Friday December 20, 2013
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Richmond High School
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Since 1908
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Issue 5 Volume 105
REGISTER RHSREGISTER.COM
Sports Wrap UpsPage 2
Calendar Changes
VEATRIZ VARGAS REPORTER Next year, students and teachers will not only get a week of vacation for spring break, but will also get a week for fall break thanks to the new calendar passed by the RCS school board last week. “I believe that a week break in October helps to re-energize all of us,” Principal Rae Woolpy said. This change will benefit both students and teachers, giving them more time to relax and spend time with friends and family. Fall break will be the week of October 20th through the 24th. Students will return to their classes on Monday, October 27. Thanksgiving break was three days long for the first time this year here at Richmond High School. The school board has decided to keep the extra day. The break starts on November 26th and continues to the 28th, returning on the first of December. That way, teachers and students have a longer time to enjoy the holiday break.
“I believe that a week break in October helps to re-energize all of us.”
-Principal Rae Woolpy
Christmas CenterspreadPages 4 & 5
WebSense- Page 8
Challenge Day Returns to Richmond High
JENNA SAYLOR REPORTER Two years ago, a group of students saw a program on MTV. The program, called If You Really Knew Me, was developed by an organization called “Challenge Day,” which comes to schools and has a group of students participate in a series of activities. “In 2012, a group of students thought it would be something powerful for students to experience,” volunteer Challenge Day coordinator Leslie Bolser said. “They had seen it on MTV and Oprah. They brought it up and I told them that we could meet with Mrs. Woolpy and if she approved it and they raised the necessary funds that we could do it. And they did. They convinced Woolpy and raised the money and in March of 2012 was our first Challenge Day.” Challenge Day, when it first happened, was something new and the students were not exactly sure how to feel about it. Since then it has become something that students look forward to. They went from being apprehensive to excited about it. “I’m not sure if popular is the right word but I have seen it change over time,” Bolser said. “For example when we first started it most people were just curious about what it was and they didn’t really understand the concept, but now people are asking ahead of time when it’s going to be, when can I get my permission slip in. There’s some demand and some excitement for it, whereas before there was some sort of anticipation and curiosity for it, but I think students have seen that it makes a difference for them and they’ve been able to share some things that have been bothering them and be heard so I think its important to them.” Challenge Day helps students break down barriers that separate them from each other. Along with helping establish relationships that were not there before.
“What I like best about Challenge Day is that it’s all kinds of different students all together on the same day sharing common strengths, common things that they really like and like to do as well as common struggles,” Bolser said. “So I think that some barriers are broken down between different groups of students and different types of students. I think they see each other differently at the end of the day. The other thing I love is it does the same thing with the teachers. For teachers to see students in a different light and students to see teachers in a different light it creates relationships between teachers and students that probably weren’t as easy to achieve before an event like that.”
Challenge Day helps students, and even teachers, better understand each other. It helps people see that everyone has struggles and that it’s okay to be different. It helps them get rid of the me versus them mentality. Members in the community also participate and support Challenge Day. They help bring Challenge Day to Richmond High School by donating money. “In years past we’ve gotten individual monetary donations from the community.
This year, so far, we have three grants we’ve been given to bring Challenge Day back, and lots of generous community members give money every year to make it possible,” Bolser said. Along with needing to have enough money, Challenge Day also needs a small student to teacher ratio. In other words, there have to be enough adult volunteers. “We also have to have at least 30 adults, teachers, staff member, and community members volunteer every day to make it happen, so if we don’t have enough adults we can’t do it,” Bolser said. “Thats a really critical part.” As seen in the past, they usually have plenty of adult volunteer to carry out Challenge day. Bolser said that she sends out emails to anyone who volunteered in the past and invites them to come again, or tell someone they know about it and ask them to volunteer. The adults do their best to make it happen. Even though most teachers are understanding about the program and agree there are long-term benefits, students are still missing a day of class and are required to make up the work that they missed. “The students are responsible for making up the work,” Bolser said. “Whatever is missed that day, they are responsible for talking to their teachers and getting that worked out. So it is additional work even for the students that come.” So even though Challenge Day is fun, and gets you out of class, don’t forget about the make up work. Also don’t forget that permission slips are due today. Bolser hopes to continue Challenge Day, and will do so until students stop participating. “Once we start running out of kids who want to do it then we’ll know that it’s time to stop doing it and find something else,”
Kick-Off Mentors Pay It Forward
If your family sat you down and told you that you didn’t have enough money for Christmas, and MOLLY HOLT you have to make/exchange your gifts what ASST. DESIGN EDITOR would you make? Many religions of the Grandma: I would make her a coupon book, for doing the dishes for example. Grandpa:I would make him a log book since he’s a trucker. Brother: Draw/ Paint him a picture of a train, because he loves trains. -Brooklyn York ,11
Sister and Mom:I’ll make them a card. Dad: A hammer since he just moved into a new house. -David Brown, 11
Dad, Grandma, Uncle, Cousin, Brother: I’ll make everyone the most fuzziest, ugly warm hat ever. -Haley-Jo Hickman, 10
world believe in karma, which is like the law of cause and effect. Basically, karma states that if you do good then good will come back unto you, and if you take part in an act of evil then bad fortune will come your way. The act of paying it forward is very similar to karma. To pay it forward is to do an act of kindness for someone else, not hoping that good will come directly your way, but the person you did an act of kindness for will eventually do an act of kindness for someone who needs it. There are many ways to take part in paying it forward, which becomes very common to do around Christmas time as people start to feel the joy of the holiday. For instance, you
can let someone who has fewer items than you in a busy grocery store go ahead of you, mentor someone who needs it, compliment a stranger, or help someone who’s having car troubles. “I think we’re in a culture where kids only think about themselves or they feel stuck, like they can’t help people and don’t have the means to,” freshman English teacher Kate Hogg said. For the holiday season the Freshman class and their KOMs have received $50 to pay it forward however they decide it would be best. “Kids and teachers are getting excited and coming up with ideas to help others,” Hogg said. Most have put all their money into the Dress A Living Doll portion of the project. Dress A Living Doll is where someone “adopts” a child and learns about them so they can go
out and get something for this child. If a homeroom chose to put all the money towards Dress A Living Doll it received a $50 gift card to Walmart. “I’m really excited about getting stuff for the kid,” freshman Jaedan Young said. “I really hope I get to meet him.” Even though all of the actions of the Pay It Forward and Dress A Living Doll have not been taken into full effect there have already been examples of students feeling good about giving their time to help others. “We were able to see the many generous spirits of kids and see them be kind and help people,” freshman English teacher Megan Rayburn said. “Their energy is what keeps us going. The range of how people are giving back is amazing.” Continues on Page 6
“We were able to see the many generous spirits of kids and see them be kind and help people.” -Freshman English teacher Megan Rayburn
Page 2 Sports
Senior Zach Lett defends the ball against Dayton Marshall at their game November 30th.
The Richmond Lady Red Devils are carrying a 5-3 record. “ Our season so far is going well,” senior Bailey Hillard. “We all work hard and work together as a whole to get things done in practice and on the court.” senior Bailey Hillard said. We’ve had a few minor setbacks but we haven’t let them get in the way of continuing to do what we need to do to get a win. ” “ We are all looking forward to the rest of the season and only getting better as a team.”
Richmond High School Red Devil’s basketball team is undefeated with a 4-0 record. “ It is going good. We just have to keep getting better in practice, “ junior Joel Okafor said. “We have to focus on what we need to work on the most to get better. “ Overall we are really coming together as a team and keep up the good work. “ “The season is good.”
The boy’s swim team gets ready to perform the back stroke in their meet against Muncie Central
Richmond High School’s wrestling team falls under a 3-4 record. “ The season is looking good and we are moving in the right direction, “ freshman Austin Bane said. “ Right now we have a few injuries holding us back, but when everyone is healthy we are very competitive. “ Our competition is getting better, but we look to keep showing strong performances, “ Bane said. “ Looking on to the conference tournament and state tournament series, we look to provide six semi-state qualifiers and a few state qualifiers out of the six. “
Junior QuinDarius Delony and his opponent look up at the judge to see if he successfully pinned her.
RHS swim team is struggling with an 0-7 record but they are striving to improve. “ Our season is going well, We are doing our best to show progress,” junior Madison Kuhner said. “ Unfortunately we have not won any meets yet, but we’re not letting that bring us down. “ “ We have all dropped a lot of time and that is what really matters. “ We are willing to make out come back at NCC or sectional because that is when are best swims are shown. “ Senior Bailey Hillard dribbles the ball down the court.
Students Follow Parents’ Footsteps AJ COX SPORTS EDITOR If you play a sport, the reason you started is most likely the work of your parents. Many athletes at Richmond High School have a parent or parents who have also played the sport they partake in. If you fall under this category, you are part of a legacy. “Football had always been in my bloodline,” junior Tyler Ripperger said. “My dad taught me growing up how to play and I enjoyed it.” Legacies differ from person to person. Both student and parent could have won a state championship, or both student and parent could have played just for fun. Regardless the situation you would be a part of a legacy. “I actually didn’t follow in my dad’s footsteps, but my dad helped me to create my own path in sports,” junior Trey Sanders said. Sanders’s father Robert won the 1992 state championship in basketball. His father also won The Most Valuable Player award the same year. Parents have a huge influence on a child’s life.
Whether it be making decisions or even playing sports. Your parents’ influence your life in major ways, and that even means playing a sport. “My dad always influenced me to be myself,” Sanders said. “My dad always told me to do what was best for me and my sports career.” If you watch sports, there seems to always be a majority of parents there. Some of this could be the parents wanting to relive the “glory days” of their sports careers, or they could just be supporting their child’s dreams. “My dad put in heart and effort when he played,” Ripperger said. Ripperger’s father, Mike, played outside linebacker for the Richmond High School football team. Legacies are what keep the sports world revolving. The dream of always becoming the best and living up to your parents expectations seems to be a recurring cycle across the board. Regardless of the opinion of other people, most parents would like their children to keep that sports dream alive.
Swim Team Hopes Hard Work Pays Off KEELEY VANDERPOOL REPORTER As winter approaches, the Richmond High School swim team gets set for the season. The swim season so far has started off on the right foot. “Our season is going great,” senior Sami Decker said. “We work hard every day and it shows. We don’t get a lot of wins however, but we put our hearts into the sport. We are small but we are mighty and it will show in sectionals.” From her perspective, the swim team has a high level of confidence for this season. The Red Devils continue to work hard during their practices to better improve themselves. “Having two-a-day practices is great,” junior Madison Kuhner said. “We give it our all during the time put into the weight room, pool and on the upstairs Tiernan track. We put effort into all our practices to have the best outcome we can in our races.”
During the school week they practice from 6-7 a.m. and after school to approximately 6 p.m. “Our practices range from 3000-5000 yards with anywhere from 1500-3000 race pace yards,” Decker said. “It’s tough, but we get out of it the effort we put into practice. We work with HIIT (high-intensity interval training), which is fast. Our coach wants us to swim in ‘street fight mode’ rather than ‘survival mode’.” The team puts its effort into its practices to better succeed. Even though it’s a lot of work, it pays off in the end. Even with Christmas break just around the corner, the RHS swim team does not get to lay back quite yet. Practice still continues and gets more complex. “We are looking at having two-hour practices two times a day,” Kuhner said. “We start training even harder over Christmas break. It will get us ready for NCC which is just right around the corner for us.” The more work put forth, the better chance of a good season coming ahead.
Junior Mariam Khamis executes her dive at the swim-dive meet against Muncie Central.
Page 3 SPORTS
Athlete’s Best Friend
Wettig Memorial Tourney to Ring in New Year Trainer Courtney McCord Helps Red Devils Get Back in Game
“I wouldn’t trade this job for anything.” - Courtney McCord RHS Trainer
AJ COX SPORTS EDITOR A majority of athletes have received injuries during their sports careers and recovered in a extraordinary amount of time. Many say this takes great mental and physical strength to recover, but it’s not just the athlete working hard. They have help from a very “uncredited” person; the sports trainer. Trainers rarely get credit for their time consuming jobs. Trainers have to attend every game and cater to any injuries that happen during a game. They also have to report to the school to help other players recover from injuries. These injuries vary from a turf toe to a torn ACL. With three seasons of sports and a handful of sports per season, trainers have to dedicate their lives towards this job. We have our own athletic trainer, Courtney McCord. McCord attended Ball State University and studied sports medicine and rehabilitation. McCord works for Reid Hospital and is contracted to Richmond. This is McCord’s first year at Richmond High School. “I got to see what athletic trainers really did at Ball State,” McCord said. “I fell in love with it then.” Sports training is a very popular field to go into. Many athletes feel commutable with athletic training due to the fact of always being with a trainer. “I feel athletes get a good view of what we actually
do,” McCord said. “They get it because they are around trainers so much.” Being a trainer takes a lot of your day. First you have to wrap people’s ankles, wrists and other extremities to prevent injury. Next, you would have to take time to help rehabilitate athletes who have become injured. Another huge time consumer is having to be at most home games. This is in preparation in case someone receives an injury. “There is a lot of time people do not realize you are even here,” McCord said. “Sometimes I’m here until 10 o’clock.” Trainers also double as a rehabilitation specialist. They try to get athletes back on the court or field as fast as possible. “We try to get strength back,” McCord said. “We try to get them in the weight room and run some exercises.” Chandler Whalen was helped for his dislocated shoulder. “The trainer told me to do stretches and arm bands for it,” sophomore Chandler Whalen said. “After all of the stretches it felt alot better.” Sports training is a way to stay close to sports without actually playing them. It’s a very hard and time consuming job, but at the end of the day you can help someone finish their sports career successfully, accoring to McCord. “It’s a great way to be in enrolled with sports after you graduate,” McCord said. “I wouldn’t trade this job for anything.”
AJ COX SPORTS EDTIOR Basketball seems to be the staple of the Indiana lifestyle, and this happens to appear at Richmond High School every year during winter break. The lifestyle of basketball is shown through the week of the Bob Wettig Tournament. The name Bob Wettig is very special to the Richmond community. Wettig, a military veteran, worked for Richmond as an equipment manager. Wettig worked for the high school for 15 years taking care of Tiernan Center and handling equipment. Before he passed away of lung cancer, he wanted to spread awareness of this disease. The athletic department came up with the idea of a small four team tournament to memorialize him and spread awareness of lung cancer. The tournament itself started in 2006 with a small four team affair and only included Hoosier teams such as: Northeastern,Fall C r e e k Academy,South Newton and Richmond. The tournament now consists of a huge 16 team event with teams from around the nation. “The tournament is a great way to utilize our facility,” Athletic Director Chad Bolser said. “It’s a unique facility in which we can offer.” The Tiernan Center can hold more than 8,000 fans which is more than enough for the 16 team tournament. This gives spectators from every team enough room to bring a convoy of fans. The tournament also provides all necessary amenities to enjoy their time spent. The athletic department provides laundry services, dining and hotel services. “I feel we run the best tournament in the state,” Bolser said. “We try to take care of all of the little things.” The tournament this year runs from January 2-4. The tournament is being played at Tiernan Center as well as Earlham College Wellness Center. Richmond Red Devils play their first game on January 2nd starting at 7:30 p.m. against Rock Creek Academy.
Happy Wishing you peace, health, and happiness this holiday season and throughout the new year.
Bob Wettig was a long time equipment manger. His photo is displayed in the Terinan Center along with others who have dedicated time to Red Devil sports.
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Commercialism: The New Religion That Keeps on Taking
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elebrating Holiday Traditions
OPINION
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JALEN SLEET REPORTER Ranging from serious undertakings to more lighthearted vows to turn away that extra slice of pie after dinner, the New Years Resolution is a phenomenon that seems to grow more stale with every passing year that these goals, great or small, fail to be met. According to the University of Scranton’s Journal of Clinical Psychology, 49 percent of people have infrequent success in maintaining their resolutions. Nearly 50/50 odds seems reasonable in context, but the likeliness of long term commitment is significantly more bleak, as the percentage of complete success topped out at just 8 percent in the same 2012 study. Taking into account this statistical data supporting the anticipation of failure for those setting out to make personal change in the New Year, some people find that it is better to make change as needed, BREE WALTER abandoning the concept of New Year’s resolutions altogether. COPY EDITOR “I think it’s a lot more practical to try to improve throughout the year instead of trying to correct too much at once,” junior Timothy Stroud said. While snow is This perspective is feasible and makes logical sense, but for those who still feel the need to confront beginning to fall, their problems at the start of the year, it is important to question what makes one successful in the holiday traditions are pursuit of such goals. Is the achievement of those seeking to confront personal issues dependent on beginning to unfold. From their will to make change, or more on the constraints they place on themselves when attempting to the menorah lightings to become a new person overnight? According to Author and Psychology Professor John C. Norcross, Santa and his reindeer on top of Ph.D., the latter is a greater contributing factor. the roof, homes are being adorned “The key [to success] is being realistic,” Norcross said. “Many people confuse fantasy with with a variety of holiday trinkets from BECCA PHEANIS reality. Resolutions are supposed to be specific and realistic and measurable. In the book many walks of life. ASSISTANT ONLINE EDITOR [Changeology], we talk about the acronym SMART. It stands for Specific, Measurable, While some may only spend the season In Richmond High School, students from other countries, Attainable, Realistic and Time-sensitive.” with the family they live with, some also travel with variety of traditions and beliefs wander the halls. This piece of advice, in addition to other insightful study-based theories to the visit the rest of the family. In Germany, they celebrate Advent, a religious celebration of the “official” detailed in his book, seems simple, but is in actuality a very perceptive “On Christmas, we go to my sisters’ houses, birth of Christ, December 25th. Christmas trees are very important in Germany, if observation that, when applied, can bring back the excitement then my grandparents, and then we there are young children in the house, the mother of the family usually decorates the tree. associated with taking on challenges to better one’s self at come back home to eat dinner and open The Christmas tree was traditionally brought into the house on Christmas eve, and during that the start of a fresh, New Year. presents,” junior Ryan Robinson said. evening the family would read the Bible and sing carols. While some are already celebrating the Frederica Mariconda, junior, is a foreign exchange student from Italy. She arrived here August holidays, others may be waiting for their family 22 and is staying at RHS until the end of the year. Along with her family home in Italy, she celebrates to come home to share the joy. The Assumption of Mary. “My dad usually works on Christmas, so we wait In Italy, they celebrate the Virgin Mary, its called The Assumption of Mary, or Assumption Day, and until he gets home to open presents and then we go to my is celebrated on December 8th. It commemorates the day that God assumed the Virgin Mary into Heaven mamaw’s house,” junior Kara Swallow said. following her death, according to Christian belief. Unlike American traditions, Italy does not give out presents Traveling is normally an essential for the holiday, but by on Christmas, instead they have a feast with family. subtracting the traveling stress, some families lay back and enjoy “I have celebrated Christmas before, but this is my first year celebrating with Santa, and without my family,” playing games to connect with one another. Mariconda said. “My tradition is playing pictionary at my grandparent’s house,” senior In France, Christmas is called Noel, and is celebrated on December 25th. In southern France, some people Cierra Bowman said. burn a log in their homes from Christmas Eve until New Year’s Day. Nativity scenes are very common in Another way of celebrating the holidays is not only celebrating one, but celebrating households, but Christmas trees are not. multiple. As a few religions are being celebrated this season, some may wind up Rei Tsuyuki, sophomore, is an exchange student from Japan. She arrived here at RHS in August, celebrating more than just one of the holidays. and is planning on staying until the end of the year. With her family at home in Japan, she celebrates “I celebrate Hanukkah with my mom and I celebrate Christmas with my Christmas Eve. dad, so I do everything, really,” junior Destiny Walter-Wages said. “We In Japan, Christmas is recognized, but is not considered a national holiday. The Japanese always go see the lights and have a good time together as a family.” celebrate Christmas Eve by eating a “Christmas Cake” which the father of the family As the decorations are being set up, the trees are being plugged in and the purchases on his way home from work. Japan does not normally celebrate Christmas candles are being lit, the holiday hazards are waiting in anticipation to strike. When with presents. having the tree plugged in, take precautions with the outlets. Be sure to not plug your “I am very excited to be spending Christmas in America,” Tsuyuki lights into an overused power socket. With it being overused, it can overheat the socket said. and cause a fire. When putting up the outdoor decorations, be sure to take extra precautions. It Traditions vary all around the world, depending on is easy to lose your balance and fall from the roof if an unstable latter is being used. Dealing with religion and culture. Not all people celebrate a disaster at home is not something anyone wants to deal with when the holidays are close. holidays the same.
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What’s Cooking? Recipes Perfect for the Holiday Season Red Velvet Cake
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JOHN PERALES REPORTER To say that Christmas celebrates Christ would be technically correct, or tragically imprecise, depending on which Christmas you are talking about. The first, which stars a juvenile Jesus on the day of his birth, surrounded by his biblical welcome party in a shed, while the second features a crimson clad Santa Claus in his gift delivery occupation as the poster child of merriment. One holds ideals of celebrating Christ, while the other holds ideals of material gain. The former calls its followers to mass in a place of worship at least somewhat regularly, while the other entails seasonal worship of your local hypermarket well before snow alights upon the ground. Indeed, the two are quite distinguishable; the latter has become so different that it is uncommon to find decorations that bear both exemplars’ standards. But wait, isn’t there only one Christmas? It would be just to think so. So what is this other religion? This new “religion” is commercialism: the product of a capitalist economy that has long accompanied the “gift-giving spirit” that many believe is just an innocent aspect of Christmas and has been blown out of proportion in terms of emphasis. This day and age features millions of people eagerly rushing to their Christmas trees on December 25th for the myriad of presents that reside under them. Even the term “gift” belies the true nature of the intent of these items of interest, which is, in actuality, to indulge ourselves whether we would like to confess such a thing or not. I find myself appalled at the witness of Santa-themed advertisements just after the conclusion of Halloween, harping about how we must return to the time of spending once more. Indeed, a celebration of material gain and self-indulgence permeates our existence for an entire two months of the year. The warping of Christmas has been unprecedented, but, in retrospect, not surprising. The rapid growth of industry in the 19th century and the largely Christian population of the US created a marriage of two large aspects of peoples’ lives: the commercial and the religious. That, in addition to the fact Christmas was synonymous with rowdy celebration, sparked a change in the Christmas identity.. The impression on society this has made is especially apparent. For instance, despite the irrefutable fact that only a small percentage of Japanese are actually Christian, to see advertisements featuring our red suited hero championing them is commonplace. The spending fervor has spread to other religions as well. The Judaist celebration of Hanukkah has taken to emulating these habits; as the holiday coincides near Christmas, despite neither of the religions endorsing such extreme spending. Despite this, relatively few of our populace seems to have qualms with this seemingly insidious transformation. It is, after all, how they were raised, and few would dare to go back on the upholding of their “Christmas tradition.” Events spawned from the spending fervor, like Black Friday, only worsen the deep-seated mental institutions that dwell in the average person. When it is the holiday season, celebrating equates to gifts, and gifts almost always equate to spending. It is this cycle that has caused the people of America to participate in such behavior. Fundamentals aside, as to what this bodes for Christmas is up to speculation. On the more cynical side of the spectrum, this could very well spell the demise of Christmas as a widely “celebrated” holiday, and its introduction as a less pivotal event, or it could potentially be well on the path to commercial oblivion. However, for Christians, this could bode a more radiant future, as the advertisements have the potential to create awareness to the religious aspect as well. “It just opens the door for others to look deeper,” as one pastor pointed out. Whatever it leads to, the only thing that is apparent is that commercial commandeering of the holiday season is here to stay.
Jenna Saylor
Ingredients: 1 cup soft sh ortening ½ cup suga r 2 eggs 1 tsp lemon extract 1 tsp vanilla extract 2 ¾ flour 2 tsp cream tartar 1 tsp bakin g soda ½ tsp salt 3 bowls larg e, 2 small Steps: 1. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees 2. Mix toge ther shorte ning, sugar 3. Mix vanil and eggs la and lemo n extract to separate bo gether in a wl 4. Mix the two mixture s together
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Page 6 Feature
Thrift Shops Gain Popularity, But Not Without Controversy MEADOW WEHRLEY GRAPHICS EDITOR
Senior Collin Erdosy and junior Jessica Lemar donate old goods to Abilities Richmond.
Continued from page 1 Though this project is for the holiday season it would be appreciated if people could continue giving and helping others throughout the year. “I want this project to go beyond helping out the community,” senior KOM council member Emma Toney said. “I know the kids we are helping will be more than grateful for our help to them. I want freshmen and KOMs to take this experience to heart and understand how incredible giving back to the community feels. I would love if students would start to take the initiative and get their own friends and family involved in an organization. Whether it’s donating clothing or toys to Adopt-A-Family or Toys For Tots, or ringing a Salvation Army bell for an hour or two, these charities appreciate all the help they can get, and there is no better feeling than knowing you are making a difference.” Don’t just let the holiday season be your reason to pay it forward. Remember that you can do an act of kindness for anyone at any time of the year.
For the students that have only got $20 in their pocket, it’s important to know the ins and outs of the stores they shop in and the way that they thrift; in some cases, the integrity of these shops may be misleading and when picking which thrift store to sift through or to bring last years clothes, knowing what they stand for may be a determining factor that gets ignored. Recently, the scandal in back rooms of Goodwill stores across the country has been brought to light by the recent Brian Williams NBC Newscast. The segment “Disabled workers paid just pennies an hour- and its legal” informs watchers of the workers that are being cheated out of receiving minimum wage through a federal law that allows disabled workers to be paid as little as 22 cents an hour. With the rising trend of thrift shopping, the
company is only growing larger. While Goodwill pays some workers less than a dollar an hour, their CEO’s make six figures in a year. “Thrifting” has become the cool thing to do. Teenagers are scouring the aisles of local thrift shops for ugly sweaters or vintage sweatshirts and very few know the secrets behind the large Goodwill company. “This whole situation is completely ludicrous,” senior Collin Erdosy said after watching. “These workers are being chipped out of thousands of dollars per year. It’s hard to watch a newscast about people that are a tad ‘different’ from everyone else getting cheated and being used.” Growing awareness has caused more people to boycott the store and explore other options. Richmond has many thrift stores to treasure hunt in or to bring unwanted stuff piling up around the house. Salvation Army, Helping Hands and Abilities all accept donation
like Goodwill does. Abilities, a thrift store in Richmond, opened for the purpose of providing work to disabled workers and serves as a fair and equal opportunity employment option. “Thats why we do it.” owner Tami Johnson said. “Everyone has an ability.” “I can’t believe they’re getting away with this,” junior Essence Cunningham said. “I will definitely not be giving Goodwill any more business and I hope change happens soon.” Without the knowledge of the background of a company, clueless shoppers are supporting stores whose actions they don’t agree with. “I can say that I personally will not shop there anymore, and would strongly recommend that other people watch the video and boycott the company,” Erdosy said. “I think the CEO has some serious reconsideration to do on the title ‘Goodwill’.”
Obesity Taking Over America ROBERT SCHOEFFLER DESIGN EDITOR
It is common knowledge that the United States has been recently struggling with the issue of obesity, though you may be surprised to know that a large contributing factor to obesity has been the food served in school lunches. “Most school lunches rely heavily on high-energy, lownutrient-value food, because it’s cheaper,” director of the University of Michigan Cardiovascular Center Dr. Kim A. Eagle said. Eating right is crucial to children and adolescents as it acts as a basis for leading healthy lifestyle, though this age group has seen no improvement when it comes to obesity in recent years. According to www.cdc.gov, the percentage of adolescents from 12 to 19 years old in the United States that are obese rose from 5% in 1980 to 18% in 2010. What we eat has a major impact on health and weight, so it is expected that schools should serve students healthy food. Evidently schools nationwide failed to do so. According to www.nytimes.com, “A study of more than 1,000 sixth graders in several schools in southeastern Michigan found that those who regularly had the school lunch were 29 percent more likely to be obese than those who brought lunch from home.” This 2011 study and many other similar cases caused the Department of Agriculture to reform the school lunch requirements, beginning in 2010.
These requirements include limiting the amount of trans fats, saturated fat, and calories allowed to be in each lunch while also requiring schools to serve more fruit, vegetables, and whole grains. This is why Richmond High School students have been required to take at least two fruit and/or vegetable dishes at lunch, and healthier replacements have been made. One of the notable changes to a popular RHS lunch is the switch to a whole grain tortilla on fajita day, as opposed to the large flour tortillas that used to be served. “All of our bread, as well as breading on the chicken, now has to be whole grain, and everything has to be baked instead of fried”, RHS lunch aide Sheila Elliott said. Some students may be opposed to the healthier changes, but it hasn’t been a large issue. “I appreciate the healthier alternatives at lunch, and actually prefer whole grain”, senior Robert Spencer said. While there has been student speculation of further changes such as the addition of a salad bar, everything is staying the same for now. “We currently fall right within the government lunch guidelines, but come June we will find out if any changes need to be made for the 2014-2015 school year”, Elliott said. While some students have been against these changes, it is necessary for schools to make healthier choices when serving lunch if they want to be part of the solution to America’s obesity problem instead of fueling it.
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Yoga Pants Causing Commotion Amongst Students County Wide KEELEY VANDERPOOL REPORTER In the past few years, schools in the district and around the area have decided to enforce school dress codes. There were new restrictions introduced here on specific clothing, in addition to the already standing restrictions on profanity, gang- related symbols and foul language. The biggest issues here at Richmond High School this school year are leggings, yogas, short skirts, sagging and jeans with holes in them. The most troubling issue at the moment seems to be leggings and yoga pants. The requirement for leggings and yoga pants is that students must wear a fingertip-length top over the leggings to cover the back side. At some surrounding schools it seems that they are having some similar issues but not exactly the ‘leggings’ issue like we do here at RHS. “We really do not have ‘big’ issues. Jeans with holes and short skirts are probably the most and this is limited to a very small percentage,” Northeastern principal Dennis
Metzger said. “Among boys it would be sagging and this is literally just a handful.” The dress code rules are not made to be mean, they are made to be respectable and to protect students here at RHS. There has been some recent issues via social networks because of leggings and yoga pants. “The dress code is what it is,” senior Courtney Arnold said. “Boys and girls are honestly still going to wear what they want regardless.” Three years ago, schools were on the verge of making it easy and switching to uniforms which would be khakis and a different color collared shirt for students. One color for boys and one color for girls. However, that caused some chaos even though it would limit gang influences, minimize violence and makes schools safer.
Even though parents would not have to stress on money for a ton of clothes, there was still a lot of dispute upon the uniform option from parents as well as students. The uniform policy was disapproved. During the first year of the dress code, the policy changed to plain shirts or shirts with an I.D. card size logo and sweats, shorts, jeans, etc., besides the usual restrictions of clothing worn. The next year, dress code restrictions lifted a little and they let students go back to wearing brand shirts like Aeropostale, American Eagle, Nike etc. The policy just couldn’t hold. “A group of students worked hard to change the dress code that students didn’t like,” Richmond High School principal Rae Woolpy said. “That is one reason we feel that students should adhere to and respect the new dress code.” Students now wear whatever clothing they choose for their school wardrobe, but they still have to meet the requirements of the school dress code. That’s becoming an issue here at RHS recently.
Bulletin Boards Take Up the Halls At RHS BRIA WILSON REPORTER Over the course of the past few weeks, Richmond High has received eight new bulletin boards to place throughout the school. For example four corners.The bulletin boards were given to the high school for free from Garrison Elementary school with the help from Career
Center Director Rusty Hensley. The boards are going to be used to help students find information faster and help save paper. “It will help identify specific locations where students can get all their information about what is happening not only at RHS but also in the community,” Principal Rae Woolpy said. The bulletin boards are meant to be a place
for students to post useful information and are open to use by anyone in the school community. “Students can post things on them but it has to be approved from an in adult,” Community in Schools coordinator Kris Lopresti said. The bulletin boards are posted all over the school, most of which are where a lot of students are.
There is Some “sense” Behind Websense SAVANNA GOBLE EDITOR IN CHIEF
S
itting in the school library, Rebecca was working on a research paper about the reproductive system for her health class. She found it difficult to gather information that she needed because most of the sites she clicked on were blocked. Rebecca looked over at her friend Timmy’s computer to see if he had been able to find anything for his research paper, when she noticed he was on Twitter. So why are websites that are educational being blocked and social websites not? For Richmond Community Schools, it is the software we use called Websense. Many of us have heard about it, but most are also probably confused as to where it comes from and why we have it. According to RCS Technology Coordinator Robert Tidrow, Websense is a server-based software that can filter Internet traffic and actually monitors Internet usage. “Websense provides threat management features to guard the network against SPAM, malware, and other harmful websites,” Tidrow said. Back to the fictional example of Rebecca and Timmy. Twitter is not blocked by Websense because the RCS superintendent and other staff members believe it can be an educational tool for students and teachers to connect for classroom and out of classroom assignments and help. The reason Rebecca was having issues looking for websites for her research paper on the reproductive system is because Websense filters sites by many different factors. One being that the program uses algorithms based on categories to filter content. The basic keywords or categories that RCS blocks include gambling, explicit material, social media, shopping and all uncategorized websites. Many sites would have been blocked from Rebecca because most
of the sites were probably categorized under sexual content due to the subject of the reproductive system, even though it was for educational purposes. Real students have had these real problems. “I would make Websense less strict,” junior Austin McKinney said. “We should be able to go on any site with useful material.” Students have a few options in the situation where they need to access blocked content. The research could continue on at home, assuming the student has a computer
and access to the Internet. The other option is going to their teacher to ask if they could do something about unblocking the site needed. The process for unblocking a specific site has to go through three main people, the teacher wanting to unblock the site, the building principal and the technology department; all to ensure the site is safe and appropriate for all students, K-12. Websense was adopted in 2006 by RCS to protect students.
“We are required by federal law, called the Children’s Internet Protection Act, (CIPA), to block or filter Internet access to pictures that are obscene, child pornography or harmful to minors,” Tidrow said. “CIPA also requires that we monitor the online activities of minors. This is why all RCS students must have a unique username to access the network and Internet. If we violate this law, we are in jeopardy of losing grant monies that help us pay for Internet access and Internet-related hardware.” Though Websense does a great job at filtering and has a good threat management system, the program is not meant for educational environments but rather for the corporate world according to Tidrow. Not being able to get to Youtube, Facebook, Pinterest and many other websites has been a big complaint for staff and students. Not for the social media access necessarily, but using those networks for educational research and information. Using search engines for research even becomes a problem because of the filtering categories. Classes that require computer and Internet access are having the most difficulties with this. “Websense does restrict some of the activities that I would like to do in my classroom,” business teacher Denise Selm said. “There are many web tools that I would like to use to enhance instruction and learning that are blocked. For example, I teach Personal Finance and a large component of this course deals with pricing and consumer spending. Many of the web resources related to this content are restricted.” These issues with Websense have not gone unnoticed. Tidrow and the technology department is currently evaluating different programs that will most likely be seen in the 2014-2015 school year. He and Principal Rae Woolpy are looking for different ways to make the filtering more appropriate for high school students. While nothing is set in stone, change is in the near future for the way RCS uses technology.
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“ObamaCare” Causes Far-Reaching Controversy IAN RILEY CHIEF COPY EDITOR On March 23, 2010, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, more commonly referred to as Obamacare, was signed into law to the dismay of many conservative politicians and citizens. It has been roughly three years since and the law will finally take effect on the first of January. The law offers a significant overhaul of the current healthcare system, broadening Medicare and Medicaid coverages as well as offering a government health care option, but what does any of that mean? More importantly, how will it affect you in Richmond? Insurance is a scary word. You can very easily fall prey to bad policies or shady brokers if you don’t really understand what’s going on. While all this health insurance mumbo-jumbo might not affect you now, you will eventually be forced to get health insurance or pay a rather exorbitant fine per the new mandates. Obamacare has changed several standards in the insurance industry. Companies can no longer deny you coverage for having pre-existing conditions. In English, that means that if you have diabetes or glaucoma an insurance company can’t turn you away. While that might seem rather like a common sense change, insurance companies in the past could deny coverage to anyone as long as they had a preexisting condition the company thought could potentially cost them a lot of money. Shifty, right? The new act will fine people who do not have a healthcare plan. Honestly, it’s rather hard not to have one. Most employers offer health care, and if you are working a part time job that does not, you can get a plan through the government. In addition, if cost is truly an issue for your family, and you fall into the government’s definition of poverty- on average for a family of four is an income of $23,550 a year or less- then the government will subsidize your
plan, paying for part of the cost. Not only do people consider it flawed, many consider it outright unconstitutional. The original law even had to go under review by the Supreme Court in the case of National Federation of Independent Businesses v. Sebelius, because many conservative politicians were worried about the mandatory
Obamacare.” Controversy has also arisen over government’s role in a woman’s decision about abortion. Conservatives argue that life begins at conception, although the new law allows for contraception to be covered under a government plan. “Under Obamacare, insurance companies can no longer discriminate against
stealing Social Security numbers and other pertinent information/ Although the government has cracked down on that, it is still something to watch out for. Signup problems aside, it seems like President Obama has gone back on some of his promises regarding the system. In the original proposal, he stated that if you signed up for his government
“With liberty and justice for all with pre-existing conditions!”
expansion of Medicaid and Medicare in their states, as well as taxes which they thought could kill local small businesses. Many congressmen and senators have tried to filibuster or repeal the law over the last three years, obviously to a resounding failure. Many businessmen and senators think now is not the time to make changes because of the recovering economy and shifting political winds. “I support health care for people,” property magnate and business tycoon Donald Trump said. “I want people well taken care of, but I also want health care that we can afford as a country. I have people and friends closing down their businesses because of
women,” US Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius said. “Before, some wouldn’t cover women’s most basic needs, like contraception and maternity care, but would still charge us up to 50 percent more than men - for a worse plan.” The Obamacare system, whether just or not, is far from perfect, as people who have tried to sign up can testify. The launch has been considered somewhat of a gaffe by President Obama, as the website repeatedly crashed in the weeks following its unveiling due to large number of people signing on at once. The site had been infested by hackers and other identity thieves, in some cases actively
“Official Pizza of the Red Devils”
health care plan, that you would be able to keep your doctor. It appears that is not actually the case, as many hospitals and private institutions will not be accepting the insurance coverage offered by the government, including our own Reid Hospital. That means that you can still go to that doctor or hospital for care, but you will essentially pay for the rest of the cost of your treatment beyond what your deductible is, so you might be forced to switch practitioners or pay a much higher price. Let’s say that you have an insurance program that pays 80% of your costs after your deductible. (A deductible is an amount you are required to pay before your
insurance kicks in.) The hospital treating you does not accept your insurance, so the insurance is only willing to pay a certain amount for your procedure. For example your procedure will cost $15,000, but the insurance company is only willing to pay $10,000, and the other $5,000 will come out of your pocket. Those kinds of payments, especially at regular rate, can be bank breaking and disastrous for a family’s finances. The unfortunate part for us is that Reid Hospital will not be accepting the government healthcare plans. That means if you want you insurance to be accepted, you would have to go out of town to do so. The decision does not come at an easy price, as the community could greatly suffer. Before getting up in arms, you need the context of the situation. Indiana is contracting the insurance programs in the state through a program called Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, which essentially has monopolylike power as far as setting insurance premiums go in the state of Indiana. So that means they can force the hospitals to accept very low prices. According to the Reid Hospital Financial Department, this kind of bullying economic policy could destroy the hospital’s business, and eventually kill its profits. At the same time however, avoiding that huge pool of clients could also severely damage its profits. The future of this situation is still up in the air. As the new year is ushered in, significant changes will be made to the health care system in America. Although those changes start in the halls of government, they will affect the entire country, Richmond included. As the program is altered and perfected, we, as the citizens of both Indiana and America, must watch for changes and adjust to them accordingly. After all, these new regulations could easily make or break your income for an entire year.
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