Livewire Vol. 13 Issue 3 May 2022

Meet The Staff

Editor-In-Chief

Mia Maguire

Executive Editor

Keelin Davis

Magazine Editor

Natalie McGarry

Design Editor

Colton Harbolt

Sports Editor

Brodie Curtsinger

Photography Editor

Emily Richardson

Social Media Editor

Staff Writers

Katelyn Powers

Brandon Mudd

Livewire is a 32-page newsmagazine and accompanying website that is updated daily. All content is generated by student journalists at Bullitt East High School in Mount Washington, Kentucky.

The Livewire operates as an open forum following the guidelines laid out by the Student Press Law Center which our staff presented to the Bullitt County Board of Education.

The staff appreciates your patronage and, as a public forum, encourages any feedback or submissions you care to offer. Letters to the editor must be typed and submitted via email, to Mr. Steinmetz’s mailbox or directly to room 606 within one week of the publication to which you are responding. Letters will not be censored, but must be deemed appropriate according to staff policies to be published. In order to be eligible to appear in the magazine, all letters must be signed and verifiable. Names may be withheld upon request, but must be submitted with the original letter.

The Livewire is printed by aPrintis Printing Company. Its website is hosted by Student Newspapers Online.

Kyla Combs

Shana Parrish

Kylie Huber

Chloe Radford

Addison Byers

Riley Elmore

Bryant Faucett

Jackson Silliman

Amy Burelison

Junior Design Editor

Caroline Williams

Junior Photography Editor

Shelbie Heath

Fun Coordinator

Isaiah Wright

Sierra Karner

Copy Editors

Brooklyn Sauer

Demani Butler

Violet Wise

Content Editor

Macie Brown

APD Liaison

Sophia Blanton

Business Editor

Tawney Noyes

Video Editor

Raegan Jackson

Bullitt East High School 11450 Highway 44 East, Mount Washington, Kentucky, 40047 (502) 869-6400

Top: Isaiah Wright, Colton Harbolt, Keelin Davis, Jackson Silliman, Raegan Jackson, Sophia Blanton, Bryant Faucett, Chloe Radford. Middle: Tawney Noyes, Caroline Williams, Natalie McGarry, Brandon Mudd, Mia Maguire, Kylie Huber, Shelbie Heath, Macie Brown, Addison Byers. Bottom: Violet Wise, Sierra Karner, Brooklyn Sauer, Emily Richardson, Katelyn Powers.

Freire-Bracho Sparks Love as a Substitute

Arturo Freire-Bracho, a Cuban native, carries his love for teaching when he moves to America. He finds a love for Bullitt East after teaching for a surplus of schools.

BY SIERRA KARNER

Living the best of both worlds, getting the opportunity to teach in Cuba and America.

Arturo Freire-Bracho makes a lasting impression on the community, in just a short time.

Freire-Bracho grew up in a town in the northeast of Cuba, in the town of Artemisa. He started teaching in Cuba, teaching a variety of subjects. After traveling to America, he faced difficulties but continued a career in teaching.

Freire-Bracho grew up in one of Cuba’s biggest cities, Artemisa. Artemisa was a large, important city to Cuba then and now. When Freire-Bracho was young, his father came to America in hopes to bring his son and his wife. Unfortunately Freire-Bracho’s father was the only one able to come to America.“My dad decided in 1965 but when we got the opportunity to come the government didn’t let me. I was 15 and you were supposed to be into the military. My mom was with me and he hoped that he could bring us but he couldn’t. So I’ve never seen him again,” Freire-Bracho said. Freire-Bracho waited for his father before telling himself that he needs to move on and live life.

Freire-Bracho enjoys helping others, and advocate for others. He is adamant about chess and coached others while in Cuba. In Cuba, chess is played everywhere; Cubans play on the sidewalk, school, on the street, etc. “I was living under a dictatorship, under Batista. I grew up playing chess. I had a normal life, not really bad. In the 1990s, I was a college professor teaching physics. When the Soviet Union fell, Cuba was so difficult. It became really sad and hard for me,” FreireBracho said. Freire-Bracho had a student that he “coached” in chess to open his own chess academy. He was also a college professor where he taught physics. He found a love for physics after teaching and decided to teach.

When he came to America after working a couple of jobs in between, he became a teacher again. He applied to 17 teaching jobs before deciding to teach at Bullitt Central. At Bullitt

Central, he was a Spanish teacher for 10 years before retiring. After retiring, he became a sub for Bullitt County and started substitute teaching for Bullitt East in 2018. Once COVID hit, Freire-Bracho took a break from subbing before returning earlier this year. He first subbed for Kristy Tinelli and realized that Bullitt East was a special place. “When you retire, you have some kind of restrictions. So I was waiting, I didn’t start at Bullitt East; I knew Bullitt East existed, I knew Bullitt Central. One day when I came here and when I came here it was like love at first sight. In my perception, teaching for more than 50 years teaching in two different countries, it’s a really good school,” Freire-Bracho said. After substituting that first day, he decided he was only going to substitute teach at Bullitt East from there on out.

Language is still a difficult barrier for Freire-Bracho but he still persists through substitute teaching. Freire-Bracho sets himself aside from other substitute teachers. He goes out of his way to interact with the students he has throughout the day. “Take something whatever it is, it doesn’t matter what you do if you go to college or not, or if you don’t go anywhere, try to do your best,” Freire-Bracho said. You can often find him in the hallway speaking with other teachers or students during class change. “For students, it’s information, for me it’s knowledge. If they want I help them to build their knowledge. Just they (students) can do it, nobody can learn for you,” Freire-Bracho said. He enjoys connecting with people here and sharing his knowledge.

Freire-Bracho enjoys teaching high school students. It’s definitely different from teaching at a university as a professor. He enjoys seeing new and old students when he substitutes.

“What high school tries to do is give you a spectrum of possibilities and you are going to make a decision. Your decision may be wrong, but it’s trial and error, this is what life is. You can fix it but do whatever you love. You don’t know what you are going to love later but if you test something and you really love it, do it. The day is 24 hours for

everyone but life is short,” Freire-Bracho said. Live life to the fullest and do what you love.

Arturo Freire-Bracho carrying a conversation with a student while substituting. Freire-Bracho recently came back to substitute after taking a break because of COVID-19. “Im very lucky with students. When I started in America I was very lucky, I love teaching. I share what I know if you don’t know it yet. If, there’s a condition if you want. Teaching is sharing what you know and helping, that’s it ,” Freire-Bracho said. Photo: Sierra Karner

Teacher of the Year

Every year, Livewire gives out an award to honor a teacher that has made an impact that school year. This year, it was given to English Teacher Brooke Stivers.

BY KYLA COMBS AND CAROLINE WILLIAMS

First year here and already making an impact.

The Teacher of the Year award was given to a new teacher this year who has become extremely influential in the school.

Brooke Stivers uses her enthusiasm to create an optimistic environment for students. As a previous student here, she uses the skills she learned from her former teachers to help cultivate a learning experience where all students feel acknowledged and cared for. Throughout this school year, she has made a positive impact on the school in a variety of ways.

Stivers has always dreamed of becoming a teacher from a young age. “My mom was a teacher. She’s been a teacher all my life. And instead of playing with Barbies and dolls and stuff, I would play teacher as a young girl because I guess I just saw her do it. So that kind of started when I wanted to become a teacher,” Stivers said. However, when she got to high school is when she really committed to becoming a teacher. The mentors she had in high school helped her come to this realization. Stivers has often looked up to Leo Craven as her mentor since her junior year, which she claims changed her life. “It was just the first time that I was like ‘oh, okay, I like school.’ It doesn’t have to be boring, it doesn’t have to be bland,” Stivers said about her experience being in Craven’s class.

Imagining being a teacher at another school is impossible for Stivers. Being a student here impacted the way she adjusted to becoming a teacher. “I already had the support I needed to become a good teacher. I have people here that want me to be successful, and as a new teacher, support is huge,” Stivers said. She has always considered East a home. “I would rather do four more years here than I’d do four more years at Western. Bullitt East just cultivates a really good, positive place for students to grow,” Stivers said. She claims that starting her teaching career at East was the best decision.

Stivers has evolved greatly as a teacher since the first day of school. Being a teacher can be very challenging, especially when it’s your first year actually teaching. “I feel like I am a completely different teacher than I was at the beginning of the year. I have, overall, become a more understanding and graceful human being. I understand that all kids aren’t perfect, all people aren’t perfect, everybody is stressed out and I understand that better now,” Stivers said. Many students have claimed that through her encouraging mindset, Stivers is always

understanding and is there for her students when they need it. Through programs such as the Energy Bus, Stivers has helped the school become a more positive environment. “The Energy Bus is a program that was purchased from Bullitt County, it’s like a full-blown program. I didn’t necessarily start it, but I kind of have been the leader for it. The Energy Bus started as a book. It’s all about being positive and being a positive influence and having fun. And I was like, ‘I live this every day.’ This is just who I am. This is what I live for. This is just normal for me,” Stivers said. This has led students to adore Stivers’ energy and positive attitude that she carries with her everyday, putting a smile on everyone’s face.

Winning the Teacher of the Year award was a surprise to Stivers. “It was very exciting. It just makes me feel really good because I feel like I’ve worked very hard my first year. I had to plan prom and junior ring ceremony, and on top of that, trying to figure out strategies in the classroom and being there for my kids and just working really hard to create lessons,” Stivers said. The award was an honor to her and was extremely validating.

Students absolutely love Stivers and the positivity she brings to the school. She inspires students and always helps them when they are in need. “I love helping people, I have a soft spot in my heart for kids that need help and for kids who want to learn, and so wanting to be there for those kids inspires me,” Stivers said. She is determined to evolve even more as a teacher over her time at the school and hopes to continue creating a positive impact.

Stivers teaches her freshman English students. Her classroom has created a warm, welcoming environment over the course of this year, and is hoping to evolve more as a teacher in the future. “I think just being able to be reflective and learning how to grow and gain knowledge and learn how to apply it is really important,” Stivers said. Photo: Caroline Williams

Remember The Time When...

BY DEMANI BUTLER

Senior Haley Butler

Senior year. The time when everyone gets ready to part ways. Enjoy these moments, make more memories, and love each other.

Senior Beau Bradley

“I think my favorite moment was definitely prom just because we didn’t get one last year. So this year, I’ve had to make it extra special. What I’m gonna miss most about high school is the close relationship of just our school, although our school is so big. I’m going to UK which is like a really big school. And I think like out here basically everyone knows everyone and whereas when you get older and like not everyone knows each other. I think I’m gonna miss that a lot,” Butler said.

“We had an event here and Mr. Mason had to kiss a live pig in front of everyone. Everybody thought it was funny and of course I thought it was hilarious seeing our principal kiss a pig. You know, I feel like you make most of your friends in high school and when you leave, you know in reality, you’re gonna lose a lot of them. But, you know, I think you make your closest friends and everything in high school,” Bradley said.

“My favorite high school memories consist of the Friday night football games. Every week we would be looking forward to the upcoming game just to have something to be excited about, and the Red Zone never disappointed. Everyone happy to be there and cheering together when a big play would happen is the happiest feeling knowing everyone is living in the moment and not really worried about posting or being on our phones. Coming together in these moments is something I will miss the most, beyond just football games,” Brainer said.

Photo by: Rhea Butler.

Photo by: Emma Bradley

Photo by: Emma Egan

Senior Kara Brainer

“Prom was awesome because after everyone not being together, and then everyone is together and you think that everyone would be on their phones or really separated but it really was just one big group and everyone was present and that was something very rare for high school. I’m definitely going to miss the social interaction every day is probably the most you’ll have like ever in your life and a lot of the people here I’ve known since kindergarten or before, so it’d be weird to not see them every day in my life,” Higdon said. Photo by: Emma Egan.

“My favorite High School moment is going on FBLA this senior year for their trip to Orlando. We went to Universal for a business trip. We had a class every day and other than that we spent hours and hours at the park just exploring it. We all met up at night to go ride rides together and then go out to eat places. It was a really good experience and environment. What I’m going to miss most about High School is just the people I’ve met and grown up with for all these years,“ Nolley said.

“My favorite High School memory one was probably when we had our unified basketball. I think I was a sophomore and it was pretty cool to see the inclusion of the whole entire school in the gym. Just the support that all of our kids in school gave to those Project Unify kids was pretty awesome. That’s something that with my sister being special needs was something that was pretty cool to me. Just the memories of all of our sports, sports games, because most of our sports teams are very competitive. There’s just nothing like high school sports because you can go play at the next level but at the end of the day, it’s still the support of all our fans like you’re seeing our red zone and stuff that that’s something that I’m definitely gonna miss seeing,” Britt said. Photo by: Mackenzie Hamlet.

Photo by: Emily Howard

Senior Sydney Higdon

Senior Cailen Nolley

Senior Cole Britt

BY KYLIE HUBER AND

Prom was a night to remember. It took place at the Kentucky Derby Museum March 26. Attendees had multiple rooms to explore and even a breakfast bar. Since last year was limited to a senior prom, underclassmen were excited to be back. Take a look at some of our favorite pictures and memories made.

SHELBIE HEATH

1 Lexi Walker and Jesi Stinson

2 Kody Augenstein, Katie Hoben, Braden

High and Olivia Pruitt

3 Caroline Harbolt and Brady Sauer

4 Sarah Wimmer and Sam Franken

5 Payton Tipton and Dylan Purcell

6 Emma Ekbundit and Holly Higgs

7 Mckenna Humphrey, Savannah Brown and Bre Hess

Macy Britt and Tyler Wheatly were crowned Prom Queen and King.

Raelee Hawkins and Colton Harbolt were crowned Prom Princess and Prince.

Our Prom Dress Contest winner was junior Emaleigh Thompson.

Mrs. Stivers with our King, Queen, Pince and Princess.

Macy Britt and Tyler Wheatley were crowned Prom Queen and King.

Raelee Hawkins and Colton Harbolt were crowned Prom Princess and Prince.

Our Prom Dress Contest winner was junior Emaleigh Thompson.

Brooke Stivers with our King, Queen, Prince and Princess.

8 Group Dancing

9 Layla Mcauliffe and Carter Bischoff

10 Allison Brady and Gavin Kaufman

11 Andrew Abner

12 Tyler Wheatley and Emma Wright

13 Emma Egan

14 Emory Barnhouse

15 Lindsey Goldsmith and Xavier Hansen

Senior Soakers

Senior Soakers is an event where seniors at East compete to eliminate each other by spraying each other with water guns.

BY RAEGAN JACKSON

Senior Soakers is an event where seniors compete to eliminate each other by spraying each other with water guns.

Senior Soakers is full of eliminations, alliances, stake-outs, bounties and fun.

Every year for the months of April and May seniors are on high alert searching for targets to eliminate while also watching their own backs. Each week, participants are given a new target to eliminate. If they don’t eliminate their target by the end of the week, they get a bounty put on them. If a bounty is put on you, then you become free game for all other players to eliminate you. The last player remaining is declared the winner. All the money collected from entry fees is then awarded to the winner.

Players are known to take the competition very seriously and will go to extremes to get their targets out. “If I gotta kick doors down, I’m gonna kick doors down, you just gotta do what you gotta do,” senior Stephen Threedouble said. Players will stake out their targets work, home and extra curricular activities to get them out. At the same time, players are going all out to keep from being eliminated. “I am turning my location off for everybody, nobody will speak to me, I will turn my phone off for the whole two months if I have to,” senior Haley Gaines said. Players are not afraid to go missing in action to stay in the competition.

Lots of players like to make predictions before the competition on who will win, get most eliminations and get out first. “My best guess would probably be Eli (Cox) because he’s not smart. He’s very loud about what he does,” Threedouble said. “I think Keelin (Davis) will probably get the most (eliminations) because he’s crazy. Like he will go for it,” Gaines said. Sometimes these predictions bring out rivalries and competition between friends.“Tyler Wheatley is one that’s taking it really seriously, but I think he’s going to get out first,” senior Tyler Bass said. “Well, obviously he’s wrong but he just needs to watch his back

because he doesn’t know what’s coming for him,” senior Tyler Wheatley said in response to Bass’ claims. The competition between friends makes the game more fun and interesting for everyone involved.

Some participants have specific people that they are hoping to get as targets. “I hope I get like Tucker (Blanford) or Casey (Harbolt) cause I feel like they’re gonna be like easy. They just go around everywhere and I just want to be the first to get them because I know it’s gonna make them mad,” Gaines said. While Gaines is hoping to stir the pot with her hopeful targets, others are hoping to eliminate their friends simply for the laughs. “I hope I get Tyler Mahoney as a target because it will be a fun challenge and we’re friends,” Bass said.

For some, the biggest challenge of the game is avoiding your friends as a target. “One of my best friends Madison Hennig or Hayley Ranalli, either one of them if they get me like they’re gonna know where I’m at, at all times they know where I live, I’m in so much trouble if they get me,” Gaines said. Gaines, along with others might avoid hanging out with their friends but for some it’s worth the risk. “I hope none of my friends get my name, like none of my close friends because if we’re hanging out and they just shoot me that’s going to be really unfortunate,” Bass said.

Senior Soakers is one of the most fun traditions that students look forward to every year. With everything going on in the world students are happy to be able to have a normal event that they can participate in with their friends. Senior Soakers is a tradition that students hope continues for many years to come.

Senior Carson Bryant shooting senior Tyler Wheatley with a water gun. Photo taken by Raegan Jackson. Photo: Raegan Jackson

EXPERIENCING THE

The 2022 spring musical, “The Addams Family” has been in production since February and has left an impact on the high school experience of each student involved.

MUSICAL

BY COLTON HARBOLT

We’re all in this together.

The 2022 spring musical has left a lasting impact on the students involved.

Each year, an annual spring musical is held to give students the opportunity to experience the process of producing a play and performing in front of an audience. Being in this play gives students with a passion for performing and singing an outlet for their creativity and helps give them an idea of what a large-scale production would be like after high school. The school has a history of spring plays, though it has been very difficult to organize due to troubles and obstacles along the way.

For the 2022 spring musical, the musical chosen was ``The Addams Family”. Typically, the play is picked by the Advisor and Choir Director Carrie Gary, and any other teachers who are organizing the play. The Addams Family is a musical that the students have been wanting to put on for a while, and after coming back from COVID-19 and last year’s musical being canceled, Gary wanted to let the students have it. “It’s not my favorite, but they have wanted to do this for years, and since we’re coming off COVID-19 when we haven’t been able to do anything for so long. I wanted something where there would be student buy-in and if they already were excited about doing that, it would be one less thing to tackle,” Gary said. Gary wants to make sure this is a musical students are going to enjoy performing and producing, especially since the last musical that was put on was Cinderella three years ago, the easiest course of action was to let the students choose what they wanted to do for this year to ensure a smooth production.

The opportunity to be a part of this musical means so much to each individual

Photo: Sophia Blanton

member and has become a large part of their high school career. “We all get along super well and they are some of my favorite people in the world,” sophomore Marley Long said, who plays Gomez. It’s important that when you’re putting on a production where you are surrounded by the same people and working together to produce art, that you get along and enjoy spending time with the cast. The overall morale of the cast has been high, which has an impact on the production and the experience of these students.

“This musical is very important to me… I think the fine arts program is so much more valuable to the school than people think and since COVID, we haven’t really had much of a chance to showcase all the hard work we do,” Long said. Not only the musicals, but the fine arts in general, give so many students an outlet for their creativity that they couldn’t find anywhere else. The choir, band and theater programs assist students in finding their passion and actually pursuing this passion at an early age, which is an overlooked opportunity within the school. Choosing these pathways leads to many other outlets and avenues outside of high school and provides a smooth transition due to the experience students gain within these programs. Experiences like teamwork, public speaking, and performing in front of an audience are all gained through involvement in the musical and the Fine Arts programs. The musicals are what bring these pathways together and allow the students to use what they have learned through these pathways and apply it to

a real performance. The beauty of the musical is the chance to see the talent these students have and allow them to embrace it.

The chance to put on such a large production is a blessing to the students and teachers, but there are going to be issues and obstacles the advisors and cast would need to cross no matter what.

Throughout the production of the play, there have been multiple setbacks and obstacles the cast has had to overcome. Most of the cast had never been in a full-scale production like this due to COVID-19 restrictions that have just now been lifted since 2020, it has become a learning curve for everyone involved. On top of a learning curve, the cast has also had to borrow various props from other schools for this production. “A good friend of mine from Thomas Nelson high school did The Addams Family last year, so we’re borrowing so many other things, which has been amazing,” Gary said. Even though one of the benefits of putting on “The Addams Family,” is that there aren’t any extravagant props needed, the cast has still had issues with finding the right props without finding help from Thomas Nelson.

Aside from the problems they’ve come across, when the cast has a passion for the art and loves what they are doing, it reflects in their performance no matter what. “I will put our talent and our students up against anybody, they’re doing such a great job. I hope that the audience really enjoys the show and also

Sophomore Marley Long started out as an understudy for the roles of Morticia, Wednesday, and Alice but after the actor who was playing Gomez had to drop out of the play due to illness, Long bravely stepped into the role two weeks before the musical. “Marley Long is taking over for our Gomez, which is quite interesting, but she’s so talented and hopefully it will go very well,” Gary said. Not only is it difficult stepping into a role two weeks before the first performance, but there are also challenges that come with a female playing a male role in a musical, which has not been done before in the school’s spring musical history and you could never know what the audience reaction will be. It requires a lot of talent and bravery to step into a role like Long, but her commitment to the musical and talent will show in her performance.

recognizes all the hard work that went into putting this together,” Gary said. This musical has been in production since tryouts in February and throughout the entire process they have kept positive morale even through the multiple setbacks and obstacles that have crossed their path. Ensuring a musical where the audience will see the effort, patience, and determination the cast has put into this musical.

“I’ve really felt that I’ve been able to grow not only in my musical abilities, but also my confidence,” Kendall McGarry said, who plays Morticia. McGarry, like most of the actors and actresses in the musical, have dreamed of doing something like this and they have been given the opportunity to make this dream a reality, creating an experience unlike any other at the school and in their lives. Being a part of this has helped these students with any fears in acting or performing and has derived as a guide to what they could do with their talent in the future. On top of that, the musical has left not only an impact on these students’ talent and abilities, but their overall high school experience. This musical has brought people from different backgrounds in the school all into one production, creating new relationships and memories that these students will hold on to and cherish for the rest of their lives.

The cast of “The Addams Family” performing, “When You’re an Addams,” during their premiere performance. Since then, the cast has had two more performances the Friday and Saturday after. “It was pretty nerve racking at first, but it gets better as soon as we get it all put together,” junior Kendall McGarry said. Photo: Sophia Blanton

truggling to Find the One

It’s been difficult for the band to find a director to lead them through the years.

BY BRANDON MUDD AND EMILY RICHARDSON

This season was the fastest the band and guard had their show on the field since the current students have been a part of the program.

During the third year of the seniors’ high school career, the band was under the direction of Chris Spivey. Due to the quick rise of COVID-19 cases in 2020, the band was heavily restricted for safety. A significant number of band members don’t consider it to be a true marching season. “It was a lot less of a time commitment because there wasn’t as much we could do with COVID-19 and masks and all of that stuff. Practices looked a lot different,” senior Mason Roach said. The band was unable to compete or travel to see other groups with the school all due to COVID-19. Along with being restricted from traveling and competing, the band members didn’t get to march at all. It was solely music based for the 2020 season.

All of the band classes were different during the school year for students due to COVID-19 as well. School being online for the majority of the year made it harder for students to get to know Spivey and have a normal band experience. Like others, Spivey had high expectations for the band but didn’t push too hard because of the circumstances.

Currently, the band is directed by Jason Novak. Students are finally beginning to feel at ease with how the future of the band program will look under his guide. “He basically thinks marching band should be fun, but he also challenges us to work at it,” Braden said. Novak has begun to put things back together in a way that the students haven’t had in the four years of changes.

Consistency might finally be on the way.

The band hasn’t had a consistent band director for the last four years.

Each director offered a unique take on how to lead the band and color guard. While this could be viewed as a positive thing, most marching band members point to the downsides of this experience. As the end of this year approaches, there is anxiety around whether the program will maintain its current director or if he will continue this cycle of band directors leaving.

The first director that led the marching band was Trevor Ervin in 2018. “He was very hardcore. Most people described his way of teaching as a drill sergeant,” junior Skylar Braden said. Despite being hardcore, most people also recognized his win streak. With Ervin, the band achieved more accomplishments than any other year.

The second director, Jacqueline Brengelman, led the band in 2019. “Personally, I think that year we learned everything faster than the previous year,” senior Diego Gonzalez Soto said.

One of the big challenges that came with the change of directors is the fact that the band and guard didn’t know what to expect each season. “And for the people that stayed, I think that like kills motivation a bit,” senior Vice Haysley said. Others pointed out that the previously large program was seeming to lose members due to the frequent change in directors. “A lot of people I know quit the band because they just couldn’t stay with so many band directors changing,” junior Natalie McGarry said. This is something that caused the band program as a whole to take a major hit.

While many band and guard members have found positives to all of the changes of the last four years, a majority of members had a hard time. “I just think it was kind of a let down seeing all these people who I thought were committed just leave,” Haysley said. This was a big contributor to the demotivation among many of the band members.

“You’re always expecting someone to just leave and you’ll have to start all over again,” junior Kendall McGarry said. This is a fear held by many of the members, and most really feel that it’s a big contributor to why. Despite this, it’s likely that the band will finally get the consistency in directors they’ve wanted. “I’ve really enjoyed this season, and I think this is going to be the last job I have until I retire in seventeen years,” Novak said. It seems like the band has finally found their director.

Jason Novak directs the band through one of their new songs. Each day, he works with his students to ensure that they are playing to their full potential. “This has been such a good and talented group to work with,” Novak said. Photo: Brandon Mudd

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Contact our business editor for more information:

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Lady Chargers Making History

Senior Emma Egan jumps to score a basket while the other team surrounds her. The Lady Chargers played at the championship games but lost in the last championship game. “I think we really pushed ourselves in that game and made the most of what we could do,” Egan said. Photographer: Emma Whitehouse

Chargers History

BY NATALIE MCGARRY

Get your head in the game.

The girls basketball team had a tough season with many setbacks but pushed through to their final games.

The Lady Chargers going to these games means a lot to the team since very few schools make it this far. The Rupp Arena games are always exciting for the students since they’re allowed to come and support the girls and watch them make history. Even though they lost against Sacred Heart High School in the final round, being able to make it that far is a huge accomplishment for the team and an experience they can use for the next season.

The Lady Chargers were looking forward to these games since the start of the season. They worked hard to prepare for them, individually and as a team. “Every team wants to make it to the Sweet 16, that’s every high school player’s dream,” junior Lilly Reid said. Reid has been playing basketball since second grade and is currently the point guard for the Lady Chargers. Making it to these games can mean a lot for the team and can show how good they can be. Keeping focus on what they need to do and their end goal was important to the team so they could end the season on a good note. “I think I help the team keep their eyes focused on what our main goal is and that definitely was to get to Rupp Arena and then finish in the last game of the season which is what we did and I’m proud of that,” senior Emma Egan said. Egan has been playing basketball for 12 years and her position varies from playing as the point guard, combo guard and some shooting guard. Being able to play in these games shows how far the Lady Chargers can go in their careers and how they can overcome the challenges that arise in their season.

At the start of the season, there were high hopes for the team with many seniors ready to take the lead and other talented players. “We knew early on that this year’s team was very talented from the beginning. We really overcame quite a few injuries that slowed our start to the season and our girls and staff did an awesome job of keeping everyone together and headed forward throughout the year,” Coach Chris Stallings said. Stallings has been

the girls head coach since 2000. The Lady Chargers are pushed throughout their season to make it a good season and be able to finish strong. ‘’I feel expectations are always high for our program and this year were higher than normal so I really feel our players and staff did a good job of not letting those get to us in a negative way as well,“ Stallings said. The team was able to persevere through their season and have a good end with their school supporting them at the Rupp Arena games.

Going to the championship games is a big deal for the team and their community. It gives the teams a chance to show off their skill and also be able to get an important title for the team. When the Lady Chargers make it to the Championship games, their name is known to other teams and it makes them someone to watch out for. ”If you win then you’re one of the top teams in the whole state, there’s no arguing that because you made it farther than anybody else,” Reid said. Being able to say that your team made it to the championship means a lot to the other teams who are competing against the girls. It shows how good the girls are and what they can accomplish in their season, even if they don’t win the last game.

The school gets to go to the games during the school day on a pep bus to go watch and support the girls. ”Playing in the Sweet 16 is always a dream come true. What it does for our community, school, students and program is immeasurable let alone what it means to the players and coaches,” Stallings said. These games are a big way for the school to come and support its teams and also a great way for the Lady Chargers to see how much their community cares about them. The school’s Red Zone Rowdies enjoy being able to show their school spirit and support the Lady Chargers by cheering them on through the games.

Big games like these can put a lot of pressure on the team from their coach, themselves and even the community. The Lady Chargers have to learn how to deal with this pressure together so they can work as a team. ”We’re really close, I’ve never been on a team that close before. Everything we did, we did for each other

The Lady Chargers played in the Mingua Beef Jerky Girls Sweet 16 Game against Bethlehem High School Wednesday, March 9.

so when we won we did it together and when we lost we did that together too,” Reid said. Bonding together helped the team understand each other on and off the court so they could have a strong season. Playing well together doesn’t happen without the team learning how to work together on and off the court. The closer the team can be, the easier it is for them to understand each other when they play.

Before the championship games, the team had some struggles throughout their season but were able to work through it. The Lady Chargers started preparing for these games at the beginning of their season and as their season led to these games, they learned what they needed to improve on so they were ready for these big games. ”I think there were a few really defining moments for the transition points of our season. When we lost in the Christmas Tournament to Sacred Heart, that was just a big thing that really made us think about why we had lost the game up to that point. That made us realize the room for improvement we needed and how much closer we had to grow as a team in order to be successful,” Reid said. Focusing on what they needed to improve on helped push the team to finish strong with their last games.

the State Championship to Sacred Heart, making it that far into the games is a huge accomplishment for the girls. Each girl had their own goals for the season and where they wanted the team to make it to. The team had to use their personal goals to work together and decide what they needed to work on for the team. “We just did what we had to do for what we practiced on and then also

33-5 Win-loss

Egan said. Many players, especially the seniors, have stepped up to be able to push the team into their accomplishing season and keep the team focused on the goals for the season.

The team might have had a strong season this year but there is the issue of losing strong players for their next season. The Lady Chargers will be losing strong senior players who know the team well and bring the points that the team needed during the games they played. “We realize any program that loses 7 seniors is up against it but we are excited to get started on next year. It should be exciting, we have players coming back with experience that will have to do more and different things,” Stallings said. The other Lady Chargers that aren’t leaving are preparing to step up for the next season and hope to have another year where they make it to the Sweet 16 games again.

2382 Team Points

1267 Team Rebounds

Making it to the Sweet 16 games can be hard work for the girls but they’ve done it before in previous seasons. The last time they made it to the games, the pandemic ended the season, but this was the year where it was back to normal for the girls. “We’ve worked so hard for this season to go to the Sweet 16 back to back years so it was just really great being able to make it that far, showing all our hard work paid off,” senior Gracie Merkle said. Merkle has been playing basketball since sixth grade and she plays center. Although the Lady Chargers lost in the final round of

got my team hype so we’re ready to go,” Merkle said. The girls made sure they were focused on their goals for the team which would lead to the championship games. Without a focus for the team, it would be hard for the Lady Chargers to make it as far as they did through their season and be as successful as they were. “I think the seniors do a good job of leading by example. Just working really hard and bringing energy to the team that allows the team to grow and all have energy,”

The Lady Chargers have learned to work hard to become a successful team who can work together and win their games. This year, the girls had to push through injuries and games lost earlier in the season but they were still able to make the most of the rest of their games and do the best they can. ”I think all of us stepped up and played our best and even though we didn’t win in the end, we made history that’s never been done before,” Reid said. Losing to Sacred Heart was something the girls wished they could have changed for the last game, but they don’t regret how they played or how the season ended. It didn’t end like they thought it would, but they had a strong season and were able to learn how to push through when problems arose. Next season, they are preparing to make it through the championship and win the last game together to do what they’ve never done before.

Senior Gracie Merkle shoots for a rebound at the Sweet 16. This season, Merkle has focused pushing herself as much as she can since this season will be her last season. “My favorite thing was the championship state tournament and not a lot of people make it that far, only two teams every year so it was just great,” senior Gracie Merkle said.

Photographer: Emma Whitehouse

Cheering and Danc ng Through N A T I O N A L S

This is the year of champions. Both the dance and cheer teams are national champions for their 2021-2022 season.

BY KATELYN POWERS

The cheer team are reigning three-time UCA national champions and nine-time KHSAA state champions.

Junior Cierra Hermann has been cheering on the team for three years, although she has won nationals in the past with her middle school team, she claims it’s still as exciting as the first time. “It’s just pure euphoria when they call out second place and you realize that you just won. You just feel so proud of what you’ve done because you work so hard all year for this one goal and knowing that you’ve met it is such a satisfying feeling,” Hermann said. The girls are hoping to continue their streak and be four-time UCA national champions next year.

As the girls strive to defend their title, Hermann is looking forward to next year and what the team has in store, “It’s a lot of pressure being that we’ve won 3 times, and since next year is my senior year. I’m looking forward to being a senior because it’s going to be so much fun getting to lead and do a lot of team bonding, along with doing a harder routine,”

As the season comes to an end, Hermann recalls this year as a “great season.”

The dance team is now XDX national champions and KHSAA state champions in the JV Jazz division.

As the team has only won nationals once before this season, sophomore Calleigh Pugh feels lucky to be part of that record, especially with this being her first year on the team. “It feels nice because we’ve worked really hard this year. I think we’ve come a long way since the beginning of the season. It means a lot to me because I have learned a lot of new things,” Pugh said. Being on the second team in dance team history to win nationals is a big accomplishment to Pugh, although it wasn’t in person.

Although their nationals were virtual, Pugh recalls it as a strange but fun experience. “I thought the competition was a little strange because I’ve never done a virtual competition before. But it was nice at the same time, because we weren’t as pressured since it wasn’t in front of an audience and I felt that I could be more relaxed because it was in the studio,” Pugh said. Pugh feels that she is more at ease when she is in the studio because she is with a team that she loves and is comfortable with.

As the team consisted of only five people this year, Pugh looks forward to seeing more people join and grow the team next year. “I love the team as a whole, and it’s a great opportunity to meet new people. As hard as we work, practices are still fun at the same time and I feel like everyone can be themselves together, and it’s nice to have people like that,” Pugh said. Having a close bond with her team is something that is extremely important to her.

Pugh feels this has been “a very memorable season” and she is looking forward to another successful year for the dance team.

The dance team placed first in their JV hip-hop division at XDX nationals. Pugh loves to compete hip-hop because of the tricks. “I’ve learned a lot of new skills and tricks,” Pugh said. Photo: Natalie McGarry

The past season the cheer team adjusted to COVID-19 safety procedures. Hermann is excited about getting 100 percent normal for the next season. “There’s been ups and downs with COVID. It was really hard for a while to get along and get in the gym. But now that everything’s opened up again, it’s been a great season,” Hermann said. Photo: Brooke Stivers

Spirit of the game.

Our student section, the Red Zone Rowdies, is one of the biggest sources of school spirit that we have.

A great student section works hard to create an environment that creates some amazing memories for everyone involved. This includes the actual players on the court and field that the Red Zone is there to support. Overall, the work that not only the leaders, but the Red Zone as a whole does pays off by making a great student section.

One of the things the Red Zone works hard to maintain is making their club a place where you can form great memories. “I really like seeing the turnouts and how successful we are as a Red Zone. It’s really great to see and just be in the game. It’s hard to describe why, but it’s just a great environment,” senior Red Zone Leader Tyler Bass said. It is not hard to see how this is reflected in the way that the students act. As a bystander, watching the Red Zone is an experience all in its own. “I go sometimes and I sit between the parents and the Red Zone. And I used to hear, way back, years and years ago, parents go, ‘well, I wish they would sit down,’ ‘well, I wish they would do this,’ ‘I wish they would do that,’ and now, when I go and I do that, I don’t hear that. I hear things like, ‘oh my gosh, I wish I had that when I was in high school,’ ‘oh my gosh, those kids are having so much fun,’’ Red Zone sponsor Jo Perkins said. Showing that parents and students alike enjoy the Red Zone just adds to how positively they impact the community.

Many of the great memories start at the biggest games of the season, such as the girls basketball team and their run at Rupp Arena for state championships. “Everyone was super involved. I’ve never heard the entire school get louder. And we did a bunch of cool stuff, like we painted our chests, it was super fun,” junior Jack Tinelli said. However, games do not have to be quite so high-stakes to create great memories. “This year’s homecoming game, it was one of the more unique things we did, doing the fashion show, and it was the second biggest turnout I’ve ever seen. It was amazing how loud it was and how packed it was, especially after COVID and everything... It was one of our last home games so it just made it feel, like, the whole school environment was really felt that game,” senior Red Zone Leader Carson Bryant said. No matter the occasion, the work that the Red Zone puts into creating that environment helps foster amazing memories that students will hold on to long after they leave the bleachers. “It just all comes back to creating great high school memories because you only get four years, and it should be a happy four years,” Perkins said.

Beyond creating memories for themselves, the support that the Red Zone shows to the school does not go unnoticed. “Coach Couch came up to us after the game and he talked to us about how much he appreciates us and that’s just really what we’re all about. Just helping the teams pull off victories.” Bass said.

The true core of the Red Zone is their work as a student section, making our teams feel important by cheering them on no matter what.

This work doesn’t go unappreciated by the players themselves, either. “It’s good to hear cheers for your team, cheers every once in a while against the ref and the other team just to show your support to whoever is out there, because I’ve heard from multiple people how much it motivates them,” Bryant said. The work that the Red Zone puts in to make their student section as big as it is only makes the payoff from the players even better in the end.

Together, the Red Zone works to create an amazing student section. “I think it just shows that we’re all here for each other, we all want to see the girls basketball team, we all want to see the boy’s basketball team win, and we just wanna see everybody get some, you know everybody eats around here,” Tinelli said. This teamwork environment has paid off for the Red Zone, as they have been recognized countlessly inside and outside of school. For the 2021-2022 school year, they were voted second in a statewide selection of student sections and placed in the top three in a student-voted nationwide competition. “And the class of 2022, to be ranked as highly as they were statewide and to get that kind of recognition on Twitter just makes my heart so happy because they work so hard to create a fun, positive environment and get everybody and the community involved and to meet that and exceed that and get recognized statewide, and then even nationally, that’s pretty awesome. That speaks highly of the leadership from those two years,” Perkins said. The leaders aid the Red Zone in that they help organize themes, decide which games to really promote to the school and post on social media to get the word out about themes, games, cancellations and more.

The leaders of the Red Zone do help with organization, but at the end of the day the Red Zone’s work is almost wholly a team effort. “We’re all just one big group, one big friend group, we’re all in there together, we’re all against another school, another red Zone, another student section. School spirit, and especially the games where we have a big red Zone is just unmatched, it’s one of the most special feelings I’ve ever felt,” Bryant said.

BY: BROOKLYN SAUER AND BRYANT FAUCETT

Photo: Raegan Jackson

How Your Childhood Friendships Shape You

How your childhood friendships determine who you are as a person.

By Tawney Noyes and Violet Wise

How to build your own friend.

Childhood friendships leave an impact that shapes who you are as a person, through your childhood and your adult life.

As a child, you grow through a lot of critical points as you develop. You learn how to speak and understand language, how to function on your own and begin to develop your own interest through childhood. Having someone else developing with you often shapes who you are as a person. They shape your personality and interests and often influence things you enjoy doing in your spare time.

When children develop, they have critical periods where they must learn certain skills otherwise they will be far harder to learn later in life, for example learning a language. Learning language as a child is far easier than as an adult simply because your brain has a specific period in its development where it braced itself to learn a language. When talking to people who are close with one another, it’s easy to tell that they speak similarly. They use similar slang and often have similar senses of humor. No matter how different they look it’s easy to tell whether or not friends are close based on how they react around one another, this is the result of childhood friendships shaping people. While the way they act may evolve and change overtime, if they stay in constant contact the way childhood friends act will stay parallel with one another.

“We played T-ball together and then our parents became friends and then we just started hanging out,” sophomore Jackson Clarke said. “We’ve been friends for 11 years,” sophomore Sam Wilson said. Sam Wilson and Jackson Clark are childhood friends, they both agree that their friendship has shaped who they are as a person and influenced some of the things they do in their free time. I used to get really quick-tempered on the field and Jackson would come over and calm me down. I don’t think I would still be playing basketball if it wasn’t for him,” Wilson said. He is now on both the varsity and junior varsity basketball teams and continues to improve thanks to his friendship with Clark.

Most people who have been friends with someone since childhood don’t often participate in small talk. You learn their favorite things based on what they do and what they say. They never have to explicitly tell you their favorite color or food. While it’s easy to ask a friend their favorite genre of music, it’s much more rewarding to figure it out on your own. Wilson said, “I think we know each other pretty well. Yeah. We never really asked those, like questions, which is your favorite color, we just kind of figured it out on our own.” All friendships reach a certain point where asking these questions aren’t necessary and almost all small talk is eliminated and most conversations are about more

important things.

Friendships that have been developing since childhood are almost impossible to end. While there are outliers in every situation, it’s easy to tell which friendships will continue to last if anything challenges them based on their confidence in each other. “We have a couple of small arguments here and there, but nothing that would ever get us to stop talking to the other,” Wilson said.

When people change and develop, so do their personalities. In high school some best friends fall into different cliques, this leads to some people who seem completely different being close friends. Some of these people are so different it’s hard to imagine that they would be friends if it wasn’t for the fact that they met when they were children. It’s easy to question, if they had met today without ever meeting each other before would they still be friends? “100 percent,” Wilson said. “Yeah, we have a lot of similar friends. We would end up becoming friends anyway,”

Illustration: Chloe Radford

Clark said. They both agreed that they would still end up becoming friends, even if they hadn’t shaped each other’s childhood,

On the other side of the spectrum there are childhood friends that are so similar it’s hard to tell them apart. Whether they dress the same or act the same, or share similar niche interest some friends act like they’ve never known a life apart from the friendship they have, and it shows in their behavior and their attitude towards each other,

“We are basically the same person,” Elizabeth “Liz” Smith said. Smith and Serenity Hogue have been friends since they met in fifth grade. “We met in elementary school, in the gym when our bus was running late,” Hogue said. She remembered playing on her phone and Smith approached her, before plopping down next to her and shamelessly asking to play on the girl’s phone wile they waited on the bus. This became a recurring thing that they both reminisce on fondly. They’ve become inseparable ever since.

However when they first met they couldn’t be more different, Hogue was described as caring and empathetic while Smith described herself as cold and closed off. Smith said, “ Used to view the world as a cold and unbearable place, but after a few years of hanging out with Rin (Hogue), she rubbed off on me and I realized that this world has so much love in it.” Smith was adamant that before she had met Hogue she was an insufferable and pessimistic child. While Smith would still describe herself as more negative than Hogue she also admits that she’s seen herself grow and improve over the years due to the optimism and empathy Hogue shows others.

The distance between the two of them is large, as over time they’ve moved almost an hour away from one another. However, both of them remain friends despite their distance. They close the distance by gaming online often and calling. They both agree that if they had never met each other they wouldn’t be the same person they were today. “I was so mean to my friends and to strangers because I thought that’s just how the world worked. After seeing Rin be so kind and empathetic, I realized I wanted to be like that too and I changed,” Smith said. Hogue admits that she’s become kinder and more empathetic towards others since the day they’ve met.

“Truthfully, I can’t remember what I was like before meeting her. But I do remember that I used to be caring to everyone, and she was the cold one.” Hogue said,” I don’t think we could meet each other today. She’s agoraphobic, so very unlikely. Despite that, I’m sure we would be friends even today. I just don’t think we’d be as close.” Hogue and Smith have gone through a lot together, all throughout Middle and High School they stay friends and have stayed friends as they’ve transferred to homeschooling. The distance between them has put no gap in their friendship.

Their friendship has remained almost completely unchallenged in their seven years of friendship, as they’ve both shaped each other in their own ways. “Honestly, I don’t think so. Maybe small things, like what kind of food she likes versus what I like. But nothing big.” In turn they share a wide variety of similar interests. They both enjoy the same kinds of games and music. While they’re favorite artists, food and colors vary in the end they still speak the same and have similar mannerisms. While their friendship didn’t form until the 5th grade there are still plenty more critical points within the time span of 10-14 years of

age.

People can also develop different personalities but remain close friends. Opposite to Hogue and Smith, friends that move away from each other can start to develop different habits than they had before. They can start to act more like the people in the town they moved to or the friends that they hang out with when not talking to each other, or mimic people they have parasocial relationships with. While this has the potential to cause some issues, more often than not long standing friends can work through those issues and even become stronger together while exposing each other to different ideologies and media.

Friends that are opposites also influence each other. They can start to find similarities in the movies they watch or the food they eat while maintaining the differences they had before, while still developing parallel to one another. Unlikely friendships like this can be surprising to see, but are more common than you think. Oftentimes, friendships like this can give the people in them a more open mind and a higher understanding of the people around them. They can be more accepting of others and take into account how different people are from one another. These opposites can begin to mimic one another more closely and become more similar than originally assumed, like Hogue and Smith.

These friends will continue to shape one another through high school and into college. Even if friendships come to an end the effects of being around one another through the critical points in ones life will always remain and show through their whole lives.

Illustration: Chloe Radford

Preparing To Be College and Career Ready

To be considered career and/or college ready when graduating, you must first meet all requirements needed in the pathway in which you are taking.

BY BRODIE CURTSINGER

To read more about the mentioned eight pathways, scan the following QR code:

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COLLEGE AND CAREER READY

Health Sciences

- “They learn first aid basics, CPR basics and how to use an AED,” Godbold said.

- Twice a year, health sciences hosts their Blood Drive.

Business

- “How to market a business, but they can market themselves also,” Anderson said.

- Marketing will soon open up a podcast.

Media Arts

- “Kids work in the industry standard on Adobe programs.” - Steinmetz

- Media arts is responsible for yearbooks and magazines.

Vocational

- Students travel to Riverview Opportunity Center from Bullitt East. This is next to Bullitt Central High School.

Teaching/Learning

- “They’re able to see the behind the scenes and what it takes to teach,” Craven said.

- To complete this pathway, you must pass the CCE.

Agriculture

- “Teaches animal science, horticulture and agribusiness,” McConnell said.

- Agriculture runs the FFA (Future Farmers of America).

Culinary

- Teaches students about foods, healthiness and cooking.

- Starting next year, there will be ‘Charger Snack Shack.’

Law Enforcement

- “We talk about the Bill of Rights/amendments that are prevalent to the law.” - Nunn

- Law Enforcement club runs security for school events.

Engineering

- The first year, you plan constructions then you get to actually start building as time goes on.

- In the engineering pathway, there is much freedom and a lot of team building.

Co-op Students Working Hard to Balance Time and Money

Presented with a new opportunity, many students took advantage of the co-op program to break up their year between education and occupation.

BY KEELIN DAVIS

There is a fine line between balance and imbalance, it just depends on how you distribute the weight.

Entering their final year, seniors are offered the ability to co-op which allows students to split their day between classes and work.

Many students take advantage of this program with the occupation of their choosing. Balancing work and school has become a new challenge for the seniors to face but many find it beneficial and essential to getting the most out of their senior year. There are a variety of jobs that students have chosen based on pay, coworkers or benefits.

The co-op program was started by Teacher Kyle Downs and has helped students make better use of their time as a senior. Students are able to make some more money to spend or save while not taking up their whole day after the 2:10 p.m. bell rings. Downs saw a need for this program and had it implemented soon enough.

With a split between the remaining required classes and work time, students must learn new time management and workload management skills. “I feel like I have learned a lot from this year, I have developed a better work ethic after balancing school, Dunkin’ and baseball right after,” senior Dunkin’ employee Emory Barnhouse said. This balance, though, does not come without its struggles. “Trying to do homework after I get off can be tough but I have tried my best and I know it’s helping me,” senior Bluegrass Academy Teacher Carly Wooten said.

Most co-op students see the freedom as a privilege and feel lucky to have this program available during their final year of high school. “To be able to pay for my college during school hours has been great,” senior UPS worker Ethan Taipalus said. UPS has risen as a very popular co-op job due to their tuition payments to those who attend the University of Louisville.

Another popular co-op destination is Dunkin’. In the last two years the store has been open, many senior students have gravitated towards the store for reliability, location and the coworkers. “Everyone here knows each other so it makes everything go by much smoother. We are all friends and it’s good that we all get the chance to work together,” senior Eli Cox said. In the year that he has worked there, Cox has received a promotion to assistant manager.

On the childcare side of things, Bluegrass Academy has drawn a lot of co-op students looking into teaching and child development as a career. At the academy, workers are assigned to their own classrooms with other teachers, cook and prepare meals for kids and keep up with laundry and bedding. “I wouldn’t have taken this job if I wasn’t in the child development pathway. It opened me up to what I love and these kids have been so good to me. My senior year would not be the same if it wasn’t for the joy they bring me,” Wooten said. The skills these workers learn are crucial for the future in childcare.

Local businesses have also grown to be a hotspot for co-op locations. Senior Tyler Wheatley has worked at Erie Insurance for over a year now and has gained experience valuable to his future. “This has all worked out perfectly. Being able to shadow in the insurance field made me realize this is what I wanted to do even more,” Wheatley said. The job also varies with yard care as well, adding variety to his responsibilities.

Eastside Blends, a growing local business, is home to senior Riley Gentry. For her co-op time, she makes protein shakes, energy teas and protein donuts to serve the community. She learns valuable customer service skills while working manageable hours in a stress-free environment.

The variety that this opportunity offers suits every situation of students. Whether they want to shadow a potential career for their future, or work with their friends at a local fast food joint, students have the freedom to do what they choose as long as they meet the hour requirements and get their advisor’s signature.

Overall, the co-op program has played a massive role in the senior years of students. They are able to make money doing what they love during school hours and the opportunities have opened many doors for the future of their lives.

Working to resolve an issue that a customer pointed out, seniors Lucas Monroe, Eli Cox and Ethan Haddaway converse with one another. The three of them work together everyday at 11:30 a.m. to serve customers and handle the upkeep of Dunkin’. “Dunkin’ has been good because I get to be with my friends and make money at the same time,” Monroe said.

Blowing the grass he had just cut, senior Tyler Wheatley walks the driveway of Erie Insurance. He has worked at Erie for a little over a year and got the job to dive deeper into the insurance industry to better prepare him for his future. “The experience I am getting here is very unique, some days I work directly with customers and their insurance and other days, I cut and blow the grass,” Wheatley said.

Ringing a customer up, senior Riley Gentry completes an order. She began working at Eastside Blends this year and loves the community element that plays into the job. “Working for a small business and getting to be a big part of this community is what makes the job great for me,” Gentry said.

Editing a social media post for a local business, senior Blake Harlamert uses Photoshop to get the job done. Harlamert is a member of the Media Internship co-op which works closely with local businesses to create marketing strategies and campaigns. “Getting to be this hands-on with other businesses and the advertising side of things has been more beneficial than most things I have done in school before,” Harlamert said.

Not Really a Musical

The high school experience is not always as it seems.

BY MACIE BROWN

Movies about high school life have been popular for decades. The 1990’s and 2000’s were eras where dramas about high school like “Mean Girls,” “10 Things I Hate About You,” “High School Musical,” and “Clueless,” became classics. These movies have reached this status because of the way they dramatize people’s experience in high school and tell stories about people finding out who they truly want to be.

For many people, high school is one of the most fun parts of life. “A lot of teenage movies, mostly made in the 2000’s, show how eventful high school can be if you make the most of it,” junior Chloe Riedinger said. Some people say that high school is a stressful time and dislike it, but Riedinger thinks everything is what you make it. “Personally, I think that life in high school can be really similar to the movies, but you have to do what you can to make your experience better,” Riedinger said. Attending

pep rallies, games and being involved in clubs is one way to get involved and meet new people.

A lot of movies that are made not only show the highlights of high school, but also the low times as well. “Everyone has bad times, especially as teenagers, and I think that more popularized movies could do a better job of showing that side too,” Riedinger said. A lot of movies glorify the fun parts of high school, and although there are some movies that show how people can struggle through that time, they are usually made as completely different movies. Riedinger thinks that there should be movies made that show the good and the bad for the same person to make it more realistic.

Another part of movies that can be unrealistic about high school is the cliques that are in them. “In a lot of movies, there are groups of friends that just isolate themselves from everyone else,” Riedinger said. A lot of friend groups in high school really aren’t like that. They may spend a lot of time with each other, but they still are nice to others and will include them and Riedinger thinks that’s not shown.

Junior Raelee Hawkins, agrees with Riedinger on this topic. “The older you get in high school the less of a big deal things like that become,” Hawkins said. As people mature, they usually grow out of behaving like that. People can almost get more inclusive as they get older because they have been through life and can be more understanding.

Junior Karley Dugas, thinks that because we are in a small town, cliques and groups in high school are real, but less prevalent at larger schools. “I have friends from other schools that say everyone talks to everyone and I don’t think it is like that here,” Dugas said. When you go to a school in a smaller town, there are students where everyone knows their name and their family has gone to the school for generations. Their friends are usually seen as very popular and a lot of

Four people recreating the cover of the 2004 film “Mean Girls” (L-R) Lilly Reid, Klaire Hourigan, Emma Egan, Emmary Davis.

Photo: Macie Brown

people look up to them and want to be friends with them, but she doesn’t think that they push people around in real life. One side of high school that Dugas thinks is really important but is rarely shown is how people come into the person they want to be during their teenage years. “You get exposed to so many different people and they can really shape who you become, especially if you are close to them,” Dugas said. Seeing the things that other people do and how they think can make you realize things about yourself and your ideas and can change your view on what is right and wrong. It can also shape who you really want to be when you see the diversity in everyone your own age. “The later teenage years are also a time where I feel like you start to question people you have always looked up to, like parents, and start to form your own opinions,” Dugas said. She thinks that many movies don’t show this part of our lives that so many teenagers go through.

Hawkins also thinks that people can start to figure out who they truly want to be in high school. “I feel like you mature and grow a lot and find your people,” Hawkins said. Sometimes the way that you change as a person can influence the friends that you spend time around instead of the other way around. The more that you know what you want, the more you surround yourself around people with the same ideas that want to grow with you.

Hawkins said she thinks genuine friendships like this happen a lot but aren’t represented like they should be.

One thing that can make high school different today is how long it has been since so many of these movies were popularized. “Movies and TV shows can portray high school as a time where bullying happens face to face. That may have been true a while ago, but I think technology has made our experience different now,” Riedinger said. Anything that you want to say can be said so quickly over a screen and reach multiple people within minutes. No one is really coming up and confronting people in the hallways at school. This is a whole new challenge that people today are facing that you don’t see represented.

Six people recreating the cover of the 2006 film “High School Musical” (L-R) Sam Wilson, Chloe Riedinger, Kendel Anderson, Karley Dugas, Addison Stopher, Blake Harlamert. Photo: Macie Brown

Staff Editorial

The “high school experience,” is something that is commercialized and romanticized throughout our culture. But for good reason, high school has a large impact on the lives of students. It can be the best and worst of times but in this magazine, we wanted to honor the beauty and chaos of these four special years. We believe that the experience received truly comes down to the involvement of the student and willingness to participate.

Through the pandemic, the “high school experience,” was stolen from us. In the last year, we have worked to gain it back with things such as prom, senior traditions, the Red Zone, musicals and more. But it is not just the events that make high school special. It is also about finding your people, growing up and ultimately preparing for the next stage in our lives.

In high school, you are given the chance to grow and make memories that will impact your life forever. You’re able to figure out what you want in life and who you are with these experiences because the people around you are

doing the same. People don’t realize how important this stage of your life is until it’s gone and wish they could go back.

This magazine is meant to honor the beauty and chaos of high school and growing up. This is where you make the most memorable moments in your life. You learn to live in the moment and treasure the traditions that are personal to your school. You don’t know when your experiences could be taken away and when it could all be changed in a second. Being involved in your high school might not seem like a big deal now, but in the future, these memories will mean a lot to you and impact how you continue on through life.

This is your time to get involved with the things that inspire and excite you whether that be through the arts, sports or even academics. These opportunities only happen once in your life, it’s important to be involved and have these moments in your life. Looking back into these memories is something you don’t want to regret but rather enjoy and reminisce.

Sincerely,

The Livewire Staff