As harmful posts on social media spread across the student body, what can the school district do to handle these accounts?
Editor in Chief: Nadia Warren
Copy Editor: Annemarie Wilhite
News Editor: Brooklyn Collins
Feature Editor: Kessa Adee
Opinion Editor: Aubree Sims
Sports Editor: Bryce Ruder
Website Manager: Sophie Webb
Social Media Coordinator: Nyah Warren
Business/Advertisement Manager: Evelyn Nelson
Social Commissioner: Erin Hardy
Reporters: Braxton Liebert, Caroline Trotman, Kendall
Moore, Madeline Swenson, Reagan Smith
BY NADIA WARREN
The holiday season is finally here, which means it’s also time for the student body to receive the second issue
of our magazine. Despite the taxing time-crunch that is second quarter, I always enjoy this issue because it is filled with holiday-themed stories and spreads. As I flip through our magazine to see every bright color and gift-wrapped present, I hope it puts everybody in the Christmas spirit just as much as it does for me.
I viewed our first issue as a sort of trial and error period as I was still figuring out how everything works, but I would consider this one to be more experimental. Bringing our first issue to Philadelphia this November was a huge inspiration for me, as I got to look through our competitors’ magazines and consider the direction I wanted to go in next.
I have spent a lot of time this issue emphasizing and working with images and graphics, and I am so proud of what my staff has accomplished this issue. They have worked so hard on not only their own stories, but each other’s too. It has been amazing watching everybody come together and work as a unit this past semester, and I truly believe our final product is greater for it. I cannot wait for what the rest of the year has in store for us, for I know my creative and talented staff will continue to achieve great things.
What’s on your Christmas list?
Do you have any New Years Resolutions?
I want to get back into playing piano.
Should you decorate before or after Thanksgiving?
Thoughts on eggnog?
I love it in moderation.
To maybe be nice to Bryce. To stop bullying Bryce. To become a safer driver.
That’s the most disgusting thing I’ve ever heard of. It’s okay. It’s so gross.
BY THE KHQ
EDITORIAL STAFF
63 percent of students understand that content within accounts such as “KHS Almost Friday” and “KHS Confessions” could affect a student’s well-being.
BY BROOKLYN COLLINS
Atrend of the 2024-2025 school year so far is social media accounts under the name of the school
gaining popularity and causing chaos within the student body. These accounts can be detrimental to a student’s well-being and causes disruption to the school.
As these sensitive posts are spread across social media, there has been discussion across the district on what posts can and cannot be removed by school officials.
This issue made it all the way to the Supreme Court a few years ago. In 2021, Pennsylvania high school student Brandi Levy posted on her
private Snapchat story, “f*** the school, f*** cheer, f*** everything.”
Her post was seen by the cheer coach who brought it up to the administrators. Levy got suspended from cheer for a year and proceeded to file a lawsuit against the school.
The court ruled in favor of Levy since her words were protected by the First Amendment. This amendment protects freedom of speech, press, and assembly.
However, if Levy said something threatening to the school or another student, she would then be disrupting the learning environment. The school would have then won the court case.
Knowing this, it’s easy to see that
Instagram accounts such as KHS Almost Friday, KHS Confessions, and others are problematic and cause disruption to the learning environment.
They expose secrets of the students, spread rumors and false information, and tend to intentionally agitate or embarrass students on the accounts.
KHS Almost Friday was created to be funny and harmless as they posted silly videos and pictures of students around the school on Thursdays and Fridays.
Unfortunately, the account took a turn and soon nudity, fights, and more disruptive content was posted.
On the other hand, KHS
64%
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
2 in 3 adolescents report being “often” or “sometimes” exposed to hatebased content on social media.
. Confessions started without good intentions. There was a link to a Google Form on the bio of the account, where students could confess to anything going on during or after school hours.
As predicted, the confessions got out of control and led to an excessive amount of drama throughout the student body.
60 percent of students have social media and have followed one of these accounts. This also means that 60 percent of the student body is able to spread rumors and escalate the situation using these pages.
“I know the counseling office has had a few people reach out to us regarding posts made on ‘KHS’ accounts. Typically, it is someone who is upset about something posted about them or a friend,” counselor Mavie Busboom said.
A student story
“
I hate the KHS confessions pages. One of them shared that I had cancer and I hadn’t yet told anyone. They shared private information that shouldn’t have been posted in the first place. I understand people can send in whatever they want but I find it odd that they didn’t think to not post that kind of confession publicly.”
When an issue with the accounts is reported, a process begins to help the student out as much as possible. The counselors generally try their best to help the student work through their feelings.
“Many young people have significant impacts [from these posts], such as difficulty staying in class and school, difficulties with relationships, loss of trust, negative impacts on self esteem and overall well-being,” Busboom said.
According to Wellness Academy, a mental health organization, one in five teenagers aged 12-18 suffer from mental illness. Being targeted and harassed increases this number dramatically, ruining a student’s ability to complete day to day activities.
After the report is made to the counselors, they transfer it to
administration to take into further consideration.
“We have lots of different codes in our scope and sequence from bullying, inappropriate non physical harassment and more,” assistant principal Leslie Helfrecht said.
Helfrecht later explained that there has to be a victim in the situation and they have to report it to someone, otherwise it’s impossible for the admin to know.
High school is a time in students’ lives where other people’s opinions can mean the world. Because of this, creating social media accounts to stir up drama is irresponsible and disruptive. It causes mental and educational disruptions, making this issue much worse than it may appear.
Students can easily access these unofficial school Instagram accounts on their phone, and a large percentage of students at our school follow and interact with these accounts.
Social media has become a new issue for school administrators, and this raises many questions on how to handle accounts that disrupt students’ learning.
When looking up our school’s name on Instagram, instead of official accounts run by
clubs or staff members, you will see a variety of accounts created by students. These accounts are not officially associated or affiliated with our school and usually state this in the bio of their account.
Our school’s assistant principal, Leslie Helfrecht, clarified that these accounts are not affiliated with our school.
“First of all, the accounts are not associated with Kickapoo High School. We have no affiliation. We don’t sanction it or condone it,” Helfrecht said.
Two years ago, @KHSalmostfriday started the trend of accounts associated with our school. The anonymous owner of the account asked students to submit funny pictures of their friends and they
would post a collection of them every Thursday and Friday. Although this account is still up, it is mostly inactive because of backlash from students featured on this account due to private or inappropriate pictures being posted without their consent.
One other popular account was @khs.confessionss_, which was taken down due to reports made in school and through Instagram over how it was targeting students. This account featured confessions of students and often gave private information about themselves or other students.
These are just two of the many ‘KHS’ accounts that are followed by a portion of our student body. Helfrecht estimates that they have received around 30 to 40 statements, tip line messages, or student reports about these social media accounts so far this year. Unfortunately there’s not much they can do about them.
“We report to Instagram, and we
BY EVELYN NELSON
encourage students report to Instagram as well. I know Dr. Powers has messaged these accounts, so everything within our power to do, we have done to discourage the continuation of the accounts,” Helfrecht said.
One question that comes to mind with these accounts is: how far is too far?
“We have lots of different codes in our scope and sequence, from bullying, inappropriate non physical harassment, and disorderly conduct,” Helfrecht said.
With this in mind, our school’s staff tries to navigate social media in order to maintain a healthy learning environment for students.
“Those are the kind of the areas where it could fit in. Are they targeting specific people? What’s the severity of the statement? And really, there has to be a victim. So someone has to come and tell us. We don’t just know that they exist, so students reporting it to us is really how it comes to our attention, and usually those are people who have had something where they feel targeted or something along those lines,” Helfrecht said.
Although the school does everything in their power to stop the continued creation of these accounts, they normally can’t do anything much to punish students who create and run the accounts, unless they use a Google account affiliated with Springfield Pubic Schools or they are causing a disruption to the school’s learning environment.
If an account’s actions qualify as bullying or harassment of a student, the school can mitigate the situation and punish the perpetrators fairly. Unless someone comes forward as a victim of these accounts, it doesn’t come to staff’s attention.
Ultimately, it’s up to the student body to stop the growth of these accounts and to refrain from posting things that could harm others.
America has officially announced our 47th President of the United States as of November 6. Photo courtesy of New York Times.
In an intense race against Vice President and Presidential candidate, Kamala Harris, Donald Trump has won the 2024 election. Many things are uncertain about the future, so let’s clear up what the future might look like.
BY ERIN HARDY
With inauguration quickly approaching on January 20, Americans are concerned about what the
future holds for them. Trump has given many speeches at several conventions about his plans for the United States, so let’s take a look at his policies.
Nearly all of Trump’s plans can be related to the 922 page conservative document called “Project 2025.” This includes a list of policies that the Trump administration aligns with and states they will put into effect once they’re in office come inauguration. On page one of the document, they outline the problems with America under the current liberal government, focusing primarily on inflation,
“Inflation is ravaging family budgets, drug overdose deaths continue to escalate, and children suffer the toxic normalization of transgenderism with drag queens and pornography invading their school libraries.”
drug overdoses, and transgender individuals.
The Trump administration has promised several things, but a popular topic has been what the new president plans to do with our education system. That begs the question, what does Trump plan to do for schools?
One of the main things the Trump administration has made abundantly clear is that they intend to remove talks of critical race theory and gender ideology from all school lessons and books in order to protect the wellbeing of growing children.
On page five of the Project 2025 document, it states, “The noxious tenets of ‘critical race theory’ and ‘gender ideology’ should be excised from curricula in every public school
in the country. These theories poison our children, who are being taught on the one hand to affirm that the color of their skin fundamentally determines their identity and even their moral status while on the other they are taught to deny the very creatureliness that inheres in being human and consists in accepting the givenness of our nature as men or women,” Project 2025 document said.
Within schools, Trump also plans on altering the way the education system is set up. Instead of schools being a national department, Trump has said many times that he wants to give power back to the states and let them decide how schools should be run within their districts.
Furthermore, the document outlines its plans with gender equality and mention of such within our government on pages four to five. Trump’s administration plans to eliminate all terms relating to reproductive health, diversity, and overall gender inclusion. This stretches from regulations to legislation in general.
With talk of reproductive health, Project 2025 includes its stance on abortion and how states should be regulating it.
“In particular, the next conservative President should work with Congress to enact the most robust protections for the unborn that Congress will support while deploying existing federal powers to protect innocent life and vigorously complying with statutory bans on the federal funding of abortion,” Project 2025 document said.
Trump intends on focusing on traditional family values and helping families out after he is inaugurated. This includes little things such as improving school lunches, to big things such as early childcare for struggling mothers.
The next section of the document entails how the next conservative leader should deal with America’s borders and foreign policies with the Communist Party of China (CCP). It also mentions the popular social
media platform, TikTok, and how it will finally be dealt with after years of uncertainty.
“Illegal immigration should be ended, not mitigated; the border sealed, not reprioritized. Economic engagement with China should be ended, not rethought. Our manufacturing and industrial base should be restored, not allowed to deteriorate further. Confucius Institutes, TikTok, and any other arm of Chinese propaganda and espionage should be outlawed, not merely monitored. Universities taking money from the CCP should lose their accreditation, charters, and eligibility for federal funds,” Project 2025 document said.
This promises to make more strict deals with China, as well as fixing our Southern border. Project 2025 calls for mass deportation of all illegal immigrants living in the U.S., which Trump claims to increase the security of America. According to the official Office of Homeland Security website, it is estimated that there are 10.9
million undocumented immigrants residing the U.S. just as of 2022. Along with securing the U.S., Trump has announced his plan on taxing imported goods in the U.S. He has proposed a 60 percent tariff on Chinese imports. This would make Chinese made products more expensive to buy in America. Many people are worried that this new tariff will affect gas and grocery prices, but Trump has assured that the United States is in good hands. In fact, he promises to make everyday expenses like gas cheaper for the average citizen to afford, but some believe this new tariff will prevent that from happening at all.
So far, everything is partially up in the air. We aren’t sure which of these policies will and will not go into effect come inauguration day. However, we have an idea of what America could possibly be in for from all of the speeches that Trump has given, as well as the Project 2025 document being public for all to review before January 20.
Donald Trump has already began paving the way for America with his new policies; many are just awaiting for them to be fulfilled. Photo courtesy of Shutterstock.
NThese donation boxes are overflowing with hope and generosity, ready to spread joy and kindness this holiday season.
How you can make a difference in your community this holiday season.
BY NYAH WARREN
Help Give Hope was established 43 years ago to provide Christmas toys for the children of one family.
Since then they have grown greatly.
“Over these 43 years, the idea of giving back to the community and to others has expanded to become a full-time organization helping families facing financial difficulties,” Michael Brady, Executive Director of Help Give Hope said.
Local charities play a crucial role in supporting our community especially during the holiday season. This organization provides essential services for those in need. Besides holiday oriented giving, Help Give Hope’s main goal is to find and assist families that are experiencing a temporary financial hardship and help to transition them into financial stability.
During the holiday season, they plan to donate 150 to 250 beds, as well as basic household needs.
“Our goal is to assist 150 to 200 families through the holiday season.
In addition to toys for each child, they also receive a complete set of clothing and a bike if requested,” Brady said.
The majority of families pick up their gifts from them. However, there are families with very small children that receive a visit from Santa and his elves.
“Our families fill out a wishlist for Christmas gift ideas. We shop for each family and purchase items that they have specifically requested. Therefore, our need is funding to purchase these specific items, rather than general toys or clothing items,” Brady said.
While families fill out wishlists and requests, there are deeper, more heart touching stories unfolding behind the scenes.
Brady’s experience within volunteering left a mark on his heart, showing how important helping can be.
“About 15 or 16 years ago I was volunteering. A mother was adamant that she did not need a gift. She was only asking for help for her children. We explained that we want every
member of the household to open a gift so that the children don’t feel guilty. As we explained this, the mother began to weep and had to leave the room. Tears still well up in my eyes when I think about this prideful mother that would do anything for her family and allowed us to help,” Brady said.
Donating your time as a volunteer or making a financial donation this holiday season would make a great impact for families in need. Help Give Hope has many upcoming volunteer opportunities, such as shopping for families, auditing lists, and wrapping gifts.
“Our Christmas program is in full swing. At this point we could use volunteers for shopping, auditing, and wrapping. Looking forward to next year, we could use the community’s help to share information about Help Give Hope and what we do,” Brady said.
To volunteer, visit their website or call 417-209-7027. Your support can make a significant difference.
With climate change increasing global warming, snow days are declining yearly and student mental health is lowering along with them.
BY REAGAN SMITH
50 years ago, these same grounds would have been covered with snow, but due to rising global temperatures, it’s covered with leaves and dirt.
As children, it would be exciting to look out the windows and see snowcovered lawns and have days
off school, but instead, as the years pass, there is dead grass and cold classrooms.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the average extent of North American snow cover decreased by about 1,870 square miles per year between 1972 and 2020. This means that the amount of land that receives steady snowfall has declined significantly over the years.
The amount of days each year with lower temperatures has shortened. Along with that, the number of days each year when the temperature reaches below freezing has gone down as well. This number will continue to
decline as the years go on and global warming continues to deteriorate the Earth’s natural weather patterns.
The EPA also found that while snow is on the ground it absorbs a small amount of the energy put out from the sun, resulting in cooler temperatures. When the ground is bare of snow, it absorbs a larger amount of energy which results in higher temperatures.
According to the Environmental Defense Fund, winter in the southern states has warmed more than 4.5 times faster per decade than it did over the last 100 years.
As climate change is affecting snow each year, snow days are decreasing and students are losing opportunities for breaks during a stressful time of the year.
Many students go through finals and
midterms during this season, which can be anxiety inducing especially knowing that third quarter is the longest. If students are expecting snow days during this time, it can make them feel even worse.
With climate change lowering the number of snow days as years go on, students aren’t getting breaks from schoolwork, causing deteriorating mental health.
While there is much damage already caused, there are still ways to repair the Earth’s climate. According to the National Resources Defense Council, relying more on solar, wind, and geothermal energy are some of the many ways to create a more sustainable lifestyle and begin rebuilding the Earth’s climate.
Whether you’re in a car or at home, it’s essential to know how to stay safe during the harsh weather in the winter season.
BY SOPHIE WEBB
During the winter months, it can be hard to stay warm especially if you lose heating in your home or get stranded
in your car on the side of a highway. The cold temperatures that come along with winter can expose individuals to many risks like hypothermia, frostbite, and pneumonia. Keeping warm can prevent these medical conditions from occurring. Whether you and your family are snowed in together or you’re stuck in your car waiting on a tow company, staying safe and warm is always important.
Residence:
It comes as a luxury to some households to have heating and air conditioning. When the power goes out in a home, the family loses heating, the ability to use kitchen appliances, and it’s impossible to charge phones or use anything plugged into the wall. Our nation’s electrical grid wasn’t built for the present-day climate. According to Climate Central, 23 percent of power outages (398 events) in the last 12 years were due to winter weather conditions such as ice, snow, and freezing rain. Heating is one of the most important things to have in the winter and when that gets taken away, most people don’t know what to do.
To keep the body warm, layer clothing to provide the insulation that the body is lacking. Also blankets, battery operated heating blankets, and comforters will keep the body warm. Making hot drinks keeps your body warm; you can make tea with hot water from the tap and put a teabag in it or a hot cocoa packet. Staying active will get your heart rate up and pump blood through the body making it heat up faster.
Extreme cold temperatures can lead to increases in breakdowns and car problems.
If you have a wood burning fireplace, start a fire and light candles around the house, this will help it warm up faster and will make the house smell good. Close shades and blinds around the windows and tuck towels under the base of the doors to ensure the cold stays out. Try to keep your family all in one room to make that room the hottest.
Car:
17 percent of all vehicle crashes are due to winter weather, and around 800 people die each year due to winter car crashes. It’s important to have things in your car in case it breaks down, crashes, or the tires get stuck. First, call your parents or a tow company to come and help you. Sometimes it can take awhile for a tow truck to get to you, so it’s good to keep things in your car like small snacks and water that can hold you over while you wait.
Always have a blanket in your car along with an extra coat, gloves, hat, and hand warmers. A car can get cold
faster than any other facility, so it’s best to have these things on hand. Some of the most common problems that cars have occur during the winter months. Due to the low temperatures, air pressure in tires can decrease, the car’s battery can die, windshield wipers can crack, locks and door handles can freeze, and moisture trapped in the fuel system could freeze. Keep some emergency tools with you like a first aid kit, a flashlight, batteries, a portable phone charger, navigation equipment like a compass or a map, and an ice scraper, because you never know when you’ll get stuck in the snow, get in a wreck, pop a tire, or if your car will run out of gas.
Winter weather can be unpredictable, but being prepared can make all the difference. Whether you’re stuck at home without power or stranded in your car, keeping your family safe and warm in the harshest conditions and having the right supplies is essential.
Following a rocky start of flight delays and lost luggage, our journalism program made it home with six national awards.
BY NADIA WARREN
From November 5 to 12, our school’s magazine and yearbook staff flew out to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,
to enter themselves in a variety of national competitions led by the Journalism Education Association. These competitions ranged from photography to review writing to poetry, and students from all across the country were participants.
While most of the pieces judged were created on-site, submissions for Best of Show were due in advance. Our school’s first 2024-2025 issue of KHQ was submitted for Best of Show under Specialty Magazine; here’s a recap of the days leading up to the award announcements.
Kuhlmeier attended the convention to speak with students and share their journalism knowledge. Contests began later that afternoon.
Day four was dedicated to exploring the city and touring the many landmarks Philadelphia has to offer.
The Liberty Bell, Love Park, Rocky Steps, and Lincoln Financial Field
Yearbook student Cayden Harman received an award of Excellence, while magazine students Aubree Sims, Brooklyn Collins, and yearbook student Joey Cloninger received Honorable Mentions for their respective sections.
KHQ - 6th Place for Specialty Magazine
Cayden Harman - Excellent for Literary Magazine: Photography
Aubree Sims - Honorable Mention for Commentary Writing
Day one of the trip consisted entirely of waiting. Technical issues caused the first flight to be canceled, and hours went by before a late flight to Charlotte, North Carolina was offered. They stayed the night there free of charge, but numerous bags were missing when they landed in Charlotte. After figuring out the bags were already sent to Philadelphia, they finally checked into the hotel at 9 p.m. that night.
Brooklyn Collins - Honorable Mention for Editorial Writing
Joey Cloninger - Honorable Mention for Review Writing
After landing in Philadelphia the following morning, the convention hosted in their hotel was bustling with journalists from all across the country. Once the staff sorted out and checked into their rooms, it was time for Best of Show entries to be submitted.
The schedule for day three was packed with seminars and contests. Notable figures such as Cathy
were visited. The Best of Show winners were announced that night, and KHQ placed sixth in the nation.
Day five started at 2:30 a.m. for the magazine and yearbook students, as they wanted to catch the earliest flight back home. On-site critiques were published later that Sunday, and several students received national awards.
During the holidays, not everyone has the ability to afford gifts for themselves or their kids. A small gift this December can help somebody in need.
BY ERIN HARDY
Epeople just in Springfield that don’t have this pleasure.
According to a Missouri State study on poverty in Springfield, more than half of our citizens live either on or below the poverty line.
“51.6 percent of all households in the Springfield region live with an annual income of less than $35,000, including 39 percent of those considered families (households with children),” Missouri State research said.
Families aren’t the only ones affected. A lot of foster children and elderly people don’t have the means to take care of themselves or buy nice things. Overall, there are a lot of people in need who can use a boost, especially during the holidays.
A lot of families turn to “Adopt a Family” programs, but what are they? These are non-profit organizations that veryone is getting excited for the holidays, decking the halls, and wrapping presents. However, there are a lot of
help build community and provide for people in families who live on or close to Springfield’s poverty line. Families submit wishlists to these organizations and volunteers have the opportunity to fulfill these lists. Some might include things ranging from toys to even a new set of tires for their cars.
Key Club is a club at our school that prioritizes the community of both the school and of Springfield in general. Before the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the Key Club used to host these Adopt a Family programs where students and faculty could donate to families. However, after the virus, that program got shut down and halted like many others.
“I don’t really have any idea what happened before COVID, but that’s something we’d all be interested in starting again,” current Key Club sponsor Melanie Friebe said.
Though COVID-19 had stopped our school from providing these programs, it might not be the sole cause.
Spreading a little bit of Christmas cheer to someone who needs it can be a great present to yourself as well. Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
According to former Key Club sponsor, Kathy Stephens, this was coming even before the pandemic.
“My problem was that, as the sponsor before the pandemic, we were getting very little participation. When I started at Kickapoo, there was a majority of classes that would adopt a family. By the end, it was only seven or eight that would adopt one,” Stephens said.
There’s no use in implementing these Adopt a Family organizations if nobody wants to sign up for them. While teachers and faculty might be enthusiastic, these donations require student volunteering. Without the entire school body being interested in something like this, then we might as well not bring the program back.
“If I were to sponsor, I would take a poll for what classrooms want to participate. If they could get the kids to, that’d be great,” Stephens said.
Even though these programs have been out of commission at our school for now, that doesn’t mean that’s all we offer.
There are still plenty of volunteering opportunities offered where you can help people who need it most.
There’s the Ozarks Food Harvest that counselors send emails out for on Canvas, or there are things such as the food drives that our school occasionally hosts and urges people to donate to. Locally, there are a ton of churches you can visit too that host their own toy and canned food drives. There’s also more popular national charities like the Salvation Army that help families and individuals all across the country.
However, organizations that adopt specific families, children, and people are the most meaningful and impactful, since they can make an individual difference. It can be nice to spread a little bit of Christmas cheer during the holidays and help out people who really need it.
BY MADELINE SWENSON
Here is a list of what you need:
• Two long sized Milky Ways (or other brand)
• Snack size Snickers (or other snack sized candy)
• Red and white mints
• Hershey Kisses
• Reese’s Cups (with foil)
• Pull and peel Twizzlers
• Royal icing
• Any additional candy you wish to add (gummy bears, Peppermint Patties, M&Ms, candy canes, etc.)
Whether you decide to let your train be displayed in the kitchen for a few days or dig in immediately, let this guide help you get into the holiday spirit!
Wanting a simple and fun activity to celebrate the holidays with your loved ones? Look no further than here for a guide to make a holiday treat!
1. Cut off around 1/3 of one long sized Milky Way and place that standing up behind the rest of the bar. Do this twice and put one at the front and one at the back. These serve as the engine and caboose.
2. Place the pull and peel Twizzlers where you wish for the train to go. These are the train tracks.
5.
3. Put the additional snack sized candy on the train tracks. Leave some space between each.
6. Once everything is placed where you like it, use the icing to secure the train cars.
By far the best part of the whole process is decorating! Take any amount of M&Ms, frosting, gummy bears, or additional candy and create a festive explosion on and around your train. Don’t be afraid to get creative! Enjoy!
Love is in the air this winter season, but where can you go on a date? Here are some cute spots for young couples.
Cuffing season is upon us and the need for date ideas is stronger than ever.
BY KESSA ADEE
Weather can often cause dates to be canceled or rescheduled. With winter approaching,
this unfortunately becomes a more common occurrence. To get around this, dates curated for the cold are a necessity.
One romantic activity during the winter season is ice skating. In Springfield, a popular ice skating spot is Jordan Valley Ice Park. With admission costing only about six dollars, you can enjoy a delightful date and even snap some Pinterest worthy pictures.
Being a strong skater isn’t necessary, and most can still have fun and make memories with the one who matters. Plus, losing balance gives you an excuse to hang onto your lover’s arm.
Silver Dollar City:
Many people think amusement parks are only fun in the summer, but that’s not always true. Silver Dollar City has beautiful decorations during the holiday season. Although a bit on the pricier side, with tickets costing about $100 per person, the memories are worth it. Walking hand in hand, viewing the dazzling lights and the iconic singing tree with your significant other would make for a perfect day long date. There are also plenty of photo opportunities for cute hard launches.
Date night doesn’t have to be canceled simply because it’s too cold to go out. Cozy blankets, pajama pants, and home baked cookies can turn a night around. You can put on a classic holiday movie while snuggled
up on the couch and wait for your Christmas cookies to be out of the oven.
Another option is to head down the buttery popcorn route and risk the classic rom-com scene where your hands meet in the popcorn bucket. Either way, the snacks aren’t as important as the person you’re spending time with.
Firehouse Pottery:
An artistic activity date can be at Firehouse Pottery. Painting ornaments or other holiday decorations makes for a great first date and opens up plenty of get-to-know-you conversations as you let your creativity shine.
This date is budget-friendly, as prices can be as low as 10 dollars for pottery pieces. Located at South Lone Pine Avenue, you can let your love burn with your significant other.
A beginners guide to gift wrapping this holiday season.
BY CAROLINE TROTMAN
The task of gift wrapping may seem easy and simple. However, gift wrapping is a technical business. Once
you begin wrapping gifts, it can become confusing and frustrating. Here is a simple step by step process of how to wrap Christmas gifts for your family and friends. Before you begin wrapping presents, try to keep these tips in mind to help enhance your gift wrapping abilities.
Step 1: Start by placing your gift on a sheet of wrapping paper. Cut the wrapping paper wide enough that it will cover the gift on both sides fully.
Step 2: Next, fold over two sides, opposite of each other. Once they meet, tape them together. It is recommended that you start with folding the side that is going to cover the most surface area of the box.
1) Wrapping an oddly shaped package will be difficult. It will be easier if the present is in a rectangular or square box.
2) Using proper tools will make the wrapping process easier. Thicker wrapping paper, sharp scissors and strong tape will benefit you while wrapping presents.
Step 3: Now, on the open edge that you just made from folding the other sides, push down the wrapping paper so it covers the exposed side of the box and fold the two corners towards the bottom of the gift so they make little triangle shapes. Take both of these small triangular folds and fold them towards the bottom of the gift, then tape these folds down. Do this on both sides.
3) Purchase wrapping paper with a grid so you can achieve accurate measurements for your gift.
4) If you don’t want tape to show on the outside of your gifts, use double sided tape. This will make wrapped presents appear more sleek and clean.
Step 4: At this point, the package in which you are wrapping should be fully covered. Make sure that all the folds look neat, there are no tears in the paper and all the tape is fully sealed down on the package.
Step 5: This step is not necessary, but you can add a bow or some ribbon to elevate the look of the gift. Now, you have successfully wrapped a present! Your loved ones or friends will enjoy all of your beautifully wrapped presents that will bring them joy this holiday season.
Pull out your fuzzy blankets and Ugg boots, bundle up, and turn on the movie Elf. It’s time to review Christmas treat favorites.
BY KENDALL MOORE
Now that the Christmas season is finally approaching, it is time to start baking. While there’s the classics like gingerbread cookies and red and green
sugar cookies, I will be exploring unique Christmas treats and what your favorite says about you as a person.
The Snickerdoodle cookie is typically one of the first images that pops into people’s heads when they picture a good ol’ cookie. If these are your favorite, you are either very old or act very young, no in between. Just picture a grandma baking them for all of her 30 grandkids. If you fall into the childish category, you can be seen as sweet and caring and you are always making jokes and laughing.
Your love language is definitely gift giving. Christmas and birthdays are your jam. You also go feral at the idea of being involved in secret Santa. You probably own one of those Christmas advent calenders that allow you to open cute little gifts for each day of the month. People might call you basic but don’t you fret. In reality, you are just in love with a classic cookie. No shame in that. You have as much spice and sass that these cookies have.
claSSic cookieS with chriStmaS deSignS/gingerbread men:
If these are your favorite, you are very simple but get stressed when it comes to making decisions.
You start sweating in the bakery line when asked what cookie you would like to sample. As a little kid, you would always beg your parents to get you a free cookie in the grocery store when they had free samples.
Your love language is one hundred percent quality time. Being with the ones you love will always be your top pick of favorite activities. You feel nostalgic when you see people icing and creating cookies in the shapes of Santa hats and candy canes. You can’t decide if you should bake a reindeer or Christmas tree, so you go ahead and bake both.
If you lean more on the little men shaped cookies that we all know and love, you are quite old school in the best way possible. Gingerbread is one of the most original Christmas cookies out there, but they never get old. Just like your jokes, we have heard the same jokes from you over and over, but they still never seem to get old. Keep being yourself, as no one is tired of you.
PePPermint bark:
If you seriously enjoy peppermint bark, you have a pretty big sweet tooth and always strive to be in the spotlight. You are definitely everyone’s designated advice friend. Everyone goes to you first to talk about their troubling life. You like to feel special, so you tell people your family makes the best peppermint bark ever. Do they really, or do you just like attention?
All jokes aside, you live for Christmas parties and you love to get down on the dance floor. The title of “wild child” has been reserved just for you. Just don’t break your tooth on that candy cane. This treat can be such an attention grabber, just like you with your sense of style.
I truly believe anyone who loves peppermint bark has the biggest walk in closet known to man. Serious question, do your parents own a Tesla? You will never be caught dead wearing the same outfit within the same week. Speaking of outfits, you definitely plan out your outfits based on what event is happening on that day. Study session on Monday? You will probably be wearing a plaid sweater over a white button up shirt with a plain black skirt and boots. Your love language is 100 percent words of affirmation. You love receiving it and you love giving it to other people. We are all jealous of you.
chriStmaS Fudge:
I’m sorry but if this is your favorite Christmas treat, you are a foodie just like me. I hate to break it to you, but fudge is made mostly of pure sugar, so you definitely have a sweet tooth that is a little concerning. As a kid you would sneak into the kitchen when your family was decorating the tree, and you would steal at least three slices of fudge. People often judge you for being loud and obnoxious, but in reality you are just the life of the party. You have a big heart which has its downsides as well. You get your feelings hurt easily and the opinions of other people truly matter to you. The words that other people use to describe you can either make or break you. You have such a contagious laugh and a sweet personality. Christmas fudge gets a lot of hate for being too chocolatey or “too much,” but if you make it just right, it is delicious. When people get to know your fun and friendly side, you are the best person to be around. If you are ever down, just remember, eat a few pieces of fudge and you’ll feel better.
No matter what your favorite Christmas treat is, you should always give new things a try and enjoy your Christmas treats while sitting by the decorated tree.
Mrs. Armstrong Baklava
Ingredients:
4 cups California walnuts
½ cup sugar
1 tablespoon of ground cinnamon
1 pound phyllo
1 cup butter or margarine melted
12 ounce jar of honey
Grease a 9 by 13 inch baking dish. In a large bowl, combine the chopped walnuts, sugar, and ground cinnamon with a spoon until blended. In the baking dish, place one sheet of phyllo (special dough.)
Allow it to extend up the sides of the dish; brush with some butter or margarine. Repeat to make five more layers of phyllo; sprinkle with one cup walnut mixture. Cut remaining phyllo into 13 inch by 9 inch rectangles. Place one sheet of phyllo in baking dish over the
walnut mixture: brush with butter or margarine Repeat to make at least six layers, overlapping small strips of phyllo to make rectangles, if necessary.
Sprinkle one cup walnut mixture evenly over phyllo. Repeat this two more times. Place remaining phyllo on top of the last walnut layer. Trim any phyllo that extends over the top of the dish. With a sharp knife, cut just halfway through all layers in a diamond pattern to make 28 servings. Bake in a 300°F. oven for one hour and 25 minutes or until the top is golden brown. Meanwhile, in a one-quart saucepan over medium-low heat, heat honey until hot but not boiling. Spoon hot honey evenly over Baklava. Cool in pan on a wire rack for at least one hour, then cover and leave room temperature until serving time. Serve with a sharp knife, finish cutting through layers. Makes 28 servings.
If you need recipe inspiration this holiday season, you should try some of our teachers’ favorite holiday food.
BY EVELYN NELSON
Ms. Jordan-Diemler Stuffing Balls
Ingredients:
4 sticks of celery
1 whole white onion
1 stick of butter
1 head of garlic
1 to 2 bags of Pepperidge Farm Stuffing (Herb and Garlic flavor)
Chicken or vegetable stock
Dice the celery, garlic, and onion very finely. Put onion and celery in a pan with the stick of butter and cook on low until the onions are clear. About halfway through, add the diced head of garlic so it doesn’t burn.
Put one whole bag of stuffing mix in a large bowl and pour the contents of your pan over the stuffing.
Heat up a cup of chicken or vegetable stock for 30 seconds or so in the microwave, then pour it over the stuffing mix.
Start to mix together the ingredients with a spoon, but you’ll end up mixing it with your hands.
Add half a cup of warm stock at a time until the mixture is completely moist but not sticky. Form the mixture into balls the size of baseballs. Put them on a greased baking sheet spaced out so that they don’t touch. And bake it for 15 minutes at 350 degrees.
Serve with all your favorite Thanksgiving sides!
Ms. Brotherton Jell-O Salad
Ingredients:
16 oz of whipped cream
24 oz of cottage cheese
2 small boxes cherry or strawberry jello powder
1 can of drained mandarin oranges
1 can of drained crushed pineapples.
Drain fruit very well and then mix all of the ingredients in a big bowl with a spoon. Keep refrigerated until serving, and don’t forget to top it with whipped cream.
Beautiful mountains, crystal clear waters, long vigorous hikes, and the best food in the world. Sounds like a dream, right? Some of these dreams have come true for our world language teachers.
BY KENDALL MOORE
Traveling has always been the thing that keeps some people sane. Seeing every little architectural place that was crafted years ago can be a beautiful
experience. Our school has some wonderful teachers who have dedicated their time to teaching the importance of culture and traveling.
Jeffrey Karr is a French language teacher here and he has an awesome collage of pictures of his travels lining the walls of his classroom.
“I have many favorite memories of my travels. When I was a Kickapoo student, I took up to Spanish VI and up to French IV, and I felt confident enough to travel and communicate when I graduated. I studied abroad in Ecuador and France, and I also had an internship in Mexico in college,” Karr said. He has also traveled to South America and visited Iguazu Falls in Argentina with his family.
Kazumi Holcomb, the Japanese teacher, has also done some traveling of her own.
“It’s kinda obvious but I travel back and forth to Japan a lot. I have been to Singapore and Vietnam,” Holcomb said.
One of the biggest world language classes offered here is Spanish because of how many teachers are actually teaching the subject. When these teachers aren’t teaching Spanish to their students, they are traveling with the other teachers and exploring the beautiful depths of Costa Rica.
Melissa Nunez, one of our Spanish teachers, talks about her fun and heartfelt journey with fellow teachers to Costa Rica.
“One of the best memories I have is white water rafting in Costa Rica with my department. Our instructor told us we could jump out to swim at one point so we did, but none of us realized how difficult it would be to get back into the raft. There was a lot of laughter as we struggled and helped each other climb back in,” Nunez said.
Our world language teachers have been to some of the most beautiful places in the world, so this is your friendly reminder to ask these fellow teachers about their journeys and to be brave and take some journeys of your own.
“I have traveled to 16 countries now. Kickapoo world language students can do anything,” Karr said.
Jeffrey Karr happily showing off one of the most spectacular photo boards; it really goes to show how much he admires his travels.
The library is helpful to everyone. With access to a self checkout, the process of borrowing material would be smoother and it could be beneficial to everyone.
BY BROOKLYN COLLINS
The library should always be available to students at school, though sometimes certain circumstances make
this impossible. Implementing a self checkout station would be beneficial to students, teachers, and librarians.
In October, I was helping a friend research her story on Springfield’s spooky ghost tales. We went to the library to grab a book based on the subject. The librarians were teaching a class and told us to come back another time, and therefore we were not able to access our learning materials.
The librarians, Melody Netzer and Shannon McDonald, said that the only reason they limit the library while teaching is because it disrupts the students who are learning.
This is fair, but most students don’t have time to come back later, and they need the material as soon as possible, similar to the predicament my friend and I were in. This is one of the primary reasons I believe having a self checkout in the library would be beneficial.
It would also be helpful to the librarians who are busy working on computers, shelving books, ordering books, working with students and teachers on curriculum, etc. And this is only a small part of what the librarians do each day.
The librarians believe that a self checkout system would be helpful, and they even have a station that could be set up as such, though skepticism remains.
The librarians enjoy checkout as a way to collaborate and communicate with students they typically don’t talk to. Many students avoid the library and the librarians find it difficult to understand why.
When writing a pass to the library, it can easily be denied for multiple reasons.
“I don’t understand why students think the library is unwelcoming. We say ‘hey’ when they come in and ask if they need help,” Netzer said.
She explained how she and McDonald are kind to all students and try their best to be helpful to everyone.
“I really don’t know, I wish students would tell me why so we can try to address it,” Netzer said.
She later went on to say how she feels SmartPass and IDs are a big reason why students are upset.
They typically have to reject students from checking out a book if they don’t have an ID with them, or they have to send them back to class when they don’t have a pass. They believe students are sensitive to the word no, and that is why it feels so unwelcoming.
Another reason the librarians are skeptical of the idea of self checkout is that the current station they have
setup is for a library catalog, not self checkout. Students are able to search up books and material using the computer that is set up.
Most students have Chromebooks and can access the catalog through the library page, but we cannot check out books using our Chromebooks.
The librarians should use the space that is currently being used as a catalog and turn it into a self checkout. For the issue of not being able to communicate with students, if students felt comfortable to communicate, then they could ask about the catalog or book recommendations.
It’s important to remember that the librarians aren’t trying to be overly strict, but only trying to grow a relationship with over 2,000 kids in the school, even though it might come off the wrong way. Respecting the rules of the library will make it a more welcoming environment.
Stanley and Owala water bottles have grown significantly in popularity through social media this past year.
Social media has and will continue to shape consumer behavior and teenagers must recognize the way it is influencing their spending habits.
Social media has become one of the most powerful influences in society today, especially among teenagers
and high school students. With just a click, we can access nearly anything from around the world, making it easy to become overwhelmed by internet trends and material things, which can lead to overconsumption. When working a part-time job in high school, following trends can be detrimental to teenagers’ budgets. It can be challenging to learn how to save and budget money when constantly exposed to repetitive marketing schemes through social media trends. I have struggled with saving money and resisting temptations to buy things that are trending or being consistently
BY ANNEMARIE WILHITE
marketed to me through the TikTok algorithm. While most teenagers may not have many bills to pay, developing the skills to spend and save wisely is essential and will be beneficial when learned early in life.
With the holiday season in full swing, keeping healthy financial habits can be a struggle when managing your own wants and needs while buying gifts for loved ones. It is important to find a balance between needs and the things that are not as necessary to avoid overconsumption.
Not only is overconsumption harmful to teenagers striving to manage their finances, but it also has detrimental effects on our environment by producing more waste. According to environment. co, shopping and consumerism can
be beneficial by creating jobs, but it can also negatively impact carbon emissions, environmental pollution, and material waste. Recognizing patterns of overconsumption and learning how to save money and budget effectively is beneficial to teenagers’ bank accounts and the environment.
Junior Leah Henry often feels persuaded into buying new and trendy things from apps like TikTok, Shein and Amazon.
“A lot of it is like cheaper stuff so teens are more likely to buy more of it. I try to budget my money but a lot of ends up going to TikTok Shop, Starbucks and shoes,” Henry said.
The rise of social media has played a big part in the type of spending seen today. A lot of spending is now online,
Resisting temptations to spend money can be a struggle for many students.
which can contribute to impulse purchases. Personal finance teacher, Blythe Schaumburg, notices just how much social media influences teenagers.
“Obviously we get information a lot faster, so we know what’s on trend sooner. Students may want those things at an immediate time, so I do think it has caused an uptick in increased spending,” Schaumburg said.
Schaumburg stresses that there are many new marketing schemes that teenagers should avoid and be cautious of in order to effectively manage their finances.
“There’s been a big push of ‘buy now, pay later.’ That type of marketing makes me nervous because I feel like kids’ buying motives are too emotional and it overcomes the logic,” Schaumburg said.
For example, if a teenager really wanted a sweatshirt and saw that there was an option to only pay 15 dollars now and then pay another 15 dollars every month for the next four months, they may be too overwhelmed by the fact that they can have it immediately and not think
about the consequences.
“I really think that’s going to start getting away from them if they don’t understand the effects it could have, like the amount you’re paying in interest just to own something now. I think that social media kind of creates that urgency,” Schaumburg said.
There have been many marketing techniques that have become popular through social media that have enforced that urgency, which can be dangerous for unaware buyers.
“You’ll see a lot of times on Amazon when you go to check out it will say ‘hurry buy now, only two left’ which is totally a marketing tactic. I think that kind of scares kids into thinking that they have to have that certain thing right now,” Schaumburg said.
Schaumburg encourages students to have a firm foundation of rules and boundaries set for themselves and their budgets. However, discipline is the hardest part.
“My advice to teens about saving their money is to save early and save often. I think I would call it systematic savings. It’s about making it a point to pay yourself first. Getting into that routine younger is going to create
better habits. Even if you aren’t motivated to be systematic, there are tools out there that can allow you to be systematic with your savings,” Schaumburg said.
Schaumburg uses Rocket Money to keep track of her savings and is already impressed by how much it has helped her.
“Rocket Money will automatically take money out of my account and deposit it into a savings account that I cannot see. The other day I just checked, keep in mind I only started around five or six weeks ago, and I already have over $250 in savings,”
Schaumburg said.
There are plenty of resources out there for students to utilize to start saving like Rocket Money, but students may also use our required personal finance class to learn more about budgeting and financial planning. According to the Council for Economic Education, there are currently 35 states including Missouri that require students to take a personal finance class to graduate, which has gone up by 12 since 2022.
“I would venture to say that all 50 states are going to be that way. While some students may know a lot about the topics because that is a conversation that happens in their household, many students are not aware or they’ve heard it but still don’t know the intricacies of it,” Schaumburg said.
A good budgeting plan to start with would be the 50/30/20 rule. This is where 50 percent of expenses go to needs, 30 percent goes to miscellaneous expenses and fun things, and 20 percent goes to savings. This would be a great place to start for most teenagers, as it can help create healthy habits early and build self discipline.
It can be a struggle to keep yourself motivated to stay on track with your budget, especially with all of the marketing schemes that have flourished through social media and app algorithms. However, the benefits down the line will far outweigh the temporary highs of ordering something new and trendy online.
BY BRYCE RUDER
With
New Year’s coming around the
corner, people are starting to think about what they want to do for their resolutions. I don’t want to hear it.
Here
are the New Year’s resolutions that make my blood boil.
New Year’s resolutions are created for people to improve their lives. However throughout the last few years,
these goals have become prevalent and bland, and there are some that I don’t want to see on people’s lists this year.
Creating Healthier Eating Habits: This one is probably the most common. The entire goal of this one is simple: eat healthier. Why is this one so bad? Because everyone has this resolution in some way shape or form. This could also be a halfyear resolution as some people try to follow this resolution mid-way through the year. Its abundance is very unoriginal, but that’s not even what makes this resolution one of the worst. What makes this goal truly stupid is that most people don’t follow through with it very long. Most people give up on this resolution within a couple of months so why would you even make this one of your resolutions? This is the most common and the most stupid resolution. Going to the Gym: This one is
also very common. However, this one, unlike eating healthy, is actually followed through more. That doesn’t save it from being unimaginative though. Everybody has this goal. Going to the gym and getting strong is important, but people find it difficult to fit this activity into their schedules. This one I don’t want to see simply because it’s overdone. New Year’s resolutions are supposed to be fun and meaningful, but this one isn’t very creative.
Traveling the World: Another extremely over used resolution. Traveling is a good use of time and money. However, it takes a lot to get up and leave and most people don’t have the schedule flexibility to get this done. What makes this resolution truly pointless is that most people forget about it. Why make up a resolution and then forget about it? This is a unique life goal, but it is not a very good resolution.
Reducing Screen Time: Do I even need to explain why this one isn’t good? Nobody listens to this resolution. Some people don’t
even use the “screen time” setting to monitor how long they are on their device. Nobody could last a day without their phone in today’s society, so why would limiting usage be an achievable resolution? This one is a waste of time because most people don’t follow it.
Participating in a Marathon: This resolution is unique, but that’s not why it’s bad. Nobody will do this, just like the screen time resolution. People think they can do a marathon until they get started. What makes this resolution bad is that people go in thinking it will be something easy, until they start running the marathon and regret it immediately. This isn’t stupid because it’s bland, it’s stupid because people don’t think of how hard this one is.
Save Money: I don’t like this one because of how the economy is today. Saving money isn’t impossible, but it’s very unlikely. Especially with increasing inflation and gas prices, keeping paychecks is extremely hard. Everything today costs money. Most people save money by trying to eat out less. That falls through pretty quickly though, especially if people also plan on traveling as a resolution. What makes me upset is that there are other resolutions that I’ve heard people do that sound so much better. Drinking more water is a good resolution that I like because it’s an issue not many people think of. Spending more time with family is one that I like because with everyone’s busy schedule, family time shouldn’t be forgotten. Adding a new skill or hobby can be an interesting resolution. For teens, this could look like trying a new job or maybe going to other events and classes at school. The last resolution I like is trying to cut something out of daily life. I will never complain about people coming up with New Year’s resolutions that focus on getting rid of nasty habits. New Year’s resolutions are supposed to be creative and meaningful ways to make you to do new things, and there are a few out there that can be, but the ones listed are ones that I’d rather not see.
Once you turn 18, you are able to make life-changing decisions that can result in debt, lifelong consequences, or even death. While 18 year olds are able to alter their lives permanently, they aren’t allowed to drink alcohol.
BY REAGAN SMITH
In countries where the drinking age is 18, there are fewer drunk driving accidents and fatalities.
Why are 18 year olds, who are considered adults, able to buy homes, guns, and enlist in the military, but can’t legally drink alcohol?
In Puerto Rico and The Virgin Islands, which are both United States territories, drinking at 18 is legal. In 29 states, supervised drinking with a guardian present under 21 is legal on private property. This shows that these states don’t believe the federal guideline is accurate or needs to be followed.
In 1984, the federal drinking age across states was officially set to 21. President Ronald Reagan told the states to set the drinking age to 21 or face a 10 percent cut to their highway
funding from the government. According to the Centers for Disease Control, 21 works as the set drinking age because it helps lower motor vehicle crashes, underage drinking, and suicide rates.
18 year olds can risk their lives and future prospects to enlist in the military, but still aren’t able to drink. According to the University of Rochester Medical Center, at 18 the rational part of your brain isn’t fully formed, giving young kids more chances to make uninformed decisions and think they are good choices.
At 18 you can buy a gun, get married, gamble, and get tattoos. Legally being allowed to do all of these things at 18, but not drink is
pointless and foolish. Lawmakers know that 18 year olds will drink no matter what, and if they are mature enough to make those big decisions, they are mature enough to drink.
A lot of drunk drivers and irresponsible drinkers are underage. If the drinking age was lowered, there would be an opportunity to teach responsible drinking habits from a younger age, resulting in less binge drinking and drunk accidents across the country.
If 18 is considered the age of adulthood in the United States, then adults should be able to make their own informed decisions about their alcohol consumption.
In 1995, Springfield Public Schools (SPS) high schools switched from an eight block schedule to a four block
schedule that they thought worked best. In 2019, Glendale switched to an A-B rotating block scheduling because administrators found this to be more beneficial to students and staff.
Kickapoo is the only high school in the SPS district that doesn’t have A-B block scheduling. Our school would seriously benefit from the change because the pros outweigh cons.
A-B block scheduling lets you have all eight of your classes throughout the year, but the classes alternate every other day. An example would be that I would have English, math, culinary, and band one day, then the next day I would have social studies, science, choir, and Spanish.
At Glendale, they refer to these as red and blue days. They switch every week as well, so one week they have three red days and two blue days, then the next week they have three blue days and two red days.
Most students and teachers at Glendale love their red and blue days. Senior Spencer Mancini recently moved to Springfield and prefers Glendale’s schedule over his previous school’s schedule.
“I like Glendale’s’ schedule because I can focus more on singular classes and there’s more time to work on homework because you’re basically given an extra day,” Mancini said.
‘An extra day’ means that when they go to class on a blue day and have homework in those classes, they have a whole red day to finish it before they go to school on the next blue day. If I was given this extra day to work on assignments, I know I would get my homework and projects done a lot quicker and I would have more time to study for important tests. This would also be really beneficial for me because I work a part time job. Having the extra day would make planning
This is an example of what Glendale’s A-B block scheduling looks like with their red and blue days alternating each week.
my work schedule a lot easier so I can work on the days when I have easier classes.
The A-B scheduling is not only beneficial for students, but the teachers at Glendale like it as well. Teacher Kylee Daugherty loved the switch from normal block scheduling to A-B block scheduling because she felt like she didn’t have to cram her lessons into one semester.
Now, she can spread them out and students have more time to work on assignments.
“I absolutely love the rotating eight block scheduling. I think that it’s beneficial to the students and the teachers,” Daugherty said.
The only thing Daugherty admitted she had trouble with was figuring out her planner and making her lessons a bit longer to go all year. However, once she adjusted, everything went smoothly.
A-B scheduling makes it easier to balance a schedule. At our school, if I want to take a class all year, it has to take up two of my blocks (one first semester and one second semester) and even though the class counts for
two credits, it would take up an extra block that I could use to explore other things I might be interested in.
With A-B scheduling, I can take a full year class that will give me the right amount of credits and only takes up one block in my schedule, which leaves room for electives and other opportunities.
For example, if I want to take band and yearbook at our school, that would take up four of my blocks (two first semester and two second semester) and the other four blocks would have to be my core four classes (English, science, math, and social studies) that are one semester long.
I’m not saying it’s a bad thing to only have two electives all year, I just think that students should have room to explore different avenues. Maybe I like engineering, teaching, psychology, fashion, or cooking, but I’ll never know because I didn’t have room in my schedule to take these classes.
According to CollegeBoard.org, when you have a general idea about future goals, you can pursue relevant coursework, obtain skills, and effectively transition into education
There are a lot of issues with our block schedule that need to be addressed and maybe even changed.
BY SOPHIE WEBB
It can be hard to pick classes when there’s little flexibility in students schedules.
There are some cons to the A-B block scheduling. Students would have to take eight finals at the end of the year instead of four at the end each semester so there would be a lot more studying and preparing involved. Even though students would have eight finals at the end of the year, they would have four on two different days. Finals opt out could help significantly.
The other con would be that students can’t double up on classes like they can with our schedule. For example, I could take Spanish I first semester and Spanish II second semester with our school’s block scheduling, but I couldn’t with A-B scheduling. Along with this, our four block schedule allows for classes like Spanish VI and Spanish VII.
or work after graduating from high school.
Our school’s block scheduling sparks some concerns for educators as well. With a normal four block schedule, some students will take a math class their first semester of their freshman year and end up not having a math class until their second semester their sophomore year. Over the summer, students forget what they’ve learned throughout the school year.
According to a study from Flex College, students cannot be expected to retain 100 percent of the information they have learned in the school year, but the summer months are likely to result in summer learning loss.
As a result, teachers waste time reviewing courses and reteaching lessons to students.
With the four block scheduling, some classes don’t get the same opportunities as others because of the different semesters. Some classes get to do holiday themed crafts and assignments at the end of the first semester, while the second semester
doesn’t get this opportunity. Also, some quarters are shorter than others. The second quarter of our school year is 12 days shorter than the other quarters. Because of this setback, teachers are trying to cram in as many lessons as possible before finals and winter break while some students are struggling to keep up with the assignments. Some teachers take out lessons because of the shortened quarter or they add lessons to the second semester classes.
Most students during the second semester tend to slack off. A term used more commonly is “senioritis,” but I believe that can apply to all grade levels because I tend to slack off towards the end of the year. As a result, students’ grades would be lower in their second semester classes.
Sports seasons contribute to this as well. If I play a fall sport, I would be absent more days in the fall than I would in the spring, so the outcome of that would be that I might have a lower grade in my first semester classes because I didn’t have the time to do the assignments.
The last con with this is if I miss two or three days of school, I would have to make up the work from all eight of those classes. However, the workload wouldn’t be heavy because the lessons are more spaced out and longer, so there is less to catch up on for each class.
These are the only things I would find difficult with an A-B schedule. Our school should join the rest and start A-B scheduling. It would give students more time to finish assignments and study for tests, teachers more time to plan and teach their lessons, and you can fit more classes in your schedule.
If we transition to A-B block scheduling, we would just copy and paste Glendale’s schedule. We could have brown and gold days, still have late start Wednesdays, classes would still be 85 to 90 minutes long, and we would still have the same lunch schedule, assembly schedule, and chief time schedule.
Change can be hard, but if we adopt A-B block scheduling, our school would align with other high schools in the district. This would offer a more balanced and efficient approach to education that supports both academic and personal growth.
Isn’t it time for students to receive new Chromebooks?
BY CAROLINE TROTMAN
Uncooperative internet and slow computers are problems that disrupt learning time and frustrate students and teachers.
Springfield Public Schools (SPS) started distributing personal computers to students more than ten years ago.
The IGNiTE initiative aimed to distribute Chromebooks and iPads into different classrooms.
“The IGNiTE program has, as a foundational goal, evened the leveling of the playing field for all of our learners,” Former SPS Superintendent John Jungmann said.
Ten years later, this goal was achieved. The use of Chromebooks in the classroom has been extremely helpful for students’ education.
While there have been many perks in using these computers, students and teachers have had to, and still do, face many challenges revolving around the technological difficulties these computers have. Teachers and students have learned to navigate them throughout the years, but many
issues with these computers still exist, causing much frustration for both students and teachers.
Students complain about the computers being very slow and taking a long time to load. Computers randomly crash and sometimes during instruction time, they fail to operate altogether, disrupting learning.
“My Chromebook is the worst thing on this planet. It’s very slow,” junior La’Trey Finley said.
Finley was issued a school Chromebook in fifth grade and has not received a new one since.
“It was so bad that I had to buy my own computer. I haven’t gotten a new one and I don’t use it anymore. It sits on a shelf,” Finley said.
He mentioned that his computer was extremely slow, took a long time to load, and he experienced many technical difficulties, making it difficult for him to learn in class.
It is really unfortunate that students’ main resources for learning do not function properly. If computers are one of the main ways lessons are taught or how homework is done, then students must have better resources that work properly.
How might SPS go about solving this problem? The district can issue new Chromebooks to juniors or any student with extremely slow or damaged computers.
Chromebooks play a huge part in learning done in the classroom. It is essential that these computers work properly in order for students to learn effectively.
If district curriculum, learning, assignments, and assessments are expected to be completed on computers, then these resources must be operating in good condition.
Staying on top of school work can be a huge stress factor for students, especially when learning styles are incompatible with teaching styles.
Both teaching methods and students’ learning preferences can significantly influence success in classrooms.
As I entered high school and began to focus on my academic future, I quickly realized that teaching and
learning styles often clash. This disconnect can be demotivating and frustrating for students who already feel like they do not strive in academic environments and increase their feelings of being unintelligent or simply not suited for school.
While the idea that everyone has a different learning style is a topic of debate, I strongly believe that everyone has their own unique way of absorbing and processing information. These differences in learning styles can make it challenging for teachers to accommodate all students.
There have been countless times when I have struggled to keep up with a class simply because the teaching style interfered with my preferred method of learning. In contrast, I have experienced several classes where I
was extremely successful because the teaching method matched my learning style.
For instance, in classes where concepts are visually demonstrated to me and I am given a step-by-step process with organized material, I find myself fully engaged with the class. However, when I was left on my own and faced with a class dominated by lectures, I felt lost and struggled to keep up. It’s important to recognize that not every student will succeed in the same environment.
Similarly, junior Alissa Phan feels like she succeeds in her classes when the information is taught visually.
“I like visual learning because most of the time it’s step-by-step and I can fully understand it. I think my learning style affects my education because sometimes teachers don’t always give clear instructions and it’s very vague,” Phan said.
Step-by-step straightforward
BY ANNEMARIE WILHITE
instructions are very important to Phan, but she also has specific ways she learns the most effectively in different subjects.
“With English, I need several examples and with math, it is important that I get clear instructions and if my teachers don’t explain small details, then I get confused. For science classes, I need a video because sometimes I can’t really understand what’s happening with things by just reading,” Phan said.
Just like how every student learns in their own way, every teacher has their own distinct approach to teaching.
“I like teaching both conceptualbased and procedural-based learning. I think it has to be a good blend between both of them. Students have to be able to understand why it’s working, but they also have to be able to do the math,” math teacher Ashlie Lord said.
She likes to do a blend of different styles in order to help students fully process the math and learn it more efficiently.
“I like having my kids discuss and kind of decipher where the math is coming from because if you see where it’s coming from, it makes it easier to do the math behind it. If you don’t understand where it’s coming from, it’s really hard to put the two together,” Lord said.
This shows the importance of understanding how each student learns, which is the key to good teaching.
All educators must understand the needs of each student and implement a variety of teaching strategies to engage all students and ensure that no one gets left behind. By mixing lectures, interactive activities, group work, and visual examples, teachers can cater to many different learning styles. This would not only increase the engagement of students but could also help struggling students realize that they have the potential to strive in academic environments when they may have previously felt like they did not.
All students wishing to graduate early must use the same form.
BY BRAXTON LIEBERT
FSeniors have the option to skip out on their last semester, but is this the right choice for you?
away the closer you get. If only there was a way to get there faster.
Luckily, most students are eligible to leave at the end of the first semester of their senior year. Getting to move onto life after high school a whole half year early might seem too good to be true, so what drawbacks come with skipping out on part of your senior year, and is it worth it for you?
As the counselors will tell you, it isn’t wise to blow off your senior year by taking easy classes. Although you’ll submit your preliminary transcript at the beginning of your senior year, students will still need to submit their final transcript when the school year comes to a close. If this final transcript shows a lack of success or effort during one’s senior year, then opportunities for colleges and scholarships that were already secured may be revoked.
This doesn’t mean that leaving at or upperclassmen, the years can seem to drone on and on. The light at the end of the tunnel seems to get further
semester doesn’t have the potential to be beneficial. If a student plans to go to a trade school or immediately go into the workforce after high school, then being an early leaver can give seniors a helpful head start into your journey as an adult.
Even if one plans on going to a university, taking the last semester off won’t always be a death sentence. It’s important to contact the university and ask about what their protocol is specifically, because every school is different.
Although I plan to go to a university, I’m going to leave at semester. Having personally contacted my college, I know that it’s not going to hurt my future prospects. Like many other seniors, I find myself at the point that any advanced classes I take here, I’ll have to retake at university anyways. Although I still enjoy my school life, I know that it would probably benefit me more to get a head start on working and building up my savings so that I don’t have to worry about finances as much in college.
There is a small process to be able to finish at semester. Early leavers must fill out a form in the counselors’ office and return it to the front desk. Students under 18 must also get a signature from their parents in order to complete the form. Make sure that your counselor is aware of your plan to leave at semester, as they will need to update your schedule.
There is more than just academics to worry about when choosing to skip out on your last semester. Early leavers will miss out on another semester making memories. The second semester has many spirit weeks, assemblies, athletic events, and chances to make new friends before the high school days are over. It may seem like these things don’t matter much, but looking back on this last fall semester of mine, I couldn’t imagine losing all the experiences, highs and lows, and learning that I’ve come to know through my last few months in high school.
If teens aren’t trusted enough to consume alcohol at 18 years old, the same standard should apply for
BY AUBREE SIMS
gambling.
Gambling affects the majority of teens negatively and nothing is being done to prevent it.
If you have to wait until 21 years old to legally consume or purchase alcohol, the same standard should be in place
for gambling.
Laws of gambling are permitted by the state themselves and can range between the ages of 18 and 21. However, most allow ages 18 and older. According to The Federal Uniform Drinking Age Act, the minimum alcohol consumption age is 21. Since you have to wait until the age of 21 years old to consume alcohol, you should not have to share the building with 18 year olds who can now legally gamble.
The Central for Disease Control (CDC) states that the legal drinking age is 21 in order to prevent substance abuse disorders, also known as an addiction. However, gambling can be just as harmful and addicting, especially to teens.
California has a gambling website
that provides statistics, states that six percent of their teens have become pathological gamblers. While ABC News also says that 60 to 80 percent of teens have gambled in the last two years alone. This reflects strongly towards online gambling. Online gambling is the easiest way for teens, even below the age of 18, to gamble away hundreds to thousands of dollars.
The U.S. is so worried about teens being addicted to alcohol, yet teens are drinking anyways. With the gambling age being 18, it’s only creating room for more addiction growth. Most if not all casinos have bars located inside. Even with security measures in place, teens can be very sneaky when getting alcohol in such situations.
Teens’ frontal lobes are not fully developed until the ages of 23 to 25, meaning they are incapable of making logical decisions. Exposing teens to
such life altering decisions so young can deflect how their minds develop. The same goes for allowing teens into casinos.
While online gambling is harder to prevent, stopping teens from being allowed into casinos is a very effective strategy.
Adults should be able to have free will once they turn 18 according to The National Institutes of Health. However, the U.S. does not apply this law to drinking alcohol in order to prevent alcohol addiction. Gambling has the same impact on teens as drinking does, whether it’s addiction or affecting mental health.
Young adults at the age of 18 should not be allowed to compromise their futures so young by becoming addicted to gambling, the same way the government thinks drinking compromises adults until after the age of 21.
HAs options for athletic opportunities continue to grow so do more questions.
Is the process and decision of doing multiple sports in college a difficult one?
igh school athletes’ future paths are never straight lines. Future education and deciding where to go for
college is already stressful and timeconsuming, but for other athletes, the decision is harder. Some athletes here at our school choose to do more than one sport.
This year, we have multiple varsity athletes who contribute to the success of more than one team at our school. However, there’s another decision these athletes have to make: which sport they will choose to focus on in college.
According to a Missouri High School Athletic Association survey, 43 percent of student-athletes participate in multiple sports in the years leading up to college. This is a huge number, especially considering how many athletes make it to college just in one sport. Less than seven percent of high school athletes go on to compete at
the collegiate level, and that’s for all sports. Only counting the popular sports like football and basketball drops that percentage down to around two percent.
Part of this is due to the demand for commitment. Coaches don’t want to take on an athlete who isn’t going to focus on their sport. Our schools’ athletic director, Scott Phillips, remarks on how time management is one of the main reasons why a majority of high school athletes choose to focus on one sport to do in college.
“When you start getting into Division One and Division Two, you start to see less and less dual-sport athletes. I think a lot of that is just the sheer time commitment that there is,” Phillips said.
Doing more than one sport is possible, but it is not a very easy task. This is because some colleges, especially near the Division One level,
BY BRYCE RUDER
have offseason workouts as well as other programs that can take up time and prevent athletes from doing more than one sport in college.
This time commitment is also well-known and acknowledged among athletes. Current senior basketball player Mikayla Pilley, who is committed to play at Ft. Hays State, explains why that struggle is one of the main reasons she will be leaving behind her other sports.
“In college, it’s a lot more intense. Practicing all year round and every day, it would be a lot just trying to do all of them,” Pilley said.
While time commitment is an issue, it is not an unwarranted one. When not focusing on practicing one sport at a time, athletes are unable to see much development or improvement. This can lead to unenjoyable experiences and increase stress for athletes. Senior softball pitcher Allison Scott, who is committed to Evangel University, considers the reasons why she is choosing to focus on her softball career
“I’m going to finish doing basketball and track. I want to focus mainly on growing my craft in softball and not have to worry about also doing other sports,” Scott said.
For others at our school, it can be a different story. Current senior star safety for the football team, Levi Phillips, plans to play football instead of basketball and track due to how well the sport suits him.
“I’m going to play football because it best suits my physical stature and athleticism. It’s also a sport that I enjoy more than the others,” Phillips said.
No matter the sport, life is full of choices for athletes. Some athletes face fewer than others, but multisport athletes here at our school seem very confident about leaving their other sports behind and starting a new chapter at the next level.
SYears after year these helmets clash together. The players are determined to come out on top no matter what.
As the years go on, our rivalry with Glendale stays as intense as ever. Cases of hazing and vandalism on both sides continue to arise. How can we foster competition without tolerating for aggression?
BY BRAXTON LIEBERT
It’s a story as old as our school itself: the Southside Showdown. The tension in the air is palpable as Chiefs and
Falcons get ready to fight it out on the football field. This rivalry runs deep and athletes from both schools look forward to their games against each other. A respectful rivalry keeps things lively and interesting, but have we taken this clash with the Falcons too far, or are we just
giving these birds the beatdown they deserve?
Glendale students are passionate about the rivalry, but feel things have gotten out of control.
“At the most recent Kickapoo assembly, they destroyed the falcon, and it kind of caught me off guard. If we had the same level of respect, I don’t think that would be occurring,” Glendale cabinet member Maya Morse said.
In truth, our habit of getting everyone excited for the “falcon feast” by violently beating up a bird may be a bit distasteful, especially considering the situation it puts Glendale in.
“It’s kind of annoying because you guys can do all this crazy stuff and we just have to sit there and take the hate because we can’t fight back,” Morse said.
According to Glendale students,
this more respectful attitude is due in part to the expectations that are set for them.
“[Principal] Dr. Groves holds us to a higher standard and I love that he does that because it gives us good sportsmanship and respect for the other teams,” Glendale student Salem Gregg said.
So are we just the bad apples, or is there another perspective to Glendale’s treatment of us? Our cabinet would beg to differ.
“Their cabinet is respectful but their student body is not. They [Glendale’s cabinet] didn’t do anything during the assembly like we did with the falcon. When we walked into the doors to the gym they were cheering, but when they saw us they stopped. Some people even boo’d. It was obvious they stopped cheering for only us,” Kickapoo cabinet member Brooke Chaffin said.
Regardless of who was truly responsible, our athletics teams seem to have a track record of over the top displays of competitiveness.
“I started as a freshman, and I remember hearing about graffiti. My sophomore year they TP’d [coach’s] house. It’s always something every year and they just get more and more strict at those games cause someone’s always looking to do something,” Glendale football player Saul Spurgeon said.
Vandalism crosses the line of what’s considered a healthy rivalry. When police presence is needed at a game, it’s not a good sign.
“I think it’s a very clear boundary that we have for Kickapoo that they don’t have for us,” Gregg said.
But how do the Falcons’ past actions hold up against their accusations of superior sportsmanship? Of course all parties are innocent until proven guilty, but over the years there have been some suspicious events.
“The big K flag disappeared behind the softball field. Two years
in a row it happened. It got stolen at the beginning of the year. The following year it got taken again,” Coach Thomas said.
In addition to this mysterious disappearance, Many years ago, just before a girls soccer game against Glendale at our home field, the entire field was vandalized with spray paint. Both these cases provide evidence that Glendale students partake in just as much shenanigans as they accuse us of.
Both schools have a lack of respect for each other, and this spills out into actions. Which side is truly responsible for these occurrences doesn’t matter, because either way they are unacceptable.
All of this negativity begs the question, where did this rivalry come from? Athletes may have personal reasons for disliking their rival school, but originally there was one main factor for the contempt between the two schools.
In 1971, Kickapoo High School opened its doors for the first time, giving southside students a second school. This opening date, however, was not in time for the beginning of the fall semester. Due to this, all southside students were required to go to Glendale. Original Glendale students attended from the very early morning to the afternoon. Students that should have been going to Kickapoo attended from the early afternoon into the evening.
Having to wake up before daylight to go to school because of something that isn’t even the students fault will no doubt build a bit of resentment toward the people that seemingly have it better. Even after the extra students transferred back to Kickapoo, the resentment remained. On top of this, adding another school to the southside inevitably leads to rivalry because of the proximity of the schools.
Nowadays it’s just carried on as the natural way of things.
“It’s not always the people on the
teams that care about it. It’s just that this rivalry has been going on for so long. If you go to Kickapoo you hate Glendale, and if you go to Glendale you hate Kickapoo,” Kickapoo football captain Bryan Johnson said.
Despite the negatives that might arise from it, our rivalry does good for the spirit of both teams. Nothing gets an athlete more excited than the chance to show their rival up, but just because you’re excited to beat the competition, doesn’t mean you have to hate them.
“Really it’s just a game. We’re gonna go out there and do our best and come out on top. There’s no need to go over the top with it,” Kickapoo football player AJ Baier said.
Passion doesn’t have to mean aggression and players on both sides can appreciate the game without depreciating the players.
“It makes for good games. Every game, regardless of record, you’re always going to have a good game. It’s always gonna be packed, and there’s always a ton of energy. For me, it’s almost like a college rivalry,” Spurgeon said.
As rules have gotten more strict, the hope is that healthy competitiveness can flourish, and we can leave the vandalism and hazing behind.
The vibe around our school is always full of life and spirit the week of the big football game.
“It just kind of feels different around the school and around everyone when it’s the Southside Showdown. It always has,” Johnson said.
This rivalry has continued to hold strong throughout the years, and as long as there’s The Falcons, The Chiefs will be here to keep them from flying too high.
ne of the hills that I will die on is that mandatory physical education (P.E.) classes are unnecessary,
especially for the students who are already a part of athletic activities both in and outside of school.
I am a dancer. I dance anywhere from 10 to 15 hours a week, and that exerts a ton of physical energy, much more than in an average P.E. class.
However, when I was in eighth grade scheduling for my first year of high school, I was told that in order to graduate, I would need to have one and a half credits of additional exercise that I personally did not need. I ended up taking one in-person P.E. class and two online classes that were pretty much glorified health classes. My online classes were filled with assignments like learn a line dance, take a video doing the sit-up test, make a weekly work-out plan, and make a slideshow about exercises that use different muscles in the body. Most of the time these assignments took me 10 to 15 minutes, leaving me an hour and 15 minutes that I filled by playing on my phone.
Instead of being able to fill my school and summer schedule improving my education and skills, I was forced to add an additional hour and a half of walking around the gym, running around pretending like I could play basketball, and playing a strange mash-up of soccer and baseball.
I’m not the only one who feels this way. Why are student athletes still supposed to take one and a half credits of P.E. classes when they would get so much more exercise simply practicing their sport?
However, these athletes have an ‘exception:’ play a sport all four years of high school and that will count as a half credit. Additionally, seniors in a sport cannot have an off block or they will have to take a P.E. class. In my opinion, this is an unnecessary rule that makes zero sense.
BY MADELINE SWENSON
Why do student athletes have to take P.E. classes when they get so much physical activity already?
In my P.E. classes, I felt like I was just wasting my time when I could be taking classes that would help me in life. I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was wasting one and a half credits doing nothing when I could be doing something truly beneficial to me like culinary, which would teach me skills that I would need later on.
I believe that instead of only getting a half credit for participating in a sport for all four years of high school, it should be that for every semester you are in a sport, you receive a half credit. For example, if someone was on the cross country team and track team their freshman year, they would earn a half credit for each season. Then if
P.E. classes exercise both inside and outside. This can be a blessing or a curse depending on the weather, or ones amount of physical activity.
Additionally, my P.E. teacher would frequently leave and let the class participate in games or physical tests like the pacer test, push-up test, and others on our own. This further emphasized all the points of my opinion that these classes are unnecessary and not useful to student athletes. The students would goof off and I would waste even more time in a class that I didn’t need.
Now I get it, P.E. is great for people who don’t participate in athletic activities on the regular (even if they just walk around for an hour and a half), but many students at our school are involved in athletic activities both in and outside of school.
they did cross country the next fall, they would get all the credits they needed.
In the case of others like myself who get a lot of physical activity outside of school, I think we should be able to have a coach or instructor sign a form stating that we have received a certain number of hours of physical activity and should be exempt from the school’s mandatory P.E. classes. P.E. classes should not be mandatory, especially for student athletes who are active in school sports and other physical activities in the community. The amount of physical exercise they get is much more than the standard P.E class.
BY BRAXTON LIEBERT
Here’s why mandatory P.E. classes can be a game changer for students.
“Between the ages of 12 and 25, our brains are most plastic… It is understandable then
that there is no better time than adolescence to form long-lasting habits,” Laurence Steinberg, a leading expert on adolescent psychological development, said.
my love for lifting weights, and that flourished into complete turnaround of not only my exercise habits, but my eating habits as well. This has given me much more self confidence, but that’s not all exercise in adolescence can do for us.
According to a 2022 study in the National Library of Medicine, “an
Healthy routines practiced in our youth are likely to last a lifetime. Arguably the most beneficial habit to begin in your adolescent years is developing a fitness routine, but finding the motivation to get these habits started can be difficult. By participating in mandatory P.E. classes, students are able to try out many different forms of exercise. These experiences can help students to find an enjoyable way to get active and they may even gain a lifelong hobby as a result.
Although initially I was unsure about it, looking back I am thankful that I was placed in weights class my freshman year. I was able to discover
unhealthy lifestyle during pubertal years is associated with accelerated biological aging in young adulthood.”
This means that fitness and healthy eating in your youth can physically slow down aging for years to come.
The mission of our education system, supposedly, is to prepare young people for their adult life by teaching them valuable knowledge and helping to build important life skills. Because physical activity is a key component of a healthy adult life, it makes sense that high school requires students to take P.E classes.
In total, students are required to take one and a half credits of P.E. classes in order to graduate. In the
grand scheme of things, this is not very many. Considering that learning a healthy lifestyle is just as important as skills like English and math, it’s not ridiculous that six percent of the credits required to graduate are P.E. classes.
Some students may be against mandatory P.E. because they feel as though they engage in enough physical activity outside of school, but this is not the case for most people. According to a study by the World Health Organization in 2019, more than 80 percent of school going adolescents do not meet the current recommendation of one hour of physical activity per day. Whether this absence of exercise is due to lack of time outside of school or lack of care or motivation to get active, mandatory P.E. classes address both issues.
High school students are usually short on time between school, work, and many extracurriculars. Finding time to exercise outside of this can be difficult. Taking weights as a class allows me to get my daily fitness done as a part of my school day. Otherwise I’d have to wake up two hours earlier to go to the gym beforehand, which is something that no one wants to do.
Additionally, the school weight room provides equipment that students may not have access to otherwise. Gym memberships can range from $10 to $100, and some gyms may not even have amenities such as barbells and bumper plates that our weight room gives us access to.
Mandatory P.E. for students is beneficial in the large majority of cases. Even if students complain initially about being placed in a P.E. class, it won’t take long before the class becomes routine. Although students may initially dislike the classes, it’s undeniable that the activity is still good for us. We should all be thankful for the opportunity for physical fitness that we have access to as students.
SRecognizing our
A night to honor senior athletes’ achievements and memories with their team.
BY SOPHIE WEBB
Almost all of our school’s sports have senior nights where senior athletes get recognized for their hard
work. It’s also a chance for the team and coaches to show their appreciation for the players. Some sports have traditions for their senior nights, but our school likes to keep it simple.
For most senior nights, the team decorates the gym or field depending on the sport. Some create an archway for the athletes to walk through and make posters with photos of the seniors. Most of the time their senior portraits are lining the path to the gym or field. At their games, the seniors’ names get announced as they walk with their parents. Every sport does different things on their senior nights to appreciate the athletes.
Football: The seniors get together and have a bonfire the night before the game where they share memories and have a good time. Before the game, the seniors line up with their parents and their name is announced, their plans after highschool, length of time they’ve played, and their favorite memory.
Boys Soccer: All seniors line up with their parents, and their moms get flowers. The athletes walk through an arch while their name is announced along with their plans after highschool, length of time they’ve played, and their favorite memory from being on the team.
Softball: After their game, the girls walk with their parents as they announce the players name, favorite quote, favorite memory, special accomplishments, and their plans
after highschool. Afterwards, they celebrate with cupcakes and take photos with their team and family.
Volleyball: Out of all of these sports, the volleyball team seems to do the most for their senior night. They have a balloon arch that the seniors walk through with their families. They have their name announced, plans after highschool, a quote, and favorite memory with the team. What makes them different from the other sports is they give the underclassman advice as well.
The seniors get ‘sister groups’ at the beginning of the season and the sister groups make a basket full of gifts and candy for the senior that’s in their group and they make poster boards with fun pictures of the seniors. After the game, they have a ceremony in the commons for the seniors to celebrate their last highschool season.
Boys swim: Their senior nights are very similar. The seniors line up, get their name announced along with their plans after highschool, how long they’ve swam for, and their favorite team memory.
Wrestling: Similar to Boys Soccer, the seniors line up with their parents and their name gets announced along with their plans after highschool, their favorite memory with the team, and how long they have wrestled for. They get a bag of goodies as well.
Girls Basketball: The girls’ moms make decorative posters for them and the seniors walk with their parents and have their name announced, clubs they’re in, achievements, how long they’ve played, and their plans after highschool. The coaches make gift baskets for the seniors and the rest of the team gives the seniors gifts and flowers. They write letters to the seniors during the season, then they get to open those letters on their senior night.
All of these sports teams do memorable things for the seniors because they worked hard for their wins. It is important that we give senior athletes the recognition they deserve for their hard work and dedication.
Following years of dedicated practice, our school athletes commit themselves to a university.
BY BRYCE RUDER
Here are which real life NFL players have been fantasy stars and who have been disappointments.
BY BRYCE RUDER
The game of football--a sport that is the most watched in the United States--but there is more to this sport than just
watching and playing it in real life. Some people like to play a different version of this extremely popular game. There are video games on consoles such as Madden and have even expanded to mobile games such as Retro Bowl. However, all these games pale in comparison to Fantasy football. Fantasy is one of the most popular electronic “games” in this country. It’s an online league where you, a team manager, draft players from all different teams to compete against other league managers. The points system can be different for each league, but most leagues have similar ways of scoring. Points are scored based on player stats in real life. If a player performs well in a real life game, they perform better in the fantasy league. Throughout the season, there are bound to be players who outperform their pre-season expectations, but for every player who surprises everyone, there are also players who disappoint and fail to reach their expectations. Here is a list of players who have been fantasy studs this year as well as players who have become fantasy duds.
has become
and more
over the years, but for some that just increases the
Daniels opened the season as a rookie with a lot of risk. Washington wasn’t seen as a very good team, with little weapons to support the Heisman trophy winner. However, Daniels exceeded these expectations by becoming a top five fantasy quarterback and leading Washington to relevancy in the National Football Conference’s east division. Time will tell on how well he performs in the playoffs if the team makes it.
Mayfield signed a modest contract extension before the season after a career resurgence last year. He has only gotten better since signing, sneaking into the top five quarterback range. With a bevy of talented pass catchers at his disposal, he has led his team to the top spot in their division. Because both his top receivers got hurt recently, his production may plummet, but there is no doubt that he has outperformed preseason expectations.
At the beginning of the season, many assumed Carolina’s second round pick, Jonathan Brooks, would take over backfield duties once he returned from a knee injury he sustained in college at Texas. However, that has not been the case. Instead, it’s been the man in his third year as a pro, Chuba Hubbard, leading the running back group. Even though he’s on one of the worst teams in the NFL, he is one of the best running backs in fantasy, consistently dropping double digit points every week. While this may change once Brooks returns, there’s no doubt Hubbard has made it hard to decide on future backfield plans in Carolina.
In a young, developing Green Bay offense, Reed has been the swiss army knife. Reed currently is a top 10 receiver in fantasy. He is a receiver that can actually run the ball as well. Reed has been the number one option for quarterback Jordan Love and his development has been a sight to see.
This one I’ve learned first hand, because Bowers has been on my team all season, but it’s undeniable; Bowers has been one of the best if not the best in fantasy this year. The rookie has been on a tear recently, earning him the number one tight end in fantasy at one point and scoring more than double digit points in five of the first seven games. Bowers’ season is being noticed by many and is well on his way to becoming a star in any league.
Richardson has been a massive disappointment compared to his preseason rankings. Lots of experts picked him to be one of the top fantasy quarterbacks, but that has not been the case. There have been times where Richardson has shown flashes of excellence, however most of those moments are overshadowed by bad decision making. Richardson is currently outside of the top 25 quarterbacks, and without starting running back Jonathan Taylor, the offense has struggled. Hopefully Richardson can look past this sophomore slump and showcase the talent that made him so desirable coming out of Florida last year.
While the passing game has flourished for the Bucs, the running game has been very dissatisfying. White’s ability to catch passes out of the backfield has potential, but he has failed to reach it. There really isn’t that much of an explanation for it. The team’s offensive line isn’t terrible, but it’s not great either. The success of other running backs has also made White very expendable this year.
Aiyuk has fallen to a modern trend: getting paid the big bucks in the offseason and then regressing to irrelevance. Aiyuk entered the season as a top 15 wide receiver poised to do well in high flying 49er offense. However, the Niners have not been good this season, largely due to Aiyuk’s horrible play. And what makes this even worse is that he recently suffered a season ending injury. This solidifies Aiyuk’s bust status.
Oh how the mighty have fallen. Kelce was seen as a first round pick in some leagues, but he has been a massive disappointment. Even without other weapons to compete with in the KC offense, he has been very up and down for an early round pick. It may be time to consider that Kelce is on his way out of the League and start looking for more productive options in the future.
This is the only defense on this list purely because it has been the most surprising of all, and not in a good way. Dallas’s defense went from being top 5 the past two years to being one of the worst in the NFL this year. Part of this is losing defense coordinator Dan Quinn, but only losing a coach should not result in this kind of collapse. While some may say it’s been because of injuries, the main stars have remained the same throughout. It’s time to give up on the Cowboys team this season and start looking for better options.
Despite the challenges they’ve faced this past year, our school’s cheer team has made big accomplishments with the help of their new coach. Photo courtesy of Sarah Tate.
Anew era begins. English teacher Sarah Tate is stepping up to take on the role of head coach of cheer.
- KATIE HENRY “ ”
She’s done great at just being herself and we all love her.
She is excited to start a new chapter and lead our cheer team to success. However, her coaching journey didn’t start with our school.
“I taught at Parkview. [...] They needed an assistant coach. I took the job and ended up coaching over there for eight years,” Tate said.
After moving over from Parkview, Tate stepped back from coaching to focus on her new teaching role. It wasn’t until her daughter Liv inspired her to keep her cheer days running. Now Tate happily teaches, encourages, and supports our cheerleaders.
“That makes me feel happy. She inspires me to do lots of things everyday. She’s a great mom and truly cares for everyone,” Liv said.
Tate treasures the relationships that she has with her cheer team. She’s thankful for the students that she has impacted through cheer.
“She’s just kind of been a good support system. She’s given us her professional feedback from her experiences and she’s been there for
us through all the challenges we’ve faced,” senior Megan Dold said.
Without pursuing this role, Tate wouldn’t have the team connections she does today.
“Before I started coaching, I would just come to work, do my job, and go home. I didn’t feel super connected to Kickapoo, but now I do,” Tate said.
Having good relationships is important in cheer, but these connections can be a struggle without proper communication.
“We have to use the SportsYou app and the team seems not to want to check that very often, and we have a team of 48 people, so not everyone gets along on the team,” Tate said.
Big changes can make communication between one another difficult. The returning cheerleaders went through a difficult change after the unexpected passing of their coach Amy Barron last year. This sudden transition meant they would now have a different head coach for the rest of the year.
“We were so used to how Barron ran things. It’s been a challenge because she has so many new ideas and a different way of how she likes to run
Unexpected hardships have sprung into new beginnings for our school’s cheer team.
BY JEYDON SUDDARTH
things, so we’ve kind of just been keeping an open mind and adjusting to things as best we can,” Dold said.
As the cheerleaders adjust to their new coach, Tate has made sure to be a support system for them.
“I had feelings about that too, but I try to be very respectful about how my returning cheerleaders feel and how they loved Ms. Barron. I feel we have become our own unit with respecting her memory. They still talk about her and we still do things that she would have them do,” Tate said.
Tate works with the team to keep them motivated and engaged everyday throughout the year.
“They set goals for themselves at the beginning of the year [...] for themselves and as a team. For example, the Junior varsity’s (JV) team goal is to not be on the JV next year,” Tate said.
Tate tries her best to keep the team on track. Being both a teacher and a coach can be hard, keeping focus with less time can be tricky. She has her own strategy for being successful.
“I feel like coaching cheer could be a full time job, but teaching is my full time job. [I’m] really trying to stay with time management. I just take one day at a time, one thing at a time,” Tate said.
it’s actually not,” Tate said.
Making sure that the timing is right is very important when cheering. Tate has to keep them on track and be the coach she needs to be, no matter the situation.
Sophomore Gabby Cloke and the squad are pushed by Tate everyday, giving them motivation to work
probably say I’m strict, [but] everyone individually knows that I care about them,” Tate said.
Tate cares about everyone on the team. She wants to make improvements to get her outcome for the year.
“She’s kinda taken the reins in organizing her whole shebang. She’s done like all the planning [...] behind the scenes, making sure everything goes smooth with us, and she’s been setting everything up to make sure that we can go to nationals, and she’s just been a really big support system,” senior Katie Henry said.
harder and get better.
Game days are usually cheers big performances. The team takes steps to get prepared for their game day cheers routines.
“We do a lot of sideline game day practice. [We] make sure our stunts look good and practice our timing. When you’re in the stands watching them put up stunts. It looks easy, but
“She’s a very mom type of coach. She’s done a really good job with just going with the flow [by] still honoring Mrs. Barron and giving us grace,” Cloke said.
For Tate, it has been about finding a balance between supporting the team and pushing them to succeed.
“I feel like I’m calm, but I do have high expectations. The team would
She’s loved her first year so far. Tate is proud of all of our cheerleaders and has high hopes for the cheer squad.
“For the competition team to get to nationals and to do well. [...] Making the semi finals would be incredible. In February, we are taking JV and Varsity to a game day competition and I’m really proud they are going to do it,” Tate said.
While the adjustment to Tate as coach hasn’t been easy, our cheer team feels they couldn’t have come as far as they have without her support.
“There’s definitely been a few bumps in the road but I feel like that comes along with change. Tate is super loving and has a big heart and she’s just like a big mamma bear, you know?” Henry said.
*after a long day in class
*after the game
*while studying late night (Drive-thru open til 10:00pm)
*or just hanging out during the week
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Volume 55 | Issue 2 | khqtoday.com | @kpoomag
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COVER PHOTO BY: NADIA WARREN
BACK COVER BY: SOPHIE WEBB
INSIDE COVER BY: BRYCE RUDER
NEWS DIVIDER BY: BROOKLYN COLLINS
FEATURE DIVIDER BY: KESSA ADEE
OPINION DIVIDER BY: AUBREE SIMS
SPORTS DIVIDER BY: BRYCE RUDER
Kickapoo High Quarterly (KHQ) exists as a quarterly student publication produced by the Kickpaoo High School Journalism Department. It operates as an open forum with the intention of accurately and fairly reporting to the needs of readers. Staff members take responsibility for reporting honestly and without bias and for printing material that is not considered libelous or invasive. Advertisements that appear in KHQ do not necessarily reflect the viewpoints of Kickapoo High School administrations or Springfield Public Schools. KHQ does not support any one political party, candidate, or campaign.
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