Photograph by Jack Durkan
TEAGAN LYNCH Opinions Editor
The Millard North Mustangs charge into the lights towards battle, the forever faithful student section close ly behind, pushing them towards victory. The general at the front of the herd organizes and inspires the army.
The general, or the hard hat, has been a male every year since 2008, when the posi tion was created. This year, however, inspired by the vision of principal Aaron Bearinger, this has changed—the Blue Crew was created.
“I reached out to our student leaders to say we need to change, do something different,” Bear inger said. “I want to make sure that all students feel comfortable [and] all students feel welcome.”
Included in this group is a male hard hat, a female hard hat, and eight other regular crew members, split evenly between girls and boys.
“My job as the hard hat is to bring the people in the student section together,” senior hard hat Ben Howard said. “I feel really passionate about it and I think it will really help our school spirit.”
The Blue Crew will have many responsibil ities, such as creating themes, attending sport events, and promoting school spirit by standing in the front row and leading chants at sports events.
“I think we can create a new tradition that is more inclusive of the entire student body and hope fully makes it fun for all students to come to the games and makes it a great experience,” Bearinger said.
The Blue Crew will not only attend sports events, but keep MN students in the loop by posting themes, activity dates, and more on social media.
“I’m most excited for just seeing how it goes,” senior hard hat Gracie Brueckner said. “We’re start ing a bunch of new things.”
Changing the dynam ic of only male hard hats has been a controversial discussion among administration and stu dents alike in previous years.
Anxious thoughts and worried looks are shared throughout the MN crowd. MN has played five football games, with four more coming up.
Photograph by Jack Durkan
“I think it’s cool how girls are finally able to be hard hats…that feels like a step in the right direction,” junior Reema Guda said.
Girls now not only have more roles to aspire to, but also have more support at their own athletic events.
“I feel like it’s good, not just for girls to get more leadership opportunities for student sections and school spirit,” Brueckner said, “but also that girl’s athletics will feel more supported.”
The requirements to be a hard hat, since the tra dition’s creation 14 years ago, were that a student is both male and a senior. Expanding to a bigger group of leaders will ensure both creativity and equality.
“If there’s a bigger group with more diversity, then there’s better ideas that are happening,” Guda said. “If there’s only one guy, that feels outdated.”
The roles of male and female hard hats will con tinue to be passed down from senior to senior, but oth er crew members, also seniors, will be able to apply
A moment of suspense occurs as the crowd watches MN’s players run the ball, while others have their attention elsewhere. The crowd shows their spirit throughout every game, and hard hats lead them in prideful cheer.
Photograph by Jack Durkanthrough a Google form in years to come.
“I basically just tried to pick girls that I thought were pretty involved in things,” Brueckner said. “They’re accountable, creative and passionate about Millard North.”
Replacing such a long standing tradition will take some time and adaptation from the student body, but leaders look forward to the Blue Crew flourishing.
“We’re still learning things with it, but I think in the coming years that it will be a re ally good thing for our school, our student section, and school pride,” Howard said.
1. The Blue Crew is known for their signature white hard hats. How much weight can the standard High-Density Polyethylene hard hat withstand? 7,542pounds
September 30th - MN v.s. Millard West
AT BUELL STADIUM - 14905 Q St.
HOME
Homecoming Game
2. What color of hard hat is most commonly worn and used on construction sites and in costumes? Yellow
3. Hard hats can come in an array of different colors, but did you know that these colors actually represent different workplace roles? It’s true! As such, what posi tion does the easy-to-spot white hard hat represent?
SupervisorsandSpecialists
Loud, Happy Crowd: MN celebrates along with the cheerleaders after the football team completes a play. Cheer leaders work to keep the crowd invested, guiding and chanting through the ups and downs of the game.
Photograph by Jack Durkan
Seniors Paige Ruther ford, Gracie Brueckner, Madelynn Minardi, and Jayna Beal pose for a photo. At home games, during half-time, players and cheerleaders get a break, and the dance team takes the field and puts on a show of their own.
Photograph by Jack Durkan
October 7th - MN v.s. Bryan
AT BRYAN HIGHSCHOOL - 4700 Giles Rd AWAY
October 13th - MN v.s. South Sioux City
AT BUELL STADIUM - 14905 Q St.
HOME
October 21st - MN v.s. Lincoln Southwest
AT BUELL STADIUM - 14905 Q St.
HOME
“We yell loudly so the other student sections can hear us and so that we’re louder than them. The inclusive cheers that go along with the plays that the football team is doing [also increases the hype].”
“I feel like the band contributes a lot to the overall atmosphere of the game [by] playing the fight song. Playing different fun tunes in the stands really gets the student section going and gets the whole crowd into the game.”
“I think that the band really brings out the spirit because of the school songs and [because] it keeps the energy level going by playing certain pep songs [to keep] halftime entertaining.”
Nebraska fires Huskers head football coach Scott Frost during his 5th season after a 1631 record (Sept. 11)
Two men hospitalized in late-night shooting, police searching for shooter (Sept. 21)
Washington Monument closed after being van dalized with obscenities (Sept. 21)
Hurricane Fiona slams Dominican Republic af ter knocking out power in Puerto Rico (Sept. 20)
The sun sets and a feeling of excitement wafts through the warm twilight air as girls brush out their fresh curls, gather their friends, and touch up their makeup for the last time. Guys fluff up their hair, and well, that’s about it.
Homecoming night has arrived and students at MN are ready to dance the night away. Each student has their own favorite part of the American home coming tradition.
“My favorite parts of homecoming are gather ing with friends and getting ready together. It’s also always fun to go out to eat as a group before the dance,” senior Lila Mock said.
However, sophomore Olive Douglas thinks dif ferently:
“The best part of homecoming is seeing ev eryone dressing up for the occasion. It’s cool to see people who usually dress casual and athletic dress formally,” Douglas said.
While the homecoming dance is the central event, the homecoming spirit week and football game are also essential pieces of the whole.
“My favorite part of homecoming is the spirit week because it’s interesting to see what fun ideas the student council comes up with and it’s excit ing to see which themes people follow,” senior Lily Ginsburg said.
On the other hand, it is the homecoming game that is other students’ highlight.
“I like the homecoming game because my friends and I always go together. The game always gets you hyped for homecoming the next day, especially if the football team wins the game,” sophomore Zoey Lewis said.
While the girls have different opinions, all agree that homecoming is one of the best nights of the year.
For junior Spanish exchange student, Aiuri Elizalde Ansorena, homecoming means something unique.
“Homecoming is something typical that American schools have here and not in Spain, so I can’t wait to meet new people at this dance and have
Elizalde explains that so far, she loves the school’s culture and can’t wait to experience this American high school custom.
“I also can’t wait to get my dress. I want to get a red, short, tight one. I have my eyes set on one like that,” Elizalde
For freshmen, homecoming is also entirely new.
“I’m not sure what homecoming even is, but I know I want to go. A lot of my friends are going and they want me to come too,” freshman Pranav Naveenkumar said.
Homecoming is a magical night for many, but it holds more significance to the senior class, as it is their last homecoming of their high school career.
“Senior homecoming is something that I’m excited for because I get a chance to hang out with a lot of my friends that I won’t get to see as much next year. I want to enjoy my senior year before I don’t get to do high school things again,” Mock said.
Ginsburg has a similar take on her last home coming at MN.
senior homecoming means a lot to me, but it’s the get to spend time with while I’m there that mean makes me sad knowing that once I graduate, I ence something like high school homecoming do, it still wouldn’t be the same without my that’s what makes it so special; the fact that able,” Ginsburg said.
seniors are sure to give it their all at the dance on October 1st, for the last time.
Overall, homecoming is guaranteed to be an exciting soirée this year. Everyone better lace up their boogie shoes, because the Mus tangs will show symptoms of a fever this Saturday, and not the sick kind.
Queen Elizabeth dies at 96 after 70 years of rule (Sept. 8) Unrest in Iran contin ues as protests intensify over a woman who died in police custody (Sept. 21) NIGHT FEVER
Monochrome Tropical Adam Sandler Country/Country Club Disco
Stopping before the main entrance, Matthew Starks takes a breath and fixes his tie. It’s been seven years since he last taught at MN. The school has evolved significantly since then, but, then again, so has he.
Starks student taught at MN in 2014 and 2015 be fore transferring to Millard West High School to teach, coach, and, during his last year there, assist the athletic director. But he’s come back after finishing his adminis trative degree this past summer to start as the freshman assistant principal.
“[The freshman principal is in charge of] mainly the day-to-day discipline things that happen with freshmen–we have a number of different interventions that we try to implement to help them successfully transition to high school,” Starks said.
After interviewing for the position in February of 2022, Starks received word three days later that he had been approved by the MPS Board of Education.
“I knew I was going to be done with my degree this summer, so I put my name out there. And then once I was in the interview, it just felt like a good fit,” Starks said.
Starks started the position this past summer, coming in to learn the protocols, procedures, and to get to know some of the other administrative members.
“The transition has been awesome. The difficult
Top Left: Starks takes a selfie with the MW 4x4 girls track team. They won the state title in this event in 2021. Bottom: Starks’ wife and kids have lunch at Starks’ new office this sum mer. Starks’ wife, Megan Starks, is a teacher at Bellevue West. Photograph contrib uted by Matthew Starks
part is getting a grasp on what some of the big rock items that I need to handle are,” Starks said. “It’ll be a mentality shift from being in the classroom and working directly with students to working with adults, but working with the administrative team has been very helpful.”
Amber Ripa, the current junior assistant principal, was the freshman assistant principal for the last three years. She’s spent that time trying to get to know and advocate for students.
“Once you understand the student and what their goals are, you can have different conversations [with them] rather than the black and white that’s in the hand book,” Ripa said.
Similarly, Starks has been in the hallways talking with students, building relationships and advocating for their future– in this building and beyond it.
“One of my commitments when I took this job was to be visible. I think being seen as only the disciplinarian can give a bad image of who I am, because I want to celebrate the successes that students have in this school. I want to be around,” Starks said.
Unfortunately, there’s never enough time in the day to try and handle everything.
“I wish there was a typical day. You don’t plan your day, you just come ready to help. I’ve never had two days that are exactly the same,” Ripa said.
However, Stark plans to bring his A-game to help whoever and however he can.
Top right: Starks golfs with his oldest daughter Harper for the first time. This was on Fa ther’s Day 2021. Photograph contrib uted by Matthew Starks
“Trying to be consistent across the board [is import ant to me], regardless of what the student’s scenario is, but I wouldn’t be able to handle it the same with Student A and Student B, regardless of what their particular is sue is,” Starks said.
Lance Smith has been the assistant principal and ac tivities director at MW for five years, and Stark’s friend for eight.
“[Going from the classroom to administration] is al ways an adjustment, especially for former coaches who value those student interactions,” Smith said.“He’s al ways been heavily invested in the success of extracurricu lar activities and I look forward to seeing the connections he makes with students at MN.”
Starks is excited to leave the interim of adjusting. His goal is to learn more about students and get the opportu nity to build relationships with them.
“Mr. Starks is highly focused on relationships and I believe he will lean on those skills to meet challenges. He asks a ton of questions and loves to learn about what he is doing. Those two things will serve him well in this role,” Smith said.
Adaptability, compassion, and listening. Ripa deemed these traits necessary for the role of assistant principal. Even after seven years away from MN and be ing fresh out of administrative training, Starks has prov en that he has all of these qualities and more. Straighten ing his tie once more, Starks steps onto his old stomping grounds and into his new career.
L.A. Lakers
Scooter’s Hot Caramelicious with an extra shot of espresso
Outdoor activities with family
The National Mall is one of the most recognizable ar eas in America, featuring famous landmarks like the Lin coln Memorial and Washington Monument. This sum mer, it was inhabited by 98 high school boys from around the country, one of whom was MN senior Vikram Me non.
Boys Nation is a simulated government hosted by the American Legion, a veterans service organization, designed to prepare high school juniors to be involved in their democracy. This year, it ran from June 22nd to the 30th, with 2 students from each state (excluding Hawaii) in attendance. Along with learning about the govern ment, students also have the opportunity to meet import ant government figures.
“[Nancy Pelosi] was walking around, and I ended up having a conversation with her and we took a photo, so that was a cool honor,” Menon said.
Menon was also able to meet senator Deb Fisher. Other students spoke with politicians such as Ted Cruz, Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, and Patrick Leahy.
Students are selected for Boys Nation during a statewide program called Boys State, a simulated state government, also affiliated with the American Legion. Students with grade-point averages of 3.0 or above are invited to apply, and those with a passion for politics typ ically choose to do so.
“I’ve always been interested in politics, and so being able to engage in that sense with a bunch of oth er high schoolers seemed fun,” applicant and senior Jeff Birkentall said.
Next, promising applicants are invited to inter view. They travel to a local American Legion post to meet with its members.
“It’s usually three to five veterans sitting there and they ask you questions,” Menon said. “It’s a little in timidating, I’ll be honest.”
After the selection process, five Millard North students were informed they’d been selected for partic
ipation: Vikram Menon, Jeff Birkentall, Michael Begley, Nathaniel Lind, and Thomas Roth. After arriving at UNL’s campus on June 5th, they began campaigning for office in the mock government almost immediately.
“It’s pretty realistic, it’s just very sped up,” Birkentall said. “And because of that, it was really quite fun.”
chance to fulfill his role until this summer.
“My favorite part of Boys State was the tight knit community,” Jolley said.
One crucial responsibility of the Boys State counselors is to pick two students to attend Boys Nation. Throughout the week, counselors watch the students, and each nominates three to five candidates. At the end of the week, they decide on the two students representing NE at Boys Nation. This year, Menon was one of the two selected, and at graduation it was announced not only that he would be attending Boys Nation, but that he had been elected governor.
“To be honest, when I first found out, I wasn’t very excited, because I was still dumbstruck from winning the governor election,” Menon said. “After I had time to realize what was happening, I became super excited, be cause I realized I would have this amazing opportunity to go to DC and meet some amazing people.”
Overall, participants and leaders of both Boys State and Nation concur that the American Legion has succeeded in creating an enjoyable and educational ex perience.
Senior Vikram Menon stands in the Gov ernor’s Hearing Room in the Nebraska Capitol building. This was a few hours be fore Menon found out he had been elected governor at Boys State. Photograph contributed by
Beyond the student experience, the program couldn’t run smoothly without its leadership team, which this year included Millard North alumnus and current Harvard student Evan Jolley. He attended Boys State in 2019 and was elected governor. Traditionally, he would have returned to lead in 2020, but as the program was canceled that year as well as in 2021, he didn’t have the
“My favorite part was getting to know the community. Day 1, nobody knows each other and day 2 people start interacting a little more. As we went to meetings and stuff, everybody kind of got to [know] each other... we had inside jokes, we had little things we did, we kind of would hang out together outside of school.”
“My favorite part of Boys State was meeting all the boys from across the state of Nebraska. It was a fantastic mix of incredible kids and it was an ex perience I’ll remember for a lifetime.”
“To juniors who are looking at getting into big colleges, I would definitely recommend it, because even writing you went to Boys State is a big honor in itself,” Menon said.
Outside of the educational realm, Boys State and Nation are also highly beneficial in other ways to those involved. It teaches social skills and professional ism, which can be helpful when students look to enter the workforce.
“It taught me a lot of good social skills with talking to new people, just because it gives you the ability to build up the courage to go talk to someone,” Birkentall said.
The participants agree: their time at Boys State and Nation was not only constructive in a variety of ways, but one of the highlights of their summer.
“I think deciding to go was one of the best decisions I’ve made. It was truly an opportunity that I couldn’t be happier about,” Menon said.
“What I found especially interesting was the elections. It’s actually pretty realistic, so I ran for secretary of state and it was a pretty fun time.”
“My favorite part of Boys State was being able to see guys from all across the state. It was fun to see the differenc es and also see the similarities between us, and how you can make friends with anyone if you’re able to put yourself out there.
Nate Michael Begley Jeff BirkentallHall passes: the miracle piece of paper that grants students permission to leave class to go to the bathroom, library, and more.
This year, however, those yellow passes hold no meaning. MN has stopped the outdated paper practice and installed a more modern form of tracking students: e-hall passes.
Many schools in Millard have adopted the online system of passes. Students don’t even need to raise their hand to ask a teacher for a pass. They simply log onto their computer and launch the e-hall pass website to re quest one. The teachers can accept or deny that pass with a click of a button from their end.
This system is meant to ensure that students are not meeting friends in the hallway and utilizing their class time well. While it is clear the e-hall pass will likely be around for years to come, The Hoofbeat staff agree that this new technology is not really as effective as it was intended to be.
“[The e-hall pass] streamlines the amount of time students are in class,” Assistant Principal Amber Ripa said.
The administration believes this new system allows students to be in class more and in the hallway less, in or der to create less distractions in the classroom and learn-
ing process.
However, time and time again, these hall passes have proven to disrupt class time. Once a student submits a pass, it makes a loud noise that the whole class hears. It’s disrupting when it’s during a lecture or work time as the entire class gets distracted by it, and the teacher may have to pause their lecture to go to their computer and confirm their pass.
Many students, including junior Gabby Zambuto, agree that the entire process of creating an e-hall pass just to use the restroom is very tedious and extra.
“It’s just a long process and if you are disrupting class anyway then why not just raise your hand and ask to go with no e-hall pass involvement?” Zambuto said.
In some emergency situations, going through the hassle of getting your computer out, finding room num bers and getting your teacher’s approval adds more stress to something so simple. Regular paper passes would be less time consuming and easier for both students and teachers to use.
Students dislike having to get their computer out and wait for it to load with the internet issues, just to use the restroom. When there are so many students in the build ing, there will certainly be many wifi problems.
We’ve all seen someone get out their computer during instructional time to make an e-hall pass just to wait five minutes to get to the site and make it. Having both issues of needing to use the restroom and your wifi
not working is exasperating.
The timing system is also just an invasion of privacy. Yes, it makes sure students are where they’re supposed to be, but tracking bathroom times is a bit excessive and for many students unnecessary.
“It feels weird being timed. I feel like I’m rushed and have no sense of privacy anywhere in the school,” Zam buto said.
As highschool students, we deserve at least a bit of freedom to use the bathroom and not get tracked every step of the way.
Ultimately, the e-hallpass system is inconvenient, disrupts class, and can be an invasion of privacy. However, although many students in MN dislike this method of passes, it is here to stay.
“I feel like in a way I’ve gotten used to it, but I still don’t like it and think it’s annoying,” Zambuto said.
The Hoofbeat staff has also become accustomed to the e-hall pass system despite its drawbacks and realizes that change takes time.
Everyone tends to find change to be very irritating. Whenever some new rule or regulation is enacted there is always strong uncertainty and is bound to have opposers.
Although it might seem inconvenient to students in the beginning, ehall passes are district wide implemen tation and it won’t be going away anytime soon. It may be annoying to students but this change is something we must all accept and adapt to.
WHAT PART OF SPIRIT WEEK ARE YOU MOST EXCITED FOR?
I’m most excited to hang out with my friends... we get to dress up and a do a bunch of cool stuff like that. I’m excited to dress up [and] have fun... I’d participate in the days that they’re doing.
To experience homecoming as a school and to see how high school is... how everyone does it.FRESHMAN GREY SOPHMORE HAMED JUNIOR BHUVAN
I’m excited for everyone dressing up, getting ready, showing their spirit and having fun.
Anuj Singh Online Editor
On August 27th, Rani Banerjee was leaving for her house with three of her friends. But their re laxing evening soon took a turn, when a woman named Es meralda Upton con fronted them with a revolting and big oted attack on their identities.
She advanced on the women, yell ing racial slurs and statements such as “Go back to India,” before aggres sively assaulting and hitting them. The racist encounter escalated quickly when she threatened to shoot one of the women.
This is a much too common phenomenon within American culture. According to a 2022 Pew Research Center poll, more than two-thirds of immigrants in the United States have faced increased discrimination or rac ism in the past year.
Rather than appreciating people with different back grounds and identities, we have started to divide our selves in a process known as othering or otherization.
This term, coined by Edmund Husserl, one of the most influential philosophers of the 20th-century, de scribes the process through which we define and label people from another group as generally inferior.
The main cause of othering is our fixation with bina ry thinking. We as humans have an inert obsession with categorization as we need answers and hate ambiguity.
According to social psychologist Arie Kruglans ki, whose work focuses on violent extremism and closed-mindedness, humans desire a firm answer for ev ery question we ask, even if there are none.
When we attempt to sort complicated, multifaceted people into simplified boxes, there will inevitably be some ambiguity.
This is the start of a slippery slope, which often starts with small microaggressions insinuating that you need to be born in America to be an American. But when differ
entiation meanders into dehumanization, real people are reduced to harmful stereotypes.
When we otherize people like immigrants, we also enable dehumanization against them that invariably leads to violence.
“It’s wrong to kill a person, but permissible to ex terminate a rat,” David Livingstone Smith, professor of philosophy and psychology, said.
Look no further than our former president. At mul tiple of his rallies, Donald Trump repeatedly made com ments about Muslim Americans, comparing them to poi soned Skittles, and suggesting some Muslims should be executed using bullets dipped in pig blood.
A few months after Trump’s comments, Indi an-American engineer Srinivas Kuchibhotla was mur dered by a man named Adam Purninton while having a drink in a bar with a friend. After the shooting, Purnin ton revealed that he had killed Kuchibhotla because he thought he was an Iranian terrorist.
Immigrants can no longer live their lives without fear of being assaulted just for existing. There is no simple solution to this problem. Overcoming generations of rac ism and prejudice built into our systems is not an easy task.
However, if we take small steps to correct our behav iors, we can eventually create an accepting society.
We can do this by focusing on belonging, rather than othering. Renowned psychologist Abraham Maslow ex plained in his theory, the Hierarchy of Needs, that accep tance and belonging are crucial for every person to reach their potential.
Carefully monitoring our bias will allow us to re duce the impact of othering. While our brains are pro grammed with prejudice, they are also taught to trust.
Lastly, try to expand your boundaries. Meet people from completely different backgrounds than you and try to understand them and their stories. If we can empa thize with individuals from other groups, it will be so much easier for us to accept them as our own.
Today, we are more divided than ever. Othering pos es a significant threat to not only immigrants, but every one within the United States.
However, by checking our prejudice, we can over come this imposing problem. By bridging our differences, this land will truly be our land.
• Talk about the perfor mance, not the person
• Don’t force people to talk about their identi ties if they don’t want to
• Regularly monitor your biases
• Watch for any assumptions you make about someone else’s identity
• Expose yourself to unfamil iar groups and individuals
MN is a diverse community that includes international students and teachers who have taught overseas, experiencing different education systems around the globe.
CECE VLIEGER Staff Writer
When thinking about the world as a whole, it seems wildly vast and distant from Omaha, Nebraska. Across the globe, similar to Nebraska and the US, education every where is a much-needed skill to have in life. When think ing about the education we receive, it is challenging to pinpoint exactly which way is the “right” way of learning.
Spanish Teacher Jonathan Nelson taught in Co lombia for three years before becoming a teach er at MN. Having the opportunity to further not only his Spanish teaching but also his speaking skills, he genuinely enjoyed working with students.
“One of the main differences is that in Colombia and other Latin American countries, teachers are highly respected by everyone. Their occupation and role in the community are valued in the same regard as lawyers and doctors. After being a teacher in Houston and now in Omaha, I have unfortunately noticed that teachers are viewed at quite a different level than abroad,” Nelson said.
Though dealing with the difficulties of not only being in a new environment but also get ting to different ways of teaching students, in Co lombia students were more willing to learn.
Though still close to home, family and consum er science teacher Jana Georgius had the opportunity this summer to teach students English in Omaha. In this class, she would teach students who didn’t speak English as their first language how to read and write.
“English is an extremely difficult language to learn and it’s hard to see the students struggle and under stand the reasoning at times for why our language is this or that way or why we spell things a specific
way that doesn’t sound how it looks,” Georgius said.
In the end, it was very difficult for the students to move to a new country and not miss their families. At the end of summer school, the students had a project on what their favorite song was. For most, this was very diffi cult because it expresses who they are and what culture is like at home. Some students would become upset because this made them miss their families. Most of her students
were from Afghanistan, so they were far from home.
“I cannot imagine moving to an entirely new country and having to learn another language and how to survive in a different culture. In my small classroom, some students were excited to learn, but some of the students didn’t want to be there and didn’t care to learn English,” Georgius said
Science teacher Philip Manley spent one school year teaching in the Philippines. When teach ing there he had the opportunity to find out how much different and similar education can be.
“I loved the experience of being in a differ ent country. The school was really amazing. It was an international school, so there were stu dents from all over the world there,” Manley said.
When living there he learned that it is mildly sim ilar to schools like MN. One similarity is that they had an IB program just like MN has implemented. Though a difference in that is that IB in Millard North is an option school route that you would be able to take, in the school in the Philippines all classes were IB.
When Manley taught in the Philippines all the class es were mainly in English and most of the teachers were from the Western Hemisphere. Some struggles he had when teaching was that he was teaching classes he never taught before and learning a new routine. Another difficulty was being away from home. Though they had a lot of the same things like food and the culture, it didn’t feel like the sweet home of the rolling hills of Nebraska.
“I missed my family, I didn’t miss being away, like away from the United States,” Manley said.
After learning about different experiences all can see though education can be widely vast and different, it’s what brings us together in the end. SCHOOLS
he first day of school can be extremely overwhelm ing. But imagine you’re over 4,676 miles away from home, you have to speak a different language, and you don’t know anyone. This was the case for *Jill V.
Jill V. is a part of the foreign exchange stu dent program. After two years of waiting in the pro gram, she finally came to America from the Neth erlands. But before Jill knew it, she was thrown into what seemed to be a completely different world.
“At first I was like, ‘oh we’re going leave at 7:15’? Because at my old school, I would start at class at 9 am. Here, I wake up at 6:00, just so I can get ready. So my morning routine is completely different now,” Jill said.
Paula Gracia is another foriegn exchange stu dent, who is also learning to adjust to follow ing different rules/expectations and still en joying the new found freedoms that MN has.
“Here there’s no phones but in Spain there’s no bottles. It wasn’t okay to carry around a water bottle at my old school. But everybody carries a water bottle here,” Gracia said.
Day to day expectations aren’t the only difference that these foreign exchange students have to come ac customed to. The curriculum here varies compared to the curriculum in other countries’ education systems.
“In Spain, you don’t have the ability to choose your classes. I’m now taking International Relations and Interior Design. Back home you don’t have the opportunity to take any of these classes,’’ Gracia said.
History, math, and science are the few classes that are familiar on these students’ schedules. They appre ciate the new opportunities and unique experiences.
The exchange students are surprised by
a few other drastic changes. Jill observed dif ferences in the curriculum in her history class.
“Here it’s all about America. We don’t have only Dutch history, but here it’s just U.S. history. We have history for the entire world. It’s hard for me, be cause it’s so different that I actually enjoy it. But it’s so weird too because it’s all America,” Jill said.
Oda Klo, from Norway is another foreign ex change student at MN. She believes the big gest difference here from her old school isn’t the curriculum, but the school’s enthusiasm.
“At MN the school spirit is everything. Every school activity is such a big deal here. At my old school it wasn’t like that. No one really cared in the way that we would all just go to school and then go home,” Klo said.
Klo was also surprised at the way we test here in America. In American schools we prepare for the ACT and SAT only in high school. Whereas in oth er countries there are different testing methods.
“We have the finals, and finals are a huge percent of your grade. So everything you do starting from elementary school is preparing for those fi nals. You learn everything just for finals,” Klo said.
Although there are a lot of changes, these students have to get used to, being a part of the exchange program is an opportunity that these students don’t take for granted.
“It’s really scary because everyone here knows each other and you’re coming into your last year. But I also feel more like myself here because nobody knows me. It’s a fresh start where I can do new things,” Jill Said.
It’s only September and Jill is now a mem ber of the cross country team, Klo is enjoying the school spirit of Mustang Nation and Gracia is pur suing interior design. They are all thriving in their new educational setting, imagine what is yet to come.
Paula Garcia takes advantage of unique classes at MN. In class she has some fun learning about new interior design techniques.
Photograph by Jack Durkan
ISABEL GROSS Staff Writer
Schools around the world differ in many ways, whether it be student life, learning styles, or curriculum. Some of the norms can come as a cul ture shock to students that grew up in the US school system. Schools in Europe, East Asia, and South America share the most differences with US schools.
• Ranked the best university in europe
• Second oldest known university
• World class facilities for study and research
• Used for Harry Potter film scenes
According to a new report by the Brown Center on education policy. European exchange students studying in the US found that American school life is much easier compared to studying in Europe.
Compared to the US, European schools’ schedules are very different, with school starting at 9 am and ending around 3 pm. Students also have around 15 minutes of free time in between classes.
A reason for the shorter school day would be that students in Europe take less classes than US students do. Schools in Europe focus on main sub ject areas while US students have more freedom to take classes that explore their hobbies or interests.
In the US, students have the freedom to choose what classes they want to take based on their future career goals or interests. US schools will have graduation requirements set in place, but overall, students will have control over what their schedule looks like.
In European countries, students stay in one classroom where they take all their lessons. While students can’t pick specific classes, like US students can, 11th and 12 graders have the option of choosing a schedule based on what they want to study in University. Possible subject areas include; liberal arts, math, science, and literature.
1. school year is from mid February to the end of November
2. students focus on three of the following areas in school : business/ac counting/administration/social sciences/ biological sciences
3. Two time options for school day: 7am - 12 pm or 1pm - 6pm
Schools in South America are known for their sense of community, with most schools being small in popu lation. Like Europe, students can choose which subject area they want to study. For example, in Paraguay stu dents can choose to study accounting, social sciences, or biological sciences. Unlike the US, students in South America have to pay tuition to attend high school and other higher education. Students also have to take an entrance exam in order to attend; this is the same for many European and East Asian countries. Com pared to the US, where students attend the high school closest to them.
Schools in East Asia are more intensive com pared to other parts of the world. Students dedicate most of their time to studying, with school starting at 7:30 and ending at 4:30. Most students also attend ex tra classes in the evening for college prep or help with current classes. Although these night courses cost tu ition, they yield positive results during exam season.
According to the PISA (Programme for interna tional student assessment) rankings, countries in East Asia take most of the top spots. The PISA measures 15-year-old students in math, reading, and science skills.
Some countries in East Asia use an entirely different grading system than the US called the Bell Curve system.
Between east countries, on average about 10% of students attained highest levels of proficiency (levels 5-6)
China had the largest share of top-scorers in the world
Level 2 is the baseline level of profi ciency at which students begin to demon strate their knowledge that will enable them to continue effectively in university and beyond
PISA results allow participating coun tries to:
• test student’s knowledge
• benchmark their achievements against other countries
• use the exam results to improve education systems
Even though these countries have different approaches to learning, they all want their stu dents to succeed. These school systems can dif fer in learning styles, student life, or curriculum. Schools around the world can benefit from learn ing about these differences in order to improve.
aking up in the mornings anxious for the inevitable sensory nightmare of the crowded hallways, the panicked nau sea that comes from attempting to understand all or even most of the social cues in an average con versation, and the near-permanent stress that was the result of both of these things.
Being a neurodivergent student makes school more than an educational environment. It makes school an emotional maze-- a colossus of exhaustion.
Receiving an education is made all the more chal lenging when almost every decision that our authority figures make for the student body is created with neu rotypical students in mind. One of these decisions is the recently implemented no cell phone policy.
It’s this recently made decision that caused me, and other neurodivergent students to re-examine the lan guage we use for schooling, as we now find ourselves in a much more difficult situation than before, and our previ ous, occasionally hyperbolic, metaphors obsolete.
Most decisions are made based on the question ‘what is best for the people?’, and the answer is unfortunately focused on the welfare of the neurotypical majority.
A neurotypical person is a person with typical brain functions, while a neurodivergent person is anyone who has a nontypical brain function.
These nontypical brain functions range from gener alized anxiety and bipolar disorder, among other mental illnesses, to ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disor der) or ASD (autism spectrum disorder).
However, there is not one type of accommodation
that fits all neurodivergent individuals.
For some neurodivergent students, the new policy in place has led to positive benefits, like making new friends. For the past few years, senior Alice Liddle’s* anxiety has prevented her from forming new relationships with her classmates. The new policy was the push she needed to begin to reach out.
“At first [having the phone policy] was really hard, but I’ve actually started talking to some of the people in my classes because there’s literally nothing else I can do,” Liddle said.
For other neurodivergent students, however, the policy has not been so beneficial, as many students with neurodivergencies utilize their phones for various forms of self soothing.
These forms include fidgeting and mitigating anxi ety through music, as well as using self care apps like the Finch app or texting their support systems to get through tough days.
“It makes me incredibly anxious…even the ability to have it on my desk helps because I have a popsocket,” senior Dorian Hallward* said. Hallward is an autistic student whose sensory issues and social anxiety has made school a difficult terrain to navigate, and it has only got ten harder.
For those who are struggling with the no phone pol icy, there are people within the school that they can talk to.
“One of the most important things is to feel connect ed in some way to an adult,” School psychologist Terrin Dorathy said, “a lot of students find their person in this building.”
Neurodivergency is complex, multifaceted, and simply needs to be recognized as part of someone as a whole. Even though more people are neurotypical than neurodivergent, this does not mean that neurodivergent people can be overlooked.
However, with recent policy changes such as this one, it’s clear that there’s no better word for Millard’s neurodivergent community than ‘overlooked,’ with this prime example of neurotypical conveniences being placed before neurotypical needs.
The Hoofbeat staff will publish eight issues of the paper at Millard North High School (1010 South 144th Street, Omaha, NE). Type is set with the use of Macintosh and HP computers. Printing is done by White Wolf Printing, Shel don IA. The Hoofbeat is a member of the Nebraska High School Press Association and JEA. The Hoofbeat exists for the express purpose of student information and learning.
Advertising: Advertising will be sold at $7 per column inch or by special quarter, half, or full page rates. Information can be obtained by calling 402-715-1404.
Responding to the Hoofbeat: Letters to the editor may be submitted to Room 1105 or sent to sacrotzer@mpsoma ha.org. Names will be published. Letters must not contain attacks against an individual and may be edited for clarity.
Olivia Torrez
Rebecca Jacobsen
Front Editor
Elias Pipinos
News Editor
Rebecca Jacobsen
Opinions Editor
Teagan Lynch
In-Depth Editor
Mahika Kanchanam
Lifestyle Editor
Olivia Torrez
Sports Editor
Sadie Hugelman
Online Editor
Anuj Singh
Social Media Editor
Anuj Singh
Cartoonist and Artist
Violet Bredenkamp
Photographer
Jack Durkan
Staff Writers
Mia Castro
Adithi Deeduvanu
Elias Fleming
Isabel Gross
Natalie Hill
Callie Menke
Emily Schmucker
Uzin Shrestha
Cece Vlieger
Amina Hussain
Grace Evert Adviser
Sarah Crotzer Principal
Aaron Bearinger
Submit story tips to @mnhshoofbeat or mnhsonline.com
ding is heard from the front of the class and a difficult moment is shared as you watch the teach er open your bath room request, which you had sent five minutes prior. The assignment in front of you is unstarted, still loading and giv ing retry messages.
Every day at MN, we face a myri ad of different Wi-Fi problems, ranging from long loading times that make our new e-hallpass almost impossible to use, to lectures that are interrupted and drawn-out by the seemingly inadequate internet speeds.
At this point in the school year, although Wi-Fi is sues are quite disappointing and irritating, we should push through and let Millard’s district technology teams do whatever they can to take care of our growing Wi-Fi problem.
Many students seek out Franco Fiorini, our school’s technology facilitator, for help with their struggling com puters. Fiorini, despite his technical knowledge, can’t help students with what he can’t fix.
“Wi-Fi issues are a big deal, but it’s not just [MN], “ Fiorini said. “It’s district-wide.”
Although he is our school’s go-to for all-things tech, Fiorini has little control over its struggling Wi-Fi network. Even though we are having frustrating problems, it ap pears that Millard’s technical teams are doing their best for us.
“[The Wi-Fi] is getting better,” Fiorini said. “Last year, we replaced all the access points, but we are still having issues.”
We may be asking the same question at this point; what can we do to keep ourselves as functional and as ready for school as possible while we wait for these issues to be resolved?
“It’s hard to say because this is a district-wide [prob lem]. It seems a lot [worse] in this building due to how many students and staff we have,” Fiorini said. “We have a good percentage of students that never bother to restart their computers, and the district is constantly pushing out updates.”
Instead of constantly putting off these extremely use ful updates, we should try to update our laptops in a time ly fashion to support our tech team and keep their focus on what is important as of now.
“By the time students do decide to [restart their com puters], they have many pending updates,” Fiorini said. “We try to spread the word, but it doesn’t work the way we want.”
At the tech office, many of the biggest problems re ported can be solved by a simple restart of a student’s computer.
“We have students that stop by the tech office, and they can’t connect to the Wi-Fi or their apps won’t load properly,” Fiorini said. “All we do is restart their comput er and then boom, it starts working.”
Although restarting can be a hassle, especially with a buildup of updates, it is a very effective way for everyone to ensure our laptops are as fast and as easy-to-use as possible.
In fact, these restarts and updates pushed out by the district are the primary way to keep our laptops in-theloop. This also makes Fiorini’s office much less crowded and more available for more difficult circumstances.
“[When] those Wi-Fi issues go away, my life will be much easier than what I am going through right now,” Fiorini said.
While we wait for our internet situation to get in good shape, we should do both Fiorini and ourselves a massive favor, and push “confirm” on the next update sent our way.
A: “IT REALLY JUST COMES DOWN TO HAVING THOUSANDS OF DEVICES... ALL CONNECTED TO THE SAME WIFI.” WHAT DOES IS MEAN TO TROUBLESHOOT?
A: “WE CAN’T REALLY DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT... WE TRY AND TROUBLESHOOT THE BEST WE CAN.” BROESCH WORKS AS TECHNOLOGY INTERN FOR MPS
The McDonald’s drive thru had no line and was quick to get through. The voice at the window was a ro bot. At first it got my order wrong, but then a human voice came over the speaker to direct me to the first window. This didn’t bother me much since the workers moved very quickly to get the fries paid for and handed out to me before I even could put my debit card back in my wallet.
The fries came in a large red box with the familiar ‘M’ printed on the front. The box was put into a brown, greasy bag and a lot of the fries fell to the bottom of the bag, so the presentation wasn’t very clean. Although the fries over-filled the box, McDonald’s gave the most fries in a medium box than any other fast food restaurant I visited.
Each fry was a different shape, but the inconsisten cy didn’t bother me. The fries weren’t soft, but not too crunchy either. They were salted per fectly, and although the fries were thinner than I would like, they were still addicting and hard to put down.
Runza had the slowest drive thru line that I had to wait in. I don’t mind waiting in line, but there was no one in front of me, so I was confused as to why I had to wait at the speaker box with no response. The employee tak ing my order wasn’t very enthusiastic and had a bad at titude when I came up to the window. But I received my order fairly quickly once I was able to pay at the window.
The presentation was very put-together. The fries came in a green box that matched the accent green color of the bag they were put in. Sadly, the fries came in the smallest box out of all the restau rants. Although there weren’t as many fries in the box, the fries were fairly thick and had the longest length.
Each fry took a long time to cool off and burned the roof of my mouth, but I was too impatient to let them cool down because they were too tasty. The fries were crunchy, but not too tough. They were perfectly salted and had the most flavor out of any fry I had tried that day.
Overall, these were the best fries and I wish there had been more of them.
aising Cane’s had the longest line to sit through, but this was only because they had the most business out of any fast food restaurant I visited. The employ ees worked very quickly considering how many people were in the drive thru and in the lobby. The man at the speaker asked, “Hey, hey, hey, want some chicken to day?” Although this made me laugh, I had to tell the employee that I would only be ordering a medium fry.
The fries came in a white take-out box. The box was almost filled completely, but there was still some empty space. I was pleased to see the fries came with a side of Cane’s Sauce. The presentation wasn’t very pretty and the box was boring, but the crinkle-cut fries looked too delicious to be upset about the box they were put in.
The fries steamed and I had to blow on them to cool them down. These fries were more consistent in shape and they were much thicker than any other fry I tried.
Sadly, they were a little mushy and not crunchy at all. They weren’t very salty and were bland on their own.
Overall, they needed the sauce to make them more enjoyable.
Sarah Wood scaled the ladder and flew across the monkey bars, excitedly climb ing her way around the entire playground. Now, as a senior, Wood has been rock climbing for six years.
“I had kind of heard about [rock climbing] be cause American Ninja Warrior was a popular show to watch when I was little. And then there was a woman who my mom was friends with at my ele mentary school who suggested it to me when she saw me climbing at the playground,” Wood said.
Wood’s mother, Julie Wood, took the suggestion and decided to take her to a climbing gym in Omaha, opening the door to a future of countless hours spent rock climbing during practices and at competitions.
“[Sarah’s] interest in climbing changed from being originally something she just enjoyed to be ing something she enjoyed, but also wanted to pursue and continually improve,” J. Wood said.
Wood’s focus on becoming a better rock climb er was shown in her transition from a kids climb ing club, to a competitive climbing team, to final ly breaking away with some teammates to form an independent, highly competitive youth team now based in Lincoln– Nebraska Climbing. This team is comprised of seven kids– the only ones in Nebraska who travel and compete regionally in rock climbing.
“I’ve known a lot of them for years, which is re ally nice. We do lots of things outside of practice to gether as well, to hang out. I know that we decorated posters for the kids going to nationals, or we’ll go out and get ice cream or meals together after,” Wood said.
Besides enjoying time spent with teammates, one of the aspects Wood loves about rock climbing is that it is always changing– something she didn’t experi ence in her previous sports of dance and volleyball.
“At the gym, the route setters will reset the routes every week. There’s always new routes for you to try. I like the aspect of change and having to adapt and seeing something new for the first time, and having to learn how to do it quickly,” Wood said.
Matt Beio has been coaching Wood’s team for one year, and has observed Wood’s many climbing capabilities firsthand.
“Sarah is very smart, which adds to her abili ty to problem solve as well as make decisions quick ly if she thinks something will not work. Sarah’s big gest strength, besides her mental ability, would be her core strength. She is extremely calculated in her movements and knows how to use her core to slow herself down and move deliberately,” Beio said.
Although Wood has proven to have a talent for climbing, that doesn’t always make it easy. Rock climb ing brings plenty of challenges for those who par ticipate and compete– both physical and mental.
“Since I do three or four hour sessions, the hardest part for me is my skin will get really ripped up, and I will
ing, both in the sport and in life skills.
“I have been extremely impressed with Sarah’s dedication and pursuit of climbing. Climbing has taught her so much– she has gained self-confidence and learned how to work hard to face and overcome fears and challenges. Climbing has become a true passion of hers, which I expect will be lifelong,” J. Wood said.
Chalk is used on the hands to both absorb sweat and help prevent skin tearing
A brush is also used to removed extra chalk from the holds
Wood is part of Nebraska Climb ing-- the best youth team in the state
Practice is held at MW Climbing in Lincoln
Objectives of the program are building fundamental climbing skills & engaging in team building activities
A harness is also worn when rope climbing as a safety net
Nebraska Climb ing competes all across the Midwest
Wood wears spe cial rubber shoes when climbing to ensure a better grip on the holds
Rock climbing is an activity where participants climb up, down or across natural rocks or artificial rock walls. The goal is to reach the summit or the endpoint of a route without falling.
EMILY SCHMUCKER Staff Writer
The bright stage lights shine onto freshman Finley O’Malley’s face as she adjusts the microphone in front of her. She takes a deep breath and readies herself for yet another performance.
From a young age, O’Malley has always been in trigued by the art of music and performance through musicals, choirs, and more.
“I was always more interested in dancing and singing on stage than throwing a ball around,” O’Malley said.
So when O’Malley’s voice coach, Emily Boganows ki, had the idea of starting a band, O’Malley was all in. The Blackbird Rock Company band consists of about 11 members playing a variety of instruments. O’Malley is one of the lead singers for the band.
“[O’Malley] has such a unique, powerful voice and I knew immediately that this would be a great opportunity for her,” Boganowski said.
Blackbird Rock Co. began in November 2021 and has already come a long way. From performing at Turn er Park to some of their own private gigs, the band has
achieved so much in the few months they have been play ing.
“One of the best things to ever happen to me was to be offered the role in the band,” O’Malley said.
Through the band, O’Malley has grown both in ternal ly and exter nally, as she learns more about herself while develop- ing her musical skills.
“It has been so reward ing to watch Finley flourish with in the band,” Bo ganowk si said.
An important aspect of the band is rehearsals. Blackbird Rock Co. practices one to two times a week for two and a half hour intervals. They start by playing through the songs they have down really well, and then focusing
on the ones that could use some work.
Blackbird Rock Co. does primarily covers. From Måneskin to the Beatles, the band plays a variety of 80s-90s rock music.
“The main focus of Blackbird Rock Co. is to provide students with an educational experience of what it’s like to be in a professional band and to have a blast doing it,” Boganowski said.
Music has also strengthened O’Malley’s relationship with her sister, junior Marin O’Malley.
“Ever since day one, my sister and I were making and putting on musicals for my family,” F. O’Malley said.
The O’Malley sisters have been each other’s biggest supporters as they have performed together for many years. M. O’Malley has watched her sister grow with the band as she cheers her on.
“She’s gained a lot of confidence and grown into discovering who she is and who she wants to be,” M. O’Malley said.
O’Malley has dedicated much of her life to music, and her hard work has paid off and made an impact on others. O’Malley hopes to continue making both music and friends as the band grows and she grows with it.
Blackbird Rock Co. lines up for a group picture with their logo after a concert. Each member is a high school student from across the city.
Photograph contributed by Finley O’Malley
O’Malley is pictured singing with the rest of the band at Gene Lea hy Mall. Each member rocks their own instru ment, from piano to drums.
Photograph contributed by Finley O’Malley
O’Malley performs with the Blackbird Rock Co. at a concert. The band was performing at The Berkley. Photograph contributed by Finley O’Malley
“
[I like] working with the band to figure out how we want to play [the music] and kind of make it our own.
FINLEY O’MALLEY FRESHMAN
A young girl who has been a hard working athlete with an unmatched passion and drive for track, Katha rine Beachlor becomes one of the top track starts in the nation.
Beachlor is currently a junior at MN, and she has finished her sophomore year with a more than successful track season. With hours of continuous training Beachlor made it to nationals in the sum mer of 2022.
“I practiced at least four to six days a week and each practice was about an hour and a half to two hours. My training routine during the summer is more throwing and right now I lift four days a week,” Beachlor said.
This determination and strength doesn’t just happen over night. Beachler entered the track world at a very young age, and she fell in love with
“My mom threw when she was younger, so she started with me when I was about three, and ever since then I’ve realized it’s some-
thing I want to go far in and progress in,” Beachlor said.
As her mom, Lisa Charles, plays a double role as both a coach and a parent, Beachlor has a lot of support and motivation.
“As a parent I want to see her give herself some grace. As a coach I want Kat to keep setting the bar high. Keep working towards continuous improvement,” Charles said.
As an athlete Beachlor recognizes that the mental game is as important as the physical, especially at nation als. She continues to push both herself and the obstacles that come her way.
“I just try telling myself that this is my opportunity to beat the seniors and all the upperclassmen. It’s really hard to get over the nerves, but you just have to have fun and live in the moment,” Beachlor said.
Keeping these lessons in mind, Beachlor has achieved great feats as she continues to push herself and work harder and harder everyday. Always being a talent ed athlete, Beachlor placed in four different events
“I’ve been going to nationals since I was eight, so it prepared me for high school state track, and it’s honest ly very rewarding seeing yourself do good at nationals,” Beachlor said.
This success of Beachlor, comes with a great sup port system behind her. Senior Katie Chambers pushes Beachlor to do her best with friendly competition and motivation.
“[Chambers] really pushes me in the weight room.
She always wants to do the weights I’m doing, which makes me want to go heavier, and it really just helps me push myself,” Beachlor said.
Beachlor’s work ethic and commitment to something she is passionate about sets an example for her team mates as well. She’s no doubt an asset to the team.
“She is very humble about her achievements. I ad mire how well she works with her mom being her coach and how she is always asking for her input on things. She is able to [do] things more athletically than anyone I know. Every year, we work harder and laugh more,” Chambers said.
With the skill and achievements Beachlor has worked up to, she sees a bright future for herself. Track will con tinue to be a part of with her throughout college and more.
“It felt rewarding placing at nationals but I’m really hard on myself so I still am driving to do even better next year. I would love to go to the Olympics just because I’ve worked so hard all my life in the sports. I really want to go to UNL or BYU, those are my top two schools,” Beachlor said.
As Beachlor becomes the new and upcoming track star, she takes the lessons she learns through track with her in every opportunity and experience she gets.
“Track teaches me how to work hard and dedicate myself to everything that I do. The biggest thing that has stuck with me is that competing and putting in the work isn’t worth it if you’re not having fun,” Beachlor said.
Katharine Beachlor gets a running start before throwing the javel across the field. She is competing for a national title in javeline; along with four other track and field events in the meet. Photograph submitted by Kat Beachlor.
ADITHI DEEDUVANU
Staff Writer
The sway of a racquet, the squeak of tennis shoes, and the thudding pop of the ball: all sounds that are familiar to the boys tennis team. However, this year brings some changes for the team that seem less conventional. The demolition of their old courts, two new coaches, and plenty of new faces to the varsity and JV teams.
The old tennis courts were up for many years and were in major need of a makeover. So, when they were redone this year the team was thrilled.
Nobody knows better about the courts than the play ers. Junior Arjun Anugole has been on the varsity team for three years and says the new courts have made a major difference.
“On the previous courts, there were some cracks and the paint was starting to dull down. With the new courts, the color was brighter and it was just a little more bouncy. Also, the new fences help stop balls better and have a nic er color. I definitely think it was something that’s going to help us this season and it helps us take a little more pride in our school and our team,” Anugole said.
But the courts aren’t the only change of the year, both the varsity and JV teams have new coaches. The new varsity coach, Scott Orlando is not new to the game of tennis. With over 35 years of coaching experience, 10 years at the High School Level and 2 years at the Division 1 Level, he knows exactly what his plans are for the team.
“The goals for my first year at Millard North are simple. We want to compete at the highest level, and I want to get to know my players. I want to know what their strengths are, and where improvements need to be made,” Orlando said.
He is confident that his experience can help the team. His work with the younger players is especially crucial as
they are just starting to compete as a higher level. But he knows that tennis is always a work in progress.
“Even with the amount of talent on this team, there’s always room for improvement, and that includes myself. Currently, we are always working on the serve and return of serve, the two most important shots in tennis. Finding the right doubles combination has also been a work in progress,” Orlando says.
His players also seem to be excited about Orlando’s work.
“He is extremely nice; he tries to be as inclusive as possible to his players. He has helped coach many State Champions, and he seems passionate about coaching us,” Freshman Anurag Ganti says.
Each year, new faces fill the tennis team. However, with seven seniors graduating from the varsity tennis team last year, this year’s team dynamic is different.
“Our team is definitely a little younger and more inexperienced this year compared to the past, but I still believe that we are a strong team that can compete at the top. I think from my perspective, the team dynamic is going to be a little different just because I have a little more responsibility, but I hope that the younger people on the team have the same experiences I’ve had in the past,” Anugole says.
Regardless of the transformations to the tennis team, the players are competing at the highest level and work ing hard. Watching their practices, the team’s chemistry and energy is palpable on and off the court. As Metros and State approach, the team seems to continue getting stronger. This helps them bond whether they win or lose.
After already winning two duals this year, it seems like the changes have made them stronger. Overall, the team seems to be off to a good start even with the serving of the courts, coach, and players.
“I think they’re really nice, as we definitely needed some new courts. the old courts were getting old and had a lot of cracks in them, and it just feels nice to have it for the whole team,” Junior Arjun Anugole said.
“While the new courts took longer than anticipated to get ready, it has been well worth the wait. Even thoughit’s difficult to establish the direct impact on comfortability when playing, as time progresses it’s better for our feet that we play on newer courts,” Junior Anish Amin said.
New Blue and Green Courts
New Gates
New Nets
PhotographstakenbyJackDurkan
Last game, last run, last chance for State. The six softball seniors prepare for their last season at MN.
“I just have a really good feeling about it, like we are finally going to be State Champs,” senior Katherine Johnson said.
Johnson knows this is their last chance to become State Champions, which puts undeniable pressure on the girls to perform.
“We have a lot of weight on our shoulders. We are one of the bigger classes, and all of us start, so I just expect myself to be more of a leader, not just executing myself the best I can, but being the best leader I can be,” senior Maddie McGee said.
McGee expects a lot from her self as a senior. She considers herself a person that the team can look up to, not just by the way she plays, but by how she reacts to her surround ings.
“[In]Lincoln East game we got down two runs early in the first inning, and (Coach) Travis yelled at us, straight up yelled at us, so I brought everyone together and I was like, ‘hey it’s okay, that stuff happens, and it’s going to happen’,” McGee said.
McGee’s positivity was the catalyst the team need ed to advance and end with another win. McGee’s leadership isn’t the only thing younger players are going to miss. Johnson takes on being a leader by being vocal and keeping the group together.
“Everyone was nervous, MN hadn’t been to State in a long time. Before the game, Katherine had a meet
ing with all of us in the outfield. She explained to us how we deserve to be here. We had worked as hard, if not harder, than every other team. Katherine inspired us and motivated us” junior Lenka Dwight said.
Dominance on the field is just one of the things that softball girls cherish. The team considers themselves more of a family with chemistry that is unmatched.
“We play for each other; we help each other out in school to be able to succeed on the field,” senior Desa ree Cuevas said.
The way Cuevas plays for her team is by being the source of energy for the girls; energy is effective whether winning or losing.
“Desi has one of the most positive attitudes on the team. No matter what happens, she will find a positive way to look at it. I am inspired by Desi to look at everything with a positive mindset. Whether that’s with softball or anything I do in life,” Dwight said.
Cuevas, Johnson, McGee, and the other seniors lead as ex amples, future players can look up to. Dwight is sad to see her role models leave, but knows that she must learn all she can, to fill in the gaps left by them.
“This will be only our third year playing with them, but these are people that we’ve known in elementary and middle school, seeing them leave is like turning over a new leaf, it’s sad we’re going to have to be the leaders next year,” Dwight said.
The rest of the team will miss the seniors and the guidance they have showcased, and will forever feel their lasting impact.
The summer freshman reserve team celebrates their win. Both freshman and incoming eighth graders played on this team that took first at state.
Photograph submitted by Carley Stych
Jock Talk Caden Vermaas Sophomore Football Addison Hobza Junior Softball
“I feel great; I mean playing games is kind of fun and going to school is alright, but it’s not bad.”
“You have to get caught up in all your work when you come back the day after, so it’s not in as a zero. It’s really easy to catch it back up once you understand what’s going on in each class.”
“It can be stressful at times, but if I just talk to my teachers before games then I can make up the work that I missed.”
Emma Rhode Junior Cross Country
“We play for each other; we help each other out in school to be able to succeed on the field.
DESAREE CUEVAS SOFTBALL PLAYER ”