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See more about the wrestler on the cover in the featured athlete piece.
p. 13
Red & Black Newspaper 11.15.17 • Volume 87 • Issue 2 Jefferson City High School Jefferson City, MO
Winter sports take over A gallery of preseason shots of all the winter sports teams hard at work prepping for upcoming challenges. p. 8-9
CONTENTS 11.15.17 NEWS
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Featured Athlete: Peter Kuster
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Final strike out: Softball
IN-DEPTH
14-15
Do you feel safe?
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#Hey Admin: Parking passes
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Powder-puff game delayed
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JCHS upcoming events
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Child safety and protection month
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Coffee with Larry
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Let’s discuss language club
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The truth behind dropping a class
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Black Friday anticipation
Girls behind the announcements
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7
Politics explained by children
Blood drive at JCHS
What do you do on early out days
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Holidays at the Samaritan Center
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The lowdown on low blood sugar
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Featured Faculty: Angie Green
SPOTLIGHT 8-9
FEATURES
OPINION
A look at winter sports preseason
SPORTS
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Editorial: The reality of racism Head to Head: Is free speech too limited Going cold turkey on traditions
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Boys’ soccer review
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Players fight through the pain
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JCHS Football: Pink out night
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No exceptions: slurs are unacceptable
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Preview: Boys’ basketball
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Banning sites isn’t the end of the world
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Stats for fall sports
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How much makeup is too much?
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24 24 25
A&E Suessical Preview DIY: Candy Acorns
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Family gathering survival guide Fall outfit inspirations
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Reviews: Jigsaw, Thor: Ragnarok,
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Heart Break on a Full Moon
Book suggestions for book lovers Billboard VS JCHS
Do you have story suggestions for the Red & Black? Email us at RedBlack.JCHS@gmail.com, call us at 573-659-3310, 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.
SPECIAL SHOUTOUT
We’d like to graciously thank Peter Kuster and Hudson Nilges for posing for our cover. Photo by Madison Behrens.
Sup Homeslices,
FROM THE EDITOR
Guess we’re getting closer to winter break. It’s kind of crazy to think about how some seniors will graduate in just a month or so. Kind of makes me sad to just lose some of my closest friends. Though, of course, I congratulate them on conquering the beast that is high school and wish them courage and strength as they venture out to face their next battle. I have officially sent out zero college applications since we’ve last spoken. Not for lack of effort, but definitely for abundance of procrastination. Though, I have completed a few. College is such a terrifying topic, yet it seems to be the only thing my family wants to talk about. Maybe it’d be easier if I could decide on some sort of clear profession. At the start of next term, I will be taking three AP classes and will have completed one this year. At the end of my high school career, I will have completed seven AP classes in total. Yes, if you were wondering, this does mean that I spend all of my free time crying over five piles of homework. Fun fact: AP classes were invented many years ago to act as a torture device for teens. (Disclaimer: the truth behind that fact might be missing.) AP
classes are such hard work, just absolutely exhausting. Maybe I’m just lazy and just think they’re hard work because I hate doing the homework. That’s probably a viable option. Fun casual topic change: These letters always seem awkward as I write them. I hope my words do not fall on judging ears. I’m just talking out loud when I write these, just scribbling down the thoughts as they jump into my mind. I hope they bring some form of amusement to someone willing to read them. I never really know what to talk about, so I just start talking and I refuse to stop till I feel I’ve said an adequate amount. Another fun, sudden, topic change: Why do people refuse to go to dances without a date? It’s almost like, you can dance... without someone tied to you for the rest of the night. Try it right now. Isn’t crazy? What a wacky idea. To conclude this essay of random nonsense, I’d like to bring things back to the actual newspaper. We heard your suggestions for featured faculty and we have provided. There’s a plethora of winter sports pictures just waiting for you to look and them. Best of all, there’s your friends and faculty all over the pages, so go enjoy. - Gillian Burks
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November 15, 2017 Volume 87, Issue 2 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.
Editors: Gillian Burks Sidney Johnson Matt LeCure Ariana Pauley Salem Sanfilippo Solindas Staff Reporters: Yessnia AustinDixon Madison Behrens McCayla Hartman Kayla Hensley Emalee Murdock Tyanna Robinson Adviser: Kathleen M. Turner Jefferson City High School 609 Union Street Jefferson City, MO 65101 (573) 659-3050 redblack.jchs@gmail.com
@redblackjc www.jcredblack.com11.15.17//NEWS
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NEWS
#HeyAdmin Got any questions for administration? Tweet them to us @redblackjc with the hashtag #HeyAdmin and your question just might get answered! Our #HeyAdmin tweet of the month:
#HeyAdmin - Why can parking passes be taken away when we pay for them? Jacob Adams
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arking passes are a privilege afforded to students who meet the expectations set out in the application. Simply paying for a reserved spot on school property does not denote permanent ownership, thus the reason that parking passes may be revoked for breaking any of the stipulations set forth in the application. Students cannot keep passes from school year to school year further highlighting the notion that these passes are not for permanent ownership. Multiple other examples abound in outside of school life that parallel this situation. Although you may initially pay for your driver’s license, it can be taken away if you receive too many infractions of the law. Although you may purchase other items in your personal life (car, house etc), failure to abide by the law may result in those items being garnished by a court of law to make amends for breaking of the law.
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11.15.17//NEWS
Powder-puff game delayed
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owder-puff is a truly Matt LeCure iconic tradition here at Jefferson City High School. It is when the best of the junior and senior girls clash for the prize of glory. It is a pretty intense game, showing how powerful the young women of Jefferson City can be. However, it rained on the parade this homecoming week. Well, not literally. The parade day was fine. Powder-puff night, on the other hand, was a bit different. Unfortunately, the game didn’t happen during homecoming week. Instead, it was delayed to the following week. Powder-puff, along with [Photo by Madison Behrens] the bonfire, could not happen on Oct. 4 due to some rain. This delay allowed the teams While disappointing, it does to make up a practice that was provide some slight humor. canceled due to bad weather. Like all homecoming weeks, there are dress-up themes for longer delays for events, this each day. Ironically enough, the one was still disappointing in theme for the wet Wednesday the eyes of most students. It was rain gear. Despite the might have been unusual for disappointment, it is pretty powder-puff to not take place funny when the irony of the during homecoming week. A situation is taken into account. student who wished to remain JCHS is definitely no anonymous explained their stranger to delays of events due status. to unfortunate weather. A prime “I was disappointed when the example is the delay of Paint game was put off,” the student the People back in the 2015said. “But the game was full of 2016 school year. Just like the fun when it happened.” powder-puff game this year, it Yes, the delay was did not happen on the day it was unfortunate. Weather can be intended to take place due to an difficult. This was a small issue, unfortunate rainfall. However, since this iconic tradition still the delay was much longer than took place this year. powder-puff’s. Originally, the Sadly, for the class of 2018, annual Key Club event was they lost the game to the junior expected to take place in the class in the 2017-2018 powderautumn of 2015, during the puff event. Homecoming is a big first semester. Instead, it was event to a senior. It’s their last delayed to spring of 2016, during year. While some seniors really the second semester. Comparing do not care about the annual that long wait to powder-puff’s event, a large portion of seniors one week delay, the wait JC had do. With a junior victory, the to endure for Paint the People students of JCHS were still able was substantially longer. to support and participate in the Although JC has seen 2017 powder-puff game.
JCHS Upcoming Events Nov. 16 -Parent-Teacher Conferences -Midterms
Nov. 24 Thanksgiving Break
Dec. 21 Finals
Nov. 17-18
Nov. 22 Thanksgiving Break
Nov. 23 Thanksgiving Break
Dec. 1
Dec. 12
Coffee with Larry
Capital Caroling
Dec. 15 -Holiday Assembly -Red & Black Distribution Date
Dec. 22 - Finals -Three hour early release
Jan. 4 First day back from Winter Break
Seussical the Musical
Tyanna Robinson
Coffee with Larry: Discussing what’s to come Ariana Pauley
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he first Friday of every month, the superintendent of Jefferson City Public Schools, Larry Linthacum, hosts “Coffee with Larry” in the Miller Performing Arts Center atrium from 7 a.m. to 8 a.m. The hour is spent on a variety of topics of public interest in order to inform all those affected by changes and events within the school district. The meeting, indicated by the name, includes complimentary coffee to enjoy during presentations and discussions. The Nov. 3 session focused on a variety of topics in relation to the scheduled construction at both the current and new high schools. This included the substantial buzz about the
new high school’s name, which still has yet to be decided. Linthacum shared that the options for the new high school’s name will be narrowed down in a meeting this month, and a selection of options will then officially be released to the public for their vote. The members of the project that spoke at Friday’s meeting have assured that community involvement is a very important aspect to the designing and building of the new school and plan on continuing to incorporate their input as the time-line progresses. With ground scheduled to be broken at the sight of the new school in January, the project team assures that the current high school is not
being neglected. With classes still in session through May 2018, the team is planning on waiting until school is out for the summer at Jefferson City High School to begin renovations. The current goal is to have students occupying at least part of the new high school by fall of 2019. Because of this and many other reasons, boundary lines are a very relevant topic. No official boundary lines have been set for the new and current high schools, but Linthacum and others working on the project believe the more the public’s ideas and opinions on the issue are heard, the better. The next meeting will be held on Dec 1.
www.jcredblack.com11.15.17//NEWS
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Dropping a class: The truth behind the policy
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isconceptions about an old school policy have many Jefferson City High School students confused. Every year there are some students who decide they want to drop a course. The reason behind this decision varies from student to student. Since the beginning of the 2017-2018 school year, this has been a hard-hitting subject. Some students are disappointed about being denied permission to drop a class, while other students don’t seem to have any problems being granted permission. Lizzy Holstein is a senior at JCHS and was one of the students affected by the policy. Holstein was interested in dropping a course after receiving her first few test scores. She requested to drop the course and was denied. “I’m concerned I am not going to succeed in this class,” Holstein said, “My GPA may drop because of one class that is not necessary for me to take.” Holstein was told she was not able to drop the class because she did not have a failing grade.
There have been rumors around JCHS about a new policy on this very issue. Rumors about the so called “new policy” said that students can only drop a course, if he or she is failing. However, after talking to principal Joseph Lauchstaedt, he confirmed that this was not accurate. Both principal Bob James and principal Lauchstaedt voiced that the policy on dropping a course is exactly the same as it is stated in the handbook and no modifications have been made. Haylee Backues was another student who requested to drop a class second term. However, unlike Holstein, the policy worked in Backues’ favor. “I wanted to drop the course because I am so booked with choir and work, I knew I was going to fall behind,” Backues said, “My counselor was very nice and helped me drop the class.” In the JCHS handbook the policy states that for a schedule change to occur it has to be due to a computer error, a prerequisite not being met, or a duplicate credit. There is another
Sidney Johnson
portion to this policy that says requests will be considered in conjunction with the counselor and principal. Principal Lauchstaedt expressed his concerns with students that are wanting to drop a course for reasons such as lack of interest or a negative impact on GPA. Lauchstaedt explains that students who are wanting to drop a course for reasons like these are taking spots away from students who actually meet the requirements and need a schedule changed. Lauchstaedt spoke a little bit on how exceptions do occur from time to time. “With a set policy there are some special circumstances, in which a principal and counselor have decided that it is best for the student to be removed from a course even though this particular student may have not met the requirements,” principal Lauchstaedt said. Despite the few exceptions that occur, counselors and principals are to stand by this policy.
The anticipation for Black Friday builds B
Yessnia Austin-Dixon
lack Friday is considered the first day of traditional Christmas shopping. In addition, Black Friday is the one day of the year where almost all stores come out with the best sales and deals. In the last few years, Black Friday sales would start way before Friday; some stores would have Black Friday sales on Monday and Wednesday or maybe on Thanksgiving day. Cyber Monday is always the Monday after Thanksgiving. In comparison to Black Friday, there are several other national shopping days after Thanksgiving. Cyber Monday was created by marketing companies to persuade their customers to shop online. Many people like Cyber Monday because they can
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shop from the comfort of their home. Consequently, Cyber Monday makes people less excited for Black Friday. Second, small business Saturday is used to promote small businesses on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. This year, many things can be anticipated for Black Friday. For example, the most bought items during Black Friday are technology products, children’s toys, and kitchen and cookware. But those aren't the only products Black Friday sales have to offer. There are items like clothes, shoes, and makeup that are on sale. Also, Black Friday has become a holiday for some people. Bonding while shopping on Black Friday is what keeps the tradition alive. In addition,
11.15.17//NEWS
the traditional shopping day creates a high level of competition, where everyone is looking for the best deals. One of the most common Black Friday sales is doorbusters. Doorbusters are sales that happen early in the morning and all of the products in the store are at discounted prices for a limited period of time. It could be doorbuster deals or even online deals that cause the high levels of tension and competition. Due to the limited sale times for online Black Friday shopping create a sense of urgency. In short, even though Black Friday has the best sales and doorbusters, everyone has their own anticipation for the start of the Christmas shopping season.
Blood drive comes to JCHS and continues across the country Madison Behrens
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he blood drive is set up twice a year at Jefferson City High School (most recently organized by Military Leadership Class). The blood collected from the drive is used locally at locations such as St. Mary’s Hospital and Capital Region Hospital. The Mississippi Valley Regional Blood Center is in charge of the blood products, used for the people of Missouri, Illinois, Iowa, and Wisconsin. Karen Dickinson works for the blood center as a Donor Relations Consultant in St. Louis, MO. The St. Louis office covers donations anywhere from Jefferson City to St. Louis. While this blood center primarily serves four states, they are a part of an umbrella group, the Blood Centers of America, which operates nationally. When natural disasters happen and community blood banks can’t host blood drives, members of the Blood Centers of America send extra supplies. “We do what we can to help out and if we can collect extra, we try to ship it down to them so that we can help
others out,” said Dickinson. The Mississippi Valley Regional Blood Center is currently serving about 86 hospitals throughout their four designated states, and helping with natural disasters with extra supplies whenever they can. 250,000 units of blood is handled and distributed by MVRBC every year. MVRBC’s first mobile blood drive was in 1975 at John Deere Foundry, and within the next year they put together their headquarters in Davenport, Iowa. This November, the JCHS blood drive registered 97 donors, resulting in 80 units collected on a goal of 70. It's donations like these that make all the difference when emergencies leave victims in need. Coming up around our spring break, the blood drive will be back to JCHS. Make sure to look out for posters for dates and how to sign up and donate.
Top Right: Julie Bryan shows her enthusiasm while getting blood drawn. Bottom Right: Sawyer Bohannan reaps the benefits after donating.
[Photos by Madison Behrens]
Holiday season at the Samaritan Center A Kayla Hensley
s the colder months approach, the Jefferson City Samaritan Center prepares itself for the abundance of families who are ready for the holiday season. The center is seeking donations as holiday season approaches to help provide warm meals and clothing for families in need. The Samaritan Center plans on giving away more than 2,000 Thanksgiving meals by Nov. 23rd. Patrons at the Samaritan Center give groceries to community members every month, as well as a Thanksgiving and Christmas meals. Volunteers say
they are in need of Thanksgiving and Christmas meal donations. During October, the Samaritan Center was looking for gently used costumes and Halloween items to provide to grade school children in need. Now the center, a faith-based organization, needs supplies to produce their Thanksgiving and Christmas initiatives. Supplies such as canned corn, carrots, cream corn, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, chicken broth, and yams are welcomed. Items that are perishable such as turkey, non-canned fruit and vegetables are also needed.
Gently-used winter clothing, like hats, gloves, jackets, and boots are needed as well. The Samaritan Center partnered with local grocery stores to make the process of donating easier for the community. Hy-Vee and Schulte’s Fresh Foods are both partnered with the center. Volunteers are needed to help out in the center’s pantry, provide donations, hand out groceries, and man the clothing closet. Samaritan Center volunteers say help is welcome all year, but extra help is appreciated during the holiday season.
www.jcredblack.com11.15.17//NEWS
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Winter sports comes Boys’ Basketball
Showing off his skills, Darion Roark takes off with the ball in the midst of a team practice.
Jerry Jackson III lifts the ball and our spirits as he solidifies our confidence in the boy’s basketball team. The team gathers for a pep talk meant to encourage and teach the players how to succeed in the upcoming season.
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11.15.17//SPOTLIGHT
prepared to Conquer Girls’ Basketball
Greta Haarmonn stares out over the court and thinks over the possibilities this upcoming season holds.
The team learns from watching eachother practice different moves and strategies.
Wrestling
The entire wrestling team pratices their moves together with out a partner before they hit the mats.
Reece Neighbors and his teammate scrimmage in order to test out their moves and plans.
[Photos by Tyanna Robinson, Madison Behrens and Sidney Johnson]
www.jcredblack.com 11.15.17//SPOTLIGHT
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Boys’ soccer review T
Emalee Murdock
he Jefferson City Jays soccer team finished their season with 12 wins and 12 losses. Their highest scores were when they won against Kickapoo 6-0 and against Waynesville 5-0. The head coach for Varsity Boys Soccer is Scott Blake and the assistant coach is Robert Adams. Brendan Drury, forward, played JV for two years and played two years on varsity. “In my opinion our worst game was Quincy Notre Dame. It was a game we all know we should’ve won, especially being up a goal,” Drury said, “Our best game was against Marquette from Wisconsin.” At the time Marquette was number seven in the nation. “My team and I played so hard to win that game, every player on the team showed up and had each other’s back when one of us made a mistake,” said Drury. “Some challenges for the team this year was the strength of the schedule especially the first two games, we played CBC and SLUH.” Said drury SLUH is currently number one in the state and the Jays really put up a fight against them. Jays scored on CBC first
Yessnia Austin-Dixon Sidney Johnson
for the first time in a long time this year, and the team was pretty proud of that. Chad Hamler, central midfielder, was on JV for one year and varsity three years. “We all loved the game of soccer so it was easy to learn and try to new things when coach asked us to. I wouldn’t want to play with any other guys,” Hamler said.
Players fight through the pain
“I started having really bad shin pains during cross country season. I ended up having bruising on my left shin and severe shin splints.” - Syleste Martinez
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[photo by Madison Behrens]
“I was playing in a football game and on a certain play, while I was playing I tore my ACL, meniscus, and sprained my MCL.” -Kade Garnett
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“Early on in cross country season I started to get pains in my shins just thinking it was shin splints. I had an MRI done and ended up having a stress reaction in my tibia .” -Kaylee Payton
“I broke my hand during a football game against CBC.” -Chris Franks
Emalee Murdock
jchs pink out night
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Preview: Boys’ basketball Tyanna Robinson
It’s officially basketball season and the boys basketball players and supporters are ready to start off with a slam! Last year’s Varsity record was 10-16, with the team losing 8 games by 3 points or less. Junior Varsity’s record was 11-9. Jordan Chapman is the assistant coach for boys varsity and JV basketball, he’s very excited to see the progress of the team when the season begins. Chapman stresses the importance of growth on and off the court, with an emphasis on building good character and good young men. “We really won’t know how successful we were for 20 years and we can see what type of husbands, fathers, and friends these young men become. Coach Anderson, Coach Lasley, and myself expect every guy to work to grow and to
[ photo by Sidney Johnson ] mature,” Chapman said. On Nov. 21, Varsity boys basketball holds their first home game of the year at 6:00 pm facing off against Sedalia’s Smith-Cotton.
Stats for fall sports Sport
Volleyball Boys Soccer Girls Tennis Softball Football Cross-Country Girls Golf 12
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Yessnia Austin-Dixon Madison Behrens
Stats
21/9/3 12/10 11/9 18/10 3/6 Boys Running Average: 17:13 Finishing Score: 377
Featured Athlete
Peter Kuster Sport: Wrestling Grade: 12 Years Played: 13 Weight Class: 138-145 Favorite Memory: “Wresting in State Finals last year and being in front of so many people.” Best Meet: “The CBC Dual was my best because it set the tone for the rest of the season.” Two Words to Describe Wrestling: “Dedication and Discipline” Other Hobbies: “I play soccer in the fall too.”
Final strike out Madison Behrens
T
he Jefferson City Jays had a great run this year, ending with a record of 18-10 also winning 2 out of the 3 district games they played this year. The Jays were coached by Head Coach Zach Miller and three assistant coaches, Aubrey Moss, Damon Wren, and Brian Ash. Brooke Bates is a softball player of 11 years and played right field for the Jays this year. When asked what game she thought the Jays played their hardest Brooke started describing the game against Battle. “When we went into extra innings against Battle and had to keep fighting back to win”, said Bates. Natalie Rice is a right fielder for the Jays as well but had to sit out this year, her senior year, because of injuries. Natalie has been playing softball since she was four. When Natalie was asked the same question of what game she thought the Jays played the best she said, “When we beat Hickman because they took us out of districts last year and they are a good team as well as our rivals.” The team’s best game, based off of score, was the Kewpee Invitational against St. Joseph Academy winning with a score of 17-1 on Friday September 22nd. Natalie and Brooke were also asked which game they thought the Jays played the worst. “Districts, we made it past the first round with a lot of slip ups and fell short the second round as well because we were stuck in our heads,” said Rice.
What Jay Pride Means to You: Jay pride means being humble, overachieving, and hard working. [ photo submitted by Natalie Rice ]
“Our last district game against Hickman because we couldn’t hit the ball very well that night and it was a bad way to end the season,” Bates said. Based on stats, the Jays worst scored game was also an away game at Helias High School, where the Jays lost with a score of 0-11 on Wednesday August 30th. The Jays softball team is supported by many businesses in Jefferson CIty, such as The Sam B. Cook Healthplex of Capital Region Medical Care, Carried Through Time Photography, Chick-fil-a, and etc. These supporters have given the team the opportunity to not only play in games, but to host multiple special event games. Some of their special event games were Military Awareness Night, Alumni Night, and Rare Disease Night. Freedom Austell, a junior at JCHS, has been playing softball for 11 years. “Themed nights, like Rare Disease Night, bring awareness and helps a family dealing with the particular disease help cover a little of their expenses”, said Freedom.
[ photo submitted by Natalie Rice ] Seniors Natalie Rice, Lauren Neubauer, Alex Gilliland, and Hannah Clardy perparing before a game.
www.jcredblack.com 11.15.17//SPORTS
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Do YOU feel safe at school? Has Jefferson City High School been treating you well? Matt LeCure McCayla Hartman
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hen it comes to a school setting, feeling safe is a top priority. However, deciding if Jefferson City High School is a safe place is based on personal experience. How you go about your year is not the same as that one random kid sitting next to you as you read this. You have different schedules, different friends, and different struggles. One person may have anxiety issues, and another may be too extroverted and bullied because of that. Someone may be bullied because of their sexuality, but someone else may be picked on due to their small stature. Just as no two snowflakes are the same, each student and teacher lacks a complete copy. There are many reasons as to why one would feen unsafe here. They may get picked on, other people may be too reckless, they are afraid of communication, or they heard someone making fun of someone due to a trait they have. It’s hard to go anywhere without meeting someone like that. The administration works very hard trying to make JCHS as safe as possible. The whole idea of a school is to help students. We have very supportive principals, teachers, and faculty. However, there is still a problem. As stated
before, how safe one feels in school depends on personal experience. “I’m always watched out for by teachers and others,” Junior Macy Cloud said. A reason as to why someone could feel unsafe in a school setting may be bullying, someone or many people, either physically or verbally attacking a person for any reason. There is the classic stereotype of an athlete bullying a “nerd” of course, but there are other situations. An older sibling bullying a younger sibling, a “friend” putting down their friend, and many more. The easiest way to deal with bullies is to tell a faculty member. However, some people think that makes one weak, so they do not do that. Even still, it is important to tell someone when bullying is present. Another reason for feeling unsafe is anxiety. It is not the event of something bad, but the thought of the bad event. This can cause some problems in school, such as keeping your head down, avoiding eye contact, not communicating, and more. The stress can lead to sickness or suicide. Coping with anxiety is very hard for some people. You know it is irrational, but that does not take the fear away. However, clos-
ing your eyes and taking deep breaths can help a lot in dealing with anxiousness. Some unsafe feelings at school do not come from you, but other people. If you have ever seen a fight in a school setting, you would know how… messy it can be. There are objects flying everywhere, and people are rushing to film the bout. School fights are not the most choreographed of displays, so innocent bystanders could get hurt. The best option is to simply walk away and let the faculty handle it. If you predict a fight will happen soon, just get out of the way and give the fighters the distance they need. There are school resource officers to handle the squabbles. “I feel safe at school,” senior Katie Doerr said. “They have a plan for every situation. The resource officers are always on duty.” No two students have the same high school experience. So how they see the school is different from others. If someone feels safe and comfy in school, another one can feel like school is pretty much Hell on Earth. It just depends on perspective. But if you feel unsafe in school, it is important that you talk to someone. JCHS wants you to have a great time here.
Counselor’s are there to help If you feel like you are being bullied in school or just don’t feel comfortable in a class, you can go to the counselor, and they can help you solve your problem or try and make it better for you. If you don’t feel comfortable talking to someone during school, you can always go to the office and ask your counselor if you can just sit in their room and calm down.
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Are you getting bullied?
Are you feeling anxious?
Is there a fight going out of control?
Talk to a faculty member or someone who knows the bully. Sometimes, asking somebody else for help is the right thing to do.
Take deep breaths and maintain a positive attitude. I struggle with anxiety as well, so I know how difficult it can get sometimes.
Simply walk away. Tell a faculty member or SRO. This way, you can assist in breaking up the fight, while not getting hurt. Unless you fall while walking away.
www.jcredblack.com 11.15.17//IN-DEPTH
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FEATURES
November: child safety and protection month Gillian Burks
H
alloween has passed, and now we are waiting for November to bring us falling leaves and tables full of home-cooked food. November not only welcomes these thoughts, but also reminds us of darker topics. November is Child Safety Protection month. This topic spans from what families can do to make their homes safe for newborns to what organizations do to protect children that no longer have safe homes. This month reminds us of the delicacy of children’s lives and what we can do to promote their wellbeing and safety. When a newborn child is brought into a house, many things that previously may have been harmless household necessities have now become possible threats. Simple ideas such as placing baby-gates in front of stairs or moving breakables to high shelves can make a huge difference. WebMD provides a helpful guide for new families looking to childproof their homes. Of course, more than just parents can contribute to child safety. Teachers and professionals who work with
children would proactively benefit from CPR and First Aid classes. Becoming CPR certified not only looks good on their resumes, but it means that they are able to help should an emergency arise. The American Red Cross is one organization that provides classes both online and in person. These and many other options are available to anyone looking. Contrastingly, there are also organizations available for children who have been placed in an unsafe situation. One group which works with children who feel unsafe in their own homes is Bikers Against Child Abuse, also known as B.A.C.A. They are an international organization created in 1995 to protect abused children and help support them through their cases against their abuser. B.A.C.A is divided into multiple location-based groups, called chapters. These range across 17 different countries. Each chapter has it’s own president, vice president and so on. The president of the local MidMo chapter is named Ratchet. “I was given this name by a B.A.C.A. child when I first joined. He wanted me to go by
Optimus Prime, but I settled for Ratchet, apparently another Transformer,” Ratchet said. To protect the members of B.A.C.A and the children that they work with, everyone is attributed a road name. The names not only protect the confidentiality of cases, they provide a source of empowerment for the child they are protecting. B.A.C.A’s main goal is always to empower and protect the child during their court case. “Our goal is to remove any fear that child may have. Often times, a perpetrator has told a child not to speak of the abuse ‘or else.’ We are there to empower the child and provide the security of knowing they can tell their story without fear of repercussion,” Ratchet said. This organization works to keep children safe and protected, and that is what Child Safety Protection month is meant to encourage. The protection and safety of those who are too young to protect themselves.
Language Club is something to talk about Kayla Hensley
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hat is Language Club? A question that may not be frequently asked, but an important question nonetheless. Language Club is a multicultural learning experience for all high school students. It is a bi-monthly linguistics group that meets to discuss and learn about different languages and cultures. The leader of the club, Landis Duffett, is a German teacher not only fluent in German, but in English, Mandarin, and conversational Spanish. Duffett entices students through a three week learning course in which they pick a language and study it.
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After the last week, club members then decide on a new language to discuss. The members of this club enjoy exploring the wonders of different cultures, as well as playing fun games to help with memory. Kahoot is the chosen method of helping students learn a new language. It is a fun and interactive game that quizzes students on their linguistic skills, and the winner often gets a treat as a prize. Although Duffett teaches specific languages, the clubs’ language choices range from Swedish to Korean. The club also studies things such as braille and sign language. Language
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Club provides language books to aid students with their learning while Mr. Duffett teaches members along the way. Language Club offers a large array of choice and prepares you for the adventurous world of linguistics beyond high school. Being bilingual can add a factor of success to any student’s life, as well as offer new opportunities in many career fields. Feeling interested? Language Club is ready for more members and new students are always appreciated. All students are welcome to meetings where are on scheduled Thursdays from 3:15 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. in room 307.
The girls behind the announcements E very morning and FAST, the announcements come on. They are just the normal stuff, such as events and reminders. Behind the morning attempts to wake up are two senior girls, the Student Council President, Katelyn Sluder, and Student Council Vice President, Erica Dunn. The duo started their job as announcers last year when they were first elected as president and vice president, after the Class of 2017 left. So starting off, they were juniors. Last year, the two senior girls struggled starting out. There were some giggles here and there, but as time went on, they slowly developed into skilled announcers. “You don’t think it’ll be nervewrecking,” senior Erica Dunn said, “until you come to realize that the entire school is listening.” As Sluder and Dunn have developed in the announcing aspect, they have also learned the routine of doing the daily announcements. They walk in, accepting a paper from a faculty member. That paper has all the announcements that the two need to read off. One of the two picks a song,
communicating who picks the song for a certain day. They also number off who will announce what. There have been times where one of them gives an announcement to the other due to the length of said announcement. There have been other humorous stories from this job. One of which was during homecoming. Sluder would continuously say that the dance was from 8:00 to 9:00. Every time she said it, she wouldn’t notice. Because of that, Dunn needed to step in. “Behind the scenes, I’m looking at her, going like this,” Dunn said, making a face, “and I ended up taking a blue highlighter pen and I circled the correct time.” “I had no idea that I was saying ‘8:00 to 9:00’,” senior Katelyn Sluder said. “Everyone else knew.” However, after the announcements, they were greeted by their FAST class with applause. Sluder and Dunn are, in the school community, the closest things to public figures. They are not exactly famous, but they are heard every day. A lot of people do not know them, so the listeners may be too nervous to discuss
Politics “I don’t even know what that means. The government makes money though. That’s all I know. That they make dollars and money.” -Asher Olsen, grade 1, age 6
Explained by Grade-Schoolers
Matt LeCure
the girls’ performance. However, social media is a different story. “[The people commenting on the announcements] are not affected because they are not saying it to my face,” Sluder said. One new thing added to the announcements is the statement about “taking the time to be a Jay” every morning. The idea came from Robert James, the principal. The girls said that the statement resonates with them. Sluder said that when she came to the school, she did not know anyone. “It resonates with me because sophomore year, I was the new kid,” Sluder said. “I just moved here my sophomore year, so I remember walking through the halls and not knowing anyone.” Public speaking is a difficult task to some. However, Katelyn Sluder and Erica Dunn are prime examples of overcoming difficulty. They started out decent, but now are productive and experienced. “We are looking for ways to make the announcements better,” Dunn said, “so if anyone has any suggestions, tell us!”
“Okay. What is a politic anyway? Okay so basically politics are basically like dealing with the United States and stuff or like the government. It’s kinda hard to explain government type stuff.” -Jeremiah Austin, grade 5, age 10
Everyone has their own way of explaining how they feel about politics or what politics is. But have you ever “A democrat is a person who’s into voting. They go and vote about the democracy of the world. wondered how elementary “Politics is when republicans and democratically don’t A republican is a few people that mingle and talk about schoolers explain politics? We agree, but there trying to get the government to agree with the republic and the president. They agree with some of his interviewed a select number them.” beliefs and with how he runs the country.” of children and asked that -London Hern, grade 5, age 10 - Lyric Hern, grade 5, age 10 very question.
Yessnia Austin-Dixon
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What do you do on early out days? Gillian Burks
“On early out days, I love getting to go out to lunch, hang out with friends, and go home early and sleep. It sucks when I have to come back for choir or musical rehearsal.” - Matthew Raymer
“Lately on early outs, I’ve been getting lunch with friends and just hanging out. If not that, I go straight home, put on some comfy clothes and take a well deserved nap.” - Morgan Cotten
“I usually use them to either sleep or go to work early. I don’t have a fifth block because of career connections, so I get out extra early on those days.” - Eric Doering
The lowdown on low blood sugar: Diabetes Awareness Month
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Salem Sanfilippo Solindas
hen I was growing up with a mother who suffered from Type II Diabetes, I thought about insulin and needles and blood sugar a lot. Even though she had a completely different kind of diabetes, I’d sit in front of the TV, glued to commercials about “cures for type I.” I was constantly worried about what diabetes could do to my family, and I didn’t even have it. Imagine what it’s like for people who deal with this illness directly. Sophomore Zach Lovelace has dealt with type I diabetes since he was twelve. Lovelace says he’s struggled with it every day, and the attitudes of his peers don’t help. “I’m just trying to get away from this disease… it just kind of irritates me, because that’s all I feel like [people] see me for. I just want to be seen for myself,” he says. When he was playing football, he had to take frequent breaks to regulate his blood sugar, but he
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says his teammates assumed it was more out of laziness than something necessary for his health. This, combined with the difficulty of diabetes itself, made the sport into more of a chore than a fun activity. Luckily, school itself hasn’t treated Lovelace so badly. “At lunch I have to count carbohydrates every day. For a year I had to count everything off the menu, but now I know it by heart,” Lovelace said, “I think we have room to improve, but I believe overall, everybody [in the staff is] really accepting. Our school lunch system works really well for people who have to count carbs. It’s really efficient, and I wouldn’t be here without it.” There are multitudes of mixed opinions around the school on what diabetes really is, and even more on how much it actually affects those who have it. That’s why spreading awareness is so important. If people understand the disease, they can better understand
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those who deal with it and misconceptions can be cleared. It’s pretty clear that we have a long way to go before we truly understand diabetes. According to the American Diabetes Association, more than 1.2 million Americans have Type I diabetes, and while the month of November is dedicated exclusively to Type I, if you consider Type II as well, the number skyrockets to 40 million. Chances are, you know someone with diabetes, and yet America is painfully misinformed about it. “I’ll have people be like, ‘Hey, you want candy? Oh… never mind.’ but you can ask me if I want candy! I’ll say yeah every time,” Zach said. The bottom line is, it’s time to start learning. This month is dedicated to getting the facts straight, so spend some time on your preferred search engine and figure out the 411 on Type I Diabetes.
Featured Staff Member: Angie Green We get an inside look to the life of Jefferson City High School English teacher Angie Green.
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Ariana Pauley
he busy hustle and bustle of day to day life at Jefferson City High School can keep all of us distracted from time to time. That’s why it’s important to pause for a moment and acknowledge the people that make that day to day life possible. This month’s featured staff member, selected based on recommendation from the student body, is Angie Green. Born in Columbia, MO, Green grew up in Jefferson City where she attended JCHS. Green continued her schooling locally by receiving her undergraduate degree in English from Lincoln University. Now married 17 years, Green has a daughter of her own who is attending her first year in the Jefferson City Public School system at Thomas Jefferson Middle School. This is Green’s fourth year as a full time teacher and marks five years since she obtained her teaching certification. After spending her first two years as a full time teacher in the North Callaway School District, Green returned to JC to teach and recently received her masters in education over this past summer. After teaching both middle school English and English III in the past, Green is teaching English II and Pre-AP Literature this year. Looking back, Green believes she always wanted to be a teacher, but the courage to do it came to her later in life. This late development of her teaching career allowed Green to experience a number of interesting jobs including being an analyst and researcher for the Missouri House of Representatives. Despite the many different experiences, Green maintains that teaching is where she belongs. “Teaching, to me, is the most interesting job. I’ve had some great jobs, but teaching, hands down, is the best,” Green said. “Each day is different, each class is different and I enjoy getting to connect with my
students. For me, that is the joy of teaching, making those connections.” Green says that the relationship between teacher and student is one of her favorite parts of her job. Throughout all of her different classes, she’s always trying to make a sincere effort to help her students academically any way she can. “Getting to connect with the students, getting to see the students grow from where they start at the beginning of the year versus where they end up with me, I love seeing that,” Green said. “[I love] knowing that occasionally you get to reach that child the way someone else maybe hasn’t gotten to, and when you realize you have that ability as a teacher, it’s pretty awesome.” Green embraced her calling to the educational field after overcoming her hesitation. This experience has given her a message she hopes all of her students will heed. “Never give up because even though you might suffer some setbacks and things of that nature, persistence does “I thought I’d love to be an actress, but I pay off. If there’s something you want, through hard work and persistence, you always played school.” -Angie Green can make it happen,” Green said.
Fun Fact:
While playing an ice breaker game at her first job out of college, Green convinced her coworkers that she had an extra toe. “They all were convinced that the scar on my foot was from an extra-toe removal as a child. I had them going for a little while,” Green said.
Do you have a staff member you think more people should know about? Contact us with your suggestion and we may do a bio on them!
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Opinion
The Red and Black Editorial: the reality of racism
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ou walk into your new class. Your eyes quickly focus on the most beautiful person you have ever seen. Your heart starts to beat, and you quickly fall in love. Normally, you stay away from relationships. But this majestic deity is too attractive to avoid. You take a deep breath and approach them. You give subtle hints of a desired relationship. However, you are turned down. Not because you are strange, and not because they already have a date. You have been rejected because they think your race is “inferior” to theirs. Racism is the idea that one race is superior to others. When brought up in conversations, it usually refers to how caucasians, or white-skinned people, have fallen under the stereotype of them acting like a “superior race” of some sort. Do people still think this way? Based on recent events, yes. Some people view certain races as either better or worse. It’s a problem that has been in America since the beginning. You remember the story of Thanksgiving, where the colonists and Native Americans lived in harmony? You can forget that, just like pretty much everything else you learned in the first grade. The colonists basically stole the natives’ land. It’s ironic how America prides itself on freedom when it was created the way it was. That’s why there’s a stereotype of caucasians having racist ideologies. Another big racism issue is slavery. To put it simply, slaves were butlers who did not get paid. Although
slaves were thought of as property rather than people. And slaves were treated harshly. Thankfully, the 13th Amendment put that to rest. However, conflict is still present, Sadly, racism is still big today, even in Jefferson City. Not a day goes by where one does not feel oppressed because of their race or skin color. It’s true that we have laws stating that
we’re all equal, but that won’t change the opinions of others. People have the right to hold an opinion, so whatever opinion they have is valid. However, these opinions should never be used to directly harm someone. Within JCHS, there is the infamous picture, but racism goes far beyond that. There’s the usage of certain racial slurs, racist symbols, and other issues.
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Like the story before, someone could be rejected because of race, bullied, put down, or just treated unfairly. I am a firm believer that who we are is determined by our actions, not our genetics. Your race plays no factor in your character. It’s just your physical appearance. A heavy but kind-hearted person is more attractive than a slim but insensitive person. Some people do not share that sentiment, and I accept that. We should learn to look for the positives in people. Conflicting opinions shouldn’t be a reason to hate someone. Thomas Jefferson stated that we are all created equal. Sadly, that is not the truth. We are all born differently. However, we have no choice in that matter. You do not decide your biological attributes, but you do decide what you do with life. It doesn’t matter if you are a certain race. You chose who you want to be. Yes, racism is a problem. Thinking that one race is better than another is not a healthy way to look at people. But that shouldn’t change the fact that you are you. Everyone you meet, everyone you have yet to meet, they all have something special about them. You have something special about you, maybe something you don’t even know about. You should never let the things said about you change the way you think about yourself. No matter your race, no matter your sex, no matter your gender, you are you. Anyone with racist ideas is just wearing glasses, hiding who you really are. I hope you know that you are important, whatever race you are a part of.
Head to Head Way too harsh McCayla Hartman
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Is free speech too limited?
any kids at Jefferson City High School would agree that we have too much censorship in our school. For example, there are many blocked websites that we are not able to access during school such as, YouTube, Snapchat, and Instagram. Apps and websites are not the only issues with the censorship in our school. We also have a very censored dress code. The school wants to make sure students are paying attention in class instead of on something that someone is wearing, but this is not always the case. Our dress code is way more directed at girls than guys. Girls might wear shorts that are shorter than three inches and the school will require them to change. A lot of people have strong opinions about this, including junior Samantha Tambke. “I think some parts of it are just stupid, because my shoulders really shouldn’t affect anyone, but the booty shorts I understand because nobody wants to see that.” There are even more kinds of censorship here. We have many different personalities in our school, including our teachers and in our classrooms. Junior Haleigh Brown believes some classrooms are stricter than others on what you can and can’t say. “Some teachers you can say stuff to and with other teachers you can’t even talk in class, and some classes teachers are really strict on what people say,” Brown said. There is not enough free speech in some classrooms. All of us are teenagers and we are learning how to be responsible and take care of ourselves and some of us are starting to do adult things at this point in our lives. Not everything we do will be appropriate for a school setting but we are still kids and human beings, we are going to talk about our personal lives with our friends. On a daily basis you can hear kids at JCHS talking about the countless ways that the school is too censored. Yes, some of these things are the school’s guidelines of what they have to follow and do, but sometimes it just feels like they don’t trust us and are, in a way, taking away our freedom.
A necessary evil Ariana Pauley
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he concept of censorship has a negative connotation that surrounds it because it conveys the idea that we are being limited and that a third party has power over the things that we say and do. It must be acknowledged that censorship protects us from things in our lives that could be harmful or upsetting. This take on censorship is especially relevant in schools, such as our own Jefferson City High School, where a wide variety of people walk the halls on a daily basis. The majority of censorship that takes place here is not an infringement on any constitutional rights. It is simply an attempt to protect students and staff from any offensive language that may be used against them. At the end of the day it should be agreed upon that no one should have to be made to feel lesser than by the words, actions, or writings of another person. I will acknowledge that there are types of censorships in the school setting that are not necessarily directed at protecting anyone. The school dress code is one of these censorships that I cannot totally defend due to the oversteps that are included in the enforcement of the policy. The biggest problem we face is the inequality of the standards for young women versus young men. Beyond this, the dress code policy is there for a reason. Some may roll their eyes at the idea that school is preparing us for the future, but it holds a lot of truth. Dressing in a respectable way is one of the necessary steps to becoming successful adults and should be a requirement in schools. We have to learn it somewhere. Moving forward, it would be nice to see a change in the harshness of the policy, but the enforcement of it lies solely with the school administration and should be handed down evenly to the students. The intent of these censoring policies range from protecting the people from crude words or actions to preparing students for the expectations of adulthood. While there are many more, these two major factors are both necessary to a smooth and productive school.
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Going cold turkey on Thanksgiving traditions Gillian Burks
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he smells of warm pie and savory turkey are overwhelming as you enter the house. You hear the chatter of family that you haven’t seen in months. This home can only be described as warm and cozy. This is the catalog picture perfect family Thanksgiving, the sort of Thanksgiving that most of us probably know. Tradition has brought us home-made turkeys, stuffing, cranberry sauce, and so much more. Lately, however, it seems that tradition has fallen in the shadows as more and more families enjoy a night out on this holiday. Apparently, there is some sort of debate over whether or not you should go out or follow tradition. This seems like a silly argument to me. If one person or family wants to eat out and another wants to stay in, then they
have nothing to do with each other and they can do what they want. Neither is hurting anyone, so why should it be anyone’s business if they eat out or stay in? Thanksgiving may be perceived as a time of family and tradition, but can’t a family make a new tradition? Eating out means everyone gets to eat what they want. You don’t have to worry about food prep or cooking, so you get to enjoy a stress free meal with your family. Which is unlikely with the whole family all crowded around the dining table trying to fight over who gets the last dinner roll. However, I’m not saying that tradition doesn’t have its appeal. In past years, my family has always gone to my late grandmother’s house. She would have this monstrous amount of food prepared. We’d all sit around the dining room table to enjoy
the food, and so, we also enjoyed each other’s company. Eating out and staying in both have their perks, but they don’t affect each other. One family can cook a turkey and the next can get takeout. Both will have a great time, and if they don’t, then maybe they’ll give the
No exceptions: slurs are unacceptable A Yessnia Austin-Dixon
n ordinary ninth grade girl walks to her first class after she comes from her locker. She’s on her phone texting her best friend and she notices a group of her other peers walking towards her. In a quick second, she accidentally bumps into one of the boys in the group. Then, the girl drops her phone, and as she tries to apologize the boy interrupts her and angrily says, “Watch where you’re going.” After, he walks away he mumbles a rude comment under his breath, not knowing that the girl heard what he said, which was the f-ing N-word. The girl walks away with tears flowing down her face. “Is this how people really see me? All I did was accidentally bump into him,” She says to herself. The truth is, this happened to one of my closest friends, and to this day she absolutely hates that word. The use of slurs truly does hurt other people.
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They aren’t just words you use on a daily basis, slurs are disrespectful and demeaning. So, why do we use them? Many people think it’s funny or makes them look cool. There is a time and a place. If you’re at your home around your family, then you can say whatever you want, but if you’re at a public place like at school or at work, it’s not okay, because the use of slurs will make the people around you look at you differently and it may hurt them too. We have to learn how to be more considerate of other people. Also, if you’re using slurs, learn the actual meaning of them. Even if you use the slur against yourself, that doesn’t mean it’s okay, because that’s basically saying it’s okay for other people to use it against you. Why would you want to use a word that has a disrespectful meaning against yourself? Even if
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you meant it in a different way, that doesn’t mean the word’s meaning changes. However, racial slurs aren’t the only problem, sexist slurs are also a problem. Everyday, someone is being disrespected because of their sexuality. We as a society have to understand that people will choose who they want to be and who they want to be with. Even if you disagree with them, that doesn’t mean you have to voice your opinion in a rude way or directly to that person. The words we choose might hurt someone else and negatively affect them. Therefore, we must be mindful of the words we choose, to actually learn what they mean, because the use of slurs isn’t the answer. They have disrespectful meanings and no one deserves to have slurs used against them as if that word is all they are.
Banning sites isn’t the end of the world M Matt LeCure
ost of you are aware of the YouTube censorship thing. For a while, people believed that the site was going to be banned completely! Or that was just me? From what I can tell, the students at Jefferson City High School aren’t too happy about this. In the words of an anonymous student, “I hate it. I absolutely hate it.” If this happened when I was a freshman, I wouldn’t be too happy either. As a freshman and sophomore, I was always watching YouTube or playing video games in class. It distracted me from working, and my grades showed that. As a junior and senior, I grew to break that habit. But that doesn’t mean that the others have. But some students like these restrictions, such as senior Devin Starkey. “The restriction,” Starkey said, “Is currently too broad, but a good idea.” I am just going to be honest with you: I accept these bannings on web-
sites. You might be thinking that I am some monster that crawled up from the depths of Hell, but I am by no means trying to be evil. I just know from experience how not paying attention in class can be very heartbreaking. When I was a sophomore, the schedule was a bit different. We would have five classes one day, and five other classes the next. You had ten classes at once, so it took a lot. And the fact that I kept playing around online made the year much worse. My grades were low, my head always hurt, I hated most of my teachers with a burning passion. Now, I realize that I would have enjoyed that year a bit more if I had just put down the iPad and payed attention in class. No matter what you think, high school teaches you more than quadratic equations and the life-drainer that is the MLA format. It teaches you how to function as an adult. Personally, it taught me that there is a time for
wants and a time for needs. If you let your wants get in the way of the needs, you will regret it in the future. When you see an opportunity, take it. I really wish that I would have learned this lesson when I was younger, but you can’t change the past. However, you can learn from it. Believe me, I know how tempting it is to do something fun when you are bored to tears in your math class. But it is so important that you pay attention. I am on an electronic device at least 70% of the day because it is where I find my enjoyment. But I know that school is much more important. I know how messy school can be sometimes, but it shapes your future. This is why I am happy the school bans these sites. You may not like it, but this is to help you. I don’t want anyone to have to go through the suffering I had to go through.
Can you ever wear too much makeup? McCayla Hartman
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don’t believe that someone can ever wear too much makeup at school; these years in our high school lives most of us are experimenting with things that interest us. Most girls experiment with makeup, either to see how it looks on us or maybe to even just cover up a blemish. Makeup is something that has been around for many centuries and with each passing year new makeup trends are always coming out. In high school it seems that people are almost judged for everything that they do, but if people want to wear a lot of makeup, that’s their choice. According to junior Kelsie Backues, “I feel like if you don’t like makeup,
nobody is forcing you to wear it. If you do like it, then nobody should tell you that you can’t wear it.” There are also a lot of people who wear little to no makeup. School starts at 7:50, and I’m sure a lot of us go to bed pretty late, so when it’s time to get up for school we just don’t want to. I go to bed late and wake up as late as I can, so I can get ready fast and make it to school on time. Sometimes I do wake up early and can’t go back to sleep, so on those mornings I might have more time to spend on my makeup. Junior Anastasia Harwood doesn’t typically wear makeup. She says,“I think makeup is great and even though I don’t use it everyday, I don’t think
there’s anything wrong with the people who do.” Makeup is something that is just going to keep evolving, and the more it does, the more people will start wearing it. Now, even young kids are wearing more makeup now than we did growing up. Overall, wearing makeup is your choice and either you choose to wear it or you just don’t; that’s okay and no one should tell you differently. This is 2017 and life is too short to care about what other people think of you. If makeup makes you feel better about yourself, then cake it on, and if you feel happy without it, then that’s your choice.
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Arts &Entertainment
Suessical preview!
Matt LeCure
I think my character is pretty different from me because the Cat is pretty spontaneous and really sarcastic. So I think that is kind of different from me since I’m not as spastic as the cat is, but I think he likes to have fun, and I think he finds joy in bad situations. Aubrey Cardon, senior
Madison Behrens Emalee Murdock
Be sure to watch what Cardon, McGinty, and so many more talented people have been working on November 17th through the 18th!
I don’t think that my character is like me much at all, because he’s very sad and small, kind of. Well, he’s not small because he’s an elephant. But his personality’s pretty small, and he’s shy. And he’s kind of an outcast. Aiden McGinty, junior
DIY: Candy acorns
Gather supplies including: icing, chocolate chips, Hershey kisses, and Nutter Butters.
Place a dab of icing in the center of the top of the Nutter Butter.
Put a Hershey kiss on the dab of icing.
Place another dab of icing on the other side of the Nutter Butter.
Put a chocolate chip on top of the dab of icing.
Set the acorns out for enjoyment.
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11.15.17//ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Family Gathering
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SURVIVAL GUIDE
Alexzander Salas
ou are surrounded by people you love. They are smiling and touching you, but you cringe away because your aunt’s hand was coated in some suspicious liquid and a child just pulled on your shirt with a spitty hand. The smells of five different foods overwhelm your senses: an anxiety attack is coming. If only you could get through one family gathering without wanting to cry in the bathroom. It’s okay, I’ve been there, and I have just the answer for you. The holidays for some people are happy, family oriented, and loving; however, for others the holidays are filled with anxiety, family fear, and paranoia. When you aren’t comfortable in large family
gatherings, holidays can go from being the best experiences to the day of the year you most fear. So, how do you survive? Activities like listening to music, petting a family pet, or reading a book can help distract you from all the chaos and calm you down a bit. By focusing on something other than your anxieties, you can relocate your attention and bring down your nerves. If your family is like mine, then they probably don’t want you on your phone or in a book during gatherings. Thankfully there is a more subtle distraction technique, and that’s sensations. If your nerves are flaring and you feel a panic attack coming on you can try and halt it by shocking your nerves. Eating
some ice could help. It will take your brain off of what’s happening around you and allow you to focus on something else. Alternatively, if cold is too much, you can do this with heat. Wash your hands with very warm water or press a hand warming packet to your cheek. You could also wear a rubberband around your wrist and gently snap it when in distress, but be careful. These techniques can not only help you get through a family dinner but any other anxiety-inducing predicaments as well. It’s important for you to be able to calm yourself down and not fear everything in life. After all, if you spend all your time fearing life, you will never be able to enjoy it.
Fall outfits around JCHS Sidney Johnson Emalee Murdock
Natalie Wiens
Van Johnson
Alexa Desha
Skylar Bohannan
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REVIEWS
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.
Gillian Burks he eighth movie in a long line of twisted, dark mystery horrors has finally been delivered. “Jigsaw” premiered Oct. 27 and continued the games. The film brought back many aspects of the older films, inducing nostalgia in the returning audience. For a new audience, this movie incites thrill and fear. The games, as always, are intense. The movie alternates between flashbacks and realtime to toy with the audience. Though I think that the suggestion that there may have been another accomplice is too far fetched and creates a substantial hole in the movie’s plot, this is a commonly repeated move in the previ-
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Sidney Johnson
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arvel adds to their vast cinematic universe with this comical, action-packed film. Thor Ragnarok brings a different beat when compared to Marvel’s conventional movies. Unlike the serious action movies of Captain America or Iron Man, Ragnarok introduces a large amount of humor and comic relief. This seems to be the new direction for superhero movies with recent big hits such as Deadpool and the Guardians of the Galaxy films. Ragnarok also seems to include many elements similar to the Star War episodes such as space travel and the array of alien species. In Thor’s third film, audiences
ous movies. There are also a few errors in logic through the film that suggest a sloppy thought process in an effort to recreate shock-worthy plot twists that surprised the audience as well as the previous movies did. It does bring a unique insight that “Jigsaw” may not have originally been driven by the same morals and rules as he is known to have in the first movies. This idea does create some individuality for the film. Despite the movie’s flaws, the games were still captivating and thrilling. If it were to continue, I would hope that they would branch away from the original Jigsaw, seeing as he’s been dead for five movies, and continue forward with a new Jigsaw. will be kept on the edge of their seat in anticipation for what happens next. Many scenes include twists, unpredictable turns, and moments of comic relief even in the most climatic events. Ragnarok also answers many questions die-hard Marvel fans have been asking. The film intertwines with the lives of other popular heroes, as well as brings some new ones to the big screen. Thor Ragnarok’s box office success can be attributed to its appeal to a diverse group of people. Comic fans are fascinated by the new world and storyline they are opened up to, and casual moviegoers are intrigued by the captivating plot and nonstop comedy.
Yessnia Austin-Dixon
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he dedication and uniqueness Chris Brown uses for his new album “Heart Break on a Full Moon” is phenomenal. Every song sounds different, and this album is very unique from his past albums, which I like. For instance, it’s very difficult to say what my favorite song is because each song invoked me with happiness. Also, there are 45 songs on this album, which makes everything so much harder. The song “Handle It” featuring Dej Loaf and Lil Yachty, forms a harmonious piece where each rapper complements each
other. Especially the song “Only 4 Me” featuring Ty Dolla Sign and Verse Simmonds, is like most songs in the album which is upbeat and makes me want to get up and dance. On the other hand, songs like “Yellow Tape,” “I Love Her,” and “Confidence,” really show Chris Brown’s character. This personal insight into his life allows his audience to easily connect with him. In short, I was truly impressed with this album because Chris Brown shows his knowledge of music, his creativity, and his dedication.
11.15.17//ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Book suggestions for book lovers Gillian Burks
Book lover’s day has passed us on both Aug. 9 and Nov. 4, so now we are left trying to keep the love rolling. If you’re having trouble deciding on a book to keep loving, try one of these suggestions. “It may not be at the top of the charts for being the best book in the world, but it’s definitely worth the read. It’ll make you think about society on a deeper level, and challenges your philosophical ideals and may even change your view of the world itself. It’s filled with twists and turns that you’ll never see coming.” - Senior Mitchell Huston
[It has an]amazingly rich and unique fantasy universe and a writing style that bursts with philosophy and poetry. There is high adventure and quality enough for the author to sometimes be referenced as the modern torch-bearer for JRR Tolkien, but I think a few quotations the book’s protagonist might serve as another great advertisement: - English teacher Tucker Snider “It’s like everyone tells a story about themselves inside their own head. Always. All the time. That story makes you what you are.” “There are three things all wise men fear: the sea in storm, a night with no moon, and the anger of a gentle man.”
Quotes
VS
Quotes
“If you want to keep a secret, you must also hide it from yourself.” “Doublethink means the power of holding two contradictory beliefs in one’s mind simultaneously, and accepting both of them.”
JCHS Students
Salem Sanfilippo Solindas
#1 Rockstar-Post
#1 Rockstar- Post
#2 Bodak Yellow
#2 Bodak Yellow
(Money Moves)- Cardi B
(Money Moves)- Cardi B
#3 1-800-273-8255-
#3 Too Good at
Molone ft. 21 Savage
Molone ft. 21 Savage
Logic ft Alessia Cara
Goodbyes- Sam Smith
Me Do- Taylor Swift
Logic ft. Alessia Cara and Khalid #5 Thunder- Imagine Dragons
Staff Suggestions
#1 Renegade- Styx #2 Super Rich KidsFrank Ocean
#3 Gooey- Glass Animals
#4 Look What You Made #2 1-800-273-8255-
#4 Let You Down- NF
#5 Feel It Still-Portugal
#5 Butterfly- Crazy
The Man
Town
www.jcredblack.com 11.15.17//ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
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