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REVIEW ottawa high school | ottawa, kan. | ohscyclonenews.com | september 2015
The city of Athens from the Acropolis. James Deane [science teacher] traveled to Greece over the summer to attend a science teachers’ academy in Nea Makri, Greece. Read more on Page 4. Photo courtesy of James Deane
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
September 2015
Sleep should be a priority Audrey Moore | reporter
According to The Atlantic, teenagers aren’t getting enough sleep, and according to Nationwide Children’s Hospital, it’s recommended that teens get at least nine hours and fifteen minutes of sleep every night. This means that if someone has to get up at 6 a.m., they’d need to be asleep by 8 p.m. the night before. I’ll bet most people reading this haven’t gone to bed at 8 p.m. since they were in elementary school. It’s also a no-brainer that sleep deprivation is not good for people’s health. This is why action should be taken by the school to ensure students get enough sleep. Some people may argue that teenagers not getting enough sleep is their own fault. Teens might stay up playing video games, listening to music, browsing the internet, et cetera. I can’t say this is completely false, because some kids do. I can say, however, from personal experience, that I’ve had nights where I stay up until two in the morning to finish homework. It wasn’t
because I procrastinate either. I, along with many other students, am involved in extracurricular activities. Those can go really late some nights, and we simply don’t have any time during those activities to get homework done. Then we’re stuck up in the early hours of the morning trying to figure out that one algebra problem. Melatonin is a hormone in our bodies that helps us sleep. Studies have shown that sometimes melatonin isn’t released in teenagers’ bodies until one to three in the morning. This makes teenagers the age group that has the hardest time getting to sleep at night. Our school, along with many others, is now using various technologies for homework completion and submission. Studies show that when people look at a bright screen at night, it tricks their brain into thinking it’s the day. It has also been shown to lower melatonin levels even more. This, in turn, is another factor that makes it extremely difficult for teenagers to get to bed early.
Staff Editorial: Growing together Emma Carriger | editor On behalf of the Review staff Ink print stained fingers, deadline stress and terrible puns have been missed since our last issue at the end of school in May. But now, with Gavin Wade [11] and me as the new editors, we have gained new staff members and have been looking forward to the coming year. A month before the start of school, Wade and I learned that our adviser, Rachel Urban [previous journalism teacher], would not be returning for the upcoming school year. At first it seemed the year would not be the same, and without Urban or our previous editor, the year ahead seemed terrifying without them to guide us. Little did we know that Kara Lynch [current journalism teacher] would be hired and would guide in the
ways Urban had before, making the newspaper just as great as it has been in the past. This year our staff plans to increase our media presence, more specifically, to build and grow our website. We’ve done a website in the past, but now that we have doubled our staff size, we can do more. For example, we plan to incorporate at least a few video and multimedia packages, as well as an occasional photo slide show. Last year the three of us on staff accomplished so much for being extremely small, and I expect so much more this year. Already six weeks into the year, I have seen our staff growing and improving daily as we start to get a feel of this new situation. The awkward atmosphere of the first day has vanished, and we can now trust and rely on each other to get to the end goal - a newspaper.
Many teenagers also have jobs. Now students are expected to be responsible for a job, homework and possible extracurricular activities. There’s no way teenagers can be expected to be in bed and asleep by eight. The reasons action should be taken for students to be able to get more sleep are, frankly, that it’s nearly impossible for students to get to bed early and sleep deprivation is bad. One solution could be making school days shorter and extending the school year. Any way, something needs to be done about the lack of sleep that students get.
the ten on top the top ten TV shows we can't wait to see
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The 100
Supernatural
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The Fosters
Heroes The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
The Argument on late start
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Chloe Jones | reporter When people first found out about the new late start schedule, I heard nothing but good expectations. As it seems, most of those expectations still stand true. Students love sleep, so they love the chance to sleep in. Being able to wake up later on a Friday is a super plus, especially when the sleep deprivation adds up throughout the week. No sleep Monday night, homework on Tuesday from being tired and not working as efficiently in class, which keeps you up, leading to even less sleep then and so forth. With school starting later, students should get more sleep and work better throughout the day. Being tired in the morning is not fun, especially for those
“I like it. I get to sleep in a little bit more so it’s fine by me,” Ryan Keiter [9] said.
Against it Emma Carriger | editor
Another year brings another schedule change. Over the years, we have endured many different changes in school times, and this year is no different. For the current year, administration presented another new schedule in hopes of finding a middle ground with parents, students and faculty. However, as with every new schedule, several inconveniences arise, and this one is not an exception. When first informed of the new schedule, which has school Friday morning starting at 9:30 a.m. instead of the normal 7:45 a.m., many students grew excited for the extra sleep and time it would bring. However, those who ride the buses each
that have tests in their earlier classes. This new schedule helps to fix that, allowing most students to get a couple more hours to rest before attending school. I personally love the Friday schedule. Early release last year was a pain sometimes, trying to fit it into parents’ schedules, among other things. This year, with release staying the same, there’s no confusion after school. Plus, students can hang out at school in the morning, use that time to complete homework, attend clubs, and possibly walk somewhere to eat breakfast with friends. Before school is also a great time to receive
45% like late start
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help from teachers, or attend Friday morning school if needed. I try to be a very involved student, therefore I’m in a lot of clubs. Last year, I had three clubs that I wanted to be in that all met on Wednesdays after school. I had to cut one of them, of course, and hope that the other two would fall on opposite weeks. This year, most of my clubs so far have worked out to meet before school on separate days throughout the week. Luckily, I ride the bus so I’m always here by the time they start, especially on Fridays. Another change brought on by the late start would be the class schedule, as classes are
50.5% don’t like late start
mornnormal eving see no eryday class difference, periods just as they still have presents an awk4.5% Undecided to be at school at the ward amount of time to same time as usual days. They try to fit a normal balance of may have time to talk with friends or walk lecture and work time in each period. to somewhere close to get breakfast, but Symmetry and balance are things humany are just trapped at school with two mankind tend to be more drawn towards. hours to kill. The late start schedule, however, presents These mornings may have too much an asymmetrical feeling to the week, going unused time, but during school everything against the human need of balance. Since is crunched together in hopes of fitting Wednesday is the fulcrum of the week, everything that needs to be accomplished having that day be different from the that day. Fridays have always been sort of others didn’t present as many problems the designated day to wind down from in balance. Having the same schedule the stress the past week has brought. With every day would not present this problem short class periods, this adds to the feeling. either, but having a different schedule on Having a schedule with times between the Fridays makes the week feel longer and short half hour Wednesday periods and more drawn out. The schedule from last
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shortened, much like last year’s Wednesday schedule. This may be confusing for some, but it isn’t much different than last year. I don’t see a problem with it, and honestly, I hardly even notice the change. Fridays are often great for test or review days; a time that is focused on one main thing and won’t take that long. Many people prefer the Wednesday schedule because of the break in the middle of the week, but I think I enjoy the break before school better. I hope the Friday late start schedule remains. I can’t nap on Wednesday, but hopefully sleeping in on Friday mornings can replace that. If students aren’t able to sleep in, just head to school and get caught up on homework, friends, and if they’re really tired, I’m sure they could find some place to take a nap.
“I like it but I’d rather have a Wednesday schedule on Friday to have half of school off,”Antonio Fleer [10] said.
year provided a break in the middle of the week, as well, and could be used as a catch up day for students that fell behind. The time after the half day could also be used to catch up on sleep. The current schedule doesn’t provide much more than extra time in the morning for students to procrastinate when they will leave their homes. Balance is important in students’ lives, and this schedule doesn’t completely fill everyone’s needs. The new schedule has its benefits, but is overall problematic. So many different schedules would be more effective than starting late on Fridays. Yes, it means more sleep for some, but not for everyone. Yes, the schedule provides more time in the morning for many, but again, not for everyone. We need a schedule that will be good for all, not for most.
ohscyclonenews.com
September 2015
Spanning the globe to take back the classroom Gavin Wade | editor Receiving an email with the subject line, “Trip to Greece?” spells out a hoax for most, but for James Deane [science teacher], the email couldn’t have been more real. In just over two months, Deane was in Nea Makri, a town based on the coast of the Aegean Sea and a forty-five minute drive to Athens. “Of course you would think it’s spam, but it was coming from someone I trust within the Quarknet organization,” Deane said. “So I opened it up and it says they’ve got grant money available to send a group of 20 U.S. teachers to study at a Greek science teachers’ academy for a week, and it did not take me long to say yes.” Sponsored by Quarknet, a group of science teachers and professors that aim to improve education by bringing more modern research into the classroom, Deane and 19 other teachers from around the country were invited to a program that focuses on improving teaching through speakers, demonstrations, and hands-on activities. Just a couple of days after Deane
was sent the initial email, he received another explaining the current situation over at Quarknet; Tom Jordan, the leader of the organization, unexpectedly passed away. It seemed that maybe Deane may not be able to attend the conference after all. “The whole program was in shock,” Deane said. “It was a very sad time.” That’s when Fermilab, a laboratory focused on particle physics and accelerator research based in Batavia, Il., picked the trip back up. Once everything was in order--passport, flight arrangements--it was only a waiting game. “Fermilab picked up where Tom left off,” Deane said. “We then got our information to the new person who was taking care of the arrangements.” Deane arrived on July 12. Each day consisted of morning and afternoon sessions, which could range from a presentation by researchers in the field about various topics to hands-on activities. As part of the program, the educators invited were to use what they learned and make their own activity in a simulator. “I chose, as I usually do at these
James Deane [science teacher] poses in front of the Temple of Poseidon in Sunion, Greece.
things, something that is not covered very well in my curriculum, so I worked on geometric optics,” Deane said. Geometric optics is the study of reflection and refraction of light rays, or to put it in layman’s terms, how things like lenses and mirrors interact with light. Deane is currently building a lesson covering reflection, refraction, and fiber optics, which according to Deane, gives students a good introduction to the topic. Even though Deane was there to learn, the academy understood that many would like to see the sights while in Greece, and left time open for visiting attractions around the city. Some sights include The Sanctuary of Poseidon, The Acropolis in Athens, and The Parthenon. “From where I was sitting during our sessions, if I turned around and went out the door, I was well under a minute away from the Aegean Sea,” Deane said. “So they understood that we probably wanted to spend some time out enjoying the sun and the beach.” In seeing the attractions of Greece, Deane also saw parts of Greece that aren’t necessarily meant for tourists. While he was there, Greece was in the apex of its debt crisis. “It was something that we could feel,” Deane said. Deane traveled to Athens the day before Parliament approved a multibillion bailout package to help recover its economy. While at the Acropolis, Deane could hear protesters chanting in the streets of the city, and continued hearing them until he went back to his hotel. “When we went to dinner, we could still hear sounds of the protesters, then we heard what sounded like fireworks,” Deane said. “One of the teachers was sitting across the table from me and we both hear the sound at the same time and we both looked up and simultaneously say, ‘I sure hope that’s fireworks,’ but I don’t think it was. I think it was when they were throwing Molotov cocktails and the police were responding with tear gas.”
What’s going on in
Greece? · July 2011 - Greece accepts 120bn Euro bailout · Feb. 2014 - Unemployment in Greece reaches record high of 28 percent · Feb. 2015 - Greece negotiates a four-month extension to its bailout · Aug. 2015 - Greece agrees for a third bailout with more cuts on spending While the country was going through a very stressful situation, Deane had his own to deal with. After spending some time wandering around The Acropolis, he went back to where the buses were supposed to be waiting for the group. Surprisingly, there were no buses. Deane searched around to see if they had parked in a different area, but had no luck. After walking for about fifteen minutes, a few natives that were fluent in English asked him if he needed help, and let him borrow their phone, as his was not working. Deane called the guide of the group, and learned that both buses were at the bottom of the hill of The Acropolis. The buses then picked him up and went to dinner. “That’s my story of being completely lost in a fairly unpopulated area of Greece, at night, without a phone,” Deane said. After having a multitude of experiences in Greece, Deane left Nea Makri on July 18. “There is not a whole lot of crossover [between U.S. and European teaching organizations], so as far as being able to talk with people from other nations who are also physics teachers and who are also teaching high school level students - it’s very rare to be able to do so,” Deane said.
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Learning more in the District Court Emma Carriger | editor The White House, the Washington Memorial, and the Smithsonian are popular spectacles that people want to visit when they go to Washington D.C., but hardly anyone ever gets to go for free. Candie Campbell [government teacher] was given the opportunity to go on an all expense paid trip to visit this historic district, and expand her knowledge to benefit her classroom. From July 19 to July 24, Campbell was in D.C. attending a fellowship program through the Bill of Rights Institute, based out of Arlington, VA. This institute holds workshops in the Kansas area, which she has attended for the past ten years, and they sponsor several fellowships like the one Campbell was invited to apply for. The program she attended this year covered the topic: Liberty and Security. “These programs are more intense. Small groups and graduate level work is expected and by invitation only,” Campbell said. Before attending, Campbell was required to do several readings including over what the United States has done to gain the independence of U.S. citizens and to supply safety and security for our nation. These readings included topics such as The Problem with Liberty and Security, The Cold War and Civil Liberties, The Supreme Court Civil Liberties and War, and more. “There were a lot of primary source documents to read and analyze prior to the trip, so that fellows would all have the same baseline information and be ready for the intense group discussion of these documents,” Campbell said. Campbell was selected among other teachers, well known professors, and professionals to visit the Federal District Court of the District of Columbia with Senior Federal Judge Royce C. Lamberth. Judge Lamberth has been a member of the Foreign Intelligence Survival
Act, commonly known as FISA, Court. This, in regards to suspected terrorist activities, decides on whether or not to allow different types of monitoring for “foreign intelligence purposes,” according to CNN. At the Federal District Court, Campbell and the other candidates took part in a mock trial with Judge Lamberth. “That was intense to have to answer his questions in regards to our presentation of a case,” Campbell said. Normally, according to Nineteenth Judicial Circuit Court, mock trials are conducted a specific way. It starts out with the calling of the case by the bailiff, the formality that gets the trial started. Then comes the opening statement, where both sides explain their evidence and what they’re going to try to prove. Evidence is introduced, witnesses are called, first for the prosecutors, then for the defendant. Then the attorneys for each side present their closing statements and ask for the decision to be in the favor for their sides. The jury then decides whether or not the defendant is guilty. This trip provides Campbell with knowledge that is easily transferrable to the classroom. According to Campbell, she learned additional background information to an event that has to do with why and how an event came to pass. She can then assist students in understanding every aspect leading up to the event, its effects, and the event itself. The trip has also provided Campbell with new and engaging materials and activities for her classroom along with connections to professionals around the country. “I think it is important to be able to answers students’ questions involving elements and issues surrounding the topic and not just, ‘Here are the facts of the event - take them or leave them,’” Campbell said. “Sometimes the story behind the event or issues is more important than the event.”
Polling Presidents
The current frontrunners of the 2016 presidential election
Democratic: Bernie Sanders · Plans to reduce income and wealth inequality
Born in Brooklyn, New York, Sanders graduated from the University of Chicago. He served 16 years as Vermont’s congressman in the House of Representatives. He now holds the position of senator for the state of Vermont with an approval rating of 75%.
· Strives to remove “Big Money” from politics · Aims to give physical, political and economic justice to women and people of color · Believes in an immigration reform that accepts those already in the states and encourages them to reach legal status
Republican: Donald Trump · Favors harsh immigration reforms which includes plans to build a wall to separate America from Mexico
Born in Queens, New York, Trump graduated from the University of Pennsylvania. He then made his way as a real estate master, and later became a public figure, hosting the NBC series “The Celebrity Apprentice,” and is the owner of Trump Plaza.
· Believes in protecting the Second Amendment, while enforcing background checks and more regulation concerning people with mental health issues · Plans to elimante corporate tax and lower tax for individuals · Trump is pro-life, except in certain cases, and is in favor of removing federal funding for Planned Parenthood
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6 REVIEW | News
September 2015
Creative writing students take the stage Audrey Moore | reporter This year, students enrolled in the creative writing class will have a chance to have their stories brought to life on the stage. They’ve been given a chance to write this year’s spring play. “I’m excited about possibly being able to write one of the school’s plays and having other people perform it,” Weston Yount [10] said. Clayton Broyles [English teacher] teaches the creative writing class and the play will be directed by Robin Dennis [science teacher]. “I know that we had done one acts a couple years ago as a dinner theater and I wanted to try and do a different spin on it,” Dennis said. “The thing that came to me was having the creative writing class write one acts for us.” The three best one acts will be chosen to be performed. “If there are one acts that are suit-
able for production, then we will pick sive their setting was and not focusing the best three,” Broyles said. “It’s likely so much on character development. that’s what will happen.” They’re looking at the same time span With only three of the many subas a sitcom episode. They don’t have a missions being chosen, a competitive lot of time to develop characters, so it’s atmosphere could be expected. Some best to focus on an easy to understand believe otherwise. conflict that can be resolved in 20 to 30 “I don’t really minutes. find it competiStudents “Your big break needs to were asked tive because it’s for a grade,” about some of come from somewhere. Yount said, “and the challenges If I can give that opportu- of writing a I don’t think many people are nity to students here, I’m play. doing it for fun. “Getting more than happy to do I think that if a ideas is the most lot more people difficult part, so,” Dennis said. were doing it on mainly. Like their own accord, developing the it would be a lot more competitive.” plot and having it push forward,” Yount The submissions are due on Nov. 23, said. the Monday before Thanksgiving break. Auditions for the selected plays will Dennis said students were given be during the first week of December. general ideas about limiting how inten“It’s kind of an interesting experi-
ment for me,” Dennis said, “because usually by this time I have an idea and I’m starting to look for staging things and what I want the set to look like. This time it’s going to be kind of cramped.” Most students have never written a play before. Because of this, Dennis addressed things concerning their inexperience. “I feel like it gives this set of students a really great chance. I feel like so often the things that you do in class don’t get to expand past those classroom walls,” Dennis said. “So I’m really excited to be able to offer an opportunity where students get to work on something in class and it’s part of a class project and have it be seen by a larger audience. As for them being inexperienced… your big break needs to come from somewhere. If I can give that opportunity to students here, I’m more than happy to do so.”
Auditions: the start of something new Chloe Jones | reporter Imagine standing center stage, spotlight shining and staring out at a crowd full of people. Many steps were taken to land on that stage, the first being auditions. The audition process is one that takes time, practice and determination. For Rebecca Vrbas [12], it’s one she grew used to. “I have been in three plays and two musicals,” Vrbas said. Like many actors, Vrbas has a certain way to prepare herself beforehand. First, she makes sure she’s familiar with the production, then she picks a song that fits the role she wants, and then records herself to see how she sounds. The preparations for Lori Underwood [choir director] are a little different. She has been in and directed her own plays since 1978, so she knows her way around a stage. This year, she
sat through over forty auditions, plus a round of callbacks, with the help of multiple judges. For the first round of auditions, the students only read back and forth with the judges, plus sang a snippet of a song. A few questions were asked, then the students who wanted major roles attended callbacks, where they read with each other. During the callbacks, they looked at aspects such as how well students compliment each other on stage and how capable they are of singing. According to Underwood, the decision of who plays which part is a tough one to make. “That’s what makes it important when we do callbacks,” Underwood said. “A lot of things really come to light in some of those callbacks, and it makes it a little bit easier. Everything just kind of falls into place at the end.” With the production being “High
School Musical,” many have shown interest. The cast is big, and Underwood is really happy with the amount of students that auditioned. Not every student was able to get the part that they wanted. Blake Wallis [10], was aiming for the lead - the part of Troy Bolton. “I got the part of Zeke, which I’m still pretty happy about,” Wallis said. Performance in front of a large crowd of people isn’t always easy. According to WebMD, symptoms of stage fright range from a speedy heart rate to vision changes. Vrbas and Wallis claim to have ridden themselves of their stage fright. “When you’re being someone else in front of so many people, it’s way easier than being in front of people as yourself,” Vrbas said. The musical is to take place in November, as Troy and Gabriella hit the stage with the rest of the cast in “High School Musical.”
Nov. 12, 13, 14 at 7 p.m. Ottawa Municipal Auditorium Tickets: $3 at the door Tickets can be purchased in advance from cast members.
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Straight outta’ Valencia, Spain Anissa Ferioli | reporter English may seem easy to Americans, but for people from other countries, such as Sara Aparicio Perez [11], it’s not nearly as simple. Perez is fifteen years old and is currently a junior. She lives with both her parents in Valencia, Spain and grew up with two brothers aged seventeen and twenty. In the foreign exchange program, when one person goes to a new country, someone else goes to the initial person’s house, or to a volunteer house that is in the same country that the first or second person lives in. “A girl from Alaska went to my house. Her name is Emily too,” Perez said. Perez moved in with Emily Alexander [10] at the beginning of August. She said she likes it here, but misses home. Perez claims life in small town America is much different than how she grew up. Simple things are strange for her, such as food or patriotic flags everywhere. In Spain, they do not have numerous fast food restaurants, but here they seem to be at every corner. The most typical food in Spain is the Paella, a Valencian rice dish, or Serrano Ham. Spanish citizens do not fly their national flag at home like many Americans do. She finds it admirable to be as patriotic as Americans are. There are so many more things that are different between Spanish and American cultures, including school. American students have homework every night while Spanish students do not have any at all. Spanish citizens listen to American music for the most part, but also enjoy Reggaeton or Flamenco, which originates from South America. Even parties are different. For example, Las Fallas, which is a feast in celebration for St. Joseph, the Patron of Carpenters, and
occurs from March 15 through March 19. On March 19, Spaniards burn all the dolls and puppets that they have made over the year for this party. “In my city it’s hard like a big party it’s
like one week and we do like school Ninots [puppets] you know and later we burn it. It’s only a party; the Spanish people like to party,” Perez said. Even affection is different between Spain and America. Spaniards kiss women on the cheek and
Emily Alexander [10] and Sara Aparicio Perez [11] pose side by side. Alexander and Perez have become close over the past couple weeks after Sara moved here in August. When they first met, they did not talk due to the language barrier, but now consider themselves as close as sisters.
hug men. In America it’s odd to do these things. Spanish citizens and the American citizens do many things differently, but there are also similarities. The countries have the same number of primary school years as well as total years of school. Both also celebrate Christmas. Spain and America both have Christianity as their dominant religion, but neither country has an official religion. For Perez, there was one main reason for coming to America. “When I was a child it felt like all the movies that I watched were from here and with the high school and all that all my life I wanted to come here and later I had problems with English class and I said, ‘Okay I come here and watch the life here and I learn English,’” Perez said. English is very hard for Perez. In Spain, her teacher was from the United Kingdom and spoke with a British accent. Perez insists that at first she thought that we had weird and different accents. When she first arrived with Alexander she claims it was awkward. Throughout the first day she could not understand anyone, but now she understands people most of the time. School for Perez was also difficult at first. Trying to do homework or just following along with a teacher is hard because English is not her first language. At first she wanted to go back to Spain because she didn’t know anyone and felt out of place. “The high school is really different. When I arrived I was like ‘woah.’ It’s the same but I can feel with the school dances, with lockers, with the cheerleaders, and the food here is different but it’s cool here too,” Perez said.
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8 REVIEW | Activities
September 2015
Managing more than football Deedra Zolman | reporter Friday evening football is an American tradition. Sounds of the marching band, chants coming from the stands, the American flag flying and players making their way onto the field for the opening kickoff. Pulling this tradition off takes a village. Part of this Ottawa High School village is the team of eight football managers who support the football team behind the scenes every day. Managers are required to attend all games and practices. According to those managers, the harder job is at the games, where they have to go back and forth across the field, run everywhere, and follow the coach’s instructions. Practice is less intense. According to Gabby Fast [9], it is fun. “It’s not that hard in practice,” Fast said. “You can squirt someone and be
like, ‘It was not me; I was filling water bottles.’” Second year manager Haley Hollington [10] goes to the football field every day after school. She sets things up, like the dummies and the tees, she hooks up the water and whatever else the coach asks for. When a football player gets hurt, Hollington runs to the school to get ice bags. On game day, Hollington puts ice in the coolers, gets the first aid kit, puts the game balls on the bus and takes attendance. On game days, all of the managers serve as the water girl or boy; if water bottles are empty, managers refill them. If someone asks for water, managers are there to provide it. As is the case for the players themselves, football isn’t the only thing on the minds of managers; they too have other extracurriculars that they are involved in.
“It is very hard to do football and band,” Danielle Fast [10] said. In addition to her duties as a manager, Danielle Fast must practice music, march, keep her uniform on during the game, and be on time for both activities. “It’s interesting doing both because you have to run everywhere and get your music and instrument and/or your friend has to do it for you,” Danielle Fast said. Some managers believe that there should be a reduction in the number of managers. “There should not be as many managers because there is not enough for everyone to do,” Destiny Page [10] said. With eight managers, there are too few tasks to go around. Two managers record the game, two or three handle water bottles, and one person handles football tees.
Rod Hedrick [football manager] hopes that managers take things seriously, because they are as responsible as players are to the game. “It takes a lot of responsibility and commitment,” Hedrick said. Page joined football because she wanted to support her friend Elesha Fast. Elesha left football, but Page keeps doing it because she likes it. On the other hand, Hollington joined football because it is her favorite sport. Due to her interest, Hollington didn’t hesitate to talk to the coach about a managing position. Hollington’s favorite part about being a manager is riding the bus to away games and the excitement at the varsity games. Gabby Fast’s favorite part about working as a football manager is getting out of school for the games, going to the game and hanging with friends.
Spacing it out
The timeline of the typical day of a football manager 7:45 - School
3:20 - Start Practice
3:10 - School ends
Field setup
Fill water bottles
Get icepack
Start Cameras
6:25 Leave practice