The North Star, Blue Valley North High School, May 2016

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May 2016

Blue Valley North High School The North Star | 1

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TheNorth NorthStar StarStaff Staff The Editor in Chief

2016

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Entertainment Consent & Sexuality School Improvement Politics College

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On the cover: The Rape of the Sabine Women by Giambologna (sculpture), in the Loggia dei Lanzi in Florence. CC photo via Dave & Margie Hill on Flickr

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Kendall Avenia Jake Goldman

Section Editors

Jaxson Dubinsky Corey Minkoff Sam Galapo Caroline White

Staff Writers

Amanda Birger Sophia Clarke Nicole Dolan Jake Kaufman Kusal Kularatne Kristin Larson Amanda Mok Sterling Reynolds Maggie Russo Sri Veerisetti Gigi Wildman

Adviser

Erica Benson

Responding to the publication

Letters to the editor can be submitted electronically to bvnnewspaper@ gmail.com. Letters may be published on BVNnews.com or in our print edition. Letters must not contain personal attacks against an individual and may be edited.

Mission

The North Star is the official high school news publication of Blue Valley North High School. This is a student publication and may contain controversial matter. Blue Valley School District No. 229 and its board members, officers and employees disclaim and responsibity 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.

The Academy

At the 2006 Major League Soccer Cup, the MLS Youth Development program was started, requiring every MLS Club to establish a youth program that provides talented young players an opportunity to pursue their professional dreams.

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By Jake Goldman and Jaxson Dubinsky

urrently, Blue Valley North has six of those athletes enrolled and housed in the area. They include seniors Andrew McLeod, Will Little and Felipe Hernandez, juniors Ezra Armstrong, Levente Illes and sophomore Alex Jimenez. The young men registered in the Sporting Academy have the chance to sign a professional contract with their developmental team, foregoing the MLS Super Draft. The program has produced a large number of professional and college soccer players, most notably BVN alumni Jon Kempin and Jordan

Rideout. The program itself has grown to include five teams, which include players from ages 11 to 18. The Sporting Academy originally was built to draw the best players from around the Kansas City metro and grew to recruiting worldwide. Tryouts occur annually for all players. “They’re different every year, and the first year is the hardest. There are usually three days of tryouts, but current players usually only have to go to the last day. First time around, I didn’t really make the team; I was an alternate. They have become less stressful as I’ve gotten

older,” senior Andrew McLeod said. Since many players come from outside Kansas City, the Academy built a residential program to assist with the transition to the area. Some families move with their kids while others do not. “Both of my parents live here now, and we had three players from the academy —- Nani, Will and Felipe —- living with me. If there is someone that doesn’t have their immediate family here, then they can live with other people on the team or find a host family,” junior Levi Illes said. The North Star | 3

The Preparation The U18, U16 and U14 teams train four to five times per week, and then they play one or two games on most weekends. The teams are also expected to travel nationally 10 to 15 times each year. “Our goal is to make professional players. Simple as that. We also want to make the well-rounded individual, but we give them a lot of responsibility to take that upon themselves,” team administrator Wan Kuzac said. Not only do the coaches focus on preparing their players for the collegiate and professional levels, but they also seek to better each player as an individual. “The coaches want us to progress as soccer players, but also as men,” senior Felipe Hernandez said. The program has its perks. The U18, U16 and U14 Academy teams are fully funded. Players do not have to pay costs associated with coaching, facilities, travel, leagues, tournaments and referee fees. “Everything is covered. So all the gear and travel is funded by the club. They provide us with travel, cleats, meals, runners and all Adidas jerseys and apparel,” McLeod said. Players are only required to pay a membership fee, which includes a season ticket pass for the Sporting team. Playing at such a high level of soccer has its advantages, but Academy players also sacrifice a sense of normalcy in high school, including leaving friends and family to pursue their soccer dreams. 4 | Blue Valley North High School

The Life Some of the players come from around the country to play for the Academy. Last year, Illes received an opportunity to tryout in Kansas City. After making the team, Illes and his family moved here from the Tri-Cities are in North Carolina. “One of my coaches was friends with Jon Parry, the Sporting Director, and he recommended that I come down here and give the SKC Academy a try since I was developing quicker than most of the other kids. I tried out for about a week, and they told me that I could have a spot on the team,” Illes said. Moving for the Academy can uproot an entire family, but for professional aspirations, some consider it worth it. Illes’ family left their thriving paint business behind to fulfill his chance on the Academy. “It has been pretty tough moving here because we had our house painting business in North Carolina and everyone knew us and knew to call if we were needed. Since moving here, we’ve pretty much started with a clean slate because no one really knows about us here, all we have is a truck with our little sign on it,” Illes said. However, not all of the players are as fortunate to have their families come with them. Some embark on this soccer

experience without their loved ones, oftentimes unable to see their families for months. “You miss your family and everything, but you’re doing something for your future and kind of have to take a risk. I talk to my parents every day, and they always support me. I just don’t get to see them that much,” Felipe said. Once on the team, players must commit fully to the program, forfeiting all other sports and most extracurricular involvement. Likewise, maintaining high levels of academic excellence is difficult, too. Senior Will Little comes to school for only three class periods per day. “I train every morning for around two hours and then have gym

Senior Andrew McLeod rests between drills during a Sporting Academy practice at Swope Memorial Park Soccer Village. Photo by Jake Goldman

Sporting Academy at North Ezra Armstrong

Junior U18 and Swope Park Rangers

Will Little Senior U18 and Swope Park Rangers

Andrew McLeod Senior U18

Levente Illes

sessions periodically. I come in late for my make-up work and it’s hard now because I have a lot of responsibilities and I live on my own,” Little said.

The Future The Academy is an opportunity to have maximum exposure to recruiting college coaches and professional clubs. “Almost every player who has played in our Academy has either signed a professional contract or gone to college. Some have played for Sporting KC, while others have played for other professional teams around the country. Not all players have gone to Division 1 schools, but being in the Academy has certainly helped those kids get recognized by college coaches,” Jonathan Kaplan, Sporting Kansas City’s Communications Director, said. The director of the program, Jon Parry, oftentimes facilitates players communicating with higher level coaches, another benefit of the

program. “He knows a lot of coaches around the country. I asked him if he could help me out with any colleges he recommends, and he reached out to the Louisville coach,” Hernandez said. College isn’t the only option for Little. An amateur, he is currently playing for the Swope Park Rangers, a United Soccer League team in Kansas City. “It is a fun experience especially since I am playing professional at such a young age. I get to play at a higher level and experience things that very few players my age do,” Little said. Though Swope Park is a professional team, the money isn’t what drives the players. Like the Academy, the goal is to make it to the next level, whether that be college or somewhere beyond. “The academy has provided a special environment and opportunity for me to learn and grow both on and off the field. I feel very fortunate to be a part of it,” McLeod said.

Junior U18

Felipe Hernandez Senior U18

Alex Jimenez Sophomore U16

U13 Head Coach Declan Jogi watches the U16 and U18 teams practice working on their one-on-one ball drills. Photo by Jake Goldman

The North Star | 5

Royalty Reigns In Kansas City

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Photo from mlb.com

By Jake Kaufman

t’s baseball season and excitement is filling the air in Kansas City. Sales of Royals merchandise increase as people are wearing blue everywhere they go, business is booming for sports bars as people eat like royalty while their eyes are glued to the TV and Kauffman Stadium is once again a full house night in and night out with roaring fans expecting to go home with not just a fun night out at the ballpark, but with a win. Coming off back to back World Series appearances and a World Series Championship, the Royals have united Kansas City and changed the way this city looks at baseball. “Kansas City has always been a baseball town. It was back in the 80s when the Royals were very successful, and it is now,” Kevin Uhlich, Royals Senior Vice President of Business Operations said. “There was a gap between then where the Royals lost their swagger, but there’s no doubt that

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after 2014 this city started to feel really good about the Royals again, and with what happened last year in 2015 it’s been taken to levels that this city has never seen. People were starved for this success, and now it’s just been taken to all new levels.” The Royals were one of the most powerful teams in baseball from the late 70s to mid 80s, making the playoffs seven times in ten years, but after the Royals won the World Series in 1985, the team’s mojo just wasn’t the same, until now. “We’ve developed a culture here in a team that the fans have really bought into and love. I think it really speaks for Kansas City,” Uhlich said. Kansas City; once a city where people quietly supported the Royals, now a city where people

can’t get enough of the Royals. It seems as baseball is all people talk about in K.C., it’s a beautiful thing. “The Royals created a sense of unity in K.C. when they went to the postseason in 2014; then after winning the World Series the following year, they took that same sense of unity to a whole new level. Going to back to back World Series, it was something this city has never seen before,” senior and four-year season-ticket holder Erica Schoeman said. “I think the Royals make Kansas Citians excited because they’re putting us on the map. For the first time, it seems like when people hear Kansas City, they don’t immediately ask about farms, they ask about the Royals.” As the Royals are fueling their fans with excitement in the

“I haven’t seen a parade like we had in any city in the 40 years I’ve been in baseball.”

stadium, they are also helping local restaurants reenergize their customer base. “The Royals have been great for the restaurant and travel industries the past two years, and the primary reason is Royals fans come from all over the midwest to catch games,” Jack Stack General Manager Case Dorman said. “Families travel from several hours away from cities such as Omaha, Des Moines and Wichita to come watch the boys in blue play. Many times they’ll spend the night or a weekend in town, staying at hotels and dining in at restaurants adding tourism in Kansas City.” Kansas City is known for its barbeque. Over the the past two years, the Royals have helped local smokestacks, such as Jack Stack, make an even bigger name for themselves. “When the Royals play we see an increase in sales in our catering and our carryout services. Over a big home stand, sales at our five locations will increase by 10 percent bringing an extra 3,000 or so guests for a given week,” Dorman said. “When the Royals are in the playoffs many people bet barbeque with their friends and family for a friendly wager. After we lost to the San Francisco Giants in the 2014 World Series, we shipped an additional 500 packages that following Monday.” Kansas City loves their Royals just as much as they love their barbecue, and 2015 was a prime example of that. Last year the Royals set a new single season attendance record of 2,708,549 people in a single season; crushing the previous record of 2,477,700

community to live in and it’s a great community to raise your kids in. Now the Royals have taken on that persona, and I think everybody can identify with it,” Uhlich said. “For Kansas City to be elevated to the type of profile it has reached over the past two years, it’s just great for the community and the fans here demonstrate that. I haven’t seen a parade like we had in any city in the 40 years I’ve been in of entertainment and for something baseball.” Although the Royals left a to do, now people actually get into the games and get excited about the historic mark on this city, it’s the future that Royals fans need to game going on,” Schoeman said. focus on because another World Baseballs and ticket sales aren’t Series Title, and another parade of the only thing the Royals are crushing, it’s the TV ratings as well. 800,000 strong is in reach. Kansas City has a very strong future with Last year during Game One of the baseball in the Royals; this wasn’t a World Series, according to Fox fluke. The plan that Dayton Moore Sports, the Royals were viewed in 78 percent of homes in Kansas City. put together makes this team competitive for the long term. “We have the highest ratings in “70 percent of this team is all of baseball. On any given night homegrown talent. The emphasis the Royals are on TV in about 180,000 households. On big nights is still on scouting, minor league we’re in about 250,000 households. development and spending money down in the Dominican,” Uhlich It’s big. The ratings are huge for said. “Every year the goal is to have the Royals, they have been for two or three guys that are ready at the past two years. We started off strong on opening night, and as we different positions to be able and come up and steal a major league stay competitive, we believe those job. When you have that kind of numbers will continue to grow,” pipeline, and that kind of system, Uhlich said. it builds well for the future, and The TV ratings for the Royals Dayton has put this team in a are huge, but it nowhere equates position where they’ll be strong for to the number of people that went a while.” to the World Series parade, at Baseball isn’t going away anytime which Kansas City’s population soon in Kansas City. From now was doubled with approximately on when Royals fans head out to 800,000 in attendance to celebrate Kauffman Stadium and look up at the Royals Championship. the 2015 World Series Champions “I think anyone who lives in flag, they’ll take a moment and look Kansas City realizes that it’s back at the historic World Series probably one of the best kept run the Royals accomplished, but secrets in America as far as a place to live. The quality of life in Kansas just remember, another run isn’t too far away. City is outstanding. It’s a great during the 1989 season. “The atmosphere has changed in the amount of people attending games as well as the amount of hype surrounding them. Before we made it to the postseason, people would come to the games more out

“Kansas City has always been a baseball town.”

Statue of Ewing and Muriel Kauffman at Kauffman Stadium. Photo by Jake Kaufman.

The North Star | 7

THE BIG SLICK

A celebrity weekend that gives back to KC By Kristin Larson

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here have been fresh campaign signs spotted in Kansas City lately, but they are not for presidential candidates. These campaign signs are for actors Rob Riggle, Jason Sudeikis, Paul Rudd, David Koechner and Eric Stonestreet. These five Kansas City area born actors are promoting their seventh Big Slick celebrity weekend to benefit Children’s Mercy Hospital. The 2016 Big Slick celebrity weekend will be June 17 to 18. The weekend kicks off with a celebrity softball game at Kauffman stadium at 5 p.m. before the Royals game verses the Detroit Tigers. Saturday begins with a celebrity bowling tournament at 10:30 a.m. at Pinstripes Bowling, Bocce and Bistro. The weekend comes to a close Saturday night with a victory party and auction held at the Arvest Bank Theatre at the Midland. In 2009, Riggle, along with fellow Kansas City natives Paul Rudd and Jason Sudeikis, founded the Big Slick organization. The organization hosts a celebrity weekend in Kansas City every summer to raise money for Children’s Mercy Hospital. The weekend fundraiser started as merely a poker tournament but now fills an entire weekend. In 2013, actors Eric Stonestreet from Modern Family and David Koechner from The Office and Anchorman, joined Riggle, Rudd and Sudeikis as hosts of the event. Each year the hosts gather many of their celebrity friends to attend the event and raise large contributions to Children’s Mercy Hospital. 8 | Blue Valley North High School

“It all started in 2008 when I was asked to host a Children’s Mercy charity event called Red Hot Nights. Children’s Mercy took me on a tour of the hospital after the event, and I got to meet the doctors, kids and parents,” Riggle said. “I’m a parent too, so I wanted to support and help this cause.”

Riggle initially conceived the idea of hosting a celebrity poker tournament as a fundraiser to benefit Children’s Mercy in order to make a larger impact than he could alone. Riggle knew that he needed other celebrities, eventually asking Rudd and Sudeikis to help him with his cause. “Once we had three hosts, the idea was to invite two or three other celebrity friends back to Kansas City for the charity event. We recruited my sister, her husband, Jason’s mom and Paul’s mom and we went to work. We started very slowly and small,” Riggle said. The goal for the first Big Slick event was to raise $50,000 for Children’s Mercy. Riggle, Rudd and Sudeikis doubled that achievement, raising $100,000 for the hospital

in the first year. The Big Slick has continued to grow every year. “Our theory was crawl, walk, run. We weren’t trying to conquer the world in our first year; it was all uncharted water,” Riggle said. “Each year that we do the Big Slick, we learn something new, and we find ways to improve.” Last year, the Big Slick was able to raise a little over $1,000,000 for Children’s Mercy Hospital. Riggle wants to keep the organization running as long as possible and promote Kansas City in the process. “Bringing all these celebrities to Kansas City and letting them experience how great Kansas City is has been an amazing part of the Big Slick,” Riggle said. Everyone who comes wants to come back. They can’t say enough good things about Children’s Mercy and the people of Kansas City.” The celebrities always take time during the Big Slick weekend to visit Children’s Mercy Hospital to play games and get to know the kids. If any kids from Children’s Mercy are well enough to leave the hospital they are able to attend the bowling tournament with the celebrities. “We actually let the celebrities walk the halls of the hospital, and it really touches them. It is very special,” Riggle said. Julie McKee is Rob Riggle’s sister as well as the mother of BVN student Chandler McKee. She is a large part of the organization and works year round on the event. This past year the organization found a way to make the weekend

Riggle greets a child at Children’s Mercy Hospital. Photo courtesy of Chandler McKee

even more special to the Children’s Mercy patients. “Last year we partnered with a group called the Melodic Caring Project. They are able to video the Big Slick throughout the weekend and live stream the event back to Children’s Mercy Hospital so the kids who cannot leave the hospital can be a part of the weekend,” Julie McKee said. “The celebrities will give live shoutouts to children in the hospital throughout the events so that those children can get that experience to see what’s happening and witness all the community support for them.” McKee has been a large part of the organization since the first day Riggle told her about his idea to help Children’s Mercy Hospital. “It started with the original three guys Riggle, Rudd and Sudeikis, and their families. It truly was just a group of families in Kansas City who wanted to make this happen with the boys living in California and New York,” McKee said. The families of the celebrities’ work year round in Kansas City to make the event happen. They each utilize their personal talents to make the Big Slick run smoothly. “We’ve really been able to largely build off of each of our professional experiences to help build the Big Slick. We spend a lot of our time

in event planning; getting the facilities, working with each of our vendors, trying to find donations, and putting together the whole weekend because it contains three very different events,” McKee said. The Big Slick organization continues to work hard to grow the organization and raise more money because everything they raise throughout their events benefits Children’s Mercy Hospital and all of its patients. “Our first year goal was $50,000 and ever since then we’ve always made it our goal to do better than we did the previous year. In the past two years we’ve been able to raise a million dollars each year. As we experience our seventh year we see more opportunity in front of us than ever before,” McKee said. Julie McKee has been working since last summer’s celebrity weekend to prepare for this year’s event.

BVN Senior Chandler McKee, Riggle’s niece, has experienced all the excitement of the Big Slick first hand. This upcoming summer will be the seventh time Chandler has attended the Big Slick. Ever since Riggle, as well as Rudd and Sudeikis started the Big Slick Organization, it has been a large part of the McKee’s lives. “Seeing the amazing impact the organization has on the Children’s Mercy kids is really the coolest thing,” Chandler McKee said. “It’s amazing to see all of my Uncle Rob’s hard work paying off.” McKee has been able to meet

many of the celebrities who have attended the Big Slick over the years, but Olivia Wilde and David Koechner have had the largest impact on her. “Olivia Wilde has been coming to the Big Slick for many years now and is one of the most down to Earth people I have met. She is always super involved with the kids from Children’s Mercy, and it’s great to see how dedicated she is to helping them,” McKee said. “Also, David Koechner has always been a stand out to me because he makes an effort to get to know my family, and he always has a great positive spirit.” As McKee gets older she hopes to be more involved in the Big Slick organization. “I think it is such a cool event and it is definitely something I would love to get involved with more and more each year. Having bigger roles and taking on more responsibilities within the organization would be such a cool thing for me,” McKee said. Allison Abplanalp is the Managing Director of Philanthropic Community Engagement and Events at Children’s Mercy Hospital. “Big Slick has had an incredible impact on the patients treated at Children’s Mercy,” Abplanalp said. “They have raised more than $3 million dollars to benefit the hospital’s mission and our Cancer Center, but more importantly, they bring smiles, laughs and hope to our patients and their families when they visit each year.” To get involved and purchase tickets for the event go to bigslickkc.org.

The North Star | 9

I Like It When You Read My Album Reviews Because You Are So Curious Yet About To Be So Informed Reviewing albums so you don’t have to. By Sterling Reynolds

of modern alternative music, I L I W Y S F Y A S B Y S U O I creating a unique blend of sounds. Songs like “Love Me,” “UGH!” The 1975’s second album, “I Like and “She’s American” are a good It When You Sleep for You Are So representation of the direct Beautiful yet So Unaware Of It,” impact that 80s pop had on their (ILIWYS) released at the number album, showcasing the swagger one spot in both the U.S., and the in lead singer Matty Healy’s voice, band’s home country, the U.K., and complemented with precise drums set the record for the longest title of a and bubbly guitar riffs. number one debut album. On the flip side of this, In the past, The 1975’s image the album falls back onto as a whole revolved around the its previous sound to tackle melancholy seriousness of black and serious content with songs white. In preparation for ILIWYS, like “Nana,” which is an the band underwent a drastic change ode to Healy’s grandmother of aesthetic, switching to pink and after her passing, “She Lays white as their color representation to Down,” a song about the portray a new era for the band. challenges Healy’s mother ILIWYS is about love, the struggle of went through after his birth being famous and dealing with having or “If I Believe You,” a song a broken heart. Its introspective about questioning faith. tone in writing contrasts well with These songs make it feel the lively, happy, 80s inspired poplike the album was in part a funk sound which results in an therapeutic effort to express interesting juxtaposition of feelings the struggles that the band when listening to the album. The 80s has gone through in their influence is charming and carries the lives, extending their experiences feel of pop songs from the time, but to others who may have similar they’re performed with the influence struggles. There wasn’t a single song that I didn’t instantly fall in love with on this album. ILIWYS could stand by itself as an instrumental project and be just as impactful due to its incredible production. Its meaningful writing on top of beautiful instrumentals causes it to be outstanding. I’d give this album a 9 out of 10. It’s music that air waves are lacking lately; easy to listen to while having meaningful 10 | Blue Valley North High School

lyrical content. While it’s not perfect, it’s pretty darn close. Recommended songs: “Love Me,” “She’s American,” “Please Be Naked,” “Somebody Else,” “If I Believe You” and “Paris.”

VIEWS “Views” is a classic. There’s no other way to put it. Drake’s albums have proven his place at the top next to other hip-hop legends of the modern day like Kendrick Lamar, Jay Z and Game time and time again, and “Views” is no exception. The album is a cinematic experience. Every song on “Views” sounds like listening to a scene from a movie about Drake at certain points in his life. He really lets his humanity show. 2015 saw what people on social media have referred to as the “new Drake.” His verses were harder and he seemed to be back from his brief hiatus with a hunger to prove that

he’s the best out there. For his entire career, Drake’s been notorious for being open with his emotions in his writing, which is something that “new Drake” had sort of left at the wayside in 2014. Now that 2016 has hit, it seems that Drake’s back to showcasing them without shame. The entirety of “Views” is reminiscent of “Take Care,” his 2012 project and most openly “emotional” work to date that skyrocketed Drake to superstar status. Drake mentioned in an interview on April 28 before the album released that the story follows Toronto throughout the seasons. It starts with winter and goes to summertime, then transitions back to winter to close the project. Starting with “U Feel Me?,” “Feel No Ways” and “Weston Road Flows,” Drake sings about relationships, moving on and reminiscing. “With You” serves as the transition from the end of winter into summertime. The middle of the album has really fun, high energy songs that sound like the summer, like “Controlla” and “One Dance.” Also found in the middle are the bangers “Still Here,” “Grammys,” which features Future delivering a catchy hook as usual. Toward the end of the album are “Fire & Desire” and the title track of the album, “Views,” which sound like winter has hit again and are more introspective than the songs in the summertime section. “Fire & Desire” is about Drake falling in love with someone and staying dedicated to them. “Views” paints the picture of Drake’s path to success. It’s important to mention the quality of the production on the album, too. Drake went back to working exclusively with his longtime friend and producer Noah “40” Shebib, and 40 doesn’t disappoint. Each instrumental has depth and beauty to it, including “Pop Style” and “Grammys,” which aim to hype up listeners, not make them think about

how pretty the track is. This album is 9.5 out of 10. “Views” has set a high standard for the rest of the albums released this year to live up to. Drake delivered a quality production that’s even better than his previous work. “Views” is an album that’ll be on repeat for months. Recommended songs: “One Dance,” “Pop Style,” “Controlla,” “Grammys,” “Weston Road Flows,” and “Feel No Ways.”

THE LIFE OF PABLO It’s safe to say that any project by Kanye West is trendsetting and trailblazing in some way, shape or form as far as content is concerned. The premiere of “The Life of Pablo” (TLOP) was the first of its kind: an album played in its entirety, streamed in movie theaters worldwide and accompanied by a fashion show. TLOP as a whole was reminiscent of Kanye’s last album, “Yeezus,” with its abrasive and industrial aesthetic. In spite of this, however, the album manages to have moments that juxtapose cutting noises with gentle beauty. The songs “FML” and “Real Friends” with their moving instrumentals and vocal melodies are a stark contrast from “Feedback” or “Father Stretch My Hands, Pt. 2,” giving the album extreme variance in sound and feeling. While every song on The Life of Pablo was sonically on another level, Kanye consistently left his verses lacking in substance that many were desiring. On Kanye’s

earlier albums, his prowess as a lyricist was showcased well. On “Yeezus,” a shift occurred which seemed to mark a larger focus on the aesthetic of a song, rather than the lyrical content. Kanye was more focused on the feeling of the record as a whole rather than what was written in it. To me, the album is a 7 out of 10. The stunning features (Frank Ocean, Chance the Rapper, Kendrick Lamar) made up for the places where Kanye fell short, but it’s also important to note that Kanye was in fact falling short. His verses just didn’t have the same passion and desperation that they had when he was younger. Long time fans of Kanye West likely won’t place “The Life of Pablo” in their top three Kanye albums, but TLOP undeniably has high replay value with great songs, just in time for blasting, “panda, panda, panda” through car stereos this summer.

Recommended songs: “Ultralight Beam,” “Father Stretch My Hands pt. 2,” “Real Friends,” “Wolves” and “Fade.”

The North Star | 11

Blurred Lines.

By Nicole Dolan and Sophia Clarke Sexual assault happens in high school, yet it generally is unreported or unpunished. Blue Valley School District claims that it has a firm policy in dealing with sexual assault, but does it? Should sexual violence education and consent be required curriculum in high school?

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efining healthy relationships necessarily conscious of your begins with understanding actions in the moment,” junior the definition of assault. Rebecca Zhang said. Sexual assault is defined “People drink and do drugs at by Merriam Webster as an illegal our age even though it’s illegal, sexual contact that usually involves but any sexual interaction force upon a person without that happens while under the consent, is inflicted upon a person influence is still assault because who is incapable of giving consent there’s a lack of coherency to their or who places consent,” sophomore the assailant Virginia Gonzalez said. One in six girls in a position According to Kansas of trust or and one in thirty- state law, engaging in authority. sexual activity with three boys are “I don’t someone who is under raped. believe North the influence, and does anything therefore unable to give to inform students because of the consent, is rape. CC photo courtesy of Lillie Kate on Flickr belief that students should not “Most of the time young men, be having sex,” junior Margaret and even young ladies, don’t “There definitely should be more Hubble said. know what a healthy relationship education and conversation about According to the Rape, Abuse and looks like. As young adults, healthy relationships moving Incest National Network (RAINN), some decisions aren’t exactly forward. We are in contact with 44 percent of sexual assault victims thought through,” Principal David different groups, like the MOCSA are under the age of 18. Stubblefield said. and ReBel, that promote this “You learn about this type of message,” Stubblefield said. [assault] when you live through he Blue Valley curriculum Students lack the knowledge it and experience it in particular guide states that students of what to do if they choose to situations. It’s understandable that will gain practical engage in sexual activity since you can’t simply learn about [sexual information in health class the curriculum focuses solely on violence] in Health, but it still to support healthy, life-long abstinence. should be somewhat addressed,” decision making; however, the “Health didn’t really say much junior Meena Sreedhara said. curriculum covers very little about sexual violence. It mainly According to the National information that may help with pointed out sexual diseases, rather Collegiate Date and Acquaintance sexual assault prevention. than any real caution about assault,” Rape Statistics, 90 percent of all According to Metropolitan junior Irene Guo said. acquaintance rapes involve alcohol. Organization to Counter Sexual The policies about what is covered “When you’re under the Assault or MOCSA, one in six in high school classrooms are often influence, it clouds the way you girls and one in thirty-three guys ambiguous and vary from state to normally do things, and you’re not are raped. state.

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“[Current sex education] still sets a dynamic that’s adversarial. Everyone wants to keep people safe, but it’s still about avoiding danger rather than exploring positive aspects of sexuality.” -Eva Goldfarb* The curriculum also lightly focuses on the emotional aspect of sex as a healthy component to a viable relationship. “Consent is extremely important and should be thought of at the same level of teaching safe sex,” Hubble said. “A lot of students don't realize the emotional aspects of sex, and that both the emotional and physical consequences of not having safe sex puts every student, male and female, in difficult situations.” Teaching students about consent

and safe sex could prevent potential sexual assault encounters. “[More in depth sex education] would be beneficial because it should be reinforced, especially since we’re at a time in our lives where sex is more common,” junior Maggie Golashani said.

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tudents have been taught since elementary school that counselors are there to help, but it’s a matter of students’ willingness to step up and ask for it. “If the case is at school and

brought to my attention, I do get involved and I am usually aware of it. All of these sorts of cases are taken very seriously here at North, and part of that is because we see that it is important to follow up on it to make sure it’s taken care of correctly,” BVN psychologist Dr. Mark Kenney said. Assault survivors often fear the social judgements of opening up about their experiences. According to a National Crime Victimization Survey conducted by the Justice Department, 68 percent of rape cases go unreported. “Students don’t know that there are people in the school that aim to be nothing but supportive if these instances happen. Overall, young people fear that it could turn back on themselves if they report,” Kenney said. If the assaults occur on campus, provided there are witnesses and video evidence, the immediate punishment is expulsion. Other than that, the punishments are situational and determined by law enforcement. If the state of Kansas and Blue Valley School District change the sexual education standards to include consent and sexual assault prevention, BVN students may be less susceptible to committing or being victimized by assault in high school and college. California is the first and only state to impose such standards to be taught in the K-12 classroom. “Overall we just need to get rid of our stigma around victims of sexual assault and be willing talk about sexual education so we can teach future generations the right way to act,” Golashani said. *Professor of Public Health, works in the field of sexuality education at Montclair State University. The North Star | 13

Let’s Talk About Sex By Amanda Mok

Kansas ignores CDC’s recommended sex education standards

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he Blue Valley School District’s sexual education curriculum isn’t up to the standard that many would expect, including the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). According to BVN principal David Stubblefield, sex education isn’t just important for a complete education, but for healthy relationships as well. “In Blue Valley’s individual schools, I think there could be more [sex] education and conversation about healthy relationships,” Stubblefield said. According to the Huffington Post, only 22 U.S. states require sex education to be taught. A lack of sex education can result in higher teen pregnancy rates, STD rates and sexual assault rates. “50,000 new HIV infections, 20 million STI’s, 3 million unintended pregnancies and 1 million rapes annually are a direct result of the insufficient way we talk about sex,” Debra Hauser, Vice Chair of American Sexual Health Association (ASHA) Board of Directors, said. According to the National Campaign website, in Kansas, 27 out of every 1000 female teenagers are mothers, ranking Kansas the 17th highest state in the U.S. for teen pregnancies. According to a study conducted by Teen Help, most of these pregnancies are due to insufficient sex education. According to the CDC, “fewer

14 | Blue Valley North High School

than half of high schools and only one fifth of middle schools [in the U.S.] teach lessons on all 16 of the nationally recommended topics for sexual health education.” Of the 16 nationally recommended topics, Blue Valley only teaches five or six of them. “We teach the Kansas standards for health, which encompass [the nationally recommended] topics,” Dr. Tonya Merrigan, Assistant Superintendent of Academic Services of the Blue Valley District said. In BVN’s Health and Wellness textbook, only five of the sixteen nationally recommended topics are mentioned: benefits of being sexually abstinent, how to create and sustain healthy and respectful relationships, how HIV and other STDs are transmitted, health consequences of HIV, STDs and pregnancy and the importance of limiting the number of sexual partners. The Blue Valley Health and Wellness curriculum leaves out topics such as how to access valid information, products and services related to sexual health, preventive care that is necessary to maintain reproductive and sexual health, the importance of using a condom and other forms of contraception, how to correctly use a condom, the topic of consent and more.

According to Merrigan, Blue Valley’s curriculum mainly centers around the subject of abstinence. The District attempts to exclude moral judgement when teaching. “We restrict [facts] to biological facts and possible personal consequences for irresponsible or reckless behavior,” said Merrigan. “Teachers talk about the reproductive system from a scientific and biological perspective.” Lifetime Health, BVN’s health

“Fewer than half of high schools and only one fifth of middle schools [in the U.S.] teach lessons on all 16 of the nationally recommended topics for sexual health education.” textbook, mentions the benefits of abstinence, the risks of being sexually active during students’ teenage years and the biological process of pregnancy. “Only abstinence eliminates the risk of catching a STD,” Lifetime Health wrote. “Remaining abstinent until you are married will also help you avoid becoming a single parent.” When further questioned about the sex education policies in the District and what the restrictions and requirements were, the District gave a limited response, stating

again that they “follow the Kansas education standard.” In 2015, the CDC reported a median of 77.2 percent of schools in the U.S. teaching only abstinence, making it one of the most taught topics in sex education nationally. According to Hauser, abstinence-only isn’t the best way to teach sex education. “[People teach abstinence] as disease-driven, telling students that sex equals death,” Hauser said. “It is inculcating people with fear, but sex can be a great thing when introduced respectfully and with consent.” An ASHA study indicates that countries such as the United Kingdom and Netherlands, which provide sex education for younger students starting at the beginning of their education tend to have healthier relationships. Additionally, people living in these countries have reported higher self-esteem as well as lower divorce rates. "In places like the Netherlands, they have a much better system [to handle sex education],” Lynn Barclay, President and CEO of ASHA said. “They talk earlier to children. They are very clear that being sexually active is a normal part of development, a normal part of life.” In comparison, 28 U.S. states do not require sexual health be taught in any capacity. According to Barclay, as a result of these actions, many teenagers in the U.S. lack self-confidence and knowledge compared to countries like the Netherlands. Due to the lack of sex education, many students feel uncomfortable talking about the subject, which exacerbates the spread of misinformation between students. “[People] just get really

CDC’s 16 Nationally Recommended Topics and Percentage Taught in U.S. Schools Benefits of Being Abstinent

94%

Creating Healthy Relationships

90%

How HIVs and STDs Transmit

91%

Health Consequences of HIVs, STDs and Pregnancy

91%

Influences of Family, Peers, Media, Technology and Other Factors on Sexual Risk Behavior

89%

Communication and Negotiation Skills

89%

Goal Setting and Decision Making Skills

70%

Influencing and Supporting Others to Avoid or Reduce Sexual Risk Behaviors

73%

uncomfortable talking about [sex education],” junior Anna Song said. “That’s a really bad thing because you lose a lot of information or it spreads a lot of rumors.” Sex and sex education are often considered taboo topics, especially in the U.S., which can lead to a lapse in healthy conversation on the topic. “It’s just our culture, and Americans are really uncomfortable with talking about [sex]. They’re perfectly natural things, and we just think that they’re taboo because American culture oversexualizes them,” Song said. According Barclay, educators need to encourage schools to teach

How to Access Valid Information, Products and Services Related to Sexual Health

92%

Importance of Limiting the Number of Sexual Partners

88%

Preventive Care That is Necessary to Maintain Reproductive and Sexual Health

86%

Efficacy of Condoms

94%

Importance of Using Condoms Consistently and Correctly

94%

Importance of Using a Condom at the Same Time as Another Form of Contraception

79%

How to Obtain Condoms

60%

How to Correctly Use a Condom

54%

a better sex education to students. In the Blue Valley School District, a district that was named one of the top districts in the nation according to U.S. News and The Washington Post, staff members are noticing the lack of sex education provided for the students. “I tend to think that sometimes we sell [students] short and we think ‘teenagers have no control, so we have to teach [abstinence],’” BVN health teacher Richard Attig said. “I think teenagers should take responsibility and I think a part of growing up is learning to have that type of self-control.” The North Star | 15

Cities all over the wold organize rallies to protest rape culture, like the Toronto walk pictured above. Photo from the Huffington Post

Time for change.

A student perspective on a culture that normalizes sexual violence against women An Editorial by Kendall Avenia

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s a graduating senior, one of the most tirelessly asked questions of me is “are you prepared?� Am I prepared to move to a new place and make all new friends? Sure. Am I prepared to take on the new responsibilities of living independently? You bet. Am I prepared to enter an institution in which I have a one in four chance of being sexually assaulted during my four years? Absolutely not. One in four female and one in sixteen male students have reported being sexually assaulted during their time as a college student. As young people who will soon become a part of this collegiate demographic, it’s important that we understand the severity of the issue, as well as some of the factors that contribute to these disturbingly high statistics. At the core of the issue, we find the messages and

16 | Blue Valley North High School

standards set and perpetuated by the media, our friends and even our judicial system. Rape culture is a phrase developed by second-wave feminists in the 1970s in order to draw attention to the ways in which our society blames victims of sexual assault as well as normalizes male sexual violence. Many conservative groups reject the term, claiming that rape is never accepted in our culture, on the basis that it is a crime and is viewed as a horrible act for someone to commit. While rape is a felony, according to RAINN (Rape Abuse & Incest National Network), only 39 percent

of sexual assaults are ever reported to the police. Of the 39 percent that are reported, only 50.8 percent will result in an arrest. Of that 50.8 percent, 20 percent are never prosecuted. Of those prosecuted, only 58 percent result in felony conviction. If there is a felony conviction, 39 percent will never spend a day in jail. What all of these complicated percentages boil down to is the fact that even though rape is classified as a felony, 94 percent of all rapists will walk free without spending a day in jail. This lack of punishment provides only part of the explanation for why 61 percent of sexual assaults are never reported. When most

Ninety-four percent of rapists never spend a day in jail

Advertisements like those for American Apparel, Bud Light and Bloomingdales can contain messages that contribute to the normalization of sexual violence. Photos from the NY Daily News

people think of rape, they imagine the creepy stranger dressed in all black, waiting to pounce out from the dark alley to attack the victim. While this scenario does unfortunately happen, approximately 73 percent of victims knew their rapist prior to the assault. The main reason why rape victims do not report their assault is because they fear they will not be believed, or that they will be blamed, and for good reason. When a woman reports her assault, she is bombarded by loaded questions attempting to locate a reason for her attack. When it comes down to it, it doesn’t matter what a woman is wearing, whether or not she was alone, whether or not she was drunk, nor if she was into it and then changed her mind. A woman does not decide to be sexually assaulted through any of her choices. That choice is made exclusively by her attacker. In addition, the media’s coverage and discussion of rape cases often is centered around the attackers and says little about the victims themselves. Rape culture exists when the news media mourns two high school seniors’ “promising football careers” after they were accused of rape and completely ignores the victim. Rape culture exists when people assume that a woman is vindictively lying about her rape in order to hurt the men she accuses, when in reality, less than 4 percent of rape claims are false. This culture of normalizing sexual violence isn’t reserved for rape accusations, though. Rape culture is instead perpetuated through our culture in nearly every facet from advertising to music to dress codes. From the time that I was

a little girl, I was told not to wear revealing clothing, not to go out alone and to never set my drink down in public. I was taught from very early on to defend myself against men. As a culture, we warn women not to get raped, rather than teach men how to properly respect women. These subliminal messages that normalize violence have become so engrained in our culture that they far too often go unnoticed. When “Blurred Lines” was at its peak popularity, no one batted an eye as Robin Thicke sang “I know you want it” through radios and straight into millions of homes. We all laugh at the absurd provision in most school dress codes that require girls’ shoulders to be covered, but no one bothers to wonder why we tell girls to cover themselves to prevent from distracting boys from their education instead of teaching boys to have self control in the presence of girls, and to stop sexualizing them at every opportunity. Sexual violence has become normalized in our society to the point where it can be difficult to recognize, but that doesn’t mean

that we should become complacent and accept it as an unchangeable part of our culture. If we take the time to educate ourselves and others about topics like consent, media manipulation, and the sexual objectification of women, we could be the generation to declare that we will not tolerate this as “just the way things are.” We won’t brush harassment off as “boys will be boys,” and then maybe future generations’ biggest worry when entering college will be their GPA. The North Star | 17

Why Aren’t Students Reading Like They Used To? An examination of why leisure reading rates in teenagers have decreased. By Caroline White

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eisure reading rates for teenagers are on a steady decline. Austen, Twain and Brontë can haunt teenagers, as many would rather spend the little free time they have on seemingly less dibilitating tasks. Teenagers still read though. They read fragments, tweets and pieces of articles all the time. Even so, they do not read novels fluidly or even in chapters nearly as much as they did 20 years ago. A Common Sense Media study from 2014 indicates that in 1984, 8 percent of 13-year-olds and 9 percent of 17-year-olds said they “never” or “hardly ever” read for pleasure. In 2014, those numbers nearly tripled, rising to 22 percent and 27 percent. “I would not necessarily say that teens are reluctant readers because I think that kids and teens in general read a lot, but it’s not necessarily the traditional book. Teens read a lot of articles, blogs and magazines, which are all reading aspects,” Youth Information Specialist at the Leawood Pioneer Library Dawna Ofstehage said. While reading includes a variety of platforms, some would argue that reading clips of articles here and there

18 | Blue Valley North High School

is not nearly as effective as reading novels fluidly and consistently. “If you’re only reading bits and pieces, you’re not getting all of what you need to know. Through that, learning how to focus on something and finish a piece is getting lost, and that’s something that we have to teach,” English teacher Diane Morris said. “I’ve seen that with my students. Sometimes they won’t pick up on something because they don’t finish a sentence or paragraph, so they miss out on a big point that the author is trying to make.” The Common Sense Media report and other studies conclude the increase in technology witnessed in the last 20 years has dramatically changed how and how often teens read. “In the ‘90s, video games came out,

Photo by Caroline White

so I think that technology took up more of [students’] entertainment time. That’s probably what has caused the decline in reading,” Morris said. “Before that, if you didn’t have anything to do, you might pick up a book, but now we sit around and watch TV and Netflix.” In a recent BVN survey, students alluded to the fact that reading isn’t fun for them and that they would rather browse the internet or watch TV. While technology has changed how much teenagers read, it has also impacted the way they do it. With the rise of technologically advanced e-readers, magazines, newspapers and books are now widely read online. Beyond e-readers, there are

multipurpose tablets, like iPads and Samsung Galaxy tablets. Unlike e-readers like Kindles and Nooks, multipurpose tablets allow access to activities other than reading, such as games, social media apps and the internet, which can often be distracting. Why are social media and other apps so much more appealing to teens in comparison with reading? A recent article from the New Yorker magazine stated that “reading frustrates [teens’] smartphone sense of being everywhere at once. Suddenly, they are stuck on that page, anchored, moored, and many are glum about it.” Most people want to feel engaged with their peers and the world, and 21st century technology has only increased this desire. “Humans like to talk to people and get insights into their lives and connect, but [technology] makes it harder for people to be connected because they’re disengaging from reality and moving into the realm of social media,” Ofstehage said. Even when reading a tangible book or magazine, focusing can be difficult, as a smartphone usually lies within reach. “When you’re reading, you see your phone near and you know things are waiting on it for you to check, and if you don’t check it, there’s that sense of ‘I need to be checking this right now,’” senior Orunima Chakraborti said. With the recent emphasis on STEM (science, technology, engineering and math), some students, such as Chakraborti, argue that how and if adolescents value the humanities and reading has changed. “While we’re focusing on STEM,

we’ve been de-emphasizing the ability to think creatively. We need to have a balance,” Chakraborti said. “I think people pursuing science and math, that don’t have a lot of time, are going to let something slip, and that’s probably going to be reading.” In the survey conducted at BVN, many students said they wish they could read for fun but simply lack the time to do so because their schedules are filled with extra-curricular activities and AP classes. “We teach elementary school kids [leisure reading], but we don’t teach them to apply it when their lives and routines change,” Chakraborti said. 41 percent of BVN students said they “never read for fun,” and only 10 percent said they read everyday. Another common reason students said they do not read regularly is because it is not fun, and they would rather watch TV or browse social media on their smartphones. “On a Friday night when I come back [from school], I’m tired and would rather just watch a TV show that gets my mind off of things, even though it is a bit more mindless,” Chakraborti said. “Reading does take a little more effort, so you kind of go for the shortcut. I wish I didn’t, but that’s the truth.” The Common Sense Media study also reported that reading scores for children under the age of 13 have improved regularly. However, teenagers’ scores have been stagnant for decades. This correlates directly with teens’ declining percentage of reading for fun. Compared to the heavy workloads of older teens, nonhigh school students simply have more time to read, thus yielding higher

“We teach elementary school kids [leisure reading], but we don’t teach them how to apply it when their lives and routines change.”

scores. According to multiple scientific sources, such as the American Academy of Pediatrics, parents have a profound effect on how much kids read. The organization says that parents who read to their children “create nurturing relationships, which is important for a child’s cognitive, language and social-emotional development.” This impacts children throughout elementary, middle and high school, as interest levels to read increase from parents’ encouragement. “When [parents] model [reading] themselves, they can encourage their children to do the same,” Morris said. “If you’re reading a book, share it with your kid or lay it out on the table. Try to read what they’re reading, it gives you something to talk about. Making [reading] fun is important, don’t make it drudgery.” The benefits of teenagers, or anyone, reading are seemingly endless. According to to a study in the journal Science, reading can increase empathy as it allows understanding of various mental states. Other benefits include better sleep and relaxation, and a 2013 study by the Institute of Education at London University found that children and teens who read for fun yield higher math scores than those who do not, supporting the claim that reading is beneficial in multiple fields of study. “In order to be successful in any career, you have to be able to read and communicate, and those are things you pick up from reading literature, blogs or articles,” Ofstehage said. Typically, especially in upper level English courses, time constraints prevent teachers from actively encouraging reading by allowing free reading periods; however, Morris reserves Mondays in her sophomore ELA class exclusively for free reading. “There’s so much that you can gain just from a love of reading,” Morris said. “You learn so much about the world, people, yourself and history. You can see what good writing is all about.” The North Star | 19

SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST By Kusalwin Kularatne and Sri Veerisetti

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n April 2016, U.S. News and World Report ranked Blue Valley North as the top high school in Kansas. Although this is a prestigious honor, the quest for academic success can have underlying, detrimental impacts and consequences to the students themselves. When students decide to challenge themselves by taking AP classes, research shows that it actually decreases the quality of education that they receive. This is because the narrow focus on a breadth of material prevents them from learning it in depth. “When students enroll in a full course load of AP classes in an attempt to get a leg up on college admissions, I believe it’s naive, and worse, it can be truly unhealthy,” Ben Snyder, education columnist for the New York Times said in his article “To AP or Not to AP.” Denise Pope, senior lecturer at Stanford University conducted an in-depth case study on the AP curriculum and found that AP classes emphasize memorization and content over skill acquisition. Pope said that this occurs due to the attempts at condensing an entire five or three credit-hour college course into one single high school class period, as the quantity of content is not covered fully, which results in a decrease of the quality of education. As a result of this emphasis on memorized concepts, cheating has become common in high school honors and AP classes. “The system fosters dishonesty and it forces kids to cheat. I’m not saying kids are dishonest, [but] it’s that they’re absolutely exhausted,” junior Meg Smith said. “So people just copy and paste answers from the internet.” Despite this pressure to take upper-level classes or prerequisites, there are some students who choose not to follow this path. “While everyone was taking Sophomore Chemistry, I was taking Anatomy,” junior Ahmad Mahmood said. “I didn’t do what the system wanted me to do. I took Anatomy because I felt like that was what I needed.” The Atlantic, an American news magazine, also found that students who enroll in classes that they are

20 | Blue Valley North High School

able to handle become less likely to cheat, since they feel that they are actually doing substantial work and therefore must do it effectively. “If you’re in a regular class, some people actually do the work,” Mahmood said. “Ironically, the people who do the actual work score lower than those who cheat. Because of how the system is set up, there is physically not enough time to do the homework.” Given the time pressures faced, some students feel as if school is just about deciding what to cheat on and what not to. “I don’t usually cheat on important stuff,” a junior requesting anonymity said. “I don’t cheat on the packets in AP U.S. History because that’s important for studying, [but] I do cheat on those assignments that I know what’s going on in class.” One of the consequences of participating in a range of activities and classes is the heightened amount of stress that students undergo. “As far as stress goes, I think it’s completely ridiculous,” Smith said. “You just see it tearing people apart. I have a friend who has stress headaches so bad that she can’t come to school. It’s detrimental to people.” The stress that students experience gets compounded when combined with a lack of sleep. While the medically recommended amount of sleep for a teenager is between eight and nine hours per night, students report getting significantly less sleep. “I don’t get nearly enough sleep for what I’m doing throughout the day,” Smith said. “I get to school everyday at 7 a.m. [for] AP review sessions, and I leave school at 5:30 p.m. when track ends. Then when I get home, I start working, and I do not stop until midnight or 2 a.m.” As a result, students can sacrifice their physical wellbeing, as well as that of their psychological health. “I’m worried for them,” sophomore Anna Boda said. “I have a friend who stays up all night doing work and then every day she’s always dead in class because she can’t pay attention. She also doesn’t eat breakfast and I’m really worried for health.”

Health professionals, like Dr. Mark Kenney, BVN school psychologist, note the correlation between a lack of sleep and serious psychological harms. “[Highly stressed students] might begin to sever relationships. They might feel like they’re not worth being a part of the crowd, so they might go into isolation online or through social media,” Kenney said. “They don’t go out on weekends, they sleep a lot, don’t sleep enough or can’t sleep altogether.” School faculty often notice the problems that students face when reading assignmets. “I see it all the time and read about [students’] pain in socratic seminars,” English teacher Susan Whitfield said. “I have no doubt that stress is the cause. I think that people get physically and emotionally ill [because] the two are often very closely connected.” Students can also experience serious anxiety and depression. “When [students] don’t succeed in the level that they want, they can suffer from depression,” Kenney said. “At the extreme levels, they can become suicidal as their self-concept suffers. So they feel like they’re not good enough, [and] it even gets to the point where life’s not worth living.” With long hours of homework and examinations, many students resort to illegal substances such as drugs to relieve their stress. “You have a couple drinks or you smoke some weed and all of the sudden everything goes away,” Kenney said. “You don’t think about that test on Monday, you think ‘I’m just having a fun time.’” While alcohol and other drugs might provide some temporary stress relief, they actually put even more strain on the mind, Kenney said. “You do more and more [drugs]. But now, it starts bleeding in through the week,” Kenney said. “You’re hungover Sunday morning, you still got that test on Monday, you’re not thinking clearly and you don’t have the energy. So now you don’t do as well, and then your stress level goes up. It becomes a cycle, and it makes things worse.” Such is the case where students frequently appear to

be faced with the decision of either partying with their friends, or studying hard for school. “My life is a beautiful cycle of taking drugs that help me do better in school, and then crashing really hard when I’m not on them,” an anonymous junior said. “So I take drugs that help me relax, and then I’m mellow, so I have to take more drugs that help me do better at school.” Even though rankings show how well a school is performing, they are rarely an accurate indicator of how its students might feel. But this is not limited to high school and college. What does all the cheating, drug abuse, sleep deprivation and stress reveal about the next workforce in terms of ethics, work-life balance, burnout rates and even the possibility of a happy life?

Junior Gwynne Easley finishes her history homework before school. “I actually wished for a tornado last night so I could complete all my assignments Infographic courtesy of Creative Commons in time,” Easley said.

“My life is a beautiful cycle of taking drugs that help me do better in school and then crashing really hard when I’m not on them.” The North Star | 21

AN EDUCATION BEYOND EXPECTATIONS FOR ALL

An Editorial

By Amanda Birger and Maggie Russo

Blue Valley certainly exceeds expectations with regards to classroom curriculum for all students. However, many students feel that the availability of the facilities devoted to assisting students with college preparation and applications are limited to a certain group of students. This dissatisfaction is often directed at the Gifted Education program, which is known among students for its exclusivity. Student frustration with the gifted program tends to fall into two major categories: the selection process and the limited availability of the resources provided by the gifted program. We have compiled a list of the problems that fall under these two categories along with corresponding solutions that we feel will truly take this program beyond expectations.

CONCERNS •

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The currently required teacher recommendation makes it entirely possible for students who might thrive in the gifted program to be overlooked by their teachers simply because they do not outwardly display the qualities the district defines as “characteristics of giftedness.” Because the evaluation consists of a one-on-one meeting between the student and the school psychologist, it is time consuming, which makes it difficult for schools to test every student. The selection process takes too much time and exhausts an inordinate amount of district resources for a single student. There is a lack of parental and public knowledge regarding the steps to enter the program, which can lead to disadvantages for students whose parents are unaware or uninformed about these opportunities. Additionally, there are few recurring opportunities to enter the program. As students get older, it becomes more difficult to obtain the opportunity to test into the program, despite the fact that some students do not display typical “characteristics of giftedness” as early on as others.

SCREENING AND EVALUATION RECOMMENDATIONS •

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To eliminate the potential bias that stems from the value placed upon teacher recommendations, all students should be tested for the program. Since a one-on-one evaluation for every student is simply not feasible without requiring months for testing, schools should give an initial computerized test to set a baseline that would determine which students qualify for further evaluation. All parents would be informed about the opportunity for their students to take the computerized test and could then decide whether or not they want their children tested. Students that qualify for the individual evaluation would then be addressed by teachers or administrators whose primary responsibility would be testing students for this program. Since there is not currently a position in any Blue Valley school whose primary responsibility is testing students for this program (the closest thing the district has is the school psychologist, but the evaluation of students for the gifted program is not their only responsibility), this specialized job would be created as a provision of this hypothetical solution. The initial computerized evaluation would be offered every two years for students who want another opportunity to enter the program. This would ensure that students who develop these characteristics later in their academic careers are given the same opportunities.

The Blue Valley District claims to provide an “Education Beyond Expectations,” but for whom? The Current Selection Process for the Gifted Program: Phase 1: Consultation between general and gifted education teachers.

Phase 2: Gather data and determine the level of need for advanced resources and further evaluation.

Phase 3: Individual intelligence and achievement tests given to student.

UNEQUAL ACCESS TO RESOURCES CONCERNS •

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Currently, there are not enough teachers available to give individualized college prep help to non-gifted students. The only other college prep options available through the district are ACT and SAT workshops, through Princeton Review and ACT Prep classes, which are limited in availability and can cost up to $300. Assistance with college applications including essay advising and ACT or SAT tutoring, similar to the guidance provided by the gifted program, can often only be found through private companies that tend to be more expensive than the options provided by the district.

RECOMMENDATIONS •

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Gifted Education Curriculum focuses on essential skills for students to develop and facilitates students’ college and career readiness. The gifted program is housed under special education in the state of Kansas and provides valuable attention to the needs, academic or otherwise, of gifted students. However, there are many resources available within the program that would greatly benefit all Blue Valley students.

An optional elective course should be offered to provide equal opportunities to students that are not in the gifted program. This course would have resources of the same caliber as those in the gifted program. To improve opportunity for individualized attention, classes would be capped at 10 or 15 students. The semester-long class would be offered as many hours of the day as necessary to include all students who sign up and ensure that the opportunity is available to everyone, which may necessitate employing and training more teachers. To cushion the costs that would come with purchasing resources, students would pay a program fee of $20 to $30. This minimal fee would not inhibit students from taking the course because it costs significantly less than a test prep book or any of the current options available through the district, the cheapest of which is $100.

Although these changes may seem drastic, the numerous benefits of providing these resources to all students would soon outweigh potential costs. The North Star | 23

Beyond The The Political Political Labels Labels Beyond

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By Gigi Wildman

here are no longer any moderates or near moderates left in the 2016 presidential race, according to research conducted by The Huffington Post and InsideGov; however, these political labels don’t necessarily represent America’s young people. A study done by the Pew Research Center shows that millennials are rejecting party affiliations more rapidly than previous generations. According to this study, the majority of young adults in the U.S. are moderates, and this trend is only increasing. How do BVN students feel about party affiliations and political conversations at school?

Stereotypes

Some BVN students feel that their classmates stereotype them based upon generic political affiliations and preferences, despite the fact that they do not identify with all of the predominating stereotypes of their preferred political party. Q: Do you see students being put into a box or made fun of because of their political beliefs? “There’s a lot of people who pull uneducated stereotypes out where they don’t really know what they’re talking about. Someone yelled ‘Trump 2016’ and flipped me off because I have a Bernie bumper sticker on my car. People make fun of me and call me a communist.” -Audrey Brooker “It seems like everyone at North, the second you say you’re a conservative, thinks you’re automatically a radical crazy person. It’s like, how much can we slam them or roast them? There’s just no actual argument. Just call them a fascist, call them intolerant, say that they hate the gays. They have no idea what they’re talking about. People just go off of these humongous stereotypes.” -Anonymous

Audrey Brooker Junior

“To say [conservatives] are unaccepting is ignorant because the conservative party has changed over the course of its history and so has the democratic party.” -Grant Harvey 24 | Blue Valley North High School

Political Conversations Multiple national surveys, such as those conducted by the Wall Street Journal, Pew Research Center and Newsweek, have suggested that the majority of Americans have little understanding of some of the ‘big-ticket’ issues, such as healthcare, economics, foreign affairs and government spending. Furthermore, according to a Gallup Youth Survey, 71 percent of Americans aged 13 to 17 share the same political beliefs as their Grant Harvey parents.

Junior

Q: Do students at North understand what political labels such as “conservative” or “liberal” entail? “People are looking at just one issue. I don’t think people do a lot of research; they just go off of what they’re hearing from the media.” -Sean Tudas “A lot of people don’t feel the need to look at the economy or other [similar] issues. They just get excited about the publicized issues that are big on TV.” -Anonymous “Most people are trying to get more educated, but a lot of people are one-issue people. It’s important to understand what you’re standing for. It’s okay to be an independent, it’s okay to be moderate. I’m very liberal and I’m educated, so I can call myself that because I know what that means.” -Brooker

Understanding Political Labels A study at Emory University, in which psychologists and sociologists studied the brain scans of both Republicans and Democrats, revealed that confirmation bias plays a role in how we think about politics. Confirmation bias is defined by Science Daily as “a tendency to search for or interpret information in a way that confirms one’s Sean Tudas preconceptions, Junior leading to statistical errors.” Q: Do you see North students being able to have rational and productive conversations about politics with other students of the opposite party, or is confirmation bias inhibiting this? “It’s always been kind of a rule that you don’t talk about your political stance, and our generation has just thrown that to the wind. We’re really open about what we believe in and really critical of anyone who disagrees.” -Brooker “We’re high school students, and everyone thinks they’re right and that’s just how it’s going to be. It doesn’t seem possible to have a real political debate with anybody. There certainly is a mutual disrespect.” -Anonymous “Now people change their views of others based on what they believe in, not who they are. People don’t know what can benefit them most from other sides, and it becomes very polar. I think the country is becoming more polarized in general, and I think that inhibits democracy.” -Harvey “It is very difficult for people in this environment to have a nice discussion about [politics] as opposed to a heated debate that’s gonna lead to someone being very offended. Most people don’t have enough respect for one another to respectfully disagree and understand that people have differences.” -Greg Hassler

Possible Solutions Some teachers at BVN encourage open discussion in the classrooms and aid their students in learning how to formulate arguments and weigh evidence in order to have productive political discourse. Q: If being able to have rational and productive conversations is such an important factor in choosing and being a leader, how can North students become better equipped to have these conversations? Is it beneficial for North students to engage in political conversations at all? “We need to talk about politics; this is going to affect all of us at some point or another. We need to foster an environment that allows for more people to speak about their beliefs without having to feel like they’re going to be made fun of or attacked for their beliefs.” -Hassler “I think that staying away from politics and religion in general [would be beneficial] because people have strong opinions about those and it negatively influences the way they think about others.” - Harvey “It’s important that we respect everyone. We need to be able to have conversations without immediately making assumptions. We make ideas up in our heads and inferences and we judge someone before even talking to them. It’s just an opinion, and that’s Greg Hassler what makes our country Sophomore great, that everyone can have their own opinion.” -Tudas “It’s going to take some give and take on both sides, and even as someone who has a more conservative ideology I don’t think that liberals need to give up everything. You need to have some form of patriotism and allegiance. I do believe that our common ground is our belief in democracy.” -Anonymous

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THE FIGHT FOR FUNDING School doors in kansas may not open in

august unless funding formula improves BY COREY MINKOFF

“I

don’t think any reasonable person that reads those words in the Constitution could possibly see how the court could have extended their authority as deep as they have,” Kansas State Sen. Jeff Melcher said. Melcher was remarking on the most recent language spelled out in the ruling made by the Kansas State Supreme Court in the case of Gannon v. State of Kansas. The ruling, announced in February, favored the plaintiff school districts, who argued that the education funding formula for the 20162017 school year both provided an inadequate amount of resources to public schools and exacerbated inequalities between poorer and more wealthy districts. As such, the Court set a deadline of June 30 for the state to submit a new budget and stated that if this deadline were not met, schools would not open in August. The Senate and House submitted

a revised proposal on April 17, which has since been signed by Gov. Sam Brownback, but has yet to be reviewed by the Supreme Court. Melcher, representing the 11th district of Kansas encompassing Johnson County, has made public his disapproval for the entirety of this debacle, referring to the ruling as a “temper tantrum by the Supreme Court.” As a representative of Johnson County, he holds a personal connection to this case. In his eyes, this is an injustice to the citizens of his community who continue to bear a greater financial burden than other areas in the state. “What this all boils down to is that Johnson County foots the bill for darn near everything in the state,” Melcher said. “It’s just a matter of fairness.” Melcher believes that the issue of adequacy and equality in

“WE ARE IN AN ALL OUT BATTLE FOR PUBLIC EDUCATION.”

26 | Blue Valley North High School

education funding is one which could be easily solved if the plaintiff school districts, such as Wichita, Dodge City and Kansas City, Kan., simply would have committed to raising more revenue in their own respective districts. “If these people want good education for their kids just like we do, they should be willing to come up with their own local money to pay for it just like we do,” Melcher said. Employment lawyer, Alan Rupe holds a different contention. The lead attorney representing the plaintiff school districts in the Gannon case, Rupe holds his ground in defending the validity of its ruling. “It’s not the Johnson County Constitution, it’s the Kansas Constitution,” Rupe said, “and it provides for a statewide system.” Rupe noted the exact language used in court: “your zip code should not determine the quality of your education.” This is not Rupe’s first time working with a case of this nature. Since 1989, he has worked as an attorney for plaintiff school districts in four other separate cases. Despite the fact that the court continues to side with the plaintiffs, school districts continue to present grievances with the method of education funding in the state. “Our hope is that it will ultimately be put to bed and there will be adequate funding,” Rupe said. “The problem is that as the politics in Kansas become not only more conservative, but more libertarian,

the very notion of a public education is one that people are

In the future, however, Slagle would like to see a funding starting to believe is not a good mechanism which gives his school idea.” district an opportunity to meet its Despite victory in February, the full potential. This point is made plaintiffs do not make light of their in opposition to Rupe’s contention current situation. that though Johnson County “We are in an all-out battle for may be more property wealthy, it public education,” Rupe said. “What still must be funded in a manner needs to be decided, at some point, which is equal to even the poorest is are we going to have public education or not? ... If we are going districts. Slagle believes that it is possible to accomplish both of to have a free and public education these goals. system, we need to fund it.” “We are fully supportive of a One individual who has dedicated funding formula that meets the a sizable portion of his time to confronting this issue is Mike needs of all kids in the state of Slagle, Deputy Attendant of Blue Kansas,” Slagle said. “We are also Valley School District. Working very supportive of a funding with legislators first-hand and formula that allows local school having taught school finance at the districts to make up their own University of Kansas, he views these minds as to how much additional circumstances as a microcosm of a funds they would like to spend on larger national problem. “It’s not just unique to Kansas,” Slagle said. “About 80 percent of all states have school finance litigation either just coming off or currently being battled out in the courts.” Exceedingly tight budgets inevitably lead to a paradigm shift in how the general populace views resource allocation. “In economic times like the ones we’ve just come off, especially since the 2008 recession, there’s had to be reductions across a variety of public services, education being one of them,” Slagle said. “Education funding is pretty close to the majority of what goes out. That makes it a target for, when there is perceived scarcity, litigation to fight over that scarcity.” Blue Valley still plans to remain a part of the discussion with lawmakers in an effort to continue problem solving, even testifying for the House of Representatives’ recent amended budget proposal in Topeka.

educational opportunities for their kids.” Still, even the most active members of this debate recognize that the end result of working to accomplish change is one which is not necessarily assured by hard work alone. “What we can do is be a part of the discussion, be a part of the conversation, and then, whatever happens, make sure that our kids our being taken care of in the classroom,” Slagle said. “But if you’re looking for a guarantee on any of this, there is none.” Until the Supreme Court determines whether or not the state’s revised budget proposal meets the requirements of the Gannon ruling, all Kansans can do is wait.

Neil Nakahodo’s illustration depicts a school fortress shaped like a giant apple, with pencils as armaments and teachers The North Star | 27 and administrators fighting off hordes of people wanting to bring it down. Photo via The Kansas City Star.

Scouting for Schools A look into the process of finding, exploring and applying to the school of your dreams. By Sam Galapo

C

ollege. Seven of the most daunting yet anticipated letters of any high schooler’s life. These seven letters represent a student’s future, what they want to study and what type of career they might begin. So how are high school students, at only 18 years old, expected to find the school that best suits them and their interest? How does a student even begin the process of finding the colleges they are interested in, let alone apply? Blue Valley North, with a total student population of about 1,550 students, sends approximately

96 percent of its senior class off to college every year. BVN grads attend colleges and universities in almost all 50 states, as well as schools in other countries. “I’m going to college because I believe it’s an important step in life that helps you transition from being a kid to becoming an adult,” senior Michael Paul said. However, the rising expense of college is a deterrent for some students. “I don’t want to go [to college] if I’m not sure what I want to do. I do not want to waste money or time

Time for Class. View of Sather Tower at the University of California, Berkeley. Photo Courtesy of Charlie Nguyen

on something that I don’t want to be doing, so I’d rather wait to go,” senior Maddie Rodgers said. College tuition isn’t affordable

28 | Blue Valley North High School

for many families and does play a role, however major or minor, in choosing colleges. According to College Board in a Time Magazine Money 101 report, the average cost for an in-state public university student is about $17,000 for tuition, fees, room, board, books and incidental expenses. BVN seniors recommend that underclassmen look into financial aid and scholarship programs that may compensate for such expensive college prices. “I did some research, and it seems like tuition prices have been going up over the past couple of years and that trend is supposed to continue, so I think [finances are] definitely something people need to consider,” senior Brycen Parker said. College searches are also about finding one’s “fit,”; a place where a student can visualize going to school, whether for the campus atmosphere, unique programs or majors offered. “I made sure that I looked for my intended major, I looked at test scores to try to see where I would fit in, and after that I looked at academic programs,” senior Manya Nagpal said. “At my first choice they have a system where there are no letter grades and there are fewer tests and you have this huge thesis at the end, so that appealed to me.” In some cases, students might be warded off from considering more

selective, “reach” schools because they don’t think they have a chance at getting accepted there. “Even if you think that you might not have the scores or grades to get in, it’s still important to visit [selective] schools because that’s going to help you determine what you’re looking for in a school,” BVN counselor Megan Standefer said. Students in the Blue Valley School District begin going on college campus visits as early as middle

information that will help schools there is usually a six to eight week decide whether or not to accept period they spend in limbo, waiting them. for admission decisions. Depending on the university’s “Don’t have low expectations level of selectivity, the range of tasks when you apply, but after you that students need to complete apply just realize it’s a lottery, for each application varies. For not everyone is going to get in, example, Stanford University, one and there are a lot of people who of the most selective schools in deserve to but don’t,” senior Sam the nation, requires four essays, Glaser said. whereas most state schools don’t After students have applied to require any. colleges, admissions officers decide “When you’re applying for either to accept or deny students colleges, it’s just a whole bunch entry into their schools and send of questions and forms to fill out. out certificates of acceptance no Nowadays it’s all online, so see if later than April of a prospective you can fill out an online form student’s senior year. because those are very helpful,” “You look at the envelope or you senior Van-Anh Ho said. open the email and you don’t know Students can apply to a variety what’s going to happen, then when of schools, and it is recommended you see that acceptance letter your that they not limit themselves to heart jumps a little bit, like it skips a only a select few. beat,” Paul said. “I think you have to go for a range of schools. You never know what school, but most wait to go on the school Throughout the process of interviewing seniors and official tours until closer to their is looking gathering information for this story, it became clear junior year. for, and a lot that there are a few simple things that underclassmen “Taking as many tours as you can of schools should think about as they contemplate college. [is helpful] so you can see if that’s aren’t going the college for you. I wanted to to give a GPA out if college is really for you - this can’t be 1. Figure make sure I felt comfortable there,” minimum stressed enough, college can be expensive and if you don’t senior Tierra Moore said. that you have think it is the right place for you it might not be a wise Additional web resources are to meet to decision to go. available to help guide students in get in. I think early - if you do decide on going to college, make their college search, providing them it’s always 2. Start sure that you start early with whatever you do. Seniors with statistics on school grades, beneficial have advised starting early on both applications and also standardized test scores and student to add a finding the schools and programs you are interested in. body diversity. reach school your resources - there are a lot of resources available “I used the College Board website. because you 3. Use to students both provided by prospective colleges and It’s a good resource to use [to find never know BVN. Things like school websites, college campus visits, information]. Google Maps is what could and high school counselors are very helpful. always cool to look at, you can go happen,” and check out the campus online Standefer said. your fit - there are approximately 1,400 colleges and 4. Find universities in the U.S., each with something different or with ‘street view,’” senior Parker Once more interesting to offer. Smith said. students In the application process, have sent in students provide colleges with applications,

“It’s a lottery. Not everyone is going to get in, and there are a lot of people who deserve to but don’t.”

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