to the earth, and some people just don't care or have the money to make better choices." -Jackie Perry Perry sees the usage of non-reusable trays as one of the most wasteful habits students have. “I don’t think the trays are worth the environmental cost,” Perry said. “We use these wasteful trays and throw them away every single day when that Styrofoam is going to be in the environment for hundreds of thousands of years.” Currently, the district is looking into alternative disposable trays, such as
October 2018 | The North Star | 15 compostable trays, in an effort to decrease Styrofoam usage. However, compostable trays tend to cost three times more, and this cost increase is a major barrier to implementing them district-wide. “It costs more money to compost than what we are doing by going into the dumpster now, and there has to be a way to manage this cost,” Rathburn said. “This cost [is] something the district has been trying to manage to make sure we can do it right.” However, Styrofoam trays aren’t the only wasteful component of school lunches. Since 2012, the district has participated in the National School Lunch Program. Under this program, in order for a lunch to be considered a meal, students must choose a ½ cup serving of fruits or vegetables in addition to two other food groups to be charged for a student meal. If they choose to not take the required number of items in a meal, they will be charged at á la carte prices. Because of this, many students opt to simply add an extra fruit/vegetable to their tray in hopes of qualifying for the cheaper price of the encouraged meal. “If people know they aren’t going to eat the fruit, it ends up not being worth it,” Perry said. “I don’t think that’s a good way to promote healthy eating because at this point, if you don’t want to eat healthy, you aren’t going to.” After this change, the district noticed an increase in produce waste. “We try to put out stuff so that if you’re going to choose a fruit or a vegetable, with the variety of options that we have, we are hopeful it won’t end up in the trash,” Rathbun said. In addition to increased variety, bins have been placed in areas next to the trash near the exit of the lunch line to encourage students not to discard uneaten produce. And while educating students about the environmental threat of Styrofoam and food waste can reduce the waste of school lunches, education can only go so far, and students will have to want to make a change. “I think a lot of people, myself included, choose convenience over being environmentally friendly because even if the right thing to do would be to get the reusable lunch tray and to take the extra time to put it back to wash it, a lot of people don’t do that because they are in a hurry,” Cierpiot said.
Many environmental programs require students to step up and lead the process, such as the current waste program that leads waste directly to landfills. Composting systems and mixed recycling programs, like those in place at Mission Trail Elementary and Leawood Middle, are possible to implement in nearly every school, but logistical barriers make their success difficult. “[Composting systems and mixed recycling] have not been typically set up to be a district initiative, as it takes a lot of students who are interested in helping [to] support it,” Rathbun said. “It has to be a decision from school administrators and some passionate students within the building that support and keep it going."
“I think a lot of people, myself included, choose convenience over being environmentally friendly because even if the right thing to do would be to get the reusable lunch tray and to take the extra time to put it back to wash it, a lot of people don’t do that because they are in a hurry.” -Ellianna Cierpiot As high school prepares students for their future, students tend to develop lifelong habits and opinions. From studying to being conscious about waste, habits that impact their choices in the workforce and home don’t form without education. “Exposure from things you learn in the classroom and expectations from teachers help form these habits,” Rathbun said. And while waste from school lunches is just a small piece of a larger problem of harming the environment, acknowledging one’s habits, and taking steps to change them, can cause a ripple effect. Global studies on climate change estimate that if immediate action isn’t taken, Earth could be headed for a point of no return by 2035. Efforts taken by students to save our environment, no matter how small, pile up and can change the course of tomorrow.
So... What can I do? Here are some easy tricks to help you become more environmentally friendly!
16 | The North Star | October 2018
how to INTERVIEW Local businesses and admission officers reveal what goes on behind the closed doors of an interview. By Emma Brunner
I
n the process of applying for a new job, applicants typically must be interviewed so that the company can choose the proper employee. This process can be as simple as a one-time meet up to discuss future connections with the company, or as complex as multiple sessions in front of a board of directors. The type of interview usually varies depending on the position available and the pool of applicants. The Blue Valley School District does their best to try to create a calm environment when interviewing applicants. Chemistry teacher Kiah Kollman was hired back in May 2017. About five people were sitting in on her interview including three principals, the head of the science department and another current teacher. “Our administrators are pretty awesome, so I felt really comfortable and excited when I left my interview,” Kollman said. “Don’t be nervous, and be yourself because they say the first minute impression is the biggest, and people can tell almost immediately whether or not you’re a candidate for their position.” Similarly to Blue Valley, other local places have tried to incorporate a stress free environment when interviewing their applicants. The Nelson Atkins Museum of Art conducts group interviews for the teen council applicants to make the process quicker and calmer. Senior Grace Needham is a member of the teen council at the Nelson Atkins art museum in Kansas City, and as a part of her duties, she had to interview the incoming applicants and help choose the new candidates. During this process, they narrowed their pool down to 20 applicants and then randomly placed them into four groups of five to interview. In previous years, the council would begin by doing one-on-one interviews for each applicant; however, this year they decided to eliminate solo interviews. “Sometimes it didn’t seem to be beneficial because people were trying to best the next person,” Needham said. “I think that was stressful for the interviewees, but I do think that it was kind of nice
because we could see how people interact with others and how they play off other’s ideas,” Needham said. Many interviewees find the STAR method to be beneficial to them. STAR stands for situation, task, action and result. When asked a question, the interviewee would relate it to a situation and then mention what task they would need to accomplish in that specific scenario. Next, the person would bring up what actions he or she would implement in order to complete the task. Finally, the result is what comes out of the process. High school pastor from the United Methodist Church of the Resurrection, Ashley Morgan Kirk has used the STAR method in her own interviews. “You never know what questions you
“Don’t be nervous, and be yourself because they say the first minute impression is the biggest and people can tell almost immediately whether or not you’re a candidate for their position.” -Kiah Kollman can be asked, but you do know they’ll want to hear about a time you did something well,” Kirk said. “Sometimes they ask about a weakness, too. Those can both be stories you think through beforehand by using the STAR method.” The purpose of an interview is for interviewers and applicants to make a first impression on one another. Although it seems as though the interviewer is the one conducting the interview, it’s important for the applicant to go into the process with questions to ask as well. According to research done by Work It Daily, asking “What’s the company’s biggest threat to success this year, and how will I be able to help overcome it in this role?” sets the individual apart from all other potential candidates and immediately shows that they care about the company’s well-being. “At the end of an interview we ask the
applicant if they have any questions for us,” Needham said. “Asking a question in general shows that the applicant really cares and wants to know more about the job or the people they are going to be working with.” During an interview, some interviewers will ask stressful scenario questions to see how they will react. When Kollman was hired, her interview included questions related to different scenarios she could face as a teacher. “Say you have a student who got a B on their test, and you get a parent phone call,” Kollman said. “They ask those types of questions, and basically they are just looking for you to hold yourself and not fall apart.” Lorena Hajer owns the local dance shop, Degage. In order to hire new employees, she’ll bring them in one on one to ask them questions relating to their seriousness about working there. She thinks the interview process is important because it helps her get to know the applicant and if they will be a good fit for her store. “Traits looked for [are] intelligence and honesty,” Hajer said. “People should be very aware of the company and its product or service when applying.” Jerry Adriano conducts interviews for potential studnts of Yale. In order to have a successful interview, he recommends that students don’t stress too much before the interview and arrive ready for a conversation. “There isn’t a prescribed formula of grades, test scores, activities, interests or achievements that guarantee an applicant will stand out during the interview,” Adriano said. “The interview conversation is largely spontaneous, and the most engaging conversations tend to happen when an applicant effectively demonstrates intellectual strengths/energy, flexibility in thinking, openness, expressive abilities, nonacademic interests or talents and distinctive/unusual talents and/or circumstances.”
October 2018 | The North Star | 17
Example Resume: Dan Smith Jones 1111 South St., Overland Park, KS 66209 | 913-678-1234 | dansmith@gmail.com Education:
Positive Mindset
Blue Valley North High School Graduation date: May 2019 Weighted GPA: 4.0 Non-Weighted GPA: 3.25 PSAT: 1400 ACT Composite: 28
Good Posture Strong Handshake
Honors: Principal Honors Roll (9, 11) National Honors Society (11, 12) National Spanish Honors Society (11, 12) Mu Alpha Theta (11, 12) Sunflower Award Winner (11)
AP and Honors Classes: AP European History AP U.S. History AP English Language AP Government
Questions Prepared
Activities and Leadership: National Spanish Honors Society VP (11) Mustang Ambassador (11, 12) KAY Community Service Club (10, 11) BVN Wrestling Captain (11, 12) Mu Alpha Theta Treasurer (12)
Handwritten Thank-You Notes
Dress for Success
18 | The North Star | October 2018
<<< J o M rdin ¤
F
rom the silence, the first drumbeat sounds. Then, a guitar strums along as someone begins to sing, her voice rising steadily by the second. Freshman Jordin MacKenzie may not currently be taking any music classes at BVN, but her diverse musical passions and talents are demonstrated outside of school, where she is heavily involved in writing and performing her own songs. MacKenzie sings and plays the piano and the guitar, and when she was 11 years old, she wrote her first song, “C.U.R.E.” Around that time, she also started using professional software, namely Logic Pro X, to produce her music. Now, she has released six songs, and on Spotify, both “C.U.R.E.” and “Stuck”
n e K c a
have over 1000 streams. Her most recent around eight hours a day and at least 30 single, “Just Like the Rain,” came out this hours a week on music, producing music, August. taking music lessons and practicing Jordin’s sister, voice and her other two “I never imagined sophomore Emme instruments. Now that school MacKenzie, said that she would become has started, she spends Jordin has had a lifelong around 15 hours a week on so involved or interest in music. music. prolific with her “Ever since we were In order to dedicate that little, we’ve loved to much time to creating new music. ” perform for our family. content, Jordin has had to use -Colin MacKenzie We’d make iMovies or certain strategies to manage Video Star music video her time effectively. things, and she always wanted to come up “I used to do this thing every day last with her own songs,” Emme said. year and during the summer where every That musical interest has only intensified day, I would write one song for at least 30 with time. Over the summer, Jordin spent minutes,” Jordin said. “I’m going to start
Jordin MacKenzie performs at The Folly Theater. Photo by Lucas Carpenter. Photo provided by Jordin MacKenzie. Jordin MacKenzie works on producing her music with professional software. Photos provided by Jordin MacKenzie. Jordin MacKenzie performs with Emme MacKenzie and Miki Petillo at the Crossroads Musical Festival. Photo provided by Jordin MacKenzie.
zie
October 2018 | The North Star | 19
c i ’s Mus
them [again] once cross country ends. tools at her disposal to create new and But that was my way of at least getting interesting music.” some kind of writing into my day.” The themes that Jordin’s music As Jordin has gained more musical addresses also vary as much the genres experiences, she’s become more that she writes. confident as a performer. “[They include] love, like obviously “She was a shy kid growing up but now hate, happiness, anger, sad[ness], but has no reservations about getting on a mostly sad[ness] at the moment. It’s just stage and belting it out,” Colin MacKenzie, kind of whatever’s going on with my life. Jordin’s father, said. “I never imagined she Or, I get inspired by movies and books would become so involved or prolific with and stuff,” Jordin said. her music. It’s been a real pleasure to see Despite her musical success, Jordin her interest and talent take off.” admits that perfectionism is a challenge Jordin has been active in seeking out that she faces. ways to display her talents publicly. Last “I think one of the biggest obstacles April, her song “comingbacktoyou” won in writing music, at least for me, is first place in the popular music category myself,” Jordin said. “And like selfof the University of Missouri’s Creating criticism and fear of failure and stuff like Original Music Project competition’s that. I think that really gets in the way.” middle school division. This Jordin is still a summer, she also performed “Writing songs freshman, but she at Crossroads Music Festival is like a pathway is already thinking at the Crossroads Arts about how she wants between two District with Emme. to continue to pursue people.” Emme herself sings and music in the future. plays bass guitar, and she “In college, I always -Jordin MacKenzie often performs with Jordin thought of maybe live or in Jordin’s recordings. going into business and then helping that “Since my sister and I have such a with my music or something,” Jordin close relationship, in age and stuff, it’s very said. “I might go in for music, but you natural how we act on stage towards each know, I’m not sure right now.” other,” Emme said. “We’re both pretty As Jordin figures out her long-term comfortable on stage, so that kind of goals, her short-term goals are to release contributes to our performance abilities.” more songs, perform live more frequently Although Jordin enjoys performing, and expand her fan base. She also wants to her favorite part is writing her own keep enjoying herself and further tap into music. She generally writes alternative music’s capacity for emotional connection pop, which is what her favorite and personal expression. musicians Lorde, Vampire Weekend and “Writing songs is like a pathway Hippo Campus fall under, but she has between two people. It’s like that also written classical, punk, rock, jazz, connection, and you can touch so hip-hop and other styles of music. many people with songs now with the “Jordin has the ability to fit into today’s technology to reach so many people,” pop music genres while also having her Jordin said. “And also, writing music, it’s own unique voice,” Scott Smith, Jordin’s just a way to cope with your emotions and piano teacher at the Kansas City School of express yourself, and that’s really cool too.” Music, said. “[Her desire to understand a variety of genres] helps her to have many
By Alice Wu .
Instruments Jordin plays:
YouTube: Jo MacKenzie Instagram: @thejomackenzie
Spotify: Jo and Jo MacKenzie Twitter: @thejomackenzie Website: www.officialjo.com
20 | The North Star | October 2018
ASMR By Angelica Henson
Students reveal how they react to ASMR.
W
hispering, crunching, tapping. These sounds may be considered satisfying or strange depending on the person. Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response (ASMR) is a new trend that has become popular to younger generations, but many are unaware of exactly what it is. ASMR is a triggered reaction throughout the body, similar to how a sound that’s too loud can make you cringe. Except ASMR is less negative of a feeling. The feeling starts from the top of your head then moves through your spine to the tip of your toes. This experience occurs due to an ASMR trigger. Triggers are a stimuli that occurs from a certain sound that makes your body tingle, according to asmruniversity.com Depending on the person, a certain noise (or trigger) can put the ASMR
feeling into effect. Triggers can include mouth sounds, white noise, tapping or visually satisfying videos. Most are found within the wide genre of videos on YouTube. Triggers are not only caused by ASMR videos, but they can also be caused in real life. This sort of ASMR is considered as “personal attention,”
“It relaxes your mind, and you get tingles all over your body.“ -Phoebe Neeld according to discoverasmr.com. Personal attention, also known as
direct ASMR, is usually a moment you have in real life. This sort of ASMR includes receiving help from a teacher, a doctor’s examination or having your hair cut. These experiences prompt the tingling of ASMR to happen even without the intention of doing so. Direct ASMR can be intentional, too, such as a mother attempting to soothe or get her child to sleep by whispering. Performance ASMR is a form of direct ASMR as well. Despite the stigma, ASMR is not simply people whispering strange things in other people’s ears. Similarly people who listen to ASMR are not strange either. However, ASMR is linked to relaxation among those who listen. “It really helps me go to sleep,” sophomore Phoebe Neeld said. “It relaxes your mind, and you get tingles all over your body when you experience it.”
October 2018 | The North Star | 21 Due to its satisfying feeling, ASMR is known to help people cope with anxiety and insomnia. “People seek content such as ASMR videos to cope with anxiety, stress and perhaps other mental health issues, in the same way that yoga, meditation or other mindfulness practices may help people deal with these situations,” senior undergraduate
for UCLA Sydney Simon said. Relaxation, euphoria and sleepiness are the major reasons why ASMR has become so popular over the past few years. “I think it’s also important to note that a lot of the physiological reactions to ASMR are not well understood,” Simon said. “[It is] a new topic of research that is currently being explored.”
35% 8
8
7
7
6
6
5
5
Stressed STRESSED
4
4
3
Bedtime OTHER
3
2
2
1
1 0
WHEN DO YOU LISTEN TO ASMR?
Other BEFORE
Although this research is only beginning, the future possibilities are endless and possibly beneficial to younger generations. ASMR isn’t for everyone, and many may never experience the tingly feelings aroused by the sound of different noises. It may not be anything more than simply satisfying to listen to.
35% of students voted that they listen to ASMR
BED
Bored BORED
No YES YesNO
65%
35%
IS ASMR STRESS RELIEVING?
22 | The North Star | October 2018 | Opinion
s Vote: change depends on it.
Voting in the 2018 Midterms and beyond is vital to our country. Opinion By Taylor Mills
O
ne hundred million— an unfathomable number the human brain cannot process. It is so enormous that it exceeds the capacity of the largest man-made structure on the planet 25 times over. This is a third of the entire U.S. population. One hundred million people did not vote in the 2016 election. The most infamous of democratic institutions, the castle on the hill for governmental bodies empowering majority opinion and choice, has the greatest deficit of participation from its citizens in the developed world. The Pew Research Center published these findings this past May, revealing only 64 percent of the voting-age population was registered in the presidential election year compared to the 90th percentile numbers of allies such as Canada, the United Kingdom and Sweden. The factors toward this difference are innumerable, from a country’s history of voter suppression to the very vastness of its geography. But, the grand scale for participation is no excuse to disregard the disconnect of entire factions of people who will wholly be affected by those elected. The truth is our symbol for democracy is at a crossroad between the will of the majority and the will of selective participants, even at a time when suffrage has allowed freedom of choice to the most
citizens in our country’s history. We should be alarmed by not only these numbers but what these numbers produced in 2016. According to multiple sources, our head of state has the lowest approval rating of any modern president, leaving a trail of diplomatic disasters and scandals in his wake. Our senators appointed a man to the highest court of
Entire masses who decide that they don’t matter matter.
do
the land despite his inability to stay calm under pressure, dodging questions under oath according to Vox, and multiple allegations of sexual assault against him. Our Environmental Protection Agency is rolling back landmark regulations in the extraction of natural resources while the
clock is running out toward the point of no return in climate change. These decisions and corrupted actions are not just the puppetry of powerful business interests, they were inherently elected by the third of the population whose individuals decided their input was not important. Entire masses deciding that they do not matter do matter, and abusive powers know this. Just this month voter suppression has made its way into the headlines. North Dakota’s controversial law on requiring residential confirmation on identification for voting was denied an overturn pushed by Native American communities in the Supreme Court. Addresses on reservations and in rural areas of predominantly Native American populations are inconsistent and difficult to confirm, meaning that legal and eligible citizens may be denied their right to vote in a tight midterm election. Georgia purged more than 700,000 voters and withheld more than 53,000 voter registration applications under an “exact-match” system run by the secretary of state who is in the gubernatorial election those very votes may affect. More than 70 percent of those flagged were minorities — the key factor in possibly electing his opponent who is a black woman. Even here in Kansas, with the infamous illegals-ruined-our-election obsessed
Opinion | October Month 2018 2017 | The | The North North StarStar | 23| # Kris Kobach. In the quest for “election integrity,” Kobach blocked over 30,000 voter registrations by requiring proof of citizenship through birth certificates or passports. The acquiring of these documents knocked out any effort to boost low-income or minority votes, as these proofs can cost upwards of $175 to obtain, according to a Harvard Voter ID Report. These are electorate candidate tactics to change electoral makeups in order to favor their success. Often the justification is the reduction of fraudulent votes or illegal participation. However, a 2014 Washington Post study found only 31 cases of voter impersonation in a 14 year span. In Kobach’s legal case, only 39 instances of illegal voter registration were noted, with many explained by administrative mishap. In short, any effort for “insurance” of legal voters is code for the insurance of a continued low minority turnout. Corruption fears the awareness and action of those who have historically experienced injustice in this country. But, if large portions of eligible and educated citizens still do not show up, this tells these individuals in power that we are tolerant of their prejudice and exclusion. What is even more telling is when the younger generations do not engage. We outnumber the baby boomer population but make up the smallest percentage of voter turnout. Campaigns and politicians do not weigh our needs or concerns when creating laws or running for office, because we are not the ones who are truly electing them. Democracy is a two-way deal, and right now our age group is not at the table. This needs to change. We will be the ones who will have to clean and repair the broken relations and systems the president is spurring. We will be the ones who feel the effects of laws the Supreme Court blocks or deems constitutional. We will be the ones who are forced to understand why a temperature increase of one degree is significant when we will have to rebuild the havoc of increased flooding and hurricanes. The future will not wait on us to vote as the consequences of
current actions unfold no matter how many retweets, likes or protests we participate in. Attended the Women’s March? Walked out of class? Shared #FamiliesBelongTogether? Great, but if you can vote — and don’t — all you have proven is your need for an appearance of awareness. The real statistics of change tell that the sharing of a post or participation in a movement does not matter if that same popularity doesn’t translate to the polls. Right now we are showing the world that we do not care about the reform of corrupted institutions. But, I know this is not true. I have seen the passion and concern of young people who feel the weight of impending responsibility of a divided world. The drive and recognized need to create better, more diverse representation is there, but it is caught in the crossfire of thinking that individual votes don’t matter following the 2016 election. Yes, the electoral college did its job in that presidential election, determining the fate of an entire nation out of few percentage points in a handful of states. But, these upcoming midterms are different. This election is arguably the most important in our country’s history. What is at stake is progression, a chance for our generation to set the course of the future identity of this nation. Every vote counts in the midterms toward every seat in the House of Representatives. I’m not just discussing the hyped “Blue Wave” — identifying with candidates of one sole party is not foolproof for corruption. What I am saying is young people have the best knowledge of a limitless archive technology provides — use it, and with our numbers elect the best people on the ticket. Register, file for absentee ballots, wake up early to make it to the polls, drag along a couple of friends. Whatever you have to do get to the polls — do it. Your vote is your voice, and you must not let it be silenced. Do not be a part of the 100 million. Be a part of the change.
This election is arguably the most important in our country’s history.
how to
vote: vote.gov
t
register online
t
research candidates
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send or cast ballot
K
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24 | The North Star | October 2018 | Opinion
E
K
AC DH ILQ NORS TWZ AC DH ILQ NORS V Y B FG J MP UX MB FG J MP The Power of the pen Creative writing oppurtunities are missing at BVN. Opinion By Daniel Park
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housands of students across the world are scribbling words on masses of paper and documents creating images of creations unthinkable by anyone but themselves. This creative writing revolution has taken over many schools and has given students the opportunity to express themselves with creative writing. However, BVN is missing this prioritization of creative writing and needs more opportunities for students to participate in this activity and feel appreciated for creative writing. According to a recent article in the “The Harvard Crimson,” this year the demand for creative writing classes has reached an all-time high. Because of a recent trend, schools have encouraged creative writing and have promoted its popularity among the students. Creative writing is a broad spectrum of different forms of writing that involves any use of creativity or invention, spanning many mediums such as script writing,
poetry, playwriting, fiction writing, like concerts or showcases, that make screenwriting, creative nonfiction, their efforts publicly known. Along journalism and story writing. It has with these public showings, the school become a growing trend for students provides funds and resources to but tends to adhere to those who have support large bodies of students who a general interest in writing or even make up a school identity for those reading, opposed activities. to other students “I think “I do a lot of other activities, who view writing as most students another difficult task and so I don’t really have time also don’t have they are required to and I didn’t know about most of the time and accomplish. These effort to spend students turn away the opportunities to creatively [on] creatively without getting writing,” write.” the opportunity freshman to understand Matthew -Matthew Rinamon the flexibility and Rinamon said. “I expression creative writing provides guess it depends on the student and like other forms of art or music do. whether or not they already have an “I suppose if I am thinking about interest in writing.” creative writing, it would be writing This often causes students to without constraints,” Kat Buchanan, lose the opportunity to find interest English teacher and sponsor of in creative writing and may even Spoken Word club said, “so it doesn’t discourage some students from have to be first person narrative style. participating since the school does It can be anything that is, essentially, not provide any strong means of writing without constraints.” incorporating creative writing. This One of the key issues within BVN interest is crucial because most that leads to the students that lack a general interest lack of student tend to view creative writing as participants, bothersome, and on the other hand, is the fact that those with an interest view creative creative writing is writing as an enjoyable passion. not marked as a “I think people typically don’t like,” strong form of art sophomore Adison Miller said. “They in school. Other tend to look at creative writing as artistic activities, hard, or as a time filler, or something such as music or they just have to get by with. I think art, are provided students would want to do it more classes and events, if they just cared about it more. If
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Opinion | October 2018 | The North Star | 25
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A C A C R Q V Q I V Y I Y L T L H T H W O W N S UXZMB DFG J MP S UXZMB DFG J they go into creative writing with a our English curriculum,” negative attitude they don’t enjoy it Buchanan said. “Which and see it as a waste of lines, and I is a shame because I guess time too, but if they see it with a think that is where positive attitude, they see it as fun and people tend to develop they enjoy it more and time flies for their love for writing. I them.” don’t BVN writing is still absolutely necessary “I think creative writing is fun, know offers the that my students within schools, and especially BVN, and that it should be done and would know what to Creative shouldn’t be taken out of what do if just gave them a as students are able to utilize creative Writing writing as a way to express themselves and Spoken theme and have them in what they’ve learned. we learn.” Word clubs, write whatever style -Adison Miller “I love doing it in class, and I think which they want. It would there needs to be an equal balance in encourage almost take training the classroom,” Miller said. “I haven’t and display student writing projects on my part to train them that there’s done any creative writing in my class through Literary Magazine and no box to check and just write.” this year which kind of sucks, and I various showcases held throughout One of the key issues to adding know that we need to learn things the year. However, these small groups more creative writing to BVN is the from our curriculum, but I think are not well-known throughout the fact that the curriculum is focused creative writing should be implicated school and therefore are only able to upon giving students the necessary more. I think everyone has different create a small minority of students skills and knowledge to accomplish outlets to express themselves, and if actively participating in creative tasks they need for the future, in creative writing is your outlet then it’s writing. this case writing and being able to really important for person to do so “I thought we could have more communicate thoughts in written because everyone has things they need creative writing if we had students form. But there have been recent express as a person.” create a club,” Miller said, “which is debates on whether or not the Within BVN, where studies and surprising since I didn’t know about inclusion of creative writing is truly activities consume much of students’ these clubs that were already made. beneficial, which sympathizes with busy lives, creative writing provides And I think a lot more people would BVN and its academic presence. one of the biggest outlets for students join if they had a lot more publicity According to “The Writing to express how they feel, and a bigger given to them.” Revolution,” an award article creative writing presence is necessary Alongside the lack of student written in “The Atlantic,” New Dorp to grow the student body in a way participation in creative writing, BVN High School was an example of a that practices that expression and also lacks the needs to help teach statistically dragging school in literacy appreciate it. students how to creatively write, until they adopted a strict curriculum “Are we looking to create robotsuch as teachers or classes that allow that taught writing skills while cutting type people or students to practice and experiment off the inclusion of are we looking to with different types of writing. For creative writing in create people like “What kind of people years, there was a class called Writers’ their curriculum. visionaries who step Workshop, led by former English This study hinted are we looking to outside the box?” teacher, Susan Whitfield. However, negative effect from Buchanan said. create?” that class was taken out of the creative writing “If we care about curriculum in 2017. Even classes that skills on student -KAT Buchanan inspiring people and have heavy writing aspects, such as writing ability and creating visionaries, English, seem to lack creative writing explained that the people who are doing new things, in their curriculum, and prevent new trends of creative writing have we need to have that type of learning students from using it in their studies. favored self-expression and emotion that’s not so standardized. “I don’t know that I can say that too far over understanding how to we do whole lot of creative writing in communicate. However, creative
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Fall Recipes
26 | The North Star | October 2018
Have fun this Autumn with these fall recipes! By Angelica Lidzy
Apple Cider
Recipe by Life is Poppin 10 apples 3/4 cup of white sugar 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon 1 tablespoon ground allspice
Game Day Popcorn
1. Quarter the apples ,and place them in a crockpot. 2. Cover the apples until there is 2 inches of water above them. 3. Slowly stir in the spices, and then bring to a boil. 4. Leave uncovered for 1 hour and then cover mix for 2 hours. Strain the mixture and enjoy!
Recipe by Two Sisters
10 cups of popped popcorn 3 tbsp butter 3 cups of mini marshmallows M&M minis (color of favorite football team) Chocolate chips 1. Melt the butter in a large pan. 2. Add the mini marshmallows and melt and mix them. Remove that mixture when it is melted. 3. Slowly pour this over the popcorn and gently fold the mixture into the popcorn. 4. Pour this mixture onto a pan and lay it out flat. 5. Drizzle a little more of the marshmallow mixture on the top to help the toppings stick. 6. Pour your toppings onto the popcorn and allow this to cool. 7. Break the pieces apart and enjoy!
October 2018 | The North Star | 27
Jello Worms
Recipe by Instructables
GELATIN
Plastic straws 1 package of jello (raspberry or grape is similar to worms) Waxed paper Rubber band 1. Follow the directions on the jello box. 2. Secure the plastic straws with a rubber band and wrap the bottom securely with wrapping paper to guarantee no fallout. 3. Place the straws into a cup and carefully pour the jello into the straws. 4. Wait for this to cool and then seperate the straws and work the jello out of the straw. 5. Enjoy!
Pumpkin Spice Krispie Treats Recipe by Mom Makes Joy 4 cup Marshmallows ½ tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice ¼ tsp Cinnamon 3 tbsp Butter ¼ cup Canned Pumpkin 6 cups Rice Krispies Cereal 1. Melt butter in large pan on medium heat. 2. Add marshmallows to pan to melt. 3. Add pumpkin and spices and stir. 4. Take mixer off heat for 10-20 minutes and then add the Rice Krispies. 5. Pour the mix into a greased baking pan. 6. Wait for it to cool and then enjoy! (Tip- Use wax paper to flatten the mixture in the pan.)
28 | The North Star | October 2018
Haunted House Reviews
By An n
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Students share experiences from haunted houses around Kansas City.
Worlds of Fun
Every year, Worlds of Fun puts on their Hauntfest. They have 10 different houses, each with its own theme, and they are open Friday and Saturday nights from the end of September through Oct. 27. Junior Lizzy Kneibert, who works at World of Fun as a “screamster” in the Zombie High House, spends almost six hours each night in her haunted house. Kneibert can recount multiple memorable experiences from working this job “This one little girl told me, ‘You need Jesus,’ and I thought it was really funny because she looked 6 years old,” Kneibert said. According to Kneibert, the audition process is rigorous because they give each contender a character and analyze how well they can act out the character on the spot. Kneibert said that everyone who is accepted becomes really close through the experience. “We all have a sense of team and family within our houses,” Kneibert said. For senior Megan Koenig, going through a haunted house is way different than working at one. This year was Koenig’s first time ever going to The Haunt. She didn’t know what to expect, but she wanted to be scared. “I was walking down a hill, and then all of the sudden a clown came up behind me with a horn and honked it in my ear,” Koenig said. “I hate clowns.” Overall, she enjoyed the night and wished she could have stayed longer. Her favorite house was Khaos Unleashed, which she said made her friend pee her pants. Overall, Koenig highly recommends going to Worlds of Fun for Halloween.
The Beast
One of the popular haunted houses in downtown KC is The Beast. Senior Eden Shaw went to The Beast earlier this season. “It’s a lot of fun, and it makes your heart race,” Shaw said. “It gives you an adrenaline rush, and once it’s done you want to go again. Many people go to haunted houses for a chance to get scared. “It was scary but not as scary as I had thought it would be,” Shaw said. Shaw said her experience was a good one compared to other haunted houses she has been to. “I’d say it was one of the more fun houses I’d been to,” Shaw said. “At the end we jumped out of a window onto a giant pillow.” In the end, Shaw would rate it a 10 out of 10, and she recommends people go.
October 2018 | The North Star | 29
For two years, Mount Washington Haunted Manor has been spooking people of all ages. Located in Independence, Mo., Mount Washington is open from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. every Friday and Saturday in October. It was junior Nick Buffo’s first time visiting the manor this month and he said he feels it was worth the 30-minute drive. “I was pleasantly surprised,” Buffo said. “I was not expecting it to be that scary.” The manor is located in the lower level of a 95-year-old Masonic building. Mainly only people in Independence knew about the haunted house, but the popularity quickly spread to the Kansas City area. It consisted of many different haunted rooms to walk through. “I would definitely say the Freezer Room was the scariest because you have no idea what you’re about to encounter,” Buffo said. Overall, Buffo would definitely go again and he highly recommends it to anyone who likes a good fright.
Edge of Hell Located next to The Beast, The Edge of Hell is another popular haunted house downtown. Senior Katie George has been to all the haunted houses in the West Bottoms, including The Edge of Hell. “My favorite part is getting scared and running around with your friends,” George said. “The adrenaline rush is crazy, and your heart is pumping. We’re always laughing and having a good time even though it’s scary.” In the haunted house, the participants don’t know what to expect or when to expect the next scare. “There’s a lot of people and animatronics in there, and you never really know when someone or something is going to come out at you,” George said. While George says she gets scared in the houses, everyone reacts differently. “I always get super scared and scream a lot,” George said. “[But] it affects everyone differently. Some people don’t think it’s scary at all, and some are terrified.” Overall, George would rate The Edge of Hell an eight out of 10.
Illustrations by Noun Project
Mt. Washington
Howl
The BVN Community shared the best Halloween their dogs have worn throughout past spooky seasons.
ween
By Samantha Perez
Rose dresses as a unicorn. —freshman Isabella Noll
Macy wears a very stylish hot dog one piece. —junior Amelia Brown
Lucy scares as a spooky ghost. —sophomore Macy Parks Eddie and Louie team up to save Halloween as Batman and Superman. — teacher Diana Klote
Daisy and Duke: The Nightmare Before Christmas —junior Amelia Brown
Rose dresses up most Halloweens. Last year, she danced her way through the holiday as a ballerina. —freshman Isabella Noll
“This is Doser, as in bull-doser.” —sophomore Kendall Barnes.
Spooky Season Crossword 2
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ACROSS 3 The pattern you wear during fall (or lumberjack-themed events) 5 Two-word movie title that rhymes 6 Everyone’s favorite fall clothing: a wool...
9 I ain’t afraid of no ghosts 10 What Zack and Cody are + what Alex Russo is 11 The EDM bop of the season 12 A campfire, but larger 13 It’s boney and in Mrs. Stilwell’s room
DOWN 1 A type of candy but also the word for a small laugh 2 yellow, orange and white triangles of sugar 4 Every Kansas Citian’s Instagram will have a picture here
5 Not Christmas City 7 If you’re basic you drink this 8 Not Sheryl STEIN, but ...
7.5” x 5.5” 7.5” x 5.5” 7.5” x 5.5”
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