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CONTENT
CONTENT PAGE
04 08 10 12 14
News Thank You Notes
In Depth Ethnic Society
Arts Free Spirit Tour
In Depth Sex Survey
Student Life Last Minute Holiday Gifts
20 08
16 20 24 26 28
PYLON December 14, 2018
Feature Home Alone
Sports Sports Briefs Boy’s Basketball
In Depth Successful Graduate
Infographic Christmas
Opinion Bogus Testing “Grinch” Review
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14
08 24
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CONTENT PAGE
PYLON December 14, 2018
End of 2nd Quarter
Girls V Basketball
Wrestling V @ Abilene
Home @6 p.m.
15
18
Dec.
Boys V Basketball
Dec. 21 - Jan 6
KMEA Auditions @ 8 a.m.
Dec.
Finals 19th & 20th
Home @ 7 p.m.
18
Winter Break
19
Dec.
Dec.
21 Dec.
20 Dec.
First Day Back
V/JV Boys Swimming
All day
V Boys Basketball
05 Jan. V Wrestling @ Marysville
@Hutchinson
3
2018-2019 Pylon Staff Editor-in Chief Madeline Paradis
News Editor 08 Jan. V Girls & Boys SIT Tournament
10 Jan.
11 Jan.
No School
Teacher Inservice
Jan. 17-19
17 Jan.
21 Jan.
Parent Teacher Conferences Feb. 13 -14
Musical
Spring Pictures
24 Jan.
12 Jan.
Isabella Rubino
Managing Editor Holly Sanderson
Sports Editors
Malcolm Berkley
Student Life Editor Saria Taylor
Arts Editor
Jan. 24-26
Montana McCullum
24 Jan
Social Media Twitter: @chspylon Instagram: @mustangsofcentral Snapchat: chspylon Web: chspylon.com The Pylon is the official student newspaper of Salina High School Central. Volume 95 of the Pylon was created by 13 staff members using Creative Cloud CC. Newspaper staff meets every other day as a class. Our fonts this year include GoBold, Have Heart one and Gravity.
13 Feb. We want to hear your opinion The Pylon serves as an open forum for students to express their opinions on topics that affect the school or community. Students are protected under the Kansas State Bill 62 as well as the first amendment. Editorials do not represent the opinion of our entire school, staff, or administration. If you have a letter than you want to published, e-mail your submissions to mariagutierrez@students.usd305.com. Submissions must contain a full name for inclusion, and we will contact you to confirm you are the author of the letter. Letters may be edited to clarify
In-Depth Editors Concha Campa Marlie Coleman
Copy Editor
Maria Gutierrez
Design Editor Makelti Hastings
Reporters
Anlyn Arb Sydney Raman Avi Taylor
Adviser
J.D. Garber
NEWS UPDATES
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PYLON | DECEMBER 14, 2018
CULTURE
THROUGH
CLUB STUDENTS, STAFF WORK TOGETHER TO CONNECT MULTIPLE ETHNICITIES SYDNEY RAMAN | PYLON REPORTER
If you would like to join the club, you can get application forms from Mrs. Egan or Mrs. Musgrove. Students make bracelets during the Multi-Ethnic society’s latest Native American celebration. | PHOTO BY HANNAH QUEEN
NEWS UPDATES
PYLON | DECEMBER 14, 2018
Spanish Teacher Alicia Egan, born and raised in Peru, came to the U.S. 12 years ago. Egan has always felt welcome and accepted in the U.S and believes that the Multi-Ethnic Society club will not only comfort but also provide students and staff with the same feeling she had when coming to the U.S. ¨This is the most diverse society on Earth, and we are the most creative and inventive country on earth. I believe our great diversity of ethnicities is a main contributor to these wonderful achievements every day,¨ Egan said. The Multi-Ethnic Society is a club that embraces a variety of rich cultures in holding celebrations for them and meeting to talk about them. Senior Callahan Figgs, president of the Multi-Ethnic Society believes that spreading Central’s vast cultures is crucial. “It’s important to celebrate different cultures here in Salina because with all of the hate and exclusion going on in the world. It’s beneficial to have everyone’s cultural voice heard. The celebrations are both informative and fun, and achieve the goal of spreading cultural awareness,” Figgs said. The club meets almost every month to celebrate different ethnicities pertaining to that month’s heritage. ¨At the beginning of the year, we found the dates of different heritage months, and our celebrations are typically at the end of each month. For example, November was Native American Heritage month and our celebration was held on November 30,¨ Figgs said. Egan believes that the club is very inclusive and has open arms for many different students on embracing their culture.
¨I’m certain that all of the many cultures that make up the student body of Central High benefit from our celebration of them. America is the world’s melting pot, where all of the world’s cultures and ethnicities have always come together, and have all become fellow citizens here in this great land. Salina Central today is proud to continue this unique in all the world tradition,¨ Egan said. There are currently 10 members in the club, one of those being Senior William Phachanla. Phachanla joined the club in the interest of it seeming something new that Central didn’t have
THE MULTI-ETHNIC SOCIETY CLUB ONLY WISHES TO SPREAD LOVE AND INCLUSION. - SENIOR CALLAHAN FIGGS before. He believes that Central has always needed something like this. ¨I think it’s pretty important to embrace different cultures. Salina is not really that diverse so the more people know about different races, the better,¨ Phachanla said. Phanchanla likes the clubs celebrations they throw and their discussions. The presentations are only a benefit, by simply learning new things.¨ Phachanla said. The students and staff of the Multi-Ethnic Society club strongly believe that it is not only important to feel comfortable with your culture but to spread what it’s about.
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News Updates
PYLON | december 14, 2018
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are lucky to have great people in our building who volunteer their time to read each thank you, highlight names, write in ELOs, sort and deliver them.� - Assistant Principal Kelly Heizman
more
“Thankful November has been a group effort here at Central. We
than
Link Leaders write thank you notes to their Link members on the gym floor. | PHOTO BY ISABELLA RUBINO
2700
100%
of the student body received a thank you notes distributed during elo thank you note
News Updates
PYLON | december 14, 2018
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link crew ‘link’s up to say
thank you
MONTANA MCCULLUM | PYLON ARTS EDITOR
MY MAIN GOAL IS TO MAKE PEOPLE SMILE AND FEEL GOOD ABOUT THEMSELVES AND LET THEM KNOW THAT SOMEONE IS THINKING OF THEM. -SOPHOMORE OLIVIA WRIGHT
Assistant Principal Kelly Heizman first started spreading joy as an administrator eight years ago at Salina South and similarly with the students at Meadowlark Ridge Elementary. Now, Heizman is reshaping November with her inspiration and vision for Link and an overwhelming amount of thank yous. “Thankful November has been a group effort here at Central. We are lucky to have great people in our building who volunteer their time to read each thank you, highlight names, write in ELOs, sort and deliver them,” Heizman said. Heizman says she is very grateful to be such a big part of Thankful November because of the positive impact it has on others. “I tend to devote a good bit of time to managing all aspects of the event; from making sure notes are available, clearing out boxes, screening notes, checking lists, communicating with staff, organizing and delivery… All well worth it,” Heizman said. Thank you letters have become a tradition at for the past few years. This year, teachers were stepping up and encouraging students to write thank you letters to at least one person because not every student always receives one. Senior Genesis Torres goes all in and writes numerous letters to friends and teachers. She feels that every student should receive a thank you letter because it gives them a chance to feel appreciated. Torres gets a lot of enjoyment out of writing thank yous to students and says it makes her feel like she is doing the right thing. “I feel like every student should at least get a few letters, especially the teachers because they do a lot for us students,” Torres said. Torres says she even writes to students she isn’t close to. This would include other peers she has just met in a class or someone she sees in the hallway. “Even people that I don’t really know but I’ve met and talked to a few times, I like to make them feel appreciated too,” Torres said. Sophomore Olivia Wright is inspired to write thank you letters because she feels that every person should get the opportunity to feel valued. “My main goal is to make people smile and feel good about themselves and let them know that someone is thinking of them and appreciates them,” Wright said. Heizman is making sure to leave a positive impact on the students. With Link, this allows students to become closer to one another. “Link leaders were a huge help this year by writing thank yous to their crew and sorting more than 2700 thank you notes. As the Link program continues to develop here at Central, Leaders will continue to increase their involvement,” Heizman said. Heizman’s main goal for thankful November is to take a moment and reflect on all that you can be thankful for and to recognize those who make a difference in our lives - mission accomplished.
Fine Arts
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PYLON | DECEMBER 14, 2018
Free Spirit’s Tour: A Community Outreach Project SINGERS TOUCH HEARTS WITH ANNUAL CHRISTMAS PERFORMANCE
Christmas tour stops o lakewood
middle school o mccall manor retirement community eaglecrest retirement community o rotary club o
Senior Sada Mills and sophomore Joshua Cunningham sing “Jingle Bells.” Mills used her keys to shake as bells during the performance. | PHOTO BY ANLYN ARB
PYLON | DECEMBER 14, 2018
FIne arts
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Vocal teacher Mr. Ryan Holmquist directs the choir during a performance on their tour. | PHOTO BY ANLYN ARB ANLYN ARB | PYLON REPORTER
Every Christmas season, Free Spirit, goes on an annual tour in five or more locations in one day on the tour. However, there are around Salina to spread joy and song. a few sophomore members who are new to the group and experiThe tour started because so many groups wanted to hire Free enced their first tour this holiday season. Spirit to perform that it got to be a hassle for students to miss so “I really enjoyed my first tour because it was something I was much school, especially so close to finals. In order to make things proud of. You work for weeks to prepare songs amd just getting more convenient for students, and to include as many stops on the to perform and see people smiling is really rewarding. Everyone tour as they could, the gigs were condensed down into one day. is really supportive and we all work really well together. I am re“Over the years we’ve gotten really efficient about where we go ally proud of this group and I am so happy I got the honor to be and how we do it. We always try in it,” said sophomore Joelle Pfanto visit new places every year nenstiel. YOU WORK FOR WEEKS and we have one or two places Members of Free Spirit get to TO PREPARE SONGS AND that we do on a regular basis share their love of singing and that we just really like doing,” together with people JUST GETTING TO PERFORM performing choir director Ryan Holmquist in the community. AND SEE PEOPLE SMILE IS said. All the hard work they put in A very rewarding part of the sometimes gets difficult, especialREWARDING. tour is people’s reactions afterly since the tour comes so close to ward and seeing how the music finals week. - SOPHOMORE makes them feel. They really ap“They always feel stressed. There’s JOELLE PFANNENSTIEL preciate the students and what too much to do and too many they do for the community durplaces to be. Voices get worn ing the Christmas season. down, but that’s life, it’s just what we do in December and that’s “It’s amazing because most years we sing for elementary schools how it goes,” said Holmquist. and nursing homes, so we’re singing for the youngest and oldest Even through all the stress of performing, the singers still look of our community and we see the way that music affects them. In forward to this tour, when they just get to do what they love for nursing homes especially, the people will just close their eyes and people who appreciate them. sing along to it. They find it so moving in so many ways. For me, the “We’re reaching out to an entire cross section of our community nursing homes are the best ones because you can see how much people who normally wouldn’t get a chance to see or hear us. This you’re touching them with something that’s live,” said Holmquist. is about doing what we do in our schools, then showing that to as Most choir members have gone through the rush of performing much of the community as we can,” said Holmquist.
Student Life
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PYLON | December 14, 2018
It’s December 14 and you’re running out of time. Check out what pylon editor Saria Taylor came up with on less than $40 and very little time to shop
CHRISTMAS ON A Budget g SOFT TO THE TOUCH A pair of casual fuzzy socks
Cost: $7
Although these are typically worn during the winter months, they are a good way to be stylish but also a good way of keeping your feet warm and comfortable.
$10 or less $10-$20 $30-$50 $50-$100 $100 or more
SARIA TAYLOR | PYLON STUDENT-LIFE EDITOR
DANCE TO THE BEAT Vivitar bluetooth portable speaker
Cost: $5
A nice tool to jam out on the go.
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
How much do you spend on christmas gifts? 144 students were randomly surveyed on november 12-16. $ represents 1 student response.
PYLON | December 14, 2018
Student Life
FASHION FORWARD FOOTWEAR
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HYDRATION STATION
A pair of fuzzy slippers Cost: $5
Portable bubba drinkware
Cost: $7.99
These slip-ons are great for the cold weather or when you just want to lounge and get comfortable.
This mug is good to use all year round. Good for keeping drinks hot or cold. A perfect gift for anyone.
ROOM DECORATIONS A decorative sequined heart Cost: $3 use your heart - a great addition that brightens up any room.
UPLIFTING DRINKWARE A decal mug
Cost: $5.99
Start each morning with a cup that will brighten your day every time you take a sip.
feature story
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on her own
PYLON | december 14, 2018
Senior Nova Green explains the struggles of living by herself
“I was living with my two sisters, my parents and my dogs, but now it’s just me. Other students get to go home and, even if their siblings aren’t there, they have a pet or something. But I just don’t have anything to go home to.”
Senior Nova Green is a hardworking 17-year-old. She maintains good grades, enjoys the companionship of her friends, and has a caring boyfriend -- nothing unusual for a student at Salina Central. However, unlike most students, she doesn’t come home to a house where the food is already on the table, the kitchen is clean and the family is waiting. Instead, she arrives at an apartment where bills are waiting to be paid, food needs to be prepared, and anything else she needs has to be done. After all, that’s what’s required when you’re on your own. PHOTOS BY GAVIN SUTTON | PYLON PHOTOGRAPHER
PYLON | december 14, 2018
feature story
Green sits down at her desk to pays bills.
A
bout one year and a half ago, when Salina schools emptied for the summer and joyous kids began looking forward to those two months of freedom, Green was living with her parents, sisters and adorable pets. Very comfortable with her situation in Salina--a town she had been living in for 6-7 years--she was therefore surprised when her parents told her that the family would be moving to Newton. An hour’s drive from Salina and with a much smaller population, Green struggled to fit in at Newton. She encountered the typical problems of a new home, such as making new friends and adjusting at her new school. It eventually got to the point where she couldn’t stand living there. “I hated it, it was super awful there,” said Green. “The school in Newton was really rough. Everything was terrible.” The majority of parents would have told her to deal with it, she was allowed to move back to Salina in May 2018 on the condition that she would work a stable job and manage most of her expenses. The only help she would receive was gas money and occasional food when visited by family. Usually, underage teens like Green who would like to live independently from their parents must apply for “emancipation of a minor.” According to FindLaw, this is a legal
status “which can allow a minor to become responsible for his or her own decisions regarding education, health care, residence, and other matters.” However, Green did not need to take this legal step because her parents’ names are on all the bills and her mom is the co-signer on her lease. Regardless, she’s still taking a drastic step with her newfound autonomy. Hitting adulthood and living independently has its consequences, including a huge shift in responsibilities. Although the school does its best to promote maturity and help students plan for the future, there’s nothing like actually experiencing it. Sure, the excessive Career Cruising and ELO circles may help some. Sure, the administration does their best with classes such as business and career exploration, but there is only so much you can learn without experiencing it. Living independently has helped Green understand that. “People don’t realize how expensive bills are and how much rent can be,” Green stated. “I mean, some kids don’t even know that you have to pay a bill for wifi and how expensive it is.” As a primarily self-supporting apartment resident, Green has to save money from her job at Martinelli’s to pay for housing and utilities
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feature story
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PYLON | december 14, 2018
such as electricity, water, cellular, heating and rent. In addition, she needs to worry about her groceries and, as any high-schooler knows, extracurricular activities. According to Study In U.S, “When living in the United States, you will likely want to budget approximately $1000-$1500 per month for housing and utilities.” Green’s finances expand past that, though. For one, what does she do if an appliance breaks down or pipes begin to leak? As any normal citizen does, she would call the plumber. Yet, therein lies a problem of which only an underage homeowner is aware. “Whenever I need a plumber or electrician to come over, I can’t be there unless I have a an adult with me,” Green said. “It’s a difficult thing trying to find someone to come at certain times because they all have jobs too.” High schoolers, especially upperclassmen, tend to think that their life is particularly hard. The pain of late hours, substantial homework and extracurricular activities are difficult to deal with. However, most don’t have to blend the struggles of student life with the torments of an independent, adult life. Green knows that, and living alone, she’s had to manage her time more efficiently than before. “I work almost all the time. I get home at 10 p.m. or 11 p.m., sometimes even 12 a.m. or 1 a.m.,” Green said. “Then I have to get up really early to go to school.” In order to effectively balance work and school into a manageable schedule, Green takes Business OJT, a class that allows her to come home from school every other day at 12:30 pm while also letting her skip ELO. At
home, she does her homework until duty calls and then she goes to her job at Martinelli’s. It’s a rather lonely and isolated way of living for a senior in high school. The company of friends and close ones are welcomed whenever she feels trapped in her apartment. When Green doesn’t work, she’ll often head over to her boyfriend’s house or hang out with friends. Aside from her peers, she also gets help and advice from some adults when her parents, still residing in Newton, are unable to help immediately. Though Green can almost be considered an adult, it’s easy to forget that she isn’t one just yet, and sometimes needs assistance from an older generation. “I’m having a really hard time with my landlord right now--he’s not fixing problems,” Green stated. “So, I’ve been talking with Mrs. Burmaster and she’s helping me find another apartment.” Her manager at Martinelli’s, well-informed about Green’s particular situation, has given her the Christmas holiday off. A welcome break from her daily routine, Green hopes to spend this time celebrating with her family. It’s a well-deserved break from responsibility. She deals with daily tasks that some of us avoid even talking about. Though she is not the only person at this school who lives alone, and has--at times--been very fortunate, she is one of the rare students at Central that has already stepped into an adult life. Next May, she’ll be moving to Manhattan for nursing school. For most, college is a big step. For Green, it’s only a continuation of what she’s been doing for the past year.
I GET HOME AT 10 P.M. OR 11 P.M. AND THEN I HAVE TO GET UP REALLY EARLY TO GO TO SCHOOL.
- SENIOR NOVA GREEN
PYLON | december 14, 2018
feature story
The view from Green’s front apartment window.
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sports briefs
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PYLON | december 14, 2018
UNLEASHING
Beast
the
feedback from some of central’s athletes
Wrestling continues success with strong start to season
“The basketball team and Coach Finch have been looking forward to this season since the day after State. We all have one goal in mind for this season and we are ready.” #BagSZN - senior Brogen Richardson
“I’m really excited to come back to the pool this season. We have a lot of the previous team coming back this year and I just have a feeling that it’s going to be the best season of them all.” -senior Adrian Ruvalcaba
sports briefs
PYLON | december 14, 2018
THE WRESTLING TEAM IS LOOKING GOOD SO FAR. THERE IS A LOT OF NEW TALENT IN THE ROOM AND I FEEL LIKE WE WILL HAVE A GREAT SEASON. - JUNIOR KRAY TRUE “The cheer team has been working non stop since the end of football to prepare for the winter season. We are so excited to be on the court cheering on our favorite team.” -freshman Karlyn Brecheisen
“I’m super excited for the rest of this season. We have around 15 games that we will get to perform at. I’ll miss working with this team like crazy next year.” -senior Allie Wentzel
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The wrestling team gets their picture taken for their team poster. | PHOTO BY GAVIN SUTTON
“I think we have a good season ahead of us. We have a lot of leaders and hard workers. I’m excited to see where the season takes us.” - junior Sara Opat
sports story
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More
PYLON | december 14, 2018
Ready for one ISABELLA RUBINO | PYLON NEWS EDITOR
After last season’s exciting and heartbreaking finish as “I am excited to finish the journey that me and my friends state runner-up and with coach Doug Finch starting his last started when we first started playing back in the day,” Wilseason as the boy’s basketball coach there are extremely liams said. high expectations surrounding the team. Since the players have been playing with each other for “Based on the summer, we are awhile they all know each expected to have a great year. other and have good chemI AM EXCITED TO FINISH We have a lot of great seniors istry. THE JOURNEY ME AND MY and many of them have played “The good thing about on varsity before, so the expecour team is that everyone FRIENDS STARTED WHEN can mostly play every positations are high for a great year,” Finch said. WE FIRST STARTED PLAY- tion and that is hard to say,” The basketball team particiGrammer said. ING BACK IN THE DAY. pated in multiple team camps The team is working hard to and tournaments during the off - Senior Harper Williams win the state championship season to prepare for the seathis season and make sure son. Which has helped the team their offensive efficiency is connect and prepare for the season. Harper Williams and better. The team also watches the film from previous games David Grammer are a couple of the returning seniors. to learn what they can improve on. Many of the seniors have been playing with each other for “Last year we got second in state. There’s a lot of great around 10 years and are happy they can finish their basket- teams out there, but these guys are ready to get back and ball career together. leave their mark at Central High,” Finch said.
fini hing what he started Stats from Coach Finch’s career
2 777 5
Final 7 SIT titles Fours BBBBBBB Substate
Championships
3titles 15 AVCTL
State appearances years at SC
Overall Record: 195-117
PYLON |december 14, 2018
sports story
During last year’s semifinal 5A state boy’s basketball game, a few players anticipate a win. | PHOTO BY KAMRYN ARNOLD
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IN DEPTH
24
MAKING CENTRAL PROUD
y
FORMER ALUMNUS CHIEF LAWTON NUSS SHARES HIS SUCCESS AFTER HIGH SCHOOL Concha Campa Pylon In-Depth editor
Success is hard to measure. According to a recent survey, students believe success is measured by happiness and not necessarily how much money you make or what accomplishments and career you hold. This may come as a surprise considering Salina Central High School has a hall of fame with alumni that have succeeded in their careers not necessarily in level of happiness. However, alumnus and current Kansas Supreme Court Chief Justice Lawton Nuss may be a good example for both criteria. “I think because of the position that I have as the head of the judicial branch of government of Kansas that would be a measure of success. I also consider a measure of success that I’m happily married and I have five children along with a number of grandchildren that I have been blessed with so I think that in almost any way you measure it I have been a success, at least in my mind,” Nuss said. Nuss is a Central Hall of fame member and a graduate of the class of 1970. During Nuss’ final years in high school he became more involved in school activities. “When I was a senior, I decided for the first time ever that I was gonna go out for debate. So I debated as a novice debater my first semester as a senior. Then that spring debate basically transferred into forensics,” Nuss said. During high school, Nuss didn’t know what he wanted to
PYLON DECEMBER 14 , 2018
pursue as a career. But then he was selected from his class to go to Washington, D.C. which gave them an overlook of America’s branches of government, which was inspiring. “When I came back, I told my government teacher how much I enjoyed that trip and he had also been the assistant debate coach. He said, ‘Well since you enjoy government, think logically: you are a good speaker and you write well. You might consider going into law’,” Nuss said. Visiting the capital got Nuss more interested in law. After getting his undergraduate at the University of Kansas, he decided to join the Marine Corp and was a Combat Engineering Officer. After four years of service, he decided to attend the University of Kansas to study law. But during law school, Nuss had a difficult time. “I didn’t like law school at all. It was three years of a lot of studying and hard work. But I decided I was going to stick it out because I wanted to be a lawyer and regardless of how hard they made it on me, I was going to finish it. That was my goal and I stuck it out, graduated and became a lawyer. It was all worth it,” Nuss said. In 1982, Nuss returned to Salina to practice law at a local law firm. He then realized he wanted to pursue law through a different route. “I practiced law for about 15 years and decided that instead of advocating one side or another, I was more interested in hearing both sides and then making a decision. I wanted to try to make a difference for my fellow Kansans. I thought that instead of making a difference for one client at a time, I could help make decisions that could help many Kansans at the same time,” Nuss said. Nuss was then appointed to be part of the Kansas Supreme Court. Nuss attributes his success to his high school education and believes it’s crucial in today’s world. “Because if you wanna survive in the world that’s coming towards us at a rapid pace you really need to at least have a high school education and people need to keep that in mind or you’re going to wind up working for people who do have the determination to finish. Which might not be something you like. For people who are thinking about dropping out or don’t like high school, it’s worth getting out, finishing it and giving yourself the option of pursuing your education from there. If I could hold it out on something I didn’t like for three years, you can too,” Nuss said.
I THINK THAT IN ALMOST ANY WAY YOU MEASURE IT, I HAVE BEEN A SUCCESS, AT LEAST IN MY MIND. - KANSAS CHIEF JUSTICE LAWTON NUSS
in depth
PYLON DECEMBER 14 , 2018
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Kansas Chief Justice and Central Alumnus Lawton Nuss works in his office. PHOTO COURTESY OF SUE MACFEE
73.4% Happiness 11.2% Wealth 5.6% Recognition 5.6% Relationships
what students believe measures success
4.2% Fame/Social Status
147 students were surveyed using Google Forms during November.
info graphic
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cheer
PYLON | december 14, 2018
a time for
students are ready to spend more money, time with family in december
95%
how much do you spend on gifts? $30-
of students
celebrate christmas
38% -
$50$100
- 15%
$100 - 16%
$50
or more
$10
or less
$10-$20
- 12%
19% -
what kind of tree do you have?
88%
decorate for
rea l
20%
non e
fak e
64%
16%
christmas
10%
bf or gf
70% family
10% nobody
10% friends
who do you buy gifts for? 147 students surveyed using Google Forms November 12-16
FUN & GAMES
PYLON | December 14, 2018
Horoscopes Aries
No matter what problems you have this month, be positive. Don’t stress yourself out. It’s just a phase.
Taurus Be around those you love and you’ll be super close by the end of the month.
Gemini You want money, yet you don’t have enough time to get more hours.
Cancer
Libra
You’ll be very creative this month and you will have the opportunity to resolve an issue with your family.
Scorpio
This will be a very uplifting month for you. Whether it be Christmas or Hanukkah, this will be a great holiday season.
Sagittarius
You will find and make new friends whom you’ll grow very close to. You’re a visionary and you need to need to tell your stories and ideas.
Capricorn
Leo
You just need to go with the flow and let what happens happen. Don’t try to force your ideas. Let them to come to fruition on their own.
You will experience many material benefits, even if they are temporary. Towards the end you’ll mess up a bit.
Work may be hard for you this month, but you should definitely go and read that book you’ve wanted to.
Block out the haters this month and don’t let their bad attitudes get you down.
Virgo You will be financially unbalanced this month, and your parents may pressure you into a relationship, but stay positive.
Aquarius
Pisces
Sense all of the healing around you instead of fretting over small stuff you can’t control. You’ll have a choice this month whether you decide to expand your knowledge or be lost in drama.
KUDOS The following are situations in which our faculty, students and others deserve praise for a job well done or to be called out for dropping the ball. They are created by the editors with the help of the staff and students.
CALLOUTS
Monthly
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KUDOS - Kudos to Mr. Hair for being the best. - The lunch ladies for always being super nice. - The people who say “hi” in the hallway. -All of the people who don’t stand in the middle of the hallway. You are highly appreciated. - To everyone who made thank you notes. - Oso for being one of the best dogs ever. CALLOUTS - Thank you for making my class take the test eight days before anyone else. - People need to stop standing in the hallway. - Teachers who don’t properly inform subs. - Thanks to whoever took down all of the musical posters. - The freshmen need to know their place. - Career Cruising. - The different temperatures in every room. - Students who don’t look when backing out.
Editorials Opinion
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PYLON | December 14, 2018
BOGUS TESTING OUR PATIENCE UNFAIR TESTS ARE NOT HELPING ANYBODY MARLIE COLEMAN | IN-DEPTH EDITOR
13 of 13 pylon staff members have experienced bogus testing Testing at school provides a chance to see how much someone has learned, but how can they show it if what they learned never actually appeared on a test? A phenomenon that has been dubbed “bogus testing” has spread like wildfire and is finding its way into more and more classrooms. Bogus testing is when questions or subjects that appear on tests were not covered by a study guide, or not discussed well enough in detail prior to a test date. Tests like these make students struggle, leaving them stressing about what could be on their next exam, making them worry their GPA will tank. A big problem that arises with bogus testing is how it appears more often in some classrooms than others. Word has
spread of those kinds of tests to other students, it makes those going up in grade level to reconsider taking those classes. This will harm both the students and teachers throughout the school, due to a student’s drop in GPA and a teacher’s reputation using this strange form of test taking. So what has made these kinds of tests more common? I believe it is due to the change in scheduling this year. Since class periods are shorter, less can be covered in that time frame. If those tests are recycled for the current school year, there will always be the risk of something being on a test that teachers simply couldn’t cover in the shorter time frame. Teachers should not be blamed for bogus testing, but they need to take more steps to avoid it.
All that’s needed is a background check. Both teachers and students need to work together before test day to make sure the exams are fair. Teachers need to review themselves on what they talked about in the chapter. From there, they just need to cut out what wasn’t covered thoroughly to ensure the test is fair to the students. All students need to do is study what they were taught by simply sitting down and reviewing what they covered in the chapters. By doing so, they can teach themselves the topics and help the teacher learn what they should put on the test. Without the collaboration of students and teachers to make tests fair, bogus testing will continue to be a major problem at Central.
Editorials Opinion
PYLON | December 14, 2018
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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR update the grades
BY LEXUS DILORENTO | FRESHMAN
School is stressful enough, but when teachers decide not to update grades on Skyward, that’s when I want to lose my mind. Here we are, getting our homework done on time even though we spent all weekend stressing over if we’re going to get it done or not. Once we turn it in we feel proud of yourselves and we get home from school happy. Then our parents come in, yelling at us for having bad grades or missing assignments. Great. But we know we turned those assignments in. This seems to be an issue for many students at Salina Central, including me.
handbook hassle
Teachers will not update their gradebooks so the students have to suffer from bad grades. So you go to the teacher about the issue and they say they will get it updated. Lies. One of my assignments have been “missing” since AUGUST. It’s very stressful knowing your teacher can be doing something about that but chooses not to. Yeah, I get it if you don’t update in a week. You’re busy. But four months? I know you aren’t that busy. This isn’t all teachers, but all teachers expect us to always turn our homework in on
time. We push aside everything we have going on to get it done. But when it comes to their grading, it’s like my grades don’t matter to them at all. Like they don’t care if I have a B in their class, even though I should have earned an A. It makes me feel like they’re lazy, don’t care about their students at all and are just here for the paycheck. My purpose for this letter is to not have teachers hating on me. I’m speaking for all of the student body that hasn’t brought the issue up. So if you teachers could try and change how you grade, that would be amazing for all of your students.
BY ANNA GUTIERREZ | FRESHMAN
We’ve been in school for about 18 weeks. On the second day of school, we got these handbooks that everyone forgot almost immediately. I’ve only read it once. In fact, I only read it because my ELO teacher made me. But there’s a real problem about this “helpful” student handbook. This handbook, which is supposed to help inform us about the school rules, is completely crazy and outdated. For example, “Silverware and dishes are to remain in the cafeteria area...students are responsible for returning their trays, silver-
ware, and dishes to be washed.” We eat lunch everyday with wet, freshly washed trays. So they got that part right. We have a set of “silverware” with a plastic spork, straw, and a thin paper towel wrapped in plastic. Then we get our food on delicate styrofoam trays, which split in the middle as soon as we pick them up. I don’t know when this school ever had real dishes and forks, if they even have had them, but I have definitely never heard about it. This may seem like a “stupid freshman” making a big deal out of nothing, but this
is really the backbone of our school. This is how the administrators determine if we’re doing something wrong, or what punishments they may use. We really need to figure this handbook out, it just seems as if they changed the times and maybe an updated phone number or two. I somewhat care about what happens to me and my education, so I find that these rules are important, and should be taken seriously. Not blown over and forgotten about so that we can poorly plan an ELO schedule.
let your voice be heard - the pylon is an open forum for discussion The Pylon serves as an open forum for students to express their opinions on topics that affect the school, student life or community. This is your chance to be heard. Students are protected under the
Kansas Senate Bill 62 as well as the first amendment. Editorials do not represent the opinion of our entire school, staff or administration. If interested, please email your submis-
sions to mariagutierrez@students.usd305. com. Letters should be limited to 500 words. Submissions must contain a full name for inclusion. Letters may be edited for clarity.
Editorials Opinion
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PYLON | December 14, 2018
THE PYLON PICKS APART ‘THE GRINCH’ (2018)
RASHADA SMITH | FRESHMAN
With the upcoming holiday season, many people enjoy sitting around their house, snuggling up with a blanket and watching Christmas movies with their friends and families. One of the more popular Christmas movies to
watch this time of year is Dr. Seuss’ “How the Grinch Stole Christmas”. Though the first two are classics, I think that the new “The Grinch” movie should be added to the plethora of great Christmas movies.
a real gift One thing you notice as soon as the movie starts is the vibe from the narrator, voiced by Pharrell Williams. He does a fantastic job and gives the story a happier, more upbeat perspective The animation style is also very colorful and vibrant, but not too much that it gives you a headache. Additionally, the wellknown song “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch” had an unneeded, but not unappreciated spin put on it. It’s pretty fun to listen to, and you
might just end up bobbing your head to it. As the movie progresses, you can also tell that the plot is pretty much the same as the previous movies, but each one has a different aspect in their story. For example, the audience finally gets a backstory explaining why the Grinch really hates Christmas. And, unlike the last movie, it’s not just a flashback of Grinch destroying a decorated classroom because he got embarrassed in front of his crush.
the naughty list While there are many good things about this movie, there are always aspects of a story that aren’t always ideal. One of these flaws includes Cindy Lou Who’s character. In this version, Cindy Lou Who is more of a heroic and courageous character. She’s the leader in her group of friends
that are always coming up with all the ideas on how to trap Santa Claus. While this isn’t necessarily a bad thing, it’s strange because the original story portrayed as her winning over the Grinch with her cuteness and innocence.
NEWEST (2018)
wrapping it up This year’s “Grinch” movie has both similarities and differences to the previous movies in 2000 and 1966, but in the end I believe that
FILE PHOTO
that’s what makes it more fun, and feel refreshed almost. Besides, it’s only a couple bucks, might as well go and see for yourself, right?
JIM CARREY (2000) ORIGINAL (1966)
TTTTT TTTTT TTTTT
Spilling the tea
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PYLON | December 14, 2018
spilling the tea with the the following quotes were heard around the school by members of the Pylon staff
You’re beautiful and i would die on the cross for you.
My mom is a drug lord.
who names their kids Omega, Shakespeare and King James?
Drama is stupid. get over it.
Your dogs are not your children.
My crush doesn’t love me back.
The only guy i talk to is my dad.