The Booster Redux June 2024

Sports Pg. 4 Recent sport signings

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professionally

AP Language and Composition class hosts

Words by | Addi Foster

thinkers and doers. Many of these talks are given at TED Conferences, intimate TED Salons and thousands of independently organised TEDx events around the world. Videos of these talks are made available, free, on TED.com and other platforms. Audio versions of TED Talks are published to TED Talks Daily, available on all podcast platforms.

events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized. (Subject to certain rules and regulations.)

About TED TED is a nonprofit organization devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading, often in the form of short talks delivered by leading

TED’s open and free initiatives for spreading ideas include TED.com, where new TED Talk videos are posted daily; TEDx, which licenses thousands of individuals and groups to host local, self-organized TED-style events around the world; the TED Fellows program, which selects innovators from around the globe to amplify the impact of their remarkable projects and activities; The

Audacious Project, which surfaces and funds critical ideas that have the potential to impact millions of lives; TED Translators Program, which crowdsources the subtitling of TED Talks so that big ideas can spread across languages and borders; and the educational initiative TED-Ed. TED also offers TED@Work a program that reimagines TED Talks for workplace learning. TED also has a growing library of original podcasts, including The TED Interview with Chris Anderson, WorkLife with Adam Grant, Far Flung with Saleem Reshamwala and How to Be a Better Human.

Follow TED on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and on LinkedIn.

Graphic by | Heather Mowdy

2 FEATURE

Passed down through generations

Brant fixes up his grandfather’s old motocycle in automotive class

Words by | Josh Hamilton

Have you ever been passed down an old family heirloom? Wyatt Brant, senior at Pittsburg High School, was gifted an old motorcycle in December of 2023 that once belonged to his grandfather. With the help of classmate Damien Castagno and automotive technology instructor Adam Nunn, Brant was able to restore the old motorcycle to working condition.

“The bike itself is a 1984 Yamaha Virago XV1000 that my grandpa purchased the year it was made,” Brant said. “He’d ride the bike while he attended KU in Lawrence, and it still has the parking pass on the rear fender.”

According to Brant, his grandfather gave the Yamaha to his brother, until Brant’s father received the bike years later. Once Brant started attending PHS, he was notified of the bike, and asked to work on it in his automotive technology class. Brant’s instructor, Adam Nunn, agreed to let Brant and Castagno work on the bike together.

“[Brant] and [Castagno] both have relatively advanced mechanical abilities for second year students in the program,” Nunn stated. “These two guys really like these types of challenges. I simply guided them in the right direction when they hit a roadblock.”

According to Nunn, he loves to see students work together in his class and repair things by problem solving.

“It feels amazing when a student completes a difficult task with minimal help,” Nunn stated. “I really enjoy seeing students finally ‘get it,’ and by ‘it’ I mean they diagnose and problem solve by using any available resources. I also love to see students helping each other problem solve and make successful diagnoses and repairs.”

Nunn strongly encourages a hands-on learning environment in his class. He strongly encourages learning by doing and a persistent work ethic.

“I really try to teach my students the importance of developing a strong work ethic,” Nunn stated. “In my program we learn by doing. I emphasize the importance of learning the theory of operation of the different automotive systems.”

Brant had never previously rode a motorcycle until he repaired his Yamaha. According to Brant, he has enjoyed the process of learning how to ride, and has made the process of fixing the bike much more enjoyable.

“I had never ridden a motorcycle up until recently,” Brant stated. “I’m so thankful that I’ve had several people help me learn, though, and it’s made the process so much more enjoyable and fun.”

Despite how enjoyable the process became, the Yamaha still came with more challenges than just learning how to ride the motorcycle itself.

“Getting parts for the bike is really the kicker, as well as diagnosing any uncommon issues,” Brant said. “Things like relays for turn signals or other systems and cosmetic things are expensive because not many companies manufacture them, but I find that buying a combination of used and new things can help save costs a bit.”

According to Brant, the automotive technology class he worked on the motorcycle in has helped change him as a person.

“I’ve become way more knowledgeable about diagnosing things as well as general upkeep and

Experiencing totality

Two students travel to see solar eclipse

Words by | Addie Broxterman

A total solar eclipse could be seen in the United States on April 8, 2024, during the day.

The total solar eclipse could not be seen from Pittsburg, so Freshman Hadrain Zurek and Sophomore Robert Richardson traveled to watch it.

Zurek traveled to Southern Arkansas with his mom and a couple of her high school friends.

“We have been officially in planning since 2015. And then it became like a solar eclipse event in 2020 ish,” Zurek said.

Zurek and the group of people he traveled with, watched the solar eclipse from a busy midpoint location.

Zurek was cooking for the group of people he was with.

“The solar eclipse is a really historic event like this doesn’t just happen,” Zurek said. “I think it was that, combined with just talking with my family, that made it a great time. It was a combination of enjoyment and then also just getting to experience something so powerful.”

Along with Seeley, Zurek plans to see another solar eclipse soon.

“We’ve been looking at a few bookings and potential locations for solar eclipses and other events in the future, and kind of setting big plans for things like that,” Zurek said.

With his family, Richardson traveled to see the solar eclipse in Murfreesboro, Ark.

“We planned it a little bit last minute,” Richardson said. “My mom wanted to go to the Crater of Diamonds Arkansas State Park for a while and the solar eclipse just lined up perfectly.”

Richardson got the exciting experience of taking pictures of the solar eclipse with an eclipse lens.

“I had it set up and practiced the day before trying to get pictures of the sun,” Richardson said. “It was more difficult just getting pictures of the last sliver of the eclipse. But after that, I just took off the filter and the pictures were perfect.”

In Murfreesboro, the total solar eclipse lasted about two minutes.

“It was just amazement; seeing everything around me just turned to darkness,” Richardson said.

maintenance,” Brant said. “It’s taught me great problem solving skills and has taught me the mindset that any and everything can be fixed.”

Brant enjoys the uniqueness that the automotive technology class brings compared to his other classes at PHS, and recommends the class to people.

“I’d recommend the class to anyone that likes working with their hands or anyone that’s curious about how mechanisms work,” Brant stated. “You get to actually play and interact with the material you’re taught, and you’re not just sitting at a desk typing away on a chromebook all hour.”

The unique experience of working on his family heirloom bike has given Brant a valuable lesson.

“It’s easy to get stressed and overwhelmed, feeling like it’s all for nothing,” Brant stated. “But you just gotta step away, take a deep breath, and remind yourself that everything is fixable, and every problem is solvable.”

As a senior, I finally understood why seniors were excited to leave, but also sad to go. High school is the last trip before entering such a world called “adulthood”, and I’m glad to have been able to spend my last few months as “a kid” with such wonderful, funny, and hard-working people. I want to thank the Booster, PittMedia, Yearbook, Encore, etc. for the great memories and teaching moments. Overall, everyone that is or has been in PittMedia/Booster made my senior year enjoyable. I’m very proud of the underclassmen and how they are all super mature and work hard in their roles for this class. It’s crazy to see the progress people have made throughout the year. I hope nothing but the best for next year’s class, and I know they’ll do an outstanding job. In the end, I’m super happy to have been able to work, learn, and mentor my friends. This is senior Sidney Lira, saying farewell to the amazing group.

The moon passes over the sun during solar eclipse on April 8, 2024. Photo by | Robert Richardson

Photo provided by | Sidney Lira

Photo provided by | Wyatt Brant

Booster Redux Staff & Policy

Editors-in-Chief

Women deserve equal treatment

Gray talks about gender equality gaps in sports

Words by | Hailey Gray

As someone that has played sports since I was six years old, I have heard and experienced all of the degrading comments on women’s sports. Gender equality in sports has been a controversial topic for decades and, even though it has improved significantly, I think it is still a huge problem today and it needs to be emphasized. There are so many reasons why this happens today, including the difference in media coverage, the pay gap, highschool opportunities, and just the overall discrimination.

According to Goal Five, women athletes make up 40% of athletes, however, only 4% of media coverage is on womens sports. This invigorates the gender inequality in sports issue, as many people might not know about the streaming of women’s sports or aren’t able to access women’s sports which then decreases womens sports views. In addition to the lack of media coverage on women, the couple times they are covered, they have a much higher chance of being sexualized. Many times, rather than seen as a typical athlete, women athletes are objectified and sexualized, preventing them from increasing their self-confidence and making any progress.

Not only is the media coverage a problem, but the pay gap contributes tremendously to this issue. Women are constantly paid less than men in all professional sports. For example, according to Adelphi University, men are paid almost 11 million dollars in the NBA. On the other hand, women are paid 113,000 dollars in the WNBA. This is one of the biggest differences, but there are other sports that are unfair also. But, even though it varies from sport to sport, women are only paid a fraction of what men are in sports. This makes going pro as a woman, in the sport you love, hard because when your hard work is unlikely to be paid off the same way a man would be. This can be discouraging.

Gender inequality in sports starts from a young age. But, it really starts to come alive when you get into high school sports. According to Goal Five, there are 1.13 million fewer high school opportunities for a woman than a man. Obviously, this impacts girls’ lives because without a lifelong passion for sports, it will be hard for someone to go further in a sport. This plays into general

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.

stereotyping. Many times, those opportunities for girls will be absent because some might think they are not “supposed” to play that sport. For example, girls usually always have a cheer, dance, volleyball team,etc. But they might not have a soccer team, or a softball team because they have not always been “girl” sports. In conclusion, women experience many different inequalities in sports on a daily basis. This is something that people should be educated on so that we can eventually make it different. Ultimately, women deserve to be treated the same as men in this aspect. Are men physically stronger than women? Yes. But, that does not mean that women should be treated differently regarding media, pay, and opportunities.

23 flavors of happiness

Nickelson expresses her love for a popular drink

Words by | Chloe Nickelson

Everyone has a favorite drink, whether it be a type of soda, energy drink, lemonade, or tea. But, there is one drink that for me is clearly the best, Dr. Pepper. With a unique combination of 23 flavors, a caffeination boost, and the perfect amount of carbonation, Dr. Pepper is clearly the most significant drink.

Now, according to my parents, I am what they would consider a Dr. Pepper addict. But, regardless of their accusations, I believe that I like Dr. Pepper a perfectly normal amount of any sane person, and that amount would just so happen to be a lot. And, I am not the only one who likes Dr.

Pepper. Many of the teachers at Pittsburg High School sell soda and other treats and in all of these shops I see Dr. Pepper, which means it is a fan favorite and clearly sells well or else they would not be selling it.

Now that we’ve covered that I love Dr. Pepper, let’s see why Dr. Pepper is just so amazing. According to their website, Dr. Pepper is “a signature blend of 23 flavors,” but what are those flavors? According to Quora, the flavors have not been 100% confirmed or denied by the makers of Dr. Pepper, but the speculated 23 flavors of Dr. Pepper are, “Amaretto, almond, blackberry, black licorice, caramel, carrot, clove, cherry, cola, ginger, juniper, lemon, molasses, nutmeg, orange, prune, plum, pepper, root beer, rum, raspberry, tomato, and vanilla.” If you are anything like me who just listed those out, those flavors sound pretty disgusting and not at all like something I would want to drink. But, somehow and some way those 23 very diverse flavors come together to create the

masterpiece that is Dr. Pepper. Furthermore, another reason why I believe that Dr. Pepper is the best soda is because of the diversity of types. There’s normal Dr. Pepper, Dr. Pepper Strawberries and Cream, Dr. Pepper & Cream Soda, Dr. Pepper Cherry, and Dr. Pepper Cherry and Vanilla. Also, Dr. Pepper just added a new flavor, Dr. Pepper Creamy Coconut. This flavor is based around the new trend of “dirty sodas”. All of these flavors also come in diet and zero sugar options. Personally, somedays I want a normal Dr. Pepper and others I would rather have a Vanilla Dr. Pepper which makes this drink perfect at all times.

Overall, it is very clear that Dr. Pepper is the superior drink. From the flavors to the types and everything in between, Dr. Pepper is an amazing drink that has a lot to offer. Now, what are you waiting for, go down to your local gas station or grocery store and do yourself a favor and buy a Dr. Pepper.

The Tortured Poet’s Department

Lee discusses recent album and celebrity popularity

Words by | John Lee

Exactly 556 days ago, I wrote my review of Taylor Swift’s newest album at the time, Midnights. TLDR, I didn’t think it was great. Since then, I’ve tried to block everything Taylor Swift out of my social media. It didn’t work.

It’s interesting that even though I deliberately went out of my way not to listen to Swift’s new music, and kept myself from looking at social media posts regarding her, she’s still found a way into my life. She’s like a little parasite.

But as much as I dislike Taylor’s music, I do have to admire the fact that she has such a looming presence on the entirety of society. Not only has she taken over my tiktok feed, but she’s also taken over the entire NFL (like what?)

It’s crazy to me that my feed is filled with songs from her newest album, “The Tortured Poets Department”. That does not mean I like her music now, it’s just a byproduct of her advertising I swear. But I do enjoy making fun of her music every time it comes up. For example, in one of her newest songs, “But Daddy I Love Him”, she writes a lyric that reads, “Sanctimoniously performing soliloquies I’ll never see.” Girl, be so for real.

In this lyric, at least, she sounds like a middle schooler trying to fluff up their fivepage essay with their thesaurus. I digress, but her parasitic nature isn’t exclusive to individuals either. When the Super Bowl was airing live, any time the Kansas City Chiefs pulled off an impressive play or got hit with a controversial call, the

camera would go straight to the skybox to see Swift’s reaction just because she was seeing Tight End Travis Kelce.

Please NFL, I beg, please don’t teenage-ize football because you want more money from a certain demographic. Let me watch my king Kelce play in peace without seeing so-called-poet-Taylor-Swift on my screen every thirty seconds.

All in all though, even if I don’t admire Taylor’s questionable development in music creation, I do have to concede that her ubiquity is impressive.

I’ll never say that I like Taylor Swift. You will never catch me listening to her music openly either. That being said, if you see her on my feed, it’s only because of her advertising, I swear.

Graphic by | Audrey Hertrich

Graphicby|NoahMowdy

SPORTS

New management, same jerseys

PHS Alumni takes over the girls soccer program as the head coach

Words by | Hailey Gray

PHS alumni Natalie Talent has taken over as head coach alongside additional newly hired assistant coaches, Neira Garcia and Rachel Hutchison.

Talent graduated from PHS in 2021. Her first two years the soccer team was limited to co-ed, and her junior year when they finally formed a girls soccer team, covid shut down before she could play a game. Early in her senior year, she was not able to play due to an ACL injury but she went on to play at Tabor College in Hillsboro, KS before transferring to Pitt State University.

Talent was a coach last year assisting Riley Beihl. At the time, they were both young college students. This year, Talent has taken over that big responsibility and has experienced many new responsibilities.

“My main role [as an assistant] was to continuously find ways to be the biggest help I could be,” Talent said. “Now, this year, stepping into the head coach role was a big change. I had to learn to ask for help and learn to allow my now assistant coaches to help me in all the ways they can.”

Talent is currently attending college at Pitt State studying Recreation Services and Sport Hospitality Management. Every week, Talents schedule is full which, Talent mentions has been a challenge in this journey.

“There are quite literally no days off,” Talent said. “This schedule excludes my family time, personal time, homework, and planning a wedding, but it’s so fulfilling. Each part of it, every obstacle reassures me that my passion is still there and that my drive is still my drive.”

This year was a major progression for the girls soccer team however. 47 girls showed up to tryouts for this season. Talent says that this season has gone amazing despite some challenges they faced.

“We lost some crucial parts to our team last year that were seniors. While it did leave big shoes to fill, our girls have done just that,” Talent said. “Each one

of these players have not only proven themselves on the field, but have also proven themselves as teammates.”

Junior Andrea Rueda has been playing soccer since her freshman year. Rueda has been coached by a different head coach every year since her freshman year. But, this season they have made some changes under the new head coach and have focused on team bonding.

“We have a great group right now,” Rueda said. “We have a new tradition where everyday after practice one player of the team gets a baton and puts a sticker or a quote on it and passes it on the next day to another player that stuck out to them that day at practice or the game.”

With Talent taking over the new head coach position, the girls soccer team have focused on different aspects of the game than previous year and, according to Rueda, have been helping the team.

“If we lose, we focus on what we could’ve done better, if we win we do the same,” Rueda said. “No matter if we win or lose we continue to try our best whether it’s at practices or games.”

Athletic director Jeff Staley had applicants falling into his hands from the day that he had posted the opening. However, Staley mentions that Talent won the job based on her interview.

“What separated her from everyone else was the passion for Pittsburg Highchool,” Staley said. “She knows what understanding the program means and what its like to be a dragon.”

Ever since the girls soccer team was established, there has been history made from their first win to their first time hosting regionals last season. However, Talent continues to strive for more than just history.

“For me, it’s not so much thinking about the history, but more than that,” Talent said. “It’s always been thinking about the future. The future for soccer, for people’s daughters, for young girls who get the same opportunities that I had.”

Taking home the gold back-to-back

PHS archery competes at state and brings home trophies

Words by | Chloe Nickelson

On March 30, 2024, Pittsburg

ar-

Packard for the past nine years.

“We had 36 archers on our team this season,” Packard said. “We kept stats of their shooting total and the top 24 archers competed at state this year.”

One of those who competed was senior Tucker Akins who has been involved with archery for the past four years.

“It is not as easy as it looks,” Akins said. “But it sure is fun. It takes a lot of practice and repetition, but it is totally worth it.”

To prepare for state, the team held multiple practices and went to other tournaments.

“The archers have been practicing for months,” Packard said. “We offer practice three times a week in the evening. To further prepare we had to narrow the team down to 24 archers after our final season tournament which took place on March 1st.”

This year the team stayed for two days to participate in the awards ceremony which took place after the competition. At that ceremony, Pittsburg took home two trophies.

“We stayed for the trophy ceremony and we collected our 2 trophies for getting 1st and 2nd as a team,” Akins said. “It was a really fun experience and a great way to end my archery career.”

Archery has been able to bring together a diverse group of students.

“Getting to know more students from PHS has been my favorite part,” Packard said. “We have archers grades 9-12 and attract a wide variety of personalities and interests.”

Recent Sport Signings

Softball

Baseball Basketball

High School’s

chery team traveled to Hutchinson, Kansas to compete at state.

The program has been headed by coach Mary

Georgia Boekhout signs to Dawson Community College in Montana Photo provided by | Madisyn Robison

Jacob Linahan signs to Ottawa University in Ottawa, Kansas Photo by | Camden Huffman

Beau Pastuer signs to Hutchinson Community College in Hutchinson, Kansas Photo provided by | Madisyn Robison

Webb Fern signs to Coffeyville Community College in Coffeyville, Kansas Photo by |

Jacqueline Hall signs to Missouri Southern State University in Joplin, Missouri Photo by | Isabella Silva

Mason English signs to Link Year in Branson, Missouri Photo provided by | Madisyn Robison

Kiran Navaratnam signs to Evangel University in Springfield, Missouri Photo provided by | Madisyn Robison

Photo by | Sidney Lira

Photo provided by | Mary Packard