the people issue
Spark 2016-2017 STAFF
Editors-in-Chief Erinn Aulfinger Michelle Chu Emma Stiefel Lauren Wilson Design Coordinator Julia Sanders Photography Manager Maya Wells Photography Editor Richard Giang News Managing Editors Sophia Spivey Emma Stiefel News Editors Julianne Ford Lina Kaval Culture Managing Editor Lauren Wilson Culture Editors Noor Ghuniem Richard Giang Feature Managing Editor Alyssa Hetterich Feature Editors Dani Dudash Lexy Harrison Karmi White Package Managing Editors Erinn Aulfinger Cristina Francisco Package Editors Michelle Chu Sidney Li Sports Managing Editor Allie Church Sports Editor Dustin Horter Opinion Managing Editors Victoria Negron Cara Satullo Opinion Editors Vivian Kolks Charis Williams Art Managing Editor Sarah Aftab Art Editor Tyler Bonawitz Graphics Managing Editors Sophia Chryssovergis Cassia Chryssovergis Graphics Editor Michael Croy Business Director Sarah Mullins Public Relations Director Cara Satullo Public Relations Assistant Victoria Negron Landon Meador Webmaster Michelle Chu Broadcast Manager Emma Stiefel
Advisor Dean Hume
SPONSORS & PATRONS Patrons Lori Aulfinger, Amy Stiefel, Robert Zelina Sponsors Carolyn Landers, Wendy Mayo, Sara Humphrey
FROM THE EDITORS A
fter spending three years in Spark, I’ve grown all too familiar with the phrase “we’ve got issues.” This play on words has become a staff slogan to represent our mission of journalistic reporting and the seemingly hectic way we go about doing it. While this phrase means something slightly different to each staff member, there’s one thing that’s certain: we do have issues. One hundred and seventy five of them to be exact. It has taken a long time to reach this anniversary. Journalism was first offered as a class at Lakota in 1992, drawing only 17 students. During that first year, the editorial board worked with our advisor to create a comprehensive policy from scratch and build the foundation for a strong program. They eventually voted on a name based off of a beacon of free speech during the Russian Revolution: Spark. Fast forward two and a half decades, and the Spark is still standing. We’ve grown from one class of 17 students to a staff of up to 127. In the past, we published nine issues of about 32 pages, but now publish six issues of about 80 pages. We’ve attended workshops, won awards, covered countless subjects, built a website, and crowned seven winners of Mr. Lakota East. It has been an eventful 25 years to say the least. While Spark has evolved over time, there’s one thing that has never changed: our purpose. As journalists, we serve as a voice for the voiceless. Without a face behind each story, none of our accomplishments would mean anything, or even be possible. It’s our firm belief that every person has a story to tell, and it’s these stories that motivate us to stay up late during deadline week, spend our free time talking to sources, and work painstakingly hard to report on issues that impact the community with both accuracy and honesty. With this in mind, the editorial board decided to dedicate issue 175 to 175 community members. This demonstrates our gratitude for the support we’ve received from the community over the years, and our understanding that it’s these same people that ultimately make every issue successful. Each section will keep its traditional subject matter but will focus entirely on the face of each story. There will be a message from all of our managing editors explaining what their section is doing this issue and how the people featured were chosen. So yes, we’ve got issues. Here’s one more. – Cara Satullo, Opinion Managing Editor
ON THE COVER art lauren wilson
Spark reports on the members of our community, district and school in celebration of its 175th issue. Staff members interviewed 175 people, staying true to its original mission of uncovering the stories and covering the issues significant to the community.
NEWS
In news, Spark covers day-to-day developments in the Lakota district. News has covered the creation of a Boys and Girls Club in West Chester and a new club at Lakota East, for example, as well as the complex forces that drive many of these changes, from complicated state funding laws to national demographic trends. These stories are by necessity technical and policy-heavy; while News always strives to humanize the events and issues we cover, these articles tend to be more impersonal. This issue, News is excited about being able to present a different side of the local politicians and district officials we normally cover, while still explaining what’s going on in Lakota.
Christine Matacic Liberty Township Trustee Christine Matacic was first elected in 2001 and started her fourth term in 2013. interview leah boehner | photography emma stiefel
[My favorite part of my job is] working with people and solving issues. I know it sounds corny, but [I want to make] Liberty a better community to live, work and play in. When I started as a trustee people said, ‘We’re just going to be a bedroom community,’ and I said, ‘No, we’re right on I-75.’ So taking a look at the reality of the situation, I thought, ‘How do we slowly evolve into what we really need to be to make this a community that is self-sufficient for many years to come?’”
Judi Boyko West Chester Township Administrator Judi Boyko has overseen day-to-day operations in the township for 13 years. interview and photography lina kaval
“There are no normal days. an accident on a local road, because it’s not generally time to have that kind of traffic. So then the fire department and the police department get dispatched to that. There might be debris left on the road, so Public Services would have to come in and make sure that the road is safe and that all the debris is removed properly. And in any one of those incidences, I may have to go and show up, they may have to say, ‘Judi, we need to spend $3,000 to take care of this, but that’s beyond my limit,’ meaning that the department directors would have to approve this. Do we have an incident on I-75 every day? No, but there are no normal days.
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I may wake up in the morning and say, ‘I have this meeting and this meeting and this meeting on my calendar, and I have this deadline. I have to sit back and just envision what West Chester will be.’ But then I’ll get a call about a chemical spill on I-75, just north of Union Centre. The fire department would have to go and respond to that, along with the police department. Sometimes they have to work with the Ohio State Police to shut down a section of I-75. Once the interstate shuts down, do you think those people are just going to sit and wait on the interstate? No, they’re going to get off on every interchange that is available and that impacts our local roads and maybe there’s
Suzanna Davis
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Lakota East Principal Suzanna Davis has held her current position since 2012.
interview and photography julianne ford
I have a passion for young people. I often think that society has preconceived notions about what teenagers are about. We often hear these [negative] things on social media about this generation. I choose to put that aside and celebrate the great things that young people do. I’m a great advocate for young people being our future. I want [the community] to know that I’m passionate about our kids, our school, our teachers and our community.”
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Julie Shaffer
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Lakota Board of Education Member Julie Shaffer was elected in 2011. interview and photography emma stiefel
When I very first joined the board it was right at the time that we had to cut the budget by $20 million. Seeing really valuable programs and staff that were making an impact in students’ lives have to be let go was extraordinarily challenging. I started by seeing us kind of hit rock bottom in my opinion, and to be able to have a positive impact since then has been really nice. To see us continue to transform and reinvest dollars in positive ways to have an impact on the students has been the change I’ve been able to see.”
Todd Parnell Lakota Board of Education Vice President Todd Parnell was elected in 2013. interview and photography emma stiefel
“I decided to become a school board member, because I have kids in the district. I always respected the district; [when I was in] Oak Hills, we used to come out here for wrestling meets and that kind of stuff, and it was like the other side of the world. Then when I moved out here about 20 years ago things were still kind of cornfield-ish, but it had been built up so big and the school district was so good and I wanted to keep that for my kids. I have a fourth grader and a seventh grader. I never expected it to take this much time or effort but giving back to the community was something I wanted to do.
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Ray Murray interview and photography emma stiefel
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Lakota Board of Education Member Ray Murray was elected in 2008.
“The main reason [I became a school board member is] because of my past. When I was younger, I kind of fell through the cracks in the system, and I want to make sure kids don’t anymore. Coming along in the country schools that we had [when I was growing up in Alabama], most of us didn’t even go to school until we had an opportunity to go to town. I basically went to part of second grade, no kindergarten or first grade, and when busing and everything came for the country kids out there in Alabama, they put me in third grade because that’s how old I was. I didn’t know how to read or write or anything like that, but I faked it for most of that year. When they found out [I couldn’t read] they brought me along, but it took me up until maybe my freshman year in high school until I really felt like I was capable of being equal to anybody in the classroom. So I want to make sure that no other kids fall through the cracks like I did, and I want to make sure that I help them in the way that my teachers did when they helped me get caught up.
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CHRIS BURKHARDT
After eight years of service, Lakota Director of Child Nutrition and Wellness, Chris Burkhardt is leaving the district. story vivian kolks | photography used with permission
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urrent Lakota Director of Child Nutrition and Wellness Chris Burkhardt will be leaving Lakota after almost nine years in order to become the Executive Director of Food and Child Nutrition Services at the Cleveland City Schools district. Following his departure, his former position at Lakota will become more executive and more closely tied to the superintendent and school board. Burkhardt, who worked in the Cleveland City Schools District as an Operations Manager before coming to Lakota, will be returning there to oversee more than 40 schools. When approached by the superintendent of Cleveland City Schools, Burkhardt described his pitch as “very moving.” “He said that they need someone to help feed their kids, otherwise they may not eat at all,” Burkhardt told Spark.
However the opportunity is not the only reason why Burkhardt will be returning to the Cleveland area; Burkhardt grew up in Cleveland and still has family there. Lakota Board of Education member Ray Murray also held concerns about Lakota students who rely on school for solid meals and their limited opportunities to eat meals on days when school was not in session. A problem, he said, that Burkhardt did not overlook. “What used to bother me was, what happens to those kids in the summertime and on snow days?” Murray told Spark. “Chris Burkhardt was one of the first people to address that.” Addressing the situation came in the form of a school bus which was refurbished with kitchen facilities in order to bring lunch to Lakota students during the summertime, sometimes their only meal of the day.
Murray himself accompanied Burkhardt on the bus on a few of its trips and noted that kids would wait in line for an hour. “Some of the parents couldn’t even speak English,” Murray told Spark. “But they knew when the bus was coming and made sure that the kids were there.” Beyond the summer lunch program, Burkhardt also played a hand in expanding both menus and the quality of food in Lakota schools, including the use of induction cooking, an efficient method of cooking by magnetic induction, to cook fresh vegetables on-site for menu items such as stir fry. During his tenure, Lakota saw its school menus expanded and diversified, making Lakota a “premier food program that a lot of schools in the country look at,” according to Burkhardt. “Eight to 10 years ago when you went through the lunch line, one or two options for lunch was the norm,” Burkhardt said. “Now we have food court concepts, made to order concepts, that could rival restaurants in the area.” In fact, many schools cross-country have half as many menu options as Lakota does, according to Burkhardt. “[Burkhardt] was a great innovator in the way he did things,” Murray said. “If you look at the meals now and compare them to the way they were years ago, they are much better. Chris would ask people what they liked and would try to get it on the menu.” After Burkhardt’s departure, the district’s organization will be modified. Lakota Board of Education President Ben Dibble described the current situation within the Nutrition Department as a “chain of command” with the Director of Child Health and Wellness reporting to the Chief Operating Officer, who then reports to the superintendent. This is another instance where Lakota deviates from the norm since most school districts have an executive team of directors to oversee the district’s operations. According to Burkhardt, after his departure, Lakota will shift to a similar style of organization. With new Lakota Superintendent Matthew Miller starting work in August, Murray believes that “the time is right to make those changes.” “But we’ll be sad to see him go,” Dibble said. Burkhardt feels similarly. “I will greatly miss all of my colleagues and friends here at Lakota,” Burkhardt told Spark. “But I’m not saying good-bye, I’m not letting go of everyone that easy.” Lakota, it seems, will greatly miss Burkhardt as well. “To do what he did, I think some people would have needed 20 years to do it,” Murray said. “He was here eight years, but it seemed like he was here longer. He is going to be missed.”
Ben Dibble Lakota Board of Education President Ben Dibble was elected in 2009 and was voted president by the board members this January. interview michelle chu photography emma stiefel
“One of the challenges of being behind the table [on the school board] is everybody comes to you with their concerns, and they’re very passionate about them, because it’s about their child, and you have to be able to balance the need of one, or three or five [students], against the needs of 16,000. I would love to change everything around each and every child to make life perfect for them, but you just can’t in a system this big. Our goal is always to address each student as themselves and address their needs.
Robb Vogelmann Lakota Acting Superintendent Robb Vogelmann became Assistant Superintendent in 2012 and took over the superintendent position when Former Superintendent Dr. Karen Mantia went on medical leave last year. interview and photography emma stiefel *Vogelmann responded to Spark via email.
Personally – I feel there is a greater expectation for schools to fix/intervene in greater societal issues. Recent unfunded mandates that have been added to the responsibility of schools – Drug abuse reporting/training/prevention, dating violence reporting/training/prevention, bullying reporting/ training/prevention, student self-harm reporting/ training/prevention, responsible social media use/ monitoring, reporting requirements to children protective services, healthy food choices/obesity for students, etc.”
Kathleen Klink Former Lakota Superintendent Kathleen Klink first came to Lakota in 1968 as a substitute teacher and worked as a superintendent from 1994 to 2005. interview michelle chu | photography lauren wilson
“We were growing by an average of 500 students every year. Some years we’d grow by 600, some years 400, but on average, 500 students annually and we were out of space. We had split sessions, we had a separate freshman school, we had enough portables throughout the district that we had an entire school. Enough portables to have 700 students in them. And that was the most significant thing that occurred because that growth caused other changes. It caused us to be on the ballot, I believe, in 1998, we had been on the ballot 11 times to build schools and then to have the operating levy to hire the staff. And all those issues passed because I think the community appreciated their schools and wanted their schools to be the very best.
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Angie Brown
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Lakota Community Outreach Consultant Angie Brown works on engaging parents in their student’s education. interview michael croy | photography emma stiefel
We have Barber Shop Books and Boys every Thursday of the month at Exquisite Haircuts. They get to read a book to everyone in the barber shop and get a free haircut. We always cheer them on and clap for them. We also have Literacy at the Laundromat over at Splash and Dash. If the children read a book to their parents, they get a gift, and it gets the parents involved [in the education of their child]. There’s a lot that I’m extremely proud of.”
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Sue Mahlock Sue Mahlock is the Outreach Director of the Faith Alliance, an organization that coordinates charitable outreaches between local churches. interview sarah yanzsa photography emma stiefel
“A lot of what I do is recruiting volunteers for our dinner programs. One is Stepping Forwards, that was our very first collaborative activity in 2011 that we still do. It’s housed at Faith Community United Methodist, and it’s a free dinner every Tuesday night. They need to have other churches come and help provide the food and sit down and mentor the people. One church really could not do all that, and that’s true for a lot of our activities. We couldn’t have the same impact and help as many people if we didn’t do it together.
Patti Alderson was one of the West Chester/Liberty Community Foundation’s founders.
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interview and photography sarah mullins
When I was a little girl, maybe seven or eight years old, I would think about how I could help dress the kid in the class who clearly didn’t have much. I’d think, ‘I wonder what we could do to help that little girl.’ I didn’t do anything about it, I didn’t have a way to do anything about it at the time, but I think helping others and providing a path for others’ success is something that was always in my DNA.”
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Patti Alderson
CONSTRUCTI CHANGE
Three years after the initial partnership between Lakota and the West Chester/Liberty Boys and Girls Club, construction has begun on the new $7 million facility that will be finished as early as November or December 2017. story and photography sarah mullins
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hree years after the initial partnership between Lakota and the West Chester/Liberty Boys and Girls Club, construction has begun on the new $7 million facility that will be finished as early as November or December 2017, according to Boys and Girls Club Development Chair Patti Alderson. The Lakota School Board met with Boys and Girls Club representatives to negotiate an agreement between the two parties that would
be in both of their best interests. Construction has begun on the new building and there have been no setbacks in the process, the only changes that have been made so far is to change unnecessarily large storage spaces into two extra classrooms according to Alderson. “Everything else is pretty much going as we planned it,” Alderson said. “It is looking like what it is supposed to look like, and we haven’t run into any huge issues, which is always good.”
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The agreement is that the district will lease the nine acre plot of land, where the old Union Elementary building stood, to the club for a span of 50 years, and that at the end of that time the district could reassess the agreement. Before the agreement became official, the club had to raise $7 million by June 1, 2016, and they were successful. The fundraising efforts were led by Alderson, who raised the money through charitable donations and grants. When the agreement was initially
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announced, there was some backlash from the community. The West Chester Historical Society responded negatively because the Old Union building had to be torn down. Some people resisted tearing down the building because of its historical value and because
the demolition would cost roughly $500,000, according to Lakota Executive Director of Media and Community Relations Randy Oppenheimer. The club offered to pay 40 percent of the demolition fees, about $200,000, and the district would cover the other $300,000. “We completely support the work of the Boys and Girls Club,” Oppenheimer said. “They are doing good things for kids, but it still has to be a good business decision for the district collaboration agreement, and that’s what we were looking at.” The district justified the cost of tearing down the building by comparing the cost of the upkeep of the former building and the usefulness of the new one. The old building was costing the district roughly $20,000 a year and served no purpose; it was not up to district standards for buildings, it was not handicap accessible and there was an asbestos problem that made it unsafe to operate inside of, according to Oppenheimer. “If we ever were to use it again as a school it would require [$10 million] in renovations,” Oppenheimer said. “It just makes no sense to renovate a building we have no need for.” Despite money for demolition coming out of taxpayer dollars, the upkeep costs for the building were coming from the same place, according to Oppenheimer. The school board also had a series of public meetings where community members could express their opinions on the issue. “We held a series of public meetings when the school board was deciding what to do, before they ever entered into the collaborative agreement,” Oppenheimer said. “They were very well attended. People came and gave their thoughts and ideas and opinions. The school board listened and the plan changed somewhat from some of the input they got.” The club ultimately is a place for kids to come for academic help and involvement in recreational activities, according to West Chester/Liberty Boys and Girls Club Executive Director Michelle Seither.
“We basically provide a safe place for them to come after school where they can also get academic help,” Seither said. “They can join clubs like leadership clubs and social service clubs. We try to provide them with an array of activities that’s going to keep them interested and having fun.” The directors are trying to erase social stigmas around Boys and Girls Clubs and instead replace it with a positive image that they are there to help all kids find their place. “I think we all imagine a Boys and Girls Club down in the inner city,” Alderson said. “That it’s just for the people who were very desperate and in need, but that is not exactly what a Boys and Girls Club does. It’s important to know that it is for all the kids in the community; it’s a place where kids come and they belong and feel like they fit in and the same people are there everyday so they can form relationships.” The club currently rents a building on Beckett Road and has a program at Liberty Junior. The new building will create more opportunities for kids because it can hold between 600 and 800 students and there will be more facilities available. “It’s going to allow us to work with Lakota in providing tutoring and mentoring for a lot of the kids who may not be able to receive it during the school day,” Seither said. “And it’s going to be like a community center for everyone in the area.” The generosity of the club’s donors has allowed for the building of a new facility, and the fundraising efforts will continue so that the cost of running a Boys and Girls Club will be covered according to Alderson. “I believe the people here are very generous and supportive,” Alderson said. “They understand that this is going to be for generations to come; we will take thousands of kids through [this program]. It is going to make such a big difference to these children who are struggling. We are building a community and making them feel safe and secure in knowing they have a future.”
“It’s important to know that it is for all the kids in the community, it’s a place where kids come and they belong and feel like they fit in and the same people are there everyday so they can form relationships.” – Patti Alderson, West Chester/Liberty Boys and Girls Club Board of Directors Member
MATTHEW MILLER New Lakota Superintendent Matthew Miller will start working for the district in June. interview, story and photography julianne ford
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e sits at his desk answering emails. He hears the Twitter notification on his phone, opens the tweet about an athletic event in Lakota and retweets it. Being active on social media is something new Lakota superintendent Matthew Miller will be doing during his time in the district. Miller needs to complete 15 work days in the district by June 15, 2017, which is the start of his contract. He will work one and a half months as interim superintendent, followed by five years as superintendent. The official beginning of his contract is Aug. 1. Miller’s base salary is $169,900 and will be fixed at that rate for the entirety of his contract. During his 15 days will be spending his time exploring and getting to know the district. “I’ve spent a lot of time with Mr. Vogelmann, he’s been very helpful in my transition process,” Miller said. “We spend a lot of time together getting the lay of the land and learning what has transpired in the last few years and what’s been the current thought on moving forward [in the district].” Along with getting to know the background of Lakota, Miller has also been checking out district buildings. According to Miller, visiting educational spaces is a very important way to get to know the district. The superintendent search took the school district many months. Board of Education President Ben Dibble saw first-hand how much work it took the district to search for candidates for the position. “We did a lot of outreach to find what people would like to see in a new superintendent,” Dibble said. “We interviewed students, staff, community members and the school board, and realistically the most important feedback is from the board because the superintendent works for us.” The district hired K-12 Consulting to come up with a profile that was published online for an ideal superintendent; in total the district spent $17,900. The district had 16 applicants apply, but the profile ultimately
led them to two final candidates, Miller and Dr. Keith Kline. Miller has 17 years of administrative experience and 12 years of superintendent experience. His most recent experience was at Mentor Public Schools, he was the superintendent for 5 years. Miller decided to pursue education to make an impact on communities. “The first and best part of education is helping kids, and the second is getting into administration and helping adults help kids,” Miller said. “I think that’s rewarding for me, just seeing the growth. It’s not all about the highest academic achieving kids or the quarterback. It’s about the day-to-day interactions and the relationships you can build up between the students and the staff and helping them achieve their goals.” Spark reached out to Mentor Public Schools Director of Communications but did not receive a response. East senior Sarah Strack, who attended a stakeholder group meeting regarding the new superintendent, is ecstatic to see a new superintendent who is active on Twitter. “I run the National Honor Society Twitter account,” Strack said. “[Miller has] already been very interactive with that. He’s young and fresh and I believe it’s going to be really awesome to have some new ideas flowing through Lakota.” Miller has been named to the National School Boards Association’s “Top 20 to Watch” superintendent list. This award recognized Miller’s ability to inspire colleagues and explore having high technology in the classroom. Miller has also given a TEDx talk on the expansion of technology in the classroom. TED is a nonprofit that’s main focus is spreading ideas in short, powerful talks. “I want to be a part of the community,” Miller said. “I want to help Lakota be the best school district in the state of Ohio, one of the best districts in the country, and get our kids out front in terms of their successes and their stories. That should be the story of our community. That’s what I want to help the school district do.”
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Amy Rupp Lakota East parent Amy Rupp is President of the Parent Teacher Student Organization (PTSO). interview abby pierrat
“My perspective has changed on what I can expect out of teenagers [because of my work for PTSO]. I would say I had pretty low expectations, but working on things like the craft fair, where we get back to back compliments on how great our students are, makes me recognize that I can have high expectations for these students and they are going to float to the top. They really are the cream of the crop.”
Kathy Boeskool Lakota East parent Kathy Boeskool is the Vice President of Ways and Means for the Parent Teacher Student Organization (PTSO). interview abby pierrat
“One thing about this district is when you do something and you maybe don’t have time to do it but you do it anyway, you get the response from the students or from other parents and you feel appreciated. It makes me feel a little sense of pride, it makes me feel a little happier. [Working for PTSO] makes me more organized because I have to juggle volunteering with working and being a mom, so I would say I am happier and more organized.”
Elizabeth Wilms
Maria Wiedwald Lakota East parent Maria Wiedwald is the Treasurer of the Parent Teacher Student Organization (PTSO) and the Upbeat Club, which raises funds for the band program. interview abby pierrat
“I’m responsible for our ability to go forward, because if we run out of money we won’t be around. So I am always the person saying ‘no we really shouldn’t do this.’ I am not much of a risk taker anyways, so I tend to be cautious when making those kinds of decisions and I treat the PTSO money and the Upbeat money like it’s my own.”
MaryBeth Bauer Lakota East parent MaryBeth Bauer is the Freshman Campus representative on the District Parent Council, a group that meets every other month at Central Office to give feedback on the district. interview emma stiefel
“The toughest part is when they’re talking about really difficult things like how they had to cut music and art and those kinds of things and knowing that those things are coming and going to affect your kids also. But knowing how much everyone really cares about doing the right thing, that’s been a good thing.”
Lorri Stanley
Lakota East parent Elizabeth Wilms is the Vice President of Student Activities for the Parent Teacher Student Organization (PTSO).
Lakota East parent Lorri Stanley is a Main Campus representative on the District Parent Council, a group that meets every other month at Central Office to give feedback on the district.
interview julianne ford
interview emma stiefel
“Many times Hollywood portrays PTSO moms as buttoned-up, busybody housewives who use their time in the school as some kind of power trip over others. I have to say, that has not been my experience. I have met and worked with both men and women who use their talents to ‘get it done,’ whatever ‘it’ is. Working together, using our resources and abilities, allows our staff to focus on their task at hand. And oh, by the way...we have tons of fun doing it!”
“It’s a good way to connect because you get to know more about what’s going on in the schools and the community. People don’t know why schools do a lot of what they do, so you get your answers when you go to these meetings.”
Darla Higgins Lakota East parent Darla Higgins is the Secretary and Volunteer Coordinator of the Parent Teacher Student Organization (PTSO). interview emma stiefel
“The hardest part is always getting volunteers. There’s always a shortage of volunteers, so when we have big events like After Prom, it’s always hard to fill all the positions that need to be filled.”
Kathy Strack Lakota East parent Kathy Strack is a Main Campus representative on the District Parent Council (DPC), a group that meets every other month at Central Office to give feedback on the district. interview emma stiefel
“We’re there for everybody. Anybody from any school, there’s two to three DPC reps for every school, three for the high schools. They can always come to us, we can take their questions, thoughts and opinions to that big board where there’s the parents and Central Office people. It’s a good way to get their voice heard.”
Angela Fisher
Valerie Montgomery
Lakota East counselor Angela Fisher is one of the school’s champions for the Champions for Change program, which was implemented this year to increase cultural proficiency in the district. interview leah boehner
“At this point we’ve done a lot of training about the different types of diversity. It’s interesting because even as much as I thought I knew and the background I’ve come from I thought that I knew a lot but I’m learning more. At this point we haven’t done a whole lot of going out to our buildings and helping others, it’s more just training. It’s interesting to learn even more in-depth and in other areas than what my ethnic background has been in.”
Cherokee Elementary Principal Valerie Montgomery has been a teacher for 23 years and an administrator for 12. interview michael croy
“Some kids come to school having everything they need and some kids come to school not having everything they need. Some students go home and don’t have parents to help them with their homework and some have parents who aren’t home to put dinner on the table. Whether it’s technology or basic needs, these are the things that make my job more difficult. There isn’t a night that goes by where I don’t think about these things that affect our students. I’m always thinking about what I can do to help support these kids.”
Jeff Rouff
Elgin Card Lakota West Principal Elgin Card has worked in Lakota for a total of eight years. interview lina kaval
“At Lakota West, the kids know that I care about them, they know I got their back, but they also know that I expect them to do what I ask them to do. I want them to understand that I am the boss, but I am here to listen and help. I hope people understand, I can’t speak for anyone else, how much I love these kids. Every time I talk about them, they’re my kids. They’re not Lakota West kids, they’re my kids.”
Greg Finke Independence Elementary Principal Greg Finke has worked at the school for 14 years. interview sarah mullins
“Whatever my calendar says is going to happen, doesn’t usually happen. So just the change and the difference of each day is just a really cool opportunity that not a lot of people have. Teachers kind of have the same day, instructional aides kind of have the same day, coaches kind of have the same day, but principals and assistant principals, everyday you never know what you are going to get. So that’s pretty exciting.”
John Wise
Hopewell Junior Principal Jeff Rouff taught at the school for almost a decade before he became an administrator. interview sarah yanzsa
“[The biggest problem I face is] not having enough time. We send our junior high students home at two, and I think that stinks. I’d love to have them here until four, so that students who have to come up with their own rides and money to come do [extracurricular activities], would only have to show up for school and we would take care of the rest. Time is the biggest struggle because when the bell rings at two, there’s so much more [teachers and I] want to get to. Some of it might be content, but some of it is just checking in with kids and seeing what they need, yes academically, but also socially and physically.”
Marlon Styles Lakota Executive Director of Curriculum and Instruction Marlon Styles has held his position for about four years. *styles responded to spark via email interview emma stiefel
“We continue to face the changing scope of education in Ohio. We frequently are in a responsive mode with the ongoing mandates from the Ohio Department of Education.”
Doug Hale
Woodland Elementary Principal John Wise was Hopewell Junior’s assistant principal for five years before he entered his current position this year.
Deputy Doug Hale is the School Resource Officer for Lakota East.
interview sarah yanzsa
interview sarah yanzsa
“We do a lot for the whole child. We do a lot of just teaching them obviously, but we also support them emotionally and provide them with experiences here that they don’t get at home. Between teachers, administrators and counselors, we do a lot more for that whole child to help them grow as people and as learners.”
“Sometimes it gets boring in here but that’s okay. And that’s what I try to tell the guys out on the streets; sometimes they drive around for eight hours and won’t get a call. There’s always something to do here. If I do one thing a day to help a student out it’s been a successful day even if that’s just saying something nice to a student who seems down.”
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feature
Everyone has a story. Feature provides a glimpse into what is happening within the school and community by familiarizing readers with the people and places around them. Cool place stories, like the Pop Shop or Ten Thousand Villages, tell of new and exciting places to spend a summer afternoon or shop with friends. In such a large district, it can be difficult to discover the stories of people in other buildings or even one’s peers. This issue we took a look within and beyond East’s walls to hear the voices of Lakota students and teachers.
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Madison Must East senior Madison Must spends her time dedicated to her faith and photography.
interview karmiela white photography used with permission from madison must
“I don’t think I have a real need to stay here and stay close to family, as bad as that sounds. I’m just not that type of person. My biggest fear is staying here in West Chester my whole life. There’s so much in the world. I feel like the people that don’t want to leave here haven’t really experienced the world and what it is. There’s so much out there, and I feel like some people in this town live in their own bubble and don’t really know that this world is so much bigger than us.
Emily Henry East sophomore Emily Henry recalls her first year at Main Campus and looks to how the next two years will help shape her future. interview alyssa hetterich photography lauren wilson
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“I love makeup and dolling people up and seeing what you can make out of people. Ever since I was little, I’ve been obsessed with doing hair and makeup. After time, I finally allowed myself to think that this could become a career. Hopefully, I am going to finish cosmetology school and then maybe start a business or go to business school in college.
Erin Schneider Lakota East English teacher Erin Schneider uses literature to teach students the values of compassion and kindness.
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interview gabbie behrmann photography maya wells
[My advice to students is to] be kind to people. Just try to consider what another person is going through. Different experiences can take people different places.”
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Ronan Cole
Lakota East senior Ronan Cole expresses himself through abstract art and is pursuing a future in illustration. interview morgan kile | photography morgan kile
“I most often find inspiration from observing people and finding features and little things about people to magnify and exaggerate into a full painting. I also find a lot of inspiration in music; I’ll often listen to an album when I start a painting, and the mood and feel of the music is often translated into the piece. I also find a lot of inspiration in films and artists.
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educating happiness East mathematics teacher Pat Kreider helps his students to better understand the value of learning calculus and also the importance of finding the humor in life. story gabbie behrmann photography maya wells
F
ive days a week, from mid-August to late May, students start school at 8:05 a.m., go through six class periods, and leave when the bell rings at 2:40 p.m. But for some students, there is at least one period in their schedule that they look forward to each day. They look forward to the “spunky” teacher who yells “FOR THE LOVE OF SQUIRRELS” every time he makes a simple mistake. From battles over Sierra Mist to his fatherly pre-prom talks, East Honors Precalculus and Advanced Placement (AP) Calculus BC teacher Pat Kreider has not only been teaching challenging math classes since East opened, but he has also been creating a fun, “family atmosphere” in his classroom as well. “I really try to get to know the kids and get the kids to try and get to know each other, says Kreider. “This is very important. I know it sounds cheesy, but by the end of the year you want your class to have a family feel.” Creating a welcoming environment makes diving into derivatives just a little bit better. This year is Kreider’s first year teaching AP Calculus BC. He will be taking the place of Mary Liz Lamb, another math teacher who will be retiring at the end of this school year after teaching for 31 years. “He’s a very friendly person, and I’m impressed with his work ethic,” says Lamb. “I’m really proud of him and all of the work he’s put into getting the class ready.” Kreider credits a lot of his progress in teaching the class to Lamb, who was a “huge help” this year. She showed him the ropes and gave him all sorts of tips so he could better prepare for next year. “It’s been an eye opener,” says Kreider. “The pace of the class is extremely fast and even ‘fast’ isn’t strong enough of an adjective.” The course can be very challenging, with it’s rigid time frame, but East senior Tyler Redmond says that Kreider makes the class more enjoyable. “Mr. Kreider is so lively and always full of energy, like a puppy” says Redmond. “It’s still a hard class, but he makes it so it’s not just ‘sit down and learn’ but instead it’s ‘learn a little’ and then ‘have a little fun.’” East senior Jesse Patton says the class isn’t
just about the material they learn, but about getting to know people too. She explains how on block days they had “check-in” days, where for 10 minutes at the start of each class, every person would share something that was going on in their life, whether that be a problem they are having or what they had for breakfast. Lamb has observed the compassion and kindness of Kreider’s room on multiple occasions and agrees with Patton about Kreider’s dedication to his students. “He’s easy to learn from because he’s very good about explaining things, and he’s willing to take the time to help,” says Lamb. “His students feel comfortable asking him things. I think the kids know that he truly is interested and cares about them.” East junior Adam Johantges says Kreider has created what Johantages calls “Kreider culture.” Johantges says he “possesses a quality”
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that cheers everyone up, no matter their mood. Redmond explains that people don’t ever have to be completely serious his class. “There was one day I brought a bouncy ball to class, and Kreider took it because I wouldn’t stop bouncing it,” says Redmond. “So later I went up and took his Serria Mist off his desk. We’ve been making jokes about it all year.” Kreider knows that students really appreciate all of the fun and humor he brings to his classes. One piece of advice he gives his seniors is to pursue happiness, not money. In a way, Kreider, himself has achieved that goal through his 20 years of teaching. “I just try find ways to be happy and enjoy life,” says Kreider. “That’s one of the things that attracted me to teaching. I wanted to find something that I enjoyed. I try to find humor in little things here and there. It all makes a difference.”
Michelle Kohler Working to bridge the gap between students, parents and administrators, East counselor Michelle Kohler helps make the school run a little smoother. interview and photography emma stiefel
A big part of my job is working between students, parents, teachers and the administration, so I feel like counselors are kind of the link that brings all of those pieces together. I think that’s really important, because teachers are focusing on teaching, parents are focusing on parenting their students, and a lot of times the counselor is the person who’s really able to bring the whole team together to be on the same page and help students.”
Stephanie Fulmer Stephanie Fulmer, teacher at Woodland Elementary, helps encourage her students to have confidence and not to sweat the small things. interview gabbie behrmann photography maya wells
“When you get to this point in your life, and have lived a little, you figure out the things that are really important. The things that are important to me now are just being happy, making sure my kids and my family are taken care of, enjoying life, and not so much worrying about how other people perceive me.
Lakota East sophomore Bella Dohn has been riding horses for five years. interview lexy harrison | photography lauren wilson
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Bella Dohn
“I just like hanging out with the horses a lot, because to me they’re just like giant dogs. I love horses, and I like riding; it’s really enjoyable for me. I’m a very independent person, and horseback riding is a very independent sport. I feel like it really appeals to me in that [way]. Ever since I was a little kid, I’ve always liked horses.
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Katie Bohn Kate Bohn is a Union Elementary teacher and the mother of Lakota East senior Carolyn Bohn. interview and photography karmiela white
I like to take opportunities; I don’t ever like to pass something up. If we pass by something on the highway, we have to stop because we might never pass that place again. I like that kind of thing. As I’m getting older, and as I get closer to the end of my career, I have a plan, and I know what I’m going to do now, and I hope I’ve instilled that same spontaneous nature in my kids as well.”
Jesse Dornan Lakota East metals teacher Jesse Dornan hopes to inspire kids that it is possible to overcome adverse situations. interview gabbie behrmann photography maya wells
Hardworking people who are honest, down to earth and humble inspire me. People who are excited for life, positive and ready for the next big adventures get me excited in the classroom everyday because that makes me want to work hard for them. Even in the classroom you get new students and new adventures and experiences. It makes each day unique in their own way.�
Stacy Souders Stacy Souders, mother of Lakota East senior Payton Souders, encourages her children to see all sides of the story. interview and photography karmiela white
One of the things that makes me really proud of all three of [my kids] is that I think they have fairly open minds. They have some set opinions, but I think they’re still willing to listen to both parts of the story and be open to change. I think some kids are not so much like that: they see the world in a very particular way and that’s the way they’re going to keep seeing it. I’m proud of my kids for being able to do that.”
Suzanne Wahler Independence Elementary sixth grade science teacher Suzanne Wahler teaches her students the lessons of life. interview gabbie behrmann photography maya wells
“I care less about the little things. I care more about people and our Earth. I don’t worry so much about the curriculum as much as I love just being with my students and talking with them and answering their questions, and I don’t worry about whether I’ve covered today’s lesson. I should, but I look at life more as a whole and as just being in the present and not worrying too much. – 27 –
Rick Cooper Liberty Junior social studies teacher Rick Cooper inspires kids to push themselves intellectually in the classroom. interview dani dudash | photography richard giang
“Over the time that I have been here, I’ve been fortunate enough to teach a lot of really great kids and what inspires me is to try to inspire them to accomplish the great things that they are capable of doing. I think sometimes when you are 13 and 14, you don’t know what you can do. You’re afraid to put yourself out there to take those intellectual risks and to push yourself. Some of them just do absolutely amazing things and that inspires me to try to give them the opportunity to display their great skills that they have.
Robyn Parrish Hopewell Junior teacher Robyn Parrish hopes to instill a kind nature in all of her students. interview madison ragsdale photography richard giang
The quote, ‘Be kinder than necessary, because everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle,’ sums up my biggest life lesson. The more challenges and the greater the heartbreak I’ve experienced, the more empathetic I have become. The older I get, the easier it has become to give people the benefit of the doubt and realize that we are all struggling with something and me being kind may just be exactly what the other person needs to help them get through the day.”
Jeff Martin
Asher Pape
Guitar teacher Jeff Martin seeks to give students an outlet through music and encourage creativity.
Lakota East student Asher Pape offers advice on music and feelings.
interview meredith neimann
interview connor richman
“Music gives young people a way to express their feelings and gives them a direction. Being in a band creates organization, companionship and teamwork that others see. I hope to inspire people with my work by writing songs that express my feelings, and make people feel good through the language of music.”
“At least once, someone should listen to The Beatles, because for someone that has a crush on someone or someone who’s in love, I think if you’re confused about why you’re feeling this way or why you’re all the sudden having feelings towards someone it might help to listen to some of the songs [The Beatles] have done, it might help translate the things that you’re feeling.”
Kayley Shafner As a dance teacher, Kayley Shafner sees the way dance has positively affected her and students.
interview meredith neimann “I think I am most happy when I am dancing, just because it has been such a big part of my life for so long. But also as a teacher, I am most happy when I see my students succeed, obviously. I am happy when I see the light bulb go off, and I see them asking questions. My happiest moments are when I’m dancing or teaching someone.”
Alyce Jackson Van Gorden teacher Alyce Jackson has found herself in inspiring her students to be confident.
interview alyssa hetterich “I was quiet in school; I was one of the kids that would never raise their hand. Once in awhile I would, but when I’m in front of kids, it is so different. It’s not like being in front of adults; I’m just myself in front of the kids.”
David Vogt
Julie Crowell Lakota East English teacher Julie Crowell hopes her students will seek to learn from experience.
interview dani dudash “When I was in high school, I was in a bunch of activities and plays, and we pretended to be people. I read and I wrote, but then when I was in college, I went to Spain. As I got older, I’m less satisfied with just reading about it or learning about it. I’d rather do.”
Cindy Hillman Physical therapist Cindy Hillman helps to give her patients the best possible care and comfort
interview meredith neimann “Some of the patients I have treated have not had a very long life expectancy and some have passed away weeks or months after they finished their therapy. To me, the impact for those patients is that the time they had left on Earth was spent with purpose and not just suffering alone in a hospital bed. Each day as we work with those patients, we are able to ease their pain, help them feel a little stronger, and just have one more human connection. I feel that the quality of life at the end of their life was a little better, because they were engaged with caring people that helped them to feel a little stronger and gave them goals and purpose.”
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Lakota East AP psychology teacher David Vogt speaks on voting and the sociology of politics.
interview austin black “I think my greatest hope is that [students] will see the world with more clarity, and that they will not fall to the conformity of how society wants you to be or how politics wants you to vote. But for them to think about the logistics and see people through a different lens and to understand humans: human failures, human success, and that we can be more tolerant or accepting, not because it’s politically correct, but learning because of psychology that everyone has something going on for them to see the situation beyond just the person.”
Maison Peterson Lakota East senior Maison Peterson ponders the true meaning of life and its complexities.
interview morgan kile “This is a cliché, but I think life is a test, and the way you live it defines who you are. When we all die, none of us are going to have anything: we are just going to be souls. And who you are will be determined by how you treated people when you were alive and how you lived when you were alive. So I think life is just about trying to live the best life you can and be as happy as you can for as long as you can and making other people happy.”
Wade Prather
Eric Bolander
Lakota East senior Wade Prather hopes to see a future more respectful than it was before.
Eric Bolander, father of Lakota East freshman Megan Bolander, discusses how he met his wife.
interview austin black
interview alyssa hetterich
“I really want people to be more respectful to other people. I think that is one of the biggest problems this world faces. Whether it’s for girls or for guys, everyone is just so disrespectful. We should look at other people as human beings and everyone deserves to be treated the same exact way. No matter who you are, what you look like, what gender you are or anything, you should be treated correctly. That’s what I want this world to be like.”
“We actually were high school sweethearts, we met when we were 19, so we’ve known each other for 20 something years. In my mind that equals success to me because I knew straight out of high school, when we first started dating that we were going to get married. So to me, that kind of wrapped it all up. I knew what I wanted: I wanted a wife and family and kids and I knew I found that in her after our first date or so.”
Julie Fuqua
Matt Rabold Lakota East counselor Matt Rabold helps students garner the strength to work through problems. interview emma stiefel
“I like it when I can help a student develop problem solving skills so they aren’t looking for someone else to do things for them but are able to take care of it themselves. I’ve had students in the past who perhaps didn’t handle personal relationships well or maybe tended to be confrontational or had trouble seeing things from other people’s point of view, so I help them work through that and develop different mechanisms that would help them put themselves in someone else’s place.”
Hopewell Junior band director Julie Fuqua teaches several band classes.
interview madison ragsdale “Outside of music, on a more personal level, I like the up and down of the [middle school] kids. I like how one minute they’re 12 and the next they act like they’re two, and the next they think they’re 20. I like to provide some consistency within that. That’s fun for them, and nothing is the same, but with music we can all come together, and they can grow and mature in that way.”
Audrey Oleson
Laura Kunkel
Lakota East sophomore Audrey Oleson goes wakeboarding with her family every summer to experience the joy.
Van Gorden science teacher Laura Kunkel seeks to give students second chances and forgiveness.
interview lexy harrison
interview alyssa hetterich “Love and grace go a long way. I know that’s a religious term, but in a secular setting, give kids those second chances [since] maybe the reason they didn’t have a great day is because life at home stinks right now. So I think grace and giving second chances and accepting people for who they are is part of the love.”
Michelle Wilkerson Lakota East English teacher Michelle Wilkerson gives students the chance to gain success and happiness.
interview lucy hartmann “It makes me happy to see one of my kids succeed when they are able to do such great things. That’s why we’re here: to see a kid or senior who is trying to pass a class or try to get into a college or pass a test and do something great.”
“[Wakeboarding] is very enthralling and I love the rush. It’s cool because you have to learn to balance yourself and I’m good at that. You can just sit there and hear the music [from the boat] and it’s really fun. You can do 360s and jump; my favorite part is jamming out to the music while you’re back there.”
Annie Cantrell Lakota East Spanish teacher Annie Cantrell discusses her high school career.
interview lucy hartmann “When I was in high school, both of my parents lost their jobs within a year of each other. We went through about ten years that were really, really tough financially, and they thought they were going to lose their house. In college, they couldn’t help me out with a lot of things that other people’s parents could, but what I learned from them was so much better than the things they could have given me.”
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PACKAG
We are all connected. Package links people to issues and tells their stories, using professionals to provide insight into topics and multiple angles to diversify an issue. In this issue, people provide the inspiration as we share the stories of their lives. Package went downtown, into stores at midnight, and talked to people in the community to gain perspective on the lives that surround us. Different people of different backgrounds come together to make a unique community. Through this exploration, Package learned how people are the true driving force behind our community.
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Lejuan Young
Lejuan Young feels at peace when working at an animal shelter. interview cristina francisco | photography morgan kile
I can have the worst day ever but just coming [to the animal shelter] and being able to take care of the animals makes me feel a lot better. It makes me happy. The day I got [my dog] made me the happiest, because it’s a sort of comfort or therapeutic thing. Most of my day consists of taking care of everyone else’s needs, but when it comes to her, she loves to comfort.”
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Austin McGehy Austin McGehy says it was easy adapting to being a parent and the process set him on the right path. interview and photography morgan kile
“Once I had my daughter, I was 100 percent changed. [I] stopped doing everything I used to do [and] stopped being a kid basically. I grew up within a matter of seconds.
Allegra Czerwinski Allegra Czerwinski is a former student journalist who now works at the Dayton Daily News. interview maddox linneman photography morgan kile
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I just got a new job working for Dayton. com. I’m really passionate about journalism. I worked for my high school newspaper back in the day. It was called The Dome in a small town close to Dayton. I would design their pages and write some articles for them, [but] I do digital work now. I wholeheartedly believe in what we do. With the backlash going on right now, I think that makes what we do as important as ever.” – 34 –
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Daniel Faulkner
After growing up in a mountain community, Daniel Faulkner stresses the importance of money in a happy life. interview maddox linneman | photography morgan kile
“Every penny I get I put it to use. Every penny I get, I spread it, like spreading peanut butter on bread. [Money changes] most people. For bad. If you have to work hard for it, it doesn’t. It makes you a better person. If anything is just given to you, more than likely it’ll bring you in the opposite direction. You have to have a little bit of help from parents and grandparents. You have to have some help, but you can’t be spoiled. If they spoil you too much, it will ruin your life. Always work for what you get. Don’t ever depend on anybody to give you anything for free. The most important thing is to be content with yourself and not depend on somebody else to be happy.
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Trinity Dudley
Trinity Dudley has reestablished her life after being homeless by going back to school, getting a job, and purchasing a car. interview cristina francisco | photography morgan kile
“I think me being homeless was a big change for me. Going through that struggle and having no one there to help me, it was like I had to start all the way over from the bottom and get to where I am now. I think being homeless had a lot to do with [shaping] my life.
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Joseph Stoffel
Joseph Stoffel works as a cook in downtown Cincinnati. interview erinn aulfinger | photography morgan kile
I’m not a homeless man, but I’ve been there back and forth because of the life I’ve been in. I am not a religious man. I don’t believe in religion, but I believe in conspiracy; religion was made by man. I fear God, [which] means whatever I do comes back to get [me]. I do believe in Jesus Christ. Whenever I lose my faith, I get mad and angry at Him. I get angry at Him, because I don’t understand why I [have to] go through that.”
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Lacey Hemingway
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Lacey Hemingway’s family owns a horse carriage business. interview and photography morgan kile
I wish I didn’t have Crohn’s disease. I found out I had it when I was 12 years old. I have had seven surgeries on my stomach. It just seems like it gets worse and worse. The medicine that they put you on, some days it helps and some days it [doesn’t]. There are some days that I can’t even get out of bed. If it wasn’t for [my] family, I don’t think I could get motivated to get up. We are a family of 14. Everything we make goes to our family and our horses. [The horse carriage company] is family-owned; my husband and his dad own the company. [One
time, Mariah Carey] had come to our stables and picked out a horse. [We] have a big blue Cinderella [carriage] and Mariah got married on one that looked exactly like it, so she wanted that carriage. We hooked the horse and pulled up where we were supposed to, and she came walking out in this big Snow White gown. Then she goes, ‘Hi, I’m Mariah Carey,’ and [to my husband I was like,] ‘I flipping told you.’ I said, ‘You get to clean the stalls for the rest of the month,’ and he’s like, ‘I’ll never underestimate you again I promise.’”
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Simeon Dennis
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Simeon Dennis believes there is a connection between his astrology sign, Cancer, and his everyday behavior.
interview cristina francisco photography morgan kile
“[I’ve been changed by] society. My generation is hooked onto what society likes, they’re not hooked onto what they like [or] what betters them. They are simple minded, in a closed box and don’t go outside their box. Society has changed a lot and has changed people. I was brought up around older people and [my mom] always told me, ‘if you don’t try something you’ll never learn
from something.’ I’d rather go outside my box and learn from my mistakes than not go outside my box and miss a blessing. I like to meet new people and talk to people. I learn a lot and I listen, [which relates to me being] a Cancer. [I’m also] getting wings [tattooed] on my back [to symbolize that] I am flying like an eagle, soaring above everything else and looking down and seeing how everything is.
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Mary Ann Curtis
Mary Ann Curtis vocalizes her opinions in politics in support of housing for the poor.
interview michelle chu | photography maya wells
“I just came from an affordable housing rally in front of City Hall and apparently we’re short 40,000 low-cost housing units in Cincinnati. That affects me, because I’m a doctor who prescribes treatment for heroin addicts and a lot of my patients come out of jail or prison. I’ve been involved in political activism since I was in the eighth grade.
Rubina Dosani Rubina Dosani says she struggles most with balancing the different aspects of her life. interview sarah aftab photography cara satullo
“[My biggest struggle is] trying to find a balance in life. It’s always there. I work full-time, but as I get older, I want to give more and more of my time to worship and helping others. I have to find the time to fit all of those things in. When the kids were younger, I focused all my time on them. But as they get older and have their own lives, I want to have my own life, and I want to do things for other people and find that time in my life to do that. [I’m learning how to] switch gears.
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Heather Heinrich Heather Heinrich says becoming a parent has taught her to be a selfless person.
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interview maddox linneman photography morgan kile
[When my son was younger, he was] very affectionate and loving. Even as boys get older, they go through that period of becoming independent and a man, but every once in awhile you see that little boy in them, especially when it’s something very exciting. They’ll look at you and you can just tell, they kind of revert back. I think men in general always have a little boy in them, even as adults. My husband acts like a kid half of the time.” – 41 –
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Lisa Walker
Lisa Walkers hopes to learn more about her ancestors at the Cincinnati Public Library. interview cristina francisco | photography morgan kile
“I am [in the library] researching genealogy. When you’re young you feel like you know all the information, you don’t care and then [your relatives] unfortunately die and then you can’t get the information anymore. It’s kind of a looking back thing. I am trying to find [my great, great] grandmother. She seems to have vanished, and I am trying to find her wedding license.
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Trey Bundy
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Journalist Trey Bundy is fascinated by the potential impact of virtual reality, whether it is to enhance storytelling or visual art. interview sidney li | photography morgan kile
Trying to figure out what is a good virtual reality (VR) story is a bit of a trick. It’s great for games [and] for art projects. We had an exhibit here yesterday where you could actually paint your own environment. There’s a lot of VR that’s visually dazzling. Figuring out how and why to use VR in journalism is a little trickier. This isn’t necessarily meant to be a fireworks display. So what we decided to do is not actually use the story to show off the VR, but use
the VR to enhance the story. The idea was how do you put the user in the recorder’s shoes and give people that actual experience of what it’s like. When you see people in these produced settings, looking off camera, talking about whatever they’re talking about, [it gives people] the feeling that somebody’s right there, telling you their story for the first time, that’s the thing that people actually react to the most from this.”
Alok Karnick Alok Karnick says one should find the meaning of life through an inner connection with themselves, yoga and meditation. interview sidney li | photography morgan kile
Let’s take a burrito, when you eat it, most of the time, how do you eat a burrito? You are unconscious as you’re hungrily eating the burrito. When was the last time that you tasted every bite of what you ate? You know, that is what life is about, being fully alive. It’s not about just passing through life.” – 44 –
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Carl Fauver
Carl Fauver explains the difference between being a parent and a grandparent, and hopes to pass on discipline and structure to his grandchildren’s life.
interview maddox linneman | photography morgan kile
“[Family is] the most important thing in life. Without family, what do you have? The only real friends you have are your family [members]. You have to be very close to them. My wife and I have been married for 43 years, and we’ve been very blessed to have a good life.
M. Shannon
Paige Swanson Paige Swanson is a hotel receptionist at Four Corners.
M. Shannon helps with re-employment training through his restaurant Venice on Vine.
interview noor ghuniem
interview maya wells
“[Working as a hotel receptionist is] helping me reach my goal of paying off my student tuition. I enjoy people; I’m a people person. I enjoy getting to talk to and meet all kinds of different people throughout my day from all over the place. It’s really fun for me.”
“People’s vision for a community may change over time but their hopes for themselves are probably consistent. Cincinnati’s always been a community of immigrants and some of the first were the African Americans coming north, but every nationality arrived, and they settled on the different hillsides. This community took a number of hits through the years. First was World War I and then the Great Depression, [the invention] of the automobile, and the flood of ‘37. I would like to see a community that is more interconnected, [with] a place for lots of different people with different faces and different perspectives and different amounts of money in their pockets.”
Brittney Midkiff Brittney Midkiff works at Walmart during the late night shift. interview emma stiefel
“I’m going to school for graphic design, [and working at Walmart] is paying my tuition [at the University of Cincinnati]. I’ve wanted to do graphic design since I was in sixth grade because my aunt was a photographer. I wanted to go freelance [after graduation] but I might have to work for a firm first and get my stuff out there. I just want to be successful at what I do, I don’t know if I want to do like advertising or if I want to do something in music, I haven’t decided. It kind of depends on where I get a job and where it takes me.”
Lauren Petry Lauren Petry works as a pharmacist at Walgreens.
interview noor ghuniem
Jason Witty Jason Witty is a firefighter paramedic at the West Chester Fire Station.
interview noor ghuniem “When you are able to save somebody and save somebody’s life, it’s a joy. I had a run on a pediatric patient that we had to get to West Chester Hospital. We had to take a doctor with us and take him downtown, then we had to open up his head, because he had a brain bleed, he was only eight years old. We still remember runs like that, because it’s very significant to us. You also have all the detrimental stuff on the other side, [like] people you can’t save. So it’s not all good, but you try to highlight the good parts.”
Jennifer Dove Jennifer Dove, nicknamed Magoo by her father, is a hot dog vendor in Cincinnati.
interview sidney li “I have had so many good things happen [while working as a vendor]. It’s cool that it’s not only my job but my social life as well. It’s like a home away from home. Whenever I see my friends, we are right here at the hot dog spot, which is like a little hangout place for me. I do this and go home. I don’t really go out, so this is my social life.”
“If I’m thinking along the lines of other pharmacy students that I’ve come into contact with, [I would want to inspire them by] just encouraging them, because I know pharmacy can be a tough world, and it’s hard to get through school with seven or eight years of schooling. I like to also make sure patients know we actually care about their health, and we want them to have the best life they can. I want them to know that we are about more than just prescribing. Just looking at the whole person, and taking into consideration all the needs they may have besides just the physical portion is all part of my job.”
Charles Lester Charles Lester is a member of the Ancient Order of Hibernians.
interview sidney li “The Ancient Order of Hibernians (AOH) is a Catholic men’s group, who are Irish, either by birth or descent. We do a lot of charitable work, and we are also involved with the St. Patrick’s Day parade by promoting Irish history and culture. One of my most memorable times being in the AOH was when I was a henchman in stealing the St. Patrick’s day memorial on St. Patrick’s day, which happens every year on the second Sunday of February. Either around the 12th or the 14th in Mount Adams. The AOH has a memorial mass for all of its deceased members. As part of that ritual, they steal the statue of St. Patrick, put it on a truck, drive it around in a mini parade, then put it back in the church. To note, as one of the henchmen, St. Patrick is very heavy.”
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Sobia Yaqub
Robert Naeny
interview sarah aftab
interview michelle chu
“I had this thing, I used to be a little bit afraid of people. I wanted this approval or appreciation, but then I thought, ‘well, if I follow my own dreams, I will get the best appreciation.’ And that’s what happened to me, because I followed and I did not look for other people’s approval. There’s a saying, people who do not need the approval of others—need, not want—are the ones who get the most approval out of the world. Because when you need everybody’s approval, nobody will let you go above them. So don’t care about other people’s approval.”
“My brother is one of the co-owners [of Pedal Wagon], they started it back in 2011, and I moved into the Cincinnati area a little under two years ago to join the business. Some of the most fun groups [to drive] are probably the older customers, maybe around 30. They’ve all moved out of Cincinnati, but it’s a fun way for them to get back and reconnect so sometimes these people haven’t seen each other in a year or more so whenever they get together, they bring it back all sorts of fun memories and are really looking to have fun.”
Sobia Yaqub’s least proud moments are when she gives in due to fear of disapproval.
Shakila Ahmad
Shakila Ahmad aspires to show the significance of American Muslims in her community.
interview sarah aftab “[My biggest dream is] to do everything within my power and my community’s power to show how American Muslims are a part of American society and that the contributions that they have given, continue to give, and have the potential to give, will make this country truly a hallmark and a beacon for the world. So [my biggest dream is for Muslims]to be part of the American landscape, and to be not just known, but respected for it.”
Robert Naeny works for his brother’s business Pedal Wagon.
Ken Bordwell Ken Bordwell is on the Over the Rhine Community Housing Organization board.
interview maya wells “I was in the Peace Corps right out of college, spent a couple years in Brazil, then came back here. Then I moved out to Cincinnati to go to graduate school in community planning and then out of that got a job in the city and worked for the city in community planning and housing and reorganizing all that sort of stuff for 30 years and then retired and that got me on the board of the Over the Rhine Community Housing Organization that builds affordable housing in Over the Rhine, so that’s why we’re downtown today.”
Andrea Seggerman Shelby Gilmore Andrea Seggerman was at Waffle House at 3 a.m. trying to save a goose in the parking lot.
interview lauren wilson “I’ve been a vegetarian since I was 11. I was on my way to my aunt’s house for Thanksgiving, and there was a truck of turkeys on it, and I saw them, and I was 11 years old, and I couldn’t justify the genocide every year. But I’ve been a vegetarian ever since, and that’s why we have friends that run over geese on purpose, and I’m like how can you do that.”
Jon Jasko Jon Jasko works as a valet in downtown Cincinnati.
interview sidney li “There have been some times where it has really sucked being a valet with really bad weather. A couple other valet guys and I are just chilling out here miserably [because of the heavy rains.] However, we plow through as a team and remember those days down the road.”
David’s Tea worker Shelby Gilmore describes herself as passionate.
interview michelle chu “I do everything with my heart, 100 or zero percent. My heart has to be in it or I can’t do it. I feel like that’s my greatest asset, but it’s also a shortcoming of mine, because it can get in the way when you’re so heartfelt. When I was in high school, I was super obsessed with “Pirates of the Caribbean,” and they released the new trailer from “Pirates of the Caribbean,” I had a friend who I had not talked to in four and a half years and he texted me, ‘hey did you see they released the new ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ trailer?’ and I flipped out.
Maria Lippes
Maria Lippes works at an Other the Rhine location of Mahtma Gandhi.
interview maya wells “Little Mahatma is named after Mahatma Gandhi, but it’s also a greeting and a way of life, which is love, peace, joy, prosperity, respect, compassion, wisdom and enlightenment.”
CULTURE The ability to create is what sets humans apart from other species. Chefs, musicians, painters, designers and directors shape the world in order to make every day a little more interesting. These artists see things differently and bring light to new ideas. This issue Culture aimed to capture these unique perspectives.
Zander Barnard Zander Barnard is a model and artist.
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interview and photography lauren wilson
After I finished college, I stopped drawing. Then one night, I wrote out this long note on my phone that said, ‘You should draw more–you’re good at this stuff.’ After that, I started doing things with watercolor or electrical tape, just any medium. I switched from modeling to more creative directing because I realized I’d rather create something, and I don’t care if it’s me in front of the camera–I just want to make cool things. Now I have a company in New York with a friend, and we’ve got things planned through January 2019. As long as I’m making stuff, I don’t even care if it pays. I think it’s been within the last two years that I’ve become confident enough to say, ‘hey, I’m a local creative as well,’ and I shouldn’t be embarrassed or ashamed to say that.”
Becky Gebhart
Becky Gebhart owns Picture This, a framing company. interview caroline bumgarner photography vivica heidenreich
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The thing about framing is that it takes a raw piece of art or a document, and you see it through to the finish. You see it through the stages of either mounting it, or putting the right type of matte and colors to go with it to make it look nice. Then you can hold it up and say, ‘oh, this has really turned out nice; this was how I wanted it to look.’”
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Phil Colins
Phil Colins is a professional musician. interview and photography samadhi marapane
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First of all, you have to inspire yourself. You have to love what you’re doing so much that it oozes out. When people on stage are having a great time playing great music and loving it, that reaches people. When they’re tired of their routine, and they need to come hear some refreshing music, that’s when we come in: entertainment. At times my job brings me incredible joy and at times frustration, like any other job in the community. The thing I try to teach my students is to make your work fun: sitting here, practicing, and already thinking about the stage, the performance, and your love for what you’re doing. Rather than just cracking out the notes, you can be an artist on the stage.”
Madeline Jazek
Madeline Jazek is a makeup artist. interview and photography lauren wilson
“It started in high school; I just did my makeup for prom and then things escalated. Now when new palettes come out, I’m ordering [makeup products] constantly. Trying new makeup is really how you grow. You can take as many classes as you want, but if you’re not doing it yourself, you’re not learning anything. My advice is to be creative and don’t be afraid to get crazy with it.
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Lakota East senior Danielle De La Cruz is a future Picasso. interview julia sanders | photography lauren wilson
“I put things together from personal experiences or experiences from other people. I put that into a concept, and then I exaggerate the story and try to represent that in a piece.
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Danielle De La Cruz
Spencer Kenney
Lakota East senior Spencer Kenny is a photographer. interview and photography lauren wilson
“About a year and a half ago I went to my first abandoned building in Hamilton with some buddies. We were looking for places to take pictures, and then I saw it. After that [photographing abandoned buildings] became an addiction. It’s like your own playground; you can do whatever you want. I’m not into mainstream photography; I consider myself an art photographer. I don’t want people to look at my work and say, ‘yeah, that’s a cool picture’ I want them to say, ‘wow, that’s different; I haven’t seen that done before.’
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Back in 2009, I was into a lot of crappy pop music, like The Black Eyed Peas, and then my dad showed me Modest Mouse. In just one week, I listened to their entire discography and that’s really what inspired me to play guitar. I had listened to classic rock before; I had grown up with The Beatles and the Rolling Stones because my mom played them a lot. But I never realized that throughout my life my dad was playing stuff like Fugazi and The Pixies. But then Modest Mouse came up, and I immediately got into them. I went from The Black Eyed Peas to
Modest Mouse in an instant. It’s the funniest thing to me still. So one day we went to my parents’ friend’s house, and he had this weird black Chinese Strat. I played it, and I liked it a lot. It was close to my birthday, so when it came up [my parents] got it for me, and it was my first real guitar. I didn’t know anything about music theory or anything like that, I was just playing rhythms. Then we were just driving down the road and I saw the School of Rock, and I was like, ‘ooh, let’s check it out.’ And the rest is history.”
Owen Kenney
Owen Kenney a musician and student at the School of Rock. interview tyler bonawitz | photography maya wells
Nate Freeland
Nate Freeland is the Hot Shop Manager at Neusole Glassworks. interview rebecca holst photography used with permission
“There’s that saying that if you do what you love you never work a day in your life and that sounds cliché, but I believe it. My family and friends, they saw that I was creative: they knew I liked to draw and sculpt and make things. I’ve had the full support of friends and family, even strangers, who just encouraged me to follow [my dream]. I never want to stifle anyone’s creativity or ambitions to do what they want to do. I’m working with a kid right now who can’t afford to blow glass. I work with him once every two weeks and he wants to be a glass blower. I’m slowly training him, and I will only encourage him. Whether it’s glass or not, if you can make something that projects the idea of beauty, then that becomes successful, because people these days are engulfed in negativity. There’s a lot of ugly stuff, whether it’s in the news or media, but this gives you a chance to be on the other side, more of a positive side.
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Carina Combs
Carina Combs is a local hairstylist. interview caroline bumgarner photography vivica heidenreich
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[I hope to inspire people] by being creative and being myself as a young business owner. I hope girls can look at me and see that I can do it and so can they by just following their dreams. A lot of people think that you need a college degree and that you need to spend all this money on your education, but as long as you’re truly passionate about what you do and you put a lot of hard work into it, you can achieve anything.”
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Michael Shuter
Michael Shuter is the owner of Shake It Records. interview and photography maya wells
“If you are around long enough, you grow old with the musicians that you were into when you were younger. You see the evolution of them as individuals and the road to getting there. You end up having an interesting perspective on it from what you were taking away from them back when you were a youth and what you pulled from them as you matured. With artists and musicians, that’s your best hope. Keep evolving and doing something different. It gives you an interesting perspective on life, that is for sure.
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Julianne Webb
Julianne Webb is a singer and vocal instructor. interview and photography tyler bonawitz
Ultimately, I want to do the music justice, so I feel like I’m not singing for myself. Although I do enjoy it, it’s to take people somewhere. They’re there for an escape, just like you’d go to the movies, or any other form of entertainment. So I think I sing to help people go on a musical journey with me.”
Jonathan Griffin
Spark met chef Jonathan Griffin working at Waffle House at 3 a.m. interview emma stiefel | photography lauren wilson
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It’s been hectic some nights, but it’s a pretty good job, and I see myself being here for a while longer. We’ve had people get up and sing in front of the whole restaurant. That’s really wild, wilder and crazier than I’ve ever seen. But my favorite part is just cooking and grilling.
Lynn Beatty
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Lynn Beatty is an instructor at the School of Rock. interview and photography tyler bonawitz
I remember playing on pots and pans with my dad when I was a little kid; I grew up around music. My brother played trumpet, and my sister played flute. When fifth grade band came, the teachers were like, ‘You want to play trumpet?’ and I was like, ‘What do you think? No, I want to play drums!’ That
Christmas I got my first drumset. I was keeping the rhythm, and I had a beat. It’s in my bones, it’s in my blood, and that’s just how my brain ticks. Some people are accountants, but I’m an artist, and I just tick differently. All artists tick differently. Everyone’s weird, but we’re a little weirder.”
FIGHTING FAST FASHION Thrifting, or shopping for pre-owned articles of clothing, has become appealing to many as an alternative to buying from fast fashion brands.
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rom velour jumpsuits to house slippers and broken keyboards, local thrift shops have something for everyone. Local resale store Salvation Army is where Lakota East senior Morgan Weyl pops tags with only $20 in her pocket every other week. The thrifting trend has really taken off, considering one man’s trash is another man’s treasure. According to the 2010 Operating Survey by the National Association of Resale Professionals, members reported 12.7 percent increases in both sales and incoming inventory from 2008 to 2009. “I started thrifting because it’s so unique and you can find so many different things,” says Weyl. “It’s fun and nice that when you buy something it has its own background story.” As resale, consignment, and “non-profit shops,” such as Goodwill or Salvation Army receive their inventory from people in the community, they contrast with merchandise from the “fast fashion” industry. “Fast fashion describes the change in the apparel supply chain where the manufacturing process is expedited to get new trends to consumers as quickly and inexpensively as possible,” says University of North Texas merchandising and digital retailing associate professor and dean Dee Knight. “It implies merchandise that is cheap and disposable. The average merchandise turnover for all apparel stores is three to four times per year, but it’s higher for fast fashion stores like H&M.” However, H&M has a program for collecting unwanted garments from consumers. In return for their donated garments, people can get 20 percent off their next purchase at H&M. According to their website, H&M’s garment collecting initiative has collected more than 32,000 tons of garments, which is more fabric than 100 million t-shirts, since they launched the program in 2013. H&M’s efforts are a small piece of the fashion industry’s attempts to prevent unwanted garments from ending up in landfills. In the 2011 report from the Environmental Protection Agency, 15.3 percent of clothes are recycled, which is significantly less than the 65.6 percent of paper products that are recycled. “Advantages of the thrifting trend are that the garment life cycle is extended. However, while those who donate to Goodwill and thrift stores are doing a good thing, only ten percent of clothes [are resold],” says Indiana University merchandising and design professor Lauren Copeland.
story sidney li | photography lauren wilson “The remaining 90 percent end up in landfills or are shipped to underdeveloped countries, where they can be harmful to their local apparel and textile industries.” In 2017, First Research estimates the resale industry in America to generate an annual revenue of approximately $17 billion, though revenue from antique stores represents 13 percent of that statistic. “Even though I don’t shop at thrift stores, I like the whole concept of how cheap it is,” says East junior Alyssa McDonald. “You can find clothes you wouldn’t normally find somewhere else like the mall. Plus, the clothes are so unique and the current trend is to be yourself.” With prominent American cities being some of the capitals of the fashion industry, New York City and Los Angeles have provided the apparel industry with their “low-wage immigrant workforce, and I believe largely undocumented, which in turn means in many cases sweatshop conditions for fear of losing their jobs or being deported,” says University of California, Santa Barbara global studies and sociology professor Richard Appelbaum. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), there were approximately 16,000 used merchandise stores in the U.S. in 2010, which increased to around 17,000 in 2012. Employment numbers also grew, with these stores employing over 125,000 people in 2010 and over 145,000 people in 2012. BLS also estimates that the industry will employ 175,000 people by 2020, which is a 20 percent increase. “With thrifting, the clothes you’ll find are statement pieces and stand out on their own,” says East senior Abena Achempong. “If you like being someone who wants to be completely unique and eye-catching with a different sense of style, then thrifting is your thing.” Consumer research firm America’s Research Group says that 16 to 18 percent of Americans will shop at a thrift store during any given year, and 12 to 15 percent will shop at consignment and resale shops. On the other hand, 11.4 percent of Americans will shop in factory outlet malls, 19.6 percent in apparel stores, and 21.3 percent in major department stores. “Thrifting gives you a new perspective. In fashion, it gives you more variety with clothes. You don’t have to follow the social norm and buy jean skirts. [You can] try new things,” says Weyl. “Look at everything. Don’t look at one section, because you’ll never know what you’ll find.”
Jill Dunne
Paige Bennet
Jill Dunne is the Cincinnati Art Museum Marketing Director.
Paige Bennet is the owner of Book Boulevard.
interview morgan greene
interview emma stiefel
“Being able to promote [art] is a dream come true. I love promoting something that changes, inspires and teaches people of all age ranges. Everyday, I find toddlers and seniors citizens walking along [the museum] and it’s just a wide range of people who we impact through our art.”
“My husband and I actually thought about opening a bookstore when we were dating. We didn’t have any money so then after seven years of marriage, we saved up enough to buy it. Every time something new comes in, we get to explore it. It’s opened our eyes to what other books people like.”
Amica Kobersi
Rebekah Thompson
Amica Kobersi is a Dillard’s makeup artist.
Rebekah Thompson is the owner of a Flash Photography.
interview lauren wilson
“I think it started when I was about 14, and I’m now 45. I used to come out of the bathroom playing with different types of colors, but never ever thought that it would be a career path. As life would happen, I moved to Atlanta, and I ended up going to cosmetology school. From there, I went to work in a salon, and I did hair and brows. Then I expanded that by working with modeling agencies. It became bigger than I ever expected.”
Kristen Perpich Kristen Perpich is the owner of an Arthur Murray dance studio. interview michelle chu
“In my senior year of college, I took a one credit ballroom dance class and asked [my future husband] Brandon if he would take it with me. And little did we know, that would change everything, because we fell in love with the dancing and everything it would do for us, and we totally ended up changing our career paths because of it. I have a degree in biology and studio art and pre-med. My intention was, ‘I’m going to medical school; I’m going to be a surgeon,’ and now my life is very different from what it was, but I think it’s a good thing.”
interview lauren wilson
“I am constantly meeting new people and every time I meet someone new and do their photos, I love those photos the most. When you work at this company in particular, we’re very big on building relationships with our clients, we begin to love their families. I just did pictures yesterday of a six-day old ,and I miss her so much, I want to go see her and hold her, she was so perfect and the photos were beautiful. I don’t think I could ever pick a favorite photo.”
Jane Parfitt Jane Parfitt is an employee at The Pottery Place and retired Lakota teacher. interview emma stiefel
“I’ve kind of just played with pottery off and on for 35 to 40 years. It’s very therapeutic. I am a single person, and I live alone with a cat, and she’s not much of a conversationalist. So my favorite part is getting to meet people coming in and help mothers make baby plates with little footprints and little hand prints and getting to celebrate birthdays with kids. It’s a very people-y kind of job. I still get to be a teacher!”
Vikki Rebholz
Pam Imel
Vikki Rebholz is a sous chef for Intelligrated. interview ainsley campbell
Pam Imel is the general manager of a Pinot’s Pallete. interview emma stiefel
“We try to bring art to the masses, so even if you haven’t done art since you were a little kid, you can come in here and our instructors will show you how to do everything, from what brush to use to what stroke to use. At the end of class, you have a beautiful painting to take home and hang up. Before we opened here, I didn’t know much about art at all ,so I am a perfect example about how anyone can do a class here and create a painting.”
“I’m the last of seven kids in my family so cooking dinner was a big event. As I got older, and some of the other kids went off to school; I got to do more and more. I learned a great deal about cooking, budgeting, etc. from my mom. Cooking is somewhat of an art form, in my opinion. If it doesn’t look and smell good, it won’t be good, even if it’s something as simple as putting a tiny dash of salt and butter in oatmeal. If you want to be a chef, be prepared to earn your way up the ladder. Most of us start in small restaurants doing menial tasks until we’ve proven our worth. Anyone can cook, to be a chef you have to have passion for the art.”
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Mike Elam
Loren Muzzy
Mike Elam is the Willis Music Store manager.
Loren Muzzy is a Contemporary Arts Center security guard.
interview samadhi marapane
“Right out of college, I didn’t have job, but I was a guitar player and Moeller music needed a guitar teacher. We definitely affect the community positively by helping children all the time get into music. You’ll see music helps math scores, and kids who play music are smarter. Hopefully, we can inspire people by just impacting their lives with music. Seeing the smiles on people’s faces when they get that new instrument is the biggest joy of the job.”
interview michelle chu
“I’ve learned that art is for everyone. We are all someone’s children, so the kids museum on this floor is for everybody.”
Kristen Statt Kristen Statt is the Lakota East Theater Director. interview samadhi marapane
Tracy Holland Tracy Holland is a body piercer at Body Jewel. interview lexy harrison
“I’ve always liked piercings, but I never wanted to pierce. But then I was offered an apprenticeship. I wouldn’t trade my job for anything, honestly. It’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me. It’s fun, it’s different, and not a lot of people do it. It’s a trade skill. In a male dominant industry, being a chick in it is kind of sick. I feel very empowered.”
Kayla Robbins
“Theater allows you to try on someone else’s personality, dreams and struggles in the characters you play. It allows for a multitude of talented people to bring their diverse talents together and create something bigger than them. It gives students the opportunity to work on something that takes real, extended effort and results in a product they can genuinely be proud of. And the finished product is a bridge to the community. People come in, see a show, and see what high school kids are capable of.”
Geoff Riggle Geoff Riggle is a Jewelry Design and metalsmithing teacher at Miami University.
Kayla Robbins is a DAAP fine arts student.
interview rebecca holst
interview michelle chu
“I think art still does have the ability to change the world. I harness an idea, I work 3D, and I sketch and sketch; I get to play at work every day. I try to push the boundaries on how I use certain tools. You generate a body of work that communicates emotion, ideas; it’s a visual representation of my experiences. I think of art as the glue that ties all the disciplines of studies together. We get to synthesize all these bodies of work into one time and place. As artists we serve as mirrors.”
“I make functional objects, I throw on the wheel, I experiment with glazes and clay recipes. That kind of sums up my ceramics career. I’d like to get more into photography. I’ve done screen printing, drawing, painting, so I’ve also tried digital art—I’m not a big fan of that. I like the way that in being an artist, you meet other people who have different ways of thinking. It’s really cool to see people that think completely differently because you see things from certain perspectives. When you realize people see something differently, it totally opens your mind, and I love that.”
Mitchell Ferguson Mitchell Ferguson acts for the Lakota East Theater. interview austin black
“Acting is really good for interviews, because you have to keep a straight face and be able to talk to people without freaking out. Sometimes they give you a scenario and you need to solve the problem or give an example of what you would do in that situation. It’s good to use acting skills to be able to come up with a presentable solution that could impress your interviewer. My experience has greatly helped me in situations like those, and I plan to use them as my life goes on.”
Stephen Kephart Stephen Kephart works at Elizabeth’s Pooch Pizazz. interview michelle chu
“I love playing with the puppies all day. We get to have dogs come in all the time, and they all have own personalities. It’s good to be able to meet them all, make sure they’re all healthy, and get them all looking their best. It’s very important to the health of dogs to make sure they are groomed. Longhaired dogs need to be groomed. Their hair will mat, it will just get stuck, and they won’t be able to move. If your dog is not fluffy, soft, and it smells, you’re going to ignore it, and it’s going to be depressed. So keeping your dog in a way that makes a person happy is very important as well.”
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SPORTS
Behind every play is a team. Sports connect people, allowing them to find common ground and passions, and take them back to their roots. It’s one thing to passively watch sports as a fan and discuss gameplay, but it is another to explore the passionate people who give sports meaning. Often times, those running sports behind the scenes go unseen, and Sports made it their goal to cover them, along with the athletes of East. In this issue, Sports dove deeper into the people behind the team: those who make sports what they are.
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Lauren Maier
Lakota East sophomore Lauren Maier participates in cycling, an alternative sport. interview regan ladle photography used with permission
“Because it is just so cold [when you’re cycling], and your lungs hurt so bad, and you are going as hard as you can for 40 minutes, it is really mentally challenging. You think ‘oh my gosh, I have four laps to go, can I do this?’ You just have to push through it. I don’t know if it changed my life, but it is definitely something that makes me, me.
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Andrew Hoke
Lakota East senior and boys tennis player Andrew Hoke comments on the difficulties of the sport. interview allie church | photography lauren wilson
You’re out there by yourself. There’s a lot of adversity you have to overcome, especially if you’re playing singles like I do. If you miss a shot and things aren’t going your way, you have to deal with it pretty much on your own. I think the easiest way to overcome that is to just take a step back and realize it’s just a game. Even in school sometimes, I’m a bit of a perfectionist. I’ll get kind of worked up, even if I only miss one question on a test. It just helps me to put it into perspective that if I miss a shot, I need to look back and realize that I just made five in a row.”
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Melissa Hoke
Lakota East senior Andrew Hoke’s mother, Melissa Hoke, speaks about how proud she is of her son. interview allie church | photography emma stiefel
I’m proud of how he holds himself on the court. He’s fair, and he makes good calls. Some of the boys can get a little emotional, but he keeps himself in check pretty well and is respectful to other people. He’s allowed to not always do an A+ job out there, and that’s okay. He’s super, but he puts himself under a lot of pressure. I think he gives himself a little bit more of a break when he plays. As he’s gotten older, he’s done much better with that. It was something he had to learn to do. He’s matured a lot, and it’s a good outlet for him. He tries his best, and that’s good enough for however it turns out that day.” – 67 –
Lakota East senior and boys volleyball player Ryan McAlister speaks about why volleyball is important to him. interview lauren maier | photography richard giang
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Ryan McAlister
“It’s kind of weird; I joined the team freshman year just on a whim. Like it was just a snap decision. I’m not really a super athletic person, and I’m not super coordinated, so I know what to do normally but putting it in motion is harder. I think it became so important to me because of the friendships I’ve made, the people and the teamwork. – 68 –
Chris Hill interview dustin horter | photography richard giang
“Earlier in my career, I wasn’t as polished, and I didn’t know exactly what I was doing. A coach was riding me hard, and I wasn’t old enough or mature enough to really defend myself. Working on the sideline, I get the head coach, assistant coach and the players, [and it’s] tough hearing them all game. That’s a part of refereeing and something I sign up for as an official. As a player, I wanted the games to be
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Football referee Chris Hill officiated at The Ohio State Football Championship Game, and says he decided to be a referee to stay involved in the game he loves.
fair, and I wanted to be a referee who took pride in what he was doing. So that’s how I officiate. I am hustling at all times and being as consistent as possible. It’s hard for a coach to get on you when you hustled down the field and put yourself in position to make the call rather than being on the other side of the field. I take pride in the fact that I’m that guy in the proper position ready to make the call.
Amanda Lahti is a first-year Lakota East softball coach. interview stephen mckay | photography aidan hutt
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Amanda Lahti
“I currently teach at Lakota East Freshman, so I wanted the opportunity to get to know my students better. I played my whole life, and the game is a part of who I am. Coaching is a way that I can continue participating in the sport that I love. Being able to help these girls as they go through what I went through growing up is pretty cool.
– 70 –
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Grace Rupp interview allie church | photography lauren wilson Lakota East senior Grace Rupp decided to discontinue her lacrosse career after injuring her foot.
I just fell on [my foot]. I fell and it rolled, and it broke. I went in to the doctor thinking it was just a sprain, and they would say ‘give it a week, stay off of it, stretch it out a little bit and then you’re back.’ Going in and having them say ‘you’re going to be out for your entire season’ was really hard. I cried so many times when I decided to end my career. It was probably one of the most disappointing things ever, especially being a senior.”
Zack Martin Lakota East senior and boys lacrosse player Zack Martin speaks about his proudest moment. interview bryn mangold photography richard giang
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“My proudest moment during my lacrosse career was being named captain my junior year. This was a big accomplishment, because I was told I wasn’t big enough to play varsity my freshman year, even though I’m the same height and weight now as I was then. Playing lacrosse for six years has taught me the importance of teamwork, because in lacrosse, no one person can coin the game: it takes the whole team working as one to win.
Abigail Niehaus Lakota East freshman and softball player Abigail Niehaus is one of few freshman to be on the varsity roster. interview stephen mckay photography aidan hutt
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I’ve always been a very independent person. Sometimes you have to realize that it’s a team game, and you have to have confidence that others are going to do their jobs so that you can do yours. The hardest part of being a freshman on varsity is living up to it. There’s a lot of pressure to try and be what others are expecting you to be, but it felt awesome to make the team and connect with my teammates.”
– 72 –
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Richard Bryant
Lakota East Athletic Director Richard Bryant speaks about what he enjoys most about his job. interview allie church | photography lauren wilson
“If you’ve ever seen me on a sideline, when one of our teams does something well, I don’t always control my emotions. When our girls basketball team made it to the Elite 8, there was a video of me jumping up and down like an idiot. I mean I had no idea I could get up that high. I was well over a foot and a half off the ground. Student success is why we do what we do: it’s why we put in all the work, it’s why we support the teams, it’s why we work on facilities. When that time comes, our kids can answer the call. There’s nothing like that.
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Mike Goldman
Mike Goldman is the president of the Lakota East Athletic Boosters. interview dustin horter | photography maya wells
I just want to give back. I have a son still coming through Lakota. I love being a part of the athletic department here, and have officiated high school football for 30 or so years, so I’ve always been involved in athletics around here. My older son came through, my daughter played basketball, and my son played golf. East got them started in the right direction, gave them a great education, and the Boosters has helped create a tradition of good athletics as well. Some people ask, ‘When are you going to quit?’ and I have no clue. For me it’s all about giving back.”
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John Sherman
Lakota East senior and baseball player John Sherman is committed to continue his baseball career at Morehead State University. interview sophia spivey | photography richard giang
“People are human, and they make mistakes. So when you make errors in a game, you just have to remember that it is part of life, and you have to move past it. There are going to be a lot of times in life when you’re really down, because you aren’t doing so well, but you just have to work through it, because you are going to be all right in the end. [Baseball] wasn’t always my favorite sport. I was never great at it, but then I grew a little bit, and it just kind of clicked with me, and now I love it. I can’t imagine ever stopping playing. – 75 –
Lakota East senior and boys tennis player Matt Spaulding plays tennis for his grandmother. interview allie church | photography lauren wilson
“I’ve been wrestling ever since I was little, and most of my proudest moments were from wrestling. But my grandma wanted me to do a sport besides wrestling, so she started signing me and my brother and sister up for tennis. I was the only one that was like ‘oh, I kind of like this.’ She played when she was growing up, and she wanted me to play a sport I can still play if I’m
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Matt Spaulding
80 years old. Last year she came to all of my matches. She even came to my practice tryouts, and she was the only one there. I’m kind of her last hope [for having a grandchild do] something she loves, because my brother wrestles, and she doesn’t like wrestling. My sister did play soccer, and she liked soccer, but now she doesn’t. It’s something she looks forward to. That’s probably the only reason I’ve stuck with it.
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Dorothy Kennedy
Lakota East senior Matt Spaulding’s grandmother, Dorothy Kennedy, has attended every single match that Spaulding has played in. interview allie church | photography emma stiefel
When they were little, I took all three of them over to Keehner Park, and I got them playing over there. They had a free program over in Hamilton: the high school kids were teaching kids over the summer. They just kept playing, and they took lessons over in Middletown and kept going. Matt got really serious about it, and the other two
gradually [stopped]. I just like to watch [Matt] play. I think he has a lot of grace in the way he plays, the way he swings. He doesn’t just hit the ball like everybody else. Sometimes I think ‘oh he’s not going to get that,’ because he never seems to rush. We’ve been all over the state playing. I think I enjoy it as much as he does.”
NEW LEVEL
Lacrosse has been approved as an Ohio High School Athletic Association sanctioned sport as the first sport in their Emerging Sports category. story allie church | photography richard giang the athletes playing, including participation in an OHSAA state tournament. “This now affords the opportunity for those that were previously playing club lacrosse to receive school recognition, as well as the opportunity to have televised state championships and competition for the same prize as other individuals who are in a recognized sport,” Snodgrass says. “This also provides schools sponsoring the sport much needed oversight and assistance with lacrosse to be consistent with other sports they sponsor.” East girls lacrosse head coach Rick Urmie also sees the opportunities that come along with lacrosse being a sanctioned sport. Throughout his seven years coaching, Urmie has witnessed firsthand the growth of lacrosse in the state and hopes this recognition will contribute to the continued progression of the sport. “It is wonderful to see Ohio join the other states accepting lacrosse as an interscholastic sport,” Urmie says. “By becoming a sanctioned sport, it allows the sport of lacrosse to continue to grow and gain respect in the community.” Lacrosse is unlike other sponsored sports, however, in that it is the first sport within the OHSAA’s newly developed “Emerging Sports” category. This is due to lacrosse not meeting all of OHSAA regulations, specifically the number of teams recognized by schools. Before the OHSAA will approve a sport, 250 teams must be sponsored across the state. At the time of its approval as an emerging sport in 2015, there were 122 boys teams and 118 girls teams sponsored. According to Snodgrass, the creation of the Emerging Sports category allows for flexibility within OHSAA regulations, granting lacrosse the ability to become a sanctioned sport. “Emerging simply means that [the sport]
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akota East senior Roshini Susarla sways slightly on the turf below her. Her heart races and her body tenses as she watches every movement of the opponent running swiftly toward her. Her focus is locked in as the rest of the world becomes blocked out. She’s ready to stop anything and everything that comes her way. Two hours later, East junior Jaden Kaznowski steps onto the same turf. Like Susarla, he confidently faces the opponent, prepared to defend. Susarla and Kaznowski have both played East lacrosse—a club sport—for four and three years as a goalie and defender, respectively. As of the 2016-17 season, they are a part of the first group of athletes in Ohio to play lacrosse as a sanctioned Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA) sport. At their board meeting on June 4, 2015, the OHSAA Board unanimously approved lacrosse as a recognized sport, to be placed into effect during the 201617 season. According to the National Federation of State High School Associations, high school lacrosse participation has increased across the country by 135,629 student athletes within the past 15 years. As lacrosse is one of the fastest growing sports in the nation, Assistant Commissioner of the OHSAA Jerry Snodgrass says it was important for him to bring recognition to the sport. “My team of program coordinators and myself felt it important to bring [lacrosse] into our realm, which includes oversight,” Snodgrass says. “Recognition was important now before it got too far down the road, [which] would make the transition tougher.” Snodgrass also says that lacrosse being a sanctioned sport will provide opportunities for
You can't bring somebody in, adopt them as a sport, and then treat them like they're not like every other sport. To be able to do it correctly, it has to evolve, and it takes time. – Richard Bryant, East Athletic Director – 78 –
is growing, and to foster its growth, [it] might need some adjustment to regulations that simply do not apply to a sport that does not have as many teams,” Snodgrass says. “This category permitted us to bring a sport on board and not necessarily follow every regulation that was in place.” As an Emerging Sport, lacrosse will “follow all bylaws and regulations of the OHSAA except where noted,” says Snodgrass, giving flexibility to approach the sport differently than others. Following the conclusion of the 201617 season, the OHSAA will also conduct an assessment of lacrosse, which will determine whether it will continue as an Emerging Sport, be elevated to a recognized sport at the same level as other OHSAA sports, or be suspended or discontinued. According to Snodgrass, assessment of the sport consists of evaluation of monetary fluctuation, the number of violations, and the level of support provided by schools. Snodgrass says that the OHSAA cannot sponsor a sport that loses money, but he is not concerned that it will pose an issue, stating that “every step has been taken to insure [lacrosse] will not lose money.” He also says that violations and infractions determine the risk of overseeing lacrosse, but due to its previous oversight, he foresees no issues with it either. “I feel I have enough invested in the sport, as well as the push I made to sponsor it, that I will do all I can to make sure that there is no downside for its adoption,” Snodgrass says. “Due to the quality coaches and oversight by school athletic departments and what I feel has been good communication up to this point, I have all the confidence in the world that lacrosse will become one of our best sports.” Despite lacrosse being approved as an Emerging Sport, as of now its stance within East athletics has gone unchanged, meaning it still is considered a club sport. According to East Athletic Director Richard Bryant, this is because of the complex processes involved with transitioning a sport from club to interscholastic status. Part of this complexity lies within the certification of equipment. Not only must helmets and pads be certified for safety regulations, Bryant says, but the school also doesn’t currently own such equipment. In that circumstance, each individual athlete would have
S East Girls Lacrosse team cheering after a game.
to have their personal equipment certified—an extensive, costly process. According to Bryant, the focus of the athletic department at this time is to be more educated about the sport before making important decisions. “We’re looking at, we’re entertaining, we’re examining cost, trying to better understand what we would have to own versus what the kids could provide,” Bryant says. “You can’t bring something in, adopt it as a sport, and then treat it like it’s not like every other sport. To be able to do it correctly, it has to evolve, and it takes time.” As a club sport, lacrosse is run differently than interscholastic sports. School sponsored sports differ in their approach of coach salary, oversight by the administration, day-to-day operations, scheduling, and in their contribution toward Lakota’s Physical Education (PE) Waiver, which exempts students who complete two full seasons of an interscholastic sport from being required to take a PE class. All of these aspects of school sponsored sports, Bryant says, call for a complex, involved transition from the club level. Because lacrosse cannot contribute toward the PE Waiver, both Susarla and Kaznowski had to obtain their gym credit by other means. Susarla completed her gym credit during her eighth grade summer by taking a summer gym course, and Kaznowski played football— an interscholastic sport—his freshman and sophomore years. For Susarla, lacrosse being considered a club sport has been a somewhat difficult experience, but also one that has motivated
her and her teammates to prove that their hard work should be recognized. “If anything, it has pushed me and my team to work even harder so our track record is outstanding, that way the school and athletic department has no choice but to notice our hard work,” Susarla says. “Even though I’m a senior, I want my underclass teammates and the future classes to thrive with the school’s support and recognition.” Kaznowski agrees, stating that recognition from the school could contribute further to the growth of lacrosse participation in the district. “All in all [lacrosse being a club sport] hasn’t affected me too much, but it’s nice that schools are now beginning to recognize lacrosse as a school sport and not a club,” Kaznowski says. “I think that if they adopt it as a school sport, more people will notice the game of lacrosse and help it become more popular.” So far this season, boys lacrosse has gone 4-2, and girls lacrosse has a record of 9-0. Their success and work hasn’t gone unnoticed by Bryant, who says that he’s witnessed firsthand the improvements being made throughout the sport in the last few years. “The quality of lacrosse that we’re playing has increased significantly in the last five years,” Bryant says. “I’ve been here nine years, and in the first years, our teams struggled. Now both teams are not only competitive, but will win the majority of their games, which is a testament to our kids and our feeder programs. Kids start now at very young ages, and we’re starting to see the end result of some of that play now.” Although the status of lacrosse hasn’t
changed within the district yet, that’s not to say that it never will, Bryant says. As the athletic department learns more about the sport and what constitutes the transition from club to interscholastic, it is his assumption that, eventually, the change will be made. According to Urmie, the athletic department and the sport of lacrosse within the district have a mutually positive relationship, regardless of lacrosse being a club sport. It is his hope too that lacrosse will eventually be recognized as a Lakota interscholastic sport. “[The girls] lacrosse team has a very good relationship with the Lakota School District and is thankful for the tremendous support of the Lakota East High School Athletic Department,” Urmie says. “I believe the commitment and work the ladies put in toward the sport of lacrosse meet the standards of other interscholastic sports recognized in the Lakota School District. It is our hope that lacrosse is accepted as an interscholastic sport.” Despite the difficulties Susarla has experienced, she holds hope for the future of lacrosse in Lakota and says her love for the sport far outweighs the differences between it being considered club or interscholastic. “I continue to play every year, because it’s become a part of me and something that brings me happiness,” Susarla says. “I chose to play lacrosse and stick with it because of the friends I have made on my team. I think it’s safe to say that my team and I would continue to play for East lacrosse even if we don’t get a gym credit, because we’re all friends, and the sport is something we love.”
ONE BREATH AT A TIME East senior Hunter Holt returns to the diamond after suffering his third lung collapse. story stone shields | photography richard giang and used with permission by the holt family
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reathe in. Breathe out. With a quick glance down at his coach on the third base line, he sees nothing is on; he’s free to swing away. Breathe in. Breathe out. He digs into the batter’s box and gives the plate a tap with the tip of his Cat 6 bat. He’s back on the diamond. Breathe in. Breathe out. The count is worked to 1-1. His eyes light up on the third pitch of the atbat; it’s an outside fastball. Breathe in. Breathe out. The lefty doesn’t miss a beat and shoots it back-side into the left-center gap. He’s off to the races and glides into second base with a stand-up double. Breathe in. Breathe out. He’s back like nothing ever happened. Lakota East senior Hunter Holt doesn’t look like someone who recently spent five days in the hospital and logged a total of
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three weeks of his life there battling a series of lung collapses. He’s suffered through a spontaneous Pneumothorax, during which the lung randomly collapses due to blebs, or small collections of air, on the collapsing lung. According to the Mayo Clinic, this condition occurs when air leaks into the space between the lungs and chest wall. A Pneumothorax is very rare; there are fewer than 200,000 U.S. cases per year. It is even rarer for a teenager to experience this medical condition. Holt has had this happen three times, twice in 2014 and once just weeks into his senior baseball season. The first two occurrences were in the left lung, and the most recent was in the right. “When it happens, I feel extremely short of
breath,” Holt says. “When it occurred this time, I knew immediately what was going on because of what happened in 2014.” Holt has now had a surgery on both lungs; he underwent a pleurodesis and a lobectomy. According to Children’s Hospital, a pleurodesis removes the buildup of excess fluid in the pleural space between the visceral lining and parietal lining of the lungs. A lobectomy is when a lobe of one of the lungs is removed; the right lung has three lobes, and the left lung has two. Looking back, Holt says that the physical pain wasn’t necessarily the worst aspect of the experience. After the procedure, Holt was limited in the things he could do. For the first week and a half after the surgery, he was not
In all honesty, [my wife] and I just wanted to take his place. However, we have learned that in life sometimes you have to endure pain in order to get better and stronger on the other side. – Steve Holt, Hunter Holt’s father – 80 –
Hunter Holt spent three weeks at the hospital after a series of lung collapses.
permitted to do much of anything, including carrying his books, backpack, or participating in any baseball practices or games. It wasn’t until April 12, 23 days after his surgery, that Holt could return to the sport he loves. In Holt’s first game back, he hit a single and a double in a 12-1 East defeat of Greater Miami Conference opponent Princeton, earning him the Cincinnati Enquirer Player of the Week second place honors. He is batting 0.455 this year with three runs batted in. According to East varsity baseball coach Ray Hamilton, Holt appears to be back to his normal self and free of any limitations. “I don’t think there’s any carry over from what he’s gone through,” Hamilton says. “He still hasn’t gotten hit by a pitch in that general location, but that’s the only thing you’ve got in the back of your head.”
For the 5 feet 8 inches, 170 pound outfielder, baseball is a gift and something that he greatly missed while being in the hospital. “Being next to my teammates and playing is one of my absolute favorite things,” Holt says. “This experience has only encouraged me to work harder.” Although it has been one of the toughest medical difficulties Holt has had to endure, he says that his family was by his side throughout the entire process, including his father, Steve Holt. “To see your son go through this is surreal,” Steve says. As a dad, one of the most difficult things for him was having to trust the surgeons, knowing that they would be responsible for keeping his son safe. “You feel helpless,” Steve says. “As a father, it is your instinct to care for your children.
Even though I was caring for him, I had to put a lot of trust in others to help him. There is nothing harder as a parent than watching your child endure pain and feeling helpless.” Faith in God plays an astronomical role in the Holt household and, according to Steve, was something they turned to on numerous occasions throughout Hunter’s lung troubles. Hunter’s Twitter account says, “Just a regular guy trying to live like Jesus.” “I realize that Hunter is not perfect, but the key word in that phrase is ‘trying’. In that trying comes faith that Hunter knew that Jesus would take care of him through this process and we rejoice that he did,” Steve says. “There will be adversities in life, but through faith in God we can get through anything.” Hunter’s mother, Wendy Holt, shares the same mindset as Steve and believes that this experience put life into perspective for her. “You realize that one day you can be completely healthy and the next day that all can change,” Wendy says. “Being at [Cincinnati Children’s Hospital] with kids that are battling much bigger issues also makes you appreciate your health a little bit more.” Because of Hunter’s illness, the Holt family, who have always been a tight knit group, have become even closer. While his parents have seen their son become more independent as time goes on, having to help him get out of bed and do everyday activities was something Steve and Wendy embraced. They say it made them appreciate having a little more time with their son before he graduates and takes on the world. It all commences this fall, when he will attend Ohio Christian University to further his academic and baseball career. Off the field and in the dugout, Coach Hamilton says that the East baseball team couldn’t ask for a more accountable or dependable player, which has only been reinforced by what Hunter has gone through this season. “He’s just been a great kid to have in the program,” Hamilton says. “His future is bright. That same stuff he brings to us, you know he’s going to bring when he seeks employment doing whatever it is he’s going to do.” To his friends, family and teammates, Hunter faced adversity with incredible bravery. As Hunter settles back into his typical life and baseball routine, he says he will continue to look back on the occurrence that put everything into perspective and made him a stronger person and baseball player. “This experience has taught me to never take anything for granted,” Hunter says. “A day of normal life and activities is a blessing because just like that it all could change.”
Emily Polivick Lakota East senior and lacrosse player Emily Polivick speaks about the difficulties she has had to face during her four years playing for East. interview bryn mangold
“I have had many bumps in the road during my years playing lacrosse. I’ve had a different coaching staff every year during high school which made it hard to stay consistent with routines, skills and plays. I tore my Medial Patellofemoral Ligament the summer going into sophomore year. I couldn’t play for half of the season and had to spend a lot of time and energy doing rehab at Beacon and had to get my confidence back up for the next season.”
Joe Polivick Lakota East senior Emily Polivick’s father Joe Polivick talks about how proud he is of his daughter. interview bryn mangold
“My proudest moment as a parent was seeing Emily overcome her knee injury this past year and earn her college scholarship for lacrosse. It is a dream come true watching your child play, and having all of the hard work to get better finally pay off.”
Rick Urmie Lakota East girls lacrosse head coach Rick Urmie has coached lacrosse for seven years. interview bryn mangold
Ray Hamilton Lakota East baseball head coach Ray Hamilton is one of the longest tenured coaches in Lakota. interview sophia spivey
“I knew when I was in fourth or fifth grade that I wanted to be involved in athletics in some way, shape or form. I didn’t want to do anything else and I couldn’t imagine doing anything else. And just the interaction with all the great people we’ve got in our program from the kids, the parents, the coaches wives, just everybody involved is the reason I coach.”
Britney Biliter Lakota East boys volleyball head coach Britney Biliter speaks about her proudest moment as an East coach. interview lauren maier
“My second year coaching here, we made it to state finals and when we got there it was a really quick game. There were only 16 boys in the program with varsity and junior varsity combined, so it was a really big accomplishment for them to make it that far because they were against really big programs. The kids become your friends, and you see the impact and impression that you’ve made on them.”
Denny Kuhlman Lakota East senior Evan Kuhlman’s father Denny Kuhlman comments on East’s boys volleyball team. interview lauren maier
“Seeing first-year players score their first goal or get their first defensive stop and having their faces light up makes it all worth it. I enjoy teaching the sport and seeing everyone working hard and having an overall camaraderie is amazing.”
“Being a multi-sport player, volleyball is a sport where every play you have to get over it, the next point is coming so you cannot dwell over it so it helps with basketball if he misses a shot he knows he can’t dwell over it. You see everyone slapping each others hands, there’s a lot of comradery. We don’t want him to be just another player but to be a good player.”
Evan Kuhlman
Regan Butikofer
Lakota East senior Evan Kuhlman is committed to play basketball at University of Evansville, but he plays volleyball for East as well.
Lakota East junior and softball player Regan Butikofer is committed to the University of Tennessee at Martin to continue her softball career.
interview lauren maier
interview stephen mckay
“I think I was in like fourth grade when my parents took me to a volleyball tryout. My older brother was already playing so they just started to introduce it to me. Volleyball is something good to do outside of basketball, and it’s something I can do with my brothers and share that experience with them. Playing with my brothers was pretty cool and I got to bond with them. Now I get to bond with all the guys [at East] because I don’t really talk to them at school so it’s important to bond with them.”
“I’ve played my entire life, and it’s taught me how I’m supposed to act and think about my attitude on and off the field. I enjoy bonding, having fun with my teammates and being around each other.”
Corey Blount Lakota East junior Corey Blount conditions for East football three times a week, beginning immediately after the conclusion of the football season. interview faezah salihu
Emily Harmon Lakota East junior Emily Harmon participates in twirling, an alternative sport. interview ainsley campbell
“My mom twirled for a really long time, and she learned from the owner of my dance studio, and through that my sister twirled, and then I twirled. It kind of runs through the family. It’s really challenging, and it’s a really good sport to push yourself in. I love performing and being out on the floor. It’s just so fun.”
“You have to be really dedicated; you can’t show up just to show up. There are times when I want to give up but the positives are better than the negatives.”
– 82 –
OPINION
A million people could read the same story and interpret it in a million different ways. It’s important for people to consider viewpoints that challenge their own, and the opinion section is an outlet for these perspectives. Every issue we lend this platform to staff members to express their ideas, but this issue, we’re extending it to the rest of the student body. There are many important issues facing our generation, and the Spark’s editorial board voted on seven of them to include here.
student debt
Nigel Wade, senior interview and photography cara satullo
[Possible student debt] is part of the reason why [Nick, Aaron, Zach and I] applied to so many schools, because it wasn’t about getting in for us, it was about “are we able to pay for college?” I wanted to go to Johns Hopkins, that was my dream school, but we didn’t have enough financial aid. Same with Duke and a whole bunch of other elite schools that are “dream schools.” Even if we wanted to go there, if the finances weren’t there we felt like we’d take on too much student debt and we wouldn’t be able to make that work. So that really eliminated the options that we had for college, and it limited the amount of freedom we had with that. Like we were saying “we want to go here, but we can’t because of the student debt that we’re going to accrue,” so I feel like with that just hanging over your head, it restricts the options that you have.” – 84 –
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Anika Waits, senior
interview megan finke | photography cara satullo
“I am a little more biased, because next year I’m going to Ohio State and paying for my whole college experience. My family is very middle class. I have three siblings and my parents aren’t able to pay for an entire post-highschool education, and they don’t make a ton of money. I did get a fair amount of financial aid, which is nice, but the rest I’ve had to come up with on my own by applying for scholarships, working and knowing that I will have to take out a substantial amount of loans. So personally, of course I would want the government to take more action on the issue, but I also understand that they can’t pay for everyone’s college.
Zach Thomas, senior interview cara satullo photography maya wells
“Businesses like to claim that they’re paying their workers what they deserve, [and] I don’t necessarily think they’re wrong. I just think [this] points out that inequality isn’t necessarily in the workforce, it’s in the education system. Women have not gone to college historically as much as men have, and so I feel like perhaps there are other areas of inequality that are not discussed other than just wage earnings.
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gender equality
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Anna Davidson, junior interview vivian kolks photography morgan kile
I’m definitely a feminist and I think everyone should be a feminist because even though the word has become really unpopular and looked down upon, it’s literally just believing that men and women are equal, it’s not believing that women are better than men or anything. So I think that everyone should be a feminist and if they aren’t they need to step back and ask themselves “why am I not a feminist? Why am I choosing not to be described by this word?” Just because they’re scared of the word, it’s seen as anti-men and too aggressive, but it’s really not. It’s just believing that all people are created equal, between the sexes.”
Camden Withrow, junior interview vivian kolks photography karmiela white
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“I consider myself a feminist. I think that it’s important to realize that in lots of situations there’s inequality in terms of women being treated less than men, whether it’s the gap in pay or just the overall view of their role in society. I think that this movement has really let [women] understand that there are people who stand behind them. I think that it has really empowered a lot of people to speak out.
– 87 –
immigration
interview and photography cara satullo
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Alexis Laude, junior
I don’t know [what the most difficult part of immigrating was]. I think it’s different for everybody because I’m from Europe, so I as an immigrant am not seen as a threat to the general population. So for me it’s the application and filling in the information, but for other immigrants it’s a lot harder because they have a lot more eyes looking at what they filled out and who they actually are. – 88 –
Grace Abdelnour, sophomore
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interview megan kerlin photography lauren wilson
I think America’s safety should be our top priority and right now, and the Middle East is an especially big threat. We have all these terrorist groups like ISIS who absolutely hate us and they would do anything to be able to get into the United States and cause these terrorist attacks like you’re seeing in Europe right now. I think that the travel ban was a sound policy from Trump, especially since the countries he restricted immigration from were originally considered threats by the Obama administration.
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Bea Amsalu, sophomore
interview samadhi marapane photography lauren wilson
With immigration, you shouldn’t necessarily open borders, but it is incredibly difficult to get a visa in this country. I know firsthand, as a child of immigrants. I think that it should be easier to come into this country because there is so much going on in this world, and if you have a chance to escape, good for you. It should be easy enough so that people shouldn’t have to resort to coming into this country illegally. With the people that do come into this nation illegally, I think if they pay taxes and do everything right, there is no reason why they shouldn’t be able to become legal residents.
climate change
interview victoria negron | photography charis williams
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Weston Linder, junior
“Yeah definitely [I believe in climate change]. The people that say it’s not happening are just scientifically wrong. The idea that congressmen are still bringing snowballs to the floor of congress to try and prove that it’s not real is just ridiculous. The bigger question is what should be done about it. This is kind of where I have a conflict in myself because I like having a free market and letting that decide things when possible, but this is an area where that might not work because in the short term, solving climate change isn’t in the best interest of companies, but in the long term it is what humanity needs.
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interview victoria negron | photography cara satullo
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Blake Dodson, senior
“I think that America as a country needs to start the transition to renewable energy sources, because we are entirely too dependent on coal, oil, fossil fuels and things of that nature. If we want to act like leaders in the international community, this is an issue we need to step up and take leadership on. That can be done in a number of ways, like by subsidizing renewable energy companies the way that we’ve subsidized oil and coal companies for many years. I also think that eliminating polluters in our industry would be another big thing.
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Brayden Reichelderfer, sophomore interview samadhi marapane photography lauren wilson
Do I believe climate change is [happening]? Yes. Do I believe we should do a lot about climate change? No. I don’t think it’s a big stance we should be taking as of now, and the government money that we could use for climate change could be used in other programs.”
abortion
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Heather Wilson, senior interview hailey combs photography lauren wilson
“[I’m] pro-life, because I don’t agree when people say ‘it’s my body; it’s my choice.’ Yes, it is your body, but there’s a child inside you. It’s a completely different person, and you shouldn’t have the choice to get rid of it.
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interview and photography cara satullo
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Ekene Azuka, senior
“It’s not that I think [abortion is] wrong or it’s right, it’s just that I wouldn’t have one because of my views on children. But, if somebody else needs to have one for various reasons, I support them and their choices for doing what they want with their body. Nobody has a right to govern anybody else’s body, and people have the freedom to do [what they want], in America at least, which is why we live in such a great country. You have the right to do whatever you want, unless it’s impeding on anybody else’s rights. And doing something to your own body isn’t impeding on anybody else’s rights.
climate change
Zubin Parida, sophomore
AJ Holtel, freshman
interview caitlyn doherty
“I think individuals should be doing the small but important things [for the environment]. This can include things like recycling, watching what you are throwing away, and cutting down on the amount of wasted food and materials we throw out. People can also do things like carpooling to work or school as a way to cut down on the amount of waste cars give off.”
Bryn Morgan, senior
Lindsay Schmidt, Junior
“Usually when people tell me they’re not feminists I start with the question, “do you think women should have rights?” They always say “yes” and I say, “congrats, you’re a feminist.” Some people argue with me and I ask them to tell me why they think the other women in their life don’t deserve the same rights they do if they’re male. Usually they get quiet and realize they should’ve thougrt about their position more.”
interview katey kruback
interview taylor anderson
“I definitely believe that there is some global warming that is happening. I think that more research on the causes and prevention methods is a necessity to reduce the carbon footprint we all leave on the earth.”
Andrew Jivoin, senior interview victoria negron
“Obviously we need to stop using fossil fuels as much and make a move towards cleaner energy such as wind power, solar power and nuclear, but people are resistant to change because they have to learn something new. No one wants to learn, but they should.”
gender equality
Evelyn Kolks, freshman
“I think [feminists] are doing too much. Those riots after Trump got elected, those weren’t necessary.”
interview victoria negron
Brady Wilson, junior interview charis williams
“I believe that men and women should not be equal. What I’m going off of is in the Bible, women were created from men; men were created first. I don’t think men are greater, but I think women should be treated differently than equal.”
abortion
Dylan Stenski, junior interview charis williams “I am pro-life. I think that once there’s life, we shouldn’t just up and kill it. I don’t believe that it [can be justified by saying] ‘well it’s the woman’s choice to decide what to do with her body’ because it isn’t just her body anymore.”
interview katey kruback
Art White, senior
“If we elect people that are feminists, we would definitely get more done. But of course it’s not that easy. I think that everyone needs to come together and realize that this is the future. I don’t know if you’ve seen those t-shirts that are ‘the future is female.’ We definitely need to get together and make lots of noise and protest and the government, I’m sure, will realize what we’re doing and, maybe not under this administration, but under the next, things can get done.”
“I believe that sometimes things happen that are out of your control, and that you should have the choice. If you are stuck into something, like having a child, that could ruin your life, ruin somebody else’s life, or ruin that kid’s life. I also think you should smart about it and not get yourself pregnant, but I think that there’s a lot of room to give people a chance.
interview caitlyn doherty
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government funding
Josh Thompson, senior interview charis williams “I’m a big fan of the military. I think it should be focused more on the experimental side of things. Everything that we know about has been advanced by war, everything from medicine to obviously weapons and such. I think that we need to cut back on buying the obsolete things. That being said, I think there also needs to be a large priority on, say, space exploration.”
Lizzie Jantausch, freshman interview katey kruback “I believe that the government should allot large portions of the budget to social welfare. Government-funded social programs help with many different aspects of our community, from child care to medical expenses. For example, my aunt is on disability due to her Multiple Sclerosis. She is in need of help with medical expenses and personal health care. She has a family of four with one income and tons of medical bills to pay. Social welfare is not just for people who are “lazy” and “don’t want to work” but also for people who are unable to work.”
to tell people they have a mental disease for fear of being made fun of or isolated, but sadly I have seen some of my closest friends struggle with this. We need to work towards understanding and wiping out the preconceived notions of what people with mental disorders are like.”
Kate Harvey, sophomore interview samadhi marapane “I think if you over-teach [mental illness], you can have problems with people romanticizing mental illnesses or demonizing them. But obviously there’s a huge problem with under-teaching it, especially for teenagers.”
immigration
Abby Martin, junior interview hailey combs “I think we should be more open to allowing refugees from other countries to come in, because if you think about it, when we first came in on the Mayflower we were escaping a tyrant. So why shouldn’t we be more open to people in that same situation?”
Gunnar Hudson, Junior
Jude Glen, freshman
interview keegan kile
interview katey kruback
“Most people on welfare have a job and are trying, but there are some that say, ‘if I can take government money and not have to do anything then I’m just going to keep popping out children.’ They’re taking money that good middle-class people are working for.”
“With different countries, like Syria, Iran or Iraq, I think we should check on the people we are letting in. We should get background checks and check in on people before we let them into our country; but I think we should still let them in.”
mental health
Sofia Seppi, junior interview vivian kolks “There definitely needs to be more mental health education in schools. There are so many stigmas and stereotypes surrounding people with mental disorders, and I don’t think that’s fair. No one should be scared
Jacob Bare, freshman interview katey kruback “I believe that there are some people who should not be allowed into the country. However, it is almost impossible to know who should be allowed into the U.S. and who would do harm if allowed in.”
March 2017 lakotaeastsparkonline.com 2