the tiger print –– may 2012

TIGER THE

PRINTBLUE VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL

Vol. 42 Issue 10 May 2012

Stilwell, KS

TEACHER TENSIONDistrict removes prerequisites from CAPS, BV elective teachers question decision

ON THE GREENFreshman golfer plays varsity, builds on experience

AROUND TOWNLocations around Kansas City provide opportunity for new experiences this summer

pages 4-5

page 23

pages 20-21

Taking the next step!"#$%&'(")*$%#+',-."( 7-17 Photo by Jun Ham.

inthenews2 May 2012

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With a possible increase of students next school year, BV could change divisions from 5A to 6A. All activities will change divisions with the exception of football because of a two-year contract.

On Sept. 20, an enrollment form will be sent to the Kansas State High School Activities Association (KSHSAA). A!er the state receives the enrollments, the high-est 32 enrollments in the state will be 6A, the next 32 schools will be 5A, and the subsequent 64 will be 4A, 3A and 2A. Any remaining schools will be 1A.

"is year’s range of enrollment for 6A was 1,309 students to 2,308 students, while 5A ranged from 722 students to 1,281 students. BV had 1,260 students as of Sept. 20, 2011.

If BV moves to 6A, sports would still compete in the Eastern Kansas League, but the sub State would be 6A rather than 5A.

Athletic Director Bob Whitehead said he didn’t expect a quick change back to 6A.

“I thought it would take us a bit longer,” he said. “But you don’t know how the economy is going to do and you don’t know for sure how enrollment is going to be.”

Varsity basketball and soccer player junior Kelsie Carpenter said she thinks a change will provide more competition.

“I think it’ll make us work harder and come together more,” she said.

Whitehead said he doesn’t think it’s bet-ter to be in one division or the other.

“If you’re a good speller, whether you’re at a 1A school or a 6A school, you’re still good,” he said.

On bvtigernews.com

things to do around Kansas City

tribute to Jill Chittum

audio slideshows by Journalism 1 students

haileymcenteestaff writer

Due to low upperclassmen atten-dance for last year’s Spring Academic Awards Breakfast, administrators, Site-Based Leadership council (SBL) and Student Council created a new plan for the juniors and seniors academic recognition. On !ursday, April 26, juniors and seniors were recognized in a di"erent way — at a class lunch.

“!is all came up because last spring, and the spring two years ago, attendance by upperclassman at our Spring Academic Awards Breakfast was pretty shallow,” Principal Scott Bacon said. “If we had 50 percent of our upperclassmen attend, we were lucky.”

To solve the problem of low at-tendance, Bacon sought help from students to get to the root of the problem. He found out students didn’t want to go because they’d rather sleep in on late start.

Bacon said SBL students indicated

they prefer lunch recognition.“!is idea was one that came up

and was really unique, and some of our students proposed it,” he said. “So I thought, ‘Well, let’s see if we can pull this o" and see how it goes.’”

Although the Spring Academic Awards Breakfast was changed for this year, the fall ceremony will remain as a breakfast for all classes.

“We are going to continue doing our fall one the same as we always have because that’s the #rst time we get to recognize our National Merit scholars and our AP scholars, and we feel like that’s pretty important,” he said.

Junior Katie Davies said there were positive and negative aspects of the lunch recognition.

“People were actually awarded more because when we had the breakfast no one really knew about it,” Davies said. “Also, it was good eating lunch with your entire class with all your friends. !e cons were that no one was really paying attention and that people felt awkward.”

Davies said she did not like the lunch recognition as much as the breakfasts.

“I think [administration] should switch it back,” she said. “It’s just kind of a tradition, and I don’t think the lunch worked as well as the breakfast.”

Bacon said even though there was no parent attendance, students received recognition in front of their peers.

“We want to make it a big deal if you get an academic award that’s a 3.7 [GPA] in the last two consecutive semesters, or a 4.0,” he said. “My hope would be that if somebody isn’t recog-nized, they would be encouraged and motivated to work to that level.”

Despite the tradition of the Awards Breakfast, Bacon said it was time for a change.

“I think everybody in our school community feels it is important for us to recognize our students for academic accomplishments,” he said. “We’ve done it one way forever, and it was time to look at doing it a little bit di"erently.”

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Possible enrollment increase may shift BV from 5A to 6A

Senior Matt Aiello waits for his name to be called during the Academic Awards Luncheon. Due to low attendance at the awards break-fast, administrators met with students and decided on the alternative awards luncheon. Photo by Jun Ham.

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inthenews4 May 2012

CAPS class sizes this semester

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Engineering Design and Development:a.m. — 5p.m. — 5

Filmmaking:a.m. — 12 p.m. — 8

Global Business:a.m. — 27p.m. — 18

iMedia: a.m. — 9p.m. — 13

Interactive Design:a.m. — 6p.m. — 13

Technology:a.m. — 7p.m. — 9

Teacher Education:a.m. — 8p.m. — 8

Aerospace:p.m. — 2

Law:a.m. — 11p.m. — 15

Bioscience:a.m. — 11p.m. — 15

Civil Engineering:a.m. — 8 p.m. — 8

Computer Integrated Manufacturing:a.m. — 4p.m. — 13

Foundations of Medicine: a.m. — 18p.m. — 17

Sports Medicine:a.m. — 28p.m. — 25

1st year: 250

2nd year: 510

3rd year: 658

Projected count for next year: 940

During a tour of the CAPS building with her Girl Scout troop, fourth-grader Eliza Shultz watches a magnet board. CAPS instructor Jill Ri!er gave a tour of the CAPS engineering facility on "ursday, April 26. Photo by Maegan Kabel.

Story and information gathered by Jordan Huesers and Sara Naatz.

Number of seats represents students enrolled in CAPS courses per semester. For example, one student enrolled in #rst- and second-semester CAPS classes represents two seats.

outloud 5May 2012

Prerequisites no longer required

Last year, the Center for Advanced Professional Studies (CAPS) program ceased to require prerequisite classes for students interested in taking CAPS courses.

For example, students no longer have to take elective courses such as Broadcast I to enter the iMedia strand at CAPS, nor Intro to Engineering and Design to enter the engineering strand.

“When we started this program, we had very few prereq-uisites,” CAPS Executive Director Donna Deeds said. “Now we have some recommendations, but there aren’t any hard-and-fast rules. If a kid really wanted to be here and would move forward into this career path, we would waive them anyway. So, it was almost like why not tell people what’s really occurring?”

CAPS instructor Jill Ri!er said taking certain high school courses prior to enrolling in CAPS can provide es-sential skills for immersion into a professional environment.

“We can’t call it a prerequisite, obviously, but your phys-ics class, your math class, any of the science classes that you start to enjoy — your woodworking class, your interactive design classes and your virtual design classes — all of those are great precursors to CAPS,” Ri!er said. “CAPS couldn’t exist if there wasn’t a strong foundation in each of the "ve high schools.”

Senior Parker Lewis has taken Broadcast I and II as well as CAPS iMedia. He said students who take introductory classes in a subject area are more prepared to enter CAPS classes.

“It de"nitely helps,” he said. “What I learned from [Denny] Brand de"nitely helped me excel in iMedia CAPS.”

BVHS elective teachers said they were told their classes would be prerequisites when the idea for CAPS was initially introduced.

“I think there was the assumption that some classes would have prerequisites,” Principal Scott Bacon said. “I think, in its origination, that was the assumption, and, obvi-ously, that’s changed a little as time has gone on. #at was my understanding. I think that was most people’s under-standing at the inception.”

Counselor Deb Atkinson said the three-hour block of CAPS poses a problem in student schedules because students may have issues "tting in elective courses as well as CAPS classes.

“When you only have so many bodies and they’re going to go somewhere, they can’t be in two places at once,” she said. “If they’re going to go to CAPS, then obviously they’re not going to be in their building taking alternate courses that they would have taken if CAPS hadn’t been available. #ere’s that struggle.”

Senior Payton Weaver took Broadcast I and II at BV and is currently enrolled in the "lmmaking course at CAPS. He said it would be helpful for students to take prerequisites such as Broadcast I before entering the CAPS program.

“We do use the same programs and some equipment, so kids that don’t use that going into CAPS are de"nitely less ready to start "lming than the rest of us,” he said.

Deeds said part of the reason for the elimination of

prerequisites was so that students who are unable to "t prerequisites into their schedules can still be involved in the program.

To make up for some students’ lack of foundational skills upon entrance to the CAPS program, Deeds said they are immediately immersed into a professional environment in which they have one-on-one relationships with profession-als.

Broadcast teacher Denny Brand said this experience with professionals is also available in the "ve high schools.

“Besides 25 years in commercial business and lots of years of teaching, what they get from me is experience,” he said.

Comparing CAPS and elective classes

Deeds said when students choose the CAPS program over elective classes, it can lead to questions and concerns among elective teachers.

“It’s almost just as if you choose one friend versus an-other friend,” she said. “You know those types of feelings. I think those types of feelings might be happening. Some-times people might feel like, ‘Wow, how come they’re doing that?’”

Weaver said he decided not to enroll in iMedia based on descriptions of the course, because it seemed similar to broadcast at BVHS.

Brand said he remains con"dent in the abilities of the high school broadcast programs.

“It would help to have [CAPS] facilities as far as space goes,” he said. “It helps in recruiting. If you brought a stu-dent in who didn’t know anything, they would be wowed. But facilities don’t make good broadcast.”

Recruiting strains relationships

#e CAPS program has given 138 tours of its facilities so far this year.

#e district requires each middle school in the district to take the eighth grade class to tour the CAPS building, a tour paid for by CAPS. But tours are also provided to groups such as Girl Scout troops, sixth grade classes and high school health classes.

“We are required by the district to give a tour to eighth graders,” Prairie Star Middle School Principal Lyn Rantz said. “Every middle school has to give a tour speci"cally to CAPS. High schools don’t do that. CAPS does. So, that’s an interesting piece.”

Art department chair Mark Mosier said the recruitment process puts a strain on the relationships between CAPS teachers and high school elective teachers.

“As professionals, we are interested in the best opportu-nities for students, and we always will be,” Mosier said. “As an individual, I am interested in working with great stu-

dents and, to that end, I am obviously going to be support-ive of students in my classroom. But if there are opportuni-ties outside of that classroom, as a professional, again, it is my responsibility to make students aware of those opportu-nities and support them if they pursue them. Unfortunately, through recruitment and some other things, some rather awkward relationships or situations have been set up. #at sometimes puts some teachers in a bind as far as what’s the best advice for students, and what’s the best advice for a program in general that supports those students, whether it’s at the building level or the district level.”

Funding and teacher salaries

Deeds said much of the reason for this recruitment stems from the goal to have 1,000 students for the 2012-13 school year.

When the district built the CAPS facility, it received 100 percent funding for the "rst two years from the state. A$er the initial two years, the “new building” funds decrease by 25 percent per year. Deeds said the costs for the CAPS program should not be a burden for the district.

Deeds also said she does not know how the district plans to handle costs once state funding for the CAPS program stops.

Assistant Superintendent Mike Slagle said the number of students enrolled in the CAPS program does not a!ect costs because the district will absorb new facility costs.

He said Base State Aid Per Pupil (BSAPP) goes mainly to teacher salaries.

#ese salaries remain the same for all teachers in the dis-trict based on years of teaching experience as well as degree of education, such as bachelor’s degree, master’s degree or doctorate.

“#e salary schedule and how you move on it is the same for all teachers in the district,” Deeds said. “But when some-body does something beyond the normal requirements of being a high school teacher, they get a stipend.”

CAPS teachers receive extra pay for a longer work day, with 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. hours as opposed to the 7:30 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. contract for high school teachers. #ey also receive stipends for communicating with business part-ners, mentors and managing real projects, while teaching a changing curriculum.

“#at is not a requirement anywhere else in the district, so that was one of the things that is an extra thing they have to do,” Deeds said.

Atkinson said recent focus on the CAPS program has caused elective teachers at BVHS to feel undervalued.

“I think there’s just so much support and energy that’s been put towards the CAPS program, and certainly when you talk to the people who are building that program, you have a better understanding of how important it is, and certainly, the feedback from the kids has, overall, been positive,” she said. “So you get all that part, but again, it’s that perception for the sta! in the building, of ‘I’ve been here working hard, doing my job, doing how I thought everybody wanted me to do, but now, I’m not as valued or as important.’”

Designed to teach professional skills to advanced students, CAPS waives prerequisites, irks teachers

outloud6 May 2012

For seven periods, !ve days a week, we are trapped inside.

Many classrooms don’t even have windows. And with only a few minutes to get to class, there is little time to step outside for a few minutes to enjoy the sun.

A"er school, students have extra-curricular activities, homework and work.

Rarely are any of those outside. No wonder a study by the Depart-

ment of Public Health at Weill Cornell Medical College found 14 percent of all teens are vitamin D de!cient.

According to cornellsun.com,

vitamin D is essential to maintain a person’s calcium balance to grow strong bones and to prevent diseases like Osteoporosis.

Where do we get vitamin D? #e sun.

Our only opportunity to really sit outside and soak in necessary vitamins is during lunch.

But because of the school’s less than ideal outside lunch accommodations, we really don’t get that chance.

Let’s do a little math. #e current enrollment at BV is around 1,300 students. Divide that by four for each lunch period.

#at leaves around 325 students eating lunch at the same time.

Outside, there are only three tables where people can sit. At the most, eight people can sit at each table.

Basically, only 24 people of each lunch period can sit outside. If they are willing to cram together and don’t

mind putting their lunch trays on bird poop. If they don’t care about sitting near piles of trash and leaves.

Plus, two of the three tables are in the shade, preventing students from getting sun.

#e school has plenty of space to create an outdoor eating area that could !t more than two dozen people.

Actually, they don’t really have to create anything.

Just give students permission to go sit outside by the tiger statue or sit on the stone benches near the roses.

#e school should consider putting a few tables out where the sun actually shines.

Maybe then, according to the study, 182 students at BV wouldn’t be vita-min D de!cient.

staffeditorial

!"#$$%&'#$(%)&*+$,-).&$(/'-).&.0/-12&0+.0&'(-/03%.&4$+&5$+.&'/().1/'

the tiger printco-editors-in-chiefJordan HuesersSara Naatz

website editorMaegan Kabel

photo editorsDakota BehrmanMaria Fournier

news editorKelly Cordingley

features editorAnnie Matheis

entertainment editorOdi Opole

opinion editor Emily Brown

sports editorJordan McEntee

ads managerAnna Wonderlich

circulation managerTaylor Yeazel

sta! writersAbby BamburgJansen Hess Maddie Jewett Meghan KennedyHailey McEntee Caroline MeinzenbachKatie Wells

photographersJun HamBailey OutlawOlivia Roudebush

cartoonistEvelyn Davis

adviser Jill Chittum

!e Tiger Print is published 10 times a year for students, faculty, and the surrounding com-munity of Blue Valley High School. It is an open forum for student expression. #erefore, the opinions expressed within this paper do not necessarily re$ect the views of the administra-tions of Blue Valley Uni!ed School District #229. Letters to the editor and reader responses are encouraged for publication. !e Tiger Print reserves the right to edit all submissions for both language and content and encourages letters to be no more than 350 words. Letters should be submitted to room 450, emailed to [email protected] or mailed to:

!e Tiger Print c/oBlue Valley High School6001 W. 159th St. Stilwell, KS 66085phone: 913-239-4800

Pacemaker !nalist, 2009 and 2010. Member, Kansas Scholastic Press Association, National Scholastic Press Association and Columbia Scholastic Press Association.

Cartoon by Evelyn Davis.

'/044&.)-/$+-0%

22agreed

1 disagreed

Visit bvtigernews.com for letters to the editor by

CA I students.

seniorsection 7May 2012

8National M

erit

Commended Scholars

1Chess

State

Championship

4Shooting Stars Finalist

s

SENIOR!"#!!"$#

Boys Soccer: State Runner-U

p

Football: State Runner-U

p

Boys Swimming: S

tate Champions

Wrestling: S

enior Trever Hendrickson,

3rd place in State Tournament

Girls Basketball:

State Runner-Up

9Athletic te

ams

placed in State

Competitions

1Siemens Award

for Advanced Placement W

inner

SECTION309seniors

5National M

erit

5 Scholastic Art Award Recipients

seniorsection8 May 2012

Senioritis !nally hit me around Feb-ruary. As the countdown to graduation dropped to two digits, my excitement grew.

But, despite being ready to graduate, the next step became more daunting as the number of days dwindled.

Ignoring homework because of senioritis turned into hugging a tear-soaked pillow as reality hit.

My days of laundry not being my re-sponsibility are numbered. Every time my dog looks at me with big, brown eyes and a wagging, curly tail, I wonder who will miss whom more. Nightly family dinners become more precious as I may not be able to "y home for #anksgiving.

#en, my time to put my last words into the Tiger Print arrived. My chance to pass

on some sort of great wisdom gleaned from my 17 years of existence. My last contribu-tion to the program that changed my life.

But, as I sat down to write the column that spun itself in my head all year, I real-ized the only thing about which I could write with con!dence is the certainty of change.

Life isn’t fair, and it sure isn’t predictable. Change happens all the time, making

things complicated. It can be emotionally draining, physically straining and, at times, debilitating.

#e one tool we hold to !ght change is the power of choice, whether that’s in mind-set, the handling of a situation or deciding the next step.

Every change can lead to a choice that will have a consequence. But that will lead to even more choices.

#ose of you returning to these halls next year will continue developing who you are and begin making decisions for your future.

I started o$ wanting to be a journal-ism and nursing major at the University of Kansas. #en, my interests shi%ed, and I decided art school might be up my alley. Well, KU didn’t have the program I wanted, so I contemplated a gap year. #en, I took a

chance applying to a school that really inter-ested me, and now I’m going to be a student at the Savannah College of Art and Design.

In that small, condensed story, there were a multitude of options.

#e change of leaving high school is in-escapable. But you hold the choice for what you do with the change.

Life will never be easy, but if we make choices that we can justify, then focusing on the future becomes easier.

Embrace the choices you hold everyday and make the ones that are true to you.

It’s impossible to choose a “correct” path because there isn’t one.

If you aren’t sure about going to college right away, you can take a gap year, join the military or get a job — and those are only a few options.

Maybe you dive right into college but don’t enjoy the school or the major you declared.

You can transfer, and it may be worth changing majors before you wind up stuck in a career you don’t enjoy.

Life becomes more complicated as you progress through high school and, then, into the adult world.

Change will be inevitable, but you always have a choice.

You all remember the days when you were friends with everyone. It didn’t matter if you were athletic, if you liked math or reading, or even if your clothes matched.

You shared your crayons with everyone.You played with everyone at recess. And, most importantly, you got along with everyone. I had a revelation in the latter part of my wonderfully

long senior year. Anywho, one night, I sat at a table with my best friend

and two guys I was not very well acquainted with. We kept the conversation light, throwing a few jokes

around here and there. I was more focused on trying to do Anita Lemons’

homework — yes, Señora, sometimes I do actually do your homework — than keeping up a conversation.

All of a sudden the boys’ comments took a downhill turn.

#e jokes became more inappropriate, and I became more uncomfortable. Pretty soon, I decided it was time for me to leave. I took one look at my friend, and we decided to book it.

When I got home, I felt there was something wrong with me. Maybe I just didn’t have a good sense of humor. Or perhaps I’m just a little too uptight on certain things.

But, no, I don’t think that’s it.So what if I am conservative, Lutheran and listen to Fox

News?

How those boys were talking wasn’t me. And that’s my revelation. As we grow up, it becomes more and more important to surround ourselves with people with similar beliefs.

No, don’t seclude yourself from everyone with a di$ering opinion. But, when it comes to people you are with everyday, it’s important they have the same values as you because, like it or not, they in"uence you.

Life is more than just sharing crayons now. It’s about making life decisions based o$ what you think is right and wrong.

And I can say, despite what people may think due to my colorful language, my Christian friends are the people I want around me for the rest of my life.

Staying true to what the Bible teaches is important to me, and I want friends who will support me and tell me when I’m going against what I am supposed to do.

Find what’s important to you. In college and for the rest of your life, you will make

decisions that de!ne who you are. You’ll want to have the voice of a friend who looks out for your best interest, who has the same values as you.

Like it or not, the people you associate with have an impact on your life.

With that in mind, now is the time to take a step back and look at the people who surround you.

maegankabelweb editor ‘You hold the choice for what you do.’

‘The people you associate with have an impact on your life.’ jordanhuesersco-editor

May 2012 seniorsection 9

It’s Monday morning again. What a joy.!at awful moment when your alarm

starts blaring that god-awful sound over and over and over again. !at split second of indecision when you have to choose between smashing your alarm clock or pushing your unwilling body out of bed.

Subconscious mind makes a snap

decision. SNOOZE. No need for a shower today. You read on Yahoo! last night that washing your hair every day gives you split ends anyway.

!en, a"er hitting your snooze button approximately 12 more times, you swing your legs out of bed.

As you brush your teeth, you consider

that you have only a few more weeks of waking up early. Only a few more weeks of bashing your head on the steering wheel as you wait at the four-way stop at 159th Street and Nall Avenue. Only a few more weeks of never having time to eat a real breakfast.

But guess what? Life doesn’t change a whole lot. We might be waking up in our own apartments, but we’re still waking up early. We might be waiting at a stoplight in New York City, but we’re still bashing our heads against the steering wheel. And we’re never going to have time to grab anything more than a Special K granola bar for breakfast.

!at’s why it’s so important we appreci-ate the little things.

We don’t get to choose when our schedules are jam-packed or when tragedy strikes.

Life is inconvenient.But sometimes, when we’re rushing from

a National Honor Society meeting to a doc-tor’s appointment (which, of course, is on the opposite end of town), our favorite song comes on the radio. And, for a few minutes, all our frustrations dissipate as we crank up the volume.

Maybe it’s those things that make life what it is.

It’s Monday morning again. What a joy.You wake up 10 minutes before your

alarm goes o# and get to go back to sleep — which is pretty much like winning the lottery, but you get paid in sleep instead of money.

It’s the little things.On your way out the door, you’re so

frantic trying not to be late that you have no time to grab breakfast.

As you swing open the door, hauling your 800-pound backpack, your mom grabs you and hands you the cinnamon rolls she woke up 10 minutes early to make for you.

It’s the little things.Halfway to school, you realize you

forgot your research paper. But when you walk into your $rst hour class, your teacher informs you she’s moved the deadline back one day.

It’s the little things.We’ve always been told “run to $nish.”

Well, sometimes, that run can be a little tiring.

Don’t let all the things you can’t control control you.

Whether it’s 10 extra minutes of sleep or a hug from your favorite person in the world, never let the little things pass you by.

I remember when I was a little eighth grader. I was 4 feet 9 inches tall. I wore my light blue KC Chaos

soccer jacket and jeans just about every day. My hair was always in a ponytail with di#erent colored

headbands, and I just scooted on through my days with a smile.

Hey, sounds like senior me, too (except, thank good-ness, I grew a few inches).

But I speci$cally remember sitting in the computer lab at Blue Valley Middle, enrolling in my classes for freshman year.

With every click of the mouse, I felt like I was one step closer to discovering what in the world I wanted to do with the rest of my life.

Well, it’s senior year now — in fact, we’re graduating in 16 days — and I have more questions about my future than I did when I $rst walked into BV.

I do know that I’ll be rockin’ the crimson and blue at the University of Kansas next year.

And I do know that I’ll be studying journalism and hopefully doing some work for the University Daily Kansan newspaper.

But I don’t entirely know where I’m going to go from there.

Considering I’ve basically fallen in love with writing and designing for the Tiger Print, I would love to be a

journalist. And since I spend close to every waking mo-ment (when I’m not at school) up at St. Michael’s, I’d be thrilled to be a youth minister. But who knows what else I’ll discover.

I’ve spent the past four years in this school trying to $gure out my future, yet I’m still in the dark.

But I’m perfectly okay with that, and this is why:“Wherever God has put you, that is your vocation. It

is not what we do, but how much love we put into it.” Mother Teresa said that. What a genius. So all this time I’ve spent stressing about what I’m go-

ing to do, all I needed to do was trust — trust that God has some amazing plan for my life, and that when I’m ready to $gure it out, He’ll clue me in.

No matter what I end up doing, love is all that mat-ters.

In the meantime, I’m going to continue living by my other favorite Mother Teresa quote: “Let no one come to you without leaving better and happier.”

Because, for us seniors, we only have a few more days until we graduate and are thrown out into the real world — a world that needs each and every one of us. All of us will $nd something we’re good at, something that makes us happy and something that we love to do.

It’s through that vocation that each of us can bring a little bit more joy into this beautiful world.

saranaatzco-editor ‘Never let the little things pass you by.’

‘No matter what I end up doing, love is all that matters.’ jordanmcenteesports editor


OTHERMilitaryMatt Hastert — Air ForceZack Jenkins — Marine Corps

Undecided Tony Arling Dakota Behrman Meera Chakravarthy Trever Hendrickson William Ibenthal Katie Martin Kellen Rios Garret SchoenfeldElliot VossEric White

GermanyPaula Bausch

Chulalongkorn University (!ailand)Ling Ling Khopanlert

NorwayJune Kroppan

EcuadorChristian Muñoz

Work ForceKathryn Silverstein

26 states309 Tigers o! to

BV seniors prepare to leave for college

ARIZONAUniversity of ArizonaMatt Aiello Conner Westermajer

AR

KA

NS

AS University of Arkansas

Emily Allen Whitney Hare Aaron Heckmaster Nicole Martens Jake Miller Kylie Tanner Victoria !eriot Jesse Vollick Chris Webb

John Brown UniversityTess Constant

Harding UniversityLauren Holland

ILLI

NO

IS Loyola University Chicago Chris Bruce Tim Smith

Southern Illinois UniversityAustin Johnson

Eastern Illinois University Beth Houghton

Northern Illinois University Jessica Garrett

Columbia College ChicagoMadison Cornett

DePaul UniversityGabi Fordiani

TE

XA

S Trinity UniversityBecca Bond

Rice UniversityBrady Buescher

Texas Christian UniversityAddie Dolan Haley Schroer

Abilene Christian UniversityKaylee Snedden

Baylor UniversityStephanie Shull

NEBRASKAConcordia UniversityAlex Cargin

University of Nebraska - KearneyDavis Dunham

Nebraska Wesleyan UniversityKendyl Frerking

University of Nebraska - Lincoln Jordan Huesers

IND

IAN

A Indiana UniversityEvan Bell

Indiana State UniversityRyan DeVuyst Erin Mitchell

Purdue UniversityKaylin Demmel

CA

LIFO

RN

IA

University of California - BerkeleyJun Ham Edward Jiang

Vanguard University of Southern California Jen Kranjec

PENNSYLVANIAVillanova University Megan Kuharich

NORTH CAROLINA Appalachian State University Meghan Mahoney

CO

LOR

AD

O

University of Northern Colorado Weston Mosburg

OKLAHOMAOklahoma City University Alex Petersen

University of OklahomaKaleo Cook Beverly Withers

Oklahoma State University Sean Skaggs

University of TulsaAlex Schoenberg Alvin Xing

NEW YORKColgate UniversityTaylor Walter


KA

NS

AS University of Kansas

Sophie Allen Aaron Ammon Alex Assyia Daniel Assyia Tyler Augustine Jack Bamburg Rachel Bazille Lauren Biggs Nicole Brosch Emily Brown Erin Browne Hunter Browning Ryan Burrow Hannah Caplan Allison DeMeo Devon Dewey Lauren DoolittleJenna Drake Hayden Edwards Beth Ekis Emily Eltomi Austin FehrAustin Ferguson Blake Friend Allie Goss Joe Godbout Nick Heizman Spencer Ho Gracie Hoover Jake Kennedy Anna Kerkho!

Miranda Loats Willis Luong Annie Matheis Ian McCombs Luke McElwain Jordan McEntee Gavin Mohar Matt Morrison Kaitlyn Neiger McKenzie Nicholis Richie Noon Kate O’Leary Madison Outlaw Corbin Paine Christine Perinchery Jack Porter Nick Reding Joe Rolleston Nick Ross Kevin Ryan Michael Sabaugh Tyler Sauntry Michael Schath Cody Schmalz Ryan Scott Hannah Smith Mary Ster Clayton Stiver Alison Summers Bailey Swimmer Austin Taulbee Danny "eisen

Nick Virgillito Payton Weaver Clint Webb Austin Williams

Kansas State University Kyle Anderson Nicole Baith Grace Callison Matt Coole Nick Crissey Grant DeFonsoOlivia Florian Hannah Gri#nMichael Huston Rebecca Jenkins Kristy Johnson Kelsie Joyce Austin Katsorelos Brandi Klehn Rick McCaw Payton Meyer Sam Nicol Bekah Nyman Lauren O’Toole Rachel Parkhurst Amanda Penn Carlee Ray Lauren Reardon Chris Roche Emma Rodlund Meredith Schmidt

Andrea Schwarz Turner SmithJane Webb Danny Wheeler Annie Wilcoxon Brian Witt

Johnson County Community CollegeLaura Acu! Jessica Becker Lukas Bjorgo Nate Borsdorf Whit Buckler Branden Chau Vivian Chen Garrett Clear T.J. Earnshaw Gabe Galeazzi Kyle Gibson Mackenzie Gorthy Dylan Green Martin Hang Aubrey Johnson Nicholas Kawaguchi Lucas King Josh Kjergaard David Kym Kevin Leitch Mercedes LongCaroline McCabe Tyler Moss

Maddie Osmundson Allie Reid Tony Renaud Elizabeth Rinke Hannah Sittig Tanner Walker

Pittsburg State University Ron Bellows McKenzie Botts Breanna Bowzer Courtney Coda Natalie Gloor Mark Nichols "ano Papaza$ropoulos Mandy Reno Olivia Roudebush Sloane Sandmoen Hannah Skidmore

Washburn University Rianin BowserErika Crider Crystal Gutierrez Matthew HollowayLauren Kostusik Cooper McCoy Sara Specht John Stootho! Jaxon Tupper

Benedictine College Jake Hackney

Baker University Alex Baird Morgan Giudicessi Emporia State University Bridget Carter

Fort Hays State UniversityJackie Dennis

Barton County Community CollegeDrew Ferguson

MidAmerica Nazarene UniversityCole Foster Je! Imber Alyssa Lyerla

Fort Scott Community CollegeDavid Marr

Wichita State UniversityHank Kellerman

Butler County Community CollegeLuke Roselli

MIS

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I University of Missouri - ColumbiaMaddie Hansen Toby Harrison Sara Naatz Cara Pace

University of Missouri - Kansas City Helena Dunn Maddie Garton Jessica Idowu Ashley Kopko Taylor Leathers Angela Mundakkal Grace Smith

William Jewell College Lauren Burns Matt FloydMackenzie Johnson Cole McCubbin Logan Winter

University of Central Missouri Alyssa Buzzelli Lauren Green Alex Hoskovec Tyler Jacobs Ellen Selba Jenna Wiggins

Missouri Valley College Cameron Bruce

Truman State University Matt Cooper

St. Louis UniversityEvan Wright

Drury UniversityBecca McDonald

Kansas City Art Institute Parker Lewis

College of the OzarksDavid Maricle

Northwest Missouri State UniversityChris Foster Justin Fulks Kyle Zimmerman

Missouri University of Science and Technology Austin Averkamp

MIGHIGANUniversity of Michigan Cameron Bailey "amara Subramanian

MASSACHUSETTSBoston UniversityCarlos Cheung

Harvard UniversityEvelyn Davis

IOWADrake University Ben Strickland

Savannah College of Art and Design Aubrey Illig Maegan Kabel

GE

OR

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Louisiana State UniversityMaria Fournier

LOUISIANA

Baldwin-Wallace UniversityErin Moylan

OH

IO

Brown UniversityMollie Chesis

RHODEISLAND

University of South DakotaHelena Bertels

SOUTH DAKOTA

Brigham Young UniversityKristin Hawkins

UTAH

St. Olaf CollegeChad Curry

MIN

NE

SO

TASeattle Paci!c University Nathan Martin

WASHINGTON

Dartmouth CollegeAllen Zhu

NEW HAMPSHIRE


Lauren Reardon and Matt Aiello Jack Porter and Taylor Leathers

Angela Mundakkal and Allen ZhuJustin Fulks and Alison Summers

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superlativesseniorSeniors vote their fellow classmates for each categoryPhotos by Olivia Roudebush and Maria Fournier.

108 seniors surveyed.

class of 2012


Evelyn Davis and Hunter Browning Emily Eltomi and Tony Renaud Clayton Stiver and Hannah Smith

Brady Buescher and Natalie Gloor Cooper McCoy and Allison DeMeo Payton Meyer and Jake Hackney

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Ahh, graduation. In my mind, I see Orlando Bloom stand-

ing on the stage of the Hollywood and High-land Center, formerly known as the Kodak !eatre. In his right hand, an envelope. In his other gorgeous hand, there is a microphone, which he uses to announce the winner.

With a "ashy smile, he opens the envelope

and calls out my name “Emily Brown.” Well, duh.

Still, I pretend to be surprised, and I shake my head in fake shock. Of course, I’m sitting at a glamorous table with Leonardo DiCaprio and a much younger version of Brad Pitt.

A round of hugs and pats on the back,

and then I’m strutting to the stage in my Fall 2010 Chanel Couture dress, completely decked out in jewels.

I throw a wink at Josh Hutcherson on my way up. I mean, why not?

Once I reach the stage, some smiling model hands me my award. A golden tiger statue, in honor of my high school gradua-tion. My name and the words “Release the Kraken,” are inscribed into the base of the statue. Obviously, it is all written in Comic Sans. Gotta love journalism inside jokes!

A#er a hug from Orlando Bloom, which might have lasted too long, I make my way to the podium. I’m here. A#er four grueling years of putting up with moronic directors and diva co-stars, I’ve $nally made it.

!ank the journalism gods that all of that annoyingness was balanced with knowledge-able producers and a few amazing fellow actors.

Time for my acceptance speech. OK, OK. !e likeliness of all of the

above ever happening is a whopping 0 percent. Yet, this is how I picture my senior column and my impending graduation. So, I might as well stay true to the theme and give my version of a diploma acceptance speech.

A simple thank you.

Firstly, I would like to thank every per-son who has read my stories this year. To every individual who walked up to me and complimented me on my writing. Or even just wanted to share a relating personal story. !ank you, because I’ve remembered every single comment.

!ank you to all of the people who allowed me to interview them this year. !ank you for sharing your amazing stories with me and putting up with any stupid questions I asked.

!ank you to Mrs. Chittum, my editors and my fellow Tiger Print sta" members. For putting up with my political rants and my borderline obsession with commas. COMMA.

!ank you to my family. Mom, Dad, Ash, Ryan and Chester. You guys truly are my best friends.

!anks Grandma and Sophie for watch-ing over me from heaven.

All of these people, along with God, have given me hope for a future career in words — whether publishing or journalism. !ey have inspired me to continue doing what I love most. Reading and writing.

Annoying classical music starts playing because I’ve gone far over my word-count limit.

If you watched any John Hughes movie before you entered high school, you probably envisioned your second-ary education the same way I did.

You probably pictured yourself as Molly Ringwald, stuck in Saturday detention eating sushi, where a prin-cipal, without the slightest concern, handed out detentions to kids like John Bender.

Or maybe a dance with everybody lined up, waiting to be asked onto the #oor. But, in the end, Jake Ryan would still be waiting for you outside your sister’s wedding.

You pictured it as the time of your life.

!e time of your life.!at’s what I was told high school

would be. I walked into those front doors

an excited freshman, anxious for the years to come.

I was constantly reminded to enjoy these four years because I would never get them back.

Now I am a senior, soon walking

out of those same doors, and I am supposed to have already had the time of my life.

!at’s to say, I’m 18, and my life has already peaked. Is it all just one ginor-mous downward spiral from here? I’m still in my teenage years, and I have already experienced the best of life?

I mean, high school has been OK. Too many hormone-driven, dramatic people packed into such close prox-imity for my taste, but still, nothing horrible happened.

I enjoyed the little things, like mak-ing a day-by-day spring break stayca-tion calendar and driving around aim-lessly while singing horribly o"-key.

I let my dorkiness hit an all-time high by staying home on weekends and indulging in a Harry Potter or Star Wars marathon. I attended school dances, none of which were anything like the one in “Sixteen Candles.”

Taxes and personal $nancial stabil-ity were never on my mind.

It’s easy to understand how high school can be construed as the end-

all, be-all of our limited time on this earth.

But we shouldn’t let it become the peak of our lives. Life will never be the same, but the good will still always be available.

I will always enjoy bunking down and watching “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.” My singing will never improve, and there will always be people who might react a little dramatically to certain situations.

Instead of focusing on what was supposed to be the best time, make use of the time you have by living and being. High school might have been a good time, but there will be many more times, good and bad, to come.

Whether we had a good or bad time in high school, it should not de-$ne the quality of the rest of our lives.

Unfortunately, I can never be Molly Ringwald in “Sixteen Candles” or “Breakfast Club.” Life will never be a John Hughes movie. But that’s OK because high school isn’t meant to be my life’s peak; it is only the beginning.

emilybrownopinions editor ‘Time for my acceptance speech.’

‘Make use of the time you have by living and being.’ anniematheisfeatures editor


Almost 10 years ago, I moved to Kansas.For almost 10 years, I’ve been wishing

and dreaming of the day I would at last be free from the Land of Oz.

!e day I would be free to live by the ocean, to travel the world, to experience new cultures. And now, 10 years later, the day has almost arrived.

Who knew it would come so fast? !ere was the blur of the succession of

new backpacks, !anksgivings, family trips, sweltering Augusts, Homecoming dances, Christmas parties and last days of school.

Finally, the last of the lasts draws near. Graduation.As I think back on my time in Kansas,

the thought is always the same. I wish I would have appreciated it more. I wish I would have spent more time on

the prairie, more a"ernoons at the Nelson and more evenings with my family.

I wish I would have taken a few more deep breaths and a few more naps.

So, in order to remain faultless, I blame high school. I blame the consuming classes, my busy extracurricular schedule and my athletic involvement.

!e funny thing is, I was living in the moment but always looking to the future.

I could sense my college experience and world travels right around the corner.

All I wanted was the next weekend, the next break — I had always #gured that if I could make it to that next marker, I would have time to slow down and enjoy the little things.

But time never did slow down, and, for a long while, I didn’t make time for the things that really mattered.

!en, as the college process began, I re-alized my time le" in Kansas was too short to allow my existence to be consumed by a day-in, day-out routine of school-home-work-occasional meal-bed-repeat.

Don’t get me wrong, I’ve loved every-thing I’ve done at BV and look back regret-

ting none of my experiences. My classes, Relay For Life, cross country and Student Council have certainly shaped the person I have become over the past four years, and I wouldn’t have had it any other way.

But, I began to change the little things — trips to the Arboretum and ice cream runs a"er school with friends, backyard play ses-sions with my family — #nally doing things I had always been saving for the next open window.

It made all the di$erence in the world. So, here’s my challenge to you. I know

there has been a lot of build-up to this point, so I apologize for the ensuing cliché.

But, live each day like it’s your last. Not in a “YOLO” sense of the phrase,

but in a way that allows you to go to sleep each night happy, knowing that the day was worth living.

Your future will be here soon enough, I promise. Too soon, even.

Spend time with your family. Go out with your friends. Take advantage of the fun opportunities BV has to o$er.

Just make sure when your head hits the pillow each and every night, you know you did everything in your power to add zest and %avor to your life.

It’s been real, BV. Evelyn out.

Before we get into this, let me inform you readers that I am not, in any way, a writer. But why let that stop me?

Four years of high school and 18 years of life have taught me a couple of things.

!e most important lessons seem to %y over people’s heads.

We forget that our high school drama is limited to the short time-span of our high school years. Which means I had to sit through four years of Twitter and Facebook posts riddled with complaining and negativity. We all did.

Girls crying about guys. Guys whining about girls. Frankly, it annoys me beyond belief. I don’t understand how people can fret over little things like that. For some strange reason, I doubt when they are 40 and homeless, they will be saying, “If only I didn’t get upset about Sally insulting me. Oh, woe is me.”

A #ght or argument I had my

sophomore year will not a$ect me when I’m 40 or any other age.

We need to understand the world does not stop moving because some-thing bad happens to us.

!e world keeps on going when we get Fs. !e world keeps on going when we get speeding tickets. !e world keeps on going, even when we get dumped.

We need to wake up and start #x-ing our own problems before com-plaining.

Work hard and do extra credit. Get a job and put in long hours to pay o$ the ticket. Don’t worry about your ex, many more people will come along, hopefully.

!e more you worry and concern yourself with little nuances, the worse it will get.

Take the most repetitive question you will ever hear in high school, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” I’ve hated that question for as long as I can remember.

I dream of working with a camera for decades, but as a career? I have no clue. I gave o$-the-wall answers: pro wrestler, police o&cer, photographer, director, actor or whatever interest I had on my mind that week.

At best, I gave a shrug. Why worry and stress out about

a choice, which supposedly deter-mines the rest of your life, at the age of 18?

I’m still unsure about what I want to do when I’m older.

Just as Daria from the old cartoon show said, “My goal is not to wake up at 40 with the bitter realization that I’ve wasted my life on a job I hate because I was forced to decide on a career in my teens.”

Point is, I don’t care — not right now at least. I still have a good chunk of my life to #gure out ex-actly what I want to do to make me happy, to sit back and enjoy the rest of the best four years of my life.

evelyndavisstaff photographer ‘Live each day like it’s your last.’

dakotabehrmanco-photo editor


SNAPSHOT

Senior photographers share their favorite pictures from time spent on newspaper sta!

BV graduates Cooper Page and Mizani Hobson celebrate a!er a touchdown in the 2010 regional game against Bishop Miege. "e 2010 varsity football team continued their season to win the state championship. “"e team really pulled for each other,” coach Eric Driskell said. “"ey put everyone else before themselves.”

(Above) "rowing a #ag in the air, sophomore Lorelle Katz rehearses during a morning dance team practice. Katz has been on the Tigerettes dance team since freshman year. “I like all the tricks we learn, and all the choreography we learn is pretty cool and fun to do,” Katz said.

(Le!) Junior Chaise Seasholtz practices a kick at Ko’s Black Belt Academy. Seasholtz started taking lessons about three years ago and is now nationally ranked. “[Being nationally ranked] has really given me a great self-con#dence boost,” Seasholtz said. “It’s shown me how far I’ve come and how far I have to go.”

oliviaroudebushstaff photographer

mariafournierco-photo editor


KCABLOOKING

August 2011

Aug. 17 - Varsity and junior varsity cheer-leading squads win !rst place in the Ex-treme Routine Division at the UCA camp. (Pictured below)

Aug. 22 - Libyan rebels capture the capital Tripoli. "e National Transitional Coun-cil, a temporary governing system created by the rebels, claim Muammar Gadda!’s regime has !nally collapsed a#er 42 years of dictatorship.

Aug. 25 - In a single game, the New York Yankees hit three grand slam home runs.

September 2011

Sept. 11 - Americans honor the 10th an-niversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

October 2011

Oct. 5 - Former Apple CEO Steve Jobs dies.

Oct. 14 - Apple releases the iPhone 4S, breaking all previous company sales re-cords, selling 4 million iPhones in four days.

Oct. 15 - Occupy Wall Street protests occur in numerous cities across the world.

November 2011

Nov. 2 - Students dress up in white clothing and red bandanas to protest the In School Suspensions of those involved with the Running of the Bulls down the freshmen hallway.

Nov. 5 - Boys Soccer team !nishes season as the 5A State runner-up.

Nov. 29 - Conrad Murray, Michael Jack-son’s former doctor, is sentenced to four years in prison for involuntary manslaugh-ter in connection with Jackson’s death.

December 2011

Dec. 12 - "anks to a school-wide power outage, school is released almost an hour early.

Dec. 14 - Eric Driskell voted Chiefs High School Coach of the Year. (Pictured below)

Dec. 15 - U.S. military operations end in Iraq a#er nine years in the Iraq War.

Dec. 26 - Quarterback of the New Orleans Saints, Drew Brees, breaks the 1984 NFL record for yards passing in a single season.

January 2012

Jan. 23 - Debate squad !nishes season with 3rd place at State.

Jan. 4 - Republican presidential candidate Michele Bachmann suspends her presiden-tial campaign.

Jan. 18 - "e English version of Wikipedia shuts down for a day to protest the Stop Online Piracy Act. Jan. 22 - Former Penn State football coach Joe Paterno dies.

February 2012

Feb. 11 - Whitney Houston dies at age 48 at the Beverly Hills Hotel.

Feb. 14 - Scholars Bowl team wins its sec-ond consecutive 5A State championship.

Feb. 22 - In Syria, two western journalists are killed while covering the ongoing civil war.

Feb. 24 - Boys swim team wins State. (Pic-tured above)

March 2012

March 16 - In the 2012 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, 15-seeded teams, Lehigh and Nofolk State, beat two-seeded Duke and Missouri in a day of upsets.

March 20 - Disney takes one of the biggest cinema losses in history of almost $200 mil-lion because of John Carter’s poor showing in the movie theatre.

March 22 - Girls basketball varsity team !nishes season as State runner-up. (Pictured above)

April 2012

April 10 - Rick Santorum, a Republican presidential candidate, drops out of the presidential race because of his daughter’s failing health.

April 11 - Florida resident George Zimmer-man is charged with second degree murder in connection with the death of Trayvon Martin.

April 15 - Eleven Secret Service agents are put on leave, regarding the prostitution scandal in Columbia.

Senior Taylor Leathers dribbles the ball past a defender in the Tigers’ game against the Tim-berwolves from BV Southwest. Photo by Olivia Roudebush.

BV cheerleaders root on the Tigers in the football game against the BV Southwest Timberwolves. Photo by Olivia Roudebush.

From sports accomplishments to new developments in technology to political uprisings, it has been an eventful school year

Story by Emily Brown.

Pulling through the water, sophomore Will Munholland swims the butter$y stroke at a home meet. Photo by Erin Browne.

Members of the football team dump a cooler of Gatorade on coach Eric Driskell a#er winning the State Championship in 2010.Photo by Olivia Roudebush.

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centerstage 19May 2012

Fiesta MexicanaStaff members critique local restaurants

Maria Fournier Jansen Hess Taylor Yeazel

Jalapenos 7729 W. 151st St.

Chips: Maria: Huge. Very oily.

Jansen: Salted and oiled to perfection. But awkwardly large.Taylor: Generic chips, like the kind you’d buy at a store. Gigantic. Not impressive.

Dips (Salsa and Queso):Maria: Salsa does not have a lot of herbs. It’s thin, watery and doesn’t taste fresh. Not

a big fan. !e queso is made with a yellow cheese and is pretty thick. Tastes like cheese dip in jar from the grocery store.

Jansen: I love the salsa, it’s nice and thin with no chunks. I’m not a fan of spicy things, but this salsa has just the right amount of heat. Queso is pretty

plain. I could probably make it in 10 minutes. Taylor: Salsa has a nice consistency, fresh taste and "ne texture.

Perfect spicy kick to it. Didn’t feel like I had to continually cool my mouth o# with water. Queso is nothing special. More cheesy

than spicy, which I didn’t particularly enjoy. Reminded me of the yellow queso I buy at the store.

Atmosphere: Maria: Under construction right now, so the walls

are pretty bare. Very casual restaurant, and the waiters are friendly. Not as busy as the other

two restaurants.Jansen: It’s either dead or super

crowded, depending on when you go. I love the fact that they have

the restaurant divided into dif-ferent sections. But it takes

forever to get your food when it’s crowded.

Taylor: Strange. Split into two

di#erent sections.

Super loud.

Jose Pepper’s Border Grill & Cantina14373 Metcalf Ave.

Chips: Maria: Not overly oily compared to other restaurants. On the thin side, but I like my chips that way.Jansen: !e perfect dipping chips. Not too big, not too small. Although, they could have used a tad more salt. Taylor: Amazing. Unique and perfectly salted. I hon-estly come here just for the chips.

Dip (Salsa and Queso): Maria: I adore the Espinaca Con Queso dip. It’s basically melt-ed cheese, spinach and diced tomatoes. !ick consistency, has a slight kick to it. I get it every time I go. Must have if you’ve never been. Salsa tastes fairly fresh. Not too chunky, not too thin. Mild. Jansen: Salsa has too much cilantro for my taste. Good consistency, though. Queso is absolutely fantastic. !e perfect combination of melted cheese and spinach to start o# a wonderful dining experience. Taylor: !e salsa was not as amazing as the chips. Don’t get me wrong — I love their salsa. Really good, but I’ve had better. !e queso was a great price. Creamy, white cheese dip with spinach, onion and tomato. My family gets it every time we go.

Atmosphere: Maria: You’re bound to see someone you know if you eat here — it’s family-friendly. !e waiters and waitresses are all welcoming and sociable. TVs around the restaurant are always on with sports games, which I always like. But, if the restaurant is full, it may take a while to get a table, and you’ll most likely be crammed by the front door while you wait.Jansen: So welcoming. All the waiters and waitresses are so friendly. !e service is some of the best I’ve seen. Taylor: Friendly atmosphere. Very calm environment. !ough it’s always busy, not too terribly loud. Long waits sometimes.

Overall restaurant ratings:

Maria: 4.5 out of 5 peppers

Jansen: 4.5 out of 5 peppers

Taylor: 4.5 out of 5 peppers

Mi Ranchito8550 W. 151 St.

Chips:Maria: !inner, saltier, just like Jose Pepper’s.Jansen: Very similar to Jose Pepper’s in the struc-ture — small and easy to eat. Perfect for di#erent dips.Taylor: !in and oiled. !ey tasted sort of stale.

Dip (Salsa and Queso):Maria: Salsa is chunkier and has more herbs in it, like cilantro. Chile avocado salsa also comes with the meal — creamy and green. Very spicy. Espinaca is pretty much the same as Jose’s. Queso blanco with spinach and tomatoes. Jansen: Salsa has a good taste, but a strange consistency. It was like water and tomato chunks. Best queso I’ve ever tasted. Yes, even better than Jose Pepper’s famous espinaca. Plus, they give you a lot. !e perfect amount of spice. Taylor: !e salsa was good, but not absolutely $awless. Not enough cilantro in my opinion. I’m not usually a fan of white queso, but it wasn’t horrible. I don’t think it was spicy enough for me, though.

Atmosphere: Maria: !e quaint, little restaurant always seems to be busy and pretty loud. !e servers are all friendly, but it’s pretty hit-or-miss with the service.Jansen: Seemed very authentic compared to the other two. Service was awful, though. It took way too long to get our food; they didn’t acknowledge us when we called them over, and the service was just bad. No tip for you, sir. Taylor: Nicely decorated. Slightly noisy and busy. Extremely crowded. !e service tends to be slow.



Jansen: 4 out of 5 peppers




Jansen: 4 out of 5 peppers


centerstage20 May 2012

A guide to sights around Kansas City to help bust the staying-in-state blues

Spice up Staycation

Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art> jordanhuesers

co-editor

!e Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art has it all.

Everything from African to Chinese art, from modern to contemporary works, from sculptures to photography.

Admission is free and open to the public Wednesday through Sunday.

!e beautiful architecture, large windows and gorgeous "oors all contribute to the wonderful and pleasant atmosphere.

!e campus has two parts — the original Nelson-Atkins Building and the more mod-ern Bloch Building.

!e museum has many di#erent rooms, each allowing the breathtaking artwork within to be respectfully and properly displayed.

Currently maintaining more than 33,500 works of art, the museum adheres to every-one’s possible artistic preference.

!e museum displays many showcase pieces such as Claude Monet’s divine Water Lilies and John Caravaggio’s awe-inspiring Saint John the Baptist in the Wilderness.

From April 14 to Aug. 19, the museum will showcase !e World’s Fairs exhibit. Student tickets cost $5.

World’s fairs showcases the exhibition In-

venting the Modern World. !e exhibit will highlight important ideas such as cross-cul-turalism, technology and nationalism that shaped all objects at fairs from 1851-1939.

To top it all o#, outside the museum building visitors can enjoy the spectacular Kansas City Sculpture Park. !e park allows for a nice breath of fresh air and the chance to look at some beautiful sculptures or lounge in the grass.

!e museum o#ers walk-in tours of cer-tain exhibits and collection highlights.

However, it also o#ers an audio-guided

tour that includes information about each work either presented by the artist or a cura-tor. !is allows visitors to travel through the museum at a pace of their own liking.

A$er a day of appreciating stunning artwork throughout history, you can stop by the museum store to pick up some souvenirs at very reasonable prices. Or you can enjoy a nice lunch at the Rozzelle Court Restaurant.

Overall, your experience at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art will be very memo-rable, and there’s no doubt you will want to return.

Traveling Exhibits

!e south façade of the Nelson-Atkins building. !e lawn features the iconic shuttlecock sculptures, part of the 22-acre sculpture park. Photo courtesy of the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art.

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Country Club Plaza > Some HighlightsShopping:AnthropologieBanana RepublicBurberryChico’sH&M!e North FaceTalbotsXXI ForeverUrban Out%tters

Plaza Live! Courtyard Concerts:!e Country Club Plaza will features live musicians through September. Times:!ursdays 5 - 8 p.m.Fridays 6 - 9 p.m.Saturdays 2 - 5 p.m.Sundays 12 - 3 p.m.Locations:Mermaid Courtyard - Nichols and BroadwayPenguin Courtyard - Nichols and PennsylvaniaNeptune Courtyard - 47th and WornallValencia Courtyard - 47th and Je#erson

Rodin: Sculptures from the Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Foundation* — Until June 3

Looking at Historic Lands: Urban and Rural — Until June 10

Abstraction: From A to B — Until July 27

!e Starr Miniature Col-lection: Individual Represen-tations — Until July 29

Inventing the Modern World: Decorative Arts at the World’s Fairs* — Until Aug. 19

Timothy H O’Sullivan: !e King Survey Photo-graphs* — Until Sept. 2

Fine Lines: Whistler and the American Etching Revival — Until Nov. 4

Acts of Nature: Contem-porary Decorative Arts — May 11 until Dec. 12

* Additional ticket purchase required

Information gathered by Maegan Kabel from countryclubplaza.com.

Information gathered from nelson-atkins.org.

!e JC Nichols Fountain and Giralda Tower in the Country Club Plaza. Photo courtesy of the Country Club Plaza.

May 2012 centerstage 21

Get a piece of the action on May 27 at the home game against the San Jose Earthquakes.

Sporting Kansas Citysaranaatzco-editor

Almost immediately a!er the soccer ball sails into the net of the opposing team, blue confetti erupts from cannons around the "eld. #e fans that "ll Livestrong Sporting Park cheer, hug and yell out of sheer joy.

#e fans sitting in the members club, also known as the Cauldron, begin to chant “Olé, olé, olé, olé,” as drums beat madly and a man with a blue trombone joins in the melody. People wave enormous blue-and-white-checkered $ags as a man dressed as “Sporting Jesus” dances triumphantly in his robe and a man in a massive headdress bellows out a rallying cry.

#e fans sitting in the South stand cheer and hold up their Sport-ing scarves.

#e entire park is alive with excitement.Livestrong Sporting Park is a gorgeous new facility, unveiled

only last year. Many of the players say the park is unlike any other in which they have played, thanks to both the facilities and the fans cheering them on each game.

It’s an atmosphere every Kansas-citian should experience at least once. #e rush of seeing forward Kei Kamara nail the ball into the net, a referee card defender Aurelien Collin (again) and a crazy fan getting tackled as he jumps from the Cauldron onto the "eld.

Not to mention Sporting Kansas City actually wins games. I know it’s a shocker for us Kansas-citians, but it’s just another reason to go out and support the boys in blue.

You’ll be singing “I believe that we will win” in no time.

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Changes at Crown Center

SeaLife Aquarium >#e SeaLife Aquarium at Crown Center houses more than 5,000 di%erent sea

creatures with talks from experts and feeding show times avaliable throughout the day. Visitors can see creatures such as sharks, jelly"sh, octopus and seahorses, touch crabs and star"sh in the Interactive Rockpool Experience and take a walk through a shark-and-ray-"lled underwater tunnel.

SeaLife also works with active conservation organzations. In addition to viewing and interactive activites, visitors can learn about and support local activites to aid the conservation e%ort.Ticket Prices: Child (3-12) At the door: $15 plus tax Online: $13.50 plus tax Combo SeaLife and LEGOLAND: $23 plus tax Adult (13+) At the door: $19 plus tax Online: $17.50 plus tax Combo SeaLife and LEGOLAND: $29 plus taxHours: Sunday through #ursday: 10 a.m. - 8 p.m., last admission at 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday: 10 a.m. - 9 p.m., last admission at 7 p.m.

Find web-exclusive content on these places: Royals games Sprint Center events Legends College Basketball Experience Union Station Power and Light District Plaza WWI Museum Starlight Worlds of FunIn addition to extra information, "nd links to their websites and reviews from sta%ers. Take the oppor-tunity to let people know what you think of these places — are they worth checking out?

Kauffman Stadiummeghankennedy

staff writerLe!-"elder Alex Gordon takes a

few practice swings and makes his way up to the plate. In the bottom of the "rst inning, the score is tied, 0-0. With only one out, Gordon is con"dent he will get a hit.

When the Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Drew Hutchison throws a perfect pitch over the plate, Gordon swings, hitting the ball into deep le!-"eld.

As the ball lands in the Sonic sec-tion, the stadium erupts in excitement.

Not only does Gordon win the entire stadium a free Sonic slush but adds points to the board. #e Royals lead the Jays, 1-0.

Along with giveaways, fans can visit the many attractions o%ered at Kau%-man Stadium, such as the Out"eld Experience.

#e Out"eld Experience is equipped with a playground, carou-sel, batting challenge, base run, mini golf course, pitching mound and mini baseball "eld. It’s the perfect venue for

children to run and play, while parents watch the game.

Every Sunday is Family Fun Day, where kids can participate in the Fun Run and run the bases a!er the game. From singing along to Garth Brook’s popular song “Friends in Low Places” to cheering on your favorite hot dog condiment in the Hot Dog Derby, Royals games are always a memorable experience.

Walking in from the le!-"eld entrance, one will immediately notice the Royals Hall of Fame. In the Dugout #eatre, the Hall of Fame starts with a 15-minute video displaying a timeline of Royals history, dating all the way back to the Negro Leagues and onward to the 2012 All-Star Game and Home Run Derby at Kau%man Stadium.

In addition, visitors will see Royals Hall of Famers Frank White, George Brett and Dick Howser’s jerseys on display.

#e "nal stop of the Hall of Fame is a souvenir shop.

Tickets range from $10 to $250.

Information gathered by Maegan Kabel from isitsealife.com/kansas-city/

payin’thebills22 May 2012

Sonic Drive-In8501 West 151st St.Stanley, KS 66223

(913)-685-3600

Now Hiring!

Happy Hour 1/2 Price Drinks @ 2-4 p.m.

For the latest news and information check out our online version of the paper:

Check out our website for updated

news coverage

www.bvtigernews.com

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tigerturf 23May 2012

sports in brief TRACK AND FIELDPrevious action: 4/27 @ Aquinas Upcoming action: 5/4 SM North Relays 5/11 EKLGIRLS SOCCERPrevious action:

4/24 @ Kansas City Christian5/3 vs BVN

Upcoming action: 5/7 vs AquinasRecord: 7-3-1

GIRLS SWIMMINGPrevious action:

4/26 BV West Invitational Upcoming action:

5/5 EKL @ BV Southwest5/19 State Finals

GIRLS SOFTBALLPrevious Action: 4/17 vs BV North (W 11-4, W 9-4) 4/26 vs BV Northwest (W 11-1, W 10-0) Upcoming Action: 5/11 @ BV West BOYS BASEBALL Previous action: 4/27 vs SM East (W 6-3) Upcoming action:

5/7 @ BV Southwest Record: 10-6

BOYS TENNISPrevious action: 4/28 @ EKL Upcoming action:

5/4 Regionals @ Mill Valley

BOYS GOLF Previous action: 4/27 @ Hutchinson Upcoming action:

5/7 @ Leavenworth

B V S P O R T S

TIGER TURF

Results current as of April 30.

!e weekend of May 25, state com-petitions for baseball, so"ball, track and girls soccer will take place.

At 12 p.m. on May 5, at BV South-west, the girls swim team will com-pete in the EKL meet.

FYI save the datesSporting Kansas City will take on Montreal Impact at 7:30 p.m. tomorrow at Livestrong Sporting Park.At 6 p.m. on May 8, there will be a community reception honoring Athletic Director Bob Whitehead in the commons.

!e Kansas City Chiefs picked Memphis defensive tackle Dontari Poe during the "rst round of the NFL Dra# on !ursday, April 26.

in the news!e Kansas City Royals have the seventh best batting average in the MLB with an average of .263.

jansenhessstaff writer

Following in his family’s foot-steps, freshman Zach Karney has a passion for golf. He received his !rst set of clubs at age six and has been playing ever since. He said he fell in love with golf the !rst time he picked up a club.

"is year, he is the only fresh-man on the boys varsity golf team.

Karney said being a part of a country club helps him improve because he has the opportunity to practice individually or get tips from his dad, who, he said, is a very good golfer.

“I belong to Lionsgate Country Club, and I am lucky enough to be able to go there just about every day and practice on whatever I like to without people bothering me,” Karney said.

Karney said gol!ng is in his blood. His dad is an avid golfer, and some of his dad’s family members played golf in college.

He said he is proud to be playing at the varsity level.“It feels good to be the only freshman on varsity,” he

said. “But it is kind of bad because you’re the young-est, and everyone else already has a better feel for what they’re doing. It takes a lot of hard work and dedication, but overall, it feels good.”

"roughout tryouts, he said he wasn’t entirely sure he

would make varsity, but it didn’t come as a shock to him. “I was right on the border between JV and varsity, so

I didn’t know where I would end up,” Karney said. “On the last day of tryouts, I played well and made it. I was a little surprised, but at the same time I wasn’t because I had con!dence in myself.”

Karney said his !rst high school tournament was nerve-wracking.

“When I got to the !rst tournament, I was really nervous because I never had that experience like the rest of the team has,” he said. “I think that it will help me for next year in the fact that I’ll have already had the experi-ence so I won’t be as nervous.”

Karney said the team members know how to enjoy themselves while still getting the job done.

“At tournaments, we tend to be the team that’s having the most fun,” he said. “We have a good time gol!ng as a team. And we always go out to eat a#erwards. We’re always there for each other.”

Varsity golf coach Andrew Millikan said Karney is an important asset to the team.

“He’s one of the six lowest scorers, and that’s very unusual for a freshman,” he said. “You can show him something once, and he gets it, but then he takes it and mixes it with his own game.”

Millikan said Karney is an outstanding player with a solid work ethic.

“It’s pretty good from what I’ve seen so far,” Millikan said. “As he gets older, it will continue to develop in all aspects of his life, whether it’s school or golf. I’m really looking forward to the next three years with him.”

Lifelong golfer translates his talents to the varsity level

Check out the girl’s dive team making a splash this season on bvtigernews.com

!"#$%&

incolor24 May 2012

up upandaway

hot air balloons for class assignment

(Above) Chemistry students gaze in awe as a hot air balloon soars higher and higher in the air. By trapping warm air inside the balloon, it will rise above the cooler air surrounding it.

(Le!) Sophomore Will Munhol-land looks up at his group’s hot air balloon as it rises. Wind proved to be a factor in the chemistry project as the bal-loon was blown into a nearby tree. “Another problem was not being able to see the holes in the balloon until we in"ated it,” Munholland said.

(Above) Juniors Rachel Rusnak and Kelsie Carpenter prepare their pig-styled balloon for li! o#. While some students focused on "ight e$ciency, others concentrated on having the most aesthetically pleasing design. “We immediately thought of ‘when pigs "y,’ so our project was focused around that,” Rusnak said.

(Right) Chemistry teacher Manal Siam uses hair dryers to in"ate the student-made balloons. Students were required to construct a small-scale hot air balloon and record the amount of time the balloon stayed in the air.

,

Photos by Dakota Behrman.

the tiger print –– may 2012

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