PIPER HIGH SCHOOL
kcpipernews.com Take a look at Schlitterbahn’s recordbreaking attraction and Key Club’s unique opportunity on Page 8!
Log
Pirates’ 4400 N. 107th St. Kansas City, KS 66109
Volume 31 Issue 6 • May 2, 2014
Selective team ignites school spirit BY MIKAELA PAPAGEORGIOU The newly founded Student Leadership Team is evolving in hopes it will steer the school in the right direction. The group was formed by the administration in August with the vision of having a larger group of students to give feedback to administration and to communicate with their peers, the student body. Already, plans for next year are being made for the team with high hopes of it being one of the many influential student organizations. StuCo adviser Tiffany Scheffler said, “We extended invitations to a group that was larger and represented more students.” Scheffler said that the group was put together to encompass every leader in the school. The new team, though, is going to be a selective group, decided by a more established and formal process. “One day we hope we’ll have 80 students vying for those spots, so we want to have a process in place,” Scheffler said. The system students were put through resembled a “speed dating” type of process with applicants rotating between interviewers. The tables consisted of special education teacher Darcey Bast, who focused on service questions; counselor Darcy Lucas, who focused on citizenship; Scheffler, who focused on character; principal Michael Schumacher, who focused on leadership; and math teacher Shane Stout, who focused on team-building qualities. This team of staff members had rubric scoring sheets, ranking each candidate on poise and thoroughness. Students were expected to be dressed in business casual attire. The interviews helped get direct feedback from the staff and brought up any red flags they should take into consideration. Junior Abbey Morris who experienced the new process first hand said she thought the interview process was very good, and it went really smoothly. Although Morris said she did not think that the new process was com-
Photo by Katie Comer
The freshman class cheers in an effort to win the spirit stick at the spring pep rally April 14. The student leadership team planned the first spring rally.
pletely necessary, she did feel that it was a good way for the administration to get to know the applicants better. Next year, she believes that the process itself could be made less lengthy, and instead more time could be given for students to expand on some of the questions given to them. Sophomore Janice Levina also felt that there was not enough time allotted for each student to give a thoughtful response. “There was barely enough time to answer three questions per round. They should make the interviews just a little bit longer so that we don’t feel rushed, and we’d have time to think deeper and respond more clearly.”
The new team will consist of approximately 40 students, depending on the number of freshmen who join the student body in the fall. The quality of candidates and the outcomes of the interviews will also be considered. The new members will be announced May 6. “I feel it’s positive,” Schefflers said. “The more people involved the better, because administration will get a wider variety of input and be able to communicate more easily.” The goal will be to have each member mentor a group of four to five freshmen as well as help plan freshmen orientation day. “We are pushing to have these members enrolled in their freshmen seminars,” Scheffler explained.
The members will have large responsibilities including developing lesson plans for their freshmen about handling peer pressure, developing a good work ethic and just generally getting through high school life. Levina, who hopes to have the chance to be a mentor, said, “I just want to vvvbe able to be a good role model for younger students and make their experience in high school a better one.” With the changes coming to student leadership in the school, many people have questioned how the team will impact the role of StuCo in the school since around 20 of the Student Leadership Team’s members will also be StuCo members. “StuCo is still going to do what
we have done. We are still the place to go to if any major issues or a major push for change arises, it would still, and should, come from StuCo,” Scheffler said. The meetings for the Student Leadership Team next year will have a set schedule with administration, including team talks about concerns of the school. The meetings will be led by Schumacher and other administrators, whereas StuCo meetings are solely student-run. This new opportunity for leadership in the school is one of many changes students can look forward to for next school year. For information on additional changes, see Jalen Zwart’s story on kcpipernews.com.
Class of 2014 spreads across the country Where to now?
This map depicts the colleges seniors say they are headed to next year. See Page 5 for a list of students and their destinations.
BY STEVEN HODGE
Middlesex Community College (1)
Military - 3 Work Force - 2 Undecided - 16
Graceland University (1)
Florida Gulf Coast University (1)
12 - Wichita State University (1)
United States Air Force Academy (1)
Source: Surveys returned by 116 seniors
By Katie Comer
After nearly 13 years of school, the class of 2014 is preparing to say their goodbyes to the school and move on to the start of their new life. Whether they have spent their whole school career together, or just the past few years, the seniors have become a family, and many close relationships have formed. This makes the time of saying farewell more difficult. Even though the majority of the class will be attending college in Kansas, everyone is going in different directions. While some friendships become long distance, others will remain close due to the proximity of their schools. A few members of the class have decided that staying in Kansas is not for them. They have decided that moving out and exploring the United States is the next chapter in their life, and will help them grow into their young adult years. Senior Rachel Saunders is one of these students. She has decided that Stetson University in Florida is the right choice for her. “Originally I was looking at USF [University of Southern Florida], but when I started researching it, I decided it was too big and not the right one for me,” Saun-
ders said. “Then I visited Stetson and fell in love immediately, so I knew this was the right fit.” Sometimes it’s difficult for students to move away from home because it’s such a huge step into something brand new. However, for Saunders it wasn’t really a problem because her parents are making the move with her. While others move away, some stay near. Senior Taylor Smith decided that she wanted to stay close to home, as did the majority of the senior class. Smith made the decision to go to UMKC [University of Missouri-Kansas City]. “I chose UMKC because of their excellent theater program, and I wanted to stay close to my family,” Smith said. “I’m excited because my friend Hannah [Sharp] will be going there, too, and we will be suitemates.” In the end, the class of 2014 has come to the finish line of their high school career, and is now taking a huge step into adulthood. As the underclassmen and faculty wish them goodbye, they also wish them good luck, in that they truly find who they are and become the next leaders of our world. Farewell, class of 2014. For more senior features, see Pages 4 and 5.