Story & Photo by Ella Snead – Social Media Manager/Entertainment Editor    The Colbern Cup is an annual tennis tournament between Grain Valley and our very own girls tennis teams. The clever name “Colbern Cup” is because both schools are on Colbern Road.  On September 17, they fought to defend their title as the Colbern Cup champions. This year they kept the title and our LSN girls brought home the win.This event is highly anticipated by the tennis community and for some it is even the highlight of the season.    “I am most looking forward to the Colbern Cup. Every year it is so much fun because all the different fall sport teams come onto the court and cheer us on. It is very fun to feel the community and support that the school brings,” Gretchen Cobb, junior, said.   This event helps get people involved with the tennis team and brings such a fun environment to the courts. The cross country team, the football team and parts of the volleyball team came to support our girls tennis program and many other fall sports showed up as well. All the players stayed the entire time and cheered their teammates on to victory. Our varsity and JV tennis girls racked up the wins.

Story by Malaykah Mbeche – Social Media/PR Manager    This year, LSN welcomes Margaret Joy-Nettles to the Family and Consumer Sciences department. As a first-year teacher, she brings 15 years of hospitality and culinary experience to her classroom.    “I teach a variety of classes. I teach Fashion & Interior Design Foundations, where students learn the basics of both fashion and interior design,” Joy-Nettles said.    Joy-Nettles also teaches Personal Image & Relationships and Personal Finance. Next semester, she will add Hospitality, drawing from her previous career.    “Before becoming a teacher, I spent 15 years working in the hospitality industry, primarily in the culinary field as a baker and pastry chef,” Joy-Nettles said.    Despite being new to teaching, Joy-Nettles said the LSN staff have helped make the transition easier, especially her fellow FCS teachers.    “The staff at LSN have been incredibly supportive, both in the months leading up to the school year and throughout my first few weeks here,” Joy-Nettles said.    Outside of school, Joy-Nettles enjoys spending time with family, visiting coffee shops, embroidery and baking. She also collects thimbles, continuing a tradition started by her grandmother.    Whether students are sewing, designing, managing finances or exploring hospitality, Joy-Nettles’ classes offer practical skills students can carry beyond high school.   Photo courtesy of Ms. Joy-Nettles

Story by Reagan Hill – Photography Editor    With the start of senior year comes new opportunities and achievements for the Class of 2027, and senior Elly Brunton is no exception.    “Senior year has been very eventful because I’ve been trying to do all the activities and socializing I reasonably can in order to end with a bang. All those memorable experiences have been my favorite part of the year,” Brunton said.    Although senior year comes with lots of excitement, for most, those joys come in tandem with a large workload and stress.    “I’d always heard about the infamous “senioritis” and so far it’s been the opposite for me, if anything I’m more excited about school right now than ever,” Brunton said.    Despite the rigorous challenges paired with senior year, Brunton is sure to stay optimistic over the next few months, living by her own words of wisdom:    “Take care of yourself. If you don’t sleep, you’re essentially throwing away half of the hard work you did throughout the day and you are setting yourself up for failure the next day,” Brunton said.    Keeping positive prospects in mind, Brunton will continue to move throughout her senior year with excitement and resilience.   Photo courtesy of Elly Brunton

Story & Graphic by Gracie Wolverton – Co-Editor-in-Chief    This upcoming Saturday, The LSN Crimson Fire Drumline will be competing at the local competition, Drummit at the Summit.    Drummit at the Summit is structured unlike any other marching band competition. During this competition, the battery, front ensemble, and soloists perform the show of the season separately from the rest of the band.    “We perform the first two movements of our show and compete based on music and marking time,” Isabella Wray, junior, said.    This year competition is set to get a bit harder; percussion will be competing in a higher class this year.    “Moving up [classes], we are having to work a little harder, but I do think we have a pretty outstanding drumline this year,” Wray said.    One of the best parts of any competition is not competing itself, but being able to show support for other schools, percussion is no exception.    “We have a very good relationship with West and Lee’s Summit High School’s drumline, so it is always fun to watch how they are doing,” Wray said.    Come support the Crimson Fire Drumline as they take the field in competition this Saturday, 5:00 pm, at LSHS.   Photo courtesy of Hollie Zabroski

Story by Emerson Godfrey – C0-Editor-in-Chief    The Lee’s Summit North cross country team is off to a fantastic start for their 2026 season. Henry Bounds, junior, has appreciated the connection between teammates, which has truly helped the team thrive.    “I have really gotten to bond with everyone which has been like, so much more amazing for the team. And when you share that bond, it is a lot easier to run with each other, so, yeah, I would have to say my favorite thing would just be the bonds that we share this year,” Bounds said.    Both girls and boys cross country have been ahead of the game this season, with students placing in the top 10 and top 15 places for the 2 mile races at both the Dave Denny City Championships and the Tim Nixon Invitational. With that success comes leadership from individuals on the team. Bounds was inspired by the mentorship he gained from a player during his past season. He hopes to pass that on and make an impact for the underclassmen.   “I really want to leave a legacy too,” Bounds said.    With the second half of the season approaching, LSN cross country is all hands on deck for a triumphant closure to their competition.   Photo courtesy of Henry Bounds  

Story by Reagan Hill – Photography Editor     As the school year wraps up and the Class of 2026 makes their departure from LSN, it leaves behind a new group of seniors, the Class of 2027, to step up and take their place. With this, many students may be feeling nervous, excited, or even a bit of both in anticipation for their upcoming senior year. Fear not, Class of ‘27, as many current seniors have advice for the next graduating class.     “Don’t worry about senior year being perfect… Just go with the flow,” Bryce Hopkins, senior, said.     Other students have also provided reassurance for upcoming seniors’ future plans.     “It’s okay not to have everything planned out yet,” Jenna Dunn, senior, said.     While many seniors could endlessly speak about the quality of a high schooler’s last year and how to prepare for college and entering the “real world” as an adult, other seniors have advice on making the most of one’s last high school experiences.     “Enjoy every moment and make as many memories as you possibly can!” Annabelle Brown, senior, said.     Although senior year may seem intimidating for some, many reassuring voices can tell anyone about the joys of senior year and what to expect going into the new school year.

Story & Graphic by Emerson Godfrey – Assistant Copy Editor   This summer is all about new opportunities and making the most of the time spent. For many girls in the Kansas City area, this time well spent will be at Camp Garney Construction Camp, an all-girls camp at Herndon Career Center. This camp is a perfect opportunity for girls to learn and expand on their construction and engineering skills.    “Having girls in this space is massively impactful,” Hillary Griffith, Geometry in Construction teacher, said.    There is so much importance in allowing girls to feel confident in these skill sets.    “They should feel just as empowered to be able to do those things as any boy would in any of these classes,” Griffith said.    The Camp Garney Construction Camp allows for hands-on classes, learning experiences, community service through carpentry, and even gives participants high school credit and free meals.    The Garney Construction Camp is June 1-12, and will be an impactful experience for all girls who participate.

Story & Graphic by Malaykah Mbeche – Feature Editor    Graduation is a very special ceremony that only comes once for high school students. It marks the end of a chapter and the start of a new one, celebrating years of hard work.     “We get to move through a ceremony that honors both the graduates and all their accomplishments that have helped them get to this point as well as their families and community,” Lauren Hollingsworth, Social Studies teacher, said.    Family is a huge part of many students’ journeys throughout their school years. They encourage and enable students to join different activities, sports, and clubs. They put in so much work, effort, and support into their students’ studies, which is why it is very important to celebrate them.    “The ceremony is heart filling, the absolute best feeling as it connects to why educators and community members do what we do,” Hollingsworth said.    Teachers get their final opportunities to watch the students they helped grow walk across the stage and celebrate their final moments before they move on from high school.    “It reminds us that every student is our student,” Hollingsworth said.    It becomes a bitter sweet moment when teachers have to watch all these students they have known for years move on to bigger things.

Story by Ella Snead – Staff Reporter  The LSN boys volleyball season is coming to a close, and they have had a season with growth and improvement. Boys volleyball is a newer sport to LSN, and the teams are just getting bigger and better. We have a Varsity, Junior Varsity, and a C team, accompanied by the coaches Aubri Janes, Marti Strickert, and Halli Martin. These coaches work hard to bring the team together and continue their evolution as players.     “The boys volleyball program has continued to grow in a really positive direction. That said, the growth we’ve seen has been impressive.” Aubri Janes, Head coach, said.     They have had a great season full of learning and only have a couple of games left for the varsity team.     “We expect the guys to stay competitive, clean up some of the small details, and build momentum heading into the postseason. If we continue to play together and stay disciplined, we’re capable of finishing strong,” Janes said.     The Bronco boys volleyball varsity team has some high expectations for the rest of their season and is on track to finish strong!    Graphic by Gracie Wolverton