2017 Fall Pilot

Volume 24 Issue 1 October 2017

Pages 2--3 . . . . Wisco Sports Pages 10-11 . . .Homecoming Page 16 . . . . . . . Fall Fashion Page 17 . . . . . . . . Halloween

Artwork by Bella Chen

Sports

The girls cross country team extended their school record by qualifying for the State Championship for the 14th consecutive season. They competed Saturday, October 28 in Wisconsin Rapids and ended the season with an 8th place finish. The team was led by Lauren Konkol, who placed 32nd overall in her final cross country race as a Viking. Other seniors: Kaitlyn Kieselhorst and Maddison Raabe.

On Saturday, October 21, the boys cross country team qualified for the WIAA State Cross Country Championships by finishing 2nd at the sectional meet. This is the 9th straight year that the boys have qualified. The team finished in 12th place with no seniors on the young team.

Junior Jared Denk (pictured) led the team by finishing 23rd overall.

Lady Vikes Volleyball won a WIAA Division 2 Regional with a 25-18, 25-18, 27-25 win over Racine St. Catherine’s on Saturday, October 21, their first Regional title since 2009. This win sent them to the sectional semi-finals Thursday night, October 26 at Catholic Memorial. The Vikes lost, and this ended their season.

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Boys varsity soccer ended the season with a 6-9-5 record.

Photos by Gerry Milton

Sports

Wisco Football

Varsity Football Stats Overall record 3-6 Quarterback Colin Olson passed for 718 yards and 7 touchdowns • Jacqueze Lockett--leading rusher with 1143 yards • Adler Peterson (63) and Lucas Roecker (49)--leading tacklers • •

Artwork by Ler Mu Htoo

Another season of Wisco football is over. This season started full of hopes and things to look forward to. All three football teams from WLHS worked hard in practice to try to have the most successful games possible. Varsity Football Coach Joel Radue stated that a typical practice day goes like this: “We begin by watching film of the previous day’s practice, we warm up, and then we have what is called Indy time. That is where we divide into position groups

and work on fundamentals. After that, we work on our perimeter offense and inside defense. We close by practicing our team defense and offense.”

Games are where all of that hard work pays off. Home games were especially exciting. Besides getting to cheer on friends and fellow classmates, fans got to spend time with friends and maybe even meet new ones. During half-time there were performances from the Wisconsin Lutheran Marching Band and the cheerleading/dance teams.

There is rivalry in many sports, and it is no different in foot-

ball. Coach Radue says that the team’s biggest rivalries include New Berlin Eisenhower, Pewaukee, and Greendale.

It is obvious that every player from each team loves the sport based on the determination, time, and effort that they put into it. Freshman player Corey Tipton said, “My favorite thing about playing football is the adrenaline that goes through you during the game. The games are always fun. I also really love the feeling when you make a big play, and everyone is really happy for you and is saying good job to you on the sidelines.”

Photo by Gerry Milton

By Emily Gorski

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School

Ways to get Involved

By Stephanie Hernandez

A great way to meet new friends is to join a club or a sport.

There are many clubs and sports that you can join at WLHS. Here are just a few that you could consider.

There are several sports at WLHS that will start their seasons soon--wrestling, basketball, dance, cheerleading, and futsal (indoor soccer).

There are also many clubs you could join. If you are reading this, how about joining Pilot? You could write articles about fun and interesting topics, or submit photos or artwork for publication.

If you don’t like writing, but enjoy speaking, have you thought of joining Forensics? Forensics is a group that prepares speeches and has competitions with other schools.

Many students may have already been a part of this in grade school. If you enjoyed it then, considering joining Wisco’s team.

Wisco also has a Photo/Video Club. Photos and videos are critiqued, so that students can learn the best way to take pictures or video. Also, they have contests, and winners get gift cards .

If you enjoy acting, another option is to join Drama Club. During the meetings, the students play different characters and exciting games that help to improve an individual’s acting skills.

If you are good at math, you should consider joining Math Track.

Math Track has only four meets each year, and for those meets they compete against different schools and solve math equations.

If you are not interested in any of these clubs but are musically inclined, how about considering joining Wisco Kids, Inspiration, or Jubilation? These are not groups that you can just join; they are groups you have to tryout for. Wisco Kids is a show choir that learns choreography as well as sings. Inspiration is a vocal jazz choir. Both groups have practices after school. Jubilation is the WLHS handbell choir which also practices after school.

If you enjoy playing games that involve strategy, you could also join Chess Club. They play chess every Tues-

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day and Thursday, and they also have weekend competitions.

Student Council and Wisco Witnesses in the World (WWW) are other groups you could join. If you missed the deadline for joining this year, consider trying next year, because these are groups you don’t want to miss out on. Student Council helps to organize school events. They help setup the dances and decorate the school. WWW helps the students in Wisco.

Wisco has so many clubs and sports. A few others that weren’t mentioned are Robotics Team, Page Turners Book Club, Compass (Yearbook, and Tech Team.Try one today, meet new friends. and have fun!

School

New Teachers roommate's family to a cabin for a week to catch frogs and turtles. Mrs. Knight has a slightly more expensive passion. “I’ve always wanted to go to

Bet you didn’t know that Australia, to go to the Great Barrier Mrs. Knight’s (Science) husband Reef.” she says, “Except plane tickloved shop class; or, that Mrs. Belott ets are really expensive to Austra(Spanish) adores road trips with her lia..” Mrs. Belott loves Mexico, “My boys. Did you know that Mrs. Jiles husband and I, we just both share a (Guidance) played high school vol- love for going to Mexico.” They even leyball at Wisco, and then went on to have proof that “they are meant to be play volleyball in college too? Teach- in Mexico.” They went on a road trip ers and faculty are interesting people. and were driving through Panama If you actually take time to talk to City Beach, Florida. That’s when it them and get to know them, you may started to rain. Her husband checked be surprised at what you learn. the map and noticed that there was a Mrs. Cheryl Belott, different spot where it wasn’t raining, Mrs. Lindsay Knight, and so they kept driving--turns out that Mrs. Emily Jiles location was Mexico Beach!

Teachers, it appears, are not For those of you who are only people who sit in a classroom more “mushy gushy,” Mrs. Knight teaching you, they also have has a great high school personal lives, favorite hobsweethearts story. She bies, and dream destinations met her husband at Kettle for a vacation. For Mrs. Jiles, Moraine Lutheran High one of those fun things is School “Maybe that’s retaking her little girls to the ally what influenced me zoo. “They are really into to be a science teacher, animals right now and just since we met my freshman seeing what their little minds year in science class.” she Mrs. Lindsay Knight are up to every day, has been said. They dated through fun.” She and her husband also en- college and just got married in June! joyed taking her girls and a college Mrs. Belott has also been happily

By Isabella Delwiche and Hannah Gorski

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married for some years. She met her husband while working at State Fair, and “the rest was history.” After her friend leaked the news to the firefighter that Mrs. Belott had noticed him, they dated for a couple of years.

They then got married, and now they have two boys.

On a slightly more serious topic, teachers have goals for their students and for their classrooms. They obviously want the class as a whole to learn, but they also have goals for each individual student. Mrs. Belott and Mrs. Knight shared what they think is the description of a successful student.

Mrs. Belott said, “To me, successful students Mrs. Cheryl Belott are ones who are willing to put themselves out there and are not so intimidated by any barriers. They are willing to make errors and then learn from their mistakes. It's ok, not to be perfect. They are able to persevere through difficult times or when trying something new, and then willing to grow by reflecting on the experiences.”

New teachers continued on page 6

School New teachers continued from page 5

Mrs. Knight’s definition of a successful student is simply, “one who cares...one who actually cares how they do.” So, it turns out that being successful isn’t some mystery. You just have to care, and you have to be willing to go for whatever it is that you are trying to do. Students have to be willing to make mistakes and learn from them.

Mrs. Emily Jiles

Mrs. Jiles is not someone that everyone likely sees every day, and that’s because she works in the Guidance office. She is currently working as a personal counselor. She said, “if students are having some personal issues that they want to talk about, then I will talk to them about whatever the problem is.” She also does some administrative tasks as well as being available to give academic support.

For example, “if you have a goal to be a nurse, what classes would be a good fit for you ?” She can help you figure that out and get you started on that path. This is a little bit like college planning, which Mrs. Jiles says might be her favorite part. “You get to find out a lot about students’ personalities, hopes, and dreams.” And, she loves doing that, which is why she wants students to know that she is “here, and that she is really interested in anything they have to say or want to talk about.”

Mr. Tim Walsh

Mr. Walsh came at the beginning of the second semester last school year to teach Spanish. He is currently teaching Spanish 2. Mr. Walsh attended grade school in Clearwater, Florida and went to Luther High School in Onalaska, Wisconsin.

Before he started teaching at WLHS, he spent a semester teaching English at Colegio B Group in Callao, Peru.

He is currently in his first year studying to be a pastor at Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary in Mequon.

Mr. Walsh likes watching TV and movies; he calls himself a “TV and movie nerd.” Both he and his wife enjoy jogging, hiking, and swimming when the weather is good.

Mr. Walsh’s advice to students thinking about becoming a teacher is “Pay a lot of attention to your teachers now--not to what they teach, but how they teach it. I wish I’d paid more attention to my Spanish teacher now!”

Bienvenidos (welcome) to the Wisco family!

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Mrs. Tamara Leyrer

Mrs. Leyrer is the new International Admissions Counselor.

Mrs. Leyrer’s favorite part about teaching is “getting to know the students--helping them to think critically and to have confidence in who they are.” She originally did not start out going to college to become a teacher-she wanted to be a nurse. She missed the Christian environment when she went to public university and wanted to grow in her faith, so she ended up attending Martin Luther College.

In her free time, she enjoys studying Mandarin Chinese, working out, bike riding, hiking, reading, cooking, and entertaining. Mrs. Leyrer’s advice to students considering becoming a teacher is “If you feel you have gifts for teaching, keep the possibility open. I started out going to be a nurse, but a friend convinced me to change to teaching because I had teaching gifts. It was in God’s plan. When I lived in Taiwan for nine years, I could not be a nurse there, but I could teach.” She added, “I’m excited to be here in Milwaukee, and I enjoy the school and city very much.”

All new teacher and staff pictures by Gerry Milton

School

adults every day--we grow together. I get to share my faith every day, and I have the opportunity to help encourage the future leaders of our faith.”

His advice to students considering becoming a teacher is “Teachers do not always get to see the fruits of their labor, but sometimes they do. Teachers teach because they love to serve.”

Mr. Marc Shambeau

Mr. Shambeau is teaching Advanced Algebra and Precalculus. He knew he wanted to become a teacher when in high school--he tutored his peers in math; he loved helping people. His favorite part about teaching is “working with the students to help them be successful in and out of the classroom.” He likes hanging out with his wife, baby boy, and family in his free time.

Some reasons why he wanted to become a teacher include: “I get to be surrounded by young Christian

Mr. Casey Pufahl

Mr. Pufahl is teaching fine arts classes this year. He knew he wanted to be a teacher since second grade. His favorite part about teaching is: “I love working with God’s redeemed children, and helping them exceed in areas where their academic, fine arts limits might be.”

In his free time, he loves spending time with his family outdoors which includes hiking, biking, traveling, woodworking, and working with the Minnesota DNR. He also enjoys singing, playing different instruments, and learning new things.

The advice that he would give to students considering being a teacher is “Teaching is one of the most noble and meaningful careers.

To be an excellent teacher requires giving all of yourself and continually improving your practices and methods, along with your skills and knowledge. If you are considering becoming a teacher, you may be God’s answer to one of my prayers.

I pray you would positively impact, for God’s kingdom, all students, who may come into your sphere of influence.

You still might not know every detail about these new teachers and staff members; however, now you know enough information that you could randomly start a conversation with one of them. Get to know your teachers. Smile at them in the hallways and be friendly; they aren’t here to make our days miserable; they are here to encourage us and help us grow in our faith.

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Puzzle

Autumn Word Search Word Bank: Geese Hay Pumpkin Pear Scarecrow Maze Red Corn Brown Colors Maple Tree Sweater Apple Harvest October Fall Rake Orange Orchard Wheat

Photos by Stephanie Hernandez

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Holidays

By: Leah Rausch

Labor Day. People often think of this day as a day off school or work.

For many people it marks the end of summer, but there is history behind this holiday. Most may not know that this holiday has a bloody history and came out of a long battle for the rights of American workers. It is one of 10 federal holidays in the United States; it pays tribute to the workers.

Labor Day is celebrated on the first Monday of every September. It was started in 1882 by a union called the Knights of Labor. The first Labor Day was celebrated on Tuesday, September 5, 1882 in New York City. The first celebration was a long parade followed by a picnic in New York City for the workers and their families. It officially became a holiday in 1894 when Congress unanimously voted to approve Labor Day as a national holiday, and President Grover Cleveland signed it into law.

The story behind Labor Day is quite interesting. According to a Newsweek magazine article, “At the height of the Industrial Revolution in the United States, the average American worked 12-hour days seven-day weeks in order to make a basic liv-

ing.” Even though some states had restrictions, “children as young as five or six toiled in mills, factories and mines across the country.” Women and children worked more cheaply than men, and owners hired them for this reason. In the1880’s, workers organized into labor unions. The American Federation of Labor (AFL) was organized in 1886. Many people went on strike to protest the horrible treatment of workers. During the late 1800s, workers carried out some 37,000 strikes in the United States.

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According to the Washington Post, historian Edward T. O’Connell cited that between 1870 and 1914, approximately “800 American workers were killed during strikes by state security forces or the military.”

Many of these strikes turned into riots. One of the most well known riots is called the Haymarket Riot.

According to History.com, the protest at Haymarket Square in Chicago, Illinois drew 1,500 Chicago workers who were protesting the killing of a striker by the Chicago police the day before. “Halfway through the rally, which had thinned out because of rain, a force of nearly 200 policemen arrived to disperse the workers. As the police advanced toward the 300 remaining protesters, an individual who was never positively identified threw a bomb at them. After the explosion and the police gunfire, more than a dozen people lay dead or dying, and close to 100 were injured.”

One of the biggest strikes in history was the Pullman strike. This was a “widespread railroad strike and boycott that severely disrupted rail traffic in the Midwest of the United States in June–July 1894.” Newsweek said that workers for railcar manufacturers, the Pullman company in Chicago went on strike “after their wages were cut by almost 30 percent, but the rents and prices at company-owned stores remained.” The federal government sent in the military to enforce a court injunction against the strike. (This was the first time that an injunction was used to break a strike.) The riots resulted in 30 deaths and $80 million worth of damages.

On June 28, six days after the strike, President Grover Cleveland and Congress signed the bill that made Labor Day a national holiday. This was a way to appease the workers. This holiday is still celebrated today.

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Culture

How is deafness defined?

A Silent World

According to “Hearing Loss and Deafness” on Medbroadcast.com, “deafness is the complete inability to hear sound. Hearing loss is the reduced ability to hear sound.”

So, simply put, you can have good hearing, partial deafness (usually hearing loss), and complete deafness. Can you imagine a world where everything is silent--you would not be able to hear even a pin drop?

An Inspiration It is important to

tell you not to listen to your music so loud because you could go deaf? Well, they might have been right. Deafness is not just caused by listening to loud music, however. So what causes a person to go deaf? There are two different kinds of hearing loss- conductive and sensorineural. Conductive hearing loss is when something blocks the sound waves from reaching the inner ear. Some of the causes of this kind of hearing loss include: fluid in the middle ear from colds, ear infections, allergies, perforated eardrum, impacted earwax, and a foreign body in the ear.

Sensorineural hearing loss is what your mother has been warning you about. It can be caused by having a long exposure to loud noises (this includes headphones and concerts), virus or disease (meningitis for example), malformation of the inner ear, and autoimmune disease of the inner ear. Babies can also be born deaf. Many infants are born deaf because of a genetic reason, or because of prenatal illnesses or complications which include rubella, cytomegalovirus, and toxoplasmosis. An infant also has an increased risk of being deaf if he/she is born premature.

Sign Language Just as with language, each country

has a different sign language with different dialects. The sign language that we are most familiar with is American Sign Language. Sign language does not just include your hand gestures; it includes facial expressions, body language, and hand position. Deaf people use specific name signs to refer to people. Sometimes this doesn’t include the signing of the full name, but instead, they may abbreviate and have specific hand movements. Sign language uses very specific movements, so even a palm direction can change the whole meaning of a sign! Even though sign language is commonly used, there are many countries that don’t use it which can make communicating with the deaf or hard of hearing more difficult.

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By Hannah Gorski

those in the deaf community for those in the hearing community to understand they don’t feel handicapped. Deaf people can and have accomplished many great things.

Here are some examples-• Mandy Harvey--a recent contestant on America’s Got Talent. She lost her hearing at the age of 18 and uses vibrations to hear the music and sing along to it.

• Derrick Coleman--fullback for the Atlanta Falcons (previously with the Vikings and Seahawks). He played in the XLVIII Superbowl with the Seahawks.

• Heather Whitestone--lost most of her hearing at 18 months. She was crowned Miss America in 1995.

• Nyle DiMarco--first deaf winner of America’s Next Top Model in 2015.

The next year won season 22 of Dancing with the Stars.

What causes deafness? Have you ever heard your parents

School

Freshmen Jitters

By Kylie Tremaine

As we welcome back the faculty and returning students, we are also welcoming the freshmen to a new environment. WLHS is a much larger school than many of the students are used to. A few freshmen during an interview answered a few questions on how they felt high school is different from middle school.

How is high school different from middle school?

Alyssa Techlin, said, “High school is different from middle school because most assignments are due the next day, and you really have to keep track of what is assigned.” Another student, Mason Ruh, said, “High school is different than middle school because you feel more independent; you must manage your time to get to each class.” Two more freshmen, Hannah Behroozi and Emily Gorski, were asked this question. Gorski said, “High school is a big jump from grade school. You have to be on time to every class, and you must accept that you are not going to be in the same class with your best friend.” Behroozi explained her response in great detail and said, “For one, the classes are much shorter in high school than they were in grade school, and that means that we have more classes in one day. It’s also hard to get used to all of the people in high school since the freshmen class alone is bigger than most of our grade schools.”

How are you handling not having a recess?

Both Techlin and Ruh answered that they did not really think about missing recess because of all of the classes they have; they have to focus on school lessons instead. Techlin added that there is also physical education in high school which she prefers over recess. Others said the opposite. Both Behroozi and Gorski had similar thoughts stating that they miss recess because they really don’t have any free time during the school day besides lunch.

When there are freshmen entering into a new school environment, they might have mixed feelings about their first day of school.

What were you most nervous about when starting high school?

Ruh responded, “I was so nervous that there were so many students in one school.” Then, Techlin explained how there were only one hundred students in her entire grade school, so having so many students in one school can be nerve racking. Since Gorski and Behroozi were not familiar with the school, they were most nervous about getting lost in it.

How did you get over your nervousness?

Techlin said, “One way I got over my nerves was by getting acquainted with other freshmen and knowing that I was not the only fresh-

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man that was feeling overwhelmed.”

Ruh also said, “Being around friends has helped me get over some of my nerves for these few weeks of high school.”

How do you feel overall about high school?

Techlin explained how she has gotten used to the transition from grade school to middle school and how it is comforting to know how many friends she has that will help her through her first year. Ruh adds that these past weeks have been good for him, and that he is looking forward to the rest of the school year. Behroozi said, “I think I had a really great start to the year. Although it took me some time to get used to how things are done at Wisco, I think I understand most of the little things that were confusing to me at first. I’ve also gotten involved in some extracurriculars, and I’m really enjoying them.” Then, Gorski went on to say, “I have made a lot of new friends, and I make sure to try and hang out with my old ones too. The teachers really helped because they understand that everything is brand new. So, overall, the first weeks of high school have been pretty good.”

We l c o m e freshmen to a fresh start in something new!

School

Homework--the Good and the Bad

By Megan Orozco-Reyes

To some people it might be torture, and for others it might be fun.

Homework--What are the pros and cons?

Homework is one method that teachers use to find out how much students learned during the day. Homework can be projects, essays, or papers that are due in a certain period of time. Students repeatedly whine about the amount of homework they are left to do during their free time, but they are not the only ones that have to do homework.

Adults, too, have projects or reports that they need to do at work in a short amount of time.

Some of the pros of having homework are that people are able to review what they learned during the day, so they are better prepared for the next lesson. For certain people, goals can and should be set such as getting a B+ on an assignment or a test.

There can also be negative things about homework. For exam-

ple, there may be too much of it. This can lead to less time to do other important activities such as exercise. It is good to get exercise every day, but because of homework, students may not be able to get the right amount of exercise they need.

Another negative about homework is that sometimes you don’t understand the assignment.

This can cause more stress. To avoid this, be sure to look over assignments right away and ask your teachers to clarify things you don’t undertand.

Everyone has his or her own thoughts about homework. Some are

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so occupied doing it that they sometimes ignore the important things happening around them. Remember to find time to take a break from homework by doing something you enjoy.

From ConnectUsFund.org-Pros of Homework 1. It makes up for the insufficient time children spend in school to learn.

2. It is an effective way for students to learn discipline.

3. Mastery of knowledge and skills depend on practice.

4. Parents can see what their children are doing in school and help with homework as well.

5. It can instill good study habits and reduce time spent on watching television and playing video games.

6. It prepares them for the real world once they finish education.

Cons of Homework 1. It can be stressful for the student.

2. It is not as effective as proponents say it is.

3. Homework does not necessarily result in improved school performance.

4. It can be a burden to students.

School

School Lunch Opinions

By Abigail Berg “Ask not what you can do for your country; ask what’s for lunch.”

-Orson Welles

When most people hear the word lunch, usually positive thoughts come into their minds. For some people, however, when the word school is added that thought might change.

A Google survey was sent out to Wisco students. Out of the 223 people that responded to the survey, only 6 people, which is about 2%, rated lunch at Wisco a 10 out of 10.

The majority of the students or 17% that responded rated lunch a 7 out of 10. The rest of the percentages were scattered.

Wisco lunches are very accessible to students. They are reasonably priced, and with things like the free lunch program, more students are able to eat hot lunch. Not only are Wisco lunches delicious, but they are also nutritious. According to the website, www.Supertracker.usda.gov, the average meal that a student eats at Wisco has about 750-800 calories and gives most, if not all, of the six key nutrients our body needs to stay healthy each and every day. These nutrients are: water, protein, carbo-

hydrates, fat, vitamins, and minerals.

Almost all of these can be found in fruits and vegetables which Wisco has a great selection of in the cafeteria every day.

Wisco lunches have changed a lot over the years. Alumnus, Nancy Nelson, said, “The lunches were good. It was not al la carte; you could buy tickets for the whole week and take lunch or buy it for that day. One of my favorite things was pizza burgers.” She also said that there was no third lunch.

It’s not just Wisco lunches that have changed. School lunches all around the country have changed drastically over the last decade or so, thanks to Michelle Obama. In 2010, the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) enforced some new rules and regulations. The National School Lunch Program: Direct Certification Improvement Plans Required by the HHFKA of 2010 is a rule that amended the NSLP regulations and guidelines to help kids eat healthier and make school lunches easier for kids to have. School lunches used to be more flexible on quantity and quality. As a result, kids wouldn’t be restricted to certain amounts of food and would over or under eat. They also wouldn’t be eating as healthy, so

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they wouldn’t be getting the nutrients their bodies needed to keep going throughout the school day.

School lunches have a lot of pros and cons. It can be said that most Wisco lunches are nutritious and affordable. However, one of the major issues are the first, second, and third lunch times. It’s a classic goldilocks and the three bears situation.

First lunch is too early, third lunch is too late, and you would think that second lunch would be just right but according to Hannah Burrow, not so much. She said, “It’s loud. It’s kind of crowded when you go to put your tray away.” When asked about her lunch-time opinions, Chloe Mattek, who has third lunch, said, “I like that I only have three classes after lunch; it makes it easier, but I do get hungry before it.” Based upon the results of the Google school lunch survey, many students stated that they do not approve of the idea of having three lunches, or that the lunches are just too short.

Overall, it can be assumed that with a student body as large as Wisco, lunch will never be perfect for everyone. However, Wisco is certainly taking steps to make eating lunch a better experience for the student body.

Season

Fall Fashion

By Stephanie Hernandez

The leaves are in the process of changing colors from green to red, and the weather is getting chilly--it’s fall! It’s sweater weather!

If your closet is still filled with summer clothes, it’s time for a wardrobe change. Some favorite items that people love to wear once it gets cold are furry boots such as Ugg boots, Hunter boots, leggings, sweaters, vests, plaid shirts, and jean jackets. Here are some outfit ideas that you may like.

New styles arrive in stores weekly, and the deals can be amazing! Some of the best stores to shop for deals are: Forever 21, American Eagle, PacSun, F r a n c e s c a ’s , and Aeropostale. Most stores have amazing deals for the latest fall styles such as 30-70% off selected items, or buy 1 pair of leggings/pants

get 1 free, or even buy 1 sweater and get 1 for half price. These are deals that are difficult to pass up. Fast fashion--trendy clothes that are designed, created, and sold to consumers as quickly as possible is the latest fad.

Americans buy the latest trend and throw out the items once it goes out of style. According to the Upfront magazine by the New York Times, since 2000, the global clothing production has tripled, and the “industry now churns out more than 150 billion garments annually.”

Many of these items are made in foreign countries such as China, Vietnam, and Bangladesh where workers in textile factories work in windowless rooms in the stifling heat, thick with fumes from the chemicals used to maufacture and dye clothes.

Women sew hundreds of jackets an hour--more than 1,000 a day, and their daily wage is less than $3. Many of the “75 million garment workers earn only a few dollars a day, and many of the women are in their teens.” Often they are the first ones in their families to have a real job, so they start working in the factories as soon as they can. Workers often work in unsafe environments and are afraid to call in sick--if they miss a day, they may be

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fired. While some countries are starting to improve working conditions, it is important for consumers to be aware of where the store’s clothes are made.

Fast fashion also hurts the environment. According to Upfront magazine by the New York Times, “garments are manufactured using toxic chemicals and then transported around the globe, making the fashion industry the world’s second-largest polluter.” Also, millions of tons of discarded clothing ends up in landfills each year. Americans buy 20 billion garments each year, and the average weight of clothes and shoes an American throws away each year is 76 pounds--that’s a lot of clothes.

A lot of this fast fashion is made specifically for teens, so as you are purchasing your new fall fashions, take time to educate yourself about where your clothes are made and how the workers are treated.

Holiday

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By Jaydin Pluta

Americans spend $2.5 billion on Halloween each year. It is the second largest holiday, after Christmas. Dressing up for Halloween is a fun way for people to express themselves. October 31 has become one of the most popular holidays celebrated in the world, but where did it start, and what do Christians think of it?

Many of the traditions of Halloween can be traced back to the Celts--pagan worshippers who believed in many gods. Halloween was actually a festival called Samhain, a Celtic festival that celebrated the new year and the end of summer. After harvesting their crops and storing them for the winter, their festival began. On October 31, the eve of the new year, the Celts believed the dead could walk the earth, and the priests, the Druids, could make more accurate predictions. They built huge fires to frighten away evil spirits and to honor the sun god. They wore animal skin costumes, and tried to tell each other's futures. They believed that the bonfires and the costumes would ward off ghosts. Once the fire died out, they relit it for protection during the coming winter.

During the Middle Ages, when more people were converted to Christianity, the Roman Catholic Church incorporated modified versions of pagen holidays to gain converts. For instance, November 1 was turned into All Saints Day, a day to honor those who died for their religion. The night before became All-hallows Eve; later the name was changed to Halloween.

The tradition of Halloween was brought to America with the colonists; however, some of the traditions changed. The name jack-o’-lantern may have actually come from a night watchman. In the British Isles, some people would carry lanterns made from turnips or rutabagas; in America since pumpkins were more common, people began putting candles inside of them and using the lighted pumpkins as lanterns. This is where the idea of a Jack-o’-lantern comes from.

Colonists would also tell ghost stories to each other, but this was not widely celebrated.

In the late nineteenth century, more Irish immigrants came to America and made Halloween popular.

Americans began going to houses asking for food. This is now known as ‘trick-or-treating’ (History.com).

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A Halloween Q&A from Wels.net Question: What is the WELS stance on Halloween, and how does it feel about a church participating in this event?

Answer: People in our church view Halloween differently. Some see it as a secular holiday detached from its origins. Others consider any celebration of it as being wrong. There are divided opinions on an event the Bible does not specifically mention.

So, your question addresses the subject matter of Christian freedom. In considering an outreach event that is connected to Halloween, congregational leaders will need to consider how such an event might be understood or misunderstood by the community and members of the congregation. Sensitive consciences of congregational members will need to be taken into account. As with any outreach effort, a congregation that sponsors a Halloween event will strive to connect people with God’s saving word. It is God’s word alone that changes hearts and lives. And that’s why the Lutheran Reformation was so important. It put the spotlight back on God’s Word instead of the church’s decrees. It highlighted the Bible’s message of free and full salvation through faith in Jesus Christ.

That message is one that our churches—and we, its members—want others to hear.

Art Design by Ler Mu Htoo

News

By Star Llanas

People love watching scandalous things. Many popular shows on television such as Game of Thrones, Stranger Things, and NCIS, are filled with drama. However, there is a new scandal sweeping the nation. What is this new problem? Fake news.

Fake news is any source of information, whether online or on paper that is spreading untrue propaganda or distorting facts. Social media and the internet in general has made it so simple for people to post whatever they want to. Because of this, there is false information everywhere. For instance, English teachers often dissuade students from using the website, Wikipedia, because any person can post or edit any article on that site. This often leads to mistakes and incorrect facts being posted on the site. An important and useful rule of thumb is to double check any facts learned and analyze any website cre-

dentials.

Wikipedia is not the only website or information source guilty of this. Many other companies have spread fake news. One of the biggest examples of this was during the 2016 presidential election between Hillary Clinton and now President Donald Trump. Many people posted or wrote incorrect facts and stories about the candidate they were not voting for.

One example of this is from the website Political Insider. This site stated that Hillary Clinton sold weapons to ISIS (a major terrorist group in Middle East). Another untrue fact was about now Vice President Mike Pence. Online news source, USA News Flash, released an article saying that Mike Pence called Michelle Obama the most vulgar first lady ever in the White House. Both of these news stories were made up by people and are untrue.

After reading this, one may start to question all of their sourc-

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es. Do not worry. Using credible sources is not difficult; however, it may take some extra research time.

First, before using the information ask if it makes sense. Later, research the source to find out if others find it credible. If the site lists the author, one can research the author’s credibility. Also, double check the facts.

Make sure to check if other sources are saying the same thing. Be sure to use a variety of websites with differing views. For example, if the focus is on politics, look at sources from more than one party. Finally, there are websites, like Fact Check, that can be used to check if news is credible.

Scandals are everywhere, especially in the media. However, this problem can be troubling for many people looking for the truth. Be sure to look back and check all the facts and sources before writing or using information. Overall, just remember to be smart and aware when using websites that could potentially be deemed as unreliable.

Technology Privacy

News

Artwork by Helen Liu

By Blessed Ikuobolati

Do you think you have privacy in your own home? Think again. Law inforcement seems to have an increasing amount of access to people’s smart phones and other technolgy in order to gather evidence to solve crimes.

As of now, if an investigator needs to access someone’s personal device to listen to phone calls, for example, he or she will need a warrant before being able to go through it. Moreover, the investigator cannot get a warrant without probable cause of someone committing a crime.

Therefore, unless someone is a suspect in a crime, it is pretty unlikely that anyone will be snooping around in that person’s phone searching for information. However, according to The New York Times Upfront magazine from September 4, 2017, “When it comes to the data that our high-tech devices transmit--anything from our activity levels to what Alexa hears-police in most cases don’t need a warrant to search, at least for now.”

Stingray is a type of cell phone surveillance device (originally used by the military and intelligence agencies and now by some police forces) that can pinpoint a cell phone’s location, interfere with its signal, or even collect personal data from that phone. It does this by imitating a cell

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tower signal that is strong enough for a phone to automatically connect to it. Once connected, the phone can be used to help an investigator. How much information the stingray can access is unexplained, but there is a chance that a wide array of info can be accessed. In a January 2017 article on the CATO Institute website, Adam Bates said, “The full extent of the stingray data-ripping capability is unknown, but there is substantial reason to believe that even user content, such as browser activity, SMS text messages, and the content of phone calls can be intercepted.” While this device has been largely used without warrants, courts are starting to question whether it should require one.

Helen Liu Ler Mu Htoo