September 2019 by Booster Redux

Features Pg. 4 A look at the VSCO trend

In-Depth Pgs. 6 & 7

Partnerships provide students with resources

News Pg. 2 Check out the redesigned library

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The Booster Redux Pittsburg High School

Pittsburg, KS 1978 E. 4th Street

Vol. 103 Issue 1

September, 2019

District adopts new policy Freshman Olivia Doodnauth wears a hat in class, while on her phone. Senior Keirstin Dunsworth completes work for an online class in the commons area during her free hour wearing a cami tank top. Last year hats and spaghetti straps would have been prohibited. Photos by | Beth Blessent

Free to be me

Administration implements new dress code Words by | Kaley Mussa tarting in August, the school has implemented a new dress code policy. “We felt like we were causing more trouble and more of a distraction trying to call kids out on [wearing hats, crop tops, etc.] instead of just allowing them,” principal Kelynn Heardt said. Junior Noemi Hernandez sees the change as a good one. “Personally, I like the new dress code policy because it gives us the flexibility to wear whatever we would like,” Hernandez said. “I have been wearing whatever I want without worrying about getting in trouble.” Some teachers have continued to enforce specific rules in their classroom regarding dress.

“I have kept the same policy I have always had,” science teacher Mary Packard said. “It was how I grew up. There is no need to have a stocking cap on in my classroom. It is not cold. It is a rule in my room, and kids have complied, which is great.” Senior Blake Foster prefers the policy this year because it allows him to wear his hat throughout the day. “Last year I wasn’t allowed to wear my hat at all, and this year I can. I like that a lot better,” Foster said. “I wear my hat pretty much every day now and when I am asked by a teacher to take it off, I always take it off.“ For Heardt, education is the first priority. “We have the mindset that we are here to educate kids first and foremost. If [clothing] is super

distracting or school inappropriate, the item can be asked to be removed,” Heardt said. “Taking some of the specific items out of the way gives us a little more flexibility, but also gives kids a little more freedom, as long as they are learning what’s appropriate to wear for the setting.” With the introduction of the Dragon Way, students are expected to know what clothing is appropriate in certain situations. “I think by eliminating specific [clothing] items and the introduction of The Dragon Way, we are teaching kids what it means to be school appropriate and what it means to be respectful,” Heardt said. “We are keeping the small things small. If your tank top is too tiny and we need you to put a jacket on, it’s not a big deal. We just need you to do it.”

Workplace dress codes Wendy’s Employees are expected to arrive at work well groomed, hygienic and in clean uniform. The name tag they receive must be worn at all times as part of their work attire along with a hat or visor. Starbucks According to the Lookbook, employees can wear pants, shorts, skirts or dresses in black, gray, navy, brown or khaki (no white). Jeans in darker washes and hues are ok. All clothing should be durable, practical and fit comfortably, without rips, tears, patches or distressing. Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin Work appropriate, clean, and proper fitting clothes… Leggings should be worn with a top that falls at least mid-thigh. Info from CHW.org, Indeed.com and Dickies.com

Meghan Jackson

Jordan Akins

Matthew Moore

Faith McGown

Marvin Rojo

Math student teacher

Senior

Junior

Sophomore

Freshman

“I think that it is a good way for students to express themselves. If you’re wearing something provocative then your parents should stop you or your first hour teacher will probably stop you.”

“I think that when there was one that it wasn’t enforced, so I think it is better to just not have one because they didn’t enforce it anyway.”

“Having a reasonable “I think that a dress “I feel like it is better dress code benefits code is dumb. You because now people the school. Some aren’t able to express are able to wear what people are going to yourself as much. I like they would like and dress the way they to wear things that they are not forced to want to dress and reflect my personality wear what they do not sometimes it really and with the dress want to.” can be a distraction. code, sometimes you In my opinion, having can’t do that. “ a reasonable dress code is better than not having one at all.”

Words by | Mattie Vacca In August, USD 250 rolled out a new document detailing “The Dragon Way” as a standard of behavior and expectations obtained through feedback provided by stakeholders and community members. “The Dragon Way is an understanding for any and all Dragons,” principal Kelynn Heardt said. “It stems from the community to the parents, teachers, staff, administrators and students. It’s put in place to develop a consistency of expectations and standards. It is just a reminder that we are here to do things with integrity. I think we can all agree that when we do things with integrity and with excellence, it just creates a more positive environment.” According to superintendent Rich Proffitt, the document is a set of rules and guidelines to follow. “Hopefully it just reiterates what that excellence is. It is not a list of don’ts. It’s just a reminder of policies to go with everything,” Proffitt said. “It is what we really expect out of Pittsburg. We want the best.” The Dragon Way was put in place to help benefit kids after they graduate and to help them learn skills that will be used in the real world and in real jobs. “Outside of [school], in a job setting you couldn’t just scream an obscenity across the store and expect to keep your job,” Heardt said. “The community wants people that can come out and be responsible citizens and competent communicators. People who are able to come out and work as a team. Those are things we’re supposed to teach you.” The document serves as a guideline to prepare students for left after graduation. “One of the things that I think everybody wants, or that they expect, is that we do everything with excellence. That can be in the classroom and what teachers do. It can be on the stage, on the court or on the field. It can also be what we’re doing with academics,” Proffitt said. “It also means the way that our school grounds work to the quality of our food, to the way that the building looks so that everything we do is with excellence.”

NEWS

September 2019

Check it out: Words by | Abby Painter

mong all of the new changes to PHS by bond construction, the library went through a full remodel. When librarian Samantha Warren returned to the school on July 22, she was surprised by the updates. “I just had no idea that this was what it was going to look like,” Warren said. “It took a little bit of time for me to wrap my head around the space and where I wanted to put things and how it was going to be used, so I wish I’d had more time to live in the space before school started.” The library is now open for regular use, as well as being the classroom for student leadership. Sophomore Rylee Scott enjoys the redesign. “I go to the library every day for

Redesigned library opens

student council and I think it looks super nice and up to date,” Scott said. “I do like it better than the old library just because I think that it looks more appealing.” Freshman Garrett Hanson also likes the new library layout. “The new design of the library is really nice and modern,” Hanson said. “It is a good, quiet and calming place for students to study, read, etc.” According to library aide, Julie McClure there are pros and cons to the new layout. “It was hard to see kids in the old library,” McClure said. “So this one you can look out and you can see about every student in the library and nobody is hidden. I like the open space.” Along with the remodel, the desktop computers available to students in the library were all removed. There is now a laptop cart for student use, but Warren

Remembering Tony Taylor

Senior class says goodbye Words by | Joy Lee

On July 13, senior Anthony Taylor Senior Tony Taylor passed away on July 13, passed away due to a heart complication 2019. Taylor was involved in football and while swimming. Taylor was an honor roll debate. student, involved in activities including football and debate. Fellow classmate and friend Isaiah Yamamura was inspired to memorialize and raise funds for his scholarship by selling a bracelet to commemorate Taylor. “I had the idea to make the bracelets.” Yamamura said. “We decided [to] go with his name and birthdate. First, it was just going to be for a small group of people, but then we decided to buy a whole bunch.” What was once intended for a small group of people turned into something much bigger. Senior Grace Kafka and junior Christian Stover were two of the students that helped Yamamura with the process. “I really wanted to be involved in any way just because Tony was somebody in our class that everybody knew; everybody loved Tony,” Kafka said. Yamamura, Kafka, Stover utilized social media to distribute the bracelets. They decided to sell them for $2 each, and all funds went toward the Tony Taylor Memorial Scholarship Fund, managed by his church, South Broadway Baptist. “I miss him,” Stover says. “Don’t forget him because he was a good person.”

says that she has fewer students come in due to the lack of available computers. “I do think losing the computers has an effect on students because I think a lot of people did go in there to use the computers,” Scott said. “I also think that the computers in the library were really good for students who don’t have computers at home.” The library has added a multitude of new rooms including Warren’s office, a room to house the copier, a teacher collaboration space and a room dedicated to student council. Since the rooms take away space from the main area, a group of books had to be removed and were donated to the public library for its book sale. “I really have no complaints about [the new library,]” Warren said. “It’s smaller than my last space but I don’t think that’s necessarily a bad thing, we’re just going to have to use it differently.”

The library, which is now available for all students to use, now has a limited number of computers available. “You can look out and see about every student in the library and nobody is hidden. I like the open space,” Julie McClure said. Junior Madden Petty works in the remodeled library during her third hour class. Photos by | Beth Blessent

District moves enrollment online Words by | Ian Sullivan Beginning in the 2019-20 school year, USD 250 implemented an online only enrollment policy. Historically, enrollment has only taken place in person or on paper. Superintendent Rich Proffitt experienced this past year the inconveniences. “The old system was that everyone came in and enrolled on paper, and all of that information was then re-typed into our student information system. So for some people, it was a little bit of an inconvenience, and it certainly was taking away from a lot of staff time to input all that information. Plus, we have technology that we can utilize, so it helped streamline a process for the school district,” Proffitt said. According to Proffitt, there were many factors behind the decision that lead to the new policy. “It also allowed for some convenience of parents, [because] they didn’t have to schedule a time to come in anymore, they can do it from their home. But also [helping] those that either have a language barrier or they didn’t have the technology to put it in, we can also help them out,” Proffitt said. Gina Ulbrich, who has worked as a counselor for the last six years, wasn’t entirely sure about the changes with the enrollment system at first. “I was honestly leery of the new online enrollment system at first, not against it, just leery. I was worried that there would be too many glitches or situations not considered. I have to say, it has been wonderful. Parents and students no longer have to take off work to stand in long lines in a crowded room to fill out forms. They can fill them out all in the comfort of their living room or wherever else they choose and whenever it is most convenient for them,” Ulbrich said.

After seeing this plan in process, Proffitt has been able to see what has worked well. “The positives are the convenience factor, for the patrons enrolling their students, and even more for the school district. Being able to upload that information into our student information system and then just checking on it, it saved a lot of time and input and allowed us to get more correct information,” Proffitt said. “Plus, it also is a bit of a convenience for parents, I mean you have to type some information in, but there’s a lot of forms that have to be filled out by law, and it allowed them to just e-sign them and get it done in a quick manner.” According to Proffitt, even though the new system isn’t exactly perfect, he is hopeful for the future. “Anytime you do something for the first time, there are a little bit of some bumps in the road. We feel that a lot of questions were from people who had forgotten their login information, even though you always think that the instructions are pretty clear, sometimes there are some people who misunderstood it,” Proffitt said. “Some of those things were brought to our attention and so we quickly responded to those, but it’s going to be better next year, and I think everybody now sees that we’re moving in that direction.” In preparation for the next school year, Proffitt plans on improving the system for the future. “We’re going to have a meeting with everybody that was involved and we’re going to talk about what worked well, what didn’t, and we’ll try to make improvements on things that didn’t work as well. There’s a lot of moving pieces behind the scenes that make this happen and being able to communicate with the company that provides this service, it’s going to make everything work better for next year,” Proffitt said.

OPINION Booster Redux Staff & Policy Editors-in-Chief Joseph Lee McKenna Hodges Elle Burgess

Online Editors Sarah Alcantar Ashlan Brooks

Print Editor Hannah Gray

Social Media Manager Abby Painter

Multimedia Editor Lane Phifer

Business Manager Braden Benson

Strategic Communications Chair Joy Lee

Staff

Kaley Mussa A.J. Ortiz Keith Perkins Ian Sullivan Mattie Vacca

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

September 2019

Antonio Clown breaks up with NFL

Sullivan says good riddance Words by | Ian Sullivan

s a life-long Kansas City Chiefs fan, I can confidently say that I strongly dislike former NFL player Antonio Brown. On Aug. 10, Brown’s former trainer filed a federal lawsuit against him accusing him of sexual assault. As the news of his recent sexual assault charge was released, it really didn’t surprise me one bit. He’s a narcissist and borderline sociopath who thinks of himself so highly that he that thinks he is the center of the universe. Starting just last year in 2018, Brown’s egotistical attitude became evident after his numerous arguments with his former team, the Pittsburgh Steelers. After skipping practices, breaking league rules and even a heated argument with his quarterback, he was traded to the Oakland Raiders. Little did the world of football know, this would only be the beginning of Brown’s controversies. Just in the last couple months, sports media has gone wild with new headlines about Brown almost every week. In May of this year, Brown would get into an argument with the Raiders organization because they wouldn’t let him use him old helmet. Yes, you heard me correctly. A helmet. Brown risked his eligibility and his tenth NFL season over a football helmet. It’s these kind of things that make me not like Brown at all. He acts as if he is the world revolves around him. To keep things brief, Brown would later threaten to punch his general manager and was traded to the New England Patriots. Less than a week after his trade-deal, Taylor’s accusations hit the mainstream media. The takeaway from all of these incidents is that it’s obvious that Brown has a hard time being told no, and it simply doesn’t surprise me that Taylor came forward and accused Brown of such a heinous act. Art by | Lane Phifer

Seeing through the smoke Alcantar stands against e-cigarettes Words by | Sarah Alcantar This summer, I went to the Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America Conference (CADCA). At the convention, our Youth Coalition for the Crawford County Livewell Addiction Prevention Taskforce learned about different ways to help our community fight against drugs and tobacco use and also bringing awareness to our community of these addictions. Tobacco-based products are being targeted towards teens more and more, especially with vaping and Juuling. It has been well established that vaping is causing a fatal lung illness. A study by the CDC stated that there are about 450 possible cases of this illness in 33 states which include five deaths and this has just started this summer. This has led me to the conclusion that it is best to just not vape. Art by | Joy Lee

The current mysterious respiratory illness from vaping can range from a cough and a fever to chest pain and shortness of breath. According to NBC News, the CDC advised individuals to consider not using e-cigarettes, because as of now, this is the primary means of preventing this severe lung disease, according to CDC Lung Injury Response team member Dr. Dana Meaney-Delman. Despite these facts surrounding vaping, it is reported by Yale Medicine that “more than 3.6 million middle and high school students currently use e-cigarettes, according to the latest National Youth Tobacco Study. Another national study last year found that 11 percent of high school seniors, 8 percent of 10th-graders, and 3.5 percent of eighth-graders vaped with nicotine during a previous one month period.” Another study afterward found out that the teens who are vaping think it is mostly harmless. E-cigarettes have been known for being a “safer” alternative than regular tobacco products. But studies have shown that since they have higher nicotine content than regular cigarettes, they can harm the development of the brain. With the brain is fully developed by the age of 25, our teenage brains can’t afford it. According to Surgeon General.gov, nicotine products can have long-lasting effects on the brain including mood disorders, lowering impulse control, loss of attention span and nicotine addiction. Overall, from what I have read and the training that I received at the CADCA convention, my advice is to just not start. Tobacco is a very addictive drug that can take over your life. The choice is yours. If you are already addicted you can find help through your family doctor, school nurse, school counselor, and the Crawford County Health Department for guidance and direction in getting help to quit.

Staff Editorial:

Booster staff encourages students to stop stigmas

From mental and physical healthcare to food support, the district is taking initiative to meet the needs of every student. The school provides food and basic hygiene products and works with various community organizations to provide more costly resources like healthcare or larger purchases such as a bed. Though we applaud the district for its efforts, we fear the potential peer stigma regarding a need for assistance could prevent students from seeking help, leaving available resources untouched. While we were interviewing students who benefitted from these different support systems, a common factor stopping students from reaching out was that they felt embarrassed. This stigma is dangerous and places guilt on people for situations that are out of their control. The obligation falls on us

as fellow students to end the stigma that comes with being without basic necessities we might take for granted. We highlight VSCO girl characteristics on page six, but we can connect those trends back to the idea of stigmatizing. Some of the objects surrounding the stereotype, namely the Hydro Flask, are expensive compared to everyday objects, yet we as a student body do not shame or judge people for owning these costly products. The case should be the same for both ends of the monetary spectrum. With the idea of supporting students in any way they need, we urge our peers to be understanding of their classmates’ needs and to help hesitant peers ask for help. Students can lend a helping hand by encouraging their peers to reach out by reporting a need to any faculty member in the building.

We also urge the faculty to help make these resources more widely known to students. Teachers are often able to read a student’s situation and their needs. It is often intimidating for students to take the first step in obtaining the basics of what they need to succeed. Teachers and students can find a more in-depth look on pages four and five at the available resources. Lastly, we encourage our peers in need to take initiative with outstretched hands and to not be afraid to seek out help. We recognize that asking for help under stigmatized conditions is not easy, nor is it ideal. Confidence to do so is difficult to develop, but practicing reaching out for help while still in high school is good preparation for adult life. The responsibility ultimately falls on students themselves to reach out and admit when they need help.

FEATURE

September 2019

SCO

CO A closer look at the latest trend Words by | Sarah Alcantar

“[Some trends back then were] big bangs and feathered hair,” science teacher Karen Curran said. “Leg warmers, alking down the hallways, it’s noticeable pinning your jeans at the bottom and all that stuff has that several girls are wearing similar outfits already come back around. Oversized sweaters, oversized — an oversized t-shirt over athletic shorts, a shirts tied at the corner. Nike Cortez was big. Jams were scrunchie, a puka shell necklace with a Hydro Hawaiian print shorts and they were big, oh and Tube socks, Flask water bottle in hand. These girls have been labeled as everybody wore high socks.” “VSCO girls”. The VSCO trend started on Social media and with how According to an Urban Dictionary definition, VSCO girls much this generation spends time on social media no are “the Tumblr girls of 2019, you’ll probably catch them wonder this trend became so popular. wearing a scrunchie, tube top, puka shell necklace, white “You see a lot of celebrities on Instagram who obviously vans or Birkenstocks and don’t forget the Hydro Flask to looks like [VSCO girls] like Emma Chamberlin and other finish off the look.” celebrities and of course, the app has a ton of stuff that The term originated from social media but more influences people [too],” sophomore Rachael White said. specifically, this label came from the photo editing app “People on social media want to be like people that they see VSCO. This app features filters and other editing tools and it on the internet. So if someone’s like ‘Oh they’re doing this also lets you upload your photos on to the VSCO platform. that sounds cool I want to do it too.’” “I think of VSCO the app,” freshman Alexis Shidler said. “It Now that trends are easily noticed and can be started started out as a photo through social media, it editing app and then can be hard to imagine it kind of just changed how people kept up into a personality. to date on the newest If they can start some kind of off the wall thing, and it catches on Everybody [also] thinks styles before social with a few people then it becomes this huge deal across the globe. of Hydro Flasks and media. But then in the blink of an eye, it’s gone because there’s some other scrunchies.” “[We got our trends big thing coming right behind it.” Trends have come from] MTV, T.V. shows a long way from and magazines,” Karen Curran people doing popular Curran said. “Teen dance moves like the Beat was still a thing Moonwalk to people then, 17 Magazine, and saying “Sksksk and I oop!” when they drop their Hydro Flask. Cosmo. But probably mostly TV and movies were our media “When I was in high school girls wore only dresses,” outlet. “ secretary Karen Odgers said. “There were no pants and no It is hard to say when the VSCO trend will end, but after jeans. Even wearing a t-shirt to school was not allowed. it does there will probably be another trend waiting in the Then before [holidays], we had what was called dress-up wings to swoop in and take its spot. days and that was really getting dressed up. High heels for “Trends don’t last as long as they used to,” Curran said. the girls and suits and ties for the guys. Everybody liked to do “That’s somebody’s claim to fame. If they can start some that, but obviously that’s a long time ago.” kind of off the wall thing, and it catches on with a few people In the 80s, trends became bolder and expressive. then it becomes this huge deal across the globe. But then in Parachute pants were popular and a common color palette the blink of an eye, it’s gone because there’s some other big was neon. thing coming right behind it.”

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Graphics by | Joy Lee

VSCO girl terminology according to Urban Dictionary... VSCO Girl

Sksksksksk

And I oop

scrunchie, tube top, puka shell necklace, white Vans or Birkenstocks

- a term used by VSCO girls that signifies laughing

- this term is used when VSCO girls drop their over priced water bottle,

and don’t forget the Hydro Flask to finish off the look

Person 1: I dropped my Hydro Flask

their Hydro Flask, or when they do something wrong

Look at her instagram feed she’s such a VSCO girl

Person 2: And I oop sksksksk

VSCO girl: “and I oop - I dropped my Hydro Flask sksksksk”

-the Tumblr girls of 2019, you’ll probably catch them wearing a

New year, new lunch schedule

Admin shifts schedule to separate study hall

Words by | Braden Benson A new schedule has been implemented with two lunches and an additional study hall. Administration wanted there to be separate lunches, but they also wanted students to have time to work on things they needed to. “We made sure when we went to the split lunch, that we gave you a study hall to still provide you that time to go to classes to get help and to do your homework,” activities director Jeff Staley said. Three years ago, PHS had three lunches in one day and implemented this lunch for at least a decade. Over the past two years there have been four different lunch schedules. In the fall of 2017, lunch was changed to Power Hour. Power Hour allowed all students to eat lunch at the same time. This gave students

opportunities to be with anyone during that lunch. “We had heard about something called a lunch hour. We called it a Power Hour,” Staley said. “That gave the students, the entire student body, almost an hour to eat.” However, after two weeks of complications, Power Hour was suspended. “We didn’t have the space for Power Hour, it was too crowded and the supervision was difficult,” Staley said. For the following year, depending on what side of the building a student had class determined what time they ate lunch. If it wasn’t lunch, students had a 25 minute study hall. Some students see this year’s lunch change as a positive one. “Last year, in order to do our sectionals for choir, we would of had to take our study hall to do that, but now we have a free study hall,” sophomore Sophie Casper said.

Other students have differing opinions. “I don’t really like how it’s so cramped now,” senior Avery Bowman said. “Lunch and study hall have so many students that there are too many kids in one individual class. Now students don’t have the freedom they did and they have assigned classes.” In addition to students, some teachers also see this year’s lunch as a positive change. This lunch has impacted the faculty as well. A focus is keeping students in a designated area and preventing them from wandering. “We feel like [this lunch] has a positive impact and we’re going to try to stick with it,” Staley said. “We don’t want there to be a disruption to the learning so we try to keep kids in a certain area.” In the end, admin agrees that this lunch is the best for everyone. “You’re never going to have a system that makes everybody happy,” Staley said. “We’re always looking for ways to improve.”

FEATURE

September 2019

PHS welcomes new staff Words by| Ashlan Brooks Photos by| Francisco Castaneda

Jesse Blake

English teacher Kristy Uttley discusses the concept of respect with her advisory group on Wednesdays during study hall period. As part of a new character education initiative, the district has chosen a list of concepts for advisory group periods to target, learning a new one every month. Photo by | Rebeccah Jones

Building relationships

Jesse Blake started her teaching career last year at Greenbush. However, that wasn’t her original path. It wasn’t until she did behavior therapy for kids with autism in college that she realized she was interested in Special Education. She graduated with a bachelor’s in music education and returned for master’s in special education. When she’s not teaching, she sings in a Joplin choir.

New study hall format includes character education Words by | Ashlan Brooks

tudents now have a new class period between lunch and 5th hour known as study hall. However, on Wednesdays, study hall is utilized as an advisory period to implement character education. Students will have the same teacher during study hall for all four years of high school. “They will be the teacher who checks up on students grades, makes sure they are behaving, and makes sure they don’t need anything,” librarian Samantha Warren said. “It’s an opportunity for students to have a constant person here at school.” Students are not allowed to travel to other classrooms on Wednesday. This gives students and their advisory teacher a designated day to be together. “Wednesday is dedicated to building not only the students’ character,” Warren said. “But their relationships with their advisory teacher.” Another focus for Wednesdays’ advisory time is for students to build relationships. “I think it is a great opportunity to build relationships between teachers and students and [it adds] an accountability piece for students,”

assistant principal Jeff Johsnson said. “As you get classroom setting it’s just not possible because of older, you remember your favorite teachers being the high number of kids you only have for an hour.” the ones you had great relationships with.” Some students feel the new study hall period This idea was first introduced earlier this spring negatively affects other parts of their day. by the administration. It was then presented to the “I don’t like eating lunch so early,” sophomore building leadership team (BLT), which is comprised Abbie Musgrave said. “If kids eat second breakfast of one teacher from every department in the at 9:00 a.m., no one wants to eat first lunch building. They helped because it’s at 11:00 decide what time of day a.m..” to place advisory and While some students how it operates. feel discontent towards We are in the very beginning of doing Even though it is new the system, others have something new as a school. I do believe almost no opinion at all. to most of the staff and it is working and I believe that it will get students, for some it is a “I feel like it’s basically better each week. familiar concept. the same as last year,” “This is something we sophomore, Owen Miller Jeff Johnson used to do a long time said. “Just reshuffled. ago,” Warren said. “It “[The character was called Seminar. The veteran teachers of PHS education aspect] is the same stuff they’ve been have done this before.” teaching us since pre-k.“ The main goal of the advisory period is to allow Like all changes, time to adjust is needed for teachers to build relationships with their students students and teachers to fully develop an opinion in a way they haven’t been able to before due to about the matter. time constraints. “We are in the very beginning of doing “Advisory classes are only around 15-16 kids something new as a school,” Johnson said. “I do to help teacher get more one-on-one time with believe it is working and I believe that it will get individual students,” Warren said. “Sometimes in a better each week.”

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Lockers: needed or not? Students discuss whether or not lockers are a necessity Words by | Lane Phifer Due to the remodel, most of the student lockers have been removed. Because of the shortage of lockers, students and administration are unsure if lockers are needed or not. “I’m personally all for lockers because not everything fits in my backpack and if it did, it would be extremely heavy,” junior Emma Fischer said. “As an athlete and a pianist, I don’t have time to deal with back pain that would negatively affect how I play both tennis and piano.” Unlike some students that see lockers as a priority, there are some that see them as unnecessary. “Most of the time lockers for us were a big waste,” junior Devin Kuhel said. “It leaves a lot of space for the school to actually do things and a lot of time we didn’t even use them. Of course, a handful of students do, but at the end of the day there are other solutions.” According to assistant principal Chris Garzone, only 10 percent out of the 550 lockers that once filled the halls were not in use. “Administration’s been thinking about getting rid of lockers for a few years now because, over the last few years, we’ve noticed that some kids will have a locker assigned to them and then never use it,” Garzone said. “This year we decided that instead of assigning them, we would have students request them.” Fischer is looking forward to utilizing a locker. “I’m eager to request a locker so I‘ll have more convenient and hopefully quicker access to what I need,” Fischer said. “I’ve been using a band locker since school started and I’m excited that instead of having to go to the band room or having to use my tennis locker, I’ll be able to get what I need on time.”

Art by | Lane Phifer

100 lockers available - 1 in use

Patrick McFall This is Patrick McFall’s first year teaching special education and math foundations at PHS. Previously, he taught for two years at Southeast High School. He was a paraprofessional at PHS from 2013 to 2017 while finishing his master’s in special education. He discovered a surprising interest in history while being a para in history classes and his collection of books on the subject are the staple of his classroom. Originally, he wanted to go to Pittsburg State University for an Auto Technology degree but that morphed into a psychology degree before finally settling on a teaching degree.

Sally Ricker Sally Ricker enjoys having conversations about science topics with her students and likes the Socratic method of questioning. She teaches chemistry I, chemistry II and physics. She has been teaching for 23 years. Her previous teaching position was in Missouri. Her number one goal this year is to make all of her students 21st century learners by incorporating the four C’s into her curriculum – critical thinking, communication, collaboration and creativity.

Emily Allen Emily Allen taught at Chanute High School before moving to Pittsburg to be closer to family and friends. She graduated from Northeast High School in Arma. Allen teaches algebra I and algebra B.

IN DE

September 2019

Community stats by the numbers Info from Datausa.io and Welfareinfo.org

12.8%

Kansas’s overall poverty rate:

Median income per house in Pittsburg is

102/105

$31,948

Median income per house in Crawford County is

county highest poverty rate in Kansas

schoolers in Pitts1/5 of high burg are in poverty

$31,017

Poverty rate by gender:

Crawford County poverty rate:

21.1%

30.2 28.6%

Female - 26.9 Male -

Pittsburg’s poverty rate:

Breakdown of Pittsburg, Kansas Household Size

Poverty Rate

Age

$12,140

26.8%

Children Under 6

$16,460

21.9%

Children 6 to 11

$20,780

17.3%

Adolescents 12 to 17

$25,100

35.2%

Adults 18 to 59

$29,420

11.1%

Adults 60 to 74

$33,740

9.1%

75 to 84

+$4,320

Per Additional

22.5%

Over 85

Meet the counselors Gina Ulbrich Counselor, A-G

Jessica Stegman Counselor, H-O

Stef Loveland Counselor, P-Z

Hotlines

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 1-800-273-8255

National Sexual Assault Helpline 800-656-HOPE

National Domestic Violence Hotline 1-800-799-SAFE

National Domestic Violence Hotline Spanish: 1-800-942-6908

fait Leap of faith

Partnerships provide students w Words by | Hannah Gray, Joseph Lee and McKenna Hodges

ver since he was young, Jeremy had always been accustomed to having only the bare essentials and fending for himself, until he found Jobs for America’s Graduates (JAG). Due to the sensitivity of the subject, the featured student has requested to remain anonymous and will be referred to as Jeremy. JAG is a program coordinated by Jessica Thomas that focuses on preparing students for challenges in school, home and life and just one of the resources available to students.. “After I was kicked out of my parents’ house, everything kind of went downhill for me. I felt like I had nothing going for me. I was in some really low points in life,” Jeremy said. “But after I got involved with JAG, I know that there are people out there to help me, people willing to help me. It really did bring me out of the hole I was in.” JAG aims to meet diﬀerent needs in addition to providing basic tangible items. “I help students prepare for life. Filling out job applications and even helping them prepare for interviews,” Thomas said. “Just being that person that kind of helps them through those transitions to college or transitions to work.” Another resource available to students in Communities in Schools (CIS). Each school in the district has a site coordinator and Reannon McCoy is located at the high school. She oversees 65 students on her caseload. CIS also targets supporting students for success in and beyond the classroom by providing mentorship and attempting to meet students’ needs, such as feminine products, medical care, supplemental food,

Unexplored resources Every school K-12 in the USD 250 district has had a Community In Schools (CIS) coordinator since 2016.

school supplies or clothing and shoes Sophomore Sarah Benner was able because of McCoy and CIS. Benner w and was able to buy shirts, socks and p While Benner was thankful for the it for help at first. “I felt kind of embarrassed. A friend family kind of struggles with things, an Benner said. “Ms. McCoy is very unde needed help with getting school supp about [your needs] because she’d be m Jeremy also encourages other stude any kind. “If you’re absolutely needing somet Jeremy said. “If you don’t ask, it will le to be. Even if you just reach out to one right direction. Just ask for help.” McCoy also supplies additional sna students throughout the day. “I also provide backpacks full of foo enough food over the weekend,” McC In the month of September, she had three students. CIS also provides students with hea VSP Vision Care. The service provides prescription and glasses. Another available service provided screening. In addition to screenings, o

They’ve taken

kids

Poverty Level

to purchase full toiletry sets in August/September.

11,339 students visited the nurse last school year.

The CIS coordinator supplies around

100

In August and September, CIS has taken five kids to shop for a whole new backto-school wardrobe.

students a month with snacks such as peanut butter/ cheese crackers, Cheez its, granola bars, etc.

EPTH

September 2019

Supporting cast Kristin Thomas Freshmen Advocate Bobby Stackhouse Sophomore Advocate Jessica Thomas Jobs for America’s Graduates Instructor

thh

Ashley Neely

Licensed Clinical Counselor

Art by | Audrey Goode

with mental, physical resources

s. e to acquire necessary clothing was given a $100 budget at JC Penney pants. tems, she was hesitant to reach out

d of mine told her about how my nd she oﬀered to help me a little,” erstanding and if other students plies or stuﬀ like that, just talk to her more than happy to help.” ents to reach out if they need help of

thing, don’t be afraid to ask for it,” ead you somewhere you don’t want e person, they will point you in the

ack foods to approximately 100

od for students who don’t have Coy said. d sent home backpacks of food with

althcare through its partnership with s every student in need with a vision

to each student is a free dental other services are available,

including nurse Carrie Logiudici and permanent full-time health clinic run by the Community Health Center of Southeast Kansas. On Wednesdays, from 7:45 am to 3:45 pm, visits from the KidCare Mobile Van is at the high school and provides sports physicals, immunizations, mature minor visits and other services. Starting on Sept. 30, students and staff will have access to an advanced practice registered nurse who will also provide care in the building and will be able to write prescriptions for medication if necessary. So far this year, the clinic has experienced over 1,632 visits by students for care. Beginning in October, Ashley Neely, a licensed clinical counselor, will transition to working five days a week. Counselor Stef Loveland is one of the staff members who stocks “Club 209A,” a storage room of supplies for students, with food, clothing, hygiene products, laundry detergent and school supplies. The needs closet is utilized daily and is open for all students to use. “The longtime goal with [Club209A] is if students need clothes or shoes, we have that for them here. Even if it is something as small as spilling coffee down your shirt during school, we want to have a place where that person can go and get clothes,” Loveland said. “We want to take care of each other as a family and I hope everyone feels like they have someone and that they will be taken care of when they come [to school].” Loveland encourages students to use any of the services the school provides. “I just want our Dragon family to see that helping students is very important to us,” Loveland said. “We want to take care of each other as a family and I hope everyone feels like they have someone and that they will be taken care of when they come to school.”

Susan Russian Social Worker

Reannon McCoy Communities In Schools

Site Coordinator

1,632

student visits to the nurse so far this school year, as of Sept. 25.

In spring of 2019 CIS bought 15 students school supplies for the year.

Last school year

CIS helps provide clothes for (on average)

phone calls were made by the nurse to parents, guardians, doctors, pharmacies, etc.

10 kids

5,871

a month.

Last school year there were

319

KidCare Mobile Van visits and

In September, CIS sent home 3 students with a backpack of food for the weekend.

so far this year. (mature minor, sick visits, sports physicals, immunizations, etc)

In spring of 2019 CIS had provided feminine products to 15 girls a month.

Carrie Logiudici Nurse

Willing to donate? Contact Susan Russian 620-235-3200 or srussian@usd250.org

SPORTS

Maxing out September 2019

Athletes train in the off-season Words by | Elle Burgess Photo by | Rebeccah Jones

Sports briefs Words by | Ashlan Brooks and Sarah Alcantar

JV/Varsity Football The varsity team beat Labette County 40-0 to kick off the season. Next game included a win over Chanute 41-27 and a

JV/Varsity Soccer The JV team is 2-2 and will play Fort Scott on Sept. 24 and Carl Junction on Sept. 26. The varsity team is also 2-2. Sophomore Bryan Rueda secured the varsity Jimmy Love award by scoring the first goal of the season. Seniors Cristian Luna and Logan Bockover are currently the leading goal scorers with four goals each this season.

Girls Golf Against Labette county the team finished 4th with juniors Hannah Holloman in 2nd and Sam Maceli in 3rd. At Webb City, Maceli placed 1st and Holloman placed 6th. Against the Fort Scott, the team finished 1st. Maceli placed 2nd and Holloman placed 1st. The the Girard tournament, the team finished 4th with Maceli in 3rd and Holloman in 9th.

Volleyball On Sept. 9 the varsity team beat both Parsons and Independence in two matches. On Sept. 13, the team lost to Carthage 1-3. The Dragons beat Fort Scott 2-0 and lost to Independence on Sept. 18.

Girls Tennis

Caiden Barber, 10 “During the season I go to football practice. I work out during the school day as well. On the weekend I workout with coach LC Davis or by myself, which is usually footwork and lifting. Lifting is my favorite form of working out, I don’t like running as much. I prefer to do shoulder raises and other upper body workouts. For shoulder raises I usually use 25 pound dumbbells and raise them above my head and back level with my shoulders. This helps your shoulders to be really defined.”

Isabella Pinamonti, 12 “I like lifting but I always incorporate cardio into everything that I do. My favorite thing about a workout is lifting but also keeping a high-intensity lift versus longating my lifts. I like to keep it a fast-paced workout to keep my heart rate up through the entire workout, even if I’m not adding cardio into that particular part. I love doing abs the most, such as flutter kicks and kick downs. I also love doing ab exercises with weights, such as weighted sit-ups or weighted suitcases. I also like toning my arms by doing curls, tricep extensions and shoulder work.”

Faith Turner, 12 “During the summer I have a job so I work during the day then after I get off I would go to the gym and do P90X, which is what my coaches are having me do. Then I get some running workouts in and lift a little bit. During track season I run every day but I don’t run as much during the off-season. I mainly work on my jumping techniques and lift for that specific event. I do box jumps to increase my muscle strength and get my legs in shape. I do repeating bounds to get my third phase in triple jump stronger. Then I do onelegged cycles to get my flat foot contact and to get my legs used to the third phase in the triple jump.”

Ethan Weidert, 12 “I workout twice a day, which adds up to about 3 or 4 hours a day. I spend about an hour, maybe a little more, stretching to make sure that I can do everything that I want to do and do it correctly and move like I should. There’s almost always some form of squatting in my workouts, a lot more lower body than upper body. It’s one thing to be able to do a handstand walking, but tired is a different beast. Typically to work on that I’ll do some sprints or ride fast on a bike to get me tired and then kick up into a handstand and walk. I typically walk about 40 feet in two 20 feet pieces. After that, I repeat the process between five to ten times.”

On Sept. 20 the varsity team finished 1st at Fort Scott. In #1 singles Emily McGown placed 1s. In #1 doubles Carmen Kent and Emma Lawson placed 1st. On Sept. 17 the JV team finished 1st overall at Fort Scott. In #1 singles Gabby Kasjaka placed 1st and in #2 singles Sarai Perez placed 1st.

Cross Country On Sept. 12 the team finished 3rd overall at Fort Scott. The girls varsity team finished 3rd with Makayla Keller leading in 9th place. The boys varsity team finished 4th with Camron Jefferson in 3rd. The boys JV team was lead by Jonathan Howard in 14th place.

Girls soccer, wrestling create new teams Words by | Keith Perkins

their own program,” said Staley. n July 11, the USD 250 Board of Education voted to Junior Natalie Talent has been playing soccer since second grade, approve the addition of a girls soccer team. For the 2019and spent her first two seasons as a part of the co-ed program. She 2020 year, the athletic department will be establishing began looking for a local school with a girls team, in the hope of separate boys and girls wrestling and soccer teams. consolidating. Having failed to find a program, she went to Staley. It “Three years ago, when I came here, I thought it was odd that we was established that there were players interested, and the idea was didn’t [have separate boys and girls brought to the school teams]. Where I came from, everybody board. had a separate boys and girls soccer “We went to the program,” activities director Jeff Staley (school) board meeting We went to the (school) board meeting at the end of the summer, said. “So when I found out that we were at the end of the actually sat in on it, and they brought it up. [I proposed the idea] co-ed, I honestly raised the question summer, actually sat in and they said yes. It does make a way for other people, other girls, with myself, started looking into it, and I on it, and they brought to play soccer in the future. So I’m fine with taking a hit, not going found out that there was interest on our it up. [I proposed the to play-offs and stuff like that for it to be open to other people.” girls side, to have their own program, I idea] and they said then went ahead and pursued it.” yes,” said Talent. “It Natalie Talent The process of surveying interest does make a way for began with girls playing for the co-ed team. other people, other girls, to play soccer in the future. So I’m fine with “I talked to the girls who were a part of the co-ed program, all of taking a hit, not going to play-offs and stuff like that for it to be open them at that time were unanimous that they would have loved to have to other people.”

“

In addition to soccer, wrestling had also been co-ed until this year. The state of Kansas decided that all programs would make the transition to separate girls and boys divisions. “There was growing interest in girls wrestling. We found throughout the whole state that there were more and more girls going out for wrestling,” said Staley “So the state decided to create a separate state championship for girls. And that’s when all the schools who have wrestling divided up into two different genders.” The girls and boys season will take place at the same time and as of now, they will practice together, according to wrestling coach LC Davis. Junior Rebeccah Jones was the only female wrestler on the team last year, and in her two previous season, competed mostly against male wrestlers. She is excited this year to wrestle in female competition, and feels that wrestling against boys has helped prepare her for other competition. “I had to push myself harder competing against (boys),” Jones said. “I’d say they gave me a bit of an advantage on learning how much I can push myself.”