CARDINAL COLUMNS
F E B R U A RY 2 0 1 9
FROM PASSING NOTES TO PASSING JUULS
The presence of JUULs within our school - Page 11
Radioactive Relationships: How technology affects our relationships with other people - Page 15 Art by: Camryn Oestreich
s u l P
Personal Finance: An important class that should be required - Page 17
Contents
3-6
7-9
10-14
News
Sports
From Passing Notes to JUULs
ADHD Alcohol Awareness Boys Bathroom
Rock Climbing FDL Figure Skating Gymnastics
Editorial Policy The Cardinal Columns is a designated public forum written, edited and managed by FHS students as part of journalism classes taught by a certified journalism educator. The purpose of FHS media is to inform and entertain its audience (students and staff as well as the local community) through timely, accurate, impartial and thorough reporting as well as to serve as an educational journalism experience for those on staff. The Cardinal Columns and its staff are protected and bound by the principles of the First Amendment and all other protections and limitations granted by the Constitution and the various laws and court decisions implementing those principles. The staff strive to uphold the principles of journalism as outlined by the Pew Research Center’s Project for Excellence in Journalism as well as the highest ethical standards of the Society of Professional Journalists’ Code of Ethics.
Letters to the Editor The Cardinal Columns newsmagazine welcome comments and opinions from students and faculty in the form of letters to the editor. Letters to the editor must be signed with a first and last name and be 250 words or less. The editorial board reserves the right to withhold a letter or column and return it for more information if it determines the piece contains items of unprotected speech or to edit for spelling and grammar and confirm authorship.
1
FEBRUARY ‘19
CARDINAL COLUMNS
The presence of JUULs in our school
Contact Cardinal Columns Room 2610 Fond du Lac High School 801 Campus Drive Fond du Lac, WI 54935 920-929-2740 cardinalcolumns@gmail.com ADVISER: smithm@fonddulac.k12.wi.us
15-16
17-18
23-26
Radioactive Relationships
Culture
Opinion
Modern relationships affected by a technological society
Who uses the library? Impotance of Personal Finance Art Coloring Books
Bohemian Rhapsody Review Is the Grinch the Christmas movie of 2018?
Masthead EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Vyla Shea
MANAGING EDITOR Bailey Breister
DESIGNERS
Camryn Oestreich Stephen Padovano
STAFF WRITERS
Eliana Torres
Damian Albrecht Riley Baker Alexsha Field Rachel Hencke Cameron Krueger Sarah Luckow Stephen Padovano Julie Rebek Abbie Simon Hailey Tanem Christian Woznick
CULTURE EDITOR
ADVISER
ART DIRECTORS Taryn Schwind Camryn Oestreich
NEWS EDITOR Jenna Ahlstrom
SPORT EDITOR
Bailey Breister
Matthew Smith
CARDINAL COLUMNS
FEBRAURY ‘19
2
News
ADHD “ATTACK” ON AMERICA?
RESEARCH HAS SHOWN A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN ADHD IN CHILDREN OVER THE PAST 11 YEARS BY JENNA AHLSTROM, NEWS EDITOR
W
ITH ADHD ON a rise who is to blame? Are schools at blame for overloading their students, or video games? What about television? Or is it that our genetics today have aligned to infect Generation Z with ADHD. Does that mean Generation Alpha is going to have an even harder time focusing? According to the Center for Disease Control, Wisconsin itself has higher ratings of ADHD within it when compared to the U.S. as a whole. An increase of people diagnosed with ADHD from 9.9 percent in 2007 to 12.5 percent in 2011 shows how just in four years. What does this mean for students and their study habits? Also according to the CDC in a 2011 study based on parental reports it was found that 10.4 percent of Wisconsin children ages 4-17 had been diagnosed with ADHD, and according to the same 2011 study, 8 percent of kids in the same age group in Wisconsin take medication for it. Over the years reports of ADHA have risen, and more and more children are being diagnosed at even younger ages. We might be catching it sooner, but why is it increasing? And how does this affect Generation Z? The U.S. in 2007, according to a study based on parent report, showed that
3
FEBRUARY ‘19
CARDINAL COLUMNS
9.5 percent of children (4-17 years of age) had been diagnosed with ADHD, and by 2011 the percentage had grown to 11 percent. In the time between the two surveys the group of younger children, ages 2-5, had approximately grown by 50 percent. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, severe cases of ADHD typically get diagnosed at four years, moderate cases at six, mild cases at seven, and about one-third will carry the diagnoses into adulthood. It may seem as if over the generations ADHD has grown, but is that really what’s happening? Are more and more children becoming diagnosed with a true ADHD? Or is there something else going on? According to Megan Higinbotham, a Psychology intern here in Fond du Lac, training physicians to recognize the disorder, improved public awareness, and improved access to mental health services, as well as the changes in diagnostic criteria, have lead to higher diagnoses rates. Teachers aware of ADHD who see it in their students also can meet with parents as well about what they have noticed. As our understanding of what constitutes ADHD as what it is becomes more recognized, more and more people accurate-
ly become diagnosed, and as support groups and organizations grow it also creates a look of growth. But have those affected by it always been there and are just now receiving what they need which in turn recognizes them? Or is it truly actually growing? According to Psychology Today overdiagnosis have been a possibility as to why numbers are increasing, but there’s also a possibility that it’s linked to the pressures parents create for their children to do well in school, amplifying small behaviors to seem worse and more distracting than they really are. Another possibility, according to Sir Kenneth Robinson, British author, speaker, advisor, director, and professor of various art schools, is that the world children live in now is full of distractions. Because electronics, television and video games are being shoved into children’s faces it’s no wonder they seem more distracted than ever before. Generation Z is having these distractions all around them, and Generation Alpha is already in for a ride of those distractions growing as technology keeps evolving. To add to that, according to ADDitude, a magazine that looks into the sciences and minds of ADHD, marketing also
SIR KEN ROBINSON GIVING A SPEECH AT A TED TALK (PHOTO COURTESY OF TED)
plays a role. Medication companies encourage the use of their product, and while that might seem like it’s helping people it also institutes a feeling of needing to be medicated like the majority and can create a mental illusion in someone to amplify their “symptoms” and convince themselves they need it. ADHD itself has many misconceptions about it, some being that ADHD isn’t real but instead it’s just the person being lazy and lacking intellectual ability, which is not the case. People with ADHD have minds that wander more than the average person, but the inattentive traits are long. According to Medical Daily, a child has to exhibit six or more of the traits in order to be diagnosed and adults have to exhibit five or more. “The exact cause of ADHD is not clear but it has seen to run in families so genetics could be a contributing factor for this disorder.” Higinbotham said in an email, “Other factors that may contribute to the development of ADHD include being born prematurely, brain injury, and the mother smoking, using alcohol or having extreme stress during pregnancy.” Everyone can lose concentration, but for a lot of people thinking it it might
STATISTICS TAKEN FROM THE CENTER FOR DISEASE CONTROL ON CHILDREN IN THE USA RECIVING MEDICATION VS. THERAPY FOR ADHD
be ADHD and already getting medication without being properly diagnose, could instead look to other factors that they could control to help themselves before jumping to conclusions. According to Medical Daily stress, depression, anxiety, lack of sleep and lack of exercise can be factors for people losing their concentration. ADHD is a real thing that no doubt affects many people, but perhaps we
should not jump to conclusions right away and instead look at ourselves and be honest with professionals trying to help us. You should never self-diagnose and you should take care of yourself. ADHD may have grown over the years, but so have pressures, and while this in no way makes ADHD any less of a real diagnoses, it should not be the first jump to conclusion.
CARDINAL COLUMNS
FEBRUARY ‘19
4
News
THE TRUTH ABOUT ALCHOHOL Alcohol has the ability to affect your present and future By Hailey Tanem, Staff Writer
A
S OF 2018, statistics from Fond du Lac High School Alcohol, Tobacco, and Other Drug Survey said 19 percent of Fond du Lac High School students consumed alcohol in the past 30 days. Since the percentage is high for such young students, STAAND (Students Taking Action Against Negative Decisions) is determined to inform students of the harmful effects and to prevent a further increase of underage drinking. Unfortunately, 25 percent of students feel that underage drinking is promoted nowadays. Not only that, but 50 percent claim it is easy to get alcohol when they want it. How can teenagers get alcohol if you must be 21, might you ask? According to the Fond du Lac High School Alcohol and
Drug Screen, 47 percent report family members buying it for them, 11 percent report a non-family member buying, 6 percent steal it, and 2 percent are served at a restaurant, bar, or club. “I think kids like to party because we act too grown even though we’re not, the stress of school, including ACTs,” junior Parker Porter said. According to Next Generation Village, drinking alcohol as a teenager can not only have a negative influence on decision making, but with the adult brains’ structure as well. Teenagers who use alcohol before 15, increases their risk of alcoholism as an adult by 40 percent. Although teenagers have fun and let loose at parties, it increases the risk of developing a mental disorder and long term “I think kids think it’s the health problems such as hypertension, heart problems, cancer and more. It also right path and use it to increases your chances of injuring yourescape from life. When I self, others or be arrested. Alcohol has the ability to take over moved to Wisconsin, I your life. Instead of using alcohol, Treatrealized there weren’t ment Solutions suggests using coping strategies rather than drinking alcohol. many social situations like going for a walk, seeing a without using alcohol. I Things movie, getting coffee at your local coffee think it’s a weird shop, riding a bike, and other calming culture that we drink to activities. Although these strategies may not always work, it can still keep extra be drunk.” money in your pocket, keep you sober, and prevents the awful feeling you may -Nurse Sarah Kirchoff wake up to. 5
FEBRUARY ‘19
CARDINAL COLUMNS
19%
Of FDL students reported having alcohol in the past month
25%
Think the community is actively encouraging underage drinking
50%
Think it is fairly easy to get alcohol
47%
Report family members buying it for them
11%
Report a non-family member buying
6%
Report stealing it
2%
Reported being served at a restaurant, bar, or club
BOYS BATHROOMS
MALE STUDENTS VANDALISED SCHOOL BATHROOMS BY JULIE REBEK, STAFF WRITER
T
OWARD THE END of November, male students from Fond du Lac High School vandalized the school bathrooms, forcing all boys to use the bathroom in the commons for a week and a half. Not only did this incident cost the school money, but it also made the janitors clean up messes that were necessary and timely. According to Officer Meilahn, the person/ group of people that vandalized the bathrooms will have consequences for their actions. The students responsible have not been caught yet, but Meilahn is confident they will find out who was responsible for the damages. If caught, the boys will get a suspension and will not be able to attend any school events, such as dances, sporting events or the musicals. This rule was added on last year when there was another issue with the boys bathrooms. How did we handle it? The only bathroom that was open for a week and a half was in the commons. Officer Meilahn said they closed the pod bathrooms because, “it was easier to monitor one bathroom.” They also closed the pod bathrooms because the vandalism was a health and safety hazard. Dakoda Lubbert, a male sophomore, said he was upset that he had to walk to the commons every time he had to use the bathroom, and that just because someone ruined the bathrooms, nobody else could use them. Last year, 16 toilets were broken and there was flooding, which was a safety hazard. Overall, the total damage done was $2,500 to replace the parts of the toilets. The person was caught and had to pay restitution, and since the vandalism added up to $2,500, it was a felony, and they had to go through the court system. Compared to last year, the situation is quite different. For example, the toilets were not broken, but stall doors and soap dispensers were ripped off. Lubbert
said that the stall doors were so bent they wouldn’t fully close, and the stalls also didn’t lock, “I came in one day and I saw someone hanging off the door swinging back and forth.” Lubbert said. “It’s hard to add up the cost of the this year’s damage,” Meilahn said. Janitors were doing jobs that they didn’t have to do, and people from outside the school had to come in to fix some of damages. Meilahn said that she hopes students understand the consequences of their actions, and how it might affect other people so an issue like this doesn’t happen again.
“It’s hard to add up the cost of the this year’s damage.” -Officer Meilahn
A FUN BUNCH OF PEOPLE
THE FUN BUNCH LUNCH IS A FUN NEW ADDITION TO THE SCHOOL’S LUNCH PROGRAM. BY RILEY BAKER, STAFF WRITER
T
HERE ARE PLENTY of students ant surprise for me to be able to help students in Fond du Lac High School who who struggle each day with the lunch hour.” h a v e Students who have attrouble with “We’re always open for tended their meetings also the cafeteria; new people. So come seem to have positive the Fun Bunch whenever you feel you feelings about it. Taking Lunch hopes to place on Tuesdays and need to,” change that for Thursdays, the Fun Bunch some students. Lunch meets in the library -Mrs. Zindler They after getting lunch from the have the goal of cafeteria. making an area In these meetings they more comfortable for those who wish to not have a table that contains board games and be in the cafeteria. sometimes baked desserts. The way to join is The Fun Bunch Lunch opened pretty simple too. about a month after the start of the first se- “We’re always open for new people. mester, and since then they’ve been open to So come whenever you feel you need to,” the public. Zindler said. School Psychiatrist Monica Zindler “My goal was to create a safe enis the heart of the operation and feels very vironment for students,” Zindler said. “High positive about it. “So far it’s been going School is a very stressful place and some stugreat,” Zindler said. “It has been a very pleas- dents need something to help them unwind.”
CARDINAL COLUMNS
FEBRUARY ‘19
6
Sports
FLIPPING FOR FONDY
WHAT IT TAKES TO SUCCEED AS A COMPETITIVE GYMNAST BY RACHEL HENCKE, STAFF WRITER
O
N A FRIDAY night, you can typi- ments, unfortunately, they do not get any cally catch most high schoolers additional elective classes beyond their respending time with their friends or quired freshman courses. heading out to watch that night’s sporting It is also not uncommon for the event, but most high schoolers are not like girls to miss school in order to travel to Heidi and Jordan Schultz. The twin fresh- competitions, which are three to four hours men are gymnasts competing at the highest away on average, or even traveling as far level of Junior Olympic competition. as California and Texas for meets. With a They did not get there without ex- limited amount of club teams in the state, tensive hard work; the girls have it can be difficult to find compebeen training gymnastics since titions in the area so they have to the age of four and now spend 28 travel outside of Wisconsin: a big hours a week practicing at LaFdifference from traditional high leur’s Academy of Gymnastics. A school sports traveling to the surtypical high school athlete trains rounding cities. 10-12 hours in a week, only about You won’t find a student section one third of the time the Schultzes to support Fond du Lac gymnasts put in. at their meets, and it is obvious “Gymnastics is to the twins that most very different from other “We just want to people don’t understand sports in how many difsport. “People ask make it as far as their ferent components there stuff like ‘Can you do a we can.” are,” Taylor Ames, girls cartwheel?’ and then they team program director at also ask ‘Are you going to -Jordan Schultz the Oshkosh Gymnastics the Olympics?’.” The skill Center, said of the number level required to compete of hours gymnasts train. at the Olympics is much “We have to train all four events, higher than the basic skills people ask the as well as conditioning, flexibility and girls to perform. You will find Simone Biles strength training every single practice. performing her eponymous double layout Each of those components take lots of time half twist rather than simple cartwheels at a to practice. If gymnasts aren’t physically world championship. strong enough or prepared to do their rou- This large time commitment tines, the skills become very dangerous. It means that Heidi and Jordan do not get to is necessary to train so many hours so that enjoy typical high school events like sportthe girls are ready to put together routines ing games. “We’ve been to one football and compete safely.” game and that was it,” Jordan said. On top of 28 hours of training, the They also miss out on other social twins also spend an hour and a half each aspects like parties with friends. Heidi says day driving to their practice facility in Ger- she can not remember the last time she’s mantown, Wisconsin and back. This is not had a sleepover since they always have only in the competition season like most practice the next morning. sports, gymnasts train year round; in order It may have been easier to parto make it to their scheduled practice times, ticipate in school sponsored sports, but the the girls leave school after 6th hour every- twins have larger goals for themselves. In day. They take a zero hour class in order to their first season as level 10s, both Heidi make sure they are meeting credit require- and Jordan qualified to the USA Gymnas7
FEBURARY ‘19 CARDINAL COLUMNS
tics Junior Olympic National Championships. While they placed respectfully for their first national competition, Jordan still sees room for improvement. “I want to win nationals,” she said of her future goals in the sport. The junior olympic level may not be the end for the Schultzes either; they want to attempt to pursue a career in elite gymnastics. Competing at the elite level opens up opportunities to represent the United States in international competition and the Olympics. An elite training schedule could increase their practice hours up to 40 hours a week. After high school, Heidi and Jordan have aspirations of competing division one gymnastics, but not at the same university. After years of competing side by side the twins want to experience competing against each other as rivals. While some of these goals are lofty, the twins aren’t overly concerned with them. “We just want to make it as far as we can.”
HEIDI SCHULTZ (LEFT) AND JORDAN SCHULTZ (RIGHT) AT THE 2018 JUNIOR OLYMPIC REGIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS IN ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA (LAFLEUR’S GYMNASTICS ACADEMY)
FOND DU LAC BLADES NAMED AS USA REPRESENTATIVE FOND DU LAC’S FIGURE SKATING TEAM IS ON THE RISE REPRESENTING THE USA AND ONLY GETTING BETTER BY SARAH LUCKOW, STAFF WRITER
R
ECENTLY, THE FOND du Lac figure skating team has begun a rise to the top, representing the USA. Fond du Lac has represented the USA competing in international competitions since the 2015-2016 season and for the past two years since that. This year, Fond du Lac’s team USA will be travelling to Croatia on Feb. 3. “We’ve done well, considering we’ve had to start over with a whole new short program,” Heather Pagel, assistant coach, said. “At the beginning of our program, most skaters didn’t know how to get
“One of the best moments for our team was at Nationals last year when we earned our highest score of the season and beat one of our most competitive teams .” -Arianna Korb
into the moves, but we have worked on it a lot and it’s gotten a lot better. The long program has gotten a lot better as well.” Each year, on October 6, teams get put into the international selection pool and judges decide who will represent the USA that year; the process takes about a week or so depending on how ready the judges feel that their team is. The judges could make the decision right away and say that the team is ready to represent the country, or if the judges want the team to work on something and get better, then they give the opportunity to be evaluated again at the next competition. Getting to this point in the team’s time, together the girls have given so much to the program. Such as late night practices on school nights and waking up early on the weekends. Many, if not all of the girls on the
team, have been skating on the junior team from three to five years; some of them began skating at the young age of two or three years old. For the majority of the time, they have practices on the weekends in the morning or late afternoon. Now, they have tough practices for two hours three days a week until the team leaves. Monday nights are a different story for the girls They have school until 3:25, then go home try to finish homework and other responsibilities before their 7:30 p.m. practice at the rink. At 9:15 the skaters go home to finish school work up, shower and go to bed trying not to think about how tired they will be the following morning during school. Aside from the long days of being at the rink, the team does get outstanding outcomes. “One of the best moments for our team was at Nationals last year when we earned our highest score of the season and beat one of our most competitive teams,” Arianna Korb, one of the skaters on the team, said. “My first year we weren’t ready to travel anywhere yet, but the following years, I’ve travelled each year.” She is very pleased with the past seasons the team has had and what has become of the girls.
CARDINAL COLUMNS
FEBRUARY ‘19
8
Sports
EXPECTATIONS FOR BOYS JV COACH MATANAER HAS HIGH EXPECTATIONS FOR HIS PLAYERS ON AND OFF THE COURT BY STEPHEN PADOVANO, DESIGNER
C
OACH MATANAER HAS high hopes for his JV team, but they aren’t what you expect. The Fondy Boys JV Basketball team has high expectations rolling into the 2018-19 season. You want to win as many games as you can since there are no playoffs, but to Mr. Matanaer, his main goal for the team is to just learn how the game is played, win as a team, and improve themselves on and off the court as well as in the classrooms. The challenging differences the team has had this year is having less players than the previous year; where they had 20 players last year, the team has only 12 this year. Before every game, they watch
of print, ory ideas, ng clear tyle, and m in this
videos of previous games and go into practice to improvec on their skills. He has a pregame ritual of giving ‘knucks’ to his players, keeping it light with them he says, “Let’s get this bread.” It’s only his first year coaching the JV team, but he holds accountability over his players as well as himself. “I take a lot of pride that my players will be more than just players, but will take care of the classroom and they will be good citizens of Fond du Lac and that they will be good role models, to see how far they’ve come from listening and putting in effort means a lot,” Coach Matanaer said. The season may be short on the court, but improving and becoming a better person outside the game lasts forever.
int r P P CAP ism l a n r Jou or st a c d a ro B P P CA ism l a n r Jou
er fo Regist
r
here by the king part in riety of
of print, tory ideas, ing clear and , and m in this d experiences ing as staff e year, stories on on items, e materials
For opportunities to ... Produce professional-quality magazines, videos, newscasts, and other media; Develop as a writer, editor, cameraperson, and leader; Travel across the state and country to attend conferences and tour newsrooms;
r at
Earn college credit!
9
FEBRUARY ‘19
CARDINAL COLUMNS
FEATURE 4-year-old Malcom McGregor learned he has neuroblastoma on Dec. 24, 2018. Neuroblastoma is a type of cancer that forms in nerve tissue, most often in young children. His family request that people send letters throughout his fight against cancer, and that is
exactly what Roy Ramirez, resident art teacher, had his classes do. All of his students except for his art foundations class were to make McGregor a card, most often themed towards superheroes or PAW Patrol, in an attempt to cheer him up. Here is some of their work.
Send letters of your own to Malcom: Malcom McGregor PO Box 322 Wisconsin Rapids, WI 54495-0322
Card by: Brianna Daniels
Card by: Ashley Lambert
Card by: Alayna Mason
FROM PASSING NOTES TO... Are JUULs found in our school?
81% of students asked have seen a JUUL in our school
28%
of students reported seeing a JUUL only once a week or less Almost 34% of students reported using a JUUL before
Within those students,
11
FEBRUARY ‘19
CARDINAL COLUMNS
33% have used one in school
PASSING JUULS THE PRESENCE OF JUULS WITHIN OUR SCHOOL BY VYLA SHEA, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
I
F YOU GO to this high school, the chances that you’ve walked into the bathroom to see a puff of smoke floating to the ceiling is pretty high. Most of our administration has seen the prevalence of JUULs and various vapes; the question is, what is being done and what has been done to stop it? “Several months into the school year, some teachers had still never seen one,” Liaison Officer Meilahn said. In a survey given to 180 students, it was found that over 80 percent of the student body had seen a JUUL in school at least once. In that, almost 75 percent have seen them more than once in a week. According to CATCH, a Coordinated Approach to Child’s Health, nicotine can prime the human brain to develop future addictions; and the particles within the e-juice have been linked to developing cardiovascular and respiratory diseases. “It is so easy to over do it with these fruity pods. It’s easy to become a one, two, or three packs a day smoker,” Meilahn said. Since the beginning of the school year, there has been a presentation for teachers that explained multiple things related to vapes as well as other knowledge they might need to be able to pick that might cause reason for concern. “It’s hard to keep up with all the new things kids could be getting in to,” Meilahn explained. Puffs of smoke where there shouldn’t be, certain movements, or even relatively scheduled trips to the bathroom are all causes of concern when dealing with JUULs in school.
According to Principal Steinbarth, more students from the junior class have been caught with a JUUL compared to any other. A class entirely filled with students under 18, the age you need to be to legally buy a JUUL and JUUL pods, has been caught JUULing more than seniors, some of which able to legally buy these products. If a student is caught with a JUUL on school grounds, there is always the possibility of receiving a ticket. The price of which can range from around 90 dollars to almost 190. Depending on circumstances, suspension might be brought up, whether in-school or out of school. Automatically, the student caught loses their dance privileges for up to a year; for seniors that could mean not being able to go to prom. Along with dance privileges go any extracurriculars and school sports games. Dances can be earned back with good behavior, but the next dance coming up will for sure be gone. If a student is caught multiple times, after-school privileges are only taken away for a longer period of time. “We try to do some restorative things,” Steinbarth said. “For students to be able to participate in extracurriculars, whether that’s a sport or a club, they have to go through a survey where they try to get help for starting a bad habit.” According to the National Center for Health Research, cigarettes are dangerous and dramatically affect a person’s health; that’s obvious. What people, teenagers mostly, aren’t realizing is that e-cigarettes can produce the same health risks that normal cigarettes can.
“We do not know all of the harmful effects yet, this is still new to us,” Meilahn said. “There are so many bad things that can come from these things.” When cigarettes were first made, sold and smoked, no one knew that they would affect a person’s health. Obviously now, we know better than that. When JUULs were first made, sold and used, they were advertised as “a healthy alternative” and were originally meant for the people who previously smoked and were trying to quit. “I think that the tobacco industry is trying to persuade students to start this bad habit again,” Steinbarth said. According to the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, “Every day more than 300 kids who have already experimented with cigarettes become new regular, daily smokers.” Because we are so young and still developing, we are much more vulnerable to the negative effects that nicotine can have on the brain.
“We do not know all of the harmful effects yet, this is still new to us,” Meilahn said. “We are trying to do everything we can to try to dissuade students from doing this,” Steinbarth said, “But I can’t be a parent to every student here.”
CARDINAL COLUMNS
FEBRUARY ‘19
12
CHEMICALS INSIDE acetone methanol nicotine ammonia cadmium
13
FEBRUARY ‘19
CARDINAL COLUMNS
diacetyl glycerol propylene glycol benzoic acid nicotine
nicotine poisoning
popcorn lung
what is it? the overload of nicotine the damage within the within a perons’s body, lung’s smallest airways depending on weight
how is it caused? consuming too much nicotine
breathing in a chemical known as diacetyl
what are the symptoms? extreme fatigue, nausea wheezing, shortness of and vomiting, loss of breath, dry cough, rapid appetite, gas, abnormal breathing heart rate CARDINAL COLUMNS
FEBRUARY ‘19
14
E V I T C A O I RAD S P I H S N O RELATI
TED C E F F A S P I H S N O I MODERN RELAT GY O L O N H C E T F O E S BY OU R U BY TARYN SCHWIND, ART DIRECTOR
T
ODAY, 68 PERCENT of children have TV in their rooms and internet access so it is not a surprise we have grown up unknowingly learning how to treat family, friends and significant others in many different ways. Technology and adults are the two biggest influences on teenagers lives but, for many issues we face in high school our parents are not always the first person we go to for advice in fear of getting brushed off as if high school issues don’t matter. Social media and peers are there for guidance with little judgement along with minimal questions. Before technology had a major impact on children, it has affected the lives of working adults immensely ever since it was introduced in the work area primarily during the 1980s. Email and calls are the top two forms of ways parents can bring work home besides paperwork. With being able to do work from home, this started the divide of family relationships. Today teenagers are so immersed in technology, only 30 percent will acknowledge their parent coming home from work. Instead of spending time with each other, many choose to spend it texting, watching TV or playing video games. Without making a solidified bond with their parents, many teens feel like it is very difficult to gain their parents support according to Jim Taylor Ph.D. In recent years, instead of having to call home phones and speak-
15
FEBRUARY ‘19
CARDINAL COLUMNS
ing to parents about hanging out or talking to friends, we simply send a text message removing parents from the equation, creating a small amount of independency. According to Pew Research Center, “51 percent of teens say they often or sometimes find their parent or caregiver to be distracted by their own cell phone when they are trying to have a conversation with them.” Parents have different strategies to combat this issue of having tech savvy children either by setting technology restrictions or by joining them on social media. During high school, teenagers are learning how to make connections that either last a lifetime or a school year. It is very important that we learn what healthy and unhealthy relationships are; without a good role model from adults where are teenagers getting their ideology of how relationships with others and themselves be? A study conducted by Common Sense Media found that teens are spending about nine hours a day on their phones surfing the web, social media and texting, so it is clear that teenagers gravitate to what they see on the internet on a daily basis; good and bad. Sadly, an estimated 75 percent of people lie about themselves on social media accounts, so what we see, such as a perfect friendship with no issues, is only a slice and not the entire truth. Yet teens compare their lives against others and
try to achieve a goal that is a fabricated lie to begin with, but friendship is more than what you see and read about on social media.True friendships are more than appreciation posts, selfies and gossiping; they are something that you cannot find everyday. “Buy this car, you’ll get girls. Buy this bra, you’ll get guys.” Actor, producer, and author, Adam Roa, describes standards for many teens and young adult relationships. In films, men are romanticized into a perfect person without flaws that sweep women off their feet and live happily ever after. Women with flawless skin and small bodies are beautiful, but if flaws are shown the women is considered not “good enough.” Adults have always made sure to have “the talk” with their teenagers about physical intimacy and the importance of protection, but what about other aspects of
romantic relationships? Many adults just see these relationships for nothing more than just “young love,” but are unaware of what complex emotions a teenager is learning to understand or dealing with. Along with the talk, do not forget to leave out what a healthy relationship is because, “Nearly 1.5 million high school students nationwide experience physical abuse from a dating partner in a single year,” according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “Physical Dating Violence Among High School Students— United States, 2003,” Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. This statistic might shock many but the truth is, what you see on social media is only the part of life someone wants you to see. There will always be the hidden truth, everyone’s life has issues and it is not perfect everyday.
CARDINAL COLUMNS
FEBRUARY ‘19
16
Culture
WHAT’S THE LIBRARY ACTUALLY USED FOR? BY CHRISTIAN WOZNICK, STAFF WRITER
T
HERE ARE MANY ways students use the library like printing out papers for their classes and checking out books. Other uses are events like the art show and job fair. How has it changed over the past couple of years since it opened? According to the survey, the Cardinal Columns sent out to multiple English classes we discovered throughout sophomores, juniors, and seniors with overall about 65 percent of participants responded they almost never go to our library, 18 percent said they go monthly, and 9 percent each said they go weekly or daily.
Students responded they used the library for the most is checking out books, followed by studying and reading and third being printing papers. This is followed by people using it for events like the fun bunch lunch, job fair, and art show. Finally, some people simply use it for the Chromebook help desk. Director of Human Resources Sharon Simon said that over time the board decided as technology use grew, tech coaches were more important than librarians with their current budget. An example she gave was students were using e-books
and listening to audiobooks, which is why we went to two full-time Librarians to having only one split amongst the schools during the week. Librarian and Media Specialist Deb Micolichek, who only shows up on Mondays. She suggests with the usage of the library if we could have a full-time librarian we could have more events like a battle of the books and peek more interest of the students. “If a student at this level is an avant reader they should come on their own, but English teachers should promote
PERSONAL FINANCE: IMPORTANT BUT FORGOTTEN ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT CLASSES ISN’T REQUIRED BY BAILEY BREISTER, MANAGING EDITOR
P
ERSONAL FINANCE IS a class that teaches you how to pay taxes, save, and set you up for the future. A lot of people in federal and state governments believe that personal finance classes should be required in all high schools for students to graduate. 37 states require personal finance literacy, and Alabama is the best at teaching it; they also share their curriculum with other states. In 2017, the Wisconsin government passed Act 94, which helps schools adopt standards for personal finance from kindergarten through grade 12. But, Act 94 isn’t enough for Wisconsin’s students. 70 percent of school districts in Wisconsin add personal finance courses into their math and social studies curriculums. Other districts offer individual personal 17
FEBRUARY ‘19
finance classes as an extra course, like our own at Fond du Lac High school. Forbes, the magazine, conducted a survey on every state’s personal financial literacy of their students. Wisconsin, among a few others, received an F, one of the lowest ranks. Although, the poor teachings of personal finances aren’t found everywhere in Wisconsin. Former Fond du Lac High School teacher, Logan Meyer, now works at a Germantown school district that requires every student to complete a personal finance course in their junior or senior years. “The curriculum we use is the ‘Dave Ramsey Foundations Digital’, which works great for our students,” Meyer said. “It teaches saving, giving and
CARDINAL COLUMNS
preparing for the future.” Dave Ramsey is a big figurehead in the world of personal finance, so having a whole course dedicated to his teachings is really refreshing. And hopefully other school districts will adopt this cericulumn. Teacher, Mr. McBride, has taught business classes at Fond du Lac High School for 22 years. “Technically schools are supposed to require personal finance, but I do think they do need to do a better job.” In the Fond du Lac School district, “Personal Finance” is taught in math classes. So if the Wisconsin school district took more initiative in personal finance, then it could become more financially literate.
BRINGING TALENTS TOGETHER TO RAISE MONEY BY ALEXSHA FIELD, STAFF WRITER
A
RT CLUB STUDENTS came together and combined talents to create culture coloring books. On Dec. 12, 2018, the art club’s President Antoniea Tennis announced that the art club will be creating culture coloring books to fundraise money for the art program. “To me, teamwork is the ability to work together toward a common vision or goal,” Tennis said. “Alone we can do very little, but together we can do so much to help raise money for the school’s art program and art club.” On Wednesdays, the members of the art club will be designing and making the
coloring books. The process of making them consists of drawing them with ink, scanning them and then printing them. “We decided that we could draw them with ink, scan them, then print them for people to color,” Kegan Olig said. These coloring books will be sold to all students who are in the art program or anyone who likes to color. Unfortunately, the coloring books are in the process of still being made and do not have a set due date for when they will be available for sale. The reason behind making these coloring books is to raise money for the art department and the art club. The money will
be put toward art supplies, field trips and other art-related equipment. The idea of selling coloring books came from the art teachers. “The art teachers gave us some advice on how to raise money and brought up bringing our talents together and making coloring books,” Nicole Harmsen said. The club decided to then choose a theme that would be fun and incorporate different cultures, styles, characters, characteristics and centuries. Not only will this coloring book help the art department, but it will also inspire people to be more artistic and take more of an interest in art or maybe even join the art club.
CARDINAL COLUMNS
FEBRUARY ‘19
18
Opinion
PUT “ELF” BACK ON THE SHELF WHY THE ICONIC CHRISTMAS MOVIE ISN’T WORTH THE HYPE BY RACHEL HENCKE, STAFF WRITER
W
HEN THE MONTH of December hits suddenly everything is covered in Christmas lights and mistletoe. The radio will blast “All I Want For Christmas is You” four times every 10 minutes while people run to the stores to purchase gifts and tacky Christmas sweaters. One thing people can always look forward to is the endless stream of holiday movies on the Hallmark Channel. However, classics like “It’s a Wonderful Life” and “Rudolf the Rednosed Reindeer” have started being replaced by an obnoxious man in yellow tights and a pointy hat: “Elf.” When the Christmas comedy first appeared on big screens in 2003, it grossed more than $220.4 million globally, largely in thanks to Will Ferrell’s amusing performance as Buddy the elf. While the film does have it’s fair share of laughable moments, people’s characterization of “Elf” and “the best Christmas movie of all time,” is threatening to ruin the character of Christmas movies. “Elf” does bring smiles to faces, but it lacks the heartwarming feeling of traditional holiday movies. It focuses too much on humor, while ignoring the intended message of family. The Christmas
19
FEBRUARY ‘19
Classics, while all taking place during the holiday season, are more about bringing families together than the actual holiday. Still, these touching films are being threatened by Will Ferrell eating spaghetti covered in chocolate sauce. The plot follows an orphaned Buddy who crawls into Santa’s sack and is taken to the North Pole where he is raised as an elf. Once he reaches adulthood, he decides to travel to New York City to meet his biological father Walter (James Caan), an ill-natured book publisher. There is even a bit of romance as Buddy begins to crush on Jolie (Zooey Deschanel), a department store elf. However, what is supposed to be a warming story of a family coming together is ruined by a lack of character development and immaturity. While it is understandable that Buddy is a bit unfamiliar with his surroundings in New York, his continuing to act like a four year old boy throughout the movie turns from comical to tiresome. When Buddy first comes to New York, his naivety about the real world seems endearing, but his poor behavior, even after living in the city for a few days, gives a horrible example for the film’s adolescent viewers.
CARDINAL COLUMNS
Finding comedy in things like destroying furniture to create a rocking horse, or refering to short people as “elves” gives children the idea that disrespectful disposition will be laughed off. The film’s writers created a character that was seemingly taught no morals or social cues just because he grew up in the North Pole. Buddy’s character is utterly disrespectful towards those trying to help him, and he can never quite seem to read people’s tones to understand what to say. The writers make it appear as if he has never had any social contact with people before, when in fact he was raised in an environment surrounded by many others. There is no acceptable reason for Buddy not to be able to understand basic social cues. Also, for someone who wants to spread Christmas cheer, Buddy is surprisingly bad at it. He exposes the mall “Santa” as a fake and starts a brawl with him. I don’t know about you, but watching Santa Claus throwing punches doesn’t exactly get me in a holly jolly spirit. Another disappointing factor was Buddy’s relationship with his father. Unlike the heart warming familial stories of traditional Christmas classics, Walter is cold towards his son. He tries desperately to avoid Buddy and get rid of him until he proves that he could be useful in his publishing work. His love is not based on a unconditional bond between father and son, but on Walter taking advantage of Buddy. Equally saddening is the fact Buddy abandoned his adoptive father who raised him in order to find his “real” father. This lack of concern for the family Buddy grew up with shows how the writers completely missed the point of a holiday film. The Christmas season is about coming closer to your family, not leaving them behind. “Elf” has been over-romanticized by the public for its humor, while ignoring the obvious flaws. It is not deserving of a place among the best Christmas movies of all time.
A BIOPIC FOR THE AGES
BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY TAKES THE THRONE AS GREATEST BIOPIC OF ALL TIME BY STEPHEN PADOVANO, STAFF WRITER
B
OHEMIAN RHAPSODY IS the best biopic of its time, telling a story about one of the most iconic rock bands, as well as arguably the best singer of all time, Freddie Mercury. In “Bohemian Rhapsody,” we learn about the upbringing of Queen and the star Freddie Mercury, who’s real name is actually Farrokh Bulsara. Freddie would go out to see a band named “Smile” at the local pub. After the lead singer of Smile, Tim Staffell, quits, Freddie joins the group and down the line, he changes the band name to Queen. What makes this biopic solid is the casting, especially their acting. Rami Malek as Freddie Mercury exceeded expectations and is now looking at a legitimate shot at an Oscar award. He looks like Freddie Mercury, and for true Queen fans, he made you feel like Freddie never left. His spontaneous movement he delivered on stage, his raw emotion, as well as leading the movie by his rich acting made this biopic one for the ages. The rest of the cast look exactly like Queen did back in the ‘70s and ‘80s. Co-stars including Gwilym Lee who plays lead guitarist Brian May, Ben Hardy who plays drummer Roger Taylor and Joseph Mazzello who plays bassist
John Deacon all do fantastic jobs playing their counterparts. The actors sell their parts like no other biopic that I have watched. Pure emotion runs the show. Rami Malek stated in an interview with Who and revealed he wanted to learn more about Freddie Mercury as soon as he started to prepare for his role. After watching this movie, you can tell that Rami did his research. A “Killer Queen” performance as you could say. Queen went against the status quo of music at that time, fighting for what they wanted as a band, and they didn’t care about what other people thought, for example “Bohemian Rhapsody” was completely intended to release as their single, but their Record Manager, Ray Foster, told them the song is simply too long and wouldn’t be aired on radio anywhere. But they continued to put out iconic songs like “Bohemian Rhapsody,” “We Are The Champions,” “Another One Bites The Dust,” etc. Over the course of the movie we see how Queen really started. From selling their van to get money, to making their first album, to how experimental their music was, all the way to how the band comes back together after years of not playing together to perform at one of the biggest
shows of all time at Live Aid, which is widely considered one of the greatest performances of all time. In this biopic, you get to truly learn about who he was as a person, not just who he was on stage. It shines a light on the dark parts of Freddie’s life and saturates the blend of colors of his life, too. The movie does a great job at telling Freddie’s personal life with his battle against the newly found AIDS epidemic, living as a bisexual and most importantly, how he turns from a nobody to what he is meant to be, a legend. Bohemian Rhapsody recently won a Golden Globe for Best Drama Motion Picture, as well as Actor Rami Malek winning a Golden Globe for Best Actor, Drama. After the Golden Globes, Rami Malek has been a favorite to take home an Oscar with his performance as Freddie Mercury. Bohemian Rhapsody could also be in the running for Best Costume Design and Best Adapted Screenplay. “Bohemian Rhapsody” passed “Straight Outta Compton,” as the highest grossing biopic of all time. It’s safe to say that “Bohemian Rhapsody” will stay at the top of the throne for awhile and Queen’s legacy will live on.
CARDINAL COLUMNS
FEBRUARY ‘19
20
Opinion
IS THE GRINCH THE CHRISTMAS MOVIE OF 2018? DOMINATING CINEMAS IN DECEMBER BY SARAH LUCKOW, STAFF WRITER
I
F YOU HAVEN’T seen “The Grinch,” then you need to get to your nearest theater, grab a bowl of popcorn and get comfy. Max the dog is the best character in “The Grinch” because of his compassion and patience toward each of the characters, especially the Grinch. Although in the previous movie, the Grinch seemed nastier to everyone in my opinion, including Max. The film begins with the Grinch being a cranky man who hates Christmas and everything that is happy. The Grinch tries to steal Christmas and rip the happiness from all of the Whos. He’s a true pessimist. Although the rottenness of the Grinch seems as if it would spread throughout the town, the Whos of Whoville keeps their amazing holiday spirit in the air. The music in the film is sung by the Whos, reminding me of Christmas carolers. The little town of Whoville is filled with spreading overwhelming joy and love. The best momevnt comes when
21
FEBRUARY ‘19
the Grinch and Max are looking for a few reindeer to pull off the whole Santa look. They get to a reindeer farm, and there’s a goat that’s been following them making weird screaming noises; the Grinch is gazing in awe at his lucky reindeer just to
“I know what to do. I’m going to steal their Christmas.” The Grinch find that the little goat has other plans. He makes a high pitched scream, causing all reindeer to sprint out as quickly as they can, except one. A huge fat reindeer named Fred is left over in the field just waiting to be captured by the Grinch. The Grinch gets ahold of Fred with a rope and Fred drags him straight into a tree. This is the best movie because of the
CARDINAL COLUMNS
lesson it teaches the younger audience watching. Christmas isn’t about the presents under the tree; it’s about spending time with people you love and learning to appreciate them. Once the Grinch saw the Whos didn’t care for the gifts as much as the people they were with, he became less bitter and hating toward everyone even the over the top celebrators. Years from now when I have my own children I’ll be showing them all versions of this movie for Christmas every year because of how classic the story behind it is. The new film is a more up to date or modern version, although the older cartoon one measures up very high to my standards. This is a film that will and can never get old. It’s a classic movie along with “The Polar Express,” “Elf,” “A Christmas Carol,” and many more. These are the traditional movies that every kid or teenager no matter the age should see at least once or twice, preferably more.
NF MAKES HIS WAY TO THE TOP NATHAN LEAVES AUDIENCE WITH DEEP THOUGHTS BY HAILEY TANEM, STAFF WRITER
N
ATHAN FEUERSTEIN, ALSO known as “NF,” raps about deep things rather than sex and drugs. The idea of this music is to keep it real with not only himself, but his audience as well. Like Eminem, NF has aimed for the reality of the pain experienced within himself and the world. Within the two years of his career, he has aimed for the sky, and his ship is finally taking off to get there. His music is given a dark tone with an edge of intensity. Leaving himself vulnerable to the world, he allows his audience to listen to a glimpse as to what his life growing up was like. The anger shown within his music has been mistaken for violence according to some parents. My question is, are the parents scared of their kids recognizing the reality of the emotions and situations kids are forced to experience on a daily basis? Is it the fear of exposure to reality? In his song, “How Could You
Leave Us,” he shows his audience the emotions felt when he lost his mother to drugs; “It took everything inside of me not to scream at your funeral. Sitting in my chair, that person talking was pitiful. I wish you were here mama, but everytime I picture you, all I feel is pain, I hate the way I remember you. They found you on the floor, I could tell you felt hollow. Gave everything you had plus your life to them pill bottles.” Within approximately a minute into the song, he pours his thoughts out, in hope of that his mother is still watching over him and can hear the song. At one point, he says, “you say you proud of me, but you don’t know me that well.” This really shows his audience the anger he has been caused because he was never really given the chance to know who his mom truly was inside. The anger eats alive at him because he knows she won’t be around to see his kids. She wasn’t there for graduation, and he takes a moment and realizes
how much his mother has and is missing of his life. The interesting thing about NF, is the uprising on how he came from nothing to something. As a child, his parents divorced, his mother’s boyfriend physically abused him, and his mother eventually ended up killing herself. He has used music as a way to cope, in a way that fills the ears of his audience with heartfelt honesty and tragedy. In fact, the biography on his page, an explanation is given. “His music draws from many real life struggles, including being abused as a kid, struggling with anger issues, and losing his mother to a drug overdose.” The intensity of his voice within his music is absolutely breathtaking. NF has a beautiful talent with rapping. NF sends his audience beautiful messages, in which have inspired the lives of so many people! This kind of rap music should be what all rap music sounds and feels like.
CARDINAL COLUMNS
FEBRUARY ‘19
22
FACING T
HE INEVI
TABLE
WILL FAMILY VIDEO BE NEXT ON THE CHOPPING BLOCK? BY TARYN SCHWIND, EDITOR
L
ONG AGO, MOVIES were not always available to the world through the internet. There EACH ISSUE, THE CARDINAL COLUMNS were these places filled with any movie you could imagine, a library for movies called a video store. THROWS A DART AT A MAP OF FOND DU LAC, The excitement of getting to bring the newest film WIS. AND SEARCHES FOR A STORY WHERE THE home to watch with friends was unlike any feeling. It was very easy to spend hours in the rows upon rows DART LANDS. filled with every genre imaginable insearch of the perfect movie to watch. During these times, Family Video and Blockbuster were large video store competitors. Blockbuster had 9,000 stores at its peak in 2004, but in 2019 that number has dwindled to only one remaining in Bend, Oregon. Family Video only had 759, but since 2013 it has dwindled down to 700 and is the last major video store. But how are they still around when Blockbuster had more stores? In 2013, when Blockbuster started their downfall, Family Video could see their fate if they did not do something. Their solution was to make room for an additional store to lease out. Marco’s pizza is one of the most popular co-stores with Family Video. This is certainly not going to be a long term solution, but this will extend their existences for a few more years. Luckily for us, their is one on the corner of Main street and Johnson street. So go reminisce in the rows as much as you can before their doors close forever. Don’t forget a box of candy on the way out. THIS ISSUE, THE DART LANDED ON THE CORNER
OF MAIN AND JOHNSON STREET.