The Owl Post - Volume II, Issue 2 - February 2024

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News Briefs

NEWS

Snow Days

OPINION

Book Banning

FEATURE

IPS Peer Mentors

FEATURE Marco Romero

FEATURE Restricted Reads

PHOTO FEATURE 2023 Flash Back

SPORTS Winter Athletes Q+A

ENTERTAINMENT Valentine's Date Night

NEWS BRIEFS

Olathe West

Biology Teacher Janelle Craig Earns Horizon Award

After earning a building and district level nomination, biology teacher Janelle Craig became one of the select few who won the Kansas Horizon award in January. She was nominated by Principal Jay Novacek for this award which recognizes young teachers that have been teaching for three years or less.

“She definitely stood out as somebody that has worked hard in their career to get to the point where she’s at,” Novacek said. “Ms. Craig is unbelievable in the classroom. She loves kids, she’s excited to teach biology, loves science in general, and I just felt like she was going to be a great fit for a nomination as a Horizon winner.”

Getting recognized for her hard work at the high school level is a huge accomplishment.

“It felt really good to get recognized for doing something I love, so it was awesome,” Craig said. “This award has definitely motivated me. I naturally love learning, but it has made me want to learn everything there is to know about teaching in my field.”

Craig is still striving to work harder every single day. She mentioned how she’s aware of all the work she puts in to be successful in the class.

“I work hard anyway, but it has made me more aware of the hard work paying off and having an impact on my career,” Craig said.

Craig also goes out of her way to try and better herself more. She said how she wants to surround herself with teachers that have been in this field longer, so she can apply what she learned in her classroom.

This leaves a positive impact on the people and school around her.

“It’s great for her, it’s great for our school, it’s great for our school district, it’s good for our students and our community here at Olathe West,” Novacek said.

By: Reece Young

Local National

Youth Court Returns to Johnson County Gypsy Rose Blanchard Released From Jail

Youth Court is coming back to Johnson County. Youth Court is ran by local students in high school around Johnson County. This voluntary group is an alternative to the formal juvenile justice system. Juvenile offenders are sentenced by the teenagers that are apart of this system.

The main goal for Youth Court is to lower the number of youth that step into court by providing early involvement to the teenagers who commit their first time minor offenses.

“Johnson County Youth Court provides an opportunity for teenages who have committed their first misdemeanor in Johnson County to go through a process to have it removed from their record by agreeing to attend Youth Court and follow through with whatever the decision the court makes,” social studies teacher Jordan Boyd said.

All teenagers in Johnson County are allowed to go through the training to become a part of this group. This is an opportunity to get a feel on what it would be like in the justice system.

“Any teenager in Johnson County is welcome to go through the training and then start the process of volunteering at Youth Court,” Boyd said.

This system is different for the offenders and for the ones in Youth Court.

“It provides an opportunity for teenages to have a second chance, and it also provides opportunities for teenagers to get involved in the legal system to see how it functions and to be a part of it,” Boyd said. “That way if they want a career in a legal profession or law later on, or perhaps police work or something similar, then they’ve already had some exposure to that and they know what that system looks like.”

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Gypsy Rose Blanchard was released Dec. 28 from prison after serving seven years for the involvement in the murder of her mother, Clauddine “Dee Dee” Blanchard, on June 9, 2015. Her release has gained much media attention thanks to several popular documentary series and Gypsy Rose’s debut on social media.

When Gypsy was growing up, she was abused by her mother who suffered from Munchausen syndrome by proxy. Dee Dee would make Gypsy sick, forcing Gypsy to always need and to rely on her. Once Gypsy got older, she started questioning the things her mother did, so Gypsy found access to a computer and met Nicholas Godejohn. Gypsy convinced Godejohn to murder her mother, once they were both found guilty, they both got sentences in prison.

“She was obviously abused her whole life and I could never understand the desperation she must have felt,” Singharaj said. “Technically she was a victim of constant abuse, and she would have continued being a victim. I’m leaning toward self-defense, but I’m not sure if I think it was justified.”

Singharaj mentioned how she doesn’t think killing her mother was OK even though she struggled at such a young age.

“I understand that Gypsy had trauma and why she wanted her mother dead, but I’m not sure that killing is the right answer,” Singharaj said.

Since Gypsy has been released, she has been getting a lot of fame as she has attended some public events and is active on social media platforms speaking her mind.

“I don’t think she should be getting fame,” Singharaj said. “It’s an interesting culture to idolize killers. There are hundreds of cases like hers that don’t get glamorized.”

COBLE EYE CARE

OLATHE SCHOOL DISTRICT CANCELS SCHOOL FOR WINTER WEATHER

By: Reece Young

The Olathe School District has had five snow days since the second semester started on Jan 4. Missing so many days early in the semester has made it harder for students and teachers to make progress academically.

While having days off from school is enjoyed by most students and staff, it does create some challenges for teachers. The challenge recently is the lack of consistent schedules which causes the teachers to have to push back their plans.

“I feel so unorganized compared to normal,” English teacher Paige Parker said. “My team and I have had to shift our third quarter calendar almost four times and I feel like we are just out of sync. However, I have enjoyed some of the days off to work on my wedding planning.”

The snow days have given teachers and students time to do other important things outside of school, which is why some students are thrilled to have days off. But, since the school has been inconsistent, Parker has seen the breaks negatively affect the students inside the classroom.

“I feel the snow days have given them so much inconsistency and unpredictability which is a hard way to start the third quarter,” Parker said. “Not having a concrete routine can be hard to keep track of, remember what you learned or did in class before, and I am seeing that in my

students. They seem more unmotivated than normal and frustrated with the unpredictable schedule we currently have.”

The school district is only limited to a certain amount of snow days per school year, and if the district is to run out of those they may have to add on minutes to the school days to make up for the days that were missed.

“There could reach a point where we have to figure out a way to make up some of the time,” athletic director Pat Butler said. “In the past,

“

Not having a concrete routine can be hard to keep track of, remember what you learned or did in class before.

- ELA teacher Paige Parker

Olathe School District canceling school due to extreme winter weather advisories

we have normally done that by adding minutes on to the day, but you never know. It will just depend on where we’re at in minutes and how many more snow days we have.”

One of the top priorities for why they would cancel school is the student and staff safety. The district bases it off of what the weather is looking like from 6-8 a.m. because that is when students and staff are traveling the most. Even if the weather gets better throughout the day, their main focus is in the morning.

“It is totally based on student and staff safety, so they are going to make their decisions based on whether we can get people to school in a safe way,” Butler said.

There is a lot that goes into canceling other than weather. Butler mentions how they also base it on if the other districts around Olathe, if the school buses are up and running, if the school is heated well enough, and if the parking lots are safe for students and staff.

“A lot goes into it,” Butler said. “There is a lot of cooperation with the city, county, other school districts, they don’t take it lightly,” Butler said.

It is always very unexpected for what the weather will be like since Kansas has had some record breaking temperatures. Throughout the rest of the school year it is supposed to be consistent with the cold weather, but there is no predicting on whether or not there will be more snow days.

“Please be sure your students are bundled up, dressed in layers, and take extra precautions as you send your students to school,” Superintendent Dr. Brent Yeager said.“We are continuing to monitor weather conditions to ensure we are providing safe learning environments for our students during this winter weather.”

Four to eight inches of snow covers the ground of Olathe.

Photo by: Brady Knutson

Snow covers the front of the woods as the sun rises in the morning.

Photo by: Jamie Rogers

BOOK BANNING: IT’S TIME TO RE-EVALUATE

Book Banning censors opportunities for students to learn about topics that they may not otherwise have access to learn about, it’s time to redefine why we are banning books

By: Avery Mathieu

The most common reasons books are banned are because of sexual content, violence, LGBTQIA+ themes, racism, religion, suicide, and drug or alcohol use. While I can understand why some parents may not agree with their children reading about some of these topics, banning these books for everyone in the community makes no sense.

Books that contain topics like these may be sensitive to some, and parents may not want to expose their children to them. However, I think this is what makes these books so important to read. For some, these topics aren’t things we experience firsthand, and reading these books is the only insight we can have on the issues.

“ “

I just think that a lot of this stuff is things that people need to know about, or they’re about references to important things that happen that people should really be educated on.

-Junior Brenn Dumler

For example, one of the most banned books in the country at the moment is “Gender Queer: A Memoir” by Maia Kobabe. The book follows a person coming out to their family as nonbinary and their experience with their gender identity. This book shows some insight on what it may be like to not identify as cisgender.

Many reviews about the book

mentioned how important it was for other nonbinary people to have the opportunity to read the book and feel seen. Just as it is important for other nonbinary people to feel seen, it is important for cisgender people to have the opportunity to learn and understand what it may be like to struggle with your gender identity. This book can be important for lots of different people, but banning it takes away the chance.

“The Perks of Being a Wallflower” by Stephen Chbosky is another one of the most banned books due to its “depiction of sexual abuse, LGBTQIA+ content, drug use, profanity claimed to be sexually explicit,” according to the American Library Association. I think that although this book is very sad and deals with sexual abuse, homophobia, and suicide attempts, it’s done very well.

Those issues are some of the things that shouldn’t be censored or not talked about simply because they are uncomfortable or sad. Part of the reason the issues in the book got so bad to the point of suicide is that they had no one to talk to or didn’t feel comfortable doing so. The book shows the struggles of mental illness as well as other issues, and banning it can negatively impact people’s ability to understand mental illness as well as other societal issues.

Some of the books we read during our English classes at Olathe West are commonly banned books. Books like “Of Mice and Men” by John Steinback, which is banned for vulgarity, racism and treatment of women, as well as “Fahrenheit 451” by Ray Bradbury which is banned for its vulgarity and content, are both banned in some areas of our country.

Though it’s a banned book,

ironically the storyline of “Fahrenheit 451” focuses on making books illegal and why the author believes society should not be allowed to censor books and remove the option of reading. In this book the government wants to remove the ability for their society to gain knowledge by burning books.

When asked about “Fahrenheit 451” being banned, junior Brenn Dumler said that it didn’t make sense to her.

“Even if it’s vulgar, I feel like it’s still educational and an important thing to read in school,” Dumler said.

Book banning removes the opportunity for all students to read and educate themselves of topics that might be important to them. Taking away this option for people is unfair and it is time we re-evaluate why we are banning books. It should be left to the individual to decide what books they don’t want to read rather than taking the option from everyone. We need to stop ignoring and censoring things that may make us uncomfortable. These books are about real world problems and we can’t censor them in real life so we should do our best to educate ourselves.

RELATIONSHIPS WITHIN IPS

Center based resource students and their peer mentors spend time together daily in the Interpersonal Skills Class, and build strong relationships along the way

By: Maya Gee

Interpersonal Skills, or IPS, is a class that students can take sophomore year. This course allows students to help with the CBR students. During this fourth hour class, IPS mentors hang out with CBR students while doing various activities. Not only is it a fun class to take, according to those involved, but it means a lot to the students and makes them feel special to make new friends.

Center based resource teacher Macy Carbajo explained what her job is and what kind of kids she helps.

“Our class is a modified curriculum class,” Carbajo said. “And it’s to a level for students that have individual needs so

My favorite thing is making a connection with the kids.

-Neely Leathers

that they get the help and support that they need.”

But for one hour of the day, the CBR students participate in IPS, where they work on social skills with peers mentors.

“IPS is a class where peer mentors

are able to come in and work with the kids on social skills and are able to help them build skills that they might need outside of the classroom,” Carbajo said. “It gives the time to build friendships and relationships with others that are not in a modified classroom.”

Carbajo said that IPS is a great opportunity to take for students interested special education, and it is a great way to meet new people.

“IPS is a great opportunity for students to come in whether they are a peer mentor or students that are in the CBR classrooms,” Carbajo said. “This gives them time to learn from others that are their peers and not just adults.”

It’s sophomore Neely Leathers first time taking this class and she said she has made very close connections with many of the kids; one student in particular.

“I’m close to Brian. I always go on walks with him and it’s really fun,” Leathers said.

One thing Leathers enjoys is hanging out and getting to know all the kids.

“My favorite thing is making a connection with the kids,” Leathers said. “It’s really sweet.”

Leathers talked about what they do in each class and maps out what each class looks like.

“We go in and there’s a bunch of kids that have special needs,” Leathers said. “And we normally just play games

with them. We either go on walks and sometimes bake cookies. We just do different activities with them.”

Senior Karenna Starnes has been taking this class since sophomore year.

“I’ve always kind of like to hang out with some of the special needs kids, like even throughout middle school,” Starnes said. “When I found out it was a whole class you could take here that was definitely something I wanted to do.”

Starnes has enjoyed taking this class. She has many favorite things about this class but one thing stands out to her the most.

“My favorite thing is getting to meet new people you normally wouldn’t get to see outside that class,” Starnes said.

TOP Senior Karenna Starnes and Freshman Khadijatou Kassama share a laugh at lunch. Photo by: Addison Smith

ABOVE Senior Angel Medrano spends time on his phone. Photo by: Addison Smith

LEFT “All About Me” signs decorate the wall between the two CBR classrooms. Photo by: Addison Smith

AN OLYMPIAN AT 18 MARCO ROMERO

Senior Marco Romero has been boxing since he was 7 years old, and recently won his weight class at the Olympic Team Trials

By: Addison Smith

Competing at the Olympic level is a dream that many athletes wish to achieve, a dream that 18-year-old Olathe West senior Marco Romero has already achieved before even graduating from high school.

“I got into boxing at the age of 7,” Romero said. “I was interested in it because of my dad, he used to always watch boxing fights with me and I just got interested in it and asked him to take me to the gym. I’ve been doing it for 11 years.”

Romero competes in boxing at the Olympic level, winning both his weight class in the Olympic trials and earning the title of an Olympian. Despite not meeting the age requirement to box in the Olympics, Romero was still able to compete at the Olympic Team Trials.

“I got there through a lot of hard work, and you don’t get there easily,” Romero said. “So it’s been many years of hard work, dedication and lots of sacrifice goes into this and I think that, myself and my team that’s always been there and pushed me, it’s very hard but I got there and I’m just trying to pursue it as far as I can.”

Romero won the title of 2023 National Champion at the US Olympic Team Trials in Lafayette, Louisiana in his weight class in December. He switched into the Elite Men’s division 18+ after turning 18 just two weeks prior to the tournament, making him the youngest in the bracket.

“Getting to where I am, I’m very proud of myself because it’s not very easy to get to where I am,” Romero said. “It’s exciting moments for me getting to the levels that I’ve been to, and it makes me proud because I represent Kansas and I represent Olathe just being from here so it makes me proud being able to put my state, myself and everybody in my community on top.”

I got there through a lot of hard work, and you don’t get there easily.

-Marco Romero

“ ”

Romero boxes at Turner Boxing Academy, where he and six other boxers made up Turner’s team for the championship.

“I’ve taken inspiration from boxers from the past, but my biggest inspiration is my family,” Romero said. “They motivate me to keep going so my inspiration comes from them, especially my dad because he got me into it and he’s been there since day one, and thankfully I am where I am because of him today.”

Boxers at this level face challenges with balancing work and personal life, but Romero has to balance the weight of being a senior in high school in addition to his practice to become a champion.

“The hardest obstacle I’ve had to overcome was having to balance boxing and my personal life,” Romero said. “It definitely takes a toll but something you just have to get through and you get better with time so I just keep working on that till this day but getting better at it each day just going through it.”

Romero doesn’t plan to stop there though. After graduating from high school, he plans to continue boxing and working toward higher

continue boxing and working toward higher levels to further his career, and also pursue a career in the HVAC field.

“My plans after I graduate is to become a professional boxer, bring the world championship back to Kansas,” Romero said. “And for my education I want to go into the HVAC field, so I wanna do that and keep pursuing this as far as I can and just represent Kansas at the highest level of boxing.”

TAKING HOME THE WIN

1ST PLACE

2019 Junior Open

1ST PLACE

2019 Eastern Regional Open

2ND PLACE

2019 National Junior Olympics

1ST PLACE

2019 Western Regional Open

1ST PLACE

2017 National Junior Olympics

1ST PLACE

2015 Prep Open

Romero boxes in the National Championship in Lousiana. Photo by: USA Boxing

RESTRICTED READS

Book banning and book challenges have become an increasingly discussed issue, drawing the lines of what some find appropriate and not

By: Bryce Mallory

Imagine you’re a little kid going to pick out a book from the school library. You have your heart set on “Charlotte’s Web” by E. B. White. You talk to the librarian about where to find it, but your heart drops when she tells you that it has become a banned book.

From classics to modern novels, all kinds of books have been challenged because of their seemingly graphic content, profanity, discussion of religion, LGBTQ+ themes and more.

“Banning” or “challenging” books, to put it simply, means that someone found something wrong with a certain book and wants it to be removed from whatever library or classroom it is in. AP Language and Composition teacher Will Schowalter brings to light how a book can become banned.

“Banned books are books that have been put into question by parent groups or educators or politicians or various groups of people who find some kind of social or political issue with them,” Schowalter said. “For example, books that might have material that some people find inappropriate for children or books that might influence some kind of behavior or information or… books can be banned for a variety of reasons and is generally something to do with material that parents aren’t comfortable with their kids reading.”

Book banning has risen over 33% in the past academic year, according to a study by PEN America. Many of the bans started with parent complaints about the content and wanting to shield their children from language and topics they deem inappropriate, book supporters would say that there is an educational reason to include such sensitive topics since they serve to teach lessons rather than profanity.

One novel that is commonly challenged is “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee. This book has been banned in many different communities for its harsh language and graphic content. Consequently, there are also many key takeaways from this book besides it just being classified as an offensive piece of literature without any context to the

situations happening.

“Let’s go back to ‘To Kill a Mockingbird,’” Schowalter said. “There’s harsh language, there’s racial slurs, there’s sexual assault, there’s racism, there’s all these terrible things. If you looked at that on paper, like if I went to a parent and said, ‘Hey I’m going to teach your kid a book that has the N-word multiple times, there’s sexual assault blah blah blah,’ they might say, ‘Oh well that doesn’t seem super appropriate for school. Why are you doing that’? And I’d come back with the literary merit piece where I would explain, ‘OK, this book is a critique of racism, the characters who are using the N-word are the antagonistic characters who we’re not meant to agree with and were meant to see how hateful and harmful this word is in the context of this book.”

With an increasing rise in challenges,

“ ”

It’s very easy to offend and step on people’s toes.

-Will Schowalter

teachers and staff members are preparing themselves in case one of the books their teaching comes into question. If a book in the Olathe school district does in fact

the challenged book.

This process involves putting together a panel of teachers and librarians who read the book and review it. These teachers, usually English teachers, get together with librarians from across the district to assess the literary merit.

For example, if a book happens to be challenged at Olathe West, there may be a librarian from Olathe Northwest on the panel, a teacher or librarian from a middle school, as well as possibly having educators from other high schools be a part of the process.

Library Media Specialist Esther Myers shared a little more on how the review process takes place.

“So everyone reads the book that’s being challenged and then they get together to talk through things, talk through if they feel like this should remain in the collection or if it should be removed,” Myers said.

Having teachers and educators come together from across the district gives more perspectives and more opinions on the challenged book. Teachers can give their insight for different age levels as well, being that there is a wide variety of representation from different grades and ages, and some may find the book is only appropriate for a select age while being too mature for another.

English teacher Brady Field has also served on a review panel and went through the process for a book that was recently put into question. He has also

“I’ve had parents that were not a fan of a book that I taught,” Field said. “But if that happens, I totally respect their judgment and usually I just give an alternate book. But I haven’t run into it very much. I just use my own discretion of what I consider is educational and appropriate for my students and go from there.”

Nationwide, there seems to be an increase of books being called into the spotlight and carefully combed through. Even though some educators deem a certain book acceptable, not everyone agrees with the same rationale.

“I think every district and every school has people challenge books every now and then,” Field said. “People want to feel like their child is in a safe learning environment and if they feel the book infringes upon that, then there will naturally be a challenge to it.”

Another key part of the book challenging process is communication between both educators and the person who calls the book into question. This communication could be about possibly assigning a new book to a certain student or walking the person through the book review process.

As head of the English department, being the communicator is the role that Mardy Ortman takes on in any book challenges that may arise. So if a book is challenged, Ortman communicates the review process and the next steps that take place.

Book challenges do not look the same for different level courses. A challenge may look different in an on-level English class than in something like an AP English class. Ortman points out how in her AP class, she navigates college-level reading and coursework while still making it appropriate for high school students.

“AP is a little bit different because it is a college-level class and there are

occasionally had parents who have asked for an alternative,” Ortman said. “But I try to build that into my reading lists now, always having what we would call the ‘safe choice’ for any parent who may find objectionable content in some of the others.”

As the rise in challenged books keeps growing, those opposed to book banning worry that some families’ opinions shouldn’t be forced upon others.

“I think parental rights are important, and I think parents should get to…have the option of asking, ‘You know, why this book? Is there an alternative?’” Ortman said. “I don’t see anything wrong with that. But that is for your child only, and parents should not be making decisions for all students and families.”

However, English teachers and educators are finding that they need to be careful on the pieces of literature they choose to teach or have in the classroom. Schowalter explains how easy it can be for English teachers to receive some sort of backlash for teaching a specific book.

“It’s very easy to offend and step on people’s toes, and I think it’s always been the case, not just now, but any time period,” Schowalter said. “Parents are always defensive of what their kids consume, and if it’s something that goes against what their parents are trying to teach them or something, which is understandable. But I think there’s a point, especially in high school, where parents have to understand this material exists and if my kid wants to read it, he or she is going to read it at some point in their life. Also, there’s a point where you have to stop sheltering, and expose your kids to stuff you disagree with and start having those conversations instead of just blocking it off for everybody and pretend it doesn’t exist. That’s not the right way to handle it.”

Top 5 Banned Books

According to The American Library Association

“Gender Queer”

by Maia Kobabe

“The Bluest Eye” by

Toni Morrison

“The

1 2 5

“All Boys Aren’t Blue”

by George M. Johnson

3 5

4

“Flamer”

Mike Curato

“Looking

for Alaska”

by John Green

FLASH BACK

FROM 2023

August 31

Here’s some highlights from first semester

By: Brodi Gary

BOTTOM

Public Safety in honor and remembrance of the lives lost on Sept. 11, 2001.

Illustrationby: BrodiGary

LEFT Seniors Scarlett Swinford, Micah Boswell, and Peyton Sounakhen cheer as the varsity football team scores at the first home football game against Lawrence Free State. The theme for this game was tie-dye.

Photo by: Brodi Gary

Photo by: Brodi Gary

September 7

Sophomore Hudson Echols walks up the stairs as he participates in the stair climb challenge. The event was done by

October

December

November

TOP LEFT Senior Tristen Carrin runs at the regional cross country meet at JCCC. The boys team placed sixth place overall.

ABOVE Sophomore Brooke Morgan stands neutral before starting her match against Olathe South for a home JV girls wrestling meet.

21

Photo by: Avalon Carrin

30

Photo by: Hannah Royer

Photo by: Maddie Webster

TOP RIGHT Junior Sherron Woodberry plays defence against Raytown South. The team won the home game 70-36.

Q+A WITH WINTER ATHLETES

As sports kick into gear, hear from our winter sports athletes with responses regarding their season

By: Anne Self

FOR A FULL FEATURE ON LEXI COOLEY AND SISTER HANNAH COOLEY, VISIT OWOWLPOST. COM OR SCAN THE QR CODE BELOW

GIRLS BASKETBALL

LEXI COOLEY SOPHOMORE

Q: What are your game day rituals?

A: I usually listen to music. I typically don’t listen to hype music. I usually listen to calm and quiet music.

BOYS BASKETBALL

JACKSON COLLINS

SENIOR

Q: What does practice look like for you?

A: We watch film on the team we are playing, get in, warm up, work on game plans against the other team, run through our offense, scrimmage a little bit. It just depends on the day.

RIGHT Senior Logan Schreck shoots a free throw at varsity game against Olathe North on Jan. 5. Photo by: Laci Lister

RIGHT Seniors Ellen Steer and Tayton Roberts support their competing teemmate at meet against Olathe South on Dec. 13.

Photo by: Josh Eagle

BOYS BOWLING

HAYDEN GALESKI SENIOR

Q: What makes OW bowling special?

A: It’s a small team and I think that even though we are small we can still work very well together and I think obviously bowling isn’t a very common sport and I think we still have fun and we are able to make a small team work.

BOYS WRESTLING

JACKSON BELL SENIOR

Q: What does an average practice look like for you?

A: An average practice starts with everyone jogging around the room and going through our warmup routine. The warm up consists of things like round offs, shot walks and stance/ motion. After we get our warm up we partner up and will start doing drills that focus more on technique from neutral.

GIRLS BOWLING

ADDIE CLINE SENIOR

Q: What are you specifically looking forward to throughout the season?

A: I am looking forward to just having a good senior year, bowling and having fun with my friends and all the bus rides sense it’s a fun bonding experience for the team.

GIRLS WRESTLING

TAYTON ROBERTS SENIOR

Q: What motivates you to be better?

A: My dad being my coach is one of my biggest motivations so I can make him proud.

BOYS DIVE

CARTER BAUM SENIOR

Q: What are some good memories from your season?

A: I would definitely say going to Wichita, like anything traveling. We had an incident where we went to Wichita. We needed like three different hotel rooms because none of them were working.

BOYS SWIM

ALEX STONE SENIOR

Q: What does an average practice look like for you?

A: It’s pretty hard. We start off by getting to the facility, we get dressed, we do our dynamic workout, and then on Tuesday, Thursdays and Saturdays we are in the weight room lifting and then on other days we are spending the whole time swimming.

VALENTINE’S

DATE NIGHT DELIGHTS

By: Logan Kraft

Stargazing + Campfire

With Valentine’s Day right around the corner, many people are starting to plan the perfect date night with their significant other or a fun outing with friends. Since planning such an important date can feel overwhelming, here’s some ideas that might fit your style or budget. Dates are rated on their fun level, the ability to converse with your date, and the expected budget for two people.

Cafe Equinox

8424 Farley, Overland Park, KS 66212

Surrounded by plants and the smell of coffee, Cafe Equinox is a fun yet peaceful experience for all coffee and plant lovers. The cafe tucked inside Family Tree Nursery is said to cure seasonal depression which is great for this cold and snowy season. Even if neither you or your partner likes plants, it still is very open and inviting for all. This cafe isn’t only limited to coffee but also has other non-caffeinated drinks like many types of tea as well as hot cocoa. Cafe Equinox is open from 9-4pm, therefore plan out your date during the day. This is definitely a place to put onto your date list this Valentine’s season.

FUN: 3/5

CONVERSATION: 5/5

PRICE- $15

Stargazing is a romantic date, especially if it’s a first. Plus, it costs nothing, as long as you have a lighter or are skilled enough to make a fire without any tools. This environment allows you to learn about each other in a romantic setting and maybe learn about astronomy a little more. If you want to be extra prepared or get some more points on your dating roster, bring a blanket to keep from the cold and create an opportunity for cuddling. Don’t forget to make a playlist for this event beforehand. This will ensure a great first date with your significant other.

FUN: 4/5

CONVERSATION: 2/5

PRICE- $0

Chicken N Pickle

5901 W. 135th St. Overland Park, Kansas 66223

All of the fun and food you could think of, Chicken and Pickle is an amazing place to have a casual meal and play games with your significant other. Inside there are many game options like darts or foosball, which can be played during a meal. Additionally, there is also entertainment outside which can include ice skating, pickleball, shuffle ball and jumbo Jenga. Pickleball and shuffle ball courts have to be reserved beforehand to play. You will definitely find something to entertain you at this date.

FUN: 5/5

CONVERSATION: 4/5

PRICE- $30

KingCade

477 W 95th St, Overland Park, KS 66214

Gaming and whooping your dates butt is always a fun start to a relationship. This date allows you to see the competitive side of your partner and hopefully see some sportsmanship and bonding between you two. The vast majority of arcade games here will be retro or other basic arcade games, but also include newer consoles like the Nintendo Switch, PS4 and XBox, so no matter what your gaming style may be, you will find something enjoyable for you two. Going out and doing something fun for you both can be fulfilling whether it’s your first date or your 20th.

FUN: 5/5

CONVERSATION: 3/5

PRICE- $45

Paint Glaze and Fire

12683 Metcalf Ave, Overland Park, KS 66213

This is the perfect date for creativity and laughter even if you do not consider yourself artsy. Paint Glaze and Fire is a ceramic store in which you pick out any type of ceramic piece which ranges from animal piggy banks to heart plates. Depending on what you choose, the price ranges from $5 to $50. Once you pick out your ceramic piece, you get to paint this piece and when finished it gets fired and then given to you at a later date. They also sell coffee as well as other drinks and treats to choose from. Paint Glaze and Fire is a fun place for all ages and no matter your artistic abilities and will be a cute date that brings back childhood memories.

FUN: 4/5

CONVERSATION: 4/5

PRICE- Higher than $45

Want to bring them flowers?

Instead of the stereotypical rose, here are some other options to give to the important people in your life, along with the symbolic meaning of each of these flowers

Best Friend

Daisy

Innocence and loyalty both describe the relationship between best friends as well as the meaning behind daisies.

Parents

Aster

The words faith, wisdom and love can all describe the relationship to a parent, which are also the traits given to the aster flower.

Crush

Carnation

Similar to a rose, the carnation flowers’ traits are fascination, distinction and love, which might be the same feelings you’re having around your crush.

Long-Term Relationship

Just like the ideal long-term relationship, a tulip expresses a perfect and deep in love. This is a great option to show your partner how serious you are about them.

New Friend

Baby’s breath symbolizes hope and new beginnings, which is perfect for a new friendship.

Tulip Baby’s Breath Sweetpea

Recently Dumped Friend

When a friend has a breakup, the flower sweetpea represents goodbye and departure, and would be a perfect fit to cheer them up.

PERSONALITY QUIZ: WHICH HISTORY TEACHER AM I?

Do you ever wonder which teacher you are most like? Answer this quiz to find out.

By: Maya Gee

1) Pick your favorite love song from this list:

A. “Lover” by Taylor Swift

B. “When Love Takes Hold” by Sister Hazel

C. “Love” by Musiq Soulchild

D. “First kiss” by Kid Rock

E. “Love Story” by Taylor Swift

2) What’s your favorite snow day activity?

A. Watching a movie with blankets

B. Drinking ot cocoa by the fire

C. Eating snow ice cream

D. Sleeding

E. Building a snowman

3) What’s your biggest fear ?

A. Snakes

B. The dentist

C. Someing happeming to a family member

D. Poodles

E. Being asked what your biggest fear is

4) What do you enjoy doing in your free time?

A. Working out

B. Being with family

C. Video games

D. Playing board games

E. Biking

5) Where would you want to travel?

A. Greece

B. Italy

C. Tokyo

D. New Zealand

E. Peru

6) What do you want to be when you grow up ?

A. Ballerina

B. Forensic Pathologist

C. NFL player

D. TV brodcaster

E. A laywer

7) What’s a red flag?

Mike McLaughlin

A. Not putting effort into the reltionship

B. Being controlling

C. Being insensitive to others

D. If they don’t like dogs

E. Being a scrub

8) What’s a green flag?

A. Being a good listener

B. Respecting space and boundaries

C. Going out of their way for someone in need

D. If they like sports

E. Hard working/goal orientated

9) What’s your favorite rom com?

A. The Proposal

B. Love Actually

C. Weding Singer

D. Die Hard

E. 50 First Dates

10) Whos the most overrated celebrity?

A. Jimmy Fallon

B. Any of the Kardashians

C. Not sure

D. Any of the Dallas Cowboys

E. Christopher Columbus

ANSWER

KEY:

Dee Bell

Adeline Steger

First year at West and teaches US History and sociology

Bryan Brogren

McLaughlin teaches AP European History + coaches football and wrestling Brogren teaches psychology, government and economics + sponsors Rho Kappa Maegan Ruport

Bell teaches psychology and Black American Hisory + coaches track + sponsors Black Student Union Ruport teaches goverment and women studies + coaches girls swim