Story & Graphic by Talon Cleveland – Feature Editor    The season has come for the music rundown. Spotify Wrapped 2024 is now out and ready to be unboxed. For the second year running, Taylor Swift has been named the most listened-to artist with 26.6 billion streams. Swift is followed by Drake, Zach Bryan, Morgan Wallen, and Kanye West.     “She was my number one cause I had 20,000 minutes,” Ariana Visnich, senior, said, “I am not surprised that she’s my number one artist cause I have been to the Eras Tour twice.”    For those who do not know, Spotify Wrapped is a personalized bundle of top artists, the most listened-to songs, and how long you listened for. This year there is a new feature being presented. Music Evolution shows how your music taste changed from the beginning of the year till the wrapped.     “It was really surprising seeing how much my music taste had changed in just a few months,” Nicolette Wayne, senior, said.     Since Spotify Wrapped is a yearly event, it provides listeners with data to see how their music taste has changed over the years. The podcasts and playlists made by the AI DJ allow people to have a clash of all the music and artists they have listened to.     “I was excited to get my Spotify wrapped for this year. Frank Ocean is my favorite artist so to have him as my top artist of the year is so special,” Angelina Valdivia, senior, said.     When comparing the wrapped from the last few years Spotify is attempting to incorporate new elements each year. Each Wrapped becomes more personalized and showcases an individual’s music preference. 

Story & Photo by Ireland Lucas – Staff Reporter    Ms. Kennedy has been working at North for about four years and teaches freshman science classes. She has worked with students for five years and loves her job.     “When I was in college, I was teaching classes with another professor and I loved the idea of being a role model and a support system for other students, and during that time I was going to school for dental hygiene and I was taking a bunch of science classes and really enjoyed them so I combined my two passions of teaching and science,” Ms. Kennedy, science teacher, said.    Kennedy has a lot of different things that she loves that you might not know. Her favorite color is matte black and her favorite animal is her dog, Winston.     “I like to take my puppy on walks and trails, he’s a mini goldendoodle named Winston,” Kennedy said.    She also has some unique facts that people may not know about her.    “I used to work at a cheese factory where we made McDonald’s cheese,” Kennedy said.    Ms. Kennedy is proud to be a part of the Bronco Nation. Overall, she has a strong passion for teaching and can share that with all of her students.

Story by Antil Snoddy – Staff Reporter    The Northside Steppers are a talented group of individuals who have continually kept up an impressive reputation. The team recently had an open tryout where new students had the opportunity to show off their skills.    Students who want to join step should have a determined and devoted mindset as well as being fearless. Being aggressive and passionate in their performances and putting in the work at practice makes a good stepper, as well as wanting to get better and learn from those around them.     The team is very rigorous when it comes to who is on the team. They aim to represent North at the highest standard and pick the best performers for this.    When wanting to become a good stepper, students should aim to put on a brave face. When performing they cannot act scared or nervous, steppers have to walk on the stage and ooze confidence.    The step team has two teams: competition and performance. Not only do they perform at the annual step show but they also perform at pep assemblies, halftime at basketball and volleyball games as well as for any others seeking performances.     Being a Northside Stepper takes confidence and conviction. Performing with the group takes a lot of practice behind the scenes. With many new faces and opportunities, the success of the team is inevitable.   Photo courtesy of The Northside Steppers

Story by Kate Gerding – Editor-in-Chief    The Bronco Football team ended their season on Friday, Nov. 22, losing to the Nixa Eagles with a final score of 21-20. With an undefeated record up until then, the team had a very successful season.    “I think that our football team not only had a great season this year but they have had probably the best four-year stretch. Not many teams in the state have had a better four-year run so they had an outstanding season,” Aaron Wilson, math teacher, said.     Although it was a difficult end to the playoffs, the Broncos have a lot to be proud of after a great football season. Photo by Ireland Lucas – Staff Reporter

Story by Bailee Council – Assistant Editor    Preheat your ovens because it is turkey time! Thanksgiving is right around the corner and calls for laughing with your loved ones, eating your favorite foods, and bonding with those you are grateful for. Special Thanksgiving ceremonies are common among religions after harvests and at other times of the year. Thanksgiving’s history in North America is rooted in English traditions; through the years, those traditions have formed the “normal” holiday celebrated now.     “I have lots of favorite parts of Thanksgiving but at the top of the list are just having family time where we laugh, play games, and just chill,” Heather Atkinson, long-term substitute, said.     Parades, such as the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City, with floats, balloons, and performances are a key attraction. Other traditions such as football, and the simplicity of spending time with family and friends are most suitable for the holiday.    “Everyone should have a place to feel welcome and belong,” Atkinson said.     What some would consider the most important part of this day could be the expression of gratitude and selflessness. There is so much to be grateful for throughout the season of giving. Thanksgiving in particular, tell someone you are grateful for their presence, hug an old friend extra tight, and, most importantly, do not burn the pies.   Photo Courtesy of Ms. Laster

Story by Kate Gerding – Editor-in-Chief     Girls Wrestling is making LSN history with one of the largest turnouts of athletes on the team.  The program, led by Glenn Berry and December Joyce, has ten girls this year.     “[We have] a lot more than last year. We had eight girls out last year but they all quit within the first week,” Grace Cronk, sophomore, said.    Despite a sheer lack of numbers and recognition in years past, girls wrestling is growing in both participation and support.     “I think girls wrestling is gaining more popularity because of the Olympics and it’s just becoming more known around girls even though it is a male-dominated sport,” Cronk said.     Cronk was on the wrestling team last year and said she is excited about what a much larger team will bring.    “We have a lot of new girls out and I can’t wait to see them improve and see the success we have as a team,” Cronk said.     A few of the girls competed in a novice tournament this past weekend and took home some Bronco wins. Over the next few weeks, the girls will continue to prepare for their next tournament coming up in December.     Photo courtesy of Girls Wrestling Instagram

Story by Ireland Lucas – Staff Reporter    The sophomore boys basketball team is getting ready to compete in their first game to start off their season. They have been going to practices and preparing every day to try and bring home a Bronco victory.     “We’ve been practicing a lot and just hanging out so we are all ready,” Alex Burris, sophomore, said.    The boys have been able to bond over this experience and get along in hopes to build that team chemistry they need to win. It’s also crucial that the boys have a good mindset and don’t overthink too much about the game.    “Just remembering what the plays are and not putting too much pressure on myself,” Mason Brady, sophomore, said.    The team as a whole hopes to achieve something during this upcoming game but overall just want to improve on their skills. They are going to be competing November 25th at Lee Summit North High School against Blue Springs High School.

Story & Photo by Morgan Hill – Sports Editor     A new club has risen at LSN. The Yoga Club, an afterschool community focused on calming students and supporting them throughout life and their school day. This community started by history teacher, Mrs. Hollingsworth, has developed into a great club for students and staff that are looking to incorporate movement into their daily lives to relieve stress and distraction in their life.    “I feel called to just share wellness and ways to access more peace and less stress with anyone,” Hollingsworth said.    The club and her mission is aimed to form a community and share wellness with all who are needing some relief from stress in their lives.    “[I want the students] To feel more seen and connected at school, that they are enough, that the pressure decreases, the stress decreases,” Hollingsworth said.    Hollingsworth hopes students will find more peace in their lives and overall benefit how they feel connected at LSN with this club.  In its first few meetings it has grown in numbers significantly and hopes to stay on that track to continue granting wellness and belonging to many.

Story & Graphic by Kay Haas – News Editor    Lee’s Summit North boasts an elaborate art program, offering general art classes, media-focused art classes, and advanced art classes. The media-focused art classes consist of painting, drawing, graphic design, and ceramics. This year, the LSN art department sent art students from a range of classes to the annual Raymore-Peculiar Art Invitational.     One of the competitors was Khanya Nkomo, junior.     “It was nice to see people use different art mediums,” Nkomo said.    There are two different types of competition within the invitational. One of these competitions was the Visual Art Show. This is where students sent their completed artwork to be judged in categories based on their media. The media categories were drawing, painting, printmaking, non-digital design, ceramics, 2D mixed media, fibers, photography, digital media, and 3D Sculpture.     The other competition was the Studio Competition. Selected art students competed in categories based on their strengths. The competitors were given a prompt or a figure to base their work on and two hours to complete the piece. The categories were drawing still life, figure drawing, painting still life, hand-building ceramics, wheel throwing ceramics, relief printmaking, digital media, and 3D sculpture.     “I thought it was cool to see how many ways a theme can be interpreted and seeing what people can make in two hours,” Nkomo said.    LSN had multiple competitors that placed in their categories. The LSN art department is very happy with how the competition turned out and can not wait to compete again next year.