Lakota East Spark 2018-2019 Issue #4 by Lakota East Spark

Spark Lakota East High School lakotaeastsparkonline.com March 2019 $5 Newsstand

INTERNSHIPS

THE NICO-TEENS The newest teen epidemic has many parents, school administrators, and government health officials concerned.

The Lakota District kicks off its initiative to offer internship opportunities to each student.

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CONTENTS News East joins Lakota’s middle schools in rolling out Chromebooks to sophomores and juniors for their second semester.

Culture East sophomore Jazmine “Jazzy” Yun traveled to Shinjuku, Japan to participate in a professional wrestling match.

In-depth Anna Mullins covers the newest teen epidemic that has many parents, teachers and government health officials concerned: Juuling.

Entertainment Spark staffer reviews Netflix’s “Birdbox,” and gives it three stars for its mediocre and predictable take on an apocalyptic narrative.

Sports East senior diver Lindsey Jones tackles new challenges and breaks records as her high school career comes to a close.

Opinion Spark staffer Michael Szczepkowski discusses the push to go to college over “perfectly suitable” vocational schools.

10 22 36 42 56 63

#186

East senior varsity diver Lindsey Jones practices her dives at Miami University. March 2019

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Spark 2018-2019 STAFF

Editor-in-Chiefs

Business Manager Assistant Manager News Managing Editor Culture Managing Editor Culture Section Editor

Landon Meador Jack McFarland Alex Fernholz Caroline Bumgarner Anna Mullins

Package Managing Editor Package Section Editor

Abby Bammerlin Rebecca Breland

Entertainment Section Editors

Alanna Schlaeger Isis Summerlin

Sports Editors

Opinion Section Editors

Stephen McKay Broc Nordmark Jessica Jones Alex Hood

Photography Editors

Abby Bammerlin Meredith Niemann

Art Managing Editor Art Section Editor

McKenna Lewis Leo Rolfert

Graphics Coordinators

Design Coordinators

Communications Director PR Director Webmaster Copyeditor

Advisor

Katey Kruback Lauren Maier

lakotaeastsparkonline.com

Caroline Bumgarner Lauren Maier Caroline Bumgarner Landon Meador

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Dear Spark, What is most important for happiness? I’d argue it’s the strength of our closest relationships. Unfortunately, a new study from the University of Arizona and Wayne State University titled “Smartphones and Close Relationships: The Case for an Evolutionary Mismatch” that will soon be published in Perspective on Psychological Science has found that use of mobile devices is “hampering our in-person social interactions” because the instant gratification technology provides diverts people’s attention from face-to-face interactions. Social science research is notoriously difficult to replicate; nevertheless, I certainly feel hurt and frustrated when a person I’m with would rather watch one more YouTube video, or talk with someone far away via Facetime, than talk with me. Similarly, there’s nothing more heartbreaking than to see a toddler trying to get a parent’s attention and the parent ignoring them to pay attention to something on a phone. Sadly, not only may too much use of technology harm our inperson relationships, but data summarized by Jenny Radesky, assistant professor at University of Michigan in a session titled “Digital media and children: The good, the bad, and the unknown” at the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) 2018 National Conference and Exhibition has shown that earlier introduction to digital media is linked to lower executive function and social skills. Executive functions include the ability to plan, prioritize, organize, and control impulses. Performance on executive function tests has been found to be a stronger predictor than IQ of whether a person will be successful. Consequently, if technology disrupts our ability both to form lasting interpersonal relationships and to develop strong executive function skills, how confident are we really that increasing the use of technology is the best option for our students? It’s a question worth debating, especially as teachers are pressured to increase use of technology in the classroom. —Kedzie Fernholz, community member The Spark encourages letters to the editor. Letters can be sent to the publication at lakotaspark@gmail.com or delivered to room 118 at East Main Campus. Letters must be signed, and the staff reserves the right to edit the letters for length, grammar, invasion of privacy, obscenity or potential libel.

ON THE COVER

Spark Lakota East High School lakotaeastsparkonline.com March 2019 $5 Newsstand

Landon Meador Jack McFarland Katey Kruback Katey Kruback Dean Hume

March 2019

INTERNSHIPS

THE NICO-TEENS The newest teen epidemic has many parents, school administrators, and government health officials concerned.

The Lakota District kicks off its initiative to offer internship opportunities to each student.

After a Spark survey confirming the number of students who claim to juul and the limited knowledge surrounding the newest e-cigarette, Spark looks at the teenage juuling epidemic.

FEEDING THE NEED KATEY KRUBACK

photography caroline bumgarner

n Feb. 1, the Lakota school district made students and staff very happy by declaring a third consecutive snow day. Certain that we would end up having school, I was shocked when I got the text early in the morning declaring a “cold day,” but was still thrilled to sleep in and spend the day lounging around in sweatpants. At 10 a.m., my mother came in my room and woke me up— quite rudely in the middle of a glorious dream about school being canceled permanently—and showed me Lakota Outreach, Diversity and Inclusion (LODI) representative Angie Brown’s tweet that morning asking for donations at Central Office for families affected by the weather. My mother, a secretary for Lakota’s Career Readiness Academy (CRA), was on her way to Kroger to buy food to deliver to her own students, and she suggested I rally the Spark troops to cover the story. So I lugged myself to the shower and did as I was told, texting a few Spark photographers to meet me at Kroger to buy donations. An hour later, we walked into Central Office with about $60 worth of ramen, pasta, and various soups, adding our bags to the growing pile of donations. We started taking pictures of the heap of donations when Angie Brown walked in. Ten minutes and three tissues into our interview, and I was dedicated to the cause in a way I wasn’t when I rolled out of bed that morning. I wasn’t thinking of the kids on the free and reduced lunch program, or of families impacted by the government shutdown when I was so gleeful at the prospect of another lazy day. I wasn’t thinking about the fact that for some families, three days of no school against a weekend would result in some students going hungry. To be honest, I wasn’t thinking of anyone but myself, something that was rectified only a few minutes into the interview with Angie Brown. Just in the past year, Lakota has been promoting its WEareEMPOWERED and one-to-one tech programs with the Chromebooks, the new renovation of the Media Centers-turnedInnovation Hubs and their new favorite hashtag, #studentvoice. This is the district they’ve been promoting to their peers in Educational Administration and during the tour they gave around East to other school administrators from around the state. But to me, LODI’s quick-thinking and quick-moving food collection and distribution is a better highlight. The added technology is great and will benefit many students in their educational career, but no amount of computers will have the same impact as the many students, staff, administrators and community members who took time out of their snow day and money out of their wallets to give to families to need, in a moment of need. •

news | briefs photography abby bammerlin

LAKOTA RECAPS

RECORDING ATTENDANCE

eginning Feb. 4, East piloted a new system to inform parents and guardians of their students’ absences. The Messenger system sends a link to a pre-recorded message via a text message recorded by East attendance secretary Nancy Weinheimer (pictured above). “[Messenger] does it so fast,” Weinheimer said. “There haven’t been any glitches so far.” Weinheimer said that before this system, she

SWING ON IN

had to contact families manually. The new system will automatically contact all the families of absent students at 10:30 a.m. East Principal Suzanna Davis helped Weinheimer in identifying the need for the new notification system. “The sheer volume of making individual phone calls was daunting,” Davis said. “Particular days [were] heavier than other days.”

Lakota Manager of School and Community Relations Lauren Boettcher helped work on the program. She said it has always been a problem getting messages to parents, due to the size of the school. “Depending on the influx of calls each day, parents may have been receiving notifications of their child’s absence [that morning] going into lunch,” Boettcher said. “From a customer service standpoint, [that’s] not good enough for us.” East junior Andrea Davis said she is absent about once a week. Her mother has used the Messenger system before. “The [message my mom] gets when I’m reported absent is helpful,” Andrea said. The program will be rolled out to West within the next month, according to Boettcher. Eventually, it will be moved to the rest of the district. “[Messenger’s] obviously creating some efficiencies for our front office staff with all the things that they have to deal with on a daily basis,” Boettcher said. “[It] just automates one part of their job to allow them to put their time and effort to other things.” —Abby Bammerlin

East junior Makenna Hyams (right) and sophomore Claire Deardorff (left) won first place in the swing dance competition.

photography cassandra mueller

he cafeteria echoed with live jazz music, such as “Defibrillator,” “Wonderful World,” “Beyond the Sea,” and “Jericho” as couples twirled and spun to a fast beat. On a cool January night, the East Upbeat club hosted an East staple—the annual swing dance. At the end of the night, there was a dance competition in which partners danced until they were tapped out by the judges. East junior Makenna Hyams and sophomore Claire Deardorff won first place, and seniors Rachel Vogelsang and Erich Corfman came in a close second. “It was great,” said Deardorff, who dances at Mason Dance Center. “It helped that my partner was one of my closest friends, so it was cool sharing that experience.” Hyams also enjoyed winning the swing dance competition. “It felt really cool,” said Hyams, who is also a dancer at Mason Dance Center. “The swing dance is not a huge dance, but it was so fun to be able to do what I love with my friends.” The event was open to all ages, with ‘30s, ‘40s, and ‘50s clothing recommended. Tickets were $10 at the door and music for the dance

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March 2019

was provided by East’s three jazz bands, with lyrical accompaniment from East seniors Rebecca Ekberg and Quinton Alexander. The swing dance raised an estimated $2,900 for Upbeat’s budget, which supports East’s three concert bands, jazz band, and the marching band. The money raised also goes toward classroom enrichment and outreach activities for the junior schools. For those who had no dance experience, two

instructors were present to teach swing dance moves to couples and friends of all ages. Chairs were also set up for attendees who wanted to watch the band or enjoy the music without dancing. East sophomore Rachel Moore loved playing her guitar that night. “It was really cool,” Moore said. “When you’re playing in the band, you get to see everyone out in the crowd dancing and laughing and having fun with their friends.” —Anna Florence

photo captions | news

photography shelby alderman

L photography abby bammerlin

rt Teacher Emily Edwards’ freshman Drawing and Painting I students were able to make tape murals around the Freshman Campus for their one- and two-point perspectives unit. The large scale images had to be a word or image that was inspiring to the student.

“We didn’t want random words that didn’t make sense, so [students] had to do something that was either personal or uplifting to them,” Edwards said. “Since we have a lot of empty white walls in the school, it gives us something of interest that they can create.” —Regan Denham

akota has partnered with UC Health to offer sessions with health professionals from the West Chester Hospital during Extra Help (XH) for East and West students on Wednesdays and Thursdays, respectively. Health professionals from West Chester Hospital come to speak directly to students about their careers in the medical field. Retired surgical technologist Walter McVicker (above) tells students about his experiences in the operating room (OR). “Different schools invite me [to speak], usually on career day,” McVicker said. “I just wanted to come in and give them a little idea of what the medical field is and what the OR is like.” —Shelby Alderman

photography meredith niemann

o start the new year, East’s Twitter sent out a poll to determine East’s #OneWord2019. “Inspire” was the winning word with 42 percent of the votes. The hashtag OneWord2019 allows users to vote on a word they want to focus on during 2019. “[Inspiration] helps us to live to standards that we may not think possible of ourselves,” said East junior Rachel Rivera. “It helps people stay positive when it’s difficult and gives us someone or something to look up to.” — Anna Florence

photography nicco morello

his year marks the twenty-second year that East has participated in the Valentines for Seniors program, collecting 4,678 valentines during a week-long collection. East junior Gavin Myers (pictured above) donated to because he felt it was the “right thing to do.” Once the collection was over, the valentines

were distributed through the “Meals on Wheels” program throughout the Greater Cincinnati area. “[This is] just a nice way to get connected with the older community,” East junior Nick Parr said. “You might not see [it] as much and students [can] connect with people in their community instead of people in school itself.” — Nicco Morello March 2019

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news | graduation standards

ANOTHER WAY ACROSS THE STAGE Alternate graduation pathways created by the State School Board for the junior and senior classes will change for the 2019 class. story and photography alexandra fernholz infographic isis summerlin and mckenna lewis

lternate graduation pathways for the 2019 senior class were significantly shortened this year from 12 options to three for students who do not meet their American Institute of Research (AIR) test requirements. The new pathways require students to earn 20 class credits, and then either earn remediationfree scores on the ACT or SAT, obtain credentials in an industry and pass a WorkKeys exam, or earn a total 18 of 35 possible points on their AIR tests. “Where the alternate pathways come into play is if [students] don’t get their 18 points on the AIR test,” East Counselor Andrea Bryant said. “You have to have 20 [class] credits. There [are] no if, and’s, or buts about that. If you don’t have 18 air points, then you need to meet two of [the alternate requirements].” Previously, students without AIR test points were able to graduate by fulfilling two of 12 requirements, which included attendance, Grade Point Average (GPA), and earning College Credit Plus (CCP) credits. None of these options are now available. The Ohio School Board created the alternate options in order to assist the over 27,000 students across the state in the 2019 graduating class who will need intervention before graduation this May. “Everyone got super nervous because it looked like a lot of kids weren’t going

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March 2019

to graduate,” former Board of Education member Kara Morgan said. “Nobody liked that option, and so [the legislature] quickly put these options in place.”

ryant emphasized that students who were struggling to meet AIR test requirements might be struggling due to things outside of their control, and no one wanted those students to not graduate because of them. “Sometimes we’ll have seniors who move in their senior year, and they’ve been in a state that doesn’t have AIR tests,” Bryant said. “We have some seniors who waited to take government their senior year and so they have 17 points, but they haven’t taken the government test.” The State School Board sought to reflect these varying situations when they created the requirements. “It’s important that you have these options,” Vice President of the State Board of Education Charlotte McGuire said. “Children have various interests, they learn at different paces. We need options that meet the unique aspirations of every child.” When creating these alternate pathways to graduation, Ohio School Board members walked a fine line to ensure that the options were within reach of students’ abilities, yet remained sufficiently difficult. “It’s a way for [everyone] to know that when

you have a high school diploma from a school in Ohio, it means that you have [achieved] a minimal level of knowledge and competency, and that’s why the rigor is important,” Morgan said. “In the United States (US), people are guaranteed a public education until they reach grade 12, and that brings an obligation for us to make sure that when kids are graduating, they’re ready to go out in the world.”

efore AIR tests became required of seniors to graduate in 2018, students were required to pass a series of Ohio Graduation Tests (OGTs) which they took for the first time in the spring of their sophomore year. Students were able to retake the test until they received a passing score. “Before AIR tests, students took OGTs, and there was an alternate pathway for that as well,” Bryant said. “If you couldn’t get 400 points on all of the OGTS, then there was another kind of a backdoor way to allow students to have a diploma.” However, the board decided to move away from the OGTs because it was felt that the tests were not difficult enough to guarantee that graduates had learned anything once entering high school. “It was a test targeted to an eighth-grade level, and the feeling was that it wasn’t really a good measure of readiness to graduate from

graduation standards | news

high school,” Morgan told Spark. “Saying you have the knowledge of eighth-grader wasn’t sufficient.” The Board wanted to acknowledge students’ skills and interests outside of test-taking ability when drafting the new requirements, such as art, band, and even internships. “In the past, there was a heavy reliance on standardized tests. Some students don’t do well on tests,” McGuire told Spark. “We’re looking at how we capture what a student knows and can do in separate ways, [in order to] look at skills that will go beyond a standardized test.” For this reason, it was important to board members that they allow students other ways to demonstrate their abilities and strengths, a sentiment echoed by East Principal Suzanna Davis. “When we begin to look at alternative pathways, [we] begin to look at the whole child and the whole student,” Davis said. “It’s very clear that a student is far more than a test score.” With the options comes more local flexibility between schools, counselors, and students. Each school can decide what requirements, like the capstone project, mean, and lay their own individual guidelines. Students, with the help of their counselors, are able to choose whichever plan suits them best while still allowing them to graduate. “No two districts are alike, so they need to design a plan or an approach in their local

“The job of any educational system is to bring out the best in a child. We would like to think that we’re tapping into the passions and aspirations of the student, to bring out the best [in them].” — Charlotte McGuire, Vice President of the State Board of Educatio

district to be sure every child’s needs are met,” McGuire said. “We don’t want topdown compliance, we want to be more of a supportive, empowering entity to local districts.” This guiding process can also prove to be problematic at times. “When these options were passed by the legislature originally for the 2018 class, there wasn’t a lot of specifics given about what that meant,” Morgan said. “There’s a wide range of what [those requirements] mean. And that’s part of the concern.”

n order to resolve these concerns, the Ohio School Board will continue to revise the requirements for the 2019-2020 graduating class. The GPA requirement for the 2020 class will be a cumulative 2.5 for both junior and senior year, rather than a 2.5 for only senior year. Capstone projects and work or community service hours completed by seniors will also have to comply with a set of state regulations, which will be determined and

released by May 31, 2019. In order to create the alternate pathways for students, the Ohio School Board drafts the laws which govern education, then creates the laws which guide the implementation of the requirements. The rules are then handed down to the districts with guidance from the Board. “What [the Ohio School Board does] is set the overall framework in terms of expectations [for each district],” McGuire said. “[This] allows a school to custom design [a plan] with a framework that everyone has to be sure they meet.” Ways to graduate in Ohio are numerous, but despite constant changes and revisions of those pathways, the end result will always remain the same. “The job of any educational system is to bring out the best in a child where they are productive and can be contributing members to society and life long learners,” McGuire said. “We would like to think that we’re tapping into the passions and aspirations of the student, to bring out the best [in them].” •

GROWING EDUCATION Earn credit for an AP or IB course, scoring at least 3 on the AP exam, or 4 on the IB exam

Earn a WorkKeys exam score of 3 on each of three test sections

2.5 GPA (4.0 scale) in grade 12, in at least four separate full-year courses

93 percent attendance during grade 12

Meet OhioMeansJobs Readiness Seal requirements

Complete a capstone project during grade Earn State 12 Board-approved

industry credentials equaling at least three points

Earn three or more CCP credits

Have 120 work or community service hours during grade 12

Class of 2018

Earn remediationfree scores on a college entrance test

Earn at least 18 of 35 points on state high school exams

Earn qualifying industry credentials plus a passing score on the WorkKeys exam.

Class of 2019

Pass 20 course credits

source daytondailynews.com March 2019

lakotaeastsparkonline.com 9

news | rollout

EAST’S ONE-TO-ONE ROLLOUT

East sophomore Nasma Jarabah receives her school-issued Chromebook from Digital Specialist Ryan Corris.

East sophomores and juniors received district-owned Chromebooks for second semester, marking the first day of East’s one-to-one rollout. story and photography abby bammerlin | infographic and art caroline bumgarner

ast sophomore Nasma Jarabah opens her Chromebook a few minutes before class. She sees that her laptop is charged and her notes for “Lord of the Flies” are ready to go, right as the bell rings. She walks into English, ready for class. “I can’t wait to see how the teachers are going to incorporate it into our classes,” Jarabah said. “I want to see how it works out.” As East students filed back into their classes after winter break, administrators and members of the technology department were preparing the new Innovation Hub for the one-to-one technology rollout. Beginning with Lakota’s middle schools in October and moving to the high schools in January, students were given Chromebooks as

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March 2019

part of the WEareEMPOWERED program. This program focuses on personalized learning, including students receiving district-owned Chromebooks to support teacher instruction. Director of School and Community relations Director Betsy Fuller explains that the rollout of the Chromebooks grades seven through 12 cost the district approximately 3.1 million dollars. The money came from Lakota’s permanent improvement (PI) fund. “This fund is used for projects that will have a lifespan of five years or more,” Fuller tells Spark. “The Chromebooks will be turned over to our younger grades once students moved to ninth grade or graduate.” East Principal Suzanna Davis said that the decision to expand the rollout to the high

schools was made three months prior to the Jan. 7 rollout date. “We had taken the media center offline in December for a lot of different reimagines, and so the media center was already shut down and offline,” Davis said. “[That] gave us the ability to start setting up [the rollout].” On the morning of the rollout, students began filtering into the Innovation Hub at 7:20 a.m. They were moved into lines where they received a Chromebook, a protective case, a charger, stickers, and a packet describing how to work the laptop. Students were required to turn in two forms before receiving their Chromebooks. The Student Technology Acceptable Use and Safety Agreement, as well as the Lakota Student

rollout | news

Number of laptops, tablets, and Chromebooks bought by US schools in 2013 and 2014.

“[The Chromebooks are] not a tool for the teachers per se, [they’re] a tool for the students.” — Ryan Corris, Digital Specialist

23 million

Device Agreement, had to be filled out and signed by a parent or guardian. While somewhat nervous about the amount of technology in classes, Jarabah said she was “really excited” for the Chromebooks. She believed the laptops would have a positive impact on her learning experience.

ut of the 212 East students surveyed who have Chromebooks, 73 percent of students currently enjoy their Chromebook. Davis said Chromebooks won’t change learning completely, but will allow teachers to personalize information taught differently. “The Chromebooks and the addition of the one-to-one technology is a powerful tool to help support great things going on in teachers’ classrooms,” Davis said. “Putting a Chromebook in the students’ hand doesn’t all of a sudden change the way we do things. It’s not the device that makes the difference.” Before receiving her device, East sophomore Abigail Jacobs said she was not excited about using the Chromebooks because she gets headaches when looking at a screen for too long. “I like to write things down,” Jacobs said. “I think I’ll get worse grades [with the Chromebooks], but it will be fine because I’ll just write stuff down in my own time.” Digital Learning Specialist Ryan Corris helped organize the rollout at East. Corris said the Chromebooks go hand-in-hand with personalized learning. “The one thing about the Chromebooks is it gives the students the opportunity to use them in the way they want to,” Corris said. “[The Chromebooks are] not a tool for the teachers per se, [they’re] a tool for the students.” While East sophomore Cameron Shepard

is excited for the Chromebooks, his previous experience with one-to-one technology at his old school Cincinnati Country Day School made him nervous. “There are lots of issues that can happen,” said Shepard, who has trouble finding his assignments as well as downloading and saving his work. “If something goes wrong with your [Chromebook] in class, you’ll get behind.” However, East seniors, such as Madisyn Turpeau did not receive Chromebooks. “Giving seniors the option to get a Chromebook at the start would have been better because although we’re seniors and this is our last year,” Turpeau said, “That’s still a year without easy access to school related things that need to be done on technology.” Being someone who uses both paper and digital software for his work, Corris believes using the Chromebooks will give teachers the ability to enhance their lessons as they see fit. “I don’t think there’s anybody anywhere saying we have to go totally paperless,” Corris said. “The goal is to hopefully have students use them in the way that works best for them.”

arabah, after using the Chromebooks for about a month, said she enjoys no longer carrying her binders and being allowed to use programs such as Canvas, Google Docs, and Word Online during class. However, not every teacher uses Chromebooks. “It’s a little bit disorganized because some teachers want to use the Chromebooks for notes and some want to use paper,” Jarabah said. “I’m still getting used to it.” Advanced Placement (AP) Human Geography and Introduction to Psychology teacher Kevin Keen has sophomores, juniors,

and seniors in his class. For seniors without Chromebooks, he has students share devices, use cell phones, or use the school’s laptop carts. With the introduction of the Chromebooks to the classroom, Keen said that he still uses Canvas for discussion-boards, submitting assignments and uploading material. “To be honest, lessons have not changed too much,” Keen said. “I continue to use all the tools on Canvas for lessons.” Turpeau explained that she has two classes with juniors uses Chromebooks. “My teacher tries pairing the seniors up with juniors when we need to use technology, but if the ratios don’t add up, we use our phones,” Turpeau said. After having the Chromebook for about a month, Jacobs said that she’s experienced headaches while using the laptops for long periods of time, and hasn’t gotten used to the new oragnizational system. “I’m disorganized on the computer, where normally I have my binders,” Jacobs said. According to Davis, the Chromebooks will allow students to look at “different instructional methods” that could help them as an individual. “It’s not like we put Chromebooks in kids’ hands and all the sudden the next day like the sky opens up and the sun shines down and everything is different,” Davis said. “It gives us the ability to think differently and provide instruction in a way that allows students to have a very personalized experience.” Jarabah believes the Chromebooks will have a positive effect on her learning experience. “Technology is definitely advancing and our school is definitely changing with it,” Jarabah said. “[East is] not staying in one place.” •

2013 NO 27%

30%

2016 88%

YES 73% Spark asked East students if they liked their Chromebooks

Percent of US school districts with high-speed broadband source edweek.org nsf.gov March 2019

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news | new schedule

NEW YEAR, NEW SCHEDULE The 2019-2020 school year will see a greater variety of schedules than ever before in the Lakota District. story and photography alexandra fernholz

igh school students across the Lakota District will have a variety of bell schedules to choose from in the upcoming 2019-2020 school year. Students can now choose between three different schedules: a typical one- through six-period day starting at 8:05 a.m. and ending at 2:40 p.m., a zero through six bell schedule beginning at 7:15 a.m. and ending at 2:40 p.m., and a new one through seven option, which starts at 8:05 a.m. and has an extra seventh period ending at 3:30 p.m. “This is opening up our full catalog to see if students have the flexibility to take a seventh course,” East Principal Suzanna Davis said. Seniors, who previously were not allowed the option of a zero period, can now take a seventh class in the morning or afternoon. They will also be able to choose a senior flex schedule as before, where they are not required to take the full six classes. “I thought it was a really good idea,” East junior and Lakota Next member Luke Zeigler told Spark. “I think the morning option will do well. However, I don’t think many students will take the afternoon opportunity because it carves too much time out of the afternoon.” Several students share Zeigler’s opinion. East junior Kevin Tan liked the additional

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opportunities the options presented but didn’t think an extra class was right for him. “It is a good option for students who want to take an extra class,” East junior Kevin Tan said. “I wasn’t sure what my schedule was going to look like so I kept it in mind in case I wanted an extra class.” Lakota sought to acknowledge these key differences between students when it was decided to create a seventh period. “The point of the zero and seven bell options are to give students a seventh course in their day,” Davis said. “[But] we wanted to be responsive to students who maybe couldn’t commit to a 7:15 a.m. start.” To choose when they would attend school, students selected their bell schedule when they chose their classes for the 2019-2020 school year on home access center (HAC). Similarly, teachers were able to decide whether they would teach an extra period in the morning, afternoon, or at all. Then it will become the administration’s job to piece together the schedules. “There’s this sort of matching period that will happen,” Director of Curriculum and Instruction Keith Khoene said. “We’ll take all the course requests, we’ll take the teacher requests, and we’ll put together a master

schedule. Obviously, there are some unknowns in there that we’ll work through. Anytime you do something new, there are some [difficulties] there.” According to Khoene, roughly two-thirds of students have chosen the usual six-period day, and the remaining third have selected an early zero bell schedule, arriving at school for class at 7:15 each morning. “Very few students have selected the late seven or the seven bells,” Khoene said.

espite the lower than expected turnout for a 2:40 p.m. class, Lakota Local School Board Member Brad Lovell says requests for a seventh period have previously been received from both parents and students. “It’s what [the School Board has] wanted for a long time,” Lovell said. “Our students have desired more choices, and our parents have asked for that as well. [And] the opportunities are just going to continue to grow.” Taking advantage of the opportunities Lakota now offers is something Zeigler plans to do before he graduates in 2020. “The seven bells gives me the opportunity to take classes that I’ve wanted to take since freshman year but couldn’t,” Zeigler said. “There are opportunities to be had in this.” •

got stuff | news “[Got Stuff is] a little bit like your neighbor,” East principal Suzanna Davis said. “One person’s junk is another person’s treasure.” To use Got Stuff, any staff member can reach out to an office manager who will simply email got.stuff@lakotaonline.com and list the items they need, have an excess of, or would like to borrow. If they want something specific or need to clarify the item, they can use item codes or images to ensure they get exactly what they want. An email will go out from got.stuff@lakotaonline.com to every office manager and admin throughout the district.

The large display case in the East main office was salvaged through the Lakota program “Got Stuff.”

GOT STUFF?

A little-known Lakota program has become more widely used this year than before. story rachel anderson | photography caroline bumgarner

tudents walk into Heather Davis’ English class and immediately let out a breath. The lights are off and the heater is on, giving off a relaxed mood. The string lights on the wall shine brightly under the bulletin board covered with student drawings, and the green stool in the back of the classroom sits next to baskets of multi-colored highlighters and markers. Books are lined up against the windows, leaving just enough room for the Keurig in the corner. Davis spends a couple of hundred dollars each year buying items for their classroom such

as chairs, stools, and organizing trays. However, thanks to the Lakota program Got Stuff, these teachers, administrators, and the entire Lakota district can save an estimated hundreds of thousands of dollars total by saving and relocating whiteboards, couches, desks, and other supplies. Got Stuff is a savings program designed to reduce the overall spending of the district. A staff member will use Got Stuff when they are in need of supplies, have an excess of items and would like to share them, or when they need to borrow an item.

esponses to requests typically come back immediately. Hot ticket items are gone within minutes.. If there has been no response in 24-48 hours, the item is most likely not available or no one is interested. “It’s simple and it works very effectively,” Lakota Purchasing Manager Veronica Gayotin said. “[The staff] embrace it and it works very well.” While office supplies can be shared through Got Stuff, furniture is more common. The larger items, such as couches or tables may need a hauling order, which is generally done by the head custodian. “Since last spring [I’ve used Got Stuff] for a few hundred items,” Manager of Facilities and Operations Jenny Price said. “Student chairs are probably the most common thing I’ve put on there.” Gayotin created this program in 2012 shortly after being hired into the Lakota district. She was trying to figure out a way to reduce overall spending when she saw the surplus of furniture and supplies sitting around the office. “The first thing that came to my mind was, ‘why can’t we use what we’ve got,’” Gayotin said. “I’m big on that.” Gayotin estimated that Lakota saved hundreds of thousands of dollars over the summer of 2018 alone due to all the furniture rearrangements. “My responsibility is to reduce overall spending for the district,” Gayotin said. “And we’ve been very successful being able to do that.” Gayotin was at a training meeting in the fall of 2018 with teachers to train them on the new marketplace when she realized most of them had never heard of the program before. “It really piqued their interest,” Gayotin said. “They seemed to be more interested in [Got Stuff], than what I was training them on.” The main focus of Got Stuff has been for office managers and administrators, but as the program evolves, teachers are starting to use it. It may not always have what the staff member was looking for, but it is a resource to use in case someone does have the item. “Most of our [teachers] are very conscientious,” Gayotin said. “They want to save money because they want to use those dollars for the students.” • March 2019

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news | internships

ith more than 25 listed partners under the internship programs tab on the Lakota website, the district is looking to provide as many students as possible with internship opportunities before the students leave high school. Heading up this initiative is Katie Bauer, who was hired at the beginning of the 2018-2019 school year for the new position of Lakota Strategic Partnerships Coordinator. “My role within the district is to go out and foster relationships with businesses,” Bauer said. “I allow them to understand what [I do] and to also create a process along the way.” Bauer creates and cares for the relationships between the Lakota district and area businesses. This process includes meetings with all the business representatives who come into the schools to teach, and the facilitating of internships. She also works to place students in internships in their area of interest. “The goal [of the internships] is to allow students to have experiences in the workplace,” Bauer said. “So try out careers, explore what you would do in an actual job situation. So [students] can make better decisions prior to graduation.” Lakota Superintendent Matt Miller tasked Bauer with creating 1,300 internship opportunities, one for every senior at East and West. “We’ve offered internships already but not significant enough, we want to give kids the opportunity to try something they might be interested in,” Miller told Spark. “We’re not going to have 1,300 next year. I know that, but it’s a goal that we want to get to pretty quick.” The internship programs Lakota has paired with put students in the middle of the action doing what they want to be doing. At the same time, students learn valuable information that could possibly carry them to their career. “Once you’ve had the experience, you know what education you need,” Bauer said. “So go get that education and then you know how to apply it.”

NEW KIDS ON THE L BLOCK The Lakota District kicks off its large initiative to offer internship opportunities for every student. story rebecca breland interviews vivica heidenreich and shiloh wolfork and abbie westendorf

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akota Board Member Brad Lovell emphasizes the enthusiasm of different companies and their desire to work with Lakota students of all kinds. “Every time we come to [the businesses] with ideas, they come back with twice as many for us because they want that really great workforce,” Lovell said. One of the businesses Lakota has paired with is the Boys and Girls Club of West Chester and Liberty (BGCWCL). BGCWCL volunteer and internship supervisor Mark Dunaway has worked directly with the club and Lakota. Together they have created an opportunity for students to get real world experience in the information technology field. “[My wife and I] provide the audio and visual Information Technology (IT) support for the Boys and Girls Club,” Dunaway said. “We involve students who have an interest in computer science, or information technology in general, so they can get a sense for what it’s like to work in an organization and provide IT support.” Most of the internships consist of activities specific to the field of work. For a few days, students are able to participate in their dream job, specialized to them, rather than learn the basic information they would in a typical school setting. East sophomore Hannah Fuller, who is participating in the Strategic Communications internship provided by Lakota, says the internship has taught her a lot. “I have been able to talk with professionals in the marketing field and learn about their job in order to help with the internship,” Fuller said. “It has given me a lot of real world experiences.” The internships span a variety of categories, from business, to healthcare, to IT. This gives every student the ability to find an opportunity that would benefit them in the long run and give them an idea of the type of career they want to pursue. “We are not trying to shove everyone down one hallway, it is not a onesize-fits-all when we’re creating internships,” Bauer said. “There is no better way to try something and really understand what you have to do with it unless you’re doing it.” •

internships | news

PEOPLE PERSON

East junior Keeley Goldberg gets a peek into her future career in communications with East’s Strategic Communications Internship. story abbie westendorf photography lauren maier

he’s a people person. She loves to be involved, whether it’s helping younger girls at dance practice, hyping up the student section at basketball games, or being on student advisory council. This passion is what inspired her interest in communications. East junior and dance team member Keeley Goldberg is one of the four students in East’s strategic communications internship. The internship focuses on improving the school’s

communication from East’s administration and staffers to students. Although Goldberg didn’t really know what she was getting herself into when she applied, she’s very happy that she did. “I filled out the form on the Lakota page for the internship,” Goldberg says. “I want to major in communications, so I thought that I might as well start now.” East Principal Suzanna Davis developed this internship and provides oversight to the interns. “East’s information is all over the place,” Davis says. “The main goal was to bring everything from Twitter, the district’s website, and the daily PA announcements all into one.” Davis and the interns are working on compiling information on the district in one Canvas module page. The page was launched Feb. 19 on every East student’s Canvas account and provides information about everything from clubs to important documents to upcoming events. Goldberg thinks it’s a great way for students to get caught up on what is new at East. “Not everyone listens to the announcements,” Goldberg says. “We know that they could be talking or doing last night’s homework. This will help get the word across.” East sophomore and fellow intern Hannah Fuller says the internship has allowed her to talk to professionals in the communications and marketing field. “Keeley is super easy to bounce ideas off of,” Fuller says. “We will talk about ideas and she helps make them better.” Butler Tech student and Goldberg’s boyfriend of one year Brogan Baum believes communications is a perfect field for Goldberg to work in. According to Baum, she is completely selfless and will do anything to make him or others happy. “She knows what to say to make me happy,” Baum says. “I think that’s one of her best traits.” After high school, Goldberg hopes to go to the University of Kentucky (UK) to be on their dance team and major in communications. She believes the internship has taught her more in the last couple of months about the real world than any class or book could have. “Communications is what I can do to get involved with people,” Goldberg says. “No matter what I do, I want to be able to help people.” • March 2019

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news | internships

he day was cold, not sunny. A perfect day for a photo shoot, according to West senior Shylo Moses. Even though it was cold to the point of everyone turning red, the family Moses was helping was cheerful. Her favorite part of the day was watching the three younger kids cheering each other on while they were getting their pictures taken. Moses says she loves making the people laugh. “When I was younger my mom would take us everywhere she could and take photos all the time. My favorite moments were looking through the pictures afterward,” Moses says. “I have a lot of memory issues, so I can’t remember the experiences but when I look at the photos of myself laughing, I’ll remember some things that made me happy. They mean everything to me.” Moses decided to take her passion one step forward and apply for an internship offered by professional photographer Ali Wolfe. The mentor says Moses is always willing to learn anything that she can teach her and that Moses has the ability to do whatever she wants in life. “I went into it with the mindset that I don’t care if [Moses] chooses to go into photography as a career,” Wolfe says. “I am just trying to help a young person figure out what they want to do with their life because that’s a hard thing to do. My purpose of getting involved was to help.”

THROUGH THE LENS West senior Shylo Moses is participating in a Lakota-sponsored internship with professional photographer Ali Wolfe. story jessica jones | photography lauren maier

oses’ mother Dena Byrne-Moses always had a camera in her hand and was always taking pictures when Shylo was younger. She says she has seen her daughter come out of her shell with her art and through her photography. “Shylo concentrates really hard and once the picture is taken, there is satisfaction on her face of being able to capture that soul,” says Dena, an avid hobbyist and former photography teacher. With her mother behind her, Shylo is working toward a career that would allow her to do something artistic. While she does not know exactly what her future holds, she says her experience in the internship has prepared her for independent life. “The experience I have had helped with my expectation of moving forward on my own,” Shylo says. “Seeing someone in action has prepared me for problems that can happen on the spot and how to stay calm during those situations.” •

East senior Sean Butterfield uses his background of computer science in his internship at the local Boys and Girls Club. • story vivica heidenreich | photography lauren maier

itting at home behind his computer, he scours the internet for new regulations and procedures. Making note of which technologies are most beneficial, he’s working to improve the network for the Boys and Girls Club of West Chester and Liberty (BGCWCL). Almost entirely behind the scenes, East senior Sean Butterfield and his team strive to amplify the cybersecurity of the BGCWCL through their information technology (IT) internship. This internship was offered to students by the East computer science teacher David McKain as an opportunity to apply and connect their skills to the workforce. Butterfield, who is involved in the INTERalliance chapter at East, as well as McKain’s computer science classes, chose to participate in this internship starting in Oct. 2018. “We have two teams of interns, and I’m

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on the OpenDNS internship,” Butterfield told Spark. “OpenDNS is what [East] uses to block unfriendly websites from kids. We’re researching that, and we’re going to be setting that up later this year at [the BGCWCL].” The interns organize themselves as a team, divide the work given to them, start their own investigations, and write up a document for their supervisor Mark Dunaway to review. Both teams occasionally come on site as well, in order to fix issues as they arise. “It’s about figuring out how we use the tools that we already have to provide even more capabilities than we have in place in our network,” Dunaway said. “I hope from this, they gain an appreciation for the full breadth of skills they need to be successful in an IT career.” The interns are provided with a hands-on experience that allows them to research new technologies at their own pace and soak up the

knowledge that an IT occupation requires. “A big thing that I’ve learned is how the workplace operates,” Butterfield said. “Regulations, writing everything down, procedures; things like that. With IT, I’ve learned more about the fine details of how networks work, how the internet works, routers, and of course, how East uses OpenDNS.” Butterfield is planning on majoring in cybersecurity, and potentially minoring in computer science, at the university he will eventually choose. Through the opportunities he’s been given through his internship and INTERalliance, he has decided to make information technology his purpose and is ready to continue learning. “[Computer science] just kind of clicks with me,” Butterfield said. “It’s something that I’m really good at and can help others with. As I’ve gotten more into it, I realized that this is what I want to do with my life.” •

internships | news

A BEACON TO THE FUTURE F

rom the hum of the medical equipment to the laughter of patients, since the beginning of high school, she was certain that she was going to have a career in medicine. Her appreciation for the medical field had never wavered throughout her life. The interest was only enhanced by her participation in the Beacon Orthopedics Internship. East senior and varsity track and field member Lindsey Klusener participated in the Beacon Orthopedics internship during the spring of last year. The internship prepares students who are interested in medical careers by providing them with a series of experiences and potential job opportunities within the field. It takes place annually at Beacon Orthopedics in Sharonville once a week for four hours each day—a total of 20 hours. Klusener cannot remember a time when she has considered pursuing any profession outside of the medical field. For two years, she was sure that physical therapy was her calling in life. “I was dead set on being a physical therapist because of my experiences with injuries in the past,” says Klusener, a member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. “I’ve had to have physical therapy before.”

East Senior Lindsey Klusener explains the impact of her internship with Beacon Orthopedics on her career aspirations. story shiloh wolfork | photography lauren maier

THE IT FACTOR

eacon Orthopedics allows its participants to complete five cycles. Director of Corporate Outreach Josh Clarke explains how the unique setup of the internship proves to be more impactful for students. “The internship is held over spring break. We offer five practices within the cycle,” Clarke says. “The maturation area, physical therapy, the clinic, the imaging department, and the surgery center. We really want students to be able to see what the day in each of these different positions is like.” Klusener feels that the internship has ultimately benefited her as a future medical professional. During the experience, she valued being exposed to such a wide variety of careers, finding comfort in being able to consider careers outside of her realm. After being a part of the physical therapy rotation at Beacon and seeing many different facets of the medical business, Klusener realized that physical therapy is not her path. While participating in the nursing cycle, Klusener realized her interest in interacting with the patients on a deeper level. Klusener plans to study nursing and run track at the University of Findlay in hopes of becoming a nurse practitioner. “[Klusener] is hard working, she doesn’t give up easily,” says Klusener’s sister Anna. “She is a great sister, she always encourages me to do my best in everything. I am very happy for her.” Clarke explains how this internship sets the participants apart from other students. “It says a lot about a student who has the foresight to take the advantage of an opportunity like this and give up their spring break to practically extend their schooling for another week,” Clarke told Spark. “It’s a great testament to the student who is looking ahead and figuring out what they want to do.” Beacon has realistically prepared Klusener for a future as a nurse practitioner where she will assess the needs of patients, interpret diagnostic tests and diagnose illnesses. “I was able to see real situations of things that can happen in the medical field that might not be pretty or planned out,” Klusener says. “They’re things that are real life for people. It was really eye-opening.” • March 2019

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news | lodi

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

On Lakota’s third consecutive snow day, LODI organized an impromptu food collection for students on freeand-reduced-lunch, and for families negatively impacted by the government shutdown. A Community member organizes donated jars of peanut butter.

t was a lazy morning full of gentle, drifting snow, fuzzy socks and coffee. It was Feb. 1, Lakota’s third consecutive snow day, and most students around the district were still snuggled in bed, happy to not be in class. Lakota Outreach Diversity and Inclusion (LODI) member Angie Brown was sitting in her kitchen, admiring the snow during her morning prayer time when she had a “startling thought.” For families impacted by the government shutdown, the 13 percent of Lakota students dependent on free lunch, and the two percent of students dependent on reduced lunch, the possibility of going hungry over the extended snow days was high. “I was about to go get breakfast, and I realized that somebody’s not going to have breakfast this morning,” Brown said. “I didn’t plan this out at all, and it’s the first time the district has ever done something like this. We’re just giving out of the abundance of our hearts.” Immediately, she tweeted out to the district that LODI would be collecting donations at Central Office for families affected by the weather and had the Public Relations department send out a letter to the individual schools. Each school responded by returning a list of names and addresses of students who could probably use the food. “Before my husband could even finish getting the driveway cleared, people were responding and dropping off food,” Brown said.

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Brown wasn’t the only one worried about students who depend on food provided through the school’s free and reduced lunch program and food pantries. That morning, East math teacher Judy Buckenmyer had messaged East Principal Suzanna Davis about whether she could deliver food to kids on free and reduced lunch. “I read a news [story] that schools don’t take the decision for closing lightly because of students on free and reduced lunch, and I just thought ‘holy crap,’” Buckenmyer said. “I immediately reached out to Davis and she connected me with LODI.”

ODI continued to collect food donations and organize them until around 2 p.m before loading up volunteers’ cars to drive the food to families in need. “We gave volunteers a list and we just knocked on the door and said ‘hey, we are Lakota.’ Just that simple,” Brown said. “We just dropped them off a blessing and got back in the car to drop off another blessing. [The families] don’t owe us an explanation.” The individual schools also sent out notifications to their teachers and staff members about the collection. One of those teachers was Adena fifth-grade math teacher and Lakota mom Diane Meyer. “My students are my kids, not just my students. I don’t know if they will get these

story katey kruback interviews alexandra fernholz and katey kruback photography abby bammerlin

particular items, but I know their needs,” Meyer said. “I have a lot [of students in my class] on free and reduced-lunch. Without them having breakfast and lunch every day for the last three days, and with the government shutdown, I know they feel a need.” East English and speech teacher David Honhart was another Lakota employee who took time out of his snow day and personal time to drop off food donations at Central Office. “This collection is a reflection of this community and the Lakota district: we look out for others,” Honhart said. “There are certainly students who don’t have the same privileges as others. We always assume snow days are a good thing for everyone, like vacations. But that’s not always the case.” While they did not count or keep track of the number of items donated, the Central Office lobby was stuffed full of donations. According to Brown, 55 names were on the lists provided by schools, and 55 families across Lakota were provided with a huge box of various kinds of food. “I’m overwhelmed, excited and blown away at the generosity of this district,” said Brown, with tears in her eyes. “These are people who could still be in their pajamas in their warm houses. But they’re here. Those volunteers took the time out of their day off to help and that’s huge. That tells you a lot about our district.” •

online teaser | news

SPARK ONLINE

Go to www.lakotaeastsparkonline.com to keep up with the latest school, district and community news, learn more about in-depth topics covered by the Spark staff and read new-release reviews.

THUNDERHAWK TAKES D.C. REVIEW: YOU story caroline bumgarner photography abby bammerlin

review megan finke photography fair use

March 2019

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culture | pic six

PIC SIX

Fourth Issue Features:

Spark chose six pizza restaurants to visit and to review. McKenna Lewis ordered a meat lovers pizza at every shop. Here are her rankings.

Fratelli’s Pizzeria 6890 Tylersville Rd, West Chester Township, OH Hours: Tues-Thurs 4 p.m. - 9 p.m. Fri-Sat 11 a.m. - 10 p.m. Sun 12 p.m. - 9 p.m.

reviews and photography mckenna lewis graphics and art caroline bumgarner

Cassano’s Pizza 665 S Main St, Monroe, OH

Warren County

Butler County Monroe 4

Hamilton West Chester

6 1

Hours: Mon-Fri 3:30 p.m. - 9 p.m. Sat-Sun 11:30 a.m. - 9 p.m.

Mason 2

Richard’s Pizza 20 American Way, Monroe, OH Hours: Sun-Thurs 11 a.m. - 10 p.m. Fri-Sat 11 a.m. - 11 p.m.

Big Dog’s Pizza

Two Cities Pizza Co.

Marions’s Pizza

7967 Cincinnati Dayton Rd, West Chester Township, OH Hours: Mon-Fri 3:30 p.m. - 9 p.m. Sat-Sun 11:30 a.m. - 9 p.m.

202 W Main St, Mason, OH

6176 Snider Rd Mason, OH Hours: Sun-Thurs 11 p.m. - 10 p.m. Fri-Sat 11 a.m. - 11 p.m.

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Hours: Tues-Thurs 11 p.m. - 10 p.m. Fri-Sat 11 a.m. - 11 p.m. Sun 11 p.m. - 10 p.m. Mon Closed

pic six | culture

1st

2nd

Big Dog’s Pizza

Two Cities Pizza Co.

3rd

Marion’s Pizza

9-inch “The Meat” $10.05

8-inch build your own $8.50

9-inch two topping $10.05

Big Dog’s Pizza is a small pub-style pizza joint with a cast of specialty pizzas. Even with a small dining room, the atmosphere is warm with a certain professional charm rarely seen in smaller pizza restaurants. In addition to the pleasant venue, the staff is personable and accommodating. Big Dog’s 9-inch meat lover’s pizza, affectionately dubbed “The Meat” is a gooey masterpiece of pepperoni, sausage, ham, and bacon melted into a warm stringy cheese on a substantial and expertly baked dough. The medley of meats have distinct tastes that compliment each other without overpowering. This pizza can really hold its own despite the pure heft of it’s toppings with a crust that supports the slice without sacrificing the soft quality of it’s dough.

Two Cities Pizza Company’s flatbread pizza with sausage and bacon brings the iconic taste of big-city street food to Mason, Ohio. Two Cities offers variations of deep-dish pizza from Chicago, and flatbread pizza from New York. The restaurant is a casual diner with a refined sense of style. There are booths and tables with a view of the kitchen through the glass, and various TV’s. The pizza tastes genuine, and unique. While there aren’t a lot of toppings they still hold their own. The bacon has a touch salt, but doesn’t overpower the spicy sausage. Two Cities Pizza also offers other popular street foods such as hot dogs, bread, meatballs, fries, and salads.

Marion’s Piazza was founded by owner, Marion Glass, as a dine in alternative to the prominence of the carry-out and delivered pizza joints at the time. The large dining room is perfect for large parties with a penchant for bite-size, squared slices of thin-crust pizza. Marion’s accommodates the need for fast pizza, pasta and salad without sacrificing quality and taste. The ground sausage and bacon blanket the pizza without masking the sweet medley of cheese and sauce underneath. The small, square slices are soft with ingredients that blend and melt together. With delicious, quick pizzas for large or small groups, Marion’s does fast pizza right.

5th

6th

4th

Richard’s Pizza

Cassano’s Pizza

Fratelli’s Pizzeria

8-inch build your own $7

8-inch build your own $4.50

Individual “The Craiger” $8.50

Richard’s is a casual diner, with a large menu of build your own items such as pasta, calzones, and salad. The large dining room has plenty of tables and booths. The pizza isn’t exactly flat-bread or deep dish, it has a distinct soft crust. It doesn’t have a lot of sauce, so the stretchy cheese and dough make up the bulk of the pizza. The toppings blend well, some are baked under the cheese, and some are on top in order to keep them from falling off. Nothing overtakes the pizza, the meats, cheese, sauce, and dough all blend well enough, but nothing particularly adds a unique flavor.

Cassano’s pizza is a variation of “St. Louisstyle pizza”, which is known for being salty, and crispy with a flavored thin crust. This pizza chain has been in a long standing competition with the aforementioned Dayton-based pizza chain, Marion’s Piazza. Dining at Cassano’s is slightly lackluster, the dining area is small, and slightly dilapidated. The pizza has a strong taste of bacon, and not enough of the other flavors. The only other notable taste in this pizza is the buttery crust. Nothing is cooked underneath the cheese so the over-abundant toppings fall off of the pizza. While the pizza isn’t super greasy, it lacks any moisture.

Fratelli’s describes itself as a “no-frills eatery” and it’s pretty accurate. The dining room has only two person tables that have to be rearranged for larger parties, and the hours are accommodating with inconsistent hours from day to day. The New York-style pizza doesn’t have much substance, even for a thin-crust pizza. While the sauce and cheese don’t exactly bring anything to the table, the toppings give a good kick to the pizza. The Italian Sausage is juicy and flavorful, but it’s the only noticeable topping. Fratelli’s is almost too casual for comfort.

March 2019

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Jazmine Yun takes down Shannon Moore with a head scissor move.

JAZZY TAKES DOWN JAPAN East sophomore Jazmine “Jazzy” Yun traveled to Shinjuku, Japan with her professional wrestling father Jimmy Yun to participate in Tokyo Dream 2018, Wednesday Nitro. personal narrative jazmine yun | photography used with permission November 25 My journey begins at 2:10 a.m. My dad had just gotten home, and we put everything in the car to leave and the long trip began. We got to the airport around 4:30 a.m. and had to wait a while. After sitting in a massage chair and eating McDonalds for a while, we finally boarded our first flight to Minneapolis, where we had a twohour layover, so we had to find a way to pass time. As my dad and I got on the plane for Japan and the only immigration-related thing we had 22

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to do was show our passports and an officer asked us why we were going and how much money we were bringing with us. On the plane, they had TV’s with shows and movies. The flight attendants gave us headphones, slippers, blankets, and pillows. Right before we left, they made an announcement that the Wi-Fi wasn’t going to be working during the whole flight and you could hear everybody groan throughout the whole plane. The plane ride was long and exhausting I could only sleep for about an hour-and-a-half of the twelve-hour flight. The

only thing that kept me from going crazy on the plane ride was the meals and these little biscuit cookies, which were delicious. November 26 The long plane ride finally ended, and we arrived in Tokyo, Japan at 3 pm. Customs in Japan were kind of easy and we went through fast. Then, we were waiting on my dad’s friend Nosawa to pick us up. While we were waiting, I went to the bathroom and let me tell you, Japan is advanced in toilets. They had seat warmers for toilet

personal narrative | culture seats, sounds that would go on while you went, a button to deodorize and bidets. We were waiting for about 40 minutes until we realized that Nosawa was at the wrong airport two hours away. So then we had to call my dad’s other friend and partner Kaz, who told us to take the monorail to Shinjuku and meet him there. I was like, “What is this guy thinking? I can’t even read the signs.” My dad went on his phone’s GPS and showed the location to one of the workers. They bought the tickets for us and somehow we made it to Shinjuku. But then we had to find Kaz with thousands of people flooding the streets. Not to mention, I didn’t even know what Kaz looked like. We found each other by a Wendy’s because that was the only thing my dad and I could recognize. After we met, Kaz helped us find our way to the hotel. He can speak Japanese, English and Spanish. Once we got to the hotel, we put everything down, waited 30 minutes for Shannon, one of the two men my dad was going to fight, then went back out to eat. The restaurant was really small and we had five people trying to squeeze at a table close to the corner. Nosawa ordered a bunch of different meals for us to try. I ended up trying pork intestines, pork stomach and I licked the pork tongue. I couldn’t even chew it. The intestines were so chewy that I was chewing for so long trying to get it over with, but then the thought of them being intestines just comes back, and I just couldn’t finish them. The stomach was really good. Since all I liked was the stomach and there wasn’t very much of it they came out with a piece of chicken with an egg yolk on it. They told me to pop the yolk and let it go over the chicken and then eat it. It sure was different than when we order chicken in the United States (US). After dinner, we walked back to the hotel. By the way, no one really drives there, they all walk, use the subway or use a cab. As soon as I got back to the hotel, I took a shower then fell right to sleep; I was exhausted. November 27 For breakfast, my dad and I walked to this place called “Mister Donut” and they had Pokémon themed donuts plus some ring donuts. I also got melon soda to drink which is only in Japan and it became my favorite drink ever. But in Japan they have no free refills and small portions because of portion control, so one meal wouldn’t fill me up. Later we went to Burger King and it was different. They sold beer, and they had a smoking room for people who smoke while they eat because a lot of people smoke in Japan. People can even get cigarettes, alcohol, corn soup and warm drinks like coffee from vending machines all around. My dad’s friends YaMagutchi and Masa took us to Jinjumae, Shibuya which has a really well know shopping

“I hit him with two forearms before he threw me into the ropes, but I came back even harder. I did the head scissor move, where I jumped up grabbed his head with my legs and flung his body hard to the ring.” — Jazmine Yun, East sophomore

street which was filled with what looked like thousands of people. While walking down Takeshita Street we found a cotton candy place. The cotton candy was bigger than my head, they make these huge animals out of the cotton candy. They have almost everything on that one long street. We then went to Hooters and ate again. After, we went to a wrestling shop and the owner gave us a bunch of free stuff and just asked for pictures, autographs and for him to take a video of us wearing it so he could post for advertisement. After that we went to the Tokyo Tower which is enormous, and you can look over the whole city. It’s like Japan’s version of the Eiffel tower. When we went up, they had music playing, projected snow and occasionally, they had foam trickle from the ceiling to act as snow and it was all very beautiful. The city of Tokyo from up there looked so alive and pretty. For dinner we went to Ribera steakhouse, which is a Japanese professional wrestling themed steakhouse that all wrestlers try to go to when they go to Japan. The most famous wrestlers have been there, like the Rock, John Cena, and Ric Flair. Wrestlers who go there get a Ribera jacket and their picture in it on the wall. November 28 Today is the day! After breakfast at Denny’s, we walked back to the hotel to rest and get ready for the show at 7 p.m. Although Kaz had pointed to the building where our fight would be the first day, we ended up having to ask for the address because we couldn’t remember. We got there early, so we went and got Subway. They don’t have footlongs or chips at the Subways, but instead only four-inch sandwiches and potatoes. When we were eating there, we saw these cute dogs that had their hair dyed bright neon colors. I typed in my google translate if I could pet the people’s dogs and showed it to them and they let me. Shannon realized that he forgot the pictures he was going to sell at the hotel, so we had to walk back there. When we got there, there was these fans waiting outside our hotel for autographs and pictures from my dad and Shannon. Once we got back to the place the same

people beat us there to get another picture. When we went out to the ring, there was so many people watching and cheering it was great. In Japan the crowds are quieter during the matches because they really like to focus and not miss anything. I struggled getting into the ring. I jumped up trying to get through but I got rejected by the ropes and had to slowly slide under the bottom rope. During the match my dad got pulled off the apron and when I went to check on him, he said that I had to go up and help Kaz out. I went for the tag but then Shannon came and grabbed me by my hair and pulled me into the ring. Then, I broke it and he tried to swing but I blocked him and then hit him with two forearms before he threw me into the ropes, but I came back even harder. I did the head scissor move, where I jumped up grabbed his head with my legs and flung his body hard to the ring. As he got up, he ran after me again, but I kicked him in his wang and then I started to perform the shining wizard, a move that was done by a very famous Japanese professional wrestler. As I ran at him, he grabbed me and threw me as hard as he could into the turnbuckle. Then my dad came in and beat him up. After I rolled out and I started thinking wow I just made my debut and had me speechless. I didn’t even really feel how my back kind of hurt from being thrown. Kaz and my dad won the match and we all became okay with each other again. After the show was over, we left and

Japan population: 126.8 mil. distance: 6,536 miles

Shinjuku

March 2019

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Top left going clockwise: 1) Jazmine visits the popular shopping center Takeshita Street. 2) While at Ribera Steakhouse, a famous spot for wrestlers worldwide, Jazmine and her dad pose in their jackets. 3) Jazmine ordered bear cotton candy at a shop on Takeshita Street. 4) Left to right: Jazmine, Jimmy, Lance Hoyt, and Shannon Moore stand outside Ribera Steakhouse.

another one of my dad’s friends took us to this restaurant and the workers kept giving us food and we weren’t even hungry. After we went to the hotel and I showered and went to sleep to the thought of how everybody was going to react. November 29 I woke up the next day and suddenly it hit me. It was all over Facebook and on a Japanese Sports News website. I couldn’t believe it. Shannon was leaving this day, so we all went to KFC and ate. We had to go because we were joking about it the whole time. I got a chicken sandwich there and it was like a chicken nugget on a healthy bun and to drink they gave me a cup that was even smaller than a kid’s cup filled with melon soda. When we got back to the hotel a guy that runs prowrestlingsheet.com which is wrestling news, was texting my dad asking about what happened and the story. We said bye to Shannon then we went to go to Tokyo Disney. We had to take the subway system again and it 24

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was so confusing, but we eventually got there. It was Thursday and it was crowded, I don’t even want to know how long the lines would be on the weekends. We were so overwhelmed with fatigue and my dad’s body was aching that we ended up leaving after like two rides. On the way out we stopped as they put on a show on the water where the singers and dancers were all on boats. It was very cool to hear all the classic Disney songs in Japanese. On the way back we only had to take one subway train, it was so easy while when we were finding our way there it took forever. As we got to the hotel, we saw that the guy posted it to the front page of the website then I saw I made front page of ringsidenews.com too. I was also on headlines.yahoo.co.jp. I couldn’t believe it was actually me on the websites. November 30 Today we went to Tokyo Dome City. The Tokyo Dome is a stadium and concert place. Bon Jovi performed that night, it seats around

60,000 people. Their baseball team the Tokyo Giants play there. In Japan the two biggest sports are baseball and wrestling. When we went to the amusement park part of it, there was like thousands of people outside for a boy band concert that wasn’t for 5 hours later. We rode this rollercoaster that went close to all the buildings around. Later, we went to a Korean barbecue restaurant where you go up and pick the raw food you want then go back and cook it yourself at your table. I had my melon soda again, but this restaurant had free refills finally. So, I had like 10 cups of it. December 1 We went back home. We went to Mister Donut one last time, then we had to pack everything up. As we left, it was all going through my head. I was wondering what was going to happen next for me in the world of wrestling. I loved Japan and I can’t wait to go back but the next time I go back it will be for my own match. •

senior feature culture dart | |culture

FULL STEAM AHEAD Each issue, Spark chooses a student at random to feature. This issue, Spark chose East senior Emma Krabbe. story amy bohorfoush | art sinju cho photography caroline bumgarner

ast senior Emma Krabbe saw the toy car’s potential, with proper modifications, to bring joy to a disabled child at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital. She reviewed her team’s designs, their plans to tilt the seat 10 degrees, install a visor, and rig a system to control the gas with a button instead of a pedal. This type of work isn’t new to Emma. During her freshman year, she helped send a weather balloon into space, which obtained a photograph of the earth’s curvature. During her sophomore year, Emma competed in the national VEX Robotics competition in Florida, where she and her team manipulated a robot through coding and remote control to score points. During her junior year, Emma started competing in Battle Bots, placing number 15 out of 45 teams. Emma didn’t expect that a semester course in seventh-grade would ignite a passion for engineering that she’d pursue her entire high school career. She didn’t expect to gain skills through her engineering projects that she would be able to apply in any aspect of her life. However, the achievement Emma expected the least was winning the computeraided design (CAD) competition, during the National Technology Student Association (TSA) conference in Atlanta last June. “I think I’m pretty good at CAD modeling and stuff like that, but I didn’t realize that I could be that creative, that I could win something that big,” Emma says. “I’d also competed twice [previously] in TSA, so I thought, there was no way [I could win].”

Above: Krabbe works on modifying a toy car for Engineering club.

Senior Emma’s preparation for the CAD competition included designing and drawing an iPad cover that would appeal to a young child during a state competition. Her performance qualified her to compete at the national TSA convention, where she had to recreate a part in a dimensioned drawing she was given using the CAD software. This was just one step of Emma’s journey toward a career in engineering. Emma’s father Michael Krabbe watched as she began this journey before she knew what engineering was. “If I ever got out my toolbox, she always wanted to help,” Michael says. “She reconfigured her younger brother’s train tracks for his train set constantly when she was little.” Emma’s passion and skills were developed through a course called Design and Modeling when she was in seventh grade at Liberty Junior School (LJS). She also met her friend Luke Villareal through the class. “I was making a 3D dragon, so we had to 3D print that, and he was making a castle for [a miniature] playground,” Emma says. “So we had to work together.” Other than a brief breakup in the summer before freshman year, the friendship and relationship that began through that project have remained constant both inside and outside of engineering classes. Emma loves to fill her calendar and plan how she’s going to prioritize all the work she needs to do. “This [planning] is her life,” Villareal says. “But she still doesn’t know when the bells end and begin.” Throughout the rest of middle and high school, Emma took all the engineering classes she could, and got involved with engineering

club during her sophomore year. East’s Introduction to Engineering and Design, Engineering Capstone, and Aerospace Engineering teacher Kenneth Kinch has observed Emma’s growth not only as an engineer but as a leader. “When there’s a deadline, she’s very focused on meeting that,” Kinch says. “She holds people accountable, which most people can’t do because they feel uneasy. She does it in a friendly way, too.” During preparation for the CAD competition, Emma enhanced her technical skills. Now, she’s developing as a professional through an internship at Kinetic Vision, a company that develops new products and more efficient processes for making them. “Right now, I’m just working here [on some of] their products, trying to figure out what I’m doing,” Emma says. Her current projects include an adaptive step stool for a Liberty Junior School (LJS) seventh-grader diagnosed with achondroplasia, along with the modified car for the third annual Go Baby Go Project. All Emma’s preparation for a career in engineering will culminate with four years of studying mechanical engineering at Miami University, where both her parents graduated. “I do not believe this influenced Emma’s decision to apply to Miami University,” Emma’s mother Melissa Krabbe says. “I honestly think she likes the school and the program.” Though Emma’s technical and professional skills will drive her to success in engineering, her passion for the career will bring her a joy that success does not necessarily guarantee. “I really want to use engineering to help people,” Emma says. “[I want to] pursue that career because, in engineering club, all the things I’ve been doing are mostly helping people.” • March 2019

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culture | band feature

TAKING OFF

Local band Flight Pattern, comprised of high school and college students, has recently released singles on Spotify and iTunes, and is continually playing at different venues throughout Ohio.

story vivica heidenreich | photography used with permission

rumsticks peek out behind the scintillating cymbals and give a faint tap-off. The band warms up with a few bars of one of their original songs, excitement radiating from their faces. They shake off their nerves as the announcer says a few words about the night, followed by an enthusiastic introduction of the band. Then, they come alive. Nights like these are frequently experienced by Flight Pattern, a local rock band formed in 2017 and consisting of East senior Jaren Katsetos, University of Cincinnati freshman Ethan Qureshi, Lebanon High School senior Anna Seuberling, and Ohio University freshman James O’Donnell. The members accumulated after time, and they soon decided to begin playing music together. Flight Pattern’s journey started with lead guitarist Qureshi. He played with another band in his junior year of high school, but the members went their separate ways. As a senior the following

Left to right, Qureshi, O’Donnell, Katsetos, and Seuberling smiling after a performance at Rick’s Tavern. 26

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“The first time, it was pretty raw. But you could see with every time they played that they were becoming more like the bands you go pay to see.” — Mike Oakley, club manager of the Underground year, he was inspired to put together a new group. “I started by asking [O’Donnell] because I needed a drummer,” Qureshi says. “We jammed a few times. I asked him if he knew a singer, and he said yes, so we brought in [Seuberling]. Once [she joined], we probably jammed for about a month or so before [Katsetos] came in.” Katsetos has been playing bass for roughly four years and started by casually playing for Liberty Heights Church’s youth group band. He quickly fell in love with the instrument as he began taking bass lessons, but he never performed with a band outside of his church. “[The band] played some shows as guitar, drums, and vocals before [they added] me,” Katsetos says. “Then eventually, they were like, ‘we need a bassist.’ One day Ethan walked in [to work] and yelled out to everyone, asking if anyone knew a bassist. My friend Dylan Stenski answered him, and was like, ‘I know a guy.’ So I went to play with them, and it was a perfect match.” Flight Pattern has since played at multiple venues around the local area, ranging from color runs, to Rick’s Tavern, to high school after proms, to The Underground. Mike Oakley—who was the club manager of The Underground before it converted into an academy for cinematic arts—had the opportunity to judge Flight Pattern during a Battle of the Bands performance. Oakley has seen the evolution of the band throughout their experiences and is constantly moved by their hard work. “You could see each time they played our venue

that they had rehearsed and gotten better at what they were doing,” Oakley says. “The first time, it was pretty raw. But you could see with every time they played that they were becoming more like the bands you go pay to see - like the big bands, the recording acts. They started to mature as a band and get better, tighter; that was pretty impressive.”

t their shows, Flight Pattern typically plays cover songs from other bands, as well as their own. Among these original songs are “Southern California,” “Page 51,” and “Through the Years,” all of which have been released on iTunes and Spotify. “We recorded eight songs back in April [2018],” drummer O’Donnell says. “We couldn’t afford to mix them all, so we only did three. Now, the rest of them are being mixed. We have more songs that we wrote that we want to record, and if we can record those soon, we’ll maybe put out an album sometime [in the future].” For now, Flight Pattern has decided to rehearse and release music when it’s most convenient for each member, due to their varying residencies around Ohio. However, all four individuals are adamant about keeping the band together, despite the distance, because the bond that they’ve formed is unlike any other. “Hopefully soon we’ll get back together [to play] - and I really want to, because I miss and love them so much,” Katsetos says. “We have this chemistry and this relationship that is unmatched, honestly, and it’s really cool.” •

diy and feature | culture

DETOXIFYING DIY

diy abbie westendorf photography cassandra mueller

Materials 8 ounces of your choice of honey 1 cup of brown sugar

Directions Step 1: Put the brown sugar and honey into a bowl and stir well. Step 2: Store in a jar with an airtight lid at room temperature. To Use: On a clean face, apply a small amount of scrub and massage in a circular motion. Avoid eyes and mouth. Rinse with water.

BLUE MEMORIES S

nowflakes fell from the bleak winter sky and onto the electric blue Honda Civic as it sped down the icy street before pulling into a neighborhood piled with large houses. Her car slipped into the driveway at the end of a cul-de-sac. The home it led to had blue shutters next to the large windows and a University of Cincinnati basketball flag waving high above the freshly painted mailbox. East sophomore Madison Monnin stepped out of the Civic and entered her happy home, saying a quick hello to her grandparents as she went up to her room and closed her door. She did not always live in this beautiful house with blue shutters. She did not always come home to her grandparents greeting her from the kitchen with the smell of her grandmothers’ dinner in the oven, or the roar from her grandfather as he watched his team shoot the winning basket on their flat-screen television. Monnin grew up in a small one-bedroom farmhouse occupied by her mother and her mother’s boyfriend. She ate whatever nauseating foods were rotting in the back of

After living in a broken home for most of her childhood, East sophomore Madison Monnin reflects on the lasting impact of a mother. story emma lacalameto | photography abby bammerlin

her beaten up refrigerator that month and slept on the ripped up couch next to the windows that were held together by duct tape. “I didn’t have a normal childhood,” Monnin says. She cried as tension grew between her mother and her mother’s boyfriend, and as she watched her mother turn into a stranger as she became a slave to her medications. “I wasn’t comfortable in my own home,” Monnin explains. Years after a 7-year-old Monnin left the unsafe environment to stay with her grandparents, she later discovered that the beloved stranger she’d grown up with had overdosed on heroin. She was now left without a mother, even though the mother she remembered had been a ghost in her own home. Every day when Monnin drives in her brand new electric blue Honda Civic, she stares at the photograph of her and her mother that she has taped to the dashboard, remembering the stranger her mother once was, and thinking about the mother she could have been. •

Above: Monnin holds the photo of her mother that she keeps on the dashboard of her car. March 2019

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culture | film maker

VIDEO VISIONARY

In his free time, East junior Victor De La Cruz enjoys creating spontaneous videos that he posts on his YouTube and Instagram pages, and also helped create the East Marching Band documentary. story rebecca breland | photography lauren maier

s he watches home videos his uncle has created detailing different family member’s lives, he has a spark of passion, thinking to himself “I want to do that too.” So when he receives his first ever camera at age nine, that’s all he could do; film everything and anything. For Victor De La Cruz, filming became a big passion of his at a very young age, something he did for fun. But little did he know then both filming and editing would become big passions of his for life. At first, he started with simply filming and editing fun videos with his siblings for his family. Showing them what he created he remembers how proud they were of him. “I interrupted everybody watching TV and put [the DVD] in the TV, everyone was watching,” De La Cruz says. “My parents were laughing really hard. My sister is like, what did I just watch? And then my brother asked if he could be in the next one.” He continued to create small films like this until around eighth-grade when he began editing videos to be put on YouTube, gaining experience that would make his future projects just that much better. De La Cruz now regularly posts videos on

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Instagram and YouTube, but not the kind he used to film with his siblings. He compiles clips that he has filmed spontaneously with his friend group. The videos are straight from the source as if the viewer were a fly in the room, watching and hearing everything, and making conclusions for themselves. Though spontaneous videos are his forte, he has also created a full documentary-style video. The process involved the help of East juniors Ian Ebding and Kara Harris to film as he and the rest of the band practiced and performed, along with him interviewing a multitude of different people and strenuous hours of editing. In Jan. 2019 De La Cruz came out with an almost two-hour fullseason documentary for the East Marching Thunderhawks, entitled “We are Lakota East 2018 Season Documentary.”

uickly becoming a hit with all the band members as a way to look back on the season they had just completed, Harris is humbled to have helped Victor create such a masterpiece. “It was amazing to help Victor with the film,” Harris says. “It was cool to see something I helped create make a lot of people happy.”

The seven-part documentary De La Cruz created took the viewers through the whole season from beginning to end. Even though it was a documentary, he was still able to keep some of his own styles in there with the addition of spontaneous clips he filmed throughout the season. East junior Nick Eddy has been a friend of De La Cruz since seventh-grade and loves watching all the content De La Cruz creates. “His passion has driven him to devote a lot of time and care into his work,” Eddy says. “I’ve seen it give him a sense of purpose for what he enjoys doing and it’s very awe-inspiring to see it in action.” Taking after directors like Christopher Nolan, Jeffrey Jacob (J.J.) Abrams and Joshua Kennedy, De La Cruz creates content he enjoys without worrying about what others think. In the future, De La Cruz hopes to create short films and gain more experiences for the world he hopes to be a part of. One day he wants to be a big part on the set of major motion pictures; filming, directing and editing movies that mean something to him. “It doesn’t matter how critics see it,” De La Cruz says. “Whatever I see is what matters the most.” •

foreign language | culture

A WORLD TOUR As part of her efforts to immerse herself in cultures around the world, East junior Kaelyn Hopton takes an online class to learn Mandarin Chinese. story katey kruback | photography abby bammerlin

ast junior Kaelyn Hopton is on her second stop on her lifelong world tour, and life couldn’t be better. At least, that’s what she was thinking when she first started her online Mandarin Chinese class through Brigham Young University (BYU). But a couple of days later, she realized just how hard the language was. It all started at the end of her freshman year when a friend first “forced” her to listen to Korean music, and though she was hesitant at first, Kaelyn says that she had to reluctantly admit that it was enjoyable. “I’d just been recently diagnosed with a chronic illness that caused a loss of self, and it completely changed my world,” says Kaelyn, who suffers from Crohn’s disease. “I was pretty depressed. But one of my friends invited me to her birthday and forced me to listen to K-pop, and it was interesting. I went home and did some Googling, and fell down the rabbit hole.” That led her to begin her world tour in Korea, watching Korean variety shows, K-dramas, and listening to their music. But she won’t stay in Korea long, before moving to another culture and immersing herself there. “Aside from the personal reward I get through growing my own knowledge and learning,” Kaelyn says, “I like immersing

myself in different cultures.” Rather than continuing onto her third year of Latin, she decided to fulfill her honors diploma a different way and take her love of other cultures one step further. However, the $772 Korean semester classes ended up being more expensive than $263 Mandarin class, so Kaelyn decided on Mandarin. A decision that paid off a semester later, according to Kaelyn’s mother Mary Hopton. “We were at a Korean restaurant and there was a group next to us speaking Chinese,” Mary says. “I remember that I kept telling her not to eavesdrop, but she was so excited because she could understand what they were saying.”

aelyn’s grandmother is an immigrant from Slovenia, speaks six languages and is one of the people Kaelyn looks up to most. “I’m making it my personal goal, as a bit of friendly family competition, to speak as many, if not more, languages [than my grandmother],” Kaelyn says. “In addition to English, I want to learn Mandarin, Korean, Slovenian, Norwegian, and Czech, and then branch out into other Nordic languages.” Even though Kaelyn doesn’t plan to linger in China forever, she knows she won’t be able

to fully leave Mandarin behind. “I’ll definitely stick with it, I love it so much,” Kaelyn says. “Slowly I’ll just add in other things. I’ll have Mandarin more on the back burner as I explore others, but I’ll keep going back.” According to Kaelyn’s father Matt Hopton, he thought she was “a little crazy” to try something so ambitious as to learn, as Kaelyn describes it, an “extremely difficult” language alongside her already heavy course load. “But she’d been developing a real curiosity about the rest of the world and its cultures,” Matt says. “Kaelyn loves hearing about Europe. Those stories and [her own interests] have made her realize that different people and different cultures, just because they’re different, doesn’t make them better or worse.” According to Kaelyn, being culturally aware is very important not just for others, but for understanding where others come from and their perspectives. “I want to give compassion, kindness and to leave a positive impact, not just for one specific culture, but for everybody,” Kaelyn says. “I’m fully immersive when I study a culture, putting myself there to the maximum of my ability, so I can let that culture change me for the better. That way I can change others.” •

“I want to leave a positive impact, not just for one culture, but for everybody. When I study a culture, I let that culture change me for the better.” —Kaelyn Hopton, East junior

East junior Kaelyn Hopton studies Mandarin during her study hall period. March 2019

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culture | special effects makeup

CUTTING EDGE HOBBY

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special effects makeup | culture

One of East sophomore Rachel Caulfield’s favorite hobbies is to create gory special effects makeup looks—the bloodier and more horrifying, the better. story and photography cassandra mueller

ast sophomore Rachel Caulfield looks into the mirror and studies the small raw cut etched onto her nose, dripping blood. She then turns her head upwards and eyes her split lip and black eye, adding deep purples and bright reds to her face. She nods, satisfied, before turning and walking away. That particular night Rachel had a Halloween-themed piano recital where all the kids dressed up in their trick-or-treating attire. Rachel had decided to join in on the fun by making it look like she had cuts and bruises on her face using her special effects makeup. After house sitting, she rides her bike home and fiddles with the doorknob to her house, totally forgetting her makeup. As she walks into her house, she says a quick hello to her dad and is met with a gasp and a shocked expression as he stumbles towards repeatedly her asking her what happened, and if she had fallen off her bike. She was confused at the sudden commotion until she realized that she still had on her gruesome makeup look from her neighbor’s house. Although special effects makeup is her hobby, she sometimes forgets that her gory and bloody creations might startle others. Rachel’s passion for special effects makeup started to evolve about two years ago after she came across a video on YouTube of someone doing a special effects look. The craft sparked her interest and she began gathering supplies to recreate some of the gory looks she was so fond of. “When I first started doing special effects makeup, I started out making my own scar wax, which is like fake skin, out of Vaseline and flour,” says Rachel, who does special effects once a week. “It did not work very well.” Rachel now has an extensive collection filled with fake skin, fake blood, face paint, and an assortment of different sculpting tools. “A lot of [the makeup] I got myself,” Rachel says. “But some of the fake blood and tools I got for Christmas.” Rachel has made many different cuts in her time doing special effects. Some of the stuff she has done include basic cuts and bruises, but also bigger projects such as a cut-out heart. She constructed a fake heart, which she then acted like she’d pulled it out of a cut she made on her chest. When making one of these looks, she prepares to make a new cut on her hand by taking fake skin, called scar wax, and smearing it on her hand where the cut will be placed. She

“[My favorites are the] most disgusting ones that you want to look away from. I love the bloodiest looks.” —Rachel Caulfield, East sophomore

takes red paint and sculpting tools and finishes coloring and texturing her cut. The final step is to add blood and take a picture of her creation.

achel is very passionate about her art and is supported by her friends and family, including her father Todd Caulfield. “I like [how she’s doing this makeup] because when she starts a project she’s very into it; [she’s] passionate about it, and creative,” Todd says. “I’m kind of grossed out sometimes by some of the stuff she does, but it’s really, really cool.” When she first started to create more realistic makeup looks, her dad was flabbergasted at seeing all of her cuts and bruises on her. But now that it’s a regular thing, it is no surprise to him anymore, because it has become a part of her. “[My favorites are the] most disgusting things that you want to look away from,” Rachel says. “I love the bloodiest looks.” Rachel has moved to Instagram where she showcases her skills. She created an Instagram page where she posts pictures of all her new gory looks from cuts, to bruises, to even a cut off finger spewing blood. Through her Instagram, she has met several

friends who also share her passion for creating things right out of a horror film. To try and gain a bigger following and more knowledge for her makeup skills, she follows a lot of special effects makeup accounts and has befriended some of them. So many people appreciate her art that around Halloween she gets people wanting her to do their horrifying makeup for the night. “I get a lot of requests to do people’s Halloween makeup,” Rachel says. “[It usually takes] all day.”

lthough no one in her real life shares this passion of hers, Rachel’s friends are constantly supporting her and cheering her on. Including one of Rachel’s best friends East sophomore Jackie Elia. “I think [her makeup looks are] very cool,” Elia says. “She’s really talented at it and it looks amazing.” Rachel does not know if she will do special effects makeup as a full-time job in the future so she is just enjoying the time she has now. “In the future, I would probably keep it as a hobby because I want to go into the medical field,” Rachel says. “But I still love doing special effects.”•

East sophomore Rachel Caulfield (left and right) uses scar wax to create a bloody scar. March 2019

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culture | foreign exchange

MEET SINJU

East sophomore Sinju Cho is a foreign exchange student from South Korea. After traveling 6,880 miles from Jinjusi to West Chester, OH she starts her journey at East. comic selena chen

edzie and Christian Fernholz welcolmed South and went to training with the Rotary Club to be Korean Sinju Cho into their home August last year. a host family. After years of discussion, their daughter East junior “The training included three slides on ‘you may Alexandra Fernholz brought home a Rotary Club flyer end up with an introverted student, and here’s what in March of 2018 encouraging families to host a foreign an introverted student looks like,’” Kedzie says. Foreign exchange student. “Evidently 75 percent of people are extroverts Exchange “Since we thought it was a good experience before, and 25 percent are introverts. Most likely most we thought, ‘hey! Let’s do it with our family,’” says students are going to end up with an extroverted Students Kedzie, who has hosted a foreign exchange student family. Yeah, except for Sinju, who’s going to end Part Four before. up with a very introverted family.” After the Rotary Club conducted background checks Alexandra and Sinju emailed a lot before she on Kedzie and Christian, they came to the house to survey Sinju’s came to America. On the night Sinju was supposed to arrive, Alexandra potential living space. was most looking forward to having a sister in the house, along with her “They just want to make sure when Sinju gets here, it’s not going little brother, of course. to be like a Harry Potter thing where she’s living under the stairs or “I remember sitting in the airport and thinking, ‘wow it is super anything,” Christian says. late and she is going to have to get up in six hours and go to school,’” The Fernholz family had several meetings with Rotary Club officials Alexandra says. •

Sinju’s original flight got canceled so her mom had to find a different flight last minute, giving her no adjustment time before starting school at East.

When they arrived home, Sinju was mesmerized at how big the house was. In Korea almost everyone lives in a small apartment, due to the country’s large population. 32

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Sinju met her host sister Alex by the baggage claim area where Alex was holding a welcome sign.

Alex and Sinju arrived at 7:15 a.m. on the first day of school to tour the building and walk Sinju’s schedule.

foreign exchange | culture

Even though many students did not introduce themselves to Sinju, she went up to them herself and said “Hi, I’m Sinju” and gave out pins that her dad made back in Korea.

That night, Alex told Sinju the house rules such as knock before entering, and wear slippers in the house.

Usually in Korea, there are many things near the school that students can just walk to, but America is heavily based on cars. Alex is part of Spark, so most times Sinju has to stay afterschool and wait.

Alex and Kedzie do the cooking, and Sinju stands by and watches because she doesn’t know how to cook. In Korea Sinju gets home from school so late she normally eats out.

The Fernholz family doesn’t eat out much.

CHECK OUT ISSUE FIVE TO READ THE FULL STORY. March 2019

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m fresh an

Haley Allman How have your classrooms changed since the introduction of the Chromebooks?

HAWKS ON: CHROMEBOOKS

culture | hawks on

A lot of the stuff is online and it’s less interactive. What can you now do in the classrooms since the Chromebooks have been introduced? It’s easier to write on it to [take notes]. You can write on Google Documents, and stuff like that. It’s easy to just turn it in, and on Canvas as well. What exactly can you do on the Chromebooks?

You can write on documents, type notes and stuff like that. Everything’s just kind of there. How much of that stuff have you done in class? We started taking notes and stuff online and doing all that.

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homore p o s

Meghan Sawyer How have your classrooms changed since the introduction of the Chromebooks? One of my classes has moved entirely to Chromebooks. The rest have barely used them, I’ve done some computer projects though. What has changed since you’ve received your Chromebook? The organization of my classes is the next step now. It used to be in one spot in a binder and now some of it’s on a computer and some of it’s in a binder. Not all together and I don’t like that. What specifically can you do on the Chromebooks? I can take notes. There’s a really cool split screen feature where you can see a PowerPoint and then you can take notes on the other side at the same time. I like that, makes it a lot easier to pay attention.

interviews and photography logan maxfield and caroline bumgarner

hawks on | culture

Nathan Collett How have your classrooms changed since the introduction of the Chromebooks? In many of my classes we take less guided notes and more free hand notes. I haven’t noticed many more online assignments, however.

Is there anything that you cannot do since the Chromebooks have rolled out? No, anything that a teacher would ask is easy to access or complete.

What specifically can you do on the Chromebooks? Taking notes in math and English are much easier with Google Keep. If a teacher is busy I can quickly Google search something that can help me. Watching instructional videos on YouTube is a big help too.

HAWKS ON: CHROMEBOOKS

junior

senior

Jaden Seipp

How have your classes over all been changed by the chromebooks? Only half of my classes have seen any change. AP chem and AP Gov have seen the most change with the juniors, but nothing like what I expected. Mench [Government teacher] has tried to incorporate the chromebooks but it really hasn’t changed the flow of the class. We still follow the same path. You just don’t have to stare up at the board anymore. We have had very limited instances in which the chromebooks could be used in a new way so they’re kinda ignored besides that. As you do not have a Chromebook, do you bring your own laptop? There’s no reason to bring a laptop. Every few weeks I probably go all week without touching a laptop at school. How have you personally had to change? Minimally, all the teachers who ever want to do anything with technology have school laptops if I need access.

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indepth | juuling

THE NICO-TEENS

Part One The newest teen epidemic has many parents, school administrators, and government health officials concerned. story anna mullins | infographic gracie estep photo illustration alexandra fernholz

*denotes name change

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he room is dark. The only light comes from string lights lying across the floor, basking the room in a weak ambient glow. Upbeat music plays in the background from the other side of the curtain. Nine teens stand in a circle talking about the most recent school drama. The only teen facing the door is the one with the most important jobâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;the unofficial lookoutâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;who is charged with making sure no adult catches the teens passing around a JUUL. A JUUL is a flash-drive shaped e-cigarette that came into existence in 2015 when JUUL Labs Inc. began manufacturing the JUUL e-cigarette and pods. According to the Surgeon General Jerome Adams, the JUUL has recently become popular among teens because of its minimal smoke, low odor and small size, making it easy to conceal at school in a pencil pouch or shirt sleeve. Sitting in class *Rachel, an East junior, feels a buzz come from her pocket. Looking away from the

juuling | indepth teacher, she checks her phone and realizes it is a text from one of her friends asking her to come to the bathroom and bring her JUUL. Her friend was having an anxiety attack and said she needed to hit Rachel’s JUUL to calm herself down. “My friend group has two kids out of seven who have [JUULs],” Rachel says. “When the other kids hit it, they’re always like, ‘Hey, can I borrow it?’ I’ve been texted in the middle of class ‘Hey, can you meet in the bathroom? Can I hit your JUUL? I really need it because my anxiety is going off.’” Rachel herself recognizes that there are other ways to deal with anxiety and stress that are less damaging to her health than nicotine. According to the Surgeon General one JUUL pod has the same amount of nicotine as 20 cigarettes, or one full pack of cigarettes.

ennifer Folkenroth is the National Senior Director for the tobacco program at the American Lung Association (ALA), which researches how nicotine affects the body. Folkenroth says that nicotine, an addictive chemical in JUULs and cigarettes, really affects the neurotransmitters to give a pleasure reward feeling to the brain. “A lot of teens are using it behaviorally, as a stress management tool,” Folkenroth tells Spark. “They have the release of dopamine in the brain, which helps [them] to relax, stimulates [them], and for many people, just makes them feel good.” This calming effect can come at a high price. According to a National Institute on Drug Abuse article “Is Nicotine Addictive,” when nicotine is inhaled, it causes a surge of endorphins in the reward center of the brain, delivering a brief euphoria to the user. Like other drugs of abuse, such as cocaine and heroin, the nicotine increases levels of dopamine, which reinforces addiction behavior. Nicotine reaches the brain within 10 seconds of inhalation and the brief “high” dissipates quickly. Repeat exposure to nicotine alters the receptors’ sensitivity to dopamine. “When you depend on certain drugs, the receptors that have to bind [to] those chemicals continue to be used up,” East Honors Anatomy teacher Julie Deak says. “In order to get that same calming sensation, a person would have to use nicotine more and more. It’s a neverending cycle.” In ninth-grade, Rachel’s friend group became interested in e-cigarettes. They were intrigued by how cool the technology appeared, how it allowed them to smoke vapor, and how they could do “cool tricks.” That’s when a senior friend introduced her to JUULing. “I had a friend of mine who was asking me: ‘Hey, do you want one? Or have you ever thought about wanting one?’ And I was like, you know what, might as well try it out,” Rachel says. “And I bought one.”

23 percent of East students surveyed confirmed they JUUL. Rachel and her friends had become part of the 3.04 million youth who use e-cigarettes in high school. According to the 2011-2018 National Youth Tobacco Survey (NYTS), e-cigarette use among high school students increased by 78 percent between 2017 and 2018. This dramatic increase prompted the Surgeon General to label youth e-cigarette use an epidemic in the United States. The JUUL was created as a cessation option to help adults who have become addicted to cigarettes, it has the potential to reduce tobacco-related death and disease. However, studies with teens are starting to show that these devices could be doing the exact opposite. The concern is that JUULing is becoming a gateway to cigarette smoking for the teen population. Behavioral scientist at RAND Corporation Michael Dunbar conducts studies on these topics to determine their validity. “We know from overall estimates across a

she didn’t need to go to the bathroom anymore and continued on to class. According to the Truth Initiative, 47 percent of high school and middle school teachers and administrators polled didn’t recognize a photo of a JUUL device, despite rising teen use. The East administration has noticed the rise in teen use and is taking action to help quell the popularity of e-cigarettes among the school population. They are putting into place strategies to combat JUULing, but chose not to discuss them publicly. “There is no magic wand we can wave to stop it from happening,” East Principal Suzanna Davis says. “But we’re going to continue to discuss what we can do within our environment to cut down on [JUULing], both from a health factor for students, as well as a safety factor.” The goal for the policies is not to exact punishment on those who are JUULing, but to provide information to the students about the dangers and why it is not good for their health.

79 percent of students surveyed said they’ve seen someone juuling at school. range of studies that have looked at this issue that young people who start using e-cigarettes are about four times more likely than their peers who don’t use them to smoke cigarettes in the future,” Dunbar tells Spark. Since e-cigarettes are not ignited, do not have a lasting smell, look like a flash-drive, and taste like common fruits and candies, they are assumed to be safe. “I think a major area of concern is that if e-cigarettes are framed as being less harmful to health than cigarettes, that can lead people to assume that because they’re ‘safer’ in some respects, that means that they’re safe to use.” Dunbar says. “That’s not the case, particularly when it comes to young people.”

onica* was on her way to grab a notebook for one of her classes when she decided to stop at the bathroom. Immediately when she walked in, a curious smell hit her nose and she noticed six pairs of feet in a single stall. There were empty JUUL pods littering the ground and smoke was hanging in the air. Even though this wasn’t the first time she had witnessed this, Monica decided that

“The ultimate goal of having conversations with the student is behavior modification,” Davis says. “I don’t want to punish a student because they’re JUULing, I want to give them the impetus to make change in their life because it’s dangerous.” Since e-cigarettes are relatively new, long term effects have not yet been identified, but many short term effects have been researched. The Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) current research priorities include understanding cardiovascular and respiratory health effects caused by e-cigarettes. In a partnership with the National Institute of Health (NIH), Tobacco Centers of Regulatory Science grants were awarded to support research on the impact of flavors, short and long-term effects of e-cigarette products, and changes in cell function upon exposure to vapor. In a NIH funded study by the University of Rochester Medical Center, vapors released by JUULs were found to cause stress in the cells in the gums, that can in turn cause oral diseases. The study also showed that e-liquid with flavoring made the damage worse. One of the hazardous chemicals present in the vapor—nicotine—is a March 2019

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indepth | juuling known contributor to gum disease, and can cause permanent damage to the developing adolescent brain. “Nicotine affects the development of the prefrontal cortex of the brain, and this applies directly to teens,” Deak says. “Nicotine addiction can affect your decision making processes, and it also [delays] your emotional development.”

he chemicals inside of the pods include diacetyl, a chemical that has been linked to lung disease; benzene, which can be found in car exhaust; and ultra-fine flavoring particles which can cause coughing, especially for those with asthma. “E-cigarettes also contain acrolein, a herbicide that primarily is used to kill weeds,” Folkenroth says. “However, we know that it can cause acute lung injury, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), and may even cause asthma and lung cancer.” Different flavor pods are designed to mimic the taste of popular candies and are placed in convenience stores near the candy at the registers. The packaging of the pods is also very similar to the candies that they mimic. “Mango is a good one,” Rachel says. “It didn’t taste like a mango, but it also was fruity enough to taste good. It tastes like candy, it’s addictive.” With more than twothirds of teens using flavored pods, according to the NYTS study, many experts believe that the different flavors are targeting children, even though it is illegal for them to use the e-cigarettes. “Research has shown a strong connection between the fruit flavors and their way of really appealing to our youth,” Folkenroth says. “If you take a look at [the flavors, like] Fruity Pebbles, bubble gum, cappuccino, some of those flavors on the market are mostly purchased by our youth.” The FDA is creating a new policy surrounding e-cigarette use, as well as restricting the availability of flavor pods. Part of this policy is restricting pods from being in places where kids can see them. “Exposure to convenience store and other retail ads is a big issue,” Dunbar tells Spark. “We also know that young people who are exposed to those types of ads are more susceptible to start using e-cigarettes in the future.”

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While high schools have seen the most drastic rise in e-cigarette use, middle schoolers have also taken to vaping. According to the same NYTS survey, middle school use of e-cigarettes has increased by 48 percent between 2017-2018. Hopewell Junior (HJS) Principal Jeff Rouff has noticed the rise as middle schoolers experiment with independence for the first time. He has begun to take action through Hopewell’s weekly newsletters to parents, reminding them to have conversations with their kids about the dangers of JUULing. “[I have done this] not only as a principal, but also as a father of two daughters, and I’ve had to have these tough conversations with my daughters,” Rouff says. “There’s this mindset

that it’s okay, that it’s a safe alternative. And that is going to be the big battle of JUULing with kids. It is getting them to realize that this is not a safe alternative.” HJS also decided to take action by expanding their curriculum. The mandatory eighth-grade health class has added e-cigarettes into the tobacco unit, and the school resource officer talks about vaping during the drug unit. “You need to have the facts before you try anything that could potentially harm your body,” HJS health teacher Lori Jones says. “That isn’t specifically for JUULing either, that is for any kind of drug, alcohol, [or] tobacco.” Rachel has always been anti-smoking, as her parents are smokers, and she is familiar with the negative health effects. When Rachel

What Juuling does to the body

Effect of juuling on the body Can cause Nicotine addiction and mental health issues. Can cause lung cancer by exposing cells to dangerous chemicals.

Can cause Asthma by blocking airways.

Can cause high blood pressure. Can cause stomach ulcers

Can cause liver damage by increasing toxins in the body Can effect affect digestive health by causing Chron’s disease.

source: verywellhealth, source verywellhealth, e-ciggarettes. e-ciggarettes.gov, web MD gov, web.MD

started JUULing, she was unaware of the hazards and possible nicotine addiction. Once she realized all of the harmful effects that JUULing could have on her body, she quit. She has not JUULed since she got rid of her e-cigarette two months ago.

ecause of this epidemic, many organizations have come out with options for teens who are looking to quit vaping or are trying to combat a smoking addiction. The American Lung Association (ALA) has a program that aims to help teens stop smoking. “American Lung Association’s ‘Not on Tobacco’ program is a voluntary smoking cessation program that is inclusive of e-cigarette users,” Folkenroth says. “That’s specifically for teens ages 14 to 19. It’s a 10-week program where participants really learn to identify their reasons for smoking, as well as painting healthy alternatives to tobacco use.” The first teen e-cigarette focused program “This is Quitting,” was established by the Truth Initiative, with input from teens and young adults. It is a mobile app and companion text message program that offers motivational messages and alternative options to distract from vaping, as well as information on nicotine replacement therapy. Realizing quitting can be both challenging and isolating, a support function is included that allows teens to text the word “Crave” to immediately receive positive messaging. “One of our messages is, ‘You may be tempted to JUUL when other people are, but find something else to do with your hands like a little toy, a key chain, take pictures on your phone, tap on Snapchat filters, whatever it takes to not JUUL in that moment,” Truth Initiative Representative Megan Jacobs tells Spark. “We try to give actual suggestions that give people something specific that they can do.” Many organizations have made it their mission to inform teens of the dangers of using e-cigarettes. They also continue to research what the long-term effects of these devices are, so that they can continue to inform and educate. “I know that my lungs weren’t too happy because all the chemicals go straight to your lungs and it damages them,” Rachel says. “I quit because I realized that when you start at a young age, you’re going to tend to end up doing it when you get older and it’ll be more of an addiction to stop.” • Read Part Two in issue five, find out about influencers, FDA regulations and Butler Tech students’ pushing awareness.

JUULs are readily accessible in stores. Some are behind the counter in the cigarette cage, others are sitting in display cases on the counter.

ADVERTISEMENT ATTRACTION R story anna mullins | photography meredith niemann

esults from a national study suggest that a primary source of exposure to e-cigarette advertising is through point-of-sale locations like convenience stores. According to a study published by the RAND Corporation, which got its name from a contraction of the words “research and development,” exposure can increase the likelihood of future e-cigarette use by adolescents. Researchers set up a realistically-sized replica of a convenience store to test how exposure to the Tobacco Power Wall (TPW), which is the wall in convenience stores that displays tobacco and e-cigarette products, affected teen likelihood to use e-cigarettes in the future. Two randomly selected test groups, consisting of 160 males and females, were sent through the store. The first group experienced a store where the TPW was hidden behind an opaque wall and the second group experienced a store where the TPW was visible behind the cashier. Before and after shopping, they were asked to rate their willingness to try e-cigarettes in the future. According to the study, compared to the hidden condition, TPW exposure was associated with greater increases in willingness to use e-cigarettes in the future. Teen exposure to e-cigarettes also comes through social media and from other teens. “There’s exposure through a range of different channels like social media or seeing it in the media, etc. But we know that exposure to ads in convenience stores and other retail

settings is a big issue,” Michael Dunbar, a Behavioral scientist at the RAND Corporation, told Spark. “We also know that young people who are exposed to those types of ads are more susceptible to start using things like e-cigarettes in the future.” In the initial JUUL marketing campaign, advertisements featured bright colors, and young adults wearing fashionable attire. The teen appeal of the marketing done by JUUL has been brought under consideration by the Federal Drug Administration (FDA). The company has been accused of targeting teens so that they can have life-long customers.

n other countries like Europe, there is evidence that removing tobacco products from point-of-sale can lower rates of use among teens. Combining these findings with the evidence found in this study would suggest removing tobacco products would be part of the answer to lowering rates among use by teens. The FDA has created a policy to restrict flavored electronic nicotine delivery system products to be sold in age-restricted areas. The issue in the US for any formal law against the display of all e-cigarette and tobacco products is that they could face a legal backlash from the companies whose profits would suffer. “In the US, one of the major issues that we confront is from tobacco industries, and recently e-cigarette industries,” Dunbar told Spark. “There’s a concern with respect to first amendment rights.” •

March 2019

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indepth | juuling

A FOOL TO JUUL ADULTS

Over 10 million adults were current e-cigarette users in 2016

VS. STUDENTS Over 2 million students were current e-cigarette users in 2016.

58.8 percent were current, regular cigarette users. 29.8 percent were former cigarette users.

STUDENTS REPORTED STUDENTS USING E-CIGARETTE DEVICES IN 2017. infographic lauren maier source 2017 Monitoring the Future Survey, Results and Centers for Disease Control Date, truthinitiative.org

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11.4 percent never have been a cigarette user.

EIGHTH GRADE TENTH GRADE TWELTH GRADE

11.3 percent of high schoolers have used e-cigarettes in the past 30 days 4.3 percent of middle schoolers have used e-ciggarettes in the past 30 days

13% 24% 28%

juuling | indepth

T HE S T A T E

2 in 10 Ohio adults ages 30-65 (23%) reported that they had tried an e-cigarette

45 percent of Ohio adults ages 18 to 29 have used an e-cigarette

TAX ON CIGS –SALE TAX: 5.75% –$1.60 PER PACK

TAX ON E-CIGS –SALE TAX: 5.75% –NO EXCISE TAX

47% of high school and middle school teachers didn’t recongnize a JUUL when it was shown to them.

OF JUULING WHY SO ADDICTIVE? The nicotine then enters into the blood stream. Inhale the vapor with nicotine.

This causes the adrenal glands to produce adrenaline. March 2019

This gives the user a moment of pleasure and will then juul again. lakotaeastsparkonline.com 41

entertainment | netflix reviews

NETFLIX BIRDBOX art by leo rolfert

he nursery rhyme “Row, row, row, your boat, gently down the stream” is given a twist with Netflix’s latest original film “Bird Box,” which is based off the novel by Josh Malerman. While having a modest budget of $19.8 million, it still surprisingly broke records with more than 45 million Netflix accounts watching the movie within a week of it’s Dec. 13, 2018 release. Bird Box’s release came second only to Netflix’s “Stranger Things” season two release. The basis of the film surrounds an apocalypse that begins with millions of mysterious mass suicides that quickly spread around the globe. Everyone who looks directly outside sees a demon that is so horrific that they instantly commit suicide. The “demon” is never actually shown throughout the movie, so the viewer is left to ponder what sight could possibly be so abhorrent to make someone want to immediately end their life. The apocalyptic aspect of the film is a refreshing spin on the classic “zombie takeover.” It wasn’t “just a scary movie,” but had a level of suspense that every apocalyptic movie strives to achieve. The movie is a constant flashback between

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the protagonist Malorie Hayes’ (Sandra Bullock) life from when the “demon” first comes, to five years later, with her and the children on a boat going down the river. Malorie first finds herself with a group of survivors and is safe. However, from the flashback sequences, the watcher can infer that something happened to the group that caused the children and Malorie to be on their own. Having the flashback established early in the film is a spoiler in itself that essentially ruins the film. The viewer knows that something eventually happens to Malorie’s group so, they’re left in suspense for entirety of the film, waiting for the tragedy to happen. Sensory deprivation seems to be the latest trend in films, as Bird Box follows a string of movies that involve the loss of senses; Hush and A Quiet Place deal with not being able to hear or speak. This inspired the “can’t hear, can’t speak, can’t see” meme on Twitter, which made fun of the movies. Bird Box received an R-rating by the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) due to its excessive swearing, gore, and overall violence. This R-rating was not necessary for the film, a PG-13 rating would have sufficed.

While it’s supposed to be a horror movie, Bird Box is mainly a suspenseful, scary thriller.

he director of the film is Danish-born Susanne Bier, who was the first woman to collectively receive a Golden Globe, Oscar, Emmy and a European Film Award. The movie adaptation writer is Eric Heisserer, who has also written the highly rated, postapocalyptic alien invasion film Arrival, a true dystopian thriller. Yet, even with having an acclaimed writer and producer, Bird Box still seemed to fall short of expectations. Overall, Bird Box overall is just another mediocre movie that was produced by Netflix in their pitiful attempt to stray away from being just a streaming service. While it is an interesting take on an apocalyptic narrative, the characters lacked development and became predictable. When scrolling on Netflix for a late night movie to watch, Bird Box is not the best course. —Regan Denham

MANIAC T art by leo rolfert

he aspect of the future has always been a large part of American literature, culture, and society. The endless amount of possibilities have always been apart of imagination and been implemented in all different art forms. Netflix original thriller “Maniac” is one of the more modern representations of this idea. “Maniac” has become a widely-liked show by all most all of the audience, with a rating of 82 percent from Rotten Tomatoes and IMDB. Cary Joji Fukunaga, a Japanese director who has worked on movies like the 2017 version of “IT,” applies his skills with thrillers to the show. This series shows his different influences and ideas for both architecture and technology. Throughout the series, the main protagonists are also exposed to the darker underside of this distant future. The main protagonists, played by comedian turned serious actor Jonah Hill and academy award-winning actress, Emma Stone, are named Owen Milgrim and Annie Landsberg respectively and are great picks. The protagonists accept an offer they cannot refuse from a company that looks questionable

at best. This offer is to test a certain drug and help better people of society, and in return, the organization testing them will give then an ample amount of money. At this point, the action started picking up, and I barely checked my phone, completely engrossed by this show’s plot. As both of these characters begin the drug tests, strange things start to occur. Memories that didn’t actually happen are replayed for every test subject and, all participants of this test are subjected to the worst moment in their entire life. This forces them into a sorrowful, depressive state that makes the subjects go insane. Each episode is filled with confusing stories and contradicting ideas from every side character and even the protagonists. The main protagonists stay the same through each episode, but they both play different, “characters.” This means that both of the protagonists change their identities during the drug trials and hallucinations but are their regular selves outside of the trials. This emulates the feeling of drug culture and

its effects on the people who use drugs, are affected by drugs, or know someone who is afflicted by drugs. As the series continued, I started to almost be confused with what was happening. Episodes melded into each other and it became harder and harder to discern the difference between what was real, and what was part of the drug trials. I did not lose interest, and this became more of an attention-grabbing motif than anything else in this series. Through the confusion and hysteria, the plot came through, showing itself in a glorious barrage of feeling and emotion. —Michael Patterson

BANDERSNATCH art by leo rolfert

lack Mirror is an anthology series exclusive to Netflix. Inspired by shows like The Twilight Zone, it is a psychological thriller with a focus on society’s interaction with technology. Black Mirror: Bandersnatch is a different episode separated from the series, given it’s more interactive nature. The show follows Stefan (Fionn Whitehead), a German programmer from 1984. He begins to demo his own game for a company named Tukersoft, their version of Nintendo. Given a deadline before Christmas, Stefan works hard to finish the code while making sure his game becomes a success, he loses his understanding of existence in different scenarios depending on the path taken. Bandersnatch is very simple to play. The majority is like watching a film, but at certain points, the audience is given a choice: one or two. The viewer then picks using either a game controller or a TV remote. The player is always given ten seconds to decide. After a story is told, however, I typically find that it doesn’t hold the same value the second time through. All suspense is lost and the ending is already spoiled. Bandersnatch doesn’t have that problem. I am amazed by the possibilities throughout the game. Besides

going for the impossible task of finding all endings, there are also multiple interpretations for the exact same scene. I loved seeing that nothing was made without intention. Why I keep on getting excited about Black Mirror and The Twilight Zone episodes are because of the characters and how they reflect back on to me. The viewer begins to question free-will and how those timelines affect the individual. I also was questioning right and wrong. I wouldn’t love this so much if the music wasn’t so captivating. I was surprised in the beginning when presented with the music options I was able to listen to. I was so excited when I saw Thompson Twins easiest choice ever. I do enjoy 80s music; however, I wasn’t always listening to past 80s hits in the game. There were original compositions at climatic points creating a sense of unease and fear. I can’t stand it when in the theater the people next to me speak. I welcomed it this time. I played Bandersnatch with my brothers and we had a blast. Discussing the diverging paths, pointing out foreshadowing, and yelling at each other for making the wrong decision. I chose to “exit to credits” instead of back to a critical choice. I was happy to makes jokes

alongside my brothers in the comforts of my home. This game is a blur between movie and video game, labeled an interactive film. Black Mirror: Bandersnatch is a stimulating experience. This isn’t what should be played in the background of completing homework. This is a thrill ride from beginning to end. As for the ending I got, “all of them.” —Francesco Costanzo

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entertainment | netflix reviews

icture this; an old, creeky bookstore, the young-hip manager lurking throughout the scattered shelves while placing books on aged shelves, dust flies. His true self stays hidden as he focuses on finishing the day, just to put his nose back into the books. On Dec. 26, 2018 viewers, were intrigued when the main character of a new, popular Netflix Original series “You,” Joe Goldberg (Penn Badgley) made eye-contact with the fellow main character, Guinevere Beck (Elizabeth Lail) as she was simply looking for a book in his store, Mooneys. An instant connection is formed, in Goldberg’s eyes that is, which makes the viewers wonder why his aura is the way it is. He vows to himself that he will not let anything stop him or get in his way to get the girl. The Goldberg-narrated show gives clarity to the audience as he digs into a stalker lifestyle. Things heat up when he finds her social media platforms and gets her contact information. The thriller truly takes a suspenseful turn when he decides to follow her home and peer

into her window. Then he starts stalking her all the time, and whenever conflicts arose or a man was treating her poorly he would step in. The time came for him to make his move, and swoop in and save the day and he saw her lying on subway tracks after drunkenly stumbling in. With this heroic rescue, he got an in. With this incident, he was able to snatch her phone to know exactly what is going on with her life. With the additional characters at play in the show, it created depth but also confusion in keeping track on who is who and what relationship is what. This kind of regular activity within shows give the show more to think about, but draws away from the indepth look at the stalker, himself. Things start to progress as he involves himself with her friends, her work and made the relationship official; but once her boy-toy Benji went missing, others from Beck’s life started to disappear as well. Without spoilers or eulogies, the love that Goldberg had for Beck threatened it all. He

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YOU P

truly was willing to give and take anything for her. Omitting the creepy vibes, Goldberg made myself and many other viewers curious to what would come next. Renewed for the second season, twists and turns await as viewers don’t know what to expect next. Overall, I am anxiously awaiting to see what and who will come next given the circumstances of what is left. —Megan Finke

GREAT BRITISH BAKING SHOW

art leo rolfert

n a late, sleep deprived Sunday night, I lay in bed browsing through Netflix. It’s the end of the month, meaning new shows will come soon, but I was left with boring shows that I’ve already seen. I then saw The Great British Baking Show (GBBS) come up on my feed. I love to bake, but I clicked on it, thinking it was going to be a typical American cooking show where people bake and get criticized, like in Chopped or Hell’s kitchen, which I don’t normally enjoy. I was wrong. The GBBS was a breath of fresh air from the mean and brutally competitive ways of American cooking shows. The contestants were nice to each other and become friends, even spending time with each other outside of the show. Each season starts with a set of 12 amateur hobby bakers, and each episode is one round with a different baking theme. So one round, for example, may focuses solely on bread but in the next round, all the bakes have to be completely vegan by making a cake with no butter, meringue or eggs. Within a round, there are three challenges. The first challenge is always a general bake, but all of the contestants can put their own personal spin on them. The point of the challenge is to see what the baker’s general ability is. At the end of each challenge, the judges go up to the baker's station and critique the bake. The next challenge is technical and is harder

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March 2019

than the first one. The bakers are given a set of instructions and ingredients and the name of what they are baking. The bakers almost never know what the bake is even when given the name of the item they are attempting to create. This is my favorite challenge because I always learn something new about baking. Learning something new about baking is one of the main reasons why I love and recommend GBBS. I always feel so motivated to bake and I tend to make something delicious, like macaroons or an apple pie, while I’m watching the show. The last challenge is the Show Stopper. The bakers are expected to bake a masterpiece that involves that week’s theme. Some weeks are dull with things that any viewer would expect, but other weeks have amazing bakes that would just blow my mind. For example, one week was bread week. I watched this episode around a year ago and remember nothing from it besides one show stopper that was so creatively constructed and thought through concerning flavors. The show stopper was a piece of savory bread that was manipulated to look like the face of a lion. It was one of the most creative things I have seen and It will forever stand out in my head.

The whiskers were made out of some herbs and the dough was twisted and manipulated perfectly to portray what a lion looks like. It was a true show stopper. My favorite part of the show is that all of the bakers are just like the viewers. They haven’t gone to some special patisserie school to learn ancient French techniques, but instead, they are self-taught or family taught. This makes the show so much more authentic and fun. Along with their self-taught talent, I never felt like they were competing against each other. Their main goal is to learn and have a good time. Yes, it would be nice for them to win, but they appreciate every step that they take on their baking journey. As each week goes by, the closer the viewer becomes with the baker and the harder it is to say goodbye to them. —Lauren Maier

car review | entertainment

STACKING

UP MPG

16-22 22-28 19-26 SEATS

2.5L 2.0L 2.3L TRANSMISSION

photography fair use | infographic landon meador was built for. The STI has high-performance STI sport-tuned 4-wheel independent double wishbone suspension. The suspension is stiff and doesn’t allow for much body roll. There’s never a lack of control when you’re behind the wheel of the WRX STI. You always know where the car is going to go when you point the wheel. The WRX STI is a car that likes to be pushed to its absolute limit. It almost seems bored otherwise. When unleashed, the turbocharged 2.5L Boxer 4 really comes to life. There’s a bit of turbo lag for the start, but around 2,500 RPM the car starts to pull. The engine is mated to a 6-speed short throw shifter. Under hard acceleration, the car, at times, hesitates to enter third gear and really was my only complaint with how the car drives. The clutch is on the heavier side, but perfect for the segment. Power is sent to all four wheels through Subaru’s Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive (AWD). The AWD system pulls the car through corners effortlessly and begs you to push it harder through the next turn.

hen the turbo boxer engine is combined with the Symmetrical AWD, and Subaru’s STI pack, it makes one heck of a car, that never fails to garner a smile. The interior may not be on the same level as a fully loaded Honda Civic but that’s not the point of the WRX. The interior quality can be excused because of the way this car drives. Why a 4/5? The WRX is good, very good, however, there are better cars in the class. Cars that are faster and more powerful. With that being said, I would highly recommend the WRX to anyone who is currently shopping in the hot hatch market, you won’t regret your decision. —Jack McFarland

HORSEPOWER

310 306 350 LB-FT TORQUE

290 295 350 LB CURB WEIGHT

3391 3117 3434 DRIVETRAIN

AWD FWD AWD SUBARU WRX STI

he hot hatch segment of cars is on fire right now. With cars like the Civic Type-R, Golf R, Focus RS, and Veloster N, who wouldn’t be convinced? Today we’re going to take a detailed look into a car that some even say may have started the segment altogether. Does the WRX still have what it takes to be a class leader? Let’s find out. The WRX is a very good looking car. All WRXs come with a sporty body kit that gives the car that “ready to rock” sporty character. They also come with a rear diffuser, quad tip exhaust, an actual functioning hood scoop, and front and rear under-spoilers. When opting for the Subaru Tecnica International (STI) package like my tester, the car gets added design elements that include 19-inch alloy rims wrapped with sticky summer tires, LED headlights, and an absolutely massive trunk lid spoiler. Stepping inside the WRX STI isn’t much different than stepping inside of a base Subaru Impreza. The STI package on a WRX deletes most of the premium features that come on the limited trim level, aside from the LED headlights and Starlink 7-inch screen. The WRX STI even has different seats than the other trim levels. My tester had the standard black ultra suede and leather bucket seats. The seats were fairly comfortable but not the best I’ve felt for the class, which is why Subaru also offers a $2,500 Recaro Black Ultrasuede/ Carbon Black Leather seat package. The materials used in the interior of the WRX are definitely not of high quality. There are a lot of hard touch materials inside the STI. While the infotainment screen is very easy to use, aside from the difficult stereo tuning, it does not have Android Auto or Apple CarPlay. The driving experience is what this WRX

SPEED MANUAL

FORD FOCUS RS

Spark review of the 2018 Subaru WRX STI.

TURBO 4 CYL.

HONDA CIVIC TYPE R

CORNER HUGGIN’ FUN

FINAL RANKING

March 2019

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entertainment | red dead 2

RED DEAD REDEMPTION 2

photography fair use

ed Dead Redemption 2 is the prequel to the much beloved Red Dead Redemption video game, telling the story of Arthur Morgan’s dynamic relationship between himself and his fellow gang members. Produced by Rockstar Games, the Red Dead series is one of many in Rockstar’s portfolio such as the Grand Theft Auto series and the Max Payne series. Released late in 2018, the game is considered one of the best of the year and an as industry gem, easily seen through the 97 points it scored on Metacritic. That is not a fair assessment. Red Dead is an open world game, allowing its purchasers to decide just how and where to interact with the world around them. As Arthur Morgan, the player is able to decide just how malicious or kind they decide to be when collecting debt, resolving disputes between Native Americans and the US government, and with solving Arthur’s relational issues. Every character is interactable and a morality mechanic keeps the game interesting.

The customization level in the game is unparalleled. From clothes to weapons, to horses, and everything in between; Red Dead is immersive. The graphics are splendid, the mechanics sound, and the storyline is great. Yet something seems off. Red Dead offers tons of side opportunities to feel even more immersed. Playing poker, fishing, and cleaning weapons are all apart of this, and while they do help you in the game (food or better weapons stats), they aren’t rewarding. The one time I went in-game hunting was when I was forced to do so as a part of the tutorial. I don’t feel a need to clean my weapon since I don’t really feel a difference between a fully cleaned one and a dirty one. Nor do I ever look for helpful plants for tonics (in-game medicine) or food because I always seem to have more than enough. Just the other day I came across a quest line asking me to capture a lion, a zebra, and a tiger. Now being the adventurous-type, I

immediately decided to do none of that. Why? Cause it just didn’t seem interesting. Odds are that it would turn into another boring quest where I would just go up to the animal and lasso it, resulting in a mediocre reward and a taste of dissatisfaction. Red Dead does not do a good enough job enticing me to play the game to its fullest potential and it is the game’s responsibility to make me want to play it. The storyline is fantastic and quite frankly one of my favorites that I’ve experienced in a game. However, all the extraneous quests, while fun, are repetitive. Playing Red Dead Two feels more like going to an art museum and staring at a piece of art for hours. The appreciation of the piece is slowly replaced by wonder, and then quickly and unfortunately boredom where the desire to understand and appreciate the game is replaced by a desire to fast travel from mission to mission and to cut corners where possible to get to the end of the story. —Michael Szczepkowski

GLASS

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ans rushed to the screen to see the sequel of M. Night Shyamalan’s hit 2016 movie, “Split.” Yet when they actually saw “Glass,” released Jan. 18, there were quite a few major plot holes. What most thought to be the sequel to “Split” was actually the end of a trilogy that started in 2000. The 19-year gap for the series to finish is what caused a lot of confusion, as “Glass,” the third movie in the series, wasn’t advertised as a series continuation. For “Split,” the second movie, it was easy for viewers to jump in without seeing the prequel released 16 years prior, this was not the case for “Glass.” The story starts with David Dunn (Bruce Willis) tracking down Kevin, (James McAvoy) who has multiple personalities and is prone to kidnapping young girls. Both are caught and put in a mental institution. Elijah (Samuel L. Jackson), another inmate, wants to show the world the David and Kevin’s superpowers. The end of the film doesn’t leave the audience with a solid answer on whether the men were superheroes or whether the world should know about their powers, leaving it

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March 2019

Above: James McAvoy, Samuel L. Jackson, and Bruce Willis. nicely open for speculation and discussion. Overall, in the kindest way, the movie was okay. The performances by Willis, Jackson, and McAvoy were spectacular, but the writing and direction were not so good. The lines for every character, except Kevin, were bland, basic and predictable. Similarly, the fight scenes were basic and not thrilling. Even though the movie is rated PG-13 for curse words and bloody content, there was only one jump scare, all the other frightful events were told to the audience before they

happened. One character may say something about another character dying and cut to a minute later and wow, that character is dead. What a shock. I understand that this film had a motive to combine the other two, but just because the main purpose is to connect two different plot lines does not mean that the movie can’t have more of a purpose. Shyamalan gets a lot of credit for creating amazing movies, but this basic movie was not one of them. —Rebecca Holst

round2crew | entertainment When and why did you decide to pursue music? Pape: Chase and I we recorded probably in ninth-grade for the first time and he had just had a mic in his house and we just started making music together at the freshman building How did you come up with your name? Pape: We called it Round two. [But] everyone at East started calling us Crew, so Round2Crew. How did your parents feel when you told them you were going to pursue music? Chase: They have always been supportive, since day one. After graduating from East, we [asked] to take a year off of school instead of going to college, they said [yes]. Then we took off and got signed to Atlantic Records. What inspired you to make your first hit “Booty Had Me Like”? Pape: We had to do something to make noise, and needed to make a song. I wrote the verse in my kitchen and we recorded it the next day. There was never a beat or anything. A month went by—nothing. We went on vacation with our friends and they said we had to put it out. I called up

our video director guy and shot a video. We put it out and within one month, it went viral. When did you come up with the idea of the “Finally Home” Show? Pape: After being on the OMG Music Fest Tour [in 2014] for the entire summer, we wanted to do something big because we missed home. We didn’t expect that many tickets would sell on the first show and when they did, we were amazed. What’s it like being on tour? Chase: It’s the best. [It was] a dream to do a show, and [perform] every night, especially with a big crowd. It was amazing Any new music coming soon? Chase: Yes, within the next few months. It’s a different style than our old music. We are growing up and so are our fans. Any advice you’d give to someone trying to pursue music? Chase: If I could just go back, it would be so different. A lot of people get hate and then just stop, and they shouldn’t [stop]. Pape: If we didn’t get hate, then we probably would have not ended up doing as well as we did. It pushed us to not stop. Just don’t let it get you down and keep going. •

Q&A

Round2Crew W I T H

Spark interviewed East alumni Chase Martin and Justin “Pape” Brown, who recently finished touring with their first hit song. interviews gracie estep photography fair use

Chase (left) and Pape (right) pose for a photoshoot for their 2016 EP. March 2019

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sports | home run roots

HOME R Former East Baseball player Hayden Senger was recently drafted to the New York Mets due to his baseball performance in high school. story hannah myers photography used with permission infographic alanna schlaeger

East grad Hayden Senger celebrates with his teammates after scoring for the New York Mets minor team.

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March 2019

he home run ball tips off the bat, followed by the stride around the bases. Loud cheering fills the ballpark as the crowd and the team goes going crazy as loud cheering fills the ballpark. This is a reality for former East baseball player Hayden Senger. Senger was drafted to the New York Mets Organization in the 2018 Major League Baseball (MLB) draft. He has been able to travel to places around the United States (US) as well as the Dominican Republic to play in multiple ballparks. In the US, he visited Port St. Lucie, FL, Kingsport, TN, and Brooklyn, New York. He especially enjoyed his time in Brooklyn, where he played for the Brooklyn Cyclones baseball team. Although most aspects stay similar throughout the all levels of baseball, Senger has taken something specifically from high school; having a mindset where he can be relaxed during game time. Having this focus has gotten Senger awards like Team MVP both junior and senior year in high school. Following this mindset taught at East is something that Senger uses during his career today. “I remember Coach Hamilton used to make us take a breath before we got into the box,” Senger says. “I still find my focal point and take a deep breath to this day.” East Baseball Coach Ray Hamilton has coached high school baseball for 30 years. There are many key elements into becoming the “all-star player,” including having the right mindset while playing the game.

E R U N RO OTS “Early on in my career I didn’t pay as much attention to [mentality] as I do now,” Hamilton says. “The skills learned helps us not only to help the player, but help us as a team.” Hamilton believes that it is important for him to focus on the player’s mindset, something that he has learned with time. Something that his players are able to carry on with them throughout their career. As well as a focused mind, East gave Senger the preparation he needs for his life now. “East and college both have prepared me,” Senger says. “They built up the toughness that I need to be a professional catcher.”

amilton, with over 500 career wins as a coach, also believes that East is beneficial to their athletes by constantly working with their specific needs and doing things like refreshing players minds everyday to make progress. He says that everything done is meant to resemble game-like situations to strictly prepare the players. Watching many MLB games himself, Hamilton sees similarities between the older players, and players at East. He says that the goals of the practices are to go in depth on what could happen in a game. “I would like to think our practices are is going to be the same as at Ohio State, Coastal Carolina, and all those other places,” Hamilton says. “We try to mirror that as much as we can.” Senger has also found ways in which East contributed to his personal success outside of game-like practices. He said that he was prepared for his busy schedule that he has now, because it was the same way at East. “There were a lot of early and long days at East,” Senger says. “That really taught me how to take care of myself and manage my time appropriately.”

HIGH SCHOOL - Voted 2015 East Male Athlete of the year. - Voted team MVP junior and senior year

East Athletic Director Richard Bryant says that Senger is definitely special, and exceptional players like him contribute in making the team better. “You [could] tell when the ball came off his bat that he was different,” says Bryant says. “He just hit it that much harder [and] that much farther.” In order for players to gain skills like Senger’s, the athletes at East focus on skills that they have to work on individually. Hamilton does his best to work with players’

home run roots | sports

Playing at the next level, Senger has worked hard to develop the abilities he has now. “There are a lot of things that I worked on in high school that I still work on and try to improve,” Senger says. “Like my quickness and my feet alignment during throws.” East baseball has also taught Senger his strength, which he also learned from his time playing football. He says that this is something that he needs to be a professional catcher. According to Bryant, Senger was a strong player. When he hit a foul ball, it traveled to

“I’m in a very blessed position in my life and yes, it’s very worth it. I wouldn’t trade the opprotuinty for the world.” —Hayden Senger, former East Baseball and current MLB player needs. He says that every practice is broken down differently for each team. Everything that is worked on with each team is slightly different for the freshman, junior varsity, and varsity, but each aspect leads back to what would normally happen in a game.

he skills that the players are taught are aimed towards their abilities and what they need to work on. Focusing on this helps the athletes and the team in the long run. “The stuff we do is more skill- related to the [individual] players we have, which, with the older kids, are is much more advanced skills,” Hamilton says. “They need to develop [the skills] if they want to help us win and be able to show that they can play at the next level too.”

COLLEGE - Attended Miami University. - In 2018 he was named AllMid-American Conference

around 350 feet. Shortstops would drop their gloves because his line drives were hit so hard. He is also very powerful in a catching position. “[With] Hayden as a catcher, people didn’t run on him,” Bryant says. “He’s just a tremendous athlete, he understood how to play hard.” Having hard work pay off is rewarding for an athlete. Taking things learned in high school and college and bringing them past those years can lead to success. “A lot of long days of baseball year- round have gone into this and it’s great being able to chase the dream,” Senger says. “I’m in a very blessed position in my life and yes, it’s very worth it. I wouldn’t trade the opportunity for the world.” •

RECRUITING

CURRENT

- Recruited by Brooklyn Cyclones in June 2018. - Was the 24th pick in the Cyclones draft

- Training for Spring 2019 in Port St. Lucie - Played 22 games since recruitment.

source hayden senger March 2019

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sports | wrestling

PIN IT TO WIN IT East senior Jackson Leahy has enjoyed a successful senior season thanks to the hard work and dedication he has put in since his freshman year.

story stephen mckay | photography and infographic lauren maier

his was not a typical jog around the track. Wearing sweatshirts, two pairs of socks, and big baggy sweatpants, he felt as if he was in a sauna, but that was part of cutting weight. That was part of being a wrestler and soon it would all be worth it. East senior Jackson Leahy has had a very successful senior season, standing at sixth in the Greater Miami Conference (GMC) in the 145-pound weight class with a 10-2 record and seven pins, which is a great improvement since his 5-8 record without any pins in the 120-pound weight class his freshman year. He also reached the sectional finals for the 145-pound weight class, which qualified him for the district tournament. “My senior season has been going pretty well. I got thrown around and embarrassed in my earlier years in wrestling, but I’m finally having the success I’ve wanted,” Leahy says. “I hope to close out the season as a GMC champion, sectional champion, and a state qualifier.” Teammates and peers can’t help but admire the hard work and dedication that Leahy has put into making himself a better wrestler. “Jackson has improved a lot. He understands why he does what he does. He knows his body and how much he’s capable of,” East senior and fellow teammate Christian Chavez says. “He buys in and listens to the coaches. He’s always looking for ways to get better and achieve the most that he can.” Chavez, who has wrestled with Leahy and seen him dramatically improve since his

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March 2019

PART ONE: SPARK EDITOR STEPHEN MCKAY DEPICTS THE ROUGH SPORT OF WRESTLING IN A TWO-PART SERIES. freshman year, notices that Leahy has had success because of the way he pushes himself at practice. Similar to Leahy, Chavez also reached the sectional finals for his weight class and was a district qualifier. “His biggest strength is his drive both physically and mentally. He pushes himself to the breaking point and beyond that,” Chavez says. “[Leahy] pushes the boundaries and that allows him to have success because he doesn’t quit, and it’s hard to beat someone who doesn’t give up.”

irst-year East head wrestling coach Chad Craft notes that Leahy always pushes himself without complaint. “Coaches never need to tell him to go faster or do more reps,” Craft says. “He pushes himself all practice.” Throughout the wrestling season, Craft has seen the effect that Leahy has on his teammates and how he has worked hard to become a leader for the younger wrestlers on the team. “[He] has been working really hard to improve as a leader and wrestler,” Craft says.

East senior Jackson Leahy takes down his Fairfield opponent in a victory after a 9-6 decision. “Many people in the wrestling program look up to him for guidance as an athlete and as a student.” With the great record that Leahy has this year, other coaches have taken notice and respect the hard work Leahy has put into his body and his skills to get to where he is now. “Jackson is a great competitor and I appreciate the manner in which he wrestles. He is physical, keeps good position, and is tough to score on,” West wrestling coach Adam Meyer says. “More importantly, he represents himself, his family, and his school in a positive way.” Since Leahy is a very experienced wrestler who also wrestled in middle school, he knows the physical toll wrestling and cutting weight can take on one’s body, but he knows it all is worth it at the end. “Training for wrestling matches is both mentally and physically challenging. The

harder you push yourself in practice, the more prepared you are for competition,” Leahy says. “Pushing your body to its limits and staying determined takes a lot of mental strength. If you make yourself uncomfortable and force your training to be harder on your body, it pays off when it matters.”

ccording to Leahy, these challenges, in wrestling, are what makes him enjoy wrestling and it makes him proud when all his hard work turns into success on the mat. It all paid off for the team in general as they finished third in the GMC tournament and Leahy placed sixth in his weight category. “My favorite thing about wrestling is the challenge it offers me,” Leahy says. “As much as it sucks to put yourself through, there is an extreme satisfaction in knowing that your success is dependent on yourself.” •

JACKSON THROUGH THE YEARS source ohsaa.com

FRESHMAN (2016) – WEIGHT: 120 – WINS: 5 – LOSSES: 8 – PINS: 0 SOPHOMORE (2017) – WEIGHT: 126 – WINS: 12 – LOSSES: 11 – PINS: 8 JUNIOR (2018) – WEIGHT: 132 – WINS: 12 – LOSSES: 12 – PINS: 5 SENIOR (2019) – WEIGHT: 145 – WINS: 10 – LOSSES: 2 – PINS: 7 March 2019

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sports | girlâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s basketball coach

East senior Jordan Stanley, who has seen three coaches in her four years of high school, runs down the court in pre-game drills.

THE FUEL STABILIZER First-year head coach Dan Wallace is beginning to turn the East girls basketball program around after a difficult stretch over the past several seasons. story jack parr | photography and infographic and art lauren maier

lakotaeastsparkonline.com

March 2019

girl’s basketball coach | sports

s the final seconds tick off the clock at Oak Hills High School on a Wednesday in early December, members of the East varsity girls basketball team are all smiles. After another hard fought battle, they have emerged victorious for the fifth time in their first seven games and are peaking at the right time heading into their upcoming matchup with West. A year ago, this situation would have seemed like a dream to the Thunderhawks that were suffering through yet another losing season. However, the girls have been able to make this dream a reality during their final season with the help of first-year head coach Dan Wallace. After coming to East from McAuley High School where he had a record of 99-26 over five seasons, Wallace has led the team to their best start since the 2015-16 season. “East has a lot of unique qualities that make it a desirable place for me to look to build a basketball program,” Wallace says. “Success in the classroom, community, and athletic department have made East one of the premier school districts in Ohio, and has proven over the past few years to be a place that looks to be going in a terrific direction.” The East girls basketball team is heading in a better direction under Wallace after defeating Greater Miami Conference (GMC) rival Middletown 48-43. Middletown head coach Kevin Aldridge, who defeated East 53-49 last season, noticed a difference in the way the Thunderhawks competed in the matchup this year. “They seemed to play with more passion,” Aldridge says. “The girls appeared to maintain their confidence and focus in the late stages of the game and made the plays necessary to come out victorious.”

“I believe the success we have had this season stems from having a positive coach who applauds us when credit is due, but also remains stern in order to hold the team accountable.” —Jessica Motley, East senior and varsity basketball player is always encouraging and positive. He would never let you play without confidence or effort. He taught us that once you step inside the four black lines, you have to give it everything you have and can’t have any regrets.” Motley, who has averaged 5.6 points and 6.1 rebounds per game this season, is part of a group of seniors that have been through a multitude of change and uncertainty during their time as Thunderhawks. Among these

upperclassmen leaders is East senior Lily Rupp, who credits the closeness and togetherness of the team in helping fight through the adversity they have faced. “Going through coaching changes has been difficult but it’s also helped our team become really strong and improve our chemistry,” Rupp says. “We’re really like a family and we have all been through the same things so we can relate to each other.”

ith the team winning more games than they have been used to over the past few seasons, East senior forward Jessica Motley pointed out Wallace’s positive attitude and constant encouragement as factors in the team’s success. “I believe the success we have had this season stems from having a positive coach who applauds us when credit is due, but also remains stern in order to hold the team accountable,” Motley says. “Our coach has helped place confidence back in our game and encouraged us in believing we are good enough to accomplish great things.” East senior Jordan Stanley is also thankful for Wallace’s positivity that has helped improve her confidence and given the senior class a chance to go out on a high note after this season. “Coach Wallace has made me a better player and person. He’s made us think about the game in ways that we would have never imagined and held us all accountable,” Stanley says. “The best part of playing for him is he

East girls basketball coach Dan Wallace shouts out words of encouragment to his players against West. March 2019

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sports | girl’s basketball coach While Motley and the entire varsity roster will be better off this season and in a better position to win, the true impact left on them by the adversity will be the lessons they have learned about how to handle real-life situations once their basketball careers come to an end. “Walking away from this program will leave me with so many valuable life lessons. The changes my teammates and I have faced over the past four years have presented us with the opportunity to grow as people,” Motley says. “In life, you don’t get to pick the cards you are dealt, you simply have to play with what you are given. You have to make the best out of the situations you are faced with and being a part of this team has taught me how to do that.

tanley recognizes the difficulty that has come with playing for so many different coaches and having to learn an entirely new system while struggling to win games. However, she has also been able to keep a positive attitude and learn from the hardships while still enjoying the game she loves. “Every year I had to adapt to new coaching techniques and styles. I have learned to listen and believe in each coach and what they had to say,” Stanley says. “Even though we have lost a lot of games, as long as you improve and have fun, that’s all that matters.” With the team off to a very respectable start this season, East Athletic Director Richard Bryant, who hired Wallace in an attempt to reverse the recent losing trend, is happy for the seniors who have had to experience hardships over the past few years. “I think being able to win means the world to the girls and their families. Losing is not fun, there’s no way to cut that up,” Bryant says. “Success is something that is tremendous for the program. The girls have put in a lot of time and effort to improve themselves and the addition of coach Wallace and his entire staff has pushed us in the right direction this season.” After the team finished with a record of 4-12 in the GMC and 5-19 overall last season, Bryant knew it was time for a change in leadership. After Mercy and McAuley high schools combined into one school, former McAuley head coach Wallace was the perfect fit for the job at East. “I’ve known coach Wallace for over a decade,” Bryant says. “He has built programs from bottom up and obtained success at the highest level. His organization, communication, and knowledge of the game make him an excellent high school basketball coach.”

he decision to hire Wallace already looks to be a great one for the program after just a few short months. However, it hasn’t been easy for the team to achieve the success that they have so far this season, and they know they still have a long way to go if they want to get to the top of the league.

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GIRLS’ BASKETBALL COACHES THROUGH THE YEARS CINDY FELTMAN: 1997-03 Coached for six years

DAVE HONHART: 2003-08 Coached for five years

TODD BENZINGER: 2008-09 Coached for a year

NIKKI DREW: 2009-2013 Coached for four years

LARRY SYKES: 2013-14 Coached for a year

JILL PHILLIPS: 2014-16 Coached for two years

GIDEON DUDGEON: 2016-18 Coached for two years

DAN WALLACE: 2018-NOW Current East coach

source dan hyland “The biggest challenge in regards to turning this team around has just been patience. It takes time to build the work ethic, culture, growth mindset, and attention to detail that is necessary to be one of the top programs in the area,” Wallace says. “Many people in society today want and expect immediate results, but we have been focusing on getting the foundation built for long term continued success, which takes more time than people realize.” Even though they still have a long way to go, the new-look Thunderhawks have already made an impression on the rest of the

conference, and Middletown’s coach Kevin Aldridge believes Wallace is the right man to try to keep building the program. “I know that [Wallace] has been around the game a long time and has experienced success at his former school,” Aldridge says. “I believe that he will do his best to build the program into what he has envisioned and tried to do at his past coaching assignments.” The modest degree of success that Wallace has brought this season is a positive sign for a program that has been going through a very difficult stretch, with sustained success being very difficult to obtain. In fact, Nikki Drew (55-40) and Jill Phillips (34-17) are the only coaches to finish with a winning record since the building opened in 1997.

ryant, who has witnessed this group of girls go through so many ups and downs over the past four years, credits them for persevering through the difficulties, growing as teammates and individuals, and making progress on the court this season. “The group that most people don’t think about is that senior class. Having several coaches, several directions, several layers of expectation is very difficult on studentathletes,” Bryant says. “I’m proud of all of them, I love all of them, and I thank them for their patience and their hard work as we’ve moved through some difficult times in east girls basketball.” While the varsity team isn’t exactly lighting up the win column this season, they have clearly improved from last year and are trending in a positive direction, something that Wallace is excited about moving towards the GMC tournament. “We have made tremendous strides with our understanding of the game and what winning behaviors are and how hard you have to work to get better,” Wallace says. “This program is still just scratching the surface of how good they can be by the end of the season.” The 2018-19 team still has goals that they can accomplish in the final weeks of their season, but Wallace is only just getting started after this season ends. With a new coach who is clearly excited about leading the program, a group of players that have the patience and commitment necessary to win, and a community who supports the team, the days of losing and uncertainty seem to be a thing of the past for the Thunderhawks “Going into this season, we wanted to help find success and begin building the expectation of the program at the lower levels. The varsity team has already won more games than they did last year and both of our junior varsity (JV) teams are playing at a high level with tremendous records,” Wallace says. “The future is bright for East girls basketball and, with the support of the school, community, parents, and alumni, I have no doubt that this program will continue to grow.” •

Young Jordan Boudinet sits and spends time with his Father Donald Boudinet during a Reds baseball game.

ALL FOR HIM

East junior Jordan Boudinet looks to follow in his father’s footsteps by attending the Air Force Academy story drew bachman photography used with permission and lauren maier

n a crisp spring afternoon behind East on the baseball diamond, East junior Jordan Boudinet scorches a ball past the infield for a hit. After rounding first and calling a time-out, Jordan points to the sky, honoring his father. “Baseball is much more than a game to me,” Jordan says. “It’s something I’ll cherish until the day I die.” It all started with his father Donald Boudinet, who somehow would still find the energy to throw with his son after exhausting 30-mile bike rides to Kings Island and back to remain healthy. But what amazes Jordan to this day is how his father still managed to be excited to throw with him. When Jordan was 12 years old, his father, who was his best friend, passed away from rectal cancer that had spread to his lungs and brain. After him being in-and-out of the hospital, the hospital was a familiar site. “It became almost a second home,” Jordan’s mother Marsha Boudinet says.

Jordan prayed constantly for the day that he and his father could play baseball together again, but that day never came. After the grief, anguish, and devastation finally subsided for Jordan and his family, he came to a realization. His father and he had so many things in common; from their love for baseball to their passion for the Air Force. With this in mind, Jordan made it his goal to play baseball as long as he could for his father, and proudly wears his father’s favorite number every season: nine. He plans to follow his father’s footsteps by attending the Air Force Academy after graduation, planning to pick up right where his father left off after his 33 years of service. Jordan knows that none of that can come without hard work. His pitching coach Greg Williams, who has worked with Jordan the entire offseason to better prepare him for the upcoming season, has no doubts about his work ethic. “He works extremely hard to fulfill his

East junior Baseball player Jordan Boudinet wears a jersey with the number nine to honor his dad. dreams,” Williams says. With the Air Force in mind, he puts more effort into his studies, knowing that he needs high grades to become an officer. A simple game isn’t just a game anymore, and a simple test isn’t just a test anymore. Those seemingly little things mean so much more. They mean doing what would make his father proud. “I try to live every day as if it were my last,” Boudinet says. “I do everything possible to make it a great day and make others smile.” • March 2019

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DIVING IN

sports | diving

story stone shields | photography and infographic lauren maier

East senior diver Lindsey Jones breaks records as her high school career comes to a close at the state meet.

he inhales, then exhales a long deep breath before glancing at the perfectly still water below her. She remains calm, she is in her comfort zone. She starts her routine by taking two long strides across the board before bouncing twice in order to gain momentum. On the third jump, she springs into the air and launches into a series of somersaults and flips. In the blink of an eye, she has already plummeted into the water at a perfect 90-degree angle creating a nearly nonexistent splash. Jones is relatively new to the sport, this being only her third year of diving. She was a dedicated gymnast for 15 years of her life at Cincinnati Gymnastics Academy (CGA) before becoming a diver. She gradually moved up the ranks and was eventually training for level 10 (the highest level). Her last four years of her gymnastics career consisted of injury after i n j u r y,

including a torn hamstring, a fractured wrist, and a fractured back. The back injury was caused by overuse due to 25 hours a week of training. “It was the beginning of my sophomore year when I realized I didn’t want to continue doing a sport that caused me so much pain every day,” Jones says. “I’d seen my teammates move onto other sports after an injury, the most popular being diving. I decided to give diving a try, and I eventually fell in love with my new sport.”

t turns out she made a great decision, and has had quite the tenure at East. Her sophomore year, she qualified for both sectionals and districts and earned the MVP award. That following summer, she qualified and competed in her first Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) Nationals. During her junior campaign, she qualified for sectionals and districts again. She went on to qualify for finals for Southwest Classics where she competed against elite talent from division 1 and division 2 schools. Here, she finished 12th overall. She placed second in the conference and again took home the MVP award. Going into her senior year, Jones had high expectations and she continues to meet them. She has set new personal records for both her six-dive and 11dive score. Her current

East senior Lindsey Jones practices her diving techniques at the Miami University pool.

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diving | sports

“As captain of our dive team, Lindsey helps individuals reach their potential while striving for excellence herself.” —Catherine Prebles, Lakota diving coach personal record consists of a 260.25 and a 418.75 respectively. This year she finished sixth overall at the Southwest Classics, improving upon last year’s finish by six spots. Jones is also this years’ Greater Miami Conference (GMC) Champion and finished 19th at State.

ow diving is scored can be slightly complex. Diving is scored on a scale of 0-10 per dive, 0 being a failed or incomplete, and 10 being a perfect dive. For a typical threejudge meet, every judge’s score is multiplied by the difficulty of the dive. Then they are added together for the net score of the dive. After every dive is completed, whether it be a six-dive meet or an 11-dive meet, each dive net is added up for a total score. Lakota diving coach Catherine Prebles loves coaching Jones and praises the leadership she brings to the team. “As captain of our dive team, Lindsey helps individuals reach their potential while striving for excellence herself,” Prebles says. “Lindsey leads by example and is eager to encourage her teammates.” Lindsey has reached the level as one of the top divers in high school because of her talent but also because of her perseverance. “She has the ‘whatever it takes’ mentality to achieve success,” Prebles says. “I can challenge Lindsey and be confident she not only accepts the challenge but rises to the occasion.” When Jones is not practicing with the Lakota team, she normally practices at Miami University. Here she works with Elite Redhawk diving, a club team coached by Kong Rong Li. Coach Li instructed the Australian Olympic diving team along with other Olympians in China and the United States. He is now in his 12th season as the diving coach of Miami University. During his Miami tenure, Li has produced a Mid-American Conference (MAC) Diver of the Year in all but two seasons. When Li was in Australia he worked with 2004 Olympic gold medalist Chantelle Newbery, 2004 Olympic silver medalist Matthew Helm, and 2004 Olympic bronze medalist Robert Newbery. Li helped develop the training program that aided Australia in lifting its international standing to No. 2 in the world after the 2004 Olympic Games. Li has played a significant part in Jones’ progression as a diver. In

addition, the two have been able to build a strong relationship. “Lindsey has been an extremely hard worker from the moment she began diving with us,” Li says. “She doesn’t let anything stop her and never gives up. Moreover, she has great parents that support her 100 percent of the time.” Li went on to rave about the diving facilities Miami University has to offer. “I have traveled all over the country and I can honestly say that the complex at Miami is one of the best in the United States,” Li says. The facilities at Miami are indeed state of the art. The Corwin M. Nixon Aquatic Center is a world-class aquatic center that hosts a wide variety of competitive swimming, diving, water polo, and synchronized swimming events throughout the year. The Aquatic Center is highlighted by an eight-lane, 50-meter pool, and a separate 25-meter dive well, containing 1m, 5m, 7.5m, and 10m platforms, a leisure pool, and a spa. “I am extremely grateful to practice at such a nice facility with such a nice coach,” Jones says.

typical practice for Jones consists of lots of action and not very many breaks. She arrives in Oxford 30 minutes before practice to warm up before heading to the water. She then starts with dryland work focusing on perfecting hurdles, shaping, detail work with form, strength and air sense. She is normally in the water for an hour and a half each practice working on 1m springboard, 3m springboard, and platform dives. During high school season, she focuses on 1m because that is what divers compete on per Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA) rules. “Out of season I focus on repeating my hurdles and basic dives to perfect my foundation for harder skills,” Jones says. “When I am in season, I practice as if I am in competition. I complete a certain number of each dive for competition, some days focusing on one skill over others to continue to perfect each dive.” Jones’ 19th place finish at State was the best out of all GMC participants. “The continual progression and improvement over the season helped me achieve my goal of going to State,” Jones says. “Hard work truly pays off. The hours of training and repetitions got me to where I wanted to be.” •

6 TYPES OF DIVESWW FORWARD DIVE: The diver faces the front of the board and rotates toward the water. Dives in this group can be a simple front dive to difficult four-and-a-half somersaults.

BACK DIVE:

These dives begin with the diver on the end of the board, with their back to the water, so as to rotate away from the board.

REVERSE DIVE:

Beginning with the diver facing the front of the board, the diver then rotates toward the board.

INWARD DIVE: The diver stands at the end of the board with their back to the water and rotates toward the board.

TWISTING DIVE: Any dive that includes a twist is a twisting dive. There are four types including forward, backward, reverse, and inward.

ARMSTAND DIVE:

The diver assumes a handstand position on the edge of the platform before the dive. (Armstand positions are never used on the springboard.) source teamusa.org March 2019

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sports opinion | broc nordmark

SHOULD THERE BE

East sports writers Broc Nordmark and Isaac Lukose debate whether a shot clock should be in place to speed up the high school basketball game.

YES

T h e Division II district semifinal g a m e in 2018 between Bishop Fenwick and Dayton Dunbar was incredibly low-scoring. The game ended with a score of 27-26, with Dayton Dunbar coming out on top. There were 17 total points scored in the second half. Dayton Dunbar held the ball for nearly nine minutes, eliminating any potential pace from the game. Dunbar essentially played an elongated game of “keep-away.” Doing what Dunbar did takes the strategy out of the game. The athletes are playing in a way that will never prepare them for the jump to the next level. All of this is due to the absence of a shot clock, which gives a time limit on how long a team has before they have to shoot the ball. Without a shot clock as a part of the game, high school teams can do exactly what Dayton

Dunbar did in that semifinal game. When your opponent holds on to the ball for that long of a time, the entire game transforms into a longer version of the last minute of the game, where one team has to resort to either fouling the other team or hoping for a steal to try to get the ball back. One common argument against the need for a shot clock is that many games aren’t affected by it. However, it only takes one team taking advantage of the shot clock absence to put into question why there isn’t one in place. “I think that it is very rare that it really affects the game. But when it does, it has a huge impact,” Bishop Fenwick head coach Pat Kreke says. “A shot clock will eliminate the very rare games like last year, where Dunbar held the ball for over eight minutes of a basketball game.” These rare occasions are nonexistent at the college level. In the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), they have a 30-second shot clock to ensure a higher scoring game. The 30-second shot clock at the

East guard Nick Holtman sets the offense against Oak Hills. Sans a shot clock, East averages 56.6 possessions a game or 1.76 possessions per minute. The Hawks, who average 57.5 points a game, defeated The Highlanders 42-41. 58

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college level prevents scenarios like the Fenwick vs. Dunbar game from occurring.

ast men’s varsity basketball coach Clint Adkins has taken advantage of the lack of a shot clock with his game plan in the past, but still believes that there should be a shot clock implemented in high school basketball, saying “I want a shot clock personally, but if we don’t have one, we’re going to use it to our advantage.” High School basketball in Ohio follows the rules of the National Federation of State High School Association (NFHS), which excludes a shot clock in high school basketball. Many people believe that it would cost too much to transition away from these guidelines. These people aren’t considering the athletes that are moving on to the next level.

ne of the biggest arguments against a shot clock is that it wouldn’t be worth it to split from the NFHS guidelines solely for the benefit of a few athletes. They believe that it simply isn’t worth the cost of putting in the proper equipment, hiring the workers to manage the shot clock, and creating a new rules process if the state separated from the NFHS and implemented a shot clock. Just because only a select few kids are moving on doesn’t mean we shouldn’t do whatever we can to set them up for success at the next level. If there are AP classes for the select few students who need higher education to prepare them for the next level, why shouldn’t we try to provide for the athletes in the same way by giving them a shot clock to prepare for the next level? Adkins recognizes that only

a select few athletes move on to play at the next level. However, he knows that the lack of a shot clock can make for a less smooth transition into the collegiate level. “For our program, our goal is to prepare these kids for the next level, and we’ve done a good job at that,” Adkins says. “But a shot clock makes for a smooth transition. For our kids right now, it’s an adjustment.” A key example of Adkins using the lack of a shot clock to his advantage was in the 2018 season where the Princeton Vikings, coached by Steve Wright, watched East drain around 60-90 seconds off of the game clock with each possession. Princeton m anaged 34 shots, much lower than their season average of 50 shots. While Princeton beat East three times in the 2018 season, twice they won by only two points, their lowest point differential in a victory all season. East held the ball and forced Princeton to do one of two things; either stay back and let East pass the ball or foul them and give them uncontested shots at the free throw line. “[Adkins] is a great coach and had a great game plan, and my guys were bored,” Wright told the Cincinnati Enquirer. “The philosophy is good, but to me it’s not basketball. They’re not holding it for that long, but they are holding it.” Athletes don’t work all season to play a long game of keep away. For the athletes that have worked and developed enough talent to make it to the collegiate level, playing the game doesn’t do them any good. Putting in a shot clock can solve all of these problems. “I don’t think that [stalling] is what high school athletics are all about,” Kreke says. “That’s not what people pay their money to come and see.” •

isaac lukose | sports opinion

A SHOT CLOCK?

columns broc nordmark and isaac lukose | photography kate harvey | stats ryan murphy

When the P r i n c e t o n ’s Boys Basketball team stepped onto the court on a brisk Tuesday night last season, the pro-Lakota East crowd was exceptionally ancy that night. Not only were the Vikings averaging around 69 points up to that point in the season and had also managed to score over 100 points in a 101-38 victory over Colerain, they also boasted the 13th ranked prospect in the nation in Darius Bazely. To say East seemed to be outmatched that night would have been an understatement. East looked to be in for a long night. But they didn’t. Although the Vikings managed to win the game 4745, East managed to hold their own throughout the game, even outscoring the Vikings 12-9 in the second quarter. The main reason was for one single fact: no shot clock was being used during this game. Why? Because without a shot clock East was able to slow the tempo down against a Princeton team that loved to run the floor.

his is one reason why a shot clock should not be in place in high school basketball. It gives the Davids of the Basketball world a little bit of a chance at knocking down some of the Goliaths of the Basketball world. And most fans relish the opportunity to see an underdog take down a heavily favored team. Another reason a shot clock should not be used in high school basketball is because of the economics of the idea. “As an Athletic Director, my biggest concern would be the

aspect of the expense,” Lakota West Athletic Director Scott Kaufman says. “There would be a significant equipment cost for putting in the clocks and the lighting that would be required to maintain the shot clock.”

ne common argument proponents make in regards to shot clock is that it prepares kids who move on into the collegiate level, as the NCAA requires a shot clock for its officially sanctioned games. However, a counter argument for that claim is that only a select few make it to that point. “Last year out of all of the male and female high school basketball players [nationally] only (3.4 percent male) and (3.9 percent female) high school players went on to play NCAA Division I, II, or III college basketball,” Mason Athletic Director Scott Semple says. “Should we change the High School game like the college game to help less than 4 percent of players from each gender?”

as I can defend, they shouldn't be able to control the ball that long.”

inally, having a shot clock sort of ruins the very fabric of high school basketball. The main reason people enjoy watching high school basketball isn’t because they want to see a fast-paced, isolation-heavy game. The NBA can give fans that. High School fanatics come because they want to showcase their school pride. They come because they

want to see teams come together, learn, and play the right way. They come because they love the unpredictability of games such as the Princeton vs. East game. And that would be unequivocally lost if a shot clock were introduced at the High School level.• East guard Jordan Stanley protects the ball against a West double team. No shot clock means defenses must work harder, longer.

o this point, state-leading Moeller High School coach Carl Kremer adds, “I’ve never bought into the argument that we need to have a shot clock for the reason of getting them ready for college. College will get ‘em ready for college.” Also, having no shot clock prepares student-athletes for the next level as these kids are going to have to learn some of the fundamentals of basketball. “It's really hard for a team, even a good team, to control the ball for 40 seconds and to be able to do so quite frankly is a gift. When I was coaching, my job as a defender is to not allow them to do that so long,” Kaufman says. “If I'm defending as aggressively March 2019

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sports | basketball manager East basketball manager Zack Allen celebrates with East coach Kyle Vanderhorst after 57-45 win agaisnt Colerain.

ZACK ATTACK

Although East student Zack Allen is titled the “Hydration Manager” for East’s basketball team, his team sees him as much more than that • story hannah myers | photography kate harvey

ins continue to come on to East’s record. The Greater Miami Conference (GMC) champs continue to dominate with their win over Hamilton to receive this title. Although East’s team makes baskets and gets all the rebounds, the main reason they win so frequently is because of the bond they have with every teammate. There is always a positive attitude and smiles on all the players’ faces before and after practices and games. For East student and team manager Zack Allen, this is how games and practices roll out for East’s basketball team. When Allen was younger he was diagnosed with apraxia. This means that he knows what he would like to say, but he cannot get his body to do so. At three years old, he was diagnosed with bilateral lissencephaly, which means smooth brain. Zack also has a doublecortin (DCX) gene mutation, causing him to have a developmental delay, especially with his language development. This does not stop Allen from enjoying every minute of practices and games with his team, and receives speech services at school to help him interact. The main way he communicates is through a program called TouchChat on his iPad and phone that allows him to express the words that he wants to family, friends, teachers, and especially the basketball team. Before games, Allen prepares the basketballs for his teammates to use, takes care of the water bottles by filling them up, and collects warm-up shirts and towels. Zack’s mother Wendy Allen is grateful for the positive environment. “It warms my heart every single day. This is

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the third year that he has helped [the team] and I can’t thank the whole eastside family enough times for all they do for him.” East Head Basketball Coach Clint Adkins says the players are just as excited to have Zack as he is to have them. “Just the pure joy on his face,” Adkins says, “and his excitement of being there really rubs off on our guys.” Zack, using his app to communicate, really loves being a part of the team, and thinks it is “terrific.” Although Zack is officially titled as the “Hydration Manager,” Spicer says he has the same significance as any player on the team. “We have a great group of guys both as people and as basketball players,” Spicer says. “But you can’t truly put a label on how important someone like Zack is.” East forward Colton Marsh agrees, and credits Zack with helping the team succeed. “Zack helps us come together as a family,” Marsh says. “[He helps] us to appreciate the culture that we’re able to share with each other every day.” Spicer and Marsh are good friends of Zack’s. His mom Wendy says that they always say hi to Zack when he’s in class along with other players as well. According to Adkins, it’s hard to compare someone to Zack. He brings the team together and shows the players how important it is to be a part of such a special program. “Zack provides perspective, and he shows how important being a part of our basketball program is,” Adkins says. “Our guys get to

see that he shows up every day and he’s really happy to be there, making them thankful to be a part of something pretty special.” As well as having a positive attitude, Zack shows his love for the players and the game through his interactions with them. Zack has worked to make himself the program’s best hugger, says Spicer. Zack and Spicer have a strong relationship, as Zack likes to call him “Spicer #1, favorite.” “Zack is the one guy that you can count on every single day to bring energy, passion, and a positive attitude 150 percent of the time. He’s definitely part of the team,” Spicer says. “If there was an award to be given for most high fives given Zack wins it by a mile.” Outside of the games, Zack also meets with the guys just like a family would. “Zack comes to team dinners and loves to be involved,” Marsh says. “We always include him in the things that we do.” Adkins says it all leads back to Zack and how he is always the happiest person at practices and games. “The positivity that [Zack] brings every day is second to none,” Adkins says. “He just loves being a part of the program.” Zack says that he is lucky and that it is good to have friends. “They always include him in the pep rallies,” Wendy says. “They always give him high five’s in the hall. They always say hi to him and give hugs whenever they can,” says Wendy. “They have all taken Zack under their wings and shown him what it feels like to be part of something very special.” •

East sophomore Nate Johnson on defense during a 42-41 victory over league rival Oak Hills. Johnson leads the team and the GMC in assists at 3.3 per game.

DOMI(NATE)

At only 15 years old, East sophomore Nate Johnson has already proven to be one of East’s most talented varsity basketball players. story lucas fields photography kate harvey

housands of students, parents, and fans pack high school gyms on Friday nights to watch the GMC champion Thunderhawks. But it’s not every day they see the youngest player on the team dashing across the court and dunking the basketball with ease. East sophomore Nate Johnson is already on his second season with East’s varsity basketball team. He’s seen an increase in his production with more points, assists, and rebounds than last season. And he was rewarded with more playing time, including games where he’s been in the starting five. “I’ve been practicing at least two-to-three hours a day,” Johnson says. “The more I’ve practiced the more improvement I’ve noticed.” East varsity basketball coach Clint Adkins is in his fifth season as head coach for East, and he’s been impressed from what he’s seen out of Johnson. “Nate has the rawest athleticism of any kid that I’ve ever coached,” Adkins says. “His athletic ability, his quick-twitch muscles are unlike anyone else I’ve ever coached.” Johnson’s athleticism and height of 6’2” have been shown off in some of the highlight plays he’s made this season. From great passes to fastbreak dunks, Johnson has proved he has the talent. East senior Grant Spicer is in his third season on the varsity basketball team. Johnson has looked up to him as a leader this season, and Spicer has also been happy with what he’s seen so far. “[Johnson] has maybe the best talent on the team,” Spicer says. “And I think everybody kind of sees that when he goes up and effortlessly dunks the ball.” At just 15 years old, Johnson is making an early impact on the varsity team. Very few sophomores get the opportunity to play for the varsity team, but Johnson has proven that

he’s talented enough to beat these odds. “Typically we might have one or two underclassmen on the team per year, and sometimes it’s all juniors and seniors,” Adkins says. “But for the most part, it’s really difficult to be an underclassman on the varsity basketball team.” Johnson has put in more work this season, which has resulted in improvement to his game. This has resulted in more playing time. From working harder at practice to making better decisions on the court, Johnson has shown good progress. “He’s put in a lot of work. From last year, he’s definitely put on maybe 15 to 20 pounds of muscle,” Spicer says. “And he’s gotten a lot smarter in the way he thinks in the game. He’s done a really good job of just being a sponge, and soaking up everything.”

dkins has stressed the importance of practice for Johnson. With consistent hard work at practice, Adkins sees a ton of potential. “He’s improved in terms of how hard he practices every day, it’s just something that he’s got to continue to get better in,” Adkins says. “If he does that, he’ll have an opportunity to be one of the best players that I’ve ever coached.” Johnson has already taken his coach’s advice. Leading the GMC in assists at 3.2 per game, compared to only 1.0 last year. Johnson is also in the top ten in the league in steals with 1.5 per game. “Adkins has asked me to play harder than I did last year,” Johnson says. “I feel like I’ve improved in my decision making, defensively,

and actually playing hard.” Playing at point guard, one of the toughest coached positions on the team, can be a challenge, and Johnson’s impressed the team with how he’s able to succeed at that position at his age. “It’s not easy. I know as a sophomore I couldn’t have done it,” Spicer says. “As hard as the point guard position gets coached, being a 15-year-old, at this level, being on a team that’s playing for a Greater Miami Conference (GMC) championship, it’s impressive.” There’s a bit of added pressure for Johnson being so young on the varsity team. But he credits his teammates for helping him fit in with the rest of them. “I felt a little pressure earlier in the season, but now not so much,” Johnson says. “The older guys have kind of helped bring me in from a younger state of mind.” While it’s unusual for a player as young as Johnson to be on the varsity team with the upperclassmen, the team enjoys his presence just like anybody else on the team. “He definitely fits in with everyone else. He’s done a really great job of that,” Spicer says. “We’re all just one big family.” • March 2019

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sports | wrestling coach

CRAFTING A TEAM Newly hired East wrestling coach Chad Craft has enjoyed success in year one. story mason wise photography andrew marshall

he East Wrestling team gathers inside the weight room for their first day of summer workouts. The room is filled with excitement as the team begins their offseason grind, but a sense of uncertainty also fills the room as East’s newly hired coach Chad Craft will spend his first day with the team. What the team did not realize at the time was that Craft would immediately make an impact. His unique coaching style has established a new attitude. He led the team to a third place finish at the 2019 Greater Miami Conference championship, with two individual champions, which is an improvement from the eighth-place finish in 2018 season,. Craft, who saw East wrestlers Alex Epstein (138) and Aaron Sharp (285) win a GMC title, was hired as East’s head wrestling coach in the spring of 2018 after coaching for four seasons at Little Miami High School. He replaced long-time veteran coach James Lehman, who stepped down last season.

ver since taking over the new coaching job, Craft quickly set out on a mission to build a team and establish a “teamfirst” mentality. This group strategy has allowed them to capture a third-place finish in the OHSAA sectional championships, with seven East wrestlers qualifying for the district championship meet along with four alternates. “Overall we wrestled really well, and the team came together at the right time,” Craft says. “We had two [GMC] Champs, which has not happened at East for a long time.” It is obvious from his demeanor in practice where he mentions “team” at least 50 times, or how he diverts every question about an individual wrestler to his team of wrestlers. That and his quiet, yet intense passion. His wrestlers say he never yells. “My favorite part of coaching this team is being able to help the East wrestlers become better young men,” Craft says. “Our goal is to have all the individuals on the team to work as a whole, and win as a team.” Wrestling is a complicated and timeconsuming sport that requires wrestlers to put in the maximum effort both on and off the wrestling mat, and implement other forms of

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March 2019

East wrestling coach Chad Craft watches as his team competes in their home invitational. exercise, such as running and weight training. Craft strongly emphasized this, adding that there’s a lot more to the sport than what happens on the mat. “My staff and I take many steps to ensure that our wrestlers are in peak physical condition,” Craft says. “This includes working out multiple times a day, having a disciplined diet, and getting plenty of rest.” Not only was Craft excited about the new coaching opportunity, but many of the wrestlers were confident in him from the very beginning. East sophomore wrestler Eli Willis, who wrestled the previous 2018 season, had high praise for Craft, and was amazed by the impact he had in just his first season at East. “What he did for the East program in just one year is drastic and he continues to push us to be better,” Willis says. “We have been working harder than ever to get ready for GMC’s and Sectionals.” Willis also added that coach Craft possesses many qualities that make an outstanding coach, including selflessness and a great ability to lead such a large program. “He is the type of wrestling coach I would want for the rest of my high school career,” Willis says. “It doesn’t matter what type of

athlete you are, he will still put all of his effort into making the team better.”

ast sophomore and Wrestler Max Pennix, who, like Willis, also wrestled in the 2018 season, mentioned how many members of the team admire Craft because of his great amount of selflessness. “He understands how to work with the entire team as a whole, while still focusing on individual wrestlers and making them better as well,” Pennix says. “He genuinely cares about us as individuals.” After two very impressive third place finishes in the Greater Miami Conference (GMC) championship meet and Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA) sectional championships, Craft hopes to add to his success in his first year as East head coach as his seven district meet wrestlers look to qualify for the State meet. “I haven’t coached many teams with this much natural talent, but I also haven’t coached the type of kids who were looking for a coach that cared about them,” Craft says. “It took a while for them to buy in to what we were doing, but when they did, they started having great success.” •

column | opinion

WHERE TO?

MICHAEL SZCZEPKOWSKI art mckenna lewis | infographic lauren maier

COLLEGE

out to a point where nervous breakdowns are not uncommon. Teens become more condescending towards one another and under such conditions are more likely to experience depression and anxiety. By dissuading students from vocational schools (or tech schools, as most have rebranded themselves in an effort to attract more students), high schools are simply doing them a disservice. Vocational schools are often much cheaper than career colleges, averaging around $33,000 for a degree as opposed to around $127,000. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, around 68 percent of high school students end up going to college, but 40 percent of those students don’t complete their degree. Of those who do complete college, 37 percent work jobs that require what they learned in college. Vocational students are not only coming out of school with exponentially less debt, but they’re also being pushed into a high paying workforce. According to the 2012 United States (US) census, the average income in the US is $56,516. Trade jobs pay on average between $16 an hour to $40 dollars, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That means that at worst a trade worker earns $60,000, already around four thousand dollars more than average, and without the debt that most other people have. Vocational schools have been suffering from poor representations for years. They may not be for everyone but they certainly are the

100K-200K on average for a 4 year bachelors degree 70 percent of graduates, have a minimum of 37K in debt Starting salary after graduating is around 46K

TRADE SCHOOL

t seems like every year, high school seniors across the country collectively hold their breath in anticipation of where their college acceptance letters will come from. Often it seems that moving on to college is the only acceptable path from high school and that anyone who doesn’t get a higher education in our society will have a stigma following them for the rest of their lives. A student at a vocational school won’t be viewed much better. It’s the second that is under-valued. A vocational school is most commonly a two-year institution that prepares its students for a specific job within the workforce. Plumbers, mechanics, electricians, and radiation therapists are all products of vocational schools. These are all well-paid careers, all of which are required for a comfortable society to function. Everyone appreciates running water and somehow the idea of studying by the flicker of candlelight is not appealing. Ultimately the stigma surrounding vocational schools can be summed up to people’s need for competition. Four-year colleges are viewed as the only logical choice for continued education. High school’s advertise how many of their students go to “prestigious” colleges and often only educate (or at least heavily emphasize) attending career colleges. To add on to this problem, schools often utilize a competition system (class rank, extra bonuses for high performance, etc.) to motivate their students. This often seems to cause more harm than good, stressing students

best and most profitable option for many. From a recent Spark survey, 64 percent of students at East agree that the school does a good job of informing them of their opportunities, but that isn’t enough. Every student should feel like they are being fully informed. Failing one student is failing every student.

igh schools educating all their students on the benefits of a skilled labor job as opposed to shaming students into attending college, accumulating debt, and then working jobs they are overqualified for should be a universal expectation in the US Educational system. As Hunter Bowman-Gibson, an equestrian student at Butler Tech says, “It gives many students opportunities to work and experience what they want to do for their future careers, while also offering a great academic environment.” Butler Tech itself has commented that they have seen an 18 percent increase in applications in their past year alone. The school attributes this success to “an increase in social media presence, as well as face-to-face communication.” Focusing on such personal relations allows the vocational community to come closer together and support their students and alumni. Without a doubt, vocational schools need to take a larger prevalence in the educational community. •

33K on average for a given program graduates have on average around 10K in debt. starting salary after graduating is around 35K source careerschoolnow.org

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opinion | head to head

HEAD TO HEAD I

t’s 2:40 pm, the final bell of the school day has sounded. Students quickly swarm the hallway, desperate to go home to whatever more important activities they have planned. With finally having some free time for the day, I walk into the nearest women’s restroom only to be met with a slew of disgusted stares. The girls immediately stop their conversation and quickly hide their JUULs in their pockets, acting like I can’t tell what they were just doing. It’s the same thing every day, and it’s been this way for the past two years. Juuling has become a major problem among today’s youth, and East students are no exception. This issue has continued for far too long, and with the growing lack of respect for parents among teens, it is up to the schools to educate and enforce the dangers of vaping.

IS IT THE SCHOOL’S ROLE TO EDUCATE ABOUT JUULS?

Otherwise, we will have another generation of nicotine addicts on our hands. It’s no secret that vaping has been on the rise for the past few years since the JUUL was created in July 2017. In a 2018 National Institute on Drug Abuse sample study, 37.3 percent of students in grade 12 admitted to having vaped in the last year, which is up from 27.8 percent in 2017. Vaping has also risen in correlation with marijuana use. A 2018 University of California study in San Francisco found that regular JUULs use doubles the odds of marijuana use. A possible cause for this link is that our brains are still developing until we are well into our late twenties. A nicotine dependence at a young age can cause damage to the central nervous system, which over time will lessen the “buzz” sensation given off by the vape. With that feeling diminished, it takes a more powerful drug to create that feeling, so many are turning to marijuana, another harmful drug, as a replacement. Community issues have continually grown to fall on schools. Through Reach Out Lakota, the district provides food to children when school is not in session, providing support to the 15 percent of students who qualify for free and reduced lunch. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 20.8 percent of students are regularly juuling in school. What is being done to help them? Lakota is well aware of the district’s poverty and uses programs to combat it, and drug education shouldn’t be any different. A brief mention in a few chapters of mandatory health class does not properly inform teenagers on the present risks involved with drug use. The argument for who drug education should fall on is much like the sex education debate. Families should get to decide how they teach their children the dangers of the world, but schools also carry the legal

responsibility to educate its students after the enactment of Ohio Code 3313.603 in 2001; which mandates a health class that includes education on venereal diseases, drug abuse and nutrition be taken in order to graduate high school. In Lakota’s Student Code of Conduct, the use or possession of any nicotine-containing products are prohibited. Overall tobacco use is listed as a Level 2 offense, which constitutes disciplinary actions that range from detention to a report to the juvenile court. It is not specifically outlined which punishment each offense would receive. In contrast, Lebanon City Schools have punishments for “nicotine use” specifically outlined in their student code of conduct. The first offense constitutes a three-day suspension, banned from attending the next school dance, and mandatory attendance to a smoking awareness class provided by the school. Each violation increases each penalty and after a third violation, expulsion is recommended. Lebanon’s strictly outlined punishments set an example for their students and neighboring districts. There is no question what discipline a student should receive, so it can’t be left up for interpretation depending on who the administrator deems as less guilty. The availability of a smoking awareness class to students free of charge shows that there are multiple paths a district can take to act that are not just inflicting harsher punishments. With a district size of 5,000 students relative to Lakota’s 17,000, there is no reason Lakota cannot enact more policies to help fight this epidemic. Though the blame for the progressing vaping epidemic does not fall entirely on lack of administrative efforts. With technological advancements allowing the vaping devices to be small and concealable, it is almost impossible to catch students. Administrators may not be handling the issue correctly because they are at loss with how to deal with the epidemic themselves. The real issue arises from the denial of the problem. Vaping is in every high school across the country, in every social group, and affects every student. The epidemic will continue in a downward spiral unless the severity is recognized. Otherwise, the generation that “ends” smoking will become the face of the next epidemic. •

head to head | opinion As the teenage juuling epidemic sweeps the nation and more students are juuling in schools, two Spark staffers debate if schools should take responsibility for educating their students about JUUL usage. columns regan denham and kelly johantges art lauren maier

alking through the many crowded hallways of East, I always notice one or two faces lowered into their baggy sweatshirt sleeves. Maybe their hands are just cold and they’re trying to warm them up. Maybe they’re yawning and just trying to be polite. But in most cases, these students are vaping, more specifically, juuling. To be blunt about juuling, this is a bad habit and should face consequences. On the basis of rapidly growing research on e-cigarettes, there is so much evidence that they are just as bad as real cigarettes. The tough thing about this situation is that we really do not know the long term effects. With that being said, I do not believe that schools should be responsible for teaching students about the harmful effects of vaping. When I took health class in eighth-grade I learned about abstinence, drugs, cigarettes, alcohol, and sexually transmitted diseases (STD)s. According to dosomething.org, one in four teens contracts an STD every year. Even though we learn about how dangerous STDs are in schools and even learn about ways to protect us from this, students still have sex and contract diseases. Schools would end up wasting time trying to teach students when the information will go into the student’s ear and out the other anyway.

nother way this is shown is through a statistic about marijuana and how it’s tied to vaping. Students who vape will also try marijuana. This makes sense because those who vape already know the techniques and tools to smoke marijuana. The most recent Monitoring the Future survey from the National Institute on Drug Abuse says that 39 percent of college students use marijuana, the highest level its been in three decades. But one thing that comes up again is that awareness of drugs is something brought up in health class. This shows that although teaching the bad effects of drugs does help with awareness, it doesn’t solve the problem. A school’s responsibility is to prepare students for the next level, whether that be college, employment, or enlistment. Schools don’t need to be the child’s parents. The Huffington Post asked the question, ‘should schools teach ethics and morals’’, and got an answer from a high school teacher of 15 years, Daniel Kaplan.

His answer is that schools that teach kids a broken and different morality. Kaplan explains this by this quote, “Imagine that I believe that two plus two can only equal one plus threet, but some other teacher thinks that two plus two can only equal five minus one. How can we expect to teach math? By the same token, I cannot teach morality the same way that everyone else in my school does. Students, then, get a fractured message about morality.” Students get different morals from different teachers that sometimes even compete with one another.

his makes perfect sense. I know I do not have the same moral standards as my friends and educators. When we grow up with different people around us that have different cultures, we learn different things. We may find that some things are acceptable and other things are not. So if teachers have different values they will teach us different things about juuling. Not to say that they think juuling is good but they might find something different than another teacher. Not only do morals and ethics have to do with this, think about it economically. A school day is only so long. Teachers only have 50 minutes per day to teach their curriculum and even with that time period, they can get behind schedule very easily. If teachers have to give up time, imagine how much homework students would be given to catch up on what they missed given this time. At this time, 32 out of the 50 states mandate health class as a mandatory class to graduate. For those 18 other states, they would not have time to fit this into their schedule. This should be a parent’s job.

They should sit their kids down and lay out what exactly juuling and vaping is. Parents need to reiterate how bad it is for them and the consequences they will receive if caught with one. The only thing that I think schools should do is to keep doing what they have been doing. Instilling in students that there will be repercussions for vaping or juuling will make them not want to do it, and if they get caught they are more likely to quit. The big point that I’m trying to say here, is that schools should not be spending time and money on teaching about the effects of juuling. Again, I’m not saying that schools should advocate juuling or not give consequences to those who choose to juul. I just think schools should spend time on other matters that students will actually pay attention to. •

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opinion | column

ONE VOTE CAN CHANGE AMERICA

RACHEL ANDERSON art mckenna lewis

This essay was submitted to the Voice of Democracy Patriotic audio essay competition under the “Why My Vote Matters” prompt. Anderson won to the district level and was awarded $100 and a gold medal.

e had fair skin and hair, light blue eyes and stood just under six feet tall. His Yale classmates said he was gentle, kind, athletic, intelligent, and a pleasure to be around. No one would have suspected that he would die in a death reserved only for the most despicable criminals. It was 1774 when Nathan Hale decided to join his local militia and not long after that when he became the highest rank of any new recruit, first sergeant. It could not have surprised anyone, when two years later, Hale became a captain in the new 19 regiment. Around that time, Washington was in dire need of a spy. Even though it was considered a demeaning, dishonest action unworthy of a gentleman, Hale stepped up, becoming one of the first known American spies of the Revolutionary War. He was captured on Sept. 21, 1776, crossing back into American territory. We don’t know exactly what happened after that gloomy day, but when asked for any last words, Hale replied, “I only regret that I have but one life to give for my country.” Nathan Hale fought and died so you could have a voice in government. The fact that only 58 percent of eligible voters cast a ballot in the 2016 presidential election would disappoint Hale and many of the servicemen and women that continue to

serve our country today. I’m here to tell that 42 percent that their vote does matter and they should proudly wear their “I voted” stickers in the next election. Many people argue that one vote cannot possibly make a difference. It’s just one droplet of water in a 235 million gallon bucket. However, history tells a different story. One vote elected Thomas Jefferson as president. One vote saved President Andrew Johnson from impeachment. One vote gave statehood to Texas, California, Oregon, Washington, and Idaho. And one vote gave women the right to vote. Imagine being that one voter—that one person that changed America as we knew it. They knew just how important their vote was. Although cases like these can happen, they are rare. However, if one person thinks that their vote doesn’t matter, it’s very likely that others do too. This creates a domino effect where that one droplet of water turns into hundreds of gallons. If all registered voters had shown up to vote in the 2000 election, one of the closest presidential races in history, George W. Bush may not have won. In recent years, if everyone had exercised their right to vote, Hillary Clinton could have been elected instead of President Trump. Your vote, or decision not to, changes history.

We need to unite as nation, a concept that founded our country and made us a powerful world leader, in order to make a difference. Abraham Lincoln once said, “May our children and our children’s children to a thousand generations, continue to enjoy the benefits conferred upon us by a united country, and have cause yet to rejoice under those glorious institutions bequeathed us by Washington and his compeers.” Unity has been an important part of this country for hundreds of years. We need to continue that tradition to make our country a better place.

athan Hale and thousands of soldiers have died to make our country the best it can be and hundreds of thousands of men and women are risking their lives today. A privilege that separates the United States from other countries is our right to vote. When we unite as a nation we can make a difference. The next time you get the chance to vote, make all your veterans proud by marking the box next to the name you want elected. Remember this is your country. Why leave its fate up to everyone else when your voice matters? •

One vote elected President Thomas Jefferson. One vote saved President Andrew Johnson from impeachment. And one vote gave women the right to vote. Imagine being that one voter. 66

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column | opinion

SHUT DOWN THE SHUTDOWN

ALEX HOOD art mckenna lewis

he most recent government shutdown will go down as the longest in the United States (US) history. Like all others before it, it was caused by government officials refusing to give in to the other side’s demands. As political disagreement and division seem to be increasing in our country, the last government shutdown serves as evidence for the feelings of discontent Democrats and Republicans feel towards each other. Though many people were unaffected by this halt in governmental operations, numerous everyday citizens were punished simply because politicians couldn’t agree on a common budget for our government. Many federal government employees worked for no pay as they headed into the new year. Not only did this drastically change their financial situations while the shutdown dragged on, but also it heavily impacted the services provided to the public. Nearly 10 percent of Transportation Security Administration (TSA) employees called in sick due to not being able to work because of financial limitations. This meant a potential dip in the security of airports, as well as longer waiting times for fliers across the country. Lack of pay towards government employees also impacted the US National Park Service, as park rangers and sanitation workers weren’t able to perform their regular duties in any capacity. Federal bathrooms in these parks were also closed, meaning the sanitary conditions of the country’s national parks deteriorated. Tourists could still visit these places, which put many parks at risk of becoming damaged due to a lack of proper upkeep from park employees. Though these problems collectively may seem to be able to be fixed easily, these issues should not exist in the first place. Protocol for what happens when the government is shutdown needs to be restructured. While members of Congress still get paid to attempt

to find an agreement to fund the government, the workers that physically run many sects of the system are left unaccounted for. Though most of these workers received backpay when the shutdown ended, some contractors for organizations like the National Park Service did not. There’s no telling how long a shutdown can last, meaning employees could be financially troubled for long periods of time. That fear caused many to search for jobs nowhere near their professions’ level of pay, simply because they needed to have money to sustain themselves while the shutdown drug on. While bills can be passed to fund only certain sections of the government, this process shouldn’t be required. The mere fact that some of the most important governmental agencies can be without funding in the first place is irresponsible. Agencies like the TSA and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) provide services that are essential to maintaining the US people’s general wellbeing. The FDA was without complete funding for 35 days, meaning for over a month, the potential for large outbreaks of foodborne illnesses like salmonella was increased.

hutdowns also harbor the potential to affect the lives of our country’s wealthiest and most vulnerable. The money spent by the government contributes nearly 18 percent of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), meaning wealthy investors could eventually be harmed by this lack of funding. People who receive food stamps, or other such services that help vulnerable Americans are also at risk of losing these benefits, potentially creating even more discomfort in their everyday lives. Though they are vulnerable to shutdowns, the country’s most important agencies

and programs tend to not be politically controversial. The US National Park Service being shut down serves no partisan gain for either political party, it just creates stress in the lives of average Americans, as well as straining the most protected parts of our environment.

gencies that are universally favored should not be impacted at all by partisan disagreements, and the reality that they can be is counterintuitive. Instead of these generally beneficial agencies not being funded while members of Congress continue being paid, change needs to be made to ensure that the money being spent while the government is in a state of null goes to the right places, instead of continuing to pay those that are responsible for the shutdown. Legislation needs to be introduced to maintain the salaries of federal employees and continue the funding of essential national agencies at all times, regardless of a shutdown or not. Pure common sense tells us that political disagreement between elected figures shouldn’t drastically affect the lives of the people who voted for them in the first place. By letting a shutdown happen, politicians lose focus of the people they’re supposed to be serving in the first place: the American people. At a time when political tension and disagreement is at a high between parties, new legislation needs to account for even more governmental distinction. With three shutdowns since 2013, this has become even more apparent. When the government shuts down, we need to make sure it’s those responsible for the shutdown that feel the impact, not the general public. •

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opinion | ed-cartoon/east speaks out

“Parkland One Year Later” - Alexandra Fernholz

EAST SPEAKS OUT Is JUULing a serious problem in the school? interviews and photography logan maxfield

YES

Students this young should not be exposed to products like that with like a bunch of nicotine and products that could lead to smoking. I think it’s very important to make sure that students this age should not be exposed to that.

Ever since the cameras were installed, I haven’t noticed people juuling as much. I still see it some, but it certainly isn’t as big of a problem. I used to see people juuling in the bathrooms all the time and there would be people juuling in class too.

Nine times out of 10 when I go to the restroom, I see someone juuling. Sometimes even in class, I see people passing their juuls and smoking into their sleeves. People aren’t using juuls for their intended use. They’re supposed to help people quit smoking, not make people start smoking.

—Alexis Simpson, junior

—Hailey O’Connor, sophomore

—Joseph Cortez, junior

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March 2019

YES

YES Because people take up bathroom space when I’m trying to use the restroom, just so they can be on their nicotine addiction.

—Neal Singh, senior

guest column | opinion

DIVISION IN AMERICA

BRAYDEN REICHELDERFER art mckenna lewis

fter the Presidential Election in 2016, America was in shock. A man who, as the Washington Post claimed, “had his chances of winning the presidency approaching zero,” put the world in a state of awe. As the People of the United States (US) woke up on Nov. 16, 2016, it was clear that a division would be placed on the country for at least the following four years. With crude comments such as, “she has a nice smile on her so I bet she treats you well,” “if Hillary Clinton can’t satisfy her husband what makes her think she can satisfy America?” and the most recognizable “…and when you’re a star you can do anything. Grab ‘em by the ... ___” it is clear that President Trump has not only attacked but verbally abused many women and minorities in the US. With policy out of consideration and instead based on moral character, Trump has failed America in being the People’s man. Although it is clear and easy to recognize that President Trump has made malicious comments primarily through the Twitter platform and news interviews, the American People are no better. A strong majority of Americans allow Trump’s actions to act as a scapegoat for their own misdoings and allow Trump to be the source of blame for America’s new division. Adults, especially with venerable reputations, are acting like children in the sense that instead of acting their age and claiming to “be the bigger person,” they instead stoop down to what they claim President Trump’s level is. Kathy Griffin proved this idea to be the case when she held up Trump’s bloody head in a photoshoot done with Tyler Shields. The idea to have the President of the United States killed, even in a joking or political manner, is wrong. It is wrong both in the eyes of the law

GUEST COLUMN and on moral grounds. Two wrongs do not make a right, contrary to what CNN Reporter Chris Cuomo claims. The fall of the President, without reasons to be just by the law, means the fall of the country itself. Cuomo disagrees with this idea and defends Antifa, the main anti-fascists organization, and claims that if there is discourse in the United States between both the far right, the nationalists and white supremacists, and Antifa, then the two should not be treated equally in the terms of morality. He believes that because Antifa is fighting hate, although their actions are wrong, they are justified. Yet the acts of former Diablo Valley College professor Eric Clanton attacking an individual with a bike lock at a rally in Berkeley is unjustifiable.

ugene Joseph, being attacked and scrutinized by the workers in a Cheesecake Factory restaurant, and Hunter Richard, a sixteenyear-old teenager having his “Make America Great Again,” that removed and his drink thrown in his face at a Texas Whataburger, are both immature and harsh actions that are simply unnecessary. Darin Hodge, the past manager at a Teahouse in Vancouver, refused service to a man wearing a MAGA hat on the terms that the hat “represents racism, bigotry, Islamophobia, misogyny, white supremacy, and homophobia.” White supremacy is wrong, but those cruel enough to fight hatred with more hatred will just allow an overarching bomb to burst. As

citizens of the United States, it is our duty to not support either of these ideologies that will only further separate us as the true melting pot that we are supposed to represent. The idea that we should discriminate minorities is profoundly disgusting, yet the idea that all those who support President Trump and his endeavors to make America the best country it can be are racist, homophobic, white supremacists is almost equally disturbing. To categorize people in a broad manner only leads to further separation and a wider division.

f, as a nation, we truly want to compromise so that our country can become the best it can be, we must stop forcing ourselves to stoop down to the level of a child and complain, retaliate, and riot when every little thing doesn’t go our way. Instead of throwing temper tantrums, we must act as citizens and listen to each other’s ideas, because not a single individual can know all the answers. Although Congress is going to face further gridlock with the Democrats in control of the House of Representatives and the Republicans in control of the Senate, it is not our job as citizens to make their job any harder. It is our civic duty simply to vote for what we believe is right. With the Republic that we stand for, through a representation of the entire body of People will the true ideas of justice ring. We must stop acting like the majority of propagandists, celebrities, nationalists, and Antifa and instead allow the voice of the People speak best through our vote, as actions always speak louder than words. •

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IT’S A TRADITION

LAUREN MAIER

photography caroline bumgarner

very year, after all of the holiday hype is gone, my dad and I have a tradition. We go downtown and spend a day together. Since my dad used to work in the Queen City, he knows where and when to go to certain places. He is the supreme “local.” Our after-the-holidays tradition almost always consists of ice skating, hot chocolate and lunch. When it comes to ice skating, we never go before or during the holidays. It’s crowded and there are way too many kids who slip, stumble and fall right in front of us. So we typically go right before the ice skating rink closes in February. Once we have skated to our hearts content—I can only last an hour before my feet hurt—we walk a few blocks over to the Carew Tower. Since it is still cold outside, we don’t venture to the top. It’s too windy and not worth the $10 to go up. Instead, we go and we sit in their small restaurant on the first floor. The room is classily decorated with a mix of roaring twentiesera gold metal plates in vents and around the bar, but on the ceiling hang victorian-style paintings and portraits. It’s an odd but nice place to sit and have hot chocolate with my dad. Since we burnt an alarming two calories in ice skating, we always decide to treat ourselves to some lunch, this year that meant a good hearty burger. Our day ends with full stomachs and smiles on our faces. But my traditions aren’t limited with my dad. My Mom and I also have our own fun tradition. Every week before Thanksgiving and Christmas, we help deliver food and gifts to people around our church, Our Lady of Sorrows. We have been doing this for the past four years and continue to do so. We wake up at the crack of dawn and arrive at our church, where there is always a prayer session before we start to pack the food up. The session is to pray for the families that we are helping out so that hopefully their situation will get better. We then go and pack all the food up into cardboard boxes; we pack a ham if it’s for Christmas and a turkey if it’s for Thanksgiving. The houses that we go to are almost always in Middletown since my church is located right in the “downtown” area. It’s humbling to see the living conditions that many of these people live in. It makes me grateful for what I have and makes me even more excited to give back. By the end of our trip around to the few houses that we visit, my mom and I always talk about how we can’t wait to do it again next year or how we want to give more after our trips. I have two different and very special relationships with my parents and I value the friendship that I have with them. As I go off to college in the next six months, I try to cherish every moment I have with them. Even though I may be annoyed or mad at them at times, I still love them and I will miss our traditions when I’m gone. •

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March 2019

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lakotaeastsparkonline.com

March 2019