2022-23, Issue 1

By Jocelyn Hamilton

Lillian Ardis

Yasmine Eison Jose Garcia Adele

Gerry Isabelle Greenmeyer Francisco

Guardado Jocelyn Hamilton Anreya

TRIPODIUM

Co-Editors

Lillian Ardis Francisco Guardado Staff

Yasmine Eison Jose Garcia

Adele Gerry Isabelle Greenmeyer

Jocelyn Hamilton

Anreya Ordonez

Editorial Policy

Letters to the Editor

The staff encourages letters to the editor from its readers. Letter should be taken to room 2117 or mailed to the Tripodium, 730 E. Magnolia, Salina, Kan. 67401

The following guidelines will be used in considera tion of printing letters to the editor.

Letters should be no longer than 200 words. Letters should be signed and must be signed and must include the address and telephone num ber of the author. No anonymous letters will be published.

If it is the wish of the author and editor is in agree ment, the author’s name by be withheld. The letter must not be libelous, obscene, profane and it must not infringe upon copyright. The letter must not be an invasion of privacy or disruptive of the school process

Tripodium

The Tripodium is dedicated to publishing news, features, columns and sports in an unbiased and professional manner. All new, feature and opinion stories are determined by the staff and they invite readers to contribute ideas to them. The publication is a forum for student expression and will not be subject to prior review by the USD 305 adminis tration.

Notice of Nondiscrimination

Unified School District #305 does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, or disability in admission or access to, or treatment or employment in, its program and activities and provides equal access to the Boy Scouts and other designated youth groups. Any person having

COVER: Seniors Maritza Avila Castro and Lydea Masaniai serve customers at Salina South’s coffee bar during ELO. photo by adele gerry

South should be a safe space

By Jocelyn Hamilton

In the last five weeks Salina South High has seen several incidents, which has caused students to feel unsafe in our school’s environment. School should be a space where peo ple feel safe and secure, but at South this is not always the case.

In the most serious incident on Oct. 11, shots were fired in front of the school shortly after dismissal. Luckily there were no injuries, and everyone walked away safely from the scene. Within less than 24-hours, three minors were arrested; including one former student and two current students.

An earlier incident on Sept. 22 a verbal bomb threat overheard by a staff member, this threat was reported to the police and the student was charged for a criminal threat.

Another occurrence was reported on Sept. 27 of a school shooting threat on Sept. 28. There was text written on a women’s bathroom stall saying “School shooting tmrw 8:30 a.m.” and “Get ready! Bring yo guns to school and let the fun begin!” This led to an increase in law enforcement in the building the day of. According to the Salina Police Department’s press release, “On September 27, 2022, a citizen contacted the Police De partment with information that led to the arrest of a 14-year-old female student of Salina South High School. The 14-year-old will be booked into juvenile detention.” Earlier this month Salina Central also received threats by graffiti, similar to the ones received less than a month earlier. Last week an evacuation drill was canceled because of another threat that was overheard.

With the increase of safety concerns in school parents have resorted to teaching their kids how to survive a school shooting, this includes having plans on if a school shoot er is in the building or right in front of them. Around the country guardians have even gotten to the point of putting bullet proof inserts in their children’s backpacks to protect them. These precautions are usually taken by elementary school parents or guardians, but middle schoolers and high schoolers are being exposed to these drills and worries as well more frequently.

Even with the increased security for a school shooting threat, in our school’s case many students didn’t feel comfortable going to school. As students we can advocate for a safer space, but we can also do our part. Calling our school’s anonymous line to report any activity that would put students at risk is a step in the right direction (South’s Num ber: 309-3820, State Number: 1-877-626-8203.)

The school can help as well; this could be having safe spaces available, training teach ers in regards to mental health or having a trusting relationship with students, social media regulation, and more that can make a school seem like a helpful community that wants their students to strive for success without threats to student’s safety.

South Speaks:

Teacher’s Version

What are some solutions you think would help the events from happening again?

“I feel like our schools take the appropriate action to work with the broader community. So whether that be the police department or making sure to inform parents.”

South Speaks

What’s your opinion on the recent events that have been happening at school?

Freshman Class

Sophomore Class

I feel like social media has a big impact on a lot of this because word spreads really fast on social media.”

Junior Class

“There’s always going to be people who want to stir things up, but I think that a majority of students enjoy the environment and they feel safe in the classroom.”

Senior Class

“I think it’s so childish. I feel like there is absolutely no reason to make your peers feel like they’re in danger.

“I think as a school and as a community we can do better with making sure everybody has a connection, feels safe, and has someone to talk to.”

“I think we need to address mental health in a bigger way. I do think we’re taking steps, but there are a lot of kids I fear are slipping through the cracks.”

“I think people should think about what they’re doing, and not make these dumb decisions”

-Jalen Cheeks

-Dave Joseph Cooper

-Allyson Exline

-Amanda Nguyen

-Elizabeth Burke

-Kevin Poland

-Kristen Fox

Exchange Students Join South

By Isabelle Greenemeyer

Taiwan

Taiwan, a country in East Asia, locat ed next to the Philippines and Japan. Tai wan is also referred to as the Republic of China. Taiwan has a total population of 23 million (2019).

Taiwan is filled with multiple moun tain ranges and would take around eight hours to drive around the island.

The two main religions are Bud dhism and Taoism; they consist of a unique culture that involves many Chinese traditions, the official language being Mandarin.

Taiwan is also famous for its tea, especially Oolong Tea. The Taiwanese flag became official in 1928. It consists of a red base with a blue rectangle in the upper left-hand corner and a sun placed in the center of the blue rectangle.

Yu-Wei (Alan) Chang, senior Taiwan

Q. How long have you been in the United States?

A. Two months

Q. Have been to the United States before?

A. No.

Q. What are the major differences between the United States and Taiwan?

A. School is much easier here, in Taiwan we don’t have AP classes.

Q. What do you miss most from home?

A. My friends and the food.

Q.Why did you come to the United States?

A. I want to see the world.

Q. What is your favorite United States food?

A. I really like the Carne Asada Burrito from Panchos.

Q. What are you interests?

A. I have been drawing since second grade, I especially like oil painting.

Q. What have you improved since coming to the United States?

A. My English has improved.

Q. What are your plans for after gradua tion?

A. Going back to Taiwan, I need another year to graduate in Taiwan. After I want to go to art school.

Q. Are you planning on doing any school sports?

A. I might do basketball.

Yu-Wei (Alan) Chang, senior, enjoys his friends birthday in Taiwan. photo courtesy of Yuwei (Alan) Chang

Yu-Wei (Alan) Chang, senior, poses with his friends for a photo in Taiwan. photo courtesy of Yu-Wei (Alan) Chang

Yu-Wei (Alan) Chang, senior, sings in Eddie Creer, vocal teacher’s, vocal class. photo by isabelle greenemeyer

Villads Albrechtsen, sophomore

Denmark

Q. How long have you been in the United States?

A. Almost two months.

Q. Have been to the United States before?

A. No.

Q. What are the major differences between the United States and Denmark?

A. School, in Denmark we stay in the same classroom all day, school is also a lot easier here.

Q. What do you miss most from home?

A. Seeing my family everyday, now I only talk to them once a week.

Q. Why did you come to the United States?

A. For fun, I just brought it up to my parents.

Q. What is your favorite thing about South High School?

A. I like the school spirit and sports. In Denmark we don’t have school sports.

Q. Difference in food between Denmark and the United States?

A. There’s a lot more fast food, I like the food better in Denmark. In Denmark there aren’t sour patch kids.

Q. Favorite part about the United States?

A. How nice the weather is.

Q. What were you most nervous about when coming to the United States?

A. I would be given a bad host family.

Q. How long are you planning on staying in the United States?

A. Until the end of the year, I might come back in a few years.

Denmark

Denmark, a Scandinavian country, is located next to Sweden and Germany; and the capital is Copenhagen.

Denmark has the oldest used flag in the world which was first acknowledged in 1219.

Another Danish fact, Denmark has the oldest monarchy in the world, dating over 1000 years.

The official religion of Denmark is Evangelical Lutheran, and the official language is Danish, although many can speak fluent English.

The country is made up of 400 islands in the North Sea, and no area of land is more than 32 miles from the sea. In com parison, Denmark is around twice the size

Villads Albrechtsen, sophomore, warms up before a soccer match. photo by jose garcia

Villads Albrechtsen, sophomore, practices on the field during half time of a varsity soccer match. photo by jose garcia

Villads Albrechtsen, sophomore, dresses in a suit for Central High School homecom ing. photo courtesy of Villads Albrechtsen

Falling Into Spooky Season

Fall Drinks

By Anreya Ordonez

Movies

Fall Movies

“My favorite movie is Ghost Busters,”

Ayella Ordonez said.

“My favorite movie is Corpse Bride,” junior Leslie Guardado said.

“My favorite movie is Mon ster House,” junior Franklin Figueroa said.

Murals Around Salina

By Anreya Ordonez

Mural Locations

1-Behind Second Realm. 145 S Santa Fe Avenue. photo by anreya ordonez

2- Behind the Stiefel Theatre. 151 S Santa Fe Avenue. photo by anreya ordonez

3-Walls facing the parking lot at 140 S Fifth Street. photo by anreya ordonez

4-Walls facing the parking lot at 140 S Fifth Street. photo by anreya ordonez

5-Walls facing the parking lot at 140 S Fifth Street

6- Ash and 5th street. photo by anreya ordonez

7-By The Prickly Pear. photo by anreya ordonez

8-Behind Auntie Ritas Jamacian Cuisine 145 S Santa Fe Avenue photo by anreya ordonez

MARCHING AS ONE

By Jose Garcia Band performs “Simply Latin” theme

Set One: The Band

“It’s a community for me; I feel like I’ve made a lot of lifelong friends, and I’ve formed a home here,” senior drum major Zoe Moreland said.

This year the band’s theme was “Simply Latin,” with songs including “Galeon,” “Bel lavia,” and “La Fiesta de Tigre.”

As the marching season comes to an end, the band reflected on the significant changes they made this year.

Drum majors typically conduct alongside the band director, Darren Brooks; however, this year, “Brooks has handed the reins to the students,” drum major Alexander Mueller said. For example, the drum majors would run morning practices at the start of the year without the director on site.

“I think it has been affected positively,” Moreland said. “Relationships in the band and communication are better when the band is student-led.”

However, even with the joyous afflictions, there are challenges.

“It feels like some students take the band laxer than before it was student-led. The freshmen and sophomores forget that this class isn’t social time with friends,” Moreland said.

This leaves both Mueller and Moreland reflecting on their underclassmen experiences

1. Senior William Fulkerson waiting before the half time performance of the pink out game. photo by jose garcia

2. Senior Zazzy Reitz preforms during South vs Hutchison football half time show in September. photo by jose garcia

3. Twirlers Freshmen Allen Johnson, Junior Emily Streeter, and Tiara Fair during a half time show. photo by francisco guardado

4. Junior Xavyer Nouanlasy helping freshman Mykayle Sutton put on their band hat before going into the stadium. photo by jose garcia

5. The Marching Cougar trumpet section does a chant before the trumpet cheer during the games third quarter. photo by jose garcia

6. At Salina Stadium, the low brass section practices before the South vs Derby football half time show. photo by jose garcia

and questioning the band’s future.

The drum majors agree that the band has changed significantly over the past four years.

“It’s less harsh on the students,” Moreland said.

However, things are generally up in the air when questioning the band’s future.

“I’m not sure how the band will change. Band is a place where unexpected things hap pen, but I hope those unexpected changes will be positive,” Moreland said.

“I think the band will be filled with people that care about what they’re doing and want to improve,” Mueller said.

Set Two: The Color Guard

The second section of the marching band is the color guard. The team captains of Salina South’s Color Guard are seniors Zazzy Reitz, Merissa Bailey-Rios and Jaserin Sheridan.

“It’s become one of my families. All the people in it are really understanding and kind, and they always push you to be your best,” Reitz said, a feeling that all the captains share.

“I enjoy the team aspect of color guard and everyone pushing you to be your best,” Rios said in agreement.

Both captains said there aren’t any sig nificant differences in color guard this school year. However, the team did receive new air

blades and swing flags.

Senior Jaserin Sheridan said they hope that in the future, color guard becomes an activity in which people want to be involved.

Set Three: The Twirlers

The final part of the marching band is the twirlers. This school year’s twirler team con sisted of senior Malina Szyndlar, junior Emily Streeter, sophomore Tiara Fair and freshman Allen Johnson.

“Twirling has taught me valuable life les sons such as talking skills and great persever ance,” Fair said.

Fair has been twirling for nine years and the sport has been a big part of her life. Fair noted that this year twirling has been a bit more complicated. However, Fair continues that these difficult routines have allowed the team bond to get stronger.

Junior Emily Streeter also shares how she feels about the Cougar twirling changing.

“I don’t anticipate many changes to the program, except new twirlers; there are seniors graduating and incoming freshmen,” Streeter said.

On Oct. 22, the band marched at the Cen tral States competition. There the marching band received a rating of two. The Auxiliary received a rating of one.

MUSICAL WONDERS

Salina South students express their musical talent

By Francisco Guardado

“I think...music is much more than just someone singing. People can communicate through music, and it can be an escape. I think it’s crazy how much it can do,” fresh man Amber Jensen said.

Music is an essential aspect of life for more than half of the students at Salina South High School. Students engage in music by listening to it on streaming ser vices like Spotify Music, practicing music in a band or orchestra, and some even decide to teach music to students.

“Music is very important for anyone to learn. It engages both sides of our brains and helps us think more critically,” firstyear orchestra director at Salina South, Ty ler Kuder said.While it may be an elective, the concepts we learn in orchestra translate to many aspects of life. It is being able to work with others, listening, responding, and communicating both verbally and nonverbally.”

Kuder goes on to say that music can make a person. It establishes discipline and balance, Kuder experienced himself in the high school orchestra, which led him to teach his passion.

“My light bulb moment came during my junior year. My class had been strug gling with a specific rhythm, so we took time and drilled that rhythm until we got it correct,” he said. “Being able to lead a breakthrough like that for a whole class personally was exhilarating, and so that, combined with the respect and admiration I had for my high school teacher, led me on the path that I am on today.” And the path he’s on today is one that Kuder is very proud of.

At Salina South, he comes to orchestra class each day working his hardest and ex pects the students to do the same, precisely what the orchestra has done.

“They have done an incredible job stepping up and showing me that they can perform well, our last concert showed me that, and I am excited to keep raising the

bar,” Kuder said.

However, Kuder isn’t the only one practicing his passion. Students at Salina South, like senior Noah Temple, junior Ryan Franks and senior Paige Baird, are also expressing and pursuing their passion.

Pursuing Music

“Music is important to me because of its ability to bring out emotion in people,” senior Noah Temple said.

Whether it’s a hype song at homecom ing or a slow song for those nights driving around town, music just moves people, and to have people moved by art that I made is an incredible feeling,” said senior Noah Temple.

The young artist was inspired to pursue music after witnessing other solo artists on social media and producing their music without expensive equipment. However, there are still challenging tasks that arise in the self-industry.

“The hardest part about the production

is the technical side of creating a clean and professional-sounding track. It’s not as easy as recording some instruments and pressing releases. There’s a lot of grueling and boring work that goes into tracks,” Temple said.

Despite these “grueling” tasks, Temple has released two songs, his favorite being “sol.”

“My favorite one is a new release titled ‘sol’ because of the work that went into it and the show of improvement from the last released song. It goes in contrast from floaty verses to a powerful chorus showing frustrations that people may have about life and all the problems that come with the human condition,” he told Tripodium. Temple releases his music on all platforms, primarily on Spotify and Apple Music.

Temple currently takes vocal classes in high school but took private lessons to gain a deeper understanding of music theory and its application. Temple has extended these lessons to the instrumental aspect of music

Senior Noah Temple practices playing Mind over Matter by the Young Giant for the first vocal concert of the school year. courtesy of denalyn vasquez

as well.

“In the least cocky way possible, I do play quite a few instruments, but I’m best at guitar and piano,” he said.

After graduation, Temple plans to pur sue a music career in Nashville.

Making Progress

“Music makes me happy,” junior Ryan Franks said.

Franks plays two instruments: the cello and the guitar. However, he enjoys playing the cello more because he can play various songs than the guitar. He is also a vocalist, meaning he must balance the instruments and the voice, but “it’s not difficult balanc ing the two,” Franks said.

Despite the joy music can bring, chal lenges can also arise.

“The hardest part about music is that it’s easy to be hard on yourself when you’ve been stuck on a part of music for a while,” Franks said. However, he perse veres.

“Something that inspires me to play… is looking up to people who play the same instrument. It makes me want to be as good as them and even want to be better than them. Something else is looking at my progress and seeing how far I’ve come; it reminds me of how much more progress I can make,” he said.

Raphael Weinroth-Browne, an inter nationally renowned Canadian cellist, is someone Franks looks up to the most.

“He plays the cello, and I listen to him often. Seeing his success and talent makes me want to be like him one day,” he said.

Franks emphasizes that it’s important for people to engage in different types of music because it helps them find an activity or genre they enjoy.

Telling a story

Senior Paige Baird has played music since the age of five. And just nine years ago, Baird learned to play her primary instrument, the viola.

“The person that inspired me to start was my grandpa, but the person that made me want to keep going was my lesson teacher, Manda Degan,” Baird said.

Music can be very challenging in both the physical and mental aspects—un derstanding concepts and how pieces fit together.

According to Baird, staying with these

challenges can be difficult and cause the musician to think they are unworthy of playing a piece if they can’t grasp the con cept.

However, Baird perseveres because it’s a practice that she enjoys.

“It just makes me happy; it’s something I have become passionate about over the years. It’s like my safe space,” Baird said.

The subject is so much of Baird’s safe space that they plan to pursue music education at the University of Kansas. But, before heading into the future, Baird in tends to qualify for the Central States, keep up with the other talented competitors and get in the first two rows for her final year.

“Music is so incredibly important to me, I wish to make my career/fu ture out of it. Music is a universal language that we all appreciate. I try to write my own music but I can’t because of my complete writers block. But I love writing melodies and cool guitar riffs making amaz ing music. If I can write lyrics, I’m going to be making a lot of songs and try producing them. Music can be a way to connect so many peo ple and it is honestly in my opinion, the most special thing we can have in this corrupt broken world.”

- Landon Woellhof, junior

Senior Paige Baird plays the Viola in block three orchestra. photo by francisco guardado

In orchestra, junior Ryan Franks plays the cello. photo by francisco guardado

FALL INTO SPORTS

By Lillian Ardis

Unified Bowling joins fall sports

By Lillian Ardis

This school year Unified Bowling was introduced as a new sport.

Unified sports allow for a more inclusive environment, giving everyone the same opportunity. A single principle inspired the sport: to build solid friendships and better understanding for all players.

“This is an amazing opportunity for students,” Coach Carie VanDeCreek.

When bowling, special education students are paired with a partner from the bowling team. Competitors see this as an excellent opportunity just to get to know each other; allowing for an inclu sive sport.

“It is sweet to see how happy they are,” partner Anreya Or donez said.

The students play with state qualifiers from last year’s bowling season.

The Salina Bowling team competed for the first time on Oct. 11th. The Salina Unified Bowling team will also compete at the regional and state level.

Senior Brooklyne Baird kicks off the football game with the players by running through the cougar mouth during the pink out game against Derby. photo by francisco guardado

Freshman Dayton Brown throws bowling ball at the first Uni fied Bowling meet of the year. photo by lillian ardis

Danee Phillips prepares to hit the golf ball, phillips and sopho more madison durr qualified for state. “I got to play with girls at state who made it fun.” said durr. photo by denalyn vasquez

Freshman Jose Aranda attempts to get the ball back back from Salina Central. Regionals for soccer will take place on Oct. 24 photo by jose garcia

Junior Ryan Brown runs the cross country course at Bill Burke Park on Oct. 8. The cross country teams competed at regionals on Oct. 22. photo by denalyn vasquez

During the regional meet, at Salina Central, sophomore Sophia Burns gets ready to hit a shot. Burns qualified for the state meet. photo by berklie parson

Senior Brokelyn Webb sets the ball as senior Baylee Brin pre pares to spike the ball. The team is led by head coach Micala Anderson. photo by shayden weikle

Playing on a new level

By Yasmine Eison

In its inaugural season Salina South’s Esports team has started its competition this month. Esports stands for electronic sports and it’s not to be confused with video games.

It is competitive game play that takes video games to a whole new level. It takes communication, teamwork, strategic thinking, creativity, and leadership. It has its own rules and guidelines. The game play is between two teams.

PlayVS is the company that sets up all the teams matches. The Coach is Caleb Stewart. The team practices by just play ing matches.

There are two teams one named Rocket League and one called League of Legends. Rocket League’s captain is Bryan Hinojosa the League of Legends captain is Gavin Harris.

Rocket League

Sophomore Connor Kitchen

Sophomore Bryan Hinojosa

Sophomore Brian Maya

Freshman Sawyer Harris

Freshman Shamik Powell

Freshman Jorge Arceo

League of Legends

Senior Gavin Harris

Senior Mahin Rebman

Junior Marcus Coon

Sophomore Sarah Thongphetmanichanh Freshman Braxton Moxter

Freshmen Shamik Powell, Jorge Arceo and Sawyer Harris focus on Rocket League. photo by yasmine eison

Sophomore Connor Kitchen waits for his Rocket League screen to load during a practice. photo by yasmine eison

Freshman Sawyer Harris plays Rocket League. photo by yasmine eison

Freshmen Shamik Powell, Jorge Arceo, and Sawyer Harris practice on Rocket League. photo by yasmine eison

Sophomore Bryan Hinojosa and Fresh man Brian Maya listen to directions on Rocket League. photo by yasmine eison

How clubs use social media

By Yasmine Eison

Different clubs use multiple kinds of social media to keep students up to date. They also use social media to attract new students and audiences. Taegan Norris runs the Alliance club so it’s welcoming to LGBTQ students.

“I want to express myself and show di versity on the Internet and normalize what I do on a daily basis.” Norris said.

Norris is a great example of teens taking action, and stepping out of their comfort zone.

A lot of clubs use Google Classroom to keep updated with students.

Drama Club is one of the clubs that use Google Classroom.

“In the last for a couple of years, the Drama Club Google Classroom has become one of the main areas to post information. We also use our social media groups and our email newsletter,” Kate Lindsay said.

Drama Club also uses Instagram, Tik tok, Facebook and Snapchat. Their social media that is used less is Snapchat. Drama Club also uses their website to post upcom ing plays and events.

International Cultures Club uses google classroom to keep up with students as well. Juan Maldonado explained that the club is a voice for groups of international students.

“Putting up posters and talking to other students from different organizations to attract new members to the club” Maldona do said.

Senior Taegan Norris represents the Alliance Club. photo by yasmine eison

Juan Maldonado goes over there field trip in International Cultures Club. Pho to by yasmine eison

Juan Maldonado reviews the field trip to Kansas State University. photo by yasmine eisom

Sophomore Emily Troung listens to Maldonado go over his International Cultures club lesson over field trip. photo by yasmine eison

Junior Alexa Cruz Rivera listen to Juan Maldonado go over his field trip lesson and new directions. While working on chrome book. photo by yasmine eison

1. Senior Alexander Figueroa-Castro and junior Kara Davis enjoy their down-time and a snack during rehearsal. photo by adele gerry

2. Mrs. Paddy, played by senior Aubrey Powell, sits at an easel to work on her painting. photo by adele gerry

3. Senior Evan Dickson, junior Kirsten Lamia, junior Isabelle Greenemeyer, and

sophomore MJ White, gather around the prop table for conversation in character. photo by adele gerry

4. Sophomore MJ White practices their dia logue for the role of Mrs. Ethel Savage. photo by adele gerry

5. Senior Evan Dickson and junior Kirsten Lamia follow along in their scripts during re hearsal. photo by adele gerry

PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT

By Adele Gerry

6. Sophomore MJ White, senior Evan Dickson and senior Aubrey Powell ready themselves and anticipate their next scene. photo by adele gerry

7. Senior Alexander Figueroa-Castro, and ju nior Isabelle Greenemeyer, read through their scripts off-stage. photo by adele gerry