issue - Blue Valley Schools

EXPRESS
THE
vol.18feb.2011
pgs 8&9
three huskies shed
light
on the process of applying
to military schools
pg06
pg07
Learn about the
BVNW students
changes in the disshow us their list
trict policy on drug
of funny quotes they
dog searches. They are
hear from their
now allowed to search
teachers. Read them
the parking lots.
here.
pg11
Senior Bliss Nilsen
and her father Dan
Nilsen are throwing a
benefit concert called
“Love out Loud.”
02
volume 18
inside
05
issue six
Learn about BVNW seniors who have signed athletic
letters of intent and hear from them regarding their
plans for college athletics.
13
contents
feb. 17 2011
online
news
See and hear from students about their tattoos and
what they mean to them.
Read the news stories from this issue in the
news section of bvnwnews.com.
feature
See photos BVNW students submitted
from snow days that took place in
January and February of this semester. Also find this issue’s column’s and editorial along with an opinion piece that is only published online.
14&15
Read from The Express staff members
and a guest columnist. Take a look at the
editorial for the staff’s opinion on BVNW
students’ levels of respect.
sports
Watch our live broadcasts of basketball
games and read our tweets of the scores
on bvnwnews.com and twitter.com.
video
Missed the last episode of Husky Headlines?
Watch it here along with other stories in the
video section of bvnwnews.com
Left: Seniors Arbanas Elliot and Ellie Chadick sign athletic letters of intent. They have
pledged to play their respective sports next year in college (photo by Maddy Cancro).
Right: Junior Josephine Clarke shows her tattoo that she got in honor of Connor
Thomsen (photo by Katie Bratman).
THE
EXPRESS
The Express is the official high school
publication of Blue Valley Northwest High
School, an open forum distributed to all
students ten times a year.
editor-in-chief
Conner Ahnen
businessmanager
Chris Bishop
copyeditors
Allison Hammond
Linley Sanders
onlineeditor
Jonathan James
photoeditor
Taylor Obetz
reporters
Riley Arnett
Lindsay Hartman
Erin O’Neill
Grace Rexroat
Anna Roxberg
Ali Staples
Kate Strombom
This is the sixth issue of volume 18.
The Express is printed by the Lawrence
Journal World, 609 New Hampshire
Lawrence, KS 66044.
Subscription rates are $10.
This is a student publication and may contain controversial matter. Blue Valley Unified School District No. 229 and its board
members, officers and employees disclaim
any responsibility for the content of this
student publication; it is not an expression
of School District Policy. Students and editors are soley responsiblie for the content
of this student publication.
Follow our writers and photographers
on Twitter! Find them on the “Staff Bio”
section of BVNWnews.com. Follow the
express @BVNWnews.
photographers
Katie Bratman
Maddy Cancro
Lauren Hamilton
Jake Riesberg
designers
Courtney Ahnen
Jordan Hill
artist
Megan Murphy
assistant adviser
adviser
Jeff Brown
Jim McCrossen
Find The Express on Facebook
at BVNWTheExpress to see
updates on stories and events!
Tosubmit
Letters to the editor and other forms of
reader response are encouraged. Letters must be signed by the author to be
considered for publication. The Express
encourages letters to be no more than
500 words. Letters should be submitted
to room 902 or mailed to:
The Express c/o
Blue Valley Northwest High School
13260 Switzer Road
Overland Park, KS 66213
email: TheExpress1@mac.com
913.239.3400
To submit a guest column, it is encouraged the column be no more
than 1,000 words. Columns should
be submitted to room 902.
The Express welcomes guest photography that pertains to newsworthy events in or outside of Blue
Valley Northwest. Photography
should be submitted to room 902.
Information on what the photo is
of and who is in the photo should
also be submitted.
*The Express has the right to edit all submissions.
news
feb. 17 2011
issue six
volume 18
03
candids
NEWSbriefs.
Photo Contest — Students should e-mail their best
spring break photos to TheExpress1@mac.com by
March 24. These photos will be judged and the winner
will receive $100 and will have his or her photo run in
the newspaper. Other photos will also be run along with
the winning photo.
“The Drowsy Chaperone” — “The Drowsy
Chaperone” opens tonight at 7 in the PAC. It will also
be playing tomorrow and Saturday at 7. Tickets can be
bought at lunch or at the door. Tickets are $7 for adults
and $5 for students.
National Merit — National Merit Finalists have been
announced. The National Merit Finalists at BVNW are:
Shelby Bottoms, Emily Kartheiser, Rachel Hoffman, Jesse
Cutter, Quinn O’Rourke and Jonathan James.
Presidential Scholars — Two students from
BVNW have been named as candidates for the
Presidential Scholarship Program. Burke Gao and
Jonathan James are two of nine students in the district
to receive this honor. They will now compete to be
honored at a ceremony in Washington D.C.
Corrections — The Express apologizes for
making the following errors in the January issue of
The Express. Senior Gaby Baki’s name was spelled
incorrectly. Senior Taylor Lamb was referred to as a
junior. And Freshman Lauren Mertz’s name was spelled
incorrectly.
BVNWnews.com
Top Left:Sophomore Rachel Henriksen dances during the Sweetheart Pup Assembly. The Dazzlers performed a “Legally Blonde”-themed dance (photo by Taylor Obetz). Top Middle: Seniors
Haley Walker and Nick Rossin dance after Walker was crowned queen at the Sweetheart dance (photo by Maddy Cancro). Top Right: Fans cheer in the student section during the Sweetheart
basketball game on Feb. 4 (photo by Taylor Obetz). Bottom Left: Senior Mackenzie Fuller cheers at the Pup Assembly. There was a Pup Assembly on Feb. 4 where the Sweetheart royalty was
announced (photo by Katie Bratman). Bottom Middle: Freshman Clay Custer shoots a layup during the basketball game on Feb. 4. Senior George Bugarinovic was crowned King during halftime (photo by Taylor Obetz). Bottom Right: Sophomore Ashley Coffin and Freshman Carley Fine perform with the Dazzlers during the Pup Assembly on Jan. 4. The Dazzlers performance was
from the Broadway musical “Legally Blonde” (photo by Lauren Hamilton).
Don’t forget to recycle after reading this issue!
JCCC Honors: Dig deeper. Aim higher.
Peace, Love, Planet
“As an Honors student, I am able to enroll in
classes early and have extra one-on-one time
with my Honors professors.”
Brandon, JCCC Honors student and Shawnee Mission North graduate
Johnson County Community College’s Honors Program stimulates and
challenges academically talented students. An Honors application is required
for admission. For more information, call Pat Decker at 913-469-8500, ext. 2512,
or visit www.jccc.edu/honors
2011
sports
feb. 17 2011
issue six
volume 18
Seniors sport their signatures
05
words
ALLISONhammond
At the winter sports signing
ceremony last week, five seniors
signed letters of intent to their
chosen schools in order to
continue participating in competitive sports at the collegiate
level. The event highlighted the
athletic careers of each of the
athletes and contained praise
from high school coaches and
administrator Steve Harms.
Senior Arbanas Elliot committed to Missouri Western
University to continue his
involvement with football, which
he has played since his freshman
year. He said before his freshman year, he had not considered
college football.
“[Playing college football]
means a lot,” Elliot said. “It’s a
good step to my goal of playing
at the next level.”
Elliot said he decided on
Missouri Western University
because of the facilities and
coaches. He also said he looks
forward to the challenge.
“It’ll be different than playing
at the high school level, so I’m
looking forward to playing at
the college level,” Elliot said. “[I
hope] to play in college four to
five years. Making it to the NFL
is my main goal right now.”
Four senior soccer players
signed their national letters of
intent last Wednesday as well.
Senior Ellie Westemeyer has
chosen to attend Augustana
College for soccer next year.
“I just really liked the school
altogether even before the
aspect of soccer, so it was a
school that I really looked into,”
Westemeyer said. “After meeting with the coaches and the
players at the soccer program,
it just felt right. It felt like home,
so I chose it.”
Westemeyer has participated
in soccer since kindergarten.
She said it has always been a
dream of hers to play the sport
at the college level.
“All my life, I’ve been working
toward college soccer,” Westemeyer said. “It’s just going to be
fun to be able to just play and
not worry about that pressure
of where I’m going to go… It’s
a way to have fun and actually
enjoy the game.”
Being successful in college
soccer and working hard are
Westemeyer’s future soccer
goals, she said; she does not
plan to pursue the sport beyond
college. At Augustana College,
Westermeyer said she looks
forward to playing with her new
teammates.
“The teammates I met are
pretty awesome, so I’m excited
about that aspect,” Westemeyer
said. “Most of my [high school]
Bottom: Seniors Nicole Vermes and Ellie Westemeyer laugh at memories of Husky soccer before signing letters
of intent.Vermes signed to play for Rockhurst University, and Westemeyer will be playing for Augustana College.
Top: Seniors Arbanas Elliot, Ellie Chadick and Hannah Chadick sign their letters of intent for their chosen universities. Elliot will be playing football, and the Chadicks will be playing soccer (photos by Maddy Cancro).
teammates have been my friends
throughout high school, and also,
just the camaraderie of everything and getting to play the
game, I’m pretty excited about
that.”
Seniors Ellie and Hannah
Chadick are also going to continue playing soccer in college.
They both decided to sign with
Ball State University.
“We went up to visit [Ball
State University] last spring, and
we just really liked it,” Hannah said. “We really liked the
campus, and we really liked the
coaches, and we met some of
the girls, and they were really
nice. We wanted to go to a Division I school to play soccer, so it
all just kind of worked out.”
Hannah and Ellie said they
have been playing soccer for 13
years, and it has always been
a goal of theirs to compete in
college. Ellie said she plans to
participate for all four years of
college and that she hopes to
start and get lots of playing time.
“I just think [playing college
soccer] shows how committed
and dedicated you are,” Ellie
said.
Playing soccer at Ball State
University will present a new
environment and more challenges, according to Ellie, but
she said she thinks it will be a
good experience. Hannah said
she agrees.
“I’m just looking forward to
spending a lot of time with my
teammates,” Hannah said. “Since
it’s a Division I school, we’ll
play a lot of hard teams. It’ll be
really competitive, and hopefully,
I will stay in shape with all the
workouts we do. And I’m looking forward to traveling with the
team and everything.”
The Chadicks’ varsity soccer
teammate senior Nicole Vermes
has decided to play the sport
at Rockhurst University. She
said one reason she chose this
school is because it is located
close to home—in Kansas City.
“Another [reason] is that
three other girls from my club
soccer team are going to play
there,” Vermes said. “I just think
we all already have really good
chemistry, and I feel like that will
bring a lot to the team in the
future because we already know
how each other plays.”
According to Vermes, athletes
involved in college sports are
very dedicated and want to win,
so she is looking forward to the
challenge and competition level
that college soccer will provide.
“I definitely would love
to have my college team win
as many games as possible...”
Vermes said. “Then after college
soccer, I would love to be able
to coach soccer to younger
kids... Soccer has been so
important to me, and I always
want to be part of the sport in
any way I can.
Vermes has been playing soccer since she was four years old.
She said it has always been her
goal and dream to participate
in soccer at the collegiate level,
and she is very excited.
“I want to play college soccer because... the fact that I
have gotten myself to this point
just shows that I’ve worked
hard enough to be able to do
something that I want to do at
such a high level,” Vermes said.
“The hard work and everything
I have put into it has paid off by
giving me the opportunity to do
something I love even longer.”
06
volume 18
issue six
feb. 17 2011
The law barks back
news
words
LINLEYsanders
The Blue Valley School District has implemented a new board policy that allows trained canine
units to search for and identify illegal property or substances on any District property.
As part of a new policy
implemented by the Blue Valley
Board of Education on Jan. 10,
Blue Valley campus parking lots,
as well as athletic and school
facilities, will now be included in
canine unit searches for illegal
substances on Blue Valley school
property.
According to principal Amy
Murphy, the addition to the
policy was written out of a desire to ensure safety on school
grounds and to give a clear
warning about where the school
is permitted to have drug dogs
search.
“We are excited that there
is now a policy in place that
we can be very public about,”
Murphy said. “We want people
to know this is a policy; this is
out here. Know that when you
come into campus, whether it’s
in your locker, whether it’s in
your car, wherever it is, there is
a possibility that that space can
be searched.”
The district has always had
the right to have drug dogs
search any part of their cam-
puses, but now the District will
be taking advantage of this right
by adding it to the policy.
“It’s important to understand
that the use of canine units have
always been allowed by law on
our campuses,” assistant superintendent for the Blue Valley
School District Mike Slagle said.
“The police could at any time
use the canine units to search
parking lots, schools, whatever.
What we merely did was put
into the policy some guidelines
as to how that would be done
and under what conditions we
would use canine units.”
The policy states that the
dogs may be used to try and
identify controlled substances,
weapons, explosives, as well
as other illegal substances and
property. In addition, the use of
canine units will be both periodic and random.
Campus Officer Esther Zimmerman said the new policy will
likely help clear up any misunderstanding about the law and
whether or not the school has
the legal right to have canine
units search parking lots. She
said the change in policy is
not in reaction to any specific
incident, but rather, has been a
topic of debate for several years.
Her hope is awareness about
the addition to the policy will
lead to a decrease of drugs in
school.
“Some [people] are going to
be upset [about the policy], not
necessarily because they are
guilty of anything, but because
some think that too many rights
are violated,” Zimmerman said.
“Some won’t care; some will
think that it’s great. Hopefully,
the reaction will be if they’re
a person who brings drugs to
school, the reaction will be that
they don’t bring them.”
Communication Arts teacher
Sherry Unruh said she believes
forming the policy was a good
idea because hopefully the more
difficult it is to bring illegal substances to school, the less they
will be seen.
“I am all for anything that
helps us maintain our level of
safety,” Unruh said. “Given that
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it is school property, it’s taxpayer property, it would seem
to me that the taxpayers have a
right to be safe and secure and
know that illegal substances are
not a part of their activities.”
Senior Nick Rossin agreed,
saying that the warning the
policy gives will likely reduce the
number of people bringing illegal
substances to school.
“I think it’s good they know
first hand that the dogs will be
searching, so if they keep it in
their cars now that they know,
that’s just not smart,” Rossin
said. “They shouldn’t have that
stuff in their cars anyway...The
only people who aren’t going to
like the laws are the people who
have stuff in their cars. I mean,
everyone else is fine with it.”
Murphy said while the policy
is not a guarantee that the parking lots will be searched by
the canine units, it allows the
option. The change, she said, is
not meant to catch students
off guard, but to give fair
warning to those who
may choose to bring
illegal substances onto the
school campus. Overall, she said
she believes raising awareness
about the prospect of drug
dogs searching the parking lots
in addition to the school will
lead to a safer environment for
students.
“I think the benefit is being
able to say we are still looking
at issues, we are still trying to
address things that we can do to
make the school and the school
grounds as safe as possible,”
Murphy said. “Parents send us
their kids every day, and they
trust that when they are in our
care, they are going to be safe…
We can say this is something
[the district is] doing to try
and address those concerns
that over the years have been
brought to our attention.”
07
Teachers say the darndest things
feature
feb. 17 2011
issue six
volume 18
Sitting in class, sophomore Kristen Baird listens to her Honors Communication Arts II teacher, Bill Smithyman. With each humorous statement, she sits back and laughs
along with the rest of the class. While listening and taking notes, she records his funny quotes. Baird is not the only one who has been recording interesting teacher quotes.
Sophomores Aimee Lineback and Maddie Musil also write down various quotes from their teachers. Lineback has written down quotes from her time spent in the class of
Spanish teacher Quinton Matson. Musil has recorded quotes from French teacher Harlan Locke. Each student agrees that their teacher’s senses of humor make class more
interesting and enjoyable. Compiled here are the most amusing quotes these students have recorded.
“Public education is supposed to be bland and noncontroversial,” Locke said. “So, I
think anything that pops out of
my mouth that is out of context
makes kids find class more
enjoyable. I think crazy sayings
and phrases can keep a certain
lesson or idea in class more
memorable.”
words
ERINo’neill
“I think most of my students
enjoy humor and ‘in between
the lines’ jokes,” Smithyman
said. “My humor keeps students
interested in the lesson, which
might otherwise be boring.”
“Most of the stuff I say
[during class] just comes to me
naturally,” Matson said. “I like to
play with words and make things
funny for my students. I like to
turn a potentially angry situation
into a funny one.”
art
MEGANmurphy
08
volume 18
Ever since sixth grade, senior
Spencer Michelson has had his
eyes set on the United States
Military Academy (USMA) at
West Point. However, according
to Michelson’s father, Jim Michelson, it was his freshman year
of high school when Michelson
approached his parents and explained that he wanted to attend
USMA.
“My cousin was the first
person in my family that went to
an academy, and he kind of
opened my eyes to what I
could actually do and the
ability to go to one of the
academies,” Michelson
said.
Michelson’s cousin
was a USMA graduate from the class
of 2008. Jim said he
believes Spencer’s
involvement with
Boy Scouts was also
a big influence in his
decision. Michelson
said after his decision
was made, there was
a difficult application
process.
“You have to get
recommendations from
teachers,” Michelson
said. “It’s like applying
to two different colleges because you have
to get a nomination
from a senator or a
congressman in which
to do that you have to
get letters of recommendation from them,
issue six
feature
feb. 17 2011
feature
feb. 17 2011
sophomore year. Michelson said it
will be nice to take basic classes
the first year so he will be able to
see what he actually wants to do.
Michelson’s parents also required
him to have Plan A, which was to
attend one of the academies, and
a backup Plan B for if he is not
offered a position at one of the
academies.
“My back-up plan is to go to
[University of Missouri] and do
Reserve Officer Training Core or
ROTC,” Michelson said.
Although he does have a backup plan, Michelson said it would
mean the world to him to be
accepted, and Jim said he agrees.
According to Jim, he feels Michelson will be attending USMA for all
the right reasons. His parents have
tested him over and over again to
make sure that it is really what he
wants to do.
“We are just so ecstatic and
happy for Spencer,” Jim said. “We
have met and visited with numerous Academy graduates, young
and old, and they’re all just the
finest group of people you would
ever meet. We love the idea that
Spencer will be part of this very
unique group of individuals.”
Michelson said he plans to
continue working out after wrestling season to prepare to go to
the USMA. He also said they will
provide him with some training
guidelines for preparation. Jim said
he and his wife have been very
supportive of Michelson’s decision, but that Michelson has taken
the initiative to do everything, including the application, by himself.
“We feel that we have been
blessed with a young man who
feels a true commitment to always
do more for others than himself
and feels a compelling desire to
serve in our military,” Jim said.
volume 18
evan key
spencer
michelson
NFL activities records and school
transcripts, and you have to apply
to the Academy also, which requires teacher recommendations,
counselor recommendations.”
Michelson said they look for
applicants with strong academics, strong leadership qualities
and sports and accept the most
qualified candidates. Because of all
the work involved in applying to
USMA, Jim said his and his wife’s
only concern was making sure
Michelson was 100 percent committed to what he wanted and
that he really understood what he
was obligating himself to.
“The only thing we requested
of Spencer was to really take a
hard look at all three academies
and still look at more traditional
civilian universities as possible options,” Jim said.
Michelson has made
numerous visits to all three
academy campuses as well as
attending Summer Sessions
for all three academies. Jim
said the Summer Sessions
included a four to seven
day stay at USMA trying
to give candidates
an idea of what life
would be like if
they attended
USMA for college.
“They made an
atmosphere that is
designed to make you
fail,” Michelson said.
“I’m looking forward
to being surrounded
by people who have
the same goals as
me. We may be going through [tough
times], but we’re
going through it
together.”
According to
Michelson, cadets
cannot declare a
major until their
issue six
ANNAroxberg
words
JORDANhill
design
JAKEriesberg
pictures
connor huggett
In his fifth grade yearbook, senior Connor Huggett said being a
pilot would be his future career. A
father who works as an air traffic
controller and his desire to learn
to fly planes on naval ships led
Huggett to apply to the United
States Naval Academy (USNA).
“The reason I decided to apply
was I wanted to learn to fly just
anything,” Huggett said. “So as I
started looking into things, I realized that the academies would be
the best option for me.”
Huggett said he talked to other
people and alumni about the
academies and did some research
on his own. According to Huggett,
his first step was applying to the
summer seminars offered at the
academies, which he applied for
during his second semester of
junior year.
“It’s like a camp where you
spend a week kind of living the
life of one of the students there
just to fully see what it’s like, and
that was kind of what finalized my
decision to apply,” Huggett said.
“When I went to the camp, we
had one day where they went all
out to see if we could take it, and
I actually had fun doing it. They
came around and yelled in your
face, and you had to yell back and
say ‘yes sir, yes ma’am’ that kind
of thing, and its hard work, but its
fun.”
Attending both the camps
helped Huggett choose the USNA
over the United States Air Force
Academy (USAFA). According to
Huggett’s father, Monte Huggett,
the Summer Seminars seemed
to get Huggett pumped for the
USNA.
“It was very good in giving
him a good idea about what to
expect,” Monte said. “Going there
is a big commitment, so it’s important to know all you can going in.”
According to Huggett, his next
step was to finish the ongoing application process.
“They take information and
assign points to different things,
like if you’re a straight A student,
let’s say that you get ten points;
if you’re captain of a sports team,
you get five more points; if you’re
president of your class, you get
five more, and then they just put
everything on a big board in order
by points,” Huggett said. “Then
you also have to get a senator or
congressman nomination, which in
your state, they interview you and
decide if you’re worthy enough to
go. Once they have your name up
on the board, they look at who
also has a nomination and then
start cutting it down.”
Huggett received a nomination to the United States Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA)
from Senator Sam Brownback, a
nomination to the USNA from
Senator Pat Roberts and nominations to both the USMMA and the
USNA from Congressman Dennis
Moore. If accepted to the USNA,
Huggett said he looks forward
most to graduation from that
academy.
“All four years that you’re
there are the hardest years of
your life, but once you graduate and you can kind of put it
behind you and say that I made
it through,” Huggett said.” Plus,
hopefully, I would be flying at that
time. That’s the ultimate goal.”
Huggett said he plans to attend
either the University of Nebraska
or Loyola University in Chicago
if not accepted to the USNA.
However, Huggett said he plans to
look at all of his options even if he
is accepted.
“A lot of people apply at
ROTC programs at other schools,
but I decided not to just for different reasons,” Huggett said. “So
if I don’t get accepted, and even
if I do get accepted honestly, I’ll
lay out all my options and decide
between a normal school or an
academy.”
According to Huggett, being
accepted to any of the academies
is a great honor. He said it means
more than getting accepted to a
normal university.
“They only take 1,500 students a year, which only about
100 decline that because it’s such
a great honor to get accepted”
Huggett said. “Thousands apply,
and just because it’s the military,
they look at so much more than
any other school, so it’s definitely
a harder application process, so
in that case, it means more to be
accepted to it.”
With a grandfather who was a
veteran in North Korea and another in World War II, senior Evan
Key began looking at the Academies for after his high school
graduation. Key said he respects
all of his relatives who were/
are enlisted very much and that
he has always wanted to model
himself off of them.
“Evan has always had aspirations of being a military pilot,” Key’s mother, Tammy
Key, said. “It has been a
true passion for him
throughout his
entire life.”
According
to Tammy,
Key began
seriously
thinking about
college about
two years ago. After
looking at different
options, Key said he
decided to look into
the academies.
“I just looked up
the academies online
and then started
trying to ask as many
people as possible
about what it would
mean to attend an
academy,” Key said.
Key applied to the
United States Naval
Academy (USNA)
as well as the United
States Merchant Marine
Academy (USMMA). Ac-
cording to Key, a lot of application
requirements are not specific.
“You just have to be as competitive as possible regarding
grades, ACT or SAT scores,” Key
said. “You also have to show you
are involved in many things and
display strong leadership characteristics. That’s the most important one.”
Key said applicants also have to
pass physical tests and be medically fit. According to Key, the final
requirement is to get a senator’s
nomination.
“For the senator’s nomination,
I had to attend an interview with
an admissions board for each
senator who decided if you would
receive their nomination or not,”
Key said. “Each member of the
boards had attended an
academy and had extensive
military careers.”
Key said he is ready for
the change to see new
places and people
and to just start
the next phase
in his life. He
also said he
has no fears
for what is
to come at
an academy.
“I really am not
afraid of
anything,”
Key said.
“Maybe
a little
nervous as
I don’t know
exactly what
to expect but
definitely not
scared. I guess
the best word
to describe my
feeling would
be anxious.”
Once there,
09
Key said he plans on studying
either marine or aeronautical
engineering depending on which
academy he ends up at. He also
has a back-up plan for if he is not
accepted or changes his mind.
“Besides the Academies, I have
also applied for the N-ROTC
scholarship at Embry Riddle Aeronautical Engineering University,
North Carolina State University,
(The) Ohio State University, University of Oklahoma and [University of Kansas],” Key said.
Key said he looks forward to
the experience, and he plans to
prepare just as if he were going to
a normal college or university.
“[Getting accepted] would
mean the chance to pursue what
I love and to give back to our
country,” Key said. “It would truly
be a once in a lifetime opportunity.”
Tammy said she is very proud
of Key and respects him for his
decision. She also said Key has
worked hard to make the best
choices to aide his chances of being accepted into an academy.
“Evan has always been an
upstanding, honest, person with
a deep respect for his country,”
Tammy said. “Even as a little boy,
he wanted to fly planes and be
a U.S. Military Officer. As long as
Evan is happy in his choices, then I
am happy for him.”
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feature
feb. 17 2011
volume 18
issue six
11
Music spreads the Love Out Loud
After the suicides BVNW has faced, senior Bliss Nilsen and her father Dan Nilsen
decided to organize a music event to create awareness for the growing problem.
words
KATEstrombom
Senior Bliss Nilsen and her
father Dan Nilsen have created
a concert named Love Out
Loud (LOL) that they hope will
bring students together to raise
suicide awareness through music. The message of the concert
will apply to all who attend.
“My dad started a foundation;
it’s called The Just Right Project,
and we were thinking of ideas to
do, and I became really familiar
with the To Write Love on Her
Arms foundation and thought a
benefit concert would be really
good for the community,” Nilsen
said.
The idea for LOL came to
Nilsen while thinking of ideas
for The Just Right foundation’s
first project. She said the idea
was based off an organization
she became familiar with named
To Write Love on Her Arms.
After seeing the devastation
the school and community had
experienced after the suicides
at BVNW, she decided to act on
her idea.
“We decided [Laugh Out
Loud’s purpose] was to raise
awareness to the resources
available for teens struggling
with depression and potentially
thinking about suicide,” Dan
said. “We want them to know
they’re not alone and we need
each other. We need to spread
the love.”
Through his experiences,
Dan said he wants students to
know that whatever problems
they are dealing with are only
temporary. He said students
should be aware that they are
never alone in their struggles.
“I personally struggled with
the fact that I came out later
in life and any thoughts I had
about that,” Dan said. “I contemplated [suicide] myself because
I thought I was different from
everybody else, but I am the
first one to tell you that it gets
better.”
Nilsen was two years old
when Dan told his family he
is gay. Nilsen said after this
experience, her family learned
to accept everyone despite their
differences.
Dan said another reason
Love Out Loud’s cause is
important to him is because he
had a brother who committed
suicide when he was 23. He said
he struggled with his brother’s
death because his parents did
not speak to him much about
it, which left Dan wondering
what he could have done to
prevent it. According to Dan, he
finds the more open people are
about depression and serious
issues, the closer people will
come to preventing suicide.
“I think [Love Out Loud] will
be a good thing so that people
realize maybe it’s not just their
parents they can get that support from, but maybe it’s their
friends and other people,” Dan
said.
According to Dan, he has
inherited many good parenting
techniques from his parents,
but one thing he chose to do
differently was being open and
talkative with his daughters.
Although Nilsen does not live
with Dan, Nilsen said this open
communication and their similar
personalities allow Dan and herself to have a good relationship.
“I think that one thing that’s
good that both Bliss’s mom and
I have passed onto the girls is
that we’re very sensitive to others’ feelings,” Dan said. “I think
that can also be a negative; we
tend to get hurt. When the girls
get hurt, Julie and I sense it, and
we talk about it.”
Being co-chairs on the Love
Out Loud project provides yet
another way for Nilsen and Dan
to spend time together. Also on
the committee are employees at
Dan’s business, Bishop and McCann, and girls from BVNW.
“I love the idea of music because it’s a good way to express
your true feelings when it’s hard
to outright say what you’re truly
feeling,” senior Jordan Baker
said. “Through music, you can
understand and feel each other’s
pain. I think the concert is go-
Above Senior Bliss Nilsen and her father Dan Nilsen have created Love Out Loud, a concert held to create
suicide awareness. Dan’s company Bishop and McCann will be sponsoring the event that will be held May 4 at the
Uptown (photo by Maddy Cancro).
ing to be a lot of fun and open
people’s eyes other than sitting
through a boring lecture.”
The committee has discussed
having three different music acts,
one of which might be The Republican Tigers. Their hope for
the concert is to be an exciting
experience that helps teenagers
gather and Love Out Loud.
“The goal is to raise awareness,” Nilsen said. “We’re not
looking to raise money or
anything; we just want to raise
awareness. If anyone’s going
through thoughts of suicide and
depression we just want them
to know that they’re not alone
and someone’s there to help
them.”
Concert Information
1) May 4, 7 pm - 10pm
2) At The Uptown
3) $5 entrance fee
4) $10 per shirt
Make sure to check
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volume 18
Inked Up
issue six
“When I was 12, I was with
my mom in Florida. She wanted
to get a tattoo to symbolize the
women in her family,” Roberts
said. “I just looked through a
book of tattoos, and I saw the
star that I used to always sign
on all of my papers, and over
the “I” in my name. I knew it
was for me.”
junior
Josephine Clarke
“I have a tattoo on my foot
that says ‘La bella vita’, which
means beautiful life in Italian,”
Dierickx said. “I got the tattoo
because I really like art and this
is a permanent form of art, and
a way for me to express myself.
The tattoos are a reminder to
me that life is beautiful and that
I need to take life one day at a
time.”
senior
Kaitlyn Cody
junior
Ryan Landes
ERINo’neill
“I have a tattoo that says ‘In
loving memory’ on my shoulder,” Clarke said. “I got the
tattoo after everything that
happened with Connor Thomsen. I wanted to remember him
and dedicate something to him.
The tattoo is to remind me that
he is gone but not forgotten. I
wanted to show him how much
he meant to me.”
Sami Roberts
“My tattoo is the Decepticon
symbol from Transformers,”
Landes said. “My older brother
has the Autobot tattoo from
Transformers. We both have
similar tattoos, so it is kind of
like a brotherhood thing for us.
Also, the Decepticon is beneath
the Autobot, and I am his little
brother.”
words
BVNW students share their experiences with going to ultimate lengths
to express themselves or hold onto
memories through tattoos.
junior
“My tattoo is the Chinese
symbol for hope. I got my it
because on Dec. 6, my mom
passed away from cancer,” Cody
said. “Hope became a huge part
of my life, and so I decided to
get a tattoo of hope on my
right ribs. The tattoo means that
there is hope for the future,
even though my mom is no
longer here.”
feature
feb. 17 2011
junior
Elsie Dierickx
14
volume 18
issue six
feb. 17 2011
EXPRESSions
opinion
Begin living life in the now
ALIstaples
High school is supposed to be one of the
most fun times of one’s
life. If you talk to your
parents about their high
school experiences (talking to your parents?! Crazy idea, I know), they will
probably tell you about
how much they wish they
could go back to high
school and not have as
much responsibility as
they do today. My parents
go on and on about how
much fun they had when
they were in high school
and how much they miss
not having to pay the bills
or go to work every single
Words that are
recently flooding the
mouths of students,
teachers and even
parents throughout
the NW community:
“We need to make a
change.” Yes, I agree
something does need
to be done. But could
someone please
specify what that
change is? Because I
am so sick of hearing
it, I could rip my ears
off.
Yes, we have groups
like the Real Team,
Breakfast Club, REbel,
day. I mean, we pretty
much have it made right
now. We do not have to
pay the bills, we go to a
great school, we get to
hang out with our friends,
we get late arrivals and
early releases, we get
snow days and we are
guaranteed time off for a
spring and a summer vacation. Most of us do not
have very many responsibilities other than our
classes, activities, athletics
and maybe a part-time job.
Don’t get me wrong, we
do have a lot of pressure
on us to do well (especially being in the Blue Val-
ley School District). But,
a lot of times we stress
over the most insignificant
things and forget about
how lucky we are right
now. We stress about
our families, our jobs, our
spirit weeks, our classes,
our cars, our clothes, our
grades, our friends, our
boyfriends or girlfriends.
Although it is healthy to
have a little bit of stress in
life, freaking out over the
smallest things is not going
to do anyone any good.
We are supposed to
be having the times of our
lives, and instead of enjoying them while we are
here, we spend our time
concerned with boyfriend
or girlfriend drama and
what dress to wear to the
dances (because let’s be
honest here: you probably
will not even remember
what your sweetheart or
homecoming dress looked
like ten years later, and if
you do it will not really
matter).
On top of that, people
always seem to complain
about high school and
once junior year hits most
people are eagerly awaiting graduation so that they
can make their escape to
college. I see tons of facebook statuses everyday
that are all along the lines
of “I hate high school. Get
me out of here! I cannot
wait for graduation! College get here now!!”
It may seem like it
sucks to be in high school
right now, but, believe it
or not, you will probably
miss it more than you
know later in life.You will
miss seeing all your old
friends every day, going to
basketball games on Friday
nights, spirit week outfits
and dances, having limited
responsibility, having lunch
in the cafeteria and possibly even living with your
parents and siblings. (I
am still not completely
convinced about that last
one, but maybe it could
happen).
All I am saying is we
should have fun while we
are here in high school
and not care so much
about all the little details.
A lot of times, we tend
to forget how great this
time in high school is, and
I guarantee you that what
jeans you are wearing now
and how you did your hair
will not be a very big deal
to you down the road.
These are the days we are
going to remember for
the rest of our lives. Do
you want to remember
them as the days you were
miserable because you
were fighting with your
best friend over some guy
or girl you do not even
Guest Columnist
Diversity council and
even my own Husky
Headlines promoting
how to treat others as equals, but
what more can these
groups do to get
through to students?
The excessive laughter and snickering
comments from a few
rows in front of me
in the PAC during the
H2 bullying story tells
me otherwise.
Suicide is an issue. Not only in our
BVNW community
but throughout the
district, there are students, maybe sitting
next to you who hate
coming to school,
potentially because
of things, even you,
may say and not think
about the consequences.Yes,YOU. I
still see kids sitting
alone at lunch. I still
see kids awkwardly
standing outside of
groups trying to act
as if they are in the
conversation. I see
kids turning to their
phone for a friend
when no one else will
be. I still see all this,
but yet I am guilty of
doing nothing. I am
ashamed, and you
should be too.
I do not want to
be the girl who is
preaching, yet again,
like the rest of the
world. But my thinking is: what if, today I
took my own advice,
for once. I would
finally make a cracker
crumb difference in
the world. I know I’m
not the only one who
wants to alter the atmosphere and future
of this school. This
would be the time
to finally do so. Now
that over half the year
is over I would really
like to see the word
suicide be a thing of
the past. Let’s focus
on the future. Let’s
finally do what many
have pledged to do:
make a difference.
How to go about
this you ask? In the
simplest form: put
yourself in someone
else’s shoes. Get the
heck out of your seat
and go talk to OUR
classmate who no
one else is talking to.
It is that simple. If we
all were a little less
self-absorbed, imagine all the things we
could do.
Now I wish I could
see a day when no
one was bullied, harassed, or left out. It’s
kind of like how I also
know anymore? Because I
personally do not. I want
to live in the moment now
so I do not miss out on
a great experience in my
life. After all, you’re only
young once.
MADDIEwilk
wish I could see the
day when the “Jersey
Shore” cast stopped
tanning. But there
will always be those
people out there who
think nothing applies
to them. And those
people will also be
the ones throwing
this paper all over
the locker rows. The
ones, who do not
care, never will. If the
people who do read
this finally stand up
and do it rather than
just say it, then maybe
a revolution will occur.
opinion
feb. 17 2011
EXPRESSions
Spirit week sorrows
CHRISbishop
So it’s pretty obvious that we seniors,
kind of got screwed out of our last
spirit week as Huskies. For three whole
straight days most seniors went on spirit
withdrawal as we sat cooped up in our
respective houses enjoying our wrongly
timed snow days. Don’t get me wrong, I
used my snow days to the fullest extent
as I caught up on late homework and
much needed z’s. But, what happens to
those MIA spirit days?
Currently they’re floating around in
purgatory somewhere because they’re
not exactly killed, but they’re definitely
not alive and kicking. They’re kind of
like Wesley being mostly dead in Morgenstern’s classic, “The Princess Bride.”
Because, although Sweetheart may have
passed, we still have the beauty that is
Prom, now I’m not saying it would be
the same, but it’s a possibility, no? In Dr.
Murphy’s e-mail sent out on Feb. 3, she
stated that the days would not be made
up the following week due to an already
crunched semester, but she never said
anything about not doing them during
prom week or even the week of senior
graduation.
Think about it. It wouldn’t take up
the whole week, so some learning would
still be accomplished. It wouldn’t necessarily need to be the whole school
participating, freshman and sophomores
could optionally join in, but the juniors
and seniors should participate since
they are the ones who are invited to the
dance automatically, and have fewer/no
spirit weeks left. It wouldn’t be taken too
seriously since there could be no victor,
because there would be no prize, unless
one magically appeared.
Now, the administration is probably
reading this thinking “there is absolutely
no way we could have anymore distractions in the already shortened spring
semester.” But, seniors, this is just a proposal, so don’t freak out about it, merely
contemplate it. What if seniors gave
back to the school in order to receive?
Seniors, what if we decided to get rid of
senior skip day in order to obtain our
school sanctioned spirit days back?
Obviously, not all seniors will abide
by this if it were to happen, but I know
enough seniors who want these spirit
week days enough to do it. Besides, many
issue six
seniors will be attending at least a few
classes on senior skip day to take a few
tests or get some extra credit. So why
not try to work out a deal that benefits
both parties?
I’m not saying that abandoning senior
skip day is the best plan considering
some seniors will still skip, it’s more
about the idea of giving in order to
receive. Maybe, a better idea would be to
raise even more crayons for Children’s
Mercy Hospital? Or, run a penny drive for
charities and if we hit a certain amount
of cash we can have our dismembered
spirit week back? I’m just throwing out
ideas, and I could imagine StuGo or KAY
club could rattle off some ideas that
would put mine to shame. But, if it will
get the ball rolling on possible discussions then I’m all for it. Because, nothing
makes school interesting like turning any
spirit day into gender bender day. It’s just
what some guy’s just do, make things
awkward by turning something so innocent into something so raunchy.
Let’s be honest here fellow Huskies,
other schools look to us to see how a
spirit week should be run, we are the
best at what we do because we want to
do it for fun, and we’re also incredibly
modest. Spirit week is a huge part of this
school and I don’t think foreign exchange
students, freshman or transfer students
have fully grasped what Husky spirit
entails.
Because, it means more than just
who is the most creative in their “school
appropriate” dances, it brings together
classes as a whole and finally all of the
classes together as one giant clan. I’m
sure students can sit there and say “no
it’s just a way for the popular to strut
around and flash their egos” but anyone
who participates can attest that the
“non-conformists” are wrong.
So how about we find a way to bring
spirit week back from the dead, whether
it’s making a deal with the administration
or creating our own days and carrying
them out. Because, seniors need one
(or more) big shabangs before the year’s
over by providing entertainment and
helping out the community at the same
time, if we can do a fundraiser. So let’s
see if we can’t give a bit, to recieve a bit.
editorial
volume 18
15
Throughout the last few BVNW events there has been quite
an issue with the lack of respect that Huskies have for one another. On next week’s Husky Headlines, you will see scenes from
basketball games, among other events, in which students chant,
scream and make the sounds of a howling dog during the singing
of our national anthem. This level of disrespect is becoming quite
an embarrassment.
During the Sweetheart boy’s basketball game Feb. 6, the choir
came to the game to sing the “Star-Spangled Banner.” They should
not have had to take time out of their Friday evening to be insulted by the lack of silence and student attention during their
performance. They work countless hours to perfect their music
and deserved much more respect than they received.
As the screeching students continued, the eyes of the St. Thomas Aquinas coaches rolled at our behavior, and their student section was silent. The way we acted gave the wrong impression to
those in attendance. We aren’t animals, nor are we five year olds.
Let’s not lead people to believe otherwise.
We cannot forget that students are not the only ones in attendance. Parents, siblings, grandparents and young children are all in
the stands and all witness the monstrosity known as the BVNW
student section with its vulgar language and lack of respect.
No one can be forced to sing the national anthem, and certainly students are within their rights to sit quietly during the
anthem, but we still owe it to everyone at these events to show
our respect. There are numerous students at our school who
have members of their family enlisted in the military or grandparents who are veterans. Members of the BVNW community
have relatives or friends who have given their life for our freedom.
There are teachers within the building who have fought for their
country overseas. Those who serve, or have served, our country
deserve our respectful silence.
As a senior class, we are supposed to be the leaders of the
school and set an outstanding example for underclassmen. Everyone makes mistakes, but it is up to us to make sure they won’t be
repeated. There is a maturity level associated with doing so, and
as a group, we need to prove our maturity, and maybe even more
than that: our pride.
We owe it to ourselves as a community to be on our best behavior in the presence of guests. It doesn’t matter if it is a home
basketball game, advisory period, pup assembly or in our classes.
Being kind and respectful toward our teachers and fellow Huskies
is the least we can do. Let’s stand up and be leaders and regain
the honor we only deserve by behaving as honorable individuals
like those Huskies before us have done with the legacy they have
left us.
QUICK look
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1. Sophomore Luke Wells acts like
a tennis player during the sophomore’s Keep it Classy Day dance
(photo by Taylor Obetz). 2. Senior
Brett Hildebrand performs during
Husky Day of Spirit Week (photo by
Taylor Obetz). 3. Sophomore Zach
Somberg dances during Keep it
Classy Day (photo by Taylor Obetz).
4. Junior Daniel Sinyavskiy dances
during Husky Day (photo by Taylor
Obetz). 5. Freshman Samuel Long
performs a dance during Husky Day
on Jan. 4 (photo by Lauren Hamilton). 6. Senior Yasmine El Baggari
performs during the senior’s Husky
Day dance (photo by Taylor Obetz).
7. Senior Brett Fisher performs
during Keep it Classy Day (photo by
Taylor Obetz).