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.  

Story by Kay Haas- News Editor  Lee’s Summit North is hosting its new Plan Your Future Day. Plan Your Future Day is a day for students to explore and discover post-secondary education, new classes for the upcoming school year, and new career options. Instead of going to their normal classes, students will select five different sessions relating to future opportunities.     Students had a bunch of different sessions to choose from a range of various fields. The fields of interest are Health Services, Industrial and Engineering Technology, Human Services, Natural Resources Agriculture, Business, Management, Technology, and Arts and Communications. There are also options for students to explore opportunities in future planning skills, off-campus and work programs, and military.     One of the sessions students could’ve chosen was Heart of Healthcare: A Day in the Life of a Nurse. This session falls under the Health Services category and allows students interested in nursing an opportunity to hear about the real-life experience of a nurse. Another session students could’ve chosen was From High School to Hired: ProX Internships. This session will teach kids about the different paid summer internship options that are available at ProX. At this session, ProX is currently hiring high schoolers so students can have the opportunity to get a paid internship.     Don’t forget the amazing opportunity that is Plan Your Future Day on Wednesday, January 29th from 8:00-10:25. Photo courtesy of the LSN Website

Story by Morgan Hill – Sports Editor  Lee’s Summit North is honored to celebrate Mrs. Sarah Courtney as she was named a Smart/Maher VFW National Citizenship Education Teacher Award Winner for Jackson County and the State of Missouri.    The Smart/Maher VFW National Citizenship Education Teacher Award, is an award sponsored by the VFW (Veterans of Foreign Wars), who have local meeting groups with fellow veterans and try to make a difference in their communities.     Mrs. Courtney was nominated by former LSN teacher, Chuck Stephenson, who is a veteran of the US Navy and a member of the local VFW group in Jackson County.    “The award means a great deal to me because it is humbling to think that a group of people who truly understand service to others through their service to our country would even consider honoring me for teaching citizenship and service to my students,” Sarah Courtney, history teacher, said.    Mrs. Courtney credits Mr. Stephenson and her dad, a fellow veteran, for helping to inspire her and continue to always serve others in her community.    “Their [Mr. Stephenson and her dad’s] willingness to give of themselves to others demonstrates such integrity and is a reminder to me that an important part of my job is to teach my students how they can give back to others in service to our community,” Courtney said.    Mrs. Courtney will be presented with this award on February 8th, at the MO State VFW Convention in Saint Louis. Photo courtesy of LSN Social Media

Story by Kate Gerding – Editor-in-Chief    The Northern Stars will host their annual LSN Invitational this weekend. Teams from around the area will compete with both individual and team pieces. Although the Stars will perform their routines, they will not be competing like the rest of the teams.    “Since we host, we perform both of our routines as exhibitions so we still get critiques but we don’t get scored or placed,” Danica Wise, senior, said.    Friday night will consist of solos, duos, and trios while team events will be held on Saturday. The Invitational will culminate in an hour long award ceremony after everyone has been scored.    “I’m looking forward to the awards ceremony because [we] put together a fire playlist,” Wise said.    This weekend’s invitational follows the Northern Star’s success in last week’s competition. The team took home first place in Jazz, first for their team performance, and a technique award for their Jazz piece as well.    “We did really well, we all worked super hard,” Wise said.    If you missed last week’s performances, you can still watch the girls this weekend along with many talented dancers at the LSN Invitational. Photo Credit: LSN Northern Stars Instagram

Story & Photo by Isabelle Flood – Social Media Editor    The 2024 NCAA Women’s College Volleyball Tournament is coming to a close with the National Semifinals on December 19 and the Championship match on December 22. The tournament has had plenty of upsets, but it was no shock that the four teams left are all number-one seeds. Pittsburgh and Louisville will play first at 5:30 P.M. on Thursday, leaving many fans excited for this match-up we have seen time and time again.     “I can’t wait for the Pitt and Louisville match. I expected them to go to five sets the first time they played but I think Louisville has regrouped and could beat Pitt,” Ava Lane, sophomore, said.     Pitt and Louisville are just some of the teams that have already played each other during the regular season. Nebraska and Penn State will follow that match, giving Nebraska a chance for redemption against the Nittany Lions after they gave Nebraska their second loss on the season. Nebraska lost in four sets, but claiming after that they were not focused and did not play their best.    “Nebraska and Penn will be a great game but I don’t see Nebraska losing to them again. Especially with their response to the loss and how they have been playing in the tournament,” Lane said.    Post-season is typically when teams will start to peak and play the best game they can. Teams like Kentucky, Mizzou, Stanford, and Creighton were peaking at the right time but just couldn’t get to the national matches.     “Mizzou surprised me this year. I did not expect them to upset SMU, and I definitely did not expect them to beat them in four sets,” Lane said.     Most are predicting a championship match between Pitt and Nebraska, but all teams in the semifinals are very talented and competitive contenders, and anything can happen.  

Story & Photo by Bailee Council – Assistant Editor   Through many lives, Rhonda Jones has lived many dreams that have led her to where she is currently. In her next chapter, she leaves to reunite with her family in Maryland and aspires to be an inspirational speaker. With dreams of starting a life coaching business, Jones also plans to write a book expressing her motos for the world.     Through the years, she’s worked her way up from elementary to high school.    “I started out doing elementary because I was intimidated by high schoolers at first,” Jones said.      For the past eight years, Jones has impacted students throughout the LSR7 district as a substitute teacher. The influence and love Jones shares with students had been unmatched, particularly in the Lee’s Summit North community. Jones also took on the long-term responsibility of being an ROTC substitute, reminding her of her time in the military.     However, when asked about her most memorable time in the military, Jones expressed, “My most memorable moment would be when I made my last rank as an E-6 because I was thinking about getting out…my “why” changed…North and being a long-term part of ROTC has prepared me for this next chapter,” said Jones.     Jones has proven to be a very transparent woman, and plenty of students and faculty would agree that she has become a universal safe space for the school. By learning her purpose and giving back to the people around her, Jones has left her mark on the LSN community. Moving forward, it is clear that Jones has many more people in the world to embrace her character    “Being an inspirational speaker is not going to be a job for me, that’s going to be who I am…being a substitute teacher helped me grow into who I am,” Jones said.     As Jones says her final goodbyes to LSN, students throughout Lee’s Summit thank her for her time and contributions. Moving into this next chapter many are excited to see what is in store, and many take inspiration from Jones’s passion in what she does.    “Put down the cell phone and create relationships with people because community and relationships are extremely important and love is the answer the everything,” Jones said.    Her life motto, to create a whole new world with all the things you do not know, has gotten her through the years and will carry her through the next. 

Story & Graphic by Kate Gerding – Editor-in-Chief     ‘Tis the season for college applications, scholarships, and essays. Most seniors planning to attend college next school year face several due dates in the coming months. Although this time of year can be stressful, there are many resources to make this process as easy as possible. Avaya Hall, senior, shared how the process has been for her and what she might have done differently.    “I have applied to roughly 18 colleges. I am completing my last one this week, and then I am officially done,” Hall said.    Even if you are applying for one or two schools, many applications are very similar in terms of what they ask for and what they are looking for in applicants.     “They ask for a lot: extracurriculars, teacher recommendations, supplementals (additional essays), majors, extracurriculars you want to do, honors colleges, if you are pre-law/med, etc.,” Hall said.    After general applications come the dreaded college essays. While they seem stressful at first, there are many ways to make your essays stand out to admissions officers.    “Be as creative as possible. Do not write a step-by-step on how you overcame adversity. Maybe avoid the sports injury trope, but be true to yourself,” Hall said.    Jocelyn Heinecke, senior, also shared her experience with applications and her advice for writing college essays.    “Make your opening hook something unexpected that will catch the attention of the reader. The people who read your essay have not only read yours but possibly hundreds of other essays, too. Make yours stand out,” Heinecke said.     Amidst all the to-dos, it is easy to mix up deadlines. Both Hall and Heinecke recommend staying on top of each school’s requirements.    “Scholarship deadlines are important to keep track of, too. There are hundreds of scholarships with different dates for their deadlines, so keep track of them well. Most of the scholarships I have applied to are due in early February,” Heinecke said.    The most important thing to remember through this process is if you are true to yourself and your values, you will end up where you are supposed to be. 

Story & Graphic by Morgan Hill – Sports Editor    The 2024 College Football season has been one of many nuances and challenges. However, the major challenge so far this season has been the College Football Playoff, especially due to it being expanded from 4 teams in previous years to 12 teams.     Last Sunday, December 8th, the field of 12 teams was released by the Playoff Committee and has incited many on how the committee prefers the format and therefore is starting to set precedents as to what the committee prefers to do.    “I think they choose teams that have a complete body of work. I also think they like to have some of the usual suspects blended with a few Cinderellas,” Jason Jones, history teacher, said.    The committee not only has to select 12 teams for the playoff but is constantly challenged with finding the best 12 teams. The 12 teams have to consist of the 5 highest conference champions as well as 5 at-large teams.    “They have a tough job,” Jones said.    With the release of the 12 teams, the format is set up so that the first-round games are played on campus for seeds 5-12. This surely will bring great atmospheres and even more excitement to the already thrilling games.    “Penn State will probably have the best atmosphere in round one,” Jones said.    With Penn State being one of the schools with the most tradition in the country they will be doing their famous “White Out” to hopefully create more of a home-field advantage in their game versus SMU.    As the Midwest is home to some of the best football teams in the country, there are four teams that represent the Big 10 conference in the playoff, the most of all conferences. One of which is Indiana, a great team but has never reached the playoff before.    “I think the Notre Dame/Indiana game will be a great game for CFB and the state of Indiana. Regional rivalries are the best,” Jones said.    With two teams from the state of Indiana playing each other in a heated match-up, it will most definitely make for a great game. The playoff begins on December 20th, with this great interstate match-up, and will continue to deliver great games all throughout December, all the way to the National Championship.