Photos by: RYLEE HOLDER
A message from the Superintendent
Dear Bulldog Families, I hope these summer months treat you well. In just a few days, we will close out another fantastic school year. We continue to be proud of our students, staff, and community and all that makes Baldwin so special.
In this issue, you will find stories told by our students that cover many different facets of our school district and community. These stories reflect the passion of our budding journalists and those they have been able to follow and interview.
Mark Dodge
We hope you enjoy reading the work of our students, while also
learning more about our district and community.
As we have said before, but cannot say enough, thank you for all of your support.
We have an amazing community, filled with talented students, who are inspired and led by high-quality teachers.
We hope you enjoy reading their stories and learning more about #BaldwinBuilt.
Respectfully,
Mark Dodge Superintendent
Baldwin USD 348
ON THE COVER:
From dancing, performing, playing, and celebrating, BHS has been an active place this semester. BHS Journalism photographers such as Rylee Holder have been on the scene, snapping pics and capturing all the moments.
Find it on usd348.com
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Baldwin City USD 348 715 Chapel St., P.O. Box 67 Baldwin City, KS 66006
The Bulldog Bulletin is a biannual magazine which includes content provided by the Baldwin High School journalism class and is produced by the Lawrence Journal-World.
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Spring play off to a great start
By: Layla Seyler
The spring play for Baldwin High School is underway. This year’s play is called “Almost, Maine.” It is scheduled for a May release and director David Stephens feels prepared so far.
“I feel like we are on schedule so far,” Stephens said. “We’ve got a long way to go, so there’s plenty of time to work out the issues that will pop up,”
Rehearsals had not started at the time of the interview, actors are doing what they can to prepare.
“We start rehearsals next Monday (March 10), so I don’t know yet. But I have one try-hard ***cough*** Layne Brittingham ***cough*** who wants to have her lines memorized by next week,” Stephens said.
Freshman Layne Brittingham is excited to be a part of the play and thinks it is a worthwhile thing to do.
“I have a rehearsal scheduled on my birthday actually, which is really sad, but I guess I’ll just have to adapt my schedule to the play’s schedule because it’s worth it to be hanging out with all these people and to do the play,” Brittingham said. “It’s gonna be worth my time so if I’m going to have to move something around I’d rather it be for the play.”
Brittingham is happy she is in the play but she will have to adjust her schedule for it. She is happy about the roles she was casted for.
“I am very happy because I got two lead roles, one is a waitress named Villain and the other is a weird hippy hiker girl named Glory,” Brittingham said.
Stephens had a hard time choosing who to cast.
“Yes, it was hard to choose,” Stephens said. “There is so much
flexibility with the way the play is set up, so there were many options.”
This play has many different mini love stories in it.
“Almost, Maine” is about 9 miniature love stories that take place in a town of the same name of the play.
Stephens chose Almost Maine as the spring play this year because he wanted to switch it up.
“I chose this play--Almost, Maine-because it was different from what we’ve done before. We’ve done comedies and murder mysteries but never romantic comedies like this one,” Stephens said.
Brittingham enjoys this play as a whole.
“Yes, I love ‘Almost, Maine’. It’s such a cheesy love story it makes me giggle each time I read the script,” Brittingham said.
Carr crushes basketball records
By: Andrew Bailey
Cooper Carr is only in his junior year and has broken many records for the Baldwin High School’s boys basketball program.
While only in his junior year, Carr is the starting point guard on the varsity team and is a big reason for the success for the past couple years.
Carr has broken many records in his high school career including the single season assists (146), steals (91), and free throws made (121), as well as the career assist (306) and steals (197). Carr also led the team this season in scoring (19.2 PPG), assists ( 3.7 APG), steals (4 SPG), free throws made (121), free throw percent (74%), blocks (0.5 BPG), deflections (4.6 DPG).
Carr was awarded with these honors: BIT All Tournament Team, 1st Team All Frontier League, Sports In Kansas Non Senior Player of the Year. Sports in Kansas 4A All State 1st team, Sports in Kansas All-Class Second team, KSHAA Covered All-Class 3rd Team, KSHSAA Covered 4A All State 1st Team, and Kansas Basketball Coaches Association All State First Team.
“Cooper is fun to coach,” coach Donnie Blanchat said. “He has an extremely high IQ and has put in many to hours to become the great player he is today.”
Carr has been playing the game of basketball for a very long time.
“I have been playing since I was around 3 or 4 years old, so about 14 years of my life,” Carr said.
Carr has had a really big impact for not only the basketball team but also the school.
“Cooper, like all of our players, has the ability to positively or negatively impact the team,” Blanchat said. “Right now, because of guys like Cooper, most of our guys are having a positive impact.”
Basketball means a lot to Carr.
“It means a lot to me, it gives me a sense of pride just being able to play the game I love,” Carr said. “It has taught me lessons not just for the sport
itself but also in later life outside of basketball.”
Carr has devoted many years to basketball and many people have helped him get to the point he is at right now.
“My dad is a big reason for my success and my brothers also have pushed me to continue to improve and get better,” Carr said.
But Carr isn’t done yet with his career and is looking to break more and more.
“I want to break the all-time points record, and then outside of Baldwin I want to get a 4A POY (Player of the Year),” Carr said.
Carr is a fantastic player that inspires many other younger or even older players in the Baldwin basketball program.
“He has inspired me to be a better basketball player by trying to implement his moves, and his all around leadership and confidence,” freshman basketball player Johnny Torrez said.
After high school, Carr is not done with the sport.
“I want to play in college and then after that hopefully get the opportunity to continue it as long as I can,” Carr said.
Environmental Club helps school and environment
By: Andrew Bailey
The Environmental Club at Baldwin High School has not only done many things to help the environment but also has helped the school in many ways.
There are 62 kids in the Environmental Club this year.
“My favorite thing that we do in the Environmental Club is going on hikes,” club member Jacob Broers said.
The Environmental Club has been doing many things to help the school including, picking up trash around the parking lot and having plant sales that students can buy from.
“This year we have been an active group, as over summer we started with volunteer opportunities to clean up our high school parking lot or volunteering at the Baldwin City Community Garden,” President Adalyn Madl said.
“In the Environmental Club we do many things that include planting plants and also just enjoying the environment,” Broers said.
The Environmental Club is a great place to work alongside people and create ideas to help the environment.
“My favorite part about being in the Environmental Club is getting to work alongside Adalyn as our club’s president and Mrs. Marten as our sponsor to hear their passionate ideas and aspirations,” senior member Saylor Currie said.
“In the Environmental Club we learn how to respect and enjoy nature,” Broers said.
The Environmental Club
meets in Spanish teacher Katie Marten’s room. Marten is also the sponsor for the club and helps them set up plant sales and activities.
“Activity wise, I would have to say that my favorite was our nature hike through the Baker Wetlands,” Currie said.
Other people should join the Environmental Club because it is a great way to get to know other people and express your love for the environment.
“Students should join Environmental Club, because it is a great way to connect with other students and teachers at BHS,” Currie said, “While simultaneously getting involved in school activities and actively working to promote a better environment.”
“Environmental Club benefits students by allowing them to build relationships with other students who share the same interest,” Currie said “As well as informing them about the ways they can reuse or recycle everyday things to support the environment in which they live.”
The Environmental Club has plant sales that are very successful with the students.
“We have had one very successful plant sale for far in the year and have continued to try and care for our two plants in front of our building with the hectic weather,” Madl said.
“We had planned and went on a hike to Baker Wetlands with a small group,” Madl said “Currently, we are still in the works of going on a club trip with the environmental science class to the zoo but that is TBA.”
Symphonic band rates high at KSHSAA Festival
By: Lydia Howarter
With another high rating and great performance, the BHS Symphonic Band hosted the KSHSAA State Large Group Festival on April 9, earning a I rating for their skills
“We get rated on everything about our performance,” director Stuart O’Neil said. “Some people think it’s just how well you play, which is kind of true, but they break it down. They will judge us by tone, they will judge us on intonation, expression, right notes, right rhythm, blend, balance, all of the details.”
O’Neil thinks that the band did a great job.
“The band did great, we did really well,” he said.
The group worked hard to prepare for the festival well in
advance.
“We had a concert two weeks prior, and we used that as a dress rehearsal, and then we took the remaining two weeks to learn some new music and then we also polished and refined some things,” O’ Neil said.
O’Neil enjoys the last quarter of the year with the band the best.
“I enjoy the 4th quarter a lot because we lighten up, we play a lot of fun music, it’s still hard and the band is playing their best this time of year,” he explained.
BHS Choir students perform at KMEA
By: Lillian Crites
KMEA stands for Kansas Music Educators Association.
BHS choir director Rachel Naughtin took senior Issac Taylor and sophomore Petra Morris to KMEA this year.
“Isaac and Petra were verywell prepared and represented Baldwin High School so well in the All-State Choirs. They always exceed my expectations, and I am so proud,” Naughtin said.
Taylor and Morris practiced for a long time for All-State Choir.
“I probably practiced for 5 hours before KMEA, and then at KMEA we practiced probably about 8 hours each day, then
performed on Saturday,” Taylor said.
Taylor and Morris both had many songs they sang at KMEA but they each had a favorite for different reasons.
“My favorite song was probably ‘Measure Me Sky’ because we sang it at our concert choir fall concert, for district, and also at state so I got to hear it three times and each time it got better and just overall it’s one of my favorite choral pieces ever,” Taylor said.
“I liked the way our song ‘Rise Up’ sounded, but the story behind ‘No Fairy Tail Here’ is really meaningful. It’s about Ida B Wells and everything she went through,” Morris said.
Issac Taylor, BHS choir director Rachel Naughtin and Petra Morris
Students compete at FBLA State competition
By: Addison Wright
Five students went to the competition and all five placed in at least one event. The conference is held at the Stormont-Vail Events Center in Topeka.
“The state competition is not divided into classes 1A-6A, so being able to place in so many events is really awesome for Baldwin FBLA,” Business teacher and FBLA sponsor Bronté Batman said.
This year, Hank Beard, Raelyn Wilkerson, Dylan Miller, Olivia Callihan and Annette Perez attended the competition.
Baldwin placed 4th in Insurance and Risk Management (Hank Beard), 5th in International Business Team (Raelyn Wilkerson, Hank Beard, Annette Perez), 6th in Entrepreneurship Team (Annette Perez, Olivia Callihan), 6th in Marketing Team (Dylan Miller, Annette Perez, Hank Beard), 8th in Securities and Investments (Hank Beard), and 10th in Personal Finance (Dylan Miller).
The top four in each event will have the opportunity to compete at the National Conference in Anaheim, California, on June 29-July 3.
“I’m ecstatic about how they performed and competed at the State Conference. These five students had a lot of competitors, and Baldwin placed really well,” Batman said. “I will be sad to see this group of seniors graduate.”
ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT
By: Lydia Howarter
From the BHS classrooms to classrooms of his own, BHS alum Drew Villaca is a music educator who graduated in 2018. He has continued his career in education and now currently works in Mill Creek Middle School.
Villaca has loved music education since his junior year.
“There was a State Honor Choir that I participated in the summer before my junior year,” Villaca said. “It was the first time I had ever sung in a choir that was made up primarily of other boys, and the music we made was so fun and the experience was so great that it made me want to keep
By: Lillian Suitt
Jalynn Murry graduated from Baldwin High School in 2021. During Murry’s high school years she was very successful in her academics, especially Science and she was also involved in extracurricular activities.
Recently, Murray received some of the biggest news of her life, her dream opportunity at her dream school.
Murry did a lot in high school and has worked extremely hard over the years, which she believed was very helpful helping her recently get accepted into the University of Notre Dame into the doctoral program to get her PhD.
“I worked on a lot of different content areas to help grow my knowledge,”
Drew Villaca
doing choir forever after that.”
Villaca has also come from a family of teachers.
“I also come from a family of teachers, so I was inspired to become one as well by my mom and my aunt (Kathy Johansen, who used to teach 6th Grade ELA at BJHS),” Villaca said.
Villaca is also working on some junior shows that he is very excited for.
“I have done two musicals during my time as the choir teacher at MCMS so far: Seussical Jr. and Matilda Jr.,” he said. “I’ll admit, my first year I was a little nervous about directing a show for the first time so I leaned on
what I knew, and we had done Seussical at BHS my senior year. Matilda was a step outside my comfort zone, but it was a huge success and I’m very proud of the work my students did on it. Looking forward to next year.’’
His teachers have great memories of him at BHS.
“Drew was an amazing student to have, very cool kid, a lot of fun,” teacher Kit Harris said. “His personality is awesome, and he always put a lot of energy and effort into everything he did. He always came to school ready to do great things. I bet his students love having him as a teacher, he has so much passion for what he does. And he is a very talented young man.”
Murry said. “Working on ecological projects, working as a Teacher’s Assistant in a genetics lab, and working as a Research Experience for Undergraduates in the Blagg Lab at Warren Center at Notre Dame all helped me immensely.”
Murry did other school activities that she also focused on that were other other ideas for her future.
“Another thing that helped me was also being well rounded and continuing interests outside of science such as theatre,” Murry said.
Murry has many future goals with her career and education.
“My future goals are to educate and develop further research on alpha-galactose syndrome, ultimately building a framework for
understanding the disease,” Murry said.
Murry started a lot of college classes in high school that helped her a lot with getting a head start.
‘I took classes such as Composition, College Algebra, and AP Biology that made navigating college level classes much more manageable,” Murry said.
Murry left Baldwin High School impacted greatly by many teachers. Getting into a school like this isn’t easy, so having a teacher that you can look back on and appreciate is very special.
“I appreciate quite a few teachers from my time at BHS,” Murry said. “Mr. Ising is one of the main reasons I decided science could be a possible future path for myself, along with Dr. Yoo. Mrs. Schoendaller,
Mrs. Naughtin, Mrs. Buffum, and Ms. Jacobsen also helped me grow in other content areas and showed me that not everything has to be scientific all of the time. I greatly appreciated that outlook.”
Jalynn Murry
By: Lillian Suitt
Emma Grossoehme graduated from Baldwin High School in 2021. Grossoehme was an intelligent volleyball player who played as a defensive specialist and a setter, leading her team all of her years at BHS.
“My freshman year of high school, I was a part of the volleyball team that won SubState and qualified for the State tournament,” she said. “This was the first time volleyball had done that in a while, so that felt amazing.”
Grossoehme’s experience in Baldwin led her to playing at Baker University where she would play volleyball close to home while also pursuing a passion.
“I always knew growing up that I wanted to play at the next level,” she said. “Having such a welcoming and loving community in high school motivated me to work hard and find a college team that I would be happy to play with.”
Grossoehme has a strong feeling about Baldwin, during her volleyball career she has been able to feel a sort of
ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT
support from the community around her.
“I loved playing in Baldwin,” she said. “I love the community and being able to represent my hometown. This was such an incredible experience, I wouldn’t go back and change a thing.”
Grossoehme is coached at Baker by Nils Nielsen. This year was Grossoehme’s last year playing volleyball at Baker.
“Emma is the type of teammate every coach hopes to have on their team,” he said. “She’s dedicated to improving herself, her teammates, and the program at large. She’s able to have fun while working hard and getting better. Even on her bad days she’s able to contribute to the team’s progress. She communicates well and is willing to take ownership of her part in any situation that comes up, good or bad. She’s able to model the behavior she’d like to see in others and is a leader in the truest sense of the word.
I feel very fortunate to have had the opportunity to coach her, and she will have left a lasting impact on a program she helped to rebuild and reinvent.”
While at BHS, Grossoehme was also a part of the very first Baldwin girls wrestling team. She also was one of the two very first State Qualifiers in BHS history as she and Madi Hargett earned that honor in 2020. Then in 2021, the team won a team state title with Grossoehme earring 4th at State with a 36-6 record. She helped head coach Kit Harris become the very first coach in Kansas to win both a boys and a girls state championship.
“Being a part of the state winning team was truly incredible,” Grossoehme said. “All season we had the mentality that we would end up on top, and nothing was going to get in our way. That group of girls was the most special bond I’ve ever had with a team - truly
Eric Toot
By: Macy Miller
Eric Toot has been working with 7th graders for many years. With freshman Maleka Flory and Addie Wright having been in his class, and many others.
“I started out in journalism and I was editor of our school newspaper,” Toot said, “I didn’t really enjoy it, I thought teaching would be a good career as long as coaching, so that’s why I made that decision to switch and it was a good decision.”
“Social studies has always
been my first job and only job,” Toot said.
He has stuck to his job ever since he started which is really impressive.
Social Studies has been taught in schools for centuries, with Toot teaching for many years.
After switching to teaching, let’s see how long he has been teaching for.
teaching kids and making sure they get the education they need.
“I always have high expectations for my students and I expect to have a well disciplined class,” Toot said about his 7th grade class.
Toot wants to make sure his students are successful in the long run with a great environment.
indescribable.”
“Emma was most definitely our spark and our leader as we built girls wrestling program here at Baldwin,” Harris said. “It was a lot of fun coaching her because of her drive and work ethic. She was a warrior on the mat and a leader to all of our girls. She pushed everyone in the room on a daily basis.”
Grossoehme wrestled for one year at Baker, sharing with her volleyball role. She was a part of the very first BU women’s wrestling team that had Harris as the head coach.
“Kit Harris is the true definition of a leader,” Grossoehme said. “I was lucky enough to learn from him, but also create a connection that will last forever. He is the type of coach that creates the best and most healthy environment for ALL his athletes. This sport means so much to me, and I thank Coach Harris for instilling that passion and drive within me.”
From her BHS to Baker roots, former Bulldog Grossoehme has definitely been a local standout in all aspects.
“I have been teaching for 31 years,” Toot said.
Toot has been enjoying
“My favorite memory is when we did trivia and got candy if we got the answer
right,” Flory said.
“I liked the field trips we went on around town, they were really fun, and he was a fun teacher,” Wright said.. His class environment was one everyone loved from activities to teaching.
“I don’t think you can learn, when it’s chaotic, so that’s always been kind of my philosophy as far as teaching,” Toot said.
“My goals are to always have high expectations because kids this age just want discipline, they just don’t know it,” Toot said.
Emma Grossoehme
Q/A with new head baseball coach Grant Bachura
By: Macie Gilges
BHS Social
Studies teacher Grant
Bachura is taking over the baseball head coach position after being the assistant head coach the year before.
Q: What are your thoughts on the upcoming season?
A: “Our coaching staff is very excited for the season, we have 44 young men out for the team and will have three teams (Varsity, JV, and C Team) for the first time in program history. We believe we have a great chance to have a winning season and make a run in the postseason in 2025.”
Q: What does an everyday practice look like for you and your team?
A: “We start each practice by doing our dynamic warmup as a team, then break into our four (4) DAWG Crews to do four stations. These stations are: competition, base running, skill session, and arm care. After this we have our Championship Catch Play portion of practice, after this practice will vary each day, but we will focus on individual defense, team defense, and an offensive period of practice.”
Q: Do you like working with freshmen or upperclassmen more? Why?
A: “The beauty of how we do our practices is that I get to work and interact with each player every day. By nature of being the Head Coach/Varsity Coach I will work more with the older guys for the majority of the time, but I also thoroughly enjoy working with the younger guys as well, as they are the future of our program.”
Q: What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a baseball coach?
A: “The most rewarding aspect of being a baseball coach or coach of any sport to me is just the interactions with
the players and coaches. It is truly rewarding to see our young men develop as baseball players and young men throughout the season; it’s an honor to be able to put on the Baldwin baseball jersey and be the head coach of this program.”
Q: How are you going to handle your bench during games?
A: “We are lucky enough to have four coaches in our program, so even when we have two coaches on the field, we will still have another coach in the dugout. They will talk to the players about situations that happen in the game, answer questions players might have, and focus on positive energy in the dugout.”
Q: Describe your coaching style.
A: “My coaching style would be best described as organized, upbeat, and uplifting. One of my job titles is CEO (Chief Energy Officer), so I try to bring the
positive energy to practice each & every day and hope it trickles down to our team. A goal of mine as a coach is to try to say at least one positive or uplifting thing to each player every day at practice or day that I get to be around them. I want our practices to be upbeat, highly efficient, enjoyable for the players, and at the same time focus on getting 1% each and every day. Our coaching staff is dedicated to getting our young men to celebrate others’ success and pick them up in times of failure, which is an inevitable part of baseball.”
Melcher tackles new position
By: Cami Collum
The Baldwin High School football program will be welcoming a new head coach this season. Jeff Melcher was previously an assistant football coach for the Bulldogs and had coached in Lawrence for 13 years.
“I’m most excited about building something special here at BHS,” Melcher said. “This will be a great challenge, but we are ready to accept it”
Melcher is ready to take on this new position, with the help of his players and fellow coaches.
“If I come in with the mindset that I can take this journey by myself, it simply won’t work,” Melcher said. “I will need the help of my coaching staff, administration, players, parents, and the community for this to be successful.”
The players are looking forward to seeing what their new head coach has in store for this team.
“I am very excited to have Melcher as our new head coach,” sophomore Kreyton Frost said. “I’m looking forward to a change of culture that he will bring to our program next year.”
The team is wanting to focus on many things this year, but a main focus is building culture within the program.
“I want to start building a strong culture that is based on accountability, discipline and toughness,” Melcher said. “I want players to take pride in what we are trying to accomplish and represent BHS Football the right way. “
The players and coaches are reaching for a winning season, but Melcher is looking to impact these
young men in another way, outside of football.
“Our players will learn the importance of commitment, bringing a great attitude and maximum effort to everything they do,” Melcher said. “Most importantly, they will understand the value of sacrifice, dedicating their time and effort for the greater cause—the team.”
The boys are excited to see a change in this program, a new mindset.
“I think the team dynamic will improve next season because Melch brings a new energy and mindset to the Baldwin program,” Frost said. “Another reason I think we will improve is because of Melcher’s chemistry with the rest of the coaching staff, who come into the program with a strong mentally tough mindset.”
Mardi Gras Diversity Day Tradition Carried on by BHS
By: Macy Miller
Mardi Gras Diversity Day has been a tradition at BHS since 2009. With everyone that comes together to include everyone for a special day. Senior MaecyLynn Wolff’s appreciates the purpose of Mardi Gras.
“The purpose of Mardi Gras is to create an inclusive and unforgettable celebration for individuals with disabilities,” Wolff said.” Giving them a special day filled with joy and excitement.”
Wolff has a great purpose for this
club, with Mardi Gras being open for anyone to attend.
“My goal for Mardi Gras is to help the club grow and ensure that our tradition of Diversity Day continues even after I graduate,” Wolff said.
Another member of Mardi Gras is Olive Stacey, who also loves being a part of the tradition.
“This is my second year,” Stacey said. “My goal is to spread awareness for inclusivity and just a day for everyone to be included.”
“What I love most about Mardi Gras is seeing the pure happiness on
everyone’s faces,” Wolff said.” This year, in particular, it was incredibly rewarding to watch all the hard work come together.”
Mardi Gras has been a tradition at BHS for many years and is always celebrated.
“To me, Mardi Gras is more than just a party, it’s a celebration of diversity, a way to uplift and honor those who are different, and a reminder that everyone deserves to feel included,” Wolff said.
This day is not just about knowing it’s Mardi Gras, but the games get people active and it’s what everyone loves.
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Gabe and Katelyn Spurgeon, with their three children Grayson, Thomas, and Olivia at South Baldwin Farms
Kevin E. Hughes, MD
Jen Schweda, APRN
Bonnie J. Cramer, MD