Victoria Bogatz, Newspaper Co-Editor In Chief
Hi! My name is Victoria, and I’m the co-editor-in-chief of the Bellevue East Tom Tom. I love food and the color purple. In my free time, I like to go running, write, and participate in climate activism. I love writing for the newspaper and being a leader to everyone on staff!
![Register. On the whiteboard in the front of her classroom, instructor Rebekah Sidzyik keeps a voter registration form for eligible students. The federal Department of Justice requested data on registered Nebraska voters such as names, dates of birth, and the last 4 digits of Social Security numbers with the federal Department of Justice. “The [Nebraska] Attorney General advised that this was a lawful request that we ought to honor,” Secretary of State Robert Evnen said.](https://beaststudentmedia.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/voterregistrationcmyk-906x1200.png)
![An adaptable airport. Amidst the partial government shutdown, Eppley Airfield remains open and functioning as Transportation Security Administration employees screen passengers at TSA PreCheck. Kiewit Television reported that the shutdown did not cause significant absences among Omaha TSA staff when compared to nationwide rates. “I know the [TSA] staff isn’t getting paid and the line to get through security should take longer,” former East student Kira Mabry said. “I didn’t notice the lines though, probably because I was very early.”](https://beaststudentmedia.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/sav-p.2.jpg)
![University of Nebraska. The University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the oldest university in the state, recently eliminated several departments due to a budget deficit. One of the eliminated programs was the Department of Statistics. “We fought [the cuts] every way we could figure out how to fight,” UNL Associate Professor of Statistics Susan VanderPlas said.](https://beaststudentmedia.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/banner-for-web-900x1200.png)
![Native history. The previous display at East included Native American artifacts from Rebecca’s Indian Trading Post. Rebecca Wells, the owner of Rebecca’s Indian Trading Post, said the display was meant to pay tribute to Bellevue’s native history. “I did quite a few different displays so I don’t remember everything that was in there,” Wells said. “They’ve [the artifacts] been there a long time.”](https://beaststudentmedia.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/torinative-1200x900.jpg)
![Fly high. At the 2024 Arrows to Aerospace celebration, a U.S. Air Force plane flies in the air show. The Arrows to Aerospace celebration included many members of the Bellevue military community. “I think [Bellevue’s military community] is amazing for the economy of the city along with enhancing the culture of the city since we have so many people in the military from different backgrounds,” AFJROTC instructor Brian Yates said.](https://beaststudentmedia.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/IMG_0514-1200x754.jpg)
![Speak up. During her Introduction to Competitive Speech class, freshman Abigail Hollingshead practices her poetry event. Hollingshead said she is looking forward to performing at upcoming competitions. “I’m pretty excited,” she said. “I have to miss the first [competition] because of the play, but I’m going to be at the second one, hopefully.”](https://beaststudentmedia.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/competitive-speech-website-this-1200x1030.png)
![Discussion time. At an Ollin meeting on Dec. 4 (from left) sophomores Samuel Kucinsky, David Baker, Xavier Swotek, Ivan Gomez, and Joel Aguirre discuss the meaning of palabra, meaning “word” in Spanish. Ollin is the young men’s leadership group with the Latino Center of the Midlands. “While these initiatives are framed as leadership development programs, they extend far beyond that.They function as healing circles, offering a secure space for individuals to express themselves [and] share their experiences,” Ollin facilitator José Avalos said.](https://beaststudentmedia.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/latinocenterofthemidlands-1200x900.jpg)