Lance Issue Three

November 7, 2014 INDEPTH the Lance covers racism at Westside in the in-depth on page 8.

the 8701 Pacific St. Omaha, NE 68114 Volume 59 Issue 3

Lance

Senior Tom Ashford, son of congressional winner Brad Ashford, talks to supporter LaDonna Gaines during the Democratic watch party at the Ramada Plaza Convention Center Tuesday, Nov. 4. Tom is one of three children of Brad Ashford, a Westside alum. Photo by Sarah Lemke

ASHFORD ACHIEVES

Students help canidate win congressional election Estella Fox

Editor-in-chief Monday, Oct. 20, senior Peyton Wells walked into Brad Ashford’s East Omaha field office. The windows were lined with “Ashford for Congress” signs, and the familiar sound of phone calls could be heard in the background.

She was greeted by a volunteer and walked to a room near the back of the office. Four tables, each equipped with two computers, two phones and one Tylenol bottle.

Wells sat down, picked up the phone, and began dialing.

“Hi, my name is Peyton Wells,” she said. “I am a volunteer with the Brad Ashford for Congress campaign. Can he count on your support in the upcoming election?”

“No,” said the person on the other line, and they immediately hung up.

This is not an unusual call for Wells. In fact, she estimates that around 10 percent of people pick up, and around 5 percent of those who pick up actually hold a conversation with her.

Wells had been a volunteer for Brad Ashford from mid-September to election day, Tuesday, Nov. 4. Brad, a Westside graduate, is the Democrat who ran for Congress in Nebraska’s 2nd District this election. Although negative calls are discouraging, Wells feels like she has made an impact by volunteering.

“There are some days where you’re on the phone and you get mostly no answers or you get a crotchety old person,” Wells said. “But when you get the calls when you talk to someone and have a conversation about the issues they care about and figure out how they should be putting their vote in this election, when I feel like I’ve made a connection with another person on that level, I know I’ve made a difference.”

Senior Tom Ashford is Brad’s son. He, and many of his friends, have volunteered during this election to support his father.

“A lot of my friends and kids I know from school volunteer often, and it means a lot to me knowing that they want to help out,” Tom said.

Tom is no stranger to politics. Brad has run for several government positions since continued on page 2

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NEWS ASHFORD: close election continued from page 1 Tom was born, running as a Republican, Democrat and as an independent. The foundation of his platform is that he works across the aisle, and he believes solutions to our government are grounded in principles of transparency.

This ideology is the main reason Wells began volunteering for Brad’s campaign. She contacted her former debate coach and fellow volunteer Ian Lee about volunteering and immediately joined.

Wells believes her history with debate has helped her talk on the phone, but she has also learned a lot from volunteering.

“There are situations on the phone where you get someone that just doesn’t agree with you or the person that you’re working for, and I think that above all, this campaign has taught me how to work with others, whether we see eye to eye or not,” Wells said.

Although she is too young to vote, Wells sees the importance of being involved in politics at a young age.

“It’s really important that people our age care about what’s going on in the world around them,” Wells said. “I think people think politics is a really immaterial thing, and it can seem like that from the outside, but this is literally the process where legislation and laws are being formed and passed,

and we are deciding the people who are making these laws that shape our very lives and change the course of how we live.”

Although school and basketball often get in the way, Tom is also very involved in his father’s campaign. Brad has gotten an influx of support this year running against Republican nominee Lee Terry, who has been a member of the U.S. House of Representatives for 16 years. As of June, Terry’s approval rating was 38 percent. Tom is hopeful about his father’s chances in this election.

“I think my dad really [has] a chance to win this,” Tom said.

“Lee has been in office for a long time, and my dad has run a very strong SENIOR campaign. I’m very excited to see how it ends.”

Elections are extremely busy, not only for the candidates, but for the families as well. Tom’s mom is a business woman, and the whole family has been involved in the election.

“I can tell that this is stressful to him, and he always has things going on,” Tom said. “Even when he’s not working on a campaign, he is always working hard.”

During the election in 2012, Lee won by less than a 2 percent margin. On Wednesday, the Omaha World Herald announced that Ashford won the election. He is the first Democrat to represent this district in two decades.

This campaign has taught me how to work with others...

Senior Danny Coyle, a friend of Tom Ashford, celebrates the passing of bill 425, the initiative to raise the minumum wage, at the Ramada Convention Center Tuesday, Nov. 4. The bill passed with 60 percent of votes in favor.

Photo by Sarah Lemke

PEYTON WE LLS

New lunch payment features finger scanning AREN RENDELL MEDIA COORDINATOR

Gone are the days of typing out a five-digit code and fumbling with your school ID to purchase lunch in the Courtyard at Westside. Gone, too, are slow moving lunch lines.

Over the past month, Westside Director of Nutrition Services Diane Zipay has been mailing out letters to parents of Westside students informing them about Westside’s latest high-tech venture. Zipay is preparing a Tuesday, Dec. 2 rollout of a new payment system for student lunches.

The system will replace the current code and ID payment method with something called biometric finger scanning. Using a system that may remind Westside students of Apple’s Touch ID, the district hopes to improve student lunch account security and end the struggle with forgotten or lost IDs by allowing students to simply place their finger on a scanner to purchase lunch. “…Kids would lose their ID, and then they’d have to go up to the office to get another ID,” Zipay said. “After they lost so many IDs, they’d have to pay $5 to replace the lost ID. You have students who are on free and reduced lunch who don’t have $5. They need their ID to get their free lunch, and it just created all kinds of problems.”

The system is also being put in place to speed up lunch checkout lines.

Along with the new finger scanning ID system, Westside will be adding touchscreen computers to every checkout line and connecting the devices to an Internet-based system. These changes are expected to make checkout lines much faster.

“The system we have now is not web-based,” Zipay said. “…Because [the new system] is web-based and it goes to the cloud, it’s supposed to be much faster, and because we are a wireless network, it should be the best and the fastest.”

For students wary of school Internet failures, Zipay offers this as assurance: she knows things do not always work as they are intended, so this system does not need Wi-Fi to make transactions.

“If the Internet went down [on your computer], you could still be writing a letter, and then you could upload it later,” Zipay said. “[This system] does not need the Internet to operate.”

Possibly more concerning to students and their parents, however, is the idea of a fingerprint being taken and stored by the district.

Zipay is confident in the system’s security, though, and the system never stores a fingerprint. Unlike Apple’s Touch ID, which stores the user’s actual fingerprint in the processor, when registering for this biometric system, an encrypted binary code will be created from the fingerprint and stored, while the actual fingerprint will not be stored.

“Let’s say there was some big criminal case and the FBI came and said, ‘We have a fingerprint. We want to match it against all of the students here in your school,’” Zipay said. “It isn’t that we wouldn’t give it to them; [it’s that] we would not have it. We don’t have any fingerprints.”

While Zipay was deciding whether the system is secure enough, she asked her daughter, who is a lieutenant colonel for the United States Air Force and is tasked with preventing cyber terrorism. Zipay said the system has her daughter’s vote of confidence.

“I wouldn’t enact anything, and I wouldn’t suggest that if it isn’t something that I would do for my own children or grandchildren,” Zipay said. “…I asked [my daughter], ‘Would you be willing to…let [your kids] have that [for their school lunch]?’ And she said, ‘I would feel much safer having that than

doing it any other way.’”

According to Zipay, this system is being put in place nationwide for credit card payments. At Westside, students will be able to register for the program at tables set up in front of the Café Express throughout most of November.

Along with the biometric scanner, the district will be combining Courtyard accounts with Café Express accounts. Biometric scanners will also be placed in the Café Express.

Zipay said the November registration should make the Dec. 2 launch a smooth one.

Students who want to opt out of the program will need their parents to email Diane Zipay at zipay.diane@westside66.net. Students who opt out will be able to use only their code to check out now, as pictures of the student will appear on the new screens.

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OPINION the

Lance

The Lance is a school-sponsored publication of Westside High School, Westside Community Schools, 8701 Pacific St., Omaha, NE 68144. The Lance office is located in room 251.

Phone: (402) 343-2650. The Lance is an in-house publication.

The paper is distributed every month to all students, except in vacation periods. Subscription rates to others are $25 prepaid.

The Lance is printed by White Wolf Web, in Sheldon, IA. Advertising rates are available upon request. The Lance editorial staff reserves the right to edit all ads for clarity and grammatical errors. The editorial staff reserves the right not to publish any ads that are libelous or that contain non-factual information.

The Lance editorial staff also reserves the right to nullify contracts at any time without prior notification. The Lance also refuses ads that promote activities illegal to a majority of the student readership.

Reader response is welcomed in the form of letters to the editor. Letters should be less than 300 words, signed by the author and sent to room 251.

Names may be withheld upon special request. Lance editors will decide whether to honor such requests.

The Lance editorial staff reserves the right to edit letters for clarity and grammatical errors.

The editorial staff also reserves the right to not publish any letters that are libelous or that contain non-factual information.

The Lance is a member of the Nebraska High School Press Association, the Columbia Scholastic Press Association, the National Scholastic Press Association and the Quill & Scroll Society.

The Lance staff recognizes that the administration of Westside Community Schools controls the curriculum and, thus, sets the parameters of the production process of school publications. The Lance staff also recognizes its own responsibilities to inform, enlighten and entertain its readers in a way that reflects high standards of journalism, morals and ethics.

Editors-in-Chief Estella Fox, Nata Ward; Managing Editors Grace Fogland, Jace Wieseler; Copy Editors Lia Hagen, Libby Seline; Design Editor Allie Laing; News Editor Connor Flairty; Opinion Editors Sarah Hermann, Eva Wetzel; Sports Editor James Buckley; Arts & Entertainment Editor Elise Tucker; Cartoonist Maddie Look; Staff Writers Alexis Bergin, Connor Castleman, Nicole Degand, Kayla Kyle, Celena Shepherd, Connor Tucker; Sports Writer Jack Cohen; Staff Designers Casey Arritt, Audrey McCann; Photo Editor Mitch Francis; Photo Staff Jakob Phillips, Taylor Schendt; Media Coordinator Aren Rendell; Photo Coordinator Sarah Lemke; Adviser Jerred Zegelis.

Graphic by Sarah Lemke

All lunch changes are beneficial, needed

Over the next few months, the Westside lunch program is rolling out a series of changes designed to make the lunch process easier, cheaper and more efficient for students. Among other changes, they’ll be replacing IDs with fingerprinting technology and merging the Cafe Express and Courtyard payment systems.

These changes aren’t the first made by the lunch program’s staff this year. Ever since school began, students have noticed distinct changes in the way our lunch program works.

The food is healthier. The Cafe Express is significantly emptier. Perhaps most shockingly, the milk is in bags.

For many students, these changes were hard to get used to. Many of our cafeteria’s best sellers had been removed, replaced with empty shelves or less caloric alternatives. These changes were caused in large part by new government regulations, and the student outrage was enough to prompt the Cafe Express workers to hang an informational sign on their window. The sign told all concerned students to contact their congressional representatives as it was they, not the lunch staff, who controlled the rules. It even went so far as to give their contact information.

It’s easy to understand why these annoyed students miss their candy and cookies. Food that’s bad for you does, unfortunately, taste delicious.

Honestly though, it’s time to get over it.

Westside’s lunch program is one of the most consistently high performing programs in the school. While most employees of a high school are underappreciated at best, the lunch staff has had it particularly hard this year when, in reality, all the changes they’ve made have been for our benefit.

The healthier food standards are not the lunch program’s choice, but even if they were, they’re still better for students. According to a recent Harvard study, students eat 16 percent more vegetables and 23 percent

more fruit at lunch since the changes were enacted. Having healthy food available is vital in a country where students, for the first time, have a life expectancy lower than that of their parents.

And with these new technical changes, it seems this healthy food will be easier to purchase as well.

Not having to carry IDs into the lunch line will save many students from heartache. Kids often forget their IDs at home or in a classroom. They lose them too, and they are then forced to purchase a new one just to eat lunch.

For students on free or reduced lunch, the $5 fee to get a new ID could be too much to afford. That means they’d be deprived of what could be their only full or healthy meal of the day, all because of some outdated system.

The new fingerprint system won’t require students to remember anything. The fingerprints aren’t stored in the database, either, so any security concerns seem to be moot. They’ve even come up with a solution for Westside’s testy Internet. While the new servers should operate via Internet, they also have an offline option.

Westside’s lunch program is the perfect example of the sort of common sense reforms we should see around the school more often. More importantly, it’s the perfect example of the kind of employees we want working with us.

It’s always been clear to us that every employee in the lunch program cares about their job and the students. Everyone has a favorite employee in the checkout line, someone who knows your name or banters with you.

We all receive emails from Sharon Schaefer detailing the menu that was clearly crafted with care. It’s refreshing to see people actively try to make our school a better — and tastier — place. As long as they’re doing that, we don’t think the lunch program deserves criticism. It deserves praise.

Warrior voice How effective do you think the fingerprint scanners in the cafeteria will be?

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“They’ll help speed up the lines, which will be helpful.”

“They’ll be effective “It’ll be more effective because you can’t because you guys lose your fingerprint.” lose your ID’s more.”

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Girls aren’t taken seriously in sports

The day my mother decided I was going to be feminine, there was trouble.

She was sick of jeans and ponytails every day, so she encouraged me to wear a jean skirt of my sister’s.

My mom was proud the day I wore it to school. Her usual threat about cutting off my hair was replaced by praise of my “cuteness.” I tolerated that because I wanted her to be happy.

NATA WARD This willingness EDitor-in-chief lasted until about noon when my class was let out for recess. The boys were picking teams for kickball, and they didn’t pick me.

The captain’s reasoning: “Well, you’re wearing a skirt.”

I didn’t wear a skirt for a long time after that.

I think it was because if I was wearing jeans and a t-shirt, it was easier to pretend I was one of them — one of the boys. I didn’t stick out as much. They didn’t have to look at me and immediately think girl.

Even today, in my high school gym class, guys generally don’t trust girls to be athletic. They don’t have to be wearing skirts, make-up or hair ties. Your gender is enough to make most guys think their team is doomed.

I promise you, regardless of the way I look, I’m perfectly capable of running two laps around the track. It’s not a miracle that I can catch a Frisbee thrown at me from four yards away. I shouldn’t be pulled aside with all the other girls to review football basics while the boys get to start a real game.

The purpose of a gym class is to encourage healthy physical activity in teens, as well as to grow an interest in sports. The gym classes I’ve experienced do not live up to this expectation.

I’ve experienced countless side comments like “Can’t the girls just play by themselves?” or, on the other side of the spectrum, “I want Nata on my team, she’s the only girl that can throw a Frisbee.” It’s meant to be a compliment, but it only serves to put down the people around me.

Comments like these don’t foster any sort of interest at all. In fact, it does the complete opposite, causing girls to associate physical activity with discomfort and humiliation.

My fear is that if a girl has a bad experience in gym class, she’ll be afraid to play a sport. Gym class doesn’t compare to the experience of being on a team and being supported by your teammates, and girls shouldn’t miss out on that.

On the field, it doesn’t matter if I’m a girl. Any play their striker can run, I can run faster. I can do burpees, sprints and the Maradona, and none of it is affected by my gender. Why should it be?

My teammates and opponents take me seriously, though my audience may not.

People rarely think twice about girls sports.

Student sections exist only in basketball. Who decided that football was the only place to go on a Friday night? Who made baseball “America’s pastime?” They’re both great sports, but they’re also male-dominated ones. Try going to a volleyball game this season, or better still, come watch soccer this spring.

Bare bleachers are hard to see, especially after you’ve been there when the stands are full for Varsity football. If sports just aren’t your thing, that’s okay. It’s when I see the attendance at boys games more than triple that of girls that I start to wonder. Students need to realize that the sport doesn’t change when the gender of the players does.

Girls should be treated like they have a right to be in sports because they do.

Whether it’s varsity basketball or fourth grade kickball, if I want to play, put me on a team. Even if I’m wearing a skirt.

opinion Graphic by Casey Arritt Stats from www.csc.gov

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Number of Laboratory-Confirmed Cases Sierra Leone (3778) Liberia (2515) Guinea (1409) Nigeria (19) Mali (1) Senegal (1)

Ebola virus disease started in Guinea

Total Deaths 4951

Viral Ebola myths hold us back

One year ago, I stood in room 202 with sweaty palms, facing rows and rows of desks occupied by my entire Intro to Health Science class. I fumbled as I plugged the USB drive into the side of my MacBook and glanced at my partner. The first slide of our PowerPoint popped up onscreen, displaying a long, pretzel-shaped strand of RNA. “Hi, guys. Uh, so for our disease presentation, we did the Ebola virus…”

The topic had interested me. After one week of flu-like symptoms, victims in late stages begin to bleed out of every bodily orifice — and yes, that includes the eyes and ears. It’s a truly Eva wetzel horrifying disease, and at the time opinion editor of my presentation, most Americans weren’t even thinking about it.

Recently, I was sitting in the cafeteria and sipping spoonfuls of the latest soup when I overheard a conversation at my table.

Something about how the virus will escape, and that the government is going to impose martial law, quarantine Omaha and exterminate the population.

This sentiment isn’t new. In fact, it’s encouraged. Sometime during Intro to Health Science, our class watched the 1996 film “Outbreak.” It featured a hemorrhagic fever that originated in Africa — pretty clearly inspired by Ebola. Its main plot was what my table-mate had predicted: the U.S. government was going to level an entire suburb that had become infected. There were military planes, plenty of dramatic music and a high death toll. Now that two Ebola patients have received treatment at Omaha’s University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC), people wonder if the future of our city involves a similar doomsday scenario.

In all likelihood: no.

I figured this out by speaking with Dr. Jessica Snowden, an assistant professor on the topic of pediatric infectious disease at UNMC. She put it this way: Nebraskans should probably be more worried about the common flu.

This is partially because the Ebola virus is transmitted through direct contact with bodily fluids, which makes for a slow spread and simpler containment. Unlike other viruses that have caused mass pandemonium such as H1N1, there will be no sneezing, sniffling or coughing to spray a massive cloud of infectious Ebola droplets into the air we breathe.

One objection could be made using the nurses who got infected in Dallas, Texas. However, unlike the Dallas hospital, facilities at UNMC are specifically designed to handle infectious disease, as conveyed to me by Snowden. Their website elaborates: UNMC Ebola patients are treated in a sealed biocontainment unit with expertly trained staff. It is in a separate building and has its own air handling system. The facility was built to house the deadliest diseases known to man, such as smallpox.

PowerGrade

The chance of a breach with that level of security is slim.

Yet another fear is that the Ebola virus will mutate to become airborne (which would mean it would be transmitted quickly by sneezing and coughing, through droplets in the air). The truth is, Ebola has been around in primates for many, many years, and it’s extremely unlikely that Ebola would suddenly mutate into an entirely different type of disease. A statement from the World Health Organization featured on CNN says that such a scenario is “speculation, unsubstantiated by any evidence.” Even scientists that say Ebola could theoretically become airborne do not have a single example of a similar change in a human disease’s mode of transmission. “Could” is the key word here. For example, a meteor could crash into your house, right now — but there’s no sense worrying about it unless it actually happens. It’s the same deal with Ebola.

I’ve also heard many Ebola conspiracy theories, both from well-known figureheads and perfect strangers I’ve talked to in line at Chipotle. No, the government did not introduce Ebola into the U.S. on purpose. Instead, probability is the one at fault: the ease of modern travel means viruses can travel around the world quickly. Besides, if there were a conspiracy to kill U.S. citizens with Ebola, the government wouldn’t be working so hard to contain it (recently, an airplane was evacuated because someone joked about having the disease).

Statistics are really the final arbiter here. So far, one person has died from Ebola on American soil. According to the CDC, in recent history, the amount of people who have died from flu-related complications each year has ranged from 3,000 to 49,000. Until Ebola’s death toll in the United States gets even remotely close to that low of 3,000, there’s no reason to start buying HAZMAT suits or blaming the government because it’s statistically less dangerous to us than the common flu — a disease that many people actually refuse to get vaccinated for.

I’m not saying we shouldn’t be thinking about Ebola because we absolutely should. I am saying that for now, it’s time to stop prepping ourselves for the doomsday scenarios shown in films such as “Outbreak.” It’s fine to be afraid and ask questions. However, we also have to be rational. There’s little we as individuals can do save for complying with CDC recommendations, practicing good sanitation and getting vaccinated (when and if a vaccine becomes available). With all the evidence, it’s clear that America can handle a local pandemic. Let’s focus our efforts on the countries and people who are actually being affected.

If we do that, I believe humanity can work together to stop this virus on the front lines. The media likes to focus on negatives so often that we forget we can accomplish amazing things. For instance: so far, both of the patients who entered UNMC’s doors have been successfully treated. With international cooperation, we may even be able to eliminate the disease worldwide — but only if the panic stops. We should not be trying to insulate ourselves. Instead, we should be trying to pave the way forward.

A+

To Warrior football. After Westside alumnus and Tulane football player Nate Skold began a video campaign against domestic violence, Westside’s own football team participated, taking on a stand on an extremely important issue.

C

To iBoss. Having to log in every time we wanted to go on the Internet was frustrating, and it blocked websites we needed for classes. That said, the fixes seem to be working, and we appreciate Tech Support for hearing our concerns.

F

To not being able to wear costumes at school on Halloween. We understand the need to keep the dress code on Halloween, but it could’ve been a spirit day at least.

OPINION

TABLETS VS. TEXTBOOKS

TABLETS...

Imagine a world where students have the ability to control all their learning with the tap of a finger. At Westside, we’re halfway there. The OneTo-One program at our school has bettered our learning through the use of technology. The transition from laptop to tablet may be the final step to obtain the best education possible.

As a current high school student, the most important thing to me is having and maintaining a personalized education unique to my needs as a learner. Our school system is changing at a rapid pace, and it’s imperative we stay on top of these improvements and manipulations.

The textbook teaching method is becoming as outdated as the book it’s taught from.

Not all students learn the same ways as their classmates, and a textbook is the most ‘one size fits all’ strategy to ever be utilized. There’s no way to customize the information you can retain from a book to each student’s individual learning style.

California’s Riverside Unified School district did a study in 2012 showing that students who used an interactive tablet textbook scored 20 percent higher on standardized testing than students who learned from the print version of the same information. The statistics show tablet learning to be an education tool that many schools are failing to utilize.

With the increased test scores, it is obvious that this individualized approach to learning is not something to be pushed aside. With the constant creation of new applications and websites, learning is what each student makes it. The tablet reaches out to each individual student and their learning types. While a book can’t teach musically or kinesthetically, a tablet can appeal to all forms of intelligence.

Even with varied learning types, we can all agree that us studying the information is the most important thing. According to the US Department of Education, technology-based instruction can reduce the time it takes students to retain material by 30-80 percent. This could mean more time for advanced criteria and independent studies as well.

Tablets allow for an expanded, well-rounded education. As new information is discovered, textbooks, apps and websites will be updated, allowing students access to the most current research and news. With the whole world at their fingertips, students have the ability to learn exactly what they want to.

The special features involved with using a tablet don’t end with high school. Whether we plan on going to college, joining the military or becoming part of the work force, technology is something we will never be able to escape. The more familiar we become with trying new things and getting

OR TEXTBOOKS...

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comfortable with other techniques, the more likely we will be successful in the real world.

Not only will tablets improve the quality of learning, but they also create a financial impact as well. A school with 100 teachers uses approximately 250,000 sheets of paper per year. The tablet will replace the majority of this paper, which will save the school even more money that can be used for far more important things in the future.

The biggest physical impact of the tablet, however, is the effect on our bodies. During the 2011-2012 school year, 13,700 children ages 5 to 18 in the U.S. alone were treated for backpack-related injuries including contusions, sprains, fractures and strains to the back and shoulders. When kids complain about their bag being heavy, it’s nothing to ignore. Textbooks add TAYLOR SCHE NDT to the large weight of backpacks some students experience, while the tablet STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER weighs two pounds at most.

As well as being incredibly light, a tablet has many more technological features than a textbook. For example, when I check out a book from our school’s library, I can’t highlight, edit text or make notes within the binding without being charged for ruining school property. However, with a tablet I can use these features openly without fear of destroying the material. Destructing classroom materials often leads to a variety of property fines.

Many people’s first concern when it comes to the tablet is the price a school would pay for their students to receive this luxury. In 2012, the average tablet cost $386. At first glance, this may appear quite costly, but according to a report from the Federal Communications Commission, school districts spend over $8 billion dollars on textbooks per year, and a tablet could be saving anywhere between $250-$1000 a year per student.

Given that e-textbooks cost on average 50-60 percent less than print textbooks, the tablet will virtually pay for itself in more ways than one.

High school is all about preparing ourselves for the outside world. Transitioning to tablet learning gives us a head start for our future. In a society where it is imperative to retain any and all information, it is necessary to allow room for new learning techniques and to let students create the best experience possible in order to gain the most amount of knowledge.

Graphic by Casey Arr itt It’s time to move out of the past and into the now.

Today, you can’t go anywhere without using technology. Many people don’t even walk down the hall without taking out their phone. We use it for everything. It organizes and calculates. It also crashes and frustrates.

We are seeing more and more technology in our classroom, and with that technology comes the annoying obstacles. The internet doesn’t work, or the application won’t open, or the website crashes. Often I have days where I just want to throw the laptop or phone on the floor and quit what I’m supposed to be doing.

Then I pick up the hard copy of my textbook, always reliable and always there, and I can do my homework in peace. The throwing turns to reading and the frustration turns to concentration. I am home free.

During our school days, we need to stick to our old school textbooks instead of changing to tablets for our reading and assignments.

It’s vital that we as students absorb and remember the material we are reading as quickly and efficiently as we can. Research done by Kate Garland and Jan M. Noyes indicate that people read digital text 20-30 percent slower than print text. Some students already read slowly, and moving to a tablet could make homework an absolute nightmare.

According to Pulitzer Prize winning technology writer Nicholas Carr, studies show reading hyper-linked text can also lower the ability to change the material we see into knowledge we can use.

These things lead to longer nights full of dreaded homework and irritated students who still can’t remember what that one important paragraph said at the beginning of the chapter. For us to be as efficient as possible in school, we need to keep our words in print.

Reading from our textbooks is also more reliable. Technology glitches all of the time. We’ve all been that kid in class whose computer just doesn’t want to work for them. We’re stuck feeling lost and frantically trying to look off of someone else’s screen.

The thing about textbooks is that they will never crash or freeze. Nothing is going to stop us from turning the page and reading on or simply opening the book and getting started. A physical copy puts us in complete control of our own work.

The use of tablets makes it easier for kids to have excuses for not doing their homework. For example, it’s easy for a student to look at their teacher and say, “I’m behind because my tablet locked me out last night, and so I couldn’t finish the assignment.” The student could unfairly get an extra day to do their assignment without any penalty. A textbook holds students accountable for their own work.

Tablets can also cause a range of health problems like Computer Vision Syndrome. Computer Vision Syndrome is caused by spending too much time looking at your screen as opposed to the real world around you.

According to the American Optometric Association, this can cause headaches, blurred vision, dry eyes and eyestrain. This syndrome affects 50 to 90 percent of people who work in front of computer screens, according to WebMD. Looking at the screen for too long is bad for our health, but if the information is only on our tablets, then we don’t really have a choice to put the screen away. We shouldn’t have to sacrifice health in order to access information.

Not only can it hurt our health, but it can hurt our wallets, too. With tablets, we have to worry about training staff, hiring a tech support, paying for Wi-Fi and purchasing software all on top of just buying the expensive tablets themselves.

After all of that is done and the tablets are in use, we have to worry about damage. The damaged technology will need a professional to fix, which will cost a bunch of money to repair.

Most of the time, a textbook will only need a little tape or glue to be fixed, and then it’s back in shape to be used in the classroom again. Repairs to a tablet can take a long time, time that students in today’s world do not have.

We have become very dependent on technology, and although it does help in some situations, we can keep the technology out when it isn’t necessary. Keeping the textbooks around will help our frustration levels, and keep our technology from being thrown on the ground.

6

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in-depth

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racism indepth graphics and design by

Allie laing

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“

Race is one of those things that’s such a “taboo” topic that people don’t like to talk about it... But by not doing that, we are hindering ourselves from making any progress. I think the number one thing people can do is just start the conversation...

Don’t start them with preconceived notions... Just be willing to have the conversation and listen to everyone's point of view.

Young people don’t understand the power that they have... This is the place to speak up. Now is your time.

-Symone D. Sanders Former Deputy Communications Director for Chuck Hassebrook Campaign and Former Communications and Outreach Manager for the Empowerment Network

”

8

IN-DEPTH

Photo by Abegale Headlee

FISTS

CLENCHED Photo by Estella Fox

DEFINING

IGNORANCE

Lessons on acceptance ineffective MYKIAH N EL S O N GUEST COLUMNIST When I was first introduced to this idea of contributing my thoughts on the subject of being a student of color at Westside, I was overwhelmed.

There are so many topics to be covered. I chose to simply give a very brief overview of some of my personal experiences.

Firstly, what it means to be a student at Westside is greatly affected by key factors such as race, gender, background or upbringing, sexual orientation and even economic standing. I know for me, the fact that I am an African-American has had great impact on my experiences at Westside. I have had many pleasant experiences being in this district, but without a doubt I’ve had my share of bad ones as well. Being “black” in a predominantly “white” school didn’t bother me, I didn’t think about it.

Not until after actually doing it. Before getting to Westside Middle School, I was aware of, however not entirely educated on, the concept of people at school — where equality and acceptance are taught, judging you based on your race. Before the middle school, I had very little contact or familiarity with the students I would eventually graduate with.

When I did see them, I didn’t notice how many were of which race. I just saw kids. When I got to seventh grade though, these kids were now classmates. As far as I knew, we didn’t know one another; I would later find out that we didn’t need to.

Walking into my eight different classes on that first full day, I was quiet. There were so many people around me I didn’t know, and they too, were fairly shy. Just seeing one another must have sufficed for many of them. They assumed I was dumb, uninterested in education or that I lived in North Omaha and because I lived there I was “ghetto,” “gang affiliated” and “would result in a life without success.” My entire persona and demeanor were determined before I even spoke.

This is where I learned the definition of ignorance: at school. Not in a dictionary or from a teacher, but from a number of classmates. Some shared these derogatory and racially based comments with me, to my face. Called me the “n word.” Many only shared this opinion with any one who wasn’t “black” in fear of what might “happen to them.” These opinions still weren’t secret. No matter what they said, their actions were always louder than their words.

Any signs of friendliness were only offered after I proved myself “worthy” of their consideration as an equal. So it put me in this situation not knowing which people were “safe” and which ones weren’t.

I was scared. It made me nervous to think about what might be said. This wasn’t something I would have thought about — not until after I had been at this school and was treated as if I were just that different.

Stereotypes continued as middle school did.

My peers discovered that my personality wasn’t at all what they thought it was. When this happened, I always pretended not to notice. I played the violin, and I was the only African-American in orchestra. “What, you’re in orchestra?” Many were surprised, especially at the sharp contrast

between my perceived ability and my actual ability. I loved making this public declaration to classmates that their stereotypes and ignorance didn’t at all apply to me, nor would it prevent me from doing what I knew and what I know I am capable of.

High school meant starting a similar process over again. Ignorant conclusions of my personality, as well as the ignorant actions of ignorant individuals, weren’t new. It was a personal victory when I overcame it. Because these were people (students and yes, some teachers) that were expecting absolutely nothing good from me. Their pre-conceived ideas of who I was based on my color weren’t positive, but they kept me motivated to continue surprising them. Very rarely did I consider these individuals in relation to my success as they were (are) irrelevant. Yet the overall attitude of a lot of students that a general disrespect for other races is okay bothered and still bothers me.

Racism disgusts me. I don’t care what your nationality is, who your parents are or where you came from. I am going to respect you as respect pertains to your actions and how you treat others. I am going to give you the same treatment that I myself desire. This is an attitude many of the students at our school and on a greater scale the people in our city would do well to at least acquaint themselves with. There are various accounts in which I can recall being discriminated against (at school as well as in public) and purposefully offended because I am an African American. I have seen other people endure these experiences, if not the same experience one of its like.

As proved in the preceding paragraphs, there have been different situations in which I have been wrongly judged and have been called out of my name, and if not me someone else. In most of these cases dealing with racial slurs there were no repercussions; no one said anything, despite the presence of witnesses. When it’s been a matter of someone being obviously and unfairly treated, stereotyped or discriminated against for their skin color, not one person says anything. Many times not even the one receiving this treatment will draw attention to it. This year at Westside, when asked “What would your perfect world be?”, a common answer among students was “a world where every one is equal.”

This is something that not just Westside students want. Equality and justice are universal answers; all over the world people want this. People fight and struggle in efforts to accomplish this. Everywhere there are people who want to live in a world that will accept them, accept their children, no matter their race. Even bigoted people would appreciate such a world because they too would be accepted for their race and would not be treated unfairly because of their skin color. Dr. Martin Luther King said, “I have a dream, that one day my four little children will live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.” Right now, there are people in places everywhere who echo Dr. King, wishing to see this same dream come true.

Native American heritage is erased CAL CA UDEL L GUEST COLUMNIST Sitting still during a lecture that involves Native American history can be incredibly aggravating for me. I feel like I should have a chance to learn about the indigenous peoples of North America without having a knuckle clenched between my teeth.

I try to educate teachers and my peers whenever I can, but occasionally I run into a problem. A lot of people will use the fact that I grew up with white parents to take away my ability to speak on Native issues. It’s like they think I’ve never read a book before.

People only ever seem to identify me as Native American when it’s convenient for them. My own mother likes to bring up how I was raised in a white family when I try to call people out on their racist behaviors. She uses that argument until she gets the chance to call me her “beautiful Indian princess” in front of others.

Despite being raised by white parents, I still experience racism and have a right to aggressively and passionately speak out against it. I’ve been called Pocahontas, Sacajawea and Tiger Lily (which I find offensive). I’ve had people I don’t even know pretend to shoot arrows at me. I’ve even had someone insinuate that I eat off the floor every day. I’ve heard every slur under the rainbow, and as a child, being treated differently because I was Native American had a huge impact on me and my life. I should have the chance to speak about my experiences without people disparaging my identity because I’m half white.

I’m sick of people telling me who I can or cannot be. I will identify myself the way I see fit, and no one should be questioning it for the sake of their own convenience. I didn’t ask to be raised the way I was, with a light spattering of whitewashed knowledge here and there from the school district and my parents. I would have preferred to have grown up being educated about Native American history and culture since I was born. In fact, I’m angry that I have been denied easy access to the accurate historical background of the Lakota people. The most experience I’ve gotten learning about them in school was in an English class when we watched a TED Talk about the Pine Ridge Reservation center. I’ve had to do a lot of outside research, but to me it has all been well worth it. I enjoy learning about where I came from, but I wish other people had easier access to the same information. It may put an end to the ignorance that I and so many others continue to face today. I want to use my voice to amplify the voices of others.

I experience microaggressions on a daily basis, but there are many more aggressive actions being taken against indigenous people that live in reservations and in poverty.

Whether or not people want to classify me as a Native American, I am proud of who I am. I will continue to fight for my identity as long as people continue to question it.

IN-DEPTH

9

ALONE IN AP CLASS

Photo by Mitch Francis

Disparity is seen, but not felt in Westside district GITA D EO N AR A IN GUEST COLUMNIST The tardy bell rings and I haven’t even left the Landing.

It’s a bad habit, but I can’t see why I’d be early to class when I could be talking to friends. It’s easy to see the different cliques here, the school’s main area for socializing.

Skaters and stoners hang by the pillar, cheerleaders and preps hang in the middle and a group of Latinos and African Americans lean against the wall by the Media Center. Cliques are a part of every public high school, and so is the diversity. The bouncers force everyone off the Landing, and I make my way to class. When I walk through the door into my AP Physics class, I am one of two minority race students among a sea of white people. I take my seat as the teacher, also white, begins his daily lesson, and I forget all about the racial difference.

Westside has a stereotype of being predominantly white. The only place I acknowledge this stereotype is in my Honors or AP classes. In an upper-level class of 20 students, I seldom see more than two or three minority race students; however, this has no effect on my learning.

I am taught the exact same material, given exactly the

same amount of assistance from teachers and treated the same by all my peers. In a non-honors course or a course required for graduation, like US History, it’s more common to see a wider variety of ethnicities and a higher concentration of them.

Omaha, with a population of roughly 500,000, is 70 percent white. This helps explain the offset ratio of white to non-white students in the more advanced classes.

White people have always been more educated, which can be seen in our school by looking at the students and even the teachers. Although few acknowledge it, racism is still prevalent in our society. Blacks are still considered less intelligent and less hardworking than whites, even though we have a black President. Research has shown that the color of Obama’s skin could have costed him up to five points in the presidential election. Latinos are portrayed as lazy, violent, and overly sexual. In order to correct these prejudices, we have to address the racial differences in order to correct them.

Racism is not something many people experience on a personal level in high school. Although racial slurs are thrown out, and some people take offense, nobody is being specifically or violently attacked. Personally, I do

not feel the racial prejudice within the walls of Westside.

My friend group is composed of many different skin tones.

Among them, the color of our skin is the last thing we think about. Being colored and of mixed race does not make me hesitant to introduce myself to others or strike up a conversation. This is how the whole world should be. The color of our skin should just be a feature, not something that makes anyone a lesser person.

The issue of race is hard to address and even harder to solve. Do we ignore it all together and continue living our lives as we are now, with racism and discrimination?

Or do we take a stand and fight for equality? This topic is almost impossible to solve within the walls of our high school and takes a wiser, more educated group of people to fully grasp the situation. Something so little as the color of skin causes so many problems. How does the pigmentation of one’s skin change their ethics, their morals, their ability and desire to learn? How does it make them less of a person? Trick question, it doesn’t. I love the fact that I can break the stereotypes and show people that my race has no effect on me. Over the years, I have come to embrace my race as something that makes me stand out and be an individual.

MADE OF ASSUMPTIONS

Sharing and understanding identities is valuable LUISANA CONTRERAS-DEL GA DO GUEST COLUMNIST

Photo by Sarah Lemke

Last year in debate, I was told to write a personal narrative about myself. I really had no idea what I was going to write about or where I was even going to start until I realized that I needed to express to others how I felt. There are assumptions everywhere I go. People assume that I am something I’m not, and it’s true: I am a person made up of assumptions trying to show who I really am.

Let me take you back to one of the first assumptions that was made about me and who I am. About 14 years ago, my mom moved here from Venezuela. Being so young, there are only bits and pieces that I can remember, but of course like any other memory, there are those that will always stick with you. I went to an elementary school where I was the only Latina. I was the only one who spoke Spanish and was one of the few students whose parents spoke broken English.

Since I had lived in Venezuela for a couple of years, the only language I knew and could express myself in was Spanish. I was put in ELL classes, which now I’m grateful for. Each time I went to class I was just a step closer to speaking better English.

My English of course wasn’t perfect; I was still learning and practicing. At school, some of my friends would ask me to say things in Spanish, but I didn’t think so much of it. I just thought that they wanted to hear what Spanish sounded like. “Hola me llamo Luisana y vengo de Caracas, Venezuela.”

After saying the sentence maybe three times a day, all the kids would look over and snicker.

Sometimes they would even make stereotypical remarks like “are you illegal” or “do you even have your green card?” and they would even ask me if I “jumped the border.” This made me feel terrible about who I was, and I never knew if they were messing around or if they really didn’t know much about Latinos.

Comments on top of comments made me afraid of who I truly was. I stopped speaking Spanish not only in school but also at home, so that I could fit in with the “majority” of my school. I started to lose sense of who my true identity was just so that I wouldn’t be judged.

When you stop speaking a language you have known for so long, you never really forget it, you just try so hard to. I went through majority of elementary school trying to forget who I was.

Eventually I learned that being myself was more important than fitting in. Slowly I started to speak Spanish again, and I was happy and proud of who I was and who I am today.

Even though that was years ago, I still feel like these same concepts relates to how many people think today. Its important to learn how certain comments can make others feel bad about who they are or where they come from, making them feel like they have to hide behind all of the assumptions or even worse change who they are.

We should all take the time to learn from each other and know that everyone is different, but we should all be treated the same. Now I can truly say “Si yo soy Venezolana, Latina, y hablo Español and I’m proud.” Every day, I look up at my Venezuelan flag and smile. I am thankful for being here, but I’m also proud to be Latina.

10

IN-DEPTH

DISPARITY

Diversity in staff does not reflect student body ESTELLA FOX EDITOR-IN-CHIEF In our district, 99.25 percent of teachers are white, while a mere .75 percent are of color. This does not reflect our student body at all. 81.5 percent of our student body is white and 18.5 percent are of color.

This discrepancy is not often discussed. However, to Dr. Enid Schonewise, assistant superintendent of human resources at Westside, an increase of teachers of color would have a huge benefit on the student body.

“The students that are Asian or Latino can have an instant role model and say, ‘there’s someone in this building that looks like me who is learning and can maybe make me more comfortable in a situation where I’m the minority,’” Schonewise said. “It also provides non-minority students the opportunity to learn about different cultures. The staff can learn from them and break down some of those stereotypes.”

According to the Center for American Progress, studies show that students of color perform better academically on many different things if they are taught by teachers of color. The studies also show that it helps build social trust and create a wider sense of community for all students, not just students of color.

Despite its value, there is still much to be done in our hiring process to include more teachers of color. However, Omaha Public Schools (OPS) has this issue as a top priority. Task forces recruit people of color, and administrators in their human resources department are sent down to colleges to start offering potential teachers jobs in their district.

“It’s hard getting them [into] Omaha because [OPS] is out usually one step ahead,” Schonewise said. “They travel all over the United States. They even go down to southern colleges to recruit, and they have a Grow Your Own program.”

The Grow Your Own program tracks various low-income students and helps them become qualified teachers.

It has shown to be extremely successful, receiving many awards in the past few years. It puts more people of color in the classroom and improves teacher retention in lowincome schools. The candidates in this program are 84% people of color.

Westside has not implemented this, but Schonewise

could see this being used in the future.

“If we’re going to do anything — which we are — that’s where I see putting my first focus,” Schonewise said.

Although OPS has gotten a head start on recruiting, Schonewise has talked to Janice Garnett, Assistant Superintendent at OPS, about ways administration can start a program to make Westside’s staff more diverse.

“They do have a big program, and it does cost a lot of money,” Schonewise said. “Some of the things are successful, and some things they are learning from. I think something we can do better is sit down and identify how do we get something like that going here.“ Schonewise agrees that money is a factor in recruiting, but there hasn’t been an effort to put money in Westside's budget for this specific issue.

“I don’t know if there has been a conscious plan like how much money can we find,” Schonewise said. “Budgets are tight, [and] I don’t know that it’s really been discussed in terms of budget.”

Right now, Westside does not recruit outside of Nebraska. With a population that is 89.7 percent white, this limits their options.

Although it is diffiASST. cult to recruit teachers of color within Nebraska, Schonewise emphasizes that this is an issue Westside takes seriously.

“I think the first thing that we can do — and have done — is we have put it on the radar and that it’s something that’s important to us,” Schonewise said. “We have a superintendent who has made that a priority, and it has triggered down to me, and I want that to be a priority.”

However, hiring a more diverse staff is not the only priority. The administration also strives to retain the teachers of color already working here.

“We need to make sure they are comfortable and supported so they stay, because if they are a minority, it might not be as comfortable to be here as it might be in [OPS], where there are more people like them, depending on

whatever their situation is,” Schonewise said. “It’s a risk for a staff member to come into an environment where they are a minority, so [it’s important to] support them when they get here.”

To Spanish teacher Maria Olvera, one of two teachers of color at the high school, race was never a factor when deciding where to teach.

“I don’t make decisions based on color or race, because if I did, I would question every decision that I make,” Olvera said. “My decision was based on need and need alone, and if I would have been needed somewhere else, I would have taken that job. Race had no effect for me in choosing the job. I welcome the opportunity to teach Spanish to anyone who wants to learn it, regardless of what color they are.”

Olvera has not felt any discrimination from administration, colleagues, students or even heard racist remarks in the classroom. While she acknowledges that there could be racism in the hallways, she attributes the lack of discrimination to the unique classroom environment.

“My classroom is so culturally oriented, that I think that if someone was to somehow be racSUPERINTENDENT OF HUMAN RESOURCES ist, it would stand out, [but] I haven’t seen it,” Olvera said. “I think the content of what I teach enables students to open their mind and that diminishes discrimination that could possibly trigger in other classrooms.”

However, this cultural environment isn't everywhere.

Students can still benefit from teachers of color, and despite the continuing issues, the administration remains positive.

“I think we've made progress,” Schonewise said. “Dr. McCann told me from the day I was hired last year that [it] is a goal of his, and he’d like to see us really focus on that.

[I had] a school board member come and talk to me about that too, and so, are we there? No, but I think we've made progress.”

...are we there?

No, but I think we’ve made progress.

ENID SC H ON E WI SE

DIVERSITY IN DISTRICTS Although Westside’s student body closely reflects the racial diversity of the Omaha metro area, there is a large discrepancy between the level of diversity in Westside and other high schools in Omaha. This difference is attributed to Westside being one of the most high-income areas in the city.

Unfortunately, according to the US Census, people of color are statistically more likely to be below the poverty line and therefore less likely to attend

schools like Westside. According to the National Poverty Center, this is largely due to employment discrimination, lower pay, and lack of educational opportunities. It’s also harder for people of color to move past these hardships as services like welfare tend to be more limited in areas with predominantly black or hispanic populations.

This creates a never ending cycle wherein students of color lack the quality education needed to raise their income level, and they can’t access that education because of their low income level. As long as this racial disparity exists in our school districts, it will exist in our city.

Key

WHITE BLACK ASIAN HISPANIC

ESTELLA FOX, L IA HAGEN EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, COPY EDITOR

OMAHA NORTH

WESTSIDE 82%

44% 43%

10% 2%

4% 4%

11%

CENTRAL

BURKE

43%

58% 32%

22% 4%

4% 16% Statistics provided by Nebraska Department of Education

21%

IN-DEPTH

11

Photo by Mitch Francis

BEAUTY AND MODESTY

Student embraces culture, combats ignorance LIA HAGEN COPY EDITOR It’s the middle of class when the topic arises.

Immigration. It’s a complicated issue, one that directly affects thousands of citizens of our country. However, senior Habsa Farah is not one of them.

Farah is an American Muslim. She wears the hijab, a veil that covers the head and chest and is worn by many women of her religion. To many, this marks her as foreign. Strange.

For the ill-informed, it shows she could never be from here.

She sees the question in her teacher’s eyes when they turn to the girl next to her. It’s a classic trick; by questioning her peer, they give themselves an excuse to question her. They ask the girl if she was born in the United States, keeping their tone light.

Farah knows what’s coming.

When they turn to her and ask her the same question, she tells them the truth. She has lived in the United States all of her life.

They’re shocked.

Farah recalls them insisting that they don’t mean to be racist as they repeated the word wow. Despite her teacher’s awe, she couldn’t understand what was so amazing about it.

To Farah, Islam and her hijab are everyday parts of life.

She doesn’t feel strange or foreign. She feels like Habsa.

Unfortunately, while instances like these are relatively rare for Farah, she isn’t always treated like one of the crowd.

“Sometimes it’s like I’m an outcast in a way,” Farah said.

“People always just assume I’m different in every aspect when really I’m just like you guys. I mean, I’m different in religion, but everyone has different beliefs in the world. I

still go through the same things.”

Unfortunately, not everyone can see that.

When she first came to Westside, she had a lot of trouble making friends. She attended a middle school outside of the district and missed the years where many students formed their friend groups. While other freshmen adjusted to their new schedules and a new building, Farah spent the first two months of her high school career searching for people she felt comfortable with.

Her first friend at Westside High School was Muslim as well.

“It wasn’t just because ‘oh my gosh she’s Muslim, I’m gonna be friends with her and not include everybody,’” Farah said. “It was more comfortable for me to approach someone who has similar beliefs and something we can talk about.”

Today, she still deals with added difficulties in making friends. While Farah loves meeting new people and hanging out with her peers, she often feels limited by her perceived ‘difference.’

“I just think because of my hijab, I can’t [meet people],” Farah said. “It’s just more awkward. … I will approach somebody like you would and be like ‘hey, my name is Habsa,’ and their reaction would be kind of different.”

Farah notices her peers treating her differently in many aspects of her life. While she acknowledges it isn’t everyone and doesn’t feel that it’s intentional, she knows students often tiptoe around her. They’re curious but don’t want to ask a question. They’re afraid anything they say might offend her.

She doesn’t want people to feel so cautious. In fact, she prefers the open curiosity.

“I’m glad they ask questions because that’s awesome

that [they] want to know and to educate [themselves],” Farah said.

There’s only one stipulation: be respectful.

Some people come to Farah without a filter, asking her offensive questions without thinking of how she may feel.

These aren’t questions like ‘why do you wear that’ or even ‘were you born in America.’

These are questions like ‘so your vagina’s all sewed up, huh? Because you’re Muslim?’

The asker, one of her peers, was referring to something called STM, otherwise known as female genital mutilation.

While it does occur in several Muslim countries, it had nothing to do with Farah, and she was shocked someone would ask her something so intrusive.

These aren’t the types of questions she gets most often, however. The one she hears most and the one she’d most like to answer is about why she wears the hijab.

She wasn’t forced into it, if that’s what you’re wondering.

It’s what most people wonder. Friends, peers, even substitute teachers. According to Farah, it’s an assumption born of the media’s influence. She sees Islam being portrayed as an oppressive religion where women are forced to cover up and are not treated equally. She sees it being portrayed as something it’s not.

Farah, and many other women in her religion, choose to wear the hijab. She has chosen to wear it since she was seven, and she doesn’t think she’ll ever choose not to wear it.

It means too much to her.

“I feel like the hijab represents a female’s space with her religion and her bond with God,” Farah said. “It’s beauty, and it’s modesty, and nobody should be ashamed to wear something that symbolizes such a strong and beautiful thing.”

12

IN-DEPTH

4% 92% 4%

WHITE BLACK ASIAN HISPANIC

RACE IN SPORTS Westside High School from 2011-14

Key

78%

98%

2% 17%

14% 6% WRESTLING 2%

81%

XC 1% 1% TRACK 1%

14% 2% 2%

85%

96%

95% 5%

70%

100%

30% 92% 5%

3%

TEAM SPIRIT

INFOGRAPHIC BY

100%

ALLIE L A ING Statistics provided by Westside High School

Sports offer community but are not diverse LIA HAG EN , JAM ES BU CK LEY COPY EDITOR, SPORTS EDITOR Senior Jay Bridgeman has played with the same basketball team since elementary school.

She joined for the first time at the age of three. As both of her parents had played the sport, it was a family thing.

She stayed in the game, however, because of her passion and her talent.

And, of course, because of the people.

Over the years, the team has travelled to tournaments together on the same bus, playing music and singing together loudly. They took pictures together and bonded through the long rides. It’s a community that Bridgeman, an African American student here at Westside, has always felt welcome in, and it’s a community that many sports teams seem to foster.

According to a Stanford study conducted in 1999, participation in athletics is beneficial for all students. It increases a student’s confidence in their physical abilities and makes them appreciate the importance of health and fitness. That affects them for the rest of their lives. Sports programs also make students more likely to succeed both academically and socially. They help students create strong bonds and also direct students towards appropriate social behavior.

For athletes of color, however, there are even more benefits. Many students of color have a hard time “fitting in” with white culture or feeling accepted. The same study found that participation in athletics makes them feel more socially accepted and leads to an overall healthier life.

Sports teams can be a vital community for students of color who don’t feel they are welcomed anywhere else in their

school or city.

For basketball players like Bridgeman and African American junior Trae Meeks, this holds true at Westside. “[In] basketball, everybody fits in,” Meeks said. “We’ve got the same jersey. It’s not one player or race.”

Despite the benefits of being on a sports team, however, Warrior Athletics remain a predominantly white activity.

“The younger girls who are black do try out, but we’re still outnumbered,” Bridgeman said. “I think it’s just because Westside is a [mostly] white school.”

In sports like basketball, where the diversity of the team mirrors the diversity of our school, this seems likely to be the case. However, while it is true that Westside’s student population is predominantly white, there is still a disparity between the amount of students of color attending the high school and the amount of students on sports teams. 81.5 percent of the student body is white, and yet many of our sports teams are between 90 and 100 percent white athletes.

Senior Njali Kowa, a runner on the varsity track team as well as a private club team called Tachyon, feels that cost could be a factor in enrollment in athletics.

“A lot of white people, especially in Omaha, make a lot of money, like the entrepeneurs for example,” Kowa said.

“Westside is a good example of privileged kids, and the majority of them are white.”

According to the National Poverty Center, students of color are more likely to live below the poverty line. This could make paying school and club fees difficult, even with the available alternatives.

However, a lack of diversity is not the only problem faced in sports programs. According to the Marquette Sports Law Journal, racism in sports is very prevalent, though it tends to be less overt. It generally revolves around

stereotypes that many see as positive. One example of this is the stereotype that African Americans are better at playing basketball.

“When we play other teams, and there’s a black girl on the other team, our team’s like ‘oh my god I don’t want to guard her,’” Bridgeman said. “They expect her to be good.”

These stereotypes are not limited to basketball either.

They exist across many sports, including track. “[Other athletes are] like ‘wow, he’s fast because he’s black,’” Kowa said. “Or ‘he’s good because he’s black.’”

However, while the presence of these stereotypes does not often vary, their effects can. The Marquette Sports Law Journal found that, in college athletics, this put a pressure on athletes of color to be ‘super athletes’ and live up to those stereotypes. It also found that, in large part, these stereotypes were used to demean college athletes of color, implying they didn’t have to work as hard or be as committed in order to achieve their success. At Westside, however, many students feel they are not negative nor are they causing any harm.

“I don’t really pay attention,” Bridgeman said. “It’s not so affecting that it affects how I perform. It just kind of gets annoying because… she’s just like any other basketball player. Guard her like you’d guard anybody else.”

Even with the occasional annoyances, however, Bridgeman doesn’t regret joining the basketball team.

“Being a part of something bigger than yourself is really important to me,” Bridgeman said. “I love team sports because… it makes you realize there’s other stuff that’s more important than you and that you have to sacrifice for other people sometimes… It’s not all about basketball. We have team dinners and bond and everything, …and you always have a group of friends that you always have.”

IN-DEPTH

13

intersectionality Black women at Westside experience racism, sexism NAta

ward

edit0r-in-chief

graphic by

Allie L ai n g

Sophomore Mykiah Nelson can deal with derogatory terms and teachers that expect less of her because she isn’t white. The things the boys say, like “Hey, he wants to make you pregnant,” are disturbing and anger her, but Nelson will stand up for herself.

The scary part is that other people won’t.

Nelson is both black and a woman, exposing her to racism and sexism simultaneously as well as forms of discrimination unique to black women. This has inspired a field of study called intersectionality, which deals with the way these identities intersect and influence each other.

This also makes black women susceptible to many obstacles in their educational career. In Nebraska, 46 percent of African American girls graduated high school on time, compared to 84 percent of white girls.

The NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund determined this gap to be caused by, among other things, discriminatory discipline practices, high exposure to sexual harassment and violence and pervasive racial and gender stereotypes.

At Westside, lack of diversity is another factor.

Westside alum Renee Stewart was one of two black students in her classes when she was a senior last year, both of whom were female.

“When you are not around those who are of the same representation as yourself,

then you feel isolated,” Stewart said. “And you won’t want to engage as much in learning, and not want to speak as much to teachers, and engage in other learning opportunities that Westside has to offer.”

The separation that Stewart feels in regards to her white classmates is caused in part by the misconceptions white students have towards students of color. “[White people] have prejudgments how [black people] are supposed to be and how I’m supposed to talk and dress and act,” Stewart said.

“That’s why I feel like people are uncomfortable. Especially when you get into the higherlevel classes.

‘Cause they feel you’re not smarter, or as smart as they are.”

Stewart says that oftentimes people believe black women “are [only] good for being single mothers.” In Nelson’s experiences, there is just a general belief that women are inferior to men, regardless of race.

“It’s hard enough for women as a whole to receive the same treatment, respect, recognition,” Nelson said. “And then you put it on the level of a black women, and it’s another oppressive force.”

Nelson gives women such as Oprah Winfrey and Sonia Sotomayor, who is the first Latina U.S. Supreme Court justice, as examples of having to fight for this respect.

“The fact that people recognize that as a big breakthrough is proof of…an o p -

pressive force that surrounds women and specifically women of color,” Nelson said. “And when people see that this person had fought so hard and broke through that field…[there] is a shock.

It’s commended and it’s celebrated, because they know it’s hard.”

Today, people are beginning to recognize the struggles of women of color. For many years, feminism was centered on the experiences of white women. There were no allowances made for different races.

“It kind of goes back to when women were fighting for their right Westside alum to be educated, fighting for their right to vote,” Nelson said. “…

Black women didn’t get those things. But when [white women] were having their discussions, preaching equal rights and whatever else, they didn’t consider the fact that they weren’t giving other people equal rights. Attitudes like that are still in the air [today]. People that are... die hard supporters of feminism can be the same people that [are racist.]”

Stewart believes Westside has a lot to offer disadvantaged communities but should increase the diversity of staff and expand the curriculum to include other cultures.

“I think there is a lack of diversity [at Westside],” Stewart said. “Not only in like the student body, but... in the curriculum… If [Westside is] going to have these types of students come into their school, they should accommodate other cultures.”

Nelson calls for people to stand up for themselves and tell people when they are being insensitive so they can change their actions in the future. “[Offensive comments] might come out as a joke, but it’s not a joke,” Nelson said. “It hurts people’s feelings, [but] no one says anything when people say stuff like that.”

Nelson encourages people to stand up for themselves. Unfortunately, many don’t feel they have anyone to turn to.

“There was a situation the other day, and a girl was having issues with self harm…and I said we have to tell an adult,” Nelson said. “She… said ‘Mykiah, look at us, we’re black. They’re not going to care if we tell them.’ And I think that there is something. I think that that is that real need…You can’t learn math if you’re thinking about other stuff.”

There have been multiple instances where a discriminatory comment or action has made Nelson too angry to focus in class.

Nelson does not welcome these distractions to her success, especially since she considers education to be the way out of the poverty at home.

While Nelson believes Westside tries to address the inequalities that students face, there are still improvements that can be made. “[Poverty is] where I’m stuck for now,” Nelson said. “But it’s up to you guys as educators to care about me so that I can get out of that because here is my only way out…You can only do some much for yourself.

You need a teacher. You need a school.”

When you are not around those...of the same representation as yourself, then you feel isolated, and you won’t want to engage...in learning.

Renee Ste wart

14

MODEL MINORITY

IN-DEPTH

Stereotyping makes for unfair labeling GRACE FO G L AN D MANGAING EDITOR Since the time I was in elementary school, I’ve heard the words, “You’re so smart,” from my classmates. It was a great ego boost to my young self.

However, as I grew older, and progressed from a preadolescent child to a ‘mature’ middle-school student, those words slowly turned into, “You’re so smart… because you’re Asian.” Still, my middle school self felt pretty proud of that fact. I was seen as brilliant just because of the way I looked. It wasn’t until I hit high school that I stopped viewing it as a source of pride; instead, it struck me with annoyance.

Honestly, I felt like it was a slap in the face to hear those words if I received a good grade. All of the hard work and effort I had put into the class was somehow demeaned by the words, “Oh, it’s because you’re Asian.”

No, it’s not because of my ethnicity — it’s because I work hard. Schoolwork has always been a high priority in my life, and it’s not fair to say that the reason I receive good grades is because of my race.

Unfortunately, Asians are stereotyped as intelligent and looked upon differently because of that image.

So much so, that they are classified as the “Model Minority.”

Model Minority is the belief that Asians are the “best” minority due to the high levels of professional, academic and personal success. The idea that we don’t receive any racist comments or hate because of our ethnicity also factors into this belief.

Since the 1960s, the media has portrayed Asians as the “model” race. Articles run in magazines such as Times and Newsweek used the term Model Minority to praise Asian Americans’ successes, and to encourage other minority groups to follow their footsteps to accomplish the same prosperous results.

However, while it’s true that many Asians work hard and often achieve success both economically and socially, Model Minority is a misconception.

Junior Shihang Li believes that the Model Minority meaning is inaccurate and offensive.

“It’s very stereotypical to think Asians are the best,” Li said. “We’re not born that way, [and we don’t think] it’s our destiny is to be the best of the races.”

I certainly agree. We aren’t that narcissistic.

To think that Asians are the “Model Minority” clumps us all into one big group, assuming that we all are exactly the same. Not all of us want to be doc-

tors or lawyers. And as with every ethnicity, there are a multitude of different personalities within the race — we aren’t all quiet and reserved. We, too, have different people within our culture.

It’s ridiculous how the stereotypes surrounding Asians has grown to the point where we now have a special term to describe all of us.

“Stereotypes are everywhere, no matter what kind of person you are or who you are,” senior Xuewei Zhao said. “Just the fact you exist means you have stereotypes about you.”

Stereotypes of any kind lend themselves to ignorant comments.

I’ve had my fair share of comments regarding my race. Some have been said in a joking manner, while others were blatantly rude and just plain mean. I never know what to do in those situations; do I ignore it or do I laugh along? Or dare I do the impossible and stand up for myself?

I’ve not been the only Asian who has dealt with racism and faced these same questions.

Sophomore Daniel Guo was targeted a couple months ago when he was riding his bike home; a group of teenagers pulled up next to him and shouted derogatory Asian terms to him. Li will occasionally receive insensitive comments regarding her ethnicity. A sophomore asked Zhao to do her CBL project for $100 because she looked ‘smart’.

Another thought her family was wealthy because he believed the stereotype that all Asians are doctors.

She’s received many requests to do homework.

“I don’t like being used,” Zhao said. “[However] after so many years of being in Omaha, which is mostly a white population, I’ve grown used to it so it doesn’t bother me as much.”

It’s sad that we’ve come to a point where we’ve experienced enough racism where we almost expect it.

These comments Asian Americans receive are “positive” in the sense that they aren’t the worst ethnic stereotypes out there, but they still have a harmful impact. Placing the expectation of being extraordinarily smart on our heads is a lot of pressure to live up to. It makes it especially hard when we don’t achieve that level of success in school.

The misconceptions about any ethnicity reinforce the validity of the stereotypes, and it gives people the idea that they can casually drop racist comments like it doesn’t hurt anybody.

That’s why Model Minority is such a delusion.

It’s a made-up conception that people thought of to clump all Asians together, as if we were some type of superhuman every ethnicity should aspire to be.

We suffer through racism, stereotypes and discrimination just like any other minority.

We aren’t immune to criticism and the stress of schoolwork or jobs. It’s a presumptuous and embarassing moniker used to describe a large population whose success doesn’t come naturally because of their ethnicity. Asians are no different than any other race. We focus, work hard and achieve what we can — not because we’re Asian, but because we put a lot of effort into it.

This stereotyping needs to stop.

Above: Senior Xuewei Zhao playfully balances her flute upon her head in the orchestra room Oct. 6. In her young life, Zhao has already dealt with many stereotyping issues based on her ethnicity. Photo by Taylor Schendt

WARRIOR VOICE How do you think students can help combat racism?

FRESHMAN

SOPHOMORE

JUNIOR

SENIOR

HANNAH G R AHAM

TREVONN WRIGHT

DEVIN JOHNST ON

MORGAN N OVAC E K

“By making a club, or some sort of group.”

“Don’t judge, think before you speak.”

“By not saying racist things.”

“If...someone is saying racist comments, tell them it’s wrong.”

15

FEATURE

REALITY CZECH

Student lives in two countries within one year JACE WIESELER MANAGING EDITOR It doesn’t take much for junior Adam Pavlinek to fill up his time.

Living in two countries will do the trick.

Ever since his seventh grade year, Adam’s mom, a scientist, and dad, a professor, have jobs in both Omaha and Prague that allow for Adam to live in Prague for the first half of the year and Omaha for the second half.

In August, Adam returns to Omaha with his dad and sister. After six months in Prague, Czech Republic, his family is back into their new schedule.

Adjusting to his Omaha schedule, Adam goes home during his open mods just to talk to his mom, who is still in Prague. Because of the time difference, this is one of the only times he gets to talk to her. Unfortunately, it’s too late to talk to her when he gets home from school, so he likes to take every chance he can get.

“The moves are difficult for everyone,” Adam’s mom Gabriela Pavlinek said. “There are times when things don’t work out and we don’t see each other for up to two months, but otherwise the whole family makes the move twice every year.”

He also takes every chance he can get to do homework. While Westside students are on fall break in October, Adam is studying for his school in Prague. His teachers overseas send him assignments over email and luckily for him, however, some of the classes he takes at Westside count for credits at his school in Prague: classes like math, literature, history and chemistry.

This balancing act is nothing new for Adam.

From first grade to fourth grade, while living in the U.S. full time, Gabriela taught him basic classes with Czech schoolbooks. If she hadn’t taught

him, Adam’s move to a new country in fourth grade would’ve been a more of a culture shock, because of the difference in teachings. Now he’s adjusted to two school systems because of his families move back to Omaha during his seventh grade year, when he continued to study for both schools. “[Being enrolled in two schools] is getting harder and harder every year because now in high school there is the same level of difficulty [between schools],” Adam said. “And now I’m responsible for doing my Czech school myself.”

That includes doing all his schoolwork, whether he uses the U.S. way of teaching or the way schooling is in Prague.

At Westside, according to Adam, he sits in math class not quite remembering the concepts as well. He’s not as used to America’s style of teaching where the teacher walks him through how to do the problem and then is assigned many problems for homework each night. To Adam, it’s easier to forget.

After Adam is back in Prague in January, he gets back into the swing things. In his math class in Prague, his teacher puts a problem on the board and says, “How would you solve this problem?”

Adam learns the content quicker by working through the problem and figuring out the formulas through his own investigation. He goes home with little to no homework. To Adam, through learning the techniques himself, it’s harder to forget.

His investigation continues in July when Adam’s school takes their students to a week of learning outside the classroom. They call it “School in the Countryside.” But by doing two school systems, he misses their “School in the Countryside” trip in the fall because of his move back to America in August.

And that’s when the cycle starts over again.

As for Adam’s future schedule, it’s undecided.

His parents want him to go to college in the Czech Republic because his citizenship there guarantees him free tuition. Since he’s a citizen in both countries, Adam wants to attend college in America because he believes more opportunities exist here.

The Pavlinek’s haven’t made a decision yet, but they have discussed a compromise. Adam would get his bachelor’s degree in the Czech Republic and then return to the U.S. to further his education and work towards a master’s degree or Ph.D. For now, Adam will keep living on this schedule until he graduates, whether that be in Omaha or in Prague, and will continue to learn in both school systems. “[By going to two schools I have] a different perspective on things,” Adam said. “I’ll have a very good knowledge of English and be accustomed to two different systems of schooling. It’s an interesting experience.”

Junior Adam Pavlinek stands outside the Westside main entrance Friday, Oct. 31. Pavlinek half of the year studying in the Czech Republic and the other time in the United States. Photo by Jakob Phillips

Russian immigrant pursues acting in high school CONNOR FLAIRTY NEWS EDITOR

Above: Freshman Anastaysia Petrosyan performs during one last rehearsal before the opening of the play “We Are Not the Seven Dwarves,” Friday, Oct. 24. Petrosyan came to America from Crimea, Ukraine five years ago.

Right: Petrosyan helps her fellow cast member prepare for a pre-show rehearsal.

She hopes to one day fulfill her dreams of being an actress in a big city. Photos by Taylor Schendt

Every day when Westside freshman Anastaysia Petrosyan turns on the news, she finds a new update on the conflict in Crimea, Ukraine. And while most of us don’t think twice about another situation overseas, it serves as a constant reminder for Petrosyan of the home she’s left behind.

“We left everything when we came here,” Petrosyan said. “Beside my mom and dad, I had no one.”

Petrosyan was born in Crimea, Ukraine, and made the voyage to America in 2009 when her father took a job at University of Nebraska Medical Center. But for Petrosyan, who was only nine years old at the time of the move, it proved to be one of the toughest things she ever had to endure.

“At first I was optimistic,” Petrosyan said. “I get to learn a new language, live in a new place and meet tons of nice people. But then it started to sink in that I would be here forever, for the rest of my life.”

For Petrosyan, the hardest adjustment was her loss of connection to what matters most to her: family.

“The realization that I will never be able to live with some of my family was hard,” she said. “I spend every summer in Crimea, but I never know if that’s the last time I’ll see my Grandma again.”

Petrosyan misses her family and her home, and the change in culture that Omaha provides serves as a constant reminder.

“Omaha isn’t always social,” Petrosyan said.

“If I walk onto my street here, I won’t see someone for 20 minutes, but in Crimea, my street was packed with people all the time. It’s just not the same.”

However, less populated streets are not the only social changes she had to get used to.

“Even if Americans don’t like someone, they will still smile at them,” Petrosyan said. “Even the cashiers, they’re so nice. I’ve been getting used to American cashiers, and when I go back to my Crimea, I feel like they’re so rude.” She laughs.

In addition to the usual hardships of moving around the world, Petrosyan has to watch her

home country become the site of heavy conflict.

“You don’t like to think that your home country is where the war is right now,” Petrosyan said.

“I’m thankful that Crimea is mostly protected and safe now in comparison to other parts of Ukraine, but we’ll watch the news everyday, and it’s really intense, and my mom will even cry. It’s still our home.”

While Petrosyna longs for home, one thing keeps her going in America: her dream of being an actress.

“Ever since I was in elementary school, I’ve loved acting,” Petrosyan said. “I really want my life to be connected to movies and acting somehow.”

Petrosyan hopes to one day be able to move to a bigger city and pursue her acting career, something she wouldn’t be able to accomplish in her home country.

“The technology isn’t quite up to date in Crimea and really isn’t as modern as America is,” Petrosyan said. “It really just wouldn’t be possible in Crimea. There really aren’t that many opportunities.”

With that in mind, she hasn’t wasted any opportunity in America. The young thespian has played roles for multiple school plays as well as at the local playhouse the Rose. In fact, the Westside theatre program was one of the main reasons she decided to attend the school.

“I felt like this was a good school,” Petrosyan said. “There are a lot of possibilities, and I’m even in the upcoming play.”

However, while America provides a lot of opportunity for Petrosyan, she still longs for home.

“It’s hard to admit it, and I never actually have admitted that I’m never going back to live in Crimea,” Petrosyan said. “I always have the slightest hope that I’ll go back and live there.”

While Petrosyan may never live in Crimea again, her home country will stay with her forever.

“I will probably end up marrying and having children here, and I don’t want them to not know Russian,” said Petrosyan. “I want them to learn something about me and understand what it was like. I’m part American now, but in my heart I will always be Russian.”

16

Feature

THE RUNWAY

Triplets use modeling to channel individuality C elena s he phe r d

feature editor Triplet juniors Liese, Lily and Isabell Rashid appear indistinguishable to strangers passing them in the halls, but once they stepped foot on the runway in Kansas City Fashion Week, their individuality could shine through.

It shone through the way Liese moved with complete elegance and poise.

Through the way Lily met the audience with a smirk at the end of the catwalk.

Through the way Isabell’s powerful strides reached the floor each step.

Modeling, however, wasn’t always that easy.

Their journey started freshman year when a friend of the family introduced them to Select Model Management in Bennington, Nebraska.

The triplets took lessons there to learn the basics of modeling. They also acquired two agents.

The girls gained experience in the industry, which helped them get jobs at Taco Johns, Gordman’s, Hy-vee, local boutiques and Kansas City Fashion Week.

The girls appreciate the individuality they are given credit for while modeling.

“The judges are really picky about what they want, and they see our differences that regular people just don’t notice,” Isabell said.

The Rashid sisters agree it’s nice getting paid for their jobs, but the most satisfying reward is the pure enjoyment they feel.

“I like modeling because it’s always really fun to meet new people and be around them,” Lily said. “It is a great experience.”

The triplets feel it’s difficult to portray their individuality while practicing with other models.

“Sometimes it’s intimidating [at castings] because we blend in with everyone,” Liese said.

Overall modeling has positively impacted their lives and introduced them to an array of possibilities.

“It’s good to be learning about this industry, not only modeling, but also in hair and makeup, photography and wardrobe styling,” Lily said.

They can each see themselves working in this environjunior ment, not as models, but in fashion business merchandising.

They are thankful for the assistance modeling has given after transferring to Westside High School from Mercy High School at the start of the 2014 school year.

“Going to castings and talking to [people] has helped us coming to Westside,” Isabell said. “We can be more open with people.”

The girls knew few people at Westside, but have made an abundance of new friends.

“People call us the triplets a lot,” Liese said.

The judges...see our differences that regular people just don’t notice.

Isabell rashid

They find it hard to be individuals at school because they are categorized as one person to friends.

At the end of the day, modeling is a fun, stress free outlet for the girls.

When Liese, Lily, and Isabell walk down the hallway they are ”the triplets”, commonly mixed up, but as they each glide down the runway at Kansas City Fashion Week in five-inch heels they are unique individuals.

Juniors Lily, Liese and Isabell Rashid sit in the Westside courtyard Friday, Oct. 31. The Rashid triplets have been modeling since they were freshmen.

Photo by Jakob Phillips

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SPORTS

17 Step Three: Heat Stroke The body is unable to cool off because the cooling processes have stopped, threat of serious injury and/or death.

Step Two: Heat Exhaustion Where the person begins to go through headache, nausea, and has impaired thought process.

Step One: Heat Cramps When the body sweats out all of the salt and electrolytes that allow the muscles to contract.

Graphic by Casey Arritt

FEELING THE HEAT

Senior suffers heat stroke, college prospects depend on recovery JACK CO HE N SPORTS WRITER

The heat of an 85-degree July day beat down on the city of Omaha. Senior Drew Combs had been outside at football practice since 7 a.m. By midday Combs would be on the turf as his whole body cramped. By 1 p.m. Comb’s was suffering a heat stroke, and his athletic career would never be the same.

In June, Combs went to a football camp at South Dakota State, where he performed well. The SDSU coaching staff took notice and offered him to play for the university.

Combs headed into football pre-season expected to be a force to be reckoned with by the coaches. He was a senior leader on the field for a starting line-up with multiple juniors.

Only a month after the news of the camp, Combs attended a morning practice, like he did every day during the summer.

Yet, at around noon Comb’s laid on the turf as his whole body cramped up.

Following the practice, Westside hosted the Junior Warrior football camp. Combs stayed after to help run it, extending the already long day.

Even though he had some minor cramping earlier, he played through the discomfort. During the camp, the pain got severe and Combs went inside to try to cool off. He came back out and continue to work through it once again.

Combs’s cramps had spread to his whole body, coaches realizing Combs was succumbing to the heat, quickly took action and provided wet towels and ice to cool him off. This lasted for about 10 minutes.

When those methods failed to have any apparent affect, as a precautionary measure, the coaches moved Combs into an ice bath, making sure his core temperature stayed below the critical point of 105 degrees Fahrenheit.

Combs sat in the bath for about 10 minutes.

When removed the bath hadn’t seem to have improved his situation, Combs floated in and out of consciousness, and still was experiencing the cramps. Even with all the efforts of the coaches, they wanted to make sure Comb’s would be all right. The paramedics were called and Combs was taken to the emergency room.

Combs experienced the culmination of heat illness, a heat stroke.

Drew was returned to a safe temperature due to the coaching staff substituting the shut down cooling system with the full body emersion, and eventual hospital stay.

Most individuals close to the program expected a speedy recovery for Combs.

“I went up to go visit him in the hospital,” assistant coach Rick MckEeever said. “I thought I would give him a few days to recover and everything would be okay.”

Not even Combs predicted the lasting implications of the episode.

“I thought it would only set me back a couple weeks,” Combs said. “I missed the first game because of it [heat stroke], but I would play in the Prep game, and injure my hip in the fourth quarter.”

The hip injury from the game became the least of Combs worries. A lasting issue from the heat stroke eventually turned into the bigger issue. The problem has kept him a lot longer then expected.

While muscle damage is an expected side effect from heat stroke, Comb’s has experienced the situation in a unique way.

When people exercise there is a normal release of a chemical called Creatine kinase (CK).

“CK is the byproduct of muscle breakdown,” said registered physician John Vann M.D. When people exercise their muscles break down, causing the CK level to rise during activity.

After exercising when muscles recover the levels go down. For a non-athletic person a regular CK level is around 0-180. For an athlete it is 180-360.

“Normally a person who plays sports CK levels should only go about three times as high as the average.” Combs said. “Mine [CK level] would reach ten times as high as it should when I exercised.”

Following the heat issues, Combs got his CK levels tested for the first time. Due to the lack of data prior to the heat stroke, doctors do not know what Comb’s baseline CK is. That makes it difficult to determine the severity of the level. Either way, the change of his levels was alarming.

“My levels would either stay high or drop down but not low enough to be healthy,” Combs said.

Following the Burke game, Combs got the test that ended his senior season.

“I went in for a doctor’s appointment and they found my levels were at 6,000, which is the highest they’d been.” Combs said.

The doctors decided to treat Combs as they would a serious concussion injury: two to three months of no activity are allowing Comb’s muscles time to heal. How the muscles heal will determine his future as an athlete.

“I told the [SDSU] coach the first time in August,” Comb’s said. “He was wondering why I didn’t play the first game. I told him about the injury, but that was before I was out for the season, I haven’t contacted him since then.”

Comb’s college athletics future mainly hangs on the findings of the December check up, following his 3-month rest and recuperation period. There are several possible outcomes from this checkup.

“Say he goes in in December and has his levels checked all normal,” said Vann. “Then, he exercises and they check again and they’re still normal. This means his muscles were hurt due to the heat stroke, this triggered the high CK levels, and they had time to heal and now are better. He can go and play.”

Opinion

This is the positive finding for Combs. However, there is a definite possibility that it won’t turn out well.

“If he goes through the same process and following his workout and the levels are still abnormally high, then that could have something to do with a prior issue, or a genetic problem,” Vann said. “These situations are very complex and unique to the individual, and being he’s not my patient, it is difficult to say.”

Whether the months of rest will be successful or not put uncertainty into Comb’s recruitment process.

“I’m not sure about the offer, because I know they want the best kids to perform for them no matter what, and my situation is kind of turned the other way, so we’ll see how the results turn out in the winter and what they [SDSU] want to do with me,” Combs said.

No matter how he is doing following the December check up, Comb’s still plans to play college football.

“I will definitely see how it goes,” Combs said.

“If I don’t have an offer, I will walk on if I’m healthy. If that time comes and I don’t have the opportunity, I’ll go to a smaller school, get my body back to how I want, then my sophomore year I will transfer to South Dakota State.”

Even though Comb’s situation has a lot of uncertainty and variables in play, he maintains a positive attitude through every piece of adversity he has encountered since July.

“There are a lot of seniors across Nebraska who’s senior year turned the other way too,” Comb’s said. “South Dakota State is probably my dream school, and I know I’ll get there.”

When the December test results are in, they will shed light onto how difficult achieving that dream will be.

Senior Drew Combs waits for practice to come to an end while icing his hip Monday, Sept. 8. Combs is still recovering from his injuries. Photo by Taylor Schendt

Student athletes at the college level should be paid CONNOR CASTLEMAN

they looked into the stands their jerseys was being worn my thousands of people, most

High school athletes juggle their time between friends, family, practices, and games each week. But there is a big jump from high school to college. According to Zacks Investment Research A division 1 athlete spends an average of 45 hours each week doing sports related activities. This leaves no time for an athlete to make any money.

Being a student athlete is one of the most difficult commitments made by college students. Spending so much time on a sport that generates millions of dollars, there is no reason why a student shouldn’t be getting paid.

According to Zacks Investment Research in 2011 and 2012 the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) generated $871 million in revenue. While some money goes into advertising and funding schools, the NCAA is pocketing most of the money generated by the student athletes working Monday through Friday, as well as the weekends going all over the country. Plus jerseys of individual players are getting sold for as much as $80 a piece.

If a college athlete and their team generated millions of dollars each year and each time

If an athlete is unable to support himself because he’s spending so much time on sports, sometimes the pressure is put back on their parent.

“I was lucky that my parents busted their butt, allowing me to make it through college playing a sport,” varsity football coach Justin Haberman said. “But sadly, many people don’t have that.”

Also, without a scholarship, some aren’t lucky enough to have a family that can afford to pay for a student athlete. If that’s the case, a student athlete will not only have little to no money and will be in debt from college funds that can affect a students life in the future.

Colleges should pay their student athletes for all the hard work they have done.

Throughout each year all students are working their body’s and minds to the limit to be able to compete with other colleges around the country.

Being a student athlete in college is a year-round job. When they are not in season they are always working in the weight room, watching film or anything else that helps them.

College athlete they deserve money for the things they do.

STAFF WRITER would feel cheated.

18

INGRID MICHAELSON

A&E

Singer wows Sokol with soft acoustic tracks ELISE TU CK E R , KAYLA K Y L E

A&E EDITOR, STAFF WRITER Stepping out of the car to Sokol Auditorium, we saw a line that stretched all the way around the building from the front entrance. The people were of all ages. Most of them were chattering ecstatically about Ingrid Michaelson’s music and their expectations for the show. After twenty minutes of waiting outside in the cold, we arrived in the venue. The walls were lined with mini-chandeliers and had an old-timey feel to them.

Since we got there earlier than most, we weren’t expecting to get very good seats. However, once we were there, we noticed that the center of the auditorium was filled with chairs. There was a large chandelier hanging from the cracked ceiling. The balcony wrapped around the room to the front of the stage.

About an hour after the doors opened, the opening act, Neulore, came out. From the second they stepped out on stage, their quirky dance moves and passion for their music shined, and it didn’t stop shining throughout the entire performance.

About twenty minutes passed. The lights went out on the stage. At this point, we were expecting a grand entrance, but Ingrid Michaelson kept it simple and just walked out to do her set. She kept the mood light by telling jokes, inappropriate stories and rambling on about whatever came to her mind. She has a great sense of humor and the potential to be a stand-up comedian if she decided to.

The show itself was acoustic, which allowed her to connect with her audience by having conversations with us. There were no added embellishments. It allowed for a close-knit feeling, as if they were interacting with a family member or a close friend. At one point in the show, a group of Marian

girls showed a sign saying “I missed Homecoming for this,” which led Ingrid to debate the differences between Prom and Homecoming and apologize to the girls.

Onstage, her guitarist/back-up singer Allie Moss couldn’t control her laughter. During “Ready to Lose,” an emotional ballad, she started to laugh because of a previous inappropriate joke Michaelson said.

Ingrid’s music throughout the show was soulful and smooth. She showcased her talent with a soft voice.

Although most of the show was seated, during the song “Girls Chase Boys,” the audience slowly stood up to dance and sing along to her newest hit. After she sang her last song, “Afterlife,” she left the stage. Since the audience was screaming and cheering, she came back to do the encore. Her last song was a cover of Elvis Presley’s “Can’t Help Falling In Love.”

After the concert, we went to the merchandise table and met one of Ingrid’s guitarists, Billy Libby. We got about a minute to talk to him and he talked about how he met Ingrid and how great of an opportunity touring with her was.

After we talked to him, we left the venue feeling satisfied with the show.

Ingrid’s performance was unique and memorable. The venue felt dingy due to the building’s age, but once set up, it felt like we were stepping in a time machine back to the 20’s. The design looked and felt different from anything we’ve seen before, and the atmosphere and acoustics during the show were loud and clear. It made for a fantastic show with low lights that changed periodically throughout the show.

Ingrid had a light attitude throughout her performance. Her musical range was outstanding and the show had a relaxed vibe. Overall, the show left us speechless.

Junior Jacob Thomas plays an angry, distressed dwarf in the play written and directed by Maddie Hurley and Connor O’Doherty Friday, Oct. 24. Hurley and O’Doherty dedicated over 50 hours of work into their senior project. Photo by Sarah Lemke

Seniors direct play inspired by Project 66 CONNOR TUCKER STAFF WRITER Poor old Sneezy was just minding his own business, enjoying the summer sun on his vacation. Next thing you know, Elsa causes a snowstorm and Sneezy’s health and vacation are ruined.

This is just one of the main scenes of “We Are Not the Seven Dwarves,” a play written and directed by Westside students.

Seniors Connor O’Doherty and Maddie Hurley have directed and produced a play for their senior project on Oct. 24. The story centers on the dwarves from the classic Snow White story.

Project 66 was created by Westside to have high school seniors to write and direct their own plays. O’Doherty and Hurley were actors in Project 66, but they are directing “We Are Not the Seven Dwarves.”

“I was inspired by Project 66, which was discontinued last year,” O’Doherty said.

At Westside High School, seniors must complete a large community project to graduate. This includes O’Doherty and Hur-

ley, who decided to do a play for their senior project.

“Casting was difficult,” Hurley said. “We have been casted many times before, but this time we were the casters. Eventually, we just pinpointed which roles fit best for those who auditioned.”

They had to cast characters for the seven main scenes of the play. All of the scenes have a conflict that creates a name for them out of the events performed. All of them are eventually isolated from their former friends and acquaintances to work in the mines.

“We Are Not the Seven Dwarves” is comedic and fun, with a twist for every one of our favorite dwarves from Snow White.

The dialogue is original from the Westside directors.

“The play itself is only 30 minutes long, but we easily put in over 50 hours of work in it,” Hurley said. “It was madness”.

O’Doherty and Hurley are proud to present it for their senior project. It was humorous and fun, as well as being in disciplinary order by two teens who are ahead of many expectations.

Above: Singer/Songwriter Ingrid Michaelson performs at the Sokol Auditorium Oct. 17. She performed her hit songs with the help of Billy Libby and Allie Moss. Photo by Kayla Kyle Left: Ingrid Michaelson’s newest album is called “Lights Out.” Her tour centered around this album.

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19

FALL TV REVIEWS

SARAH HERMANN OPINION EDITOR

AMERICAN HORROR STORY: FREAK SHOW Being a 16-year-old girl and having a huge crush on the television star Evan Peters, you could just imagine my excitement for this show to premiere. I started a countdown on my phone three weeks beforehand, counting down every hour, minute and second until the first episode. I began to grow less and less patient as each day went by.

American Horror Story is a horror/drama show that changes its story plot every season but retains its cast. The first season is called Murder House. The show circles around the idea that once you set foot in the house, it is impossible to leave. The second season is called Asylum. The season is set in a mental institution, slowly revealing the lives of the patients as the season goes on. The third season is named Coven, which focuses on the antics of Salem descendants that live within a boarding school. The current season is called Freak Show.

Freak Show is set in a circus full of people with wild, different deformities. You are able to find the first and second season on Netflix.

I’m a giant fan of the first season of American Horror Story, played on FX, considering that I have watched the entire season almost three times now. However, I was disappointed with the second season. I started to get bored watching it, so I never finished the full season. I never watched the third season because of my disappointment.

Before Freak Show started, I watched tons and tons of creative and creepy previews for the season, giving me lots of hope that the Freak Show would be as good as the first season. As the seconds were counting down for the premiere, I grabbed some popcorn, made a latte from my Keurig, and jumped onto the couch in anticipation.

After watching the first episode, I didn’t feel as satisfied as I thought I would feel. It was very interesting, and Evan Peters, acting as the character ‘Lobster Boy,’ looked as good (or even better) than I thought he would look. But, I was disappointed with a number of things.

I felt as if they didn’t introduce the plot for Freak Show well enough. The first episode was so dedicated to introducing the setting and the characters that it didn’t focus well enough on the plot. Another downfall is that the music in the background was too loud during some scenes. Fortunately, that was only a minor glitch that applied to that episode.

After watching the next couple episodes in the season, I have became more interested with it because the plot has been fully introduced and the story is now in play, but I still think the show could have had more of a “grand entrance.”

RED BAND SOCIETY This show, played on FOX, follows a number of teenagers living in a children’s hospital on their journeys to battle the different diseases the teens have. Some diseases the characters have include osteosarcoma, anorexia, cystic fibrosis, cancer, and an enlarged heart. The show is narrated by a 12-year-old comatose patient.

Before I watched the show, I was one of those people who judged it from the start. Many people, like me, overlooked the show because, by the looks of it, it closely resembled the hit summer movie blockbuster, ‘The Fault in Our Stars’. I quickly found out that the two are nowhere near the same.

Rather than focusing on just one disease like “The Fault in Our

Stars” did, it showcases many different diseases, which is my favorite aspect of the show. By watching the lives of these fictional characters with real diseases, the viewers get a chance to see what it’s like to live with a disease they may not be familiar with. These are important topics that deserve recognition.

Still, I believe Red Band Society is geared too much towards teens.

The show may attract a younger audience because it specifically focuses on the lives of teenagers, but I feel like the script has a lot more potential. If it attracted different audiences, it could bring more awareness to the diseases shown in the show, making people more aware of important conditions.

THE VOICE This fun twist on a singing competition just began their seventh season on NBC this fall.

The show consists of four celebrity judges who judge the contestants based purely on their voice, instead of their looks. The judges change every season, but the judges used in this season are Adam Levine, Pharrell Williams, Blake Shelton, and Gwen Stefani.

The season starts out by holding blind auditions, and if a judge is interested in the contestant’s voice, he or she will press the button to turn his or her chair around to take a look at the face behind the voice. It only takes one judge to turn around to enter the competitor in the competition. After blind auditions are over, the show then proceeds to the battle rounds, where the judges put their teams in groups of two to have a sing-off and eliminate players.

Then the singing competition starts, and has each judge exactly twelve contestants.

The “don’t judge a book by its cover” message the show focuses on is very creative and heartwarming, and the show is entertaining. , the wrong people are entertaining the viewers.

I think that the show focuses on the celebrity judges too much. It’s fun to watch the funny, friendly rivalry between Adam Levine and Blake Shelton, but their jokes take the focus away from the people who need the attention the most: the contestants.

The talented contestants went through a long and difficult process to get on the show, only to have the attention taken away from them by people who have all the attention in the world. The show has failed to give worldwide success to the winners of the last six seasons, but is succeeding in feeding their celebrity judges even more attention than they already had.

Overall, this season has been fun and entertaining to watch, but the wrong people are entertaining the viewers.

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20

OPINION

Omaha’s hottest

cocoa EVA WETZEL OPINION EDITOR Let me set one thing straight. I hate cold weather. There are only three things that get me through the winter season every year, and they are as follows: Christmas, snow days, and hot cocoa.

When I was a child, the last two often went together. I’d come inside from an exhaustive session of building snowmen, leave my boots at the door, sit down at the table, and enjoy a cup of Swiss Miss with marshmallows. I have since enjoyed at least a few mugs of it every year.

Clearly, hot cocoa has a special place in my soul. Now that I’m old enough to have a relatively on-the-go lifestyle, however, it can be more convenient (and enjoyable) to buy it from a café. A question naturally arises — where might someone find the best hot cocoa in Omaha? I decided to search for my favorite by sampling a variety of local venues so that you, too, can stave away the cold for just a little bit longer.

I began my taste-testing journey at Whole Foods. They have a bar nestled deep inside the store with a nice selection of coffees and teas, as well as — you guessed it — hot chocolate. The smallest size had a $3 price tag. As I tasted it, I could immediately see why it would also turn out to be the most expensive. Out of all the hot chocolate I would go on to sample, theirs was the most “mature.” That’s because the flavor was decadently rich, dark and tasted nothing like Swiss Miss. It just wasn’t for me, though; the flavor was too rich. If you adore dark chocolate, however, Whole Foods is where you should stop.

Next, I hit local venue Crane Coffee. Sadly, this $2.70 hot chocolate was not really up to par. It was decent, but flat compared to the other cocoas I tried. I was disappointed because I normally love Crane and couldn’t recommend it enough. The employees there are extremely friendly, and I often visit them for smoothies, pastries and coffee. Unfortunately, though, the cocoa completely missed its mark with me because was no deep “chocolate” taste.

For my third cup, I visited local café Caffeine Dreams.

The casual yet trendy atmosphere immediately captivated me. There was an adorable dog sitting in the lobby and a sign on the front counter that read: “No cell phones at the register — what would your mother think?”

Their $2.10 hot chocolate was my favorite: sweet, light, topped with delicious whipped cream, and at a temperature that was just right. I drank it all before we’d even left the parking lot, and was warmed from the inside out. Anyone looking for Omaha’s most pleasantly sweet cocoa or a cool hangout spot should head to Caffeine Dreams right now.

Since it’s located in Midtown, however, a trip there would be more suited to weekends or a night on the town. Westsiders looking for a quick chocolate fix may want to go somewhere closer to home.

One such location is Scooters, which is less a café and more a drive-through. I took a big swig of soon after the barista handed me the cup, and after the choice whipped

cream, I got a mouthful of uncomfortably hot liquid. Unlike the other venues I visited, Scooters’ $2.65 hot chocolate requires a bit of cooling before it is drinkable. However, this is a relatively minor complaint, and I grade Scooters very highly in all other areas. The cocoa flavor was aromatic and delicious without being too sugary, and its flavor was firmly in the “milk chocolate” camp. I’d highly recommend it.

Countryside Village’s very own Village Grinder was my next stop. Here, the $2.70 cocoa was topped with an artistic drizzle of chocolate sauce and tasted very similar to the cup I received at Scooters’. However, I prefer this location because of its convenience – and you can actually go inside and sit. In fact, there’s no drive-thru at all. This isn’t a drawback for me because the atmosphere is warm and welcoming. Jars of coffee beans line the store, and customers are greeted by a tantalizing pastry display case at the counter.

This location is a good cocoa option for Westsiders, as not everyone has access to a car and the Village Grinder is a short walk from the high school. It’s definitely the type of place I’d stay awhile.

After all that driving around, I decided to spice things up with a homemade cup. For this, I used Starbucks’ Classic Hot Cocoa mix, which is what my family has lying around the house. It has dark undertones and is a nice, smooth mix that isn’t overly sweet. The finer points of the taste really depend on what sort of milk you use and how much cocoa powder you put in. For the price, I calculated how much it would cost to make one small (16 ounce) cup of hot cocoa at home, if you buy the ingredients in bulk. This estimation includes two cups of milk, a little over one serving of whipped cream and Starbucks’ recommended two heaping tablespoons of cocoa mix. The result: around one dollar per cup. Milk can also be substituted for water to drive the price down further, but you sacrifice a great deal of flavor in doing so. So the question of whether homemade cocoa is a viable option for you lies here: are you a cocoaholic, or are you hesitant to make a long-term cocoa investment? Are you confident in your drink-making ability, or does everything you put into the microwave explode? If you picked the second option to both of those questions, I’d leave it to the experts.

I topped everything off with a late-night trip to the ominous golden arches of McDonalds. Tasting their “hot chocolate” was a huge shock to my system. It was grotesquely syrupy, artificial and sweet beyond all reason, like a liquefied version of the hot fudge they put on their ice cream.

Some strange, primal sugar craving came over me, and I couldn’t stop drinking it, even though it was absolutely nasty. I immediately spiraled into guilt after my cup was empty, though, and I could practically feel my teeth eroding afterward. Yuck. You might expect such a concoction to be much cheaper than the other cocoas, but it’s actually $2.

Ultimately, though, I had fun, and I learned that Omaha’s “best hot chocolate” is truly in the taste buds of the beholder. Your decision should be based on what you like: dark or light, subtle or so addictively sweet that it makes me wonder if science has gone too far. Whatever your preference, Omaha cafés have something to satisfy the craving.

1st Caffeine Dreams 2nd

Scooter's

3rd

Village Grinder

4th

Whole Foods

5th

Crane Coffee

6th

McCafé

GRAPHICS BY

ALLIE L A I N G

The Dance Shoppe 8712 Countryside Plaza Omaha, NE 68114 402-399-8580