TROJAN MATTERS December 17, 2018
More online at the-blueprint.org
Exploring the mystery of Learning more about artificial intelligence autism spectrum disorder
Students share unique Christmas memories
TROJAN MATTERS Volume 5, Issue 4
On the cover
Photo Courtesy of Archives
Taking a look back at 2018 at BCHS and around the world
Page 16 & 17
Cover photos from archives & advanced photo students
MATTER Prayers to. . .
• social studies teacher Mr. Steve Gretencord following his surgery, for a return to full health. • all students and staff at BCHS for a safe and restful Christmas break. • all students, that they will finish the semester strong with finals. • an end to hate in the coming year and an increase in kindness. • young people everywhere struggling with depression during this season.
Did you know. . . News
Opinion
Features
Sports
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P. 8 -
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P. 18 -
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The Big 10 is a major Midwest conference that many Indiana teams are in.
Diving deeper into what A.I. is and whether or not it is are listening to us.
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Students and teachers debate the benefits and drawbacks of extra credit.
A look at some possible Christmas presents for everyone in your family.
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Vaccines are controversial in today's society, but important for the health of everyone.
Being able to handle arguments is a life skill that is important to learn at an early age.
Many people have false information on why vaccines are bad for their children.
Taking a look back at 2018 and everything that has happened. With the new year quickly approaching, we review the major events of the past year.
Looking ahead Today • Final exams begin with first period final at 8:55 a.m.
TROJAN MATTERS STAFF Editor-in-chief Blueprint editor News editor Opinions editor Features editor
Janie Gleaves Kacee Haslett Kacee Haslett, Claire Williams Belle deCastro Carmen Sullivan
Dec. 21 • Christmas break begins • The ComedySportz team presents "The Santa Clause" Sports editor Reporting staff
Michael Mates Mary Borchers Patrick Felts
Sarah Meek Aidan Sullivan
Photo editor Photographers
Jaeden Crawford Natalie Donaldson Ashley Freiburger Katie Grote Lily Hofmeister Brooklyn Reitz
Kaylee Rulong Lainey Scroggins Miranda Stickel Gloria Vasquez Anna Wuensch
College teams have realigned to form new conferences. Some teams now are not geographically located close to the other teams in their conference.
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Popular sports movies that have left their mark on the student body.
Interstate driving can be confusing, but there is a method to the numbering. North-to-south highways are odd numbers, with the low numbers starting in the east and moving west. Route 31 runs from Alabama to Michigan, running straight through Indiana. On the other hand, east-to-west highways are even numbers, with numbering beginning in the north transitioning to higher numbers in the south. Route 20 goes from the Illinois to Ohio state line. The major, more heavily traveled highways end in specific numbers. North-south highways will end in a one, whereas east-west highways will usually end in zero.
•Mary Borchers
Photo: Lainey Scroggins
TROJANS
Jan. 8 • First student day back to school after Christmas Break Trojan Matters Mission Statement: We promise to bring you, the students of BCHS, the most obtainable version of the truth through courage, integrity and freedom of speech. Unsigned staff editorials reflect the opinion of at least two-thirds of the staff. Columns with bylines reflect the opinions of the writer. The magazine will publish letters to the editor, but may be edited for the length and clarity. Trojan Matters is the monthly news magazine produced by the Advanced publications - Magazine class. Trojan Matters is considered a public forum and the voice of the student body. In addition, daily news updates can be found online at the-BluePrint.org. Letters/ Comments can be submitted through The Blueprint or dropped off in the Publications Room (210). Mrs. Tracy Luke, MJE, serves as publication adviser.
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News
Trojan Notes
You Said It
DO THEY HURT OR HARM? dren.org, “Adolescents are programmed to hate curfew because they think it’s about control or trust.” While it may seem that way to many students, parents’ main goal is keeping their kids safe. Many parents believe that when it is too late at night, nothing good can happen to their children. This is especially true once more people are affected by drugs and alcohol later at night. The Indiana Bureau of
Motor Vehicles (BMV) has driving restrictions for new teen drivers. Immediately after getting their license, teenagers cannot drive between 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. After driving for 180 days, the driving times switch to where teens cannot drive between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m. on weekdays
and 1 a.m. to 5 a.m. on weekends. The only reason this can be excused is if the teen is traveling from a religious activity, school event, work, or are with someone who can drive that is 25 years or older.
•Mary Borchers
Does the school monitor
Photo Illustration: Lainey Scroggins
Although the teachers and administration are not explicitly monitoring students social media, there can still be consequences with the school for social media posts.
What is your favorite
CHRISTMAS MOVIE? Other 5%
Polar Express 16.4% The Grinch 9.8% Christmas Story 4.2% school-wide survey ±4% with 95% percent accuracy
Home Alone 18.7%
Christmas Vacation 13.8% Elf 32.1%
Sports
We Heard It
Whenever I eat spinach, I feel like I'm eating poison ivy.
Trojan Matters asks. . .
SOCIAL MEDIA?
Features
Wait... where's the tea emoji?
Photo Illustration: Lainey Scroggins
CURFEWS: For teenagers, the battle with parents over what time to come home is a familiar one. At BCHS, 61 percent of students say they don’t have a curfew, whereas 12 percent have a strict curfew at midnight. While a curfew may be in place, it does not always reward students for coming home earlier. Senior Adam Pemberton said his curfew is midnight, but he “almost never follows it.” According to healthychil-
Opinions
I'm the LeBron James of chemistry. Those cows wouldn't make good hamburgers. I forgot I had a shoulder for a second. I used to help birth baby sheep. What would happen if our dogs had Snapchat?
Whether or not the school should monitor student and faculty social media is a question posed by many. The balance between the privacy and safety of students is one that must be constantly considered. The handbook, signed by students and parents annually, clearly states students may not “access, submit, post, publish...illegal materials or messages.” While BCHS is not actively monitoring students personal social media accounts, the fact that these sites are public gives the school free range to see what students are posting if a problem arises, explains North Deanery Chief Information Officer Mr. Tim Groot. Not only can inappropriate posts have consequences in
school, but they can also cause law enforcement agencies to get involved. Mr. Groot said, “It’s best to treat social media as if your grandmother, Mr. Hansen, or the Chief of Police is seeing your posts.” He also added that while things may seem “deleted,” nothing truly is. This false sense of security is what can get students in trouble. Although it seems safe and secure, the internet is not as private as people may think. While BCHS is not actively checking students posts, they have the ability to. The privacy of students is protected, but the line is drawn when it begins hindering the safety of students.
•Mary Borchers
If you have a question, let TM look into it. Submit questions at the-blueprint.org/contact or to Room 210.
John, explain that to me like you're explaining it to a Kindergartner. There wasn't diabetes back in the day because there wasn't sugar. It's a baby horse—a deer! I need to grow out my nails for Black Friday. Do you like ham? No, turkey is the only bird I like. I love making my parents cry. I'm putting my serious cap on. I don't believe in WiFi. I heard my alarm clock go off and I started crying. Did you hear something funny? Submit You Said It, We Heard It quotes at the-blueprint.org/ contact or to Room 210.
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TROJAN MATTERS
December 17, 2018
Hey Can you hea As research in the field of artificial intelligence (AI) advances, the world quickly becomes more efficient and navigable, but at a cost to people’s privacy. The Apple iPhone assistant “Siri” was first integrated into products in October 2011. In November of 2014, Amazon’s first personal assistant Alexa was released to consumers in 41 countries. More recently, Google Home smart speakers were first released in November 2016. These products were designed to make everyday tasks easier. By enabling your phone to keep a conversation with you and complete simple tasks for you, the technology learns more about each individual. Siri can be activated by simply saying, “Hey Siri,” followed by a question or command. Siri then responds aloud with an answer or solution. No button press, no physical touch needed. Amazon calls this the “wake” word, which is the word the device recognizes and starts to listen to you. This raises the question: How does it know when to listen and when not to listen? Simply put, it doesn’t. We’ve all been there before. A topic is casually brought up in conversation, and without Google searching it, or even typing it out at all, we see an ad for that topic on our Instagram or Twitter feed. Most social media websites tell users that they use algorithms and liked posts to gear ads towards topics and subjects the user would be interested in, but what if you never like a post, or type it out at all? Junior Max Schrage has had experiences where AI seemed to be listening in on conversations. “I was talking to my friends about going to get McDonald’s chicken nuggets, and as soon as I got on Instagram, my explore page was covered with ads for McDonald’s,” said Schrage.
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Facebook made an official online statement responding to claims of eavesdropping on conversations in 2016. “Facebook does not use your phone’s microphone to inform ads or to change what you see in News Feed. Some recent articles have suggested that we must be listening to people’s conversations in order to show them relevant ads. This is not true. We show ads based on people’s interests and other profile information – not what you’re talking out loud about.”
Junior Anna Wuensch has experienced this firsthand. “I bought a Life Water water bottle last year at a volleyball tournament and I’d never heard about that brand or anything. I was talking to my dad about it and how I’d never heard about it and when I went on Instagram a few minutes later, one of the ads that popped up was for Life Water,” she said. Evidence shows almost positively that devices are listening. There have been reports of Amazon’s Al-
“I was talking to my friends about going to get McDonald’s chicken nuggets, and as soon as I got on Instagram, my explore page was covered with ads for McDonald’s.” Junior Max Schrage Director of the School of Retailing at University of Alberta John Pracejus, Ph.D., has studied the subject in depth. “Another possibility of course is that they are, in fact, listening to you. And there’s no evidence to suggest that there’s any reason that they couldn’t do that,” Dr. Pracejus writes, “And I’m unaware of any reason that would prevent them from doing that. At least any legal or regulatory reasons.” Many instances of technology eavesdropping on conversations are made apparent through Instagram, which leads many people to believe Instagram is a culprit of using the microphone in your phone to listen to you.
exa device accidentally ordering items while listening to the television in the background. One YouTube channel, Mitchollow, has decided to test this claim on his own computer. In Mitchollow’s video, he first opens several tabs with random websites on each. He then scrolls through these websites and sees ads for random items or movies or other things. Then, he closes these websites and leaves his computer on the home screen, and begins to talk about dog toys in a normal conversational manner. After about a minute or two of talking about dog toys, he then reopens the exact same websites as before, and is horrified to see every
single ad has been replaced with some sort of dog toy advertisement. “This is conclusive evidence that everything you ever say is always being processed through some sort of speech recognition service to listen for products that you’re talking about,” Mitchollow said in his video. “I sort of thought that this wouldn’t work at all.” Technology assistant Mr. Tyler Moore disagrees with this claim. “Our devices aren’t listening in on our conversations, but they do use cookies, which track your browser history, to load pages faster and deliver relevant information to the web page,” Mr. Moore said. Although it may seem as though devices are listening to conversations, malware and viruses installed on your devices can track keystrokes and important information with intent to destroy the machine. Malware and viruses can be installed under the guise that they are helping phone, tablets and computers. Sometimes after downloading one thing, what has actually happened is that there is malicious software loading onto the device posing as a helpful software. A notorious example of this is MacKeeper, which is destructive to your device. Mr. Moore added that BCHS is almost constantly under some type of cyber attack. Many times someone will send an email to an administrator claiming they are a staff member, and they ask to “get feedback” from the teachers and to click on this link to fill out a form. In reality, clicking on this link can start a download for malware or a virus. Mr. Moore offered some advice. He said, “Don’t just click OK on a pop up; don’t be too quick to click a blue hyperlink, and if something seems too good to be true, take a step back and think about it before you click.” •Aidan Sullivan
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Opinions
Features
Sports
y Siri, ear me now? in 2018, Amazon’s Alexa dominated over 73 percent of the United States’ smart speaker market. An estimated 8.2 million people own Alexa smart speaker systems worldwide. The Amazon Alexa is equipped with 40,000 skills on command. Amazon Alexa is enabled on over 68 percent of available smart speakers sold in 2017.
In 2018, Google home beat Amazon in smart speaker unit shipments with a growth of 449 percent in just 2 quarters. In the second quarter of 2018 alone, Google sold 5.43 million units worldwide. In the first quarter of 2018, Google Home accounted for 36.2 percent of smart speaker shipments worldwide. Information courtesy of expandedramblings.com and USA Today
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December 17, 2018
Distractions Photo: Miranda Stickel
impact
teen driving
A
s weather conditions down to,” said Oldiges. worsen, the risk for being Although teens have little experiinvolved in a dangerous ence on the roads with only having car accident increases. These risks their license briefly, they are danare only heightened for teenager gerously confident in their abilities drivers due to their statistical sus- to drive. “It’s a feeling of indepenceptibility for car accidents. dence. You are on your own, so you The probability of dying in a fatal can drive how you want to drive,” car crash Indiana is 1 in 8392; these Oldiges added. odds only become more unfavorKnowing the common occurable for teen drivers. Car accidents rence of teenage accidents, insurare the leading cause of death for ance companies can increase the teens ages 15-19 and kill on average annual rate for teen driver insur9 teenagers per day nationwide. ance up to 116 percent. The average Senior Greg Oldiges has been in insurance rate for an adult driver is four car accidents since receiving $900 per year while teen rates are his license in October of his soph- $2267 on average according to Inomore year, but only one was Charge Institution of America. considered his fault. However, teens can Car He has been do a lot to detrying to be crease their accidents are the more of a insurance leading cause of death for defensive rates. A teens ages 15-19 and driver by higher not only GPA will following decrease nationwide rules of the some driving road, but also insurance rates, to be keenly aware along with a better of other drivers. “They [teens] are credit score. just inexperienced; it’s all it comes However, all teens are susceptible
kill on average 9 teens per day
to the distractions of driving. Cell phones introduce a countless number of distractions to drivers. One out of every four car accidents in the United States is caused by cell phone usage/distraction. Talking on a cell phone while driving doubles the likelihood of an accident and can slow down a young driver’s reaction time to that of a 70-yearold. Whether it is changing the music, calling a friend, texting or checking the time, cellphones add another layer of danger for drivers with little experience. “It would be terrible for you to hurt somebody else,” Mr. Hilton added. Having other passengers in the car puts new drivers safety at further risk. The risk of death in a car crash for teens doubles when other passengers are in the car according to AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. Underaged drinking is one of the most dangerous factors that can contribute to getting in a fatal car crash, but even more common for teens is sleep deprivation. Being sleep-deprived can have the equivalence to a blood alcohol level of up
to 0.10. Similar to the side effects of alcohol intake, sleep deprivation slows down your reaction time, compromises sight and ability to focus on the road. Despite the hazards of driving, many preventions can be put in place to counteract the risks. Most importantly, whether you are driving the automobile or just a passenger, make sure to buckle your seatbelt. Forty-seven percent of teens that died from car crashes were not restrained from their seatbelt. Drivers can also know their surroundings and recognize when they might be in dangerous driving scenarios. Whether this be understanding when you are sleep deprived or when your phone is causing you to bargain your safety for a text message, self awareness is crucial for safety on the road. Oldiges advises new drivers to continue practicing their ability to drive even after getting their license. Being a confident, not cocky, driver is key but it is most important, according to Oldiges, to, “just plain old be safe.”
•Carmen Sullivan
Major teen driving distractions Passengers in the car
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Loud Music
Texting
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News
Medical professional explains the benefits of vaccines “School mandates vaccinations after measles outbreak.” “Urgent meningococcal vaccination program launched.” “Chickenpox outbreak hits school with low vaccination rates.”
T
hese headlines have hit local new sites around the country in the past month. According to Mrs. Chris Williams, nurse practitioner and mother to senior Claire Williams, there are many reasons people choose not to vaccinate their children. Some believe that vaccines are only around for doctors and pharmacy companies to gain profit from. Others’ religious beliefs don’t allow vaccines, or they believe that the requirement of vaccines is a violation of their rights. More still believe that vaccines are unnecessary because the diseases they protect against are not serious or not around anymore. “These diseases are not around because of vaccination; many of the diseases that we are vaccinated against have caused numerous deaths,” said Mrs. Williams. Another reason people have for not getting vaccinated, or vaccinating their children, is they are afraid of the side effects. One common misconception is that getting the influenza vaccine can cause the recipient to get the flu. However, according to the Centers for Disease Control, all flu vaccines contain either a “killed” strain or a single gene from the virus, neither of which can develop into the flu. While there are some side effects of the flu shot—mild fever, headache and soreness at the injection site— they recede after about two days.
These side effects are much more easily handled than the potentially deadly influenza virus the vaccine protects from. Yet another misconception people have about vaccines is that they can cause autism. A study published in 1998 claimed that the MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) vaccine spiked autism rates in children. Upon much review, many flaws were found with the controls within this study, and many researchers all over the world have since disproved this theory. In Indiana, students may be exempt from vaccines if they have a written religious objection signed by a parent or if they have a physician’s certification that the vaccine would be detrimental to their health. This is true for t h o s e who have weake n e d immune systems. Not only can vaccines save the lives of those vaccinated, but they serve as protection for those who cannot be vaccinated. By 12th grade, students without either of these exemptions have been vaccinated against hepatitis a and b, tetanus, pertussis, diphtheria, polio, measles, mumps, rubella, varicella, and meningococcal.
“Vaccines prevent millions of diseases and thousands of deaths each year. They save many lives each year,” said Mrs. Williams. When a vaccine enters the body, it serves as a practice round of defense against a disease. By using killed or partial strains of the disease that will not infect the body, vaccines allow the immune system to produce disease-fighting antibodies. These antibodies are stored and “taken out” when needed to block or fight a disease, which allows the immune system to develop a faster response time. Thus lessening the severity if infected or even providing immunity to the disease. It is vital that bodies—especially those of young people—have these antibodies built up. “The best advice I can give is to get vacc i nate d,” said Mrs. Williams,
61%
80,000
5-20%
people in U.S. died last year from the flu
of people get the flu in the U.S. a year
of students here have gotten the flu shot based on school-wide survey ±4% with 95% percent accuracy
Opinions
Features
Sports
Top 3 most common vaccines with high school students
1
HPV Vaccine
2
Tdap
“Vaccines prevent millions of diseases and thousands of deaths each year.”
from stackednews.com
Mrs. Chris Williams, nurse practitioner
“especially this time of year.” It is important to remind parents of flu shots, to stay current on vaccines and to take simple measures like washing your hands often and staying home if you are sick. It could be the difference between a healthy life and one that is complicated by disease.
•Janie Gleaves
3
Meningococcal conjugate vaccine
from the CDC Foundation
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TROJAN MATTERS
December 17, 2018
WHAT IT MEANS to be on the spectrum O
ne in 59 children in United States were identified with autism spectrum disorder in 2014. Many different disorders classify in a single grouping as autism spectrum disorders (ASD), but each comes with various behavioral, social and communication challenges. This includes autism disorder, Asperger’s syndrome, and the pervasive developmental disorders that young children are diagnosed with before receiving a final say from doctors. The disorders are referred to as a “spectrum” because the severity of symptoms varies. “There can be a very mild case, where someone shows a few tendencies—enough to be diagnosed,” said director of academic support Mrs. Beth Brogan, “Or they can have so much neurological impairment that they are on the other end.” Diagnosis begins very early on, usually within the first 18 months of a child’s life, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). At this stage, a diagnosis is referred to as a Pervasive Developmental Disorder-Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS).
“This is because they do not want to label the child yet before letting them grow,” said Mrs. Brogan. The CDC cites two steps taken in diagnosis: the developmental screening and the comprehensive diagnostic evaluation. Children are screened at regular doctor’s appointments to see if they are grasping basic social, behavioral and emotional skills at the rate they are supposed to be. If there is a delay, then doctors move to the second step. The evaluation includes reviewing the child’s behavior as well as genetic and neurological testing. The cause of the disorder is widely unknown. “It’s not the parent’s fault, not the doctor’s and certainly not the kid’s,” said Mrs. Brogan. For autism, there are a number of symptoms. Some display all symptoms severely, while others may only display a couple of symptoms. Difficulty with social interaction, such as the inability to interpret facial expressions, is a common symptom. Additionally, they may struggle with speech impairments, repetitive behaviors, executive function issues and more. However, Asperger’s syndrome is a less-severe symptom diagnosis. Accord-
ing to WebMD, doctors usually call this a “high-functioning” type of ASD, which places them on the mild end of the spectrum. At BCHS, an Individualized Service Plan (ISP) may be written for students who have a diagnosis on the spectrum. “This provides educational opportunities,” said Mrs. Brogan, “like copies of class notes, a less distracting testing environment, audio and speech-to-text versions of tests, instructional support and priority seating in classes.” Through BCHS’ academic support program, every student is held to the same standards of obtaining a high school diploma. Mrs. Brogan’s job is to help facilitate the transitions between middle school, high school and college in regards to their own ISP. “I help make sure the teacher is following the plan and making sure that the student advocates for themselves and uses their accommodations,” she said. Autism not only affects education and social skills—daily life is also impacted. Some might experience sensitivity to touch. “Wearing a school uniform could be really uncomfortable just because of the
fabrics,” said Mrs. Brogan. Some may have trouble complying with authority. For example, a teacher may tell a student they must come after school to review a test, but the student’s parent said they will pick them up at 3:30. “Do they know enough in their mind to tell their parent they have to meet with a teacher?” said Mrs. Brogan. “They may not be able to make those quick executive functioning decisions.” Something unique to BCHS is the rotating lunch schedule. According to Mrs. Brogan, having different lunches everyday can be especially confusing. Even after understanding the schedule, it can be frustrating that things are not the same. “It may be bothersome that it is not routine, unlike the rotation of classes. Scanning the cafeteria is nerve wracking,” said Mrs. Brogan. Even our regular schedule is not always uniform. A speaker or a special Ambassadors event might throw off the routine week. Mrs. Brogan reminds students that despite different abilities, we’re all the same. She said, “they want to be treated like everyone else.”
•Kacee Haslett
Things to know: - Autism affects more than 1 in a 100 people. - The genes of the parents do not cause ASD. 6
- Vaccines do not cause ASD. - More than 3.5 million Americans live with an autism spectrum disorder.
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EIGHT OF
Evaluating the pros and cons of final grades Finals are unanimously known as a stressful time of the year for students because of the weight they hold on semester grades. At BCHS, semester finals are worth 20 percent of the semester grade. This means that no matter how well you do throughout the quarters, your grade for the semester is heavily dependent upon one single test. This grading system forces teachers to analyze how many total points they have given throughout the quarters, and to create a final which would account for 20 percent of the total points. Freshman biology teacher Mrs. Kim Shaw realizes this issue. “What I have to try and do is go back and look at my total number of points and figure out how much my final would have to be to equal 20 percent of my total given points,” Mrs. Shaw said. Mrs. Shaw does not agree with this weighted system. “I just like the final to be another test grade,” Mrs. Shaw said. “When you do a weighted 20 percent exam, it really does stress some kids out. If you’ve got a student teetering on the edge of disaster, if they would fail that final exam, that puts them under for the semester.” Freshman algebra teacher Mrs. Katie Schaffner has a different opinion on this matter. “I usually take finals with a grain of salt. I think finals should be worth
enough points for the students to take them seriously, but 20 percent is a little steep,” Mrs. Schaffner said. “I think maybe 10 percent would be more reasonable.” Finals are made more difficult by the fact that students must review a whole semester’s worth of material for all seven classes. “You have students taking six or seven final exams, I get that. But, teachers use review guides so that they can be prepared ahead of time,” Mrs. Shaw said. Junior Libby Kolbus disagrees with the final exam weight scaling. “Finals are honestly just how much can you memorize the night before,” said Kolbus. “I don’t think it is an accurate measure of your knowledge.” There are countless ways for students to prepare for the end of the semester. Students can meet with National Honors Society students during homeroom for help with any subject, meet with teachers during zero period or after school, or even call the Rose-Hulman Homework Hotline at 877-ASK-ROSE. With the end of the semester quickly approaching, it is vital that students who need help with subjects receive it. Any student can be paired with a National Honors Society student during homeroom with no prior sign up whether it’s a single problem or an entire chapter, the NHS students will help. •Aidan Sullivan
Weight of finals at other schools “At North Central, they’re 20 percent of our final grade.” -Devyn Townsend, North Central ‘19 “Finals are usually around 20 percent. Teachers can choose how much they’re worth for each class, but it is rare for them to make theirs worth more or less than 20 percent.” -Kateri Cutsinger, Brebeuf ‘19 “I have three cumulative finals and two non-cumulative. One of my finals is worth 35 percent of my grade; the others are worth 15 percent.” -Timmy Brogan, BCHS ‘16, IUPUI “I took I-Core, so my final project counted for 20 percent of my grade in every class.” -Sam Kennedy, BCHS ‘16, IU “Usually about 30 percent, sometimes a little more or a little less.” -Rebecca Doyle, BCHS’15, Marian University
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TROJAN MATTERS
December 17, 2018
VALUING CLASS PARTICIPATION
Participation awards, trophies and ribbons have surged in popularity within recent years. Modern culture praises the all-inclusive energy that is promoted when giving participation trophies. While these awards may be beneficial for encouraging youth and building self-confidence, they offer a definition of participation that differs greatly from that in a classroom environment. In the classroom, recognition for participation is not guaranteed. It’s not just merely showing up. Participation in the classroom is defined by actively engaging in classroom discussions and oftentimes stepping outside of one’s comfort zone. While such classroom engagement is beneficial in any learning environment, making participation required and part of the curriculum grade is not always favored by students and teachers. Not all students feel comfortable speaking in class and consequent-
ly some teachers have shied away from using participation as part of the class grade. The debate over the value of participation points continues among teachers and students. English teacher Mrs. Jackie Bach structures her class primarily on graded discussions, making participation a crucial piece for her students. “I don’t want any of my classes to be lecture-based. If I just talk at my students, they haven’t learned anything,” Mrs. Bach said. Instead, she uses Socratic seminars for many of her lessons. “By having students ask questions and hear other people’s analysis, it allows them to have a deeper understanding of the text,” she said. Mrs. Bach understands that not all of her students feel comfortable sharing their opinion in the group. “I encourage these students to be the first one to start the conversation. You really can’t be wrong, if you’re starting off with your anal-
ysis,” she said. Mrs. Bach also sees shy students team up with more outgoing ones. “The more comfortable student will throw the question out there and then the shy student knows it’s coming and can dive into the conversation that way,” she said. However, there are always the students who tend to dominate classroom discussions and can deter other students from participating. Mrs. Bach said, “The biggest thing I try to do is encourage them to jump onto someone else’s analysis and push them rather than focusing solely on their own.” She often jumps in herself to give others a chance to talk and continually encourages those who haven’t spoken to contribute. Mrs. Bach sees participation as an essential step to understanding the classroom material. “In English specifically, there’s a speaking and listening component that is part of our curriculum standards that we don’t always get to focus on,” Mrs.
percent of students said that they feel uncomfortable participating in class
8
Bach said. Discussions in Socratic seminars are one way to accomplish this. Senior Mitchell Ayers agrees with Mrs. Bach. As a student, he favors the use of participation points. “I think encouraging discussions and giving points to kids for participating in class is a good idea because it fosters the idea of being an active participant in a discussion and making sure you contribute in some way,” he said. These lessons correlate with themes like teamwork and being responsible for some sort of contribution. Ayers said, “I think for most people, participating in class is the easiest way to learn the material and get good grades.” Freshman Anna Wrege holds a different opinion on the value of participation points. “As a freshman, it is hard to give your opinion about something in front of people you only met earlier this year. With the pressure of a grade while
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contributing in these discussions, saying something can feel forced,” she said. Wrege believes shy students should be allowed to contribute when they feel comfortable and confident based off their own judgement. “I know many shy people who say how tough it is when their personality gets in the way of their grades,” she said. Wrege doesn’t believe participating in class is essential to learning the material. “People have different learning styles like visual learners, auditory learners and verbal learners and [there are] methods that work for them ,” she said. Being able to appeal to a variety students can be challenging from a teacher’s perspective. “In a classroom environment, an effective educator appeals to multiple learning types,” Mrs. Bach said. In her classes, Mrs. Bach approaches this challenge by having students
write out their analysis on large post-it notes to help them visualize their understanding. She then has student share their ideas with the class which fulfills the verbal component of learning. Mrs. Bach said, “In English specifically, there is a heightened importance on verbal skills in order to develop an ability to support arguments.” Mrs. Bach believes verbal conversations help students see different viewpoints and are an essential part of building a depth of knowledge. “Our class discussions challenge me as students often have ideas that I hadn’t even thought of before,” she said. Mrs. Bach sees the classroom as a vitally important place to begin learning communication skills through participation that will last into the future. She said, “Part of life is being able to voice your opinions and ask your questions. You can’t just send emails all the time.”
•Claire Williams
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“
Part of life is having the ability to voice your opinions and ask your questions.
”
Mrs. Jackie Bach
percent of students said that they feel very comfortable participating in class school-wide survey ± 4% with 95% percent accuracy
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TROJAN MATTERS Staff Opinion From disagreements with a teacher about a grade to dealing with rumors within friend groups to handling frustration with opponents on the court or field, high schoolers have dozens of choices to make everyday about how to handle disagreements. Especially in the current tumultuous political and social climate, handling arguments with grace and civility is the key to understanding and to being understood. Senior Noah Mazzei said that growing up, he felt uncomfortable because disagreements always “left a bad taste in his mouth.” This is true for many. Arguing can, in some cases, be very awkward. How do you disagree without attacking the other person? How do you stay true to your beliefs without seeming closed-minded or rude? How do you remain on good terms with the people you disagree with? It’s a difficult task to tackle, but one that is essential to master for anyone hoping to succeed in this world. According to Time Magazine (2013), millennials are more narcissistic than any generation before. Debate teacher Ms. Bri Lindsey said, “In positions of disagreement, it is good for us to get outside of ourselves, but social media has caused us to be very inward and focused on ourselves.” In addition, Forbes reported that the generation currently in high school lacks basic faceto-face communication skills because much of what we know as interaction is via technology. “If you don’t have those foundational communication skills, it’s
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really hard to be okay with disagreeing,” said Ms. Lindsey. Government teacher Mr. Joe Milharcic agrees that social media plays a part, but sees more than just failing communication skills. “Social media has allowed people the chance to find more information that supports their beliefs, so they cut themselves off from any other viewpoints.” This results in everyone getting closer to the extremes and further from being moderate, in politics and in life. According to a Pew Research poll, over half of the members from both political parties say they have few or no close friends who are from the opposite party. Labels are placed on people’s views, and they are confined to what they are for and what they are against. People who listen to only those with whom they agree create an echo chamber rather than broadening their perspectives. “People use these ‘labels’ to refuse to interact or listen, or unfortunately sometimes attack in various forms,” said Mr. Milharcic. Ms. Lindsey agrees. “The two political sides are just throwing stones, which is really dangerous because it’s hard to find common ground if you are too busy just throwing stones.” “In the 2016 political climate, there was so much disagreement and people were so angry and emotional that it left that same bad taste that we have after arguments as kids. That is what solidified for me that I wanted to be able to disagree with someone but still have respect for them,” said Mazzei. The question still remains: How? Ms. Lindsey emphasized research. “Making sure you have research so that you can backup
your points; but also research the other side and try to find common ground,” said Ms. Lindsey. Examples of research helping to ease conflict in everyday life include ensuring you are correct about a grading mistake before confronting a teacher and having more than your parent’s beliefs to back up your own. Mr. Milharcic said that it comes down to listening and being willing to compromise. “For some reason, we have lost our way with compromise. It is seen as a bad word now, but it shouldn’t be. Our political system was created on compromise.” Constructive conversations about why a person believes what they do are beneficial for both parties. This rings true whether the debate is over something as weight-bearing as abortion or as insignificant as the supremacy of Qdoba or Chipotle. Mazzei put it best: “At the end of the day, you just have to think ‘What they believe is what they believe, and I may not be able to change that, but as long as I am able to have a dialogue with them then it will be alright.’ ”
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TROJAN MATTERS
December 17, 2018
All I want for Christmas is... Mom/Aunt/Grandma • Yoga mat • Cookbook or homemade recipe book • Prayer journal • Potted plant • Framed photograph with a note • Personalized stationery • Scented hand soap/lotion • Magazine subscription
Is your mom’s desk drawer piled high with candles that have never even been lit? Does you dad now have a key chain, a coffee mug and a pen that says “World’s Best Dad”? Avoid generic gifts this holiday season by shopping from these lists for your family and friends.
•Claire Williams
$21.99 Premium Yoga Mat at Target
$15.99 Personalized Stationary at Shutterfly.com
Dad/Uncle/Grandpa
$12.99 Pacers Shirt at nbastore.com
• Car wash tickets • Sports memorabilia • Personalized money clip • Cooler • Swiss Army knife • Personalized golf balls
Brother/Cousin/Friend • Car emergency kit • Sports gear from Lid’s Outlet • Favorite concert/band T-shirt • Movie tickets • Portable speaker • Hammock
$9.99 Portable Speaker at bestbuy.com
Sister/Cousin/Friend • Colored pens or pencils • Jewelry holder • Beach blanket • Key chain • Diffuser and essential oils • Wall tapestry/decor • Steering wheel cover • Car air freshener
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$10.49 Colored Pens at staples.com
The crazy busyness of the holiday season oftentimes clouds the meaning behind giving. In reality, it is not about how expensive or abundant gifts are. The most meaningful presents are most frequently the ones that don’t cost anything. This Christmas, perhaps opt for the priceless gifts, which ironically hold the most value to many. Offer to do more chores, make breakfast for your family, keep your mom company at the grocery store, write a loved one a handwritten note, create a memory jar from materials around your house and simply spend time with the people who care about you. Giving someone your time is truly the most cherishable gift of all.
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Trojans remember their worst Christmas memories The holiday season is a beautiful time of year when family and loved ones surround you. A lot of happy moments come from these jolly times resulting in some heartfelt memories. However, the Christmas season also brings not so happy moments that make for laughable memories later on. Some Trojans shared their worst Christmas stories that now bring countless laughs to their families.
•Carmen Sullivan
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hristmas day was a beautiful celebration for Junior Gabi Kramer until it came time to tear down the holiday decorations in 2014. With snow still on the ground, her family maintained their Christmas joy and spirit up to this point. Her father began to take down the Christmas lights outside on the roof and needed to figure out a way to get up on the roof. Mr. Kramer decided to use a step ladder to get him as high as he could and then leap onto the roof. “Shocker; it didn’t work out,” said Kramer. Her father ended up falling and breaking a couple ribs while, “scarring his children in the process.” Wanting to assure his children that he was fine, Kramer’s father insisted his kids ride in the ambulance with him. “We all look back on it and laugh, wondering how on God’s green earth, he thought that was a good idea,” said Kramer.
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hristmas was not the best time of the year for senior Chandler Sims when he was in fourth grade. On Christmas Eve 2010, Sims had a bad allergic reaction to something that caused him to break out in hives. “The only thing that soothed the itching was laying in the bathtub with cold water,” said Sims. Christmas day, the rash worsened, causing the itchiness to increase. The family decided to bring all the Christmas presents to the bathroom and opened them together while Sims was laying in the bathtub. “In the moment, it was horrible and I thought I had ruined Christmas, but now I realized it was actually hilarious and made Christmas way more fun!” said Sims.
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reshman Deirdre Hostettler's family was traveling to Christmas Day Mass in 2011 and upon arriving, they realized they had missed the service. They began to drive around trying to find another church that would have a Christmas Day Mass starting soon. After a lot of driving, the Hostettler family finally came to St. Monica’s Church, which had a service beginning soon. Once they entered the church, the ushers escorted their family to the very front row of the pews. “This was a Spanish Mass so we had no idea what was going on,” said Hostettler. During the mass the family was asked to come up to the altar and received a blessing. This funny memory is now is a Hostettler family favorite.
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enior Amanda Boggs had a hard time with the Christmas season since the summer after fourth grade. As Boggs grew up, she began to have her suspicions of Santa’s existence. That summer, she confronted her mom and asked her if Santa was truly real. Her mother, being honest and knowing her daughter was at the appropriate age to know the truth, admitted to her what all children find out eventually. Rationally, Boggs was quite upset and began to ask more questions about some of the other holiday creatures. After asking her mother if the Easter Bunny or the Tooth Fairy were real, her mother told her they were not. Now even more devastated, Boggs began to question everything she knew and asked her mother if God was real. Mrs. Boggs confidently answered “yes” giving her daughter a little bit of hope, but Boggs was still heartbroken. However, the story is not over yet. Boggs, trying to restore her Christmas joy, went to feed the ducks at the canal near her home. The ducks noticed Boggs holding bread across the street and began to run towards her and the food. While the ducks were crossing the road, a SUV came driving down the road and killed three ducks right in front of Boggs. “I was crying hard before, but I was really crying hard then,” said Boggs. The devastated 10 year-old then had to witness her dad shovel up the ducks off the road and properly dispose of them. “It was the worst day of my life,” said Boggs.
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TROJAN MATTERS December 17, 2018
Signing Basic American Sign Language Imagine not being able to hear your name, listen to music, or understand what someone is saying. This is the reality for 486,439 Hoosiers all across the state. The deaf and hard of hearing community is one that is not always interacted with or sometimes even acknowledged. This community originally united in France where the first school for the deaf was built. Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet, a minister, traveled to France to learn about this new kind of education so that he could implement it back in the
United States. Since Gallaudet had a neighbor who was deaf, he wanted to create a way to communicate with her. American Asylum was founded in Hartford, Connecticut in 1817 as the first school for the deaf in the United States. Students were using a different, more casual sign language technique outside of school than they were during school. This everyday sign language became known as American Sign Language, or ASL. ASL allows for more communication within
Do you know sign language?
society, especially since the deaf and hard of hearing population accounts for such a large portion of the population as a whole. ASL teacher Mrs. Carrie Foster wrote, “It would be cool if people could sign ‘good morning’ in the hallway!” ASL student and senior Mary Claire Cooke said, “I like learning ASL because it’s a totally different way of thinking than any other language is; expressing yourself using your hands is a form of art and a very beautiful thing to be a part of!” •Mary Borchers
Nice to meet you
All photos by: Kaylee Rulong
Good Morning
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Merry Christmas
Thank you
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Exploring Birth Order Personalities
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arents would say, no doubt, that each child in their family is special and have unique personalities. Social scientists and researchers believe that many of these qualities have to do with the birth order in which they were born into. Junior Reese Kaminski said, “I definitely agree with the birth order theory. I am very different from my siblings.” There are many stereotypes to explain the personality of each child. For example, people may consider only children to be spoiled and the youngest child is believed to not have as many rules as the older kids had at a specific age. Junior Katie Guymon said, “I got an iPhone earlier than both of my older brothers.” This theory that birth order has a lasting effect on a child’s psychological development is
scientifically proven by Alfred Adler, an Austrian psychologist and creator of the birth order theory. Being born into a specific spot within any given family will give a child different emotional experiences providing them with different personality traits and possible futures. The oldest child is most likely the perfectionist in the family. At one time in their life, they were the only child. When the other siblings came along, that attention was spread and the oldest child strives to get it back. Research reports that they feel they have a responsibility to live up to all the expectations that their parents have ever had. That sense of responsibility tends to show up through the treatment of their younger siblings. Junior Ethan Clapacs said, “I think it’s hard being the oldest child. There is a lot of expectations
where. They usually spend much more time with friends because they feel they are given attention in that situation. Sophomore Avery Kaminski said, “My parents would always go to my siblings’ games before mine.” The personality traits that overall describe a middle child are sociable, friendly, and rebellious. Kaminski said, “I do always try to bend the rules to see how much I can get out of the rules.” According to research, the last child born in the family earns a reputation for getting what they want. Most parents know this will be their last child. Parents usually let the youngest do more things than the oldest did at the same age, because they have less worry to make sure this child is perfect. Senior Sarah Scheidler, the youngest of 6 siblings said, “I think I have more freedom to an extent. My parents trust me and allow me to do things my siblings may have not been able to do.” Mrs. Scheidler thinks the birth order theory works in some cases but doesn’t see it completely with her kids especially because they are so different in age. The personality traits of a youngest child is friendly, outgoing, charming, self-absorbed, and spoiled. These traits occur because youngest children are treated like the baby of the family even when they begin to grow up. Being an only child is very similar to being the oldest child before any siblings came along. They are perfectionists and feel the need to please their parents to the best of their abilities, because all the attention is on them at all times. Only children are responsible and mature because they have to spend a great deal of time around adults. Sharing is always a challenge for only children because they never had to do so with siblings growing up. Junior Bennett Rossetter said, “My parents are pretty protective of me, but since I’m the only child I do get spoiled sometimes.” Statistically shown by NPR, the birth order theory is accurate in most circumstances. The stereotypes, more often than not, are true. Not every child fits these stereotypes, however they still hold true to most families. Kaminski said, “My siblings and I follow the personality traits almost exactly.” •Sarah Meek
“I think I have more freedom to an extent. My parents trust me and allow me to do things my siblings may have not been able to do.” my parents to be a good How much of a difference do from role model for my younger and to be the face of our you think your birth order sister family.” Oldest children have the perand family placement makes sonality traits of responsible, perfectionist, protective, overin your life? bearing, and reliable. Clapacs 26.3%
30.5%
16.9% 9.7%
school-wide survey ± 4% with 95% percent accuracy
16.6%
said, “I’m definitely type A. I’m always competing and trying to do my best in everything. I’m not too over protective of my sister, but I will always help her when she needs it.” A middle child tends to be the most rebellious of the family. Middle children often believe that they are forgotten by their parents, which encourages them to find attention else-
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TROJAN MATTERS December 17, 2018
ATakeYEAR IN REVIEW: a look back at some of the biggest events of 2018 2018 was a big year, not only at BCHS, but across the world. From sports, to politics, to technology, the world was greatly impacted by many events that took place this year. Here are some of the most memorable: •Patrick Felts
April 2, 2018: First e-learning day at BCHS
February 9-25: 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea The 2018 Winter Olympics was the first time the winter games have taken place Korea, and only the second Olympics hosted in the country. (Seoul hosted the 1988 summer games.) Norway collected the most total medals with 39. Some of the notable performances included 17-year-old American Chloe Kim winning the gold medal in halfpipe snowboarding, and the United States women’s hockey team also taking home the gold.
Most years, the day after Easter is not a school day for BCHS students. This year, it was still technically a school day, even though no students showed up to school. The first ever e-learning day, to make up an earlier snow day cancellation, when students did all of their classwork electronically at home, happened in April. Junior Tyler Knapp likes e-learning days because “they feel like a snow day, and we only have to do a little bit of work.”
March 14, 2018: BCHS students unite for prayer service in wake of school shootings On February 14, 2018, 17 people were killed in a shooting at Stoneman Douglas High School. One month later, many BCHS students gathered outside on the track to pray for the victims as a community. Junior Henry Shelley said, “It was great to see our school stand in solidarity with them, and we need to continue to speak out when things like that happen in the future.”
April 27, 2018: Avengers: Infinity War debuts in theaters
The long-anticipated third installment in Marvel’s popular Avengers series released earlier this year. The film shattered box office records, becoming the fourth movie and the first superhero movie to gross over $2 billion worldwide. Other major films released in 2018 included Black Panther, Incredibles 2 and A Star is Born.
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June 24, 2018: Women drive for the first time in Saudi Arabia The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia had long been criticized for its unequal rights for female citizens. The country made significant progress in June when it allowed women to drive after years of international criticism. Over 120,000 Saudi women applied for drivers licenses on the first day alone.
June 2018: Scooters come to Indianapolis
In the summer, Indianapolis streets became home to a new venture; rented electric scooters. Two companies, Bird and Lime, rolled them out to massive popularity in downtown and Broad Ripple. However, they weren’t without their issues. Discussions whether they should be driven on the street or sidewalk caused a temporary ban from the city in July until they could create regulations for them. They returned in September.
August 8, 2018: First all-school mass with new music style On the first day of school this year, mass sounded different than it had before. The band was accompanying the choir for music during mass. The change has been a popular one amongst students, especially Junior Braden Thatcher, who said, “I’m always jamming along to the songs every week. I love it.”
August 18, 2018: BCHS hosts its first home regular season football game For the first time in its 55year history, BCHS football played a varsity football game on home turf. The Trojans defeated Brebeuf 38-7.
November 8, 2018: Wildfire burns through Northern California
The 2018 fire near Paradise, CA, known as the “Camp Fire,” was the deadliest and most destructive in California history, causing 88 known deaths, 158 missing people, and between $7.5 billion and $10 billion in damage. Other natural disasters this year included Hurricane Florence, which struck the Carolinas in September, and Hurricane Michael in October.
June 12, 2018: The United States-North Korea summit
For the first time in the modern day, leaders of the United States and North Korea held a meeting together. The event was held in Singapore, and the meeting between President Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un marked progress in the relations of the two countries for the first time. Photos courtesy of the archives and the internet
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TROJAN MATTERS December 17, 2018
REALIGNING COLLEGE
CONFERENCES
Since the early part of this decade, major college sports competition has been constantly changing due to schools switching conferences. Schools switch athletic conferences for a number of reasons ranging from financial gain, geographic fit or conference prestige. The changes have been important factors in selections for March Madness and the College Football Playoff. Here’s how things have changed in major conferences since 2010: •Patrick Felts
Creigh 201 Form Misso Valle
Utah, 2010 Formerly: Mountain West
Colorado, 2011 Formerly: Big 12
The schools in boxed colors match their conference to the key. Some schools do not have the same conference affiliation as the rest of the state.
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Texas Christian, 2012 Formerly: Mountain West
Wichita Formerl
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Syracuse, 2013 Formerly: Big East Butler and Xavier, 2013 Formerly: Atlantic 10
Pittsburgh, 2013 Formerly: Old
ghton, 013 merly: souri lley
Big East
Notre Dame, 2013 Formerly: Big East
Rutgers, 2014 Formerly: Big East Navy, 2015 Formerly: Independent
(Exculding football)
(Football only)
Maryland, 2014 Formerly: ACC
ta State, 2017 erly: Missouri Valley
Louisville 2014 Formerly: Big East
East Carolina, 2014 Formerly: Conference USA
Key: PAC-12 BIG 10 ACC Central Florida, 2013 Formerly: Conference USA University of Houston, 2013 Formerly: Conference USA
BIG 12 SEC
BIG EAST AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE
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TROJAN MATTERS
December 17, 2018
Evaluating the most common sports injuries
Photo: Anna Wuensch
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fter taking a look at the many student athletes in the BCHS athletic training room after school, there is a clear trend between high school sports and the injuries they entail. Athletic trainer Mr. Rick Santerre said that he tends to about 25 to 35 student athletes per day during the fall season, and around 20 a day in the winter and spring. According to the Sports Trauma and Overuse Prevention Campaign, yearly “high school athletes account for an estimated 2 million injuries and 500,000 doctor visits and 30,000 hospitalizations." All sports pose a potential threat to injury. Mr. Santerre recommends that athletes participate in year-round strength and conditioning programs. What is emphasized in these programs should depend on whether the athlete is in pre-season, in-season or off-season. “The better conditioned athletes correlate to fewer injuries,” Mr. Santerre said.
On a national scale... UnityPoint.org, a network of hospitals, clinics and home care services, lists the top five most common high school sport injuries nationwide: patellofemoral syndrome, shoulder injury, tennis or golf elbow, hamstring strain and sciatica. Shoulder injuries cover a large variety of dislocations, misalignments, sprains or strains. “The shoulder is the weakest joint of the body and is subject to a great deal of force during athletic activities. Many shoulder injuries can be caused by either a lack of flexibility, strength or stabilization,” said Mr. Brian McEvoy, PT, UnityPoint Health. Tennis or golf elbow is usually a result of a great amount of gripping activity. This injury is caused by the tendons in the forearm becoming inflamed, which would make any wrist or hand motions painful. Hamstring strains are categorized with pulled muscles. This type of injury can be traced back to the root cause: poor stretching techniques. Hamstring muscles are especially tight and susceptible to strain, so they need to be stretched frequently to prevent injury. Patellofemoral syndrome is one of the most common knee injuries. UnityPoint reports, “This diagnosis can be caused by a slip or a fall onto the knees, swelling of the knee joint or a muscle imbalance.” Sciatica is a type of back pain that affects the sciatic nerve, which runs down both legs from the lower back. Therefore, it can majorly affect athletes’ legs and feet. Symptoms of this injury include numbness, burning, and tingling of the lower extremities. Athletes with a flexed posture are typical victims to this injury.
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At BCHS...
the most common high school injuries are different than UnityPoint’s national rankings. According to Mr. Santerre, the most common injuries he tends to are ankle sprains, finger/thumb sprains, concussions, muscle strains and shin splints. “The best advice for anyone recovering from any type of injury is to be patient, rehab consistently and to work on visualization while they are injured so that they will be mentally sharp when they are physically able to return from injury," said Mr. Santerre. Concussions have affected 24.6 percent of students at BCHS during their high school careers. Resulting from a seemingly minor football hit, junior Thomas Joven detailed his concussion during football season. “I did not even realize it until my head started pounding hours after the football game,” Joven said. According to UPMC Sports Medicine, five out of every ten concussions go unnoticed or untreated. Broken fingers can worsen over time. Coming off of football season, junior Patrick Mastrian recently broke his finger. There is an important distinction between sprains and breaks. Sprains are stretched or torn ligaments or tendons, and breaks are a bone injury. While Mastrian’s finger started off showing signs of sprain through redness and swelling, his finger eventually broke during the final game of the season. Muscle strains or pulls have taken a toll on 47.2 percent of BCHS students. “Muscle strains are the result of an overstretch of the muscle due to more force being applied to the muscle than the muscle can withstand,” said Mr. Santerre. Common symptoms include muscle spasms, swelling, cramping, and trouble moving. Resting, icing, compressing and elevating (RICE) the strain are the best methods for recovery. Shin splints cause pain that tremors throughout the lower front of the leg. Although shin splints are typically associated with runners, this injury is still very prevalent to other athletes. Freshman Ruby Mason got shin splints during her first BCHS volleyball season. “Some days I would not be able to focus because of how painful they were,” Mason said. “But I would push through and work the hardest I could.” A sprained ankle is sophomore Cade Webber's most common injury. Since starting high school, Webber has been injured four times as he participates in basketball and soccer. “I sprained my right ankle playing basketball a couple years ago and ever since then it is easily sprained or hurt,” said Webber. Journal of Athletic Training found there are around one million ankle sprain injuries per year out of the recorded 7.8 million high school students that participate in an organized sport each year. •Belle deCastro
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HE T N W O D CO U N T I N G T S M O V I E S R BEST SPO G TO AC C O R D I N U R V E Y IDE S SCHOOLW URAC Y ±4% ACC
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1 THE
BLIND SIDE
•Michael Mate
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2 TALLADEGA NIGHTS Talladega Nights stars the dynamic duo of Ricky Bobby (Will Ferrell) and Cal Naughton Jr. (John C. Reilly). Ricky and Cal are NASCAR hopefuls, who work on a pit crew. They get their lucky break when Bobby jumps into the driver seat while driver, Terry Cheveaux (Adam McKay) takes a bathroom break. The two friends have to shake and bake their way through the craziness that is auto racing. 14.6 percent of BCHS students said that Talladega Nights is their favorite sports movie. Sophomore Joe Calvert said, “Talladega Nights is my favorite movie because it is a good movie to watch and laugh at especially during the family dinner Ricky Bobby hosts.”
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REMEMBER THE TITANS
Remember the Titans chronicles a high school football team from Virginia during the 1970’s. Senior David Whittemore said, “Remember the Titans is my favorite movie because it shows a team that was separated and then they came together.” When an all-black school and an all-white school are forced to integrate, football is one of the only things that can bring them together. Denzel Washington, Ryan Gosling, and Ryan Hurst star in this film released in 2000. Senior Sydney Ragsdale said, “I like Remember the Titans movie because of the unity of the team at the end of the movie.”
The Blind Side is a true story detailing the difficult life of football star Michael Oher. Oher, played by Quinton Aaron, is a homeless teen, whose life dramatically changes once he is taken in by Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy (Sandra Bullock and Tim McGraw). He not only improves as a football player, but also as a brother and student. The movie was released in 2009. The real Michael Oher retired in 2016 after for playing eight years in the NFL. The Blind Side was the most popular sports movie among BCHS students gathering 23.8% of the vote. Senior Connor Dixon said, “The Blind Side is my favorite movie because it is inspirational and feel good story."
3 HAPPY GILMORE Happy Gilmore is a movie that follows the life of Happy Gilmore (Adam Sandler), a failed professional hockey player that turns to golf in an effort to make some quick cash and save his grandma’s house from being seized by the IRS. Happy is challenged to a longest-drive competition for a $40 bet, and somehow finds his way onto the PGA Tour. His lack of golf etiquette during the matches, gets him suspended, but does not deter him from his mission of saving his grandmother’s house in this classic comedy. Happy Gilmore racked up 14.2 percent of the vote in the school-wide survey for the best sports movie.
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HOOSIERS Hoosiers details the efforts of a small town high school basketball team in Indiana coached by Norman Dale (Gene Hackman). Dale is a failed college coach, who ultimately leads star Jimmy Chitwood (Maris Valainis) and the Milan basketball team to the 1952 state championship played at historic Hinkle Fieldhouse at Butler University. This movie is based off of the 1954 Milan basketball team that won the state championship. Sophomore Will Mason said, “Basketball has always been a family thing and Hoosiers was just a family movie.”
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Sophomore Sam McCarthy-Young, the only BCHS student on the Central Indiana Knights hockey team, is looking to make a run at the state championship this year. The team includes athletes from BCHS, Cathedral, Guerin, Hamilton Heights, Noblesville, Park Tudor, Pendleton Heights and Sheridan. He said, “Well for one thing, it’s kind of funny being the only one, especially on days like picture day, when we took pictures with our schools. It was really funny when I took my picture for Chatard by myself.” The winger describes his playing style as a playmaker who picks and chooses his spots. McCarthy-Young said, “I’m hoping to make plays with my line and help my team win. I am really looking forward to the state tournament.”
sketball a B
Carter St. John is looking to lead the boys JV basketball team while orchestrating the offense as their point guard. The freshman said, “I am hoping to bring even more energy to my team and help everyone get better to play our best.” With a strong basketball mind, St. John aims to get his teammates involved and let the game come to him. His mindset on the court is that no one can stop him or the team. He said, “I’m looking forward to getting to know people better and improving my game while helping the team win.”
Boy s Photo: Anna Wuensch
Wre stl i
Eli Bustamante is a freshman rising star wrestler in the 126-pound weight class. Bustamante said, “I am hoping to help our team win some more meets this year, and help some of our newer wrestlers to improve this season.” The veteran wrestler classifies himself as having an aggressive style; he hopes to shoot before his opponent. He said, “On the mat, I try to only focus on the match, and not anything else. I have a more serious mindset on the mat.” He enjoys wrestling and has been gaining the respect of his upperclassman teammates. Bustamante said, “I enjoy everything about the sport—the competition, the aggressiveness and overall nature of it.”
Photo: Lainey Scroggins
Photo Courtesy of Michelle McCarthy-Young
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Photo: Ashley Freiburger
Gir ls
Freshman Grace Adams has been logging meaningful minutes for the girls varsity basketball team. The 5 foot 5 inch guard poses a defensive threat credited to her quick hands and impressive agility. Adams said her goal when she steps on the court is to stay “calm, cool, and collected and to read the court and the opponents’ actions.” She has been entrusted with bringing the ball up and running the offense, when needed. She said, “I’m looking forward to seeing how far we’ll go in the tournament and improving as I gain more experience from high school.”
Hoc key
Photo: Katie Grote
sketball a B
Freshman swimmer Peyton Bean hopes to make an impact on the girls swim team. She said, “I'm hoping to make a positive impact by encouraging everyone, even though it gets hard sometimes.” Typically, Bean swims the 100 meter backstroke and the 50 meter freestyle. She will also help the team in relays. Bean said, “My mindset when I'm in the pool is to know that even though it's hard, I need to keep pushing and working hard because in the end, it will pay off.” She has been swimming for four years and hopes to accomplish her individual goals while maintaining the team atmosphere. Bean said, “What I most enjoy about swimming is everyone, no matter your grade, is so close and encouraging of each other. Everyone gets excited about even the small accomplishments which adds to the uplifting atmosphere.”
•Michael Mates