Sept 13

ON AIR

Homecoming football game to air on Cox Kansas 22 | 8D

13 REASONS

Author Jay Asher to have Q&A with students and faculty Oct. 24 | 6D

BOOSTER Friday, September 20, 2013 ■ Vol. 98 ■ Issue 2

Pittsburg High School ■ 1978 E. 4th Street ■

x u d e R

Pittsburg, KS ■ 66762 ■ www.boosterredux.com

M o ne y Ball Money B all Construction of the new softball complex began last fall. The completion of the complex included a field, dugouts, and a scoreboard. With the approval of the Pritchett Grant, the final additions can be made to the field, including lights, which will allow home games to be played on school grounds. The add-ons will be finished before the upcoming spring season. PHOTOS BY MIRANDA MOORE

$80,000 Pritchett Grant approval finishes softball complex

BY REECE BURNS

S

The Booster Redux

enior Mercedes Vogel will be the first Dragon in history to step upon the pitching mound on the new softball field during the first varsity home game this spring. With the Pritchett Grant’s approval and the 80,000 dollars that comes with it, the final touches of the softball field will be finished in time to host home games for Vogel and

the rest of the senior girls’ final season.

The biggest addition to be made to the field is the installation of lights that would enable the field to host evening home games. The lack of lights is what kept the girls at the Lincoln Park fields last season.

New head softball coach Megan Burleson sees the new field as a valuable asset for the upcoming season.

“It’s nice to have a home field advantage,” Burleson said. “That can make a big difference.”

Vogel has personally experienced the hassle of not having a home field to always come back to at the end of the day.

“Having to travel to Lincoln Park every day has definitely been, for lack of better words, annoying,” Vogel said. “It was definitely a hassle having to transfer equipment and such back and forth every day.”

Until now, the junior varsity and varsity softball

SEE MONEY BALL PAGE 2D

Foreign exchange process gets back on the map

PHS renews its contract with the SEVIS program

BY PARKER MATTHEWS The Booster Redux

M

any students would appreciate an opportunity to travel to a new country and experience a different culture. PHS has reached out via the foreign exchange program to Russia and Brazil.

Margarita Kurganova (Russia), Danilo Pinheiro (Brazil) and his brother Mattheus (Brazil) are the current students who participate in the foreign exchange program. The transfer of students can benefit more than the student switching schools.

“When [Danilo] moved to Pitt I was on the soccer team with him, and we got real close and throughout the school year I helped him with things. When his parents came to Pitt we had dinner with them and they were impressed with how we took Dan under our wing, and they asked if we could do the same but with Mattheus.” Senior Josh Schooley said.

Transfer students may have their own personal

reasons for choosing to join SEVIS, but there tends to be a few constants.

The sports and activities offered through the schools in the United States are not offered through schools in other some other countries, i.e., Brazil. Danilo and Mattheus share these interests, but they have a unique opportunity -- studying at the same school.

“I have never had a class with [Mattheus]. In Brazil, I could not have a class with him, since I am a senior and he’s a freshman,” Danilo said.

“It’s pretty good to have him around me, so I can help him get better.”

This year, PHS renewed its contract with the Student and Exchange Visitor Program, which means it is back on the map for the internationally acclaimed student exchange program. In order to file to be eligible for SEVIS, schools will go through an inspection and must be approved before any students would

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY BETHANNE ELLIOTT be allowed to transfer.

Students must go through a similar process.

Like the process for schools, students must meet a set criteria to be accepted into the program.

Once accepted, a student

is randomly matched up with a SEVIS school. On top of the SEVIS criteria, students must acquire a student visa that permits their stay in a foreign country in order to study.

A student must know a fair

amount of the dominant language spoken in the country they are transferring to.

“There’s a lot of paperwork involved for the [transfer] students and the faculty,” Assistant Principal

Rhonda White said. “It’s a good program for both the school and the students.

Schools gain new students and are [introduced] to new cultures. And students have a whole new experience [ahead] of them.”

NEWS

◗ Page 2D

DID YOU KNOW? TAILGATING INFO Starting this year, before all PHS home football games, students will be able to tailgate south of the stadium.

Tailgating starts at 5:30 and goes until game time.

HOSA NEWS Club dues for HOSA are due today. The cost for dues is $17. See Jim Foresman for any other questions.

FCCLA PIE SALES FCCLA students have been selling apple pies to help pay for their membership fees.

If students sell 10 pies it will pay for their membership.

Each pie cost $8 and will be delivered between Sept. 25 Oct. 11. The last day to order pies will be Sept. 25.

PEP BUS RETURNS Today, there will be a pep bus traveling to the football game in Fort Scott. Along with riding the bus, students pay $5 and will receive a bottle of water and admission to the game. The bus will leave at 5:30 in front of the school.

New students transfer to USD 250 for new opportunities

BY KYLYNN COLLINS The Booster Redux

U

SD 250 has received 66 transfer students this year. Not all schools are the same, some of the smaller schools do not have as many classes or sports as other high schools do. Former St. Mary’s Colgan Sophomore Stuart Comeau attributes his transfer to the high school’s greater selection in classes.

“I transferred because Pittsburg had more electives than Colgan,” Comeau said.

Between the classes and clubs offered at PHS, Comeau chose computer tech I and foundations of technology.

College classes are available to students who are interested in getting ahead. Southeast High School does not offer advanced placement (AP) classes but instead classes are available dual credit classes.

According to the USD 247 Superintendent Dr. Glenn Fortmayer, the district reimburses 100 percent of tuition if students get an A or B in the class.

At Pittsburg High School there are seven college classes and six AP classes.

“I transferred from Southeast so I could graduate early but also keep my job and become a full time employee,” former Southeast senior Cord Mays said.

Shifting plastic beads, sophomore Stuart Comeau works on the plastic mold machine in the Applied Learning Center. Comeau transferred from St. Mary’s Colgan due to the high amount of electives offered at PHS, specifically the technology program. “I came here to learn new things and take new classes and I am getting the opportunity to do just that,” Comeau said. PHOTO BY MIRANDA MOORE

There are many other common reasons why students transfer to different schools. One reason could be because of bullying.

“Pittsburg is a lot better on its bullying. Students here don’t bully as much, they are a lot better with treating people

equally,” freshman Padraig Holland said. “Also, I transferred from Fort Scott because my mom is a teacher here.

Holland has joined football, which is one of his favorite sports. He also plans to play

WESLEY HOUSE: HORN OF PLENTY Sunday Sept. 29 Wesley House will be having their annual horn of plenty food drive.

Volunteers will be picking up non-perishable food items around 1 and will continue until about 5. Items needed include: peanut butter, macaroni and cheese, powdered milk, baby food, jelly, cereal, crackers, and tuna.

population. With the many different personalities we have at the high school sometimes it is easier for someone to fit in.

“Everyone is really welcoming here,” junior Cora Still said.

Students more susceptible to unexcused absences due to change in tardy policy

BY KATIE PHALEN The Booster Redux

JUNIOR CLASS CLEAN UP

Scholarships and the Sept. newsletter for seniors are now posted on the school website under Current Highlights on the district home page. See Gina Ulbrich for more information regarding scholarships.

basketball and baseball.

Bullying is one of the reasons why freshman Padraig Holland transferred from Fort Scott.

Another reason why students transfer to the high school is because of the bigger

Never late is better

The last day to order Psychology Club T-shirts will be Sept. 30. The cost per shirt is $11. See Patrick Moss in room 323 for any additional information.

AVAILABLE SCHOLARSHIPS

Friday, September 20, 2013

Different school, different culture, new beginning

PSYCHOLOGY CLUB

Students are asked to pick up trash at games at Hutchinson Field after football games in order to raise money for prom. Many teachers are also using this as an extra credit opportunity in order to ensure participation.

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BOOSTER REDUX

Finishing one of the last sidewalk segments, workers smooth out concrete on the softball complex.

The team will be play its first home game this spring. PHOTO BY MIRANDA MOORE

Money Ball: Pritchett Grant approved CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1D

teams have had to travel to the Lincoln Park fields to practice and play all of their home games. This meant loading and unloading all of their gear every day for the trip from the school to the fields for every practice and every game.

“I’m going to be very excited to be able to play on our own field,” said senior softball player Abby Herring. “It will be so much more convenient when it comes to practice and games because we won’t have to haul our gear from place to place.”

Former softball head coach Mary Packard recalls the inconvenience of not having a home field of their own.

“We lost an hour of practice every day due to travel time,” Packard

said. “A home field adds more to what you can get done. [Lack of a home field] was very inconvenient.”

Coach Burleson can see no downside to having their own field at the start of her coaching experience for the Dragons.

“We’ll get to practice sooner,” Burleson said.

“We won’t have to load our equipment. It’ll give a great sense of dragon pride; the girls have to be excited.”

Vogel agrees with Burleson’s observation.

“I’m very excited about a having a field to call our own,” said Vogel. “It gives the team and I something to take pride in for our softball program, which is something that’s been lacking in our team.”

As of now, the field could host games but

they would have to be held earlier in the day to maintain adequate lighting to play. Although Packard is no longer the head softball coach, she still advocates the individual fund raising that the softball players still conduct. The team started selling bricks last year to add to the mural of stone that is outside of the softball field. The purchaser of a brick could engrave whatever they please on the purchased brick.

The engraved bricks will enclose a purple ‘P’ made out of brick. The team also did a Hit-AThon last year to raise money.

“The field is a good way to bring back some motivation and spunk in the team,” Vogel said.

“We have all worked really hard in raising money to help build it.”

At the beginning of the school year, the administration introduced several new handbook and policy changes, one of which revamped the tardy policy and the consequences involved in showing up late to class.

In the past, after a student was counted tardy three times for the same class, it resulted in a three-hour Friday night school. This year, threehour Friday night schools have been done away with. Instead, for every third tardy that a student acquires, it results in a recorded absence for that class. In addition to that, if a student is five or more minutes late to class, they will be counted absent. If a student racks up multiple absences in a class, they can lose credit for that course, which they can make up through extended school days, or eventually qualify as truant.

“We’d been having to spend a lot of time on tardies when we should be addressing curricular items or other things for students.” Principal Jon Bishop said. “What we have seen so far is a lot less kids in the hallways when the bell rings. We still have a few, but it’s a lot cleaner getting to and from classes.”

Some students do not agree with the administration’s decision to tighten up the attendance rules. Senior Victoria Scholes finds that after transferring from another district, it

is difficult to adjust to the earlier schedule at USD 250, which makes it harder for her to get to school on time.

“I think the tardy policy is silly,” Scholes said.

“At Frontenac, school started at 8:10, it’s hard to get used to such an early school day.”

Bishop said that no matter when the start time of the school day is, he feels like the amount of tardies would still be the same, if not greater.

With the first tardy bell at the high school ringing at 7:40, most students are driving to school around 7:20 or 7:30. Bishop said that this chosen time frame avoids students getting caught in the rush hour traffic that hits Pittsburg around 8:00 on most weekday mornings.

Senior Logan Fields has found a reason to be glad about the new tardy policy.

“I love the new tardy policy because last year I was late at least three times a week and got a lot of [Friday Night Schools],” Fields said.

“But now I don’t have to worry about that as much, it’s great.”

However, Bishop said that the intentions of this new policy are to address the students who show up to class late habitually.

“If I see it wasn’t a pattern then you’re OK, you’re not going to get in trouble,” Bishop said.

“But if it’s an everyday occurrence, then sorry.

It’s not just the train, or the fact that your electricity went off, or you’ve had a bad morning. It’s an everyday occurrence.”

N EWS Donating time: students give back to school and community

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BOOSTER REDUX

Page 3D

Friday, September 20, 2013

New American Government and athletic lettering criteria requires logging service hours

BY MORGAN PLANK

B

The Booster Redux

efore becoming a Pittsburg High School alumni, there are many academic requirements that must be met. Starting this fall, seniors taking American Government are now required to log a minimum of 20 hours of community service during the semester.

The inspiration for this idea came from other high schools in the country that participate in similar service programs.

“We felt here at Pittsburg High that it was important that we allow kids opportunities to give back into the community a little bit,” said social science teacher Gary Wolgamott.

“We are hoping that it’s going to take off and it is going to go a lot further, but this is where we want to start at.”

Wolgamott designed the program and went through the steps of getting it approved. He and social science teacher Anita White discussed a way to implement the program in all the government classes.

After all the information was passed out and discussed, each student set up a plan explaining how and where they are planning on completing their 20 hours. As soon as their plan is submitted, they may start working to obtain their hours.

“I was a little worried at first because I’ve never done anything like this before, but I figured in the long run it will help us out, and the community of course,” senior Marcous Fischer-Sines said.

This new qualification ends up to be approximately 15 percent of the semester grade. If students are not able to find any activities to participate in through the school, their church, or other community service opportunities, they may talk to the teachers about ways to obtain their hours.

Various organizations are already participating in activities that count toward this requirement.

Stapling notes to paper bags, senior Riley Cunningham donates his time to charity for the fourth annual Wesley House Horn of Plenty Food Drive. Wesley House will be collecting bags of food door-to-door on Sunday, Sept. 29. PHOTO BY ABBY HARRIS

“We are really looking forward to it and we think it is going to make a big difference in our community,” Wolgamott said.

The final piece of the process will give students a chance to reflect on their experiences by writing a paper including their thoughts on what they learned from their service and how it benefitted the community.

“I think it will help me grow as a person. I might start looking at my community from their perspective actually not just mine,” Fisher-Sines said.

American Government students aren’t the only ones affected by a community service requirement. All the sports teams

are affected as well. This new requirement has become a part of the lettering criteria. In addition to all of the lettering qualifications, athletes will now have to complete two hours of community service individually.

Activities Director Doug Hitchcock also felt it was important to get athletes and other groups involved.

Over the past decade the community has provided the school with many new additions, including the soccer field, track, softball complex, Megan Mallatt Activity Center, and the wood floor in the gymnasium.

“I was just thinking of how fortunate we are to be able to receive all those type of things,” Hitchcock said. “I thought we could

Popular book comes to life “13 Reasons Why” hits the stage

BY EMILY BADEN

The Booster Redux

It is not everyday that Jay Asher, New York Times’ best-selling author comes to a small-town high school.

Asher will host a talk-back session opening day, Oct. 24, to talk to students that are adapting his book, “13 Reasons Why,” into a play.

This October, not only will many students get the chance to see their favorite book come to life under the lights of the auditorium stage, but they will get to see Asher face to face.

According to librarian Cheryl Larson, “13 Reasons Why” has been requested and checked out more than any other book in the high school library. After she introduced the play version to director Greg Shaw, he decided to direct the stage version since it seemed to have sparked interest in the student population.

“I’m really excited that the author of the book is going to be here and is going to watch the play with the students,” Larson said.

“Also, that he is going to be here for them to react and talk to them. I have been told that he is just an awesome speaker and he

Coffeyville

Pittsburg

relates to [the teenage] age level and has a lot to say about [the suicide] topic.”

The play is about teen suicide and chronicling the ideas and process of a young lady from what brought her to the decision of committing suicide.

“It is really just an eye opener that the things that we do or the interactions we have with people can have long-lasting effects,” Shaw said. “I think that’s the overall reason for the power of the play.”

Shaw expressed his excitement for the show from the fact that students already have extensive knowledge of what the play is going to be about since they have read the book beforehand.

“Jay Asher is one of my favorite authors and I love his work,” freshman Theresa Page said. “[When I found out,] I couldn’t stop jumping up and down and I kept bouncing around the library.”

According to Shaw, the plan is to do a daytime performance one day for half the school and then the next day do one for the other half, that way everyone in the school will

Kansas City

get to see the performance before Asher arrives.

The cast, crew, the English department and English classes and any student that has passed the Accelerated Reader test for the novel will have an opportunity to have a book talk with Asher.

He will share his insights on the topic of teen suicide and becoming a writer in general. Then ultimately, that evening, he will do a book signing open to the community.

“I’m just really excited about how the students are going to get to meet someone who is at the top of their game and one of the best writers out there,” Shaw said.

All in all, Shaw has high hopes for the play for making people more aware of their actions and preventing something traumatic from happening in the future.

“How great would it be that we become much more knowledgeable [about the topic] and we don’t have to go through the reallife experience of a kid committing suicide and all the heartbreak and the turmoil that comes with it,” Shaw said.

give back and show the community that we do appreciate those facilities and we want to do our part.”

Students will find many service opportunities available to them during the school year through the various athletic events and activities at the high school, such as working concession stand and setup and cleanup for games.

“I know [the kids] already do have an appreciation for how much our community does for us, I just want them to continue to provide and share that appreciation and be able to give back to the community,” Hitchcock said.

Crisis team reviews procedures New protocols established to protect students in various potentially dangerous situations

BY CADEN YANTIS

The Booster Redux

In light of recent tragedies that have been taken place in schools across America, the administration has reviewed and improved security and safety procedures for the high school.

Security in schools has been a major priority due to various school shootings that have occurred in the past year. In order to avoid an intruder situation, an entry buzzer has been added to the commons area office door.

The purpose of this is to prevent unauthorized entrance into the main part of the building. It is impossible to gain entrance unless the office secretary presses a button which releases the lock.

“After the Connecticut incident, the district crisis team met to see if we can add anything for the safety of our students,” Assistant Principal Chris Garzone said. “That’s where the buzzer idea came in.”

At the moment, the outside main office door remains without an entry buzzer which could prove to be problem in the long run.

“I would really like to see the school putting an entry button on the main office door,” said School Resource Officer (SRO) David Petrie. “I think it would help if the school happened to have an intruder,”

Petrie, who is a new addition to staff this year, starts out his day by directing traffic in the mornings to reduce chaos. As the day goes on, Petrie patrols the building to ensure all the doors in the school are locked.

During the course of the second semester, the school will also have a tracking system installed in the main office which will identify visitor’s driver’s licenses, which in turn will alert the school if the visitor is a child predator or has any charges that could prove a threat to the school.

“Once we add the tracking system in the office, we (Crisis team) have done all we can do to ensure that there is appropriate safety measures for our students,” Garzone said.

In addition to the numerous changes in the school, the tornado drill plan has changed to where everyone is directed to a safer place within the school.

Instead of taking cover in interior rooms such as classrooms and the library, which has been the procedure for years, the locker rooms and the school basement is now the designated area for tornado drills.

“I think in general that our crisis drills are pretty effective” Garzone said. “We (Crisis team) are always looking for ways to improve the efficiency of our drills.”

OPINION

■ Page 4D

Booster Redux staff and policy Editors-in-Chief Emily Baden Reece Burns Bethanne Elliott Parker Matthews Katie Phalen Online Editors Qualen Pollard Evan Rajotte Staff Alli Baden Shelby Bicknell Katy Brown Kylynn Collins Abi Felter Molly Graham Ashley Hall Josh Jarvis Joban Mendpara Miranda Moore Megan Munger Morgan Plank Reagan Rink Rachyl Russian Erica Seal Caden Yantis Adviser Emily Smith

PHS Student Publications Department and newspaper class produce The Booster Redux.

Please call us with comments at 620-235-3200.

The Booster Redux’s purpose is to inform, educate, enlighten and entertain readers fairly and accurately in an open forum.

Opinions expressed in editorials or opinion columns do not necessarily reflect views of all members on the Booster staff.

Digital photos have not been altered to manipulate reality.

Photo illustrations are labeled to reflect any technical alternations.

Anonymity may be given in the following cases: the information is unable to be presented another way, the information warrants anonymity, the source’s privacy and/or reputation requires protection and the source must be protected from damages.

A student or faculty member death during the coverage period will be covered with a short obituary.

The Booster Redux is a member of Journalism Education Association, National Scholastic Press Association, Kansas Scholastic Press and International Quill and Scroll. The Booster Redux encourages letters from students, teachers and community members under 300 words and signed with a valid signature only.

The Booster Redux reserves the right to edit contributions if they are libelous, obscene and for length. Any grammatical errors at the fault of the writer will be printed.

Corrections of errors printed at the fault of the Booster staff will appear in the appropriate section of the next issue.

BOOSTER

Friday, September 20, 2013

An unhealthy addiction to the connection

Social networking consumes the life of teens

BY ASHLEY HALL The Booster Redux

In our world of constant innovation, a large majority of teenagers have developed an addiction to the technology surrounding them.

According to a Pew Research Center survey, seventy-eight percent of teenagers around the nation have a cell phone. They’ve allowed social media and text messaging to overtake their lives. Authentic relationships are being sacrificed in lieu of a virtual life.

“We are experiencing information surfeit,” writer of Spontaneous Happiness, Andrew Weil, M.D. said.

You may be saying to yourself, what’s wrong with that? My phone keeps me entertained when I’m bored and yet I know when to put it down.

“My phone has all the access and ability of keeping in touch, without using a computer,” says Junior Jena Hart.

Alcoholics and drug addicts think they can drink or smoke when they want to and control themselves from overdosing. But we all know that is a common misconception. Their minds are manipulated by their addiction, just as those who are engrossed in their

electronic devices. stimulating personal conversation.

There are endless ways our A link between high depression technology negatively influences our rates and our modern world has been human nature. Digital technology is connected. affecting how students learn. According “There seems to be something to The Huffington Post, surveys have about modern life that creates fertile shown student attention spans soil for depression,” Psychologist becoming severely Martin Seligman states. damaged. Their In general, countries with failure to focus has “The solution to the citizens whose lifestyles proven a steep addiction can seem are farthest away from decline in the depth much more difficult than modernity have the lowest and analysis of their rates of depression. It is it truly is,” work. Declines in as if a Pandora’s box has attention spans been opened. The more are a direct result of the 10 second ‘gifts’ we receive, the more extreme and Snapchat, the 6 seconds of a Vine video, detrimental problems surface. the 140 characters limit on Twitter, and “The complexity and messiness the 15 seconds of an Instagram video. of human communication gets The “Wikipedia problem” has shortchanged,” Massachusetts Institute surfaced, where students are so of Technology psychologist Sherry accustomed to easily searching for Turkle says. “Those things are what lead what they need and never have the to better relationships.” opportunity to think critically.

Notwithstanding the most negative Many experts also fear more of us influence is the danger of devices and are losing our ability, or at least are driving. According to the National Safety avoiding, the traditional face-to-face Council, 23 percent of all crashes each conversations which are vital in the year involve cell phone use. That means workplace and personal relationships. 1.3 million crashes occur nationally Teenagers would much rather have a merely because young people are more texting conversation than engage in a concerned with keeping up with their

Reece’s Writes: to war?

The United States debates action in Syria

BY REECE BURNS The Booster Redux

The Booster Redux Pittsburg High School Student Publications 1978 E. 4th St. Pittsburg, KS 66762

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On Aug. 21, the Syrian government, under the rule of Bashar al-Assad, allegedly utilized chemical weapons against its civilians, increasing the death toll from around 108,700 to 110,000 in the 29-month civil war between al-Assad’s government and the coalition force of rebels. Although the United States has come extremely close to intervening, we have fortunately remained on the sidelines.

I salute President Barack Obama and our congress for maintaining their common sense and waiting for events to unfold.

Because of their patience, The U.S. is now negotiating with Russia, an extraordinary occurrence in itself, to jointly remove chemicals weapons from Syria without the use of force. Based on comments from politicians such as Republican Senator John McCain, an outsider might think the United States was itching for another conflict equal to, if not worse, than the Iraq war.

Senator McCain has gone on record with statements like, “To our everlasting shame, not a single weapon from the USA has reached the hands of General Idris and the Free Syrian Army. That is shameful in my view.”

McCain conveniently leaves out the fact that Islamic extremist groups, such as Al Qaeda, back and even fight for the Free Syrian Army. On one side we have al-Assad

and his military, slaughtering more civilians by the day. On the other hand we have the Al Qaeda and extremist backed Syrian Rebels. Will they be any better to the Syrian civilians if they were to gain U.S. assistance and overthrow al-Assad? The Free Syrian Army has its own share of brutal executions and torturings of al-Assad loyalists, as well as Christians.

Why should the United States help one of its, and the world’s, greatest enemies become an even greater influence in yet another country?

The military just got out of Iraq and now we are seeing the unstable mess that has resulted. Syria would be worse, considering they still have several allies that could retaliate against us if we were to strike.

Our military could withstand a retaliation but that would only further the Middle East military involvement which is what a vast majority of American citizens want to avoid. According to a USA Today poll, over 63 percent of citizens are against military intervention in Syria while only a mere 23 percent are actually for it.

If we want to help the innocent civilians in Syria, the country should organize more humanitarian efforts to get them out of the line of fire. Relocate them to a place they can live out their lives, without fear, and in peace. The use of the military will only leave more blood on the hands of the American government.

friends than with the safety of the other people on the road. Eleven teenagers die every single day due to texting and driving. Even though that number might seem miniscule in the grand scheme, one day, one of those eleven could very likely be one of your best friends, or even yourself.

The problem here is self-infatuation.

Believing it is vitally important for all of your friends to know you are eating pizza for dinner is completely imbecilic.

Believing that your checking Twitter or Facebook while driving is more important than the well-being of those driving around you is callous.

The solution to the addiction can seem much more difficult than it truly is. Recognizing that you spend more time tweeting or texting your friends or family rather than talking to them in person and that you don’t need it every single second of the day is the first step. Putting the phone down is simple.

Lifting your head up after looking down at that phone for years may present soreness at first, but I can promise your family and friends are much more interesting when you converse with them away from that little screen and you’ll be much happier in the long run.

Safety first

New features prove successful

BY THE BOOSTER REDUX STAFF The Booster Redux

In honor of Safe Schools Week, we here at the Booster would like to express our appreciation of the administration’s efforts to provide for us a safer and more emergency-prepared environment.

Last Thursday, the school’s new safety procedures were put to the test when a potentially threatening situation that included an armed gunman occurred near the high school campus. All teachers were instructed to lock the door to their classrooms and keep all students out of the hallways, putting the entire school on lock down.

The new entry buzzer system and monitoring by School Resource Officer David Petrie ensured that all students and staff were safe under what could have been a dangerous scenario for anyone in the school. The new security measures have proven to be a success so far this year, though hopefully they will not have to be truly tested again anytime soon.

In addition to the buzzer system, which prevents anyone from coming into the school without first being buzzed in by a front desk, the new designated tornado shelters are a more comforting alternative to the previously used locations, which included the library.

The administration redrew the emergency map, which provided each class with a safe shelter to take cover in the event of a tornado.

After the events surrounding the Joplin tornado in 2011, the threat of a tornado is closer to home than ever. After seeing the damage such a destructive storm can inflict on a school, we feel the need for a proper and safe tornado safety policy. We are glad that the administration recognizes this and is taking action.

Safe Schools Week is a very important time of the year.

Though the actual chance of an emergency is unlikely, it is comforting to know that the school has a plan if ever a fire breaks out or an intruder breaks into the building,.

GRAPHIC BY REAGAN RINK

Stars crack after years under the limelight

BY KYLYNN COLLINS The Booster Redux

Little kids look up to Hannah Montana, parents look down on Miley Cyrus. Former Disney star Miley Cyrus went from southern country girl to a style that nobody could have foreseen. From long brunette hair to short blonde hair, she went to a whole new style. Cyrus was in a recent Q&A and they asked her if her Disney character ‘Hannah Montana’ would ever appear again. Cyrus quoted “Hannah Montana is gone forever.” Her father Billy Ray Cyrus told his side of the story about Miley. Billy told the interviewer that Cyrus smoked a bong on her eighteenth birthday.

This act became a common sight amongst those in the spotlight.

Miley is not the only Disney star that took a turn down a different road. Former Disney star Demi Lovato had checked herself into a rehabilitation center

over her issues. For example: Lovato had suffered from an eating disorder, self-harming issues, and an addiction with prescription pills.

“I think that she got too wrapped up in fame, being a superstar put too much negative pressure on her,” junior Emily Wood said. “Demi was an inspiration to little girls everywhere. Little girls all around the world look up too her, and [you could] only imagine how they felt when Demi put herself into rehab.”

Another Disney star that changed with age is Amanda Bynes. Recently Bynes was called into court to win her freedom from a California psychiatric hospital. She was also being held against her will for setting a driveway on fire in Thousand Oaks, CA. Lindsay Lohan is another star who had a downfall,.

Lohan just recently wrapped up a 90-day stay in court-ordered rehab. She was ordered to 16 months of therapy sessions after lying to police when she had

violated her probation.

Back to Miley Cyrus. She recently performed a mix of her popular song “We Can’t Stop” along with Robin Thicke and his summer hit “Blurred Lines” on the Video Music Awards (VMA’s). This award ceremony is hosted on live networking, meaning children can watch it. It is fair to say a foam finger and twerking will be associated with Miley as long as she is a performer.

“I feel like its not as big of a deal as everyone is making it out to be. Of course everyone has their own opinion” freshman Mataya Cook said. “I feel like she is trying to be herself [or] find herself.”

They say we should never judge a book by its cover.

We should not judge Miley by her new look, or Lovato for taking the initiative and checking herself into rehab.

They are changing with age, just as everyone does.

People do change when they grow-up and sometimes we all have to accept that.

ACTIVITIES

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Marching band roll compliments drum roll Neil focuses on the music quality now that numbers are rising

BY MEGAN MUNGER The Booster Redux

Along with everything else that has increased at the school this year, so has marching band participation. With 55 members this year, the band’s future keeps looking brighter.

“The band keeps improving in quality so that makes students want to become part of something that looks fun and enjoyable, as well as something that is producing a good product at the same time,” Band Director Cooper Neil said.

“Students are wanting to continue into high school with it.”

Neil also feels that the middle school band kids are receiving a “quality education from Mr. Wadell” which he attributes the band’s higher attendance.

Along with the increase in size, the band overall has been increasing in quality.

“Neil has done a phenomenal job. He has brought back an energy level to our band that I hadn’t seen since back in 2001.

He has done a really nice job of getting the students’

Royalty:

interest.” Activity Director Doug Hitchcock said.

As the band keeps improving, Neil has multiple goals for the band, especially this year.

“My main focus for the band this year is improving on the tone and intonation.

The intonation and the sound of the band is an area that we struggle in,” Neil said.

While Neil is busy improving the band, the members are still managing to work hard and stay in good spirits with everything.

“In the three amazing, and fun-filled years that I’ve been in the PHS band, I’ve seen the attitudes, and the cooperation with each other improve the most. Everyone keeps in good attitudes, and Mr. Neil does a good job at keeping a laid-back attitude with everyone while still getting things done,” junior Josh Paschal said.

“Mr. Neil leads the band with new material, new concepts, and he has events scheduled as far as marching band is concerned this year,” Hitchcock said. “As long as we follow his direction,

Tuesday and Thursday mornings, the marching band practices its routine. The band take to the practice field to get a feel for the choreography of its halftime performance. This year, there are 55 members participating in the band; an increase from past years. PHOTO BY KATY BROWN

I think that the band will have another successful year.”

Along with improving the sound, Neil is also is hoping for better ratings at judged events.

Like every year, he just wants the students to keep enjoying what they are doing.

Ideal candidate characteristics

BYY RACHYL RUSSIAN Thee Booster Redux

Fall ho omecoming is approaching, whicch mean ns it is that time of the yearr wherre scchools crown one king and one queeen. During football seasson n, homecoming is the time forr sttud dentts to elect four junior and fo our seenior candidates. Fall is a sp pecial tim me for some students.

The first dance, spirit week, and homeco omin ng are all held within a co ouplle off months.

Pee o p lee have different peersspecctiivees of what they see in a hom mecom ming candidate. Junior Saage Mahn nken is excited for this fo oottballl homecoming.

“II thin nk a candidate should be in nvo olvved in n the school and I think th heyy sh houlld not be mean to other stt udee n tss , a nd be friends with evveryyon ne,”” Mahnken said, N o t o n lyy have juniors won botth queeen and king the past two fo ootb balll seassons, but some students and d teeaccherrs think seniors should gett it th hiss season. Students like ju unio or Wend dy Lisseth Rivera thinks sen nio ors aree the way to go.

“I th hin nk seeniors should get queen and kingg because they’ve been here

longer than anyone else and they’ve earned it,” Lisseth Rivera said.

“A homecoming candidate should be somebody that has been in Pittsburg for a while and have gone to Pittsburg [schools] for awhile,” said sophomore, Lexi Talley. “A very people friendly, very well-oriented person at home and at school.”

Principal John Bishop believes that students who become a candidate for homecoming should be involved in the school, have good attendance and have good grades. “[Students should] have at least a 3.0 or higher, and just overall good citizen,” Bishop said.

Vice Principal Rhonda White believes a candidate should be a team player. Meaning they are positive, care about others and they try to make a difference in the school.

“The qualities that I think a good homecoming candidate should have would be self awareness, caring and compassion for others,” White said.

“That they don’t necessarily have to be the 4.0 student, star athlete, or person in activity,” White said.

“I’m not trying to make an army of performing music majors, I don’t want a bunch of Juilliard students running around but, rather, just a bunch of students who love what they are doing. It is all just about the love of music

and its art form.” Neil said.

The school does not do it alone though.

“We have a tremendous support staff with the band boosters and the parents.

So I think, that as long as we get all of those things on

the same page, at the same time, we are going to do nothing besides get better,” said Hitchcock. “Hopefully the students will have a good experience with it and that is all we are hoping for, that is what we want them to have.”

Squads enhance school enthusiasm Cheer, dance travel to Chanute to attend annual spirit camp

BY MOLLY GRAHAM The Booster Redux

On Sept. 4, 24 of the High School dance team members and cheer members, as well as 33 of the Pittsburg Community Middle School cheerleaders, traveled to Chanute, Kan. to attend this year’s Spirit Spreaders.

This is the first year that the dance team has gone with the cheerleaders to Chanute.

“Spirit Spreaders is just that.

It’s not like a cheerleading spreader or a dance spreader,” athletic director Doug Hitchcock said. “Our coaches have been working with our cheerleading team and our dance team in a collaborative effort to do more things together.”

Senior Trisha Kelley has been going to Spirit Spreaders for the past five years. This year, she had been more than thrilled about the dance team going with her and her squad.

“I liked the dancers coming,” Kelley said. “It meant that our whole spirit squad

was there together and that’s so awesome.”

Both coaches have been giving each team the resources that they need as well as taking them to camps during the summer.

“They both put in a lot of time and effort in their practices and I think it’s just one more way of showing school spirit,” Hitchcock said.

“They can do some things within their own but when they get both of those groups together, it allows them to do some other things that they might not have been able to with the number size.”

Once in Chanute, all 25 girls stretched together before they split up into their teams.

The dance team participated in a technique class and learned two dances while the cheerleaders learned new stunts and a dance that they can incorporate into later routines.

“The dances that we learned could help us a lot in the future,” freshman Kayla Clark

said. “The whole point of them teaching us the dances was for us to be able to take things away from it and add them to our own routines.”

The coaches have been working with each team so well that they were able to share some of their own ideas with other teams that were there.

“To be honest, I think our group is a little more advanced. I think we’ve picked some things up out of the conference,” Hitchcock said.

“I think our group, our dance team, is an elite dance team.

Same with our cheerleaders.”

At the end of the day, the dance team and cheerleaders performed the dances, cheers and stunts that they had learned that day to each other.

“As far as the first conference that they have gone to together, as a group, I think that’s a good start for us,” Hitchcock said.

After the first football game, dance team coach Kirstin Womble stepped down from her position for unknown reasons.

Drum major on a roll: Hamblin holds band’s tune

Student conductor leads band during games, marches and spirit

BY SHELBY BICKNELL

The Booster Redux

As fall drops in and the football season is approaching, the fans find themselves clapping along to the band’s tunes. However, this year’s band is now lead by senior drum major, Cole Hamblin.

“I like being a role model,” Hamblin said. “I’m just really into music.”

A drum major is someone who leads the marching band. He or she gives the commands that the band stays on note.

Although Hamblin’s a sole

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY MIRANDA MOORE

Andrew Woodburn Senior trumpet section leader.

Five years of playing experience.

Kim Lambert Sophomore saxophone section leader. Six years of playing experience.

Amanda Hoffman Sophomore flute section leader. Four years of playing experience.

Zach Lambert Senior percussion section leader. Six years of playing experience.

drum major, bigger bands with “more complicated” music usually require three.

Leading the band requires a certain skill set.

“We held auditions last spring,” band teacher, Cooper Neil said. “They had to show me good marching technique, we held an interview to discuss leadership skills and also know how to conduct.”

Moreover, Hamblin’s duties include leading the band, teaching some of the class, setting an example for underclassmen, and knowing everybody’s cues and music.

Hamblin was not the only one to audition for drum major.

There were two others that went out for it as well. Hamblin has been playing the clarinet since sixth grade and started playing the tenor saxophone since the beginning of junior year. Being the drum major isn’t the only thing some kids in band seek.

“I just like to be in band,” Hannah Drenik Junior clarinet section leader. Five years of playing experience.

freshmen Zach Uttley said.

“Cole’s cool and knows how to run the class.”

Uttley may not have shown interest in being drum major, however junior Hannah Drenik gave a lot of reasons for wanting the part next year. “[I want the part because] I don’t have to do work, you’re in control of the whole band, and it is a big interest of mine,” said Drenik. “Band is really good, it’s just like any other sport. It’s really competitive, but you have to want to do it to be really interested in it.”

Being the drum major in band holds a responsibility in the public’s eye and the student body’s perspective.

“I’m the guy that has to have everything together,” Hamblin says. “I’m basically the student teacher and if I do something wrong it makes everyone look bad and I won’t be taken seriously. I kind of set the tone for the band’s morale.”

Ivan Walter Sophomore trombone section leader. Four years of playing experience.

Ryan Amick Sophomore Alto saxophone section leader. Eight years of playing experience.

YOU’RE NOT

ALONE Written by Emily baden

A

s *Rebecca Jones walks through the hallways of the high school, she is constantly reminded of the torment she endured from her peers. Now as she passes them by, she recognizes the faces that made her consider taking her own life.

“As the years went on, I just got picked on constantly and constantly,” Jones said.

“I got words spewed at me and things were thrown at me. In 8th grade I started doing things that I shouldn’t have and I isolated myself from people. Then people picked on me for the issues I had because I just had depression, and I isolated myself from people.”

Jones was effected by bullying so severely that she eventually reached the point of wanting to end her own life. She is just one out of the 60 percent of all high schoolers that reported having thoughts of suicide.

Suicide is the third leading cause of death for young people ages 15 to 24, according to mentalhealthkc.org.

“Even though we are just a little bit [into the school year,] I’ve already had one student that has said they’ve had thoughts about committing suicide,” school psychologist Beth Stockard said. “I know on average there are about two to three students that will say they’ve had thoughts of taking their life, I would say, about every year [at the high school.”]

Another consequence of suicide is the aftermath; the people left behind. This topic hits close to home with Spanish teacher Angela Garner. About ten years ago, when Garner was 23 years old, her mother made the choice of taking her own life.

“Complete shock. That was my first reaction,” Garner said. “Like no way, it didn’t make sense. That would be my initial reaction.”

Just like everyone, Garner went through the steps of grieving. Although she says she might not have gone through the steps in order, her grief ultimately led her to leave the country.

“One thing that was really hard for me was being in such a small town and small community. Months later, when you have a day you aren’t crying about it, someone says I’m so sorry, and you know they mean well but it just brings everything back and it brings you down,” Garner said. “So what I did is, maybe it’s not the best thing to say but it’s the truth, I just ran away. I escaped this reality and went to Paraguay.”

Once Garner came back to the states, she eventually got closure with the situation and now feels like she can connect with people that has experienced a suicide or even a death in general. She said she knows now how to treat those people because she knows the feeling. “[I’ve learned] that life’s fragile and we should treat people kindly and try to be more active in helping them search for more resources,” Garner said. “I’ve learned that the most important thing you can tell a person is ‘I’m so sorry’ and ‘I’m here if you need me.’ Not asking too many questions and not going into an investigation. Just letting them know you are there.”

To help those struggling, the first step is being aware of the warning signs. Teensuicide.us states that studies had shown 4 out of 5 teen suicide attempts have been preceded by clear warning signs. Having sudden or dramatic change in behavior, an unusual withdrawal from friends, or having feelings of hopelessness and helplessness are just a few of the signs of depression that anyone can observe.

“It can be anything from stress of family life, stress from relationships, stress of school or a mental health illness they’ve dealt with,” Stockard said. “Some people have really good coping skills and some really struggle. The more you struggle with handling the stress that teenagers all face, it can lead to maybe more of a desperate feeling.”

A psychological disorder and a family history of depression are other factors that put teens at more risk for suicide. Other contributing factors can be emotional, physical or sexual abuse.

Jones had first-hand experience with suffering from depression. Her condition eventually escalated to self-harm. She began to cut herself as a way to cope with her emotional pain and frustration.

“If you feel depressed: draw, do a hobby, sing, dance, run; do something to get out your anger,” Jones said. “Don’t do things to hurt yourself because in the long run, you will wind up with ugly scars you don’t want.”

Last year, one of Jones’ peers expressed worry for her, and told the administration about her self-harming. She says the event was life changing and she has stopped hurting herself completely. Now she sees a therapist regularly to help her with issues as she deals with bipolar disorder and ADHD. “For anyone who is considering killing themselves, my advice is to get a therapist and to get help,” Jones said. “After I got my therapist I’ve stopped [self harm] and she’s helped me.”

If an individual is feeling depressed or having suicidal thoughts, the best thing they can do is talk to someone. Whether it is a trusted adult or getting professional help, talking could make them realize suicide is not a solution to their problems when they feel as if there is no way out.

“I think there’s a kind of stigma with suicide, that they don’t want to be singled out or different,” said Lindsey Moss School Based Behavioral Health Therapist. “Or they feel ‘I should be able to do it on my own.’ We want to break that stigma that it’s okay to ask for help, it doesn’t mean that there’s something wrong with you. [We want to] let them know that there are lots of people here that are willing to help.”

Garner agrees that communicating with a person could completely change the outcome of someone’s life and help them find happiness again.

“I think that a lot of people that get in that mindset and just don’t see a way out of what they are in because they are so in their problem,” Garner said. “Helping them realize by saying ‘Hey, right now I know it seems like too much and there’s nothing you can do, but there is. There’s a lot of people that care about you and need you in their lives.’ That’s what I would do.”

Jones has fortunately learned from her past experiences and continues to help her friends through their own struggles.

“Life is worth it,” Jones said. “Suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem.”

SPORTS

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SPORTS UPDATES

SCHOOL SPIRIT NEVER SLEEPS Student body gets to show off pride for KSN morning program

BY ALLI BADEN AND MORGAN PLANK The Booster Redux

P

ep rallies are a way to spread spirit through out the school.

Usually pep rallies are only seen by administration, teachers and students, however, that is about to change. On Friday, Sept.

27, KSN will be broadcasting a live pep assembly from PHS for the four state area to see.

“I had seen [pep assemblies] on KSN before,” Activities Director Doug Hitchcock said. “Last year they were at a couple of schools so I contacted the KSN Morning Show and said, ‘how could we be on that list?’”

Hitchcock was hoping to have a televised pep rally last year, but KSN was already booked with other high schools to broadcast.

KSN said t h e y w o u l d contact Hitchcock they

whenever had an opening for

a pep assembly and this year, that opportunity came. They then decided Sept. 27 would work best for them and the student body.

“This is our second year [having pep assemblies],” news anchor Hank Rotten Jr. said. “They are fun and it’s good to see school spirit.”

The pep rally will take place in the main gymnasium and will begin at 5:30 a.m. and last until 7 a.m.

During this time, the high school will have four time slots between 30-45 seconds long in which administration can speak about what is going on in school, the band can play the fight song or the dance team and cheerleaders can perform.

Being on TV is not even a sweat for senior cheerleading co-captain Nicole Broyles. Broyles is very excited to be on the KSN Morning Show.

“I am not nervous to be on TV because when I am in pep rally mode I block everything out,” Broyles

said.

Hitchcock has also opened up an opportunity for other clubs or organizations to perform or speak.

He has high hopes that this will have an impact on the community.

“I know [the pep assembly] is early but I think if we can get the word out early enough it will let people decide if they want to come and be a part of that,” Hitchcock said.

Anyone from the community or clubs, organizations, and teams are invited to come and support the dragons. The purpose of this pep rally is to showcase the school and community pride. “[To promote] not just our athletics but our activities as well,” Hitchcock said. “ And to let people know the good things going on at Pittsburg High School.”

FOOTBALL

The football team has started the season off strong at 2-0. In its first game, the Dragons beat Labette County 42-2, then went on to beat Independence 43-0.

Tonight the Dragons will face off against the Fort Scott Tigers.

VOLLEYBALL The volleyball team, as of Sept. 14, is 6-3. In its most recent game, the Lady Dragons beat the Prairie View Buffaloes, but lost to the Iola Phillies and the Labette County Grizzlies. Tomorrow, the Lady Dragons will host a home 10-team tournament for the varsity squad.

CROSS COUNTRY Running through the season, both the boys and girls squads have placed in the two meets they have attended. At Labette County and Paola, the girls placed 1st and 5th, and the boys placed 2nd and 4th, respectively.

SOCCER The soccer team is kicking its way to a great start. As of Sept.

16, the soccer players have an undefeated going into the Coffeyville game last night. At 3-0, the team has defeated Paola, Fort Scott, and College Heights 2-1, 6-0, and 4-1, respectively.

GIRLS GOLF The Lady Dragon golfers placed 3rd in their first tournament of the season at Labette County.

In the second tournament at Fort Scott, the team placed 1st ,and achieved another 3rd place in an 18-hole Girard tournament.

GIRLS TENNIS At the Independence meet, the girls tennis team placed 3rd overall; at Labette, they placed 2nd; at Parsons, they placed 3rd; at Lamar, they placed 1st.

PHOTO BY MIRANDA MOORE

ON AIR

BY REECE BURNS The Booster Redux

W

ith a new football season comes new opportunities for a football program -and its school -- to be recognized; in this case on a statewide level. The state’s news channel, Cox Kansas 22, will be broadcasting and providing play-by-play commentary for the upcoming Pittsburg-Coffeyville varsity football game, which also falls on the Dragon’s homecoming.

This opportunity has arisen due to continued efforts by activity director Doug Hitchcock, who brought Kansas 22’s attention to the regional rivalry square-off.

“I’ve been trying to get us on Cox 22 since they’ve been here and maybe my persistence of continuing to call and telling them ‘we play a little football down this way, give us a look,’ got us [it],” Hitchcock said.

Senior Programming Manager from Cox, Mark Ewing, believes the game will be a showdown to the end.

“As for the score, it is my hope that this game will go to the fourth and final quarter with the outcome still in doubt,” Ewing said. “I would be really happy if that happened. I also hope there is a lot of energy and emotions evident in what we are able to capture in the telecast regardless of who is ahead.”

Senior quarterback Riley Cunningham doesn’t have much of an opinion on the presence of the cameras. In fact, he plans on disregarding them.

“I’m just going to take this game like any other and not really pay attention

Homecoming game to be televised on K22 to the cameras,” Cunningham said.

“Coffeyville is a good, fast team so they’ll be tough.”

Deciding to cover this particular game was a much more complicated process than just looking at the football schedule and picking out our game. According to Ewing, deciding factors can range from the teams having high interest from their

communities to whether or not the community the teams represent are Cox serviceable.

Ewing assures that all teams being covered are expected to have a big 2013 season and most of the teams scheduled for coverage this year were involved in the state playoffs last year. According to PHS football head coach Tom Nickelson, the Pittsburg and Coffeyville game is a worthy choice due to Coffeyville’s evolving program.

“It’s a big time honor,” Nickelson said. “Coffeyville has always had good athletes and they’re getting more disciplined which puts them in a position to win. We have to use our quickness and our ‘fly to the ball’ concept; if we maintain our gaps and

responsibilities we’ll be okay.”

Nickelson doesn’t think the television broadcast presence will have a lasting influence over his players either.

“I don’t think [the broadcasters] affect them will affect them,” Nickelson said. “Maybe during pre-game. Once the ball is kicked football is football.”

Senior lineman Zach Stewart claims this nerves may get to him at first with so many viewing his team. Though he does not feel this will affect the game’s outcome in any way.

“In the end it’s still a football game,” Stewart said. “It’s going to be a physical game as we see who is the better team.

If we play our game at our pace we’ll be just fine; in the end it’s going to come down to who wants it more.”

PHOTO BY MIRANDA MOORE