What Next? by JHS BlackandWhite

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BLACK AND WHITE

WHAT

NEXT?

VOLUME 31 ISSUE 4

APRIL 2023

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BLACK AND WHITE

APRIL 2023

VOLUME 31 ISSUE 4

Editorial Board

Editor-in-Chief

Print Editor

Design Editor

News-brief Editor

Copy Editor

Sports Editor

Social Media Editor

Theron Luett

Catherine Reiher

Audrey Allen

Allie Christensen

Lily Fleming

John Kirkpatrick

Riley Babel

Staff Writers

Anna Catlett

Giada Grimes

Sydney Hodges

Dory Holms

April

When Jay Rice ‘94 brainstormed the name of our paper in 1991, it was not because of the ink color. For the last 28 years, our mission has been to bring our audience stories from the school, community and nation, told clearly and without exaggeration--in black and white.

Lauren Holm

Sidny Pohlman

Noah Traylor

Ike Venter

What Next?

The job of journalists is to ask questions. We record the who, what, where, why and whens of history, especially for the future. As we look into our futures, we simultaneously move towards the end our school year, leaving many students wondering the same question - what happens next?

“Riley Reads Banned Books” see pages 18/19 for more.

2 | CONTENTS

News

16/17 Pawns of the Frenzy

Features

4/5 1-1800 Nyle Beganovic

8/9 World According To Hayes

Opinions

14/15 Our Liberties We Prize, and Our Rights We Maintain

18/19 Riley Reads Banned Books

Commentary

6/7 Suburban Psychosis

12/13 Simple Changes, Big Impacts

Editorial

10/11 The Willow Project

Arts and Entertainment

20 Spring Spotify

Fine Print

Black & White is published solely by the Johnston High School newspaper staff. It is an open forum. In accordance with Iowa law, students assign, edit material and make all decisions of content.

Editorials represent the opinion of a majority of the editorial board. Editorial and opinion pieces do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the advisor, school officials or the district.

Letters to the editor must be signed. Like all materials, letters may not be libelous, obscene or an invasion of privacy. To write a letter to the editor, or report an error in the issue, please contact the editors at jhsblackandwhite@gmail.com.

Say Hello! Instagram @jhsnewspaper | TikTok @jhsblackandwhite | Twitter @jhsnewspaper

“The Willow Project” see pages 10/11 for more.

Nyle Beganovic

Words| Sidny wPohlman Layout| Catherine Reiher

Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact combat sport that allows and incorporates a wide variety of fighting techniques. It allows skills from a mixture of other combat sports to be used in competition. MMA contains usage of various fighting techniques while both standing and on the ground. The UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) is the largest mixed martial arts (MMA) organization in the world. The UFC showcases only the best international fighters.

In 7th grade, Nyle Beganovic ‘25 found his love for the sport,

“Everyone was doing wrestling in 7th grade so I wanted to give it a shot. But after wrestling, I started watching MMA and everyone fighting in the cage, and I really liked and got interested in that. After that I just taught myself a lot and started going to MMA gyms and now I’ve built my own gym in my basement to train at,” Beganovic said.

Beganovic works consistently to help achieve his big dreams for the future. He wants to be a UFC fighter. Aside from building his own personal gym, he goes to MMA gyms and trains up to six times a week to build his skill set. MMA training requires preparation in multiple ranges of combat, and becoming a UFC fighter isn’t easy. It takes exceptional fighting skills, and you have to train, learn, compete and master at least one martial art to become eligible for UFC.

Beganovic acknowledges that it requires mental toughness, discipline, and intense conditioning, and additionally learning MMA is difficult because you have to learn all aspects of the art of fighting. He overlooks the toughness of the sport due to the reward of winning fights, and participating in something that he loves.

But MMA isn’t where he started. Wrestling is what helped him find his new passion. Although Beganovic found his love for MMA fighting, he didn’t lose his love for the sport that got him where he is. “I mainly do wrestling to build up skills for MMA, but I wrestled before I found my love for fighting.” Since MMA is a hybrid combat sport it utilizes wrestling in certain aspects, allowing Beganovics wrestling training to help him develop his fighting technique. He wrestled varsity this year and went 10-16 on the season (10 wins, 16 losses). “I definitely had a fun wrestling season. Wrestling varsity is cool, getting to go up against the best of the best.”He references the hard working nature of the sport as he briefly mentions teaching himself the art of fighting. He’s been self taught since he first decided to become an MMA fighter 4 years ago. Beganovic describes that both wrestling and MMA have taught him a lot of discipline, especially training six times a week, including through the month of Ramadan. Ramadan, the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, is one of the most sacred times for Muslims. During this month, participants observe a strict daily fast from dawn until sunset. Through these daylight hours, they are not allowed to eat or drink, not even water. The act of fasting is meant to remind Muslims of the less fortunate and to reinforce the need to be thankful, as well as serving as a form of spiritual discipline.

1/1800

Photo Credit: JHS Yearbook

4 | FEATURE

“I just want to be in the octagon, I love fighting, I love the sport. For my career after high school I want to be in the UFC, it’s just this is what I love, and what I like doing,” Beganovic said.

“My family and I, we’re Muslim, and I’d say I’m pretty strict about my religion. It’s an important aspect of my life.”

Since Beganovics future relies on making it to the UFC, training is a necessity -- which is why Ramadan doesn’t stop him. He still manages to stay highly conditioned throughout the 30 days of fasting.

“It’s really hard to train, but I still go to the gym to continue to maintain my strength, and build my skills, it’s just a little harder.”

Beganovic has big dreams for his future, and he works hard to make UFC fighting a reality. His aspirations for the future all revolve around fighting. He acknowledges his family’s opinion on his career choice,

“They support but they also want me to do something with college and, like they don’t want me to get hurt, because like, fighting is dangerous.” MMA has repeatedly been described as the hardest sport, requiring not only physical strength, but mental toughness as well. Additionally, it’s hard in competition, incorporating almost every hand-to-hand combat sport. The nature of the sport is intense. Beganovic lists the downsides of the sport, like injury, and physical and mental strain, further acknowledging the danger and his family’s concerns. “It is still just what I love, and my family knows that. They still want me to do what I love.” Nonetheless, Beganovic has big dreams for his future and evidently works consistently to pursue them.

From sophomore to senior, one student was randomly selected to tell their story.

Nyle Beganovic posing in front of the Islamic and Cultural Center “Bosniak” in Granger, Iowa. Nyle Beganovic wrestles Eric Malaise of Cedar Falls at Marshalltown High School on Jan. 7, 2023. Photo Credit: Johnston Wrestling

Suburban Psychosis

Lonely

Anxious

Why suburban life is not as picturesque as many have imagined. Depressed

Words | Catherine Reiher Layout | Allie Christensen

FEATURE

FEATURE 6 | COMMENTARY

The town mouse or the country mouse? Aesop’s famous fable depicts two mice who live vastly different lives. The message of the fable is that an individual’s safety is more important than luxury. Sadly, there is no inclusion of a suburban mouse, which one could argue is safe enough and luxurious enough. Suburban life is the picturesque white picket fences, cookie-cutter homes, long driveways, and luscious green grassy yards. Effectively, suburban life is the epitome of the ‘American Dream’. Suburbs are often thought of as having the best of both worlds, big city amenities with much of the safety and security of a quiet town. Except that is only what we have been told to think. Psychosis is the state of being lost from reality. Suburbs present a picture-perfect atmosphere, when in reality recent studies show that suburbs can be worse for your health than living in densely populated cities.

Suburban life became popular following World War II. The GI bill guaranteed veterans home loans and made suburban life affordable. As soldiers returned home, they got married and started having kids. Those families needed to move out of their one-bedroom apartments in the city, and many chose a life in the suburbs. The suburban sprawl changed many aspects of American lives, a heavy reliance on cars was created, suburbs created increasingly segregated neighborhoods, and vast highway systems had to be built.

It all starts with cars. Commuting is a hassle; the average one-way commute, according to the US Census Bureau, is 27.6 minutes. That is 14,392 minutes, 240 hours, or 10 days of your year. By the time an individual retires, they have spent over a year of their life commuting to work. I find that disturbing, but what does all of this have to do with suburbs? Individuals in the suburbs are more likely to drive everywhere: work, school, shopping, and restaurants. This is a problem even in a well-connected smaller suburban cities like the western suburbs. In their nature, suburbs are very spread out, and they lack the infrastructure for optional public transportation and for non-car private transportation like walking or biking.

“Driving to school has always been a burden for me. I take the interstate and overall my drive, with morning traffic, takes about 20 minutes.” Said Renee Johnson ‘23

When the 2-mile school transportation rule was implemented for high school students in Johnston, a portion of students in the 2-mile radius of their school qualified for busing because of the absence of adequate sidewalks or difficulty due to high-traffic roads. Exemplifying why, even in Johnston, the suburban city style is not always ideal. The large dependence on cars for transportation is broadly cited for higher rates of obesity in suburbs, due to the increase in inactivity that cars promote.

Individuals in suburban areas also report more chronic health problems like hypertension, arthritis, and difficulty breathing. Many of these chronic health issues can be comorbidities of obesity. Higher reported rates of difficulty breath-

ing is an interest statistical conclusion, as suburbs are generally praised for their good air quality when compared to large cities. While living in the suburbs may put you at higher risk for these health conditions, its effects on your mental health are the most concerning.

Suburbs in their nature are very isolating, they do not offer the same daily interactions that someone in a large city would have. Suburban environments encourage isolation and individualism because of their structure, and promote higher levels of depression. For many in suburbs, there is a disconnect between expected and achieved happiness. A study from The University of Chicago found that when comparing individuals in cities and suburban environments, those in the suburban environments reported less satisfaction in their lives. Individuals in densely populated cities expressed depressed moods and dissatisfaction with where they live, while individuals in more affluent suburban communities expressed higher levels of depression, low self-esteem, and worthlessness. The culprit for this dissatisfaction in life is the idea that achieving the ideal livelihood can solve any underlying issue. Instead of blaming the environment for discomfort, loneliness, or unhappiness, individuals blame themselves. To elaborate, the lack of community that is found in suburban communities could be contributing to an inhabitant’s low self-esteem or feeling as though they are not contributing to society.

By nature, humans are pack animals and thrive in environments interacting with and being supported by one another. When humans do not have those innately desired interactions, loneliness is inevitable. During the Covid-19 pandemic when isolation was at an all time high the World Health Organization released a document on the consequences of loneliness specifically in older-people. The document includes harsh implications. “In older age, social isolation and loneliness increase the risks of cardiovascular disease, stroke, diabetes, cognitive decline, dementia, depression, anxiety and suicide.

Before you panic and purchase a condo in downtown Des Moines, there are plenty of ways to promote a healthy body and mind while continuing to live in the suburbs of any city. 52% of Americans describe where they live as suburban [US Census Bureau], and as I have just told you that puts you at a higher risk for obesity, hypertension, and depression to name a few. The root of these statistics is that cities force individuals to have a more active life and to see and interact with others on a regular basis. If you want to enjoy life in suburbia: make meaningful connections with those around you, exercise regularly, and utilize the outdoor environment. The big difference between suburban and urban is the amount of green space open for public use. Next time you are debating taking Toto for a walk, hiking a local park, or playing an intense game of sand volleyball at your community center, remember how much it will benefit both your physical and mental health.

The World According To...

Words|Anna Catlett

Layout|Dory Holms

8 | FEATURE

ne of the many new faces amongst Johnston High School teachers is Rylee Hayes, the world history teacher is in her first year of teaching. Her bubbly personality and positive energy have had an impact on many of her students.

Hayes loves getting to know her students, and interacting with them on a daily basis. This is easy to see in her classroom, as she always makes an effort to check in with her students. Whether it is helping them with their assignments, or asking them about their weekends, Hayes enjoys getting to know her students.

“My favorite [part about teaching] is just the students. I love getting to know all of you as individuals. Then spending the day with my amazing growing humans,” Hayes stated.

Hayes pushes positivity in her classroom, and has a goal for all her students.

“My goal for my students is to become really kind individuals,” Hayes said.

Hayes’ students believe she is an amazing educator because of the care she has for all that enter her classroom.

“I like how she’s friendly to all her students…I feel like she’s a good teacher also because she makes sure people understand the lesson, she walks around the room helping kids all the time,” stated Akhila Nott, ‘25.

There are some downsides to teaching as well, Hayes’ least favorite part about teaching is the administrative aspect.

“The least part is sometimes the bureaucratic stuff, so like having to get this thing turned in on time. Different things like that, getting the work outside teaching is sometimes a lot. But, I think it gets better as you become more established in each class, but the first couple years of a new class can be pretty time-consuming. I think that’s maybe the biggest downside of teaching,” Hayes explained.

Hayes didn’t always want to become a teacher. Growing up, she aspired to be a variety of different things.

“As a kid I wanted to be a hairdresser for a little bit, and then a spy because that obviously sounds really cool. Then I wanted to be a documentarian, that’s what I went to college originally for, but it turns out you don’t actually get to spend that much time making the movies. You have to like to go around to investors to get them to buy your movie, and that seemed really awful, and so I decided I didn’t want to do that anymore,” Hayes stated.

Eventually, Hayes realized teaching would be a good fit for her. She got her teaching degree from the University of Iowa.

“I didn’t know I wanted to be a teacher for a really long time. I know I wanted to teach, partly because I just like to learn about everything. I always liked to do teaching type things, like with any job or class I was in. I spent some time trying to figure out what I wanted to do within teaching, and then finally I was like I should just be a teacher that would make the most sense,” Hayes said.

Hayes has a lot of things she enjoys doing outside of school. Her ideal weekend would be relaxing, and spending time with loved ones.

“Usually I’ll spend some time lesson planning, unfortunately.

But usually I’ll hang out with friends, and my family as well. A little bit of everything, just relax hopefully, that’s kind of like always my goal. Maybe bake or cook,” Hayes said.

She also has many hobbies she spends her free time on.

“I like to do pretty much anything outside, just being outside feels good. I like to rock climb, run, and garden. Taking up painting again, haven’t done that since high school so that’s exciting,” Hayes said.

Hayes also played sports in high school, though she was mainly involved in activities.

“I played soccer my entire life, I guess not in college, it was definitely for fun. So soccer was my main thing, and I ran track as well for a couple years,” stated Hayes.

Growing up, one of Hayes’ biggest role models was her dad.

“I would say my dad, he is just like a very generous person. I think that’s always my goal, is to be as generous and kind as I can be,” Hayes said.

Hayes likes to challenge herself and believes her proudest moments are times when she was able to do so.

“The thing I’m most proud of is when I kind of put myself out of the bubble, like out of my safety bubble. Going on trips by myself, or I ran a marathon one time and that was really hard, just things where I’ve challenged myself. I think that’s something you should try to do every day, but it can be really hard,” explained Hayes.

Traveling is something that Hayes really enjoys, in her lifetime she hopes to visit every continent.

“I’d love to visit every country, not every country, maybe just every continent there’s a lot of countries,” said Hayes. As stated earlier, Hayes cares a lot about her students. High school can be a difficult time, Hayes’ advice for kids is to stick with it and make connections with those around you.

“I think just trust the process, you’re not gonna know exactly what you want to be probably very early on. Just know that the people around you are there to support you, if you don’t find that then find some people to support you. Once you have that, whether or not everything is going right, you have people to fall back on to support you along the way. I think that’s really important because eventually, everything will turn out alright,” Hayes stated.

If Hayes had one thing she wanted those at JHS to know, it would be her dream retirement plan of owning a sheep farm.

“My retirement plan is to have a sheep farm. Ideally neither like New Zealand or England because they both like very nice places, and also very good places for sheep. So, I’ve looked into this pretty well pretty deeply. More people know that I would like to retire and own a sheep farm,” said Hayes.

Willow Project

Carbon Chaos

In mid-March of 2023, the Biden Administration made the controversial decision to allow ConocoPhillips, a petroleum refiner, to drill in the National Petroleum Reserve of Alaska on its Northern Slope. Many people are unsure if this project will solve more problems than it will cause.

Biology teacher Mr. Daemicke has taken a stance against supporting the Willow Project. Daemicke believes that the approval of the Willow Project will only promote the further use of fossil fuels, instead of trying to find a clean energy alternative to oil.

“Personally, I’m against it…it definitely goes away from what our nation should be moving towards which is green fuel and this will just provide more fuel for fossil fuels.” Daemicke said.

Throughout much of Biden’s presidency, Biden has taken a stance against fossil fuels and has made an effort to promote clean energy alternatives to fossil fuels. The approval of the new oil venture also comes

in staunch opposition to the Biden Administration’s stance on oil drilling on public and federal land.

The Willow Project has been met with sharp criticism from social media and environmentalists online. According to CNN, over one million opposition letters were sent to the Biden Administration and over 2.8 million people signed a petition to stop the Willow Project on Change.org.

Daemicke believes that the reason the Willow Project caused such a stir on social media is because many people have strong opinions when it comes to fossil fuels and climate change.

“I think social media’s a place where you can pick a polarizing stance and when we’re talking about green energy that’s a very polarizing topic. So it’s just kind of a flag to go to, it’s a red button topic.” Daemicke stated.

One of the reasons the Willow Project was passed was to help stop America’s reliance on foreign oil. The Willow Project plans to drill in Alaska for 30 years, where ConocoPhillips could produce up to 576 million barrels of oil.

Alongside the expected increase in domestic oil, the US government also has the belief that this will boost the American economy. The creation of new jobs and oil that will be produced would also improve the Alaskan economy. However the negatives of the Willow Project still outweigh the positives. The natives of Alaska are concerned about the effects the project will have on the local environment. The carbon dioxide emissions from the Willow Project would not only harm the environment but it will also harm the residents who will live by the drilling site.

The Willow Project will produce millions of tons of carbon dioxide, roughly 239 million metric tons. The drilling will release 9.2 million metric tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. That’s roughly equivalent to the emissions of 2 million gas-powered cars. The Willow Project will act as a carbon bomb, only furthering the already dire global warming crisis.

“If we’re going to be burning all that oil, it’s definitely going to affect the climate negatively because that carbon dioxide and other emissions are going to go into the atmosphere and we know that that’s going to directly impact our global temperatures, our global air qualities and how that could

10 | ENTERTAINMENT

Words | John Kirkpatrick Layout | Allie Christensen

indirectly affect different ecosystems,” Daemicke said. While Iowans might think they can’t protest the Willow Project because of how far Alaska is from Iowa, there are things people can do to help. Contact your local politicians and vote against the support of fossil fuels once you’re eligible.

“Students are always going to be making decisions for the future so it’s important that they are educated on what’s going on in the world right now so they can make informed decisions for their future. Adults and voting citizens I think it’s just contacting your local politicians and making sure that they’re doing things in your favor. So if being green is an importance to you, then you need to make your party members aware of that,” Daemicke said.

The drilling will release 9.2 million tons of Co2 in atmosphere

Whole Foods

Impact Simple

Changes, Big

Words| Dory Holms

Layout| Audrey Allen

The average person produces about 1,600 pounds of waste per year. That is about 4.9 pounds per day, as the United States Environmental Protection Agency reports. With this said, there are many ways to cut down on waste in everyday life, even throughout suburban Iowa.

Keeping on top of the latest trends, the online shopping platform Shein has produced about 6.3 million tons of carbon dioxide per year according to Time Magazine. Carbon dioxide emissions are one of the main causes of climate change and a driving cause of extreme weather. Shein, along with other growing fast-fashion companies, is motivating the rise of carbon dioxide emissions, which are at an all-time high.

As a helpful alternative, there are many second-hand stores in the Des Moines area. Goodwill and Salvation Army are such second-hand stores, supplying practically anything. There are also consignment stores like Worn, Rumors Vintage, and Platos Closet that have higher-end and gently used clothing. These stores allow customers to find great items while reducing their carbon

footprint by reusing and recycling.

“In general trying to buy new clothing you will wear at least 30 times is a good rule of thumb for sustainable fashion,” said Sara Howe, sponsor of the JHS Science and Sustainability Club.

By shopping at thrift stores and buying clothing you know you will get good use of, you save money and reduce the amount of clothing that ends up in landfills.

Apart from thrift stores, consignment stores, and overall conscious spending, sustainable supply shops are sprinkled throughout the state. At The Collective, self-care products with less plastic packaging ensures customers can directly reduce their personal waste. The small business opened in 2019 by Jamie Nicolino and specializes in zero and minimal waste products. By stocking products in bulk, customers can bring their own container, then pay for the product by tAhe ounce.

One place that is more popular but also prefers to use more sustainable and ethically sourced ingredients is Lush, a privately owned franchise throughout North America. Similarly, Lush

12 | COMMENTARY

The Collective

supplies many products for different self-care needs. They have products for children and adults alike. The products are better for the environment than the typical beauty product and make your skin look and smell amazing. With a few small changes in the daily products you use, you can significantly reduce the amount of waste you produce.

Often alongside the sustainability label, businesses proclaim themselves ethically manufactured, animal cruelty-free, and vegan. Such labels stem from the proven impact of efforts to combat global warming. At Loma Linda University, researchers found vegans have the smallest carbon footprint, with 41.7% less generations of greenhouse gasses than meat-eaters.

On an individual scale, eating less meat can help reduce personal carbon emissions. Meatless Monday is a campaign that encourages people to not eat meat on Mondays for the health of our planet and their own personal health. Specifically, eating meat less helps stop deforestation and reduces the amount of carbon dioxide emissions associated with meat production, according to The National Library of Medicine.

Reducing meat consumption might not be for everyone, but there are other ways to help the environment through diet. Some grocery stores like Fresh Thyme Market have refilling stations where you can bring your own container and fill it with different types of grains and rice, they also have many snack and nut

options. Through this practice, Fresh Thyme Market promotes energy-efficient diets and reduces waste with less packaging.

When reducing is not possible, the all too familiar slogan “reduce, reuse, recycle” states the next best alternatives are reusing items and recycling items. Disposing of certain recyclable items was once hard to do at JHS, but the Science and Sustainability club has worked hard to make disposing of these items much easier.

“The club works to limit the school’s and students’ environmental impact through different programs and events such as bottle recycling, clothing drives, and general environmental awareness,” David Zhang ‘25 said.

While the club works hard to limit the school’s waste, they also do fun events like March Mammal Madness, a tournament that focuses on combat between different mammals.

“The best thing about this club is definitely the people in it. It’s a great way for people to make a positive impact on the environment and have fun at the same time,” said Zhang ‘25.

Even if your contribution to help reduce waste is small, it is very important to help save our planet. If every person tried to reduce their waste just a little bit we could have a great impact on the environment and make sure we don’t suffer from extreme climate change.

Fresh Thyme

Shein has produced

million tons of carbon dioxide per year 6.3

OUR LIBERTIES WE PRIZE, OUR RIGHTS WE WILL MAINTAIN

Words | Theron Luett Layout | Lily Fleming

Transgender lives are suffering across the nation due to a slew of anti-LGBTQ+ bills currently being introduced by lawmakers. On March 22, 2023 Iowa Republican Governor Kim Reynolds along with Iowa lawmakers, passed two bills discriminating against transgender youth in Iowa. Senate File 538 prevents Iowa doctors from prescribing gender-affirming surgeries, puberty blockers, or cross-sex hormones to transgender people under the age of 18. Senate file 482 prohibits students from entering or using school restrooms and changing rooms that do not align with their assigned sex at birth.

By Reynolds signing her signature and allowing each bill to pass into law, she agreed to sign away the future safety and support for trans youth in the state. Making Iowa the eighth state in the nation to enact laws banning gender-affirming surgeries.

“This is an extremely uncomfortable position for me to be in. I don’t like it. But I have to do what I believe right now is in the best interest of the kids.”

Reynolds stated in an interview with The Des Moines Register.

Reynolds seems to only have “the best interest” for cishet (cisgender and heterosexual) Iowans, as these bills will be detrimental to anybody else. Ignorant statements such as this dismiss what the best decision for trans kids is; to let trans kids be who they are.

in using the public restrooms that align with their identity, transgender kids are exposed to bullying, hate and violence, subjecting them to declined mental health and self harm. By alienating their community, transgender kids are put in harm’s way. And now the bullying has crept into the hands of bigoted politicians and the laws that rule the land.

FIRST THEY CAME

By Martin Niemöller

“I think that anytime you have a group of people in the center of political controversy, especially a group of young people … my fear is that it will create division and conflict between people … So, people that were more comfortable with expressing themselves in different ways, I fear that that will cause them to not express themselves as much, and sort of shrink those parts of their identity,” English teacher Kristi Buhr voiced.

First they came for the Communists And I did not speak out Because I was not a Communist Then they came for the Socialists And I did not speak out

Because I was not a Socialist Then they came for the trade unionists And I did not speak out Because I was not a trade unionist Then they came for the Jews And I did not speak out Because I was not a Jew Then they came for me And there was no one left To speak out for me.

“I feel like there’s an unsaid fear of trans people, and it’s because they don’t understand. And that fear turns into hatred because they don’t want to understand. And then they don’t want to learn anymore, because they find like minded people. And it just snowballs from there.” Ace Vaughn-Godfrey ‘23 said.

By banning gender affirming surgeries and healthcare, trans

Professional organizations such as The American Medical Association, The American Academy of Pediatrics, and many more have all publicly voiced opposition to these laws. In an article published by the AMA [American Medical Association], AMA board member Micheal Suk spoke on the board’s disapproval of these trans exclusive laws,

“The AMA opposes the dangerous intrusion of government into the practice of medicine and the criminalization of health care decision-making … Gender-affirming care is medically-necessary, evidence-based care that improves the physical and mental health of transgender and gender-diverse people,” Suk said.

Many people, including Reynolds, disagree with minors having access to gender-affirming care, as they believe that minors are too young to understand the consequences of such decisions.

“I knew I was trans at least by the age of 12 or 13, and nothing has changed since then … And I think it’s so stupid because once you turn 13 you can get piercings. Once you turn 16

Trans Life Line: 877-565-8860

The Trevor Project: 866-488-7386

Suicide and Crisis Lifeline: 988

‘well because it’s not permanent.’ It’s still gonna leave a scar, and that’s the same thing like all these hormone blockers and testosterone/estrogen, stuff like that,” Ace Vaughn-Godfrey ‘23 explained.

The first step in supporting our own trans community in Johnston, is to educate ourselves. Although ignorance is bliss, ignorance leads to fear and hate. Which is the last thing transgender students need, as they are being deprived of their rights by our own government.

Along with understanding the lives of trans individuals, a crucial need for trans students is being able to find a safe space in their schools. Meaning that they need support from both peers and faculty. Although these bills may limit certain accommodations, the JHS faculty wants to ensure every student feels safe.

“We wanna be proactive, we wanna try and be ahead of things but we also know that there’s a lot more kids in this building than our adults … But we definitely do the best we can and I know it’s always better when people are talking to us. So I would encourage anybody who’s feeling that it’s not safe or welcoming to come talk to us, we’re definitely gonna work with you and try and figure out a way to make it a better experience for everybody,” Principal Woods explained.

These laws are not only violating the rights of trans students, but also preventing teacher’s from being able to carry out their most important purpose, creating a safe and welcoming environment for all students.

“Their voice is being taken away, their supports being taken away, and you know this population already has an incredibly high depression and suicide rate … as teachers it’s a part of our job to help students feel safe and cared about at school. And speaking broadly, I think that there are teachers that are really going to struggle with feeling like they can’t offer that support.” Buhr said.

If Iowa Republican legislators continue passing laws that discriminate against their own trans youth, there will be no future for LGBTQ+ communities. With knowledge comes acceptance, and the future of our country and our society depend on it. Transgender people are your neighbors, they are your family, they are your friends, and they need your support more than ever.

If you or anybody you know is struggling, reach out-

PAWNS OF THE FRENZY

Chess is a strategic board game played between two players with the goal of capturing the opposing king. While the game of chess is quite literally ancient, it is not irrelevant. Thanks to recent media, it is more popular than ever, and has even grown a large following here at JHS.

During the pandemic, The Queen’s Gambit, a show about chess, was released on Netflix. With an abundance of free time and an openness to trying new things for the sake of entertainment, many people decided to start playing chess.

“I feel like what mostly

brought it into my view, and like, made me start thinking about it again was when The Queen's Gambit came out and that's a big thing for a lot of people because I think it had hundreds of millions of viewers … I think that kinda started it for everyone really, or at least started making chess more on the mainstream,” explained Zakry Sakris ‘23.

Joel Peterson ‘24 discovered chess through Youtube and Twitch.

“I watched people play it and it looked fun so I eventually played it and I got really interested in it,” Peterson explained

Many new players began to play chess on a website (and app) called Chess.com. It allows players to play chess from anywhere, with anyone, from their personal devices. Chess.com made chess very accessible to play and has kept people engaged and playing. So much so, that in January of 2023, Chess.com’s servers could not handle the amount of new active players causing the site to crash.

Chess.com is a possible distraction in classrooms, but Sakris believes that if Chess.com was blocked from school servers, students would replace it with less beneficial distractions.

“Let's say if they did block chess, people would just switch to something else, right? You block chess, you’re going to have someone just playing some dumb game online… I feel like chess is much more beneficial,” Sakris explained

According to healthline.com, playing chess improves critical thinking, memory, and even improves ADHD symptoms.

Many content creators, who had not previously created chess content, began to learn how to play in front of their audiences. This exposed many viewers, who had not previously watched chess content, to the game.

“There's been a lot more success with content creators of chess, just on Youtube, TikTok, and Twitch… I believe there was this one tournament recently with huge viewership numbers. I believe it was called PogChamps, and what it was, it was a bunch of Twitch streamers all learning how to play chess and playing against each other in a tournament and that also blew it up," said Sakris.

There is a common stereotype surrounding chess players, believing that they are ‘nerds’ or

A look into the growing chess epedemic at JHS, and it's unique origin.

“I watched people play it and it looked fun so I eventually played it and got really interested in it,” Peterson explained

Words | Ike Venter Layout | Lauren Holm

‘geeks’. Until recently, it seems that chess has become popular among all groups of students.

“I've noticed that some of the groups that you might not typically expect to play a game like chess have been playing it. Like, some of the more like, ‘athletes’ or ‘jocks’ have been playing it,” Joel Moorman ‘23 said

Chess differs from other board games in the way that it allows players to have complete control over the game. Leaving nothing up to chance means that it is entirely up to the skill of the player, which is very appealing to those with a more competitive nature.

“I think the reason I can get into chess, and I think most people can get into chess more than a game like Monopoly, Life and traditional board games is because you have complete control over

the entire story of a game of chess, in comparison to a game of Monopoly … because when you're playing Monopoly, at least when I play now,

I just think to myself, ‘well it's really the dice playing it’s not me anymore’,” Peterson explained.

The game might not have randomness, but between the 64 squares and the 32 pieces on the board, the game has a near infinite amount of replayability.

“For me, I just like playing the game, all the different possibilities and things that can happen when you play,” Moorman said.

Chess is a fun hobby that people can learn, enjoy and endlessly improve on.

“I just think it's a good thing to be good at … it's not really something where it can ever really be useless, right? It's just a fun little hobby,” Sakris said.

and I

every Tuesday after school, in room 307. Bring your own board!

Mr.Dowell hosts chess club

“For me, I just like playing the game, all the different possibilities and things that can happen when you play,” Moorman said.

riley reads

BANNED BOOKS

In 2021, 1,597 books were targeted for challenges and bans, setting a new record for the U.S. In 2022, there were even more. The act of banning a book from schools and libraries that is meant to be used as a form of education is an act of censorship right out of stories such as 1984 and Fahrenheit 451. Both of these books, ironically, have been banned in the past themselves. A book will be published and, for one reason or another, there will be congregations of people wanting to have it banned from school curriculum, libraries, book stores, etc.

The primary issue with this practice is that the reasoning behind banning these books is often, to put it quite bluntly, nothing more than prejudice and discrimination against the social, sexual and racial groups around which these books are centered. These books are focused around sensitive topics such as race and gender and sexuality, which many people, particularly older generations, find uncomfortable or offensive. Parents claim to be protecting their children from these so-called “harmful” topics by keeping them out of their reach. However, the only thing that makes these topics harmful is the stigma and fear so many people have around them. By trying to protect their children, parents are only creating more hatred and discrimination towards these groups. Books that are written to educate, inform and unite people are made less and less accessible for young people — the very people who could benefit the most from these stories. Three out of the six books on this list are nonfiction memoirs. How can you ban someone’s own life story and experience just because you do not understand it? Society cannot benefit from the messages of censored books if we are not allowed to read them simply because they make us uncomfortable.

Mike Muñoz is the ultimate pick me boy. For starters, STOP REFERRING TO YOURSELF IN THE THIRD PERSON! I do not care that “good old Mike Muñoz” is having a bad day because he refused to take yet another job after complaining for 200 pages that he does not have any money. Second, no one wants to listen to an entire chapter of Mike picking up dog poop then screaming every single swear word in the book because he dropped it. Just pick up the poop, dude. Or don’t; just stop complaining about it. “Good old Mike Muñoz” needs to take a nap. And go to therapy.

Queer. Lesbian. Gay. Trans. Gender. Pronouns. All words that cause an irrational spark of fear running down the spines of so many cisgender, straight white Americans. Heaven forbid a gender non-conforming, or “gender queer” person writes and draws about their own life experiences and development. I think it’s safe to say that the vast majority of the people who are trying to ban this book have never read it, or even read a summary of it. All it takes is one glance at the title and the conspicuous cover art of a person who may not fit one’s ideal view of what a man or woman should look like. That alone is enough to send parents running in fear, desperately trying to cover the eyes of their poor, innocent children before they become infected with the deadly disease that is queerness. Maia Kobabe is braver than most by drawing out and explaining in great detail their life and journey to discovering their gender identity and sexuality. A message to those parents who are covering their children’s eyes right now: reading a book isn’t going to make you or your child gay, or queer, or trans or gender queer. In fact, it’s books like these that save the lives of children not so different from your own. Knowing that they are not alone or weird or wrong makes it that much easier for young people to learn to accept and love themselves as they are. So by running away, covering your eyes and plugging your ears, all you’re doing is hurting yourself, your children and every single person who has ever felt even a little bit weird or alone.

18 | OPINION

Shocking and funny at the same time and a bit weird, Alison Bechdel’s graphic “tragicomic” explores her childhood and her sexual identity. She specifically focuses on her unique and troubled relationship with her emotionally estranged father, leading up to and following his death. Bechdel grew up working in her family’s funeral home with a distant, abusive and predatory father whose own struggles with sexuality were reflected in his treatment of his wife and children. Both artistically and literarily, the author does not hold back when it comes to detailing the deeply intimate and, yes, sexual parts of her life and upbringing. As kids grow up, their curiosity and adolescence inevitably entails sexual aspects. Access to materials with explicit, “immoral” topics helps them explore a natural part of life educationally and safely. Representation is better found in a novel from the library than a pornographic video on the internet.

Even if you have not read this book, everyone knows the story of The Hate U Give. Everyone knows this story because it is not a story, it is a reality. An unarmed black man is shot and killed by a white police officer, reigniting the movement of protests and petitions. People again beg for change in the society that will continually let the white police officer walk away unscathed and unpunished, while justice for the black man is lost. It has happened time and time again in real life, as recently as this year; on February 3 unarmed Black man Alonzo Bagley was shot and killed by police. The Hate U Give is not a perfect book; it is riddled with stereotypes and painfully obvious metaphors, a little too literal than it maybe should be, but that is not why some Johnston parents want to ban it from schools and libraries. They want to ban it to bury the very real, very relevant message because it’s not “nice” or easy to hear. But that message is one that needs to be shared and heard especially by young people, because our generation is going to grow up, and we are going to be the ones leading a society that will hopefully be able to change and adapt. So that the same injustices and discrimination will not be shown to the next black man, woman, or child. So that someday the black man will be able to walk away, alive and unharmed. So that someday, this story is no longer a reality.

Like most students at Johnston, I read The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian for ILA in sophomore year. In truth, it didn’t blow me away with the writing or the story. There were parts that made me a bit uncomfortable—such as the main character referring to a girl’s eating disorder as “sexy”—but I would be lying if I didn’t say this is an extremely important book for high schoolers to read and understand. It follows a Native American boy and his journey going to school off the reservation in pursuit of a better education. This is a book that is supposed to make you uncomfortable, because life is uncomfortable. The main character is flawed and very very human, but it is important to learn from his mistakes, just as he does.

George M. Johnson bravely details the moments of their childhood, life, and learnings, laying their most vulnerable moments bare in this memoir-manifesto. They explore their gender identity, sexuality, and race. In the simplest possible terms, they slayed.