NEWS BRIEFS

Reporting by: Zach Darby & Miranda Elgin

Olathe West National International

Two former West teachers return as

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New Administrator And Teacher

Two teachers that have previously left, Dr. Anna-Lynn Morris and Sarah Talcott have returned as the freshman administrator school and a FACS teacher, respectively.

Previously teaching English for Olathe West, Dr. Morris became an Assistant Principal at Oregon Trail for three years and then at Lee’s Summit for a year. She returns to West as an Assistant Administrator and Activities Director.

“It is probably the best school around,” Morris said. “I totally believe in the way we learn here. The quality of staff we hire. I really like the administration. I think collectively they are some of the best people I have ever worked with.”

On the other hand, Talcott planned on taking a break from teaching to be home more for her family. She ended up working with Blue Valley for three years before her previous job opened back up.

“I wanted to get back into Olathe specifically and then when I saw my old job come back up, I was super excited,” Talcott said. “I called Mr. Novacek up, so he brought me in and here I am. So it was kinda fun to come back to my old job again.”

Biden announces student loan forgiveness plan

Since 1980, the cost for college has tripled, causing many people to have to borrow money, whether it be loans or using financial aid for tuition. Due to the pandemic, the financial strain was worse than ever. The government temporarily paused these payments while workers were at home.

With student loan payments starting back up on January 1, Biden proposed a new plan. For those making less than $125,000 a year, they are eligible for up to $10,000 in student loan forgiveness, and $20,000 to Pell Grant recipients, a federal program for student financial aid.

This will positively affect many teachers who make around $48,000 a year, and many parents of students by eliminating some college debt.

“I went to Kansas State, but I’m originally from Texas, so I paid out-of-state tuition, but I’m also a Pell Grant receiver,” horticulture teacher and Green Tech Academy Assistant Facilitator Matthew Milholm said. “That means I’m eligible for up to $20,000 to be forgiven, which is a huge thing because teachers don’t make that much money, and I am in a lot of debt. I’m in a lot more debt than probably your average day teacher, so it helps me quite a bit.”

World-famous K-pop group BTS will take a break from music to serve in the South Korean miltary

According to South Korean law, all able-bodied men are required to serve at least 18 months in the Korean military before the age of 28, due to the increased threats from North Korea.

Popular K-pop boy band, BTS, does not get exemption privileges which is resulting in them taking a two year hiatus in order to fulfill their duty for the country.

Earlier this year, the band had announced their plans to temportaily separate in order to better take care of themselves as well as focus on their solo careers.

Fans all across the world have voiced their devestation through various social media sites. Many of them, however, are excited for the band to come back and announce their plans for the future.

“It’s a very sad thing for many people, especially their fans,” junior Michelle Madrigal Lara said. “I know they’ve had a lot of impact on people. It’s definitely interesting to see how much support they have.”