Livewire Vol 9 Issue 2 December 2017

Issue 2 | Dec. 2017 | Volume 9

Livewire.

CONTENTS 3 Giving Help to Those in Need 4 Rebooting the Senior Project 5 Winner Winner, Tofu Dinner 7 Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays 8 The Clout Behind Soundcloud Rappers 9 More Than a Diet SPORTS: 12 Pounding Hearing Loss Into Submission 13 Twenty-Two Sports With Only Half Noticed 15 Band’s Outstanidng Year ACADEMICS: 16 Newest Addition to the Pathway 17 Advice Juniors Need to Hear 19 So Many Choices, So Little Time POLITICAL: 21 An Exhausted America 23 Silence Helps No One OPINION: 25 Mind Controlling a Nation 26 A Christmas Worth Celebrating THEME: 27 The Good and Evil Side of Dieting 30 Diets Debunked

STUDENT LIFE:

Issue Theme: Dieting As the new years draws near, everyone will be putting one thing on their new year’s resolution: lose weight. This causes a trend of new fad diets promoted to make losing weight seem quick, easy, and gorgeous, but dieting is not all it seems.

On The Cover: Calorie count during the holidays weighs in on our minds and our self reflection.

Read more at belivewire.com

Getting Into the Holiday Spirit

adviser Larry Steinmetz editor-in-chief Kim Houchin executive editor Sarah Allen website editor Ainsley Gordon website editor Zach Combest creative editor Haylie Jenkins junior creative editor Cassidy Cardwell sports editor Tyler Mozingo photo editor Morgan Harbolt business editor Meredith Bass social media editor Olivia Coke copy editor Lilly Whitley copy editor Olivia Armstrong copy editor Jaydrien Jarrett copy editor Ryley Ortega copy editor Haley Grether staff writers Tyler Steinmetz Nick Jackson Morgan Renneisen Carissa Kimball Kelsi Sego Hunter Brogan Ahna Cates Katie Huffman Isaiah Jenner Bryant Miles Ethan Neutz Montrell Page Emmy Ralph T.C. Etherton

Testing To Graduate

Bringing Holiday Spirit to the Community Scan this with Snapchat to check out what else we’re covering.

Livewire was re-founded in 2001 by journalism teacher, Larry Steinmetz. In the past, the Livewire has been a weekly newspaper, and a traditional newspaper, but recently moved to a newsmagazine published four times a year. The staff remains committed to bringing the Bullitt East community the most up to date news in a quality format and timely manner.

The staff appreciates your patronage and, as a public forum, encourages any feedback you care to offer.

Letters to the editor must be typed and submitted via e-mail, to Mr. Steinmetz’s mailbox, or directly to room 324 within one week of the publication to which you are responding. Letters will not be censored, but must be deemed appropriate by the editor and adviser in order to be published. In order to be eligible to appear in the paper, all letters must be signed and verifiable. Names can be withheld upon request, but must be submitted with the original letter.

Livewire is published by the students and for the students of Bullitt East High School. The Livewire is printed by aPrintis Printing Company.

Bullitt East High School 11450 Highway 44 East, Mount Washington, Kentucky, 40047.

(502) 869-6400.

Giving Help to Those in Need

by Bryant Miles

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olunteers take over Christmas.

People volunteer during Christmas to help out others.

While many families cannot to afford to buy their children christmas presents, there are many members of the community that spend their time donating toys and other items for these families during the holiday season.

The Season for Treats

by Emmy Ralph

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he holiday season is full of food, family and fun!

The holiday season is not only a time for gift exchange, decorations and family time, but also for cooking delicious holiday foods.

One favorite food for the holidays is honey ham.

Many church groups, school groups, and other people volunteer their time.

In order to make it very tasty, you have the buy a bone-in smoked ham. First, you cook it in the oven for about an hour and 40 minutes.

A local church St Francis Xavier is one of these church groups that helps volunteer for money tight families. Carly Druien who is a sophomore at Bullitt East was among this group of people. “We went to a place that had many toys and coats and clothing out on tables. We each got a partner who got a couple of each items,” said Druien.

Next, you mix brown sugar and honey in a sauce pan. Then, you pour the brown sugar glaze over the ham and bake it for another hour and 40 minutes.

Senior Kylah Fackler and her family also volunteer their time during christmas. “On Christmas morning we wake up early and go to St. Aloysius church. We make food for people who request it and can’t afford it on their own. We then go deliver the food to all the families before we go home and open our own presents. I love the fact that I’m helping people in need that’s definitely my favorite part of all of it,” said Fackler.

Junior Shelby Osborne volunteers some of her time to the Old Mill Christmas play. “I really enjoyed helping the kids and being able to volunteer my time to the school and I helped the kids get ready for the play and helped set up,” said Osborne.

As one can see Christmas Volunteering is a big thing. Many groups and students participate in volunteering during the Christmas time, and many students at Bullitt East help out around the school and the community.

One favorite holiday dessert is pumpkin pie. This dessert has a delicious pumpkin filling just sweet enough to make your tastebuds scream of joy along with the perfect flaky crust.

To prepare your tastebud-pleasing dessert, mix sugar, cinnamon, salt, ginger and cloves in a small bowl. In a large bowl separate from your other ingredient, beat eggs.

After it is mixed thoroughly, stir in pumpkin and sugar-spice mixture. Next, slowly add in evaporated milk. Then, pour the entire mixture into a pie crust in the baking pan. Lastly, bake in oven for about 40 minutes.

Pumpkin pie is simply the dessert that tops off your holiday meal. Another favorite holiday dessert is peppermint bark. This dessert is a mouthwatering treat, that is very simple to prepare, that will put you in the holiday spirit. Peppermint bark is hardened chocolate squares with pieces of peppermint candies.

All you have to do is melt your chocolate and pour it in a 9x13-inch pan. Then, you sprinkle your peppermint candies into the melted chocolate.

Next, let the bark chill in the refrigerator until it hardens. Last, enjoy!

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Layout: Cassidy Cardwell

Rebooting the Senior Project

by Ryley Ortega

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ust this year, the senior project that is required to graduate has been drastically changed.

Recently, the board of education had decided that it was time for a change in the graduation project. There have been a lot of mixed feelings about whether or not this new idea is better or worse than the one before. Many seniors even believe that it is unfair.

Last year, the senior project accounted for a research paper and a presentation, which according to english four teacher Megan Heller who has spent countless hours working on the dynamics of the new project “was so simple and tedious.”

However, this year, the seniors will be making a literacy online portfolio called “My Charger Way.” The intended idea is that you will get to work on this throughout all four years of highschool incorporating writing pieces from each class over each year. Although, many seniors have complained about the unfair amount of time they have compared to everyone else.

“It’s kind of a low blow to the seniors considering we only get this year to do it unlike all the underclassmen,” said senior Zach Thomas.

To accommodate this year’s seniors, Heller and the teachers and administrators that she closely worked with made sure to modify the project for each of the years that it is being grandfathered in. “In fact, the seniors version of this project is significantly easier than the other years project timeline,” said Heller.

Instead of having a writing piece from each class from each year, they only have to have one piece overall for each of their underclassmen years.

The main reason the senior project changed in the first place is because many of the seniors got it done in no time and received nothing out of it. Working on this new project will allow students to reflect on all of their years of high school and prepare for the future. “On a global scale, the world is always changing; we are always incorporating more technology.

Everyone has a device now, so why shouldn’t the graduation project also be throughout technology,” said Heller.

Although, since this idea for the project is so new, many of the teachers don’t know how to even help the students with it.

“Most of the homeroom teachers don’t know much about it so that doesn’t help at all,” said Thomas.

“I’m honestly just really confused on the whole thing because it’s been explained so poorly to us, especially since i’m not in english four, which is where they work on most of it,” said senior Tristen Preston.

Despite the confusion, the reason this year’s senior project is better than the last is because it is more personalized. You get to make the project entirely your own and best represent your personality and how it stands out from all others.

Layout: Olivia Armstrong

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Winner Winner, Tofu Dinner

by Kelsi Sego

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here’s the beef? Not on our plates.

Many students at BE have decided to take up a vegetarian lifestyle.

There are many different aspects to the vegetarian diet. Eating a plant based diet has many benefits. Students at BE have decided to participate in this lifestyle for various reasons.

Being vegetarian means changing your lifestyle, but it is a lot easier than you may think. There are many different types of the vegetarian diet. There is the normal vegetarian diet, this is the one that everyone knows about. This type simply does not consume meat. The main source of protein for this group comes from beans, chickpeas and dairy products. Vegetarians do not eat any type of meat, chicken, pork, fish, beef or anything of the sort. There are other types are diets that aren’t strictly vegetarian but are relatively close. One example is pollo-vegetarian. These are people who do not eat any meat products besides chicken. Another example are pescatarians.

These are people who do not eat any meat besides fish.

There are a few items that vegetarians don’t eat that are not solely meat. For example, marshmallows, gummies and jam are products that contain meat products. This is because they are made from gelatin. Gelatin made by boiling animal skin, cartilage, and bones. Sometimes even refined sugar can contain meat products. Rennet is an ingredient to watch out for when switching to a vegetarian diet. This is a common component of many cheeses.

Rennet is derived from the enzymes in an animal’s’ stomach.

Salad dressings are another item that may contain animal product. Many salad dressings contain bacon fat in them. Caesar dressing even contains anchovies.

Being vegetarian is different from being vegan however. Vegan diets are like vegetarians diets in that they don’t eat meat, however they do not any other products that come from an animal. These ingredients being cheese, honey, milk, eggs and any other dairy products. Vegans often refrain from consuming foods and drinks that require animal products to make them, like alcohol, despite not actually having animal products in the food itself.

The vegan and vegetarian lifestyle does not just have to apply to food. Many vegans and vegetarians are passionate about implementing animal rights into their lifestyle all together. One of the ways that people may do this is through their use of cosmetics. The two main ways that people do this are from vegan and/or cruelty free brands. Vegan brands are pretty self-explanatory. They just do not use animal products or byproducts in their products. Cruelty free brands are slightly different.

These are brands that do not test their products on animals.

Products that may test on animals range from makeup, to shampoo, conditioner and body wash, to cleaning supplies.

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Layout: Kelsi Sego

There are many benefits to taking up a meat free lifestyle. As well as saving an animal’s life, going vegetarian can be beneficial for one’s health and for the environment. Studies have shown that taking up a vegetarian lifestyle has the potential to improve one’s mood. This is because meat products typically contain a substance called arachidonic acid. This substance linked to mood disturbances. A study by Benedictine University found that moods improve when meat intake is restricted.

Vegetarian diets have also been linked to lower cholesterol levels, a reduced risk of obesity, diabetes and heart disease.

Going meat free can also save land. In developing countries that survive off of rice, beans and other plants they only use one acre or less of land to survive on that diet while the average American who consumes nearly 270 lbs of meat a year would need 20 times that space to produce their food.

According to The Guardian, around 30 percent of the world’s ice free land is used for livestock or for growing food for these animals to eat. Studies have shown that if the land used for growing food for livestock was given directly to humans to consume, then it would be able to feed twice as many people, then it does now.

Meat products have also been linked to a large number of CO₂ emissions. Animals bred for their meat are responsible for 51 percent of CO₂ emissions. Going vegetarian can also save a lot of water as well. Vegetarian author John Robbins calculates it takes 60, 108, 168 and 229 pounds of water to produce one pound of potatoes, wheat, maize and rice respectively. Whereas to produce one pound of beef, it takes 20,000 lbs of water.

The livestock industry has been a factor in deforestation.

Millions of hectares (100 acres) of trees have been cut down to provide meat for the US and animal feed for farms in Europe, China and Japan. Friends of the Earth estimates that around 6 hectares of forest land a year which is an area twice the size of Belgium.

The meat industry also has been linked many problems like increased pollution levels, spilling waste into our waterways, making humans more prone to diseases and more.

As well as benefiting the environment, going meat free, is also beneficial to your body. When going meat free it is possible to lose a few pounds. Neal Barnard, adjunct associate professor of medicine at the George Washington University School of Medicine in Washington, DC concluded that people lost an average of 7.5 lbs when eating a plant based diet. The longer the diet is practiced, the higher possible weight loss. Eating a plant based diet also had been linked to a reduced risk of heart disease. Studies have shown that vegetarians are 24 percent less likely to die from ischemic heart disease, which is caused from severe narrowing or closing of the coronary arteries.

It is also possible that you’ll reduce the amount of inflammation in your body. Highly processed foods increase inflammation through the body. Chronic inflammation has been linked

Toasty and Tasty

by Olivia Coke to heart attack, strokes, atherosclerosis, diabetes and autoimmune diseases. Plant based food are naturally anti-inflammatory because they are high in fiber and antioxidants.

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Partaking in a plant based diet also will reduce blood cholesterol levels. Saturated fats which are primarily found in meat products are a key factor in high cholesterol levels. Studies show that when taking up a plant based diet cholesterol levels have decreased by up to 35 percent.

Tank tops and sandals are out, jackets and boots are in. Winter is here and it’s time to dress warm yet fashionable for the chilly season. Getting a better understanding of what’s trending for the frosty time of year is the key to a fashionista’s success!

There are many students at bullitt east that participate in various aspects of the vegan and vegetarian lifestyle. Junior Cody Walston is currently a vegetarian and he hopes to go vegan in the future. “I care about animals and I realized that there is no ‘humane’ way to kill an animal. Also i’ve watched many documentaries about how eating meat is very bad for you. I also decided because I learned that animal agriculture is destroying the planet and I didn’t want to support it any longer” said junior Cody Walston.

To rock the perfect outfit you have to dress from head to toe in plenty of layers and accessories. A simple beanie is cozy and comfy; you can style your hair many ways with a solid color beanie to top it off. If the day is a little warmer, a corduroy skirt is a perfect match with an oversized sweater.

As for the feet, cabin socks are a great fit to wear under boots or to simply lounge around in the house.

It is relatively easy to change to a vegetarian diet. There are many protein substitutes that can be incorporated into the vegetarian diet. Some of the most common sources of protein for vegetarians include rice, beans, quinoa, soy, spirulina and hummus.

Some have encountered difficulty changing their diets due to their home life. Walston said “My family eats lots of animal products and we didn’t have many vegetarian options at my house.”

Senior Ashlee Green used to be vegan. “I got interested in it last summer when the doctor told me that my lupus was getting worse, and I did a lot of research on it and that a lot of diseases can be helped by eating whole natural foods and by veganism. So, that’s what I did and with that I lost a lot of weight and I added on exercise. It’s honestly a life style but it’s hard to keep up with if you don’t have time and are constantly busy, plus it’s really good for the environment as well and I like the whole ethical thing about it too.”

Green still continues to eat dairy free and red meat free. The only non-vegan item that she currently consumes is chicken.

Green plans to return to a fully vegan diet when she moves out and goes to college. “I didn’t have time to meal plan and find food because school and work keeps me busy and it can be hard to eat when you have to cook everything you eat and eat differently from the rest of your family. It all takes time and I didn’t have the time for it. Even though I don’t eat vegan anymore I still eat dairy free because i’m lactose intolerant and I still use vegan cosmetics and products and stuff as well.” said Green.

is the season to be stylish.

While the winter months may be chilly, it doesn’t mean you have to lose your fashion sense.

Long boots are perfect with any outfit; they can be worn with a casual or dressy outfit. On the other hand, duck boots are made for the adventurous and sporty look. No matter what style is worn for the winter, boots are the final setter to a “cool” outfit.

Junior Gracie Smith always seems to keep her taste of fashion looking sharp for any season. “Layering definitely helps you stay warm and fashionable at the same time. Although, I would have to say the best tip is finding a cute coat. If you have a neutral colored coat, it can go with every outfit. You can be warm but still show off the outfit underneath,” said Smith.

A controversial piece of clothing has been the fur material and animal prints and patterns. A recent style that arose is the fur vest; people pair it with a button-up top and plain long sleeve blouses. Some people believe it is tacky and unpleasing to the eye. Another material that trends during the colder season is velvet.

Wear the clothes that make you feel confident and beautiful; be a leader and don’t follow the crowd. It’s your body, so you have the choice to wear what you want this winter season. Keep fashionable, but don’t forget to keep warm and snug.

With hard work and determination, it is possible to stick to this diet.

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Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays

by Ainsley Gordon

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eck the hall with a driedel and a Christmas tree.

There’s more winter holidays than just Christmas.

Every year is full of holidays created by the many religions.

They range in tradition, food and reasoning. Keeping up with all of the religious holidays is very difficult, so here is the descriptions of three major holidays during the months of November and December.

Dec. 25: Christmas Christianity Celebrated by the Christian community, Christmas is a holiday focused on the birth of Jesus Christ, the spiritual leader of said religion. Popular traditions of Christmas include decorating Christmas trees, exchanging gifts and having a meal with friends and families.

As Christianity became more popular and they declared Dec. 25 as the Feast of Nativity around 400 C.E., the Christians accepted some of the pagan’s tradition of Yule. In the holiday of Yule, evergreen trees were first placed in houses as a reminder of life around Dec. 21. Christians took up this tradition and added apples to hang from the branches to symbolize the Garden of Eden. The apples were later modified to ornaments.

The tradition of Santa Claus also is a major characteristic of Christmas. Santa is based off of Turkish Saint Nicholas who passed away in the fourth century. On the anniversary of his death, known as Saint Nicholas Day, children who had been good woke up to presents on Dec. 6 while bad children got nothing. Inspired by Saint Nick, Clement Clark Moore twisted

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Layout: Morgan Harbolt

this story in 1822, when he made his poem, The Night Before Christmas, creating a character, Santa Claus, who traveled through the night sky on the eve of Christmas, pulled by reindeer and gave presents to good boys and girls.

Dec. 12 to 20: Hanukkah Judaism Followers of Judaism spend the end of November or beginning of December celebrating Hanukkah. This religious holiday begins on the 25 of Kislev, a month on the Hebrew calendar that usually falls between the months of November and December, and lasts for eight days. This year, the first night of Hanukkah lands on Dec. 12 and lasts until Dec. 20.

As many are familiar with, those celebrating Hanukkah light one candles on a menorah at sundown on each of the eight days, while the ninth candle that lies in the middle of the menorah is used to light the others. Menorahs are commonly placed near a central doorway or the window of houses of those celebrating for those passing to see.

The history of this widespread holiday originated in 168 B.C.E. when Antiochus IV Epiphanes. A small yet brave group of dedicated Jews decided to fight against the powerful leader to take back the land that was previously theirs. They succeeded in their mission to which they were able to reclaim their Holy Temple that had been taken away. Their hope was to light a menorah at the Temple, but the Greeks only left enough oil to last for one night. However, the one night’s worth of oil was extraordinarily able to last for eight nights, which is where the eight nights of Hanukkah originated.

The Clout Behind Soundcloud Rappers

by Carissa Kimball

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and some what talented, they know how to get people talking and they know how to get their name out there,” said Yarbrough. Whether it’s doing crazy amounts of drugs or getting arrested multiple times, it brings up those names in conversation.

Young artists are becoming more and more known on Soundcloud, a free music platform where many known artists today became famous. Rappers use music as a way to express their feelings, or just as a hobby. An easy music platform like Soundcloud exposes people to new sub-genres of rap and shapes music culture.

Getting into making music starts with the passion for it. “I started when I was 14, the idea of creation and being able to make your own art was awesome to me,” said Christian Ridner, known as ‘Shy99’ on Soundcloud.

he person you sit next to in class may be a famous artist someday.

Teens are displaying their own music and style on an app called Soundcloud, some with the potential to get big.

Thousands of songs are uploaded to Soundcloud each day, and all of them have the chance to go viral. Artists such as Playboi Carti, Trippie Redd, and Smokepurpp started off on the app, and are now millionaires thanks to their fans and talent.

A few students at East are attempting to make a living doing the same.

Most of these artists came from nothing, and are now some of the most influential people in society. One hit song can be life changing for a self made artist. “I’m just waiting to make that right song that everyone likes that’ll really put me on,” said Marly Michel, also known as ‘MaRs’ on Soundcloud.

The rap game is a competitive one, and it’s tough to get your stuff out to the world. “As a self-made artist it’s hard to get your name or your brand out to people, it’s hard to make a fan base when no one knows you exist,” said Sterling Yarbrough, known as ‘Lil Red Drank’ on Soundcloud.

For newer rappers, their claim to fame was to get people talking. “They’re famous because they can be controversial

For artists, music is seen as just a hobby or a way to get away from their problems. “Making music made me a deeper person, when I write a song I try to write it for the people so they can really relate to it,” said Michel.

Music makes every situation great, and making it is even better. “It’s such a release and makes me feel satisfied when I’m done recording a new song,” said Ridner. Most self made artists at East record out of their own rooms with equipment they bought.

With Soundcloud getting more and more popular, it’s beginning to shape music culture. Artists like Lil Peep, Lil Tracy and others have even influenced rap music creating a new kind of sound. “They kind of established it and made it more of a cultural thing,” said Ridner.

The future of music relies on new artists and how they make and release their music. Soundcloud has opened up new doors for regular people to shoot their shot in potentially becoming famous.

Layout: Olivia Armstrong

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More Than A Diet:

The Difference Between A Diet and an Eating Disorder

by Cassidy Cardwell

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bulimia survivor. Insecurities and criticism from peers could possibly drive someone into unhealthy habits. Inner struggles with body image also drive many into these habits, whether it be a desire to be skinny or desire to look a certain way.

Eating disorders come in all shapes and sizes and effect everyone differently. The signs differ from a typical diet and have more detrimental long term effects that take a toll on one suffering. Despite the stigma that these situations are a cry for attention, they are real and effect lives on the daily and for extended periods of time.

While many victims keep a low profile when dealing with disordered eating, it is possible to notice signs of someone potentially practicing unhealthy habits. “I would not eat in front of anyone. I would go to the bathroom right after eating,” said Lambdin. Signs of disordered eating may be viewable by changes in their body as well. A sudden drop in weight, increased fatigue, and hair loss are popular signs of someone struggling with an eating disorder.

urning to unhealthy habits could turn your life around.

Millions of people from various ages struggle with disordered eating in attempt at achieving possible unrealistic standards.

An eating disorder is defined as a psychological disorder characterized by abnormal or disturbed eating habits. Disorders like anorexia nervosa and bulimia include carrying out unhealthy starvation, binging, and purging habits in attempt at losing weight and being skinny.

Dieting is popular amongst society and many turn towards dieting, healthy or not, to achieve a desired body type. While dieting can be done in progressive ways, sometimes diets get out of control and start to mentally affect a person. This is the onset of an eating disorder. When it comes to dieting, the average person can still have a good relationship with food, but someone with an eating disorder does not. Physically and mentally, one with an eating disorder such as anorexia, can not consume food due to the anxiety that comes along with the idea of eating and gaining weight. Eating disorders also differ from diets in terms of obsession. Someone dieting may cut off unhealthy foods to lose weight, while someone with an eating disorder will cut off all foods to lose weight.

Disordered eating can stem from many different personal situations. “For probably a year and a half I was called fat by the same group of people… I wanted to look better and not be someone’s target,” said Ashley Lambdin, an anorexia and

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Layout: Haylie Jenkins

Unhealthy habits, like purging, can become very addictive.

Vomiting releases endorphins, which are chemicals in the brain that make you feel good. These endorphins are similar to the feel-good chemicals released when one does drugs, like cocaine or heroin.

Thankfully, Lambdin has recovered and has gained wisdom on body image and the immense negative effects of eating disorders. “... I started seeing multiple therapists and doing many different treatments,” said Lambdin. She learned that she should not have to go through this alone. She believes that everyone is beautiful and valid no matter what their size may be. “Your size does not determine your worth or your beauty,” said Lambdin.

The severity of eating disorders and the trauma they cause should not be ignored, however there is a stigma around how disordered eating is only for “attention and pity” and that it is not that serious. “I do believe some people do not actually have problems with eating but state that they do because they want attention…,” says Lambdin. Every 62 minutes, someone dies of an eating disorder. These disorders are real and affect lives every single day.

by Haylie Jenkins

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n eating disorder is not a diet.

Bulimia is not a healthy way to lose or maintain one’s weight; it is an illness.

Bulimia is a “psychiatric illness,” as stated by the John Hopkins Eating Disorder Program. There are many reasons for an individual to continue or start this kind of behavior. Treatment for Bulimia Nervosa involves different self treating methods, but with some severe cases it might take as much as an outpatient treatment.

Models are one of the most stereotypical of the professions that demand certain body standards.

Some of the top physical signs for bulimia are constant fluctuations in weight, broken eye blood vessels, extreme dehydration, oral trauma, enlarged neck glands, and infertility.

If large amounts of food are disappearing, the smell of vomit lingering, the person in question is eating in secrecy, has a lack of control while eating, and switching between overeating and fasting these could be signs of binging and purging.

Bulimia is defined as eating large amounts of food in a short period of time, but followed by excessive was to avoid gaining weight.

There is no pill for bulimia or a medicine to cure bulimia. But, whenever someone admits to being bulimic and they want to stop the first have to completely stop the binge-purging cycle.

When most people hear bulimia they associate it with regurgitating the food that was consumed. While that is one of the more common ways to avoid gaining weight some other methods of purging include: increased usage of laxatives or diuretics ( a medicine used to increase passage of urine), extreme or long periods of exercise, and fasting.

Then the next phase of treatment will be improving thoughts in the person’s head you have to push out all of the negative thoughts and fill their head with positivity about weight and dieting.

People who are affected by Bulimia Nervosa often eat and then purge several times a week or day. There is no specific cause for this the causes are often genetic, environmental, mental, or cultural.

Sometimes in severe cases where either the affected person is uncooperative or continues to relapse there is an inpatient treatment option, but most bulimia cases are treated at home within families.

Many different factors can cause someone to become Bulimic.

According to Eating Disorder Hope (Eating Disorder Education & Awareness) some common causes of Bulimia are “stressful transitions in life, history of abuse or trauma, poor self-esteem, professions or activities that focus on appearance/ performance, and negative body image.”

Bulimia is most often seen in women from teenage to young adults.

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11.

Pounding Hearing Loss Into Submission

by Zach Combest

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utting it all out on the mat, looking for the take down.

Senior, C.J. Bynum is a Charger wrestler who brings a unique skill set.

This is his first year wrestling for Bullitt East. Bynum has cochlear implants, but this hasn’t stopped him from doing what he loves. Cochlear implants didn’t just change his wrestling style, but also his life in and outside of school.

Bynum started wrestling for East only a few months ago. “As my first year I never knew what’s going to be like but it is a good feeling to get out with the team I trust and have fun,” said Bynum.

Wrestling often causes injuries and can take a toll on people, but Bynum is excited for the season and the challenges ahead.

Bynum received the implants about five years ago. A cochlear implant is an electronic medical device that replaces the function of the damaged inner ear. Unlike hearing aids, which make sounds louder, cochlear implants do the work of damaged parts of the inner ear (cochlea) to provide sound signals to the brain. He said ever since he got the implants his life has definitely changed. “Well before my cochlear I couldn’t really speak properly and I didn’t have any friends. Now with my cochlear I’m definitely more confident because I can hear what I’m saying and have more friends than I ever did my whole life,” said Bynum.

A normal day for Bynum is attending school and going to wrestling practice. “An average day is going to practice knowing you’re going to give that 110 percent and always be ready to wrestle no matter what day it is,” said Bynum.

The wrestling season started on Monday, Nov. 20 and Bynum touched the home mat for the first time against Bardstown High School. The coaches have to communicate with him through hand signals and gestures.

Listening to the coaches and the referee is a key factor for wrestlers, but Bynum does it without hearing anything. He takes off his implants everytime he hits the mat. “As a wrestler

with a cochlear implant I would say that it’s a good and bad thing. For example, I cannot hear anything without my cochlear and when I wrestle I can’t hear anything from the coaches and/or my friends on the wrestling team because I don’t wear it when I wrestle. It’s bad that I can’t hear them to tell me what move I can do, but it can help me be more focused on the opponent because I don’t have any distractions therefore I could beat my opponent based on the skills I know,” said Bynum.

Coaching Bynum has been a change for the coaches. “Coaching him with his disability has and will be a learning experience for the both of us... after his first match we learned that he must be instructed to look over to us between periods and breaks in action. We are establishing some hand signal communication that he can understand during the match to communicate situational wrestling moves,” said head coach Tom Wells. His only regret is that Bynum waited so long to join the team, but he believes that no one should never count him out with his deceived strength and heart to succeed.

His teammates have rallied around him since he joined the team. “He’s a good learner and wrestler so like any new guy he’s a member of a family now so we welcome him with open arms,” said senior wrestler Evan Spurgeon.

“My favorite part is knowing that even if I fail I can always get back up and try again. Wrestling definitely helped me to better person for myself and to other people because I’m a nice person with muscles,” said Bynum.

According to Cochlear.com, many adults with cochlear implants report that they hear better with a cochlear implant than with a hearing aid.

Any athlete that have disabilities can easily quit and give up, but Bynum has used his disability to push himself when on the mat. “He is a great addition to the team he puts it all in and leaves it all in the mat that’s all we can ask,” said Spurgeon. He hasn’t let his differences defeat him and he is continuing to lay it all out on the wrestling mat every time for himself and the name and Charger logo across his chest.

Layout: Morgan Harbolt

12.

Twenty-Two Sports and Only Half Noticed

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by Katie Huffman

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oving behind the scenes.

Many sports at Bullitt East go unacknowledged, sometimes even to the extent of taking place out of student sight.

These hidden sports range from the rigorous physical activity of wrestling, to the calm environment of archery. Approximately half of our schools sports receive little to no attention.

Where and how these events take place mainly impacts this issue.

Archery, bass fishing, bowling, dance, girls golf, boys golf, swimming, boys tennis and girls tennis are all sports that go unnoticed, with their accomplishments hardly acknowledged compared to the other attention hogging sports.

The archery team has won eight consecutive regional titles, and have placed at worlds and at nationals. “It isn’t the type of sport the student section could come and support us at our tournaments and be loud and rowdy,” said junior Megan Culver. She believes this is one of the main reasons why archery goes as an overlooked sport. This is Culver’s fifth year.

Sophomore Cameron Waddle is currently in his third year of archery. “My dad has seven regional championships, and we’ve gotten top six in the state many times, we’ve placed fifth and sixth at world and eighth and tenth many times at nationals.

I’ve shot with a Bullitt East team member that was fifth in the world,” said Waddle.

“I started archery in sixth grade because my dad wanted me to and I just really took a liking to it throughout the years and stuck with it,” said Culver.

On the bass fishing team, two team members advanced onto state during last year’s season. “People think it’s as easy as throwing a bobber with a worm on it, but it’s the challenge that makes it fun,” . said sophomore Haydon Smith, who is beginning his second year on the team.

“A lot of people think that sitting on a boat isn’t a sport, which is a good point, but they don’t know that bass fishing is a mental game. You have to know what bait to use, where to go and whether the fish will be deep or shallow. That’s why I think it’s overlooked, because people don’t know a lot about it,” said junior Jeremy Antle, who is starting his first year on the team.

Smith added, “I’ve grown up fishing with my dad and brother.

My brother was on the team for three years and when I was a freshman, he was a senior and he talked me into it [joining the team].”

For three consecutive years, the bowling team has made it to state. “Without working together as a team, we wouldn’t have been able to make that happen,” said junior Alexis Adkins, who has bowled for our school for four years now. Junior Skylar Richardson believes the main reason the bowling team goes unnoticed is because of lack of publicity. “I’m super proud of my team this year because so far we are 3-0,” said Richardson.

Last year, the dance team won fifth place at their state competition. For this year, they have already raised over four thousand dollars for costume and competition fees. “I joined the dance team because I’ve never actually been on a school dance team and I’d thought I’d try it out and it’s turned out great and I love my teammates,” said junior Elisa Spencer.

On the girls golf team, seventh grader at Eastside, Macie Brown placed twelfth in the state. “My dad golfed a lot and he started taking me out on the course and I have played with him since I was a kid,” said Brown. The girls golf team carried a very successful season looking back, and have even higher expectations for next year. This year, the boys golf team won their district tournament, making a seven year winning streak.

“I’m unspeakably proud of how we all have helped each other progress as players and as young men,” said sophomore Aiden Robison.

“I think people see it as a boring sport, but it’s actually one of the most challenging, mentally and physically. It helps you learn how to deal with situations you don’t want to be in. I gave it a shot and found it very enjoyable, if people gave it a shot they would love the game,” said Robison.

Over the past couple years, the swim team has grown tremendously in size which has made it difficult on the team to find couches. “Everyone last year definitely improved in their own way but I was really proud of the group of swimmers that made it to the second round of regionals which was the majority of our swimmers so that was awesome to see, even all the first years made it that far,” said junior Reagan Hardy.

The swim team may be overlooked because our school’s pool is at the University of Louisville, making it inconvenient to support. “Bullitt East does not advertise it [swimming] as much, which is odd because we have 37 Bullitt East swimmers which is quite a bit,” said junior Grace Fluhr. “I think a lot of people think that anyone can swim if you know how to not drown in a pool and that’s why not a lot of people pay much attention to the sport but swimming is much more than what people think it is,” said Hardy.

The tennis team has had a player advance to state the past two years. “I am proud of the hard work we put in while still having fun. We lose some and we win some but in the end as long as we put in enough effort and it resulted in excellence then we had a good game,” said junior Matthew McCarter.

“It [tennis] isn’t respected and therefore it is overlooked,” said senior Harrison Glauber. McCarter added, “I feel tennis, along with other overlooked sports in the U.S., could become a bigger part of our culture by the team and the community spreading positive words about wins and losses or upcoming games and matches.”

The girls tennis team carries their own accomplishments which they take pride in. Sophomore Kaitlyn Reynolds said, “My doubles partner and I won a match for the first time and that was a big accomplishment for us.” Tennis carries the same overlooked status when switching from the girls and boys team. Reynolds said, “If you just watch it [tennis] on TV and they have no idea how to play it, it looks boring and confusing so when they [students] see we have a tennis team they think it’s boring because they don’t know what is happening.”

The wrestling team might just be the most overlooked of them all. Sophomore Jay Smith claims that not that many students attend their meeting, maybe one to five at most.

In order to appreciate all sports equally, we need to spread the word about what these sports do, and also their accomplishments.

14.

Band’s Outstanding Season

by Lilly Whitley

T

he marching band ended their season on a good note.

During their season, the marching band was very successful and had many great achievements.

The marching band has put a lot of hard work and dedication throughout their season. They were very dedicated. As a result, they accomplished many things over the five months of their season.

To start the season, the marching band competed at Eastern High School. They started off competing in preliminaries, then advanced to finals. In the end, they were very successful and took home first place as well as grand champion. “Winning at Eastern was a great way to start off the season. It was kind of cool because I went to Barren County High School and they got second and we got first. The most exciting part was when they announced the second place group and its not you,” said band director, Trevor Ervin.

Toward the end of October, the band headed to semifinals at Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium. They placed eighth overall in class 5A. Two out of six judges advanced the band to finals.

They were 2.5 points away from making it to finals. “I thought they did a wonderful job given the conditions. We were the smallest band there in class 5A because it’s based on school size not band size. We were much closer this year than we have been to advancing to state finals,” said Ervin.

The band was very dedicated this season. “It takes a lot of dedication from kids to not only put up with me but put up with others and put up with environmental issues. When we start our season it’s one hundred degrees outside and when we end it there’s icicles hanging off our instruments,” said Ervin.

One thing the band does to prepare themselves for the upcoming season is band camp. Band camp takes place in the summer just before school starts. It last for three weeks and they have rehearsals eight hours a day. “Band camp really helped us with fundamentals. We used part of the time to help us get familiar with our music which helped us a whole lot when competitions started,” said band member, Kevin Zygmunt.

This season, the band had many strengths. “One of our strengths this year was the color guard. We hired a new color guard director this year who has been really active in pursuing kids and getting people to do it,” said Ervin.

As far as weaknesses go, the band didn’t really have any that held them back. “One of the most unique things I think about teaching high school is the new kids that come in have no idea where the seniors have come from so this band four years ago didn’t make state semi finals and this year it’s just a thing we are assumed to make semifinals and the freshman don’t get that,” said Ervin.

To end the season, the band performed at Kings High School.

Last year, the band came in second at Kings by half a point.

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However this year the band came home champions. “It was the best way to end the season We had prelims and finals and whoever wins gets to play again which is the encore. Seeing all of our moms and dads looking at us playing again was great” said Marsh.

One of the main reasons the band was so successful this season was because of their coach. “Mr. Ervin pushed me and guided me not only in band but in life too. This is the first time they’ve had a drum major in a couple of years. I take care of everyone and try to be the best leader and role model I can be.

I stand up and direct the band so I’m pretty much like a little Mr. Ervin,” said Marsh.

Everyone in band including the seniors feel it was the best season yet. “I definitely feel like a had a successful season for my senior year. It was by far the best one. Every practice we’ve gotten better and haven’t had a bad practice at all this season.

Everyone had a positive attitude throughout the whole season and not too much bad negative stuff happened. We were able to put all of our energy and focus into the season,” said Marsh.

Compared to previous seasons, this season has been the band’s best one yet. “This season has been the best so far because we were full of energy and very focused everyday. We really understood how important it is to each individual and the band as a whole,” said senior drum major, Mason Marsh.

The band continues to get better every year.

To The Bone:

A Movie Review

by Jaydrien Jarrett

A

nother Netflix original peeks the scene.

To the Bone was released and made by Netflix and features the struggles of anorexia.

Newest Addition to the Pathway

by Meredith Bass

W

ith new changes coming this spring, students have another pathway option.

A decision by the district and school has created new opportunities for students with a teaching pathway.

After some debate, it has been decided that the pathway will be available to students in spring of 2018. This pathway will include three courses and is another option to help students graduate college and career ready. Many students and teachers believe that this will be beneficial to students with an interest in the education field.

Within this pathway, there will be three teachers. Melissa Speakman will teach the first course, “The Learning Community.” Tiffany Darnell will teach the second course, “The Learner-Centered Classroom”. Leo Craven will teach the third and final course, “The Professional Educator.” To complete the pathway, to end the students will have to have a clinical experience or a AP class.

The overall purpose of this pathway is to recruit future teachers and educators. Within the three courses, students will learn and discuss the history of education, regulations in educations, standards to be covered, lesson plans, working with students with disabilities. “Basically, these courses are an intro to education to help students decide if this is the path they want to take for their future career,” said Speakman.

Along with graduation career ready, dual credit is offered through U of L with the completion of these classes. “If a student is interested in the education field I would highly recommend these courses,” said Speakman.”

The main star of the series, Ellen, is played by Lily Collins and follows the struggles of anorexia. The character ends up agreeing to a form of treatment in which she goes to live in a house with others struggling from different eating disorders.

The movie doesn’t hold back and will show the dark and disturbing factors on eating disorders.

The movie goes through all of the complications of eating disorder. It features the struggles of not just the person with the disorder but also the family.

The physical and mental stress that a person can go through is ls shown in this movie in sometimes dark or what could be considered disturbing ways.

Many eating disorders are featured throughout the film but the primary one shown is anorexia. Lily Collins does a good job in portraying what anorexia is like.

The character refuses to eat or even look at food at some points. It shows what a person can go through in real life situations.

The film is highly accurate in showing struggles. It can be highly compared to real life situations and does not come off as seeming fake or corny at all.

It shows the true pain of what someone can go through. Every character is perfectly portrayed by the actor. This movie can be dark at times but it perfectly portrays the struggles of eating disorders.

To the Bone gets an 8/10.

The expectations are high with the success of this addition. With the changes, current students are already beginning to consider their options. “I think it’s a great idea, it’s made me think about what I want to do in my future classes because there are so many options,” said sophomore Shelby Knieriem.

This big change is expected to gain interest in the coming years with the incoming freshmen. Morgan Salyer, an 8th grader at Eastside middle school, has already begun to think about what classes she might take in the future. “I really like that they added this because I’ve been thinking about being a teacher so it would be cool to learn what it’s all about,” Salyer said.

Expectations are high for these big changes coming soon.

Layout: Cassidy Cardwell

16.

Advice Juniors Need to Hear: Things They Need For the ACT

by Ethan Neutz

T

his spring, juniors will be taking the ACT and lots of people have things they do to prep for the big one.

Seniors took it last year and will definitely have some advice on what to do, this year’s juniors also have some ideas and especially what not to do.

Many high schools still recommend taking the ACT the spring of your junior year because the content of the Math test includes topics that some curricula does not cover before then. People will say to study but how exactly do you study for everything?

It’s information overload for sure, you need to know geometry, algebra one and two, whatcha gonna do?

Of course you’ll have those kids that go into the room knowing they didn’t study and come out good as ever. It’s easy to forget that you have a big test on a random Saturday in the summer but when it’s during the week and with the rest of your junior class do you really have an excuse? While the entire ACT cannot be studied, it would still be beneficial to study.

“I used flash cards with questions on them along with study tips, I used the study tips a lot while taking the test,” said senior, Brooke Taylor. She also pointed out that when taking the test you should “keep an open mindset and be mentally prepared for such a long, rigorous test.”

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“Practice makes perfect,” said Senior Sean Woods who received a composite score of 35.

“Take Cert seriously as it is a valuable resource and will help you get comfortable taking the test,” said Woods.

Cert is a relatively new test at Bullitt East, it started 3 years ago and is used to prepare students for the ACT. It puts students in a testing environment and asks ACT-like questions. A lot of times the test is not taken seriously and that has brought upon issues of lower-level class placement and hidden knowledge in some cases.

“Review areas where you struggle, get comfortable doing it,” said Woods. Again, this ties in with the Cert test because with the test you are able to do remediation on the topics you are not so well informed on and need to work more on.

Along with getting comfortable with the test and furthering yourself in areas that you struggle, Woods says to, “Keep track of time, don’t stress yourself out, relax the night before, get a good night’s sleep, and have a positive outlook on the test.”

18.

So Many Choices, So Little Time:

The Debate Between Local and Out-of-State Colleges

by Morgan Renneisen

S

o many options, so many decisions, so little time.

Staying local or traveling further away from home is a huge and stressful dilemma for people who plan to continue their education after high school.

Making the decision to stay in state or go away to college has always been a big deal for high school seniors and even people who want to transfer from a current college. There are many benefits that come along with going away to college and also to staying local.

The educational opportunities that local and out of state colleges offer is also an important variable to consider when it comes to agreeing on a school to continue an academic career.

Students are faced with many difficulties throughout high school when it comes to deciding upon a college to attend. The reality really starts to kick in during senior year. Senior Baylee Cockeril plans to attend Morehead State University next fall.

Cockeril is excited about finally getting to be on her own, being able to meet new people, and getting to make her own decisions.“I have worked really hard in school to keep my grades up so therefore I have a lot of KEES money and I want to use it,” said Cockeril. KEES is a is a program that helps to provide students in Kentucky scholarship money based on their grades and attendance at school.

This made a big impact on her decision to attend Morehead State.

Bullitt East graduate Lindsay Renneisen is currently attending college at the University of Evansville in Indiana. The hardest part about being at an out of state school for many people is being so far away from family and friends. “It makes you grow apart from some of your closest friends because you don’t get to see them as often anymore,” said Renneisen.

Going to a school that is farther away is hard, but it can also help a person become more outgoing and willing to meet new people. “It forces you to make new friends and put yourself out there. It also eliminates the distraction you might have from family if you went to a school close to home,” said Renneisen.

Renneisen is at the University of Evansville on a softball scholarship and plans to finish out the rest of her collegiate years there.

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Staying closer to home always seems to be the easiest path to take when a student is not sure if they are willing to travel a long distance from their family and friends.

Meeting new people and putting yourself out there can be a very hard thing to do, especially if you are a more introverted and quiet person. “That was my biggest concern about going somewhere so far away from home. I was lucky to have really welcoming girls on the softball team,� said Renneisen.

The Higher Educational Research at UCLA found that 38 percent of students attend a college that is within 50 miles of their home, 15 percent of students attend a school within 51-100 miles of their home, and 37 percent of students go to a college 101-500 miles away from home.

The amount of students who decide to stay close to their hometowns, or travel further away seems to be fairly close in numbers. Even so, it is a very difficult decision for many high school students to make.

There are many things to take into consideration when a student is thinking about going away to college. Money, education, friends, and family, are among the many variables that may hold students back from making the final commitment to an out of state school.

Many studies have been conducted that show homesickness in college freshmen and college students in general.

Although these studies do show the students getting homesick, they also show that going to a college away from home does not affect all students in the same way.

Guidance counselor Savannah Richardson is a big advocate for the college experience. Richardson Deciding on whether to go to a local college or further away from home is a huge decision for students to make. There are many factors that weigh into this choice that can be stressful and tough. Education, distance, family, friends, money, and more seem to be the components that take a toll on students’ final pick.

Although choosing a college to attend to pursue a career can be tough, it ultimately comes down to what the student wants and what is going to make them the most content.

20.

An Exhuasted America

by Olivia Armstrong

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any are left asking where we draw the line as a country.

The overwhelming presence of gun violence in today’s society are leaving people in the midst of a moral battle: when have we, as a people, abused the purpose of a gun?

In the past two months, there has been a frightening number of mass shootings on American grounds. Gun laws around the country differ immensely, and many believe the lack of such is driving our country through a downhill spiral. Light has been shed on the way the world handles and discusses these violent incidents, and many are noticing patterns.

On Nov. 5 the world mourned all over again when a 26-year-old male walked into First Baptist church in Sutherland Springs, Texas and opened fire. The incident left 26 people dead and many others injured.

A month and five days before, on Oct. 1, Stephen Paddock shot and killed 58 people from the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada.

These two shootings combined caused 84 deaths, and 569 non-fatal injuries. The ages of these deaths ranged from an unborn child to 77-years-old. “It really is a sad thing,” said senior Tristen Preston.

The shooting in south Texas shook the close knit community.

With a population of only 600 people, Devin Kelley had killed nearly 4 percent of the town’s residents in minutes.

The serious problem with Kelley, however, was his should-havebeen inability to be in possession of a gun. Kelley had a past of domestic abuse to his thenwife and stepson, which got him discharged from his Air Force job at Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico. To make matters worse, the gunman escaped from a mental health facility while awaiting his court martial in 2012. Kelley pleaded guilty to the aggravated assault to his then-wife and child.

All of these charges should have prevented Kelley from having access to any weapon whatsoever, but a fatal flaw in the Air Force let him slide by unseen.

A statement from the Air Force explained the problem: “Initial information indicates that Kelley’s domestic violence offense

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was not entered into the National Criminal Information Center database by the Holloman Air Force Base Office of Special Investigations.”

He purchased the firearm used from Academy Sports + Outdoors and the store issued a statement of “deep condolences” afterwards.

Kelley also became injured during his rampage. A civilian in the church had a gun on him, and as a measure self defense, fired it. The shots hit Kelley in the leg and torso. He was found dead in his car soon after with a self-inflicted shot to the head as well.

The shooting however, was not totally at random. In the midst of firing, Kelley killed his grandmother-in-law. His mother-inlaw attended the church as well, however, she was not there at the time. He also had sent his mother-in-law threatening texts as early as Sunday morning before the shooting.

Stephen Paddock fired at a much larger crowd. Every year since 2014, the Las Vegas Village, a 15-acre plot of land in Las Vegas, Nevada, has held the annual Route 91 Harvest country music festival. Nearby is the Mandalay Bay hotel, a four-star hotel at the south end of the Las Vegas strip. Paddock had been staying in the hotel for three days before the shooting, checking into room 32135 on Thursday, Sep. 28.

Over the course of his stay, Paddock had brought 10 different suitcases to his suite. Officials reported that everything seemed normal about Paddock and his whereabouts inside the hotel; he was adequately able to cover up what he wanted to hide.

The suitcases contained the 23 different weapons Paddock had managed to bring into room 32135. Around half of them were semiautomatic rifles. These rifles, however, were modified using a legal altercation called “bump stocks” to fire like automatic rifles.

Especially since the shooting, bump stocks have caused a lot of controversy in the media. After Las Vegas, the National Rifle Association took to the public to release a statement on the topic of bump stocks: “The N.R.A. believes that devices designed to allow semiautomatic rifles to function like fully-automatic rifles should be subject to additional regulations.”

The suite was fashioned with a large window facing the music festival lot, the window that Paddock knocked out to shoot from. He was able to break it through in two different spots to shoot.

Stephen Paddock killed himself shortly after in his hotel room, and officials still have yet to determine an exact motive for the shooting.

The Las Vegas shooting is the deadliest mass shooting in modern United States history. The Sutherland Springs shooting is the fifth deadliest. “Why aren’t more people paying attention to this?” said sophomore Beth Woods.

To add to the events, the second, third, and fourth most deadly shootings in modern United States history occurred in the last ten years. These include the Pulse Night Club, Virginia Tech, and Sandy Hook shootings: totaling 108 dead in a span of only nine years.

The second amendment to the United States constitution reads: “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.” And the amount of controversy this sentence has brought forth in recent years is astounding.

Written in 1791, the “arms” of today are very different than 200 years ago. Back then, a common musket had minimum specs: it could hold one magazine round, shoot three rounds per minute maximum and its maximum accuracy range was a mere 50 meters. Today, the specs are much higher, and have much deadlier effects.

has prohibitions for for individuals with domestic violence convictions and Nevada requires a mandatory universal background check.

This fact is leaving many to question why more gun control laws aren’t in place. After the Texas shooting, Senator Elizabeth Warren took to twitter, asking “how many kids must die of gun violence on playgrounds & streets every day with no attention at all before we wake up to what’s happening?”

Another point the public is bringing to the table is America’s lack of rigorous background checks. Today, there are several loopholes to avoid a background check all together when purchasing a gun. In most states, a background check is not required when purchasing from a private dealer at a gun show. Only is it federal law that licensed dealers are required to conduct checks. This is known as the “gun show loophole.”

“I think that background checks should be used and tightened so that people with felonies or histories of mental/medical issues… can’t get ahold of them,” said Lutz.

After the Las Vegas shooting, many were left questioning the role the media plays in massacres like these. “The copycat phenomenon is real,” said Andre Simons of the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit.

The way the media is portraying these shooters, and the attention they’re giving them, may just be inspiring others to take a similar path.

However, some neglect this comparison and take the mental health route. After the Sutherland Springs shooting, president Donald Trump took to the media to declare the events a “mental health problem at the highest level.” Trump also commended the other shooter, who injured Kelley, and said that “fortunately somebody else had a gun that was shooting in the opposite direction… it [c]ould’ve been much worse.”

Another interesting pattern some have noticed is that throwing the death count in every news headline after a shooting has the potential to motivate a likely gunman to want to beat that number. “When the media highlights the magnitude of attacks as ‘the largest’ or as having the most victims, it is imbuing the perpetrator with what might be perceived as a status or power that others want to emulate,” said psychologist Peter Langman to Mark Follman of Mother Jones magazine.

Many praise this mental health route, and Trump’s response.

“I think [Trump] did what he needed to do. He offered his full support for the victim’s families, local first responders, etc., so I think he handled it well and did all he could,” said senior Andy Lutz.

Others have argued that these shootings have become way too politicized. “While it’s important to recognize the issue and try and prevent tragedies like that from happening in the future, I think it’s important that we come together and support each other when we need it most,” said Lutz.

In the United States, the second amendment is the most basic unit of gun control. From there, state laws decide for everything else.

Kellyanne Conway, counselor to president Trump, said recently after the Texas shooting that discussing gun control so quickly after the tragedy was “disrespectful to the dead.”

Kentucky is a state with more relaxed gun control laws. Kentucky has no assault weapons or high capacity magazine ban.

There are no prohibitions for for individuals with domestic violence convictions. The state also does not require a mandatory universal background check at the point of purchase or through a permit requirement.

However, many feel the complete opposite. On the day of the Texas shooting, Elizabeth Rogers, @ahumorlessfem, took to twitter to emphasize the importance of the politicization of these events. “If I died in a mass shooting, I want my death to be politicized. Literally the second I am pronounced dead,” she said in a tweet. The tweet now has over 16 thousand retweets and 61 thousand likes.

Texas and Nevada are the same as Kentucky; however, Texas

22.

Silence Helps No One

by Haley Grether

A

two word hashtag that swept across the nation.

On Oct. 15, well renowned actress and producer, Alyssa Milano, tweeted to her public, “if you’ve been sexually harassed or assaulted write ‘me too’ as a reply to this tweet,” This tweet sparked exactly the response from the public that was intended. After the seemingly endless accusations of sexual harassment and assault against the infamous Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, this hashtag emerged. Encouraging women and men alike to share their stories and finally stand up against their accusers, the ‘MeToo’ hashtag provided salvation for some and disdain towards others.

Not only was this hashtag big on Twitter, it spread across all social media. Filling every feed with friends, strangers and acquaintances publically acknowledging that they, too, have experienced assault or harassment in their lifetime.

Some spoke up, telling their personal stories while others just simply replied with the tag.

This wasn’t just something that women did, men did too. Speaking up about their experiences with assault, whether they were the assaulted or the one assaulting, many men across the nation participated in this movement.

Along with the ‘MeToo’ hashtag, there were a variety tags used by men where they admitted to their own unseemly behavior, some of which include, #IDidThat and #HowIWillChange.

The ‘MeToo’ hashtag gave woman the microphone, they were now able to share their experiences with the world, and not be judged. What this hashtag did was create a community of women and feminist activist who all share similar life experiences. Making a community where it’s safe to talk about the bad, that has easy access to comfort and amenity from others.

The use of this hashtag provided much controversy as well. In the wake of the tag, many people, empowered by the

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movement began to speak out against sexual harassment and expose a large number of powerful men in media, other than Weinstein. One of which includes NPR (National Public Radio) editor Michael Oreskes.

After being accused by two different women for sexual harassment Oreskes resigned from his position at NPR. “My behavior was wrong and inexcusable, and I accept full responsibility,” said Oreskes in a statement that was published by the Associated Press.

It has been eye opening to to public to see the amount of women that have experienced some type of sexual abuse in their life. Along with the ordinary people of the public, many well known celebrities participated in this movement, speaking about their stories.

Some people of fame that have come forward about their experiences include: Reese Witherspoon, Jennifer Lawrence, Molly Ringwald, Lady Gaga, Evan Rachel Wood, Melanie Lynskey, Terry Crews, James Van Der Beek, McKayla Maroney. The list of people who have come forward continues to grow, and seems endless.

Seeing the reality of the situation and the continuous growth of numbers in the victims of abuse is shocking to the public. Bringing to light the fact that this is a huge problem in today’s society, many people begin to ask how this issue will be fixed.

Talking about it is the first step to making the situation better. After the ‘MeToo’ tag, as a society this step has been accomplished. Fulfilling its purpose of allowing the public to be aware of the issue with sexual harassment, assault and abuse in individual communities today.

Moving forward it is hoped that people learn from this movement and make more choice decisions in the future.

24.

Mind Controlling a Nation: The Fake News Epidemic

by Kim Houchin

T

he epidemic is spreading and everyone is falling victim to it.

Fake news is becoming one of the most infectious diseases throughout the United States.

There’s a certain trust in the media that everyone needs. These are the people who deliver news from all over the globe to our phones, our doorsteps and our televisions. When something important happens in the world, we expect to hear about it from an unbiased standpoint. When things like the Las Vegas shooting happen, we don’t expect to be bombarded by propaganda from both the far right as well as the far left. We expect full, unbiased coverage of the events.

With fake news becoming more and more prevalent in our day-to-day lives, we become conditioned to accepting these statements as fact. But, why? Because with years of trust in the mainstream media, citizens are accepting with whatever is given by news sites.

They swallow the pill that is given to them. For journalists, this is a major responsibility. Just like the caption box on a Spider-Man comic once stated, “With great power comes great responsibility.” Unfortunately, like many villains of a comic, this power is taken advantage of. It’s no secret that two of the major news sites, FOX News and CNN, are completely biased.

While FOX lies on the Republican side of the spectrum and CNN on the Democrat, the two show a very obvious bias. This bias truly came to light to all citizens during the election of 2016.

That year was stressful for all people. With the world-changing Brexit and the conduction of nuclear missiles by North Korea, everyone was on edge - not just Americans.

With all of these incredibly tense situations happening left and right, this caused the country to be divided between the left and right. There was only black and white, no gray area. No room for uncertainty. And thus, fake news was reborn.

Now, this is not stating that fake news has only been recently invented. In fact, one of the earliest recordings of deliberate false statements given to groups was in 1475, in Trent, Italy.

A local boy had gone missing and a preacher made many sermons on how the Jewish community had murdered the boy and drank his blood to celebrate the Passover. So, no, Donald Trump, you did not “invent fake news.”

As the year goes on, news and media in general have become less and less trustworthy. Once politics in general is brought up, the conversation is eventually turned to how poor journalism has become in recent years.

With the growing advancement of technology, the lack of ethics in the journalism conference room is not helping the case when people state that “journalism is a dying industry.” This is a generation of fact checkers and hesitant believers. Instead of just closing their eyes and letting themselves fall, they double, even triple, check to make sure that they aren’t just blindly falling into a pit of lies and misinformation.

How to Avoid Fake News: - Fact check everything you read - If they have a lack of verifiable information, it’s probably fake - Poor grammar - Quotes or pictures are untraceable - Always question your sources - Consider if you would have believed the news if it were arguing for the opposite side

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Layout: Kim Houchin

A Christmas Worth Celebrating

Album Review: Just the Beginning

by: Ahna Cates

A

n average 13-year-old’s biggest hobbies might include hanging out with friends or watching YouTube videos, but this one is writing albums for a major record label.

On her highly-anticipated debut album “Just The Beginning”, 13-year-old Grace Vanderwaal displays mature song-writing abilities while leaving room for growth.

by Hunter Brogan

S

anta Claus is coming to town.

There will be gifts you get under the tree that you won’t like. You will have to get past the fact that the gift is not a good one, at all. But then there’s that one, the one that you haven’t took your eyes off of all morning.

When kids wake up on Christmas morning, they’re looking forward to that one gift. That one gift that they’ve been asking for for awhile now. Kids these days like the big gifts, like the top dollar ones. Such as the Xbox or the Ps4.

Sophomore Blake Dattilo said his favorite gift he’s ever received was a Xbox. On the other hand, some gifts Dattilo didn’t like was “Useless clothes.” Everyone makes a Christmas list, it is important for your parents to follow it. “Have kids make a list and actually go by it. Ask their friends,” said Dattilo.

The album is pop-influenced to the point where it lacks some diversity. However, Vanderwaal manages to stand out with her distinctive vocal style and honest lyricism. The subject matter of many of the songs are reflective of what people her age experience, which could be relatable to some or a flaw to others.

Vanderwaal first gained recognition on the show America’s Got Talent, when she won the competition in 2016 at age 12.

Since then, she’s been signed to a major record label, been featured on Billboard magazine’s 21 Under 21 list twice and released both an EP and album.

The lead single “Moonlight” opens “Just The Beginning”, with acoustic ukulele instrumentals backing Vanderwaal’s strong vocal abilities. However, many songs on the album such as “Sick of Being Told” or “ So Much More Than This” have a similar style, making it one that lacks some depth.

The song that stands out the most from the rest is the intense piano ballad, “Burned”, which is comparable to the work of fellow pop singer Sia.

If you’re in a bind looking for gifts for your child, have them make a list to go by. If you want the kids to like what they get this year, get them what they want. Most of the time, kids won’t be huge fans of gifts they didn’t ask for. Sophomore Reid Popplewell said his least favorite gift he has recieved was candy. On the other hand, his favorite was a rifle he got.

Vanderwaal is still maturing in some aspects, but nevertheless is incredibly impressive as a young artist. Her lyricism is self-aware, vulnerable and straightforward. Several tracks focus on the topic of mental illness and how it affects both her and those around her, which is something that many young teens are faced with today. Her honesty is what makes her stand out from other pop musicians and musicians her age.

So depending on whether a gift is good or not all depends on what they like. A big hit on Black Fridays are the game consoles. Such as the Xbox One and the Ps4, or electronics in general. TV’s and cell phones are a hit and most kids love them.

While “Just The Beginning” might not be the most groundbreaking, it is a pleasant listen and certainly shows the dedication and potential of a young musician who’s ready to take on the bright musical career ahead of her.

According to Walmart, all of their top six products are electronics. These items include TV’s, IPad Minis, Laptops, Xbox One, Ps4, and Call of duty. These are some good gifts to give because teenagers these days love electronics.

So when a kid unwraps that wrapping paper on Christmas morning, their idea of the perfect gift will be different. As time goes by, the type of gift you’ll want will change. It seems like when you are younger you want toys. Dattilo said his favorite gift he got growing up were Cars toys. The gifts will get more expensive, let’s just hope that everybody likes what they get.

Layout: Olivia Armstrong

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The Good and Evil Side of Dieting

by Morgan Harbolt

I

s it worth the calories?

All Americans have said at one time or another, “I need to go on a diet,” but is it really worth it?

Pros: An estimated 45 million Americans go on a diet each year, according to bostonmedical.com. There is a lot of controversy on the subject of dieting. Finding the right diet for your body can be hard. Students and teachers at BE have taken part in some of these fad diets.

There are so many different diets, it’s hard to find one that you like. Sophomore Kamryn Lane said, “My favorite diet is low calorie because it’s easier to track, and there’s a lot of different options of food with that one.”

“My favorite is the whole 30 for sure, it’s when you take out all added sugars and preservatives, basically it’s if you didn’t grow it and you didn’t kill it, don’t eat it,” said Jenkins.

Dieting isn’t just to lose weight. Dieting also helps with acne.

“My skin is a whole lot clearer than it ever was because of the way I eat,” said Madison Jenkins, sophomore. Dieting is actually recommended to teens who struggle with their acne.

Cutting out greasy and buttery foods is suppose to improve acne.

People who eat junk food on the regular typically are more tired and lazy. Eating good, healthy food consistently is known to make a person more active. Jenkins said, “Dieting makes me feel great, I’m always energetic, it makes me want to go to the gym more.”

Dieting, when done correctly, can improve a person’s self esteem. Even if they aren’t seeing physical results, they will feel better and healthier on the inside. Lane said, “It makes me feel super confident, and motivates me more everyday.”

Sophomore, Lexi Lutz, who has been a vegetarian for about a year and a half said, “Keeping constant with what you’re eating day to day is a good balance. It keeps me on track and I’ve been on the same diet for so long it’s become natural and I love it.”

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Layout: Morgan Harbolt

Cons: Dieting can also have a lot of downsides. A major concern with teenagers dieting is the obsession to look slim. Typically their only idea to get this result is to eat as little as possible, which is not healthy. Lutz said, “It worries me that I am going to be deficient in some nutrients and not realize what affects they’re having on my body.”

When someone who is on a diet, especially young girls in high school, people seem to have a stereotype. “They ask me why, like why would you wanna do that,” said Jenkins.

Lutz said, “Some people get really defensive about eating meat, and try to start debates on why eating meat is better and vegetarianism is stupid or bad for you.”

Eating healthy isn’t cheap either. According to www.hsph. harvard.edu, the healthiest diets cost $1.50 more than the unhealthiest diet. That $1.50 adds up. A lot of americans will turn to buying the least healthy option without noticing because it’s cheaper. Junk food is already hard enough to stay away from and now it’s saving you money.

Lane said, “The hardest thing about dieting is resisting junk food.”

Jenkins said, “Especially being around other people who eat bad, it’s kind of tempting.”

Getting all the right nutrients is hard to do sometimes when you’re avoiding certain foods. Lutz said, “One of the harder things about my diet is is making sure I get enough of all the necessary vitamins and minerals.”

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435 N Bardstown Rd Mt Washington, KY (502)836-1532

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Diets Debunked H Staff Editorial

ow to stay slim, how to lose weight fast, how to drop 30 pounds, and how to get caught in the trap of dieting today.

There are many diets in today’s world and while some can benefit the body, the typical diets to lose weight quickly can actually hurt your body in the long run.

To get it out of the way, there is absolutely no healthy way to lose weight fast. It is also not beneficial to your body to do things like calorie count. In the end, many diets create bad habits and will not help someone’s body in a journey to weight loss.

This isn’t a reality television show where the weigh-ins have to be constant and consistent. Body weight fluctuates naturally depending on what time of day, when your last meal was, and even the clothes you are wearing. While the scale can help make sure you are maintaining a healthy weight, it does not indicate whether or not a diet is necessary.

There is no magic pill endorsed by a celebrity to make you healthy. Losing weight fast does not mean that you are on the road to a healthy lifestyle. Losing weight too fast can do a number of damages to your body both inside and out. It can cause hair loss, headaches and dizziness when standing up. It can also change menstrual cycles and hormonal levels. When losing weight fast, it is not just fat going away. This process will cut down on muscle as well making you weak and fragile.

The people who are abusing these apps to make sure they stay around 1,000 calories a day are losing too much weight too quickly and are essentially torturing their stomachs.

Our body was made to take in at least 2,000 calories a day.

By substituting more natural foods for the foods filled with saturated fats, the body can lose weight and still get the essential nutrients it needs daily. The answer is simple. If the issue is weight, cutting out fats will do the trick, NOT starving your body. This is causing bad habits for many people that will continue to harm their body throughout their lives.

Habits can’t be broken in a day. Bad eating habits are serious and can potentially cause a body to shut down. Eating poorly and cutting calories is essentially starving the body. A diet should never cause your body to go into “starvation” mode, which causes the body to retain water and trigger bloating. By starving the body, bloating occurs making it a pointless cycle that tricks the body into thinking there is no food source.

Unsurprisingly, lack of food goes hand in hand with lack of nutrients. Nutrient deficiencies can cause stress and fatigue. The physical appearance of the body is not the only thing that will change. The oh-so-popular starving yourself diet is only hurting and not helping. There are many ways to eat enough food and still lose weight.

Losing weight fast can cause you to be nutrient deficient.

Your body will react to whatever it is given, that’s what it is designed to do. Because of this, if you give your body a lack of nutrients it will become a weaker and less healthy body. Calorie counting will put you on a path to unhealthy eating habits and cause a strain on your body and digestive system.

Eating more meals throughout the day can benefit your digestive system in many ways and can help drop weight faster than someone who is eating three large meals a day. Also, using calories where they count can help kickstart a healthier lifestyle.

By eating more fruits in place of a calorie heavy food that is full of saturated fat, your body can exceed the 2,000 calorie a day minimum while getting more nutrients and cutting down on the fat intake.

There are so many apps out there to track your food. This can help people who want to start eating healthier (like making sure they are substituting food with saturated fat to fruits which have natural sugars) or people who have food allergies.

Dieting isn’t worth it. Cutting calories and starving yourself isn’t worth it. Taking time to make healthy choices while still getting enough calories is better than any starvation based diet could ever be.

Layout: Sarah Allen

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