Humans of BVN

The students and faculty of Blue Valley North, one story and face at a time.

humansofbvnorth

The students and faculty of Blue Valley North, one story and face at a time.
BVN Journalism

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"For club photo day, we get here early, usually with Starbucks. We set up a routine of getting people in, lining them up, taking them down to the stage and making sure we have enough passes for their names. And then, after they get off the stage, our staffers type up their names, one by one. Our hardest group is National Honors Society because it's about three hundred people. It's just a lot of people and they all want to talk to their friends, so it's a very busy group, it's just hard for us to organize everyone. Some people just try to show up and it's mostly a big deal when people in the club actually don't want them in their pictures because that's what they get to call their own and they don't want people intruding. It's kind of a fun day for us because we get to skip class, and we also get to see a lot of people we don't usually get to see during the year." - Annie, ‘20, co-editor-in-chief of the Northern Light Yearbook

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“My mom's Mexican and my dad's American, and my sister and I were born in Mexico. Then we moved to L.A. for three years, and then back to Mexico. And then on my fifth birthday, we went to China. We were there for 11 years. International School is basically just all foreign kids going into the school, and the schools are usually either British curriculum or Australian curriculum. So I went to a British school for a really long time, but then, when we found out we were moving to the U.S., I switched to an American school.I was there for a year, but I made really good friends there. I think the thing that shocked me most is just packing up my house. Saying goodbye to people, that was really, really hard. And the thing about International schools is that everyone's from different places, so a lot of my friends also moved back to their own country. So now we're just all over the place.”
-Grace, ‘21

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“I wanted to be out of high school so I didn't have to just wait around. My counselor gave me the option to graduate early and I didn't know that I could at first and I was like, oh, cool. My mom was great; she was like, ‘You're going to get bored if you're in school for longer than you have to be. So then I was like, okay, I'll do that. And yeah, I am taking two English classes, but it's okay. Not that bad. I'm going to have a graduation party at the same time as everyone else does. I'm gonna still go and walk at graduation, just like everyone. I need to do the basic high school experience. But I am just going to work a lot. I might take college algebra at Johnson County, just to get it over with so I don't have to worry about it next year. [I’m going to Emporia State and] I want to study elementary education and become an elementary school teacher. When I graduate, I'm going to go sit in on a classroom a couple times. I have to get 30 hours watching a classroom for the degree I want to get in college, so I can get those hours now. So I'm going to work on that. I've known I want to do it, but I also know that I will miss out on a couple of things. The senior prank and stuff that I won't get to do, but I'll still hang out with my friends from year to year. So I guess that's what matters the most.”
- Tiffany, ‘20

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“So, I was living in L.A. and because I wanted to be closer to family, I decided that I wanted to come back home. And of the places that I interviewed, this felt like it was the best fit. I wanted a place where a theater program was already established. For me, the joy of being a new theater teacher is that how the person before me did things, is how they did things. I think it's important to run your program, I can't step into someone else's shoes, because I'm not them. So to run this program like the person before me ran it just wouldn't work out because we have totally different styles. At the end of the day, we're in a building full of children. No matter how old they are, no matter how mature they are, kids are kids. So I would say, every class that's walked in today, I have made it very clear to them that this is a safe space, whatever a safe space means to them. I will say, I am one of the most amazing people that I know. And If you give me a try, you won't be disappointed. I try to respect traditions that are already in place and then to start some new ones. I feel like that's how great programs are created.” -Ms. Thomas, new theatre director

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“I didn't like teaching in college. In my opinion, it is more fun to teach in interaction with students, so I missed just being with students and kids and teaching rather than paperwork and committees and research and publishing. I think the first day went okay. I’m already making so many connections which is my favorite part of teaching. I teach beginners all the way up through high school, but beginners are so much fun. Because everything is bright and shiny and new and wonderful. So it's like, when they start, it's amazing. They're super excited about doing it. And then, they hit adolescence, and begin to enjoy it less. And then it comes back in high school, you know? My primary section is woodwinds, which isn’t typical for orchestras.” -Dr. Halle, new orchestra teacher.

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Annabelle: “Freshman year, in English, I started talking to [Jessica] because I thought she looked interesting and I just wanted to start a conversation. And now she is kind of my rock.”
Jessica: ”Although we started with an awkward meeting freshman, sophomore year, we became much closer friends.”
A: “So we started to just get along and had a lot in common, like how we think.”
J: “And then that kind of turned into being really important for our friendship and we became really good friends and now with other girls, too. We’ve kind of made our own group.”
A: “Starting school was really nerve-wracking this year. I was really nervous and anxious to get back because I don’t always feel totally comfortable with everyone here, but Jessica always makes my day and makes it much more enjoyable.”
J: “Yeah, North can be kind of scary if you don’t have at least one person that you can go to and that you can not worry about being judged and you can let all the weird out.” A: “So Jessica was kind of my person to go to.” J: “Going to the same school can bring an automatic best friend because you end up doing so much together and instead of just going over the main things, you can tell your best friend all the details, like everything.” - Annabelle and Jessica, ‘21

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“I play for the MoKan 2021 select team. We travel to multiple different places across the country, like Dallas and Louisville. We had to compete against some of the best basketball players in the country, we have a team only practice on Friday nights, Saturdays and Sundays, but to actually be able to be at a competitive level for yourself, you have to put in work outside, on the weekdays. Sacrifices have to be made in order to play on the team; the practices we have are very far away. So it's kind of hard to find a good balance between family time and practicing basketball. I really enjoy playing basketball; I feel like it's kind of a relief for me because school is really stressful, so, on the weekends, it's good to be able to have something else to do besides homework or studying or is good exercise, so it keeps us healthy and I stay in shape as well.” -Andrew Orr, ‘21

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“I grew up always being Native American, you know, obviously since it's in my blood. I grew up going to powwows, and it's surprising because a lot of people don't know what those are which is so awkward to me because, well, it's like a big get-together where you do dances or sometimes hand games, it all varies. But, since I'm Nʉmʉnʉʉ (Comanche) Khoiye-goo (Kiowa), their ways of doing it are very different. Kiowas are very formal whenever they do it, and whenever Comanches do it, it's more fun, it's all family and stuff. It's hard to describe because I grew up mostly in Kiowa culture, and I'm just now getting back into Comanche culture. I'm going to a Comanche fair, this September actually, to just see other parts of my family and it's going to be fun, I guess. My entire life I've just, I've never had anybody like me, I've never had any other Native American friends or anything, except for, you know, family, and I don't get to see my cousins that often. As I grew up, I started to realize, wow, I really am alone on this, and I started to really need to start caring more, not only about just who I am and celebrating who I am, but the activism parts of it. Because in the media and politics, especially now, nobody speaks on indigenous issues. It’s just, it's heartbreaking because there's just so much to it that people just don't really care. We all have to speak out. And my personal thing is, I always talk about it, I always try to be as open as I can about being Native American. And it's super important to me, because I love that part of myself. I adore it.” -Angelica, ‘21

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“The administration originally asked me to [teach] sometime during the first semester when they found out that Mrs. Cornell would be gone on maternity leave. And since my degree is in history, and I have a certification to teach history, it seemed like a great fit. I've always wanted to teach my own class and I've been trying ever since I graduated to get a long term teaching job. I felt like this was a great opportunity. With AP Euro, there's just so much content you have to get through and such a small amount of time. A lot of the learning is essentially you guys [the students] going through readings, and our job as teachers, Mr. Breedlove and I, is just to try to help it make sense as best we can. We do that through the graphic organizers and all the charts and stuff, but a lot of the learning depends on the effort that you guys put into the class. So it's definitely different than other classes I've taught before, because I hadn't taught an AP class before. I think with a smaller class, there's more opportunities for one-on-one interaction, there's a better opportunity to get to know you guys more personally, which I really enjoy. There's also some difficulties that come with it, activities that we do in class where we need groups, that's a little more difficult to do that. I think it also allows you guys to get to know one another better, and I think that helps you become more comfortable in the class and helps you be more willing to take an active role in the class. You guys have a lot of jokes I don’t understand; crazy eights is definitely an inside joke, you guys love crazy eights. But yeah, there's all kinds of weird, intricate things that go on this class. There's too many to really name, but I'll definitely remember you guys.” -Mr. Sundquist, long term substitute teacher for Mrs. Cornell’s 1st hour AP European History

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Caroline: “Our account is @jocopoolreviews on Instagram. We have over 250 followers now. We're just reviewing pools in the local JoCo community. We're down to branch out outside of the Johnson County area, and we just want [our followers] to know what pools to go to and where to hit up this summer.”
Zoe: “We were at the JCC pool the other day, and we were like, ‘you know, someone needs to make an Instagram account to review pools’ and we were like, ‘we gotta do it.’ And we were just three girls that are very passionate girls that have one basic dream of finding all the finest pools in Johnson County, and we needed to promote our pools and we just want to make sure that if someone's going to a pool, they know they're going to have a good experience.”
Caroline: “Riley [a junior at BVNW] is the number one member.”
Zoe: “She always puts in 110%. She’s the reason that we've got all our followers. She's always up at night trying to get us more publicity and our supporters.”
Caroline: “She even designed our famous t-shirt that we're going to drop soon, so stay tuned. Hey, I know you guys have seen the design, that's Riley's design!”
Zoe and Caroline, ‘21, co-owners of
@jocopoolreviews.

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“I took Innovation and Entrepreneurship at CAPS for both semesters of junior year. I created a business called Crybaby and it’s a silicone bracelet and bluetooth parent app that monitors infant vitals, sleep cycle, delivers immediate pediatric advice and connects you to nearby pediatricians, uses AI to determine your child’s needs when crying, alerts you when your child is out of a set distance range and has an integrated calendar that keeps track of baby-oriented events and commitments. I’ve coded sensors to embed in the bracelet and I’ve completely designed the user interface of the app I’ve entered several competitions and was the grand prize winner of the Edison Universe innovation competition. Next semester, I’m going to Tech Solutions to learn back end coding for the app. I’m going to try to get a patent and pitch to Garmin for a white label. Sudden infant death syndrome is a huge epidemic and 3,600 infants die each year. Plus, my whole life I’ve had health issues, so I’m just trying to do my part to prevent infant deaths and illness.” -Ashlyn, ‘20

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“I did yearbook in high school and in college, but when I was in high school, I actually didn't really know what I wanted to do, and I was kind of thinking about [going] into journalism itself. But I had always kind of wanted to be a teacher. I also liked the graphic design aspect, too, so I was kind of trying to think of something that wouldn’t totally limit me as I started out in college, but it became clear pretty early on that I definitely wanted to teach. My junior year in college, I was a T.A., or teacher’s assistant, for a leadership class, and that's the first time I had my own set of students. I had 12 students that were all mine, essentially, to teach and I realized it was really fun to see how they started the semester and where they ended up, which I think is probably one of like the most fun things about teaching. One of the reasons that I liked [journalism] so much in high school was that I realized that I had a voice, and that I could give a voice to other people. As someone who's kind of quiet and more reserved, that was a pretty important lesson for me. I think that's one of the main reasons that scholastic journalism is so important, because it gives students voice, and gives voice to the voiceless.” -Ms. Klote, adviser of The North Star and the Northern Light, ELA 10 and 21st Century Journalism teacher

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“I work at Goldfish Swim School and I've been working there for almost a year now. We teach kids ages four months to 12 years how to swim. Basically, it's a lot to do with the safety and the water. So, we teach them how to go underwater, being comfortable in the water, being able to grab onto the wall, if they fall in, they know how to turn around and stuff because a lot of kids nowadays don't know how to swim, and it's really kind of sad. It's honestly so fun and not even just that, but it's dangerous, too, if you don't know how. Teaching these little babies how to be able to save themselves helps the parents be more comfortable, lifeguards more comfortable at their jobs. So, it's really interesting, being able to see their kids progress because they progress so fast and learn so fast. It's really, truly amazing. When I was younger, I remember my teachers and coaches when I was little, and they made such a big impact on my life. I want to be able to do the same thing.” -Sammy, ‘20

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“I started rapping because I've always liked music. So like, I thought, ‘why not make my own music and see if I can make it?’ I find a beat online and I try and act like rappers, they are famous and have all that money. You gotta act like you got that to be a good rapper. I would say that most of my lyrics are from real world experiences. Will does all the editing, we go and record each part of the song and mix them all together. I'm just the one who makes the lyrics and all that, my team really helps do the rest. I'd say it takes me anywhere from an hour to a week to write a song probably. I write every day, It just kind of comes to my head. I don't really think about it, I just hear the beat and feel the music. So I had this guy from Detroit that kind of helped me start my music, you know. He helped me get on Spotify and everything. And he was like, you need a new rapper name then he just kind of like came up with it. I don't know how it happened or how he came up with it but it just kind of stuck. He actually emailed me and asked me to be a part of his team he has like a record label type thing and has helped me with getting my music on stores and merch. For me music is a way to express my emotions and to do something that is just for fun.” -Justin, ‘21

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After recent events at Scheel’s, students in Broadcast created this video to highlight students’ abilities and interests to learn about them at a deeper level instead of just face value. Check out this video and more on the @bvnbroadcast youtube channel

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Britzia- “[Our friendship] all started in fifth grade.”
Tyler- “No, not fifth grade, sixth or seventh. Seventh, I think, that’s when.”
B- “Yeah, I have this picture of us in guided study. It was me, him and two other kids and I made them take a picture with me at the beginning of the year and then at the end of the year.
T- “I was just so obnoxious. The first day, everyone was silent in that class, so I was being obnoxious. Then she started talking to me. I was just annoying to you all the time and you fed into it.”
B- “There are times where we stop talking.”
T- “We're not ever pissed at each other.”
B- “We will always understand each other and when we need space.” T- “I guess we’ll always be friends.”
B- “Even if we stop talking for a minute, we're always gonna be friends.”
-Britzia and Tyler, ‘21

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Grace G.: “During the summer, we were trying to brainstorm different themes. We were just Googling themes and ran across a couple things that weren't as good, but similar, and we kind of made it our own.”
Grace C.: “I think that it speaks a lot to many different angles with the word ‘up’. I feel like it just kind of encompasses everyone's journey where they are right now.”
Jocelyn: “One of the other reasons why we did the UV [activated cover] is because Up is centered around the idea of growth and change. It's kind of cool that the book literally reflects that and changes.”
G. G.: “We like to get everyone's opinions on the book to help make it the best, so we would ask the staff [to] talk about it and give their opinion and their personal insight on what they think we should do, and that helps a lot.”
J: “I want them to feel excited when everyone sees the book. They’re gonna love it.”
G. C.: “I want people to be excited about the book because it's something that hopefully we're all going to have for a long time. I know that we, obviously, are all really invested in it now because we were on staff, but I hope everyone feels a little part of themselves is in the book.”
J: “It's honestly really nerve wracking because we love the book, but we're also kind of scared that other people won’t love it as much as we do. We want other people to love the book because all this work that you've been putting in all year is finally being shared with the whole school.”
G. C.: “We have been creating a book that we've spent seriously a year working on, so that's so bittersweet. We've been on staff the past three years and we started working towards this not just this year, but all of high school.”
J: “I hope the takeaway is the theme because, like we said, I do feel it really applies to everyone and I think that a lot of the themes in the past have been really reflective on what we've already done. I think that this one is sort of hopeful and like looking forward not just for seniors but for everyone.” - Grace C., Grace G., and Jocelyn, ‘19

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Go watch the April 30th North Report on the @bvnbroadcast youtube channel for this video and more! Thank you to @bvnspokenword and everyone else who helped with this video.

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“I started playing guitar because my fourth-grade teacher, Mr. Courtney used to bring in his guitar and play Beatles songs for us and he was always an inspiration for me. You could tell that he found life enjoyable, he always played a song and danced on top of kids desks during class and I really wanted to be like him and enjoy life as much as he did, so I started to play guitar. I kind of just play whatever I’m in the mood for, I’m a huge fan of Fleetwood Mac and play a lot of Beatles songs too. I actually can play both acoustic and electric, but I’ve found that acoustic guitar is more my style. I feel like with acoustic you can play either style and I feel less limited and find it interesting to take a song traditionally played on electric and see how I can change how it sounds by changing the instrument. I play not to get famous or anything I honestly don’t see guitar taking me anywhere but for example some people like to run to clear their head but for me I just play guitar and don’t have to worry about anything else.” – Cole, ’21

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“Honestly, once I finished Criminal Minds all the way through the first time, I was like, ‘Okay, this is actually what I want to do.’ Personally, mostly the show [got me interested], but I'm also really into psychology and stuff like that. I’m going to study justice and take psychology classes and stuff like that. It's just the fact that I could be doing something for someone that has [a mental illness]. It really means a lot to me.” -Anna, ‘21

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The North Star October 2019

The student newspaper of Blue Valley North High School, Volume 34, Issue 2

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Humans of BVN