riding the airwaves
The Booster Redux Pittsburg High School 1978 E. 4th Street Pittsburg, KS 66762 Vol. 99, Issue 4 www.boosterredux.com
Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2016 students practice BMX staff editorial: bike skills at Pittsburg High School’s Mission Statement: “Every student at Pittsburg High School will local park graduate ready to be successful in postsecondary education, the workforce and life skills.”
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journalism wins awards students bring home national awards Page 2D
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n the wall of the commons area hangs a plaque of the mission statement which reminds students and staff of the purpose of receiving an education at PHS. Discussion in the newsroom led to staff members, many of whom were seniors, expressing discontent with the education and preparation for college they had received. Many students did not feel challenged in their courses and others articulated a need for more information on postsecondary opportunities. Upon further examination, we as a staff felt the need to assess our school’s success at meeting this promise. Becausae of this, we dedicated all content on pages 3-6 to investigate the academic environment at PHS. By talking to students, alumni, community members, educators and administrators, we featured various perspectives on the high school’s
rigor of courses and the outcomes of students after high school. We found that students generally felt underprepared for life after high school due to a lack of exposure. While we do not think PHS is the only school that After examining the various views expressed, the staff offers solutions to some of the issues that we believe exist in our education system. We hope to start a conversation with all vested stakeholders regarding the current academic structure in order to provide a better understanding of the concerns. We propose that teachers are given more feedback regarding their classroom instruction and that their testing results are monitored by the administration. We suggest a continued focus on the basics of college and career readi-
ness as well as the coursework students receive will prepare them for postsecondary education. However, the staff acknowledges that student apathy and indifference also shape the learning atmosphere at PHS. Some students choose not to be attentive in class or even attend classes regularly, let alone enroll in rigorous courses. We believe these issues are also the responsibility of the students and their families, not just the high school faculty and administration. We recognize the success of the students at PHS is a collaborative effort between the student body and the faculty. When creating this issue, we hoped that the variety of views expressed throughout our coverage would offer different viewpoints and would change the way the quality of our education is evaluated.
CONTINUED ON PAGES 3-6 FOR IN-DEPTH COVERAGE
ATHLETES SIGN LETTERS OF INTENT JORDEN JOHNSON
@PHSStudentPub
On Nov. 9, four seniors signed letters of intent to play at the collegiate level. These athletes represented three different sports: volleyball, wrestling and baseball.
Jake Webb
Jake Webb signed with Kansas State University in Manhattan to continue his baseball career. After nearly a year of consideration, Webb selected K-State for its baseball facility. “I wasn’t always a big fan of K-State as a school,” Webb said. “Because of baseball, I just fell in love with it.” He is not only looking forward to playing for K-State, but also increasing his overall skills. “I’m really excited about the next level and getting out there to better my skills and myself as a person,” Webb said. “I am [more] excited [than] nervous and I feel [ready] to see the jump in competition.”
Kayne Hutchison
what’s the score? a look at standardized test scores Page 7D
Kanye Hutchison signed with the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado to wrestle. The opportunity presented post-college service. “I started looking at them last year but, even sophomore year, I wanted to go to an academy because I would get to serve,” Hutchison said. “When they contacted me [expressing] interest in me wrestling for them, it seemed like a perfect fit [because] it’s a Division I wrestling school.” The level of competition appeals to Hutchison. “I’m excited. [There is a lot] of good wrestling up there,” Hutchison said. “High school can be a little hit-or-miss on your competition, but at the college level everyone is good.” Hutchison believes he is ready to take on any challenge. “I just love wrestling in good matches,” Hutchison said. “[I’m] always shooting for the national titles.”
Dylan Prince
Dylan Prince signed with the University of Central Oklahoma (UCO) in Edmond to advance his wrestling skills. Prince chose UCO thinking it was an appropriate fit for his skills. “It was a good set-up for me,” Prince said. “I’m really excited to be able to continue competting while at UCO.” He feels prepared for the next phase of his life. “It feels great,” Prince said. “I worked hard
Jake Webb, Kayne Hutchison, Dylan Prince and Taylor Muff siign letters of intent. PHOTOS BY ISAAC LEVERENZ, MORGAN NOE, OLIVIA REDD AND SHANNON O’HARA
and I’m ready for anything that comes my way.” Prince is satisfied with all the time he has committed to get to this level. “I’m really excited [because of] all the hard work I put in for it, plus all the skills [I learned],” Prince said. “I plan to [use my abilities to] win a national title.”
Taylor Muff
Taylor Muff signed to play volleyball at the University of Northern Colorado (UNCO) in Greeley. “I really like the coach there,” Muff said. “She told me what she wanted from me, and I really appreciated it.”
Muff looks forward to moving on to the next level. “I’m excited about it because it is faster and a lot more intense,” Muff said. “I’m nervous because I’ll be so far away from home, but I’m really excited to be part of the program.” Muff has been interested in UNCO since she was in ninth grade. As an upcoming collegiate athlete, Muff is eager for the future. “[I’m looking forward] to the speed of the game,” Muff said. “I’m ready to play with really great athletes who will back me up.”
Teams donate to angels among us MEGHAN BAKER
Q/A with Superintendent destry brown Page 6D
CLASSROOM RIGOR in-depth examination of academics in PHS Page 3D
@meghanbaker11 As he coaches the girls basketball team during the pink out game, head coach Eric Flaton will think about his mom. “My mom had breast cancer. It’s very common, but it’s very beatable if you have the funding to catch it early,” Flaton said. “My mom has been a survivor for ten years.” Flaton is not the only one who remembers someone during pink out. Freshman basketball player Kaydn Matlock wears pink for freshman Ethan Weidert. “With Ethan being in my grade and being one of my friends, it made me truly start to realize how life can change in an instant and how serious things can be,” Matlock said. “Horrible things can happen to great people, and I thought it was awesome how much support Ethan [received] through his time.” Head golf coach Mary Packard remembers her friend and some family members. “I think of my friend Erin. She had a double mastectomy when we went to college together,” Packard said. “My grandma and my aunt both had breast cancer. It’s an endless list of people. It’s just trying to remember those and trying to help those who need it right now.” Along with Packard, senior volleyball player Lauren Hurt wears pink for her grandma and aunt. “I wear pink because my grandma passed away from breast cancer June 7, 2007 and my aunt Jennifer recently got diagnosed with breast cancer,” Hurt said. “Both my aunt and grandma have affected my life by showing me
Senior athletes present Diana Polston from Angels Among Us with a donation check comprised of proceeds from each sport’s annual Pink Out fundraising events. PHOTOS BY KAITLYN KIDD
how to be strong even when things aren’t going the way probably expected to.” According to Packard, “pink out” games started six years ago. “Back when I was a volleyball coach, it’s just a thing the volleyball team started to do. It is an event that is okayed by KSHSAA for us to do,” Packard said. “It was a good opportunity to get people to come and watch the volleyball game because the volleyball team usually has about two to three home games a year.” This year $1,100 was raised by the volleyball team, according to head coach Megan Mantooth. The money was donated to Angels Among Us. This local charity has helped local cancer patients since 2000. For the basketball teams, they are doing something different this year. The team is participating in the Coaches vs. Cancer program three-point challenge.
For every three pointer that is made, a donation is made to a cancer research foundation. “All the SEK teams are in this challenge. We have two men’s basketball coaches whose wives have gotten breast cancer, so they started this,” Flaton said. “Every week we have to send our threepoint total in. There will be a week where we will specifically compete against Fort Scott, so it will be cool if we get everyone to participate or donate and, hopefully, we can beat Fort Scott at raising money for a great cause.” Matlock believes giving back is an important component in showing the community that the school cares. “It shows the amount of support that, not only our team, but our school has for cancer survivors and nonsurvivors,” Matlock said. “Even the little things such as wearing pink bring honor to those people.”