March 2020: It's Time For A Change

it’s time for a change volume 23, issue 6: March

Sleep deprivation shatters students’ lives, and it’s time to take action

T

STAFF EDITORS-IN-CHIEF CENTRAL FOCUS: Kayla Reyes FHCTODAY: Megan Percy CENTRALIZED: Lanie Sanders ERGO: Lanie Sanders PHOTO: Gracie Kruep PAPER ASSIGNMENTS EDITOR: Natalie Walsh WEB ASSIGNMENTS EDITOR: Kierigan McEvoy COPY EDITOR: Kana Chung DESIGN EDITOR: Isaiah Salin PHOTO EDITOR: Ameila Vohsen VIDEO EDITOR: Savannah Drnec STAFF REPORTERS: Aidan Allen, Grace Bahru, Faith Beckmann, Alyssa Bernier, Anna Carroll, Sam Chen, Kana Chung, Emma Clasen, Craig Eddy, Essy Ingram, Faith Jacoby, Ruthann Kimbrel, Morgan Kromer, Zoe Michals, Ty Nedungadi, Avery Olson, Sarah Percy, Rachel Vrazel, Robyn Ziegemeier STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERS: Hannah Bernard, Faith Carter, Nicole Crangle, Paige Fann, Benjamin Freeman, Ann-Maree Gammell, Madelyn Hermeyer, Andrew Houmes, Emma Hultz, Taylor Krieg, Zoe Lentz, Kathryn Linke, Robert Pordea, Erin Reitz, Suzie Safi, Rhyen Standridge, Abby Turner, Corinne Vorderstrasse, Emily Wolfe Gretchen Wood, Kayden Zipoy ADVISER: Matthew Schott

FROM THE EDITOR

eenagers’ schedules are jam-packed with challenging classes, extra-curriculars, jobs, and sports. As high schoolers continuously

strive to do more and more, there is seldom time for one of the things they need most: sleep. Only 27.3 percent of high schoolers get sufficient sleep. In

Kayla Reyes

Editor-in-Chief

this issue, we explore the reasons for this severe lack of sleep, how it affects teenagers, and what

schools can do to help students get the rest they so desperately need.

The solutions lined out in this newsmagazine are only the beginnings, though. In order for students to get more sleep, schools, along with teenagers themselves, must find their own answers to this problem. If they don’t, students will continue existing in hallways and classrooms, awake but not alive. This issue aims to inform readers about this topic, break down the confusion, and finally find a

Sincerely,

solution.

Why Don’t Students Sleep?... 14-15

A deeper look into the causes of sleep deprivation in high schoolers

Causes of Sleep Deprivation... 16

A graphic look into why teenagers don’t get enough sleep

Effects of Sleep Deprivation... 17

How sleep deprivation impacts students, an infographic

How Students Manage... 18-19

How teenagers navigate life with little sleep, and the struggles they face along the way

THOUGHTS?

Have a letter for the editor or a question for us?

If something we wrote demands your voice, please e-mail us at fhcpub@gmail.com or drop your handwritten letter off with Mr. Schott in Room 139. We can also be reached via snail mail at 5199 State Highway N, St Charles, MO 63304. The Central Focus staff will print the entirety of your letter, providing it meets the standards of publication laid out in the FHC Publications editorial policy, which is available in Room 139 or at www.fhctoday.com for your perusal.

2 Page by Kayla Reyes

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DISCOVER Power Lunch ... 4-5

District ponders introduction of schedule allowing for more free academic time.

Seeking Out New Funds ...6

No tax increase bond approval would help fund repairs to auditorium, softball field.

Meet The Board Candidates ... 7

Learn who’s running for the three seats in April’s BOE election.

Snow Days Snow Ball ... 8

Excessive winter weather has pushed end of school year to May 28.

FEATURE The Furthest Point ... 10-11

Margaret Wilkerson’s band loves playing its music, but also helping out various causes

4

Meet The Crew ... 12-13

Plays don’t just happen on stage, tons of students do work off stage to make it work.

MOVE Cut Up ... 21

Cutting players from teams varies from sport to sport, but when it happens, it has impact.

The Climb .... 22-23

Rock Climbing Club reaches upward as it begins training at Upper Limits.

Still Playing ... 24

Sports have gotten their hooks into these teachers, who actively play sports they love

ENTERTAIN Who’s Your Bestie ... 26

Take our quiz to find out which teacher would be your best friend.

So Cool... 27

Isaiah Salin shares his top five games from the ever-popular Cool Math.

6

24

VOICE Don’t Do It For The Aesthetic ... 28 Faith Beckmann argues aesthetic culture stifles people’s self-expression.

Friendzoned ... 29

Why the notion and regualtions of the friendzone are toxic and damaging

College Board Is A Scam... 30

Decision to move AP exam registration exposes College Board’s hypocrisy.

Solving The Sleep Problem... 31

There are ways the district can help students improve the quality of their sleep.

Visit FHCtoday.com for more photo galleries CONTENTS

Page by Kayla Reyes

3

Considering POWER LUNCH FHSD is looking into a new schedule to improve academics and lower stress levels

By Natalie Walsh

Print Assignments Editor Rushing into the school parking lot and running through the doors to beat the bell for first hour is common amongst students in the Francis Howell School District. Getting to class with a minute to spare, students are greeted with lectures, notes and rigorous homework due the next day. From bell to bell, students face class after class with no break (except for lunch and seminar once a week), only to go home to piles of homework that students have to find time to complete between their sports practices and work hours. With no time for sleep, family interaction or relaxation, students never get a chance to destress.

The school district heard these cries for help from students and staff members and searched for a solution to give students more time to relax at home while still furthering their education and preventing mental breakdowns along the way.

Where will I eat my lunch?

At Francis Howell Central, the plan is to allow students to eat in the cafeteria, hallways, classrooms, and possibly the library as well.

Administrators are more focused on where students can’t eat lunch. Principal Dr. Sonny Arnel has plans to make sure everyone has a place to be.

“We would label quiet zones, passing zones, hangout zones,” Dr. Arnel said. “[This] would be with input from kids and teachers.”

One solution stood out more than the others: a power lunch.

For lack of a better name, this “power lunch” consists of changing the school schedule to incorporate 50 minutes of combined lunch and study time into the day. This change would shorten each class by four minutes. Every day of the week would go from first through fourth hour to the 50 minute lunch shift for every student, then ending with fifth through seventh hour. This is with the exception of Wednesdays which would remain exactly as they are today: three lunch shifts breaking up fourth and fifth hour.

At first glance, the power lunch sounds chaotic. Every student will have the same lunch period at this time. They will be allowed to sit in the cafeteria, hallways, L.C., classrooms and benches that FHC plans to install where empty lockers are currently. Our school hopes that this plan will help students academically, mentally, and socially.

What if students make messes or cause problems?

“We go back to our old schedule from like three years ago which we all hate because lunch is like half an hour, and your fifth hour gets all broken up,” Mrs. Smith said.

“And then we’re like, ‘yep they sure did [take away power lunch]. Clean up your act and it won’t happen again,” said Speech and Drama teacher Mr. Dustin Pence.

What can I do during power lunch?

POWERING THROUGH: Students at Olathe North High School take part in a power lunch schedule.

This is a time where students eat lunch, socialize, and excel in academics and education alike. PHOTO BY RHYEN STANDRIDGE

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Page by Natalie Walsh

“It’s such a good time for me to get a lot of my work done… and then also it’s so convenient for teachers [and] for you to go and see teachers in the day and have them always be there when you need them,” Olathe North student Hailey Fowler said.

“It’s a good downtime for your brain to just kind of rest and really just have like a time in the day to ground yourself,” Olathe North student Jessica Wambua said.

“I learned to get maybe two assignments [or] maybe three that haven’t been touched at all completely done,” Olathe North student Hailey Kitivoravong said.

DISCOVER

ILLUSTRATION BY CRAIG EDDY

How is power lunch supervised?

“I think our staff, in general, does a really good job of roaming the halls during [power lunch]. I always see, like, every couple of minutes somebody of [authority] coming through the hallway and watching everything is going on,” Fowler said.

Benefits

Normal Day

Concerns

WednesDay

Power lunch has several benefits for students and teachers alike. Students like that they have time to eat, socialize, and study if they need to. Teachers like that they can help their students and appreciate the break in the day. Digital Media Arts teacher at Olathe North, Mr. Jeff Swift, helps his students see the benefits of power lunch when it comes to tedious projects that take longer to finish.

“Sometimes kids can’t get as far as they’d like to on a project… sometimes kids run into trouble and they get frustrated and I just remind them ‘hey, you can always come in [during power lunch] and then you have me one on one’,” Mr. Swift said.

Teachers also have the ability to take time to themselves when they feel overwhelmed with students. Mrs. Heather Smith, Assistant Principal at Olathe North, spoke

For the idea of a power lunch to exist, it must come at some costs. The biggest concern that an education system has is the education of their students. Shortening classes to make time for a power lunch would mean shortening lectures from teachers and lessening educational opportunity. According to the power lunch schedule that FHSD is considering, classes would be shortened by about four minutes.

On the other hand, teachers at Olathe North who also made this adjustment say they don’t notice a difference in class time and that they havent had to make any adjustments to the shorter class period.

Mrs. Margarita Alcantara, mathematics

Arnel Answers What is the primary role a school has in a student’s life and how is power lunch aiding this pursuit?

“That Nation at Risk work back in the 60s and 70s, when the whole science-math focus began in America, they did some studies demonstrating that high schools don’t make a difference in kids [saying] that a kid comes in as a freshman and leaves their senior year not much different as a result of the school.

“And I rebel against that,” Dr. Arnel said. “I believe strongly that we make a tremendous amount of difference by what we offer kids, by how we support student growth, by how we try to encourage kids to be the best versions of themselves.

“So I think the responsibility of [power lunch] in this situation is for us to find solutions to all [these] problems and so students can come in their freshman year, learn and grow and be attached, and become better versions of themselves through the experiences we offer here at school.

“And I think [power lunch] is one possible solution that might help us.”

on what options teachers have during this time.

“We allow our teachers to do what they want. I think there are a couple of [teachers] that take 25 minutes to eat with their department or friends,” Mrs. Smith recalls. “And we have some that keep their classroom open the whole time… it’s going to be up to [the teachers].”

Teachers have also seen benefits in their students. According to a survey conducted at Olathe North, 81.10% of teachers have seen a decrease in the amount of D’s and F’s in their students due to power lunch.

Students also feel that they have a decrease in stress levels due to power lunch. According to a survey conducted at Olathe North, 96.72% of students feel their stress levels decreased after implementing power lunch.

teacher at Olathe North, says this difference in time is not noticable.

“I don’t feel like it’s that much,” Mrs. Alcantara said. “I don’t feel like it’s too much that I have to shorten tests so I think I can still get stuff done; plus, since you have 50 minutes during the day, you can still catch up on other things.”

Mr. Pence makes the most of his class time by being better prepared for each hour.

“I just make sure that when that bell rings, I’m ready to go with instruction and I’ll save taking role till the middle of class when kids are busy working,” Mr. Pence said. “That helps me get those minutes back.”

94.5%

of staff members at Olathe North would like to keep their power lunch

96.7%

of students at Olathe North say power lunch helped to alleviate stress

97.7%

of students at Olathe North say power lunch has a positive effect on their grades

DISCOVER

1 7:20-8:12 2 8:17-9:05 3 9:10-9:58 4 10:03-10:51 PL 10:51-11:41 5 11:46-12:34 6 12:39-1:27 7 1:32-2:20 1 7:20-7:57 2 8:02-8:39 S 8:44-9:34 3 9:39-10:16 4A Lunch 10:16-10:41 4C Lunch 11:01-11:26 5B Lunch 11:46-12:11

6 12:16-12:53 7 12:58-1:35 The school district, when making this possible schedule, has to meet a certian number of “educational hours” by the end of the year. A power hour lunch every day of the week will not meet this requirement. For this reason, Wednesday’s schedule will stay the same as now with three lunch shifts and a seminar. This also allows students to recieve mental health presentation as well as participate in Seminar circles that improve community bonding.

Page by Natalie Walsh

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HEADWAY HOMERUN: The softball field and auditorium would be two of many improvements to FHC with the ratification of Prop S. PHOTOS BY ANN-MARIE GAMMELL

prop for progress

Bond issue seeks $244 million for district-wide improvements

Prop S fixes How FHC benefits: - A new softball field - Renovations to the auditorium - A new HVAC system - Interior renovations.

- Parking lot repairs.

Major projects in the district: - Construction of a new Francis Howell North.

- Major updates at Becky-David, Henderson, and Fairmount Elementary Schools.

- Major updates at Hollenbeck and Barnwell Middle Schools

6

By Faith Jacoby

Staff Reporter Proposition S is a $244 million bond that was voted unanimously to be placed on the ballot on April 7, 2020. This Proposition will allow the district to borrow money now and in the future to address pressing facility needs at not only FHC, but all other Francis Howell schools.

Prop S will pay for the construction of new safety entrance halls at all schools in the Francis Howell School District. This new innovation will route visitors through a separate office for check-in and visitor screening, improving the overall safety of the students and staff, without increasing the current tax rate, meaning no extra money from taxpayers is necessary.

“We know that we’re protecting an investment that our community has already made in our schools,” Matt Diechmann, Chief Communications & Community Relations Officer for FHSD said. “There’s also a direct correlation between the quality of your school district and your property values. So, good school districts mean strong property values.”

At FHC, Prop S will pay for a new HVAC system, a new parking lot, interior renovations including a major renovation of our auditorium, and a new softball field.

Along with these benefits, the bond will not increase the current tax rate.

“It will better our buildings so teachers

Page by Faith Jacoby

and students have better teaching and learning opportunities,” Ashley Early, former student at FHC, said.

The passage of Prop S will require approval by four sevenths of voters, which is a little above 57 percent in the April election. The approval of this proposition is crucial for the construction, repair, and renovation costs outlined in the Comprehensive Facilities Master Plan.

The Comprehensive Facilities Master Plan (CFMP) was commissioned by the FHSD Board of Education as an approach to assessing the critical needs of the different buildings in the district. The CFMP identified $300 million worth of imperative improvements necessary to be made over the next 20+ years.

“We have to rely on the community to provide us funds to take care of our facilities,” Dr. Sonny Arnel said. “So, schools need to be able to go to the community, every so often, and say ‘we need to raise some funds to be able to take care of our facility needs.’”

At FHC, the safety and security of students and staff is priority. Prop S will ensure greater protection for the students and staff by incorporating a new entrance hall. Along with improving safety, it will also enhance the softball field, renovate the auditorium, and consolidate a new HVAC system.

“If [Prop S] doesn’t pass,” Diechmann

DISCOVER

said. “Then the district will have to put off many of these projects.”

Diechmann went on to further explain the outcomes if the proposition were to be rejected by voters.

“We won’t be able to add on classrooms or build a new Francis Howell North,” Diechmann said. “Some of our existing budget would have to then be used for some of the most critical maintenance repairs which would then divert those resources from other important classroom needs.”

Early discussed the disadvantages that would be attached with the proposition being ratified.

“Unfortunately, some schools might have to be closed for repair for an extended amount of time to make it safer for students,” Early said. “Some schools are so overcrowded that border changes might have to happen in order to even out classes between schools.”

Prop S will cover the costs for many innovations throughout the Francis Howell School District without raising the current tax rate, a notable benefit for members of the community. Alongside the remodelling of the buildings, the approval of the proposition will prove that the community is engaged with the schools and their quality, strengthening the sensible bond between the school district and community.

April 7 election Board of Education Voters in the Francis Howell School District will elect three candidates for the board of education.

Other races Proposition S, a no tax increase bond issue, seeks approval for the sale of $244 million to help finance construction and renovation projects throughout the district’s 29 facilities.

meet the candidates

Five residents seek three seats for district board of education

By Morgan Kromer

Staff Reporter Soon five candidates are to be voted on for the three open Francis Howell board member positions on April 7 by those who live within the district’s boundaries. With Dr. Nathan Hoven stepping up as new superintendent in July 2020, all eyes are on how the candidates intend to help transition him into his position as well as how they execute the plans put on the ballot.

Candidate Mary Lange, mother of both a middle schooler and freshman in the district, described how much she has learned from her first three years on the district’s committee.

“It has taught me that it takes many different backgrounds, many different opinions and strong individuals who are willing to speak up for things that are important to the community, students and staff,” Mrs. Lange said.

Mrs. Lange was awarded an advanced certification in the Missouri School Boards’ Association Certified Board Member Program in June 2019 for receiving an additional 12 hours of training, reading two books on school board service, attending a minimum of two association regional and/or statewide events as well as writing a reflection paper related to her study on board service.

Spanish teacher and world language department chair for the district, Dr. Jennifer Miller, will be affected by the results of the voting, although she is unable to vote herself. She knows that some are incumbents and one has been a member in the past. She also thinks the current board is very approachable.

“While the superintendent and her cabinet make many decisions that affect my job and the education of FHSD students, their hands are tied if the board doesn’t approve what they are doing. The people we elect to the board set the tone for how teachers, students and parents are treated by the district.” Dr. Miller said.

She does not want to see people get elected who are happy with remaining stagnant in the goals of the district. Dr. Miller wants the candidates to promote progress.

“If we elect people who are happy with [the] status quo, it will be difficult for us to evolve into a high school that is capable of serving all of the needs of our students.” Dr. Miller said.

Mrs. Lange’s fellow candidate Patrick Lane, who is also finishing up his first three-year term, knows all too well what it means to educate and be educated.

After being a teacher for 21 years, and a principal for 12, he now has two grandchildren in the district who are following in the footsteps of his four children who all graduated from Francis Howell North. Just like any candidate, Mr. Lane has plans for what is ahead in the district.

“The Board’s goal is to update, revise and build appropriate learning facilities; seek adequate funding...and to be active in ensuring that our children are provided an exemplary education,” Mr. Lane said.

Candidate Mike Sommers, former certified public accountant, is focused on both the district’s financial well-being, as well as that of the students within.

“As a member, I will encourage the Board of Education to make decisions that focus on the

DISCOVER

success of our students, both in and out of the classroom,” Mr. Sommers said.

Mr. Lane and his fellow candidates are all in support of Proposition S, which will be on the April 7 ballot. Prop S allows FHSD to borrow $244 million but does not increase taxes. The money used from Prop S will go toward urgent facility problems.

Mrs. Lange has been working on getting the no tax Prop S, also known as a bond issue, passed. She also worked on the Prop Howell tax levy in 2017 which lost by 3,600 votes. “[My goals are] continued student success in the classroom, using my previous board experience to assist our new Superintendent...[and] using my financial experience to assist the school district through all...projects that are on the horizon,” Mr. Sommers said.

The board is also helping the district with Missouri School Improvement Plan VI, according to Mr. Lane.

“I will continue to help guide the district as we enter MSIP VI…[which] is the process by which public schools in our state are evaluated for accreditation and the need for state level intervention,” Mr. Lane said.

As FHSD enters the improvement plan, Lane states that he will make sure he keeps the district steady and able, continuing to be the best school district in St. Charles County and number 11 out of the 50 best school districts in Missouri, according to a 2020 Niche article.

Our reporter attempted to contact Peggy Sherwin and Doug Ziegemeier, but did not receive any return contact.

Page by Morgan Kromer

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SNOWED IN: A cartoon student waits for a bus in the snow, too miserable to go to school in such atrocious conditions. He later smiles at his day off due to the amount of snow. Snow days offer extra days of rest, but are the scheduling conflicts they create worth it? ILLISTRATION BY CRAIG EDDY

Snow yay or nay?

By Robin Ziegemeier

Staff Reporter As the local news broadcasts the incoming weather, students across the county tune into the broadcast and wait for a notification saying their respective school district has cancelled school.

For some, the notification brings excitement for an extra day of relaxation or a day to catch up on homework. For others, it brings dread as the days of class before EOC and AP exams dwindle.

A fair amount of students enjoy having snow days during the winter months. Junior Lily Chung is one student who enjoys getting snow days. For her, it is an extra day for relaxing to keep her from getting too stressed from schoolwork.

“I don’t like coming to school because two days is not long enough for me to regenerate. [During snow days] I do something to relax because I don’t want to be overwhelmed,” Chung said. “But at the same time I see why [some] don’t because then you have to make up school.”

On the other hand, some students are frustrated with the overuse of snow days because they create setbacks for class work and after school activities.

Students with AP and EOC exams, such as senior Annika Clark, find snow days frustrating due to them taking away time in class to prepare.

“I find it really really frustrating as a student who cares about being here and cares about making sure that when it comes time for me to take the AP test I’m as ready as I possibly can be. It’s just It’s so frustrating because I hate losing time like that and it definitely affects the teachers as well and affects test dates,” Clark said.

No matter what side of the debate you’re on, it is apparent that snow days cause a lot of conflict

8 Page by Robin Ziegemeier

Consequences that come with a day off are not always worth it

in students’ and teachers’ schedules. Lessons get crammed, finals and other projects get pushed back, and meetings for sports and clubs have to get rescheduled.

For students like Chung and Clark, getting events for clubs and practices for sports rescheduled is easier said than done in most cases.

Cancelling practices for sports causes athletes to miss opportunities to improve.

“With sports, it’s just going to be cancelled so [there’s] not as much of an opportunity to improve [or] stay active,” Chung said. “With clubs, it gets moved to another day, but it sets you back from the plans you had.”

Meanwhile, most club meetings can be rescheduled or wouldn’t be detrimental to skip.

However, events that clubs host is a different story.

Movie nights, socials, and community projects are harder to reschedule, and if they are unable to reschedule the event it can get cancelled altogether. For clubs like Epsilon Beta, materials from cancelled events can be costly.

“If you have a movie night plan or even just like a regular meeting now you have to reschedule that and sometimes you can’t reschedule. Epsilon Beta was supposed to have our Valentine’s Day social and we were going to make cards and they were going to go to a retirement home, but since it landed on a snow day, we ended up not being able to do that social,” Clark said. “We had already purchased the materials and we had some snacks, so now we have to purchase the snacks again and we have to buy things that can’t be used after a certain amount of time, which is really really frustrating because that’s money that our club no longer has.”

DISCOVER

On top of extracurricular plans being affected from unexpected days off due to the weather, teachers face lessons changing to fit the modified schedule. The biggest pressures are put on teachers that need to cover content on AP and EOC tests in a shorter amount of time. AP classes, Algebra 1, Biology, American Government, and English 2 teachers, such as Mrs. Sheri Baize, face teaching their students at a quicker pace in order to teach their students all of the content in time. “[Snow days] just push stuff back and unfortunately we have an EOC that’s coming up and every day that we don’t have class is a day that pushes back instruction for skills. If I started teaching a skill and we have a snow day then we come back, I have to revisit or refresh so it takes a little bit longer to gain traction again,” Mrs. Baize said. “I feel pressured to get through these skills and apply them to nonfiction, because that’s where we’re at right now. So, with that coming up, I want to get through the skills [and] I want to know what the kids strengths and weaknesses are so that we can plan some differentiated lessons to really hone in on what they need to work on it, and every day we may kind of shorten that time frame that we have to work with.”

Despite the numerous scheduling conflicts snow days bring, they also offer an unexpected break to recharge and relax. With the stress of a normal school week, Chung finds an unexpected day off refreshing.

“I feel like snow days for me [are] time to take another break from the stress of school, whether it’s hanging out with friends or drawing or just sitting around,” Chung said.

The online home of FHC publications

JAMMING FOR A CAUSE: Joshua Hezel, Zach Daubert, Margaret Wilkerson, and the rest of their band music-make in harmony on the night of the Red Cross fundraiser.

Banding together

By Essy Ingram

Staff Reporter The night dims its sound and light to make way for a new flavor of ambience. Metallic strings and dense speakers buzz freely in the basement air like static energy. Closer to the source of soft lavender beams, senior Margaret Wilkerson stands among her bandmates, a guitar slung about her middle, microphone in hand; she is poised for action. And it begins.

They embark on their own rhythms, positioning themselves according to the noise they intend to achieve. It’s a cacophony, but something about the sum of each person’s unique cadence makes sense over the humming of the speakers.

Although difficult, each of the five members takes time out of their lives to be able to contribute their own sounds to their band, Furthest Point.

“We’re all kind of young and we’re all very busy and

10 Page by Essy Ingram

FEATURE

have jobs, so it’s kind of difficult to really get together and fully mesh with each other,” Wilkerson explained.

However, when the time comes to assemble again, they pick up right from where they were.

“We’re very separate and sort of always doing our own thing, but when we’re all doing our own thing in the same room, it sort of comes together,” lead singer Zach Daubert said.

The shared compatible chemistry between bandmates was developed as friendships were created.

“I think we’ve all been friends for so long and [we] respect each other as creative people that we all kind of just have fun with it,” Wilkerson said.

Various inside sources concluded that the atmosphere of the band is not unlike that of a family’s.

“Zach and Sam are the oldest — they’re both college [aged] and then it’s me, Everett, and Josh that are all in high school. It’s kind of like they’re our gay dads and

they’re trying to get us to play music,” Wilkerson said.

Within the band, the members take on a plethora of roles. Wilkerson explains her ever-changing part.

“I’m a rhythm guitarist, mainly, and I play lead on a couple songs, and I play tambourine on one. Whatever we need to do, I’ll fill in the role,” Wilkerson said. “I’m also kind of the main person that, if something breaks and everyone’s panicking, … [I’ll] pull out duct tape and just be like ‘Okay, everyone calm down. We’re gonna just wrap it up and keep going’.”

Daubert, originator of Furthest Point, also takes on a few parts, collaborating with bassist Joshua Hezel on poster and merch design as well as songwriting.

“I’d say I write about 85% of our songs and the rest is our bassist, Josh. I like writing the songs because it feels good to express my feelings in words, but also it feels good when something I write comes together and everyone’s playing it,” Daubert explained.

The past year has been one of developing the band and setting up more events for anyone to come and enjoy their music. In the week prior to January 24, 2020, the band promoted an event on their Instagram (@furthestpointband) concerning a basement show where all proceeds were to be donated to the Australian Red Cross. The members found many ways to make profit. “[Tickets were], you know, kind of pay what you want. We had a big bucket and we donated all the profits to the Australia fund,” Wilkerson said.

Making and selling merchandise was another medium of money-making that they weren’t afraid to get creative with.

“We just bought a bunch of white shirts and we sat there for four hours, hand-painting every one, and it took us so long … I think it was worth it,” Wilkerson explained.

Deciding where to donate the money wasn’t a difficult task. The idea of the Australian humanitarian aid was suggested by Daubert and unanimously supported among Furthest Point. “[The] benefit show in January was during the peak of the Australian fires … We had made it known prior to that that we were supporting Australia… so it just made sense to give the money to the Australian Red Cross,” Daubert said.

This benefit wasn’t the first time they had transferred their profit to a charity. At a show last year, they donated most of the profits to a domestic violence cause. “[Our cause] is just whatever thing, at the time,

is affecting the world the most or hurts our hearts the most … and there’s a lot of people hurting in Australia so we might as well help as much as we can, even though it’s only a little bit of money,” Wilkerson said.

Evidently, it was easy enough to become passionate about the cause.

“We were all like ‘All right, we’re gonna get an Australian calendar, we’re gonna get a flag. We’re gonna put it in the back’ … We still have the flag up in the back,” Wilkerson said, laughing.

More often than not, young adults are told they aren’t old enough to make an impact just yet. This untruth can be easily disproved when one looks at the work ethic in groups like Furthest Point.

Supporting these groups in one’s community could be the droplet of water needed to create a lasting ripple effect. According to Daubert, all that’s really needed to make a change is the will to do so.

“Your actions always have impact, whether you see it or not,” Daubert said. “And I think it’s important to keep going at it no matter what because impact and change won’t happen without action.”

Wilkerson discovered that she could find somewhere to make a difference, even though it was beyond her comfort zone.

“I struggled for a long time, getting out there and doing things and being a person, and then [Furthest Point] gave me the opportunity to have fun … and not be scared of things anymore,” Wilkerson shared.

Using high school as an excuse to claim oneself as useless is to no one’s benefit. The student themself will lose important opportunities to find their preferred niche.

“I think it’s really important to take as many risks as can while you’re in high school because it’s a time when you have a lot more freedom and ability to be stupid that you don’t get after you’re out,” Wilkerson said.

Taking advantage of every way to get involved during these last years can contribute to these positive ripples, and the ripple can only continue to have a positive impact if more people can stand behind a movement and create the momentum needed for change. An easy and potentially enjoyable way to take part in said momentum is to support bands in one’s community.

“If you’re into music, [you’ve] really gotta check out your local scene! Find concerts on Facebook or Instagram and start going to people’s basements.

The best music you’ll hear is right down the street …

You just gotta look for it,” Hezel said.

my favorite:

DISNEY+ SHOWS

By Ruthann Kimbrel

Staff Reporter

1

“High School Musical: the Musical: the Series (HSMTMTS)” is a ‘The Office’ style mockumentary that follows East High’s theatre group and their adviser as they manufacture attempts to make their ‘High School Musical’ musical a success while going through their own personal trials and tribulations. Songs from the show are beautifully executed by the cast and it includes original music such as “Born to be Brave”, “I Think I Kinda Ya Know”, and “Billion Sorrys” while also including songs from the High School Musical movies.

2

A Disney classic from 2004, “Home on the Range” is a humour filled adventure for 3 dairy cows attempting to save their ranch from a yodeling cattle thief and his henchman.

The songs are catchy and comical and the characters unforgettable and (somehow) relatable. The art style is fitting for the wild west theme and the voice actors are accredited with perfectly catching the ‘Southern charm’ in the characters voices which gives each character their own personality

3

The animated shorts from Disney and Pixar provide visually stunning and story-driven plot in episodes that can last about two to five minutes each. The story within each is easily readable and understandable and they are each unique in their own ways which easily keeps the viewers interest. The “Sparkshorts” is a collection of newer, recent animated shorts such as “Loop”, “Purl” and “Bao” while older animated shorts like “Jack-Jack Attack” and ‘for the birds’ are stand-alone episodes.

4

Jeff Goldblum returns to the screen in his Disney+ original “The World According to Jeff Goldblum.” In the series, Goldblum informs the viewer of a multitude of subjects in which people use in their everyday lives including cosmetics, pools and gaming. Goldblum uses his own past experiences and compares it to present-day while using recorded statistics, humor and fun visuals to keep the watchers attention on the screen. This is a relieving way to learn about normal everyday objects that you may have thought that research for these items even existed.

5

BASEMENT BLUES: Where they play does not retrict how Furthest Point play, seen here in Wilkerson’s basement, known as the “Gnasher House.” The band has taken proceeds from several of its shows and donated them to various charities around the world. PHOTOS COURTESY OF MARGARET WILKERSON

FEATURE

“The Mandalorian” was one of the most highly anticipated Disney+ original shows of 2019 and little did the public know that they would fall head over heels in love with Baby Yoda. The soundtrack to the show was astonishing and it was visually appealing however the storyline was dry and action scenes were tedious and the timeline for the Star Wars Universe became more complicated due to the canonical age of Yoda in the series and fans tying in The Clone Wars with Star Wars lore.

Page by Essy Ingram

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The clear sound of a plethora of musical instruments resonates throughout the auditorium from the pit below.

Music builds in anticipation as the play reaches its climax.

Sorrowful tunes serenade when a character is disheartened.

The pit provides these musical tones to accompany the emotions of the scene unfolding. However, the musicians must practice and prepare to ensure their notes align with the words of the cast and the roles of their instruments fit with the roles of the characters. Vanessa Luan, senior, shares why she believes pit is a necessary aspect of theater.

“I think pit is the icing on top of cake. Sure, the cast can still perform without the pit, but it makes it so much better. It’s nice to have live background music instead of a recording to really engage the audience,” Luan explained.

STARS Shadows in the

By Sarah Percy Staff Reporter

Props make the essence of theater come to life. A fairy without a wand is just a hag. An author without a pen is just a man. In order to experience this performance as reality, the scene must come to life. And the only way to display the actors as though they are the people they pretend to be, they need the props that make them who they are. Props crew is in charge of bringing this sense of realism to the show through the creation of these objects. Sophomore and props crew head Jenna Woelfel shares her feelings about the importance of props.

“It’s fun to see the props come to life. If you took away props, the show would be only hand-miming, there would be nothing used to visualize the stage as anything other than a stage,” Woelfel explained.

What would a witch be without her pointy hat? Or a superhero without a cape? Or a little girl without her pink dress and bows?

All of these characters are completed with a costume that fits their character’s personality. The audience sees the actors and actresses before anything else in the scene is processed, making the accuracy of costumes of the utmost importance. Junior and costume crew head Emily Zuehlke explains how they strive to accomplish this necessary accuracy.

“We analyze the characters’ personalities and decide what designs, what costume, what aesthetic would best fit with their character. Then we graph out the designs, discuss them with the actors, and then go out shopping to buy everything that we need,” Zuehlke concluded.

BACKSTAGE BEAUTIES: The entirety of the theater department gathers in the gyman a success. These 10 groups work collectively to provide the audience with a performa

There is no show without an audience. There is no audience if nobody is aware of the show. And there is no awareness of the performance without the publicity crew. This crew, though acting behind the scenes, is a necessary aspect of theater as a whole. Ms. Melissa Dumas, crew head, speaks more on the importance of this “hidden” crew.

“Publicity creates the Playbill, designs/orders the play shirts, creates/designs the posters to promote the play/musical. We inform people of the show and make memories through the use of playbills and shirts. The playbills are important because they contain quotes of the cast and crew in it,” Dumas said. which the audience loves,” Dumas shared.

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Page by Sarah Percy

FEATURE

Lights. Stage. Cue. The first thing seen when walking into the theatre are the various lights displaying rays across the stage, setting the scene as the crowd waits in anticipation for the show to begin. This scene is not set without the efforts of the numerous members of the light crew, headed by senior Mary Wachtel. Wachtel expands on how exactly lights add an extra dimension to the show.

“We make the stage brighter and bring warmth to the show with tons of color,” Wachtel said.

The students offstage who help make the on-stage magic happen

Hair and makeup crew is in charge of transforming the faces of the crew, to make them into the characters they play. Their unique talents are applicable in every show and are able to completely change the aesthetic vibe of the actor or actress. Makeup can be used for multiple circumstances including altering the age, color, or liveliness of the facial features as a whole. Sophomore Emma Cowherd has recently occupied the position of crew head of hair and makeup and feels strongly that her crew contributes greatly to the show as a whole.

“We learn different techniques for hair and makeup. We look at past performances of the cast and research who the characters are to create a makeup style for them. For example, this show we have a school girl so we thought of doing pigtails and blush. We also use makeup to make the characters look either older or younger,” Cowherd said.

Streamers and lights hang from the ceiling. Billboards decorate the walls with props from the show. Pictures of the actors and actresses hang as they are admired by the audience strolling in. This decorated area, the hallway before the entrance to the theater, is referred to as the house, and sets the mood for the performance waiting behind the double doors. House crew head Lily Klohr shares her experiences in terms of what the house contributes to theater.

“The house is the hallway after the double doors and we get to decorate it. It’s a little introduction to the show when people walk through the hall,” Klohr explained.

e gymanaisum, including the crews that act behind the scenes to make the show erformance they will not forget. PHOTO COURTESY OF FAITH CARTER

The colors splayed across the scene are what makes the stage come to life. Without color, the scene would be bland. Thankfully, the paint crew devotes its time and efforts to setting the stage for the following performance. Senior Margaret Wilkerson shares what her crew must do to accomplish this task.

“We paint the sets and we paint the stage most of the time. We also paint a sign that goes out front of the show on the side of the road for passersby to see so they can come to the show,” Wilkerson said.

The scene goes black. Shuffling is heard behind the curtain as the set is shifted into new positions, altering the scene for the next half of the play. Set crew makes this shift possible.

The members build the large pieces used to construct the surroundings for the actors. They accomplish this task through the use of dimensional analysis and alterations of the pieces to fit the stage just right. Sophomore Kylie Christensen elaborates on what she tries to accomplish when she leads her team in constructing these objects.

“We want to give the audience that spark. When we open up the room with a set, it gives the audience the illusion that they are actually in the scene. We don’t want it to just be a box wall with a set, we want to give it a feeling. We want to give it emotion,” Christensen shared.

“Please silence your phones…” introduces the show before the performers come onto stage, ready to present a story to the audience. This phrase, along with many others, is an aspect of the performance that only the sound crew can accomplish. Sound crew head, Junior Krystal Arias, shares more about what her group is in charge of.

“We work on the sound effects for the show, microphones, voiceovers, pre-show music, intermission announcements, and all that fun stuff,” Arias explained.

FEATURE

IIllustrations by Craig Eddy

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the source of sleep deprivation An explanation of why teenagers receive such little sleep

By Sam Chen

P

Staff Reporter

sychology teacher Stacey Dennigmann asks the class how many hours of sleep they get each night. Answers vary between three hours on the low end, with a few outliers with eight or nine on the high end. After the class is faced with the truth of how little they sleep at night, Mrs. Dennigmann tells them how much sleep they should be getting each night: seven to nine hours.

The class laughs.

Sleep deprivation is a problem many students know all too well. The vast majority of high schoolers don’t get enough sleep each night. But why is this the case?

Students are invariably drawn to the easy answer: they’re overworked, and simply

14 Page by Kayla Reyes

don’t get enough time to sleep between the schoolwork they get, their extracurriculars, and work. Being busy isn’t the only reason high schoolers don’t get enough sleep, though. Stress plays a large role in how they are able to fall asleep.

“When you’re stressed… adrenaline is released for your body. And that’s how we get a burst of the adrenaline rush, and it also produces cortisol,” Dennigmann said.

As part of the body’s stress response, hormones, among them epinephrine and cortisol, which give someone a boost in energy to respond to stressful situations, are released into the bloodstream. During the first step of the stress response, the brain and the body are hit by the adrenaline rush.

When this happens, it becomes harder to

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fall asleep. In addition, when someone’s stressed about something, they tend to focus on whatever is stressing them out at the time, instead of letting their brain rest when they’re trying to fall asleep. Stress from a student’s day doesn’t just keep them up later, it keeps them from falling asleep when they finally go to bed.

Stress isn’t the only thing that interferes with falling asleep. Certain medications can affect how much sleep someone gets or how they fall asleep. For example, many over-the-counter cold medications contain some amount of alcohol, which can decrease the quality of sleep, so that even if someone spends enough time asleep, there’s a chance the medication may have depressed the quality of their sleep, so the

ILLUSTRATION BY SAVANNAH DRNEC

brain won’t have been able to rest and prepare for the next day.

Medications can accomplish this by suppressing REM, or rapid eye movement, sleep. The brain and body need REM sleep to repair and process the past day. Without REM sleep, students wake up without feeling well-rested, and continue their cycle of stress, furthering their sleep problems.

“You may be asleep for eight hours, but how much of that time was spent in REM? Not the amount of time that you need. So what happens is, even though you may have been asleep, you didn’t get the sleep you need,” Dennigmann notes.

Senior Emma Mize takes a different approach on why students don’t get enough sleep. She takes six AP classes, is a member

of several clubs, and has a job. In the past, she played soccer, but quit because she was concerned about not getting enough sleep.

“That was just getting to be too much: I literally would not get any sleep on nights we had games or I had practice,” Mize recalls.

She attributes her former lack of sleep to how busy she was during the school year: at times, she would get under five hours of sleep a night. Even after freeing up her schedule a bit, she still doesn’t get enough sleep on a regular basis.

“I’d say I get six hours, maybe six and a half,” Mize said about how much sleep she gets daily.

Guidance Counselor Wendy Ahearn also sees her fair share of students without enough sleep. She notices that students

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are working long hours, which cuts into the amount of time they have to do homework, which pushes their sleep later and later.

“Some students get overextended by taking on too much. It is important to know your limitations and schedule your time accordingly. Many employers schedule teenage employees to work until close, which greatly affects sleep and limits the ability to function during the school day,” Mize said.

Balancing between social commitments, family, academics, and extracurriculars, high schoolers and their schedules are stretched thin. Too often, sleep is the first casualty of an overpacked schedule.

“It’s hard to be able to do everything while still [getting enough] sleep,” Mize admitted.

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Causes of Sleep Deprivation Certain medications make it more difficult for teenagers to fall asleep.

WORK

Working a part- or full-time job lessens the amount of sleep a teenager is able to recieve.

Involvement in sports or activites leaves less time ina student’s schedule for sleep.

Blue light from electronic screens suppresses melatonin release and inhibits the ability to fall asleep.

Increased caffeine intake, often from not sleeping enough in the first place, can cause the body to stay awake longer.

Early school start times can lead to tired students throughout the day.

Issues at home or a stressful home environment is linked to worsened sleep quality.

Sources: betterhealth.vic.gov.au and childmind.

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An excess of homework lessens the amount of sleep a teenager is able to receive.

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Effects of Sleep Deprivation Academics

Driving

Sleep deprivation may lead to worsened academic performance and lower GPA.

20% of adults admit to falling asleep at the wheel in the past past year.

33% of teenagers report falling asleep in class.

Around 100,000 police-reported crashes are a result of drowsy driving.

Sources: National Sleep Foundation and aasm.org

Mental/Brain Health

Sleep deprivation can lead to lack of alertness and impaired memory.

Source: nsc.org

Long term sleep deprivation can increase risk for depression and anxiety.

Source: clevelandclinic.org

Effects on the Body

Sleep deprivation increases risk for high blood pressure

Sleep deprivation increases risk for heart attack and heart failure

Sleep deprivation weakens immunse system

Source: clevelandclinic.org

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ILLUSTRATION BY SAVANNAH DRNEC

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The effects of exhaustion How sleep deprivation impacts students

By Kierigan McEvoy

W

Web Assignments Editor

hite t-shirt, her long, caramel-colored hair is down, wearing sweatpants, she sits on the couch smiling, seemingly not tired at all. Anecdotally she answers every question, not missing a beat. Rebecca Harrison is a junior in seven honors classes, works two jobs for an average of 30 hours a week, participates in two sports, and is involved in numerous clubs and activities. She averages five hours of sleep a night.

When asked how she manages all her activities running on so little sleep, her response is nothing but optimism.

“I’ve been performing fine,” she said giggling. “I feel like I’d honestly be more lazy sometimes as a person because I’m one of those people that if I start getting in a habit of being lazy, that’s where I’ll stay.”

Others, like Dean of Students Ashley Mair, have a strict routine when it comes to their sleeping patterns. Mrs. Mair gets around seven hours of sleep a night due to her night-time procedure.

It helps to establish not only a daily routine but a better attitude every day.

“I have a very strict bedtime of nine o’clock, so if I am not in bed at nine o’clock, I am a cranky person at home because sleep affects every approach that I have throughout the day,” Mrs. Mair explained.

Unlike Mrs. Mair, on the nights Harrison is working, she will get off past Mrs. Mair’s bedtime of nine o’clock. She averages five to six-hour shifts at a time for both her job working at Chick Fil A and the Rec-Plex. But there is a reason why she works so much and thus her lack of getting to bed at a decent time.

“I am paying for college for myself, but I think a lot of people are,” Harrison said.

While Harrison believes she is doing fine with the workload to sleep ratio she is getting, Mrs. Mair believes that

for the vast majority of students, sleep is “one hundred percent”a vital aspect of student academic performance and disciplinary needs.

“If typically we have a student that is having a bad day and is spending a lot of time either in my office or in guidance, many times that’s dependent on whether they’ve eaten adequate food or gotten enough sleep,” Mrs. Mair said.

Harrison uses a busy schedule to keep her mind working and energized.

For senior Blake Painter, who, like Harrison, is in AP classes, sports, and has a job; a busy schedule won’t cut it. He must look elsewhere for his stimulation in order to make it through the school day.

“I drink Bang energy pretty much every morning,” Painter said. “It has 300 milligrams of caffeine, and most of the time I only drink one, but if I need, two.”

For Painter, it is mostly the combination of sports and school work that adds pressure to his sleep schedule which forces him to turn towards things like energy drinks to get through the day.

“It’s mostly if we have a basketball game that day and I don’t have time to get home and do homework starting at nine o’clock; that really takes a toll just not being able to actually work on

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stuff I need to,” Painter explained.

The amount of sleep a student receives can greatly impact students’ days; however, the effects are not as immediate as may be expected.

Sometimes it takes a couple of days for sleep deprivation to really take hold and cause its victims to start spiraling.

“I remember, especially the first semester, whenever [the lack of sleep] kept adding up, weeks on weeks… I was just done with everything because I couldn’t even stay awake in class anymore which is kind of bad,” Harrison said.

Learning how to get more sleep in order to perform better in school can be as simple as putting down the electronics, specifically phones, before hitting the hay.

“Put your phone down,” Mrs. Mair said sternly. “Put it in the kitchen, charge it overnight, put it on sleep mode so you don’t get any more notifications; seriously that’s huge.”

Drinking one or two Bangs a day is, arguably, not the healthiest decision, and Painter agrees. His lack of sleep has led him to look for other ways to not let tiredness affect his day.

“If I just had my glass of water, got to bed with a melatonin at nine thirty, I’d be fine, but it’s just hard to do with my schedule,” Painter explained.

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DISCOVER

GAME PACE: Seniors Kierigan McEvoy and Jay Viola, along with sophpmore Jordan Bailey practice for girls soccer, one of the 22 MSHSAA sponsored sports offered at FHC. This is one of the 15 sports that make cuts to their programs: that’s roughly 68.2 percent of them. PHOTO BY GRACIE KRUEP

MAKing the cut

By Kana Chung

Copy Editor It’s the first day of tryouts. Senior Mackenzie Jones has been playing soccer since kindergarten, and is now in her senior year of high school. The cold March air is familiar, and so are the nerves. She has trained for countless hours, played countless games, and even overcome injuries.

Nevertheless, at the beginning of every season, she has to step onto the turf and prove her worth to the coaches once again. The risk of not making the cut is always there, and the possibility of not playing the sport she’s known for so long is always prevalent. When the coach calls for the players, she laces up her cleats and heads onto the field. Let the games begin.

Playing sports is an essential part of the high school experience. September would feel empty without the anticipation of the homecoming game. The halls would feel barren without the plaques and awards lining the walls. But not everyone who wants to participate in a sport will get the opportunity to, because many sports will only admit those that the coaches deem fit for the team. This is what many athletes know as “making cuts”.

There are many reasons a sport would decide to make cuts or not to make cuts.

Many sports make this decision based on the number of people trying out. Senior tennis player George Broyles admits that boys tennis hasn’t made cuts in the past for that very reason.

“Usually there’s not enough players to really make cuts. The team’s small enough that they don’t need to. But this year there will be enough players for cuts, so I think they’re doing it-- just to make sure that we stay competitive with other schools,” Broyles said.

However, he also believes that not every sport needs to make cuts.

“I think certain sports should [cut], and certain sports shouldn’t. I mean, I think right now, the sports I do and don’t are pretty good where they’re at,” Broyles said.

Freshman Natalie Rudebeck runs cross country and is trying out for the soccer team this spring. She believes that cross country is one of such sports where making cuts is not necessary.

“I think cross country shouldn’t [cut], because there are two reasons to [join]: competition and getting in shape. So I think the kids who want to get in shape should be able to run,” Rudebeck said.

Broyles believes that a lot of the sports that do have a lot of students try out and make cuts, get that kind of following because they

“It’s always sad to see people who are cut, but also you’re happy for the people [who made it]. It’s kind of part of the sport, part of the culture,”

- senior Mackenzie Jones are amongst the more advertised.

“I think, generally, sports that do make cuts are a lot more popular. And so, it just has more and more people watching, more people go to them. They’re usually the more advertised

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sports than sports that don’t make cuts, but I don’t think that should be a thing. I think all the sports should be advertised and made big and all that,” Broyles said.

Like any other elimination process, there are pros and cons to its effects. Jones, who also plays basketball and tennis, feels that the process is not an indicator of effort, but simply part of the culture that comes with emotional ups and downs.

“The people who didn’t get cut, they put in the work and the effort, but also, it doesn’t necessarily mean the kids who did get cut didn’t put in the effort,” Jones said. “It’s always sad to see people who are cut, but also you’re happy for the people [who made it]. It’s kind of part of the sport, part of the culture, I guess.”

Broyles also believes that there are pros and cons to making cuts on sports teams, largely because competing for spots can create tension amongst teammates.

“I think it can create some controversy and kind of split up some friendships, especially if two friends try out and one makes it and one doesn’t,” Broyles said. “But I think if friends go into a sport, trying out, then they will both train each other and get better with each other. So I think it could have a good effect and a bad effect.”

Jones also sees how the competition of tryouts can put pressure on relationships between teammates, but she thinks that a true leader will be able to create a space of support regardless.

“I think it can [cause tension], but I think that’s also up to some of the girls on the team to step up and be a leader and to create a culture where it’s like ‘yes we’re here to make each other better, but also, we’re a family and we’re here for each other first,’” Jones said.

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the Climb the Climb Fledgling climbing club hopes to make high stress sport more laid back

By Megan Percy

COMMITMENT: Junior Chase Redington performs a dynamic jump, a type of move which requires jumping from part of the course to the next. In order to do this move, the person must fully commit to the jump, or they will not complete the route. PHOTO

BY STEPHEN DERENSKI

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Page by Megan Percy

Web Editor-In-Chief Junior Stephen Derenski is splayed across a flat wall overhanging him.

Clinging to it, breathing heavily, he can feel his ligaments tighten. He’s so close.

He shuts his eyes, takes a deep breath and looks farther up the wall. He sees the next colored stud coming out of the sheer slate. He pulls his hand from the wall, and makes a daring grab for the next hand hold, a breathtaking leap of faith.

Derenski is doing a type of rock climbing called bouldering at the Upper Limits Gym in Chesterfield. He does this about twice a week, scaling the angled walls and the round, giant Boulder. He has done this since mid- December, and has now decided to form a new club devoted to the sport with fellow captain and junior Chase Redington.

The team the captains hope to build is one based on principles of selfimprovement. Though the club will compete at the rock climbing gym, Derenski hopes to still maintain a more relaxed vibe amongst members.

“There are three competitions every semester given to us by the gym, but our goal for the team is just to have it as a group that comes together and works to improve each other,” Derenski said. “We want people to come through and work with each other and build upon each others’ skills, so where it’s like an open thing where you can just come and do it as you [please], so it’s not as intense as a normal sport you would [have] at a high school. Just a lot more laid back and relaxed.”

The club would be year-round, and the types of climbing could be divided across the two semesters of the school year, according to Redington.

“During the fall season, or the first semester, it’s more bouldering, which are more like problems that require more thought about how to do it, and during the spring season it’s more top roping, which is just like climbing up as high as you can and stuff with endurance,” Redington said.

Rock climbing differs significantly from many other sports. It is physically demanding to any who attempt it. Senior Hunter Bowman, a hopeful member of the club, remarked on how the sport

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requires all consuming effort from one’s body, and at times can require very difficult contortions.

“Rock climbing is like a full-body sport.

You need arm strength, back, abs, things that you would ever know you would even use,” Bowman said. “The kinds of positions you get in ... I’ve seen people hanging by their toes. [I’ve seen people in] these weird kinds of positions, stuff that you’d never get from any other sport. Not many sports have you sprawled sideways against a wall, holding yourself up by your fingertips.

It’s just different, you really kind of get to know your body a little better.”

In addition to requiring a great deal of physical strength, the activity also demands a great deal of mental acuity.

“I enjoy rock climbing [because] it’s like a math problem for your head,” Derenski said. “It’s a logic puzzle essentially.

You’re trying to figure out where you’re supposed to place your hands, where to place your feet, you have to figure out how to sequence yourself in a physical way.”

Despite being a sport traditionally done independently, teamwork plays a major part in encouraging and aiding those on the wall. Those below help by giving insight to climbers ascending on what paths they should take next.

“Even myself, who’s a beginner, I’ve been able to help out the newer members with different techniques,” Bowman remarked.

“Someone will be actively climbing up the wall and you’re sitting there watching them, and you can see angles that maybe they can’t see while they’re on the wall, so you can guide them like ‘Oh you know you should step here, maybe put your hand over there,’ something like that. You can really help your team out, even if you’re not climbing.”

According to Redington, those afraid of heights should not allow their fear to deter from giving it a try; as one who experienced an initial scare over the altitude of the sport, he assures beginners that the fun of the exercise quickly overcomes the discomfort.

“Well, if you’re starting out and you hate heights, you’re obviously going to be threatened by that, but the more you do it, the less scared you’re going to be of it,” Redington said. “[When] I started

TECHNIQUE: As Derenski attempts a boulder problem, he must think about specific moves he must do in order to not fall off of the wall.

CHALKING UP: In order to get a better grip to the wall, climbers use chalk to reduce the amount of sweat in their hands.

PHOTOS BY CHASE REDINGTON.

off, I hated top roping ... but the more you do it, the more you become accustomed to it.”

Additionally, Bowman assures those trying it for the first time, afraid to put themselves out there, that the team understands their starting performance is only a stepping stone, and the community of climbers is only there to help.

“Some people may be a little nervous because they think ‘Oh, I’m bad at this, people are going to laugh at me, make fun of me,’ but they’re not. Everyone understands that it’s everyone’s first time and we don’t expect you to be good or anything like that ... It’s a helping atmosphere, it’s a helping environment,” Bowman said. “Everyone there

wants to help you get better and improve, even people who aren’t on the team, just the people who got there everyday, for a work out. Like I’ve been helped by like 10 people that I don’t even know, just giving advice and things like that, but definitely give it a try, and who knows, you may join the team.”

The club is not yet official, as it has not yet secured a second sponsor. However, the team is welcoming to new members and ready to aid in a supportive environment those looking to try something new. '“Just come out and try it. It’s definitely worth it, you’d be surprised what you can do if you just give things a shot. It’s rewarding to feel like [you] actually did something and you were able to get to the top,” Derenski said.

“It’s a logic puzzle, essentially. You’re trying to figure out where you’re supposed to place your hands, where to place your feet. You have to figure out how to sequence yourself in a physical way.”

-Stephen Derenski, Junior

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PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT: Mr. Steven Le sets a volleyball during boys volleyball practice. Le is their coach and has had lots of experience and continues to play in his free time.

PHOTO BY KEATON FRYE

Hard at work beyond their job Exercise, activity helps teachers blow off steam, stay fit

By Ty Nedungadi

Staff Reporter The sun glows brightly in the clear, blue skies on a hot summer day. As the temperature is rising throughout the day, most people decide to stay indoors and play or exercise; however, Mr. Ryan McCoy decides to take his bike out for a ride.

Cruising along the trail, the breeze that courses past him cools him on as the temperatures soar. Along with McCoy, many other teachers are out exercising and playing their designated sport or activity.

Naturally from childhood, people partake in sports and other physical activities and continue it throughout their life. Playing a sport or doing any physical activity is incredibly beneficial to health and development and builds skills for later in life.

Ask any teacher, and they’ll state that they’re involved in some sort of activity. Like students, teachers will play sports to maintain their health and fitness, while also relieving themselves from the stresses of

school and home life.

McCoy, who teaches physics, enjoys running and biking outside consistently. McCoy makes it part of his lifestyle and likes to get out and be active.

“I’ve been running pretty consistently now for the past three or four months, and overall for the past four years,” Mr. McCoy said. “I picked up the bike when it was too hot to run, and it’s nice to get the bike going because you’ll get nice wind.”

Mr. McCoy feels like his activities help manage the load of stress that builds up during his day at school and home.

Many teachers are overloaded with their work, whether it be teaching or grading homework, sheets and tests, just like how students are stressed about their school work.

“It helps me alleviate stress and declutter my mind. It helps to have a more peaceful living style instead of having built up tension all the time,” Mr. McCoy said.

Another teacher, Mrs. Sheri Baize is fond of soccer and enjoys playing in a league during the school year.

Her spring league consists of a small field where they play six against six, while in the fall she plays a full size field. She has also played indoor soccer during the winter. Mrs. Baize will play every sunday and loves making it part of her time. ““Even though I would rather be kicking back and relaxing, it’s not the case because I love soccer and it makes me happy,” Mrs. Baize said.

Mrs. Stacey Denningman likes to workout periodically at her local center and enjoys the group training.

She also feels like her exercise is a relief for her stress and helps soothe her emotions. While working with her partners, Mrs. Denningman manages her stress by getting along and having an amusing time with them.

“It does [help with managing stress] and it’s a great emotional release; when I’m frustrated or angry during the day I can take it out,” Mrs. Denningman said. “You can manage it when doing cardio workout or lifting weights, or even getting together and laughing with people, including people you don’t even know.”

Like Mr. McCoy, Mrs. Jane Kelley enjoys running out and spends four to five days per week putting on her shoes and running out. Kelley has enjoyed the experience of running since her college days. Like other teachers, running allows her to reduce her stress and helps boost her energy.

“It’s absolutely my source of stress management if I am really stressed out, or if I’m down on myself about something I’ll just put on my sneakers and go out on a run and it helps,” Mrs. Kelley said.

Teachers do more in their lives than teach students and grade work all day, and most of them are active and healthy. Teachers have to bear the same stress that students have and their sport and activity helps to manage it, like students as well.

They have interesting experiences with their activities and share a deep passion for them. Whether it’s for staying healthy or calming their stressful lives at home or school, many teachers will take time out of their day to exercise and do what they love to do.

On the Bike Trail

Getting Swole With A Group

Fierce On The Fields

An Addiction To Running

Mr. Ryan McCoy loves to take his bike during the warm summers consistently as there is a nice breeze that hits.

Mrs. Stacey Denningman likes to workout with a group at her local community center and enjoys getting a relief while exercising.

Mrs. Sheri Baize finds happiness whenever she plays in her soccer leagues. She plays consistently every Sunday during the fall and spring.

Mrs. Jane Kelley enjoys running outdoors 4-5 times a week.

She is thrilled whenever she runs and it’s her main source of stress relief.

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MOVE

ORDER FORM FOR THE 2019-20 YEARBOOK Yearbooks will be on sale until the end of the school year for $65.

Any extra books bought at schedule pickup will cost $70.

You can also order the book online: www.yearbookforever.com

Name: _________________________________________ Date:________

Cash: ____

Check#_____

RECEIPT

Grade: ____

ADS

The price of the yearbook will be $50 until THE FINAL DAY OF FIRST SEMESTER The last day of school is the FINAL day to purchase your yearbook.

BOOK PRICE IN SECOND SEMESTER IS $65.

Staff signature: ____________________ Page by Kayla Reyes

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Which Teacher is Your Bestie?

Take this Quiz to Find Out

Teachers:

By Ruthann Kimbrel Staff Reporter

If your friends could describe you in one word, what word would they use?

A.) Energetic

Photos by Taylor Krieg and Gracie Kreup

If you got mostly A’s, your teacher friend would be Ms. Young.

You are a chill and dynamic person with a heart of gold. You enjoy sweets and tacos while travelling somewhere foreign to you.

You enjoy spending quality time with friends and family and would travel with them to wherever your wild spirit guides you.

B.) Extra C.) Passionate D.) Responsible What is your favorite food?

A.) Mexican B.) Ramen C.) Italian D.) Pizza What is your favorite class in high school?

A.) English B.) Human Anatomy and Physiology/ Science C.) Physical Education

If you got mostly B’s, your teacher friend would be Mr. Reed.

You are sarcastic in a good way and care a lot about your peers. You enjoy learning fun, new and interesting things about the world around you. You enjoy making people laugh by making silly references.

D.) Math What is your favorite dessert?

A.) Maccaroons B.) Daiquiri Ice/ Baskin Robins C.) Cheesecake If you got mostly C’s, your teacher friend is Coach Radigan.

You are passionate about everything you do and love playing sports, but you love friends and family more. You cherish the time you have with family and friends by playing board games and video games. You like hanging out and watching sports with others and can be competitive at times.

D.) Ice Cream What is your favorite movie Genre?

A.) Romantic Comedy B.) Science Fiction C.) Inspirational Fiction D.) Comedy What is your favorite hobby outside of school?

A.) Travelling B.) Rollercoasters C.) Playing Games with Friends and Family D.) Playing/Listening to Music # of A’s: ______ # of B’s: ______ # of C’s: _____ # of D’s: _____

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ENTERTAIN

If you got mostly D’s, your teacher friend is Mr. Hudzinski.

You are described as the mom/dad friend and are the voice of reason within the group.

Everyone gets good vibes from you when they walk past and talk to you. You enjoy listening to music and spending time with people close to you.

2 1 3 4 5

PAPA’s FREezeria

run 2

Run 2 is arguably the most classic game on this website filled with ageless classics. The game with the famous alien running or skating along an intergalactic racecourse is the most popular game on Coolmath (according to their rankings). From Lightning Icons to Pins and Needles, the game is filled with levels of ranging difficulties and skill ranges.

Papa’s Freezeria is a role-playing game during which you are a worker at an ice cream shop and are producing orders for customers. It is a fast-paced game that requires concentration and speed (it isn’t for everyone). Mastering time management and counting ingredients is key in this classic installment of the Papa’s _______series.

ranking the top

snake

The remake of the original snake game, first released in 1997 by Nokia, is a frustrating yet entertaining game that all people can enjoy. With a simple goal, eat apples and grow your snake’s length, the simplicity of the game makes it a blast to play. The highest score ever scored on Snake is 973, good luck beating that!

By Isaiah Salin

Design Editor Coolmath Games. A staple in our generation’s childhood. The classic website filled with games that a lot of us got in trouble for playing during class. Everyone had the moment in their schooling career when a teacher has asked you to close the game and “get back to work” on your schoolwork. This website is filled with so many ageless classics and time wasting games that it was quite difficult to make a list of just the top 5 games on this free gaming website.

(Also it is a myth that Coolmath is shutting down, they’re just switching to a new system to run on after 2020 ends).

FIREBOY AND WATERGIRL

duck race

The classic two-player Coolmath game encourages teamwork and is really fun to play with a friend in class (shhh don’t tell the teacher). It has a simple task, collect all the colored gems and bring both Fireboy and Watergirl to the exit of the map, which only will open when you have collected all the gems. The majority of this game’s attention comes from the fact that you can play wth a friend, or if you are super talented you could play both characters by yourself...

Train your duck to be a champion racer so it can win back the farm. Training your duck to win all the races against other ducks is one of the goofiest but original games on Coolmath. The premise of the game is enough by itself to be entertaining and addicting. Not even factoring in the fact that the game’s simplicity and basic design makes it superior to other games.

ENTERTAIN

Page by Isaiah Salin

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Aesthetics Confine creativity In a culture where self-worth is based on appearance, teens may be giving up their individuality to fit in

AESTHETICALLY IDENTICAL: During the rise in the popularity of aesthetics, so called “niche memes” became increased in popularity as well by depicting various objects which all relate to one aesthetic. These memes all support the generalization of creativity that exist in the styles and lives of the teenagers who follow them. PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY FAITH BECKMANN

With just one quick search for the word “aesthetic” on YouTube, Instagram, or Pinterest, millions of posts and images pop up of nicely decorated rooms, stylish outfits, and photoshoots done by young influencers.

However, after scrolling through these photos for a while a person can’t help but notice how similar all these images look. They all seem to feature the same plain Faith Beckmann Staff Reporter white walls, abundances of green plants in pretty pots, crop tops, and ripped mom jeans. As someone who has considered watching teen lifestyle YouTubers a primary part of their life for years, I feel I can attest to the fact that this so-called “aesthetic culture” has been damaging an important part of teenage life: self-expression.

To digress, this culture has always been around. For instance, in 2014 being aesthetic was commonly referred to as being “tumblr”, a phrase which differs from the social media site by the same name. Some common trends of this pivotal point in internet history were DIY room decor, skater skirts, graphic tees, and chokers. However, these trends were not only present online, but everywhere, including teen-demographic stores and schools. This

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reinforces the fact that in a culture where so much of our lives are based on social media and trying to fit in, it is easy to let the influence of how all the popular social media stars are living their lives seep into your own.

I remember when I was younger watching room tours from influencers such as Bethany Mota, Rachel Levin, and CloeCouture and seeing their rooms painted bright shades of pink and blue, decorated with photos and little knick knacks that showed their personality and interests. Now when watching room tours from the new-age teen influencers, it’s evident how much emphasis is placed on aesthetics and making sure your room is pleasing to the eye. All the rooms seem almost copy-cat from each other no matter how “original” the creator claims it to be.

The culture of aesthetics is damaging to society for one specific reason, they have caused a limit to individuality based on conformity. People will change their entire lifestyle and personality in an attempt to live a life that looks cohesive on social media. For one, it is straight up demeaning to oneself to base your entire personality and wellbeing under one category. Furthermore, aesthetics allow teens to create the illusion that they have the perfect Instagram-worthy life, giving them the idea that you can simply ignore your problems by placing yourself in a world where every little detail is perfect. This concept is not only completely unsustainable, but is also highly unhealthy as it teaches that you don’t

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need to cope with your emotions and can simply just bury them.

Additionally, a recent TikTok trend has popped up on my “For You” page where people talk about two aesthetics that they would like to “be”, but are very contrasting in nature.

People fear being different and not having a style that falls under one standard category.

The conformity in our culture due to aesthetics has scared people into not wanting to combine ideas in an act of self-expression. This again is highly unhealthy and slowly starts to force people into something out of a dystopian novel, where people only exist under mere categories.

Everyone falls into a category somewhere and their entire personality and life story is based on it. It’s unnatural and dangerous.

In other words, don’t let some stupid little aesthetic define your self-expression and don’t let society tell you who or what you’re supposed to be. Allow yourself to have multiple interests and express them freely, regardless if it just falls under one category. Expression does not equal basing your life around having everything perfectly situated among one concept, but instead on individual quirks from different parts of your personality regardless if they flow together. Being “aesthetic” doesn’t make you quirky or different, it makes you a clone. To be an individual and to be unique (in stylistic terms) you must be willing to go against pop culture’s status quo and combine different concepts and features into one mold, which is you.

buddy The fallacy of the

friendzone Why the concept of a friendzone is inherently toxic Receiving a text message has the effect on people of a euphoric release of dopamine, which makes it even more disheartening to open a message and have “Ur such a b****, I thought u cared about me. Why would u lead me on like that?” glowing across the screen. And just for a moment your heart breaks.

It’s the dreaded question. The invitation to “hang out,” the fake parties, the fun plans that the other person never really intended to happen. And the rejection that follows. That’s the moment everything goes down the drain.

Except it’s not just that moment.

Rarely does it seem to stop there. Things drag on and all of a sudden their friends know, Zoe Michals and you become a slut in the minds of people Staff Reporter you’ve never even met.

Manipulation is the key that turns the friendzone from harmless and playful to dogmatically predatory.

Everything is fine and dandy if you genuinely get played, which happens to the best of us. But there’s a point where it evolves into the notion that someone “friendzoned” you when all they wanted in the first place was to be friends.

It’s hard enough becoming friends with the opposite gender- or the gender your sexuality prefers- without going through the phase of constant pestering about there being something romantic between the involved parties. And it’s made even harder by the people who do have romantic (sexual) intentions.

The primary issue lies in how people use the term. When you ask someone for something sexual and they say no, it’s not getting friendzoned. It’s rejection, but we seem to have come to some unspoken agreement that in order to recover from personal guilt or embarrassment in such a situation it is imperative to play the victim and defame the other person involved. This egotistical pathway of thought leads down a dangerous path that paces the border of sexual harassment.

Saying you were friendzoned is like saying that just because you’re nice to someone and they’re nice to you in return, you should be able to expect something

from them. Which, when put into words, is clearly not okay, but the term and thought process behind it have become so commonplace that we rarely think about the consequences it has on others.

This mindset encourages us to accept that we are wrong for not wanting to be involved with someone else, which leads to, unfortunately, a vicious cycle of pressure and guilt. At first it may seem harmless, but being ridiculed for having your own interests and desires is devaluing and invalidating. And as most things do with time, it wears. It wears down on confidence, self-worth, and expectations of relationships and reality.

Believing that you owe someone something for wanting to be friends is not only false, but damaging to perception of standards. When we start to think that you must return a “favor,” and this give-receive relationship becomes a friends-sexual relationship, it redefines physical contact and emotional connections with negative connotations.

Additionally, the friendzone villainizes sticking up for yourself and your intentions in a relationship. Being friendzoned has become a grounds for peer-based torment, making it a place no one wants to go. Making it a place you can seemingly never recover from, only furthering the pressure to accomodate to the needs of others to avoid guilt and persecution.

The friendzone is a made up place that was, whether intentionally or not, built on a foundation of pillars that convey an unhealthy and unrealistic message of how relationships should function and hierarchies should develop. The friendzone has become a place where people who expect more than they deserve in return for being friends go to play the victim.

It hurts to be hated for not putting out for someone, and it hurts even worse to have to feel guilty for standing up for yourself. No one should be made to feel as though they are in the wrong for saying no. No excuse is necessary and we don’t owe anyone anything when it comes to our bodies. If I’m not down, I don’t need an excuse, it’s not because I’m “too innocent” or “a slut who leads people on,” it’s because I never had or developed romantic intentions.

I’m not looking for sex, I’m looking for a friend.

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college board con college board con college board con The College Board exacerbates costs and expolits children for money

I

n early November, I sat in Ms. Fay’s classroom as she gave the class a casual reminder for us to sign up for our AP exams. A few days later, I noticed my peers carefully checking over their forms and counting their money, making sure everything was in perfect order for the tests they wouldn’t be taking for another six months. Unlike most of my classmates, I wasn’t yet turning in my registration forms and exam fees. I wouldn’t be doing so until four months later. It wasn’t that I was still deciding whether or not I wanted to take any AP tests; I’m enrolled in four AP classes and I would take each exam if it were possible.

Kayla Reyes But because of a decision Print Editor-in-Chief made by the College Board, it isn’t.

The College Board recently moved the AP exam registration deadline to November. Last year, the deadline was March. Students can still sign up for exams past November, but there’s a catch; for students signing up any time after Nov. 15, there is an additional $40 fee for each exam a student is taking.

There is a 42 percent increase in the cost of exams for students whose families, like mine, didn’t have a few hundred extra dollars to spend a month before Christmas, when money is often tight anyway.

This fee was introduced for the purpose of encouraging students to sign up earlier because they tend to perform better when they do. But despite the College Board’s act of being a charitable organization that wants students to succeed, it cares nothing of students’ success.

This fee is not an encouragement to sign up early, it’s a punishment for students who don't have the financial means available to do so, a way to keep lowincome students from getting the same opportunities as those with more economic privilege.

I wouldn’t take issue with the $40 fee if the College Board needed the extra money, but the fact of the matter is: it doesn’t. I wouldn’t detest its actions if they were being made for the benefit of students, but they aren’t. The College Board claims students who sign up earlier tend to perform better, but this doesn’t seem like nearly enough evidence to warrant a 42 percent increase in the cost of exams.

On the College Board’s official website, a message reads, “We’re a mission-driven not-for-profit organization that connects students to college success.”

The College Board is mission-driven, there’s no doubt about it. Its mission just isn’t the one they

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advertise; its true mission is as simple as it is unethical.

The College Board’s goal is to make more money, to manipulate children into thinking they need to take a test to be successful, to exploit students who don’t have the resources to pay early on and make them pay even more in the long run.

As if that weren’t enough, the organization brings in a hefty amount of extra money each year, despite its technical non-profit status (the status that exempts the College Board from taxes and allows them to greedily grasp onto even more money spent lining their pockets.)

In 2017, the College Board had $139 million left over after expenses. However, because it spent $923 million of its $1.01 billion in revenue furthering its purpose and expanding the public benefit it provides, the College Board is allowed to keep its non-profit title, to continue making non-taxable money by exploiting teenagers with high exam costs and exorbitant fees.

While all of this is definitely bad on its own, the thing that really irks me, creams my corn, if you will, is the intolerably excessive amount of money College Board executives make. In 2016, College Board President David Coleman brought home a hefty $1.2 million salary, with an extra $512 thousand in benefits. For reference, the average non-profit president’s salary is somewhere around $90,000. In 2016, our lovely friend Mr. Coleman made over 10 times the salary of a person with a similar position, all for being in charge of a company that exploits children and holds a monopoly on standardized tests (everything except the ACT of course!).

And Dave’s buddies, his partners-in-crime (or as I like to say, his partners-in-whatshould-maybe-be-illegal-and-is-at-thevery-least-immoral), definitely have nothing to complain about. In 2016, 20 chief College Board executives (not including Coleman) made a combined $9.83 million.

So now that the information is on the table, what happens next? In a world where greed is prevalent and corruption is inevitable, can we even make a difference? Boycotting the College Board isn’t practical; the SAT is required for some colleges and AP exams can help lower the cost of college in the long run, so, as students, what can we do?

For me, the answer is simple. I sit here writing this editorial in hopes that I will make a difference, that I’ll inspire others to do the same. The easiest thing to do is use your voice. Don’t be complaisant: get angry, get loud, and make your voice heard.

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$94

base cost per exam

$40

fee for each exam after Nov. 15

$1.2

million

salary for President David Coleman in 2016

$150

million estimated 2019 profit

STAFF EDITORIAL: SLEEP SOLUTIONS

It’s time to wake up As students face sleep deprivation, schools must make changes

E

ach morning, teenagers awaken early in the morning, often not many hours after falling asleep. Upon arriving at school, they groggily trudge through the halls, their exhaustion evident by the bags beneath their eyes and the yawns that escape their mouths.

According to the CDC, 72.7 percent of high schoolers get insufficient sleep. A multitude of factors play into this, and although some are the fault of teenagers themselves (like staying up late scrolling through their phones), the majority cannot easily be controlled by adolescents. A hormonal shift due to puberty that makes them more prone to falling asleep and waking up later, an excess of homework from teachers who seemingly don’t take into account students’ jam-packed schedules, activities that take up time teenagers could use to get the rest they so desperately need: all play a part in the inadequate amount of sleep adolescents get.

A teenager who stays awake until two in the morning because they had hours of homework on top of activities, sports and work is simply not going to flourish.

Physically, academically, emotionally — a student cannot perform well if they’re struggling to stay awake. Sleep deprivation in of itself is a problem, but it leads to a plethora of others: inability to focus, mood problems, drowsy driving, long-term health issues.

If we want our students to be the best they can in every way possible we need

to take steps toward helping them get enough sleep. There are many options for this. For example, studies have shown that a later school start leads to better academic performance and focus. If a teenager’s body is wired to go to bed and wake up later, it makes sense to start at a time when students are more likely to be alert and ready to start the day.

These accommodations obviously won’t be made for the entirety of a person’s life, and some people may say that it’s better to prepare teenagers for the real world than make life easier for them; however, life for teenagers is hard enough. Even though we can’t make these accommodations forever, why not help teenagers while we can? After all, they are still technically children. So why not create a learning environment in which they can grow and flourish? Why not give them that privilege instead of throwing them into adulthood before their brains are developed enough to be true adults?

While it is one solution, a later school start is a drastic change and may not be plausible for every high school. However, there’s another much easier option: compassion. Students who have homework from every class every night can easily become overwhelmed; instead of getting the sleep they need to perform their best, they spend hours upon hours completing assignments. Before they know it, it’s two in the morning and they’re rubbing their eyes, desperately trying to stay awake to finish their work. Teachers who are

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understanding of students’ busy schedules and large workloads are truly blessings to the teenagers who are forced to stay awake for hours finishing assignments. Abolishing homework altogether could do more harm than good, but that’s not the solution being proposed. Simply giving more class time for assignments and extending deadlines so students have more time to work on their assignments could lift a burdensome weight off teenagers’ shoulders.

Even giving students fewer digital assignments would help. It would reduce the time teenagers spend looking at harsh blue light that is proven to inhibit the release of melatonin, a chemical important for helping the body fall asleep.

Of course, teenagers need to make the decision to spend less time on social media and other entertainment apps in order for this strategy to be beneficial, but by reducing the amount of online homework assignments, students would spend more time away from phones and be less tempted to use them for purposes not related to academics.

It doesn’t matter which route schools take to help their students get more sleep. What does matter is that they do something in the first place. Schools are not solely at fault for students’ sleep deprivation, but their help would make the largest impact. For the betterment of students, schools need to attack the problem at one of its biggest sources: students’ exhaustion.

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[ final frame

By Rhyen Standridge

[

Staff photographer

heels over head

Junior Kaden Hart throws his opponent onto the mat during the MSHSAA state wrestling championship tournament was a long, emotional trial that challenged the mental and physical strength of all the qualifying athletes.

For Hart it was difficult not achieving his goals because he had hopes of taking home the championship but he keeps his head up and will continue to work.

“I have improvements to make and next year I’ll be hoping to win,” Hart said.

For a mental sport, many believe to have success you must keep a positive mindset and that is what Hart aims to do as he works through his final season.

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FINAL FRAME