The North Star, Volume 37, Issue 5

THE NORTH STAR

MISDIAGNOSING MENTAL ILLNESS

ONLINE

17 Katherine Koplik talks to students about mental health. Read more about the

with

22 Sonia Warshawski stands with her relatives. Read more about the Holocaust survivor’s impact and how Kansas City is resisting antisemetism on pages 22 and 23.

THE NORTH STAR STAFF

STAFF WRITERS

Stella Ain

Alegria Aguilera

Jessica Assafeen

Kelsey Chellberg

Addison DeVore

Madi Garrelts

Aanya Kabra

Anjali Kambhampati

Audrey Kohnen

Abi Patterson

Alex Robertson

Madisyn Stogsdill

COPY EDITORS

Emmett Abar

Lauren Austin

Ruby Bierman

Bennett Palmer

DESIGN EDITOR

Ella Shafer

EDITORS-IN-CHIEF

Lexi Newsom

Arshiya Pant

LETTER FROM THE STAFF

Seniors are burned out and hyperfocused on their futures. Juniors anxiously balance standardized tests and growing college lists. Freshmen and sophomores apprehensively prepare for the coming years. Whether caused by typical high school experiences, effects of the pandemic or other circumstances, mental health issues are phenomena strongly present in high school students. The natural consequence is that such phenomena have become a regular subject of conversation. In an era of unprecedented openness about these struggles, something grounded in science is highly influenced by subjective fact: everyone has an opinion.

Commentary has largely sorted itself into a spectrum, with one extreme stigmatizing mental health issues and the other, popularizing them to a fault. De-stigmatization has largely taken priority, which is absolutely great for many students with sincere issues. Historically, many who have suffered through severe mental disorders have been those most severely lacking access to any service or care. Today, therapy, medicine and much-needed support have become more accessible. Online resources have allowed

people who can’t afford a professional diagnosis to validate their struggle. Unfortunately, even conversations grounded in good intentions can have negative side effects — including the often hand-in-hand issues of misdiagnosis and overdiagnosis. Phrases like, ‘I definitely have ADHD’ have become casual remarks because mental health has become normalized to a point where it can unfortunately be used as a quick band-aid, failing to address the real issue. Both misdiagnoses and overdiagnoses are made in an effort to treat a condition, sometimes without actually understanding what said condition is. Although many neurodivergent disorders share symptoms, how they are treated greatly varies. Improper medicines or counseling techniques may worsen a person’s condition while they try to survive in a society that judges their struggles as imaginary or not what the condition ‘should look like.’ Overdiagnosing similarly clouds effective treatment, complicating already-nuanced issues.

Some attribute this issue to media development or social contagion while others attribute it to a larger holistic cultural change occurring in society. While

SOCIAL MEDIA EDITORS

Anna Sandage

Ella Thomas

WEB EDITORS

Sejin Hahn

Calla Jordan

PODCAST HOSTS

Calla Jordan

Abi Patterson

many agree that varying extents of these factors may impact the issue, dismissing this phenomenon as a mere byproduct of just one root cause is ignorant of many nuances — the same ignorance that has tainted diagnostic practices and clouded the efficiency of mental health treatment.

The centerfold of this issue explores the dangers of misdiagnosing and overdiagnosing, on both scientific and emotional levels. We understand that there are many conversations to be had surrounding mental health, but we hope to further inform our readers about just one of the many complex aspects in hopes of fostering a culture at BVN that is open about mental health without glorifying or haphazardly treating a genuine struggle that many in our community face.

Sincerely, The North Star Staff

ADVISE COMPROMISE? OR

Teachers and students discuss the efficiency of Advisory and improvements that can be made.

By Ella Shafer

For 30 minutes every even day, underclassmen make their way to assigned Advisory classes where they are mentored by upperclassmen. While juniors and seniors also engage in this time, the mentor program specifically provides lessons and activities to underclassmen.

According to Ryan McCoy, one of the freshmen Advisory teachers, this allotted class time serves the purpose of teaching life lessons as well as forming a school community.

“[Advisory] is a place for students to feel like they have a place on campus, especially if they’re not in a sport or other activity, where students feel like they can connect with other students and teachers,” McCoy said.

Sophomore Adam Wang said that most students have grown to like Advisory and participate due to its social aspect.

“I feel like Advisory is a beneficial time to talk with friends that I enjoy spending my time with when I don’t usually talk to them in the school day,” Wang said.

Advisory has undergone many shifts along with other schedule changes at BVN. Senior Supriya Bolla has been a mentor since her junior year and said the atmosphere of Advisory has changed over time.

“Freshman year, I feel like [Advisory] was a lot more hands-on, for Gifted at least, and the mentors were a lot more dedicated to the lessons,” Bolla said. “Now, it’s more like a causal ‘oh, if you really want to do homework you can,’ even though we’re supposed to be following the lessons and teaching people how to be better humans.”

When discussing her experiences with mentoring throughout her junior and senior year, Bolla mentioned that students’ attention spans require a stronger work ethic.

“Being a mentor you realize how hard it is to get everyone to listen and use that time effectively,” Bolla said. “I think it’s just a little more frustrating than I thought it would [be] in trying to get engagement, but that’s a journey that we’re making.”

According to McCoy, students’ and teachers’ willingness to participate directly relates to the effectiveness of Advisory.

“It’s been a challenge with freshmen to get them to participate,” McCoy said. “But with the help of the mentors and me being engaged, when we have an activity, generally speaking, the students will jump in and participate.”

Bolla added that lessons that promote engagement get a positive reaction, and allow mentors to interact with students and get more out of the designated time.

“On the days that we have lessons where we are actually able to teach them and they go as planned, it’s rewarding in a way,” Bolla said. “There’s some personal

I think it’s just a little more frustrating than I thought it would [be] in trying to get engagement, but that’s a journey that we’re making

- Supriya Bolla

satisfaction in making sure they don’t make the same mistakes I did.”

Bolla said Advisory lessons prepare students for the future by teaching them to use Naviance, understand job interviews, create resumes and explore careers.

“We’re able to talk about what we’ve done in the past, what worked and what didn’t and how they can be prepared for the future,” Bolla said. “With some [lessons], we were actually able to tell the kids, ‘You have all the resources you need to be successful.’”

According to Wang, some of the Advisory lessons could be improved or replaced with more relevant topics.

“We’ve done lessons about online presence and cyberbullying, but I think those are pretty self-explanatory, so they

are kind of a waste of time,” Wang said. Regarding the preparedness of mentors, Bolla believes there is room for improvement and wishes there was more collaboration among upperclassmen from different classes.

“[Mentors] are complaining internally about a class that’s not responsive, but they don’t know how to get a response out of the kids,” Bolla said. “I wish there was a chance for mentors from other classes [to] get together and talk about ways to get their classes to engage more.”

McCoy agreed that there are opportunities to get more out of each lesson.

“I feel like the upperclassmen could do a really nice job with the lessons, however,

I feel like the amount of time that they’re given to prep the lessons and the time spent preparing and planning a semesterlong curriculum is not there yet,” McCoy said.

According to McCoy, a class for mentors would be useful in improving the productivity and depth of lessons.

“I came from a school that had a really strong mentor program where there was a leadership class connected to mentors,” McCoy said. “Students would have a class in their day where they were practicing leadership and how to teach each lesson.”

Bolla mentioned that having upperclassmen whom students can look to for advice is one of the biggest benefits of Advisory. She said seniority is found in places all around BVN, which directly translates to Advisory classrooms.

“A lot of seniors have the mindset of ‘this is my domain,’ but being in mentoring and Advisory and being able to connect with these underclassmen allows us to see that this is the next group of kids that are going to make BVN their home,” Bolla said. “You get to help them create a culture at BVN.”

“

[Advisory] is a place for students to feel like they have a place on campus ... [and] connect with other students and teachers.

– Ryan McCoy

Students collaborate while working on their S.M.A.R.T goals during Advisory. Photo by Ruby Bierman

COURT ORDER ON THE

ORDER ON THE COURT

As basketball season comes to a close, players and coaches reflect on what makes the girls and boys teams successful.

By Addison DeVore

Silence spreads across the court. A few dribbles echo. Players sit anxiously on the bench. She gets into position for the winning shot. She shoots. She scores! As the crowd goes wild, players envelope her to celebrate winning yet another game.

The girls basketball team is ranked number one in Kansas, according to MaxPreps. Coach Ann Fritz led the team in a successful season, where they currently sit at 18-4, as recorded by KC High School Hoops. She has coached at BVN for 27 years and is constantly trying to improve.

“I coach totally different than I coached 20 years ago, and I think you have to be flexible to change in our everchanging world,” Fritz said.

With the coaches always adapting, players must work to improve as well. This development takes place both on and off the court, with students such as senior Sumner Dowdy noticing that basketball has helped them grow in more ways than one.

“I feel like playing basketball and improving yourself isn’t just about your game. I feel like it’s learning how to deal with difficult things through ups and downs,” Dowdy said.

Player improvement also revolves around team bonds. The friendships that the coaches develop with their players has an impact that extends beyond the end of each season. Fritz is still in contact with players she taught several years ago.

“It’s just been great and even when I first started, I was still keeping contact with a lot of families [from] 25 years ago and the kids,” Fritz said. “A lot of those girls are married and have kids and some of them live in our district.”

Sophomore Jaliya Davis has been on the varsity team since freshman year. She has played basketball since second grade and is motivated by the chance of winning and seeing how much she’s improved through the years. She also mentioned how much she values the team relationships.

“What I enjoy most about playing basketball is the bonds that you make with your teammates and learning how to communicate with other people,” Davis said.

There are many similarities between the boys and girls basketball teams. The boys team also has a winning record of 17-3, as its coach, Ryan Phifer continues to prioritize improvement. Phifer is often inspired by basketball experts such as college-level coaches and the NBA.

“You just stay on top of new things that could work,” Phifer said. “We have a lot of different players every year. Sometimes we have height, sometimes we don’t, sometimes we have good guard play, so we have to improvise a little bit [and] we have to adapt our system according to [where] our players’ strengths are.”

Senior Blake Garrett has been on the varsity team since sophomore year and works both in practices and during the summer to improve in any way he can. He said the four days of practice each week bring the players together. “I love getting to hang out with teammates, play with my friends and just getting to build friendships that’ll last forever,” Garrett said.

Although they have several similarities, there are noticeable differences between the girls and boys basketball teams. Associate Principal Kelli Kurle noticed the gap in fan support between the girls and boys teams from several schools, including at BVN.

“I’ve coached girls programs that were ranked in the state and nobody would come watch, but then the boys team would not be ranked and everybody goes to those games,” Kurle said.

COVID-19 also limited fan participation at all games. The pandemic prevented fans from supporting both teams and put a halt to the idea of a more equal student section.

“When I was here pre-COVID we had a ton of participation in basketball games. Then there was COVID, when we had no participation because they couldn’t come,” Kurle said. “Now I feel like we’re getting back to where it was. We’re still not quite [at where we were] pre-COVID, but I think that we’re definitely making strides and getting kids back into stands.”

While the pandemic did have an impact on participation, it wasn’t the main cause. The lack of participation for women’s basketball stems far beyond COVID-19.

“I wouldn’t say it’s a new issue by any means. It just happens that we tend to get more fans at our games than girls,” Phifer said. “It’d be nice to have more fans there to support the girls game before ours and everything because they’re having a great season too.”

Coach Fritz recognizes how far women’s sports have come, but still wishes there was more fan support.

“The boys teams draw a lot more of a crowd, [and] the girls don’t have as much support,” Fritz said. “That’s bothersome just because the girls put in just as much time as the guys and have just as much passion for the sport as the guys.”

Girls’ Varsity Basketball player Jaliya Davis, No. 24

“ I’ve coached girls programs that were ranked in the state and nobody would come watch, but then the boys team would not be ranked and everybody goes to those games.

– Kelli Kurle “

Finding Funds

A look into where BVN clubs, activites and department funds come from.

By Ruby Bierman

Car washes, restaurant nights, Hen House bagging and dance ticket sales — all are ways students and clubs at BVN fundraise to support their activities throughout the year. Fundraising is a vital part in running student activities and school-wide events, allowing students to get the most out of their clubs.

A major player in fundraising at BVN is StuCo. According to senior and StuCo Treasurer Aarjo Roy, the organization pays for nearly all school events.

“StuCo pays for pretty much all school events, so we have to have a very large amount of money … [to] keep up with … events like homecoming and school dances,” Roy said. “We do a lot of fundraisers throughout the year. The majority of our funds come through dance tickets because we do have a focus on school dances. Other fundraisers that we’ve done include restaurant fundraisers, which were really popular last year, and this year, we reach[ed] out to nonprofits that we can partner with.”

Though school donors make a portion of funds available for school use, Roy said this isn’t a large source of club money.

“We have some donors who donate some money as well, but that really doesn’t take up the majority of our funds. The majority of our funds were all raised through high school dance tickets,” Roy said. “That’s why StuCo places such a high priority on sweetheart, homecoming [and] prom. We just raise all that money, so we can collect it and then distribute it for assemblies and other school events.”

School dances are a major reason why fundraisers are necessary, but other clubs

receive portions of StuCo fundraising as well.

“We do place a priority on school dances, so a lot of those funds go towards future school dances. Some of those funds [are given] to some of the clubs, you know, so they can start their own fundraisers, as sort of seed money,” Roy said. “But when it comes to deciding what happens with the money itself, we really have to think about our main priority as to who needs it now … and how we can use it to benefit one’s community.”

According to Roy, StuCo has given thought to how they can help other clubs raise the money they need to participate in activities.

“The seed money idea that we have is that StuCo would have sort of a loan repayment program, where we would give certain clubs who need it a grant of like $100, that they’d have to pay back through another program. That $100 could go towards … advocacy for whatever group or thing that they’re a part of,’’ Roy said. “That was a really big thing that we talked about this year and wanted to implement, but it hasn’t

happened yet. But towards the end of the year, we are looking to implement that sort of system.”

Student activities also have their own fundraising strategies. The BVN music programs are raising money for their trip to Spain, according to junior Eddie Mu.

“They just announced [the trip] a couple of months ago, so we haven’t really started doing any big fundraising projects. But in the future, there’s going to be a car wash,’’ Mu said. “[The money is] going towards Spain too. There’s going to be a mattress sale, and then we might partner with corporations to get sponsorships.”

The band holds fundraisers like the annual car wash throughout the year.

“The car wash is a very visible one. I think it was in the yearbook. We basically wash people’s cars for free and then ask them if they want to donate. Usually they say yes,” Mu said. “We [also] volunteer at Hen House. That’s unpaid, but if people want to donate [to the trip], they can do so.”

Mu said fundraising for the band trip is not just about covering costs, but also helping those going on the trip.

“It’s important because basically, we fundraise for two different reasons. First is

“

But when it comes to deciding what happens with the money itself, we really have to think about our main priority as to who needs it now … and how we can use it to benefit one’s community

– Aarjo Roy

to decrease the overall cost for everybody, and going to Spain is pretty costly,” Mu said. “But second is for people who can’t make the trip. There is a separate pool for them to help them get the aid they need to go on the trip.”

According to Mu, fundraising also helps activities such as Scholars Bowl.

“[Fundraising] helps us run our like logistical day to day things. It helps us buy things that we need for the club,” Mu said. “For example, like Scholars Bowl, we used the money to buy new buzzers because our old ones were really bad [and] broken.”

Academic departments find funds in other ways, filing for grants rather than fundraising according to Sue Butler, the Budget Manager for the district.

“They can apply for grants. There’s a gift fund that the school that the PTO can see and then a department may get money that way,” Butler said. “So that’s kind of their avenue, but there wouldn’t be student fundraising going in for any of the department academic departmental work.”

In contrast to school and activity funds, academic departments receive funding directly from the state, according to Jeremy McFadden, the distExecutive Director of Finance.

“The funding that school districts get from the state of Kansas. It’s really state aid. And there’s an allocation that the district does every year to determine how much of that state funding that we get is allocated towards buildings,” McFadden said. “Where the building principal, building leadership, administrative team can then take that allocation from the

school district and then by a department level, provide them funding from the state money so it’s kind of like a decision tree really.”

Not all this money goes directly to school departments, but some is distributed to chosen departments.

“So we get money ... from the state of Kansas, obviously, most of that goes to salary and benefits for our staff, or teachers, custodians or educators, etc. But that smaller portion then does get allocated to buildings and then the building leadership team has an allocation that they go through where they give it to a department,” McFadden said. “But I think on the whole, there’s probably similar allocations throughout the district.”

If teachers are still in need of funds following this allocation, different routes are available to them.

“There’s a few things they have grant wise. We do have the Blue Valley Educational Foundation that teachers are encouraged every year to write grants for, and they’re awarded in the fall. They often supplement their specific things that teachers want to accomplish, and they give up an excess of $200,000 every fall to our teaching staff directly to our staff,” Butler said. “Then there are external grants that they can apply for. Many of those that are special-interest type things and they have the option to apply for those. Then I think most schools also have the ability in some way to apply for a grant to their PTO.”

When it comes to transparency Blue Valley must publish where things such as class fees are used.

“The fees that come in from the parents I know are definitely listed on our

website and how those are allocated and what we use it for. And we are really held on that,” Butler said. “The state actually says if you take fees from students, there is a specific way in which you have to use them.”

Roy said he thinks StuCo could be more transparent with distribution of funds.

“I think we as Student Council could do a little bit of a better job of telling the student body how those funds are used. I think we could do a better job of using those funds in general. But the main reason why we’re not telling students what those funds are being used for, is because they’re not telling us what they want those funds to be used for,” Roy said. “Yes, certain departments need funding, but they have to approach us in order to come up with solutions … We have to know why [they need the money], and we have to know when they need it.”

Roy said finding funds can be difficult, but clubs and activities that are in need of funding can find help from StuCo.

“I think the best way to go about [finding funding] is to reach out to the Student Council because our sponsors … [are] very heavily intertwined with our school’s administration, so they could find solutions for those clubs that require funding,” Roy said. “But if [the] administration does not listen to those clubs, then the Student Council would be more than willing to hear them out, and we would be willing to help you in any way you see fit.”

The Mustang Band washes a car as part of its annual fundraiser earlier this year. Photo provided by @ bvnmustangband on Instagram.

Falling Down the Rabbit

Hole

In recent years, negative media has increased stress and mental health issues through ‘doomscrolling’ in teens, and has become a common problem faced by many students.

By Emmett Abar

Social platforms provide streams of information in the form of stories, videos and pictures. The content can be stress-inducing, causing people to eventually spiral into a rabbit hole of negative information that becomes detrimental to viewers’ mental health. This neverending loop is commonly known as “doomscrolling,” and is a phenomenon that has become a more frequent issue among those actively online.

Doomscrolling started to become a more prevalent issue during COVID-19, when students were forced to have free time while also experiencing general anxiety about global issues. Senior Leah Helfer-Ross noticed a spike in anxiety correlating with her intake of news during her sophomore year in quarantine.

“It probably contributed pretty heavily to my anxiety levels because I wasn’t just anxious about my personal circumstances, it was also about larger global issues,” Helfer-Ross said.

Helfer-Ross found herself following the same routine of getting interested in a topic at the beginning of her day, and

becoming re-interested at night. When going deeper into the subject at night, she’d scroll for hours at a time.

“[Doomscrolling] was really bad late at night because I would hear about something early in the day, and I would come back thinking about the things,” Helfer-Ross said. “I’d just be trying to learn to be educated and informed, but I’d be up for hours.”

This cycle affected HelferRoss’s energy levels, which also had a negative impact on her friendships.

“I had a really hard time just having the energy to do other things that weren’t worrying about things because I’d spend all my energy,” Helfer-Ross said. “I was too anxious to ask my friends to hang out or do things that were fun.”

Helfer-Ross has created boundaries to help keep her from following past tendencies and hopefully, avoid the subsequent anxiety.

Caroline

“One of the things I try to do is not be on my phone or computer super late at night because that was removing my access. That was a pretty big step for me,” Helfer-Ross said. “I don’t really watch the news anymore. It just feels like terrible thing after terrible thing, and I can’t anymore.”

Social media has such easy access to both negative and positive information, that Helfer-Ross has created strategies on how to specifically stop herself if she finds social media to be stressful.

“If you catch yourself in that loop of negative Tik Toks … then just close it

“ I’ll find one really niche topic and then find myself hours later like ‘I was just researching somehting totally unrelated’.

–

Massman“

Doomscrolling

According to “Merriam-Webster”

for a second,” Helfer-Ross said. “Go do something else. Go take a walk around your house … [and] just get your mind on something else for a little bit.”

Other students like sophomore Caroline Massman face this problem when researching for debate topics, as negative or dramatic news stories often become catalysts for doomscrolling.

“I think the news definitely has more negative things because that’s what catches the reader, and a lot of times us, the readers, like to know about situations in reality,” Massman said.

Massman believes that even though some subjects covered by hard news can seem overbearing and intense, she also thinks not all hard news is exclusively negative and finding the right stories can be fulfilling.

“In the news it’s more prevalent that we face more negative information, but I think going out of your way to find positive stories and positive information can help you even that out,” Massman said.

Massman has attempted to create failsafes and prevent herself from seeing exclusively negative information by selecting a smaller number of reputable

news sources. This lowers the number of negative stories and focuses more on higher quality stories, while still keeping her informed.

“If I’m scrolling through Instagram, I’m getting New York Times notifications,” Massman said. “So I kind of naturally filter through information, depending on the news websites I follow or I subscribe to.”

Despite having safeguards in place to limit her from falling into negative rabbit holes, Massman has a difficult time avoiding them and still gets distracted by media that can be distressing.

“I definitely set a lot of boundaries just so I can be more productive because it’s really easy to just scroll and then lose track of time, especially on apps like Tik Tok,” Massman said.

When researching debate topics Massman said it’s difficult to find positive information to prevent herself from doomscrolling.

“I do a lot of research … so I face a lot of these [negative] topics really frequently,” Massman said. “I’d say it affects my learning because sometimes I’ll be scrolling or I’ll be finding information, and you kind of go down a rabbit hole.”

Massman believes that while personal interests may attract general users to ‘doomscrolling’, she believes that most

Do you Catch Yourself ‘Doomscrolling?’

N 32% (23 people)

Y 68% (48 people)

of the time, common human interest is enough to send people spiraling down the rabbit hole.

“I think when it comes down to rabbit holes, usually it’s really random stuff,” Massman said. “I’ll find one really niche topic and then find myself hours later like, ‘Okay, I was just researching something totally unrelated’ … So I think humans are just naturally attracted to knowing or learning about drama.”

Some students find that hard news isn’t the only media that can lead to ‘doomscrolling’. Students such as senior Archer Nolen have found this across social media.

“Whenever I’m bored at home and I have nothing to do, I’ll just get onto TikTok, Instagram or Twitter. And I’ll just scroll and scroll and scroll until I eventually find myself down a rabbit hole,” Nolen said. “I find myself in a rabbit hole and I can’t really get out until I close the app.”

For Nolen, doomscrolling has become a daily routine, and he knows friends who have the same problem.

“It doesn’t let me get as much done just because I’m scrolling so much,” Nolen said. “I know [some friends] who just scroll on Instagram or other social media for hours.”

Despite trying to limit his intake on social media, Nolen still finds himself falling into the same habit.

“I’ll say I’m gonna get on for ten minutes and then that I’ll get off and that would be it,” Nolen said. “But sometimes I’ll set boundaries for myself, let’s say 15 minutes, and then 45 minutes to an hour later or so, I’m still on it.”

“ One of the things I try to do is not be on my phone or computer super late at night because that removed my access. That was a pretty big step for me.

– Leah Helfer-Ross “

Doomscrolling or Doomsurfing: “Doomscrolling and doomsurfing are new terms referring to the tendency to continue to surf or scroll through bad news, even though that news is saddening, disheartening, or depressing.”

Of 71 people polled on @bvnnews on Instagram.

INFLUENCER EFFECT

With social media platforms and their influencers rising in popularity, consumer culture is changing. How does this affect the way BVN students shop?

By Anna Sandage

Consumer culture is changing in an era where Instagram dictates fashion and TikTok controls fads. Phrases like ‘I use this product everyday’ and ‘this item changed my life’ have gained credibility as a result of social media. Influencers’ recommendations have changed the way students shop and which products they purchase.

According to senior Maia Sol, one of the most popular types of products selling out due to “TikTokers” are beauty tools. Whether it’s blush sticks or hair oils, Sol said social media has changed the way consumers approach beauty products.

“[TikTok influencers] give me inspiration makeup-wise,” Sol said. “Their videos make me

want to buy products so that I am able to try new things.”

It’s not just influencers’ opinions that persuade people to buy certain products. According to junior SJ Squire, the way products look on influencers causes consumers to want to recreate those looks.

As stated by junior Asher Ginden, oftentimes other influencers, such as athletes, will persuade fans to make purchases.

Teenagers’ mindsets are very trendy, so people will kind of go out of the way of what they actually like in order to fit in.

“I buy the products because they look good on the person using it,” Squire said. “[When I see that] I think, ‘Maybe I could do that or add that to my makeup routine.’”

This phenomenon doesn’t just include the beauty industry.

trend setters

“[Trent McDuffie, cornerback for the KC Chiefs,] did a promotion where he got his Nike Dunks turned into cleats for a game to support cancer awareness,” Ginden said. “I saw them and was like, ‘I don’t play football but I still want that pair of shoes,’ so I got online and bought them.”

There are two main ways

– Asher Ginden

influencers increase a product’s popularity: they recommend it on their own behalf or are paid to make a post highlighting a certain product. According to Squire, she is more likely to purchase a product when she knows the influencer genuinely likes it rather than being paid to showcase it.

“You can obviously tell when it is a paid promotion, so I don’t necessarily buy from those posts,” Squire said. “I would rather buy from an influencer actually saying they like the product. [Paid promotions] could be fake since they are being paid to review.”

These influencers have such a grasp on their supporters that their recommendations go a long way. According to Ginden, this is because of the notoriety and star status of influencers.

“People want the cool thing that is going around,” Ginden said. “For example, if all these famous singers are buying the same brand of jacket, that jacket is naturally going to be popular because people are like, ‘OMG Harry Styles is wearing that, I want that,’ and then it’s sold out.”

Once a product is suggested and posted about on social media by popular influencers, it becomes a hot commodity. As Squire mentioned, once an influencer reveals they like a product, it becomes hard to find.

“Everything is sold out, especially in the makeup sections,” Squire said. “If one person posts about it, then other people like it, so then they will post about it, so everyone wants to get it and it is sold out.”

According to Ginden, influencers have changed the way people shop. This can be attributed to the fact that people nowadays are easily influenced and willing to spend extra money if it means they are “on trend” with their favorite influencers.

“An influencer is someone whom you don’t necessarily want to be, but you want to be like them,” Ginden said. “Teenagers’ mindsets are very trendy, so people will kind of go out of the way of what they actually like in order to fit in.”

To shop more trending products, scan here.

Makeup by Mario Soft Pop Blush Stick

Dior

Lip Glow Oil

Nike Dunk Lows Midas Gold

isdiagnosingMental

Illnesses

By Audrey Kohnen

According to the CDC, children are more likely to be diagnosed with a mental health disorder than adults. Many mental illnesses have similar symptoms, which is why a specific disorder can be so hard to pinpoint and cause individuals to struggle with diagnostic processes. A study done by the University of Michigan found that about 7.7 million children in the U.S. have at least one mental diagnosis. But almost one million children are misdiagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) alone, which is mainly due to their young age. ADHD symptoms overlap with a variety of other conditions, including Bipolar disorder, General Anxiety disorder and Depression, which is why 20% of children are likely misdiagnosed. While doctors are usually correct in their diagnosis of ADHD, awareness about high rates of misdiagnoses is starting to spread, allowing people to be more cautious when accepting a professional diagnosis.

Senior Katherine Koplik is the president of Sources of Strength, a club dedicated to spreading awareness, creating a community, helping those struggling with mental illness and promoting youth suicide prevention to create healthy norms

in youth culture. She shared her personal experiences with misdiagnosis.

“Misdiagnoses happen all the time. I had all the symptoms of Manic Depression or Bipolar Disorder, but that’s not what I have,” Koplik said. “And the reality is that the way that those two things impact your life and the way that they get treated is completely different. So that’s why you have to be careful with self-diagnosing, and that’s why you have to be careful with just a quick diagnosis from a doctor. Sometimes it takes a lot of trial and error.”

Self-diagnosis is the process of diagnosing oneself with a medical condition without the opinion of a medical professional. In a study done by Michigan State University, researchers started seeing the harmful long-term effects of the psychoactive drugs being

used to treat those with misdiagnosed ADHD. If levels of dopamine, norepinephrine and serotonin are normal in the brain, using ADHD medication would lower levels of these natural neurotransmitters. Since the body starts to rely on the drugs to raise one’s neurotransmitter levels, if the patient stops using the drug at any time, their levels greatly decline. This eventually puts the patient at risk for various health problems. The study concluded that further research is still needed to learn more about the various ways that ADHD is misdiagnosed and the range of its future effects.

Junior Anna Pearson said overdiagnosis can stem from ignoring the nuances of issues children may be experiencing.

“I think there is a problem of overdiagnosing children. I think there’s

“

I think people started looking for answers to questions about themselves that they didn’t realize they had.

– Evie Freed

Sources of Strength visits a group event together during Club Day. All photos by Audrey Kohnen.

also some misdiagnosis of disorders like ADHD, as in it’s not actually ADHD … It’s easier to diagnose that than go deeper into the problem,” Pearson said. “I think we’re almost handing out Depression and Anxiety diagnoses because we don’t want to go deeper and see what the real problem is. Like schools overworking students, they’d rather just diagnose students with anxiety and depression than get to the real root of the problem.”

According to Pearson, the lack of consistency across states could be a contributing factor in overdiagnosing children. Many schools do not screen students for mental health issues, and the regulation of schools performing tests/screenings varies widely across states. Even if students are correctly identified, districts may lack the mental health treatment options that would be needed to help them.

The National Institute of Mental Health (NIH) found that only 38% of youth with mood disorders such as Depression and Bipolar Disorder receive treatment services. Koplik discussed her long mental health and diagnostic journey, as she doesn’t have standard Anxiety and

Depression.

“For the longest time they thought [it was] Major Depressive disorder, then it was maybe Bipolar, and then it actually turns out that I have what’s called PMDD, which is Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder. So based on where I am in my menstrual cycle, it’s extreme PMS, if you think of it that way,” Koplik said. “A lot of women struggle with it. Your progesterone dips quickly and your brain kind of struggles to recover [and] produces too many chemicals. It causes a lot of women to feel very suicidal and out of control, almost like manic or severe Depression during that time, which is why I was labeled with Bipolar Disorder, but that’s not what I struggle with.”

In a 2021 CDC study, nearly half of Americans reported having recent symptoms of an anxiety or depressive disorder. Many say the rates of anxiety and depression have increased since the beginning of the pandemic. People may use online resources to research symptoms or other medical signs that may point to a certain diagnosis. This leads them to want to identify under a certain diagnosis without

a medical opinion or tests. Research prior to the pandemic indicated over a third of adults in the U.S. routinely used the internet to help diagnose their illness, and since the pandemic, that statistic has risen. However, results from online searches can lead to confusing or inaccurate information. Koplik began participating in Sources of Strength her freshman year and values speaking to others about mental health and removing stigma.

“I find it very frustrating, especially on forms like TikTok where people will fight to claim these diagnoses or they’re self-diagnosed,” Koplik said. “It’s kind of unfortunate because the reality is that it’s awesome to be able to talk about [mental illnesses], but it’s also really tough because we’ve normalized it to a point where some people think it’s kind of invalidating when people are self-diagnosing online, and I think also it’s frustrating when it gets used as an excuse to be hurtful to others.”

A 2020 study from the American Psychiatric Association (APA) showed that the increase in self-diagnoses may have occurred because of the effort to de-stigmatize mental health. Destigmatization makes mental health a more common topic of conversation, instead of a taboo subject.

Koplik said that there are both positive and negative aspects of self-diagnosing, but it can be risky because people aren’t experts and don’t know how to get the help they need. She said she has been very pleased with the way mental health stigma has changed, but acknowledged

You have to be careful with just a quick diagnosis from a doctor. Sometimes it takes a lot of trial and error.

– Katherine Koplik“

the negatives of the de-stigmatization of mental health, especially online.

“You just have to be a little cautious of people claiming to have a diagnosis when they might just be going through a rough patch, and [it] can be frustrating since it is medical information. It sort of plays down what it really means to have severe mental illness and could be disrespectful to someone who actually is medically diagnosed,” Koplik said.

A survey from the NIH recorded 89% of participants having an increase in screen time during the lockdown. During the pandemic, various studies have found that young people in particular are struggling. 61% of young adults ranging in age from 19 to 25 reported feeling high levels of frequent loneliness during the pandemic. They reported feeling symptoms of Anxiety and Depression, which suggested that it was partially due to the additional stress people were experiencing while trying to adapt to online education. Sophomore Evie Freed went through online school in eighth grade and talked about her obstacles with mental health.

“I think there has been a little bit of a spike [since COVID-19]. I think people started looking for answers to questions about themselves that they didn’t realize they had,” Freed said. “I think social media is the biggest factor though, especially with self- diagnosis. There isn’t anything wrong with self-diagnosis if you’re doing proper research, but I think a lot of people were getting their information from people who didn’t know enough about these topics or were unqualified to give this advice to other people.”

As each year passes by in the United States, medical debt rises exponentially. This means that the expense of seeing a medical professional and receiving a formal diagnosis, may not fit in one’s budget, especially if it is low-income. Pearson said that they never want to self diagnose as it could be invading, but is trying to push for some sort of nuerodivergency test.

“I have a lot of friends who are autistic and a lot who have ADHD also. I don’t relate to them exactly which is why I don’t want to say I have it, but I relate to them more than most people,” Pearson said.

Pearson and many other people experience not having a sure diagnosis.

Although they haven’t been checked by a doctor, they don’t need a diagnosis to tell them what they’re experiencing is real. One can find billions of resources to help with mental health, even without a concrete diagnosis. Yet overusing them may be harmful. Abundant cases of both overdiagnosis and misdiagnosis could lead to misunderstanding or misrepresentation of mental health disorders across every part of society.

Katherine Koplik makes announcements at a Sources of Strength meeting.

REVIEWS

to REVENUE

How can social media help small businesses overcome their hardships?

By Jessica Assafeen

Small businesses are everywhere. Whether the consumer realizes it or not, some of the local restaurants, clothing shops and websites they shop at are small companies. Small business owners work to make enough products, advertise their merchandise and handle the finances of their business. Consumers often see lesser-known companies showcasing their goods out in public, on commercials or through social media. Recently, TikTok has become an outlet for small businesses to display their ideas and products to large audiences in hopes that they’ll have higher sales.

Some public figures help these businesses attract attention. One social media star in particular, Keith Lee, has taken over the food-reviewing side of TikTok by posting about local restaurants in Las Vegas. Lee was best known for being a professional mixed martial arts fighter before he entered the social media scene. According to Dextero, he started his TikTok account to combat social anxiety and become more comfortable doing press interviews. He didn’t intend to create food review content until he built a small following from sharing his wife’s pregnancy cravings and appearing on the “People vs Food” YouTube channel.

According to Socialblade, Lee didn’t post his food reviews on TikTok until late 2022, when he quickly gained five million followers in a little over a month. Since then, Lee has changed the lives of multiple business owners in Las Vegas through promoting their food, and continues to review a variety of restaurants on social media. Lee made a noticeable change for

one restaurant owner in particular and is recognized on social media for saving the business.

Towards the end of July 2022, Frank Steele accomplished one of his biggest goals and opened a pizza restaurant called Frankensons in Las Vegas. Although he received outstanding reviews about his food and customer service, Steele struggled to advertise his restaurant to the public.

“It’s been my dream for about 30 years to open this restaurant … Everything was right on point … I just wasn’t getting the foot traffic coming into my restaurant. We were probably three weeks from closing down,” Steele said.

Steele’s life changed when his daughter-in-law reached out to Lee in hopes that he’d help Frankensons receive some publicity. After a few hours, they became discouraged because they didn’t hear anything back. The same night, Steele answered a call from a customer who ordered tons of different menu items, not recognizing that the customer was Lee.

“I took an order and a guy ordered a bunch of stuff, [so I said] it’ll be ready in 25 minutes,” Steele said. “An hour went by … The guy never showed up for the order … [I called him and he said he’ll] be up there in about five minutes … 20 minutes later he [showed] up.”

Lee didn’t initially mention that he was a reviewer because he wanted the food to be made the same way they’d make it for any customer. This way, Lee could conduct an honest review. When he came to pick up the order, Lee told Steele that he was going to tell his viewers the truth

about Frankensons.

“He said, ‘I’m here to review your food and let people know on TikTok and my social media how the food is. I’ll rate your food from one to ten … I’m going to tell [them] if it’s good [or not],’” Steele said.

In early January, on the same night he tried the food, Lee posted a review of the restaurant. He tasted pizza, sandwiches and chicken wings, and gave nearly every dish an almost-perfect score. Shortly after posting the TikTok, Frankensons received a drastic increase in customers.

“That night … the phone [wouldn’t] stop ringing … I rushed back to call my family to help out and we ended up leaving at [midnight] that night,” Steele said. “[The next morning,] we started getting people in line … We [opened] the door and the line went all the way down the sidewalk.”

Lee’s single TikTok video changed Steele’s life and allowed him to continue pursuing his dream.

“We went from about $300-$500 in sales a day to over $9,000 each day,” Steele said.

Lee didn’t stop there though, as he continues to purchase and rave about Frankensons restaurant as well as others in the Las Vegas area. Lee has used his platform to help both owners and the general public.

“He came back a couple days after that and bought 45 large pizzas from me and fed all the homeless in downtown Las Vegas … And he bought [food for] about 60 people in line,” Steele said.

Lee has not only affected the lives of the people in Las Vegas, but also those of other countries. Steele now serves people

from all over the world at his restaurant.

“They’re getting off the plane and this is their first stop … They’re towing their luggage behind them … before they even go to a hotel to check in,” Steele said.

Locally, some BVN students have their own experiences with starting companies or helping others with theirs. Sophomore Hampton Stites spent much of his time outside of school to assist his family’s preparation for the Seven Brew opening day on Feb. 13. Opening their own business had been a goal for the family, which decided to help franchise when Stites’s uncle bought the Seven Brew company.

“My uncle bought the whole company … We’ve always wanted to start our own business, so [my parents] talked to my uncle about franchising … We just got permission from my uncle and then bought the rights to have five stores that are supposed to open in the next five years,” Stites said.

Since not many people in the area are familiar with Seven Brew, Stites believes

that advertising is a bit of a struggle. He said he does his best to expose the shop to his peers at school to avoid being overshadowed by more popular coffee shops.

“No one’s ever been to a Seven Brew around here. So it takes a lot more advertising to get it to pass up a Starbucks or Scooters,” Stites said. “I wear the shirts as much as possible … [and my cousin and I] have been posting on our [Snapchat] stories all the time.”

Stites witnessed each part of starting a business as his parents were making it happen. Along the way, he learned about the professional side of running a company and gave advice for those aspiring to create their own businesses one day.

“[I recommend to] have a backup plan … My dad has a job that gets him enough money … So if this doesn’t work, [he’s] not just completely bankrupt,” Stites said. “But if [his] business takes off, he wants to get to the point where he can open enough stores to quit his other job and just be able to run the store for a living.”

Although the Stites’s company is being expanded to different states, other students

have experience with smaller-scale businesses that they run almost completely on their own. Leah Helfer-Ross, for example, sold clothing pieces at the river market over the summer.

“My mom had a friend who [owned] Ditto … She would give extra inventory to me and I would sell everything for $3 … [It was called] Leah’s $3 Threads,” HelferRoss said.

Helfer-Ross always aspired to start her own business. This pushed her to quickly take the opportunity when she was given the chance in middle school.

“I’ve always been looking for ways to make money because I like the independence [of having] my own money,” Helfer-Ross said.

After receiving some exposure and gaining business experience, Helfer-Ross believes having your own small business is something that anyone with a passion can accomplish.

“Just go for it … I had zero business experience … I still had that idea and wanted to do it … Find something like the River Market where the stakes aren’t super high,” Helfer-Ross said. “And if it takes off, start some advertising, build a brand around it and then, maybe settle into something a little bit more permanent.”

“

We went from about $300-$500 in sales a day to over $9,000 each day

– Frank Steele

A look into BVN’s opinions on Balenciaga’s scandal.

By Kelsey Chellberg

ControversyCatwalk onthe

On Nov. 16, 2022, Balenciaga posted a campaign named Gift Shop, featuring images of children holding Balenciaga handbags that looked like teddy bears in explicit outfits. Many people were outraged by the use of children in this campaign and Balenciaga was accused of condoning child exploitation.

Shortly after, on Nov. 24, Balenciaga posted the following apology on Instagram: “We sincerely apologize for any offense our holiday campaign may have caused. Our plush bear bags should not have been featured with children in this campaign. We have immediately removed the campaign from all platforms.”

Additionally, in a later statement, Balenciaga stated that they “strongly condemn abuse of children in any form [and] stand for children’s safety and wellbeing.”

Hoffman International is a modeling agency that represents local models

including young children. The president and owner, Kim Hoffman, said parents would have known the specifications and guidelines of campaigns like Balenciaga’s Gift Shop before the photos were taken.

“Those children and those parents, because they’re minors, would have known what they were doing ahead of time. There were no surprises,” Hoffman said.

Hoffman elaborated on the technical aspects of the booking process.

“The runway model … [is] going to know about [details] in advance before they accept the booking. They’re not an employee, they’re an independent contractor. Because they are an independent contractor and not an employee, they are not bound to accept something that is against their religion or their personal beliefs,” Hoffman said.

Hoffman continued to explain that boundaries are communicated by her agency to represent children and tell designers what their models are or are not

comfortable with in a photoshoot.

“I am the one who says that [the model] won’t do … smoking, or they won’t wear furs, or they won’t do nudes. I’m the one that controls that for them, so that the parents don’t have to be the ones to get involved,” Hoffman said. “So, [photographers or designers] know from the very beginning what the parents’ wishes are.”

Along with knowing the parents’ guidelines for their child, Hoffman said modeling agencies should have a thorough understanding of the details of photoshoots beforehand.

“Even here in Kansas City, they are very explicit [about] what the model is going to be doing, what the actor is going

Fashion Weeks around the World

to be saying [and] if she’s going to have to say something crude and profane,” Hoffman said. “We know everything ahead of time. A good agency knows everything ahead of time and asks a lot of questions so that there are no surprises.”

According to Hoffman, as the owner of Hoffman International, children look to her as an agent that will respect their boundaries as models. Hoffman said she would have struggled to find clients if she was involved with controversial campaigns like Gift Shop.

“If I would have taken one job like [Gift Shop], my reputation would have been ruined. Parents would have never trusted me with their kids – that’s why your reputation is everything,” Hoffman said.

Balenciaga’s creative director, Demna Gvasalia, has been in the spotlight of controversy for his design choices before. The more notorious examples of these choices include putting heels on crocs, dressing Kim Kardashian in a head-totoe black body stocking for the Met Gala and a runway look with models holding trash bags made of leather. Hoffman discussed why controversial choices might be made by designers in the fashion industry.

“That’s what puts some people on the map for certain clients. And sometimes people try to be way out there in order to get attention, even though it might be negative attention,” Hoffman said.

In addition to getting attention, Hoffman said designers and models in the industry tend to be risk takers.

“Some people are risk takers,” Hoffman said. “They think, ‘Well, I’m not getting anywhere so why don’t I just go all out and do something completely insane?’”

While Balenciaga’s campaign was a risk, junior and student model Jacob Lemire stated that brands can make statements with their choices and vocalize their beliefs, whether they are positive or negative.

“I think [the audience] could definitely get the wrong idea from a runway look, but it could have a positive impact too,” Lemire said.

Lemire has been a model for companies including Target and Columbia. Additionally, he was a part of a program called The Fashion Honors Autism. According to Lemire, the program, which shows children with Autism how to model and interact with professionals in the industry, is one example of positive choices made in the fashion industry.

“My work with the Fashion Honors Autism is a positive look and it’s a very positive runway,” Lemire said.

Navigating everything from publicity to integrity, runways across the country are used by models and designers to create looks and release campaigns that vocalize their beliefs.

Do You Like The Look?

Blake Lively 2022 Met Gala

“I felt like her outfit didn’t really fit the theme, [Gilded Glamor] but it was really cool how it was reversible and how she pressed something on her dress and it changed.”

-Chloe Costa, ’26

Doja Cat Schiaparelli Show

“I really like her outfit because it was very unique and camp, which I really liked because I think it can get really boring and repetitive to see the same kinds of looks from celebrities so I liked that she did something different.”

-Caitlyn Choal, ’23

Kid Cudi 2022 Met Gala

“I like this outift. I don’t know about the interior of the cape, the flowers throw me off. I think the cape really makes the outfit when it comes to the theme, [Gilded Glamour].”

-Austin Boulton, ’24

BIG SONIA’S BIG IMPACT

Standing at 4 feet 8 inches, Sonia Warshawski, aka Big Sonia, is a local celebrity. As one of the few remaining Holocaust survivors in Kansas City, Sonia uses her platform to share her story and educate the youth about the Holocaust.

Sonia Warshawski lived in Międzyrzec, Poland and at only 17 years old, was sent to the Majdanek death camp. She was then transported to the AuschwitzBirkenau and Bergen-Belsen camps, the latter of which was liberated by the British on April 15, 1945. In 1948, Sonia and her husband, John, moved to Kansas City.

The Midwest Center for Holocaust Education (MCHE) Historian and Director of Education, Shelly Cline, met Warshawski while she was a graduate student at KU and interning for MCHE. The two were introduced during an event hosted by the organization, and Cline was immediately taken by Warshawski’s story.

“She was actually the first [Holocaust] survivor that I met. So I listened to her story. I knew she was going to be at this event, and so, I went up and introduced myself to her and she was really lovely,” Cline said. “She grabbed my hand and she looked at me, and she thanked me

for what I did and for people like me, historians who were interested in her story. And that, to me, was just really meaningful because of course, I found her story so powerful.”

As the director of education, Cline works towards helping the center promote Holocaust education through programs and implementation in history curricula.

“We focus on helping teachers learn more about the Holocaust and giving them more tools to then use in their classrooms. What we’re trying to do is balance the commemorative portion because commemoration is really important, [with] using education to learn those lessons from the past to impact positive change in our world now and in the future,” Cline said. “It isn’t just ‘oh, this one thing happened,’ but ‘what can we learn from this event and those who suffered?’ and ‘how [can] this event [be taught] to look at our world today and learn about other genocides as well?’”

Cline gave advice on how to approach hate and antisemitism in today’s society.

“When you see things like this happen, they can be jarring, right? It reminds you that racism and homophobia and antisemitism are still really present among us. I think that the biggest thing we can do is try and have empathy towards one another, and be good allies,” Cline said. “When you are one of the targeted groups, it’s sometimes hard to speak out for yourself. It can sometimes be easier for people in positions of privilege to use that privilege for good, to stand with those that were targeted. I think there’s a really powerful message when people stand together. It tells those who are doing the targeting that their opinion is in the minority.”

Freshman Sydney Kort is Warshawski’s great-granddaughter. According to Kort,

Sonia Warshawski’s story spreads influence and wisdom throughout the Kansas City community while working against antisemetism. By Stella Ain

“

I think people need to be more sympathetic, that’s the bottom line.

– Sydney Kort

her great-grandmother’s stories have given her new perspectives.

“I think it’s important for young people to become more educated about the Holocaust so history doesn’t repeat itself. Sonia always tells me and my brother to read and become more educated about history,” Kort said. “My greatgrandmother’s story inspires me in my everyday life because whenever I have an issue or problem that I think is really huge, I think about what she had to go through, and it puts all of my issues into perspective.”

Kort is inspired by Warshawski’s positivity and love.

“Another thing that inspires me about Sonia is that she refuses to hate people. She says she doesn’t even hate the Nazis. She teaches everyone around her to forgive – not forget, but to forgive,” Kort

said. “Sonia perseveres and that’s a trait that really inspires me, and actually for my Bat Mitzvah, I wrote a speech called a ‘Dvar Torah,’ and I wrote about her perseverance and how she refuses to give in to negativity. Even now, there are people that are antisemitic, and she doesn’t give in to that. She stays on the positive side.”

While Kort is filled with gratitude and love for great-grandmother, she said there are struggles with being Warshawski’s great-granddaughter.

“[Sonia] has a great family now. I’m [a part of] the third generation and if she didn’t survive, none of us would be here, so that’s inspiring for me,” Kort said. “To be her granddaughter is a blessing and a curse. Of course I’m grateful, I could not be more grateful to be able to teach my kids and other people about what my

great-grandma went through. But I feel like there’s a high expectation for me to spread her story, and I feel like if I don’t exceed that expectation, I’m disappointing my family.”

Kort hopes to continue to spread awareness and educate fellow young people about the Holocaust.

“I think young people in general should be more sympathetic to people that survived the Holocaust. I don’t think many people understand how hard it was for Jewish people, and I feel like it’s hard for young people to be really sympathetic to something because the story sounds so unrealistic,” Kort said. “For young people to spread the story and to spread awareness, I think people need to be more sympathetic, that’s the bottom line, and get more knowledge on the subject.”

Left Page: Sonia Warshawski smiles in a picture with her greatgrandchild, Rachel Black (left), and her daughter, Regina Kort (right).

Top: The image shows a thank you note given to Sonia by a student.

On their wedding night, Sonia Warshawski dances with her husband, John. All photos provided by Sydney Kort

Bottom: Sonia Warshawski sits in a photo with her two children, three grandchildren and three great grandchildren.

Season

Off Off Season

For many students, sports don’t stop at the end of a season. What is their sport like throughout the year, and how does playing a sport year-round impact a student?

By Madi Garrelts

For some students, as the leaves start to fall or the flowers begin to bloom, their sport season comes to a close and cleats get thrown into the closet while rackets are hung up. But for many BVN students, this isn’t the case.

Junior Anna Bundy’s track season doesn’t end in the spring. Instead, Bundy said she’s busy all year round.

“During school season, we practice Monday through Friday and we’ll have meets on weekdays. Then off-season, I’ll practice Monday through Thursday with meets on the weekends,” Bundy said.

Despite playing a continuous sport throughout the year, Bundy said school and club seasons are largely different.

“For school, you create a bond with your fellow teammates because you practice with them everyday, and you get to practice a lot more rather than club.

of a family dynamic,” Bundy said. “For club track, it becomes less of a team thing and more individual.”

Sophomore soccer player Cael Verzani agreed.

“[Sports are] more fun at school because you get to be with all your friends and it’s much more relaxed,” Verzani said.

Verzani said even with the positive atmosphere, there is an added level of pressure in his sport.

“There’s a lot more pressure for high school soccer because everyone expects you to win,” Verzani said.

“For club, it’s just team practice and during the summer, it’s individual practice, so there’s more pressure for school.”

On the other hand, Bundy said due to the school team’s atmosphere, the pressure becomes more prevalent during the postseason.

you’re competing against people from all other states,” Bundy said. “With school track, it’s much more local, so you know your competition, which makes it much easier for me.”

However, some students say they struggle with keeping up with their sport during the postseason. Senior swimmer Emma Gaebler said she’s found herself stuck in this position this year.

“It’s a lot more competitive and there’s a strict schedule [during school season]. When it comes to off-season, it’s really how much you want to be committed to your sport,” Gaebler said. “Personally I just haven’t been swimming much this year.”

According to Gaebler, she has a packed schedule during the school season.

“One of the cons [of the school season] is trying to figure out how to balance the schedules with your schoolwork. A lot of the practices are either before or after school, which doesn’t leave a lot of time for going to talk to teachers if you need outside help,” Gaebler said. “On days when we have before and after school practices, I can be here for up to 12 hours at a time.”

However, Gaebler said she still enjoys

“ On days when we have before and after school practices, I can be here for up to 12 hours at a time.

- Emma Gaebler “

the school environment due to the school spirit and the friendships she’s made.

“There’s a lot of school spirit that comes with [swimming]. There’s a lot of hype, and we use the mustang [mascot] a lot,” said Gaebler. “[Swim] is really great for meeting people in different grades. One of my best friends on the swim team is a year below, and I probably wouldn’t have met her if we didn’t swim together.”

Even though each student has a different schedule, they recommend playing a sport year-round.

“Playing year-round gives you a built-in friend group, it gives you people to be with and somewhere to go [and] it keeps you active. If you have a competitive spirit and you enjoy competing against people and

winning, it gives you a good opportunity to find people like you,” Bundy said.

Like Bundy, Gaebler said there are many benefits of playing year-round.

“I would 100% recommend playing a sport year-round,” Gaebler said. “It’s something that keeps you active, takes up a lot of time so you’re not just sitting around bored and overall, just gives you something to be passionate about.”

(Top left) Bundy at a track meet Photo provied by Anna Bundy (Top right) Gaebler at a swim meet Photo provied by Emma Gaebler

(Above) Verzani at a soccer game Photo provied by Cael Verzani

Inter-ing The Workforce

Some students at BVN participate in internships. How does this benefit their future?

By Anjali Kambhampati

Students often strive to participate in activities that will benefit their aspirations. High school, for many students, is an effort to do the best they can to stand apart from others. For this reason and many more, students enroll in internships to gain more experience in their fields of interest.

Internships are temporary jobs that ideally benefit one’s career interests. There are also many different types of internships that will assist students in their career of choice, ranging from educational to medical. Entrepreneurship and medicine are two types of internships that senior Rima Chavali has participated in. According to Chavali, in the past few years, students have faced more obstacles when it comes to getting involved in internships.

“A lot of [internships] were virtual because of COVID, so a lot more virtual opportunities opened up. I found [internship opportunities] through school and upperclassmen,” Chavali said.

Despite COVID-19 being an obstacle for students participating in internships, Chavali said that her work environments were engaging.

“Even though we had that virtual barrier, people were so interested in getting youth across the Kansas City Metro together and innovating in a time when we couldn’t really do anything else,” Chavali said. “I thought it was pretty wellconnected and it gave me something to do when we were in isolation.”

Chavali also stated that internships have benefitted her plans for the future.

“[Internships] don’t necessarily give me

an exact idea of what the workforce would look like, but [it’s] definitely as close as a high schooler could get [to the experience] despite the young age,” Chavali said.

Real-world experience isn’t always something high school students have the chance to experience, according to Chavali. She also expressed that if students aren’t pushing themselves to go out of their comfort zones and see what’s out there, then it’s harder to make a decision about what to study in college.

“I would definitely recommend internships, and even if you decide you hate the internship once you have it, at least you had the experience so you know what you won’t like in the future,” Chavali said.

Another student at BVN who has experience with interning is senior Joe Thummel. Thummel participated in an internship during the summer of 2022 at Community America Credit Union, a financial institution based in Kansas City. When it comes to the experience gained from internships, Thummel said that his internship gave him a taste of what a fullfledged job might be like.

“Internships help you decide whether

that’s [career choice] something you would want to do, or if you would want to go into a more creative field and do something else. It gives you a taste of what work would look like in a professional environment,” Thummel said.

Internships come with many obstacles, especially for high school students with busy lives.

“The obstacles depend on your internship, but your bosses can definitely be tough on you,” Thummel said.

“They definitely treat you like adults sometimes and give you very strict deadlines, and even if you have problems or things that come up, they’re not as sympathetic as a teacher might be. You have to make sure that you’re planning your time wisely.”

Despite the struggles, Thummel explained that internships are both valuable and fun.

“They are good for resumes and your own personal experience. I would 100% recommend internships.”

“

[Internships] don’t necessarily give me an exact idea of what the workforce would look like, but [it’s] definintely as close as a high schooler could get [to the experience] despite the young age.

– Rima Chavali

Tips on Applying for an Internship

1. Do research on different internships and locations

4. Apply for multiple internships ahead of time

2. Build a resume or CV

5. Be prepared for interviews

Untraditional

Families in Media

Students discuss the recent surge in media that features diverse types of families, and why consumers are drawn towards it.

By Madisyn Stogsdill

Shifting away from the white picket fences and family structures of the past, new generations are changing what the typical family looks like. People rely on technology to communicate and share their ideas. Recent films and series such as “Everything, Everywhere, All at Once” and “Ginny and Georgia” feature families navigating situations that wouldn’t be deemed ideal by the majority of viewers. Younger audiences have demanded storylines that they can actually relate to, rather than dream of.

Junior Tisya Yhamida has watched this content for years and commented on how it has developed.

“I’m really happy that these movies and shows are coming out. As an immigrant, it’s really refreshing to see actual portrayals of what I’ve gone through and to also see those actors win awards,” Yhamida said. “It’s important to deconstruct typical families in the media and inspire people like me. The biggest example … would be obviously ‘Everything, Everywhere, All at Once’. I’ve watched that movie three times; I love it. It’s definitely very emotional but worth a watch.”

By featuring the generational and cultural issues faced, the movie portrays a perspective common throughout history but rarely seen in media. Featuring a middle-aged Chinese immigrant, several cultural and social issues intertwine with the film’s storyline. The depiction of generational trauma is revealed

through the mother’s journey into a multidimensional timeline with the motive of saving her daughter from destroying the world. Other types of family dynamics are displayed through the protagonist’s marital issues and acceptance of her daughter’s sexuality. Yhamida describes how she relates to the protagonist’s experiences.

“I connect with it so much because as someone in an immigrant family, any motherdaughter relationships are usually very tense, and it’s just really nice to see the characters be at odds with each other and be both wrong and right in their respective ways,” Yhamida said. “It’s confusing, but it is real. I wanted to connect with my mom and we just had this barrier between us because we grew up different, just like in the movie.”

Shows such as “Modern Family” feature different families including an LGBTQ+ couple with adopted children.

Although junior Sam Lozaw isn’t an avid watcher of the entertainment itself, he’s noticed the uptick in media showcasing all types of family dynamics.

“Personally, I haven’t seen enough that I’ve encountered [atypical family dynamics] naturally and ended up watching like a full show or a movie about it,” Lozaw said. “I do think there’s good representation, if you are seeking that out. It’s very easy to find something that could help normalize these types of family structures in society.”

Media and Pop Culture teacher Brian Box analyzed the shift in trends.

“There’s a lot more kind of representation of non-nuclear families happening that probably wasn’t there for quite some time,” Box said. “I also think that untraditional structures used to get portrayed more harmoniously as if life was only great. You had the mom, the dad, the kids and a dog and everything was awesome. But now they’re more willing to show ... that the traditional family structure isn’t necessarily just going to provide you great a life no matter what

“

I do have two moms. It’s pretty cool. It’s not perfect, but we still have somewhat of a lifestyle like the ‘white picket fence’ dream ... Seeing this in the media helps to reassure that.

- Sam Lozaw

and that perhaps there’s other ways that people can be raised.”

Media is showcasing all types of family structures and dynamics, connecting with more people than those simply part of nuclear families. Companies such as Netflix and Hulu created more projects catered towards this representation. Yhamida said she is worried that financial gain dilutes the messages of marginalized communities, and cites creations such as “Ginny and Georgia”, which depicts a family with a single mother struggling to open up

with her daughter. Moving to a new state alongside several arguments reveals the stark contrast between instability and what is considered a traditional family, but this doesn’t seem to break many barriers to all audiences.

“Only making these movies for money rather than inspiring people is a big fear of mine. I’m going to be honest, ‘Ginny and Georgia’ is not a very good show,” Yhamida said.

Lozaw said he is similarly worried that the meaning of stories will be diluted by the chasing of money.

“I do think that financial motivation does withdraw a lot from messages people try to make in these movies,” Lozaw said. “However, I still don’t see rainbow capitalism as a bad thing. It’s just not as good as natural progression but it’s still enforcing media that represents a minority part of the population. It’s just not as natural … but it’s better than nothing.”

Above are covers of notable movies and television shows that showcase untraditional families. Titles starting from the top left corner: “Everything, Everywhere, All at Once”, “Turning Red”, “Encanto”, “Finding Nemo”, “Modern Family” and “Ginny and Georgia”

Last Minute CHANGE OF SCHEDULE

Next year’s schedule change policy looks different. What’s up with that?

I’ve used the schedule change window for more than half of my semesters at BVN. Whether I used it to adjust the difficulty of my course load or stay in classes with friends, the six-day window for schedule changes was something I really valued.

However, for the 2023-2024 school year, a new system has been implemented for schedule changes. Rather than allowing six days at the beginning of a semester for these types of requests, there will now be three days. Schedule adjustments will only consist of level changes or happen if a student is put into a class not on their original enrollment form.

The new system was intended to allow teachers to hit the ground running in the first week of classes, as well as make sure classes aren’t overfilled. The schedule change window for second semester this year was a test run, and it seemingly worked.

This doesn’t mean that everyone is happy about the new policy. Juniors in particular, who are preparing for their final year of high school, are deeply affected by this new change. Junior Bibi Igbasemokumo had already struggled with enrollment for senior year.

“It’s just not fair. It’s not fair for the students. We’re all teenagers. We’re all indecisive,” Igbasemokumo said. Seniors next year will not have many

By Alegria Aguilera

opportunities to edit their schedule in comparison to seniors before them, especially since switching electives doesn’t count as a level change. That will affect all students, seniors or not. If an elective is too hard or not what was expected, then according to the policy, a student will not be able to change classes unless they meet certain incredibly specific requirements.

“I took Photography II. I really enjoyed Photography I, but darkrooms are really difficult. I just don’t have that drive,” Igbasemokumo said.

“I had a week to try it. It’s really good to have that option [to switch classes] because if you don’t, it’s hurting everyone, even the teachers who’ve now got a bunch of students running around complaining about fun classes.”

So then who’s gaining anything from all of these changes? After all, this is a pretty drastic change to make with no one benefitting. According to the Feb. 3 North notes, restricting the schedule change opportunity this past semester “allowed teachers and students to concentrate on learning on the first school day of the semester on January 4th.”

The first day! Sure, during second semester teachers may jump into the content quickly, but during first semester? Maybe a couple classes have anything productive to do the entire first week.

Are we sitting here with a new policy

no one wants? Sure, maybe no one is doing anything about it now, but when people actually want something different than when they filled out their enrollment form – what happens then?

If this rule lasts, younger will have to deal with it for the rest of their high school experience. For freshman Mabel Craig, this could become normalized.

“I don’t think it will affect me much now,”

Craig said. “I don’t know how it will be later, though.”

Maybe we change our schedules too much. I can’t imagine having the job that counselors have. I understand that the amount of moving that happens at the beginning of each semester may be too much. If it’s resulting in classes that are too large, or a loss of valuable learning time, then perhaps something does need to be done.

However, this isn’t it. Students want the opportunity to try new things without having to worry about whether it may not be for them. Even those who aren’t particularly worried about their schedules may want some security that they have the option to do so.

If this new policy sticks around, maybe it does have value. It may just be hard to see until it is in action. Until then, we can only wait and hope for the best.

“

It’s just not fair. It’s not fair for the students. We’re all teenagers. We’re all indecisive.

–Bibi Igbasemokumo

CR SS W R D

Say goodbye to Winter and say hello to Spring with our crossword.

By Lexi Newsom, Arshiya Pant

ACROSS

3. Plants e latine.

4. A flower starting with “z.”

7. The date of the Star Wars holiday.

10. New KS addition for air travel.

11. ____ break, a twelfth-grade tradition.

14. First part in a popular phrase about two consecutive months.

16. Second part in a popular phrase aout two consecutive months.

17. A common spring activity.

DOWN

1. Fairy from popular children’s TV cartoon and flower verb.

2. Animals e latine.

5. Twigs and leaves and sticks, oh my!

6. Grassy chore.

8. March 20.

9. Casual phrase to describe changing the clocks in spring.

12. A fluffy holiday icon.

13. Landscaping that smells horrible when newly laid.

15. The general class of tiny, buzzing creatures.

ABOUT US

“The North Star” is the official high school news publication of Blue Valley North High School, an open forum distributed to all the students six times a year. This is the March issue of volume 37. This issue of “The North Star” is published digitally through ISSUU and in print by “Record News.” This is a student publication and may contain controversial matter. Blue Valley School District No. 229 and its board members, officers and employees disclaim any responsibility for the content of this student publication; it is not an expression of School District Policy. Students and editors are solely responsible for the content of this student publication.

bvnnewspaper@gmail.com

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