Tripodium, Issue 2 by Tripodium

VOL. 47, ISS. 2•SALINA HIGH SCHOOL SOUTH•730 E. MAGNOLIA, SALINA, KAN. 67401•11.2.18

opinion 11.2.18

Tripodium Staff 2018-2019

Editorial Policy Letters to the Editor

The staff encourages letters to the editor from its readers. Letter should be taken to room 2117 or mailed to the Tripodium, 730 E. Magnolia, Salina, Kan. 67401 The following guidelines will be used in consideration of printing letters to the editor. Letters should be no longer than 200 words. Letters should be signed and must be signed and must include the address and telephone number of the author. No anonymous letters will be published. If it is the wish of the author and editor is in agreement, the author’s name by be withheld. The letter must not be libelous, obscene, profane and it must not infringe upon copyright. The letter must not be an invasion of privacy or disruptive of the school process.

Tripodium

The Tripodium is dedicated to publishing news, features, columns and sports in an unbiased and professional manner. All new, feature and opinion stories are determined by the staff and they invite readers to contribute ideas to them. The publication is a forum for student expression and will not be subject to prior review by the USD 305 administration.

Notice of Nondiscrimination

Unified School District #305 does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, or disability in admission or access to, or treatment or employment in, its program and activities and provides equal access to the Boy Scouts and other designated youth groups. Any person having inquiries concerning Unified School District #305 compliance with the regulations implementing Title VI, ADA, Title IX, or Section 504 is directed to contact the Unified School District #305 Executive Director of Human Resources, P.O. Box 797, Salina, Kansas, 67402, 785-309-4726.

Cover: Casey Grennan (’20) holds a “#Why305”sign during the band’s annual light show after the football team defeated Newton 35-13.

ELO changes cause chaos, inconsistency

By Kassandra Martinez South High’s schedule is different this year with the addition of another class and ELO at the end of the day everyday. The current ELO schedule is 46 minutes long and many students are upset because they claim it does not give them enough time to do homework. Many students are also upset at the fact that they cannot pass on Wednesdays due to Career Cruising. Principal Curtis Stevens does not allow passing after Career Cruising because then students will not take time to finish and do it correctly. If students need to meet with a teacher then they can see them before school on gold days. Passing on Mondays and Fridays is allowed for 30 minutes because of time for circles, which often does not take 15 minutes and passing on Tuesdays and Thursdays is 46 minutes. This inconsistency is often confusing for both students and staff. What students may not know is that Career Cruising can be helpful for students’ future. Career Cruising helps determine what students are going to do after high school. According to Stevens, in 2013, 94 percent of South High students walked the stage and only 49 percent made a comfortable living after high school. More than half of those students in 2013 did not get a degree after high school. Stevens would like to see this closer to 75 percent. There are some schools that have their number close to 90 percent, and these schools are doing Career Cruising. Stevens wanted to give students a full ELO day to do Career Cruising. South wants to have Career Awareness and Guidance, Individualized Plan of Study Advisory Council, and Individualized Plan of Study, and if we meet these goals, then it will help students long term and we will get the most success from our school. To give students the most opportunities for success, Career Cruising and no passing on Wednesdays are a necessary evil and should be taken seriously. Allowing more time for passing on Mondays and Fridays would help students be successful in the classroom and they could get the help they need from teachers. A good balance between spending time on Career Cruising, getting help from teachers on work, and eing able to get homework finished will help us be successful now and in the future.

South Speaks

Co-Editors Kaylee Warren Grace Hoge Copy Editor Marissa Russ Design Team Kearra Alvarez Alivia Heard Adriel Ordonez Staff Members DJ Chaput Taylor Cleveland Lizzy Franco Peyton Froome Daniela Garcia Kassandra Martinez Ivan Nava Hannah Schmidt Abby Teschke Cartoonist Tatum Forrester

What do you think about ELO? “I do my homework at home because I feel like I don’t have time to do it in ELO.” Anthony Martinez (’22) “I think ELO is helpful because you can ask your teacher questions if you need help.” Hailey Simon (’19)

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VAPING: A PEIDEMIC PEN

What South has to say about electronic cigarettes

Student Opinions

“It is really immature to vape in school.” Teegan Boyer (’20)

“I am 100 percent for vaping. It is harmless.” Matthew Arceo (’19)

“It’s dumb to bring it onto school property because most aren’t of age.” Emma Kinkelaar (’19)

“JUULing is a gateway drug that can lead to harsher things like meth and stuff. My motto: It ain’t cool to JUUL.” Alex Jared (’19)

“It is childish.” Isaac Tabares (’22)

“I don’t see what’s so bad about it. It brings people together. At least it’s not cigarettes” David Ollenburger (’20)

“It should have the same consequence as a tobacco product.” Piper Brady (’21)

By Alivia Heard Electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) have become popular, not only in America, but at South High School. E-cigarettes, also known as vape or JUUL pens, are illegal to be in possession of minors and in enclosed public areas. In the student handbook, it states that if a student is caught with an e-cigarette of any kind inside the school they will receive three days of a character development/in school suspension (ISS), the police will be notified and the e-cigarette will be disposed of by Resource Officer Dani Lemon. In ISS, Drug Prevention Specialist Jeremiah Thornton will work with students to understand why they use e-cigarettes and to teach them how harmful the product can actually be. The student is given an educational online assignment that will teach them the truth of these harmful substances. With this program, there has yet to be any second violations this year from the students Thornton has worked with. “Regardless of if it’s zero nicotine, it’s 18 and up,” Thornton said. The biggest issue is that e-cigarettes are not regulated by the FDA and therefore it is difficult to know just what is in the ‘vape juice.’ There could be no nicotine or illegal chemicals in the vapor, but it is difficult for the school’s administrators to tell what exactly is in the juice. There is a chance that the student does not know what is in their own juice. Making it even more difficult, JUULs are small and resemble flash drives or other small electronics, making them discrete and hard to find. “I’m not naive. I know we’re probably catching a fraction of the percentage of the students that have it,” Assistant Principal Scott Chrisman said. Chrisman expects there to be an increase of 300 percent of students getting caught with e-cigarettes on school grounds based on last year’s results. Results have also shown that students who use vape pens in adolescence are more likely to explore other tobacco products. All around, these substances have many harmful chemicals that are dangerous to a person’s health.

Staff Opinions

“Teachers are learning more about it and becoming more vigilant. We know what to look for.” Kiley Meyer, family and consumer science

“I think it’s a waste of money. It’s expensive, but I think people vape for the social capital.” Justin Ebert, social studies

“It’s causing people to have more problems with their lungs. I wouldn’t suggest it. You shouldn’t do things that harm your body.” Dawn Sheforgen, English

“It is, in my opinion, exactly like smoking, so it should not take place.” Kurt Wolf, art

“I believe when you are of age you can make your own decisions, but I personally am not a fan due to the lasting effects it has on your body.” TJ Slade, computer science

“I think some people believe vaping is an alternative to smoking. I believe it isn’t. People don’t realize how dangerous it really is.” Jody Nutter, physical education

“My grandpa always says that if you don’t take the first drink you never become an alcoholic. The same goes for vaping. If you never take the first puff, you don’t get addicted to nicotine.” Lyric Cairns, science

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Gus spends his last few minutes of the school day posing for a shot. photo by adriel ordonez

OH MY DOGS!

Canine companions help reduce stress By Adriel Ordonez and Taylor Cleveland As most students have noticed, there is a new furry friend roaming the halls of South High. This new addition to the school is Gus, an eight-year-old yellow lab owned by another new addition to the school, Lesa Landauer, a special education teacher. His role in the school is a therapy support dog, which comes with a handful of tasks. Gus helps to keep kids and staff calm by sitting by them or waiting to be petted. “This often relieves the stress and worries a person has,” Landauer said. Other ways Gus reduces stress in students are walking beside them in the hallway and making them laugh. Landauer best describes Gus’ personality as being extremely calm and clingy. “He prefers to be in contact with someone at all times,” said Landauer. He prefers it so much that he sometimes refuses the “down” command and

would rather sit and stand so that he can be in people’s reach. Gus also demonstrates this by pretending to be a lap dog at home while climbing on family and furniture. Gus is very aware of his surroundings as he often lays his head on someone’s lap or rubs against them when he feels the person is stressed. When they feel better, he lays beside them. In his free time, Gus enjoys sleeping, playing ball and getting pet by his family. Instead of receiving treats due to a sensitive stomach, Gus often chews on ice chips.

Training

Although having a service or therapy dog is a joy to have, the training process is a challenging journey for both the dog and the owner. Before Gus was handed to Landauer, he was purchased by Canine Assistance Rehabilitation Education and Services

(CARES) Inc. as a breeding dog, but Gus proved to fit the position of a service dog better. CARES, Inc. offers canine training certification programs to people and pooches throughout Kansas. Partnering with CARES, Gus completed his service training at Ellsworth Correctional Facility. There, he trained for a month, getting 24/7 and one-on-one training before being owned by Landauer. “Gus happened to be six when we matched him,” Landauer said. She notes that dogs are usually much younger when they are matched, even as young as puppies. Other owners and dogs are matched during the testing period where dogs must be one year old to complete testing. Some of the testing is completed at restaurants. One of the most difficult tasks the dogs must complete during this process is not moving when food is dropped from a table or jump on a table with food. A part of the training process also takes place at the Salina Central Mall. They must perform basic commands such as “sit,” “stay” and “come.” The dogs also have to stay or go with a stranger when their owner leaves in order to prepare them for emergencies. Another hard part of their training is lining up with 20 other dogs and having to hold still when a ball is bounced in front of them. It is worth noting that each state varies in laws regarding service and therapy dogs. The state of Kansas allows dogs to go into any public building. However, owners must obtain permission for the dogs to enter if a membership is required. Owners are required to go through a six month grace and training period. This process includes a public access test and a week of training. “The process was fairly easy,” said Landauer. She notes Gus is her fourth dog. Even if both the dog and owner pass certification, the dog can be taken away over a six month period if the dog is not in proper care. If the owner successfully demonstrates proper ownership, no more training is required and the dog is theirs for life. However, Salina School District requires a retest on the dog and owner every two years.

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Penny

During Carla Moore’s senior English class, Jonathan Soulivong (’19) takes a picture with Penny.. Penny has a cone due to en eye infection. photo by adriel ordonez According to animalssmart.org, Another source, therapydogs.com, therapy animals, especially dogs, have reveals that therapy dogs create higher been proven to reduce stress in humans. self-esteem and increase interactions Although this may seem obvious, there is between the students and teachers. a chemistry behind it. “I feel like he lightens up the air and Even the appearance of a dog injust makes everyone more comfortable. creases the stress reducing hormone oxy- It’s easier to start a conversation,” said tocin and decreases the stress hormone Mia Reidelberger (‘20). cortisol. Petting a dog can also reduce It is also proven that therapy dogs high blood pressure. promote laughter within the classroom. This is part of the reason why therapy “During a lecture, [Penny] tosses her animals are vital in the school environfox toy and runs around the class,” said ment. Jonathan Soulivong (‘19).

Penny is a four-year-old purebred Standard Poodle and works at the school as a therapy dog. This will be her third year working at the school. In her free time, Penny enjoys going on daily walks, playing “hide and seek” (her favorite game), going to the movies, going out to eat and going to concerts. Penny was trained in a Colorado Prison for seven months where she learned 50 commands and provided unconditional love to the inmates. Fun fact: Carla Moore was influenced to get Penny by an Ivy League article stating that dogs reduce stress in students in the classroom environment.

Ryder

Mia Reidelberger (’20) and Casey Grennan (’20) pose with Ryder during Shana Pittenger’s junior English class. photo by adriel ordonez

Ryder is a two-year-old Standard Poodle owned by Shana Pittenger. He has been working for the school since last Thanksgiving Break. In his free time, Ryder loves to play ball and watch the movie “The Lion King.” Ryder enjoys eating chicken jerky, a Five Guys hamburger and even tomatoes. Ryder is nearly fully trained and is expected to test for his certification during either Christmas Break or Spring Break in Concordia. Fun Fact: Penny and Ryder are the best of friends. Penny has also taught him a couple of commands.

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GUBERNATORIAL ELECTION

By Peyton Froome

Ethan Elam (’20) “Voting is important. We live in a democracy, how else are we going to have a leader?”

With elections coming up soon, many seniors are thinking about voting. Some have recently turned 18 and are now able to vote, and the elections are on their minds. Taylor Davison (’19) is one of the many seniors preparing for the midterm election in Kansas. “I plan to vote because I think it’s important to actively participate in local government so your opinions can be represented,” Davison said. In the U.S., an epidemic has been occurring for years: people are not voting. Jeff Harris, a social studies teacher, believes there are a few reasons for this. “People think voting doesn’t make a difference, and they feel like they aren’t informed enough to make an educated decision,” Harris said. Davison, however, believes this senior class is different. “Our seniors care about politics and have strong opinions. Voting is a big issue with our grade and we want to be educated about government,” Davison said. This year in Kansas, midterm elections take place Nov. 6, 2018. Voters will be choosing the next governor of Kansas, First Congressional District senators, and more. Registration for voters was due Oct. 16. “Voting is as important as you make it. Very important votes are decided by very narrow margins,” Harris said. Kansas education is a hot topic this year, and many are anxious for results. Several are worried Kobach supports Brownback’s tax experiment. Education on the candidates is also as vital as voting. “Checking a random box is as bad as not voting,” Davison said. Many believe votes do not matter because the electoral college can change the outcome, but votes decide the electoral college representatives. Staying educated on the candidates is the easiest way to make a personal choice on who to vote for, and with elections soon, many are doing just that.

Ashley Carraway (’21)

“Voting is important, especially if you want to argue about politics. It’s the best way to change the way things are.”

Kris Kobach Republican

Kansas’ Secretary of State Plans to send more tax money towards schools

Laura Kelly Democrat Senator Lead bipartisan effort to reverse Brownback’s tax experiment

Greg Orman Independent Runs and owns Combat Brands Wants to increase teacher salaries and school funding

Jeff Caldwell Libertarian Sales worker Believes the Kansas Gas Tax is too high

Isaac Heard (’22) “Voting is important so we can have good representatives.”

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BEYOND THE CLASSROOM Teachers find side jobs to bring in extra income

Dan Cerny teaches during his Algebra 2/Trigonometry class. Cerny is one of several South High teachers who has a second job. In the evenings, Cerny officiates middle and high school football and basketball. photo by lizzy franco average of $55,420. Education funding is a state right, with very little federal regulation.

“

I usually joke around that I needed something to support my teaching habit.

“

By Grace Hoge After a long day of teaching students the quadratic equation, most would think math teacher Dan Cerny goes home to put his feet up. Instead, he often heads to a football field. “I’m the crew chief and I officiate junior varsity high school, middle school and varsity football games,” Cerny said. In the winter he stays busy refereeing middle school and junior varsity basketball games as well. While Cerny enjoys officiating so he can stay active in the sports world, he also admits he would not do the job if it was not for the extra pay. “I usually joke around that I needed something to support my teaching habit,” Cerny said. Cerny is not the only instructor who has a side job, either. History teacher Kevin Poland is a landlord and owns three properties outside of his own. “I do this primarily because it’s another income,” Poland said, “but also because this allows more flexible hours, so I’m not sacrificing as much time with my family.” Teachers seeking out side jobs has become increasingly common, given the circumstances surrounding education. The average salary for a teacher in the state of Kansas is only $44,620, almost $10,000 below the national

Dan Cerny, on officiating

Teacher salaries are often dictated by the limited amount of funding schools are alloted by the Kansas Legislature and governor. The current Republican candidate running for governor is Kris Kobach. Kobach has been outspoken about making budget cuts to education if he is elected. “To hear people denounce public education as this great, kind of, leech on

society’s tax resources, I think is a troubling line of reasoning,”said social studies teacher Collin Carlson, who also works a second job as a bartender. A large part of the previous budget cut is due to the tax cuts former governor Sam Brownback made in 2012. As inflation increased, causing materials to cost more, funding for education stayed at a nearly constant amount. Poland agrees with Carlson that Kobach’s recent statements on education funding are alarming. “I would say it’s especially concerning,” Poland said, “If we want to retain qualified, ambitious, hardworking teachers, things need to change.” Currently, 76 percent of the money used to run public schools comes from the state. Jonathan Eshnaur is the co-president of the National Education Association-Salina, or NEA-Salina. NEA-Salina is a local affiliate of the NEA. The goal of the NEA is to advocate for public education and educators. The NEA hopes to play a crucial role in solving issues with the amount of money going towards education and teachers. “We want to make sure there’s enough funding for teachers to make a living only teaching, so they don’t have to have other jobs,” Eshnaur said.

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THANKFUL FOR By Marissa Russ and Abby Teschke

photo by abby teschke

Madison Walter (’19)

Randall Thornton (’20)

Why do you wear what you wear to school? Is it to make a good impression? It’s a good way to express who you are. I don’t really wear clothes for other people.

THANKFUL TWITTER Friends

22% 39%

Family Food Days Off

13%

out of 130 twitter votes

26%

Where do you shop at? I get most of my clothes from Marshall’s and Hollister.

What are you thankful for?

We asked the students of South High what they were thankful for this year on our Twitter account. The voters chose from family, food, days off and friends. Make sure to follow @SHSTripodium so you will not miss the next Twitter poll. Feel free to send direct messages with story suggestions if you would like.

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FALL FASHION

photo by abby teschke

Dev Patell (’21)

photo by abby teschke

Justice Martinson (’22)

What is your favorite piece of clothing and what makes it special? Anything with California. [I was] born there.

Thank You Notes

Every year at school, students are welcome to share their Thanksgiving love with their friends and spread joy around the school. Notes will be passed out by the Link Crew during ELO on Tuesday, Nov. 20. Students are welcome and encouraged to send notes out to people that they do not know very well. Note writing will begin on Nov. 1 and they will be available in many places around the school.

What’s your favorite part of this outfit and why? It’s yellow and it looks like it compliments the fall season.

STAFF OPINION 14% Friends 64%

Family 7% Food 14% Days Off out of 14 staff members

Sports 11.2.18

FROM FOOTBALL TO FUTBOL practice, then to soccer practice. “I really like playing both sports,” Rincon said. Rincon says that as a sport, soccer is more difficult than football for him, even though he has played soccer longer. “I enjoy kicking for the

football team. Hopefully, I can get some good offers from schools,” Rincon said. Rincon plans to play both sports next year during his senior season and is looking forward to improving both his kicking and soccer skills.

Luke Streit (’19) holds the football while Eric Rincon (’20) kicks against Hutchinson. photo by kaylee warren By Ivan Nava Go to football practice for 45 minutes, head to soccer practice and then head home at 5:30 p.m. This is the daily life of Eric Rincon (’20). “The first week for me was hard, but then it became easier,” Rincon said. Rincon has been playing

soccer since he was in seventh grade and football since eighth grade. He was inspired to play football when his friends at Ell-Saline told him he would be an amazing kicker to have on the team. He quickly got in the rhythm of going to football

Eric Rincon (’20) plays during the soccer game against Hutchinson. The Cougars defeated the Salthawks 1-0. photo by lizzy franco

FROM SUNFLOWER TO SUNSHINE By Ivan Nava The sunshine and sea are two of the major components of Pebble Beach, Calif. Parker Renz (’19) and Parker Norton (’19) both made the trip there this Sept. to play in the Pure Insurance Championship Impacting the First Tee. “It was an experience that I will never forget. These links were exclusive that only pros use to play so it was a great memory,” Norton said. Norton said that he has been playing since he was young and golf is a way for him to detox. This is also the first time both Renz and Norton have entered the golf tournament together.

“We have been best friends since we started golfing as a duo,” Renz said Renz also got to play with Tom Watson, who has won 39 times on the PGA Tour. “It was a lot of fun to play with him. He was very laid back and gave me tips on how to play,” Renz said. Playing in such a prestigious championship can put pressure on such young golfers, and both of them felt this. “Playing with professionals was very stressful but they understand that you are only in high school,” Norton said. As for the future for Norton and Renz, both hope to continue golfing in college.

They are both undecided as of now and are looking forward

to golfing for the Cougars one last season this spring.

Seniors Parker Norton and Parker Renz enjoy a meal after playing in the Pure Insurance Championship Impacting the First Tee. photo courtesy of parker renz

Girls Tennis

Coming off of a first place regional doubles championship, Sydney McAdoo (’19) and Jadyn Zamecnik (’19) were excited about state. Battling hard and getting three of the four teams to day two locked up a third place overall team finish. The trophy is the first state team trophy in girls tennis history.

Football

The team finished their regular season with the first win of the season over Newton. They then traveled to play undefeated Wichita Northwest where they lost 58-24.

Girls Golf

At Hesston Golf Course, Tatum Forrester (’19) and Zoe Norton (’22) competed in the 5A state tournament. Forrester finished 27th and Norton finished 39th.

Cross Country

At regionals, the girls and boys team both placed fourth as a team. Individually, seniors Brandon Rectonwald (’19), who placed 13th, and Keetan Munsell (’19), who placed third, both qualified for state. Morgan Fischer (’21) finished eighth. At the state meet, Munsell placed 13th.

Volleyball

Only winning six games last season, the team was looking forward to this year under new coach Rose Wittman. Defeating rival Central on senior night, the team was heading into their last two regular season games. They ended their season to Maize South at sub-state.

Boys Soccer

In a thrilling regional opener game against Valley Center, soccer won 3-2 in penalty kicks 4-3 after four overtimes. They then faced Great Bend in the regional final where they suffered a 3-1 loss.

SPORTS INJURIES Common injuries plaguing fall sports By Kaylee Warren

Throughout all sports, athletes are going down with injuries that are putting them out for the season. During this season there has been eight concussions: four in football, two in volleyball and two in soccer. According to CDC.org, a concussion is caused by a bump, blow or jolt to the head causing the brain to bounce around in the brain. In football, athletic trainer Evan Bowers has most often seen ankle injuries. One of the biggest parts of injuries is recovery. “Prepare ourselves and bodies so if they do get hurt recovery is faster,” Bowers said. Nothing such braces can prevent an injury. One of the only things that can prevent an injury is having good nutrition and a solid weightlifting program so the body is strong enough.

BY THE NUMBERS

SPORTS UPDATE

sports 11.2.18

Another common injury is an overuse injury. Overuse injuries are things like tennis elbow, shin splints and stress fractures. “Overuse injuries come from an athlete going from zero percent in the offseason to 100 percent during the season,” Bowers said. In both volleyball and football there have been four anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tears. An ACL tear is the most common knee injury. ACL tears happen when there is sudden change in motion, stopping or slowing down suddenly, or taking a direct blow to the knee. Karter Granzella (’19) tore his ACL during a football game while he was just walking. “The pain felt like your back at the chiropractor except in your knee. It was like a strong sore pain,” Granzella said. As of Oct. 25, Bowers has seen about 30 sports injuries.

concussions

4 3 2

football soccer volleyball

4 3 1

ACL tears football volleyball

Most common injury in each sport calf tightness

concussion

ankles

concussion

DATING ANYONE CAN BE A VICTIM VIOLENCE

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By Hannah Schmidt

Courtney Train is a youth advocate mentor at the Domestic Violence Association of Central Kansas in Salina. She reached out to the staff here at South and wanted to put on the play “Outrage” to inform the students and the audience on teen dating violence and sexual assault. Train taught a class on dating violence all of September at Salina West Alternative High School, this semester she is teaching a class at Ell-Saline High School and she talked to the parenting class here about dating violence.

How to know

Dating violence is a pattern of abusive behaviors that are used to control a partner, manipulate them, scare them, make them feel bad about themselves and make them feel bad about the people and things they care about. Look at a behavior and ask yourself, “Is this behavior my partners attempt to try and control me, to have power over me, to isolate me or to control my actions?”

Warning signs

The abuser will over text the victim when they are with friends or family, make their partner text them all the time at work to prove they are still there, demand passwords, but everyone gets the right to have privacy and when a partner goes through personal stuff it still implies that they do not have any trust. The abuser will say flattering

things, they blame everyone and everything but themselves, minimize the abuse to make it seem like it is not that bad and make their partner think they are the best thing in their life.

How to get out

It can be very difficult to get out of these relationships. The root of abuse is control. Address the threats made, make a safety plan with a safe place to stay and brainstorm all the ways a partner might be able to cause harm. Take important items like birth certificates and drivers licenses to a safe place. Reach out to a healthy support system that will remind everyone that they are worth more, know that no one is alone by talking with survivors and reach out to an advocate. When trying to get out of these relationships, make sure it is in a public place and let someone know what is going to happen so they can help if needed.

Abuse does not discriminate

Anyone can be a victim and anyone can be an abuser. Girls normally will use gender norms such as, “No one will ever believe a boy is getting abused by a girl,” and guilt tripping, but boys are just as good at those things also. We learn from parents, social media and school about how to treat people. Most perpetrators were victims, but it is still a choice, not an excuse. Having stereotypes about who is a victim and an abuser can cause our judgment to get cloudy.

Statisitcs

• 1 in 4 women • 1 in 7 men

will experience or have experienced some form of physical violence by a partner.

• 81% of parents

believe that teen dating violence is not an issue or they admit they don’t know if it is.

• 1.5 million high school students

will experience physical abuse from a dating partner in a single year.

• 33% of teens

who were in an abusive relationship ever told anyone about the abuse.

• Ages 12 to 18

is when violent behavior begins.

Resources

Anonymous Kansas Teen Text Lines text to talk 620-640-9050 Don’t Let Yourself www.dontletyourself.org Love Is Respect www.loveisrespect.org Text “LoveIs” to 22522 or call 1-866-3319474 to talk to an advocate 24/7.

Outrage

Brandon Stewart was in the play “Outrage” put on by the Rep. Theatre class and he was the abuser in a relationship. Stewart said that the play opened his eyes about what can really happen in relationships and it was a better way to understand how abuse in relationships happen. Some of us may not realize that dating violence in relationships happens everywhere. “I learned a lot of new things being in the play. Especially with all the statistics, I didn’t realize how many people were affected by sexual harassment and dating violence,” Stewart said.

THE MI ACLE WORKER By Daniela Garcia Blind and deaf, Helen Keller faced a childhood of isolation. At eight years old, Helen began to show her frustrations through tantrums. The Kellers contacted Annie Sullivan, a governess, who studied at the Perkins Institute for the blind, to transform Helen into a disciplined child. “I think there’s so many ways it’s inspiring, and at the heart of the story is a family and a mother doing anything to help her child. Everyone grows in this story and that’s something that is truly beautiful,” the show’s director Kate Lindsay said. To prepare for a show, the cast first has a read through, going through the script and making minor changes. Then, the cast starts a run through, acting out the actions and reading lines. As the show date gets nearer, the cast begins to block the show, using props and the set to memorize cues and lines. The cast and crews

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A show based on the life of Helen Keller have spent multiple days working hard to build the set, gather props and rehearse scenes. “There are a lot of scenes where we fight with real food and before shows we will bake a bunch of food to use,” Jacob Sweet (’20), who plays Keller in the play, said. Ashley Carraway (’21) plays Helen Keller and faces her own challenges. “Normally when you look around, your eyes focus on different stuff, but I can’t really do that. I also can’t memorize the script so as we go on I have to sort of ask everyone

else what is going on,” Carraway said. Because Helen does not speak, Carraway does not have to memorize any lines, but must continue memorizing actions and cues without looking like she knows what will happen next. “There are pros and cons because I don’t have to memorize any lines, but portraying words is really hard,” Carraway said. The show will be performed Nov. 8, 9 and 10 at 7 p.m. in the auditorium. Tickets will be $8 for adults, $5 for students.

Helen Keller Ashley Carraway (’21) Q: What do you do to prepare for a show? A: Try not to drink milk or eat anything that’ll mess up my voice.

Captain Arthur Keller Jacob Sweet (’20)

Q: How important is it to get into character before a show? A: It’s important because the show is in the 1880s. It’s important to recreate the character because I have to think about how a man would act in that time period.

Cast

A Doctor Eric Stockham (’19) Kate Courtney White (’20) Martha Maddy Turner (’21) Percy Santiago Vasquez (’20) Aunt Ev Lauren Zimmerman (’20) James Jonah Winsky (’19) Anagnos photo by daniela garcia Brandon Stewart (’20) Annie Sullivan Whitney Turner (’20) Viney The play also features other blind girls from the Perkins Blind Savannah Bonilla (’20)

Helen Keller, played by Ashley Carraway (’21), often uses her doll to communicate to her mom, played by Courtney White (’20). photo by daniela garcia

Institute. The blind girls face offstage as they await stage directions.

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MAN & THE MACHINE Robotics Club places third at BEST competition

By Kearra Alvarez Robotics: (noun) the branch of technology that deals with the design, construction, operation, and application of robots. The Robotics club at South High, lead by Lyric Cairns and Adam Lesser, is in full swing. The club has 10 members that work together in order to build a robot for their competition. They participate in BEST (Boosting Engineering, Science and Technology) Robotics as a team, which serves as their main competition. Each year, the competition gives a new theme that is based off of recent topics and current problems, such as wind turbines and fighting fires. This year, the robotics team must create a robot that goes down a plank to collect debris, determine the ocean current flow, retrieve a sea turtle, remove ingested trash from the turtle’s stomach and build an artificial reef all in three minutes. “Our first meeting is making the playing field, then we focus on building the robot to fulfill the task at hand,” Cairns said. The details are very important in

Adam Lesser and Grant Osborn (’21) test their machine at their after school meeting. “Everybody has to agree with each other for [the machine] to work,” Osborn said. photo by kearra alvarez

180

On Oct. 20, they participated in the BEST robotics competition

180 schools participate in the competition

10 students participate in Robotics Club

robotics and make the completion of the project harder than it may seem. One year, a single screw became the downfall of the team.

Nick Lake (’20), Nathan Streeter (’21), Aum Patel (’21), sponsor Adam Lesser, Jason Nguyen (’19), Grant Osborn (’21) and sponsor Lyric Cairns stand together at their competition. photo courtesy of lyric cairns

“It’s extremely intense,” said Cairns. Anastasia Phomchaleun (’19) has worked with the Robotics Club four years and has been to competitions before. “[The competitions are] very high-spirited because everyone is cheering each other on and trash talking,” Phomchaleun said. Through their hard work, the team has formed a close bond with each other. “We have a special friendship. Everyone is close together. After four years, you kind of know your teammates and become lifelong friends,” Phomchaleun said. The team attended their competition and placed third overall, scoring themselves a place at regionals. They will attend the Frontier Trails Best Regional Championship Competition in Ft. Smith, Ark. In Arkansas, the team will compete against 48 other teams from Kan., Ark., Okla. and Colo. from Nov. 21 through Dec 1.

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