| YOUTUBER AT FHN
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STUCO ELECTIONS PAGE 10 | THE CURLING TEAM’S TRIPS PAGE 35 |
NORTH | STAR
FRANCIS HOWELL NORTH | ST. CHARLES, MO 63303 | 02.20.19 | VOL 33 ISSUE 05
SLEEPLESS CYCLES Getting enough sleep is a crucial part to a healthy life. Through a combination of hectic schedules, increased technology and biological predispositions, for teens, sleep is falling to the wayside. | PAGE 25 FHNtoday.com
CONTENTS
10
Assistant Principal Chris Birch stands and speaks during a meeting with community leaders and parents in a restorative circle. (Photo by Bella Schneider)
ENTERTAINMENT 1 Comic Central Take a peak at these fun illustrations covering topics from love to weather
2
Sarcastic vs Sweet Discover how sarcastic you truly are by taking this quiz
NEWS 8 District Board Elections Learn about the different candidates who are campaigning for a seat
12 The Addams Family Check out what crew members say about the upcoming school musical
FEATURES 17 Life After High School Learn about the next steps for college after application deadlines
23 Continuing the Legacy Freshman Abby Martinez dances on Knightline and keeps the family tradition
SPORTS 34 Historical Season
Read about girls’ basketball and their best season in 18 years
38 Spring Sports Preview
Take a look at the upcoming spring sports and their perspective goals
OPINIONS 42 Cons of Technology The Internet can provide children with inappropriate material and safety threats
43 Walls That Divide The proposed Wall between the U.S and Mexico is unnecessary and expensive
ON THE COVER
A student stays up to complete homework. For many students, late nights and sacrificing sleep is a common occurrence. The consequences of sleep deprivation become increasingly severe the more sleep that students sacrifice to homework, work, and other activities. (Photo by Phoebe Primeau)
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FHNTODAY.COM | 02.20.19 | CONTENTS
Junior Abby Korte films videos of herself to post on her Youtube Channel. (Photo by Ella Manthey)
38
Girls’ lacrosse cheers before a game in order to get prepared. (File Photo)
PAGE BY HANNAH WILSON
comic central THAT TIME OF YEAR
ME, MYSELF & I
(Illustration by Sophia Schmidt)
UNSTABLE WEATHER
(Illustration by Jena Pae)
PAGE BY HANNAH WILSON
(Illustration by Lily Sontheimer)
ENTERTAINMENT| 02.20.19 | FHNTODAY.COM
01
TOP FIVE MOBILE GAMES (Content by Ryleigh O’Donnell)
HELIX JUMP
Genre: Action Developer: Voodoo “It’s really fun and addictive.” -Savanna Leahr, 11
In Helix Jump, you play as a little slime ball as you try to make your way down a labyrinth without hitting the off parts of the map.
PAPER.IO 2
GENRE: Action DEVELOPER: VooDoo “Paper.io 2 is a fun game. I’ve loved trying to take over the map. Though it does get stressful and the game can be pretty glitchy, overall a fun game.” -Maya Helbig, 9
In Paper.io 2, you play as a block and try to take up as much of a map as possible, with every achievement you unlock new skins. You can cut people off and destroy all of their land.
BITLIFE
GENRE: Simulation DEVELOPER: Candyrriter llc. “You get to live your own life without actually being in it.” -Lauren Willerton, 9
Bitlife is a game where you are born as a new person and make decisions each year of life. You choose how this person grows up, and what kind of person they are.
STICKMAN HOOK GENRE: Arcade DEVELOPER: Madbox
Stickman Hook is a game where you play as a “It’s fun but I can’t get past stickman with spiderman like abilities and try to this one level, because I keep making too big of a swing past obstacles to get to the finish line. rope.” -Jeremy Vanvelkinburgh, 11
FIRE EMBLEM HEROES
GENRE: Strategy DEVELOPER: Nintendo co. ltd. “As a Fire Emblem fan, it’s cool to have all the characters in one place.” -Devon Allen, 12
02
Fire Emblem Heroes is a strategy-RPG spinoff game of a series that Nintendo has been running for over 25 years, in the game you move your characters across the battlefield to destroy the enemy team.
WHAT IS YOUR TRUE SARCASM LEVEL? Take this quiz and total your points by using the answer key to find out what your level of sarcasm is (Content by Liy Taliaferro) 1). Do people have a hard time knowing when you’re joking?
a) Yes
b) Kind of
c) No
a) Yes
b) Kind of
c) No
a) Yes
b) Kind of
c) No
2). Can you be described as sassy?
ANSWER KEY:
3). Are you straightforward? a) Yes b) Kind of c) No YES: 2 4). Do you have to be right all the time? KIND OF: 1 a) Yes b) Kind of c) No 5). Is knowledge power? NO: 0 a) Yes b) Kind of c) No 6). Are you good at lying? a) Yes b) Kind of c) No 7). Are you good at coming up with clever jokes on the spot? a) Yes b) Kind of c) No 8). Do you make jokes during intense situations?
9). Are you realistic? a) Yes b) Kind of c) No 10). Out of your friends/classmates are you known for being comedic? a) Yes b) Kind of c) No 11). Are you known for being petty? a) Yes b) Kind of c) No 12). Do you show your true colors? a) Yes b) Kind of c) No 13). Do you sometimes take your jokes too far and come off rude? a) Yes b) Kind of c) No 14). Do you “bully” your friends even though you love them to death? a) Yes b) Kind of c) No 15). Do you like to quote funny lines from shows/movies? a) Yes b) Kind of c) No 16). Do you like to cheat when you play games? a) Yes b) Kind of c) No
0-7
NOT SARCASTIC AT ALL You don’t make sarcastic comments, but you’re usually on the recieving end. “I’m usually really sarcasic to my friends.” -Duval Venegas, 10
FHNTODAY.COM | 02.20.19 | ENTERTAINMENT
8-15
16-23
24-32
SOMEWHAT SARCASTIC
SUPER SARCASTIC
You’re pretty sarcastic, but you’re not skilled in the art. You tend to use it more than most.
You aren’t overflowing with sarcastic comments, but you have your moments.
You speak fluent sarcasm. You can’t go a sentence without saying something sarcastic.
“I don’t really ask my friends if I’m funny, I just think that I’m somewhat funny.” -Peter Pae, 9
“That seems realistic. I would say I’m a little bit sarcastic, I wouldn’t say I’m too sarcastic.” -Aadhi Kumar, 9
“I feel like it can be a plus in some ways. I use sarcasm all the time. There are times when I have to turn it down.” -Nina Bright, 12
MODERATELY SARCASTIC
PAGE BY SOPHIA SCHMIDT
2018-19 documentary
Days Days and
Knights Knights
A film about you.
Available to pre-order everyday in room 105*
Scan to purchase your copy for only
$15
Freshmens’ first steps down the hall at FHN. Seniors’ last steps down the isle at graduation. Memories that you will want to look back on. The 2018-2019 documentary is a film that will cover your classmates, clubs, sports, events, awards, dances, assemblies, ideas, opinions and stories. It will be available for pick up at the 2019-2020 schedule pick up.
@birthrightsthcarles
UPCOMING SCHOOL BOARD ELECTION
The FHSD board election will be held April 2 to fill two seats on the board. Incumbents Michelle Walker and Mike Hoehn will run again as their three-year terms expire. The only other running candidate, Sandra Ferguson, is a familiar figure as this will be her sixth campaign. Any registered voters who live in the district are eligible to vote at their local polling centers. March 6 is the last day to register (Content by Leann Smyth, Photos submitted)
Walker Wants to Give Parents a Voice Michelle Walker is finishing her first three-year term on the board. She oversees FHN, Henderson and Warren. Her roles as a parent in the District and a taxpayer in the community motivate her to continue her campaign for a second term. “[I want to run again because of] my daughter, and I’ve got two boys at Henderson,” said Walker. “So, I’ve got three kids in the schools, and I feel like the parents need a strong voice to be able to make the big decisions.” One way she hopes to cut costs in the District is completing the process of insourcing the bussing services that will be implemented next year. “With [bussing] being outsourced, the staff work for another company, they don’t work for FHSD” said Walker. “So by
controlling the quality, it’s hopefully going to save us some money. We just leased the busses, so that’s the sort of things that need to happen in our school district. We outsourced things, I think, because it was easy, but it’s cost us a lot of money.” Being on the board she values being able to interact with students and takes advantage of opportunities available to her in the position. “[This job] means a lot to me,” said Walker. “It feels amazing. I graduated from FHHS in 1994. I moved into the house I’m in because I wanted my kids to go to FHN. So, being on the board, it feels good to know that I have an impact, and that when I say things, things actually start happening.”
Ferguson Hopes to Regain Seat
Sandra L. Ferguson has run for the board six times over the past 25 years, serving from 1995 to 2000 and from 2015 to 2018. Being an involved community member, grandparent and retiree, she feels qualified to run again. “A school board directly impacts your taxes and your children,” said Ferguson. “So you have to be willing to put the time in to be able to give the taxpayers the best person possible.” Ferguson takes pride in her connections with the senior population, as well as her time spent with youth, especially in Scouts of America with her grandson. She values a position on the board because she can cater to all community members. “[Being on the board] means that I can make a difference in
the community, with patrons, students and teachers because the decisions that [board members] make impact those three facets of the community.” said Ferguson. “You have a fiduciary responsibility to both taxpayers, parents, teachers and students.” In her previous experiences, Ferguson has worked well with the other candidates. She sees her campaign as a personal mission to give back to the District. “The other two candidates are absolutely wonderful candidates.” said Ferguson. “I’ve worked with both of them on the board before, so there’s no animosity against any of them. I’m running for me. All three of us are perfectly qualified and can do the job very successfully and we have in the past.”
Hoehn Focuses on Students
Mike Hoehn has previously served a total of nine years, starting his first term in 2008 with the renovation of FHHS. Campaigning for his fourth term, he aims to continue managing district projects and maximize productivity. Hoehn’s biggest inspiration is the students. “The main reason I continue to be on the board is I’m always putting kids first,” said Hoehn. “Every vote I’ve made, every decision I’ve made, is always ‘How does this impact kids?’ We’re here to provide the best educational opportunities we can for our kids.” He takes the responsibility with great care and consideration, while also taking into account other board members’ opinions. “Being a board member, you’re one of seven,” said Hoehn. “You have to have four votes in order to do anything. We all
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FHNTODAY.COM | 02.20.19 | NEWS
come from different backgrounds, we all have a variety or expertise, and everyone gives their input. When it all comes down to it, we’re all working towards the same thing: the best educational opportunities for our kids.” Hoehn’s major focuses for the board if he were to be reelected are: maintaining a balanced budget, evaluating facilities and implementing the five-year strategic plan, which incorporates a series of committees to attend to needs in the district. It’s important to him that he keeps his promises to those in the district. “I would like to thank [voters] for the opportunity I’ve had to serve and I’d like to continue to do that,” said Hoehn. “I’ll always put kids first and make sure that we’re fiscally responsible with every penny that they provide to us.”
PAGE BY LEANN SMYTH
The current boundary map is adjusted to show which area will be affected. FHSD moved the neighborhoods between McClay Rd, Jungerman Rd, Harvester Rd and Highway 364. (Graphic by Paige Westermann)
Students and community members sit and listen as principal Birch introduces the night. Students went in a circle answering questions about their social upbringing, and community involvement. (Photo by Bella Schneider)
CHANGING OUR COMMUNITY IN CIRCLES
FHN engages in community circles to encourage unity and equity by Macy Cronin
macy.cronin03@gmail.com | @curvynoodle
S
tudents and community leaders gathered in the Learning Commons Jan. 22 for an event that was meant to show how forming circles with all people is beneficial. The participants of the group discussion were teachers, students and community members all from different backgrounds. Mentors from Knight Time were also invited because they have experience with circles and how they work. Everybody was seated in one large circle while onlookers were on the outside in rows watching them talk about diversity in the area. The onlookers did not participate in the discussion, but listened to them talk about how inequality affects them daily. “It was impactful, and participants were very open,” Assistant Principal Chris Birch said. “I think there was a lot of honesty and transparency and that’s something I appreciated.” One of the group members handed out an itinerary of the night while Birch introduced himself to the people showing up to the event. It outlined the purpose of the night, some discussion questions and the ending comments. Not many people showed up that night, but Birch is working towards fixing that for future circles he puts on. As for FHN, they’re not hosting any Schools Engaging Community in Circles in the near future, but Schools Engaging Community in Circles will have an event on March 6 at Cold Water Elementary School in the Hazelwood school district, in addition to the one that happened on Feb. 19. “I would have liked to see more folks,” Birch said. “I was really pleased with who did come. There were a lot of our district leaders there, another school principal was there and some other patrons I didn’t recognize.” The students and leaders that were apart of the
PAGE BY LEANN SMYTH
circle were given an opportunity to share parts of their story. Everyone had the chance to pass if they didn’t feel comfortable with the question to really make the circle a safe space for every single person. This is supposed to be an environment where they can discuss things happening in life including all the good and bad. “The biggest challenge is working with and encouraging those folks, students and adults alike, and being able to have those tough conversations,” Birch said. “It’s hard to put yourself on the street and to be vulnerable and that’s really what sometimes happens in circles.” Due to the fact that this was one of the first times Birch has put on an event like this, there were technical difficulties that he would need to improve on next time. Improving the sound and overall attendance rate is on the list for circles happening in the future. Students like senior Barrah Abuelawi was excited to receive a personal invitation from Birch and enjoy the event. “I think it is important for each person to tell their story,” Abuelawi said. “It builds communication and trust between other people.” The goal is to make everyone feel included and that they matter. That they have a story to share and that people are willing to listen to them. People talked to people; whether that be teens talking to adults or teachers to students. Hoping to create an environment that proves that they truly care for one another and that it is not some facade made to make school better. To make sure people are being respectful, Mentors are planning to use the information from the circle to help Knight Time be a better class for all in FHN. “I feel like it will work if many people get the idea of the circles, like the message,” FHN sophomore Andres Cancel said.
FHSD SHIFTS SCHOOL BOUNDARIES FHSD will be implementing a soft boundary change starting next school year. For the FHN Community, this means some students will move from Fairmount Elementary’s boundary to Central Elementary’s. For students, like Hollenbeck eighth graders Julianna Latham and Evana Vrhovac, it means attending FHC instead of FHN and going into a new school without the majority of their friends, which can be is intimidating. “I would say, [my biggest concern is] not knowing as many people and like I kind of knew, from [my] sisters who went to North, more stuff about it,” Latham said. “I never really heard much about Central because I never knew that many people that went there.” According to FHSD, the changes implemented are to shift students out of Warren and Fairmount Elementary, which are over capacity and put in place to create long term solutions to this concern. Boundaries —like the one between FHC and FHN— were redrawn to create cleaner paths for students when transitioning between schools. “We look at the type of housing that’s going in,” FHSD Director of Human Resources Mark Delaney said. “So for instance, right now in Cottleville, there’s a new population of homes going in, but from the design of the homes, we understand [that they] are geared towards people 55 and older, so we don’t anticipate many students coming out of that new subdivision.” Rather than moving all students from one school to another, FHSD uses a soft boundary change to allow affected families more flexibility with schools. Students are allowed to finish at their current school and not change their next school if they have an older sibling that would attend with them, preventing families from having children at two schools of the same level. “It’s designed to kind of ease some of the challenges with [moving schools],” Delaney said. “Moving someone instantly, but giving them the opportunity to either finish out there or make the choice to go to the new school within the new boundaries.” (Story by Heeral Patel)
NEWS | 02.20.19 | FHNTODAY.COM
09
UPCOMING EVENTS
February
21
Thursday
Board of Education Meeting Time: 7 p.m.- 9 p.m. Where: Central Office
February
26
Esports Practice Time: 2:30 p.m.- 3:45 p.m. Where: Room 127
Tuesday
Brandon Gannon hands a student a flyer for the upcoming STUCO elections. Gannon wanted to become vice president instead of becoming president a second year. Every year, returning StuCo members are allowed to run to be an officer the following year. (Photo by Francisco Jimenez)
Students attend the 2018 Prom on Friday, May 4. Juniors and seniors participated in the Prom Fashion Show for a fun night and to help raise money for the dance. The fashion show is put on annually by the Junior Delegates. (File Photo)
StuCo is gearing up for their upcoming election on Feb. 22 in the Commons during lunches. To participate in the voting, students receive a scantron and simply fill in their choices. According to current president and junior Brendan Gannon, there are approximately six students currently seeking the seat of President on Student Council, however, typically there could be as many as 12. “This year, I am running for Vice President so my friends can run for President,” Gannon said. “Elections make a big impact on FHN community. The annual election is important and helpful because it allows us new people with new fresh ideas.” This year StuCo has changed
The annual Prom Fashion Show will take place on Feb. 27 from 6 to 9 p.m. in the auditorium. The Junior Delegates plan and run the show and all proceeds will go toward Prom. “My favorite part of the fashion show is seeing everyone dressed up and interacting with students in a way that I wouldn’t normally do,” junior delegate sponsor Marissa Heyer said. Any juniors or seniors had the opportunity to be in the fashion show and there are around 16 models participating. They will be modeling one outfit from stores such as David’s Bridal and Savvi Formal wear. There will be emcee’s announcing the models and raffles for items such as Prom tickets, a free tuxedo and various gift cards
STUCO PREPARES FOR PROM FASHION SHOW UPCOMING ELECTION RETURNS TO THE STAGE
10
lots of things and has plenty of accomplishments. StuCo has been active this year in making things better for students. “This year we are taking the Polar Plunge,” said Gannon. “We created the school store that is about to open. One thing the Student Council helped to do was change the hat policy.” This election occurs once a year, and the objective is to invite new members. Gannon offers advice for those wishing to join the Council. “Don’t be shy,” Gannon said. “Be active and try to be known throughout the school. The people on the Council are really nice and they will do what they can to help you succeed.” (Brief by Sofiya Melnychuk)
FHNTODAY.COM | 02.20.19 | NEWS
to restaurants. All proceeds from the raffles will go towards Prom. “My favorite part is the talent part because it’s the funniest,” senior model Skylar Hance said. “Also, picking out a dress is always fun.” In order to be a model, students had to fill out an application and meet the requirement of selling five tickets. Each ticket is $5 and people who plan on going can purchase one from a model leading up to the event. “I hope we can raise a lot of money for Prom, that’s kind of the main purpose,” junior class president Uma Upamaka said. “We want to have a lot of money for decorations and prom gifts, and we just want it to be the best Prom yet.” (Brief by Hannah Wilson)
PAGE BY MICHAEL ZULL
February
27
NHS Induction Time: 5:30 p.m.- 9 p.m. Where: Large Gym
Wednesday
March
7
Thursday
Brownies With Board Time: 6 p.m. - 7 p.m. Where: Castlio Elementary
Jazz band plays during class, preparing for a competition. They plan to perform three songs, competing against other high schools in the area, The band is hoping to impress at the ‘Music for All’ national competition. (Photo by Addy Bradbury)
March
9
Saturday
Spring Black and Gold Day Time: 11 a.m. - 3 p.m. Where: Gym
Choir students rehearse in the choir room for their trip to New York which is on Feb. 15. The students will be performing with Ola Gjeilo, a Norwegian composer who is known for his choral music. Prior to the performance, many students were looking forward to the opportunity of working with him. (Photo by Sarah Williams)
JAZZ BAND GOES TO FHN CHOIR PERFORMS NATIONAL COMPETITION AT CARNEGIE HALL Jazz Band has an upcoming national level contest that is run by a company called ‘Music for All’ on March 2 at O’Fallon Township High School. To rehearse with the whole band can be quite a challenge for just one teacher. Band director Rob Stegeman identified these challenges and how they stay motivated. “I think the biggest challenge is basically just getting it done in that amount of time,” Stegeman said. “We have to put it all in one beautiful piece. Honestly, focus is the biggest thing. Students need to come in with the right amount of preparedness so we can put it together in the first place.” Many things go on at the events such as getting an opportunity to compete with other high schools and bands.
PAGE BY MICHAEL ZULL
Band members have their own favorite parts of these competitions. “The moment after we are done performing is my favorite,” senior and Jazz Band member Abbie Chruma said. “People are clapping and it’s a really great feeling. Repetition is the biggest thing. The more you do it right the better.” While the students have their own favorite parts, Stegeman, who is in his third year at FHN, has his own. “I think every musician is a teacher in some way,” Stegeman said. “When you play your instrument you are sharing yourself with other people, they can pick that up from you, parts of your personality. It’s just passing along of the love of music, which is a great thing for me.” (Brief by Sofiya Melnychuk)
Members of FHN’s choir program traveled to New York city from Feb. 15 to 19 for the opportunity to perform at Carnegie Hall and experience New York as a group. 41 students from FHN participated in the class trip, accompanied by F members of the FHC choir H department. It was through N an invitation given by FHC that FHN students were able to attend. Students from both schools combined made up 80 of the 275 voices from around the world that performed on the Carnegie Hall Stage during this concert. “Carnegie Hall is the number one classical concert performance venue in the United States,” vocal music director Jennifer
Crane said. “It’s very well respected across the world, so the experience of performing on that stage is priceless and an incredible honor.” Students performed 45 minutes of music written by Norwegian composer Ola Gjeilo. Gjeilo was present at the concert and accompanied performers on the piano. According to Crane, working with a famous composer on the music that he wrote is a very special and educational experience for students. “I’ve worked with professionals before, but I think the biggest deal is that we’re doing it with him in Carnegie Hall and that we get to perform his music alongside him.” sophomore Zoe Meier said. (Brief by Sophie Carite)
NEWS| 02.20.19 | FHNTODAY.COM
11
BEHIND THE CURTAIN
Find out what is going on backstage to prepare for the spring musical, The Addams Family, in this Q&A with some of the officers in charge. The musical will take place April 4 to 6 in the FHN auditorium ( Content by Mackenzie Pugh)
Eve Abuazza, 12 COSTUMES AND MAKEUP
Q: A:
What is your vision for this musical? “I want to keep the iconic looking Addams Family, but I also want to stray away so it’s unique to our school and our version of it, but it is still recognizable to the audience.”
Q: A:
What is something that will make this play unique to FHN? “Our dance and singing ensemble are going to be ancestors. We are going to dress them like they are from different time periods. I’m excited that I get to explore more than one time period.”
Q: A:
What might test your skills and experience with this play? “For each period, you have to do makeup a different way. One period’s eyebrows might be thinner and higher, or the blush may be in the center of the face for one or more on the cheeks for another.”
David Hernandez, 12 SET CONSTRUCTION
Q: A:
What is your vision for this musical? “It’s going to have to be creepy but also fancy, magnificent and elegant in that sense. So, it’s going to a be very challenging set to build but definitely a very fun one.”
Q: A:
What is something that will make this play unique to FHN? “We will have a spot for the band on stage which isn’t something I have seen before in this specific show. We’ve done it before in other shows and it makes more people interested in the show.”
Q: A:
What might test your skills and experience with this play? “The structure for the band is going to be very interesting with two stairs going diagonally, a door underneath a platform, curtains and everything. It’s going to be very elaborate.”
Dan Sommer, 11 PROPS
Q: A:
What is your vision for this musical? “A lot of the props I get are Sulzner’s idea, but for a lot of the decorations and stuff like that I work with the set crew. I’m pulling ideas together from Sulzner and other crew heads.”
Q: A:
What is something that will make this play unique to FHN? “We have a really long list especially since it’s a musical. Back in October, I even bought a cross bow because I knew we were going to need it. We will keep a lot of elegance to the props.”
Q: A:
What might test your skills and experience with this play? “The biggest challenge will probably be making sure the set isn’t boring or generic. We want it to look Addams Family creepy and not just general Halloween creepy.”
Connor Hodgkins, 12 LIGHTS AND SOUND
Q: A: 12
What is your vision for this musical?
FHNTODAY.COM | 02.20.19 | NEWS
“Because a lot of us are seniors and it’s our last year, we want to do a lot of stuff that we haven’t done before and go really over the top with effects and everything. It’s going to be very technical.”
Q: A:
What is something that will make this play unique to FHN? “This is the first time we have had choir, band and drama all together in one show. It’s usually been just the band or just choir with drama.”
Q: A:
What might test your skills and experience with this play? “We have a super big cast. We had more people audition this year than in the past four, so I think it will be a challenge getting everything organized with all of the people involved.”
PAGE BY MACKENZIE PUGH
SEAN FOWLER WINS FHN TEACHER OF THE YEAR Dedication and connections with students earn Social Studies teacher Sean Fowler praise by Anna Hollinger aholl2m425@gmail.com
During the SnoCo pep assembly on Feb. 8, social studies teacher Sean Fowler was announced as Teacher of the Year for FHN. Following the announcement, the gym erupted with students screaming and congratulating him for his accomplishment. Winning Teacher of the Year was very special to Fowler, knowing that it was his students that nominated him in the very beginning. “It was very humbling and gratifying,” Fowler said, “I had students nominate me and that was really wonderful, because they are the ones I directly interact with and they know what happens in class.” Head Principal, Nathan Hostetler believes that Fowler has greatly impacted the FHN community and that he deserves to be Teacher of the Year. Fowler is not only willing to go out of his way to help students succeed in class, but also looks out for his colleagues as well. “Fowler is unendingly dedicated to moving forward and the connection he builds with his kids is pretty remarkable,” Hostetler said, “He is really able to speak into their lives and talk about where they are especially with the classes he teaches. There is a lot of opportunity for people to understand themselves and
social studies teacher Sean Fowler receives his Teacher of the Year Award from Head Principal Nathan Hostetler. Before Fowler received his award, Hostetler introduced him in a speech listing off his accomplishments, followed by an eruption of applause from the faculty and student body. (Photo by Francisco Jimenez)
Sean does a really good job of helping to make that happen. Those connections are invaluable, his advocacy for the school is invaluable, so Sean is a good choice.” While Fowler has made such great impact here at FHN, he wasn’t planning on going into teaching at all. If it wasn’t for him being hired here to help out a coach, then he most likely wouldn’t have pursued a career in teaching. “I kind of fell into teaching,” Fowler said, “basically other people got tired of me teaching them in non-teacher environments and got hired here to help out a coach who lost all of his coaches. He really encouraged me, and my wife really encouraged me to go into teaching. There were several times where I didn’t think I was going to stick with this career and I’m really glad I did.”
RAEANN NOAH WINS FHN SUPPORT STAFF MEMBER OF THE YEAR Through hard work and community building, Raeann Noah earned recognition from her peers
by Sophie Carite
svcarite@gmail.com | @sophievicc
During the all school pep assembly on Jan. 8, Raeann Noah was announced as support staff member of the year. Currently, Noah serves as administrative assistant to Nathan Hostetler, but she has worked at FHN for the past seven years. While announcing her win, Hostetler described her as “One of the very best human beings I have ever known.” Noah’s responsibilities each day include coordinating substitutes for every teacher, managing payroll, preparing for graduation, and helping Hostetler manage the work that comes along with his position. According to coworker Stephanie Slaughter, Noah handles all her work with grace. “There couldn’t be anyone better, she works very hard for our students and our staff,” Slaughter said. “She’s truly a joy to work with, and she brings a smile to
PAGE BY SOPHIE CARITE
Reeann Noah poses for her a picture at her computer. Noah is Support Staff Member of the Year. She is Dr. Nathan Hostetler’s secretary and deals with making appointments, organizing substitute teachers and overseeing Hostetler’s schedule. (Photo by Phoebe Primeau)
every person in the building.” According to Noah, the reason she is able to do her job successfully, is because she enjoys her work environment. Noah aims to build relationships with her peers and students, making them her friends rather than just people she works with. “My favorite part of this job is that I feel like we’re family,” Noah said. “I love getting up and coming to work in the morning.”
NEWS| 02.20.19 | FHNTODAY.COM
13
Great Car Insurance That’s Also A Great Value
DAVID KESSLER 636-462-4670
david.kessler.l93w@statefarm.com
92 Professional Parkway Troy, MO 63379
FHNTodayTV Featured Videos NORTHSIDE NEWS
Audrey Dickherber looks at the top events going on around FHN and the top three things to do over the weekend.
HUMANS OF FHN | ERIN FLEMING This episode of Humans of FHN features Junior Erin Fleming, a firsttime varsity girl’s wrestler who helped to not only build the team but build her own skills during the season. Her previous experience on the lacrosse
field gave her an aggressiveness that she was able to bring to the mat during each duel. Fleming plans to continue her wrestling career next year and hopes to make it to state.
THE HOOD REPORT
Emily Hood looks at important events around the country, including the exciting start to the 2019 Blues season.
(Video by Reide Pearson and Victor Escobar)
STUCO OPENS “THE ARMORY” SCHOOL STORE On Jan. 24 STUCO officially opened a new school store called ‘The Armory’. The store sells clothes and other items to promote school spirit. Hoodies, long sleeve shirts, and laptop stickers can be purchased at The Armory during lunches on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
SPORTS BREAK WITH JAKE
(Video by Carson Ramirez)
Jacob Dulaney looks into the world of professional and college sports, including the suspension against Mizzou.
TEACHERS OF THE CASTLE | CHRIS DALTON
‘Teachers of The Castle’ is a series which deals with what our teachers have to tell about their lives outside the school. It this episode, Mr. Chris Dalton tells us about his military career and his deployment to Iraq before becoming a science teacher at FHN. (Video by Enrico
Spadaccini, Graphics by Jena Pae)
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SUBSCRIBE TO FHNTODAYTV
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PAGE BY EMILY HOOD
HOUR WITH LAUER
Dillon Lauer talks about FHN sports, including how boys basketball plans to turn their season around.
TWITTER: @FHNtoday
FHNTODAYTV | 02.20.19 | FHNTODAY.COM YOUTUBE: youtube.com/FHNtoday
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Junior Abby Korte works on a video that she made for her Youtube channel. Korte made her Youtube channel back in 2017, but she just started posting videos on it in 2018. She started creating and posting these videos so she would be able to look back on some of her favorite memories. (Photo by Ella Manthey)
DON’T FORGET TO LIKE, COMMENT AND SUBSCRIBE Junior Abby Korte started a YouTube channel in 2017 and she still continues to create content two years later by Gracie Bowman
because she is focused. “Some videos flop, some videos do really well,” Korte said. “Making videos ith the money collected from dog sitting, she holds her newly bought definitely isn’t easy when it comes to learning how, but when you learn it gets a lot Canon G7X Mark 2 camera. Although she has never found her life to be easier. I was expecting it to be easy, but as I started taking it more seriously, it was that interesting, a creative flow has run through her brain while her family harder than I thought.” boxed their house up to move to their new apartment. Junior Abby Korte turns her Korte films herself showing products and clothing she bought, giving advice camera on in her now nearly empty living room and opens her mouth to speak not about different things, like how to pass a driving test and simply driving around just to the camera in her hand, but now her audience. in her car with friends. She’ll do vlogs of her school day and some trending After Abby Korte’s first video titled, “Moving Vlog” uploaded on YouTube on challenges as well. Whenever she is doing something interesting that day, she tries April 7, 2017, she knew she wanted to continue to make to film it for her growing channel. YouTube videos. With her channel, @abigailnicole, now with “It’s something she really enjoys and puts a lot of effort into,” over 350 subscribers, she has grown her channel, not only in YouTubers at FHN: junior Mia McDermott said. “I will always support her no matter the numbers but in her content as well, now with 27 videos what and seeing that it makes her happy, I hope she continues Junior Plum Rousseau uploaded. to do it. I would rather be behind the camera then in the @PlumL’wren “Once I had something interesting to film, I decided I was videos, but it’s still cool to see when she posts them and all the Senior Jada Adkinson going to do it,” Korte said. “That’s when I first started realizing I editing she does.” @Jada Adkinson really liked it.” While most younger kids join the platform to gain a following Korte has always watched YouTube, more than she watches Sophomore Raven Curtner and earn money, Korte has always focused on making @Raven Curtner actual television shows or movies. She has always been content solely because she loves doing it. Influencers earn interested in influencers and entertained by their content. Sophomore Sierra Jolliff monetization from ads on their videos and it has continuously Whether it’s makeup tutorials or a “Day in the Life,” Korte @sierra davyn jolliff gotten more difficult. Korte understands the difficulties of has always enjoyed watching videos. With her newly bought making money on YouTube, but doesn’t concern herself with it. Junior Cameron Minter camera, she used her love of the community to start filming “I’m not doing it for money,” Korte said. “I don’t see it as a @CameronMinter and posting videos of her own. career. I want to do it until I get bored with it, which I think will “Ever since I was young, I would film myself or my friends be a long while.” and I in my basement,” Korte said. “I liked filming things. I just Korte wants to continue making videos, hopefully found it interesting and fun.” incorporating college life once she graduates high school. By making a YouTube When making a video, Korte begins by thinking through content ideas. Once channel, she found her interest in video production. She finds joy in the editing she decides on what she wants to film, she starts thinking about what she’ll need. process and considers it a possibility as something she could do in the future. She She makes a list of any materials she’ll need to buy or schedule the day when she will continue to upload on her YouTube channel for the time being. can film. She’ll film the video and once she’s done, Korte likes to edit the video in “I love seeing the end product,” Korte said. “I love getting to bring people into one sitting. She uses iMovie on her MacBook to sort through the hours of footage. my life. I love watching other people’s videos and I like to be for others what [other According to Korte, she will edit for nearly eight hours, but it goes by quickly YouTubers] are to me.” graciebowman310@gmail.com | @_gracie__b_
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PAGE BY JACK CLEAVELAND
SO, YOU’RE GOING TO COLLEGE. WHAT’S NEXT?
Going to college is a lot more than dorm shopping and roommate picking. Here are some small things you may not know about what to do once you accept an offer of admission (Content by Colin St. Aubin) Placement Tests
Applying for Housing
Of course you’ve worked your butt off through high school and are surely wondering what all this knowledge you have is for. You may be able to use it to place out of entry level classes or even to place out of an entire subject area entirely. Most schools have placement tests which will measure your aptitude in certain subject areas in order to put you in the most appropriate classes. Your college will likely send you multiple emails on how to access these important tests. Most tests are done online out of convenience, but there are some that are to be taken in person. Make sure to know what your college requires.
Most schools require freshmen to live on-campus for their first year, but some schools (UMSL, Mizzou) will not. It is very important to apply for housing sooner rather than later in order to secure a desired room or roommate.
Pay ALL Deposits
It is a common misconception that there is only one deposit to pay once you are admitted, but most schools have separate housing and tuition deposit so it is vital that you pay both deposits on time to avoid any backlash in the form of late fees or waitlists.
Summer Orientation/Pre-Orientation
Every school does it differently, but each school has one or both of these programs. Summer orientations are, for the most part, standard at most colleges and universities. These are great ways to get to know your college without the pressure of classes or grades. Pre-Orientation programs are extra opportunities some schools offer where you may be able to take a fun class and meet other students with similar interests as yourself. Make sure to keep an eye out for those dates from your school.
Fraternity and Sorority Rush
Greek life is different on every campus, but if this is an activity you wish to participate in, it is important that you pay attention to when the fraternity or sorority of your choice will be holding their Rush. Rush is a time where candidates for Greek life will attempt to join fraternities or sororities. Most colleges hold them at different times, so reach out to the fraternity or sorority of your choice at your school to see when your Rush week is.
Admitted Students Days
Most likely, your college will have an Admitted Students Day. This is just a fun event where admitted students from all over the country visit the school in the spring to either decide to attend or meet those who will be attending. It is really the first chance students have to make friends with other students who will be going to that school in the fall. Your college will likely send you an email or postcard with dates for these fun events.
Scholarships, Scholarships, Scholarships
College is expensive, and financial often aid doesn’t completely cover the cost of attendance. It is then when you should apply for any independent scholarship that you can feasibly attain. While $500 may not seem like a large sum of money in the grand scheme of things, when it adds up it makes a difference that will not have to be paid back.
Decision Notification
Of course it is obvious that you have to notify the school you will be attending that you have accepted their offer of admission. To the same token, it is just as important to notify the schools you received and offer of admission from that you have decided to NOT attend. This is not only courteous, but it allows the school to then consult their waitlist and offer another deserving student admission to the university.
Final Visit
Before attending school in the fall, it is a common practice to visit over the summer one final time. This is done for many reasons but the largest reason is in order to get to know the school on a more personal level. Final visits are a way to immerse yourself in the community in which your school resides. This could be an opportunity to find perfect weekend hangouts, good coffee shops, or even the nearest supermarket. It is a way to introduce yourself to a brand new environment before starting your first semester as a college student.
What do you wish you knew about college?
“I wish I knew that the colleges I wanted to attend wouldn’t give me the kind of scholarships I thought were available.” Aslee Addison, 12
“The price on Google doesn’t include everything, like room and board and books.” Bria Hamilton, 12
“I wish I knew how long of a process it would be so I could get a jumpstart on it.” Ben Ludwig, 12
“I wish I knew how long it takes to get all this information, apply to honors colleges and figure out how to pay.” Karen Pete, 12
GENERAL DATES TO KNOW April 1
Admission Decision Notification Deadline
All of your colleges you applied to should let you know their decision by this date.
PAGE BY SYDNEY ELLISON
May 1
Student Decision Deadline
You must inform all colleges who offered you admission of your decision on where to attend.
May 15
Deposits due for tuition and housing
You must pay all deposits required by your college by this date. This date can vary between colleges.
FEATURES| 02.20.19 | FHNTODAY.COM
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(Photo Submitted)
THE MILITARY AFTER HIGH SCHOOL
For some, joining the military after high school is a very real option. Here are some requirements and benefits of joining the military in or after high school (Content by Kylah Woods)
FORMER STUDENT JOINS NATIONAL GUARD After graduating in 2018, FHN Alumna Marissa Hunt enlisted in the National Guard this past year. “Ever since the eighth grade, I wanted to join the National Guard to serve my country,” Hunt said. “I’ve always wanted to help in some way. I felt like doing that would make me feel kind of like a more important person.” Hunt’s decision to join the National Guard was her own personal decision. Her family doesn’t have history with the military. To prepare before she enlisted, she made sure to talk to recruiting officers and people she knew that were active in the military to ensure she knew what she was getting into. She also went to a two-day camp to learn how to wear a uniform, how to march and how to talk to a sergeant. “I’m still trying to prepare mentally,” Hunt said. “I’m a little scared but I’m ready to help serve my country.” On Wednesday, Jan. 23, Hunt left for reception, where she got her body checked to ensure she’s ready for boot camp, where she will be for about four to 10 days. There, she will get everything she needs for boot camp. After reception, she heads to boot camp for 10 weeks. From there she goes to Advanced Individual Training (AIT), then she will be a combat medic in Fort Sam Houston for 16 weeks. After her time there she will return back to college. “Part of me feels really good about it,” Hunt said. “I know that I can change my life and I can pay for school, support my family and support myself without depending on others. But the other part of me is scared but overall, I’m feeling really good about it.” (Story by Kylah Woods)
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FHNTODAY.COM | 02.20.19 | FEATURES
REQUIREMENTS , students can enlist at 17.
With parental consent
The physical demands of the military vary from branch to branch, but generally service members should be able to
pass a standard physical screening
Though it is not required, a high members.
and be in good
school diploma
physical condition
or an equivalent is desired for potential service
U.S citizens and Permanent Resident Aliens may join the U.S. military. Pass the Armed Services Vocational minnimum score varies from branch to branch.
Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) test. The
BENEFITS Financial
Health Other
-
Guaranteed paycheck and bonuses 30 days paid annual vacation Special home loans and discounts Tax-free room, board, and allowances
-
Health service to active service members and families near military installations. Dental and health care
-
Service members can receive college credits Option for full or part time service Receive professional and technical raining in many different fields Opportunity to travel the world
Enlisting in the military doesn’t mean you lose the opportunity for a college education!
TALK TO A RECRUITER Army
Active Duty and Reserve: 1-800-550-2769 National Guard: 1-800-464-8273
Active duty: 1-800-423-8723 Reserve: 1-800-257-1212 National Guard: 1-800-864-6264
Air Force
Navy
Active Duty and Reserve: 1-800-872-6289
Marine Corps
Active duty and Reserve: 1-800-627-4637
Coast Guard
General Recruitment: 314-251-3845
PAGE BY REBEKAH MYERS
GAME ON
FHN adds a new team featuring gaming consoles and electronic competition
by Chloe Horstman clshorstman@gmail.com
Upwards of 70 students buzz as they look for a seat in the packed Com 1 to hear how they can be a part of a team unlike any other at FHN: the new Esports team. Brett Bevill, health instructor and head varsity football coach, is preparing to take on a new group of students and activity that has been uncharted by FHN until now- a team playing with controllers and computers twice a week in room 127. The idea to start an Esports team was brought to Bevill by Head Principal Nathan Hostetler, Assistant Principal Chris Birch and Activities Director Mike Janes during a professional development meeting. “It kind of just fell into my lap and I took the reigns,” Bevill said. “I tried to lay the groundwork with other teachers to kind of figure out where we’re gonna meet…and then having the first meeting to see who was interested.” The Esports team will play various popular games. They plan on gearing up to compete online against teams from FHC and FZE, and look forward to getting kids involved in face to face events sometime in the
Coach Bevill calls Esports team to meet to discuss future plans about what the team will be doing. This is a new sport that involves video games that will be played competitively featuring League of Legends and Overwatch. The team meets weekly and talks about what they will be playing. (Photo by Wesley P. Harden II)
future, while the logistics are still being worked out. “My biggest goal is really getting kids involved that maybe not are always involved in school,” Bevill said. “Sometimes people play games and they’re kind of misunderstood. To be able to have them be a voice and a force in our school for the greater good, for the positive, I just think really helps Howell North out.” Freshman Ethan Olea is helping Bevill coach and looks forward to helping fellow teammates progress and building relationships with the team. “I think they’ll enjoy the connectivity,” Olea said.
“Everybody will be individually fine tuned, judged on what they’re good at, what they are bad at, and nobody will be just the best player. You’ll all be the best player to your own extent.” Bevill foresees academic improvement and potential scholarships in the future. “It’s been proven that if you are involved in an activity that your grades are higher, your citizenship is better,” Bevill said. “If we can hit a new group of kids and expect them to achieve in the classroom and on the computer, I think that’s a good thing.”
AMOOLYA PANDURANGI DANCES KATHAK Freshman uses dance to connect to her culture
by Karsyn Williams
karsyn.williams15@gmail.com
Growing up in a family of musicians and Indian culture, freshman Amoolya Pandurangi practices and performs a classical style of dance called Kathak. Despite her numerous extracurriculars, she manages to fit practicing the style into her schedule. “I love dance very much,” Pandurangi said. “You’re actually trying to tell a story through footwork and lots of spins.” Kathak is an Indian dance form that has been practiced for centuries by storytellers to share tales through movement. The style is based around gestures and facial expressions. Pandurangi has been performing Kathak for five years, practicing for about 20 minutes everyday. “My favorite part is actually the rhythm,” Pandurangi said. “The footwork itself creates the most excitement towards it.” Pandurangi and her family performs for numerous local Indian events and associations, such as Sangama, the Indian Association and Abhinaya. This leaves a few of Pandurangi’s weekends busy with
PAGE BY REBEKAH MYERS
displaying her talents in classical dance and music. “I’ve never been the type of person to get stage fright,” Pandurangi said. “I’ve always liked performing in general and it brings a lot of happiness towards it.” The Pandurangi family is also focused on Indian music, as her father plays the tabla (Indian percussion), and her mother teaches Hindustani classical music and practices singing. Her parents’ interest in dance and music is what introduced Pandurangi to Kathak, causing it to blossom into one of her passions. “When we exposed her to India [and Indian culture], she grew a passion,” Amoolya’s father, Raghu Pandurangi said. “She never looked back and starting learning more and more.” Amoolya plans to continue practicing Kathak after high school and is looking forward to her arangetram, a performance done by a former student and a ceremony similar to a graduation. “I see myself as someone who would perform [Kathak] once in awhile,” Amoolya said. “I could never forget it.”
Freshman Amoolya Pandurangi poses for a picture while showing off some of her dance positions. Pandurangi has been dancing for five years and plans on continuing dance in her future. “My favorite thing about dancing is the footwork. In kathak footwork is one of the highlights of it and it just brings me joy,” says Pandurangi. (Photo by Kaili Martin)
FHNTODAY.COM | 02.20.19 | FEATURES
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Freshman Evan Becker talks about the upcoming speech and debate districts with fellow members Carly Gordon, Pavan Kolluru and Amoolya Pandurangi. (Photo by Jordan Milewczik)
EVAN BECKER FOLLOWS HIS DREAMS THROUGH SPEECH AND DEBATE Becoming an attorney has always been a dream of freshman Evan Becker’s ever since he was young. He realized when he was 8 years old because he enjoyed arguing with his siblings and since then, Becker has joined the FHN Speech and Debate team. He has competed in many tournaments through his time in the club to help further improve his speech and debate skills. Becker has competed from Troy to Pattonville, snatching up his first and as of Feb. 28, his only first place at a Ladue Congress tournament. “He’s got a good mind,” Speech and Debate coach Randy Pierce said. “He’s very effective analytically, he can think logically and he can communicate well He’s assertive and confident without being too oppressive and this affects the work ethic where he’s willing to do the research and the preparation.” Growing up, Becker was exposed to an environment where he was able to talk his points out with his parents while supporting his points up with evidence and according to his mother Bethany Becker, this has helped foster his passion for debate. Bethany Becker also thinks other factors such as his father having his law degree may help play a role into Evan’s dream. “He will go up into his room and research and prepare speeches for hours,” Bethany said. “Sometimes, I’d hear him talking and think he’s on FaceTime but he’s actually practicing and timing his speeches.” Becker has received a lot of encouragement from his peers as he has progressed through the years. A lot of the varsity Speech and Debate members have helped Brecker better prepare himself for speeches and offer valuable feedback from their own experiences. “Since I joined speech and debate, I’ve learned how to argue more effectively,” Becker said. “Because you not only have to be able to give your own opinion but you have to be able to argue in a way that convinces someone else to agree with what you agree with. (Story by Michael Zull)
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Senior Autumn Schrader talks to senior Selena Wang as they work together in their Biomed class. They both worked together to enter samples they previously took around the school. Schrader and Wang went to their first meeting about SLU on Nov. 27. (Photo by Kamryn Bell)
MENTORING IN MEDICATION Seniors go to SLU for advising in Biomedical Innovations by Ashlynn Perez
ashlynnkaeperez@gmail.com
S
eniors Autumn Schrader and Selena Wang have entered their last semester in the Project Lead The Way program (PLTW), along with the other students they have walked with for four years. They have studied everything from the basics of microscopes to actual medical intervention in a series of classes: Principles of Biomedical Science, Human Body Systems, and Medical Interventions. Their final medical class at FHN, Biomedical Innovations, is providing a unique opportunity for Schrader and Wang. The two girls are currently being mentored at SLU by Rajeev Aurora, a research immunologist for the Doisy Research Center for Immunology. This is part of a year-long independent research project, where they are given the opportunity to research a topic and use it in a handson environment. “It’s a cool project,” Schrader said. “You get real results and real information.” As part of the class, Schrader and Wang had to find their mentor by themselves. Using SLU’s research facility, they were able to contact Aurora with information about their research on the effects of vaping compared to the effects of cigarettes in saliva. They are learning about DNA primers and the coding for them. Aurora responded with an email expressing his interest in their research, and so he agreed to become their mentor. He has since opened
his lab to Schrader and Wang, guiding them in their experiments and tests. “It was difficult to to keep contact over email since we were both so busy,” Wang said. “We had to set up a meeting where he was able to fully understand our research project and provide his critiques.” Aurora takes Schrader and Wang through his lab, and in addition to helping them with their research, he keeps them up to date with what he is working on. Aurora’s responsibilities as a mentor include helping his mentees design experiments and collect appropriate sambles, provide laboratory space and protocol for the proposed experiment and to help them interpret the data and results. “With an aging population, healthcare has an enormous impact on the economy, and also on quality of life,” Aurora said. “It is important for high school students to think about healthcare as they make lifestyle and career choices.” Throughout four years of PLTW classes, the girls have learned a number of skills applicable in the medical field, but also in everyday life, such as talking to people they don’t normally talk to and communication. Schrader and Wang hope to use these skills after high school, both in college and the careers that lay beyond. “I have been with theall of the same people in these classes for all four years of high school,” Schrader said. “And I learn something new every day; not only from all of the classes, but from all of the people.”
PAGE BY SAMMIE HERR
5 COOL HIKING TRAILS IN MISSOURI
Whether you’re looking to bundle up in the winter and go on a pretty stroll or schedule out a few summertime runs, these unusual and fun hiking trails could be for you (Content by Patty O’Leary) Thousand Hills Trail
Location: Kirksville, Missouri Length: 7.6 miles Driving distance from FHN: 3 hours and 1 minute (183 miles) Elevation: 528 feet Unique Feature: Has access to Forest Lake swim beach which can be swam anywhere from Memorial Day to Labor Day.
Osage Bluff Scenic Trail
Location: Folk, Missouri Length: 1.9 miles Driving distance from FHN: Approximately 2 hours and 10 minutes (131 miles) Elevation: 200 feet Unique Feature: Overlooks the Osage river and provides a wooden platform at the top to get the best view of the river and surrounding nature.
Bennett Spring Natural Tunnel Trail
Location: Windyville, Missouri Driving distance from FHN: Approximately 3 hours and 4 minutes (191 miles) Length: 7.7 miles Elevation: 623 feet Unique Feature: There’s a natural tunnel around the trail at the end of the hike that is 300 ft. long and 15 ft. wide.
Spring Brook Trail
Location: Columbia, Missouri Length: 2.2 miles Driving distance from FHN: Approximately 1 hour and 40 minutes (103 miles) Elevation: 216 feet Unique Feature: Has various caves scattered throughout the hike to stop and explore for a while.
Castle Trail
Location: Camdenton, Missouri Length: .7 miles Driving distance from FHN: Approximately 2 hours and 41 minutes (168 miles) Elevation: 114 feet Unique Feature: While it isn’t as much as a hike as some other trails, it features the ruins of real castles from the twentieth century.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE THING ABOUT HIKING? “I like being around nature and being far by myself, I like the serenity, hiking with my friends sometimes and having long conversations.” -Carson Hackney, 12
PAGE BY SAMMIE HERR
“[I love] the calmness of the outdoors and the environment with all the different colors.” -Anthony Torpe, 9
“It gives you a chance to interact with your environment and spend time outdoors if you aren’t a physical person.” -Sophie Stachula, 9
“[I] really enjoy being outdoors and seeing the scenery.” -Olivia Neunaber, 10
“The views and scenery are beautiful. I love looking at little plants and the little buggies.” -David Lopez, 10
FHNTODAY.COM | 02.20.19 | FEATURES
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I AM, I AM NOT
Introduction to Art students define who they are and who they are not in a project which encourages individuality by Hannah Wilson
hannahmae691@gmail.com | @hannahwilson30
Posters of the “I am” signs hang in the hallways all around FHN. Many pretain to the inner struggles and hidden feelins of many students that can vary from “I am not fake” to “I am not a liar”. This movement was created to show that everyone is equal and words really do matter. (Photo by francisco Jimenez)
Sophomore Angel Milburn
Freshman Owen Cuddy
a person who laughs to keep from crying
a target for bullies
I am
“I have to distract myself with people who make me laugh, I have a support system of friends.”
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I am not
“I’ve been bullied my whole life and humans tend to blame ourselves. But, people are just pieces of crap and they bully for reaction.”
FHNTODAY.COM | 02.20.19 | FEATURES
“Identity.” The last unit in Introduction to Art. Art teacher Kimberly Skwira wanted to challenge her students about the way they view themselves and how others viewed them. She started off by presenting the classes with artwork that focused on the idea of identity. “I deliberately pulled two artworks that were relative to teens today and that sort of set the tone,” Skwira said. “It created a very raw environment but a very safe space at the same time.” She then told them about their project: “I Am Not.” The students were given four strips of black and white paper and were told to write “I Am Not…” across the paper. They were to anonymously write down ways they felt they were judged or felt personally stereotyped. After they were done, they were supposed to cover the paper or flip it over; Skwira never looked at them. “We didn’t know who’s was who’s and it was powerful,” Skwira said. “It was really powerful and to see them
all down on paper, it was really eyeopening, not only for me but also for them. There was sort of a moment where it was really sad. It was really powerful.” The following day they conducted a similar project called “I Am.” They were to think of traits about themselves or traits they can’t change, such as heritage or socioeconomic status, and write two down on colored paper. According to Skwira, the students had a much harder time coming up with these. After the project, Skwira is very pleased with the outcome. “I didn’t realize what kind of positive impact it would have, both of [the projects],” Skwira said. “It would be amazing to do it amongst adults. You know, we talk about equity and FHN community and that’s what I try to do in here. I try to create a community where we all develop a relationship with each other, no matter who we are or what we look like or what our beliefs are. This is their classroom as much as it is mine and I think that really brought us together. It definitely was a better outcome than I expected.”
Senior Erin Maniscalco
Freshman Randal Hufford
dull
helpful
I am not
“I hate boring and I need color and excitement. I refuse to live a life of boringness and I’m a kid at heart, that’s how I bond with my younger siblings. That’s why I’m going to art school.”
I am
“I put others happiness before mine.”
PAGE BY COLIN ST. AUBIN
Freshman Abby Martinez dances during a varsity boys basketball game at half time. This is Martinez’s first year on Knightline, but her older sisters have danced on knightline for all of their four years of high school. Martinez hopes to be like her sister and dance on the team for all four years of her high school career. (Photo by Phoebe Primeau)
THE MARTINEZ LEGACY
After 7 years , a sisterly bond has grown in the Martinez family surrounding the FHN dance team as Freshman Abby Martinez is following her sisters’ footsteps by dancing for the Knightline dance team
by Anna Besancenez
bbesancenez466@g.fhsdschools.org | @annabesancenez3
I
t’s the day of the competition and freshman Abby Martinez is listening to her music, getting pumped and getting her muscles warm. The music flipped a switch to achieve what she has been pushing for. This competition atmosphere isn’t new to Abby because her sisters Lauren and Kayla Martinez have danced before her on Knightline. It is a strong bond that they shared since Abby was young. Lauren graduated in 2015 and Kayla graduated in 2017. “Knightline was one of the best experiences in high school,” Lauren said. “It was a great time for me to do what I love with my friends who I still talk to today.” Abby, a freshman at FHN this year, has been dancing since she was 3 years old. She started at Synergy Dance Center, but she now dances at Fusion Dance Center. The skills she learned in the studio gave her experience she uses in Knightline. Abby also learned skills from watching her sisters practice and being around the dance team. Since she was around the team she practiced harder things at a younger age. “Dancing with the group of dancers now is super special because they’re all so sweet and great group of dancers,” Abby said. Abby and her sisters all grew up dancing and competing at the studio and on Knightline. Dancing allows the sisters to express what they love to do and how they feel. Abby always felt she was going to do Knightline because she wanted to be involved with the school and do what she enjoys. Abby got to watch both of her sisters go through the experience by going to competitions and hearing about
PAGE BY COLIN ST. AUBIN
practices so she kind of knew what she was doing when she tried out freshman year. “Keeping the legacy going was really important and special to me,” Abby said. Lauren and Kayla did Knightline all four years on varsity. The two were on the team together for Lauren’s junior and senior year. They made it to finals at nationals during Lauren’s junior year and Kayla’s freshman year and couldn’t have been happier. According to Kayla, the team’s hard work paid off greatly. When preparing for the competitions the dancers practiced two dances; a jazz and a hip hop. “Knightline was like my second home and I considered the girls my family,” Kayla said. According to their biggest supporters Holly and Terry Martinez, their parents, they have been through it all. They have been there for the girls from stressful backstage quick changes to first place trophies. Moments like that can be very hectic and exciting. “I always tell the girls the trophy doesn’t come on Saturday, it comes Monday through Friday,” Terry said. According to Abby she is constantly pushing herself to learn new tricks at practice for hopes in becoming a better dancer. She hopes these tricks will help her continue her dancing career in college. “Watching people dance or college dance teams inspires me and pushes me harder to become a better dancer,” Abby said. “It’s a big stress reliever and I feel more myself when I dance.”
FHNTODAY.COM | 02.20.19 | FEATURES
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A Full Night’s Rest
During sleep, the body spends periods in different sleep stages: Awake, Stage 1, Stage 2, Stage 3 and Stage 4 —also known as Deep Sleep— and Rapid Eye Movement (REM) Sleep. They’re cycled through about every 90 minutes.
Awake: This is the body when it’s relaxed and falling asleep. The body is awake a few times during the night.
Stage 1: The brain and body slow down. Feelings of falling, floating and seeing hallucination-like images may occur.
Stage 2: Here, people are clearly asleep, but still fairly easy to wake up. Brain waves and heart rate slow down.
Deep Sleep: People are most difficult to wake up here as, the body repairs tissue, grows, builds up energy and boost the immune system.
Sleepless Cycles
Sleep is essential to our health. It repairs and strengthens our minds and bodies, but we often neglect getting the recommended eight to 10 hours of rest. This issue discusses the importance sleep has in our lives. (Design by Heeral Patel and Kylah Woods; Photos by Phoebe Primeau)
REM: The brain processes the day’s events, making REM sleep important in learning and emotional wellbeing.
The First Half of the Night’s Sleep
This timeline breaks down the first four hours of an average sleep cycle. The first half of sleep tends to have more Deep Sleep than the latter half.
Stage 2 Stage 1
HOUR 1
Deep Sleep
Stage 2 REM
Stage 2 Deep Sleep
HOUR 2
The Economics of time High schoolers continue the trend of sleep deprivation in American culture, facing more consequences as more students succumb to sleep deprivation
by Sarah Zimmerman
sarahzimmerman8@gmail.com
I
t becomes a cycle. Wake up to the third alarm. Rush out of bed and get ready for school in 20 minutes. Pry eyes open during classes to stay awake. Go to basketball practice. Shower. Strangle with homework for a few hours. Check phone. Sleep the length of a long nap. Wake up and repeat. The cycle continues. Like many other high school teenagers, senior Payton Stephenson struggles through the day, unable to escape sleep deprivation. The very sleep deprivation that is spreading like an epidemic among high school teenagers, leaving negative impacts, both directly and indirectly. “I’d say I have a hard time remembering things and focusing on things, which I mean that could attribute to a lot of things, but I think lacking sleep definitely has a big toll on that,” Stephenson said. “It’s just really hard to learn new information when I’m that tired because I either can’t stay awake trying to learn it or I’m just not really absorbing it.” Being unable to focus is only one of many issues. As the pace of society increases, pressures on teens to do more continues and smartphones become more prominent, and more teenagers stay up to clock in more hours at work, complete schoolwork or scroll through social media. This causes sleep too often becomes less and less of a priority. “Part of it is just this idea that we don’t understand basic economics, and I’m not talking money here,” AP Psychology teacher Sean Fowler said. “I’m just talking about basic when you choose one thing you’re foregoing
26
FHNTODAY.COM | 02.20.19 | IN-DEPTH
something else, so one of the most in the span of hundred years, we are important economic resources we have trying to change the natural order of is time.” things, and that will not fly probably. For many students, this time That will not work and will always result is not filled with sleep, but with in deleterious consequences, so give other activities, schoolwork, family the sleep the brain deserves. There is responsibilities or jobs. Instead of no workaround if you’re sleep deprived. attaining the eight to 10 hours of One day, that’s okay. But don’t sleep required for proper functioning chronically sleep deprive yourself or of teenagers, many students find you’re just setting up for a suboptimal themselves getting less and less sleep. outcome, and that is not efficient.” “A lot of teens and myself get into If students continue to try to more stuff than they really can, like I workaround getting enough sleep, did,” junior Isaac Kelly said. “Then, a lot more than the short-term decreased of them don’t realize cognitive function How Much Sleep like how important and irritability will be Do We Get? sleep is —until it’s evident. Later, the • Up to 25% of teens gone.” effects of their sleep get less than six hours With only three deprivation could of sleep out of 10 high lead to decreased • About 33% of school students intelligence test adolescents report getting enough scores, increased getting more than nine sleep on school psychological hours of sleep nights, according problems, increased • About 66% of to the Center for risk of diseases and adolescents do not get Disease Control and lower life satisfaction. enough sleep Prevention, many “The most (Source: Pradeep C. Bollu, MD) students face the important thing repercussions of sleep is that even if you deprivation, both short term and long feel like you’re putting more hours term. While students may immediately by depriving yourself of sleep, your feel less focused, less motivated or less efficiency is going to be lower during efficient as they receive less sleep, they those hours that you’re staying up,” may also struggle more with anxiety Bollu said. “Unless you give the brain and depression, and their immune the this the rest it deserves, it is not responses will decrease. going to be optimal. So if you want “Sleep is very important to the to be successful, well, clean your optimal functioning of the body, which brain properly, clean your brain with is clearly evident because we have one respect. Give it the sleep that it needs third of the time dedicated in a day to and deserves. Unless you do that, our sleep,” Pradeep Bollu, Associate no matter what you do, your effort is Director of Sleep Disorders at the going to be not resulting in the most University of Missouri Columbia, said. fruitful outcome unless you would have “That tells you how important sleep is. had you given your brain the sleep it This is a problem in the last century, so deserves.”
PAGE BY HEERAL PATEL AND KYLAH WOODS
REM Stage 2
Awake
HOUR 3
Stage 1
Stage 2
Deep Sleep
HOUR 4
Go to page 25 for more information about each stage of sleep.
YOUR BODY WITHOUT SLEEP SLEEP’S BENEFITS • Sleep lets your body restore itself by letting everything reset and removing toxins from the body. • It helps your body protect itself from disease.
Full Body
From schoolwork to skincare, sleep has the potential to affect every aspect of life. It lets your body restore itself by letting everything reset and removing toxins from the body, helping your body protect itself from disease. It also gives a chance for the mind to reset itself. With an adequate amount of sleep there is increased memory retention which means there is less of a chance to forget about school work and make it easier to focus in class. Learn what can happen when people don’t regularly receive the recommend eight to 10 hours.
• Sleep deprivation causes weight balancing hormones not to be released, so an increase in body weight is expected. • Aches and pains are a common occurrence throughout the body. • Immune system weakens from no ability to restore itself
(Content by Sydney Ellison; Sources stanfordhealthcare.org; healthysleep.med. harvard.edu; Washington University)
• A well-rested body has more energy and motivation. • The risk for strokes, diabetes and heart problems decrease when target amount of sleep is acquired. • Lowers the chance of mental illnesses such as anxiety and depression by balancing the hormones in the body. It also gives a chance for the mind to reset itself.
Brain
• The mind becomes unfocused without undisrupted sleep. • Your mind won’t be able to do work at its full potential. • Common effects of not enough sleep include irrational decision making, anxiety and depression. • In extreme cases of sleep deprivation, hallucinations can occur, as can extreme paranoia.
Skin, Eyes, Face • Acne can worsen as sleep deprivation increases because toxins aren’t being removed and stress is likely to heighten. • Under eye bags can deepen, shadows on face become more extreme. • Unconscious teeth grinding during the night, a sleeping disorder called bruxism, can ruin teeth from constant gnashing.
• With an adequate amount of sleep there is increased memory retention which means there is less of a chance to forget about school work. • It will be easier to focus in class with a good night’s sleep.
PAGE BY HEERAL PATEL AND KYLAH WOODS
Circulatory system • High blood pressure is a common result of sleep apnea, which is a sleeping disorder where breathing is interrupted during sleep. • An increased risk of diabetes, heart attacks or strokes as chronic sleep deprivation continues.
IN-DEPTH | 02.20.19 | FHNTODAY.COM
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The Last Half of the Night Sleep
This timeline breaks down the first four hours of an average sleep cycle. The second half of sleep tends to have more Deep Sleep than the previous half.
Stage 2 Deep Sleep
REM
Stage 2
HOUR 4
Deep Sleep
Stage 2
REM
HOUR 5
LEARNING HALF ASLEEP Pushing up school start times must account for many factors, but it has many benefits to student achievement by Heeral Patel
heeral.patel03@gmail.com | @Heeral12
Within FHSD, the first school bells ring at 7:20 a.m. Currently, between early wake-up times and late bedtimes, many teens get either not enough or a borderline amount of sleep — a survey from the National Sleep Foundation finds this to be the reality 87 percent of high schoolers. To get in those deprived hours of sleep, logically, students should either go to sleep earlier or wake up later. Due to a shift in circadian rhythms that takes place during adolescence —causing teens to naturally stay up later than children and adults— it’s harder for teens to develop a sleep schedule that allows them to get a full night’s rest while getting up at 6 a.m. A study done by the University of Washington found an increase in academic performance associated with the additional sleep students got when Seattle high schools delaying start times by 55 minutes. This gradual trend has been taking place across the nation. “We would absolutely consider it,” FHSD Chief Academic Officer Nathan Hoven said. “It’s been an idea in the back of minds of every school district I’ve ever been aware of for years... It is hard work, but that’s not a reason a district says we’re not going to do it, but knowing that it’s absolutely going to impact your community, you have to be ready to say okay, it’s time to have this conversation that we know is going to be difficult for the community because it is even if it’s a great change, and even if your community totally support this as a great thing, it’s still gonna be hard to do for families, and for everybody involved.” During school hours, this leads to a lack of focus among students, especially during the first few hours of the day. This can be seen in students as anything from falling
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asleep during class to struggling to pay attention to notes to simply lacking the energy to work. “Normally what I try and do is break up [class] into little chunks and kind of move the kids around,” Spanish teacher Valerie Green said. “Normally, they’re only seeing it for like the bell work ...after about 15 minutes into the theory, we’ve already switched gears...Sometimes the bell work helps stimulate the brain a little bit, and sometimes just gives them a chance to kind of have a moment before class starts in.” Of course, implementing a change at the magnitude of moving bell times for schools has numerous factors. For high schools, starting later would mean ending later, which would impact after-school activities. Along with that comes athletic schedules for games and how those coordinate with other schools. There’s also the busing system to think about. Even with their own buses, changing school start times would mean reallocating buses and drivers, and how they coordinate with the length of each route and the population of each school. It’s another complex process that would have to take place if the District start high schools later. For many families, changing school start times would also mean readjusting their morning and afterschool schedules. “If a lot of schools in this general area started doing it started at least all talking to each other about doing it, I think that would help push it,” Hoven said. “...If there’s a big community push that the community says, ‘We want this for our students. And as a community, we’re prepared to work through the difficulties that it would provide,’ I think that would help, you know, anything that takes some of those major impacts and lessens them I think, are things that could help spur this along.”
FHNTODAY.COM | 02.20.19 | IN-DEPTH
PAGE BY HEERAL PATEL AND KYLAH WOODS
Stage 2 Stage 1
REM
Awake
Awake
HOUR 6
HOUR 7
WHAT CAN YOU DO?
Sleep quality is affected by many factors. Knowing what they are and how to combat these issues can bring students a step closer to being better well-rested (Content by Gracie Bowman; Sources: healthysleep.med.harvard.edu; spoonuniversity.com; everydayhealth.com)
The Environment
Stress When students are stressed, it is more difficult for them to sleep. They also don’t sleep well; their sleep includes more REM sleep rather than deep sleep. Homework, sports, extracurriculars and part-time jobs can overwhelm students. Bodies respond to stressful situations, so while people are trying to sleep, their body is trying to wake them up.
The Fix:
Wind Down Before Bed Before bed, students can do methods to de-stress. Taking a break from the stressor, like walking away from your homework for a few minutes, helps relieve stress. Stretching or mediating, reading, writing down your thoughts and listening to music are some easy methods to relax before bed.
Caffeine
Caffeine can affect the chemical levels in your body. The Fix: Your body produces Take it Easy a chemical called Limit yourself to small melatonin. Caffeine amounts of caffeine, acts as a stimulant and including coffee and soda. increases awakenings; it Don’t consume so much fights off the melatonin of it that you create a your body’s trying to tolerance. This can cause produce. So, it keeps you to take in more, which you alert and awake. will throw your sleep Continuous intake of the schedule more out of caffeine can influence balance. Try to stay away your sleep patterns. It from caffeine around the decreases deep sleep mid-afternoon, so that and keeps your body it can flush out of your alert and awake. system before bedtime.
PAGE BY HEERAL PATEL AND KYLAH WOODS
Where you are sleeping has an effect on how well you sleep. Lights, noise and temperature all factor in on your stages of sleep. Too much light at night affects your internal clock, so it could be hard to fall asleep. Any noise makes it difficult to stay asleep or go into a deep sleep. Lastly, the body must be at a comfortable temperature to be able to fall asleep.
The Fix:
Keep it Calm and Quiet It’s important to sleep in a dark environment. If some fear of the dark, try to utilize dim lights, preferably in the hallways or bathrooms. Also try to stay off screens an hour before bed. A lot of devices have “night mode,” where the screen dims and the blue light is decreased. If you like background noise, most devices have timers for an automatic shut off.
Nicotine
Like caffeine, nicotine is also a stimulant. Smokers spend more time in a light sleep rather than a deep sleep. Smoking can lead to sleeping problems, including insomnia. Nicotine presence is the highest in a person’s blood when they are trying to sleep. It can be possible that when they’re trying to sleep, they could be having withdrawal symptoms, so their body wakes them up.
The Fix:
Keep Your Body Healthy It’s important to stay away from nicotine for many other important reasons other than sleep. Nicotine and other drugs can harm a developing adolescents body and brain. It’s important to stay away from these substances to prevent health issues and sleep problems.
Go to page 25 for more information about each stage of sleep.
STEPS TO SHIFT YOUR CIRCADIAN RHYTHM Use these tips to tackle the challenge of readjusting your body’s biological clock 1. To change your sleep schedule, don’t expose yourself to light when trying to sleep, and when trying to stay awake, don’t place yourself in dark environments. Light is one of the biggest factors affecting your circadian rhythm. When your surroundings are dark, the brain sends a hormone called melatonin which makes you tired. 2. Begin to constantly go to bed and wake up at the times you want to get your sleep in. If wake up/bedtimes change constantly the body gets disoriented and it’s not able to restore itself properly. 3. Changing the time of meals can make small changes in the circadian rhythm. By slightly adjusting mealtimes the body gets tricked into thinking it’s either time to sleep or time to be awake, depending on how the times shift. 4. Avoid taking long naps, as they can mess up your schedule. Try to take naps throughout the day. Short naps will allow you to be more alert during daytime hours, so set an alarm for 20 minutes before you fall asleep to limit yourself.
IN-DEPTH | 02.20.19 | FHNTODAY.COM
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STUDYING BEFORE SLEEPING Angela Cuccio focuses more on her loads of club and school work by Madi Shinault
madi.shinault@gmail.com | @Heeral12
According to the CDC, teenagers aged 13 to 18 years should sleep eight to 10 hours per 24 hours; however, some students at FHN are not getting these required number of hours when they settle down for the night, including sophomore Angela Cuccio. During the day, Cuccio’s schedule is filled with AP classes, honors classes and classes for her various clubs that she is in. “I try to get to school everyday at 5:30 a.m. because then I can get to different teachers if I need help on homework, or for HOSA, or for other club stuff; I
ALL IN A NIGHT’S REST Freshman Oscar Sun forces himself to go to bed at a reasonable time by Sammie Herr
sammieherr17@gmail.com | @ouchthatherrt
W
hen his high school career started, freshman Oscar Sun didn’t realize how important sleep was until his mother Amy Ye had him go to sleep at 9 p.m. every night. Ye believes with a full night’s rest, Sun will be more focused in both life and academics. Getting a healthy night’s sleep allows him to get better grades and stay alert in the first couple hours of the school day. “When I go to sleep early, it helps me focus and
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FHNTODAY.COM | 02.20.19 | IN-DEPTH
normally have a lot going on in the morning,” Cuccio said. She participates in all honors core classes, including Cuccio’s most difficult class which is AP European History. These classes require a heavy amount of effort and dedication which isn’t easy for Cuccio because of the lack of sleep she is getting every night. “We have things called ‘Euro Test Days’ where pretty much everyone who has AP Euro, stays up so late at night to study,” Cuccio said. “I usually get about five hours of sleep on those nights.” Cuccio allows herself only half of the required hours of sleep per night. She focuses more on her homework and school activities rather than the amount of rest she should be getting. Her routine when she gets home is simply working on homework until she occasionally pauses for dinner at 5:30 p.m.,
and then returns to homework again. When she has completed what she needs to, she goes to bed on average about 11 p.m. She then wakes up about two hours before school starts, and begins the process again. “It depends on what I’m working on, I’m usually like ‘sleep is whatever; I have coffee, I have caffeine’ and my morning classes aren’t so hard, so I just hope by my afternoon classes that I’m mostly awake by then,” Cuccio said. Although being sleep deprived, Cuccio tries to exceed the expectations in each class by completing all her homework with maximum effort so she can make it to college in the future. “I usually put sleep on the back burner because if I don’t get stuff done, then there’s usually consequences,” Cuccio said. “I have to get my GPA up because I have to make it to college somehow. ”
helps me process the stuff in front of me,” Sun said. “I can think straight. I get along better with my family and friends.” 3 p.m. As soon as he gets home from school, freshman Oscar Sun grabs an apple for an after-school snack. He spends the next few hours relaxing and taking a break from the school day. Most of his after-school activities consist of watching YouTube, playing video games or taking a run. “If [teenagers] go to sleep earlier, they will have a better sleep cycle and be more energized,” Ye said. “[I notice that] Oscar is in a better mood for the day.” 6 p.m. Depending on his workload, Sun will spend an hour on his homework. Sun sits at his desk with his phone away, working on the usual daily math homework or
the occasional Spanish homework. In this time frame, he gets all of the work done for the next school day, and when he’s finished, he eats dinner and allows himself more time to relax. “I try to manage my time and get homework done during the day, so I’m not worried about getting it done the class before,” Sun said. “It can get stressful because I don’t know if I’ll get it done in time.” 9 p.m. At this time, all of his electronics are turned off and he’s in bed. He has kept up with this schedule ever since his high school career started. This schedule benefits his mood and his grades. “I think it’s good that he gets more sleep because he does get better grades,” friend Khalin Shah said. “I feel like it changes his perspective and attitude, he’s not in a funky mood for the day.”
PAGE BY HEERAL PATEL AND KYLAH WOODS
HOW SLEEPY IS FHN?
The results of this survey reflect the answers given by 185 students off all grades. On a national level, according to the CDC, about 72 percent of people in gradse nine to 12 aren’t getting enough sleep at night. At FHN, of those who were surveyed, only about 15 percent get enough sleep on school nights
Amount of Sleep by Grade 22%
11%
of freshman get eight or more hours of sleep on a school night
How Do Students Feel About Their Sleep?
The average FHN student is getting about six hours of sleep. The recommended amount of sleep for a teenager is about eight-10 hours
of sophomores get eight or more hours of sleep on a school night
98%
of students believe that sleep is important for their health
73%
of students are concerned about the amount of sleep they get on a daily basis
62%
of students make an effort to get 8 hours of sleep every night
Where Do Our Priorities Lie? Students’ lives are divided between many things. These are a few things that students prioritize over everything
13%
7%
of juniors get eight or more hours of sleep on a school night
of seniors get eight or more hours of sleep on a school night
When are Students Waking Up? Since during the week many students are waking up after about six hours of sleep, many will sleep in on the weekends to make up for sleep debt. Here are the most frequent times students will wake up during the week and the weekends
Weekdays
Earlier than 5 a.m.
Weekends
5 to 5:59 a.m.
6 to 6:59 a.m.
“I prioritize school. I wake up at 5:30a.m. or 6 a.m. and I hate it. I wish I had time to stay up late and get up early” -Jenny Rice, 12
7 to 7:59 a.m.
36% prioritize school over everything
8 to 8:59 a.m.
20% prioritize work over
9 to 9:59 a.m.
“I prioritize sleep; If I got paid to sleep I’d be a millionaire. On a school night, I go to sleep at 2 a.m. and wake up at 5a.m. I hate it. School should start later or days should be longer.” -Miguel Daniels, 12
everything
14% prioritize sleep over
10 to 10:59 a.m.
everything
11% prioritize hobbies
“I prioritize friends because I can tell them anything and get things off of my chest. I get up at 6:20 a.m. and leave at 6:40 a.m. I hate it because I’m dog tired.” -Kaitlyn Verner, 11
11 to 11:59 a.m.
over everything
10% prioritize extracurriculars over everything
9% prioritize friends over everything
PAGE BY HEERAL PATEL AND KYLAH WOODS
12 to 12:59 p.m.
Later than 1 p.m.
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Number of Students Up at the Time
IN-DEPTH| 02.20.19 | FHNTODAY.COM
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“b quo
UPCOMING EVENTS
February
20
Impact Testing Time: 3:00-6:00 p.m. Where: Room 35
Wednesday
Freshman Ana Sofia cheers on fellow teammate Grace Bigogno as she completes her 500 yard event on Jan 9. The Lady Knights swam at the YMCA in St. Peters and faced off against St. Charles West. The Knights won the meet 170-65. (Photo by Ella Manthey)
February
25
Spring Sport Tryouts
Monday
Senior Corinne Stevens gets into a defensive position while playing against the FHC Spartans. The Knights played a good game, moving the ball up and down the court, but the Spartans took the win 58-25. (Photo by Riley Witherbee)
SWIM TEAM WRAPS UP GIRLS’ BASKETBALL SEASON WITH HIGH SEASON BEST IN 18 HOPES YEARS Throughout the girls’ swim season, there was a mix of dual meets, tri meets and invitationals. The season record for dual meets and tri meets was 5-7. At McCluer North relays, the team placed fifth out of eight teams. At the FZN relays, they placed seventh out of 11 teams. “My goals this season were to become a stronger swimmer,” sophomore and team captain Olivia Neunaber said. “I never had any specific time goals but I did end up getting a PR in the 500 meter free.” There was an addition of 12 new swimmers this year. This helped the team in many ways, such as creating competitive line ups for meets and letting the girls try different events. “It was really rewarding to see the number of girls that came out this year,” assistant coach Chris Palladino said. “We had a number of
34
young swimmers that had not swam competitively before and by the end of the season, they were competing at high levels.” This year, the coaches worked to intensify practice sets in order to push the swimmers. This allowed for girls to drop times and compete at higher levels. The practice helped senior Kamryn Bell qualify for state, which took place on Thursday, February 14th. “What I enjoyed throughout the season was seeing the way our team has grown,” Neunaber said. A big focus for next season is to focus on getting the girls to push themselves and compete at high levels in order to better themselves along with dropping time. “I am really looking forward to having a good core group of girls return next season,” Palladino said. (Brief by Claire Huss)
FHNTODAY.COM | 02.20.19 | SPORTS
The FHN girls’ basketball team has FHN’s success. They practice every made huge improvements from last school day for an hour and a half to season, like getting first place in the two hours. The pace of the practices Warrenton tournament and beating are fast to live up to the speed on the FHHS every time they play against court and prepare them physically for them. Last year, FHN finished at 6-20 the games. and as of Feb. 13, they are 16-6. That’s “We’ve done a lot more situational over twice the stuff and stuff that will amount of wins and go along with game with the season specific, instead of just almost over other basic drills,” senior Check out an infographic than elimination Corrine Stevens said. on their statistics here: bit.ly/2GgsuTR games, the games Although there was lost shows there an impressive amount is still room for of improvements on the improvement. team this year, there’s always a way to “There are definite areas we could improve. With districts ahead there’s improve on, like limiting our turnovers, even less room for mistakes for FHN to making sure we’re making correct push forward in the race for state. passes and making sure we run the “We’re working extremely hard while floor a little bit better,” head coach we’re on the floor, we create a lot of Dawn Hahn, who, earlier this year, energy for each other and celebrate notched her hundredth win as a coach things going right,” Hahn said. “They said. just really want to win for each other.” Practice has been a key part of (Brief by Julia Kristensen)
MORE INFO
PAGE BY CLAIRE HUSS
February
27
Wednesday
Cheerleading Tryouts Time: 5:30-8:30 p.m. Where: Learning Commons
February
29
Friday
Cheerleading Tryouts Time: 5:30-8:30 p.m. Where: Learning Commons
March
9
Spring Fling Time: 8:00 am Where: FHN
Saturday
Freshman Max Bante blocks off a shot from the offensive players of Wentzville Holt at the game on Jan 5. The Knights played a hard game but Wentzville Holt beat the knights 0-5. This was the Knights’ Senior Night and they appreciated their five seniors with flowers and treats. ( Photos by Riley Witherbee)
Senior Miles Montgomery pulls up for a layup against rivals Holt at a game on Jan. 28. The knights held the lead the first half, keeping at least a ten point lead against Holt. However, in the fourth quarter Holt won against the Knights 62-65. (Photo by Phoebe Primeau)
HOCKEY LOOKS FORWARD TO NEXT SEASON
BOYS’ BASKETBALL LOOKS TO TURN AROUND FUTURE
This season the varsity hockey team finished with a record of 1-20. According to coach Ryan Gannon and freshman Max Ising, the season was tough because of injuries and a small roster. Despite the record, FHN had improvements, like having junior Blaine Longmore and sophomore Aaron Caldwell, both returning after missing last season from broken collarbone injuries and becoming great players. The goaltending was statistically better compared to previous years. “Our goaltending was amazing compared to previous seasons, [freshman] Max Bante who’s an amazing young goalie, it was quick for him to stop so many shots,” Gannon said. “This year was spectacular for [junior] Charlie Jones, he starting standing big inside his crease and took range of the defensive zone. We felt
PAGE BY CLAIRE HUSS
comfortable in goal, and stopped a lot of shots.” FHN has a lot of talented underclassmen like Ising and Bante who were called to play varsity. Many of them became leaders and top point producers, and look to get better and help the team improve. “[My goals] are to do better with the team, and win a few games,” Ising said. The JV team has some really good players who will likely start playing varsity, along with many great returning players, if they can step up then FHN could become a competitive hockey team. “These younger players will mature and with the players we’ve discussed coming from JV, I am excited for them to come up because I feel like they are already varsity athletes,” Gannon said. (Brief by Parker Kilen)
This year, the varsity boys’ basketball passing the ball around to find an open team has gone through some rough man,” said Okoulatsongo Jr. patches. With a young team, new Junior Ben Oster has been playing coach and departure of seniors, the for the program since his freshman team has had to grow a lot. year and believes that the team just Junior Clinton Okoulatsongo has to continue to grow together to transferred from FHHS get better. With Oster this year, and this is on the varsity team his first year playing this year he has new for FHN. While there insights, and believes Check out a photo have been a lot of the team is on the gallery here: differences between right path to success. bit.ly/2HZP18Z the two teams, he “We have gotten believes there are key better every game, we things that team has done well and if don’t always get the result we want,” they continue to do well, there will be Oster said. “But we are still getting changes in the program. better as we get towards the second “We have done well at half of the season.” communicating on defense and (Brief by Jalen Fleming)
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(Illustration by Sophie Schmidt)
HOWELL VS. NORTH: WHAT’S TO COME? FHHS and FHN have built a strong rivalry over the years, despite varying results in multiple sports
by Joel Boenitz
with girls’ volleyball, multiple sports that has faced off against FHHS has had a multiple year losing streak against FHN since 2008 before the current school he FHHS Vikings going up against the FHN Knights. For the past one year. But fortunately for FHN, it seems that some of the streaks are reaching decades or so, the match up could be comparable to a second seed going their end, as two teams were able to end their losing streaks this year, those up against the fifteenth seed in March Madness in multiple sports FHN has being girls’ volleyball and girls’ basketball. The girls’ volleyball team was able faced them in. And while this Goliath vs. David match up often seems to have a to end the longest losing streak against FHHS [11 years] in a 2-0 victory at home predictable ending, the FHN side has came out and supported the team against on Oct. 9, one year after they had won their first set off of FHHS in five years. As one of their biggest rivals. So how did this rivalry truly come to be in the first for girls’ basketball, the girls ended a seven year losing streak by beating FHHS place? Let’s take it back to beginning to watch the rivalry bloom, shrivel up, and at their home on Jan. 18 by a score of 51-48. On top of that, the basketball begin to bloom once again. team also secured a season sweep against FHHS after beating them on Feb. 8, The rivalry between the eldest FHSD high schools can be traced back to the late 57-53. On both of those teams, girls' volleyball and girls' basketball, one of the 80s and early 90s, especially in football. When FHN was originally built back in main contributors to the points scored in those games was sophomore Isabelle 1983 as Henderson Junior High, the school didn’t have a football stadium to play Delarue, who knew how important it was to beat Howell. home games in. So, when the junior high had a building built for them and high “It feels really good beating Howell,” Delarue said. “Starting off with volleyball school students started entering the school now known as FHN, the football team that was a huge accomplishment for us, and that’s something I wanted the whole couldn’t play at FHN. Instead, the games had to be played at FHHS’s home field. season. In basketball we all got after it and we all knew we wanted to end the According to Brett Bevill, FHN alumnus and current head football coach, FHN’s streak and we made it work.” fans used to show up to games against FHHS and would cover While the rivalry against FHHS seems to be changing often, up their faces in the stands with paper bags or newspapers. But it’s safe to say that whenever FHHS comes to FHN, they are the more times FHN’s would play on FHHS’s field, the rivalry met by many FHN students waiting to cheer against them sparked up even more. As Bevill remembers when he played, and for FHN. With the possibility of FHN getting moved to the game was hyped up as FHN was ready to “Beat South,” a the GAC Central conference, it is important to view how Check out the full story here: bit.ly/2DCGCCV phrase that would spark anger in FHHS fans and would lead important these games truly are not just to the players, but to an intense and competitive game. Despite not putting on a for the district as well. Whether it be the Pink-Out/Blue-Out uniform for FHN for the past 18 years, Bevill still has a bit of the game, Gold cup, or anytime FHHS and FHN face off, it always rivalry close to his heart. seems to be a major event in the eyes of FHN’s fans, which is “When I was a player, I used to have a lot of hate in my heart for them. I mean something that some students, like Goonies member Noe Bustos, can be used for I still can’t wear blue clothing, nevertheless blue and gold for that reason,” Bevill good. said. “It was an intense and deep hate. But now as a coach, there’s a little more “I think the main thing is emphasizing the importance of these rivalry games,” respect for them since we haven’t won against them in a while.” Bustos said. “We have FHHS games scheduled for the big Pink-Out games and As the new millennium rang in, the rivalry constantly produced games that everything, so what would be nice if the high schools collaborated on big events were tightly contested between the two older FHSD high schools and at one like these. Kind of like we did for the Pink-Out game this past football season, point the Knights had begun to dominate the Vikings in some sports. However, when we sold the ribbons in honor of the student from FHHS, something like around 2008, the momentum of the Knight’s winning streak changed suddenly that to show the person that no matter what school you are from, the district will and FHHS started winning against FHN on a consistent basis. First starting support you and the different causes each team plays for.” jboenitz2@gmail.com | @j_boenitz2
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PAGE BY GRACIE BOWMAN
The Knights varsity wrestling team competed against the Orchard Farms Eagles in a tri duel on Thursday Nov. 29. The Knights cruised to a 51-12 victory against the Eagles. (Photo by Jordan Milewczik)
WRESTLING REACHES THEIR GOAL
The curling team poses for a picture in Exmoor Country Club in Chicago during their trip in late December. The curling team has existed for two years and placed third in last year's regional tournament. (Photo Submitted)
CURLING TEAM COMPETES IN NATIONAL TOURNAMENTS
The curling team travels across the country for competitions and are preparing for a tournament in Triumph, Illinois by Ashlynn Perez
to travel. Though curling is traditionally thought of as a winter sport, the FHN curling team makes HN’s curling team consists of eight people that their season span through the year and will be have competed across the country and placed competing in the Dar Curtis Bonspiel in Triumph, in national tournaments. For a relatively new Illinois on Feb. 22 to 24. They are competing in the team- being only in their second year of formationWaltham curling club. Paris predicts they will do even they have certainly been going better than before, seeing as the places. team has grown and gotten better Important Curling “We get to meet new people with all their practice, travels and Dates: from all over the country, which tournaments. is pretty cool,” junior Rajat Nepal “I think we’re going to do better Feb 22 to 24 said. “We do have to be pretty than we have,” Paris said. “We’ve Dar Curtis Bonspiel dedicated though since we improved a lot throughout the past Triumph, Illinois travel. It’s hard to stay in a car few competitions. I think I have March 9 and 16 for five hours at a time. But it’s improved a tremendous amount. My Learn to Curl definitely worth it.” form has gotten better and my aim Creve Couer Ice Arena The FHN curling team has also improved.” returned from their last trip The competition for Waltham will March 23 on Dec. 29. The team went be the last trip of the season, but the Start of the High School League to Chicago and played in the high school league waits beyond. Midwest regionals competition, The team has signed up for the where they placed third. In high school league already and is addition to the competition itself, the team went preparing for their future. Elections have taken place sightseeing and explored the city of Chicago as a for next year, with Nepal as the future team president team builder. and sophomores Marcus Otto and Sam Smith as co“We got to play, which is fun,” sophomore Ana Paris vice presidents. They will help organize and carry the said. “But after we competed, we got to explore the team into the 2019-2020 season. city and that was cool.” “We obviously try to win,” Paris said. “But we mostly While practices have stopped, tournaments in play for fun. Fun is the priority over winning, as long different areas continue, and the group continues as we try our best.” ashlynnkaeperez@gmail.com
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200+ athletes. 56 spots. 15 schools. All with one common end goal: earning their ticket to the state wrestling meet in Columbia, Missouri. On Saturday, Feb. 9, the varsity wrestling team headed up to Holt high school to compete in the final tournament as a team, the district tournament. At this meet, each wrestler faced off against other wrestlers in their district and weight class. Of all the wrestlers, only the top four in each weight class are able to move on to the state wrestling meet that next weekend. For the knights, three wrestlers will be representing FHN at state. Those wrestlers are freshman Mason Apple, senior Thadeus Meneses and senior Josh Simmons. For these three, it is their first time qualifying for the state meet. “It felt amazing to make qualify for state, especially since the match that determined if I were to go on to state or not, I was losing, but I came behind and got the pin,” Meneses said. “It was an amazing feeling to come back from losing to my opponent to beating him, so it felt great.” For the season FHN finished off with a 6-5 record in duels. Of the 9 varsity wrestlers for the district tournament, six of them finished with a positive record. Despite the multiple injuries on the team and the countless varsity roster changes, the coaches are impressed by the results this year. FHN will now travel to Missouri University to compete in the state competition, where they will face off against 31 of the top high school wrestlers in the state. For Simmons, who will be graduating at the end of the year, his goal will be to be in the top six at state and get his name up on the wall in the wrestling room. “I want to get my name up on the wall after state,” Simmons said. “It’s going to be a lot of athletes to face, and it won’t be a cakewalk or anything, but I’m looking forward to it." (Brief by Joel Boenitz)
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looking to spring
Spring sports are getting ready to start up for the 2019 season. Tryout cards are due to the Activities Office by Feb. 25 and all spring sports tryouts start that day. Take a look at the goals of returning players for the season (File photos)
TRACK AND FIELD Girls’ Track and Field The girls’ track and field team are looking to send their 4x8 team to state for the third year in a row. However, the sprinters are focusing on finding a new leader to replace last year’s senior leader. “I guess the big thing is having the bravery to step into a leadership role because last year we had one senior who was in charge of everything,” senior Kira Ward said. “There wasn’t much desire for anybody to step in and take over or to lead alongside them, so the big thing for me and the other seniors to fill the responsibility to lead and make sure everybody’s doing their thing.” (Brief by Joel Boenitz)
Boys’ Track and Field Boys’ track and field had one of their best seasons this past year. They played hard and fought well and placed very well in their races, according to senior Zane Balleydier. They never won any of their competitions or big races but they improved from last year. “I hope that we win the tournaments and everyone stays healthy throughout the year,” Balleydier said. “My goals for this year are to beat my times and improve from last year.” (Brief by Franco Romano)
BOYS’ BASEBALL After losing 13 of members of the varsity team to graduation team, the FHN baseball team will be looking to try and rebuild their team in order to continue to be a competitive team. With a good majority of the juniors and sophomores being expected to step up into varsity roles, senior Justin Rhomberg hopes to get them acquainted with each other in order for the team to be successful. “I’d like to get everyone meshed together and have a couple seniors come along so that we can have a true team,” Rhomberg said. (Brief by Joel Boenitz)
GIRLS’ LACROSSE After having their most successful season ever, the girls lacrosse team will look to improve their record this season with a brand new coaching staff. This year will mark the first year that girls will be a member of the team for all four years of high school. “It’s so exciting, and is one of the reasons why I’m so excited for this season,” senior Autumn Schrader said. “I want us to be good after all the work we put in and I feel that we will be able to work as a team well.” (Brief by Joel Boenitz)
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PAGE BY ASHLYNN PEREZ
BOYS’ VOLLEYBALL The boys’ volleyball team has high expectations for this season. After not having anybody graduate from the team last year, the team hopes to use that, along with a vast number of seniors, to their advantage to get plenty of wins. “Having no seniors last year is going to help us a lot this year,” senior Thomas Beye said. “It allowed for some of our younger players to get varsity experience so they know what to expect this year. It also helps because we all know each other a lot better now and that will help us communicate on the court.” (Brief by Joel Boenitz)
GIRLS’ SOCCER As the winter sports season comes to an end, spring sports look to take flight, including varsity girls’ soccer. Last year, they finished with a record of 11-7-1, losing in the first round of sectionals. Last year, FHN lost four seniors. However, the team is very confident moving forward to this season with the new pieces to the team that will be added during tryouts. “We had a pretty solid year last year, but if we want to improve this season, we really have to work hard at every practice and play as a team,” sophomore Brynna Rutherford said. (Brief by Cole Sherman)
BOYS’ GOLF Last season, the FHN boys’ golf team had a really fun and exciting season with everyone improving from the start to the end of the season. FHN has a lot of experienced players such as senior Adam Shine who look to have a fun and competitive season. “I’m looking forward to just playing some free golf, just enjoying the experience, meeting new people and gaining new relationships with other schools in the area,” Shine said. “Just try to play our best every time we go out on either to the range or when we practice at night playing nine holes, just make sure we’re playing to the best of our ability each and every time we swing the golf club.” (Brief by Parker Kilen)
BOYS’ TENNIS Boys’ varsity tennis season is coming up and hope to beat last year’s record of 10-6, especially against teams like FHHS. There’s expected to be five seniors this year on varsity and they plan to improve their team and win districts, improving on getting second place in districts last year. “For this season I hope we gain a lot of people that are interested in tennis, because while I’m leaving this year, I want to make sure that FHN tennis keeps going for at least the next few decades or so,” senior Sachin Milli said. (Brief by Julia Kristensen)
PAGE BY ASHLYNN PEREZ
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THE VIDEO GAME CRASH OF ‘83
1983 was plagued with decreasing confidence, disappointing sales and shakeups within in the industry.
1982 THE CRASH OF ‘83 April, Quater Oats acquires U.S Games
May, Emerson releases the Arcadia 2001
August, Entex releases the AdventureVision portable console
November, The Atari 5200 hits markets
Dec. 11, Atari’s market share drops from 70 percent to 40 percent
Nov. 12, Games by Appolo files for bankruptcy
Dec. 26, Number of game cartridges from June to December jumps from 100 to 400
Feb. 4, 1983, Mattel Electronics collapses, Mattel almost files for bankruptcy.
September, Infamous “E.T.” for the Atari 2600 is buried in Alamogordo, New Mexico
Adapt or Die:
Video Games Need Another Crash
September, US Games files for bankruptcy
The Triple-A industry is on a death march, what does that mean for the video games? by Connor Peper
The video game scene of now is much different than the scene of then. While there will always be bad games, n 1983, the video game market was worth $3.2 Billion, by most videos games now are designed to be video games; 1985 that number had shrunk to only $100 Million. That’s not dog food advertisements. The dozens of consoles that a loss of 97 percent. An entire industry almost completely once plagued the industry has been reduced to about five: destroyed in three years. Nobody knew it was going to Xbox One, PlayStation 4, The Nintendo Switch, PC and the happen until it happened, is the current industry marching emerging smartphone market; however, the new age has down the same path? Oblivious to what will be their fate? brought in new problems. I’m here to tell them they needn’t worry: The crash is already First, a point needs to be made. There will never be a video here. game crash like 1983 again. It’s impossible. Video games The Past are too popular in society to “crash” like they did the first Now, the video game scene of 1983 is an optimistic one. time. That’d be like saying “The book industry crashed.” Not Everyone thinks video games are the future, and Quaker going to happen. Half the industry is made up of only mobile Oats (Who released 14 video games) and games, and the rest of the industry is made Purina Dog Food (Chase the Chuck Wagon) of everything else. The half that’s crashing think if you play their video game, you’ll is the largest segment of the “everything Chase The Chuck somehow be convinced to purchase more else.” The multi-million dollar productions. Wagon cereal or change your brand of dog food. The Call of Duty’s, the Battlefields, the Thus, the market had plenty of rushed, full Fallouts, etc… The games with the most The video game is named for Purina Dog priced games created solely to sell other resources behind them. The games called Food’s new brand of dog products. Beyond this, every company “Triple A” games. food they were trying to also wanted to have its own video game Second, even in the worst of times, it’s promote at the time. console. There were more than a dozen unlikely some of the largest publishers: mainstream consoles, each costing in the Electronic Arts (EA), Activision/Blizzard, hundreds, each requiring to purchase more Take-Two, Ubisoft, will shut their doors; games, each pretty much indistinguishable from each other. however, there’s no way they can maintain their current All of these were key ingredients to market crash soup. practices without going the way of previous gaming How did video games recover? Nintendo came to the monolith Atari. So what bad practices plague these rescue. Disguising itself as a toy, not a game console, The companies? Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) was able to bypass Video game companies need money, but the Triple A the bad press and reintroduce video games to the public. publishers have gotten greedy in this pursuit. The same Nintendo was able to gain 70% total market share and games are “remastered” and “re-released” with minor because of this monopoly, put heavy quality control on their technical upgrades, but at full price. Games are published third party publishers. with less content than they used to have, but at full The Present price. Instead of paying money for a completed product, officialconnorpeper@gmail.com
Sept. 6, Atari 2600 declared “Non-growth industry”
May 21, 1984, Atari drops support for the Atari 5200
July, Warner Communications sells Atari to Tramiel
December, Only Atari, Coleco and Intellivision left in the console industry.
Oct. 18, 1985, Nintendo releases the NES in North America.
1986
(Sources: fundinguniverse.com techadvisor.co.uk news.google.com )
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PAGE BY CONNOR PEPER
Current Video Game Crash
Late 2018 has been plagued with similar problems as 1982. Consumer and market trust in Triple A’s is decreasing.
August
Sept. 21, 2018. Telltale Games announces its closure
The Esports team meets in Com 1 for a discussion. Video games have been popular among teenagers for a while. Although sometimes, they can lead to either success or disappointment. (Photo by Wesley P. Harden II)
consumers are paying for downloadable content (DLC) delivered a significantly lower quality nylon bag. Bethesda’s that would’ve come with the game a few years ago. The first attempt to resolve this problem was to offer fans 500 in-game “micro-transactions” of exchanging real currency of the game’s currency, atoms. The problem is 500 atoms for fake currency has expanded from cosmetic changes, to equates to around $5. borderline Pay-To-Win (A term used to describe games in The Future which spending additional money is required to succeed The pessimism from fans seems to be impacting the long in a game) The quest for profits has term outlook for these companies, eclipsed the quest to make games and the markets move in the fans enjoy buying. That’s a mistake a direction people think they’re What’s the Deal With company can’t afford to make. headed. Take-Two, which owns Promotion of Fallout 76? Evidence of the consumers losing Bethesda, stock has plunged to The Promise interest and turning against these below 2018 levels. EA is similar, Promotion for Fallout 76’s “Power companies is now apparent. EA’s plunging to near 2017 levels. Ubisoft Armor Edition” prominently displayed latest edition to the Battlefield, stock and especially Activision/ a West Tek Canvas Duffle bag. Battlefield V, sold 63% less physical Blizzard stock has also been hit, The Reality copies than Battlefield I. Its sales falling to or near early 2018 levels No such bag was ever provided. A projections had to be reduced twice as well. While stock isn’t the best quick search on Amazon reveals that and the game was already on sale measure of a company’s future, a canvas duffle bag cost around as much 50% off weeks after launch. it demonstrates concerns about $40, as opposed to the $14 nylon The reason? An organized consumer the future. Consumers have had bag that was delivered. backlash against Battlefield V enough of these companies’ blind In the Aftermath being unfaithful to history, not profit hunting and that sentiment is It should also be noted that Bethesda delivering on promised content, growing. accidentally leaked private and releasing the most unfinished Companies must adapt to survive. information of their customers Battlefield game yet. While as Many of these corporations will while trying to respond to consumer backlash. dreadful Battlefield V has been, need to reinvent the spirit that once it still managed to beat another attracted their fans. If they can’t do (Source: Kotaku) prominent example: Bethesda’s that: good riddance. A company Fallout 76. Once a highly respected that fails its consumers fails itself. studio, Bethesda has fallen out Atari couldn’t adapt and Nintendo the good graces of its fans. Their most recent release has took its place. Nintendo almost lost its place to SEGA, who faced several controversies since launch. Despite also being couldn’t adapt themselves and fell out of the public eye. The a broken mess upon release, Bethesda also experienced largest publishers of today got here because they knew how negative PR when it was revealed the game’s $200 “Power to make good games, and when they forget how to do that... Armor Edition” promised a West Tek Canvas bag, but only A smaller indie studio is always willing to take their place.
PAGE BY CONNOR PEPER
Nov. 3. Blizzard revealsthe next Diablo game will be... Mobile only Nov. 9. EA releases Battlefield V Nov. 14. Bethesda releases Fallout 76
Dec. 28. Battlefield V and Fallout 76 fail to meet sale expectations Jan. 10, 2019. Bungie Splits from Activision/Blizzard Jan. 22, Activision/Blizzard, Take-Two and Electronic Arts Stocks Crash. Jan. 24, Video Game Industry takes first revenue hit since 1995.
February (Sources: theverge.com,Euro Gamer. Business Insider, Polygor, Kataku)
FHNTODAY.COM | 02.20.19 | OPINIONS
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TECH TERROR Videos, pictures and websites kids can find on the Internet hosts sensitive content younger siblings shouldn’t see (Sources: nces.ed.gov statista.com usatoday.com businessinsider.com) by Sophia Schmidt
sophschm1221@gmail.com | @sophesizer
The Internet is popular. 3.2 billion people have access to it, why wouldn’t it be? Half of the world’s population uses it to buy, reach out and create content. As useful as it is, the Internet can scar someone. Anyone can be anybody there, and that fact is scarier than any horror movie on Netflix- and it should be cause for families to monitor younger siblings on it. 2015 research shows that 71 percent of kids from age three to 17 use the Internet. Kids have phones or computers for many reasons, like homework. Coolmathgames. com and Youtube are popular, along with social media like Snapchat and Instagram. These sites feature tools to specify location, what someone’s doing and who they’re with. At first glance it’s a great tool, but in the wrong hands it can be anything but. This shows how important it is to monitor who a sibling “friends.” This brings up supervision. Some argue
that kids are supervised constantly, thus no risk of seeing explicit content on sites. A study from The Digital Future Project says that 70 percent of parents monitor kids’ Internet, but 30 percent are hands-off. What of the 30 percent? Browsing YouTube Kids, you can see things slip through cracks. Look up “George Was Taken To the Hospital Peppa Pig” to see. A sibling’s Internet is helpful and harmful. Parents should monitor younger siblings frequently, lest they see disturbing content. Even with safe search, Google provides explicit results- looking up “Ben Ten Gwen”, a girl from the cartoon Ben Ten, can give you scandalous pictures. On the Internet, someone will most likely stumble upon something creepy, scary or just plain wrong regardless of precautions. The point is to minimize that possibility by watching a sibling’s activity. It could be the difference between a child being scarred by the web, and a child enjoying it to its fullest.
What’s dangerous for kids on the Internet? “We live in a day now where I could find someone on Facebook, get their IP address and find where they live.”
“People can find where you live and find things about you that you didn't know were out there.”
Ethan Van Horn, 9
Sophia Gabel, 10
“Kids can be lured into wrong and unsafe situations.”
“Violence. There's a lot of violent things online and they might copy what they see.”
Lauren Johnson, 10
“Social media. Kids can be harassed on social media.” Ava Ortbals, 9
Mariam Hamdan, 12
“Kids never know what they could find and theres things that can be traumatizing for kids.” Adriana Jimenez, 12
(Illustration by Kylah Woods)
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FHNTODAY.COM | 02.20.19 | OPINIONS
PAGE BY JUSTIN CHRISTENSEN
STUDENT TAKE:
WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THE WALL? “I think that the government shutdown is confusing because the wall is going up by the government and I think that the wall should be their decision and they should be the ones approving it.” Lauren Willerton, 9 “I think that we need to do better border security, but I feel like a wall is incredibly expensive and ineffective and it won't get the job done.” Jay Scott, 10
(Illustration from Shutterstock)
AMERICA NEEDS NO WALL
Trump’s Plan to build a wall shouldn’t go through. It will do no good by Justin Christensen 11justintc@gmail.com
P
resident Trump asked for $5.7 billion to fund a border wall along the southern border. President Trump wants the wall because he claims there is support for the wall, that the wall will keep out crime and that it will decrease terrorism. Support for a wall is at a record high, although it is still a small minority, 42 percent according to ABC polls. There is no threat on the southern border, according to the State Department’s global terrorism threats. The wall would cost much more than $5.7 billion for it to be effective according to The Office of Management and Budget (OMB). In his tweets, President Trump claims that the wall is popular amongst the people. In reality, this issue is split among partisan lines. Quinnipiac University’s poll on this subject concluded that 87 percent of Republicans said the wall is effective protection for the southern border; however, 95 percent of Democrats said it is not effective protection. The same poll concluded that 54 percent of voters agree that there is a security crisis along the southern border. However, 63 percent of voters supported opening the government without funding for the wall. These polls directly contradict President Trump’s popularity claim. Most Americans don’t want a wall on the southern border. White House Officials have claimed that the border wall would keep out crime, both from terrorists and illegal immigrants. Four different studies from different universities have shown that there is no correlation between undocumented
PAGE BY JUSTIN CHRISTENSEN
immigration and the rates of crimes. Cato Institute’s study has shown that the rate of criminal conviction is 56 percent lower than native born American citizens. A wall will not solve the crime problem in America. Trump Administration officials have attempted to promote the wall by claiming that thousands of suspected terrorists have crossed the southern border. The State Department published its summary of global terrorism threats in September, citing there was no credible evidence of a terror threat on the southern border. Building the wall would not solve our terrorism problems. During his presidential address on Jan. 8, Trump stated that "at the request of Democrats, it will be a steel barrier rather than a concrete wall." Trump wants at least 1,000 miles of this barrier. The 670 miles of security fence already on the southern border costed $2.4 billion, and it is unclear whether or not Trump plans to replace this security fence. The Government Accountability Office determined that fencing costed up to $16 million per mile in the bare desert. The original $5.7 billion price has been refused by the Democrats, according to The New York Times. Maintenance would be another added cost on taxpayers every year. Monitoring the 1,000 miles of border wall would still add onto the total cost. Building a wall would be massively expensive, it will not decrease the crime or terrorism issue in America and it isn’t popular with the American public. There is no use for a border wall on the Mexican border.
"I don’t think that the border wall should be built because it will destroy the environment, it’ll destroy habitats, it will be an eyesore and it’s just unnecessary." Hailey Love, 11
“I don't care about it that much because it doesn't involve me, but he's gotta do what he has to do to keep people from stealing our jobs.” Brady Lane, 9
"I feel negative towards it because we should let other people into our country." Ellie Miller, 9
“I'm not a political person so I don't really have a strong opinion about it.” Alanna Gollum, 10
OPINIONS | 02.20.19 | FHNTODAY.COM
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STUDENT TAKE: WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT A POSSIBLE LATER START TIME? “I think it would be a good idea because it would help people be more focused in the morning, help people be more involved in class. It would help people pay attention more.” Olivia Roberts, 11
“It would give us more energy throughout the day if we got to sleep. By the end of the day I’m usually tired, so it would help with that.” Kylie Schaffer, 11
“I understand if someone would want it to be later. Personally, I think I get enough sleep, so I wouldn’t mind.” Aadhi Sathishkumar, 9
“I agree because our first hours are really quiet. I feel like I’m a lot more successful than my first hour because I’m more awake and talkative.” Sara Noel, 10
“I feel like it’s a good idea because more people in first hour don’t pay attention and some people stay awake for the first hour, but sleep in other hours.” Lucas Neuschwander, 9
“I feel like that’d be great because it’s less pressure and it would give me time to mentally help myself and prepare better for school.” Moe White, 12
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NORTH STAR TAKE:
FIVE MORE MINUTES
Students should start speaking out about school start times and how they’re causing us to be sleep deprived On Behalf of the Editorial Staff @fhntoday.com | @FHNtoday
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n this edition of the North Star, the in-depth speaks out about how sleep is important in teenagers and how it helps us function properly. One big topic that is spoken about is how early students go to school and how that throws off teens’ circadian rhythms, the body’s internal clock, and our brain development. Our sleep cycles are mandatory for us to process information. Although it’s mainly unachievable for teens, we should try to get a sleep schedule put into place. We need a full night’s rest of eight to 10 hours, but that’s not the easiest thing to do if
we have to wake up at 6 a.m., go to school at 7:20 a.m., attend extracurriculars, play sports, go to a job, keep up with homework, apply for colleges, spend time with family and friends and have down time to relax. So what can students do? We can’t skip our first three classes for just ‘five more minutes.” There are quite a few things we can start looking at to take action for there to be a possibility of the schedule changing to a later start time. The first step is to start having conversations about sleep deprivation, which could be a useful topic in the mentor circles. Once we start realizing it’s a bigger problem than we think, the easier it will be to have conversations.
PAGE BY PATTY O’LEARY
North | star
Editors-in-Chief: Hannah Wilson Heeral Patel Managing Editors: Sammie Herr Rebekah Myers Copy Editor: Patty O’Leary Entertainment/Opinions Editor: Grace Bowman News Editor: Sophie Carite Features Editor: Kylah Woods Sports Editor: Ashlynn Perez General Staff: Anna Besancenez Sofiya Melnychuk Justin Christensen Connor Peper Jack Cleaveland Mackenzie Pugh Macy Cronin Sophia Schmidt Katt Davis Leann Smyth Sydney Ellison Colin St Aubin Grace Harding Ryleigh O’Donnell Chloe Horstman Aliyah Taliaferro Claire Huss Karsyn Williams Editor-in-Chief of Photography: Jordan Milewczik Newspaper Photo Editor: Phoebe Primeau Yearbook Photo Editor: Paige Westermann Sports Photo Editor: Kamryn Bell Photographers: Addalynn Bradbury Jordyn Sgroi Anna Hollinger Morgan Vyff Francisco Jimenez-Juarez Alexis Wade Isabella Manthey Harden Wesley Kaili Martin Sarah Williams Isabella Schneider Riley Witherbee
FHNTODAY STAFF
(Illustration by Rebekah Myers)
Most students come into school with a coffee in like FHHS and FHC to see if it’s a similar problem. their hand and bags under their eyes. We know The more students we can get on our side, the just by the look of some students that they’re not more planning the board can do during strategic getting enough sleep. Speak out about your school, planning, when they plan for the next five years. To work and mental health problems. If there’s a make this a reality, it could take the District up to big workload from classes, start speaking to your a year and a half to plan. If students and parents teachers or counselors to find ways to manage started talking about how big of an issue sleep time. If you have a job, talk to your boss about deprivation is, later school start times could be a reasonable hours, and most reality within the next two to three importantly talk to your parents. years. Your parents should know what’s In the time we’re going to spend going on in your life because they waiting for a plan to get put into Check out our In-Depth can help with time management. action, we can continue to have section to learn more After we begin to converse conversation and work with the about sleep deprivation about our sleep deprivation, Board of Education. We encourage another step is to bring this to you to stand up for your sleep. the district level. We need to try to attend board Try to make a schedule for your sleep and keep it meetings and try to speak in front of the board consistent. Take the information in this month’s about our sleep deprivation problems. It’s the most in depth seriously because when we start to stand effective way to get them to listen, but if we plan on up for our issues, they are always more impactful doing this, we need to educate ourselves before we coming from the individuals who are affected. If you go in so they take us seriously. We can ever try to care about your sleep and want prioritize it, this communicate to other high schools in the District needs to start with us.
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PAGE BY PATTY O’LEARY
Editor-in-Chief: Madi Shinault Managing Editor: Madison Abanathie FHNtoday Editor: Madison Abanathie Sports Editor: Joel Boenitz Social Media Editor: Gavin Atkinson Business: Minnie Adams Gabriel Lobato Brandon Brophy Emma Rohrbach Della Boenitz Kimberlin Sargent Jadon Herrman Katherine Sellers Web Staff: Alexis Davis Cole Sherman Grace Humphres Enrico Spadachinni Parker Kilen Jordan Stanley Julia Kristensen Michael Willmann Tyler Rogers Ethan Winchester Franco Romano Aaliyah Woodby Executive Producer of Video: Emily Hood Chief Editor: Reide Pearson Podcast Editor: Audrey Dickherber Video Staff: Gavin Anderson Carson Ramirez Jacob Dulaney Ray Shea Sandy Han Lily Sontheimer Dillon Lauer Hunter Turpin Reinita Lee Jake Willmann Wally Nabzdyk Emily Zhang Jena Pae Sarah Zimmerman Karl Bank-Diaz Advisers: Aaron Manfull Jordyn Kiel
OPINIONS | 02.20.19 | FHNTODAY.COM
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