MISSING PIECE | PG. 06
I lost my father at a young age, now I’m learnng how to grieve him
IT’S NOT CHRISTMAS WITHOUT YOU | PG. 15
Holiday traditions change a little all the time, but some changes are scarier than others
MOMENTS...| PG. 16
Senior Amy Roberts copes with her dad’s passing as the anniversary of his death approaches
Junior Murphy Galloway designed four puppets for the 2026 spring musical ‘Cinderella’ – here’s a glimpse into the puppet’s design process
PASSAGE
OVERSIGHT
Co-Editor-In-Chiefs
Sofia Ball
Greta Grist
Head Copy Editors
Hope Hunt
Sage McCarthy
Copy Editors
Sophia Ragan
Grace Rau
Photo Editors
Maddi Roof
Vivienne Wheeler
Lucy Wilson
News Editor
Hope Hunt
Feature Editor
Harper Ward
Sports Editor
Sophia Ragan
A&E Editor
Grace Rau
Arts Manager
Grace Rau
WRITERS
Grace Rau
Gus Stirling
Hope Hunt
Sage McCarthy
Sofia Ball
Sophia Ragan
ACT | PG. 04
Kansas continues to underfund special education, SMSD expends other resources to compensate
PIECE | PG. 08
At a young age I lost my father, now I’m learning how to grieve him pg. 08
IT’S NOT CHRISTMAS WITHOUT YOU | PG. 15 Holiday traditions change a little all the time, but some changes are scarier than others
BUY, BUY, BUY| PG. 13
We buy so much each holiday that we often forget the gifts themselves
| PG. 20
For the first time in Northwest theatre history, Troupe 888 makes puppets for their spring musical, Cinderella pg. 20
IN INK | PG. 24
Three Northwest teachers share the meaning behind their tattoos
SPORTS RECAP | PG. 28
A brief overview of each winter sport’s preparation for the approaching season
Harper Ward
Brynna Emler
Dayla Jertson
Kayla Chege
Sarah Wellman
Olivia Perocho
Genevieve Kidder
DESIGNERS
Bella Alvarado
Kennedy Woolf
Greta Grist
Mary Kate Mitchell
ADVISER
Chris Heady
Cover by Maddi Roof
Fluctuating numbers in IB enrollment cause changes in curriculum
The 2025-2026 school year at Shawnee Mission Northwest is the first year in school history that Northwest has not offered IB HL1 European History, or the junior year of the course. This is because not enough students enrolled in the class.
The class has been offered since 2009.
Both IB HL1 European History and IB HL2 European History, the senior year of the course, have had enough students
enrolled for a class every year until now.
“Normally our European History class has plenty and it just didn’t check out that way this year,” IB director Amy Walker said.
This year being the first without the class holds uncertainty for the future of the class and whether there will be enough enrollment.
“It’s always been a concern of mine because it’s an unconventional route and you have to take AP United States History as a sophomore to take my class,” IB European History teacher Todd Boren said.
Even though IB European History is not offered this year, it is not the only course not offered.
IB Astronomy is also not offered this year because of low enrollment numbers.
“I’ve had a class all six years I’ve taught [IB Astronomy], this year was the first I haven’t,” IB Astronomy teacher Robert Stewart said.
Shawnee Mission Northwest is one of fifteen schools worldwide that offers the course.
Not only is the class not offered this year, the class will be going away in a few years according to Walker.
“The International Baccalaureate program looks to make sure that what they are teaching is relevant and they decided that IB Astronomy was no longer sustainable,” Walker said.
Even though these classes are not offered this school year because of low enrollment, IB class enrollment continues to climb. According
“You are loved”:
Oto enrollment numbers provided by the front office, the number of students enrolled in IB classes has increased from 132 in 2022-23, to 140 in 2023-24, to 160 for this 2025-26 school year.
“We do a lot of different things to promote IB,” Walker said. “We have our IB freshman rendezvous, where we invite any freshmen who are interested in IB to come in and ask questions.”
WRITTEN BY GUS STIRLING 3161009@SMSD.ORG
n Thursday Dec. 4, dozens of sticky notes decorated with positive affirmations, finals encouragement and good vibes filled the halls and girls bathrooms. It was an idea from Women In Leadership, a club run by Libby Brown designed to give female student leaders a place to feel empowered.
“[Leadership council] was trying to think of ways that they could spread good energy throughout the building,” Brown said. “Knowing that finals are coming up they wanted to get spirits higher in the building.”
From sticky notes in bathroom stalls and mirrors, to photos of the sticky notes circulating around social media, its impact on the school is not lost on students.
“[The sticky notes] are very positive for the people who are having a bad day,” said junior Abi Simpson. “I think everyone dreads finals so much, [the sticky notes] are kind of relieving in a way.”
The students in women in leadership plan to continue to spread positivity throughout their school, further empowering female students.
“It is a very busy and stressful time of the school year, and hopefully the messages will have positive effects on all the women in our school,” junior and WIL exec board member Louisa Bartlett said. “We want everyone to know they are not alone and that we are all in this together.”
DESIGN BY OLIVIA PEROCHO 3093544@SMSD.ORG
Listening eagerly, students watch as special education teacher Deborah Jenkins gives instructions Dec. 4 in Rm. 104. Photo by Sofia Ball
Kansas continues to underfund special education throughout public schools, SMSD expends other resources to compensate
After the Kansas Legislature again failed to fund special education services statewide, the Shawnee Mission School District pulled $29 million from its general fund to cover costs.
A Kansas statute — K.S.A 72-3422 — mandates that the state must assist public school districts by covering 92% of excess costs in special education. However, data from the Kansas Legislature’s website shows that they have not done this in more than a decade.
Currently, according to the Kansas Legislature budget, the state reimburses all districts for an average of 75.4% of excess costs. Data provided by the SMSD Budget and Finance O ce shows SMSD received 61.2% of its special education funding in 2024.
“It appears as though there’s a faction of legislators that aren’t fully supportive of getting us to that constitutional level [of funding],” SMSD Superintendent Dr. Michael Schumacher said. “It’s complicated, but what that means is all of our 26,500 kids are being shortchanged.”
As a result, SMSD, among other districts, are forced to take money away from teacher salaries and bene ts and student programs and services. This has prompted lawsuits, students without enough support and budget issues.
All states are legally obligated to fully fund special education, stemming from the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
(IDEA), passed in the U.S. House and Senate and signed by President Gerald Ford in 1975.
“As a district, we recognize our obligation under both federal and state law to provide a free and appropriate public education to every student who quali es for special education services,” SMSD Associate Superintendent of Special Education and Strategic Initiatives Dr. Sherry Dumolien said. “That obligation is non-negotiable, and we will always prioritize meeting student needs, regardless of the funding picture.”
The $29 million taken from SMSD’s general budget to fund special education primarily impacts teacher salaries and bene ts, Schumacher said. Last year, SMSD pulled $20 million to fully fund special education for the same reason.
“We always want to give the highest salaries and raises we possibly can,” Schumacher said. “But that’s a balancing act, right? So that’s what bothers me, is I know how hard our teachers work. I also know that we need to stay competitive. And as much as
SMSD employs over 900 certi ed and classi ed sta members supporting students with disabilities and supports over 2,500 students with disabilities.
Over the past four years, special education expenditures in SMSD have risen by $12.4 million, Dumolien said. Last year the total expenditures for special education in SMSD was $64.5 million. Schumacher said that since COVID, he’s noticed a spike in the identi cation of special needs.
SMSD Chief Executive O cer Russell Knapp said the district has begun factoring money out of its annual budget for special education when creating it. That way, Knapp said, they don’t need to brainstorm creative solutions for where they can pull the money from on shorter notice. It’s already set aside from the budget.
SMSD’s annual general budget is around $500 million. The $20 million pulled from last year’s funds was 6.7% of that.
But Knapp says that makes a big di erence.
“It prevents us from adding programs and services that would bene t education,” Knapp said.
“THE STATE HAS CONSISTENTLY NOT FUNDED US…ALL OF OUR 26,500 KIDS ARE BEING SHORTCHANGED.”
- SMSD superintendent Dr. Michael Schumacher
our teachers may love Shawnee Mission and their kids, we’re all paying bills. I don’t want someone to consider leaving us because we didn’t do everything they expect, and of course, deserve.”
SMSD pays for a wide range of special education services, which vary depending on individual needs expressed in IEPs. For students requiring minimal support, this could look like a consultation or accommodations within the general classroom like more time allotted for testing and assignments or
readers for exams. For others, this could be intensive instruction or related services, such as bathroom support or medical assistance.
Intensive resource (special education) teachers Deborah Jenkins and Misty Verren said that if their department had additional funding, it could be used to hire more sta , and purchase equipment for their life skills program.
“We don’t have enough paras to support our students” Jenkins said. “Getting to all the things they need and electives.”
Verren also expressed the need for implementing a private bathroom.
“It’s just because we’re in an old photography room,” Verren said. “We’re not in a room that’s built for special education. So if you go to Olathe or Mill Valley, those schools are newer and they’re classroom is gonna have a stove, washer and dryer, bedroom setup and private bathroom.”
Terry Preston, a SMSD substitute teacher who specializes in special education, also believes with more funding the district could o er more training.
“Part of it is creating an environment where there are more quiet rooms kids can go in,” Preston said. “But, right now, that doesn’t exist from what I’ve seen. We also need more training to the sta members that can provide a level of care they deserve.”
Principal Dr. Lisa Gruman acknowledges the impact on sta ng ratios that a lack of state aid has caused.
“If you’re not inside the school and don’t see what that looks like each day it’s easy to think ‘well, schools can make do,’” Gruman said.
Schumacher said advocacy is his biggest focus in solving their funding crisis.
Each year, the SMSD Board of Education
creates a legislative platform, a part of their goal in which is to fully fund special education. The district also employs a lobbyist, Dr. Stuart Little, to speak on their behalf in Topeka and federally request further funding.
Schumacher also works to communicate with legislators and national representatives, and collaborates with other district superintendents. He said other districts across Kansas are suing Kansas legislature for violating the law and not allocating enough funding for special education.
However, he believes that for SMSD, this would be the “nuclear option.”
“That’s if it’s getting to the point so impactful, that we have to act in a bigger, more profound way,” Schumacher said.
budget like usual, according to a member of her sta In a Senate meeting on April 9, Gov. Kelly said the budget, which focuses on implementing large tax breaks, would be bad for the Kansas economy.
“This budget will put Kansas in the red by scal year 2028,” Gov. Kelly said. “This is reckless and irresponsible policy making.”
Gruman said she believes the district is doing the best with what they’ve been given.
However, she, like many in SMSD, are waiting for change.
which is of their annual budget.
In 2024, Kansas Governor Laura Kelly signed a bill that originally gave Kansas public schools an additional $72 million in special education. Around a year later, and amidst propositions to delete special education funding from the budget entirely, the Republican-majority Kansas House of Representatives and Senate — and ultimately the House Appropriations Committee — signed a new bill on appropriating $10 million instead. That is an 86% decrease.
Rep. Kristey Williams, a legislator responsible for the proposal to cut funding for special education, did not respond with request for comment before publication.
Gov. Kelly, known as an education advocate, did not take any part in creating this year’s annual
“We’re still accomplishing things under the current budget, but again, that’s with using district resources from our general budget,” Gruman said. “Hopefully we’ll start to see some improvement in that area.”
Schumacher said pulling money from the general budget, while not ideal or sustainable, may be their best course of action right now as they continue to advocate before legislators and community members.
“We need to be considering, ‘What if we continue to not be fully funded in special education?’” Schumacher said. “What would that mean for our general budget? We just want the resources we require, so that we can serve students.”
I lost my father at a young age, now I’m learning how to grieve him
Every November 4th, my mom and I blow out candles for someone I’ve never met. The kitchen always feels empty when we get the cake out. My mom gets the bright colored candles from the party drawer and sticks them in the cake. Most of the time, it’s cookie cake.
She lights them, then gets her phone out for a photo. Tears silently streaming down my face, I blow them out. It’s not like a funeral celebration; it’s to keep him living. It’s to keep my dad in my life, even though he’s not.
My dad passed away from heart complications when I was 1 year, 6 months and 3 days old. Growing up, I knew he was gone; there was never that de!ning moment where my mom sat me down and told me he passed. I just always knew. For the longest time, I felt like there was a missing piece in my family, like I had to !nd the last piece in the puzzle.
I hear stories about him often, like how when my parents found out I was sick (I, too, have heart problems), he ew to Florida. In Florida, he took one small cloth to a prayer convention and had thousands of people pray for my health, safety and well-being. That cloth was then laid above my crib the entire time I was in the NICU. Now it lies in the middle of his worn bible.
Growing up, I used his things to remember him. I carried his old phone in my purse and pretended I was a business woman. I played
his harmonica, and I would lock myself in the dining room and use his electric drums to create music for hours.
In the 3rd grade, we had an assignment to bring something food-related that means a lot to your family. I brought my dad’s apron from Hunt Brothers Pizza, a company my grandpa and his brothers founded. When everyone asked what my dad did, I told them, “My dad worked with the company!” I would talk about him like he was here, like he’d come home from work with our on his clothes every night.
Just before he passed, my dad sold his branch of the company to pay for my medical bills. Now, we rarely drive past gas stations with that bright green and red glowing sign that says my
grandma in the house. So many family members would come, some I don’t think I’ve ever even seen before. But it was people who loved my dad, who truly knew him and had stories to tell. Everyone acted like he was still there, talked about him like it was an old friend that you’ll soon see.
But I didn’t have that. I didn’t have any stories. I didn’t know him.
When I was younger, my mom said that I didn’t necessarily not want to learn about him, but when she would talk about my dad, I didn’t ask questions.
But that’s di erent now, I wanna learn about him.
I want to know what his dreams were. How
WHY DON’T I HAVE A DAD? WHY DIDN’T I GET THAT PERSON, THE PERSON WHO TEACHES YOU HOW TO RIDE A BIKE? WHY DO I GRIEVE SOMEONE I’VE NEVER FULLY MET?
last name.
Even so, we still blow out candles for him every year.
But 2022 felt di erent.
My dad’s mom, my grandma, had passed away a few months prior. She lived far, and after my dad passed, we didn’t see her often. The house was full of pictures of my dad and his brothers. There were memories of him in this home, and when we visited, it wasn’t just us and my
did he get to where he was job-wise? How did he raise my half-siblings? What was his family like? What was he like when he was younger? Why did my mom have to lose her person?
I have all sorts of questions.
Why don’t I have a dad? Why didn’t I get that person, the person who teaches you how to ride a bike? Why do I grieve someone I’ve never fully met?
Today, I feel like I still have things to search for. I still have those pieces of a puzzle to put together, but I don’t feel the guilt for being upset about him. I know I’m allowed to grieve for him because I did lose someone.
To write this story, my mom took me to the bookshelves in the dining room, next to his urn lay a bunch of his old everyday things. His phone, his wallet and his bible. My mom has kept these things for me, for me to !nd out who he was on my own. I looked through the notes in his bible, and I looked at his old debit cards in his wallet. My mom and I even joked about charging his phone to see what my dad was up to back then. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but someday, I’m going to keep searching.
WRITTEN BY HOPE HUNT
3135243@SMSD.ORG
The trends of the 2000s are back and bigger than ever
Every time you step into a Hollister or Brandy Melville, it’s an explosion of Henley t-shirts, low-waisted jeans and babydoll tops. The resurgence of 2000s clothing is nothing short of a phenomenon.
Google Trends is a website that tracks the popularity of different searches over time. It scores the searches on a scale of 0 to 100, with 100 being the most popular search and 0 being the least popular, in December 2020, the term “2000s fashion” scored a 16, while in December 2025, it scored a 35, and in an Instagram poll conducted by the Northwest Passage, 85% of students agreed that 2000s fashion trends are
making a comeback.
“My favorite 2000s fashion trends would be the lace cami tops and how people layer them. I think that’s so cute,” said senior Brenda Rodriguez Napoleon.
With the resurgence of the 2000s style, there is also the argument that stores are getting the era wrong.
“I’ve heard from a lot of people talking about how low-rise jeans aren’t as low as in the 2000s,” Rodriguez Napoleon said. “And how stores like Hollister need to try and fix that.”
Some trends to look out for include empire waists, tracksuits and colors such as brown and pink. If you want to buy authentic 2000s clothing, you can find it at many thrift stores and secondhand shops.
Rodriguez Napoleon sports the Hollister (1.) Fauz Fur Trim Logo Graphic Zip-Up Hoodie in "cloud white," the (2.) Low-Rise Medium Wash Embroidered Florals Bootcut Jeans and (3.) Classic Ultra Mini Uggs
Students
Holiday lights are shining down many streets this time of year, here’s a look at one lighting up their cul-de-sac
rab your coats and cocoa and buckle in for the holiday lights that are appearing around the area.
Going around neighborhoods or driving through light displays is a longstanding tradition for families around the holidays. No matter how old you are, you can always drive around and appreciate the time put into every display, especially the ones that cover an entire yard, like Allan Kettle’s house. As you roll down Summit St, towards their cul-desac, you’re hit with the bright lights of hundreds of inflatables and Christmas lights. There are penguins, snowmen, reindeer, Santa’s and even themed decorations like the Star Wars inflatables. The more you drive, the more you see.
When you round the cul-de-sac, there is a walkthrough part coined ‘The Candy Cane Lane’ that takes you on a trip through different scenes, like the “Christmas tree farm” section full of inflatable Christmas trees.
The Kettles have been putting up the array of lights and blow-ups since 2020, before they retired. Before they retired, it took around five days to set up. Now, it takes approximately seven full days to assemble.
“It gets longer to put up each year,” Kettle said. “And we keep getting new things.”
What started small, some blow-ups around the yard, has grown into an entire property ordeal.
“The main reason we do it is just for the neighborhood kids,” Kettle said. “When we start putting things out, we’ll have one or two cars stop by, and they will comment that they come by every year and they look forward to it every year.”
Having an entire cul-de-sac of inflatables and electrically powered things will always bring at least one problem. After five years of setting it up, the
Kettles have tech-savvyed their way through any issues.
“Wind is a big factor,” Kettle said. “Everything is controlled by a Wi-Fi controller, so we could be anywhere in the world, look at the cameras, if the wind’s blowing too much, we just hit a button and shut it off right then.”
Retired from IT, Kettle is working towards implementing a weather system that picks up wind speed, and if it detects too much wind, then it will shut it down on its own.
The amount of inflatables they have also racks up the amount of money they spend.
“The electricity bill? I don’t even want to look at that,” jokes Kettle’s daughter, Hannah.
“Yeah, we don’t want to look at that,” Kettle laughs.
WRITTEN BY SOPHIA RAGAN 3097001@SMSD.ORG
TWe buy so much each holiday that we often forget the gifts themselves
hink about it: What did you get last Christmas? Or the one before that? Most of us can’t remember. We spend weeks hunting for the perfect presents, yet the gifts we unwrap fade from our memory faster than it takes for the holiday lights to come down.
Every year, Americans spend billions trying to create a pictureperfect Christmas morning. New shoes, new gadgets, new dolls, all wrapped perfectly under the tree. But after we tear open the wrapping paper, the excitement is gone. The same gifts that felt life-changing in December barely cross our minds by February.
it. We buy because we feel like we’re supposed to. We buy to feel like everyone else. We buy because the holidays just won’t feel the same without tearing up some wrapping paper and feeling the momentary high of a brand new toy looking right at you. But the effects don’t stop on Dec. 25, they echo into January, when our trash bins overflow, our rooms feel cluttered, and we have less “fun drink” money than we’d like to admit.
The bigger problem is not what we buy, but why we’re buying it. We’re stuck in a cycle of overconsumption. During the holiday season, we convince ourselves that the “right” gift will create that Christmas feeling of joy, the kind you see in movies or TV commercials. Instead, we are left with cluttered closets, empty wallets and the realization that the holiday feeling you’re chasing has faded.
The problem isn’t just the stuff, it’s how fast we move through it. Products are not built to be sustainable and last, and neither are our attention spans. The moment a new video game is released, the original one becomes forgettable. Trends shift, and large corporations profit from our need to buy, buy, buy.
The irony of it all is that amidst this consumption, the things we actually remember about the holiday season are the food, the inside jokes, the tiny things that mattered.
The cost is not just financial, it’s also harmful to the environment, manufacturing, shipping, packaging, and the disposal of millions of items that fill landfills and damage the ecosystems we claim to care about. And yet we still buy. Not because we are inherently careless people, but because we have grown accustomed to the mindset of bigger is better, and newer is best.
Overconsumption becomes so routine that we barely even question
And maybe that is where this shift begins. Not in giving up every gift or pretending that material things don’t sometimes bring real joy, but in recognizing how quickly they fade compared to everything else. If we really want holidays worth remembering,We should focus on getting more out of the moments we already have. This year, make some homemade gifts or only ask for things we really want. Thrifting for presents ask for
Overconsumption isn’t some uncontrollable force; it’s a habit. And habits can change. If we can’t remember half of the gifts we got last year, maybe it’s time to change our approach by creating a holiday that sticks with us, not because of what we bought, but because of what we did.
Northwest students make homemade gifts this holiday season
For years, homemade ornaments have been a tradition for freshman Audrey Novacky, who has been creating them since she was little
“My parents used to get these little clear ornaments,” she said, “I would just put some paint in them and make those.”
Today, Novacky still makes ornaments, wooden crafts, popsicle stick photo frames, and the occasional friendship bracelet. She keeps these gifts small and practical; most take only 10 to 30
minutes, but for her, it is more than just speed.
“It’s more sentimental,” she said, “People can remember it more.”
Novacky customizes many of her gifts by adding a person’s favorite color or shaping the paint inside the ornament into small designs. Her process is simple: she buys clear ornaments, pours in paint, and uses a toothpick to swirl the colors into patterns.
“It makes me kinda proud,” she said, “That they actually keep them and hang them on the tree.”
STORIES BY KAYLA CHEGE 3123790@SMSD.ORG
Photo by Ella Oler
Sophomore Keaton Smith has spent the past year turning everyday items into sparkling personalized gifts through bedazzling. She first picked up this hobby after seeing a friend do it, and quickly became “a little obsessed.”
Bedazzling takes time and patience for Smith, small items can take 30 minutes to an hour, while larger projects, like a decorated book she’s working on, can take months.
‘You have to care about it,” Smith said, “staying motivated on big projects is the hardest part.”
She uses rhinestones, glue, tweezers, and whatever item she is decorating, usually lip products or skincare containers. She picks colors and sizes carefully before placing each stone one by one.
Although she sometimes puts projects on hold, she always returns to them. She loves customizing things and seeing how different they become.
“I’ll probably keep doing it through high school,” she said. “It’s relaxing, and it’s fun.”
Senior Ellie
Roberts has been making handmade gifts since she was a kid, starting with simple cards and drawings for her mom. Her projects have expanded into paper flowers, scrapbooks, and other creative crafts.
“Gift giving is one of my favorite things,” Roberts said.
Roberts says crafting makes her gifts more personal. Some take about an hour, while detailed projects like bracelets or scrapbook pages can take several hours or even days. Her favorite moment is when
everything comes together at the end.
“I imagine giving it to them. It’s really exciting,” she said One of her favorite gifts is a bracelet she made in sixth grade for her now girlfriend, who still has it today. Ellie customizes each gift to the recipient and loves seeing their reactions.
“You see the surprise on
Holiday traditions change a little all the time, but some changes are scarier than others.
On Christmas Eve, my family travels to Perryton, Texas, where my great-grandfather has lived his whole life. We meet up at his small, one-story house, on a chunk of family-owned land. Most years, we get there early enough that the long dirt driveway isn’t yet lined with cars, so you can still see the vast expanse of farmland stretching out endlessly before you. I often find myself wishing I could stare out at the vast nothingness forever. This is one of many things I find myself scared of losing.
The inside of the house is cozy, though when my whole family is there, it’s practically a fire hazard. When I was little, Christmas Eve was always the same. We woke up in Boise City, Oklahoma, and my mom helped me find my Christmas dress. She curled my hair while I whined. We packed into a car and started down to the panhandle of Texas.
My great-grandma Lorene would sit in a chair that looked small even to me. I remember the way she smiled, always full of kindness, though she had a stubborn streak too. She was one of the strongest women I knew. The rest of the house was covered in shelves, full of small trinkets and owl figurines. The owls were my great-grandmother’s. They are still there today.
Traditionally, the whole family gathers at the church to listen to a Christmas Eve sermon. After the sermon, we go back to my great-grandfather’s house and hold our own mini-service. We gather in a big circle, and each of us reads a poem. After a few poems are read, we sing a Christmas carol and move on to the next set of poems.
We read youngest to oldest for the poem reading, and I, sitting perfectly between my cousins Halle and Hunter, am fifth on Christmas Eve of 2018. My palms sweat with nerves. This year, I had chosen a poem titled “The Candy Cane Poem,” and just like every year, my heart was racing.
I watch my cousins go one by one. My
cousin Hunter finishes his poem, but I don’t remember hearing it. How could I when my heart was pounding so loudly in my chest?
Despite the nerves and heat rushing to my face, I stand shakily. I walk to the front of the room, and I stumble over my words, same as every year. When I finish reading, however, I don’t mind that I misspoke a little or read too fast. Not when I can see my great-grandmother smiling her big smile. I never thought for a moment about what I’d do when she was gone.
After the poems are read, my great-grandma grabs her bible. She reads the Christmas story, Luke 2:1-20. I thought things would never change. That next summer, my great-grandmother passed away. I think my biggest regret is that I never asked her to tell me her story. I’ve had to hear it through my family members.
Since her death, Christmas hasn’t been the same. The house feels haunted by her loving presence even now, eight years later. Fewer family members are there each year, and gifts are no longer given to anyone over 18. Her small chair sits empty most of the night, and my grandma started reading the scripture. Change has riddled Christmas Eve since her death, though this has never been the change
that scares me.
Sometimes, when I stay up late on cold, clear nights, I wonder what will happen when my great-grandfather joins my great-grandmother. If he dies, will I ever see my extended family again? Will we still go to the Christmas Eve service and read poems to each other? What becomes of the family I have grown up with? Sometimes I ask my mom what she thinks.
“I don’t know, Brynna.”
That’s what she says every time.
As I’ve gotten older, I’ve realized that change isn’t as scary as it seems. Instead, it’s a constant that makes us uncomfortable. That is how we know we are human. It doesn’t have to be scary.
Every year, we travel to Perryton.
Every year we go to the same Christmas Eve service.
Every year, I wonder if this will be my last Christmas Eve with this side of the family. And every year, after the service, we go to mingle at the small house just outside of town, filled with laughter and light and love
WRITTEN BY BRYNNA EMLER 3125041@SMSD.ORG
Senior Amy Roberts copes with her dad’s passing as the anniversary of his death approaches
“Do you want me to talk about the day?”
senior Amy Roberts said, her hands swiping back and forth against the smooth library table.
“It’s wherever you’re comfortable starting.”
“Okay,” Roberts said, inhaling sharply.
On Jan. 3, 2025, Roberts went to a fencing tournament with her parents. That afternoon, she was at the Lenexa Public Library with her friend, senior Grace Rau, when she got the call from her older brother.
She picked up without hesitation.
Louder and louder.
“No.”
She thought this was a cruel joke.
“Before I left, he was walking the dog,” Roberts said. “It was such a big shock.”
It hasn’t been a full year since Roberts’s dad passed. As the anniversary of his death approaches, she continues to think about him and the ways he’s impacted her life; what she misses, what he will miss. It becomes easier to talk about. But not easier to accept.
How do you accept the death of someone you were so close to? In high school?
The day he died, Roberts had “Cosmic Bowling.” It’s the bowling team’s rst seasonal event to raise money at Park Lanes. Everyone on the team gets Wendy’s before heading there together. It’s tradition.
“I REALIZED NOBODY REALLY HAS EXPECTATIONS FOR ME AS A GRIEVING PERSON,”
- Senior Amy Roberts
bed and say, ‘I can’t do it,’” Roberts said.
It was hard to think about her dad and his preemptive hugs before she left the house “just in case something bad happened.” She missed his warmth and the cadence of his voice during latenight talks about friendship troubles. She missed binging “Ghostbusters,” and “Tron,” a sci- series, together. She missed the look on his face when she baked him a lemon meringue pie, his favorite, for his 50th birthday.
The funeral came quicker than she expected — less than three weeks. She went from looking at urns and caskets to picking out old photos from a daddy-daughter dance for display.
Roberts was constantly surrounded by family. She’s the youngest of six siblings. One moment, she was hugging her older brother, Alex, in a hospital as he was promising to walk her down the aisle one day. Next, she was making dead dad jokes with her older sister, Katie, while they were on vacation in Bentonville, Arkansas.
She started going to therapy.
She became less reserved.
“We’ve gotten very good at making a joke or saying something to make the other person snap out of sadness,” Rau said.
“Hey Nick, I can’t bring you a book right now,” Roberts said.
“Hey, where are you?” he said.
Things were still normal for a few seconds.
Their conversation is jumbled in her memory, but his next words made her heart sink. These words almost changed everything.
“Dad’s in the hospital…he had a heart attack.”
Roberts’ dad, Chuck Roberts, was hospitalized with COVID from complications years prior and almost placed on a ventilator. Roberts was already worried. Both hands clutching the black steering wheel of her 2000 Toyota Echo, she thought about seeing him in a pale hospital bed. She thought about Nick’s words. Heart attack. Come home. Hospital. Drive safe. Empty sobs erupted from her mouth as she thought about his heart. She thought about everything but the road in front of her.
Once Roberts got there, she wasn’t let into his room.
She looked at her mom, who swiped the curtain shut — her grandparents carried somber expressions, they said very little. As her mom nally told her, she could barely choke the words out. It only took seconds for Roberts’s knees to hit the cool tiles.
She screamed. Over and over. The same word.
Roberts already texted her coaches about why she couldn’t be there.
But as midnight rolled around, and Roberts was still staring into her bedroom walls, she changed her mind and asked her mom to go, who then insisted that Nick tag along. An hour later, her bowling shoes glided against the waxed wood as she was enveloped by the sharp sound of pins falling. As Roberts looked around, she realized that nobody there knew what had happened, except for her, Nick and both coaches.
“It felt like a weirdly normal thing to do,” Roberts said. “I just didn’t want to be home because it felt so wrong.”
After winter break ended, Roberts was in school on the rst day back. Her backpack sagged with the familiar weight of organized notes, bursting folders and thick books for IB classes — she’s an IB Diploma Candidate. She immersed herself in chemistry labs on natural pH indicators and foreign policy readings for IB European History.
“She tried very hard to make everything seem normal,” Rau said. “She jumped straight into the academic routine, because she knew that if she didn’t, she’d fall further behind than she wanted to.”
But sometimes, that wasn’t enough. Sometimes, she would show up to school and leave early.
“There were a couple days where I’d get out of
Roberts was fascinated by all the di erent ways in which her siblings grieved. It forced her to realize that there’s no “right way.” That it was okay if she wasn’t always crying or sprinting out of class. That she didn’t have very many triggers. Or any at all, really. It didn’t make her a bad person or unhealthy. It made her human.
“I realized nobody really has expectations for me as a grieving person,” Roberts said.
Roberts knows that her dad will have seen every one of her siblings graduate, except for her. That is one moment they won’t get to share.
Getting out of bed and driving to school is still especially hard some days. She used to worry about people looking at her with guilt. Or waiting for her to cry. But, she nally stopped caring.
“I mean, is there anything else you’d want people to know? How do you feel?”
“I just don’t want it to be a sob story. I don’t want people to take pity on me.”
“I don’t think it would have hurt less at any other time,” Roberts said. “I just wish he was here.”
DESIGN BY GRETA GRIST 3090450@SMSD.ORG
SMNW’s goal for the winter drive was lower than previous years due to its proximity to the can and coin drive, but NW student’s generosity far exceeded expectations
This year, the Student Council hosted a Winter Drive to benefit the families of Growing Futures preschool. An early education center that focuses on the growth and development of young children who come from families below the poverty line.
“Growing Futures asked that we raise various items to brighten the families’ holiday season,” Senior and Winter Drive chair Zoe Nixon said. “This year specifically, they asked for holiday movie baskets, so that they can have a fun holiday movie night that consists of popcorn, blankets, stuffed animals, children’s books, and movie candy.”
To StuCo’s disadvantage, collecting the movie night necessities began just two days after the canned food drive ended.
“Mrs. Dent was really transparent with them and said, ‘I doubt that collecting 200 bags is possible with it being so quick after a canned food drive,’” Nixon said. “So, our goal changed to 70 baskets. We wish we could provide more, but it’s just the given circumstances that were under.”
StuCo felt disappointed when they were hit with the realization that they might not have the opportunity to provide to the extent that they wanted to.
“We didn’t want people to feel pressured to donate, but we also wanted people to understand that we had a goal,” StuCo sponsor Sarah Dent said. “During the holidays, it gets really hard, and it gets to that point where we almost get generosity fatigue.” Dent said, “this is a great time of year to be generous, but there’s also so much.”
With the canned food drive, gift card donations in the office, Salvation Army Giving trees, and church fundraisers, StuCo found it difficult to boost morale for a new fundraiser with only a weekend buffer in between.
“I’m thankful that some people are in a
position to be generous, and even if people are struggling, we’re not as worse off as some people,” Dent said. “And it makes me feel good that some people have that mindset too.”
Though they had low expectations for this year, many fourth-hour students banded together to help these families in need. Many classes decided to Venmo a student within their hour, to shop after school when their classmates couldn’t. That way, one person could get the requested items for the movie night baskets.
In the end, the student body ended up collecting items to fill up 119 bag, surpassing StuCo’s personal goal of 70 bags.
“That’s why this fundraiser holds such a special place in my heart, because these kids are in our neighborhoods. They’re coming to our schools. They’re going to be our kids soon,” Dent said.
WRITTEN BY GENEVIEVE KIDDER 3091881@SMSD.ORG
WRITTEN BY SARAH WELLMAN 3092222@SMSD.ORG
Senior Genevieve Kidder picks out angel tree gifts Dec. 3 at Walmart supercenter. Angel trees are a gift giving program that allow people to buy Christmas gifts for children in
Now, it was time to go perfume shopping. We passed by many holiday perfume variety packs, but none of them seemed like the best fit. That’s when we landed on freshman Genevieve’s favorite, the Ariana Grande perfume line, but in mini bottles. Sarah thought it was perfect.
Our takeaway from this experience was how easy it is for us to give back. We felt so fulfilled afterwards, knowing that we could fulfill others’ needs or wants for the holidays.
We would highly encourage getting out on payday to contribute just fifteen dollars to the kids who need it most.
WRITTEN BY SARAH WELLMAN 3092222@SMSD.ORG
WRITTEN BY GENEVIEVE KIDDER 3091881@SMSD.ORG
There was a four-foot-tall cardboard mouse sitting in junior Murphy Galloway’s front seat of her 2015 white Subaru Outback, driving to SM Northwest for theater rehearsals.
On her way to craft puppets for the spring musical, “Cinderella,” Galloway was keeping the super-sized prototype in her car after Shawnasea Holst, the theatre teacher and director, talked to Galloway about making puppets for Cinderella last year. Holst knew Galloway had made large physical items for theatre before and tasked her, freshman Brooks Warf and some others to make movable, handheld mice for actors to use during the production.
“In Cinderella, they say, four white mice turn into four white horses,” Galloway said. “But we really think that the mice would look so much better in brown. We really wanted to go that route instead of white mice. Kind of rustic.”
In the Cinderella tale, mice keep Cinderella company and help her prepare for the royal ball – where she meets Prince Charming and escapes her Evil Stepmother.
“A lot of the cast is happy that they don’t have to be animals themselves,” Galloway said. “But, not a lot of people actually know that we’re making puppets. It was announced that we were doing puppets after the cast list came out, and everyone was excited because it’s never been done before.”
Before construction, the design and inspiration process littered Galloway’s phone and camera roll. She gathered pictures from Instagram puppeting accounts, professional theatres and various stu ed animals. She circled an arm there, a leg here and a body there, analyzing how a head moved and how a structure was shaped.
Taking that inspiration, Galloway and her team started making paper mockups of varying sizes. After a couple of hours, their rst full mockup was nished. The purpose of a mockup was to brainstorm the size so that the construction of the actual puppet goes smoothly.
“Brooks went home, and he started building the engineering mockup that we have,” Galloway said. “So that one is a little bit more technical. Its jaw can move, its arms can slap.”
Their next step in the process will be combining the two mockups to have a functional
For the first time in Northwest theatre history, Troupe 888 makes puppets for their spring musical, Cinderella WRITTEN BY DAYLA JERTSON
puppet while still maintaining the likeness of a cartoon mouse.
Galloway made thin cardboard hoops to shape the interior of the body, keeping it structured and sturdy. Then she covered it with fabric to hide the internal framing of the puppet.
“I really try to prioritize my time in school and make sure that when I have time to work on things, I work on them,” Galloway said. “I’ll be staying at school until like 9 o’clock at night. And so I really have to make sure that I am getting
SCAN FOR A GLIMPSE INTO MURPHY’S CREATIVE PROCESS smnw.com
I’VE ALSO REALLY GOTTEN OUT OF MY COMFORT ZONE BECAUSE OF THEATER. I WAS REALLY SHY ABOUT MY SKILLS AND NOW I FEEL SO MUCH MORE CONFIDENT IF SOMEONE’S LIKE ‘MURPHY, WE NEED YOU TO BUILD THIS,’” - junior Murphy Galloway
stu done. It’s a labor of love.”
Galloway hopes to bring a comedic element to Cinderella, and another piece of background interest that people might watch alongside the actors.
“The people that we casted for the puppeteers are actually helping make the puppets,” Galloway said. “So they know how they work. They know how fragile they are and how much they can go through. And so they have a really intimate knowledge of the puppets.”
On a night during auditions, Galloway gently pulled her hand away as the hot glue made contact with her skin. Bending over to pick up scraps of materials from the oor, the podcast she was listening to — Morbid — cut through the air like Galloway’s scissors through cardboard. Fabric was stacked on the tables, mostly burlap and other recycled materials.
Galloway started technical theatre in fth grade and has continued to create bridges, costumes, and castles — working her way up to tech head. Surrounded by the theatre community, Galloway designs the set, supervises the building and makes sure that no one gets hurt.
“I’ve really gotten out of my comfort zone because of theater,” Galloway said. “I was really shy about my skills, and now I feel so much more con dent if someone’s like ‘Murphy, we need you to build this.’
And I’m like, oh, I’ve got this in the bag.”
Usually, you don’t hear of students checking on teachers, but this one did
At school, it’s typical and expected for teachers to support and check in on students. They check homework, they ask about basketball practice, they o er extended due dates and they have counselors providing support.
Most are a resource for students.
But not every day do you hear of students checking in with their teachers.
Sophomore Emmy Mergy has vibrant blue hair, wears a black shirt and sweats most days and walks in the halls cheerfully - doing his best to support teachers.
“If teachers are having a bad day, or even feeling down, I’ll always o er a hug or, if they’d like to talk,” Mergy said. “It’s the little things that matter.”
Wednesday, December 19th, was a tough morning for Librarian Meghan Stigge. During the rst hour passing period, she was having what she called “an emotional morning” in the hallway. Mergy happened to be
walking by and noticed. They stopped, and asked if she needed a hug.
“A lot of times, students are afraid to o er support to the adults in the building, because generally the adults are the ones o ering support to the kids,” Stigge said. “So then gratitude went through me once I realized, no, he actually sincerely wants to help.”
Mergy said he chooses to approach school in a cheerful manner, and it’s in their frequent behavior for him to check in on teachers.
To Stigge, she’s always seen high school students as sweet;, she loves her job for that and many other reasons.
And this moment reassured her.
“It’s really nice in this frenetic world where it feels like people rush around in their own thoughts that she recognized a person having a moment, and extended her empathy and care. A moment of genuine human care for no other reason than empathy.”
WRITTEN BY SAGE MCCARTHY 3141656@SMSD.ORG
Three Northwest teachers share the meaning behind their tattoos
Each of Brian Miller’s tattoos tell a the story of a different part of his life
the rst tattoo that math teacher Brian Miller got was in de ance. He was 27, and the engagement with his ance had just broken o She loved the San Francisco 49ers, and he loved the Dallas Cowboys — the big rivalry in football at the time. She said she’d never date someone with a tattoo.
So Miller had the Cowboy’s star logo tattooed onto his leg.
“This was my way of closure,” Miller said. “Of going, ‘There’s no way we’ll ever get back together.’”
Miller grew up in a 230 person town in the middle of Kansas called Albion, where no one he knew had tattoos. In the 90s, he said, the only people that had tattoos were “either bikers or criminals.” Miller left rural life as soon as he could, trading farmland for the skyscrapers of Manhattan city. There he encountered people with new ideas, beliefs and passions than what was typical back home. His artist friends had tattoos, and that’s when he became interested in them. Now he sees them as a piece of art.
On his 28th birthday, Miller had Roadrunner and Wile E. Coyote tattooed around his ankle.
“[Wile E. Coyote] was always my spirit animal,” Miller said. “He was my hero because, no matter how many times a girl threw him o the cli , he kept trying.”
Miller felt that it was a metaphor for his life at the time — and a reminder to keep trying, and to have hope.
“[Wile E. Coyote] is de nitely my hero. An idiot,” Miller said with a laugh, “But you know, he still has hope.”
“ ” “ ”
It just reminds me of everything that I was going through at that time, and how far I’ve come.
- Brian Miller
When he was __, Miller met his wife Leah. They were married in ____, and Miller had their kids’ names tattooed on the inside of his wrists in Aramaic, a dead language related to Hebrew. His 17-year-old son Jonah’s name is on his left arm, while his 13-year-old daughter Brilee’s name is on his right.
Miller and Leah had both always loved the name Jonah, and Brilee was a combination of both of their rst names, Brian and Leah.
Even though Miller’s life has changed since he got his tattoos, their meanings still hold true today.
“I still love the Cowboys and I love my kids,” he said. “It just reminds me of everything that I was going through at that time, and how far I’ve come since then. It’s a great reminder. I’m glad I never lost hope.”
Amy Walker’s three tattoos show her close relationship with her family.
all of Northwest psychology teacher Amy Walker’s three tattoos are connected to family.
The rst one she ever got at age 29, the cherry blossoms on the top of her foot, is one shared by nearly all of the women in her family. The ower represents friendship, and it’s a symbol of how, although they are related, their bond of friendship is what ties them together.
For Walker, family is one of the most important things. She has always been surrounded by people with tattoos: her mom has ve, her younger sister has seven, and her husband has four.
The tattoo on Walker’s ankle is the silhouette of an apple outlined in black ink.
“Everybody thinks it’s because I’m a teacher,” Walker said. “It has nothing to do with the fact that I’m a teacher.”
Instead, her younger sister Mary has a red apple, and their mom has an apple tree: “As in the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.” The three got their tattoos together while on a trip to Hawaii.
During spring break in 2023, Walker got her most recent tattoo. It matches with her sister as well, and is based o of a line from a poem by E.E. Cummings: “i carry your heart(i carry it in my heart).” It’s stylized as a heart within parenthesis next to another heart.
“His poem has always carried signi cance to us,” Walker said. “[My sister and I] are super close. It’s always this reminder that we’ve always had each other, and we’ll always have each other.”
Dr. Johnny Winston’s whooping crane tattoo is a symbol of his dissertation research
before Shawnee Mission Northwest chemistry and philosophy teacher
Dr. Johnny Winston was Dr. Johnny Winston, he had a dissertation to write; a 200 page paper needed to earn a doctorate degree and PhD.
Winston wrote about the Committee on Rare and Endangered Wildlife Species, and looked at the researchers who built the Endangered Species Act in the 60s and 70s. Through his research, he learned that, because most of the researchers in the committee were birders, a signi cant portion of the policy was borrowed from whooping crane conservation
that was done in the 50s.
“I read a lot about whooping crane conservation and actually went to Patuxent, Maryland where the breeding grounds are,” Winston said.
Naturally, whooping cranes nest in Canada and migrate down to Texas in the winter time. But in the 50s when there were only about 20 birds left and the species was on the brink of extinction, researchers needed to train captive birds in Maryland to migrate south to Florida. To do this, researchers ew super light planes dressed as cranes with the birds ying behind them.
“I had hours and hours and hours invested in reading about whooping cranes, and it was kind of what drove my dissertation,” Winston said.
So when he graduated with his doctorates and PhD, Winston wanted to get a whooping crane tattooed as a symbol of his studies. But because tattoos were expensive and Winston was fresh out of grad school with two kids, the idea kept getting pushed o for a later date. It was only during the summer of 2024 that Winston got his tattoo.
“It’s an object of study,” Winston said. “And I have some fascination with it.”
Varsity boys’ basketball navigates the start of their season without the previous seniors.
Seniors Gabe Allen, Jett Smith, Cooper Andrew, junior Sam Rodreguez and freshman Everett Diener jog onto the Blue Valley West basketball court. In the first game of the season, the Cougars fought hard throughout, leading 37-25 at halftime. In the fourth quarter, the Jaguars took control and beat out Northwest, 57-64.
The varsity boys basketball team begins the season 0-1 after winning back-to-back 6A state championships, totalling a record of 47-3.
The Cougars lost all five starters, including Keaton Wagler, who is currently a starting point guard for No.14 Illinois. Wagler was the Gatorade Player of the Year in Kansas last year for Northwest and is second in minutes at Illinois this year. Northwest also has to replace Ethan Taylor, who is currently committed to play at Michigan State next year and is playing for the basketball prep school Link Academy. Also, NW lost Van Collins, who is playing at Missouri Southern State University.
“The last two teams were two of the best teams in the history of the state of Kansas,” head coach David Birch said. “To expect every season will be on that level is an unrealistic expectation.”
While the bar is high, the fresh team is determined to focus on their game and not the outside noise.
“Whether it’s the best team or the worst team, we are all still expected to work just as hard no matter what,” forward and shooting guard Smith said. “This year, it’s a whole new team with a lot of underclassmen with big spots to fill. But I am optimistic, and
HOME AWAY
FRIDAY VS Dec 19 2025
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SATURDAY VS Jan 3 2026
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TUESDAY V S Jan 6 2026
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FRIDAY VS Jan 9 2026
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TUESDAY VS Jan 13 2026
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FRIDAY VS Jan 16 2026
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TUESDAY VS Feb 3 2026
7:00 PM
Bottom right- Senior Jett Smith attempts to block a Blue Vally West player from a 3-point shot Dec.5 at Bule valley High School.
I’m excited to see how we compete because our mentality is good and we have confidence in each other.”
After replacing seven seniors, half of the team is brand new to the varsity court, and shaping them into varsity players is what Birch is focused on.
“The practices have been difficult with the amount of conditioning we do,” junior Aiden Peoples said. “Coaches have been implementing limiting mistakes and playing good defense.”
This year, the starting five consists of three seniors who didn’t get many varsity minutes last year, a junior who transferred this year, and a freshman.
“I think some of these guys have really advanced their game,” assistant coach Anthony Stubenrauch said. “Gabe’s kind of our best defender who’s gonna be guarding probably their best player every night, kind of a do-itall player. Jett is kind of a pick and pop, you know, hit the three, drive left, strong inside.”
As seen in the BVW game, three-pointers can be expected from the young freshman, Diener, wearing Wagler’s previous number, three. Senior Paxton Tayler and sophomore Luka Kristic suited up for all four quarters of the game. Senior Timmy Deng and sophomore Tayven Rash saw the varsity court for minimal minutes. Juniors Rylan Klahn and Peoples were cheering on their teammates
from the bench.
At practices, the Cougs are working on defensive positioning and efficiently running offense, as well as man and zone work.
Game-like drills and scrimmages are also preparing the team.
“Practices have been fun getting back into rhythm and starting the season off,” Allen said. “We have been working hard trying to get back into basketball shape and get ready for the season.”The boys will play next on Friday, Dec. 12, at 3:30 p.m. at Derby High School. “What other people think that aren’t on the team is not important, and if you are focused on that, it’s hard to get in the mindset to get better,” Birch said. “We are completely focused on getting better every day and see where we are in March. Hopefully, in a place to make a run at the end of the season.”
WRITTEN BY SOPHIA RAGAN
really
he was going against Gray that night. “I wasn’t overly worried [and] I never worry about who I’m going against,” Johnson said. “You just have to do it anyway.”
A look into the preperations of the wrestling season
Both girls and boys’ wrestling are starting their season on the mat. After sending almost the entire team to state last year, coming out with !ve people placing, the team is going into this season with four ranked wrestlers.
“Expectations are high again,” wrestling coach Zachary Davies said. “Our girls’ team is in a bit
of a rebuilding phase with a lot of young and new faces. The boy’s team is currently preseason ranked 5th in the state, so our goal is to just work really hard and improve each week.”
At practice, the team spends around an hour and a half conditioning or strength training: circuit workouts.
“I’m super optimistic,” junior Colin Cummings said. “We have a really solid team, and everyone has been working super hard, so I think we can de!nitely place as a team and have a few guys place at state also.”
The orange and black scrimmage, an internal scrimmage, took place Tuesday, Dec. 2. The !rst varsity meet took place Saturday, Dec. 6. Senior Trai Woodruf went 4-1. Senior Steven Brown, junior Kole Johnson and Cummings went undefeated.
“I really love wrestling,” senior Calla Hardinson said. “It’s so analytical, like being in a match, and I’ll be kind of stuck somewhere, and it’s like a puzzle.”
Their next meet is at home on Saturday, Dec. 13, starting at eight a.m.
The girl’s basketball team begins season Dec. 16
After ranking !fth in the Sun ower League for the 24-25 season, Northwest’s varsity girls’ basketball team is preparing for the season ahead. Practices are in full swing, getting the girls on the court and ready for a similar schedule to last season.
“We want to build o last year and take another step forward. O ensively, we plan to space the oor better, play faster, and let our versatility shine,” head coach Tyler Stewert said. “Defensively, we’ll use the shot clock to our advantage by applying pressure and forcing tough possessions. Growth, consistency, and competing every night are at the top of our goals.”
The team is heavy-set seniors and juniors, all of whom saw the varsity court last season. Seniors
Abby O’Conner, Naive Blount, So!ah Beck and Viona Morina are all returning. Along with juniors Rikai Cook, Ruth Gibson, Liana Sepulveda, Mia Hallock, Peyton Denton and Olivia Smigalovic.
“We have great senior leadership, and several returners who gained valuable experience last year,” Stewart said.
At practices, they are emphasizing communication, e ort and fundamentals. After not making it to the quarter!nals last year, the girls are working towards a comeback.
“Last year’s heartbreak lit a !re in our group,” Stewart said. “With the experience we return and the improvements we’ve made in pace and spacing, we believe we can make another run. If we stay healthy, stay connected, and continue to grow, this season has a chance to be great.”
Their !rst game is home, against Washburn Rural high school, on Tuesday, Dec. 16, at seven p.m.
The young boy’s swim team is diving into their new season.
After their previous head coach, Ryan Lee, quit after last season, assistant coach Randall Ensley has assumed the role of boys’ swim head coach.
The young team consists of !ve people total: three freshmen, one sophomore and one junior.
“I feel super pumped for this season and ready to give it my all and improve in as many ways as possible,” sophomore Kaleb
Barikmo said. After their !rst week of straight conditioning, they are working on the basics.
“We’re learning a lot about competing at a high school level, running around, and training in general,” Ensley said. Their !rst meet took place on Saturday, Dec. 6, at Lansing High School. It was a special meet because it consisted of just relays, no individual stroke events.
“Relays are always fun for the guys,” Ensley said. “Even if you’re not having a great individual meet or season, if you’re a part of the relays, you’re with your guys.”
Bowling is in full swing, here’s how their preparing
Boys’ and girls’ bowling is fresh out of try-outs and into their practices, working towards their !rst meet in Jan.
Practices mainly focus on drills that break down the fundamentals of bowling: spare shooting, splits, learning how to adjust and single pins.
For those new to bowling, they’re learning how to walk. Taking those four or !ve steps, swing the ball and get timing right.
Coaches try to implement games out of the drills, little
competitions within the team, and give quarters to the winners for candy at Park Lanes.
“Boy-wise, I think we’ll be better than last year, more competitive,” head coach Billy Dent said.
After breaking the school record average, senior Nickolas Sharp is ready for this next season.
“The team looks pretty good this year,” Sharp said. “I’m hoping for a good season, and I’m hoping everyone else will just stay in a good mindset and keep their head up even if they have a bad day.”
Their !rst meet is Tuesday, Jan. 13 at Park Lanes.
“I think we’ll be in the top !ve range by the end of the season,” Dent said.
Competitive cheer places tenth in state at Topeka
Northwest’s Competitive Cheer team traveled to Topeka to compete at 6A state, placing tenth.
The team previously placed fourth at regionals, qualifying them for nationals. Regionals were done virtually; they !lmed on Friday, Nov. 14.
The day after sending the regional !lm, the team competed at the Blue Valley Rally on placing !fth or sixth.
“We basically had practice or class every single day and would run through full-outs and the routine,” junior Bella Burns said. “We made so many clean-ups and corrections.”
They will compete in Houston, Texas, for Nationals on Saturday and Sunday, Jan. 24 and 25, 2026. Last year, the team placed tenth at Nationals.
“Last year, nationals were so good, especially after doing really bad at state last year,” Burns said. “I think we can do top !ve this year.”
Above Daisy Jenkins holds hands with Emanie Criss-Greene and Mia Nadeau Nov. 22 at Stormont Vail Event Center. The Northwest Varsity cheer team was anticipating whether they would move on in the state competition. “When we got 10th I was sad that it was our last performance,” Jenkins said. “But I was glad that I got to spend this time with our seniors.” Photo by Maddi Roof
Right Mrs. Wasko conducts the elementary school orchestra Nov 12 in the main gym. Wasko has been in the orchestra since she was in elementary school. “I played orchestra all throughout school,” Wasko said, “It was my favorite thing.” Photo by Natalie Shinabargar
Right Senior Luke Chalfie sets the ball to the juniors Nov. 11 in the main gym. The final score for the buff puff was 15-11; the juniors had won. “We had some practices that were really good,” Chalfie said. “So, I thought we were gonna win, [but] we didn’t really come together as a team in the end.” Photo by Ali Albertson
5
Left - Senior Luke Chalfie cheers along with the other seniors during “Not so late night” after winning the spirit stick Dec. 3 in the Main gym. The spirit stick is a tradition where the section with the most spirit gets awarded the spirit stick. “We put a lot of work into our skit and the games,” Chalfie says. “ It was a lot of fun being able to celebrate with the whole group.”
Photo by Jack Pischke
Left - 8th graders Louise Cruz and Oliver Davis play cello Nov.12 in the Main Gym. Cruz and Davis were performing at the annual area festival, where all the feeder schools of SMNW perform together.
Photo by Natalie Shinabargar
Above Raising spirits, junior Evan Couldry encourages the team before the first set Nov. 11 in the Main Gym. Couldry had been interested in playing volleyball since a young age, but had never played competitively. “Ever since I knew about Buff Puff my freshman year, [I’ve known] I wanted to do that,” Couldry said. Photo by Ali
Students were dismissed early from school at 1:30pm on Monday, Dec. 1 after 4.5 inches of snow fell in the surrounding area during the school day.
senior Malaina Perry scrapes snow off her car Dec. 1 in the student parking lot. After the early release, students had to have their cars cleared off before they could leave. “I felt rushed just cause I was so cold it felt like I was trying really fast to get my car cleaned off and being able to sit in my car and make sure my car starts,” Perry said. “And I had two friends who didn’t have scrapers, and I was helping them clean off their cars, and everyone was kinda laughing even though it was terrible to be out in the cold, but it was fun to experience that with other people.” -
- Senior Patrick O’Malley walks through the snow Dec. 1 in the student parking lot. Students were released early from school after 4.5 inches of snow had fallen during the school day. “[I] Wish [the early release] was even earlier, kind of wish it was before it wasn’t mid-snowing and cold outside,” O’Malley said. -
- Junior Avery Rogers walks through the snow Dec. 1 in the student parking lot. Students were released early from school after 4.5 inches of snow had fallen during the school day. “I was happy because we got to leave school early, but I think that it was a little bit pointless,” Rogers said. “Like it was literally like an hour early, we should have just been released normal time.” -