Twins
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Microaggressions
4
Addi Webster
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THE VOICE
Rain; Raging Floods Reign Photo by Emily Parkinson
How High Waters Changed Lives of Many By Ben Randall COPY EDITOR
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he school bus rattled along, making a leisurely trip along Interstate I-80, cruising along wet and muddled roads. Inside, kids were loud, oblivious and ignorant, focusing more on themselves than the expanding plain in their peripherals. Actually, the lack thereof in reference to that plain is a better way to word it. The bus passed through usually dry hills and valleys along the Platte River, which were brimming with grimy water and twigs. In Nebraska, this is the season of spring; thunderstorms, fresh mulch and seasonal allergies are usually the worst of our problems. However, spring 2019 brought a new adversary: floods. “It’s affected family members that live in Iowa the most,” junior Abigail McGargill said. “My family lost a big chunk of their farm and a lot of the pigs and cows that they had.” Water levels have risen and will continue to rise throughout this season, showing new levels of overflow along the Platte, Missouri and Mississippi rivers throughout the Midwest. In Nebraska alone, damage to roads, levees and other structures in the state has reached $450 million in damages, according to Nebraska
Gov. Pete Ricketts. As Nebraskans and other midwesterners struggle with their homes and lives, some people have elected to help out. Cars, homes and other commodities can be replaced, but lives cannot. McGargill and fellow junior TJ Huber realized this and started a fundraising organization (which will continue raising funds when throughout this catastrophe) for the floods. “I saw a fundraiser online with GoFundMe from other schools districts, so that sparked my idea for the t-shirts,” McGargill said. “I thought that a t-shirt is an easy way to get the word around quickly, and who doesn’t want a new t-shirt?” Early in the fundraiser’s career, McGargill and Huber were able to raise a surplus of money towards helping flood victims. As to the organization’s goals, McGargill simply wants to sell 100 shirts, but realizes that every shirt is more helpful to someone in need. “In three days, we have sold 57 shirts,” McGargill said. “It has been cool to see how the community is coming together to support a cause, even though not much of Gretna was affected. Along with the t-shirts, extra donations have been made, which has helped how much money will go towards the Red Cross.” According to Vox Online writer
Umair Irfan, we have been cast upon an unprecedented season of flooding. On the Niobrara River, the gauge was ripped away by massive waves of water. The dam failed under all the rain, snowmelt and broken ice that plagued the Midwest. Additionally, Mother Nature had more in store for Nebraska on Mar 17 (the same day). Bombogenesis occurred, a massive drop in air pressure which results in historic weather events. The blizzard that resulted only increased the hazardous conditions for western Nebraskans, adding 2- to 6-inches of precipitation to a state that already felt the remnants of a snow-filled winter. The flooding has killed at least three people and caused more than $1 billion in total damages across Nebraska. Perhaps even more stunning: more than 2,000 homes and 340 businesses have been lost. “The flooding demolished the land around our lake house,” senior Chaylea Mandina said. “The road was flooded for a week, so we had to evacuate our house and couldn’t get back in or out. We were one of the lucky ones and only had to deal with groundwater in the basement. While others basements flooded and their septic backed up.” To most Midwesterners, this is something astonishingly new, and has a high possibility of being one of many new things as we set into a decade that could
consist of record-setting temperatures and levels of precipitation. All of these forces of nature are expected to be more prevalent due to climate change; However, before any logical explanations can be derived from this harsh season of weather, people will need to get back to their homes and try to establish a dry, safe environment once again. “The flooding made me feel helpless and anxious to get back into our house,” Mandina said. “We have only been living in this house for seven months, but the old people around the lake said they have never seen water nearly that high.” The Platte River splashed viciously against the bridge of the interstate, calling the attention of the formerly distracted high schoolers. Eyes peered through creaky windows as a hush fell upon the bus, the voices succumbed to the utter awe of the river. Mankind is accustomed to taming rivers; the Egyptians and Romans were masters of it. However, every once in a while, nature will remind us all who is the boss. Going forward, it will take more than the effort of several high schoolers and school systems to get through this disaster, but every bit helps. As the Platte River clung uncomfortably to the interstate bridge, one can only hope that soon, this will all be nothing but water under the bridge.
On the Move Nebraskans, and other fellow Midwesterners have been forced to flee their homes and towns, which were destroyed by flooding. Many families had to live in hotels or family’s houses while they waited for the water levels to fall. photos by Suzanne Brudny
HOSA TAKES STATE, PLACES Kelsey Lowe, Nora Weaver Explore Medical Field By Samantha Chase STAFF WRITER
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eniors are beginning to think about life after graduation. For senior Kelsey Lowe, being a doctor is her dream job. In order to prepare for a future in health-care, she participated in Health Occupation Students of America, also known as HOSA. This group is for people interested in the medical field. They compete against other schools and do service for the community. “I was so excited when I found out there was HOSA,” Lowe said. “So many other bigger schools have it and it feels like such a good way to get opportunities and exposure to that field before I go to college, so I hopped on the chance to be in HOSA.” Lowe placed second at state HOSA in the division “Health Career Photography,” which qualifies her to go to nationals in Orlando, Florida. Co-directors of HOSA, science instructors Mrs. Deb Childs and Mrs. Shauna Stauffer, are proud of what she
accomplished this year and are excited to see her future in the medical field when she graduates this spring. “She is one of our leaders,” Mrs. Childs said. “You always miss your leaders, but you hope that they have mentored the younger students and someone will be able to fill their big shoes.” HOSA is an activity that can only be found in the high school setting; nothing else mixes health-care with competition. For Lowe, being in HOSA was a way to prepare for her future in the medical field but in a fun, competitive environment. “Right now I like it because none of my friends are in it so it’s like ‘Doctor Kelsey’ is doing her own thing,” Lowe said. “I don’t think there is a way to compete with those type of skills later in life, so I like that it brings competition meets health care.” With graduation quickly approaching, Lowe feels she is prepared to embark on her journey into the medical field. HOSA provided a unique introduction to healthcare for Lowe and several other members. All in all, HOSA is a one-of-a-kind experience
that is found exclusively in the high school setting. High school is a way for students to try new things and possibly find what they are passionate about. For freshman Nora Weaver, figuring out what she wants to do as a career throughout high school will not be an issue. She discovered her passion at an early age, entailing an interest in a medical career. She joined Health Occupation Student of America (HOSA) to learn the basics of the medical field and see what a future involved with medical care could be like. “I decided to join HOSA because I’m very passionate about the medical field,” Weaver said. “I’d like to do as much as I can to prep for my future.” Weaver placed second at state HOSA in “Extemporaneous Writing.” The co-directors of HOSA, science instructors Mrs. Deb Childs and Mrs. Shauna Stauffer, are excited to see Weaver’s future in HOSA. They applaud her potential and have high expectations for future competitions. “For it being Nora’s first year in HOSA, it is impressive she was able to place at state
and qualify for national competition,” Mrs. Stauffer said. “I’m excited for her.” Weaver plans on continuing with HOSA and plans to participate in different events at state HOSA throughout the rest of her high school career. Although Weaver competed specifically in “Extemporaneous Writing,” there are several other categories she would like to enter for competition. “I look forward to participating in certain events that I did not participate in this year such as Career Health Display, Extemporaneous Poster and Biomedical Debate,” Weaver said. “There was one about Pharmacy, another about Radiology and one explaining all the different branches of the field, and how to choose the one that suits you most.” Although state was overwhelming for Weaver at first, she was interested in learning more about the medical field and competing to win her second place medal. She holds potential for years to come to compete at a high level of competition in HOSA throughout the rest of her high school career.