Staley Talon, Volume 14, Issue 1, October 2021, Staley High School

TALON STALEY

Staley High School Kansas City, Mo. Issue 1 Volume 14 October 2021

School Struggles To Get Enough Food 4-5 Disposable Cameras Make Comeback 13

Get To Know Foreign Exchange Students 16-17

CONFERENCE CHAMPS P. 10-11

Cassie Ford

Editor-In-Chief

Elyse Bredfeldt Reporter

Hannah Moore

Editor-In-Chief, Ads Manager

Fallyn Kowalski

Reporter, Columnist

TALON STAFF

Charlie Warner

Managing Editor, Copy Editor

Humberto Bermudez

Grace Winkler

Photographer

Reporter, Designer, Graphic Artist

Cherie Burgett, Adviser Jackie Uptegrove, Student Teacher

Managing Editor

Copy Editor, Online Editor

Beck Marier Staff

Cynnie Hatch Staff

Isabella Dorrington Social Chair

Alaina Licausi Staff

In the season’s final game against St. Joseph Central High School at Creekside Baseball Park Oct. 13 in Parkville, Mo., junior Hailey Herman swings. Varsity lost a close game 6-7, but ended the season as conference champions.

Photo by Cassie Ford

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

2

Brianne Tremper

Landyn Goldberg

4-5 NEWS School Struggles To Get Enough Food

6-7 NEWS Dress Code Reinforced

8-9 SPORTS Athletic Season Recap

10-11 SPORTS Softball Reflects On Season

12 FEATURE Freshman Collaborates With KC Rapper

13 FEATURE Disposable Cameras Make Comeback

14-15 FEATURE NHS Helps ALS Association

16-17 FEATURE Get To Know Foreign Exchange Students

18-19 FEATURE Expert Calls For Changes For Mens Mental Health

20 LIFESTYLES Switch From Cable To Streaming Services

Talon Issue 1 Volume 14 Table Of Contents

STAFF EDITORIAL: FREEDOM RESTRICTED Travel Restrictions Need Revamped

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tudent travel during school has changed noticeably from previous years. E-hall passes, Falcon Time restrictions and hall capacity limits have made traveling more complex. With the new e-hall pass system, students create a virtual pass to travel during class or Falcon Time.

While some may appreciate an environmentally friendly alternative to paper passes, there are some issues.

Some substitute teachers’ handling of e-hall passes is problematic, with them not allowing student travel because they didn’t understand the system.

Substitutes should be able to use paper passes.

Beyond the substitute issue, the system allows less freedom for students. Hall capacity limits leave students unable to travel if a set number of students are out of class or in the bathroom. The limits are counterproductive because in a school of more than 1,800 students, many will legitimately be

out of class. The limits need to be increased or eliminated. This is a large school with several hundred students, and the hall capacity needs to reflect that.

Falcon Time changes also affect student freedom. Student travel for clubs, meetings or academic help is more difficult, as restrictions have been placed on this time as well. There is no travel on Tuesdays. Club and academic travel is allowed on Mondays and Wednesdays, and only academic travel is allowed Friday. Students have busy schedules, and Falcon Time is an important resource to help them take care of business.

Travel restrictions have taken flexibility away from students.

Beyond Falcon Time travel restrictions, there are also class time travel restrictions. Students can’t travel in the first or last 15 minutes of each class. Whether it is day-of-the-week restrictions or time restrictions, travel is more limited.

The Falcon Time restrictions

CONTACT US

can be changed in some ways to benefit students while maintaining structure. The no-travel days need to go, as they are inconvenient, even if that was not the intended impact. Ultimately, there needs to be more flexibility.

The new travel restrictions were most likely well intentioned, but ultimately, some changes need to be made. A system that was intended to benefit students may end up being ineffective if these regulations continue. Capacity limits should be increased.

Additionally if the increased limit still is reached, if a student needs to make a pass the teacher should be allowed to let them create one. This judgement should be made by the teacher because teachers can be trusted to know if their students have a genuine reason to create a pass. If these changes are implemented, it will be more beneficial than the existing system.

Graphic by Cassie Ford

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Talon publishes quarterly issues during the school year. Talon will accept letters to the editor in CR202 or at cherie.burgett@nkcschools. org. Before the letter is published, we will need to verify the writer’s identity with a photo identification. Letters may not exceed a length of 350 words. We will not publish letters that are libelous, obscene or that may cause a veritable disruption of the education process at Staley High School. Letters must be signed. Anonymous letters will be discarded. Advertisers may contact the adviser at cherie.burgett@nkcschools. org, (816) 321-5330 or at 2800 NE Shoal Creek Parkway, Kansas City, MO, 64156-1313. Opinions expressed in Talon do not express the staff’s endorsement of the products or services. Talon is a member of NSPA, MIPA-MJEA and Quill and Scroll, JEA and JEMKC.

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For more stories, videos and photos, visit StaleyNews.com

Talon Issue 1 Volume 14 Editorial

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PACK A LUNCH? School Struggles To Get Enough Food

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tudents likely noticed the food in the lunchroom has been different this school year. Certain meals are being repeated, as well, some favorites from the past have not been served.

“I feel like they have the same exact thing almost every day, and it gets boring after a while,” freshman Morgan Garrett said.

The meal issues were no fault of the cafeteria staff. The North Kansas City School District was impacted by a nationwide labor shortage. They have been struggling to get food delivered after food delivery contracts were broken.

The district emailed parents and suggested they send their child with a packed lunch.

“If your child has food allergies, this may be wise given the number of menu substitutions we will be forced to make,” an email from the school district said.

Jenna Knuth, Food and Nutrition Director for NKC Schools, and Lisa Ruedisueli, Food and Nutrition Manager at Staley, said food services have been directly affected.

“Historically, NKC Schools’ biggest vendors were Sysco, U.S. Foods and Kohl Wholesale,” Knuth said.

Sysco dropped the district contract the week before school started.

“There’s not enough workers at warehouses to make orders and deliver food,” Knuth said.

Knuth said that schools have a low budget, while other

Talon Issue 1 Volume 14 News

vendors such as restaurants and businesses have a higher budget and are likely to pay more.

Vendors were more likely to supply higher profit margins.

In the meantime, the district was relying on smaller vendors such as Graves and F&A, as well as purchasing from local manufacturers to supply food.

“We are also working to find other distributors,” Knuth said.

According to Ruedisueli, the school cafeteria has faced staffing issues due to a labor shortage.

Currently, the kitchen is staffed with seven dedicated Staley staff members, and on most days they have two substitutes from other schools for a total of nine staff members. They are short three food service positions and have an assistant manager position open, according to Ruedisueli.

“We’re feeding about 1,280 kids every day in five lunch lines, so we have staff that come in early and people that pick up extra hours,” Ruedisueli said.

The cafeteria also had people who don’t work at Staley who come in to help out.

“We want to make sure that all kids are fed with no interruptions,” Ruedisueli said.

Sophomore Kaylee Miller said there was not too much change in her opinion.

“I think it’s definitely more quality food than last year,” Miller said. “This year there are way more options, and I feel like it’s more open.”

In previous years students who did not qualify for free and

reduced lunch had to pay full price for lunch, but this year is different. The USDA granted schools the ability to provide free lunch for the 2021-22 school year.

“It’s critical that our efforts to reopen schools quickly and safely include programs that provide access to free, healthy meals for our most vulnerable students,” U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona said.

Garrett said she gets pizza daily, and sometimes buys extra.

“I feel like we get less food,” said Garrett.

But Miller said she doesn’t mind meals repeating.

“I have more options, so if I do get sick of it, then I can pick pizza or chicken sandwich or something,” Miller said.

Ruedisueli said the cafeteria workers tried to encourage students to take all that came with each meal.

“The green beans, the banana, the cup of fruit, that all comes with the meal, and it makes the meal,” Ruedisueli said.

Both Knuth and Ruedisueli asked for patience and flexibility as the district tried to fix the food situation.

“We are thankful whenever we get a thank you, and we get a lot of them, so we appreciate it that the kids appreciate what we are doing,” Ruedisueli said.

Written by Fallyn Kowalski Photo by Humberto Bermudez Graphic by Grace Winkler

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT SCHOOL LUNCHES THIS YEAR?

Alex Kessinger, 12

“Obviously there’s less food, but I think it’s still the same quality. But it is underwhelming portions and amount of food.”

Thai Nguyen, 11

“It’s kind of bland, but it’s free,” Nguyen said. “But I appreciate the lunch ladies.”

Kadrian Barnett, 10

“I bring my own lunch.”

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DRESS CODE’S BACK After Two School Years Of COVID, Dress Code Reinforced

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he idea of a school dress code often brings about mixed emotions.

People may remember a friend receiving a dress code write up and feeling upset, or it may have personally impacted them.

Regardless of their experiences, the idea of the dress code is being reinforced.

“Given the last two years, a lot of things we have kind of forgotten in the before time,” assistant principal Jessica Hoffecker said.

While there has always been a dress code, students have found the impact noticeable this school year. Freshmen have started at the school for the first time, and previously-virtual students returned after being out of the building. Dress code rules can be unclear as time goes on, so administrators have been reminding students of the rules.

“I know the fashion right now is not conducive to our dress code,” Hoffecker said.

“When I am looking at things, it is a safety thing. I don’t want anything to happen that would be upsetting or embarrassing in any way.”

Hoffecker further shared general dress code guidelines, saying the main focus of the dress code was making sure body parts were appropriately covered and there were no inappropriate or offensive logos or references on student clothing. Hoffecker said administration strived to follow the district guidelines for dress

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code.

In addition to the dress code being a protective measure, Hoffecker said there are valuable lessons the dress code could teach students.

“One of the biggest things I think about is learning time and place,’’ Hoffecker said. “We operate in a school of teenagers who are learning all sorts of things, and our job is to teach a lot of stuff. Learning what is appropriate in each situation is also a bigger layer of all of this.”

“I DON’T REALLY LIKE ADULTS DRAWING ATTENTION TO WHAT I AM WEARING.” MORGAN NEWMAN, 11 Though school administration may have reasoning behind dress code enforcement, receiving a dress code write up typically isn’t a positive experience.

Junior Morgan Newman said a teacher gave her a warning for a shirt that had spaghetti straps and showed some of her midriff.

“It made me feel really violated,” Newman said. “I

don’t really like adults drawing attention to what I am wearing.”

Per district guidelines, the first violation results in a student’s parents being contacted.

Additionally, the student must change the article of clothing that violated the dress code.

If repeat offenses occur, the offender can get detentions and up to 10 days of in school suspension, all the way up to out of school suspension.

Hoffecker said dress code violations were mainly focused on having a conversation rather than making a student feel as if they were in trouble. She said most students were unaware they had broken the dress code, so she tried to have an open conversation that resolved the violation with them.

While administration had their intentions with the dress code, there were students on both sides of the debate. Some students had no issue with the rules and did not feel it impacted their daily activities.

“I think they’re pretty open minded,” sophomore Katherine Crist said. “It’s better than other schools I have been at.”

Sophomore Ashley Cotton was not a fan of the dress code.

“I think it is unfair to people because it doesn’t go hand in hand with peoples’ lives,” Cotton said.

Written by Elyse Bredfeldt Graphics by Cassie Ford

DISTRICT POLICY STUDENTS’ UNDERWEAR MUST NOT BE VISIBLE CLOTHING MUST COVER ALL SKIN ON A STUDENT’S TORSO AND MUST NOT BE TRANSPARENT

NO CLOTHING OR ACCESSORIES: *WITH EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED OBSCENITIES *THAT PROMOTE THE USE OF DRUGS, ALCOHOL, TOBACCO OR CRIMINAL OR SEXUAL ACTIVITY *THAT DEPICT HATE SPEECH OR USE WORDS OR SYMBOLS THAT TARGET GROUPS BASED ON SEX, AGE, RACE, RELIGION, COLOR, NATIONAL ORIGIN, ANCESTRY, CREED, PREGNANCY, MARITAL STATUS, PARENTAL STATUS, HOMELESSNESS, SEXUAL ORIENTATION, GENDER IDENTITY, GENDER EXPRESSION, GENDER NONCONFORMITY, PHYSICAL, MENTAL, EMOTIONAL OR LEARNING DISABILITY/HANDICAP, OR ANY LEGALLY-PROTECTED STATUS OR CLASSIFICATION

CLOTHING MAY NOT COVER A STUDENT’S FACE TO WHERE THEY ARE NOT IDENTIFIABLE (EXCEPTIONS FOR RELIGIOUS PURPOSES) DRESS AND GROOMING WILL NOT DISRUPT THE EDUCATIONAL ENVIRONMENT ALL STUDENTS MUST WEAR SOME TYPE OF FOOTWEAR

JEWELRY THAT COULD INFLICT INJURY OR CAUSE DAMAGE TO PERSON OR PROPERTY

Talon Issue 1 Volume 14 News

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FALL SPORTS WRAP UP Athletic Season In Final Stretch As he glides through the water at the Gladstone Community Center, junior Jason Callaway competes Oct. 20. This season, freshman Ben Gum broke a diving record, and the team expected multiple state qualifiers. “The team has done well even though we lost a lot of our seniors last year,” Calloway said.

“For the rest of the season, our team has a good chance of making it to state.” // Photo by Brianne Tremper Dribbling against a defender, senior Andy Lipp moves the ball during their 4-1 victory against Truman High School Sept. 9 at the District Activity Center.

The team looks to carry momentum as the District playoffs near. “My favorite part of the season was playing with the boys and helping them get goals,” Lipp said. // Photo by Landyn Goldberg

In the match against Park Hill South High School Sept. 28, sophomore Carli Hurtt readies her forehand. Varsity fell to the No. 1 seed Park Hill South, and ended the season 11-4. “I could’ve done better,” Hurtt said. “Going from No. 12 to No. 1 was a big change.” // Photo by Allie Misenhelter Lining up the putt, junior Jaylee Castro competes in the Oak Park Tournament Sept. 20. Castro ended up making it to state and placed fourth out of 81 players at the state tournament. “My parents were all like, ‘You got fourth,’ and I was like, ‘There’s no way,’” Castro said. // Photo by Sophia Miles

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Talon Issue 1 Volume 14 Sports

At the plate, senior Shea Martin readies to hit during the 10-0 senior night victory Sept. 30 against North Kansas City High School. The conference champions ended the season 20-7.

“Obviously it didn’t end the way I wanted it to,” Martin said. “However, the season itself was amazing. // Photo

by Landyn Goldberg

As he races to the finish line, senior Andrew Atkins competes in the Kris Solsberg Classic at Lee’s Summit North High School Sept. 18. Varsity is preparing for districts and a potential state trip. “I raced really well at all my meets, really strategically,” Atkins said.

“Winning at Lee’s Summit North and breaking the school record at Gans Creek really showed my hard work.” // Photo by Charlie Warner Starting out of the box, senior Haley Johnson leads the team out in the girls varsity race at the Gans Creek Classic in Columbia, Mo., Sept. 25. Varsity earned third at conference and are preparing for districts. “It went really well,” said Johnson. “I had a lot of personal records, and our team did good, and I like seeing them grow.” // Photo by Charlie Warner

At home, senior David Marshall and junior Deon Burtin make a tackle during the 8-10 loss Sept. 24.

After a rough start to the season, varsity football shifted their momentum, beating St. Joseph Central High School and headed into the postseason. “My favorite part is toward the end of the season how we connected and started playing as a team,” Marshall said. // Photo by Landyn Goldberg Huddling together, seniors Macy Tauke, Emily Burlington, juniors Gabby Ramirez, Ady Horn and freshman Mya Schirk celebrate after a point during their 0-3 loss to Park Hill South Oct. 18. Varsity volleyball was battling their way through the district playoffs at the time of printing. “We have made connections with the team, and we have fun with each other,” Burlington said.// Photo by Landyn Goldberg

Talon Issue 1 Volume 14 Sports

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TRIP DOWN MEMORY LANE

Players Share Favorite Memories

Faith Tessman, 10 “I’ve hit multiple home runs in my career as a softball player, but my favorite has to be that I hit to walk off a game. It wasn’t an important game, but it was really cool because it was a line drive out of centerfield.”

During the game against St. Joseph Central High School Oct. 13, junior Hailey Herman and sophomore Faith Tessman strategize their next move.

Herman said it was disappointing they didn’t beat St. Joseph Central High School, but that they gave it their all. “I think we did really good this season,” Herman said. “We accomplished a lot.” // Photo by Cassie Ford In the dugout Oct. 13, junior Sydney Becker leads the team in cheers for players up to bat. Becker said they had already beaten St. Joseph Central High School previously in the season, so she was trying to help keep them engaged in the game. “As someone who is playing and who’s involved, it’s one of my jobs to stay hype and stay up in the dugout,” Becker said. // Photo by Cassie Ford While practicing before the first inning Oct. 13, juniors Hadley Hodge, Caroline Ray and sophomore Rian Martin dance around on the field. Ray said that they were messing around, having fun and trying to get ready for their big game.

“It didn’t really end the way we wanted it to,” Ray said. “I still think we had a really good year, and it was a lot of fun.” // Photo by Cassie Ford

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Hannah Wiggs, 12

“Winning conference this year.”

Talon Issue 1 Volume 14 Sports

Paige Phillippe, 12 “Winning districts my freshman year.”

Hailey Herman, 11 “Going to Joplin this year and just hanging out with the team.”

Before the game against St. Joseph Central High School Oct. 13, the team gathered together to have Pixy Stix candy. Senior Shea Martin said that since her freshman year, the team would buy Pixy Stix so everyone would have energy in the dugout. “It’s been a tradition every year,” Martin said. “It gives an opportunity for the team to come together. Yes, we do team bonding all year long, but this is a big moment where we can get energy together and get each other hype before the game.” // Photo by Cassie Ford

SENIORS BRING TEAM TOGETHER Softball Ends Season As Conference Champs

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he 2021 school year has brought about change for the varsity softball team.

After finishing 7-9 in a short season last year, the team switched it up and finished 20-7, winning the conference championship and getting the No. 1 seed in the district playoffs.

The team was able to succeed due to their work ethic, drive and overall enjoyment of the game, according to lead coach Matt Schweitzer.

“The credit goes all to them,” Schweitzer said. “One of the most fun groups I’ve had the pleasure of coaching. How much fun they had, how much excitement they brought, always wanting to be out there and always working hard and continually adapting, and that’s kind of what you need to do to be successful.”

The team was full of returning players from the previous year, which helped with the chemistry.

“Because it’s been a consistent team from last year going into this year, we’ve all gotten to mesh well

together,” senior Shea Martin said.

“We all understand how each other plays, and so it is easier from a communication aspect.”

Another key to their success was the leadership by the seniors and how they helped all the younger players.

“It’s important because they don’t necessarily understand the environment of being in a highschool sport,” Martin said. “So, it is important to teach them how things work, the respect aspect of everything and just being a team.”

The strong leadership by this year’s seniors helped the team come together.

“In our past, we’ve had issues with seniors and seniority,” junior Hailey Herman said. “But this year, the seniors are really nice, so it helped all the grade levels come together.”

The underclassmen have come together to help give the eight seniors a winning final sendoff, which allowed them to end their high-school softball careers on a high note.

“It’s their senior year,” Becker said. “We want them to remember a good season, and we want them to remember ending off their high-school softball career as a champion.”

An additional key was the environment the coaches helped create.

“It’s been a very positive atmosphere this year,” said Martin.

“Our coaches, it’s not them getting on us about messing up, it’s them getting onto us about messing up and putting our heads down.”

The season ended in the district semifinals with a 6-7 loss to St. Joseph Central High School Oct. 14, but they look to carry the momentum into next year.

“Continue to feed off of the success that we had this year,” said Schweitzer. “Just what they’ve learned and continuing to get better.”

Written by Landyn Goldberg

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‘LEAVE IT ON THE FLO’ Freshman Collaborates With KC Rapper Tech N9ne

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s many artists before him, freshman Landon Fryer used music to escape family problems he was going through. Fryer developed an interest in rap in elementary school and has been making music under the stage name Landxn Fyre since.

“I was doing it for money for my mom at first, and it kind of spiraled into this big thing,” Fryer said.

Fryer has recorded two songs and one music video with Kansas City Native rapper Tech N9ne, and it all started with his mom reaching out to a video producer named Hoodie that worked with Tech N9ne’s team, resulting in them getting free tickets to his show in Colorado. The family got in contact with the video producer again after the show.

“We wrote back after the show to the video producer Hoodie who is now my manager,” Fryer said. “A while later I was rapping in the car with him, and he was blown away by what I could do.”

A couple days after getting in contact with the video producer, another one of Fryer’s favorite artists, Futuristic, was in town for a show. As a surprise, they took Fryer to the show. Tech N9ne was also in the audience of this show.

“I was in the crowd doing his songs word for word, and the people all around me were recording me,” Fryer said.

Later in the show, Futuristic called people from the audience up on to the stage. Fryer was called on to stage, and that was when Tech N9ne was first introduced to his talent.

“He brought me up, and I spit something I had written a couple weeks prior, and the whole place shut down,” Fryer said.

After the show, Tech N9ne called Hoodie asking about Fryer, saying he should be at a video shoot with them according to Fryer.

“I went to the video shoot with Tech, and we talked one on one, and he gave me his phone number,” Fryer said. “A couple of months later he sent me, ‘Leave It on

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the Flo,’ and it just kept going from there.”

After collaborating with Tech N9ne on the song “Leave It on the Flo,” they recorded another called “Dr. Sebagh.” There was originally not going to be a music video, but they changed their mind and invited Fryer to the West Bottoms to film a video.

“It was my first video, and I had never really done anything like that before, so at first I was really nervous,” Fryer said. “Then Tech gave me a pep talk; he was filled with so much energy and was very humble.”

After the music video was edited and released, Fryer said the feedback was phenomenal.

“Growing as a person I’ve learned a lot more about this industry that I didn’t know I was coming into and how that would affect other things,” Fryer said.

The experience has taught Fryer how to multitask and balance school and his life in the industry.

As for his plans for the rest of his high school life, he said there was a lot more in store. He had been planning on going on tour with Tech N9ne, but the COVID-19 pandemic prevented that from happening.

“COVID hit me hard because it was in this huge turning point of my life,” Fryer said. “I was in the mindset that I would be doing online school while on tour, and I still think that’s the direction I’m heading.”

Fryer was taking advantage of the new classes and planned to use what he learned in his video marketing class to put himself out there. He planned on releasing his debut album within the next few years.

Fryer’s manager Ryan Hood, who he calls Hoodie, had high hopes for Fryer’s future as well.

“I see Landon doing anything he wants to do and being successful at it,” said Hood.

Written by Grace Winkler Photo by Hannah Moore

POINT, SHOOT, THROW AWAY Disposable Cameras Make Comeback

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he year is 2013, and before going on Spring Break, a stop by Walgreens is necessary to purchase a disposable camera to capture every moment on vacation in a cheap and effective way.

Come 2021, smart phones hold some of the nicest cameras on the market, and it seems most everyone has a camera on them at all times, and disposable cameras are relics of the 2000s-2010s.

However, disposable cameras have seen a recent rise in popularity as younger people have gained an appreciation for different methods of photography, other than their smartphones’ cameras.

It’s a trend for students to use disposable cameras, and some have been using older digital cameras or even film.

“I think it’s more fun to have the actual copies of the pictures,” senior Lindsey Sheldon said.

Sheldon started using disposable cameras at the start of 2021. She liked to use one disposable camera for each month after seeing someone do the same thing on TikTok. At the beginning of the month, she got a new camera, took pictures the whole month and then turned it in to get the pictures developed at the end -- getting the printed pictures back around the middle of the next month.

“I definitely think it’s something people should be doing more because I think it’s more genuine than just using a

phone camera,” Sheldon said.

Similarly, junior Jacob Battey started using disposable cameras at the beginning of quarantine in early 2020. He enjoyed taking pictures of his friends while skateboarding and thought using a disposable camera would be cool.

“I like using them because you don’t get to see them after you take the photo,” Battey said.

“There’s no retakes. It’s just the moment you capture, and you get to look back on that in a month or whenever you get it developed. Nowadays, people are really self conscious, but with disposables you just say, ‘Nice,’ and put it back in your pocket after you capture that moment.”

TikTok is partially responsible for the rise in disposable cameras, like Sheldon said herself. The hashtag #disposablecamera now has more than 250.2 million collective views on TikTok. Also, many students have joined the trend of making Instagram pages solely dedicated to sharing disposable camera photos.

Overall, this trend seems to be sticking around as it has been around for more than a year, and it seems to be the start of younger people using more than just their phones to capture memories.

Written by Charlie Warner Photos from disposable cameras courtesy of Lindsey Sheldon, Jacob Battey

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NHS HELPS WALK TO DEFEAT ALS Fundraiser Helps ALS Association

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tudents from a National Honor Society committe volunteered at the ALS walk Saturday, Oct. 9. They helped set up ALS information tables, set out water bottles for the walkers, and helped with registration, KidsZone and parking at the event. “I

For those participating in the ALS walk, juniors Macy Attebery and Gianna Cusumano put water bottles in bins.

Cusumano chose to participate for two main reasons. “I needed the community service, and then I did it last time, and I really enjoyed it, so I did it again,” Cusumano said.// Photo by Elyse Bredfeldt At the walk, juniors Kiyoko Nakano and Gabriela Hejde help at the registration table. Nakano collected donation forms and passed out wristbands to walkers.

“My favorite part was getting to interact with the families of those who have been affected by it and those who actually have ALS and getting to hear their stories,” Nakano said. // Photo by Elyse Bredfeldt For participants of the ALS walk, junior Kate Hanchette and NHS club sponsor Carol Toney distribute water bottles among bins. Toney decided to participate in the walk because she wanted to help a cause that connects to her personally. “My brother-in-law was diagnosed with ALS in 2013, so he has been battling ALS for the past eight and a half years. ALS is central to our family because my husband is also a caregiver for him,” Toney said. // Photo by Elyse Bredfeldt

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chose this walk because I volunteered for this specific walk before when I cheered,” senior Ella Bartkoski, the leader of this NHS committee said. “It is an amazing organization, and I knew I wanted to do it again.”

At the ALS walk Oct. 9, NHS members begin unloading water bottle packages from the cart. “My favorite part about the walk was that we were able to come together to help a great cause,” committee leader Ella Bartoski said. // Photo by Elyse Bredfeldt At an information table, senior Eden Pfannes puts caps on ALS Walk water bottles. Pfannes chose to volunteer because the cause connected to her in a personal way. “I chose to volunteer for the ALS walk because my grandpa passed away because of ALS. Since the walk was working toward the prevention of ALS, I thought it was good both for the good cause and honor of my grandpa,” Pfannes said. // Photo by Elyse Bredfeldt

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THE

EXCHANGE LIFE

Get To Know Foreign Exchange Students Interviews by Isabella Dorrington Photos by Cassie Ford Graphics by Cassie Ford

Katharina Holterhoff, 12 Germany Q: Why did you choose to become an exchange student?

A: I wanted to experience another lifestyle, meet new people and improve my English.

Q: What’s your favorite part about the United States?

A: Food and the people I met.

Q: What’s something different between your school and Staley?

A: Staley is bigger than my school, and we don’t have school spirit, sports and activities in school.

Q: What do you miss about home?

A: My family and friends, bread, chocolate.

Wim Kupers, 12 Germany Q: Why did you choose to become an

exchange student?

A: I applied for a scholarship after I read an article about a girl out of my region participated in this program.

Q: What’s your favorite part about the United States?

A: I like it over here. I guess I go with the spirit.

Q: What’s something different between your school and Staley?

A: We don’t need hall passes and can leave during our one-hour lunch time.

Q: What do you miss about home?

A: Bread.

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Diego Vidales, 12 Spain Q: Why did you choose to become an exchange

student?

A: I like changes and living new experiences.

Q: What’s your favorite part about the United States?

A: The people.

Q: What’s something different between your school and Staley?

A: Staley has another education system, it’s very different than my school. It has activities like sports or dances for example.

Q: What do you miss about home?

A: My family, my friends, the food.

Claudia Fuertes, 12 Spain Q: Why did you choose to become an exchange student?

A: I chose to come here because I wanted to live a different year in another country and because I wanted to live a different experience in another country, and I love to travel.

Q: What’s your favorite part about the United States?

A: People are really nice here.

Q: What’s something different between your school and Staley?

A: Staley is huge. We didn’t take sports too seriously and the dances and spirit week.

Q: What do you miss about home?

A: Food definitely, I miss Spanish food so much.

Ander Laurcricia, 12 Spain Q: Why did you choose to become an exchange

student?

A: To improve my knowledge of English and culture in other places.

Q: What’s your favorite part about the United States?

A: People are really nice to me and make me feel at home.

Q: What’s something different between your school and Staley?

A: Staley has school sports, activities and spirit which is not a thing in Spanish high schools.

Q: What do you miss about home?

A: Family, friends and food.

Talon Issue 1 Volume 14 Feature

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THE MACHO MENTALITY

Expert Wants Changes For Men’s Mental Health

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ith the rise of social media and ease of connectivity and interaction, the importance of addressing mental health issues has grown drastically.

Conversations have begun to address the often taboo topic of men’s mental health and how men battle depression and suicide.

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, men are about four times more likely to die by suicide than women through all age groups.

According to University of Missouri - Kansas City psychology professor Erin Hambrick, Ph.D., one reason why is the stigma that men need to be tough.

“I think men and women receive different modeling in both how to cope with it and also whether or not it’s OK to seek treatment and the types of treatment that are acceptable,” University of Missouri Kansas City psychology professor Erin Hambrick, Ph.D., said.

Hambrick believed a lot of how men responded to their mental health issues stemmed from their early youth.

“In boys, acting out is commonly how they show their depression,” Hambrick said. “Anger, outburst and irritability, that’s a really common manifestation of depression. But I think early on, we treat it as, ‘They just need to learn to listen;

Talon Issue 1 Volume 14 Feature

they just need to learn to do what they’re told; they just need to learn to suck it up,’ instead of teaching emotional processing.”

Because of this early learning, men commonly internalize their issues instead of finding help or

support.

“Sadly, men are still socialized to just deal with their problems instead of seeking support,” Hambrick said. “If we just kind of looked at what happens with parents and with teachers, when boys reach out for a need, the world tells boys, ‘You can do it, just do it.’ The world tells girls, ‘Reach out for help; reach out for support.’ The world tells girls crying is a good way to process

what happened to you, but it tells boys it’s a sign of weakness.”

For athletes, the ability to open up can be even tougher. The idea of mental health can be seen as being weak, whereas athletes need to be tough.

“I feel like in 2021, there’s not too many things you can talk about without people criticizing your stuff,” junior football player Jermaine Hicks said. “So, especially as an athlete, people will call you mentally weak and stuff.

Sometimes, talking about mental health as an athlete can have a downside.”

A big way this stigma was starting to disappear was because of professional athletes taking a stand and addressing their issues.

NBA veteran Kevin Love is a known advocate for athletes’ mental health and publicly talks about it.

“I think it’s incredibly important because a lot of people in America and on the planet overall look up to those professional athletes,” Hicks said. “People see that, they feel like themselves as people can do it.”

Hambrick said one struggle for men is the idea they cannot talk about their issues.

“It’s so hard to talk about these things that make us feel vulnerable, and then men haven’t gotten the modeling that that’s a way to show strength,” Hambrick said. “They’ve been shown that’s a way to show weakness.”

According to Hambrick, the best way to change this discomfort is to continue to talk about the issues present.

MEN’S MENTAL HEALTH FAST FACTS 9% of men deal with daily depression or anxiety

Men’s suicide rates are 4x higher than women

In Missouri, 32.4 men died by suicide per 100,000 deaths

30.6% of men have dealt with a

1 in 4 men spoke to a

12 million adults had

period of depression in their life

mental health professional

serious thoughts about suicide

Source: American Psychology Association, National Institute of Mental Health, United Health Foundation

“I think that the best thing we can do on a daily basis is be role models of talking about the things that we want to destigmatize, of checking in on things that we wish people would check in on us about,” Hambrick said.

Creating good relationships are a component in creating the conversation about mental health.

“When you have a good enough relationship with someone, I think that can open up moments to at least toss something out like, ‘Hey man, if that happened to me, I

would feel this way. Let me know if you ever want to talk,’” Hambrick said.

Hambrick stressed the importance of making the small difference in someone’s life, and even if a person does not open it, a seed could be planted for someone else.

“You’re not always going to get people to bite back because you are at the peer level,” Hambrick said. “Trying to do something for them that they’re not seeing in any other spaces in their lives, so it

might feel uncomfortable; it might feel sudden. But if you’re the first, whoever comes along and does it second may get somewhere that they wouldn’t have had you not have done something like that.”

As men’s mental health became destigmatized, the door because opened up for conversations and the lowering of statistics.

Written by Landyn Goldberg Graphics by Grace Winkler

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ARE YOU STILL WATCHING?

Viewers Making Switch From Cable To Streaming Services WHICH STREAMING SERVICES DO YOU USE MOST?

87.4% 28.7% 17.3% 15.3% 8.4% 7.4% *Survey of 202 students *Respondents chose all that applied

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iewers are making the switch from cable to exclusively using streaming services.

With the increasing amount of streaming services and the average price for cable TV being about $217 a month, many people are dropping cable altogether and just using streaming services, according to U.S. News and World Report.

“We never used cable. It was just cheaper to use more streaming services,” junior Kadyn Claussen said. “It makes me happy because there are no commercials, and I can watch whatever I want when I want.”

As the years go on, TV becomes increasingly easier to watch and stream.

In 1997, Netflix was founded, operating on a pay-per rental model. Every DVD that was rented cost $4 instead of the monthly flat rate they use currently.

There are more than 200 streaming services. The most popular ones with students being Netflix, HBO Max, Hulu and Disney+, according to a survey of students.

“The Netflix original shows are good, and they also put TV shows from good channels on there,” junior Leah Mebane said.

While having originals is not just exclusive to Netflix, the streaming service has produced award winning shows such as “Stranger Things,” “Orange Is the New Black” and “The Crown.”

But more streaming services are hopping on the bandwagon with Hulu making “Handmaid’s Tale,” Disney+ making “WandaVision” and HBO Max with “The Flight Attendant.”

“My favorite streaming service is probably Disney+,” senior Braedon Huber said. “Because of the amount of stuff that is on it. Peacock is probably my least

Talon Issue 1 Volume 14 Lifestyles

favorite because it has a bunch of ads on it.”

There are unconventional streaming services, with Twitch being one. Twitch users can watch their favorite internet creators, and it is most commonly used for gamers.

“My favorite streaming service is Twitch because it’s very common, many people use it, and it’s easy to set up. It’s very straight to the point,” freshman Luc Frieson said.

A problem people often have with streaming is that it is harder to watch local channels without paying for Hulu+, which is approximately $63. But an easy solution to that would be to purchase an antenna, and those often cost about $20.

Written by Brianne Tremper Graphic by Cassie Ford