The Tiger Print –– October 2011

TIGER THE

PRINTBLUE VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL

Vol. 42 Issue 3 October 2011Stilwell, KS

OVERCOMING OCDSenior recognizes mental disorder, seeks treatment

OVER AND OUT Bob Whitehead plans to retire, leaves behind legacy

GO BANANASCheerleaders incorporate new techniques in routines

page 7

page 22

page 16

Potential plans for amphitheater in Ironwoods Park generate controversy: pages 12-13Photo by Jun Ham.

inthenews2 October 2011

annawonderlichstaff writer

!e Four-Year Planning Evening will take place on Wednesday, Nov. 2, at 6:30 p.m.

Freshmen students and their par-ents will meet in the BV commons and Performing Arts Center.

!e night will include a PowerPoint presentation and time for students and their parents to sit down and go over their four-year plan.

Counselors will be present to help the parents and students.

Counselor Anne Dummitt said four-year plans can become very ben-e"cial to students when making future decisions if a lot of thought is put into them.

“I think it’s really helpful if students take it seriously and really try to de-vote time and plan out their goals,” she said. “I think it will give them some sort of direction and make sure they’re on the right path to what they want to do.”

Dummitt said she advises the fresh-men to begin with the end in mind when making their four-year plans. She also encourages students to choose classes wisely.

“Remember to be college ready, so take honors or AP courses,” she said. “Make sure to take lots of classes in the areas you’re interested in. For example, if you want to go into business, make sure you take lots of business classes.”

Dummitt said she is looking forward to meeting the parents and students at the Four-Year Planning Evening.

“It’s been nice getting to know some of the students,” she said. “I don’t think I’ve seen everyone yet, but hopefully by the end of this year, I’ll have been able to meet a lot of them.”

!e freshmen need to bring a copy of their working four-year plans to the event.

Dummitt said bringing a Course Description Guide would be very help-ful. !is reference can be found on the Blue Valley website.

Musician to perform at band fundraiser

odiopoleentertainment editor

!is Saturday, Oct. 29, the BV Tiger Band will host its second fundraising concert in the Perform-ing Arts Center at 8 p.m.

New Age pianist David Lanz will perform at the event.

Tickets cost $20 and can be purchased at the door.

Band director Avian Bear said the band is hoping to raise $6-8,000 to use for yearly and student-specif-ic expenses.

Band participants receive money for band-related activities through a general fund and through person-alized student accounts.

Members use the account for band-related expenses such as maintaining uniforms and traveling to various competitions.

Bear said that since the band isn’t taking any major trips this year, a majority of the money raised will go into the student accounts.

“We try to keep them in bal-ance,” she said.

Bear said the band is excited to have Lanz perform.

“He’s very big in the New Age piano world,” she said. “He started [the genre] over 20 years ago, and we’re really happy to bring him in here.”

!e band contacted Lanz with help from pianist David Nevue, who performed last year and senior Alex Schoenberg’s piano teacher.

“She decided to just take a chance and ask if he would come perform for us,” Schoenberg said. “He emailed us back and said he would be happy to do that.”

Lanz said he agreed to waive most of his performance fees for the event because he believes it will be a good experience.

“I know my friend David Nevue performed here last year, and it was a positive experience for him,” Lanz said. “!e event was presented as a bene"t, and I had a nice little hole in my schedule. It just kind of worked out.”

Schoenberg said she thinks stu-dents will enjoy the performance.

“His music is not at all like clas-sical music,” she said. “I think it’s really pretty, and he plays with a lot of emotion.”

Lanz said his music incorporates pop, rock, jazz and classical styles.

“It’s kind of tough to describe,” he said. “My style is very romantic, melodic, and it has classical ele-ments, too.”

Schoenberg said she expects a mixture of people to attend the concert.

“Last year when we had David Nevue playing, I think it was pretty evenly split between students and adults,” she said. “It was a good concert for everyone, and David Lanz will be good, too.”

Band member senior Meera Chakravarthy said she expects the majority of the audience to be adults.

“!ere will be more adults because of the vibe, but it’s just [about] student awareness,” she said. “Most of [the students] don’t know the pleasure of classical mu-sic and piano music.”

Chakravarthy said students are encouraged to attend the event.

“Literally anyone can come,” she said. “It’s sometimes hard for us band kids to "nd people, like, ‘Hey, do you want to come to this concert of [an artist] you probably haven’t heard of?’ But it’s all up for grabs. I would like students to come.”

Four-year planning night scheduled

David Lanz plays the piano. !e Grammy-nominated musician will perform in the PAC at 8 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 29. Photo courtesy of David Lanz.

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inthenews4 October 2011

meghankennedystaff writer

BV’s biggest PTO-sponsored fundraiser, TigerFest, will take place from 6 to 8:30 p.m. on Nov. 19 in the gymnasium and the com-mons.

Since 2005, TigerFest has raised about $390,000 for clubs, activities and teams.

Organizers expect 400 people to attend the event.

“TigerFest is just another way that BVHS extends the sense of community,” TigerFest chairperson Cathy Porter said. “All clubs and groups are invited to participate.”

Porter says she has set high expectations for the upcoming festivities.

“TigerFest 2010 cleared approximately $44,000,” she said. “We are looking forward to another successful year.”

Publicity chairperson Jean Dennis said the event is the only opportunity for many clubs to raise money.

“It’s our school’s primary fundraiser,” she said. “It’s kind of a big deal.”

TigerFest also bene!ts BV sports. Soccer coach Dean Snell said it a"ects his team in a variety of ways.

“We replace the uniforms about every 4-5

years and they cost around $5-$7,000,” he said. “We raise funds so we can replace needed equipment. We replace half the soccer balls every year and every few years we need new nets and pennies.”

To raise money for the soccer team, Snell said they have to solicit businesses and ask if they would like to donate to the event.

“It’s not required that our players raise money, but we strongly encourage our players to play their part,” he said.

Snell said TigerFest does not always go as well as expected.

“We have had some challenges in the pro-cess of raising money,” he said. “It seems the parents are more interested than the players are.”

Football coach Eric Driskell said the money his team raises is used for equipment, travel expenses and meals when they go on long road trips.

“It costs about $1,000 to feed the varsity football team one meal,” he said.

Driskell said the team knows in order to get new supplies, they need to raise funds.

“[#e players] know it is a part of being a team, and we need to have the funding to do the things we want,” he said

To get recognition for the event, Dennis

said the PTO publicizes with $yers, advertise-ments and word of mouth.

“We try to promote the event to the BV community,” Dennis said. “We use Tiger Tidbits to get information out, as well as our website.”

In addition to having parents, teachers and clubs attending, Dennis said the PTO invites all students to be a part of the festivities.

“We encourage students to get involved in TigerFest,” Dennis said. “Students are wel-come to come. I want to really stress that.”

Porter said in this economy, the PTO board has to work extra hard to have a successful TigerFest.

Porter said the TigerFest committee still expects fundraising and attendance to be the same as previous years.

“We realize that the economy is not great, but we are advertising and getting the word out about budget cuts in the BV school dis-trict,” Porter said.

Dennis said she loves to meet with the families and see the excitement on people’s faces during the event.

"TigerFest is a great thing," Dennis said. "You're helping others, while you're really helping yourself. It doesn't get better than that. It’s just a great day to be a tiger."

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outloud6 October 2011

carolinemeinzenbachstaff writer

It’s the third grade.I’m friends with everyone in my class, and there’s no drama. A!er school, I play until bedtime.No responsibilities. No stress.No problems."e only issue: I didn’t know what I had until it was gone."e elementary school kids want to be in middle school and have

lockers. "e middle school kids want to go to high school and drive. Now all we want to do is go to college. But I want to learn from my past mistake and enjoy my time in high school.

We didn’t understand the negatives of growing up, only the bo-nuses that came with it.

Elementary school students aren’t worried about getting into a good college or studying for AP tests.

All they are worry about is what game they’re going to play at recess tomorrow.

"e youngsters don’t realize how good they have it. When I was in middle school, the toughest homework was 20/20

reading. Now we are in AP and honors classes, and I have a minimum of

three hours of homework every night.Twenty minutes of reading doesn’t sound so bad now, does it?I’ll admit, middle school was terrible. Everyone was trying to

#gure out who their true friends were. “Going out” with someone meant you might smile at them in the halls, but never actually speak to them. People went around backstabbing their “friends” like it was their job.

However, high school comes with a lot of responsibilities that can all be summed up in one word: college.

We have to focus on our grades to try and get a 4.0 GPA. We need to participate in extracurricular activities because it looks good on a résumé. And most importantly, your ACT or SAT scores. Suddenly, what we do at school matters and will e$ect the rest of our lives.

I wish I could go back to the time when we were free from life’s real problems.

I wish I still had recess. And the coed soccer practices. "e #eld trips to the zoo. Being in class with my best friend for #ve years in a row. Parties at Skate City. "e annual Halloween parade. "e star lab. "e willow tree by the playground. "e Justice Grove Picnic.

We all say we can’t wait to get out of here. But when we do, we’re going to miss walking down the 600 hallway — no matter how crowded it always is.

We will miss screaming in the gym at the top of our lungs trying to win the class competition.

We will miss seeing how ridiculous some people look for spirit week.

We will miss our special bonds with our clubs, teams and groups. Besides, there’s no other school that can win seven state titles in one year.

So let’s enjoy our time in high school. Even though walking down the freshman hallway can be stressful, we’re all going to miss it.

saranaatzco-editor

"ere’s no doubt text messaging, email and Facebook play a huge part in communication today.

Whether it’s an email to an employer, a text to your mom or a Facebook message to a best friend, technology continues to change the way we ex-change information with one another.

According to an article in BusinessWeek, only 7 percent of our communication in person can be at-tributed to the words we actually speak. "e other 93 percent is nonverbal — tone of voice, body language and eye contact all play a major part in how information is expressed and received.

When communicating without those visual and auditory cues, we lose a major part of what is truly being said.

Take sympathy for example — eyebrows bunched in concern, eyes wide, voice so! and reas-suring. Over text or Facebook, this translates to an indi$erent “I’m sorry.” Punctuation optional.

Without that face-to-face contact, we have no way of knowing how our message will be received.

Teenagers especially are guilty of taking a very important discussion and packing it into a 160-character text message.

We cram all our lovely teen angst and passionate emotions into a text that may or may not be inter-preted correctly. "e margin for error is huge.

People can attach di$erent tones, meanings and connotations to our words that we never intended. “We need to talk,” becomes the start of a #ght rather than a simple statement.

Messages that can be typed and sent in an instant, without any face-to-face contact, also al-low us to say whatever we want, without any real forethought.

We don’t consider that what we say may come across as extremely unprofessional, callous or downright mean.

For our generation, it may seem simpler to confront someone in a text message rather than in person. We can type and retype as many times as we want, and we don’t have to deal with the respon-sive anger head-on.

In reality, avoiding face-to-face disputes is the easy way out.

Most people prefer the chance to respond to bad news, accusations or emotional issues in person. A dialogue in which we see each other’s reactions adds a level of sympathy and understanding that is di%cult to achieve over text message, email or Facebook.

Choosing to have an important conversation in person also demonstrates a certain level of respect. It shows that you value that person enough to discuss an issue, rather than skirt it brie&y without giving them an adequate chance to respond.

"ings will never come o$ how we mean them through technology.

An emoticon will never replace the true depth of human emotion captured in a facial expression.

Typing “hahaha” will never replace genuine, wholehearted laughter.

“I’m sorry” will never replace a tight, reassuring hug.

So put down the phone for a while, and remem-ber what it’s like to talk face-to-face with the people you love and the people you owe it to.

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Cartoon by Evelyn Davis.

outloud 7October 2011

Goodbye, OCDBy !nally acknowledging problem, student !nds help

emilybrownopinion editor

12 a.m.

I was exhausted and wanted to go to sleep. But I knew I wasn’t even close to !nishing my normal bedtime routine.

I dragged myself into the bathroom and brushed my teeth for exactly a minute. Rinsed three times. I placed my blue toothbrush and toothpaste in my bath-room drawer — right above the cigar box that I use to hold my carefully organized makeup. I popped in my retainer. Rinsed again. Washed my hands for exactly two minutes and !lled up my cup with water, exactly halfway. If it was higher, it could spill. Lower, and I could get thirsty dur-ing the night.

I carried the cup into my room and sat crisscross on my crimson bed, praying for exactly 20 minutes. Usually, the prayer took 10 minutes, but tonight, I’d made a mistake. "at mistake meant I had to start the

prayer over.I dreaded the next part. But it had to be

done.One elephant-sized pill of melatonin.Two pink pills.And then the evidence of my failure. I

poured out the pill onto my bed. I knew what I had to do. I knew, yet, I

hated it. I despised it.I closed my eyes and swallowed the pill. "en I put my face into my hands and

cried.

4 months earlier

I sat on a cool leather couch while a muscle in my cheek twitched uncontrol-lably, and my hands shook.

I knew I should be looking at the psy-

chiatrist, but the papers on his desk were unorganized. I had to literally dig my nails into the palms of my hands to keep myself from saying anything out loud.

“So tell me about why you decided to come here,” he said calmly. He watched me carefully, probably wondering if I was about to faint.

I certainly felt like it.I explained what had been going on.

My words were detailed and organized. I’d been up all night planning out my explanation.

Countless doctor trips to !gure out what was wrong with me. Constant ill-ness. "ree major panic attacks within the year. Persistent anxiety keeping me up all night. Rituals and routines.

I told him about my hatred of sleepovers and my very real obsession with being in control. I told him about my exhaustion from getting up through-out the night to wash my hands or move the hanger in my closet that was out of place. About the little things that could just tick me o#. Whether it be someone rubbing their jeans or arriving late.

I explained that my room was clean. Perfectly cleaned. Perfectly organized. And that whenever my friends jokingly moved my perfume bottles around, I wanted to cry.

I revealed that my grades were su#ering because of my constant illness.

A revelation that made me sick to my stomach. I wouldn’t be able to pull o# straight As this year.

By the end of my story, I was furiously rubbing away tears.

I shouldn’t be here. I should have been able to handle these things. "is was my own failure. I should have stopped getting sick. It was all in my mind, they told me. "en I should be able to stop it.

But I was at the end of the road, and I knew it. I couldn’t handle getting sick so o$en anymore. I had failed, and I simply had to acknowledge my loss.

And that was why I was here."e psychiatrist didn’t seemed dis-

turbed by my tears, and I appreciated it. If he had made a big deal out of it, I would have been even more embarrassed by my weakness.

He proceeded to tell me the diagnosis.I had Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

(OCD). He told me that it was common and very treatable. "at the medicine I would be taking, Zolo$, would help me signi!cantly.

I wanted to laugh and cry at the same time. But since I was already crying, I decided to hold in my laughter.

I had known forever that I had OCD. But this was the !rst medical professional who had acknowledged it. Not only that, but he had recognized it almost imme-diately.

I told him I would take the pill, but a$er my !nals.

“I don’t want to lose my edge,” I admit-ted.

Present

Now looking back on these two scenes, I want to shake myself.

I’d been so intent on control, on my failure.

I hadn’t even considered the positives of taking Zolo$.

But I’ve learned my lesson. Now, I can’t even think of a negative.

Zolo$ has, quite literally, changed my life. I can sleep now without getting up

every hour in the night to do meaningless things.

I don’t want to throw up every time I think about those two Bs I received last year.

I don’t need to take naps in my classes anymore. Or take multiple days o# be-cause of mysterious high fevers.

I want to try new things. Debate. Youth Court.

My room is a little bit messier. My family and my friends have all

noticed and commented on the changes in my attitude.

I’m happy. As silly as it sounds, this is probably the

!rst time in my life I can truly say that. And it isn’t just the Zolo$ talking. I

know because Zolo$ has cleared out the illogical, obsessive, frantic thoughts in my mind.

For the !rst time ever, my mind is free.

!e Factsof OCD

Less than 10% of people su#ering from OCD will seek e#ective treatment.

In a majority of OCD cases, symptoms start to appear during adolescence.

OCD symptoms worsen with stress and fatigue.

Delaying treatment in hope of alleviation is o$en ine#ective.

Information gathered fromdesignedthinking.com

Approximately 3.3 million people in the U.S. have OCD.

OCD symptoms might include: the need for order or symmetry, hoarding, fear of germs, the fear of contamination and repetitive rituals.

outloud8 October 2011

staffeditorial

Loud sounds. Pollution.Bright lights on sleeping house-

holds. Congested streets. Loss in home value. All of these things are possible

side e!ects of a new amphitheater in Ironwoods Park.

"e amphitheater would include a 200-space parking lot, concessions, a truck road, bathrooms, o#ces and other amenities for Leawood Stage Company to use for performances.

Unfortunately, the negatives of this renovation plan far outweigh any pos-sible positives.

Already, residents of Leawood have

shown their disapproval of the plan by forming a Save Ironwoods Park group.

"e amphitheater will face the Steeplechase and Camden Woods neighborhoods, with very few sound barriers.

Let’s be honest, a few trees aren’t going to keep the noisy amphitheater from disrupting the residents of the surrounding neighborhoods.

Nor are they going to be able to silence the honking horns from the huge amount of tra#c generated by the amphitheater.

And the trees de$nitely aren’t going to block the lighting from the 200-space parking lot and amphithe-ater.

But the noise and light aren’t the only concerns the Leawood residents have.

Yes, the Leawood Stage Company deserves a place to perform their plays.

However, Ironwoods Park is not the place to do it.

Especially when there are other places to perform.

"e Barn Players Community "eatre.

"eater in the Park. Or even private property that the

company could buy for their own performances, instead of placing the monetary burden on the unhappy Leawood residents.

Leawood is already a small enough city, and if the city overdevelops its land, there will be no turning back.

Once nature is gone, it is gone forever.

According to leawood.org, the city only has six parks for its residents to use.

With this proposed amphitheater, you can cross o! one of those parks.

"at leaves only $ve places to $nd solace in the peace and quiet of nature.

Only $ve places for Leawood resi-dents to camp, hike and picnic.

If the city council approves this plan in the name of art, it will destroy what little nature Leawood has le% — without the consent of the people it governs.

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the tiger printpublicationco-editors-in-chiefJordan HuesersSara Naatz

website editorMaegan Kabel

photo editorCourtney Woodworth

news editorKelly Cordingley

features editorAnnie Matheis

entertainment editorOdi Opole

opinion editor Emily Brown

sports editorJordan McEntee

ads managerAnna Wonderlich

circulation managerTaylor Yeazel

sta! writersJansen Hess Maddie Jewett Meghan KennedyHailey McEntee Caroline MeinzenbachAbby Bamburg

photographersDakota BehrmanMaria FournierAubrey IlligBailey OutlawOlivia RoudebushKaelin Storm

cartoonistEvelyn Davis

adviser Jill Chittum

!e Tiger Print is published nine 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.

,'-44)*+&'"0&-5

13agreed

10 disagreed

upclose 9October 2011

J A Z Z Y J AVAtayloryeazel

circulation manager

Students work on homework, and it’s about 8 p.m. on a Saturday.

Adults quietly talk and drink their co!ee."ere’s live jazz music or beautiful and catchy strums of

a guitar. "e room’s lighting is dim. "e atmosphere is cozy and

calming — the perfect place for studying.Take Five Co!ee + Bar opened in January 2010.Owner Lori Chandler said she wanted the co!ee shop to

be a place people could treat as their living room.“I saw that missing in this area — a place that could be

your study hall, your o#ce, your game room, your listening room, if you wanted to come watch live music, and some-one else does the dishes,” she said.

Since opening, many live entertainment groups have performed there.

“It’s mainly jazz, but we do some singer/songwriter groups as well,” she said. “We’ve had the Fi$h Wall Comedy Troupe here, which is a lot of fun. We do open-mic nights, so it’s not exclusively jazz.”

Chandler said the live music has helped her business grow.

“We’ve really gone to the extremes on live music and making sure that we are getting fabulous jazz acts in here,” she said. “"at has helped with our recognition, as well, by bringing other people in here who otherwise might not know we’re here by coming to see these musicians.”

She said she has a passion for music and always wanted to incorporate it in her business plan.

“It wasn’t necessarily going to be an every weekend thing,” she said. “It was going to be more occasional, but

once we got started hosting, it just kind of blossomed.”Many musicians return to Take Five to perform more

than once. “"ey all want to come back and play,” Chandler said.

“"e people listen to the music instead of trying to talk over it. "ey don’t have TVs that they’re trying to compete with. "e word is spreading through the musician’s community that this is a great place to play, so they contact me.”

In addition to Take Five’s Facebook page and website, dates for the live entertainment can be found in a few local news outlets.

“We send press releases with the dates to the Kansas City Star, !e Pitch and the Jazz Ambassadors magazine,” she said. “"ere are a variety of blogs in the area that cover music, and we try to reach all of those people as well.”

Chandler said Take Five is used for more than live enter-tainment.

“We’ve had a couple of Girl Scout meetings here,” Chandler said. “We do private parties. We’ve had birthday parties and anniversary parties here where we’ll actually close down, and they get the entire shop. You’ll see indi-viduals on their computers working all day, so it’s kind of an o#ce away from home. We have a couple of knitting groups that meet here which is really cool — just social purposes. People just get together here and talk, so it’s a little bit of everything.”

Chandler said the number of people that come to each performance depends on who is performing.

“"e comedy troupe obviously brings out a lot of teenag-ers,” she said. “For the most part, it depends on the artist that’s playing. Some groups will bring a primarily young professional kind of crowd, but on any given night you’ll see maybe there’s a study group up here from high school, and they’ll stay and listen to music. "ey aren’t necessarily up

front watching. "ey may be back in one of the booths, but it’s a pretty diverse crowd.”

Local guitarist Dan Bliss has performed about three or four times at the co!ee shop.

“I love the place,” he said. “I play for a living, and there are very nice folks here. "ey obviously have an apprecia-tion for art and music.”

Bliss said he thinks there is a great lineup of music.“"ere aren’t many places presenting live music,” he said.

“Any places supporting it is a big place.”"e Fi$h Wall Comedy Troupe is planning to perform at

Take Five again on Dec. 9. “"ey really like us there,” Fi$h Wall member, senior

Alex Petersen said. “We pull a big crowd. A lot of us go there to do homework and stu! anyway, so we %nd the place to be pretty comfortable. We can perform there without feeling wary of the surroundings.”

Petersen said he likes performing there because it has a close, cozy atmosphere.

“You can really interact with the audience, and you know you can %ll the space easily,” he said. “You’re not going to look tiny because if you’re on a big stage, and you have a six, seven person team, it’s going to look like you’re not a very big team, but if you’re in a smaller place, it seems %ne. You just feel like performing there because it’s just a lot of fun, and it’s a risk-free environment. If we make a joke that’s not funny, they aren’t going to judge us.”

He has also seen other performances at Take Five, such as the Know Idea Trio.

“I thought that, even though it was a little loud, they did bring in people who I didn’t see at Take Five very much — people who really enjoy jazz music,” Petersen said. “I love it, so if it brings in more people to keep them there and keep them getting a pro%t, then I’m all for it.”

Local coffee bar presents live entertainment, provides atmosphere for social purposes

Playing their music, bands like Nick Rowland and Sansabelt bring in a lot of business for Take Five. “I’m passionate about music and I always have been,” Take Five owner Lori Chandler said. “It has always been a part of the business plan.” Photo by Bailey Outlaw.

upclose10 October 2011

anniematheisfeatures editor

During the second week of September, biology teacher Melanie Mahoney received an email she wasn’t expect-ing from a parent.

!e parent asked her if she wanted any mon-arch caterpillars — extras from a local third grade

class project. Mahoney wasn’t sure she wanted the cater-

pillars in her classroom, but since the class was studying the characteristics of life she decided to incorporate them into her lesson plan.

“At "rst I thought to myself, ‘How can I bring this into the realm of my own class-room?’” she said. “For the minute I wasn’t sure, the minute a#er, I was like, ‘Yeah, I’ll do that. Why not?’”

Mahoney received the caterpillars several days later. She brought in a critter tote and kept it in the front of the room for her class to see.

“!is was the topic of conversation, before we even did our bellringer,” she said. “What are the caterpillars doing? [!e students] were really interested. !ey were engaged. !ey were excited about it. It couldn’t have been a better tool for learning.”

She used the caterpillars to show her class about a few di$erent characteristics of life: obtaining energy, using energy, responding to stimuli, adapting, evolving, growing, developing and excreting.

“We have gotten to observe all the charac-teristics of life by this simple model,” Mahoney said. “!at is something I have never had in my classroom — a model like this to actually show them. It started out as a bunch of caterpillars eating leaves. !ey were growing, and they were changing.”

Mahoney fed the caterpillars milkweed and cleaned the critter tote every day. She also had to bring them home over the weekends so they could still get the nutrition they needed.

“!ose guys are super hungry,” she said. “I have never seen something so small devour something so quickly. For something as small as they are, they are eating a ridiculous amount of

food. !eir growth is just tremendous in a short amount of time.”

Freshman Sam Virgillito took pictures of the caterpillars almost every day.

“You would see them one day, and they were big, and then the next day they’d be way bigger,” he said. “It was de"nitely a lot easier to see the growth and change and how it really makes a di$erence on how an organism reacts to its environment.”

A#er reaching their maximum weight, caterpillars form a chrysalis, where they start their metamorphosis into a butter%y. !e "rst caterpillar made its chrysalis on Sept. 17.

!e class waited approximately two weeks for the caterpillars’ metamorphosis to be com-plete.

When the caterpillars emerged from the chrysalides, three of the six butter%ies were tagged using designated stickers with serial numbers that could keep track of where they were located.

All the information from the tagged but-ter%ies went on to monarchwatch.org, where people who capture monarchs can see where the monarchs originated. Mahoney expects the butter%ies to migrate to Mexico.

A#er the butter%ies were tagged, Mahoney took her class to %owers around the school to release the butter%ies into the wild.

“I was most excited that my kids were ex-cited about it,” she said. “I was happy to release the butter%ies, but I got more joy seeing how excited my class was.”

Mahoney said she learned to appreciate the complexity and beauty of butter%ies a#er seeing them up close.

“I think you see butter%ies outside, up close, and you think, ‘Oh wow, they’re such pretty or-ganisms,’” she said. “But they really are beautiful when you are able to sit and observe them. You are really able to appreciate their beauty more.”

Mahoney said she wants to use caterpillars again next year to study the characteristics of life.

“My main goal was to get the kids inter-ested in science, and that, without a shadow of a doubt, has been tackled,” she said. “I just thought, how cool is it that you can talk about the characteristics of life with something as simple as a caterpillar that turns into a but-ter%y? I wish I would have thought of it a long time ago. I was really impressed by my class.”

Thee!ect

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Mahoney

(Top)Tagging a butter!y, biology teacher Melanie Mahoney prepares to release a monarch into the wild. Mahoney used the butter%ies in class for hands-on observations of the characteristics of life. (Middle) A monarch ventures into nature for the "rst time. !e monarchs transitioned from cater-pillars into butter%ies under the observation of Melanie Mahoney’s biology classes. (Bottom) A tagged butter!y rests upon a %ower before %ying away. Melanie Mahoney released this butter%y into the wild on Oct. 7. Photos by Kaelin Storm.


it’s a stretchNew club stresses importance of physical, mental strength

haileymcenteestaff writer

Warrior one. Feet apart. Hips facing forward. Front leg bent. Front foot facing forward. Arms extended above the head. Quads and calves burning.

Inhale.Exhale.Upward facing dog. Legs and hips on

the !oor. Hands !at on the ground. Arms straightened, li"ing the upper body. Abs on #re.

Inhale.Exhale.Senior Meera Chakravarthy started

the yoga club at BV this year a"er taking a yoga class through Blue Valley Recreation.

“Last year I started doing yoga, and I thought it was the coolest thing ever,” Chakravarthy said. “I wanted to show people how calming and impacting it is. It’s good for peoples’ everyday lives.”

Communication Arts teacher Jessica Edwards leads the group in the yoga poses. She also leads a brief discussion about yoga philosophy at the beginning of each meeting.

“Yoga philosophy is basically just being kind to the planet, to other people and to yourself,” Edwards said.

Chakravarthy said doing yoga is a good way to relax and helps her keep her focus on life and her goals.

“Yoga relates to every aspect of life,” Chakravarthy said. “It brings peace to my life because I am a very high-stress person. It helps me relate everything to the big picture.”

She said people need a mo-ment to step back from what-ever is going on and just think about themselves.

“Everyone is so caught

up in competition,” Chakravarthy said. “We just need some time to think about ourselves as people. Your ego shouldn’t matter.”

Freshman Je!erson Harwood said more boys should join the yoga club.

“Sometimes it’s kind of odd to be the only guy, but at the same time it’s awe-some,” Harwood said. “I would de#nitely recommend it to more guys. It is a real stress reliever, and it is a great way to just forget about whatever is going on.”

He said he likes that yoga is a stress reliever for him. Harwood also said he likes the atmosphere of the yoga club.

“My favorite part is getting together with friends and being in a peaceful environment,” he said. “It is relaxing and it helps me relieve my stress. It gives me peace of mind.”

Chakravarthy said yoga takes strength in two di$erent forms.

“Yoga takes strength — both mental strength and physical strength,” she said. “With the physical strength, you go as far as your body will let you.”

Edwards said the chance to try yoga through the yoga club is a good way to experience something di$erent.

“It’s a good opportunity to get involved in something that’s new and challenging,” she said.

%e club meets on %ursdays in the wrestling room at 3 p.m., and prac-tices for about an hour.

Once the wrestling season begins the meet-ings will be relocated since the wrestling room will be oc-

cupied. Edwards

encourages more people to join yoga club.

“For people interested – don’t be

intimidated or afraid,” Edwards said. “Just give it a go, and it could end up being really rewarding.”

Above: Stretching their legs, BV girls warm up their muscles during yoga club. Yoga club was created this year by senior Meera Chakravarthy. Photo by Aubrey Illig.

Le!: Senior Bekah Nyman stands in extended triangle pose during yoga club. Yoga club meets on %ursdays a"er school at 3 p.m. Photo by Aubrey Illig.

indepth12 October 2011

jordanhuesersco-editor in chief

The plan for the new amphitheater includes a 200-space paved parking lot, a 50-space grass over!ow lot, a truck road, concessions, bathrooms, o"ces, VIP seating and a

balcony. #e building will have dressing rooms, bathrooms, a trap

door, a basement and storage. Where would it be located?Ironwoods Park.A group of neighbors in Leawood formed the Save Ironwoods

Park group to keep the park as natural as possible.“We are trying to protect the natural setting of the park,”

member Darren Woods said. “I think having green space and places for families and children to go and enjoy the park is im-portant. We are trying to make sure the City of Leawood carefully considers any plans to develop the park.”

In 1998, the Leawood City Council passed a bond issue, in-cluding plans for an amphitheater in Ironwoods Park.

However, the bond gave no description of the amphitheater’s size and layout.

Carrie Rezac, City Council member for Ward 3, said the mayor of Leawood formed a steering committee to determine, based on the Leawood Stage Company’s desires, how to move forward with the project.

“#e plan for the amphitheater in the park has been there from the beginning,” steering committee chair Bill Ellwood said. “It is just that we didn’t really have the funding at that time to build a building. All we had the funding for was to put in the power and built what you see there today. Now we are, in essence, just trying to get approval to $nish the project that we really wanted in the $rst place. #at was part of the original design for the park.”

Kerry Phillips, coordinator of the Save Ironwoods Park group, said the di%ering opinions between her group and the steering committee lie in the interpretation of the 1998 bond.

“#at is the contention point,” Phillips said. “#ey will say that the 1998 bond allowed them to do this, and we don’t agree with that. We say the building is a lot bigger, it is more involved, it takes up a lot larger space.”

Following passage of the bond, the steering committee created a master plan for the amphitheater. However, an application for this master plan has yet to be submitted to the city council for approval.

#e new amphitheater building will face the Steeplechase and Camden Woods neighborhoods, with a 5-foot berm and a line of evergreens for a sound barrier.

“We were really concerned about the impact on the families that live next door and on the park itself because it really does take up a very large piece of property,” Phillips said.

Ellwood said if the amphitheater building existed prior to residents moving into the neighborhoods surrounding the park,

this project would not have been an issue.“I am sure they like it the way that it is right now — very

tranquil, very quiet,” he said. “So I feel bad. We really did try and do some things to make it less intrusive for them with additional shrubs and plantings. We really did try and do things to mitigate the impact on the neighborhood, but I really think their prefer-ence would be to not have an amphitheater there at all.”

In February 2011, the Planning Commission approved an application for a restroom facility — Phase I of the amphitheater project.

“[#e application] came before City Council, and at the time we were in negotiations to purchase adjacent park land to Iron-woods,” Rezac said. “So, we continued that case. We continued it two or three times, waiting to see when the purchase of the land was $nalized, because if that land was $nalized we had talked about re-evaluating the master plan of the park, which would have impacted everything.”

#e adjacent land was purchased. #e restroom facility ap-plication was presented to the council again, and it, again, was continued.

“#e thought was among some of the council that they wanted to continue it until we got through the re-evaluation of the mas-ter plan,” Rezac said. “If the proposed amphitheater plan remains, if it gets moved, if it gets completely relocated o% the land, obvi-ously that would a%ect the bathrooms.”

#e Save Ironwoods Park group wants to preserve Ironwoods as park space and not as an entertainment venue.

“Particularly in Leawood we have very limited park area,” member Chris White said. “Leawood is a closed city, in other words, it is bounded by other cities all around. If we overdevelop this one into commercial property, there really is no other space for Leawood to develop into park.”

Phillips said the Leawood Stage Company deserves a proper place to perform, but should build the theater on private, commercially-zoned land.

“We don’t like it,” she said. “I mean, it’s hard to balance that, because you love the arts. We support the Stage Company. We think what they are doing is really great. We love the fact that there are people who want to volunteer to participate in that, but there are also people who want our park to be natural: walking trails, camping, outdoor activity that doesn’t involve something that is this much pavement.”

Phillips said the nine houses adjacent to the building would lose at least a 15 percent in home value, according to an appraiser.

“It’s given us a really clear picture of just how much this build-ing could impact our neighborhood $nancially,” Phillips said.

Rezac said she tries to keep the Save Ironwoods Park group and several other organizations aware when the issue is on the city council’s agenda.

“I think they had some valid concerns,” she said. “I think it is very bene$cial that they are bringing those to everyone at the city’s attention. I understand their concerns because I know that it will directly impact many of the people that are involved in that

group.”Ellwood said the steering committee hopes the Amphitheater

could serve for graduation ceremonies, private weddings, private parties, bar mitzvahs or for anything that someone would enjoy using an outside venue.

“I feel like we, the citizens of Leawood, would bene$t from this additional facility, and that this would be better for the rest of the citizens of Leawood,” Ellwood said. “In general, I think these people would just rather not have anybody in their back yard. I understand that. But I think I wouldn’t have bought next to a park if I didn’t want to have people in my backyard, because I think the city park should have people in it.”

Phillips said those near the park won’t be the only ones af-fected by this decision.

“If we develop it, it is gone for good,” Phillips said. “#ere is no going back from that. So, do we really want to do that? Do we really want to take away such a large piece of park? I just think we need to be really careful before we do this kind of thing in a park.”

Rezac said, from the Leawood Stage Company’s perspective, the expanded amphitheater would allow them the space they want for performances.

“#ere are not many stage companies in many surrounding cities, and so Leawood Stage Company, I think, would like to be able to become one of the premier,” Rezac said. “#ey would like to o%er their talents and productions to not only Leawood resi-dents but to surrounding areas. I think they see the amphitheater as a great amenity to Leawood itself.”

Rezac said concerns may be addressed at City Council Meet-ings within the limitations of the protocol.

“Obviously, if we ever receive any email correspondence or phone calls, we discuss whatever questions or concerns they have over the phone or through email,” she said. “We try and give information, as much information as we can, when they have questions on the process. I try and let them know that those things will be coming up.”

City debates construction of amphitheater on park property

indepth 13October 2011

Ellwood said the steering committee hopes the Amphitheater could serve for graduation ceremonies, private weddings, private parties, bar mitzvahs or for anything that someone would enjoy using an outside venue.

“I feel like we, the citizens of Leawood, would bene!t from this additional facility, and that this would be better for the rest of the citizens of Leawood,” Ellwood said. “In general, I think these people would just rather not have anybody in their back yard. I understand that. But I think I wouldn’t have bought next to a park if I didn’t want to have people in my backyard, because I think the city park should have people in it.”

Phillips said those near the park won’t be the only ones a"ected by this decision.

“If we develop it, it is gone for good,” Phillips said. “#ere is no going back from that. So, do we really want to do that? Do we really want to take away such a large piece of park? I just think we need to be really careful before we do this kind of thing in a park.”

Rezac said, from the Leawood Stage Company’s perspective, the expanded amphitheater would allow them the space they want for performances.

“#ere are not many stage companies in many surrounding cit-ies, and so Leawood Stage Company, I think, would like to be able to become one of the premier,” Rezac said. “#ey would like to o"er their talents and productions to not only Leawood residents but to surrounding areas. I think they see the amphitheater as a great amenity to Leawood itself.”

Rezac said concerns may be addressed at City Council Meet-ings within the limitations of the protocol.

“Obviously, if we ever receive any email correspondence or phone calls, we discuss whatever questions or concerns they have over the phone or through email,” she said. “We try and give infor-mation, as much information as we can, when they have questions on the process. I try and let them know that those things will be coming up.”

City debates construction of amphitheater on park property

Junior Katie Shull“It’d be awesome, and it’d

be fun to watch. Plus, there would be a lot of nighttime

shows.”

Senior Brian Witt“I’m for it. I’m all for the arts.”

Sophomore Austin Flack“I don’t live in Ironwoods, so

it doesn’t a"ect me. If they did good shows then it would be

cool.”

What do you think of the plans to put an amphitheater in Ironwoods Park?

!is sign marks the entrance to Ironwoods Park on Mission Road. #e city of Leawood has proposed a plan to construct a new amphitheater on the park property. Photo by Jun Ham.

Check out bvtigernews.com for more info and photos about Ironwoods Park.


abbybamburgstaff writer

National Breast Cancer Awareness Month is every October.

A local organization, Back in the Swing, partners with businesses to bring in money for breast cancer and to show support for the cause.

Founder Bob Unell said Back in the Swing fo-cuses on the survivors rather than the disease itself.

“!is makes a huge di"erence,” he said. “!e medical care a#er your cancer treatments should also be standard of care along with during the treat-ment. We have far too long ignored the health of the cancer survivors.”

Town Center Plaza has $ve stores involved with Back in the Swing: Brighton Collectibles, Dean & Deluca, GNC, Lucy Activewear and Pottery Barn.

Brighton Collectibles assistant manager Anti-nette Manzo said they love helping out with the cause.

“Every year in October, Brighton comes up with a bracelet and it’s a collectible bracelet so there are many women that collect them over the years,” Manzo said.

Each bracelet costs $50 and $10 of it goes to Back in the Swing.

“Worldwide, the bracelets will provide about $500,000 to breast cancer charities,” she said.

!is year’s limited edition bracelet features a dangling heart-shaped charm with pink crystals on one side and the breast cancer ribbon on the other.

She said that it has been so successful that people call weeks in advance to get their hands on one of these bracelets.

“People start calling early and asking ‘When is your breast cancer bracelet coming out?’” Manzo said. “It [is] standing room only in the store when we come out with them.”

Back in the Swing does various fundraisers along with many shopping events.

“We have raised about $2.5 million in eight years through these shopping events,” Unell said. “We think it’s amazing how everyone has come out and supported this and allowed us to raise those kinds of funds which we have used to provide the feed money to start several of those cancer survivorship programs.”

Unell said the organization has also done di"er-ent kinds of events in the past like Jazzercise and yoga.

“!e actual experience that someone participates in while we’re raising funds is something that is good for survivorship, like exercise,” he said.

More businesses are getting involved with Back in the Swing every year.

“Retailers like it,” he said. “!ey want to be involved. We are so lucky to have such a giving com-munity who wants to help out.”

Unell said the businesses play a huge part in the success of the organization.

“We couldn’t do the work we do by just inviting shoppers to be involved,” he said. “We also go to the business community, and we ask them to become the underwire of fundraising.”

He said high school students can help out the cause.

“If high school students could share the informa-tion that Back in the Swing is there to help breast cancer survivors a#er treatment, and if they direct them to our website, people can get a lot of informa-tion that perhaps they have never gotten before,” Unell said. “!ey can also participate in helping us with what we’re calling ‘celebrating and educating.’ Get involved. !ere is something for everybody.”

Chili’s Bar and Grill also partners with Back in the Swing.

“Every Tuesday in October we are doing a give-back-night,” Chili’s manager Annie Glunz said. “Any customer that comes in with an email that says Back in the Swing, we will give 10 percent of their order

to the cause.”Glunz said the founders of Back in the Swing

came to them and asked them to help out.“We chose to do this speci$c disease because it’s

such a big cause,” she said. “It just a"ects so many women. All around our area, companies are doing it, and for me, it hit home.”

She said Back in the Swing plays a bigger role in the $ght against cancer than most people might think.

“You hear about how the month of October is Back in the Swing so I’m assuming it is going to bring lots and lots of business,” she said. “Back in the Swing has just been so amazing to us.”

Manzo also said working with Back in the Swing has been a great experience for the store.

“!ey do a lot of the leg work,” Manzo said. “!ey get all the information out. Not only on Brighton, but just to make women all over know that it is breast cancer month.”

She said seeing costumers come in with amazing stories has made her understand how it can change your life.

“You get a special connection [with the costum-ers],” she said. “!ere are a lot of tears but also a lot of joy because you can survive cancer.”

Lucy Activewear, a store in Town Center Plaza, participates in Back in the Swing, a company that raises money for breast cancer survivors. !e store hosted a ra%e with 100 percent of the ticket sales bene$tting Back in the Swing. Photo by Evelyn Davis.

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Businessesfor thecure


jansenhessstaff writer

Leave home: 7:17.Arrive in BV car line: 7:22.Finally pull up to the front doors: 7:27.Blinkers !ashing. Tra"c backed up on 159th Street. An extensive amount of tra"c on 159th Street before

and a#er school results in a turtle-paced car line.Freshman Braydon Huschka said the slow line is an on-

going annoyance. “It’s really frustrating,” Huschka said. “If you don’t get

there early, you end up waiting in line for a long time.”In addition to the long wait comes a line of cars the

stretches out into the street.“On the $rst day, all I could think when I saw the line

was, ‘%is is too long,’” freshman Drew McElwain said.Principal Scott Bacon said the car line has always been

an issue, partly due to the unique placement of the entry and exit ways.

“All of our exit and entrance venues are on the same street,” he said. “%at’s what makes it complicated.”

He said the line became more of a concern when the houses were built across the street.

“As the neighborhoods developed over the years, we still have the same two-lane road accommodating probably 10 to 15 times as much tra"c,” Bacon said. “%at’s the issue.”

He said trying to $x the problem has not been easy and $nding a permanent solution is a few years away.

“%ere has not been an easy resolution to it,” he said. “We’ve done some things di&erently over the years. For ex-

ample, during certain times in the day as you exit you have to go to the right. It’s to help speed things up. If you’ve got people stopped there trying to make a le# turn during the most densely crowded time, it’s almost impossible.”

Bacon said the proposed expansion into the Stanley Nature Park would alleviate tra"c because there would be separate drop-o& lines for cars and buses.

“Until we have a larger parking lot, it’s always going to be a concern,” Bacon said. “Down the line we may have a big-ger parking lot, and if that transpires, then that will help us.”

He also said the expansion would help decrease the amount of cars in certain areas because the cars will be spread out into multiple parking lots.

“Based on what the proposal is, we would have a lot behind the school, so the pick-up-drop-o& area would not necessarily have to be [at the front doors],” Bacon said. “%at might lessen congestion in the front. And certainly you won’t have the density of cars from [the senior parking lot] because a lot of these cars would park in the back and pull around from behind the school.”

Huschka said the tra"c should decrease immensely if the expansion happens.

“It should bring the line down a ton,” he said. “%e line gets longer sometimes from people trying to get to the park-ing lots.”

Bacon said the most populated time of the day falls between 2:45 p.m. and 3 p.m.

During that time, there is a blinking light by the east exit that prohibits le# turns.

%e same rules apply for the west exit. In the middle exit, cars can turn both le# and right.Bacon said another guideline for the drop-o& zone is

parents should stay to the right of the line so buses can pass them on the le# and pull forward.

He said this method seems to work fairly well, although it might not please everyone.

“Right now it’s probably about as e"cient as we can make it,” Bacon said. “Which is not necessarily to every-body’s liking.”

He said not everyone may like the methods used in the line, but they understand them.

“We’ve been very fortunate,” Bacon said. “People have been very patient and realize that there’s not an easy solu-tion to it, so they make it work.”

Despite the current car line and parking lot congestion, this is not the worst BV has seen.

“We’ve been larger than we are now,” Bacon said, “It’s been worse than it is now. When we had 1,800 students before West opened, and quite honestly, the year before Southwest opened too, it took a while to get everybody through there.”

Before BVW opened, sophomores weren’t allowed to drive to school because there were not enough parking spots.

With the opening of West and Southwest, more spots were available to students, but there is still a lot of tra"c.

“Compared to other high school areas, like at Southwest, you’re probably looking at a less densely populated area so that the tra"c you would encounter out there is not like it would be on 159th Street,” Bacon said.

He said the car line has improved from previous years because people seem to be following the guidelines.

“Is it great?” Bacon said. “No, it’s never been great. Is it better than it’s been? De$nitely.”

Parents: keep right

in the carline

East exit: when light

turn right

Middle exit: turn left and

right

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As people try to leave the parking lot, others try to enter, causing a tra"c jam. With recent street construc-tion on the west entrance, tra"c on 159th was backed up to Nall and Metcalf. Photo by Dakota Behrman.

Bumper-to-bumper, bus 84 waits for a parent to drive forward to alleviate congestion. Buses consistently wait for parents to move out of the car line in order to drop o& students. Photo by Dakota Berhman.


carolinemeinzenbachstaff writer

Form banana. Form, form banana.

Peel banana. Peel, peel banana.Go bananas. Go, go bananas.

!is is one of the many cheers the BV cheerleaders perform at the

football games to get the student body pumped up.

Varsity cheerleader junior Paige Sims said the cheerleaders do a lot of things be-

hind the scenes that many people don’t know. “I don’t think people realize how much we do

to support the teams,” Sims said. “It takes a lot of time and e"ort.” !e BV cheer squad, consisting of 14 freshman, 10 JV and 18

varsity cheerleaders, practices every day during seventh hour to prepare for upcoming sporting events. !e girls also attend a four-day camp over the summer.

!is year, the Universal Cheerleaders Association camp was at the Lake of the Ozarks. !ey competed against teams from Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma.

“We had to be peppy from the time we woke up [6 a.m.] until we went to bed [11 p.m.],” JV cheerleader sophomore Aubrey Myer said. “It was insane.”

!e teams took classes taught by college cheerleaders, learning about di"erent stunts, cheers and ways to get the crowd involved. !e cheerleaders incorporate these new techniques in their rou-tines at football games.

“Before, we were very structured,” varsity cheer captain senior Annie Wilcoxon said. “Everyone had a certain position they had to be in. Now, we’re spread out, and we just go wherever.”

At camp, every team learns the same dance when they ar-

rive. Each team practices the routine and personalizes it. At the end of camp, each team performs its dance, and judges choose a winner.

“It made us more motivated, being compared to others,” Sims said.

Wilcoxon said they personalized the dance by adding in ‘Go Tigers’ or ‘Go BV’ to make their team stand out.

“We had a lot of teamwork that other teams didn’t have,” Wil-coxon said. “We made everything #ow.”

!is summer, the JV and varsity squads won $rst place in the camp competition, becoming back-to-back champions.

“!ey worked hard,” cheer coach Michele Wirt said. “!ey set a goal to win again. I was really proud.”

Principal Scott Bacon wore the o%cial BV cheerleading uniform at the all-school picnic on Aug. 19 to recognize the cheerleaders’ win over the summer.

“It was cool that he supported us like that,” Myer said.!e cheer team brought back what they learned at camp to make

their performances better and encourage the fans to yell with them during cheers.

“It pushed us to work hard and improve our weaknesses as a team,” Sims said. “We have changed our cheering style. It’s more crowd involvement and pumping up school spirit.”

Fans of BV sports have noticed the change in the routines.“I’ve had football parents and soccer parents thank me for how

good the girls were,” Wirt said. “I haven’t had that happen in the last few years.”

!e cheerleaders spend $ve hours every Wednesday to make the varsity football run-through. A&er the paint dries, varsity members come back to school to roll it up.

“No one knows what we do,” Wilcoxon said. “Just them knowing would be enough.”

Wirt said she hopes to see more recognition for the teams’ ac-complishments in the future.

“As we progress forward, recognition will come,” Wirt said. “If they work for it, they will see recognition from the school.”

Top of the PyramidCheerleaders perform at summer competition,

!"#$%&'()&*+),-#./#012$'3&4'.&$"##.5#67,/-&8"')'12Photo Illustration by Dakota Behrman.


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centerstage18 October 2011

“!e X Factor,” a high-ly anticipated show, was a huge disappointment.

!roughout the audi-tion episodes, I did not see anyone I enjoyed listening to. I didn’t "nd the talent I was hoping to see.

First, not many of the good singers were shown — the absolutely horrible ones were.

I don’t watch singing shows to see people make fools out of themselves. I watch singing shows for the talent. I watch for inspiration. !e only inspiration this show gave me was to turn o# the television.

Second, the voting process was too long. !is made the show seem to drag on. It seemed endless. !e judges, Simon Cowell, L.A. Reid, Paula Abdul and Nicole Scherzinger, critiqued the performance, a process that seemed to take centuries, and then state whether they voted yes or no, which took almost as much time. I understand the judges need to critique the performances, but did they have to take forever? On American Idol, judg-ing didn’t take as long either. !e judges would say a few things and then

say yes or no.To be honest, I don’t

care about the critiques. I really don’t. I watch these shows to see pure talent.

How much talent did I see? None.

It looked staged. A lot of what occurred looked completely fake. It seemed that the judges and some of the contestants were acting. Such as when Abdul claimed she got sick a$er a particular contes-tant’s vulgar performance.

I can say one thing for sure about this show that I think most will agree with: this is not American Idol. I grew up watching American Idol. Up until a few years ago, I was even planning to audition. I’ll be honest. I expected “!e X Factor” to be like American Idol but better. I wanted to see true talent. No one stood out on “!e X Factor.” I expected more than what was seen.

Overall, I was not im-pressed. If you didn’t like the way American Idol was set up, you probably will like “!e X Factor.” If you aren’t as critical of every %aw, you’ll probably like it more than I do.

Out of all of the season or series premieres I saw, “New Girl” was the one I was shocked I didn’t enjoy. !is show did not live up to my expectations, and I didn’t "nd it fantastic.

In the "rst episode, the main character, Jess (Zooey Deschanel), is cheated on by her model boyfriend and she breaks up with him. Because she needs a place to stay, she moves into an apartment with three men.

!roughout the show,

they "nd her slightly an-noying. At the end of the episode, when she is stood up on a date, the boys come to comfort her. !ey "nally accept her.

!e second episode was extremely similar — slow and not funny. She did something they thought was annoying. !ey stuck up for her in the end.

It was sort of cliché. I anticipated every moment.

Sure, some things were funny, but not enough.

!e commercial made it look like a comedy but, in all honesty, there wasn’t comedy.

At all.Sure, the clips in the

commercials were in the show, but the context in which each clip was placed made what seemed not so funny.

I expected this show to be the best out of all of the new shows I watched, and now it’s something I’m not going to watch.

!is show was one of the best I’d seen in awhile. It made me laugh.

Basically, the problem in this episode was Jimmy (Lucas Ne#), the main charac-ter, was talented when he was younger, but due to an accident, no longer is.

When his crush, Sabrina, learned he was talented as a child, she swooned, so he set out to become talented again.

!e funniest parts of the episodes usu-ally include Maw-Maw (Cloris Leachman), Jimmy’s crazy great-grandmother. In this

episode, she taught Jimmy how to play piano.

Greyson Chance guest-starred on this episode as the younger Jimmy, so he sang a few times.

It was actually adorable.Truly, the plot is never very good, but I

will continue to watch this show because of its comic value.

People who like dramatic comedy will enjoy Raising Hope, and everyone can relate to the di#erent plots.

What towatch TV show reviews for this fallStories by Taylor YeazelPhotos used with permission from Fox Studios.

New Girl

The X Factor

Raising Hope


Photography ClubJoin the BVHS Photography Club!

Meets every other Tuesday at 3 p.m.

Room 551

Next meeting Tuesday, Nov. 1st

Questions? Ask Mr. Johnston

For all your school supply needs!

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Overland Park, KS 66212(913)-381-9387

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centerstage20 October 2011

Halloween Hits

Based on a true story, !e Haunting in Connecticut will have you creeped out and grossed out.

!e Campbell family moves into an old home to be closer to the hospital where their son Matt (Kyle Gallner) is undergoing an experi-mental cancer treatment. !e family comes to "nd out nothing is ever as it seems.

Matt moves into the basement to get some privacy, but begins see-ing images of a boy from the 1920s a#er opening a room that proves the house used to be a funeral home.

At "rst, the family assumes Matt’s treatment is causing him to hal-lucinate, but then they realize they are facing a bigger problem.

!is $ick is "lled with "gures popping up and frightening $ash-backs.

!e best part about the movie is the mystery aspect. You’re con-stantly trying to "gure out the reason why the funeral home is "lled with so much negative energy.

Why is Matt seeing $ashbacks in the house when it was a funeral home?

Why is the boy so important? !e Haunting in Connecticut is di%erent from any other horror

"lm. Most ghost movies aren’t as scary anymore because they aren’t real-life situations. However, this "lm has a di%erent approach to the idea. It’s terrifying because you feel like it actually could happen.

!e Haunting in Connecticut is realistic, horrifying and a must-see horror $ick for Halloween.

!e Edge of Hell: A con-verted "ve story warehouse, !e Edge of Hell o%ers a quarter-mile walk through sensory stimulation that ends abruptly 30 minutes later, as you slide from heaven down the "ve-story spiral slide into the arms of the Devil himself.

!e Beast: It takes about 40 minutes to go through !e Beast — if you don’t get lost in the fog in the Werewolf Forest, stuck in the maze or pulled toward the light in the three-story light tower. !e exit is a steep four-story slide.

Ticket prices range from

$23 - $74. Prices increase based on weekend or week-day, line pass or regular and number of attractions to which the ticket provides admittance. Group rates are available for parties of 20 or more. Houses are at 1401 West 13th Street in downtown Kansas City.

Nine attractions: Asylum Island — Lakeside Mental Hospital

is overrun by the criminally insaneBloodshed — Old McDonald Slaughter-

house isn’t working the way it shouldCarnEvil — A carnival ruled by carnies

and clowns who terrorize trespassersClub Blood and Lore of the Vampire — !e

catacombs home to Dracula and his brides, who are now awake and thirsty for blood

Corn Stalkers — Corn"elds with unknown evils lurking within

Fright Zone — Screamsters searching for their next victim occupy this foggy area

Master McCarthy’s Doll Factory — Home to a psychotic serial killer who turns visitors into life-sized dolls

Outlaw’s Revenge — Boot Hill Cemetery ghosts come alive and hunt for the people who killed them

London Terror — New this year, walk down London’s foggy streets where criminals terrorize townsfolk

Regularly tickets are $44.99 per person, but on Fright Nights (Fridays a#er 6 p.m. and Saturdays a#er 4 p.m.) tickets are $32.99.Hours of operation: Fridays — 6 p.m. - Midnight Saturdays — 11 a.m. - 1 a.m. Sundays — 11 a.m. - 7 p.m.Exceptions to above hours: Oct. 27 - 6 p.m. - 11 p.m. Oct. 30 - 11 a.m. - 11 p.m.!e last day is Oct. 30.

Photo courtesy of worldso!un.com.

Halloween Haunt at Worlds of Fun

!e Edge of Hell and !e Beast

Creepy CornersinKansas City

Information gathered by Maddie Jewett and Maegan Kabel from worldso"un.com, kcbeast.com and theedgeo#ell.com.

While Insidious has no blood and guts, it, by no means, lets you down on the horror scale.

A married couple, Renai and Josh (Rose Byrne and Patrick Wil-son), move into a house with their three children.

A#er their oldest son bumps his head in the attic and falls into a coma, creepy "gures begin to haunt the couple’s home.

Renai realizes things are getting out of hand and a psychic me-dium is called in.

As the movie progresses, things get weirder and weirder. !e scariest parts were the mysterious "gures popping up out of

nowhere. Whether it’s a little boy running through the house, or a random guy dancing around, the ghosts are everywhere.

Almost the entire movie contains paranormal activity. Even though you know it would never happen in real life, it becomes be-lievable, with the exception of a few unrealistic scenes.

For instance, near the end of the movie, viewers see the main demon who looks like a cartoon character.

!e red lighting and background music makes it creepy rather than scary.

Although Insidious didn’t necessarily stick out for me, it still made me cover my face with a pillow the entire time.

!e crazy psychic, the terri"ed mother and the strange entities help to make this "lm a great watch during the Halloween season.

!e Haunting in Connecticut

Insidious

Freaky FlicksReviews by sta" writer Abby Bamburg.

tigerturf 21October 2011

odiopoleentertainment editor

Quarterback, running back, receivers, tight ends and, of course, the defensive line.

During the season, those positions are watched closely. Stats are constantly collected and analyzed because they can be used to determine whether or not each player will remain on his original team.

Long passing, rush plays, touchdowns, receptions.At the end of it all, one team in the league reigns victo-

rious. Some years it changes, some years it doesn’t. However, one thing doesn’t change: fantasy football’s

popularity among NFL fans. According to the Fantasy Sports Trade Association, 19

million people in the US and Canada play the game.History teacher Jason Peres said fantasy football is

entertaining because it allows friends to get together and connect.

“To say it’s fun — I just don’t think that does it justice,” he said. “I think we, as humans, have an innate competi-tive drive. Fantasy football fuels that competitive desire.”

Peres said he began playing when some friends intro-duced him to it in college.

“I knew nothing about it,” Peres said. “[!ey] explained it to me, and it was really just a competition among friends. I played it that year in college and I loved it, and I’ve been playing ever since.”

Peres plays in two leagues — one in-school league and one that he organizes with his friends outside BV. He said he enjoys the second league because he and his friends get to socialize in a di"erent setting.

“We always have a dra# day,” he said. “It’s really cool because you get to see the girls getting so into it. Honestly, I think my wife is more competitive than me, because I just make my roster and walk away. Kathy’s always the one crunching numbers and looking up stats and all that.”

Sophomore Cale Reber said he started playing fantasy football simply because a friend asked him to join his

league. Before the season starts, he has a dra# party with other members of his league to choose their players.

“We usually just meet at [a friend’s] house, and there are snacks,” he said. “It’s not really a party, but we all get together around the computer and dra#.”

Reber said playing fantasy football makes the real-life NFL games more interesting.

“It makes me want to watch football more than I nor-mally would,” he said. “On Sundays I just watch football and kind of watch my players, too. It makes it more fun.”

Reber said his league makes a cash pool that goes out to the top three players at the end of the playo"s.

“It de$nitely makes it more competitive,” he said.Peres said even though a cash prize makes people more

competitive, bragging rights motivate participants just as much.

“Believe it or not, when you lose in a fantasy football week, you feel bad,” he said. “You’re like, ‘Oh man, how did that happen?’ But every week is a new opportunity, and when you win, it feels good.”

Fantasy football provides outlet for sports enthusiasts

jansenhessstaff writer

What does it take to be a super fan?

Super fan senior Brady Buescher: “It’s takes an un-paralleled level of dedica-tion and lots of, of...”

Super fan senior Taylor Walter: “...Lots of time to seek out out$ts.”

Yeah, what’s up with your out!ts?

BB: “I’ve worn a gorilla [costume]. I’ve worn a cow

[costume] to the games.”TW: “And I’m banana

man. We also have our black tank tops with play-er’s names and nicknames on them.”

How are the super fans chosen?

TW: “We choose our-selves.”

BB: “No, we are chosen by divine intervention. It’s a God-given gi#.”

TW: “It’s ‘cause we’re the best.”

BB: “Fate chooses super fans. It’s not something you

can choose. Only it can choose you.”

Are the super fans only seniors?

BB: “I would say the super fans are only seniors. We have some potential in coming years, but you’ve got to be a senior to be a true super fan.”

Are super fans all boys or are there any girls?

BB: “All boys.”TW: “It’s all boys. Don’t

listen to what Kaylee [Snedden] or Hannah

[Skidmore] says — they’re all boys.”

What do you have to do as a super fan?

BB: “Well, you’ve got to go all out for spirit days, dress up for the games and get to the games redonku-lously early.”

TW: “Be at every game football game, front row, start cheers, be there re-ally early — really, really early. And keep it going all game.”

BB: “Losing your voice — that’s a requirement.”

Super fans support team every gameSuper fans lean in unison

with the cheerleaders during the game against BV Northwest. Photo by

Dakota Behrman.

22 October 2011

jordanmcenteesports editor

He stands on the sidelines with his arms folded across his chest.

!e team makes a good play. He smiles and claps.

!e athletes know he’s there sup-porting them. He always is.

Athletic director Bob Whitehead has been at BV for 25 years and plans to retire a"er this school year.

Whitehead taught history at BV from 1979 to 1986. He then went to BV North at its opening and BV Northwest a"er that. Whitehead returned to BV in 1995.

“I think it’s the best job I’ve ever had,” he said. “!e best thing that ever happened to me was coming to Blue Valley as the athletic director.”

Whitehead said his favorite part about his job is spending hours watch-ing high school games every night.

“I enjoy going to the games, meeting the parents, just being out in the com-munity and watching the kids,” he said. “!at’s about the only way you have to let the student athletes know that you care — to go to their games. It’s kind of like being a grandparent. I can go to the games, and I hate it when we lose, but I still love the kids.”

Whitehead’s job has allowed him to travel around the country for various events.

“I’ve gotten to travel all over — wherever our team’s been,” he said. “I got involved in the State Athletic Direc-

tors Association, and I’ve also gotten to go to some national meetings

in San Antonio, New Or-leans twice and San

Diego.”

Whitehead’s job entails both admin-istrative and scheduling duties.

“It’s really like I have two jobs,” he said. “As an assistant principal you have teacher evaluations, discipline and those kinds of activities. !en the other part of the job is being Athletic Director. And in that role, you’re re-ally responsible for the entire athletic program.”

!e job includes hiring coaches and keeping the school calendar up to date. Whitehead said he has always enjoyed doing behind-the-scenes work.

“I try to facilitate from here — be in the background and take care of whatever needs to be done,” he said. “I want our teams and our coaches to be the focal point of our school and our activities.”

He said he faces challenges with staying motivated for all the games, but knows the athletes appreciate it.

“!e hardest thing is if we lose in football on Friday night, and I go to volleyball on Saturday — I have to be up and enthusiastic about volleyball,” he said. “I think most students know that I care about what’s going on in their program.”

Whitehead decided to retire because of minor health problems and many years in education.

“!is is the 45th year that I’ve been in education,” he said. “!at’s a long time. And there have been a couple health issues — not real, real serious — but they have made it more di#cult for me to do the job the way I want to do it.”

Whitehead said his pride lies in how far the school has come athletically and academically.

“!ere was a great school here before I came, and there’s going to be a great school here a"er I’m gone,” he said. “Last year, we were in the top three in the state in 13 di$erent events

and also had the second highest ACT scores in the metro area. I’m really

proud of that.”Senior Maddie Garton

said Whitehead has always been very supportive of

her and her so"ball team.“He is literally the nicest guy ever,”

she said. “I’ll see him in the hallway, and he’ll be like, ‘How’s life?’ or ‘How’s so"ball?’ He comes to all the games, and he genuinely cares about me as a person and as a player.”

Whitehead said he will never forget the community atmosphere at BV.

“I’m really going to miss the rela-tionships with the students and sta$, going to the games on Friday nights and interacting with the parents,” he said. “!ere’s a very hectic pace that you have in this job. You just kind of go from one thing to another. It’s the greatest job in the world. I don’t even know how to describe it.”

Garton said the student-athletes will always remember Whitehead and how much he really wanted to be a part of their lives.

“I want to say thank you so much for all his kindness and support,” she said. “He really has made an impact on my high school so"ball career and my time here at BV.”

A decision is still being made about who will replace Whitehead next school year.

“We have some younger coaches in our school that a lot of people respect who have some interest,” he said. “I hope that they’ll be given an opportu-nity. When you’re a new person coming with new ideas, there will be new, good things that come with that. I hope that some of our traditions will continue.”

Whitehead plans to pursue other hobbies with his new free time.

“I’m certainly going to miss it,” he said. “But I have six grandchildren, and I need to be able to go watch them play sports. I also bought a used bass boat, and I’ve always been a bird hunter, so I’ll be outdoors. I’m excited for that.”

Whitehead said he will never stop loving Tiger athletics.

“I will always be checking the sports page to see how the Tigers are doing,” he said. “I’ll be looking for how the Tigers do on Friday night. I’ll always be watching for that.”

tigerturf

!"#$%"&'()&*%'"+*(,$-./("+(*%"&*%(-0"%*(/'#++$(1%-*2(,3*/3%(+"#%*(#+44&%/

Leaving hismark

Athletic director Bob Whitehead (le") has been at BV for 25 years. He plans to retire a"er the 2011-2012 school year. Photo by Olivia Roudebush.

tigerturf 23October 2011

sports in brief

FOOTBALLPrevious action:

10/14 @ Aquinas (W 14-0)10/21 vs Pittsburg (L 45-35)

Upcoming action:10/28 vs Gardner-Edgerton

Record: 7-1

VOLLEYBALLPrevious Action:

Substate:10/22 vs BV Southwest (W)10/22 vs Bishop Miege (L)

Record: 21-15

BOYS SOCCERPrevious action:

10/13 vs Aquinas (L 4-0) 10/20 @ BVSW (W 7-2)

Upcoming action: Regional playo!s

Record: 7-6-3

CROSS COUNTRYPrevious Action:

10/22 Regionals: Girls placed 3rd, boys placed 2nd

Upcoming Action: 10/29 State @ Rim Rock Farm

GIRLS TENNISPrevious Action:

State:4th place with 31 " points

Record: 9-1

GIRLS GOLFPrevious Action:

Regionals: 3rd placeState: 9th place

B V S P O R T S

TIGER TURF

Results current as of Oct. 24

BV welcomes new girls bowling team

Sporting Kansas City defeated D.C. United 1-0 on Oct. 22, !nishing !rst in the MLS Eastern conference.

"e cross country team will be competing in State this weekend, Oct. 29, at Rim Rock Farm in Law-rence.

FYI save the datesMonday, Nov. 14 — Winter Sports Begin

Monday, Nov. 21 — Winter Sports Night, 6 p.m.

Tuesday, Nov. 29 — Winter Sports Pictures, 3 p.m.

jordanmcentee

sports editor

#e extensive list of sports and activities at BV has a new addition — girls bowling.

Art teacher Mark Mosier, who sponsored the bowl-ing club a few years ago, will coach BV’s $rst bowling team.

“#ree or four years ago, we had a bowling club at BV,” he said. “On Tuesdays and #ursdays we would go up to College Lanes in a school van from about 3:30 to 5 and just bowl for fun.”

Last year, it was brought to the attention of the BV School District that Olathe and Shawnee Mission schools had bowling teams.

“It’s not like they just said ‘Oh, let’s make a bowling team,’” Mosier said. “#ey have to do recommendations through the District Activities Committee and the Board of Education.”

Mosier said he hopes the team will compete at a high level at competitions.

“We’re scheduled to have $ve meets,” he said. “We’ll go, and three [schools] will all bowl, and we’ll compare the scores. #en we’ll have one BV meet at the end of the season with all the Blue Valley high schools.”

#e team will practice at Olathe East Lanes.“We’ll always have a bus or van for transportation

because we know a lot of the kids won’t be able to drive,” he said.

Mosier said the season will be brief, starting in Janu-ary and ending in late February.

“We’ll probably bowl for an hour and a half a couple

days a week,” he said. “We won’t wake up and practice at 5 a.m. and have summer workouts and all that. It’ll just be a couple days a week a%er school.”

Depending on availability of the bowling lanes, try-outs will take place Dec. 5 or 6, or both days. #e o&cial time and dates will be announced. #e season will then begin a%er winter break.

A%er tryouts, six varsity bowlers, six junior varsity bowlers, and one alternate bowler will be chosen. #e team will have 13 total players.

Senior Sara Specht said she plans on trying out and hopes to make the team.

“I think it would be a fun senior experience,” she said. “It’s something totally new and di!erent. It would really just be so much fun.”

She said the bowling team will be a great way to bring people together.

“#e bowling team would show people that an indi-vidual sport can become a team sport,” she said. “You’d have to rely on each other.”

Mosier said he is excited about the upcoming season.“#is bowling thing seems to be taking o! like wild-

$re,” he said. #e $rst o&cial bowling team meeting was Tuesday,

Oct. 25. If you missed the meeting but are still interested in

trying out for the team, stop by Mosier’s room for more information.

Boys BasketballNov. 14-16 — Sophomores, juniors and seniors, 3:15-5:30 p.m. Nov. 14-16 — Freshmen, 5:30-7:45 p.m.

Girls BasketballNov. 14-16 — Sophomores, juniors and seniors, 3-5 p.m. Nov. 14-16 — Freshmen, 5-7 p.m.

Girls BowlingDec. 5 or 6

Boys SwimmingNov. 14 — Swimming pool

WrestlingNov. 14 — Wrestling room

Winter sports tryout dates:

important info

Check out bvtigernews.com during the bowling season for

team results and photos.

incolor24 October 2011

Tigerettes dedicate mornings to rehearsing routines

DANCING IN THE!FOGPhotos by Maria Fournier and Olivia Roudebush.

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

(Top) Junior Jessie Peterson warms up prior to one of the morning practices on Tuesday, Oct. 11. Peterson worked on one of her several throwing techniques. “I love being on dance team because most of my friends are on it, and we have so many inside jokes,” Peterson said.

(Bottom) Junior Grace Anne Johnson pauses during a dance routine at a morning rehearsal. Although she has danced most of her life, this is her !rst year on the school’s dance team.

!e Tigerettes dance team uses "ags and air blades during practice.

Senior Nicki Brosch leads the team in warm-ups on a foggy October morning. Brosch is the captain of the dance team and has been on dance team for four years. #e Tigerettes practice at 7 every morning during marching season.

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The Tiger Print –– October 2011