Winnetonka’s 50th anniversary: A glance at the past pg. 8-9
50 02 | CONTENTS
CONTENTS
03 | Staff Letter NEWS 05 | Introducing inclusion 06 | Red “Seas” the day 07 | Recognizing excellence FEATURE 08 | A glance at the past 09 | Tonka: A legacy 10 | “Clique” in to fit in ACTIVITIES 12 | Club Spotlights OPINION 14 | Recognizing our resources 15 | Deciding your future, a column ENTERTAINMENT 16 | Please stop saying “OK Boomer”
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th anniversary edition DEAR READER, After 50 years, Winnetonka High School continues to stand
strong and provide an excellent school for its surrounding community. Throughout the decades, Winnetonka has made ground-breaking strides in areas such as academic success, diversity inclusion and a student-led culture. The purpose of any high school is to educate their students, but Winnetonka goes further with a climate focused on preparing its Griffins to soar into the world and excel at whatever they are passionate about. This school has created a legacy that will only continue to grow as the students, staff and administration continue to change the world around it (The) Griffin Rites has worked hard over these 50 years to inform students on what was happening in and around Winnetonka, with countless numbers of issues distributed every year to students, staff and the surrounding community. This year’s staff is honored to have contributed in this journalistic tradition and we wish everyone a happy Tonka anniversary.
COVER: The cover is a collage of headlines, photos, and covers of Griffin Rites issues from throughout the years. The centerpiece of it all is a photo of Winnetonka High School, as it originally appeared in the first issue of Griffin Rites back in 1971. Cover designed by Daniel Smith.
STAFF 2019-20 | Maria Bisby, 11 | Cheyenne Brown, 09 | Ruth Estrada, 09 | Hailey Johnson, 12 | Elizabeth Payton, 12 | Marshall Payton, 11 OUR PURPOSE | Kaylee Renno, 10 Griffin Rites strongly supports the First Amendment and opposes | Daniel Smith, 12 censorship. Freedom of expression and press are fundamental values a democratic society. The mission of institutions committed to pre | Shannon Le Grand, Adviser in paring productive citizens must include teaching these values, both by example and lesson. GUEST CONTRIBUTORS We welcome letters to our staff, and reserve the right to edit them | Kelsey Cowden, photos for length and clarity, but not to change ideas. Letters may be opinionated and argumentative | Laura Ryczek, photos but not hostile. They must be signed and submitted to F6 or mailed to | Isabel Sedwig, photos Shannon Le Grand at 5815 NE 48th St., Kansas City, MO 64119. Advertising space is available. Please contant Shannon Le Grand at | Anthony Gann, writing winnetonkanews@gmail.com for more information. Our organization is a member of JEMKC, MIPA and NSPA. | Kameryn Young, artwork
04 | AD
Introducing inclusion
Committee creates equity lessons for senior advisory periods By Elizabeth Payton
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athered in the dimly-lit auditorium, senior students watched a story of racial tension and resolution unfold, with the highs of the movie bringing some to insuppressible laughter and the lows bringing some to tears. As part of a 10-day advisory lesson on equity and inclusion, students watched Remember the Titans, a movie depicting the aftermath of integration told through the perspective of a high school football team in the 1970s. The advisory committee was tasked to determine how to best fill the first 10 senior advisory periods after winter break. During these advisory days, while underclassmen were enrolling for their next school year, seniors were left with the potential for a comprehensive, multiday lesson. Shannon Le Grand, advisory committee member and senior advisory teacher, drew inspiration from the equity training Winnetonka staff have received and created the lesson plan, which included her choice of this movie. “I feel like a story has power,” Le Grand said. “I have used movies before to teach different concepts and… have the characters do the “talking”. It causes students to identify with different characters and then they are willing to talk more about different issues going on.” The lessons had students focus on three main points: reflecting on their own and peers’ identities, microaggressions and recognizing implicit and explicit biases. As part of the decision to implement these lessons, the committee and principal Dr. Eric Johnson concluded seniors were “ready to talk about it [equity and inclusion],” Le Grand also stated.
“We really left it in the hands of the advisory teachers to determine how deep they wanted to take the lessons,” Le Grand said. “We knew going into it that some kids were going to talk about it and some kids were going to be quiet. My feeling though is just being exposed to those ideas was worth it.” A student survey concluded that not all advisory teachers presented the lesson as planned. However, one teacher who did in its entirety, Clay Masters, said he was “thankful that eventually... the conversations we [the class] started having in advisory felt natural.” “I had students who are, traditionally in the past, pretty apprehensive to share that sort of information, they shared willingly,” Masters said. “Those who did engage it, they wholly engaged it and some of that transparency can be re-
NEWS | 05
ters said the general lack of preparation impacted his ability to have meaningful discussions about specific activities. “It felt like I was trying to drink out of a fire hose,” Masters said. “At that time in the semester, [there was] so much information coming at me at one time...; it was really hard for me to manage and deliver effectively. I didn’t feel like I did a very good job with the “Messages I Received” lesson [but] I think that can be a very powerful tool in the classroom, even given just a little bit of preparation.” And as the lesson creator, Le Grand expressed that she felt there wasn’t enough time to finish the entire plan, especially the final assignment, in which students were to write a letter to someone who inspired or believed in them. “I don’t think a lot of classes got to that,” Le Grand said. “That was a finish-
Key vocabulary terms relating to equity and inclusion: Equity is fair access to opportunity for all people, accounting for individual, institutional and societal barriers.
OPPORTUNITY
Stereotypes are preconceived, over-generalized beliefs about a particular group of people; put upon members of the group as fixed expectations.
deeming and beautiful.” Overall, Masters said his class utilized the “Circles of Self” discussion the most. For this activity, students reflected on important aspects of their identity and discussed how they could feel both prideful and ashamed of these aspects. Connecting the discussion to his prior knowledge of human behavior, Masters reflected: “It’s natural and normal for us, as human beings, to reference the world based on [our] own experience… That activity, “Circles of Self,” if we slow down and listen, it forces us to get into the space of listening to “the other” and… realize that there is more than one way to experience what is going on around you.” However, Le Grand and Masters both identified flaws with the timing of the lessons. As an advisory teacher, Mas-
Microaggressions are subtle or unintentional verbal, nonverbal and environmental messages that target groups of marginalized people.
“You don’t look gay.”
ing piece that I really wanted for everyone because it was beyond just the racial conversation.” With this being the pilot year for these lessons, if implemented in the future, Le Grand said it could be modified for the underclassmen as well. “I believe it may be necessary to spend more time on vocabulary and give more examples of “microaggression” and other unfamiliar terms,” Le Grand said. “The activities for identity and the root of beliefs and bias are appropriate for underclassmen, but the teacher may need to unpack the ideas more thoroughly for them.” Overall, conversations about equity and inclusion are becoming ubiquitous within the North Kansas City Schools District, with goals for all district students to engage with these concepts.
06 | NEWS
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Red “Seas” the day
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NKCSD cancels school for “Red Snow Day” after Chief’s win Super Bowl
1: Union Station celebrates the Super Bowl victory with Chiefs banners. Submitted photo. 2: Junior Alex Kisler keeps himself warm before seeing the parade on alongside the streets of Kansas City on the parade on alongside the streets of Kansas City on Feb. 5. Submitted photo. 3: Mayor Quinton Lucas runs in the streets during the Super Bowl parade holding a Chiefs flag on Feb. Submitted photo.
By Ruth Estrada
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n Feb. 2, 2020, 99.9 million viewers watched the biggest game of the year—the NFL Super Bowl. At 9:12 pm, quarterback Patrick Mahomes scored the winning touchdown of the 2020 Super Bowl with the rest of the Kansas City Chiefs football team. They brought home the Lombardi Trophy that night, exactly 50 years after their very first win in 1970. Patrick Mahomes was named Most Valuable Player (MVP) of Super Bowl 54, leading the Kansas City Chiefs to a 31-20 win over the San Francisco 49ers at Hard Rock Stadium in Florida. “I watched the big game Sunday and had a very excited reaction to the Chiefs winning the Super Bowl,” stu-
dent Isabel Velazquez said. “I am very sure that the Chiefs will win the next Super Bowl next year. [I’m] hoping next year they won’t let us down and make it all the way through the season and into the playoffs and onto another great Superbowl.” The Chiefs season record was 11 wins, 2 losses and 1 tie. While it was not a perfect season, it was the perfect ending to years of waiting for a win, according to Winnetonka Activities Director, Jared Barge. “I was not here 50 years ago when they first won the super bowl,” Barge said. “I would’ve been negative eightyears-old in 1969. I had my first helmet and jersey at age two. I grew up in the era when … the Chiefs weren’t very good… but I still loved the Chiefs.
In the 1990’s we were really good but could never make it to the Super Bowl… I’ve been a lifelong Chiefs fan.” One Tonka family, Gina and Matt Klein, were very excited when the team won. “I ran out of the house and screamed,” Gina said. They also have faith in our champions of winning the next Superbowl. “It could happen. They have a good team. ” On Feb. 5, 2020, Kansas City held a parade to celebrate the historic win. The North Kansas City School District canceled school for that day calling it a “red snow day”. Winnetonka student, Matthew Hernandez said, “It was pretty amazing getting a day off just like when the Royals won the World Series.”
Recognizing excellence
NEWS | 07
Dr. Eric Johnson acknowledged as Missouri’s Principal of the Year By Anthony Gann and Elizabeth Payton
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s he entered the main gym, greeted with cheering students, surprise confetti cannons and his very own drumline, Dr. Eric Johnson was announced as Missouri’s Principal of the Year on Feb. 10. The Missouri Association of Secondary School Principals (MoASSP) selected Dr. Johnson for the award out of over 900 Missouri high school principals. “Under Dr. Johnson’s leadership, Winnetonka became the first high school to be deemed an AVID National Demonstration Site in Missouri,” MoASSP wrote in their immediate release. “He has created a college-going culture where all students have the opportunity and are expected to succeed at their highest level. Additionally, Dr. Johnson has developed and facilitated diversity and social justice training in both Columbia and North Kansas City Schools.” Caption caption caption Caption Johnson was announced as Wincaption caption Caption caption capnetonka’s new principal in February tion Caption caption caption Caption 2017.caption Previously, worked in Columcaption Captionhe caption caption Caption captionSchools, caption Caption bia Public wherecaphe served as tion caption Caption caption caption an assistant principal from 2010-14 and then as head principal from 201417. At the surprise assembly, Superintendent Daniel Clemens reflected on when he realized Johnson was the
right choice for Winnetonka. “A few short years ago when I met Dr. Johnson, he was principal of Columbia Hickman, and at that time I knew he was something special,” Clemens said. “It took- three, four, fivedifferent lunches and dinners with Denisha [his wife] and Dr. Johnson to finally ensure that he [was] going to come home to Kansas City and be the principal of Winnetonka. One of the best decisions we have ever had to make was to bring Dr. Johnson back home, to Winnetonka High School.” After a series of guests announced Johnson’s accomplishments and gave their congratulations, Johnson gave a speech, recognizing the school as the source of his own excellence. “This is not about me, y’all,” Johnson said. “This is about you guys. I just have the privilage and honor to serve this assignment at Winnetonka High School. I love this place like no other place and no one can tell me anything different. Y’all kids are the best kids in the state, the faculty [are] the best faculty in the state.” The assembly was followed by a few minutes for students and staff to take pictures with Johnson. Senior Logan Murray said Johnson’s recognition and involvement in academic programs, such as the AP Cap-
stone diploma option, helped him become a distinguished student. “I’ve been able to recognize that not only are we appreciated by the principal, but we are also valued by the principal; we are not only just students walking around the building trying to get our education, but we are almost like a family,” Murray said. “He’s brought together many, many activities and clubs that previously wouldn’t really have much standing and created a helpful environment out of that.” Murray was one of 16 KC Scholars traditional scholarship recipients at Winnetonka, which amounted to $800,000 in total for all 16 students, as well as an AVID student since his 6th-grade year. Dr. Johnson will officially be presented with the award on March 30 during the annual MoASSP Spring Conference. He will represent Missouri for the 2020-21 National Association of Secondary Schools’ Principal of the Year program.
Principal Dr. Eric Johnson speaks to guests, students and staff at his recognition assembly on Feb. 10 in the main gym. Photo by Derek Walsh.
08 | FEATURE 1971: Winnetonka is born
1974: Griffin drawing 1974: Girls volleyball game
1981: Family foods 1987: Love letters from students
A glance at the past
Tonka: A legacy
Families share their generational experience
By Maria Bisby
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innetonka has been standing strong for 50 years and continues to do so. Over the last 50 years Tonka has seen a lot change with a new track, new administration, and a new security system. It has been the home of families to learn and grow and Tonka has created a bond for families to share. “There’s so many positive, amazing memories I have from Winnetonka,” Caitlin Jewet, current English teacher and former Tonka student, said. I think one of my favorites was getting a spirit bus my sophomore year of high school to cheer on the boys basketball team at sectionals. We traveled up north and we showed them what Tonka spirit was all about. Or any game night, dressing up in the theme and leading the cheers for the student section.” Winnetonka for most students created a warm environment to come back too even after graduation. Generations of families have been Griffins and more to come. The last 50 years have created big achievements for the Griffin family. Dr.Johnson
1990’s: Dress code
winning principal of the year, new staff, and a new entrance are just a few things. Winnetonka has become something for all families to share and how it affected them. “My mom liked it and tried to be involved where she could be,” freshman Drake Zion said. “I had the impression that Tonka was fun for both my sister and mom and they said I would like it and so far they are right.” Families generations after generations have shared what it is like at Tonka. Favorite memories such as, football games, class clowns, and pep assemblies. There are so many things to be involved in. The Tonka experience is something that all families can share. “I think it’s cool to have family members that have gone to Tonka you can kinda exchange your memories,” senior Kelsey Cowden said, “especially with my dad, it’s helped us grow closer- talking about what it was like to be in school in the 70s vs now.” Things have changed over the years
here. The biggest change is the classes that come and go. From 1970 to 2020, things are so different. The class of 1970 crazed trends such as hair perms and funky pants. One of the biggest things they all share is Tonka pride. For 50 years Tonka has had its share of crazy dances, fun football games, and student growth. For many classes to come and go there is always one home they will never forget.
Graphic by Owen Garoutte, (2019)
2002: Marching band
2009: Improv show
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Do you see cliques as a positive or negative term?
Freshman
“I think that the term is at its fundamentals not a bad term but depending on the people and the clique it can be bad.”
By Cheyenne Brown
ost people want to find a group of friends that they “click” with, whether they spend their Saturdays in detention or only wear pink on Wednesdays. These friend-circles, formed by the need to feel accepted, are known as “cliques.” “As humans, we have an innate desire to belong and be accepted,” 9th grade counselor DeVaughn Hurt said. “That desire leads people to find and sort of seek out other people that they view as similar to them. Then through time, those cliques are formed.” According to “Introduction to Sociology 2e,” published in 2015 by OpenStax, all groups, including cliques, can be defined as primary, secondary or both: primary groups serve for emotional connection rather than functional ones, whereas secondary groups are built on common task-oriented goals. Stereotypical cliques, such as “the popular crowd” can often be categorized as primary groups,however, cliques in high schools, which are more club-based, can be categorized as more so secondary, with primary groups within. Because of this difference, reasons for exclusion may not be as simple as based on the way someone looks or
Sophomore
“They can be good and bad, when [they are] bad is when one clique is negative to another.”
their social status. Leadership advisor and social studies teacher Sarah Green adds how those in cliques might react to “outsiders.” “We are fearful of somebody who is outside of our group,” Green said, “and so once I’m part of a clique, I might give that vibe that ‘you’re not like me’ or ‘you are different’ or ‘I don’t know you and so I don’t want to hang out.’” Cliques are presented in all types of media, from movies and television shows to musicals and books, and often, they are portrayed as heavily selective friend circles. However, Green said she believes society gives cliques a generally negative connotation. “If you think about TV shows, movies that portray high school cliques, they seem to be a little more exclusionary than they really are,” Green said, “We still have lots of cliques and lots of groups but it’s not necessarily to exclude others or the bullying aspect of it [cliques].” Likewise, Hurt said he believes that the way these platforms portray cliques can be accurate, “but there can also be some misconceptions.” “Sometimes people may assume people are excluding others when they really aren’t,” he said. “You just kind of have to get to know the people before you make that judgment.”
“I see cliques as kind Senior of a negative term from personal experience. But it could be positive depending on the people in the cliques, it all depends on their personality.”
in
Regardless of how cliques are depicted, the influence they have on individuals should be interpreted “case-by-case,” Hurt said. “It could provide a sense of belonging [and] community. The impact could be positive, but they just have to be careful that it doesn’t come at some emotional cost to them. If I feel like I belong, but I’m kind of having to pretend to be somebody I’m really not, then that isn’t true belonging,” he added. OpenStax stated that the feeling of belonging in a group can be positive for some but feeling excluded from or being in competition with one can be negative. “I think a clique can give you some confidence, again because we tend to gravitate to people who are like us, so then I might become more confident in those areas,” Green said. “I really have always felt like Winnetonka was more inclusive,” Green added?, “People that I see in the hall, I would see them with a totally different group at a basketball game or a totally different group at lunch. We [Winnetonka] still have our cliques and our exclusivity here, but I feel like we are more welcoming and broadening to talk to different people, than I have experienced elsewhere.”
12 | ACTIVITIES
Club Spotlights By Daniel Smith
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hile everyone else leaves school, these groups stay after, turning the otherwise empty halls into a grand stage where they come to perform their ideas. Likewise, while some may spend every other Friday just relaxing in a random classroom, these groups meet up and intently discuss their passions. Whether their forte is perfectly performing
48th Street PlayersDuring an improv show in fall 2019, senior James Long strikes a bizarre pose as junior Delany Breshnahan lunges towards him in a game of “Freeze Frame.” In the game, two actors must make up a scene based on peculiar stances they must take. After some time, the host yells “Freeze!” prompting them to stop, mid-action, for another group to replace them and make up a whole new scene. “The best way to get involved [in 48th St Players] is to dive right in,” Long said. Photo by Isabel Sedwig.
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wo captains of the 48th Street Players, Seniors James Long and Jaelee Pittel, discussed their experiences leading the improvisational acting group. “I think [one of the best] experiences is just seeing new members come in and fully get[ting] them to embrace the awkwardness…” Pittel said. New members joining the 48th Street Players always means an exciting time for veteran players. According to Pittel, one of the best things about seeing fresh
“Wonderwall” for the 100th time, making everyone around them laugh or naming off every anime on Netflix, these groups represent the time and dedication students put into their projects- their clubs. There are dozens of different clubs that have appeared and disappeared throughout Winnetonka’s history, but the 2019-20 school year hosts over 50, each with its own story and purpose.
Embracing the awkward
performers onstage is “seeing their eyes open up [as they] really immerse themselves in the overall culture of our club.” The 48th Street Players are all about sharing the stage and allowing everyone to enjoy a unique freedom to create hilarious characters, settings, and ideas right on the spot. “Anyone in the 48th Street Players is going to have one defining moment where they will have the spotlight in a performance and they will be the ones
making the audience laugh,”Long said. “And I think watching a 48th Street player have that moment has always been really cool for me because it’s good to see that they’re finally in their groove.” Pittel reflects on the growing popularity of the 48th Street Players. “We’re not necessarily like a sports team or anything, but with our advertising people definitely ask about us, which is good,” she says.
Everyone’s invited -Healthy Living Club Aksels Jaunzemis, 11, skates across the rink during the Healthy Living Club’s ice skating outing in January. “Ice skating is one of my favorite things to do back in Latvia during winter. In my opinion, our health is the most important thing we have, and that’s why it’s important to stay healthy.” Photo by Laura Ryczeck.
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ikayla Gandara, leader of the Healthy Living Club, tells the story of how she came to found the club and her experience with it. “It’s a new community,” Gandara said. “So it fluctuates a lot [as far as] who comes and goes, but the-outsideof-school activities, I tend to see more [engagement]. It’s been a lot of fun, especially with our most recent adventure being ice skating.” Seeing as the club is relatively new, Gandara says that it doesn’t get much traffic, relatively speaking.
“I mean, it’s not as popular as Tea Club or GSA but I think it has enough traffic to get what I want done,” she said. Gandara hopes for her club to ultimately inspire wellness to all her peers. “I think we can get more resources, more guest speakers to come in and the ultimate goal is just to inspire people to pursue their health,” she said. Gandara describes the Healthy Living Club’s open-arms mindset of its community. “I think it’s very open, very inviting and supportive, even if you’re not nec-
essarily ready to pursue your health; at least to get a start or a starting point. Upon joining the Healthy Living Club, new members are sure to be greeted by a diverse group striving towards a common goal. “There’s a lot of different types of people that are definitely in there,” Gandara says. “And everyone’s invited, and everyone can get involved in activities.” The Healthy Living club has an easy way for new members to join. “Just come to room A-5 during club time, honestly.”
Come Together -Guitar Club
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he Guitar Club is the hearth for all students passionate about guitars and other stringed instruments. Kyle Herz, is an active member of the Guitar Club as well as a member of the local band Funeral Singer. “I first started going here, one of my first experiences was walking into a classroom full of people (who) just all had similar mindsets,” he said. The Guitar Club has a large number of
people with all types of different tastes. “...You could see all the different areas of where people adhere to specific genres of what they enjoy,” Herz says. The sponsor of the club, Ian Johnston, also provides clips for students to watch while discussing their craft. “The teacher was playing cool guitar videos he found and stuff like that.” Whether you’re a trained professional or a curious beginner, joining the guitar
From left to right: Zach Heathman, 11, Kyle Herz, 11 and Howard Wilhoit, 11. Herz strums his guitar in the main gym during the club fair on Sept. 6. “Playing guitar club has opened me up to new people and new friendships that I wouldn’t have met without it. It’s given me the knowledge to help be a part of the writing process for my band Funeral Singer, even though I’m the drummer.” Photo by Elizabeth Payton.
club is straightforward and uncomplicated. Herz explains, “If you want to just hang out and play guitar it’s just not really much to just bring a guitar and we can hang out...Because we’re glad to teach you and there’s definitely many knowledgeable people in there that will be glad to help teach you and get you on your feet.”
14 | OPINION
Deciding your future Why is it important to vote and what Democratic candidates are left to vote for?
A column by Kaylee Renno
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This group portrait monument by Adelade Johnson was carved from marble and placed in the United States Capitol building. The carving is of the pioneers of the woman suffrage movement, which won women the right to vote in 1920. It was sculpted from an 8-ton block of marble in Carrara, Italy. The monument features portrait busts of three movement leaders: Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Susan B. Anthony and Lucretia Mott. The fourth space is reserved for our future first woman president. Photo by Shannon Le Grand.
hat do the Democratic candidates have to do with your future? Well, anyone of the Democratic candidates could become president. The candidate you vote for matters, since they could make decisions that could hurt you or potentially help your future become brighter. There are set to be 12 Democratic debates and, so far, there have been about 10 debates. There has been a total of 31 Democratic candidates for president. There are currently three still left fighting for their chance to be on the 2020 presidential ticket. This is the list of Democratic candidates still left as of March 05- vote for one of them before you get stuck with someone you don’t want. Bernie Sanders – Sanders is a senator from Vermont serving from 2007 and current before that according to berniesanders.com “U.S. Senate after 16 years as Vermont’s sole congressman in the House of Representatives. This is his second time trying to the win the democratic ticket. Joe Biden – Biden was a senator for Delaware for 36 years and was vice president under Barack Obama for eight years. Tulsi Gabbard – According to tulsi2020.com, Gabbard has “served two tours to the middle east presently a major in the U.S Army National Guard” and
“served for seven years on the Foreign Affairs, Armed Services, and Homeland Security Committees.” Gabbard is also currently a Congress woman for the state of Hawaii. Gabbard is the only female left fighting for her way to be on the Democratic ticket. Gabbard won’t be allowed to be in the next democratic debate because according to CNN the “DNC (Democratic National Convention) raised the criteria” to be in the debate with candidates needing to have won at least 20% of the total number of pledged delegates allocated across all the past primaries and caucuses.” Gabbard has only 2 pledged delegates. For 231 years we have had a male president in America never a woman. Women have made tremendous strides in politics still with all of their hard work they are still never able to become president. It is time for a change woman are no longer working in the house they are working as police officers, firefighters, doctors, supreme court judges. I feel that it is time for a female president. It is very important that young people vote in the upcoming elections because you are deciding your future. You are deciding who is in control of this country. You are deciding what bills get passed and what you stand for by voting for a candidate who shares your values. Sometimes people take for granted that we have the right to vote. People like to complain about what is going on in the U.S., but they don’t ever want to do anything about it. Not one person can change the vote it takes a group of people to change the vote. Voting impacts everyone, not just one type of group. No matter who you are- whether your young or old, gay or straight, black or white, we all are impacted by voting. That’s why it’s so important to vote. We can’t make major change unless people actually want it. You decide whether you vote or let society vote for you.
OPINION | 15
Realizing our resources Canvas should be used to combat course-compression that results from snow days By Elizabeth Payton
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ith the priority of student and staff safety in mind, cancelling school due to snow days cannot be avoided and so, the district should provide more insight for teachers on how to minimize academic disruption due to bouts of inclement weather. Though any absences, either from a student or from the teacher, can cause a temporary disruption in student learning, when school is cancelled due to hazardous weather conditions, as happens in Missouri, classes are often times required to compress or shorten their curriculum. Without an alternative method in place for students to piece together these missed concepts, they may be left with a lack of understanding of the content or their grades and exam scores may suffer. Individual teachers are sometimes responsible for over 100 students, as well as some students are booked with other classes and extracurricular activities, so finding time to solidify concepts, especially in higher-level courses, can be a challenge. NKCSD high schools follow an A-day, B-day schedule, where students have one set of four classes on A days and a different set on B days. These days alternate, so one full school week might be: Mon.-A, Tues.- B, Wed.-A, Thurs.-B, Fri.-A; the following week would start Monday as a B-day and follow the same pattern. Four of the five snow days called this school year were on B days and when a phenomenon like this happens, the pace of the B-day classes can be disproportionately affected. Math and science teacher Marcy
Holwick described missing these class periods as “demotivating” for her Algebra II students. She said the content may be difficult and new for the students so “having those gaps can really make a big difference.” Likewise, her college-level course, AP Physics, is already a fast-paced course, but as more days are missed, it has to be amped up to be even faster, she said. “What I end up having to do is ratchet towards the pace that can be maintained by kids that could be considered ‘advanced AP kids,’” Holwick said. “Sometimes kids start getting discouraged and think that they’re not very smart, which is not the case, it’s just that I don’t have as much time as I would like to develop some of their skills and have them feel secure.” Missed class lessons are generally difficult to make up, and with the accelerated pace or difficult concepts some classes may offer, combined with school cancellations, there isn’t a lot of room for reviewing or reteaching concepts. “[Snow days] can tend to require the kids to do more learning on their own, and the idea of doing a college course in high school is that you get more time in the classroom,” Holwick said. According to the video “How are snow day decisions made?,” released by the NKC Schools Communications Department, snow days are made up at the end of the year by adding the cumulative number of snow days onto the last day of school. This year, makeup days will be added after May 20. For senior and AP students, these make-up days might not even matterunits will still need to be compressed
or cut out entirely to accommodate senior graduation and AP exams, both of which take place in early May. Overall, teachers should be able to better utilize online systems, such as Canvas, to help students reinforce material due to missed days, especially school-wide absences that can compress the curriculum. Canvas is an online “classroom” program in which teachers can create assignments, display announcements and upload materials for their students to see. Often times, Canvas is used to link to online versions of class textbooks, host quizzes/exams and organize online assignments. All students have a login through their district ID and computer passwords. The district should, most importantly, make this program easier for teachers to work with and require it to be a standard in academic classrooms, as a supplement to the curriculum and an alternative resource for material. “Only one of my AP classes are on Canvas, but I have three total, so I try to communicate with my other teachers and ask about what I missed,” senior Sarah Hoxworth said. “I definitely think [Canvas] could be a good resource because all of the info and units are right there and… it’s organized. You can always know what’s going on and what you missed.” There is no question about the legitimacy of cancelling school due to possible hazardous weather conditions, but creating a proactive system to help address the setbacks due to these unplanned cancellations is vital in allowing students to fully engage with the course, rather than be taught to a test.
16 | Entertainment
Please, stop saying “Ok Boomer”
A submission by Oliver K. Bumer
H
owdy. I am what is known as a “Baby Boomer”, or “Boomer” as you young snowflakes call them (probably because your attention spans can’t process more than two syllables now.) I was “boomed” into existence on August 6, 1945… and born nine months later. Heh. If you read your history books, you’d know that was right at the very end of World War II, where the great America gained its superiority over the world. Holy smokes, I love my country. Let’s get to the point. There’s a certain phrase that has been getting passed around by the modern hooligans of today: a flippant, insulting, and destructive abomination of the English language. Every time I hear its utterance, I have to immediately reach for my heartburn medication and pray I don’t have a sudden heart attack. I’m sure you know what it is: “Ok, Boomer”. This disrespectful phrase has been passed around all over the internet and, *shudders* has even been said in real life. It’s simply demeaning and contradictory to the advice our parents would always tell us as children: to respect your elders. Honestly, I almost feel as though I’ve been cheated in life. After being told to respect my elders for so many years, I grew up, excited to be showered with the respect I deserve from the youth. Instead, I was only greeted with “My opinion on women’s health doesn’t matter,” or “I don’t understand what minorities go through.” How dare you! I have a wife and a daughter! I went to a desegregated school for at least three years! You “Millenials” and “Gen Z” members are so lucky these days. Back when I was your age, the world was so much harder. We had to deal with racism! Do you know how difficult it was for me to choose which side I was on during the Civil Rights Movement? Not to mention the Vietnam War, the most difficult and terrifying moments of my entire life, in which I fled to Canada for seven agonizingly-dull days before realizing I had never received a draft notice. And yet, like the true American I am, I pressed on during those trying times and managed to get a wife, three kids, and a fully-furnished house (a REAL house, not an “apartment”) by age 30. Man, where did the years go? I don’t see all you snowflakes achieving that by 30. One thing you all don’t realize is that phrases like “OK Boomer” are going to essentially ruin our world’s culture and traditions as we know it. I’ve begun to
notice that people don’t say “please” and “thank you” anymore. If you ask me, not saying “thank you” after an elder gives a youngster a piece of advice at the workplace should be a crime. I’ve been working the same job at McDonald’s for the last 40 years, and whenever I try to share some valuable knowledge to the naive whippersnappers around me, they just roll their eyes and say, “OK Boomer.” All I’m trying to tell them is that they are going to fail in life because of their dang piercings and neon-colored hair. The culture this phrase has brought about has turned the world upside down. The world seems to have gone crazy, with its Coronaviruses and “TikToks” and JoJo’s Bizarre Whatevers. I’m certain that if people would have listened to what us “Boomers” had to say, everything would have been as simple as things were when I was a childwhen I could buy a sody-pop for a nickel. Regardless, the years seem to have flown away from me. The people whose age I could’ve sworn I was at yesterday, I want them to become a mature and successful American like me, but I also want them to be rather unlike me, in a way. I spent my teens and twenties, the prime years of my life, in the safest, unambitious, and frankly-lazy way possible. I was comfortable, but I had nothing pushing me forward in life except for “The American Dream.” The world developed in front of me, and because I wasn’t paying attention, I ended up waking up one day, almost 75 years old and I hadn’t left a single mark on society. As a kid, I thought I’d be...somebody. I thought I’d be a part of history. Instead...I’m just...a Boomer. So, youngins, if you ever needed to listen to a Boomer, it’s now: Don’t let these days pass you by. Make your mark on this world. If you do that, or at least try, maybe someday down the line, you’ll end up becoming an Okay Boomer.
Artwork by Kameryn Y., senior 2020 Story by Daniel Smith
