thevoice
AROUND THE WORLD 6-7
VOLLEYBALL 10
Gretna High School • 11335 South 204th Street • Gretna, NE 68028 • Volume X • Issue I• September 2011
PLANKING & OWLING 8
teen dad speaks highly of hardship ASHLEY ZAJAC
azajac.thevoice@gmail.com
hanging on the couch Jason Vierra ‘12 and his two-year-old son play a game on the sofa in their home.
smiling for the camera Vierra’s son Tyce smiles for the camera in his game day jersey. Vierra described his son as ornery and perfect.
reversed roles Tyce feeds his dad at Pizza Hut, something Vierra had to do for Tyce when he was younger.
One night, first time, only weeks later, suspicion. A quick run to the store, a threeminute wait and a deep breathe. It’s positive…what now? Ornery, perfect and very smart are only three words Jason Vierra ’12 uses to describe his two-year-old son. Vierra was only sixteen years old when he and his girlfriend of four months, Samantha, were caught in a position they could not walk away from. Samantha was one month pregnant. “We bought the test, she took it and sure enough there it was, two pink lines,” said Vierra. “My first thought was ‘what the heck am I going to do’. It seemed so unrealistic but it was a happy-medium.” After finding out the news over Christmas break, Vierra and his girlfriend alerted both sets of parents over the phone. As shocking as the issue was, Vierra’s family took the news well. Abortion was not an option for Vierra and his girlfriend; the thought came up in conversation but was never really considered. As a personal preference, they chose against abortion and adoption. Vierra soon left for Hawaii to work at his father’s construction business for the first six months of the pregnancy. “It was a guaranteed job and it [the pregnancy] took a lot of money to start off,” said Vierra. “The phone was our best friend. It was our only communication besides letters, which are too time consuming.” In June of 2009, Vierra moved to Kingman, Kansas with his girlfriend. They lived with her mother and waited out the last few months of the pregnancy, saving up money along the way. As a sacrifice, Vierra dropped
out of high school at North Platte, for two years and began working at a local grocery store, Sonic and McDonald’s all at the same time. “You handle it one day at a time, one step at a time,” said Vierra. “Without family you can’t do it, not at this age especially as a single parent.” This year, Vierra has enrolled here at GHS for his senior year. Upon his return to a new school, Vierra made waves in his Psychology class after announcing he would not be needing a flour child for he has his own real one. “I was shocked to find out he [Vierra] has a child,” said Mrs. Kate Craig, Psychology teacher. “He’s very mature even though he’s a new student and people are already curious about him. It gives a unique opportunity to have him talk about a teen’s perspective than me, an old lady, saying how bad it is. He can tell the real story and the joys of it.” As the pregnancy progressed, reality began to set in. Bonds between friends started to fade due to lack of time as other obstacles became more important. Judgement soon began to pass through the minds of surrounding neighbors. Vierra received comments such as congratulations, some suggested they should have waited and others just stopped talking to him. “People didn’t know us,” said Vierra. “It’s overrated. The unique thing is the love you gain for your own child. You have to grow up, but it’s just what you have to do.” Samantha was due Sept. 29, 2009 but at 3:30 am on the 28th, her water broke and she went into labor. Vierra had just clocked out from work at 11:30pm the evening before and was expected to be back at 5:30 the following morning, but plans changed. Vierra drove an hour to the delivery destination and Saman-
tha’s labor started later that afternoon around 3:45pm. Vierra and Samantha’s mother were the only two present during the birth, aside from three other nurses. At 12:05am on Sept. 29, 2009, after 13 hours of labor, Vierra’s pride and joy was born. The couple named their 7 lbs. 9 oz. son Tyce Kalani-Scott Rathbun-Vierra. They chose Kalani because it is Vierra’s Hawaiian name, Scott in honor of Samantha’s father who passed away, and Rathbun-Vierra to honor each of parent’s last names because the couple is not married. “It made me grow up quick,” said Vierra. “I realized you take care of not only yourself but someone else too. For example, when you hang your clothes there is a separate basket of infant clothes that you’re expected to fold too. There are even more worries to think about, like safety.” After Tyce was born, things changed. The game was on and new adventures were on their way. During the first month after Tyce was born, Vierra was working at McDonald’s and Sonic 60 hours a week and was only home between 11:45pm and 4:45am everyday. On certain occasions when Samantha was still up, the two would spend time holding Tyce before he fell asleep. Vierra admits that waking up every night, especially after going to work, ran his energy level down. “Sometimes, especially during the first month, a baby has no sleep pattern,” said Vierra. “The situation destroyed Samantha and I’s relationship.” While Vierra and his girlfriend were trying to make ends meet, there was an issue of who would take care of their child while they were busy at work. Before Tyce was born, their parents did not have much to help with except warn the parents to be that they were entering a 24/7 job.
FLOODING JENNA POTE
jpote.thevoice@gmail.com How would you feel if your basement was filled with a foot of water every night? This happens to Connor Shedeed ‘14 and it leaves him disappointed. “I can’t do fun activities in my basement anymore,” said Shedeed. The flood is changing numerous lives. Allie Feighner ‘14 may have her grandparents move in because their house could soon be flooded. “I really wouldn’t like it if my grandparents moved in because I would lose a ton of space,” said Feighner. Another GHS student has also been affected by the flood. Garrett Frazier ‘12 was on a walk with his dog, Iggy, when the dog slipped out of his leash and ran for the water.
Unfortunately, Iggy could not swim out of the current because her back legs were weak, so Frazier had to watch his dog drown, unable to do anything. “I saw the look in his eyes as he was washed away, it was awful,” said Frazier. Council Bluffs hired an engineering consulting firm to help with the damages from the summer of flooding. Some people are doing everything they can to help, such as Lexie Schwartz ’14, who helped fill sand bags in June at the Mid-America Center. “It was hard work, but it was worth it,” said Schwartz. Schwartz had to bring shovels and filled each bag by hand, stacking them in piles around the river. Schwartz worked for two to three hours, putting all of her heart into the task because she felt terrible for the victims of the flood.
Not only has GHS been affected but surrounding towns have also. Countless businesses and restaurants have been forced to close because they were underwater or had no road access. It has been catastrophic for many communities up and down the Missouri River. Fortunately, the flood waters are starting to recede. People are realizing how big the damages are and how much they are actually going to cost. Now the process of cleaning-up and rebuilding begins. As the water flows down on Interstate 29, which has been closed for most of the summer, construction workers are going to rebuild the whole section. Furthermore, people believe that we could lose the majority of trees lining the banks of the “Mighty Mo.” Hopefully this is the only instance the Midwest will ever see such monumental destruction due to flooding.
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