Issue 6: All in a Day's Work

passage

Volume 46 — Issue 6 ­­— February 27, 2015 PHOTO BY BRYCE REX

Two clubs are taking steps to promote positive self-image here and around the world. For them, it’s

ALL IN A

DAY’S WORK

issue 6 table of contents

13 ALL IN A DAY’S WORK Students take steps to promote positive self-image and equality at home and abroad PHOTO BY BRYCE REX

ON SMNW.COM SMNW.COM @SMNWDOTCOM

The purpose of the Northwest Passage is to relay important and interesting information and concerns of the student body. Outside concerns and activities will only be covered to the community, administration and students of the Shawnee Mission Northwest if they somehow affect the school or students. The Northwest Passage is a 32-page High School. As a newsmagazine, the Northwest Passage will cater to the interests newsmagazine. The paper will be distributed every four weeks during fifth hour.

05

11

12

19

DECADES OF NEW

TUNE UP

HOME SWEET HOME

Early retirement incentive programs are robbing us of our most experienced teachers, but paving the way for a new education

Robotics is well on its way to reaching its goal for this year

Black Dog Coffeehouse, a popular spot among students, rapidly expands its horizons

SOMETHING FROM NOTHING

PHOTO BY NICK KAHTAVA

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY ADDISON SHERMAN

21

PHOTO BY JORDAN ABSHER

PHOTO BY CARLEIGH WHITMAN

25

A MODERN WORLD IN FORKS DOWN CHAINS Two bakeries, Clock Tower Bakery Even in 2015, slavery remains an issue PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY ADDISON SHERMAN

Seniors Isaac Coleman and Duncan Walter’s games are now making an appearance in online stores

and Tina Marie’s, go head to head to see which one makes the better pastry

28

29

THE NEW MAN IN THE DUGOUT

ROLLING ALONG

Domenic Mussat will take over the varsity baseball team this year PHOTO BY EMILIE AMUNATIGUI

PHOTO BY LAUREN EDWARDS

The Cougar Bowling Team is improving in the Sunflower League this year even though the team lacks high school bowling experience PHOTO BY ATALIE BLACK

IMAGINE DRAGON’S NEW SMOKE + MIRRORS

GIRLS’ SWIM AND DIVE PREPARES FOR UPCOMING SEASON

Imagine Dragons makes a strong comeback with their sophomore album Smoke + Mirrors

by Grace Gorenflo

by Haena Lee

BOND PASSES BRINGING CHANGE TO NORTHWEST The bond has passed by a tremendous margin

by Haena Lee

HOPE MEDIS Black dog Coffeehouse performer

by Rebecca Carroll

d Subscriptions will be available to the community for $25. The Northwest Passage firmly supports arise the editorial board and adviser will discuss the problem to find the solution. In these cases, and good taste. Letters may attack policy but not people. In no way will ideas or viewpoints e the First Amendment and opposes censorship. The content of the newspaper will be determined the editor-in-chief and editorial board will have the say in all decisions. Letters to the editor will be changed. The editor-in-chief and editorial board reserve the right to refuse any letter. . and created by the entire staff. When questions concerning word choice, legal problems or ethics be accepted and encouraged. The staff reserves the right to edit for grammatical mistakes, length

trans fats I went to WPA without a date, and it was okay

A

sking someone to WPA has been on every girl’s mind. It’s no secret that WPA stands for Women Pay All. Traditionally, a girl asks a guy to WPA, but not everyone goes as a couple to dances.

I’m going with a group of friends.

Perhaps some people don’t realize that there’s nothing wrong with not having a date. A school dance doesn’t define you and won’t matter 20 years from now. Going with friends isn’t a bad thing.

I wasn’t planning on going to WPA alone.

At first, the thought of asking someone scared me beyond words. I just kept telling myself it was no big deal. Guys ask girls to dances every other time. As time passed, I began to feel a little anxious because most people had already asked their dates and I was just considering

04

Opinion | Feb. 27, 2015

possible guys to ask.

When I finally decided to go solo, I was a little upset. I was disappointed that I didn’t have the guts to ask anyone. Now I’m proud of my decision.

It doesn’t matter if I go with someone or not.

Either way I’m going to have fun.

School dances are a little awkward, especially as a freshman trying to

Going with friends

doesn’t make me a coward and it definitely doesn’t make my decision incorrect. get the hang of these events.

There’s a lot of pressure and emotion involved in asking someone to a dance. Going with friends doesn’t make me a coward and it definitely doesn’t make my decision incorrect.

+ BY MAKAILA WILLAIMS

The lunch room should bring back the good, unhealthy food

T

he healthy food initiatives like Let’s Move in schools makes me angry. I enjoyed the lunches served my freshman year much more than ones served this year. The pizza line especially.

Northwest started buying a healthier version of Pizza Hut pizza instead of Dominoes and it’s the most disgusting pizza I’ve ever had. There isn’t enough sauce on each slice, the cheese is stiff and the crust is nasty. It’s just all around bad.

They also replaced the old vending machines with the new strange H.U.M.A.N vending machines, standing for Helping UNite Mankind and Nutrition. The H.U.M.A.N’s have healthier food, but it is still nasty and bland. Regular snacks like gummy bears or Sour Patch Kids aren’t sold anymore, only Popcorn Chips and Superhuman brand snacks that are all .25 cents more expensive. The drinks got worse too, a new soda machine was added in last year and it’s already gone. Snapple, water and Powerade are a few of the healthy choices now, but they aren’t that great.

Not only were the vending machines ruined but the

snack bar got worse too. The disappearance of the Otis Spunkmeyer cookies is the biggest change that occurred, it has incited a lot of anger among students and myself.

The new cookies will never compare to the old ones.

I understand that implementing all these

Not only were the vending machines ruined but the snack bar got worse too.

changes is important because students eat most of their lunches at school, and some don’t have any alternative healthy foods at home. But, I think some of the sweeter snacks should still be available.

The same vending machines could’ve been kept. The focus should be on improving the actual lunch served. I wouldn’t mind even if the junk food was kept with the added the healthy food, but replacing it made me mad, because they took away the delicious version of food.

+ BY BENJAMIN BECKER

Decades of EARLY RETIREMENT INCENTIVE PROGRAMS ARE ROBBING US OF OUR OLD-TIME FAVORITES, BUT PAVING THE WAY FOR A DIFFERENT EDUCATION AT NORTHWEST Say goodbye to Greg Agderian, Jim Mowery, Ron Poplau, Christy Schmitt, Ken Summers, Beth Jantsch, Janice Baker and Kathy Tarbutton. While you are at it, wave farewell to Bob Jensen, Kay Kassen, Carolyn LaFever and Susanne Kissane.

A record-breaking 180 teachers are retiring from our district, according to Human Resources Director Ginny Lyon, including a total of 12 NW teachers.

The Early Retirement Incentives program introduced Nov. 24 offers an early retirement incentive for teachers who have worked in the district for at least 10 continuous years and are eligible to retire under KPERS. Those who opt to accept the incentive will receive 60 percent of their annual salary paid over five years. Teachers retiring this year cannot be rehired by the district but are allowed to substitute teach.

It’s a bittersweet goodbye.

With Gov. Sam Brownback’s recent cut of $127.4 million from education, the district will lose $1.4 million in general state aid from this year’s budget. Additional cuts are

STAFF EDITORIAL

expected next year because the most experienced teachers can cost the district up to $81,000.

As a result, expect to see younger teachers, most of whom are fresh out of college. With them comes not only new ideas and enthusiasm, but more efficiency with technology as well.

Education is an evolving field and teachers and students find new ways to teach and learn every day.

However, are the teachers that are deciding to retire replaceable? Our most experienced teachers have lived through it all – from the chalkboard to trigonometry tables to the introduction of technology. Is what the district is saving worth the lost wealth of knowledge and experience that these teachers represent? We can’t imagine what will happen to CCC without Ron Poplau or what will be missing from the language arts, social sciences and international languages departments as department chairpersons Kay Kassen, Beth Jantsch and Kathy Tarbutton take their leave.

We hate to see any of these teachers go, but we do want to say thank you for all they have brought to us.

THE STAFF VOTES: 24 FOR / 00 AGAINST

12

teachers are retiring this year at Northwest.

The most experienced teacher can make up to

$81,000

with 26 years of service and a doctorate degree.

Total current salaries of retiring teachers:

$919,369

$76,614

Average salary of retiring teachers

AFTER THIS YEAR, Calculus teacher

Van Rose

WILL BE THE LONGEST EMPLOYED TEACHER AT NORTHWEST

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY ADDISON SHERMAN

NW passage | opinion

05

Tanner ‘s Bar and Grill 22374 W 66th St. Shawnee KS 66216 913.745.8100

Lunch Special Monday - Friday 11am - 2pm

20% OFF entire purchase

ITALIAN DELIGHT

by Avelluto Bros

Restaurant - Pizzeria - Deli 6552 Martway Mission, Kansas 66202 913-262-7564

Colleen Winter Owner

13222 West 62nd Terrace Shawnee, KS 66216 Phone: (913) 962-0077 Fax: (913) 962-5577 Email: wbushawnee@gmail.com www.shawnee.wbu.com Twitter: @wbushawnee Facebook: Wild Birds Unlimited of Shawnee, KS

FORGET YOUR CAMERA? WE DIDN’T.

a briefly Spray the Competition Away 60 upperclassmen participate in assassins + BY shelby beaumont

W

ater guns, risky competition and $300 on the line: this is Assassins.

The object of the game? To survive and collect the $300 pool. Senior Savannah Taylor, who is in charge of this year’s game, collected $5 from each of the 60 participants who were then assigned targets to eliminate within a month.

The rules of the game are simple: players cannot attack while the target is on school grounds, at home or at work. If the player eliminates his target, he moves on to the person that the eliminated player was assigned.

Players create strategies to survive and get their targets out. Senior Molly Sasenick was “assassinated” by senior Brett Ferencz on the second day of the game.

“She owed [senior] Alec Bateman money so I went with Alec to her house,” Brett Ferencz said. “He parked down the street and I got out. When he went

bond...municipal bond

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION

BY KATE JACOBSEN

V

PHOTOS FROM THE 2014 DODGEBALL TOURNAMENT

PHOTO BY ADDISON SHERMAN

PHOTO BY AARON MESSICK

oters have approved the $223 million bond proposal to be used for district improvements.

The money will be used to improve district security, construct a new aquatic center and replace the football stadium at SM South. These renovations will begin over the summer and have no scheduled date to be finished.

“They’re going to push the doors out. On both sides,” associate principal Eddie LyDay said. “That will be the first thing you notice when you come back next year.”

In addition, every high school and middle school field will be replaced with turf. In all five high school areas, one elementary school

stuco dodgeball tournament

V

ince Vaughn may not be in attendance, but even an “Average Joe” can participate in the StuCo dodgeball tournament. This year’s competition will begin at 12 p.m., Feb. 28, in the gym, and is open to all Northwest students. Each co-ed teams consists of six competitors Each team must pay a $60 entry fee. All proceeds will be donated to the Johnson County Christmas Bureau.

“It’s a good cause. And it’s local,” previous participant Griffin Robinson said. “That’s where [StuCo has] sent

to the door, she was reluctant to come outside and give him the money, but she finally did. When she was running back inside, I got her out.”

Ferencz was then assigned junior Addison Sherman, who managed to hide from him for over three weeks.

“My strategy was keeping a low profile,” Sherman said. “I didn’t tell anybody where I was going or when I was going. Not even my friends.”

Ferencz was disqualified for not eliminating Sherman by Feb. 1.

After Sherman eliminated senior Parker Umscheid, she and senior Brennon Covington were the last two players remaining. Sherman and Covington agreed to split the $300 prize between them and end the game in a tie.

“The juniors and seniors sort of have a rivalry going on,” Sherman said. “ [Assassins] was a good way for the two classes to just have fun.”

the money raised for the last couple of years.”

Because every member of last year’s winning team graduated, the field is wide open. “[Last year’s champion] had won every year since my sophomore year,” Robinson said. “They were dominating.

Their sophomore year, they won the SM dodgeball tournament. I’m glad they are gone.”

Robinson has finished second the last two years and is dead set on winning the championship this year.

+ BY jack lynch

will be demolished and rebuilt. In the NW area, this school is Rhein Benninghoven. One of the most extreme changes will come in the form of new security enhancements throughout the district.

“I walked through with the architects last year,” LyDay said.

“We don’t have [a physical timeline].

I don’t think the district has even published one yet.”

Nearly a quarter of the money from the bond will go to district maintenance including alterations to interior aesthetics and a district wide landscaping plan. These are meant to improve the district and improve student safety.

+ BY JOSH SHERFY

Although Robinson will be leading a powerful team, the underclassmen and juniors are not going to fall down in front of them.

“Anybody can play,” coordinator of this year’s tournament Nate Jones said. “Sophomore teams have won before. It’s just fun. The more participation the better.”

Teams create gameplans, searching for the winning strategy.

“Throw it hard. I like to aim at the feet because nobody wants to bend down to catch it,” Robinson said. “It’s

important to catch the ball, so you can bring in another teammate.”

Jones has other ideas.

“Sometimes it’s a good idea to use teammates as a shield.”

Whatever the plan is, gym rats and bookworms alike are invited to take part in this battle for bragging rights and school pride.

“It’s a great way to get involved.

It’s fun and it’s for a good cause. Why wouldn’t you participate?” Jones asked.

Robinson couldn’t help but agree.

NW passage | news

07

briefly

a Just not connecting F

reshman Porter Volk’s practice ran late tonight, and he is just now beginning his homework. He settles down to work; digging through his backpack, searching for the tangled knot of headphones as he logs in.

The desktop appears, plastered with sticky notes: they all say “homework.” Bracing himself for a late night, Volk pulls up his browser.

Then, the unthinkable happens.

He cannot connect. What should’ve taken an hour, will now take three.

How can this be?

Ever since Winter Break, Volk and Blue Coat have been growing apart.

Volk is unsure if Blue Coat is still stuck in a vacation mindset, or whether Blue Coat is seeing someone else. The connection just isn’t there anymore.

Volk and Blue Coat are hitting a rough patch.

But there’s hope. Here are tips on how to revive the relationship, and restore laptop love.

“Blue Coat is actually a vendor that produces products for network security and Internet content

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION

BY LUCAS SILVA

Volunteer opportunities in the upcoming month Nationwide Tour of March 6 and 7, 12-8 p.m.

Gowns:

Brides Against Breast Cancer hosts bridal shows in support of breast cancer all over the country.

Volunteers under the age of 18 are allowed to volunteer during setup and breakdown.

Volunteers over the age of 18 are also allowed to greet and register future brides, help the brides locate their dress and run other miscellaneous errands.

All purchases will benefit programs for cancer patients and their caregivers.

Male volunteers are also welcomed, especially for setting up and taking down the heavier displays.

Location: St. Andrew's Golf Club 11099 W. 135th St Overland Park, KS 66221 Sign-up to volunteer: http://bit.ly/1zg5wl2

08

news | Feb. 27, 2015

Fun and Fitness with Friends: Jan. 24 – March 28, every Saturday, 1-5 p.m.

This program is designed for children and teenagers with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) or any other developmental special needs. Volunteers are needed to pair up with a child or teen every Saturday for 10 weeks. Activities include sports, dance, educational and art activities.

All volunteers must be 16 or older.

Location: 1205 Kansas City Road Olathe, KS 6606 Sign-up to volunteer: http://bit.ly/1tH64iM

Time to get involved Shawnee Community Services:

Contact Sylvia or Marlisa (913) 268-7746 Request an interview Monday or Tuesday between 2 and 3 p.m.

Monday - Sunday

If your relationship with Blue Coat is struggling, here’s what you can do + by josh sherfy filtering, among other things,” SMSD Executive Manager of Information and Communications Technologies Drew Lane said. “The school district is required by federal and state law to apply content filtering to Internet connections accessed by our students.”

Blue Coat, like any partner in a relationship, will change.

For Volk and many other students, this difference was first noticed shortly after Winter Break. However, this disconnection cannot be credited to SMSD and its tech services. “[SMSD is] not precisely sure what changed over break,” Lane said.

“That’s proprietary knowledge that belongs to Blue Coat.”

In any solid relationship, trust is key. Blue Coat changed something, though nobody outside the vendor can pinpoint what the problem is.

Just when it seemed that the relationship was over, librarian Carolyn Lafever suggested one last strategy — take a brief break from each other.

“Shut the computer down. Do not reboot or restart. Shut it all the way down. Think positive thoughts,” LaFever said. “Praise it. And pray.”

Never fear. The district has its own technology cupids, ready to revive the relationship. Students having issues should report the problem to the library tech office. If necessary, a request for laptop maintenance will be made to the district.

Lane is confident that the issues will begin to resolve themselves, but could appear again.

“While we are confident that we have the issues from Winter Break cleared up at this time, we’re always watching for additional problems that might crop up,” Lane said.

The clock has turned past midnight now. Volk still rests with his laptop propped against his legs working his way through the last slides of notes, knowing the worst is behind him. He and Blue Coat have discovered a real connection, and their relationship has found its footing — for now.

F

rom building ramps to address accessibility needs to adventuring Guatemala to baking cookies to packaging diapers for low-income families, Northwest students have done it all.

In the next month, there are several volunteer opportunities for students to give back to their community. Below are just a few. + BY DEENA ESSA

BasketBALL 2015: March 28, 1 p.m. to midnight

Pink Promise Brunch: April 18, 8:15 a.m. – 2 p.m.

The National Parkinson Foundation Heartland will hold their annual fundraising gala during the Elite 8 Games. In addition to the viewing of the Final Four basketball games, a silent auction will be held and food and drinks will be served. Any funds raised will benefit NPF Heartland.

Volunteers are needed to help with event logistics.

Location 1401 Grand Boulevard, Kansas City, MO 64106 Sign-up to volunteer http://bit.ly/1HtYhLC

Susan G. Komen Kansas City is holding their annual survivor recognition event to honor the individuals and organizations helping in the fight against breast cancer.

Volunteers are needed for event planning and logistics.

Location: Overland Park Convention Center 6000 College Boulevard Overland Park, KS 66209 Sign-up to volunteer: http://bit.ly/1tH9li9

Key Club:

President: Anna Benoit Meets every other Friday at 7:10 in the library.

Interact Club:

President: Clara Davison Meets on the first Wednesday of every month at 7:10 in room 210.

Habitat for Humanity:

Contact Joe Carignan at Joe@ HeartlandHabitat.org or (913) 342-3047 Apply online at http://bit.ly/1D6Eldz

YMCA Kansas City:

Contact at Volunteering@ KansasCityYMCA.org

You voted and your 2015 sweetheart king and queen were crowned at WPA + by Tess Holcom

A

t the Feb. 19 WPA assembly, 20 nominees walked down the gym paired up and arm-in-arm, except for senior Deena Essa – the first nominee to ever walk alone at Northwest.

“It’s cool because [Spirit Club] made so many exceptions to the rules to fit the way I live my life according to my religion,” Essa said. “I think it speaks more about the faculty and the students then it does about me. It’s not about my popularity or personality, it’s about the students’ acceptance.”

During halftime at the boys’ varsity basketball game against SM West, the crowd fell silent with excitement.

“Your 2014-2015 Sweetheart Queen

is… senior Deena Essa.”

The bleachers erupted in cheers and claps from the student body and parents. ‘Deena, Deena, Deena’ began to echo through the gym as Essa was congratulated by friends and parents.

Standing on either side of Essa were first runner-up Tatum Graves and second runner-up Brooklyn Wagler.

The following evening at the WPA dance, the student body listened eagerly to hear the announcement of Sweetheart King.

“Your 2014-2015 Sweetheart King is… Zach St. Clair.”

St. Clair found and hugged his sister, and was guided by junior Megan Dunn to the front of the gym.

Senior Savannah Taylor laughs with seniors Julie Branson and Heather Chaltas during the Cougar Fight song at the WPA assembly.

PHOTO BY BRYCE REX Senior Sam Adams talks along with fellow senior swim team members in the main gym during the WPA assembly on Feb 19.

PHOTO BY BRYCE REX

Freshman Madelyn St. Clair links the arm of her brother, senior Dylan St. Claire, as he is crowned the 2015 Sweetheart King.

PHOTO BY KEVIN THOMPSON

Seniors Kiana Schultz and Sam Adams walk down the court together. Adams was crowned first runner up. PHOTO

BY KRISTI SENG

Seniors Richard Rodriguez and Jordan Cobler walk down the court during the WPA assembly. PHOTO

BY KRISTI SENG

Both in tennis shoes, Seniors Riley Wood and Brooklyn Wagler walk in-between the Cougar Classics.

Wood and Wagler were both nominated

by KUGR. PHOTO BY KRISTI SENG

Senior Roan McAnerney walks alone down the court during the WPA assembly.

PHOTO BY LAUREN EDWARDS

Arm in arm, Senior Graham Wood walks with fellow senior Nikki Metz.

"I couldn't keep from smiling," Metz said. PHOTO

BY KRISTI SENG

Seniors Jackie Ball and Jordan Absher smile as they walk together. Ball and Absher were both nominated by journalism. PHOTO

BY KRISTI SENG

Seniors Megan Glenn and Nate Henderson walk down the court together. “Becoming closer to everyone on court would have to be the best part.”

Glenn said. PHOTO

BY LAUREN EDWARDS

Senior Deena Essa walks down the court at the WPA assembly.

The following Friday Essa was crowned Queen of Courts. PHOTO

BY KRISTI SENG

Seniors Tatum Graves is escourted by senior Mitchell Hodson as they walk down the court at the WPA assembly. PHOTO

BY KRISTI SENG

Seniors Carrie Mulder and Zach St. Clair walk down the court together.

St. Clair won Big Man on Campus.

PHOTO BY LAUREN EDWARDS

2015 WPA court candidates

Seniors Daniel Wood and Carley Olsen walk in-between the Cougar Classics while being announced for WPA Court.

PHOTO BY LAUREN EDWARDS

NW passage | news

09

SUPPORT SMNW AFTER PROM & SMNW BAND

www.OffToAnylandTravel.com Planning a family getaway, graduation trip or other vacation? Let local travel agancy Off To Anyland, a fee free vacation planning company, help you with your plans.

Mention this ad and Off to Anyland Travel (an affilliate of Magic Mouse Travel) will donate $50 to your choice of SMNW Band or SMNW After Prom when you book and deposit a trip [3 night minimum] for travel through December 2015 Please contact: info@OffToAnylandTravel.com or call 913-708-3769 and ask for Maralee Striker.

tune I

Freshman Isiah Coleman puts together a belt in the robotics room on Feb 2.

PHOTO BY NICK KAHTAVA Sophomores Mike senior and Trent Mchenry put together a robot along with freshman Ben Bazzle on feb, 2 in the robotics room. This years robot was named Guillotine by senior Luke Hansen.

Guillotine’s sole purpose is to stack items on top of each other.

PHOTO BY NICK KAHTAVA

Freshman Devin Keeney programs a controller in room G for Robotics Club. The robot will be displayed during the Prom Assembly.

PHOTO BY NICK KAHTAVA

n a dusty workshop, a myriad of students wearing clear goggles mill around, talking and working with one another. The frame of what in a few months’ time will be a fully-functional robot remains the centerpiece. Freshman Ben Basel files away at a vertical beam – tedious but important work to ensure that the pieces of the robot remain functional.

Outside, in a classroom, several students sit and chat on computers, typing and working away at their semester-long project.

This is Robotics, and this year, they plan on going places.

Every year, the Robotics team’s main goal is to design and create a robot programmed to perform a specific task. This year’s robot will pick up and move recycling totes.

The design for the robot has been finalized. Hedrich said that the concept of the robot was easier for students to wrap their head around than last year’s robot.

“A long term goal is that the team will develop better skills concerning time management and deadlines,” Hedrich said.

Hedrich stressed the importance of the programmers. Another goal is to make sure that the drivers have enough time to practice driving the robot.

“It doesn’t matter how good a robot you have. It can be an amazing robot,

Robotics is well on its way to reaching its goal for this year but if no one can drive it, then it’s worthless,” Hedrich said.

With the builders’ job nearly done, the programmers have begun their work on the robot as well.

“We basically tell the robot to do certain actions,” Senior programmer Denzel Richmond said. “For example, we tell the robot that when we move the joystick forward, it’s supposed to drive forward.”

This year’s team comprises more underclassmen than usual.

“You have to teach a lot,” Robotics Captain Courtney Hedrick said. “You have to go through all the safety [measures] and make sure that they understand things.”

Despite their lack of experience, the underclassmen seem to have taken to Robotics with gusto. “[My goal for this year] is just to contribute,” Basel said. “I don’t want to just be on the sidelines doing one or two things; I want to add something to the robot and be important.”

The team has nearly completed construction of the robot and will be presenting it at the Kansas City Regionals on March 12-14.

The total cost of entering the competition is $5,000. Almost $2,500 is spent on a robotics kit that contains all the pieces and programming aspects that Robotics needs to succeed. The other half is used as an entry fee for the competition.

With a little over a month left before their first competition, the Robotics team is hopeful that this year, they’ll be able to make it to finals.

+ by SAM ATHEY

THE R OL ES OF R OB O TICS TEAM MEMBERS Builders:

Builders, true to their name, put together the components of the robot and make sure that it’s functional. Specific jobs for each builder include applying pneumatics to the robot, figuring out how the robot will fit together and following through with it.

“I help make the entire frame of the robot, figure out how the different mechanical parts of the robot will work, how the forklift will manage to get up and down, and just following through with that,” freshman builder Ben Basel said.

Programmers:

Programmers tell the robot to perform certain actions.

Using an Integrated Development Environment, or IDE, they input codes. The IDE that Robotics uses is known as Eclipse. They input the commands using a programming language known as C++, which programmer Denzel Richmond described as being the “template for programming.”

NW passage | features

11

home

sweet home

Black Dog Coffeehouse, a popular spot among students, rapidly expands its horizons

T

o her right an empty stage, to her left a group of students on a couch, junior Elise Dorsey found a comfortable seat in her favorite spot in Black Dog Coffee House, the small book nook in the rear of the shop. She set down her laptop and backpack before heading to the counter to order her usual; a specialty brew called “Snickers” containing chocolate, caramel and hazelnut syrups.

“It’s just so relaxing and a comfortable place to talk with friends or get work done,” Dorsey said. “It’s just so chill.”

A year and a half ago, current owner Carole Matsch bought Black Dog Coffeehouse on 87th Street Parkway in Lenexa. She started on her project with one main goal in mind; to remodel the space and create a welcoming, unique environment for all ages to enjoy entertainment, beverages and the company of one another.

“I had to make it feel like home.

I wanted to make it feel like how I would want to feel at home; cozy and comfortable,” Matsch said.

Matsch had been looking for a place to devote her time after two of her children had left home.

“My husband came home one day and said that there was a coffee shop for sale, and I love people, and I love to bake, so I went for it,” Matsch said. “I didn’t know anything about business, so I had to learn, but the baristas helped me out a lot with that. I couldn’t have done this without them.”

As Matsch rapidly remodeled and revamped Black Dog Coffeehouse, her son Chris was finding out about a popular food trend in California; gourmet toast. He decided to try his hand at making bread and gourmet toast out of organic ingredients.

He then tried selling his bread and toast at his mother’s coffee shop and found that it was very popular. Thus, Ibis Bakery was born.

In late 2014, after selling at Black Dog and several local farmer’s markets, Ibis Bakery opened a retail space adjacent to Black Dog. “It’s rapidly growing and evolving.

They are always coming up with new ideas, so I think it’s done very well,” Matsch said.

In addition to Ibis Bakery, Messenger Coffee, another separate company, formed because of Black Dog. After Matsch’s sons got interested in coffee, they paired with their roaster and coffee “guru” to create the coffee roasting company that supplies coffee for Black Dog and now has four coffee shops of its own.

The three companies, Black Dog Coffeehouse, Ibis Bakery and Messenger Coffee are headed by entrepreneurs under the age of 30, but it all started with Matsch.

She constantly looks for new ways to let the community to be apart of Black Dog by hosting musical performances on Saturday nights as well as allowing local artists to display their artwork in the shop.

Matsch has big plans for the future of Black Dog, and the other companies are rapidly expanding as well.

“I love it,” Matsch said. “I love the business, the baristas are friendly, and so many different opportunities have opened up from it.”

+ BY Rebecca carroll

“I don’t really know how to describe it,” sophomore Black Dog Coffeehouse performer Hope Medis said. “I just get up on stage and perform because it’s where I feel happiest.”

Medis auditioned for Black Dog owner Carole Matsch in FIND THIS OUT and has performed at their Saturday performance nights several times since.

She had been looking for a place to perform her music, and Black Dog was available and looking for eager performers.

“We don’t sell alcohol, so we encourage young people to come on Saturday nights, especially when we have performances,” Matsch said. “It’s safe, and that’s important nowadays.”

Medis and other performers bring their unique music styles for Black Dog customers to enjoy.

More information regarding upcoming performances can be found at Black Dog Coffeehouse or at http://www. bdcoffeehouse.com/events/.

12

PHOTO BY JORDAN ABSHER

features | Feb. 27, 2015

All in a

Students take steps to promote positive self-image and equality at home and abroad

R

EbeL and Girl Effect give students an opportunity to empower themselves and others inside and outside of school. Both clubs have a wide variety of events highlighting different aspects of empowerment and equality for men and women; this may not include a speech at the Grammy’s, but the efforts these clubs are making have made strides at NW. Through international empowerment and more localized positivity, these NW clubs give the student body a platform from which to promote positivity and equality.

+ BY REBECCA CARROLL / continued on next page

NW passage | features

13

PHOTO BY BRYCE REX

Students take steps to promote positive self-image and equality at home and abroad

#whiteboard wednesday

what do you love about yourself?

14

features | Feb. 27, 2015

ALL IN A

Friday

7:00 a.m.

“The main goal is to change the world and make an impact on the lives of women. Not only in this country, but around the world.”

— Girl Effect event manager Iman Ghasempour

Friday

2:40 p.m.

“People at school don’t always look at themselves or others in a positive way. REbeL will help the school become a positive environment by influencing people to care about themselves and others.”

— REBEL member ally smith

Room 204 was filled with students. Some sought help from the teachers before school, but the back right corner was occupied by its usual, excited Friday morning inhabitants: members of Girl Effect.

“The main goal is to change the world and make an impact on the lives of women,” Girl Effect event manager Iman Ghasempour said. “Not only in this country, but around the world.”

This international organization reaches out to adolescent girls to end poverty for women at home and internationally.

The global organization targets girls in third world countries and strives to help them reach their full potential on

educational and social fronts.

The NW chapter of Girl Effect focuses on educating the school’s population on the ways that underprivileged women across the world can be assisted in finishing school and relieving themselves of harmful and restricting social burdens as, in many cultures, women are thrown into condescending roles.

Girl Effect president Sophie Flores helped members do their part in planning upcoming events.

“One of my main goals is to help students realize that a difference starts with one person,” Girl Effect member Maddie Munsey said. “No matter how young or old, big or small, one person can help inspire others to help too.”

“Come on in, everyone,” REbeL sponsor Beth Jantsch said as students milled into the FL. Co-presidents Katie Born and Rebecca Carroll greeted REbeL program director and dietitian Jessica Betts, a weekly meeting attendee and provider of leadership guidance.

Students filled the room with their chatter and Friday excitement.

Created in the Blue Valley School District, REbeL is a constantly growing organization geared towards empowering young people to have a positive image of themselves while learning to become peer-educators encouraging others to do the same.

“I hope that the club will expand as the years go on,” Born said. “People have

already positively responded to the meetings and the messages so well.”

Sophomore club representative Natalia Kidder turned on the projector to start the week’s video.

Each week’s meeting has a topic, in-meeting activity and “action plan” centering around positive self-image and self-love. The club also participates in REbeL events like Whiteboard Wednesday, Compliment Cookie Day and the Walk to REbeL. “People at school don’t always look at themselves or others in a positive way,” sophomore REbel member Ally Smith said. “REbeL will help the school become a positive environment by influencing people to care about themselves and others.”

Girl Effect Goals According to the Girl Effect International Organization, there are five goals that they aim to achieve: adolescent girls, stop trafficking Goal One: Education Ensure all girls transition and exploitation of young girls to and complete secondary through law enforcement. education, ensure all girls achieve recognized and measurable learning standards, eliminate all forms of harassment from schools worldwide.

Goal Two: Health

Reduce number of girls who become pregnant before age 18 by 2030, provide necessary access to youth-friendly health services, put an end to harmful traditional practices including female genital mutilation.

Goal Three: Safety

Prevent and eliminate all forms of violence against girls, ensure all states have mechanisms to report and sexual violence against

Goal Four: Economic Security

Increase girls’ savings and access to financial services by 50 percent by 2030, ensure all girls have the opportunity to become financially literate, reform laws so girls can open bank accounts and have equal rights to secure land tenure.

Goal Five: Citizenship

Eliminate child marriage globally by 2030, ensure all girls have access to free and universal legal identity, collect and disaggregate data collected by age and sex, ensure that all girls have a say in important decisions that will affect their lives.

REbeL vocabulary REbeL uses many of terms that are specific to the organization:

Action Plan: A plan formulated at the end of each meeting that

centers around that week’s lesson. This plan is how the members of REbeL can educate their peers about the week’s lesson.

Peer Educator: A member of REbeL who educates themselves on a topic and thus educates their peers and encourages them to promote positivity.

Whiteboard Wednesday: One Wednesday each month where students can write one thing they love about their personality or appearance on a whiteboard at the station set up in the mall.

Participants in Whiteboard Wednesday are encouraged to post a picture of themselves holding their whiteboards on social media with the hashtag #whiteboardwednesday.

Compliment Cookies:

Compliment Cookies are cookies placed in a bag with an encouraging label made by the members of REbeL. These cookies will be handed out for free in the mall during lunch at soon to be determined dates.

Walk to REbel: The Walk to REbel is a three mile walk starting at Blue Valley Northwest High School held on May 9th. The walk is for all REbeL members and includes many different activities to inspire people to start their own “REbeLution.”

To find out more about these national organizations, go to http://re-bel.org/ and http://www.girleffect.org/

NW passage | features

15

meet the

makers:

Here is what the members of REbeL and Girl Effect have to say about their causes

PHOTO BY BRYCE REX

“I came to Girl Effect and I was actually very surprised on how open they were to letting me do things and letting me take matters into my own hands. They really gave me the freedom to take initiative by myself and manage my own events as a freshman.”

— freshman Aletha Flores “Being teenage girls, we all feel insecure, but REbeL and all of it’s activities help people feel confident and love themselves.”

— freshman Hadley Sayers

“A common misconception is that it’s for girls, and it’s not. It’s about the impact of empowering women worldwide. And how young girls’ lives are affected globally, especially ones who are in developing countries who don’t have the same opportunities that we get. So a guy can join it; if you’re about gender equality, then I’d say join.”

— junior Iman Ghasempour

— freshman Madelyn St. Clair — freshman Hadley Sayers

— sophomore Sara Babcock

16

features | Feb. 27, 2015

— freshman Aletha Flores

— junior Iman Ghasempour

“I come to RE believe that it teach people t about their in viewing them ligh

— junior K

“REbeL is so im by the message be confident in empowerin

— freshman M

EbeL because I is important to to be confident nsecurities by m in a positive ht.”

Kelsey Nagel

mportant to me it send across to n yourself while ng others.”

“Personally, I would like to love myself more and just be happier with who I am.

As for the club, I would love to see people compliment themselves more often and not put themselves down so much.”

“Girl Effect has given me a different outlook on people; I realize that they might just be having a bad day. It has also made me feel more involved in the school and has given me something to hold on to.”

“If we are going to do equality, we have to do it right. It doesn’t make sense to advocate for equality based on the very thing being discriminated against.

People should just treat each other nicely because they’re people. Race, religion, and gender have nothing to do with it. If you breathe and have a heartbeat, you deserve respect and that’s it.”

— sophomore Sara Babcock

— senior Audrey Gleason

— freshman Jennifer Silva

Madelyn St. Clair

“I think the breakfast was really cool, the way that a lot of people came out and watched the Girl Effect video. I think a lot of people were touched by what they saw and they wanted to make an impact.”

— junior Colleen Freeman “I think it’s incredibly important for women to realize their beauty and take pride in themselves.

The hashtag #20beautifulwomen is so important because it celebrates the empowerment of other women by other women.”

— senior Maddie Grimes

— junior Kelsey Nagel

— senior Maddie Grimes — junior Colleen Freeman

— senior Audrey Gleason

— freshman Jennifer Silva

NW passage | features

17

®

Serving Smoothies, Supplements, Vitamins, and Healthy Snacks

FREE Buy One Get One

Buy One Get One

2nd Smoothie must be of equal or lesser value

Terry Langton

copyright 2014 Smoothie King Franchises, Inc. Valid only at participating locations. Must surrender original coupon to receive offer. Limit one per person. Not valid with any other offers. No cash value. Sales tax extra. Offer expires March 30, 2015

(2nd Smoothie must be of equal or lesser value.)

Owner/Operator

©2014 Smoothie King Franchises, Inc. Valid only at participating Smoothie King#12244 - Shawnee, KS 66216 locations. Must surrender original coupon to receive offer . Limit one per

person. Not valid other offers. No cash value. Sales tax extra.

913-268-5464 //with any Mobile: 913-660-6600 09/14/2014.

T e r r y L@ SOffermexpires o oOctober t h 15,i e2014K i n g S h a w n e e . c o m Inspire people to live a healthy & active lifetyle

W 62nd Terrace

Quivira Rd

Smoothie King #1244 12106-B Shawnee Mission Pkwy Shawnee, KS 66216 Family Friendly Phone: 913-268-KING (5464)

Le Peep Restaurant

Le Breakfast, Le Brunch, Le Lunch

Taco Tuesday and Thursdays Smoothie King#1244-Shawnee Gameday spot Shawnee Mission Pkwy

W 63rd St

Halsey St

Monday - Friday 7:00am - 9:00pm

7936 Quivira Rd, Lenexa KS 913-492-6644

913-549-4156

Hours:

13410 W. 62nd Saturdays 9:00amTer. - 9:00pm Shawnee 66212 SundaysKS 11:00am - 7:00pm

Monday - Friday: 6:30 AM - 2:00 PM Weekends: 7:00 AM - 2:30 PM

BUY ONE SANDWHICH GET ONE SANDWHICH FREE

lepeepkc.com

EXPIRES July 10, 2015

Al Hinman OWNER

Are you Are you

?

WAIT LISTED

Haven’t ordered a yearbook yet?

You could still get one, but you need to

Act Fast!

Only 30 books are still available.

Email susanmassy@smsd.org with your name, year in school, an email address address and cell phone number. She will send a confirmation email and let you know where you are on the list along with instructions on how and when you will pay for the book.

PHOTO BY CARLEIGH WHITMAN

Something fr om Seniors Isaac Coleman and Duncan Walter’s games are now making an appearance in online stores

“We

both like games,” senior Duncan Walter said. “One day Isaac just said we should start making video games and so we did.”

Seniors Duncan Walter and Isaac Coleman have been creating video games since their sophomore year. “[We came up with the idea] in math class,” Walter said. “I would talk to Isaac about games and we both loved them. It took one of us finally saying ‘Oh anyone can make a game right?’”

Walter looked over at Coleman and laughed.

“Those were the days,” Coleman said.

“The next week I came up with the idea for a game, made a design document and showed it to Duncan. He somehow agreed and we kept doing it.”

This idea soon became Grumbles: Out of Time! A time-traveling action platformer with vehicle sections, gunplay, stealth and a story that references classic ‘80s action movies like Die Hard or Escape from L.A. Coleman’s interest in video games was sparked by the PC game Doom.

“My favorite part of video games is [that] they tell a story and involve you in the story,” Coleman said. “If you’re reading a book, this

character does stuff. If you are watching [an action] movie, you are watching Brad Pitt.

When you are playing a videogame, you are doing the action, it gets to tell stories in a much more interesting way. [I like] making a world that players can inhabit and get to explore.”

The process of making a video game can take two years. The initial idea is formed and created on a Google doc. Coleman and Walter then decide what genre the game will fit into and design the early stages of it. When it comes to designing and programming the game, each designer has a specific job.

“I am the numbers guy. [Programming] multiple paths is hard for a story that works cohesively, but it is also hard to make a game that is immersive and for the players to make a choice [in the game world],” Walter said.

But this is the last year Coleman and Walter will be able to work together. They are going to different colleges.

“The most fun aspect of this is the little sessions we will have in our room,” Coleman said. “[I like that we have] two completely different mindsets and two completely different ideas and [we see] them come together.”

+ By Keegan Dolinar

Check out these games by Isaac Coleman and Duncan Walters

the process

1) The process of making a video game starts with an idea.

2) The idea is then put on to a google document and fully fleshed out.

3) After that, the creator makes decisions on the mechanics of game, what is going to happen in game and what kind of game it is going to be.

4) Then on a design doc, the ideas are fully implemented.

5) The game is then tested endless times and different tweaks are made.

6) Then it is released to the public.

NW passage | features

19

PHOTOS BY TARYN SMITH

furry Adopting a dog invites you struggle with everything you own being chewed on, but also receiving love to add to your entire household + by cadie elder

C

hihuahuas, Scottish terriers and Lhasa Poos jump and bark in their kennels anxiously waiting for a visitor to become a familiar face.

“I’ve had third and fourth generations come in and say, ‘My grandparents bought dogs from here!’” Pet Stop owner Greg Smith said.

This family-owned store has slowly become known as “Kansas City’s Indoor Zoo Store.” Upon walking in, Frankie, the capuchin monkey, is the first to say hello. While the puppies yip and yap to grab your attention, reptiles, birds, fish, chinchillas and many other animals are roaming in the back. What many people keep coming back for is a new addition to the family, a man’s best friend.

“The beauty of getting a young puppy is you can train them however you want,” Smith said. “We seldom have old dogs. We buy them at 8 weeks and usually sell them by 13.”

Heather Brzon, an employee at Unleashed Pet Rescue, also works with dogs everyday. Specifically, she rescues dogs from kill shelters, when their owners surrender or if they are picked up by animal control.

“On average, we have five to 15 people a day coming in to adopt,” Brzon said. “Our best week was 105 [pets adopted]].”

Puppies at Pet Stop are pure breeds or a mixture of the two. A Lhasa Poo is a mixture between a Lhasa Apso and a Poodle, which usually they range from $600 to $900. On the other hand, Unleashed is a non-profit shelter led by donations, adopters and fosters.

Fostering is very common. Two hundred dogs are currently fostered

while 100 of all ages and breeds are on site.

“Getting a young animal that you can socialize with and [who] grows up in your family is a huge difference,” Smith said. “It’s easier than taking a dog that hasn’t been trained, or has already created some bad habits that you will have to work with."

Both Pet Stop and Unleashed have never put a dog down, and Unleashed has kept a dog as long as three years before being adopted. Both Pet Stop and Unleashed microchip their dogs and keep them up-to-date on vaccinations, while Unleashed specifically spays and neuters their animals.

“A lot of times pet stores will buy the cutest little puppies out there, but the parents that had those puppies live in horrible conditions," Brzon said.

Two dogs stay in one small room with food and bedding, unlike pet stores where dogs are kept in smaller kennels. Unleashed is not a walkthrough facility. It is set up this way because there are four play yards the dogs are rotated in daily. Brzon said that it would create chaos in the halls with dogs and people walking through.

“I would honestly rather have a dog that I have rescued and saved its life,” Brzon said.

The walls of Unleashed are splattered with bright colors. A few wandering dogs lick your hands as you enter or sit comfortably behind the desk. The sound of barking dogs plays on repeat from the beginning of the day till the end.

IS MY DOG A ROBOT? What it means to have your pet microchipped:

M

icrochips are very common, found not only in dogs at pet stores but animal shelters as well. It is a quick procedure your dog would recognize as any other vaccination. The importance is that it creates a permanent identity.

If your dog is lost and animal control picks them up by law they are required to use a microchip scanner to see if the dog does have a microchip. The

20

features | Feb. 27, 2015

chips are placed above the dog’s shoulder blades, an area of loose skin.

This is not like a GPS or other tracking devices. The microchip scanner recognizes radio frequencies. Each chip has an ID number registered with the owner. This is to ensure if lost, your dog can be returned to you efficiently.

EVEN IN 2015, SLAVERY REMAINS AN ISSUE + BY PAIGE EICHKORN / CADIE ELDER PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY ADDISON SHERMAN

NW passage | features

21

A MODERN WORLD IN CHAINS:

In the halls and classrooms today, students wear red x’s on their hands

I

“One human being should never be allowed to own another human being... We speak for those who are oppressed, with no voice, no light, and no hope.”

-End It Movement Every three minutes a minor The most common labor trafficking venues of exploitation were in the U.S. will experience sexual agriculture, hospitality, domestic service in private residences, exploitation. – construction, and restaurants. – U.S Department of Health and 2014 research report by the Urban Human Services Institute and Northern University 35.8 million is the estimated number of people in slavery today. – 2014 Global Slavery Index

“One of the root causes of human trafficking is inequality. Inequality creates vulnerability,” Martellaro said. “Why is there inequality? Why is there global inequality? Why are people in really, really poor countries taking such huge risks to try and make it to a country where they might have a better economic situation? That’s why there’s human trafficking: because there’s huge global inequalities.”

“You don’t have to be a part of an organization,” Godke said.

“A lot of people ask me like ‘What organization are you doing this through?’ I’m doing this by myself. Create your own community, get people out there, send them the link to the End It movement and show them the process. I was told what to do and I did it and I am making a little impact.”

n the halls and classrooms today, students wear red Xs on their hands in an attempt to increase awareness of human slavery. This mark is being promoted by the End It movement, an organization which raises money for human trafficking victims.

“To give someone freedom, be it physical or spiritual, is a huge thing for us,” Club 121 leader Adam Schnacker said. “Just to show support for those [people in slavery] that cannot necessarily show support for themselves.”

Schnacker is one of approximately 30 members of Club 121, a NW Christian fellowship group, who meet in the Little Theatre every Thursday morning. Schnacker said that they do not focus on the End It movement year round but only in the weeks prior to Feb. 27.

“Until last year I did not really understand that there was slavery still in the world, and I think that is common,” Schnacker said. “We are so sheltered from what is going on on the other side of the world. I think if people knew, they would be a lot more willing to do something about it.”

In 2014, the Global Slavery Index estimated that 35.8 million people were being held in modern slavery. Modern slavery is defined by the U.S. Department of State as conduct involved in reducing or holding someone in compelled service. It is a hidden crime and can take many forms including human trafficking, forced labor, sex trafficking, bonded labor and involuntary domestic servitude.

Although most Americans associate slavery with the American South and are under the

Senior Hannah Hannah White White sits in a crowd Senior of 20,000 Christian college students from around the world, Senior Hannah White sits in a crowd of 20,000 Christian high school seniors and college students from around the world who all share one thing: a passion for Jesus and the desire to end slavery.

“Being there [helped me] fully understand how many people are in slavery, even in the U.S.,” White said. “It really hit me. This isn’t something that’s going to go away until we make it go away. I knew I had to be a part of it.”

White first heard of the End It movement from her youth pastor, Brian Richardson, at the Lenexa Baptist church. His interest in the topic led her to the annual Passion conference held

= 100,000 people

22

features | Feb. 27, 2015

impression that it died with the Union victory during the Civil War, it is still a problem. A 2014 report by the Urban Institute focused on sex trafficking in eight cities, one of which was Kansas City.

“To me, we need to get up and do something,” Club 121 leader Daniel Messick said. “Start where you can, and you can definitely start here in Kansas City. People need to know they are loved and they need to know there is a way out and they need to know that there is hope.”

The End It movement encourages people to create teams of 27 members including friends, family and co-workers. Members are asked to donate $7 each. The End It movement also receives donations from 16 other different organizations working to reach individuals in slavery.

Messick said the first step to “end it” is spreading awareness. Sarah Godke, 2014 alumnus, has been spreading awareness daily — from wearing the End It movement bracelets to drawing a red X on her hand every day.

Godke organized a team of people on Facebook, encouraging peers at the University of Missouri to donate money to the End It movement.

“I decided on my own that I would change all my social media to advocate the End It movement,” Godke said. “I feel [human slavery] is a thing that not a lot of people are willing to talk about because it’s hidden. People say ‘Oh that doesn’t really happen,’ but it does. It happens in the U.S. and it happens in our world at all times.”

in Georgia and Houston. Louie Giglio, pastor of Passion City Church, launched the End It movement at a Passion conference in 2013; however, the End It movement is separate from Passion, and not meant to promote Passion’s Christian message.

“The End It movement is student led,” White said. “Once you join the End It movement, you go online and start your own team of 27 people.

All those 27 people donate $7, and they start their own team of 27 people. That is how it spreads and how they [the End It movement] raise money. You do it all yourself, you raise awareness.”

According to the Global Slavery Index, there are an estimated 35.8 million

Linderer... worked to bring the [alumni ali]Meeks and Alex Linderer awareness to the “horrific aspect” of what Kony was doing.

In 2008, a red X was on T-shirts, around schools and on bedroom walls. Although End It’s logo is also the red X, in 2008 it stood for the Invisible Children in Uganda, or the children who were “crossed out.”

Joseph Kony, leader of the LRA (Lord’s Resistance Army), abducted children and turned them into sex slaves and child soldiers. According to the Invisible Children website, he was a self appointed “messiah”, who kidnapped over 30,000 children.

“The news never covered it,” alumnus Ali Meeks said. “To people in America, it wasn’t a big deal.”

2009 graduates Meeks and Alex Linderer, former leaders of Coalition, worked to bring the awareness to the “horrific aspect” of what Kony was doing. Outside Hy-Vee, approximately 100 students met at 6 a.m. on an October morning to walk to school on behalf of the children in Uganda. Students carried posters to raise awareness of Kony’s

crimes, in response, many onlookers honked.

“We walked because [the children] had to walk,” Meeks said. “It was a great way to bring visibility to what was going on in Africa. Children were being forced to fight for things that they did not believe in.”

Since the Juba Peace Talks, which tried to put an end to the LRA, Kony has been in and out of hiding, supposedly in an area where African Union-led forces cannot go.

alumni Angela Martellaro became interested in helping refugees in the U.S. While studying in Thailand and seeing the persecuted and impoverished, 2006 alumni Angela Martellaro became interested in helping refugees in the U.S. In summer 2009, Martellaro was in Thailand taking courses at Payap University through the International Partnership for Service Learning. Here Martellaro was able to see that she wanted to spend her days helping victims of forced labor, homelessness and ethnic persecution.

Before she found what she wanted to pursue, Martellaro encountered a girl in her high school desktop publishing class.

She was from Africa, wore a full hijab and spoke little English.

“She was Samali,” Martellaro said. “I sat next to her and I would always help her because she really was behind in the class.

For me it was a piece of cake. I’d been using a computer since fourth grade. But she really struggled in that class. I really didn’t think much of it other than, ‘She’s from Africa and doesn’t speak English that well,’ but now looking back, having worked with Salami refugees it’s like, ‘She was totally a refugee.’ It’s the kind of thing that you don’t even think of as a teenager, because I didn’t learn about these issues then.”

Martellaro has been working with refugees since 2010.

Chief Properties, the real-estate agency where Martellaro works now, helps refugees move into apartments or homes.

“There are two major [refugee] resettlement agencies — one in Kansas, one in Missouri — that resettle hundreds of people every year, set them up in apartments and help them find jobs.”

Martellaro said. “Now I work as a real estate agent and I help refugees buy houses.

It’s this huge [refugee] community that people have no idea exists.”

One particular client had a more serious situation. With no other job to take, this man worked on a fishing boat in the seas around Thailand for about four years, never allowed to leave the boat. Martellaro says the overlap of refugees and human trafficking victims is evident: he wanted work because he wanted to make money, but it became forced labor.

“Victims of human trafficking are individuals,” Martellaro said. “It’s [their enslavement] not necessarily because they’ve come from a protected group of people. Anyone can be human trafficked, but certain populations are more vulnerable.”

What makes people vulnerable? How can we prevent vulnerability and thus, the bigger problems that come of it? Anyone can help persecuted or enslaved people, but it’s more than just raising awareness with a red “X” and donating money.

“Giving money and raising awareness are great things to do, but they’re just ways of putting a bandaid on a problem, not actually solving a problem,” Martellaro said. The problem of human trafficking

is that there is a demand for it. There is a demand for slave labor, and that’s really hard for people to believe. People in the United States — in Kansas City — engage in human trafficking. It is a real thing. Why? Consumers want low prices, people want to buy things, [...] and have it immediately available. There are people out there who want to make money, and this is what happens. There are vulnerable populations, who can be forced into labor.

Challenge students to think about what else they can do besides raise awareness and give money. Think about why these problems happen.”

VOCABULARY Forced Labor: people who work against their will; the most common type of slavery Bonded Labor: people who work against their will; the most common type of slavery Human Trafficking: movement of people for reasons like forced labor or commercial sexual exploitation Domestic Servitude: people stuck in hidden workplaces often believing they have no choice but to stay with their manipulative employer Refugee: a person who belongs to a population that is being persecuted on the basis of race, ethnicity, religion, etc.

Human trafficking victim: a person who is in a movement of people for things like forced labor or commercial sexual exploitation

“Today, and on every other Feb. 27, join the thousands of freedom fighters, and draw a red X on your hand.

This symbolizes the many trapped in brothels, factories, and mines. The women, children, and men who are taken from their homes or off street corners.”

— The End It movement

people living in slavery in today. 80% of trafficking victims are women, 20% men, with 50% being children. There are an estimated 60,100 people trapped in slavery in the United States right now.

NW passage | features

23

Do you want to have your comic featured in the newspaper?

Contact our graphics editor at mitchfeyerherm@ gmail.com to see your comic in print!

Isaac coleman | Spirit of Northwest

MItch Feyerherm | Words & Ink

SUDOKU: HARD 8

Mo gitonga-mbgori | A Roundabout to Nothing

7

2

4

1

5

4

5 5 9 7 8

8 2

8 5

4 entertainment | Feb. 27, 2015

1 3

8 1

24

8

7

9

7 4

1

3

6

5

2

clock tower bakery

Forks

Down

PHOTOS BY LAUREN EDWARDS

tina marie's

Clock Tower Bakery

With excellent food, a great atmosphere and affordable prices, Clock Tower Bakery is an excellent place to visit

+ By Sam Athey

D

espite the name, Clock Tower Bakery is actually about a block from the small clock tower that marks the entrance to the Overland Park Farmer’s Market.

The most surprising first impression is the limited seating space. The kitchen, a large block of the restaurant, is separated by a three-foot-high wall. Behind it, the cooks are clearly visible.

Seating for about 30 people is tucked in an uneven “L,” with high chairs, regular seating and armchairs by the window. A picture of the Thames River is plastered on the wall.

Overall, it is a comfortably cozy establishment, far larger than Tina Marie’s.

I ordered a chocolate croissant and hot chocolate. The croissant was actually not crescent-shaped.

Upon ordering a hot chocolate, I was a bit disappointed that I was handed a package of cocoa and a cup for hot water. I had to fill my cup and mix it myself.

Although the hot chocolate was tasty, it felt odd to be handed a packet of it as opposed to a prepared cup of hot chocolate.

The croissant itself was the best I have ever had. It was simultaneously crispy and soft, with a nice chocolate flavor that mixed nicely with the texture.

The odd interior design catches the eye. Wooden chairs that look like they came from your grandmother’s house surround tables with the British flag painted on them. A foot soldier and a phone booth are painted on the wall. There is much to look at while eating, and I never once felt bored.

Overall, the biggest problem with the restaurant is only that it significantly further than Tina Marie’s. Clock Tower Bakery is approximately ___ minutes from Northwest while Tina Marie’s is only six minutes from school.

Other than that, however, the restaurant and its food are near flawless.

If you want an excellent breakfast and/or lunch meal with an interesting design, great croissant, and don’t mind a bit of a drive, Clock Tower Bakery is an excellent option.

Tina Marie’s

Being only five minutes from Northwest and tasty pastries for a good price, Tina Marie’s is a great place to get some warm treats + By Benjamin Becker

T

ina Marie’s is a lonely bakery on the corner of Johnson drive and Rosehill Road. Some people might confuse it for a garage, but is quite the opposite.

Tina Marie’s sells delicious treats.

From the outside, Tina Marie’s looks small and, once inside, it’s even smaller. Only two tables are crammed in the corner, seating a total of six. It’s easy to tell that this is not a sit-down-and-eat place.

The rest of the interior at Tina Marie’s looks like it could use some updating . With torn linoleum floor, an empty, worndown drink refrigerator, and mismatched, barren food cases, some renovations are definitely needed. However, their main focus is the food.

It is best to go at 7 a.m. when it opens, rather than right before closing when there is little left to choose from. The incredible cinnamon rolls are available all day. If the rest of the food met the standard set by these rolls, I don’t see how Tina Marie’s wouldn’t

be the best bakery in town.

The glazed cinnamon rolls are handcrafted every morning and are melt in your mouth-decadent delights.

Clock Tower’s food is a joke in comparison. Their croissants were bland, the tiramisu is dry and the sausage is too spicy. Everything I tasted was either over or under seasoned.

At Tina Marie’s, the service is almost as good as the food. Even though only one man was visibly working, he did a great job. He was friendly, relaxed and seemed like he genuinely cared . He served the food rapidly and the price was reasonable. The service at Clock Tower, was average and even the smallest treats cost at least $2.50.

Tina Marie’s specialty is accommodation. With a call ahead of time, they will do all they can to make sure you get exactly what you want.

What this shop lacks in interior design, it definitely makes up for with its heavenly cinnamon rolls, service and prices.

Recommended dishes: Chocolate Croissant: $3.25

Cinnamon Rolls: $5.00

“The croissant itself was the best I have ever had. It was simultaneously crispy and soft, with a nice chocolate flavor that mixed nicely with the texture.”

“The glazed cinnamon rolls are handcrafted every morning and are melt in your mouth decadent delights.”

NW passage | entertainment

25

jupiter ascending

PHOTO COURTESY OF CF BROADSTREET

TOP MOVIE BOX OFFICE EARNINGS FEB. 6 WEEKEND

1. Spongebob Movie $55,365,012 2. American Sniper $23,289,113 3. Jupiter Ascending $18,372,372 4. Seventh Son $7,217,640 5. Project Almanac $5,232,672

S

ibling directors Lana and Andy Wachowski fell flat again when Jupiter Ascending was released Feb. 6. Expectations were high from previous films like Speed Racer and Cloud Atlas, sequels to their most successful project, The Matrix. The release date was pushed back from its original July 2014 because of the need to complete complex CGI work. With a budget of $150 million and a profit of only $18 million in the box office, this movie disappointed critics and audiences.

In this futuristic Cinderella story, Jupiter Jones (Mila Kunis), despite her job as a maid, is in line to be queen on a galactic scale. The other members of the royal bloodline, the Abrasax family, seek to take her throne.

KINGSMAN: THE SECRET SERVICE

From the first frames of the movie, I was In spite of these drawbacks, Kunis and Tatum had disappointed when I saw the Computer Generated a chemistry I was not expecting. Kunis as Jupiter Image of the planet Jupiter, the home of the Abrasax remained dominant yet humble when she needed family, which was more like a blurry painting than saving. She was innocently royal and smitten. Tatum a planet. played a reckless Cain and didn’t hesitate to be bold The action scenes of Cain Wise (Channing Tatum) even when he seemed crippled by his love for Jupiter. repeatedly rescuing Jupiter (a damsel in distress) Overall, I expected what I received. Despite from the clutches of malevolent aliens kept DESPITE SOME OCCASIONAL BEGINNER LEVEL CGI, my mind engaged and my eyes on the CGI THE MOVIE WAS ENJOYABLE. characters. As for the script, I found myself lost as to exactly what the royal some occasional beginner level CGI, the movie siblings wanted: Jupiter’s death, her resignation of was enjoyable. The sci-fi action was intense and the throne, her permission to continue to harvest intriguing to my limited understanding of other Earth’s humans so they can have immortality or outer-space worlds. + by paige eichkorn perhaps all three?

PHOTO COURTESY OF WOODPECKERS MEDIA

Kingsman made

$36,206,331

during opening weekend

J

ust in time for Feb. 14 comes a villain named Valentine (Samuel L. Jackson). His plan to solve global warming by eliminating masses of people is clichéd but it still gives viewers a good villain.

Director Matthew Vaughn has done an excellent job of keeping the action moving throughout the entire film. He mixes action and humor well. This Colin Firth gives his usual excellent performance and Taron Egerton proves he can be a convincing actor and spy.

The training of the kingsmen is a brutal competition, but one which trains young men and women in the art of survival, and all of the attributes necessary to be a member of this

26

entertainment | Feb. 27, 2015

elite group. It turns out Gary "Eggsy" Unwin (Taron Egerton) isn't able to complete the very final task, but after fellow recruit Galahad is out of commission, he must join Merlin (Mark Strong) and Roxy (Sophie Cookson), the competition winner, to save the day.

seem like a homage to the action in the Timur Bekmambetov directed action film "Wanted," which is also based on a comic by Mark Millar.

Overall, the acting was great, the action was stellar and the casting was sublime with newcomer Taron

THIS MOVIE KEPT ME FOCUSED ON THE ACTION WITHOUT THROWING AWAY THE STORY, WHICH SEEMS TO BE LACKING FROM MOST MOVIES TODAY. If you just look at the action sequences without thinking too much, they seem dynamic and spectacular. They speed up and slow down in a way that allows you to process everything that's occurring much like the action in "300," but flowing in a unique way. If you dig a little deeper, the action sequences

Egerton. This movie kept me focused on the action without throwing away the story, which seems to be lacking from most movies today. This is great choice if you want to see an R-rated spy movie that stays true its source material.

+ by keegan dolinar

PHOTO COURTESY OF GREAT KOSHER RESTAURANT

PHOTO COURTESY OF PRESSROOM.TARGET

super bowl commercials

T

his year’s Super Bowl was one of the best on the field as the game went down to the wire on a last second interception but the commercials did not live up to the game.

This year Doritos fell behind and Budweiser did a

very predictable animal ad. This left the door open for newcomers which emerged in the best category. These are our top 5 and bottom 5 commercials from the XLIX Super Bowl.

THE BEST

THE WORST

5. Snickers Brady Bunch

5. Coke-cyber bullying

The first entry on my list of the best Super Bowl commercial goes to the Snickers ad featuring Danny Trejo and Steve Buscemi. Snickers used two very different type of actors who each used their own type of comedy in a setting that appealed greatly to a lot of the middle aged viewers. The innocence of the Brady Bunch, the intimidating nature of Trejo and the quirkiness of Buscemi made an overall very enjoyable 30 second ad.

4. Liam Neeson Clash of Clans Liam Neeson is a familiar face to all who know anything about action movies and is one of the best actors out there currently. Seeing such a big name type of guy humble himself in a witty, hilarious commercial makes this Super Bowl ad one to remember.

3. Forever Royal This selection was chosen for my list due to personal preference. This commercial introduced the new slogan for the Kansas City Royals organization in the 2015 season, and after the magic experienced in October any reference to the Royals captivates me.

2. Walter White Esurance Let’s be honest everyone enjoyed this one.

The line where Walter White says drugs but then corrects himself with, “sorry pharmaceuticals” drew an audible fit of laughter from me. This commercial captured the essence of Breaking Bad and added a tablespoon of humor to go with it.

1. Fiat Blue Pill Commercial Fiat takes the Grand Prize. It incorporates humorous innuendos and old slapstick style comedy to make the best ad of the year. It portrayed the adventure of a little blue pill finding its way into the gas tank of a Fiat. The car became bigger signifying that Fiat has improved their cars in size and quality.

+ by calvin lacerte

This ad had a good message but it was not executed right. It showed that Coke could spread love throughout the world. A spilled bottle of Coke on a server could stop hatred on the internet. It made no sense about how it could stop cyberbullying. It had a good message just not for a soft drink company.

4. Nationwide Make Safe Happen This commercial was just depressing . This shows that a kid can not grow up because he dies in an accident. Any commercial where a person dies is sad but it is even more sad when a child dies.

3. Chelsea Handler and Sarah Silverman T-Mobile This ad was the first of two bad ads for T-Mobile.

This one went on and on. It did not have a point and it rambled. It was just plain dumb. They were just trying to be better than the other person but it was just hokey and made no sense to what it was trying to accomplish.

2 . BMW electric car This commercial was not very good because Katie Couric and Bryant Gumbel rambled for the whole time. The ad just went on and on and it wasn’t even funny unless you know the event you were talking about. For my age group not many people knew about that and I did not. Overall a commercial that Katie and Bryant just rambled for the whole commercial and made no sense for a car ad.

1. Kim Kardashian T-Mobile Anything with Kim is bound to be bad and annoying. The commercial showed Kim complaining about people losing their data and not being able to look at her. This was the worst of the night. It was just plain dumb but it has us talking about the ad so that could be a positive for T-Mobile. To waste 4 million on a Kim ad is a crime against humanity.

+ by matthew owens

imagine dragons: smoke + mirrors I

magine Dragons’ sophomore album, Smoke + Mirrors, did not disappoint. The band’s sound changed some, making sure to keep their listeners interested, but did not change enough to let down their audience.

Hits like “Radioactive” and “Demons” from their first album, Night Visions, had a heavier sound, while “On Top of the World” was more upbeat and fun. Smoke + Mirrors manages to use both of those sounds in their album, while still adding several new elements.

The second track on the album, “Gold” adds a Latin influence to the more dramatic, techno sound previously heard in Night Visions. The single “I Bet My Life,” which was released last October, incorporates the more upbeat sound found in their previous album, but adds a sound a little more folk and a little less techno.

Both “Dream” and “Trouble” switch back and forth between a heavy beat, piano and guitar pieces, while “I’m So Sorry” is made up of heavy rock riffs.

My favorite thing about Smoke + Mirrors is that Imagine Dragons managed to keep their unique sound, while still producing something new and different for their audience. They included many strings instruments, adding a very interesting contrast with the heavier pieces. Many songs also included a higher pitch; different from the low, heavy sounds of Night Visions.

If you have previously been a fan of Imagine Dragons, I would recommend this album for you. It adds a new, very fun aspect to an already loved band and a great sound.

+ by grace gorenflo

NW passage | entertainment

27

THE NEW MAN IN THE Domenic Mussat will take over the varsity baseball team this year F or the first time in over 30 years, varsity baseball coach Richard Kuzydym won’t be calling the signals from the dugout after retiring last season.

It instead will be taken over by the new coach Domenic Mussat who will maintain the baseball tradition at Northwest.

“I spent so much time here coaching last 17 seasons,” head varsity baseball coach Mussat said. “I have been with these seniors for a while and helped to build this tradition. This program is something I want to end my career on at Shawnee Mission Northwest.”

Mussat admits that his expectations are different from any other varsity coach. He wants to see the very best from his players this year, especially his returning lettermen.

“The expectations are going to stay high,” Mussat said. “We are going to expect the guys to play well and our ultimate goal would be to win state.”

Head JV coach Josiah Enyart and assistant coach Patrick Whitney like what Mussat is doing this offseason and hope that it will continue throughout the season.

“Coach Mussat brings a youthful vitality to the program,” Enyart, who played for NW while in high school, said. “Kuzydym was a phenomenal coach,

teacher and man, and has given so much to the program. Coach Mussat will be able to use those great traditions and amp them up with his high expectation energy. He’s already added a booster club and made pre-season weight training a big focus. He really wants to create a team bond early.”

Y

ounger kids look up to the baseball athletics, [and] they have to lead with their actions, not just their words.

”

Mussat is helping the team this offseason by having workouts four days a week to prepare the team for the upcoming season.

“They [Kuzydym and Mussat] both seem to stick to the same fundamentals,” senior outfielder Casey Kelly said. “Mussat has taken a more hands on

Strangest thing that has happened on a baseball field:

“

PHOTO BY EMILIE AMUNATIGUI

28

sports | Feb. 27, 2015

The strangest thing that happened [on the baseball field] was in about 1998 out at 3&2 field 7, I was standing their hearing a cracking sound and I happened to look over and a light pole was cracking and actually broke and fell on the field during one of ours games against St Thomas Aquinas.

”

approach during the winter conditioning program.

He’s trying to be more actively involved in the workouts which could easily transfer over to a new dynamic in the season.”

Many of the players have played with him before on JV which will help make it a smooth transition for the team this year into a new era.

“I think he will do an awesome job,” senior pitcher Brandon Gomer. ”All the seniors and juniors have a close relationship with Mussat and things will be a little more relaxed. He had a 34-3 record the last two years and JV. He knows how to win and I believe that will carry over to the varsity level.”

Mussat wants the best out of each player on the field but off the field he especially wants them to become leaders in their communities.

“The leaders, team captains, have all got to be extremely positive role models,” Mussat said.

Mussat believes that whatever the level of baseball is, the game stays the same.

“Baseball no matter where you are at, fall ball, high school ball, club ball, who ever it is. Baseball is baseball and the rules are the same,” Mussat said.

“It’s the players who make the game special.”

+BY MATTHEW OWENS

“

Best pre-game ritual:

Back in the late 90’s I showed up to a game late and my shoes were untied and one guy thought that was an omen that I should always come with my shoes untied. And now I don’t tie my shoes until I get into the dugout.

”

Other pre-game rituals mussat has tried:

“

I tried many [pregame rituals], wearing the same socks if they were lucky, wearing a specific hat before it started and I even tried foods, that I thought would help me out. Whatever I thought would help me out I tried.

”

The young bowling team has found success this year + by matthew owens PHOTO BY ATALIE BLACK

Strike.

Varsity bowler Alaina Burris turned back to the team table, expressionless and stoic.

Burris wasn’t the only one; the young Cougar bowling team did not take time to celebrate strike after strike.

“It’s really fun being on the team, especially as a freshman on varsity,” Burris said. “It’s a great experience bowling with other people that share the same interest as I have.”

The JV boys and girls bowled their way to a victory February 9th at Collage Lanes against SM East, SM North, SM South, SM West.

“Our JV girls are rocking it and they are improving every single time they bowl,” JV coach Debra Brewer said. “Our JV boys are doing fantastic. We have a young JV team and they’re

going to be up and coming in the next couple of years.”

Players enjoy the Baker Bowling Style where multiple players are bowling a game rather than just one, increasing pressure to score.

“It is a lot better to get a strike because the entire team is clapping for you, fist-bumping and high-fiving you,” sophomore Liam Mays said.

Clustered around the scoring table, bowling teammates provide support for each other throughout the tournament.

“It is a lot of fun and the group of kids are great,” freshman Jalen Pak said. “Everyone is going from lane to lane giving [each other] support – it feels good to represent the team when you do well.”

The team’s competed at Mission Bowl January 27-28. The JV continued its win streak and the varsity team placed third.

THE NUMBERS Name Average 168 Josh Patrick 178 Colton Kinsella 174 Jalen Pak 161 Colton Krie 168 Kooper Jones 178 Alaina Burris Desi Jensen 161 142 Shelby Russell 143 Katy Doleshal Abbie Munson 138

Pins 2192 4452 4364 4523 3033 4471 3545 3574 3598 3468

Games 13 25 25 28 18 25 22 25 25 25

Hi Game 215 215 221 224 215 223 201 214 234 185

Hi Series 602 592 636 532 555 585 538 500 522 448

“It was such an accomplished feeling,” Sayers said. “Both JV teams worked together and beat five other schools. I think nearly everyone can agree those weren’t our best lanes; they were very oily and pins weren’t easily hit but we were able to overcome that and still perform.”

The JV girls won at Park Lanes tournament on January 22 , which is Northwest home alley.

“The Park Lanes win was especially great to me because I won the JV girls’ side and my friend came in second so we really dominated,” freshman Hadley Sayers said. “Winning at our home lanes is sort of sacred and something you always want. I was really proud.”

The team traveled to Wichita Jan. 10 for the Bishop Carroll Invitational, the first tournament of the season.

“Wichita is a fun, yet overwhelming experience because there are a lot of good teams that compete,” senior Shelby Russell said.

The teams struggled at the tournament. The boys finished 14th of the 26 teams while girls ended in 20th place.

Coach Marcus Fryatt requires team members to remain in his classroom after school on Fridays to complete homework. He wants the team not only to be great on the lanes, but also to succeed in the classroom.

“We are bound and determined to have the highest GPA of any of the activities at the school,” Fryatt said.

Both coaches not only enjoy teaching the team how to be better bowlers but also how to be better people.

“It’s fun to coach,” Fryatt said. “It’s a whole different group of kids [than those] you work with day to day. They are amazing at what they do. It is very impressive how much these students care, how much effort and time they put in.”

NW passage | sports

29

PHOTO BY BRYCE REX

winter

SPORTS Boys’ swim and dive

5

PHOTO BY BRYCE REX

boys from the varsity cougar swim team headed to Topeka, Kan. on Fri. Feb 20 to compete in the state meet. The only event the team qualified in was the 200 medley relay. seniors Daniel Wood, Mark Hanneman and Sam Adams and sophomore Brandon Harrell all participated in the relay.

“It was awesome that I got to swim with my best friends in state,” Adams said. “And that our relay that we had been trying really

+ by natalia kidder

hard to get in actually made it.”

The team placed 19th out of 24.

This was a pleasant surprise for the boys since they made it to the meet by consideration as opposed to qualification. Their final time for the relay was 1:51.00 “It was a little disappointing that we couldn’t make qualification, we were less than a second away,” Hanneman said. “But we made it to state so how we did it didn’t really matter as much to me.”

PHOTO BY KEVIN THOMPSON

wrestling

+ by emilia battles

“I

t felt great to have so many on our team qualify, but it was also disappointing for the others that didn’t qualify.” senior Zach Newcomb said.

This past weekend the wrestling team competed at regionals to see who would win and advance to the state championships.

Northwest took second overall as a team while they had 10 wrestlers place in the top four and therefore qualify for state.

“From personal experience, as a

30

sports | Feb. 27, 2015

freshman, I didn’t make it to the second day of state so, this year I hope to make it to the second day and maybe come home with a medal around my neck.” sophomore Devonte Smith said.

The whole team has made it a realistic guess that they will have 4-5 wrestlers place, although all the wrestlers have individual goals of winning.

“I would have to say to place at state would be my goal because it would be a great end to this season and my senior year.” senior Adam Vanausdall said.

PHOTO BY MAYA LEE

Boys’ basketball + matthew owens

T

PHOTO BY CARLEIGH WHITMAN

girls’ basketball

s

he varsity basketball team’s struggles continued with three more losses bringing their record to 2-15 at press time. The team will bring their season to a close tonight at 7 p.m. at North.

The team suffered a 51-36 loss to SM West in front of the Queen of Courts crowd.

“The fact that we turned over the ball so many times (was the dominant factor in the loss),” guard Mark Kimotho said.

This game was the 10th straight loss of the season, bringing the season record to 2-13.

The previous loss came against a tall and quick Olathe East team, who was able to beat the Cougars 47-63.

“We didn’t shoot the ball very well last night which caused us issues,” head varsity basketball coach Mike

Rose said. “They hit some buckets early. We got down and had a tough time scraping back. Their speed was the biggest problem.”

With two tall players that could dunk and one could sink threes, the Cougars were unable to stop Eagles.

“It was difficult to guard their ability to shoot threes,” guard Dylan Dirks said. “East controlled the pace of the game making it hard for us to get into a rhythm.”

On Feb. 13. the Cougars were shot down 39-72 by a well-rounded SM East team.

“I think let them dictate the pace of the game,” Dirks said. East is expected to move on to the state tournament.

The Cougars will try to get momentum by winning the last game of the season.

+ By sarah keegan

tepping onto the court against the Shawnee mission west vikings, the lady cougars record was 14-3.

Earlier that week they faced off in a close game against the Olathe east hawks. After being tied at half they managed to take control of the last two quarters. Ending with the cougars on top, 52-43.

“It was an emotional game with a lot of offensive fouls called which we don’t really experience a lot, and then a technical put us down by five,” junior Brenni Rose said.

“I got a little worried, but then we changed the momentum at the end of the third quarter. It was fun to

play in, but too close for comfort.”

Bringing the same attitude to their game against Shawnee mission west, they were driven to snag another win. Sent to the free throw line three times in the last minutes of the game, junior Shelbie McLain defined the lead for her team at a score of 47-41.

“We knew that west was going to come out fighting, they always do. So we just had to execute our offenses and defenses and keep them off the free throw line,” McLain said. “It didn’t go exactly as we had planned but we just had to fight through that and find a way to win.”

PHOTO BY NICK KAHTAVA

PHOTO BY NICK KAHTAVA

bowling + by katy terry

T

PHOTO BY LAUREN EDWARDS

he Varsity girls placed first at the SM Varsity meet on Jan 18. Freshman Alaina Burris placing 2nd overall, Sophomore Katy Doleshal placing 4th overall, and Senior Desi Jensen placing 5th overall.

“Placing 2nd in districts was so cool,” Burris said. “It was really great being able to place 2nd as an individual against the other schools, and placing 1st as a team was amazing.”

The varsity boys placed fourth overall

with Freshman Jalen Pak placing 6th overall.

“It was awesome,” Pak said. “knowing that you are the youngest kid and newest on the team, it makes me feel bigger and more accomplished.”

The boys and girls bowling will be competing at regionals on Jan 24.

“Even though it is our last meet it should be a lot of fun,” Pak said. “I am hoping to end the season well.”

NW passage | sports

31

“REbeL helped me come to the realization that the way I see myself isn’t the way that others see me. It’s helped me take more steps in becoming more of myself and less worried about what other people might think of me.” — junior Charity Gunther PHOTO BY TARYN SMITH