Livewire Vol. 12 Issue 1 Feb 2021

Volume 12, Issue 1 | February 2021

15

17

26

What is a Manly Man?

Britt Tackles adversity

Changing for Ourselves

A look at today’s society believes makes a man a “real man”.

A feature on a student who makes the best out of an unfortuante situation for the sport he loves.

A look at a students change of mindset to reach their goals.

Contents Volume 12, Issue 1 | January 2021

2020 RECAPS

FEATURES

3

What the Hell Happened

17

Britt Tackles Adversity

5

2020 in Art

20

Student By Day Rapper By Night

6

Is Cancel Culture Toxic?

8

Trends We Followed

9

Screen Times Going Up Over Quarantine

11

Suing Brashear for Cancelling Church Services

13

Youth Activism on the Rise During Quarantine

OPINION

14

Politic Predictions for 2021

15

What is a Manly Man?

Read more at belivewire.com

THE ISSUE AT HAND:

Creating our own good.

22

Finding New Interests Over Quarantine

23

On the Paw-sitive Side of the Pandemic

24

Greater Than Us

25

Seeing the Go0d

26

Changing for Ourselves

27

Grateful for Quarantine

What The Hell Happened by sophia blanton and raegan jackson

Australian F COVID-19 According to the CDC (Center for Disease Control), “The first laboratory-confirmed case of COVID-19 in the United States was confirmed on January 20, 2020, and reported to CDC on January 22, 2020.” Since then the numbers have just grown at rapid rates. Most everyone has been trying to get a handle in their own state by putting in restrictions such as social distancing of 6 feet or greater, wear a mask when out in public, wash your hands for at least 20 seconds, etc. To read more about COVID-19 and how it has affected us all in different ways check out the Livewire website at belivewire.com.

Black Lives Matter Black Lives Matter has been around since July 13, 2013 but the protests have reached a peak as of June 6, 2020. According to the New York Times, “On June 6, for example, at least 50,000 people turned out in Philadelphia, 20,000 in Chicago’s Union Park and up to 10,000 on the Golden Gate Bridge, according to estimates by Edwin Chow, an associate professor at Texas State University, and researchers at the Crowd Counting Consortium.” Since then BLM has continued to march and make their voices heard. For example in the Breonna Taylor case, which you can read more about on beliveiwre.com.

The Australian being referred t 83 million acre the size of Flor fires.

Derby in Sep

The 146th runn September 5th allowed to atte refunded.

Trump Impe

The impeachm this trial of imp of congress. Th

Trump Tests Positive for Covid Doctors have said that President Donald Trump started running a fever October 1 into the next day and it was announced that the president and his wife had tested positive for coronavirus. After an experimental drug and some oxygen the next day, Trump went to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center for further treatment. He later left Walter Reed Monday, October 5 and they announced he would finish his treatments from home.

3 | RECAPS

Prince Harry family

Prince Harry a as “royal highn a prince and 6t known as the D as Duchess of S for their work.

Rest in Peace “Jackie Robinson and Thurgood Marshall showed Black Americans what was possible. T’Challa showed the world what was imaginable. Chadwick Boseman brought all of them to life, and he fought for people who didn’t have his voice or his platform. When he learned” by Dave Hogg is licensed under CC BY 2.0 (American Actor) Chadwick Boseman: November 29, 1976 - August 28, 2020.

Fires

n fires lasted from late 2019 to early 2020. It is to as the “Black Summer” fires. It burned up to es of land which is equivalent to an area twice rida. More than 30 people have died from the

ptember

“Associate Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg Visits WFU” by WFULawSchool is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 (Former Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States) Ruth Bader Ginsburg: March 15, 1933 September 18, 2020

ning of the Kentucky Derby was moved to due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Fans were not end the Derby this year and ticket holders were

“Alex Trebek” by Peabody Awards is licensed under CC BY 2.0 (Game Show Host) Alex Trebek: July 22, 2020 - November 8, 2020

eachment

ment process started in September. The reason for peachment was abuse of power and obstruction he outcome was that Trump was not impeached.

y and Meghan Markle quit the royal

“Naya Rivera” by Gage Skidmore is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 (American actress) Naya Rivera: January 12, 1987 - July 8, 2020

and Meghan Markle were no longer referred to ness” as of Jan. 8 2020. However, Harry is still th in line for the royal crown. He will still be Duke of Sussex and Meghan will still be known Sussex. They will also not receive public funds .

“LA Lakers-Kobe Bryant-10/30/06” by varonp99 is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 (American Basketball Player) Kobe Bryant: August 23, 1978 - January 26, 2020 (K. Bryant’s Daughter) Gianna Bryant: May 1, 2006 January 26, 2020

4 | RECAPS

2020 in Art

Bullitt East has many talented artists, so we wanted to showcase them and their art. We asked them to sum up 2020 in any art form or media of their choice.

My painting “Surprise” is about how 2020 blew up in our faces. I was inspired by the way old time capsules looked.

They look like cannons in a way. Which led me to think of confetti cannons that people shoot off at parties or on New Years.

The colors chosen gave it an apocalyptic vibe. I Chose red for the background to implement the danger and anger that we felt. Along with the loneliness and sadness represented by the blue shirt. I wanted the green to represent sickness due to Covid spreading through the air.

There are many things that have come at us randomly this year. I wrote things on different color streamers that shoot out of the time capsule. Each to represent a different problem we faced. I painted many objects that represented the year’s activities from famous apps, masks,the toilet paper rage etc...

This year really came as a surprise to everyone but like always we adapt and overcome. Eventually the smoke clears and we move on with only the memories and objects we carry of what a crazy year this was.

Jenna Tipton, Junior

“Well I was showing how our Earth needed help, like with global warming and all the pollution in the air. I also added how we are dealing with the pandemic. I used pencils, colored pencils, markers and crayons to create my artwork.

Sarah Monroe, Freshman 5 | RECAPS

Is Cancel Culture Toxic? by shelby hatter

Being canceled as an influencer or a celebrity is a common occurrence in the media these days and often ruins someone’s career for a period of time. It seems like every other day someone else is canceled or apologizing for previous actions that got them canceled in the first place. Although not many people talk about it there could be some hidden toxicity in Cancel Culture.

Especially in today’s world it is so easy for people to see a story about someone and automatically cancel them without knowing if it actually happened. That along with other issues leave room for a lot of debate. Many argue that calling someone out for past transgressions will hold that person accountable for their wrong doings. Things like saying the N-word (among other slurs), Sexual harassment claims and supporting political figures can get someone canceled on a dime. Sometimes a simple apology video or message will clear up the issue, but it always.

A good example of this is the sexual harassment claims against James Charles in 2019. James Charles (a popular make guru on youtube) was accused by his long time friend and mentor Tati Westbrook of trying to “turn straight men gay” and speaking very inappropriately towards male waiters around her family. Due to her video with the claims James lost almost 2.6 million subscribers, got canceled and many people even started destroying their palates and videoing it. James made a video proving his innocence and it seemed to be over, however just as everyone forgot about it Tati made another video admitting it was fake and orchestrated by Jeffree Star and Shane Dawson.

This shows three media stars that have all been cancelled at one time or another. James Charles (left) was cancelled for allegations of trying to change people’s sexuality for his own wants. Trisha Paytas (middle) has been cancelled on multiple occasions including when she pretended to be trans gender and what many consider racist actions. Similar to Paytas, Jeffree Star has been canceled for racist actions.

That along with many other stories of celebrities getting canceled capture the media’s attention. But many people see Cancel Culture as toxic due to its ability to ruin someone’s life over simple claims or mistakes. It is also argued that it doesn’t allow change and growth of the people being called out for mistakes.

Although both sides may have valid points it still continues to happen again and again. So who decides if the media and our society will change and stop culture. Since it is virtually impossible to get everyone to agree on anything these days it might not be possible, but I guess it’s up to all of us.

Shown are two screenshots one of an article addressing the opinion that cancel culture feels good but is not a form of activism. The other shows multiple resources addressing why Jeffree Star is canceled.

6 | RECAPS

7

Trends We Followed by colton harbolt and katey goins History repeats itself.

Old trends from different decades are making a resurgence in popularity.

2020 was a year for individual growth that has completely flipped what trends are popular. With nothing but time on our hands people wanted to make sure they weren’t in the house all day and moving. The year has allowed for people to re-brand themselves into being who they want to be without the influence of people in their daily lives.

During this time, skateboarding was one of the activities that started to spark interest among people. So much so that local skate shops began to run out of equipment due to the increase in popularity. An employee at Home, a local skate shop in Louisville, explained that everybody wanted to come in and get a board because they didn’t have anything else to do and they wanted to be outside. It’s an activity that promotes exercise, being outdoors and pushing yourself to try something different so it’s no surprise that it picked up when it did.

Skating was something that was popular from the 1960’s through the 1990’s, however, at some points, there was a stigma around it. Some people thought that those who were skating were “punks” or “misfits.”

Yet recently we have seen it become “socially acceptable” and something people enjoy being around.

The indie style can be closely associated with 1990s fashion. What this looks like is big pants, mom jeans, crop tops, turtlenecks, boots, flannels and band tees. One of the most casual outfits for this style can be described as black loose fitting jeans with a crew neck and turtleneck or collared shirt underneath.

“I listened to music a lot more during quarantine and found new music ” said sophomore Trista Grant. While we were locked inside their houses without much to do, many people turned to music to help them through quarantine. Music has become more and more significant in people’s lives during 2020, whether it’s helping people through hard times, or giving students motivation for school. Music gave people an escape from everything going on in the world and gave people something to do while stuck inside their homes. People discovered new artists and music, sharing it on social media. One app in particular, TikTok, became very popular over quarantine which various songs became popular on and were introduced to people around the world. The top songs during quarantine consisted of “Blinding Lights” by The Weeknd, “Dance Monkey”

by Tones and I, and “The Box” by Roddy RIch. The top Artists are Bad Bunny, Drake, and J Balvin.

It’s also been more common to see women getting into the field which brings a completely different sense of power to the community. Skating was something that had previously been dominated by men, so women are bringing a new, fresh energy to the table. It changes the skate community to be more open-minded and find a new way to be inspired.

“After being stuck inside for so long I got bored and started going outside more,” said sophomore Maddy Tobbe. Staying inside all day for so long gets more and more boring, so many people began to do more Standing together, senior Brynna Crump and outside, while social distancing sophomore Riley Sanders. They are pictured wearing the “casual style” for 2020. “I think of course. “I started running the style is very focused on comfort because more during quarantine,” of quarantine and a lot of the styles are what said Tobbe. Some activities I would call funky,” said Crump. Photo: Katey people did were spending time Goins with their family like hunting or camping, while others wanted to use this time to work on themselves and go on runs. People started sharing what they were doing outside to cure the boredom or social media, which led to more and more people doing more activities outside.

2020 was a year that truly allowed for people to take the time by themselves that they were given to be introspective. Being in our own little bubbles for so long left us to find inspiration within ourselves and what we wanted to be around us as opposed to the environments of schools and workplaces, forcing people to figure out what look they wanted to create for themselves.

In recent years, Americans spending time outside had decreased more and more, but during quarantine, people began to start spending more time outside again, similar to before technology was invented like the iPhone, which distracted people from outdoor activities and kept them inside more and more as years passed.

People turned to social media and the influencers that they let fill their timeline, completely changing what “basic” means in terms of fashion. Now what seems to be the main trend is “indie” fashion which can be defined as “any style of fashion that is unique and created with an independent mind is indie fashion.

However, clothes that are vintage or retro in style receive the title of indie most often” by “The Ladies Fashion Resource.”

When COVID-19 first hit, sending the country into a nationwide lockdown, people had nothing but time on their hands. It also left some people feeling completely out of control with what was going on, forcing people into getting creative and trying new

Skating, sophomore Riley Sanders does an ollie. An ollie is a trick that allows the skater to jump off and over obstacles. “It’s cool to watch skating grow more and more. Everyday you see someone new at the skatepark,” said Sanders. Photo: Katey Goins

things.

8 | RECAPS

Screen Times Going Up Over Quarantine by demani butler and natalie mcgarry Your eyes need a break!

Ben Bowen said.

Social media has changed the normal life of an American teenagers over the period of quarantine by distracting them from school, taking time away from family, and even developing non-cominative relationships. .

Think of ways to limit your social media use and how it might be possible? Teenagers need to think about how excessive their social media use is on a daily basis and when they should stay off of it.

In a servey of 100 teenages, 97 voiced that their social media usage has drastically changed and affected them in a negative way during quarantine.

“Social media is unhealthy in times like these because instead of lifting each other up, it’s dragging people down and it’s causing people to spend an excessive amount of time with social media,” sophomore Sadie Janisko said.

Although the majority of teenagers say they use social media more in these times, there is still three percent that say itś positively or neutrally changed.

“People get wrapped up in social media and forget to live their own lives and do things that actually make them happy. I knew how toxic social media would be once I heard about this pandemic and I already prepared myself,” said sophomore Meisha Keown.

We all know how toxic social media and its platforms can be on adolescents and even adults. Think about what you are willing to do.

“After everyone is safe and healthy again, I’ll be able to spend more time with my friends and do more fun things that i’m not able to do in quarantine,” Janisko said.

Teenages have a lot of pressure on them right now. They can’t go to school, see friends, see family and online school has stressed them out. Social media is just another heavy weight added.

“For me, my social media use has changed in a positive way. I am not on it as much as I normally would. I will say though that social media does distract me from doing my school work,” sophomore

A small portion of parents do not allow their teenagers to have social media. This benefits them in ways such as now. “I notice that people with social media are experiencing more drama, insecurities and persona issues during this pandemic. I have been able to spend more time with my family at home and communicate more without social media compared to teenagers that do,” sophomore Mariah Gardener said.

A lot of teenagers feel it is hard to be in contact with other friends so they use social media to keep in touch. Screen times for students have increased by %75 since friends can see each other. Most would say this is a con.

what are you doing ?

Screen time above 6 hours?

Yes 87%

“To balance social media and real life out I work out, do school work, and sometimes even play different games,” said sophomore Luke Lamare.

stuff on my phone

No 13%

wbu ? same Students spend most of their days on their phone.

From a poll done over some students, when asked if their screen time was above 6 hours, 87% said yes while 13% said no.

Graphics: Katey Goins

9 | RECAPS

“Instead of doing my work, I get on snapchat or tik tok and that’s a con,” sophomore Aidan Bond said.

COVID-19 cases aren’t the only numbers going up during quarantine.

Over quarantine, more and more people have found themselves spending more time on social media, causing their screen time to go up.

With new regulations on what people can do in their free time, it’s easier to use your technology more. Even though it might be easier to use social media now, sometimes it isn’t’ the best for your mental health. Although their screen time is going up, people are noticing the problem that causes and are trying to cut back on their phone use.

Being put into isolation with limitations on where you can go and who you can see can be tough, especially on your mind. Human interactions can be very helpful distractions for people throughout the day. Without these interactions, people started to use more of their new amount of free time on technology, especially on social media apps. “When I couldn’t see my friends anymore or go anywhere I resorted to being on my phone a lot more,” freshman Elena McGarry said.

Although social media has always been popular and used by people almost everyday, with limited places to go with rising cases, people often found themselves passing the time with different social media apps. “I’ve been on my phone way more. I just have more free time now where I can get on my phone more,” McGarry said.

Social media can be very helpful to people who want to find an easy and fun way to make a few hours seem like a couple of minutes but social media can put new ideas in your head that sometimes aren’t helpful. “I end up spending hours just scrolling on Instagram and Youtube,” McGarry said. Other apps like TikTok and Twitter, along with Instagram and Youtube make it easy to gain false information on a majority of topics or learn about harmful ideas. “A negative thing that social media has done for me mentally is put an image in my head of what I feel like I should look like,” senior Mandy Brainer said about the negative effects of social media.

It’s very easy to get lost in the apps you’re looking at on your phone and end up using that app for nine hours. “It’s easy to lose track of the hours you spend on your phone since now you have a bunch of free time,” Brainer said. It’s also easy to notice this too. After being in quarantine for a few months and doing the same routine again and again, you can notice the habits you start to have and see some that you might want to change. “After isolation, I knew that I needed to cut back on my hours and I tried to do that,” Brainer said. It might be fun to stay up all night on TikTok for a while, but after some time it’s an unhealthy trait that we’ve all gotten used to because of everything happening in the world.

Other 18%

Phone 82%

Students have been spending more and more time on their phones, causing their screen times to go up average between 8-10 hours for most people.

When students were asked what they do in the day, 82% said use their phone to relax while 18% said they do something else.

10|RECAPS

Suing Beshear for Canceling Church Services by brodie curtsinger Fighting to stay open, coronavirus or not.

Maryville Baptist Church fought to stay open, against Governor Andy Beshear’s orders for no in-person church services.

Maryville Baptist Church is currently still trying to sue Beshear.

Preacher of Maryville Baptist Church, Jack Roberts, was also a big part in that, and has many reasons why. Like Roberts, Preacher of First Baptist Church, Jason Clark does see how it affected their religious rights, from the first amendment.

Roberts and the Maryville Baptist Church actually filed the lawsuit on Easter, Apr. 12, against Beshear. The reason why is because he believed that it violated his constitutional rights, for them to not allow in-person services, for church.

There was estimated to be at least 50 people at the service that was held Apr. 12, on Easter. The reason why it was even pointed out, though, was because bystanders noticed a service that was in session, on Easter, which violated quarantine. There were also Kentucky State Troopers there, writing license plates down.

Roberts got help from the Liberty Counsel, in the legal battle.

The attorney helping them fight their legal battle is Attorney Mat Staver. Staver represents the church and Roberts. Staver is also the founder of Liberty Counsel, which is an organization that brings in zero profit.

Roberts has had the profession of being a preacher at Maryville Baptist Church for over 50 years. Meaning, he started preaching there before, or when, he was 26 years old.

Roberts has been doing online services, because it is now available. “We do online every service, and have since it’s been available,” said Roberts, “The Bible uses the word: assembly, unity, and other terms, to imply the church should meet together in worship.” He believes that it is very important for you to do in-person services.

Roberts believed that this violated his constitutional rights, when Beshear did not allow in-person services. “First amendment, fourth amendment; U.S. Constitution. As well as the Kentucky Constitution,” said Roberts, “We were able to point out: he was wrong, in his making laws, that were unconstitutional, and though we never closed our church, other’s did, and were able to open back up. He also used the CDC to bully many people. The CDC used the state police, and ticketed all our congregation Easter Sunday, illegally. We did not pay attention to it, plus other things.” Roberts believes that there are many great reasons why he is trying to sue Beshear.

Roberts believes that it is worth it, to go to church, during these times, because it is commanded. “As a Christian it is Christ’s command Hebrews 10:25. It provides fellowship with other likeminded people; also promotes Bible morality,” said Roberts, “The appeals court said they ruled in our favor, by saying their

ruling was based on the probability we would win in the next level.” Roberts definitely believes that they have a chance against Beshear.

Roberts, and the Maryville Baptist Church, actually has support, from many people in Kentucky, behind the idea of them suing Beshear. “Hundreds of people in the state of Kentucky, because it received national attention, I have heard from people from New York, to South Texas, dealing with governors who think they have the right to make laws,” said Roberts, “We are not compelling anyone to attend, and actually asking anyone who is sick, or afraid, to watch online, or do our drive in service.

Also, as much as possible, we encourage social distancing, unless it’s family, it’s only for those who desire to worship in the sanctuary.”

Roberts believes that the people that think that them holding inperson church services, are putting people’s lives at risk, should realize that himself, and Maryville Baptist Church, are not trying to entice anyone to actually come.

Roberts has gotten to the point of the appeal court ordering a stay in Beshear closing the churches, in his case with suing Beshear.

“We had the appeals court, order a stay in his ability to continue his order to close the churches. There are other parts that are still in litigation. I cannot comment now,” said Roberts.

Roberts, and the Maryville Baptist Church actually sent a few treats to the State Trooper Post, wanting time to let them know that there were no

11 | RECAPS

First Baptist Church, from a worm’s-eye view. In May of 2020 Mary of Beshear canceling their church services, due to COVID-19. Phot

hard feelings going on. The State Troopers, or the police overall l, were the people taking their license plate numbers.

Clark believes that it’s bad that they’re not getting to gather, but during the times of the coronavirus, he is okay with doing it online. “The Bible teaches that the Church is a people who ’gather together‘ (Acts 14:27; 1 Corinthians 11:18) and then ‘go’ out to proclaim the Gospel (Matthew 28:19-20). Though I understand the necessity of not gathering for a time in order to slow the spread of a virus, it is a part of our very identity as God’s people, the Church, to gather. Though I am thankful for the technology to have an online worship service, it is not the same as gathering together,” said Clark, “We are planning to return to in-person worship on Sunday, May 24th. We are taking precautions to make sure our members remain as safe as possible.”

Though, First Baptist Church is now back to in-person services.

yville Baptist Church attempted to sue Governor Beshear, because to: Mia Maguire

Clark agrees with what Roberts, and the Maryville Baptist Church, are trying to do, more than he disagrees. “The Bible teaches that as Christians we should submit to governing authorities unless those authorities are commanding us to disobey God (Acts 5:28-29; Romans 13).

In addition, the First Amendment says, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” An argument can be made that Governor Beshear’s order to churches to cease gathering was therefore unconstitutional and

unbiblical. However, an argument can likewise be made that Governor Beshear did not say that churches couldn’t worship, only that they couldn’t gather for the time being, an order that extended to many businesses as well,” said Clark. Clark definitely believes that Roberts, and the Maryville Baptist Church, have a chance in successfully suing Beshear.

Clark believes somewhat that it was unconstitutional for Beshear to not allow in-person church services, because as Christians, they’re supposed to gather. “Most churches were willing to submit to the government’s request not to meet, out of love for others, to prevent the spread of disease and limit the number of deaths. However, I am concerned that some of our Christian liberties may have been infringed upon. For example, some of the guidelines issued for churches to return to in-person worship, were not being applied to other businesses. Another example is when the police took down the license plate numbers of those who attended Maryville Baptist Church, while people were free to visit Lowes and other retailers,” said Clark, “I am thankful for our Constitution and its protection of religious freedom, even Maryville Baptist’s freedom to sue when they feel such rights are endangered.”

Clark never has had the idea of going as far as suing Beshear, because of being forced to do online services. “No. Recently, Governor Beshear has stated that we can return to in-person worship,” said Clark.

Senior Cameron Waddle goes to First Baptist Church, and he believes that doing online church is pretty good, for the fact that they are still spreading gospel, during these times. “I think it’s a great way to spread the gospel, while staying safe, during these times,” said Waddle, “Yes, I believe they’re going to still have limitations though.” Waddle hopes that his church will return back to in-person services, once quarantine is over, which it did.

Now, Waddle does not agree with what Roberts, and the Maryville Baptist Church, are trying to do, but he does understand what is probably going through Roberts’ head. “I don’t necessarily agree with it, although I get the point he’s trying to make. I just believe it’s best to stay online, and stay separate, while the virus is still around,” said Waddle. Waddle did not think that Roberts, and the Maryville Baptist Church, had a chance against Beshear, because “it is ultimately his decision.”

Waddle does not believe that it was unconstitutional for Beshear to not allow in-person church services. “It’s hard to say, I don’t think so really though. It’s the best thing for our country, and all of the people, to stay separated, and stop the spread of the virus,” said Waddle, “Honestly, not really. (He doesn’t see any benefits). I don’t think it will help them with what all they’re wanting to do, in re-opening the churches.” Waddle can think of zero benefits, of Maryville Baptist Church suing Beshear.

12 | RECAPS

Youth Activism on the Rise During Quarantine by brooklyn sauer

It’s never too late to make a change.

These youth activists are also constantly working to stay up

to date and educated on what is going on in the world. “I just Students at Bullitt East High School are becoming activists and showing support for the topics they care about most. try to stay informed in general, through news alerts and what have you… I also try to listen to those directly affected by the

issues, especially when it comes to things like criminal justice Activism is a rapidly growing ideology that is becoming and racism in general,” said senior Hannah Woodson. It is important to many teens as their political ideals form. Teens also important to these activists that they get their news from are also educating themselves and their friends/family about the topics they are most passionate about. Students are showing good sources. “I think it’s important to listen to and spotlight POC activists and involvement in politicians,” said different political Woodson. and human rights

issues for a variety Even though they of reasons. are still teenagers,

these activists Activism is defined are still working as the doctrine hard to show their or practice of support for the vigorous action or causes they are involvement as a involved in. “I means of achieving went to my first political or other Women’s March goals, sometimes in Cincinnati and by demonstrations, a couple of Bernie protests, etc. These Sanders rallies in political goals can Louisville the same be things such as year. Probably a the Black Lives year later I helped Matter movement’s Teen activists frequently protest for the causes that they believe in most, such as the Black Lives Matter movement. BLM organize the campaign started to gain more popularity due to the murder of George Floyd in May 2020. “It’s such a good way to get more March for Our advocating for involved in your community and it brings everyone together,” said Provost, who has attended multiple different protests for Lives in Louisville the protection Black Lives Matter and beyond. Photo: Allie Provost with a bunch of of black people kids my age,” said or the women’s Provost. There rights movement’s are many different ways to be an activist beyond just going to advocacy to be respected in the world. protests. “I try being the operative word,” said Woodson. Many

of those that do not have the means to go to protests show their While this is the textbook definition of activism, teens today support by educating friends and family through social media. have a slightly different idea of what activism is and what it

means to be an activist. “I would define activism as a way to Activists often have very personal reasons as to why they make your voice heard and to stand up for something you truly advocate for these causes. “I’m a lesbian. That being the case, believe in. It brings people young and old together to fight for I didn’t really get the option of not being politically involved. the cause,” said senior Allie Provost.

When your entire existence is turned into a political platform

it’s kind of hard to avoid it,” said Woodson.

Many teens today have been faced head-on with the glaring

societal issues facing our country, which has given them the drive Activism can also just be motivated by simply wanting to see to speak out. “It is important to go and get your voice out there the world become a better and more accepting place. “I feel very and make your opinions heard, sign petitions, donate whatever you can to make the difference because this fight is one worth passionate about the Black Lives Matter movement in particular because I believe we need a genuine change in the systematic fighting for,” said Provost oppression that people of color have to deal with every day and have dealt with for hundreds of years in this country,” said Provost.

13 |RECAPS

Political Predictions for 2021 by ella olds New year brings new leadership.

Joe Biden and Kamala Harris have been announced as our new President and Vice President of the United States.

Biden’s inauguration took place on Jan. 20 on the West Front of the United States Capitol Building in Washington D.C., where he took the oath of office as president and Harris took the oath of office as vice president. Biden now resides in the White House and will for the next four years, as the 46 president of the United States.

On the other side of the spectrum, Hendricks believes a national shutdown will further damage the economy and local business. “I think if Biden somehow gets into office then it would be terrible because thousands of businesses and entrepreneurs lost their businesses because of the first shut down. These are just the lucky ones, what about all the other businesses and entrepreneurs who lost everything because they weren’t making enough money. It just isn’t fair to these entrepreneurs who created their own business to lose it all in a matter of two to six months,” Hendricks said.

Some of the biggest problems along with COVID-19 are civil rights issues, including immagration, police brutality and the obvious Before Biden was elected president and swore in there were inequality between humans. Williams has full faith in Biden rumors of fraud that are still being investigated today. Republican reforming our political justice system to solve these issues, “I have and senior Matthew Hendricks has a lot of faith that Biden will reform a strong belief that Biden should our police and end police brutality. I’m not hold the president title just glad he is not in support of defunding yet. “There are still 4-5 states that our police and is focused on fixing it. I have not declared Biden the winner think Biden’s immigration policy will because they have found massive be a good thing for this country, Biden fraud and now they are taking it will make sure no child is separated to the Supreme Court. So I think from their parents and that while that it is likely that Biden will lose they make their way here and wait when they terminate all of the for citizenship, they will be treated counterfeit ballets,” Hendricks said. fairly. As for racial and gender issues, I trust that Biden will handle them Although these accusations are well, and I believe he is well educated having people question this election on these issues, making sure no one is and its results, Biden still has discriminated based on race, gender, experience in the political system. or sexual orientation, and will listen to Biden was previously President the people about the change they want Obama’s Vice President for both of to see (Black Lives Matter, Me Too The Biden 2020 campaign sign shown in the picture was found in The Highlands in Louisville, Kentucky. The sign was placed to show citizens Obama’s four year terms, through Movement, etc),” Williams said. support for the Biden Harris administration coming into office in Jan. 2021. the years 2008-2016. Because of The Highlands are known for being more left sided and these signs, plus this experience, sophomore Jada Republican and senior Hannah Crable Black Lives Matter signs, gay pride flags, and others can be found to show Williams believes he will be more hopes they are successful even if she support and love for each of their neighbors. Photo: Ella Olds successful in his own presidential doesn’t agree with everything the term. “Biden’s experience being Biden-Harris administration claims former Vice President will help him succeed and he will have they are reforming. “I do not agree with everything they do but I previous guidance from former President Obama,” Williams said. hope the things they are planning to do in light of bettering our country are successful. I honestly have no clue how he will handle The obvious question is how the Biden-Harris administration will civil issues. I know Harris has said the wall is a bad idea so I think deal with the Coronavirus pandemic. There are mixed views within that will be put to a stop. Biden has said that the violence has to how well they will handle this issue. Eleanor Bennett, a junior who stop but I’ve personally never heard him say anything about how labels herself as independent, believes Biden’s views will lead to a he intends to stop it,” Crable said. successful end. “I think Biden will handle the COVID-19 pandemic well because he is pro-mask and pro-lockdown. He seems to value One fear for the democratic future is that Biden winning will people’s lives more than money which I admire,” Bennett said. just bring more tension to the already divided nation. “When Biden gets elected into office, I fear that people primarily on the Along the same views, Williams believes Biden has solid views Republican side won’t handle it well and riots might break out on that will help the pandemic come to an end. “I think the Biden both sides and our country might become more divided than ever,” administration will handle the Coronavirus well. Biden has a plan Williams said. to eliminate cost barriers for testing and vaccines for COVID-19 so everyone will be able to get the vaccine and get tested without “I’ll be a president for all Americans. Not just the ones who vote worrying about the cost. There will be paid leave for all those who for me,” Biden said. Even with our nation divided, as a community are affected by the coronavirus and cannot work, so families will all we can hope is that our next President will be successful and be able to support themselves and their children during this time. best equipped to make people on both sides happy with their When Biden becomes President next year, I think Harris and him quality of life. will push for mask mandates and normalize wearing masks in public until we get this virus under control, which will help lower our cases,” Williams said.

14 |OPINION

What is a Manly Man? by kyleigh reeves With the recent photos of Harry Styles in a dress for the cover of “Vogue”, there has been an uproar of what a “manly man” should really be.

With the social construct of what a man should and should not look and act like, some have forgotten that, in earlier history, things were different.

Recently, Candace Owens posted a tweet that ended with the quote, “bring back manly men,” causing a lot of global controversy and debate. Many people stuck up for Styles and the men in general who wear feminine clothes. However, there were also people who agreed with Candace’s statement.

One of these being that men were the first to wear makeup. As early as 4000 BCE, men in ancient Egyptian culture used black pigment to create dramatic eyeliner, which signified wealth and status. Crop tops were popularized by men due to bodybuilders in the early 1970s wanting to show off their muscles, but having to find ways around gym dress codes. In addition to this, in the 1700s, men of power, including presidents, would wear wigs and heels. Small things like these are forgotten because society has changed to press on what is considered “normal” for men, which includes being strong, providing for a wife and kids and overall fitting the masculine stereotype.

Male artists including Harry Styles, Jaden Smith, and Yungblud have pushed past the expectations of what “real men” should dress like.

Recently, a sneak peek of the “Vogue” photoshoot, featuring former One Direction member, now solo artist, Harry Styles, was released in November 2020. Styles was photographed in many different outfits, but the one that caught the most attention happened to be a Gucci designer light blue dress, paired with a black tuxedo jacket. While there was tons of positive feedback, there was also a lot of backlash due to Styles wearing “feminine clothing.”

In his “Vogue” interview, Styles commented, “I think if you get something that you feel amazing in, it’s like a superhero outfit... when you take away, ‘there’s clothes for men and there’s clothes for women,’ once you remove any barriers, obviously you open up the arena in which you can play.”

American author, Candace Owens, tweeted “bring back manly men” causing a lot of global controversy, ultimately gaining the attention of many. Whenever you hear the words “bring back manly men,” you assume people mean the old traditions and roles of men versus women. With this, Owens was flooded with comments about her wearing suits, and people mocking her by saying, “bring back womanly women.”

As the issue of criticism and arguing progressed, Styles himself posted an instagram photo from his “Variety” photoshoot, wearing a light blue suit with a white ruffled shirt, eating a banana, with the mocking caption, “bring back manly men.”

Owens also wrote, “Since I’m trending I’d like to clarify what I meant when I said ‘bring back manly men.’ I meant: Bring back manly men. Terms like ‘toxic masculinity,’ were created by toxic females. Real women don’t do fake feminism. Sorry I’m not sorry.” This not only brought attention to the fact that she claims toxic masculinity is fake, but also claims that feminism isn’t real.

Toxic masculinity isn’t saying that being masculine is toxic. It’s the toxic idea that, if you don’t fit that stereotype, you’re not masculine, which is damaging and can cause someone to become emotionally repressed. If you try to fit into the stereotype of what others tell you to be, you are limiting yourself to expression, whether that be through a dress or not.

Through the support of Styles’ fashion, there’s been debate of what it truly means to be a “manly man” in 2020. “Being a ‘manly man’ in 2020 is being yourself. It is wearing, acting, and doing what you want and being brave and confident enough to do it in today’s world,” Sophomore, Riley Sanders, said. Many agree with Sanders’ statement, believing clothes have no gender and can be used as an expression, no matter what gender identity you go by.

People of all ages have begun wearing clothing that “doesn’t fit

15 |OPINION

their gender” as a way to prove a point that everyone should be comfortable and confident in how they choose to dress. “I think that it is a step in a good direction in today’s culture, that might not accept everyone for what, or who they are. People in the world should be praising this everyday to let men know that they can wear what they would like everyday and not be held to a ‘normal’ in society,” Sanders said.

Agreeing with Sanders, Junior, Blake Harlamert, believes, “Anybody should wear whatever they want, if that’s how they feel comfortable or to wear it for fun. A man putting on a dress isn’t going to hurt you or threaten someone who disagrees.”

With the argument of whether or not clothes have a specific gender, there were two sides of either “yes” or “no.”

“Traditionally, clothes were tailored towards specific genders, now we don’t really see that nor is that followed. Clothes can be worn by whoever and that’s perfectly normal now. After all the Scottish men wore kilts and were going back, they must’ve been onto something,” Harlamert said.

Standing on the stairs outside in the cold, Maire (left), Tyler (center), Mia (center), and Emma (right) are huddled together. The photograph is taken neck-down to show more of the outfits each of them wore.

Friends and family stopped by to watch the four together. Photo Credit: Kyleigh Reeves

problem in the U.S. However, I know that there are men who practice toxic masculinity, and I would encourage them to stop,” Sophomore, Jake Swift, said.

In the words of Candace Owens, “feminine women don’t need to sit back and continue to allow uglier women to preach to them about why ‘normal’ is wrong,” which was taken as an attack against many. “Normal in this case is traditional and while traditional isn’t bad it shouldn’t be the default setting. Owens managed to not only bash men in her statement but women as well,” Junior, Kai Marksbury, said.

Agreeing with Candace Owens’ argument, Swift believes that men should not be feminine. “I believe that the opposing side’s opinion does not make sense. There is no reason to try and force men to become more like women. We were built different

by God, and we’re constructed with different qualities. I do not believe that men should be persuaded to have to be more feminine,” Swift said.

When asked about whether their religious or political views played a part of their opinion, Marksbury replied with, “Yes and no. I believe it’s simply a matter of being a decent human being and open-minded.”

Going to church 3 times a week, Swift mentions that he has studied the Bible very much. With Swift’s religious views, he discussed that, “there are many verses in the bible that command us to be men and to act like men.”

“Personally, I am unaffected by Harry Styles wearing a dress, however, I think by the media constantly pushing him to be an inspiration, this could cause more and more boys to lose a sense of ‘manliness’,” Senior, Xavier Glauber, said.

While responses to what a “manly man” is in 2020 may vary throughout different people, Marksbury believes that individuality is an important part in expressing yourself.

“There’s plenty of manly men. they’re just wearing skirts now,” Marksbury said.

With a large following, Harry Styles is known as an inspiration to many and is seen on media everywhere. “Young men should know how to be strong, brave, and someone that can make people feel safe. If your way of doing that is wearing a dress fine, but the media should, in no way, push that on everyone else,” Glauber said.

Although some may support the idea of men in feminine clothes, there are others who don’t fully agree with this act.

However, there are some things they can partially agree on: toxic masculinity.

“I feel as if toxic masculinity is when a man is either bragging to a woman about being a man, and having the main qualities that most men have, or when one uses his gender to overcome or put down women. I however do not believe that it is a HUGE

Asking whether or not we should bring back manly men, both Glauber and Swift said yes. “I think we should bring back manly men. There are not enough in today’s world, and we are falling apart because of it,” Swift said. “I think in these bad times strong willed people are what we need, not some guy playing dress up,” Glauber follows up with.

Tyler Redmond, Mia Maguire, Marie Maguire, and Emma Egan ran around Bullitt East High School in dresses and jumpsuits. “It was a different experience for sure, but also a funny experience definitely,” Tyler Redmond said.

While the opinions of what a “manly man” should be in 2020 may vary, all are valid. Treat people with kindness.

Redmond heads to the football field. While searching for places to take photos, Redmond, a football player at Bullitt East, just so happened to be practicing on the field. When asked if he wanted to wear a dress and take some photos, Redmond said yes.

16 |

Britt Tackles Adversity by keelin davis

Britt helps motivate the lineman while they are on the sidelines. He remembers being in their position and wants to make them the best they can be. “Inside me, I just wish that I could be out there on the football field playing with them but I pushed it to the side and just kept thinking about what this has allowed me to do and if I keep sticking to it, it can bring me far,” he said. Photo: Brodie Curtsinger

Never give up and you can accomplish your dreams.

Junior Cole Britt did not let a life-changing injury stop him from doing what he loves.

At the end of freshman year, Britt found out about an injury that would change his football career forever. He now helps coach the football team and contributes greatly to the staff. Britt hopes to pursue a career of coaching football and wants to take his knowledge to greater heights.

Growing up, football was always something that was important in the Britt household. His father played football all through high school and as a child, Britt played for eight years up until his freshman year. “It has been something that I have loved and cared about and played since I was about five. It was something that I took almost as a job. It was all I ever thought about and all I ever cared for and I just kept working at it,” Britt said. Football has had a drastic impact on his life and he believes that he would be a very different person without it.

Britt reviews film with three offensive lineman. He secured a spot on the sideline on Friday nights after paying attention to the coaches in practice. He said, “I started paying a whole lot of attention to our offensive line coach. I started picking up on the coaching points that he gave and I started jumping in and helping share my knowledge that I have learned from him as well as sharing my knowledge from playing for eight years.”

Photo: Brodie Curtsinger

Playing for nearly half of his life, football practice, weekend games and weight lifting was part of Britt’s daily schedule. He played a full freshman year of football alongside his friends and going into his sophomore season, Britt was as motivated as ever. With a new staff hired and new players joining the team, he was excited to start the season and work as hard as he could.

17 | FEATURES

Britt walks through a play with a player on the sidelines. He helps walk through film, shoot drone shots and more. Junior Ethan Taipalus said, “The impact that he has is tremendous. He does all of the little stuff, like if we have any equipment issues, he is there to fix it. Photo: Brodie Curtsinger

During the offseason going into sophomore year, the team began weightlifting for the upcoming season. During a session, Britt began to have ongoing back pain which started to set him back as a player.

Recent hire at the time, Coach Ethan Atchley, sent Britt to a doctor where he received news that would change his life. “They told me that I broke one of my vertebrates and it slipped seven millimeters which is a whole lot. They told me that I would never play again because I could possibly get paralyzed by a hit,” Britt said. He was devastated by this news and did not know what to do next.

The immediate reaction to the news for Britt was shock. The thing that his life revolved around the most had been taken from him with no warning. “From playing for about eight years previously, football was the only thing I really cared about and the only thing that I really worked hard for. It was heartbreaking. I had no idea what to think. I almost blacked out when he told me and it was devastating that I would never get a full high school football experience,” Britt said, “it is one of the only times that I really didn’t know what to think or do. I had no idea what my life would become.” Britt had support from friends and family that helped him get through this tough time and ease the pain.

“Without that injury and without the support from my friends and family, I don’t think I would have been able to make it through and continue to stick around and be where I am now,” said Cole Britt.

With such a strong support system, Britt was able to have people around him that kept him going and stable. “They just told me to keep my head up and to think that even though it doesn’t seem that there is a light at the end of the tunnel, everything happens for a reason. Without that injury and without the support from my friends and family, I don’t think I would have been able to make it through and continue to stick around and be where I’m at now,” 18| FEATURES

Britt said. Through his support system, he was able to keep strong mental health and was able to keep pushing.

The day after finding out the devastating news, Britt returned to practice to let everyone know the news. When he got there, he was met by Atchley with a drone. “The day I came back, he handed me a drone. He said ‘here, figure it out and learn how to fly it.’ So I did that,” Britt said. With this drone, he began recording film from practices and analyzing them to help in practice. Although he could not play on the team any longer, he found a role where he could stay involved and really contribute. Atchley said, “Cole is the definition of a “do-er” that continues to find more ways to help us as coaches and a football team get better all the time and become more efficient in a growing program that now is at the 6A level for the first time in school history.” With his work ethic and knowledge, Britt was able to help improve the team in many ways.

Britt uses this opportunity to soak in as much information as possible from the coaches around him. He said, “I started paying a whole lot of attention to our offensive line coach. I started picking up on the coaching points that he gave and I started jumping in and helping share my knowledge that I have learned from him as well as sharing my knowledge from playing for eight years.” Britt does all that he can to get more educated about the game to help him share his knowledge with other players and improve the team.

Due to his immense contributions and overall knowledge of the game, the coaches decided to keep Britt around to stay. “He said my help was valuable and he wanted me to continue to stay and help coach and that got me into getting a headset on Friday nights on the sidelines which is a tremendous experience,” Britt said, “I get to hear what all of the coaches are saying and all of their coaching points on a Friday night.” Opportunities like his are something that you rarely see in high school football.

still be playing today. “Inside me, I just wish that I could be out there on the football field playing with them but I pushed it to the side and just kept thinking about what this has allowed me to do and if I keep sticking to it, it can bring me far,” he said. Although he still plays a valuable role on the team, the staff still wishes they could see him on the field. Atchley said, “we as coaches still wish we could put him on the field with the team on Friday nights because he’d be a key contributor for us on the football field with his playing ability before a career ending injury came along.” Britt tries to take on the mindset of thinking in the present and future rather than sulking in the past.

In the future, he looks to continue a path in coaching. Once he began to coach for the team he began to realize that, “maybe it could bring me to a college position or push me to be a better version of my current self,” Britt said. He feels like the knowledge and skills that he has gained from playing his whole life and now, being mentored by his coaches can take him far in his life and help him accomplish his greatest goals. Britt said, “I wasn’t the best football player but I was able to learn a lot through my youth league career and now I am so passionate about it that it is really indescribable.” This is now just a starting point in the bigger image Britt holds for himself.

Constantly around the influences of his coaches, Britt was inspired by their success. He said, “Our head coach was one of the youngest coaches to win Kentucky High School coach of the year so I want to strive to be a high school coach that is alongside other fantastic coaches who can win state championships.”

With this year especially and the COVID-19 pandemic, Britt has been impacted positively by the world around him. Even though he has such a great love for football, he has been able to distance himself more than usual to work on self improvement.

He said, “It actually affected me positively and I think it allowed me time to reflect on life because I am a non-stop, ‘gogo-go’ type of person with football and it forced me to take a break and it forced me to put life on pause to focus on myself.” Like many, Britt was able to take more time to work out and make physical and mental improvements. “I focused on things that I couldn’t while football was going on. It has been one of the best things that has happened to me because I was able to lose 45 pounds and it really did more good for me than it did bad,” said Britt. Overall, Britt has been able to make the best out of any situation he has been put in and does the best he can to set himself up for success.

“It’s a sport that has an indescirable impact on my life. It’s not a job, it’s just what I am passionate about and I can’t really put it into words how much it means to me,” said Cole Britt.

By providing this opportunity to Britt, Atchley feels like this was a tremendous step for the team as a whole. “There is a gigantic list of things that as coaches nobody tells you about that fall under the category of “other duties as assigned, or not assigned, but need to be done because no one else will do them” and Cole has been willing to take some of those on without ever being asked! He’s as dependable as any single assistant coach I’ve ever actually had or been around! It’s cliche to say, he’s built different, but the truth is that Cole is different and has been one of the single greatest kids I have ever been around,” Atchley said. Britt also plays a big role with the players and is always there to help. Junior Ethan Taipalus said, “The impact that he has is tremendous. He does all of the little stuff, like if we have any equipment issues, he is there to fix it.” With a smaller coaching staff, the little things go a long way.

The constant support and experiences that Britt was provided made him very grateful for the situation that he was put in. “It is really a tremendous thing that he allowed me to have. It is now my second year doing this and it is the best experience of my entire life,” Britt said. The whole sport of football has had the largest impact on his life than anything else and Britt does not know what he would do without it. He said, “it’s a sport that has an indescribable impact on my life. It’s not a job, it’s just what I am passionate about and I can’t really put it into words what it means to me.” He keeps this positive mindset and does not take for granted all the good that the sport and being on this team has brought him.

At times, Britt wishes he could go back and change it all so he could

19 | FEATURES

Student by Day, Rapper by Night by tawney noyes Reinventing Lil Clout.

Senior Christopher Martin, also known as Lil Clout, plans to reinvent the sound in his music after three years.

In 2017, Martin began to explore the world of Soundcloud rappers and took inspiration from them to start his own music career. Despite not having much support from his friends and family, he continued to work on his goal. Now, heading into 2021, Martin plans to redesign and reinvent the sound of his music.

When the wave of Soundcloud rappers hit in 2016, Martin had discovered a new sound he had never heard before. “I used to not even listen to rap really. Just seeing kids my age change their life around from songs they made in their bedrooms really inspired me,” Martin said. He had been writing songs before but nothing like what he had found.

Once Martin found his new style of music, he got to work making music. He came up with the name “Lil Clout” with one of his friends and took inspiration from artists like XXXTentacion, Lil Peep, and Lil Uzi Vert. “When I first started out, I was almost ripping off Lil Pump in a way. He came out with Gucci Gang and I made Clout Clique,” Martin said. Clout Clique is a single he has on his Soundcloud.

In his first year at Bullitt East, Martin became more popular than he was before. He left middle school and went into high school as a rapper. This generated a lot of buzz for Martin to get even more popular around the school and encourage him to make more music.

As his popularity grew, his friends weren’t nearly as impressed as his fans.

Although he has good, close friends, only a few of them actually support his music, and his parents don’t know that much about it. “Being a rapper isn’t exactly what my parents had in mind for me, so I haven’t really told them much about it,” Martin said.

Senior Christopher Martin staring into the sunset on Mount Washington. One of Martin’s biggest successes was when he dropped his album ‘Tales From the Mount,’ in 2019. “It got ten thousand streams and a lot of people sent me videos of themselves listening to it,” Martin said. Photo Credit: Tawney Noyes

Despite the lack of support from his friends and family, Martin continued to work on his music career. “I got to play a concert with four other artists and like twenty people in the crowd. It was small,” Martin said. Martin believes that the concert was very eye-opening for him since he got to see other artists who were serious about their music in Kentucky. He also got the chance to be backstage at a Jack Harlow concert because one of the opening acts liked his music.

Most recently, in 2019, he came out with the album ‘Tales From the Mount’ which got a lot of traction around the school.

Martin believes most of the school knew about the album. A lot of people sent him videos of themselves listening to it and it ended up with about ten thousand plays.

As 2020 rolled in, Martin found it difficult to get his music out to the world. “A lot of the buzz I was getting was because I would try to be anywhere other people were to spread my music,” Martin said. He would go to big sporting events and fairs to hand out and sell things to raise awareness of who he is and the music he makes. COVID-19 ultimately shut that down for the year.

The break from events has given Martin time to think about his musical identity and how he wants to sound. “I’m trying to reinvent my sound right now. I don’t think it’s a good representation of what I want my art to be right now,” Martin said. His Instagram page has been wiped clean of any posts and he has even considered changing his rapper name from Lil Clout.

Besides any new name or sound, the focus for Martin will most likely always be music. “Music is like a person who is always there for you. You can make anything you want and it’s all fun,” Martin said. He has been into music since he was young and he will continue to make music for a long time.

20 | THEME

Creating our own good. by emi richardson This year has been a really tough year for all of us, but there is a lot of good that has come out of it.

This section talks about good things that happened in 2020. Including: people finding new hobbies, adopting animals, environmental change, better relationships with family, and a person who reinvented themselves.

“New Hobbies” by Brodie Curtsinger talks about branching out and finding new and different things to do.

“Adopting New Animals” by Jenna Tipton explains how the number of animal adoptions has increased.

In “Environmental Change” by Dane Bunel, he talks about how the environment has changed for the better.

“Relationship with Family” by Macie Brown talks about how the more time we’ve had at home this year has impacted how close people have gotten with their family.

In “Re-Invented” by Rebecca Watts, it talks about how having more time at home and away from things has helped to change someone for the better.

21 |THEME

Finding New Interests Over Quarantine by brodie curtsinger

More time means more hobbies.

Due to quarantine, we were given more free time, and many students picked up hobbies to fill their free time.

There is more than one reason behind why hobbies struck the world over recent months.

Hobbies can range from working hard to a calm, relaxing activity. A unique interest could be a gift to everyone involved.

According to “Merriam Webster Dictionary,” the definition of a hobby is: “a pursuit outside one’s regular occupation engaged in especially for relaxation.” Over the time of quarantine, many people’s jobs were taken away, because of the United States being put under lockdown giving them more free time and time at home.

When put under lockdown, people wanted to find anything they could to keep themselves preoccupied, which would lead into the worldwide craze to start new hobbies. There are quite a few activities that were brought to popularity, over the time of quarantine, such as: drawing, reading, cooking, and more.

Freshman Sarah Monroe has been drawing, painting, and coloring, for around eight years now. “I got started with art, because I knew my uncle was an artist, and I wanted to try. It turned out that I was really good at it,” Monroe said, “I want to be an artist in the future, because I basically have a passion for art, and I love drawing and painting.”.

When COVID-19 started, Monroe picked it back up. “I chose art, because when the COVID stuff started happening, I didn’t draw as much as I used to. So, I started drawing again,” Monroe said, “I would say this is my number one hobby, because now, almost every day, I would draw, paint, or color.” Monroe typically creates backgrounds, and animals.

Junior Diego Gonzalez Soto enjoys reading books, and has enjoyed this activity, ever since he was a kid. “When I was a young kid, I got very into comic books. I got to read a lot of these as I grew up, and besides watching TV, playing video games, and doing any common hobby, I got involved in reading more books, and all thanks to comic books,” Soto said, “writing books has not been my total hobby; only reading them at the moment. Probably in the future I would do so.”

When COVID-19 started, Soto wanted to venture past that. “I realized that books were my thing when I gave a look to those books that I had, and didn’t really use. Now, I usually go to the library when I get the chance,” Soto said, “I usually read graphic novel books. As I said earlier, I grew up reading lots of comic books, and it is still part of the books I read nowadays. I really enjoy getting to see what these books have for the readers, how you get to see how the characters interact, and how its art highlights each book.”

Junior Jacob Collings is a chef and has been cooking for his family for around three months now. “The thing that got me started on cooking, was taking a ‘Foods and Nutrition’ class in high school. Ever since then, I have been the cook at home,” Collings said, “I do like cooking, but that’s not what I would want to do for the rest of my life.” However, this picked up more when COVID-19 started. Collings typically creates all kinds of things, such as tacos, pizzas, pancakes, burgers, etc.

Collings makes dinner for his family, close to every night, and will sometimes make dessert, breakfast, and lunch. “I cook for me, my family, and my friends. I pretty much cook for whoever is at my house, whenever I’m cooking,” Collings said.

Another factor that played into Collings getting more into cooking was when his family got a trailer, giving them a kitchen.

Collings takes Culinary 1, taught by Dave Bustetter.

22 |THEME

On the Paw-sitive Side of the Pandemic by jenna tipton What better way to lighten the mood than by getting your own pet.

A loveable creature is the best way to brighten any household.

Even though there has been a lock down on pet shelters there has been a bigger demand for pets then the shelters actually have in stock.

Dog adoptions and sales soar President Madeline Berstein of the Society Prevention of cruelty to Los Angeles nonprofit shelter, states that “ adoptions were double their usual rate in late June, with 10 or 13 adoptions a day,” Almost all animal shelter inventory have been low due such a demand for pets. This is a rare sight to see that so many pets are being adopted.

Some people have said that they have had a better time dealing Pet Adoption rates rise during covid-19,Hannah Jackson states with the stress of the pandemic because they got a pet. That is that “Among U.S. adults, 5% adopted a dog in the three-month what happened to Madaline Mann, Bullitt East spanish teacher period generally corresponding to initial COVID-19 impact era who had adopted a mutt puppy right before the pandemic.

— a windfall in a Marvolo, or “Marv”, market where dogs was rescued on Jan 24. account for twoMann describes having thirds of product Marv as a blessing. “Just and service sales. having this extra thing In addition, given in the house that my the unique current sister and I can take care context of business of kind of alleviated a shutdowns and staylot of our stress. ” said at-home orders, 4% Mann. He encouraged us adopted a cat, and a to get out of the house disproportionately and enjoy the outside. high 4% adopted other types of pets When getting a new — especially pet puppy and never leaving reptiles and small the house, many puppies mammals.” This can get separation is quite a surge in anxiety. “We always statistics compared knew we were going to other years. In to get a second dog 1970, 67 million anyway,” said Mann. So animals were to help her puppy with adopted but this his anxiety and to keep year more than 135 him entertained, she got million pets have a much older dog named A painting of Ms. Mann’s two new dogs she has rescued this year. As a keepsake to remember the first few days of been adopted.

Gwenog, ‘Oggie’,who getting her dogs. She commissioned Jenna Tipton for it. Artwork: Jenna Tipton was rescued Sept. 21.They Many people have been have been best friends ever seeking a furry friend to help them through this tough time. since and their house is more lively.

According to Super Market News, Dog adoptions and sales soar during the pandemic, “Americans kept trying to fill voids with Getting a pet has been proven time and time again that it is a canine companions, either because they were stuck working helpful way to take off the stress and loneliness of life especially from home with children who needed something to do, or had during a lockdown. It makes your home much livelier and no work and lots of free time, or felt lonely with no way to entertaining. There are so many pets that go without a home socialize.” Many shelters and foster homes have received a lot of every year and end up being euthanized later in life. It should be applications for adopting a pet. recommended that everyone who can, should adopt a pet.

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Greater Than Us by dane bunel We’ve made it through another year, but at what cost?

Think about all the things that we see in our everyday life and what we know as human beings. We are made to feel, and when time is spent out in the shiny green grass as the sun shines on you with big bright trees lurking in every corner, you really start to feel one with the world. Now imagine a world where all of that is taken away.

The real question has to do with the future. Is the decline of wildlife fixable or simply inevitable? The only way to figure this out is to go back and look at what’s laid out on the surface and what’s fact.

comes to our lives. In the end our life will still continue, but is the decline of life around us inevitable? Many believe the only man worthy enough of giving an answer is long-time wildlife enthusiast David Attenborough. He himself will tell you all the things I have already said.

It’s a difficult topic to absorb but Attenborough puts simplicity in it with one beautiful quote. “I just wish the world was twice as big and half of it was still unexplored. Are we happy to suppose that our grandchildren will see things like elephants and trees as something only seen in books? If humans were erased tomorrow, the world would honestly be better off.”

Even with that being said, there are still drops of life on this planet not yet touched by humanity, our last hopes. Other than that we still have our purpose too, even with an overcrowded population. Although the future seems inevitable right now, the fire can still be put out with enough help.

If we’re going to be part of the issue and there’s no way to slow it down, the next best thing to do is to speak Any wildlife chart up. Change comes with optional for view one easy task, treat on the Internet will others the way you tell you all the same want to be treated, and thing. Whether it be not just other human accumulating trash beings, other living in the ocean, steady entities. Lets make 2020 glacier declines, the year of reflection This is a piece by local Louisville artist, Asia Quammie, who dedicates this drawing to all the men and women burning forests or where we sit back, reflect, who need a clearer vision of what real problems really look like. Photo: Dane Bunel overfishing our seas, and act. catastrophic decline has no sign of slowing down. In the midst of our ongoing struggles with life during Covid-19, we’ve failed to If you want to get involved and stop the below 50% wildlife realize all this time that there is something far greater that has destruction scale, speak up and get in contact with a number of hit the peak of its own pandemic long before our own, and that nonprofits and organizations partnered with the WWF who’s thing is nature itself. contribution is fully achieved when a call from you comes Certified climate change organizations and wildlife enthusiasts such as the WWF, UNICEF, and the World Economic Forum have been keepings records and charts over the last 100 years, and all giving a clear indication of what the root of our problems really are.

The answer is simply ourselves.

The question still remains though, can it slow down for us to catch up? People that revolve their life around things like oil, fishing, construction, etc. are more likely to contribute to the decline of wildlife, but that isn’t slowing anyone down when it

through. Let’s make 2020 the year where we take back our planet.

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Seeing the Positive Through a Frightening Year by macie brown Restaurants are empty, people are distanced in masks, stores are closed, and people are staying in and spending more time with their families.

2020 started out as a year to look forward to, but eventually took a turn for the worst. A deadly pandemic gripped not only the United States, but the world. Businesses started to shut down one by one and governors ordered mask mandates as the death toll increased each day. Even though 2020 has been a year filled with a lot of loss, there have been many positives.

People have been staying inside with their families and have gotten to know each other more and spend time together. 60% of families say that they have come out of quarantine closer and more connected to each other. People who had busy lives before the pandemic now have some extra time to focus on things they enjoy since everything has slowed down, and people learned to appreciate the privileges they had before the pandemic.

Jenna Estravillo, a sophomore at Whitefield Academy, said that quarantine had some positive effects on her. She said that she had a lot more time to pick up new hobbies, but she also had time to get better at what she has always loved to do. “I was able to work on golf and spend time with God,” Estravillo said. She said that doing these things helped her to have more of a positive mindset through the rough time and helped her carry on the new habits that she picked up after quarantine ended.

In such an unpredictable period of time where nobody knew what was going to come next, it was important to keep a positive

The Brown family sits down at their kitchen table to play a board game. After staying in the house all day, they were looking for something fun to do to pass the time. “It is difficult to keep ourselves entertained while staying in the house so much, but playing games is something fun to do that we all enjoy,” commented Natalie Brown. Photo Credit: Macie Brown

mindset. Many people became overwhelmingly sad and stressed about things they couldn’t control and waited for a vaccine to help fight the virus. All they could do to help was stay in their house and wear their mask when they went outside. But keeping in mind the positive outcomes of a time like this and seeing the good through the bad that is happening helps things to be a little better and less stressful.

Richard Ballard, father of Kassidy Ballard who is a student at Bullitt East, said that a positive from his time in quarantine was getting closer to his daughter. “I was still able to go to work thankfully, but for awhile I had to work from home and since my daughter stayed home too, we got to spend more time together,” Ballard said. “We also both got closer to my mom and dad because we were going to check on them a lot more often which was nice. We are usually so busy that we barely get to see them,” Ballard added.

Ballard said that before quarantine, they were very busy because of his work schedule and his daughter‘s cheer, but after his daughter decided not to do cheer and they couldn’t go as many places because of the pandemic, it cleared up a lot of time for them.

Estravillo also said that spending more time with family was a big positive during quarantine. “I was able to spend more time with my family and get really close with my sister. I was also able to help more around the house as much as I could,” Estravillo said.

Estravillo said that she got to know her family so much better just by spending more time with them and realized how valuable it was having their company during these difficult times.

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Changing for Ourselves by becca watts Change begins with you.

The time spent in quarantine allowed sophomore Maddie Tobbe to think about what she wanted for herself.

Over the summer in quarantine, Tobbe decided it was time to reinvent herself. By working out, Tobbe was able to find something that made her happy in stressful situations. With her friends by her side while she sought after her goal, Tobbe lost 30 pounds and gained muscle.

Tobbe has always been a person who has been caring and considerate. “Maddy is the most caring, passionate, strong and opinionated person I’ve ever known, and I wouldn’t want to change any of those things about her. We’ve been friends since seventh grade and she has taught me so much about myself and about exploring and seeing the world and people differently.

She has had hard times but we pushed through them together,” sophomore Sydney Hughes said.

Tobbe doesn’t let negative things like sadness or fear hold her down, instead she uses it to help push her forward. When she falls down you should be ready to see her get back up and run. “I decided that I am ready for a change and needed to stop feeling sorry for myself. I realized that if you wanna see a change, it’s up to you,” Tobbe said.

celebrities in order to seem ‘perfect’ so we strive to look the same. Changing yourself to fit the societal norm for beauty will get you nowhere because if you’re not changing for yourself you’re changing for nothing. True beauty cannot be defined as a number on a scale. Everyone is beautiful, they just haven’t learned to defog the glass to see their beauty better. Changing for the right reason is something the girls live by. “I’m extremely body positive. I believe everybody is beautiful no matter what.

The number on the scale doesn’t mean anything. We are in a world where unless we cross everything off the list, we ‘aren’t beautiful’. Everyone is beautiful, and everyone has different taste.

You can’t make everyone like you so everything that you do to change, do it for yourself. We all have to learn to love ourselves.

I was beautiful before I lost weight and after,” Tobbe said.

If you are wanting to make a change for yourself, the girls encourage you to do so but keep in mind that it won’t always be easy. “Do it. It’s hard and uncomfortable at times but you feel so much more alive but please make sure you do it healthy and make sure you do it for the right reasons. You are gorgeous no matter what anyone thinks or says and you are enough,” Schoenbachler said.

During quarantine, Tobbe came to the realization that she had been feeling low on energy and sad so she decided that something needed to be done and that something had to change.

Working out was never something she really liked to do so when she first started her journey through change, she thought it was going to be miserable but quickly learned that it made her happy and took away her stress.

During her journey, she watched videos, worked out with her friends and learned that it’s all in what you eat. Tobbe had a great support system in her friends as she changed for herself. They would workout together and motivate each other.

Sophomores Kaitlyn Schoenbachler and Hughes would workout with Tobbe and motivate her on days she didn’t feel like going to the gym. Schoenbachler and Tobbe shared exchanged healthy food alternatives.

Along with workout and healthy food habits, Tobbe and the girls boxed, “we do all kinds of workouts. We do arms, legs, core and tons of cardio. The main workout that really has helped us is boxing. Boxing has helped us get our anger and stress out of our minds and helps us to cope with things and it’s so much fun to do. We are always the only ones in the room and it’s so much fun,” Hughes said.

When times got tough, the girls were always there to support one another and motivate each other to continue working out.

“We would just make it fun, dance it out, let all of our emotions out, tell each other we got this and remind each other of what we want,” Schoenbachler said.

Oftentimes in the media, beauty is defined by how small one is or what your figure looks like. Magazines slim our favorite

Maddie Tobbe poses in front of mirror displaying the after affects of her workouts after losing 30 pounds and gaining muscle. Photo: Maddie Tobbe

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“Everyone is beautiful and everyone has different taste. You can’t make everyone like you so everything you do to change, do it for yourself. We all have to learn to love ourselves. I was beautiful I lost weight and after,” said Tobbe.

Maddie Tobbe poses for her mother. Photo taken before Tobbe started her journey.

Photo: Christy Tobbe.

“I decided that I am ready for a change and needed to stop feeling sorry for myself. I realized that if you wanna see a change, it’s up to you,” said Tobbe.

Tobbe poses in the mirror with Sydney Hughes whom she had worked out with on many occasions. Photo: Maddie Tobbe

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Grateful for Quarantine by karley dugas So far in 2020, Covid-19 has been a huge part of our lives. It has affected America more than we could have imagined. My only question for you would be, was quarantine really all that bad? For some, quarantine made them realize the things that they took for granted, like how they get to see their friends, eat out, go on vacation, or even being able to go to work and school. It made people see the good things in life and showed them what they should be grateful for.

“We got to have time for ourselves and we also got to put ourselves first and not be so busy all the time,” said Abbie Mann (freshmen).

Mann feels that quarantine made her realize how grateful she is for her friends and how she took them for granted.

“It made me realize that I took restaurants and stores and places to go for granted and lastly it made me realize that I took cheer for granted,” said Mann.

Mann has been cheering for most of her life, making her busy a lot, and quarantine made her realize just how important cheer really is to her. It made her love cheer even more than she already did and it helped her grow her passion for it.

Quarantine also had a big effect on people that don’t have as many things filling their schedule.

“Quarantine made me realize that my friends and family are what keeps me sane through some difficult times, especially when you can’t be with them,” said Chloe Reidinger (sophomore).

Reidinger was thankful for the time that she got to spend with her family and friends. But, there were still some things she missed.

“I’ve mostly missed being able to experience life as a teenager in high school. Staying home can get repetitive and boring, so I’ve missed being able to go out places to spend time with my loved ones,” said Reidinger.

Many people express that they took their friends, family, and even school for granted and didn’t realize how much love they had for these things. There were multiple positives and negatives for people living in quarantine, but which is more important? Quarantines made people realize that they need to be grateful for what they have because you don’t know the importance of something until it’s gone. Life is better than it seems, you just have to look in the right places.

Playing her next move, Emma Martin tries to beat her sister in Scrabble. While locked up in their home, they were trying to find something fun to do to pass the time. “This really helped us get closer and have some fun while we can’t go out anywhere,” said Martin. Photo: Karley Dugas

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2020: A Time To Evaluate Staff Editorial

Coming into each new year we always say we will change our diets, workout schedules, and more of what we should be doing on a daily basis. But 2021, is going to be different. This magazine was a bit of an ode to 2020. Each of us have definitely been through it in different ways this past year. 2020 was a huge roller coaster for the whole world. Each and every child has had to grow up quite a bit to take on school and understand the weight of the global pandemic. Many teenagers sacrificed spending time with their friends, and battled their mental health while learning to teach themselves at home. Adults have suffered losses of jobs and stress while trying to navigate this new virtual world.

2021 is new. During 2020 we have broken a lot of old traditions, and we have changed most of the ways that we do things. We have reinvented what connecting with people means, and made the best out of hard situations. 2021 is a fresh start. Hopefully we will soon be emerging from this awful disease. And once that happens, we will have the chance to change our lives and each other. We will be able to pick through our old traditions, and start new ones.

We will change the way we look at the world and appreciate the time we have with our loved ones. We have the chance to completely reinvent ourselves and change our old ways. This is a new chance for all of us to come out of our year long hibernation and stress, and be renewed.

So let’s take this time to sit back and evaluate the choices we have made and the way we choose to spend our lives. It’s time to ask what we want to make priority in our lives? And what do we want to change? There has never been a more perfect time in history to start over and reevaluate. Let's go back to the drawing board this new year, and let's make some change.

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Adviser Editor-in-Chief Magazine Editor Website Editor Design Editor Sports Editor Photography Editor Business Editor Social Media Editor Calendar Coordinator Content Editor

Larry Steinmetz Mia Maguire Sophia Blanton Keelin Davis Katey Goins Brodie Curtsinger Karley Dugas Tawney Noyes Rebecca Watts Brooklyn Sauer Macie Brown

Staff Writers Emily Richardson Raegan Jackson Jenna Tipton Kyleigh Reeves Alex Elhilow Sierra Karner Colton Harbolt Demani Butler Natalie McGarry Ella Olds

Livewire is a 32 page newsmagazine and accompanying website that is updated daily. All content is generated by student journalists at Bullitt East High School in Mount Washington, Kentucky.

The Livewire operates as an open forum following the guidelines laid out by the Student Press Law Center which our staff presented to the Bullitt County Board of Education.

The staff appreciates your patronage and, as a public forum, encourages any feedback or submissions you care to offer. Letters to the editor must be typed and submitted via email, to Mr. Steinmetz’s mailbox or directly to room 606 within one week of the publication to which you are responding. Letters will not be censored, but must be deemed appropriate according to staff policies to be published. In order to be eligible to appear in the magazine, all letters must be signed and verifiable. Names may be withheld upon request, but must be submitted with the original letter.

The Livewire is printed by aPrintis Printing Company. Its website is hosted by Student Newspapers Online.

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