The Purple Gem Issue 6, Vol. 57

Purple Gem The

Bowling Green High School, Bowling Green, KY May 18, 2017

Issue 6, Volume 57

Girls rule class of 2017 Anna Bachmann

Caroline Morrison

Anna Bachmann has spent her past four years playing volleyball, participating in several clubs, and taking a course load full of challenging, advanced classes. In the fall, she plans to attend Centre College to follow either a premedical or pre-physician assistant track.

Her diverse interests and ability to balance multiple commitments are what she credits her successful high school years and her acceptance into an esteemed college to. In regard to her class rank, Bachmann wasn’t especially surprised; she’d been working towards the honor since she first walked into the doors of BGHS. As she entered those same doors at the beginning of her senior year, however, she tried to focus on avoiding senioritis and staying motivated rather than obsessing over a class ranking.

Bachmann has learned that she isn’t alone in her struggle to suceed. “High school has definitely taught me the type of friendships that I’m happiest to be in. I’ve also learned that goals can change dramatically and that people grow and change very quickly,” she said.

Caroline “Carrie” Morrison plans to attend the University of Kentucky in the fall.

Throughout high school, Morrison played volleyball and participated in clubs such as BETA, National Honor Society, and the Student Government Association, as well as taking part in Cotillion during her junior year. The combination of these activities results in numerous hours of volunteer work for Morrison. She achieved her high class rank by consistently trying to do the best in and out of the classroom.

Morrison said, “My strive to always be the best in everything I do has allowed me to develop an intense work ethic and organizational and time management skills.”

Morrison encourages others looking to excel academically to work hard and to not be overly concerned about their class rank. Instead, she has spent her high school years performing to the best of her ability and listening in class. “You should always try to learn as much as you can,” she said.

Leigh Ballard Leigh Ballard will culminate her high school career as one of the top six students in the BGHS class of 2017. After high school, Ballard will continue her studies at the Honors College at Western Kentucky University. Of her time in high school, Ballard stated, “I played on the golf team for five years. I learned how to be a leader and to be persistent in reaching a goal. I worked hard in school but never really thought about being in the top six until junior year.” Despite strenuous classes and sports, Ballard has managed commendable grades and feels very honored with the opportunity to represent her class by being one of its top students. To feel her hard work has finally paid off is a final and rewarding feeling to complete her high school experience, and Ballard believes all other students facing challenging classes and activities should do all the work so they can reap the benefits in the end.

u photos by A. Madison

Abygail Dallas

Jaycie Fowlkes

Abygail “Aby” Dallas’s four years at BGHS were nothing short of a combination of challenge and fun. She plans to attend Centre College after she graduates from BGHS to major in biology and minor in religion; her hope is to use these to become a nurse.

Throughout her years as a student, Dallas played volleyball for six years and held the role of team captain her senior year.

Dallas had planned on playing volleyball in college since her eighth grade year; her involvement with academics helped her to realize that D3 athletics will allow her to balance all the different aspects of being a college athlete. In addition to volleyball, she is also a member of several clubs and the Student Government Association, where she served as secretary. Dallas never considered being one of the top students in her class until she was told she was in the top five of her sophomore class. “Don’t stress out over the small things. If you get a C on a test and you did your best, oh well, there will be more grades to help your grade out,” Dallas said.

Senior Jaycie Fowlkes believes she has worked with some of the best teachers and befriended some of the best students in her years at BGHS. Fowlkes plans to attend Harding University in Arkansas to study elementary education. In high school, she never planned on being one of the top students in her class. Now, however, as she approaches graduation, she is very proud of the accomplishment. “I couldn’t have done it without my teachers and classmates pushing me to do my best,” said Fowlkes.

She participated in several clubs. Outside of academics, she played tennis and was a member of the cross country team. Fowlkes believes these experiences, a combination of sports, clubs, and friends, were the essence of her high school experience. “All of my activities have taught me that participation in school events and the community is important and very rewarding,” Fowlkes said. She cites dedication as the key to achieving success and wants upcoming seniors to know they if they put their mind to it, they are capable of anything.

Mackenzie Wilson Mackenzie Wilson worked her way through high school relying on music, clubs, and people.

In her time at BGHS, Wilson participated in band and choir, playing in AllDistrict band each year and being a choir section leader. Her music inspired her to minor in music at Western’s Honors College. Wilson plans to major in biochemistry and enter the pre-veterinary program. “Being in the top six now is incredible,” Wilson said.

“It’s pretty surprising that I was actually able to stay up that high, but it was also a huge accomplishment. I’m very proud.”

Outside of music and strenuous classes, she also took part in the National Honor Society and BETA Club. Wilson has spent her four years learning to balance her music, classes, and clubs. She hopes to pass this skill to manage time and commitments to the upcoming classes, encouraging them to work hard in school and anything they are passionate about. “Actually try, even when it’s hard, don’t stop doing it if it’s important to you,” said Wilson.

u By Ann Marcum Hines

BGHS alumni surprised and proud to be in Hall of Honor The Hall of Honor class of 2017 is the first to be placed in the new Tradition Hall

u By Jack Eason “I was crying over the avocados,” said Hall of Honor inductee Cathy Meeks Bishop about the call she got in Kroger from Superintendent Gary Fields congratulating her for her selection. “I thought I was going to have to call Mike [Bishop] to come get her,” said Fields.

Surprise was a common theme among the honorees.

“When you get a call from your kids’ superintendent, the first thing you think is ‘what’s wrong?’” said pediatrician Kelly Elliot Kries. “I answered the call immediately.”

Derrick Ray, a retired Army Inspector General, thought that Fields was prank calling him. “I’m pretty sure he had some of his military buddies run my number,” joked Fields.

“It was kind of a questionable call,” said Ray. “I thought it was like a joke.

Whether the nominees believed Fields or not, they all felt honored to be chosen to have their picture hang in the hall. Brad Odil, another honoree, is the only one with the distinction of being the second member of his family in the hall. “[My father] has been my mentor all along,” says Odil, “for me to sit here and say that I’m in the same hall that he is is an honor.”

Cathy Bishop, a frequent volunteer at BGHS, viewed the honor as one of her crowning achievements.

“The only thing I’m prouder of is being Keith Bishop’s mother,” said Bishop.

Both of Bishop’s parents are BGHS grads, and her father was in attendance. “There’s nothing I would rather stand for than Bowling Green High,” said Bishop. “It’s just an

honor to do anything I can for them.”

Keely Jones, a high school principal in Tennessee, gave what many considered the most poignant acceptance speech of the night, recounting those who mentored her while she faced the challenges of being a pregnant high school student.

Many members of her extended family were in attendance. She referred to her family many times throughout her remarks, calling them her foundation.

Kelly Kries, whose acceptance speech was full of jokes, also was shocked to be honored. “Gary Fields called... I thought, Crud, I better answer the phone,” said Kries. Kries was also excited to be the first Hall of Honor inductee class to be placed in the new Tradition Hall. “I’m just overwhelmed and honored,” she said.

Newspaper publisher Pipes Gaines, who co-owns the Daily News with his two

sons, was inducted into the hall after being denied the honor last year.

“It was very special to be inducted,” said Gaines. Gaines cited support from his family and friends for his honor. “Several friends wrote supporting letters,” said Gaines. “I didn’t get it last year, but it worked out this year.”

After a reception and ribbon cutting at five p.m., the program began at six when Principal William King first spoke, lauding the accomplishments of BGHS. After King’s introduction, school board member Mike Bishop gave the invocation.

All the school board members were in attendance except Hamp Moore, who Fields joked was the “designated survivor.” Dinner began in the commons.

After dinner, Fields gave a brief introduction and presented the awards for all six honorees.

Sports page 7

Feature page 9

What’s Inside

News page 3

Opinion page 5

Livers announces retirement and reflects on his legacy

Senior gives high school advice to underclassmen

Laila Robinson and track team Juniors and seniors dance night see success at Regionals away at La Gala prom

News

u2 Vol. 57, No. 6

Five sophomores to attend esteemed Gatton Academy in fall of 2017 u By Hannah Burt

u photos by A. Madison Above: Students (left to right) Anna Strunjas, Aashka Sheth, Rithik Reddy, Annika Avula, and Isabel Chumbler were all accepted into the Gatton Academy class of 2019. Admission into the Gatton Academy of Mathematics and Science grants students an opportunity to earn college credit from Western Kentucky University while completing their high school degree.

Gatton Academy being one of the top schools in Kentucky, let alone the United States, plays a role for some students here at BGHS. This year, the academy had 100 spaces to provide 100 students are able to join the academy. From BGHS, five sophomores were admitted: Annika Avula, Rithik Reddy, Isabel Chumbler, Aashka Sheth, Anna Strunjas.

Only accepting a few students every year, getting into Gatton is extremely difficult and a long and tiring process, but one—if successful—will achieve wonders for students in their remaining academic years. Sophomore Aashka Sheth, one of the students who will be attending Gatton, said, “I’m a little sad to leave BGHS behind, but I’m very excited!”

Some of the freshman class have already started to take an interest into Gatton. For example, Christian Butterfield, a freshman at BGHS, has already begun taking higher level classes such as chemistry and geometry, classes above the expected freshman course.

According to Butterfield, throughout his academic years, he has always been trying to take a higher level class in order to impress Gatton.

The Gatton webpage, it stated,

“Rigor is at the heart of The Gatton Academy’s academic curriculum. As such, it is important that prospective students seek challenge in their coursework leading up to admission to The Gatton Academy.” Sheth recognizes the difficulty: “I’m nervous about taking college classes, but I’m excited about moving into a dorm and having more freedom.”

Other things also influence the decision into Gatton, such as extracurriculars. Much like a college or a university, Gatton looks not only at your GPA and grade record but also what you do outside of school. Butterfield, for example, is on the BGHS Speech and Debate team.

According to Gatton’s website, “Students are selected based on SAT or ACT scores; academic grades from ninth and tenth grades; interest in advanced careers in science, technology, engineering, and math; student responses to application essay questions; interviews by Academy staff members; and recommendations from teachers and other individuals who can attest to a student’s need and preparedness for the program.”

Also on its website is Gatton’s list of essentials for getting into the academy. “The following list are the requirements for a student to apply: Must be a domiciled

Kentucky resident, be a sophomore or have achieved sophomore status (as stated by their sending school) at the time of application (February 1), be a junior (as stated by their sending school) at the time of enrollment to The Gatton Academy (August 1 of the same application year), Complete Algebra I, Algebra II and Geometry by end of sophomore year.

Score a minimum 22 math ACT score or 520 math SAT score. Submit all required materials no later than February 1 of sophomore year.”

What helps set students aside from others is their individuality, according to Gatton’s website: “Finally, we look for what makes a student an individual. We anticipate this year’s pool of applicants to reach 400 students from across the state. What makes you stand out as unique? Your awards and extracurricular activities are useful in this area. We are not looking for the longest list of accomplishments; instead, we are looking for quality and commitment.”

The Academy understands that students are only beginning their high school careers and will have had limited options for leadership in clubs and organizations.

While it may not be taught in school, there are lessons in leadership that provide for necessary life skills.

Upcoming Australia trip excites Lowder and students u By Ellie Hogan Since 2010, Tiffany Lowder has chaperoned the BGHS summer abroad trips. Lowder, who teaches English at BGHS, said she got involved with the trips because of her intense love of traveling and because she believes students truly gain something from these trips—they aren’t just for fun. Vonda Davenport, an English teacher who retired the past school year, has also accompanied Lowder and the students on many trips.

“A lot of students come to see themselves as citizens of a broader world, and learn to appreciate other cultures and special things about the U.S. they’d never considered special before going

abroad, things we take for granted that aren’t necessarily in these other countries,” she said.

This summer, there will be a trip to Europe, similar to past BGHS summer trips that visit places such as Greece or Spain.

The summer of 2018, however, is a big year for both Lowder and the students going abroad on the school trip to Australia, New Zealand, and Hawaii. Although Lowder has been on many trips abroad, even to some places multiple times, the 2018 trip will be a first for her.

“I’ve never been to Australia or New Zealand before, so it’s going to be brand new for me. I’m super excited; I want to do everything, and get a taste for these different places. We don’t have laid out,

day-to-day plans yet, so I’m not entirely sure what to expect, but I know we’re all going to have a great time getting to learn about these new cultures, people, and climates.”

The only thing she isn’t looking forward to, though, are the flights. “We’ll be flying a total of 26 hours, so I’m really not looking forward to that, or the time change and jet lag that comes with it! Usually the students bounce back pretty quick, though.”

These school trips are made possible through a program called Education First. Going abroad for a few weeks will never be “cheap,” but features of Education First work to make paying for the trip easier.

For example, on their website,

students can set up a fundraiser account to share with family and friends to accumulate donations.

Also, students have ample opportunities to save up and prepare for the trip ahead of time.

The Australia trip has been in the works for years, and the amount of money required is less than a family trip planned without the school’s use of the Education First program.

They can get a job or just work on saving up in advance. Lowder also pointed out, “If a student was to take the same exact trip, but not through the school program, it would end up costing them much more. For everything we get to do, the price is actually a great deal.”

Students going abroad in 2018

will spend time in Australia, New Zealand, and Hawaii, thanks to an extension, making the trip a total of 17 days long. This trip is several days longer than past BGHS trips due to added flight time and new places to experience.

Junior Khatelin White will be going on the 2018 trip. “I’m really excited because I went on the Europe trip and loved it. I’m most looking forward to going to New Zealand because one of my close friends is from there. It’s going to be cool to see the way things work in Australia and New Zealand,” says White.

This school trip will be an opportunity for students to meet new people, become involved in another culture, and learn firsthand about other countries.

AP science classes spend day in lab Medical Arts Academy to begin in fall

u By Daniela Velazquez

AP Lab Day is dedicated to AP Biology and AP Chemistry students to ensure that they are prepared for their AP exams. When participating in Lab Day, students are required to complete labs that would usually take days to accomplish in the designated time period of one day.

Science teachers Tara Coomes and Cristen Olsen, who are conducting these labs, planned an entire school day for students to completely devote their time and efforts in these experiments. Olsen said, “It’s entirely different when compared to other learning strategies. We have students that are not only learning the content, but they’re learning procedural techniques to acquire the chemicals or compounds.”

Six labs were completed throughout the day in Olsen’s class, and all workshops were pulled from the National Math and Science Initiative, all College Board approved. One of the labs that students performed that day was incorporations of buffer solutions, where they prepared two different buffer solutions to maintain a specific pH. Students also determined equilibrium constants. By doing the reactions, they were able to use gas pressures sensors to measure the production of gas during a reaction, use conductivity sensors and electroplated copper, and de-

BGHS aims to train students in the fastest growing job market in the U.S. u By Gabby Bunton

u photo by A. Woodlief Students Chloe Kelley, Ann Marcum Hines, Jonathan Meredith, Colin Haase, and Max Costellow listen to science teacher Tara Coomes explain lab procedures in AP Biology. sign a hand warmer, all in a single day.

Student Tinsley Howard, who participated in the AP Biology Lab Day this year and the AP Chemistry lab day last year, believes the day is incredibly helpful. “Working with labs that take several hours over the course of several days can cause difficulties and confusion as well as skewing results,” Howard said. “When it’s all done at once, I can actually follow the set-up and science behind the experiment.” Halle Freeman, another AP Biology student, agreed. “Lab day is really important when it comes to the test.”

When it came time for the AP exam, students were hopefully prepared, as they had already learned and studied the content.

Dylan Taylor, an AP student who took the exam, found Lab Day to be helpful for the test. Taylor said the workshops were beneficial.

“For some of the labs we did, you have to know the content of the lab in order to answer the question on the AP test.”

He also found the day helpful, as he and his classmates had an entire day to complete their labs.

“You have more time to be precise and careful and it makes it easier on yourself.”

A new opportunity has made its way to BGHS. The Medical Arts Academy is another career pathway for students who want to get involved with the certain job pathways provided by it.

The Academy includes Allied Health, EKG Technician, Fire Safety, Medical Administrative Assisting, Phlebotomy Technician, and Pre-Nursing.

The Academy will be available to students August of the 2017-18 school year.

Under each course there will be core classes that need to be taken by the students to reach the careers in that particular field.

Teachers will be taking externships, where they go out into the medical community and shadow people that have jobs in that field and learn about what students in that area would be doing in their classes.

It helps the teachers get a sense of how to apply what they have seen in the medical field to what they have to teach the students, increasing the quality of material taught in class.

Guidance counselor Karen Swiney said, “I think that [stu-

dents] will have a lot of real world connections that are in the field; it’s gonna give them experience.

Hopefully, it’s going to make learning more relevant and see how it’s applying to the profession that they are interested in.”

The students will also have the opportunity to partake in internships and be able to experience their career choice themselves.

This was brought about by the high school’s involvement with the Ford Foundation and the Chamber of Commerce. The Ford Foundation goes to schools and sets up academies because they have shown much success in getting kids ready for life after high school.

The Chamber started the initiative, and the high school got to be apart of it all.

Now there is another opportunity available for helping students reach their career sooner and preparing them for life after high school. While BGHS has already taken several strides to attempt to prepare students for life after highschool, the Medical Arts Academy is speficially aimed to meet the needs of students outside of the typical math and English classes.

News

The Purple Gem

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Livers retires after 19 years as assistant principal u By Peter Guthrie

The photo of assistant principal Virgil Livers above is a yearbook photo from 1999­—his first year at BGHS. After nearly 19 years as a BGHS administrator, Livers will retire, leaving behind an enduring legacy.

After 34 years as an educator, with 19 of those years at BGHS as an assistant principal, Virgil Livers is retiring. Starting in high school, he felt called to pursue a career in education because of the impact his own education had on him—the most formative adults in his life outside of his family were from school, and he wanted to have the same effect on his own students.

“When I look back at my life and my career,” Livers said, “I see teachers, I see administrators, I see coaches who were instrumental in me being successful. If they didn’t see something in me, give me a chance to participate, no telling what would’ve happened.”

At first glance, Livers’ impeccable fitness leaps out at you. He’s not particularly tall or imposing, but it is no surprise that he is an ex NFL player for the Chicago Bears.

Gary Fields, superintendent and principal of BGHS for most of Livers’ tenure, finds him on occasion in the weight room “lifting more weight than most of the high

school kids can.”

Livers picked up football his senior year of high school and walked on to WKU’s team. But despite his scant experience, we became an All-American and was drafted by the Bears out of college (where he played with Walter Payton, arguably the best running back of all time, as Fields points out with astonishment).

A knee injury cut his career short. During his recovery time, he decided to fulfill his childhood aspirations and earned his master’s degree in guidance counseling and his teaching certification. When it became obvious his sports career would not go any further, he got a job teaching P.E. and coaching football and track at Warren Central, and then at Greenwood.

He enjoyed teaching, but he felt called to administration—he thought it was the best way to maximize the impact he had on students. “I wanted to do that and kind of give back what was given to me by teachers and coaches,” he said.

In 1999, he joined the BGHS staff as an assistant principal.

Livers acknowledges the somewhat awkward nature of his job— he wants to have a positive relationship with every student, but as the man in charge of discipline, students are rarely excited to see him. It can be like playing nonstop tug of war, or pulling teeth, Fields said.

“It doesn’t fluster him,” he said.

“He’ll come back to the same kid with the same appeal of working hard and making good decisions—all the things that he knows will help the kid be successful.

Being an assistant principal that long, it’s tough.” Livers has striven to keep his interactions more positive than “zapping” kids with punishment. “I always believed in sitting and talking with students.

I never show anger, I never show frustration with them,” he said.

Livers is also the choir director at his church, and has written five original gospel songs this year— his grandfather was a preacher, and his grandmother taught him how to play gospel music when he was a kid. He has stayed elusive on his plans for retirement, but I’m hoping for a full album.

courses of study through the duration of the program.

This is a very competitive program. Thousands and thousands of students submit an application, and only approximately 1,000 students get selected to attend. GSP is free of charge and gives students the opportunity to experience learning outside of school collaboratively with other students.

Howard said, “It [GSP] is a five week camp during the summer where you learn about a subject and meet new people.”

Cravens added, ”You have to be good with academics and have a lot of extracurricular activities and volunteer work."

Cravens continued, “We sent in our application to Ms. Krisher, and it was decided who made it past our district, and then it got sent to the big state.”

GSA is a summer arts residency program in Kentucky that is offered to sophomores and juniors.

Sophomores and juniors who applied to GSA submitted a video to the GSA website of them per-

forming a form of art, such as instrumental music, vocal music, or musical theatre.

Next, they must perform a live audition. Hahn-Madole said, “There were two different auditions. There was a videotaped audition where we had to perform a solo piece and skills and stuff, and then for the second audition it was live at Centre College.”

Both programs are high honors within Kentucky, and many colleges and universities award scholarships to participants.

GSP, GSA programs honor students u By Amy Woodlief

This year the Governor’s Scholars Program (GSP) and Governor’s School for the Arts (GSA) offered 16 BGHS students admission into their prestigious programs. Last year, only three students were given the same honor.

The 12 juniors who were accepted to GSP include Amrit Avula, Lauren Cravens, Jack Eason, Peter Guthrie, Ann Marcum Hines, Tinsley Howard, Jillian Jackson, Chloe Kelley, Jonathan Meredith,

Yash Singh, Sallie Sutton, and Chapel Tinius.

Along with the 12 students who were accepted to GSP, four students from BGHS were selected to GSA. Sophmores Benjamin Carter and Sarah Hahn-Madole and Juniors Olivia Duvall and Chapel Tinius were awarded admission.

GSP is a five-week summer program that places rising seniors at a university campus in Kentucky.

The students select three courses they’d be interested in taking, and they are placed in one of these

u4 Vol. 57, No. 6

Is school monotonous for you? If so, how would you shake things up?

Yes, I feel like we do the same thing every day. Different curriculum, different voices would mix things up more.

Anne Lawless, Freshman

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Yes, I went to Greenwood last year and the block schedule varied what I did each day.

Emma Willbruber, Sophomore

QUOTE CORNER

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Opinion

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I do the same thing every day and it gets old after awhile.

Devan Jackson, Junior

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Yes, I take the same route to each of my classes but don’t make an effort to change my route.

Riley Hogan, Senior

End of year brings need for change Every student can get trapped in the tedium of the daily schedule u By Jackson Stahl & Cullen Batts

A

s the school year comes to an end, the realization has hit. Almost every day of this school year has been so similar that it feels like the exact same. I can go into every single one of my classes and have a very accurate prediction of what I will be doing. To make things even weirder, I can predict what conversations will happen, when and where, and even some exact actions that will occur.

Every day I walk from my first period to my second period, I can count on a head nod from two of my friends posted up by the lockers. There will also be two sets of couples, talking and laughing near the classroom I walk in. Every single time.

From second period to third period, I go through the Commons, guaranteeing that I will see some of the senior guys sitting on the tables in the Commons talking to some junior girls. Don’t worry, the repetitiveness continues. After fifth period, I give a head nod to Cullen and continue on, certain to see the same two girls pass by me at the exact same time every day on my way to sixth. Sound familiar? That’s because every day feels the same.

The educational system and the high school system are specifically created to have students get into a certain schedule.

The cause of this may come from believing that organization in school will help student organization outside the classroom, allowing students to get used to a structure.

We currently have 55 minute class periods, usually with the same exact class set up as each day before and after it. The only change in this schedule is the occasional WIN period, which has really caused more confusion than variety. Take time to think about this: how many times this year have you switched up your school schedule?

Sure, you get to change a semester class once a year if you have one. But how do you change your personal school life sched-

Students must resist urge to give up at end u By Daniel Dempsey

After spring break, many students that come back to school are ready to leave once again and, for some, ready to graduate.

They are just tired of school, teachers, and the classes that they are taking. Many students at this point in their lives, and at this point in the school year, face a very threatening problem: laziness.

Laziness is a problem that almost everyone has faced at least once in their lives and there’s no one better to fall victim to it than high school students. Students have a lot more assignments and different widespread activities on our plate than most people will ever truly respect, and laziness is the number one thing that can and will stop students from doing their work. The laziness that students face in their school career could be because of several things.

It could be because they are distracted by

their home life, it could be because they are just tired of school and teachers. Either way, it is never a good idea to slack off on purpose, because most of the time it can and will affect your overall grade for that year.

Freshman Jacob Smerowski says that slacking off at the very end of the year is a complete waste of time. Smerowski asks the question, “Why would students slack off at the end of school when they have a whole summer ahead of them where they can virtually do nothing at all for the entire time?”

Smerowski raises a very good point on why students do end up very lazy right around the end of the school year. Maybe it’s the weather change? Maybe it’s just so close to summer that they can’t wait any longer?

But no one really knows for sure.

Sophomore Lauryn Goodson raises some very interesting points on the end of the year laziness front. Goodson says that she thinks “it is fine to slack off at the end of the

year because students have been putting forth one hundred and ten percent all year long, so they do not really need the extra grades on top of them.”

Goodson says that if you are failing any classes at this point in the school year, you would need a miracle to get out of it. With the short amount of time left in the year, there is no point in even trying, in her opinion. Goodson raises some good but very different counterpoints compared to Smerowski.

Clearly there are some very vast and widespread opinions about slacking off at the end of the school year. Some of these opinions and thoughts are very well reasoned, and some are blown just a little out of proportion, but in the end, it is all up to the student who is in that situation. Depending on what situation or homelife the students are in will deliver what sort of laziness they show.

Students deserve greater STEM education

u By Amrit Avula

Science, Technology, Engineering, Math.

There’s a national push for competency in these disciplines, and an effort to restore pride as a top country in math and science.

Tests given during the 1994-1995 school year through the Third International Mathematics and Science Study ranked the United States 19th out of 21 countries involved in the study. At the time, former president Bill Clinton vowed to help improve the dwindling educational standards. In fact, only about half of high school physics teachers had a major or a minor in this subject.

Over 20 years later, this effort to improve the educational standards in these fields has continued.

STEM education has been one of the fastest growing fields in the past decade.

Bipartisan support for greater STEM outreach has helped increase the number of job demands by 17 percent according to a “changetheequation” study. The 2015-2016 STEM Education bill was originally passed by the Senate, reflecting the amount of progress in this field by requiring the director of the National Science Foundation “to

award competitive, merit-reviewed grants” for more research. Attempts at reforming STEM education have not gone far enough, and have left serious gaps in the system.

While more availability in STEM education research has helped supply employees competent in STEM fields, the entire sector is still undermanned. According to a 2016 U.S. News/Raytheon study, many of the STEM jobs are being given to foreign workers and not setting up students for the future. Additionally, women and non-Asian minorities are still underrepresented in these areas. Six percent of the graduate level degrees for women go into the STEM field, while interest in mathematics has declining interest among them.

This is a reflection of the school support system and the amount of effort educators on a national spectrum are giving their students. Students are goaded into one career pathway instead of getting the chance to explore multiple pathways to gain a better understanding of all its intricacies.

The perception that math and science is difficult to understand can only be remediated if there is an “all-in approach” according to biology and anatomy teacher Tara

Coomes.

“It’s challenging and not always fun,” said Coomes. “Science classes should be lab-based and hands-on and I feel that is not what students are getting.”

Coomes believes that a greater handson approach would help students, but that there needs to be a greater push by educators to facilitate this process. “I feel that some of the science staff incorporates labs, but not all use it as they should,” she said.

These labs are application-based which gives more context to how science concepts work. The taboo of STEM education revolves around how it has become a term for advancing these four disciplines at the expense of other majors. Regardless of taking a STEM or non-STEM major, these experiences should aid in the future.

Business majors can sometimes combine the social and creative methods with an understanding of mathematics (economics and finance) which helps set up the student with a foundation for real-world situations.

Regardless of any major taken, the implementation of STEM into any of these fields displays a varied method of thinking intrinsic to today’s workplace.

ule? Do you change the route you take to classes? Do you try walking with different people or listen to music in the hallway between classes? This may seem like a remedy, when really most of the songs you’re hearing are the same from the day before.

—Jackson Stahl ecause of the constant repetition throughout the school year, I feel like part of one big machine that goes through the same process every day: go to class, see the same people in the hallway you do every day, go to the next class, repeat. After almost a year of this, you get really tired of the monotony of it all. It starts to affect grades because you get in a groove and find it harder to put in extra work when you need to. You see school as less of a salient experience and more like a routine. Who wants to wake up and think that seven hours of school five days a week is something human beings were meant to do? Real life is supposed to be full of diverse experiences, not something that can be boiled down to a montage video. Nobody can possibly focus on anything by the end of the day, even if they wanted to.

—Cullen Batts

B

W

e can all agree, repetition is boring.

In order to get out of this everyday path, try switching up how you go through the day. For example, try new things and not just music or clothes. Make an effort to talk to people you usually wouldn’t. This would not only change the landscape of your repetitive day but also might make someone else’s day. After all, connections can make or break a student’s rough day at school. Another possible change for students that aren’t as open to talking to new people could be a simple change in scenery.

By taking a new route, you will see all new faces and will make the next day on your old route seem much more refreshing. Overall, the goal is to do something to change how your day goes. It doesn’t have to be big or obvious, as long as it’s not something you’d routinely do.

Purple Gem The

u Gem Staff

Samantha McAllister Editor-In-Chief

Justis Wilson Photo Editor

Peter Guthrie

Managing Editor

Yash Singh

News Editor

Gabby Bunton Features Editor

Amrit Avula Sports Editor

Kyle Rubin

Sports Editor

Ellie Hogan

Graphics Editor/ Cartoonist

Jack Eason

Business Manager

Staff Reporters

Hannah Burt Daniel Gazaryan Kimberleigha Guerrero Ann Marcum Hines Ruthie Kesri Cole Rubin Jackson Stahl Priscilla Thong Daniela Velazquez Trent Wade Amy Woodlief

Staff Photographers Cullen Batts Daniel Dempsey Amber Madison

u

1801 Rockingham Lane 270-746-2300, 2500

Opinion

The Purple Gem

5u

High school through the eyes of a senior

u By Samantha McAllister

We’ve all heard the same advice about high school since our tours in eighth grade. Do your best, your GPA always counts, stay out of trouble but have fun, take hard classes but not too hard, and always make sure to have after school activities.

It’s a lot to take in, and most of the time it doesn’t feel like the truth. However, after four years here at BGHS, I’ve learned some essential truths that are pretty universal.

High school won’t be bad every single day; it might be bad most days, but there’s always going to be at least one day where everything just seems to go well.

High school won’t be “the best years of your life” most likely, and it’s okay that they aren’t.

Sometimes, your friends will be mean to you and sometimes you will be mean to them, and sometimes you just won’t be friends anymore. That’s okay too.

If you’re the person who always has a boyfriend or girlfriend, or the one who never has one, it won’t have any bearing on what comes next. There are plenty of people who didn’t date in high

school that are happily married, and people who dated in high school and got divorced.

Go to the party if you want, but be careful with yourself. There’s plenty of time to go out, and it’s not worth it to die or almost die.

Spend time with your friends while you can, but it’s okay to admit needing time by yourself.

Every single person in your class has done something they regret, has been embarrassed, and has truly believed their life was ruined. But in the end, you graduate.

Make sure you do get good grades. It’s just getting harder and harder to get into colleges and be able to afford it if that’s the path you choose, and even a 4.0 won’t get you everywhere.

Whether college is in your future or not, choose the route for you.

No matter what everyone says, don’t just do a club to do it or because it “looks good.”

If you don’t like running, don’t join track, and if you hate the idea of cooking don’t take a foods class. It will be more enriching for you and look better on applications if you did stuff you’re passionate about.

Coming from someone who is

u photo by A. Madison

The iconic senior jersey that girls wait four years for, along with this senior class’ past four years of yearbooks. The hallmark phrase “Proud Purple” is something those graduating will always remember as alumni. graduating with ten AP classes, there is no reason to overstretch yourself.

Challenge yourself for sure, but admitting maybe you aren’t so good at math or science is okay.

No one can give you the perfect advice for every situation you

run into in high school.

Deciding for yourself what the right thing for you is part of the growing up that high school forces on you.

The after high school part is just four, three, two, or one year away, or just days away. Real life

is coming, and it felt slow back in freshman year, but my last quarter of high school couldn’t have gone faster.

High school can be a lot of things: the best, the worst, or just an eternal inbetween. It’s just what you can make of it.

Administrators make an effort to prioritize safety in student sections u By Peter Guthrie

u photo by J. Wilson

u photo by M. Jones Student sections, or lack thereof, are a classic and popular component of the high school sports experience; however students often participate in illicit behavior which can lead to possibly deadly consequences

I sat down with Principal William King to talk about underage drinking, particularly at school and in our student sections. It’s no secret that alcohol permeates our student sections at big games.

It’s a matter of time before this leads to serious problems, like fights, falls down bleachers, and post-game drunk driving.

I expected to find some clear, simple, fixable reason for the drinking, like blatant negligence from the administration and half-hearted enforcement of the no-alcohol policy.

Instead, I found an earnest effort to keep our students safe, but also the recognition that stamping out high school drinking is a Sisyphean task.

Sure, they could search every bag that comes into the football stadium, smell every student’s breath, ban tailgating in the parking lot, and drug test every student—turning our stadium and arena into miniature police states.

But that would be dumping an unrealistic amount of manpower

and resources on a futile endeavor. Instead, the administration has taken up the only workable solution: focusing on preventing a disaster, not on ending underage drinking.

I’ve always thought that when people say, “Well, this problem is practically unsolvable,” more often than not it is used as a lame excuse to not even make an honest attempt.

But the administration has made a sincere effort to protect our students from the worst effects of binge drinking. They perform walkthroughs in the parking lot before the game and occasionally through the student section during the game.

They stay vigilant for obviously inebriated students who could be a danger to themselves and their peers. Even in classrooms, teachers keep an eye out for intoxicated students who might be suffering from alcohol dependency. The reality is that they’re fighting a battle that’s impossible to win—according to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, around 60 percent of

teens have had at least one drink by the time they turn 18.

And perspective is important.

Students face homelessness, depression, domestic abuse, hunger—there simply aren’t enough resources to tackle every problem for every student, so administrators are forced to prioritize.

Drinking isn’t always number one on the list, and justifiably so.

But there’s another statistic hanging over the heads of school administrators and teachers everywhere: around 4,300 young people die due in some part to alcohol, whether it is through drunk driving, drunken homicide, suicide, or alcohol poisoning. That figure terrifies King, especially at state basketball tournaments, where hundreds of students drive several hours on the interstate.

But he is almost helpless to stamp out drinking, especially outside of the area itself.

So instead, I make a probably pointless plea to my fellow students: be careful, and don’t become a statistic. Underage drinking isn’t a problem anyone but students can solve.

Social media has changed the way friend groups socialize forever

u By Yash Singh

Changes in technology, in ideas, and in innovation are virtually unstoppable. Perhaps one of the most significant changes within the last few decades concerns the general dynamic of social groups due to the advancements made in social networking and technology in general.

The current generation of teenagers is the first of many that will have advanced technology integrated into close social interactions. How have the general interactions among friend groups changed with the integration of technology such as smartphones, apps like Snapchat and Instagram, and other social networks?

One thing is for certain: social groups will never be what they used to be in the past, as social media technology has pretty much set its place in the social dynamic. Studies have shown that nearly 76 percent of teenagers use social media, and this number is bound to rise. An observation that proves that as time goes on, the dynamic of social groups will change as well.

Older social groups differ from modern social groups in many ways, but perhaps the main reason that past social groups are different from those of today is the integration of the social at-

mosphere with technology such as social media and smartphones.

Social media has allowed friends to interact with each other on a totally different level that before; background information and relationships between people are way more accessible now.

The danger of prolonging an argument or fight between friends is also a risk with social media and smartphones; sometimes when friends fight, the discussion and resolution happens over text messages. This can seriously damage a relationship because of an indirect “solution” to a problem.

The ignorance of a serious situation can only lead to negative outcomes, whereas a more direct approach would help solve the problem faster and keep the situation from spreading to a dangerously unstable level.

Both positive and negative consequences can be drawn from the integration of technology and social interaction. Decentralization of general interaction among friends can be a significant effect of excessive use of cellphones.

The most interesting topic of conversation could potentially be nothing but talking about the latest application, or gossiping about another person social media. Even in a setting where all members of the social group are

u photo by D. Dempsey Freshman Eden Coleman sits on her Chromebook in class, while freshman Ian Tweedy sits on his phone. Technology is constantly evolving, and with that friendship dynamics are seeing changes. present, if everyone is on their phones, then the excitement of being with friends is likely diminished over a period of time; the conversation and interaction factor is essentially dead. If originally the interaction between close friends was not dependent on technology, then is the magic of being with close friends soon to be gone forever?

Though social media has defi-

nitely created an indescribable rift between friends in friend groups, there are many ways in which it has pulled people closer together. The integration of technology with social circles has the benefit of more connections between friends; more information is available and so finding and connecting with friends is made much easier. The safety factor is increased through social net-

works, there is more information available about person than there is at first personal interaction.

The individual is not the only one being affected by social media, but also the collective group of people within a society. People can be brought closer together through social networks because these networks allow people to know more about each other’s interests, friends, and daily lives.

Opinion

u6 Vol. 57, No. 6

a student’s voice Commentary by Ebonne Gabhart S a t u r day, April 29, marked the 100th day of Donald Trump’s presidency. This milestone is seen by some as a substantial glimpse into what the rest of his term might entail; however, it doesn’t hold much weight in actual policy and mainly holds significance for the media.

Judging a president based off of what he can achieve within the first 100 days of office is widely considered arbitrary and is not representative of his accomplishments, as any law/order made outside of the time is not any less significant.

Trump made note of this in his tweet, “No matter how much I accomplish during the ridiculous standard of the first 100 days, & it has been a lot (including S.C) media will kill!”

In Trump’s “Contract with the American Voter,” a list of campaign promises he calls his “100day action plan to make America great again,” he aims to restore honesty and accountability back to Washington through addressing corruption and special interest collusion in DC, restoring security and Constitutional rule of law, and taking strides to protect the American voter.

Not far into his ‘action plan’, Trump made a bold claim that places his 100 days over every president’s that came before. He made this statement during a speech he gave in Wisconsin: “No administration has accomplished more in the first 90 days.”

Politifact, a project that the Tampa Bay Times began with aims of fact checking members of Congress, the White House, lobbyists and interest groups, has marked up a comparison between the accomplishments of Trump’s 100 days and those of previous presidents’ administrations.

They’ve concluded Trump’s claim is ill-made based solely on Franklin Roosevelt’s first 100 days alone. Due to the initiatives that he’s taken reflecting other presidents, David Greenberg, a historian at Rutgers University states, “Everyone does that, so it doesn’t give him a comparative edge.”

Despite making this boastful claim about his achievements, his tweet concerning the first 100 days standard being ridiculous followed two days after. Politicians believe this is partly due to Trump coming face-to-face with the truths of governing.

However, as someone who has been critical of Trump’s presidency, I do think there is something to reflect on about the progression of Trump’s rhetoric. Initially echoing an ignorance to the scope of his impact, he has since been checked, to some degree, into a realistic understanding of the ins and outs of government.

After speaking with Xi Jinping, the current Chinese president, Trump told the Wall Street Journal, “After listening to Xi for 10 minutes I realized that… it’s not so easy.”

It’s a realization I wish he would have had prior to running for office, but for some this air of political incorrectness is what makes him a refreshing choice.

Lunch shakeups cause chaos

u By Maria Guererro

The feeling of having your favorite part of the day ruined because your school decided to change the lunch schedule last minute is one of the worst feelings.

Here at BGHS, the school decides to change the lunches to try to fit the needs of everyone, but it doesn’t work that often. Currently, it seems like it happens once a week.

To most people, it may not be a bother. That is because when the lunch changes, a lot more people go to second lunch—meaning the people who have second lunch have more friends and people to sit with.

The students in second lunch don’t get bothered by it as much as the people who are in third lunch.

Second lunch can have a wonderful time, more friends, and more food off of the people sitting next to them.

Now most of this doesn’t really bother me—the part that bothers me the most is there is basically no one in third lunch.

I get to my fourth period and I’m having a grand time; then, I get told that my only friends in third lunch have second lunch.

Then, I honestly just want to skip my fourth, go eat lunch with them, and then go back to my fourth.

The reason I don’t like it is because I no longer have my friends to sit with and go through the line with. There are many students that have to sit with people they usually don’t have to and everyone just feels out of place. I feel lonely, and it ruins my day. Lunch

u photo by A. Madison Students change lunches underneath the ‘Welcome to Bowling Grren High’ sign on Tuesday, May 16. On Tuesday the freshmen took a service field trip, which caused the lunch schedules to change. This led to overcrowded and confused lunches for students of all grade levels. is supposed to be a break from school for a little bit, a time to spend with your friends, to laugh, to have fun, and to enjoy your meal. But how am I supposed to do that when the school decides to change the lunches for no valid reason?

Some of the reasons may include a teacher needing to do something, and the kids in that class have to go to another lunch, or that the freshmen have a Leadership lunch or some other event, or there is some big test that change the lunches for really

for no valid reason other than to make one lunch have more people than the other.

Our school changes lunches when the freshmen have a LEAD Academy celebration. This is when some freshmen get chosen to have lunch in the library because they are the leaders, and this little thing changes the whole lunch schedule. When this event happens, all the freshmen upstairs are to eat during second lunch with the people who usually already have that lunch.

Imagine what it’s like for the

lunch ladies, with all the extra chaos. It doesn’t really make sense because there are other freshmen downstairs who are in freshmen classes. There are other times that something during school changes, so they decide to change the lunches, and it doesn’t just add up.

I highly dislike the lunch changes as most people in normal third lunch do.

If they would tell us a little beforehand that might be better, but they don’t making it stressful for everyone.

Student demands testing equality u By Ruthie Kesri Classes that ask students to take an End of Course (EOC) exam along with two finals are pushing students to the edge.

In every class that has an End of Course exam (with an exception of math) students are forced to take three tests that, together, equal 30 percent of their final grade.

The EOC exam accounts for 20 percent of their final grade, and each final is worth 10 percent of the (3rd and 4th student’s semester grades.

Students who are already stressed and overstretched are being asked to do more than most of them are capable.

Because of this, some teachers who have EOC exams in their classes have started boycotting finals. “I teach five classes that have an End Of Course exam, so all of my classes have an End Of Course exam. I teach Algebra II Pre-AP and low-level Algebra IIclasses. I do not give finals in my classes because, mathematically,

finals and the EOC exam. Students are already stressed about the EOC exam, and on top of that giving students a final is unfair to the kids,” said West.

Because of this, the math teachers have stopped giving finals in classes that have an EOC exam.

“I, along with the other math teachers, just give a test during fi-

doesn’t warrant the stress that students have to deal with during finals time—which is right after the EOC exam, when the students should be relaxing after taking a test that counts for almost a quarter of their grade.

Also, the purpose of finals is to see what students have learned throughout the school year, but,students who have taken the EOC exam have already been tested on this since the EOC exam measures this, too.

All in all, causing stu6th Study) (1st and 2nd Study) dents to take both an EOC exam and two nals time and it doesn’t count as a finals is unfair; although some final. Now, I do think that teach- teachers believe that it will chalers should close their semester off lenge students more, students are with a test, but it shouldn’t count more stressed now than ever. as 10 percent of the student’s Generally speaking, forcing grade,” said West. kids to take three tests that will On the other hand, there are determine 30 percent of their teachers who prefer to give finals grade is pressuring them to unalong with the EOC exam. They speakable limits. do this for one main reason: chalFor this reason, teachers lenging the students. should refrain from giving finals Although these teachers are when teaching a class that has an giving finals in their EOC class- EOC exam and, instead, let the es for a respectable reason, it still students focus on the EOC.

Finals Schedule

Friday, May 19 1st and 2nd

A bad case of senioritis symptoms of senioritis include....

if you gave a final that was 10 percent each semester and an End Of Course exam that is 20 percent at the end of the year, it’s unfair,” said Sydney West, a Pre-AP Algebra II teacher.

“It makes the students first semester outweigh their second semester.”

Students who have both finals

study)

Monday, May 22

Tuesday, May 23

3rd and 4th (5th and

and an EOC exam in a class are overwhelmed with the workload given to them.

“It’s very stressful to be in a class that has three tests that determine most of your grade. On top of studying for finals, we have to study for the EOC, too,” said sophomore Annika Avula.

Teachers in these classes have started to take notice of the pressure students are under. “Students are under an immense about of pressure because of the

5th and 6th

Cartoon by Ellie Hogan

unwillingness to do the bare minimum of work ...

when did we even learn this?

... and the only known cure is graduation. yesterday...

... temporary short term memory loss ...

Sports Baseball finishes strong

The Purple Gem

7u

Just the Facts u By Jackson Stahl

http://brownswire.usatoday.com/2017/05/02/rookie-classjersey-numbers-released-myles-garrett-will-wear-95/

u photos by D. Dempsey Above: Senior Logan Bowen pitches on the mound on May 1 against South Warren where the Purples clinched a 7-0 shutout against the Spartans.

The NFL draft is always full of excitement and surprises. Fans of all 32 teams around the world find every mock draft and read every article on who their team is going to take, and this year was no different.

Star defensive end Myles Garrett from Texas A&M was selected with the first pick to the Cleveland Browns.

Another major move was the Houston Texans making a big trade to aquire the 12th pick, in which they selected Heisman winner Deshaun Watson of Clemson. Star linebacker Reuben Foster from Alabama dropped from a top ten pick to 31st due to a failed sample at the combine, another surprise of the draft. It is always intriguing to see how these young athletes pan out in the NFL and the world will surely be watching.

Left: Seniors Tyler Stahl and Logan Bowen jog off the field after a succesful game against South Warren.

u By Trent Wade & Hannah Bain-Selbo Bowling Green baseball has been leaving a mark, winning 21 out of their 32 games. A good regular season leads to a good postseason, which is what the team is heading for. As the season goes on, the team hopes their strong start will result in a stronger finish. The players have been playing better, which ultimately means the team is playing better.

“We are getting better as we get later into the season. We’re starting to come together,” said senior Tyler Stahl. Bowling Green baseball is looking toward a good finish to this season, especially because the team’s confidence is currently very high. However, they need to have one key aspect down for them to reach their full potential as a team: hitting the ball.

“I think when we are hitting the ball, we are a very tough team to beat,” said Stahl. They

have scored the second most runs in the Region and are currently ranked second in the region by record.

A few recruiters have had their eyes on the team, including WKU and Belmont baseball. Senior Luke Brown recently committed to WKU and Logan Bowen committed to Belmont.

“It’s really cool, considering I have been playing with [Brown] for almost all of my life. So seeing him play for the next level will be really awesome,” said junior Will Garske.

As exciting as Brown’s commitment is, it will boost the team’s confidence. The experience of the seniors who have been playing for BGHS for four years is passed down to the underclassmen, who will one day be in their cleats.

“It feels great to be a senior leading the younger players,” said Stahl.

Just like all the other Bowling Green athletes, the baseball players, coaches, and team set goals

high at the beginning of the season and work until they are met.

Their goal is to win “one game at a time, but to win the region championship and make a run at state and hopefully win state,” said Stahl.

The team has clinched the district tournament number one seed and has best regular season district record. They will be playing against the winner of the Greenwood and Warren Central game May 16. The winner of that game, which was unknown at the time of publication, will advance to the district championship on May 22.

The last time BGHS won the state title was 1965, though they won state runner-up in 1995. Ever since then, they have been trying to get back where they were and win their 3rd State Championship.

They are ranked 22nd in the state with two regular season games left. “It’s something on our minds for sure, it’s pretty difficult. But the future looks bright for us, we for sure want to get another one. We want to remembered as one of those really good teams that came through here,” said Garske.

Robinson dominates at regionals u photo by F. Dent

http://www.thehockeynews.com/news/article/nhl-logorankings-no-15-nashville-predators The NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs has been as entertaining as ever as the intensity grows. The biggest talk of the league has been the amazing play of the Nashville Predators. A first round sweep of the first seed Chicago Blackhawks brought a huge plot twist to the Stanley Cup playoff landscape. The Predators have carried this momentum through the second round by defeating the St. Louis Blues in a 4-2 series.

The key players for the team’s success are Pekke Rinne, Ryan Ellis, and Filip Foresburg. This will be their first ever appearance in the Western Conference Finals.

Capitals in seven games, while the New York Rangers lost to the Ottawa Senators in just six games. The Predators are now tied with the Anaheim Ducks 1-1 in a series with big potential to be a seven game series.

https://img.clipartfest.com/ The Tennessee Titans, led by second year general manager Jon Robinson, have once again looked to greatly improve their roster going into next season.

After their six win improvement from 2015 to 2016, the Titans are looking for even more wins come 2017.

This offseason they added key free agent cornerback Logan Ryan from the Patriots, last year’s Super Bowl Champion. The team also added Johnathan Cyprien from the Jaguars and Daren Bates from the Raiders. The 2017 NFL draft brought the additions of two first rounders: fifth overall pick Corey Davis and 18th pick Adoree Jackson. They also brought in wide reciever Taywan Taylor from WKU and Jonnu Smith from FIU in the third round. The additions of three offensive standouts hope to bring more weapons for improving quarterback Marcus Mariota.

Freshman Laila Robinson executes a near-perfect jump in the girls high jump event at regionals. She placed first in the girls high jump event and will compete in state.

u By Cole Rubin Laila Robinson, a freshman at BGHS, placed first in the high jump event at an invitational track meet on April 1.

“The school took the top two athletes in each category,” said Robinson.

Robinson has been competing on BGHS’s track team for four years now. “I usually just do jumping, so long jump and high jump. I do some sprinting too,” said Robinson.

This invitational meet, according to Robinson, was her

best performance of her track career.

“There was new competition and people I haven’t seen before, and so it pushed me to be better because I didn’t know what they could do and they didn’t know what I could do,” said Robinson.

“I also had Trey Potter and King Withrow there to help encourage me to go higher.”

Robinson describes how a girl was high jumping with her at the meet that helped her gain the confidence to jump the way she did.

“The higher that she jumped,

the higher I did,” said Robinson.

Along with track, Robinson also plays volleyball.

“I quit soccer, softball, basketball, and some other sports so I could focus more on track,” said Robinson.

Even though she quit a few sports to focus on track, she says that these sports have made her a better track athlete.

“We do a lot of conditioning, running, and a lot of jumping so that helps,” said Robinson.

With three more years of high school, Robinson plans to continue track for the rest of high

school. “If I could get college track scholarships then I would like to do that too,” said Robinson.

With such a successful performance, Robinson can’t wait to jump to her next track achievement.

Track regionals was on May 11, and the results were excellent. The girls track team placed second in region and the boys track team placed third in region.

Junior Jasmine Varner won regionals in the 300m hurdles, 100m hurdles, and girls long jump and will compete in state.

Freshman Vito Tisdale won the

region championship in the 100m dash, 200m dash and the boys long jump.

Tisdale, Dazhon Blakey, Jarius Key, and Devan Jackson, who competed in the 4x200 relay event also won regionals and will compete in state. Robinson became the girls high jump region champion and will be going to state.

Overall, BGHS dominated the regional tournament and looks to maintain the same momentum that was shown in the regional tournament in the 2016-17 track season.

Sports Tennis looks to end season with state wins u8 Vol. 57, No. 6

u By Yash Singh

It’s that time of year again.

BGHS boys and girls tennis teams have come to the climax of their season after finishing second at the regional championship.

Dax Evans, the boys tennis coach, feels that the progress the boy’s team has had throughout the year has grown exponentially and even rivaled that of last year.

“Based on the schedule we had, we knew it was going to be a really tough season and the main thing we were trying hard to prepare for was the region championship. Both the boys tennis teams’ younger and older players have improved significantly throughout the year. Eighth grader John Guthrie and freshman Ronit Patel along with Seniors Andrew Ransdell and Will Taylor who have competed in several tournaments and matches throughout the year and really have shown significant improvement compared to last year’s season,” added Evans.

“Pretty much most of the matches we won, I was expecting

us to win,” he said.

In preparation for next year’s season, Evans stated that he really wants the program to retain its core practicing schedules. “It’s pretty much the same every year, I’m encouraging the kids that are coming back next year to work really hard during the offseason, and that entails playing in tournaments that aren’t just in Bowling Green, playing with their teammates, and helping others.”

BGHS girls tennis coach Sheryl Borders feels that the season has progressed very efficiently throughout the year: “I think that we’ve progressed really well. “ The girls team collected enough points in order to compete in the regional tournament and were runner-up along with the boy’s team.

Senior Sydney Johnson made it to the finals of the regional tournament. Borders wants to see the team compete more outside of school. “I’d like to motivate the girls to play in the summer so the chance of them playing in the varsity is better than those that

u photo by P. Thong Senior Sydney Johnson, a transfer from a state championship winning Alabama high school, serves at BGHS’s home courts against South Warren. Johnson hopes to make a succesful state appearance before wrapping up her senior year. don’t,” said Borders.

The state championship tournament starts this Thursday, May 18, in Lexington, and the team is working hard. “I think knowing how high of a level it takes to win

has intensified our practices and increased our level of play,” said Guthrie.

Amrit Avula, Sydney Johnson, Hadley McCormick, Guthrie, and Taylor will be competing. If they

win they will be able to advance to the finals on Friday. “We drew a rally tough first round,” said Guthrie. “If you bring your intensity in tennis, anything is possible.”

u By Daniel Gazaryan

continues to get close with one another. They have been working more and more so they can win more games. Junior Kobie Duncan said, “We’re finally coming together as a team and putting a full game together, so with each game the team is getting better as a whole and learning to work together better.” She also experssed her feelings on her next softball season, “I’m not ready for senior year softball, because it’s the end of something I love and people I love.”

At the time of publication, the team’s record is 6-15. Two of the last three games have been against Edmonson County starting on May 15, winning both games.

The team also played Ohio County on May 11, but lost the game. The team will have two

more games in the season after publication. The game on May 16 against Franklin-Simpson, and another game on May 18 against Russellville.

Districts are coming up, and the team is ready for it. Freshman Emma Bennett said, “I expect the team to come out of districts knowing that we played well.”

The team has a positive attitude even when they lose a game, so they expect districts to go well.

Duncan said “I’d say we are ready for districts.”

With the improvements the team has been making this year, the BGHS softball team is looking to the future.

“We are looking forward to the posteason and hopefully we can do well in the district tournament,” Duncan said.

Softball taking games and changes in stride

u photo by P. Thong Freshman Gia Martin, sister to standout Natalia “Peanut” Martin, steps up to the plate during one of the softball team’s home games

The softball season is nearing an end, and it is time to end it with a bang.

The team has been pushing through to make this season better than the last. Being predominantly a young team, there is room for improvement and time for the team to learn lessons from the older players.

The season hasn’t been going how they wanted, but at least the team keeps their heads up and tries to recover from every loss with a win. The team will grow together, learning how to play better together so they can win more games.

Although the team might not be at their peak, the team continues to practice very hard and

Lacrosse teams see growing interest

u By Amber Madison

At BGHS, the popularity of lacrosse has been growing rapidly, culminating into one boys team and one girls team, created just this year.

However, Kentucky has yet to sanction lacrosse, unlike many states, meaning the boys and girls lacrosse teams at BGHS cannot officially be called BGHS sports teams. Instead, they are merely clubs.

Fortunately, many people are working to make this club a sport.

One of these people is Andrew Wulff, one of the girls lacrosse coaches, who says that the “ultimate decision needs to be made by the Kentucky High School Athletic Association (KHSSA), an association that includes athletic directors, school superintendents, principals and other school administrators statewide.”

Not only are the coaches excited, but the players are as well.

Sophomore Jillian Keown, goalie of BGHS’s first girl’s lacrosse team, says, “I’m very excited about making women’s lacrosse a sanctioned sport so we can be recognized as an official KHSAA sport. It feels good to be part of the new tradition of BGHS lacrosse. It’s cool being a pioneer.”

No one can really be sure when lacrosse will become a sport in Kentucky, but they can be sure that lacrosse will become more popular in the coming years.

As Wulff puts it, “Lacrosse is the fastest growing sport in America—at all levels. It’s fast and exciting. It’s fun to play.

It’s a great team game and welcomes diversity and inclusion.”

He is proud to be part of the first lacrosse teams in Bowling Green and is excited to see the tradition spread to surrounding areas.

u photo by A. Woodlief The girls lacrosse team practices passing the ball from player to player in preparation for games. The team has gained a lot of interest this school year, though it is not yet a sanctioned KHSAA sport.

Fishing team gaining more experience u By Kyle Rubin

photo submitted by The Purple Angler Facebook page Members of the BGHS Purple Anglers pose for a group photo, sporting logos of their various sponsors. “I’m pretty sure that BGHS is the only school in the city with a bass fishing team,” said team member junior Giles Cunningham.

Only established two years ago in the spring of 2015, the BGHS Purple Anglers have already established a flourishing program that has drawn in numerous BG students who consider fishing more than a hobby, but a passion.

“It started as a club and then the sport got sanctioned by KHSAA so we went ahead with the team [The Purple Anglers],” said junior Giles Cunningham.

“I’m pretty sure that BGHS is the only school in the city with a bass fishing team. We are glad to represent the city of Bowling Green for bass fishing,” said Cunningham.

The eight member team, com-

prised of four seniors, two juniors, and two BGJHS students, has attended several fishing tournaments this year-round season and have done relatively well.

“Well this year we are doing it year-round we have tournaments scheduled into next school year as well as over this summer,” said eighth grader Patrick Laufenberg.

The Purple Anglers have managed to attend a handful of events this season, including two on March 12 and March 25 at Barren River Lake. Competitions are judged by who has the heaviest five fish.

“I wasn’t able to attend the tournament, but one boat placed second in first tournament which was Giles Cunningham and Ga-

ron Linhart,” said Laufenberg.

“The required skills are being able to pick the right baits for the conditions you are fishing in and being able to locate the fish,” said Cunningham.

The team has quickly caught the attention of a handful of sponsors from around the community which the team is grateful for. As shown by their fully advertised jerseys, the Purple Anglers have started to establish a name within the community.

“The community impact isn’t very big yet because not very many people know about the team, but we’re hoping to grow in the next few years and definitely get some ties within the community,” said Cunningham.

9u Feature New venue provides memorable prom experience The Purple Gem

u By Hannah Burt & Ruthie Kesri This year, prom was held on May 13 at La Gala on Circus Square Park in downtown BG. The planning committee was made up of juniors, and any 10th grade student was also able to join.

This year’s prom was different from the proms held in previous years for a variety of reasons. “I think this prom will be comparable to others with a more interesting venue,” said Tara Coomes, the head of the prom committee.

“Promposals,” elaborately staged requests to be someone’s date to a prom, have been gaining popularity in the recent years.

Many students asked their dates out in elaborate ways, using anything from food to posters.

Another facet of this year’s prom that has been gaining popularity is finding the perfect outfit. There wasn’t an official dress code for this year’s prom, but, some students still made sure that their outfits were fingertip length due to the increasing amount of

people being kicked out of prom’s for dressing too scandalously.

Students have reported spending thousands of dollars on limousines, tuxedos, dresses, and jewelry.

For students who can’t afford these luxuries, the Youth Service Center (YSC) does a prom dress program where people donate them and students can borrow them. Ironically, many students took off their shoes due to their feet hurting.

When students arrived there were three security measures so students were ensured a good, clean time.

Students had to be marked off a list in order to enter La Gala, then students’ bags and jackets were searched. Also, just as an extra precaution, two police officers were on duty and watched inside and out.

Students still had fun, even with the added security. Some students even asked the law enforcers to dance or for a drink.

“It is something that you look forward to as juniors and seniors,” said math teacher Michelle Satter-

ly, a volunteer who searched bags and was supervising students.

“Getting the experience, almost everyone looks forward to their prom night, it’s a big step for upperclassmen in high school,” said freshman Faith Hudges.

For senior Karen Smith, the new event space was more pleasant, since there “was no stage smoke everywhere.” The experience of prom is always one to remember.

At La Gala, students were able to get their picture taken in a photo booth and get drawn by a cartoonist.

A little after ten, the prom queen and king were announced.

Layne Cross was announced as queen and the venue erupted in applause.

When it came to King, senior De’Angelo Wilson passed the crown to his peer, Travian Matthews.

“Being prom queen was so much more special with Tavian as King,” said Cross. “He is such a cool dude and seeing how excited he was made me ten times happier.”

Top: In the foreground, junior Emily Swiney and Warren East junior Meredith Chaffin stand and talk before hitting the dance floor. Assistant principal Elisa Beth Brown and Spanish teacher Lena May supervise the entrance to prom at La Gala, which was crowded most of the night. Students’ names and tickets were verified, and their bags and jackets were searched for any contraband. The added security didn’t bother senior Layne Cross, who was crowned prom queen. “Senior prom was definitely the best prom! Just knowing it’s your last event with so many of the people you’ve met at BGHS makes you cherish it a little more,” she said.

Left: With the help of prom commitee and the event space owners, La Gala had beautiful decorations throughout the space. “La Gala was cool! It all came together really well,” said Cross. As “DJ Prieskorn” played both new and classic songs, the crowd of juniors and seniors danced the night away. “I had so much fun dancing with all my friends, and it was actually decorated really nice,” said senior Karen Smith.

Seniors take diverse routes to futures u By Hannah Bain-Selbo

For the past 13 years, the ma- many graduates. attending Nashville Auto Diesel jority of the class of 2017 has Aby Dallas will be going to College. He has utilized Coach reaped the benefits of Bowling Centre College in Danville for Glass’ automotive classes and Green Independent Schools’ top- volleyball. will continue his education in the notch education system.

“Coach Neyhouse was the first field. He will also be working.

On May 28, 284 seniors will college coach to recruit me,” Dal“They look down on it at first, be walking the line and they will las said when asked about how but then I explain it and they have to look forward to the next she made her decision. understand,” said Cunningham chapter. But the next chapter is Seniors like Emily Eaves and when asked about how people drastically different for each and Nick Meyer have been fans of the react to him not going to college. every one of prospective Faith Burggren and Tyler them. school, Uni- Thomas will be joining the milFrom in- “From in-state to out-of-state versity of itary. Burggren said, ”I’m not state to out-ofK e n t u c k y, ready physically. Basic training is state schools, schools, public to private, since they going to kick my butt.” But other public to pri- military to the workforce, were lit- than that, she is excited and well vate, military BGHS’s 107th graduating tle; while supported by her family for ento the worklisting. class will be taking on the Mackenzie force, BGHS’s Wilson and No matter where they are go107th graduat- world.”

Koji Barn- ing next year, the class of 2017 are ing class will aby will be very excited about their plans. be taking on staying in “I would be on Harding’s camthe world. town and pus tomorrow if I could,” said Many of the going to Fowlkes. Dallas said, “I know seniors have been in the search Western Kentucky University. what I want to do with my future, for their dream college for years.

University of Louisville will be but I’m slightly nervous about Some are going where their gaining more Purples, like Layne tackling it all by myself.” parents went, like Jaycie Fowlkes, Cross and Cole Chaudoin.

“I feel I have prepared the best who is going to Harding UniCollege is not the only op- way I know how,” said Cunningversity in Arkansas, and others tion after high ham. BGHS has are making their own home, like school.

Some prepared the Elizabeth Watts who is going to students will be class of 2017 as Middle Tennessee State Universi- going into the “No matter where they much as she can, ty for soccer. Harrison Zoellner is military, work- are going next year, the and it is time for another senior going “semi-out- force, or a trade class of 2017 are very ex- them to be on of-state” for soccer at Hanover school. own. cited about their plans.” their University in Indiana.

Trevin DrapWherever Going out of state was never a er will be going they are going, goal for any of them. Watts said, on mission trips these soon-to-be “I didn’t want to play for any this next year BGHS alumni Kentucky teams.” with his church. will be going Fowlkes said, “Harding was “I have mixed into the world, just my dream school that hap- feelings. I both want to and don’t gaining knowledge, and upholdpened to be out of state.” want to be done,” Draper said ing the exemplary reputation As exciting as going out-of- when asked about being out of that the graduates of the Bowling Green Independent Schools has state is, Kentucky has schools that high school next year. will become the new home for Daniel Cunningham will be earned.

KY Civic Health Index profiles diverse issues u By Samantha McAllister 2016 will go down in history as a year of national political discord and polarization. The one thing that everyone, from citizens to pundits to politicians, agrees on is the country has rarely been so far from compromise.

The debate as to why, however, rages on. The state of Kentucky has some theories, after the Civic Health Index for this year came out.

The Kentucky Civic Health Index is compiled by the Secretary of State’s office, the Institute for Citizenship and Social Responsibility at WKU, the National Conference on Citizenship, and the McConnell Center at UofL. The Index looked at aspects of public participation, including voter turnout, trust in institutions, and volunteering. The data compiled show a picture of how Kentucky citizens participate in their government and the community around them.

Kentucky has had improvement in social connections since the first report in 2012, with more Kentuckians volunteering, making charitable donations, and registering to vote than ever.

Where Kentucky falls short reflects a national trend: distrust in media, neighbors, and government institutions. In fact, Kentucky ranks 48th in the nation for trust in the media, a shocking placement with only the states New Mexico and Utah more distrustful.

After a discussion at WKU over the report, I had the opportunity to discuss it with the KY Secretary of State, Alyson Lundergan Grimes.

“As we have seen and is nationally the case right now, the faith in government, the faith in the media here in the Common-

wealth is at an all time low, and we need to decide, How do we turn around this decline in institutions,” said Grimes.

With “fake news” continuing to plague the media landscape, Grimes realizes the issues with rebuilding that trust. “What we’ve seen is there’s a learning curve we have to catch up to, to make sure people are trusting what they see on their technology and where people are receiving that information. We have to learn to keep up in order to keep that trust up,” said Grimes.

The Index wasn’t all doom and gloom. Grimes is positive about all of us in the Commonwealth: “We’ve made great gains in people actually being involved and engaged, working in their community, volunteering, and staying socially connected.”

As politically divided as we seem, society itself hasn’t collapsed. People our age have grown up with the constant stream of media updates, and therefore have a more discerning eye.

Even with that experience, younger people have grown notorious for supposed apathy to government and extreme distrust of institutions.

2016 was a year when people’s worst ideas about government were confirmed, but hope is still alive for improvement. Grimes though sees hope in the current generation.

“This year we saw many folks take their first step and vote in a federal election. It’s a huge step and we want that momentum continuing,” said Grimes. “We don’t want the pundits who bet against those in the era of texting and tweeting and chatting who call Millennials the ‘lost generation.’

I don’t take that bet, I think high schoolers will be and deserve to be part of this process.”

Feature

u10 Vol. 57, No. 6

Always Dreaming wins KY Derby

Owners of winning horse speak with Purple Gem reporter u By Hannah Burt The Kentucky Derby is a proud tradition that has served the state of Kentucky form the first horse race in 1875. Now, 142 years later, it is still a proud tradition that has influenced Kentuckians over the years.

Because of the proud tradition, Chapel Tinius attended the Derby. She explained,”I really just went for the experience, and it was such a special time to get to go.”

The Derby attendance was over 158,070, and over $209 million in betting or wagering from attendees went into Kentucky’s economy. It is also the longest sport event to date.

Known as the fastest two minutes in sports, the Derby concluded with Always Dreaming as the winner. I had the opportunity to interview one of the owners of Always Dreaming about the win.

“We were always dreaming of winning the Derby,” said Erin Birkenhauer, partial owner of the horse who works with West Point Thoroughbreds. Birkenhauer’s father, Terry Finney, is the President and CEO of West Point Thoroughbreds and is also a partial owner of the Derby winner.

“You are always dreaming of winning the Derby, and the Triple Crown, which is always hard to do,” Birkenhauer said.

Only twelve horses have won

photo submitted by Andrew Burt The Birkenhauer family, part owners of the horse, stand next to Always Dreaming. Always Dreaming was the winner of the 143rd Kentucky Derby run at Churchill Downs in Louisville. the triple crown, from Sir Barton (1919) to American Pharoah (2015).

Always Dreaming has had a solid season apart from the Derby. “We’ve really been preparing for the Derby since January,” she said, “he kept working his way

up the ladder and you have to earn points to pass and qualify or the Derby. We kept winning races and earning points.”

His trainer, Todd Pletcher, and his jockey, John Velazquez, will be expected to stay with the horse for the remainder of the

season.

“For now we are just focusing on getting through the Triple Crown,” she said.

After the Derby, Always Dreaming’s worth skyrocketed to 20 million dollars. “It’s really exciting.” Birkenhauer

responded.

“I was in shock. My dad and mom were hysterically crying, and I was tearing up, but I was just in shock when he won. It still really hasn’t sunk in. You can’t really believe it happened and I said to myself ‘is this real life,’” she said when addressing her initial reaction when her horse won. “We only own a small part of him, but we are still very excited.”

The race itself wasn’t as dramatic as that of the famous Secretariat, who won by 31 lengths.

The race consisted of Always Dreaming bolting out of the gate and holding onto his ground all the way around the track, which was fairly covered in mud, according to spectators. Always Dreaming passed the original leader of the race and won by 2 3/4 lengths.

With Always Dreaming is just one of three horses from West Point, there are higher expectations for him.

“I am biased, but I think he does. The thing is every race he’s won this year he’s been several lengths ahead of the second place horse, and nobody’s truly tested him, so it’s hard to say what’s going to happen, but he’s either going to dig in and drive harder or it will discourage him,” she said.

“But whatever happens I think she’s got it in him to do it,” she added.

Puzzle rooms gain local interest u By Kyle Rubin & Jackson Stahl An active mind is a healthy mind, and what better way to improve your focus and teamwork than trying something new? Many people have heard of the well-known Escape Game in Nashville, Tennessee, but have you tried out Bowling Green’s new escape rooms?

Red Door Puzzle Rooms opened in early 2016 but is still unknown to much of Bowling Green.

“I haven’t been to the ones in Bowling Green yet but I plan to visit them this summer on many occasions,” said junior Michael Bessette.

Composed of five different challenges, Red Door has a variety of difficulty and scenery to bring a new experience with each change of room.

The room settings include a cabin in the woods, the backstage area of a play, a child’s room, and a murder mystery

room. The Red Door website even states, “Our themed rooms are constantly changing to keep things interesting and challenging every time you visit,” meaning you better get going soon before they bring in brand new rooms.

We both decided to try out one of these rooms for ourselves, so we set up our reservation and headed out to Old Louisville Road to try our luck.

What we didn’t know is that we had set up our reservation for the hardest room at the location, The Woods. The Woods has a 50% success rate, and it is usually completed by groups of five or more. We were on our own. Once in the room we soon learned it would be no easy task and the hour of being in the room was filled with confusion, team building, and clock watching.

Task after task was complet-

ed but still no open door. The time ran out on us and we were told we had gotten pretty close, but not anything we would’ve thought of. The challenge of completing the task, combined with the setting, pressure, and lighting of the room, gave us a very entertaining experience, one that both of us will try again in the future.

When it comes down to it, the Red Door Puzzle Rooms is something for every family or child to try, especially considering the outside benefits other than fun for an hour. The rooms allow for much creativity and critical thinking to help decide where to look next and try things that may or may not work to solve each task.

“I went to the one in Nashville and it was a really good experience with friends. It provides a fun, challenging way to test your brain,” said Bessette.

The general public must attend these captivating rooms as it gives something to do in so-called “Boring Green” and allows citizens of BG to stay local and not drive an hour down the road to Nashville. The assortment of puzzle rooms that are revolving and ever-changing throughout the year allow for continuous fun without having to repeat the same room more than once.

The energetic, helpful staff allow the participants to feel like they are in a safe environment, despite the lackluster location of Red Door Puzzle Rooms on Old Louisville Road. We drove past the tiny structure with a mere banner and writing on the window next to a used car lot and an abandoned Shell gas station, as it is secluded on the side of the road in an industrial area near Barren River.

However, once you walk

through the glass doors, the experience immediately begins as you are welcomed into an upbeat environment with three rooms with ranging difficulties inside the main building and another in a storage room outside on the premise.

Just make sure you make a reservation prior to your session; we had to make a last-minute call as we thought walk-ins were available.

All in all, we highly recommend making a stop to this overshadowed local business that can give you and your friends or family a fun activity.

“I was unaware that there were puzzle rooms in Bowling Green, but I’ve heard of the one in Nashville. I think I could escape with the help of some friends,” said senior Matthew Anders.

“I will definitely have to pay a visit this summer,” he said.

Teachers, students benefit from project learning u By Priscilla Thong Project based learning, or PBL, is a trending topic in today’s learning environment.

PBL assigns students projects that are real-world and pertain to the students but also aligned to the standards.

BGHS had their First Annual Holocaust Art Gala on March 7.

The event was hosted by Natasha Fatkin, an English teacher.

Her students collaborated on a project-based unit that they enjoyed, and so did Fatkin.

She began with involving in the Kentucky Center for the Arts, which does many educational projects because they are also performance cycle-based.

She then tooked that into her work.

“Kids were wanting to know why am I learning this, so I com-

bined the two, and figured if I could make the kids understand why they need to learn these things in a real, applicable way, it would make sense and they would own the learning and hold onto it later,” said Fatkin.

She assigned a reflection essay to her students to get their reflections about the experience of the project based learning.

Their responses showed that the project covered the standards she hoped to cover.

They learned to work independently, research the evidence, analyze characters, be responsible, and manage time.

“I enjoyed it, and I enjoyed watching them create,” said Fatkin. “Having students that don´t feel like they can express themselves in word but could create this majestic piece of work, that showed a higher level of think-

ing and critical and literal thinking.”

In addition, Fatkin’s class is working on proposals to hopefully change the minds of the school board and make better for BGHS. The students are to make a proposal and present them to school administrators like LEAD Academy principal Robert Lightning and LEAD Academy guidance counselor Jessie Baker.

At right, one of the projects created by a member of Fatkin’s class is displayed at the Holocaust Art Gala, depicting what a Jewish person may have lost during the Holocaust, as well as some other symbols, such as the Jewish star and the hint of the Nazi flag in the background.

u photo by A. Woodlief

Feature

Alumni reflect on high school stigmas

u By Ebonne Gabhart

my favorite teachers. Even with ber of society, I still view high almost being out college, my top school as a waste of my time, 4 What I have learned: People 3 favorite teachers are in BGHS. years I could have spent doing are too complex in and of themAlso, I miss crispitos,” Marisa something better.” selves for there to really be any Williams, graduating class of Despite the fact that we are all cohesive theme between one’s 2013, said. unified through walking into the tellings of high school to the This type of blithe response doors of our high school day in next. reflects the and day out, I’m narrowing this to high feelings of six “I think high school can be either well school for the purpose of my out of the 11 before 8:30 article but of course this intriBGHS alumni useful to some people and a.m, at 8:30, cate-person dynamic applies to that I spoke or well after, all aspects of life. with. very useless for others.” we all have For the purposes of cultivatSpencer very different ing an encompassing story I set Woods, class experiences, out to interview as many BGHS of 2016, said this is not true for all occurring simultaneously. alumni as I could find, hoping everyone. “I think high school And what I thought prior to this strategy would yield the can be useful to some people,” my interviews was this: school most diverse accumulation of he said, “and very useless for has an educational purpose high school stigmas and that’s others.” whether or not a student valexactly what I was given.

Alumni Tony Brown and Jace ues it. However, in speaking After speaking with 11 differHillard represent the latter of the with each alumnus, I’ve learned ent BGHS alumni, I was thrown two. that school serves each student into piles of Brown said, through the means that they paper search“There’s a couneed. ing for quotes “High school has some ple of good The only real concrete theme with similar teachers I’ll rebetween all alumni was that in u n d e r l y i n g of my very core group member but the their time at BGHS they in some struggles, rewhole thing is way, shape, or form, were fed alizations, and of friends and to this not conducive the things that mattered for their memories. to learning. It’s lives beyond the high school exOn one day some of my favorite all forced and perience. hand, many didn’t serve me Mark Lowry, graduating class of the alumni teachers.” in any way beof 2013 said, “I learned a lot, not remembered sides agitating conventionally though. I wasn’t high school my anxiety, and studious but I learned a lot and fondly and a single question it really just made me dislike I really value the insight that I sparked an entire myriad of people within my age group.” was given by my teachers and conversations. “High school has Hilliard added his own take. my peers even though I didn’t some of my very core group of “All that is and was important to realize the momentum of it all friends and to this day some of me is being a productive memtill later.”

Spring Art Show displays students’ works u By Peter Guthrie

One morning, waiting for the 8:25 bell to ring, a group of students clustered around one of six large displays set up in the commons. They were fixated on a self-portrait by senior Lizzie Knight with deep, haunting orange eyes and matching auburn tendrils of hair, set on a cloudy pink background. The students shifted focus to a photograph

by Joanna Graves of a cat with penetrating amber eyes staring inquisitively back at them.

The pieces are part of the school’s 11th annual Spring Art Show, where beginner and advanced art students alike have a chance to showcase artwork they have created throughout the year. “This is the biggest spring art show we’ve had as far as the number of pieces,” said art teacher WT Stinson (Stinson is unmistakably the art teacher, with his untucked button-up, thick-rimmed glasses and soul patch). “We have more students with artwork in this year than ever, so I’m really proud of all the work my students did this year.”

The work ranges from realistic pencil sketches of downtown Bowling Green to expressionist self-portraits to dramatic nature photography. But featured most prominently are the art department’s two premiere artists: seniors Ivan Arce and Aliza Norman, who were nominated for national awards in the Scholastic Art Competition.

Norman broke the school record for the greatest number of pieces accepted into the compe-

u photo by C. Batts Senior Ivan Arce holds a piece of artwork that was featured in The Wedge this year during the Spring Art Show. Arce was also a Scholastic Art award winner and nominee. tition, according to Stinson.

Their work dominates the newly converted student art gallery, The Wedge, where the school used to display sports trophies and jerseys—those are now spread along the Tradition hallway. Along the left half of the Wedge is Arce’s homage to his Mexican roots, with bright depictions of catrina, the hallmark skeletal face paint and colorful outfit of El Día de Los Muertos. His painting of a girl in catrina parading through a candle-lit grave was nominated for a national Best of Vision award in the Scholastic Art Competition. “I did it in remembrance of my dead grandmother who passed around my junior year,” Arce said.

On the right of the Wedge are Norman’s eight striking self-portraits, running the gamut of col-

ors and emotions. She began the series with “Melancholy,” a blue-tinted portrait with a somewhat lost, distant look. Self-portraits, Norman says, are balancing acts: an artist has a natural tendency to either exaggerate or bury her flaws. But with her series, Norman has struck that balance.

As Arce and I looked at the Wedge, I asked what he thought of having his work so front and center, with hundreds of his peers seeing it. “Typically, I would say that I don’t like to be the center of attention,” he said. “But when it comes to my art, I feel like if I’ve worked really hard on these—and I would say that I really worked hard on these. But I really do appreciate that Stinson did hang these up because, for the most part, I’m really proud of them.”

11u

The Purple Gem

Local Look:

An introduction to the school board u By Jack Eason

In the second and final installment of our Board of Education-focused Local Look, we meet the last three members of the board. The Bowling Green Independent School District is governed by the members, who are elected to four-year terms.

Christine Dressler Born in Kansas, and a graduate of Liberty Senior High in Liberty Missouri, Christine Dressler, called “Chris” by her fellow board members, joins the majority of the board in graduating from somewhere other than BGHS. For college, Dressler attended Memphis State, now known as University of Memphis.

After she completed her undergraduate degree, Dressler worked as a financial aid administrator for her alma mater, where she also received a master’s degree in education.

Dressler was brought to Kentucky by her job with the Kentucky Higher Education Assistance Authority, the provider of KEES money.

Dressler felt that her experience and degree brought a unique perspective to the Bowling Green City Schools.

Dressler was first elected in 2010, after she was recruited by a friend. “I felt like some things needed to be changed,” said Dressler.

During her time on the school board, Dressler has overseen many changes in our district.

When asked about the board’s greatest success, Dressler echoed fellow member Jane Wilson, citing the completion of Dishman-McGinnis Elementary. “That was a school that really needed an update,” said Dressler, “it provides a better environment that’s more conducive to learning on every level.”

Mike Bishop Mike Bishop, a Bardstown High and Kentucky Wesleyan graduate, has a unique honor among the BGISD board members: he is the only serving board member to have been originally appointed to the school board.

A local attorney, Bishop has been re-elected numerous times since his appointment in 2000. “It was a lot more involved than I thought,” said Bishop. “There were several applicants, and we all had to go through an interview process.”

However, this wasn’t Bishop’s first foray into a new adventure. “After college I was out of money,” said Bishop

with a grin on his face. “There was too much school work, so I worked for a couple of years at a chemical factory.” However, Bishop soon realized he needed a change of course. “One cold night I was down by the Ohio River, thawing out a pipe with a steam hose,” said Bishop, “I thought, well, I think I’ll go to law school now.”

After graduating from U of L’s law school, he moved with his wife, Cathy, a BGHS grad, to Bowling Green.

Bishop encourages others to consider joining the school board. “They need to be doing it for the right reasons,” said Bishop, “they need to not have an agenda.”

Deborah Williams Deborah Williams has two distinctions on the school board: she is the longest serving member and the only member to graduate BGHS. Williams remembers her time at BGHS fondly. “I met my husband in homeroom,” said Williams.

After high school, Williams continued her education at WKU, but took time off to go into the banking industry.

“I actually didn’t finish with my banking degree until 1988,” said Williams. “I was a banker for 33 years until I retired in 2008.”

Williams also considers being the longest serving school

board member an honor. “Not only did both my daughters graduate from BGISD, but I also have two grandchildren that will definitely be Purples,” she said.

However, Williams doesn’t want to rest on her laurels. “I still have work to do,” said Williams. During her tenure on the board, Williams has seen some challenges. “We’ve faced several,” said Williams. “The first year I was on the board the Kentucky Education Reform Act was passed.”

However, even with challenge, Williams is still working to make the district better for all students.

Rape culture bolstered by societal gender standards u By Gabby Bunton One thing that has taken the nation by storm is the Netflix series “13 Reasons Why.” In the series rape is one of the many controversial topics depicted in the episodes. The show helps shine a light on the way of society is perpetuating the wrong things within standards and traditions.

Many issues have been brought to light by the public due to many seeing injustices and unreasonable ways this country handles rape. Many societal aspects play into rape, and one of the biggest is gender prejudice. Rape is predominately known for men raping women,

but have you seen the roles reversed?

Rape isn’t a women’s issue, it’s a human issue. It can happen to men and boys, but you will rarely see it grab as much attention as a woman or girl getting raped.

No matter if it was a female or another male raping them, it can happen. One in ten males are rape victims.

Due to male societal standards, it may be hard for men and boys to come forward with this. Statistics about male rape victims are often more obscure, as they report less, according to RAINN. There’s not much support

or encouragement to come forward about rape and it doesn’t seem to find any sympathy. It’s

“According to RAINN, 38 percent of sexual violence

victims

will

have issues at school or work after being raped.” understandable that boys and men may not come forward due to the fact that they are scared and may feel like they have to be seen as the sexual aggressors,

which is not the case all the time.

Society often teaches males that things like rape don’t happen to “real men.” Likely, male rape victims feel abnormal and alone after rape, because society portrays it as only happening to women.

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly one in five women (over 23 million) have experienced rape in their lifetime. Society also seems to manipulate rape allegations of women to make it seem that they are lying.

Many college rape victims feel themselves to be silenced.

There is also an element of harassment women may suffer on

college campuses.

According to RAINN, 38 percent of sexual violence victims will have issues at school or work after being raped.

For example, Brock Turner, a Stanford swimmer, was found sexually assaulting an unconscious woman behind a dumpster. He was found guilty, but only served three months of his six month sentence.

All in all, it’s simple things that can go a long way with helping diminish rape within our society. Simple practices like teaching the meaning of consent, or taking responsibility. It seems that rape is just another problem on the back burner.

Feature

u12 Vol. 57, No. 6

The People’s Climate March: More than 200,000 walk for indigenous and planetary rights in D.C. April 29 was a bright, beautiful, scorcher of a Saturday in Washington D.C. with highs in the 90s.

It was filled with joyous smiles, sweating bodies, and bright hues from a rainbow of colors.

All of this was due to the more than 200,000 participants of The People’s Climate March. They sweated together, they listened together, they spoke out together, and, most importantly, they marched together.

They marched for 20 blocks down Pennsylvania Avenue, from the start at the Washington Newseum, to the end, where demonstrators stopped in a moment of silence and sat with one another just outside of the White House gates.

Under the watchful eye of interspersed government agents and officials and police officers, they marched and chanted things like “Water is Life” and “When our planet’s under attack, what do we do? Stand up fight back!”

The march and its 370 sister marches around the world far exceeded expected participation.

Thousands upon thousands of individuals traveled by charter buses and flowed in droves

through the Stadium-Armory train station in D.C. alone, patiently waiting in the dark, musty, underground tunnel for a bright light to open its doors and take them to the heart of the city, through a yellow haze of sickly train car lighting.

The march itself was put together months in advance by groups such as People’s Climate Movement and It Takes Roots.

Both are a conglomerate of movements full of groups that work to provide economic justice, indigenous/racial justice, and a government that works for the working people of the United States and the planet.

Judith Leblanc, Director of the Native Alliance and a rally speaker on the day of the march, stated, “In Indian Country, we know that there is only one way to save Mother Earth: focus on building the power of grassroots solutions to the crisis. If facts could change policies of the Trump administration, it would be simple. Now we must prove through our creative collective grassroots projects that another path is possible. With prayer and organized people power, we will save Mother Earth.”

Top Right: Indigenous protestors, along with members of the organization “It Takes Roots,” start the march in the early afternoon, leading the two-mile walk while chanting and beating rhythmically on native drums.

Middle Right: A member of D.C’s “Black Lives Matter” chapter dances to her organization members’ chanting voices before the beginning of the march. She was also burning sage, an indigenous plant, to cleanse the nearby crowd.

Bottom Right: A young native woman smiles and dances under a rainbow parachute and uses a shaker to play her own rhythm before the start of the march.

u Compiled By J. Wilson

Top Left: Crowds gather three hours before the People’s Climate March in the Stadium-Armory train station. This young couple in the foreground forgot about the outside struggles and noise from the thousands of protestors flooding the staion and existed peacefully together in the captured moment.

Bottom Left: A father and member of “It Takes Roots” places a red hat upon his son’s head while he plays with a handmade bucket drum. Moments later his son joined the “It Takes Roots” drum line.

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