Story & Graphic by Kay Haas- Copy Editor/News Editor  LSN’s National Honor Society is organizing a blood drive on Wednesday, February 25th. The blood drive committee is led by Brooke Winkle, senior, Brooklyn Cates, senior, and Danielle Miles, senior, and sponsored by Jenny Buchanan, history teacher. They are working with the Community Blood Center to help make this event possible.    Donating blood is extremely important and helps many people.      “It’s very important for hospitals to receive different types of blood for things like surgeries, cancer treatments, trauma care, and chronic illness…about half a liter of blood can save three people’s lives,” Cates said.     There are some restrictions on who can donate blood. Parental consent is required for students under 16 years old. Some other requirements are being over 110 pounds and not having any infections.     “It is required that you feel well the day of donating blood, free of any symptoms of the flu or any viral or bacterial infections, and meet the hemoglobin and blood pressure standards,” Cates said.     The blood drive has had a great amount of participation in past years and is looking forward to this year’s drive.     “We are so excited to see this year’s numbers in terms of how many people donate and how many liters donated as well,” Cates said.     NHS members will be going to each mentor class on February 2nd to talk about the blood drive. Be sure to look out for the signups! 

Story by Ella Snead – Staff Reporter    For the past 28 years, the Northern Stars Dance Team has hosted its annual invitational. The event is a two-day competition where so many different styles will be performed, such as pom, kick, precision jazz, mix, and many others. Over 40 different schools are coming to this competition. The amount of skill and competition at this annual event is unmatched. The judges score on everything from choreography, difficulty, synchronization, sportsmanship, and overall impression. An event like this takes a lot of preparation from the dance team.          The first day is a solo competition, and the second day is a group competition with varsity teams and junior varsity teams. This event would have taken place on January 23rd and 24th, but due to inclement weather, the highly anticipated competition got rescheduled.    “It will be like starting over, new schedule, new everything, because not all teams will be able to come on the 21st. It’s heartbreaking to have had to cancel,” Shelly McCain, dance coach, said.    They were still able to do the solo competition on Friday, but not the group one. February 21st is the rescheduled date; all these schools will have almost a whole extra month of rehearsal. An extra month of rehearsal can either be helpful or hurt the competitors in the long run. This abrupt change of plans has caused extra chaos and stress for the dancers.    Although the snow delay will make things a bit more complicated, the Northern Stars will still succeed as hosts and competitors at their annual invitational.    Photo by Gracie Wolverton – Staff Reporter

Story & Graphic by Reagan Hill – Staff Reporter  As the LSN Winter Guard team’s competitive season quickly approaches, preparations for their first performance, a showcase this weekend at Blue Springs South High School, are in play.     “Having a showcase allows you to get a feel for performing in front of a crowd and allowing yourself to play a character. It also allows you to reflect on your performance,” Katrina Huynh, junior, said.     The showcase provides the team with an opportunity to perform their 2026 program for an audience before going out and competing, removing the competitive stress factors that come with regular competitions.     “My favorite part about the showcase is watching everyone perform and showing off all their hard work,” Huynh said.     With high hopes for the rest of the season, the teams hope to use this first performance as an opportunity to prepare and improve their performance quality for the remainder of the competition season.     “All 3 teams [Varsity, Junior Varsity, and Middle School] will benefit from this and being allowed to have a chance to perform in front of judges and crowd will make us better performers in the long run,” Huynh said.     This early-season opportunity will present a great foundation for the LSN Winter Guard teams as they continue to improve throughout the season.

Story & Photo by Malaykah Mbeche – Staff Reporter      As enrollment for the 2026-27 school year approaches, counselors encourage students and families to take advantage of the time provided to plan course selections and think ahead to life after high school.    “Through a certain window of time, yes,” Rebecca Steele, counselor, said.    Steele explained that students are able to make changes to their course choices and that enrollment presentations for freshmen and sophomores will be the week of January 19th, followed by juniors the week after. Students will have until Friday February 13th, to submit course requests and program applications.    “That’s kinda one last final place where students and their families can make changes,” Steele said.    Steele said spring enrollment conferences are on February 24 to 26th give families a final opportunity to adjust schedules before the counselors begin building the master schedule for next year.    “There’s certain things that just counselors are able to approve as schedule changes,” Steele said.     Steele noted that some requests, especially for year-long changes or teacher changes, must be reviewed by administration, which ultimately makes the final decision.     “The whole goal of ours is to start preparing for life after high school,” Steele said.  The enrollment process allows students to explore their interests and consider future paths such as college, careers, or technical schools while still in high school.     Counselors hope the enrollment process helps students make thoughtful decisions that support both their academic progress and future goals.

Story by Gracie Wolverton – Staff Reporter Creative Design and Technology is a class made to give students an environment to foster skills for a professional environment.     The course provides a foundation in several professional software programs with the hope of introducing students to client-based work as well as new technologies. Students currently enrolled in this course can gain skills in 3d modelling and illustration.    “Students are introduced to CAD software and solid modeling, while also gaining experience with professional design software such as Adobe Illustrator,” Jared Hook, Creative Design and Technology teacher, said.    These programs are used to create tangible items for students to design and take home.    “The output methods currently covered include traditional printing, 3D printing with modern printers, laser engraving, and laser cutting. Additionally, we create screen printing screens and print graphics on paper and fabric, such as t-shirts,” Hook said.    When taking this course, students have access to programs that are otherwise not available to them.        “It’s essential for students to have a desire to learn more about operating a Windows PC as they tackle various software-based creative design challenges. This course is open to those eager to expand their skills and explore their creativity,” Hook said.    Students interested in combining creativity and its applications should look into taking the Creative Design and Technology course

Story by Morgan Hill – Assistant Editor/Sports Editor    The Lee’s Summit North Girls Swim and Dive team has started its season with success. The girls are preparing for upcoming meets and State at the end of the season to present their best times and scores for each event.    With the girls having a new team dynamic each year, the new girls have enjoyed the team and are creating lasting friendships together.    “I like bonding with the team and experiencing the meets every week,” Isabel Hegendeffer, freshman, said.    The girls support each other throughout the season through their races and relays, and love bonding together while challenging each other to be the best they can be.    The girls are looking forward to spending the rest of the season with each other and creating lasting memories while striving their best to bring LSN success Photo by Gracie Wolverton – Entertainment Editor

Story by Isabelle Flood – Editor-in-Chief    LSN has many clubs and activities for students to participate in, one of them being Bronco Smart. Bronco Smart is a club focused on addressing and educating students on the impact of alcohol and drugs in the community. While the club has its sponsors, it is mainly student-led.    “I am the President of Bronco Smart,” Brooke Winkle, senior, said.     Being in such a big leadership role is not an easy task, but Winkle enjoys the club and the responsibilities that come with her role.     “I joined Bronco Smart because I was passionate about everything Bronco Smart stood for. The group is super fun, and we have great sponsors, so it’s enjoyable,” Winkle said.    Bronco Smart participates in numerous activities and fundraisers to give back to the community.    “Bronco Smart educates the younger students in elementary school and Preschool about Red Ribbon Week. We also participate in fundraising for our Freeze Out event in December, where we ask for donations of coats, gloves, and hats. Another major event is the Polar Plunge in January,” Winkle said.     Not only does Bronco Smart teach valuable lessons, but it also fosters friendships and creates fun memories.    “I would recommend someone to join Bronco Smart because the group is very low-key and fun, and more members joining is always great to help spread awareness,” Winkle said.     Bronco Smart is a great way to get more involved at LSN and in the community. The club will continue to lead by example for their peers and for young kids looking up to them for years to come.

Story by Kay Haas – News Editor/Copy Editor    This year, the Chinese Club and the Asian Student Union hosted their first collaborative potluck.     “The potluck was an event arranged by the Chinese Club in collaboration with the newly formed Asian Student Union with the goal of recruiting more students to join the club, and share our cultural food,” Wright said.     The Asian Student Union is a new club, formed by Jasmin Asif and Fatima Yousaf. The sponsors are Rocel Wright, college and scholarship coordinator, and Yanlan Jin, Chinese teacher.     “I want to be able to share the unique traditions that I grew up doing and share cultural awareness as well,” Wright said.     This event offered students the opportunity to experience new cultures and learn about people, and have a great time.     “[The Potluck was a] fun event in general to hangout with friends and share a good non-traditional Thanksgiving meal,” Wright said.     More events like this will happen this school year. For more information, follow ASU’s Instagram page and look for posters hung up around the school. Be sure not to miss these fun and educational events! 

Story by Morgan Hill – Assistant Editor-in-Chief/Sports Editor    With the looming drama of the College Football Playoff field ready to be set by the CFP committee, uncertainty is still in the air as to which teams will be in and which teams won’t. As of right now, the top two undefeated teams in Ohio State and Indiana are locks for the field, but both teams face off this weekend in the Big 10 championship game, which could cause some seeding uncertainty. Also in the Big 10 is Oregon, which looks to be locked in for a playoff spot and to possibly host a game.    In the SEC, there are six teams still in contention for playoff spots. In my opinion, five teams would most likely be in the playoff: Georgia, Texas A&M, Ole Miss, Oklahoma, and Alabama. At this point, the sixth SEC team that is in contention is Vanderbilt, which still has a path to the playoff but is starting to look hard with other teams across the country peaking at this time.    However, in the Big 12, there are Texas Tech and BYU in serious contention for the playoff. Just like the Big 10, both teams play in their conference championship this weekend, as both teams are one-loss teams fighting for a spot in the bracket.    Outside of those conferences, there are other at-large teams looking to get in, such as Notre Dame, Miami, Virginia, and Tulane.    As there is much uncertainty right now, all will be resolved, and the CFP bracket should look clearer after Saturday’s conference championship games. The bracket will be permanently set on Sunday, December 6th, for the selection show. The real question that we will wait and see is who will be in and who will not.