Central High Times - Volume 108, Mock Issue

IN THIS ISSUE:

C

H

T

Volume 108

Journalism 1 Mock Issue

Spring 2022

How to Stay Safe Online

Pg. 02

Russia/Ukraine Pg. 05 Importance of Mental Health

Pg. 18

IN THIS

ISSUE

Letters from the Editors Pg. 01 Internet Safety Satire Pg. 02 Oxford Comma Pg. 03 “Don’t Say Gay” Bill Pg. 04

WAG

A lot of wonderful memories from the loyalty dance!

GROWL

NEWS Russia/Ukraine Pg. 05 Leads & Shorts Pg. 06 Accolades Pg. 07 Local Crime Rates Pg. 08 School Board Candidates Pg. 09 Media Department Pg. 10 Loyalty Dance Pg. 11 Spring Musical Pg. 12

There’s never any soap in the bathroom dispensers.

WAG

Upward Bound is helping with the complicated college application process.

GROWL

SPORTS

Finals are coming up.

Pg. 13 Pg. 14

FEATURES Humans of CHS: Arden Below Teachers of CHS: Survey Importance of Mental Health Social Media Impacts on Mental Health CHS Welcomes Diversity History of Central High School

GROWLS

INARA WALKER / REPORTER

OPINION

Athlete Highlight: Joshua Kim History of CHS Soccer Teams

WAGS &

Pg. 16 Pg. 17 Pg. 18 Pg. 19 Pg. 20 Pg. 21

HYPE Movie Review: The Batman Pg. 22 Book Review: Aristotle and Dante...

Pg. 23 Photo Essay Pg. 24

ADVISER Kori Chrismer EDITORS-IN-CHIEF Meghan Grone & Tyler Vanlaningham PHOTO EDITORS Jade Dodds & Kevin Myers COPY EDITORS Chloe Cunniff, Allison Loughary & Inara Walker DIRECTOR OF ART & DESIGN Quincy Alberhasky REPORTERS Ameera Al-mahajeri, Tevon Bush, Miles Como, Evan Cornelius-White, Kai Daily, Travis Davison, Haley Diehl, Harley Gray, Maddy Houck, Nathaniel Hunter, Nina Malega, Paul Mariuta, Nea Neal, Ben Ondetti, Bethany Perkins, Lizet Rodriguez & Emma Sutton THE CHT Volume 108, Journalism 1 Mock Issue CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL 423 E. Central St., Springfield, MO 65802 CONTACT kechrismer@spsmail.org FONT FAMILIES Palladio, Baskerville PUBLISHER Jostens Publishing

EDITORIAL POLICY

The Central High Times is a student-produced publication of the Central High School journalism department. The staff and adviser strive to create an open forum for students and teachers. We take responsibility for accuracy and fairness and for work to be uWnbiased and responsive to the needs of readers in order to encourage the submission of readers’ ideas. We promise to practice honesty, to run the paper as a business and to avoid printing material that is legally considered obscene, libelous or private.

LETTERS FROM THE EDITORS MEGHAN GRONE / EDITOR-IN-CHIEF TYLER VANLANINGHAM / EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Throughout the year, our Journalism I class has been working through the fundamentals of magazine composition as well as design. As we are nearing the end of the school year, we are finally incorporating all of those elements together into one cohesive product.

Our class studied different writing techniques and many types of pieces that range from news, to feature stories, all the way to opinionated writing. Despite the fact that we learned all of this over the course of the year, we still encountered difficulties in completing the mock issue.

The first step to creating this mock issue was the brainstorming. As we sat down to start writing we realized something — we had no idea what we were doing. We had no story ideas and frankly no idea where to begin with this letter. We flipped through past issues trying to find a spark of inspiration. We were frantically writing down notes in order to write this story, but ultimately it ended up coming down to writing this three class periods before the deadline.

Yes, you read that right, your mock issue Editors-In-Chief were procrastinating on

the very first story in the magazine. And by the way, we really wouldn’t recommend doing that. However, when we finally began to write it, our thought process was interrupted by the blaring sounds of the fire alarm. Don’t worry, it was fine.

We have to rely on everyone to do their part for this issue, and this is especially difficult because we don’t have the most experience under our belts. We are taking the time to work on this issue as a learning opportunity, and simultaneously hoping that it will give us some insight into what will actually happen in Journalism II next year. We thought that it was very beneficial to actually see how creating the magazine works. Seeing all of the different components and steps to produce a final product really puts things into perspective.

At the end of the day, we would like to thank the students that helped bring this mock issue together, and praise them on their dedication with meeting deadlines and trying to reach the expectations already set

by Journalism II. We would also like to thank Ms. Chrismer, because of her guidance and supervision over this final project, but most of all, for putting up with us.

OPINION / 01

How to Stay Safe Online

TYLER VANLANINGHAM / EDITOR We generate a lot of data. About 14.8 zettabytes (equal to 14.8 trillion gigabytes) of data were generated between 2020 and 2021. Some of this data is bound to be malicious and Central students should be aware of that. So what if we didn’t use the current system anymore, and instead used something that can’t be easily hacked and something that takes up less space? Right now1, the largest MicroSD card available is 1 Terabyte, and it costs $167.79. It isn’t really practical in terms of money, but considering that the card only weighs 0.16oz it is the best we can do.

Now, let’s say that you’re deathly afraid of getting a computer virus, so naturally, you want to carry the whole Internet around with you.

First, you’ll need to find out your carry limit. For the sake of simplicity, I’ll be using an approximate average strength for someone who doesn’t train in some way. This comes out to about 155lb or 2480oz. So it looks like an average nonweight lifter could successfully carry a little over 3,691 cubic centimeters of uranium2, or 139 iPhone 12s. This is useful information if you want to carry a bunch of phones around or need a lot of uranium for some reason, but it doesn’t really apply to our situation.

To find out how many MicroSD cards our theoretical person can hold we need to do a little more math. We can easily find this number by doing some simple calculations.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

Taking the carry weight maximum divided by the weight of 1 card or 2480oz divided by 0.16oz comes out to 15,500 MicroSD cards our theoretical person could hold! So our person can hold 15,500 terabytes, but unfortunately, that isn’t nearly enough storage to carry even 1% of the Internet.

We need about 64.5 million more people to carry the rest of the Internet. On the plus side though, you yourself can carry about 170,500 full-length 4k movies with you in case you want to spend between 30 to 40 consecutive years only watching movies. Now that we know how much storage our theoretical person can hold though, we should calculate how big of a dent it would put in their wallet3.

15,500•$167.79 From this, we get a whopping 2,600,745 USD4 for only one person!

The cost of the entire Internet in SD cards would be over 1.7•1014 USD. That’s over 170 trillion dollars to put the whole Internet onto MicroSD cards. Currently, there’s only about $40 trillion in physical currency.

Now that we’ve done the math, we know approximately how many people it would take to carry the Internet around for you and how much it would cost. What is surprising to me is that the number of people isn’t actually larger.

64.5 million people is only about 1/120 of the global population5, so if more of the population joins in, that’s much less each person has to carry for you!

But let’s say that you’re not satisfied with these statistics. Angry even. So angry that you decide to become a crazed mad-scientist type supervillain.

Hopefully, you didn’t turn evil at the sight of the results, but if you did, here’s a way you can unleash your evil plan on humanity. A recent study showed that theoretically, one gram of pure DNA can hold up to about 215 petabytes of data6.

Using some boring and complicated calculations7, we can find that the human body probably has 150g of DNA in total.

Good news! If you convert all of the DNA in your body into digital storage somehow8, you can store an extra 32,250 petabytes. Add this to what we already have and our theoretical person can now hold a little over 32 exabytes of data. There are, of course, a few flaws with this plan though. The first flaw is that unsurprisingly, science currently has no way to turn DNA into digital storage space, and probably won’t for a while. That’s alright though because even if there was a way to convert your DNA into digital storage space, you probably wouldn’t live long enough9 to hold up your enormous pile of very expensive MicroSD cards for any practical purpose.

For now, it’s probably easier to leave the Internet where it currently is and just avoid any potential security threats… …but if something like this does happen, you’ll know who came up with the idea.

Thursday, March 25, 2022 at 7:41am You probably could lift this but I would strongly advise against it.

I can safely say that even without calculating this, it’s going to be a fairly large dent.

Told you.

Hopefully.

Credit: Harvard This really just means, “I looked it up on Google”.

Don’t ask me, I don’t know either.

Theories estimate you would live less than a week without DNA - and it would be agonizing.

02 \ SATIRE

The Oxford Comma QUINCY ALBERHASKY / REPORTER Grammar is often regarded as one of those subjects that is clean-cut and final.

Yet, the world finds itself split over the crucial punctuation decision that is the Oxford comma. Some disregard it for its tendency to clutter and lengthen a sentence while others defend its use vehemently for the clarity it gives to their words. The decision seems like it should only warrant three seconds of a person’s time, yet it has sparked a debate that has split writers, celebrity fan bases, and even courtrooms. I myself fall to the side of favoring the comma. The punctuation is a grammatical gem that deserves its place in every sentence where it is possible.

Before diving fully into why I love this piece of punctuation so much, it is best to explain the definition of an Oxford comma. It is the comma that comes before the last item in a list of three or more. For example, in the sentence “I bought eggs, milk, and cheese,” the Oxford comma is located right after the word “milk.”

What purpose does this serve, though?

Consider this next sentence: “I love my parents, Lizzo and Harry Styles.”

Without the Oxford comma, it becomes uncertain as to whether Lizzo and Harry Styles are the parents of the subject or just the objects of their affection.

The Oxford comma seems so simple and trivial, and simple it is, yet its existence is an example of one of those instances where simplicity can bring serenity. It brings peace and order to my own writing and my life in general, and it can bring some to yours, as well. It feels as though most of our lives are clouded with mess, constantly surrounded by deadlines, family drama, failed relationships, mistakes, and disappointments. Those big upsets are usually solved, or soothed, by smaller acts. Maybe you picked up a sugary coffee on the way home from bombing a test or your best friend tried to cheer you up with a quick laugh after experiencing a loss. The oxford comma in a sense can have a similar

effect. It prevents those upsets from occurring and possibly gives you a sense of satisfaction from knowing you have made the superior grammatical choice.

The Oxford comma debate can be heartbreaking as a “Swiftie” because Taylor Swift does not use the comma.

Her Instagram biography reads, “Happy, free, confused and lonely at the same time.” The sentence itself does not create any disruption, but the lack of a comma can still sprout chaos through the impact it has on her fans.

One Twitter user referred to Swift’s lack of Oxford comma usage as their “villain origin story.” Had Swift pressed one button on her phone, the world could have been free of one less serial killer.

Okay, maybe that is an exaggeration, but the idea is still there: the Oxford comma keeps things orderly and peaceful. If you still remain unconvinced, allow me to guide you through the story of the truck drivers of Maine who won a pretty penny for their employers’ negligence of the Oxford comma.

In a lawsuit between a dairy company and its truck-driving employees, the absence of an oxford comma entitled the employees to $5 million. The two parties were disputing over a sentence in Maine’s overtime law that states “The canning, processing, preserving, freezing, drying, marketing, storing, packing for shipment or distribution of: (1) Agricultural produce; (2) Meat and fish products; and (3) Perishable foods.”

Because there is no comma after the word “shipment,” the law can be interpreted to mean that the tasks of “packing for shipment” and “distribution of” are one action. The truck drivers claimed this law did not apply to them because they had not done any packing as part of their job and therefore deserved overtime pay. As a result, the judge chose to grant them half of their requested compensation of $10 million.

The law has since changed to clarify

,

the intended meaning of the clause.

Though your situation may not be as extreme as that of the dairy company’s, the lesson can still be applied to your writing. If it is possible to avoid confusion between the reader and the author, it should always be done.

It is the difference between reason and chaos, peace and disaster. Why leave your intentions up to interpretation when you can simply fix the issue with a simple flick of the wrist or click of a button. The decision may seem trivial, but in a society filled with conflict, it becomes a necessary concern. Everyone’s lives can only be improved with the addition of further elaboration. In a world that is clouded in confusion and ambiguity, be the person that provides clarity and security. Be the change you want to see while others are stuck in their past ways. When faced with the option to grace your writing with the touch of an Oxford comma, grasp it.

OPINION / 03

“Don’t Say Gay” AMEERA ALMAHAJERI/REPORTER Florida legislatures have passed the “Don’t Say Gay” bill which that forbids instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity in kindergarten through third grade, a policy that has drawn intense national scrutiny from critics who argue it marginalizes LGBTQ+ people.

The law states: “Classroom instruction by school personnel or third parties on sexual orientation or gender identity may not occur in kindergarten through grade 3 or in a manner that is not age-appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students in accordance with state standards.” Parents are now able to sue school districts for violations.

Governor Ron DeSantis did not sign this bill to “protect” young students. The bill was signed to push his anti-LGBTQ+ propaganda. “We will make sure that parents can send their kids to school to get an education, not an indoctrination,” DeSantis said to applause before he signed the sexual orientation and gender identity measure during a ceremony at a preparatory school

04 \ OPINION

outside Tampa. DeSantis doesn’t exactly shy away from courting the far right — he has leaned hard on Trump’s January endorsement of him — but the appearance raises serious questions.

His career is based on immigrantbashing, supporting Trump’s insane comments, and ratcheting up deportations. Importantly, DeSantis hated immigrants long before Trump took office. In 2015, he proudly supported “Kate’s Law,” which would have ratcheted up punishments on undocumented immigrants.

DeSantis clearly doesn’t have American citizen’s best interests at heart as LGBTQ+ parents and pediatric psychologists say the law stigmatizes being gay or transgender and could harm the mental health of LGBTQ+ youth.

“We all have processes around clarifying who we know in our heads and hearts we are and who we are drawn to or attracted to,” said Laura Anderson, a child and family psychologist in Hawaii whose focus is LGBTQ+ youth and their families. “To make an

increasingly large percentage of the population’s experience invisible and taboo is just so harmful and unsafe for all kids.”

The Trevor Project is one of the biggest suicide prevention orginizations for LGBTQ+ youth.

According to a poll they held, two-thirds of LGBTQ+ youth had debates concerning the state laws having a negative impact on their mental health.

The Parental Rights in Education legislation, which opponents labeled the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, is part of a flurry of measures introduced

by Republican lawmakers around the country. The Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest LGBTQ+ advocacy organization, reports that lawmakers have introduced 300 anti-LGBTQ+ bills this year.

The wave not only includes laws similar to Florida restricting instruction on gender identity and sexual orientation but also ones that criminalize gender-affirming medical care for transgender youth.

What’s Going on in Ukraine?

BEN ONDETTI / REPORTER For the past four weeks, the Russia and Ukraine conflict has been raging on leaving countless casualties, destruction of public buildings and cultural centers, and has led to millions of Ukrainian citizens fleeing their place of residence due to this conflict.So, how did it start and why has it been all over the news?

During the times of the USSR (United Socialist Soviet Republic), Ukraine had once been part of Russia, then, Ukraine declared independence from the USSR in 1991. However, even now Russia’s leader Vladimir Putin has repeatedly stated that countries that used to be in the USSR, are “culturally, linguistically, and politically” Russian.

As of 2004, NATO (North-Atlantic Treaty Organization), an organization specifically created to protect the Western countries from Russia, added Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania to its’ membership and in 2008, invited Ukraine to NATO which was the last straw for Russia. According to CNN, in 2014, Ukrainian citizens pushed a Russian-supporting president out of office (after he refused to sign an EU agreement) which Russia found as an act of aggression toward Russia and began annexation of Ukraine’s Crimea region.

Since then, Russia has been trying to reclaim Ukraine, claiming that Ukraine is part of Russia and that it shouldn’t have declared independence.

Russia also claims that Ukraine has been “infected” with Western ideas and as such, has been wanting separation from Russia. Ukraine, of course, denies this and has decided to do this on its own.

As a result of this, as of February

21, 2022, Russia has been making aggressive moves in Ukraine. At 2:35 p.m. on February 21, 2022, Russian Prime Minister, Vladimir Putin, recognized the independence from Ukraine of two of the eastern regions of a pro-Russian area in Ukraine. This was followed by intense sanctions from NATO. In a televised speech, Putin labeled Vladimir Lennin, former soviet dictator, as the architect of Ukraine and called the Ukrainians who have removed statues of Lenin as “ungrateful descendants”. In this speech, he continued on to say, “This is what they call decommunization.

Do you want decommunization?

Well, that suits us just fine. But it is unnecessary, as they say, to stop halfway. We are ready to show you what real decommunization means for Ukraine.”

You would think that this would be a clear threat, right? No, despite the fact that after this Putin launched a “special operation”, he proceeded to say that Russia was not going to occupy Ukraine and any bloodshed during the conflict was wholly in the

hands of the Ukrainian government if they retaliated.

However, in the actual speech, Putin refused to acknowledge Ukraine as a country or as a government, instead, incorrectly labeling the Ukrainian government as “the regime ruling on the territory of Ukraine.”

Immediately after this, Russia fully engaged in Ukraine shooting ballistic missiles stopping air travel in Ukraine, and directly attacking the cities of Kyiv, Kharkiv, Odessa, Mariupol, Dnipro, and Donbas, clearly showing that Russia was deadly serious about Ukrainian independence and the “decommunization of Ukraine.”

As of this initial conflict, the war in Ukraine has only worsened. While negotiations were attempted, no solution has been reached and Russia has been furthering its’ invasion of Ukraine. Russia has invaded large areas of Ukraine and Russian troops have been accused of war crimes, namely the disproportionate targeting of citizens, and has attracted the attention of the United Nations Human Rights Council, due to these violations.

NEWS / 05

LEAD

& SHORT

S

WhataBurger Opening

A brief update on what’s happening in the Central and Springfield communities.

INARA WALKER / REPORTER

Bass Pro fishing fair

No doubt hundreds of Springfield citizens have seen the giant tents and banners in the BassPro shops parking lot, advertising for the BassPro World Fishing Fair. Guest fisherman and celebrities popular on the fishing and wildlife scene will be there, including legendary saltwater angler Big Game Capt. Terry Robinsons. Withc Tickets starting at $5 dollars online for youths, and $10 dollars for adults, guests will be able to enjoy seminars, speeches, and live music.

Tickets grant access to the entire fish festival, with takes place over five days. For those who may not be interested in fishing, talks on conservation and wildlife will be given as well, with the added bonus of 50% of ticket sales going towards conservation efforts of endangered missouri Wildlife areas. March 30th-April 3, this promises to be an interesting five days.

Kachel Memorial Fountain

Springfield’s residents have most likely noticed the construction just north of Lake Drummond, at Springfields own Nathanael Greene Park. The construction was recently announced to be a memorial for former Missouri State University assistant professor, Thomas J. Kachel. When Kachel passed away in 2017 at the age of 73, he did not tell his family members or fellow professors about the secret funds he had stashed away for a large contribution to one of Springfields biggest parks. This contribution is a large, 75 by 50 foot elliptical basin of water, with a 30 foot tall water feature shooting from the middle.

The fountain should be finished in july in there are no complications, according to Branco Enterprise of Neosho, the contracter in charge of the operation.

06 \ NEWS

WhataBurger, the famous texan burger chain, has recently submitted permits to build three locations in the Springfield area. Previously, Whataburger’s were being constructed in Ozark and Republic. The three permits submitted would put the missouri at 5 Whataburgers in total. Though not date for their arrival has been set, if all 3 permits are approved, Springfield residents can look forwards to delicious whataburger meals, like the Jalapeno Cheese Whataburger.

Accolades MADELYN HOUCK / REPORTER

District Solo and Small Ensemble Festival Central High School is proud of the many talented students who participated in the District Solo and Small Ensemble Festival at Glendale High School. A total of 9 students won gold medals, 7 silver medals, and one bronze medal. The 9 students who earned a gold medal also qualified to perform at the Ensemble Festival in Columbia and State Solo.

District Music Contest Congratulations to the many students who competed for Central High School at the District Music Contest.

A total of 12 students received an outstanding rating then 22 students earned an exemplary rating from the judges and also qualified for the Mizzou State Music Festival.

HOSA A total of 11 students involved in HOSA at Central High School qualified for International competition in Nashville, this summer. Due to their hard work many students placed high in the competition. With 5 placing first, 5 placing second, and 2 placing second, these students deserve recognition for their success.

Middle School Battle of the Books At Central High School a team of scholars won the Middle School Battle of the Books competition for 2022. The highly esteemed scholars kids worked hard to win the competition and deserve congratulations for their achievement. The Central scholars program provides many educational opportunities and is a great option for students passionate about learning.

Being a part of the Battle of the Books at Central is a great option for students who love to read and like sharing their interest in reading with others.

Pictured Below: Centrals Scholars pose for a picture after winning the Middle School Battle of the Books.

NEWS / 07

Springfield, MO: Crime Rates.

HARLEY GRAY / REPORTER

Springfield, Missouri is ranked at number 5 in the most dangerous metro area in the country as of 2022.

Crime rates are 261% higher than the national average; violent crimes in Springfield are 289% higher than the national average. Springfield (zip 65802) violent crime is 69.8 (The US average is 22.7); property crime is 95.3 (The US average is 35.4). In Missouri you have a 1 in 184 chance of becoming a victim of a violent crime and a 1 in 66 chance in Springfield alone. You have a 1 in 40 chance of becoming a victim of a property crime in Missouri and a 1 in 14 chance in Springfield. We had a 7% fall in crime from 2020 to 2021.

According to NIBRS data, overall Springfield crime fell from 25,686 crimes in 2020 to 23,909 crimes in 2021 - a decrease of 1,777 or 6.9%. In 2021 to 2022 there was a 3.6 percent 08 \ NEWS

increase (+211 reports) for crimes against persons, an 11.3%decrease (-1,928 reports) for crimes against property, and a 2.2% decrease (-60 reports) for crimes against society.

Springfield has seen a rise in petty and violent crimes, especially petty theft. Petty theft is a type of crime that is based on, or defined by, the low value of the property that has been stolen. A variety of people suspect that the Coronavirus may have played a key role in the rise of crimes in the past 3 years, 2019 to 2021.

“Aggravated assault rates increased 7%, while gun assault rates went up by 22%.” according to findings on the impact report for COVID-19. With people out of jobs and losing a source of income some have had to resort to theft and other petty crimes in order to attempt to support themselves and their families. People are hoping

now that the quarantine is lifted and people are going back to work more frequently that we will see a decrease in crime and hopefully it will go back down to its previous percentage before cOVID or even lower than that.

Those are only the crimes known about. Studies have shown that up to 60% of crimes go unreported. The majority of the unreported crimes will be “minor crimes”, but many will be more serious or violent crimes. Only half or the violent crimes and a third of the property crimes that occur are reported to the police.

Sources: https://counciloncj.org/impactreport-covid-19-and-crime/ https://w w w.spr ingfieldmo. gov/856/Police-Data https://w w w.spr ingfieldmo. gov/5185/Where-We-Stand

School Board Elections EMMA SUTTON / REPORTER The Springfield Public Schools District held School Board Elections for the last few months.

The duties that come with being on the SPS School Board are handling finances, and other jobs. Those running are Kelly Byrne, Chad Courtney, Steve Makoski, Charles Taylor, and Brandi VanAntwerp.

Kelly Byrne has roots in Springfield. He graduated from Kickapoo High School and after college, he came back. He noticed a teacher shortage and the rates for teachers were slipping. He thought he was up for the challenge.

Byrne believes that students need to be in a classroom setting to function adequately. He says that “it’s important that the district takes a closer look at how money is being spent continuing to place an emphasis on supporting teachers.” He believes he’s the right choice because “the district needs individuals with business and management experience.”

Chad Courtney is a lawyer in Springfield. He covers cases of abuse and neglect. He has noticed that teachers have a hard job and need support.

“I think they have done a great job and we will have to support and continue to support them.

It’s going to be very important to keep students in the classroom,”

Courtney said. He believes he’s the perfect candidate because “I really want to do what’s best for every student in Springfield Public Schools. And I will take each and every issue as it comes to the board and evaluates that based on the facts that are presented.”

Steve Makoski decided to run because he saw a decline in academic performance. One thing Makoski wants to change is the school board’s access to classrooms.

Makoski has traveled and spent time in Europe. He believes he’s the best fit because he’s worked in different environments and he has a background in business management that can help because he doesn’t let “money fly out the door.”

“I will get a lot of feedback from the community that I can bring to the table for us to consider and be able to help shape and form or adjust policy,” said Makoski.

Charles Taylor has moved around from Japan to Springfield.

He believes he’s the best fit because of this. Taylor, first elected in 2016, is the only incumbent seeking reelection.

Taylor has had a number of roles at Drury University ranging from teaching, administrative, and leadership roles. He believes we should “let teachers teach. Make it

simple.”

“I understand sort of both the administrative as well as the teaching side of the equation,” said Taylor. “I also understand that there is a structure and there is a budget framework in which all of that learning takes place. I do my homework.”

Brandi VanAntwerp attended SPS and has 3 children enrolled.

She believes it’s vital to support SPS educators to ensure all students have a strong educational opportunity.

“Some areas of concern I have for our teachers is ensuring that they feel heard and that they feel like they have open access to voice their opinion,” said VanAntwerp. “I’m very passionate about this work and I intend to be very thoughtful in my process and engage stability.

I’m prepared to listen and work for the greater good of all of our kids.”

Election results will be revealed on April 5th,2022. For more info on the candidates and all election updates, visit OzarksFirst or the SPS homepage. Reach out to your parents to keep up with and get educated about those running and what they’re running for.

NEWS / 09

Central Film Festival KEVIN MYERS / REPORTER

The Central Film Festival was on April 1st-2nd 2022 downtown at the Fox Theater. It was our eighth annual film festival. An actor who was featured on American Horror Story, which is a popular TV show, was there. This was a big event with lots of people.

It was packed.

The festival had more guest stars which included Darrell Claunch, a visual effects artist. He worked on some of the visual effects in Jurassic World. Another guest was Cassandra Ballard, who is an actress. There were also musical guests. Randy Hamm and English teacher Mark Barger were two of the multiple musical guests.

The film festival was one of the largest student-led high school film festivals. The Central Film Festival had hundreds of short films.

It took a lot of work to put together the media team. They worked extremely hard to put together the film festival, and they all were happy with how it came together.

Central’s film festival was a good experience for all.

10 \ NEWS

There was a Q&A session and an award-winning ceremony. Central had a big turn out of people. It was fun and there were short films from the United States and 60 different countries. About six students went through all of the submissions with their teacher, Mr. Joshua Cantrell.

The guest speakers were great to hear how they do things. All of the people there were friendly and nice. And a bunch of the short films was great too and I enjoyed it all.

Central’s film festival was enjoyable.

And it was all of the new things I didn’t know about short films. And it was all very good and it was all very informative.

I really loved it all and it didn’t seem to be too overwhelming.

Central’s film festival was pretty interesting.

And everything but it was very good to see but it was all different things. And people weren’t too overwhelmed. And it was a good thing to hear from the special effects person.

Also from the actress, it was all interesting and all of it was a unique

experience. We all were surprised to see how it came out.

And it was a pretty fun experience to have on top of it being a unique experience. We all really enjoyed the film festival.

It was what Central High School needed again. To prove that Central can work together and really show that the school could work together as a team.

Central could be able to do it for more years to come.

Central’s film festival was a very big outturn. And it could be better next year and it will be better next year because they will improve and overcome some things. Hopefully, Central will have more short films next year than they did this year.

And have more special guests and hopefully, we can have more people there than we did this year.

Central can always improve on some things. And we will be able to be better next year. And it will be better because we will have been able to look over how this year went. And improve for next year so we can overcome some things.

Central Loyalty 2022 MADDY HOUCK / REPORTER

For the first time in two years, Central High School hosted a Loyalty dance.

Due to weather, the dance was postponed twice which gave the Dance Commissioner, Bailey Dipper, and the Cabinet ample time to plan for the dance. With sufficient time to carefully plan the dance, the decorations were beyond expectations.

With murals all around the Commons that were authentic to the Moulin Rouge theme to the chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, the design and decorations fit the theme perfectly.

A senior student who attended the dance, Jenna Higgins was very complimentary of the decorations at the dance saying, “There was a lot of time and effort spent on the big murals that contributed to the theme, it was evident that there

was a lot of care put into the dance in order to make it more fun for students.”

Not only were the decorations accurate, but the music was also appealing to various groups of people with different tastes. This is because Dipper had taken the time to receive input from everyone, not just a specific pool of people. She then created a playlist based on the many suggestions from those people so everyone could enjoy the music.

The effort put into the whole dance to make it as enjoyable as possible did not go unnoticed.

A total of $3,000 was spent on the dance in hopes of the students having the best experience. Though the goal was to sell 500 tickets, they sold 600. The dance was most certainly worth attending.

With Loyalty being indoors,

there was a lot more to work with decorations wise and in general, people seemed to enjoy Loyalty more.

For never going to an indoor high school dance, I was in awe of the setup and the thought that went into the dance. Especially as a senior you very much appreciate the effort that goes into the dances.

Seeing as Higgins is a senior she said, “Whenever it’s your senior year, you are experiencing your last core high school memories, therefore it is my second to last dance. I really appreciated all the hard work and detail put into the dance.”

This all goes to show how memorable and special school dances can be for students. Kudos to Cabinet.

NEWS / 11

Lucky Stiff Musical LIZET RODRIGUEZ / REPORTER

The Lucky Stiff musical is based on the novel “The Man Who Broke the Bank at Monte Carlo”

by Michael Butterworth. Lucky Stiff is an offbeat, funny, murder mystery farce, that is also complete with mistaken identities. The story revolves around an unassuming English shoe salesman who is forced to take the embalmed body of his recently murdered uncle on a vacation to Monte Carlo.

This musical had a Tony AwardWinning writing team. Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty’s first produced show, Lucky Stiff premiered off-Broadway at Playwrights Horizons.

Dr. Teague is the director of the Lucky Stiff musical. She helped the cast do their best and organize to help everything and everyone get ready for the musical.

“Of course, as director, I love this musical! The cast is doing a wonderful job. It is a small cast with multiple people playing multiple characters. This is how the 12 \ NEWS

show was designed by the original playwrights. Everything is fast paced and fun. And the music is catchy. Overall, this show has been a delight!” Dr. Teague said.

“We had auditions at the end of January and typically rehearsed from 3 to 6 pm four days a week.

Now that we are close to tech week, you can generally see cast and crew members working evenings and weekends as well.” The musical is approximately 2 hours long.

“Lucky Stiff” ran from Friday, April 8th to Sunday, April 10th and the tickets were $5 per person. The student matinee was on Monday, April 11th and tickets were $3 per person.

Harry Witherspoon, Annabel Glick, Rita La Porte, Vinnie Diruzzio, Luigi Gaudi, The Body of Tony Hendon, are the Main Characters, and the Ensemble members play all the other roles.

Asking Josie Glynn, 11, how she felt being in the musical she said, “I love being in the musical. It’s a ton

of fun, and I really enjoy being … with my friends.”

“Being on stage is always fun, and watching everyone else have fun makes me have fun, and dancing and singing and acting, everything about it.”

Glynn knew she wanted to be in the musical because, “I have been in drama classes and doing theater things since I was little, and watching other shows on the Central stage really inspired me to continue the legacy.”

“You definitely learn patience, but also teamwork and other important life skills. You also learn how to change shirts in 15 seconds, which is also pretty handy,” she said. When asked what she loved about the musical she said, “I love the plot line and the lyrics. They’re all very funny and clever. The choreography is fun and interesting but most importantly, I love seeing my friends, Jaxson and Maggie, being able to thrive in their element.”

Joshua Kim: Feature story EVAN CORNELIUS-WHITE / REPORTER Joshua Kim, a sophomore, has one of the most extensive resumes in all of Central. Kim, 16, has only been at Central for 2 years but has still had an impact on Central.

He is involved with debate, the Technology Student Association (TSA), Math Team, Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA), Science Olympiad, the Project Lead the Way (PLTW) program, and tennis. Kim is one of the most electric tennis players in the state, being ranked first in his class. Most people of his caliber wouldn’t play high school tennis, as it would limit the number of national tournaments they could go to, therefore potentially lowering their ranking and scholarship opportunities, but Kim decided he wanted to.

Kim started playing tennis casually at seven years old. He then played in his first-ever tennis tournament.

“I went to a tournament for fun, but when I won some matches I saw my potential,” Kim said. After this, he regularly went to tournaments.

Ever since then, he’s taken part in many different tournaments on the regional and national level. Kim currently has the highest Universal Tennis Rating (UTR) in Missouri and is ranked number one in the state. In late September of last year, he fell from number one to number two, with Tommy Griese beating him out. He expressed irritation over the matter, saying that he thinks he could beat Griese. Luckily, he’s rebounded since that, jumping up to first, and showing the many scouts and coaches that he deserves that spot.

Kim also chatted a lot about the mental aspect of tennis.

He describes how mentality is the most crucial part of tennis.

“It’s not about being better than everybody else, it’s about mentality.”

Kim also described his previous struggles with the mental aspect of tennis, saying, “I was at the bottom, and I brought myself up. That’s what makes you from being good to great.”

Kim also does other sports and activities on the side away from tennis. The main thing he does is golf. “Golf is a way to relax, it’s a nice hobby to hang out with friends,” Kim said. He also noted that golf is very similar to tennis in the swinging of a stick. He is naturally very good at golf due to this, increasing the fun Raghav Bansal (left) and Joshua aspect of it.

Kim is also highly involved in Kim (right) placing first at the extracurricular academic activities. Springfield Invitational Tournament He is extremely good at math and science, saying, “It helps me problem time he plays with Kim, somebody solve, I like problem-solving.” He is at the place they’re playing knows good at pattern recognition, and him. Butler also talks about Josh’s being able to intuitively see the motivation, saying, “I think Josh situation before it actually happens. lives for the competition, he likes to He qualified for state in both Science be first. His brother also motivates Olympiad and Mathletes. He is able him to be better.” Kim lives for to balance school work and tennis the competitiveness of tennis and through his distinct organizational truly loves playing in highly ranked style. He has a lot of natural ability, tournaments nationwide. which shows through his elite tennis Kim luckily will play high school play and school ethic. tennis and secure Central a win at Kim has many friends, one of state. He believes that many of the those being Jack Butler. Butler, a other state players haven’t played as sophomore, is one of Kim’s best competitively and as long as he has, friends. “Josh is pretty chill and which will make a real difference funny, and very humble,” Butler during a match. The team will get a said. Butler states that Kim is major boost in morale, and in skill, extremely endorsed in the tennis winning matches that the tennis community, mentioning that every team can’t win without him.

SPORTS / 13

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Soccer at Central PAUL MARIUTA / REPORTER Football, or more commonly known as soccer in the states, is one of the most popular sports, if not, THE most popular sport in the world. Football is more popular in European countries such as England and France but is still popular in the United States. As the sport is still popular, most high schools have at least a men’s soccer as a summer sport and the women’s in the springtime. Central High School is a school in Springfield, MO which has both men’s and women’s soccer.

In the early 2000’s the soccer program at Central High was not the greatest as the Bulldogs only had a women’s team as the men’s team was dropped due to low number of players. The women’s team had some improvement needed and Dr. Christine Welch joined the coaching team, the rest is history.

“I didn’t really think about coaching at all while I was in college until I graduated.” Welch says, “I coached for one season (girls) at Ozark HS during college and then once I graduated, I worked outside of teaching and coaching for a couple of years until I met the then Women’s Soccer coach at Drury.”

Welch finishes.

From there, she started to volunteer with their team (in 1998 -1999). Following her time with Drury, she coached boys and girls ages 5-8 at Lake Country and was an assistant club coach for a high school girls club team.

“In 2000, I was hired at Central as the girls head coach (this will be year 22 with the girls team)” Welch

said. Like stated earlier, she made history at Central.

“When I started at Central, the girls program was struggling - in both numbers of players and skill.

I took over in 2000 and here we are today. At the same time I started with the girls, there was no boys program at Central.” Welch says, “After “reviving” the girls program with both numbers and winning games, within one year there were many boys who started to notice and wanted a team. In that same year and half time span, I had enough boys who wanted to play and I began the boys program as it stands today.”

“She revived the girls program around 2000 and the boys program shortly after that. She’s devoted a LOT of blood, sweat, and tears to the programs. I didn’t join the teams until early 2012. If I ever become the head coach of the two programs, I hope I can maintain her passion for the players that come through them.” Patrick Burns says, “I was actually approached by Coach Welch and Mr. Strunk (the assistant coach at the time I was doing my student teaching here at Central), about stepping in as the assistant coach after Mr. Strunk retired.” Burns finishes.

A good coach needs good decision making and fast thinking skills. They also need to spend most of their “free” time making plans for practices, etc. They also need to make quick decisions in games and have smart choices.

“Coaching and decisions made in a game situation is different for each game based on the opponent

and the current status of our own players. Weather, illness, injury and other factors also play a role in how I might “feel” or decide what needs to be done in that moment based on team and player need(s) in a given game situation; it’s very different each game.” Welch said.

“Coaching is not just what is done on the field and yes, coaching in general, sometimes can be stressful. There are HOURS each day of the week and on weekends that I spend outside of the actual practice and game field that involve other aspects of coaching.” Welch says.

“Coaching can be a bit of an emotional rollercoaster. When the players see that what we do in practice actually translates well into game situations, there’s a feeling of pride. There’s also a feeling of helplessness that a coach has when his team is struggling on the field… all we can do is stand on the sideline and offer encouragement.” Burns explains. He says that coaching is always difficult. There’s a selfimposed pressure that coaches have when it comes to the team’s success.

“When the team loses, we take it a bit personally because it feels like we didn’t give the team what they needed to win.” Burns finishes. Even though the Central Bulldogs finished with a loss, the Bulldogs should be confident going into the next season as they got themselves a new coach, Coach Cardoza who came from Glendale High School as the assistant coach for the men’s soccer team and women’s soccer team head coach.

SPORTS / 15

Arden Below’s Impact MEGHAN GRONE / EDITOR Arden Below is one of many seniors at Central High School, and she happens to be pretty well known amongst the other students at the school. With it now being her fifth and a half year at Central, Arden claims that she enjoys attending the school, because it is a very diverse school with a unified student body unlike any other schools that she’s seen. Below was drawn to Central because of friends and the opportunities that were in stock for her. Below is a part of the globally acclaimed International Baccalaureate (IB) program, is a varsity volleyball player, is involved in the A+ tutoring programW, and Journalism at Central.

“Establishing good teacher relationships is especially important when you are involved in many things at Central,” Below said. “It allows you to easily make up work if you miss class for a club and they might also be willing to help you with any questions you have.”

“Arden is very wellrounded,” said Coco Buschhorn, a sophomore at Central High School.

“She shows the weight that words can hold and is very optimistic and considerate of others. In general, she’s a great person to be around, and surrounds herself with other good people.” Below is said to be a fan favorite for parents, students, and teachers because of her personality, athleticism, and the way she presents herself to others.

Many people agree that she is a very hard worker, deserves all of the recognition she gets, and is an excellent role model.

“I would like to think I have made an impact at Central because the other seniors on the volleyball team and I helped lead our team to be District Champs last year.

This was really awesome, because we hadn’t had that title in about forty-eight years,” Below said. In 16 \ FEATURE

her free time, Below likes to go to the lake and wave surf. She also mentioned that she enjoys any kind of competitive games to play.

“I can’t believe she’ll be leaving,” Buschhorn said. “It makes me sad because we’ve grown so close in a short period of time, but I’m also happy for her because she has such a bright future.” Buschhorn mentioned that Arden acts like a big sister to her, and that there doesn’t seem to be a two year difference between their friendship because she always acts like herself. “Arden has given me some good advice and has made me feel important and comfortable with who I am as a person.”

“I wish I had come to Central sooner. Knowing that it’s my senior year is very bitter-sweet to me. I’ve made close friends but

only get to spend a short time with them. Leaving is sad, but I have made some great memories and I’m hopeful and ready for what the future holds,” Below said.

“Being a senior is really rewarding because you know that you finally got past your junior year, which is supposed to be your most challenging year. You also realize how precious senior year is.”

When asked about her senior year, she was very positive. Below listed multiple recommendations for younger students to be successful: reach out, make good connections, don’t be afraid/be willing to ask for help, don’t procrastinate, and have good time management for your classes.

“If I could describe my senior year in three words, it would be: lit, crazy, movie.”

Teachers of CHS

CHLOE CUNNIFF / REPORTER

Teachers at Central High School do so much for the students.

Not many of the students know how long some teachers have been at the school and just how much dedication goes into their work.

Some of the teachers have quite a few stories from over the years. Mr. Slingerland, who is a social studies educator, said, “Several years back one of our bats did several fly-bys of the class in the hallway during direct instruction. It created quite the stir among the class.”

Mrs. Halinger, who teaches Psychology, U.S. History, and AP Human Geography, and has been at the school for 2 years, said, “A student brought in a “pet” cockroach to the class across the hall that they found in the hallway.” She then continued to say how much she loves her students’ personalities.

The teachers may also have some misgivings in their time teaching. There was a fundraiser where if you put more pennies in a certain teachers’ jar, the teacher with the most money would have to dye their hair a bright color.

Mr. Epps won the student council fundraising contest and in return had to dye his hair bright colors. It was supposed to be temporary, but a student had bought permanent dye instead. Mr. Epps ended up having parent-teacher conferences and had to explain why his hair was like that.

The Central High School librarians, Ms. Mueller - who has been here 6 years - and Ms. Gugliotta - who has been here

11 years - are supportive of all students and try to help out as best as they can. They’re always on top of students that want to check out books and do a wonderful job at presenting the books as well. They spend time creating slideshows that can get students interested.

“I get a kick out of students asking to “rent” a book from the library,” says Ms. Mueller.

“The “funniest” thing that I have to share about my time at Central is the time I got locked in the library closet and was stuck in there after hours for about an hour,” Ms. Gugliotta said.

“Up until another teacher heard me yelling for help. It wasn’t so funny at the time, but now it is!”

Ms. Mueller also has some extra school activities she sponsors.

She is the Book Club and Library Archive Club sponsor and helps the groups so much. She plans activities that are interesting for the students to do that would excite all ages.

Dr. Smith-Nelson teaches three different math classes, Algebra 2, College Algebra, and Math SL 1-year.

“I also sponsor the Sexuality and Gender Alliance, which is a group to help support LGBTQ+ students, with the goal of having school be a welcoming and safe place for all students.” As well as sponsoring a club, she also helps out with the IB students.

All of Central High School’s teachers are wonderful and each of them has their own things to love about what they do. They get to make memories and have fun.

Teaching is not for everyone and not everyone likes to be around kids so much, but these teachers do an amazing job at putting their students before them and making sure that they get the best in life.

These teachers make sure the students at Central High School have a wonderful future full of opportunities.

FEATURE / 17

MENTAL HEALTH IN YOUNG ADULTS

JADE DODDS / REPORTER Since the pandemic started, it is shown that depression has affected triple the amount of people, having jumped from 8.5% to a staggering 27.8%.

“Young kids are able to adjust to the pandemic but teenagers are used to being with their friends. It really hit them hard,” said Jennifer Sullivian-Cox. “Teenagers and their parents have never been taught how to deal with their emotions in a healthy way.” Sullivan-Cox is a school counselor at Central High School. She has been a school counselor at Central for 4 years, but this is her 9th year overall.

“By opening up about your mental health problems, you will be able to get the help and support you need,” said Sullivian-Cox. “Holding onto what hurts is like holding onto hot coal,” said Sullivian-Cox. “There are safe people in this world.” New research from a study at Boston University School of Public Health showed that the elevated rate of depression has persisted into 2021. It has even worsened, climbing to 32.8% and affecting every 1 in 3 Americans.

“Mental health issues affect all aspects of a person’s daily living habits such as sleep, appetite, motivation, thought process, relationships with others,” said Christine Gazelas. Gazelas has been a school counselor at Central for 6 years.

“I think it’s important to build trust with the person who doesn’t 18 \ FEATURE

want to open up. This takes time,”said Gazelas.

“Students don’t think adults will understand them or hear them.

Maybe even blow them off, as just being a teen,” said Rebekah Bartels. “I think when students are going through tough times at home, and they don’t have a lot of support outside of school, it impacts them

other things,” said Anthony James.

“For me I think there is a lot of depression stemming from home because of the pandemic. I feel like kids come to school to be in their safe space.” James is in his second year of school counseling at Central.

“I enjoy working with the diverse student population,” said James. “I wanted to work with kids and help them prepare for life after high school.”

“Mental health issues can affect anyone, but there is such a stigma attached to mental health illness,” said Gazelas.

“I believe it is because many people still view mental health and issues pertaining to mental health as taboo,” said James.

“Mental Health has been a taboo topic for years. We are not finally able as a society to start openly having a conversation about what mental health looks like, and where you can get help. We still have a in a different way, and we see that long way to go in order to break the more often.” Bartels is another stigma,” said Bartels. school counselor at Central High “Honestly I think the reason kids School. feel that way is the perfection culture.

“Central has some of the most If you’re not in that category, it genuine students and staff in all of affects them in a negative way and SPS. The school pride is bountiful they don’t like coming to terms and it is one big family that takes with that. They want to brush it care of each other,” said Bartels. off. You don’t have to be perfect,” “Mental health issues can impact said Sullivian-Cox. Mental Health the whole student. Even if the issue affects more than half of the US stems from something outside of and more than 20% of people don’t school it can impact academics seek help because of the stigma. because they are thinking about

Social Media’s Effect on Young Adults TRAVIS DAVISON / REPORTER

Social media has been around for about 24 years. In these twenty-four years, the dependence on social media has increased for adults, teens, and children. Depending on social media has caused several problems for the generations affected by it.

According to a study done by Common Sense Media, half of 1,500 teens said that social media was an important source of support, advice, expression, and communication.

Around 43% of those teens said that social media helps them when they are in a depressive episode, stressed, or anxious. In this same study, 52% of LGBTQ+ teens said that social media helps them feel better when they’re going through difficult emotions.

Another study done by Common Sense Media showed that teens who spent more time on social media were more likely to be diagnosed with depression, anxiety, and/or other mental disorders. Those who spent more time on offline activities were less likely to be diagnosed with a mental illness. Teens’ depressive symptoms and suicide rates increased between 2010 and 2015, mostly among females.

“I have lost friends who felt it was important to advertise their ignorance on social media. For some, this became a deal breaker in our friendship,” Mrs. Carleton-Marshall said. She has worked at Central for 10 years and spends around an hour and a half on

social media a day. One of her favorite social media platforms currently is Tik Tok. “I love the entertainment and marketplace. I love to find treasures!” Mrs. Carleton Marshall added. This is something common among users of social media; entertainment is an important and somewhat addictive part.

“I personally think it changes our brains as evidenced by the extremely short attention span that seems rampant,” she replied when asked about her opinion on how social media was affecting young adults.

“I think we’re at a point where the bad is outweighing the good. I should. If there was a societal shift then yes.” When asked what social media companies should do to make social media safer for young adults, she said, “They can use logarithms that determine what ads to show you to determine what not to show you. They can and should also police misinformation and violations against humanity.” She also added, “We say to ‘self regulate’ but that is impossible for adolescents and young adults who are in the process of developing/growing their frontal lobe.”

“Lots of self-confidence issues and a lot of unhealthy wants for attention,” Lennon Wright, Junior stated, while talking about social media’s effects on young adults. Their favorite social media platform is YouTube, saying, “I watch videos all day!” They also said that they spend around 17 hours a day on social media.

“All depends on what’s going on on that day.”

“Music, art, animations, mostly communication!” They said when asked what their favorite part of social media was. They also said, when asked how social media affects their mental health, “I can never figure out whether or not I’m faking something for attention and I act a lot like cringy people do so I’m always nervous people hate me because of it.”

“I would make it impossible to fake mental illnesses online,” Wright said when asked what they would change about social media if given the power.

“They can definitely punish people who unjustly bully or criticize kids. Or are just creepy to kids. Like it shouldn’t be okay to see someone who’s dressing up and having fun to be called slurs and told to kill yourself,” they said when asked about what social media corporations should do to make social media safer for young adults.

“I would say the younger generation has been impacted in a more negative way,” Tobias LaDuke, a junior, said.

He spends around 8 hours on social media. When asked what his favorite part of social media is, he said, “It can make me laugh and also inform me of things.”

“No, because even though it can be bad, we are completely reliant on it, and that’s very important to people to survive, like the suicide hotline,” LaDuke said when asked if they would ban social media. He also said he would check who is who so that we can make the internet more child friendly.

FEATURE / 19

Central Welcomes Diversity NATHANIEL HUNTER / REPORTER

Springfield, Missouri’s Central High School was constructed in 1893, and was the first high school ever built in the city. The first senior class consisted of 76 students, of which only two graduated. According to usnews.com, Central is ranked as the 11,063rd best high school in the United States, the 228th best high school in Missouri, and the 12th best high school in the Springfield, Missouri Metro Area.

However, residents of Springfield believe that Central is much more than a statistic and a notable landmark.

They believe that Central means something not just to the city of Springfield, but to Missouri as a whole.

“I’ve worked at Central for longer than I can remember, and I still do in a lot of ways,” says Cecil Mooney, a former special education teacher at Central and the current special education coordinator for all five high schools in Springfield, “And I think that, honestly, this school is special. I really do. And I’m not the only one who feels that way, ask any other teacher, student, whatever.

This place means something. And it’s not just because it was the first.

Being the first doesn’t mean you’re special. Just because you’re the first doesn’t mean you’re some kind of role model people need to look up to.”

According to Mooney, it’s easy to minimize Central’s importance as just ‘the first high school in Springfield.’ The very first high school founded in the United States, the Boston Latin School in Boston, Massachusetts, founded in

20 \ FEATURE

1635, is ranked as only the 36th best high school in the nation, according to usnews.com. According to Mooney, what makes Central special is that it’s a place where people feel welcome.

“It’s not the sort of thing you notice, but a lot of the classrooms in this school have little signs that say, ‘This is a safe-space for LGBTQ students’ or something or other,” agrees Kenneth Wallace, an English teacher at Central. “It’s a minor type of thing, though, not everyone is going to see it.

But it’s still there, and it’s there for a reason. It’s a little detail, but I think that little details stack up to form the big picture of what Central really is.”

According to a report by the Southern Poverty Law Center, media outlets in the U.S. reported 821 hate incidents nationally in 2018, of which 515 were race-related, 80 were antiLGBTQ+, 30 were anti-immigrant, 145 were antisemitic, 26 were antiMuslim, and 25 were directed at other minorities. According to this same report, educators in 2017 reported 1,087 race-related hate incidents, 803 anti-LGBTQ+ incidents, 581 antiimmigrant incidents, 366 anti-Semitic incidents, 182 anti-Muslim incidents, and 246 other hate incidents.

But against this national backdrop, for many teachers and staff, Central High School’s main strength is its diversity and accepting culture. According to a statement submitted by Springfield Public Schools to the SPS Equity and Diversity Advisory Council, 31% of students at Central are people of color, and teachers are committed to

building a culture of acceptance. “It’s not uncommon knowledge that the United States isn’t exactly the most friendly place towards minorities,” says Mooney, “but the people running Central don’t want things to be that way. They want it to be a place where everybody can learn, can feel accepted, and can be safe, no matter what they look like or what they believe.”

“I don’t want to say Central is perfect. No school is perfect.

No school will ever be perfect probably. But we’re really trying to make a change,” says Wallace.

“Missouri was, as we all know, a slave state back during olden times, and even though slavery has been gone for hundreds of years, the effects of it still ripple throughout all the states where it existed, and it will continue to for who knows how long. But if one place can stand as an example

to show everyone how things should be, and not how things are, then that’s a special place. I believe that Central is that place.”

Central

A History Worth Preserving ALLISON LOUGHARY / REPORTER Walking through the halls, students are thinking of a variety of different subjects, but probably never give a thought to the actual halls they are walking in. The oldest parts of the school were constructed in 1893, making it the oldest and first high school in the district. With the school being over 100 years old, it has a very rich history. This history deserves to be remembered and preserved, and we’ve taken many efforts to organize this task.

Clarissa Lewis-Sommer, a nursery supervisor, has been at Central for 13 years. Last year Lewis-Sommer and the other nursery supervisor, Stacy Bailey, cataloged many of our artifacts. During this process, Lewis-Sommer learned a lot of interesting things about the school, as well as the students, “One fun fact is in 1959 a CHS student competed and won the World Roller Skating Championship.”

Central’s Archive Club has had an active role in preserving our history. The club is a way for students to get involved with Central’s history.

“We help clean and organize the school library, as well as scan old yearbooks, newspapers, [and] magazines,” says Co-President Megan Liermann, 11.

With it being the first high school, it was first called Senior High. It wasn’t until 1965 that the name was changed to Central. Also as a first, “In 1922 the first all-female drum corps in the United States was formed in Springfield by R. Ritchie Robertson, later becoming our Kilties,” Lewis-Sommer says. Though the Kilties have been a constant, the structure of the building has not.

Before the building at our current location, the school was on Jefferson and Olive. This school housed first through twelfth graders. When our current building was constructed

in 1893, the high schoolers moved over. The school since then has had many renovations and additions. The original building had a belltower, which had to be removed in 1916 due to structural issues. The Hall of Ivy, which leads to the basement and auditorium, used to be filled with real ivy, but caused damage and was taken out.

“The photos of … the ivy-covered portions … of the school are really interesting,” Liermann says. The Hall now commemorates students who have died. When asked if she was glad that the school wasn’t torn down, Liermann said, “Yes, I think it is really cool to go to a school that has such a deep history and a beautifully preserved building.”

The physical building wasn’t the only addition to the school. Clubs and programs have enriched our history and have increased student participation. The start of the IB program in 1996 at Central, being the fourth school in the state to have one, raised enrollment numbers that had been declining. The A+ program, which was introduced in 1997, boosted student involvement in school activities.

“Clubs were a huge part of past generations. Some of our clubs

Magazine:

Yearbook:

have been around for decades like the PTSA, Kilties, and Drama Club but some like the Triple C’s were here only a couple of years. Our club’s scrapbooks give us a look at what students were interested in, what was popular at the time, and what the school was focused on,” says LewisSommer.

Cases of artifacts are visible in the halls throughout the school.

Students can visit the library to see copies of many of the yearbooks and other prints. The CHS Heritage Room Website is available for all to see. Plays, club minutes, and other interesting things can be found on the website.

These memories are important, not just to the school, but also to Springfield’s history. We go to this historic school and it is now part of our own, personal history. We remember what has happened here and keep these artifacts because it is relevant to the past, the present, and the future.

“Current events could possibly have an influence from Central’s history and they will leave a lasting impact on how things are carried out in the future,” says Liermann. We can’t write off history as unimportant, because it’s why we’re here.

1893The High School Life

1902first called Exodus

1913changed to Central High Times

1904changed to Windup

1907changed to Resume

FEATURE / 21

The Batman (2022) Movie Review MILES COMO / REPORTER I never thought I would see a true, dark, detective oriented, and comic accurate Batman in live action until I saw The Batman, this movie embodies not only the character, but the city as a whole with a dark and horror-like piece.

Simultaneously having a beautiful film noir style given to the film, with an almost horror like mystery and detective story crafted with so much care and dedication.

The film fleshes out so much of the mystery and the riddler’s clues and leads within a nearly 3 hour runtime and gives so much depth to the characters, yet it’s all paced perfectly to where it feels like 2 hours at best. The riddler is a sadistic and deeply unsettling villain given a terrifying performance by Paul Dano, while the comics or even movies such as batman forever portray the riddler in a rather over the top and colorful manner, but this movie’s riddler is a full on serial killer feeling inspired by adult thrillers like Se7en and comics like Batman: The Long Halloween. Batman’s story fits so well with this horror and mystery tone to where it’s so grounded and realistic, but also more like the comics. Robert Pattinson is perfectly gritty and intense as the character of Batman, being able to convey so much emotion without even being given a lot of dialogue. Notice I said the character of Batman and not Bruce Wayne, because most of Bruce Wayne’s time on screen is in costume and as a full on detective. Outside of

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his life as the caped crusader in this movie, he is incredibly reclusive and isolated with Alfred, it doesn’t feel like he needs to have a whole other personality as a playboy billionaire hitting a bunch of big parties in his freetime to keep up a facade, like Bruce Wayne was in The Dark Knight trilogy. This Bruce Wayne is fully focused on the task of catching this sadistic maniac and solving the riddles and clues along the way. He also, however, manages to build some really strong connections with Catwoman (Zoe Kravitz) and James Gordon (Jeffery Wright).

I also appreciate how Gordon is given such a great dynamic with Batman to where it feels like they have a genuine trust in each other and are working together as actual detectives. Jefferey Wright gives a fully immersed performance as the character, not only resembling the comics with perfection, but also giving a grounded and gritty Se7en like interpretation of the character.

Zoe Kravitz is very good as Selina Kyle, she has amazing chemistry with Batman with their interest in each other and romance that takes place even despite conflicting moral values. This movie also pulls off the gangster characters in this movie such as Carmine Falcone and even Penguin with flying colors. Penguin in particular though, feels more like a real gangster rather than the more over the top comic book counterpart and Danny DeVito’s penguin in Batman Returns.

This film is pulled off with riveting action sequences, having not only great stunt coordination and choreography giving a brutal pack to each punch and making Batman a much darker character. The action is also beautifully directed with wide lenses and longer cuts that actually allow for you to see what’s going on and in some cases just having a camera in one straight angle for a whole scene and it works so well for the style and making the action better. Not to mention the design for Batman’s gadgets and his suit along with the Batmobile (that’s revealed in a thrilling scene) is amazing. I love Batman’s suit being both bulletproof and compact while also allowing for swift combat. Overall The Batman is a masterwork of both a dark manhunt and detective film, but also a gorgeous cinematic experience of a Batman movie, breathing new life into the character and tracing back to the comics in the best way possible.

Rating: 10/10

Sanez’s Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe: A Novel Review NINA MALEGA / REPORTER

Two young men, both fifteen years old, help each other discover themselves and overcome the obstacle that is adolescence in the 1980s. The book Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe, written by Benjamin Alire Sánez, is a captivating tale about two boys; Aristotle “Ari” Mendoza and Dante Quintana.

Set in El Paso, Texas 1987, the story follows two Mexican teenagers, Aristotle “Ari” Mendoza and Dante Quintana.

Throughout the novel, the two teenagers delve into their friendship, racism, family issues, sexuality, and self discovery.

At fifteen years old Ari Mendoza is extremely bored with his life, family, and thoughts. Tired of wasting his summer days away, Ari ventures to the neighborhood pool, at which he meets fellow fifteen year old, Dante Quintana.

After that day, the two become inseparable.

Bonding over family values, Mexican heritage, and literature, the boys discover themselves and the world around them.

Throughout this story, there were many things that I enjoyed and found extremely interesting; one of which just being the plain depth of the characters. Starting out with Ari, from the very beginning of the book we get a look inside of his head and his inner turmoil. We have a look at not only the regular teenage angst, but his issues involving self discovery and how he views himself. Ari’s thoughts just by themselves were confusing and jumbled, but they were still a very important aspect of the plot. Other readers may not enjoy that as much as I did, but I thought that making his inner dialogue a bit strange and complex was another way to show how confused Ari really was.

Even though Dante wasn’t the main focus of the book as much as Ari was, I always felt like I knew him just as well as I knew Ari. Throughout the chapters, Sánez did a skillful job at describing Dante through his characters’ dialogue.

Anytime Dante would have a line of dialogue, it would reveal pieces of himself and what was going on in his mind as well.

Apart from the two main characters, the parents of both Ari and Dante weren’t so one dimensional either. An example of this is Ari’s father. He worked as a mail carrier for the U.S. postal service and demonstrated passion for his career choice. It later gets revealed to readers that he fought in Vietnam and had developed PTSD as a result. As the book carries on, we see how the war affected Ari’s father and how his relationship with his family changes.

Another aspect about the book that I liked was how Sánez wrote about the hardships and challenges both boys had to go through.

Being set in the 1980s, times then were obviously different and we didn’t see as much progression as we have now. As both boys were of Mexican descent, they both dealt with racism and bigotry throughout their lives and specifically throughout their time at school. As someone who has dealt with racism myself, I felt as though Sánez did an amazing job at explaining why they were being treated that way, but also how that affected their image of themselves and what their abilities in life were.

As for dislikes I had with the book, they truly are sparse. But, nothing is perfect and this book is no exception.

One thing I found quite confusing throughout the book as a whole were the time jumps throughout the chapters. The story takes place over the course of the majority of their highschool years, and at times I felt like time was moving too fast. At some points in the plot something big would happen that would define that year and the year would usually end and the plot would move on to a new school year. Even though at certain points I thought the time jumps were helpful to move the story forward, I think some of them were misplaced.

Another dislike I had was how some of the conversations were formatted. I noticed

specifically how rushed Ari’s conversations with his mother were. It felt as though they would hastily go from one point to another without any real connection. I felt like I was always trying to reread certain

sections of their conversations to see if I missed anything that would make sense of what I was reading.

Overall, I thought that Sánez did a beautiful job of putting his own spin on the classic coming of age tale. The book has immense amounts of personality and depth that I haven’t seen in too many books yet.

I do truly believe that Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe is a timeless novel that is 10/10 worth the read.

This story evoked emotions that I didn’t even know I had. If you are looking for a book that will make you overjoyed and shatter you at the same time, the story of Aristotle and Dante is the perfect read for you.

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Gaven Bremenkamp, 11, getting ready for a wrestling match.

A Walk Down Memory Lane JADE DODDS / PHOTO EDITOR 24 \ HYPE

Cal Bussen, 12, Rachael Doel, 12, Sophia Birmingham, 12, at the Central Film Festival.

Ahmias Hart, 12, Maggie Stanfield, 12, Maverick Hill, 12, selling hello day shirts.

Marley Knust, 11, Kate Steingraber, 12, in the auditorium.

Ian Morgan, 11, and Sophia Leonard, 11 after a debate match.

Central Step Team and Dr. Felton after a performance at MSU’s National Pan-Hellenic Council event.

SLEEP DEPRIVATION

QUINCY ALBERHASKY / COMIC ARTIST