The Tiger Print — December 2021

THE TIGER PRINT

a collection of letters to celebrate our time at BV and to explore opportunities to come

DESIGN BY AYESHA KHAN

2 contents may 2022

design by kaitlin green

6 SENIOR SUPERLATIVES

Seniors award each other “Most Likely To” titles

31 CUL DE SAC COMPANIONS ENTERTAINMENT REFLECTIONS 36 41

Seniors Sophie DeVeney and Trinity Mayer recount life-long friendship

Seniors share lessons learned during their time at BV

Final send-offs from the senior Tiger Print writers

THE TIGER PRINT

editor-in-chief

Charlie Trent

publication editors

Kaitlin Green

Frannie Lamberti

Charley Thomas assistant editor

Stephania Kontopanos

design editor

Ayesha Khan

Michelle Huss

staff writers

Regan Byrnes

Amy Collins

Brynn Friesen adviser

Katelyn Collins

“The Tiger Print” is an official publication of Blue Valley High School, an open forum distributed to all students six times a year. This publication may contain controversial material. Kansas law prohibits the suppression of a student publication solely because it may contain controversial matter. Blue Valley Unified School District No. 229 and its board members, officers and employees may disclaim any responsibility for the content of this publication; it is not an expression of school policy. Student authors and editors are solely responsible for the content of this publication.

Isaac Hudson

Harris Jones

Sofia Hughes

Ava McGuire

Harrison Melton

Elle Moulder

Chanie Rankin

Andrew Sharber

Rhylan Stern

Isabella Vaz

Mena Walker

Letters to the editor are encouraged for publication. “The Tiger Print” reserves the right to edit all submissions for both language and content. Letters should be submitted to Room 518, emailed to thetigerprint@gmail.com or mailed to:

The Tiger Print Blue Valley High School 6001 W. 159th St. Overland Park, KS 66085

Publication Editor Kaitlin Green stresses importance of respect. @bvtigernews bvtigernews.com

Sophomore Andrew Corporon leads Operation Breakthrough drive.

Seniors Reese Dickerson and Sofia Ortiz win National A Capella Competition.

senior survey

BASED ON A POLL OF 97 SENIORS

Have you ever cheated on a Canvas quiz?

Yes: 90% No: 10%

Did you ever fall while walking to the mobiles?

Yes: 51%

No: 49%

Have you played on a school sports team?

Yes: 60% No: 40%

Have you ever gotten in an accident in the school parking lot?

Yes: 21% No: 79%

Which year of high school was the hardest?

Have you cried in math class?

Yes: 59% No: 41%

Do you feel prepared for life after high school?

Yes: 57%

No: 43%

Did you have good school spirit for all activities in high school?

Yes: 57%

Could’ve been better: 36% No: 7%

Did you ever sleep through a Zoom class?

Yes: 82% No: 18%

A Letter to Mr. Bacon, Seniors

share favorite memories of their principal

“He helped me rock the vending machine during Tiger Paws freshman or sophomore year.”

-Alizeh Jafri

“GRRRRRR!”

-EmilyOppold

“Hisenergyatall -Harrisonassembliesandevents.” Melton

“When he dressed up as Santa all day.” -Oliver Webster

SENIOR SUPERLATIVES

use the crossword to find out who is most likely to...?

KEY:

1. Michael A & Sarah W

2. Neil B & Sam M

3. Sophie D & Jack S

4. Aiden S & Nathan S

5. Indika G & Nathan N

6. Reid H & Ben M

7. Cole D & Ella Q

8. Olivia K & Jackson S

9. Ethan Loftin & Charlie T

10. James E & Parker N 11. Ava Q & Rachel R

12. Tyler C & Thomas R

13. Levi B & Jenna D

14. Allison D & Greyson H

15. Kelo A & Ashton B

Michael Allen Kelo Anunobi

Ashton Barlow Neil Bhagwani Levi Bittel

Tyler Cunningham Allison Day

Jenna Demmel

Sophie DeVeney Cole Dickey

James Euston

Indika Gunananda Reid Hechler

Greyson Holbert Olivia King

Ethan Loftin Ben Marshall Sam McAleer

Parker Neal Nathan Nguyen

6 looking back may 2022

design by charlie trent

Ava Quigley Ella Quigley

Rachel Rast

Thomas Rawson

Aiden Shaw

Jack Shaw Jackson Somerhalder

Nathan Staley

Charlie Trent Sarah Walsh

Dear Tigers, Senior reflects on time in Student Council

rhylan stern|staff writer

At Blue Valley, one student is elected to be Student Council President. After three years of previous experience as class president, senior James Euston stepped up to the challenge.

It all began during his freshman year as a small joke between Euston and his family.

“My sister ran when she was a freshman and didn’t get it,” he said. “I was like, ‘Well, I’m not very good at many things. Maybe I’ll run just as a joke,’ and she was like, ‘You totally should.’ So I did. We put a million signs up and then never looked back.”

By being president, Euston has to put in a lot of time, effort and responsibility to make sure things get done and everything runs smoothly.

“The [executive] board are the ones in charge of facilitating the entire Student Council — so not only are we the ones that [are] manning the ship, but we’re actually the ones delegating the tasks” he said. “We’ll come up with ideas, but it’s really Student Council’s job to vote on those ideas, and we don’t have a say in that. We follow what the people say. Then from there, we’ll plan the events in our seventh hour — talk to administrators, talk to the janitors if we need to set aside seats, make phone calls to businesses and things like that. We are leading the charge on the big events.”

By completing tasks and overcoming challenges, Euston has prepared for the future in a way unlike others.

“Looking ahead to college, I can see myself [taking on a lot],” he said. “Being able to balance in high school with all

to be more organized, be more personal with everybody, be able to talk to a lot of people [and] speak in front of people. The major that I’m going into is youth ministry [and it] is going to be great for being able to speak in front of people. All those aspects have been good. I could go on and on about all the things I’ve learned.”

Out of all the commotion of being a leader, Euston has enjoyable parts of being president.

“Being able to plan an event that is accessible to the entire school [and] being able to write an atmosphere that promotes school spirit and joy of the Tiger family is my favorite thing,” he said.

Along with the ideal tasks, the end product of planned events and activities have created some of the most memorable times for Euston.

“Homecoming week was a highlight of senior year,” Euston said. “On top of that, I really liked announcing during football [and for] football halftime for the royalty — that was a blast.”

After four years of experience, Euston shares some advice for students who might want in future years.

“Make sure your schedule is free, make sure you like people and make sure you like confrontation — when you think their ideas are good, be ready for them to be shut down and be ready to pivot,” Euston said. “Be ready to be ready because if you’re not, you’ll be slacking and you will fall behind. Be ready for us to count on you.”

photos by stephania kontopanos, rhylan stern & charlie trent

TO THE APPLICANTS

mena walker |staff writer

During the college application process, many students are looking for guidance to help them plan and apply to colleges. Before heading off to Rice University in Houston, Texas, senior Jocelyn Wang gives advice on how to handle applying.

“Start early and don’t wait — start, at the latest, summer after junior year,” Wang said. “If you start during senior year, you’re going to be in classes and you’re going to be really stressed and rushed.”

Applying to college provides an approach to life-defining encounters you’re unlikely to obtain anywhere else.

“Try to keep in mind what fits best for you — don’t just blindly apply to colleges based on prestige or because that’s where your friends are going,” she said. “Make sure you’re going to enjoy your next four years, get something out of it and be able to thrive.”

Having extracurricular activities and outstanding essays is a great way to be distinguished from other applicants, followed by test scores, GPA and high school curriculum for the colleges that require them.

“You can stand out most in your essays, especially since recently, most high schoolers experienced Covid during their high school careers,” Wang said. “One way to stand out would be to not write about what everyone else is writing about, which is probably how Covid impacted them. You can really show your voice and your unique personality through your essays.”

By using strategies that focus on experiences and qualities affords an opportunity to share something different about yourself and from the rest of the application.

“I started off by thinking about the qualities I wanted to convey through my essays — what do I want the admissions officer to learn about me?” Wang said. “From there, I brainstorm certain topics. If I wanted them to know that I was a leader, I came up with an essay idea that would center around my leadership or if I wanted them to know that I was hardworking, I focused my essay around that.”

When applying to college, Wang shares how applications can help you learn about yourself, others and the world.

“I learned the support of my family has been a key factor throughout my life but more so in the college admission process,” she said.

“I realized there were more people than I originally thought who were willing to offer guidance, something I am incredibly fortunate to have and how privileged I was to have these resources available to me to utilize when there are many who do not.”

SENIORS REFLECT what has doing your activity taught you?

libby hawks softball

becca o’brien yearbook

krishi vanamamaly speech & debate

ariana siddique

grace billman the arts

DESIGN BY SOFIA HUGHES

michael solomon wrestling

reece dickerson choir

to my bonsai bud

Senior, teacher share hobby of tending to Japanese trees

ava mcguire |staff writer

Throughout the chaos of high school years, some students may find themselves picking up personal hobbies to take their minds off the strain and stress of everyday life. Through the mentorship of Spanish teacher Steven Dean, senior Nick Herzog found his passion in the art of Bonsai trees.

“I started the hobby because Señor Dean talked about them in his class, and he quite literally told me ‘Oh, yeah, I just bought them from Lowe’s or Home Depot,’” Herzog said. “So that day I went and grabbed one and I was like, ‘OK, what do I do?’ I brought it into his class one day, and we cut it and trimmed it out.”

However, Herzog’s Bonsai journey started out a little rockier than he initially described it.

“I guess Nick took my comments or pictures or whatever and decided this was super cool — he started by [buying] a kit that had seeds where he could plant them,” Dean said. “I said, ‘That’s great, but you need to know that you won’t be able to do anything with those for about seven years because it takes seeds forever [to grow].’ I told him where he could get some plants that he could work on that would look decent much quicker.”

After learning how to properly maintain care of the trees — and in a much timelier manner — Dean taught Herzog the true art behind tending to them. Dean himself learned the craft from someone directly connected to the culture from which Bonsai originated.

“When I was 16 years old, we had a Japanese foreign exchange student live in my house for the summer,” Dean said. “It was at that time that I got interested in Japanese culture, and so I have several hobbies that are Japanese, the Bonsai trees is one of them.”

Herzog and Dean’s practice of growing Bonsai trees is certainly a unique one, but the connection they have built through it will leave a lasting impact, especially as Herzog turns over a new chapter of his life as he heads to college in the fall.

“I’ll miss hanging out with Señor Dean — he is super fun,” Herzog said. “He’s probably one of my favorite teachers in Blue Valley, so that’s what I’ll miss the most.”

As for Dean, he will continue to find discrete ways to immerse his students in the way of Bonsai.

“Sometimes I’ll use a program to look for graphics in some of my presentations, and I can’t find something that works very well, so I just stick up a picture of a Bonsai tree,” Dean said.

Although he isn’t planning to carry on the tradition of helping students with the fostering of these tiny trees, Dean isn’t opposed to aiding the appreciation of them.

“If somebody said, ‘Hey, let’s start a club,’ then I would, of course, jump right in to help them,” Dean said. “Otherwise I stay pretty busy as is, but if somebody started something I would be there to help.”

Despite his leaving for college, Herzog’s progress with the trees will not be jilted.

“My mom is the one who is going to have to take care of them because I’m probably not taking them to college,” Herzog said. “So, unless Miss Herzog — the lady up in the front office — kills them, hopefully I’ll keep doing it.”

photos submitted by nick herzog

design by ava mcguire

design by charley thomas

Senior pursues college course in welding To my bright future...

charley

|publication editor

As his time at Blue Valley began coming to a close, senior Nick Nagel stumbled upon a nontraditional career path while scrolling through his phone.

“I saw [welding] on social media — YouTube and things like that,” Nagel said. “I started watching videos, and I realized how much you can make doing it if you give it enough effort.”

Luckily for Nagel, the district partners with Johnson County Community College to make trade classes and other fields of study more accessible to high school students.

“I started last August,” he said. “Blue Valley pays for the career readiness program, so I’m pretty much sponsored by Blue Valley to go to JCCC and take their welding courses.”

Nagel spends the better half of his school day at JCCC, where he encounters two different classroom environments.

“For the first hour, you have a

lecture, which is teaching about welding,” he said. “Then from 9 to 12 is laboratory — you’re in the lab actually welding the machines and learning.”

Though the lectures may be necessary, Nagel favors the hands-on experience he gets later in the mornings.

“I definitely [prefer] being in the laboratory for sure,” he said. “It’s full of a bunch of metal and a bunch of cool tools. It’s just sitting there all day with some earbuds in and putting some metal together.”

Not only does the program provide exposure to potential career paths, it also allows students to explore areas of interest without monetary pressure.

“You get your first year for your associate’s [degree] paid for by the school, not out of your pocket,” he said. “You can do it your senior year, get elective credits for high school and for college. If you don’t like it, you don’t really lose anything. It’s a win-win.”

It’s full of a bunch of metal and a bunch of cool tools. It’s just sitting there all day with some earbuds in and putting some metal together

thomas

You can do it your senior year, get elective credits for high school and for college, and if you don’t like it, you don’t really lose anything.

nick nagel

design by harrison melton

To My Final Audience

harrison melton |staff writer

Speaking in front of a few teachers in a classroom is nerve wracking in itself. For the seniors chosen to speak at this year’s graduation and class day, they have to stand not only in front of their peers, but their extended family, friends and the school’s faculty.

Seniors Sarah Gordon, Darya Moiny, James Euston and Milin Goldstein were selected among many others to send the senior class off to whatever lies ahead.

“My speech is going to talk about something that I’ve noticed that all listeners have learned. Instead of focusing on Covid, like I think that a lot of our speeches might, [I talk about] our persistence and how we grew as individuals,” Gordon said. “I lend to my theme a lot by providing personal examples, which is something that helps you get in touch with the audience, sometimes more so as if I’m having a conversation with them.”

Similarly to Gordon, Moiny decided to audition because “the worst thing they can do is say no.” However, Moiny was still anxious going into the audition.

“[I was super nervous.] It was super, super weird because I didn’t think I’d get that nervous in front of teachers I knew,” Moiny said. “The only way you could tell if they liked you or not was how many notes they were taking or if they were laughing at your jokes. I think they kind of chuckled out a few of mine, so that made me feel pretty good.”

Finding out they made it through auditions was a shock for Gordon.

“I am terrible at looking at my email and Canvas messages. My friend messaged me and said, ‘congrats on making it for the senior speech,’ Gordon said. “I thought they were joking, so they sent me the email. I was like, ‘Oh, crap. Now I have to present this to like 2,000 people.’ I was excited, but I definitely didn’t think I was going to actually

Seniors discuss class day, graduation speech-

make it, so I’m happy and honored.”

For Moiny, it didn’t matter if she spoke at graduation or class day.

“I just want to talk in front of people. I had no idea which one my speech was better for because some are super emotional and mine’s not,” Moiny said. “[My speech] is a weird idea, but it’s about titration in chemistry class. I related it back to everyone, so it’s not like a science lesson on stage or anything.”

Gordon wants the speech to be memorable and personal.

“I want to make sure it’s authentic — if anything, my speech speaks a lot to myself,” Gordon said. “It speaks to the whole, and it addresses the entire grade, but it also comes from the heart and it is personal.”

photos submitted by name darya moiny & sarah gordon

Sarah Gordon, 12

Darya Moiny, 12

PINPOINT 2022

directed by NATHAN STALEY

produced by NATHAN STALEY

starring NATHAN STALEY, MILIN GOLDSTEIN, GEORGE PERKINS, MASON FLEISCHMAN, JAKE VONSELDENECK, JACOB TIEVES, KYLE WANG AND REID HECHLER

design by chanie rankin

Director’s Note, from the cast and crew of Pinpoint senior’s film production hits the big screen

with before.”

When it comes to getting a jump-start on future career goals, senior Nathan Staley has done just that. Hoping to pursue film in college, Staley recruited 12 of his friends, two being seniors Jake vonSeldenek and Kyle Wang, to act in the production of his movie, “Pinpoint.”

“Nathan talked about it for a couple months straight in July of 2020, and we were filming Treasure Hunt videos that he had us in,” Wang said. “He came up with the idea for a movie so we were like ‘Oh, we were already in the treasure hunt, why not be in the movie too?’”

Although Staley was not as involved in the acting portion of the film, he managed all other facets.

“I did a little acting myself, but these guys are the main characters. It started out with script writing, planning all the scenes, and then because of time, I had to edit the scenes right after we finished them,” Staley said. “Then post production, lots of scheduling with AMC, getting a distribution company [and] all the stuff at the very end, too.”

On the contrary, those who were actors found it to be the most difficult part.

“Nathan always had certain expressions he wanted us to use for certain lines,” vonSeldenek said. “Having no acting experience, sometimes it’s hard to portray that well, and you’ll be able to tell in the movie that it was hard for us.”

Regardless of the actors’ lack of experience, Staley enjoyed witnessing their improvement.

“Trying to see the guys act is pretty entertaining,” Staley said. “It’s sometimes annoying because obviously, they’re not top-tier actors and I want to make it like that, but at the same time, the bloopers are absolutely hilarious, and the final product is really, really good. The funniest part is that the more you get into the movie, the more experienced the guys become, so the acting becomes better.”

The actors also had their favorite moments from the production, most occurring during the off time between takes.

“Obviously, there’s a lot of downtime in between shots, like setting up different angles, so the bloopers and talking with other people who were acting with us was really fun,”

With such a long and time-consuming endeavor, it can be easy to lose motivation. However, this was not the case for vonSeldenek.

“A lot of the guys slowly over time started to get annoyed about having to film so much or just fell out of enjoyment with it, but I actually really enjoyed it the whole time,” he said. “[I] liked helping Nathan figure out new scenes and different stuff in the plot.”

The most predominant issue, though, was scheduling.

“We put a lot of hours into it by now, but we took a couple breaks at a month or so because it was hard to get everybody’s schedule together,” vonSeldenek said. “A lot of people had different activities going on, [so] it’s definitely been a lot of hours of filming.”

Making a movie is not something all high schoolers are able to say they’ve done, and many don’t realize just how much goes into the process.

“My biggest takeaway is that there’s so much more depth into movies than people realize — trying to manage it with 12 guys during the entire thing is pretty crazy,” Staley said. “It’s taken up a majority of my time, [and] I don’t have a job right now, so this is hopefully something I can make some money off of because it’s taken a lot.”

With a number of students involved from the class of 2022, the cast is hoping viewers will find enjoyment from seeing their peers on the big screen.

“All of our friends are pretty excited to come see us because it’s going to be us acting,” vonSeldenek said. “Everyone’s going to have fun laughing at us, but I think everyone’s super impressed by the fact that Nathan and all of us were able to do this.”

With all the time put into this production, Staley hopes people are able to appreciate and value their efforts.

“The final product is a lot better than what it started out to be, so when I say to people, ‘This is an actual movie,’ I really want them to take that seriously,” Staley said. “It’s an hour and 40 minutes. It’s at AMC — it’s full on. That’s the part that I’m most proud of, and hoping people will come to see.”

design by kaitlin green

To All The Dreamers

Senior attends prestigious Disney event

kaitlin green |publication editor

For senior Alison Yee, a passion for all-things Disney and engineering opened the door to a unique opportunity: The Disney Dreamers Academy.

Each year, this organization selects 100 students from across the country, mainly from underrepresented backgrounds, to participate in a four-day event at the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida. Students attend seminars, meet celebrities and work hand-in-hand with Disney Imagineers, the engineers responsible for designing and building various aspects of the theme parks.

Yee was originally enticed by the program because of her dream to one day become an Imagineer herself.

“I saw it was for people who have big dreams and who strive to do a lot — I knew that fit me really well, and I could have some amazing opportunities and make connections,” Yee said. “I want to share my message with the world — especially as a female, Asian, engineer and LGBTQ community member — through what I create.”

Yee was one of 10,000 teens from across the country to apply. Through numerous written responses, she hoped to emphasize the qualities she believes would make a good Imagineer.

“I mainly wrote about how cardboard boxes inspired me to be innovative and how that contributes to who I am as a person,” Yee said. “I also talked about Randy Pausch, a Carnegie Mellon professor [and] Disney Imagineer, who taught the importance of having grit and pushing through the ‘brick walls.’”

This year’s Disney Dreamers Academy took place March 3-6. When recounting her experience, she found the most value in participating in a “deep dive,” which put her in the shoes of Disney Imagineers.

“We designed a transportation system with a budget to simulate how they do it in the real company,” Yee said. “The next day, we presented it to a bunch of people and pitched our idea. I networked with four Imagineers who I’m still in touch with.”

Yee was the only representative from Kansas and is grateful to have had the opportunity to meet a wide variety of people with different talents.

“Imagineering is so vast — there’s not any specific field you train to go into. You learn most of it on the job,” Yee said. “There’s so many different people with different disciplines, so you learn to respect each other’s crafts.”

Though she is excited to attend Tufts University to begin her journey in engineering, Yee admits fostering her passions has been anything but easy. However, after tasting what her life after college could be like, Yee could not be more thrilled.

“A lot of us don’t really fit in anywhere in our high schools — once you get older, you will find your people,” Yee said. “I feel like that was the first glimpse of meeting people who have the same passions as me. Middle school and high school were rough for me socially, so now I know if I keep going, I will find people and I will get to where I want to be.”

photo submitted by Alison Yee

To all the sunsets we’ve chased...

Friends find peace in watching the sky

isabella vaz |staff writer

The beauty of Kansas sunsets are never overlooked by seniors Ashlyn Richardson and Logan Hays who have made it a weekly tradition to chase down the views together.

“We text each other throughout the day if we notice the weather is nice, and we’ll make a plan for it and get snacks or ice cream,” Hays said. “Most of the time, it’s pretty spontaneous — we’ll just be driving home from practice and see the sky is starting to change, and then we’ll go to a spot [to watch it together].”

They have a few go-to lookout points where the view is best.

“There’s this place off Mission — we pull off and go up this hill,” Richardson said. “It’s super clear and the sunset is so pretty. Then there is another neighborhood spot that Logan likes to go to.”

The tradition began with the discovery that they shared the same passion.

“I started doing it last summer because it felt like an escape and gave me a lot of peace and joy,” Hays said. “It became one of my favorite pastimes and then I noticed Ashlyn really liked doing it too, so we started [going] together.”

Quarantine sparked the idea for Richardson.

“I’d always liked looking at sunsets,” Richardson said. “But [during Covid] I had so much more time to be intentional with, so it became a great way to destress and be outside.”

For Hays, the time spent together has been irreplaceable.

“It has grown my and Ashlyn’s relationship

a lot because we’ve had so many conversations and experiences together while chasing sunsets,” Hays said. “It has allowed me to slow down amidst the chaos and messiness of life and appreciate the little graces that we get every day. There is a sunset every day, even if you don’t see it, [showing] how much beauty and joy life can give.”

Out of all their adventures, one treasured memory stands out.

“This one time — it was a crazy sunset — I was playing music in my car, and it was a really nice day. We went out into the middle of the street and just started dancing around,” Hays said. “It felt like time stopped and there were no worries.”

Although they are preparing to leave

for different colleges, the sunset and the friendship it has helped to grow will keep them connected.

“Logan is going to Pitt State, and I’m going to Arkansas, so we’re going to be really close to each other,” Richardson said. “It’s comforting to know that when the sun sets for me, there is a beautiful sunset that [she will be] seeing too.”

No matter where they may be, a symbol of their friendship and a reminder of life’s beauty can always be seen in the ever-changing skies.

“It’s a beautiful way to end the day [since] the sunsets are different every day,” Richardson said. “Days can be hard and days can be amazing, but no matter what, you know the sun is always going to set and rise again.”

POSTCARD

“

There is a sunset every day, even if you don’t see it, [showing] how much beauty and joy life can give.” logan hays, 12

photos submitted by ashlyn richardson

setting off to the

To meriCorps

Senior chooses to enter community-based program after high school

andrew sharber |staff writer

For many students, joining a branch of the military allows them to protect and serve their own country.

Senior Matteo Leone will follow a similar path by working in the AmeriCorps program, which is a separate part of the American Government and military that improves communities throughout the United States.

“It’s basically the same thing as the Peace Corps,” Leone said. “The Peace Corps goes out of the country, and they help people that are in areas that are poverty stricken and where natural disasters have occurred — where they just need people to help. The AmeriCorps is similar except it’s only in America, and it’s not global.”

While Leone might not feel the stress of joining a different branch of the military and possibly traveling overseas, he still knows it’s a big task for a student just out of high school.

ing the military and not feeling the stress of taking a different route, AmeriCorps and the AmeriCorps Senior Program are options that provide good benefits that can be used if they go to college or continue to serve in a different branch of the military afterward.

““I get paid after, but it’s not like cash. It’s similar to a grant — it’s just money toward school,” Leone said. “I’m going to use that to go to a community college. The program I’m doing is for 12 months. There’s also a 10 month one. The 10 month one is $7,000, and the 12 month one is $9,000 toward school only.”

My plans are to gain leadership skills and just get used to having to be away from home and sacrificing time because eventually I plan on going to the military one day.

matteo leone 12

“My plans are to gain leadership skills and just get used to having to be away from home and sacrificing time,” he said. “Eventually I plan on going to the military one day.”

According to AmeriCorps.gov, more than 20,000 veterans and seniors serving in both the AmeriCorps and the AmeriCorps Seniors program coordinate volunteer plans, respond to disasters, support other veterans and gain valuable knowledge that can be used if they choose to go into a different branch of the military.

While some students might be interested in join-

For the benefits of serving his country, Leone plans to either go to a community college after 12 months or continue to serve his country in a different branch of the military.

“I did want to go into the National Guard at first, but I don’t know yet. I still have a lot of time,” Leone said. “I’m thinking more like the Air Force or Navy. I’m also probably going to do some sort of programming involving astronomy or marine biology at a community college.”

While many may not think about giving up their everyday life in order for others to have that, Leone chooses to take the opportunity and embrace it.

“I want to get used to the idea of being away from home and sacrificing my time because I really enjoy my free time and my family,” Leone said. “If I want to go to the military and get those benefits and help my country, then I have to get used to that to better myself in general. I’m going to be out helping people. It’s going to be a good experience.”

ciao, kansas city

Foreign exchange student describes college application process in Italy

Though most apply to colleges in their last year of high school, senior Simone Aguzzi has started now, even though he has one year of high school remaining in Italy. Currently, he plans to attend the University of Milan in 2023 and study engineering or statistics.

“During the fourth year, you can start applying for colleges or universities. I did,” Aguzzi said. “You can also do it your fifth year of high school. You just apply and do these little exams. If they accept you, you’re in. If they don’t, you just retry.”

Similar to the ACT or SAT, part of the application process in Italy involves a standardized test.

“They just verify that you know some things about math, English [and] Italian comprehension,” Aguzzi said. “You can take it once a month.”

As opposed to the Common Application, Aguzzi’s process was simplified, as it didn’t require his grades or an essay — only the test.

“I did the exam three weeks ago. I got accepted,” Aguzzi said. “In the future, if I will want to join them, I’m already in.”

In the U.S., study abroad, internship and employment

opportunities are abundant, but in Italy, the main focus is on academics.

“They don’t do anything with [clubs] at school usually,” Aguzzi said. “During high school, we have to do community service, but during university, I don’t think so.”

When choosing what school to apply to, various aspects of the University of Milan appealed to Aguzzi.

“It’s near my city,” he said. “I know a lot of people in Milan, so I guess it’s my dream school.”

Aguzzi didn’t consider applying to colleges in the U.S., mostly for financial reasons.

“It’s too expensive to go to college and universities here,” Aguzzi said. “On average [in Italy], it’s probably not more than three, four, maybe $5,000 per year.”

His experiences as a foreign exchange student in America, Aguzzi believes, will help him in college.

“This experience taught me a lot of things, and I’m more open minded,” he said. “I feel like it will impact my experience during university in a positive way.”

“

“This experience taught me a lot of things, and I’m more open minded.” simone aguzzi 12

photos submitted by simone aguzzi

words & design by stephania kontopanos

22 map may 2022

design by charlie trent

the next step DELIVER

KANSAS

Allen County Community College

Kyle Kleweno

Benedictine College

Brylan Haas

Rebecca Tonkin

BV 18-21 Program

Mahmoud

Al-kofahi

Lindy Barker

Katie Briggs

Sam Chambers

Emporia State University

Jacob Braun

Clayton Kavlick

Andrew Long

Luke Summers

Fort Hays State University

Jackson Elgas

Fort Scott Community College

Anthony Fincher

Johnson County Community College

Evie Akimoto

Ben Albertson

CJ Bamber

Zowie Bonner

Sebastian Booth

Brandon Brooks

Scott Brower

Laura Buendia

Joey Compton

Kale Conaway

Lyla Cox

next

Leo Enneking

Brody Eschman

Andrew Gutschenritter

Charles Hayden

Hudson Hibbard

Jake Jones

Connor Keyes

Hannah Khan

Zara Khan

Tayler Kilpatrick

Mark Kitchin

Sloane Knell

Seth Lewis

Mariah Lietz

Aaron Majumder

Abby Martin

Mattie Masterson

Kai McIntyre

Elijah McLain

Connor Morrison

Nick Nagel

Saleh Noman

Spencer Norman

Bentley Pacis

James Pressdee

Elliot Priest

Adam Ramahi

Thomas Rawson

Mac Reed

Jillian Rogers

Isaiah Salaah

Jori Sanchez

Cole Seifert

Shivam Singh

Logan Stewart

Madison Tiberio

Keagan Turner

Oliver Webster

Ryan Wei

Calvin Whitehair

Aurora Yepez

Emma Zullig

Kansas State University

Anna Bajich

Derek Bartley

Mia Bartley

Aiden Bienz

Olivia Bock

Noah Boman

Shane Bostick

Audrey Brownfield

Carson Bulkeley

Mitchell Campbell

Cody Cartwright

Jason Casey

Jack Cecil

Darren Cox

Jenna Demmel

Charlie DeZube

AJ Diederich

Zach Dohr

Zach Downey

Kyle Duewer

Sarjoun Fardoun

Ellie Graham

Ian Hamilton

Cooper Hillman

Henry Hornung

Reagan Howard

Caroline Humphrey

Charlie Jones

Jake Keller

Matthew Lane

Sterling Lockett

Ethan Loftin

Brynn Luna

Kylie Mac Ewen

Ben Marshall

Ryan Matheny

Eoin McLaughlin

Landon Menees

Jackson Mills

Emma

Niederhauser

Reagan Nowak

Emily Oppold

Lance Philgreen

Esenia Pittman

Gabby Randall

Tyme Ripley

Nolan Rodriguez

Ethan Rola’

Henry Simms

Michael Solomon

Jay Soykan

Kate Van Brunt

Hayden Vogel

Mena Walker

Ben Waymire

Emma Wells

Manhattan Christian College

Erin Dickinson

Mitsu Sato Academy

Mackenzie Gill

Ottawa University

Levi Bittel

Pittsburg State University

John Gahagan

Logan Hays

JD Hinman

Greyson Holbert

Luke Howard

Madison Moravac

Corryn Rubyor

Tyler Runyan

Collin Taylor

University of Kansas

Grace Billman

Jack Bingham

Macie Bridges

Sofia Carollo

Chase Cygan

Austin Dauernheim

Fiona Delahunt

Julia Denny

Cole Dickey

Braden Duke

Sophia Dvorak

Viktoriia Feofanova

Katie Fisher

Mason Fleischman

Austin Flink

Caden Garretson

Brenna Goswick

Emma Grewe

Dean Gusich

London

Haggadone

Kenzie

Hammontree

Avery Harris

Jake Holzinger

Michael Hoopes

Matthew Hoopes

Alizeh Jafri

Arnav Jain

Peytan James

Kailee Johnson

Andrew Jung

Lauren Kassing

Ashton Kelso

Dylan Kneidel

Logan Kramer

Eli Kushnir

Caiden Lamb-

Murdock

Tyson Lavid

Kate Levinson

Valerie Lu

Julian Mancero

Gwynn Merriman

Darya Moiny

Leah Mooers

Jude Mubaslat

Cole Mueller

Adwaith Nair

Eiaad Nomaan

Landon Ozburn

Jena Pell

Mariah Perrigo

Annaka Resnik

Sarah ReubenHallock

Aubree Rodgers

Carson Ross

Kristin Rupp

Dakota Sagmiller

Annie Shaw

Helenna Shcherbinin

Evan Shultz

Ariana Siddique

Sana Siddiqui

Connor Stasieluk

Madison Stewart

Zak Svendsen

Avery Sweeney

Emleen Thiara

Krishi

Vanamamaly

Sarah Walsh

Maddie Watson

Charlie Willeford

Tori Wingrove

Matthew Wormington

Dellie Wright

Shayaan Zaidi

Bryan Zhang

Nemo Zhang

Ivan Zhang

Wichita State University

Ryan Hennerberg

Jordan Kniss

Sam McAleer

Uri Reem

Z Hair Academy

Makenna Helm

Rebecca Huggins

INDIANA

Butler University

Mitchell Vore

Indiana University

Leah Dunton

Purdue University

Sofia Hughes

Shelby Lehman

Valparaiso University

Emma Schmidt

PENNSYLVANIA

Bryn Mawr College

Annelise Ewy

Lehigh University

Becca O’Brien

MISSOURI

Avila University

Ricky Whapham

Columbia College

Grant Shyver

Kansas City

Art Institute

Emma Gulledge

WISCONSIN

University of Wisconsin Madison

Sia Kavi

University of Wisconsin

Whitewater

Keri Sherer

Jule’ahna Hayes-Nigro

Missouri Southern State University

Tori Hamilton

Missouri University of Science & Technology

Caroline Kreisel

Northwest Missouri State University

Hayden Essex

Rockhurst University

Robert Barba

ILLINOIS

Illinois Institute of Technology

Blair Bassett

Illinois State University

Jessica Alexander

Loyola University of Chicago

Annika Wilhelm

Northwestern University

Kelo Anunobi

Nick Herzog

Stephania Kontopanos

ARIZONA

Arizona State University

Marley Barash

Tyler Cunningham

Sophie Deveney

Brooke Hofmann

Sage Meidel

Emily Thomason

Jacob Tieves

Charlie Trent

Jake vonSeldeneck

Ava Quigley

University of Central Missouri

Benjamin Vasquez

University of Missouri

Jessica Brandel

John Brandel

Joshua Case

Kaitlin Green

Frannie Lamberti

Ava Nickell

Liz Nitzel

Aidan Shaw

University of Missouri-Kansas City

Maggie Buchanan

Hannah Lind

Lexi Pribyl

Andrew Taylor

Zaid Zari

Washington University in St. Louis

Miranda Miller

Saint Louis University

Ivy Miller

Allison Roggy

NORTH CAROLINA

Duke University

Will Creamer

George Xue

MISSISSIPPI

University of Mississippi

Katie Daniels

Ella Quigley

Grand Canyon University

Lei Faagutu

Northern Arizona University

Marina Golden

University of Arizona

Kate Gabel

Jadyn Jacobs

Avery Navran

IRELAND

University College Dublin

Elizabeth Bahadursingh

COLORADO

University of Colorado Boulder

Joshua Jackson

University of Colorado Denver

Ellie Nuss

University of Denver

Hadley Way

University of Northern Colorado

Libby Hawks

OKLAHOMA

Oklahoma State University

Kinsey Sharber

University of Oklahoma

Sarah Gravitt

Olivia King

Brody Wadman

UTAH

Brigham Young University Provo

Caleb Olsen

GEORGIA

Savannah College of Art and Design

Harrison Melton

Palak Panchal

University of Georgia

Tristan Bashara

TEXAS

Baylor University

Michael Allen

Erin Lynn

Levi Rothwell

University of Utah

Drew Norris

ONTARIO

University of Toronto

Darren Lee

Arveen Tahmasebi

MICHIGAN

University of Michigan

George Perkins

VERMONT

Middlebury College

Ava Moore

SOUTH DAKOTA

Dakota State University

Joe Liebergen

Parker Miller

TENNESSEE

Belmont University

Sam Gray

Ella Mills

Nathan Staley

Alayna Wilburn

SOUTH CAROLINA

Clemson University

Trinity Mayer

ALABAMA

University of Alabama

Molly Finley

Ava Long

Nathan Nguyen

Cooper Simpson

Noelle Smithers

Rice University

Jocelyn Wang

Southern Methodist University

Emma Schellhase

Texas Southern University

Ah’Niya Talise Hayes-Hall

Texas Tech University

Connor Stark

OHIO

Case Western Reserve University

Vanessa Onentia

Franciscan University

James Euston

University of Cincinnati

Sarah Gordon

MASSACHUSETTS

Tufts University

Alison Yee

Wellesley College

Madeline Chang

NEBRASKA

Creighton University

Mary Burkhead

Caroline Hanson

Sydney Hoskovec

Nebraska Wesleyan University

Ashton Barlow

CONNECTICUT

University of Connecticut

Lizzy Parkerson

University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Allison Day

Gabe Divelbiss

Jack Shaw

Dominic Strain

Charlie Weinrich

design by charlie trent

map may 2022

design by charlie trent

ARKANSAS

University of Arkansas

Anna Borcherding

Maddie Fritz

Erin Harrigan

Jordan Hawkins

Reid Hechler

Katie Heidemann

Parker Neal

Cameren Quintana

Rachel Rast

Ashlyn Richardson

Jack Sartino

Katherine Schlagel

Ryan Schulz

Lea Shamblin

Jenna Zerr

IOWA

Central College

Andrew Lock

CALIFORNIA

Santa Clara University

Jackson Somerhalder

University of California Los Angeles

Milin Goldstein

University of California Riverside

Tista Palmukhopadhyay

University of California San Diego

Tyler Cho

University of Southern California

Will Jones

Kyle Wang

ITALY

Liceo Scientifico

Galileo Ferraris

Simone Aguzzi

Milan Fashion Institute

Rami Zari

ENGLAND

Rising Ballers in England

Kevin Leach

Drake University

Reece Dickerson

Emma Likens

Iowa State University

Ashley Schulz

Luther College

Diego Wolf

University of Northern Iowa

Sree Mylavarapu

OTHER

AmeriCorps

Matteo Leone

Esthetician School

Esmeralda Renteria

Gap Year

Alexis Ferguson — traveling

Sarah Moore

Sofia Ortiz — pursuing dance & music

Valencia Peña

Brynn Sankey — traveling

Christina Stone — traveling & taking art classes

Military

Gianni Scavuzzo — Marines

Ryan Winter — Army

FLORIDA

University of Central Florida

Sophia Brown

University of Florida

Neil Bhagwani

Sahil Patel

NEW YORK

Long Island University

Kodi Donahue

Working

Noah Apodaca — working on clothing line & focusing on entrepreneurship

Sam Bresette — working with horses at a farm

Landon Drake — Charlie’s Car Wash

Indika Gunananda — pursuing music

Eliot O’Bryan — taking classes & touring the Midwest for show

Mason Ruisinger

David Salas-Artiles — starting filmmaking business

Caleb Vande Garde — instructing ski lessons in Vail, Colorado

Undecided

Nick DeWit

Kegan McMasters

Gray Olson

Thomas Qi

Herlinda Renteria

Anden Ripley

Olivia Steckelberg

Mae Wingfield

Unknown

Abdul Baghdadi

Nicholas Cahalan

Dylan Golden

Ali Hantoush

Jacob Hughes

Jacob Olmstead

Austin Stewart

Alexandra Young

26 feature may 2022

design by frannie lamberti

bvtiger22 I would like to announce my commitment to...

bvfootball

bvfootball Michael Allen Baylor University; Hayden Essex Northern Missouri State University; Nick Herzog Northwestern University; Greyson Holbert Pittsburg State University, Clayton Kavlick Emporia State University; Sterling Lockett Kansas State University; Andrew Long Emporia State University; Ben Vasquez University of Central Missouri; Charlie Weinrich University of Nebraska-Lincoln

bvdance

bvdance Olivia Bock Kansas State University; Sarah Gravitt University of Oklahoma; Kaitlin Green University of Missouri; Reagan Howard Kansas State University; Emma Schellhase Southern Methodist University; Ava Quigley Arizona State University

bvsball

bvsoftball Libby Hawks University of Northern Colorado; Logan Hays Pittsburg State University

bvbaseball

bvcheer

bvcheer Ella Quigley Arizona State University

bvbball

bvbaseball Anthony Fincher Fort Scott University; Brylan Haas Benedictine College; Andrew Lock Central College; Sam McAleer Wichita State University; Drew Norris University of Utah

bvsoccer

bvsoccer Kenzie Hammontree University of Kansas; Jillian Rogers Johnson County Community College; Grant Shyver Columbia College

bvswim

bvswim Emma Schmidt Valparaiso University

bvbball Aidan Shaw University of Missouri

bvvball

bvvball Tori Hamilton Missouri Southern University; Ava Moore Middlebury College

bvxc

bvxc Tori Wingrove University of Kansas

design by brynn friesen

OLYMPIC to the committee

Senior hopes to make Olympic curling team

brynn friesen | staff writer

He stares down the freezing ice, focused on guiding the stone with his curling broom. It is March 2018 in Vancouver, Canada, and senior Darren Lee has first started his training in the sport of curling.

Lee discovered the sport and future curling team through his father’s job.

“When I was in Vancouver, my father told me someone from work told him that they were recruiting a junior curling team for Taiwan, also known as Chinese Taipei,” Lee said. “At first, I didn’t really know what curling was about, but after immersing myself in the game, something clicked about the sport. Eventually, I found myself surrounded by many other Taiwanese junior curlers like me, and we formed a team to go compete in the World Junior Curling Championships.”

According to Lee, the sport is played by a small team, each player executing their own role.

“There are four players on the ice and one substitute player on the bench just in case someone gets injured,” Lee said. “Each of the four players on the ice gets a certain position that they play [with] chronological orders [in which] they throw the stone.”

Two sweepers —

players who guide the stone — are present when another player is throwing a rock, while the third and skip positions “take turns commanding the shot to take on the other side of the ice.” The team with the stone the closest to the center of the house at a given end receives one point.

“Any additional stones that are in the house can also be considered for points,” Lee said.

In the U.S., Lee plays at the KC Curling Club, the only available rink near him.

“In the Junior Curling Championships, I have competed against many countries such as Japan, Korea, Finland, Germany, England and Italy,” Lee said.

While Lee sometimes trains in Vancouver, he mostly trains in Kansas. However, the separation from his teammates makes it difficult for him to practice to the same level as with his team.

“Personally, I am training to further improve my skill as a curler through individual practice, watching games and playing games,” Lee said. “Because I am separated from my teammates who live in Canada, I can really only practice individually due to having no coach or teammates on the team with me in Kansas. Normally I play a few games with the local curlers just so I don’t get rusty.”

Lee is not only a citizen of the U.S. — he also has citizenship in Taiwan, which has proven to pose difficulties.

“I thought about representing the U.S. junior team a few times,” Lee said. “However, because Taiwan doesn’t have anyone else other than me and my teammates to represent the junior team, I decided to represent Taiwan. I am a proud Taiwanese, and I want to make the sport more popular in Taiwan.”

Curling brings a new adventure for Lee to experience.

“I enjoy the thrill of traveling to other countries to compete — not many people can say they are international athletes,” Lee said. “I also love meeting new people from different countries and making more friends.”

Lee has progressed through the sport and is now moving up to the men’s team, allowing him to continue the sport into adulthood.

“To represent Taiwan and go to the Olympics would mean so much to me,” Lee said. “Taiwan has never been able to make it to the Olympics for curling, and being the first team to be in the Olympics would be the greatest honor.”

28 feature may 2022

To my Viewers

Student earns internship opportunity

katelyn collins | staff writer

Most teenagers spend their downtime on social media. Through endless scrolling many BV students have come across senior Cole Dickey’s Instagram accounts @bvhypefilms and @ coledickeyfilms. He has a talent for making videos and producing content. This summer, Dickey will put his skills to use for a dream summer job.

“For my internship I run [Sporting KC’s] social media,” Dickey said. “Basically I film their practices and games and then I create reels.”

Dickey will be hard at work doing what he loves every day of the week except for weekends. Luckily he is well prepared for the task thanks to the opportunities that he gets through CAPS.

“I’m doing an internship with this digital media company called Lifted Logic,” Dickey said. “I run their social media. This is preparing me before I actually go into my real internship.”

Dickey taught himself how to film and create videos by watching YouTube videos. He then started posting what he created onto YouTube. On his channels, you can find entertaining and light-hearted vlogs, pranks, challenges and skits.

“Growing up, I was obsessed with YouTube and [so] I started my own channel,” Dickey said. “I moved on to BV hype films, which is the school’s hype page, and I just got into social media.”

In order to create his content, Dickey uses a Canon 80D camera and edits with either Adobe Premiere Pro or Final Cut Pro. On average Dickey spends five hours editing each video that he produces.

“Editing is the hardest part because it’s a lot of screen time, staring at your computer — it takes a lot out of you,” Dickey said. “Sometimes you have to just focus on that [and] not hang out with friends.”

Dickey is off to college next year and plans to turn his passion into his career. He has also set some big goals for the future, but his dedication and talent are sure to set him up for success.

“I’m headed to KU next year and I’m going to major in marketing and minor in film and media studies,” Dickey said. “I really want to start my own production company at one point, but it takes a lot. [I] also want to move to LA and get into the real film productions.”

Dickey offers these words of advice to anyone thinking about creating their own videos.

“I would just say go do it,” he said. “You do have to put a lot of effort into it, but once you start, if you love it, just keep going.”

photo submitted by cole dickey

design by katelyn collins

design by isaac hudson

WHO WE WERE

Senior reflects on when friend groups fall apart

TOGETHER

isaac hudson |staff writer

Throughout the course of anyone’s high school career, it is almost impossible to avoid getting involved in some kind of drama between friends or friend groups. By the time you are a senior, it has become a common experience that most people have been through.

Similarly, senior Emma Niederhauser is no stranger to these dramatic situations.

“I had a friend group freshman year, and I had transferred from another school so I didn’t go to middle school or elementary school with anybody,” she said. “I was meeting new people and I was like, ‘These are going to be my people because I don’t have anyone else to go off of.’ We would eat lunch together and hang out.”

Despite the positive way her freshman friend group started, Niederhauser said things soon went south.

“Everybody started fighting and people would disagree about relationships; there were multiple friends I had that were in relationships that other people would talk [badly] about behind their backs. No one was getting along, there were different text message threads, one without this person or without this person,” she said. “[It was] super messy, and we all ended up fighting so much. There were multiple instances that made me feel really bad about myself, so I was like, ‘You know what, I’m done.’ Then I wasn’t friends with those people anymore, and I found other friends.”

Since then, Niederhauser has tried her best to stay away from any sort of drama, with varying degrees of success.

“I wouldn’t say I’ve steered clear, but there’s nothing that’s pressing,” Niederhauser said. “There hasn’t been anything that has made my friend groups now split or really talk bad

behind people’s backs. My friends now [act] more like adults and can handle the conflict.”

Niederhauser also expressed how she has benefited from not being completely tied down to one friend group.

“Since freshman year, I’ve become a floater,” she said. “I have a bunch of different friend groups — I have my yearbook people, I have my choir people and then I have just people in classes that I’m friends with. I don’t have one main group, and I think that’s helped.”

As people change throughout high school, it often puts strain on or ends the friendships they had. Niederhauser has more of a neutral attitude toward most of the people she used to be friends with.

“[We had] cut ties for a while, and I think because of Covid, everyone went through a lot of change [in] mentality. Now I can talk to them and forget about [what happened],” Niederhauser said. “I think everyone is still figuring out who they are as a freshman. How you act and how you are toward your friends can be really difficult, so I don’t have any hard feelings toward them anymore. If they ever needed anything, I would be there for them, but I wouldn’t say we’re necessarily friends.”

Condensing her experiences with friend group mechanics and theatrics, Niederhauser offered advice to anyone going through situations similar to her own.

“Your friends are going to change in high school no matter what — everybody changes,” she said. “Don’t hold on to it — it’s really not worth it. We were freshmen. We were figuring out who we were. By the time you’re a senior, everyone is so different. Let it go and focus on yourself, and you’ll find your people eventually.”

Love, your childhood best friend feature may 2022 31

charlie trent |editor-in-chief

design by charlie trent

cul de sac neighbors remember their history

While the Mayers didn’t move into the 156th cul de sac until 2007, seniors Sophie DeVeney and Trinity Mayer can’t remember being strangers.

“From my standpoint, it felt like we were both just born into the houses, like she was always my neighbor because I think we were 3 when she moved in,” DeVeney said. “As early as I can remember, Trinity was my neighbor. She’s always there.”

Though many first memories of friends are wholesome, Mayer’s impression of DeVeney was more along the lines of traumatizing.

“It was a Tuesday,” Mayer said as she laughed with DeVeney.

“We were running around playing tag by ourselves, and my dad just got off his motorcycle,” DeVeney said. “He was like, ‘Don’t touch the motorcycle; it’s hot.’ Then I put my foot on it, and the bottom of my foot burnt off.”

In their early years, their time spent together appeared similar to the stereotypical storylines of Overland Park families — but split between the trials of two different schools and prepubescent distractions, the duo suffered a rift.

“All of elementary school, I would get home before her and I would wait for her mom’s minivan,” DeVeney said. “We spent the night literally every night and we’d have sleepovers.”

“But also, when we got to middle school, we had a disconnect for a while,” Mayer added. “We didn’t talk for like a year — but we could go without seeing each other forever and then it’d be the same when we go back.”

After their slight loss of connection, they rekindled their relationship late in middle school into high school, especially once Mayer transferred from Sion to BV. Though Mayer regrets there’s “nothing they can say” about their experiences during this time, they each built traditions which have stood the test of time through it.

“When we were younger, we would watch ‘High School Musical’ a lot — we still do. We also

watch ‘Friends’ together,” DeVeney said.

Later in high school, their short distance between their houses proved to be extremely convenient, even after getting to the age of driving themselves.

“Our families are really close,” Mayer said. “When she has friends over, I get to just walk home which is nice. I also dog sit her dogs.”

“When I’m bored I walk over after school,” DeVeney said. “We sing karaoke sometimes. I know her garage code, so I can just walk into her house.”

For the first time in their lives, the pair will live separately — Mayer at Clemson and DeVeney at Arizona State, thousands of miles apart rather than a few steps.

“I don’t think we’ll ever fall out of touch, not necessarily because of each other but because of our families,” DeVeney said. “Even if I didn’t keep in touch, it’d be impossible because our parents are good friends. I mean, we’ll Snapchat.”

“Yeah, I’ll FaceTime you like once a year,” Mayer responded.

“It’s her fault, just so everybody knows she could have gone to ASU,” DeVeney clarified.

Facing each other, the two reflected on their past 15 years of friendship within their childhood homes.

“I’m sorry I told Aidan you had a crush on him,” Mayer said. “Also, I felt like when we were younger, even if I didn’t have any friends at my school, you’re always there for me.”

DeVeney responded, recalling the merits of their years together.

“I want to say thank you,” DeVeney said. “One of the best parts about having a cul de sac friend is that no matter what is happening at school, you weren’t a part of that — at least when we were younger. And also, playing outside with you was something I looked forward to every day — I want to play kickball again.”

design by kaitlin green

To My Other Half

Senior twins exchange farewells

kaitlin green |publication editor

With graduation looming on the horizon, senior Ivy Miller has begun to anticipate parting from her twin, senior Miranda Miller

“We’ve been together since we were born, and she’s my best friend,” Ivy said. “We do everything together, so being away from her is going to be really tough on me.”

Ivy knows the relationship she has with Miranda is one she will not be able to find anywhere else.

“She’s like my second mom — she makes my lunch and she’ll come into my room to say, ‘Ivy, if you didn’t do your homework, do it and I’ll help you if you need it,’” Ivy said. “She’s my support system that has gotten me through high school.”

Ivy best describes Miranda’s selflessness in the wake of a college rejection, which has become one of Ivy’s

favorite memories of her twin.

“I didn’t want to say anything because she just won her game — I was so embarrassed and disappointed in myself,” Ivy said. “Miranda came up to me and said, ‘I’ve never been so proud of you. When we get home, we can have a sleepover.’ I told her, ‘You hang out with your team — be excited with them and not sad with me,’ but she said, ‘No, I would rather spend my time with you.’”

Ivy will always be grateful that Miranda has been by her side through thick and thin.

“Thank you for being there for me constantly and being my main support,” Ivy said. “I just don’t ever say thank you and I love you enough for getting me through those tough times and being my motivation when I don’t have anything else to motivate me.”

When she thinks about the people she will be leaving in the fall, Miranda knows she will miss her twin, Ivy, most of all.

“I’m really sad about it because we are really close — we’ve obviously been together for forever,” Miranda said. “When we do see each other then, it’ll make our time together even more special.”

With living under different roofs for the first time in their lives, Miranda knows she will long for being mere steps away from her twin.

“I’m going to miss being able to tell her stuff as soon as it happens,” Miranda said. “We’ll both be busy, so it will be hard to communicate all the time.”

Miranda believes Ivy has helped her be bold throughout high school and has been a constant source of encouragement.

“Ivy gives me a lot of confidence in myself and helps me branch out to do different things I wouldn’t be comfortable doing on my own,” Miranda said. “It’ll be hard to find that confidence without her there helping me.”

Miranda knows her twin is off to do great things and hopes Ivy knows she will always be there for her, no matter what the future brings.

“She is my best friend, and I wish her luck in whatever she does,” Miranda said. “It’ll be hard not being together all the time, but I think she’ll definitely be able to find herself and what she’s passionate about. Then, whenever she wants to talk, I’m here.”

photos submitted by Ivy Miller (Left)

ayesha khan |design editor

Even with the excitement of beginning a new chapter in college, seniors often acknowledge the friends and memories they will leave behind in high school. But what about the younger siblings who they will no longer live with for the first time in their lives?

For senior Leah Dunton, leaving her brother behind will certainly be a facet of post-high school life she will have to adjust to.

“Me and my younger brother [Sam] are three years apart,” Dunton said. “I would say [we’re] very close — he’s almost like a best friend to me.”

Like most, the Duntons have typical sibling arguments, but this does not keep them from maintaining their friendship.

“We fought a lot when we were younger but I feel like recently, the closer we’ve gotten, the less we’ve fought,” she said. “If we fight, it’s over stupid things that’ll last for five minutes.”

Despite the minor relief, Dunton feels she will have by avoiding these trivial arguments, the prolonged absence of her brother in her future life weighs heavier on her.

“When we do get in those little fights, it’ll be nice to be alone, but for the most part, it’s more sadness of leaving them,” Dunton said. “I think he definitely will miss me [too] because I feel like he would say the same — that we’re really close — so I feel like it’s going to be hard for him to be the only kid at home.”

Dunton cherishes the memories she has had the opportunity to experience with Sam during their shared time together in high school.

design by ayesha

TO MY LITTLE BROTHER

Senior discusses feelings about leaving younger sibling

“He plays soccer, so it was fun at the beginning of the year if there was a soccer thing,” she said. “Him being there, just getting involved with that, and getting to see him was really fun.”

In good older sister fashion, Dunton leaves her brother with a few words of advice for his remaining years at BV.

“I would say to get involved in the school spirit because as sophomores, they haven’t really seen a lot of that from the past seniors,” Dunton said. “Get involved in that and know that it’s not weird to have some school spirit.”

“

I would say [we’re] very close — he’s almost like a best friend to me.

leah dunton, 12

khan

feature may 2022

design by frannie lamberti

to my future students senior plans to major in education

frannie lamberti |publication editor

After 13 years of education, it is time for senior Reagan Nowak to become an educator.

She plans on going to Kansas State University to major in elementary education.

“I love kids, and elementary school was one of my favorite times,” Nowak said. “I have grown a connection with teachers this year, and I want to be the safe, fun teacher every kid wants.”

Nowak hopes to teach between the grades of kindergarten through second but nothing past that.

“I would be teaching all subjects,” Nowak said. “That’s why I’m not teaching fourth or fifth grade because you switch teachers for [different subjects].”

Nowak wants to become a teacher because she thinks the role is crucial for our society.

“It’s important to have people to teach our children — not only to learn and study for things, but to be a better person,” she said.

Being there for her future students is also something Nowak wants to focus on.

“Students benefit from having teachers because some can be someone’s safe person,” she said. “If someone doesn’t have a good household or anyone to talk to, teachers are always there to help — that’s how you grow a connection with them.”

Nowak considers ELA teacher Carrie McClain to be her safe person here at Blue Valley.

“She was the person I would tell everything to,” Nowak said. “I had grown a connection with her because I had her for two classes.”

Nowak wants to make a difference with her teaching and positively influence the lives of her students.

“I can help students not have such a deep hatred for school,” Nowak said. “Even though in kindergarten and second grade they are just going and having fun, I can change kids’ perspectives on learning and make it fun.”

“ I can change kids’ perspectives on learning and make it fun.reagan nowak 12 “

brynn friesen |staff writer

With the school year coming to an end, seniors are on a time crunch to decide their schools and majors. Some of these students are planning to pursue careers in education. Teachers from BV presented their advice for these students in their college experience and afterwards.

Teachers... Future Dear

Theresa Middleton, ELA

“I encourage them to stick it out past the first year — that first year is really hard. I've tried other jobs, I’ve done other things, and this is the most rewarding career of all. Getting past the difficulty of the first year and trying to navigate through creating assignments and tests and learning the ropes of a new building and all the things — if you can get through that, it gets so much easier and you get to enjoy the rewards. Focus on building relationships and talking to students because when you think back on your education, you don’t remember the grammar you learned in your freshman English class. You remember the teacher you had and how she or he made you feel. That’s the only career that you’ll go into where you get remembered for what you do. I still think about my kindergarten teacher. You get to live on in other people’s memories.”

Amy Harmon, Gifted

“Try to find opportunities where you can work with kids. If that’s like a camp counselor or volunteering at school — making sure that that’s the profession that you want to go into. You do it for the love of kids.”

Courtney Buffington, Psychology

“Don't go into teaching because you love the subject matter. You have to go into teaching because you love working with kids. If you don’t build a relationship with those kids, it doesn’t matter what you know or how smart you are — they don’t care.”

Paul Bessetti, Band

Kristen Chavez-Linck, Math

“You have to be flexible. You have to understand that everything is constantly changing. You also have to be prepared to work really, really hard because the demands put on teachers now are way different than they used to be. Your job is actually not technically teaching anymore. It’s a piece of it, [but there is] a whole other aspect to the job that you have to be prepared for.”

“Like having a kid, it has to be something you really want to do down to the core of your soul, so really think long and hard before you choose this profession.”

If I Only Knew...

Seniors give advice to their freshman selves

“My advice that I give to my freshman self is saying no to opportunities is OK because the door doesn’t close forever. Take the opportunity when you’re ready to take it.”

-Helenna

Shcherbinin

“Enjoy every minute with the upperclassmen [and] every year from sports because time goes by, and they are gone faster than you think.”

-Sterling Lockett

“My biggest advice I would give to my younger self is to balance my time a lot more because I took a lot of hard classes, and that stressed me out a lot. So long story short, balance time with friends, family, social life and school.”

“Don’t worry about what other people think about you.”

-Mitchell Campbell

-Julia Denny

“If you let others put you into a box, it’s going to be harder for you to become who you are. You can’t fit yourself into a box based on what you think you should be or what other people think you should be — be yourself. Also try hard in school because merit scholarships would be nice right now.”

“Don’t get hung up on homework. If you need to take a day [off], just take a day.”

“The advice I would give my freshman self would be to not let other people’s ideals and decisions affect what I want to do. As a freshman, I always worried about fitting in, so now I’ve definitely found who [I am].”

“Participate in everything — clubs, sports, NHS — everything you can.”

-Cooper Hillman

“If you’re going to make a decision, stand by it.”

-Sam Bresette

-Sarah Hallock

-Emily Oppold

-Kailee Johnson

from your front porch

Seniors compare their first day of freshman year photo to their first day of senior year photo

Ryan Schulz

Jill Rogers

Mary Burkhead

design by chanie rankin

“The

me

when I grow up

Seniors look back on their past selves

“Appearance

“I would tell myself to take my hair out of that ridiculous ponytail.”

“It’s

“Stop wearing clothes from Pink & American Eagle.

Glad you learned getting your eyebrows waxed is a good choice.”

Blair Bassett

OK to wear that outfit you think people will judge you for.”

Allison Day

Aidan Shaw

isn’t everything.”

Matthew Wormington

afro I had haunts

every night. Someone needed to just forcibly shave that off of me.”

Lei Fatagutu

design by elle moulder

To My Fellow Assassins

Seniors share memorable moments playing high-stakes water game

“During the second round of assassins, Viki and Harrison were teaming up. Harrison was my target, and Viki was my assassin — Harrison duped me. I went to his work and then she started chasing me around World Market and also the parking lot.”

- Shelby Lehman, 12

“[My highlight moment was] getting sold out by Ellie Nuss. I was working out with her boyfriend and then she sold me.”

- Bryan Zhang, 12

“My best assassin moment was getting out Michael Allen because everybody thought he was going to do so well and was favored to win. Also, I got the gold gun — that’s another highlight. I saw the photo on Instagram, and I sent the photo to my mom — she knew where it was, so she sent me the Google Maps coordinates, and that’s how I got the gold gun.”

“My best assassin highlight moment is hiding and waiting for Charlie DeZube in his recycle bin. The worst part was when his dad was coming home while I was still in the recycling bin. So, I had to get out and talk to his dad. But later at night, I still got Charlie, so it’s all worth it.”

“I was leaving my dance studio one evening and there was somebody outside waiting in front of my car. [I didn’t] leave for about two hours, so I’m just standing there while he’s sitting out in the cold waiting for me just to feel bad. I eventually felt bad, letting him shoot me.”

- Sarah Gravitt, 12

“Hearing all the crazy things people do to take time out of their day to get their person. I think it’s interesting. People do smart techniques for the most part.”

- Nolan Rodriguez, 12

- Levi Rothwell, 12

design by mena walker

charlie trent |editor-in-chief

Something that most people don’t know is that I was put into newspaper accidentally.

At the end of 8th grade, I got a letter saying “Congratulations to The Tiger Print Newspaper Staff 2018-2019!” with my name placed amongst a list of upperclassmen. I had absolutely no interest in being a part of the paper, no idea how it even happened considering first semester freshmen aren’t allowed to join and no plan other than changing my schedule the first day of school.

My mom suggested I try it out, so I decided to at least go to the class on freshman orientation to see what it was. Being the only person in the class, Mrs. Huss was not happy in the slightest, and I could definitely tell she was annoyed about having to deal with some random freshman who had no idea what she was doing because she hadn’t taken the prereqs. As I’m reading this, I know there will be eyes rolling because I think I’ve told the newspaper staff this story a thousand times the past three years.

Still, even though I could obviously see she was not a big fan of me, I went to class the next day on the real first day of high school and encountered the most interesting cast of characters ever.

Frannie Lamberti’s brother, Nick, and Cassidy Carpenter, both seniors at the time, were the main reason I decided to stay in the class. Nick taught me to never be afraid to take risks with my work and also made me die from laughing at his severe British accent. Cassidy taught me to embrace being tall because you really have no other choice — might as well make it worth it.

I’ve had many different positions on staff: staff writer, design editor, assistant editor and finally editor-in-chief. Through my climbing of the newspaper ranks, Mrs. Huss finally warmed up to me, and now I don’t think either of us could have imagined the past four years happening without the other person being a part of it. I’m definitely gonna miss bothering my school mom with my never-ending impatience and feisty attitude first thing in the morning.

Out of the experience of being in newspaper, I also became close to some of the best people in my life. Erika Kolseth, Frannie Lamberti and Claire Powell specifically, turned out to be not only some of my closest friends by the end of high school, but cornerstones to my time at BV. Nothing can match the energy we all had in Room 450 — listening to Frannie and Erika borderline have an argument every day, hearing Claire rant about the tiniest inconvenience for an hour straight, and my favorite memory maybe of all time, Frannie yelling at Erika for belting out musical theater songs in the back of the class.

“Erika new rule: no singing in newspaper.”

While I may be leaving newspaper behind, I also want to leave behind a little advice for underclassmen, whether they are in newspaper or not.

Try not to take it all too seriously. I made this mistake the first half of high school with friends, family, academics, dance, etc., and faced burnout by the time I was a sophomore because I was pulling all-nighters at least three times a week trying to maintain perfection.

Speaking from experience, by the end of high school, this dedication didn’t serve me well mentally, physically or even in my college applications process, so try to build up memories that are meaningful instead of building up your resume.

It’s hard to grasp, but this is my last time ever working on a Tiger Print issue in four years, and I’m not really sure who I am without it — but I’m excited to find out.

Forever grateful for the memories and for the gift of being a part of the paper, Your Editor-in-Chief, Charlie Trent.

“It’s hard to grasp, but this is my last time ever working on a Tiger Print issue in four years, and I’m not really sure who I am without it — but I’m excited to find out.”

design by frannie lamberti

frannie lamberti |publication editor

I joined newspaper in the second semester of my freshman year, only because I wanted to get out of philosophy class and my brother was a member of the paper. I had joined not really knowing anyone too well but I quickly found my friends.

The first story I ever had to design was with Kate Oudejans and I cried because my brother yelled at me — I didn’t know how InDesign worked. I wasn’t sure if newspaper was for me but I stayed because I thought it would look good on my resume.

Sophomore year was very different because now I was the only Lamberti in the class. Erika Kolseth and Jaron Cole would always “flirt” and random people joined and left the class that year.

Erika sat next to me and, my goodness, was she annoying. We were frenemies, some days giving random compliments, if one of us was feeling nice; other days I was plugging my ears from the constant singing. Still no singing allowed in newspaper until I graduate.

Covid hit and things were definitely different. Five-minute Zooms where we barely communicated with the M-Z students was a change from the old, fun newspaper environment. I love

the people on staff now, but you would have just had to have been there before Covid with the old staff. Anyways, another memory was when Erika had me for Secret Santa, writing my name wrong on the bag and getting me my least favorite foods after knowing me for three years.

Toward the end of junior year, Charlie Trent and I got closer and things started to look up. After winning things in Regionals and getting an editor’s position, I had felt super accomplished and realized why I had joined newspaper in the first place: it was to give myself a creative outlet and try something that I traditionally wouldn’t have been interested in.

I am grateful for the friends and the connections I have made, especially with Charlie, Mrs. Huss, Kaitlin, Ayesha and obviously many more.

Newspaper has given me a outlet to different types of people and how to look at things from a different perspective, whether that’s listening to Chloe Browning rant about something, Vince giving some type of speech or Claire complaining about how much work she has to do.

I wouldn’t change my experience for the world and how newspaper has really impacted my time in high school and life in general.

“newspaper has given me a outlet to different types of people and how to look at things from a different perspective”

heart always came back to paper, pen and words on a page”

stephania kontopanos |assistant editor

At the ripe age of 9, I began my first exploration into the world of journalism. I founded “The Kontopanos Times,” and declared myself editor-in-chief, delegating assignments and distributing “copies.” Typed in a Word document and printed from my home printer, the first and only issue was nothing spectacular. I’m sure my design and writing skills have evolved since then — at least I hope so — but it was enough.

While I lovingly call it one of my cringest memories, the pride I felt when I told my third grade teacher about this passion project mirrors the pride I have felt every Paper Day, when I get to see my friends and classmates flip through an issue of The Tiger Print.

Sure, there was an odd period of time where I professed a love for engineering — looking back, why? — and a love for interior design, but my heart always came back to paper, pen and words on a page.

In this way, I’ve known what I’ve wanted to do for a long time. When people ask me what I want to do in the future, my answer is oddly specific, surely unreasonable, but motivating nonetheless: “Editor-In-Chief of Vogue. I want to be the next Anna Wintour, just with better morals.”

Since I’ve declared this to be my ultimate long-term dream, my life feels as if it’s been a flurry of journalism camps, interviews, articles, InDesign documents and proofreading. It’s been fun, no doubt, but as cliché as it is, I always thought the grass was greener on the other side.

At times, I would’ve rather spent my Friday night out with friends, as opposed to doing homework for a marketing class or catching up on sleep instead of proofreading my articles. While, in the moment, things may have been tough, a genuine passion for journalism and a wonderful support system in Room 518 has kept me content.

There have been struggles along the way, as with everything, besides being a smidge of a workaholic.

In junior year, due to the pandemic, my public speaking skills became rusty. Rusty may be a bit of an understatement, as just the thought of answering a question in class came with a bout of unexpected cardio.

For several months, the phobia crippled me, until returning to in-person learning forced me to confront my fears. At this point, my public speaking skills aren’t yet up to Barack Obama level, but by signing up for senior speeches and pep assembly presentations, I have for sure reached a level of confidence that junior-year-me would not have expected. The motto “those difficult, once repeated, turn to instinct” repeats in my head before every public speaking opportunity, and it has no doubt inspired me to continue pushing myself outside of my comfort zone.

Additionally, during my last few years of high school, I became obsessed with one word: busy. Comments like “How do you stay so busy?” and “Do you even have free time?” were like music to my ears. Every time I was asked “How are you?” my answer was usually the same: busy. While the busyness has undoubtedly paid off, and I’m proud of my accomplishments, I am still in the process of unlearning a constant need to be productive and reteaching myself that I am more than my overcrowded schedule. I am a daughter, a sister, a friend. I am more than a four-letter word.

In the past few weeks, the thought that this is my last issue ever has been inevitably swirling in my head. Not once have I taken for granted the immense support I have received or the invaluable lessons I have learned from my fellow editors and staff writers. I will never forget the memories of Editor’s Hour, including Kaitlin’s assassins stories and Charlie’s incomprehensible dance jargon.

I’ve shed many sudden tears in Room 518 at the thought of leaving, struggling to keep Dr. Seuss’s quote about “smiling because it happened” in my head. However, as I prepare myself for whatever publication I’ll be working on in college, I am absolutely confident that the future of The Tiger Print will always be in the best of hands.

“my

design by stephania kontopanos

44 column may 2022

design by harrison melton

harrison melton |staff writer

Thinking about reflecting on the past four years of my life is surprisingly difficult, especially because I don’t remember most of it — to be completely honest, I’ve probably subconsciously blocked it out (for good reason). All that’s left is a mixture of failed friendships, failed tests and failed attempts to be better.

That’s not to say there have been no positives. It’s just that when I look at my high school experience, what has fully molded me into who I am was the pressure to be better and the struggle with who I actually am and want to be.

For the majority of high school I was forced to be self-sufficient, and I trained myself to not need validation or help from anyone — emotionally or physically. I broke off ties with other people and avoided creating new relationships just because I was “working on myself,” which I’ve now realized is a complete lie.

While I did spend more time inside my messed up psyche, I didn’t actually improve anything in there. It’s still ultimately the same — validation is important, I still don’t completely love myself and there’s still a lot of work to be done.

While my appearance is completely different from when I first walked through these doors, I’m still not sure if I paid more attention to it for self-fulfillment or because I felt obligated to. As soon as quarantine hit, I saw everyone changing their appearance. They got new hair, new clothes, new friends and what seemed like a new and vastly improved, life. All I saw was a chance. A chance to become someone else. After living with myself for so long, I was longing for a change. I got to work. I dyed my hair — poorly, I may add

tures with my friends, just like the people I observed.

Despite me basically mimicking what I had seen, I felt my confidence grow. I actually took a picture of myself and went, “Wait, this isn’t THAT bad.”

After I was more assured of myself, I took a step into a sport – which was unheard of for me, especially willingly – dancing. It introduced me to being in front of a camera where I had to exude confidence, something I had barely learned how to do. While I’m still not totally comfortable with either, it has provided me with an outlet to immerse myself in a new community and boost my confidence — even if it’s artificially at times.

When around those people, there’s no preconceived knowledge of me before we met. I can genuinely be myself and allow them to get to know me for who I am and not who I’ve formed myself to be.

Everyone changes in high school, and sometimes the way you change is unexpected and unpleasant, but it’s necessary to grow.

There are going to be times where you’ll have to hide your true personality, whether that’s in front of your friends, family, teachers or even complete strangers. You have to get by in order to make room for yourself to continue upward.

don’t fake it too hard or you’ll lose yourself in the process.

“Fake it ‘til you make it. But don’t fake it too hard or you’ll lose yourself in the process.”

kaitlin green |publication editor

When I reflect on my time at BV, most of my memories of school itself contain a flurry of learning and activities. I always made an effort to be the best I could, and even though I knew some may view my actions as “try-hard” behavior, I never thought it was a bad thing.

But as winter approached each year, I cyclically grew unhappy with myself and the things that filled my time. I assumed my apathy was because I cared — everyone in high school, and in life for that matter, is busy. Who was I to complain?

I thought “pushing through” would remedy my situation. Each day was filled with constant additions to my to-do list, and each night was spent putting tasks off for fear of not doing them well.

Senior year is just about the worst if you’re a procrastinating perfectionist like me — you have to juggle the work of high school while simultaneously being aware that your entire life is about to change.

I don’t think I noticed how overwhelmed I was this year until Editor-in-Chief Charlie Trent looked at me one day in editor’s hour and said worriedly, “You look like you’re always stressed.”

She may not remember that conversation, but it put things into perspective: trying my best wasn’t the issue but forgetting to soak up all the little things that make life worth living was.

It also reminded me of a Bible verse I have taped up on my mirror, one that I know by heart yet had seemingly forgotten. The verse comes from 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 and says, “Rejoice always. Pray continually. Give thanks in every situation because this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

Even if you’re not religious, I think that statement holds a universal truth.

Life’s purpose is not to travel between fleeting moments of happiness, but instead, is to search for joy in each and every part of our day. The smallest moments can offer the greatest potential for fulfillment.

Taking an interest in others and making relationships a priority throughout the day gives my life more purpose.

When my room turns into a cesspool of dishes and dirty laundry, taking a Saturday to clean everything at once helps me feel productive and prepared for college in the fall.

Sending yet another meme about Pride and Prejudice to Design Editor Ayesha Khan and sharing our love for Mr. Darcy’s “hand scene” instantly makes my heart smile.

It has become the biggest relief to know I am capable of producing my own, steady stream of joy. It will always be OK to not be OK, but I can finally exhale knowing that no matter what happens in the future, I’ll be able to make it out on the other side in one piece.

Life is not always going to be amazing, but I think that is the point. I have to believe we are put in tough situations to learn how truly spectacular and precious the small gifts in our lives are.

So, take the time to look at your life as it is and find whatever it is that brings you joy. No matter how insignificant it may seem, I promise pursuing it can only make your time at BV, and in life, the best it can be.

“It has become the biggest relief to know I am capable of producing my own, steady stream of joy.”

design by kaitlin green

design by mena

mena walker |staff writer

There are these pen marks on this door. A plain white door with lines and numbers that record my height at certain ages. When I was little, I always thought it was a weird tradition to mark your height every year on your birthday. Like, why?

While examining those markings years later, I found something irresistible about them — there is this continuous measuring of growth.

In my freshman year, I was never confident. I hated engaging in Socratic seminars, presenting my Google slides in front of my peers and sharing my ideas on class projects. Or maybe I was just hungry and thinking about food all the time. Seriously, my stomach would literally growl every five minutes. Typical freshman me.

In my sophomore year, I was more sure of myself but still felt lost — but at least I had a decent tennis year.

Afterward, Covid began.

Then comes junior year — let’s forget that year ever existed.

Finally, the year I’ve been dreadfully waiting for: senior year. Ah, yes, the classic déjà vu feeling of ‘I can’t wait to get out of high school’ or ‘I can’t wait for college.’ Stop and think for a moment of the great development of growth you’ve experienced.

You can be seen as the most beautiful, popular, smart, fashionable person in the world, and everyone sees the cheesy sunshine and rainbows when they look at you, but if you don’t see or know yourself at all, none of that matters. Every second, minute or hour you spend criticizing and doubting yourself is a second, minute or hour of your life wasted. It’s a moment of your existence thrown away. It’s not as if you have forever in your lifetime.

Make the most out of it. Don’t throw out every moment because you might be growing into loving yourself.

As a senior, I know I flourished.

From baby to toddler. From kindergarten to middle school. From middle to high school. From JV to varsity tennis. From Graphic Design to joining Newspaper. From a freshman to a soon-to-be-graduated student.

We’re all aware that college is coming up soon, and we’re feeling these emotions of anxiousness, edginess or maybe excitement. It’s totally normal to be feeling these instincts about

starting college.

High school is a time for growth, so use this opportunity to enjoy and find yourself and begin to acknowledge where and what your dream is for your future.

I’ve learned throughout my four years of high school to stop rushing things that need time to grow — and I still am. What I’m saying is that you need to take responsibility and start doing all the things you said you were going to do before there was doubt, fear and worry. Sometimes the brief moment of courage that allows you to believe in yourself and your dreams is possible. You have to start chasing them along with your growth because I’m certain it will all come true.

As I wrap up, I want to say thank you for letting me be part of the BV Tiger community. I’ll never forget the wonderful memories I made here and the amazing friends that supported me. Lastly, I want to thank the newspaper staff and Mrs. Huss for all their hard work.

I’m grateful for each and every one of you. Class of 2022, explore and grow your spirit. ‘Cause no one, and I mean no one, knows your measurement of growth better than you.

So, that’s it. My last page. My last goodbye. One last hug.

“Class of 2022, explore and grow your spirit.

‘Cause no one, and I mean no one, knows your measurement of growth better than you.”

walker

sofia hughes |staff writer

I want to tell freshman year me that I’m writing this in front of a mirror, and I look up and catch my own eye, and I smile. I smile because I finally look like myself. I’ve grown into my insecurities; my nose finally fits my face, my clothes fit my frame. I smile because it feels really good to finally like myself.

I won’t pretend that I’m completely fine now, because yeah, whatever, I’m not. I’m still in therapy for a reason, I’ve still got anxiety, self-doubt, loneliness, and a laundry list of other issues, but I’m doing better now. I’m happier.

There have been a lot of times in high school where loneliness has seemed all-encompassing. It feels hollow; it makes you feel like there’s something wrong with you. It’s a byproduct of thinking everyone else isn’t lonely; I have always felt lonely in comparison to others. I have always felt lonely in comparison to who I wanted to be. Maybe this has just been my experience, but I tend to feel like my sadness is my fault – for not being social enough, for not putting myself out there, for not reaching out when I need help.

Even when I’ve tried to make connections, they’ve failed. After a while, it becomes easier, and less painful, to stop trying. I was hurt by people who I thought were my friends, so I forgot that friendship is supposed to be comfortable. I trained myself into self-isolation.

Loneliness became a story I told myself: I wasn’t built for the same world everyone else seemed to be built for; there was something wrong with me. It felt like choking. It felt like drowning. And it’s terrifying to say out loud.

But loneliness isn’t a branding. It isn’t a spell, it doesn’t become true as soon as you speak it, and it doesn’t stay forever after it comes to visit. I have dealt with it for a long time, and it comes in and out of my life like the tide.

I want to tell you something I often have to tell myself: you are lovable, even if you are not loved right now like you need to be. You are lovable if you are lonely. You are lovable because you are exactly who you are. A lot of times, loneliness comes simply because of the universe’s misalignment – you get unlucky, and you don’t meet the people who will love you the way you deserve. But you will. The world is bigger than high school, and you will find your place in it.

The tide is low for me right now; I’m happier at the end of my senior year than I think I’ve ever been before, and I’ve found more people that make me realize how desperately I’ll miss them in a few months. But when the waves came in, when high tide lapped against my throat and I felt like choking, like drowning, I had to learn how to love myself when I didn’t believe anyone else would. I couldn’t will myself out of loneliness, it doesn’t work like that. So I tried to find happiness despite it. I focused on my interests, my style, my writing. I figured out that it was useless being a version of myself to make people like me because, well, it wasn’t working, so I tried to be more authentic. And then I figured out that I actually do like myself. It feels so simple, after it took me so, so long to get here.

And that’s how I’ve found myself closer to shore. When I feel alone, I can tread water and breathe easier knowing I won’t sink. And when people pull me to shore and tell me they love me, I believe them.

Maybe you’re lonely right now, but you can be lonely and still be happy. I have been. I will be.

“The world is bigger than high school, and you will find your place in it.”

tristan bashara

hannah khan