Page by: Marley Ford
THE
Howler MAY EDITION
SOME ARTICLES IN THIS PAPER INCLUDE: TOP 5 DOG BREEDS
HISTORY OF KU BASKETBALL
ROLLER DERBY
BOOK REVIEW
PHONE ADDICTIONS
MT Clubs
And Their Positive Impacts on the School Page by: Dawson Fizer
Fellowship Of Christian Athletes (FCA) Fellowship Of Christian Athletes is a club that gives kids an opportunity to discuss their religious beliefs and how those interact with their sporting lives. This club led by Miranda Mendez meets every other Friday and includes donuts and special guests. Often, FCA is student led lessons sharing their experience in life and how the Bible has guided them through school and their personal lives. "I get to learn about others and their experiences and I get to learn about God," expresses Peyton Hughes. FCA helps students start their day off right with friends and a treat to help spread positivity and encouragement throughout MTMS.
Sports Teams
Sports teams allow the athletes of MTMS to showcase what skills and talents kids have in the world of sports. Sports show students how hard work and teamwork can help in their daily lives. Not only does it give students the opportunity to get more physical exercise, but it gives students more time to interact with their peers and share their love of sports with them. The variety of sports the school has to offer and the opportunities allowed are endless. Sports also prepare these middle school athletes for sports in high school.
Jazz Band
1
Jazz Band is an extension of band that allows students to take more of an in depth discovery into more genres of music, along with more practice in unique melodies and improvisations. Along with teaching band, Mrs. Eisenbarth allows students from all grades, sixth through eighth, to join this band class to expand their knowledge on their favorite subject. "Mrs. E. has really made me want to continue band throughout high school because there's an energy and sense of community in her class that can't really be matched," expresses Will Schieber. Jazz band includes most normal instruments and they even played at MT band night. Jazz band allows students to express their interests in continuing with other genres of band.
Mill Valley's Pool Why Doesn't Mill Valley Have a Pool?- Let's Dive
I agree that installing and taking care of a pool
in, "Over 60% of schools have pools in them not only for takes lots of money and maintenance but just students' physical education but for their school swim
last year Mill Valley underwent a whole
team if they have one..." (Ministry of education). “Our
summer's worth of upgrades which included
district USD 232 is the only district in our area that does adding another gym, and another Auditorium. not have a pool to practice and compete in” - USD 232
In the future, Mr. Bechard says "I don’t think it
Unite on Facebook.
is ever a bad thing to upgrade facilities or
As of right now, our Mill Valley swim team practices at either Olathe or Blue Valley school district
provide more resources for the activities we provide." To me, that could be a sign that with
pools. With added traffic it is an estimated 25-30 minute Mr. Bechard being new to the athletic director drive from the Mill Valley area to the Olathe and Blue
position at Mill Valley there could be a pool
Valley pools."I think having to go to a different school
added as he keeps up his work in the position,
for practice is frustrating at times.", Stated Mill Valley
although he claims that "I have not been a part
Sophmore swimmer Ella Hansen. With that being said
of any discussions about adding a pool."
why doesn't Mill Valley or Desoto High School have
Not having a pool at Mill Valley may be
pools? I emailed Mill Valleys' athletic director Brent
disappointing, but there is the bright side of
Bechard concerning this issue and here is what he had to team bonding during the long car rides to say “...if I had to guess a pool requires a lot of
practices "It (having to go to and from different
maintenance, money, and man-hours to keep updated
facilities to practice) allows the team to bond
and clean. It would also add liability to the district.”
more in the car going to and from practice"
All of those reasons make sense as to why putting in Says Sophmore swimmer Ella Hansen. a pool might be inconvenient to the district. I can definitely see why liability would play a part in why a pool has not been put in which I did not think of that at first. However, other districts pay for liability, and manhours to keep their pools updated and clean.
-Claire Cooper
2
3
4
Museum Connections One in 7 Million By: Tristyn Jones
As we all know, MTMS has a very different and unique class that no other school has. Taught by Mr. Hileman, Museum Connections is a new experience for every new student that joins MT. The museum started 28 years ago with just two civil war bullets. At first, Mr. Hileman was teaching seventh-grade world history. Over time, students, teachers, and even other people outside of our school, started donating artifacts to be used in the museum. After he had collected many artifacts, he got approved to make Museum Connections an Exploratory class that's devoted to bringing history to life using his artifacts, in a new innovative way. Mr. Hileman says that his goal is to "teach you how I wish I was taught and treat you how I wish I was treated." This class would also take a lot of work especially to find items, build shelves, and desks and get the whole class and room arranged considering that Mr. Hileman only had a year and a half to get his room ready for students Not only will this class teach you everything you might want to know about world history, everything that is around the room has a backstory. In addition, the room desks are not just your regular wood desks. If you remove the top of the desks, you will see a sandbox usually full of a lot of archeology. This is for the Museum Connections archeology dig that happens every quarter for Mr. Hileman’s class. Each grade level has different artifacts in their dig depending on what they would be learning about in the class. If you don't get the chance to join Museum Connections in middle school, don't worry if you're going to Mill Valley, you can still take his archeology class as a junior or a senior!
Museum Now
5
The Museum when it started
School Counselor's, Social Workers, and Psychologists: How They Help
Here at Monticello, we have two counselors, Mr. Anderson and Ms. Olsen, a social worker, Ms. Munroe, and a psychologist, Mr. Gloshen. Each of them offer assistance and support for students to reach their academic and personal goals. If it wasn’t for their help, our school wouldn’t have all the important facilities to run as efficiently as it does. Though you may be wondering, what is the difference between each profession? To start with, counselors help students create their daily class schedules and pick electives most well suited for their interests. Counselor Mr. Anderson says, “During the beginning of the year we work on scheduling, and towards the end of the year we help with enrollment for the next year.” If a student is needing to change a class or has another request, counselors are there to do just that. However, counselors do even more for the school. Keeping track of students' emotional well-being is also a very significant task they take on each day. Counselors often meet with individual students or a group of students to discuss challenging circumstances and ways to help. Our counselors will do whatever it may need to make each student feel secure and confident during the school year, just like our social worker. Relating to counselors, social workers also play a highly significant role when it comes to improving the school. So, what is the difference between these two positions? Well, social workers’ main job is to assist the emotional needs and habits of students. They help provide direct services and resources such as programs, therapists, coping skills, and strategies beneficial for promoting mental health. Social workers aren’t only a reliable advocacy for students, but for families. If a student and their family are facing challenging times, school social workers are more than willing to help seek affordable housing, supply food sources, and help with budgeting. Social workers are always more than happy to help whenever they can. The MT social worker, Ms. Munroe, states, “I always liked helping other people, and in high school I would always volunteer and participate in community service.” Social workers help students and families maintain positive decisions and mindsets. Conversely, school psychologists focus on the important components of students’ academic success. The MT psychologist, Mr. Gloshen explains, “I help teachers and families come up with support to help students day to day, like helping staff help students.” They provide tests, assessments, and programs for students to receive an education suited further into their strengths. Whether a student is looking to challenge themselves and stay open to new opportunities, or a student may need extra educational support for their current level. When it comes to collaborating, school psychologists work with teachers, parents, and administrators to find effective solutions to learning and behavior problems. They also play very important roles in students' emotional needs. Psychologists help evaluate factors as to why a student may be feeling a certain way and how to help. Overall, the roles of school counselors, social workers, and psychologists vary in responsibilities. Though, each profession focuses on the central idea of helping students both academically and emotionally. Students would encounter far more challenges and roadblocks if it wasn’t for the helping hands of these staff members. They are always there to make things easier for students and always want to help no matter the circumstances. Don’t be afraid to reach out to school counselors, social workers, and psychologists.
6
7
KC Cheer
KC Cheer is one of the most prestigious cheerleading programs in the midwest. Athletes at KC Cheer practice about 2-4 times a week. Kristi and Michael are the coaches, they work with stunts, choreography, and tumbling. Competitive cheer programs are very different from school cheer. MTMS cheer focuses on cheering for sports, but KC Cheer, The Cheer Pit, and Kansas City Athletic Cheer are all competitive programs.
How many times do you practice per week? 2-4 times
Who are the owners? Kristi Whitney and Michael Whitney
Where do you go for competitions? Florida, Texas, Oklahoma, Nashville, and more.
When are tryouts? May!
What positions are you in the stunt? Bella McPeake - Base Kyndal Geis - Base Sydney Epperson - Flyer KC Cheer VS. MTMS Cheer: KC Cheer is a competitive program for athletes who want to be competitive cheerleaders. MTMS Cheer, cheers for sports, and on the teams with school spirit and activities around the school. There are many different levels and teams at KC Cheer. I have really liked learning about this topic because it was really interesting to see the differences between KC Cheer and MTMS Cheer.
8 Page by Rachael Johnston
For the student spotlight, I decided to write about Rachael Johnston, an eighth-grader at mt. Rachael Johnston is a local figure skater in the Silver Blades Figure Skating Club at KCIC. She has been skating for eleven years. “Skating for eleven years has given me many friends and different opportunities. It has also given me lots of skills, not just skating skills, but life skills,” Johnston said. Figure skating is unlike any other sport. In order to get higher up in her club, she has to go through different tests to get to different levels. There are eight different levels after you pass the freestyle tests in skating. The levels go pre-preliminary, preliminary, pre-juvenile, juvenile, intermediate, novice, junior, and senior. Rachael is currently in the intermediate level. So once she learns certain skills and
takes a test over the skills, she will move on to the novice level and go through the same steps and so on. I personally loved writing about this topic because it is always fun to learn about things going on in the area!
9 layout and writing: Sophie Van Inwegen
ROLLER DERBY
Designed and written by: Miley Strathman
Photo Credits: kcrollerwarriors.com and @kcrwjrderby
If you're like me then you have probably never heard of, or heard very little about roller derby. When I heard that a student at our school did roller derby I knew that was what I wanted to write about. Here is the interview,
Answer: Roller derby is a sport full of high contact, communication, rules, and lots of penalties. Where you have to be aware of your surroundings and ready for anything. Question: Question: What team do you play for and where do you practice?
Answer: I practice at Skate City and I play for Kansas City Junior Roller Warriors where I am level 200.
Question: What position do you play and what does that position do?
Answer: I play both outside and brace. Outside is just how it sounds, they cover the outside to make sure no one passes and the brace holds the blockers.
Interviewee
Question: What is roller derby?
Question: How did you start and what would you say to anyone wanting to start roller derby.
Answer: I started in twenty eighteen when my friend in seventh grade brought me to a game. I would tell someone wanting to start roller derby to first talk to the coaches about starting and then make sure you get the right skates and pads.
Question: What is your favorite roller derby player and team?
Answer: My favorite team is the Knockouts which my favorite player Pebbles plays for.
Question: What do you wear to play roller derby?
Favorite Player Pebbles
Answer: Everyone wears helmets, pads, and skates. But then some people go all out and wear skirts, crazy socks, fishnets, makeup, and facepaint.
Question: Do you have a roller derby nickname? What Is It and why is it your nickname?
Answer: Yes, I do my nickname Is Jaws, like the movie. I don't really know why it is but that's just what everyone calls me.
Morticia Addams
Question: What Is the best nickname you have heard?
Answer: That's a great question, the best nickname I heard was my friend who everyone calls Morticia Addams, Like the mom from The Addams Family.
11
Top 5 Dog Breeds to own Page by: Marley Ford I don’t know about you, but I love dogs. Dogs are known for being a man's best friend and playing until they are too tired to play anymore. There are many different types of dogs, from small chihuahuas that can weigh 3.3 pounds, to huge Newfoundlands that can weigh up to 150 pounds! There are a total of 190 different dog breeds in the country. In this article, you will learn about the top five dog breeds.
Labrador retriever
If you are like sweet-faced, lovable dogs, then a Labrador retriever is the perfect one for you. The typical male weighs 65-80 pounds and the typical female weighs 55-70 pounds. The life expectancy of this breed of dog is 10-12 years. Some of the breed's family traits and characteristics are affectionate with family, good with young children, and good with other dogs. Some of the Labrador retriever's social traits and characteristics are openness to strangers, being very playful, a good watchdog/protective nature, and being highly adaptable. The Labrador retriever can be in three different colors; black, chocolate, and yellow.
French bulldog
French bulldogs are known for being easy-going, patient with children, friendly with strangers, and loyal to their pet parents. French bulldogs are one of the world’s most popular small-dog breeds, and they are popular, especially among city residents. The French bulldog resembles a bulldog miniature, except for the large ‘bat ears’ that are the French bulldog's trademark feature. The Frenchie is playful, alert, adaptable, and completely irresistible. The colors that a French bulldog can be include brindle, brindle and white, cream, fawn, fawn and white, fawn brindle and white, white, white and brindle, and white and fawn. The markings that a French bulldog can have are ticked, white markings, black markings, black mask, piebald, and brindle markings.
12
German shepherd
German shepherds are generally considered dogkind’s finest all-purpose worker. The German shepherd is a large, agile, muscular dog of noble character and high intelligence. Some characteristics of this breed include loyalty, confidence, courage, and steadiness. The average height of a male is 24-26 inches and the average height of a female is 22-24 inches. The average weight of a male can range from 65-90 pounds and the average weight of a female is 50-70 pounds. The life expectancy of a German shepherd is 7-10 years. The America Kennel Club website (www.akc.org) states, “There are many reasons why German Shepherds stand in the front rank of canine royalty, but experts say their defining attribute is character: loyalty, courage, confidence, the ability to learn commands for many tasks, and the willingness to put their life on the line in defense of loved ones.” The colors of a German shepherd are black, black and cream, black and red, black and silver, black and tan, gray, liver, sable, white, and bi-color.
Golden retriever
Bulldog
The Golden retriever stands among America’s most popular dog breeds. They are serious workers at hunting and fieldwork, as guides for the blind, and in search-and-rescue, enjoy obedience and other competitive events, and have an endearing love of life when not at work. The American Kennel Club website states, “Goldens are outgoing, trustworthy, and eager-toplease family dogs, and relatively easy to train. They take a joyous and playful approach to life and maintain this puppyish behavior into adulthood. These energetic, powerful dogs enjoy outdoor play.” A Golden retriever's average height for the male is 23-24 inches, and 21.5-22.4 inches for the female. The average male Golden retriever’s weight is 65-75 pounds and the average female weight is 55-65 pounds. The average lifespan of a Golden retriever is 10-12 years. Golden retrievers can be three colors, dark golden, golden, and light golden.
The Bulldog was originally used to drive cattle to the market and to compete in a bloody sport called “bull baiting”. Today, they are gentle companions who love kids. The article from Dogtime.com states, “Bulldogs can adapt well to apartment life and even make great companions for novice pet parents.” Bulldogs are very affectionate with all of the members of the family and they are fairly low-maintenance dogs. Something that you have to make sure of is to keep them out of extreme weather because they can’t regulate their body temperatures and they can have difficulty breathing in the heat. In cold weather, they can experience hypothermia and frostbite in a short period of time. It is also important to give them enough exercise, as weight gain can be a risk with these dogs who are happy to spend most of their time on the couch. The bulldog can weigh 40-50 pounds and they can grow to be 12-15 inches tall at the shoulder.
13
THE HISTORY OF KU BASKETBALL Designed and Writtem by: Aubrey Williams
The University of Kansas became a university on March 1, 1864. The men's Ku basketball team was formed many years after the university began in 1898. It is shown by https://bleacherreport.com/ that KU basketball is considered one of the most prestigious college basketball programs in the country. I normally wouldn’t be very interested in learning about the history of basketball but the university of Kansas's story isn’t like any other. The game of basketball was invented in 1891 by Dr. James A. Naismith. He wanted to fill the need for a new indoor winter sport. Hoe decided to bring this new sport to the University of Kansas, he then became the first-ever KU, basketball coach.
14
Many of us wonder how did Naismith come up with this idea. He was put up with a challenge by his physical education teacher to create a game that would keep the “people active in the winter months.” stated by history.com. He randomly drew up this idea with the knowledge of rugby and he had grown up playing lacrosse. But he somehow also wanted to incorporate his favorite childhood game, “duck on a rock” so he got to work and combined the idea/concept of all of those games and turned them into one dream of a sport. “On December 21, 1891, Naismith cleared the athletic equipment off the gymnasium’s wooden floor and picked up a soccer ball. He asked a janitor for two square boxes, but the best the custodian could do was a pair of peach baskets, which Naismith mounted to the lower rail of the gym’s balcony, about 10 feet off the ground,” stated by history.com. He then used that method of the game and organized a few 9v9 games and went from there. Fast forward a few years and we gained a new legend of a coach. In 1907 Dr. Forrest C. “Phog” Allen to the challenge of being the newest KU basketball coach. This new coach of theirs had brought so many new things to the table including 590 wins and 219 losses over the 37 years he coached at Allen field house named after the man himself. However many think his journey ended there but it didn’t he added basketball to the Olympics in 1936. “By the time he was retired from coaching, it had become clear to the nation that Kansas was one of the premier basketball schools around.” While this may not be the Ku basketball's full story to this day but it was the begging story of the great KU basketball team and school it is today.
15
Books to add to your list. When We Collided- When We Collided, not to be confused with similarly named After We Collided, is a romance novel written by Emery Lord. This story follows Jonah Daniels and Vivi Alexander, 17-year-olds who slowly fall in love after Vivi moves to Jonah's small town of Verona Cove, California. Jonah's life is mostly normal; besides the fact that his dad is dead, his mother is lost in a deep bout of depression, and Jonah and his five siblings are struggling to keep up their home and the family restaurant. Vivi on the other hand is in love with life. Charming and unfiltered, she refuses to be held down by the medicine she's told 'should make her feel better.' Personally, this book is one of my favorite books having made me laugh and cry in the same page. I totally recommend this for any helpless romantic who wishes for their own small-town romance.
Seven Second Delay- Seven Second Delay, written by Tom Easton, is set in a futuristic world in which people have the ability to implant a phone in their heads. The book follows Mila, a fugitive that is forced to get a phone that constantly broadcasts what she sees. This makes it really hard for her to escape, her only hope? A seven-second delay. I loved this book, it's a quick read dystopian novel that I would recommend to anyone who might be stumped on what to read.
Out Of My Mind- Out Of My Mind, written by Sharon M. Draper, is about Melody Brooks, a girl who lives with Cerebral Palsy. She cannot walk or talk, but she has a photographic memory; she can remember every detail of everything she has ever experienced. She's also brilliant, a lot smarter than the classmates that see her as 'mentally challenged'. If only she could tell them somehow. In my opinion, this is a great book full of diversity, I remember loving this one when I read it and I would totally read it again.
They Both Die At The End- They Both Die At The End, Written by Adam Silvera, is a utopian story focusing on Mateo and Rufus. These two boys have never met before but for some reason, fate pushes them together for the last day of their lives. The story is set in a utopian world where an organization, The Death-Cast, has the ability to know when people will die and calls them in between the hours of 12 and 1. On this specific day, Mateo and Rufus are both looking for a friend to spend their last hours with. Luckily there has long since been an app for that, the Last Friend app. They meet up and instead of spending their last day dying, they spend it living. This book is definitely at the top of my list. A slow-burn romance, about overcoming odds and living life to the fullest that had me crying by the end. I will seriously recommend this one to anyone that will listen.
The Hate U Give- The Hate U Give is a popular novel about diversity and the black lives matter movement. Starr Carter's whole life is upended when she witnesses the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend Khalil. As the story begins to become a national headline everyone is wondering, what really happened? As the only one who knows, Starr is constantly getting pressured and intimidated. What Starr says, or doesn't say, could completely upend her life. I love this book, it kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time.
14 Ways To Die- 14 Ways To Die is a murder mystery written by Vincent Ralph. The story follows Jessica Simmons, a 17 year old girl whos mom was the first victim of the now notorious magpie man. 10 years later she's has signed away her privacy and is now one of 5 subjects on a new reality show. Her reason for being there? To find the Magpie Man. But as she searches for the culprit, they watch her from the shadows, and maybe they're closer to her than she thinks. This was a short read mystery that had me confused to the end. This is a must read for any murder mystery fans.
17
18
19