JAGWIREMILL VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL | VOLUME 13 | ISSUE 3 | NOV. 15 2012 | MVNEWS.ORG
NEWS3
DRESS CODE POLICY CAUSES CONFUSION
DECODE YOUR
FEATURE6
COMPARING TYPES OF PAGEANTS
SPORTS12
SENIORS REFLECT ON FOOTBALL SEASON
A & E15
BOOK SUGGESTIONS BASED ON PREFERENCE
8-9 Student and professional input provide insight into the
world of dreams
DECODE YOUR
DREAMS
reward for future quarters would be to allow students to sign in any time during first block
Sophomore Raven Hodges likes the idea of coming in late for a reward.
“Late arrival sounds cool,” Hodges said. “We [spent the] time to show spirit at games, so it makes sense that our re-ward would be getting time back.”
According to Hayes, the Class Cup started off well.
“It’s had a good first quarter. I’m re-ally excited about it,” Hayes said. “This is my fifth year at Mill Valley and this is the year that I’ve seen the most spirit. I think adding the competition really helped.”
The Class Cup first quarter reward party took place for the seniors on Thurs-day, Nov. 15 during first block.
The reward party consisted of skip-ping first block to have breakfast, listen to music and participate in open gym ac-tivities. Student Leadership Team coordi-nator Erin Hayes described it as a “time to relax as a class.” The seniors of SLT chose the reward.
In the future, SLT plans to get board approval for late arrival as a Class Cup quarter reward. If approval is given, the
BY KATHERINE [email protected]
Leonard also has many goals that she hopes the club will achieve; the main goal of her club is to attract students who enjoy reading.
“The goal is to bring together people who love to read,” Leonard said. “And read books that interest us all.”
The out--of-school club will first be reading “The Rules of Survival” by Nan-cy Werlin. Although the club was not approved for this school year, an infor-mational meeting will be held at the end of this quarter and next quarter. The first meeting of the club as an actual school club will be in the first week of Septem-ber next year.
Junior Emily Leonard created a book club called Cover to Cover that anyone is welcome to join. The club will meet outside of school until it becomes an of-ficial school club next year.
Leonard’s idea for a book club start-ed with the mutual love of reading she shared with some of her friends.
“My friends and I were tossing around the idea of how much we like to read and wanted to start a class,” Leonard said. “Since we couldn’t create a class, we chose to start a club.”
2 BRIEFS
NEWSINBRIEF
NEW BOOK CLUB CREATEDBY AMBER [email protected]
INSIDEWHAT’S
CLASS CUP REWARD GIVENDOWNWHAT’S
News3 Dress code confusion
Feature5 Sculpting with pipe cleaners6 Students in pageants9-10 Decoding dreams
Opinion10-11 Dress code issues, students not motivated, giving back, students should focus on education
Sports12 Football seniors13 Student figure skaters
A&E14 The Flipside 15 Book suggestions
Photo Essay16 Lip dub
Cover illustration by Riley McDonald Photos by MCTCampus
“We need to educate why [an accom-panist] is necessary, and not just say ‘we need this,’” Stoppel said. “I think educa-tion face-to-face is the answer.”
At the meeting, students and parents called for the immediate hiring of an as-sistant. Many people spoke to the board, including retired fine arts director John Albertson, who talked about the necessity of the position in his 35 years of expe-rience. Choir members juniors Maddie Plouvier and Emily Leonard and senior Misty Adkins, choir parent Dave Hanson and Stoppel also spoke.
Senior Chloe Stewart explained that in addition to the people who spoke to the board on the subject, the attendance of roughly 20 was a big part of the state-ment they were trying to make.
“We [hoped to] pack the house so the board knows that this is an issue to the student body,” Steward said. “It’s affect-ing the classroom.”
Choir members, parents and staff took a stand at the board meeting on Monday, Nov. 12 to voice concerns about the lack of an accompanist to as-sist choir director Sheree Stoppel. Previ-ous requests for an assistant have been denied by the district.
Having an accompanist allows the di-rector to walk through the singers as they rehearse and help them immediately. The lack of accompanist requires Stoppel to remain stationary, which she and others in the program believe detracts from the students’ learning.
“They’re very talented, and it’s hold-ing them back,” Stoppel said. “There’s so much more that could be done if I was free to do it in the right way.”
Stoppel also said she believes educa-tion is key to resolving the issue.
CHOIR PETITIONS BOARDBY KATE [email protected]
UPWHAT’S
DONATING TO RED CROSS You can
donate to the Red Cross
for Hurricane Sandy relief via iTunes
PRESIDENT OBAMA
After a close race, Obama gets another four years in
office
HURRICANE SANDY
Some cities still lack power
after this category two
hurricane
GOVERNOR ROMNEYRomney loses this
election by 97 electoral
votes
CLASS CUP
POINTS*
*As of Tuesday, Nov. 13
SENIORS
16JUNIORS
8
19FRESHMEN
19
SOPHOMORES
LEFT: Choir students at-tend a board meeting on Monday, Nov. 12 to speak on choir direc-tor Sheree Stoppel’s behalf in her attempt to get an accompanist. “Stoppel means the world to us,” junior Madison Plouvier said. “It’s our time to support her.” Photo by Kelsey Floyd
WHERE’S THE LINE?
NEWS 3
When senior Annie Deaver wore a sweatshirt with the acronym OFWGKTA on it earlier this year, the last thing she thought of was that she might be violat-ing the dress code.
Deaver’s situation is an example of what some students and teachers see as inconsistencies in the enforcement and content of the dress code.
Deaver was asked to remove the Odd Future sweatshirt by assistant principal David Ewers because of offensive lyrics written by the band. She does not think the sweatshirt is against the dress code because it does not specify that there is a problem with band shirts.
“There’s nothing saying band shirts are bad, and they aren’t a distraction to the school day,” Deaver said. “I think they should be allowed as long as they are worn appropriately and the offensive lyrics are not on the shirt.”
Deaver thinks the dress code should be less ambiguous.
“If they were going to try to ban T-shirts then they should be more specific because there’s nothing wrong with my shirt that [violates] the dress code,” Deav-er said. “If they feel the need to ban my shirt for offensive lyrics, they should ban all music shirts because in some way they are all offensive. They shouldn’t set cer-tain standards for one shirt but not for another. There are plenty of rap shirts I see that have offensive lyrics, but they’re OK for students to wear.”
Ewers said questionable policies, such as ones involving supposedly offensive bands, are interpreted based on the indi-vidual situation.
“[It] can be a case-by-case basis, de-pending upon the severity,” Ewers said. “There’s a lot of parties involved with that, basically Mill Valley staff members. I think the existing code and the [way] that teachers are working to enforce it are sufficient.”
Social studies teacher Chris Dunback believes this may be caused by differing teacher opinions.
“[I’ve] never been in that situation,” Dunback said. “Never dealt out punish-
Inconsistencies in dress code cause frustration for studentsBY RYAN [email protected]
BY CALLEE [email protected]
ABOVE: Senior Annie Deaver shows the Odd Future shirt she was asked to remove by the administration. “I just thought it was ... outrageous making me change my shirt when there’s nothing wrong with it,” Deaver said. Photo by Riley McDonald
What do you think of how the dress code is enforced?
“I think it’s good for the school because we need
order.”FRESHMAN JUSTIN MOLON-BATES
“I don’t have a problem with it because it doesn’t affect
my wardrobe.”SOPHOMORE ADAM GEISE
“I don’t mind ... I always check myself before I wreck
myself in the morning.”JUNIOR ELIZABETH BURRIS
“I think we should be able to wear bandanas ... it doesn’t
represent a gang ...”SENIOR CASEY WIEWEL
RESPONSERULE
ment. Honestly, some people get away with it because [the] teacher doesn’t care but others get deeply offended.”
Junior Mary Altman has been asked to change out of yoga pants by English teacher Eric Ammerman for violating the dress code, although no written policy currently exists that forbids yoga pants.
“I don’t think it’s fair because every-body else wears them and it’s not fair that I had to change when there are other people in my class who didn’t have to change,” Altman said.
Ammerman said he enforces policies based on the individual rule being vio-lated, as well as the effect the clothing is having.
“I think it depends on the specific rule ... is it creating some sort of distrac-tion?” Ammerman said. “I think [the dress code] should be enforced as much as the rules allow us to. That’s why the rules are there. I think that’s true for ev-ery rule, not just the dress code.”
Dunback said that he focuses more on teaching than what students wear.
“I don’t notice what you’re wearing,” Dunback said. “I just keep teaching.”
Dunback also said that he and some other staff members are unsure of what
Photo illustration by Austin Gillespie
to enforce.“[I’m a] tad confused, as well as many
other teachers,” Dunback said. “[They are] very good rules but they are vague. [They] give the administration flexibility depending on the time. [There is] no con-sistency on the whole issue. Some teach-ers don’t notice. If there is a difference it depends on who reports it.”
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people do with pipe cleaners. Everyone was just so terrible at it, [and] I almost cried. I’m serious; their people didn’t even look like people. I kinda just wanted to be a little better at it.
What kind of creations have you made?
I’ve made a lot of people, but I’m not really good at the faces. I make animals and flowers. And if somebody just has a request, I’ll try to make that too.
What is your favorite model that you have made?
Definitely my fox. About [3 feet] long with two ears, a nose, a jaw that opens and closes, a rib cage, four feet, a tail, and [it was] red. I gave it to a friend.
What is the ultimate model that you hope to make?
A full human body. To start I would need about 4,000 red, and about 2,000 white. And since they’re constantly changing colors, I can’t really keep up with it, so I would have to buy them all at the same time. It would take a month or less. [It would take] two days [for] each arm, plus both legs, torso, head.
What was your most difficult model?
There’s one I never got to finish, I don’t even think I could. I tried to make a room, like a box room. But the only way I could think of making [it] so it would actually stay up were pillars. I still have the grid and a few of the pillars.
What do you like about this hobby?
I can do anything I want. It’s kind of like painting; I have all the colors of the rainbow and all the imagination in the world to do it with.
How did you get interested in making pipe cleaner models?
I just started to do it one day and it kinda killed the boredom. So I just kept on do-ing it until they looked like actual things.
About how many pipe cleaner models have you made?
Close to 1,000.
How much time do you spend making these?
It just depends [on] what I’m making be-cause each thing takes a different amount of time. The arm [I made] took two days since I don’t know anything about hu-man anatomy.
What do you do with your models when you’re finished?
I give them to people. If anyone wants it, they can have it.
Where do you get inspiration for your models?
I don’t know. I just start working on it [and it] just turns out the way [it does].
Do you use other materials besides pipe cleaners?
I’ve been working on cloth. I used to do tin foil, but it always kept ripping.
Where did you get the idea to begin this hobby?
Well I think it all started in elementary school. There’s always that one project
Senior Franklin Reitz uses pipe cleaners as artistic medium for sculptures
BY KRISTINA [email protected]
BY ANNIE [email protected]
FEATURE 5
TREE
DOMINANT: Demonstrating how to makes a pipe cleaner model, senior Franklin Reitz concentrates on finishing his creation. ABOVE: Reitz holds his functioning human arm model, which contains bones, muscles and working joints. Photos by Riley McDonald
PIPE
5833 Nieman Shawnee, KS 66203Phone: (913) 631-6464
SCULPTURESSHOWCASING
Artist displays pipe cleaner models
GIRAFFE
ROSE
SPIDER
TREE
6 FEATURE
&
ABOVE: Junior Bailee Flaming and her father, Steve Flaming, pose for a photo before the formal wear portion of the National American Miss Pageant on Saturday, July 21. Photo from Bailee Flaming
Students share the differences between types of pageants
BY AMBER [email protected]
BY MACKENZIE [email protected]
TEENS TIARASCONTRASTCOMPARE
A quick list of differences between natural pageants and glitz pageants
[glitz pageants] seem so glammy but this one was based more on natural beauty.”
Though natural pageants aren’t as ex-treme, Flaming admits one of her favorite part of competing was wearing a fancy dress, along with meeting new people.
Coaching is another difference between glitz and natural pageants. Glitz pageants have a talent portion which requires practice while natural pageants usually do not.
Sophomore Alex Ralston also competed in the National American Miss Pageant last July. She hadn’t competed before and thought it would be a good experience.
“It sounded like a fun thing to do,” Ralston said. “It was different than anything I had done before.”
Since the National American Miss Pag-eant didn’t include a required talent portion, Ralston prepared for the pageant on her own.
“I prepared my introduction and shopped for my dress,” Ralston said. “I practiced my interview questions and made sure all my in-formation was filled out.”
Another difference between glitz and natural pageants are some of the rules and regulations that the girls have to follow. In natural pageants, girls 12 and under are ex-empted from having to wear lots of makeup
TLC’s “Toddlers & Tiaras” is known for outrageous behavior, beautiful dresses, ex-pertly done hair and makeup and various tal-ents of participants. Think Honey Boo Boo.
The pageants on television are usually glitz pageants. Though glitz pageants are more popular on television because of their dramatic antics, there is a different type of pageant that girls compete in called a natural pageant, and junior Bailee Flaming knows firsthand the differences.
Natural pageants are less intense, and not as glamorous as glitz pageants. Flaming competed in the Kansas installment of the National American Miss Pageant, a natural pageant for teen girls in Kansas, last July in Wichita.
In Flaming’s opinion, the natural pag-eants are less extreme.
“[Natural pageants] are not as intense as glitz pageants,” Flaming said. “They make
and teen girls may only use makeup that en-hances their natural beauty. In glitz pageants, many contestants use heavy makeup and other extreme beauty-enhancing products.
According to Flaming, in natural pag-eants, the judges really want to focus on natural beauty.
“They don’t want a whole lot of makeup,” Flaming said. “They want to see your natural and personal beauty.”
Flaming feels that many pageants get bad reputations because of their exposure on tele-vision.
“I would definitely say that pageants get a bad reputation on TV,” Flaming said. “Most pageants out there are about boosting self confidence and making new friends, but un-fortunately, that’s not what people see.”
Ralston believes natural pageants are along the same lines as televised glitz pag-eants, but aren’t as catty.
“People think that pageant participants are stuck up, mean, and full of themselves, which isn’t true at all,” Ralston said. “[Na-tional American Miss] was fancy and all the things done on the shows are done there too, but the people were really nice. Everyone made lots of new friends, supported each other and were always willing to help.”
Information from thepageantexpert.com
PAGEANTSPRICEYThe JagWire looks at the average costs of each category in beauty pageants
Outfits like evening gowns and swimsuits together can range from $1,000-$2,000
Styling hair can range from $50-$100 depending on the stylist
Makeup artists can range from $50-$150 depending on the artist
NATURAL PAGEANT: GLITZ PAGEANT:
FACIAL EXPRESSION: Contestant has to be natural with the eyes and smile
CLOTHING: Evening gowns are purchased from a store and modified by the contestant
COMMUNICATION: Con-testants do an on-stage introduction, personal interview and a on stage questionnaire
FACIAL EXPRESSION: Contestants bat their eyelashes, tilt their head and blow kisses
CLOTHING: Contestants wear cupcake dresses which are several inches above the knee
COMMUNICATION: Contestants only say their name, age, and where they are from
Photo from missamerica.org and by Annie Crouch
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8 FEATURE
NAPNIGHTMAREWhat is the scariest dream you have ever had?
“I remember being chased by Reptar, [a character] from ‘Rugrats,’ and running through the streets.”
“I always have this dream where I get chased around Mill Valley by these two people with guns and they’re trying to kill me.”
JUNIOR MANDEEP BALLAGAN
“I had a dream that someone broke into my house and none of my neighbors were home so I had to escape on my own.”
SENIOR CHASE TOALSON
FRESHMAN JULIA WHEELER
DREAMSDECODE YOUR
Imagine you are running through a maze and you find yourself lost in its twists and turns. It seems as if you are only going in circles. Suddenly, you wake up and realize it was all a dream.
Psychoanalyst Ryan Allison, M.A., uses the dreams of his patients to
help them work through prob-lems they are experiencing.
“The main reason we dream is to work through things,” Al-
lison said. “We use [dreams] to condition ourselves for differ-
ent tasks that we may need to perform. [Dreaming is] the mind’s way to prep us for those types of things.”
According to Allison, although people may expe-
rience common themes in their dreams, they may mean different
things depending on what is going on in an indi-vidual’s life.
“[What you dream about] is up to what is happening in your life and what your conscience has processed as important,” Allison said. “It will be up to each indi-
vidual; everyone is different.” For some, the meaning of their
dreams is obvious.Junior Paige Brady often thinks
about the importance of good grades and college decisions, thoughts which her dreams tend to reflect.
“I dream about school a lot,” Brady
said. “I get dreams about graduating and going off to college and being separated from my family and how much my life [will change] when I’m in college.”
For others, the meanings of their dreams are not as clear. Senior Juliana Ayala had a dream on Friday, Nov. 9 about an unfamiliar family that had pre-viously given their child up for adoption and was trying to get the child back by killing the mother who had adopted him.
In Tony Crisp’s “Dream Diction-ary,” kidnapping someone else means influencing someone against their will or forcing yourself to do something against your feelings. Ayala feels the meaning of this dream applies to her in real life.
“It’s kind of funny because the kid that was kidnapped was my boyfriend,” Ayala said. “[Earlier that evening,] I was trying to make [my boyfriend] take pic-tures with me but he wouldn’t ... [and] I was trying to force him to do it.”
Although Ayala found humor in her dream, other students often have differ-ing reactions upon waking up.
According to Allison, nightmares come as a result of an individual work-ing through a problematic situation, and a nightmare’s scary images are a reflec-tion of that.
Junior Natalie Beashore has had nightmares since she was young, though they have gotten more violent as she has gotten older.
“I’ve had the same [dream] over and over again but the one that comes to mind is a few of my friends, my sister
Input from students and M.A. psychoanalyst provide insight into the meaning of dreams
NIGHTMARES
Do you sleep walk or talk?
Sleep walk (3%)
Sleep talk (30%)
Both (11%)
Neither (56%)
Do you or have you ever kept a dream journal?
“I had this helmet on that made me fly and my mom . . . got mad and she came out and started yelling at me . . . Then at the end, a goat breathed fire in my face.”
SOPHOMORE BEN HADDEN
Illustration by Riley McDonald
Dreams where you’re scantily clad can be both positive and negative, depending on your comfort level in the dream. Most often, these dreams occur because we are feeling ashamed or guilty and do not want to be exposed.
FEATURE 9
Illustrations by Austin Gillespie
DREAMSDECODE YOUR
said. “I get dreams about graduating and going off to college and being separated from my family and how much my life [will change] when I’m in college.”
For others, the meanings of their dreams are not as clear. Senior Juliana Ayala had a dream on Friday, Nov. 9 about an unfamiliar family that had pre-viously given their child up for adoption and was trying to get the child back by killing the mother who had adopted him.
In Tony Crisp’s “Dream Diction-ary,” kidnapping someone else means influencing someone against their will or forcing yourself to do something against your feelings. Ayala feels the meaning of this dream applies to her in real life.
“It’s kind of funny because the kid that was kidnapped was my boyfriend,” Ayala said. “[Earlier that evening,] I was trying to make [my boyfriend] take pic-tures with me but he wouldn’t ... [and] I was trying to force him to do it.”
Although Ayala found humor in her dream, other students often have differ-ing reactions upon waking up.
According to Allison, nightmares come as a result of an individual work-ing through a problematic situation, and a nightmare’s scary images are a reflec-tion of that.
Junior Natalie Beashore has had nightmares since she was young, though they have gotten more violent as she has gotten older.
“I’ve had the same [dream] over and over again but the one that comes to mind is a few of my friends, my sister
and I falling into lava,” Beashore said. “The screams and burns make me a little frantic.”
Although she is usually able to dis-tract herself from her nightmares upon waking up, they will sometimes startle Beashore the next day.
“I try to not think of my nightmares but occasionally the one from the night before will run across my mind during the next day and my heart picks up its pace,” Beashore said.
Beashore has also had more terrifying experiences while sleeping.
“I’ve had sleep paralysis, which is where you’re awake but you’re also in a dream,” Beashore said. “My sister and her friend ... said I was shaking and scream-ing. I just remember not being able to move and trying to scream for help.”
For Brady, in addition to college dreams, reoccurring nightmares are com-mon, as she has them once or twice a week. Her nightmares usually include a family member dying.
“I have dreams about my dad getting in a plane crash [because] he flies when he’s going out of town,” Brady said. “[The dreams are] always around that time.”
Because dreams often occur as a result of someone working through a problem, Allison said it is common for certain themes in dreams to be repeated.
“Typically, we are going to have re-petitive dreams if there is some latent unconscious conflict that has not been worked through,” Allison said. “What
Input from students and M.A. psychoanalyst provide insight into the meaning of dreams
NIGHTMARES
LUCID DREAMINGREOCCURRING DREAMS
SLEEP TALKING AND WALKING
Survey of 227 students
Do you or have you ever kept a dream journal?
Yes (7%)
No (93%)
Have you ever looked up what your dreams mean?
Yes (22%)
No (78%)
BY ANNIE [email protected]
BY REGAN [email protected]
BY JACK [email protected]
BY SYDNEY [email protected]
BY AUSTIN [email protected]
FALLING1
BEING CHASED
MISSING TEETH
FLYING
Meanings of the top five most common dreams
Have you ever dozed off and jerked back to consciousness after dreaming that you were falling? Dreams like these often mean that you are feeling overwhelmed by something.
Ideas involving being chased by someone or something are very common. Typically, this nightmare means that you are feeling threatened by something or someone in your life.
Dreams about missing teeth could have several meanings. This includes concerns about self-esteem, a warning about important things you’ve ignored or saying something in real life that you wish you hadn’t.
Dreams of flying can mean many different things based on factors such as direction, whether you can control it and how you feel while you are in flight. Most often, these dreams are positive and go along with feelings like elation and excitement.
PUBLIC NUDITY
DELUSIONSDAILY
2
3
4
5
Native Americans believed good dreams were able to pass through a dream catcher’s hole, while bad dreams got tangled in the webs and disappeared at the light of a new day
DID YOU
KNOW?
Information from dream-catchers.org
happens is the mind disguises that mate-rial … then presents the disguise in sym-bolic form in the dream for the [mind] to work through.”
Brady also has reoccurring dreams revolving around past events in her life.
“I also have a lot of nightmares about things that have happened in my past, but [those things] become more severe in the nightmare,” Brady said.
Sophomore Rebecca Dixon has no-ticed that many of her nightmares repeat themselves.
“I always have a dream about being lost in apartment complexes,” Dixon said. “It’s like a maze and I’m being chased with a gun.” Being lost in a dream could mean confusion or the inability to make clear decisions, according to Crisp’s “Dream Dictionary.” “[The dream occurs] when I’m trying to make decisions,” Dixon said. “Even when my parents are deciding on stuff, I have that dream.” A more unusual aspect of the subcon-scious is lucid dreaming, in which the person is aware that they are dreaming. They are also often able to manipulate the events of their dream.
Sophomore Valerie Nguyen has had several lucid dreams. “[In my dream] I was sitting on my bed and I looked at my clock and it said ‘00:111’ … [and that is when] I realized I was dreaming,” Nguyen said. “[After I realized that], I could control the things that I was doing in my dream.”
Nguyen said she was introduced to the idea of lucid dreaming from a video she watched with her aunt. They both decided to see if they could lucid dream.
“[According to the video], there are ways of training yourself,” Nguyen said. “You have to lie really still in bed when you’re falling asleep. Check your hands constantly, or a clock. If they look funny, you’ll know you’re in a dream.”
Studies are still being done on lucid dreaming, but no one is entirely sure of what causes it.
Other odd occurrences that may take place if you are between consciousness and unconsciousness include sleepwalk-ing.
“Sleep is not just a psychological phenomenon; it is also a physiological phenomenon,” Allison said. “If con-sciousness isn’t fully locked in, then an unconscious process ... occurs that will make them start to walk.”
Sophomore Bailee Dollard has experi-enced sleepwalking before.
“When I was little … I used to sleep-walk,” Dollard said. “[I knew because] we had cats and had a shock mat so they wouldn’t scratch the couch. I would … walk around [and] stand on it, and then go in my parents’ room complaining about my feet hurting.”
Although the unconscious mind is not fully understood due to its complex-ity, there are still studies being conducted to gain a better understanding of what causes us to dream and what our dreams can represent.
DRESS CODE INCONSISTENCY
10 OPINION
wearing a band T-shirt does not specifically endorse that band’s ideas. As a staff, we support students’ rights to wear a band T-shirt to a reasonable degree. But at the very least, we want the dress code to be clear. If a handful of students are told to change their band T-shirts, then everyone who is wearing a band shirt that could be deemed somewhat controversial should be asked to change as well. It should be an all-or-nothing system. If there was a clear and con-cise rule as to what is considered appropriate and what is not, the students would be more respectful of the rules.
When enforcement decisions are reached, they need to be properly communicated. If this was the case, there would be no need to question the decisions of administrators be-cause the policy would be consistent. Another inconsistency in the dress code has arisen as rumors have traveled around about yoga pants. While some people think yoga pants and leggings are banned, the pants are still seen around the school. As far as we know, a written policy on yoga pants is non-existent. However, this has not been clarified to students, seeing as how many teachers were
One of the constant battles that occurs be-tween teenagers and adults deals with what is viewed as appropriate dress in a school setting. While the JagWire staff acknowledges that a dress code is necessary, we have also noticed that there are a few discrepancies in the inter-pretation of our school’s current dress code. While a few students have gotten in trou-ble for what administrative members deem to be inappropriate, other students have been left wondering where to draw the line of ap-propriate dress. Several students have been asked to change their shirts with the logo “Odd Future Wolfgang,” a band that some believe sends a negative message of drugs and violence. While asking the student to change may have been necessary, there was little ex-planation as to why the shirt was against the dress code or inappropriate. We feel that the biggest issue with the way the dress code is handled is that there is not a clear line for students to follow when we pick out our outfit in the morning. How are we to know if a certain band or slogan is inappropri-ate to wear if the rule was never clearly stated? Also, is it OK for school administrators to say students can’t support a band? As long as no offensive lyrics or graphics are on the shirt students should be allowed to wear it because
unsure whether or not to implement the pol-icy. This is an issue seeing as how confusion between staff and students can lead to a dis-crepancy in the fairness of treatment toward students. Some teachers find certain clothing articles to be distasteful while others pay no attention to the way students dress. Regardless of the current dress code policy in place, it needs to be consistently enforced. We understand that this could mean more strictly enforced dress code policy to ensure fair treatment for everyone. The administra-tion does reserve the right to adapt the dress code to growing issues. We hope that administration understands that we acknowledge their right to enforce the dress code. We don’t believe that students should be allowed to wear whatever they want. But it must be noted that if the dress code was enforced consistently, either strict-er or more lenient, students would be much more likely to respect it. It’s not reasonable to expect no problems to arise; we know that won’t be the case. However, students should understand that if attire continues to be an issue, the policy may become stricter. While we acknowledge that there are defi-nite flaws in the dress code policy and the way it is handled, we still ask students to make the proper decisions of what to wear without a code delegating them to do so. If you find yourself questioning your outfit before you walk out the door, then you should change.
Discrepancies in dress code policy allow for inconsistent enforcementBY JAGWIRE [email protected]
Cartoon by Riley McDonald
OUTSPEAKHow has the dress code affected you personally?
“It really hasn’t affected me. I don’t really wear yoga pants
that often.”
“It hasn’t really. I pretty much wear what I normally wear.”
SOPHOMORE CHRISSY SHARP
“It makes me actually think about what I’m putting on in
the morning.” JUNIOR EMILY RICE
“It really doesn’t affect me because I never get in trouble
for the things that I wear.”SENIOR RACHEL ALLEN
FRESHMAN LILLY LUTZ
STAFFVOTE AGREE 24 DISAGREE 0 ABSENT 0
“Regardless of the current dress code ... it needs to
be consistently enforced.”
EDUCATION SHOULD COME FIRSTDuring the school day many students worry about their appearance, and they forget that they are at school to learn. Students who put their looks first are los-ing an opportunity they cannot get back and they also create a distraction for themselves as well as others.
You come to school to learn, not to always look your best and impress peo-ple you may never see again after high school. While this may be true, some stu-dents do not want to recognize it. Looks will not get you through life, but an edu-cation will.
Being more worried about impressing others can also cause students to act out in unsuitable ways. Students do things in order to gain attention because they think it will make them look “cool.” The
Whether we choose to believe it or not, most high school students come to school more worried about impressing their peers than getting an education.
Students should put their education before self image
things students do to impress people can sometimes negatively affect them and, in reality, make them look bad.
I’m not saying impressions are not important, but at school, your educa-tion needs to come first. People are going to judge you no matter what, but why not make the judgement something you would be proud of. Instead of making an impression by looking good every day, make a good reputation for having the best grades or trying the hardest. In the end, your looks will finish last. It is much better be to smart than good looking. So next time you get ready for school, think about whether you really need to spend that much time getting ready to impress your peers or if you should study for that big test.
JAGWIRE OFFICE5900 Monticello RoadShawnee, KS 66226Phone: (913) 422-4351Fax: (913) [email protected]: Kathy [email protected], a monthly publication of Mill Valley High School, is printed by the Sedalia Democrat.
MEMBERS OFKansas Scholastic Press AssociationNational Scholastic Press Association Journalism Education Association
The 2012 JagWire was named an All-American newspaper by the NSPA and earned an All-Kansas rating from KSPA. The Mill Valley News website was named a Pacemaker finalist by the NSPA in 2012.
CENSORSHIP POLICYKansas Senate Bill 62 guarantees the same rights for student journalists as are guaranteed for professional jour-nalists. These rights include, but are not limited to, all First Amendment rights, including the rights of free-dom of speech and the press, insofar as published items may not contain libelous, slanderous or obscene state-ments, may not incite or promote ille-gal conduct and may not cause a sub-stantial disruption to normal school activity.
EDITORIAL POLICYWe value your opinions. If you wish to submit a column or letter to the edi-tor for the JagWire, you can do so by handing it in to a member of the staff or the print journalism room (C101). Additionally, you may e-mail any mem-ber of the staff with opinions, as well as tweet us at @millvalleynews. Anon-ymous content will not be accepted. Please understand that we have the right to edit all copy that runs in this publication.
SOCIAL MEDIATwitter: @millvalleynewsFacebook: Mill Valley News
JAGWIRE STAFF
Editors-in-chiefAustin GillespieKristina MilewskiHanna Torline
Photo editorKelsey Floyd
Copy editorSydney Wilson
News editorRyan Fullerton
Feature editorRegan Jones
Opinion editorJack Lopez
Sports editorAlana Flinn
A&E/Social media managerMackenzie Eckman
Briefs editorKatherine White
Web editorsAlec SantaulariaMiranda Snyder
Ads managerAustin Gude
ArtistRiley McDonald
StaffAnnie CrouchDevynn HarrisStephanie HudlestonAshley KitchenCallee LintonAmber NguyenConnor OswaldBaylee OwenKate Schau
JAGWIREINFORMATION
GIVING BACK SHOULD BE VALUED
Giving back to community should be a main priority
GRADES HINDER STUDENT DESIRE
OPINION 11
same routine which includes the use of running water, electricity, toothpaste, a toothbrush, mouthwash, a hairbrush and makeup. We live in an extremely wealthy community and sometimes we don’t take the time to recognize how well we have it here. Many people do not appreciate our community enough.
It is important for us to give to oth-ers in places less fortunate then us. Teen-agers need to gain a different perspective and realize that there are more important things than money, clothes and cars. Go to Harvesters on a Saturday morning with some friends and sort food, volun-teer at a soup kitchen, donate a coat in a coat drive. There are many ways you can get out and give to others this holiday season. Volunteering and taking time to
In Johnson County, we have access to clean water at the turn of a faucet. Families can afford a good meal every night. I wake up every morning with the
help others gives you the opportunity to really see how fortunate we are.
Giving back should be a priority for teenagers. We don’t know how well we have it until we go see life from a dif-ferent perspective and experience it first hand. Doing a good deed for another person gives you much more satisfaction than you would get from buying yourself something. You are giving a less fortu-nate person or family a new reason to smile.
Seeing that not everyone in the world lives like we do and giving to others helps us appreciate what we have more. Most residents of Johnson County do not see beyond the easy lives that we live. Not only does it give us a sense of apprecia-tion, it is simply the right thing to do.
In today’s education system, teachers tie a grade to every assignment, regardless of whether it is busy work or the final exam. But why does every assignment have to be taken for a grade? What says that a student must do an assignment for a grade instead of simply doing the as-signment to learn the material? Although attaching grades to assignments may not seem like a bad thing, it is actually detri-mental to a student’s learning habits. The educational system has condi-tioned students to use grades as moti-vation to learn. Teachers argue that the purpose of doing so is to motivate the students to do the work and to learn. They feel that without the incentive of a grade, the students wouldn’t desire to learn on their own. However, in a widely accepted theory put forth by the American Psychological Association, it is shown that students are
Anything involving school in today’s society relates to grades in some way. “How are your grades?” “What grade did you get?” “Did you get a good grade?” The grades a student receives dictate how smart they appear to be and their perfor-mance in a class.
naturally motivated to learn and experi-ence new things. Teachers, instead of at-tempting to motivate students through grades, should instead be putting empha-sis on students’ natural desire to learn and should create an environment that nurtures that desire. This will increase students’ understanding of the material and will allow them to create personal interests in the material, causing it to be-come more meaningful to them. The theory also discusses the impact of using grades as motivation in school; it reached the conclusion that by condi-tioning students to learn for the reward of a grade, teachers are taking away the students’ natural desire to learn. This then translates to students losing their sense of self-determination to learn new things and to create interests in material that they are exposed to both inside and outside of the school environment.
School environment detracts from students’ desire to learnBY ALEC [email protected]
BY ANNIE [email protected]
BY CALLEE [email protected]
Cartoon by Riley McDonald
On Friday, Sept. 28, seniorSkyler Windmiller threw for seven touchdowns against
Bonner Springs High School
12 SPORTS
EXTRA POINT
SENIOR TIM THOMAS
it was kind of the ending of an era.” Senior running back Kendall Short said that the only thing he would have changed about his final season was the second half of the Bishop Miege game, but even the loss held value. “Of course it was disappointing to lose in the first round of state,” Short said. “However, I feel like the younger players received a lot of exposure to the dynamics.” After playing for two years, sopho-more tight end Zach Hanna said that the seniors made a huge impact on the underclassmen of the team. “They showed [us] how to treat oth-ers and be role models,” Hanna said. “They really made the whole team come together as a family and are probably the greatest senior class.” Senior wide receiver Staton Rebeck agreed that bringing the team together as a family and tradition was the most important part of this season. “Jaguar football means family and tra-dition,” Rebeck said. “It’s a lot of work, but with all of that hard work, you grow
As the football season came to an end on Friday, Nov. 2, senior quarterback Skyler Windmiller said that his final game of his high school career was one of serious emotion. “Even during the team warm-ups I began to tear up,” Windmiller said. “To-ward the end of the game was the hardest part. Everyone was crying; it was tough.” The season ended with a record of 8-2 and a Kaw Valley League Champion-ship led by the 18 senior players. The last game played ended in a loss of 41-23 to Bishop Miege High School in the first round of state playoffs. Skyler’s mom, Hope Windmiller, explained what her son’s final season meant to her. “[This season] meant everything to me,” Hope said. “A lot of our boys have played together since second grade … so
close in bonds like a family. And the new coaches are starting a tradition of work-ing hard in the weight room and becom-ing close with all of your friends.” This season, the team’s motto was “Set It in Stone.” As Short explained, this meant a newfound tradition throughout their family atmosphere. “’[Set It in Stone] is a way for us to pave the way for the classes under us to have better seasons than what we had,” Short said. “It’s setting a good example for them and making them successful for the years to come.” Rebeck said that if he could tell the teams in the years to come one thing, it would be to not take time for granted. “Work hard, have fun and make it last,” Rebeck said. “It goes by fast so just play hard.” Head coach Joel Applebee said that if he could say one thing to his players, it would be how proud he is of them. “I am very proud of [the players]. They worked extremely hard,” Applebee said. “I couldn’t be happier with what they did and what great kids they are.”
A look at the seniors’ impact on their final football season
BY ALANA [email protected]
ABOVE: Lunging into the end zone, senior receiver LJ Hatch completed a touchdown against Bonner Springs High School on Friday, Sept. 29. The Jaguars finished their season with a 6-0 league record. Photo by Miranda Snyder
As I look back on football and my experiences as a Jaguar, I now understand football to be much more than a sport, but instead a brotherhood. As I walked in as a freshman, my mind was full of thoughts of what my classes, classmates and high school career itself would be like. However, as I took the practice field for the first time, these thoughts immediately left my head. After that there was one thing dominating my mind for the next four years: football. When I came into high school, one of my biggest concerns was having trouble making friends. It was legitimately a fear of mine. After that first week of football practice, this thought quickly left my head as well. Football helped build some of the strongest friendships I could imag-ine; friendships that I plan to continue for the rest of my life. Upon the end of my high school foot-ball career, what can be described as an overwhelming sadness has taken over me. But as I look back on the experiences I have had here I remember all the things I have learned. I learned the importance of dedication, hard work and perseverance. I thank my coaches for instilling these values in me, and I would take these val-ues and friendships over taking the field again anytime.
Lineman reflects on four-year career and experiences
OF VIEW
BIG PLAYS
Senior Staton Rebeck tied the state record with 19 recep-tions against Bishop Miege on
Friday, Nov. 2
The senior-led Jaguar defense held Basehor-Linwood
High School to six points on Friday, Sept. 14
The Jaguars scored over 50 points against Piper High
School on Friday, Oct. 5, a stat they recorded in five games
SENIOR IMPACT
Photos by Miranda Snyder
SPORTS 13SPORTS 13
BOYS BASKETBALL
GIRLS BOWLING
WRESTLING
BOYS SWIMMING
BOYS BOWLING
ESTIMATED NUMBER OF PLAYERS65
FIRST GAMEFRIDAY, NOV. 30 AT PIPER
ESTIMATED NUMBER OF PLAYERS35-40
FIRST GAMEFRIDAY, NOV. 30 AT PIPER
ESTIMATED NUMBER OF WRESTLERS48-50
FIRST MEET SATURDAY, DEC. 1 AT PARK HILL
ESTIMATED NUMBER OF BOWLERS20
FIRST MEETMONDAY, JAN. 9 AT PARK LANES
ESTIMATED NUMBER OF BOWLERS25
FIRST MEETMONDAY, JAN. 9 AT PARK LANES
ESTIMATED NUMBER OF SWIMMERS10
FIRST MEETTUESDAY, DEC. 4 AT BLUE VALLEY WEST
STATSSPORTS
GIRLS BASKETBALL
DOMINANT: Practicing figure skating at KCIC, sophomore Grace Sulzman re-hearses different routines on Wednesday, Nov. 7. “You’re always learning new skills and you’re always challenged,” Sulzman said. LEFT: Warming up with his sister, freshman Hawkeye Mitchell prepares for practice. ABOVE: Mitchell and his sister rehearsed for their upcoming competition. Photos by Devynn Harris
Ice skaters pursue a passion for an uncommon sportBY CONNOR [email protected]
On most weekday mornings, sopho-more Grace Sulzman and freshman Hawkeye Mitchell arrive by 5 a.m. at the Kansas City Ice Center in Shawnee, where they slip on their skates and begin practicing the techniques they will need for their next competition. Mitchell, who has been ice skating for two years, practices Tuesday through Thursday mornings at KCIC and on Monday and Sunday afternoons. Sulz-man, who has been ice skating for 10 years, also skates at KCIC, but instead she practices in the mornings Tuesdays through Saturdays and after school on Mondays. The skaters participate in both lo-cal and out-of-state competitions. In the competitions the skaters perform a program that they have worked on for at least a few months. Sulzman skates both freestyle and dance for the competitions, while Mitchell performs pairs with his sister Jessica, an 8th grader at Monticello Trails Middle School. Mitchell’s last competition was Mon-day, Nov. 12, where he competed in the 8th Midwestern Sectional Competition in Cleveland, Ohio. He performed, in pairs, to the song “Sing Sing Sing” by Benny Goldman, a program that he had rehearsed for five months. Mitchell placed 15 out of 21 teams.
Mitchell said his performance went well. “[It went] great, [I] landed everything and was with the music the whole way through,” Mitchell said, “[I] got good feed back but [I] won’t be going to na-tionals this year.” Sulzman has competed in competi-tions in Dallas and Denver and said that one of her favorite parts of skating is the places where she has competed. “I’d have to say [my favorite thing is] getting to travel to lots of places to com-pete. I wouldn’t have been half the places I’ve been without skating,” Sulzman said. Sulzman and Mitchell began skating for two entirely different reasons. Sulz-man got inspired to skate while watching the Winter Olympics. Mitchell started ice skating after taking a bet from his father. “[My father] said he would pay me money [if I ice skated],” Mitchell said. “He has only paid me one time, but he did.” Despite the differences in their initial motivation to start skating, both share a love for the sport. “My passion [has kept me skating],” Mitchell said. “Once I started skating I just wanted to keep pushing [myself to] get better at every step.” Sulzman plans to continue skating in the future by either becoming a coach or by joining a collegiate team. Mitchell also plans to continue skating. “I’m going to be skating for the rest of my life,” Mitchell said. “Once you start skating, you never go back.”
FIGURE SKATING FANATICS
14 A&E
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A&E 15
Being busy with classes and after-school activi-ties can take a toll on one’s reading time. The best solution to this is, in my opinion, short stories. An anthology is a collection of short stories and often pictures all about the same topic. Quite an interesting one is “Machine of Death,” edited by Ryan North, Matthew Bennardo and David Malki.
All of the stories are about a world in which everyone knows how they are going to die. They can
go to a doctor or a mall kiosk to get diagnosed by a machine. The machine has its own sense of humor; for example, it might say “old age” to mean that an elderly man will shoot you. This interesting prem-ise and a few familiar authors made me pick up the book, and I was not disappointed.
Most of the stories are around 10 pages long, and all are accompanied by a picture. The stories and pictures were chosen as the best from lots of entries in a contest, and it shows; the book is ex-tremely well done. Each author takes a different side of the story to focus on.
“Suicide,” one of the short stories, was one of my favorites. It is about a teenage girl who wants to die in a crash so that she can fit into a clique. After finishing it, I had to put the book down and think about the story for some time. Thought-provoking and intelligent stories are wonderful to read, and I enjoyed these a ton. “Piano” was just clever. Some-times a quick, funny read is all that you want, and for that I recommend “Torn Apart and Devoured by Lions.” While not mind-boggling, it was still good, and pretty humorous. In addition to the ac-tual stories, the artwork is beautiful. The illustra-tion for “Cassandra” is just killer.
Overall, the book was really fun to read. All of the different authors’ writing styles and interesting ideas contribute to an exciting collection. Though they all follow the same basic premise, they all dif-fer a little. Some are heartwarming, some are con-fusing, some are funny and some are so suspenseful it’s hard to put the book down.
“Machine of Death” is a combination of stories and art with a great premise and awesome execu-tion. You should definitely check this book out if you don’t have a lot of time to read, and especially if you do.
IF YOU DON’T HAVE A LOT OF TIMEher ability to feel strong emotions, such as love and hate. In the months leading up to the procedure, Lena begins to real-ize that all is not as perfect in her seclud-ed world as she thought it was, especially after she meets a group of rebels- and falls in love.
The novel starts off a little slow, but as it goes on, the suspense thickens at a rapid rate. The later half of the novel has several very intense scenes, and it leaves off on an exciting cliffhanger in order to lead into the next book, “Pandemo-nium,” which is already out. This book is an excellent read if you’re looking for a story that will get your heart racing.
If you’re looking for a book that will get your blood pump-ing, then “Delirium” by Lauren Oliver is the book for you. This book uses the tried-and-true dystopian setting, where people live in enclosed cities,
have their lives planned out for them and love is considered a dangerous disease. The story follows a girl named Lena, who is an orphan after her mother committed suicide, as she approaches her 18th birthday. Then, she will receive an operation that removes
I have ever read. “I Am the Messenger” is quietly excellent in a way that not a lot of other books can pull off. Zusak’s writing style somehow manages to turn a deadbeat cab driver into a really likeable and relatable character. The word choice is simple but powerful, making the book a quick read that you feel like you should be spending more time on just to make sure you’re soaking everything in. I re-member stopping once or twice just to stare vaguely at the ceiling and think about what I’d just read. The story is full of optimism, but in a way that you don’t notice until you’ve finished the book and discover that you can’t stop smiling vaguely at everyone and everything.
In “I Am the Mes-senger,” Markus Zu-sak tells a story about finding meaning in life through the tale of underage cab driver Ed Kennedy. Ed is 19 and going nowhere in life, until he starts re-ceiving playing cards in the mail. On each
card he receives, directions are written and these directions lead him to people in need of a “message.” What the message is up to Ed to decide.
What develops from this odd premise is one of the most subtly inspirational books
IF YOU’RE LOOKING FOR A THRILL
IF YOU WANT TO BE INSPIRED
THERE’S A BOOK FOR YOU...BY KATHERINE [email protected]
BY KATE [email protected]
BY SYDNEY [email protected]
MONTHNOVEL
Check out these books if you’re looking for something new
What is National Novel Writing Month?
Basically you have to write 50,000 words in a month. You’re given what your daily word count should be and pep talks throughout the month. National Novel Writing Month
participant senior Brett Logbeck explains the annual 30-day challenge.
What does it take to par-ticipate in NaNoWriMo?
A head on shoulders and a creative brain. You need a good drive and determi-nation. Procrastination is optional, and not recom-mended.
Would you recommend participating?
I would probably recom-mend this to those who like to write and be cre-ative because if you want to be a writer later on in life, it’s a great way to start.
What is the best part of NaNoWriMo?
Writing the story because you have an idea and you go wherever it takes you. It’s more about the journey than the destination, as they say.
16 PHOTO ESSAY
RIGHT: Seconds before beginning the final film-ing of the Lip Dub, senior Danielle Jenkins focuses on the first group of students on Friday, Nov. 9. “It was a cool experi-ence because I got to design what the section [of the lip dub] I filmed was going to look like,” Jenkins said. “Everything turned out perfect. The footage looked awesome and everyone was really enthusiastic.” Photo by Alec Santaularia BELOW: Members of the bowling team show off their signs for the video. Photo by Baylee Owen
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ABOVE: Senior Hayden Garvey and friends show off for the camera during the lip dub on Friday, Nov. 9. “Overall [it was] a great experience,” Garvey said. “It brought a lot of school spirit.” RIGHT: The girls tennis team prepares for the lip dub by practicing their moves for the video. Photos by Stephanie Hudleston
ABOVE: Senior Danielle Jenkins films the lip dub on Friday, Nov. 9. “Hattie [Doolittle], Mrs. Swartz and I planned the lip dub ... in order to promote school spirit,” Jenkins said. “All the students seemed really excited and everyone is pumped to see the final product.” BELOW RIGHT: Filming the lib dub, senior Danielle Jenkins captures the crowd during the school-wide assembly. “It went really well,” Jenkins said. “I just watched it and everything looked really good. It all looked nearly perfect.” Photos by Alec Santaularia
School clubs, sports and organizations preform in a lip dub produced by MVTV
GETTING IN SYNC