FEATURE Lomshek focuses on PAGE 6 student-centered learning
IN-DEPTH PAGE 4 & 5
NEWS Construction Update: Phase PAGE 2 two nearing completion
A look into the he arette latest E-cigarette used by students dents
@phsboosterredux @phsstu @phsstudentpub @pitt @pittpublication @p @phsboosterredux www.boosterredux.com ww
The
Booster Redux Q&A Paperless classes Pittsburg High School
Pittsburg, KS 66762
1978 E. 4th Street
December 2018
Vol. 101 Issue 2
with senior
Students, teachers refl ect on Canvas Dylan White WORDS BY Emma Fischer
S
PHOTO BY Shannon O’Hara
INTERVIEW BY Matthew Moore
Q: What award did you receive? A: “I received the 4A Offensive Player of the Year.”
ix years ago, five teachers at the high school piloted Canvas. Now, more teachers are starting to use it, and students are wondering why. The online learning management system allows teachers to put their curriculum as well as notes, assignments, and tests online so that their students have access to what they need, according to the company that manufactured it, Instructure Inc. Learning management systems are online-based programs designed to help schools and teachers in whatever ways they can. “[Canvas] breaks down these brick walls that we have in classrooms, and allows kids to have access to what goes on in that classroom at any time during the day,” assistant superintendent Brad Hanson said. Hanson is a supporter of the technological push the district is facing. Along with the implementation of Canvas into more teachers’ classrooms, schools have been using iPads and laptops. “There are so many [colleges] that use Canvas [or] have an online component. I think [learning management systems are] the way of the future, so people should get on board,” English teacher Emily Rountree, who uses Canvas every day in her classes, said. According to the district’s technology integration specialist, Jamie Howard, a major reason why the district decided to use Canvas
weren’t exposed to it while in middle school, was because of colleges in the four states leading junior Grace Puckett to dislike it. area. Howard has worked for the last six years “No one ever talked about it [in middle] on informing teachers on how to integrate school so it was ignored and then [in] high technology into their classrooms. One of his school… they didn’t use it until now,” Puckett major projects was piloting Canvas. said. “It’s really confusing. It’s hard to find “[The district] joined a consorting through things and teachers have to go over it all the Greenbush, and there were probably six or time [but] no ever gets it.” seven schools Puckett is among other involved students who also feel the from around same ways. us,” Howard “I don’t like using it said. “We sat completely for a class,” down and senior Emeral McCauley looked at what said. “You don’t always [universities have access to the internet. were doing Like if you’re on your way around us.] Christopher Saman to like a basketball game Most of the or something, you can pull universities in the four states use Canvas or something close to out your book and start doing [homework], but if you’re doing it on Canvas, you can’t do [it Canvas.” without internet access].” According to Howard, Canvas was partially Though some students dislike Canvas, others chosen for its use in universities in the four are fond of it. states, but it was also used for transfer students’ “It organizes my classes and it gives my comfort. The six or seven schools involved teacher an ability to give us a heads up in the decision decided to use one program on something if they were [to be gone],” so that if students transferred from school to sophomore Shamarrae Hardrick said. school, which happens often, there will be Hardrick’s classmate Christopher Saman also something at their new school that was used at agrees. their old school. “It helps me track what I need to have done,” In Pittsburg, Canvas is used at both the Saman said, “and to see how I can better middle school and high school. improve myself with assignments.” However, only a few teachers use it at the high school, and for some older students, they STORY CONTINUED ON PAGE 2
“It helps me track what I need to have done and to see how I can better improve myself with assignments.”
A closer look at
Q: How did it feel when you were told you won? A: “I was super excited. I felt like all of my hard work had paid off.”
CANVAS
Q: How did your friends and family react? A: “They were all really excited for me and they are all excited to see what my future holds.” Q: What does this award mean to you? A: “This award isn’t about me. It’s an award that each player and coach on my team all share a piece of what we earned together.” Q:What can you attribute to winning this award? A: “To my parents for always making me work hard and not settle, and to my teammates for giving me the best opportunity to succeed. Most importantly, my coaches for pushing me to be the best player I can be, but more importantly, the best person I can be.” Q: What advice can you give to any kids who hope to one day receive this award? A: “No matter where you’re from or what your name is, if you put your mind to something, anything is possible.”
Grades
To-Do List
Modules
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NEWS
December, 2018 www.boosterredux.com
Bond construction nears completion, phase three set to begin in January WORDS BY Cassidy Bayliss
A
s the fall semester draws to an end, construction is advancing toward completion. The majority of construction should be finished by December, according to superintendent Richard Proffitt “Everything will be [mostly] completed and ready to be moved in to. You can tell where everything is going to be at,” Proffitt said. “The new shelter, commons, cafeteria and the kitchen was delayed a little bit, and won’t be completed until the end of January.” According to Proffitt, certain parts of construction will finish up in the spring and construction workers will start new tasks in the summer that will push into next fall before construction will be entirely completed at the high school. Throughout the past summer and fall semester, the choir room, journalism room and science department have either been completed or are nearly completed, according to Proffitt. “In the science rooms, there are certain things that look like they should be operational,” Proffitt said. “But what’s happening behind the scenes doesn’t necessarily meet what is visible. [Those rooms] will not be fully functional until the [entire process] is completed.” Sophomore Mariah Murray is ready for construction to be finished and to use the new spaces. “I’m excited to see the finished product and I think in the long run it will be a positive representation of our school. I hope the changes in our school will reflect the students attitudes positively. Senior Julian Archuleta says he enjoys the new renovations in the encore room and is looking forward to the theater being completed. “[In the encore room] is updated and we have a full piano lab now. We got more space in the room, new sound panels, and we’re going to get new TV’s in order to help with projection,” Archuleta said. “We are getting more room for our theatre department. We will have a building for [stagecraft] and a docking station.” Proffitt says he is eager for the public to see the building. “We are going to make sure that the [community sees the] finished projects. Not everybody has been able to look at [all of the progress] and I think people will be very impressed.”
Above: Pictured is the new band room, which will include features like larger practice and storage areas. Left: The old entrance, under construction transitioning into the improved walkway. This will include a larger walking space and feature trophy cases and an entry to the new administrative wing. Right: The new cafeteria doubles as a storm shelter and holds approximately 300 people. Besides this new cafeteria, there will be a connecting hallway to the Megan Mallatt Activity Center, and tables will still be spread out among the commons area, allowing students more space to eat. PHOTOS BY Aubrey Bolinger
Paperless classes: story continued from page 1 Canvas can be used in different ways. For some classes, it’s used as a communication system, where teachers can post announcements or create discussion boards, but for other classes, it’s used as a way to complete tests and submit assignments. “The cool thing about Canvas is our building is that all the teachers are using it a little bit differently,” librarian Samantha Warren said. “Once the teachers become more and more comfortable with it we’re going to see all different ways it can be used.” For Warren, who also teaches the Student Leadership Council class, Canvas is used
every day in multiple ways. Warren often posts discussion boards to hear everyone’s opinions and will upload videos of herself giving instruction. “With the structure of my class, not everyone’s working on the same thing at the same time,” Warren said. “And by putting stuff up onto Canvas you can pace your work a little bit to where I can put it up there, leave it open for a week, and everyone can work on it when they have time.” For Rountree, Canvas provides spaces for discussion and a platform for students to test on. “I’ll put discussion boards on Canvas… it is
nice because then you get to hear from everyone and not just the few people who like to raise their hand,” Rountree said. “[And]... most of our quizzes we do are on Canvas so it makes it easy for [students] to see what grade they got right off the bat.” Rountree is hoping that as more teachers start to use Canvas, more students will be comfortable with it. “[Canvas is] a teachable thing,” Warren said. “The technology part of it is the barrier that I see. If you don’t have access it’s hard. We’re making the assumption that everyone has access to the internet.”
In addition to implementing Canvas, the district is discussing implementing a one-to-one system, in which every student has a device that they can either use during the school day or take home. “If the community feels like… we need more technology, the community needs to tell us and the teachers need to let us know: is that something we feel like we need going forward into the future?” Hanson said. “This district already has a good amount of technology, but we’re certainly not at the one-to-one phase… Once we get there Canvas will be an even more effective tool that can be said.”
what did we say for construction?
News briefs
WORDS BY Abby Painter
Photo Contest Winner
Holiday Vespers
Reverse Advent Calendar
Women’s Shelter Donations
Senior art student Logan Hinkle was the top winner in the youth category of the 2018 Kansas Water Office Photo Contest. Hinkle used class time to complete the work and submission. He does “exceptional work,” according to art teacher Rebecca Lomshek.
Holiday Vespers will be held on Dec. 19 at Memorial Auditorium. This production will include both vocal and instrumental performances from the PHS music programs, along with invited community singers. It will begin at 7:00 p.m. and is free to the public.
As a way of giving back, French club facilitated a “Reverse Advent Calendar,” where anyone could bring in food items to donate until Dec. 14. A family was then selected to receive everything collected. This is the first year of the event, but French teacher and French club sponsor Chris Colyer hopes it will not be the last.
From Dec. 7-14, Equality Club sponsored a donation drive alongside other clubs at PHS. Accepted items included clothing, cleaning supplies and toiletries. Everything received then went to a women’s shelter to help those in need.
OPINION
December 2018 www.boosterredux.com
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Booster Redux Staff & Policy Editor-in-Chief Nicole Konopelko Managing Editors Ximena Ibarra Matthew Moore Online Editors Mckenna Hodges Natalie Talent Photo Editors Aubrey Bolinger Morgan Noe Print Editor Joseph Lee Social Media Editor Maddy Robison Visual Content Editors Amanda Bourbina Elle Burgess Staff Cassidy Bayliss Emma Fischer Joy Lee Jorge Leyva Vincent Norman Katie Painter Adviser Emily Smith
The PHS Student Publications Department and newspaper class produce The Booster Redux. Please call us with comments at 620-235-3200. The Booster Redux's purpose is to inform, educate, enlighten and entertain readers fairly and accurately in an open forum. Opinions expressed in editorials or opinion columns do not necessarily reflect views of all members on the Booster staff. Digital photos have not been altered to manipulate reality. Photo illustrations are labeled to reflect any technical alternations. Anonymity may be given in the following cases: the information is unable to be presented another way, the information warrants anonymity, the source's privacy and/or reputation requires protection and the source must be protected from damages. A student or faculty member death during the coverage period will be covered with a short obituary. The Booster Redux is a member of Journalism Education Association, National Scholastic Press Association, Kansas Scholastic Press and International Quill and Scroll. The Booster Redux encourages letters from students, teachers and community members under 300 words and signed with a valid signature only. The Booster Redux reserves the right to edit contributions if they are libelous, obscene and for length. Any grammatical errors at the fault of the writer will be printed. Corrections of errors printed at the fault of the Booster staff will appear in the appropriate section of the next issue. The Booster Redux Pittsburg High School Student Publications 1978 E. 4th St. Pittsburg, KS 66762
Searching for a place to fit in
Fischer urges students to build friendships outside of groups WORDS BY Emma Fischer
High School: Full of a bunch of kids your age who you hardly know. Isn’t that weird? There are only about nine hundred kids in this school and there’s some of them that you, and me, don’t even recognize. And why is that? That’s probably because of this thing called Social Identity Theory. Social Identity Theory says that you find your place in society by saying, “I am a part of this group.” And that translates to high school. You find your place by being on teams or being part of different clubs or taking advanced classes or belonging in a friend group. That isn’t a bad thing. When you’re in a group, your individual selfesteem reflects the positives of that group. The more comfortable you are with your group, the more
comfortable you are expressing yourself and being around people. The more you feel like you belong. However, Social Identity Theory can become a bad thing when you start thinking Us versus Them. The Us versus Them mentality was researched by the same men who developed Social Identity Theory, Henri Tajfel and John Turner. Us versus Them is a bad way of bettering your group. Us versus Them is looking down upon the groups that aren’t yours. Or looking down on people who aren’t in your group. And I get it. You’re like, “Why does this matter?” Even if you’re not rude and you don’t think badly about people who aren’t in your group, being indifferent can matter. Because if you don’t care enough to like or dislike someone, then do you know much about them? What they think, what they stand for, what aspirations they have for their future? Probably not. And that can lead you to assume. And assumption leads to prejudice.
Materialistic holidays: WORDS BY Mckenna Hodges As I pushed and shoved my way through the aisles of Walmart in search of a Google Home, I realized how committed people are to getting their hands on their favorite materialistic goods during a beloved family holiday. My family had dinner early on Thanksgiving this year, leaving time to do early Black Friday gift shopping. I left right after dinner, with my best friend and her mom, and headed towards Walmart so we could be first to the deals. The aisles were filled with people who were pushing their way to the half priced Tupperware and the cheap bulk bundles of socks. The unhappy workers were steering the customers to checkout lanes like cattle. This was my first time Black Friday shopping, and I feel like I got a pretty good view into the consumerism of the holidays. Black Friday has become a holiday of its own, with people skipping their family dinners to buy the newest gadget at a fraction of the retail price. Thanksgiving and other family traditions have been pushed aside for the saving on our favorite products. These demands for deals have forced unwilling retail workers to stay and work instead of eating
This is seen everywhere. More extreme examples are the roots of racism, sexism, homophobia, and a plethora of other forms of hatred that seriously affect people every day. Less extreme forms would be like in politics: one party hating another. Or in competing companies. Or in different fan bases like DC and Marvel. And sure, those things aren’t always full of hatred and can be a fun competition sometimes, but if it gets too far and applies to more serious things, like how we treat other people, then it can become bad. And there’s one very simple solution to this problem: talk to people. People you don’t know. People you see every day but have no clue as to what their name is or who they are as a person. Talk to people you don’t talk to on a day-to-day basis. Learn about the people who are present in your life, even if only passively, because learning to understand a completely different person is going to shape who you are.
Black Friday shopping detracts from family time
Thanksgiving dinner with their families. es. This trend is making holidays like Christmas as and Thanksgiving more and more materialistic as opposed to sentimental. tal. Gift giving is a way to show your family and friends that you love them.. But that doesn’t mean you should buy your loved ones items they don’t need. The National Retail Federation reported that this year’s holiday season sales will increase between 4.3 and 4.8 percent over 2017 for a total of $717.45 billion to $720.89 billion. I’m not saying you shouldn’t give gifts ifts to your loved ones. However, the holiday day season is becoming less about giving g and more about the amount you spend on n the presents you give. Recently, the pressure to give the perfect gift has become a strain on ourselves, and on our wallets. While homemade gifts are a solution to big spending, you don’t have to completely stop shopping. Simply being conscious of the things you purchase is a good way to cut down on the consumerism of the holiday season. You can
implement this by thinking if the person actually needs or would use the item you’re buying. So when you’re out shopping this year, be conscious of your purchases to try and cut down the importance of money in the holiday season. I’m sure the person you’re gifting to will appreciate it, along with your bank account.
Staff Editorial: Booster staff advocates for Canvas From the removal of lockers to the addition of chromebooks, it’s obvious that the USD 250 school district is rapidly moving toward a technology-first mindset. As showcased in our front page story, one of the district’s primary ways of doing so is by incorporating Canvas into all of our classes. Canvas hits close to home for our staff, as all of the assignments for our newspaper class are on it. We recognize its countless benefits, including content organization, discussion boards and announcements. We also recognize that it’s a fast and easy way for our teachers to
engage with us. For multiple reasons, we applaud the district in its push for moving Canvas over to all of our classes. First, we appreciate the district’s effort to push us forward on our journey to college. According to Canvas’s official website, over 300 colleges, school districts and universities are currently using Canvas. These include colleges of top interest at PHS, such as Kansas State University and Pittsburg State University. Even top tier colleges have shuffled over to Canvas, including Northwestern University in Illinois. Learning the perks of
Canvas in high school will take an extra item off of our plates during our stressful transition to college, and we appreciate that the district recognizes that. As a staff, we juggle multiple responsibilities outside of our roles for The Booster Redux, which means that we also have to make up a lot of homework. Canvas is an easy tool for us to do so, as most of our teachers put our assignments on it. It’s easy for us to go back in and review them, and make up for our lost points. We do hope, however, that the district finds a way to accommodate for the students who are not as fortunate and
do not have internet access at home. We also urge more teachers at the high school to incorporate Canvas into their classes. Only a few teachers are using Canvas, whereas in college, it’s used in all classes. We currently have to bounce back and forth between paperless classes and digital classes, and it would be easier for us to stick with the latter. We support the district’s technological push and hope to see Canvas in all of our classes, not just a handful. We’ve seen its benefits firsthand, and hope our peers can experience them, too.
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IN-DE
December 2018 www.boosterredux.com
Mouthpiece E-juice Pod
Hidden Hits
LED Power Indicator Green = Full Charge Yellow = Half Charge Red = Low Charge
USB Magnetic Charger
Battery
Magnetic Charging Port
JUULs increase in popularity, presence hard to detect WORDS BY Nicole Konopelko & Emma Lawson
NOTE: The students interviewed for this story requested anonymity* due to fears of getting in trouble for JUULing on school property, which is against school rules.
W
PHOTO ILLISTRATION BY Aubrey Bolinger & Amanda Bourbina
Find the JUUL:
hile her classmates read Romeo and Juliet out loud, freshman Jessica Adams* sticks her hands under her hoodie to take three hits from an e-cigarette. Adams uses her hands to air out the vapor underneath her hoodie, and passes the device, disguised in notebook paper, to one of her five friends sitting in the back of the room. The group passes around the e-cigarette until each student gets through three hits. To the ordinary eye, it looks as if five students are passing notes in class. “In your eyes, you think, ‘Oh yeah, this is pretty fun because I’m doing something I’m not supposed to be ‘oh, I’m breaking the rules,’” Adams said. “That’s how we all pretty much felt.” The e-cigarette used wasn’t a vape or hookah pen — it was a JUUL, an e-cigarette that heats an inserted pod containing nicotine and an aerosol that is inhaled. JUUL Pods come in multiple flavors, including cucumber, mango and crème brûlée. Adams and her friends are not the only PHS students to have fallen for the JUUL. The Booster Redux’s survey of 175 PHS students found that 114 students, or 65.1 percent, have used a JUUL, and 70 of those students have used it on school property. The students at PHS, however, are a part of a national statistic. Across the U.S., almost one-fifth of middle and high school students have seen a JUUL used in school, according to an April 2018 Truth Initiative survey of more than 1,000 youth between 12 and 17-years-old. “It’s more prevalent and more of a problem this year,” said Hope Harmon, a registered nurse at the
Crawford County Health Department. “You went from not ever hearing about it to it’s in the classrooms within a few minutes time. That tells us that it’s out there and prevalent.” According to the company’s website, JUUL was founded by two former smokers as an alternative to tobacco cigarettes. But Adams wasn’t using it to curb her smoking habits. Adams’s history with the JUUL stretches beyond those few seconds in which she took those three hits. She originally became captivated with JUULing immediately after seeing her friend do it. “It just looked fun,” Adams said. “At first, [my friend] was just like, ‘Do it, it won’t do anything.’ I really thought it wouldn’t do anything. Later on, it became something.” JUULs contain among the highest nicotine content of any e-cigarette on the U.S market, with one JUUL Pod containing just as much nicotine as a pack of cigarettes, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. But according to Dr. Susan Pence, a pediatrician at the Crawford County Health Center, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not require JUUL to display all of their ingredients on packaging. The only chemicals that doctors know of are glycerin, Cooper water, nicotine and formaldehyde — the same substance that is used to preserve dead bodies. “The evidence is pretty clear that it is harmful,” Pence said. “It is not any safer than smoking regular cigarettes. It can actually be less safe because we actually don’t [fully] know what’s in them.“ According to Pence, each part of a JUUL equates to a different health risk. “It’s similar to if you’re in chem lab and you don’t have the hood turned on to get rid of the chemical fumes,” Pence said. “[If you] inhale it, you’re going to
get some pretty big irritation in your chest. That can take weeks to go away.” Adams, for example, began noticing sharp pains in her chest three weeks after she began JUULing. “I didn’t feel like it was a good thing,” Adams said. “I felt pain and that’s whenever I realized, ‘This is not okay for me. I shouldn’t be giving my body this.’” The JUUL’s design makes it easier to hide than ever. The devices can be charged in a USB port, and are often mistaken as flash drives. The only signs of a JUUL being used are a vapor and a sweet scent. “I picked one up the other day and thought it was a portable charger because it looks exactly like something that [a student would] plug into [their] cell phone,” principal Phil Bressler said. “I don’t know how many times people have had them laying on the table and I had no idea.” Students have developed different strategies to hide their JUULs. Senior Roger Davidson,* for example, clenches his JUUL into his fist. After taking a hit and holding his breath for five seconds, the vapor from his JUUL dissipates. He does this at least twice during every class period: a teacher has yet to notice. “I became good at [hiding] it,” Davidson said. “I practiced at first to see if it would work. I was like, ‘How long do I need to hold my breath, how much air do I need to suck in?’ I figured it out within two or three tries and I was just like, ‘Cool. It’s like a smoke trick.’” Senior Cooper Brown*, on the other hand, doesn’t use his JUUL in classes. Instead, he JUULs in the privacy of a bathroom stall. “Honestly, it’s kind of satisfying,” Brown said. “It’s like calming because of the nicotine in it. I’ll leave during class once every two days just to use the restroom and JUUL. But if I don’t leave during the class, it’s during passing period.”
“Honestly, it’s kind of satisfying. It’s like calming because of the nicotine in it.”
EPTH
December 2018 www.boosterredux.com
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GRAPHICS BY Amanda Bourbina
65%
have used a Juul
43%
35%
own a Juul
21% 11%
Mango
Cool Mint
Creme Brulee
Data collected out of 175 responses
58/70
Juul on school property
each figure represents 10 students In the state of Kansas, the legal purchasing age for JUULs is 18, while the legal purchasing age on JUUL’s official website is 21. Most underclassmen rely on others to help them get their hands on one. Adams’s friend, who shared her JUUL with Adams, gave money to an 18-year-old senior, who purchased it for her. And it’s often difficult for students to stop JUULing as soon as they try it. After her first time, Adams went on a nicotine rush. It became a “constant thing” for her. She would take a hit every time she could get her hands on her friend’s JUUL, which was on a daily basis, for three weeks. “Since we hang out like every single day, I kept doing it, thinking that there was no consequence,” Adams said. “Then I stopped, and whenever I completely stopped, it just felt like really weird, not doing it.” Eventually, a student spotted Adams and her friends JUULing through their hoodies and told the counselors, who then told administration. When the group had their bags checked, a pod was found in Adams’s bag, and as a result, she was given an out of school suspension for three days. According to the Pittsburg High School Student Handbook, any student who uses or is in “possession of tobacco, tobacco products or paraphernalia related to the use of tobacco such as lighters, matches, pipes, e-cigarettes” is prohibited. Any student who violates the policy may be subjected to a minimum of a threeday suspension, like Adams was. High school JUULing has received attention by national news outlets, with the Boston Globe coining it as “the most widespread phenomenon you’ve never heard of,” and CNN calling it an “epidemic.” However, according to Bressler, it hasn’t reached the point of an epidemic within the high school because JUULing is an individual issue as opposed to a schoolwide issue. “I think it is what it is,” Bressler said. “I don’t think it’s
33% other What is your favorite flavor?
an epidemic at this point. Is it an issue? Yeah, it’s an In response to pressure from the FDA, JUUL issue. There are a lot of issues. We’ve got kids taking announced earlier this month that it would no longer prescription pills. I don’t know if that’s [an epidemic] accept retail orders for mango, fruit, crème brûlée and either. The question is when does it become more cucumber JUUL Pods. than just spot issues that we pay attention to?” JUUL also plans to shut down its Facebook and Assistant principal Chris Garzone said he worries Instagram accounts promoting the flavored pods, and about the school’s knowledge about JUULing because will ask Twitter and Snapchat to “police” posts so they of the devices’ discrete presence. are withheld from underage users. “It’s definitely a concern, but are we suspending “We learned about it six months after it came tons of kids for it? No,” Garzone said. “That’s another out, and I was like, ‘Why would anybody create concern because if it’s so small, how much of this is that product?’” Pence said. “And then I went, ‘Wait, going on in our school and we don’t know about it?” because it’s going to sell really great for kids and Until a student explained it young adults.’ It going to sell great to her, history teacher Marjorie because they can hide it: throw Giffin had no idea what a JUUL it in their purse, throw it in their was. backpack and somebody’s going “It’s not that teachers aren’t to glance at it and not think twice paying attention to that, and it about it. It makes sense — they might be,” Giffin said. “But if I want to make money.” know nothing about it, how would Prior to her suspension, Adams Phil Bressler I even know to look for it? To me, was committed to trying to quit, it all comes down to leadership but still faced sudden urges in and are we being told things? If which she felt that she had to this is the new fad that’s out there, we need to know JUUL. She would text her friend and they would JUUL about it and to me, that’s the disturbing piece.” in the bathroom stall in between classes. Some students, however, don’t hit their JUULs within But her suspension motivated her to quit more than the confines of PHS. anything had; even her pain. Since then, her friend Sophomore Ella Miller* can go weeks without sold her JUUL after being suspended, too. touching her JUUL. But when she does, it’s her coping “I like doing it, but now it’s to the point where I do mechanism. hate it,” Adams said. “I don’t want it to affect me as a “It is my escape from the world,” Miller said. “It gets person, and [hear] people say, ‘Oh, that’s the girl who me in a zone where it’s like a switch. It helps me turn got caught JUULing.” off all the negative feelings and just focus on the Other students, however, are continuing to JUUL good.” despite the research on its health risks. Brown said The FDA has taken measures to curb JUULing there’s only one reason he would stop JUULing, and among underage teenagers. that’s if he loses the JUUL that his friend encouraged In September of 2018, the FDA announced the him to buy. issuance of more than 1,300 warning letters and civil “[The research] doesn’t concern me that much,” money penalty complaints to retailers who illegally Brown said. “It’s dangerous, but I don’t really think sold JUUL and other e-cigarette products to minors. anything of it.”
“It looks exactly like something that [a student would] plug into [their] cell phone.”
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FEATURE
December 2018 www.boosterredux.com
PHOTO BY Aubrey Bolinger
Senior Liz Waring WORDS BY Mckenna Hodges
Making paper-mâché, Sophie Strahan, 12, and Rebecca Lomshek, art teacher, discuss the details of her artwork. This year Lomshek has taken a different approach to teaching art classes, trying to allow students artistic freedom. PHOTO BY Nicole Konopelko
Choosing their own course Lomshek focuses on student-centered learning WORDS BY Mckenna Hodges
conversation with a student about their creative process is a great way to measure the student’s knowledge or skill level. fter analyzing her traditional ways of teaching, art teacher “A student and myself can have a conversation about the thinking Rebecca Lomshek decided that she wanted to switch to a and problem-solving that went into a particular work,” Lomshek student-centered approach. Lomshek wanted to give her said. “In the workplace, we must always be ready to make decisions students an outlet to be creative with their classwork while and reflect upon our work in a manner that is conducive to growth still learning the basic fundamentals of art. This meant ditching the and expansion of ideas.” idea that the given assignments must look a certain way in order While developing the new way she runs her classroom, she came achieve a passing grade. across obstacles. She found that it was hard to “The reason why I’m doing this is so stray away from the traditional style that she my students feel like they are more had been taught. Another difficulty she had able to take risks and they don’t have was determining what percent of the content to worry if it doesn’t turn out right,” the student learned and what grade each Lomshek said. “If the students are project deserved. worried about not doing something “I’m not 100 percent happy with [my new right and then getting an F, then they’re teaching style], it’s a hard change and with probably not going to go there. If they grading I find myself in the middle wondering don’t go there then they wouldn’t have what percent of the content they learned,” gone through that wonderful part of Lomshek said. Rebecca Lomshek the process.” Although Lomshek has her doubts, one In this new style, she conferences of her sophomore ceramic students, Tianna with each student about the pieces Bauder, says that her grading style gives her they are working on. She also requires students to submit pictures freedom to be creative. of their projects as they create them, getting rid of the traditional “The way Mrs. Lomshek is switching up her grading gives me approach. more creative freedom to do pieces I’m proud of,” Bauder said. Intro to art student sophomore Kassi Burns agrees with “She’s always helping me be confident in my work and I feel like I Lomshek’s new approach to stray away from the traditional style of can take risks in her class.” teaching. After seeing growth in her students, Lomshek said she has no “She’s really supportive [of me],” Burns said. “One time I plans to go back to her former teaching styles. was working on a sewing project and she helped me with the “Once I’ve gone through this more student-centered choice technique. She made sure I had the resources I needed to based [style], it’s like I can’t go back. I’ve seen so many incredible succeed.” things happen that give me the characteristics of the individual With the idea of student-centered teaching in mind, her objective rather than a group,” Lomshek said. “I feel like my top students was to leave behind “cookie cutter art”, meaning that all of the have grown, they’re even stronger because they have gotten an art created in her class looks the same. She says that having a opportunity to explore that aspect of themselves.”
A
“A student and myself can have a conversation about the thinking and problem-solving that goes into a particular work.”
Sending poems to New York: WORDS BY Natalie Talent
When English teacher Kristy Uttley learned she would be teaching an AP Literature course for the first time, she attended the Advanced Placement (AP) Summer Institute in Fayetteville, Arkansas over the summer. Together, she and English teacher Emily Rountree decided to take their courses to the next level with a new project idea. Rountree and principal Phil Bressler had both expressed interest in the English classes doing blog posts. Rountree decided on putting the idea to work by doing a blog in her AP language class with a rhetorical analysis. Then, Uttley started thinking about how she could incorporate it
Senior Liz Waring doodled since she was a kid, but decided to take her art seriously her freshman year by enrolling in art class. She started off by drawing eyes, and evolved into drawing realistic figures. Expressing her feelings through the faces she created, she found art is what she wants to do. “I kind of reflect however I’m feeling when I’m drawing into my work. I really only draw faces, so I like to reflect [them onto those],” Waring said. She was also elected as the art club president this year. Waring started off by drawing animated art, but then quickly discovered that she preferred realism. First she draws eyes, and then she slowly branches off into drawing the other details of the face. With this process, she creates the faces of book characters along with the profiles of her favorite boy band members. “My favorite piece is at the art gallery right now, but it’s called ‘Minimalism’. The reason it’s called that is because it looks good incomplete, so I just kept it incomplete,” Waring said. “It’s two of my favorite Korean pop idols, right next to each other. It turned out really good and I’m really proud of that piece.” While being in the art program for four years, Waring has grown in her confidence and as an artist. Art teacher Rebecca Lomshek has watched Waring develop her skills, and has seen her mature as a student. “As I’ve had her in class, I’ve watched her confidence grow. She takes on more challenging projects,” Lomshek said. “She doesn’t turn her back on projects just because she thinks they’re going to be harder.” Waring’s passion for art is her biggest motivation. It drives her to continue with her work even when she doubts herself. “What motivates me to create is my passion for art. I’ve never felt comfortable doing other stuff, like singing or acting in front of people,” Waring said. “With art I get really confident about it and it’s more comfortable for me.”
AP Literature students participate in blogging project
into literature. reflection, an essay prompt and an “Because so much of the test is analysis. poetry, I thought [it] would be a nice They were also assigned a blog supplementary avenue to pursue partner from students who go to individual poets,” school at William Uttley said. Floyd High School As she began in Mastic Beach, cultivating the idea New York. of blog posts, she One of the based it on poetry. students from She distributed a New York, Marleen list of 45 poets to Halepota, is her students and let partnered with Kristy Uttley them choose one to senior Cassidy blog about. Bayliss for the The students then, assignment. using Weebly.com, created their own “At first I was scared it would be blog pages. Each month, they are awkward, so I’m glad I’ve been able to assigned with a topic to blog about. establish some sort of friendship with These assignments have included a her,” Marleen said. “It makes doing
“A lot of them became instant friends with their blog buddies through that avenue.”
blogs more fun since I know what kind of audience I’m catering to.” Students in Uttley’s class found their partners on social media and have built relationships, despite the distance. “It’s nice to get a perspective from someone across the country, but it also turned into a friendship,” senior Madison Nagel said. The teacher Uttley partnered with, Lillian Barlow, and Uttley have their students work together to comment on their each other’s blog posts. They then grade the comments and posts based on their quality and effort. “The main objective was to give them a different audience to write for,” Uttley said. “A peer audience — someone from another region and just exposure to a different high school.”
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FEATURE
December 2018 www.boosterredux.com
Taking aim, changing targets
Wescott transitions from bow hunting to archery competitions WORDS BY Matthew Moore
S
ophomore Kyle Wescott draws his string ng back and releases it. The string snaps forward and nd his arrow flies towards his target. For Wescott, “target” holds multiple e meanings. Wescott has been hunting since he was three and is comfortable with a bow. “Bow hunting to me means that I can provide e food for my family,” Wescott said. “It shows what at I love to do: I like to work for stuff that I want.” Wescott is also starting his second year on the he archery team under the coaching of Mary Packard, and d practicing whenever he can. He’s picked it up,” Packard said. “He’s just one ne of those guys thats been there and it takes a while to get et used to it since the difference [for him] is the hunting part. rt. Packard could see from the beginning that the he transition from hunting to archery would not be easy. “He had a lot of really bad habits,” Packard said. aid. “We had pointed them out and he was aware but he couldn’t uldn’t get himself to fix it.” Things like the direction his hand went after he released the arrow would effect Wescott’s shot and he had to work to fix that. “It was hard for me in the beginning because e I was used to shooting with sights and they didn’t have sights ts on that bow,”
Wescott said. “II had to get used to how I stand and how I breath and how I release the arrow.” Eventually, through practice, Wescott was able to work out the problems and started to
improve. “Somehow, he was able to figure out last spring, it got to the possibly go and then he pulled himself out of it and lowest it could possib really well,” Packard said. “It was like mind over he started shooting re matter, I’m going to make my body do what my mat mind wants.” m Over the last two years Wescott has put time into archery to compensate for the differences of hunting. Once Wescott started mastering certain techniques, such as “painting his face,” he was able to work out a other problems and started shooting better. practiced and practiced and practiced,” Wescott “I prac said. “I went wen home and practiced more and then the came up and I started out like I used to and tournament ca painting my face and I was good after that.” then I Started p Wescott has already shot an 11 point buck this While Wes still looking for his next kill. year, he is st now, I’m hunting deer,” Wescott said. “I’ve “Right now already sho shot my buck, so right now I’m just trying to shoot a doe because we need some meat. Wescott has no plans to quit hunting any time soon and hopes spread it any way he can. “I plan on o hunting for the rest of my life,” Wescott said. “And if I have ha kids, I plan on taking them out hunting.”
PHOTO BY Morgan Noe
Know your bow
Gracie Terry
Cooper Turnbull
Senior
Junior
Q: Do you hunt with a bow or rifle? A: “I actually am able to hunt with
Q: Do you hunt with a bow or rifle? A: “I use both a rifle and bow, but I
Q: What type of game do you hunt? A: “I primarily hunt deer, and
Q: What type of game do you hunt? A: “I’m big on hunting deer, but I will
Hunting vs. archery equipment
Machined idler wheel
Bow mounted quiver
Composite limbs
Idler cam Upper limb Bow string
Limb bolt
Peep sight Bow w sight Cable guard C Nocking loop Bow string
Arrow rest Grip
Molded Molde grip
Ca Cables
Stabilizer bilizer
both a bow and a rifle. However, I enjoy hunting with a rifle more than I do with a bow.”
Cable able guard
like bow better because it’s more of a challenge and it’s really fun to be close to the deer.”
Cables
Composite limbs
Lower limb
Q: Why do you hunt? A: “One of the big reasons why
Genesis cam Cam
Mission Bow
I hunt is because it has always been a bonding time with my dad. Also, I hunt to help those in need. Sometimes, families aren’t able to provide meat for their families and are in need, so if my family shoots a deer, we donate the meat to foundations that will provide it to others that need it.”
Genesis Bow
Hunting
Archery
Scoring your shot Each labeled number represents how many points each circle is worth.
Q: What is your favorite part of hunting? A: “My favorite part of hunting
is when you get the deer, and a huge sense of excitement happens. Usually, [my] dad gives me a big hug and tells me he’s proud of me. That’s one of my very favorite parts, is celebrating the success and being grateful for the sacrifice God has provided.”
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8
7
Q: Why do you hunt? A: “I hunt because my mom has a
very severe allergy to sulfates and can’t eat the food that we can. So I hunt to provide for my mother and to make sure she has good food to eat.”
Q: What is your favorite part of hunting? A: “My favorite part of hunting is
knowing that there is no better place to be closer to God and to appreciate what beautiful land he created for us to enjoy and take in.”
Q: How often do you hunt? A: “I hunt as much as I can, but
with school and friends I’m usually limited to weekends and any breaks we have throughout the hunting season.”
Q: How does being a female hunter impact
5
10
A: “It impacts me in a positive way. It shows me that I am just as strong and capable of harvesting an animal just as big as a male can. It makes me feel strong and empowered.” Q: Have you ever been discriminated for being a female hunter?
3 2
go duck, goose, coyote and squirrel hunting just for fun, with friends.”
you?
6 4
sometimes turkey.”
1
Q: What feelings do you get when you’re hunting?
A:
“When I hunt, it’s a really calm and peaceful feeling that you can’t get anywhere else. There’s nothing around you that you can’t appreciate. It’s super fun and really gets rid of all [my] stress from school.”
A:
“I do believe I have experienced a little discrimination because I’m a female hunter. I’ve heard, “Oh, that’s a good deer for being a girl.” But I don’t let it phase me because to me, it’s not about getting the biggest or the best animal; it’s about enjoying the memories I make with my dad and family while I’m hunting.”
Q: What feelings do you get when you’re hunting?
A:
“The most memorable experience was killing my first buck not too long ago. It was a super crazy experience and something me and my buddy will never forget.”
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SPORTS
December, 2018 www.boosterredux.com
Sports Briefs WORDS BY Blaine Dunstan
Basketball The freshman boys began their season 3-1. They won their first game against Independence 5755 and snatched another victory against Nevada. They then beat Labette County 54-53 and lost their next game 52-51 to Galena. The varsity boys won their first game against Nevada 78-75. Senior Gavyn Elkmail led Pittsburg with 24 points and senior Brett Wiemers added 17. After beating Independence, the girls’ C Team is now 2-2. They lost their next two games to Nevada and Labette and won their latest against Galena. The JV and varsity girls both lost their games against Nevada.
Wrestling Preparing to start the game against Paolo, junior Faith Turner and members of the varsity team slap hands before the first match. PHS defeated Paola in three matches, 25-11, 25-22, 25-20. PHOTO BY Ross Laidler
Family first: WORDS BY Joseph Lee
M
inutes before the final game of their season, the volleyball players walked onto the court alongside their teammates to start the match, not knowing that it would be their last game with head coach Megan Mantooth and assistant coach Bridgett Lancaster on the sideline. After coaching at Pittsburg for eight years, Mantooth officially resigned the week before Thanksgiving. Lancaster, who has coached at PHS for 13 years, resigned two weeks after Mantooth. The coaches both resigned to have more time for their families. “I want to be present in my children’s lives. They’ve given up a lot in the last 13 years,” Mantooth said. “This decision was one I have thought about for over a year and was based on what my heart wants for my family.” Junior Faith Turner enjoyed competing under the coaches’ guidance. “[Mantooth] and Lancaster were both my favorite coaches that I’ve ever
Mantooth, Lancaster resign from coaching volleyball
had,” Turner said. [Hearing about the resignations] was very heartbreaking for me.” Coached under Lancaster, freshman Cheyanne Hunt played on the junior varsity team this season with three other freshmen. “As the season went on, we definitely felt like we were a team with [the upperclassmen]. They helped us so much and encouraged us,” Hunt said. “[Lancaster] always helped us in any way possible. Since this year was my first Megan year, I think Lancaster helped make [my first highschool season] experience fun.” Mantooth led the 2016 varsity team to qualify for a state tournament after winning sub-state for the first time in 13 years, with the best record in PHS history. Within the last four years, Pittsburg has also snagged two league championships. “We have had some amazing records broken and great seasons, but
most of all, I hope the program is something the girls are proud of and can come back to,” Mantooth said. “I will miss seeing the girls every day and seeing them reach small daily goals towards the big goals together.” According to activities director Jeff Staley, coaching positions have been posted and will remain open until filled. Three varsity players, who have requested to be anonymous, are Mantooth optimistic about the change and disagreed with some of Mantooth’s coaching tactics. “She gave [a teammate] a really big false hope that she was going to play this year and then she just sat her on the bench the whole time,” a player said. However, according to Mantooth, stats gathered from practice was a factor used in determining playing time.
“I will miss seeing the girls every day and seeing them reach small daily goals towards the big goals together.”
“The most important thing to having a good foundation in volleyball is tapping and serving. We keep almost daily stats on that. Individual stats and team stats on drills.” Mantooth and the players are in agreement that the season could have gone better. “[This season] was different. We had some issues with people not being okay with their amount of playing time,” Mantooth said. “We had a few issues. We had people quit and different things.” Despite the setbacks, Mantooth and Lancaster look forward to a change. “I would rarely if ever get to see my sons play football in middle school or sub varsity high school. I will never see my daughter play volleyball until she is playing for me,” Mantooth said. “This decision was one I have thought about for over a year and was based on what my heart wants for my family.” The varsity team ended their season with a 24-14 record and took third place in the Southeast Kansas league. “I’m so lucky to have worked with [both coaches] because they worked so hard,” Staley said. “They were very proud to be Dragons.”
Balancing routine responsibilities
Dancers discuss involvement in different dance companies WORDS BY Vincent Norman During game weeks, junior Mikayla Kitchen wakes up at 5:30 in the morning to go to dance practice. Then she goes to school, goes to practice at the Dance Pitt from 4:30 to 8:30 and comes home to do her homework. Kitchen isn’t the only PHS dancer who has a schedule full of dance. Nine out of the 10 girls who dance for the dance team also compete for another dance team; at either the Dance Pitt or the YMCA. Six dancers compete for the Dance Pitt, and three dance for the YMCA. “Finding balance is definitely time management and making sure every day’s planned to the minute, so I have set time
for dance and for homework,” Kitchen said. Senior Leah Brazil, had participated in Aida, the school musical. “[During] show week, we [had] practice after school, so I [did] my homework between fifth hour and when school ends,” Brazil said. Brazil doesn’t have sixth and seventh hour so she can balance her homework with dance team, YMCA and musical rehearsals. “During dance team practice we are always busy learning and cleaning dances for upcoming games so we don’t get to practice technique and specific skills as much as we would like,” dance team coach Megan Webb said. “Doing dance outside of dance team, the girls
are able to practice those skills more and grow as a dancer.” Dance team practices are in the morning so it doesn’t interfere with other practices. Makaihlah Gibbs, one of the dance team coaches, also coaches at the Dance Pitt. “I love that they are involved in more dance,” Gibbs said “It helps them train more and gets everyone on the same level. The fact that they dance outside of dance team shows just how much they love it.” Despite the time commitment, Kitchen enjoys dance. “I like that its a form of expression, it’s a way to show myself positively, and I often find it hard to communicate words,” Kitchen said. “It’s a way to show people what I’m feeling.”
PHOTO BY Shannon O’Hara
Passion turned to profession
Davis accepts opening as head wrestling coach after successful career WORDS BY Ximena Ibarra As they begin their drills, LC Davis warms up alongside each of his wrestlers. This year, Davis replaced coach Scott Rieck as the head wrestling coach. Davis has years of experience in wrestling and mixed martial arts (MMA). Davis was both a high school and college wrestler. He trained under Pat Miletich, the first UFC Welterweight Champion, while he lived in Iowa. “If you want to be the best, you have to surround yourself with the best and train with the best,” Davis said. “That’s why I made that move.” After fighting full-time in Iowa, Davis moved back home and opened a gym in Kansas City. In 2018, Davis took PHS’ opened position LC Davis as the head wrestling coach. “I learned I still had this desire for coaching wrestling,” Davis said. “I was always so focused on fighting and MMA, and I didn’t realize that my first
true love was wrestling.” Davis introduced a new motto for the team: “Hard work pays off.” “I’m not really going to judge everything off wins and losses, but I will judge you off of how hard you work and how much effort you put in,” Davis said. According to freshman Gabe Beaman, Davis has already exceeded his Head coach LC Davis speaks with freshman Tavion Nelson and sophomore Hezekai expectations. Yates during the Purple and White Scrimmage on Nov. 27. PHOTO BY Ximena Ibarra “He likes to help people. He’s giving everybody a shot and trying his best.” Instead of just focusing on This year, Davis plans on learning the ins and one person, he likes to help outs of being the head coach, but he anticipates everybody,” Beaman said. success for the team in the future. “He sets a level and tries to “My goal for this year is to instill hard work into get everybody to reach that my guys,” Davis said. “If we are doing all these level and not just one person. things then the wins and trophies will take care of He makes it more of a team themselves.” sport.” The wrestling team is coming off of an Senior team captain Reece accomplished season. Last year, the team was Watson hopes to build a rated No. 24 at the state tournament and second stronger relationship with the in Southeast Kansas. new coach. The team is preparing for their next tournament “He’s very eager to get started,” Watson said. on Dec. 15 at Ottawa High School. “He’s very social and interactive with everybody.
“Five years from now I envision us being one of the top teams in the state of Kansas.”
The wrestling team traveled to the Council Bluff Classic in Iowa and five wrestlers reached the Silver Bracket: senior Reece Watson (5th), freshman Seth Gann (11th), senior Channing Massey (12th), sophomore Caleb Redd (12th), freshman Gabe Beaman (injury default).
Dalton Sutton
Sophomore PHOTO BY Aubrey Bolinger
Q: What are your goals for the year? A: “My goal for this year is to letter in wrestling.”
How do you feel going into your sophomore year of wrestling?
Q:
A: “I feel like I’ve improved from my last year and gotten better and stronger.”
What will you miss most when the season ends?
Q:
A: “The competition and going to tournaments.”
Aubree Beitzinger er Senior
PHOTO BY Morgan Noe
Q: What are your goals for the year? A: “My goal for this year is to
compete at a high level for my teammates and school.”
Q:
How do you feel going into your senior year of basketball?
A: “I’m super excited for my senior year of basketball.”
Q:
What will you miss most when the season ends?
A: “I will miss playing together on the same court [with my friends].”
Brett Wiemerss Senior PHOTO BY Morgan Noe
Q: What are your goals for the year? A: “My goals for this year are to
challenge my teammates, make everyone better and make it back to state like we did last year.”
Q:
How do you feel going into your senior year of basketball?
A: “Going in to senior year is kind
of crazy because everything has gone so fast. I think we’re ready for the season though because of the preparations we’ve put in.”
Q:
What will you miss most when the season ends?
A: “When the season ends I’ll miss playing with my team and my coaches the most because these are people I’ve been around for a long time.”