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Review ottawa high school | ottawa, kan. | ohscyclonenews.com | october 2015
Makayla Zolman [9] pays for cookies at the cash register on Oct. 20. Photo by Gavin Wade
Review | Opinion
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The newspaper’s primary obligation is to inform its readers about events in the school and community and of issues of national or international importance which directly or indirectly affect the school population. The newspaper, while serving as a training ground for future journalists as part of the school curriculum, recognizes all rights and responsibilities under the First Amendment. Operating as a public forum, student editors will apply professional standards and ethics for decision making as they take on the responsibility for content and production of the newspaper. While the student staff encourages constructive criticism of any part of the newspaper, authority for content rests in the hands of the student members of the newspaper staff. Students will not publish material considered to be legally unprotected speech, or libel, obscenity, material disruption of the educational process, copyright infringement, or unwarranted invasion of privacy.
Editors Gavin Wade Emma Carriger Reporters Anissa Ferioli Chloe Jones Audrey Moore Deedra Zolman Adviser Kara Lynch Ottawa High School 1120 S. Ash St. Ottawa, Kan. 66067 ohscyclonenews.com
October 2015
High hopes for head trauma Deedra Zolman | reporter Approximately 1.1 million young men participate in football in the United States and almost that many receive footballrelated injuries, according to the National Library of Medicine. The American Academy of Pediatrics has reported that emergency room visits for concussions in kids ages 8 to 13 years old have doubled, and concussions have risen 200 percent among teens ages 14 to 19 in the last decade, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). High school football accounts for 47 percent of all reported sports concussions, with 33 percent of concussions occurring during practice. In 2014, five of the country’s 1.1 million high school football players died of causes directly related to the sport, such as head and spine injuries, according to a survey by the National Center for Catastrophic Sports Injury Research at the University of North Carolina. In response to these statistics, on July 1,
2011, the Kansas Legislature enacted the School Sports Head Injury Prevention Act. The act led to information about the nature and risk of concussions and head injuries being provided to Kansas high school coaches, athletes and parents. Additionally, if an athlete is suspected of having suffered a concussion, he or she must be immediately removed from the game or practice and must not return to the sport until the athlete is evaluated by a health care provider with a written clearance to return. The first step to concussion recovery is cognitive rest. In some cases, a student might even need to be removed from the classroom while recovering because of struggles with concentration, memory and organization. The affected student should also avoid electronic devices and loud noises, as these can impair the brain’s recovery process. One practical way to help keep our players safe is to make sure that helmets and protective gear fit properly and are well maintained, and always make sure players
buckle the chin strap on helmets, according to Michael Gleiber, MD, PA, Concierge Spine Surgery. It’s good to know that concussions and head injuries are taken seriously throughout Kansas and in Ottawa. Even if it’s frustrating to athletes at times, it’s good to know that we require a release from a doctor before a student can return to play. It’s good that this issue is being addressed and continues to be seriously studied. There is never too much we can do to keep our athletes (and peers and friends) safe at Ottawa High School.
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10 On Top
The top ten spooky things
1 Staff Editorial: all in 2 for the final product 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Gavin Wade | editor– On behalf of the Review staff
In the journalism room, we try to keep an atmosphere that promotes creativity while doing our best to set aside our differences. This allows us to have an open environment where anyone can come in and collaborate, which is tremendously helpful in our line of work, where deadlines come fast and we can’t take a break. With tight deadlines, we have to be able to rely on each other. Whether it be relying on someone to write an article, take photos of an event, or to copy edit a page to the best of his or her ability, everybody on staff needs to be able to depend on each other, not only to get the job done, but to get it done right and within a timely manner. Our tight bond on staff allows that quite well. If there were to be any issues
between any of us, this reliability would vaporize. Too many times I see great teams disintegrate due to personal issues between individuals, such as not treating others equally or other quarrels between people. These problems alienate the staff, and break the trust between the team. This break of trust causes a critical failure: the group is not able to see the end goal, the final product. One of the reasons we have a lot of trust between every––––one is because all of us see the end goal - a publication - and want to make it the best we can. Seeing this end goal unifies the staff very well, and in addition to building a better bond between each other, it motivates everyone on staff. Finishing a project is one of the most rewarding feelings in the world, and that feeling propels us through all of the mess that ensues to finish the project.
Minions Death Losing Loved Ones
Intruders Insects Clowns The Dark Graveyards Flying
10 Heights
3 Online math superior to pencil and paper Audrey Moore | reporter I’m sure I’m not the only one out there who wouldn’t consider math their favorite subject. I find it confusing, mostly pointless, and overall frustrating. However, since we’ve gotten the Chromebooks, many of my problems with math class have been fixed. Having our math homework on Chromebooks is so much better than having it on paper. First, before Chromebooks, there was the plethora of loose papers. I’m the kind of person that’d lose my head if it weren’t attached to my body. Giving me more things to lose, like sheets of math homework, is just a bad idea. With applications such as MathXL, I don’t have to worry about losing my assignments because they’re all in one place online.
Second, there’s an answer checking system. When doing traditional homework, I have no idea how well I did until it’s graded. By then, it’s too late to fix it. I feel like this doesn’t allow students to realize what they’re doing wrong. Therefore, they aren’t really learning anything. With MathXL, it tells me whether or not I get the question correct. If someone answers a problem incorrectly, it gives them a hint as to what they did wrong. This way they can actually make sure they’re doing the problems correctly and know how to do them. There are also those
Opinion | Review
moments where in the midst of homework I realize that I have no idea what I’m doing. Maybe I missed school or maybe I’m simply thinking, “What? When did we go over this?” Instead of waiting to get help at school and hoping that your teacher won’t count it late, MathXL has a “Help Me Solve This” button. The program does more than give a small hint. It pops up a window that shows step by step how to solve the math problem. It then gives a new problem that’s solved the same way. This has helped me many times already. Another thing that’s
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nice about MathXL is that I can see my grade right then and there. I’ve had too many times where I turn in an assignment and worry for the whole week how I did on it. Since the grading is done electronically, I know what my score is as soon as I finish the assignment. In Algebra 2 and Geometry, graphing and drawing is involved. It can be tedious to have to measure out lines and/or use straightedges and hope that you don’t mess up. MathXL has a graphing tool (along with many other helpful tools) that make graphing lines and/or drawing shapes a breeze. Doing math homework on the Chromebooks is so much better than doing it with pencil and paper. It’s more convenient, makes more sense educationally and overall makes me dread math class slightly less.
Sexual education revamp is a necessity Gavin Wade | editor A nationwide push for better education has covered nearly every division of teaching. Science classes, higher level mathematics courses and English classes are covering more than ever before. Unfortunately, during this push, one topic was grounded: sexual education. Due to the inherent nature of sexual education, it has been swept under the rug, resulting in a more scare tacticsbased classroom than anything else. This fear of the subject causes students to miss important information, such as how to keep themselves and others healthy. I understand that many may think sexual education is a taboo subject, but the truth is quite simple: it’s not. The abstinence-based, “wait until you’re married” teaching strategy doesn’t work anymore, and it’s time we step up and modernize. Abstinence-only based programs don’t actually prevent students from having sex before marriage. According
to Advocates For Youth, “five evaluations [of abstinence-only programs] looked for but found no long-term impact in reducing teens’ sexual activity.” Those who participate in virginity pledge programs actually increase their risk of sexually transmitted diseases and pregnancy. In addition, more than 80 percent of abstinence-based programs include false or misleading information, Advocates For Youth reports. The ineffectiveness of these programs is rather alarming, as so many schools use this type of curriculum. A more modern sex-ed class acknowledges contraception, such as birth control and condoms, and informs students of proper use and safety of them. Many might think that parents
would oppose teaching these things in a classroom, but the statistics show otherwise. In fact, 89 percent of adults believe that it is important for students to learn about contraception. Contraception is an incredibly common occurrence and shouldn’t be shunned from the classroom or looked down upon. With common knowledge of contraception, students can stay as safe as possible instead of having no idea how to protect themselves from sexually transmitted infections and pregnancy. Evaluations have shown that comprehensive education courses “do not increase rates of sexual initiation, do not lower the age at which youth initiate sex, and do not increase the frequency of sex or the number of sex partners among sexu-
ally active youth,” according to Advocates For Youth. An up-to-date program also provides education for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and students of other gender identities. My sexual education ended when a question about sexuality was met with a chuckle, an eye roll, and the phrase “marriage is between a man and a woman.” The last thing that a classroom should do is exclude people, and a sex-ed class shouldn’t be any different. Not only should a modern program include heterosexual education, but education for all sexualities. A strong education is important in today’s world. Students should not be missing part of that education because of its content. Sexual education isn’t a taboo subject and should be reevaluated and updated in a more objective and informative light, not left to scare tactics and misleading information. Proper sexual education is important to students and cannot be overlooked anymore.
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4 Review | Feature
October 2015
All
Hallows’ Eve
Anissa Ferioli | reporter Each month is known for its holidays. July has Independence Day, December has Christmas, and February has Valentine’s Day. But it seems that in the past few years, holidays have completely consumed their respective months, giving a theme to every section of the year. And one month stands out as quite a bit spookier than the rest. October is without a doubt the month of ghouls, ghosts, goblins, and Halloween.
School Scares
From Halloween haunts to spooky school sightings, Michael Kyriakos [history teacher] has seen it all. He has done odd and spooky things since he was a young kid. “Outside of school there have been times where I’ve been outside on a dark night and I liked to roam around cemeteries when I was a kid and read headstones,” Kyriakos said. Kyriakos did multiple spooky things in his younger days, such as going to Stull, Kan., while he was in college. Located about ten minutes
outside of Lawrence, Kan., Stull is a famous scary landmark because it is told to be one of the seven gates to the underworld, given the title due to tragic deaths in the early nineteenth century and multiple mysterious sightings near the community’s cemetery. Kyriakos has also seen some weird sightings at school. “We did have a cat that was moving through the building for a number of months,” Kyriakos said. During renovations to the north hallway, a cat made its way into the school. A few sightings were reported by students and teachers, but to no avail, until one day. During a volleyball game, the cat darted across the court. Someone at the game tried to catch it, but it ran into a closet and was never seen again.
Dancing Skeletons
One of the many dances this semester is the Halloween Dance, sponsored by Junior Optimist Octagonal International Club. The spooky dance occurs on Oct. 30 after the football game and
starts at 9:30 p.m. “I’m looking forward to seeing everyone come in their costumes, and not feel pressured to come in semiformal clothing, and just have a great Halloween experience,” Desiree Powell [12] said. Costumes are welcomed, but they must be appropriate. There cannot be masks, weapons, or face coverings. The school administration must be able to identify you as you come in. Admission is $2 per person and $3 for couples. There are going to be sweets, music, drinks, and possibly face painting.
Tricking Traditions
There is an incredibly wide variety of things that students can do for Halloween. Between dressing up, handing out candy, scaring kids, or just hanging out with friends or family, the options are really endless. “I like to hang out with my friends and try to spook people when they come up to get candy. Then later on when the sun is down we go out to get some candy ourselves. I always have fun every Halloween,” Ashley Jave [9] said.
What
happens on Halloween
“Scary movie marathon.” Claren Conroy [10]
“I’m going trick or treating with my friends.”
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157 million
Americans are expected to celebrate Halloween this year
Amber Fields [9]
“I’m just going out with friends and having a party.” Jesse Bentz [11]
Jave said she is going to dress as a character, Carlos the scientist, from a podcast known as “Welcome to Night Vale.” “Before I went with my friends, my mom and my two sisters use to go out together. This year I go with my friends and my sister hands out candy at our house with our mom,” Jave said. Jeremiah Green [sophomore] likes to scare kids that are trick-or-treating on Halloween. He has even gone so far as to dress up as a scarecrow and stand in his yard, the costume complete with straw coming out of his sleeves, a cloth bag, and a straw hat. “I looked like a scarecrow and this one kid came up to get candy and I grabbed his hand and I scared him and he hit me with his candy bag and dropped all of his candy and I got it,” Green said.
Boos for Good
Many clubs at Ottawa High School contribute to the community through volunteering. However, not many combine volunteering, a United Nations program, and one of the spookiest hol-
2015’s total spending for Halloween will top
$6.9 billion
idays of the year. Key Club and National Honor Society have been raising money by trick-ortreating for United Nations Children’s Fund for multiple years. UNICEF provides relief to children and mothers in developing countries. The organization’s roots began just after World War II, supplying food and healthcare to children that lived in countries devastated by the war. Kristi Miller [Key Club and NHS sponsor] has been working with Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF since she was a child. “I collected money for UNICEF trick-or-treating when I was a kid. I have been participating with Key Club since I became a sponsor in 2006.” Miller said.
For Trick-orTreat for UNICEF, volunteers go door to door around the community and ask for donations to the fund. To make the event more themed towards Halloween, students have the option to dress up in costumes. Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF is on Saturday, Oct. 31, and will start at noon. All money collected by Key Club and NHS through this event will support The Eliminate Project, which helps save mothers and babies from maternal and neonatal tetanus.
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6 Review | News
October 2015
Home away from Home How students find their fit at school
Emma Carriger | editor Every school offers extracurricular activities, including sports, clubs revolving around the arts, and academic extracurricular events. Schools also offer other opportunities like forensics and debate that are connected to a class to get students involved and connected to the school. After only one quarter, those of us here in the journalism department have realized that this place, where we feel most comfortable, could be called a home, even though it’s located in the school. That sparked the question: Are there other students in school that have their homes, their places to
which they feel a sense of belonging? According to the National Center for Education Statistics, active and successful school participation leads to consistent attendance, academic achievements, and can potentially lead kids to continue on with education after high school. Therefore, finding a place in the school where you feel you belong can be so beneficial for the student. Dustin Ewbank [11], claimed the choir classroom as his home. Ewbank first discovered the group back in eighth grade, when he auditioned and then got into Chorale. “I became a part of choir because I’ve always loved singing,” Ewbank said.
Ever since, he has been heavily involved in the music department by enrolling in choir and participating in the musicals. Ewbank plays the role of Jack Scott in the upcoming musical currently in production, High School Musical, and has participated in musicals in the past as well. In fact, he claimed to spend so much time in the extracurricular aspect of that class that he tends to sometimes miss a few assignments. “It’s still a lot of fun anyway and it provides useful skills to use in the future,” Ewbank said. Brady Stoy II [12] claims his home to be in the classroom of Cherry Coen [culinary teacher]. He discovered FCCLA, Family, Career, and Community Leaders of America, his freshman year. His qualification for FCCLA Nationals required him to spend more than 100 hours in Coen’s room working on his
competitive events. “I spent countless hours in there working on the events and it just became home,” Stoy said. The work he has given to this group has not been all give. He also claims to have been given skills in return for his hard work. FCCLA has given him the ability to speak in front of an audience of more than seven thousand people. “FCCLA has allowed me to meet a lot of new people and helped with public speaking skills,” Stoy said. “Without FCCLA, I wouldn’t be able to stand in front of people and speak.” Through the stress that school brings, students have found their ways to cope. Activities and clubs provide us shelter and provide us with memories that will last us a lifetime. We search for a place of belonging, and make it our place, our home.
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Behind the scenes of the lunch hour Audrey Moore & Deedra Zolman | reporters Many lunch ladies have been working at Ottawa High School for more than a decade. In that time, they have done many things to ensure the betterment of the school and happiness of students. “Sometimes school is the only place where kids are happy. You know there are kids that are not happy at home,” Luduana Love [food services] said. “I just try to make them happy here at school.” Things that happen among food service usually go unnoticed because students are either eating or focused on their friends. Debbie Valek [food services] loves the kids and wants the kids
to smile, laugh and have a good time at this school. Elesha Fast [10] takes time out of her lunch and talks with Valek; a representation of her appreciation. “I go up to Debbie after I eat because I love to talk to her and she helps me with English 10,” Fast said. The lunch ladies appreciate it when the kids say please and thank you. They also appreciate it when kids talk to them and notice them. “I appreciate the ones that say good morning back. The ones that say thank you and please. The really polite ones,” Terri Lenker [food services] said. “It really helps your day when you have polite people around you.” Kaylor Schroeder [10] is the granddaughter of Rita Coulter [food services].
She admires her grandmother, along with the rest of the food service workers. “They inspire me because they put up with some of the rudest students and still have a good attitude,” Schroeder said. “I like how they take all the bad stuff students say about them and blow it off.” Even though our lunch ladies play a more behind the scenes role in our school, they should still be appreciated and shown respect. Valek appreciates students. “Yes, there are specific kids that make you have a good or great day. There are just too many to say all of them that lot of you make me laugh,” Valek said. “They are nice, even if we don’t smile.”
Wesley Derhammer [11] and De’Marco Dydell [11] order breakfast in the Cyclone Room before school.
College puts the pressure on students Chloe Jones | reporter Late night studying, scrambling to keep grades up and stressing over a college application is something that most seniors may recognize. Even though the time of high school departure is still in the future, it’s coming up close as the second quarter begins. “One of the first things is to expose them to the variety of post secondary
options that they have by inviting various colleges, junior colleges, and technical schools to OHS for lunch visits,” Shelly Strickler [guidance counselor] said A study by Cindy Mars [registrar] shows that in the class of 2013, 40 percent of graduates attended a four-year college, while 42 percent attended a two-year college. According to Strickler, many stu-
on Facts the FAFSA • The office of Federal Student Aid provides more than $150 billion in federal grants, loans, and work-study funds each year. • Sponsors more than 13 million students in college or career school. • Approximately 22 million FAFSA applications are processed every year. According to fafsa.org
dents are actively searching for colleges already. An important step in the process is applying for admissions and financial aid. “Paying for college is a huge concern for most,” Strickler said. “They have to complete the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Assistance) to complete the financial aid component. Parental involvement is crucial in this.” FAFSA is based on the parents’ income tax, so they have to have that completed in order for the student to completely fill it out. Another important thing in the eyes of Strickler would be that students attend campus visits as soon as they’re interested. “I want to know that the seniors get two campus visits excused and the juniors get one,” Strickler said. “They’re welcome, as any underclassmen, to visit with the representatives that come at lunch time.” Seniors aren’t the only ones on the hunt for colleges. Some juniors, including Kelly-Ray Sparks [11], have looked
at certain places that will benefit their future career goals. “I did some work with resumes, what colleges look for when they’re accepting, and what I should look for when choosing a college,” Sparks said. Some students prepare differently than others. For Griffin’s degrees in cosmotology and business management, she has simply looked up statistics. “It’s cool that I’m going to start a new chapter in my life, but it’s sad to leave everyone behind and say goodbye to everyone,” Griffin said. The end of high school brings different feelings for everyone. For instance, Ethan Reed [12], said he “can’t wait for the inevitable end of high school.” Meanwhile, some students are terrified. “Some days it terrifies me, other days it’s the only thing that keeps me going,” Sparks said. “That set point in the future, where I’m really afraid to get there, because everything is going to change, but I really want to get there so it can change.”
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8 Review | Activities Student secrets October 2015
Facts, talents, and interests of students at OHS
“I can say the alphabet backwards super fast.” Brynn Ferguson [12]
“I have biked across Kansas (from Colorado to Missouri) a total of three times, following a different route each time.” Hannah Heatherman [12]
“I flew an airplane before I ever drove a car.” Janelle Sharp [11]
“Some people do know, but not many, that I have a second degree black belt.” Jacob Aiken [11]