The Newtonian, Issue 1 (2018-19)

THENEWTONIAN NEWTON HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT MAGAZINE

PAGE 8-9 Juuling becomes harmful teen trend SERIES 96 | ISSUE 1 | OCTOBER 2018

Photo by Faye Smith

TA B L E O F C O N T E N T S NEW S

ARTS & CULTURE

Trauma-informed teachers 4-5 Horoscopes Escapism affects students 6-7 Staff Spotify playlists Vaping popular with underage students 8-9

ACT free for select students

OPIN I O N S Class jewelry obsolete GRIT: hard work beats talent Vaccines necessary

FE A TU R E S Students restore classic cars

10 Conspiracy theories

SP ORTS

22 23

24-25

11 KSHSAA concussion protocol 12-13 14-15

26-27

16-17 Largest gymnastics team

28-29

Accelerated underclassmen 18-19 Alexis Felix recovers from coma 20-21

Letters to the Editor The Newtonian may accept letters to the editor and guest columns from students, faculty, administrators and the general public.

Submissions should be 300 words or less and contain the author’s name, address and signature.

All submissions will be verified.

The Newtonian editorial board reserves the right to withhold a letter, column or other submission/return it for revision if it contains

2 | STAFF | OCTOBER 2018

unprotected speech or grammatical errors that could hamper its meaning.

Letters to the editor and guest columns can be given to the editor-in-chief or adviser, delivered to room 1-113 or be e-mailed to nhsrailernews@ gmail.com. The deadline for publication in the next issue is 11/9/18 to allow sufficient time for verification of authorship prior to publication.

Letter from the Editor

Faye Smith Editor-in-chief @__fayesmith

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ello all NHS students, faculty and members of the community. We, as a staff, are very thrilled to showcase

our first publication this year. We have worked tirelessly to not only write and design the pages and stories, but fully fund our News Magazine through community advertisements. Without their help, our beautiful all-color magazine would not be where it is today, and we thank them so very much of their support of the NHS Journalism program.

Not only that, our staff has also changed tremendously with the addition of five new staff members to our five returners. In addition to regular class time, staff members have spent many hours at camps and conferences in order to better the magazine as well as become more successful reporters and leaders.

The News Magazine staff has also encouraged the promotion of our online presence and publication to our school

STAFF INFORMATION

and community. Before school began, myself and the Editor-in-chief of the yearbook, Rebekah Nelson have spoken at many school functions to increase readership to our publications, as well as online. This not only has gained us many Twitter and Facebook followers, but a professional presence to our community and school. This is what our journalism department strives to become, and we are quickly in the rise to become just that.

Basing our coverage on solely student interest, we believe our publication will stand out in the eyes of our students and the community.

For that, our publications team is very proud of our school and journalism as a whole. In addition, our time together has taught us a very important lesson to not only be just a “boring newspaper staff,� but a family.

Editor-in-Chief Faye Smith @__fayesmith

Graphic Manager Kaete Schmidt @kaetetaylor

Reporter Natalie Kuhn @KuhnNat

Reporter Kaeden Thurber @istolenemo

Managing Editor Addie Lindenmeyer @addielindy06

Sports Manager Emma Pulaski @emmaepulaski

Reporter Lorelei Jacobs @jacobslorelei

Advisor Robin Montano @robinmontano7

Content Editor Ellen Miller Garrett @ellsmgarrett

Reporter Marco Aramburu @MarcoAMB

Reporter Benton Dreasher @benton0817

Follow @RailerNews on Twitter and Facebook to follow sports updates, as well as important announcements from the journalism department!

Bookmark our website www.

RailerNews.org to follow online content, as well as stories printed in this magazine!

STAFF

| OCTOBER 2018 | 3

trauma Informed Teachers

Orchestra teacher Kara Tann instructs a student during her zero hour orchestra class. Photo by Lorelei Jacobs

Otter, Tann receive trauma-informed teacher training Lorelei Jacobs Reporter @jacobslorelei

English teacher Lisa Otter and orchestra teacher Kara Tann will be adding a new role to their resume. Otter and Tann have begun training to be trauma-informed teachers. Otter and Tann volunteered volunteered for the three-day training that took place at Essdack in Hutchinson in July.

The purpose of being a traumainformed teacher is recognizing students that might have been or may be exposed to a traumatic experience.

The traumatic stress being pushed onto these students can affect not only their personal lives, but their academic work as well. This concept is one that stood out to Otter and Tann.

“Ms. Tann and I were very very passionate about trauma-informed and

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we asked Mrs. Moore if she would be willing for us to train as coaches for this building and she graciously said yes,” Otter said.

For Tann, being a trauma-informed teacher means looking beyond the superficial behaviors.

“I think being a trauma-informed teacher, for me, means not looking at the way students act on the surface level, like ‘oh they’re being annoying in class,’ or ‘they’re just trying to throw off the class,’ but looking deeper to think ‘okay our students are going through a million things in their lives’, and that comes out in ways that they probably don’t even understand in class,” Tann said.

Students that have been exposed to traumatic events may display multiple symptoms or none at all. When teachers recognize these symptoms they are expected to step in and make the student feel comfort Tann hopes that

more teachers will be involved in the future.

“Ideally it means that students will be more comfortable, that students will learn more about why they might respond different ways,” Tann said.

According to the Treatment and Services Adaptation Center websites, symptoms that high school students may show include missing an excessive amount of school, irritability and difficulty with instruction and authority.

After recognizing what is going on in the student’s life, teachers can help take action to resolve the conflict.

“We can respond [in a way] that shows that we care, that doesn’t necessarily blame students for ways they react, but also doesn’t let students off the hook for behaving badly in class,” Tann said.

The main idea behind being a trauma-informed school is to pay

attention to a students and how their “Because it is a change that needs to behavior changes from day-to-day. happen school-wide, the expectation is Teachers are receiving training in which that it’s the entire faculty, food service, they are learning the right time to reach maintenance people, office staff, all of out and make their observations known; those, everyone, because it’s a culture however, the training is an long and change so anyone who works within continual process. these buildings, in this complex, has to “I’m way better [at teaching] than be trained,” Otter said.

I was when With I started 10 students years ago, but being more there’s always comfortable more to and staff attain. I think recognizing for traumaspecific informed, behaviors, that’s similar,” a more Tann said. positive In addition, environment Otter and may be Tann will help noticeable facilitate a around our school-wide school. book study.

“We’re - -orchestra teacher Kara Tann The two books just creating are “Help for a more Billy” by Heather T. Forbes and “The positive environment that is good for Body Keeps the Score” by Bessel Van learning, and we can treat each other Der Kolk. The books are available for well and our brains are ready to learn all teachers to read and use in their too,” Tann said. training.

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We’re just creating a more positive environment that is good for learning, and we can treat each other well, and our brains are ready to learn too.

1 out of 5

Situations that may cause Trauma • Bullying • Sexual or physical abuse • Loss of a loved one • Life-threatening health situations • Witnessing domestic violence • Abandonment • Neglect • Witnessing or experiencing community violence **according to traumaawareschools.org

kids with mental illnesses and are seen by a therapist

Approximately

More than

of witnesses and victims begin to experience PTSD, anxiety, or depression

of American youth go through a traumatic event by their 16th birthday

25% 1 out of 4

25%

students have experienced a traumatic even that has altered their learning and behavior **according to traumaawareschools.org

NEWS

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Escapism:

From reality to reverie

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Photo by Marco Aramburu

Students seek distractions from daily life Marco Aramburu Reporter @MacroAMB

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espite the possibility of never before having heard the term “escapism”, it is can be a big part of everyone’s daily lives. Escapism is the tendency to seek distraction and relief from unpleasant realities, especially by seeking entertainment or engaging in fantasy.

Forms of this include watching movies, listening to music, using social media and even playing video games to distract from reality.

Junior Rai Angolo believes that escapism is a good and healthy way for everyone to get out of their routine to create and enter a purely imaginative world.

“I see the pros as being able to look at something completely 100 percent creatively, not being bound by anything,” Angolo said. “I think the con on that is that you can’t always be in a perfectly creative space. You’re not going to be able to do everything from that creative space in the real world. There are going to be things that are impossible.”

Now, one in five students struggle with issues such as depression/anxiety that can result to turning to different forms of entertainment and social media like film, music and video games to assist in coping with difficult situations.

Senior Kadin Mapes has turned to

playing video games to avoid the stress and anxiety of school, work and other extracurricular activities.

“I use video games to escape my routine, obviously a lot of video games have big stories, campaigns that make it to where sometimes it can be emotional like sad or happy, ” Mapes said.

Although many see playing video games as a valuable and positive relief from reality that helps to distract and give a person a world that can be extremely educational and creative.

In January 2018, the World Health Organization (W.H.O) classified gaming disorder as a “mental health issue.” Dr. Mark Griffith, a psychologist specializing in behavior addictions, stated to CBS News that “most people only use video games as a form of entertainment and novelty; less than one percent of the population actually has a gaming disorder. Psychologist Michael Fraser told CBS News that excessive gaming can be a condition of other mental health issues.

“They may be depressed. They may be anxious. They may be socially anxious,” Fraser said. “What these video games provide for these children is a social outlet where they don’t have to leave their house. They don’t have to run the risk of being bullied.”

Angolo said he disagrees with the categorization of gaming disorder as a mental health issue and instead views it

as a form of escapism, a way to build a whole world specific for one’s needs and provide them an emotional connection to the worlds that they decide to partake in.

“I think it’s a perfectly viable way for people to escape, especially for those people that aren’t adept at creating their own scenarios. These games are a way for other people to have some other world built for them where they can make whatever they want out of it,” Angolo said.

E-Sports club sponsor Tyler Swalley said that he believes that video games are a good escape, but notes that it has its own limits.

“Everything in moderation. I think it’s okay to kind of escape for a little bit and want to kind of, you know, do your own thing or kind of have some control over something,” Swalley said. “I think that’s why a lot of people do play video games because they have control over it and they kind of understand the outcomes and they can feel some success with it.”

Without means of moderation, Swalley believes that escapism is not to be considered healthy.

“But I think as a means of the only escape and doing it full-time, I don’t think that’s necessarily the healthiest thing. So within moderation, but I think you know a little bit of everything. You know, it can be a good thing,” Swalley said.

Average weekly escapism combined

Watching movies

Listening to music

Exercising

Playing video games X

2 hours 37 minutes

2 hours 47 minutes

1 hour 58 minutes

Y A

B

1 hour 29 minutes

NEWS

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HEAD IN THE

CLOUDS

Juuling becomes harmful teen trend

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Photo illustration by Faye Smith

Ellen Miller Garrett Content Editor @ellsmgarrett

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9.2%

uling is the new trend among teenagers all across the country. The sleek, portable nicotine device makes it easy for underage smokers to conceal them in their pockets and palms. While these small sticks resembling USB drives may not seem like they could do much damage, they pack a punch of nicotine.

According to Vox.com, each pod contains 59 milligrams of nicotine per milliliter of liquid which is three times the nicotine levels permitted in the European Union, which is why Juul cannot be sold in those countries. If a teenager smokes through one pod a week, it adds up to 100 cigarettes over five weeks. This amount of smoking makes you an established smoker.

While advertisements can be essential to running a business, Juul ads seem to be more targeted at teenagers than adults. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, seven out of ten teens have been exposed to advertisements for Juuls. According to the US National Institute of Health, exposure make teenagers much more likely to partake in the advertised activities.

In Kansas, vaping on school grounds is prohibited for anyone, whether they are a minor or not. According to the Public Health Law Center (PHLC), in Kansas, it is illegal for a minor to purchase or possess any e-cigarette device, including juuls. Yet, Newton High School is no stranger to underage juuling.

16-year-old, male

One 16-year-old male student began juuling five months ago, at age 16, when he was offered the device by one of his friends.

“I showed up to a movie and I got into my friend’s car and he handed it to me,” he said.

For most of the time, he did not own their own juul, and instead used a friend’s. Eventually, he got his own, which allowed him more freedom in

of NHS students juul several times a day

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NHS students know more than 10 people who juul use. of 18. He is not unfamiliar with close “I’ve owned it for like a month,” calls. he said. “I use it three to four times a “I’ve dropped mine in front of people week.”

I should not have dropped it in front of.

Although he does not use his juul I’ve mostly not had any problems with as often as some, the knowledge of it,” he said. smoking and nicotine’s effect on the He finds the risk worth it because of body still affects his use. the momentary high that the nicotine “I have a general understanding. I gives users. know I can’t just sit around and puff it “If you know what drugs or alcohol for hours,” he said. feel like, it’s a 10 second buzz. Some Despite the knowledge, he is not people say ‘Oh it’s like a cigarette it worried about becoming addicted. doesn’t do anything’ but it does. It’s “I wasn’t worried because I have just 10 seconds where you don’t feel enough self control,” he said. anything. You may get light headed, He said he is confident in his self but your mind is clear,” he said. “I’m control because of the cost of the hobby. not going to do it forever anyways, so I “It costs like $10 a week at most,” he might as well knock it out now instead said. of when I’m 50.”

After all the money, possibility of With the risks of addiction and being caught and nicotine, he continues getting caught, being careful and his use because it’s something to do knowing your own limits is something “when I’m bored”. that he said he finds very important.

“It often gets looked over, but if you 17-year-old, male don’t know what you’re getting into, This 17-year-old male student began don’t do it,” he said. their nicotine use at age 16 and, up until six months ago, used a vape pen instead 16-year-old, female of a Juul. He does not believe its any At the age of 16, she has already better. owned a juul for four months. However, “I used to vape and then from vape, I unlike others, she owned a Juul for a got a Juul because everyone was doing month before beginning to use it. it,” he said. “It’s worse. Vape-you can “All of my friends chipped in to control the flavor and you can see how get it because I’m always the one just it’s mixed. With Juul it’s a salt-based watching them when they’re at parties, juice instead.” so they bought it for me, and I didn’t use According to nationalfamilies.org, 90 it until we hung out again,” she said. to 95 percent of users become addicted Despite owning her own, she only to nicotine. juuls “about five times a week” and was “Hell yeah, I’m addicted. As soon as I first introduced to it by friends. get done doing something, I’m juuling.

“I was at a friend’s house and we There’s four pods in a pack and I go were up until five in the morning and through a pack in like two days,” he said. I ended up just doing it to stay awake,” Getting the supplies to maintain his she said. juuling habit has not been hard for him.

For some, an occasional use turns “A lot of people don’t ID. As long as into chronic addiction, but she says that you look the part, you can get it,” he she is not addicted and does not spend said. much money buying pods.

However, buying as many pods as “It’s not too bad, like $10 every time they do really adds up when it comes to I buy them. I buy them not even once money. a month,” she said. “I don’t do it that “It is very expensive. In a month, I much, I used it a lot more when I first spend close to $40-50,” he said. got it, but when I learned more about The trend of juuling is so normalized what it did, I stopped using it more and now that people often forget that it is more.” illegal for people under the age

NEWS

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Kaeden Thurber Reporter @KaedenThurber

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his year a state-wide opportunity for juniors and seniors has been introduced to select high schools throughout the country; the American College Testing (ACT) is free for juniors.

Additionally, senior students who have not already taken the ACT are able to participate as well. The ACT is a standardized test used for college admissions in the United States.

Kansas legislators approved a 2.8 million dollar finance bill on May 22 to provide the ACT. In addition to Kansas, 17 other states have also paid for their juniors and seniors to take the standardized test.

Counselor Jana Crittenden said she thinks it could increase the amount of students that participate in the ACT. “We didn’t know this was going to be an opportunity. We don’t know if it will be an opportunity in the future,” Crittenden said.

The free ACT testing will be offered statewide on Feb, 20, 2019. Additionally, any junior in Kansas who takes the ACT WorkKeys assessment will have the chance to receive an ACT WorkKeys National Career Readiness Certificate.

Three tests are required to qualify for this certificate; applied math, workplace documents and graphic literacy.

In past years, the testing has cost $50.50 with a additional fee of $16.50 upon taking an optional writing portion.

According to users.nber.org a student from a high-income family is six times as likely to earn a college degree than a low-income student. Students who

10 | NEWS | OCTOBER 2018

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qualify for reduced lunch rates qualify for an ACT waiver with the max amount of waivers that can be used being two.

The free ACT gives low income students a third free chance to take it.

“It’s a great opportunity to save yourself like fifty bucks if you’re planning on taking the ACT anyway. Or, if you’ve already taken the ACT, most students take it twice so it would be an opportunity for a free test,” Crittenden said.

Senior Jillian Kelley believes the free ACT option provides a positive opportunity for students.

“I think that students definitely will take advantage of the ACT. I know I would because I would take it more times to improve my score,” Kelley said.

Junior Brooke Petersen however fears there is a downfall with the ACT being free this year.

“I think students will take the ACT less seriously because they can pay for a second try,” Peterson said.

Due to the number of available students to take the test, the school administration is still figuring out how to provide the ACT during a school day.

In order to provide the test for students the administration will first have to find a way to give students an equal environment for testing.

“If every junior takes the ACT that’s 230 odd students, and then, if we include seniors, there could be 30 to 40 seniors. How do we logistically have school and administer to that many students in our building?” Crittenden said.

Further details such as the location of testing, available opportunities, and registration dates will follow.

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COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES IN THE US DO NOT REQUIRE THE ACT

2,030,038 STUDENTS TOOK THE ACT LAST YEAR NATIONALLY

21.7 KANSAS AVERAGE ACT SCORE

20.8 NATIONAL AVERAGE ACT SCORE

73% OF KANSAS STUDENTS TOOK THE ACT LAST YEAR **according to Prep scholar

Class Jewelry: Sentiment or Waste?

Rem e m b er h i g h sc h o ol wit hout ‘brea k ing t he bank’ Benton Dreasher Reporter @Benton0817

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ach year sophomores are offered the opportunity to memorialize their high school experience through the purchase of a class ring. While some may enjoy reminiscing about their high school memories and relationships through a simple piece of jewelry, it seems as though this is just a waste of money. There are better alternatives to class jewelry that are not a waste of money, and can overall provide better ways to capture the memory. Furthermore, students should utilize other means such as technology, a journal, diary and photo journals.

Jostens, the manufacturer and company that is primarily known for producing yearbooks, but also is responsible for producing class jewelry, advertises to “celebrate your journey with Jostens”. Jostens sells a wide variety of jewelry such as rings, tags, lockets and

bracelets. Customers are allowed to personalize their purchases by choosing the stone, the material of the band, and an engraving.

In the past decade, there has been a substantial decline in the purchases of class jewelry. According to Josten’s representative Dale Komro, “Two decades ago as many as 65 percent of sophomores purchased the jewelry. It’s been on a downtrend.

That number now hovers between 20-30 percent of students.”

One might say that this trend is occurring due to the steep price point of the accessories.

For example, the least expensive ring Jostens offers is just under $200, which according to the U.S. Census Bureau, about 43 percent of working families don’t have enough money to meet basic needs, meaning the price for even the cheapest ring is far too expensive for some families nowadays to afford.

According to the National

Center for Children in Poverty (NCCP), 43 percent of students live in low income families, which leads to the question: How can students from low income families afford to purchase these expensive class mementos? In this day in age, when almost every student has a smart-phone that is capable of capturing photos, videos, or any number of journaling methods.

Class jewelry is a senseless purchase, and is far too expensive of an investment just for a simple memento, because there are much more costly alternatives. With the advent of smart phones in the recent decade, something that previous decades did not have, it has become far more accessible to document events in your life, whether that be through photos and or videos. If sentiment is something you value, and you do not want to break the bank on an unnecessary item. Utilize what you already have and class jewelry will be obsolete.

Different Jostens price-points

Stackable - Women’s (989) Starting at $500.00

Vanguard - Men's (H49) Starting at $367.00

Bay Breeze - Women’s (S66) Starting at $202.00 (S66)

MOST EXPENSIVE

LEAST EXPENSIVE **Images and information from Jostens website

OPINION

| OCTOBER 2018 | 11

Grit

hard work beats talent

Addie Lindenmeyer Managing Editor @addielindy06

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s children, we are persuaded into believing that talent overrides hard work and determination.

Our society has always recognized individuals that exceed standards, whether it be in sports, school or the workplace. It is those that are naturally gifted and or genetically apt that receive the most praise for their abilities and achievements. On the contrary, I believe that with ambition and self-sufficiency, all people are capable of exceeding standards.

In a 2013 TED talk entitled ‘Grit: The power of passion and perseverance,’ psychologist and researcher Angela Lee Duckworth discloses concepts such as grit and self perseverance that are used to predict academic and or professional success. Duckworth defines ‘grit’ as “passion and perseverance for very long-term goals.”

As part of Duckworth’s research, she set forth on a journey to examine humans of differing ages and occupations in various settings, such as West Point Military Academy, the National Spelling Bee, school districts in struggling neighborhoods and private sales companies. Duckworth questioned who would succeed in their work environments and why.

Despite contrasting circumstances, she determined that one thing remained the same in all environments; it was not the intelligence or physical appearance of her subjects that determined success, but instead, it was grit.

One common misconception in education today is that talent often beats effort in the classroom.

However, just because someone has a better grade in a class or receives a higher score on a test, does not mean that they are necessarily smarter than others. Although an Intelligent Quotient (IQ) test measures analytical abilities, it does not measure practical intelligence, interest in a subject, or self

12 | OPINIONS | OCTOBER 2018

determination.

Once said by Thomas Jefferson, “Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal; nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude”.

Those that are self determined and ambitious recognize that it takes persistence to achieve their goals.

Although a subject might come easier to one based on preordained skill, with the proper mindset, others that might be considered less capable of such tasks are just as qualified to complete one in an identical and or similar context.

Teachers, coaches and parents should encourage those that may lack in natural ability in order to stimulate their own desire and to preserve regardless of the circumstances.

When in the classroom or on the field and or court, teachers and coaches need to view students and players as equals. Without the motivation for one to succeed, students will lose the determination that is necessary to achieve their goals.

Synonymous with nature, the color green represents resilience. Green flowers send a message of optimism and renewal. Pictured is a girl blowing green flower petals that, with ambition, float through the air.

OPINION

| OCTOBER 2018 | 13

VACCINES: Beneficial or harmful?

Kaete Schmidt Graphics Manager @kaetetaylor

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ne question that an expecting mother is frequently asked is “Will you vaccinate your baby?” As a firsttime mother, this sparks quite a bit of curiosity, leading into weeks of research to come up with a solid answer. Each website varies; there are ones that make vaccines seem like the devil himself, and then there are some that make not vaccinating kids sound like child abuse.

The question becomes, who is a credible source, and which risks am I willing to take?

I believe in vaccinations and their ability to save lives. There was a time when I was one of the pregnant mothers spending my time researching the “right” decisions to make for my son.

Ultimately, I made the decision to have him vaccinated, as I saw more benefits and life-saving aspects rather than the negative, rare side effects that could possibly happen.

Some major concerns that parents may come across include the harmful side effects. According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine, despite the rarity, vaccines have reportedly lead to seizures and increased risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).

Although this can invoke fear, there may not be much for parents to worry about.

Long-term seizures, comas, lowered

consciousness and permanent brain damage may be associated with the DTaP (diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis) and MMR vaccines. However, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention notes the rarity of the reaction makes it difficult to determine causation. Procon.org states that the flu vaccine could be associated with Guillain-Barré Syndrome, a disorder in which the person’s immune system attacks parts of the peripheral nervous system, in about one or two per million people vaccinated.

The most common side effect of vaccines, a severe allergic reaction by the name of anaphylaxis, occurs in one per several hundred thousand to one per million vaccinations. According to Sanjay Gupta, Chief Medical Correspondent for CNN and practicing neurosurgeon, “you are 100 times more likely to be struck by lightning than to have a serious allergic reaction to the vaccine that protects you against measles.”

From the second that a new life enters the world, it is the parents’ job to protect that sweet, innocent, defenseless being from any potential harm. This means it is terrifying for a parent to read about all of the fatal diseases and side effects that can come with vaccinating their child. Luckily, the parent can soon be soothed by the opposing side and the statistics to show what vaccines are truly capable of.

The American Academy of Pediatrics

14 | OPINIONS | OCTOBER 2018

states that “most childhood vaccines are 90 to 99 percent effective in preventing disease.” This is more than enough to prove the power of vaccines.

A common misconception about vaccines, is that they can lead to autism.

According to autismcenter.org, this belief surfaced years ago when parents began noticing a correlation between the time their child was vaccinated and the time their child was diagnosed with autism. This was simply due to the fact that when children began to get vaccinated, it was also the same time that the child began to develop noticeable signs of autism. Ultimately, scientists do not support a link between autism and vaccines.

In addition to recognizing the benefits of vaccinating my son, I also strongly believe that some vaccinations are unnecessary due to the little severity related to the sickness. This includes chickenpox, measles, Rubella and Rotavirus. While these diseases may causes severe discomfort and pain, all can be treated with over the counter medications, rest and fluids.

While vaccines have declined mortality ratings and, in some cases have eliminated disease, there are still vaccine-related deaths occurring today.

While the numbers are incredibly low, as a mother, the probability is still terrifying. Yet there is always the little voice in the back of a parents mind that is saying “but what if my baby is that one percent?”

Watch out!

Some of the most dangerous diseases prevented by vaccinations

Tdap

Did you know?

• The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) estimated that 732,000 American children were saved from death and 322 million cases of childhood illnesses were prevented between 1994 and 2014 due to vaccination.

• About 30,000 cases of adverse reactions to vaccines have been reported annually to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) since 1990, with 10-15 percent classified as serious, meaning associated with permanent disability, hospitalization, life-threatening illness, or death.

• Global measles mortality has declined 84 percent.

**according to vaccines.procon.org and who.int

Tdap is a vaccine that protects against Tetanus, Diphtheria, and Pertussis (whooping cough). This vaccine is typically given to children that are 11 years old. It is especially important for anyone who is around a baby younger than 12 months old to have this vaccine, including a pregnant woman. Pertussis can be very painful, if not fatal, for a young child. On average Tetanus kills about 1 out of every 10 people who get it. Diphtheria can lead to breathing problems, heart failure, paralysis, and death.

Clearly, this vaccine has the capability of saving many lives.

Polio

Polio is a contagious viral illness that can cause nerve injury leading to paralysis, difficulty breathing, and even death. Although there has been much effort to wipe out polio worldwide, the poliovirus continues to affect children and adults in parts of Asia and Africa. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention advises that everyone gets a polio vaccine or polio booster before visiting a place where the poliovirus is still around. Children receive the polio vaccine at 2 months, 4 months, between 6 and 18 months, and between ages 4 and 6 when the child is first entering school.

Pneumococcal Conjugate

Pneumococcal conjugate is the bacteria Streptococcus pneumoniae which causes many diseases, some of which are very serious, including pneumonia, meningitis and bloodstream infections. Roughly one out of 10 children under age 5 who develop pneumococcal meningitis die from the disease. Other complications include deafness, brain damage or loss of arms or legs. Children get this vaccine when they are 2 months, 4 months, 6 to 18 months and between 4 to 6 years old.

OPINION

| OCTOBER 2018 | 15

It’s a

Classic

Students invest time, money to restore vintage vehicles for personal use

16 | FEATURES | OCTOBER 2018

Sophomore David Pomeroy and seniors Chase Cassil and Nick Kohen pose with their cars. Photo by Faye Smith

Faye Smith Editor-in-chief @__fayesmith

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or most coming-of-age teens, purchasing a car is one of the first steps to adulthood; finally getting a grasp at driving by themselves, instead of driving in a mini-van with a parent yelling in their ears. Instead of purchasing a new or contemporary used vehicle, three students have invested their time and money into classic cars.

With the incline of auto auction prices, vintage cars can be expensive to maintain, let alone run. According to auto teacher Bob Ziegler, people will spend around $4,000-5,000 to even get a classic car into running condition. This can affect students unwilling or unable to invest that amount of money into their car, which according to Ziegler is why not many teens purchase older vehicles.

“Expensive to maintain, expensive to look good. Even going to buy a vintage car the auto auctions have driven the prices up so people can’t afford them,” Ziegler said.

With the help of his parents, senior Nick Koehn purchased his 1981 Chevy Camaro from an offer online, originating in Newton. Since then, Koehn has restored the Camaro into running condition by replacing everything from the engine and

transmission, to the interior seats and carpets. After all the work put into the car, Koehn believes that owning a classic car isn’t for the average person.

“It’s different. It isn’t for everybody.

You don’t have AC or any of the fancy stuff,” Koehn said.

Along with Koehn, senior Chase Cassil had assistance from his parents in buying his 1964 El Camino. Having it shipped from Indiana, Cassil has worked on the interior mechanics with his father since his freshman year. To this day, Cassil drives it regularly, which has garnered both positive and negative reactions from outsiders.

“I get a lot of compliments from people, but sometimes they think it can be too much. I’ve had older people get really mad at me because they ask if I drive it everyday and they’re like ‘oh you shouldn’t do that, you don’t respect it’ and all this stuff,” Cassil said.

Although Cassil drives his vehicle regularly, once he leaves for college next fall, that will change.

“Part of the negotiation with my dad was I put in this amount of money and get to drive it for four years, and then him paying for the rest of it will be his car after I graduate, and get my investment back for a new car,” Cassil said.

According to Cassil, classic cars

“never want to be looked at dirty”, which can be a disadvantage to owning a vintage car. Ziegler expands on the idea, stating it is not only for appearances.

“They get cleaned a lot more often than people will do their other cars because it is a classic. Especially if it looks good you want to keep it looking good. [They] tend to rust more or not keeping it clean will allow the rust and dirt to elevate faster,” Ziegler said.

While both Cassil and Koehn have totally restored their cars, sophomore David Pomeroy has taken a different approach. Shipping his 1993 Corvette to Newton in perfect shape has given him an advantage to not do any mechanical work, but when the time comes, he feels because of age of his car, it may be harder to work on.

“It’s older, so some of the parts they may not make anymore, so it’s difficult to work on. There’s only certain places that will work on them,” Pomeroy said.

No matter the disadvantages, Ziegler feels that owning a vintage car as a teen can also serve an investment, as well as a way to stand out on the road.

“You look good, but it is an investment,” Ziegler said. “Will you always get out what you put into it?

No. But for me, that car I restored, I look at it like ‘I did that’.”

1993 Corvette

1964 El Camino

1981 Camaro

18 MPG

15 MPG

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| OCTOBER 2018 | 17

Gifted Students FOR

dummies Photo by Natalie Kuhn

Accelerated students pursue advanced education Natalie Kuhn Reporter @KuhnNat

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gifted student is often perceived by their peers as peculiar or an overachiever, but according Newton Public Schools Gifted Services powerpoint; Best Practices, “a gifted student is one who posses a form of higher thinking from early on in their education and displays a desire for complex learning”.

Gifted students are not easily identifiable by physical appearance, and often are mistaken with behavioral complications and learning disabilities.

If their higher intelligence is not noticed in early education, they may become uninterested in classes and intolerant of less advanced students. According to The Conversation.com, when advanced intellect is noticed in early elementary school, the best outcome for the student comes from the action of being placed in settings where others possess similar ability. Families work hand in hand with the school in way to customize an Individualized Education Program (IEP) that adapts with the student as they progress through school.

Upon entering the high school, the strategy changes; high school offers

honors and advanced placement (AP) classes for students seeking an elevated learning environment. Transitioning between the eighth and ninth grade proves to be a struggle as scheduling conflicts often arise between Chisholm middle school and the high school.

“They should put a little more effort into making sure that the schedules are worked together properly and that everyone knows what’s going on because I remember there was times last year… they would hardly tell us anything, we would know maybe the day before what we were actually doing the next day”, freshman Clayton Kaufman said.

Kaufman joined the gifted program in the second grade and was transported from Chisholm to the high school his eighth grade year to take German, Honors Geometry, and Honors Biology.

Kaufman felt that his experience at Sedgwick wasn’t beneficial for his education, his time in Newton so far has shown that gifted programs are not equally developed school by school; some have gifted programs that involve different course types based on student interest, while some have career opportunities tied into the program.

“Up until fourth grade I was in Sedgwick schools gifted program. There

18 | FEATURES | OCTOBER 2018

it was borderline non-existent so once I got to fifth grade, when I started coming to Newton, that it was a real program,” Kaufman said.

High school gifted programs are different than early education, students are scattered between many classes that differ from student to student, they still attend weekly/monthly meetings with gifted advisor Shari Sloan.

In addition to general school work, students are also required to turn in projects assigned to the gifted program, which sophomore Elise Jantz believes should be even more specialized.

“I think those [assignments] would be really nice if I got two choose them.

It could be really interesting to me but with having what, five honor classes plus sports and music, I don’t have time to do stuff like that even if I would want to.” Jantz said.

Gifted programs give advanced students an opportunity to use and develop their higher intelligence. Being gifted does not alienate students, it enriches potential and opens opportunities.

“Your brain is kind of weird compared to everybody else. So it makes sense that it would be weird and both beneficial and not beneficial ways,” said Jantz.

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FEATURES

| OCTOBER 2018 | 19

Beating the odds 2

weeks in coma

3

months in Rehabilitation Center

4

people in car at time of accident

The last thing I “remember was when

months out of recovery

-Senior Alexis Felix

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I woke up in the Hospital,

Senior Alexis Felix sits on the nurse room bed reflecting on the accident and his recovery. Photo by Emma Pulaski

20 | FEATURES | OCTOBER 2018

Felix speaks on life threatening accident

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s seniors Alexis Felix and Angel Silveyra spent the day with friends in Wichita on March 23, they never could have anticipated what would soon lead to months of worry and recovery. Felix and Silveyra, along with two other friends, were involved in a car accident that resulted in many physical and emotional scars.

The minor details now blend together due to a rush of adrenaline and fear, Felix and Silveyra said. They can only remember some key details.

“I was asleep during the accident,” Felix said. “The last thing I remember was when I woke up in the hospital, I tried to get up to go to the bathroom, but I didn’t know I couldn’t walk and I fell.”

After the accident, Felix was rushed to Wesley Hospital and immediately taken into surgery for a broken jaw. In addition, Felix suffered a brain injury that delayed his consciousness following surgery and left him in a coma for two weeks. The brain injury resulted in an additional medical procedure where three holes were drilled into his head through which blood was drained.

Silveyra was taken away in an ambulance, suffering from a concussion and bruised leg. As a result, Silveyra was unable to know Felix’s condition immediately. Silveyra said that he was devastated and worried for his friend, a feeling that he would continue to have for two weeks as Felix recovered and ultimately woke up from the coma.

“It [being informed of Felix’s condition] gave me good relief but at the same time he was still in critical condition so I wasn’t happy until I knew that he was out of the coma,” Silveyra said.

After Felix woke from the coma, he suffered from deficiency in motor skills such as walking and speaking.

He traveled to Madonna Rehabilitation Hospital in Omaha, Nebraska to undergo treatment to help him regain those skills. Felix demonstrated such high comprehension and compliance that a process that should have taken him nine months, took him three.

“I really tried to get out of it,” Felix said. “I wasn’t supposed to get out until December; I just made really good progress.”

Felix is now seven months out of recovery and working on finalizing credits for his junior year as well as beginning his senior year, because he was unable to fulfill his required credits. To compensate, Felix spends time taking online classes on top of his senior course load. Although it requires Felix to work harder and spend more time on schoolwork, he shows contentment to being back at school.

“It’s additional work that I just do online at home,” Felix said. “It feels good, it’s just the same old.”

way...I’m still “either gonna love him no matter what, -senior angel silveyra

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Emma Pulaski Sports Manager @emmaepulaski

After the intense accident, word spread through the community fast. Many people reached out to them following the accident as they were worried about the boys’ conditions.

Following his return to school, Felix still receives questions from classmates and teachers, however the curiosity does not bother him.

“They just ask me about it a lot,” Felix said. “It doesn’t really faze me or anything.”

Felix and Silveyra have been friends since elementary school and going through the accident together has strengthened their relationship. Due to Silveyra’s speedy recovery, he was able to check in on Felix frequently and keep in contact with his family.

“I still love him,” Silveyra said. “Either way what happened to him I’m still gonna love him no matter what.”

Seniors Alexis Felix and Angel Silveyra laugh and pose together, showing their close friendship. Photo by Emma Pulaski

FEATURES

| OCTOBER 2018 | 21

HOROSCOPE

From Oct. 6 to Nov. 16, Venus will move from Libra to Scorpio. Find the horoscope that includes your birthday to find out how it will affect you.

Aries (March 21-April 19)

This month, be very careful with changes in your appearance and home, as these can go wrong very easily during the retrograde. You may be feeling very open for new experiences and people, just be sure that you aren’t stepping on anyone’s feelings.

Taurus (April 20-May 20)

During this month, with your ruling planet, Venus, in retrograde, you may be left feeling ready for a change in your surroundings. But be warned, if you choose to invest money and energy into this switch, things may not come out as intended.

Gemini (May 21-June 20)

Ruled by the house and planet of communication, Geminis should be very careful with their close relationships this month. Venus in Scorpios sign can make new friendships and relationships difficult, but gives you a perfect time for nostalgia.

Cancer (June 21-July 22)

This retrograde may leave you feeling unconnected from your family and close friends. Because Cancer and Venus are both ruled by femininity, this retrograde will leave many feeling unconnected to that side of themselves. But once Venus shifts back into Libra, that energy will return.

Leo (July 23-Aug 22)

Wow Leo, dramatic much? You should approach this retrograde with caution and enhanced care toward your loved ones.

The retrograde enhances your need to be in the moment, but make sure your friends aren’t feeling left out of your circle this month.

Virgo (Aug 23-Sept 22)

You’re usually so careful and cautious, Virgo, but with Venus in Scorpio you might feel muddled in places where you usually feel calm and collected. Allow yourself time to take a deep breath and organize everything.

22 | ARTS & CULTURE | OCTOBER 2018

Libra (Sept 23-Oct 22)

While your ruling planet is in retrograde, you may be left feeling confused or misplaced, but it will be over when Venus shifts back into Libra on Nov. 16. While you usually rule in relationships and friendships, your loved ones might be left feeling unimportant to you this month.

Scorpio (Oct 23-Nov 21)

With Venus in Scorpio, completely unlike Cancer, you may feel an overwhelming surge of feminine energy. While this isn’t negative, you may be feeling extra sensitive until Venus shifts back to Libra.

Be patient with your Cancer friends.

Sagittarius (Nov 22-Dec 21)

Normally such an moral-focused sign, Venus’ retrograde leaves you feeling separated from your self-made moral code. During this month, you should reflect on the past and examine all the adventures you have had, especially those surrounded by nature.

Capricorn (Dec 22-Jan 19)

While you usually put much of your personal worth and importance into the honors and awards you have received, use this retrograde to reassess what success means to you. You might feel more feminine energy enter your life this month. Be gentle with yourself.

Aquarius (Jan 20-Feb 18)

Usually an eccentric, spontaneous sign, during this retrograde you should be careful with your decisions. Unintended outcomes are more likely during this time, so make sure you always have a backup plan.

Pisces (Feb 19-March 20)

Endings are hard, especially during this retrograde, which makes ending things feel so much more complicated.

Whether it is a project or relationship, approach tying up loose ends very cautiously but make sure you don’t get caught up in the nostalgia.

Our top 20 hits

Never miss our news magazine staff members favorite songs, anything from bass booming hip-hop, to show tunes. These playlists not only include our songs to sing in the shower, but a glimpse at our individual lives.

SHUFFLE PLAY FAYE SMITH

Editor-in-chief “A mix of bangers and sad yee-haw,”

ADDIE LINDENMEYER

Managing Editor “How explicit is ‘explicit’?”

ELLEN MILLER GARRETT

Content Editor “Here’s that bad indie I was talking about,”

EMMA PULASKI

Sports Manager “Sorry,”

KAETE SCHMIDT

Graphic Manager “Erick thinks my music is basic,”

MARCO ARAMBURU Reporter

“How explicit can we make it?”

BENTON DREASHER Reporter “Some music I’ve listened to, that has shaped my personality,”

LORELEI JACOBS Reporter “You’re guaranteed to like some of this,”

NATALIE KUHN Reporter “I named my plant after one of these bands,”

KAEDEN THURBER Reporter “My dad raised me, it’s his fault,”

REBEKAH NELSON

News Mag Aide “A chill playlist to dance around your room to,”

TO FOLLOW AND USE SCAN CODES 1. Use the search bar and either a. Search “Railer News” b. Look for the button and scan codes!

ARTS & CULTURE

| OCTOBER 2018 | 23

what do you

Believe?

Students share, explain their conspiracy theory beliefs Kaete Schmidt Graphics Manager @kaetetaylor

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onspiracy theories have been around for years. According to the National Center for Biotechnology Information, the first known spike in the belief of conspiracy theories occurred previous to the 1900s. Initially conspiracies were very rare and not typically acknowledged. In fact, conspirators were often shunned and looked down upon in their community. However, there has been a gradual shift in thinking and beliefs.

Now, in today’s society conspiracy theories have become popular among many people. People are able to hear about many different conspiracy theories surrounding everything from

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the moon landing, to why certain products are made the way they are.

These ideas are spread using YouTube, celebrity endorsements and social media. Many people find themselves believing, or at least considering, the ideas behind some conspiracy theories after watching videos and hearing the evidence. According to psychologytoday.com, more than 50 percent of Americans believe in at least one conspiracy theory.

Among the cognitive biases, Van Prooijen and other psychologists believe that three other concepts contribute to the appeal of conspiracy theories: 1.) Confirmation bias which is people’s willingness to accept explanations that fit what they already believe. 2.) Proportionality bias which is the inclination to believe that big

events must have big causes. 3.) The Illusory pattern perception which is the tendency to see causal relations where there may not be any.

Conspirators seemed to emerge following John F. Kennedy’s assassination in 1963. This sparked many different ideas and beliefs surrounding multiple different events and people around the world. Examples of well-known conspiracy theories include global warming, Sept. 11, 2001 and suspicions surrounding members of the Illuminati.

While the majority of people agree and or disagree with pre-existing conspiracy theories, there are also people who come up with their own theories, including students at NHS.

of students believe in at least one conspiracy theory.

of students were introduced to conspiracy theories through Youtube. of students started believing in conspiracy theories after watching Youtuber, Shane Dawson.

**results from a poll of 44 students

24 | ARTS & CULTURE | OCTOBER 2018

Illustrations by Rebekah Nelson

Chemtrails

Aliah Ledesma Senior

“The first time that it was brought to my attention was through an interview from Prince on this show that my dad always watched over and over again because he was in disbelief that Prince was on the air talking about the snow.

If you look into the sky, you’ll usually see all those lines and my theory is that it is used to make people sick so the medicine companies can benefit off of that. If people aren’t constantly getting sick then they’re obviously not going to be making any money because people aren’t going to be buying products.”

According to the Keith Group from Harvard, chemtrails refers to the theory that governments or other parties are engaged in a secret program to add toxic chemicals to the atmosphere from aircraft in a way that forms visible plumes in the sky, similar to contrails.

There are various reasons people believe this including sterilization, mind control, weather control, and sickness to increase the business in the pharmaceutical industry. NASA scientists found that between 1975 and 1994, there was an increase in temperature of the United States that corresponded with the increase in the amount of contrails.

“Before New coke, regular Coke was made using cane sugar and after that it was made using corn syrup. So, I believe, that in between the change they made New Coke on purpose so people would be angry about that and then when they switched Coca Cola back they wouldn’t notice that it was using corn syrup.

To make things cheaper for them they decided to switch to corn syrup instead.

But, they knew people were going to notice the change, so instead they changed everything all at once, like the flavor, can, everything so that nobody would get mad about the sugar change.

When they changed it back, they kept the corn syrup the same so consumers wouldn’t notice.”

By 1985, Coca-Cola had been losing market share to diet soft drinks and non-cola beverages for many years. Consumers who were purchasing regular colas seemed to prefer the sweeter taste of rival Pepsi-Cola, as Coca-Cola learned in conducting blind taste tests.

The company produced the “New Coke” to gain the love of consumers, however, the American publics reaction to the change was negative, even hostile, and the “New Coke” was considered a major failure. The company reintroduced Coke’s original formula within three months of New Coke’s debut, rebranded as “Coca-Cola Classic”, and this resulted in increased sales. This led to speculation by some that the introduction of the New Coke formula was just a marketing ploy to stimulate sales of original Coca-Cola.

“The Pharmaceutical industry is pretty sketchy. It is well documented that the current opioid epidemic has been filled by the pharma companies who pushed doctors to overprescribe pain killers. They did this for one simple reason, profits.

Pharmaceutical companies make their business off of treating the unhealthy.

So the main conspiracies surrounding big pharma make the claim that cures for diseases that kill a lot of people like cancer and AIDS have been discovered and then destroyed or covered up by the pharmaceutical industry. Yes these companies could make a pretty penny selling cures, but they could make significantly more money by treating symptoms.”

Conspirators believe that the pharmaceutical industry is trying to suck every penny out of the pockets of the sick, injured and dying. They also believe that they are inventing new diseases so that people will have to buy more drugs. Some other beliefs surrounding the pharmaceutical industry includes censoring alternative treatments that would be cheaper or more effective, rather than patenting and industrializing them. Lastly, some believe that they are simply renaming old illnesses so people will think their conditions are more serious, making them more willing to pay higher prices for prescriptions. According to rationalwiki.org, since 2010 there have been more overdoses resulting in death in the United States from prescription opioid pharmaceuticals than heroin and other street narcotics.

Coca-Cola

Diego Aguilar Sophomore

Pharmaceutical Industry

Milo Jones Senior

Did you know?

Did you know?

Did you know?

ARTS & CULTURE

| OCTOBER 2018 | 25

26 | SPORTS | OCTOBER 2018

Photo Illustration by Faye Smith

Going in Head First

Player suffers multiple concussions, protocol impacts team

Kaeden Thurber Reporter @istolenemo

According to the KSDE website, any athlete who has recently had a concussion is required to be removed from that game and from practices. The athlete will not be cleared to participate in any games or practices until a health care oncussion training has always been prevalent in school provider has cleared them. KSDE has required any student athletics, but this year it has reached a larger audience. athlete suffering more than three concussions to sit out that For years, select sports have gone without concussion season. training, this year however, all sports were required to watch “It’s something you make sure you go through the right informational videos about concussions symptoms and steps and procedures for recovery. You don’t want to be procedures. caught in a situation where your behavior causes you The Kansas State Department of Education (KSDE) has permanent damage,” Jaax said. required football to undergo a more rigorous concussion Senior Jacob McFarlane suffered two concussions his training. This year to meet the new regulations, football freshman year, as well as a blow to the head his sophomore concussion training began earlier than past years. Players year that wasn’t technically considered as a concussion. This underwent numerous tests, measurements, and learning resulted him to sit out his junior season. how to recognize the symptoms of concussions. Head “I was pretty disappointed, I grew up playing football and football coach Chris then having to sit out my junior Jaax believes this is an year kind of was disappointing. important informative It was a set back from senior procedure for all students. year,” McFarlane said.

“In all I think it’s one Despite past concussions, of those things that’s important McFarlane went out for football for education in general. It his senior year. During a home makes sense that as a society it’s game against Campus, he something we want to make sure suffered a blow that resulted is we’re informed about,” Jaax said. his departure from the field for The baseline concussion the rest of the year. training is aimed to help athletes “After having my first two or recognize and report symptoms three concussions it softened of a concussion in themselves my brain and made me more - senior Jakob McFarlane and or other players. The virtual vulnerable towards concussions. testing measures player reaction time, memory capacity, This last one I had against Campus wasn’t because of a speed of mental processing and executive functioning of the serious hit but my head was starting to swell and push brain. Goals for this training include informing students and against my skull.” McFarlane said. staff of concussions and their repercussions.

Beginning his senior year with low motivation McFarlane “If you did this training you can see what level your had not planned on joining football. However, after his athletes are at and you get to know them a little bit better friends encouraged him to participate he was in high spirits. as an athletic trainer,” athletic trainer Elizabeth Brown said.

“Everyone that I grew up playing football with pretty “You also get to see what level they’re at and when they much was just like ‘hey it’s your senior year, just got to go sustain a concussion you can watch them get back to that as out’,” McFarlane said. well.”

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I was pretty disappointed, I grew up playing football and then having to sit out my junior year kind of was disappointing. It was a set back for senior year.

High school athletes sustain an estimated 300,000 concussions per year. **according to Prevacus.com

SPORTS

| OCTOBER 2018 | 27

Perfect

10

Largest school gymnastics team in years

Members of the gymnastics team pose together on the balance beam. Front row: freshman Elena DeLeon, sophomore Elise Jantz, junior Jontae Seymore Row 2: freshman Rylie Pierce, sophomore Toria Thaw, junior Becca Meyer, junior Molly Stahl, sophomore Enyisha Peterson Not pictured: sophomore Acacia Penner & freshman Georgia Garcia. Photo by Addie Lindenmeyer

28 28||SPORTS SPORTS||OCTOBER OCTOBER2018 2018

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oing from a tight knit group of five to a team of 10, the gymnastics team has made a sizable increase from past seasons. It was only two years ago that the team was on the verge of being terminated completely, but has so far managed to remain.

The near discontinuation of the program affected multiple returning team members, including junior Becca Meyer. After finding out the team’s end was only a false alarm, Meyer said she was overjoyed.

“I was ecstatic finding out I would be a able to compete again, however, there was still a feeling deep in my heart that it would get cut next year,” Meyer said.

“I had to push that feeling to the side so I could focus on bettering myself to show how hard gymnasts work and that it should be a continued sport in high school, even after I graduate.”

While the audience only sees the final performances, many hours are

“

dedicated to practicing for competitions.

The team practiced together over the summer and transitioned into everyday practices, including the addition of occasional practice on days when school is out of session. Junior Molly Stahl said that while the sport initially took a toll on her body, she finds the strength to push through using motivation that comes from coach JoAnne Thaw.

“She [Thaw] tells us that if we want to get better, we have to keep pushing through and that it will only make us stronger and things easier,” Stahl said.

The increase in numbers has offered team members recognition and gratification. Sophomore Toria Thaw said that due to a number of girls in varying social groups and activities, it has assisted in expanding her awareness of events happening elsewhere in the school. Additionally, the girls enjoy watching each other improve in an assortment of skills.

“It’s really nice,” sophomore Elise Jantz said. “Especially since we have so many beginners, it’s nice to see how everybody is making progress.”

While a larger team has improved both social aspects and intensified the encouraging atmosphere, it comes with its own set of downfalls. Not only do the gymnasts suffer at the expense of their bodies, but there has been a decrease in the amount of one-on-one time with coaches.

“Last year, with only five, we got a lot of one-on-one time, but this year we are having to rotate a lot of girls in and out on our events- meaning we get less time on each event and less private coaching time,” Meyer said.

Just as any past season, the team still has hopes and goals set in place, including the desire to attend and place at the state meet. Furthermore, as a result of new gymnasts, freshman Georgia Garcia hopes that it will boost the amount of support that gymnastics gains from the student body.

“It [the crowd] helps you do better as you’re performing because you feel this urge,” Garcia said. “Like, ‘I can really do it if they think I can’.”

“

Addie Lindenmeyer Managing Editor @addielindy06

It [the near program termination] definitely hit me hard because it was my freshman year and I really wanted to continue gymnastics throughout all four years of high school.

- junior Becca Meyer

SPORTS

| OCTOBER 2018 | 29

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Quarter in Review 30 | PHOTO ESSAY | OCTOBER 2018

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1. Heating acetone and water, junior Lindsey Luinstra and sophomore Azeneth Ramos participate in a lab during Honors Chemistry on Sept. 14. The class was working with pure and impure substances. Photo by Schyler Entz 2. Waiting for the play, senior Jamieson Jones battles against Haysville-Campus on Sept. 7. The Railers lost against the Colts with a score of 20-29. Photo by Keaton Wetschensky.

3. With the ball at his feet, sophomore Santiago Fernandez works to keep possession from the Andover opponent. The Railers defeated the Trojans 4-0 on Sept. 18. Photo by Mallory Seirer 4. Striking a pose, senior Jeana Lyons auditions for the musical . Lyons has been a member of the theater department for two years. Photo by Marco Aramburu.

5. Sophomore Libby Crawford dances with a little girl during a practice for Little Cheer Night. All cheerleaders performed with the girls during halftime of the football game on Sept. 14. Photo by Atlanta Lopez 6. Up bright and early for a National Honor Society meeting, juniors Hannah Brown and Kayla Anderson listen at the meeting in the Lecture Hall. Photo by Rebekah Nelson 7. Senior Homecoming King Zach Garcia and Queen Maggie Remsberg stand together during coronation at Fischer Field. Photo by Tony Lemus 8. Performing the cadence “Remo�, freshmen Owen Mick stands with the drum line at the home football game against Derby on Sept. 15. Photo by Shelby Spreier 9. To become a member of National Honor Society, senior Cheyenne Suter signs her name into the book. The induction ceremony was held in the auditorium on Sept. 19.

Photo by Rebekah Nelson

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PHOTO ESSAY

| OCTOBER 2018 | 31

Order your TEAM MADDIE shirt through the DECA club to support fellow student, Maddie Edson, on her road to recovery.

Return orders forms with payment to Lisa George at NHS, Room 1-137.

Checks can be made out to NHS DECA. All proceeds go to support the family of Maddie Edson.

Hours of Operation: Mondays - Appt. Only Walk-ins Welcome Tuesday-Friday 10:00 - 6:00 p.m.

Saturdays 9:00 - 5:00 p.m.

202 W. 5th Street Newton, KS 67114 316-227-9781

MEMBER FDIC

Get your school mascot on your debit card!

For each card issued, we’ll donate $3.00 directly to USD 373.

It’s just another way we support our community.

4000 0000 0000 0000 4000

GOOD THRU

12/18

Proud supporters of the Newton Railers!

316-283-0059

DEBIT

Like us on 127 N. Main, Newton www.mybankcnb.com

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32 | ADS | OCTOBER 2018

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