Story by Bailee Council – Assistant Editor   On Feb. 11, thousands of students from various schools gathered at the University of Missouri-Kansas City to partake in the Distributive Education Clubs of America (DECA) Districts. Twelve students from Lee’s Summit North High advanced to state.     “Overall, I am so proud of all the students and their hard work. I think we learned a lot from this year’s districts, what events to compete in next year, and different ways to prepare,” Katie Wilson, DECA head advisor, said.     DECA prepares students not only for the marketing world but also for emerging leaders and entrepreneurs for careers in marketing, finance, hospitality, and management in high schools and colleges around the globe. DECA’s core values and attributes are competence, innovation, integrity, and teamwork; all of which helped students like Miles Milton, junior, to advance. DECA helps students develop leadership, teamwork, and critical thinking skills. This program also provides students with opportunities to gain industry experience.     “Just take it seriously because you never know where it is going to go…being outgoing in general, creative, and working in a lot of areas that relate around business and generating ideas helped me a lot,” Milton said.     The potential to earn travel opportunities, recognition, scholarships, and even DECA Glass for learning classroom content makes it all the more motivating. With a combination of nearly 60 role-play, prepared, and online events, DECA offers a competitive event for every course and every member.    “Seeing students get excited when they win, even students that don’t seem excited to participate, to watch them get pumped up is the best!” Wilson said.      DECA greatly benefits students, teachers, schools, and the community. From case studies and activities to use in the classroom and access to cutting-edge teacher professional development, DECA is aligned with Career and Technical Education goals to help support your program and curriculum. For beginners, events to consider are individual series events and team decision-making events. As you might expect, individual series events are perfect for those who prefer working alone. These events test your knowledge and skills in specific business areas, such as retail merchandising or hospitality. The topics are more focused, allowing you to concentrate on a single area of expertise. Team Decision Making Events, on the other hand, involve working with a partner or as a team to solve a business problem. These events encourage collaboration and allow you to share the workload. If you enjoy teamwork and brainstorming, this could be a great choice.   Photo courtesy of Ms. Wilson

Story & Photo by Talon Cleveland – Feature Editor The Muslim Student Alliance is an active club that informs the school of Islam and helps spread awareness of Muslim culture.     “When the seniors graduated they didn’t leave us with anything, so we took it upon ourselves to find sponsors. We were like, let’s do this cause we wanna make it something,” Fatima Yousaf, junior, said.     The MSA has been more active with the school this year thanks to club leaders Fatima Yousaf and Jasmin Asif, junior. The LSN and LSW MSAs collaborated for an ice skating night hosted on January 24. Along with ice skating, Yousaf and Asif led a Falafel Learning Lunch for staff members to become more informed about Ramadan and Muslim student needs during this time.     “We put flyers around the school, and we try to teach as much as possible and spread awareness about issues like hate and discrimination around the world,” Asif said.      A typical club meeting consists of a presentation on the key pillars of Islam and a Q&A about any questions students and/or teachers might have.     “LSN has a few Muslims, around five or six. So those people and then the other people that are in our club are non-Muslim and we wanna educate them and tell them all about Islam,” Yousaf said.     MSA is an open club accepting Muslim and non-Muslim students and teachers. If you are a Muslim student looking for community or a non-Muslim looking to be informed of the culture, contact Mr. Russell in the LMC.

Story & Photo by Morgan Hill – Sports Editor This season for the LSN Winter Guard has been one of many firsts.     The team has rallied behind their love for one another and has made long-lasting memories as a group.    One of this group’s first and significant memories was competing at their first WGI, Winter Guard International, competition since 2006.     WGI is known for being a competition of talent at the national level for high school and college level winter guards.     With a fun show entitled “Closing Time,” the team experienced much joy performing the show and placing at the top of each competition.     “Our upperclassmen have done a very good job with creating a supportive and judgment-free environment, and we are all each other’s best friends, which makes practicing together so exciting,” Reagan Hill, freshman, said.     The culture of success and positivity that the team embodies has helped them to score first place in many competitions and make the finals round at the WGI competition.     Overall, the LSN Winter Guard has shared tons of successes and is looking forward to finishing out their season on a high note.  

Story & Photo by Ireland Lucas – Staff Reporter     The talent show, hosted by Bronco Smart, was on February 27th. The acts ranged from singing, band performances, dance routines, and more. Students had to audition prior to the show.     “I did it last year and it was fun so I wanted to do it again,” Annika Hess, sophomore, said.     Those who performed in past years agree that the talent show is nothing to be scared of. Most of the time students are afraid to perform because they are scared they will embarrass themself in front of the school.    “The audience is really small so don’t be scared,” Hess said.    The audience was engaging and supportive of all the performers. Overall it was a really encouraging atmosphere.    “Watching my friends perform was the best part,” Amaya Cauruthers, sophomore, said.    The night ended with the judges declaring Annika Hess the winner of the show.

Check out the February Print Issue – scroll down to the bottom of this page to click on the link!   Also, check out our weekly Instagram posts – follow up at @lsnnewspaper!

Story & Graphic by Antil Snoddy – Staff Reporter    The 2025-2026 school year is approaching, and so is enrollment for the year. Students are encouraged to sign up for all their classes early to get the courses desired.    Although the enrollment process is made manageable for students to complete independently, many express difficulties navigating enrollment and need help.    There are many dates for students to keep in mind when it comes to enrollment.     Feb. 10-14th – Enrollment Week in Mentoring. Feb. 14th is also the last date to enter courses in PowerSchool and apply for any off-campus programs or programs that require an application (Yearbook, Newspaper, Library Media Aide, etc).    Feb. 3 – Scheduling for Spring Enrollment Conferences opens    Feb. 25 and 27 – Spring Enrollment Conferences – all students and their parents/guardians must attend a conference to finalize their course choices Rebecca Steele, counselor.   These dates are important and students must take advantage of these early opportunities.     There are many mistakes students make when applying for classes. These include not filling out enough requests for a full schedule, signing up for classes without having the prerequisites for them, picking classes without learning about them first, and putting the same alternate choices as their first choices when it comes to selecting classes. All of these mistakes can be easily avoided if students take their time during the enrollment process.     Whether they are creating their schedules in person or online, students need to make sure to pick a full seven-course schedule. Students also need to ensure their alternate courses are different from their first choices and courses that interest them.     The enrollment process can seem like a lot but it is vital for making the next school year enjoyable for students. Enrolling early and on time is key to having the best chance of getting the perfect schedule.

Story & Photo by Ireland Lucas – Staff Reporter    Valentine’s is a day that many people know to be about sharing your love with others like your friends, family, and specifically your partner. A lot of people celebrate it differently and there are a lot of traditions people associate with it.    “My parents get me a teddy bear and we decorate our house for Valentine’s Day,” Anna Davis, sophomore, said.    Another thing people love is the candy that comes with Valentine’s Day. There’s a lot; including chocolate boxes, conversation hearts, and lollipops shaped like lips.     “Conversation Hearts because they are delicious and a classic,” Claire Yoder, sophomore, said.    At Lee Summit North, from January 27th to the 31st there was a spirit week that had surrounded Valentine’s Day. A lot of people participated to show their school spirit and also to keep up the season’s festivity.     “Valentine’s Day is a good opportunity to show your love for people and let them know you care about them,” Anna, said.    Valentine’s Day overall is a favorite season for lots of people because of the loving perspective behind it. It allows people to go out with their loved ones and just enjoy themselves.

Story by Isabelle Flood – Social Media Editor  Lee’s Summit North winter sports is something that every student is looking forward to. While wrestling isn’t one of the most popular sports, there’s no doubt that they are very entertaining to watch. The LSN wrestlers are off to a strong start on their season.     “The season so far has been really good, my record is 21-13, and have placed at multiple tournaments,” Kale Lepert, junior, said.    There are a few duals and tournaments left of the regular season, then the athletes move on to post-season, District and State level tournaments. Placing at tournaments and getting to the state tournament is no easy feat.     “For the rest of the season we will have about 4-5 more duals and tournaments before Districts, and those who place top 4 at that tournament will move on to the State tournament,” Lepert said.     A lot goes on behind the scenes to get the wrestlers prepared for a match. Tough practices and reliable coaches is what gets these athletes ready.    “[Our coaches] know our goals and what we want to achieve and push us to get there. I prepare for matches getting my head in the right space and making sure I know what I’m going to do in the match,” Lepert said.    With the wrestling season starting to wind down, LSN students and staff are excited to see how they will finish out the regular season to go into Districts.  Photo courtesy of LSN Wrestling

Story & Graphic by Bailee Council – Assistant Editor    In the 2020-2021 school year, the DESE, Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, began allowing school districts to implement Alternative Methods of Instruction Plans on days when school is not in session due to inclement weather. If bad weather, temperatures, or road conditions make it unsafe for students to get to school, the district will call it an AMI distance learning day. If schools run out of the five AMI days the state allows, they will call it a snow day.     “I find it easier learning in person instead of being completely online. When it comes to being online full time you don’t have anyone holding you accountable,” Jodi Williams, senior, said.     Students in Missouri used to wait in anticipation of school cancellations due to bad weather conditions. A “snow day” meant a day off from school and time to sleep in late and then play in the snow. However, with the most recent implementation of AMI days, students are still required to complete assignments on those days away.     “It is more frustrating when we don’t know until the morning of that day, because we have to scramble to create AMI content. It is also tedious to track “attendance” unless we wait until the next day, which just adds to the tasks of the next day. Additionally, many students will “check in” but not complete the assignment, which leads to having to reteach, rendering the AMI day wasted,” Tracy Wrisinger, math teacher, said.     Starting the 2025 semester, the LSR7 district used four of the the five AMI days to get through the first week back for students, soon after the last available AMI day was used. This alone raised concern and irritability from both students and educators. The majority of teachers already find it difficult to integrate students back into the classroom after winter break, however, attempting to make that transition virtually adds more of a challenge for teachers.