April 8, 2022 Collegian

The student voice of Hutchinson Community College

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April 8, 2022

pinion

Laci Sutton dives into the dilemma of our understaffed healthcare providers. Page 2

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Brendan Ulmer goes over Astronaut Nick Hague’s Dillon Lecture Series.

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Danae Moser illustrates Blue Dragon Cheer and Dance Showcase.

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Vol. 63 Issue 19

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Aubreigh Heck gives HutchCC Softball rundown.

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2022 Kansas Teacher of the Year Award HutchCC alumna, Hutch High’s Amber Carithers makes it to finals

By Brooke Greene Editor In Chief

Each year, a teacher is acknowledged as Kansas’ Teacher of the Year, and while Covid-19 disrupted the previous selection, the selection was finally made.

Susanne Stevenson of Dodge City is the 2022 Kansas Teacher of the Year and the remaining nominees are considered the 2022 Regional Teachers of the Year.

The award ceremony was held last week in the reception hall in the fine arts building at Hutchinson Community College. The teachers were awarded $2,000 from the KTOY sponsor Security Benefit, as well as an award at the KTOY banquet for being a finalist.

Among this year’s nominees was one of Hutchinson High School’s English teachers, Amber (Aden) Carithers, who is a Hutchinson Community College alumna.

“It starts at the district level,” Carithers said. “Students, Parents, Teachers, Administrators, etc. can nominate a teacher to be selected as a district nominee. When a teacher becomes a candidate, there’s an application process. There’s a committee that reviews these applications, and then one Elementary and one Secondary teacher is chosen from the district to represent USD 308 Hutchinson Public Schools in the Region 1 KS Teacher of the Year virtual celebration. At the virtual celebration, three Elementary and three Secondary semifinalists are selected.

Out of the three one Elementary and Secondary finalist is selected. There are four regions in the state, so there are eight state

finalists. Out of the eight, one is selected as Kansas Teacher of the Year. The previous year’s KTOY team is at the reception and we invite family, friends, colleagues, administrators, community members, legislators, State Board of Education members , too. We had to wait an extra year to find out because of COVID, however, it was well worth the wait and the experience has been like none other.”

Carithers graduated from Wichita State University in May 2013 and began teaching at Hutchinson High School in Aug. 2013.

While this has been her primary teaching position, she has also offered online courses through Friends University and HutchCC. Carithers and Rachel Santine, one of HutchCC’s Public Speaking professors, worked together to form the Future Teachers Organization (HCC KNEA-SP).

Carithers has inspired many other teachers to excel in their professions and to be the best teachers they can be, as they have also participated in the Kansas National Education Association Student Program.

“I went to Rachel, wanting to create an organization for future teachers at HCC, she heard me out and that’s where it all began,” Carithers said. “Teri Eckhoff assisted in the group, and I’ve kept in touch with both of them. Next year, HHS is adding an Education Pathway as part of the CTEA. I will be teaching the class Teaching as a Career’ next year. So many people I’ve met along my educational path have impacted me, especially the incredible individuals at HCC, Ryan Diehl, Corbin Strobel, Cindy Keast, Santine, Teri Eckhoff, and so many others.”

See Carithers, Page 5

Photo by Lee Wellman/Collegian Amber Carithers, an English teacher at Hutchinson High School, speaks at the 2022 KTOY Awards ceremony.

Toughness in Stiles Scott (left) and Shannon Stiles (right) take a picture during a vacation.

Blue Dragon alumnus shares story about on-going cancer fight

By Cole Deutschendorf Co-Sports Editor

Courtesy Photos Scott Stiles during round of treatment maintaining uplifting attitude (above).

Scott Stiles as a quarterback of 1983 Blue Dragons football team (right).

Upcoming events April 14— Baseball vs. Cloud County at Hobart-Detter Field from 1-5 p.m.

April 18-22 — Spring Fling Events April 19 — Red Cross Blood Drive at the Parker Student Union from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.

April 19— HutchCC Jazz Showcase at the Stringer Fine Arts building from 7-9 p.m.

Scott Stiles and Shannon Stiles were in town for the Class 3A Kansas high school basketball state championships.

They entered the arena, where it took them a little under an hour to make their way to their seats.

If you didn’t know them, you might assume that Scott Stiles was the President of the United States, as he and his wife could be seen talking to numerous people in the arena before sitting down.

Scott has been a staple of the Hutchinson community going back nearly 40 years, and was recently diagnosed with cancer. The citizens of Hutchinson have rallied around Scott and Shannon throughout their battle.

“We have been overwhelmed with the response. It probably took us 45 minutes to get to the crowd,” he said.

“Even 35, 40 years later, people remember. It was just really cool to see, whether it was coaches, custodians, or teachers.

“They rally around you, and they don’t forget you.”

It’s this community feeling that has made the journey a little bit easier for Scott and Shannon.

Journey to Hutchinson Stiles, an Ohio native, had Division I offers for football in the early 1980s,

The happenings around campus

College Student Weather Report Friday High: 59; Low 26 Don’t freeze overnight!

Saturday High: 67; Low 48 A steady rise to that summer weather.

Sunday High: 79; Low 52 Get ready to break a sweat!

Weather source: accuweather.com

including Iowa State, but decided instead to attend Hutchinson Community College.

“It was an opportunity for me to play right away and get re-recruited,” Scott said.

Scott quickly took to the community while playing football at Hutchinson.

“The fans were always so giving, and so instrumental in supporting the college,” he said. “They had a foster parent program for out-of-state athletes, and it made you feel a little more part of the community. The community has always really rallied around the athletes.”

Scott played quarterback for HutchCC for two years before transferring to Bethel College, despite having a chance to sign with Bowling Green. He prospered for Bethel, including leading the nation in total offense one year and also setting two school records, including touchdown passes in a game (six) and longest completed pass (95 yards).

Scott broke his back in two places during his senior year, ending his playing career.

He then began his coaching career, which started with coaching for 10 years in Ohio. While in Ohio, Stiles got into broadcasting, including broadcasting NBA star LeBron James’ last high school game with St. Vincent-St. Mary’s, pregame shows for the Cincinnati Bengals and Cleveland Browns, and racing events, such as the Indianapolis 500.

An opportunity for Scott to return to See Stiles, Page 5

Visit and follow us on social media @hutchinsoncollegian @HCC_Collegian the_hutchinson_collegian hutch_collegian

Opinion

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Our View

Winter, spring breaks better than summer

In elementary school, children are taught to beware of peer pressure. Now, while this typically applies to drinking and doing drugs, many people are peer-pressured into believing that summer is the best season out of the four.

Summer is a glorified season, and that needs to change.

Summer is often beloved by many due to the memories tied with it of being out for school for three months. Don’t let these memories cloud your opinions. There are other times that students get time off of school, like winter break and spring break. While they may not be as long as summer break, they are often far more enjoyable.

Winter break is when the holidays are, so there’s often a buzz of celebration in the air that makes everything feel more exciting. Also, if you’re into it, Christmas music is playing all the time.

Spring break is right around the time of year where it’s nice enough to be able to enjoy outside activities. Not to mention the fact that by

The Hutchinson Collegian Friday, April 8, 2022

A plea from students

this time of year, the bugs are just starting to wake up. No swarms of mosquitoes leaving bumps all over you, no hordes of flies trying to land on your food at any given chance and no crickets to jump all over the place when you least expect it.

Besides the other breaks in school being superior to summer break, it is just too hot during summer to enjoy anything other than being in water or in a place with air conditioning.

There are pluses for weather in summer, like a summer thunderstorm, but even that has its downsides. Humidity is a killer, and it can ruin a good hair day in an instant.

Summer isn’t this terrible monster that everyone should hate, and all seasons have downsides. However, summer is just too overhyped, and is often disappointing because of it. Don’t fall victim to “summer = best season” peer pressure.

- For the Collegian Editorial Board

Collegian file comic

Nuggets’ star Jokic deserves more MVP consideration The NBA MVP race this year is one of the closest three-man races in league history.

I’m not usually a fan that cares too much about the MVP award, but Nikola Jokic’s season for the Denver Nuggets is just too crazy to put second to anybody.

“The Joker”, with just two games left on the season, is averaging 27 points, 13.5 rebounds and 8 assists on 59-3481 splits. Ranking top 10 in points, rebounds, assists, FG% and EFF, and top 15 in steals, the only center in the league in the top 40 for steals.

Oftentimes, I’ve seen Jokic be called a defensive liability, especially in the pick and roll. However this isn’t really Jokic’s fault. With Jokic being the entire offensive unit, Jokic has to be on the court as much as possible so the Nuggets run a drop

coverage for pick and Gordon, the absence of rolls and allows Jokic to Jamal Murray and Michael not only avoid situations Porter Jr. is irreplaceable where many foul on the on any night. This has been pick and roll, but also painfully obvious all year play passing lanes, where with no other player even he is one of the best in averaging over 15 points a the league at with his game, Jokic’s playmaking deceptive length and dehas become even more imfensive IQ, another thing portant to a lot of players that has gone under many that struggle to create their voters radar. own shots. The efficiency Despite all of the stats displayed is even more imColton Fast pressive when considering and impacts Jokic can have, nothing quite tells that he hasn’t had another the story as well when you look at the scoring star to take some of the attenroster and then see that they are just tion off him, even with the increase in half a game back from the Jazz for the field-goal attempts. fifth spot in the always-competitive Now to the advanced stats.

Western Conference.

I have not been a fan of people using Though the Nuggets did make good them as their primary focus but some of acquisitions with Jeff Green and Aaron the simpler ones such as a PER of 32.8

Columnist

and true shooting percentage of 66.3% are pretty good indications of Jokic’s dominance, where Jokic will most likely set a new all time record for highest PER in a season.

For Joel Embiid and Giannis Antetokoumpo, they have had amazing seasons as well. Embiid possibly becoming the first center to lead the league in scoring since Shaq, and Antetokoumpo adding a more consistent and comfortable jumper to his repertoire to his already scary size and athleticism. These three bigs have flipped the NBA on its head from its guard orientated play.

Though I want Jokic to repeat, this MVP will be well deserved by whoever.

Colton Fast is a Nickerson freshman studying journalism.

Evolving healthcare industry has its flaws The world of healthcare is ever evolving, and providers have continued to tell their stories of the damaging working conditions. They are understaffed and working in considerably dangerous conditions.

For one Nashville nurse, the unsafe work environment could result in prison time.

On March 25, RaDonda Vaught was convicted of two felonies following a fatal medication error.

Vaught dispensed the wrong medication and administered it, causing the death of her 75-year-old patient. While this tragedy occured in 2017, the controversy of this case is far from over.

Vaught did admit to the mistake, however claims it was “an honest mistake, not a crime.”

Where do we draw the line here? And should we hold

one person solely responsible for events like this?

I am fully aware mistakes happen, especially in the hands of human beings, but how do we justify the death of another human being caused by a “simple mistake”?

In this case, I don’t think it’s nearly that easy.

There are many factors that go into providing nursing care, and even more factors that go into medication administration.

These automated dispensing systems come with built in safeguards to prevent mistakes like this. One must go through many steps in order to even get the medication dispensed.

Of course each make and

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model is different, but the concept remains the same.

When a doctor prescribes a medication, it is added into their medication administration record.

This computerized system is linked with the automated dispensing machines, allowing anyone with access to see (typically) all necessary information for that medication order. This includes, but is not limited to, the name of the medication, strength, dosage, time to be administered, and if it has already been dispensed.

The individual dispensing will select the medication they intend to dispense. If a medication is dispensed at the

Columnist

Laci Sutton

wrong time, it is either not available to access or requires extra steps, and often, a system override of some sort.

If a medication is not listed, it is possible to search for a specific drug and override the system to have it dispensed.

The safeguards don’t stop there. Each medication has a barcode that must be scanned.

Each patient also has a barcode located on their wristband given at admission.

A competent provider will go through what is called the five rights of medication administration. This asks the patient or verifies they are administering the right medication, strength, and dose to the right patient at the right time.

Upon administration, the patient’s barcode and the medication barcode is scanned as an electronic verification.

Obviously, it’s a lengthy pro-

Collegian Staff Editor In Chief Social Media Coordinator Brooke Greene Jayshaun Jones Editorial cartoonist Opinion Page Editor E. G. Weinhoffer Laci Sutton Staff members Sports Editors Colton Fast, Leslie Grajeda, Connor Aubreigh Heck, Cole Deutschendorf Keating, Braedon Martin, Danae Moser, Audio Editor Mason Poepperling, Colin Shields, Zariah Perilla-Best Shelby Spreier, Brendan Ulmer, Maegan Online Editor Vincent, Lee Wellman Ben Short Collegian Adviser Brad Hallier

www.HutchCollegian.com

cess. While I have not seen all the details from what happened on that day in 2017, I can only assume that some safeguards were missed. Whether that be intentional or caused by unsafe conditions, like staffing shortages and negligence of staff to patient ratios, I’m not sure.

I do believe Vaught should be held accountable for her actions, but I don’t believe that she is the only party who played a role in this unfortunate death.

This situation should be further investigated to see what other factors contributed to this error. I hope this case can bring some serious change to the healthcare system and prevent further events from occurring.

Laci Sutton is a Nickerson senior studying nursing. She is the Opinion Page Editor.

Letters to the editor The Hutchinson Collegian welcomes letters to the editor. Letters must include the author’s signature, address and phone number.

The Collegian reserves the right to edit letters for style, legality and length. Letters may not exceed 300 words.

Send letters to hallierb@hutchcc.edu.

Non-discrimination statement Hutchinson Community College does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability, religion, age, military status, sexual orientation, or any other protected category under federal, state, or local law, or by college policy.

For inquiries regarding the non-discrimination policies contact: Christopher Lau, Coordinator of Equity & Compliance 1300 N. Plum Hutchinson, KS 67501 (620) 665-3500 equity@hutchcc.edu (www.hutchcc.edu/equity)

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The Hutchinson Collegian Friday, April 8, 2022

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Space Talk

Astronaut Nick Hague visits HutchCC

By Brendan Ulmer Staff writer

Photo by Danae Moser/Collegian Nick Hague speaks at the second Dillon Lecture Series of 2022 Tuesday at the Sports Arena.

Of the billions of people who have lived on Earth since 1960, only 564 of them have crossed the boundary of the atmosphere into space.

One of them – NASA astronaut Nick Hague – stopped by the Sports Arena on Tuesday to discuss his experiences beyond the horizon at the second speaker of the 2022 Dillon Lecture Series.

“It’s humbling,” said Hague, who was born in Belleville and raised in Hoxie. “During the interview process, when you’re trying to get selected for this thing, you sit around and you may have 20 people who are all applying. There’s 19 people here who are more qualified to do this than me.

Then you get selected and it’s a little bit surreal, like ‘oh wow, I’m actually putting on a space suit and I’m gonna go underwater and practice doing a spacewalk’.”

The surrealness he said that he felt at his selection

into the space program seemed only to be matched in its impact by the incredible views from orbit.

“The photos don’t do it justice,” Hague said.

“I tried like crazy to take photos that would capture exactly what I was able to see, and I think I took somewhere around 100,000 photos in seven months, and still couldn’t get one of them to turn out right.”

The awe he felt in the viewing of our planet, seemed to be so strong that it may never fully wear off.

“You see so much, all in one view”, said Hague, “but at the same time you see how small everything is, so it kind of challenges the way you’ve always perceived the world. I grew up in western Kansas, the world seemed gigantic, and I seemed so far removed from the rest of the world. To go up there in orbit, and you can see the entire United States in one view, it makes the world seem a whole lot more connected than you’ve ever imagined.”

A new night at the movies

By Mason Popperling Staff Writer

The lights are turned down low, the popcorn is warm, you’re with friends, and a feeling of excitement washes over as a brand-new cinematic experience begins to unfold before your very eyes … but then the buffering screen appears and you suddenly realize your Internet service is going through a lag spike.

It’s unfortunate, but the previous scene is most likely similar to what was experienced while movie theaters across the nation closed down a couple years back. At the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic, it seemed that the movie theater industry was more in danger than ever before That is saying something, as this is an industry that has endured a multitude of threats, including the rise of television, VHS tapes, DVD’s, and the age of streaming.

It was none of those, but the Covid-19 pandemic, that would bring the movie theater business in the United States to a new low, generating just $2.3 billion in 2020, according to The Hollywood Reporter, which may not sound bad on the surface, but that number is the lowest the U.S. Box Office has generated in the last 40 years.

On top of that, 2020 was the first year since 2008 to not have any individual film gross $1 billion, since 2005 to not gross $900 million, and since 2000 to not gross even $600 million in the US. “A big effect of our low numbers comes from how production companies are releasing movies to the public,” said Blake Luman, a Hutchinson freshman and Fox Theater employee. “Because of the pandemic, those companies began to release new movies on streaming services instead of straight to theater.”

The 2021 saw the end of low numbers for the U.S. theater industry, with a 100% increase in U.S. box office revenue compared to the previous year, and,

Photo by Lee Wellman/Collegian The B&B Theatre has been more popular since society has reopened in the aftermath of Covid-19.

with the release of “Spider-Man: No Way Home”, the first film to gross over $1 billion since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, according to Deadline Hollywood and Box Office Pro. It appears that since theaters have started to reopen across the country, many are starting to become re-hypnotized by the magic of the movies.

“Me and my friends love to go to the movies more than just occasionally,” said Kayden Polk, a Hutchinson freshman. “It’s good quality time that I get to spend with them and we can share laughs together.”

While movie theater attendance is reaching the levels it did in the past again, the industry isn’t quite there yet. While the box-office total in the U.S. is

100% higher than last year, it’s still 60% less than it was in 2019, which is still a massive drop off. This leaves some to question what it would take to bring in the box office numbers from pre-pandemic times.

“I’d say nayve a big announcement on the radio about some special deals that are going on, ensuring cleanliness after each sitting, and letting people know that theaters are a safe and good environment to be in,” Kayden said.

Even though there’s definitely a positive change occurring in the Movie Theater industry, change still takes time, and it may still be a few years before box-office numbers return to the way they were a few years before.

Transfer trauma

By Colin Shields Staff Writer

Transfer, the dreaded “t-word”, that most community college students do not want to hear, can bring a lot of doubt and confusion.

Transferring upon graduation from Hutchinson Community College can be an exciting time. Students get to see their hard work and dedication from 8 a.m classes finally pay off, bringing the excitement of a new journey and step in their lives. However, it can also bring those feelings of uncertainty.

Two HutchCC sophomore’s, Christian Sampson and Jeannie George, are set to receive their Associates in Arts degree this May and plan on attending four year universities in the fall. Wichita State was the obvious choice, for Sampson as he wanted to remain close to home. George, on the other hand, explored some colleges located in the southern part of the United States before deciding to stay close to home at Kansas State.

“At some point I would like to go out of state so

I’ve been looking into other universities farther south.

I decided on KSU because they are a good fit for me while I prepare to find another college,” George said.

For Sampson, a college close to home was his best fit. “I chose to go to WSU because it will be the easiest transition and they have what I want (academically),” Sampson said. “The process itself has been super easy. The only stressful part has been trying to find somewhere to live.”

However, after looking around on the housing market, Sampson found a home close to the campus.

“I have roommates planned out, and we are getting a home around the westside of Wichita,” Sampson said.

Another fear some students will face is trying to find out if all of their classes and credits will transfer to their next university. Both George and Sampson will be able to transfer over all 60 credit hours they have taken in their two years at HutchCC and stay on track for graduation in two years in the spring of 2024.

A large 300-pound pallet of fruit loops cereal, manned by Dave Hawthorn and an assistant, made its way to campus Wednesday and was given away to people on campus.

Photo by Braedon Martin/ Collegian

Campus cereal celebration

By Cole Deutschendorf Co-Sports Editor

According to Google, there are over seven quintillion grains of sand in all of the world’s beaches. Just to add some context to that, that is 7 followed by 18 zeros.

7,000,000,000,000,000,000.

This coincidentally happens to be the exact amount of fruit loops that could be found in the back of the bus lot north of the Office Technology building at Hutchinson Community

College on Wednesday. Or so it seemed.

It’s a date that will go down in history.

There were about 300 pounds of fruit loops in a bag large enough to make Santa Claus blush.

Dave Hawthorn, a part-time bus driver for HutchCC, doubles as a part of a food consortium. He received a message about the availability of a large amount of fruit loops. Naturally, he assumed that they would

be in boxes, but Hawthorn quickly realized that that was in fact not the case.

It was all in a brobdingnagian plastic bag, piles upon piles stacked up in the bed of a truck.

You could almost hear the sounds of employees giggling in delight as they approached the truck, holding out a measly singular trash bag that paled in comparison to the elephantine knapsack.

It was an experience that none who experienced will ever forget.

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The Hutchinson Collegian Friday, April 8, 2022

Three cheers for the Blue Dragon cheer and dance teams Photos by Dance Moser/Collegian

Eliie Flynn performs a handspring manuver during a dance routine during the Blue Dragon Cheer and Dance Showcase on March 25 at the Sports Arena.

Left photo: Audrey Davis (top), with mid-flyers Taylor Pickering (left) and Autumn Ford, perform a complex stunt with the rest of the Blue Dragon cheer squad.

Center: Spirit Squad member Jahim Ross, gives a commanding pose and smiles during a cheer routine.

Right: Cassidy Gregg leaps during a dance performance. Gregg is a member of the Dragon Dolls dance team.

The Hutchinson Community College Dragon Dolls dance tTeam is seen here during their performance. Looks of determination and excitement are spread across the team.

Campus

The Hutchinson Collegian Friday, April 8, 2022

Handling sophomore-itis

By Braedon Martin Staff writer

Many high school graduates have experienced the phenomenon called “senioritis”, a decline in motivation or performance in the last year of high school or college.

So it stands to ask, do students at Hutchinson Community College experience something similar, despite only attending a two-year community college? A kind of “sophomore-itis”?

“I know what I want to do, and I feel semi-confident, but at the same time I’m doubting every single plan I’ve ever made and questioning whether or not this is truly the right path for me,” said Allison Bomgardner, a Hutchinson sophomore.

“I’m taking it semester by semester and one day I’ll be out of time and I’ll have to face everything I’ve ignored until that point.”

This seems to be backed up by Hutchinson freshman Ryker Douglas, who finds himself in a similar, though uniquely different, situation.

“I’m not any less confident in my career path, as far as I don’t know if I can do it, but I am less confident in the sense that chemistry is a very tied together field and

Carithers

• Continued from Page 1

When nominated for the Kansas Teacher of the Year award, Carither said she was surprised, especially as she continued to advance through the competition. She was up against 24 other Kansas teachers.

“When they read off my name I was so surprised,” Carithers said. “I also found out I was the second teacher in our district to receive this distinction, and we have another teacher in USD 308 (Carly Torres from Wiley Elementary School) who is a finalist for next year.”

What does Carithers do differently from other teachers to advance so far into this award nomination? Some teachers are in the profession merely for the job, and there are others that are there to make a difference in their students’ lives. Carithers has exceeded that expectation of her students and managed to develop close relationships with them. An education can be hard to pursue when one has a troubling home life, a crisis, or a burnout, and this is where Carithers aims to make her im-

Stiles

• Continued from Page 1

HutchCC to be an assistant coach for the football team came up, and he accepted the chance.

“You know, going back to your alma mater that gave you so much, I felt like it was an opportunity for me to get back out there,” he said.

Scott helped coach the Blue Dragons to winning the Heart of Texas Bowl game in Tyler, Texas in 2004, a surprise 15-10 win over Blinn, Texas.

He then moved on to becoming a public-address announcer of the Blue Dragons after most of the football staff was fired. During this time, he became more involved in the Hutchinson community, which included announcing seven NJCAA basketball national championships, and Blue Dragon football and basketball games.

Toughness in Stiles Fast forward to the present, and tragedy struck, as Scott was diagnosed with cancer in the fall of 2021.

Stiles has several cancerous tumors on both lungs, and is currently receiving treatment at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.

Scott and Shannon have found a way to bring a bit of humor into the situation.

there’s a multitude of things I could do that I have to take similar classes for,”Douglas said. “I’m confident in the direction I’m moving in, but not my end goal.”

While Douglas has only been at HutchCC for a year, his high school classes and class load for the past year have been enough for him to finish his two-year education in one, leaving him ready to transfer come the end of the year.

It seems students are facing less “sophomore-itis” and more a general sense of dread, questioning if they are truly ready for what comes next.

However, there will always be students who are more than ready to finish their education and get into “true” adulthood. Hutchinson sophomore Red Bridges is one such student.

“I’m so excited to graduate purely because I’m so incredibly tired of schoolwork, sitting through classes that are teaching me nothing, and spending all this time dedicated to busy work instead of anything productive or remotely helpful.” Bridges said. “I’m mentally calling it the state of ‘My brain is full of metal and there’s a magnet in the middle of the earth.’”

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Puzzles

pact in USD 308.

“I try to be very intentional in all my practices,” Carithers said. “One thing I know from experience is that building relationships with students is imperative. I try to be personable and understanding in all circumstances. I also believe in the importance of checking in on my students. I do a Mindful Monday and Friday Check-In, just to check in. I worry about all aspects of their well-being - physical, social, mental health. I love my students and I want them all to be successful.”

Through this process, Carithers says she has met a new network of colleagues which has helped her develop a new and vast support system.

She has also managed to get out of the classroom quite a bit this year to experience new adventures in what she describes as a “once in a lifetime experience.”

“I do know that just because I have received this honor and award, I continue to improve and hone my skills as an educator,” Carithers said. “It’s important to be aware and knowledgeable of the legislation that’s impacting education, too, and this experience has opened me up to this, too.”

“The joke in our house is that he is an elite athlete,” Shannon said. “We use that analogy, because when things get hard, and everyone else wants to give up, elite athletes don’t give up even when your body starts hurting, and the pain starts kicking in. You have to ignore it, keep your eyes on the end prize and the end goal, and that’s what we do.”

An elite athlete. The phrase that started off somewhat as a joke for the Stiles has become one of the phrases that motivates them each and every day to beat the ominous battle that is cancer.

Scott has always had a tremendous amount of strength and tenacity in the face of pain. When he broke his back in college, he played another quarter and a half.

“Finally, my legs went numb, and I couldn’t hardly walk, and that’s the only reason I came out. That was my mentality, and that’s the way we’re taking this on too,” Scott said.

Shannon said that while that mentality is a great one to have, they have to be careful with how far they take it.

“It’s kind of a double-edged sword. We were at a doctor’s appointment, and (Scott) had to ask for more pain medicine, and I said ‘what do you mean you’re

Want to help?

There is a GoFundMe page set up to support Scott Stiles through the journey that lies ahead of him at https://gofund. me/29c8703d taking pain medicine? I didn’t even know,’” Shannon said. “There’s a fine line, because at some point he can’t take this on alone, he has to let the community in.”

Community support a key factor Again, Scott and Shannon pointed back to the community’s support.

“It’s a humbling experience, but we just appreciate the fact that the community has been here. When we were at the tournament, we were just so overwhelmed with how much love, and how much of a family it is regardless of how long he’s been gone from there,” Shannon said.

Josh Gooch, the athletic director at HutchCC, agreed with Stiles, about the Hutchinson community.

“That’s the type of community that we all want to be a part of, that whenever somebody has come on hard times, that (the community) will rally up and work together to try to help something as devastating as cancer,” he said. “You try

to be supportive, try to be encouraging.

“We’re going to continue to be a supporting group here at Hutchinson Community College, and continue to support him, being there not only as friends, but as colleagues, and not only individually, but collectively.”

Scott jokingly talked about the many embraces that he shared with people at the tournament. “You know how you give shoulder hugs, and guys give each other shoulder bumps? It was none of that. It was full embraces, 30-45 second hugs, and tears, and not wanting to let go,” Scott said. “That meant a lot.”

Denny Stoecklein, the director of marketing and public relations at HutchCC, is one of the many friends Stiles has in Hutchinson.

“Scott still has many friends within the Blue Dragon community who are certainly sending well wishes his direction as he continues to fight this battle,” Stoecklein said. “There are a lot of prayers and well wishes being sent that direction.”

Scott’s diagnosis has brought back people into his life that he hasn’t interacted with in a long time.

“I’ve had people and teammates that I haven’t talked to in 25 or 30 years all of a sudden show up out of nowhere,” Scott said. “People

from Europe, Italy, people reach out and say ‘we’re following your story.’”

Another positive that has come out of Scott’s fight is he said that several people have gotten scans after hearing about his story, and have found tumors.

“People that have gone and gotten scans, and said ‘oh my gosh, you may have saved me because they found a spot.’ It’s those kind of rewarding stories that we may have helped to save someone,” Scott said.

Scott and Shannon wanted to make it clear that their intentions in sharing their story is to try to help others.

“When we give our testimony, we’re not doing this to gloat, we’re doing this because maybe it will save someone. People may look normal on the outside, but they may be really hurting on the inside,” Scott said.

One thing that Scott and Shannon have had to work through is receiving gifts, even though that might seem like an easy thing to do.

“Everyone loves to give, but it can be hard to get. It’s important to get as well, because you’re giving them the gift of giving to you,” Shannon said. “It’s been a very humbling experience for us.”

The Stiles will continue to fight the battle against cancer, while the Hutchinson community continues to rally around them.

Sports

The Hutchinson Collegian Friday, April 8, 2022

Page 6

Stellar start for HutchCC softball

Photo by Shelby Spreier/Collegian Kiersten Weitze, a freshman from Spring Hill, fires a pitch in Hutchinson Community College’s doubleheader against Seward County

By Aubreigh Heck Co-Sports Editor

Prior to the start of the softball season, the Hutchinson Community College Blue Dragons were picked to finish in third place in the Jayhawk Conference.

After just completing a 13-game winning streak, the Blue Dragons have proven themselves worthy of fighting for first place.

HutchCC currently holds a 26-6 record overall, and boast a 17-3 record in Jayhawk Conference play.

Blue Dragons coach Jaime Rose knows that her team has a shared goal, which helps drive her team to work to earn these victories.

“Every team in this conference is capable of winning, so we just try to keep getting better,” Rose said.

Riley Wertz, a freshman pitcher from Wichita, just earned her fourth Jayhawk Conference Pitcher of the Week honors this season. Not only does Wertz have 0.64 ERA in 43.2 innings pitched, she is also hitting .305 in 59 at-bats.

Wertz’s ERA is the second-best in the Jayhawk Conference, and her eight wins have her in fifth best for the Jayhawk Conference.

While Wertz is making a name for herself, she recognizes that a lot of her team’s success can be attributed to their on the field chemistry.

“We’re just a big family,” Wertz said. “I credit our chemistry towards always hanging out with each other, always being around each other. We’re a very close-knit group of players this year.”

Haley Miller, a sophomore utility player from Hutchinson, also knows that her team’s connection starts off the field.

“We have such a bond with each other,” Miller said.

“We’re really close off the field and on the field. It helps when we’re playing, we dance around and just shout random things. We just get along so well, we keep each other up and positive. That’s what helps our games.”

Miller is currently slashing a .473 batting average, .474 on-base percentage and .677 slugging percentage for a fourth-best batting average in the conference.

Oftentimes when a team is performing much better than anticipated, onlookers wait for there to be one game that shows a team’s true colors.

The Blue Dragons know for certain what their team-defining game was.

“When we split with Butler Community College in El Dorado, I think that got us going. It opened everybody’s eyes that we can play,” Rose said.

The Blue Dragons split their first series of the season with Butler, a softball powerhouse Butler that rarely loses

Athlete of the week

(March 27-April 2) Jack Whitlock, Baseball The week: In the opener of a big four-game series against Seward County, Whitlock pitched a complete-game five-hitter in the Blue Dragons’ 2-1. He allowed no unearned Whitlock runs walked two and struck out seven.

The season: Whitlock, a freshman pitcher from Cumming, Ga., is 5-1 with a 3.65 ERA in eight games so far. He has not allowed more than seven hits in any appearance.

a conference game, handing the Grizzlies their first loss of the season in game one, 6-5. Game two ended 8-0 to the Grizzlies in five innings.

Despite losing one of the games, Wertz and Miller agree with their coach that the first game of that series proved that the Blue Dragons would be a threat during the season.

“When we beat Butler one game, that was when we were thinking, ‘Wow, we can do it,’ and it put us in the right mentality to refuse to lose,” Miller said.

Wertz agreed.

“The first Butler game we definitely proved ourselves,” Wertz said. “It showed everybody that we’re here to play and that we’re here to stay.”

Now as the Blue Dragons face the rest of their season, pitching coach Ray Aguirre has one thing for his players to remember.

“Everybody’s seen us now, so we’ll have an ‘X’ on our back for the rest of the season,” Aguirre said.

“We just gotta keep going, and playing like we have been.”

Sports roundup: Blue Dragon baseball and softball sweep Seward County

By Jayshaun Jones Social Media Coordinator

A walk-off single by sophomore Ben McLaughlin capped off a late two-run rally in which the Blue Dragons were down 1-0 from being shut out

by Seward County pitcher Mason Martinez through six innings.

Ryan Henderson canceled the shutout with a leadoff single to start the inning.

Pinch-hitter P.J. Loucks and leadoff hitter Bryce Logan were walked to load the bases with two outs.

Hutchinson tied the game on a hit by pitch suffered by Jack Torosian. McLaughlin then completed the comeback by smacking a 1-0 pitch up the middle which allowed Loucks to score the game-winning run. Sophomore Jack Whitlock pitched the first full game for the Blue Dragons for the season, improving his record to 4-1.

Game 2 – After being tied 5-5 through seven innings, the Blue Dragons rattled off five runs in the eighth inning and took a 10-5 lead headed into the ninth.

Seward County had its next five batters get on base and three of them scored, just in time for Reed Scott to close out the only three batters he faced, giving Hutch the win 10-8.

Softball – Trailing 1-0 in the fifth inning the Blue Dragons roared back into the game with a double high off of the left-center wall by Madison Grimes, driving home Haley Miller. The tie was broken only an inning later as Allie Stipists raked a leadoff home run to put Hutch up 2-1 and power the much-needed bats of the Blue Dragons.

Held to just two hits through the first four innings, Hutch had 11 hits in its last two times up to bat.

Hutchinson lead 3-1 after pinch-runner scored on an errant throw by Seward County. Haley Miller ripped an RBI triple to centerfield, Madison Grimes drove in a run through the right side of the field. Natalie Bevan stroked a double to drive in a run to make the score 6-1. Riley Wertz would be the judge, juror, and executioner with a two-run homer to seal the deal for the Blue Dragons 8-1.

Game 2 – Madison Pack and Beth Denny hit back-to-back home runs in the fourth inning to tie Seward with Hutch 3-3. The Blue Dragons then pounced on every mistake Seward County made in the bottom of the fourth to regain their lead. Carley Sterneker hit a two-run triple down the right-field line, Aspen Goetz also hit a two-run double, Ella Dougherty had a sacrifice play and Madison Grimes ripped a two-run double to right-center to give Hutchinson a 12-3 lead on a red hot nine-run inning.

Women’s Track and Field – The Blue Dragons had to eighth placings on day one of the Friends University Invitational at Austin Adair Stadium in Wichita. The Blue Dragon 3,200-meter relay team posted the sixth-best time in school history on day one and finished fourth in the event.

The relay team of Noel Buckhaultz, Sydney Grauer, and Louise Cocking ran a time of 10:04:70, which was 2.95 seconds shy of qualifying for nationals. The only other placers came from pole vault, as All-Americans Kiana Brown

Photo by Shelby Spreier/Collegian Jack Whitlock, a freshman from Cumming, Ga., rifles a pitch against Seward County

and Violet Martinez tied for eighth clearing 9 feet, 8 inches.

Men’s track and field – Blue Dragons only had two athletes on a short day one of the Friends University Invitational. Sopho-

more pole vaulter, Simon Steinart was the top placer on the opening day of a two-day event placing fifth in the men’s pole vault.

Steinart vaulted 13-11 1/4 on Friday.

Blue Dragon schedules. All home games, events in caps.

Baseball

All dates doubleheaders unless noted Feb. 10. at Southeast Nebraska, L 9-3, W 2-1 Feb. 15, at Northern Oklahoma-Enid, W 6-4 Feb. 18, at Rose State, Okla., L 7-2 Feb. 19, at Rose State, Okla., W 17-0; W 14-2 Feb. 27, at McLennan, Texas,L 8-0; L 5-2 Feb. 28 at McLennan, Texas, L 9-7 March 3, COFFEYVILLE, L 7-3, L 16-1 March 4, at Coffeyville, W 9-6, W 9-4 March 9, at Butler, L 6-5, L 8-6 March 13, at Butler, L 7-6, L 16-6.

March 15, STATE FAIR, 2 p.m. L 13-12 March 18, at Garden City, W 4-3, W 9-7 March 19, GARDEN CITY, L 14-13, W 5-4 March 24, TABOR JV, W 10-0, W 11-1 March 28, at Sterling JV, W 14-0, W 15-2 April 1, SEWARD COUNTY, W 2-1; W 10-8 April 2, at Seward County, W 8-3; W 16-6 April 7, at Barton, 1 p.m.

April 9, BARTON, 1 p.m.

April 12, COWLEY, 2 p.m. (one game) April 14, CLOUD COUNTY, 1 p.m.

April 16, at Cloud County, 1 p.m.

April 19, at Northern Oklahoma-Enid, 2 p.m. (one game) April 21, at Colby, 1 p.m.

April 23, COLBY, 1 p.m.

April 26, at Seminole St., Okla., 11:30 a.m. (one game) April 28, PRATT, 1 p.m.

April 30, at Pratt, 1 p.m.

May 5, at Dodge City, 1 p.m.

May 7, DODGE CITY, 1 p.m.

Golf

March 7-8, at Oklahoma City, third March 15-16 at Midland, Texas March 28, at Jayhawk Conference 1, at Manhattan, second April 11-12, at Jayhawk Conference 2, at Wichita

April 18-19, at Jayhawk Conference Championship, Newton April 25-26, at Region 6/District 3, Hastings, Neb. May 10-13, at NJCAA Championship, Odessa, Texas

Softball

All dates doubleheaders Jan. 29, OTTAWA JV, W 10-0; W 14-4 Feb. 8, INDEPENDENCE, W 9-2, W 8-7 Feb. 11, vs.Northern Oklahoma-Enid, L 7-1; vs.

Gray County, Texas, L 11-3 Feb. 19, at Murray St., Okla., W 4-2; L 5-4 Feb. 20, at North Central Texas, W 6-5; W 14-1 Feb. 25, CLOUD COUNTY, ccd.

March 1, FRIENDS JV, W 5-3, W 15-1 March 2, COLBY, W 4-2, W 15-1 March 5, at Butler, W 6-5, L 8-0 March 13, at Dodge City, W 10-9, W 10-7 March 16, NW KANSAS TECH, W 10-0, W 10-0 March 19, at Garden City, W 6-1, W 6-4

March 25, at Barton, W 7-5, W 8-3 March 26, PRATT, W 8-0, W 9-0 April 1, SEWARD COUNTY, W 8-2; W 12-3 April 2, at Colby, W 2-1; L 6-3 April 6, BUTLER, W 3-2; L 12-11 April 9, at Barton, 1 p.m.

April 13, DODGE CITY, 2 p.m.

April 20, at NW Kansas Tech, 2 p.m.

April 23, GARDEN CITY, 1 p.m.

April 27, at Seward County, 2 p.m.

April 30, at Pratt, 1 p.m.

Track and field

April 1-2, at Friends University, Wichita April 7-9, at KT Woodman Classic, Wichita April 15, at Bethel Invitational, North Newton April 23, at Tabor Invitational, Hillsboro April 29, at Butler May 5-7, at Region 6, Garden City May 19-21, at NJCAA Championship, Gowans Stadium