Substitute to fill Allam's role during maternity leave
January 22, 2010
While assistant principal Megan Allam is away on maternity leave, substitute administrator Jan Draper will be in charge of some of Allam’s duties.
Along with her previous responsibilities of running the Tardy Tracker and Overtime, Christyn Haberly took over Allam’s full-time position.
Draper started her teaching career at Blue Valley High in Communication Arts from 1978-1988 before holding positions at other Blue Valley schools.
Draper is in charge of freshmen discipline, senior activities, graduation, Prom, state assessments and community service day.
“I’m impressed with the student body so far,” Draper said. “I love being back.”
Allam’s return is tentatively scheduled for mid-April.
By Maegan Kabel
Snow and cold day specifications
January 22, 2010
With the recent severe winter weather, the requirements for a snow day may seem unclear.
If there is a chance of bad weather, at 5 a.m. Superintendent Dr. Tom Trigg and Deputy Superintendent Dr. Al Hanna share a conference call with the superintendents of the Olathe and Shawnee Mission districts. According to weather reports, the districts discuss the safety of sending students to school in the severe weather.
Hanna said the deciding factors include the ability for buses to pick up students and student driving on icy roads. If the weather inhibits students from arriving safely, school must be cancelled.
Although there may not be threatening snow or ice on the ground, the district may decide to call a cold day if the temperature is too low for the buses to start or for students to walk safely to school.
Once a consensus is made, the superintendent contacts the major TV stations WDAF-TV, KCTV ,KMBC-TV, KSHB-TV and the radio stations KCUR, KFKF, KBEQ, KMBZ, WDAF.
If inclement weather begins during the school day, the district may decide to dismiss early to ensure all staff and students can arrive home safely.
If unsure of a school cancelation due to severe weather, visit www.bluevalleyk12.org or call (913)239-4600.
By Brice Goldenberg
Twin takedown: Brothers look to improve from varsity freshman season
January 22, 2010
When it comes to making a varsity team, it can be a pretty daunting task.
Sophomores Logan and Lukas Bjorgo, identical twins, accomplished this mission last year, their first at BV among a very talented pool of athletes.
The brothers’ mother, Cynthia Bjorgo, was proud but not too surprised after her sons made varsity their freshman year.
“Obviously, I was very proud,” Cynthia said. “I knew if they wanted a spot, they had to be challenged. When they would get challenged I was nervous. I was anxious. I wasn’t surprised that they won because they brought experience to the table.”
Whenever the pair wrestled each other in tournaments previous years, bragging rights were the main thing they were wrestling for.
“It’s just like a match at home, it’s not very serious,” Lukas said.”Usually the matches are really loud, but whenever it was just me and Logan, it got really quiet because the coaches couldn’t coach either of us.”
Logan agreed with how they handle facing each other on the mat after wrestling together for nine years.
“Like he said, it’s not very serious,” Logan said. “But you don’t want the other person bragging.”
The Bjorgos wrestled in different weight classes their freshman year, with Lukas wrestling a weight class above Logan.
Both the Bjorgos made it to Regionals last year and finished with records around .500.
The top four placing wrestlers in each weight class went to state.
For Logan, it was a great achievement to be a state qualifier after placing third, winning enough matches to travel to Topeka for state during his first year as a high school wrestler at BV.
“It’s a lot of pressure to keep it up next year, but just having the experience of state, it’s just good to have,” Logan said.
Alongside watching his brother capture the moment was Lukas, who anxiously waited for his match .
“Seeing his match before mine, it motivated me to go win my match, so he couldn’t rub it in my face, but it didn’t happen,” Lukas said.
Lukas came up short losing in overtime by a takedown — just one point.
“Well going into it I knew the other wrestler was really good,” sophomore teammate Kellen Rios said. “Lukas kept up with him pretty well. I think he probably should’ve won that match.”
Logan and teammates watched his brother’s hard fought match.
“It just made me motivated for my next match to win,” Logan said. “It’s just hard seeing someone on your team lose.”
Lukas had a difficult time coping with the hard-fought loss.
“It’s undescribable, like you wanted it so bad, but you couldn’t do anything about it. I just had to look ahead to the future and try and get better,” Lukas said.
Both Bjorgos have spent time getting ready for this season.
Logan said he has worked to improve on takedowns and good head position.
Lukas mentioned takedowns as one of his areas to improve as well.
“I wasn’t very good at takedowns,” he said. “That’s why I lost my regional match. I’ve gotten better at it.”
They both have their goals as well for this season including making it to state and winning there.
“Just to work hard, learn from my mistakes, and get better,” Lukas said.
Cynthia believes the twins have quite the journey ahead of them.
“I think now in high school, on varsity, it’s the best of the best, they’re going to see the best,” Cynthia said. “The competition on varsity is pretty fierce.”
by Matthew Gruber
Bill bans texting and calling for young drivers
January 22, 2010
The state of Kansas awaits approval of a new bill, with the goal to eliminate the distraction of all drivers.
The bill, Kansas House Bill 2132, prohibits text messages while a driver, of any age, is operating a motor vehicle.
Any driver who ignores the new bill by reading, writing or sending text messages can be pulled over by law enforcement and be penalized with fines around $60.
This bill has not yet been passed through the legislative process and still has a possibility of revisions or failure.
As of Jan. 1, the state of Kansas bans all drivers with instructional permits, farm permits or restricted licenses from using cell phones while driving. This includes talking on your phone.
Officer Dennis Randall plans to watch students as they enter and leave the school parking lot to see if students have their phones put away.
“This law will definitely help out students,” Randall said. “Having their phones put away will decrease accidents and mishaps on the roadways.”
Randall witnesses texting as a problem while out on the roads, but not just from teens.
“As an adult, not just a police officer, I see kids and even adults on their cell phones while driving,” Randall said. “Teens are more in the picture when it comes to restrictions on phones because of the number of accidents that are caused by using them.”
While driving, Blue Valley West sophomore Kaitlin Neiger, looked down at her phone for a few moments and rear-ended the car in front of her.
Traveling down Metcalf Avenue at 45 mph, Neiger took her eyes off the road to text her mom. Looking up, Neiger realized the car in front of her was only few feet away. She slammed on her brakes, hitting the car. Neiger totaled her sister’s car and received a ticket for $130.
“If someone needs to text when driving, just simply pull over,” Neiger said. “It’s not worth it.”
by Jordan Huesers
2010 Box office preview: This year's highly anticipated movies
January 22, 2010
Alice in Wonderland – March 5th
Tim Burton adds his own twist to the Disney classic Alice in Wonderland. In this story Alice (Mia Wosikowska) falls back into the hole she visited as a child to complete her true quest — to stop the Red Queen (Helena Bonham Carter) and help out her friends in Wonderland. Johnny Depp stars as The Mad Hatter in his seventh collaboration with Burton.
Iron Man 2 – May 7th
Iron Man 2 continues the story of Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.), a billionaire inventor who created the Iron Man suit to help fight evil in the world. Stark faces pressure from the government, press and public to share his technology with the military. Unwilling to give up his inventions, he forges an alliance with Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) and James “Rhodey” Rhodes (Don Cheadle) to help the world against powerful new enemies.
Twilight Saga: Eclipse – June 30th
This movie is a sure sell-out in theaters as it continues telling the story of Bella (Kristen Stewart) and her conflict of choosing her true love for Edward (Robert Pattinson) or Jacob (Taylor Lautner). She also has to deal with a female vampire Victoria (Bryce Dallas Howard) who wants revenge on Edward for killing her boyfriend.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows: Part 1 – Nov. 19th
As Voldemort’s (Ralph Fiennes) power continues to grow, he now controls the Ministry of Magic and Hogwarts. Harry (Daniel Radcliffe), Ron (Rupert Grint) and Hermione (Emma Watson) decide to follow through and finish Dumbledore’s original plan by finding the rest of the horcruxes to defeat the Dark Lord. There is little hope for the three as they embark on a journey more extreme than in any other Harry Potter movie.
by Chris Roche
Jungle reports slower business second quarter
January 22, 2010
The new beverages, promotional posters and free giveaways with certain purchases couldn’t stop the dip in sales during the latter part of first semester at the Jungle.
The Jungle has shown signs of improvement early this semester.
Senior Jungle employee Emily Minoofar said that the Jungle’s business goes down at times because some students come to school right before the bell. There may not be enough time to make drinks for them before the store shuts down for the day at 7:38 a.m.
In-house Marketing teacher Katie Bryant, said that the Jungle still makes a profit.
“We’ve been making money, just not really large amounts,” Bryant said.
The Jungle included many additions to its menu this year.
“We’ve added Kool-Aid and sell it in grape, cherry and tropical punch flavors,” Bryant said. “We also included hot apple cider as a winter seasonal item.”
Bryant also said the new beverages brought extra customers while additional flavors of coffee and smoothies keep the regulars coming back for more.
“Not everyone is a coffee person,” Bryant said. “Now, we don’t just have coffee and smoothies.”
The Jungle will begin offering different variations of hot chocolate, such as mint and peppermint flavors, to try to improve sales and satisfy customers.
The student employees work toward designing promotional posters and many other things to improve sales.
“We’re really working on marketing to bring sales up,” she said. “We’re continuing to build new student interest.”
All of the sales at the Jungle go to a Distributive Education Clubs of America (DECA) fund where they can access the money to buy new things for the store.
“We’ve been saving our money this year and we bought two new coffee makers,” Bryant said.
DECA is a marketing organization that teaches students leadership and necessary business skills. It also helps students prepare for successful business-related careers.
Minoofar said advertising for the Jungle increased since last year.
“It’s really been more professional than last year,” Minoofar said. “More like running a business.”
Senior Jungle employee Jillian Berger added that this year at the Jungle more training is involved to do the necessary work.
Minoofar and Berger, both second-year staff members, say despite lower sales, the store seems busier.
“Last year we were only open second semester, so that’s why it feels that way,” Minoofar said.
by James Statham
Chambers seniors seek scholarships for musical theater
January 22, 2010
Standing on stage, stricken with professional poise, seniors Hannah Scott and Austin Stang perform at 110 percent, connecting with the audience through every motion they make.
Scott and Stang have been members of the Chambers show choir since sophomore year.
Both developed a strong passion for singing at a very young age.
Dance was a large part of Scott’s life throughout her childhood. She attended a few different dance programs but found a home with Miller-Marley School of Dance and Voice, continuing to dance with that company today.
“When I am dancing I can release every type of emotion I have,” Scott said. “When it’s a good day or a bad day I can express how I feel with all my motions.”
As for Stang, he started dancing his freshman year when Chambers director Marsha Moeller suggested dance class for him.
Scott and Stang agree one of the greatest aspects of Chambers is the positive and fun atmosphere in the classroom.
“With the people in the classroom, you just know its going to be fun,” Stang said.
Scott enjoys spending time and growing every day with her peers in Chambers.
“It is great being able to share your interests with other people,” Scott said. “In high school it’s hard to find people that enjoy what you do, especially when everyone is trying to figure out what they personally love to do.”
For Scott, Chambers helped her grow as a person and taught her many qualities that will help with her future career goals.
“It has helped me become a better leader and helps me with understanding people and using their different ideas,” Scott said. “Also, Chambers helped my ability to sing and dance at the same time. I have always done them, just not together.”
Stang joined Chambers for some experience of the performing world but gained much more.
“I benefited in many ways as a performer and as a person with the people I was around every day,” Stang said.
Moeller witnesses both Stang’s and Scott’s passion and dedication every day in class.
“They model the level of performance that is needed,” Moeller said. “They are both natural leaders and set a very high standard for the classroom.”
Both seniors receive a lot of support from friends and their families.
“My parents have always helped me with dance and voice lessons,” Stang said. “They always work to make me better than I am now.”
Scott appreciates all the love and support given from her family and friends.
“My mom has always been my biggest supporter,” Scott said. “She has really just always been the one there. My friends are also great supporters. They come and see my shows.”
Oklahoma City University offered Scott a scholarship, which she accepted with plans to major in dance performance.
“My future goal is to end up on Broadway, somehow, someway, be living in New York and to become a Rockette,” Scott said.
Stang received a scholarship to Wichita State through its musical theater program.
However, he still has five more auditions and will later decide where he will be attending.
by Jordan Huesers
Further restrictions placed on expenses; students, teachers will likely see a change
January 22, 2010
As high schools across Kansas start their second semester, school districts will be looking at a poor financial blueprint for the remainder of the 2009-2010 school year.
The Blue Valley district, already operating under a budget reduction of $6.25 million put in place last July, will continue to compromise and take necessary actions through the rest of the year and into the 2010-2011 school year.
The district asked BVHS to trim its budget by five percent.
“We will have to be more frugal about every expense,” principal Scott Bacon said. “We will be watching our paper consumption, the school temperature and our energy usage and taking a second look at how we spend our money. We will all have to be responsible when dealing with the current situation.”
Before winter break, Superintendent Dr. Tom Trigg announced via e-mail to all district staff members immediate actions that would be made to ease some of the financial pain.
“When deciding cutbacks, it was broad-based,” Deputy Superintendent Dr. Al Hanna said. “Everyone will feel pain to some extent.”
A district-wide hiring freeze already in effect will include an administrative review of every position before a new employee can be hired.
Hanna said custodial crews at many schools will be affected. Because of such a tight budget, no new custodians will be hired and some have already lost their jobs.
“It’s possible many positions may go unfilled,” Hanna said.
The district also implemented spending constraints for every school.
Administrators must closely examine the spending of district money, and only the most vital expenditures will be made.
“There will be less money available for teachers and the classroom,” Hanna said. “With continuous cuts, teachers will be making tougher decisions regarding what they can and can’t spend for special projects or other necessities.”
Students throughout the district could see significant changes in the coming months, including larger class sizes and less availability for certain classes. Enrollment for the 2010-2011 school year may be difficult because many classes will not be offered as often as before.
However, the impact of the budget cuts may be minimal in the lives of BV students. Congratulatory Krispy Kreme donuts, paid for by Pepsi Co. and the Honor Roll magnets, paid for by Community America Bank, will still be among the school’s academic awards.
“Our school has a lot of tradition which is a big deal,” Bacon said. “We will be looking outside our own funding and we may need to get creative with our budget.”
In 2005, patrons of the district passed a $280 million bond specifically for technology improvements, renovations and the construction of new schools.
BV students can thank the bond for the additional classrooms, Fitness Center, renovated lunchroom and administrative offices and new lockers.
“The budget cuts have not affected construction or any renovations because of this bond,” Hanna said. “Construction was not impacted and no projects have been halted in the process.”
Since 2005, the bond provided funding for the building of Sunrise Point Elementary, Timbercreek Elementary and Blue Valley Southwest. An additional three elementary schools will be built within the next three to five years as well as another middle school and the continued construction of the CAPS building.
Hanna said the bond also funded renovations for many of the district schools and a long list of technology purchases.
“It is a common misconception that the bond money can be used to increase salaries,” Hanna said. “But that’s not true. The same goes with the funding for Blue Valley Southwest or other renovations. The funding for those came from the bond and cannot be used elsewhere.”
Looking at BV’s academic future, certain interventions will also be closely examined. Academics First and PASS could be affected, as well as other tutorial programs.
The biggest challenge, Bacon said, is paying the salary for the administrators and teachers to staff those programs.
If proposals for the state budget continue to decrease educational funding, sports teams and extracurriculars could take a hit as well, he said. It’s possible many of the sports programs will be reduced to varsity and junior varsity, rather than multiple teams.
“It’s important for students to participate in such activities like sports and to be involved in the school, so hopefully our budget wouldn’t take away from that,” Bacon said.
As for improvement of the current financial situation, Hanna believes the state’s economy must turn around.
“In such a difficult economic time, it will be hard to pass legislation for public school funding,” Hanna said. “It could be a few years before any improvement is seen. We are down so much that it could take awhile. It’s hard to say.”
Despite the state-wide budget reductions, Bacon is certain that Blue Valley will maintain a positive atmosphere and continue to provide the best learning experience possible.
“We will make every effort to continue and find ways to help our students,” Bacon said. “The learning environment and the students’ success is ultimately what matters most.”
by Allison Kohn
New Fox show, Glee, sparks students to form group, perform for audiences
January 22, 2010
Glee, the new hit FOX show about a struggling musical performance club, finished its fall season on Dec. 9.
However, students don’t need to wait until April to get their Glee fix. Thanks to juniors Kelly Urso and Garrett Woods and senior Dalton Homolka, Blue Valley now has its own Glee Club.
In late September, these choir members decided to organize all students interested in Glee Club.
“It seemed like it would be fun to do something outside of school and give some kids who aren’t in choir a chance to sing,” Woods said.
Junior member Steven Stinson agreed more kids get a chance to sing outside of school.
“It’s also fun to get to sing outside of the classroom,” Stinson said. “It’s not for a grade and you get to pick the music.”
The club’s first goal was a Christmas performance in December. Members picked songs they wanted to sing and brought their own sheet music. Woods and the other singers worked together to choose people or groups of people (like duos or quartets) to sing certain songs.
They rehearsed twice a week as the show neared so all members could attend at least one.
It wasn’t easy for Glee to get organized and prepare for a show in barely two months. The club does not have any adult leadership or influence; they function completely independent of the school.
“It’s just us,” Woods said. “It is kind of challenging because reading sheet music and picking the parts out is hard. We don’t really have any adult help at all.”
However, it helps that Woods likes the challenge of putting the music together and making a performance out of it.
Glee performed twice last semester. They held their Christmas show at a member’s church on a snowy night in early December. After much work, stress and nerves the show was successful.
“I was really apprehensive about the Christmas show, but it came out really, really good,” Woods said. “It was cool to see what we put together by ourselves as students without any help.”
In December, Glee also organized a special performance with a few members at an AIDS house downtown. Senior Jessica Mussatto’s mom volunteers at the house and had Jessica ask Glee to perform a Christmas show for the people living and working in the house.
“I think they liked it a lot,” Stinson said. “We got to hang out and talk to people after. It was really fun.”
However, the show wasn’t all fun and games; it also had a humbling side.
“It was honestly kind of sad,” Stinson said. “I mean, we knew a lot of those people weren’t going to be living for much longer so it was really depressing. But it felt good to be doing things for other people.”
Glee is always open to performance requests at any location.
However, since most of the group’s members are participating in the musical, the club will not be as active until after the show. Instead they will spend time looking for music and planning for the rest of the year.
The founders have many hopes for the second semester of Glee.
Students at Blue Valley West started a Glee Club this year as well and Woods hopes to organize a joint show with both clubs.
“The club’s anticipated to grow,” Woods said. “So I am hoping at least 20 people for second semester. We also want to put a show together with the West club at the end of the year because that would be big and really cool.”
Students are encouraged to join Glee at any time and participation in choir is not necessary. Interested students should talk to Woods or Homolka.
by Katie Louis
From the desk to the teacher's lounge: Students in teacher education course get real-life teaching experience
January 22, 2010
Senior Jen Timmons walks into the classroom full of kindergartners at Sunrise Point Elementary.
She can’t help but smile as the children yell out “Miss Jen.”
It makes her feel like she belongs in the classroom and she loves seeing how the kids look up to her.
Practicum in Teacher Education I is a class that is open to juniors and seniors and offers a hands-on learning experience for students interested in education careers.
“I love it,” Timmons said. “It’s something I would recommend to anyone who is looking at this profession. Everyday is something different and it’s giving us a lot of experience before we try student teaching in college.”
Practicum students start off learning about different teaching styles and theories before they are allowed to work in field sites like Sunrise Point, Sunset Ridge, Blue River, Stanley, and others.
They get to choose any grade level, school, or teacher they want to work with.
“I want to be with younger kids because it fits my personality more,” Timmons said. “I have a lot of energy and it’s easy for me to keep up with the kids. The other thing is that the kids in kindergarten and first grade are excited to come to school. They want to hear what you have to say.”
For Timmons, the most difficult part of the program was saying goodbye to her students.
“I got to know the kids so well that it’s sad to leave but also it’s a great test on your patience,” she said. “It really does test if you are cut out for the job.”
Senior Kassi Kaemmer has worked with fifth grade students and kindergartners at Stanley Elementary as well as eighth grade students at Prairie Star Middle School.
“My favorite part about the program is being able to interact with children and see how they act in class,” Kaemmer said. “It’s a lot different watching kids in class than being one of them.”
Students make lesson plans, present and teach them to the class and write in daily journals.
That is not including the other work they are assigned each week.
“There is never a day that we are sitting there twiddling our thumbs,” Timmons said. “Everything we do is completely related to us becoming better teachers.”
Practicum Education teacher Donna DeHart believes the class is extremely helpful.
“It helps the students understand how they learn, gives them a better appreciation for their teachers, helps them decide if they want to be a teacher or not and therefore, can save them a great deal of money if they decide they don’t want to,” DeHart said.
DeHart believes responsibility is definitely a character trait necessary in this program.
“Responsibility, is extremely important in this class,” she said. “Students have to leave here and get to their field sites on time.”
Despite the hard work, the class has its funny moments, too Kaemmer said.
“Last year my class went with the second grade students of Eugene Ware, a Kansas City Elementary school, to the Kansas City Zoo,” she said. “The kids that we got to hang out with were awesome and very energetic. As we were eating, a couple of geese came over and tried to get our food. It was a very intense couple of minutes for us. When the geese attacked us the kids left all their stuff right where it was and ran from the geese. It was definitely the most fun time I have had in Practicum.”
There are two levels to this class.
Practicum in Teacher Education II, the second level, can be taken by seniors after completing the prerequisite of Practicum in Teacher Education I.
“The main difference between the two levels is you have to do more lessons but you get more time at the field sites because you don’t have to learn all the same stuff over,” Timmons said.
The Practicum in Teacher Education class is in charge of Future Educators of America (FEA).
“It’s a club that is good at setting goals and reaching them,” Timmons said.
DeHart thinks that the Practicum class is good practice for student teaching in college.
“I’m hearing this from former students; they are a step ahead of the other students in their class,” DeHart said.
Timmons believes this experience will be helpful when she tries student teaching in college.
“I am learning what type of teacher I am and what I want to be,” she said. “I think that it has raised my responsibility. Up until now everything I have done in the classroom has been for myself, but now it’s for the kids.”
by Emily Brown
