The Express - March 2016

VOLUME 23 | ISSUE 5 | MARCH | BLUE VALLEY NORTHWEST HIGH SCHOOL

The doll evolves

With toy manufacturing company Mattel’s addition of new Barbie doll body types, BVNW students and staff discuss how the changes will affect views on body image.

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Feature

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The Chorale and Chambers singers practice and perform pieces commissioned to them by professional composers.

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The doll evolves

Toy manufacturing company Mattel recently launched a new campaign, The Evolution of Barbie, with their 2016 Fashionistas line. In reaction to the addition of new Barbie doll body types, BVNW students and staff discuss the impact the changes will have on society.

Harms’ hold on BVNW Steve Harms will retire at the end of this school year, and members of the BVNW community share the ways he has impacted their lives.

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What makes us clique Psychology teacher Tenny Dewey said similar personalities draw people to form cliques. This psychology leads some BVNW students to create polarized groups and some to feel outcast.

Presidential path With the presidential election heating up, find out how the next president will be selected - from explanations of primaries and caucuses to the electoral college in the general election.

Below: At hletic Director Steve Harms sits in t he middle of t he gym while t he teachers serenade him during t he Sweet heart assembly. Harms has been at BVNW since t he school opened and will be retiring after 23 years of coaching, teaching and administrating at BVNW (photo

by Justin Lehtinen).

CONTENTS

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Striking a new chord

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THE EXPRESS | ISSUE 5 | MARCH 2016

Opinion Keeping the crown

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After last season’s championship title, the Royals look to repeat as champions. BVNW students discuss their Opening Day traditions and hopes for the year.

Entertainment

Self love vs. self destruction

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Junior Emma Bruce explains the difference between true self love and self love as an excuse to promote self destruction.

Growing further from the STEM

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The humanities are key to enhancing the STEM approach, and institutions must recognize the value of those taking the unconventional route.

Perspectives

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Student life is showcased through a variety of photos.

31 Contact Information

Mailing address: 13260 Switzer Rd, Overland Park KS 66213 Phone: 913-239-3544 Website: BVNWnews.com

Responding to the Publication

Letters to the editor can be submitted electronically on our website at BVNWnews.com under the “Contact Us” tab. Letters may be published either on BVNWnews.com or in our print edition.

Letters must not contain personal attacks against an individual and may be edited.

Advertising

The Express and BVNWnews.com accept advertisements.

Pricing and information can be obtained by contacting us at BVNWnewspaper@bluevalleyk12.org.

Purpose

The Express is the official high school news publication of the Blue Valley Northwest High School, an open forum distributed to all students seven times a year. This is the March issue of Volume 23. Subscription rates are $10. The Express is printed by Sedalia Democrat, 700 S Massachusetts Ave Sedalia, MO 65301.

This is a student publication and may contain controversial matter. Blue Valley Unified 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.

THE EXPRESS | ISSUE 5 | MARCH 2016

New unit: the world Teachers need to allow flexibility in their lesson plans to discuss relevant things happening in the world.

THE EXPRESS STAFF EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Natasha Vyhovsky

BUSINESS MANAGER Madison Graves

REPORTERS

Olivia Baird

Lauren Fischer Eden Kurr Gabe Swartz Xiqing Wang Kaitlyn Noon Brandon Fagen

FEATURE EDITOR

PHOTOGRAPHERS

PRINT EDITOR

Laney Breidenthal

ONLINE EDITOR

PHOTO EDITOR Emily Staples

Justin Lehtinen Jack Oxley TJ Vore Nicky Lentsch

OPINION EDITOR

ARTIST

PUZZLE EDITOR

ASSISTANT ADVISER

Avery Mojica

Kimberly Hillstock

SPORTS COORDINATOR

ADVISER

Emma Bruce

Ayesha Vishnani

Morgan Lewis

Abdul Qaddour

Jim McCrossen

CHIEF WRITER Claudia Chen

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Striking a new chord

by Brandon Fagen BVNW Chorale and Chamber Singers practice and perform custom-made pieces from professional composers.

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ll at once the halls of Northwest are filled with sound.

Students sitting in nearby classrooms listen to the music, being practiced by BVNW’s top choir.

The BVNW Chamber Singers rehearse their music in the atrium during sixth hour. All the choirs normally use music that has been previously performed, but according to senior Daniel Huynh, a chambers and Chorale singer, the two groups are practicing pieces that have never been heard before. “[The composers] basically just write songs for us,” Huynh said.

“That’s what a commissioned piece is. We will be the premiering choir whenever those go public, and we will be the choir that everyone will hear.”

Two of this year’s commissioned pieces, “Where You are Quiet”

by Connor J. Koppin and “Babel” by Z. Randall Stroope, are being premiered at the spring concert March 28. “Ranpono” by Sydney Guillaume, premiered at the Kauffman Center March 8. “[The Southwest ACDA conference] is a conference that they only invite three high school choirs [to] from a seven state region, including Texas and Oklahoma. From my knowledge, this is the first time a Blue Valley school has been selected,” choral director Kevin Coker said.

Professional composer Sydney Guillaume, the composer of “Ranpono,” said his journey of composing a piece starts when a choir contacts him with interest. He said he works with his father in the beginning stages on the title and the text for the piece, and he always tries to go with the format the school asks for.

“When I was commissioned to write this piece, they asked me for a piece that would be the final piece of their program,” Guillaume said. “It would have to be an energetic upbeat type of piece, and with that in mind we had to come up with something that would be like a text that would fit that.”

According to Guillaume, the rest of the process of writing

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Choral director Kevin Coker conducts Chorale through “Where You are Quiet” by composer Connor J. Koppin.

Koppin’s piece is one of two commissioned pieces for Chorale, both to be performed publicly for the first time March 28 (photo

by Jack Oxley).

“Ranpono” required editing and collaborating with Coker to make “There is a moment that happens with every piece when you the piece fit the Chamber Singers as well as possible. Guillaume realize that you are the first group to ever make this sound,” said he worked with Coker on making changes, and he went to Coker said. visit the choir to see their progress and make minor edits.

According to senior Sean Doyle, also a member of Chorale “That’s one thing I always like to do is send the progress of the and Chambers, commissioned pieces can present unexpected piece to the conductor,” Guillaume said. “I am writing this piece challenges as well. He said because there are no choirs to model specifically for their choir. I want to make sure that we are both on from, it makes the piece much more challenging to learn, and it the same page, and they are liking what I am doing.” requires certain methods, like splitting into groups and learning Coker said this process of editing and working directly with the the parts separately. composer is something very unique with “[With normal pieces], there are recordings commissioned pieces. He said these pieces I HAVE WORKED WITH MANY of the pieces that you can listen to...,” Doyle said. are more personal, because unlike other DIFFERENT HIGH SCHOOLS, BUT “[From these] you can tell what it sounds like, but pieces, these pieces are written specifically WITH THIS, I FELT LIKE I WAS AT also what kind of tone is supposed to be used for for his choir.

A UNIVERSITY... THE LEVEL THAT the piece and also how things are balanced. When “To think that this is specifically tailored KEVIN TEACHES THEM IS ALMOST the piece is brand new, there will be none of that, to our sounds, that they listened to us and LIKE A UNIVERSITY LEVEL CHOIR, so you will be the defining recording, so you have then wrote something that would fit our to figure all of that out first.”

IF NOT BETTER. group, kind of does add that special angle Despite this challenge, Huynh said -composer Sydney Guillaume that this is personal.” Coker said. commissioned pieces are well worth it.

Guillaume said that so far he is very “I just like being the first to do something,” happy with the way things are going with his piece, and he feels Huynh said. “Being the first to do something kind of boosts my very lucky the BVNW choirs chose him. ego, it’s a good feeling knowing that ‘Hey, my choir will be out “The level of singing at the school is top notch,” Guillaume there for everyone to hear... it is good to know that people will be said. “I have worked with many different high schools, but with modeling their choirs after us.’” this I felt like I was at a university... they have excellent work ethic and they are so focused. The level that Kevin teaches them is almost like a university level choir, if not better.”

Coker said the pieces are also unique because of the experience students get from singing a song that has never been sung before.

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The Doll Evolves

Mattel added three body types, tall, curvy and petite, to their “Original” Barbie doll line as a part of their new campaign, The Evolution of Barbie.

BVNW students and staff reflect on their experiences with Barbie dolls and how Barbie’s inclusion of a wider variety of body types will impact society.

by Xiqing Wang and Morgan Lewis

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little girl browsed the aisles until she reached the section holding boxes of dolls, decorated in pink and glitter. These dolls were Barbie dolls - figurines with perfectly straight blonde hair, blue eyes and tanned skin. With her dark brown, curly hair, hazelgreen eyes and pale skin, junior Analeigh Harris said she could never find a Barbie doll that she fully identified with.

“I know that there’s never been a doll that looks like me, and it doesn’t matter what skin color you have or anything,” Harris said. “Everyone is really unique unless you look very stereotypical of some sort of a race, which is very uncommon these days.”

Recently, Mattel launched a new campaign, The Evolution of Barbie, with their 2016 Fashionistas line, adding three new body types to the “Original” doll: tall, curvy and petite.

The Barbie doll has been in circulation since 1959. From its first invention to modern day, Barbie has undergone many changes to their line of dolls, adding more ethnicities, hair styles and career options. However, the body changes are the newest additions to the line.

Harris played with and owned a collection of Barbie dolls from the age of four to the age of nine. She said despite her large collection, she never felt there was a Barbie doll that fully represented her.

“I did find myself looking at the Barbie and thinking ‘Well, I wish I could comb through my hair. I wish I could wear these clothes and look this way and be this perfect,’” Harris said.

Harris said body image is something that begins early in life, but children begin to realize the diversity of body types for themselves as they mature. She said kids will compare themselves to the dolls when playing with them, something that she did during her childhood. However, Harris said the production of new Barbie dolls expose kids to a variety of shapes and sizes.

REbeL sponsor Carolyn Potter said the addition of new Barbie dolls aligns with REbeL’s ideals to a certain extent; however, she said Mattel’s changes still focus on looks.

“REbeL is really about being who you are despite your looks and trying to be healthy, not look a certain way,” Potter said. “Yes, I do think that the inclusion of different models, different hair colors, skin colors, eye colors is much more inclusive and representative of

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1959

1970

our society, and really REbeL is here to bring to life the fact that we do all look different.”

Junior Jake Hansen, a member of REbeL, said positive body image encompasses knowing that being “perfect” is not necessarily the healthiest option. He said rather than trying to change in order to fit a certain image, people should just try to be healthy.

While changes are being made to the Barbie doll, there are yet to be changes to the Ken doll.

“I don’t think changes to the Barbie doll and not to the Ken doll will affect males, necessarily,” Hansen said. “And I think the fact that Barbie and Ken are primarily girl-based toys, relating to girls is more important.”

Sophomore Max Wagoner, who has an eight-year-old sister, said he thinks the lack of change in the Ken dolls is due to more focus on the body image of girls.

“I think [Mattel doesn’t] get as much pressure about changing the guys, too,” Wagoner said. “Everyone is focused on how stereotypes aren’t right about the bodies and people are mainly toward the female gender, not really toward guys.”

While the dolls are starting to have variety, Harris said even with diversification of the Barbie doll line, there will never be a doll resembling every individual.

“You can’t have an exact, accurate

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1990 representation of everyone unless you took each person that wanted to buy one and created a doll that looks just like them,” Harris said. “That would cost a lot of money, so to make things wholesale, you have to create a stereotypical doll of a certain culture they feel is a norm.”

Although Harris said she believes Mattel will never be able to truly represent everyone, she said the new dolls are more realistic and will affect perceptions of body image in a positive manner.

“They’re making it easier for people to find things they like about themselves and making it less demanding to look a certain way,” Harris said. “There’s different body types now. They’re not going to be genetically accurate to everyone, but it provides variety, and that’s a good thing.”

Five-year-old Gabriella Neilson, senior Kayla Conner’s little sister, said she has never owned a Barbie that looks like her and wishes she could find a Barbie that resembles her.

Neilson said she has an American Girl doll that looks like her, and due to this resemblance, she thinks it is more fun to play with it than with Barbie dolls.

Conner said she knows as Neilson grows up, she will start to be affected by societal standards of beauty, and the thought of that saddens her.

“With Gabriella, she doesn’t really understand body image right now,” Conner said. “But I think as she gets older, she’s going to see a difference, and once she can comprehend it more, she’ll appreciate the different body types for Barbies a lot more.”

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2000 Harris said people tend to try to conform to societal norms, and society’s definition of beauty and perfection, at least in America, is represented in the blonde hair and blue-eyed individual.

She said these standards of beauty can be detrimental to both children and adults’ perceptions of themselves. Harris said the changes Mattel is making to their doll collection is a step in changing these societal standards.

“Kids are going to want to come to conclusions based on what they see,” Harris said. “And what I saw was that blonde and skinny [were] perfect [features], and that harmed me and that still harms people today. The new Barbies will help kids in the sense that they’ll see dolls that are at least more like them or people that they know.”

2010

2016

Barbie’s Measurements vs.

Real Woman’s Measurements Barbie's Average Measurements* (inches)

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20

Real Woman's Average Measurements (inches)

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10

20

30

Head Neck Bust Biceps Forearms Wrist Waist Hips Thigh Calf Ankle *Meaurements if Barbie was a real woman

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Harms’ hold on BVNW

by Emma Bruce

Athletic Director Steve Harms has been part of the staff since the school opened in 1993. Harms is retiring at the end of the school year. Members of the BVNW community share how he has impacted them and left a lasting influence on their lives.

Above: Steve Harms poses for Volume 1 of BVNW’s yearbook (photo provided by the 1994 Horizon).

Right: Retiring Athletic Director Steve Harms (far left) poses with three football coaches (John Reichart, Tom Byers and Tenny Dewey) and two of his former players, Josh Looney (bottom left) and Kevin Koss (bottom right), for the 2001 Mo-Kan All-Star football game (photo courtesy of Mike Looney).

H

e recalls the first day like it was a fresh sheet of snow - no footprints to follow, no legacy to live up to.

Athletic director Steve Harms has been part of the BVNW staff since the school opened in 1993 and plans to retire after the end of the 2015-2016 school year. Harms said he is turning 60, which aided his decision to move on to the next phase of his life.

“My wife has been retired going on two years now, and so we’ve discussed mine and I just wasn’t ready last year,” Harms said.

“Working through the first semester, it just kind of dawned on me now might be a good time.”

Harms was first hired as the head football coach and said starting the program was one of the greatest joys in his life. He said he had a dream of increasing the school’s exposure as well as the importance of athletics.

“We knew nobody knew who Blue Valley Northwest was, and we had a vision of making us a household name and making sure that athletics were the other half of the educational experience,”

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Harms said. “Then, in 2001, moving into administration, [I had] a little different role. [I began] coaching coaches now and helping coaches have the best possible program they can have.”

Principal Amy Murphy said Harms’ biggest impact has been reminding the staff of the importance of educating students in many ways, like activities outside of school. She said this is the principle the founding faculty set for the school.

“The seven hours are important, but the extracurricular activities are just as important in getting kids involved and connected to their school,” Murphy said.

“That was something that the people who started this building... were very passionate about, making sure that we always focused on the whole kid and athletics, activities, academics go hand in hand with each other... and I think he keeps us grounded in remembering that founding principle of the building.”

2001 graduate Josh Looney, one of Harms’ former athletes, said Harms left a huge impact on him and helped him achieve his goal of playing football in college. He said he compares all coaches to

the traits Harms has.

“His characteristics are what makes successful coaches and helps create successful people...” Looney said. “I carry lessons that I’ve learned from coach Harms and just reflect on his nature every single day of my professional career today. He’s had a lifelong impact on me. I’ll always be grateful to coach Harms.”

Looney is the director of athletics at East Stroudsburg University. He said Harms sparked his passion for college athletics, which later influenced his career choice.

“I was fortunate enough to get a scholarship to play college football after playing for coach Harms and the Huskies, and I think that’s what started my passion for college athletics and athletic programs and those kinds of things,” Looney said.

“But definitely coach Harms was the one that instilled those values of teamwork and moving forward as one. He definitely was a big piece of setting the stage and beginning my career probably before I even knew it.”

Looney said he sees Harms’ influence in his career daily. “[What] I’m looking to hire in a coach are people like coach Harms, people that are

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Athletic director Steve Harms stands next to soccer coach Rick Pribyl as Harms is inducted into the BVNW Hall of Fame Feb. 19. Harms is the 14th person in the history of BVNW to be inducted since its creation in 1995 (photo by Jack Oxley).

fair, yet they are able to command respect, but their players like to play for them,” Looney said. “More importantly, they have a family feel for the athletic program, so I’m looking for the same value in my head coaches that coach Harms has, so he’s kind of one of the measuring sticks that I look for in coaches that lead our college’s sports team.”

I CARRY LESSONS THAT I’VE LEARNED FROM COACH HARMS...EVERY SINGLE DAY OF MY PROFESSIONAL CAREER TODAY. HE’S HAD A LIFELONG IMPACT ON ME. I’LL ALWAYS BE GRATEFUL TO COACH HARMS. -2001 graduate Josh Looney Woods teacher and baseball coach Darren Masten said he met Harms when the school opened. He said his first impression of Harms was that Harms was a leader.

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“It’s not just about the kids he works with; he’s not just trying to teach them what they need to know in whatever area he’s working with them, but he’s constantly teaching his coaches, and I’ve seen him do that as a head football coach [and] as an athletic director,” Masten said.

“When I think of the word ‘leader,’ I see Steve Harms.”

Looney said Harms has a genuine love for the school and was able to develop programs he has been a part of to be the best in the state.

“It’s been 15 years since I graduated high school, and we still tell coach Harms stories,” Looney said. “I told one at a wedding where I was the best man and the old quarterback was getting married, so he’s one of those guys that just connects with people and truly has a passion for the school.”

Murphy said the biggest difference resulting from Harms’ absence next year will be the loss of knowledge he has memorized but is not recorded anywhere else.

“You can go and ask him [a question about athletics] and he just knows [the answer]...” Murphy said. “That’s going to be

the hardest part [of him leaving BVNW]...

I’m sure we’re going to be calling him a lot asking him [questions].”

Masten said he thinks Harms will be remembered differently depending on the person. “[I will remember him as] a man who deeply cared about this school, a man who cared about his students for sure, but he took that a step farther,” Masten said.

“There was never a time that you didn’t understand how he thought about you and how he cared about your job and you being successful. I think he, I can’t speak for him, but I think he had great joy seeing other people succeed around him that he had mentored or been a part of their young lives.”

Harms said he does not plan to move away after retirement and hopes to maintain a relationship with BVNW after leaving.

“I can’t imagine a Friday and Saturday without going to a ball game, so I sure hope I can just continue to do that and be able to see a lot of people up here and keep our friendships alive,” Harms said.

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Perspectives Photos of Husky life

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2.

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3.

1. Junior Marshall Hillman sands his bookshelf during his fifth hour woods class with teacher Don Gustafson. Hillman worked on the bookshelf for three weeks and has since completed it (photo by Justin Lehtinen).

2. Senior Danny Lynch fixes the periodic table modeled by cereal boxes in the 300 hallway. Lynch is a teacher aide for science teacher Taylor Hogan, who implemented this project for the first time this year. “This project provides students a way to visualize the periodic table, which helps when learning its properties,” Lynch said (photo by Justin Lehtinen).

3. Physics teacher Todd Petersen answers a question as a part of REbeL’s men’s panel March 1. Petersen and five male students answered questions on men’s body image and other topics asked by members of REbeL. “I think it was trying to get a male perspective on something that within this school is largely just a female focus,” Petersen said (photo by Jack Oxley).

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4. 5.

6.

4. Sophomore Darene Essa traces letters on a poster at the Relay for Life table during lunch March 1. Essa and other students were selling luminarias that students decorate with current, former or deceased cancer patients’ names.

The luminarias were lit at Relay for Life March 4. “We are selling these bags where people can pay five dollars and decorate them in honor of someone who died from cancer or is battling cancer at the time or survived cancer,” Essa said (photo by Jack Oxley).

5. Freshman Emma Blohm centers a photograph to be mounted in art teacher John Butcher’s fifth hour Photo

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1 class March 1. Blohm’s photograph of roses was for a project focused on texture. “I liked it because it was our first opportunity to take photos by ourselves; I liked being able to take the photos,” Blohm said (photo by Jack Oxley).

6. Senior and drum major Peter Hartman conducts the Dawghouse Band during a basketball game against Blue Valley West Feb. 19. Hartman has been a drum major of the marching band and Dawghouse Band since the fall of 2014.

“I love being able to be a part of the basketball games and getting some pride and spirit for the school,” Hartman said (photo by Jack Oxley).

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7.

8.

7. Junior Mary Andrade and Sophmore Erin Cocjin work on the “Identifying an Unknown Oxide” lab during their fifth hour Chemistry class taught by Michaelyn Podany. “I was hoping that the lab would go smoothly becuase ours looked diffrent than everyone else’s,” Andrade said. This lab was a three-day lab conducted by all chemistry classes (photo by Nicky Lentsch).

8. Head girls varsity basketball coach Brian Bubalo coaches his players during a game Feb. 12 aganist Bishop Miege. The team lost 50-54 in overtime (photo by Nicky Lentsch).

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What makes us clique

by Abdul Qaddour and Madison Graves Psychologically, humans tend to drift toward those with similar personalities.

Psychology teacher Tenny Dewey said this can result in cliques seen among BVNW students, which can be reassuring for some but can lead to isolation for others.

“W

alking in on my first day was honestly like a jungle.

Just seeing everyone and not recognizing a single face...it’s just the most terrifying experience.”

Junior Danielle Dalton came to BVNW as a sophomore after attending her freshman year at Shawnee Mission South. Dalton said the cliques at BVNW were much more prominent than those she witnessed at SMS. Two cliques that have formed in the senior class, dubbed “Alpha” and “ Beta,” began around the summer before the 20152016 school year, senior Connor Hall said. “ The cliques really began to form summer going into our senior year,” Hall said. “ I personally do it because I like to surround myself around people, one, who treat me with respect, and two, that I can relate with and have good talks with and have fun with.”

It is human nature to drift toward those with similar interests, backgrounds and social status, psychology teacher Tenny Dewey said. It is something that has existed in high schools through

nearly every generation. Licensed Clinical Therapist Theresa Couture said that humans are prone to draw toward others with similar interests and personality types. “ I think young adolescents are drawn toward people similar to themselves or people that they want to be around,” Couture said. “ I think there’s some belongingness [desire toward cliques].

Your interests are similar to mine and you understand me...you’re validating me, these people get me.”

Dewey said there are two main factors that lead to the formation of a clique: similarities and proximity.

“A social psychologist would say, the old saying ‘Opposites attract,’ they don’t agree with that,” Dewey said. “ Proximity has a big impact on who we’re most apt to be attracted to and then the other major factor is similarities; do we have similar personalities? Similarities in faiths, similarities in hobbies, wherever you want to take that similarity.”

The theory known as Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, created by psychologist Abraham Maslow, theorizes humans’ psychological needs that must be fulfilled to reach self-actualization and true happiness. The third level, of the six-level pyramid of

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs SELF-ACTUALIZATION NEEDS

living up to our full potential, personal growth, being self-aware

ESTEEM NEEDS

accomplishment, independence, recognition, competence

LOVE AND BELONGING NEEDS SAFETY NEEDS PHYSIOLOGICAL NEEDS

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friendship, romantic relationships, family, affection, acceptance physical safety, financial security, staying healthy, safe shelter food, water, breathing, sleep, homeostasis

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Above: The “Alphas” pose together.

“The general characteristic of people in Alpha are people who are going to enjoy the weight room,” senior Connor Hall said (photo courtesy of Connor Hall).

Right: The “Betas” pose together outside of BVNW. For senior Connor Mathes, relationships in Beta formed over time, around “people you have the most similarities with,” (photo courtesy of Connor Mathes). needs, is social. Dewey said social belongingness is crucial to selfactualization.

“Abraham Maslow...would say one of the needs we humans have is love and belongingness needs as we attempt to achieve our self-actualization, that we become all that we can be,” Dewey said.

“Is there at least one person, at least one person I can let my hair down around and just act like me being myself around? Is there one person I know that accepts me just the way I am, warts and all?

Maybe that’s more apt to grab me.”

Just like many other high schools all around the world, BVNW is no exception to the social division formed by cliques. Dalton said her experience at BVNW is much different from her experience at SMS. “I would say that the people are nice, but they’re nice to your face...it never goes beyond them saying hi to you in class, and people don’t ever really make an effort to try and include people,” Dalton said. “I’ve never really belonged to just one group of people, which never really ever hurt me when I went to South, but here it just prevented me from ever making close relationships with people.”

Couture said there are both advantages and disadvantages to cliques, depending on the level to which the clique incorporates going outside of the clique itself.

“Let’s say your interests bring you to the same people all the time and you feel accepted by that too, so you’re around people who understand you, so that’s an advantage,” Couture said. “I think it gets dangerous when you can’t see outside that, when you’re ignoring everything else outside of just the people.”

Senior Connor Mathes said cliques in high school tend to form

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over time. Mathes said the two “Alpha” and “Beta” cliques began to form around the end of freshman year and the beginning of sophomore year. Mathes said that he would characterize Beta as people who are genuinely caring in their friendships, but also intelligent and goal-oriented for the future.

“I would say that some events have transpired over the years... that have made people realize who their real friends are and who they’re closer with,” Mathes said. “I think if you find those people that you have the most similarities with and people you are going to get along with better, then those are people you should drift toward.”

Dalton agreed that people tend to form their groups toward the beginning of high school, and the groups tend to stick. However, Dalton said she also observed how high schoolers in one area and a general financial class tended to view others from separate financial states and group based on that.

“When I first came here I heard so many students talk about how ghetto Shawnee Mission is...so basically I guess I’m more ‘ghetto-er’ than most kids here,” Dalton said. “I just feel like the people here hold their nose in the air compared to the people that I used to go to school with because [the people from Shawnee Mission South] came from much different backgrounds, much poorer families.”

Dewey said another contributing factor toward people forming cliques is the self esteem in high school. “[Someone with lower self esteem] might be more apt to be drawn toward more validation, if I (have) lower self esteem...maybe I need to be around people who validate how I feel about myself,” Dewey said. “[Or,] whether I feel comfortable in my own skin, with

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who I am, I don’t need to be around these other folks, I don’t need them to feel good about myself.”

In addition to self esteem as a factor to cliques, Dewey said high schoolers are often strongly concerned with the opinions of peers.

“I think, at that age range, adolescent teenage years, is when you’re more apt to be more concerned with other people’s view of you...and that leads you to more, ‘I like that group,’ ‘I want to be a part of that group,’” Dewey said. “Concern with what peers will think seems to be the strongest, I’d say, in adolescent years.”

Hall said, although the groups tend to form based on similar interest, the cliques have been beneficial for him in a variety of ways.

“The biggest thing that I’ve gotten out of [the cliques] is I’ve learned what type of people I want to surround myself with and that could be for college and that could be for the future in general,” Hall said. “Within my group, I feel like there is more diversity, in a sense, and I’m able to relate to a wider range of people.”

Whatever the reason cliques tend to form, Dewey said that a lot of times, cliques exist in high school simply to fit students’ similarities and interests in high school, but as time goes on, cliques can change as students’ interests change.

“If the similarities are so strong, then maybe that binds us together. Or...maybe I’ve grown and developed and matured a little bit and maybe the things that used to appeal to me and draw me to one group, they no longer appeal to me,” Dewey said. “Since I’ve changed, now those people who were similar to me, are different than they used to be. And I think it’s part of that maturation process.”

THE EXPRESS | ISSUE 5 | MARCH 2016

Junior Danielle Dalton stands in front of the commons during lunch, symbolizing how some students can be left out of a clique or choose not to belong to a clique (photo illustration by Justin Lehtinen).

Do you think cliques are a problem at BVNW?

Yes 48.26% No 51.74%

Do you see yourself in a clique at BVNW?

Yes 43.28% No 56.72%

Have you always been a part of the same clique?

Yes 21.39% No 52.24% Not applicable 26.37%

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Presidential path

by Claudia Chen

1. Becoming a Candidate

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ccording to the Constitution, there are three basic requirements to be eligible for president: The candidate must be a natural born U.S. citizen.

The candidate must be at least 35 years old.

The candidate must reside in the United States for at least 14 years.

2. Primaries vs. Caucuses .here are two major political parties in the U.S.: the Republican Party and the Democratic Party. Each party produces a candidate for the general election through a system of primaries and caucuses. Each party hosts a primary or a caucus in each state, Thomas said.

“A primary is an actual ballot-driven election where you just go and you cast your ballot,” Thomas said. “A caucus is a meeting where people go to a caucus site; they listen to speeches from representatives of the candidates. Then, they go ahead, and they vote - think of it as a meeting. It’s as much as a social gathering as anything else.”

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ach state has a given number of delegates that a candidate can win from the primary or caucus. On both the Republican and Democrat side, there are also unpledged delegates who may pledge themselves to a specific candidate before their state’s primary or caucus even takes place. “ On the Democrat side, they have delegates, and then there’s superdelegates; the Republicans do this too, but they don’t call it superdelegates,” senior and Political Science Club founder Nick Mauer said. “ Basically, party officials who are very up and up, very well respected... will pledge themselves to a nominee and vote a certain way, and that influences who would be the party’s nominee.”

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andidates running for federal election must file a statement of candidacy with the Federal Election Commission. “ You have to go ahead and file financial forms with the Federal Election Commission, and you have to declare your campaign committee on that financial form,” government teacher Ken Thomas said. “There are people who just declare themselves as running for president and go about their daily business and never do anything else just so they can say they ran for presidency of the United States.”

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THE EXPRESS | ISSUE 5 | MARCH 2016

Read about how the next president of the United States will be selected, from the primaries and caucuses to the general election.

3. The general Election o win the Republican presidential nomination, 1,237 delegates are needed. To win the Democratic presidential nomination, 2,383 delegates are needed.

Most of the earlier primaries and caucuses have a proportional delegation system, where the percentage of votes received aligns with the number of delegates won, Thomas said. Both parties have a convention in July to finalize who their candidate will be. “ These early states are not winner-take-all states,” Thomas said. “They are proportional states. Let’s say if you get 30 percent of the vote, you get X amount of delegates.”

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nce candidates get on the ballot for the general election, the president will be selected through the electoral college. Election day this year is Nov. 8, and each state gets two electoral votes plus at least one additional vote based on its population. In the end, the president is not selected exactly on how citizens vote; it depends on which candidate receives at least 270 electoral votes. “ Very few things in America are done directly by the people,” Mauer said. “ We elect representatives to make votes on issues for us, so that’s nothing new right there. Certain states do have laws that say [the electoral college] has to vote this way based on how the people vote, so depending on what state you’re in, your vote would be more secure than in other states.”

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THE EXPRESS | ISSUE 5 | MARCH 2016

4. Being Politically ACTIVE oth Mauer and Thomas said they think increased participation in primaries and caucuses is important to the outcome of the election.

“The primaries are where you decide who the people in the general election are going to be,” Mauer said. “It affects how the party defines itself for that election--how it rallies itself behind a president.”

Thomas said active political participation is important for the very function of the American political system.

“Without knowledgeable participation, our democracy cannot thrive,” Thomas said. “One of the major problems that we have with caucuses and primaries is that basically, the people who go and participate are the activists of the party… So what ends up happening is you end up with either the idea that in order to get nominated, you have to run to the far right or the far left. When it comes to the general election, a majority of people are in the middle, so now you have to figure out a way to move back into the center in order to get elected in November.”

Regardless of political affiliation, Mauer said he encourages students to inform themselves on both sides of issues to understand politicians better before participation.

“I would like see more voter turnout, but I think before we start encouraging more voter turnout, we need to really encourage voters to get educated,” Mauer said. “There are lots of voters who vote literally based on whose hair is better between the two candidates pictures that they see on election day. Whether they’re liberal, conservative or somewhere in between, [they should look at] both sides of the issues so they can understand both sides of the issues to make more informed choices overall.”

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Keeping the crown

by Gabe Swartz After back to back trips to the World Series and a championship title, the Kansas City Royals look to keep the crown this season.

Two BVNW students discuss how Opening Day traditions for their families continue this year.

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he Kansas City Royals will begin their title defense against the New York Mets - the same team they defeated in the 2015 World Series - April 3 at Kauffman Stadium. Despite making two straight appearances in the World Series, the Royals have still been picked to finish near the bottom of the American League Central Division by many experts.

While Royals fever hit Kansas City over the last two years, sophomore Alea Beaman said her family has owned season tickets ever since she could remember, and she has been to every Opening Day since she was two months old.

“My family is not big on traditions really other than Opening Day; it’s just something we’ve always done,” Beaman said.

Beaman’s father, Jim Beaman, said the time spent each year with his family at Kauffman Stadium makes Opening Day even more special. Jim said as season ticket holders, going to Kauffman Stadium is their family escape.

“Some people go on big vacations and travel to places, but we [go] to baseball games,” Jim said.

Despite his children getting busier over the years, Jim said his family still makes Opening Day a priority, as he has not missed an Opening Day at Kauffman since moving to Kansas City in the summer of 1994.

Although the Royals won the World Series last year, senior

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Wyatt Gaddy said he thinks the Royals can compete for another World Series title this year. Gaddy said he thinks analysts underestimate the Royals performance. “[The projections] just kind of boggle me; year after year we prove them wrong,” Gaddy said. “Going to the World Series in the last two years, we were projected to finish third in the AL Central those years, and I just think it’s kind of ridiculous. But I also kind of like how they sleep on us.”

After coming off the World Series victory last year, Beaman and Gaddy both said they have high hopes for the season and are excited to see different things this year. After losing starting pitcher Johnny Cueto and second baseman Ben Zobrist to the draft, Gaddy said he is interested in seeing how the Royals will adapt and mesh together as a team again this season, while Beaman said she is interested in seeing how the city responds to the recent success this season.

“Having that championship has allowed the city to rally around [the Royals],” Beaman said. “To see everybody with that [passion] and to know that they are going to have amazing support at all the games, it’s just going to be high energy this season, and I’m really excited for it.”

The Royals’ newfound confidence after two straight years with playoff appearances is something Beaman said she thinks

THE EXPRESS | ISSUE 5 | MARCH 2016

can be good for the team in its pursuit of another playoff bid. Beaman said the winning culture created in the past two years will bring a good arrogance to the team, and the Royals will be pushed by the desire of other teams to defeat them.

“We are the team to beat; every team that is going to come into contact with us is going to want to absolutely beat the crap out of us,” Beaman said. “I think with the team that we have together going into this season we are definitely capable of getting pretty far.”

The success of the Royals is something Gaddy said has shown other teams in Major League Baseball (MLB) that the Royals are not a team to mess with.

“I think the first year we went to the World Series people were aboard the bandwagon because we were the small market team against a powerhouse of the Giants and the fights with [pitcher] Yordano Ventura and whomever else - it kind of showed that we’re here to stay and we can really contend with the bigger teams, the bigger markets,” Gaddy said. “I think people jumped off the bandwagon and realized these guys are for real.”

With the recent success of the Royals, Jim Beaman said there is a noticeable difference in the atmosphere at Kauffman in the past couple of years.

“Everybody always went to Opening Day, but the second day of the season, you might have 5,000 people out there,” Jim said. “Now you have 40,000 people out

there. I think the biggest difference is that it’s cool to be a Royals fan now; when the kids were growing up it wasn’t necessarily the cool thing to be a Royals fan.”

Gaddy said he thinks the Detroit Tigers will be the Royals biggest challenge in their division, and he could see a potential American League Championship rematch from 2015 against the Toronto Blue Jays, with the winner going against the Los Angeles Dodgers from the National League to the World Series.

Both Gaddy and Beaman agreed that the Royals decision to re-sign left fielder Alex Gordon was a key move in making another run to the playoffs this season. Beaman said Gordon was one of her favorite players ever since he began with the Royals.

Beaman said she thinks it is difficult to make predictions before the season begins, but she would love to see another championship coming back to Kansas City.

“There’s just so many factors that it’s too difficult to predict now, but of course I would love another championship on our hands if we can get it,” Beaman said.

Senior Wyatt Gaddy (third from the right in the top row) cheers for the Royals during the 2015 American League Division Series with a group of his friends from BVNW. The Royals won the series 3-2 over the Texas Rangers to advance to the American League Championship Series against the Toronto Blue Jays (Photo courtesy of Wyatt Gaddy).

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ENTERTAINMENT

CROSSWORD

by Avery Mojica

Title: Misinterpretations

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THE EXPRESS | ISSUE 5 | MARCH 2016

CROSSWORD CLUES ACROSS

1. Stove top item 4. Sacha Baron ___ (“Borat” actor) 9. Soccer star Mia ___ 13. Embryo location 17. “Many moons ___” 18. She met the Mad Hatter 19. Antioxidant berry 20. Dog in “Garfield” comics 21. Person who takes up too much turf? (2 words) 23. Overnight lodging options 24. Very long periods 25. Flotsam and Jetsam, in “The Little Mermaid” 26. Palindromic texting phrase 27. Complimentary offering during the week before a school dance? (2 words) 29. Cenozoic ___ 31. Product with an Air model 33. Oolong or Earl Grey 34. Crete-born artist with a Spanish nickname (2 words) 38. Most common element in rust 40. Easily 44. “War and Peace” author Tolstoy 45. Possible gift for a basketball player? (2 words) 48. Actress Witherspoon 49. Take for one’s own use 51. Call from a tennis official 52. Large lump of gum

54. Making out in public, e.g.

55. Third-largest ocean 57. “Buenos ___!”

60. Parts of many “Dear Santa” letters 63. Formulating new sovereign nations?

68. Point in question 69. Stitched line on a baseball 70. Delphi prophet 71. Former Florida Governor ___ Bush 73. The highest possible degree 75. “This Is Spinal ___” 77. Classical lyric poem 78. Last Greek letter 81. Knocking down all the pins without touching the lanes? (2 words) 85. Held first place 86. Transporting, in a way 88. Soccer great who scored 1,281 goals 89. Containers on a counter, maybe (2 words) 91. Flirty cartoon Betty ___ 93. Mongrel dogs 95. Air travel protection org.: Abbr.

96. Piece of pasta cooked in a large water basin? (2 words) 100. Fez or fedora 102. Slurpee alternative

SUDOKU

by Avery Mojica

THE EXPRESS | ISSUE 5 | MARCH 2016

39. Just off the assembly line 41. Pop brand originally called “Brad’s Drink” 42. Hallucinatory stuff 43. Parliamentary vote 46. Force-ful knight?

47. River on the China/North Korea border 50. Fruit-filled desserts 53. Fred and Wilma’s pet 56. Request from Mad Libs 58. It goes up annually 59. What players do at the start of a game of tag 61. Actress Meryl and family 62. Golf hazard 64. Org. for animal rights 1. One of 1,037 in the first edition of 65. Actor ___ Sharif 66. Senior citizen Gone With The Wind 67. Navel orange’s lack 2. Shrek, e.g.

71. Occupation 3. Axe or drill 72. Bird that can run at 30 miles 4. Red Bull serving per hour 5. “Arsenic and ___” (Broadway 74. ___-hop performance) 76. Indy 500 service area 6. Greeting from Kermit the Frog 7. Bacteria that gave Chipotle trou- 79. Gizzards 80. Author unknown: Abbr. ble in 2015 82. Wash again 8. Opposite of pos.

83. Turn on a pivot 9. Afros and buns, e.g.

10. It may get Photoshopped out in 84. Playful young cats 87. Search engine once called school photos “Backrub” 11. Monet’s contemporary 90. Monopoly space that says “Just 12. Feels nostalgia for 13. Melodramatic lament (3 words) Visiting” 92. Word before bear or vortex 14. It might be fishy?

94. County, in Britain 15. ___ Cooper (car) 16. Word in many Oscar categories 96. Magic dragon of song 97. Triple-stacked snack 22. One enjoying Wi-Fi 98. Eye wolfishly 27. “M*A*S*H” actor Jamie ___ 99. Place where people might cut 28. A three-of-a-kind beats it the cheese?

30. Bowling shoes or skates, often 101. Square yardage 32. Tart containers (2 words) 103. Garfield and Sylvester 34. Legendary Spanish hero (2 104. Lake near Niagara Falls words) 105. “Harry Potter” actress ___ 35. Sierra ___ (African republic) Watson 36. Positive feelings (2 words) 108. Jack Sprat couldn’t eat it 37. Nocturnal bird 109. Satisfied one’s hunger 106. Sudden impulse 107. TV musical comedy that ended in 2015 108. Give the pink slip to an alert system? (2 words) 110. Covering on a billiards table 111. Name for the yellow Teletubby 112. “___ you ashamed?”

113. “The Nightmare Before Christmas” director ___ Burton 114. The Joker and Penguin, to Batman 115. “___ go bragh!”

116. Poke fun at 117. Word before level or weed

DOWN

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Opinion Self love vs. self destruction

“ I’m on a seafood diet. I see food and I eat it.” “ Confidence will make you happier than any diet ever will.”

“All I care about is pizza.”

These types of posts encouraging unhealthy eating as a form of “ self love” have gained popularity lately among social media outlets like Twitter and Tumblr.

by Emma Bruce

Although self love is never negative, there can be bad ways to go about achieving this self love. Taking this attitude to the extreme promotes an even unhealthier lifestyle than unreasonable focus on health.

This culture uses self love as an excuse to ignore healthy decisions which results in detrimental consequences.

However, I don’t think self love should be used as an excuse to completely forget about making healthy choices. Calorie counting is destructive to self esteem, but that doesn’t mean the opposite is better.

Self love means not feeling bad for eating cake and it also means not eating cake for every meal. There is a thin line between helpful and harmful when it comes to diet and body positivity.

Your body is your temple. You have to

Growing further than the STEM From an early age, I was encouraged to pursue a career in math or science. For my mom, a degree in medicine would be ideal.

My dream? Journalism.

Yes, the fields of science, technology, engieneering and math (STEM) and anything related are powerful and promising. The security of six-digit salaries and distinguished titles is alluring, and for others, it is a genuine match and passion.

But why do fields in the opposite realm garner a silent disapproval?

Why do administrations champion STEM paths over those of the liberal arts?

Most of all, why do I feel a need to defend my passion as an intellectual pursuit?

Both private and public institutions are reporting less funding and a decline in humanities majors. Between 1996-2010, bachelor’s degree completions in the humanities dropped by nearly half, according to the U.S. Department of Education. Even more, the majority of students who initially planned to major in humanities end up in other fields.

States are perpetuating this crisis by

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providing incentives to public universities in turn for steering students to fields seen as “ important to the economy.” According to National Conference of State Legislatures, 15 states provide a bonus for select high-demand majors. In Kansas, public colleges are required to fulfill three indicators in order to maintain funding, one of which is: “Meeting the Needs of the Kansas Economy.” Under this indicator is “ Percent of certificates and degrees awarded in STEM fields.” Money talks, and STEM has what the government wants.

However, science journalist John Horgan highlights the theory that humanities are “ subversive;” they allow one to question claims within scientific structure. Where sciences provide “ answers [and] truth,” humanities provide “ uncertainty, doubt and skepticism.”

Charles Darwin - renowned scientist and mind behind the theory of evolution?

His final exam scores in college yielded higher results in topics such as Locke and political philosophy than mathematics, and science. Darwin was known to pore

treat it in a way of worship. The only way to get good things out of it is to put good things in it. Your body can’t function if it isn’t getting what it needs. Beyond that, there is something so rewarding about knowing you are doing the best for your body. You can build up the idea that you love yourself, but if you don’t treat yourself well, it isn’t true love.

If your healthiest state means you’re a few sizes larger than most would think is healthy, embrace that about yourself. Do not, however, tell yourself you aren’t going to the gym because you’re comfortable enough in your own skin to skip. Working out is a key factor of good health and a great opportunity to spend time worshiping your body and yourself.

by Ayesha Vishnani

over philosophical literature and engage in political debates; he is now the most widely translated scientist in history.

If an improved economy is the target, humanities are still essential to foster skills demanded by employers. Employers rated verbal communication as the most important skill, according to the National Association of Colleges and Employers Job Outlook 2016 report. There is a demand for confident expression - a skill fostered through a knowledge of the humanities.

Rather than pitting one side against the other, it is crucial that students and institutions are encouraged to value both sides of the equation - whether the equation is presented through words or numbers.

THE EXPRESS | ISSUE 5 | MARCH 2016

Staff editorial

New unit: the world

One of the worst terrorist attacks of our high school existence happened this year - it was also the worst in Europe in 11 years. On a Friday, terrorists attacked various public locations in Paris, murdering 130 people and injuring hundreds more.

The next Monday, teachers taught us vocabulary, lectured on finding the slope of a line and gave quizzes over chapters of our history books. With the exception of a few classrooms, lessons carried on as planned, and students continued to learn “ beyond expectations” without the opportunity to discuss what was happening in our world.

If we hope for BVNW students to change the world, they need to understand it first.

At the start of this year, in the height of media coverage on the Syrian Refugee Crisis, Spanish teacher Heather Martens’ AP Spanish class began a unit called “ Children of the World.” The objective of the unit is the same as it is every year: to discuss the disadvantages, lifestyles and problems facing youth in other countries. Martens saw an opportunity to talk about the refugee crisis as it was happening, and in doing so, she informed her students on something very real in the world and gave an outlet for students to understand it.

Imagine how intelligently students could speak about the world if we talked about things happening outside our bubble instead of pretending they don’t exist. We have certain curriculum that has to be covered, but we can cover it while acknowledging world issues. We all have to take history courses at some point in high school, but we need to be learning about the history being made today, too.

We should talk about “ Black Lives Matter” during history units about the Civil Rights movement. We should talk about Michael Brown and Trayvon Martin when we discuss racism in “ To Kill a Mockingbird” in English classes.

In upcoming years, our district plans to make a push toward project-based learning: a goal to move away from strictly textbook learning. The district hopes these changes will better prepare us for the “ real world,” and this is a step in the right direction. However, we need teachers to be more willing to tailor their lesson plans to implement real-world connections.

Additionally, students must take some initiative and educate ourselves about important events in the news in order to have such discussions.

Sticking to rigid lesson plans does not allow us to gain a deeper understanding of how our world works. Learning about our world in tandem with our lessons would make us more productive members of society. And, after all, isn’t that the fundamental goal of high school?

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THE EXPRESS | ISSUE 5 | MARCH 2016

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