The Tiger Print –– October 2011

THE

TIGER PRINT BLUE VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL Vol. 42 Issue 3 October 2011 Stilwell, KS

OVERCOMING OCD Senior recognizes mental disorder, seeks treatment page 7 GO BANANAS Cheerleaders incorporate new techniques in routines page 16 OVER AND OUT Bob Whitehead plans to retire, leaves behind legacy page 22

Potential plans for amphitheater in Ironwoods Park generate controversy: pages 12-13 Photo by Jun Ham.

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inthenews

October 2011

Musician to perform at band fundraiser

annawonderlich staff writer

odiopole entertainment editor This Saturday, Oct. 29, the BV Tiger Band will host its second fundraising concert in the Performing Arts Center at 8 p.m.

New Age pianist David Lanz will perform at the event.

Tickets cost $20 and can be purchased at the door.

Band director Avian Bear said the band is hoping to raise $6-8,000 to use for yearly and student-specific expenses.

Band participants receive money for band-related activities through a general fund and through personalized student accounts.

Members use the account for band-related expenses such as maintaining uniforms and traveling to various competitions.

Bear said that since the band isn’t taking any major trips this year, a majority of the money raised will go into the student accounts.

“We try to keep them in balance,” she said.

Bear said the band is excited to have Lanz perform.

“He’s very big in the New Age piano world,” she said. “He started [the genre] over 20 years ago, and we’re really happy to bring him in here.”

The band contacted Lanz with help from pianist David Nevue, who performed last year and senior Alex Schoenberg’s piano teacher.

“She decided to just take a chance and ask if he would come perform for us,” Schoenberg said.

“He emailed us back and said he would be happy to do that.”

Lanz said he agreed to waive most of his performance fees for the event because he believes it will be a good experience.

“I know my friend David Nevue performed here last year, and it was a positive experience for him,” Lanz said. “The event was presented as a benefit, and I had a nice little hole in my schedule. It just kind of worked out.”

Schoenberg said she thinks students will enjoy the performance.

Four-year planning night scheduled

David Lanz plays the piano. The Grammy-nominated musician will perform in the PAC at 8 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 29. Photo courtesy of David Lanz.

“His music is not at all like classical music,” she said. “I think it’s really pretty, and he plays with a lot of emotion.”

Lanz said his music incorporates pop, rock, jazz and classical styles.

“It’s kind of tough to describe,” he said. “My style is very romantic, melodic, and it has classical elements, too.”

Schoenberg said she expects a mixture of people to attend the concert.

“Last year when we had David Nevue playing, I think it was pretty evenly split between students and adults,” she said. “It was a good concert for everyone, and David Lanz will be good, too.”

Band member senior Meera Chakravarthy said she expects the majority of the audience to be adults.

“There will be more adults because of the vibe, but it’s just [about] student awareness,” she said. “Most of [the students] don’t know the pleasure of classical music and piano music.”

Chakravarthy said students are encouraged to attend the event.

“Literally anyone can come,” she said. “It’s sometimes hard for us band kids to find people, like, ‘Hey, do you want to come to this concert of [an artist] you probably haven’t heard of?’ But it’s all up for grabs. I would like students to come.”

The Four-Year Planning Evening will take place on Wednesday, Nov. 2, at 6:30 p.m.

Freshmen students and their parents will meet in the BV commons and Performing Arts Center.

The night will include a PowerPoint presentation and time for students and their parents to sit down and go over their four-year plan.

Counselors will be present to help the parents and students.

Counselor Anne Dummitt said four-year plans can become very beneficial to students when making future decisions if a lot of thought is put into them.

“I think it’s really helpful if students take it seriously and really try to devote time and plan out their goals,” she said. “I think it will give them some sort of direction and make sure they’re on the right path to what they want to do.”

Dummitt said she advises the freshmen to begin with the end in mind when making their four-year plans.

She also encourages students to choose classes wisely.

“Remember to be college ready, so take honors or AP courses,” she said.

“Make sure to take lots of classes in the areas you’re interested in. For example, if you want to go into business, make sure you take lots of business classes.”

Dummitt said she is looking forward to meeting the parents and students at the Four-Year Planning Evening.

“It’s been nice getting to know some of the students,” she said. “I don’t think I’ve seen everyone yet, but hopefully by the end of this year, I’ll have been able to meet a lot of them.”

The freshmen need to bring a copy of their working four-year plans to the event.

Dummitt said bringing a Course Description Guide would be very helpful. This reference can be found on the Blue Valley website.

October 2011

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October 2011

inthenews

PTO encourages TigerFest attendance meghankennedy staff writer BV’s biggest PTO-sponsored fundraiser, TigerFest, will take place from 6 to 8:30 p.m. on Nov. 19 in the gymnasium and the commons.

Since 2005, TigerFest has raised about $390,000 for clubs, activities and teams.

Organizers expect 400 people to attend the event.

“TigerFest is just another way that BVHS extends the sense of community,” TigerFest chairperson Cathy Porter said. “All clubs and groups are invited to participate.”

Porter says she has set high expectations for the upcoming festivities.

“TigerFest 2010 cleared approximately $44,000,” she said. “We are looking forward to another successful year.”

Publicity chairperson Jean Dennis said the event is the only opportunity for many clubs to raise money.

“It’s our school’s primary fundraiser,” she said. “It’s kind of a big deal.”

TigerFest also benefits BV sports. Soccer coach Dean Snell said it affects his team in a variety of ways.

“We replace the uniforms about every 4-5

years and they cost around $5-$7,000,” he said.

“We raise funds so we can replace needed equipment. We replace half the soccer balls every year and every few years we need new nets and pennies.”

To raise money for the soccer team, Snell said they have to solicit businesses and ask if they would like to donate to the event.

“It’s not required that our players raise money, but we strongly encourage our players to play their part,” he said.

Snell said TigerFest does not always go as well as expected.

“We have had some challenges in the process of raising money,” he said. “It seems the parents are more interested than the players are.”

Football coach Eric Driskell said the money his team raises is used for equipment, travel expenses and meals when they go on long road trips.

“It costs about $1,000 to feed the varsity football team one meal,” he said.

Driskell said the team knows in order to get new supplies, they need to raise funds. “[The players] know it is a part of being a team, and we need to have the funding to do the things we want,” he said To get recognition for the event, Dennis

said the PTO publicizes with flyers, advertisements and word of mouth.

“We try to promote the event to the BV community,” Dennis said. “We use Tiger Tidbits to get information out, as well as our website.”

In addition to having parents, teachers and clubs attending, Dennis said the PTO invites all students to be a part of the festivities.

“We encourage students to get involved in TigerFest,” Dennis said. “Students are welcome to come. I want to really stress that.”

Porter said in this economy, the PTO board has to work extra hard to have a successful TigerFest.

Porter said the TigerFest committee still expects fundraising and attendance to be the same as previous years.

“We realize that the economy is not great, but we are advertising and getting the word out about budget cuts in the BV school district,” Porter said.

Dennis said she loves to meet with the families and see the excitement on people’s faces during the event.

"TigerFest is a great thing," Dennis said.

"You're helping others, while you're really helping yourself. It doesn't get better than that.

It’s just a great day to be a tiger."

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outloud

October 2011

the trouble with technology

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carolinemeinzenbach staff writer

Cartoon by Evelyn Davis.

saranaatz co-editor There’s no doubt text messaging, email and Facebook play a huge part in communication today.

Whether it’s an email to an employer, a text to your mom or a Facebook message to a best friend, technology continues to change the way we exchange information with one another.

According to an article in BusinessWeek, only 7 percent of our communication in person can be attributed to the words we actually speak. The other 93 percent is nonverbal — tone of voice, body language and eye contact all play a major part in how information is expressed and received.

When communicating without those visual and auditory cues, we lose a major part of what is truly being said.

Take sympathy for example — eyebrows bunched in concern, eyes wide, voice soft and reassuring. Over text or Facebook, this translates to an indifferent “I’m sorry.” Punctuation optional.

Without that face-to-face contact, we have no way of knowing how our message will be received.

Teenagers especially are guilty of taking a very important discussion and packing it into a 160-character text message.

We cram all our lovely teen angst and passionate emotions into a text that may or may not be interpreted correctly. The margin for error is huge.

People can attach different tones, meanings and connotations to our words that we never intended.

“We need to talk,” becomes the start of a fight rather than a simple statement.

Messages that can be typed and sent in an instant, without any face-to-face contact, also allow us to say whatever we want, without any real forethought.

We don’t consider that what we say may come across as extremely unprofessional, callous or downright mean.

For our generation, it may seem simpler to confront someone in a text message rather than in person. We can type and retype as many times as we want, and we don’t have to deal with the responsive anger head-on.

In reality, avoiding face-to-face disputes is the easy way out.

Most people prefer the chance to respond to bad news, accusations or emotional issues in person.

A dialogue in which we see each other’s reactions adds a level of sympathy and understanding that is difficult to achieve over text message, email or Facebook.

Choosing to have an important conversation in person also demonstrates a certain level of respect.

It shows that you value that person enough to discuss an issue, rather than skirt it briefly without giving them an adequate chance to respond.

Things will never come off how we mean them through technology.

An emoticon will never replace the true depth of human emotion captured in a facial expression.

Typing “hahaha” will never replace genuine, wholehearted laughter.

“I’m sorry” will never replace a tight, reassuring hug.

So put down the phone for a while, and remember what it’s like to talk face-to-face with the people you love and the people you owe it to.

It’s the third grade.

I’m friends with everyone in my class, and there’s no drama.

After school, I play until bedtime.

No responsibilities.

No stress.

No problems.

The only issue: I didn’t know what I had until it was gone.

The elementary school kids want to be in middle school and have lockers. The middle school kids want to go to high school and drive.

Now all we want to do is go to college. But I want to learn from my past mistake and enjoy my time in high school.

We didn’t understand the negatives of growing up, only the bonuses that came with it.

Elementary school students aren’t worried about getting into a good college or studying for AP tests.

All they are worry about is what game they’re going to play at recess tomorrow.

The youngsters don’t realize how good they have it.

When I was in middle school, the toughest homework was 20/20 reading.

Now we are in AP and honors classes, and I have a minimum of three hours of homework every night.

Twenty minutes of reading doesn’t sound so bad now, does it?

I’ll admit, middle school was terrible. Everyone was trying to figure out who their true friends were. “Going out” with someone meant you might smile at them in the halls, but never actually speak to them. People went around backstabbing their “friends” like it was their job.

However, high school comes with a lot of responsibilities that can all be summed up in one word: college.

We have to focus on our grades to try and get a 4.0 GPA. We need to participate in extracurricular activities because it looks good on a résumé. And most importantly, your ACT or SAT scores. Suddenly, what we do at school matters and will effect the rest of our lives.

I wish I could go back to the time when we were free from life’s real problems.

I wish I still had recess. And the coed soccer practices. The field trips to the zoo. Being in class with my best friend for five years in a row. Parties at Skate City. The annual Halloween parade. The star lab.

The willow tree by the playground. The Justice Grove Picnic.

We all say we can’t wait to get out of here. But when we do, we’re going to miss walking down the 600 hallway — no matter how crowded it always is.

We will miss screaming in the gym at the top of our lungs trying to win the class competition.

We will miss seeing how ridiculous some people look for spirit week.

We will miss our special bonds with our clubs, teams and groups.

Besides, there’s no other school that can win seven state titles in one year.

So let’s enjoy our time in high school. Even though walking down the freshman hallway can be stressful, we’re all going to miss it.

October 2011

Goodbye, OCD

By finally acknowledging problem, student finds help

emilybrown opinion editor

12 a.m.

I was exhausted and wanted to go to sleep. But I knew I wasn’t even close to finishing my normal bedtime routine.

I dragged myself into the bathroom and brushed my teeth for exactly a minute.

Rinsed three times. I placed my blue toothbrush and toothpaste in my bathroom drawer — right above the cigar box that I use to hold my carefully organized makeup. I popped in my retainer. Rinsed again. Washed my hands for exactly two minutes and filled up my cup with water, exactly halfway. If it was higher, it could spill. Lower, and I could get thirsty during the night.

I carried the cup into my room and sat crisscross on my crimson bed, praying for exactly 20 minutes. Usually, the prayer took 10 minutes, but tonight, I’d made a mistake.

That mistake meant I had to start the prayer over.

I dreaded the next part. But it had to be done.

One elephant-sized pill of melatonin.

Two pink pills.

And then the evidence of my failure. I poured out the pill onto my bed.

I knew what I had to do. I knew, yet, I hated it. I despised it.

I closed my eyes and swallowed the pill.

Then I put my face into my hands and cried.

4 months earlier I sat on a cool leather couch while a muscle in my cheek twitched uncontrollably, and my hands shook.

I knew I should be looking at the psy-

chiatrist, but the papers on his desk were unorganized. I had to literally dig my nails into the palms of my hands to keep myself from saying anything out loud.

“So tell me about why you decided to come here,” he said calmly. He watched me carefully, probably wondering if I was about to faint.

I certainly felt like it.

I explained what had been going on.

My words were detailed and organized.

I’d been up all night planning out my explanation.

Countless doctor trips to figure out what was wrong with me. Constant illness. Three major panic attacks within the year. Persistent anxiety keeping me up all night. Rituals and routines.

I told him about my hatred of sleepovers and my very real obsession with being in control. I told him about my exhaustion from getting up throughout the night to wash my hands or move the hanger in my closet that was out of place. About the little things that could just tick me off. Whether it be someone rubbing their jeans or arriving late.

I explained that my room was clean.

Perfectly cleaned. Perfectly organized.

And that whenever my friends jokingly moved my perfume bottles around, I wanted to cry.

I revealed that my grades were suffering because of my constant illness.

A revelation that made me sick to my stomach. I wouldn’t be able to pull off straight As this year.

By the end of my story, I was furiously rubbing away tears.

I shouldn’t be here. I should have been able to handle these things. This was my own failure. I should have stopped getting sick. It was all in my mind, they told me.

Then I should be able to stop it.

But I was at the end of the road, and I knew it. I couldn’t handle getting sick so often anymore. I had failed, and I simply had to acknowledge my loss.

And that was why I was here.

The psychiatrist didn’t seemed disturbed by my tears, and I appreciated it. If he had made a big deal out of it, I would have been even more embarrassed by my weakness.

He proceeded to tell me the diagnosis.

I had Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). He told me that it was common and very treatable. That the medicine I would be taking, Zoloft, would help me significantly.

I wanted to laugh and cry at the same time. But since I was already crying, I decided to hold in my laughter.

I had known forever that I had OCD. But this was the first medical professional who had acknowledged it. Not only that, but he had recognized it almost immediately.

I told him I would take the pill, but after my finals.

“I don’t want to lose my edge,” I admitted.

Present Now looking back on these two scenes, I want to shake myself.

I’d been so intent on control, on my failure.

I hadn’t even considered the positives of taking Zoloft.

But I’ve learned my lesson.

Now, I can’t even think of a negative.

Zoloft has, quite literally, changed my life.

I can sleep now without getting up every hour in the night to do meaningless things.

I don’t want to throw up every time I think about those two Bs I received last year.

I don’t need to take naps in my classes anymore. Or take multiple days off because of mysterious high fevers.

I want to try new things. Debate. Youth Court.

My room is a little bit messier.

My family and my friends have all noticed and commented on the changes in my attitude.

I’m happy.

As silly as it sounds, this is probably the first time in my life I can truly say that.

And it isn’t just the Zoloft talking. I know because Zoloft has cleared out the illogical, obsessive, frantic thoughts in my mind.

For the first time ever, my mind is free.

outloud

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The Facts of OCD Approximately 3.3 million people in the U.S. have OCD. Less than 10% of people suffering from OCD will seek effective treatment.

In a majority of OCD cases, symptoms start to appear during adolescence.

OCD symptoms worsen with stress and fatigue.

Delaying treatment in hope of alleviation is often ineffective.

OCD symptoms might include: the need for order or symmetry, hoarding, fear of germs, the fear of contamination and repetitive rituals.

Information gathered from designedthinking.com

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outloud

October 2011

staffeditorial

the tiger print publication co-editors-in-chief Jordan Huesers Sara Naatz website editor Maegan Kabel photo editor Courtney Woodworth news editor Kelly Cordingley features editor Annie Matheis entertainment editor Odi Opole opinion editor Emily Brown sports editor Jordan McEntee

Cartoon by Evelyn Davis.

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agreed

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disagreed

Loud sounds.

Pollution.

Bright lights on sleeping households.

Congested streets.

Loss in home value.

All of these things are possible side effects of a new amphitheater in Ironwoods Park.

The amphitheater would include a 200-space parking lot, concessions, a truck road, bathrooms, offices and other amenities for Leawood Stage Company to use for performances.

Unfortunately, the negatives of this renovation plan far outweigh any possible positives.

Already, residents of Leawood have

shown their disapproval of the plan by forming a Save Ironwoods Park group.

The amphitheater will face the Steeplechase and Camden Woods neighborhoods, with very few sound barriers.

Let’s be honest, a few trees aren’t going to keep the noisy amphitheater from disrupting the residents of the surrounding neighborhoods.

Nor are they going to be able to silence the honking horns from the huge amount of traffic generated by the amphitheater.

And the trees definitely aren’t going to block the lighting from the 200-space parking lot and amphitheater.

But the noise and light aren’t the only concerns the Leawood residents have.

Yes, the Leawood Stage Company deserves a place to perform their plays.

However, Ironwoods Park is not the place to do it.

Especially when there are other places to perform.

The Barn Players Community Theatre.

Theater in the Park.

Or even private property that the company could buy for their own performances, instead of placing the monetary burden on the unhappy Leawood residents.

Leawood is already a small enough city, and if the city overdevelops its land, there will be no turning back.

Once nature is gone, it is gone forever.

According to leawood.org, the city only has six parks for its residents to use.

With this proposed amphitheater, you can cross off one of those parks.

That leaves only five places to find solace in the peace and quiet of nature.

Only five places for Leawood residents to camp, hike and picnic.

If the city council approves this plan in the name of art, it will destroy what little nature Leawood has left — without the consent of the people it governs.

ads manager Anna Wonderlich circulation manager Taylor Yeazel staff writers Jansen Hess Maddie Jewett Meghan Kennedy Hailey McEntee Caroline Meinzenbach Abby Bamburg photographers Dakota Behrman Maria Fournier Aubrey Illig Bailey Outlaw Olivia Roudebush Kaelin Storm cartoonist Evelyn Davis adviser Jill Chittum

The Tiger Print is published nine times a year for students, faculty, and the surrounding community of Blue Valley High School. It is an open forum for student expression. Therefore, the opinions expressed within this paper do not necessarily reflect the views of the administrations of Blue Valley Unified School District #229. Letters to the editor and reader responses are encouraged for publication. The Tiger Print reserves the right to edit all submissions for both language and content and encourages letters to be no more than 350 words. Letters should be submitted to room 450, emailed to thetigerprint@yahoo.com or mailed to: The Tiger Print c/o Blue Valley High School 6001 W. 159th St. Stilwell, KS 66085 phone: 913-239-4800 Pacemaker finalist, 2009 and 2010.

Member, Kansas Scholastic Press Association, National Scholastic Press Association and Columbia Scholastic Press Association.

October 2011

upclose

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J A Z Z Y J AVA

Local coffee bar presents live entertainment, provides atmosphere for social purposes tayloryeazel circulation manager Students work on homework, and it’s about 8 p.m. on a Saturday.

Adults quietly talk and drink their coffee.

There’s live jazz music or beautiful and catchy strums of a guitar.

The room’s lighting is dim. The atmosphere is cozy and calming — the perfect place for studying.

Take Five Coffee + Bar opened in January 2010.

Owner Lori Chandler said she wanted the coffee shop to be a place people could treat as their living room.

“I saw that missing in this area — a place that could be your study hall, your office, your game room, your listening room, if you wanted to come watch live music, and someone else does the dishes,” she said.

Since opening, many live entertainment groups have performed there.

“It’s mainly jazz, but we do some singer/songwriter groups as well,” she said. “We’ve had the Fifth Wall Comedy Troupe here, which is a lot of fun. We do open-mic nights, so it’s not exclusively jazz.”

Chandler said the live music has helped her business grow.

“We’ve really gone to the extremes on live music and making sure that we are getting fabulous jazz acts in here,” she said. “That has helped with our recognition, as well, by bringing other people in here who otherwise might not know we’re here by coming to see these musicians.”

She said she has a passion for music and always wanted to incorporate it in her business plan.

“It wasn’t necessarily going to be an every weekend thing,” she said. “It was going to be more occasional, but

once we got started hosting, it just kind of blossomed.”

Many musicians return to Take Five to perform more than once.

“They all want to come back and play,” Chandler said.

“The people listen to the music instead of trying to talk over it. They don’t have TVs that they’re trying to compete with.

The word is spreading through the musician’s community that this is a great place to play, so they contact me.”

In addition to Take Five’s Facebook page and website, dates for the live entertainment can be found in a few local news outlets.

“We send press releases with the dates to the Kansas City Star, The Pitch and the Jazz Ambassadors magazine,” she said. “There are a variety of blogs in the area that cover music, and we try to reach all of those people as well.”

Chandler said Take Five is used for more than live entertainment.

“We’ve had a couple of Girl Scout meetings here,” Chandler said. “We do private parties. We’ve had birthday parties and anniversary parties here where we’ll actually close down, and they get the entire shop. You’ll see individuals on their computers working all day, so it’s kind of an office away from home. We have a couple of knitting groups that meet here which is really cool — just social purposes.

People just get together here and talk, so it’s a little bit of everything.”

Chandler said the number of people that come to each performance depends on who is performing.

“The comedy troupe obviously brings out a lot of teenagers,” she said. “For the most part, it depends on the artist that’s playing. Some groups will bring a primarily young professional kind of crowd, but on any given night you’ll see maybe there’s a study group up here from high school, and they’ll stay and listen to music. They aren’t necessarily up

front watching. They may be back in one of the booths, but it’s a pretty diverse crowd.”

Local guitarist Dan Bliss has performed about three or four times at the coffee shop.

“I love the place,” he said. “I play for a living, and there are very nice folks here. They obviously have an appreciation for art and music.”

Bliss said he thinks there is a great lineup of music.

“There aren’t many places presenting live music,” he said.

“Any places supporting it is a big place.”

The Fifth Wall Comedy Troupe is planning to perform at Take Five again on Dec. 9.

“They really like us there,” Fifth Wall member, senior Alex Petersen said. “We pull a big crowd. A lot of us go there to do homework and stuff anyway, so we find the place to be pretty comfortable. We can perform there without feeling wary of the surroundings.”

Petersen said he likes performing there because it has a close, cozy atmosphere.

“You can really interact with the audience, and you know you can fill the space easily,” he said. “You’re not going to look tiny because if you’re on a big stage, and you have a six, seven person team, it’s going to look like you’re not a very big team, but if you’re in a smaller place, it seems fine. You just feel like performing there because it’s just a lot of fun, and it’s a risk-free environment. If we make a joke that’s not funny, they aren’t going to judge us.”

He has also seen other performances at Take Five, such as the Know Idea Trio.

“I thought that, even though it was a little loud, they did bring in people who I didn’t see at Take Five very much — people who really enjoy jazz music,” Petersen said. “I love it, so if it brings in more people to keep them there and keep them getting a profit, then I’m all for it.”

Playing their music, bands like Nick Rowland and Sansabelt bring in a lot of business for Take Five. “I’m passionate about music and I always have been,” Take Five owner Lori Chandler said. “It has always been a part of the business plan.” Photo by Bailey Outlaw.

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upclose

October 2011

The I\[[LYÅ`

effect

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Mahoney

(Top)Tagging a butterfly, biology teacher Melanie Mahoney prepares to release a monarch into the wild. Mahoney used the butterflies in class for hands-on observations of the characteristics of life.

(Middle) A monarch ventures into nature for the first time. The monarchs transitioned from caterpillars into butterflies under the observation of Melanie Mahoney’s biology classes.

(Bottom) A tagged butterfly rests upon a flower before flying away. Melanie Mahoney released this butterfly into the wild on Oct. 7. Photos by Kaelin Storm.

During the second week of September, biology teacher Melanie Mahoney received an email she wasn’t expecting from a parent.

The parent asked her if she wanted any monarch caterpillars — extras from a local third grade

class project.

Mahoney wasn’t sure she wanted the caterpillars in her classroom, but since the class was studying the characteristics of life she decided to incorporate them into her lesson plan.

“At first I thought to myself, ‘How can I bring this into the realm of my own classroom?’” she said. “For the minute I wasn’t sure, the minute after, I was like, ‘Yeah, I’ll do that.

Why not?’”

Mahoney received the caterpillars several days later. She brought in a critter tote and kept it in the front of the room for her class to see.

“This was the topic of conversation, before we even did our bellringer,” she said. “What are the caterpillars doing? [The students] were really interested. They were engaged. They were excited about it. It couldn’t have been a better tool for learning.”

She used the caterpillars to show her class about a few different characteristics of life: obtaining energy, using energy, responding to stimuli, adapting, evolving, growing, developing and excreting.

“We have gotten to observe all the characteristics of life by this simple model,” Mahoney said. “That is something I have never had in my classroom — a model like this to actually show them. It started out as a bunch of caterpillars eating leaves. They were growing, and they were changing.”

Mahoney fed the caterpillars milkweed and cleaned the critter tote every day. She also had to bring them home over the weekends so they could still get the nutrition they needed.

“Those guys are super hungry,” she said. “I have never seen something so small devour something so quickly. For something as small as they are, they are eating a ridiculous amount of

food. Their growth is just tremendous in a short amount of time.”

Freshman Sam Virgillito took pictures of the caterpillars almost every day.

“You would see them one day, and they were big, and then the next day they’d be way bigger,” he said. “It was definitely a lot easier to see the growth and change and how it really makes a difference on how an organism reacts to its environment.”

After reaching their maximum weight, caterpillars form a chrysalis, where they start their metamorphosis into a butterfly. The first caterpillar made its chrysalis on Sept. 17.

The class waited approximately two weeks for the caterpillars’ metamorphosis to be complete.

When the caterpillars emerged from the chrysalides, three of the six butterflies were tagged using designated stickers with serial numbers that could keep track of where they were located.

All the information from the tagged butterflies went on to monarchwatch.org, where people who capture monarchs can see where the monarchs originated. Mahoney expects the butterflies to migrate to Mexico.

After the butterflies were tagged, Mahoney took her class to flowers around the school to release the butterflies into the wild.

“I was most excited that my kids were excited about it,” she said. “I was happy to release the butterflies, but I got more joy seeing how excited my class was.”

Mahoney said she learned to appreciate the complexity and beauty of butterflies after seeing them up close.

“I think you see butterflies outside, up close, and you think, ‘Oh wow, they’re such pretty organisms,’” she said. “But they really are beautiful when you are able to sit and observe them. You are really able to appreciate their beauty more.”

Mahoney said she wants to use caterpillars again next year to study the characteristics of life.

“My main goal was to get the kids interested in science, and that, without a shadow of a doubt, has been tackled,” she said. “I just thought, how cool is it that you can talk about the characteristics of life with something as simple as a caterpillar that turns into a butterfly? I wish I would have thought of it a long time ago. I was really impressed by my class.”

October 2011

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it’s a stretch New club stresses importance of physical, mental strength haileymcentee staff writer Warrior one. Feet apart. Hips facing forward. Front leg bent. Front foot facing forward. Arms extended above the head.

Quads and calves burning.

Inhale.

Exhale.

Upward facing dog. Legs and hips on the floor. Hands flat on the ground. Arms straightened, lifting the upper body. Abs on fire.

Inhale.

Exhale.

Senior Meera Chakravarthy started the yoga club at BV this year after taking a yoga class through Blue Valley Recreation.

“Last year I started doing yoga, and I thought it was the coolest thing ever,” Chakravarthy said. “I wanted to show people how calming and impacting it is. It’s good for peoples’ everyday lives.”

Communication Arts teacher Jessica Edwards leads the group in the yoga poses. She also leads a brief discussion about yoga philosophy at the beginning of each meeting.

“Yoga philosophy is basically just being kind to the planet, to other people and to yourself,” Edwards said.

Chakravarthy said doing yoga is a good way to relax and helps her keep her focus on life and her goals.

“Yoga relates to every aspect of life,” Chakravarthy said.

“It brings peace to my life because I am a very high-stress person. It helps me relate everything to the big picture.”

She said people need a moment to step back from whatever is going on and just think about themselves.

“Everyone is so caught

up in competition,” Chakravarthy said.

“We just need some time to think about ourselves as people. Your ego shouldn’t matter.”

Freshman Jefferson Harwood said more boys should join the yoga club.

“Sometimes it’s kind of odd to be the only guy, but at the same time it’s awesome,” Harwood said. “I would definitely recommend it to more guys. It is a real stress reliever, and it is a great way to just forget about whatever is going on.”

He said he likes that yoga is a stress reliever for him. Harwood also said he likes the atmosphere of the yoga club.

“My favorite part is getting together with friends and being in a peaceful environment,” he said. “It is relaxing and it helps me relieve my stress. It gives me peace of mind.”

Chakravarthy said yoga takes strength in two different forms.

“Yoga takes strength — both mental strength and physical strength,” she said.

“With the physical strength, you go as far as your body will let you.”

Edwards said the chance to try yoga through the yoga club is a good way to experience something different.

“It’s a good opportunity to get involved in something that’s new and challenging,” she said.

The club meets on Thursdays in the wrestling room at 3 p.m., and practices for about an hour.

Once the wrestling season begins the meetings will be relocated since the wrestling room will be occupied.

Edwards encourages more people to join yoga club.

“For people interested – don’t be intimidated or afraid,” Edwards said. “Just give it a go, and it could end up being really rewarding.”

Above: Stretching their legs, BV girls warm up their muscles during yoga club. Yoga club was created this year by senior Meera Chakravarthy. Photo by Aubrey Illig.

Left: Senior Bekah Nyman stands in extended triangle pose during yoga club. Yoga club meets on Thursdays after school at 3 p.m. Photo by Aubrey Illig.

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October 2011

City debates construction of amphitheater on park property jordanhuesers co-editor in chief

T

he plan for the new amphitheater includes a 200-space paved parking lot, a 50-space grass overflow lot, a truck road, concessions, bathrooms, offices, VIP seating and a balcony.

The building will have dressing rooms, bathrooms, a trap door, a basement and storage.

Where would it be located?

Ironwoods Park.

A group of neighbors in Leawood formed the Save Ironwoods Park group to keep the park as natural as possible.

“We are trying to protect the natural setting of the park,” member Darren Woods said. “I think having green space and places for families and children to go and enjoy the park is important. We are trying to make sure the City of Leawood carefully considers any plans to develop the park.”

In 1998, the Leawood City Council passed a bond issue, including plans for an amphitheater in Ironwoods Park.

However, the bond gave no description of the amphitheater’s size and layout.

Carrie Rezac, City Council member for Ward 3, said the mayor of Leawood formed a steering committee to determine, based on the Leawood Stage Company’s desires, how to move forward with the project.

“The plan for the amphitheater in the park has been there from the beginning,” steering committee chair Bill Ellwood said.

“It is just that we didn’t really have the funding at that time to build a building. All we had the funding for was to put in the power and built what you see there today. Now we are, in essence, just trying to get approval to finish the project that we really wanted in the first place. That was part of the original design for the park.”

Kerry Phillips, coordinator of the Save Ironwoods Park group, said the differing opinions between her group and the steering committee lie in the interpretation of the 1998 bond.

“That is the contention point,” Phillips said. “They will say that the 1998 bond allowed them to do this, and we don’t agree with that. We say the building is a lot bigger, it is more involved, it takes up a lot larger space.”

Following passage of the bond, the steering committee created a master plan for the amphitheater. However, an application for this master plan has yet to be submitted to the city council for approval.

The new amphitheater building will face the Steeplechase and Camden Woods neighborhoods, with a 5-foot berm and a line of evergreens for a sound barrier.

“We were really concerned about the impact on the families that live next door and on the park itself because it really does take up a very large piece of property,” Phillips said.

Ellwood said if the amphitheater building existed prior to residents moving into the neighborhoods surrounding the park,

this project would not have been an issue.

“I am sure they like it the way that it is right now — very tranquil, very quiet,” he said. “So I feel bad. We really did try and do some things to make it less intrusive for them with additional shrubs and plantings. We really did try and do things to mitigate the impact on the neighborhood, but I really think their preference would be to not have an amphitheater there at all.”

In February 2011, the Planning Commission approved an application for a restroom facility — Phase I of the amphitheater project. “[The application] came before City Council, and at the time we were in negotiations to purchase adjacent park land to Ironwoods,” Rezac said. “So, we continued that case. We continued it two or three times, waiting to see when the purchase of the land was finalized, because if that land was finalized we had talked about re-evaluating the master plan of the park, which would have impacted everything.”

The adjacent land was purchased. The restroom facility application was presented to the council again, and it, again, was continued.

“The thought was among some of the council that they wanted to continue it until we got through the re-evaluation of the master plan,” Rezac said. “If the proposed amphitheater plan remains, if it gets moved, if it gets completely relocated off the land, obviously that would affect the bathrooms.”

The Save Ironwoods Park group wants to preserve Ironwoods as park space and not as an entertainment venue.

“Particularly in Leawood we have very limited park area,” member Chris White said. “Leawood is a closed city, in other words, it is bounded by other cities all around. If we overdevelop this one into commercial property, there really is no other space for Leawood to develop into park.”

Phillips said the Leawood Stage Company deserves a proper place to perform, but should build the theater on private, commercially-zoned land.

“We don’t like it,” she said. “I mean, it’s hard to balance that, because you love the arts. We support the Stage Company. We think what they are doing is really great. We love the fact that there are people who want to volunteer to participate in that, but there are also people who want our park to be natural: walking trails, camping, outdoor activity that doesn’t involve something that is this much pavement.”

Phillips said the nine houses adjacent to the building would lose at least a 15 percent in home value, according to an appraiser.

“It’s given us a really clear picture of just how much this building could impact our neighborhood financially,” Phillips said.

Rezac said she tries to keep the Save Ironwoods Park group and several other organizations aware when the issue is on the city council’s agenda.

“I think they had some valid concerns,” she said. “I think it is very beneficial that they are bringing those to everyone at the city’s attention. I understand their concerns because I know that it will directly impact many of the people that are involved in that

group.”

Ellwood said the steering committee hopes the Amphitheater could serve for graduation ceremonies, private weddings, private parties, bar mitzvahs or for anything that someone would enjoy using an outside venue.

“I feel like we, the citizens of Leawood, would benefit from this additional facility, and that this would be better for the rest of the citizens of Leawood,” Ellwood said. “In general, I think these people would just rather not have anybody in their back yard. I understand that. But I think I wouldn’t have bought next to a park if I didn’t want to have people in my backyard, because I think the city park should have people in it.”

Phillips said those near the park won’t be the only ones affected by this decision.

“If we develop it, it is gone for good,” Phillips said. “There is no going back from that. So, do we really want to do that? Do we really want to take away such a large piece of park? I just think we need to be really careful before we do this kind of thing in a park.”

Rezac said, from the Leawood Stage Company’s perspective, the expanded amphitheater would allow them the space they want for performances.

“There are not many stage companies in many surrounding cities, and so Leawood Stage Company, I think, would like to be able to become one of the premier,” Rezac said. “They would like to offer their talents and productions to not only Leawood residents but to surrounding areas. I think they see the amphitheater as a great amenity to Leawood itself.”

Rezac said concerns may be addressed at City Council Meetings within the limitations of the protocol.

“Obviously, if we ever receive any email correspondence or phone calls, we discuss whatever questions or concerns they have over the phone or through email,” she said. “We try and give information, as much information as we can, when they have questions on the process. I try and let them know that those things will be coming up.”

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October 2011

What do you think of the plans to put an amphitheater in Ironwoods Park?

Junior Katie Shull “It’d be awesome, and it’d be fun to watch. Plus, there would be a lot of nighttime shows.”

Senior Brian Witt “I’m for it. I’m all for the arts.”

indepth

13

Sophomore Austin Flack “I don’t live in Ironwoods, so it doesn’t affect me. If they did good shows then it would be cool.”

Check out bvtigernews.com for more info and photos about Ironwoods Park.

e ”

nt

te

rs

This sign marks the entrance to Ironwoods Park on Mission Road. The city of Leawood has proposed a plan to construct a new amphitheater on the park property. Photo by Jun Ham.

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upclose

October 2011

Businesses for the

cure

!"#$%&'($)(#"'$*$"#)#%%'+,)&-'.",+.&%' /0%1)#%%#%'&,'"$1%#'20)3%'2,"'%0"414,"% abbybamburg staff writer National Breast Cancer Awareness Month is every October.

A local organization, Back in the Swing, partners with businesses to bring in money for breast cancer and to show support for the cause.

Founder Bob Unell said Back in the Swing focuses on the survivors rather than the disease itself.

“This makes a huge difference,” he said. “The medical care after your cancer treatments should also be standard of care along with during the treatment. We have far too long ignored the health of the cancer survivors.”

Town Center Plaza has five stores involved with Back in the Swing: Brighton Collectibles, Dean & Deluca, GNC, Lucy Activewear and Pottery Barn.

Brighton Collectibles assistant manager Antinette Manzo said they love helping out with the cause.

“Every year in October, Brighton comes up with a bracelet and it’s a collectible bracelet so there are many women that collect them over the years,” Manzo said.

Each bracelet costs $50 and $10 of it goes to Back in the Swing.

“Worldwide, the bracelets will provide about $500,000 to breast cancer charities,” she said.

This year’s limited edition bracelet features a dangling heart-shaped charm with pink crystals on one side and the breast cancer ribbon on the other.

She said that it has been so successful that people call weeks in advance to get their hands on one of these bracelets.

“People start calling early and asking ‘When is your breast cancer bracelet coming out?’” Manzo said. “It [is] standing room only in the store when we come out with them.”

Back in the Swing does various fundraisers along with many shopping events.

“We have raised about $2.5 million in eight years through these shopping events,” Unell said. “We think it’s amazing how everyone has come out and supported this and allowed us to raise those kinds of funds which we have used to provide the feed money to start several of those cancer survivorship programs.”

Unell said the organization has also done different kinds of events in the past like Jazzercise and yoga.

“The actual experience that someone participates in while we’re raising funds is something that is good for survivorship, like exercise,” he said.

More businesses are getting involved with Back in the Swing every year.

“Retailers like it,” he said. “They want to be involved. We are so lucky to have such a giving community who wants to help out.”

Unell said the businesses play a huge part in the success of the organization.

“We couldn’t do the work we do by just inviting shoppers to be involved,” he said. “We also go to the business community, and we ask them to become the underwire of fundraising.”

He said high school students can help out the cause.

“If high school students could share the information that Back in the Swing is there to help breast cancer survivors after treatment, and if they direct them to our website, people can get a lot of information that perhaps they have never gotten before,” Unell said. “They can also participate in helping us with what we’re calling ‘celebrating and educating.’

Get involved. There is something for everybody.”

Chili’s Bar and Grill also partners with Back in the Swing.

“Every Tuesday in October we are doing a giveback-night,” Chili’s manager Annie Glunz said. “Any customer that comes in with an email that says Back in the Swing, we will give 10 percent of their order

to the cause.”

Glunz said the founders of Back in the Swing came to them and asked them to help out.

“We chose to do this specific disease because it’s such a big cause,” she said. “It just affects so many women. All around our area, companies are doing it, and for me, it hit home.”

She said Back in the Swing plays a bigger role in the fight against cancer than most people might think.

“You hear about how the month of October is Back in the Swing so I’m assuming it is going to bring lots and lots of business,” she said. “Back in the Swing has just been so amazing to us.”

Manzo also said working with Back in the Swing has been a great experience for the store.

“They do a lot of the leg work,” Manzo said.

“They get all the information out. Not only on Brighton, but just to make women all over know that it is breast cancer month.”

She said seeing costumers come in with amazing stories has made her understand how it can change your life.

“You get a special connection [with the costumers],” she said. “There are a lot of tears but also a lot of joy because you can survive cancer.”

Lucy Activewear, a store in Town Center Plaza, participates in Back in the Swing, a company that raises money for breast cancer survivors. The store hosted a raffle with 100 percent of the ticket sales benefitting Back in the Swing. Photo

by Evelyn Davis.

October 2011

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!"##$%&'()#'*+%$',#"-&#)&$-.'()"-$-'(/%0$-&+/% jansenhess staff writer Leave home: 7:17.

Arrive in BV car line: 7:22.

Finally pull up to the front doors: 7:27.

Blinkers flashing.

Traffic backed up on 159th Street.

An extensive amount of traffic on 159th Street before and after school results in a turtle-paced car line.

Freshman Braydon Huschka said the slow line is an ongoing annoyance.

“It’s really frustrating,” Huschka said. “If you don’t get there early, you end up waiting in line for a long time.”

In addition to the long wait comes a line of cars the stretches out into the street.

“On the first day, all I could think when I saw the line was, ‘This is too long,’” freshman Drew McElwain said.

Principal Scott Bacon said the car line has always been an issue, partly due to the unique placement of the entry and exit ways.

“All of our exit and entrance venues are on the same street,” he said. “That’s what makes it complicated.”

He said the line became more of a concern when the houses were built across the street.

“As the neighborhoods developed over the years, we still have the same two-lane road accommodating probably 10 to 15 times as much traffic,” Bacon said. “That’s the issue.”

He said trying to fix the problem has not been easy and finding a permanent solution is a few years away.

“There has not been an easy resolution to it,” he said.

“We’ve done some things differently over the years. For ex-

Parents: keep right in the carline

Bumper-to-bumper, bus 84 waits for a parent to drive forward to alleviate congestion. Buses consistently wait for parents to move out of the car line in order to drop off students. Photo by Dakota Berhman.

ample, during certain times in the day as you exit you have to go to the right. It’s to help speed things up. If you’ve got people stopped there trying to make a left turn during the most densely crowded time, it’s almost impossible.”

Bacon said the proposed expansion into the Stanley Nature Park would alleviate traffic because there would be separate drop-off lines for cars and buses.

“Until we have a larger parking lot, it’s always going to be a concern,” Bacon said. “Down the line we may have a bigger parking lot, and if that transpires, then that will help us.”

He also said the expansion would help decrease the amount of cars in certain areas because the cars will be spread out into multiple parking lots.

“Based on what the proposal is, we would have a lot behind the school, so the pick-up-drop-off area would not necessarily have to be [at the front doors],” Bacon said.

“That might lessen congestion in the front. And certainly you won’t have the density of cars from [the senior parking lot] because a lot of these cars would park in the back and pull around from behind the school.”

Huschka said the traffic should decrease immensely if the expansion happens.

“It should bring the line down a ton,” he said. “The line gets longer sometimes from people trying to get to the parking lots.”

Bacon said the most populated time of the day falls between 2:45 p.m. and 3 p.m.

During that time, there is a blinking light by the east exit that prohibits left turns.

The same rules apply for the west exit.

In the middle exit, cars can turn both left and right.

Bacon said another guideline for the drop-off zone is

East exit: when light PZ ÅHZOPUN turn right

parents should stay to the right of the line so buses can pass them on the left and pull forward.

He said this method seems to work fairly well, although it might not please everyone.

“Right now it’s probably about as efficient as we can make it,” Bacon said. “Which is not necessarily to everybody’s liking.”

He said not everyone may like the methods used in the line, but they understand them.

“We’ve been very fortunate,” Bacon said. “People have been very patient and realize that there’s not an easy solution to it, so they make it work.”

Despite the current car line and parking lot congestion, this is not the worst BV has seen.

“We’ve been larger than we are now,” Bacon said, “It’s been worse than it is now. When we had 1,800 students before West opened, and quite honestly, the year before Southwest opened too, it took a while to get everybody through there.”

Before BVW opened, sophomores weren’t allowed to drive to school because there were not enough parking spots.

With the opening of West and Southwest, more spots were available to students, but there is still a lot of traffic.

“Compared to other high school areas, like at Southwest, you’re probably looking at a less densely populated area so that the traffic you would encounter out there is not like it would be on 159th Street,” Bacon said.

He said the car line has improved from previous years because people seem to be following the guidelines.

“Is it great?” Bacon said. “No, it’s never been great. Is it better than it’s been? Definitely.”

Middle exit: turn left and right

As people try to leave the parking lot, others try to enter, causing a traffic jam. With recent street construction on the west entrance, traffic on 159th was backed up to Nall and Metcalf. Photo by Dakota Behrman.

16

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October 2011

Top of the Pyramid Cheerleaders perform at summer competition, ^VYR OHYK [V THRL )= NHTLZ ZWPYP[ ÄSSLK carolinemeinzenbach staff writer Form banana. Form, form banana.

Peel banana. Peel, peel banana.

Go bananas. Go, go bananas.

This is one of the many cheers the BV cheerleaders perform at the football games to get the student body pumped up.

Varsity cheerleader junior Paige Sims said the cheerleaders do a lot of things behind the scenes that many people don’t know.

“I don’t think people realize how much we do to support the teams,” Sims said. “It takes a lot of time and effort.”

The BV cheer squad, consisting of 14 freshman, 10 JV and 18 varsity cheerleaders, practices every day during seventh hour to prepare for upcoming sporting events. The girls also attend a fourday camp over the summer.

This year, the Universal Cheerleaders Association camp was at the Lake of the Ozarks. They competed against teams from Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma.

“We had to be peppy from the time we woke up [6 a.m.] until we went to bed [11 p.m.],” JV cheerleader sophomore Aubrey Myer said. “It was insane.”

The teams took classes taught by college cheerleaders, learning about different stunts, cheers and ways to get the crowd involved.

The cheerleaders incorporate these new techniques in their routines at football games.

“Before, we were very structured,” varsity cheer captain senior Annie Wilcoxon said. “Everyone had a certain position they had to be in. Now, we’re spread out, and we just go wherever.”

At camp, every team learns the same dance when they ar-

Photo Illustration by Dakota Behrman.

rive. Each team practices the routine and personalizes it. At the end of camp, each team performs its dance, and judges choose a winner.

“It made us more motivated, being compared to others,” Sims said.

Wilcoxon said they personalized the dance by adding in ‘Go Tigers’ or ‘Go BV’ to make their team stand out.

“We had a lot of teamwork that other teams didn’t have,” Wilcoxon said. “We made everything flow.”

This summer, the JV and varsity squads won first place in the camp competition, becoming back-to-back champions.

“They worked hard,” cheer coach Michele Wirt said. “They set a goal to win again. I was really proud.”

Principal Scott Bacon wore the official BV cheerleading uniform at the all-school picnic on Aug. 19 to recognize the cheerleaders’ win over the summer.

“It was cool that he supported us like that,” Myer said.

The cheer team brought back what they learned at camp to make their performances better and encourage the fans to yell with them during cheers.

“It pushed us to work hard and improve our weaknesses as a team,” Sims said. “We have changed our cheering style. It’s more crowd involvement and pumping up school spirit.”

Fans of BV sports have noticed the change in the routines.

“I’ve had football parents and soccer parents thank me for how good the girls were,” Wirt said. “I haven’t had that happen in the last few years.”

The cheerleaders spend five hours every Wednesday to make the varsity football run-through. After the paint dries, varsity members come back to school to roll it up.

“No one knows what we do,” Wilcoxon said. “Just them knowing would be enough.”

Wirt said she hopes to see more recognition for the teams’ accomplishments in the future.

“As we progress forward, recognition will come,” Wirt said. “If they work for it, they will see recognition from the school.”

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18

centerstage

October 2011

What to watch

TV show reviews for this fall Stories by Taylor Yeazel Photos used with permission from Fox Studios.

New Girl Out of all of the season or series premieres I saw, “New Girl” was the one I was shocked I didn’t enjoy.

This show did not live up to my expectations, and I didn’t find it fantastic.

In the first episode, the main character, Jess (Zooey Deschanel), is cheated on by her model boyfriend and she breaks up with him.

Because she needs a place to stay, she moves into an apartment with three men.

Throughout the show,

they find her slightly annoying. At the end of the episode, when she is stood up on a date, the boys come to comfort her. They finally accept her.

The second episode was extremely similar — slow and not funny. She did something they thought was annoying. They stuck up for her in the end.

It was sort of cliché. I anticipated every moment.

Sure, some things were funny, but not enough.

The commercial made it look like a comedy but, in all honesty, there wasn’t comedy.

At all.

Sure, the clips in the commercials were in the show, but the context in which each clip was placed made what seemed not so funny.

I expected this show to be the best out of all of the new shows I watched, and now it’s something I’m not going to watch.

Raising Hope This show was one of the best I’d seen in awhile. It made me laugh.

Basically, the problem in this episode was Jimmy (Lucas Neff), the main character, was talented when he was younger, but due to an accident, no longer is.

When his crush, Sabrina, learned he was talented as a child, she swooned, so he set out to become talented again.

The funniest parts of the episodes usually include Maw-Maw (Cloris Leachman), Jimmy’s crazy great-grandmother. In this

episode, she taught Jimmy how to play piano.

Greyson Chance guest-starred on this episode as the younger Jimmy, so he sang a few times.

It was actually adorable.

Truly, the plot is never very good, but I will continue to watch this show because of its comic value.

People who like dramatic comedy will enjoy Raising Hope, and everyone can relate to the different plots.

The X Factor “The X Factor,” a highly anticipated show, was a huge disappointment.

Throughout the audition episodes, I did not see anyone I enjoyed listening to. I didn’t find the talent I was hoping to see.

First, not many of the good singers were shown — the absolutely horrible ones were.

I don’t watch singing shows to see people make fools out of themselves.

I watch singing shows for the talent. I watch for inspiration. The only inspiration this show gave me was to turn off the television.

Second, the voting process was too long.

This made the show seem to drag on. It seemed endless. The judges, Simon Cowell, L.A. Reid, Paula Abdul and Nicole Scherzinger, critiqued the performance, a process that seemed to take centuries, and then state whether they voted yes or no, which took almost as much time. I understand the judges need to critique the performances, but did they have to take forever?

On American Idol, judging didn’t take as long either. The judges would say a few things and then

say yes or no.

To be honest, I don’t care about the critiques. I really don’t. I watch these shows to see pure talent.

How much talent did I see? None.

It looked staged. A lot of what occurred looked completely fake. It seemed that the judges and some of the contestants were acting. Such as when Abdul claimed she got sick after a particular contestant’s vulgar performance.

I can say one thing for sure about this show that I think most will agree with: this is not American Idol. I grew up watching American Idol. Up until a few years ago, I was even planning to audition.

I’ll be honest. I expected “The X Factor” to be like American Idol but better.

I wanted to see true talent.

No one stood out on “The X Factor.” I expected more than what was seen.

Overall, I was not impressed. If you didn’t like the way American Idol was set up, you probably will like “The X Factor.”

If you aren’t as critical of every flaw, you’ll probably like it more than I do.

October 2011

Photography Club

FOUR SEASON NAILS

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Monday-Friday 10 a.m.- 7:30 p.m.

Saturday 10 a.m.-6 p.m.

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Office Depot 10551 Metcalf Avenue Overland Park, KS 66212 (913)-381-9387

Join the BVHS Photography Club!

Meets every other Next meeting Tuesday at 3 p.m.

Tuesday, Nov. 1st Room 551 Questions? Ask Mr. Johnston

payin’thebills

For all your school supply needs!

$20 off

purchase of $100 or more

Expires 12/31/11 Coupon code 39221664

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centerstage

October 2011

Halloween Hits

Creepy Corners inKansas

City

Information gathered by Maddie Jewett and Maegan Kabel from worldsoffun.com, kcbeast.com and theedgeofhell.com.

Halloween Haunt at Worlds of Fun

Photo courtesy of worldsoffun.com.

Nine attractions: Asylum Island — Lakeside Mental Hospital is overrun by the criminally insane Bloodshed — Old McDonald Slaughterhouse isn’t working the way it should CarnEvil — A carnival ruled by carnies and clowns who terrorize trespassers Club Blood and Lore of the Vampire — The catacombs home to Dracula and his brides, who are now awake and thirsty for blood Corn Stalkers — Cornfields with unknown evils lurking within Fright Zone — Screamsters searching for their next victim occupy this foggy area Master McCarthy’s Doll Factory — Home to a psychotic serial killer who turns visitors into life-sized dolls

Outlaw’s Revenge — Boot Hill Cemetery ghosts come alive and hunt for the people who killed them London Terror — New this year, walk down London’s foggy streets where criminals terrorize townsfolk Regularly tickets are $44.99 per person, but on Fright Nights (Fridays after 6 p.m. and Saturdays after 4 p.m.) tickets are $32.99.

Hours of operation: Fridays — 6 p.m. - Midnight Saturdays — 11 a.m. - 1 a.m.

Sundays — 11 a.m. - 7 p.m.

Exceptions to above hours: Oct. 27 - 6 p.m. - 11 p.m.

Oct. 30 - 11 a.m. - 11 p.m.

The last day is Oct. 30.

The Edge of Hell and The Beast The Edge of Hell: A converted five story warehouse, The Edge of Hell offers a quarter-mile walk through sensory stimulation that ends abruptly 30 minutes later, as you slide from heaven down the five-story spiral slide into the arms of the Devil himself.

The Beast: It takes about 40 minutes to go through The Beast — if you don’t get lost in the fog in the Werewolf Forest, stuck in the maze or pulled toward the light in the three-story light tower. The exit is a steep four-story slide.

Ticket prices range from

$23 - $74. Prices increase based on weekend or weekday, line pass or regular and number of attractions to which the ticket provides admittance. Group rates are available for parties of 20 or more. Houses are at 1401 West 13th Street in downtown Kansas City.

Freaky Flicks

Reviews by staff writer Abby Bamburg.

Insidious

While Insidious has no blood and guts, it, by no means, lets you down on the horror scale.

A married couple, Renai and Josh (Rose Byrne and Patrick Wilson), move into a house with their three children.

After their oldest son bumps his head in the attic and falls into a coma, creepy figures begin to haunt the couple’s home.

Renai realizes things are getting out of hand and a psychic medium is called in.

As the movie progresses, things get weirder and weirder.

The scariest parts were the mysterious figures popping up out of nowhere. Whether it’s a little boy running through the house, or a random guy dancing around, the ghosts are everywhere.

Almost the entire movie contains paranormal activity. Even though you know it would never happen in real life, it becomes believable, with the exception of a few unrealistic scenes.

For instance, near the end of the movie, viewers see the main demon who looks like a cartoon character.

The red lighting and background music makes it creepy rather than scary.

Although Insidious didn’t necessarily stick out for me, it still made me cover my face with a pillow the entire time.

The crazy psychic, the terrified mother and the strange entities help to make this film a great watch during the Halloween season.

The Haunting in Connecticut

Based on a true story, The Haunting in Connecticut will have you creeped out and grossed out.

The Campbell family moves into an old home to be closer to the hospital where their son Matt (Kyle Gallner) is undergoing an experimental cancer treatment. The family comes to find out nothing is ever as it seems.

Matt moves into the basement to get some privacy, but begins seeing images of a boy from the 1920s after opening a room that proves the house used to be a funeral home.

At first, the family assumes Matt’s treatment is causing him to hallucinate, but then they realize they are facing a bigger problem.

This flick is filled with figures popping up and frightening flashbacks.

The best part about the movie is the mystery aspect. You’re constantly trying to figure out the reason why the funeral home is filled with so much negative energy.

Why is Matt seeing flashbacks in the house when it was a funeral home?

Why is the boy so important?

The Haunting in Connecticut is different from any other horror film. Most ghost movies aren’t as scary anymore because they aren’t real-life situations. However, this film has a different approach to the idea. It’s terrifying because you feel like it actually could happen.

The Haunting in Connecticut is realistic, horrifying and a must-see horror flick for Halloween.

October 2011

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Super fans support team every game jansenhess staff writer What does it take to be a super fan?

Super fan senior Brady Buescher: “It’s takes an unparalleled level of dedication and lots of, of...”

Super fan senior Taylor Walter: “...Lots of time to seek out outfits.”

Yeah, what’s up with your outfits?

BB: “I’ve worn a gorilla [costume]. I’ve worn a cow

[costume] to the games.”

TW: “And I’m banana man. We also have our black tank tops with player’s names and nicknames on them.”

How are the super fans chosen?

TW: “We choose ourselves.”

BB: “No, we are chosen by divine intervention. It’s a God-given gift.”

TW: “It’s ‘cause we’re the best.”

BB: “Fate chooses super fans. It’s not something you

can choose. Only it can choose you.”

[Skidmore] says — they’re all boys.”

Are the super fans only seniors?

BB: “I would say the super fans are only seniors.

We have some potential in coming years, but you’ve got to be a senior to be a true super fan.”

What do you have to do as a super fan?

BB: “Well, you’ve got to go all out for spirit days, dress up for the games and get to the games redonkulously early.”

TW: “Be at every game football game, front row, start cheers, be there really early — really, really early. And keep it going all game.”

BB: “Losing your voice — that’s a requirement.”

Are super fans all boys or are there any girls?

BB: “All boys.”

TW: “It’s all boys. Don’t listen to what Kaylee [Snedden] or Hannah

Super fans lean in unison with the cheerleaders during the game against BV Northwest. Photo by Dakota Behrman.

Fantasy football provides outlet for sports enthusiasts odiopole entertainment editor Quarterback, running back, receivers, tight ends and, of course, the defensive line.

During the season, those positions are watched closely.

Stats are constantly collected and analyzed because they can be used to determine whether or not each player will remain on his original team.

Long passing, rush plays, touchdowns, receptions.

At the end of it all, one team in the league reigns victorious.

Some years it changes, some years it doesn’t.

However, one thing doesn’t change: fantasy football’s popularity among NFL fans.

According to the Fantasy Sports Trade Association, 19 million people in the US and Canada play the game.

History teacher Jason Peres said fantasy football is entertaining because it allows friends to get together and connect.

“To say it’s fun — I just don’t think that does it justice,” he said. “I think we, as humans, have an innate competitive drive. Fantasy football fuels that competitive desire.”

Peres said he began playing when some friends introduced him to it in college.

“I knew nothing about it,” Peres said. “[They] explained it to me, and it was really just a competition among friends. I played it that year in college and I loved it, and I’ve been playing ever since.”

Peres plays in two leagues — one in-school league and one that he organizes with his friends outside BV. He said he enjoys the second league because he and his friends get to socialize in a different setting.

“We always have a draft day,” he said. “It’s really cool because you get to see the girls getting so into it. Honestly, I think my wife is more competitive than me, because I just make my roster and walk away. Kathy’s always the one crunching numbers and looking up stats and all that.”

Sophomore Cale Reber said he started playing fantasy football simply because a friend asked him to join his

league. Before the season starts, he has a draft party with other members of his league to choose their players.

“We usually just meet at [a friend’s] house, and there are snacks,” he said. “It’s not really a party, but we all get together around the computer and draft.”

Reber said playing fantasy football makes the real-life NFL games more interesting.

“It makes me want to watch football more than I normally would,” he said. “On Sundays I just watch football and kind of watch my players, too. It makes it more fun.”

Reber said his league makes a cash pool that goes out to the top three players at the end of the playoffs.

“It definitely makes it more competitive,” he said.

Peres said even though a cash prize makes people more competitive, bragging rights motivate participants just as much.

“Believe it or not, when you lose in a fantasy football week, you feel bad,” he said. “You’re like, ‘Oh man, how did that happen?’ But every week is a new opportunity, and when you win, it feels good.”

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tigerturf

October 2011

Leaving his mark

!"#$%"&'()&*%'"+*(,$-./("+(*%"&*%(-0"%*(/'#++$(1%-*2(,3*/3%(+"#%*(#+44&%/ jordanmcentee sports editor

H

e stands on the sidelines with his arms folded across his chest.

The team makes a good play. He smiles and claps.

The athletes know he’s there supporting them. He always is.

Athletic director Bob Whitehead has been at BV for 25 years and plans to retire after this school year.

Whitehead taught history at BV from 1979 to 1986. He then went to BV North at its opening and BV Northwest after that. Whitehead returned to BV in 1995.

“I think it’s the best job I’ve ever had,” he said. “The best thing that ever happened to me was coming to Blue Valley as the athletic director.”

Whitehead said his favorite part about his job is spending hours watching high school games every night.

“I enjoy going to the games, meeting the parents, just being out in the community and watching the kids,” he said.

“That’s about the only way you have to let the student athletes know that you care — to go to their games. It’s kind of like being a grandparent. I can go to the games, and I hate it when we lose, but I still love the kids.”

Whitehead’s job has allowed him to travel around the country for various events.

“I’ve gotten to travel all over — wherever our team’s been,” he said. “I got involved in the State Athletic Directors Association, and I’ve also gotten to go to some national meetings in San Antonio, New Orleans twice and San Diego.”

Whitehead’s job entails both administrative and scheduling duties.

“It’s really like I have two jobs,” he said. “As an assistant principal you have teacher evaluations, discipline and those kinds of activities. Then the other part of the job is being Athletic Director. And in that role, you’re really responsible for the entire athletic program.”

The job includes hiring coaches and keeping the school calendar up to date.

Whitehead said he has always enjoyed doing behind-the-scenes work.

“I try to facilitate from here — be in the background and take care of whatever needs to be done,” he said. “I want our teams and our coaches to be the focal point of our school and our activities.”

He said he faces challenges with staying motivated for all the games, but knows the athletes appreciate it.

“The hardest thing is if we lose in football on Friday night, and I go to volleyball on Saturday — I have to be up and enthusiastic about volleyball,” he said. “I think most students know that I care about what’s going on in their program.”

Whitehead decided to retire because of minor health problems and many years in education.

“This is the 45th year that I’ve been in education,” he said. “That’s a long time. And there have been a couple health issues — not real, real serious — but they have made it more difficult for me to do the job the way I want to do it.”

Whitehead said his pride lies in how far the school has come athletically and academically.

“There was a great school here before I came, and there’s going to be a great school here after I’m gone,” he said. “Last year, we were in the top three in the state in 13 different events and also had the second highest ACT scores in the metro area. I’m really proud of that.”

Senior Maddie Garton said Whitehead has always been very supportive of

her and her softball team.

“He is literally the nicest guy ever,” she said. “I’ll see him in the hallway, and he’ll be like, ‘How’s life?’ or ‘How’s softball?’ He comes to all the games, and he genuinely cares about me as a person and as a player.”

Whitehead said he will never forget the community atmosphere at BV. “I’m really going to miss the relationships with the students and staff, going to the games on Friday nights and interacting with the parents,” he said. “There’s a very hectic pace that you have in this job. You just kind of go from one thing to another. It’s the greatest job in the world. I don’t even know how to describe it.”

Garton said the student-athletes will always remember Whitehead and how much he really wanted to be a part of their lives.

“I want to say thank you so much for all his kindness and support,” she said. “He really has made an impact on my high school softball career and my time here at BV.” A decision is still being made about who will replace Whitehead next school year.

“We have some younger coaches in our school that a lot of people respect who have some interest,” he said. “I hope that they’ll be given an opportunity. When you’re a new person coming with new ideas, there will be new, good things that come with that. I hope that some of our traditions will continue.”

Whitehead plans to pursue other hobbies with his new free time.

“I’m certainly going to miss it,” he said. “But I have six grandchildren, and I need to be able to go watch them play sports. I also bought a used bass boat, and I’ve always been a bird hunter, so I’ll be outdoors. I’m excited for that.”

Whitehead said he will never stop loving Tiger athletics.

“I will always be checking the sports page to see how the Tigers are doing,” he said. “I’ll be looking for how the Tigers do on Friday night. I’ll always be watching for that.”

Athletic director Bob Whitehead (left) has been at BV for 25 years.

He plans to retire after the 2011-2012 school year. Photo by Olivia Roudebush.

October 2011

BV welcomes new girls bowling team jordanmcentee sports editor The extensive list of sports and activities at BV has a new addition — girls bowling.

Art teacher Mark Mosier, who sponsored the bowling club a few years ago, will coach BV’s first bowling team.

“Three or four years ago, we had a bowling club at BV,” he said. “On Tuesdays and Thursdays we would go up to College Lanes in a school van from about 3:30 to 5 and just bowl for fun.”

Last year, it was brought to the attention of the BV School District that Olathe and Shawnee Mission schools had bowling teams.

“It’s not like they just said ‘Oh, let’s make a bowling team,’” Mosier said. “They have to do recommendations through the District Activities Committee and the Board of Education.”

Mosier said he hopes the team will compete at a high level at competitions.

“We’re scheduled to have five meets,” he said. “We’ll go, and three [schools] will all bowl, and we’ll compare the scores. Then we’ll have one BV meet at the end of the season with all the Blue Valley high schools.”

The team will practice at Olathe East Lanes.

“We’ll always have a bus or van for transportation because we know a lot of the kids won’t be able to drive,” he said.

Mosier said the season will be brief, starting in January and ending in late February.

“We’ll probably bowl for an hour and a half a couple

days a week,” he said. “We won’t wake up and practice at 5 a.m. and have summer workouts and all that. It’ll just be a couple days a week after school.”

Depending on availability of the bowling lanes, tryouts will take place Dec. 5 or 6, or both days. The official time and dates will be announced. The season will then begin after winter break.

After tryouts, six varsity bowlers, six junior varsity bowlers, and one alternate bowler will be chosen. The team will have 13 total players.

Senior Sara Specht said she plans on trying out and hopes to make the team.

“I think it would be a fun senior experience,” she said.

“It’s something totally new and different. It would really just be so much fun.”

She said the bowling team will be a great way to bring people together.

“The bowling team would show people that an individual sport can become a team sport,” she said. “You’d have to rely on each other.”

Mosier said he is excited about the upcoming season.

“This bowling thing seems to be taking off like wildfire,” he said.

The first official bowling team meeting was Tuesday, Oct. 25.

If you missed the meeting but are still interested in trying out for the team, stop by Mosier’s room for more information.

Check out bvtigernews.com during the bowling season for team results and photos.

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TIGER

TURF

BV SPORTS

sports in brief FOOTBALL

Previous action: 10/14 @ Aquinas (W 14-0) 10/21 vs Pittsburg (L 45-35) Upcoming action: 10/28 vs Gardner-Edgerton Record: 7-1

VOLLEYBALL

Previous Action: Substate: 10/22 vs BV Southwest (W) 10/22 vs Bishop Miege (L) Record: 21-15

BOYS SOCCER

save the dates

FYI Sporting Kansas City defeated D.C. United 1-0 on Oct. 22, finishing first in the MLS Eastern conference.

The cross country team will be competing in State this weekend, Oct. 29, at Rim Rock Farm in Lawrence.

Monday, Nov. 14 — Winter Sports Begin Monday, Nov. 21 — Winter Sports Night, 6 p.m.

Tuesday, Nov. 29 — Winter Sports Pictures, 3 p.m.

important info Winter sports tryout dates: Boys Basketball Nov. 14-16 — Sophomores, juniors and seniors, 3:15-5:30 p.m.

Nov. 14-16 — Freshmen, 5:30-7:45 p.m.

Girls Basketball Nov. 14-16 — Sophomores, juniors and seniors, 3-5 p.m.

Nov. 14-16 — Freshmen, 5-7 p.m.

Girls Bowling Dec. 5 or 6 Boys Swimming Nov. 14 — Swimming pool Wrestling Nov. 14 — Wrestling room

Previous action: 10/13 vs Aquinas (L 4-0) 10/20 @ BVSW (W 7-2) Upcoming action: Regional playoffs Record: 7-6-3

CROSS COUNTRY

Previous Action: 10/22 Regionals: Girls placed 3rd, boys placed 2nd Upcoming Action: 10/29 State @ Rim Rock Farm

GIRLS TENNIS

Previous Action: State: 4th place with 31 ½ points Record: 9-1

GIRLS GOLF

Previous Action: Regionals: 3rd place State: 9th place

Results current as of Oct. 24

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incolor

October 2011

DANCING IN THE!FOG Tigerettes dedicate mornings to rehearsing routines Photos by Maria Fournier and Olivia Roudebush.

Throwing a flag into the air, sophomore Lorelle Katz rehearses during a morning dance team practice. Katz has been on the Tigerettes dance team since her freshman year. “I like all of the tricks we learn, and all the choreography we learn is pretty cool and fun to do,” Katz said.

The Tigerettes dance team uses flags and air blades during practice.

Senior Nicki Brosch leads the team in warm-ups on a foggy October morning.

Brosch is the captain of the dance team and has been on dance team for four years.

The Tigerettes practice at 7 every morning during marching season.

(Top) Junior Jessie Peterson warms up prior to one of the morning practices on Tuesday, Oct. 11.

Peterson worked on one of her several throwing techniques. “I love being on dance team because most of my friends are on it, and we have so many inside jokes,” Peterson said.

(Bottom) Junior Grace Anne Johnson pauses during a dance routine at a morning rehearsal.

Although she has danced most of her life, this is her first year on the school’s dance team.