Livewire. Issue 2 | December 2018 | Volume 10
CONTENTS COMMUNITY:
HOW TO:
SCHOOL:
STUDENT LIFE:
SPORTS:
THEME:
3 New Park Leads to Recreational Opportunities 5 Decades of Family Business: McFarland Funeral Home 6 The Growth of Community Facebook Pages 7 Closet Accounts on Social Media 8 How to Get Rid of Bad Habits 9 Keys to Academic Success 11 Surviving Classes in High School 13 Brown’s Mindset of Academic and Athletic Success 15 Decking the School Halls With Christmas Cheer 16 Getting in the Holiday Spirit 17 High School on the Big Screen Versus Real Life 18 Dumb Ways to Die: Chromebook Edition 19 Getting Involved Within School 21 Seniors Diving into Their Final Season 23 Hughes: Inspirational Coach and Teacher 24 The Come Up: Thomas Wiseheart 25 The Best and Worst of Technology 27 The Modern Digital Apocalypse 30 Hiding Behind Technology
Issue Theme: The Impact of Modern Technology Relying solely on technology has become second nature to Generation Z and it has affected the group in both positive and negative manors.
Our cover idea was chosen to highlight the shift from traditional literature to the modern technological age where all information is compiled into one place.
Read more at belivewire.com
STEM Competitors Go To Districts
Sander Steps Down from Head Coaching Position
Republican Candidates Dominate Mid-term Elections Scan this with Snapchat to check out what else we’re covering.
adviser Larry Steinmetz editor-in-chief Ainsley Gordon executive editor Katie Huffman magazine editor Haley Grether website editor Morgan Renneisen on call manager Lilly Whitley creative editor Morgan Harbolt junior creative editor Molly Shannon sports editor Tyler Mozingo photo editor Ethan Neutz business editor Olivia Coke social media editor Alizea Harris copy editor Ella Olds copy editor Hunter Brogan copy editor Madleine Myers copy editor T.C. Etherton multimedia director Lauryn Smith calendar coordinator Lindsey Spencer staff writers Will Blanford Dane Bunel Jaiden Hammack Jaydrien Jarrett Isaiah Jenner Hunter Mahoney Ellie Poole Makayla Stone Elle Swaans Rebecca Watts
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 e-mail, 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 paper, 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. Bullitt East High School 11450 Highway 44 East, Mount Washington, Kentucky, 40047. (502) 869-6400.
New Park Leads to Recreational Opportunities by Molly Shannon
People who helped with the creation of the park stood togeether to cut the ribbon that signified the opening of the park. After two years of construction, many citizens were eager for the p then with the formation of a 15 member Park Committee. We had toemploy an engineer to help design the plans after listening to suggestions offered by the Park Committee, our City Counci
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t’s going to be a walk in the park for Mt. Washington residents.
A new park has recently opened in Mount Washington which will provide new turf for sports and recreational activities that are available to the local citizens. After almost four years of city councilmen and employees of the park planning and preparing, the park has opened and brought new responsibilities to citizens and workers while also providing new job opportunities. Wendy McCutcheon has been working as the new park director for the past three weeks after she left her job at Bullitt East. Within the next couple of years, there will be several new additions to the park that will add to the improvements made at the Lindsey Duvall Park, located behind Mt.Washington Elementary School. Over the last two years, state councilmen, the mayor and several other people have been highly anticipating the construction of the park and it is still not fully complete because of construction issues. The park also still doesn’t have an official name due to the naming rights available for the park and all fields. Currently, there is a park director, turf manager, maintenance personnel and several part-time workers who have been directly assigned to ensure a clean and safe environment for all areas of the parks in Mount Washington. Although it’s not completely finished, in the end, the park will provide a place for seven [undecided] people to work full time. This does not include concession workers, part-time summer workers, people who co-op internships or apprentice programs.
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The addition of this new park opens many opportunities for further expansion of the city and rank. “The new park will be a huge asset to Bullitt County. Having a healthy environment will help with city ranking, population approval and potential for additional restaurants and possible hotels,” said McCutcheon. Since the park will bring more visitors to the area, there is a likely chance of restaurants and other businesses opening and remaining successful due to the influx of potential customers. Prior to becoming the park director, McCutcheon worked for Bullitt County Public Schools for ten years and was the college and career coordinator at Bullitt East. As of Sept. 28, she left in order to pursue the position as the new park director. She took this opportunity because of higher pay and benefits. Troy Barr recommended her to Mayor Barry Armstrong because of her communication skills, work ethic, her success in implementing her vision at Bullitt East and the amount of passion she puts into her work. As the park director, McCutcheon will schedule events, make sure workers are maintaining the park grounds and facilities and manage anything else that may become her responsibility. McCutcheon was presented with several important tasks after having just started her new career. “After being hired as Park Director, my first task was organizing the grand opening from the ground up, as well as learning the city’s policies and finishing tasks that were required before opening such as permits and inspections,” said McCutcheon. The idea of the park was originated by Armstrong after visiting a local park and beginning to question why Mount Washington didn’t have a more developed park with a vast amount of attractions. “I personally have had this vision for a very long time.
or the park to open, resulting in a large local audience. “We have been working on the plans and ultimately the construction of the Park for about 3 ½ years. It started with council discussions, Council and with the help of our Community Development Director, Lori Puchino pushing the idea and her taking the bull by the horns, made timely contacts, consulted with our engineers and was a go between for the Mayor, the Committee and the City Council,” said Armstrong. Photo: Molly Shannon
I remember it being mentioned in council meetings 25 to 30 years ago. I know these ideas begin by someone just saying, in passing, we should consider the construction of a sports complex and it just grew from that. There was a discussion in the last administration, and then we brought it up again, early in my administration. I knew that once it was mentioned, it was like someone set a fire,” said Armstrong. The idea to have a larger park was very popular among city council members and was completed in the course of about a year. The park is considered to be a reward for students who utilize the community in a respectful manner. Sophomore William Goodman believes the new park is a great improvement from the Lindsey Duvall Park because of the two better basketball courts, soccer fields, baseball fields, a larger playground and an overall wider variety of things to do. “A bunch of my friends have been there and we played basketball with a bunch of other people. There have been as many as 20 people sometimes and they all loved the park,” said Goodman. Teenagers have been the parks most popular visitors because of all of the many attractions that appeal to that age group. Sometime in the future, there will be several new additions to the park. Some of the projects that have been discussed between McCutcheon’s team of workers include a dog park that will start to be developed soon and be located at the north end of the park towards the park office. A spray park which consists of a constant supply of water being sprayed from the ground, will also hopefully be developed before Memorial Day of next year and will be located near the playground area. A disc golf course was discussed in the original planning of the park but is currently on hold due to a need for more space.
The payments of the park have been made through citizens of Mt. Washington by taxes and tournament fees for the tournaments that will be held inside the park. “Our citizens of Mt. Washington are the responsible people who through the payment of their taxes will certainly pay for this park. However, there will be user fees through tournaments, little leagues, baseball teams who will want to use the park as well as revenue provided by the concession stands. I mention all of this because we are hopeful that other areas of Bullitt County will participate and enjoy this park. It was built by our city but it is here for all of Bullitt County to enjoy,” said Armstrong. Although there is a new park in Mount Washington, the Lindsey Duvall Park will remain where it is. The only changes that will be made are improving the turf and possibly shortening the hours that the park is available to the public because of the new games and practices being held.“The old park didn’t really have a lot to it. I mean it had some good things like a skate park and a tennis court, but it didn’t have a lot of the things the new one has now. The new one has two better basketball courts with lines and concrete, soccer fields, baseball fields, a playground and other things that were better built than the old one,” said Goodman. Now that new park has opened there are new attractions for teenagers to utilize throughout their day to day lives. The grand opening of the park where the city council, mayor, and park members all stood together to cut the ribbon took place on Oct. 27. Speeches were given by the mayor and other various people and the Bullitt East choir sang as the Bullitt East military club rose the flag. Since the park has opened, it has already received a lot of attraction from local citizens due to all the new options that the Lindsey Duvall Park doesn’t offer.
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Four Decades of Family Business: McFarland-Troutman-Proffitt by Makayla Stone
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amily tradition is one thing many hold dear, especially the owners of the McFarland-Troutman-Proffitt Funeral Home.
The funeral home has been family owned and run since it opened; the business has stayed within family members and friends. The McFarland-Troutman-Proffitt funeral home was established in 1910 and has been family owned since. Today, it’s business has nearly tripled. The owners have many plans for the future, such as opening another location. In 1865, Henry J Barnes got the deed for a log cabin that he lived in and eventually turned into a mansion that would later become the McFarland-Troutman Funeral Home. The mansion was sold to Tom McAfee in 1910 when Barnes died. McAfee turned the mansion into a funeral home and ran it with his son, James Vernon, until 1975. It was purchased by the McFarland’s and the Troutman’s, who then changed the name to McFarland-Troutman Funeral Home. Gale Troutman ran it until 1996 when it was sold to Laura Rideout. She continued and is still running the business. “Mrs. Troutman was a McFarland, who married Mr. Troutman and that’s how we became McFarland-Troutman, so it’s really just been one family the whole time until I came in 1996, but even though the Troutman’s aren’t really related to me, they’re like my family. But technically, it’s only been two families since it was started,” said Rideout, who had actually worked with the Troutman’s for about three years before she bought the funeral home. Today, it is the McFarland-Troutman-Proffitt Funeral Home and
Photo by: Makayla Stone
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the Rideout’s are working to keep it welcoming and feeling like a home. There have been many changes that have happened over the years to increase business, such as renovations. The stairwells and the crown trim are the only things that still remain the same as when it was built after all of the renovations. It is one of the only funeral homes in the area that still use their horse-drawn hearse, which has been operating since 1906. Their logo was inspired by the hearse. Since Rideout bought the business, she has noticed an increase in calls and general business, which she says has likely tripled since the ’90s. Obituaries, news article reporting a person’s death, their general life, and their funeral date, have moved from the newspapers to social media. They are still posted in the newspapers, however, most are posted to the website. Cremations have also become more popular since Rideout bought the home. “A lot (has changed). Even simple things, like obituaries. When I started, we depended on the newspaper, and now with social media, I think the best way to circulate it is the internet. We’ve had a bigger growth in cremations since I first came here, too,” said Rideout, who has made sure to keep the funeral home and it’s operations updated with the times. For the future, the Rideout’s plan on opening another location, that is ground level and easily accessible, especially for someone who might be handicapped, with more of a church-style setting, unlike the current one, which originally didn’t even have a chapel. They still intend on operating the McFarland Funeral Home and hope to keep both locations feeling like home.
Photo by: Makayla Stone
The Growth of Community Facebook Pages
By: Lilly Whitley
Savannah Richardson is browsing the community Facebook page for daily updates. She has been a member of the page since April of 2017. “Being a member of the community Facebook page is a major adavantage due to its ease of accessabilty of important information.” Photo: Lilly Whitley
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place for people and pages.
The online phenomenon of Facebook is not just for personal pages, but also group pages that can connect the community in several ways. The amount of community Facebook pages is growing every day. There are several benefits of seeing the posts and conversations that are included within them. While the pages are known for unifying the community, they can also bring conflict. Community Facebook pages are web pages that are intended to unite the community on various topics. People love connecting with one another, especially if they are looking for certain information. These pages serve as a fast way to deliver information to large amounts of people. This can be helpful for town government officials and even neighborhood watchdogs and leaders. Within these different groups of Facebook pages, people are alerted of helpful information that wouldn’t be as easily accessible without the page. One way these pages are used is for neighborhoods to alert members of changes.
Pictures captured from store security cameras are commonly put on pages to help identify who committed small crimes like these. “I think community Facebook pages can be helpful when sharing celebrations, connecting families with lost pets, sharing recommendations for services, ect. The positive potential is endless with the community pages on social media,” said guidance counselor, Savannah Richardson. One thing community pages lack is not always being able to communicate nicely. For example, within neighborhood Facebook pages, conflicting opinions arose over the trick-or-treating date. Bad weather was going to keep kids from trick-or-treating on the original Halloween night. As a result, some neighborhood residents want to change it to the night before for better convenience for the kids. This resulted in some adults posting comments saying kids these days were “sissys” and they need to “get over the weather.” Other adults would then retaliate, sparking a huge argument.
Due to bad weather on Halloween, many neighborhoods decided to move trick-or-treating to Oct. 30 instead of Oct. 31 like usual. That was debated and decided within the neighborhood community page. In this case, it provided a fast, simple solution to the problem that was made known to everyone.
Another common problem with community facebook pages is everyone doesn’t always use them in the correct way. “I’m a member of the Bullitt County Stuff for Sale page. The purpose of the page is for people in our community to post things other people may want so they can make a profit. However, this doesn’t always happen because members decide to post details about their personal lives or events that don’t relate to the group,” said junior Olivia Masden. While these pages are helpful, they can also derive from their intended purpose.
Another way the pages are used is to warn people in the community of suspicious activity or crime. If cars are consistently being broken into in a certain area of the town, those people will be quickly notified so they can stay alert and safe.
Community Facebook pages have a variety of purposes. Although they have their downsides, these pages play a role in the community every day. If you are looking to stay updated these pages are where you need to be.
Again with the topic of crime, the police or the sheriff’s office can use the community facebook pages to find a local burglar or thief.
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Closet Accounts on Social Media by Ella Olds
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tudents are making shopping easier for their peers by selling pre-owned items.
Teenagers on social media have started a trend known as “closet accounts.” Closet accounts have taken over the student body. Creating your own closet account doesn’t take much work if you are dedicated. Thrifted clothes are popular items sold on these closet accounts among online shoppers. Closet accounts have become very popular amongst our students. With the use of technology and social media, it is very easy to create an account and get involved with other accounts. A closet account is an account on social media (often Instagram) where you sell your new or gently used clothes that you don’t want anymore. Most students do this as a way to earn money. As they are posting more often and selling popular, wanted items, they will get more customers. Sophomore Shelby Showalter thinks closet accounts are great. “It’s pretty much a student’s own business. They run it themselves and keep the profits. I love scrolling through my [Instagram] feed and seeing everybody’s clothes. It’s almost like going to the mall but easier,” said Showalter. Shelby agrees that closet accounts have become very popular around our school. Creating a closet account is a fairly simple process, you just have to be responsible enough to take it on. Before you start your own account you have to make sure you can keep up with what people are buying and have some way of delivering your products to the buyers. Most students bring clothes to school for customers or if they have a license, they deliver them depending on location.
When you have established what you are going to sell and figured out how buyers are getting the items, you can start your account. Take your pre-picked clothing, shoes or accessories and determine prices. When you have everything picked, begin taking pictures of everything and post the item with an item description and a price. Once everything is posted, shout-out your account. Posting your account on other social media platforms or even your main Instagram account will draw in more customers. People sell a variety of items on closet accounts. “My favorite thing to look at is jewelry pieces. Some people are selling the prettiest necklaces and I love how they are at such a reasonable price. It’s great for someone who is on a budget or isn’t looking to spend a lot of money,” said Sophomore Kendall Szewczyk. The closet accounts are a good price for students and ones who don’t have a lot of money to spend. Junior, Olivia Armstrong has created her own closet account in which she sells thrifted clothing. Thrifted clothing are pieces found at local thrift stores that is coming back into style. Armstrong mostly goes to local goodwills to do her shopping. After she shops, she re-sells it on her own closet account for a profit. She says it’s not a lot of effort or time. She loves shopping and thinks it is a way to express yourself. “I like it because it gives me another way to express myself and I’m able to make money by doing something I love, which is a totally cool concept to me and it’s so easy to do,” said Armstrong. Closet account are very fresh on the market and enjoyable for all students, buyers and sellers. The accounts are a responsibility but an exciting challenge most want to take on. If you are interested, take that responsibility and start your own account, see what all you can sell.
Photo: Ella Olds
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How to Get Rid of Bad Habits by Olivia Coke
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reak the bad and build the good.
Bad habits can interrupt the process of accomplishing goals, but replacing them with a good routine can put you back on the right path. A habit is a regular tendency or practice. A habit can develop into something good or bad, and sometimes they are hard to give up. There are ways to transition a bad habit into something useful and positive.
to crumble,” said anonymous student. Once the student was aware of this bad habit and the destruction it was causing, the student decided to replace it by surrounding themself with a better group of friends. “Once I found a better circle of people, I started to feel like myself again and my life started to head in a better direction,” said anonymous student. It is important to make the right choices because it helps you build into a mature character.
If you are uncertain about whether or not you are dealing with a bad habit, there are many hints to discovering if you have one. If you are facing a bad habit, you may feel that there is no way to escape it. You may feel a sense of stress or tension and feel held back from achieving your goals. It may take you in the opposite direction of your pathway. The bad habit can affect relationships and can alter your personality in a negative aspect.
While it may be difficult to quit a bad habit right away, certain steps are required to make a transition into ditching a bad habit and replacing it with a good habit, or routine. The first step is, to be honest, and make oneself aware of the bad habit. You should keep in mind the consequences that may have to be faced if you do not quit the bad habit. The next step is to visualize what state your body is in with the bad habit involved, and how it would change without it. The goal is to strategize ways to build up your emotional, physical and social matter in a positive way. Once you have drawn together how you want to feel, make a plan of action and adapt to a new, enlightening routine that will be suitable for your future. It is easy to come up with a plan of action, but the hard part is sticking with it and following through with it. Getting rid of a bad habit and replacing it with a new habit sets forth a new pathway that will lead you down the right road. Once you have made a good habit a routine, it will become easier. A fresh mindset will come into your life and put things on a calm pace.
Many teens often get caught up in the bad habit of hanging out with a toxic group of people, which can lead to an unhealthy relationship. It can be hard to meet new people, and it can ruin friendships with the people who were positive influences. An anonymous student dealt with this bad habit. “When I hung out with the wrong people, we did not make the right choices. I did not act like myself, and my relationship with my parents started
Replacing a bad habit can be difficult, but it will be worth it in the long run. Surround yourself with positive influences and use your conscience to make better decisions. If you are unsure if you are making the wrong choices, talk to someone. Try and remove all negative behavior from your life and find things that make you happier. In the long run, good habits will benefit your health and well-being.
No matter what age you are, people will experience a bad habit once in their life. A bad habit can be as simple as nail biting or eating too much candy. However, some bad habits are more complex and can become very problematic. Procrastinating, hanging out with the wrong crowds and having a negative mindset can be a hard habit to escape. These types of bad habits need to be quit right away and turned into a productive ritual.
Photo: Morgan Harbolt
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Keys to Academic Success by Madleine Myers
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t turns out brains only get you so far.
Being intelligent is helpful for students to succeed in school, but ultimately it’s their work ethic that determines the grades that they earn. In order to achieve desirable grades, students need to have certain goals that will motivate them to do so, and with that motivation comes an unwavering work ethic. It is also crucial that they consistently study the content they are learning in class, especially for upcoming tests and quizzes, in ways that are efficient for them personally. There will be obstacles students must overcome for the sake of earning good grades. The most important thing students must do to earn good grades is establish a reason or goal. If students don’t have a reason for earning good grades, their hard work and dedication will seemingly lead to nothing or may cause them to lose motivation. The most common goal students tend to have for earning good grades is being accepted into their college of choice or being able to pursue their dream career with the knowledge they gain from postsecondary education. Receiving good grades will create an impressive record for colleges to see, making you much more likely to be accepted into that college. Although being very intelligent aides sophomore Tyler Frakes in achieving outstanding grades, the goals he has set for himself have seemed to motivate him. “I consider myself to be a very hard-working individual who has big plans for the future. I plan on attending a four year college to get my bachelor’s degree, then going to medical school to become an anesthesiologist. I know that I have to work hard now in order to get good grades so that I can attend a prestigious college in the future,” said Frakes. Once students have a reason for wanting to earn good grades, they need to develop good work ethic. Being smart may benefit students; however, even smarter students will not earn good grades if they don’t have the dedication to apply intelligence to their school work. Sophomore Rachel Donahue claims that the desire to make her family proud is a factor in earning good grades, but it’s mostly due to her future educational plans. “I believe I have a high work ethic. I try to put hard work into every assignment/test I do. I work hard because I want to go to college and be successful in life, which pushes me to make good grades,” said Donahue. This also applies to senior Grace Fluhr as her parents also motivate her, but the main reason for her earning good grades is her future plans. “I have just been really motivated and hard-working. My parents push me to get all As, which in turn motivated me to get good grades. I have just been driven by having a good record for colleges so I can get scholarships. I am motivated by success,”
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Photo: Madleine Myers
said Fluhr. For the majority of classes, tests and quizzes or any other type of assessment constitute a large percentage of students’ grades. In most cases, studying the content learned in class allows students to receive distinguished or proficient test scores. For students who lack good test-taking strategies, studying is especially useful for them because they can’t rely on test-taking strategies to succeed. Knowing good test-taking strategies has proved to be beneficial in taking content-based tests. Despite this, students may still need to know the material learned in class to receive good grades on content-based tests. “I feel as if I’m a good test-taker, but I also feel as if sometimes if I didn’t study, I wouldn’t do as well,” said Fluhr. She has also said that studying has made a difference; it helps her review the content, making sure she can recall the information easily for the test. There are a variety of effective ways for students to study. The method they choose depends on what is most helpful to them. Methods can include looking over and answering questions on a study guide, reviewing information with a peer or a group of people, creating your own study guides, using Quizlet for vocabulary, quizzing yourself or having someone else quiz you over the information and asking your teacher any questions you might have regarding the content. It is always important to know how to prioritize information that will be useful for a test. This can be done through having a good understanding of study guides or by reviewing the information you’ve been given from that unit to determine what you think is the most important information. “I create study guides as soon as I know there is a quiz/test so I can study everyday leading up to the quiz or test. I keep reviewing the information until I have a good understanding of the content,” said Donahue, who has a very unique way of studying for each test.
Having a good memory is a useful skill for tests. However, it’s important to not simply memorize the information but make sure you fully understand each concept or lesson. Problems such as having a busy schedule, being stressed or not being able to work in certain environments or with certain teachers may prevent students from earning good grades. But there are solutions to these problems that can allow them to reach their highest potential. Students with a busy schedule should make an organized list of all the events they have going on each day and the things they need to accomplish. In doing this, they would know exactly what they will be doing that day so they can set aside a reasonable amount of time to work on each task and prevent them from procrastinating. “It [studying] does get in the way because with football, we have three-hour practices everyday of the week. I don’t let this affect me because when I get home, I have a schedule that I follow so that I can get all my homework done at a reasonable time,” said Frakes. Donahue, who also struggles with time management, has overcome procrastination by planning out when she needs to do assignments and when she needs to study, even though her schedule varies from day to day. It is very common for stress to prevent students from being able to produce their best work, and in turn prevents students striving to achieve good grades from accomplishing this. However, they can cope with this stress by asking for help from family or friends on assignments or studying, especially if they’re struggling with understanding the content, improving their time-management skills with creating an organized daily schedule or designating time for themselves to relax once they’ve completed their work. Getting a recommended amount of sleep is also crucial to be able to focus in class and perform well on tests and their daily work. “I make sure that I take a break when I get tired, and I make sure to go to bed at a reasonable time,” said Donahue. Certain teachers may also make it difficult for students to achieve good grades if their specific teaching method is not helping certain students learn. If students don’t think their teacher is teaching the content adequately or preparing them well enough for a test, their teacher may allow them to stay after school for extra help regarding the content. They can also form study groups with their peers. Certain classroom environments may also make it difficult for one to earn good grades. If your friends are in that class, they may distract you from focusing on the task at hand. In such a case, you should request to move away from them so that you can devote your attention primarily to learning the material rather than socializing. In some cases, however, being surrounded by your friends may actually enhance learning because you are more encouraged to participate in class discussions with your friends participating too. “I think that I personally learn more with practice and examples rather than just notes, so I definitely think I receive higher grades in classes where the teacher is good with letting us practice and apply our knowledge,” said Fluhr. In this case, Fluhr could ask her teachers who provide mainly notes to provide more practice assignments so she can understand the material better and therefore earn a better grade in that class.
The One You Need by Hunter Mahoney and Will Blanford
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friend is like a book, you don’t need to read all of them, just pick the best one.
You don’t have to have the most friends, but if you have the best friend, that’s all that matters. Friendship is the emotions, the adventures, the thrills, and the success that you share with another individual. Knowing the qualities of your friends makes the relationship stronger. The definition of a true friendship can be different for everyone. A friendship must be personal and something must put the friends on equal ground. A friendship is mutual. Friends have to share things in common. This criteria came from Aristotle’s concept of true friendship; the fact that friends care about each other’s well being. According to Bill Rawlins and the Ohio University, “We choose our friends and our friends choose us. People don’t realize how important friendship is. A lot of times we take friendship for granted. Friendship is nothing that just happens.” When you think of a friend you think of someone that is just going to stick by your side no matter what you do. “Someone who is dependable and always there for you. Always being there when you need them the most. When your going through the good times and the bad times. A good friendship is when they genuinely care for you and will stick by your side with any bad decision you make.” said Sophomore Mandy Brainer. Friendship. When that word comes to mind everyone thinks of it in a completely different way. “The word friendship means being able to tell someone anything and putting your trust into that person’s hands. They need to accept you for who you are. You can search for a good quality friendship by going out of your comfort zone and meeting new people.” said sophomore Maggie Green. The word has a different definition for everyone, and Sophomore Chloe Billings definition is another great example. “The word friendship to me means someone who is always there and is someone that you can trust.” said Billings. A lot of people consider some of their best friends family. According to Green and Billings they both would do anything for their friends because they love them. “My best friends are my sisters.” said Green and Billings.
Photo by: Will Blanford
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Surviving Classes With and Without Technology by Morgan Renneisen
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he idea of technology in classrooms has been debated for so long that it feels like a head to head battle.
When students get to high school, they immediately realize that the difficulty level of classes is ten times more challenging than that of middle school. There are pros and cons to technology in classrooms, as there are with many other things. When high school comes around, some students need all the help that they can get in their classes. Many teachers and administrators believe that technology is the answer that is going to get students more easily college and career ready. Although this is an issue that has yet to be resolved among many students and teachers, there are ways to survive high school classes with and without the use of technology. In the 2016-17 school year, Bullitt County schools attempted to go digital by implementing the use of Chromebooks among students. This change essentially forced students to be able to productively use Chromebooks, along with Google Docs, Google Drive, Google Sheets and more. Surviving a class with only technology proved to be a struggle for many students. Junior Halle Key says that the transition from no technology to virtually all technology was more difficult than most people would think. “Going from middle school where we did everything on paper to all of the sudden having to do all of our work on Chromebooks was very challenging. We had to get in the habit of charging and bringing our computers to school every day, along with how to use all of the programs that the teachers were requiring in their classes,” said Key. Although the transition to technology was very tough and time-consuming, it was not impossible. Some students still do not like to use technology in their classes and would rather just use pencils and paper. Although turning digital was a hard transition for students, many have adapted to the change and have even started to enjoy the use of technology in classrooms. After learning how to use all of the applications that are needed for classes, many students and even teachers began to like being digital in classrooms. While most students have adjusted to the change of technology over the past two years, there are still some who struggle with new learning capabilities being developed. The biggest thing to remember when trying to learn online is that it always helps to write things down. Even if a teacher is requiring typed notes or even a typed paper, writing the information down before typing it on a computer might help one remember or gather the information in a more effective way. It is a proven scientific fact that the more times a human writes down information, the more likely they are to remember it. Sophomore Mitchell Pickett adds notes to his Google document for a class that is primarially digital. Having technological skills and advances is important in schools during todays time. “(There are) no burningsof trees and less paper so its less of a mess,” said Pickett. Photo: Morgan Renneisen
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On the other hand, most teachers in Bullitt County have gone digital but there are still some who prefer the simplicity and old time feel of doing everything with pencil and paper. When Bullitt County made the decision to go digital, there were teachers all over the district who did not want to adopt the new policies that were put in place. Many teachers believe in the science of learning by writing and repetition. The teachers who believed this thought that this task could not be accomplished through the use of computers and technology in classrooms. The issue with this is that many students get used to the use of technology and could have a class where a teacher doesn’t like to use technology. Being able to transition back to using no technology in the classroom can be just as difficult as trying to learn how to use technology in school in the first place. Junior Brianna Tipton thinks that it is fine to not use technology but it can be very stressful. “It’s hard to go from a class where we have all of our work online to a class where there is no technology involved at all. With Chromebooks, all of our work is automatically saved and is never lost. When you go from that to having to make sure you keep up with tons of papers for specific classes it can get kind of hectic,” said Tipton. When there are teachers who do not want to use technology while the majority of other teachers are, it can be extremely difficult for students. The most common difficulty seems to be trying to balance classes that use technology with ones that do not. When dealing with classes that have no technology it helps you to be more involved by staying organized and on top of the game. This can be very difficult but it is definitely possible. The biggest tip that can help to keep a student-organized would be to get a folder for each class and place the work that is given in these classes in a specific folder. This will ensure that no papers are lost and all of the work done or incomplete can be accounted for. When classrooms are not digital at all, it can be hard to keep up with the work in class that was missed since there is no online platform to look at. If a student misses a day of school in one of these types of classes it is important to talk to discuss the days that were missed with teachers. A tip to remember to talk to teachers could be to set a reminder on your phone that will go off at the time you are in the specific classes that are missed. High school can be hard regardless of the situation when it comes to technology use in classrooms. Ultimately, it comes down to each teacher and student’s personalities and how they cope with certain circumstances in the classroom.
Sophomore Matthew Hendricks works hard when adding new notes and information to all of his notebooks. The controversy when it comes to using technology or deciding not to use technology in classrooms has been going on for as long as people can remember, and the choice lies completley in the hands of the teacher. “I think that there are less distractions so it’s easy to focus on one thing that you need to get done,” said Hendricks. Photo: Morgan Renneisen
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Brown’s Mindset of Academic and Athletic Success by Jaydrien Jarrett
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he successes of No. 61, both on the field and in the classroom, showcase his multifaceted abilities.
Students with good grades and multiple extracurriculars are easily recognized and show many traits of what a good student is. Senior Matt Brown is an accomplished student that participates in multiple extracurriculars and sports. Students who do their work everyday but still struggle to have academic achievement are good students too. The qualities of a good student can be easily recognized. “Determination and the will to help others. Being successful alone is worse than not succeeding at all… The worst thing you can do in life is not try,” said Brown. Many students believe that Brown has a lot of the traits of being a good student. Matt is a well accomplished student who is well recognized by most of his peers and teachers. “A good student is someone who is diligent, motivated, caring and interested,” said senior Josh Wetzel. Brown can be attributed to all of these traits. Brown encourages students to try some things he does. Brown is a well rounded student with many good qualities. Many students believe that Brown is goal oriented, dedicated and has an overall respect. Brown is a very accomplished student. Not only does he have
very distinguished grades, but he also participates any many extra curriculars. Brown participates in football, track and field, academic team, choir, Teen Court, BETA and NHS. Brown believes that even though he participates in so much, that his classwork shows how he is a good student. “I believe extracurriculars help, but Mathew’s academics are a major factor as well. Matthew is just an overall a well rounded student athlete,” said senior Eve Barto. Grades are an important role in school and can lead to the student with better grades being more recognized than others. Some students can easily be put behind others due to grades. Brown believes that many students go unrecognized for things they do behind the scenes just because they have average grades and don’t participate in extracurriculars. Grades are an important role in school and can lead to the student with better grades being more recognized than others. Some students can easily be put behind others due to grades. Brown scored a 28 on his ACT and has an weighted GPA of 4.03. Brown believes that many students go unrecognized for things they do behind the scenes just because they have average grades and don’t participate in extracurriculars. “Some students do a lot of things behind the scenes that do not get the recognition they deserve,” said Brown.
Senior Matt Brown posing in front of the district, regional and state finalist championship sign on Egan Field. Brown recieved the 2018 Scholar Athlete award after his final season of football. “The things that I will miss most about football is not the games, but rather the practices, lifting with the team and building a brotherhood,” said Brown. Picture: Jaydrien Jarrett
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Advertise with us. Contact our business editor for more information: olivia.coke@stu.bullitt.kyschools.us
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Decking the School Halls With Christmas Cheer by Lindsey Spencer
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etter not cry, Chargers - Santa’s coming to Bullitt East.
The temperatures are dropping and the anticipation for the school’s celebration of the holiday season is rising. As the holiday season approaches, so does the excitement for all the festivities. A lot of activities will be going on to get students in the holiday spirit. Many students are eager to start celebrating with their peers and family. It’s the time of year that calls for Christmas movies, ugly sweaters and gift giving. There are so many things to look forward to as the weather gets colder. Spanish teacher Maddie Mann said her favorite part of the holiday season in school is “the anticipation of the break that everyone’s going to get some relief soon...it just seems like everyone’s, just, generally happier.” The atmosphere of school is becoming more excited and anxious as students work to stay in the holiday spirit during midterms. Every year, the school holds an assembly before Christmas break called Houses for the Holidays where students can participate in ugly sweater fashion shows, do Christmas themed challenges, sing Christmas songs and spend time with their friends.
Mann is the Student Leadership and Mentoring (SLAM) class that works to enhance student voice getting more students involved in the school. She and her students are hosting a winter dance in early December, which many students have attempted to get approved in years past. Some students would like to see the school be more festive and involved as it gets closer to Christmas. Senior Haley Burks said, “If we had more decorations like Christmas trees in the corners, or lights hanging down the hallway...then it would be pretty nice.” She also brought up the idea of another spirit week: “Each day [of the week before winter break] we could have a theme...ugly sweater day or dress like an elf,”said Burks. It has been suggested that the administration bring in a Christmas tree that showcased an ornament made from each senior to be put on the tree. Every year those in charge of the Christmas activities struggle to get students to participate. “It starts with students being leaders, and saying ‘I’m gonna do this’ and getting their friends to do it with them,” said Mann. In order for the pep rallies, decorations and festivities to be enjoyable, students have to be engaged and willing to get out and have fun. Outside of school, more festivities will be going on. Christmas music is on the radio and families are starting to decorate their homes with Christmas trees and bright lights. Celebrate how you want to.
Senior Abigail Clarkson, sophomore Camden Bohannon, and freshman Dalton Lescher smile as they pose in silly Christmas sweaters. Students have been starting to really embrace the beginning of the holiday season and all of the activities that it will bring to the school environment. “Decorating and dressing for the holidays is my favorite part of the whole thing,” said Clarkson. Photo: Lindsey Spencer.
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Getting into the Holiday Spirit by Lauryn Smith
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he snow is falling down as the spirit is rising.
With winter being right around the corner, some families prepare for the holidays by finding the perfect decorations and gifts for their loved ones. Colder weather calls for an updated wardrobe. The almost threeweek break from school allows students to take part in a variety of activities. Whether you love or hate the holidays, there are traditions for everyone. With the weather getting colder, it’s time to bundle up and find warm clothes. Around this time of year, fuzzy socks are usually a go-to clothing item. Most girls will wear them over leggings, however, they can also be worn over or under jeans and inside boots. They are pretty cheap and very comfortable and warm. Another clothing item that is more fun to wear than it is popular are Christmas sweaters. Many schools and some businesses have an ugly Christmas sweater competition where people dress up in their best, worst Christmas attire. If you are really wanting to stand out, some Christmas sweaters even light up.
way to excite yourself for the holiday season. However, some people like to put up and decorate their Christmas tree a little early. Many families will start putting up their Christmas decorations before Thanksgiving or the weekend after. Putting up a Christmas tree before Thanksgiving is not favored by many because it may feel like Thanksgiving is being forgotten about. “I love Christmas and I don’t want to overlook Thanksgiving or anything along those lines, but if having my decorations up for more than 25 days makes me happy then I should definitely do it. If it puts a smile on my face and everyone is in a better spirit and a better mood then it’s absolutely worth it,” said Spanish teacher Brandi Molter. Christmas time is all about joy and happiness. There are many different ways to keep you holiday spirit high. Christmas time brings families closer together to celebrate and have a fun time. Among many families, traditions around this time of year are very common. Some popular traditions include Elf on the Shelf, Santa Claus, baking cookies and many more enjoyable activities.
All across the With the temglobe, families perature dropcelebrate this ping, it’s time joyful holiday Senior, Tabitha Skaggs takes her picture with Santa. This is the seventh year the choir has held this event at Bullitt East. “For once everyone can enjoy something together as one. There is so much to look forward to during the year, but Christmas to start buying every year in seems different than the rest of the holidays,” said Skaggs. heavier clothes. their own special Photo: Haley Grether. Compact jackets ways. Whether are perfect for when it is snowing outside or when it is very cold. traditions are formal or not so formal, every family celebrates a It makes standing out in the cold a little more bearable. little bit differently. “Christmas Eve we actually do a very European style celebration because my mom is from Poland so we do a Christmas time is one of the most exciting times of the year. It’s a formal dinner with no meat, it’s called Wigilia, we wait until the time where family and friends gather to have fun, and all around first star comes out and we all sit at the table and exchange gifts. increase happiness. Bullitt County has almost three weeks off It’s very formal and very fancy. And then Christmas morning we school, and something that most families do together every year just run amuck. We have a lot of other little traditions. I can go on is decorate their Christmas tree. and on,” said Molter. There are many fun Christmas related activities for families to do together over this long break such as baking holiday treats, going Christmas shopping, watching Christmas movies and many more activities to get into the Christmas spirit. Decorating your home and putting up your Christmas tree is also another entertaining
There are all kinds of things you can do to prepare and enjoy this holiday season. The most important thing is to make the most of and enjoy the holidays.
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High School on the Big Screen Versus Real Life by Rebecca Watts
Sophomores Jonathan Whittington, Caleb Riggs, Katelin Pierce, Abigale Morris and Austin Villarreal recreate the famous advertising photo from the 1985 classic “The Breakfast Club.” This depection of high school set in the 80’s is still relevant to teenagers today. “This makes me think of our school because if you take someone from every clique they could probably get along and might be friends but they would never do it on their own,” said sophomore Corina Weaver. Photo: Rebecca Watts
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s they say lights, camera, action.
There are plenty of movies that contain a high school setting, but just how close are the movie producers accurately portraying real life high schoolers? One of the more well known movies is “High School Musical”. You still hear people sing the songs played in the film today. “You don’t see people [real-life high school students] act like the people in ‘High School Musical’ because they always act happy. Also there are so many changes during the movie that don’t match up with an actual high school because in high school you’re doing the same thing over and over again,” said sophomore Alyssa Robinson. In movies there is something new and dramatic in the teenagers lives everyday. In the life of a real life high school student they go to school sit through seven classes then go home. The difference being, that most don’t walk in and have something new and dramatic thrown at them everyday. There are many movies out there detailing the lives of high school students, some of which include “Airplane”, “Grease”, “The Breakfast Club”, “High School Musical” and “Mean Girls”. Each movie added their own little twist on a high school experience. “I think our school is more like ‘Grease’ because high school has cliques and in these cliques you have jocks [Tom Chisum] , cheerleaders [Sandy] and the bad crowd [Danny]. We have the same school setup,” said Robinson. Robinson tells us that the school has the same kind well know cliques and more. Groups, or cliques, can be found at every school. A clique is a small group of people, with shared interests or other features in common, who spend time together and do not readily allow others to join them. Some say that cliques form because people desire to be around people who are similar to them. High schoolers do not intend to be rude; they just want to be around people who like the same things as them. Society tends to think
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that because students don’t hang out with everyone they are rude. Would you want to be in a group that does things you don’t like? “I think our school is kind of like ‘The Breakfast Club’. In the movie, they have one person from every clique in detention. As the movie goes on they all seem to become friends. One of the characters says that she would have never become friends with any of them under any other circumstance. She then says that after detention she’ll probably never talk to any of them again. The cliques stay with each other and don’t like to mix here,” said sophomore Corina Weaver. The characters in movies all have something in common with students in real-life high school, being that they all had their own cliques. Another similarity is, the movies in high school there seems to be something to fight about everyday. “They have arguments and fights like any other high school. There are a few differences that don’t match high school , but for the most part ‘Grease’ is just like our high school,” said Robinson. In the movie there was a song from two different point of views after a date. Both sides told almost two different stories which is kind of like the drama that goes on in our school. A recurring theme is the fact that there are cliques in high school. Most high schools around the country do have cliques; it’s not abnormal in any way. Cliques form among teens because they simply want to hang out with people who are like they are. These social groups can be seen all throughout the school, even in our after-school clubs. To resolve cliques, there needs to be a way to bring people together who have never met, for example there could be days where time is taken to get to know the students in classrooms. According to students perspective, High school might not be like the movie “High School Musical” because of the constant singing. Other movies like “Grease” accurately display what goes on inside high schools.
Dumb Ways to Die: Chromebook Edition by Alizea Harris
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ne thing high schoolers are good at is breaking things.
Chromebooks aren’t the most durable laptops ever made, but some students are a little more irresponsible and have some funny stories to tell. Everyone breaks their Chromebook at some point and time. Whether it be a broken keyboard or a shattered screen, computers break. There are some students who break their Chromebook in unusual ways. Librarian Kelly Davis assists students who have broken their Chromebooks or when something unusual happens to them. Since she received the position two years ago, she has helped students with whatever is wrong with their Chromebooks. There are students who break their computers by stacking too many papers in their Chromebook and eventually putting too much paper in it to cause the Chromebook to break. While she deals with students who left a pencil in their laptops when they shut it, which results in a cracked screen, there are also students that have some pretty interesting stories to tell. “This morning a puppy tripped a boy and he fell on his Chromebook because his puppy tripped him. That was a sixfoot tall teenage boy,” said Davis. Now there are some stories that are silly, but other ones make you wonder about some of the anger issues these students have. “Another boy got in a fight with his dad and so in retaliation, he [the boy] ripped it apart and threw it out of the car window as they were driving down the highway,” said Davis. While it may have happened a year ago, there are still instances of boys punching their Chromebooks and breaking them. Davis spoke about how most of the time, it’s boys who break their Chromebook screens.
evidence bag. “I had one last year that was returned in a police evidence bag from Oldham County, like a huge taped shut brown bag. It had been confiscated from a stolen car off on the side of a road. Apparently, there was a little pile of stolen things and there just so happened to be a Chromebook in there,” said Davis. Some students don’t even do anything intentionally to have their laptop break. “We have had an ant inside the screen. Now somebody didn’t do that but it crawled underneath it…it [the ant] made it about an inch before it collapsed for good. I still can’t believe it,” said Davis. Davis still has the Chromebook that has the ant in it. While most students don’t have ants crawl through the screen or have a computer come in a police evidence bag, Chromebooks aren’t meant to last forever and students get one when they come into middle school and again in high school. There is a senior who has a story that is weird enough to belong to one of Davis’s. Brendan Dugas was messing around with one of his friends and broke her computer. “I was messing with her because she was focused on her Chromebook and so I decided to bite the corner of the screen. The whole screen blacked out and it couldn’t Photo: Alizea Harris be used,” said Dugas. While Dugas only did it to make her laugh, his friend had to get a new Chromebook to replace the one he bit. While Chromebooks have to be worked on frequently (around five to fifteen have to be worked on a day) the students that have to get a computer fixed or replaced get a new one almost immediately. Davis is quick to give students a new computer.. There are freshmen that have a different type of Chromebook than the sophomores and the upperclassman but she isn’t worried about getting the freshman the certain Chromebook, just one that works. Davis believes that most students don’t purposely break their computer and it is all in good natured fun. And that sometimes, instead of worrying about a Chromebook being broken, that it’s okay to laugh about it.
There was also another one that was returned in a police
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Getting Involved Within School by Katie Huffman
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here’s a club for everyone.
With a variety of clubs offered at school, there are many potential groups for students to join if they are not already involved. There are many different clubs that are currently available for students to join. While some clubs have been around for years, the ukulele club and sign language club have just recently been formed. If students are not satisfied with the available clubs, pursuing to start a club is an option for them to choose. Whether you are looking to obtain leadership positions to improve your college resume or simply wanting to have an ordinary club membership, there is a club for almost everyone. Some clubs are exclusive and require students to enroll in a certain class, like the Charger Bank, Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA), Family Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA), Future Farmers of America (FFA), Student Leadership and Mentoring (SLAM), Yearbook and Journalism. “The mission of SLAM is to recognize students in our school and to improve our climate and culture at Bullitt East. Students can join the class by filling out an application available sometime in the spring. Student’s applications that go through are then interviewed by a panel of teachers and staff. From there, a group of students are hand selected that will be in the class the following school year. Our leadership qualities and a drive to better our school,” said junior Andrea Foley, member of SLAM. In order to be a part of the yearbook and Livewire staff as an underclassmen it is first recommended that you take Introduction to Journalism, which students usually take during their freshman year. “Our role as a class is basically to be the historians of our high school lives. We do that through making a 300 page book that documents events, ideas, and most importantly, the lives of the people within our school,” said Tayler Mahoney, editor-in-chief of the Endeavor yearbook staff. “If you’re interested in writing and giving a voice to the voiceless, or interested in photography and you want to expand your skills, you should join yearbook,” said Mahoney. Lauren Jones, who is the executive editor for the yearbook staff said, “I can’t speak for any of the staff writers, but being an editor for yearbook has not only fueled my perfectionism, but made me so much of who I am today. It has made me a better leader, more confident in my communication skills, organized and more efficient as a student. It proves to myself that I am able to commit to something and follow through, and that’s so important in a career because it won’t always be a cakewalk. Journalism and yearbook editors especially, put in so much extra effort and time, and Photo: Katie Huffman
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Album of the Year 2018 by T.C. Etherton
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uccessful albums have been releasing left and right over the course of this year.
Albums have ranged from short and hype to long and deep.
being able to make that sacrifice will help me in the long run.” Besides a select few clubs, a majority of the clubs offered are open to all students. FCA (Fellowship of Christian Athletes) welcomes everyone to join their meetings which take place every Friday in the main gym at 6:55 a.m. “FCA is open to everybody not just athletes and not just Christians. We’re a community of believers, yes, but ultimately our goal is to encourage each other and lift each other rup so it’s open to anybody who wants to feel included and loved on I guess,” said Abigail Phillips, English Teacher and FCA sponsor. For students who struggle to get involved, the main goal of our school houses are to get students involved who usually wouldn’t willingly be involved around school. “Houses are important for those people who don’t have a niche, to find a niche. It’s an easy way to get involved during the school day because it’s built into time so you have an opportunity to get really close to your house room teacher and to get really close with the kids in your room so it’s important because it helps you find a place, it almost forces you to find a place which sounds silly but i think the idea behind houses is good,” said junior house headmaster, and English teacher, Abigail Phillips. The Ukulele Club was established over the last school year after English teacher Daniel Barrett and a couple of his students discovered a commonality of wanting to play the ukulele or learn how to play the instrument. This club meets on Mondays and Wednesdays from 2:20 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. A brand new club that was just formed within the first month of school is the American Sign Language Club. For anyone who is interested, this club meets on Wednesdays after school until 3 p.m. “It is a really great way to learn about the deaf community and you are able to find a new way to communicate with others,” said junior Rory O’Connor, club member. If a student is looking to start a club, they have to first find a sponsor and get the activity approved by the administration. Almost any club can be formed, as long as it gets approved.
The music industry has been rocking this year. Albums have been dropping and have received generally positive feedback. Some of these highly rated albums include: J.Cole’s “KOD”, Drake’s “Scorpion”, Travis Scott’s “Astroworld”, Post Malone’s “Beerbongs & Bentleys”, Migos’ “CULTURE II”, Juice WRLD’s “Goodbye and Good Riddance”, Kanye West’s “Ye”, Kendrick Lamar’s “Black Panther Soundtrack”, Cardi B’s “Invasion of Privacy”, J.I.D’s “Dicaprio 2” and many more. Many students have their opinion on what they believe the album of the year is. Bryant Miles, junior, says his favorite is J. Cole’s “KOD”. “I think it sends a good message, and I don’t think there’s a bad song on the album.” Zak Perdew, junior, thinks Travis Scotts’s “Astroworld” is the victor. ”The album has great beats, lyrics, features and just flows very well. I listen to it daily.” Sophomore Devin O’Bryan says he is down to two albums that he likes the same. “I like both KOD and Astroworld, J. Cole and Travis are both some of my favorite artists.” Juniors Clay Precthel and Blake Dattilo thought that music legends brought their best as they picked Eminem’s “Kamikaze” and Lil Wayne’s “Tha Carter V” as the best respectivley. Sad news shook the music world when Mac Miller, who was 26, died of a drug overdose on Sept. 7. Miller had just released an album “Swimming” earlier this year. Carissa Kimball, junior, said that her favorite album this year got a whole new meaning after his passing. “It was already my favorite album before he passed, but when he did, it just got a deeper meaning to it.” When it comes to album sales, Drake’s Scorpion is on top, selling over 3 million copies. “Beerbongs & Bentleys”, “Invasion of Privacy”, “Culture II”, and the “Black Panther Soundtrack” round out the top five.
For more information and the complete list of school clubs and activities, students can visit the school website for more information.
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Seniors Diving into Their Final Season by Ainsley Gordon
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he swimming seniors are coming to the end of their lanes.
As the end of the school year draws closer, so does the end of the final season for seniors on the swim team. Looking back on the last season, the team ended on a good note. Over the years, when the team wasn’t competing, they used their time together building a sense of family and community. Going into the new season with new coaches, the seniors hope to bring back that bond once again. Having a small team with an even smaller amount of male members can prove to be a problem when the team is competing against other schools from different districts and regions. This is because the overall score is considered a combined score, adding together those of the males and the females in their respective races. However, one relay team was able to place third in the medley and freestyle relays for regions last season, one placement away from state. That group included seniors Reagan Hardy, Haley Burks and Grace Fluhr and sophomore Grace McCarter. As a team, you spend lots and lots of time together, whether at practice, competitions or during team bonding and last year’s team was especially close. “We were all so close cause it was a smaller team and we were all pretty much in the same grade, so we were all close; there was no drama. We even did things as a team and we were more encouraging for each other. Swim meets were fun… I mean, there’s a picture of us all huddled together sleeping. We built… a swim family. We even have a group message called ‘swim fam’ from that year,” said Burks. The seniors on the team this year include co-captains Jillian Garrett and Hardy, Grace Fluhr, Burks, Haley Cox, Matthew McCarter, Teresa Moreno Donaire and Mignon Solange. Many of the current seniors joined the team during their sophomore year, so having their first year under their belt, they were more comfortable on the team their junior year. This allowed the group to grow very close together, working as a team. “You’re swimming for yourself, but also for the team. So, it’s your job to work as a family and cheer each other on even though you’re trying to swim for yourself,” said Hardy. While last year’s team had a very close relationship, the swimmers who graduated last year seemed to take that familial bond with them when they left. “We got really close, but, of course,
our seniors graduated that year. So, it was hard the next year because a lot of new people started and they were all freshman. We were new too (at one point), so it was understanding that there’s going to be new people. But there wasn’t really a group. We’re not all together. We have many groups that are together, but it’s not the same. And it’s hard as a senior because you want that grouping but there’s so many people and there’s so many different personalities. We don’t all click,” said Burks. The rift in the team’s bond can also be due to the abundance of swimmers on the team this year. The team practices at the natatorium on the University of Louisville’s campus. “We have four to five lanes and we have like six people (per each lane), so its overcrowded,” said Burks. However, the some of the seniors want to combat this problem to make the most of their final year on the team. “As one of the team captains, I would say that we want the newcomers to have that same experience and relationship with everyone on the team that we had our first year because that was something that made us stay on the team… it’s hard because there’s a lot of people, but we work with them and try to learn their names and teach them… It was competitive, but it wasn’t too serious where it was stressful for you to not do good in a meet. It was fun, light and I really want the new swimmers to just have that kind of experience so that they want to stay on the swim team because our swim team is not that popular, so if no one likes swimming, then the team is just going to get smaller and smaller and smaller until it doesn’t exist and thats sad,” said Hardy. One of the ways that they can change the atmosphere is through bonding at meets. “Our meets are the funnest because we’re all together and we’re all focused on one thing and we all relate to each other. We all complain about the same things and we laugh and we joke and we share food and we all got each other’s backs. Even though we may not know them, that’s when we do come together because we have the same goal… that’s when we do become a family,” said Burks. Most moving into a new chapter of life want to impact and want to be remembered. Senior swimmers are no exception. “I want to do better as a team for meets because I want people to know our name. I want to be known, I want to leave like a legend. I want to leave a mark, I don’t know how i’m going to do that yet, but I want to,” said Burks. “I’m excited to see what this year brings,” said Hardy.
Photo: Ainsley Gordon
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Photo: Ethan Neutz
Photo: Ainsley Gordon
Photo: Ainsley Gordon
Photo: Matthew Christmas
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Hughes: Inspirational Coach and Teacher by Jaiden Hammack
K
enny Hughes inspires and helps people in the classroom and on the track.
Hughes is a teacher and coaches the cross-country team. Hughes has been teaching for 16 years in the science field. He has coached a variety of sports over the years. Over the years, he has made an impact on many students’ and athletes’ lives, as well as been impacted by them himself. Hughes originally worked in the environmental industry with a job that didn’t allow him to apply his interest in science, leading him to search for a job in which he could. “My job as an environmental consultant didn’t have a lot of exposure to science,” said Hughes. He teaches biology and AP biology, but the AP class is his favorite to teach. “Those kids are driven and oriented towards their futures. Those classes are electives so the students have chosen to be there,” said Hughes. The kids who take the AP class likely want a job in the future that requires an understanding of biology. Hughes has impacted many students’ lives. “He is truthful and straightforward about life and the real world. He has prepared me for the real world more than any other teacher in the school,” said senior Cole Davenport. When talking to students about life after high school, Hughes doesn’t sugarcoat it. While students have been influenced by Hughes, he has been impacted by students as well. “My students have had both positive and negative impacts. My experiences are positive as I have been able to meet so many kids with diverse backgrounds, cool personalities and interesting points of view. The hard part of the job is seeing kids come from a bad environment over which they have no control,” said Hughes. Every student has a different background and lifestyle, whether it has a positive or negative
effect on them. Hughes enjoys his job for many reasons, the main one being the relationships he is able to build with the students and be a part of their life experience. “Getting to share my interest and love for science with them is an added bonus,” said Hughes. In addition to some students having Hughes as a teacher, some also have him as a coach. “I like him more as a teacher, he’s more relatable in class,” said sophomore Emily Tinelli. Hughes doesn’t talk about racing when in class, which makes students find him more relatable. Hughes has coached many sports, including football, baseball, wrestling and now cross-country, which is the sport he’s coached the longest. Hughes decided to coach because of the coaches who had a great impact on his life. “They taught me some of the most valuable life skills such as hard work, perseverance, overachievement and teamwork,” said Hughes. The skills his coaches taught him are the same skills he preaches and shows he has every day. “If I could use one word to describe coach Hughes it would be hard-working…He has taught me the importance of grit in life and how much further a gritty person will go than a normal person,” said senior Blake Hourigan. You have to have a certain mentality if you ever want to be a successful runner and Hughes enforces that onto all his athletes. As teaching has had an impact on his life, so has coaching. “Coaching has been both rewarding and frustrating. The rewards are seeing kids succeed in their sports. Coaching is also frustrating in that it exposes a side of parents and kids that is not in the best interest of the kids’ future. In the long run, I feel like coaching has made me a better parent as I see parents failing to teach kids accountability, responsibility and commitment,” said Hughes. Hughes gets kids with many different backgrounds and lifestyles, seeing parents fail to teach their kids basic life skills, gives him a better understanding of how kids need to be raised. The athletes themselves have changed Hughes’ life. “The athletes I have coached have challenged me to see the world in a different way,” said Hughes. Each athlete sees things in a different perspective and needs to be coached in different ways, for him to help them he has to know how they think. Hughes has both a serious and fun personality, which are good qualities for being a coach. “My favorite thing about Hughes is his ability to be both serious and competitive when needed but also be funny and fun to be around. An experience I’ll always remember with him is running through Dollar General with the team sophomore year,” said Hourigan. Hughes is someone people will never forget, both on the field and in the classroom. Science teacher Kenny Hughes lecturing during his seventh period class. Aside from teaching he’s also a coach. “My prefered class to teach is AP Biology,” said Hughes. Photo: Jaiden Hammack
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The Come Up: Thomas Wiseheart by Tyler Mozingo and Hunter Brogan
H
e’s been ballin’ since he was young.
Thomas Wiseheart has been playing basketball ever since he was able to pick one up and it is all paying off now. Thomas Wiseheart is a senior basketball player for the Bullitt East basketball team. He has been a part of the program since his freshman year and has stuck through the good times and the bad to be a successful basketball player today. It all started when Wiseheart was just four years old. He was playing basketball in the backyard with his uncle when he learned that this was something he wanted to pursue. Just some family time in the backyard has led Wiseheart along the path to where he is at today. Wiseheart has played competitive basketball his entire life. He started to realize his potential in the sixth grade AAU season. “Right around the sixth grade AAU season, I finally found out that I can be good enough to compete with the best. I was asked by the team I was playing for to play up an age because they didn’t have enough players to be a good team, and I showed out for their team and then it hit me that I am playing well against older kids so I can easily be competitive with kids my age,” said Wiseheart. Being able to play competitively with people older than him gave Wiseheart the confidence he needed to continue to play hard. There is one player that sticks out in Wiseheart’s game that he loves. In fact, he tries to mimic this player’s game as a part of his own. That player is the current point guard for the Houston Rockets, Chris Paul. “I absolutely love Chris Paul. Just the way he plays the game, just everything about him. He brings a different kind of intensity that others can’t bring, the way he facilitates the game and manages the game on both ends is pretty cool to watch. I like the way that he can get to the basket and can step out and hit a jumper when he needs to,” said Wiseheart. Mimicking his game after an NBA star has made Wiseheart an effective scorer and always driven to make an impact in any way possible. This is Wiseheart’s last go around with high school basketball. He has played varsity basketball since sophomore year and has been effective every season. “Thomas is our leading returning scorer, so we are obviously going to need him to get points for us this season. The one thing that I will say that sticks out to me is his improvements on the perimeter. When Thomas was a sophomore, he was an average shooter and now he can step out and knock a perimeter jump shot down whenever he needs to,” said head coach Jason Couch. Wiseheart has always thought of himself as a hard worker and it is now showing off in the eyes of his coach. Couch has a special relationship with his starting point guard. Couch sees so much of himself when he played in Wiseheart, that it brings out the best of both of them during practices and games. “Thomas has many features that stand out and remind me of myself when I played. That can be a good thing and a bad thing. Because of that, I tend to work Thomas very hard and we have at times had a ‘battle’ or two. The intensity he brings to the team on both ends of the court is something special. We could
Wiseheart prepares to run the point guard spot for the Chargers this season. He has played the point consistently for multiple years. “Being able to run the point makes me feel like a floor general,” said Wiseheart. Photo: Tyler Mozingo
be down 20 with a minute left and Thomas will still be playing his heart out, you can’t just teach that, it’s the will to be great,” said Couch. You don’t find that good a bond between player and coach very often, so they definitely take advantage of the time together to continue to get better every day. Wiseheart has taken personally the role of “team leader”. He doesn’t like to throw that term around lightly. Couch has been impressed with how well he has embraced that role, better than he had expected actually. “I have embraced it pretty well I feel like, especially during practice. I feel like I am playing a coach on the court helping all the young guys and even some of the older guys. I’m just trying to help put our team in the best position to win. I want to go out the right way and I know the other seniors do as well, so we’re all just trying to help get there,” said Wiseheart. Winning is everything to Wiseheart and he wants to have a successful senior season and in doing so, team leader is the role he has to play. As to holding himself to an individual standard, Wiseheart isn’t making it easy on himself. “I want to average 16 points per game and throw in some assists, rebounds, and steals in there too. I want to be able to contribute to the team to the best of my ability and win as many games as we can, and I feel like if I am consistent with those numbers, we can do some big things this season,” said Wiseheart. As for the team, Wiseheart wants to reach at least the sixth region championship game. This season is shaping up for something special for the team and for Wiseheart. With the leadership from himself and the other seniors, the young guys are contributing well and everyone doing their part. With Wiseheart as the leader, the sixth region championship game seems very doable for the Chargers in their season.
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The Best and Worst of Technology by Morgan Harbolt
T
echnology is a useful servant, but a dangerous master.
Technology in schools is a great thing, however, it makes people question whether students are actually doing the thinking and learning, or if technology does it for them. The increase of technology has made an impact everywhere in one way or another. Schools have been altered by it completely. Technology has both positive and negative effects within schools. Compared to the thin smartphones that are available in this day in age, the first cell phone was as big as a persons head. The first mass-marketed computer had four GB in memory. In today’s world, cell phones can hold up to 128 GB of memory. The way humans have altered their communication has majorly evolved. As changes in technological communication are taking place, schools are also moving in the direction of never needing paper again. In Bullitt County, all high schools and middle schools now provide Chromebooks to students. Schools all over the world are making these changes and more. Chromebooks have changed the way students do homework, research and even take tests. There is no more signing up to use a computer in the library. Students now have access to the internet at any time. “Some people use it to do whatever they want, like play games and distract class, but on the other hand it’s helpful. A lot of people learn that way and it helps keep everything organized,” said Junior Jesse Sellinger. With Chromebooks, students have access to a lot of things. The district does have the computers set up to where certain sites are blocked, but they can’t block everything. Something that is very popular among students is to get on online shopping stores and play games. Besides some disadvantages that students may face, technology does make teachers’ lives easier. It takes away the hassle of having to make copies of worksheets. “It’s a lot easier to put something out on the Google Classroom than having to go out and make copies of a sheet. It allows kids that aren’t in school for whatever reason to have access to what we did in class that day on their computers,” said science teacher Jason Dickerson. The increase in technology has also made it much easier to catch up on work missed in class. If a student is sick and can’t come to school, then they can go on their Chromebook and see what their teachers have posted to Google Classroom that day. Working on schoolwork from home has never been more convenient.
Photo: Morgan Harbolt
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Writing papers and doing school projects is more bearable for students with Chromebooks. They no longer have to write a five page paper by hand and then type it. They can now go straight to
the computer, type their paper and edit it on the computer. Something teachers do a lot is assign Google Slides projects. Google Slides is a Google app where users can create a slide presentation and conveniently add collaborators. Students use this a lot in the classroom when required to give a presentation. The slides offer the class a visual appeal instead of just a speech. It is also much easier for students to make a Google Slides presentation than to make a poster. A well known problem with having technology at the fingertips of all students is whether the students are actually learning anything or whether they are just letting the technology do the thinking for them. Junior Lexi Lutz said, “Pretty much every assignment and every answer is on Google and it requires kids to just simply type in a question instead of actually thinking about things and figuring out the answers on their own. I think it’s a bad thing because kids are being taught that you can use shortcuts and cheats to just make it by without actually taking anything from the assignment.” Actually gathering information and learning something seems to be up to the students nowadays. Some students will do what they’re suppose to and take in what they are given, however not all students are that responsible. Gradecam is a popular thing that some teachers incorporate into their classrooms, in which students submit their test answers online. The negative aspect to this is how easy it is to look up answers and cheat. “People encourage us to use the technology for assessments, but then you have to worry about different kinds of cheating. It’s not passing notes anymore, it’s looking things up online,” said Dickerson. Dickerson uses Gradecam on his tests, but not all teachers use Gradecam even though it is encouraged. There is one thing students don’t go anywhere without: their cell phones. Cell phones have become a big problem in schools, it’s one of the main things kids get in trouble with. Some teachers have turned to having students check their phone in on a slot hanging on the wall. This way they aren’t tempted to pull it out during class and be off task. Dickerson uses this slot strategy within his classroom. “It’s a deterrent, it cuts down on distractions and I feel like stuff becomes much easier if you focus on what you’re supposed to focus on the whole time,” said Dickerson. However, some students have smart watches where they have access to texting without their phone. This is just another thing that teachers have had to deal with when trying to keep students on task. Technology has its positives and negatives. No matter what, the world will always be changing and moving in the direction of more and more technology.
Photo: Morgan Harbolt
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The Modern Digital Apocalypse by Madleine Myers
U
nlike Robert Frost, most people aren’t taking the road less travelled in modern society concerning technology.
Instead of completing activities the original way to retain their skills, most people take advantage of the newly-invented technology that has made those activities easier. The increasing use of technology, namely digital technology, in today’s society is evident with both people at school and in public. This rising use of technology is partially derived from it making activities easier to do, but with that convenience comes an increased reliance on it that results in the loss of useful skills. Technology also results in decreased human interaction, which is rapidly depleting people’s ability to socialize. At school, students are constantly trying to use their phones for entertainment during class when they should be either listening to the teacher or using them for educational purposes. This has resulted in many teachers enforcing disciplinary phone policies. Most teacher’s policies, like science teacher Jonathan Huether’s, consist of asking a student with their phone out to put it away, in which case if they don’t, the teacher will confiscate it until the end of the class period. “It makes it difficult for them to complete their work because it’s a constant distraction...I will also say that it’s been pretty obvious that most of my students are not responsible enough to have their own Chromebook. But it’s incredible how they always have their phone and it’s always charged, but they can’t seem to do that with their Chromebook, which doesn’t make any sense,” said Huether.
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Technology has also largely been integrated into classrooms because of its ability to simplify and speed up processes that otherwise would take longer to do. Most teachers, including Huether, provide students with a hard copy and technology version of their assignments to give them the option to pursue their method of choice. In this case, most students choose the technology version, contributing to the decline of the traditional methods of pencil and paper used in classrooms. Chromebooks are constantly used in class for both educational and unintendedly non-educational purposes. Many students neglecting to charge their Chromebooks reflects students’ disinterest in educational activities. Teachers utilize Google Classroom to post assignments online and the Remind app to update their students with useful information. Tools like PowerPoint and Google Docs are used both by teachers in helping their students learn concepts and by students who are required to present projects and turn in assignments. Many students even take notes on their Chromebooks instead of by hand nowadays. In public places, the use of technology is just as excessive. People use their phones while shopping, eating, and tragically, driving. Instead of hanging out with their friends, people often squander that time by being on their phones, whether it be posting on social media to gain attention or looking for ways to entertain themselves. “Sometimes it annoys me when I’m hanging out with someone and all they do is look at their phone,” said sophomore Raegan Burkett. The problem with technology does not lie in the efficiency and quicker completion of activities it has allowed for us. In fact,
Photo: Madleine Myers
these benefits that are associated with technology have helped people’s education move at a faster rate than ever before. With the availability for people to complete assignments faster, their teachers can progress from topic to topic quicker and can therefore cover more content in a school year than in previous times.
the time to study, so they resort to using their phones to cheat on tests and quizzes. By doing so, they don’t learn whatever topic the quiz is over and instead take advantage of the abilities of technology to do the thinking for them. These students are only denying themselves of the learning they could be gaining.
“I do think that you can get more learning done with the use of technology. For example, when my dad was in college, they probably did a quarter of what I learned in college because it took longer to do everything,” said Huether.
“People definitely use their phones and stuff to cheat and it’s not like they learn anything. They don’t even really have to try to work hard if they can just use their phones,” said Burkett.
Instead, the problem is that because students can receive answers quicker through technology than they can by reading lessons in textbooks on the topic, students have become less interested in the more time-consuming option for their assignments and more reliant on technology. In turn, they have become lazier and lost the work ethic and stamina it requires to do many activities that technology can’t be used for. Technology doesn’t help people learn; it merely helps them receive answers faster that wouldn’t be retained like they would be with taking the initiative to understand the concept through other methods like reading textbooks. “It takes them [students] longer to get gratification from a book so they don’t read like they used to. They just want it immediately because the phone gives you instant gratification, just like Google and stuff instead of reading a PowerPoint. So, I think technology is just making people lazier just like every tool made someone not have to do that thing with their hands anymore,” said Huether.
Because of how quick and easy it is to contact someone through a text message and social media, people have become more accustomed to talking to their friends through a screen than having face-to-face interaction with them. Social media also makes it easier for people to make negative comments to each other, or address serious concerns, because they don’t have the burden of seeing their facial reaction in person and have more time to prepare further arguments. “They socialize through their phones instead of face-to-face, and I will say that it has been detrimental to people’s development of human interaction,” said Huether. Although technology has proven to be so beneficial that it has become a necessity in classrooms and in public, it is depleting humans of both their ability to perform certain skills and to socialize with others.
This laziness has culminated into students not wanting to take
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Reality of High School Realationships by Tyler Mozingo
T
o infinity and beyond.
Relationships can turn good or bad, it just depends on what side of the spectrum you’re on. If you are able to find that one person that you can picture yourself with in the future, then they could be that person you’ve been looking for all along. You see a lot more ‘high school sweethearts’ as adults nowadays, which influences students to do the same. Waiting for a relationship to develop, say in college or even after college, is another route that many people take in pursuing their relationships. Juniors Meredith Bass and Max Gauthier have been together for seven months now. They plan on spending the rest of their lives together, even if they go their separate ways for college. “We plan on pursuing a future together. It’s really cool going through life with your best friend, so I hope we can tackle whatever is to come, together,” said Bass. There are many positives that come out of a young relationship. Knowing each other for such a long time can also play in your favor. Young couples will spend a good amount of time together which can prepare them for spending a lot more time together in the real world. “We spend a good amount of time together. Whether it is with our friends or just some alone time, we’re together very often,” said Bass. On the other hand, an early relationship can hurt your future together as well. For example, spending time together at such a young age and then trying to make things work as a family, you could get tired of one another because there has been so much time spent as a couple. There is also nothing wrong with waiting to pursue relationships. You find many people waiting to find a person for them until college because you are meeting new people, hanging out with new groups of friends and finding new interests.
Max Gauthier and Meredith Bass pose for a picture. They have been going strong for six plus months. “It has been one of the best times of my life going through life with Max,” said Bass. Picture: Tyler Mozingo
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Hiding Behind Technology Staff Editorial
C
yberbullying should not be ignored.
The dangers of technology have the power to reach deep inside the minds of influential teens. In an ever growing society cultured by technology, people turn to the internet to express their feelings, interests and ideas. Some turn to technology for answers, guidance and knowledge. The internet can be a very helpful tool to utilize, but when it is misused, technology can be dangerous. Today’s youth will grow up in a world full of technology and web opportunity. With cell phones, social media, and all things internet, society turns to their digital screens for virtually everything. People post their every thought to social media, creating a digital version of their life on the internet. Cell phones, at times, can even be seen as a technological replica of oneself. Our phones hold our memories, our conversations, our connections, our life. The use of the internet can be extremely useful when used correctly. Although, sometimes people utilize technology in the wrong way, creating a gateway to confrontation without consequence and hate. Hiding behind their computer screens, people use social media and other communication outlets to break down others self-esteem, deceiving them and making them feel lesser. Cyberbullying is a wellknown problem presented in the lives of young and impressionable teens. Cyberbullying is something that many will become exposed to throughout life, especially now that technology has become something that we as a society rely so heavily upon. Exposure to hateful comments and posts can negatively affect a teens state of mind. Even though the act of bullying online will not cause physical pain, it does cause mental pain. Causing depression, low self-esteem, and social distress, bullying online not only negatively affects the person being bullied but the bullier too. For cyberbullies, it’s very easy to hide behind a screen and let go of all of their suppressed rages. People do this in order to compensate for their low self-esteem and boost their own ego; utilizing their online persona in a way to negatively affect society and others. People often bully to give themselves a sense of
power and control. Many times the bullier is going through certain things in life that they cannot control, so they look for that control in their life through dominating others. Bullys many times put on a mask, hiding their true feelings, and covering it up with hate. As the cloud of negativity follows bulliers, it pours down on innocents creating a world of unhappiness. Cyberbullying is something that happens more frequently than what some may think. It is presented in the lives of many, though it is often overlooked, cyberbullying is present in various forms. Whether it be name-calling, exclusion, harassment, or just simply hateful comments, cyberbullying is shown to only negatively affect the victim’s mental state and overall well-being. This topic is something that isn’t shielded from the media, there have been many movies made detailing the dangers of cyberbullying and its effects. The 2011 film “Cyberbully” was a movie made about a teenage girl who fell victim to cyberbullying. She was tormented online through social media to the point where she wanted to end her life. This film was created to make people more aware of how serious cyberbullying can be. Movies like this one can be made useful as it enables people to understand what can happen when you treat others badly; it also allows the viewer to better comprehend the consequences for their actions online. Many people in their lifetime will fall victim to some form of bullying whether it be cyber bullying or not, it is a challenge that many must overcome. If people witness any form of bullying they should always Drawing: Haley Grether try to reach out to a trusted adult. Staying quiet is never a solution it is just a short-term fix that will not result in making the situation any better. One must also remember to take every mention of bullying very seriously. Many times teens turn to their friends for guidance and answers, if one simply brushes off these cries for help, the situation may progress further than expected to result in disaster. If exposed to cyberbullying specifically the witness should make strides to take screenshots or take a photograph of the incident to show a member of authority as a form of evidence. Cyberbullying isn’t one of those things that only happen in movies, it is something that has shown to trouble teens nationwide, it is something that should not be ignored.
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