ARE WE?
Talking stages today are nothing but exhausting, tedious and a waste of time pg. 12
A Dark PLACE
Students at Northwest have begun to use social media to engage in casual sex, leading to a hesitance to form meaningful relationships | pg. 10
PROUD TO SPONSOR SHAWNEE MISSION
where to
FIRST? news opinion
LYING IN WAIT | PG. 04
Venezuelans at Northwest are react to the U.S intervention in their country
KNOW YOUR RIGHTS | PG. 04
Students and teachers pass uut slips informing people of their right against ICE
A DARK PLACE | PG.
10
Students at Northwest have begun to use social media to engage in casual sex, leading to a hesitance to form meaningful relationships SO... WHAT ARE WE? | PG. 12
Talking stages today are nothing but an exhausting, tedious and a waste of time
THIRD TIMES A CHARM | PG. 05
This year, StuCo changed the name of their winter dance from Sweetheart to Winter Formal
SECOND IN THE NATION | PG. 05
Northwest’s competition cheer got snowed in Kansas rather than compete in Texas for nationals
HANDS FULL | PG. 06
When I was younger I had very low self esteem and now I’m learning what it takes to love me for me
LEARNING TO LOVE ME | PG. 07
The U.S. should not be allowed to host the 2026 FIFA World Cup due to the growing civil unrest and unsafe political conditions
ONE
DAY | PG. 15
Seniors Rey Rubin and Alan Guzman start planning their life together, after dating for more than four years
EYE-OPENING | PG. 16
Junior Bella Burns takes her first steps to becoming a nurse after her mother’s experience in the hospital
all the quiet places sports
JUST FIVE MINUTES | PG. 18
Art teacher Kimberly Ruttan’s passion for painting flourishes during passing period
PASSAGE
OVERSIGHT
Co-Editor-In-Chiefs
Sofia Ball
Greta Grist
Head Copy Editor
Hope Hunt
Copy Editors
Sophia Ragan
Harper Ward
Photo Editors
Maddi Roof
Vivienne Wheeler
Lucy Wilson
Hunt
Ragan A+E
Ragan
Gus Stirling Hope Hunt Sofia Ball
Sophia Ragan Harper Ward
Brynna Emler
Dayla Jertson
Kayla Chege
Sarah Wellman
Olivia Perocho
Genevieve Kidder
DESIGNERS
Kennedy Woolf
Greta Grist
Mary Kate Mitchell
ADVISER
Chris Heady
AN ALL-AMERICAN HALFTIME SHOW | PG. 23
Bad Bunny is set to perform at the Super Bowl LX halftime show, amid political tensions
for one copy of each of the 9 issues
Cover by Greta Grist | Photos by Maddi Roof, Sofia Ball & Finn Bedell
THIS MONTH IN NEWS
SMNW Venezuelans react to the changes in their country
*some sources’ names have been changed to protect their identity*
The U.S. Military bombed Caracas, the capital city of Venezuela on Jan. 3 2026, capturing their President, Nicolás Maduro, as well as his wife, Cilia Flores.
This came after Maduro and his family were charged with narco-terrorism and conspiracy to import cocaine. Maduro pleaded not guilty to all charges until their next court hearing, which is set for Mar. 17. President Donald Trump posted a meme on social media on Jan. 11 saying he is “the acting president of Venezuela.” Maduro’s vice president, Delcy Rodriguez, who was sworn in as interim president on Jan. 5 was outraged by this message.
“Those who seek harm and evil for Venezuela must be completely rejected and separated from the national life of this homeland” Rodriguez said. Venezuelan students and teachers at NW have mixed opinions on whether the U.S. should be partially controlling
the country while Maduro is still on trial.
Venezuelan born math teacher, Tatiana Briceno, is concerned this will lead Venezuela to be another controlled U.S. territory.
“Is the American government going to take over?” Briceno said. “We need the help, but we don’t want to be another Puerto Rico.”
There are similar worries about the intent behind U.S intervention because it was “part of the Trump administration’s broader e orts to take control of the South American country’s oil” an AP News source said.
Others disagree.
“It would be good if that happened to Venezuela,” senior Mark Johnson said. He believes it would bene t the economy and the lives of Venezuelans if the U.S took political control.
A common conclusion amidst Briceno and Johnson was the worry for their families back in Venezuela. Briceno is concerned that there is too much uncertainty of what life will look like
Estudiantes y profesores reparten papeles informando a la gente sobre sus derechos frente a los agentes de ICE
El 16 de enero, los estudiantes distribuyeron un papel amarillo con información sobre qué hacer al ser confrontados por agentes de ICE. El papel incluye información sobre los derechos legales en caso de detención, una línea directa para reportar incidentes con ICE, derechos legales en materia de vivienda y arrendamiento, y cómo reportar avistamientos de agentes de ICE.
La traductora de inglés de NW, Gremary Ungar, comenzó a repartir estos papeles a estudiantes y sus padres tras la reelección de Trump en 2024.
“Quiero educarlos”, dijo Ungar.
Expresó su preocupación por los estudiantes latinos.
“Se puede ver el impacto en ellos”, dijo Ungar. “Se mani esta en depresión y problemas de comportamiento. Espero que los padres hablen abiertamente
con sus hijos”.
Aunque Ungar lleva más de dos años repartiendo estos papeles, recientemente han generado mayor interés debido al aumento de avistamientos de agentes de ICE en Kansas City, las protestas masivas y los incidentes de agresión.
“Los he repartido con más frecuencia este año”, escribió Ungar en un correo electrónico, “La comunidad necesita estar al tanto de sus derechos”.
Ungar también espera que proporcionar esta información facilite más conversaciones en casa entre los estudiantes y sus familias sobre cómo afrontar el creciente temor a ser detenidos o a perder a sus seres queridos. Para obtener estos papeles o recursos adicionales, los estudiantes y el personal pueden visitar a Ungar en la o cina auxiliar.
WRITTEN BY CLAIRE ROGERS 3124411@SMSD.ORG
for her family during this period of political tension.
“Rent is not going to just freeze,” Briceno said.
Johnson said it was hard to keep up with his school and work life “the rst few days” after the attacks.
“Am I going to lose my family there?” Johnson said.
Although the fear for their families is strong, the Venezuelan people are glad to nally have international action after ghting an authoritarian president by themselves for far too long.
“We tried to show other people, and nobody’s been doing anything about it,” Briceno said.“Finally, there’s international action.”
WRITTEN BY CLAIRE ROGERS 3124411@SMSD.ORG
Students and teachers pass out slips informing people of their rights against ICE agents
On Jan. 16, students passed around a yellow paper detailing what to do when confronted by ICE agents. The paper shares information on legal rights when being detained, an ICE report hotline, legal rights for “housing and tenant issues” and how to report sightings of ICE.
NW English translator, Gremary Ungar, started passing out the slips to students and their parents when Trump was reelected in 2024.
“I want to educate them,” Ungar said.
She expressed her concern for the Latinx students.
“You can see the impact on them,” Ungar said.“It comes out in depression and acting out. My hope is that the parents open up with their kids.”
While Ungar has been passing
out the slips for over two years, recently they are generating more engagement after increased ICE sightings in Kansas City, mass protests and assault incidents.
“I have passed them out more often this year,” Ungar wrote in an email, “The community needs to be aware of their rights.”
Ungar also hopes that supplying this information will facilitate more conversations at home between students and their families about how to cope with the increased fear of being detained or losing their loved ones.
To nd these slips, or additional resources, students and sta can visit Ungar in the auxiliary o ce.
WRITTEN BY CLAIRE ROGERS 3124411@SMSD.ORG
2. - Senior Maggie Lamons and sophomore Emily Houser practice their cheer routine Jan. 23 in the Main Gym. The competition cheer team spent more than 30 minutes practicing and preparing for their state competition recording.
Photo by Finn Bedell
1. - Seniors Keaton Wagler and Savanna Hauber laugh after Wagler won king Feb. 15 in the Main Gym. Wagler and Hauber won Sweetheart King and Queen. “When I found out that Keaton and I had won I was just so happy. It’s so special to the both of us,” Hauber said. “You know dating since freshman year and getting to watch all the crownings and then finally getting to experience that together was so special.”. Photo by Lucy Wilson
This year, StuCo changed the name of their winter dance from Sweetheart to Winter Formal
After the number of attendees of the annual Sweetheart dance halved over the last decade, Student Council is now renaming it Winter Formal in hopes to boost attendance.
“I think at our peak, a decade ago, we were pulling 800 kids,” StuCo sponsor Sarah Dent said. “And now we’re down to between 400 and 500, which feels like a huge dip.”
StuCo not only changed the name in an attempt to raise participation, but it was also a way to create an inclusive after-school event.
“The problem with the name being Sweetheart is that it implied that you had to bring a date, and that cuts down on our numbers a lot,” junior and dance coordinator Sophie Larsen said. “We want everyone to know that you can go with friends, and that it’s just like homecoming.”
Last year, StuCo held an in-class vote on what they should potentially rename the dance to, with names including Snowball, Winter Homecoming and Winter Formal. It was decided that the second semester allschool dance would now be known as Winter Formal, WinFo for short.
“We’re trying to market it like it’s Homecoming, because HOCO has a football game, whereas WinFo has a basketball game — so it really is the same thing,” Bartlett said.
To further the appeal of the dance, StuCo chose to keep their WinFo ticket prices listed at $10, whereas Homecoming tickets were being sold for $15, in an e ort to encourage more participation. WinFo tickets will be sold during all three lunches starting Feb. 16, for the dance held on Feb. 21.
Despite the dance name change, the court will still be called Sweetheart Court, and the assembly will be known as the Sweetheart Assembly.
“I feel like Sweetheart court is a lot catchier than Winter Formal court,” Larsen said. “I think it rolls o the tongue easier, it’s a little bit cuter.”
Queen will be crowned at the boys’ varsity basketball game on Feb. 20, and King will be crowned the following night at the dance.
“We’re hoping that this is that bright spot [in the semester], and hopefully that name change just makes a spark,” Dent said.
WRITTEN BY GENEVIEVE KIDDER 3091881@SMSD.ORG
Competition cheer places second nationally despite snow cancelling trip
Around half the Northwest Competition Cheer team crowded into senior Mary Sanders’ basement, awaiting the news. Broadcasting from Texas: the NCA High School Nationals Ranking Ceremony.
“With a score of 93.93 percent.”
“That’s us.”
“Shawnee Mission Northwest High School” The room exploded. They placed second. Nationally. A new record for the school.
Everyone jumped and cheered loudly, some even cried.
“I thought we were going to get top ve,” senior Lovie Dubbs said. “I didn’t really think we were going to get second, so that was just really awesome.”
Northwest’s competition cheer was scheduled to y to Fort Worth, TX, on Jan. 23, to compete at the NCA High School nationals in the Game-day Coed Varsity-Large group. The same night, a “severe” winter storm was sweeping the nation. The Shaw-
nee Mission School District Board decided that the team would not y to Texas, seeing as they could be caught in the storm.
“It really sucks that we didn’t get to go this year because, honestly, half the fun is just being with your team and staying in the hotel,” Dubbs said. Since they couldn’t attend, they recorded their routine and sent the lm virtually. To avoid cheating, there is a speci c website they recorded through that only allows two attempts.
“Our second run through was way better [than the rst]; we did a really good job, and at the end of it all, it was just kind of sad,” Dubbs said. “Right when our routine ended, I looked around at everybody, and a lot of people just started crying because we’ll never perform together again.”
This capped the season for competition cheer with a record-breaking title for Northwest.
WRITTEN BY SOPHIA RAGAN 3097001@SMSD.ORG
HANDS
The United States should not be allowed to host the 2026 FIFA World Cup due to the growing civil unrest and unsafe political conditions
This summer, the United States, along with Canada and Mexico, will host the 23rd FIFA World Cup tournament, bringing together millions of people from all over the world to experience the beautiful game in America.
When the host countries were decided in 2018, the United States was in a very different economic and political state. From pre-pandemic employment rates to “Trump 1.0”’s immigration policies, it’s safe to say the US has been on a political downhill ever since.
With the division and violence spreading across the US, the nation should not be given the honor of hosting matches. The recent laws concerning immigration and the deployment of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents are spreading humanitarian concerns across the nation, casting a dark shadow over the spectacle that is the FIFA World Cup.
Kansas City, hosting six matches including one quarterfinal, has already begun to feel the effects of the Trump administration’s immigration policies. From ICE agents all over the metro area to talks of putting a mass detention center in the former Kansas City Star building, there is no escape from Trump’s focus on deporting illegal immigrants.
After ICE killed Renee Good and Alex Pretti, two citizens of Minnesota, tensions across the country are high. Although nothing that violent has happened in Kansas City, who’s to say it won’t before the World Cup begins in May?
The United States, known for being a “melting pot” of different cultures, is supposed to be welcoming and accepting of diversity and unity. But, as of January 16th, 2026, over 73,000 immigrants are being held in ICE detention centers across the US, and over 230,000 immigrants have been deported since Trump took office in January
FULL FULL
of 2025.
Instead of the welcoming and historically democratic nation we once were, we have become a violent, unsafe and bordering-on-dictatorship country and we should not be “rewarded” for our fascist behaviors by hosting the 2026 FIFA World Cup showcases.
To volunteer to host a global phenomenon, built on inclusion and unity, as a country actively dividing not only its citizens from one another, but also separating its country from the rest of the world, seems abundantly hypocritical.
The US, plagued with civil unrest and violence, we should not be focused on hosting the World Cup, and instead should be focused on its citizens and the political state of the nation.
With two other host countries, Canada and Mexico, banding together with the US to host the World Cup under the name “The United Bid,” it is easier now than ever to move the World Cup from an unsafe host country to a more suitable location. The fascist behavior the US government is exhibiting should be punished, not rewarded. The honor of hosting the FIFA World Cup, a tournament built on uniting nations through the beautiful game, that was given to the United States should be taken away until the political state of the nation is less hostile.
14
14 01 01
A staff editorial is an opinion piece crafted by a single writer and voted on by the entire staff of the NW Passage. It is not an unbiased news article, but an opinion piece tackling a major issue. Here is how the NW Passage voted on this editorial. agree 01 disagree 01 vote vote the abstain
LOVE
LEARNING TO LOVE
When I was younger I had very low self esteem, now I’m learning what it takes to love me for me
Ever since my childhood, I’ve struggled with self-image. When I was younger, I got teased. Maybe it was because of my snaggle tooth that showed when I smiled, or maybe because I have a peanut allergy.
Most days I would sit by myself at lunch. Maybe it was because I talked too much. No matter what it was, I could never quite figure out why people didn’t want to be friends with me.
As I got older, things didn’t change much. I got braces. I learned to shut up when appropriate. I still had peanut butter and jelly sandwiches shoved in my face. But this time I had some friends, a small group, we were all outcasts, but things were good, until we got separated once middle school arrived
By the time the second semester of 7th grade hit, it felt as though a dull pain had engulfed my body. The names I was called followed me around like a ghost. train tracks and brace face.
I realised people hated it when I talked.
The peanut allergy was still a struggle, and I always had people asking me if I “couldn’t have kids because I was allergic to nuts”.
I had two friends at most, and I wasn’t
sure I could even trust them because of past friendships.
But year after year. I would always hope that in the next era of my life, maybe people would like me. Or at least someone.
And year after year. I slowly gained and lost friends. That was until my sophomore year.
My sophomore year was the hardest school year of my life yet to come. I lost, I gained, I cried, I was broken, and I was shown who deserves to sit at my table.
And who doesn’t.
In the process, I met my boyfriend. The boy who has shown me kindness and heartfelt love.
The boy who has never once doubted me in what I am capable of. Over the course of a year, I learned what it takes to be in a relationship. Hard work, dedication, attention to detail, and most importantly, love.
But I also learned that in order to love someone else, you have to love yourself. That was a tough pill to swallow.
At first, I couldn’t grasp it. I just thought that if I put all my effort into this boy, he would like me more and more.
I was quickly proved wrong after a month. Devoting every second I had to the relationship, spending endless hours together, and I was exhausted.
We talked, we worked through it, and he understood.
I’d never felt so heard in my life, just by a simple conversation.
Over the course of a year, my boyfriend and I worked through every issue with a smile. We are able to talk through our arguments calmly.
And over the course of that year, I learned so many things about myself. I prefer iced coffee over hot, I like blueberry redbull, Jazz music is my comfort zone, I love spending time with my family.
I also discovered the beauty in myself; my crooked smile is beautiful, my peanut allergy isn’t a weakness, but a quirk, and I deserve to be heard even when I overexplain.
So this year, my goal is to love myself, not for the friends I have or how much money I make.
But for me. For all my imperfections and flaws. To better myself and be the best person I can be for my friends and boyfriend; who have inspired me to become who I am today and who I choose to be in the future.
Junior Ava Campbell smiles at herself Jan. 30 at her house.
Photo by Maddi Roof
Students at Northwest have begun to use social media to engage in casual sex, leading to a hesitance to form meaningful relationships
*names in story changed to protect identity
casual sex, leading to a hesitance to form meaningful relationships
“THE RECKLESSNESS AND THE ADRENALINE RUSH, YOU GET BEFORE YOU DO SOMETHING. THEN, YOUR MIND JUST KIND OF GOES SOMEWHERE ELSE.”
Junior Brooke Carroll* was 11 years old when she was rst asked to take her clothes o on the internet. She started o with just a simple picture in a bikini sent to a boy through Snapchat in sixth grade.
“They’d give me all this attention and they’d be like, ‘oh, you’re so pretty, I want to see you’, Like, ‘let’s do stu ,’” Carroll said. “There’s just all that attention and the best way I could probably describe it is, I didn’t know any better. I thought, ‘this is what people who are in love do.’”
For Gen-Z, pictures asked for on the internet quickly turn into meet ups, which turn into hookups, leading to students having uncommitted sex. A growing number of those encounters are happening in secret, between strangers who meet for the rst time on Snapchat, who then either “block” or “ghost” each other within hours after the encounter.
“I hang out with people that I don’t want to introduce my mom to,” senior Fiona Chapman* said.
Experts and research say casual hookups between people who meet on social media can lead to an increase of depressive symptoms and lower self-esteem. A survey of 200 students by the American Psychological Association (APA) found that 78% of girls and 72% of boys feel regret after engaging in uncommitted sex and in 2023 found that almost 65% of people ages 12-21 have participated in casual sex within the past year.
Carroll isn’t the only student that has been using social media to meet and have sex. According to a Passage Instagram poll, 32% of students who answered said they have used Snapchat as a way to “link up” with someone.
“Hookup culture’s easy because it’s a written word,” psychiatrist Samantha Ciani said. “I could DM you and that’s easy. But if I come up to you and say, ‘‘hey, you look really good today. I really love the way you wear your hair,’ that takes another level of con dence, of assuredness in my communication skills.”
Ciani believes that the progression of technology and social media has heavily in uenced the Gen-Z thinking process when forming relationships.
“[Phones] hinder a child’s ability to form healthy relationships, because no one’s teaching them how to form them,” Ciani said. “There are parents out there that don’t know, even in this moment, that you have to teach your child how to use technology.”
The in uence of technology in teenage socialization has caused a loosened regard for who they’re contacting and how well they know them.
“Technology has changed everything,” psychology teacher Brooke Moore said. “You can end up sexting in conversations before meeting them because you don’t
Phones, social media and technology are where it
“In elementary school, I was always kind of like the ugly kid,” Carroll said. “People would Photoshop my body and stu like that to make my butt look bigger. And I was always very insecure.”
When middle school approached, the negative attention Carroll recieved from her peers would soon turn into a rmations. Her routine consisted of waking up at 6:30 a.m. to ensure her hair and makeup were done perfectly for the snaps she’d send in the morning. Once she got home from school, she was back on Snapchat.
“Any type of early exposure to technology, to social media, it’s been shown there’s a correlation with a negative impact to how humans process emotions [and] regulate emotions,” Ciani said.
In Carroll’s eyes, the early mornings obsessing over her looks paid o
“Everybody had built me up on my looks, and that’s all I thought I was,” Carroll said. “I’m nothing without my looks.”
Seventh grade was the rst time Carroll had casual sex for the rst time with someone she met online.
“I was 13, and Snapchat is a dark, horrible place,” Carroll said. “I knew it was weird and not right. I was pretty embarrassed, I really tried to brush it behind me and not acknowledge it.”
Chapman had a boy she met from Snapchat over at her house while her mom was gone. While her intention wasn’t to engage in anything sexual, they still did. He then left after ve minutes and she was blocked before he left the parking lot.
“It feels like I got beat down every single time, more and more,” Chapman said.
The anonymity of online relationships leads to a lack of accountability with the harmful actions displayed in those intimate, yet short, moments.
“Some kids end up developing hurtful or maladaptive behaviors because they don’t know boundaries,” Ciani said.
Students want the bene ts of a relationship, such as attention and pleasure, without the emotional attachment and e ort that it takes to sustain a meaningful connection.
“People just don’t want to commit,” Moore said. “There’s always someone better. At least we think there is. Because we’re like, what if there’s a better t? What if there’s a better hookup?”
Now a junior, Carroll says she can grasp the situations she was in.
“I do acknowledge it, and it set up a system for me, and how I viewed love, which was sex,” Carroll said. “I wish I could go back and protect her.”
Romance in the mobile age largely takes place online, especially for teenagers. Below are glimpses into some of the apps of choice.
Highlights. Posts. Notes. Careful curation of your pro le results in a perpetual performance, just in case someone’s watching. A careful advertisement of yourself.
TEA
No boys allowed. Men get posted and women anonymously comment or give him a “green” or “red ag.” Comments are often lled with accusations of cheating, ghosting, assault, or more. Often used as a protective measure.
WIZZ
An app to “meet new friends”… which is more often used to date, or to manage meetups. A more controversial choice, dubbed by many as “Tinder for kids.”
SNAPCHAT
Seen as the hub of the “talking stage.” Photos and chats disappear as long as neither of you make a move to save them.
So...What Are We?
Talking stages today are nothing but exhausting, tedious and a waste of time
The terms “talking,” “casual” or “situationship” are all things that course through my mind before a migraine sets in. It feels as though I cannot escape the onslaught of theories from TikTok influencers still living with their parents about “how to make a guy obsessed with you” or “how to leave the talking stage.”
Ironically, instead of actually talking to people, as is in the name, “talking stages” are a series of superficial conversations loaded with acronyms where teenagers ask three things over and over through Snapchat.
Wyd? (What are you doing?)
Wyll? (What do you look like?)
Wyf? (Where are you from?)
Or, people ask very surface-level questions pertaining to whatever my favorite color is or if I have any pets. But that’s not a conversation! That’s 21 questions. Or awkward speed dating in a new elective that your counselor dropped you into. Or an exit ticket for first graders.
It feels as though our goal is to see who can get to know the other person quickest. And what follows naturally, who can get bored quickest? And the worst part is, once someone becomes bored, they just never talk to you ever again — hence the modern beauty of social media. And the block button.
It’s frustrating, not only because our attention spans are dwindling rapidly, but also because people my age are losing the skill of being able to hold a conversation or get to know people.
We are too young to know exactly who we are, or what we like, or what we want out of relationships. We need to stop forcing that image of what we expect to be “the perfect partner” onto other people — how are we supposed to find this when all they respond with is “blue”? More importantly, why do we need to find this
at 17?
Needless to say, last year I really traumatized my friends with my dating life. I’ve talked to guys who thought “Brazilian” was a language. Guys who had a bong in their trunk. Guys who talked in a baby voice sometimes. Guys who should not have been administered a driver’s license. Guys who sent me shirtless pictures after their basketball games. Anyways…you get the picture.
This was through Snapchat, Instagram, my gym or class. I was typically the person to reach out or approach someone first.
So you can probably guesstimate just how much self-respect I had!
NORTHWEST PASSAGE
of NW students have entered a “talking stage” since starting high school
Data from Instagram poll
But seriously, I wanted what everyone else my age does. To be wanted. Teenagers, especially, will use relationships or “talking stages” to fill the holes in their life. Why think about working on your own insecurities when someone else can validate them for you? Even if this means getting used or mistreated. Many prefer that to being alone.
Teens, like myself, are not only hesitant to address and prioritize our own growth but also meaningful connections. That starts with addressing your wants in a relationship.
For some, this is sex. For others, it’s having someone to talk with on FaceTime at night, or over coffee once a week.
We’re no longer taking the time to understand
and appreciate people for their authenticity and personal qualities, because we’re lonely. We need someone to fill those gaps. So it doesn’t matter who that is, as long as they reply to our Snaps quickly and answer our calls when we’re bored.
One of the most startling commonalities that I’ve noticed is people’s inability to form a conversation.
Now, I’m starting to realize that’s asking a lot. Hey, maybe that new communications credit will count for something after all.
But, in my experience, people are either too shy and won’t text first or say anything, even in person. Or I can’t get them to stop talking… about themselves.
When we don’t appreciate or know the person before us, and we’re rushing into things for cheap thrills of course we won’t know what to say. And if we don’t have many opportunities that let us talk about what’s going on in our lives, of course, once given the chance, it’s hard to stop.
But regardless, we need these things: patience, a desire for growth and self-preservation, and the ability to understand how conversations work, and then practice having them.
I love talking to strangers. And I’m not just saying that as a reporter. I think there is no better way to become a more confident, professional and fun person than getting practice at talking and understanding different types of people. You aren’t just born a witty conversationalist. It’s a muscle you have to be consciously working. And this doesn’t just have to be in a romantic sense. But that can be easier.
So please. Delete Snapchat. Text first. Stop asking what their favorite color is. And focus on becoming the person you want to be before finding someone who’s “good enough.” Or don’t, and have some great awful stories to tell. At least that part’s worth it.
HAVE YOU EVER: - picked up the newspaper - scrolled on pinterest - read the new york times - posted on instagram - taken a photo then you’d love newspaper, and we’d love to have you!
One Day
One Day
Seniors Rey Rubin and Alan Guzman start planning their life together, after dating for over four years
Seniors Rey Rubin and Alan Guzman have been dating since 8th grade. They met in foods class.
Guzman enjoyed rearranging and moving all of the ingredients and pans that she had displayed so neatly. And teasing her with the other group of boys.
“I thought she was cute,” Guzman said.
“I thought he was irritating,” Rubin said. “But to be fair, all boys are like that in middle school.”
Guzman started walking her to class. He listened to her complain about her ex-boyfriend.
He stayed in the after school tutoring program that Rubin’s parents made her take. They talked the whole time.
They walked to the Walgreens across from Trailridge after school every day, where Guzman waited for his mom, and before Rubin walked home. When it was cold, Guzman would give her his dad’s oversized jet black windbreaker with “Mexico” running down both sleeves.
Rubin is effervescent. Her glossy brown hair cascades past her shoulders. She talks with her hands often, smiles with her teeth and wears pastel sweaters. When Guzman doesn’t remember something that happened — a date, or something one of them said — she does.
Guzman is more reserved, with dark curly hair, brown eyes and a dry sense of humor.
He plans on majoring in microbiology and becoming a doctor one day.
She is thinking about culinary school or
Left - Pointing, seniors Alan Guzman and Rey Rubin look at chocolates Jan. 20 at a Walgreens. In 8th grade, Guzman and Rubin would walk together to the Walgreens across from Trailridge each day.
Photo by Sofia Ball
Bottom - Showing her pendant in the light, senior Rey Rubin holds up a gold necklace with her boyfriend’s initial engraved on it Jan. 20. Rubin and Alan Guzman have been dating for over four years.
“I like the necklace because it reminds me of him when he’s not around,” Rubin said. “I never take it off, except to shower. So that it stays nice.”
Photo by Sofia Ball
pursuing art.
Guzman didn’t ask Rubin to be his girlfriend until Christmas Eve, when the two were in 8th grade. That night, they were glued to their phones.
“I’d been spamming him and at one point said ‘I like you,’” Rubin said. “And then he started spamming me, and said, ‘I like you.’ We kind of just said, now what?”
In one week the two made it official.
“I can’t really think of much that changed,” Guzman said. “It’s hard to get closer than that.”
Since then, it’s rare that you see one without the other.
They’ve walked through St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City and watched in awe as streams of light beamed through towering stained glass and listened to the cacophony of Latin chants and tolling bells.
They’ve gone to every school dance together, Guzman always matching his tie to Rubin’s dress. In a photo from freshman year homecoming, they’re holding hands on Rubin’s living room couch, with smaller features and shorter hair, but the same eager smiles are plastered onto their faces.
They work at the same country club, bussing tables and food running. Rubin counts her tips in the passenger seat of Guzman’s red Chevy Cobalt 2008 when he drives them home.
Guzman picks up Rubin for school each morning.
He’s at her house every day.
“I’ve never gotten tired of hanging out with her,” Guzman said. “Even when we do get bored of staying home, watching shows or reading together, we’ll change things up. We’ll cook together. Go someplace different. Or try something new.”
When asked what it is they talk about in all the time they spend together, Guzman paused for a moment.
“Literally anything,” he said.
Rubin no longer sees Guzman as the irritating middle school boy.
She sees him as her first real kiss.
And the initial on her gold heart pendant, which she never takes off, except to shower.
“I’ve had a lot of issues with family and friends in my life,” Rubin said. “Whenever I’d talk it felt like I was a burden. That I was annoying to other people. But when I would talk to him, he was actually listening. Not only that, but he cared about what I had to say.”
Right now, both are saving up for another trip to Europe this summer. So they don’t go on many expensive dates. But sometimes, Rubin said, running errands, fighting over the correct way to make ramen and bickering over Latin vocabulary in class is more memorable anyways.
“I’ve had big crushes before,” Rubin said. “But I’ve never actually been in love with a person. I honestly didn’t think it would be this intense. I didn’t know it would be this good.”
Guzman said they’ve started planning a life together. They talk about having kids, parenting styles and where they’ll go to school. Where they might live.
“Maybe Minnesota,” Guzman said, turning to Rubin.
“That would be good,” Rubin said. “That’s where the Mayo Clinic is. You could work there.”
Most high school relationships don’t last six months. Let alone a year. Let alone four years.
“And to think we were in middle school,” Rubin said.
WRITTEN BY SOFIA BALL
Grateful For Everything
Junior Bella Burns takes her first steps to becoming a NICU nurse after her mother’s experience in the hospital.
The then eight-year-old, junior Bella Burns, played with her aunt, uncle and cousin in the snow in front of Overland Park Regional Medical Center (OPRMC).
Inside, her mother was lying in a hospital bed with tubes attached to her face and arms.
Inside, her two-month-old premature baby brother was lying in the National Intensive Care Unit (NICU).
Inside, her stepfather was being told the worstcase scenario: her mother might have to relearn how to walk. To talk.
Practically the same as the baby she was carrying a day before.
Burns spent the first four years of her life in Panama City, Florida, with her mother, Yen Slavens. Her biological father left after she turned one.
Slavens met Danny Slavens, Burns’ stepdad, through Facebook and started dating long-distance because he lived in California. Burns met and talked with him over Skype. They would play games, like hide and seek and make-up.
“I already called him ‘Dad’ when we would Skype,” Burns said.
Bella and her mother moved to Los Angeles after a year and a half of Danny and Yen dating. He proposed not long after on the beach in Costa Maya, Mexico.
“When he proposed to her, he proposed to me first, asking if he could be my dad, and he got me a ring,” Burns said.
Burns wore the ring around her neck since it was too big for her fingers at the time, but she always kept it with her.
Both of her parents worked for Dream Center, a non-profit that provided housing — out of an old hospital that the Dream Center bought and turned into apartments — for those on the streets and people recovering from addiction. Because they worked for the non-profit, they got free housing.
Their home was a 550-square-foot one-bedroom. They ate in the living room, and the shower was in the kitchen. Burns’ “room” had sheets hanging from the ceiling for walls.
“I loved it there,” Burns said. “I was super grateful for everything because I was a kid and I didn’t know, but my parents always taught me to be very grateful for everything I had.”
When Burns was six years old, her little brother, Grayson, was born.
Burns, who had always wanted siblings, was ecstatic.
Two years later, Burns, Slavens and Grayson were visiting family in Kansas for Christmas.
Slavens was seven months pregnant with her third child and had visited the doctor twice to ensure she was safe to fly. Slavens’s feet were swollen, and she was always tired. They brushed it off as a sevenmonth pregnant woman who had just flown a lot.
Danny went to Kansas a couple of days later, after finishing work in LA.
The night Danny flew in, they were sleeping in his parents’ basement, and two-year-old Grayson had woken up Slavens around two in the morning — a quirk he routinely did — to ask for a bottle.
Slavens got up, dizzily, and kept stumbling into things on her way to the fridge.
As she was pouring the milk, she collapsed. Milk pooled around her on the ground.
Danny, a light sleeper, woke from the thud, but only heard tapping from the fridge area. He went back to sleep.
Hearing it again, thinking it was an animal outside, he got up to see what was happening.
As Danny walks to the kitchen, noticing the fridge ajar, and walks around the bar to see his pregnant wife lying on the ground covered in milk.
Danny scoops Slavens off the ground and runs up the stairs to his parents for help.
They call 911.
Burns is asleep the whole time.
Her two-year-old brother sits on his bed and watches everything, entertained by the firetrucks and lights.
Slavens had a stroke.
An ambulance rushed her to the hospital.
They took her to OPRMC. Slavens was bleeding in her brain, leading to her stroke, due to preeclampsia, a pregnancy symptom that causes blood pressure to rise and is the cause of 15% of premature births, according to Cleveland Clinic. Slavens had preeclampsia while pregnant with Burns, but not nearly as severe.
A day later, they performed an emergency C-section
The procedure went well, and Slavens had given birth to Burns’ youngest brother — Elliot — twomonths premature, putting him in the NICU.
Doctors told Danny the worst-case scenario: the chances of Slavens being practically paralysed and having to relearn everything were high.
They spent Christmas in the hospital that year.
After taking care of his hospital-riding wife and NICU baby, Danny’s mother and sisters forced him to sleep. When he did, he dreamt and felt an “overwhelming feeling of God.”
Five days later, Burns’ mom walked out of the hospital.
“The whole experience was so eye-opening,” Burns said. “I remember all the nurses being so kind and set on helping my mom. We used to go back every year and visit them.”
Now, Burns and her family moved to be closer to family that lived in Kansas.
Burns is taking medical science at the Center of Academic Achievement to become a NICU nurse. Inspired by the nurses at OPRMC, and because she was a NICU baby like her brother. Burns also enjoys taking care of children.
“I love working with kids,” Burns said. “And the patient to nurse ratio is around two-three paitents and you get to create that bond with your patients.”
WRITTEN BY SOPHIA RAGAN 3097001@SMSD.ORG
Photo’s courtesy of Bella
Photo by Andie Berg
Documenting
Posing, art teacher Kimberly Ruttan holds a brush to her painting after school Jan. 26 in Rm. 7. Photo by Haylee Bell
Art teacher Kimberly Ruttan’s passion for painting flourishes during passing period
The sharp ring of the bell echoes through the Northwest art room as students collect their backpacks and venture to their next class. Art teacher Kimberly Ruttan waves goodbye and turns toward her canvas. She reaches into her desk drawer, and a pallet emerges stained with swatches of multi-colored paint.
As kids run through the halls and chat with each other between classes, she !icks and smooths her paintbrush across the rough canvas, slowly creating a new piece of art, 5 minutes at a time.
“It’s my happy place,” Ruttan said, “A form of meditation, that’s what painting is to me.”
But painting wasn’t always her passion; before becoming an art teacher, Ruttan worked as a graphic designer.
“I was stuck in a little cubicle, there wasn’t a lot of movement or interaction, and it wasn’t quite as creative as I thought it would be,” Ruttan said.
So she began working at a painting studio and was recommended by her boss to become an art teacher. She only needed a couple more art and education credits, so after a couple of years at UMKC, she graduated with a master’s in art education.
“I love the creativity, and that I do have freedom to pivot as long as I’m within standards, I can change the actual project as suited for the class,” Ruttan said.
The student experience, is Ruttan’s focus. At the beginning of the year, she primarily teaches technique so that students are equipped to let their creativity shine.
“I want students who have taken my class to have an appreciation for art; that students realize the amount of planning and dedication it takes to create artwork,” said Ruttan, “Ideally, they respect it and feel con dent to produce art on their own, whether it is for expression or for aesthetics.”
As students start to trickle into the room, Ruttan takes a step back from the canvas and puts her palette back into the drawer of her desk.
The bell rings, and she looks out at the students sitting at their tables.
“Welcome!” she says with a bright smile, her hands still stained with the oil paints freshly applied to the now colorful canvas.
Still a Conversation
Daniel Caesar’s fourth produced album was extremely similar to his past works, but still worth the listen
Ashton Simmonds, known as Daniel Caesar, has released an album about his faith, love and immense passion for understanding others. Son of Spergy is a dedication for Caesar’s father, and how he wants to be known for being his father’s son. The cover image is a photo of his father, further showing the dedication Caesar has for his dad.
Knowing his past music, listening to him for about three years — his signature mellow tunes with passionate vocals — I wasn’t opposed to hearing the extreme high notes playing in the background of “Rain Down,” but that doesn’t mean I enjoyed it. When I watched his second Tiny Desk Concert from NPR, Sampha’s voice was overpowering. Now, while listening to it I can feel the passion within both of their voices, which is the entire point of this record.
A song that gained a lot of traction, “Baby Blue” featuring Norwill Simmonds, is about how Caesar finds himself falling in love. It’s about the
true privilege he has to feel love, and how no matter what, he will always pick this one girl.
Following this song is a track with upbeat and fast paced background instruments. “Roots of all evil” is a song I truly do enjoy for its meaning;
rated a four out of five stars
how everyone does wrong, and that the feeling of being evil is human nature. “Sin is a weakness, and you see it.” Caesar sang.
One piece that deserves more recognition is “Touching God” featuring Yebba and Blood Orange. Within this song, you can feel the passion in Caesar’s voice, the way he strains his voice when ending a term shows the emotion in the lyrics. The song is complete with a gospel-like praise at the end. Trust me, when you listen to this, you will feel like you’re levitating.
The last piece that really caught my attention was “Emily’s Song”. The true pining feeling, missing what you once had is illustrated very nicely in this ballad throughout the lyrics. What I got from this song is that things can’t and won’t always go the way you expected, regretting is something you shouldn’t do because things do happen for a reason.You made those decisions for a reason.
“Son of Spergy” was almost exactly what I expected, and I got a lot out of it. With the whole-hearted lyrics and extremely passionate vocals, I think this album did exactly what Caesar intended to, which was to show true emotion.
WRITTEN BY HOPE HUNT 3135243@SMSD.ORG
Exceeding Expectations
Season two of “Landman” exceeds expectations
My expectations for season two of Paramount’s No. 1 show, “Landman”, were high, and I was not disappointed.
The new episodes set up the next season perfectly, while also avoiding being a filler season.
Landman tells the story of Tommy Norris (played by Billy Bob Thornton) and the oil company he works for, M-Tex Oil. Many supporting characters bring a lot of color to the show. Notably, Cami Miller (played by Demi Moore), T.L. Norris (played by Sam Elliott) and Gallino (played by Andy Garcia).
It was produced by Taylor Sheridan, known for his other shows, “Yellowstone,” “1883,” “1923,” “Mayor of Kingstown” and more. “Landman” is about the modern-day West Texas oil industry, following the life of the president of an independent oil company. The show definitely keeps you on edge and always waiting for something bad to happen; that suspense makes you more invested.
The first episode starts exactly where season one ended, with what M-Tex Oil, the company the show revolves around, is going to do after the last season ended. This brought a perfect amount of tension to the company’s head positions: Tommy, newly named president, and Cami.
While Tommy, someone who’s been in the oil business his entire life, pushed her to sell and get out while she can remain a billionaire, Cami pushed back on his every suggestion. The only good thing Cami did this season was her speech at the luncheon she held, but it gave her a taste of the
rated a four and a half out of five stars
power she held, and she didn’t want to give that up. The show follows Tommy on his day-to-day: wake up before the sunrise, deal with is crazy ex-wife who he’s running it back with, drive hours to different
oil rigs (or patches as they’re called in the show) and take a thousand calls each drive, and go home to his “frat-house” just to wake up and do the same thing the next day: while that sounds incredibly boring, the dialogue brings the show to an entirely new level — which I love.
The show’s soundtrack is simply amazing. It’s set in West Texas, so of course, it’s country. But, it’s a glorious mix of modern and older country styles. You can hear the lovely voices of Ella Langley, Tyler Childers, Laney Wilson, George Strait and many others.
This show brings light to the dangers of the oil industry that those who aren’t in it would never see. It shows how fast things can fall apart based on oil booms and busts.
Paramount releases the show in weekly episodes every Sunday, starting Nov. 16, 2025, and ending on Jan. 18, 2026. Each episode left me wanting more, and usually, a cliff-hanger, enticing me to wait a week for the next one. I think it shows how popular the show is that in a world of binge-watching everything, people were willing to wait for new episodes, and the show remained No. 1.
If you like suspense, fun banter, drama, some good ol’ country music, hints of a drug cartel and a show that will surely make you laugh (if anything at the characters), then this is definitely for you.
WRITTEN BY SOPHIA RAGAN
3097001@SMSD.ORG
Courtesy of Paramount+
Courtesy of Republic Records
DESIGN BY GUS STIRLING
3161009@SMSD.ORG
a&e DON’T BE DUMB
A$AP Rocky finally drops his highly-anticipated new experimental album
There was one big question surrounding the rollout and drop of A$AP Rocky’s new album “DON’T BE DUMB”. Was it worth the wait? And yeah. It was.
For almost eight years, A$AP Rocky was off the radar. After his 2018 album “TESTING”, A$AP Rocky disappeared from the music sphere.
During this time, Rocky was fighting a gun assault charge, which he was found not guilty of, taking care of his three kids with pop star Rihanna, and starring in Spike Lee’s film “Highest 2 Lowest”. Throughout his music hiatus, Rocky dropped a couple of singles, but no album.
Eventually, Rocky started teasing an album. He started wearing merch with “D.B.D” on it, along with performing at Lollapalooza day four on helicopters with those three letters on the doors.
Finally, after years of teasing through merch, performances and singles, A$AP Rocky dropped “DON’T BE DUMB” on Jan. 16, 2026.
From the opening track of the album “ORDER OF PROTECTION”, Rocky shows that he is back and better than ever. Rocky raps that he’s “still in the field like he’s running in cleats” even after the eight year hiatus.
The album has hype moments with both “HELICOPTER” and “STOLE YA FLOW” having in-your-face beats with Rocky rapping in his prime, making for two amazing songs.
Although there is still old Rocky, the album is his most experimental, with him taking his sound in a completely different direction.
“STAY HERE 4 LIFE” shows Rocky taking an R&B approach to his music. With a beautiful Brent Faiyaz feature, Rocky is able to expand his sound to a whole new level. The R&B style fits Rocky’s flow so well on the song, making for a must-listen in his discography. This is the best song on the album.
Along with R&B, Rocky expands his sound to many other genres. “PUNK ROCKY”, the first single for the album, shows the psychedelic rock style with background guitars and drums very reminiscent of “Sundress” with a much darker sound. The psychedelic sound Rocky pulls off throughout the album is incredible, showing him moving more towards that style throughout his projects.
On “ROBBERY”, Rocky creates a jazzy sound with pianos and basses that allow him and Doechii to go back and forth rapping verses acting as a couple about to perform a robbery. Even though the jazzy sound is completely new for Rocky, he is able to pull it off super well and give it a new approach.
On many songs, Rocky is able to blend these styles together perfectly, such as “WHISKEY (RELEASE ME)” where he blends psychedelic with rock instrumentals through a beautiful Gorillaz feature, creating an incredible listening experience.
Although this album has been heavily experimental for Rocky, sometimes it is too much.
On “STFU”, Rocky tries a techno, electronic style with a feature from the Slay Squad, where they basically just yell. The song comes together to end up just being noise pollution.
He tries the same type of thing on “AIR FORCE (BLACK DEMARCO)” which sucks because two bridges in the song have the most beautiful Rocky vocals combined with beautiful Tame Impala type instrumentals that are almost like an “L$D” pt 2, so the song is a skip for me.
A$AP Rocky takes a whole new step with this album, showing that he has had eight years of influences and experiences to contribute to make a fresh album with a new sound.
With this album, Rocky is not leaving any time soon, he is only moving forward. There are all kinds of different sounds on this album, making
rating: rating:
something for everyone. Even though there is no classic cloud rap Rocky, this album is still very much worth the listen.
STORY BY GUS STIRLING
3161009@SMSD.ORG
JUNE 5, 2025
A$AP Rocky posts “It’s going to be a big Friday” which turned out to be a Cash App ad not an album announcment.
JULY 3, 2025
“PRAY4DAGANG”, the supposed first single for a new album drops which didn’t make the album.
AUGUST 4, 2025
A$AP Rocky performs Lollapalooza day 4 with helicopters that have “D.B.D” on sides teasing album.
DECEMBER 16 , 2025
A$AP Rocky finally announces “DON’T BE DUMB” after 8 years of wait.
An All-American Halftime Show
People at Northwest are excited for the upcoming Bad Bunny Superbowl halftime show, even amid the current political climate
Benito Antonio Martinez Ocasio, better known as the Latin musical artist Bad Bunny, will be headlining this upcoming Super Bowl LX’s halftime show.
For many, this is exciting news. Ocasio boasts a staggering 82.7 million monthly listeners on Spotify, holding the platform’s ranking of 12th in the world.
His newest album, Debí Tirar Más Fotos, spent multiple weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, and was the first Spanish-language album to win Album of the Year at the 2026 Grammys.
By these metrics, it’s not hard to tell that many Americans were happy with the choice.
“I’m really excited,” junior Felicity Luna says, “I think this is a big moment for Latinos.”
“Probably that’s the only reason I’m gonna be watching the Super Bowl this year,” math teacher and Latino Student Union sponsor Tatiana Briceno says. “With everything that’s been going on within the Latino community, I think it’s really good that we’re having some sort of representation at big events now.”
However the choice was also met with backlash.
“I’m anti-them,” President Trump remarked Jan. 24 in a Rolling Stone article, referring to chosen Super Bowl LX performers Green Day and Bad Bunny. “I think it’s a terrible choice.”
On Oct. 1, President Trump’s former campaign manager Corey Lewandowski responded on The Benny Show podcast after Ocasio told i-D Magazine, a British magazine focused on fashion, culture and art, that his “Debí Tirar Más Fotos” world tour is skipping the states partially out of fear of ICE raids.
“There is nowhere you can provide safe haven to people who are in this country illegally,” Lewandowski said. “Not the Super Bowl and nowhere else. We will find you and apprehend you and put you
in a detention facility and deport you.”
Turning Point USA (TPUSA), an organization promoting conservative values founded by Charlie Kirk in 2012, offered an “alternative” to the official halftime show. Options on a music genre poll on TPUSA’s website included country, hip-hop, and “anything in English.”
This alternative was dubbed the “All-American Halftime Show.”
The implication, then, is that Ocasio’s halftime show is not “All-American.”
This message is felt widely in the Latino community, which makes up around 20% of the U.S. population, as estimated by the U.S. Census Bureau in 2024.
“It’s definitely not about, ‘oh, we would need an English singer’,” Luna says. “It’s definitely undercover racism.”
While Ocasio doesn’t sing in English, his home country of Puerto Rico is a U.S. territory, making him a U.S. citizen.
“We do have to remember that Puerto Rico is the United States,” Briceno says. “Just because they speak Spanish doesn’t mean that it’s not part of America.”
“We’re not savage, we’re not animals, we’re not aliens,” Ocasio said Sunday night, accepting his Grammy for Best Música Urbana Album. “We are humans and we are Americans.”
Amid all the backlash and tensions in current politics, Luna thinks the show is symbolic.
“I think it’s really good that he’s [performing] at the Super Bowl because it’s one of the most viewed things,” Luna says. “And for him to represent ... not just Puerto Ricans, I feel like he’s representing the whole [Latino] community … I think it’s really important, especially during times like this, with the whole, like, ICE raids and stuff.
I feel like it pushes out a message that we’re more than just people who work in the workforce. Like, we can do big things. We can do really great things.”
KANSAS
The Chiefs will be moving from Arrowhead Stadium in Missouri to a stadium planned to be built in Kansas City, Kansas.
Kansan concerns regarding the move mainly stem from tax-related worries and potentially higher ticket prices resulting from a smaller stadium.
The change comes after more than 50 years of the team calling Arrowhead home. The new stadium will be built in the Legends retail district, which includes Children’s Mercy Park, MLS club Sporting Kansas City, and Legends Field.
Additionally, the new stadium will be domed, enabling year-long use.
Photo courtesy of Rimas Publishing
N P W
GIRLS
BASKETBALL
Shawnee Mission Northwest varsity girls basketball team is 8-8 this season.
like the energy on the bench really has an impact on the game.”
we huddle up] all I repeat in my head is attitude, attitude, attitude,”
“I feel like my role on the team is to always have a positive attitude and positive energy.”
Above - Cheering, junior Liana Sepulveda celebrates with her team Jan. 9 in the main gym. Sepulveda has one thing she reminds herself before a game. “[When
Sepulveda said.
Photo by Natalie Shinabargar
Above - Junior Ruth Gibson watches the ball fall through the hoop Jan. 16 at SM East. Gibson is on the varsity team. Photo by Lucy Wilson
Above - Jumping from her chair, junior Liana Sepulveda encourages her team from the bench Dec. 12 in the Main Gym. Sometimes players have to be benched for most or all of the game, but are still expected to show up to the game to encourage their team. “My role is to make sure everyone has a good attitude. I need to be a burst of bubbles.” Sepulveda explains, “I feel
Photo by Gabriel Larkin
Above- Junior Rikai Cook goes to block the ball Jan. 30 in the Main gym. Cook has been playing basketball since the 4th grade. “I like the friends like the people I met along the way, it’s competitive and I’ve just been playing for a long time so I kinda just fell in love with it,” Cook said.
Photo by Maddi Roof
Junior Ruth Gibson passes the ball to her teammate Jan. 16 at SM East. The Varsity girls basketball team is 8-8 this season. “I think we are working very hard,” Gibson said. “We are really underestimated.” Photo by Lucy Wilson