The Reporter March 2022

The

Reporter

Paola High SChool | Volume 96 | issue4 | March 2022 | 401 N. Angela St | Paola, Kansas |

3 Fashion is Fluid

School news

4 Sports Highlights 5 Facing Anxiety Head On

Features

8-9 Perfectly Imperfect

opinions

10 Constant Cycle/Perfect Who? 11 Teachers Pay/Body and Mind 12 Broken and Abused/Hiding History

Features

13 Strength for Strong

Sports

15 Starting the Season

Contents upcoming events

FFA

Track athletes are away in Emporia. This track meet is for varsity athletes only.

April

Editorial

1

Get the corsages ready.

Prom is April 9.

Sports

SHOUTOUTS

Congratulations to Steven Yeager, senior, Callie Wil iamson, Evona Jackson, Kena Leonard, Kara Helms and Jasmine Brown, sophomores, on the Vet Science Team for getting sixth overall at the Vet Science competition Congratulations to Kailyn Younger for getting second at the state wrestling tournament

Below: Samuel Johnson, sophomore, competes at the state swim meet. Johnson placed sixth and had a personal record of 59.89. “[I like swim] because I like testing myself,” Johnson said. {Photo courtesy of Emma Johnson}

Features

Kale Murdock, junior, and Ayden Morris and Trey Moala, seniors, celebrate winning their sub-state game. the Panthers won the game against Tonganoxie 51-37. “[I knew we won at] about two minutes left,” Murdock said. “We were nervous the whole fourth [quarter] because it was close but then we got up. It was really exciting to be a part of that.” {Photo by Brooklyn Harmon}

20:22 Instagram @phsjournalism Twitter @PaolaJournalism Facebook Paola High School Journalism

02

The reporter march 2022 contents

9

Boys Varsity Golf will be at home against multiple schools.

April

On the Cover

April

16 Staycation vs. Vacation

11

Source: USD368.org Art by Natalie Glassel

Right: Seniors Sage George and Gavin Clark lead the Rat Pack at the boys regional championship game against Tonganoxie March 5. The seniors were encouraged to cheer in hopes it wouldn’t be their last game. “I love being in the Rat Pack and getting to celebrate all together,” George said. {Photo by Brooklyn Harmon}

Design By Natalie Glassel

Fashion i s fluid clothes should not be exclusive to one gender For: 25

Undecided : 0

Many people feel Wilson Wright that how they dress describes their idenreporter tity. However, people need to stop assuming that however you identify affects the clothing you should wear.

For many years, people have adhered to the idea of society’s so-called gender norms or what men and women are “supposed” to wear.

In the past few years, however, people have started to branch out, wanting to be different from everyone else. Although fashion and identity are inseparable, fashion should not be exclusive to one gender.

Fashion allows us to be who we want and express ourselves. It empowers us to feel more in touch with our inner self, and it helps us feel more confident in how we present ourselves to others.

Clothing no longer labels us as a man or woman. We use clothes to make a statement and express ourselves.

I dress how I want to encourage people to go out of their comfort zone and wear anything.

This includes crop tops, heeled shoes, leggings, and more. Unfortunately, many students get bullied based on what they wear. I get a little hate from the haters, but at the end of the day, I know their opinion-- to put it quite frankly -- doesn’t matter.

Against: 1

Absent: 2

Today, dresses are looked at as feminine clothing, but the dresses young boys wore in the 17th century were considered gender-neutral. In the 1940s, women began to branch out by wearing jackets and pants. Women wearing pants only became publicly acceptable in the 1960s and 70s.

We need to ditch the gender stereotypes of fashion in which girls wear pink, boys wear blue, girls wear dresses and boys wear suits. Current fashion trends for men and women are less specific and allow them to wear whatever they want.

Clothes are not stereotyped according to gender anymore -- so we should not stereotype, either.

The demands of the ever-changing society lead the way for fashion to move away from its male/female distinction.

Many clothing brands have already started to develop gender-neutral clothes.

This places a no-boundary option and the right to wear what we want, when we want, no matter how we identify.

It would allow us to walk into a store and not be judged for wearing the socalled opposite sex’s clothing. Several

the Reporter

staff list Co Editors-in-Chiefs

Addison Smith & Lily Woolsey

Managing Editor Natalie Glassel

Wilson Wright reporter

times, I wore a crop top in public and people judged me for wearing the opposite gender’s clothing.

One option to diminish the conflict about gender clothes is to remove gender markers from clothing.

Instead, clothes can be categorized by how a person expresses their style preference, size, and personal taste.

We need to change how we describe terms for all humans making clothing This means we should think about the way we mark clothes.

People shouldn’t have to wear their specific gender’s clothing just because of society’s low standards.

Does their style hurt you? Does it harm you? No. The revolution of genderless fashion aims to blur division and eliminate gender labels. To dress like a boy or girl is not such a big deal. Why does it matter?

It’s not your body and it’s not hurting you.

The beauty of fashion is its fluidity, similar to the fluidity in gender identification.

Fashion evolves, giving us the ability to challenge the status quo of society and break the traditional barriers.

After all, fashion’s main purpose is to encourage individuality, which, therefore, is genderless.

Design Editor Rileigh Dale

Copy Editor

Lilia Parks

Ads Manager

Brooklyn Harmon

Senior ads editors Carlie Stallbaumer & Avery Winterscheid

Reference/index Manager Madisyn Robertson

Photography Editor Hazel Downum

Social Media Editors

Emersyn Smith & Ashley Winterscheid

Public Relations Managers

Anna Campa & Kylee Slyter

Reporters

Erica DaSilva, Emma Jenkins, Aby Koelsch, Jayda Logan, Zoe Parker, Abigail Bouse, Ashlyn Pratt, Justice Bright, Justice Jones, Krislyn Hadlock, Lilyana Avila, Maci Scherman, Makenzi Jones, Marlee Bell, Reese Browning, Wilson Wright

Advisor

BriAnne Chayer

the reporter editorial policy

It is the policy of the Paola Reporter to provide a forum for student expression, voices in the uninhibited, robust, free, and open discussion of issues. The Reporter encourages students to write letters to the editor or submit articles for the editorial page. We reserve the right to edit content. Material that contains libelous or obscene information will not be published. Material that will cause a disruption of school activities is also prohibited. Authors must provide their full name. No articles will be published with an alias.

mission statement

The Reporter is for the students, by the students. The goal of the Reporter is to give the students a voice, and provide an open forum of ideas while maintaining an ethical publication with unbiased coverage.

Art by Addison Smith

Design By Addison Smith

2021-2022

Staff Editorial

Volume 96 Issue 04 The reporter march 2022 Editorial

03

Left: Kate Ediger, senior, shoots from the 3-point line during the varsity girls basketball game against Spring Hill Jan. 4. Ediger’s mother pushed her to be a better player. “Ever since I was little I just aspired to be like [her],” Ediger said. “She is the person I talk to after bad games because she knows exactly what to say {Photo by Brooklyn Harmon}

Winter Wrap up

highlights from end of winter season

Above: Caden Marcum, senior, dribbles towards the basket during the varsity boys basketball game against Spring Hill Jan. 1. The Panthers won the game 50-42. “I think [the team dynamic] helped a lot because we are all friend sand we play for each other,” Marcum said. {Photo by Brooklyn Harmon}

Above: The boys varsity basketball team poses with the substate trophy after beating Tonganoxie March 4. The team traveled to the state tournament March 10 but lost to Andale. “[It felt] amazing [because] all of us seniors have always been close so that helped us gel together,” Richard Picek, senior, said. {Photo by Brooklyn Harmon} Left: Bryn Grandon, senior, wrestles during the Paola Invitational Jan. 21. Grandon said she enjoyed the relationships she built with her teammates. “They definitely help me though every match and every practice” Grandon said. “We all push each other to go harder and it helped us get to where we wanted to be.” {Photo by Jayda Logan}

Above: Ryan Pankov, junior, wrestles during the state tournament Feb. 26. Pankov said he enjoyed many years of wrestling with his friends. “Wrestling with all my friends [creates] a bond that nobody can really understand,” Pankov said. {Photo by Kylee Slyter}

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The reporter March 2022 Sports

Design By Addison smith

facing anxiety head on what students do to actively cope with their mental struggles A ccord i ng to the CDC, Reporter one in three high school students have anxiety. For Shaylee Crawford, sophomore finding ways to cope with anxiety was necessary for her to relax.

“A lot of the times I fidget and [listening] to music is another big one for me,” Crawford said.

“It calms me down or talking to someone else about it helps.”

She said she tries to make time in her schedule to care for herself.

“I take care of my mental health by taking an hour to myself [at] night to wind down, read a book or do my favorite things,” Crawford said.

While Crawford likes to listen to music, Cassie Davis*, junior, likes to bullet journal.

“Bullet journaling helps me reflect on what I did during the day,” Davis said. “It helps me prepare for the next day and [I can look] back and see how my day was on a specific day.”

She said she likes to bullet journal because it has no restrictions.

“It gives me the creative freedom to do whatever I want,” Davis said. “I can make exactly what works for me.”

Davis said she feels more relaxed at school when teachers are understanding and open to what students go through.

“It makes it easier when they understand what we are going through and they don’t treat all of us the same because no students are the same,” Davis said.

According to Forbes, a common byproduct of anxiety is over-

Reese Browning

thinking. Emmalee Morris, freshman, struggles with overthinking.

“Uncomfortable situations make me overthink a lot and grades [are] another big one,” Morris said.

She said she takes time to prioritize her mental health daily.

“Taking mental health days are good, especially [over] the weekend when I don’t have to do anything,” Morris said. “It helps me to kind of prepare myself for the week ahead.”

Aaron Koechner, junior, said he feels that his anxiety is mainly just overthinking everything.

“In general I overthink everything,” Koechner said. “But I have learned to deal with it by knowing myself and asking myself what is true and what are the odds that something bad happens.”

Deanell Wieland, counselor, said the way the students think really affects how intensely they worry.

“Sometimes people are thinking the worst and so we take it in ASK AskFOR for that direction. OK, so what if that HELP help happens?” Wieland said.

She said she thinks finding coping mechanisms that work for the specific person is the best way to cope with anxiety.

“Some of it is what are you will- Art by Reese Browning ing to try and are you willing to come back, get back together and talk about if it worked or if it did not work. It could be OK that didn’t Whether students struggle with work, but let’s try something else,” anxiety or not Wieland said. *This name was changed by Yes the journalism staff to preserve Rather not say confidentiality and privacy with the student.

anxiety in students 76% 14% 10%

Above: Many students experience anxiety for different reasons. According to the National Institution of Mental Health, 31.9 percent of adolescents have an anxiety disorder. {Photo illustration by Ashley Winterscheid}

top Three ways to help anxiety 1 2 3

“

Avoid triggering topics online Practice good stress management Understand that it is normal

Source: Northwestern Medicine

Chase Barenklau, senior

Having ways to cope with anxiety is essential for those who have it. Without ways to power through anxiety, it becomes debilitating.

“

Shaelyn McLean, senior

i would recommend talking to someone about your anxiety and not be scared to admit you have it, because everyone [struggles] in their own way.

No

Source: Reporter survey of 8 percent of students

Design By Ashley Winterscheid & Reese Browning

“Yo”

The reporter march 2022 School News

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The reporter mARCH 2022 ADS

07

a profile about Ella Rolf, junior

Perfectly Imperfect different styles show different personalities Crystals, old books, frogs and cats are what Ella Rolf, junior, uses to describe her fairy grunge and dark academia aesthetic. Rolf said her aesthetic reflects her personality.

“I describe myself as a very green person,” Rolf said. “I think I wear a lot of green.”

Rolf gets her fashion inspiration from social media platforms, like TikTok and Pinterest.

“There are a lot of good people with style on TikTok,” Rolf said.

She said it took her a long time to discover her aesthetic.

“I used to be into cottagecore and themes and it’s just really grown over the course of [around] two years,” Rolf said.

written by Ashlyn Pratt freshman Right: Ella Rolf, junior, pairs her dark academia aesthetic with colors in nature March 1.

Rolf said she did not believe many people wore this style. [This style may be popular] in Kansas City but probably not in Paola,” Rolf said.

Photo by Ashlyn Pratt

a profile about

Hailey Mcdiffett, senior

In a similar fashion mode of ‘90s grunge and hippie, Hailey McDiffett, senior, dresses based on how she feels that day. McDiffett does not follow modern grunge, but she describes her style as ‘90s Seattle grunge.

“I don’t care, but I do care,” McDiffett said. “That’s how I would describe it.”

She gets her style from Pinterest and the bands such as Nirvana and L7. The one person she looks up to for style is Kurt Cobain, lead singer of Nirvana.

“I stole my style from a grown man,” McDiffett said.

She said she sees her style as not caring.

“I like to wear a lot of black stuff,” McDiffett said. “I like edgy stuff [because] it fits me well.”

written by Ashlyn Pratt, freshman

Right: Hailey McDiffett, senior, shows off her hippie style March 1. She said she had not always been consistent with this style. “It took me since last year to figure it out,” McDiffett said. Photo by Ashlyn Pratt

a profile about

Sam Bonham, Freshman

Disliking wearing bland colors, Sam Bonham, freshman, prefers to wear clothing with some variety. In the past, Bonham said he was known for wearing fun socks with a lot of colors.

“I don’t like just black and white,” Bonham said.

Bonham’s typical outfit is a sweatshirt, jeans and a T-shirt paired with Nike tennis shoes. One way Bonham describes his style and his personality is approachable, but still a little bland. At least, Bonham said, he hopes his personality isn’t bland.

“I would be the wrong person for this,” Bonham said, “I don’t really

know how to describe it.”

Bonham said his style evolved over the years. He started picking clothes to be more comfortable, then this fall he tried to wear jeans more often. Bonham said friends and family have been his greatest influence when it comes to what he wears.

“When I started to get into the relationship life, that effected it.”

Bonham said.

written by Ashlyn Pratt, freshman

Right: Sam Bonham, freshman, shows off his relaxed prep style March 21. He said he chose to dress in this style every day. Photo by Ashlyn Pratt

Art by Natalie Glassel, junior

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The Reporter March 2022 Features

written by Ashlyn Pratt, freshman

a profile about Bailey Tuggle, senior

a profile about Jett Osbern, junior

In an opposite style category, sporty and appeal is how Jett Osbern, junior, styles his outfit for the day. He describes his style as what a typical high school student wears. Osbern said his sense of style has always come naturally to him.

“I’ve never really thought about it,” Osbern said. “I just want to look good.”

He said his style reflects that he is a normal guy. He said that he gets his inspiration from Patrick Mahomes, NFL quarterback.

“You [have to] love Patty,” Osbern said. “I look up to him.”

Right: Jett Osbern, junior, shows up to school in his comfortable and sporty clothing style March 1. Osbern said he believed his style was pretty common. “[I] like sweat pants, sweatshirts, shorts, Tshirts,” Osbern said. Photo by Ashlyn Pratt

To pay respect to her country roots, Bailey Tuggle, senior, prefers modest apparel. Her typical outfit is boot-cut jeans and a T-shirt.

“Whenever I was younger, I [did not] dress any different, [I was] usually in overalls, jeans and boots,” Tuggle said.

She said a couple of years ago she was one of few to wear jeans and boots, but now her style is becoming more popular at school.

“The western aesthetic is getting more popular,” Tuggle said. “A lot of girls will wear bellbottoms and stuff like that.”

Tuggle said she likes to be comfortable when it comes to dressing for the day.

“I like to dress in stuff I can do anything in,” Tuggle said.

written by Ashlyn Pratt, freshman Left: Bailey Tuggle, senior, uses her country style to express herself and her roots on March 1. She said she had dressed in this style since she was young. “Whenever I was younger I don’t think I [dressed] any different,” Tuggle said. Photo by Ashlyn Pratt

fashion history modern aesthetics rooted from the past Indie Indie clothing is a type of clothing that includes vintage, hipster and retro clothing.

Grunge

Dark Academia

Grunge clothing de-emphasizes the silhouette of the body and looks “untidy” in an attempt to mirror the cool look of popular musicians.

In many ways, Dark Academia parallels Gothcore; they’re similar in that they’re both moody aesthetics centered around, for lack of a better term, dark elements.

Bohemian Bohohemian style is characterized by long flowing or tiered skirts and dresses, peasant blouses, tunics and wood jewelry.

The look is often layered and colorful.

Source: Wise Geek, Harper’s Bazaar, Live About and InStyle websites

Design By Ashlyn Pratt & Natalie Glassel

09

Constant cycle Perfect who? sticking to a daily routine is beneficial

we need to drop the ideal body image

I have learned to follow and love my routine. Establish a routine, it will make life a lot easier for you.

Krislyn hadlock reporter

- krislyn hadlock, freshmAn

Wake up, eat breakfast, brush your teeth, just a couple of actions that take 30 minget ready and head out the door. utes, or you can be like me and take an We operate on routines on a daily ba- hour-and-a-half to complete my morning sis, and sometimes don’t even know it. routine before going to school.

As a student athlete, my routine reHaving a night routine is just as impeats itself 24/7. I wouldn’t be a success- portant as a morning routine. I love takful person without my routine. ing time to wind down at night.

I love being able to rely on it to keep me According to Educate Me, 49 percent in line and make sure I get through the of high school students with a steady rouday no matter where I am. tine experience high academic success Having a routine is for the next day. My important because it routine is simple: dinlowers stress and anxner, shower, homework, iety levels get more 6:30 - 7:40 read and bed. It takes sleep and have more me no more than an 8:00 - 3:10 academic success. hour, yet it is effective Having a routine 3:30 - 8:00 for a good night’s rest. boosts your mental As a student health. According to 8:15 - 8:45 athlete, I thrive off a study by Tel Aviv routine, morning and University, “repetitive 8:50 - 9:30 night, because I am routines are calming busy all the time. and reduce anxiety.” A 9:30 - 11:00 From going to school routine can also help for eight hours, to Art by Krislyn Hadlock, freshman you cope with change school sports, then and reduce stress. competitive sports, most nights I spend According to NYC Therapy, to create a away from home and so, being flexible habit, you have to do that certain task for with your routine is OK. 21 days straight. It is the same with a rouA great way to keep yourself in line is tine. If you always feel rushed or forgetful, by having a routine. a routine can help alleviate that feeling.

Mentally, an established routine is To prevent feeling rushed in the morning, a huge game changer. Physically, I get I prepare the night before by picking out way more sleep and feel amazing. I have my outfit and making my lunch. learned to love and follow my routine.

A routine will make your day go more My routines help me become a better smoothly. According to Niche, “An effec- person. Establish a routine. It will make tive morning routine is key to a produc- life a lot easier for you. tive and successful day.” A routine can be

My Routine

Get ready for school

School Sports Eat dinner and shower Hangout with the family Homework and bed

10

The reporter MArch 2022 opinions

“When all you hear is the negativity inside of your head, how are you supposed to have the self-confidence that you want. “

Makenzi Jones reporter

- Makenzi Jones, freshmAn

Being a high school student can be difficult. On top of all the everyday things, high school students often struggle with body image, rather it is thinking you need more muscle, or you need to lose weight, there are so many other possible reasons.

Most teen girls look at celebrities for what their body should look like. They scroll through Instagram and like pictures of girls with the “perfect body”.

According to Byrdie, the perfect body for a teen girl is abs, clear skin, a height of 5 ‘5’, roughly 130 pounds with a waist band being 26 inches and an hourglass figure.

Since this is what social media is telling us, most girls try to make their body look that way by over exercising or dieting. The truth is there’s not really a certain way you have to look or act. Just be you.

Not only girls struggle with body image, guys do as well. According to the Newport Institute, most guys struggle with their body image because they diet and over exercise causing muscle dysmorphia.

Guys are less likely to talk about their struggle with body image because there is a stigma attached to guys. They do not want people to know that they struggle with what they look like because they are supposed to be tough and strong.

A perfect body for a guy according to HealthDigest is just being over 6 feet, lots of toned muscle, clear skin with a shaved face. This is often unrealistic

for guys to achieve because they can’t control their height and muscle mass.

Guys use their peers as an inspiration on what they should look like since they often work out in groups. If they do not get this body image they often work out harder and eat less to get more muscle.

Many people are unhappy with their body image, causing them to have low self esteem, body-shame themselves, look at someone else’s body image to compare it to there’s.

Social media plays a huge role towards why teens often think they have to look, act or be a certain way. The people we see on social media usually tend to make everyone think “I need to try and be more like them”, “I wish I was as skinny as them,” “Do I need to start losing weight?” but in reality the answer is no. You are perfect the way you are.

The stigma around body image should stop because it makes teens have a toxic relationship with themselves.

If you or someone you know is unhappy with their body image, it’s not just you. You’re not alone. Body image can change throughout your lifetime.

When all you hear is the negativity inside of your head, how are you supposed to have the self-confidence that you want.

The Teenage Body Image website said if you have a positive body image meaning you feel good about yourself, you will have higher self esteem and a healthier attitude.

Design by Krislyn Hadlock & Makenzi Jones

Teacher’s pay Body and Mind teachers deserve more than what they are getting

people use essential oils in their day-to-day life

“The current wage for teachers does not match their educational degree and expectations.

With the price of food, gas and house expenses going up, teachers struggle to get by..”

Maci Scherman reporter

- Maci Scherman, Freshman

Teachers are stressed. They not only deal with teaching during a pandemic, they also deal with being short-staffed and having to help cover other classes. This interferes with grading and planning lessons for their students. Teachers must stay late, come early, or take extra work home because they lose their plan time to sub.

Teachers and educators make so little money in America. According to the Economic Policy Institute, “20 [percent] less than other professions with the same educational qualification.” The current wage for teachers does not match their educational degree and expectations. With the price of food, gas and housing expenses going up, teachers struggle to get by.

Many teachers get a second job, because they are paid so little. The National Education Association reported about 20 percent of teachers have a second job during the school year. They purchase pencils, erasers, supplies for a classroom craft or other classroom supplies to accommodate their students. They must spend their own money for a lot of the supplies.

They also use their own money for things they need for their classrooms. The National Education Association says that about 94 percent of teachers spend some of their own money on supplies to teach their students. Schools do not provide all of the necessary resources, so they must spend their own money for their classes.

Typically, teachers do not just work a 40-hour week. Many put in extra hours to prepare classes, improve curriculum, grade, communicate with parents and continue their education.

Design By Maci scherman & abigail bouse

Annual salary Avg. income by degree

$ 63,000

Masters Degree

$ 54,000

Bachelor Degree

School $ 45,000 High Teacher School $ 36,000 High Graduate Source: Average Salary by Educationbody, College Grads Salary and Salary Difference for Teachers

Teachers who feel underpaid move on to jobs with higher pay. Teachers feel their pay doesn’t match their workload. Schools lose good teachers and have to replace them with other teachers. This cycle repeats itself over and over.

If public schools had more funding, it would help teachers out tremendously.

They might not need a second job. Another thing that could help the teachers would be to have the school raise funds for supplies or have students bring in supplies for the teachers use. This would help to pay teachers more and supply their classrooms. The schools could also apply for grants to help supply the items the teachers have to purchase out of pocket.

If public school systems want to keep their well-educated teachers, they need to revise the pay scale for teachers. It makes a huge difference to feel appreciated by the district and the students, especially in the form of their paychecks.

“Essential oils have helped me overcome a lot of sickness and sunburns. It does work for me in many ways, including headaches, stomach aches, anxiety, nausea, stress and even sleep.”

Abigail Bouse

- Abigail Bouse, Freshman

reporter

Applying essential oils helps more than order them and help yourself without a just your body, it also helps your mind. prescription.

Essential oils are a better alternative Essential oils helped me overcome a lot than modern medicine. According to of sickness and sunburns.

Brent A. Bauer. M.D, the doctor at the Oils have worked for me by relieving Mayo Clinic aromatherapy can have many headaches, stomach aches, anxiety, nauhealth benefits, it can improve sleep, re- sea, stress and insomnia. duce pain from kidney stones, and relieve Everyone should give essential oils a anxiety and depression. try.

He is just one of many doctors that When I get really bad headaches, taksupports aromatherapy. ing over the counter drugs made my headSpecific essential oils can help with aches worse, so instead I applied pepdifferent things. permint on my neck and it relieved my L avender headaches. clears acne When I have a cold, scars and I can use immune supcan help port essential oils that with relievhelp my body fight off ing stress. the disease.

Clary Sage: promotes Ro s ema r y Most people think relaxation can clear the only way to help acne in a with illness is medicaSweet Orange: reducfew days if tion, however medicaes anxiety diluted with tion can be really exYlang-ylang: decreasmoisturizer. pensive, whereas most es stress If you have essential oils are only a cold you Source: Piedmont $10 to $30. can ingest People should try esThieves, all you would have to do sential oils because they are natural and is put a drop in your drink. can be beneficial.

Peppermint oil can help with nauEssential oils are good for you and the sea. environment since they are not using Essential oils can help your body in a anything harmful because it is all natmuch cleaner way than some of the chem- ural. It can help everyone with different icals in medicine a doctor could give you. things if they just research it a little bit They are easy to buy because you can and try it out.

healing help top three essentail oils 1 2 3

The reporter march 2022 opinions

11

sed hIDING hISTORY Abu Broken and foster care stereotypes What’s not shown in history books “Our history is not all sunshines and rainbows.

We need to stop hiding the truth.”

“Don’t make assumptions you know absolutely nothing about.”

Justice Jones

- Justice jones, freshman

12

The reporter march 2022 Opinions

- Justice Bright, freshman

reporter

reporter

When you first get into foster care, caseworkers tell you every decision they make is for your safety, but it almost never feels like it.

When I first was taken from my mother, I was 4. My mother got me back when I was 9. The second time I was taken, I was 11.

In sixth grade, I kept my home life a secret. I made some close friends that year, but I quickly shut them out. Eventually, being in foster care started to feel normal and life slowly returned to normal. However, I still decided not to tell any of my friends what happened because I was embarrassed about what they’d think.

While in foster care, my friends wanted to visit but I always made up excuses because I didn’t know how to introduce them to my foster parents. Luckily, in seventh grade, I moved schools, so I felt more comfortable inviting others over because nobody had known me before.

Because most people have no experience with the foster care system , classmates make assumptions about my life almost every day. I understand people have questions about the topic, however, it gets old.

Once I tell someone I’m in foster care, they look at me differently. I always try to keep this topic to myself because I’m afraid about how others will perceive me.

People constantly ask me, “So what happened?” and “Why are you in foster care?” While these are genuine questions, they are personal at the same time. I answer with “it’s a long story.”

Justice Bright

Common assumptions about children in foster care: They are troublemakers. According to Quora they assume they move schools because they got in trouble in the last school. Most of the time, however, children in foster care will move schools because they move to the school closest to their foster parents’ house.

They have been badly abused in various ways. According to KVC Kansas, most children in Kansas come into foster care because of domestic abuse or because of parental drug use. Oftentimes, these things happen while the kids are at school or asleep at night. This means that while the home is not a safe place to live, many kids in foster care have not suffered horrific abuse.

People who make assumptions almost never know the full story.

The assumptions people made about me being in foster care hurt my self-esteem and I started to care about what others think more than I ever had before.

It made me want to have a normal life.

According to Youth, the foster-care system is meant to provide a temporary arrangement in which trained caregivers, including kinship or relative caregivers, provide for the care of a child when their biological parents are unable to care for them.

Anytime I think about wanting a normal life, I just look at my situation as if my mom just needs some time.

If someone tells you what they’re going through, that means they trust you.

It is never your place to assume.

History is not all sunshines and rainbows.

In history class, we are taught so much,but also so little. We are taught what the public education system wants us to learn, but our education celebrates immoral figures, disregards women, and under-represents other cultures.

Many of the figures we learn about in class are celebrated for accomplishing feats that “benefited” our country. We are taught Christopher Columbus was a brave explorer, while others see him as an invader. We learned Columbus discovered North America, but millions of people already lived here.

Columbus set out to gain wealth and power from his voyage.

More importantly he helped destroy populations of Indigenous North Americans with brutal treatment, enslavement and death with no regard for human life, according to Biography.com. Many Americans revere Columbus for discovering America, but in reality, he never really did. America was already discovered, just not by a white, European male whose ultimate goal was to exploit any resource available for fame, wealth and credit.

In fifth grade, we started to learn about important people who did such great things for America, mostly white men. Women are underrepresented throughout history. As a little girl, my hopes were crushed because my gender was rarely represented when I opened my textbook. According to the University of Idaho, women are 50 percent of the population and are only mentioned 0.5 percent throughout history.

In history classes, they teach us women stayed home to care for the home, children and husband.. According to ABC News, teachers and schools use a timeline of wars

and political decisions that were made by men. This makes women’s roles in history disappear and change into “fragile objects’’ rather than strong and brave like men were portrayed.

All students need to learn about strong female role models,too. In history class, you begin to see this a lot. Women’s roles in history are not talked about, just because it’s not in our textbook. Women had a larger role in our history- so they should be present in our curriculum.

According to the National Women’s History Museum, educators don’t include women’s history in their curriculum goals. So many little girls sit through a history class wondering when people like them were going to be talked about, but they have to learn women do not get the recognition they deserve.

Many people may say we are being taught history, so we shouldn’t change the curriculum and this curriculum has been the same for many years.

There have been new findings and a lot more evidence. The schools do not want to change what we learn because they don’t want to make any of the adults angry. Many adults feel more anger because their children are coming home with more questions and they aren’t willing to talk about it, because it gets too political.

According to TIME, some politicians threaten to pull funding from schools because they fear how we learn history will weaken patriotism. I believe it will help us understand and love our country more.

Schools need to stop hiding our history and teach us what actually happened.

Design By Justice Bright & Justice Jones

1 in 570

a series providing a glimpse into the life of one out of the 570 unique students at PHS

Strength For Strong Wright overcomes difficult odds

Strength for Strong, Wilson Wright Reporter a simple phrase, but for Strong Wright, freshman, it became his fighting slogan. Wright focused on the slogan to get himself through the toughest battle of his life: brain cancer. From the moment he was born, Wright’s family said his name suited him well.

“My parents told me when I opened my eyes for the first time, I flexed my arms,” Wright said.

When Wright experienced blurry and double vision and headaches, he said he didn’t think much of his symptoms. Then, they worsened. .

“I came home from football practice in seventh grade and just passed out and collapsed on the floor,” Wright said.

After Wright fainted, his parents took him to a doctor.

“My parents thought something was wrong,” Wright said. “We went and got the back of my eyes checked out and noticed something wasn’t right.”

In November 2019, he got his first MRI, where Wright’s doctors discovered he had a brain tumor.

The doctors initially thought it was a non-aggressive tumor, but soon realized they were wrong.

They did an emergency surgery eight days after the biopsy, Nov. 20, 2019.

After the doctors removed what they could of the tumor, Wright traveled to St. Louis for radiation treatments and chemotherapy.

“The doctor said that insurance will cover payments and there is nothing they can do anymore,” Wright said.

The doctors gave Wright three months to live. After Wright’s first two rounds of chemotherapy, he had another MRI Jan. 28, 2020. One of Wright’s scars got badly infected, which landed him back in the hospital for medication.

“They gave me a lot of pills and after that I came back to school for a couple of months,” Wright said.

He said returning back to school was different than before.

“The main thing for me was I was extremely tired,” Wright said.

Wright said he was almost put on a feeding tube, but decided to do the ketogenic diet instead. ”I couldn’t keep my weight up since being on chemo,” Wright said. “I had to do keto because when your body produces ketone, cancer can’t grow and could [be destroyed].”

This means Wright couldn’t have sugar, had to eat very few carbs and his diet was just meat

and vegetables. Wright also said when he was in the hospital, the food was not good.

“My favorite vegetable used to be broccoli until I had the hospital broccoli,” Wright said. “It tasted like burnt water.”

His next MRI, after the four rounds of chemotherapy he did, showed the tumors continued to shrink and show breakage.

“The only thing they saw on my last scan was allergies and I didn’t do that,” Wright said.

“I give all the glory to God for that.”

Wright said he had lots of ways of motivating himself through hard times. Wright said he believes that if he keeps proclaiming something, it will happen.

“If you think you’re going to be fine, keep proclaiming it, you’re gonna live, you will get out of this, then you will,” Wright said.

Right: Strong Wright, freshman, holds a cross to represent his faith. Wright said he kept faith in God throughout his treatments. “We have power in our words and what we say. If we say we are going to be fine, we are going to be fine,” Wright said. {Photo by Lilia Parks} {Photo Illustration by Addison Smith}

Design By addison smith

Q

&

with James Earlywine, senior How would you describe your brother, [Strong Wright, freshman]?

[Wright] is the most positive [person] you’re going to meet. He quickly had to assess where he was at in life and what he was facing. Being diagnosed with [his condition], really [showed] him into his reality, who he was and what he was facing.

What is Wright’s best trait?

[His] best trait is definitely his straightup compassion and positivity.

There’s no one else that is that positive and optimistic in that situation.

How does Wr ight inspi re you?

Because [Wright] has faced so much, he has such a good frame of mind, the trust that he puts in God and his faith is just inspiring.

What have you learned from Wright?

I’ve always tried to make the best of any situation, but [Wright] is just continuously reiterating that [you must] try to be as [positive] as possible and make the best of every situation.

The reporter March 2022 features

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The reporter March 2022 Ads

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Springing into sports athletes prepare for their upcoming seasons during practice As winter sports social media Editor come to an end, spring athletes prepare for their seasons.

One way athletes prepare for their spring season is through other sports. For example, Adeline Stuebner, sophomore, ran cross country in the fall to prepare for swim. “[Preparing for swim] is the only reason I’m in cross country,” Stuebner said. “It helps keep me in shape.”

Through her years of experience in competitive swim, Stuebner said taking care of herself by eating well and maintaining a positive attitude benefits her season.

“Eating healthy and having a good attitude is just another way to stay involved and dedicated to the sport,” Stuebner said. “It helps me make friends and be more active.”

She said to get herself ready for competitions, she pushes herself in practice. “[I prepare for meets by] going to practice every day and [trying] my hardest,” Stuebner said.

Like Stuebner, Seth Aistrup, senior, said he works hard in and out of practice to prepare for golf season. “[I plan to] be out on the golf course until sunset everyday because I love to golf,” Aistrup said.

“That’s my main drive.”

Aistrup said he works in the offseason by doing indoor drills to increase his swing speed.

“I’ve been doing some workouts specific to golf in the winter since you can’t really go out to the golf course and play when there’s snow on the ground,” Aistrup said.

He said the most important aspect for him, and the rest of the

Ashley winterscheid

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team, to reach their goals is to make sure everyone attends practice.

“Last year, the team didn’t get to go to state, but I did,” Aistrup said.

“This year I’d like to see the whole team make it.”

Also with high hopes for his season is Mike Smith, head track coach.

“Our plans are to be peaking at the end of May at the state championships in Wichita to get ourselves on the team awards stand,” Smith said.

To get to state, Smith said the team works hard in practice each day by sticking to a routine throughout the season.

“We have a set workout for each day of the week based on when our track meet is that week,” Smith said.

He said he believes for his athletes to be successful, they should work hard before the season starts.

“The athletes [who] are not out for a winter sport should be doing some type of running to stay in shape prior to the season starting,” Smith said.

One athlete who used his off season to keep himself fit was Blake Ramsey, junior. Ramsey plays baseball and spends time preparing physically.

“I like to take a lot of time and condition my arm [to] make sure [it] is going to stay well throughout the season,” Ramsey said.

He said he believes the team will have a productive season if they work hard together and stay positive. “[If we have] energy on the team and make sure everyone’s keeping their head up all the time, [we’ll be successful],” Ramsey said.

Above: Jasper Logan, freshman, catches during a baseball scrimmage March 19. The Panthers had set up the game and played with Paola baseball alumni. “It was a good experience playing with the alumni and older boys,” Logan said. {Photo

by Brooklyn Harmon]

Q

with Makayla Hendrickson, sophomore

&

How do you plan to prepare for the season in practice?

I prepare by practicing like it’s a game. I give my full effort every throw, pitch and swing.

A

How have you prepared for softball in the off season?

Probably by trying to practice as much as I can, even if I’m just doing the motions.

How has preparing before the season been helpful to you?

If I didn’t practice during the [offseason], it would take a lot longer to get back in the hang of things.

Above: Grace Bull, junior, runs a 200-meter sprint during practice. Bull is a sprinter for the 100-meter dash. “When I’m at practice, it helps me the most when we work on technique and form,” Bull said. {Photo by Anna Campa}

The reporter March 2022 sports

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Staycati n vs. vacati n making the most of staying home or traveling

What we are doing plans for spring break

Missouri

Source: Journalism poll of 4 percent of the student body

Where are you going for spring break?

I am going to Mexico. I go twice a year. I normally go during spring break and in October when we have parent-teacher conferences.

ida

or

What are you looking forward most this trip?

I am looking forward to the warmth there the most.

ico

Where are you staying?

I am staying at a resort to chill and have fun with my family. I do not stay at the same place every time I go.

Mex

A

“”

Fl

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She will go to the Dolly Parton’s Stampede and spend most of her day there.

Source: Journalism poll of 9 percent of the student body

with Caden Cohee, freshman

Five tips for vacation what Bishop took to Florida 1 2 3 4 5

Snacks Sunglasses Swim suits Sandals Aloe Vera

Source: Emma Bishop, senior

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The reporter March 2022 features

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She will go to a place with mini-golf and go -carts.

March

Q

37% Staying Home 18% Working 16% Traveling 29% Undecided

Kena Leonard, sophomore, planned to travel to Branson, Mo. She stayed at a place called Big Cedar Lodge. When she arrived, she began unpacking.

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Before wrapping up her trip, she will spend the day at the resort and swim. Then, she will head home.

March

Branson, Mo Florida New Orleans California Arkansas Mexico

March

Kansas

Vacationers enjoy spring break 1 2 3 4 5 6

Leonard’s week in Branson

March

This is How We Travel

PLAN IT

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Source: Kena Leonard, sophomore Art by Emersyn Smith & Hazel Downum

Design By emersyn smith & Hazel Downum