Richmond High School Register by Richmond High School Publications

RHS

Red Devil Mentors Welcome Class of 2018

Council member Morgan Mack talks to freshmen in homeroom.

Pierian photos by Amanda Ripperger

Mentor Mitchel Casiano plays a game with his freshmen.

Mentor Emily Reifeis helps freshman during homeroom.

Meadow Wehrley, managing editor register.wehrley@gmail.com Red Devil Mentors are trying to bond with incoming freshmen and help them as they tackle high school. RDMs put on the freshman orientation day on August 5th, the day before the first day of school. The focus of the day was to begin forming relationships between freshmen and their mentors while also providing freshmen with the basics they need for starting school. “I didn’t have to stress about getting lost because they helped me find out where all my classes were,” freshman Kirstyn Hahn said. The day has proven to be very beneficial for many freshmen.

“I felt really nervous my first day and wasn’t sure about high school,” freshman Carrie Brawlie said. “Now I’m fine with school. I learned that high school is not something I have to be nervous about.” Mentors are very passionate about their job. “I wanted to be an RDM because my freshman homeroom wasn’t very fun or welcoming and I wanted make sure that wasn’t the same for the incoming freshmen,” junior Jocelyn Smith said. “This year I really just want my freshmen to feel comfortable and I want them to feel that they can come to me with their problems.” Planning for orientation and the homeroom classes mentors will be in is done by Tre Ronne and RDM council members. Each freshman homeroom has one council member. “Council means a lot to me, it shows that we

Underclassmen Benefit from New Weighted Grades System

illustration by Becca Pheanis

Becca Pheanis, reporter register.pheanis@gmail.com Beginning with the class of 2017, students now have the opportunity to achieve a higher GPA. This new grading scale is called weighted grades. Honors classes and AP classes are the only ones that apply to this new system, with the exception of Algebra Enrichment Honors and Keystone Honors. Other classes will stay on the

Lightspeed Replaces Websense

old grading system. As for juniors and seniors, the regular grading system applies. How beneficial will this be for the students affected by it? “The goal is for students to challenge themselves with rigorous courses,” Principal Rae Woolpy said. “Research says that students who take challenging courses such as Honors, and especially AP courses, helps prepare students for success in college courses.” Any Honors classes that the students take, and keep up grades will be able to obtain up to a 4.5 GPA average. AP classes that students take, and keep up their grades, will be able to obtain up to a 5.0 GPA. Just like any other class, doing well will pay off. However, not achieving to full potential will still end up with a low grade. Not doing work, or not turning it in, can still result in a low grade.

Friday, September 5, 2014

have a system going and it is stable,” senior council member Dylan Bowers said. “ I like that RDM is a creative group and we all work together. My goal as a mentor and council member is to make freshmen comfortable and let them know they have an upper classman as a friend.” RDMentors will be in freshman homerooms every other Tuesday in hopes to aid freshmen in whatever is necessary. Freshman homerooms all do whatever fits the classroom with their mentors. Activities range from playing games to talking about school clubs to focusing on grades. On opposite Tuesdays, RDM council mentors will be together in Ronne’s homeroom to plan future homerooms and mentor activities.

Richmond High School

Sydney McWhinney, reporter register.mcwhinney@gmail.com It’s a familiar problem at Richmond High School. You’re finally getting the final touches for your project, suddenly the website that most of your sources came from is blocked. Or maybe your class is using the computers and yours refuses to load. There is no doubt, for some students, that this can become highly frustrating. However, while students were gone for the summer, the school decided to make some changes. “We changed from Websense to Lightspeed to provide the school district a web filtering program that better meets the needs of an educational market,” Director of Operations Rob Tidrow said. Having an internet blockage program may prove to be a pain for some, but the school actually has a real reason for having one. “A federal law called the Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA) requires us to block or filter Internet access to content and pictures that are: (a) obscene, (b) child pornography, or (c) harmful to minors,” Tidrow said. Lightspeed has the potential to be more beneficial than Websense. “With Lightspeed, we get more granular control over the filtering categories, user groups, and usage reports than we did with Websense,”

RHSRegister.com |

Tidrow said. “Also, Lightspeed has a network traffic dashboard that lets us see Internet activity in real-time. This enables us to see when Internet usage spikes during the day and respond to bottlenecks in usage.” Light speed also has a new program that is especially designed for the teachers, students and staff. “My Big Campus is a web-based social-learning tool that provides a social-media type interface for students to collaborate, share resources, communicate, and manage class assignments,” Tidrow said. This program has many features for classroom interaction. “One feature that is part of Lightspeed and My Big Campus will allow teachers to temporarily unblock specific sites for student access for specific classroom assignments.” Tidrow said. Lightspeed has ran for almost five weeks for RHS. “So far we have not run into problems with the system,” Tidrow said. “Some web sites have been blocked under Lightspeed that were unblocked in Websense. We have initiated a system that allows teachers and staff to request Web sites to be unblocked after a review process.” This may bring an end to the end of the many headaches for students and staff.

Issue 2 Volume 106 | Richmond, IN

Sports

Family Atmosphere Leads to Soccer Success Meadow Wehrley, managing editor register.wehrley@gmail.com

Girl’s soccer season kicked off August 19th with a win against Jay County and, according to some, their success is in part thanks to their unity as a team. “The girls’ soccer team has always been known to have a strong team dynamic on and off the field,” senior Hannah Guth said. The girls have all come together and done a lot with each other as a team. “We go out to eat, tie dye shirts and sometimes have fun practices just devoted to team bonding,” sophomore Kaitlyn Vierk said. Any sports team would hope to have a closeknit dynamic. “I’d say the biggest thing that makes our team so close is the fact that during season we’re together so often,” Vierk said. Many of the girls say the team is like a part of their family. “We all have our best friends, but we consider each other our family and we enjoy being crazy and obnoxious with each other,” senior Jordan Mcguire said. These friendships help the soccer girls on the field. “It helps us trust one another during the game,” sophomore Hannah Crail said. “We can send balls trusting that this person will get it like they always do.” They not only trust each other on the field, but with their craziest stories and secrets. “I would say that sometimes we share a little too much, but in a good way,” Crail said. “I think we all know more about each other than anyone else would ever dream of.” Vierk says the team’s bonds are strong. “Like any family we sometimes have conflicts, but always work through them. Everyone is very supportive.”

Girl’s soccer team bond at practice.

“I think we all know more about each other than anyone would ever dream of.” -Hannah Crail, 10

Athletic Renovations Continue Register photos by Sydney McWhinney

Molly Holt, editor-in-chief register.holt@gmail.com

The new track is part of the recent renovations.

[Editorial Policy]

The Register is a student newspaper published by Richmond High School journalism students and operates as an open forum of student expression. Funding for the publication comes entirely from advertising revenue. The opinions expressed in this publication are not necessarily endorsed by the staff or administration of Richmond Community Schools and are at the sole discretion of the Editor in Chief.

[Letter Policy]

Patrons are encouraged to write letters to the editor. Drop letters by room C222 or e-mail jgabbard@rcs.k12.in.us. All letters must include the writer’s name, signature and class if a student. Letters will be verified before publishing.

STAFF

We have new bleachers, a new football field, and a new track, so, what’s next? “There have been some improvements made to the soccer locker rooms that were started at the end of last year and we are finishing up with those this year,” temporary athletic director Jeremy Hill said. Typically the soccer teams would play off campus. However, since the installment of Lyboult Field, the soccer team is now playing at Richmond High School. “So with them being here we had never had to have a separate area for them before,” Hill said. “Our construction classes started working on that at the end of last year.” This will change how some things are done versus what was done in the past.

“They can change, meet, and not have to come all the way inside,” Hill said. The construction on the track is finished. However, there might be some changes in the future. “With the track there is a long term plan for some fencing and some landscaping down there around that area,” Hill said. A plan for a new entranceway is also under consideration. “The new entranceway is part of that fencing area,” Hill said. “Now when you look at it, it just has a chain link fence. Last season at one of the basketball games the people from central office, along with Dean Knapp and Matt Amos’s classes, designed some plans for that. Now it’s just a matter of raising the funds and finding some time to do that.”

With the new school year brings a new athletic director (AD). Frank Carr comes from Earlham, where he has worked as athletic director and head football coach. Carr takes over for Chad Bolser, who has stepped down from the AD position in order to accept the position as President of Ivy Tech Community College’s campuses in Richmond and Connersville. Carr was announced as the new AD at the school board meeting on Wednesday August 27. “I’m excited and humbled to be selected to lead Richmond athletics and to follow Mr. Bolser and a long line of great ADs at RHS,” Carr said. “[My wife] and I have three grown children that had great experiences as students and athletes here. I hope to continue leading this part of the RCS experience so this and future generations of Red Devils have similar positive experiences that our kids did.” Since Carr is fresh to the school it will take him time to adjust to the athletics. “My plans for this year are to learn the ins and outs of RHS and to develop plans through listening to others and to develop plans for the near and distant future of RHS athletics,” Carr said. While planning for his career as AD Carr is also thinking ahead to what he wants Editor in Chief Molly Holt Managing Editor Meadow Wehrley Chief Copy Editor Brianna Walter Copy Editor Jenna Saylor Online Editor & Business Manager Bria Wilson

Sydney McWhinney, reporter register.mcwhinney@gmail.com

School Board Names New Athletic Director

Athletic Director Frank Carr

the outcomes of his time with Richmond athletics to be. “My goal is for Richmond to continue being a leader in the NCC and the state with teams that win the right way, with teams that play hard, and with [teams that have] great pride and respect for the game and their opponents,” Carr said. “Richmond athletic teams have an opportunity every time they play to be outstanding representatives of our school and the Richmond community and that is what I will expect from our teams and coaches,” Carr said.

Reporters Alexis Bradburn Bri Gardner Sydney McWhinney Krista Nicholson Becca Pheanis Veatriz Vargas

Principal Rae Woolpy Adviser Jeff Gabbard

Feature

illustration by Jenna Saylor

“If they are conceited, they just want to hear it. If their selfesteem is low, they just want to feel it.” -Kimber James, 12

Students Speak Out on Fishing for Compliments Jenna Saylor, copy editor register.saylor@gmail.com Attention whores - they’re all around us; the people who must have all eyes on them at all times. They achieve this in many ways. One of the most common ways seems to be a little something that is called fishing for compliments. In other words, purposefully putting yourself down, just to get people to compliment and pay attention to you. Now that’s not to say that everyone who put themselves down are just doing it to get attention. “Well either they are conceited or their self-esteem is very low,” senior Kimber James said. “If they are conceited they just want to hear it. If their self-esteem is low, they just want to feel it.” With the growing popularity of social media, it has become easier to be an attention whore. People are able to post pictures for the world to see and they can caption it to say anything they want. Basically they can say, “OMG, I’m so ugly” and post it so that their friends will comment on the picture telling them how gorgeous

or pretty they are. Let’s be honest, wanting attention isn’t necessarily a bad thing, and there are plenty of reasons people do it. Maybe they did not get enough attention at home when they were growing up, or maybe they just want to feel better about themselves. “The bottom line is mental health is not a thing to joke about,” senior Danielle Cooper said. “No matter what kind it is.” Not just mental health issues, like personality disorders, or social anxiety, things like not feeling comfortable in your own body or even just feeling like you need to have people pay attention to you at all times. Some people fish for compliments because the voice in their head is constantly putting them down. “[I think] people do it so often, just to feel better about themselves,” junior Noah McDougal said. “They most likely are constantly put down by others, that they do just want to hear something different for a change.” Fishing for compliments isn’t always about wanting to hear you’re pretty for the sake of hearing you’re pretty, though that is what most people seem to do. People generally like to be told that they look

good, so they do whatever they can to garner compliments. That is where the term, “attention whore,” came from. People who wish to be in the spotlight all the time and have all the attention on them. “I feel annoyed with people who have to have the attention on them all the time,” Cooper said. “I get that they don’t get enough attention elsewhere, but it isn’t my job to compliment them 24/7.” The issue seems to be that people fishing for compliments can become annoying, especially if they do it all the time. Maybe if people didn’t do it constantly it wouldn’t be seen as annoying. If people didn’t put themselves down everyday and just did it when they were having a particularly bad day and really needed to hear it, then they wouldn’t necessarily be fishing for compliments. “Some people just constantly hear, from themselves, that they’re ugly or fat,” freshman Sydni Retter said. “Basically you are your biggest critic, your own worst enemy, and there are just days where you need to be told you’re pretty.”

Students Cope with Self Image Veatriz Vargas, reporter register.vvargas@gmail.com

photo illustration by Veatriz Vargas

Every time she looked in the mirror she saw something she didn’t like. Her stomach was not flat, her hair wasn’t long enough, and her face wasn’t pretty. She felt bad about herself. She had no boyfriend, yet she had crushes. She felt alone, yet she had friends behind her. She was sad, yet kept a smile on her face. Everyone feels a certain way about themselves, sometimes in a positive way, sometimes in a negative way. Either way, it affects a person’s self esteem and confidence. Having a negative body image can often lead to problems. According to dosomething.org, it often leads to eating disorders, early sexual activity, substance use and suicidal thoughts. 90% of 15-17 year olds found something they want to change about their physical appearance. “I feel okay about myself,” junior Sara Steele said. “Of course everyone at one point or another has something they don’t feel okay with.” Girls are not the only ones affected by body image. “I feel good about myself,” sophomore Parker Norton said. Most girls either found something they wanted to change or didn’t like, and are still struggling with a problem.

Whether it’s something on a more major scale like their weight or something smaller like a little birthmark on the side of their legs, if girls have low self esteem or feel insecure about something, they will do everything in their power to hide it. “A year ago, if you told me that I would be where I am today, I wouldn’t believe you,” junior Macey Thornburg said. “I was [a] little sophomore and didn’t [have] a lot [of] confidence in my school work and running cross country.” Anyone can always bring up their confidence. They have to believe that anything can change. Once they realize that they don’t need to feel insecure, they are going to be a much happier person. That girl who felt bad about herself realized “I don’t need a guy, I have friends, and I’m not alone.” She became a much happier person. She looked in the mirror and was finally happy with what she saw. She didn’t need to change for the satisfaction of someone else. She realized she was perfect the way she was. If you didn’t get anything from this article, always remember that you’re perfect just the way you are and you shouldn’t change yourself for anyone. Body image is a problem with girls and boys all around the world and it’s getting worse and worse everyday. Don’t put anyone down, because it could effect them way worse than what you think.

Feature

Chinese Teacher Brings Culture to Richmond Bria Wilson, online editor register.bwilson@gmail.com

Reigster Photo by Bria Wilson

Families are everywhere- across cities and around the world. For new Chinese teacher, Mia Wu, her family in China is a large part of her culture. “In China, we really care about family,” Wu said. “Family always comes first. Whenever we make a decision, we always consider our families.” Wu comes from a different school setting too. “Students really respect [the] teacher in China,” she said. “But here, only after you establish a good relationship with your student, they will respect you.” She loves how the faculty is supportive to the Chinese program. “The teachers are nice, and most students care about education,” Wu said. Most people don’t think about China and America’s cultures being alike. “I think the culture is more and more similar since the globalization,” she said. “I grew up under the influence of American culture. We watched American TV shows and movies, so I actually don’t find much differences between [the] two cultures.” Today, respect is only part of the culture and it may not be that important to other people. “Respect is important in my culture,” Wu said. In America people can trace back history a long way but in China they can go back

thousands and thousands of years. “We have 5,000 years history, and have millions of diverse cultural traditions,” Wu said. She has a lot of experiences for teaching the subject she teaches. “I am a very [culturally] diverse person,” Wu said. “ I have been to seven countries so far, and through my travelling experience, I found it is an amazing thing to learn and appreciate different cultures.” She wants to take her background knowledge on life and apply it to her classes. “[ I am] a language teacher, and also an outlet for Midwest students to experience the foreign culture,” Wu said. “I want to influence my students to become more international.” Wu’s parents don’t visit her. “My parents [are] at China, they only visit me during summer time, since the winter here is horrible,” Wu said. Being new to a different place can be uncomfortable at times. “Just a simple smile can make [me] feel comfortable, since I know you are nice to me,” Wu said. People from other countries may have a different look on our culture than we do. “[Americans] are the most welcoming and nice people I have ever seen,” Wu said.

Mia Wu assists student with assignment.

Baker Makes Strong Relationships at Door 1A Alexis Bradburn, reporter register.bradburn@gmail.com There aren’t many students who don’t know who Henry Baker is. “I have known Henry for a very long time and I pretty much grew up around him,” junior Merab Murphy said. “He is a funny person to be around.” Baker works at door 1A at Richmond High School. Every day, Baker is meeting new people and making sure RHS is secure. “[I enjoy] meeting new people in the community and making sure kids are safe,” Baker said. Baker builds a lot of relationships with the students at RHS and in return, they want to serve as a clerical assistant in his office.

“Communicating with the kids is how I gain relationships with the kids at RHS,” Baker said. “I feel good they want to clerical with me, but they know they have to put in work like grades because it’s not all fun.” Baker will celebrate his seventh year being at RHS in December. He worked as a paraprofessional for three years and has been at door 1A for four. “I love my job, I wouldn’t change anything about it,” Baker said. Before coming to RHS Baker worked at the Boys and Girls Club and was around kids, teenagers and some adults all day. “I like working with kids,” Baker said. Baker always has good days at RHS. “I like coming to school knowing that the kids look up to me and I can help them out in some kind of way,” Baker said. For Baker, every day is a joy.

“I like coming to school knowing that the kids look up to me and I can help them out in some kind of way.” -Henry Baker

Far left - Henry Baker gives an errand to Merab Murphy during 3rd period. Murphy is one of the students who works in the Visitor’s Center with Baker. Top Right - Baker welcomes a community vistor. Middle Right - Henry Baker works at his desk in the vistor center. Bottom Right - Clericals pose with Baker.

Reigster photos by Alexis Bradburn

Feature

Parents as Teachers Proven to be Better Than Expected

Annette Jetmore gives her son, Henry Jetmore, lunch money.

Krista Nicholson, reporter register.nicholson@gmail.com For most students, going to school means getting away from their parents. For some, it means seeing them all day throughout the building or spending time with them in class. Kids with parents as teachers spend a lot of their school day seeing their guardian. Most would imagine this to be terrible, but those who know what it’s actually like often disagree. For senior Bryce Austin, having his dad teach at his school is actually enjoyable.

“[My dad is a teacher and it’s] not that bad,” Austin said, “I can go to his room and hang out sometimes and that’s pretty cool.” Having a parent to go to during the day might make high school easier. Although not everyone will get this opportunity, those who do are likely to feel more comfortable throughout the day. Students often complain about the location of their locker or all of the supplies they have to carry around all day. “[My mom being a teacher] is pretty helpful because for one, I don’t have to use my locker,” junior Henry Jetmore said. “I can just leave all my

stuff in her room.” Parent teachers can also improve your skills inside of school. “It’s also been really good academically,” Jetmore said. “My mom understands the value of academics as well as being someone who pushes people to do well in academics. She’s been a driving force in that as well.” Parents as teachers understand the importance of education. They’re educators themselves so they know what teachers are going to expect. Students with parent teachers could be better off in their academic careers due to this.

Students Cope with Living with Older Siblings Molly Holt, editor-in-chief register.holt@gmail.com

photo illustration by Molly Holt

Almost every student feels pressure throughout school. When there’s an older sibling involved there can be extra pressures added on. Some students feel the need to live up to what their sibling was in high school, whether the pressure was put on them by a parent, or by themselves. “[My brother] was such a good athlete at the high school level and he was also so well liked,” senior Shelby Miller, younger sister of Chandler Miller, said. “And now that he’s playing football at IU it makes it seem like I have to compete with him being a college athlete as well as an amazing high school one.” Other students have been fortunate enough to never feel the pressures of an older siblings shadow. “My brother and parents are very supportive of what I want to do,” junior Sarah Holt, sister of Matt Holt, said. “I understand that others might experience something else, but my brother and I are polar opposites. He’s into sports and I’m into the arts, and that’s something my family understands. They understand that we’re both good at the things we like, and they like our individuality.” Hearing “Are you -insert sibling’s name herebrother/sister?” can be one of the most terrifying questions. When hearing that one knows that they’re more than likely going to be compared to their sibling, or that person is hoping that they will be better than their sibling was. I personally can relate to students who feel pressured to be like their sibling. I’m the younger sister of Ian Holt, who graduated from RHS in 2010 with Academic Honors, and continued to go to IU East where he received the Presidential Scholarship.

Though my parents, as many others, claimed that I was not expected to or forced to be like my brother it always felt that way as a child. I’ve learned as I’ve gotten older that my family understands that my brother and I are two completely different people, much like the case with Sarah and Matt Holt, though it doesn’t make having a incredibly smart brother any less pressuring for me academically. Others share the pain and fear of having to live up to academic excellence in their family. “Both of my sisters are really intelligent and I think my parents expect the same out of me,” senior Eddie O’Brien said. “It has always felt like the bar was set high for me in high school after both of them graduated with great GPAs.” Though students don’t always feel the need to live up to their siblings or compete with them they do respect them. Most find something about their sibling that they want to incorporate into their own lives. “I am following my oldest sister,” junior Jocelyn Smith, sister of Kelsey Smith and Chel’c Fortner, said. “She was a CNA by her senior year. She has always had it together, and I want to do the same.” Most students agree that it’s wrong for any kid to feel like they are pressured to be like their sibling. According to businessinsider.com oldest children do get an IQ and linguistics advantage. Though that may hold true it still does not give any right for people to force another sibling’s personality, traits, or academics upon another person. “I don’t feel like anyone should feel pressure to follow in a sibling’s footsteps,” sophomore Conner Lett, brother of Zach Lett, said. “If you aren’t voluntarily choosing your own life path then it is probably much harder to be successful and enjoy yourself.”

“I don’t feel like anyone should feel pressure to follow in a sibling’s footsteps. If you aren’t voluntarily choosing your own life path then it is probably much harder to be successful and enjoy yourself.” -Conner Lett, 10

Feature

Students Make Gaming Hobby Gamers Bring Various Skills to Controls Veatriz Vargas, reporter register.vvargas@gmail.com Whether you play Pac Man or Call of Duty regularly, you’re gaming and if you game, you’re a gamer. Most people say that gaming is a hidden talent because not many people know who games and who doesn’t. It’s not like you can look at someone and say “hey, they look like they play video games for a hobby” it’s more complicated than that. The thing is, there is a difference between gaming and playing games. Gaming takes way more dedication than playing games. Gaming usually means you spend on average 22 hours a week, and five hours a day playing games. “In a week I play for about 14 hours at least,” junior James Moody said. Some argue that gaming is bad for your mind, and some argue it’s good for you. Raisesmartkid.com argues both. They argue that the most negative effect gaming has is that those who play violent games are more likely to have increased aggressive thoughts, feelings and behaviors. Some examples would be, Hitman, Gears of War and Dead Space 3. They have a point. Scientists from University of Rochester did an experiment. They had an age group of 18 to 25 play games. Half played an actions game, Call of Duty, and the other half played a slower game, The Sims. They found out that the ones who play action games develop a heightened sensitivity to what is going on around them. Enough about data, let’s talk about gaming as a hobby. Like I said before, there’s a difference between playing games and gaming. Gaming is most likley more complicated than you thought. When you think of hobbies, you typically think of sports but what about gaming? Gaming is like a secret talent that most people don’t talk about. According to gamespot.com most gamers are afraid of telling people they’re gamers because they are afraid of being judged, what girls will think and basically people won’t like them.

photo illustration by Veatriz Vargas

Not all girls think gaming is “lame” or “weird.” “Gaming is cool and super fun.. unless that’s all someone does,” sophomore Alexis Hammock said. “Once it gets in the way of friends and friendships it’s too much, it gets annoying and really boring when its all you hear from someone, ‘Call of Duty this- GTA that’. ” Have you ever got to know someone who games? Typically when you think of gamers you think of someone who spends most of their time on a console but that’s not always how it is. For sophomore Kirill Konorev, he spends his time gaming and playing soccer. Not all gamers spend their time on gaming they usually spend time with other things.

57% voted Xbox was better 49% voted Playstation

“It doesn’t affect my soccer unless I stay up late,” Konorev said. Gaming isn’t just working out your thumbs, it helps the body. “It works those fiction you can’t get from work and reaction and timing skills,” Moody said. Next time someone tells you they game, don’t judge them and think they don’t do anything but game because that’s most definitely not true. “Personally I think [gamers are] the best,” sophomore Alex Hernandez said. Try and get to know them, you might be surprised with the outcome.

@WestEndBank

westendbank.com

Feature

Movie Rating System Provides Safety for Viewers G

PARENTAL GUIDANCE SUGGESTED

*Some Material May Not Be Suitable For Children*

PARENTS STRONGLY CAUTIONED *Some Material May Be Inappropriate For Children Under 13*

RESTRICTED

*Under 17 Requires Accompamying Parent Or Adult Guardain*

NC-17 *No One 17 And Under Admitted* Krista Nicholson, reporter register.nicholson@gmail.com It’s common for kids underage to have to ask their parent to see a movie with them. This is something almost all teens under the age of 17 usually run into at some point in their lives. Age restrictions on films have always been a strict policy at theatres. While some people will say these restrictions are properly set, others will quickly disagree. “I think anybody should be able to see any movie,” senior Aaron Matthews said. Movie ratings are set in place to shield younger audiences from seeing more mature scenes in the movies. Movie-goers often have differing opinions on this question. Most people often disregard the ratings and make an effort

to see the movie with a person of age, but some are accepting. “I guess I agree with [movie ratings],” sophomore Jaeden Young said. “I never really pay attention to them.” Usually if people want to see a higher rated movie, they ask someone old enough to go to the movie with them. If they’re aiming to see a rated R movie, they usually bring a parent or an older friend to get them into the movies. Movies rated PG-13 are more lenient with who can get in to see them. These movies are mainly rated to keep young eyes from seeing slightly mature scenes. Most kids under the age of 13 go to the movies with their parents anyway, so there’s not as much of an issue. Although it’s not as common, some people agree with the ratings on the movies they’re going to see. “[I think] some movies should be rated R because there are younger kids,” senior Chazlyn Ford said. “If they saw some of the movies that I’ve seen,

they’d probably have nightmares and wet the bed and stuff. It’s good that we have different labels on different movies until you get of age.” A lot of movies are inappropriate for young kids to see. Whether it’s drug use or vulgarity, kids tend to pick up on things they see around them. For example, 5 year old Suzie goes to see Troy Bolton from High School Musical star in a new movie called Neighbors. Suzie doesn’t know that Troy is actually Zac Efron and that he has various roles in various different movies. She happily runs along to see this continuation of Bolton’s life. When she see her favorite movie character partying and doing drugs, Suzie wants to be just like him. Even though this is unlikely to occur, it’s still a possibility. Therefore, movie ratings are set for a reason, whether we agree with them or not.

Students Find Fun in Many Forms Bri Gardner, reporter register.gardner@gmail.com

infographic by Bria Wilson

PG-13

GENERAL AUDIENCES *All Ages Admitted*

There’s nothing fun to do in Richmond a lot of students would say. Teenagers lose interest in the things they used to do. Parents are always listening to kids talk about how bored they are and how they want something to do, but they can almost never come up with a solution. When some teens can’t find anything to do they turn to extracurricular activities through their school. “I enjoy playing soccer, getting involved in theatre, running track and participating in band, choir and art classes,” senior Jessica Lemar said. Everyone has many different interests, and school activities might just be the way to go for some. The idea of being active excites some people but for others it bores them. If you’re not active there is always another solution. Just going somewhere to read and relax helps some people cure their boredom. That’s the way Chithra Vedantam likes to spend her time. “I go to the library and I go to our

local trails and parks as well,” Vedantam said, “I like the outdoors because [there’s usually] nice weather and the parks and stuff are beautiful.” If someone doesn’t like reading or going to the city park there are other options, they could just sit and relax or take a stroll through the neighborhood. Going outside and enjoying the weather is usually soothing for some. “It’s nice to breathe [in] the fresh air and see life for what it actually is,” junior Marcos Mendoza said. Staying inside could get really boring for some but others might just sit inside on a computer and playing games. “Getting out of your house is more fun than staying in front of your computer,” Mendoza said. There are other things to do in Richmond such as - going to the movies and the skate on weekends, bowling, or even going to Roscoe’s. During the months of August through October there are festivals that students could go to also. Not all things have to be considered fun there are also educational things such as the museum, so even if people feel like there’s nothing to do in Richmond, there is.

Opinion

Senioritis Takes Different Forms for Students Bree Walter, chief copy editor register.bwalter@gmail.com

illustration by Bree Walter

As a student, it is complicated waking up every morning to go to school for about eight hours. Some students choose to get up and attend school, and others choose to stay at home because they just do not feel like coming. Some would classify it as laziness and others would classify it as Senioritis. Senioritis is the lack of motivation involving education, in which the social aspect of the person takes over. According to nacacnet.org, the symptoms of Senioritis consist of laziness, an over-excessive wearing of old athletic shirts, track pants, sweatpants, sweatshirts, and athletic shorts. “I hate Senioritis because it creates a culture of laziness and an attitude of ‘I’m almost done’, but in reality, your world is just beginning,” history teacher Matthew Haynes said. Senioritis affects students and teachers. Not only does it prevent the student from learning to their full potential, but teachers struggle to get the student back on track. “It’s frustrating because of the resistance shown by some seniors to engage; it’s a struggle to get them back on track if they fall off the wagon,” Haynes said. The name ‘senioritis’ is a bit misleading, as students experience it years before they ever become a senior. “I didn’t realize it when it was happening, but I

definitely had senioritis my freshman year,” senior Connor Mundhenk said. “I just really didn’t care to come to school and try. I just wanted to get high school over with.” Now that’s not to say that every single high school student experiences senioritis before they become a senior. Some don’t experience it until late in their senior year. “I didn’t really get a bad case of senioritis until like the second trimester,” Richmond High School graduate Dillan DeLucio said. “It was hard to push through the laziness and continue to work hard especially once football season ended.” Senioritis is a condition that some may never even experience. Those people continue to work hard throughout senior year and don’t feel anymore than the normal amount of laziness. “I have yet to experience senioritis,” senior Kara Swallow said. “I don’t know if I will at any point this year. I know what I want to do and I will continue to push hard to accomplish my dream, experiencing the minimal amount of laziness.” Senioritis, so defined as being lazy, is not always a bad thing, like most adults will portray it to be. Yes, you need to still work hard and do your best in school, but it’s okay to have those lazy days where you just do not care. So seniors, don’t forget to pull out your sweats or athletic shorts and your favorite sweatshirt and bum it, at least once a week.

Our view

Seniority; Earned Right for Seniors strictly for seniors. Each court has five males and five females, though when nominating people only choose three people they think deserve to be on court. After someone has been on court they can no longer be nominated for any other court, so decisions must be made wisely. Seniors also have the capability to graduate early if they have met all class requirements. There’s also the chance to leave school early to go to work or participate in the internship program. Most students have rightfully earned their seniority, and we believe it is completely fair for students to go through high school and do what they should and then get rewarded for it in their final year. To upcoming seniors: don’t take seniority for granted, and don’t think that it means you rule everything. This is one of the best privileges of all. Enjoy it and help future seniors earn their rightful respect.

illustration by Molly Holt

Throughout most high schools, seniors are given more respect and privileges. As a staff we believe that seniority has turned out as a good thing for students, giving them something to look forward to and strive to obtain. But of course, like all good things there are always some bad. We agree that some students look at seniority as thinking seniors should get all rights over anyone. Some think a senior should play on varsity before a freshman or sophomore simply because they are a senior. This is just not right. The player with the best skills should play, no matter what their grade. However we do believe it is deserving of a senior to get the captain position of a sports team. For students interested in attending games it’s a privilege that seniors get the first row in the student section. During senior year there’s the possibility to be on a dance court. Being on court is a privilege reserved

MERCURIO’S PIZZA

Open 4:00-10:00pm Carryout/Delivery Thursday 765-966-4646 Friday 210 South 8th Street Saturday Richmond, Indiana