The Express

Baseball & Softball Update

kknoth — Fri, 18 May 2012 16:47:12 +0000

The Basehor-Linwood baseball team lost in the first round of regionals to the 1 seed Jefferson West. They lost 13-14 in extra innings. Basehor was hurt when they walked seven straight batters and lost there 10-7 lead in the 7th. The Bobcats finished 4-15.

The Softball team won its Regional with ease. The Bobcats swept past their competition thanks to a consistent offensive output and senior Brooke Redmond’s pitching. She threw a one-hitter in the regional championship. The Lady Cats are headed back to State, and will compete for their second state title in two years next weekend in Salina.

Track Regional Outlook

kknoth — Fri, 18 May 2012 16:38:33 +0000

The boys and girls track teams are finishing up another season. The regional meet is today, and there will hopefully be a few people from the team continuing on to the state track meet. From the boys team, the 4×400 team (Zach Smith, Jesse Jones, Cory McCleary, and Tanner Tavis) has a really good chance at qualifying. The 4×100 (Trey Kincheloe, Zach Smith, Jesse Jones, Alex Jackson, and Lane Young) will make it if they get their handoffs down without a mistake. Lane Young will qualify for long jump after breaking the school record during the first meet of the year. Ben Johnson and Jesse Hiss will also make it in discuss and maybe shot put. Also, Matt Ogilvie will go for the 110m hurdles after sweeping just about every meet.

There are a lot of girls that have a chance to go as well. Dakkota Edmonds will go for the 100m, and the 200m after being the 2011 champion in it. The girls 4×100 (Katie Hickman, Marriah Clayton, Rachel Cook, Sierra Smith, and Dakkota Edmonds) can pull of a good time in regionals to go. Good luck today, Bobcats!

Graduation 2012

kknoth — Fri, 18 May 2012 15:49:04 +0000

Thursday night, May 17, the Class of 2012 graduated. More than 180 students from BLHS and the BLHS Virtual School completed the requirements for graduation. There was a special appearance by Lt. Col. Gregory Shuey, who presented Grant Moyer with a scholarship worth $414,000 to the United States Air Force Academy and Mr. Gehl, who presented the $10,000 Faye Carney Gehl Scholarship to Ben Kamm.The senior class brought in more than $3 million of scholarships, and 84 percent of seniors are choosing to pursue degrees in colleges and universities. Five members of the class are going into active military service.

The class valedictorians, who finished with a perfect 4.0 grade point average, were Emily Engler, Jesse Hiss, Garret Kahle, Ben Kamm, Danae Leppke, Kristin Mance, Jacob Peterson, Ashlee Richardson, and Alexis Tate. The salutatorians were Alex Bright and Grant Moyer.

The night ran smoothly with a full house and happy graduates. Congratulations Class of 2012!

School Year Wrap-Up

kknoth — Thu, 10 May 2012 12:58:06 +0000

Now the 2011-2012 school year is finally almost over. This was my favorite year of high school so far by a longshot. This year I met so many new people who are now my good friends, and had tons of fun. I will most likely remember this year for the rest of my life because all of the events that took place here at school. My favorite thing or event that happened this year was the trip to Salina for state basketball. My friends Drew, Seagar, Tyler, Dalton, Mac, Kyle, Beau and I stayed in a hotel down there for two nights. “We had a great time hanging out and cheering on our team to a state championship!” said Dalton. Standing there watching the basketball team win that game was one of the top three favorite moments of my junior year, they all deserved it.
Another thing I won’t forget about this year is our soccer team. We all became so close at the end of the year and it stinks knowing you wont ever get to play with that same team again. On the positive side of that, I was the lead scorer on the team, had the most points, and was one of the leaders in assists. It has been my goal to accomplish all of that since my freshman year, and it felt great doing it. I would like to give a shout out to one of my best friends since freshman year on the team Dakota Foster. He has helped me progress throughout my three years and making those hot, hard practices and games worth playing, and keeping me laughing the whole time, thank you.
The last thing I would like to talk about is the senior class. The class of 2012 is my favorite class so far, and its going to stink to watch them leave. They have all made my 3 years of high school really fun and entertaining. The school has never had a class like this one before, and not only me, but all the other students and even teachers will miss you guys. I just want to say congratulations to all of the seniors that are graduating, and good luck on whatever they do after high school.

Memories

kknoth — Thu, 10 May 2012 12:47:30 +0000

As each school year comes to an end, most students take a moment or two to reflect back on the year’s events. The years all just seem to run together when you start trying to recall the good times of years past. But as I grow closer to my senior year and realize that soon I’ll be an college, I want to remember all the good times that I’ve had with my friends during my years at Basehor-Linwood High School.
If I had to choose my favorite time/event of my junior year at BLHS, it would have ti be the entire varsity football season which included the first win playoff game and the heartbreaking, season ending loss in the second round of the playoffs. As football season started way back in the summer, most everyone including myself had the highest expectations for the Bobcats. On paper we seasoned with a roster that had 22 seniors and a handful of juniors that were two-year varsity starters. As the season began, we worked hard as a team. It was showing during game time, we played as a team and won as a team. It didn’t take long to get the well-deserved respect from all our area rivals. As the season went on, so did our wins. We played well at home and also played well on the road. The small town of Basehor was behind us. At home games, area businesses supported by donating fireworks for the games. With every score by the Bobcats a lighted sky would appear and the crowd would go crazy. When you looked into the stands, there wouldn’t be an empty seat anywhere with fans even lining up at the fence. It was a time to remember how proud I was to be a part of this Bobcat team.
The winning continued, and as the playoffs approached we had to face a ghost that had haunted us in the past, we the BLHS Bobcats had never won a playoff game, what pressure. Honestly I spent several nights lying in bed thinking about the playoffs, playing through my mind what we needed to prove ourselves and everyone else that we were legit and deserved all the kudos that we were getting.
So to cap off the season we were able to win our first ever playoff game in BLHS history but unfortunately lost in the second round. I will remember this season forever with this up coming season on my mind. For this upcoming football season my class of 2013 seniors have a chance to make school history if/when we win six more games. With six wins this coming season we become the class with the most wins in a 4-year high school career at BLHS.
My motto is you have to believe to achieve.

May Print Edition Released Today!

kknoth — Fri, 04 May 2012 12:26:17 +0000

The 4th and final issue of the BLHS Express was released today in print. If you missed it, check it out at issuu.com/kloney!

Prom Etiquette

kknoth — Fri, 04 May 2012 12:23:42 +0000

As long as there have been high schools, there has been both friendly and not so friendly rivalries. Rivalries are good to keep sports competitive with everyone wanting to represent their school and be the best they could be. Rivalries can also be dangerous if tempers get out of hand and teams make rash decisions with consequences that could change their lives.
Basehor-Linwood High School has a unique location to its connecting town rivals. BLHS has five rival high schools with less than a 20 mile radius. To the north there is Lansing High School, to the south is Mill Valley, to the east we have Piper, to the west the Chieftains of Tongie. Somewhere in the middle there is Bonner Springs. With common area such as the Legends, Live Strong Sporting Park and Community America, students are bound to run into each other and have to interact with one another.
With five are schools being in each others backyards, should each school make their junior-senior proms closed to other area students? Junior Olivia Simmons said “I say no because there are a lot of people who don’t have dates at our school because the guys and girls are bringing outside dates, unless they’re actually dating then I understand.’’ When asked the same question Junior Tanner Garver said “ I don’t think so because a lot of people hang out or date people from other schools.’’ Junior Seagar Smith said ,“ I don’t care.’’
When schools are fierce sports rivals do you think that social functions such as proms can be compromised? Junior Alec Otting said, “ I think there’s always going to be tension and you have to realize that when you come to a social event at a rival school. Not to say we still can’t get along.’’ Tanner Garver said “ Yeah they do because everyone knows sports and wants to be the best, and it runs off into real life.’’
Would you attend a rival’s prom? Junior Ben Johnson said, “ Yes, only if I knew a few people.’’ Olivia Simmons said, “ Yes, except Tongie, because we don’t like each other.’’
So with prom season approaching and with an open invitation to all students everyone needs to be on their best behavior and try to put any rivalries to rest at least for the one night.

DRESSed to the Nines

kknoth — Fri, 04 May 2012 12:16:59 +0000

Prom, one of America’s most iconic high school dances, got its start in the late 1800s.The original idea for prom came from debutante balls. In the 1800s, when a daughter from a wealthy family reached the age of 18, her family threw a huge party for her to announce her entrance into polite society.
High schools took this idea and developed proms for graduating seniors. These were fairly small, simple “tea dances.” When the 80s rolled in, they gave prom a makeover. The dance soon became the party we know and love today–not small and not simple.
As the meaning of prom evolved, so did its dress code. At the original debutante balls, the girl “debuting” would wear a huge, eye-catching dress, hoping to steer the attention away from everyone else. Nowadays, that’s still the basic idea. So how does one find the perfect dress?
Usually, there’s a huge push to pick out your dress early. Many BLHS students began their dress searches last semester.
Where you pick out a dress is important, too. Zona Rosa is a popular place to go. More than one student cited the Watercolors boutique located there. This store is popular because they won’t sell the same dress to two girls from the same school. Deb was also mentioned as a place to find your perfect dress.
Going to the stores is pointless if you don’t know what you want. A majority of the girls interviewed said that they wanted a bright dress. In the prom world, bright dresses aren’t too hard to come by.
So now you’ve picked out your gorgeous dress. It’s perfect. You pick up the price tag and…is that a four digit number?
To avoid the disappointment of a dress outside your price range, set a budget before you go and check the price tags before you try anything on.

Finally, it’s the night of prom. You put on your dream dress and get to the dance. You walk in and….oh, no. Someone’s wearing the exact same dress as you.
Generally, this doesn’t happen, but nothing’s foolproof. The threat of unintentionally being someone’s twin for the night doesn’t really faze the girls we interviewed. Almost all said some variant of, “I’d wear it better”.
The only thing to do, really, when you walk into prom and see someone else modeling your dress is to keep up the confidence.
Prom’s over and now you wonder what to do with your wonderful dress.
Everyone’s first inclination is to keep it. You could tuck it into your closet for you kids to look at–and laugh at–later. (You know it’s going to happen) You could do as junior Nikki Hawthorne is considering and swap with a friend. Or you could donate it to a charity for another girl to enjoy. The website donatemydress.org is a good resource.
In conclusion, don’t let your dress dominate prom. Just follow these tips and have a wonderful prom!

College Worries

kknoth — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 14:02:16 +0000

“Yes, I’m going to college. I’ve planned on going all my life and I can’t wait!” Sarah Scott, a junior said.
The advantages of going to a college aren’t hard to see, from helping you become more successful to simply making you smarter. But what if you don’t know which kind of college to go to? There are many types of colleges; community college, career colleges/technical schools, liberal arts colleges, public 4-year college, public universities, and private colleges/universities. So with all the possibilities were do you fit in the best?
With all these choices it is hard to decide, Emma England a junior says she is still not sure “KSU, KU, UMKC are all possibilities.”
All types of colleges have their own benefits. Through all your classes, work, and other activities, your time management skills develop. Your money management skills are tested and developed due to all the expenses you are faced with. In addition, your cultural and intellectual interest expand. With all the social networking that materializes while attending a college, your relationships create a social foundation and support system both during and after you graduate.
With six different colleges they all start to blur together, so what are the differences between them all?
Matt Case, a junior, said he is most nervous about paying for it. If you are worried about the cost, try a community college, also known as a junior college. These offer a two-year course. In the end you will earn your associate’s degree. Community colleges are an option if you want to stay close to home while studying. The tuition is very low compared to the traditional four-year public and private institutions. It also gives you a chance to finish your general classes before transferring to a four-year school. If you are unsure about what you want to do, you are given more time to determine your major and boost your GPA.
If you choose to go to a community college and then later transfer to a four-year college, be sure that all your credits transfer.
Junior Brooke Schler said, “I am planning on going to a local college like KU for about two years, just to get my feet on the ground. After that, however, I will probably move on to another college that is more in my field.”
Knowing what you want to do can help you more than you know. If you have a definite field or an ideal career in mind. You could try a career college or technical school.
Interested in general liberal arts? Then a Liberal Arts college is best. With a four-year program, undergraduates often go to a graduate school to earn degrees in medicine, law, business, or theology.
The public 4-year college presents programs that lead to a bachelor’s degree. They offer on and off campus experiences that you can’t find at junior colleges. If you attend a four-year college, you will get a more flexible degree that covers a wide variety of jobs when out of college. The best advantage to a four-year college is the learning experience. Remember that in-state public colleges are more affordable than going to an out of state college.
Senior Danielle Ridder has decided to go straight to a four-year college. “I was accepted into KU’s School of Journalism and I’m really excited to be a journalism major!”

Student Sections

kknoth — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 12:33:27 +0000

Every school, big or small, has one. It shows up to all the games and cheers its team onto victory. It’s the student section.
This group (or mass in the case of BLHS), has its pros and cons—especially when state basketball comes into the equation.
The Express caught up with two Basehor students to get their opinions on State and student sections in general.
Taylor Leach, a junior, says, “[I like the student section because] sometimes you don’t always sit next to your friends so you meet new people.” There is definitely a social aspect to the games. How can there not be when you’re sitting mere inches from your neighbor?
Junior Sarah Jacobs says that her favorite aspect is cheering. “I like pumping up the crowd and team.”
While their reasons for sitting with their classmates are different, there’s another thing they both enjoy: The feeling of camaraderie that all the students feel. “I like the feeling of everyone cheering for the same team,” Leach says.
This feeling of togetherness helps create the buzz when the Bobcats do something truly amazing—like win state. Jacobs says. “[When we won the state championship] there was loud cheering. Our heads were buzzing. We were clapping
and hugging and crying.”
So, don’t go to the student section expecting a boring time. Go to make friends, have a good time, and feel like a part of something big.