Volume 65, Issue 4 JANUARY 31, 2020
I SPY
A HOME GAME There’s more to it than what meets the eye... DISCOVER WHAT GOES ON OFF THE COURT ON PAGES 4 & 5
Fairbury High School 1501 9th Street Fairbury, NE 68352 Non-Profit Organization Permit #64
www.fhsxray.com
INFLUENZA EPIDEMIC PAGE 3
TEAMMATES PROGRAM Page 7
QUITTING SPORTS PAGE 8
2 Opinion/Editorial
College choice brings stress
M
aking a decision of where to spend the next four plus years and what you want to do for the rest of your life can be very stressful and honestly it's really tough. You never know if you're making the right decision, so you just do what your heart tells you. For me when it came to choosing where to go to college, I was torn. My mom wanted me to go to K-State to carry on the family legacy, and my dad wanted me to attend UNL. As I didn’t want to disappoint either of them, I knew the decision had to be what was best for me individually. As a little girl I remember going down to Manhattan to spend days with my family, and my mom would always drive me by the University and show me Bill Snyder Family Stadium. I remember always being so fascinated with everything and dreaming of coming here when I graduated high school. We would spend countless hours around the town and this may sound cliche, but I fell in love with Manhattan as a young girl. It only seemed fitting to choose K-State to continue my education career. For quite some time, I had something different in mind. I wanted to attend UNL and UNMC. This seemed like the best fit for the educational path I wanted to pursue. A lot of my friends were going to be in Lincoln and I knew the area well. I thought it would be perfect. But after much thought and the change in my major I decided that I really just wanted to be in Manhattan. That Manhattan is where I am meant to be.
1.31.20
Layout by: DeZaire Bishop
Time to re-outfit dated dress code Editorial
There are certain articles of clothing that a majority of the general public will almost always agree do not belong in an educational environment: pieces featuring profanity, extreme indecency, illegal substances or any clothes that are downright inappropriate. With an increase in violations this school year, some students are raising eyebrows at the policy and its current system of enforcement. The Blazer believes the administration should spare another in-depth look at the dress code and develop a more consistent way of abiding by it. FHS’s official dress code can be found on page 12 of the Jr/Sr High Student Handbook 20192020. One regulation that has been used more frequently is Rule 12 stating that “bare ‘midriff’ styles” are prohibited. This can safely be interpreted to include crop tops, but students report that shirts that sit along the waistline of their pants at a resting position and slightly rise when their arms are raised have also warranted violations. While this particular part of the code has been hammered, other pieces such as Rule 8’s banning of “clothing that is torn, ripped or cut” or the second half of Rule 12 that forbids “halters, tank tops or thin-strapped tops” have been neglected not only this year but in previous years as well. The Blazer believes all of the prohibitions in the dress code should be equally enforced. A possible way to fix this lack of consistency is to revisit the handbook itself and conjure up a code that is updated for today’s society while keeping attire appropriate. Rules such as 1 and 2 that address indecency, profanity and illegal substances may not require as much if any change, but others like the aforementioned Rule 8 should be made more specific in an era where ripped jeans are not the worst thing a student could wear to school. Principles like Rule 6 that bar “hairstyles which distract from the learning process or the health and safety for either the student or others” are vague to the point of confusion and make it unnecessarily difficult to draw a line. The current system of dress code enforcement has created a barrier of communication between the administration and the student body. The Blazer believes that simply revising the list of regulations and equally abiding by them can easily fix this issue. ADVERTISERS The faculty and students of Fairbury High School and District #8 shall not be liable for damages caused by typographical errors in advertisements beyond the amount of paid space occupied by the portion of the advertisement in which the error occurred.
THE BLAZER STAFF
Business Managers Alex buxton ericka kroEker
Reporters TAYLOR GUSTAFSON Dezaire bishop haidyn carstens hannah knigge alex buxton ericka kroeker jane culp
Sports Editor CARSON YORK
Cover brynn novotny
Editor-in-Chief Josephine blatny Assistant editor brynn novotny
Adviser JED MARTIN
Athletes of the Month The Athletes of the month will be selected based on: academics, performance on and off the court, and attitude/personality in any ongoing Fairbury High School sport. Senior Spotlight The Senior Spotlight will be chosen randomly each month, or selected by the Editor-in-Chief. Columns/Editorials Columns are the opinion of the individual writer, not the staff of The Blazer. Editorials are the opinion of the editorial staff.
It is the policy of Fairbury Public Schools and its Career and Technical Education Programs not to discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, disability or age in its activities and programs, including employment policies and practices.
1501 9TH STReet (402) 729-6116
www.fhsxray.com journalism@fairburyjeffs.org
Layout by: Jane Culp
1.31.20
News 3
Influenza B strikes school, community Taylor gustafson Reporter
The influenza virus is a common disease that occurs during the winter months across the United States and is more common in the colder states like the Midwest. Influenza B is a contagious disease that is spread through the air in droplets. When someone with the virus sneezes, talks or coughs, another person can inhale these droplets and catch the virus. Fairbury High School sent out a message to parents saying that if a student had the influenza virus to stay home until they did not have any symptoms of the virus for at least 24 hours. This was a way to keep staff and students from catching the virus from other people in the school. There are three different Influenza viruses: Influenza A, B, and C. The most common type that has been going around Fairbury is Influenza B. Some of the symptoms of Influenza B include a fever, chills, sore throat, coughing, runny nose, sneezing and fatigue. There have been many students at FHS that have been diag-
nosed with the flu this year. Many of them have had to miss multiple days of school which can add stress to their life. Staying home sick can affect students work and cause them to fall behind in their classes. “It’s hard to make up discussions we have in class or new things that get taught,” senior Darby Paulsen said. “I miss a lot of homework and have to get taught many lessons with teachers or students. I often come to school still sick and have to spend a lot of days staying up late catching up” Some ways for students to stay clear of the flu virus and avoid having to miss school include washing your hands regularly, cover your cough, get an annual flu vaccination, and visit the doctor if signs of the flu arise. Most importantly if you have been diagnosed with the flu virus STAY HOME. Staying home from school may not be what you want to do but it could save many students and staff from catching the flu virus and spreading it through the school. Graphic by: Taylor Gustfason
Walmart verifies purchase through receipt scanning Jane Culp Reporter
If you have often visited Walmart any time since the end of the summer, chances are you might have been asked to give the greeter your receipt. Walmart has taken precautionary steps to help reduce the number of items going unscanned. On your way out, the employees that usually greet you have also been scanning receipts. “Walmart as a company has lost millions of dollars of inventory due to items not being scanned either by customers or by our cashiers,” Ron Hilligas, the manager of the Fairbury Walmart, said.
Scanning the receipts is a quicker approach to verification of purchase opposed to manually comparing items on the receipt to ones in your cart. Scanning also proves that you are not using an old receipt or using the same receipt to duplicate a previous purchase. According to Hilligas, the company has seen improvement on the loss since the start of this program. “I don’t think it is entirely necessary,” Mariel Ramos ‘22 said. While some people don’t seem to mind the new addition, others feel it is an inconvenience. If you are in a rush, picking up something from
Walmart on your way to an important event, you don’t want to be stopped on your way out to have your receipt scanned. Customers are most likely to be asked for a receipt if they have unbagged items or things on the bottom of the cart. Although it may result in some hurt feelings, a customer can refuse to let them scan your receipt. They may be able to hold someone at the store until the police arrive, but they must have a valid reason for the suspicion to do so. So next time you pass by the greeters on your way out, if they ask for your receipt, you know why and how you can respond.
Walmart uses the barcodes at the bottom of the receipts to make sure all your items got scanned. It has been deemed a more efficient process than manually checking receipts and helps prevent stealing.
4 In-Depth
1.31.20
Layout by: Jos
Cheerleaders take on task of keeping crowd energy high
BRYNN NOVOTNY ASSISTANT EDITOR
Promoting positivity and engaging the home crowd are two goals cheerleaders have when taking their places on the sidelines of the court most familiar to them. The preparation for these games begins long before tipoff. Members of the squad signed up to cheer on a particular evening have to remember necessities such as bows, shoes and lipstick. While the varsity girls basketball teams warm up, they stretch and practice kicks, jumps and stunting if the numbers that night are high enough. Some cheerleaders have more specific roles they take on. “I have to call cheers, so I usually get on my phone and look at our list of cheers beforehand and mark some in my head that I like the most,” Abby Judd ‘21 said. “I also look at the other school’s team because some of our cheers say the mascot. If they don’t work, then we don’t use those cheers.” The cheerleaders then take their
formation for player introductions before settling into their spot on the west sidelines by the student section. Cheers that use crowd involvement are heard during timeouts and at the end of a quarter. Unlike most other sports, the cheerleaders are also active during the action. “Basketball- it’s more involved I feel,” Keely Schramm ‘21 said. “You have to be paying attention to the game to know when to cheer because it’s very fast-paced. I personally think it goes by faster because we’re always moving, something’s always going on. There’s more involvement.” Another difference that can be noted is the setting. Like the distinctions found between basketball and other sports, home and away games can be contrasted. A louder gym can affect the comfortability of a cheerleader. “There’s a lot more people at home games than at away games,” Jamie Junker ‘22 said. “The student section gets more into it, the crowd gets pumped up.” This environment assists in creating an ideal setup for cheerleaders. Feeding off
the energy of the crowd can power a series of cheers and increase the volume even more. A large portion of the noise comes from the student section. “The student section is a lot of fun,” Judd said. “Cheering at home’s a lot nicer. There’s a lot more students. It’s louder. I would take a home game over an away game in a heartbeat just because there’s more of that energy.” As for the squad itself, in addition to more technical factors such as posture and precision, other core values are remembered during games. While typically found in a cheerleader, these traits can not always be as straightforwardly taught as technique. Instead, these pieces of the puzzle come from the cheerleader themself. “Always be positive,” Schramm said, recounting what she considers a responsibility. “That’s probably the biggest one. Staying involved in the game, being a good leader- especially for the student section. I would just say being a good leader.”
the game is going at that point. “If we’re losing, we sit quietly and talk amongst ourselves on what we need to fix,” Amundson said. “If we’re winning, we try to not get too excited and carry the success into the second half.” No matter how the game is going, both Coach Thompson and Head Boys Coach Travis Steinhoff have signature phrases to help advise and motivate their teams. Coach Thompson has coined the phrases “stay solid from the neck up” and “shoot the ball with confidence.” Coach Steinhoff will occasionally give specific advice, but he’s more likely to use the team’s
mantra to get them ready for the next half. “A lot of times Coach Steinhoff will tell us we need to focus on rebounding,” Amundson ‘20 said. “Usually we just talk about our team motto: find a way.”
Halftime routines help refocus for second half
Josephine Blatny Editor-in-Chief
Basketball fans are able to enjoy most of the games, but there’s one crucial element that they miss out on. Players and coaches are the only ones who know what goes on in their locker rooms during halftime. Although fans most likely have a general idea of what is going onpep-talks, strategizing and jokes, every team has a different approach to how they utilize their mid-game break. “We usually split the coaching up between offense and defense,” Head Girls Basketball Coach Lyle Thompson said. “Depending on what we need to adjust the most either I will talk about offense first or Coach Edson (Assistant Girls Basketball Coach Matt Edson) will talk about defense.” After the coaches are done talking, the girls go back out and shoot similarly to their warm-up before the game. Even though the girls basketball team has a general routine when it comes to halftime, the atmosphere and strategizing depends on how the game is going. “If we aren’t playing well, it’s usually pretty calm and quiet,” senior Cora DeBoer said. “If it’s like when we played Beatrice, we go crazy.” The boys basketball team has a fairly similar halftime routine to the girls team. Senior Chance Amundson agreed with DeBoer that the atmosphere of the locker room depends on how
sephine Blatny
1.31.20
BEHIND THE SCENES AT BASKETBALL GAMES
In-Depth 5
6 School
1.31.20
Layout by: Alex Buxton
Late semester end date conflicts schedules
With the semester be busy. ending after Christmas “I don’t cry. Crying is a sign of instead of before, life for students at weakness. I just stress eat a lot.” FHS has been a little chaotic, espeWood said. cially for those enrolled in a SENThere are ways that students CAP class. handle stress. Sometimes, students SENCAP stands for Southeast might not handle stress at all. StuNebraska Career Academy Partdents will be spending two weeks nership. It is a series of college until the next semster basking in a classes offered by the school. SENwell deserved break. CAP offers high school and college “The best part of taking a SENcredits for those who take them. CAP class was that I could do the It’s 100 percent tuition-free, which work on my own time, or I could means students don’t have to drop Guidance Counselor Mrs. Taylor Biehl discussing schedule do it during school hours. I never a single dime on the class. The only changes. The new semester starting late has caused con- planned my day around my SENresource students have to pay for flict for students enrolled in SENCAP classes. Photo by: A. CAP work.” Casey Nimmich ‘20 is the book, which costs anywhere Buxton said. “I went about my normal day would. from 80 to 150 dollars. and as soon as I got home from “There’s a lot of work, but I could get doing whatever I was doing that day, I “It is a dual credit class, which means you get both high school and college it done if I wanted to,” junior Riley Wood would begin my assignment. This would credits at the same time. It has a ca- said, “It takes the ability to be like, I need usually be around 10:30 or 11:00 p.m.” reer-based focus.” Guidance Counselor to set aside time and know that I have the SENCAP classes are easy to fit into a time to do it. ” Taylor Biehl said. busy schedule. Students can either work On average, students spend about an on their assignments during the school Students are allowed to enroll in SENCAP classes their junior and se- hour a day doing homework for their in- day or during their own time. However, nior years. Altogether, there are many dividual SENCAP classes. It was report- with the semester ending late this school different options. Each student can take ed that a whopping five hours a week are year, a few things have been derailed. as many as three to four at a time. They generally used for the class altogether. Classes have been cancelled, postponed, are easy to fit into student schedules as Between essays, projects and regular ev- or switched around. they fill the space that a class normally eryday assignments students are sure to Haidyn Carstens Reporter
Post prom committee raises money in several ways Junior Parents on the Post Prom committee do several different fundraisers each year. The Post Prom committee has done concession stands, senior banners, a meat bundle raffle, and the hoop shoots during half time of basketball games so far this year. Post Prom meets again in February to see if another fundraiser is needed for March or not. The Post Prom committee works together to come up with ideas and help run events. “It is a very easy Post Prom fundraiser. At one of the meetings we have
Senior Jaelle Johnson tumbles down a slide at Post Prom. The Post Prom committee also had giveaways for prizes like TVs. Post Prom is paid for by the Post Prom committee made up of parents through fundraisers throughout the year. Photo by: N. Harris
DeZaire Bishop reporter
parents just sign up to help with it or to donate hot dog buns.” senior parent Sabrina Wannamaker said. “I also help with the Senior banner that hangs in the gym fundraiser.”
A group of parents assisted in designing the banners that are hung in the gym, create the order forms, collect the money, and retrieve the banners from the company.
Layout by: Haidyn Carstens
1.31.20
Many students in the teammates program join not knowing that they will find a lifelong friend. When signing up for teammates one will fill out a form about themselves that will help pair them with a mentor that fits the personality of the one signing up. Many times after being paired up you will get together and play games or just talk about what is going on in your life. Kacy Starck ‘21 has been involved in the teammates program since 6th grade. She was paired with teammate mentor Alicia Friesen. Starck finds herself very lucky to have found someone that she connects with so well. She joined the teammates program because her mom and brother were in the teammates program and really enjoyed it. One of the many things Starck enjoyed when she was younger was when the kids and their mentors went to a
game night for members of the teammates program. These would take place at Jefferson and they would have a night of board games and laughter. Starck said, “One time we played board games for around 2 hours and we played the game of life, which was a lot of fun.” A bit of advice Starck gave is to be honest with yourself when filling out the forms. Starck said, “You can meet a long time friend that will stay with you for a long time.” Aidan Swanson ‘24 has been a part of the teammates program since 3rd grade. He got started in this program because his guidance counselor went up to him and asked if he wanted to join. He thought it would be fun so he agreed. “My favorite memory is probably the spring football game,” Swanson said, “It’s a lot of fun.” Each year the teammates program participates in the Spring Game Event. Central Teammates office takes
Feature 7
Gaining lifetime friends through teammates Ericka Kroeker Reporter
care of ordering and scheduling this event. Mentors and Mentees ride together to Lincoln in a school van. After the game is finished they do some activities that the teammates program organizes for them. Teammates coordinator Karri Rogge has been a part of the teammates this past year following her move from California to Nebraska. “I think the program is amazing,” Rogge said. “I don’t think students can have enough positive adult voices speaking into their lives.” Rogge’s favorite moment while being apart of the program was when she first got to pair a mentor and a mentee together. Rogge said, “Teammates is an all inclusive program, meaning anyone can nominate themselves. If you are interested in having a mentor, please reach out to myself, or the administration, or a teacher.”
FEATURE PHOTO
Senior Rileagh Meyers and Science Teacher Kari Fisher observe a clay model of a human skull. Students formed the models with the help of a mold and their bare hands. Photo by Josephine Blatny
Fairbury Clinic Plymouth Clinic Burkley Fitness Center Sports Medicine & Rehab Services
Gardenside Home Health Cedarwood Assisted Living
2200 H Street Fairbury, NE 402.729.3351
Volume 64, Issue 4 January 31, 2020 Layout BY: Carson York
Sport specialization stunts athletes
DONE! Hannah Knigge Reporter
Making the decision to play sports can be basketball anymore. Shumard had been playa big commitment for many. A lot of time is ing basketball for roughly 12 years prior to not consumed by that sport and many student ath- playing her senior year. During her free time letes had to choose whether or not to continue she works a lot, babysits and also attends her participating this year. And for many athletes cousins sporting events. they just did not enjoy playing that sport any“I do not regret my decision,” Shumard more. said. “The only Junior Taryn thing about basketArnold, just did ball that I miss are not find any joy in the games because I playing basketball. like to compete with She chose to be a other people.” cheerleader and Choosing not is happy with that to play a sport decision. During anymore can also her free time, Arcome with other nold usually goes to peoples feedback. the gym, works or They can either spends more time support you or not. with her family. She As for Shumard, she is also able to help in Claire Shumard ‘20 defends her apponet during a varsity game did not have very other organizations during her junior year season. Shumard decided not to play much support of her basketball her senior year and instead spend her time doing and volunteer with things she enjoys like babysitting and working. Photo by: N. Harris decision. different activities “Both of my throughout the school that she hadn’t been parents and a few of my friends were mad that able to do before. I was not playing,” Shumard said. “I will say that I miss pushing girls around Despite all of the feedback whether it was on the court,” Arnold said. “That was probably negative or positive, students who chose to not the best part.” play sports because they did not enjoy them Claire Shumard ‘20 chose not to play basanymore are very happy with their decisions. ketball because she knew she would be happier These students still attend most sporting not playing, she too did not enjoy playing events and support the other athletic teams.
1. What has been the best moment of your senior season this far? “The best moment of the season so far has been beating Lincoln Lutheran in double overtime at the Holiday Tournament.” 2. What are you looking forward to for the rest of the season? “I am looking forward to getting Bret back and seeing how far of a run we can make in districts.” What is your go to joke? “What happens to a frog’s car when it breaks down? It gets toad away.”
By: Carson York
1. What has been the best moment of your junior season this far? “It would be making the first cut at the ‘mini state meet’.” 2. What are you looking forward to for the rest of the season? “I am looking forward to making it to state, competing against new people and doing better than I did last year.” 3. Would you rather only eat for the rest of your life or only drink for the rest of your life, and why? “I would probably drink for the rest of my life because all food can get turned into a liquid form.”
Chance Amundson ‘20
Camryn Wisnieski ‘21
Specializing in a single sport is wasting athletic ability and not pushing one’s self to be the best athlete they can be. When you only play one sport, you are not building other muscles that could be worked when playing another sport. Young athletes are typically influenced by their parents or another adult to specialize in one sport they’re best at so that they have a better chance of becoming a collegiate athlete. High school athletes who play multiple sports have many benefits rather than just playing one. Playing more than one sport allows you to learn how to compete in different environments, exercise more muscles, and learn new strategies of sports. You get to learn multiple games and have bonds with different people and make more memories that you would be missing out on if you choose to not play. Over time, specializing in just one sport can lead student athletes to become “burned-out” of their specialized sport by junior and senior year. My high school coaches here at FHS have all encouraged their athletes to go out for more than one sport. They encourage us to play a sport all three seasons. If you don’t play a sport during a season, you are losing muscle and conditioning that will have to be gained back. Playing a sport you don’t really want to but do anyways is to your benefit, you are gaining muscle and staying involved. For all underclassmen at FHS I encourage you to be active in as many sports as possible while you still can.
Decision to stop playing a sport proves difficult