The Express - October 2014

ThE ExprEss .

volume 22 | issue 2 | october | blue valley Northwest high school

Henna Read about the cultural impact of henna and how junior Reeva DatĂŠ shares her passion for designing it with her friends Page 12

Contents

4 Above: Junior Emma Brightwell prepares her horse, Marvin, for a riding lesson (photo by Aggie Cain).

Cover: Junior Reeva DatĂŠ practices different henna designs on junior Katie Meier (photo by Emily Staples).

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Galloping through generations

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Making changes, moving ahead A successful season for girls golf begins with a coaching change and ends with placing second in both EKL and regionals followed by a trip to state.

Profanity: transforming language Profanity is a common form of expression at BVNW, but according to teachers and students there are a variety of effects associated with its use.

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Design on hand Henna is not only a fashion trend but there is a deeper cultural meaning behind it.

Gearing up for girls Only 18 to 20 percent of engineering majors are female. Find out how students and teachers are affected by this social divide.

the express | OctOber 2014

the express staff

eDitor-in-Chief

Sarah Hirsch

ManaGinG eDitor

18 20 22

Bent into shape Senior Spencer Quattlebaum has been creating the Japanese art form of origami since elementary school.

Maestro in the making Senior Timothy Roberts plays several instruments and is heavily involved in BVNW’s music program.

Perspectives Student life is showcased through a variety of photos.

Ankit Kadakia

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news eDitor

Natasha Vyhovsky

says about you Junior Olivia Baird reviews traditional selfie methods and deciphers their hidden meanings.

feature eDitor

Laney Breidenthal

sPorts eDitor

Greyson Woerpel

Photo eDitor

Maddison Barley

entertainMent eDitor

entertainment Solve this issue’s crossword and Sudoku puzzles. Find the answers online at BVNWnews.com.

Zac Johnson

oPinion eDitor

Olivia Baird

Puzzle eDitor

Avery Mojica

soCial MeDia ManaGer

Claudia Chen

Business ManaGer

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Madison Graves

opinion Read student columns and the staff editorial.

rePorters

Emma Bruce Brandon Fagen Cameron Hamm Flammy Huo Morgan Lewis Ayesha Vishnani

PhotoGraPhers

The varsity football team breaks through the banner before the game against BVSW Oct. 2. The team defeated BVSW 28-10 (photo by Nicole Tenold).

Aggie Cain Hope Lancaster Jenny Lu Emily Staples Nicole Tenold Caroline Trupp

GraPhiC DesiGner

Hannah Adams

assistant aDviser

Kimberly Hillstock

aDviser

Jim McCrossen 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 Issue 2 of Volume 22.

Subscription rates are $10. The Express is printed by Osage Printing, 400 N Liberty St Independence, MO 64050.

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 | OctOber 2014

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the express | october 2014

Left: Brightwell warms up her horse, Marvin, while riding at White Fox Barn.

Right: Junior Emma Brightwell prepares her horse for riding by putting on the bridle (photos Aggie Cain).

Galloping through generations

story by Greyson Woerpel reporting by Brandon Fagen

Junior Emma Brightwell has been riding horses since the age of six and shares why she has continued with her unique hobby.

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rowing up around her sister’s horses, junior Emma Brightwell was naturally drawn to the family tradition of riding and competing horses.

Since she began riding around the age of six, Brightwell has continued to ride horses for 10 years.

Brightwell’s mother and aunt grew up riding horses and her sister took up the hobby. This eventually led Brightwell to follow in her footsteps. Brightwell said she has continued riding to improve her skills.

“I want to possibly make it an activity during college to make college less stressful,” Brightwell said. “It’s like when people go to their bedroom to read. It’s my escape.”

As a horseback rider, Brightwell spends six to seven days a week and three to four hours a day at White Fox Manor, her horse barn. She grooms and trains her horse and assists kids with the necessary steps to keep their horses in the best shape. The average training session starts with Brightwell showing the kids how to properly tack and groom the horses.

Brightwell said her favorite part of horseback riding is going to competitions.

At competitions, riders can see how other riders train differently with their horses and critique their techniques.

the express | october 2014

“[At competitions] you do the same thing you do every day but...you’re actually getting watched on how well you do and how you and your horse looks,” Brightwell said.

The Brightwell family bases their vacations around Brightwell and her sister’s horseback riding competitions.

In the last five years, Ethel said the family has vacationed around Chicago and Colorado to be near the daughters’ competitions.

“[HorsEBack ridinG] is likE WHEn pEoplE Go to tHEir BEdroom to rEad. it’s my EscapE.” -Junior Emma Brightwell

“[Horseback riding is] what we do,” Ethel said. “It just becomes what you do as a family. It brings us closer.”

Brightwell said she loved her previous horse dearly. Her old horse got to the point where she did not want to jump and could not jump as high as Brightwell’s skill level expected. Ethel said a horse rider is just like any other athlete; there is only so

much they can do if their partner or team is holding them back.

“She stuck with her,” Ethel said. “I was really proud watching her continuing to try, to keep with it. Finally she got it where she was doing OK. I’m always proud of Emma.”

Brightwell said riding has taught her to never give up because if she falls of the horse she knows it is important to get back up again. She has also learned responsibility over the years because the horse is her horse and it is her job to take care of him.

While learning new skills about how to ride the horses, Ethel said riding has taught her many life lessons.

Responsibility, time management and perseverance are very important life lessons that play a big role in horseback riding. Whenever Brightwell may fall off her horse, her mother is always there to encourage her to buck up and get back on.

“It teaches [the riders] responsibility,” Ethel said. “It’s her varsity sport. She puts as much time in it as any varsity athlete puts into it. [The horses] are members of the family. She competes and we get to watch her. We get to live through her.”

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MAKING CHANGES, MOVING AHEAD

by Zac Johnson

Government teacher Ken Thomas took the position of head golf coach at the beginning of the 2014 season and guided the team to second place victories in both EKL and Regionals.

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Above: Senior Kaleigh Ashen removes the flag as one of her teammates lines up her putt.

Right: Coach Ken Thomas gives junior Katelyn Faubion some last-minute advice (photos by Jordan Joyce).

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he varsity girls golf team experienced success throughout their season, including placing second at both EKL and regionals. Accompanied by this successful season was a change in coaching from social studies teacher Matt Christensen, to government teacher, Ken Thomas.

“I’ve always looked forward to a point in my career where I’d have an opportunity to spend more time with my kids,” Christensen said. “I love girls golf but it takes a great deal of time, and my children are at the age where they’re starting to do activities that I’d like to be a part of.”

Replacing Christensen this past July was Ken Thomas, who Christensen said was a fantastic choice.

“He has a great deal of skill at being a coach,” Christensen said. “We both share the same philosophy that coaching should really just be an extension of teaching, and most of the coaches I’ve had a chance to work with here at Northwest feel the same way.”

Thomas said he started playing golf in high school and then gradually began to play more and more as time passed.

“After I started teaching and coaching I wasn’t able to play as much,” Thomas said. “I was basically a coach of so many sports that I was coaching year-round, so my golf took a backseat for a while.”

Thomas said high school golf is a sport where it is difficult to make large strides in ability during the season

the express | october 2014

because of the length and nature of the sport.

“We basically take the girls who are tournament ready,” Thomas said, “Because there’s such a short window between when the season starts and when we begin to play tournaments.”

Christensen said while he has tried to remain supportive, he has largely taken a step back from the program.

“I’ve really just tried to let Mr. Thomas do his thing,” Christensen said. “I really just needed to give him a chance to lead his team.”

“I’VE GIVEN THE SENIORS A BIT MORE RESPONSIBILITY, AND I THINK THEY’VE ENJOYED IT” -Coach Ken Thomas Thomas said he hopes the girls are happy with the way things are and the way the season has been going.

“I think the girls were just unsure of how the whole system would work this year,” Thomas said. “I’ve given the seniors a bit more responsibility, and I think they’ve really enjoyed it.”

Senior Betsy Cha has been golfing for BVNW for four years and was a key leader on this year’s varsity team.

“This year there’s a lot more seriousness to the

the express | october 2014

team,” Cha said. “We set out goals this year, and really took the initiative to set up practices and run things.”

According to Cha, the team set goals to place in the top three at EKL, go to state and place in the top half there.

“Girls golf takes up a lot of time,” Cha said, “Sometimes there are weeks when I’ve only been in a class once.”

Despite the large time commitment, Thomas said the girls are expected to go out and work on their own because of limited practice time.

Junior varsity player Katelyn Faubion said the program will be losing four seniors this year.

“Next year we’re losing some really good seniors,” Faubion said. “We probably won’t do as well as we did this year, but there are a lot of underclassmen coming up who might do well.”

Faubion agreed with Cha and said she is happy with the way the team did this year, as they met all the goals that they set for themselves.

“This year I really tried to balance the ideas of making adjustments in people’s swings, and not overcoaching, basically just letting them use their own athletic abilities,” Thomas said.

“It makes me feel good to see the team being successful and doing good,” Christensen said. “The more success they have, the better the program will be next year because hopefully it’ll get more girls to come out.”

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MISS THE GAME?

Find photo galleries and more at BVNWnews.com Follow @bvnwnews on Twitter for sports coverage

$#!% Profanity: Transforming Language

By Cameron Hamm

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ith societal views changing in regard to the increasing prevalence of profanity in our language, especially among youth, teachers and students possess differing perspectives regarding when, if ever, profanity belongs in the school setting.

Senior Suzanna Stephenson said she believes the only purpose of profanity is to degrade the speaker and those around him or her. Stephenson said, while she frowns on profanity being used, placing restraints on behavior, like cursing, is ultimately an ineffective deterrent toward what the real issue is - respect.

“You can’t really control people,” Stephenson said. “People have to make a personal choice about using language.

Using good language shows that you respect yourself and other people.”

Social studies teacher Stephanie Heady said profanity has an appropriate place in daily language when it comes to conveying certain messages or emotions. As a debate coach, she said she understands the importance of allowing people to say what they need to say.

She said restricting what students say is sometimes worse than the problem profanity presents.

“Telling kids to stop [using profanity] isn’t going to work,” Heady said. “It’s a losing battle. [Instead], tell them when and how to use it, not restrict it.”

Heady compared language to a skill that requires practice. She said, in some situations profanity is appropriate, and in other situations, it is not.

“To an extent, there needs to some experimenting on when [profanity] is appropriate and not appropriate,” Heady said. “[Students] are experimenting. I think that’s what growing is for.”

As a teacher at BVNW, Heady said she has a responsibility to educate her students on how to function in life after high school. She said teachers should demonstrate that profanity is appropriate in certain situations and allow students room to experiment with their language to learn in which situations profanity is appropriate.

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Heady concluded that, ultimately, choice of words should be most influenced by respecting others.

“You have the right to choose what language is around you,” Heady said. “We should regulate ourselves, it’s a respect thing. Respect the right to use it, and respect the right to not want to hear it.”

Social studies teacher Matt Christensen said the reason profanity is used more often in today’s society than it was 15 years ago is possibly due to the lax social expectations. One of the reasons some would say profanity is seen as more acceptable can be traced back to the Federal Communication Commission (FCC), an agency that regulates the language used in different media outlets.

RESPECT THE RIGHT TO USE IT, AND RESPECT THE RIGHT TO NOT WANT TO HEAR IT. -Social studies teacher Stephanie Heady Christensen said the FCC has communicated to TV stations that fines or penalties for the use of profanity will be imposed much less often than they have in the past. With a lessening of the rules, Christensen said profanity is now used on television more often and at earlier time slots, reaching a larger demographic.

“There’s a big discussion on whether the attention span of Americans has continued to shrink,” Christensen said. “Americans need to have, every nine to 10 seconds, some kind of pop effect. Profanity catches your attention, especially if you’re not expecting it in that time slot.”

Christensen said with the use of profanity increasing because of society’s decreasing attention span, people use profanity primarily as a quick way to elicit a reaction out of someone. He said the increasing usage of profanity may have negative effects on language abilities. The more profanity is used, the more likely it becomes that language skills will decline as a whole.

“Usually when you use a derogatory

word or profane word, you’re trying to get across an emotional response, and so if you don’t have a very well developed emotional vocabulary or lack the ability to say what you feel, that could be part of it,” Christensen said.

While enriching one’s vocabulary can prove to be a clean substitute for profanity, Christensen said bad language will always be around in some shape, but can take different forms based on which group is using it.

“I think, historically, if you look at the use of slang, either positive or derogatory, every generation has its own words that mean something,” Christensen said.

Under the First Amendment, no law may be made prohibiting the free exercise of speech. While at first glance this amendment seems to be allowing people to say whatever piece of profanity they want, that is not always the case.

In regards to what the rules on profanity are at BVNW, administrator Steve Harms said profanity will usually first result in warnings. If the profanity usage persists and disrupts class, consequences are accelerated to a higher level.

BVNW has a standard policy and set of consequences regarding profanity.

The student handbook states that any progressive obscene language will result in Thursday school detention or either an in- or out-of-school suspension.

School resource officer Jason Hill said there is no specific statute pertaining to profanity in Overland Park. Outside of school, one could casually sling profanity without worrying about any legal ramifications from police, as long as the words do not threaten or incite aggression.

“Any language or activity that becomes threatening or harmful to other people could fall under a disorderly conduct statute,” Hill said. “As far as profanity, people can pretty much say what they want [outside of school] as long as it’s not a threat or done in a threatening manner.”

Hill said law enforcement does not have the power to arrest people for profanity directed at police.

the express | october 2014

“You can say what you want to say to me as a police officer as long as you don’t threaten me,” Hill said. “If you tell me just to ‘F’ off, [there is] not much I can do about that.”

Harms said teachers at BVNW should not use profanity.

“There’s no tolerance for a staff member to use profanity,” Harms said.

“Being a professional and dealing with kids, an adult mind should know better.”

When it comes to setting consequences, Harms said the tougher punishments do not always work, because problems such as profanity can often be traced back to home.

“We have the limited hours of one through seven,” Harms said. “If [profanity] goes home and is allowed to be used; we’re not getting support from the parents, and we can’t fix it.”

As a former coach and current athletic director, Harms said there is a difference between what language is acceptable in school and what language is acceptable on the football field.

“I think on the athletic realm there’s

some [profanity],” Harms said. “I’m not saying I condone that or I agree with it. [It’s] about knowing your audience and knowing the expectation of that audience.”

English teacher Rick Pribyl said he has been in several environments where profanity is often commonplace.

The home Pribyl grew up was full of cursing, he said, as well as the high school he attended. His profession in the Air Force never held back on expletives, and as a coach, Pribyl’s heard players and other coaches crassly express themselves.

However, Pribyl said he tries to curse as little as possible, seeing language as something to be used for better purposes.

“I’ve always felt it’s demeaning to curse in front of other people,” Pribyl said.

“I’ve never been comfortable with it. It’s just a personal choice I’ve made.”

Pribyl said his decision to refrain from profanity results from how he wants to be viewed as a teacher at BVNW and from a worry of offending other people.

“I don’t want to be known as someone who [uses profanity],” Pribyl said. “As a

97%

75%

of BVNW students said that profanity has become more socially acceptable to use at school.*

the express | october 2014

youth, I would lose respect for people who cursed a lot. I don’t want to offend other people that feel that way also.”

Pribyl said as a coach, profanity can have a negative effect on sports. He said he does not agree with coaches’ decisions to use profanity with their teams.

“I think it’s a poor substitute for language,” Pribyl said. “If you can’t come up with something more educated to say, it’s best to keep your mouth shut.”

Stephenson said while many adults expect poor language from teenagers, not following that expectation communicates a great deal of maturity.

“A lot of people expect high schoolers to [use profanity], but that doesn’t mean that we have to follow that stereotype.”

of BVNW students said that they use profanity at school.*

*based on 262 students polled during lunch Oct. 15

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Design on hand

by Morgan Lewis

Henna is not only a fashion trend around BVNW, but there is a cultural meaning behind the non-permanent tattoos.

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he cuts the tip off the bag that contains the paste and puts her thumb on the top. Pressing down slowly with precision, she transforms the black paste into an intricate form of art on the back of a hand in just half an hour. Junior Reeva Daté has been doing henna tattoos on people since she was little.

Henna, also called mehndi, is a shrub that grows in hot and dry climates. This plant produces fragrant flowers, used in perfumes since ancient times. The leaves of the plant are harvested, dried, and then turned into a fine powder. This powder is then made into a paste.

Henna is seen around BVNW on hands, but it can go on other places of the body.

Daté said it is also used on feet and the

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palms of hands.

Daté said her mother taught her how to do henna tattoos. Most girls learn at a young age and carry their skills with them for the rest of their lives.

“I started [doing henna] a really long time ago, sometime in the middle of elementary school because there were a lot of Indian functions and I’d see the moms doing it on each other,” Daté said. “I did it on my friends and we’d start with the basic flowers and smiley faces. The older I got, the more traditional designs my mom taught me and the more I practiced like that.”

Daté’s mother, Anita Daté, said learning to do henna is passed down through families. There are classes to learn, but she preferred learning from her

mother.

“It’s a tradition that is passed on through generations, so my mom taught me how to do henna, I’m teaching Reeva how to do henna,” Anita said. “I never went to a class or anything, more like a ‘I learned from my mom and she learned from her mom’ sort of thing.”

Daté said the designs she does on people are traditional Indian designs, but other students are trying out different ideas. Trends from other fashion statements are combining with henna to make something new.

“I see people doing Aztec designs; that’s cool but I like sticking to the Indian designs they use a lot,” Daté said.

“The only thing I can remember when it comes to the designs is the Vera Bradley

the express | october 2014

Above: Junior Reeva Daté puts henna on a friend while explaining the culture behind this tradition.

Right: Daté’s putting a henna design on Junior Demetra Arvanitakis’s hand.

Top Right: Daté puts sugar water on Junior Katie Meier’s henna to protect the design (Photos by Emily Staples).

with the paisleys, dots and lines.”

Junior Karly Gibbs joined in on the henna trend as well. Gibbs said henna allowed her to express herself in a way other people could see.

“You can do whatever you want, free will, but it’s on your body so it has to look good,” Gibbs said. “You don’t want to do something that doesn’t represent you.”

Henna can stay on the skin for different amounts of time. The longer the paste is on your skin, the longer the design will stay on your hand.

“The max amount you can keep the paste on is eight hours, and that’ll last approximately seven to nine days,” Daté said. “If you wanted to keep it on for three days, then you can keep the paste on for about an hour and a half.”

the express | october 2014

Henna not only decorates hands but can also be put in hair. The paste helps keep the scalp cool and gives a different tint.

“People can also put it in their hair and use it as a dye,” Daté said. “It’s brown on your hand but reddish on your hair, so if you want a really dark red tone you could put henna in.”

Along with looking fashionable, henna has health benefits as well. Daté said it wasn’t always used for decoration, but as a medicine.

“In India, it’s really hot all the time so they created this originally for medicinal purposes only, but then they realized they could make paste out of it,” Daté said. “When they discovered they could make paste, they wanted to decorate themselves. It takes the heat out of your

body, because when it’s 103 degrees in India every day, you get pretty hot. [Back in America] I remember I had a high fever and my mom put henna on both my hands. I was fine the next day.”

According to Karly Gibbs, henna is mostly just a way to have a nonpermanent tattoo, not so much about the culture. There are health benefits to henna, and it gives a little extra to an outfit.

“It’s a design that has been going on for a really long time; my mom told me some years B.C.,” Daté said. “Back then, it had major significance, but now it’s kind of lost the value and it’s become more of a fashion statement.”

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Gearing up for girls

by Ayesha Vishnani

The gender disparity present in the engineering field is reflected in the classes at BVNW. Junior Allison Meegan and teachers Karen Stohlmann and Darren Masten present their perspectives on this divide.

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Left: Juniors Surabhi Khachar and Allison Meegan work on a robot for their robotics team, the Metal Mustangs. Khachar and Meegan have been on the district-wide robotics team since freshman year.

Right: Principles of Engineering teacher Karen Stohlmann instructs her sixth hour class on how to use software to draft their pumpkins. The students are making a 3-D model of their pumpkins (Photos by Caroline Trupp).

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ut of the 15 most valuable college majors ranked by Forbes, six are variations of engineering. However, according to the American Society of Engineers, in the United States only about 18-20 percent of engineering students are women.

For junior Allison Meegan, who is planning on pursuing engineering, the fact that this divide will increase is a cause for concern.

“I don’t want to have to prove my work because I’m a woman,” Meegan said. “I want what I do to speak for itself.”

Meegan said she gained an interest in engineering after joining the robotics team at BVNW. Additionally, she took the Principles of Engineering (POE) class her sophomore year.

Meegan said the lack of women within the field of engineering was obvious the day she entered the POE class. It meant the girls had to put in extra effort, Meegan said, but it helped that there were three other girls in the class with her.

“It’s easy to doubt yourself and not go all out and sort of stay in the back and not raise your voice,” Meegan said. “I think having the other girls really

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made it more comfortable to go out of our comfort zone to learn the material.”

Meegan said the gender disparity stems from the way these two genders are perceived in society in relation with each other.

“It’s representative of the overall divide we have in our culture between what boys are supposed to do and what girls are supposed to do,” Meegan said. “And while I certainly know that it has gotten better, it’s pretty obvious that it’s still there.”

Meegan said the mentality that girls can participate only in certain activities has been consistently imposed by society.

“The girls have been enforced their whole life… [they should] only focus on writing instead of math and science which is, of course, ridiculous,” Meegan said.

POE teacher Karen Stohlmann said she has seen evidence of the divide within the number of female and male students in her classes. The greatest number of female students in a POE class was four out of a total of 24 students. She said one reason for this may be due to the boys consistently being a part of the program from the beginning and encouraging other

the express | october 2014

1 in 5 engineering students are female

male students to join the engineering class.

“I think that many of the male students I have come into the class because their friends have talked about the fun stuff that we build, and I think that it begets itself,” Stohlmann said. “That group of boys talks about the things they did and they talk about it with their friends who are also boys.”

Additionally, Stohlmann said though the skill sets of females differ from males, the females are more about the happiness of the group and are willing to give other opportunities.

“I don’t want to have to prove my work because I’m a woman. I want what I do to speak for Itself.”

-Junior allison meegan “I think that my girls often recuse themselves,” Stohlmann said. “They’ll politely let somebody else lead, politely let somebody else put their hands on it before they will, and I think that it’s a little bit to do with some demeanor.”

Stohlmann also identified the strengths and weaknesses of the girls she has in her class. She said female students often have less building experience than the male students. However, she said the female students maintain a high level of academic performance. Intro to Engineering Design teacher Darren Masten had a similar view on the skill level of females.

“The truth is…the majority of the time the girls are a little bit better at this than the guys,” Masten said.

the express | october 2014

“I think it’s because they’re more particular, they take their time, they want to get it right.”

Like Stohlmann, Masten also lacks female students in his classes. He said it could be a misconception that the class is predominantly for boys. Additionally, he said the struggle has stemmed from the beginning of the engineering program at BVNW. “I still feel like we’re fighting an uphill battle because [the girls have] got this perception of what’s going on and so they’re not even really interested in what we have to say because they think they already know,” Masten said.

A study conducted by Simmons College and the Girls Scouts of Eastern Massachusetts, which surveyed students between the ages of 10-15, said 55 percent of the girls surveyed and 73 percent of the boys surveyed agree with the statement “There are some jobs that boys are better at than girls.”

“The sad thing is the percentage would be fairly high [for] high schoolers and adults,” Masten said. “All of us have strengths in our personalities, strengths in our skill levels but it has nothing to do with gender.”

Masten said if the female student has the drive and interest to take part in the class then she should not have any difficulty in doing so.

“The truth is [the girls] have to want to do it,” Masten said. “But what we want them to know is if they do really have interest and want to do it then we don’t want there to be any fear; we don’t want there to be any misunderstanding about what’s going to go on. They’re going to do fine.”

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Bent into Shape

By Laney Breidenthal

Senior Spencer Quattlebaum has been employing elements of Japanese culture

e whips out a brand new, perfectly square sheet of bright yellow paper. His fingers fold, bend and crease edges until the piece of paper transforms into a crane, no bigger than the size of his palm.

According to the Origami Research Center, the crane is a symbol of longevity, wisdom and good fortune in the Japanese culture, and it is one of hundreds of pieces of origami senior Spencer Quattlebaum has crafted since taking up the centuries-old art form in the fifth grade.

“Origami...is the Japanese art of paper folding,” Quattlebaum said. “Normally, origami consists of only one paper to fold and you aren’t really supposed to use tape or scissors or anything to manipulate the paper. In order to make it easier to fold, you’re supposed to use the paper as it is.”

Quattlebaum said he and his brother have always been interested in Asian cultures; he came across origami and thought it seemed like a fun activity to do. He said that doing origami every day is a way for him to connect with the Asian cultures he has become fond of.

“I’m trying to reach out and make different things right now,” Quattlebaum said. “I’ve also started to try and do the 1,000 cranes, and I am 2.9 percent done.”

According to Quattlebaum, there is a belief if one creates 1,000 paper cranes, their greatest wish will come true. This legend originated in Japan in the late 1700s after the book “How to Fold 1,000 Cranes” was published. This increased the popularity of paper cranes

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and transformed it into one of the most recognizable forms of origami.

One of Quattlebaum’s favorite pieces of origami to make is a lotus flower, which he said is a complex and challenging piece to make correctly due to the amount of precise folds it requires. “[A lotus flower] is really hard to get right, but once you learn how to do it correctly...it looks very nice and it looks very professional,” Quattlebaum said.

“It’s also really easy to mess up, so it’s really rewarding to finish a good one.”

The most difficult aspects of origami, according to Quattlebaum, is making the angles correctly, getting the creases right and making the folds without instructions.

One of the reasons Quattlebaum said he enjoys making origami so much is it is a way to keep himself occupied. In addition, he said it keeps his mind active when he gets bored and needs something to do and it relaxes him. Quattlebaum’s father, John Quattlebaum, said he has noticed improvements in Quattlebaum’s social skills because making origami gives him something to talk about with others.

“He has something of a kinesthetic order, so having that to occupy his time or occupy his hands while he’s in class does help his focus,” John said. “It helps his fine motor skills as well, and it also helps spacial orientation and development.”

According to Quattlebaum, his origamimaking skills have advanced over the years to the point where he can make certain pieces from memory.

“Getting used to the folds has definitely

helped the dexterity of my fingers and my hands just to move around and get the folds right,” Quattlebaum said. “I know enough folds right now that I don’t need [instructions]. If I want a new fold, I can just Google it and I’ll be able to read the instructions off of the website.”

Origami, Quattlebaum said, is an art form that anyone can do; it does not require an abundance of skills. “[One must] read the directions in the books and be able to fold paper,” Quattlebaum said. “It’s a skill anyone can pick up if they wanted to.”

According to Quattlebaum, origami is unlike any other art form. He said that drawing and painting are similar because the artist moves something across paper to make art, which is not the case for origami. John agreed, saying that the fact that it is simpler and three-dimensional sets it apart from other art.

“With origami...you manipulate the paper itself to make the art.”

Quattlebaum said the best part of origami is seeing how the figure turns out when it is completed, similar to crossing the finish line at the end of a race or marathon.

“Like anything that’s challenging, it gives a sense of accomplishment when you’re finished,” John said.

Above: Senior Spencer Quattlebaum showcases his paper crane. Right: Origami rabbit tutorial (photos by Nicole Tenold).

the express | october 2014

Follow the steps below to make an origami rabbit.

1.

Begin with a square

paper has a pattern on it, have the pattern side

2.

Fold the paper in half

the paper back 3. Open into a square and fold both sides to meet the

Fold the tip on the

4. right over toward

5. about two thirds of

the way in the opposite

6. on the dashed line until

the middle of the length of the

7.

Fold the paper in half

the cut slit, fold the 8. With ends up on both sides of

the paper to form the ears of

the express | october 2014

19

Maestro in the Making

by Flammy Huo

Senior Timothy Roberts expresses his passion on music by playing three musical instruments and enrolling in four music classes.

A

lways in the band room with drums on beat, trumpets, flutes, violins harmonizing and bass setting the basic foundation for the piece, senior Timothy Roberts immerses himself in music. Enrolled in four music classes and playing three musical instruments, Roberts said he tilts his balance of life toward music more than anything else.

“I love getting to spend more than a half of my day in the band room,” Roberts said.

Roberts said being involved in marching band, Big Dog Jazz Band, orchestra and music theory makes the band room and music hallway a second home of his. “[Roberts] takes music very seriously,” band director John Selzer said. “He likes a lot of different kinds of music and finds ways to get himself in situations where he can play a lot of different kinds of music.”

Roberts plays string bass in orchestra, bass guitar in both jazz band and the pit percussion section in marching band. According to Roberts, bass is the foundation of most of the music.

Roberts said performing as a bass player tends to be occasionally boring compared to other parts, but he aims to find different approaches to make himself interested and the music he plays more interesting. Roberts said he tries to mimic various instruments and create his own style.

“The rhythm section in the jazz band lets me go off and make the music of my own,” Roberts said. “There’s a lot of freedom in jazz band.”

According to Selzer, different music classes incorperate different genres of music. He said Roberts is a great player and is a leader in his music classes.

“He serves as a section leader [in orchestra], and he has taken on -Senior many different leadership types of responsibilities in our band program,” Selzer said. “The longer he’s been involved, the more of a leader he’s become.”

Selzer said Roberts plays instruments similar to his main instrument, bass, and has managed to be self-aware and mature enough to keep up on practice.

Four years committed to the music program in BVNW, Roberts said being in different musical groups also improves his understanding of his musical instruments and music in general.

Roberts’s mother, Georgianne Roberts, said that in order to focus on music, Roberts took a lot of extra classes during the last two summers because music is what he loves and pursues.

Roberts said his love for music, which germinated long before he started learning different instruments, opens his musical world and leads him up to the level he is at today.

“He started asking for a guitar when he was three,” Georgianne said. “He couldn’t even spell ‘guitar’...He couldn’t even hold it.”

Roberts’s passion about music never ceased. Georgianne said if he saw instruments on television or when their family went to a concert, he would ask for them.

“Music had always interested me,” Roberts said. “It was kind of obvious from the start. I would always, every Christmas and

birthday, ask for a different instrument, so I have a bajillion instruments in my room that I don’t even really know how to play.”

Starting in the third grade, Roberts said he is grateful that his mom had him begin his music career with piano, which deeply helped him in his music study afterward. “[Piano] helps a lot in my upright bass playing, because there is just so much you learned from piano that all of the music is based on,” Roberts said. “The piano can tie over to any instrument.”

As Roberts progressed in his music life, Jenny Klinkinberg, his middle school orchestra teacher, led his way toward bass.

Georgianne said Klinkinberg recommended Roberts to try bass because he has the right personality for the instrument, being patient, kind and within the right height range.

“He switched to bass and he has loved it ever since, [he has] never looked back,” Georgianne said.

Roberts said he once thought of quitting when he first started the private bass lessons in eighth grade. However, the fact that he had too much invested in bass and music motivated and encouraged him to persist on playing.

Roberts said his musical family greatly impacted his music life. Being a member of a musical family, Roberts and his brothers and sisters all started taking piano lessons in third grade.

Roberts said his brother, Christian Roberts, also started a band with him and some other music friends. The Christian worship band Roberts is in charge of now has six members in it and still exists.

“I have played very excessively with my brother,” Roberts said. “He’s a really good Timothy Roberts guitar player, and I back him up on bass many times he plays for weddings [or] for different church events.”

Georgianne said music also unites their family more tightly. She said during Thanksgiving, when about 20 family members gather in one house, they play music together.

“A lot of time, we will get together and we’ll play some of my parents’ and my grandparents’ favorite songs,” Georgianne said.

“So that keeps getting passed down to the generations.”

Getting to the high school level, Roberts spent much more time on music and pursues a major in music education and minor in jazz studies in college. According to Roberts, he has wanted to become a high school music teacher since the seventh grade.

“Really what impacted him the most wanting to go to music education are the teachers he’s encountered at Oxford [Middle School] and BVNW,” Georgianne said. “That’s his biggest influence.”

Roberts said music is his passion; he sometimes sits down on the piano and makes his own music and he goes to concerts as often as he can.

“Music is what takes me away from life itself, actually,” Roberts said. “When I play music, I’m in my own world. My eyes may be open, but I’m not seeing anything. I’m in my own zone when I play music.”

“MuSic iS wHaT TakeS Me away FRoM liFe iTSelF... i’M in My own zone wHen i play MuSic.”

20

the express | october 2014

Top Left : Senior Timothy Roberts plays a wellknown song on his bass.

Roberts has been playing the bass for many years.

Above: Roberts strums his electric bass, an instrument that allows him to be more involved in Jazz Band.

Left: Roberts plays a classic song on the piano, an instrument he has played for many years, as well (photos by Maddison Barley).

the express | october 2014

21

Perspectives 1.1.

Photos of Student Life 1. Senior Zack Zegunis hands the ball off to junior Max Tierney during the varsity football game against Blue Valley West. The Huskies brought home a victory in the rain with a final score of 20-7 (photo by Maddison Barley).

2. Math teacher Catherine Johnson explains a math theory called SOH-CAH-TOA. She is featured on Humans of Northwest; check out Johnson’s answer to “What do you think about when you’re alone in your car?” on Instagram @bvnwnews (photo by Emily Staples).

3. Seniors Nic Jaimes and Danny Allio play Game Cube during lunch in the atrium (photo

by Caroline Trupp).

4. Junior Mallorie McBride is surprised by her family while cheering at the Pink Out game against Blue Valley North. McBride has been a varsity cheerleader for two years (photo by Emily Staples).

4.

2.

3.

5. Sophomores Kylee Xu and Celina Aljundi, and Junior Piper Wiley package compliment cookies during a REbeL meeting (photo by Emily Staples).

2.

23

6. Senior Jake DeJulio slides for the ball in the varsity soccer game against Blue Valley Southwest. The boys varsity soccer team defeated Southwest with a final score of 2-1 (photo by Aggie Cain).

the express | october 2014

4.

4.

5.

the express | october 2014

6.

24

7.

9.

7. Sophomore Sankalp Gupta plays with the band during the halftime show of the Pink Out game (photo by Emily Staples).

8.

24

8. Junior Mya Mertz hugs Senior Adeline Ellis as she recives her flowers at the senior night volleyball game (photo by Hope Lancaster).

9. Junior Scott Brainard spends some time on his phone while eating in the atrium (photo by Emily Staples).

the express | october 2014

What your selfie says about you have become more basic in everyday life.

However, do these images simply represent our look for that day, or is there a deeper meaning?

column by Olivia Baird graphics by Madison Graves

You love nature! Spending your time hopping from the Arboretum to Deanna Rose to the zoo, you are connected even deeper to the call of the wild.

You’re a people-person! You love people so much, you need other people in your own

You’re tech savvy! Your friends likely come to you know if you can handle holding up an iPad for a

26

the express | october 2014

the unique edge you need to beat out the competition

your own face in a picture dedicated to yourself, you always have other people’s interests at heart.

You await fall with anxiousness, and you’re always ready to whip out your box of cherished sweaters. You have to have your sleeve in front of your mouth to

You love achieving your goals. You always set the bar high for yourself, and you’re not afraid of reaching for the stars.

the express | october 2014

27

ENTERTAINMENT

crossWorD

By Avery Mojica

Title: Spooky and Scary

FIND ANSWERS TO THE CROSSWORD PUZZLE AND SUDOKU ONLINE, AT BVNWNEWS.COM

28

the express | october 2014 the express | october 2014

crossWorD cLUes Across

1. Foyer decoration 4. Watcher 9. Actress _____ Jessica Parker 14. Opposite of WNW 15. Singer _____ West 16. Gladiator’s realm 17. Tricolored candy earned during 68-across 19. Poet William Butler _____ 20. Exchange rate 21. Suit fabrics 23. Command to a dog 24. “The Hunger Games” character 26. Stares stupidly (at) 28. Scary attraction during 68-across 34. Finish the language: ___IN 37. Where Tajikistan is 38. “No right turn _____ (2 words) 39. Tablet type

DoWN

41. Microsoft component 44. Abominable snowman 45. Genders 47. Part of the eye 49. “I smell a ___!”

50. Nighttime activity during 68-across 54. Princess to whom “Candle in the Wind” by Elton John was dedicated 55. Way to pay 59. Opposite of NNW

65. Wheel rod 66. A la _____ 68. Popular October holiday 70. Protection 71. Curvy letters, phonetically 72. Bawl 73. BLT toppings 74. _____ Island (US state) 75. Jamaican music genre

sUDoKU

the express | october 2014 the express | october 2014

1. SportsCenter highlight 2. Choice of words 3. Robin Williams’ role in “Aladdin” 4. It’s often blue or gray 5. One was signed in Warsaw 6. “____ pronounce you husband and wife!” (2 words) 7. Charlotte Bronte’s Jane ____ 8. Go back on a promise 9. “Since when?!”

10. “___ you O.K.?”

11. One with comforting words 13. Biblical verb, often with “thou” 18. Biblical verb that rhymes with “moth” 22. Mom’s mate 25. Type of battery 27. “Stop ____ 2012” 29. Utilize 30. Cancel 31. Unspoken

32. ____ good example (2 words) 33. Revise for publication 34. Shopper’s aid 35. Copier 42. “ To ___ is human...”

43. Commit perjury 46. The in-line crowd?

48. Cul-de-___ 51. Lonely number 52. Preferably 53. Melt, as ice 56. Business bigwigs (abbr.)

57. “May I help you?” asker 58. Nairobi’s nation 59. Bamboozle 60. ____ Lee (bread brand) 62. Outbreak of a sort 63. In addition 64. Toboggan 67. Synonym for 63-down

By Avery Mojica

29 29

OPINION

The pitfalls of summaries

by Cameron Hamm

I often find myself reviewing my schedule before tackling the mound of homework my school planner presents.

Time with friends at 4, review history at 5, dinner at 7:30, and math homework around 8. Oh yeah, there’s a quiz over “Heart of Darkness” tomorrow.

Sparknotes here I come.

The unfortunate truth is that as our schedules become more and more packed, we seem to be placing our English books

on the back burner, spending less time on reading for class.

Although not every book I’ve read in English class is a thrilling page turner, I know I’ve never come away from a novel without saying, “Huh, that was interesting.” “Things Fall Apart” enlarged my worldview. “The Scarlet Letter” skillfully asked how punishment works in our society and what the punishments our laws enforce say about our society.

How I respond to and analyze the world owes a large part to the English canon I’ve read in school. Sparknotes may help you pass the quiz tomorrow, but the thing that largely contributes to the changes a student experiences from day one of freshmen year to walking across the stage during graduation are the lessons of what we read. Those lessons and ideas that enrich our world cannot be found on Sparknotes.

When students borrow heavily from Sparknotes, the opportunity to learn and

I stared at my phone, anxiously awaiting a flood of notifications. Four. I had four favorites so far. Wait, maybe it was stupid. Should I delete it? Ugh, it’s been 12 minutes now. Everyone will notice if I delete it. But I won’t. That tweet took two hours of contemplating, four minutes of typing and three hours of editing.

Four is not enough. How dare they not appreciate my mainstream valencia filter with that quote from justgirlythings? l can’t believe my ungrateful followers didn’t even appreciate my emojis that I had to find from three separate sections of the emoji options which took me at least 12.5 seconds. What’s even worse is that I scoured Twitter to find enough hashtags to create a railroad track that could circle the world four times.

I bet it’s because my originality is making them burn with jealousy. That’s probably why they aren’t retweeting or favoriting my clearly genius post.

I’m sure they’re just sobbing and are surrounded with Kleenexes, cursing

their inability to attain the impeccable angles in my hashtag selfie Sunday.

So I am just not going to care anymore about people being unappreciative of my #selfiesundays, #throwbackthursdays and #transformationtuesdays. I will love my selfies, valencia or not. I will love my justgirlythings quotes simply for what they are—retweets or no retweets.

The symptoms described above are those that are displayed in a victim of RFLS, or Retweet Favorite Like Syndrome.

This syndrome is characterized by an abnormal obsession with obtaining the highest amount of retweets, favorites and/or likes on social media. The deadly contagion is categorized at three distinct levels: thirst, thirstier, and the thirst is real. Although it may appear to be poking fun at the current generation of teenagers that have dominated social media, it is in reality a pressing issue that is often concealed with a deceptive aura of nonchalance. Often in the midst of trending topics and tagged posts, the

derive meaning from a novel disappears.

Instead of sharing our own opinion of a work, we share Sparknotes’s thoughts instead. The student must take the time to read the novel and participate in class discussion. Savvy readers make for savvy thinkers.

However, the site can still play a very helpful role in deciphering some of those harder novels we are tasked with reading. I know I’ve skimmed through the site many a time simply to refresh my memory and gain a new insight. Sparknotes contains many handy resources, providing quizzes, context and content all in a convenient way. There must be a balance between using the site for simple review versus substituting it for a whole novel.

The way our culture uses Sparknotes effectively shuts out a large part of our education. Perhaps the next time a student opens his or her planner, a section should be marked for time to read, if only for the fun of falling into a whole new world.

Posting to please

by Ayesha Vishnani

ultimate purpose behind expressing our thoughts and views is lost. It becomes a circuitous process of obsessing over what will get the most favorites rather than what we really want to post. The meaning of true connection is lost because it is tainted with the desire to please. Once we enter the vicious cycle of posting to please we unintentionally devalue our personal opinions and therefore ourselves.

So maybe we should step back, drop a hashtag and post what we please.

FIND COLUMNS, REVIEWS, BLOGS AND MORE ONLINE, AT BVNWNEWS.COM 30

The exPress | ocTober 2014

STAFF EDITORIAL

It just isn’t funny It seems like it’s part of human nature to joke around when we’re uncomfortable with something. Whether that means parodies of controversial topics composing the majority of the most popular section of YouTube or just teenagers being immature as per usual, these jokes seem to have become accepted and sometimes even embraced by the BVNW community for some reason. However, sarcastic comments and racy jokes are not OK when they concern serious topics that affect the real lives of students.

During the sex unit in health class, faces turn red not with embarrassment but with laughter after someone cracks an immature joke about rape or genitalia. Anytime someone coughs or sneezes, accusations of Ebola are hurled from every direction. In the locker room, accusations of homosexuality preface howls of laughter.

Feelings are hurt in any such instance, whether or not the victims outright show their reactions. This is not OK. These quips aren’t witty, original, or even remotely funny. When it comes down to it, they’re honestly below puns in the great scheme of humor. There’s a difference between making a joke and just being downright crude, and it seems as if those two are symbiotic in today’s society. If we’re claiming to be young adults, we should be adult about it. We’ve made strides with the R-word campaign in the past; there’s no reason we can’t try and use that same sense of determination and work to create a safer environment for all students.

While these comments might seem humorous for a fleeting moment, the person stuck being the butt of the joke may ponder the meaning behind them for longer periods of time. We claim to be one big Husky family, but it’s next to impossible to know every single person’s story. We don’t know what they’ve been through or had to deal with, and we don’t know what could offend or trigger them.

It’s important to be mindful of our peers and think about the lasting impact of not only our words but also our actions. By respecting each other, we can create a stronger bond and a legacy of inclusion.

have you ever joked about a serious issue?

Yes 96% No 4% out of 446 students polled during lunch oct. 23

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