February 2019 Issue Red & Black

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Red & Black Volume 88 Issue 4 Jefferson City High School Jefferson City, MO.

Blueprints to the

heart

CONTENTS 02.15.19

OPINION

NEWS

18

A woman’s right to choose

4

Behind the scenes: Crew

18

Why we need sex ed at JC

4

Impact of transgender military ban

19

Head to Head: Should you date in high school?

5 6

Construction updates How do we blur the fine lines between us?

A&E 20

Upcoming tech

21

Do’s and Don’t’s of first dates

FEATURES

21

Love mythology

8

Places to donate clothes

Top five songs to set the mood

9

Featured teacher couples

22 22

10

Dancing through the ages

23

The Lego Movie 2

11

Featured artist: Olivia Petty

23 23

Russian Doll

7

Building a better future

SPOTLIGHT 12

Love Letters

13

Valentine’s Day Gifts

14

Lays Jays: Unstoppable

15

Featured Athlete: Ian Cote

16

Athletes and superstitions

16

Editorial: Legalization of Marijuana

Adviser: Kathleen M. Ledgerwood

2

Mod Pizza

Do you have story suggestions for the Red & Black?

SPORTS

Editors-In-Chief: Taylor Baker Blakelee Sutton

Top five worst rom-coms

Email us at RedBlack.JCHS@gmail.com, call us at 573-340-3715, or come stop by room J141. We’d love to hear your ideas or even publish your work.

We accept freelance writers, photographers, and cartoon artists.

Come be a part of your student newspaper.

Staff Reporters: Lesley Altheuser Rylie Bohanan Makayla Coleman Avery Fitzsimmons Michelle Grant

02.15.19//CONTENTS

Noah Holt Bryan Ibañez Demeshia Slaughter Tristyn Smith Ash Stickann

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February 15, 2019 Volume 88, Issue 4 Red & Black is a student-led newspaper that serves as a public forum for the school and the community. Opinions expressed in the paper are not necessarily those of JCHS, nor the faculty, staff or administrators.

Jefferson City High School 609 Union Street Jefferson City, MO 65101 (573) 659-3050 redblack.jchs@gmail.com

Red & Black Social Media:

@redblackjc

FROM THE EDITORS Howdy!

It feels like its been so long since I’ve sat down to write one of these!

Check out our throwback pictures from high school dances in the feature section.

I think there’s tons of cute pictures of couples, and I absolutely adore the cheesy love letters. (Special thanks to Ash for mine!)

In the opinion section, we cover many controversial topics, such as abortion and marijuana usage.

We would greatly appreciate any feedback from our audience. Let us know what you like/dislike about our stories and make suggestions for future stories. You should feel free to email us and respond to our letters from the editors.

I hope you all enjoy reading the issue as much as we enjoyed putting it together.

Welcome back once again!

We’re back from our previous issue in December and the staff couldn’t be more excited to throw our hat in the ring once again!

This newest issue has been particular interesting because we’re tackling a subject that we haven’t yet this year: love!

With the issue releasing around Valentine’s Day, this seemed like a logical inclusion.

I think it’s a nice change of pace for the Red & Black.

We get to focus more so on the lovey-dovey aspects of teenage life and the circumstances that come with it.

On another note, I’ve written what I think is my favorite story yet in this issue, regarding abortion. I have a lot of strong opinions on the topic, and I look forward to hearing what readers think of it.

I hope you guys enjoy!

Blakelee

Taylor:)

~Prom will be here before you know it~

223 E High St, Jefferson City, MO 65101 (573) 636-1060 Open Mon & Fri: 10:00AM-5:00PM Tue-Thu: 11:00AM-5:30PM Sat: 10:00AM-4:00PM

Mention this ad and get 10% off of an in stock regularly priced dress Valid through 4-1-2019 Not Valid on a Previous Purchase

www.jcredblack.com 02.15.19//NEWS

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NEWS

Behind the scenes The crew of Almost, Maine T

Bryan Ibañez

he drama department always needs more crew members for many different jobs: lights, sound, make-up, and backstage. Crew members have to stay ready for cues to know when to change the spotlight, turn on actors’ microphones, play the right song for the scene, rotate a set during a scene and many more.

Not only is crew in charge of those many activities listed, but they also help building and painting the set or even the stage itself!

Here are a behind the scenes pictures from the school play, Almost, Maine.

Austin Hartman, Mikayla Gaggins, Olivia Michaelson, Madison Linnenbrink, and Matt Nickolaus are hard at work to maintain the flow of the show.

Impact of transgender military ban Avery Fitzsimmons

L

ast year, Trump ordered the military to ban transgender people from joining.

As of last week, the ban has been enacted.

This means that no transgender person can sign up or enlist in the military. It’s important to note the ACLU organization put in multiple articles that the ban on transgenders goes against the Civil Right Act of 1964 that bans employment discrimination on the basis of sex, religion, race and color.

As for trans people who have already enlisted and are currently serving in the military, they could be subject to oppression by not being promoted, denial of deployment or being forcibly discharged.

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02.15.19//NEWS

As for people who join the military and are trans, they can only serve under their gender assigned at birth.

If they agree to this and later come out being another gender, they could face repercussions. Now technically, the government isn’t allowed to do this. But they’re treating this like the Muslim ban passed on January 27, 2017; they loop around the technicality of this not being allowed by stating that the new policy isn’t related to Trump’s unconstitutional orders.

As of now, the only way a transgender can serve as their preferred gender is if they are diagnosed with gender dysphoria.

“The New York Times” wrote an editorial

about the ban that briefly mentions how trans people who are already severing will be affected in one of their articles.

“Transgender people already serving openly may continue to serve once the injunctions are lifted,” says The Editorial Board. They also interviewed Jody Davis, she has served in the military for eight years as a transgender woman. Davis then tried to apply to be a social worker for the military, only to be told “No.” “It’s ironic,” she said, “I’ve already proved myself, and now they say I’m disqualified.”

February construction updates Avery Fitzsimmons

The bathrooms on the third floor of Nichols have been remodeled.

The hallways were painted and benches were installed.

This used to be a front door.

This is where the connector between the buildings will be. www.jcredblack.com 02.15.19//NEWS

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How do we blur the Fine Lines between us?

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n January 19, students from Jefferson City and nearby schools gathered at Miller Performing Arts Center for the first annual poetry workshop.

Students were presented with a writing prompt and a few hours to write a group piece.

In the context of building inclusive communities, the prompt was, “How do we blur the fine lines between us?”

“It was cool to be able to share how I felt with the world, and how we should try to blur these lines that we have in society,” stated Madeline Showers, a junior from Jefferson City High School.

Ms. Jobe and Mr. Snider were the teacher sponsors and facilitators of the event.

“We have a group of very open, positive, and talented poets who we know support the arts as well, so this [event] seemed very doable… Alexander Edge, Simonsen teacher and Poetry Club coach, facilitated communication with Louder Than A Bomb leaders and workshop coaches who were very gracious in being the MC force behind the event,” stated Snider.

The students were split into three groups. Each group was lead by a poet from Louder Than A Bomb. They helped

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02.15.19//NEWS

the students formulate ideas and stimulate creativity.

“I write my poetry to be read, more than to be slammed, but I enjoy [performing] because it makes me develop my skills as a performer,” stated Jefferson City High School senior, Sabien Kent.

Students who are interested in writing poetry are encouraged to stop by poetry club on Wednesdays after school in Ms. Jobe’s room J11.

Necklaces made by Ms. Jobe for the performers A group of students working with a leader from LTAB

Taylor Baker

Above: Alex Salas Below: Kat Mulcahey They are both performing individual pieces

Building a better future Noah Holt and Taylor Baker

N

ichols Career Center offers multiple programs in which students gain skills they will need to use in the workforce.

Many students prefer this non-traditional way of learning because it prepares them for real life. This causes Nichols to have a higher attendance rate than any of its sending schools.

Elijah Shirk is part of the welding course in the Nichols building.

Shirk is one of many students who enjoy the hands-on learning style of NCC. “When I was younger, I used to be really into swords and blacksmithing, but then I found out that sometimes you can’t make a huge career out of it, unfortunately. So it would be more of a hobby. But I liked working with metal anyway.”

Shirk goes on to say how he started with the Metals Tech course and how he wanted to get more into welding once he completed Metals Tech, and proceed to join after a spot became free.

With any class there naturally comes some difficulties, as Shirk says that keeping up with attendance is major part of taking a Nichols program.

“They (Shirk’s counselor) told me that it would be a really big commitment.”

Shirk, during his 10th grade year had missed 26.66 days (including missing full days as well as separate blocks) and lowered that number to the current 2.15 days during this year, showing that he is truly honoring that commitment to attendance.

Shirk stated that he enjoys the teacher, Kenny Thomas, as he “really does try to help you out as much as he can, also the other students are great people who will help you out. You’ll have a great time in the Nichols program.”

Elijah Shirk

Just down the hall from the Welding classroom is Matthew Sidebottom, who is in Auto Collision. Sidebottom states that he got into the class because of an interest in cars that he has always had, and from his brother coming home from college talking about how much he enjoyed it. ”Some stuff you might not understand off the bat because you’ve never heard of it before, and that’s some of the most difficult stuff, but once you learn it, you get the hang of it,” says Sidebottom.

Taking a Nichols class is much different from the average school day for most students. This provides an opportunity for nontraditional ways of learning. ”I just don’t like sitting and listening to lectures, I like to be shown how to do it. I’m a hands-on learner. When I’m just in a class and they are showing me how to do it. It just doesn’t click as well as when I’m in the shop,” explains Sidebottom.

Sidebottom says that he enjoys how the class helps give real experience, as the work done in the class really translates to what is done in real life mechanic shops.

Just like Shirk, Sidebottom had to make the large commitment with attendance, and again, just like Shirk, Sidebottom did an incredible job keeping his attendance, with it lowering from his 10th grade year with 23.47 missed days to his current 1.98 days.

Both of these students truly do enjoy their classes and follow through on the rules that come along with them.

Matthew Sidebottom

www.jcredblack.com 02.15.19//NEWS

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FEATURES

Places to donate clothes Bryan Ibañez

W

hen was the last time you thoroughly went through your closet and took out clothing or shoes that haven’t been worn in a while? Not only will it declutter what looks like a bird’s nest in your closet, but it would

is a great place to donate clothes that you’d wish to get rid of. Not only can you donate your clothes, but you can also donate any furniture, books, kitchenware and a lot more as long as it’s not unsanitary or unreasonable.

be a great way to donate to those in need.

Your old clothes can go to many countries where people don’t have access to basic clothing needs. There are many good places to donate your clothes around Jefferson City, like Goodwill, Salvation Army and small donation bins around Jefferson City.

Goodwill is a non-profit thrift store located at 2821 South Ten Mile Drive. This local thrift store

Goodwill is also going bagless, though while you’re checking out you can ask for a bag if you have multiple items. In the store, they have a small bin for shoppers who bring any

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02.15.19//FEATURES

plastic bags that they would like to be recycled.

While Goodwill is a great place to donate your clothes, there are many more thrift stores around Jefferson City. The Salvation Army is also a great thrift store to donate your clothing, and just like Goodwill, you can donate furniture, books, house decor and the list keeps going. If you feel like you don’t have the time or would like your donation to go to someone in need in another country, there are many bins around town where you can drop off your donation. Some of these donation bins can be found by the gravel parking lot

by Simonsen, 1801 Missouri Boulevard, 2511 West Edgewood.

Featured teacher couples Avery Fitzsimmons

Michelle Grant

Do you have a staff member you think more people should know about?

Contact us with your suggestion, and we may do a feature on them!

Mr & Mrs Hendricks are two teachers are a 10/10. Lovely as can be, they gave the exact same answers and gave us perfect quotes for dealing with each other all day.

Q: How did you two meet?

A: Mrs Hendricks: “We were at a music teacher meeting and instead of listening like we were supposed too we sat in the back and talked.”

Q: How long have you been together?

A: Mr Hendricks: “Three years.”

Q: Is it hard working with each other?

Q: How did you two meet?

A: Mr. Tabb: “...it was a mission trip meeting and we’ve heard of each other but had never really met. It was about February of ‘96 or so and I walked into the room and I can still tell you to this day what she was wearing. It is kind of Disney-esque this way.”

A: Mrs. Tabb: “We met through a church we both attended through Truman State University and a lady was hosting a meeting at her house and that’s how we met.”

Q: What’s a favorite memory you have made with each other?

A: Mrs Hendricks: “Yes and no, it’s easy because we have different ideas but that’s also the issue since our teaching styles are so different.”

A: Mr. Tabb: “I was thinking about Chicago. We rode a twoperson bike. We were riding one that was really old and it uh it was hard it was really hard. We got a good mile down the strip and then we went back and it was just terrible. It was kinda funny looking back and we have some funny pictures.”

Q: How did you two get married?

Q: Any advice for having a good relationship?

A: Mrs Hendricks: “He actually did it at a choir concert of his, he asked what my favorite choir song was before the concert and ended up having his choir sing is and in the middle he got down on one knee and purposed.”

A: Mrs. Tabb: “For teenagers… don’t seclude yourself. Hang out with your friends and do all those things. Get to know somebody and if it’s meant to work out it will work out…

(Don’t) forsake all of that to be together.”

A: Mr. Tabb: “That’s monster big. Have a lot of friends involved.”

Q: Any things you like to say about your partner?

A: Mrs. Hendricks: “My choir beat his in a contest when we didn’t work together but only because of a technicality.”

A: Mr. Hendricks: “Each day is like our own little musical with dancing and everything.”

www.jcredblack.com 02.15.19//FEATURES

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Dancing through the Ages Ash Stickann

1984

JCHS Alumni, Cathy Miller-Marks, and her date preparing for prom her senior year.

2005

Physics Teacher, Kristen Thurman, poses in a picture at prom.

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1996

Assistant principal, Shanna Schwarzer, heading to prom with her future husband.

2009

Drama teacher, Zachary McKinney, poses with his date before prom.

02.15.19//FEATURES

1997

Alumni Anthony Nichols and Red & Black Advisor Kathleen Turner Ledgerwood at their senior prom.

2019

Alumni, Christa Kiesling, and senior, Connor Clime, dancing at Winter Sports.

Featured Artist: Olivia Petty Bryan Ibañez

Q: What interested you to join the schools

choir department?

A: “I have been in choir since preschool, and when I got to high school I was so excited to sign up and audition. I had never done anything like show choir or a cappella before and it really intrigued me.”

Q: What is the most challenging part of learning music?

A: “I think the most challenging part is staying positive during the learning stages.

Sometimes we get frustrated with the music or with each other because we don’t know the music yet. It’s easy to let the frustration get to us and makes us feel like we aren’t doing well.”

Q: What do you love the best about the choir?

A: “What I love the most about our choir is the bond we build with each other. We have fun during practices, and we hang out a lot outside of school. On our last snow day, we all meet up and went sledding. We all get along so well (most of the time) and I can always feel the love.

Q: Do you want to pursue in music after high school?

A: “After high school, I plan to study music education and hopefully

stay in choir during college. Music has always been something I love to do.”

www.jcredblack.com 02.15.19//FEATURES

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Love Letters from JCHS Who’s the boss?

Oh how I love thee my four-legged monster.

I love that you think you are a big dog, yet in reality you are 10 pounds soaking wet.

I love that you shred paper and look at me as if you have created something special I love that you think everyone loves you and wants to be your friend I love that you bark at the tv when a dog comes on the screen I love that you roll over and present your belly for anyone to rub I love that you look at me and tilt your head when I say “bye bye” or “good girl treat” I love that when I come home you are so excited to see me I love the way you sit with your front paws crossed I love that you follow me around like my shadow I love that you give me hugs and love me unconditionally This love letter is courtesy of I love that you watch tv for minutes at a time Kami Biesemeyer I love that you snuggle with me and sleep under the covers I love that you play with your toys and growl at them to let them know who’s in charge I love that you think I just pay the bills and you are the boss... okay, who am I kidding, we both know that you are but let’s keep it our secret shhhhh!

Happy Valentine’s Day Miss Emi!

Dear all of my friends out there, HAPPY VALENTINES DAY TO ALL OF THE GOOD PEOPLE AND ROCK ON THIS SCHOOL YEAR AND HAVE A GOOD YEAR!!

YOU WILL ALWAYS BE MY FRIENDS!! :D

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Your friend, Quentin Cook

02.15.19//SPOTLIGHT

This survey showed what students at JCHS preferred to receive on Valentines Day this year.

Dear Taylor,

You are a beautiful and sweet person. Your smile is enough to make a room light up with happiness. I love to hear your laugh, it’s contagious. I can’t help but try to revitalize it when it dulls. Without you my world would be a dreary place, I definitely would not be the person I am today. I would be more secluded and introverted. You make me feel like life is something that should shared and expressed with the people around me. Taylor, the way you make me feel is so strong yet obscure that it’s hard to explain with words. I used to think you hated me, you were intimidating and strong willed, everything I didn’t have. But, you were everything I needed. The courage I learned to love, the tears I learned to hate, and the person I learned to cherish.

Lovingly, Your gay husband, Ash www.jcredblack.com 02.15.19//SPOTLIGHT

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SPORTS

Lady Jays: Unstoppable Rylie Bohanan

T

he Jefferson City Lady Jays basketball team has had a very successful season so far. They are currently 21-0 and have won all 3 of the tournaments they have attended. Head coach Brad Conway believes that the biggest factor in their success is their experience.

“We have 6 players who played significant minutes last season,” Conway states.

“We have been working super hard as a team in practice and on the weekends to get to where we are, and it really is paying off,” varsity captain, Micah Linthacum, replies when asked what she believes aids their success. She also feels that the team’s chemistry and bond helps with their success.

“We are always looking out for each other and have each other’s backs.”

The Lady Jays spend a lot of time on the court together. They practice up to 6 days a week.

“In practice we have been focusing on getting a lot of shots in, defense and just preparing for the next opponent. We focus on practice to practice and game to game,” Conway says.

For the rest of the season, Conway is focusing on keeping the team solid and at its peak for every game and hoping it carries on to postseason.

“Our ultimate goal is to win state for class 5. We have the pieces to make it happen, and now we just need to keep working to get better everyday,” Linthacum states.

The Lady Jays next home game is on February 19 against Incarnate Word Acadamy.

Games:

JC vs Francis Howell: 51-30 JC vs Rolla: 63-23 JC vs Troy Buchanan: 79-39 JC vs Smith Cotton: 60-22 JC vs Waynesville: 59-30 JC vs Helias: 45-31 JC vs Wentzville: 53-26 JC vs Rockbridge: 46-33

Upcoming Games:

Incarnate Word Acadamy (Home)- 2/19 Hickman (Away)- 2/21

Upcoming Sports Events: February 16: Boys Basketball vs Poplar Bluff (Away) JV- 2:00 Varsity- 3:30

February 21: Girls Basketball vs Hickman (Away) JV/Varsity- 6:00 February 19: Girls Basketball vs Incarnate Word Acadamy (Home) JV- 5:00 Varsity- 6:30

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February 22: Boys Basketball vs Rockhurst (Away) JV- 5:30 Varsity- 7:00

Rylie Bohanan

Featured Athlete

Ian Cote: Wrestling

Q: How long have you been wrestling?

A: “I have been wrestling for 6 years, 7th grade was my first year.”

Q: Do you plan on wrestling in college?

A: “I would love to wrestle in college but being injured for my senior season hurts my chances.”

Q: What is the best part about being on the wrestling team?

A: “The best part of being on the wrestling team is both learning discipline, self-control, work-ethic, the competitive nature, being allowed to beat the crap out of someone without repercussion but also the environment is super fun and the relationships you build with the other wrestlers is unlike anything else.”

Q: Why did you start wrestling?

A: “I started wrestling because I wanted to improve my ground-game for Judo but I ended up loving the sport and my commitment was shifted over to wrestling. It became my highest priority for all of high school.”

www.jcredblack.com 02.15.19//SPORTS

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Athletes and superstitions S

Rylie Bohanan

ports are full of superstitions. It could be a pregame routine or a certain lucky item. Some are whole team superstitions, like dancing to a certain song in the locker room before a game, or they could be individual, like a lucky headband or a lucky pair of socks.

As strange as it sounds, research shows that superstitions can lead to a better performance, according to CNN. This is because it gives the player a sense of control and confidence over an unsure situation.

This usually happens before or during games because players don’t know what the outcome will be.

It’s a sort of placebo effect. If you believe that these superstitions will help you perform better you will perform better.

And if you forget to do something in your routine or forget your lucky item, you put

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into your head that you aren’t going to do well.

Superstitions aren’t created on purpose, they are merely an accident. The athlete happens to have a good game and they think about what they did before the game, or what they were wearing.

Athletes who have little to no superstitions have something called locus of control. They believe in that their training, not some external force, is the factor in whether they play well or not.

Athletes know that, deep down, these routines or superstitions don’t really affect anything. Once the idea that it will help is in their head, they don’t want to take the risk of messing up the game for themselves and their team.

“My friend Hannah and I always do a lucky handshake before games.”

-Abby Baughman

02.15.19//SPORTS

Professional Athletes’ Superstitions: Tiger Woods, one of the most well-known golf players. always wears a red shirt on his Sunday games. Why? Because his mom told him to wear red because it’s considered a power color.

Babe Ruth would always have to touch second base on his way back to the dug out from outfield. Also, he wouldn’t let others use his bat because he thought that each bat had a certain amount of hits on it, and he wanted to use every single one.

Michael Jordan had a pair of lucky shorts that he wore under his uniform. they were his alma mater, UNC, uniform shorts.

Famed tennis player, Serena Willaims, wears the same pair socks throughout a whole tournament.

“I wear a wristband with a Bible verse on it so that I know that I have God on my side, win or loss. And then I pray with my coach.”

-Bryant Gipe

The Red & Black’s Editorial: Legalization of Marijuana Recreational marijuana I

n 2015, a survey by the Office of Adolescent Health found that 39% of teens in the United States have at least tried marijuana once in their lives. This has been a constant in society for years.

The use of recreational marijuana, legal or not, is considered almost a societal norm at this point. Recreational marijuana isn’t classified as a specific type of drug, so it is considered a depressant, stimulant, and a hallucinogen, leading to a completely unique experience for each person under its influence.

Tons of people have used this as a way to relax and clear their mind. Artists like Lady Gaga, Zayn Malik, Rihanna, and Miley Cyrus have admitted to using marijuana to help them write and create their music.

Restricting the public from something that is a piece of the culture here in the United States is not something that we should be doing as a country or a state. We should legalize and restrict the use of recreational marijuana, not criminalize it.

Medical uses of marijuana T

he legalization of medical marijuana benefits so many people. It has so many medical benefits that could help a lot of people. The legalization makes it easier and faster for people who are in need of medicine get it.

Medical marijuana is the plant-based medicine that comes from a cannabis plant. It has five active compounds: THC, CBD, CBN, CBC, and CBG; according to the Healing Center.

THC, or Delta-9-Tetrahydrocannabinol, can be used as a pain reliever, hunger stimulator, relaxer, and an antidepressant.

CBD, or Cannabidiol, has lower levels of cannabis and can be used to help with muscle pains and inflammation.

CBN, or Cannabinol, is a lower impact version of THC. CBC, or Cannabichromene, is a non-psychoactive compound, unlike CBD, THC, and CBN. CBC can be used as an antidepressant, a relaxer, and as a pain relief.

CBG, or Cannabigerol, is also a non-psychoactive compound. CBG can help with pain

Economic and political benefits of marijuana T

he states that passed marijuana legislation have received massive economic benefits. A major example of this is Pueblo County in Colorado. Pueblo County, along with the rest of Colorado, legalized the recreational use of marijuana in November of 2012 (the bill took effect in January of 2014) and generated a net gain of $35 million says Forbes. This allowed the government to spend $420,00 on scholarships, benefiting 210 students across the county.

Legalization of marijuana also caused a boom in Denver’s housing market. According to a study that the University of WisconsinMadison conducted, soon after recreational legalization, the value of property near dispensaries increased by almost ten percent.

This gave even more support to Colorado’s economy and has allowed them to become one of the nation’s best economic powers.

The final way that legalization of recreational marijuana helps the United States is through the lowering crime rates. The same study from UW Madison found that after the legalization bill passed, Colorado’s drug-related crime rate dropped significantly, due to people who use marijuana being able to use freely without being arrested. Therefore, it is fairly obvious that this trend will likely continue in any other state that votes to legalize recreational marijuana.

www.jcredblack.com 02.15.19//OPINION

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Opinion A Woman’s right to choose Blakelee Sutton

A

bortion is a topic that has split a great number of the American population down the middle. The opposing sides of “pro-choice” and “pro-life” have brought countless arguments to support their position on the issue.

Those in the pro-life camp oppose or limit a woman’s right to a safe abortion. I completely understand these people’s perspective to a degree, but their points brought forth simply aren’t enough to refute the individual freedom of a woman to discontinue a pregnancy. Their arguments are varied, but the most substantial argument brought against abortion is this idea of the “sanctity of life”.

The sanctity of life arguments consists of the belief that no matter the consequences a woman may encounter from the possibility of pregnancy or what her own wishes for her body might be, the “precious”

nature of childbirth should reign supreme over the mother.

Not only is this idea patently absurd, but it’s extremely harmful.

The idea of forcing the beliefs of others onto one human being’s wish to pursue their life without having to be an unconsenting incubator for a fetus is a blatant violation of their right to bodily autonomy that guarantees them the right to their bodily functions.

Imagine this: you’ve been unwillingly kidnapped by a person whom you didn’t plan on encountering and they desperately need a blood transfusion. They’ve chosen you to take it. They strap you to a chair, drain the bodily fluids from your body and then say that their life overrides yours.

This can be related to abortion. A fetus has no right to impose the will of the woman that is directly supporting its life with her own body. If you

didn’t wish for this to happen, then you should have every right to say no to that. The same thing goes for women. It’s completely unfair to them that they should be unwilling slaves to their uteruses and carry a fetus to term just because it’s what radical right-restricting legislators have deemed to be the “moral” choice.

With that all being said, it’s completely fine if a given pro-life woman could never bring herself to terminate a pregnancy of her own.

No one is pressuring her to do that.

However, she absolutely should have the option to go down that route if she wished. That’s the entire end goal here: giving women the ability to have power over their own bodies and continue to engage in sexual activities without having to worry about making a long-term commitment that they don’t consent to.

Why we need sex ed at JC Michelle Grant

I

have never gone to a sexual education class in all three of my years at Jefferson City High School.

Not only have I not received proper information on safe sex, but neither has the rest of JC. In fact, most other teenagers attending high school in Missouri haven’t either. This is because Missouri is a pro abstinence state. Abstinence, or not having sex until marriage, is implied as the only form of “safe sex” in Missouri.

This obviously has not worked because most teenagers are sexually active by the age of 17, according to kidsinthehouse.com.

I believe that teaching teenagers only about abstinence has resulted in unplanned teenage pregnancies,

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sexually transmitted diseases, and little to no knowledge of what proper consent is. Most adults know that teenagers are having sex, but seem to ignore this fact. Because of this conservative attitude, teenagers are not educated about how to have safe and consensual sex. Not knowing what consent sounds or looks like can unfortunately result in a rising number of rapes. It can be possible that the offender didn’t know that consent wasn’t given.

Educating young people starting anywhere between 7th to 9th grade on safe sex could reduce the number of teenage pregnancies, sexually transmitted diseases and rape. Sex ed starting in middle or high school

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can prepare students for their future.

Many people argue that teaching kids about safe sex encourages them to have sex, but I do not think it encourages sex, but rather prepares teenagers for when they do decide to have sex. Most people have sex in their lifetimes, so it is better to be prepared and educated than to know nothing because teachers don’t feel comfortable teaching on the subject. I feel as though implying that abstinence is the only form of safe sex makes sex a taboo topic. It makes it hard for teenagers to get the help they need. We need to start talking about important issues at hand, like proper sex education for the wellbeing of our future generations.

Head to Head Should you date in high school?

Yes, it’s totally worth it!

Blakelee Sutton

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h, love. It’s a tricky business to get into, especially in high school. It can introduce a multitude of things into a person’s life and may even overwhelm them at points.

Even still, dating in high school introduces so many positive things that completely overshadow the problems that follow with it. Not only does it give you a person that you can trust and confide your feelings in, but it also provides a fun way to enjoy your youthful and joyous years in high school.

Dating a person that you have strong romantic feelings for can provide you with a loving and caring person to talk about yourself, your hobbies, worries, hopes, dreams, wishes and troubles. You can relate with someone else over the things that the both of you enjoy and makes you appreciate those things even more.

This person can also reassure you when you’re feeling down or need comfort and guidance. You also gain the opportunity to help your partner out when they need it, allowing you to truly make a difference in the life of someone you care deeply for. The best relationships are built on the foundation of having trust in each other and the chance to communicate with each other, and it makes the lives of both people better and more enjoyable.

Dating doesn’t only boost both people emotionally, it’s also a lot of fun! Going on a variety of different kinds of dates can be a great way to relieve stress and enjoy yourself with the company of someone you greatly enjoy being around.

So, I believe that dating can be a great decision for high schoolers. The experience overcomes any negative aspects and provides memories that you’ll cherish forever. It’s been a wonderful experience for me personally and I think it could be for you too.

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No, why would you risk a broken heart?

Rylie Bohanan

veryone longs to have a relationship in high school. It’s what most teen movies are about; a high school girl and the boy of her dreams falling in love and everything wrong in life is suddenly fixed. But the reality is that high school relationships are overrated and are a distraction.

High school is a time of learning, both in the classroom and in life. This is the time in your life where you discover who you are and what you want in life. Having a significant other could distract you from yourself and instead of learning how to love yourself you are giving your love to someone else.

It’s also a distraction from school. Instead of focusing on homework and studying, you focus on this other person and making them happy. Dating could also be stressful, and as a high school student who is already stressed over classes and grades, why add that kind of stress? You’re too young for that.

If you start dating in high school, you are opening yourself up to heartbreak and pain. Most relationships that actually have a chance of going anywhere don’t happen until after high school. Therefore, if you start dating in high school, don’t expect that person to be the person that you marry. While there are some relationships that last, the chances are very slim (less than 2% according to Rebel Circus).

High school is a time for fun. I’m not saying that dating can’t be fun and that nothing can come out of it, but I think that people get their hopes up and their expectations are too high. Then, they get upset when something doesn’t work out the way that they expected or when their relationship doesn’t live up to their expectations.

Just think things through if you want to date someone, and don’t get your hopes up too high. But most importantly, just have a fun high school experience, single or not.

www.jcredblack.com 02.15.19//OPINION

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Upcoming technology Tristyn Smith

5G Smartphones

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G is closer than ever. Motorola released the first 5G capable phone in August of 2018 (though 5G wasn’t natively supported, it came through an add-on that Motorola released later on) and other smartphone companies have been following closely. In 2019, Samsung, LG, Huawei, OnePlus, and Nokia are

Jam Live Free True Wireless Earbuds

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t CES, Jam Audio announced the Jam Live Free earbuds.

The Live Free earbuds are a more affordable alternative to other wireless earbuds like Apple’s

Airpods. The earbuds come with a wireless charging case that can charge the earbuds’ six hour battery and astounding 12 times.

The Jam Audio wireless earbuds will release in August 2019 at a price of $89.99.

HTC Vive Cosmos

V

irtual Reality is a phenomenon that has swept the tech community in recent years. The HTC Vive Cosmos aims to bring VR to a wider audience. The Vive Cosmos is much simpler than HTC’s other model releasing this year, the Vive Pro Eye. The Vive Cosmos is

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all preparing to release 5G capable phones. 5G networks allow for data transfer speeds that are up to 20 times faster than modern 4G LTE networks. This means that you can load websites, images, and videos faster along with watching videos at a higher resolution. The first phone to natively support 5G should release around March of 2019.

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likelymuch cheaper than the Pro Eye. The Cosmos operates by being connected to a personal computer and using a handheld controller to control your gameplay. The HTC Vive Cosmos does not have a defined release date or price, but HTC has said that it will be released in 2019.

Do’s and Don’ts of First Dates

Do’s

Dont’s

Michelle Grant

Be yourself - people can tell when you aren’t being genuine, and chances are the other person will like you more when you are true to yourself.

Talk about exes- Nothing’s worse than listening to your date rant about their past relationships… you are supposed to be focused on the other person you are on a date with.

Wear something you feel comfortable in- if you feel and look good, that will be noticeable and attractive to the other person.

Make too much eye contact- Some occasional eye contact is nice, but if you overdo it, it can come off as creepy.

Be confident- confidence is one of the most attractive qualities in a person. People are more likely to take an interest in confident individuals.

Talk about yourself too much- If you talk about yourself the entire time, your date will get bored and you won’t get a chance to get to know them. Plus, you’ll seem really narcissistic.

Love Mythology I

Avery Fitzsimmons

n ancient Mythology, there are many unique stories dealing with love. One is about Cupid, the god of love. Cupid born to Venus, the goddess of love, had love binned arrows that when impaled with one causes one to fall in love with the first person they see.

There was once a king who had the most beautiful daughter. Her beauty caused many eyes to linger on her, so many that anyone who worshiped Venus, the goddess of love and beauty, now seemed to sway to the young princess. Her father seemed to showboat her beauty more than she did having parades just so people could look at her.

No one could deny her loveliness, they thought she was so gorgeous they would abandon Venus temples to worship the Princess Psyche instead.

Venus’s outrage getting the best of her, ordered her son to make the maiden fall in love with the ugliest man in sight. However, he wasn’t able to fulfill his mother’s wish; Cupid ended up stabbing

himself with his own arrows while looking at the girl’s face, falling in love with her himself.

Jupiter, the king of gods, finding out this news, gets the king to leave his daughter on a cliff for the gods. Psyche, would then be taken to a new place where she will live with Cupid. The catch being she would never be able to look at him.

Not being able to keep her promise for long she lights a candle, and upon seeing Cupid’s face accidentally spills wax on him causing him to wake. He fled and wouldn’t return to see Psyche seeing as she broke her promise. Psyche not giving up, went to Venus to try to become worthy of Cupid.

Venus put the girl through many trials; one to cross a river and get the golden fleece of a violent sheep. The final task was to collect a drop of beauty from the queen of the underworld, but after collecting said drop she couldn’t help the temptation and opens the box that held the drop. As it turns out the queen of the

underworld didn’t give up her beauty and instead put a sleeping spell for whoever opens the box.

Having fallen asleep to not wake up, Psyche layed almost as if she was dead. Cupid, however, was heartbroken. He took the sleep from her face and placed it back in the box, taking her to Jupiter and asking the king of the gods to make her immortal. Granting him the wish, Psyche took a drink of immortality, and is now living with her love among the gods.

www.jcredblack.com 02.15.19//ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

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Top 5 songs: to Noah Holt

1. Elvis Presley - Can’t Help Falling in Love with You C’mon. He’s the king and he just helps set that romantic mood that works really well with a good loveydovey slow dance after a nice dinner or even a basic school dance. It’s memorable and rings through with some pretty lyrics.

2. Jason Mraz - I’m Yours This song has big romantic gesture written all over it. The entire song is kind of a giant confession. So, maybe it’s a good romantic gesture/song for telling that “certain someone” how you feel. It’s a tad cliche, but it’s catchy.

set the mood

3. Frank Sinatra - The Way You Look Tonight So, it’s a bit old school, but it really has that jazzy dinner date feel that can work with the cliché lit candles.

Just a nice little classic for the night out.

4. Ed Sheeran - Dive Okay, yeah, Sheeran’s songs can be pretty hit or miss sometimes, but this seems like another good slow dance song. Not a wedding slow dance like “Thinking Out Loud” but certainly a underrated slow dance song from him.

5. Lastly… Rick Astley - Never Gonna Give You Up You’re no strangers to love. You know the rules and so does bae.

A full commitment’s what your thinking of. NEVER GONNA GIVE YOU UP. NEVER GONNA LET YOU DOWN. NEVER GONNA RUN AROUND… AND DESERT YOU.

Top 5 WORST rom-coms Noah Holt

1. So, the movie “Gigli”… oof. When writing romance, you shouldn’t have a crappy hitman teaming up with a “lesbian assassin”, cause that kinda leads to a mess you can’t salvage when when pure lack of chemistry from the main leads doesn’t sell when you got the “Holy crispy treats we have get these two together NOW” vibe just plopping into view at the end. From unintentionally awkward scenes, just poor writing in general, kinda weird scenes with the mentally challenged scenes in the movie, scenes that are uncomfortable to simply listen to, and just the dirt-poor jokes of people humiliating themselves. (0/5) 2. “Valentine’s Day” is a weird mess that is interesting, but honestly, the Family Guy joke about it, was better than it was. It is organized poorly and gets kinda hard to keep track of when you try to focus on one character. With a messy, incoherent plot,

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that can already has trouble handling the large cast that was way too large of cast to keep up with, this movie is just confusing.

(2.5/10) 3. “The Wedding Planner” is just disappointing, with Jennifer Lopez and Matthew McConaughey is story that’s whole premise make it feel like a Hallmark movie, which are notoriously bad. With nothing but the “You should settle down” beginning, before going to a “Hey, I’m a doctor you saved your life from a 1 in a 100 situation” to “TRUE LOVE” by the end, this movie was just boring. With cliche lines in a cliche plot, it does nothing except encourage watching another movie. (3/10) 4. Oh look, another Jennifer Lopez movie. “Monster in Law” is a boring idea done to death. The “TOTALLY ORIGINAL” plot of “Mom doesn’t want

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her son to marry and fights over him with the fiance” is honestly really bad. Especially here when the reasoning behind the mother’s problem is portrayed as making less sense than usual. But hey, that’s really the only glaring issue with this film aside from the usual stale acting from Lopez.

(3/10) 5. So this one is just weird, as well as kinda just boring. “What to Expect When You’re Expecting” is just this dog pile of cliche jokes that seem so on the nose that they kinda fall flat on their metaphorical faces, cliche dad tropes (clueless dad, self conscious dad, etc.), with the film just being forgettable at the end.

Which might just be for the better (and yes, this has Jennifer Lopez in it as well).

(3.5/10)

REVIEWS T

Did you see a good movie? Read an interesting book? Hear a great song that’s stuck in your head?

Stop by Room 141 with your suggestion.

Blakelee Sutton

he Lego Movie 2: The Second Part is the newest addition to the new trend in “Lego” based movies. Although it struggles to live up to the pure wonder of the original, it still has enough redeemable qualities of its own to be a fun ride.

The stand-out performances are without a doubt the inclusion of both Chris Pratt and Will Arnett as Emmet and Lego Batman; respectively. They clearly have fun with the script and are genuinely entertaining.

The collective cast is incredibly humorous and provide comedic value for both children

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and adults alike. Not only that, but a group of tennis-playing velociraptors is sure to put a smile on many faces.

However, the film struggles to find its overarching theme in its many ambitions. It tries to have the same raw sentimental value of the original film, so falls short in that regard.

The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part is incredibly entertaining overall and is a complete feast for the eyes that serves as a decent enough sequel.

Avery Fitzsimmons

he Russian Doll recently came out on February 1st as a Netflix original series.

While the plot originally seems to be a Groundhog Day reboot, it’s very unique with its characters.

Nadia, the main character, is reliving her 36th birthday. She’s very blunt and honest, giving the dark comedic show a new twist on death. The show itself shows a new outlook on dying and having a better life just by doing little things. This was shown in one of the episodes where Nadia met Alan,

Makayla Coleman

M

OD Pizza came to Jefferson City on June 6th of 2018 and is located at 1709 Missouri Blvd, taking the place of the old Radio Shack in the Schnucks Plaza. MOD Pizza isn’t just your ordinary pizza shop, it allows its customers to see the employees build their pizza from scratch.

They have a great variety of 10 different types of pizzas and 30 toppings. Mods believe in one set price, there will be no additional price for the toppings.

They also sell a choice of multiple other things like salads, bread strips, shakes,

who is going through the same problem of constant death.

Alan being her complete opposite, helped her and himself to understand why they were punished in this hell-loop. While this show only has one season as of now the character development truly surpassed expectations for such a short time. The depth of background knowledge also unravels further into the season allowing it to increase creativity to if they would ever find a way out.

cinnamon bread strips and no-name cake.

They have great customer service, they kindly greet you at the door and warmly welcome you to order whenever you are ready.

The food is always prepared quickly and correctly. They play a variety of music, but they can work on the volume. It sometimes can be way too loud.

All together mods is a great family oriented place to come when you have a taste for great artisan style pizza with great and fast service.

www.jcredblack.com 02.15.19//ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

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