The Bruin - November 2020

WADSWORTH HIGH SCHOOL

VOLUME XLVI, ISSUE 2 NOVEMBER 2020

THE BRUIN CONTENTS

13

OFFICER INNOCENTI

5 SPEECH & DEBATE

NSIDE THE

BRU N

MITCHELL EVANS

8

15 JENSEN HEPPNER

11 VICKI MATHEWS Page layout by Ari Kaser

BRUIN STAFF

NEWS EDITOR Natalie Maher

625 Broad Street Wadsworth, OH 44281 ART & LAYOUT EDITOR

EDITORS-IN-CHIEF Brianna Becerra Brian Coote

2 NOVEMBER 2020

Alex Miller

FEATURES & IN DEPTH EDITOR Emily Brandyberry

SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER & VIDEOGRAPHER Micah Beck

SOCIAL MEDIA ASSISTANT Grace Pantalone

ADVISOR Eric Heffinger

STAFF WRITERS Ashley Allwood Julia Blake Laney Corell Elisabeth Gromofsky Dylan Heppert Michael Jira Janae Joachim Haylee Joy Ari Kaser Jackson Kerley Kade Miros Chloe Porter Kayla Ross Hailey Smith Julia Swain

THE BRUIN EDITORIAL

a thank you

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OVID-19 has had a major impact on the world, and The Bruin is no exception. We are still dedicated to making The Bruin as normal as possible with monthly printed editions, online posts, podcasts and social media posts that engage with the community.

I would like to thank The Bruin staff, as they are having to deal with the challenges of not knowing what 2020 will bring next. While there is a lot to write about, students and staff are working hard to prevent the spread of COVID-19. This includes spreading desks six feet apart and occasionally quarantining for two weeks. Many hours are put into planning this paper both inside and outside of school, and I am truly thankful for their hard work.

Outside of The Bruin, I would like to thank Wadsworth High School’s faculty.

Everyone from administrators to janitors

have been following strict rules and regulations to keep students safe and in school for as long as possible.

Finally, The Bruin staff would like to thank our patrons and readers who make Wadsworth High School’s newspaper what it is today. We hope everyone has a safe and happy Thanksgiving.

! g in iv g s k n a h Happy T taff

-The Bruin S

editorial

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OVID-19 cases in Ohio have spiked significantly over the past month, and many schools have been left with the difficult decision of modifying their in-person model. The choice has been up to the individual school districts to decide which model fits for them. In order to keep students and staff safe, Wadsworth City Schools should consider a hybrid or online model for high school students.

The high schools have been the hotbeds of cases, as these students have a significant amount of freedoms including cars, jobs and many extracurriculars. Other high schools such as Medina have shut down completely, as their hybrid model failed due to a spike in cases within the students and staff. Our cases at Wadsworth High School are only growing, so in order to prevent the spread of COVID-19 any further, the school board should consider other options.

While most students may not prefer online instruction to in person, the safety of students and families should be taken into consideration. High school students are old

enough to stay at home by themselves, meaning that the panic of finding childcare for younger children would be avoided completely. The majority of cases have been at the high school level, meaning that elementary and middle schools do not need to shut down.

As the holidays approach, some students are still planning to gather with their families.

In a setting like this, it is unlikely that masks will be worn and social distancing will be practiced. It seems reckless to bring all of the students back after being exposed to so many different people, and COVID-19 cases will be likely to spike again.

Mask wearing and social distancing is no longer enough to guarantee the safety of students. A vast amount of students have been sent home to quarantine due to contact tracing, leaving many classrooms feeling empty. If high numbers of students are already at home, the school board must act to keep the students and staff of WHS safe.

I SCREWED UP SO YOU DON’T HAVE TO I usually get home from school and tell my mom I do not have homework (sorry mom). I do not do my homework. I just put it off because in my opinion, homework is best done at the ADVICE FROM GRACE PANTALONE last minute. You think I would STAFF WRITER Hi! I’m Grace and this is the Bruin’s new have learned last year when I failed my geometry midterm, advice column based on the mistakes but it did not really stick with I have already made. I’m hoping that somehow what I have to say will help you. me. Since you are looking to get But if I screw up the advice I give, well... your homework done, I would just add it the list! suggest creating a to-do list.

Sometimes I will use to-do lists to get things done because I Dear Grace, think that it is helpful to remind How do I get motivated to do myself. It is kind of satisfying my school work? to check off all the different - Procrastinating Princess activities.

Students of the month C A R E E R

T E C H Tom Crookston, 12

Follow the Bruin on all platforms @Wadswor thBruin

Dear Grace, How do I get over the heartbreak of a bad grade?

- Sad Smartie The only time I have ever been heartbroken because of a grade was my freshman year. I had to write a lot of papers for a class.

Every time I thought I had written A+ papers, I would get them back and they were not A+’s. The first thing I would recommend is changing your mindset. I do not think that you should let one bad grade upset you because there are going to be other chances to get your grade up.

Need some advice?

Contact Grace Pantalone 22gpantalone@ wadsworthscityschools.org

@graciepantalone on Instagram

Want an ad in the Bruin?

1400 copies distributed to all WHS student and 20+ locations around town

Contact Zach Adams, 12

Wadsworthbruin @gmail.com

Editorial Policy The Bruin is a monthly publication produced by the Newspaper II and Newspaper III students at Wadsworth High School. The Newspaper I class produces the May issue. The staff will do its best to inform the student body and the community of intra-school, community or national events that affect the student body. This paper provides on-the-job training for the staff members. All decisions are made by the staff members with the advice and suggestions of the adviser. The school administration works closely with the staff to ensure accuracy. We, as the students of journalism, hold the same rights and the same responsibilities as professional journalists as we strive for professional standards. These rights include the right to print any material that is not libelous, obscene or excessively disruptive to the school process. The Bruin will not discriminate against anyone on the basis of religion, color, creed or sex. The staff members accept full responsibility for everything appearing in this publication. The staff strongly encourages students to express their opinions through the letters to the editor column, which is printed every month. The staff also encourages the members of the community to express their opinion as well. Space permitting, all letters will be printed. We reserve the right to edit or omit any portion of any letter because the staff accepts the responsibility for the contents of the paper. All letters must be signed, but the name will be withheld upon request.

WADSWORTHBRUIN.COM 3

THE BRUIN AD

4 NOVEMBER 2020

NEWS THE BRUIN

SPEECH AND DEBATE SURGES THROUGH SETBACKS of right now, meaning that the team no longer travels on the weekends. Instead, they meet in the Media Center at WHS. They utilize the high school because it he speech and debate season provides a strong internet connection is usually marked by traveling to and a controlled background for the different tournaments that take tournaments, which students may not place all over Ohio. This year is completely otherwise have at home. different, as all tournaments are virtual.

Jessica Reber, senior and Dramatic Participants in the speech and debate Interpretation competitor for the speech program are learning how to grip the new team, expresses that the changes made format of online competitions as well as this year have been difficult to adjust online practices. to. The speech season looks almost To kick off the season, tryouts for event nothing like it did last year when she placement on the speech and debate team began competing. were held in mid-September. These were “It’s definitely been difficult to held virtually, as in person meetings had perform for a screen,” said Reber. “The not yet been approved. Students joined amount of space you have is greatly a Google Meet with the c o a c h e s reduced, plus now our movements have and auditioned for the event to be able to be seen through that they wished to be a computer screen. Takes placed in. some getting used to, for sure.”

Practices began soon Not only are the tournaments after, which were also held held virtually, but mask wearing virtually. Team members and social distancing are also were responsible for enforced while members are at the scheduling practices high school. Team members are also with their respective required to fill out a COVID release coaches. This was form before each tournament the method in which or practice. Every speech team practice was Each speech an conducted until assigned their owd debate team member is member is assigned to their n room the week of tournament days. These to compete in on own room in which they will tags allow co laminated aches and name compete on tournament days.

October 26, as each ot her easily. PH team members to find OT O

BY BRIANNA BE This allows for a controlled and both speech CERRA quiet environment. and debate coaches began Anna Wallace, freshman and holding in-person practices at the high Declamation competitor, competed for the school. first time on November 7. She was nervous Tournaments are all held virtually as

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BY BRIANNA BECERRA EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

for her first tournament, especially since the way in which she competed was far from what the team usually experiences in a regular season.

“While it was very nerve-racking and stressful at first, I started to get more comfortable and ended up having a really good time,” said Wallace.

Though speech and debate team

teams, but that has allowed us to bond with our fellow Wadsworth team mates,” said Reber. “I don’t know if I can say which is better or worse. They both have their perks, but I do enjoy staying at the high school because it’s more comfortable.

Plus we get to sleep in a bit longer and get home earlier due to no travel time.”

Reber expresses that competing virtually brings on a new kind of stress, as technology is not always reliable. This proved to be an issue for other teams, as some teams did not have the option to use their high school to compete.

“I’ve competed in one of outside s. tournament so far, and it d e n io date posit and up ard is etin bo ment results gle Classroom was live streamed,” said ll u b a A ate oo nd deb playing tourn mind and G NA BECERR Reber. “The Wadsworth e N is eech a The sp ia Center, d nicates via R TO BY BRIA team is lucky because ed mu PHO the M lso com in touch. a we get to come into the high m a The te r to stay e rd school to perform which ensures a decent o in members are background and wifi connection for our grateful that they still have the performances. Other schools aren’t so opportunity to compete this season, they lucky and a few people I performed against are disappointed by the inability to meet had poor quality and glitchy videos that members of other teams. This has been were hard to understand.” a highlight for several team members, Though the speech and debate team as they enjoyed meeting and building has been rocked by new changes that have relationships with competitors from other been put in place to prevent the spread of teams. Even though some may view this COVID-19, the team is determined to have as a loss, Jessica Reber can see the new a successful season. It may look drastically changes as both good and bad. different than usual, but they are suited up and ready to perform every weekend “It’s different because we have a lot less connection and relationship to other regardless of previous setbacks.

HAVEN OF REST HAS HOLIDAY HOPE

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BY JANAE JOACHIM STAFF WRITER

s the holiday season approaches, homeless shelters will have to run a bit differently to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

The Haven of Rest is a homeless shelter located in Akron, Ohio. They provide shelter, food, and clothing to people in need via ministries and outreach programs.

As an organization, their help extends to people experiencing homelessness in seven counties including Wayne, Summit, Medina, Portage, Stark and Tuscarawas County.

Ever since the outbreak of COVID-19, they have had to find ways to continue to help while keeping the community safe.

“WE ARE AN ESSENTIAL

ORGANIZATION, SO WE NEVER STOPPED, AND PEOPLE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO COME INTO THE HAVEN OF REST THE WHOLE TIME.”

-JIM COLE DIRECTOR OF MEN’S DIVISION

“We have plastic barriers that are at desk areas and masks are worn,” said Jim Cole, Director of the Men’s Division. “We are an essential organization, so we never stopped, and people have been able to come into

The Haven of Rest’s main building is open 24/7 and is located at 175 E Market St, Akron, OH. The drive-thru is open Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m to 6:00 p.m. and Saturdays from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

PHOTO BY JANAE JOACHIM

the Haven of Rest the whole time.”

Haven of Rest’s theme for 2020 is “Hope and a Future.” Even though this year looks different from any given year, their mission statement to change lives through the power of Christ will continue to take precedence.

“We call it Hope Totes,” said Cole.

“It’s a bag of personal care items that we give out to every single guest on Thanksgiving and Christmas day.”

In addition to Hope Totes, the Haven of Rest will conduct the 2020 Christmas Project. This project has four parts.

One part allows those willing to adopt a family and buy gifts for the kids. If that is not possible, filling Christmas bags is also an opportunity to help with this event.

The Adopt-A-Family event extends to families that are not at the Haven of Rest but may be at-risk or have a low income.

They are allowed to become a part of

the Haven of Rest’s Adopt-A-Family, and families or groups in the community will then sponsor them through this event.

“It is probably one of the bigger ways at Christmas that we do outreach to the homeless but also any people in the broader community,” said Cole.

The sponsors will buy gifts for their families, and then the Haven of Rest will distribute the gifts to the families that they have worked with.

“Historically, we have quite a few extra programs [for the holidays],” said Cole.

“A lot of the event-oriented programs we have had to back away from just because you can’t have large crowds with the COVID stuff.”

The Haven of Rest is still planning on having their special events for the holiday season. These include both the

Happy Birthday Jesus Party and the “Kids Helping Kids” event that is also part of the 2020 Christmas Project.

However, this year many of their events have been canceled. One of these was the 2020 Fall Luncheon and Dinner. In the past, this has provided the Haven the opportunity to connect in person with their partners and express gratefulness for their help.

In order for the Haven of Rest to be able to continue to provide help, donations must be made. This can be done on their website by clicking on the tab labeled “Donate” and choosing either “One-Time” or “Monthly” from the drop down menu.

For more information, their website can be found below. https://www.havenofrest.org/

This garden lays in front of the Donation Center and contains a variety of flowers. Residents of the Haven of Rest planted this garden for the Men’s Gardening Project with the help of volunteer coaches.

PHOTO BY JANAE JOACHIM

WADSWORTHBRUIN.COM 5

THE BRUIN NEWS

2020 ELECTION RESULTS

BY GRACE PANTALONE STAFF WRITER

the 270 mark, he was declared to be the winner. Leading up to the opening of the polls, though, 020 is a year like no other and there was a lot of strife the Presidential election that between the Democratic took place was no exception. The and the Republican Party. election had 4 candidates: Joe Biden, The debates between Donald Trump, Howie Hawkins and Jo Donald Trump and Joe Jorgenson.

Biden were also Joe Biden is the President Elect, quite different than but Donald Trump has contested previous presidential his victory. A recount will be held in debates had been, some states and there are some and after at the first election lawsuits that still need to be debate, certain rules addressed. were put into place.

After the recount and the lawsuits, “There could have the Electoral College vote been more regulations will be held. After these regarding the three things, Congress debates, especially will announce the new the first one,” said President of the United Sophia Novak, States on January 6, junior.

2021. Two weeks later Not only did the the new President will be Democratic Party inaugurated into office. win the presidency, “I’m surprised that it but they also still was as close as it was,” hold the majority said Ben Kissinger, in the House of junior. “Looking at the Representatives. polls one would believe Republicans that Biden was going to currently hold 50 win in a landslide.” out of 100 seats Joe Biden became in the Senate, the president elect by President Elect Joseph R. Biden III won the with 2 seats up winning the electoral national popular vote by over 5 million votes for grabs in the college 306 to 232. and won the electoral college with 306 votes, special election matching President Trump’s electoral win from Because he passed 2016. FAIR USE IMAGE in January. The

2

NEWS BRIEFS

State by State Election Results

CHICK-FIL-A REOPENS On September 18, Chick-fil-a’s Montrose location closed for renovations. It is now opened back up and features a drive through that does not require workers to stand outside along with other interior renovations.

Joe Biden Donald Trump Republicans previously held a majority in the Senate, but the January election could change that.

Kamala Harris will be the first female vice president, as well as the first black and first southeast Asian person to hold the office.

Biden is set to be the 46th president of the United States after a historically contentious election. He will be the oldest president that the country has ever had, as he will enter the White House at the age of 78.

Though the past few months have been a political battleground, he is hoping for a peaceful transition of power.

JEOPARDY! HOST PASSES AWAY

Alex Trebek, Jeopardy! game show host, has died at 80 years old of Pancreatic Cancer. He had hosted the show for 36 years and his last episode is set to air on December 25, 2020.

LOCAL CORONAVIRUS NEWS

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edina County went into a red zone on November 5, limiting the amount of social activity and alerting people that there is a high chance of exposure.

With the number of cases rising, some schools are talking about switching to online school after Thanksgiving break. On November 11, the Medina school system declared their high school and one of their middle schools completely shut down. This is due to the high volumes of both students and staff members who had been sent

home to quarantine, vastly diminishing school attendance. Medina is not the only school district that has shut down, as Cloverleaf went completely online as of November 10.

According to the Medina County Health Department, there have been 411 cases in the past two weeks. With a county population of 179,746, that is less than 1% of the county with confirmed cases, but that is still enough to push Medina County into the red zone.

The state of Ohio currently does not have any purple zone counties, meaning that people should completely lock down and only leave for certain reasons. Though it has not happened yet, there are several counties that are on the brink of turning purple.

The Medina County Health Department

hopes that citizens will continue to follow COVID-19 restrictions in order to slow the spread.

“We need citizens to be proactive and informed on their own,” said Krista Wasowski, the Medina County Health Commissioner.

In March of 2020, the Ohio Department of Health closed all of the K-12 schools in Ohio. The cases were low, but DeWine wanted to play it safe. As the number of cases in Ohio continued to fluctuate, it was decided that K-12 would go back to school but follow the CDC health guidelines. As children went back to school and cities started to open back up bars, gyms and restaurants, the number of cases also started to go up. The highest spike in cases yet has been in November, leaving citizens in a similar panic that they faced in March.

GOVERNOR MIKE DEWINE’S ANNOUNCEMENTS • Statewide curfew from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. for a 3 week time span • Ban of dancing at events in open areas such as weddings • Focus of restrictions on private gatherings rather than restaurants COVID-19 cases in Ohio have been rising sharply since October. GRAPHIC CREATED BY ASHLEY ALLWOOD

6 NOVEMBER 2020

• Asks Ohioans to do something each day to reduce contact with others

NUTRITION TO OPEN IN WADSWORTH Akron Nutrition first opened in 2019 and sells smoothies, shakes, teas and lemonades. The business has announced that they plan to open a Wadsworth at 197 Great Oaks Trail in the near future.

HURRICANE ETA STRIKES FLORIDA On November 12, at 4:20 in the morning, Florida was hit by Hurricane Eta. With winds going at 50 mph, it hit the area of Cedar Keys. It continued to move west.

There is also a tropical storm spinning east in the southern Caribbean. This tropical storm is about to become the 30th named storm of the year.

LAYOUT BY HAILEY SMITH

SPORTS THE BRUIN

BY HAYLEE JOY STAFF WRITER

A

s winter sports are set into motion, there are many questions as to how the events will be held. These sports teams will have to take many precautions in order to keep everyone safe and follow the guidelines.

GIRLS BASKETBALL T he girls basketball team is facing many changes this season. Ellie Zuro, a sophomore basketball player, shared what the team has had to go without this year due to COVID-19 restrictions.

“Some opportunities we didn’t have this year would be summer scrimmages and practices,” said Zuro. “We also usually get to hold summer camps, and we did not get to do that this year.”

Balls will have to be wiped down, masks will be worn by the athletes during warm-ups and on the bench and coaches will be wearing their masks at all times. The number of spectators permitted at the event will depend on the size of the gym that they are playing in.

“Warming up before practice, we are assigned a group that we shoot every day with to help contact tracing,” said Zuro.

BOWLING Bowling will have to alter their ways in order to have a season as well. At each of their home matches, a total of seventeen spectators will be allowed. Unlike other years, there is a limit to the number of spots available in the program. There will be eighteen spots available between three teams. Six bowlers will be allowed on each team.

“We are not allowed to high five this year,” said John Allen, a junior bowler. “And we are required to bring hand sanitizer.”

The bowlers have to have their masks on at all times.

SWIM TEAM Wadsworth High School’s swim teams will be restricted as to how many athletes will be allowed in the program. This year, there will only be 40 kids permitted on the team, as the health department is only allowing five people per lane. It is a tradition for the swim team to do Saturday morning breakfasts and team bonding, but COVID-19 is taking that away from them this season. Masks will be required everywhere but in the water.

“Filling out our temperature and symptoms every morning, like other sports, is a hassle,” said Emma Larj, a senior on the swim team. “It has to be done though, in order to make sure everyone is healthy.”

GYMNASTICS Gymnastics will also face a few differences. In order to maintain a safe environment, the mats have to be mopped after every use. Like all of the other sports, they will be required to wear their masks until they compete. As of right now, there will only be two tickets allowed per gymnast at their home meets. Some of their opponents will be allowing zero spectators for their events.

“We will be missing out on a lot of people coming to support us,” said Emilee Loparo, senior. “We love having that support, and normally we feed off of the energy.”

The team was supposed to have four home meets, but that has been cut down to only two. Some of the bigger competitions will not be available to them this season either. Along with wearing masks, the gymnasts will have to wear shoes if they are not competing or on equipment. As for social distancing, they will be more spaced out during practices.

WRESTLING The wrestling team is missing out on a few opportunities this season due to COVID-19.

They will not be able to host or attend any invitational tournaments this year. No more than four teams will be permitted at an event at a time. They usually host sectionals, and they will not be able to do that this season. Out-of-state events are out of the question as well.

“We have to split the locker room and find another place for half of the team to use,” said Jason Joy, one of the coaches. “Practices will also be split into two different times so that the number of kids in the room at a time is limited.”

Between the two practice sessions, everything in the wrestling room has to be cleaned and disinfected.

“We also normally have alumni come to our practices to show technique to the boys, but we will have to cancel that,” said Joy. Prior to this year, wrestlers have used the showers after their practice. This is going to be taken away as well.

“Usually on Thanksgiving morning we do a father-son practice,” said Joy. “We, unfortunately, are not able to do that this year.”

PICTURED AT TOP: The girls basketball team warms up for practice after school. Each girl is assigned a specific bucket to shoot at. PHOTO COURTESY OF ELLIE ZURO PICTURED BOTTOM FAR LEFT: Listening to their coach talk, the wrestling boys sit on the mat with their masks on. There will be two different practice sessions so that the number of wrestlers in the room is limited. PHOTO COURTESY OF JASON JOY PICTURED CENTER LEFT: Emilee Loparo, a senior on the gymnastics team, runs into her tumbling pass. Her teammates have to stand socially distant from her while she tumbles. PHOTO COURTESY OF ARI KASER PICTURED CENTER RIGHT: The bowling team attends practice with their masks on. Eighteen athletes are allowed in the bowling program this season. PHOTO COURTESY OF JOHN ALLEN PICTURED FAR RIGHT: Seniors Lilah Nye and Emma Larj, junior Kaylee Moran and sophomore Annalisa Lobello pose with their masks on before their first practice. The program will be limited to forty swimmers this season. PHOTO COURTESY OF EMMA LARJ

WADSWORTHBRUIN.COM 7

THE BRUIN SPORTS

MITCHELL EVANS JOINS NOTRE DAME FOOTBALL EARLY

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BY JULIA BLAKE STAFF WRITER

itchell Evans finished his senior season as the quarterback for the Wadsworth Grizzlies football team.

After receiving 26 offers to play football at the collegiate level, Evans committed to the University of Notre Dame this past summer to play football for their program the next four years.

Rather than joining the Fighting Irish this summer after graduation in May, he has decided to graduate from Wadsworth High School a semester early and head to South Bend, Indiana to begin training with his new team.

When he visited South Bend over the summer, he fell in love with the campus and the football program.

“Their campus was amazing, by far the most beautiful campus that I have ever been to,” Evans explained. “I also didn’t want go to school just for football, I was looking for an elite education and Notre Dame has that.”

After having an official visit with the University of Notre Dame, the decision became clear for Evans; he would join the Fighting Irish football team, sooner rather than later. By February, Evans will be moved into the university, taking college classes, and beginning training with the team for spring games and events. Essentially, Evans will be a full-time college student once the fall semester at Wadsworth concludes.

However, Evans still has to finish his high school courses before he can become a fulltime student at Notre Dame. This involves finishing his final two semesters of high school coursework in one semester.

“Before I leave, I have to get a year’s worth of English and honors chemistry done in a

semester, and during football season it was hard to get a lot of that done,” Evans said. “On top of that, I have to get my other classes done as well and keep up on those grades too.”

The decision to graduate early was not quick. Mitchell spent a lot of time talking to his parents, teachers and coaches about whether or not the move was the right decision.

“I know for a fact that it will not be an easy transition for me, but I am fully aware of that going in,” said Evans. “It’s going to be an adjustment but it’ll be for the best.”

In order to complete assignments that allows Evans to graduate on time, he has been using the Apex virtual learning system.

Apex is a virtual curriculum system where students can work at their own pace to meet due dates. Evans has been using virtual learning to his advantage in order to finish his work.

“Mr. Bivens has been my point of contact

Mitchell Evans is not the only D1 collegiate athlete in his family. Kacie Evans plays D1 volleyball at the University of Georgia. It is not often that two siblings go on to play Division 1 sports after high school.

throughout the online learning process,” he said. “It’s been a rough process but I’ve been moving in the right direction and will be done in time.”

Recruiting early is a newer concept but its popularity is increasing as more recruited students sign with colleges. This path has brought success to those who follow through with the process.

“Recruits have been doing this for awhile now and I just feel it’s best for me to enroll early,” said Evans. “It was my idea but they would have been okay with me not enrolling early.”

Wadsworth football head coach Justin Todd knew that Evans would be an exceptional candidate for Division 1 football.

“Between Mitch’s sophomore and junior year we assumed he was a D1 prospect due to his size and athleticism,” Todd said. “As he grew into his body it became very apparent that his tangible measurements would be appealing to coaches at the next level.”

Todd was also confident that Evans’s effort and work ethic throughout his four years in the program would stand out to prospective coaches.

The foundation that Evans created in Wadsworth set him up for success at the collegiate level. His hard work has shined through on the field at college combines and scouting events.

“I hope our program provided Mitchell an idea of what type of work ethic, discipline and structure is needed to become successful not only in college but in life afterwards,” Todd said. “The preparation process for this season was skewed due to COVID-19 restrictions, however Mitchell took it upon himself to maintain a healthy work ethic by physically preparing his body for the rigors of a football season.”

Todd mentioned that Evans has the ability to overcome any challenges that are thrown his way and has learned to become a flexible player on the field.

“While dealing with injury most of his junior season, Mitchell was able to put enough elite plays on film to give college recruiters a glimpse of what he can become,” Todd said.

Throughout his high school career, Evans learned how to play the quarterback and tight end position. According to Todd, the duality of positions that Evans has is what made him stand out during his recruiting process.

“The combination of his talent on the field and overall work ethic is something I was able to impart to colleges which reassured them of their decision when a scholarship offer was made,” said Todd.

Notre Dame has officially clenched the #1 seed in the Atlantic Coast conference after beating teams like Clemson University and Boston College. Notre Dame is currently 8-0 and is projected to remain undefeated.

“Being in South Bend the week that Notre Dame defeated Clemson was amazing,” Evans said. “A bunch of us recruits were on campus during the game and got to go to the stadium with the students afterwards. The atmosphere was electric and it just showed that Notre Dame is back!”

Evans may be taking a different path to college, but it is one that will be the most beneficial to both his academic and athletic career.

PHOTO BY JULIA BLAKE

Student Athlete College Commitments Logan Messer

Wrestling George Mason University Committed

Landon Hacker Wrestling University of Virginia Committed

Becca Dunkle

Claire Nicholas

Soccer Saint Louis University Verbal Commitment

Volleyball Walsh University Committed

PHOTO COURTESY OF LOGAN MESSER

Carston Marshall Iowa State University Committed

PHOTO COURTESY OF LANDON HACKER

Nolan Kubilus

San Diego City College Committed

PHOTO COURTESY OF BECCA DUNKLE

PHOTO COURTESY OF PAULA NICHOLAS

PHOTO COURTESY OF CARSTON MARSHALL

8 NOVEMBER 2020

PHOTO COURTESY OF NOLAN KUBILUS

AD THE BRUIN

WADSWORTHBRUIN.COM 9

THE BRUIN FEATURE

Officer Adam Innocenti

promoted to detective

BY CHLOE PORTER STAFF WRITER

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fficer Adam Innocenti has been a part of Wadsworth High School for many years, but is now achieving his goal. He has officially been promoted to a detective, and is resigning as Wadsworth High School’s resource officer after almost nine years of service.

“It wasn’t one of those things I wanted to do right away,” said Innocenti.

In college, Innocenti planned to become a firefighter. As he continued his classes, he decided that he wanted to become an officer instead because the fire classes and police classes were in the same building.

He graduated from the police academy in 2006 after 680 hours that he invested in his training. By 2013, he was officially announced the school’s resource officer. When he first became a resource officer, there was a lot of concern in the community. People were worried that there was a flaw in the safety of the school. Concerns also arose among parents because they thought he would be interrogating children, but they did not understand what exactly a resource officer’s job entailed. Innocenti feels that throughout these eight years, he has changed how many students and parents view Wadsworth’s police force.

His goal was to connect with the students so that they do not feel intimidated by cops. Innocenti wanted to be a positive influence on the students so they did not just think that officers only handed out tickets.

“There’s 2 types of police officers: the community driven police officer that wants to get out there and be in the public and help make a difference, and then there’s the police officers that do more criminal side of things,” said Innocenti.

Innocenti’s favorite memory from Wadsworth High School was when there was a call about a shooter at the high school about 4 years ago. The school went into a lockdown after someone called about the concern in the school. Although it was a scary experience, it helped the school district to improve its lockdown procedures because the communication between teachers and the officers was poor.

He feels this incident was a great experience for all of the schools in order to work through the small communication issues to make the school a safer environment.

He became a resource officer because he enjoys the community side of policing. The community side is more proactive while the criminal side is retroactive because they are dealing with the crime after it is happening. Although he loves being involved in the community as the resource officer, he has been doing it for a long time, and is ready for his new position.

“I love it… but I can sense I’m getting burnt out,” said Innocenti.

After almost nine years of being the school’s resource officer, he is moving on to his goal of becoming a detective. In order to obtain the position, he had to go through an interview process.

In January, Innocenti will be done with his position as the high school’s resource officer, and will be replaced by Officer Ben Smith. Smith has been an officer in Wadsworth for three years now. Like Innocenti, he is also invested in the community side of policing.

“I like showing people that police officers are humans, not robots,” said Smith.

For Smith, being a resource officer is the best job because he feels he can make the most impact. He enjoys working with students and is excited to be able to watch each student grow into an adult.

“We’re humans too,” said Smith. “We like to do all the same stuff that you like to do on the weekends.”

According to Smith, he wants to show that officers are just like everyone else, and that they are here to support and help us. He wants students to have a better view of police officers and to not be scared of them in the future.

Innocenti hopes that he has helped kids to make sure that they are not intimidated by the police officers. He reflects on his experience as positive one, and hopes that Smith will enjoy it just as much as he has.

Officer Innocenti poses after being awarded the Officer of the Year Award in 2019.

The Officer of the Year is determined from a vote by the department’s police officers and dispatchers.

PHOTO COURTESY OF ADAM INNOCENTI

Ben Smith Becomes New Resource Officer Age:

PHOTO COURTESY OF ADAM INNOCENTI

27

What inspired him to become an officer:

“I wanted to continue serving my country and community in the most impactful way I could think of.”

Prior jobs:

A huge part of Officer Innocenti (above) and Officer Smith’s job (below) is being a part of the community. They enjoy working with children inside the schools as well as outside of it, as seen in the pictures above.

PHOTO COURTESY OF BEN SMITH

10 NOVEMBER 2020

“I was a Cyber Development Analyst for the Defense Intelligence Agency in Washington, D.C. Before that I was in the Army for five years as an Intelligence Analyst.”

When he became an officer:

2018

Where he’s from:

“I am from the Portage Lakes area and graduated from Coventry.”

Who inspired him:

“My father, Bob, never gave up on me and I wanted to make him proud by being successful and doing something meaningful.”

Ben Smith poses with a goat outside of the Wadsworth Senior Living Home. He attended their outdoor event where they had multiple farm animals. PHOTO COURTESY OF BEN SMITH

SURVIVOR

FEATURE THE BRUIN

Teacher at Wadsworth High School shares experience of surviving COVID-19

BY KAYLA ROSS STAFF WRITER

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a fundraiser that was for the Norton and Barberton food bank. The fundraiser was at a restaurant and they spaced everybody out. We wore our masks in and we sat across from our friends. We ate dinner, we put our masks on, and we went back home. Not thinking we did anything risky at all. But, they [friends of Mathews] had been exposed to COVID-19 and didn’t realize it. We were victims, right across the table from them.

Everyone at our table tested positive within the next ten days.”

In a seemingly lowrisk

icki Mathews, affectionately called Señora Mateos, is a Spanish teacher at Wadsworth High School. She was diagnosed with COVID-19 in early October.

Mathews’s case became very serious, leading to the hospitalization of her and her husband, Scott Mathews.

Although she is mostly recovered and has been back to school for a few weeks, some parts of her everyday life have been affected by this virus.

“I do still have some out of breath issues when I go up the stairs to get to my classroom,” said environment, Mathews.

Mathews and her Mathews was in the husband still contracted hospital for nearly a the virus, despite wearing week. Her husband’s their masks and following case escalated to the the social distancing point of hospitalization precautions. as well around the “My husband and same time. His case was myself had every symptom severe as well. right away,” said Mathews.

“I spent six days in the “We had fevers, chills, hospital,” said Mathews. cough, loss of taste, loss of “I was very isolated. I only smell, and our fevers didn’t saw the doctors and nurses go away.” who came into my room. I Her symptoms continued to was on the COVID-19 floor at get worse, although she notes Akron General Hospital. My that her friends’ symptoms husband was there too, and were not as severe we never saw each other once while we Vicki Mathews teaches her level three Spanish and comparable to class using her magic wand. Mathews often the symptoms of the were there.” uses her wand to wish luck onto her students Of the fourteen before a test and to give them a little magic common cold.

Eventually, beds available on from time to time. PHOTO BY KAYLA ROSS Mathews and her the Akron General COVID-19 floor, eight were filled while the husband both got so sick that they decided to go to the emergency room. Before their Mathews were there.

Mathews explains that she has taken cases reached that point, Mathews’s many precautions since the very beginning daughter sent an Amazon package with an oximeter to her parents’ front door.

“I read my finger,” said Mathews.

“My oxygen level was at 84. My “IF I HAVE THE FREEDOM husband’s was at 92. I called my daughter TO TAKE OFF MY MASK, AM and she said, ‘Mom, you’re supposed to I GOING TO TAKE SOMEONE have an oxygen level in the high nineties.’

So I called my doctor and she said to go ELSE’S FREEDOM AWAY BY immediately to the emergency room.”

GIVING THEM A DISEASE By the time Mathews reached the THAT IS A POTENTIAL emergency room, she already had additional complications resulting from KILLER?” COVID-19.

- VICTORIA MATHEWS “They did a lot of tests, including a SPANISH TEACHER AT WHS chest x-ray and an MRI,” said Mathews.

“They found that I already had pneumonia setting in my lungs. They decided they were going to move me right into the COVID-19 of the pandemic. ward that night.”

“I am very careful,” said Mathews.

With time and with the help of hospital “I wear my mask, I wash my hands, I stay away from students. But we went to staff and medicine, Mathews and her

husband began to recover from the of the coronavirus. The Mathews did all coronavirus. of these things, but nonetheless, they “We were given a new drug, Remdesivir, still tested positive for the virus. Mrs. which knocked out that virus pretty Mathews made sure that she practiced quickly,” said Mathews. all of these things before and after she “I felt much better immediately. We contracted the virus, especially while in actually got it right before the [FDA] the school building. approval.”

“I know some people aren’t getting Since the Mathews hospitalization, the as sick as I did, but I feel the potential to drug has been approved for use in patients hurt someone by not wearing a mask is hospitalized for COVID-19. unacceptable,” said Mathews.

Mathews had a difficult time with the “I could be preventing someone from disease and she still struggles with the ever having the choice to ever wear or not aftermath. Throughout her encounter with wear a mask down the road.”

COVID-19, she continued to post updates With case numbers on the rise on Facebook to highlight her struggles nationally and dramatically increasing in and experiences with the virus. She did the state of Ohio, Mathews explains that this to inform the community about the there are simple decisions to be made severity of what the virus can become. that could stop the surrounding community “It’s a very hard disease,” said from contracting the virus.

Mathews. “I think that people are being “Any little thing could be a COVID-19 too risky. I’ve been feeling good for almost experience,” said Mathews. four weeks now. And “If you’re we still see people not careful, that are not wearing it’s possible to their masks. I did not catch it. You get anyone sick here don’t know if in this building. I was you’re going very concerned about to be the one that, and it is because that just has I wore a mask the mild symptoms whole time. I wash my or if you’re hands, I am careful. going to be But people are not the one that protecting themselves has severe or other people. I think symptoms. that we, as Americans, You just don’t we love our freedom. know. He [my But we have to pause husband] and think, if I have the and I had freedom to take off my very severe mask, am I going to symptoms.” take someone else’s S e ñ o r a freedom away by Mateos is now giving them a disease recovered and that is a potential is back to killer?” teaching all Washing hands, of her classes wearing a mask, and Vicki Mathews Facetimes her husband while in at Wadsworth social distancing the hospital at Akron General Hospital. Although High School. the two were hospitalized for coronavirus at the have all been proven same time, they were not allowed to see each effective in helping other. PHOTO COURTESY OF VICKI MATHEWS to prevent the spread

If you would like to listen to the unabbreviated interview, check out the Beyond Bruin podcast, Season 2 Episode 1: “Señora Mateos Fights COVID-19”.

WADSWORTHBRUIN.COM 11

THE BRUIN INDEPTH

WHO’S WATCHING YOU?

BY ELISABETH GROMOFSKY STAFF WRITER

Securly acts as a filter for students searches. It filters out inappropriate topics on school administered devices.

GoGuardian allow teachers to view student chromebook screens as well as take over the students mouse.

LanSchool allows teachers to lock students computer screens. It also allows them to take the computer over to keep students focused.

WHY THE SCHOOL CAN MONITOR YOU

T

he School Administration has the right to monitor students mainly because they own the chromebooks. By owning the computers, the school administration hypothetically has the right to install any program they want, within reason.

“I feel like that may be a bit excessive[regarding GoGuardian] but I guess since it’s the school’s property they can do that,” said junior Gatlin Miller.

Another reason the school install these programs is to keep students on track. Students who may have trouble paying attention in class may benefit from these programs. For example, with GoGuardian, teachers can watch students who may be doing other things and either freeze their screen or tell them to get back on track directly.

The third and maybe the most important reason is student safety. Through the surveillance of student emails and web activity, the school may be able to detect signs of cyberbullying.

12 NOVEMBER 2020

G

oGuardian Teacher is a new chromebook monitor that is being installed on all students’ chromebooks throughout the district and will be accessible for teachers to use in the upcoming weeks.

For years, Wadsworth City Schools has had many computer labs. Teachers in these classrooms have access to monitor the students that are using the desktops and are able to turn off the computer screens, presenting a picture that says ‘eyes to the front of the classroom’. This program is called LanSchool.

With chromebooks now being assigned to students to use throughout the school year, teachers have been finding it harder to monitor what students are doing on their chromebooks during class.

“The teachers across all the grade bands wanted this tool for different reasons,” said Phil Luthman, Director of Technology for Wadsworth City Schools. “I am trying to help everyone all at once with this tool.”

GoGuardian Teacher is a much more friendly product to use on chromebooks.

“The teacher will have access to all of the screens in a particular class for a particular period,” said Luthman. “That comes from ProgressBook so the teacher is rostered with a certain number of students.”

Teachers are able to start the class and then see all of the chromebook screens.

The teacher can then project a link or a website onto all of the students’ chromebooks at once, automatically, with the click of a button.

“With GoGuardian the teacher would have the ability to close tabs if students are off task,” said Luthman.

“There is a limitation that I really like. The teachers will be able to see a student’s screen but only during the school day.”

If a teacher is having a hard time getting students to close their chromebooks or to listen to what he or she is saying, they can turn the internet completely off. Students can open their chromebooks but will not be able to browse.

“I don’t like the thought that the teachers can monitor everything we are doing on our chromebooks,” said Haley Bush, a junior at Wadsworth High School. “It invades our privacy.”

Another option that GoGuardian features is discreet, one-to-one communication between the student and the teacher.

“Let’s be honest,” said Luthman. “Half the people at our school are not extroverts. They don’t want to raise their hand to ask a question so I feel like this [feature] will really provide a way to allow teachers to know who needs help in a private setting.”

Students can ask a question privately to the teacher and it would show up on the teachers screen. With this program, students no longer need to raise their hand to ask a question.

“I see these as tools that will meet the needs of all different grades in the district differently,” said Luthman.

“In the high school, I see the tool of loading tabs really quickly that the teacher wants to use, providing oneto-one instruction inside of a classroom. These are some big benefits.”

One additional use that will work with the students who are in Wadsworth Wired is video present mode.

It is used to let the teacher present a video or slideshow to the whole class, even if students are at home.

“There is no logging in, there is ‘no where’s the link,’ there’s no ‘my microphone is not working,’ all of that goes away and the teacher can just talk straight to the students,” explained Luthman.

This is going to be more of a management and communication tool. This program will not block specific websites like Securly, but a teacher can open or close a tab on students’ chromebooks.

However, this program could cause some troubles. Brianna Riedmueller is an editor of The Streak, a student news site of Warren Hills Regional High School located in Washington, New Jersey.

“When students were first getting these school-issued Chromebooks, their parents had to sign a contract which informed them that ‘This electronic device may record or collect information on the student’s activities or the student’s use of the device...’” she wrote in a story in late 2019.

Once the school day ends, the teachers do not have any access to the chromebooks. It is not possible for them to see anything.

“This is really meant to provide tools for the teacher to keep everyone focused and on task,” said Luthman.

GoGuardian is here to stay and in full swing.

SHOULD HIGH SCHOOLERS BE MONITORED?

T

OPINION BY DYLAN HEPPERT STAFF WRITER

he School should not monitor the high school student body because it invades the privacy of students by constantly monitoring them and watching what they do and say in school.

With GoGuardian on students’ chromebooks, teachers will be able to constantly watch what their students are doing in their classroom. Sophomore Daniel Hall thinks that teachers could possibly wrongly punish students, who are actually done with their assignment and working on other things.

“It’s annoying because if you are trying to do stuff, I mean for other classes after you are done [with your class assignment], they could just think that you are just blowing off their work and get mad at you,” said Hall. “It’s kind of annoying to have your teacher knowing what you are doing every second of the day.

Programs like GoGuardian and Securly should only

be used in grades K-8, because high schoolers are much more mature and discuss more controversial subjects in their classes. Securly, the website blocker has been known to block certain material that is discussed in higher level English classes. For example, when students were discussing the Beats in English, some websites required for an assignment were blocked. As high schoolers, if we are learning about controversial topics in our classes, then why are we prevented from searching these topics?

Lastly, without these programs, students can learn digital responsibility for themselves. By learning on their own, high school students can learn the consequences of their actions on the internet. Instead of making every student use these programs, the administration should punish the individual who chooses to use their device irresponsibly.

INDEPTH THE BRUIN

DO YOU KNOW YOUR RIGHTS?

BY EMILY BRANDYBERRY FEATURES/INDEPTH EDITOR

What are my rights on-campus?

First Amendment The first amendment of the United States Constitution states that “Congress shall make no law...abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press.” However, in the school setting, this right can be greatly reduced at the discretion of the school district. So what does this mean for students?

The Supreme Court decided in 1969 that students “do not shed their constitutional rights at the schoolhouse gate” with the Tinker v. Des Moines case. The verdict came after a group of students led by Mary Beth Tinker were suspended for wearing black bands protesting the Vietnam War. “Students should have a right to advocate for their own interests, and it’s also better for the whole society when it is not cheated of the many great ideas of young people, their knowledge, creativity, energy and sense of fairness,” said Tinker in an interview with the Bruin in 2019.

However, in 1986, the Supreme Court took three steps back by redacting much of what was previously decided with the Fraser v. Bethel verdict. In this case, the court came to the conclusion that administrators can limit students’ freedom of speech, but only language that is “indecent, obscene, or lewd.”

A school official cannot limit a student’s expressions because of political reasons or if they do not agree with what the student is saying. This rule extends to pieces of clothing as well, meaning students cannot be punished for wearing shirts that promote their political views, even if they are controversial.

The court stated that schools can only suppress speech in the school if they can prove that it “materially and substantially interferes” with how the school functions.

The same rules do not apply to students’ right to privacy in school. While the district cannot take away all of your First Amendment rights, they can take away your privacy rights.

The Fourth Amendment protects a person against unwarranted searches, but for students in a school setting, that right does not exist. The school is allowed to search items such as lockers and Chromebooks because they belong to the school. They also have the right to search backpacks, purses and cars.

“When a student is on school property, students can protect their private property from other students, but school officials have the legal right to search student’s property for preventive purposes or if they have reasonable suspicion that the well-being of all students may be in danger,” said Board of Education President, Julie Batey.

Argued in 1985, the Supreme Court determined with T.L.O v. New Jersey that as long as a school official has reasonable suspicion, they are allowed to search students’ belongings.

The case also decided that if an administrator is searching a student for one thing, but they find something else not related to the case, they are still allowed to use it as incriminating evidence.

CASES YOU NEED TO KNOW Tinker v. Des Moines 1969 Freedom of speech

A group of Des Moines students were suspended from school for wearing black armbands, protesting the Vietnam War. The group’s parents sued the district, arguing they limited their First Amendment rights.

Verdict “Students do not shed their constitutional rights at the schoolhouse gate.”

Hazelwood v. Kuhlmeier 1988 Censorship

Student journalists at Hazelwood East High School took their school district to court after an article that they wrote on teen pregnancy and divorce was censored.

The students claimed it violated their First Amendment rights even though the paper was funded and sponsored by the school.

Censorship

Privacy

Crude speech

The First Amendment rights of student publications such as The Bruin was greatly reduced with the Hazelwood School District v. Kuhlmeier verdict. After a journalism class tried to publish an article on teen pregnancy, the school district removed it from print. The students at Hazelwood took the case to the Supreme Court, claiming that it violated their First Amendment rights.

The Court ruled against them 5-3, stating that the students did not have that right because the paper was both sponsored and funded by the school. They determined that the paper was not a public forum, therefore, it was allowed to be censored by the district.

“The Hazelwood gave broad, but not unlimited, authority to school officials to censor speech that could be considered school-sponsored,” said Sommer Ingram Dean, attorney at the Student Press Law Center.

Contrary to Tinker v. Des Moines, Hazelwood School District v. Kuhlmeier determined that students are not guaranteed all of their constitutional rights at school.

However, even when Hazelwood comes into play, the district cannot censor based on public relations, but rather for an educational reason.

“The Supreme Court said that a school official has to give a legitimate pedagogical reason for the censorship, which is a much lower standard than the Court set previously in the Tinker v. Des Moines case,” said Dean.

The rules of Hazelwood do not stop at student publications. It extends to theatrical performances, art shows and school assemblies.

Fraser v. Bethel 1986

Verdict

Matthew Fraser gave a speech in front of around 600 students. His Public schools can limit speech was mostly a sexual metaphor student speech if it is that he used to get his point across. He crude or offensive. attempted to sue the school district after he was suspended for his speech.

B.L. v. Mahanoy 2020 Verdict

Administrators can censor school sponsored publications and productions that will cause a major disruption.

Off-campus speech

A cheerleader from Pennsylvania was kicked off of the team after making a post on Snapchat about the cheer squad and school using foul language.

She took the case to court arguing that the post was made off-campus and did not mention the school or any students.

Verdict Schools cannot punish students for offcampus posts unless it causes a major disruption of the school environment.

Why and how does the school limit my rights?

What are my rights off-campus?

The Constitution guarantees the same rights to every citizen of the United States regardless of gender, age or race. As long as those citizens use their freedoms for good and do not break the laws, those constitutional rights cannot be taken away.

However, students rights are greatly reduced or taken away completely when they set foot on school campuses. They lose most of their freedom of speech. They lose most of their press freedom, and they lose most of their right to privacy.

“Students who use inflammatory speech against other students or school officials will not be allowed because it’s the school board’s job to protect the well-being of all of our students,” said Julie Batey, Board of Education President.

Although the school does limit student rights, it is not a decision that they take lightly, going through an extensive process before those rules are implemented.

“The process the school board goes through to approve a new policy, that is Wadsworthspecific, has several layers,” said Batey. “When the school board developed our middle and high school drug screening policy, we held several community forums, talked to other school districts, and did additional research on the pros and cons of having a student drug screening policy.”

Schools have been given the ability to hinder students’ rights by a series of Supreme Court cases that have determined the circumstances that give schools that ability. Those include things such as promoting illegal drug use and activities sponsored by the school, but the most common one is causing a disruption to the environment.

In the summer of 2020, the rights of students claimed a major victory when the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court declared that schools do not control off-campus speech.

A cheerleader from the Mahanoy Area High School was suspended from her cheer team after posting a photo using vulgar language to talk about the school and sports teams. The school punished her, claiming that it broke the school and team rules. However, the post was not made on-campus and did not directly mention the school or any individuals.

The court determined that although it is the school’s responsibility to teach good morals, it is also their job to teach students that they do have constitutional rights. If students had to follow the limitations implemented at school when off-campus, they would live in fear of retaliation from the school over everything they say.

Schools cannot force students to give up any of their rights when not at school unless they have substantial evidence that it will cause a major disruption. So, generally they cannot punish a student for something they post online. But because platforms such as Twitter and TikTok are privately owned, those companies are allowed to censor whatever they want.

The First Amendment rights are only protected by the United States government which is why students are given some rights in public schools. Those rights are not protected by private companies such as Facebook and Twitter.

In the end, it all comes down to the same concept when it comes to limiting rights off-campus.

The school district cannot punish students unless what they are posting or publishing causes a major disruption of the everyday function of the school.

WADSWORTHBRUIN.COM 13

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FLIPPING INTO HIGHER LEVELS

FEATURE THE BRUIN

Jensen Heppner aims to go higher in the world of competitive gymnastics

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BY ARI KASER STAFF WRITER

ymnastics is a sport that combines physical agility and mental balance, and Jensen Heppner, junior at Wadsworth High School, works towards both of those. Heppner is a level 9 gymnast, one of the highest levels a person can reach in the competitive gymnastics world.

Heppner started gymnastics when she was six years old, making this year her eleventh year in the sport. In those eleven years, she has managed to climb close to the top of the sport.

“I remember being really excited that I got my pullover on bars and then after that I just kept going,” said Heppner.

She works out at the Dominique Moceanu Gymnastics Center, also known as DMG, sixteen hours a week. This is coupled with another six hours of practice per week done with the high school gymnastics team during the competition season. Her hours during the competition season total around twenty two hours each week.

All of this work inside the gym goes into accomplishing new skills, training for future routines and mastering the skills that she competes in front of judges at competitions.

Heppner is considered a level nine gymnast and competes against other girls at that level, but she has and performs skills that are considered to be level ten.

The highest non-elite level is ten, making Heppner a high-skilled competitive gymnast.

“My goal for next year is to compete level ten, but I’m competing level nine this year,” said Heppner.

“YOU ALWAYS HAVE TO PUT IN THE HARD WORK EVERY DAY, BUT IN THE END, IT’S ALL WORTH IT.” -JENSEN HEPPNER

Although Heppner is competing level nine, this does not mean that she will only compete the skills that are considered level nine. Heppner’s beam routine and parts of her other routines are at the level ten difficulty.

According to Heppner, the difference between level nine and level ten is the amount of bonus that is needed.

The higher a person climbs in competitive gymnastics, the lower their start value is when competing. A gymnast’s start value is the amount of points that she starts out with before deductions are taken out.

“Bonus is gained by doing more difficult connections,” said Heppner when asked

what the generic definition of bonus is.

Bonus gives them the opportunity to increase their start value. The greater the difficulty, most likely, the greater the amount of bonus the gymnast will receive.

Heppner has put countless hours and years into gymnastics with constant training that goes on year round.

Gymnastics has trained her in mental and physical discipline, both of these things required for gymnasts to excel in the sport.

“It means perseverance, h a r d work a n d payoff,” said Heppner. “You always have to put in the hard work every day, but in the end it’s all worth it.”

Hard work really came into play for Heppner when she was coming back from the state-wide quarantine. Due to the long break off, Heppner’s joints and muscles had time to weaken, which increased the array of injuries that could happen to her.

“The only break I have taken is because of

COVID-19,” said Heppner. “I have not taken any voluntary breaks from gymnastics.”

DMG offered home workouts and conditioning circuits for their gymnasts over the quarantine, but they could only do so much. Heppner did the suggested workouts, and they were able to help her keep most of her muscle mass, but the training that gymnasts do inside of the gym is vastly different to the training that a person can do within the walls of their own home.

Jensen Heppner has put in many hours worth of training and battling mental games, making her talent and commitment in the sport notable to those who know the ins and outs of gymnastics and to those who do not.

Jensen Heppner jumps into her back handspring on the balance beam.

A back handspring is a common skill on beam that is often used for connections in routines. PHOTO BY ARI KASER

AXEL MUELLER FLIES INTO PICTURES

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BY JACKSON KERLEY STAFF WRITER

know how to fly them,” said Mueller.

There are several requirements that must be met to get a pilot’s license, just like a regular driver’s license. This includes having at least forty in-flight hours and ten solo flight hours.

Mueller currently flies smaller aircrafts to learn on, as they are easier to control and provide a more gradual learning curve

xel Mueller, a senior at Wadsworth High School, loves to take his hobby of taking photos to the sky while also flying the planes.

Mueller regularly combines his hobbies of flying and photography by doing air to air photography.

His favorite story comes from a trip to Wyoming when he had a company approach him to take pictures for them.

“It was quite an experience,” said Mueller.

The company wanted Mueller and one of his friends to take pictures of them Hang Gliding so that they could use the photos for promotion. That was one of the only times Mueller was paid to take pictures.

That trip gave Mueller many opportunities to take some really great photos.

Mueller also regularly takes trips to the airport to take pictures of friends flying or to take pictures in the air. He will often go to just take pictures of take offs and landings.

The question arises, “how does one get into flying airplanes?” For Mueller, it is about understanding how planes work and fly so he can further his progress to his ideal career, being an aerospace engineer.

Axel Mueller poses beside the cockpit before taking “If I work on aircrafts, I might as well off for a flight. PHOTO COURTESY OF AXEL MUELLER

than the large aircrafts.

“It’s a Cessna 152 . . . it is a two seater,” said Mueller. “It’s smaller than a 172, which is what I want to learn to fly.”

The 172 has four seats compared to the 152’s two seats which is used for beginners, as it can fit both pilot and instructor all while keeping the aircraft easily in control.

Mueller currently only flies in the practice zone, which spans from Lodi to Wayne County to downtown Wadsworth.

Mueller also takes advantage of the scenery from the sky and uses the opportunity to take photos from the sky, and uses it as an amazing subject for his pictures.

Subject is crucial to photography and being able to find it is what makes photography so interesting for Mueller.

He says that this is what makes it such an enjoyable and rewarding hobby.

“I try to look for things that people don’t normally notice,” said Mueller.

Mueller takes pictures of a large variety of subjects. He will take pictures of things happening all around Wadsworth and even events around Northeast Ohio.

“If the president is coming into Cleveland on Air Force One, I’ll go see that,” said Mueller.

Mueller also takes photos to try and capture historic events happening around the community.

“When [the protests] were going down in downtown Wadsworth, I took pictures of that,” said Mueller.

Mueller also takes photos of other community events, such as athletic events around town and car rallies.

To some, photography may seem like a boring hobby, but Mueller has stories that say otherwise. While on the same trip to Wyoming that he took the hang gliding pictures, Mueller had an opportunity t o take pictures of a wild buffalo herd.

“We were parked on the side of the road and there [were] all these buffalo,” said Mueller. “You had the threat of cars and the threat of buffalo charging you, it was fun.”

That trip provided Axel with many stories to tell and a lot of great experiences that bettered his photography Mueller wants to one day be able to take his knowledge of flight and apply it to developing new technology for flying. He also wants to continue to take photos, even if he does not take them professionally.

WADSWORTHBRUIN.COM 15

THE BRUIN FEATURE

STUDENT RUNS CUSTOM CUP BUSINESS

BY KADE MIROS STAFF WRITER

W

adsworth High School senior, Cara Griffin, runs her own business where she customizes reusable Starbucks cups and has been very successful. People from all around the world have messaged her on Instagram, with what they would like on their cups and within a matter of a couple weeks, they are complete!

Griffin decided to play around with some designs and customize her personal reusable Starbucks cup back in February of 2020. She posted a TikTok showing her talent and hoping others would take inspiration from it.

“Back in February, I put together a couple of cute customized reusable Starbucks cups for my friends and had them hold them up for my Tiktok,” said Griffin.“ By the next day, my video had gone viral and had received over 30 thousand views.”

The business has grown rapidly to where it is today. Griffin has shipped her products to 35 states, Canada, and Puerto Rico.

“I have been asked to ship further than Canada and Puerto Rico, but I haven’t got any orders yet. If I ship internationally, it comes with an additional charge,” said Griffin.

To place an order for Griffin’s products, customers DM her business account with all the details that the customer would like on their cup. An average order ranges from 1-5 cups.

“When I get a message, I make sure to figure out what the customer wants on their cup. I also have different types of cups. I have the regular cup, a confetti cup and a color changing cup,” said Griffin.

The confetti and color changing cup are limited stock because Starbucks only sold them for a limited time.

“When Starbucks was selling the limited edition cups, I went out at 3 in the morning and drove to seven different Starbucks locations and we got around 100 cups,” said Griffin. “ I still have about 50 more and every once and a while I find more when I go on trips and vacations.”

Griffin has different original designs that she offers, the lowest cup starting at $12.These designs include VSCO stars, cheetah print, butterflies and a few others that are featured on her Instagram page.

“Custom cups and confetti cups start at $15 while the color changing cups start at $18. If a customer wants their name, it is $3 extra charge,” said Griffin.

Mazie Shaffer, 12, is one of Cara’s closest friends and has bought a couple of her products.

“I have known Cara since eighth grade

and ever since I met her, she has had such a creative spirit,” said Shaffer.

Shaffer was one of the girls in Griffin’s TikTok that went viral showing off her blue leopard print cup.

A high school English teacher and drama director, also has received a cup from the business.

“I got one of her cups as a gift for directing our most recent performance, The Rainbow Fish,” said Pernod. “It’s very colorful and has lots of sea creatures and the words change colors.”

In the future, Griffin wants to expand her business beyond cups and also include Tumblers.

“I’m not sure how much I would do besides cups but I have had family and friends ask me to do Tumblers for the football team,” said Griffin.

Griffin hopes to expand her business into something much bigger, or to make it a stepping stone into her future.

“The products are super cute, trendy and functional,” said Pernod. “I could definitely see the business take off and become a jumping point to something better in the near future.”

Griffin does not know what she wants to do after college, but she is considering architecture or business for her major.

Both majors could help her business grow because architecture involves arts and business would not only benefit her sales, but how she should run a business too. The cup business is something Griffin loves. She plans to keep her business going throughout her high school and college years.

Cara Griffin shows some of her stock for her business and hopes that people will consider purchasing some of her product.

Her Instagram is @_cara_creates. Make sure to send her a message if interested. PHOTO COURTESY OF CARA GRIFFIN

TWO NEW AP CLASSES AT WHS AP Research and AP European History offer new opportunities for students.

BY KAYLA ROSS STAFF WRITER

Of the sixteen AP classes offered at Wadsworth High School, two are brand new this year: AP European History and AP Research.

These classes are recommended for juniors and seniors, as they are demanding classes. Zach Adams, senior at WHS, recommends AP European History for anyone who has a deeper interest in history.

“I would recommend this class to students who enjoyed modern world history and AP U.S. history, but want to

Mr. Schoonover assists his seventh period class with their research. His students are working towards the AP Capstone. PHOTO BY KAYLA ROSS

16 NOVEMBER 2020

go deeper or want a new perspective on history,” said Adams.

This class is similar to AP U.S. History in some aspects, for example, the AP test in May for AP U.S. History and AP European History is the same formatting. The only difference between the classes and tests is the subject of content.

“Having taken APUSH with Mr. Knapp, AP Euro has mostly stuck to the old structure,” said Adams. “The difference is that here are no more guided readings, but rather free-response quizzes every chapter over certain key ‘Anchor Points’.”

Mr. Knapp teaches modern world history, AP U.S. History, and AP European History. He wanted to start offering this class at WHS. “Finally, we found some room and worked together with Mr. Moore to make it fit,” said Knapp. “We finally had enough teachers to teach everything, so we made it fit.”

For especially juniors and seniors, this class offers a deeper understanding of history overall.

“I think for students who want to go deeper into some of these topics introduced in Modern World History and AP U.S. History, this AP class would of course be good for that.” said Knapp.

In addition to AP European History, AP Research is a new class offered at WHS this

year. To take this class, students must first overall writing skills.”

The AP diploma is an internationally take AP Seminar. Mr. Schoonover teaches both AP Research and AP Seminar. He recognized achievement. To accomplish wanted to start offering this class as an this, taking AP Seminar and AP Research is necessary. In total, students must take six additional opportunity for students.

“I really liked the idea of this class for AP classes and pass six exams as well, two of those classes and exams being Seminar the AP students,” said Schoonover.

“I think that if you are interested in and Research.

To enroll in these classes, students need serious academic study in college this is a great opportunity for students to explore to have strong writing and studying skills.

If you are interested in or have questions other academic interests.”

This class is more independent for the about any of the classes mentioned above, students. The students get to pick a topic talk to your guidance counselor to see if these classes may be a good fit for your that they choose to research all year. “[The goal is] Mainly to get out of schedule next year. students’ way,” said Schoonover.

“I want to facilitate their ability to explore the topic and their research.”

Alyssa Aey, senior, also recommends that students enroll in AP Seminar and Research.

“Taking AP research is a great way to improve writing and researching skills,” said Aey. “For students who enjoy English classes and are interested in careers that involve research, it is definitely worth the Mr. Knapp teaches his fifth period AP European History class a new lesson. They are working towards the AP capstone. PHOTO BY demand. It has helped my KAYLA ROSS

OPINION THE BRUIN

Winter sports events do not need fans to function OPINION BY JULIA SWAIN STAFF WRITER

W

ith COVID-19 cases rapidly increasing and the fear of another shutdown lingering in the air, it seems unnecessary for any fans, let alone students, to attend winter sporting events. This is vital because of the fact that the virus is much more likely to spread indoors rather than outdoors.

While this may be disappointing to fans and athletes alike, the risks that are associated with attending these events can be extensive. Considering Wadsworth is capable of live streaming these events for live viewing, there is no reason why this would not be a viable option.

Athletes may be extremely disappointed since they are used to playing in front of their friends and family. The likelihood of a school shutdown, especially if cases continue to rise, is high, and these athletes are going to have to

make sacrifices if they want to have the possibility of being able to finish their season.

Ciena Matheny, a junior member of the Girls Varsity Basketball team, disagrees with the position that having fans in the stands is unnecessary.

“While it would obviously be the most safe to have no fans in attendance, I think that if fans were socially distanced and wore masks it would still be safe,” said Matheny. “I think that taking fans, especially parents, away from our games would be devastating to most of them.”

Although cases were decreasing in the summer months, numbers have shot back up due to the fact that citizens have grown tired of social distancing and mask guidelines that have been put in place.

Additionally, Ohio gets cold in the winter months, creating a perfect breeding ground for a rapid spread of the virus.

Matheny admits that not playing in front of fans, especially her family members,

THE SPIKE IN COVID-19 CASES

would be extremely unmotivating.

“If my family and friends couldn’t be in the stands to watch my teammates and I play it would be very hard,” admitted Matheny. “Having support from them is very important and not only does it make the game exciting when they cheer you on, but having them there is very motivating.”

Fans may also be disappointed, but as mentioned previously, streaming from home or watching the recorded game is an easy adjustment to make. While it may not be as exciting or enjoyable as seeing it live, these are all imperative to the safety of both the athletes and the spectators, they could contract and spread the virus while in attendance.

Rose Short, a sophomore at Wadsworth High School, is a big fan of attending winter sports events, particularly basketball. She admits that while it is possible that she could watch the games from home, watching the games in-

THOSE WHO MAY HAVE UNDERLYING HEALTH CONDITIONS

THE POSSIBILITY OF ANOTHER CLOSURE

person creates the best experience for her personally.

“I would possibly watch basketball games at home, but the in person experience is really the reason why I enjoy watching it,” said Short.

Short also explained that she would certainly be disappointed if students were not allowed to attend these events, due to the fact that going to a basketball game in these hard times would provide a sense of normalcy.

“I would understand why students wouldn’t be allowed to come to games, however I would be really disappointed if we couldn’t,” said Short. “With everything being different this year it would be nice to be able to watch basketball in person.”

The virus does not seem to be going away anytime soon, and until it does, the guidelines that have been put in place need to continue to be followed, no matter how one may feel about things like wearing a mask and social distancing.

The fact of the matter is, if we are ever going to be able to live a semi-normal life again, we need to put the health and safety of our country ahead of our own agendas.

This virus and all associated with it has wreaked havoc on all of our lives, but if we follow the rules and do our part to stop the spread of the virus it may go away.

THERE SHOULD BE AN AGE CAP FOR PRESIDENCY OPINION BY BRIAN COOTE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

O

ne foot in the Oval Office and one foot in the grave, Joe Biden has been elected as president at the age of 77.

For many years, presidents and presidential candidates have been increasing in age. With a possible term span of 8 years, presidents have been able to serve much past the prime of their life. An age limit should be put on the presidency to have a healthy and relatable leader for our country.

One of the requirements to be president is to be at least 35 years of age, yet there is no age cap. This rule has been in place since the implementation of the Constitution. They believed any candidate younger would be naive and not have enough experience. The same should be said about an age cap. 78 years is the average life span of an American citizen. If we were to use this average age, President Trump, who is 74, will be dead in four years. It is not fair to the American people that their leader is putting in place policies and laws that the President might not live to see their effects. Besides death, there are many negative outcomes of an older president.

“Around 70, you shouldn’t be able to run,” said Aidan Pappas, Wadsworth High School senior. “At that point you become unfit to run the country.”

For young and middle aged adults, these candidates are not relatable. Donald Trump was born a year after World War II and graduated college in 1968, the same year Martin Luther King was assassinated. He and other candidates grew up in a whole different era than the one he leads. While age can lead to a broad experience and career, it does not mean success.

“They lose the ability to relate to the population,” said Pappas. “We live in a different world than the ones these candidates grew up in.”

These older candidates speak on behalf of environmental issues like climate change when their generation negatively affected it, but will not be here to experience it. These are ideas that make these men and women unrelatable.

While no candidate can experience everything the population has gone through, it is not right that a person raised in a different world is leading the new age today.

Besides relatability, there is a problem with reliability. With age comes health issues and complications, and the presidency is not an easy job. It is very straining and demanding.

Imagine your grandparents or parents who are in their 60s to 70s being president. To hop on Air Force One and travel to Europe for meetings or debate day and night on political issues is a difficult task that is far more difficult with old age.

“My grandparents are in their mid 60’s and I couldn’t imagine them trying to do everything the president does,” said Janet

Hoover, Wadsworth High school senior.

“Having to constantly deal with problems and traveling around the world doesn’t seem like something they would want to do.”

Along with an age cap, the health criteria to run for President should be altered. This year, President Trump contracted COVID-19 and was deemed fit to serve. A 74-year-old man who fits the most high-risk category for COVID-19 was suitable for service. That shows the bar is set really low for the health standards for the president. We have a line set in place for circumstances like these, but there are disastrous effects having your leader die during a difficult time. With increasing age comes more risk for this to happen, which would not be good for the American people.

After a certain age, it does not mean you are completely incapable of being president.

Donald Trump is the oldest president in history and yet he is a good example that even at old age, he can handle the strain.

There does not seem to be a moment where he is not arguing or going after someone or something. The problem is the possibility of disaster. Age causes health, reliability and relatability problems that should not be overlooked.

The age limit to be president should be 65.

This means if you are 64 before election day you may run. This does not mean that if you turn 65 in office you will be kicked out. You could be elected president at 65 and serve 8 years. This acts as a deterrent for 70 year

President who were elected after 65

William Harrison, 68

Ronald Regan, 69

Donald Trump, 70

Criteria to be President causes health, reliability and relatability problemsBe that should notCitizen be overlooked. a U.S. born The age limit to be president should be 65. This means if you are 64 before election day ,you may run. This does not mean that if you turn 65 in office you yearsout. or You older will 35 be kicked could be elected president at 65 and serve 8 years, it acts as a deterrent for 70 year olds to run and to encourage running earlier. With this the president of the United States would be a younger, safer and more relatable leader for the country.

Live in the U.S. for 14 years

Be 65 years or younger before running

olds to run and to encourage running earlier.

With this, the president of the United States would be a younger, safer and more relatable leader for the country.

Popular candidates that ran after 65 John McCain, 72 Bernie Sanders, 79 Elizabeth Warren, 71

Joe Biden, 77

WADSWORTHBRUIN.COM 17

AD THE BRUIN

18 NOVEMBER 2020

WADSWORTHBRUIN.COM

ENTERTAINMENT THE BRUIN

SPAMALOT: A COVID-FRIENDLY SHOW

BY MICAH BECK

PROMOTIONAL MARKETING EDITOR

T

he WHS Off Broad Street Players has had to deal with masks and social distancing in order to perform shows safely this year. Though those may seem like setbacks, the Drama Department’s next production, Spamalot, which is a musical adaptation of the 1975 comedy film “Monty Python and the Holy Grail,” was rewritten to make these new obstacles a part of the story. Spamalot performers work on creating the set for the show, which takes place in medieval Europe. PHOTO BY MICAH BECK “Social distancing doesn’t really bother me,” said Mason Currens, who will be publisher, Theatrical Rights Worldwide, describes the show as starring as the lead role of King Arthur. “It does “intended to be played to a socially separated audience by a restrict the amount of acting and interacting actors cast of socially separated actors, appropriately placed.” The idea of being in quarantine is worked into the plot, and social can do, since we aren’t allowed to be really close and touching, but our musical plays with distancing is used as a joke.

The musical is also the first Off Broad Street Players show that aspect, turning the social distancing into to be completely livestreamed. While their last production, something funny.”

Fully named “Monty Python’s Spamalot - A The Rainbow Fish, did a livestream for their show, their Socially Distant Concert-ish Version”, the show’s performance was pre-recorded before being put on air. This

iMESSAGE GAMES RISE IN POPULARITY 8’s. However there are other games on

the app store that you can add to your iMessage to play with other people. Such as Gamebytes, Trivia Crack, and Moji ntertainment is constantly Bowling. changing. Many people are “I play Word Hunt the most but I find excited for new releases Crazy 8s to be the most fun when playing in 2020. iMessage games have with a group of people,” Ava Knight, junior, become very popular in the sense of said. entertainment. Teenagers have used iMessage to keep themselves busy when they are bored. During the first quarantine in March, many teenagers used iMessage to keep themselves busy. Also many families created group chat so they can play games together through their phones.

Jonathan Erb, junior, said, “I play game pigeon pretty much everyday, most of the time I play during the school day when I have free time,” Jonathan Erb, junior, said.

The app store has made a new category for iMessage games. You can find these just like any app in the app store. In the app store if you go to the search icon and search “iMessage games”, you can find all the games that you and your friends can play together.

“I play Word Hunt the most but I find Crazy 8s to be the most fun when playing with a group of people.”, Jonathan Erb also said.

Game Pigeon being the top recommended game on the app store.

This app is most known for iMessage games because it consists of multiple In iMessage, the app Game Pigeon can be games such as 8-ball, Cup Pong, Mini opened which gives the user different game options to send to their opponents. Some of Golf, Basketball and many more. You these include 8-Ball, Sea Battle, Cup Pong, can even play a group game of Crazy Crazy 8, etc. PHOTO BY ASHLEY ALLWOOD

BY ASHLEY ALLWOOD STAFF WRITER

E

means that Spamalot will be completely live online and in-person, with multiple cameras being used to ensure all action onstage will be captured.

“When it comes to performing, most of my on stage energy comes from the audience,” said Currens. “When I get good audience reactions, or see a full auditorium of faces, it pushes me to perform even better. Musical theatre is meant to be watched in person, so I’m nervous to see how it will turn out on a screen.”

Spamalot will be performed from December 3-5, 2020, to a small in-person audience of cast member’s family, and will be available as an online livestream at https://wadsworth.booktix.com/

Scan the code to purchase a stream pass!

HALLMARK MOVIES DOMINATE THE HOLIDAY SEASON

BY ASHLEY ALLWOOD STAFF WRITER

D

uring the holiday season, the Hallmark Channel dominates most other channels. This year there are 40 new movies coming out for the countdown.

The Christmas movie countdown is a program that Hallmark has each year where they play a different Christmas movie for each week for the Countdown to Christmas. Hallmark started the Countdown to Christmas on October 24 and will play a new movie every weekend.

The Hallmark website provides a movie checklist for this event.

According to the website, the top recommended movie for the Christmas Countdown is Christmas in Vienna.

Christmas in Vienna is about a girl named Jess, who is played by Sarah Drew.

She is a violinist whose heart is just not into it anymore. She decided to take a trip to Vienna for a performance. While she is there, she finds the inspiration she has been missing, and new love. The movie features actors Sarah Drew, who is renowned from the show Grey’s Anatomy as April Kepner, and Brennan Elliot, who plays Dr. Nick Biancavillo in Strong Medicine. Christmas in Vienna came out on November 14, 2020 at 8:00pm.

Hallmark movies are not available on Netflix or Hulu currently but you are able to rent the Hallmark movies on Amazon.

You can also go through the Hallmark website to stream their movies with a cable log-in. If you do not have cable there are other streaming services available such as Sling, Philo and FuboTV.

Hallmark provides a cover for the new recommended movie for the 2020 Christmas countdown. Christmas in Vienna cover shows the stars Sarah Drew and Brennan Elliot. PHOTO PROVIDED BY HALLMARK

WADSWORTHBRUIN.COM 19

THE BRUIN 20

DEM NUGS THO: THE ULTIMATE TASTE TEST

E

veryday people all across the nation jump in their car and head to their favorite fast food restaurant and order their go to meals. For some, that go to meal is chicken nuggets. This well known choice comes with great controversy as no one nugget is made the same. People all have different preferences on who has the best chicken nugget. Through this review, I hope to break down each nugget so you do not have to. Between the days of November 15 and 16 of 2020, I took it upon myself to do an in depth analysis of what makes a good chicken nugget and declaring the best. I will be trying the chicken nuggets from McDonald’s, Wendy’s, KFC, Burger King, and Chick-Fil-A. I will be judging them based on four categories. Each nugget can get a total of 20 points as I look into the overall texture, the texture of the meat, flavor, and the crispiness of the breading. But first a very very brief history of the world renown chicken nugget. In 1963 the chicken nugget was invented by Robert C. Baker in the food science laboratories of Cornell University. That means they are Ivy League. Now to the review.

OPINION BY NATALIE MAHER NEWS EDITOR

CHIC SCO K-FIL-A RE: 1 9/20

’S DY /20 N WE E: 14 OR SC

KFC SCORE: 15.5/20

I was pleasantly surprised with KFC’s popcorn chicken nuggets. It was very easy to tell that it was real meat which was a nice change of pace from the others that were, shall I say, questionable. Overall the texture of the breading was the best. It was very crispy but there was a lot of it and it was very salty. My preferred sauce choice was their classic ranch.

This was the best by far, coming in first place. The overall flavor is absolutely fantastic with a wonderful mix of spice and sweet. Like KFC’s, the meat is actual chicken. Though the breading is not as crispy as others I tried, there is a perfect ratio between the breading and the meat. Out of all the sauces, Chick-Fil-A sauce is the best. *Pro-tip: Dip your nugget in the Polynesian sauce and then dip it in the Chick-Fil-A sauce for an A-mazing bite.

Burger King’s chicken nugget was easily the worst I tasted. The flavor itself was not bad, it was the texture. That peppery flavor was soon overshadowed by the chewy and sliminess of the chicken. The texture of the meat was repulsive.

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I would not say I was lovin it, more like liken it.

The coating was more dipped in a cake batter compared to bread crumbs. Because of this cakier batter, it was not as crispy as others I tried.

The overall flavor was adequate with an overall pleasant texture.

Kad eM

These store bought nuggets are a classic go to. The fun shape adds a little extra taste of childhood. They have a chewier texture when they first come out of the oven but after cooling, they become very enjoyable. The coating can vary in crispiness based on time baked.

Ka yla

BU SC RGE OR R K E: I 8/ NG 20

M SC CDON OR E: 1 ALD’S 0.5 /20

O DIN 20 N 3/ SO T Y RE: 1 O SC

20 NOVEMBER 2020

Wendy’s chicken nugget was average but one of my favorites. The flavor itself was nothing special. It was overall bland. It had a pretty good total texture with a good amount of breading. The texture of the meat was enjoyable as it was not tough or chewy. Whether it be the actual quality or just the nostalgia of a Wendy’s chicken nugget, all components of this nugget worked well together to make it very enjoyable to eat.