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P O W W O W
6450 US Highway 6, Portage Volume 78 - Issue 3 - December 2017
Haunted Holidays A new location for Haunted Hills Hospital also brought about new spooks....for the holidays. See what you can expect from their new haunted house.
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Table of Contents - December
In this Issue... News 04 Haunted Hills brings jolly scares 05 Yearbook Info
Features 06 Krause looks to win 5k series
08 Students weigh in on Christmas 10 Students share 2018 resolutions 11 Pros and cons of teacher moms 12 Grinds my gears 14 Barragan deals with NMO
Sports 15 Wrestlng looks to bounce back 16 Swim adjusts to new coaches 17 Gymnasts look towards state
Opinions 18 Pitbulls don’t deserve stereotype
19 The importance of birth control
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Editor-in-Chief Tori Henderson
Design Editor Kaylee Darnell
Managing Editor of Print Trenton Haraminac
Social Media Editor Jessica Butz
Managing Editor of Web Evan Gerike
Staff Writers Emily Extin Darius Owens Becca Rosado Jamie Valadez
Photography Editor Madison Perez
Staff Photographers Bri Fravel Gracie Hansen Hope Anderson Mackenzie Guth Staff Designers McKenzie Price Sarah Russ
News - December
Raises give teachers reason to stay
Contract puts Portage wages equal to other schools Evan Gerike
The Portage Association of Teachers and the Board of Managing Editor of Web Education recently agreed on a contract to give teachers raises @evangerike and bonuses. The bonus is based strictly on attendance, and will go quarter by quarter. “The state comes up with a certain pool of money that we can give as a bonus,” said Head Principal Max Gill. According to Gill, the bonus varies year to year, but was around $370 last year. To earn the raise, a teacher must be returning to the school system for another year of work. They must also have received an effective or highly effective evaluation from the school’s principals. So when a principal is in your classroom, be on your best behavior. Your teacher’s salary depends on it. “The raise is based on last year’s evaluations,” Gill said. “My assistant principals and I evaluate all the teachers, and if they were effective or highly effective, they get the raise.” English teacher Amy Hert recognizes how important the raise is for the teachers. “I think it’s a huge deal [for the teachers],” Hert said. “When I went into teaching, you used to automatically get at least something every year.” Hert refers to that something as the “you survived a year of teaching” bonus. “Here’s a little bit of money since you’re probably a better teacher since you survived that year,” Hert said. Hert said the automatic bonus was stopped as she went into her second year of teaching. “A lot of districts had to figure out how they were going to do that again,” Hert said, referring to a giving a yearly raise. “As a
“This raise is going to help teachers feel like they are appreciated, and that this is a good district to stay in.”
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result, a lot of us got sort of stuck wherever we were when the state changed that law. So instead of making as much money as, you know, people sort of thought they would be at that point, we weren’t.” This raise is a way for Portage to close that gap of what teachers thought they would be getting paid versus what they are. Teachers will now be getting paid closer to what they should be based on their years of experience. Hert says she will be receiving a raise, and is on track to earn the bonus for the second quarter. “It’s a huge deal, because as a teacher, I’ve not seen much money for the years of experience that I have accrued,” Hert said. The new contract is expected to help out not only the teachers themselves, but the entire school district. The raises will put first year teachers at a starting salary that leaves Portage at a competitive starting point with other schools in the area. “It benefits us because it helps us stay competitive with other school districts,” Gill said. Gill puts one hand up high, and the other slightly more than a foot lower. “If other school districts are up here, and we’re down here, then teachers are going to want to move to other school districts,” Gill said. “Portage was one of the lowest paying school districts in our area,” Hert said. “It can be difficult to bring in new teachers because they can go somewhere else and make more money. I think this raise is going to help teachers feel like they are appreciated, and that this is a good district to stay in.” The state of Indiana has faced a large teacher shortage over the past several years, with ninety-four percent of Indiana school districts reporting a shortage in the fall of 2017. “We love the school and we love the kids and we love the coworkers, but when you’re struggling to pay the bills and you have to work a second or a third job, then you start to wonder, ‘is this really worth it?’” Hert said. “I think this raise is going to help us combat that, and hopefully keep the teachers we have.” The raise also puts Portage above the state average for a starting teacher salary. “I’m really proud of our Portage teachers’ association and our board coming to an agreement that makes us competitive with other Duneland Athletic Conference schools,” Gill said.
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Design by: Madison Perez
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News - December
Wreck’d the halls Employees of Haunted Hills Hospital are creating a new and interesting interperitation of what christmas means to them. Darius Owens
Christmas has always been such a jolly time of the year, but Staff Writer Haunted Hills Hospital is changing what you normally expect to see @_antwann_ from Santa Claus. Wreck the Halls invites you to “travel through haunted hills hospital and see the special kind of christmas that each of our patients have to bring.” Student employee and junior Joshua Phelps says this holiday season is going to get a little bit crazy. “All of the main characters are trying to become the best Santa Claus there is, which causes all hell to break loose,” Phelps said. This is the first year the creator of the Haunted Hills Hospital, Justin Hill, has put on such a crazy themed event. The staff is hoping for high attendance just like any other haunted house they have put on in the past. This event will showcase many different patients’ stories and their wild interpretation of the holiday season. “When attending this event, people should expect a more evil, sinister feeling to the usual haunting we have, but we will keep the same insanity as you would see during Halloween,” Phelps said. The creators of the production put a lot of time and effort into making the experience a success. According to student employee and senior Samantha Marsh the hospital has over 120 actors that will participate in this christmas
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themed haunted house.
“In the original haunt a person would pull the lever, I would fall to the ground, wake up as a zombie and say *makes zombie noise*” Sophomore Autumn Henderson has a particularly shocking part at the Haunted Hills Hospital. “In the original haunt a person would pull the lever, I would fall to the ground and wake up as a zombie and say *makes zombie noise*, but then I pull my partner and choke him against the cage,” Henderson said. As for any of the other frights in Haunted Hills Hospital you will have to see it for yourself next time.
Design by: Sarah Russ
Ad - December
YEARBOOK 2018 Order your 2017-2018 yearbook by January 29! You won’t be able to purchase them after the deadline date! They are $75.00 Come to room 153 to purchase your yearbooks or go to YearbookOrderCenter.com Design by: Kaylee Darnell
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Feature - December
Santa Clause is comin’ to town Word Bank: Candy Christmas Cookies Lights Presents Reindeer Rudolph Santa Snowflakes
C Q Q Q
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D B S V
S U K Z
F E T X
F R E H
W T Q M
S D B Y
Q S Q D
A D P B
Feature - December
What’s your favorite Christmas movie?
The Grinch
A Christmas Story Brock Peele, 11
Photos by Hope Anderson
Derek Marshall, 12
We ran a 24 hour poll and asked the students of PHS... What’s your favorite Christmas song?
Let It Snow
28% 21%
Santa Baby
46%
Frosty The Snowman
5%
Jingle Bells
Design by Sarah Russ, McKenzie Price and Jessica Butz
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Feature - December
New Years Resolutions
Abby Waugh, 12- To better myself and realize my worth and put myself first for once.
Kameron Someson, 12- To stop missing school as much and to drink more water.
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Aleacia Sexton, 12- To be more organized and efficient.
Jordan Jenne, 11- To actually get a girlfriend. Stories by Jamie Valadez Design by Kenzie Price Photos by Hope Anderson
Feature - December
Mamma Mia
Students share how they feel about their moms working at PHS.
PHS’s music department secretary, Veronica Labonte, loves to embarrass her son, junior Brandon English. His favorite part of his mom being here all day is getting all the extra snacks throughout the day and his least favorite part is her always trying to embarrass him. “She tries (to embarrass me) but she ain’t slick.” said English. This is Mrs. Labonte’s first year at PHS. Freshman Bree Kehoe loves that her mom, guidance counselor Charity Kehoe, works at the school because she doesn’t have to carry her stuff around, she just puts it in her office. “My favorite part is I can talk to her whenever I want,” said Bree Kehoe. Her least favorite part is that her mom comes into her biology class and she can get kind of embarrassing. This is Mrs. Kehoe’s 18th year working at PHS.
Having a mom in the school has its moments for junior Connor Belt. “For the most part though it’s nice because whenever I need something, like a paper signed or a ride home, she is always in the school.” said C. Belt. Rebecca Belt is the librarian for PHS. Connor Belt’s favorite part is whenever he needs something his mom is in the school and his least favorite is that his mom knows all his teachers and can easily get in contact with them. This is my Mrs. Belt’s third year at the high school.
Stories by Jessica Butz Photos by Kenzie Guth
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Feature - December
Grinds my gears PHS students tell the Pow Wow what really grinds their gears. chocolate ice cream -Ian Mulle, 12
no one goes/participates in the student section -Jimmy Drescher, 11
when you say something in the groupchat and people ignore you -Jackie Alaniz, 11 most of the water fountains don’t work on second and third floor -Ryan Crnarich, 11 The wait in the Steak ‘n Shake drive through -Cameron Tabor, 9
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Feature - December
when people think they’re too cool to respond to a text -Everardo Zuniga, 12 when someone gets mad at you for not responding but really you don’t like them -Evan Gerike, 11
the price of bath and body works candles -Connor Belt, 11
when people ask when INN is coming back but it is all up to the IT department -Megan Stilwell, 12
how Mr. Gill says all of the morning announcements before he says the pledge so we all just stand there awkwardly til he says it -Riley Damian, 12 11
Feature - December
Barragan After a realizing she has talks about her sturgles Becca Rosado Staff Writer @becca_rosado01
This past November the Portage High School girls basketball team
recognized a former player in a special way. Payton Barragan was diagnosed with NMO, which is short for Neuromyelitis Optica. Because of this she has had to retire from her basketball career. NMO is a condition that damages the optic nerve and causes many symptoms, with one of those symptoms being loss of vision. Barragan was one of the few that lost vision in her left eye. Inhibiting her from being able to play basketball. Barragan has been playing basketball for many years, as far back as PYB [Portage Youth Basketball] and she was devastated when she found out she could not play anymore. The diagnosis came shorty after one of Barragan games during her sophomore season. “Coach told me to guard to my left and I could not see the girl that was there,” said Barragan, “I realized I couldn’t see out of my left eye at that point.” From there on out Barragan was taken to different hospitals and emergency rooms to see what was the issue. She was then diagnosed with NMO and went through treatment to help with it. Over the summer Barragan was not giving up the sport she had loved so much without a fight. She continued to go to basketball camps, however she said it just got too difficult. “It was just too hard,” Barragan said, “plus I wanted to protect my last good eye so I don’t go completely blind.” After talking to varsity coach Marc Bruner, Barragan and her family ultimately decided for her to stop
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Strong NMO, Barragan and new beginngs. playing basketball to help protect her from anymore damage. This year Barragan was predicted to be on the varsity team, but obviously there was a change in plans. Because of this, at one of the first home games the girls on the varsity team presented Bargain with her varsity letter. Now allowing her to get a lettermans jacket. “It was an amazing feeling getting my letter,” Barragan said, “I was just so happy it was just so nice of Coach Bruner to do this for me Teammates of Barragan, such as Alexis Switzer, said they were sad to see her go and not be able to play, but were happy to be able to give her a varsity letter. “I’ve grown up with Payton,” Switzer said, “it just felt really good to be able to give her her letter because I’ve known her and played basketball with her for so long, she really deserved this.” Switzer and Barragan have grown up together and even played basketball together when they were younger. Barragan said it was a great feeling to have Switzer be the one to physically hand her her own letter. The game which the letter was a game to raise awareness for NMO. Barragan wanted to raise awareness for NMO and show that it does affected many people’s lives. Once Bruner heard of this he told Barragan and her family that the basketball team would sponsor it. From there on out Barragan was recognized and t-shirts were sold during the weeks leading up to the game to help raise awareness for NMO. Barragan is very thankful for everyone that supported her through these times as well as being able to play basketball for all these years.
Barragan at the NMO sponsered girls varsity basketball game. Barragan was recognized for her time as a basketball player before she had to stop due to NMO. Photo by: Bri Fravel
Sports - December
Refuse to Lose
Wrestlers share how getting second place at the Traicoff Invite has motivated them even more for a state title.
1st Portage Wrestling
Jessica Butz
When you are second in the state and thirty sixth in the country as a team, losing is not an option. Portage wrestling is going through quite a few changes this season ranging from two of their returning varsity Social Media Editor starters being injured to having a new transfer student, junior DJ Washington. He transferred for Marian Catholic High School. Washington is currently ranked 3rd at the 152 lb. weight class. Besides winning a state title @jessicabutzz this season, Washington’s goal is to make it through practices. “The practices are very different than my old schools,” said Washington, “There was no morning practices.” Junior Brock Peele loves having Washington be a part of the team. “He doesn’t have the same body type or wrestling style as any of us,” said Peele, “We didn’t have anybody at his weight class, so it was perfect timing.” The wrestling team wrestled at the Calumet Traicoff Invitational on December 9th and got second place, losing to Indianapolis Cathedral in the finals. Washington and Peele both went 3-1 on the day. “I just need to work on scoring and be quicker and faster,” said Peele, “ Keeping my composure and not letting my opponent control the pace is important.” Peele loves being a Portage wrestler because he is able to train with the best kids in the state/ country and he has the best coaches. Besides winning a state title, Peele’s goal is to score as many team points as he can, set the pace during his matches, and show off everything his coaches have taught him. The Indians have meets every Wednesday at 6:30.
Peele wrestling junior Bryce Skipton at wrestle offs for a varsity spot. Peele won the match.
Washington working his way to pin his opponent. Washinton won his match. Photos by Gracie Hansen
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Sports - December
Making a splash
Boy swimmers take this year on as a challenge.
Jamie Valadez Staff Writer @jswagggiee
This season is looking up for the Portage Swim team after having to get several new coaches earlier on. Senior Noah Gutierrez has returned to swim after taking a year and a half off, and says that his season
has been a bit of a challenge so far. “My biggest challenge will be keeping up with my expectations because I set them a bit higher than where I am right now due to the fact that I didn’t swim last year,” said Gutierrez. Returning senior Jacob Mendoza is looking forward to finishing his last year as an Indian. Mendoza is coming into his final season with a strong mindset. “My mindset is more concentrated. Before, I was all over the place and didn’t know how to approach things mentally, but now that I know how to approach things I can actually enjoy the sport,” said Mendoza. According to Mendoza, his biggest challenge will be getting
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back into top shape. “I have a big gap to fill from last year, but I know I’ll get there,” said Mendoza. The two seniors are looking forward to many things inr their final year. “I’m really looking forward to the competitiveness of the whole sport and being with my second family,” said Mendoza. On the other side, Gutierrez is looking forward to the more physical things. “I’m looking forward to getting in great shape again and having fun with it,” said Gutierrez. Mendoza and Gutierrez both swim several challenging events. Mendoza partakes in the 100m Butterfly and the 100m Backstroke, and Gutierrez swims in the 200m and 500m Freestyle along with the 200m and 400m relay. “My biggest goal is to leave this season proud and and with no regrets,” said Gutierrez. Overall this season, Mendoza and Gutierrez are striving for greatness. Both are working hard to get back into top shape and compete well for themselves and to help the Indians win as many meets as
Sports - December
Flipping into the new season
The girls gymnastics team looks to advance to state Trenton Haraminac
As the season Managing Editor of Print begins to @haraminac change, so do the sports at PHS. The fall sports are coming to an end and winter sports are in full swing preparing for the upcoming season. For some students it is just another season but to others (seniors) it is their final season. For most it will be their final season ever and for others who are
“My favorite thing about being on the team was all the friends I got to make and cheering each other on at meets.”
lucky enough to continue playing it will be there final season before competing for a new team. “My favorite thing about being on the team was all the friends I got to make and cheering each other on at meets.” said Senior Emma Garzella “I'm most excited to see how far I've come these past 15 years.” So as the girls gymnastics team prepares to begin their season they will look to improve upon last season and continue to get better. For the seniors on the team they are hoping to have their best season yet. Garzella also said that their goal for the season is to make it to state as a team. If the team wants to achieve their goal and make it to state they will have to prepare for a long season. To make it to the state finals they would have to compete all the way to March 10 where the finals are held at Ball State in Muncie Indiana. The girls first competition will be on Saturday December 16th at Laporte where they will look to start their season off on the right foot with a win. Not only will a win set the pace for a good season but give the team confidence going forward.
Girls Gymnastics Schedule Thurs, Jan 11 vs. Lake Central Mon, Jan 15 vs. Michigan City Thur, Jan 18 vs. LaPorte Sat, Jan 20 vs. Concordia Mon, Jan 22 vs. Crown Point Mon, Jan 29 vs. Hobart Thu, Feb 1 vs. Merrillville Wed, Feb 7 vs. Valparaiso Tues, Feb 13 vs Lowell Wed, Feb 14 vs. Chesterton Sat, Feb 17 @ Crown Point DAC Championship Sat, Feb 24 @ Chesterton IHSAA Sectional
Left: Arianna Delgado Right: Cassie Prohl perform during practice. Photos By: Bri Fravel
Home Game
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Opinion - December
Pitbulls are no worse than other dogs Did you know that pitbulls have the same possibility of being “vicious dogs” as any other breed? They only become violent if they’ve been abused, or bred incorrectly. People are very easily intimidated by pitbulls because they are known to be extremely strong, but fear is mostly antagonized due to their unfair labeling. Contrary to common belief, not all pitbulls are fighters. The only fight they might Chloe Frey give you is an attack of slobbery kisses. Pitbulls are just as sweet and Staff Writer loving as any other kind of dog. @phspress Society’s judgement thinks very differently. Take religions as an easy visual representation; a very popular discussion amongst people is Christianity. A huge handful of people despise Christians, because there are people out there that ruin the reputation of what a Christian really should be. Example being that one of the commandments they’re meant to follow is to treat your neighbor as yourself, or more importantly don’t judge. You see hate plastered all over social media against them due to those that think it’s their place to judge another person, bash them for not sharing beliefs, or acting as if they have the right to tell you whether or not you’re going to hell. Not every Christian is a shaming, judgemental person. Another analogy being the one kid in class who acts out, and ruins privileges for everyone in the room. What about stereotypes? A lot of teenagers despise them. You’re Asian? You must be an A student. You listen to punk music and
dress differently? You must be a delinquent. You’re Hispanic? You must speak Spanish as well as English. Although many people can attest these all to be false in many cases, there’s always a few that serve and make up the stereotype to begin with. Is it not any different for Pitbulls? Are there some out there that are ‘mean’ and ‘violent’? Of course there are! Unfortunately, that is just how they were raised up to be. Puppies are just like babies, when they grow up to be dogs (much like humans) the outcome is usually affected on how they were raised or how much trauma, emotional, and or physical abuse they suffered from. It’s that way for any breed of dogs. So why is it so harshly put on Pitbulls? That’s mostly because out of most dogs they are considered to be one of the strongest so they can do the most damage. When injury from a pitbull is reported, it of course seems more severe. That led to many towns having bans on pitbulls. It isn’t fair to the ones who don’t deserve it because they don’t have any of those stereotypical characteristics. Every year over one million pitbulls are put down in shelters because they aren’t being adopted. They want companionship just as badly as people do. Every pitbull has their own personality. Some are very playful and spunky, while others are the biggest couch potatoes you will probably ever meet. To each their own! If you need a furry friend to watch Shameless or Stranger Things with and you are considering getting a dog, why not think about buddying up with a pitbull? Shelters are usually more than packed with them. To people who have had more than one dog in their life, one thing to always remember is that you are their whole life. They spend it being loyal to you with enthusiasm and lots of love in their hearts, shown through their constant company, wiggling tails, and excessive kisses. In conclusion, pitbulls aren’t at all what they are made out to be. They are sweet passionate dogs that deserve more love and less fear.
Portage should switch to block schedule Madison Perez Photography Editor @madi_uknoe
Everyday, a teacher, sees a student for 45 minutes. Within 45 minutes, a student is expected to pay attention, to answer questions that are not always obvious to the student, and retain information as if all students have an elephant
brain. On top of it all, they expect us to do loads of homework. On average, a student is expected to do two to three hours of homework a night, but what teachers do not always comprehend is that students have seven classes a day. The two to three hours is for all of a student’s classes, not just theirs. To help Portage’s students and teachers with the frustration of homework, Portage should switch to a modified block schedule.
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If Portage were to be on a modified block schedule, a student would have all classes on Monday, four classes on Tuesday and Thursday and four different classes on Wednesday and Friday. As of right now students have seven classes that are all different throughout the day, causing students to have to try to remember and retain new information everyday for each class. With the mod schedule we are on currently, teachers have to rush through chapters and it leaves students struggling to keep up. If we were on a modified block schedule, teachers would have more time during the class period to teach and help students because they would not have to try to teach so much in forty-five minutes. They would have an hour and thirty minutes to teach and instruct students. This would benefit students by giving them more time to ask questions and digest information.
Opinion - December
Birth contol is more than just a pregnancy prevention New health care plan could be bad news for women
Becca Rosado Staff Writer @becca_rosado01
Birth control is something that should be easy to access and affordable to all. Many believe that birth control is only used for protection from pregnancy however, this is not the case. Many women in the US, like myself, use birth control to help with menstrual cramps, as well as other reasons such as endometriosis, ovarian cysts, and even acne. However, President Trump is trying to take that away from women in the United States. A man and a majority of his appointed political officials that do not have a uterus or have ever experienced the pain of childbirth are trying to take away the right of protection for women. Men are trying to take away birth control from women. Men that have never experienced cramps, or the feeling that you don’t have a choice to protect yourself. Trump can not do this for women, he has no idea what birth control can do for other girls considering he has never had to use it. Planned parenthood had a petition going around to help put a stop to Trump and his team trying to take away birth control. Men’s viagra is under the affordable care act by Trump. A pill to help men become erect is under the bill, but a pill, shot or patch to help women with more than just pregnancy protection is not. How is that fair? Simple answer- it’s not. So many young women use birth control for sole reason, to help with periods; around 33% of women use birth control for one sole reason; periods. Periods are a huge part of a girls life. Many people hate talking about periods out loud but it is something that doesn’t need to be kept quite. Birth control has helped tremendously with periods. From personal experience I would not be able to come to school during my period if it was not for the help of birth control. There are many period related diseases that can be helped with birth control. Endometriosis is one of those diseases. For those that do not know what endometriosis is, it is a when a woman’s
endometrial tissue appears and causes pelvic pain. This can cause infertility as well as periods that are unbearable for most, causing women to stay home from school, work, and even just simply walking. Birth control is one of the pills that can help ease some of this pain caused by endometriosis. Birth control is needed. It is not something that can just be taken away. Women’s rights should be the same so if a guy can get an erection by a pill then women should be able to take a pill for pregnancy prevention and much more. Ovarian cysts can be helped with the use of birth control. Ovarian cysts are caused by ovulation. Birth control is used to help prevent ovulation helping prevent ovarian cysts from occurring. Birth control helps regulates periods in general. Many girls suffer from irregular periods; meaning they’re period is never on time or a period can come one month but then not the next. With birth control on the pill, there is a set week that you will be getting a period because you take the pill for three weeks then you take a sugar pill for a week. Acne is helped with birth control as well. People that have hormonal acne can use birth control to help ring in the outburst of acne. Birth control uses hormones to help prevent ovulation but it also has other hormonal effects. Just like with acne: major acne can be caused by hormones. Birth control can combate those hormones helping reduce acne. Birth control is clearly used for more than just pregnancy prevention so why are ignorante white men in the white house trying to take it away. Trump if you read this please don’t take this away from us women. Many girls such as myself rely on this to help with more than just pregnancy prevention.
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What do you call someone who’s afraid of Santa? Claustrophobic
What is Santa’s favorite part of his foot? His mistle-toe
What do Santa’s elves go to school to learn? The elfabet
Letter to the editor To submit a letter to the editor, story ideas, corrections, or to place an advertisement, write your submission with your name signed and place it in the suggestion box in front of room 153.
Mission statement
Where does Santa stay when he goes on vacation? A ho-ho-hotel
How much did Santa pay for his sleigh? Nothing, it was on the house
Our mission is to present the student body of Portage High School timely information by reaching deeper, broader and closer with the content we put out to our readers.
First amendment
What do you get when Santa accidentally goes down a lit chimney? A crisp Kringle
What do you get when you eat Christmas decorations?
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.
Tinselitis
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