The Rock - April 2018

THE ROCK

Follow us for new content

@rbhsbearingnews

For daily stories and the latest on RBHS, visit www.bearingnews.org

The Student Voice of Rock Bridge High School Since 1973 • Vol. 45 Issue 6

•

April 26, 2018

Breathe RBHS to test every student at prom

Jacob Sykuta

S

aturday night, many seniors and their dates will dress fancy, take pictures, eat a formal dinner and then drive to prom to the Hampton Inn and Suites on 1225 Fellows Place. While in the past, students only had to give their ticket and undergo a brief bag check, this year, there will be a new addition to the entrance protocol — blowing into a breathalyzer.

In response to Student Council’s concern over students’ lack of sobriety at school dances, teachers and administrators will breathalyze students upon entry to prom at the hotel.

Columbia Public Schools (CPS) Superintendent Dr. Peter Stiepleman approved the idea to use breathalyzers at prom, RBHS principal Dr. Jennifer Rukstad said. Although Dr. Rukstad tried to promote sobriety through class meetings after the homecoming dance, she still saw the need for further alcohol prevention methods to be taken at prom.

“I made the decision, and then we had to have [the school board’s] blessing,” Dr. Rukstad said. “I went to Dr. Stiepleman before winter break, and we talked about the possibility. Then he ran it by school board members to make sure that there was support, but there was never a formal vote. It was really kind of his decision, but he wanted to make sure he had the backing of the school board.”

After Dr. Stiepleman approved the idea, RBHS administration planned the logistics of how they would use breathalyzers at prom.

The breathalyzers will be inside the entrance to the hotel’s conference center, but there will be no separator between students as they will all be a part of the same activity.

Additionally, the administrator will be the only one to see the reading of the breathalyzer, and each “will handle a positive test discreetly,” Dr. Rukstad said. There will be a bag check before admission, along with teacher chaperones inspecting the bathrooms and crowds throughout the dance, Dr. Rukstad said. Every person, student or not, who wants to enter the prom will take a breath test upon entry in order to ensure no person is under the influence of alcohol.

“Everyone who wants to go into the prom [will be breathalyzed,]” Dr. Rukstad said. “There will be four [breathalyzers]. There will be a couple off-duty [police officers] there at prom, as well. They will be away from [the breathalyzing] process, and we will call them in if we need them.”

Students who are part of Missouri State High School Athletic Association (MSHSAA) activities will miss 10 percent of the season they are in if their breathalyzer test is positive, Dr. Rukstad said. If those students are out of season, however, being caught under the influence will not affect their MSHSAA eligibility. For students in the A+ program, if the breathalyzer tests positive, they have to go through the appeals process to renew their citizenship in the program. To fail the breathalyzer test, students need a Blood Alcohol Content over .02.

The immediate consequence for students and guests who fail the breathalyzer test is the same as it would be at all other RBHS dances.

“We will call their parents, and their parents will come get them,” Dr. Rukstad said. “The only way police would be involved is if there was any kind of refusal or resistance or if a student attempts to leave on their own.”

Each breathalyzer costs $129.99, and it costs $199.99 per 500 breathalyzer tubes, Dr. Rukstad said. As for paying the cost of the breathalyzers, the money will come out of the Student Commons fund, which comes from vending machines and other student-raised funds.

At the Battle High School (BHS) prom April 21, the school did not administer the test on every attendee, instead adopting a “search with reasonable suspicion” plan. Hickman High School (HHS) plans to use the same method as BHS at their prom May 5.

Both BHS and HHS principals chose their own procedures, Dr. Rukstad said. RBHS, however, is choosing to breathalyze all persons who wish to enter the dance.

Dan Viets, attorney and president of the Missouri Civil Liberties

MOY ZHONG, VALERIA VELASQUEZ, KATIE WHALEY / THE ROCK

[SOURCE: DR. JENNIFER RUKSTAD, THOUGHTCO]

Association, believes requiring a breathalyzer test as a precondition of admission to RBHS prom is unconstitutional, violating students’ rights guaranteed in the Fourth Amendment, which protects against unreasonable searches.

“It is unreasonable to test every student regardless of whether there is any reason to believe that student has done anything wrong,” Viets said. “If there is no reason to believe either a student has consumed alcohol or is intoxicated, and those two terms are not the same, then that is an unreasonable search.”

In response to the decision of RBHS and CPS, Viets sent a letter April 20 to both RBHS administration and the

school board. There was consideration of seeking an injunction, however, which is a judicial order that restrains a person or group from beginning an action that may threaten or invade the legal rights of another person. Viets sent the letter requesting that RBHS administration and the school board reevaluate their decision.

“We may seek an injunction in the future, [but] we have not decided to seek an injunction at this point,” Viets said April 19. “What we are doing is sending a letter to the school board and to the administrators at Rock Bridge, urging them to reconsider this policy.”

PROM, 3

Jefferson Middle School to implement lottery school system Ben Kimchi

R

MAYA BELL / THE ROCK

HITTING THE BEAT: RBHS percussionists teach a clinic for Jefferson Middle School and Gentry Middle School students April 16. From left: junior Ben Ertle, eighth graders Taylor Geneux and Auria Polefka.

[SOURCE: DR. JENNIFER RUKSTAD]

INDEX

ecent data from the U.S. Census Bureau shows Columbia has been the fastest growing city in Missouri, with much of the growth occurring in South Columbia.

Jefferson Middle School (JMS) is set to transition to a lottery system for attendance in 2020, Columbia Public Schools (CPS) Superintendent Peter Stiepleman said. The attendance system shift comes alongside the scheduled opening of southwest middle school, a new CPS middle school that is planned to open to solve for overcrowding at Gentry Middle School.

“With a new middle school opening in 2020, we will have a challenge of having a seventh middle school,” Stiepleman said. “[But with that,] an opportunity to do something a little different. Students from Lee and Benton STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) will attend the school as a way to continue their specialized program of arts integration (Lee) and

STEM (Benton). ” The lottery system will not be the only change for JMS. The middle school will also set its academic sights on STEAM education, an approach that uses Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math. This academic movement will begin at JMS following the southwest middle school’s arrival, CPS Director of Community Relations Michelle Baumstark said.

“We have quite a bit of curricular and programmatic planning that needs to be done before the school can transition [to STEAM],” Baumstark said. “It does fill an important need in the school district, which currently has lottery schools for STEM, Arts and IGE (Independent Guided Education). Additionally, the new middle school being constructed allows for the district to move forward with the concept.”

The Board of Education discussed the lottery and STEAM concepts, Baumstark said. This change toward a lottery system, however, may

Explore various types of love RBHS running back with nine adolescents may experience Division I scholarship offers ISABEL GOMPPER / THE ROCK during their lifetimes look into his future IN-DEPTHS. . . 7 SPORTS. . . 20

Discover how healthy hydration positively affects the mind and body

H&W. . . 16

not impact students that much. Junior Bailey Long, a former Ridgeway student, sees the shift to a lottery system as a minor change towards the overall CPS. “[The lottery system at Ridgeway] didn’t change anything at all,” Long said. “It’s more for the parents. My parents put [my brother] in the lottery because they thought that would be the best structure for him with learning, and I just followed through.”

Students from JMS will continue to attend high school based upon their attendance area, Stiepleman said. While students may not feel the direct effects of the lottery system, the STEAM focus is something Stiepleman sees impacting the classroom. “[There will be] a greater emphasis on Project-based Learning,” Stiepleman said. “There are examples of this instructional method at all of our schools already, but in Jeff’s case, it will be a school-wide focus.”

Check out bearingnews.org for a highlight video about mud volleyball competition May 3

NEWS. . . . . . . .1 EDITORIALS. . . . . . . .4 IN-DEPTHS. . . . . . . .7 FEATURES. . . . . . . 11 COMMENTARIES. . . . . . . 12 H&W . . . . . . . .16 SPORTS. . . . . . . . 18

2 ADS

THE ROCK www.bearingnews.org April 26, 2018

NEWS 3

THE ROCK www.bearingnews.org April 26, 2018

TO EACH HIS OWN: Junior Dylan Soper tries out a breathalyzer Tuesday, April 24. Principal Dr. Jennifer Rukstad answers students’ questions about how the process will work. Administration allowed students to practice using a breathalyzer in preparation for prom, which takes place Saturday. Each student will receive his or her own disposable mouthpiece for sanitary purposes.

YOUSUF EL-JAYYOUSI / THE ROCK

Breathalyzer checks to happen at prom PROM, 3 After administration caught students and suspected others of being under the influence at the Homecoming dance, Student Council sponsor Kelley Wittenborn knew more action was needed to prevent the student consumption of alcohol at school events. She supports the no-tolerance standpoint administration takes, in part because drinking is “absurd and ridiculous.”

“Rock Bridge students are minors and are not in any way, shape or form entitled to any form of drinking before dances,” Wittenborn said. “Not only is it illegal, but it is unsafe and places an unfair burden on other students, administration and staff who have to monitor and watch out for the behaviors of these students while at these school functions. Drinking at high school events is not acceptable in any quantity, and,

Is RBHS justified in breathalyzing every student upon entry to prom?

therefore, it is perfectly within the right of the school to take a no-tolerance standpoint when students attempt to participate in and attend RBHS events.”

Senior Kevin Kiehne accepts the rationale behind the decision to use breathalyzers at the upcoming dance. Along with sharing some of the same beliefs as Wittenborn, Kiehne understands the liability factor that comes into play.

“I think having breathalyzers at prom is fine. People have always shown up to dances with alcohol, so alcohol definitely influences school dances,” Kiehne said. “It’s become a popular thing for many people to drink alcohol to have more fun. People are going to drink on prom night whether it’s at the dance or after. Rock Bridge just doesn’t want to be accountable for that, so it makes sense that they use breathalyzers to try [to] avoid responsibility.”

In opposition to Kiehne and Wittenborn, however, is Anel Castro. Although a junior, Castro will attend prom as a senior’s guest and believes that while some students made bad decisions at the homecoming dance, most attendees did not.

She thinks RBHS administration is taking away the “freedom with responsibility” from all students, rather than just students who violated that freedom.

“Even when few [students] have shown they are not capable to responsibly make good decisions, the rest and most of the seniors are being punished with being breathalyzed before and after the dance,” Castro said. “I would understand if they were to do it after the dance for safety reasons; however, breathalyzing in the beginning would be taking time out of the special night for all of the seniors.”

Ultimately, no matter how

extensive prevention actions are, Wittenborn worries the consumption of alcohol is unavoidable at high school dances because of the difficulty of the task to monitor student behavior while trying to protect personal freedoms that students possess.

“I think with six administrators, a handful of teacher chaperones, and hundreds of students, it’s incredibly challenging to have 100 [percent] success in monitoring illegal or questionable student behavior,” Wittenborn said. “We are trying as hard as we can to find the balance between keeping you safe and protecting your freedoms.

We don’t want to punish the whole for the actions of some, but safety must remain a top priority, and that is often a hard balance to find.”

Additional reporting by Grace Dorsey and Rochita Ghosh

Drinking isn’t technically legal for us, so [administration] is just looking out for us. They want the best for us and they want us to be safe.”

— Olivia Zacharias, senior

: MAYA BELL / THE ROCK

MAYA BELL / THE ROCK

They definitely have the right to [breathalyze] but I don’t think they’re using an effective method at all if they plan on breathalyzing every single one of us.”

— Tracey Singer, senior

[THE ROCK SURVEYED 200 PEOPLE, 10 PERCENT OF THE STUDENT BODY] MOY ZHONG / THE ROCK

MAYA BELL / THE ROCK

It doesn’t really make sense at a huge event like prom. I think instead of breathalyzing everyone maybe there should be a list of people that they aim to breathalyze.

They’re enforcing it so much it’s like you’re going to prison.”

— Siddhant Chaurasia, senior

Art teacher reaches international success with pottery piece day, but [he] is doing amazing things in his career. This pushes us to create some of our s 3D Studio and Design teacher Shan- best artwork.” non Blakey works with the slip casting Recently, Blakey’s submissions to shows technique to create his work, he goes gave the art community a glimpse into his through a series of molds to actually create success. the form the audience sees.

Even more significant, Blakey’s recent Blakey casts the forms into sculpture wax, ceramic piece, accepted into an international which then gets transferred into negative art show in Texas, is in consideration of being plaster mold. added by the museum as a part of its permaThe plaster mold is what allows him to put nent collection. clay inside of it, which will eventually be bro“I was interested in just making things ken to and takreveal ing them t h e apart piece and figA lot of times I find that I have stuitself. uring dents that are super interested in T h e out how different things that I haven’t even multit h e y thought of, and then they wind piece work,” up doing really cool and exciting mold Blakey things as a result of that.” allows said. “I — Shannon Blakey, 3D for the think Studio and Design teacher artist to w h e n texture other the artindividwork uals are on the surface, Blakey said. also interested in those same things, it can be Blakey often works with a certain type of a lot of fun to share out ideas I have learned, clay, known as a slip. He pours the slip inside and then see how someone else might actuthe mold, and it remains inside for around 15 ally use those in interesting ways that might minutes. push it into a new form that I’ve never even “The plaster sort of acts as a sponge and thought of.” pulls moisture out of the clay, and that sets Blakey believes there can be a really neat up a wall of clay all the way around it. Then dynamic that can take place when there is an when you dump all the extra clay out, it just individual that is excited about sharing out leaves that clay wall so you don’t have a sol- other details they may have picked up that id form,” Blakey said. “Eventually, when might be helpful. that dries up enough, you can break the mold “A lot of times I find that I have students apart, and you have the object left behind.” that are super interested in different things Like Blakey, sophomore Lucy Bozoian that I haven’t even thought of, and then they also has an appreciation for ceramics, which wind up doing really cool and exciting things inspired her to take the 3D Art course. Bo- as a result of that,” Blakey said. “I think there zoian said the freedom students receive in can be a really cool flow from my interest that comparison to other classes is why she enjoys might inspire someone, but then that can also art so much. come back even more so because there are “[Blakey] inspires us to create our best new things I’m learning.” work because we see him succeeding,” BoTeachers such as Blakey are so valuable zoian said. “He is someone we see every other because, in junior Ashley Hrdina’s case,

Ji-Sung Lee

A

CAMRYN DEVORE / THE ROCK

Blakey lets students be creative with the visions he gives.

“If we are having trouble, he helps us come up with ideas,” Hrdina said. “He gives us broad topics to work with, with very few guidelines.”

In one specific case, Hrdina said she was working on mugs, and her theme was “dream”. She explained it was difficult to think of a way to represent dreams on her mug, and Blakey helped her come up with the idea of space coming out of the mug through cracks and a keyhole.

Recently, outside of teaching, submitting artwork to shows has become a regular task for Blakey. Last school year, Blakey submitted to a couple of shows, one of them at the University of Missouri-Columbia.

“From that experience, I’m like, ‘Okay I need to keep doing this. I’m feeling good about the work even though the amount of work that I have is sort of smaller than what I’m used to,’” Blakey said. “It has been a good experience to start putting work out a bit now that I am excited about.”

Blakey completes a lot of his work in the summertime, but admits that at the end of each school day, he would love to go down

to his studio and work for a couple of hours.

Due to his schedule, however, that often isn’t a possibility. When Blakey was in graduate school, he was in the studio “all day every day.” Starting an idea, carrying it out and seeing it finished all happened in a relatively short period of time, he said.

“I’m kind of narrowing the focus so I can really just make the most of those things that I am using, which I think has actually been really helpful, and I didn’t expect that to be a positive,” Blakey said. “I think in the end it kind of has been a positive because it has helped me really think about the reasons as to why I am doing the things that I am doing.”

To Bozoian, her art class is an accepting place where everyone can share things happening in their lives. Bozoian said she, along with her classmates, was excited to hear about Blakey’s accomplishments and support him.

“It is amazing being able to learn from someone who is being accepted into national shows,” Bozoian said. “He teaches us so many new things every class period.

We worked on a college-level shoe project this year. [Blakey] taught us techniques that helped an entire high school class do really well.”

CAMRYN DEVORE / THE ROCK

BREAK THE MOLD: 3D Studio and Design teacher Shannon Blakey shapes clay, demonstrating the smooth and precise function of a pottery wheel in sculpting.

4 EDITORIALS

THE ROCK www.bearingnews.org April 26, 2018

RBHS shows sound basis for breathalyzing at prom

No matter the universe

With great power comes great responsibility.

A

pril 28 may be an uncomfortable day for and the similarity to the AUT checking system RBHS those attending prom. More than the usual already has in place, RBHS is morally right in issuing awkward and stiff rental tuxedo and the thou- required breathalyzer testing on all prom attendees sands of pictures and poses our parents force from this year on.

Some students, however, argue that the school is inus to take, RBHS administrators will require us to blow fringing on their Fourth Amendment rights by holding into breathalyzers upon entry to the dance.

So, we’ll have to wait at the entrance of the Hamp- mandatory breathalyzer tests, however, this argument ton Inn, girls in shoes too tall to dance in much less too holds little truth. Although, students do not completely arduous to wait in line in and blow into a tube in front lose all their constitutional liberties when they go to of our dates, the tube becoming many’s first kiss of the school, as shown in Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District, there are some “fundamennight.

Though the idea of having to subject ourselves to a tal rights of self-determination” that students relinquish sobriety check just because we want to enter a school to balance out liberty with school responsibility, such dance seems irritating, RBHS has the ethical and legal as some aspects of the Fourth Amendment.

In New Jersey v. T.L.O., the Supreme Court ruled justifications in implementing this procedure at the enthat school officials have the trance of prom. right to search students if they One of RBHS’s many mantras have reasonable suspicion is “freedom with responsibility,” Is RBHS justified in implementing of a student, which does not which means students are able to mandatory breathalyzers at school require a probable cause or have certain freedoms so long as dances? a search warrant. This same they remain responsible for themjustification was used later selves, but administrators have THE ROCK STAFF in the rulings for Vernonia the right to take away those freeVOTED School District 47J v. Acton doms whenever students prove YES - 30 and Board of Education of Inirresponsible. dependent School District No. With students partaking in ilNO - 0 97 Pottawatomie County v. licit activities, such as drinking Earls. The Vernonia case also and vaping, during the fall homereasoned that students who coming dance, the RBHS student body has rightfully had their freedom revoked at prom. voluntarily participate in a school-sponsored activity During a meeting, Student Council members and other should have “reason to expect intrusions upon normal students brought up the idea of using breathalyzers at rights and privileges, including privacy.”

Students, though they still have constitutional rights prom, signifying that even student elected officials beat school and school functions, cannot make the argulieved there was an issue that needed addressing.

A problem students may have with this procedure is ment that the breathalyzing policy at prom is an inthe fact that all students must do the breathalyzer test fringement on their privacy. They voluntarily attend whether or not there is reasonable suspicion as to if the the event and have prior knowledge of the tests taking student was under the influence because, of course, not place.

Beyond this, if RBHS cares about student safety, the all students were intoxicated at the homecoming dance.

But RBHS already has mandated checking systems school should additionally breathalyze all students afsimilar to that of the breathalyzer tests in the fact that ter the dance to ensure no one drives home under the inall students must follow even if not all students have fluence. Breathalyzing both on the entrance and exit of proven to be guilty of breaking any rules or showing prom would be best for student safety and protection.

RBHS must continue to administer breathalyzer irresponsible behavior.

That policy would be the Alternating Unassigned tests at school dances until the intoxication problem Time (AUT) checks. RBHS announces AUT checks ceases and students should themselves be responsible randomly throughout the school day to ensure all stu- again to regain the ability to enter school dances withdents on their AUT are safe and are present on campus out sobriety checks. We, students, need to be more responsible for ourselves and our friends in order to earn if they have not signed out.

Because of the incidents at the homecoming dance our freedoms back.

And with great freedom comes great responsibility.

MOY ZHONG / THE ROCK

Letter to the Editor: Breathalyzers

F

reedom with Responsibility. What does that phrase mean to you, Rock Bridge students and faculty? I know as an alum from the Rock Bridge class of 1986 and a teacher of 20 years at my alma mater, how much it means to me. I know as a former member of Executive Council, our elected faculty school improvement teacher group through some very dark times at RBHS, how much it has meant to faculty. I know that for a lot of people who aren’t alumni or are from outside of our building, and even some great teachers in our building, it can be hard to grasp.

At the heart, at its core, it’s a fundamental belief and trust in the good in each other, students and teachers. It’s the idea that students and teachers can work together, rather than against, each other to avoid making school a game of cat and mouse between the two groups. Trusting in one another beyond what many other high schools and middle schools may understand. It’s not always easy to hold on to. And it becomes difficult when we must make hard decisions to both keep students safe, yet also maintain the culture of the building centered on students being trustworthy first.

The idea of universally testing all students for alcohol or other substances prior to dances is fundamentally counter to the notion of freedom with responsibility and is a threat to the culture of trust in our building.

Allow me to share a story that may help understand our past and to illustrate the notion that we believe in the good in students first. Rock Bridge High School opened under our first and longest tenured principal, Wayne Walker, in 1973. It was a very turbulent time in US history. The Vietnam War and the Civil Rights movement had torn apart much of the

The Rock Rock Bridge High School 4303 S. Providence Rd., Columbia, Mo. 65203 Vol. 45, Issue 6 April 26, 2018 Population: 1,962 Students, 148 Faculty Circulation: 1,500 Contact Information: Phone: 573-214-3141 Website:

fabric of the United States. There were a lot of protests, including student protests, across the country. Very much similar to the uncertainty and tumult of our own time. Dr. Walker had taken a psychology class that led him to believe that students entering high school were more psychologically advanced and mentally ready for high school than many adults gave them credit for. He looked at a lot of the things that caused tension between students and teachers and realized he didn’t want to administer a building in which the 10-15% who would always break the rules would dictate the culture of the building to the 85-90% who wouldn’t break the rules. This is where AUT came from. Where ultimately freedom with responsibility would come from. The majority of our building, as data shows, still upholds the rules. Is accountable. Does not break the trust of freedom with responsibility and is completely deserving of their teachers’ trust and admiration. I won’t bore the faculty who feel the “softball story” is passé by recounting it again, but suffice it to say that that story still holds true. The overwhelming majority of our student population deserves a culture centered on trust between teachers and students because they deserve that culture and they haven’t broken the rules.

I think we can all agree that whether or not we choose to test for alcohol randomly or universally, the faculty of RBHS agree that drinking is a subject we care about, something to address and something to monitor. Obviously, both approaches show that we care for our students. However, given the culture of freedom with responsibility, only one of them starts from the premise that our students are worthy of our trust and respect, innocent until proven

bearingnews.org Advertising: $50 – 1/4 Page $100 – 1/2 Page $150 – Full Page $200 – Backpage The Journalism Newspaper and Honors Seminar classes produce The Rock, Bearing News and Southpaw.

The paper’s purpose is to accurately inform, educate and enlighten readers in an open forum.

The Rock is a member of the National Scholastic Press Association, Columbia Scholastic Press Association and Quill & Scroll.

The Rock accepts letters to the editors from its readers regarding any possible issues of concern in the publication.

If you have a letter to send, email it to contact@ bearingnews.org or fill out the online form. Limit entries to 400 words. The

guilty and certainly good citizens until proven otherwise. It’s hard to argue that breathalyzing everyone universally fits that culture. Universal testing of students clearly assumes they are not trustworthy, are not worthy of freedom first.

With regard to faculty, this philosophy is why teachers balk when district administrators use a blanket policy suggesting that teachers aren’t worthy of the same freedom with responsibility consideration on early release days. Or when our faculty meetings declare that all teachers aren’t using their grade books correctly or don’t keep track of tardies or absences. The majority of teachers do. The same concept applies when a teacher chastises a whole class for the wrongdoings of a few. It doesn’t feel good.

I know of no teachers who enjoy punishing a class for what they know only a few students need to hear, but I know a lot of us do.

How will I feel as a teacher at Rock Bridge High School, who loves the freedom with responsibility afforded me as a faculty member and who believes students deserve the same consideration, to watch my students stand in a line stretching to the circle drive out front waiting to be breathalyzed before what should be an otherwise memorable and school spirit building event? And if we take this policy to its logical conclusion, then I assume we will be universally testing at athletic events. Some students certainly drink at those events also.

How will it feel for students to stand in line at a football game to be tested while their parents walk into the game? In either event, if I as a teacher am reflective, how can I look my students in the eyes in class on Monday after the school spirit event and say I believe that they are first and foremost deserving of my trust, and freedom, first?

Rock reserves the right to accept or reject material based on standards set by the staff.

STAFF: Editors-In-Chief: Elad Gov-Ari, Nikol Slatinska, Rochita Ghosh Production Manager: Nikol Slatinska Art/Design Editor: Moy Zhong Business Manager: Rochita Ghosh Photo Editor: Yousuf El-Jayyousi

Again, let’s be clear. If students are coming to dances, or any other events drunk, that is illegal and a violation of the faculty’s trust. They should and deserve to be randomly tested and kicked out of dances and/or suspended from school. We can all agree that both universal and random breathalyzer tests can accomplish the task of catching those students and showing the degree to which the faculty care and want the best for our students. However, only one truly upholds the foundational philosophy of Rock Bridge when it comes to Freedom with Responsibility. Universally breathalyzing our students clearly assumes they are deserving of guilt before innocence, while randomly testing does not assume guilt but still holds them accountable.

The times of Rock Bridge’s founding were tumultuous times, and if Dr. Walker was correct about the mental ability and advanced thinking of students in 1973, then he’s even more correct today. In times of uncertainty holding true to our core beliefs about students will define the future for our entire building. Rock Bridge has been unique, has believed of students what others outside our building don’t believe, what others have ridiculed us for, when it comes to the relationship between teachers and students.

For decades we have proved them wrong. We have maintained our culture through the tumult and by outperforming everyone in Columbia by all measurable academic tools. Universally testing every student before social events does not uphold our core philosophy of Freedom with Responsibility and I urge those who voted for this to rethink the policy by switching it to a random testing.

Thank you for your time.

— David Graham, RBHS studies teacher

News Editor: Katie Whaley Features Editor: Ji-Sung Lee Editorials Editor: Faaris Khan Commentaries Editor: Nikol Slatinska In-Depths Editor: Ann Fitzmaurice A&E Editor: Elad Gov-Ari H&W Editor: Grace Dorsey Sports Editor: Emily Oba Staff Writers: Allie

Pigg, Atiyah Lane, Ben Kimchi, Jacob Sykuta, Jordan Rogers, Jordyn Thompson, Maddie Murphy, Ryan Choe, Siena Juhlin Photographers: Camryn DeVore, Kai Ford, Maya Bell Artists: Carmen Ramirez, Isabel Gompper, Valeria Velasquez Videographers: Cameron Fuller, Kai Ford Adviser: Robin Stover

HEALTH & WELLNESS 17

THE ROCK www.bearingnews.org April 26, 2018

Alzheimer’s slowly unravels identity

J

Nikol Slatinska

ust a little more than two weeks ago on April 9, a group of scientists from Gladstone Institutes led by Dr. Yadong Huang published a study detailing how they neutralized the APOE4 gene, which increases one’s risk of developing Alzheimer’s Disease, with a compound that changed it into the APOE3 gene, a harmless alternative.

This information is a breakthrough because having one copy of the APOE4 gene can double a person’s risk of developing Alzheimer’s Disease, and two copies increases that risk by 12 times.

Learning how to prevent this disease is becoming more and more critical, as its prevalence is increasing; the medical journal Neurology reported that the number of people with the illness will triple by 2050.

Part of the reason for this growth is that the Baby Boomer generation is living longer than those before it; Dr. Kathleen Hayden, an associate professor of social sciences and health policy at the Wake Forest School of Medicine, noted that 76 million people born between 1946 and 1964 are now in the high-risk age range for the disease. Additionally, people who receive an earlier diagnosis have the opportunity for better care, ensuring a longer lifespan.

For Advanced Placement Biology teacher Kerri Graham, Alzheimer’s Disease has been part of her reality for the past seven years, as that’s when her family began seeing symptoms in her mother. “[My mom] is 77 years old, and when she was 70 years old, we noticed some fairly small things. A couple of times she got turned around when she was visiting a sibling of mine, or she would know the area really well but get lost,” Graham said.

“A couple odd things happened, but we really didn’t think anything about it because we were like, ‘She’s getting a little older. Whatever.’ She was still in really great shape and was pretty with it in all other things, but there were some other little things that were happening.”

Aside from getting lost in familiar places, Graham’s mother would also make repeated claims that her computer didn’t work and would get nervous about entertaining large groups of people despite having spent years cooking for six kids. It wasn’t until about five years ago, when Graham’s mom was unable to recover fully from a concussion, that the family realized there was something else besides age associated with her inability to drive and remember certain words. After

her ability to read, speak and do basic arithmetic worsened, her doctor confirmed that all her symptoms were the effects of early onset dementia, a common result of Alzheimer’s.

Like Graham’s family, sophomore Elizabeth Musco’s relatives didn’t immediately associate her grandma’s forgetfulness and constant worry with a degenerative disorder. Her doctor initially diagnosed her with anxiety before connecting the symptoms and realizing she has Alzheimer’s. Musco said she knew what the disease was beforehand but never thought it was something that would affect her life. “[My relationship with my grandma] has not changed other than you just have to be really... I don’t want to say that she gets her feelings hurt, but if you say, ‘You already asked me that,’ or you get frustrated with her, it worries her more because she doesn’t want to have this diagnosis,” Musco said. “She’s kind of still in denial that she has Alzheimer’s and that she’s going to have to deal with dementia.

It’s hard for her, so it’s just made me a little more sensitive around her about what I’m saying, and if she asks again I’ll answer whatever the question was that she probably asked five minutes ago.”

While there is no single cause attributed to Alzheimer’s, scientists have linked genetics and lifestyle as the primary contributors. Dr. Hayden said there are a number of genes associated with the inheritance of Alzheimer’s, including APP, PS1 and PS2, but they have rather small effects on the development of the disease. Even people with the APOE4 gene are not guaranteed to have the illness.

“On the other hand, lifestyle factors are often controllable or modifiable. These are things we can do something about; we can encourage people to take better care of their physical health because that will promote better cognitive health in old age,” Dr. Hayden said. “It is hard to say whether lifestyle factors are stronger risks or protective factors than genes on an individual level, but because they are so widespread, control of these risk factors on a population level can have a significant impact.

These factors are things like obesity, diabetes, hypertension and physical inactivity to name a few.”

Furthermore, Michigan State University neurology professor Dr. Andrea Bozoki said only a small number of individuals, or fewer than five percent of the population, with early on-

set Alzheimer’s can definitively trace their symptoms to genetic mutations.

For those with relatives beyond age 65 who developed Alzheimer’s, she suggests to follow the same advice as someone who is trying to prevent heart disease: regular exercise, eight hours of sleep, no smoking and no added sugars and processed foods.

Because of her grandma’s healthy habits and her mother’s forgetful personality, Musco believes Alzheimer’s is hereditary for her family. Researching the topic for a class project has made her aware of little things she can do to prevent developing it herself, such as word searches, sudoku puzzles and getting enough exercise.

Graham, on the other hand, associates her mother’s Alzheimer’s to an inactive lifestyle and fluctuating weight.

As a result, she and her sisters read up on things they could do for their health, although none of them have made particularly drastic changes.

“I have always exercised, and all my sisters have exercised their whole lives, so we’re like, ‘Okay, at least we have that going for us.’ We’ve looked at certain foods that might be helpful to include in our diets and certain foods to stay away from, which honestly, sometimes I’m good at and

VALERIA VELASQUEZ / THE ROCK

sometimes I’m not good at,” Graham said. “It’s kind of that balance, too, of, like, you gotta live while you’re here.

But I would say the big thing is we all recognized being active and trying to eat as balanced as possible.”

Graham’s mother’s condition has gotten progressively worse, characterized by sudden declines that have taken away her ability to physically care for herself. The most difficult part for Graham is seeing her mother aware of the fact that she can no longer be an independent person, as well as watching her father handle the transition.

Even with the hardships of the situation, Graham likes to acknowledge the positives, such as being appreciative of the time she has left with her mom and seeing all her siblings come together more despite living all over.

“Even though it’s a horrible disease, every disease or way to go stinks. If you go quickly, it stinks because your loved ones are surprised. If you go because of cancer, you suffer all kinds of physical pain,” Graham said. “Alzheimer’s is a lot of mental pain, and it’s a really long goodbye, but there’s good stuff in that long goodbye, too, so my family has been really lucky to have a lot of really good memories and really good moments, as well.”

Intense exercise gains momentum Grace Dorsey

I

[SOURCE: BEYONDFITNESSHEALTH.COM]

VALERIA VELASQUEZ / THE ROCK

n recent years, HIIT, or high intensity interval training, has gained a cult following. Boasting an efficient fat-burning effect, this type of exercise usually consists of burpees, squat jumps, sprints and other similar movement patterns. What’s more, HIIT’s application can go far beyond one’s weight-loss pilgrimage.

The medical world has been looking into its heightened ability to treat chronic illness such as heart disease, stroke, diabetes and even Parkinson’s, according to The New York Times.

Though senior Trevor Twehous doesn’t suffer from disease, he has found HIIT-style workouts beneficial for performance on the football field and on the track.

“I’d say [I’ve leaned more] toward short bursts like when I did play baseball, running the bases it’s not a long distance, it’s short distance — base to base. Then in football, you’re not going to run that much at one time. You’re going to run 10 yards, 20 yards. You’re not going to run a lot,” Twehous said. “Throughout my sports career, it’s always been short distance. It’s never been a long distance. That’s what I have to train for all the sports I do.”

On a cellular level, sprinters mostly make use of their fast-twitch (FT) muscle fibers instead of slowtwitch (ST). The difference in the two types is that FT is more efficient with low-oxygen levels and usually outputs a large amount of force during a small period of time.

Rory Cunningham, a kinesiology graduate student of the University of Missouri-Columbia, is conducting research on the benefits of HIIT for curing fatty liver disease. Within his studies, Cunningham has learned about the positive outcomes of HIIT. “Getting your heart rate pretty high, even 90 percent of your maximum, makes your blood flow through your vessels much quicker. That increases the stress on the vessels but actually . . . it changes the blood vessels to help vessel function,” Cunningham said. “Working at a high intensity allows your muscles to withstand [exercise] longer. It helps delay that burning sensation.”

For Twehous, it’s likely a muscular composition made up by a majority of FT fibers has aided in his explosive exercise-based sports career. Still, by reinforcing this through workouts, Twehous likely benefits from the muscle-building and fat-burning that HIIT offers. Twehous sees the benefit of both factors.

“I can definitely see [how genetics can play a role.]

Both my parents were athletes, and they only did short distance. They were never the long distance people.

For endurance, I can’t run a long distance; I’m more built for short distance,” Twehous said. “Everybody has their own thing that they’re good at. I do believe people can be built for long distance, and people can be built for short distance. It’s just what they’re better at. That’s just what they train for.”

The differences in practice for the short-distance and long-distance athletes are especially evident during track practice, particularly when it comes to time. With 60-minute runs, long-distance runners leave well after sprinters. Freshman long-distance runner Olivia Declue recognizes that specificity is important but doesn’t love the drawn-out runs.

“I think [long distance and short distance practices] are effective in different ways. Obviously, long distance running is better for endurance, but sprinters don’t necessarily need [that,]” Declue said. “[It can be annoying] because we’ll be coming back from our stretching after our run, and they’ll already be gone.

Our warm-up is longer than their entire workout, so that’s kind of annoying, but I guess I understand it.”

Of course, for those who don’t need fidelity to one or the other to gain a competitive edge, a combination of both HIIT and lower-intensity exercise can offer an engaging and successful workout strategy.

“There’s been some evidence that suggests high-intensity can actually improve your physical fitness above and beyond that of low intensity steady state.

But, low intensity definitely has its role in a wide variety of settings,” Cunningham said. “[Low intensity] is very simple. It’s a really good doorway to get sedentary people to exercise. Also, it’s much easier on the body.

If you do high-intensity training all the time, your body can get beat up a little bit.”

18 SPORTS

THE ROCK www.bearingnews.org April 26, 2018

Boys’ lacrosse hungry

for Clayton Greyhounds Cameron Fuller

I

MAYA BELL/THE ROCK

USE YOUR HEAD: Senior Payton McCallister drives the ball down the field toward the BHS Spartans’ goal. The Lady

Bruins defeated the Spartans with a score of (6-2) April 14. The team will play again Monday against the Smith Cotton Tigers.

Girls’ soccer to face Tigers W Emily Oba

of the best we’ve had throughout my ith a solid season underway high school experience,” Adelstein said.

[12-3], the girls’ soccer team “Overall, everyone is very encouraging, will face the Smith Cotton Ti- and we support each other, and I think gers Monday. Hoping to continue their we’re a pretty close team.”

For head coach Gary Drewing, Smith string of successes, junior Grace Davis says their main strategy is to win ev- Cotton is a district opponent that always ery 50/50 ball and outplay the opposing instigates good competition. He feels there is an added importance for the team.

“So far, the season has been really game, as it affects district seed.

“Playing Smith Cotton in Sedalia adds great, honestly,” Davis said. “We seem to to the challenge,” Drewing said. “Smith do really well under pressure.”

Cotton soccer has strong community supJunior Beni port, and they Adelstein create a great shares the same home team atconfidence as We approach every game with mosphere. We Davis. She sees the intent to outwork the oppoapproach every the Bruin dynent.” game with the namic as one intent to out—Gary Drewing, head coach of the factors work the oppofor the team’s nent, and Smith many victories.

Cotton will test This year our approach.” marks AdelFortunately for the Bruins, they did stein’s third year on the varsity team, so she has a lot of experience to compare not lose many seniors at the end of last season, the varsity team is mostly made this season to.

“I feel that the team dynamic is one up from the same people as last year.

Adelstein believes this makes them a closer and more cohesive team, as well as creating a friendly environment.

“Sometimes you hear people on other teams yelling at each other when they get frustrated, but our teammates generally don’t get mad at each other like that,” Adelstein said. “[Instead we] hype each other up.”

The Bruins, however, do not just rely on their team camaraderie for games.

About a week before the team plays against Smith Cotton, it will begin preparing. The players will do training drills based on Smith Cotton’s strategic formations and where they position their best players on the field.

Along with practice drills, the team does a lot of walkthrough techniques, which is similar to a game but slowed down. This pregame preparation has worked out well for the Bruins, and Adelstein has seen the obvious payoff.

“Every season has its own feel and is a journey,” Adelstein said. “Despite being this far into the season I don’t think we have really found our identity, and our best soccer is still ahead of us.”

t wasn’t long ago that RBHS was last place in Columbia lacrosse with multiple losses to Hickman in the Golden Crosse game. In recent years, though, the team has changed the script.

On March 28, the Bruins beat the Kewpies for the sixth time in a row, tying the previous record for most consecutive wins in the rivalry. No longer contained to competition just in town, the team looks to build upon this and work toward its first playoff win in the program’s history.

For Head Coach Tim Baird, having big hopes for the team and playing competition such as Christian Brothers College (CBC) is the best way to make sure both players and coaches perform at a level he knows is possible.

“I have high expectations for the team this season. We have the components to make a deep playoff push into territory this program has never experienced before and set a precedent for future RBHS lacrosse teams,” Baird said. “With conference games still looming, its safe to say the team still have loads to improve upon and must work hard everyday to end up in St. Charles on Memorial Day weekend.”

Much of this success falls to having nine seniors on the team, with seven of them having played all four years. Senior defenseman Connor Buckley, who has committed to play at Benedictine College, said he feels this is the most driven team he has been a part of during his time at RBHS and can see the team going far in the postseason.

“Having a lot of seniors definitely helps,” Buckley said.

“We have been really close against Clayton, but we just need to execute what we put in place and not let other factors affect how we play. They have some talented players, but so do we.”

One of those close calls has been trying to beat Clayton High School, whom the program has never beaten, but is scheduled to play once again on April 28. For sophomore attackmen Matt Covert, though the rivalry is quite new, he still sees it as something that needs to happen for the team to make a deep run in May. “This rivalry will just make me and my teammates work that much harder to win,” Covert said. “To beat Clayton we need to stick with what we know best and play our game, not theirs. We just need to run the plays that we practice everyday and be focused up and ready to go.”

Though there have been many player and coach changes over the years, Baird said this team still has the same drive to fight, but now with improved skill, and sees this as a great opportunity to show the state who RBHS lacrosse is.

“To beat Clayton, we must continue to play the Bruin way of being fundamentally sound and willing to dig deep when the time calls for it,” Baird said. “Clayton has a sophomore, Trystan Goette, who is currently sixth in state for total points (37 goals and five assists). If we can keep him in check and under 3 goals, then we should be able to pull off a hardfought victory.”

ERIN STRONG

LOCKING DOWN: Senior defenseman Griffin

Strong protects the midfield from an oncoming Belleville attackmen. The Bruins would go on to win 13-0.

Rugby starts in CoMo, encourages competition Isaac Parish

I

n Branson, senior Ben Aumiller spent a lot of his time running with a group of close friends as a part of his school’s track and cross country teams.

Suddenly, he had to move to Columbia just before his last year of high school and leave them behind.

At RBHS, Aumiller got word about a rugby team in town looking for new players.

He remembered hearing people talk about rugby back home and how it was one of the toughest things a guy could do, and since he wasn’t running with his old friends anymore anyway, he figured he’d give it a shot.

“I’ve found some camaraderie in the team that I’ve seldom got to experience,” Aumiller said. “[In rugby], we only see each other about three times a week and come from different schools, but the physical and intense nature of the sport kinda pulls the team together without anyone trying. It’s something else.”

The Bandits, a rugby team for

high school students in Columbia, made its debut in the spring of 2017.

For assistant coach Drew Morrow, rugby was a gift bestowed upon him, and the best thing anyone can do is pass on a gift.

Morrow, alongside the Outlaws, the decades-old team for adults, created the Bandits simply so that they could help spread the sport they love to a younger generation.

“As an older player, I love the game but can’t play as much, but still want to be in the rugby family,” Morrow said. “[Coaching] is a great way to pass on my knowledge and keep in the rugby game. This season is great seeing all the new faces and the returning players. Watching guys catch the fire for the sport like I did so many years ago is awesome and lets me know I’m passing on a good thing.”

For most players, the team serves as their introduction to the game.

That’s clear to see, as there are many more participants for American football than there are for rugby in the states (5.48 million vs. 1.55 mil-

lion, according to Statista). Rugby for everybody.”

Although the game is entertainis an activity that junior Malik Ibdah believes would be appropriate ing for many to play and watch, it and enjoyable for just about anyone can be dangerous.

The Bandits suffered many inwho wanted to give it a try, as he juries last w o u l d n ’t season, even be includfar off ing two from the It’s about family. No matter concusskill levwhere you go in this world , you sions from el of the can find a rugby player or team.” the same rest of the —Drew Morrow, assistant coach player, a team. sprained “I had ankle, absoluteknee injuly no clue ry and miabout rugnor neck by when I first started,” Ibdah said. “Despite injuries for others, said head coach it being a rough sport, it’s ironically Don Baker.

So far this year, there has been a lot more chill than I expected. It’s still a serious game, but there huge another sprained ankle and a broken crowds or an enormous pressure on leg.

“All rugby coaches try to teach you to win. It’s just people having fun, and that’s the best part. Rugby safety first,” Baker said. “Tackling is, honestly, one of the best experi- is a good example; we talk about ences in my life, and I’d highly rec- the importance of placing your head ommend it to anyone, regardless of behind the ball carrier, then making athletic ability or anything. Rugby is contact with your shoulder on or be-

low his hip, wrapping up and finally finishing the tackle by taking him to the ground.

Rugby is a contact sport and can be played hard and aggressive, but with safety in mind.

In addition, Baker said that USA Rugby, the national governing body for the sport, requires that in every game there must be a referee who has been instructed that any high tackles can result in red or yellow cards, like in soccer. There is also a mandatory and certified athletic trainer at all games in case of accidents.

“People only think it’s a crazy, brutal game, but it’s not that,” Morrow said. “It’s about family. No matter where you go in this world, you can find a rugby player or team, and they will take you in and support you like you’re one of their own. We play for each other, and we support each other, on and most importantly, off the field.

The Bandits’ next game will be at 1 p.m. April 29 at Chaminade High School in St. Louis.

THE ROCK www.bearingnews.org April 26, 2018

Hungry?

May we make a suggestion?

Columbia

© 2017 McDonald’s Corporation

19 ADS

20 SPORTS

THE ROCK www.bearingnews.org April 26, 2018

Peat chases NFL dreams Athlete embraces Maddie Murphy

I

t was the summer between freshman and sophomore year when junior standout student-athlete Nate Peat received his first Division 1 football scholarship offer from the University of Missouri.

Since then, he has been offered eight more times from Missouri State, Kansas, Northwestern, South Dakota State, Iowa State, Iowa, Purdue and Minnesota.

“When I got my first offer, I was at a loss for words,” Peat said. “I got it from my old high school coach, Coach [A.J.] Ofodile, and so that made it so much more special. I still get just as excited when I get offers. After gaining an offer, it reminds me how truly blessed I am and how I have to keep working harder.”

With an accumulation of options, colleges have given Peat the ability to choose what he prefers in a school.

While he isn’t too picky, he feels a family envi-

ronment suits him best.

“Well, given that I’m able to choose my school, I want to choose the best school that can set me up for the future,” Peat said.

“Football isn’t forever so I

YOUSUF EL-JAYYOUSI / THE ROCK

shouldn’t choose my school primarily on football alone. I have no preferred community, but I do want the football program to be a family type team that I can mesh with. I don’t want to spend four to five years with a team that I don’t really like.”

Thanks to the work of his parents raising him to be courteous, Peat continues to be one of the most modest, well-respected athletes in Columbia.

“I was raised to be humble as a child, and it kind of just stuck with me,” Peat said. “I was really shy growing up so I never really liked the spotlight on me. I’ve been blessed with talent, and with talent comes the spotlight, so I’ve grown to be more comfortable with attention, but I’m still the same me, and I hope the success never changes me.”

Varsity football coach Van Vanatta thinks the way Peat carries himself and the respect he shows his community are main reasons so many teams are after him. His grit and strong backbone are also helpful.

“Of course, he is naturally talented, but he continues to get better because of his determination and work ethic,” Vanatta said. “He is explosive and has a burst of speed that a lot of athletes do not have. He stands out because of how he handles himself on and off the field. He has great grades and represents himself, his team and the Rock Bridge community with high standards.”

Even with the tremendous athletic success, Peat takes full advantage of his education. To his friends, such as track teammate junior Mojuba Shonekan, his competitive nature doesn’t stop on the field.

“I would describe Nate as a very intellectual and smart young man,” Shonekan said.

“He takes school very seriously, and he doesn’t like getting outworked in the classroom. He’s also very selfless. He goes out of his way for the people he cares about.”

Peat tries to see himself as the epitome of a

student-athlete with big goals. While only about nine in 10,000, or 0.09 percent, of high school athletes end up in the NFL, according to the NCAA, Peat works hard to give himself the best possible chance.

“I try not to stand out too much, but I guess what makes me stand out is that I really take pride in my education as well as in athletics,” Peat said. “The NFL is a big dream of mine, and I will work my hardest to achieve that dream, but the NFL is not guaranteed, so that’s when education is key. I plan on taking full advantage of college and being the best student I can be.”

Throughout high school, Peat has been involved in Cor, a program that empowers male student-athletes in Columbia to transform their lives through educational and athletic opportunities. Between Cor and his family, Peat received an opportunity to excel and become a better man.

“I honestly believe it’s the people around me that make me who I am today. I’m truly grateful for the family and friends I have. My parents have sacrificed so much for me and have supported me through everything,” Peat said. “My brother looks out for me and is the main one who showed me the ropes for football and guided me to be the player I am today. My Cor family not only encouraged me to be a better student, but [Directors of Cor] Angie [Azzanni] and Travis [Craig] are helping me become a better man. The sacrifices that they make daily often get overlooked, but I’m truly grateful for them and thankful to be apart of Cor.” Though Peat may live a different life than some of his peers, Shonekan wants everyone to know that his friendships and relationships are still a priority.

“Nate works out a lot even outside of organized practices,” Shonekan said. “He takes working out seriously and wouldn’t let anything get in the way of it that is a distraction.

But after he completes his practices, he is very free and will go hang out with his friends. He knows how to be a great athlete, but at the same time, he knows how to have fun.”

Peat values his friends and appreciates the sports they have in common. He also recognizes that without his closest friends, he wouldn’t be near the athlete he is today.

“The friends I’ve made over the years have really changed me. We’ve laughed, cried, fought and worked together. We constantly compete with each other to push ourselves to new levels,” Peat said. “They keep me humble, and together we all strive to be the best athletes and men that we can be. All in all, without these people in my life, this article wouldn’t be written; I probably wouldn’t have any of these offers; I honestly don’t know where I would be. God blessed me with great people and talent, and these are the people that drive me to be the best I can be.”

ENVIRONMENTAL PORTRAIT OF NATE PEAT BY YOUSUF EL-JAYYOUSI / THE ROCK

Boys’ golf prepares for Baseball hopes to pull forward in mid-season double header district competition

Jordan Rogers

I am with my home course.” oys’ golf will tee off at districts Minor isn’t the only golfer who looks April 30 at the Meadowlake Coun- to create a comfortable environment for try Club. playing. Senior Sam Rentschler focuses on The extreme weather that the team has calming himself to better his performance. dealt with definitely hasn’t helped them “When I go into a match, I expect my during their first few matches. Golfers game to be prepared to play conservative have battled cold, rainy and snowy condi- and stress-free golf,” Rentschler said. “It’s tions this season; however, freshman Sean a lot easier to score if you can hit fairways Minor is proud of the team for its ability and greens.” to overcome these obstacles. Things are Rentschler, however, doesn’t like using looking up for the golfers, as temperatures the unprecedented weather as an excuse; are supposed to be in the high 70’s on April instead, he believes the weather has forced 30. the team to work “I’m proud of together more. our team effort “The weathWhen I go into a match, I expect and [9-1] record er has definitely despite the crazy my game to be prepared to play made it a litweather. I feel tle bit tougher conservative and stress-free like my game is with the wind golf.” progressing, and and cold tem—Sam Rentschler, senior I was pleased perature,” Rentwith my perforschler said. mance in our “It definitely first 18-hole restricts how match,” Minor much you can said. “Right now, I am doing my best to be practice outside, so I usually hit inside. The patient with my game and give great effort two matches we have played in the weather each day at practice.” [were] actually really cooperative.”

At [9-1] on the season, RBHS hopes to While Rentschler feels the team worked continue their early success. well together during the bad weather, head “I’ve worked on sharpening my game coach Austin Reed sees it as a “bummer” by identifying my tendencies. Once I un- that two of the teams matches have been derstand my common misses, I can focus canceled this season. on aiming at the right target that will leave Looking ahead, Reed tries to prepare me the best opportunity to score,” Minor his team for the different golf courses the said. “My dad taught me that when I take Bruins will encounter, and how to apdead aim, I’m shooting a shotgun of my proach each one. misses at the green, not a sniper rifle. Since “[We prepare for each match] based I started playing tournament golf, we’ve off the conditions and the course layout,” focused a great deal of time preparing for Reed said. “Guys need to think about each each match, so I can feel as comfortable as course differently.”

B

Jordan Rogers

T

he Bruins’ baseball team will face off in a doubleheader against Liberty North High School [16-4] at 10 a.m. and Blue Springs High School [14-8] at 1 p.m. Saturday.

The Liberty North Eagles will prove to be yet another tough opponent for the Bruins. The Eagles have been off to a hot start during the first half of the season, going seven and three in the first 10 games. Maxpreps ranks Liberty North as the 26th best team in Missouri.

While not ranked as high as Liberty North, the Blue Springs Wildcats still pose a tough matchup for the Bruins. They began the season on a four game win streak, but went (2-4) in their next six games. They sit as the 35th ranked team in Missouri.

Junior Spencer Miles hasn’t been able to participate in team activities because of a recent injury; however, from watching, he understands what the Bruins are working on.

“I just got back surgery, so I haven’t really been preparing, but I have been at the practices and know what we are working on,” Miles said.

“They’ve been doing a lot of mental preparation and focusing on becoming one as a team in preparation for these upcoming games.”

Rock Bridge made the long trip to Florida from March 26-30 to compete against teams from across the country. RBHS lost their first four games but capped off the competition with a (114) win against Denmark High School. While the Bruins didn’t leave Florida with the results they wanted, head coach Justin Towe feels like the team gained valuable experience.

“I think the guys understood what kind of preparation and focus it takes to play several games in a short amount of time under stressful circumstances,” Towe said. “We lost three, one run games and another game by two runs. We could have very easily been 5-0 on the trip. We were also able to see how the little things over the

course of a seven inning game can really affect the outcome at the end.”

Not only did Florida help the team learn what it takes to play daily, but it also showed the players how they want to compete, with energy and determination said junior Wyatt Towe.

“Playing teams from Miami, really showed us how the game was supposed to be played,” Wyatt Towe said. “The way they showed so much life and passion on the field every single pitch, really taught us what it would take to stay energized and upbeat for a game, whilst also helping form a brotherhood.”

When Towe steps on the field, all thoughts are focused toward the game, not on past performances. This allows him to completely concentrate.

“I try not to think about personally how I play every game because baseball is a team game, however it is also very psychological and mental,” Towe said. “So in this way I just go out and play my hardest to instill confidence in myself and to try and lead by example to the underclassmen.”

YOUSUF EL-JAYYOUSI / THE ROCK

PLAY BALL: Sophomore Travis Bassford

pitches March 20 against the Spartans (8-1).

THE ROCK www.bearingnews.org April 26, 2018

EDITORIALS 5

Don’t let history repeat itself Rochita Ghosh

T

ariffs, historically, have been instrumental in crippling the U.S. economy, which makes President Donald Trump’s March 10 executive order, which implemented a 25 percent tariff on steel and a 10 percent one on aluminum, troubling.

Throughout U.S. history, tariffs have typically resulted in distancing allies and lowering global trade. The latter results in less trade domestically, and less buying means a weak economy — and, in an extreme but plausible example, could lead to something similar to the Great Depression.

Worst of all, Congress used tariffs at the beginning of the depression in an effort to bring the United States out of it. In 1930, they passed the Smoot-Hawley tariff, raising the average import tax to 20 percent. In response, many countries instituted their own taxes specifically aimed at the United States.

This idea of using tariffs to promote American goods, while noble in thought, may backfire. Like the multiple countries that reacted to the Smoot-Hawley tariff by making their own, China reacted by condemning the action and filing a

complaint with the World Trade Organization. There is little evidence that this could even go well; when former president George W. Bush instituted steel tariffs in 2002, the United States lost about 200,000 jobs, and that tariff is considered a part of what led to the recession in 2008.

The point isn’t that the tariffs will fail and hurt this country, although there’s a high probability that they will. The point is that despite the overwhelming evidence that tariffs will damage the United States, there are people that think this is a good move for the country. The point is that people didn’t pay attention in history long enough to realize that tariffs have almost never worked in the United States’ favor.

This newfound way of acting without thinking is hazardous to America’s future. People go through the pain of breakups to learn how to have better relationships. A famous phrase from writer and philosopher George Santayana is that those who don’t learn from their past are doomed to repeat it, and if true, a second Great Depression may possibly be in the works.

Citizens must pay attention to the past to not make the same mistakes in the future, lest they suffer again for no real reason.

MOY ZHONG / THE ROCK

be self-diagnosed Practical arts credit should not Mental illness shouldn’t and missing another disease, unfortunately harmElad Gov-Ari ing the confidence and legitimacy of those who be necessary for CPS students bsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) are afflicted. The subtleties of diagnosis are those Grace Dorsey

I

n order to graduate, the Missouri graduation handbook states that every high school student in Missouri must complete one credit of “practical arts.” While personal finance fulfills half of that requirement, students often still need to deliberately incorporate some random semester-long course.

For the pupils of Columbia Public School (CPS), many of these offerings come in the form of Career Center and online classes.

Unfortunately, though plenty of classes are marked as practical, some simply don’t live up to the distinction. This especially

Students’ Speak Should practical arts credits be necessary to graduate?

KAI FORD / THE ROCK

Practical arts are a necessity in the modern workforce, and I see them having useful classes because they put classroom learning into the context of the real world.

— Bennett Lawson, junior No, because we are already required to take personal finance, and it’s too troublesome to have to seek out another half or full credit of them.”

— Anna Xu, sophomore

KAI FORD / THE ROCK

KAI FORD / THE ROCK

I feel like people should have to take them because you’re not going to learn it anywhere else, and it’s something you need to know for life.”

— Grace Kirk, senior

pertains to online classes, some of which are redundant for a generation that has grown up with the internet. Newsflash! Teens don’t need a lesson on digital literacy from a 45-year-old instructor.

Admittedly, taking online courses is pretty easy. Still, I would prefer not wasting time on tedious projects just for a meaningless, irrelevant bureaucratic checkmark.

What’s more, classes that are actually practical are not available to count as such.

For instance, journalism, which is about as practical as one can get, recently lost its power to count as a PA, despite many documents proving otherwise. Kinesiology, which the district considers a science, has a curriculum that actually prepares students to sit for the personal trainer exam.

How more practical can a class be above offering a job license? The classification of some classes as “practical” seems biased against regular and academic classes.

“Practical arts courses are those in which students learn to integrate academic . . . with career and technical education knowledge and skills, and to apply them,” according to Missouri’s graduation handbook. The truth is, this description could fit plenty of classes. Most courses are built around encouraging the development of real-life skills like teamwork, timeliness and analytical thinking.

Improving one’s essay writing or discussing the ethics of genetic engineering can provide plenty of valuable experience.

Framing one’s high school education to be strictly academic is just as valid as one that focuses more on technical lessons. Furthermore, many of the classes focus on a few, very specific careers.

Not everyone wants to go into fabric construction or marketing. Writers, artists and musicians are already getting exposure to knowledge in their language arts, English and fine arts classes.

Moving forward, CPS should reconsider which classes can count toward practical arts. Students shouldn’t have to feel limited in their schedule. Although this requirement is to supposedly ensure a well-rounded high school experience, the reality is just an unfair system that ends up misusing students’ time and energy.

O

makes the day-to-day lives of those afflicted extraordinarily difficult. Whether that be turning a light switch on and off 14 times or washing hands before and after entering a new room, the mental illness strikes hard.

Many, however, find the label of OCD appealing, as they may lock their car doors an extra time or straighten their pencils on their desks.

Self-labeling, or self-diagnosing, is not uncommon. It also does not stay within the realms of OCD, as illnesses like anxiety, depression and such have a tendency to be misrepresented from non-medical professionals.

With the National Alliance of Mental Illness (NAMI) reporting that one in five American adults suffer from a diagnosable mental illness, it is of no question that those who label themselves may indeed have an underlying issue. Undiagnosed issues, however, should not be galavanted to everyone before a medical professional sits them down and assesses the mental health of the patient.

The harm coming from not seeking this professional opinion can derive from misdiagnoses

that should be left to licensed experts with degrees in their field.

Medical websites such as Health.com or WebMD are not valid credentials and should be held with such definitive weight. Oftentimes, NAMI reports, these websites are taken as concrete diagnoses, causing patients to quarrel with physicians to treat them as if they are legitimately suffering from a mental disorder.

On a smaller scale, when one begins making statements such as, “I am so OCD because I have to lock my car door three times,” it becomes extremely offensive and discredits those with real ailments, making their real, severe symptoms seem far off.

Similarly, depression and depressive bouts are often joked about and consequently taken lightly, belittling the constant battle those afflicted fight with for periods of months or even years.

Obviously, non-diagnosed issues exist and should be talked about, explored and researched.

This attention, however, must come from a licensed medical professional rather than an online website.

CARMEN RAMIREZ / THE ROCK

6 ADS

THE ROCK www.bearingnews.org April 26, 2018

FEATURES 11

THE ROCK www.bearingnews.org April 26, 2018

Broken ties Friendship breakups evoke pain, difficulty Nikol Slatinska

B

reaking up with a significant other practically comes with its own set of steps: a planned out time for when and how it will happen, a direct confrontation and a mutual agreement to either remain friends or avoid each other completely.

But when one no longer feels compatible with a platonic companion, breaking out the “It’s not you; it’s me,” or “I love you, but I’m not in love with you” lines doesn’t really work.

Because friendship breakups don’t have a definitive process, they can often be more complicated than the severance of a romantic relationship.

Freshman Peyton Brooks is all too familiar with this concept, as she was on the receiving end of a less-than-transparent separation. In eighth grade, Brooks explained, she and two other friends welcomed a fourth girl into their trio. They became inseparable, hanging out every day leading up to the start of high school.

As the summer ended, however, Brooks’ initial two friends drifted away, causing her to become even closer to the newcomer of their disconnected group.

It wasn’t long before that girl also began drifting away after expressing anxiety over making new friends. Unable to decipher if that person just needed space to talk to new people or wanted out of their friendship completely, Brooks felt confused and left in the dark.

“I have talked to her a few times since, just kind of like small talk, and I’ve kind of brought up the fact that we used to be really close and now she’s closer with other girls and how I felt like that wasn’t inclusive of me. She was like, ‘Yeah, I was just trying to be closer with other girls, too, and obviously we’re still friends; we just haven’t hung out since then,’” Brooks said.

“I feel like… maybe she didn’t really want to be that close and wanted to be closer with the other girls, but I don’t think she meant for it to hurt me as much as it did.”

A large part of the problem for Brooks is that she didn’t get any closure, which Concordia University psychology professor Dr. Wil-

liam Bukowski said is often a characteristic of friendship breakups. With friends, one doesn’t expect a specific time period of continuity as with a boyfriend or girlfriend.

“If you suddenly decide that you’re tired of your friend ignoring you, then generally people do not call their friend and say, ‘You are not my friend anymore.’ You just kind of erase the person from your mental phonebook,” Dr. Bukowski said. “You just give up on the relationship without doing it directly; whereas, when you split up with a boyfriend or girlfriend, you almost always have to give the person the direct information that you are no longer together.”

Dr. Bukowski also cites high school as a period of increased turnover in friendships. Young children typically see friends as opportunities for companionship, and adults eventually become more dependent on romantic partners, causing the commitment of a friendship to become weaker.

Thus, teenagers are the age group primarily dependent on friends who provide security. Furthermore, adolescence is usually when individuals begin forming their identities, and friendships have a significant influence on that, Dr. Rebecca Schwartz-Mette, University of Maine Peer Relations Lab director, said.

“Complicating matters further is that adolescents are learning more sophisticated relationship skills and emotion regulation skills. So here is a time of life where friends are centrally important for social support and identity formation, and kids are just learning how to navigate these relationships,” Dr. Schwartz-Mette said. “So what can happen is that the ending of friendships can be especially rocky and/or just not occur because it feels like too much to lose or kids don’t know how to go about doing it in a way that doesn’t feel really scary and hard.”

Another factor that hinders the process of distancing oneself from a specific person is if two people remain in the same social circle afterwards, said Leah Lessard, a psychology doctoral student at the University of California - Los Angeles.

MAYA BELL / THE ROCK

While the end of any relationship can elicit sadness, Lessard points out that certain friendships can be manipulative and problematic, and getting out of them can actually be beneficial. In Brooks’ case, she realized that the right people will stay and communicate their feelings without forcing her to change herself. Tension still arises whenever Brooks is around her former friend,

but she’s coming to terms with no longer having that person in her life.

“I think it’s still awkward, and I don’t really know how to talk to her anymore. It’s kind of on and off,” Brooks said. “I want to bring up the little things to see if she’ll start talking to me again, but eventually that will fade out since I’m not as close to her and don’t necessarily need her.”

What have you learned from personal finance?

I have started thinking about how I spend my money and how I need to start saving.”

— Ethan Hayes, junior

MAYA BELL / THE ROCK [SOURCE: DOUGHROLLER.NET]

I got a bank account and a credit card, and personal finance taught me the difference between debit and credit.”

— Ruth Wu, senior MAYA BELL / THE ROCK

MAYA BELL / THE ROCK

MAYA BELL/ THE ROCK

I haven’t really applied [what I learned] to my life other than trying to generally make fiscally sound decisions.”

— Kiren MacLeod, junior Personal finance was helpful more on the taxes kind of thing. When I did finally start taking personal finance it all started to come together.”

— Ryan Hull, junior

VALERIA VELASQUEZ / THE ROCK

Making cents of investing Ryan Choe

M

uch like many upperclassmen, junior Luke Harper wasn’t yearning to go to his first personal finance class of the year. At first, he was just trying to complete another mandatory credit in order to graduate. Harper already knew most of the learning materials about investing before he even began taking the class, so he wasn’t expecting to learn much new information. But after taking the class, Harper realized his preconceived notions were significantly off.

“There were several interesting things I took away from [the] personal finance [class],” Harper said. “Making insurance claims [were] very interesting because I didn’t know how to do that beforehand. [I] also [learned about] percentile budgeting and how much of your income should go into each necessity.”

It was vital that Harper learned these new key materials since he knew that he would need to use them in the future. Harper was able to learn the materials of his class while still having fun at a relatively smooth pace.

“There was almost no homework I had to do at home [because] I [finished] every assignment in class,” Harper said. “The [tests] were easy to prepare for because we got note packets in class, and the information on the [tests were] very similar to [them]. You could [even] skim the notes quickly before the test and easily get a decent score.”

For junior Pranav Patel, his experience with homework and testing for personal finance was far different compared to Harper’s. Patel took personal finance online this past summer, while Harper took the class during the first semester of this school year.

Patel’s experience was still positive and en-

riching, but his homework amount and test preparation was far different than Harper’s.

“For online personal finance, the homework was definitely a lot more than I expected because I was daily putting in a minimum of two hours to work on assignments to make sure that they were quality,” Patel said. “The teacher-graded tests for online personal finance were driven by scenarios pertaining to the real world, so you had to know which vocabulary was best suited for a scenario-driven question. [Meanwhile] the computer-graded tests were strictly multiple choice, [but] you [still] had to know your vocabulary for that chapter quite well.”

Despite the increased amount of studying and preparation for online personal finance, Patel still had a great experience.

For Patel, taking the online course gave him more control over his schedule. Furthermore, Patel prefers classes to be more content-driven rather than just completing multiple packets, and taking the online course allowed him to work at a much faster pace.

“I learned that it’s very important to save money early on and spend less than you earn,” Patel said. “Though there are a multitude of opportunities today to get credit cards and have the ability to pay later for your purchases, it is better to control the temptation of purchasing things you can’t afford. I will carry this ideology of spending less than you earn throughout my life no matter how much money I earn because it’s very crucial to control your finances and live on a budget so that you can live a financial-free life.”

Dr. Chris Prestigiacomo, an associate teaching professor from the University of Missouri-Columbia (MU), believes the concept of the personal finance class is vital

for young students to take part in. Prestigiacomo would be pleased to know students such as Harper and Patel take an interest in what they learned while taking the class.

“The [topics taught in the class] affect everyone and can make the difference between a happy life and despair,” Prestigiacomo said. “[For example], if someone makes poor spending decisions, [like] ignoring budget constraints, they will eventually become bankrupt.”

Prestigiacomo started teaching at MU in 1990 and currently teaches up to six different classes all related to accountancy and finance. In these classes, Prestigiacomo attempts to teach his own students about understanding topics such as the time value of money.

“If someone is able to earn 10 percent [interest] on their investments and they invest $3,000 per year from age 30 to 70, they would have about $1.3 million,” Prestigiacomo said. “But if they start at age 22, they would have almost $2.9 million. [So if] students don’t understand the significance of compound interest, they may never invest early and will either be poor during retirement or need to sacrifice enormous amounts of income later in life to build up their retirement accounts.”

Harper agrees with Prestigiacomo’s belief that people need to be aware of saving and investing in order to live a happy life overall. Harper says that planning to save and invest is a relatively easy process, and therefore anyone is capable of doing it.

“Saving and investing is so interesting because anybody can do it,” Harper said.

“It’s really not that complicated if you learn the basics, [plus] any average person can save [and] invest their money and expect a return if they did their research.”

12 COMMENTARIES

HE

RO

CK

spread a rumor about us. I felt trapped and soon became his prisoner once again. I thought it would be easier to let him do what he wanted than have him mad at me and potentially hurt me more. I wasn’t sure just how many pictures of me he had saved on his phone, but it was scarier to think he would spread them than to do something privately that no one knew about.

Like the summer before, he harassed me over FaceTime nightly. Having sleepovers with friends saved me for one night, but it’s not like I could have sleepovers all the time. Every day I tried to delay FaceTiming him as long as possible by pretending to be busy. On some occasions, I actually was, but he promised to stay up for me, which made it impossible for me to concentrate, knowing what awaited me on the other end of the phone.

Sometimes I wouldn’t respond to his “Are you still awake?”

EN

RA

M

IR

EZ

/T

derwear and tried to go as far as he could. The entire time I would shake and try to hold his arms back, but my efforts were useless.

All of this happened at school almost every day, and I felt empty, unable to escape and destined to bear it until high school ended.

Since then I have read that countless other victims of assault react the same way: they freeze and blame themselves, and, to make matters worse, I was conflicted because he was once a good friend, and I didn’t want to ruin our friendship. It was even harder in class because he was funny and charming and acted like the friend he had always been.

I was so confused because he treated me as if nothing was happening between us, and no one around was suspicious. It was almost as if he had two personalities. In public, it was his usual pleasant demeanor. In private, he flipped like a switch, and that terrified me because I didn’t even know the person I met in the hallway anymore. Everyone else seemed to like him. Only I saw him as dangerous and scary, so I thought the problem must lie in me.

I believed I was at fault; I accepted the all-too-common notion of victim-blaming even though I was the victim and, in my mind, defended him for his actions. People tell me I could have said no, but it’s so much harder when you’re living the situation. It wasn’t difficult for me to turn down random boys who asked me out or even pressured me to send nudes. It was hard to turn down someone I had known and cared about. My friend. I trusted him, so I did what he asked.

But the predatory behavior didn’t stop at 4:05 p.m. Nighttime was a whole other ordeal.

After everyone had gone to bed, he’d text, asking if I was awake. My mind always on guard; I feared the vibration from my phone. I replied because I believed that getting the inevitable finished might let me sleep. He prodded me to fulfill his sexual fantasies by telling him stories like, “What if we were alone together in my bedroom?” While I wove these fictions, he asked for sexually explicit pictures of my body. I sensed he would use his attacks and the pictures as blackmail and grew afraid of that more than him. I spent sleepless nights where I thought of nothing else.

I became depressed and knew that feeding into his perverted ways and keeping it all a secret were major contributors. I wanted to tell people, but, like so many sexual assault survivors, I feared no one would believe me since he had evidence of my participation. Though I felt unmotivated, unworthy, overwhelmed and even dirty, I wasn’t strong enough to say no, so the rest of the year passed with only occasional breaks.

When summer came, there was no way for us to meet, but the nightly routine continued whenever he requested.

Throughout most of my sophomore year, I did whatever he wanted. He repeatedly asked for fellatio, begging like a child because I refused. But his nagging eventually wore me down; I figured relenting would be easier than fighting, but the act only made me more numb and depressed, and him more aggressive.

Every time we met he forced me further, pushing my head down towards his crotch when he hugged me. I was disgusted with myself and the control he had over me.

Our evening routine continued, too, but now instead of pictures he demanded videos and eventually FaceTime. He’d ask me to perform acts via video, and the longer I refused the more aggressive he became. Though he said he wouldn’t force me to do anything I didn’t want, when I refused, he’d argue and pressure me: “Oh, c’mon! Do it for me?” “You trust me, right?”

“We only have to do a little bit.”

But it was never just a little bit. He told me I was “helping” him, and although at first I found it stupid, eventually I believed him. I, like 25-35 percent of young people in a violent relationship, interpreted it as love and wondered if all romances were like this. Like many victims of emotional coercion and intimidation, I wanted to help someone who called himself my friend. I craved an end to his harassment and did what he demanded, hoping for the sleep that never came.

The end of the semester offered me a sanctuary, or so I thought. I started dating a new guy, which made my offender back off. But even then, I felt his lurking eyes. Sometimes he followed me to the fountain and stood behind me while I filled my water bottle. He even grabbed my butt once while we were walking back to our classroom. No matter what I did, he found a way to insinuate himself into my life. He texted, saying he missed me and telling me how much he missed my body.

I knew I should block his number and cut all contact, but I didn’t because I feared his spreading pictures of me or telling his friends about what he had done to me.

When my boyfriend and I broke up that summer, I knew as soon as my harasser found out, he’d find a way into my life. Although he was in a relationship with a friend of mine, he texted, saying he wanted “a piece of the action again.”

I said no, and my friends told me h e RM

Carmen Ramirez t happened in a dark hallway. The old, cheap lights would sometimes flicker, and the heating was always off. The whoosh of air conditioning and LED lights overwhelmed my senses, along with the loud pounding of my heart.

My hands were clammy; my fingers were freezing. My head was burning, my mouth dry. Goosebumps lined my arms as I hugged myself. Footsteps approached from the distance, and I closed my eyes. I knew what was coming, but I could deal with it. I always dealt with it, and if I didn’t fight it, I’d be okay.

This story of abuse begins when I was in the seventh grade, as it does for 32 percent of middle schoolers nationwide.

That year, I reconnected with a close friend from elementary school, and when in sixth grade we had nearly identical schedules, our friendship grew again. Within 12 months, however, things changed.

For my 13th birthday, I got my very first phone. He asked for my number, and as soon as I got home, he texted; we talked casually for a while. He asked if I liked anyone, but I refused to tell him out of embarrassment. After several hours of trying to figure out who each of us had a crush on, he told me he liked me. He said he wanted me to be his girlfriend and that he loved me. I felt bad. I cared about him so much that even though I didn’t think of him the same way, I gave him a chance. He immediately started calling me “baby” and saying things like, “I wish I could kiss you right now.” His comments seem immature now, but they were new to me, and it was just a few days into our “relationship.”

After a couple weeks, I ended things because I just didn’t see him as anything more than a friend, but I felt so guilty for hurting his feelings that I convinced myself to like him and asked him out on my own terms. We were on and off for the entire year, and every time he wanted to hang out, I’d decline because his plans were for us to be alone, which made me nervous, yet he relentlessly asked to keep our relationship secret.

He’d say, “I can’t risk anyone finding out about us,” so I assumed he was ashamed to be with me. That led to our breaking things off, forgiving each other and getting back together.

He texted me casual pictures, saying silly things such as, ‘Like ma outfit?’ It started off innocently, but his pictures grew more explicit. He started asking for photos of me in return, often requesting that I be completely naked. We’d be having a normal conversation when out of nowhere he’d interrupt with, “Why won’t you send me pictures?” When I refused, he’d get mad and say I owed him because of the pictures he sent me first (without my consent, might I mention).

He talked to me as if it were my fault he wasn’t satisfied.

That summer he got a new girlfriend, and they dated for a long time. The girl was a close friend, so it was hard when she talked about how great their relationship was working out because I blamed myself for how bad ours had been.

The summer before ninth grade, we tried to date again. I didn’t actually like him, but I wanted validation after he had made me feel so romantically incompetent. Rekindling our relationship felt like my only solution. On the first day “together” he asked for nude pictures. He begged for an hour until I replied, and he took a screenshot though we had made a rule not to. I was angry, and though he apologized, his tone and his words made it seem like I was overreacting. He defended himself saying, “It was just one picture” and told me to calm down. I told him I would never send photos again, and the next day he broke things off.

At the beginning of freshman year, he asked to talk in person. I wanted to know what he had to say, so I obliged. We met privately, and he said, “I wanted to talk to you about what happened this summer.” He came up with the stupid excuse that his other ex-girlfriend had asked him out on the same day, and he couldn’t choose between us. I wasn’t buying it, but I thought his explanation was funny, so I hoped to be friends again. We hugged, and out of the blue he kissed me. It was the first time we had kissed, and it was my first kiss ever. Startled, I thought when we parted ways that would be that. Except it wasn’t.

The next week, he jokingly took my phone and made me chase him back to the same place we kissed. When we got far enough into the hallway, he stopped running and laughing. He grabbed me and hugged me tight. Then he kissed me again, but this time it was different. He started grabbing my breasts and my butt and tried to put his hands underneath my shirt. He never asked if any of this was okay.

I grabbed his hands, trying to push him away. I tried telling him to stop, but my voice kept getting stuck in my throat, and my requests came out in whispers. I mentally shut down, not prepared for this situation. But he never quit, and, as time went on, his assaults got worse.

During the course of the next month, he’d do the same routine: bring me somewhere in the school where we were alone; we would talk casually for a bit then do whatever he wanted to do to me. I went with him because sometimes he would say, “We only do this if you want,” and I’d reply “OK, I don’t want to do this,” but he would argue with me to keep it going.

I didn’t want to fight with him because I was scared of what he could be capable of, seeing that he had already held my arms back, pinned me against the wall and pulled me toward him by my wrists when I tried to leave early, and I, like one in five young women each year, became a victim. Before each ‘session,’ my mouth would go dry; my heart would pound out of my chest, and knots formed in my stomach. My fingers would grow ice cold, my skin clammy.

Everything in my body screamed: Don’t. Do. This. Just walk away, and you’ll never have to do this again. But my legs kept walking; my eyes kept looking forward. It was as if he had put me in a trance, and I was under his control.

I pretended to enjoy what he did to me because it kept him from becoming violent. I think that’s what I was most afraid of – the physical and psychological pain he could induce.

He wanted to go further with each ‘session,’ which made me more afraid. He began pulling my shirt up over my breasts and taking them out of my bra. He put his hand down the front of my pants and beneath my un-

CA

I

THE ROCK www.bearingnews.org April 26, 2018

COMMENTARIES COMMENTARIES 13 13

THE THE ROCK ROCK www.bearingnews.org www.bearingnews.org April April 26, 26, 2018 2018 texts so he’d call me on FaceTime anyway and keep calling until I responded. Even during the actual calls I tried to delay what he wanted by making conversation or saying, “I’ll be right back” and leaving for a while. My postponement made him aggressive. He’d say, “I’m losing my patience,” which frightened me.

Whenever he called, he’d tell me to perform something on camera. I’d do it, and he would make me watch what he did to himself. He’d say things like, “I wish this was your hand” or “I wish you were here in my bed right now.” I’d have to say similar things, but I never meant any of them and felt ridiculous whispering what sounded like a script from a bad porn movie.

I knew this wasn’t who I was; it wasn’t what I wanted to do, but my participation made it harder to talk to anyone because I couldn’t leave out how I contributed. Lost and ashamed, I

could tell no one what had been happening to me. It was my fault; wasn’t it? I thought. I tried to stop it multiple times, but maybe I just didn’t try hard enough. My timeline of events got mixed up in my head. He controlled me and everything I did.

I was just his little puppet, his sex doll.

My depression had become so bad that I didn’t care about anything anymore. School work, particularly my grades in math and science, was falling apart. Surely, I thought, if he spread the pictures, it wouldn’t matter. I was mentally exhausted.

Then, one night, everything changed for the better.

My sister was in my room; we were arguing about something stupid (If you really want to know, she smeared a dead mosquito into my carpet, and I got mad) and all the built up stress exploded out of me. I burst into tears. She could tell something else was the problem and sat on my bed, trying to calm me down.

My head pounded; I felt the lump in my throat restricting air flow and thought I might faint, but I told her everything.

Words tumbled from my mouth. I cried through it all, and she listened. When I finished, I could see her anger. I was scared because I thought maybe she was mad at me, but when she spoke, it was clear that her anger was toward my assaulter.

She brought my other sister into my room and explained everything. They talked to me a lot that night, and we stayed up late. They confirmed my suspicions that what happened to me was manipulation and sexual abuse, and, yeah, I was weak, but it also wasn’t my fault. One of my sisters offered to tell our mom, knowing the conversation was probably too hard for me.

I took a leap of faith and said yes.

The next morning my mom woke me. She was furious, and this time, it was at me. She was mad that I hadn’t told her sooner and sad I wasn’t strong enough to fend for myself against someone who hurt me so much. I could tell she was conflicted because she was having trouble processing this information, which had left her speechless. She didn’t know what to think or who to blame, who to be mad at.

She later said she was mostly mad at him because he was supposed to be my friend. He had helped me in the past when life was painful, and now he was the one causing pain. She said ever since I was little she was afraid that something like this might happen, mainly because I could never stand up for myself when my sisters teased me, or when they asked for favors, I could never say no. She had thought my grades were dropping because I was lazy and wasn’t studying, when, in fact, it was this thing in my life that wouldn’t let me focus on anything.

Heartbroken, she felt guilty for never having figured it out.

Our conversation made me realize that telling people gave me power over him. Keeping quiet only helped him get away with what he was doing. As ashamed as I was of the past four years of my life, I was much more relieved that I found the power to tell my family.

The day Mom found out, she made me block him on everything: Snapchat, Twitter and his phone number. There was one thing I didn’t do, though. I left him unblocked on Instagram.

Even after everything he had done, a part of me hoped for the normal relationship we once had. The sad truth is that, like me, those who have experienced trauma caused by people we once deeply trusted is that we can’t accept that they have never had good intentions.

Someone I had believed in and loved for nine years was abusing me, and it was impossible for me to see that. I had seen the good side of him for so long that I wouldn’t accept his bad side. I sent him a message on Snapchat: “Hey, I told my parents about what’s been happening between us. They’re making me block you on everything, so I guess this is goodbye.”

About two months later at the beginning of second semester of my junior year, he messaged me on Instagram saying he was sorry for everything he had ever done to me and that he understood how wrong it was. He admitted he never asked me how I felt and that he never took my words into consideration or asked for consent. We talked a long time, and eventually I added him back on Snapchat, saying, “Let’s just erase the past, put everything behind us and start over again.

We can forget about it all and start fresh.” It seemed to work for a few months, and I hoped to be friends again as we once were those many years back in elementary school.

Then, out of nowhere, he sent me a nude picture of himself.

This time, I had determination and strength. I immediately blocked him on Snapchat, and he messaged me on Instagram saying he was “too attracted to me” and that since we used to have a romantic connection, it was hard for him to let go, and he wanted what we used to have. He said once we agreed to be friends again, my Snapchat m e s sages

made him “too aroused.” He acted as if he couldn’t control his actions and that he just had to send me a picture. We had a long argument that ended without resolution, and it was the end of our contact until his birthday. As I had every year, I wished him a happy birthday as a friendly gesture. I didn’t say anything else other than happy birthday, and he responded with a thanks. I asked him what kind of presents he got, and he told me.

I don’t know why I kept making conversation. It makes me look stupid how trusting I was, but it still felt wrong to think he had abused me; it was easier to believe I was at fault for his behavior. After four years of emotional and mental manipulation, it was hard to just reverse the brainwashing process in eight months.

We kept talking and, before I knew it, he tried to get me to send videos or FaceTime. Like every year previously, he said, it would be my birthday present to him. Though I should have seen it coming, part of me believed he could change. Whenever people called his behavior abuse or assault, I felt like I was going against him. My brain contradicted itself. I felt powerful one day and like I was the one in control. The next day I’d deny my inner voice, thinking he was right all along. It was incredibly difficult to keep my mind made up because I was used to oppressing my true thoughts and feelings and, instead, accepting his version of me.

My reaction to his request was different, though; this time whatever baggage he had on me didn’t matter. Knowing all along I would say no and mean it, I told him I would consider his proposal. I wanted to avoid the argument I knew we would have. I blew him off for a week even though every single night he asked me for his “present.”

Finally, it got too annoying, and I said no. Furious, he said, “Are you kidding me? You promised,” and “You kind of owe me.” In what world did I owe you something? I thought, Was I your sex slave? It sure felt like it. I kept telling myself I was doing the right thing, and I stuck to my answer, and, although he was passive aggressive, he gave up eventually.

For the first time, I had won. I had power over him, yes, but more importantly I had power over myself. I felt like I just conquered Mount freaking Everest, and I knew from there on no matter what happened, I’d be okay. I had told a few of my very close friends at this point, and they were supportive. I was unstoppable.

But it wasn’t over just yet.

I had to decide what I was going to do. Should I tell the authorities what he had done? Should I stay quiet and let this all pass? I made my decision. I am not reporting this person. There’s more to the story than I can remember and stuff I won’t mention here. I still wonder if there were times I encouraged his behavior. What makes my story so complicated is that it isn’t just the tale of a predator and a victim. Like 85 percent of assaults, this one didn’t come from a stranger, and I still struggle to accept that my humiliation and depression were caused by someone I cared for and loved, someone I trusted, someone who turned those positive feelings and used them to manipulate me.

People may not see me as a victim because they think I played a role in all of it, and part of me worries that, in a way, I did. But in cases like mine, embarrassment kept me from talking, and trust in my abuser made me believe I had to do what he said. It’s difficult to accept that a lifelong friend sexually preyed on me for five years. Some will think my story exposes me for being stupid and weak, and I honestly don’t blame them; I do sound foolish. Maybe I was. But it’s much easier to say that as an outsider. Giving him control kept him from fighting with me, which kept me from being scared.

This year, though, I stopped responding to him altogether.

When he would text — “You look sooo good today,” or “I can’t stop staring at you.” — if we saw each other at school, I let his “compliments” land on the screen with no response. My silence ended any conversation before it began.

Eventually I stopped seeing him in the hallways; his texts dissipated, and I’m happy to say nothing has happened. Even with it all finished, I feel the impact of the psychological abuse he induced. I have trouble being assertive when I’m in an argument. I prefer not to input my emotions or opinions into certain matters because I assume I’m wrong, and I feel as if I over exaggerate when I get angry. I used to be more confident, and my personality changes are a result of the years of abuse.

I can’t say the way I ended things was bold, brave or satisfying. When I think about everything that has happened, I am angry for not taking more initiative. I know it’s easier to say that now because I’m in a good state of mind and in a happy place in my life with people around me who truly love and care about me, but I wish I could’ve done something more, which is why I’m writing this. It’s my way of closing the door on this abuse. I feel like telling everyone this story will not only help me accept what happened and move on from it, but, hopefully, my experience will serve someone else who’s been through the same situation. To anyone who has experienced anything remotely similar, please know you are not alone and never have been. Two out of three teens in an abusive relationship tell no one. Unfortunately, there are people out there going through the same things. Know, despite your fears, people are willing to listen to what you have to say.

Sure, there are those who will ignore your pleas for help, and even after you explain to them what happened they’ll blame you. Some will question you and may even take your oppressor’s side. They’re part of the problem; go to someone else, and if they have the same response, go to someone else.

Never stop fighting for yourself because you are worth it. For years I didn’t tell anyone about my experiences, and I regret that because if I had, maybe it wouldn’t have escalated to such a great magnitude. I’m tired of these past years dragging me down and defining me. I want my experience to be one people can use to help prevent similar incidents.

Now that I received help, I know it was the right choice. If you’re in a relationship you suspect is abusive, tell someone what you’ve been through. Take time to prepare, but don’t talk yourself out of it.

You deserve some peace, too.

Not all monsters lurk in the shadows

14 FEATURES

THE ROCK www.bearingnews.org April 26, 2018

Women renounce catcalling Grace Dorsey

I

t’s a warm fall evening when senior Chloe Fischer hits the pavement for her nightly neighborhood run. As she nears the end of her route, something unsettling, but not completely unexpected, occurs. Three men passing in a car start catcalling her. They unashamedly whistle and yell phrases such as “Hey, mama.”

Naturally, Fischer amps up her pace, unnerved by the older men’s attention. The next time she looks back, she sees the strangers turning around in a driveway, heading back her way. As she reaches her house, the trio passes the top of her street.

After the incident, Fischer and her parents decided to stop her runs in the dark. The threat of another, possibly more severe encounter was too serious for the family to ignore. Despite this measure to protect herself, Fischer still experiences street harassment. Recently, she had to deal with it while on spring break and at Nationals with a group of her fellow Bruin Girls.

“It’s a little embarrassing because you don’t want to be called attention to. It’s also scary because, like I said, you feel defenseless, especially when you’re on a run,” Fischer said. “[Catcalling] is not acceptable. Honestly, it’s not acceptable anyway because it makes females, [and] if it happens to males as well, it makes [them] feel uncomfortable in most situations.”

While Fischer is just one person with stories of catcalling, data show this behavior is common. 85 percent of American women experienced catcalling by age 17, according to the report Street Harassment: The Largest International Cross-Cultural Study by Dr. Beth Livingston and her graduate assistants at the Cornell School of Industrial and Labor Relations.

Dr. Livingston believes it is important to conduct large-scale, statistic-based research, as it’s better for policy making than anecdotal evidence.

After analyzing the data from 16,607 respondents, a few trends stood out.

“I did find it interesting that so many women reported their first experiences of catcalling and other street harassment such as stalking, groping, etc., to have begun at so young an age [(13 per-

cent before age 10 and 71 percent from the ages of 11 to 17)],” Dr. Livingston said. “I also find it interesting that the presence of bystanders usually seemed to serve to make a woman’s experience worse instead of better. This was because, most of the time, bystanders witnessed the behavior but did nothing to support the victim. This added ‘insult to injury,’ so to speak.”

Olivia J. Farmer, co-author of the 2017 study Experiences of Women Coping With Catcalling Experiences in New York City: A Pilot Study, wanted to research the topic because of the lack of related information in her field of Marriage & Family Therapy.

“I was most surprised [by] how women of various diversity groups (i.e. race, sexual orientation, religious backgrounds) all experienced similar emotions and utilized similar coping methods to deal with harassment behavior in public,” Farmer said. “To me, this meant that regardless of what we learn from our own environments, backgrounds and families about harassment, women, in general, experience this behavior as problematic.”

Catcalling, as with other types of harassment, is difficult to stop in the moment, as the perpetrators use intimidation as a tool to retain power.

Situations often play out similarly to Fischer’s, with the victim trying to ignore the instigators and flee the situation.

“I think the most important component of ‘dealing with’ catcalling is safety.

If choosing to ignore a catcaller allows an individual to get to their destination safely this could be a viable option,” Farmer said.

“Some choose to respond and advocate for themselves by vocalizing their disinterest in the catcallers’ behavior. This jeopardizes safety, as the individual is at risk of the catcaller furthering their advances and potentially becoming violent.”

For many women, the solution involves avoiding walking alone or dressing a certain way; however, this doesn’t address the core problem in society.

“As with many gender-related issues, [street harassment] likely has many causes. The one that stands out the most to me is power, particularly as it’s wrapped into something we label ‘toxic masculinity.’ Toxic masculinity . . . prizes a performative type of hypermasculine ethos instead of prizing consideration or communication,” Dr. Livingston said. “Often we’ve seen catcalling and street harassment be about a performance of ‘look how bada-- I am’ towards other men in the group as opposed to being about the woman and her feelings at all.

She becomes a tool who has been stripped of her humanity.”

Looking to the future, Dr. Livingston believes a cultural shift is necessary to improve the safety of encounters on the street.

“Empowering men to own the full spectrum of their emotions, rewarding compassion and consideration to the same degree as we reward competition and aggression, promoting the idea of a global community where bystanders are empowered to speak up for those who are harassed: all of these things will help,” Dr. Livingston said. “But they are also much more difficult than just enacting a law/policy or making a public statement. Culture does not change easily, particularly when people feel defensive about the reasons the changes are needed.”

VALERIA VELASQUEZ / THE ROCK

Students give a fork about profanity Ann Fitzmaurice

A

s a child, senior Billie Huang’s parents enrolled her in a private Catholic school, and in fourth or fifth grade, against the expectations of her schooling, she began cursing. Before her introduction to swearing, Huang only used minor curse words.

In one instance at Catholic school, Huang said, “Oh, my God,” and her substitute wrote her up. Though her parents were surprised about her newfound language, they quickly became accustomed to their daughter’s casual use of swear words.

When her homeroom teacher’s child instructed her on the more severe form of swearing, however, she began using expletives more frequently.

“I think I curse not because I mean to be vulgar, but because it’s something I’ve gotten used to. It’s an easy way to express what I’m feeling at the very moment,” Huang said. “I have to get to a certain level of comfort to be able to curse around somebody. I feel uncomfortable doing it around people who do not [swear], and I feel like cursing and colloquialism can help strengthen a friendship since it shows trust and being open and comfortable with each other.”

Huang’s frequent and laid-back use of vulgar words in one instance infiltrated her academic life. After finishing a paper for Advanced Placement (AP) Literature class, Huang read through her work and made comments to herself to look back over select spots. In a self-reminder to check her writing, however, Huang used crude wording, thinking she would be the only one to see her comments.

Unfortunately, she sent the paper to her teacher without deleting her comments. The teacher, in turn, replied to the comments, expressing her unhappiness with the language.

Regardless of this instance, Huang knows when and how to control her language.

“It’s not that hard to keep my words clean in front of people when I need to. It’s something I can easily turn on or off,” Huang said. “Like when I’m talking to my priest or someone in a

formal setting, I’m not going to address him the same way I would any of my friends or classmates. But when I’m in a mixed setting with adults and other students, I’ll probably say frick instead of f--- or shoot instead of s---.”

While Huang changed clean words to vulgar ones, senior Joshua Vincent substitutes curse words into cleaner adaptations for himself. Vincent is one of the few teenagers who doesn’t swear, while others swear 80 to 90 times a day, according to a study by the Chicago Tribune.

“I mainly avoid cursing because I think that it’s better to try to express my opinions about something without using words that have more negative connotations,” Vincent said. “I’ve always tried to avoid cursing out of preference.

Also, I grew up in a household where if I cursed, there were consequences.”

Learning from the reprimands of his older siblings, Vincent decided swearing was just not worth anything negative that comes with it. If Vincent’s parents heard intentional swearing by one of their children, the punishment would be a spanking.

If the cursing was unintentional, however, the child would just get a strong reprimand.

With those values translated into her classroom, math teacher Marla Clowe treats inappropriate language with a private conversation, and students are usually apologetic.

“Every once in a while, the swearing is directed at me,” Clowe said. “My initial response is to take them into the hall and have a conversation about the inappropriateness of their response. Generally, when it is directed at me, it is the result of frustrations from outside of the classroom or me, and we can generally talk through it. There are times when we are unable to talk through a situation, and [if] the situation does not deescalate, it may result in a referral.”

Even outside of her classroom, Clowe is uncomfortable with students cursing in the hallway and will generally ask them to stop. At school, Clowe does not believe crude language is appropriate. She thinks cursing should only be used in a private setting where one cannot be

overheard by someone who might be offended.

Vincent agrees, though he thinks language is up to the speaker.

“If [students’] parents accept it, and if the teachers accept it, then that’s their choice,” Vincent said. “If it’s in an angry rant, it seems a little extreme, but for more benign conversations, to each their own.”

Though there are no solid data before the 1970’s, psychologicalscience.org states that with the increase in television and radio sales, more people are exposed to swearing. While Clowe also sees an increase in casual swearing

in private conversations, while Huang thinks cursing has become more common in general. Huang said it’s hard to find a PG-13 movie without a single curse word, and she notices it’s difficult to find a mainstream album that doesn’t have the explicit parental advisory sticker on it.

“I think cursing is part of the kind of culture we live in,” Huang said. “I think that today’s culture has made it almost impossible to avoid curse words, and cursing has become more of an everyday social thing than an angry, trashy thing, though it very well could be given the context.”

KAI FORD / THE ROCK

THE ROCK www.bearingnews.org April 26, 2018

ADS 15

16 HEALTH & WELLNESS

THE ROCK www.bearingnews.org April 26, 2018

Hydration promises health Grace Dorsey

S

crolling through social media accounts focused on health and beauty, one begins to notice a trend. It seems that drinking water is a cure-all. Name a problem: acne, dry skin, excess weight, tiredness, cellulite.

Chances are, hydration will help.

In fact, the obsession has gone beyond regular purified H2O, with sparkling water, black water and raw water also rising in prominence.

Junior Emily Steltzer has recently joined the hydration nation. Since receiving a water bottle for Christmas, she’s upticked her intake and motivation to drink water, especially to replace sugary drinks. As a way to enhance the flavor, she often adds fruit. “ I still want to drink soda even though I’m trying to take that out. It’s a little difficult, [but] there is no downside to drinking water,” Steltzer said. “I would totally recommend it because lemons and water are so good, I promise. Don’t judge others for what they put in their water because I put an entire orange in my water one time.

It’s normal.”

While some, like Stelt-

zer, are supplementing their diet by choice, others don’t have any alternative option.

Sophomore Corinne Farid, a tennis player, requires consistent hydration as a way to stay at the top of her game.

“It was because of tennis that I had to drink so much water because whenever I didn’t drink water, I’d always feel dizzy, or I would start cramping in some way,” Farid said. “So my coach was always like, ‘You need to drink more water, so you can sweat more, so you don’t get dehydrated and end up getting sick.’”

Before Farid started drinking five standard water bottles a day, she was a part of the 75 percent of Americans who were chronically dehydrated, as the New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center’s survey found.

What’s more, water intake is correlated with other healthy behaviors, such as eating more fruit and vegetables, getting more exercise and consuming less fast food. Dr. Helena Gibson-More, a nutrition scientist for the British Nutrition Foundation, has learned the significance of water through her studies and work.

“Water is essential for all the functions of the body, and we cannot normally survive for more than a few days without it,” Dr. Gib-

son-Moore said. “Water is constantly being lost from the body, not only from urine and feces, but also through the skin and in the breath, so this must be replaced regularly by fluid from the diet.”

An occasion that especially highlighted importance of the athlete’s water intake was when Farid was unable to play because of a combination of being overheated and dehydrated.

“I just couldn’t function very well, so I was drinking a ton of water and Gatorade just trying to figure out what was going on with me,” Farid said. “So after about an hour, I was just completely exhausted muscularly. It just felt awful; I just couldn’t do anything about it. I felt really stupid because I didn’t drink much water that day.”

It makes sense that Farid especially felt the effects in her lean body mass, as muscles are made up of 73 percent water, as active.com stated. Muscles can actually produce one to two cups of water during a marathon through metabolic processes. Still, since water is so critical for basic systems, evolution has given way to anatomical defenses against excessive loss of water.

“The body has a series of mechanisms to avoid dehydration. These include reducing the amount of

water lost in urine and stimulating thirst to encourage fluid consumption. Thirst is triggered when we are already slightly dehydrated, so it is important to try to avoid getting thirsty,” Dr. Gibson-Moore said.

“Water makes up about 60 percent of our body weight, so we need to consume enough fluid to stay properly hydrated and healthy. If fluid losses are not replaced, then dehydration can occur and, even mild dehydration can cause tiredness, headaches, lack of concentration and dry skin.”

These days, there are plenty of ways to help one achieve the eightglass goal. Technology-wise, apps such as Plant Nanny and digital-tracker water bottles have hit the market with promises to offer motivation and ease. Furthermore, the variety in flavored waters offer an option for anyone’s taste buds.

“I feel like if you’re drinking more water, your skin clears up. In a way our culture is growing on that,” Steltzer said. “Thinking about it, I feel like I have, but I haven’t really noticed significant [benefits].”

MOY ZHONG / THE ROCK

Doctors overprescribe drugs, feed epidemic

Legal opioids can lead patients down long, dark road of dependence, tolerance, death Elad Gov-Ari

P

resident Donald Trump declared the opioid crisis “a public health emergency” on Oct. 26, 2017. In his speech, he urged medical professionals and health-oriented communities to focus all efforts toward reducing opioid-related deaths and addiction.

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) explains that the term “opioid” covers a variety of controlled substances that possess pain-reducing properties. The more common variations of the drugs are the schedule 1 drug heroin, prescription drug Oxycodone and a synthetic variant, Fentanyl.

The CDC claim that since 1999, more than 650,000 Americans lost their lives to overdoses pertaining solely to this group of drug. The health organization says that widespread attention to the issue, however, only began when death counts dramatically spiked in 2015 because of the increase in circulation of synthetic painkillers, such as Fentanyl, which the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) claims to be 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine.

Local family medicine practitioner Dr. Ann Fitzsimmons said efforts reach far beyond political conversa-

[SOURCE: CDC.GOV]

tions, with organizations such as the CDC successfully changing how and when opioid prescriptions are used.

“I think the current situation has definitely been changed in terms of when you use [opioids] and when you don’t,” Dr. Fitzsimmons said.

“There’s lots of different reasons we’ve gotten to this place in the world, but I definitely believe groups like the CDC will make a difference in how people will respond in getting narcotics.”

In answering the question “how has the situation gotten so bad?” Dr. Fitzsimmons attributes the problem to a few primary issues, including a patient mentality of pain being an unacceptable part of the healing equation.

“It’s a multifaceted thing. There’s the patient factor of expectation that they may have. Another one is sort of a lack of appreciation of the dangers of opiates,” Dr. Fitzsimmons said. “I think we are learning more and more that for some people, it really doesn’t take long to get addicted, so using a shorter dosage of prescription is really important. Another factor was [in the past] we were asking [patients] to gauge pain on a pain scale, and there was a real push that we were undertreating pain and a push to do so. I think in [overtreating pain], we

highlight pain as the most important runs out, patients look to the streets to thing to get rid of, [stemming all these find alternatives.

This dark pathway introduces othproblems].”

In the fashion of eliminating pain, erwise drug-free and productive pasophomore Will Ayers’ introduction tients to look to deadly drugs such as to opioids occurred when he broke his heroin. Specifically, three out of every collarbone in a dirt biking accident. four new heroin users reported previShortly after, Ayers started taking Hy- ous abuse to prescription pills. Still, this situation doesn’t fit the majority drocodone and later Percocet. of pre“I took scription both painaddicts, killers I think we are learning more and as Drugconsismore that, for some people, it tently. I Facts.org was prereports, really doesn’t take long to get scribed to “While addicted,” take one prescrip— Dr. Ann Fitzsimmons, family doctor to four tion opipills evoid misery two use is a to four risk factor hours,” for startAyers said. “I didn’t really think that ing heroin use, only a small fraction the Hydrocodone worked at all, but of people who misuse pain relievers the Percocet did work, and I took that switch to heroin.” for about two weeks after I got the surOne large step in fighting the crisis gery, too. I was able to function com- comes from informing the American pletely fine on both drugs, as well.” people about the dangers of the opioid In Ayers’ situation, the drug proved drugs. to be helpful and non-harmful. This, For contemporary issues teacher however, is not the case for many David Graham, the opioid crisis was Americans. The NIDA explains that an ideal example of a modern-day the addiction to such drugs is almost topic that incorporates both topics in instantaneous, so when a prescription science and society. Graham himself

has come to the conclusion that the business side of painkiller distribution should be limited as part of the solution.

“I think it’s a white-collar crime.

It’s really hard to prosecute or change that part of it without some help from the drug companies and from the doctors themselves, who aren’t going to be prosecuted even though they’re supplying the majority of those drugs,” Graham said. “I think there are some very ethical drug companies and very ethical doctors, but I think we have to have some help from them because we’re not going to put any executives in jail over these things.”

In relation to Graham’s’ teachings, Dr. Fitzsimmons believes education is key to mitigating the grasp of the crisis yet hopes that medical professionals can perfect the methodology for prescriptions all while trying her best to keep patients off the heavy narcotics.

“I don’t know that we know what [preventative] education methods work best,” Dr. Fitzsimmons said. “… For now, in my career I’m looking to see how I can help my patients.

One of the things that have helped me is focusing in on a person’s function rather than eliminating the pain completely.”

CARMEN RAMIREZ / THE ROCK

IN-DEPTHS 7

THE ROCK www.bearingnews.org April 26, 2018

Internal improvements Journey of self-love establishes confidence for the future

S

Rochita Ghosh tandard psychology curriculum includes the idea of psychologist Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, a theory that lays out what Maslow believed to be the fundamental needs for every human being.

He includes the idea of self-esteem and self-love and argues that each person needs to feel confident and regard him or herself in a high manner.

Self-esteem is something that many in the United States lack; eight million Americans suffer from serious psychological distress, a blanket term that describes “feelings of sadness, worthlessness and restlessness.” These words can easily apply to common mental illnesses like depression and anxiety respectively, which almost one in five teens will experience before adulthood.

In addition, a survey by stageoflife.com reported that 95 percent of teens felt inferior at some point in their lives, with almost 50 percent also admitting to having a low self-esteem. These statistics don’t surprise school counselor Leslie Kersha, as she believes society is “constantly telling us we’re not enough,” and that message can negatively affect teenagers.

“It’s complicated, especially for teenagers. For adults, we see this all the time; people end relationships all the time as adults,” Kersha said. “As a teenager, you’re still figuring out who you are. Your brain is still developing, [and] there is this added pressure of fitting in with peers, and there’s just a lot of extra stuff that high schoolers are carrying that relationships at the high school level, can be very, very challenging.”

Romantic relationships can be difficult to maintain regardless of age, Kersha said; seventy percent of straight, unmarried couples break up within a year. Psychologist Shainna Ali believes this is because of people placing high expectations on their significant other to be perfect and completely reliable. She works with a variety of clients to better their mental health and stresses that self-love is not selfish.

“If you have this distorted view that

self-love is selfish, then you think that self- not reflecting, if we’re not being self-aware love is going to hinder your relationship and trying to take care of ourselves and because you’re going to think you’ll have grow, then you’re going to have the same it be biased or one-sided, but it’s exactly issues over and over,” Ali said. “This is the opposite,” Ali said. “I like to give this really for any sort of dynamic — I think metaphor — if you’re in an airplane, the this applies to any type of relationships. Of stewards in the beginning often give you course, the more love that is expected, like the worst-case scenario of ‘If you need ox- in a romantic relationship or a parental reygen, make sure you put your mask on be- lationship, then self-love is really helpful fore you help your loved ones.’ They em- in your ability to love others.”

Stamps suggests to focus on what one phasize, ‘It doesn’t matter if it’s your child or your partner — help yourselves first so enjoys in order to build self-love. The lack you can help others.’ We cannot fully be of it can come from a variety of sources, present and capable [in a] relationship if such as from a home environment or having been bullied. Ali said that, to rebuild we don’t love ourselves.”

Senior Britton Stamps agrees with Ali, self-esteem and self-love, a person must who feels it’s sometimes more important recognize it is missing first and not see it do what is best for himself. As a child, as a failure.

“It’s not that self-love requires a push Stamps was expected to run track and field, a sport his older sister had excelled in. for better, but when we recognize that we Playing soccer, however, was what made have areas that might be seen as weaknesses,” Ali said. “If him truly happy. we can see those In the end, he as opportunities chose his own Self-love is more about for growth and enjoyment over instead of beatthe expectations making sure you enjoy your own ing ourselves up around him. life without an insane amount about it, we can “Self-love of pressures.” accept it, then, isn’t necessari— Britton Stamps, senior perhaps, if we ly being selfish, wish, [we can] and I feel like also work topeople feel like ward growing in that’s what it is,” Stamps said. “Self-love is more about that domain and taking that opportunity.”

Developing self-love is important, with making sure you enjoy your own life withmost ideas saying to take time to nurture out an insane amount of pressures.”

Through self-love, one can balance his one’s self and explore areas to discover or her emotions and actions and be able to what makes one happy. Ali warns, howevhelp out other people who need it. Kersha er, that while it may help the mind feel at cautions that people who don’t love them- ease, staying in one’s comfort zone and not selves will try to seek out that love else- doing uncomfortable things doesn’t help where, whether in other people or illegal with growth.

“There’s a distorted view of self-care as substances or acts.

“In relationships, showing up as fully something good you do for yourself, but I as possible takes a lot of self-knowledge, don’t really believe you need to become a self-acceptance and self-love, and if you master of meditation or plan an extravagant don’t have those things, the way you show vacation to some paradise place to be able up in the relationship is going to be from a to care for yourself,” Ali said. “There’s place of lack, and you’re going to look to things that you can do on a smaller scale, the other person to fill that,” Kersha said. too. For some people, self-care can be as “Nobody else can fill it for anyone — only simple as personal hygiene. It’s not always the things that are seen positively. Self-care ourselves.”

Because people look to others to fill also includes things that can be difficult. It the hole that self-love would fill, Ali said can include accountability and going to get the inevitability of the hole failing to be help. Those things are not easy to do, but mended can cause common relationship that encompasses self-care too.”

Kersha echoes this, as well. She says problems. Those with low self-esteem can distort how they view their significant oth- RBHS tries to provide as many ways as er and panic over little things that others possible for students to test themselves, examples being difficult classes or the wouldn’t think twice about.

“I think many people have relationship plethora of clubs, while still providing a issues that tend to recycle and repeat. If safe space.

“One of the ways we build self-esteem we’re not taking care of ourselves, if we’re

is by actually meeting challenges headon and seeing, ‘Oh yeah, I can do these things,’ [like] getting out of our comfort zones and doing things like joining clubs and developing strong, personal relationships,” Kersha said. “That doesn’t mean having 50 friends or acquaintances or social media [followers], but just having a small group of really good friends. A lot of times, the best way for people to learn how to love themselves is to see people modeling that, and that does kind of go back to parents in the home, but teachers and adults in the building can also model that.”

Only the student knows what is truly best for him or her, Kersha said, depending on circumstances in life past and present.

The journey of self-love is highly individualized, but Ali points out seven key components that contribute to the overall concept that is loving yourself.

“I really think it’s helpful to think about the different aspects that contribute to self-love because you can maybe be better in one aspect than another, but either way contributing to one helps improve your self-love. I see [these aspects] as self-awareness, self-exploration, selfcare, self-esteem, kindness, respect and growth.”

As long as someone is working in an aspect that works, Ali said it will help in terms of developing self-love. Practices like therapy can help a person determine what exactly works best, Ali said.

“I truly believe it’s possible and beneficial for everyone [to develop self-love.]

Now, in saying that, there’s not a onesize-fits-all; self-love is a very subjective practice,” Ali said. “There’s not a 100 percent [method] that works for everyone.

The process is kind of reflecting on what suggestions are given and making it your own. Of course, there are considerations that people may struggle [with] more than others.”

For example, Ali suggests to her clients that journaling one’s thoughts and emotions can help in developing self-awareness, but it also might not help at all; it truly depends on the individual. Regardless, Ali, Kersha and Stamps all say self-love is crucial to living authentically.

“All of our actions stem primarily from our beliefs about ourselves, from our beliefs about the world, from our beliefs about our place in the world,” Kersha said.

“If we don’t love ourselves, then a lot of our actions are gonna be based out of fear, self-loathing and just [that] negative space.

In my mind, figuring out how to love yourself is some of the most important work we can do.”

ISABEL GOMPPER / THE ROCK

8 IN-DEPTHS

THE ROCK www.bearingnews.org April 26, 2018

Parental Guardians weigh leniency to rigor Presence with their children's relationships

I

Emily Oba

magine a road trip with friends, 16-hour flights and a summer in Guatemala, all without parents. While many adults would question this amount of independence for a high school student, senior Cassi Viox’s parents allow her to explore the world on her own.

Parent-to-child relationships can vary with some parents being strict and others lenient; Viox says hers are the latter. She believes she has good parents because they give her the opportunity to experience things while also knowing when to restrict her to keep her safe.

“I get along with each of them in different ways. I like to think that I get my brain from my dad and my personality from my mom,” Viox said. “I’m very mathematical and scientific like my father, but very playful and social like my mom. I get in deep discussions about politics, religion and the world with my dad, but I tell my mom about my emotions and difficult days. Not one relationship is more important than the other to me; they’re just distinct from each other.”

Regarding her love life, Viox says her parents have never been strict about dating because they know her decisions are only going to affect her; however, she knows that her parents are there to guide her and suggest who to get close with.

“[They] give me their honest opinion ents having to tell her, that she can’t date. about people I date,” Viox said. “But ulti- While she is close with both of them, Ibitoye mately whoever I choose they treat them says her parents are more strict than lenient, kindly and are very inclusive.” but it doesn’t have an effect on their relationBesides the easygoing and strict parent- ship because she’s already used to it. ing styles, Avila University associate proSome of these rules are she cannot be out fessor of psychology Dr. Regina Staves says of the house when it’s dark, go out of the there is a third called the authoritative. city with friends or have sleepovers.

She says this type is the healthiest be“I was upset [one day] because I was at cause it helps their the library, and kids learn how to I was doing my think through good homework, and decision-makI was forced to Ultimately, whoever I choose ing and also learn come home be[to date, my parents] treat them what consequenccause it was dark kindly and are very inclusive." es come after bad even though I — Cassi Viox, senior decisions. was inside the “Parenting library,” Ibitoye styles can affect said. “I don’t family relationbreak the rules, ships and child so I haven’t realdevelopment. [Authoritative] is more of a ly gotten in trouble severely.” consultant type of parent that sets limits and While Ibitoye’s parents have caused her uses consequences and dialogue to teach disgruntlement in the past with their strict their children and is typically considered rules, said she knows that they just want the the healthiest form of parenting,” Dr. Staves best for her and will give her the support she said. “This is the healthiest because parents needs to be successful in life. maintain their authority and position of be“I think it’s better to be both lenient and ing in charge, but they communicate well strict, so your child is kept in check, but I and listen to their kids.” think that it’s also good to be a little bit leThis type is more definitive of junior nient because whenever a child goes to colZainab Ibitoye’s parents than Viox’s. While lege they’re going to be struggling to let go,” Viox’s parents give her free range on her re- Ibitoye said. “They won’t be able to control lationships, Ibitoye knows, without her par- my every move, so it’s better to ease into

ISABEL GOMPPER / THE ROCK

[giving more freedom] because it’s going to be a rude awakening in a year for them.”

Dr. Staves says strict parents expect unquestioned obedience and is often like a drill sergeant.

This can be positive because they enforce limits, but it also tends to leave kids feeling angry and cause conflict in the family dynamic.

Staves also says kids are more hesitant to seek advice from strict parents as they are afraid they will get in trouble. To Staves, the lenient parent isn’t perfect either.

“The more lenient parent tends to not follow through to support limits even though they say they will, [for example], ‘If you are late you will be grounded’ but never grounds their kid for being late. Those kids tend to learn that they don’t have to follow rules or expectations,” Dr. Staves said. “This can be a problem as they get older and get upset when the real world enacts consequences.”

Although Viox says her parents are permissive, she warns against those who are too strict or too lenient.

“I’ve seen kids get messed up from both lenient and strict parents. Some kids with lenient parents abuse their freedom and stay out every night and find themselves with little discipline,” Viox said. “Other kids with strict parents never have the opportunity to learn from mistakes. This leads to either them learning to rebel or going crazy when they leave for college because they’ve never

THE ROCK www.bearingnews.org April 26, 2018

Love on the rocks

W

Ann Fitzmaurice

hen she was just a sophomore in high school, senior Roz Eggener experienced her first love. The moment she knew she was in love came after a long, muddy hike at dusk. Her then-boyfriend, a senior, had the windows of his car rolled down, and he sang every word with passion to “What’s My Name” by Blink-182.

Eggener could see the stars and streetlights, but she also saw that she was in love with the boy next to her. Unfortunately, their relationship had an expiration date. When the 2016 senior class exited the doors of RBHS and entered the adult world, Eggener stayed behind. Before they got together, the couple had planned to break-up before graduation, as they decided the relationship would not work when he went to college. Despite her unhappiness with the decision, Eggener knew the separation would be the best for both of them.

“As the relationship progressed and my feelings got stronger, I was more upset about it. I thought about it all the time, how soon I was going to lose him,” Eggener said.

“But by the time graduation came around, we h a d

IN-DEPTHS 9

High school, despite all of its stereotypical movies and nostalgic memories, is often a time of firsts for those going through it.They encounter first dances, first cars and, for some, first heartbreak.

both grown and changed and developed, and it was a lot more ant,” Thalhuber said. “Not looking through old text messages mutual of a breakup than I expected it to be.” and conversations and old pictures, but truly moving forward While graduation acted as the scissors that cut the ties be- and hopefully learning something from whatever went wrong tween Eggener and her then-boyfriend, their decision was not and doing some good self-assessment and some good selfan uneducated one. Thirty-three percent of college relation- love afterwards so you can make better decisions the next ships are long-distance with 40 percent of those ending in a time.” break-up, according to a survey by Statistic Brain.

While Thalhuber believes the cons outweigh the pros for Nonetheless, the age gap between Eggener and her ex most high school relationships because of practicality, she seemed to follow a pattern tracked by Slate, a news site. The still believes that the four years are a time for experimenting study found that 40 percent of high school relationships are with relationships and love to practice for the future. Though between two students of different grades, with the male being her experience is limited because she often only gets to talk the older out of the couple. Only 18 percent of high school to students with relationship problems, Thalhuber also knows relationships involved an older girl dating a younger guy. that high school is a good time to realize what a healthy and Regardless of the age gap and the expiration date, the rela- unhealthy relationship is. Eggener, however, doesn’t believe tionship’s demise occurred slowly, without Eggener even real- her break-up helped her grow; the progression and decay izing it. In the beginning, Eggener felt an encompassing love of the relationship fundamentally changed her as a person. filled with the desire to meet his friends, family and be around During the relationship, Eggener’s first love was still attached him all the time. to another girl as he and Eggener dated. His attachment, When she looked at him, the rest of the world seemed to though an underlying problem at the time, impacted less of blur, Eggener said. His hands were all she wanted to hold, and Eggener’s future relationships but more of herself internally. his voice was all she wanted to hear. What was once a sweet “One afternoon, he said something dumb, and I was really melody that made her realize her love eventually turned into upset about it, and while we were discussing it and trying her acute awareness of his flaws. to work through the issue, he called “When [our love] started to me by the other girl’s name. That fade, it wasn’t easy to notice. But I was about mid-way through our felt ready to leave earlier when we relationship, but that was quite a [Our relationship] was by no were spending time together, and heartbreak,” Eggener said. “It felt means all bad, but it didn’t feel I felt more inclined to go out with like a stab in the chest. It was like so ideal anymore. I didn’t want to others, without him. Things didn’t my biggest fear in our relationship look past his flaws any longer." feel as easy as they had before. had come true, like I was nothing Talking; not necessarily harder, but more than a replacement for this — Roz Eggener, senior less enjoyable, a little less fun, a litother girl. Since then I’ve always tle more tense. A little bit like busibeen afraid of being a replacement ness,” Eggener said. “I remember like that. In relationships since, I’ve the first time as we were nearing the end [of the relationship,] had to be reassured so much that I’m not just a stand in for when he was singing in the car, and his voice got on my nerves their ex.” a little bit. The good didn’t overshadow the flaws anymore. It By learning and growing from past relationships, Eggener was by no means all bad, but it didn’t feel so ideal anymore. I could take her experiences and put them to use by improving didn’t want to look past his flaws any longer.” herself. By doing this, Eggener followed Thalhuber’s advice The average length of infatuation is anywhere from three to of not taking heartbreak personally.

18 months, though a study by Psychology Today gathered “There [are] truly a lot of fish in the sea, and this is truthat long-distance relationships might extend the time ly practice time for finding a healthy and good relationship frame because of the unwillingness to make a deci- for you. It’s normal that the first ones don’t [always] work sion about the future. out,” Thalhuber said. “We learn what we can from that and On one hand, the relationship ends while on the then take what we learned and move forward for next and other, it progresses into a more serious, long-term better [relationships] and a better person that’s going to fit affair. Eggener never attempted the long-distance our needs, our interests, our personalities; you just learn a lot phenomenon and after the infatuation stage ended, from that stuff.” her relationship regressed slowly.

After her break-up, Bess had more time to reflect internally Sophomore Anna Bess’ first relationship, how- about herself, her values and her steps forward. The separaever, ended abruptly and with heartbreak. Her first tion helped her relieve stress and not worry about what her relationship sparked her freshman year of high ex thought of her anymore. In a way, Bess felt free, now that school with someone who was just a year older she no longer had to constantly impress him and make sure than she. Their break-up began as simply a tempo- that he still loved her. Though Bess’ relationship lasted just rary break, so her then-boyfriend could focus on his more than a year, the effects of a break-up on the brain remain family. Bess waited for a month, waking up each widespread. The effects of a break-up are similar to those of day hoping that would be the day he would come physical pain in that the brain signals that both are priorities back. One day, Bess had the unfortunate realization and need attention, according to a study by Psychology Today. her wishes were not going to come true.

“Break-ups are super hard and with anxiety and depres“I found out he was flirting with another girl, sion being so high with our teenagers right now anyway, when and before I could confront him about it he broke compared to other historical points,” Thalhuber said. “This is up with me over text. Just like that, almost 18 just another thing kind of feeding that fire when there’s anximonths of love was gone,” Bess said. “Everything ety during a relationship or depression after a breakup. It just he promised me and everything he said meant noth- adds a whole lot of stress that I don’t think is helpful.” ing now. I was destroyed, but my best friend helped Though Thalhuber doesn’t believe high school relationpick me back up. Now my ex and I are friends, and ships are a necessity, she knows the developmental stages of we are on good terms.” a high school relationship in preparing for the real world are Despite the heartbreak, Bess knew she was still crucial. While Eggener notes that heartbreak is worse than beloved. She had her friends and family to help her ing punched in the face, she knows it doesn’t last forever and through the break-up, and even in her worst moments, is able to move on.

Bess said she’d always known that love was still “I do believe in love, strongly. I always have. I feel it all the around, and someone does love her whether that be ro- time. It’s always around,” Eggener said. “When I’m spending mantic or not. RBHS outreach counselor Lesley Thal- time with friends and they do something that reminds me of huber attributes a comeback after a lost relationship to all our memories together, or when my cat puts his paw in friends and family along with personal perseverance. my hand or when I hear a certain chord progression that just “There’s a lot of things to pour yourself into to not makes me swoon. Love feels warm and carefree and safe. It’s just be kind of miserably missing that person.The way not always easy to feel it, but once you do it’s the best feeling you spend your time is going to be really, really import- you’ll get.”

10 ADS

THE ROCK www.bearingnews.org April 26, 2018

sculpt, sweat and shine

IN FULL FORCE YOUNG WOMEN, 16-21, DANCE FOR LESS IN 2018 VISIT JAZZERCISE.COM/GIRLFORCE FOR DETAILS

GRAPHICS.COM ®

CUSTOM SCREEN PRINTING CUSTOM EMBROIDERY GRAPHIC DESIGN SIGNS BANNERS DECALS PROMOTIONAL PRODUCTS AND MORE!

YOUR DESIGN HERE

“Think It...Print It...Diggit

Check out our new ONLINE DESIGN STUDIO Easy to use! Instant Quotes!

100’s of Unique Premade Designs!

DESIGN ONLINE OR UPLOAD YOUR ARTWORK DIRECTLY TO OUR WEBSITE!!

www.diggitgraphics.com contact@diggitgraphics.com

Daniel Boone Regional Library www.dbrl.org