Northwest’s artists find freedom and self-expression through their craft.
CULTIVATING CREATIVITY CULTIV ATING CREA TIVITY
4 Savor Every Second EDITORIAL
5
GUEST LETTER
Jim McCrossen
6 Blocked from Learning OPINION
8
7 Making the Grade, Missing the Point OPINION
FEATURES
The Last Splash Standing
Seniors eliminate each other with water guns during the game of Assassins.
20 Student Spotlight: Macie Zuhlke
Junior Macie Zuhlke is passionate about helping students with disabilities, both inside and outside of school.
24 Future in Formation
After graduation, several are preparing to serve in branches of the U.S. military.
Cultivating Creativity
When he first stepped into the halls of BVNW, Junior Chase Allen said he was looking for his niche. He did not know what to pick until he found his home in the art department after taking introductory art classes freshman year. After this, Allen was able to hone his skills as an artist through the fun environment and well equipped classrooms. “I love how I’m not just limited by my resources,” Allen said. It feels nice that I’m just here to enjoy it with a bunch of other people.”
SAVOR EVERY SECOND
When you walk into school at the beginning of next year, the entire art hallway (save three murals) will be painted over. These revisions are being made because a school is more than a museum of its alumni; it should serve its current students.
High school is a temporary experience. In just eight short semesters, we will all go on to live our own lives separate from each other, but that doesn’t mean this time doesn’t matter. The four years we have at Northwest are a unique timeframe where we all have the ability to cultivate relationships, grow into young adults and make an impact on the community.
We get it. Between school assignments, upcoming events and the pressure to have our futures figured out, it is shockingly easy to just ‘fly by’ high school. To make the most of our experience, it is imperative that we live in the present moment.
Take a step back and truly absorb your surroundings. It’s more than just the murals on the wall; high school is full of sights, sounds, gossip and more. All of these are missed if you’re not paying attention. Nothing about high school will stay the same. We’ve changed our logo three times, the school’s schedule has been altered more times than we can count, and the building itself has expanded. Your impact on BVNW isn’t permanent, but its impact on you is.
Put your AirPods away when walking in the halls between classes and you’ll notice things you never have before. Stop using your phone as a social crutch during the inevitable but brief awkward moments of silence and you’ll form new bonds that might last a lifetime. Take a few extra seconds to memorize the halls of Northwest and you might just realize how fast your years of high school are slipping by.
Try not to be bitter if at our high school reunions, Northwest looks a little different. As students, we all have the same four years of opportunities to make the most of our high school experience. The students who come after us deserve just as much to cultivate Northwest to their specific passions and motivations. Northwest does not belong to us, it is a living, breathing representation of our community’s youth.
It will all be over before you know it. Choose to be engaged. Stay present in the moment, so when you walk across the stage at graduation, you know you did more than just count down the minutes until the bell.
Our years at Northwest are just a small blip in the school’s history, but they are the only four years of high school we will ever get. It goes by faster than you would ever imagine, and it is entirely up to us to make the most of every second.
Dear BVNW,
Written by Jim McCrossen
To everything there is a season. A time to begin and a time to end. For me, the time to end has come, and I must say goodbye to a place I love.
We’ve seen each other through a lot. We met for the first time in 1992 when you were just a foundation and some walls–a skeleton of what would become a place for tens of thousands of students and hundreds of adults to learn and teach for our 32 years together.
Those first few years were a blast. The faculty was young and a little rebellious. We were known for having our own BVNW way of doing things and refused to always do what the district wanted. We did what we thought best for our students and didn’t let a central authority control us. Our poor principal took a lot of heat, I’m sure, from the district, but we were successful, and it was hard for anyone to argue with that.
After those first years many of the faculty began having children of our own. We had three married couples teaching in the building. Our children grew up in your halls. You were their playground in the winter or when the weather was bad. You’ve had soccer balls kicked against your walls and remote cars and helicopters raced through your hallways, hide ‘n seek and tag saw our children run all over the school
with the children of other teachers. My two children explored every nook and cranny of their BVNW playhouse.
My wife taught in this school and was the varsity cheer coach for years. Our son went to school here. He was a drum major for the band for two years and served as a photographer for the yearbook. There is something special about working at the same school where part of your family is, also. Our dog even came up to spend a few afternoons with me while I graded papers on Satdays. You have been an integral part of my family.
Speaking of Saturdays, we used to have newspaper and yearbook workdays on Saturdays. The kids would come up and work since everything had to be done on the desktop computers or in the wet darkroom. I’d blast opera over the speakers in hopes of making the students work faster because they wanted to escape the pain of having to listen to my music.
I worry about there being no one left in a few years who will remember those first years of our school. We came to BVNW with the promise of a new idea that there were three pillars holding up the front porch of the school: academics, activities and athletics. All three had to be equal. It was a change in philosophy–it was an experiment. We were all excited to be part of a new culture, and
that’s what we were able to produce. We have had a lot of success in our 32 years. In academics, activities and athletics, our students have performed at the highest levels and succeeded. Our front porch is solid.
But, let’s be honest, you are just a building. Our success is due to the people who fill it. That will be the hardest part of leaving. I tell seniors every year I’m not sad they are leaving; that’s what they are supposed to do. I’d actually be sad if they had to stay. This year is different, since I’ll be leaving shortly behind them. This year, I will be walking out the door with a box of notes and letters from students and a whole lot of wonderful memories. I will be leaving an amazingly talented group of newspaper and yearbook students who, I hope, will continue to tell the truthful stories of this school and those who learn and teach within the walls.
Goodbye for now, BVNW, but not forever. I’ll be back–maybe to announce some more games, maybe to sub, or maybe just to see if anyone finally put a “reserved” sign on MY parking space.
Love, Jim McCrossen
BLOCKED FROM LEARNING
Written by Danielle Croom, Designed by Inaya Zaman
Why is the word “Gaylord” blocked on Blue Valley’s district devices?
It’s the name of a respected journalism school: Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Oklahoma. Yet, when I tried to access the website for college research, I was met with a white screen and that gnome chewing on a green cord—the site was blocked by Securly, our district’s web filter designed to protect students online. If a reputable college’s website is blocked because of its name, the system clearly needs a revamp.
and archive.org are blocked—not because of their content, but because their internal search systems could potentially be used to find inappropriate material, according to Vomhof.
Though Securly is meant to protect students, it also often blocks educational websites.
I’m not the only student running into this. According to an Instagram poll on @bvnwnews, 258 out of the 271 participants said Securly has blocked them from accessing a website they needed for schoolwork.
Principal Leah Vomhof said Blue Valley uses Securly to comply with the Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA), a federal law passed in 2000 requiring schools to block obscene or harmful content on federally funded devices. Though Securly is meant to protect students, it also often blocks educational websites.
For example, dictionary.com
This issue even affects in-class courses. Our newspaper’s social media editor needs access to Instagram to manage our account, but she’s forced to use her phone or wait until she’s home. If we’re expected, and highly encouraged, to complete class work on school-issued devices, the tools we need should be accessible. Even when used appropriately, important resources can still be off-limits. Last year in Child Development & Human Growth, I had to research “breast pumps” for an assignment, but the site I needed was blocked. Especially at the high school level, we should have access to resources involving real anatomy and life skills. It doesn’t make sense to limit students using these terms for class just because someone else might use them inappropriately.
Turns out, it’s not that simple.
Blue Valley Director of Technology Operations Kent Corser said Securly uses artificial intelligence to categorize and evaluate websites,
meaning innocent sites can get flagged for the wrong reasons. Still, Corser said students can talk to teachers after running into a blocked site needed for school. Teachers can then submit a Blue Valley Care Ticket, which is sent to Corser’s team to investigate. From there, they contact Securly and work with district administrators to decide whether the site should be unblocked.
There has been some effort to adjust the filter based on school level and academic need. For example, Vomhof said high school students now have access to Pinterest for FACS classes, while it stays blocked for elementary students due to its misused chat feature.
There’s no question: protecting students is important. But it shouldn’t come at the cost of blocking necessary tools for schoolwork, including research. Securly needs a more flexible approach—one that still follows CIPA but better meets students’ academic needs. Most students don’t even know they can ask teachers to submit a Blue Valley Care Ticket. If that option were better known, fewer assignments would hit a dead end.
Overall, the district should explore filters with more customization and streamline the process to unblock, because if a cartoon gnome is standing between me and a college application, something’s not working.
SMAKING THE GRADE, MISSING THE POINT
Written by Blen Belachew, Designed by Inaya Zaman
ince starting school, I have always made sure to achieve and maintain good grades. This wasn’t a difficult feat in elementary and middle school. However, when I got to high school, the material of my classes became significantly more complex. I spend my time memorizing facts and formulas, and while it helps me get good scores on my tests, I have never improved at answering critical thinking questions. The modern education system’s emphasis on memorization causes students to never grasp the real application of what they are learning, eventually causing them to forget everything they’ve memorized.
High school education has shifted from learning to memorization, promoting answering rather than comprehending. According to the Graduate Program for Educators, memorization, also known as rote learning, discourages students from using their creativity, and since it tends to be monotonous, students lose interest in their schoolwork easily, hindering them from developing new skills.
Without being challenged, a student is less likely to engage in a topic if they know they can get by with committing information to their short-term memory. And when they struggle to remember what they’ve memorized, some may turn to cheating or AI to avoid failing a test. This is the reverse of what education is meant to teach and only harms us further.
Do we really conceptualize the curriculum of our classes, or are we just memorizing enough to pass our classes with an A?
To be fair, memorization is necessry as it helps us build foundational knowledge, such as math formulas, grammar rules and historical events. It is a helpful tool, but it shouldn’t be the ultimate purpose of our learning.
The essential goal of our education should be understanding and application, not merely passing tests. It should be about critical thinking, creativity and comprehension, not just reiterating facts that hold little to no relevance outside the classroom. Most students can tell you “the mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell,” but very few can explain what that actually means.
learn from our mistakes and push ourselves forward to do better. Memorization gives us the easy way out, so use the resources given to us wisely to learn and understand. We are solely responsible for our education.
The memorization-based learning system needs to change. Schools need to stop using this method as a means to improve standardized test scores and instead prioritize helping students actually understand what they’re learning. School is meant to make students thinkers, not expert test-takers.
Do we really conceptualize the curriculum of our classes, or are we just memorizing enough to pass our classes with an A?
This is not just on the schools; it’s on us, the students, who blindly memorize to study and pass tests. This method is hampering our learning from the true meaning of the curriculum. What’s the point of studying if we don’t even understand what we’re studying? Instead, let’s start asking more questions, participating more in class, and, most importantly, not be afraid to fail. Failure lets us
Schools can promote field trips, debates, experiments and handson projects. We could also benefit from fewer multiple-choice questions in place of critical thinking questions that push us to apply what we have learned in real-world situations.
If schools continue to emphasize memorization over true understanding, students will keep graduating with impressive transcripts and test scores but without the ability to think critically. The educational system needs to shift from producing “scholarly” students to adaptable
THE LAST
SPLASH STANDING
An overview of senior assassins and its different perspectives
Written by Blen Belachew and Ruby Halverson, Photographed by Miles Thomas, Designed by Blen Belachew
Equipped with water guns and assigned targets, some seniors are participating in this year’s game of senior assassins—a student-run competition not affiliated with Blue Valley Northwest.
Shannon volunteered for the position as gamemaster because she didn’t want to play the game but still wanted to participate. Shannon said her duties as gamemaster are collecting and recording money, assigning targets and assassins using a random generator, texting each person their targets and keeping track of eliminations.
“If it wasn’t for having to deal with [disagreements], it is pretty straightforward and not a huge task to do,” Shannon said. “Once you add the stress of arguing, it can be a lot.”
Relating to seniors’ involvement in the game, she said everyone should try it because it brings seniors closer together.
“It gives you something to do throughout the week, and everybody else is playing it. I definitely think it’s something that should keep going for a while because it’s been fun,” Shannon said.
Though there is much excitement surrounding assassins, Vomhof feels differently about the game.
“It is not my favorite. It’s not school-sponsored, but I feel like in my role as the principal at Northwest, I’m always aware of student safety—even if they’re not at school,” Vohmof said.
She said the risks are real. In past years, Vomhof said this game has ended in tragedy in schools across the nation.
“I don’t want (graduation) to be compromised by what is perceived to be a senior tradition,” Vomhof said. “It creates, in my mind, a pretty unsafe situation.”
Haley Shannon, senior and co-Assassins game master
Leah Vomhof, BVNW principal
Rules courtesy of assassins rulebook
• Objective: Get your target out before you’re eliminated. You are eliminated if you are killed or do not complete your kill by the end of the round.
• All assassinations must be done with a water gun filled with water only.
• You must kill your target by the end of each round. Each round ends at 11:59 PM on the specified day. Send picture proof to the gamemasters before the round ends.
• You cannot shoot anyone while they are at work, at gyms, at extracurriculars, at religious places/ events, and/or at club sporting events. Parking lots of these listed places are fair game.
RULES PRIZE
• No assassinations may take place on any school grounds or at school-related activities.
• The drivers of motor vehicles may not shoot or be shot at when the vehicle is in motion.
• If you shoot your assassin before you are assassinated, you have one hour of immunity where he/she cannot eliminate you. After you eliminate your target, you have one hour of immunity. You are not able to be shot or go kill.
• Re-buy-ins will only be accepted for the second and third rounds.
The player with the most kills will recieve a prize of:
The winner of assassins will recieve a prize of:
$2,250 $400
to go home without risking being caught and getting my target without them knowing,” Mathes said.
Aiming at his asssasins target, senior Nick Mathes enjoys the rush of getting his elimination. “It was really fun having to find ways
CULTIVATING CREATIVITY
Artists at Northwest take inspiration from many to express themselves
Written by Rishitha Bonthu and Inaya Zaman, Photographed by Jordyn Johnson, Designed by Iqra Nadeem
Describing her art as a need rather than a want, senior Madison Smith calls herself a compulsive creator with instinctive motivations similar to other people’s need to sleep.
“It’s like self-care for me. It’s also a way to express myself and really just explore my thoughts about certain things,” Smith said. “It’s kind of just a way for me to detach, but also just that feeling when I do something that I’m proud of, [it’s] one of the best feelings in the world.”
After starting high school, junior Chase Allen was looking for something to specialize in. He said he looked at his friends’ skills in subjects like math, science and orchestra, but none of those felt like the right fit for him. At BVNW, he said he found a place in the art department after taking Design Fundamentals freshman year and finding inspiration from peers.
“People supported me, not just the [students], but the teachers,” Allen said.
Both students credit BVNW’s art program for making a positive environment for artists. Smith echoed this sentiment, reflecting on the department’s impact.
“I’m honestly so lucky to have been able to go to this school and have the opportunity to learn from these teachers, they’re a really big part of my support system, and I’m going to miss them all,” Smith said. “I think it’s a really
unique thing to have such an experienced and knowledgeable art department that is so varied. And through that, I think that I’m able to kind of explore a whole bunch of different things.”
Art teacher Chris LaValley said that after teaching many students in her career, some have stood out to her, especially due to their work ethic and perseverance.
“They come up with fresh and new ideas. They’re willing to experiment and try new things and not give up on something,” LaValley said.
he enjoys drawing faces and other figures symbolic of his religious upbringing.
“When those [experiences] happen to me, and I process it, I go to class [and] I’m like, ‘I could draw that,’” Allen said.
For Smith, her artistic inspiration is personal, she credits her grandmother as both a role model and creative inspiration.
You can do whatever comes to mind... what you can do is not restricted.
-CHASE ALLEN
“They want suggestions to improve their artwork, and they take those suggestions and want to do more.”
Allen has been taking art classes every year at Northwest, covering 2D, 3D and digital art. He said his favorite part of creating art is the freedom to be creative and express himself.
“It’s freeing, because there’s no rules,” Allen said. “You can do whatever comes to mind… what you can do is not restricted.”
When creating art, Allen said his favorite material is graphite because of its large shade range and its ability to spread on paper. Through this medium, Allen said
“She is a really good artist, and growing up, I’ve just always wanted to be like her, but high school is when I really started to, like, fully explore my passion for art,” Smith said.
Senior Natalie Willis said she also takes inspiration from her childhood to pursue art at Northwest. Willis said her family is very artistic and her parents often inspired her to be creative and pursue various mediums.
“We’ve always just grown up with big imaginations,” Willis said. “My parents were like, ‘If you think this idea, draw it out, [and] if you like this medium, we can get you something [to] try it out.”
At school, Willis said she has taken almost every art class offered in order to find her specific style preference. She said she even took some
courses multiple times because she loved the environment in LaValley’s class.
Like Allen, Willis also said she uses her art to display her emotions and feelings. She said her mentors have helped her accomplish this by helping her turn her thoughts into a product.
“I just like to express myself through art and painting,” Willis said. “If you have an idea, [the art teachers] try to figure out how to implement it into a project that they have.”
Besides feeling supported by the art department faculty, Willis said she also enjoyed the environment of the hallway itself. She said seeing the murals allows her to take inspiration from the different styles and encourages her to create.
“You can really see the different types of art styles as the years go by, [and] how [the school has] history,” Willis said.
Artists at Northwest said the murals are an important part of the 500s hallway. According to principal Leah Vomhof, Northwest will be seeing a change in appearance not only in the 500s hallway but across the school. Vomhof said a new district policy from the Department of Facilities and Operations is requiring Blue Valley schools to be repainted
every 10 years, with the painting project at BVNW set to begin this summer. Painters will refresh the P.E. hallway, 500s, 400s and the commons. According to Vomhof, the new painting policy was made to ensure school hallways look as nice as possible.
“The goal is that this kind of facility refresh will keep the buildings looking nice and new for students that go there at that time,” Vomhof said. “I really want our students to take pride [in the school]. How a building looks and feels when you walk in starts to build that pride.”
Blue Valley’s Director of Facilities and Operations, Jake Slobodnik, said he has been communicating with the schools to explain all of the logistics of the plan. He said he discussed the murals with Vomhof, and a plan is set in place to keep three murals and ensure the rest of them will continue to be recognized.
“Our plan is to document what’s there through photos, and we can print [them to] frame, so that we can hang that somewhere in the building,” Slobodnik said. “Our intent is to create a more blank canvas type gallery like you would find in a museum.”
After hearing the news, LaValley said she felt disappointed by the change, but she understands the
circumstances of the situation.
“I’m attached to the people who painted them and I know the time they put into them, but I do understand things change,” LaValley said. “It’s just the nature of life in the world that nothing stays the same.”
Smith said she is worried about the hallway feeling empty and diminishing her creativity.
“I really think that without [the murals], it’ll feel more like a prison,” Smith said. “I feel like anywhere in the art hallway I can go and be creative… if it was just bland like it is everywhere else, I wouldn’t feel as creative.”
Though Smith understands the district’s reasoning, she suggests replacing the old murals with new student artwork.
“I get the idea behind it, but at the same time, it doesn’t feel like it’s necessary, like I feel like there’s more important things they could be focusing on,” Smith said. “I feel like even if they’re painting over murals, they could at least be like, okay, we’re gonna do more murals on top of this.”
According to LaValley, the murals were often painted by students as final projects or for teacher requests. Though she said she will miss seeing the murals, she does not believe the change will affect the mindset of artists at Northwest.
“Overall, it probably won’t really change our morale, because I think we still have the same teaching staff, and we still have the same drive as individuals,” LaValley said. “They’ll just be other avenues we’ll pursue where they can show their artwork.”
Other than the rotating canvases and bulletin boards that will replace the murals in the hallway, LaValley said students are able to submit their artwork to various competitions recommended by Northwest art teachers. LaValley said a goal of the teachers is to push students to pursue their
Senior Natalie Willis refurbishes a mural in the art hallway.
passions and do their best.
“Overall, the teachers are very attentive to making their students aware of opportunities and kind of pushing them to go beyond just the basics,” LaValley said.
Smith said she was nominated by LaValley for Shooting Stars, a local program focused on celebrating student artists through scholarships and recognition, which allowed her to work with other artists in the area.
The Shooting Stars Program celebrates talented Johnson County’s high school senior artists, honoring over 1,000 students for their achievements since its founding. Only one student
from Northwest is allowed to be nominated each year.
Following her successes in high school, Smith said she has decided to pursue a career in art. She plans to attend the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD).
“BVNW has been helpful in providing the space for the art department,” Smith said. “My art teachers are my mentors and whenever I need advice (for art or for life) I go to them”
Similarly, Willis attributes her love for art to the support of the Northwest department, specifically LaValley.
“ [Art] kind of helps me be more open with creativity and not be
embarrassed to talk about my imagination,” Willis said. “Whenever I’m struggling with how to do something, [LaValley] takes it slow and makes you more comfortable with it, and gives you a better idea of how to go at [it].”
Allen said that after finding his love for art, he decided to aim to continue creating art in the future.
“I wish to pursue [art], even though I know a lot of people say it doesn’t make you a lot of money. It does make me happy,” Allen said. “I want to be the first one in my family to do something that makes me happy instead of doing something that makes me money.”
Madison Smith, 12
Natalie Willis, 12
Chase Allen, 11
Elista, Russia
On To
New Places
Post-graduation plans for the BVNW Class of 2025
Designed by Hailey Heckman
Information self-reported by seniors
C
Nothing to do over the summer? Check out these concerts in our area.
Written by Rishitha Bonthu, Designed by Lily McCann
DATE: June 14
WHERE: Crown Center
PRICE: $35
DATE: June 26-28 WHERE: Azura
$169
July 26
June 11
$60 DATE: Aug. 22
STUDENT SPOTLIGHT Macie Zuhlke
Junior plans to graduate early to pursue career in special education
Written by Adria Heinauer and Sri Trikona, Photographed by Julia Curotto, Designed by Ellie Votypka
While babysitting, junior Macie
Zuhlke said the parents of the child she was taking care of were in tears when they heard their 8-year-old nonverbal daughter “speak” for the first time. Zuhlke helped the child use her Augmentative and Alternative Communication device, which the child previously owned but had never effectively used.
“She's never been able to communicate,” Zuhlke said. “Being able to finally express her wants, needs [and] interests is huge for her.”
Babysitting is one way Zuhlke said she has been able to take initiative and help children with disabilities.
Zuhlke said her passion for helping those with disabilities began when she was 10 years old. She said there was an opportunity to be a part of the Special Opportunities, Abilities and Relationships (SOAR) Special Needs summer camp at her church, which she decided to participate in. SOAR helps those with special needs and their families by holding summer camps and respite nights, which give caregivers free time while volunteers supervise their children.
“I loved [SOAR] because it opened
my eyes to how much I could do for these kids. They have so many limitations put on them because of something they can't control,” Zuhlke said. “I really just like to give them an opportunity to do what a neurotypical person can do.”
Prior to entering her sophomore year, Zuhlke said her counselor recommended she enroll in the peer tutoring and connections classes at BVNW to further grow her passion.
Connections teacher Anna Witwer said Zuhlke is an active leader in class.
“She is very driven and is one of the peer tutors who doesn't need a lot of direction,”
Witwer said. “She's really selfmotivated and is eager to just jump in and help [students with disabilities] however she can.”
navigate a new school as he has mobility and vision needs.
“She did such a great job working one-on-one with him in class and then also helping him feel more at ease in the new school,” Witwer said. “[She] cultivated a really positive relationship with Troy, and they still are working together this semester.”
Robb said Zuhlke is one of his friends and she is kind. He also said he likes talking about sign language with her.
I'm
a little bit nervous about being the youngest one there, but
I don't think my age will determine what my abilities are.
Zuhlke said communication is a vital part of helping students with disabilities. She said she is currently learning sign language so she can more effectively communicate with nonverbal students.
-MACIE ZUHLKE
Witwer said Zuhlke has learned to work with different types of kids with various needs. This year, Witwer said Zuhlke helped freshman Troy Robb
“It makes [students with disabilities] really happy when you understand how to communicate with them, because a lot of people don't take the time to do that,” Zuhlke said.
After forming friendships with
the students in the connections class, Witwer said she saw Zuhlke grow into a more confident person.
“[Zuhlke] has always been great, but I would say she was a little bit more on the quiet side when she first started in my class,” Witwer said. “I feel like I've seen her come out of her shell and get more comfortable with our students.”
Carla Zuhlke, mother of Macie, said her daughter has become more empathetic, thoughtful and kind toward others. Additionally, Carla said the biggest thing working with students with disabilities gave Zuhlke was insight into what she hopes to do for the rest of her life.
Zuhlke said her passion for helping students with disabilities inspired her to pursue a future career in special education. To begin this process, she said she plans to graduate after the first semester of her senior year to begin working as a para at an elementary school.
“I'm excited to get to know all of the kids and learn how to communicate with them and learn what makes them happiest,” Zuhlke said. “I'm a little bit nervous about being the youngest one there, but I don't think my age will determine what my abilities are.”
Carla Zuhlke said she is very excited about her daughter’s opportunity to become a para.
“I 100 percent support her decision because I know what a positive impact all the kids that she works with have had on her and she has on them,” Carla Zuhlke said. “I hope that she continues to have a positive impact on every individual that she gets to cross paths with.”
Witwer said being a para can be challenging, but she’s impressed with Zuhlke’s plan of graduating early.
“I think she's going to gain a ton of really valuable experience that'll help her a lot because there's only so much you can learn in college [and] in a classroom,” Witwer said. “Having the hands-on experience makes a huge difference.”
Through the classes she’s taken, Zuhlke said being able to watch students with disabilities develop is a rewarding experience.
“One of our students who goes here is limited to one word per sentence, so watching him add more vocabulary words to his sentences and seeing him grow as a person is
During class on April 22, junior Macie Zuhlke spent time working with a student in her class. “My favorite part of being a peer tutor is helping the students grow as a person and develop life skills,” Zuhlke said.
huge,” Zuhlke said. “That makes it all worth it.”
Witwer said she believes inclusivity for people with disabilities is often overlooked. She said Northwest can become more inclusive by changing how people refer to students with disabilities.
“I think our language is really impactful and helps remind us that disability is just a portion of a person's identity and not the entire thing,” Witwer said.
She said Zuhlke is good at treating students with disabilities the same way as she would with other students. She said people often treat students with disabilities as babies or young children, even though the students are in their teenage years.
While working with students with disabilities, Zuhlke similarly
recognized the importance of inclusivity.
“It's shown me how much inclusivity matters to [students with disabilities], to the parents and to everyone around them, because a lot of the time, they're not included in much,” Zuhlke said. “Something simple, like sitting with them at lunch, means the world to them.”
FUTURE IN FORMATION F T R F R O T I
After graduation, several are preparing to serve in branches of the U.S. military
Written by Danielle Croom and Emily Olm-Shipman, Photographed by Allison Leese, Designed by Claire Elley
Waking up at 5:30 a.m., Elliese Thurlby, a 2024 BVNW graduate, joins her fellow cadets for their morning workout before quickly getting ready and heading to formation.
Thurlby, now a freshman at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md, completed a six-week boot camp called Plebe Summer, which combines military training with physical conditioning. She is studying mechanical engineering and considering a career in submarines after four years at the academy.
“It’s tough, but it’s also really rewarding,” Thurlby said. “You develop a bond with everyone around you.”
Thurlby said her decision to attend the Naval Academy was influenced by her older sister, Carolyn Thurlby, who is a senior at the academy, along with her family’s military background. Her father graduated from the Air Force Academy in 1994 and served in the Air Force for about four years.
To gain admission, Thurlby said she applied on the academy’s website and secured a nomination
from a local congressman, along with collecting three letters of recommendation. She also passed a physical fitness assessment— including a mile run, shuttle run, basketball throw, pull-ups, sit-ups and push-ups—and completed an interview with a Naval Academy representative.
“I think the application is also a bit of a weed-out process since it is quite long and time-consuming,” Thurlby said.
“So if you really want to be at an academy, you’ll willingly do the application.”
She said the process, while intense, was something she was prepared for.
close-knit atmosphere stood out to her.
“I really liked it, and I liked the community and I liked the people and how close people seemed,” Thurlby said.
While she said the demands at the Academy are high, Thurlby values the leadership development and the opportunity to be part of something larger than herself.
“I think it could be a very hard job, but someone has to do it,”
-EMILY DEARDORFF
“I am truly blessed to be a part of this institution and all that it stands for,” she said. “I had very little sacrifice that went into my application other than my time.”
When visiting the campus during her junior year, Thurlby said the
The commitment to military service is also a factor for other BVNW students, including senior Mohammed Atik. Atik said he didn’t initially consider the military but changed his mind after a conversation with a friend.
“I wasn’t sure what to do after high school…I thought I’d just apply and go to college like everyone else,” Atik said. “I wanted something that’s more and bigger than my life, and I wanted something that would actually benefit me…something that would leave an impact on me for the
rest of my life.”
After researching the Marines, Atik said he reached out to a recruiter in January and began attending workouts twice a week at the Marine Corps recruiting office in Olathe. These workouts, led by Sergeant Monteze McGregor, are designed to prepare potential recruits both mentally and physically for boot camp.
“I can’t spill the beans on what the workouts [entail] because that takes away the excitement of the unexpected,” McGregor said. “More than anything, each workout is designed to prepare individuals for the mental stressors of boot camp.”
McGregor, who has helped guide Atik and other BVNW students through the recruitment process, serves as a recruiter and mentor as part of the Delayed Entry Program.
“For some people I meet in this community, they have no idea what a Marine is,” McGregor said. “So I might be the first person they ever come across that is a Marine, so I want to leave the impression that a Marine is squared away.”
In February, Atik said he gave him study material to prepare for the Pending Internet Computerized Adaptive Test (PiCAT), which he took online later that month. The test included sections on English, math, science and various
BVNW alumni Elliese Thurlby poses in her United States Naval Academy uniform. “People [at the academy] push you to become a good leader and to make sure you hold a high standard of athletics and academics,” Thurlby said.
technical and electrical topics. According to McGregor, higher scores can lead to more career options in the military.
Atik said he plans to go straight into boot camp after graduating this year to serve the minimum four-year commitment, but is open to reenlisting depending on his experience. While serving, Atik said he plans to attend the University of Nebraska to support his chosen job in the Marines, though he’s currently undecided on a major.
Junior Emily Deardorff also plans to serve after college, though not right away. She said she hopes to attend the University of Kansas, complete her nursing degree and enter the Navy Nurse Candidate Program.
“I think it could be a very hard job, but someone has to do it,” Deardorff said.
“I want to be part of something bigger—other than working at a civilian hospital.”
Like Thurlby’s father serving, Deardorff said her grandfather’s time in the Navy inspired her interest.
“My grandpa was always so proud of his time in the Navy and spoke so highly [of it],” she said.
“[Seeing] him in his dress uniform was so cutsie, and I was like, ‘I want to be like that.’”
She said she is currently in contact with a recruiter and exploring what a career as a Navy nurse would look like. Deardorff is also considering becoming a physician’s assistant after serving the required four years. Another senior, Wyatt Roos, plans to enlist in the
On the left, BVNW alumni Elliese Thurlby poses with her friends in their United States Naval Academy uniform. “There are some incredible people who constantly help me be a better person and want what’s best for me,” Thurlby said.
Junior Emily Deardorff practices drawing blood in her Exploring Health Professions CAPS class on Apri. 11. “I think CAPS is preparing me well for the medical field in general,” Deardorff said. “The hands-on and problem-solving skills we learn will help me in the [Navy Nurse Candidate] program.”
Senior Wyatt Roos does pushups in preparation for the Marine boot camp he will attend in August. “I wanted to enlist in the Marines because I knew I couldn’t do another four years of school,” Roos said. “I wanted to have a physical challenge.”
Marines after graduation with the goal of eventually joining Marine Reconnaissance, a special forces unit responsible for surveillance and intelligence gathering.
“Their job is high risk because they are the first to go into a hostile area to gather the intelligence and not be detected by the enemy,” McGregor said.
Roos, who plans to leave for boot camp in August in San Diego, said his interest in the military stems from family stories passed down by his grandfather, uncle and greatgrandfathers.
“Growing up, they told me their stories because they [knew] I was interested in it,” Roos said. “As far as studying, I’ve always been more interested in learning about wars.”
Wyatt’s father, Jason Roos, said he was initially hesitant about the plan, but has come to support it.
“Grade-wise, school is just not his thing,” Jason Roos said. “He just thought that if he went to college, it would be four years [and] $150,000 worth of money that he’s not going to appreciate, so the military made sense.”
Still, Jason Roos said he acknowledged the fears that come with watching your child pursue a high-risk path.
“I always thought you’re gonna get a nice, cushy job at the Air Force and not ever get deployed,” Jason Roos said. “He’s always wanted, whether it was Air Force or Army or Navy or now Marines, it’s always been the people that are put in danger the most.”
Looking back, Jason Roos said his mindset shifted after seeing how passionate Wyatt was.
His advice to other parents: stand behind your child’s decisions— even if they look different from the traditional path.
“If they do decide to do military service, or not to go to college, or go into a trade or take a nonconventional path, [that’s] OK,” Jason Roos said. “It’s their life to live, and it’s their life to figure out what works for them and how they can best serve themselves and society as a whole.”
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