February 2017 by Play newsmagazine

Play

Maize High School | February 2017

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Custodian Frank Simon writes poetry PAGE 10-11 Play tags along with Botts PAGE 8

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FAA students are at home at Maize Page 14-7

-Syler Garcia, sophomore PAGE 18 -20

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Maize played Maize South in basketball for the first time. Boys won 78-64. Girls won 56-33.

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What’s inside? Who’s inside?

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News

Construction continues on Maize Road as NewMarket expands.

News

New courses added to class catalog for the 2017-18 school year.

News

Freshman Mitch Adamson creates new after-school Bible Club.

News

Maize students attend the 2017 presidential inauguration.

Spotlight

Custodian Frank Simon doesn’t just help keep Maize clean, he writes poetry.

Now Playing

FAA students are at home at Maize High.

Editorial

The FAA program move should have a transition period to allow students to adapt.

Spotlight

Play follows a day in the life of principal Chris Botts.

Column by Bailey Birkholz

Birkholz’s column on how we get caught up in our daily lives and sometimes need a reality check.

Pause

Play presses pause with senior Ryan Kuhl to talk about his future plans and being swim captain.

Review

Loving reviews “The Founder” and believes movies like it come around as often as the McRib.

Sports Update

Inside look at winter sports this season.

Sports

Sophomore Aiden Campbell talks about his life on the wrestling mat.

Photo Focus

Highlights from the first Maize High vs Maize South basketball games.

Kendra Cunningham Editor-in-chief Savie Hughes Online editor Emily Brecht Design editor Lyndsey Piska Photo editor Lizzie Bell News editor Lily McClaren Engagements editor Bailey Birkholz Features editor Andrea Fuhrman Advertisement manager Sadie Ast Kynzi Barragan Allie Choyce Mandi Copp Logan Dillon Kiara Ehrmann Audrey Fields Kaitlyn Grimes Carley Heilm Christian Hurst Ryan Jones Alvin Le Casey Loving Abby McCoy Maddie Neigenfind Lauryn Ogden Riley Quiggle Ryann Redinger Morgan Thomas Stormi Williams Paige Young Dan Loving Advisor

Play is the official newsmagazine for and by Maize High School students. Play is published six times throughout the year. Play is a student publication and a forum for public opinion. Letters to the editor should be signed and around 300 words. The editorials and columns are the sole opinion of the writers and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the USD 266 Board of Education, the administration, the faculty or the adviser.

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Raise your voice

Submit a letter to the editor for the next issue to room D18 or mhsnewsmag@gmail.com Printed by Sedalia Democrat.

Hutton Construction breaks ground on the new CTE building. Construction on the new wing started late January. Photo by Kaitlin Grimes.

Next phase of construction starts Hutton Construction enters the early stages of our new education building

he next phase of construction from a bond that voters approved in 2015 has begun. Work has started on the southwest portion of the high school building that will house career and technical education classrooms and the school’s second tornado shelter. The first shelter is on the north end of the building and also serves as an all-purpose room. There also is a new athletic entrance and concession area, which soon will include high-top tables with the school logo in the center. That construction was completed late last year. The new construction will be 39,000 square feet and will be the home of programs such as Health Science, Agriculture/ Horticulture, Culinary Arts, Communications and Project Lead the Way engineering. The reinforced portion that will serve as the tornado shelter will be big enough for 900 people. Combined, the two shelters will be big enough to house the entire student body, faculty and staff in an emergency. Culinary Arts teacher Cara Poole said the new facility will have a culinary room, a baking room, a service area, a small office, a dish pit and a storage room. She and teacher Megan Sauer will use the facility to teach Baking and Pastry 1, Baking and Pastry 2, Culinary Arts and Culinary Applications. Their current classrooms will be used for teaching introductory courses. Students taking higher-level culinary classes will have the opportunity to use the service area to sell food and will be exposed to equipment used in the industry.

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“Students will now be able to get real-world experience in the state-of-the-art facilities.” — Darin Augustin SJCF Architecture

“We’ll go from home-style kitchens to a big room that looks like a restaurant kitchen,” Poole said. Other highlights include an engineering room that is big enough to house a small airplane and a broadcast studio with professional equipment. “This is going to be a great addition to the Maize School District,” said Darin Augustin of SJCF Architecture. “Students will now be able to get real-world experience in the state-of-the-art facilities.” Construction started last month and is scheduled to be completed in November. “Knock on wood,” Augustine said. Augustine said the building will be available for students during the second semester of the 2017-18 school year.

There are some logistical challenges the construction is causing, principal Chris Botts said. Those include parking areas and side roads. Augustine said a main fiber line that feeds the school has to be re-routed and sanitary and storm sewers have to be extended to reach the new facility. “The biggest [challenge] will be re-routing the bus lane,” Augustine said. Construction is not expected to disrupt any current classes. However the end of both H hallways will be blocked off so debris from construction doesn’t affect any other part of the building. “I’m excited about the opportunity for students,” Botts said. “I think the facility is going to be top-notch.” n — Kaitlin Grimes

The red area represents the location of the CTE building. Photo taken from USD 266.

Sophomores Jessica Lutgen, Cadence Ohl and Oliva Elmore work on their basic photo skills in Photo Imaging. Photo Imaging Advanced has been added to next year’s schedule, one of several new courses students will have the opportunity to take. Photo by Emma Wituk.

New courses available next year Classes will include Outdoor Education, Intro to Teaching

aize will offer several changes to its list of available courses for the 2017-2018 school year, including an Outdoor Education class that is believed to be the first of its kind in Kansas. Other new classes are Intro to Teaching, Teaching Intern, Photo Imaging Advanced and Broadcast I. Victor Mercado will teach the Outdoors Education course. “Angling, camping, archery, orienteering, anything outdoor related,” Mercado said. “[It’s intended to] promote the outdoors, outdoor conservation and just get kids involved in the outdoors.” Mercado said the class, which is worth an elective credit, is one that he has been attempting to launch for several months. “It’s something that I brought up in the spring,” Mercado said. “So it just kind of started. They’ve been doing it in Texas for several years now. It’s something that interested me, so I just thought ‘Maybe I could get it here at Maize High.’” In the journalism department, an Advanced Photo Imaging class will be added to the course list next year. The class will have the prerequisite of Photo Imaging, and teacher approval is required. The nine-week course will be an extension of what is taught in Photo Imaging. “The class is ideal for students who have a strong interest in journalism or art,” teacher Dan Loving said. “Until last year, Photo Imaging was a semester-long class,” Loving said. “Adding this class back into the schedule will give students who are really interested in photography the ability to expand their skills and help them build a portfolio.” There will be several minor changes in the FACS department, such as the careers class being

dropped. Through Butler Community College, college credit will be offered for Foundations of Early Childhood. Sewing II will be offered as a full-credit class to accommodate for the CTE career pathways. In addition to these slight alterations, there will be several large additions to the FACS department. Foundations of Early Childhood, as well as Early Childhood Applications I and II, will have applications required to take the classes. Counselor Lyn Brown said this is due to the potential overflow of students. “That class will be open to both Maize South and Maize High School in the future,” Brown said. “There will be more students so we would like to have some way […] to monitor how many kids get in. We only have so many spots.” The classes to be added to the FACS department will be Intro to Teaching and Teaching Intern. The classes will be in consecutive semesters, with Intro to Teaching first and Teaching Intern immediately after. Men’s Chorus will be changing it up next year, extending Men’s Select from the second semester course to a full-year class. Choir instructor Doris Prater said this is to help better prepare the group for potential traveling opportunities. “The reason why we’re doing that is because we’ll be traveling in the fall,” Prater said. “So we already need to establish a mixed group, and Women’s Chorus will make it a lot easier to get prepared for the music that we have to learn for traveling.” While Men’s Select will be extending to the fall, Prater said there will still be a normal Men’s Chorus, although the class will consist primarily of freshmen. n –Casey Loving

Feb. 7

Class of 2018 enrollment. En-Cor in the auditorium. Class of 2021 mandatory enrollment meeting at 6:30 p.m. in the auditorium.

Feb. 8

Class of 2019 enrollment En-Cor in the auditorium.

Feb. 10

Class of 2020 enrollment

Feb.15 & 16

Counselors will be available in the commons during Parent/ Teacher Conferences for enrollment assistance.

Feb. 20

No Movement En-Cor. Students will all work on enrollment within their En-Cor class.

Feb. 21

IPS needs to be completed, printed and turned into the student’s En-Cor teacher.

April

Master schedule is finalized.

July

Students will be able to view their schedules.

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Freshman Mitch Adamson reads a passage to his group. Adamson led Bible Club since the start of the year. Photo by Maddie Neigenfind.

Freshman Mitch Adamson creates Bible Club “A lot of them have M taught me that it doesn’t itch Adamson got the idea to start a Bible club from his youth pastor who thought he was perfect for the job. Adamson has been helping his peers start their walk with Christ ever since. Adamson, a freshman, has been leading Maize students in Bible Club after school every Wednesday in Thea Lippoldt’s room. Adamson has been dedicated to his faith since the sixth grade when he attended a conference called Strength for the Task. “A lot of times I try to push people to step up their walk with Christ,” Adamson said “It’s really important to me.” During Bible Club, a discussion is started and questions are answered while students talk about different topics as a group. After they’re done, the group engages in prayer. Adamson asks his peers for prayer requests throughout the week and discusses them with the group. To end the session, they talk about their

— Mitch Adamson, freshman days and enjoy each other’s company. “People have a lot of stereotypes for what Bible Club is going to be like, but it’s super laid back and people are usually having a lot of fun,” freshman Sam Bartlett said. “If you want to come talk about God, but also have a good time" come to Bible Club. Bible Club is a place where students can go to build relationships. “[I went because] I could meet other people who were Christian,” Bartlett said “and get to know them so I could have those

Bible Club meets every Wednesday after school in room G21 from 2:15 to 3 p.m.

Maize wins at Thespian Festival

aize’s theater department won at the Thespian Festival recently held at Century II in Wichita. “My favorite part [of the festival] was probably the shows other schools put on that we got to watch,” junior Laura Koerner said. “It was pretty great getting to meet other Thespians from all over the state.” In theater, students work on new ways of expressing their personalities and confidence. “I enjoy meeting new people and being able to express myself through different

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matter how many people show up.”

people to lean on if I ever needed help with anything.” Adamson agrees. “A lot of them have taught me that it doesn’t matter how many people show up.” Adamson said. “They’ve shown me more this year that it’s about a family and not necessarily this humongous thing.” Adamson spreads the word to others about the club and learning about God by posting the location and time on all his social media accounts. “[Bible Club is for] anybody,” Adamson said “I don’t really care if you’re black or white. If you’re gay or you’re not.” n —Maddie Neigenfind

“I think everyone should be involved [in theater], even if you’re not a big actress or actor.” — Abby Wray, sophomore

characters,” sophomore Abby Wray said. Maize won an award for the play "Eleemosynary" which is about three different generations of women. Junior Jacey Wallace, junior Olivia Wag-

ner, and senior Rooslana Rusk get to travel to nationals in Nebraska, where they will perform another play. Students attending the Thespians Festival can experience new ways to express themselves through their acting and learn from others performers. “I think everyone should be involved [in theater], even if you’re not a big actress or actor,” Wray said “You should definitely get involved in another way, whether it’s just set construction.” n —Maddie Neigenfind

Freshmen Audrey Farrell and Aria Sheldon fill out their Match-o-Matics quizzes during lunches on Jan. 18. The quiz results are expected to arrive in February. This is the second year in a row that Student Council hosted this matchmaking quiz fundraiser. Photo by Ryann Redinger.

Student Council holds matchmaking quiz

tudent Council held its second annual Match-O-Matics quiz this year. The Match-O-Matics is a personality quiz designed to find your most compatible match throughout the school. The quizzes were passed out Jan. 18 during En-Cor for students to fill out. Although the exact date is currently unknown, StuCo will be selling the results during lunch for $2 sometime in February.

Junior class president Olivia Wagner said the profit of the tests goes toward homecoming activities. “We decided it was going to be a good fundraiser to help lower the costs of our [homecoming activities],” Wagner said. “So we wouldn’t have to make students pay as much money for that.” Wagner said that the fundraiser was successful last year, but StuCo had to place

more restrictions on who comes in contact with the quizzes. Wagner said some quiz results were stolen last year, so StuCo lost money for the homecoming activities. “We’ve put more instructions for the teachers,” she said. “The teachers know they can’t give it to a random student, so some students can’t take it.” n —Ryann Redinger

New businesses to be added on Maize Road

onstruction has been happening along North Maize Road for months. An abbreviated list of the construction projects follows, as compiled from the Wichita Eagle. A new IHOP is scheduled to open at 29th and Maize Road, near Sam’s Club. The restaurant plans to break ground sometime in the next month or two, with its opening set for this summer. An addition to NewMarket will be added to the corner of 29th and Maize Road, adjacent to NewMarket Square. This location, called NewMarket North, will fill the remainder of the mile between 21st and 29th street. As of now, the only business open in

NewMarket North is Orangetheory Fitness, the second Wichita location for the fitness center. The location was originally planned to be home to outlets like Versona, Simply Mac, and Firehouse Subs, although these all currently have shops at NewMarket Square. Also planned for the new area is a new breakfast restaurant concept called Homegrown. It is expected to open in the spring. The restaurant is owned by Sasnak Management, the company behind Carlos O’Kelly’s and Good Egg. Braum’s Ice Cream and Dairy is coming to Fox Ridge Plaza on Maize Road. There are not yet any details on how quickly the

restaurant will be built. Braum’s is planning on getting another location outside of Maize Road, although the details of where and when are unknown. Other construction on Maize Road includes a bank and an auto parts store near the 37th Street intersection. There are also several restaurants coming to the area that are not on Maize Road. A new Casey’s is on it’s way at 29th and Tyler. It would replace the Casey’s that closed near the high school at 45th and Maize. There will also be an Andy’s Frozen Custard coming to the south side of NewMarket Square, west of Jimmy John’s. n —Casey Loving

News / 7

Students win awards at art competition T

wenty Maize students won art awards in the Scholastic Art and Writing competition this year. The competition is open to grades 7-12 for scholarships. Winning a Gold Key, Silver Key or Honorable Mention results in scholarships and rewards for the artists. Junior Evelyn Farrell was one of the four Gold Key winners. She entered a still-life painting titled “String of Momentos.” Farrell was surprised at her win. “This was my first time entering the competition, so I didn’t expect to get anything,” Farrell said. “I was amazed honestly. I was so shocked that I got the highest award.” One of the six Silver Key winners was junior Brody Lumpkins. He won a Silver Key with an illustration titled “Do Not Block Drive.” This year was Lumpkins’ first time entering the competition, so he didn’t know

what to expect going into the competition. “I didn’t know how to feel,” Lumpkins said. “I was just like ‘Oh cool, I got something, but then I figured out it was going to be on a

“

I was amazed honestly. I was so shocked that I got the highest award. —Evelyn Farrell

wall somewhere. I was happy.” One of the fifteen honorable mention winners was sophomore Madison Blair. She won in the drawing and illustration category with her piece “Ellie.” Blair has been entering art competitions since middle school, but she was still surprised and happy about winning an award.

Chromebooks to be assigned to all students in 2018-19

Sophomore Nicole Vick, left, and her brother Steven, a junior, attended Donald Trump’s inaugural ball on Jan. 20 with their parents. “It was really crowded,” Nicole Vick said of the festivities. “We were going from one thing to the next constantly, but I thought it was a really neat experience.”

SD 266’s Directory of Technology Clark Fichtl presented the district’s new five-year plan during the board meeting on Jan. 9. The plan outlines the cost and timescale for installing new internet hardware for Maize High School and Maize Middle Schools in the district and allows for each student to be assigned a Chromebook for educational use starting in the 2018-19 school year. Chromebooks allow students to access the internet quickly and, with the growing popularity of Google Docs, write papers, format spreadsheets, create slideshow presentations and more. “Key features include a new infrastructure backbone for the Chromebooks,” Fichtl said. “First, we need to establish [internet] support over the next three years before implementing a one-to-one [program].” In the future, the assigned Chromebooks might be used as a replacement for textbooks. Other districts have done something similar in the past, and Fichtl said there is a committee analyzing the results from other districts to see if replacing textbooks with online copies is something Maize should look into. The board is still deciding whether or not students will be given laptop bags and chargers that will allow students to take the Chromebooks home. You can find the tech department’s fiveyear budget plan on USD266.com. n — Christian Hurst

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“I was really happy,” Blair said. “I didn’t think I would win anything.” The Gold Key award winners were Seniors Spencer Shively and Bailey Tredway, junior Evelyn Farrell, and sophomore Bailey Griffin. Winners of the Silver Key award were seniors Justin Khounsombath and Bailey Tredway, juniors Hana Bishop, Brody Lumpkins and Madison Mullen and sophomore Braeden Cleary. Honorable Mention winners include seniors Austyn Ferrin, Andrew Fischer, Spencer Shively, Bailey Tredway and Haley Utter, juniors Hana Bishop, Adrian Cruz, Jace Hubin, Sydney Jackson and Victoria Peterson and sophomores Madison Blair, Yessenia Dominguez, Bailey Griffin, Maddie Neigenfind and Krista Phillips. n —Ryann Redinger

Photo courtesy the Vick family.

Vicks attends inauguration

onald Trump steps up from his seat, with his family beside him, and his country watching him. He places his left hand on the Bible and his right hand in the air. He repeats after Chief Justice John Roberts and the crowd goes wild as Trump is officially inaugurated. Trump is officially the president of the United States. In the crowd of several hundreds of thousands during the ceremony Jan. 20 were junior Steven Vick, his sister, sophomore Nicole Vick, and their parents. thousands of people attending. “My dad got invited,” Nicole Vick said. “It’s like a once-in-a-lifetime experience,

so my whole family went.” Vick said she thought her four-day trip to Washington was exciting, but it was busy and full of events. “It was also really crowded,” Vick said. “We were going from one thing to the next constantly, but I thought it was a really neat experience.” She said the highlight of the trip was going to the inauguration ball. “Going to the ball and getting to see Trump and [Vice President] Mike Pence and all their families all be there at the same time and dance together [was my favorite part],” Vick said. n — Savannah Hughes

Hellas Construction and AstroTurf have finished the construction on the baseball and softball fields. The teams will start practice later this month. A new artificial turf field was installed at the soccer stadium earlier this year. Photos submitted by Jaeyd Schoonover.

Bond brings new turf to fields

he baseball and softball teams will have new artificial turf fields to practice and play on when their seasons begin later this month. The new fields are part of the improvements to the athletic complexes that were approved in the 2015 bond. Soccer also has a new artificial turf field this year. A new locker room is being constructed north of the football field for football, soccer and track. And the football field will get new

lights, a new press box and the home bleachers are being relocated closer to the track. Senior Jake Shields said practicing on new baseball field will benefit the team this season. “We will be able to practice in the rain, and it will give us a slight advantage because we will be practicing on turf all the time,” Shields said. “When other teams come to play us at home, they are not going to be used to that.”

Softball coach Jenny Meirowsky also believes that the new turf will provide an advantage over the opposition.. “We are the only ones in our league that have turf, so it will definitely be a homefield advantage for us,” Meirowsky said. “When we go to away games, we will have to be ready to play on dirt, so practices will be split on the turf and on the dirt.” n –Logan Dillon and Carley Heim

College and career night upcoming M

aize will host a “College and Career Night” on Feb. 21 at the Maize Recreation Center to display possible plans for students after high school. Representatives from different colleges and other post-secondary options will be available for students and parents to explore. The event is organized by College and Career Advocate Kelsey Vinopal. “It’s an evening where over 30 public, private and community colleges come to enlighten families about their academic, athletic and financial scholarships and opportunities,” said Vinopal. Vinopal said looking at colleges during your junior year is important, because it gives you time during senior year to think and choose. “I feel like this is beneficial for students, because it gives them future options and information on colleges and more possibilities,” Vinopal said. n –Stormi Williams

Students in Newsmag, Kay club, Debate and Forensics hold up signs to advertise the sale. The mattress sale will take place on Feb. 4 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Photo by Dan Loving.

Groups to raise money selling mattresses

ver 25 name brand mattress will be unloaded onto Maize’s gym floors on Feb. 4 to raise money for Newsmag, Kay Club, Debate and Forensics. Custom Fundraising Solutions has been putting together events to benefit schools for 10 years, and they give back $10 million every year. Newton and Valley Center have both benefited from a similar fundraiser in past years, and have successfully raised thousands of dollars for educational purposes in their schools.

Terri Costin, the owner, believes that Custom Fundraising Solutions provides customers with better mattresses than they can get at a local mattress store. “Our mattresses are all brand new,” Costin said. “A portion of every sale comes back to the program, we also offer what we hope is a better customer service than what they are going to get at a high-pressure sales experience, and we’re able to provide them with a high-quality bed.” n –Logan Dillon and Carley Heim

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A way with words

Maize custodian Frank Simon shares the story of his love for poetry

ustodian Frank Simon and his 3-year-old son, Alex, were playing catch in the backyard of their home in Colwich in 1993. Simon threw the wiffle ball to his son, and he hit it a few times before he became distracted. Alex’s jaw dropped and the bat fell to the grass. A plane flew over them, and Alex was awestruck. Simon explained to him that it was a plane, and that it takes people many places all around the world. The wonder that Alex had inspired Simon. His passion for writing poetry was sparked in that moment. “Later that night I was downstairs, and I just started thinking,” Simon said. “I started writing a few lines, and they started to rhyme. I liked it better when they rhymed. If you can tell a story and make it rhyme where it doesn’t sound forced, I think it tells a better story.” Simon, 52, said the first time he remembers writing poetry was in high school around the age of 15 or 16. He said he didn’t start getting a knack for it until he was 28. At the time, he paid $30 and sent in seven poems to The Library of Congress and obtained a copyright for them. He submitted and read his work to a couple of different record companies in Nashville, deciding not to go through with the deal because the company would take the rights to his work. A website designed for writers to submit and review each other’s work, called Writing.com, has helped Simon out a lot. He has more than 30 poems published on the site. Simon said the sites gives prompts every week so you can write a poem. He has written well over 100 poems from the prompts, although not all of them are finished. “Sometimes you get a thought and you don’t have enough material or something and you put it to the side,” Simon said. He has three three-ring binders, and whenever he changes anything in his poem—even something as simple as a comma—he makes sure to put another copy of that poem in. Simon says he is almost ready to start his fourth binder. Most recently, Simon has read his poetry to English classes at Maize and hopes to continue to do so. The piece he is most proud of is “Oh Captain! Our Captain! A tribute to Robin Williams.” Simon feels a special connection with Williams, a famous comedian who died in 2014, and loves the work did. Aside from poetry, Simon is all about family. He has two sisters and four brothers. His grandparents were married in Colwich and had 64 grandkids and 132 great-grandkids by their 75th wedding anniversary in 1985. Simon came up with his pen name when

10 / Lifestyle

Read Simon’s poetry: You can find his poetry on Writing.com under the name “franksimon.” he was browsing the Library of Congress’ website. A sidebar had a pen name generator on it. “It was something about ‘Do you have a pen name?’” Simon said. “It said, if you are really serious about being a poet, then you need a pen name, and it has to be three names’.” “The first time I put in my full name it came up with Ikarus Buxton Winthrop. I didn’t like the name Ikarus,” Simon said. Simon then put in his dad’s, brother’s, and some friends’, names, and the generator kept coming up with Thaddeus Buxton Winthrop. “So I decided ‘yep, that’s it,’ ” Simon said. He also goes by “TBW” for short. Simon grew up in Andale. Then when he was 5, his family moved out to the country outside of Andale and Colwich. He lived there for 18 years, which is why he enjoys writing poems about nature. Simon said the town was small, but that’s why he liked it. “It was a small hometown atmosphere between Andale and Colwich.” Simon said. “It was always pretty fun.” He attended Andale High and was extremely involved in athletics. Simon wrestled from third grade until his senior year of high school. He played football his freshman year and was on the track team in middle school and through two years of high school. Simon and his wife, Rose, have four children: two boys and two girls. Their eldest daughter married two years ago and gave Simon his first grandchild. His oldest son will be married in October. Their youngest daughter lives at home and graduated from Andale in May. She now attends college in Hutchinson. Their youngest son lives at their former house in Colwich. “Family is very big for me,” Simon said. “I come from a good size family. God first, family second, business third. God and family are at the top of the list.” Simon’s father-in-law died Jan. 14, and his mother-in-law has Alzheimer’s. Due to her illness, the family moved in with her. “She was my third-grade teacher her first year in Andale,” Simon said. “It has really

opened my eyes as far as brain diseases go. It’s sad. I did write a few lines about her the other day; I put them on the back burner for a little bit.” Simon’s wife said poetry keeps him out of trouble. One of his goals is to publish a small book about poetry. He said he wants to write poetry for his whole lifetime unless he gets writer’s cramps and as long as he still has the muse. “I always have a pen and paper in my car, here at school, and at home downstairs and next to my bed,” Simon said. “There have been times when I’ve woken up and scribbled a line or two and gone back to bed.” Simon says he is passionate about Maize. He said his favorite part about his job is the kids. “Talking with the kids, interacting with the kids, raising four of our own, just seeing how kids are is my favorite part,” Simon said. “I just get a kick out of it sometimes. Some of them are pretty awesome.”n —Abby McCoy

Thaddeus Buxton Winthrop is Simon’s pen name. He often goes by TBW for short. Photo by Lizzie Bell.

Simon is most proud of his poem, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Oh Capitan! Our Captain! A tribute to Robin Williams.â&#x20AC;? Photo by Lizzie Bell.

Author Nathan Hill made the New York Times bestseller list for his novel “The Nix.” Hill graduated from Maize in 1994 and began writing “The Nix” in the mid-2000s. Photo submitted by Nathan Hill.

Writing ‘The Nix’

Maize graduate Nathan Hill has award-winning book

athan Hill, a 1994 Maize graduate, is now an author of the best-selling book “The Nix.” Hill said he was heavily involved in debate and forensics and competed in state championships for both. He also participated in Student Council and boys tennis. Hill looks back at his high school years as “extraordinarily positive.” “I made some extraordinary friends and was lucky enough to have some great teachers,” Hill said. “It was especially gratifying that my high school English teacher Pam Zipfel who insisted to me when I was a student that I should be a writer, recently read and enjoyed my book.” Hill said he’s always been interested in reading and writing. The first story he ever wrote was in second grade titled “The Castle of No Return,” which was a “Choose Your Own Adventure” book with many endings. “I remember writing a lot of endings in which the main character was killed in some violent, gruesome way,” Hill said. “My mother made me alter these endings because she thought they were too morbid and disturbing.” Hill moved to New York City after he got a Masters degree in creative writing at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst. He lived in a sublet for a month with other men who worked on the same road crew. Hill

News / 12

“I didn’t know it at the time, but that was the starting point for ‘The Nix.’” —Nathan Hill, author

spent most of his time exploring the city. “One of the things that happened during my first month there was the Republicans held their presidential nominating convention at Madison Square Garden,” Hill said. “So I went into Manhattan and watched all the hubbub.” The writing of “The Nix” began when all of his belongings, including his laptop, which stored all his writing from grad school, were stolen from his car. He decided that it was time to start fresh, so he started writing “The Nix.” “The Nix” tells the story of college professor Samuel Andresen-Anderson and his mother Faye who left her family when Samuel was a small boy. Faye is accused of a serious crime and the media portrays her as a radical hippie with a disreputable past. Samuel only knows a regular mom, so he begins to wonder who his mom really is. To save his mother, Samuel will begin a journey

to uncover the truth about his mother. “I began writing about the most interesting thing I’d seen recently: the protests of the Republican National Convention,” Hill said. “ I didn’t know it at the time, but that was the starting point for ‘The Nix.’” The first draft of “The Nix” was 1,002 pages. Hill and his agent went through four full revisions to cut it to 620 pages. Then the book went off to the copy editors to fix spelling errors, grammatical errors and plot inconsistencies. “The book went through two rounds of copyediting,” Hill said. “The editors gave me more than 2,000 corrections. I’m not kidding. That was very humbling.” “The Nix” was published last Aug. 30 by Knopf. Hill has received many awards for his novel including it being on The New York Times bestseller list and being named “one of the best books of the year” by sources such as Amazon, NPR and The Washington Post. “The Nix” was also a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle’s Leonard award for “Best Debut of the Year.” “It broke my heart, this book,” an NPR reviewer said. “Time after time. It made me laugh just as often. I loved it on the first page as powerfully as I did on the last. Nathan Hill? He’s gonna be famous. This is just the start.” n —Ryann Redinger

.....................................

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Blending together Students in the FAA program share their lives with Play

Hana Anees practiced for Project Shine to cheer during the Tri-County basketball game. Photo by Stormi Williams

Senior Adrian stands with Students in theAguilar FAA program oftenbest form a friend Andrew Photo by buddies. Stormi bond with theirSanchez. Friendship Club Williams Photo by Stormi Williams.

Senior Andrew Sanchez and previous graduate Eric Sanchez fistbump during the Maize South boys basketball game. Photo by Lizzie Bell.

Junior Lizzy Severe opens her present at the project shine pizza party in December. Photo by Ryann Redinger.

What do you love about Maize High? I love...“Hanging I love...“My friends I love...“Choir. I out with my friend Anand sports.” like cheer.” drew. He is awesome.” —Adrian Aguilar, senior

—Andrew Sanchez, senior

—Lizzy Severe, junior

tudents like senior Adrian Aguilar, who participates in the special education program, have a lot more to their day than relationship drama, basketball practice and math homework. Aguilar, who has autism, goes through his day much differently than those without any sort of limitation. He is a 13-year senior and will graduate this year. According to autismspeaks.org, autism spectrum disorder and autism are general terms for a group of complex disorders of brain development. These disorders are characterized, in varying degrees, by difficulties in social interaction, verbal and nonverbal communication and repetitive behaviors. “I have two sisters, Yvette and Anna,” Aguilar Said. “[Yvette] is older. She’s married.” His younger sister, Anna, is a junior. “[Adrian] is considered a pretty high-functioning autistic person because he is able to do a lot of things for himself, and he’s obviously able to communicate fine with others,” Anna said. “He’s a very intelligent boy.” Because Adrian has autism, he participates in the Functional Applied Academics program. According to the Butler County Special Education Cooperative, a student served through an FAA classroom may have a cognitive disability, a traumatic brain injury, other health impairment, or some combination of disabilities that limit their ability

“[Adrian] is considered a pretty high-functioning autistic person because he is able to do a lot of things for himself, and he’s obviously able to communicate fine with others. He’s a very intelligent boy.”

Adrian loves to sing and has participated in the annual end-of-the-year talent show. He said his favorite genre of music is rock. And also plays Tri-County basketball and soccer. Lizzy Severe is a junior and also is a part of the FAA program due to developmental delays. Severe had encephalitis when she was 3 months old and it caused seizures. According to MedlinePlus.com, encephalitis is irritation and swelling of the brain, most often due to infections. “She hasn’t had a seizure since she was almost 2 and has been off seizure meds since she was 4,” said Connie Severe, Lizzy’s mother. “They could never tell me if her delays were caused by the seizures or the actual anti-seizure medication, which can actually cause cognitive problems.” Lizzy is in the FAA program for some classes, but also takes resource classes with help from a para. “Everyone at school has been amazing with her -— I don’t feel like she’s treated any differently because she’s in the program,” Connie said. “In fact, I think most students go out of their way to be nice to her.” Severe is in choir and said she loves to sing, she is a part of the swim team girls swim team and frequently vacations to Table Rock Lake with her family. This year, Severe participated in Project Shine, a program where students in the special education program cheered with the cheer squad at basketball and football games.

—Anna Aguilar, junior

to complete the K-12 general curriculum without significant modifications. These students participate in the modified or alternate assessment options but they still are expected to participate in general education classes to the greatest extent possible. “Having a brother in the FAA program is very special to me because growing up with him, I’ve been able to learn valuable things such as acceptance and patience and I’m really grateful for that and Adrian,” Anna said. Adrian loves to sing and has participated in the annual end-of-the-year talent show. He said his favorite genre of music is rock. And also plays Tri-County basketball and soccer.

Now Playing / 15

Students in the FAA program have the opportunity to regularly buddy up with students in the regular education program. Photo by Lyndsey

“It gives them people to talk to. It gives them something different than just talking to teachers all the time. That’s what the main purpose of the club is: to give the kids something they can lean back on or have people they can go to.”

In 2015, a bond was approved to make improvements and expand schools in the district. Included in that was an addition at Maize South High for a special education program, but there was not a definite use for it. In November, parents of students in the FAA program were told their children would move to Maize South. Parents and students are concerned about the move and have had multiple discussions with district administrators, the school board and the Sedgwick County Cooperative board. If the program and students are moved, students in general education, special education and parents are worried about the

bond that will be broken. “Whenever they’re outside of it, whenever they don’t have the people around them, it seems like, in their heads, they’re all secluded and they’re like completely different kids than they are when they’re around the buddies,” said Garrison Norris, a Friendship Club board member. “It gives them people to talk to. It gives them something different than just talking to teachers all the time. That’s what the main purpose of the club is: to give the kids something they can lean back on or have people they can go to.” n -Paige Young

—Garrison Norris, junior

“Project Shine is a way for the special needs kids to get to be a part of a team and do something they love,” said junior Karsyn Buzard, member of the cheer squad. “I’m so glad that we have it at Maize High, because they get to meet new people, cheer for the big sports and have fun doing it.” Friendship Club is a club where FAA students and general education students come together to become friends and blend together. Each FAA student gets assigned a buddy to get close with and participate in activities with. Friendship Club often holds sports games or goes on field trips.

16 / Now Playing

Students take a group photo wearing matching friendship club shirts. Friendship club meets daily during En-Cor. Photo by Stormi Williams.

Breaking the bond

Students in FAA program should stay at Maize

By Allie Choyce and Alvin Le for the Play Editorial Board

e see them in the hallways and greet them with a smile. We sit next to them in class and eat lunch with them. We are their friends, and they are ours. It all might be ending, and that’s not right. Students, parents and staff have expressed their dissatisfaction on the uprooting of the Function Applied Academic special education program to an addition at Maize South that was part of the bond projects passed in 2015. “It was in the bond to build, but it was not in the bond for it to be the FAA program,” said Raquel Miller, Lexi Miller’s mother. “One of the board members asked that at the last board meeting if it was in the bond [to move the kids], and it wasn’t. They were gonna use it, they didn’t know what it was for, but then they just decided to use it for FAA to move the program.” These students should be able to stay at Maize High for the remainder of their time in high school, not only for their benefit but for benefit of the community. Many of the general-education students say the FAA students have been in their lives since middle school, some even since elementary school. With the new boundaries set in place, general-education students are allowed to stay where they are. However, the plan is forcing FAA students to move with no transition period. The boundaries allow the kids already at Maize High to stay until they graduate, but the incoming freshman go to their designated school. Implementing the same process for the FAA program move will let the current program stay and incoming freshmen in the program go to Maize South.

It is unfair to students when the school board selects a minority group and decides to move them to a new location. “I think that the biggest thing is that most often these are the kids that have the most challenging time with change,” said Laura Matthews, mother of freshman Gavin Matthews. “Those are the ones that continue to get moved.” To be in the middle of settling into a new building and ripped away to be placed into a completely new environment would be awful for any high school student. Some are heavily dependent on their schedule and need to have daily routine in order to have a comfortable lifestyle. “When we’re home on the weekends or when we don’t have school, she [Lexi Miller] eats lunch at 1 o’clock on the dot. No matter what it’s gotta be at 1 o’clock,” Raquel said. “She has to eat dinner at 6 o’clock. … Her mind doesn’t understand change; it just doesn’t work.” Students in the FAA program aren’t the only ones who will be harmed by the move. General-education students who are members of Friendship Club and Project Shine are going to miss working with friends, some of whom they’ve known since elementary school. “We see them every day in the hallway and talk to them,” junior Logan Schultz said. “So for us not to see each other throughout the day … it will affect us in a negative way because we won’t have that impact in our everyday life anymore.” Friendship Club, which meets daily, has allowed students to build relationships with each other and has let them grow as people and as a family. The students in Project

Shine are mentored by cheerleaders and cheer at different sporting events. Both groups have advocated strongly to keep the students at Maize. “They’re not even taking into consideration the effects it’ll have on them specifically and their families,” said junior Anna Aguilar, a Friendship Club member whose brother is in the FAA program. “It’s so hard for certain kids to adapt to new environments especially the kids that have been here for two, three years and they have to transfer to a new school and start over and start adapting again.” In addition to the move, parents are upset that students will be placed in rooms at the end of the building that will be more isolated at Maize South. “They said they put it there so that the kids can get to the buses easier,” Raquel said. “But our kids don’t ride the regular school buses, our kids ride vans or the little buses.”. Maize should provide a plan for a transition to allow the students to graduate from their current school. They are most comfortable and have built most of their connections at Maize. Many of the student body, whether they’re involved with Friendship Club or not, have built relationships that should be continued. Everybody at Maize has constructed a nest for our students in the FAA program, and to watch them tear our classmates away with no transition is hard on everyone. These students have an impact on our lives daily and are family. Family supports each other, and we can’t support our students when they’re in a new school. “This is their home; they’re Eagles,” sophomore Jo Besse said. n

Freshman Alyssa Ramirez and para Danielle Daray went bowling on Jan. 10 with Friendship Club. Photo by Alli Franco.

Junior Lizzy Severe tries on her hat. Project Shine shared gifts with the girls during En-Cor. Photo by Ryann Redinger.

Freshman Hana Anees opens a present at Project Shine pizza party on Dec. 14. Photo by Ryann Redinger.

Editorial / 17

the Cl ck

with Dr. B tts

A look into the life of Principal Chris Botts S tory by S adie A st n P h oto s by L i z z i e B e ll

ollowing Chris Botts around for a day reveals many things about the man who runs Maize High School. He’s a family man. He’s a man of faith. He’s insanely busy. And he knows nearly every one of his 1,300-plus students by name. “If I could change one thing about my job it would be that I could remember every staff member and students name,” Botts said. “I hate not knowing their name because I feel like I should know it. I have a yearbook and if I don’t know a kid I try to find them in it and I’ll glance through when I have time and quiz myself.” Botts’s days start early and they end late. To get a better idea of who he is, Play spent a recent Tuesday with him from the moment his day started until he finally went home at the end of the evening; 14 hours in all.

2 a.m.

Botts wakes up at 1:30 a.m. to make his one-hour adoration session that begins at 2 a.m. Adoration is considered to be one of the highest types of worship in Catholicism. The adoration chapel can never be empty; every hour a new parishioner comes in and prays to the monstrance that contains the body of Christ. At St. Catherine of Siena, Botts has the 2 a.m. session. After his prayer is over, a parishioner will come in and relieve Botts. “I have always been a church-goer, but

Botts spends the first part of his day at the high school with his daughter, Reese, before he takes her to school. Reese and Botts have a good relationship.

I started to feel like I needed to be doing more with my relationship with Jesus,” Botts said. “Why not go at 2 a.m.? Christ died for me. I wanted to do something difficult to help show Him my love and adoration for all He has done for me. My adoration hour is literally the best hour of my week.” After leaving the church, Botts returns home to get some work done and catch a little more sleep before waking up at 6 a.m. to start the rest of his day.

Botts gets busy as soon as he arrives. Between helping Reese with her homework, he responds to countless emails and makes numerous phone calls while getting random visits by staff members who need to talk to him. But there’s always one thing he never forgets to do: the morning announcements.

7 a.m.

Botts checks in on a classroom while they are working. He likes to see what students are doing around the school.

Botts got to the high school at 7 sharp with his 8-year-old daughter, Reese. He normally leaves his house at 6:45 a.m. every morning. That leaves his wife, Mollie, a few minutes to see him before he’s gone. “I do wish I could see him more, but with the job that he has, I feel like I see him more than I anticipated when he took the position that he is in,” Mollie said. “There’s never enough time, so yeah, I always wish we could see each other more and that the kids could see him more.” Reese attends Maize Central Elementary and comes to work for an hour and a half so he can take her to school. During the time she is there, he helps her with her homework, making sure she knows how to spell and do her multiplication charts correctly. “I like spending time with him because he’s nice,” Reese said. “He’s a good dad cause he loves us.” When asked to describe her dad using one word, she said “hard-working.”

Reese Botts has a conversation with Secretary Floria Jones. Jones enjoys Chris Bott’s daily puns on the announcements.

Spotlight / 19

As the7:45 a.m. bell rings, the morning announcement is the one thing Botts has carved into his schedule. He always ends with a pun of the day. Secretary Florida Jones said she can never get enough of his puns. “Some of them I don’t get,” Jones said. “I’m usually confused but I think that’s his fun side.”

8 a.m.

It’s certain everyone has seen Botts walking around the halls, chatting with students and teachers. He speaks with many students and faculty, asking about their days and how they are. Around 8:30, Botts makes his way back to the front office to grab his daughter and take her to school. Reese chatted with Jones for a majority of the morning while her dad kept busy. He gave her a few quick quizzes on how to spell words and once she answered correctly, they were on their way. They pull up to Maize Central at 8:45. He kisses Reese goodbye and makes sure she safely makes it inside the school. Mollie said she knows the amount of stress her husband is always under due to the requirements of his job. And he puts pressure on himself more than anyone, she said. “I think he has high expectations of

himself, but I think that he is passionate about his job,” Mollie said. “He wants to do the very best job that he can. I think that he does have a lot of pride in all that he has done, and so I think he also reaps the reward from what he does.” Botts, in his fifth year at MHS, said that he would prefer to be home with his family more. “I can say that I’ve never missed a performance or game for my kids,” Botts said. “ My kids are my No. 1 priority. That means if I need to miss school, I am going to.”

9 a.m.

After dropping Reese off, Botts makes a quick pit stop to get an iced tea before heading to his weekly principals meeting at the Education Support Center. The meeting on this day lasted more than four hours. “I’m not sure anyone loves to sit through meetings, but most of the ones I attend or lead are necessary,” Botts said. “The topics Botts takes his daughter Reese through the breakfast line to get her food before her day at school starts.

of the meetings vary. Depends on who is leading them. They always have a purpose and an agenda. They are all school related with an overarching goal of doing our best to educate our students.”

12:45 p.m.

The long meeting didn’t seem to take a toll on Botts. As he returned to school, Botts is as chirpy and attentive as ever. But if there is anything that can get Botts down, it’s thinking about the emails that await him when he returns to his office. He said it’s one of the worst parts about going to meetings. He grabs a sleeve of Ritz peanut butter crackers from the stash of food he keeps in the bottom drawer of his desk. That was his lunch on this day as he checked his emails until the bell for fourth block rang. Botts enjoys roaming from class to class, seeing the different settings and how teachers are with their classes. He strives to make his staff as good as they can possibly be, even if it means making life harder for him. He recently started teaching a class on Wednesdays for teachers who are pursuing their administrator degrees. Botts said adding more to his already packed schedule takes a toll, but he doesn’t regret taking it on. “I feel like I have a lot to offer,” he said. “I want to be able to have a small impact on future school leaders to make sure they’re in it for the right reasons. Because the job has to be about the kids, and I think some people get into it because there’s probably more

Botts stands with assistant principals Sonya Tice and Craig Broadbent during the boys basketball game at Eisenhower. It was the last event after a long day for Botts.

20 / Spotlight

Botts and Jarod Handy discuss the results of the girls basketball game the day before.

money. But I want to make sure people know that it is 100 percent about making an impact on students.”

2 p.m.

After stopping into some classes, Botts goes into another meeting. He and nurse Dana Desjardins meet with ATS, which is a company that does cardiac screening on students between the ages of 5 and 25. They discuss the possibility of offering the program at Maize. Botts is attentive and curious about the situation. He is heavily invested into making the school a better place for his students. “I want to be good,” Botts said. “I want to be a good principal. I want to be the principal that the students need and deserve, and because of that I am always looking for ways to improve.”

3 p.m.

It’s time to go back to his office and resume the task of catching up on emails. It can take all day to get through the list and reply to them, but he gets it done. Kristy Custer, Bott’s longtime friend and the principal at Complete, said she can agree that Botts is one of the most dedicated and trustworthy people to have around. “I admire is how absolutely even his temperament is,” Custer said. “Whether the ship is full speed ahead or sinking, he is always in control and a steadying hand.” Botts wraps up his time at school for the day at 4:30 p.m. and makes his way home. He does a few chores and has a little alone

Botts jokes around with freshman Gavin Matthews while visiting students in their classes.

time before heading back out for the night’s basketball games. “I would say most of what he does is dedicated to Maize,” Mollie, his wife, said. “I believe that a lot of what he does on Twitter is for Maize and when he checks his email he just wants to stay on top of everything, so I would say he dedicates about 70 to 80 hours a week to Maize.”

6:30 p.m.

School activities are regular in Botts’s schedule. After dinner, he heads to Eisenhower High in Goddard to watch the boys junior varsity and varsity games. He makes sure to appear at as many sporting or school events as he can when time allows him. After the game, Botts heads back home at 8:30. After a quick shower, it’s time for bed before starting over the next day. “Dr. Botts is unique a principal,” Custer said. “He is absolutely one of the most dependable people I know.” n

*This QR code will lead you to a video giving you a different look into the life of Botts

Students, staff give one word to describe Chris Botts

Caring

Compassionate

Inspir ing

Fantastic

Innovative

Wildcat Passio nate Personable Awes Empathetic ome ng standi Hard-working Under

Botts gave one word to describe Maize High Botts starts the principals meeting off by talking with Deanna Gooch.

Acceptance

Spotlight / 21

When did we forget? Sophomore Bailey Birkholz writes about how today’s society easily forgets the little things in life

Bailey, left, comforts and loves on her sister Michaela, right, after she breaks from a fun but painful day of play. Photo submitted by Bailey Birkholz.

ime to wake up. Get to school and don’t be late. Rush to practice and be ready. Go home and get your homework done. Get a good night’s rest and repeat. Time flies by every day and each person has their own individual schedule they have gotten so accustomed to. The insanity of each individual’s lives can take some to the breaking point and distract them from the little things that can make your day like giving your parents a hug or doing a chore without being asked. What happened to the moments of pure joy and relaxation? Where you could ride your bike down the street just for fun and walk over to talk to your neighbors sitting on the porch. When did our lives get too busy to take a step outside and relax our minds a little? Many go through life doing the same thing over and over each day, not realizing that they could feel so much more happiness by simply smiling. Where did the days of endless play go? When I was little I remember the days would go on for eternity. I loved the feeling of pure joy of getting to run around the backyard carelessly with my little sister. My Barbie jeep was one of my prized possessions and I could spend hours driving my sister around the front lawn in the small, motorized vehicle. Why did we forget to keep smiling? Just a tiny movement of your face, could brighten up another’s or even your day. Something as small as a compliment could take a person out of a spiraling depression. Just a true act of kindness could turn a whole life around. What happened to the genuine love people had for others? Parents are leaving children and moms are leaving dads. We shouldn’t be giving up on each other, yet fighting for one another. Trying to make things work instead of accepting the fact that they might not. This world could be so much more if we just decide to give ourselves and others a try. n —Bailey Birkholz

22 / Column

Press pause a moment with

What I do in my free time:

What I do for volunteer work:

What itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s like being captain of the swim team:

How swimming has impacted my life:

What do I plan on majoring in: What is my favorite stroke and why: What makes me want to be a dermatologist/doctor:

Do I plan on swimming in college: Where do I see myself in ten years:

Senior Ryan Kuhl is involved in swim and volunteers for Via Christi - St Teresa Hospital. Kuhl has gone to state for swim all four years of high school.

Press Pause / 23

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I’m likin’ it ‘The Founder’ is one toy short of a Happy Meal

magine a time when fast-food places did not exist. When, if you wanted to go out to eat, your options were a nice, sit-down restaurant or a drive-in riddled with messes, crowds, long waits and wrong orders. Now imagine a movie where you see the unique and interesting origin story of what would become the staple that is fast-food as two brothers revolutionize what it means to go out to eat, providing quick and affordable family dining. Keep imagining, because something far more generic awaits when you go see “The Founder.” “The Founder” shows the growth of the McDonald’s franchise, from a local eatery to a national icon. When shady businessman Ray Kroc (Michael Keaton) comes across a small restaurant with remarkably fast service, he takes it upon himself to franchise the establishment across America. Kroc makes it his mission to convince Dick (Nick Offerman) and Mac (John Carroll Lynch) McDonald that their idea of fast food is one that needs to be shared. Although the brothers are hesitant, they allow Kroc to enter into an agreement with them. Once Kroc worms his way into the McDonald’s name, he unrelentlessly attempts to franchise the restaurant, undermining his partners at every turn by making a business and not a family food chain. While Kroc goes to some pretty extreme lengths to make a quick buck through McDonald’s, he does make a good point about sharing the concept of a fast-food restaurant with the rest of the country. At the other side of this, the McDonald brothers stick to their values, holding the concept of a nice family establishment above all else. This provides for one of the movie’s main themes, quality vs. quantity my favorite part of the movie. In scenes like the ones I have mentioned,

the three main actors are allowed to truly shine. Michael Keaton is fantastic as the delightfully greedy Kroc, one of the most entertaining parts of the movie. However, all of my favorite scenes in the movie came with the McDonald brothers. They have a wonderful dichotomy between positive and cautious, but Offerman and Lynch still manage to have such chemistry that I entirely believed that they were the close brothers they portrayed. While every scene between Kroc, Mac and Dick is great, these parts of the movie are few and far between. A scene early in the movie sees the three men having dinner as the brothers share the fascinating origin of the restaurant. Sadly, this wonderful story is glossed over in what might be five minutes. To me, this would’ve made a far more original, interesting story than Kroc’s quest to open restaurant after restaurant. This brings me to a big issue with “The Founder.” Once Kroc begins to get involved with McDonald’s, the brothers are more or less cut out of the rest of the movie. They appear in a few other scenes, but their screen time is scant. While Keaton is terrific as the business tycoon, the movie simply loses one of its strongest pieces when the McDonalds are left out. Most of “The Founder” is dedicated to Kroc’s attempts to prove McDonald’s can be a successful franchise without constant supervision from Dick and Mac. Here, the movie slips into its biggest issue: genericness. While the story is interesting, the movie gets stuck in a tired routine that feels like something I’ve seen a hundred times. Kroc tries to make a change. The McDonalds don’t like the change. Kroc tries to make the change anyway. Quantity goes up. Quality goes down. Kroc is greedy. They all fight. The end.

Even though I think the three main characters of “The Founder” are really interesting to watch, the supporting cast of the movie is about as original as the scenes I just described. Ethel Kroc (Laura Dern) is a neglected wife who serves no real purpose other than to make you feel bad and has no chemistry with her husband to make you think they’re married. Barry Sonneborn (B.J. Novak) is a businessman that helps Kroc in his goal, but the character is so over-the-top it feels like a parody of Novak’s already-comedic role in “The Office.” I’d list another bland supporting character, but, honestly, these are the only two that even stood out enough for me to remember them. If you would like to see an example of a movie about historic figures done right, I strongly urge you to see “Hidden Figures.” The movie tells the important story of the almost-unknown women behind John Glenn’s mission to become the first American to orbit the Earth. For every generic scene in “The Founder,” “Hidden Figures” has 10 scenes worth the price of admission. Where you might expect “Hidden Figures” to be an important movie in a boring way, it proves time and again that important can still be fun and entertaining. Even though I enjoyed “The Founder” far more than I like McDonald’s, that is not a very high bar to clear. I enjoyed several aspects of the film, but nothing outside of the story stood out as anything I hadn’t seen before. I can’t help but feel like there was a much better McDonald’s movie to be made with Kroc as the support and the brothers front and center. While “The Founder” stood out like golden arches as something different for me to look forward to, the film itself felt just about as unique as an actual McDonald’s. n —Casey Loving

2.5/5 Play buttons

Review / 25

BOYS BASKETBALL

What’s next Feb. 3 Feb. 7 Feb. 10 Feb. 17 Feb. 21 Feb. 24

Sophomore Caleb Grill goes for a layup against Eisenhower. The Eagles came up short losing 69-48. Photo by Nolan Brackin.

Senior Grant Bugbee brings the ball up the court against Salina South. The Eagles took the win with the final score being 73-49. Photo by Ryan Jones

vs. Derby at Haysville-Campus at Hutchison vs. Salina vs. Newton at Salina South

“

By the numbers We want to start off by

14.4 15.2 67.3

Senior Grant Bugbee on average scores 14.4 points per game.

Sophomore Caleb Grill scores on average 15.2 points each game.

winning league, then we want to win sub-state and then hopefully get a state title.

GIRLS BASKETBALL By the numbers 13.6

Senior Taylor Holmes on average scores 13.6 points each game.

9.7

Sophomore Halie Jones averages 9.7 points per game.

scores on average 51.9 51.9 Maize points each game.

26 / Sports Update

”

— Sophomore Caleb Grill

Maize averages 67.3 points per game.

Caitlyn Stewart passes the ball up the court during the the Maize South game. The Eagles won 56-33. Photo by Ryan Jones.

“

Senior Taylor Holmes takes a shot against Maize South. Maize wins with 56-33. Photo by Lily McClaren.

We have high standards for our players to get better every day, ultimately our goal is to win state championship.

—Coach Jerrod Handy

WRESTLING

What’s next Feb. 4 Feb. 9

“

at Goddard at Newton

Our goal is to win as many duals

as possible and try to qualify and place as many people at state as we can.

Sophomore Jacob Quiggle pins his opponent from Dodge at the dual Dec. 1. Photo by Ryan Jones.

BOYS SWIMMING

“

What’s next Feb. 4 Feb. 11

We are undefeated and we

at Northwest YMCA at Newton

BOWLING

“ Our

goal is the same one as every year: make it to state and win state. Even though it’s a goal, sometimes you don’t make your goal.

”

— Senior Ryan Kuhl

3 5

Maize ranks second in 200Yard freestyle Ryan Kuhl, Bryce Nelson, Jacob Ruder, Christian Taylor all participated with the time of 1:33.57 Maize ranks third in the area in 200-Yard Medley Relay, Ryan Kuhl, Christian Taylor, Kyle Stutzman, Jacob Ruder all participated with a time of 1:44.12 Christian Taylor ranks fifth in the area in 100-Yard Breaststroke.

What’s next

”

—Coach Dave Walker

By the numbers 2

have stayed undefeated since last season, as a team I think we are growing, we have a lot of new guys, things are looking good.

Senior Ryan Kuhl does the butterfly stroke during practice at the Northwest YMCA on Jan. 26. Photo by Ryan Jones.

”

— Sophomore Jacob Quiggle

Feb. 4 Feb. 7 Feb. 10 Feb. 16 Feb. 23

at Seneca Bowl at Derby Bowl at West Acres Bowl at Seneca Bowl At West Acres Bowl

Senior Alex Goodman practices hard for his next match. The Eagles next match is Saturday. Photo by Kynzi Barragan.

Sports Update / 27

Shot at success

Aidan Campbell wrestles Dodge City on Dec. 1. Photo by Ryan Jones.

Sophomore Campbell sets high expectations

ophomore Aidan Campbell has spent much of his free time over the years on a wrestling mat. Campbell began wrestling at the age of 4 and has been involved in the sport ever since. As a freshman and rookie high school wrestler, Campbell said he looked up to Maize graduates Alex Hydock and Brett Moon, 2015 state champions. Now a sophomore, Campbell has accomplished a lot during this season; he is currently ranked fourth in the state. Campbell said he doesn’t feel much pressure to maintain his ranking. “[The state tournament] is really all that matters,” Campbell said. “Rankings don’t really matter [to me].” Maize’s head coach Mike Schauer said maturity has been a major factor in Campbell’s improvement since last season. “He’s grown older. That helps a lot,” Schauer said. “Coming in as a freshman, high school wrestling is just a whole bigger step than what he’s used to. He wrestled a lot of kids last year as a freshman that were older and more mature. Now he is one

“He’s aggressive. He’s motivated. He’s a competitor, so he goes hard all the time.”

— Mike Schuaer, coach

of the older and more mature kids.” This season, Campbell wrestles in the 126 pound weight class. Campbell said it was challenging to maintain his weight at first, but became accustomed to it as the season progresses. Wrestlers use a series of techniques in order to maintain their weight every week. “Usually I just wear sweats to practice and then just eat really clean throughout the week,” Campbell said. Over the years, Campbell has suffered multiple injuries due to wrestling. This season, he dealt with an injury known as cauliflower ear. Cauliflower ear

occurs when a wrestler’s head is hit or rubbed too many times, which causes the ear to fill up with blood. Campbell didn’t have to take any time off. He was able to keep wrestling despite the injury. Campbell said he tries to maintain a positive mindset and typically doesn’t get too nervous for upcoming duals or tournaments. “I just go into every match with the same idea,” Campbell said. Schauer also attested to Campbell’s other qualities that make him a great wrestler. “He’s aggressive. He’s motivated. He’s a competitor, so he goes hard all the time,” Schauer said. Although Campbell hasn’t received any interest from specific colleges, he said he isn’t sure whether he wants his college life to include wrestling; however, he has big plans for the remainder of his high school career. “There’s people I’d like to beat and different ways to wrestle,” Campbell said. “Obviously the end goal is to win state.” n — Mandi Copp

All About Aidan Q: What is your favorite wrestling move? Campbell: “An elevator because it almost never works.” Q: What are the five foods that you can’t eat and miss during wrestling season? Campbell: “Chocolate shakes, Mountain Dew, Dr. Pepper, Taco Bell biscuits and gravy.” Q: What is the best advice you’ve been given about wrestling? Campbell: “It will feel better when it quits hurting.” Q: What is your favorite drink? Campbell: ”Pedialyte and Mountain Dew mixed. It has to be exactly 70 percent Mountain Dew and 30 percent Pedialyte” Q: What is your best record in a season?

Aidan Campbell wrestles Hutch on Jan. 20. He is ranked fourth at 126 pounds. Photo by Riley Quiggle.

Campbell: “Last year I chugged a whole Pedialyte in under a minute. That’s a record.” Sports / 29

An original sweep T

he Maize basketball teams faced off against Maize South for the first time on Jan. 20 and Jan. 27. The girls scored the first 18 points in their game before cruising to a 56-33 victory on Jan. 20. The boys had more trouble at first, trailing by three at halftime before winning 78-64 on Jan. 27. n —Lauryn Ogden and Christian Hurst

Junior Garrison Norris, right, engages in a conversation with the refs before the boys game. He made sure the officials knew when he disagreed during the game.

—Photo by Lizzie Bell

The student section sarcastically cheers when the Maize South girls score their first point after trailing 18-0.

30 / Photo Focus

—Photo by Lizzie Bell

Karli Baker holds up one of many signs to get the fans going at the girls basketball game.

—Photo by Ryan Jones

With a little over a minute left on the clock, Coach Chris Grill communicates with his players.

—Photo by Lizzie Bell

Emily Conner strikes a pose at the finale of the Flygirls routine. The Flygirls performed during halftime.

Brecken Roe bringing the ball up against Maize South. Roe scored 18 points in the victory. Taylor Holmes and Halie Jones scored 12.

—Photo by Ryan Jones

The crowd motivates senior Grant Bugbee before the game. Bugbee scored 30 points. Day Day Johnson added 18 and Caleb Grill 16.

—Photo by Lizzie Bell

Photo Focus / 31

February All times are in p.m. and at Maize High school unless otherwise noted Tuesday

Monday

Wednesday

Class of 2019 Class of 2020 Class of 2018 meeting during En- meeting during Enmeeting during En- Cor Cor Cor

Thursday

Board of Education meeting @ 7

Valentineâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Day

Conferences 4-8

20 Fall sports meeting @ 6:30

Girls basketball @7

No school

17 No school

Conferences @ 12-8 Girls Basketball @7

Band concert @7

10 Bowling @ 3:30 at West Acres Bowl

Freshmen enrollment meeting @ 6:30

Friday

24 Choir show dinner @ 6, show @ 7:20

Weekend Dates: 4- Mattress sale @ 10 a.m., Homecoming dance @ 8-11 11- ACT testing @ 7:30 a.m. 25- Choir show dinner @ 6, show @ 7:20

Attention senior parents!

Your childâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s high school days are numbered, and graduation will be here before you know it. Honor your son or daughter with a special message in the senior issue of Play newsmagazine. For details, email playnewsmagadvertising@gmail.com.