Issue 14

passage NORTHWEST VOL. 42

ISSUE 14

APRIL 22, 2011

walk in their life/10

STUDENTS DISCUSS RELIGION IN THEIR LIVES.

quantify learning/12

STUDENTS AND TEACHERS DISCUSS WHETHER GRADES ARE AN ACCURATE REPRESENTATION OF THEIR WORK.

speed limit / 14 POLICY IS DESIGNED TO BE A DETERRENT TO STUDENT ATHLETES FOR DRUGS AND ALCOHOL.

/ PHOTO BY MONICA CASTELLON

contents

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PASSAGE STAFF

Co-editors-in-chief MARIA DAVISON + BRIANNA LEYDEN

Copy Editor

Entertainment Editor ASHLEE CRANE

Sports Editors

BRIANNA LEYDEN

LOGAN COFFMAN + CONNOR THOMPSON

Design Editors

Ads Editor

BROOKE GOLLADAY + BAILEY KOPP

Photo Editors

MIKALA COMPTON + HANNA MEIGS

Graphics Editor TYLER ABSHER

News Editor

HAYLEY BATTENBERG

Opinions Editors MARIA DAVISON + BRIANNA LEYDEN

Features Editors

NORTHWEST PASSAGE / VOL. 42 / ISSUE 14 SHAWNEE MISSION NORTHWEST 12701 W. 67TH STREET SHAWNEE, KS 66216

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CLAIRE MARLEY

Staff Writers

JEFFERY ALLEN, KIRK BADO, RACHAEL DEMJANIK, RACHEL FERENCZ, EVAN SHINN, ERIC ZOELLNER

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11 / pine and bamboo review

SMNW.COM

Crab rangoon, cashew chicken, and white rice are some of Pine and Bamboo’s specialties. / PHOTO BY PAIGE WALTMAN

Co-editors

DANIEL MAGWIRE+ CONNOR THOMPSON

HAYLEY BATTENBERG + BRIANNA LEYDEN

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 NEWS 04 dollars and $ense

With the current financial situation in the district, NW teachers and students share their ideas on how to cut the budget.

 OPINIONS 06 time to log out

Facebook shouldn’t be high school students’ main news source.

the single busiest month of the year A staff member reflects on everything she has to do during April.

 FEATURES 09 quantify learning

Teachers and students discuss how best to grade students’ work.

10 walk in their life

Students discuss the role of religion in their lives.

 SPORTS 13 boss and Q&A 14 speed limit

Athletic participation policy is designed to deter athletes from using drugs and alcohol.

 ENTERTAINMENT 07 reviews

City market: The farmers’ market in River Market is the perfect place to spend a Saturday morning.

Pine and Bamboo: With reasonable prices and a great location, this Chinese restaurant offers good varitey.

14 (top) Shoppers look for produce at in River Market on a Saturday morning. / PHOTO BY MICHELLE STUESSI (bottom) Athletic participation policy is designed to

deter athletes from using drugs and alcohol. / PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY MIKALA COMPTON

The purpose of the Northwest Passage is to relay important and interesting information to the community, administration and students of Shawnee Mission Northwest High School. As a newsmagazine, the Northwest Passage will cater to the interests and concerns of the student body. Outside concerns and activities will only be covered if they somehow affect the school or students. the Northwest Passage is a 24-page newsmagazine.

The paper will be distributed every two weeks during fourth hour. Subscriptions will be available to the community for $35. The Northwest Passage firmly supports the First Amendment and opposes censorship. The content of the newspaper will be determined and created by the entire staff.

When questions concerning word choice, legal problems or ethics arise the editorial board and adviser will discuss the problem to find a solution.

In these cases, the co-editors-in-chief will the have final say in all decisions. Letters to the editor will be accepted and encouraged, but will only be published if signed. The staff reserves the right to edit for grammatical mistakes, length and good taste. Letters may attack policy but not people.

In no way will ideas or viewpoints be changed. The co-editors-in-chief reserve the right to refuse any letter.

NEWS When it comes to the school budget, there are countless ways to decide what needs to go, and why. But in the end, it all comes down to...

dollars and Sense It seems like every year or every day people hear more about cuts from the Shawnee Mission School District budget.

It’s an endless cycle: The district announces proposals for saving money, people are displeased over some aspect of it, so they protest, and the district will then generate more ideas that cause other patrons to be upset and so on.

For example, suggestions to close several schools next year caused a huge controversy back in the fall that lasted for several months. Outrage at the closings was immediate and passionate, according to school board member Patty Mach.

“You can’t look at someone and say, ‘It’s going to be all right in a year or so.’ That’s patronizing. You can’t do that.

But you also want to take this person and say, ‘Please look at the entire district. We really can’t afford to operate a school at 47 percent capacity anymore. We really can’t do that,’” Mach said.

Senior John Kaleekal is on the Middle Schools Facilities Committee, which helped determine which middle schools could be renovated to compensate for the increased population that will occur because of the changes to the boundaries.

“When we were having our meetings, the fact that Hocker [Grove] was having a very much increased student population was a big factor in remodeling. Westridge right now has the most students, and it’s the biggest middle school, so we did look at those statistics while planning what we want to do,” Kaleekal said.

Changes include adding an auxiliary gym with a stage to each middle school, and even adding wellness and instrumental rooms to different schools to accommodate the expected large increase in students. While the capital outlay fund, the fund used to add whole buildings, etc. can support these renovations and construction, the general fund is running increasingly dry. An online survey circulated by the district in March asked local community members, including students, parents, patrons and employees, to vote on 21 options for saving money. These options ranged from reducing administrative, custodial and paraprofessional staff to eliminating library book purchases (and the librarians themselves) and implementing a pay-to-play system for all extracurricular activities.

“Reading it, I think that every group they wanted to cut has an intricate part in what we do as teachers — budgeting to having staff to clean the rooms. That not only affects us, but it affects you,” science teacher Mike Pisani said.

“Basically, if you would go through the survey, even if you picked all [21 options for saving money], you still wouldn’t get to the $12 million,” orchestra teacher Jeffrey Bishop said. “They didn’t advertise it very well. They put it on the website and just let it kind of slide underneath to say,

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/ APRIL 22, 2011

‘Well, this is what the people who took the survey wanted to happen.’ A lot of what I read said that people thought that the decisions had already been made.”

The survey still generated 8,564 responses. At the March 28 meeting, many patrons presented testimonies to the benefits of the Parents as Teachers program that was on the chopping block and people even went so far as to cheer when the results showed that an overwhelming 74.4 percent of those surveyed rejected the proposal to cut the elementary band and strings programs.

“When people are talking about the elimination of programs we go, ‘OK, this program or that program — it won’t affect the high school level if we cut at the elementary level.’ Well, sure it does. If we get rid of foreign language at the middle school, it will make the teacher’s job in high school tougher. If they eliminate elementary band and strings and the kids start later, and [it will hurt the program] immeasurably,” Bishop said.

However, cutting only a few things will not alleviate the $10 million deficit that the district faces. That being said, it is incredibly difficult to make necessary cuts without either angering someone or hurting students.

“What I find is encouraging, but disheartening at the same time, is they say we are going to make these cuts in your classes, and the teachers will, by and large, say, ‘OK.’ We will make it work, [but] it is to our own detriment. We keep doing this year after year and working with less, and we are still passing AYP with fewer and fewer resources,” Bishop said. “I mean, it is physically and emotionally draining on the staff, and students won’t want to be sitting in a class of 45 and going, ‘Man, I don’t want to be doing this.’”

People have to start looking at other, more creative, ways to cut the budget, especially in the area of energy consumption, which is one of the most costly expenditures.

“My [students] did a thing on paper towels last year, and found we spend like $100,000 on paper towels in this building alone. Some kid realized if we would buy two of those Air Blade [hand dryers], the initial investment might be the same as buying paper towels. After a few years, it would be paid off,” Pisani said, “and then the custodians wouldn’t have to clean all the paper that gets thrown on the floor.”

If simpler ideas like this went into effect, the district might not have to start cutting services and supplies that could be detrimental to a student’s education.

“I guess it’s just that we thought we would never get to this point, that the great Shawnee Mission would ever get to such great draconian cuts,” Bishop said. “They are telling us too ... that this is nothing compared to what is coming down the road.” / BRIANNA LEYDEN

NEWS

IDEA ONE: FOUR-DAY SCHOOL WEEK

Benefits for the School in General:  Has significant savings on utility bills, substitute

teacher pay, school buses and building maintenance and upkeep.  Can make up school days missed due to inclement weather on what would have been the fifth school day instead of at the end of the school year.

Fri.

Benefits for Students and Teachers:  Students and teachers benefit from less interrupted class time as a result of longer class periods and fewer transitions at all grade levels. This increases the efficiency of instruction.

Concerns and Issues:  Various concerns include how parents of younger

children can find baby-sitters for that extra day, how primary-aged students will react to a longer school day, how at-risk and special educations will respond to having an extra day off and how having one less day of school fits in with the emphasis on school reform and more time in school.

According to data collected by NCSL and the Education Commission of the States:  Twenty states currently have school districts (with

schools) operating on a four-day week.  There are more than 120 school districts that host four-day school week programs.  Usually, these programs are in small, rural districts.  The policy was first implemented as early as the 1930s, and became more common during the energy crisis of the 1970s.

Information from Research Brief: The Four Day School Week, TCPalm.com and the National Conference of State Legislators.

IDEA TWO: IMPROVING THE HEATING/ COOLING SYSTEM Heating/cooling systems basics:

There are many alternatives that provide cooling with less energy use than air conditioners. Proper insulation, energy-efficient windows and doors, daylighting, shading, and ventilation will keep buildings cool with a low amount of energy use. Although ventilation should be avoided in hot, humid climates, the other approaches can significantly reduce the need to use air conditioning.

For buildings in dry climates, evaporative cooling, or “swamp cooling,” provides similar results as air conditioning, but with much lower energy use.

Most air conditioners operate at less than their maximum efficiency, presenting energy-saving opportunities. New air conditioning units are far more efficient than earlier models.

Furnaces heat air and distribute the heated air through the house using ducts; boilers heat water, providing either hot water or steam for heating.

Steam boilers operate at a higher temperature than hot water boilers, and are less efficient — but highefficiency versions of all types of furnaces and boilers are currently available.

Control of air flow is important to ensure indoor air quality, control energy consumption, avoid condensation and to provide comfort.

Information from energysavers.gov

IDEA THREE: FIX ENERGY-CONSUMING PROBLEMS IN THE STRUCTURE OF THE SCHOOL Air leakage in commercial buildings can have many negative consequences, including reduced thermal comfort, interference with the operation of mechanical ventilation systems, poor indoor air quality, moisture damage to the building and increased energy consumption.

A hole, gap or crack in parts of the building, and an air pressure difference resulting from wind, stack effect or the HVAC (heating, ventilating, air conditioning) system itself result in air leakage. The inclusion of an air barrier system in buildings reduces this by up to 83 percent. This indicates potential gas savings of more than 40 percent and electrical savings greater than 25 percent.

HVAC (heating/ventilating/air conditioning) system problems: a building suffering from stack effect has to increase heat to compensate for colder lower floors, while the building’s higher levels are extremely warm.

The drafty building makes up for incoming cold air by forcing warm, conditioned air to leak out through holes.

Over-pressurization at the top of the building and air leakage at the base cannot be simultaneously controlled — the only solution is to seal air leaks at both ends.

Stack Effect: warm air rises and creates pressure against the roof and upper walls of a building, causing the air at the bottom of the building to be cooler and have a lower pressure. The low pressure at the base of the building sucks in air from outside to balance the pressure.

While some clients’ building envelope projects see a return on investment via energy savings in as little as 3.5 years, most can expect a wait in the 4.5-5 year range.

Information from Tightening the Building Envelope: Air barriers and HVAC by Tony Woods and Steven Tratt

IDEA FOUR: REPLACE THE LIGHTBULBS Lighting is the single largest electricity user in commercial buildings. In 1990, lighting consumed 39 percent of the electricity used in U.S. commercial buildings Many new buildings use smaller air conditioning units that make up the cost of expensive lighting equipment.

Replacing one 75-watt incandescent lamp with an 18-watt compact fluorescent lamp prevents the emission of 0.9 metric ton (1 ton) of carbon dioxide and about 9 kilograms (20 pounds) of sulfur oxide from a coal-fired power plant.

Replacing the lights creates major savings in utility and maintenance costs, which then leads to a better market value for the building.

Local governments save a large amount of money through reduced energy costs.

Information from smartgrowth.wa.gov.

IDEA FIVE: PAPER TOWELS VS. AIR HAND DRIERS Air dryers are a bit costly to have new ones installed but the savings will come, especially in high traffic areas, such as a high school bathroom, where paper towels are exhausted quickly.

This seems like a very realistic way to cut costs, not only because of the savings from the driers, but also costs would decrease in garbage disposal and possibly custodial personnel because they’re the ones that empty all of the waste.

If the district can afford the upfront price tag on new air driers, it would easily save money later.

Operating costs of a air drier is only $16 per year.

On average using air driers is 95% cheaper than using paper towels and can save over $100,000 a year.

A paper towel dispenser costs around $20 or $30, while newer, more efficient hand dryers typically cost $300 and $400. The hand dryer cost is easily regained, because a business spending $600 on 24 cases of paper towels would only spend about $40 for air drying.

Information from eHow.com

/ COMPILED BY HAYLEY BATTENBERG, BRIANNA LEYDEN + CONNOR THOMPSON

graphics by tyler absher

NEWS

/5

TIME TO LOG OUT

High school students’ growing dependence on Facebook is beginning to worry me.

ERIC ZOELLNER Mark Zuckerberg is destroying America.

Don’t believe me? Then ask yourself: when was the last time you checked Facebook?

Exactly.

To understand how this monster came to be, it’s probably useful to look at how it was born.

Anyone who has seen The Social Network knows that Zuckerberg, then a student at Harvard, created Facemash, a ‘hot or not’ website that compared female students’ physical attractiveness. I won’t get into everything, but after many reparations, Zuckerberg shut down his previous site and began work on the Facebook you see today. This site was initially created so his fellow classmates could see what others were doing around campus and modern “social networking” came to be.

Although that continues to be its primary function, it has become much larger and more complex. With over 500 million active users, Facebook has become an online juggernaut that no one except Zuckerberg can stop.

Facebook got this big because of its one purpose: to provide updates on what all of your friends and family are doing at any given moment. This is a useful service and it’s great that people are utilizing it. It also effectively brings people together to support a cause, recently playing a vital role in numerous

Middle Eastern revolutions.

But, I’m afraid it is becoming too powerful, at least in America. I check Facebook for news a lot more than CNN and I know I’m not alone. It’s not that high school students don’t watch the news or read the newspaper, but their most common news outlet is Facebook, where they can find the “news” they’re really interested in.

That in itself causes some alarm for me. Shouldn’t the tsunami in Japan be of more importance than updates on the news feed declaring Jimmy went from ‘in a relationship’ to ‘single?’ It’s fine if students check Facebook now and again to see what’s going on around school, but that time should also be balanced with keeping up on other community and world news.

Who can really blame the students, though, when Facebook is everywhere. Every big company has jumped on the bandwagon and created its own Facebook page; Facebook’s “Like” and Sharing functionality has been integrated into 2.5 million websites. This means that even when you’re not on Facebook website, it’s always there. With Facebook Mobile now compatible with almost every cell phone, students can check their statuses anywhere now. In fact, mobile users are twice as active as those who don’t have the mobile application.

Also, a weird phenomenon occurs when students start working on their homework. Somehow, they always end up on Facebook by some magical means.

I don’t know how it happens, but it does. Facebook takes up so much time. Just think of all the things that could have been accomplished if it didn’t exist. There’s no doubt in my mind that grades and productivity would increase. It’s just simply too distracting. According to a Time magazine survey, Facebook users, on average, have a full grade point lower grade point average than Facebook nonusers, but I’m sure it’s just a coincidence.

The “incredibly” important matters that distract people from school and work can cause way too much drama, usually just from Facebook posts being taken the wrong way. I know I’ve been done it before, but if you’ve ever started a conversations with ‘I saw on Facebook that,’ you’re guilty of adding fuel to the Facebook fire that consumes our lives.

People should focus more on their lives outside of Facebook. It’s not terrible now, but the growing addiction to the website concerns me. Your success isn’t based on how many Facebook friends you have, but what you do in the real world.

I know that Facebook will never go away. It’ll always be a part of our social lives; I’m just trying to not get too swept up into Zuckerberg’s machine.

THE SINGLE BUSIEST MONTH OF THE YEAR MARIA DAVISON

Even though I spend all my time running from place to place in April, it is one of my favorite times of the year.

It’s 12:30 a.m. and I only began working on homework an hour and a half ago. I left at 6:30 this morning, spent eight hours in class, worked on the newspaper for four hours, then sprinted from Room 151 to Room 37, stopping only to throw on my orchestra dress and tuck my black heels under my arm and continue running, trying to be on time to my concert.

Now I’m tired. I was up until 1:30 a.m. last night finishing homework for today and I will probably go to bed with unfinished homework tonight.

April is the single busiest month of the year for me, and probably for everyone else too. This year, I knew it would be a miracle if I ever went to bed

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before 1 a.m. between orchestra performances, IB World Literature papers, sleeping in a box for NHS hours, studying for the ACT and three days of leftover homework from a trip to California. I’m utterly exhausted, and I’m not even running track this year or preparing for any AP tests.

While this month has been insanely busy, and the next few weeks promise to be equally so, this is my favorite time of the school year. All these events I have to attend and projects I have to complete are the culmination of everything I’ve learned and worked toward this year. The standing ovation at the orchestra concerts makes all the hours of orchestra rehearsals and violin practice worth it.

Spending three days in California at a high school journalism convention didn’t really help my stress level in terms of getting things done, but I finally had a chance see Disneyland, the Pacific Ocean and bond with my fellow journalists.

While some homework has gone unfinished, I didn’t have time to run track and, on average, I’ve slept about four hours a night, the crazy events that make up April are the reason why I like coming to school all year.

When I think of my junior year, the orchestra concerts and trip to California will be what I remember, and I woudn’t give that up even for a few more hours of sleep.

REVIEWS

city market

4/5

There’s no better way to sacrifice a weekend morning than waking up to the liveliness of City Market. With its produce vendors, Native American jewelers and troubadour musicians, encircled by ethnic restaurants and boutique shops, it’s the ideal place for the culturally hip to be, especially if they’re looking for a handful of items to take home in exchange for a few dollar bills. Everything is dirt cheap.

Let me put it into perspective. Show up with $3 and leave with a week’s worth of your daily fruit servings. Show up with zero dollars and leave with a stomach full of free samples. Show up with no expectations and leave with a deep appreciation for the local farmers and craftsmen of Kansas City. It’s the city’s diversity at its finest.

And the best part? No tax is ever included at the Farmer’s Market, and very seldom is there a wait. It’s the fast shopper’s hot spot, especially when the temperature peaks in the 60s and the parking lot is half-full.

Take Cristina’s Produce, for example. Each employee walks around his or her designated area, waiting to give you a bag to fill with tasty produce. When you are ready to pay for those goods, you’re greeted by that same familiar employee, who is unsurprisingly hoping to add your legal tender to his or her already huge wad of cash. It’s an awesome exchange, and everyone leaves happy.

Other than the weekly stands of produce, spices and more, the River Market area also includes quite a few restaurants. With everything from Middle Eastern cuisine to Kansas City barbecue, one can typically find himself entering these venues after the market walk works up a lunch appetite.

Located on E. 5th Street in the River Market, one can experience the Farmer’s Market from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, and 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday.

From Amish-made pies to tasty homemade vinaigrette, the Farmer’s Market offers endless choices in the search for locally produced food and products, all for a fairly low price. / EVAN SHINN

PINE AND BAMBOO I love Chinese food for its combination of meat and veggies covered in delicious sauce, and its filling rice and noodles. There is a huge problem with Chinese food though.

The really good stuff can be expensive, and you usually have to travel pretty far to get to these places.

Pine and Bamboo Garden is one of those few reasonably priced restaurants with really great food. It is conveniently located on Shawnee Mission Parkway, so you don’t have to waste time getting there. And you will need the time, because the portions at Pine and Bamboo take forever to eat.

I have been going to the restaurant for years, and I try something new every time I go. I haven’t been disappointed yet. The appetizers are big enough to count as a meal, and the entrees are big enough to feed a whole family. I recommend the crab rangoon, steamed dumplings and cashew chicken.

Crab rangoon is the perfect appetizer. It might not be authentically Chinese, but it is delicious. Unlike many Chinese places, these actually have crab in them.

The steamed meat dumplings are served in the basket they are steamed in, and taste fantastic. The meat has a

4.5/5

lightly salty flavor, and the dipping sauce is unique. At first it tastes sweet, but it transcends into spicy half way through. One order includes 10 of the little dumplings, but after about seven I began to feel full. Keep in mind, however, this dish takes 25 minutes to prepare, so be ready for the wait.

After eating those two things I was already full, and I hadn’t reached the main course yet. Pine and Bamboo Garden offers all the classic dishes like orange chicken, General Tso’s chicken, beef with broccoli, and lo mein.

Unlike the more popular chicken meals, thought, cashew chicken isn’t breaded. Rather, it comes with chunks of chicken scattered in a sea of cashews, bamboo shoots and a sweet sauce. Once again, the serving size is huge, and they serve it with the choice of steamed or fried rice.

Pine and Bamboo Garden is a perfect example of what Chinese restaurants should be like, with quality food at a reasonable price, a convenient location and a good environment. / DANIEL MAGWIRE

REVIEWS

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photo illustration bailey kopp

AT THE END OF EACH QUARTER, GRADES QUANTIFY WHAT STUDENTS LEARN OVER THE COURSE OF THE PAST NINE WEEKS, BUT DO THEY ACCURATELY MEASURE WHAT STUDENTS UNDERSTAND? As junior Mack Preston sits in his AP U.S. History class, he intently listens to everything the teacher says, noting even the smallest details. It’s not that he has a passion for history, it’s because he knows what it takes to get into college.

“I try to get good grades because I want to get scholarships for college,” Preston said. “I could care less about what I learn in class, even though some of it is interesting. My main purpose is to get scholarships. It’s basically my only motivation.”

Preston is just one of many students who think grades are no more than a means to an end.

“I think my motivation [for getting good grades] is to make my transcript look better,” junior Jack Roeder said. “I’m sure it’s nice to know some of the information in classes, but I don’t see most of it as being applicable to my life outside of school or my career.”

Teachers, however, have a different point of view.

“I try to look at it this way: What did you learn in my class? What body of information are you taking with you?” AP Economics teacher and IB coordinator Bill Sanderson said. “My goal isn’t to get students to love economics — that just doesn’t happen. The goal is to get them to understand it at a higher level.”

After being a teacher for more than 20 years, Sanderson knows better than anyone that finding high school teenagers who love studying the difficult formulas involved in economics is a rare phenomenon. But that doesn’t stop him from trying to find methods to understand and help his students.

“I’d like to find a better way to evaluate students other than just homework and tests, but I haven’t done very well at that. Our system says if you know 60 percent [of class material], then you can pass the course. Here’s an idea: How about instead of letting people pass with a ‘D,’ [the students] have to master the class at an ‘A’ or ‘B’ level, or stay in it until they do.”

Even at an ‘A’ or ‘B’ level, however, it’s difficult to determine if students have a full understanding of the course. Other teachers talk about finding creative ways to engage their students

“When this school first opened, we were an experimental school, and I told my kids in sociology, ‘Everyone here gets a C. I have no control over attendance,’ and I added, ‘Everyone will pass, everyone will get a ‘C;’ we’re just going to study for

the sake of learning,’” CCC teacher Ron Poplau said.

“I just did that for one quarter. The next quarter, I had to go back to a grading system. No one tried.

Kids study for the sake of grades.”

With fourth quarter now half way over, students like Preston are making sure that they have worked hard enough to raise their semester grades to the ideal percentage.

“I think that too many students are preoccupied with getting good grades, rather than being excellent,” art teacher David Hunt said. “The whole reward of an ‘A’ is to get you into the habit of pursuing excellence in your life, and too many students get caught up thinking, ‘Oh, I’m here for a GPA.’” “It’s all up to you what you do with your life — really, anybody at this school can become a medical doctor. But, in order to do that, you have to work really hard now. And, I tell all of my students in my art classes, ‘Those of you who are screwing around now are going to pay for it later. You’re never going to be able to retire.’ People in my age group are already facing that fact, and it’s only going to get harder,” Hunt said.

Unlike students who don’t pay attention in class, senior Connor Haley, who maintains a 4.1 GPA, makes sure his grades remain at the level he wants, but he also makes sure he grasps the information.

“I care about keeping my grades up because of the value they hold for my transcript, but, as far as the class and just getting good grades for the sake of having a pretty report card, I could really care less,” Haley said. “I do care about the material that I’m learning. I have the benefit of being in a variety of different classes. What I’ve learned is rather than solely work for the A, it’s more beneficial to learn how to think and develop your own personality and sense of understanding and opinion. When you have the drive to want the knowledge and actually grasp a true understanding of what is being said to you, I feel like it can be really helpful.”

Haley’s younger sister is currently working her way through classes he’s already taken. This allows him to reflect on what he has come to understand about education.

“My sister is in sixth grade right now, and she is learning about U.S. history in her class. It seems, from my experience, it’s like a snowball effect: more and more gets added to your knowledge as you get older,” Haley said. “As opposed to memorizing random dates and names, I feel like you start to

develop a set of ideals and an opinion of serious events throughout history: how you feel about them, how we can change and be different for the future.”

Haley’s attitude exemplifies what teachers would like to see from every student, but the difficulty is in measuring whether learning has occurred and to what degree.

“In education, we struggle with trying to measure [whether] the students really learn the information,” Lisa Gruman, associate principal in charge of curriculum and instruction, said. “We assign a grade to quantify it, but, realistically, the goal is for students to acquire that knowledge and to be able to use it again in another setting. That’s always the primary goal.”

In a school setting, however, other pressures come with the education.

“There are scholarships that the student may be hinging on, or [maybe it’s] applications to colleges,” Gruman said. “There are a lot of things putting external pressure on that grade, which drives the student to aim for that A or that B. It’s a product of the system. It’s the big question in education: Are grading practices really reflective of what the students know? And how do we quantify that?

How do we take what you know and equate it to a percentage at the end of the day?”

Social studies division coordinator Beth Jantsch would like to see changes to the current system.

“I would like to see more [parent] interaction [in the system we use]. When students go home, does the work get done? In some societies, it’s up to the parents to make sure the child is doing well, and it doesn’t come down on the teacher too much,” Janstch said. “But I feel responsible for at least igniting a fire for the students so that they can use what I give them down the road [in life].”

Hunt thinks teachers and many parents have distinctly different views on education. While parents assume the role of making sure their children get the grades they need, teachers try to add value to learning and understanding the information.

“Sometimes a student will come to me very upset about not getting an A and they end up getting their parents involved in the situation, and I tell them fine,” Hunt said. “If your A means that much to you, then here it is, but it doesn’t mean anything.”

/ LOGAN COFFMAN + EVAN SHINN FEATURES

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walk in their

LIFE Students talk about their religious beliefs and how they affect their lives.

Meet six students for whom religion is the utmost priority, whether that means abstaining from certain literature, fasting, waking up at 4 a.m. for worship or spending long hours studying text from scrolls dating back to 1312 B.C. Junior Sunny Dharod began studying Jainism at the age of eight, and has learned that the most important part of Jainism is to be peaceful to all beings. Senior Ibrahim Elandaloussi is a follower of the Islamic faith. His goals as a follower are to accept that he has one God and one God only.

Sophomore Kate Tarne grew up in the Catholic church and then switched to the Unity church which emphasizes the personal relationship with God as opposed to a relationship with God through

an institution. Junior Noë Agosto is a Jehovah’s Witness and a self-described “über-Christian.”

Sophomore Eliot Alpert began his formal study of the Jewish religion at the age of eight and has a unique way of explaining the difference in the way the Christian and Jewish view of Jesus Christ.

Junior Amanda Hedrick wants people to know that being Mormon doesn’t mean that her dad has multiple wives, but it does mean that she lives by a strict moral code that doesn’t allow cursing or consumption of caffeinated beverages.

Stories about Dharod, Elandaloussi and Tarne are here, while the final three can be found at smnw.com.

/ KIRK BADO, BRADY KLEIN + TESSA MILLER

photo by bailey kopp

SUNNY DHAROD / jainism Junior Sunny Dharod practices Jainism, a religion centered around peace and not harming any living beings. When Dharod was 8-years-old, Dharod’s sister attended Jain classes about philosophy every Monday. when Dharod was eight years old. His mother then decided it was time for him to learn Jain teachings as well.

“I still remember learning the the first line of Navakar Mantra that day,” Dharod said. “And I still go to those classes every Monday — even now.”

The Navakar Mantra is the most common prayer that Jains recite. Jains worship the supreme spiritual leaders who have walked on the earth.

For followers of Jainism, religion goes far beyond just prayer and worship inside their temple. Their way of life revolves around what they have been taught, and what they believe.

Jains worship 24 idols known as Thirthankaras.

The highest of these Thirthankaras is Mahavir.

Like the other 23 idols, Mahavir was once human, and became a Thirthankara through his spiritual advancement. Mahavir is a role model to all Jains for his non-violent actions and his detachment from unnecessary things. When Mahavir was 72 he passed away, and his soul reached Moksha, which is the Jain afterlife world. To become spiritually advanced

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like Mahavir and the other Thirthankaras one must practice in the five key aspects of Jainism. These are non-violence, truthfulness, non-stealing, self control and detachment from unnecessary people, places and things. Pacifism is the most important aspect, and the one Dharod takes most seriously.

“We must not harm or insult any other living beings, directly nor indirectly. This is why we are vegetarians,” Dharod said. “It is wrong to kill animals just for our benefit. All living beings deserve equal chances to live life to the fullest.”

Jains believe in five forms of soul reincarnation.

These forms include Moksha, (which is the highest level), angel, human, animal and hell.

“If you behave wisely and non-violently, you will end up in one of the upper worlds. If not, chances are you’ll end up in hell worlds,” Dharod said.

Jain holidays are ways to show that a Jain follower is worthy of advancing spiritually through reincarnation. The most famous Jain holiday is Paryushan, an eight day holiday, in which Jains fast.

“By fasting, we request our God’s forgiveness for all offenses committed during the last year,” Dharod said. “We assure ourselves that we will be nonviolent throughout the next year.”

Another holiday celebrated is Diwali. That is the

day when Mahavir attained Moksha.

“All of the Jains in the community get together and conduct prayers to Mahavir’s soul. This shows that we appreciate his non-violent tactics.”

Diwali is also the festival of lights. Jains light up their houses and gather to share food and celebrate the festival of lights.

“I used to think that being religious only meant memorizing prayers and going to the temple.

However, I now realize that to be Jain I must always respect everyone and everything,” Dharod said.

Dharod’s religion is one of the most important parts of his life, every day of the week.

“I am pretty serious about Jainism. I pray to our gods everyday, I lead prayers at our temple, but to us, you need to have more than just that to be religious,” Dharod said. “Being religious means respecting all forms of life. Being religious means minimizing harm to other living beings by practicing the 5 major ethics. Being religious means doing everything we can do to reach Moksha. Being religious means having faith, right knowledge, and right conduct.

Being religious means getting rid of negative emotions like pride, anger, deceit and greed. To put it simply, Jainism is more than praying.”

IBRAHIM ELANDALOUSSI / islam The most important month of the Islamic faith is the ninth month on the Islamic calendar. This month is also known as Ramadan, which is the holy month for the Islamic faith. Senior Ibrahim Elandaloussi is an Islamic follower who has participated in Ramadan before.

“Ramadan is a way of remembering and being thankful for what you have,” Elandaloussi said. “In Ramadan we cannot consume anything including any liquids from sunrise to sunset.”

Ramadan is one of the major ways in showing your thankfulness to the Islamic faith. Smaller ways in doing this are daily prayers. Islamic followers normally pray five times a day for three minutes each time.

“Islam’s objective is knowing that you have a creator.

Most people stress religion, however, they forget the most important part is being thankful for what you have,” Elandaloussi said.

For Elandaloussi, simply recognizing that Allah is his creator is what Islam is all about. However, many nonMuslims view this religion in a different way.

“Non-Islamic people usually view our religion as violent and anti-American. They think this way because of extremist Muslims. However, if you were to read the Qur’an you would not find a single passage which supports violence,” Elandaloussi said.

Islam does not stress behavior as much as some other religious might. It is simply expected to do good deeds and remember the creator, Allah.

“You also have to fulfill the five pillars to your best

ability. The five pillars are believing in one God, praying, fasting, donating and traveling to Mecca if you are able to,” Elandaloussi said.

These pillars are incredibly important to Islam followers, and are mandatory for any serious Muslims. Each pillar goes more in depth than it would seem. For instance the pillar Shahada.

Shahada is believing in only one God, and that Mohammad was God’s messenger. The Shahada is also a specific statement recited by Muslims in Arabic. Salat is the second pillar, which is praying the five daily prayers. There is one prayer for dawn, noon, afternoon, sunset and evening.

Sawm is the fasting pillar. There are three types of fasting that the Muslims will do, and the goal of these fasts are to express the Muslim’s nearness to God, and to show how much they depend on him. Zakat is the donating of money

by Muslims, compared to how much they earn. It is required for all that can afford to spend 2.5 percent on the poor or needy. Hajj is the final pillar, which is travelling to the holy city of Mecca. Any able-bodied Muslims are expected to go.

Muslims believe that any man or woman can ascend to heaven, regardless of their religion. This is a different way of thinking than many religions.

“Overall, we simply believe it’s about the person rather than their religion. Do good deeds and worship one god,” Elandaloussi said.

photo by bailey kopp

+ for full story plus three more profiles, visit smnw.com

KATE TARNE / unity When the members walk into the Unity church for their first service of the new year, they receive a piece of paper that will be used to write down all the issues that they have endured that year. Then, as a part of the burning bowl ceremony, a fire is started in a bowl, where the paper is burned in a symbolic release of bad habits, negative thoughts and emotions, and unhealthy relationships. After the paper is burned, each person gets another slip of paper with a word on it — that word is now their focus for the year. Last year, sophomore Kate Tarne recieved a slip of paper that said ‘respect’, which meant that for the new year, Tarne was supposed to focus on the idea of respect, and respecting people as a part of her resolution. The service that follows consists of a ceremony called the white stone ceremony. Entering the church, each person receives a small piece of tile.

“You write your focus on [the stone] and you keep that with you,” Tarne said. “When we go into meditation, you just focus on what you want your [personal] focus to be for the year. It just helps you improve your life and figure out how you want to change your life that year. It’s both a physical ceremony and emotional and spiritual.”

Tarne has not always been a part of the Unity church.

“We started out at a Catholic church,” Tarne said. “Then they got a new priest, and he just had completely different views than the one before. [After that] we attended Unity Church of Overland Park, and then we found Unity Temple on the Plaza [and we’ve been there ever since].”

Although they still view themselves as a Christians, Unity Church members try not to portray themselves as a religion, but rather a spiritual path.

“It’s loosely Christian; I mean, we still talk about God and have Bible passages,” Tarne said. “It’s [more] about learning different spiritual principles. It’s about loving [and appreciating] yourself; [and that] you can get through anything in life [with God].”

For Tarne, this means that her religion helps her get through any kind of struggle — whether it be day-to-day or something bigger.

“It’s always really motivating and encouraging,” Tarne said. “When I’m going through something hard in my life, and then we go to church, it’s like ‘yeah, I can do this.’” photo by monica castellon

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SPORTS

boss/

BEST OF SPORTS SHOT

Sophomore Meghan Haun attempts to steal the ball away from SM West opponent Apr. 12. “Going into the game, I knew it was going to be a tough one but I was ready to go out and play my hardest against our biggest rival,” Haun said.

Haun made one goal against SMW allowing JV girls to win 2-1. / PHOTO BY MIKALA COMPTON

// by rachael demjanik

QUESTION + ANSWER WITH TANNER JARMAN SENIOR, VARSITY GOLFER

Q: How did you get involved with golf?

A: When I was little, my grandpa and dad would take me [golfing] because we lived in Lake Quivira so it just started from there.

Q: Do you think getting to state will be difficult?

We have a harder region this year and the loss of two senios will make it hard.

Q: What is the hardest thing about golf?

A: Probably grades for me and just trying to

be eligible. Also the weather — we have had good weather but it’s really windy which is something we don’t usually have to deal with

Q: How are you leading this year?

A: I just try to help my fellow teammates.

Q: Is there anything you would like to accomplish this season?

A: I really want to win stat and be an All American.

Q: What are your plans for golf next year?

A: I plan to go to [Johnson County Community College] to play gold next year. They play 27 hole tournaments instead of 18 and pratice five hours a day instead of the two to three hours we practice now.

Q: Is there a strong bond between you

and other golfers?

A: Yes, I would say so for sure. There is only one freshman and everyone else are all returning players.

Q: What do you like to do in your spare time besides golf?

A: Rap.

Q: Have you ever rapped about golf?

A: I have not rapped about golf. *laughs* Q: What are your team and indiviual goals for golf?

A: For team: Win league, regionals and state.

Individually: Try to place in every tournament.

Q: What are your team and indiviual goals for golf?

A: For team: Win league, regionals and state.

Individually: Try to place in every tournament.

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photo illustration by mikala compton

SPEED LIMIT

Athletic participation policy is designed to be a deterrent to drugs and alcohol for student athletes.

Everyone has heard it before, the story of the star athlete whose reputation is destroyed, his or her season cut short and college career jeopardized by an athletic suspension due to illegal drug or alcohol use.

“Research has shown that adolescents participating in team sports predict greater involvement in risky behavior (defined as illegal and mischievous behavior) and significant increases in alcohol use in high school” claims a 2010 article written by psychologist Alan Bass for the Livestrong Foundation.

The Livestrong Foundation, founded by Lance Armstrong in 1997, is an Austin-based organization that concerns itself with raising funds for medical and health issues.

The article claims that the alcohol consumption of a high school athlete and a nonathletic student are nearly the same, with consumption for the athletes being slightly higher. Given the national attention high school sports and their drug policies have received over the years, this statistic is surprising.

Every year, students, athletes and non-athletes, are caught with illegal substances. One of the more prominent cases at Northwest occurred in 1999 when future Chiefs center Ryan Lilja was caught at a party with alcohol and later kicked off the team.

Lilja, a three-year starter on the varsity football team, was a victim of the early years of the current drug policy, when the “one and done” rule was still being

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contested. The issue stemmed from the fact that Lilja was never formally issued a MIP; however, a police report indicated that he was at a party with alcohol during his senior year, according to the 2000 Lair.

A week after the party, Lilja was removed from the football team. His family took the decision to court, but the judge sided with the school, upholding his suspension.

So far this year, 12 athletes have been dismissed from their sports due to offenses ranging from alcohol, tobacco and other drug paraphernalia .

“Student athletes in any high school are a cross section of the general population of that high school,” athletic director Richard Grinage said. “Whatever that percentage of drug and alcohol users in your general population is probably fairly similar to the student athletes.”

According to the SM school district tobacco/ alcohol/drug policy, “the student will be suspended from participation in all extracurricular competition/ practices for the remainder of the current season” for the first offense. Any subsequent offenses result in the student being suspended from extra-curricular activities for the following year.

“I guarantee you that the students don’t read the orange packet,” varsity drill team sponsor Christin LaMourie said.

“But we tell them about it, and they are aware of what it is,” boys’ and girls’ varsity soccer coach Todd

Boren said.

“I know people on swim team who [got kicked off and] getting kicked off the team did not help them at all [as far as drug and alcohol usage goes],” swim captain Jens Thomsen said.

“There are two types of [athlete users] out there,” football captain Derec Olson said, “Kids who get messed up and play sports as a hobby, and kids who play sports and get messed up as a hobby.”

This policy is set by the SM district, not by the state, so there are varying policies among school districts in Kansas. Other districts, including Olathe and Blue Valley, have more of a three-strike rule for their athletes.

“It is unfair to us,” senior Seth Kotzman said. “We need a statewide policy.”

According to athletic director Richard Grinage, creating a statewide blanket drug and alcohol policy would be difficult because all the districts would have to agree.

“We don’t want to be seen in anyway as promoting behaviors that could be detrimental to a student athlete. You shouldn’t be using it; it’s not good for anyone,” athletic director Richard Grinage said. “That is our policy and we stick to it.”

“The policy is a deterrent for some student athletes,” Grinage said.

“It’s kind of like how the speed limit is a deterrent for some people from speeding,” Grinage said.

“Everyone is a little different in how they look at this.

Some kids won’t follow it, no matter what the policy is. There are other kids that are going to follow the rules. It depends on the individual.”

Researchers at the University of Arizona also found in studies of students involved in extracurricular activities (band, speech and debate, drama, athletics, etc.), athletes were again more likely to use drugs and alcohol. Professor Bonnie Barber, who conducted the study for the university, pointed to two key areas that would put a stop to usage: 1) the adults in the child’s life, including the parents, coaches and community members, who need to send clear and concise messages to the

been to parties, you probably have seen athletes partying and drinking. You have to remember that there are also other kids there doing the same thing.

When the athletes get caught, everyone knows about it,” wrestling coach Howard Newcomb said.

“If peer culture is such that it does not condone [drug] behavior, then it won’t happen,” cheer coach Evelyn Thompson said. “We do not permit you to go out [and] use drugs and drink and then be on our teams because that is not acceptable.”

Newcomb points to lack of parental support for anti-drug laws and policies.

“How important is it to the parent that their kid is not doing drugs? If the parent says, ‘It’s OK to

“The policy is a deterrent for some people. Kind of like how the speed limit is a deterrent for some people from speeding.

Everyone is a little different of how they look at this. Some kids won’t follow it, no matter what the policy is. There are other kids, that are going to follow the rules. It depends on the individual.” —athletic director Richard Grinage students. These messages must consists of a policy of no drug or alcohol use. 2) School staff taking an active role model and a source of information for the athlete.

All student athletes in the Shawnee Mission school district and their parents are required to sign the Athletic Participation Packet which, among other things, includes the tobacco/alcohol/drug contract before the first practice of the season. The packet lays out the policies students must follow to participate in a sport and the consequences that will follow if a policy is broken.

Cheer coach Evelyn Thompson said that as long as there are good people on the teams who are not involved in drugs, then the underclassmen with follow their example and stay clean. If the upperclassmen are the first line of defense against drugs entering an organization, then the coaches are the reserves.

“We do not permit you to go out [and] use drugs and drink and then be on our teams because that is not acceptable,” Thompson said.

Olson said that players who feel valued on the team are also less likely to be involved in “risky behavior,” varsity jumper Kayla Morris agreed.

“The girls’ track team is so small that if we lose anyone, it is just ‘Wow, that is points we’ve lost, how could you do that to us?’” senior jumper Kayla Morris said.

“Hopefully, being kicked off of a sport you love is a wake-up call. By having a sport you care about taken away from you, hopefully it is a wake-up call to these athletes,” Grinage said. “We want them to say ‘If I don’t change, I won’t be apart of anymore activities at Northwest.’”

From his experience, Cooper doesn’t think a higher percentage of athletes participate in activities involving drugs and alcohol.

“It is rampant all through the school. If you have

drink alcohol and party at my house,’ it is still illegal.

How important is it to the parents that their kid isn’t doing that?”

Athletes see a correlation between the size of a team and drug usage.

“The girls’ track team is so small that if we lose anyone, it is just ‘wow, that is points we’ve lost, how could you do that to us?” varsity jumper Kayla Morris said.

“If someone felt valued, he probably won’t be involved in that,” Olson said.

“[Football coach Aaron] Barnett will say something before a long weekend or Homecoming about not doing anything to hurt the team. He does not say anything specific, but everyone knows what he is talking about,” Olson said.

Coaches see the problem more as an issue to be dealt with by parents and the student on an individual level. In their opinion, the brunt of the responsibility seems to lay not on the institution, but on the perpetrator. The deterrent of the one-strike rule does not seem to have taken full effect, as it continues to happen despite the policy.

“Maybe we’re not curtailing this as much as we should, but it also depends on in season and out of season. That’s not an excuse, but that’s interesting,” Boren said. The athletic participation packet which includes the drug policy only has jurisdiction over athletes in season. Once the final lap is run and the last ball goes through the net, the athlete becomes a student again, held only to his own moral code.

“Everyone makes mistakes. One of the things Mr. Lyday says to every kid is, ‘We don’t throw kids away.’ We want them to come back, and participate in our activities,” Grinage said. “However, to do that, you have to abide by this policy.”

To read more about the study, go to http://www. livestrong.com/article/99953-psychological-effectsyouth-sports/#ixzz1C0O5IbHx

/ BRADY KLEIN + KIRK BADO

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IN focus

“Some people aspire to be the president, others to be professional atheletes, and still others to be astronauts.

I wanted to be the poetry slampion, and I am.”

—senior Harry Schroeder / PHOTO BY MONIQUE WARE