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November 19Relay For Life hosts new event, Thrift for a Cure
November 19Jaguars bid for sixth straight state football title ends with loss to St. Thomas Aquinas
November 15Video: club leadership
November 15MVTV sports recap: November 13th
November 15MVTV Episode 8

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The student news site of Mill Valley High School

Mill Valley News

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Post game, the team listens to Head Coach Joel Applebee's speech.

TOP STORIES

Jaguars bid for sixth straight state football title ends with loss to St. Thomas Aquinas

Jake Brown, Molly Griffin, Thomas Helm, and Macy Fothergill • November 19, 2024

Mill Valley football faced Saint Thomas Aquinas on Friday, Nov.November 15th in a heated rivalry game, dating back years. Mill Valley, coming...

Continue Reading

Dipping in Willards arms, played by senior Blake Gray, Rusty, played by senior Allyson Makalous, smiles out at the crowd

The theater department has a record breaking performance of “Footloose”

Breaking: Former USD232 social studies teacher Keil Hileman sentenced to two years in prison for unlawful attempted sexual relations

Breaking: Former USD232 social studies teacher Keil Hileman sentenced to two years in prison for unlawful attempted sexual relations

The Jags celebrate after junior Ella Florez gets a kill against Olathe West in the first set.

Volleyball wins second straight 6A state volleyball title

How important the election is to students and staff

How important the election is to students and staff

NEWS

Students and staff weigh the positives and negatives to a no phone policy

Students and staff weigh the positives and negatives to a no phone policy

Read Story

Students sit and listen to French Club sponsor Denise Smith in their first French Club meeting Oct. 9.

After a 3 year hiatus, the French Club makes its re-debut

October 15, 2024

(left) The football scoreboard damaged after the tornado on Monday May 20. (Right) Football scoreboard after repairs finished on Thursday September 5.

Tornado damage affects school activities

September 25, 2024

School adminsitrators and counselors told seniors Carter Tollman and Shubh Patel that they were National Merit Scholarship Semifinialists Wednesday, Sep. 11

Two seniors named as National Merit Scholarship Semifinalists

September 13, 2024

Pointing to the board, freshman Ava Munsey explains the prices at the entrance.

Relay For Life hosts new event, Thrift for a Cure

Avery Cole, Bella McPeake, and Myah Ronning

November 19, 2024

Teacher Page Anderson recites her speech to the audience on Nov. 12.

Induction ceremony welcomes new members into the National English Honor Society

Hannah Stephensen, JagWire reporter/photographer

November 13, 2024

Hand on the magic ball, Avery Royer tells the trick-or-treater his fortune.

StuCo hosts annual Haunted Halls

Avery Cole and Stella Harryman

October 30, 2024

SPORTS

MVTV sports recap: November 13th

MVTV sports recap: November 13th

Read Story

The Unified Bowling team poses after regionals on Wednesday Nov. 13.

Unified Bowling finishes their regular season as Cat Cup champions

November 14, 2024

Carrying the American flag, senior Garret Clark leads the team out.

Football defeats Spring Hill 42-6 in regionals

November 13, 2024

Senior team caption Nic Schrag dribbles the ball while being closely followed by defender.

Boys soccer season comes to an end after 3-0 loss against Shawnee Mission East in quarterfinals

November 9, 2024

A&E

With the rise of pickleball, people of all ages are playing competitively

With the rise of pickleball, people of all ages are playing competitively

Maddie Martin and Abby Stidham-Ebberts

November 3, 2024

Students use different kinds of headphones in school

Students use different kinds of headphones in school

Ryan Bloomer, JagWire reporter/photographer

November 1, 2024

Enjoyment of concerts over the summer

Enjoyment of concerts over the summer

Ryan Bloomer and Madelyn Mulryan

September 27, 2024

Video: club leadership

Video: club leadership

Read Story

Selected as a judge teacher Nicole Porter is amazed at the work done on this house as juniors Saige Pretz and Victoria Comelie describe it.

Fashion and Interior Design class finishes their haunted house project with judging

November 12, 2024

Video: Football pressboxes

Video: Football pressboxes

November 8, 2024

Artist Debbie Barrett- Jones explains the process she goes through to make her woven art that is displayed at the First Fridays event. Barrett - Jones said, “I hand dye all my material then I weave it, then I do this thing of taking apart my work, after I have woven it I'll take some of it apart.”

Art galleries and vendors open together on the first Friday of each month

November 2, 2024

Staff Editorial: The importance of politics for students and how to stay informed

Staff Editorial: The importance of politics for students and how to stay informed

November 2, 2024

Opinion: Two JagWire reporters argue for and against the growth of comedy online

Opinion: Two JagWire reporters argue for and against the growth of comedy online

Maddie Martin and Madelyn Mulryan

November 2, 2024

Opinion: How people can think beyond their vote

Opinion: How people can think beyond their vote

Doreen Mahugu, JagWire reporter/photographer

October 31, 2024

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It’s time for the third Jagwire survey of the ye

It’s time for the third Jagwire survey of the year! Click the link in our story (or the “surveys” highlight) to fill out the survey. This issue includes the topics of Students interest in school, student musician, and energy drink

Breaking: Former USD232 social studies teacher Kei

Breaking: Former USD232 social studies teacher Keil Hileman sentenced to two years in prison for unlawful attempted sexual relations
Two years after Hileman’s arrest in October 2022, he was sentenced Friday, Nov. 8 after agreeing to plead guilty to two of the original six charges against him

Read more at the link in story

As soon as students walk in science teacher Ryan J

As soon as students walk in science teacher Ryan Johnston’s classroom, they are required to put their phones into the phone locker. Johnston is one of the many teachers across the school that have adopted this no phone policy in hopes of combating cell phone distractions in the learning environment.

This is not the first time that Johnston has used this no phone policy in his class. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, he stopped enforcing the policy. However, he decided to read the policy after seeing all the issues that phones were causing.

“When COVID happened, I had half my class at home, half my class here. People wanted to stay in contact with their loved ones and I got away from the phone policy,” Johnston said. “But then when students were on lockdown, they got super addicted to their phones even more than they were and there were a lot of mental health issues. I saw it for a couple years and I thought that we can’t do this anymore. That’s why I decided to go back to the phone locker.”

Read more at the link in story

From tennis courts being converted to pickleball c

From tennis courts being converted to pickleball courts to places specifically made for playing pickleball, and pickleball supplies being readily available at every sporting goods store, pickleball has become the newest popular sport for people of all ages.

While about 50% of players are 55 years old or older there is still a large number of younger players about 31% between the ages of 6-34 years old, according to a report from The Sports and Fitness Industry Association. These numbers are growing too, in 2021 around 5 million people played pickleball, that number grew to 8.5 million in 2023.

The fact that anyone can play is something that appeals to lots of players. Spanish teacher Jennie Dillon started playing pickleball a few years ago after her neighborhood built courts. Dillion often sees people of all ages playing and likes to see others enjoying the sport.

“I’ll see families, or younger kids, or I’ll see an older couple, or I’ll see some teens,” Dillon said. “I feel like it kind of brings everybody together.”

Read more at the link in story

Whether you see him in the hallway, have his class

Whether you see him in the hallway, have his class, or just follow his Instagram account, ceramics teacher Bryan Lloyd has created a positive environment with his art.
Ceramics has always been a passion of Lloyd’s. He began teaching at a private studio, then moved his teaching to a small catholic school and then to Lawrence Free State High School for seven years. Lloyd then moved to teach at Mill Valley at the beginning of last school year.
The Ceramics Instagram began when Lloyd taught ceramics at Lawrence Free State and continued it when he moved to Mill Valley. Lloyd uses Instagram to share student’s work and let students know about upcoming events and days.
“I use social media as a tool to show off the program and to highlight all of the good work that students are doing, and put it out there,” Lloyd said. “It’s very risky to put [artwork] out there because people might think your students aren’t doing good enough work. [It’s important to] show parents, the community and the kids that their artwork and what happens in this room, should be celebrated.”

Read more at the link in story

Senior Elise Davis was selected as one of two stud

Senior Elise Davis was selected as one of two students in the state of Kansas to attend the National Youth Science Camp this past summer. Davis’s accomplishment was recognized at the first assembly of the year.

To be accepted into the camp Davis had to go through an intensive application process.

“I had to submit my grades and transcripts and then I also had to have a letter of recommendation from one of my teachers.” Davis said. “I chose the director of the CTEC CAPS program, [Tim] Mispagel.”

Tim Mispagel is a teacher at the Cedar Trails Exploration Center (CTEC). When Davis asked him to write a recommendation, he was more than happy to.

“I was very open to doing it, I knew that she was a high achieving student, and was really trying to put it out there and take some chances. And she understood that, you know, you’re not going to get anything if you don’t apply to it,” Mispagel said. “So I’m always more than happy to write a letter of recommendation and just let the students know that just because you get a letter of recommendation from me doesn’t mean it’s going to happen. It’s definitely on the student and their, you know, community service and job experience and all of those things that go together.”

Read more at the link in story!

With the presidential election occurring this year

With the presidential election occurring this year, it’s one of the most important ways adults in our country can be involved with our government. But this seems obvious to the adults in our country, as Pew Research Center (PRC) states that over two-thirds of the adults registered to vote filled out their ballots in the last election.

Without an obvious way for those under 18 to make their voice heard by voting, it makes sense that teenagers wouldn’t feel the need to stay informed on government policies. But according to Young Citizens, there’s a direct correlation between minors who care about politics and those who are more likely to vote in the future.

If you watch TV, or have social media, you might be seeing constant advertisements telling you to register to vote, emphasizing the importance. This can make it seem like caring about politics is only valuable if you can fill out a ballot.

Voting is not the only way to stay involved with politics, and especially not the only way to support your beliefs.

Many teenagers choose to protesting or post and repost political views on social media to make sure their voices are heard, even before they can vote.

Posting online is an easier and more popular way of sharing beliefs, and Pew Research Center states that 57% of the country believes it’s a good thing for our democracy.

Link in story for more!

Best of luck to volleyball as they head to Salina

Best of luck to volleyball as they head to Salina for the state tournament. Bring home another banner!

Photos by Molly Griffin

Issue 2 of the JagWire hits seminar today. Pick up

Issue 2 of the JagWire hits seminar today. Pick up a copy from your seminar teacher to read about The election, pickleball, Day of the Dead, how teachers are handling phones and much more!

It’s time for the second Jagwire survey of the y

It’s time for the second Jagwire survey of the year! Click the link in our story (or the “surveys” highlight) to fill out the survey. This issue includes the topics of Election, phone policies and pickleball

Senior Seville Skinner volunteers by helping out a

Senior Seville Skinner volunteers by helping out at a summer camp and her church’s ministry which both focus on helping people with special needs.

Camp Barnabas, located in Barry County, Missouri, is a summer camp that specializes in providing a fun experience for children and adults with all types of disabilities. As a missionary, Skinner works as a one-on-one partner with campers.

Camp Barnabas provides new experiences to campers that may not be achievable at home. Camp activities like climbing a rock wall or going on a zip line are made to be accessible for everyone, including people who use wheelchairs.

“A lot of times when we’re doing [activities] we do it together, just me and my camper,” Skinner said. “It’s an easy way to form special bonds. We get inside jokes that only us two know. Doing those games, activities and sports together really helps build a special connection.”

Read more at the link in story

The way teacher’s classrooms are decorated helps

The way teacher’s classrooms are decorated helps improve students’ learning and comfort in the classroom

Read more at the link in our story

Every year, a fantasy football craze takes over th

Every year, a fantasy football craze takes over the school with many students participating in their own fantasy football leagues. From drafting star players to making important trades, students spend hours maintaining their team in hopes of winning their respective leagues.

Fantasy football is a virtual game where players can become managers of their very own NFL team roster with the goal of outscoring another team every week. Junior Landin Arnold plays in a fantasy football league with his hockey team. He enjoys it because of the competition.

“Fantasy football is fun because it’s a race of whoever doesn’t get last because in last place we have a big challenge on our hockey team for the loser,” Arnold said.

Read more at the link in our story

Students describe why they went to and enjoyed con

Students describe why they went to and enjoyed concerts over the summer along with the prices of merch that was provided

Graphics by Madelyn Mulryan

Big thank you too @kspaonline for an amazing day o

Big thank you too @kspaonline for an amazing day of learning and fun at the KSPA Fall Conference.

Tune in to our Instagram stories Oct 2, as JagWire

Tune in to our Instagram stories Oct 2, as JagWire Editor-in-Chief Hailey perrin takes us through the day at the KSPA Fall Conference.

After a tornado damaged the football scoreboard, s

After a tornado damaged the football scoreboard, soccer locker rooms, ticket booths, gym floor, baseball scoreboard, soccer equipment and the tennis storage shed on Thursday, May 20, the district spent the summer scheduling repairs. Estimated cost for the repairs, paid for by insurance, will be 1.4 million dollars.

While most damages have been fixed, the soccer locker rooms have not and the football scoreboard wasn’t fixed until after the first game.

Chief of Operations Brian Schwanz created plans to fix these damages.

“About 5:30 [that morning] we started getting phone calls that there was damage to Mill Valley,” Schwanz said. “We immediately came over to Mill Valley and started assessing the damage and figuring out what we needed to fix [right away].”

Throughout the summer, Schwanz has been working to coordinate the fix of most of the damages.

“It’s time-consuming, you have to work with our insurance company and vendors to get quotes on and you have to [prioritize] what needs to be fixed first,” Schwanz said.

Read more at the link in our story

Senior Noah Pham is one of the many students, spec

Senior Noah Pham is one of the many students, specifically men, who have struggled with their mental health.

“I’ve struggled with my mental health, and I know a lot of people in my life that have,” Pham said. “Just seeing other people struggle with It has kind of opened up my eyes to how big of a problem [mental health] is in everyone’s life.”

In just the last year, Mental Health America reports that one in five teenagers has had a serious depressive episode. Over half of those teens -or close to three million youth- never received treatment for their mental illness.

Women are more likely to have mental health issues, as per the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC). But the numbers don’t add up. Men die by suicide at a rate of four times as much as women.

While men have a responsibility to get aid for their health, society has not been equal in the way that men’s mental health has been treated compared to women. Larger societal factors such as stereotypes or portrayals of men in the media can influence how men internalize their mental health.

Link in story for more

Issue 1 of the JagWire hits seminar today. Pick up

Issue 1 of the JagWire hits seminar today. Pick up a copy from your seminar teacher to read about men’s mental health, summer concerts and fantasy football.

Before you go to homecoming, help celebrate our co

Before you go to homecoming, help celebrate our corporate sponsor Smoothie King’s West Shawnee locations 1st year open, 10 lucky people will be chosen to win free smoothies for a year.

2 of those winners will be Mill Valley students. To enter, all you need to do is attend Smoothie King on Saturday, Sept 21, and fill out a card with your information; no purchase is necessary.

Even if you don’t win the free smoothies for a year, still swing into the West Shawnee location for lots of discounts and rewards.

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STAFF SPOTLIGHT

Abby Stidham-Ebberts

JagWire reporter/photographer

This is sophomore Abby Stidham’s first year on the JagWire staff. This year she is taking the role of a writer and photographer for the JagWire. When she is not working on journalism, she enjoys spending...

LINKS

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USD 232 Website
YouTube: MVTV

MVTV

JAGWIRE NEWSPAPER

JagWire Newspaper: Volume 25, Issue 2
JagWire Newspaper: Volume 25, Issue 1
JagWire Newspaper: Volume 24, Issue 7
JagWire Newspaper: Volume 24, Issue 6
JagWire Newspaper: Volume 24, Issue 5
JagWire Newspaper: Volume 24, Issue 4
JagWire Newspaper: Volume 24, Issue 3
JagWire Newspaper: Volume 24, Issue 2
JagWire Newspaper: Volume 24, Issue 1
JagWire Newspaper: Volume 23, Issue 7

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