Livewire Vol. 13 Issue 2 February 2022

Volume 13, Issue 2 | February 2022

Contents

17 19

School

Culture

03 Beyond Your Limits 04 What’s in Your Bag Students Tattooed 05 Despite Discomfort Finding Your Way 07 Through a New School 08 Pushing Past Stereotypes

What You’ve Day in the Life of Bailee 09 Discomfort: Been Missing Higgins Changing One Family at 11 a Time Politics 13 Folding Under Pressure 23 Conformity in Politics Towards a Better Feature 25 Working and Brighter Future Fostering a Growth 15 Mindset 27 Police Officers in Schools Contents 1

Far From Home

Meet The Staff

Editor-In-Chief Mia Maguire

Executive Editor Keelin Davis

Magazine Editor Natalie McGarry

Design Editor Colton Harbolt

Sports Editor Brodie Curtsinger

Photography Editor Emily Richardson

Social Media Editor Top: Isaiah Wright, Colton Harbolt, Brodie Curtsinger, Keelin Davis, Raegan Jackson, Sophia Blanton, Mia Maguire, Kylie Huber, Brandon Mudd. Middle: Shana Parrish, Tawney Noyes, Caroline Williams, Natalie McGarry, Shelbie Heath, Addison Byers, Kyla Combs, Demani Butler. Bottom: Violet Wise, Sierra Karner, Brooklyn Sauer, Emma Whitehouse, Emily Richardson, Katelyn Powers.

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.

Staff Writers

Sierra Karner

Katelyn Powers Brandon Mudd Kyla Combs Shana Parrish Kylie Huber Chloe Radford Addison Byers Riley Elmore Bryant Faucett Jackson Silliman Amy Burelison

Copy Editors

Junior Design Editor

Sophia Blanton

Caroline Williams

Junior Photography Editor

Brooklyn Sauer Demani Butler Violet Wise

Content Editor Macie Brown

APD Liaison

Business Editor Tawney Noyes

Video Editor Raegan Jackson

Shelbie Heath

Fun Coordinator Isaiah Wright

Contents 2

Bullitt East High School 11450 Highway 44 East, Mount Washington, Kentucky, 40047 (502) 869-6400

Beyond

YOUR

Limits

BY SHELBIE HEATH

Facing your challenges can be tough but the outcome makes up for every bad day.

running camps to summer training that gets you where you want to be, this is what makes you strong. The medals and trophies are just a plus, but behind the silver and gold is a dedicated runner with nothing stopping them.

B

eyond your limits.

Besides the pain and tiredness, some things are worth fighting for.

Sports have an effect on the ones that have big dreams. It makes you want to keep pushing even when you physically and mentally can’t. When you have a drive, it creates this feeling of accomplishment that you can’t get from anything else.

Running is always something that will forever be in my heart; the love I have for this sport is unimaginable. Sometimes I feel like quitting because I can’t do it or I’m mentally exhausted from school. Nevertheless, my team is my family and giving up on myself is the same as giving up on them. The bond we have created makes everything bad about running just disappear.

Finishing the race and all you can think about is holding that medal in your hands or your teammates shoulders congratulating them on a successful race. This is what running is, it’s not just about the titles, it’s what you put into getting them. The summer

Stress gets to everyone, but being a sophomore in high school is crazy to say the least. With COVID-19 taking away eighth grade and freshman year it was almost like being pushed into a pit of snakes. The only thing you can do is climb to the top and take a breath of air for a moment then go back to the reality of holding your breath. Getting rid of this feeling is hard but having an escape helps. Putting on my shoes turns on this light in my soul where I instantly feel at peace with the world. The sharp and heavy pain in my chest goes away and everything that went wrong with my day simply disappears.

I feel this jolt of excitement that rushes through my body when I turn the same corners and streets as always. It never gets old on the same path because there’s always someone new outside that makes the run fun. Seeing the same old couple at the park in the morning or new faces keeps the day interesting. Running by and saying good morning or afternoon has an effect where you long for the interaction, it makes the run feel important.

The final stretch is where all the work you put in finally comes into play. Every muscle in my body was burning which made the pain noticeable and makes you want to quit. “See another girl beside you sets a fire inside you, it makes you push until you fall down,” Shelbie Heath said.

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n y

What’s in YOUR Bag

BY BRYANT FAUCETT In wrestling, there are many different supplies that the athletes use for the sport. These are the essentials that I keep in my wrestling bag.

I always keep a couple of pairs of shoes in my bag and I like to have a variety to keep it changed up.

Everybody uses shoes to wrestle.

Even though some races are cold or hot it doesn’t matter when you’re fighting the clock.

Running past every tree thinking about how much time you can shave down determines you to keep going. “The pain I was in started to become unbearable but I knew that later on I wouldn’t be in that pain anymore,” said Shelbie Heath.

The summer is where I peak in my training, between summer workouts to cross country camps I’m constantly working on my times and form. When the new season hits and I hear that gun go off I know I put in all the work I possibly can. What makes running so addicting is you can tell how much of a progress you have made and it makes you want more Faced with a setback can be challenging, but coming through strong makes the recovery well worth it. The middle of my freshman year cross country season, I started having this jabbing pain in my hip. I was told by everyone it was growing pains because I’m a girl and that’s very common, but I knew that this was different. About a month later, I couldn’t walk but I didn’t want to admit it. I kept running the same distance and putting in all the possible effort I could, but it was very noticeable that I was in pain and there was something wrong. One practice, we were at school and we went out to a neighborhood to run and I knew that I couldn’t do it. Something in my brain made me finish that practice, but I was in the most pain I’ve ever felt. A mile until we were back at school, I was limping and almost at the brink of tears, but I drilled in my head that if I quit, I’m a failure and I’ll never be where I need to be as a runner.

Later on, I had to stop running because my left leg was around two inches off the ground. I went from doctor to doctor trying to figure out what was wrong. My doctor thought I had a labral tear in my hip but it came back that it was only irritated hip flexors and pubis tendinitis. This is where my hip flexors and IT bands became inflamed from constant running without strategic stretching and hip strengthening. It’s been a year and I’m better than ever. I go to physical therapy once a week and I created an amazing bond with my therapist. She works with me and knows my body better than myself.

Having something that puts a hold on your happiness is difficult to deal with. I push everyday to be a better runner mentally and physically because some things you can’t live without. For me, it’s pushing beyond my limits.

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I usually keep extra singlets in my bag. Most people wear singlets during matches.

I use one of these to prevent my knee from getting injured and getting mat burn.

I usually sweat through my practice clothes so I always keep an extra pair of clothes in mine.

Students Tattooed Despite Discomfort More students have been getting tattoos here recently due to the growing popularity of how they look and their meanings. Through the pain, the students are excited for the outcome of how the tattoo will look on their skin. written by Gary Freed.

BY BRODIE CURTSINGER

I

nked up and ready for school.

Many high school students are okay with going through the discomfort from the tattoo machine to get their tattoos.

Tattoos among teens have been growing in popularity in recent years. Sophomore Jada Hughes is one of many students in Bullitt East to have a tattoo. Bananafish Tattoo Parlor artist Rose Renner is one among many tattoo artists who are willing to tattoo high school students, but for Renner, they have to be 18 or older.

There are many reasons why students would be comfortable with going through the uncomfortability of getting a tattoo as well as following the growing popularity. According to a 2019 article posted on gracieopulanza.com, some of these reasons may include: “as a fashion statement, to enhance attractiveness, to have a personal narrative, as a symbol of resistance or due to addiction.”

Although tattoos themselves can’t be addictive, the psychological aspect behind the getting of the tattoo is what can. There are many people who get tattoos that are seeking for the adrenaline that comes through the pain of getting it. “The pain you feel from the tattoo needle can produce this stress response, triggering a sudden burst of energy often referred to as an adrenaline rush,” author Crystal Raypole from healthline.com said.

The popularity of getting tattoos and being comfortable with the needle, explains the reason why around 27% of people aged between 16 and 18 now ask their parents if they can get tattoos and 11% of people aged between 13 and 15 ask for their parents permission.

This would also explain why around 5% of people within this age group have already gotten a tattoo. This is according to a healio.com article

In the United States, there are 15 states where you have to be 18 or older to get a tattoo, there are eight where you have to be 16 or older with parental consent to get a tattoo and there are 24 states where you can be 14 or older with parental consent to get a tattoo. Kentucky is one of the eight states where you can be 16 or older with parental consent to get a tattoo.

That is exactly the case with 16 year olds such as Hughes. What inspires Hughes to continue to get more tattoos knowing the feeling of the tattoo machine is the fact of the meaning behind the tattoo. “Obviously, it is painful, but it’s more so you can look back at it one day and you know why you got it and the reason you got it, and just look at it. I mean, it’s beautiful art, and just reflect on it, know where you came from and know why you got it,” Hughes said, “It’s not about looks for me honestly. The ones that I picked were more for meaning, and they had true meaning behind them like the ones on my arm, or I have matching ones with my mom and then my mom’s birthday. It just puts meaning behind it and reminds me why I got them. It’s not just like to have meaning.” What inspires her as a whole, though, to continue getting tattoos is less behind the look of the tattoo, and more behind the meaning.

Sophomore Jada Hughes in her basketball jersey showing her tattoos. Hughes, as a 16-year-old, has four tattoos, most of which are on her arms. “I think it looks cool (to get to show the tattoos at the basketball games). When people walk up to me and ask me, I feel honored to be like, this is my mom’s birthday. I got this scripture, and things like that,” Hughes said.

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Hughes has four tattoos with three on her arms and one on her leg each with their own individual meaning. “This one is on my right forearm; it’s my mom’s birthday, 1-5-821, with a rose.

I picked it ``because it’s my favorite flower, and my mom is a very special person in my life, she does everything for me and has always been there for me no matter what. Then, we also got matching tattoos in Chinese letters, oh my left arm by my wrist; it means mom, and she has the same one on her right wrist that means daughter. Then I have another one that says ‘Faith, Hope, and Love’ on my left arm; that just means keep faith and always have hope and always have love in your life, no matter what if you have those three things, you’ll be successful,” Hughes

said, “I’d probably have to pick the scripture because you go through things a lot in life, and you can just reflect on it and have that strength. So, if you feel weak, you can always just look back at it, and read it, and know that you can do anything if you have strength and put it in Christ.” Out of all of her tattoos, Hughes’ favorite is the tattoo of the scripture on her left leg, which reads, “I can do all things through Christ that strengthens me.”

Hughes believes that high school students should only get tattoos if they have good reasoning. “It all depends on if they have good reasoning. I don’t think you should just go and get one because you want it. I think you should have a reasoning behind it, but not just to get one just for it,” Hughes said, “Just have a meaning, don’t just get it to be cool or be flashy. Just make sure it has something behind it so you can look back at it, and know that you got it for a reason, and not regret it.” Hughes believes that there should always be a meaning behind a tattoo so there is never any future regret.

Renner believes that what inspires people at the age of 18 with typically lower pain tolerance to decide to get their tattoos is to get the chance to customize the look of your body more. “I think as far as 18 year olds, these days specifically, there is this want and this need to be hyper-individualized, and there’s a want and need to sort of customize your own character, because we’re born in this like weird pink suit that we have no say over our hair color, or our eye color, or anything like that. So, this is your one chance to kind of put yourself out there and express yourself however you want to,” Renner said, “I definitely think there should be an age limit; I for sure believe in that ‘18 Plus.’ Everybody knows your brain doesn’t really stop developing until you’re like 25. I definitely think that if I got all the tattoos that I wanted when I was 16, I would look very different and very stupid. The things that we like at younger ages are not going to be the thing to be like at 30, and because tattoos are so permanent, they are the only thing that is a lifelong guarantee. Your tastes change,” Renner strongly believes in the 18-plus rule that her tattoo parlour has.

Renner does believe though, that nowadays, students are becoming more aware of the meaning side of tattoos rather than just the looks. “I do think that students, especially younger students, are becoming more conscious, and more sort of woken up to the meanings and things that mean something to them.

However, I do think you should wait a little bit to get that tattoo, because it is permanent and your tastes are not permanent. So yeah, I think it’s a great thing that people are getting tattoos when they’re younger, but at the same time, it’s a not so great thing, because our tastes change, and so, I definitely there should be an age limit on it,” Renner said, “It’s so popular and it’s not looked at as: ‘You have to have a motorcycle to get a tattoo.’ But yeah, I think it’s a chance to customize yourself and express yourself and I think nowadays, because it’s so popular and so normalized, that people are kind of going out of their way to be okay with getting tattoos so early, and I completely support it.” Renner believes that the idea behind getting tattoos at a young age has changed over time into what it has developed into today.

Renner believes that, “it’s important in our lives to face controversy, discomfort, and challenges. It’s important to go through a little bit of pain for a lot of beauty. A lot of things in life that hurt us, leave scars; you know, mentally, emotionally, physically, all of those things. So, I think to have something that causes pain, but leaves you with something beautiful, something artistic, something that means something to you, is extremely important not only to our emotional state and our psychic state, but just our state of being. I think it’s a wonderful and beautiful thing to go through something, and come out of it better on the other side, because you can’t see the stars without the dark. So, I think it’s important for us to counter discomfort especially when it comes to finding ourselves physically or emotionally; I think it’s extremely important, and a wonderful beautiful butterfly process.”

If you are interested in getting a tattoo as a 16-year-old or a 17-year old, a couple tattoo shops you can go to are: Infinite Electric Tattoo off of Hurstbourne Parkway with a rating of 5 out of 5 stars, and Tattoo Charlie’s off of Preston Highway with a rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars. If you are the age of 18 or older, there is the Bananafish Tattoo Parlor in New Albany, IN, off of State Street, with a rating of 4.8 out of 5 stars.

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Senior Brodie Curtsinger and his tattoo of the molecular structure of Serotonin with a camera, playing card and semicolon connected to the molecular structure. For Curtsinger, this tattoo means a bettering of Curtsinger’s mental health. “This tattoo means the absolute world to me as someone who has suffered from anxiety for many years. Serotonin is a molecule that helps reduce anxiety, and the playing card resembles where being five years as ‘The Magic Duck’ had brought me, and the heart resembles to love yourself. The camera resembles to do what makes you happy, and for me that is sports journalism represented by the camera. The semicolon is a very popular tattoo among people who have survived self harm or suicide,” Curtsinger said. Photographer: Brodie Curtsinger

Junior Katelyn Weatherford and her tattoo of the words: “my momma you’ll always be”. For Weatherford, this tattoo means that her mother will always be by her side. “The thing that inspired me was my mom. What I think the tattoo’s meaning is, is no matter what me and my mom go through, whether it is bad or good, she will always be mom and someone I can go to anytime I want to,” Weatherford said. Photo submitted by: Katelyn Weatherford

Senior Kyleigh Reeves and her tattoo of the two drama masks. For Reeves, this tattoo means her love of theater and being a drama student. “It’s the drama masks, and I’ve done theater since second grade. So, it’s been something that’s a big part of my life and it’s something that I want to do in the future. I had Mr. Barrett draw it, so that I could have him represent it kind of, because he had been a big part of my theater career during high school. So, it’s been a big part of my life and I really enjoy theater. That’s why I got it,” Reeves said. Photographer: Brodie Curtsinger

Finding Your Way Through a New School Going to a new school can be a scary adjustment.

However, there are some tips to keep in mind to help you.

BY CAROLINE WILLIAMS

N

ew school, new you.

Having a fresh start at a new school is a very common experience among teenagers. However, it is not always an easy process to make a transition into such an unfamiliar place.

Entering a new school can cause many mixed emotions. It can be hard to introduce yourself to people, leave your old school, and familiarize yourself with the environment. You may feel nervous, upset, or even excited.

to the table by sharing your interests, hobbies, and even be honest with people about how nervous you may be feeling.

Sophomore Isabella Leachman has moved schools over five times in her life, sometimes from state to state. “Being new in school for so much of my life has caused me to learn about so many people’s personalities,” Leachman said. Being able to interact with so many personalities can

period.

Joining clubs, organizations, and sports in your school can also be a good way to expand your experience at your new school, and help you find a “safe space” in a place that you are not used to yet. Many schools offer these clubs for this exact reason. Being active in an organization or club can help you showcase a part of yourself other people haven’t been able to see yet. “Make sure to be yourself. Definitely branch out and stay focused on your schoolwork, but also learn to have fun with the people you meet,” Tibone said. Learning how to balance your responsibilities while also being able to enjoy doing extracurriculars is a very useful skill when adjusting to your new school.

It can be especially difficult for someone who is going from a smaller place, like a private school or homeschooling, to move to a public school. Sophomore Tessa Tibone began high school during the pandemic after being One thing useful homeschooled for the to remember about majority of her life. familiarizing yourself Adjusting to a new school has always been a difficult process for kids. Students often go through the doors “I was excited because with a new school is of their first day of school feeling unprepared. “Talking to new people was definitely a challenge for me,” I had never been to a that a lot of people may Tibone said. public school before. It be in the same position was very different. With as you are. Oftentimes, COVID-19, the transition was actually a at larger schools, there is usually a help expand your social abilities. lot easier because I was able to slowly get significant amount of students who also to know more people, but I was anxious may be new. You can find many common Sometimes for newer students, learning about it for months,” Tibone said. Being interests with other people who are just as to let go of their past educational online these past two years has also nervous as you are. “My biggest advice to environment can be a difficult issue. affected new students’ ability to make someone new is honestly, don’t overthink.

Making sure to stay in contact with old friends. “My biggest regret is not talking I assumed most people would be hateful friends can really benefit you because of to many people at first though. I didn’t for some reason. Most people will not all the change being thrown for a couple months because I was online,” judge you for being new, and they will be Tibone said. pretty understanding,” Leachman said. your direction. “The hardest part of moving schools so much was losing Attending a new school can be nerve A‌ ‌new‌ ‌school‌ ‌can‌ ‌be‌ ‌frightening, ‌but‌ friendships. I lost contact with almost all wracking, but your experiences from ‌keeping‌ ‌an‌ ‌open‌ ‌mind‌ ‌and‌ ‌expanding‌ ‌your‌ of them, and I wish I didn’t,” Leachman being from somewhere different can be a ‌comfort‌ ‌zone‌ ‌can‌ ‌make‌ ‌a‌ ‌huge‌ ‌difference‌ said. Being able to talk to people from place for conversation with other students. somewhere familiar can help bring ‌in‌ ‌how‌ ‌you‌ ‌perceive‌ ‌this‌ ‌change.‌ ‌ You can bring something completely new comfort to you in this confusing time

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Pushing Past

Stereotypes “Stereotypes are affecting teenagers all around the world.”

The stereotype threat often leads people to get stressed out. It is proven that the stereotype threat can lead to reduced academic achievement and can affect students’ social-emotional well being.

The constant worry of becoming a bad stereotype can eat you alive, putting you into distress.

The distress of being stereotyped can deeply affect how students do in school and in general. Stress can lead to anxiety attacks, panic attacks, depression and many emotional problems. No one should have to stress out about being stereotyped as a person they are not.

Y

Some stereotypes are much worse than others and can cause much worse damage than causing just distress. There’s many stereotypes that can deeply affect you physically and mentally.

You may have heard people say things like, “bigger people are big because they eat too much.” or “smaller people are small because they don’t eat enough.” This can cause people to fall into an eating disorder.

A stereotype is a generalized belief about a particular category of people. Many people, including myself, struggle everyday with being stereotyped as someone they are not. You may have heard many people assume things such asmen aren’t as smart as women, men are more athletic than women, people with glasses are smart and if you’re blonde you’re dumb. All of these statements are generalized stereotypes.

People telling you are “big” because you eat too much can cause you to eat less. People telling you you are “smaller” because you don’t eat enough may cause you to binge eat. These are both very unhealthy and can cause physical and emotional damage.

Stereotypes like this can really hurt people in ways no one should ever be hurt.

BY KYLA COMBS

ou may have heard people say things like, “that girl is a cheerleader, she must be a mean girl.” “That boy is wearing glasses, he must be smart.” These statements are often referred to as stereotypes.

Many people experience stereotypes, whether good or bad. What most people don’t realize while stereotyping others, is that being stereotyped can affect people in many different ways, especially if it’s negative. Personally, I am blonde and someone told me I couldn’t be their partner for a project because I’m “dumb” all because of the color of my hair, yet I make very good grades in school. This proves I am not as dumb as people think I am.

No one should assume things like this about people they don’t personally know. Our appearances mean nothing about who we are as people.

Being stereotyped can lead people to believe they are someone they are not. If you get stereotyped as someone who is a bad person, you may start to believe that you really are a bad person.

This is called the stereotype threat. The stereotype threat is the fear of being judged on the basis of negative stereotypes, and the fear of doing something that would confirm those stereotypes. “he’s wearing a cowboy hat so he must be from the country”

While most stereotypes are negative, there can be positive ones too. But we mostly hear negative stereotypes in our everyday lives, whether you realize it or not. People may tell you to just ignore it and move on with your day. If you get offended by someone’s stereotype, you need to stand up for yourself. The best way to push past being stereotyped is to learn to let go and have more self confidence.

You know yourself, and if you get stereotyped as someone you are not, you need to realize that. Learn to let go of people’s mean remarks. Building your self confidence can help you build up the ability to ignore people’s negative comments. Stereotypes are just generalized beliefs. Just because someone assumes something about you, doesn’t always mean it’s true.

“She has blonde hair, she must be dumb.”

“She has nice clothes, her parents must spoil her.”

“she’s a cheerleader, she must be mean.” “she’s a cheerleader, she must be popular.”

“Her shoes are nice, she muct be rich.”

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DISCOMFORT: WHAT Y

BY KEELIN DAVIS

Success is often preceded by the discomfort we know as failure.

W

hen times get tough, just think of what’s ahead.

The most challenging tasks, feelings and experiences are the most beneficial for mental, physical and emotional growth.

The strength of one’s brain is grown from the mileage you put it through. The more you can push yourself and experience the discomfort, the more benefit you will receive. There are a variety of ways you can push yourself using healthy, rewarding methods without breaking your boundaries.

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary definition of “discomfort” reads: “mental or physical uneasiness.” This definition gives a negative connotation to the feeling of discomfort and fails to fully express what you gain from experiencing it.

The feeling of discomfort is something that we are often taught to avoid. The brain even trains itself to take an easy route in any situation to avoid such a feeling. A study conducted by the University College London shows evidence of the brain altering its’ perceived reality to avoid a harder workload. The researchers conducted an experiment in which there were two levers on the left and right sides. The dots on the computer screen presented shifted from side to side slowly and the corresponding side of the dots gains weight. When the dots moved left, causing a heavier left-side lever, many of the experimentees perceived the dots to have moved right, in order to pull a lighter lever.

This translates on a larger scale when students or young adults choose their post-graduation destinations. Often, many students choose to go into a popular major that will lead them to a regular office job rather than chase their passions. In some cases, that may be their dream, but most want to strive for a job that they can follow through with their greatest interests.

To achieve the goals that you wish to reach someday, one may experience discomfort and struggle to see the success. While failure nor success are not guaranteed, often one can not exist without the other. The act of failing, the highest form of discomfort, is the most beneficial for mental, physical and emotional strength.

Take bodybuilding for example. The muscle is constantly pushed to failure and new heights every single day to create growth and improvement.

The consistency and constant push to new heights is the raw fuel that takes the person to achieve their goal. The discomfort and pain that comes from failing, no matter the situation, allows for a fresh restart with new knowledge on how to take on the obstacles ahead. Failure provides wisdom, experience and guidance on any road ahead.

Inventor Albert Einstein once said, “failure is success in progress.” By this, Einstein means that through the greatest form of discomfort, the greatest lessons are learned through personal experience. Those who fail the most become the wisest and most experienced.

Many American workers who chose the comfortable route are often unhappy and discontent with their current jobs. In a poll conducted by Harvard University, they found that...

76

of u.s. workers say that %personal the workplace affects relationships N E G A T I V E LY

which often stems from a direct result of choosing the comfortable route.

There are many ways that you can define your limits of discomfort without pushing yourself past your breaking point.

In the same poll conducted by Harvard, they also found that 66 percent of United States workers work on their vacation time, bringing stress and discomfort to their personal lives. In certain situations, such as personal time, discomfort is harmful to the brain. The stress caused from negative discomfort shrinks the prefrontal cortex, the part of the brain responsible for memory and learning. In correlation, it grows the size of the amygdala, making you more receptive to stress, according to Psychologist Daniel Goleman.

The direct combat to such a thing is to leave work devices at your place of operation, silence notifications and prioritize the activities, people and places that make you happy.

Experimentation with your limits is also a way to define your lines of overworking. Trying basic schedule changes such as waking up earlier, taking set time lunch breaks or working out at certain times of the day are some of the many ways you can test your boundaries. They give the brain a sense of control over your day and a feeling of security knowing that you have a set time to do what needs to be accomplished.

Breaking down the first wall is always the hardest when pushing yourself to discomfort. The act of beginning a task can sometimes be the hardest part of the journey. Once you dive headfirst into your challenge, your brain becomes fully immersed in positive discomfort, pushing yourself to new heights and testing your limits. The mental strength built becomes rewarding and the more you try, the more experienced you become.

Graphics by Keelin Davis

Culture 9

YOU’VE BEEN MISSING S T A GES O F PER SONAL GROW TH Resulting from the four previous stages of personal growth comes the development of individuality. The discomforting experiences, failures and trials all come together to build your wisdom and knowledge and help guide your future decisions.

Individuality

Breaking the strong wall on content is one of the most challenging parts of growth and discomfort. The constant healthy push is essential to hard work and goal-achieving and results may be stagnant without the effort.

Breaking the Wall

Recognizing and Capitalizing

Acknowledging the growth in one’s self and seeing the change is a big part of growth itself.

Reflection on discomfort, failure, past mistakes and more are key to this stage in the process and is almost pointless without such.

Changes in attitude or personal values are a major building block in how you view your goals and intentions. Viewing the world in a positive light and knowing your own social boundaries are some of the most important signs of the second stage of personal growth.

Attitude and Values

Physical Behavior and Appearance

The act of changing your physical appearance or behavior is the first stage of personal growth. Taking better care of your skin and more are some of the signs of personal growth in its early stages.

Graphics by Keelin Davis

PUSHING FOR SUCCESS TAKE IN INSPIRING CONTENT

VISUALIZE AND MANIFEST

TAKE THE HARD, SMART ROAD

ASK QUESTIONS

BREAKING THE FIRST WALL

SURROUND YOURSELF WITH POSITIVITY Graphics by Keelin Davis

Culture 10

Changing One Family at a Time Foster care is effecting everyone in America and the people in it. Light needs to be brought to the topic as it is often pushed under the rug.

BY SIERRA KARNER

T

aking a turn for the better for children in foster care.

school and get them to their appointments and visitations. The state encourages foster parents to develop a relationship with the parents if possible.

The foster care system affects everyone around it, after first hand experience people have turned it into something positive.

Many people believe that it’s easy to become a foster parent or that people are doing it to make money from the government.

However, there’s a lot more to becoming qualified than you would think. It affects the children negatively but also helps them learn to persevere. Being a foster parent has many benefits for a family.

To become a certified foster parent you have to take pre-service group training, which is about 15 hours long. From there, you will have to complete a web-based pre-service, including: pediatric abusive head trauma, medication administration, first aid and universal precautions, medical passports, reasonable and prudent parenting and foster/adoptive support and training (F.A.S.T.) resources.

After you complete your classroom training, which is about 30 hours of training, you will participate in a home study. The home study is conducted by a social worker which will include interviewing the parents and any other members of the household. The interview will consist of personal questions such as “how much money, do you make in a year?,” “how you discipline your children,’ or ‘what are your beliefs?”

At the ripe age of 8, the child’s father receives a phone call telling him to bring his son to the Cabinet of Health and Family Services.

After this day he won’t see his father for the next two and a half years. Once arriving at the Cabinet he and his sister will go to a placement foster home.

They join a family whom they will stay with for two years. This family will attempt to adopt them. Being told you will never see your family again is scary and detrimental to a 10 year old.

Changing schools often is definitely a challenge. Foster care made it difficult to develop long lasting relationships with friends.

After being told he couldn’t play a sport that he’d soon fall in love with after reuniting with his father. He learns that his father is one of his biggest supporters, “I appreciate family a lot more and realize to hold it close,” he said. Foster care is definitely a sensitive topic to many and makes you appreciate the small things.

428,000 children are in the U.S. foster care system.

Some foster care agencies practice certain religions and you aren’t able to force your beliefs onto them. They make sure that you respect their beliefs. The state wants to make sure that foster care isn’t going to be your primary income and make sure that you are stable regardless if you’re a foster care parent or not.

At the end of the home study, the social worker will conduct a safety resource check. They will make sure that firearms and medicine are locked up, if you have pets they have to have shots, they will go through the rooms in the house and make sure everything is up to their safety standards.

The primary goal of foster care is to reunite the children with their birth family. Foster parents are employees of the state to help facilitate that. Their main role is to make the children have a safe place, have all the things they need, keep them in

17,900,000

There are orphans who’ve lost both parents and are living in orphanages or on the streets today.

future.

Not having much control in your environment is difficult especially when you are growing up. Oftentimes, you are not where you pictured yourself being when you were three years old. You, as an individual, can decide the way you want foster care to affect your

Some people in the Foster Care system may be blunt with you regardless of your age. They may tell you how your childhood in the foster care system looks, even though you don’t want to hear it. On the other hand, foster care provides a safe place for kids. It also gives an opportunity to families that would like to grow in quality and quantity.

After being surrounded by similar situations where family and friends took in people throughout their life, parents Ashley Hall and her husband decided that they wanted to start the process of becoming qualified as foster parents. “We had talked about it for years but didn’t really live in a spot that was good for that. So we moved into the house that we live in now. A year later. After moving in we said you know now we don’t really have an excuse not to so for us it feels like a calling like it’s something that Jesus was to do,” Hall said. After being worried of being a revolving door for kids, they have only received four placements.

51 percent of foster children reconcile with their parents or primary caregivers.

Culture 11

51%

The Hall’s take a family picture with their two foster children on a family vacation. They have two biological children, one adopted, and two current foster children. “It’s hard to talk to your kids about where they come from and you know, Tyler’s almost five and she can tell you that I’m her second mommy and she grew in her first mommy’s tummy and her first mommy’s name is Sydney and she has different stuffed animals from her and she has pictures of her so it’s also a big challenge,” Hall said.

​​​​ They took in their first foster children in 2015. They were two brothers whom they fostered for about 15 months. A common misconception with foster care is that all the kids that are put into it are abused by their birth families. Nonetheless, they were put into foster care because of a poverty issue rather than abuse. Their parents had exposed them to some difficult situations, once they got onto their feet the kids were able to go back with their parents.

After this placement, Hall and her family took a break for a couple of months. About three months later, they received their second placement, a newborn baby girl, only 11 days old. She was originally supposed to go back to her parents, but at around five months, her biological parents disappeared. “You know, I didn’t know when Tyler came to stay with us that she was going to eventually be our daughter that God did and he knew that was something that wasn’t going to be you know, he prepared us for each one of those placements,” Hall said. Hall’s experience as a foster parent has tremendously grown her relationship with Christ and her walk through faith.

Raising a newborn that you didn’t give birth to is definitely difficult. When a baby is born all they know is their senses, they search for their birth mother’s touch or the sound of her heartbeat.

Hall had a hard time getting her daughter, Tyler, to fall asleep at

night. She was heartbroken because her daughter had nothing familiar to her. “I can’t sing well, but I’ve always sang to my babies. So I’m going to just sing to her and so I sang the same song every night and I would just sit there and pat her and do that and it didn’t soothe her for weeks. But about two months and about the eighth week of doing that. She finally started to be calmed by it. It was one of those moments where it was just obvious to me that that was kind of, for me, a reassurance that things were going to be okay, that she was building trust with us that she was starting to relax and trust that we were going to provide what she needed,” Hall said. Hall officially adopted Tyler June 6, 2019.

Being a foster parent has it’s good and bad side just like everything else. It added some anxiety for Hall and there’s a lot more to be worried about, but overall foster care can be a beautiful thing. “I think it’s grown my family and I can’t imagine a life without those kids in it. Now the kids I have now could still not be a part. I may still not get the chance to adopt them. It looks like I will. But if I don’t, I do know that I’ll be okay. But as you know, especially with the daughter I’ve adopted it’s just totally changed. And it is a beautiful thing, but it’s also a really hard thing,” Hall said.

On average, children in foster care will spend a year and a half waiting to be adopted after parental rights are terminated.

Youth in foster care are seven times more likely than non-foster to have depression.

5x Culture 12

Foster care youth are five times more likely to have anxiety.

Folding Under Pressure

Culture 13

Teenagers expierence pressure from their parents.

BY RAEGAN JACKSON Never enough.

Teenagers experience pressure from their family in all aspects of life. Sometimes this pressure can cause negative effects that can ultimately lead to failure.

Parents can expect a lot from their children, especially when it comes to academics and sports. It can be hard to live up to those expectations especially if you are being compared to older siblings or other family members. Every teenager has experienced this in some way and have all been affected by the pressure differently.

When parents push teens so hard in every aspect of their life, it can cause them to completely stop caring or even resent school, sports or whatever it is they are doing.

“Whether or not you regard chess as a sport, I definitely quit that from pressure. I won several state titles for three years in a row and then after that point I was in fifth grade going into middle school and it was just so much trying to keep up,” senior Blake Harlamert said. Harlamert is a state champion chess player who quit going into middle school because of the pressure his parents put on him. “I started resenting something that used to just be like, ‘I love this, it’s so cool, I get to play people older than me, it’s something I can do,’ then after a while it was ‘you can’t fall behind, don’t fall behind,’” Harlamert said. Harlamert would be forced to spend hours every day studying foreign books about chess and playing using different strategies.

Every parent wants their child to grow up to be successful and lead a good life. Because of these desires parents tend to put pressure on their children to exceed in academics, sports and work. “There’s also the kiddos who just can’t make the A’s and the B’s and their parents are just constantly on them to try and make those A’s and B’s and the kid just feels like they are doing everything that they can and they just can’t make that next step,” Youth Services Center Coordinator Erin Emmington-White said.

While their intentions are good, this can cause many problems between the child and parent. “It never caused bad feelings towards my dad but I did feel afraid to go and tell him about school or ask for help because I felt like if I showed that, I didn’t know what was going on and instead of getting the help, I would get lectured. I didn’t want that because things were already hard and I didn’t want anything more on me,” Harlamert said. Even though Harlamert loves his parents, all the pressure his dad put on him to succeed made him afraid to ask for help.

Having older siblings can be a blessing and a curse. Younger siblings are often compared to their older siblings and can be held to higher standards if their siblings weren’t as, “successful,” as their parents wanted. “I

am the youngest of two brothers so I always get compared to my brothers and there’s times where my brothers would be getting ‘C’ averages and I would get a ‘B’ and my parents would freak out,” senior Abby Hall said.

Hall has always been expected to go above and beyond what her older brothers did in both school and work. “I’ve always been expected to work, I’ve had a job since I was fourteen. I spend a lot of time working and I don’t tend to make time for myself,” Hall said. Spending all her time in school or working takes a big toll on Halls personal life and mental health which a lot of teens expierence. “I don’t think it’s made me harder working.

When you can’t keep up with it, eventually, one thing slips, then another, and you quit caring about it, like grades don’t become as important because now you’re just more focused on trying to keep yourself composed,” Harlamert said.

In working class families it is expected to immediately get a trade job and not go to college so when someone does go to college they are put on a pedestal and every generation after them is expected to live up to that. “Both of my grandparents grew up poor, they were amazed at college and were amazed that their son my uncle had gone through college so it has always been like I have to live up to that,” junior Dylan Fogle said. Fogle’s parents expect him to be top of his class, valedictorian and get scholarships to college. “It’s pushed me enough to get good grades but it hasn’t pushed me so far that I want to go to college and I wanna graduate top of my class, I don’t want to write papers upon papers to get a scholarship,” Fogle said.

Whether you are dealing with pressures academically, in sports, or being compared to siblings you are not alone. It is important to remember to put yourself first and do what is best for you.

Culture 14

Fostering a in the Classroom Growth Mindset, the idea that persevering through the discomfort of learning something new will eventually lead to growth, is something that teacher Leo Craven weaves into his lessons to push his students to their fullest potential.

G

BY BROOKLYN SAUER

rowth only comes from an attentive gardener.

AP Language and Composition and ACT Prep teacher Leo Craven is working to foster a growth mindset in his students, allowing them to grow themselves in and outside of the classroom.

Craven has been using this teaching strategy for quite a long time, though he has faced challenges along the way. Despite these challenges, he is able to work through them with his students in order to make their learning experience better.

His experiences using these techniques has not only allowed his students to grow, but helped him grow as well.

Craven has well learned his way around the classroom, as he has been teaching for the past 11 years, with 8 of those being at the school.

Within his first years here, he was introduced to the concept of a growth mindset. “I was like ‘Oh yeah! That makes perfect sense,’” Craven said.

Craven has also had his fair share of a learning curve when it comes to teaching growth mindset. During his first years working at the school, he was told he was teaching an AP Language and Composition class about two weeks before school started.

Having never been in one of those classrooms before, Craven struggled with his first group of students. “My entire teaching career I’ve always been like ‘No I’m going to push kids to where they struggle.’ But, until I really started focusing in on it, metaphorically I would put you in the deep end without teaching you how to swim,” Craven said. Due to his little knowledge of how a functional AP Language class runs, he ended up setting the bar too far above his students’ heads, where even those that should have excelled were struggling. “I had one of the top valedictorian students come to me and be like ‘I don’t know what you want from me. Like, I don’t know how to be successful for you.’” Craven said.

Stemming from interactions like these, Craven realized that his current way of utilizing the However, the implementation of growth mindset was not this technique did not go without Craven sits at his desk and helps out an AP Language and Composition student. Craven has always beneficial to his students. loved when his students ask for help instead of struggling alone. “When a kid comes to me, first I tell some bumps in the road. “The “And I remember that them ‘Thank you for telling me this because then we can grow from this’ and then we can kind of pick only issue I’ve ever had with it is was when I was like ‘Ok, up from there,” Craven said. when students are kind of stuck I need to reevaluate my in that fixed mindset,” Craven expectations, where I’m said. The less desirable counterpart to a growth mindset, a fixed setting the bar, when I’m setting it, things like that.” Craven said. mindset keeps a student in a static state of ‘good enoughs’ and shying away from any kind of challenge, preferring to stay where As the years went on, Craven worked to improve the way he they are comfortable. This bad habit is the exact kind of thing used the philosophy of growth mindset until it was at a place Craven hopes to break in his students. “Students aren’t interested where both he and his students were happy. “I’ll still throw you in growing intellectually, they’re interested in completing in the deep end, but I’ll provide you floats. Instead of just being assignments and getting GPAs. So that’s one reason why I like to like ‘Nope! Figure it out! Try to swim!’ It’s kind of like ‘Ok, start with this idea is, like, the idea of growth, like growing as a you’re having trouble, here let me help you a little bit,’” Craven human being, growing as a person, all experiences should kind of said. Additionally, this experience has allowed him to better lead to that,” Craven said. understand the psychology of his students, which then makes it

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best of their ability by being pushed a step past whatever they are comfortable doing. “I still definitely try to keep pushing and pushing and pushing. But the big difference is I am much more willing to provide help,” Craven said.

Believing in the philosophy of growth mindset has allowed Craven to improve himself alongside his students, one example being running. “I hate running, I still hate running so much, but I had a fixed mindset on running and was like ‘I’m just not good at running, running’s just not my thing,’” Craven said. However, he was forced to break through this fixed mindset when, due to COVID, he had no other way to work out beyond running. “I just kind of took it like ‘Ok I’ll run a mile.’ And then the next day I was like ‘I’ll run a little bit more,’” Craven said. Craven then used these growths in his personal life to influence his students, showing his running logs to his students to introduce the idea of growth mindsets at the beginning of the school year.

easier to provide each student what they need to succeed in his class. “I’m more aware of where students will generally come in, and also I’m much more willing to, kind of, provide resources,” Craven said. Craven has come to learn that each student has slightly different needs, meaning that some will need these resources more than others. “One way I kinda look at it is I want students to go from A to D, but I don’t want to give them B and C. So it’s like ‘Can you do this without me providing B and C?’ Sometimes kids need B and then they can figure out C and D,” Craven said.

Coupled with his personal growth, Craven has also grown as a teacher through learning about and exploring the ideas of growth mindset. “This being my 11th year, I’ve noticed that I’ve become a little cocky, a little placent, where I’m like ‘Mm I’ve got it figured out,’ but, just a couple days ago I was on Twitter and I saw somebody doing something in an AP class that I was like ‘That’s really neat. Why don’t I do something like that?’,” Craven said. Through constantly growing and learning each day as a teacher, Craven is able to foster a mindset in his students and himself that pushes everyone in the classroom to challenge themselves each and every day. “That’s one thing that I always try to do is how can I always improve and grow and be better than the year before,” Craven said.

Aiding students comes the most into play when a student is in crisis, completely inside their own heads and having absolutely no idea how to even approach the topic or task at hand. “First I tell them it’s ok. And I’m kinda like ‘Ok, you’re in crisis,’” Craven said. Even a student understanding and admitting that they are in crisis is a giant first step towards getting back on the right track and out of the crisis zone. “I tell them that I appreciate that they came to me, because a lot of kids will just shut down and to where like, that’s the worst thing that could happen, is it goes unnoticed or a kid shuts down then they dig such a hole that I can’t help them, or like, metaphorically, they drown. And then it’s, like, hard to revive them,” Craven said.

Craven also hopes to promote his students’ ability to recognize when they are in crisis and need help. “That’s why I put them up on the wall, cause I was like ‘I need you to tell me, like, ‘No, I’m in the crisis zone. I don’t know what I’m doing. I don’t know where to go.’”

After a student in crisis has been identified, it tends to branch off into each specific students’ needs, since every one is different and may need different things depending on the level that they are at in that specific skill. “So then I kind of figure out ‘Where are you?’ Like, how good can you swim? Can you swim? And sometimes I’m like ‘Well, what do you feel comfortable with? Where is it that you can do things?’ And then ‘What’s the next step past that?’” These questions are just another extension of the growth mindset. Though a student may not be able to be challenged at a class level, they are still being pushed to the

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Far From Home Foreign exchange student Carolina Lejeune del Castillo discovers a new life in America.

BY MACIE BROWN

T

he culture shock of our school.

improve her English.

New foreign exchange students come to America every year hoping to have an experience they will remember for the rest of their lives. They spend their time here learning about and adjusting to the different culture and way of life of the people who live in the United States. This year, students from several different parts of the world were offered the opportunity to do that at this school.

Carolina Lejeune del Castillo is a foreign exchange student from Spain and Belgium who is completing her senior year of high school at Bullitt East.

Lejeune del Castillo spent the first 14 years of her life in Belgium with her parents, brother and sister. They moved to Madrid, Spain in 2019 and are still living there now. Her family loves both countries, but decided to move to Spain when her father had the opportunity to take a job there. “Because we always went to Spain for vacations, it was like the ideal place to live. It’s like when you don’t live in a country it’s the country that you wish to live in,” Lejeune del Castillo said. When her father learned there was a job opening for his company in Spain, everyone in the family wanted to move. Lejeune del Castillo said her father is taking on a lot more work now, but the family loves where they live and everyone is happy.

Because she comes from two countries and one of them has many languages that are commonly spoken, Lejeune del Castillo is fluent in four languages.

Her first word was in Dutch, but she also speaks French, Spanish, and English. “A lot of people ask me which language was hardest to learn, and for me, it was English,” Lejeune del Castillo said. The other three languages she learned at school and home growing up.

Spanish is the language she speaks the best, but she also speaks Dutch and French well. Even after speaking the languages for so long, she still mixes them together. Part of the reason she came to America was to help

When living in Belgium, Lejeune del Castillo had to be careful what language she spoke where. In the northern part of Belgium they speak Dutch, in the southern part they speak French, and in Brussels, the capital city in the middle of the country, they speak both languages. “When I went to school in Dutch, we weren’t allowed to speak French because they said if they wanted us to speak French, they wouldn’t have taught us Dutch. If we got caught speaking French we would get grounded,” Lejeune del Castillo said. People there that live in certain parts of the country are so proud of their language, they don’t like it when other people speak a different one in their area. They want to consider themselves separate from the people who don’t speak their language.

Lejeune del Castillo also talked about how people made her feel like she never completely fit in one country. In America, she is known as an exchange student, in Belgium, everyone said she was Spanish, and in Spain, everyone said she was Belgian. “It was like I was never from the country that I was from,” Lejeune del Castillo said. When speaking Spanish, people said she had a French accent, and in French and Dutch, they would say she had a Spanish accent. It was like she was never seen as fully a part of the country she was in because she had parts of another country that made up who she was as well.

There are many reasons she chose America as the country she wanted to come to for the foreign exchange program, and she says it has lived up to her expectations. “I love it here. Honestly, there aren’t a lot of bad things. Maybe I miss my family a little bit, but other than that I love everything,” Lejeune del Castillo said. She said that one thing she particularly loves is trying new fast food in America because they don’t have very much of it in her country, but what she loves the most is the people here and all the sports and activities that are offered through school. “I expected to do a lot more sports here because I know Americans are really athletic,” Lejeune del Castillo said.

In Europe, there is a lot more focus on academics rather than athletics and American schools are not like that. She likes the difference of having more time to be involved in things around school and have fun along with the academics.

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Lejeune del Castillo said there are a lot of things different about living in Belgium and Spain versus America. “I feel like here everything is just bigger. The food portions, the streets, the cars, and the schools just all seem bigger,” Lejeune del Castillo said. She said that it was almost overwhelming when she first came here and that it seemed like there was more of everything that was back in Europe. Another big difference that she had to adjust to was transportation. “In Madrid, their public transportation is so easy.

You can just take a bus to wherever you need to go. Here you always have to ask people for a ride somewhere,” Lejeune del Castillo said. That was one of the things that was hardest to adjust to for her because she was so used to being independent and going places on her own, but now she has to rely on other people to get her to where she needs to go.

A lot of thought went into her decision to come to America, but it was her family’s support that helped her decide for sure what she wanted to do. “My dad did the foreign exchange program 30 years ago, so he knew how fun it was, and my sister also did it two years ago. They already knew a lot of things that were going to happen and were motivating me to do it,” Lejeune del Castillo said. She had already heard great things about the United States and wanted to do it, but her family supporting her and having experience with it just made her even more confident that it was the right decision.

Lejeune del Castillo knew that she was accepting the risks that came with the experience, and the start of her journey did not go as planned. “I was supposed to go to Eastern High School, but one week before I came, Eastern said they weren’t allowed to accept foreign exchange students because of COVID,” Lejeune del Castillo said. She was moved to Bullitt East, but didn’t have a host family for the first 3 weeks. “I was living with my coordinator at first and I got up in a lot of classes and asked people if they knew of anyone who could host me,” Lejeune del Castillo said. She eventually found someone who was able to and said she loves staying with them. Even though things got off to a rough start, she said she is glad everything worked out the way it did.

Lejeune del Castillo says there are so many things here that she wants to experience before going back to her home country. “I am living here for 10 months and I have 6 months left, so I have a list of all the places I want to go,” Lejeune del Castillo said. It is going well so far and she has been to a lot of the places on her list more than once. Her goal is to make the most of her stay here because it is an opportunity that not very many people get and that she will never have again.

Lejeune del Castillo could see a life for her here as an adult, but not until after she completes college. “For college I don’t think I would come back because it is way too expensive, but after I would definitely think about it,” Lejeune del Castillo said. In Europe, if you have good grades in high school, you can get into a public university for almost no cost. Private college is still a lot less expensive than any college in America. If she ever were to move here, Kentucky would definitely be an option.

“

There are so many variations of everything here.

When something new comes out, it is always in the United States first and might end up being sold in Europe later, so it is nice to have everything available.

”

Senior Sam Franken, Netherlands

“

I got here one month ago and until now I really like it and enjoy being here. Something that makes me so happy everyday is that people are so friendly and open.

Senior Sara Wimmer, Austria

“

I came here mainly to improve my English, but also to just discover a new way of life and see the way people live over here.

”

Senior Baptiste Dpry, France

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”

Day in the Life of Bailee Higgins

BY KATELYN POWERS

Bailee Higgins is a junior at Bullitt East. She is in Beta Club, NHS, the captain of the dance team, VIP of the law enforcement club, as well as being a student ambassador. Her schedule seems to always be filled with daily activities. Here is a look into her daily life.

Photo: Nicole Higgins

BOTTOM RIGHT: Participating in many clubs and classes to further her education, Higgins is currently taking criminal justice classes through Campbellsville University. “I aspire to be a forensic analyst or a behavioral analyst. I take some criminal justice classes through Campbellsville at the ROC two days a week. I want to work in law enforcement because I find it very interesting and I would love to help the community and keep others safe,” Higgins said. Photo: Katelyn Powers

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10:02:03 am ABOVE: Higgins has always strives to do her best with her work. This is her as she does work in her Algebra class, Jan. 13. “I enjoy the atmosphere at BE. The teachers are very helpful and are willing to help you with anything.

There are so many opportunities that can help you with your career goals and help get you college or career ready,” Higgins said. Photo: Katelyn Powers BELOW: Higgins has been instated as the VIP of the law enforcement for the club’s first year. The club participates in events around the community, which she helps plan. “Law enforcement club has helped me get closer to kids in the school that have the same career ideas as me. It gives us time to look into different things within law enforcement and get a real look into what we can do,” Higgins said. Photo: Katelyn Powers

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02:34:04 pm

Higgins is currently captain of the dance team and enjoys the leadership role in the team. She has been a part of the team for 3 years and this is her first year being captain.

“Being captain of the dance team is like a dream. I love being able to lead such a great group of girls and I like being able to help them and being able to help my coaches plan things we do. There is a lot of responsibility being captain but I find it easy since the girls are like a family to me,” Higgins said. Photo: Katelyn Powers

05:46:02 pm

Dancing since she was 5 years old, Higgins loves the sport and is pursuing her love through teaching classes at Dance Unlimited, the local dance studio which she also dances at. “I feel like dance is one of the ways I can show my emotion and I can help contain my stress. I would love to continue to dance after high school and even later in life because of how much it has helped me grow as a person,” Higgins said.

Photo: Katelyn Powers

06:13:07 pm Feature 21

Advertise with us.

The target of our campaign is to highlight the local businesses that our students, parents and faculty use around town. As a part of our community’s first approach to reporting, we want to be able to include the community as a whole within our publications. Advertising with us will expose your business to 1,500 students and potentially an additional 3,000 parents. As a self-funded publication, we would appreciate your business with us.

Contact our business editor for more information: Tawney.Noyes@stu.bullitt.kyschoools.us

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Conformity in Politics

BY COLTON HARBOLT

The concept of conformity, where someone follows a group due to the social influence of that group, has biological aspects that explain how and why we conform. This conformity plays a large role in your political opinions and the conflicts we see in politics today due to the decisions we have made after we conform.

C

hained to the opinions of those around you.

When you conform to other people’s opinions, it’s hard to deviate from the group or oppose any ideas.

There are so many ideas and opinions floating around our society, with everyone having their own take on political issues. With tensions rising between democrats and republicans, liberals and conservatives, the left and the right, red and blue, people can be scared of how they come across when they identify with a certain political party that isn’t the social norm. People would rather go against their own opinions and beliefs to fit in within the school, their family or community than to be the minority and get forced into the stereotype society has created for them. This pressure to conform could be experienced in many different environments in people’s dayto-day lives, like your family, your peers, or just your community in general. This

creates an uncomfortable situation to be in, especially when you don’t know what to do. This is a prevalent issue in our school and community that aids in the political divide that spans across the nation.

Conformity is correspondence in form, manner, or character defined by MerriamWebster dictionary. Conformity can be looked at as a type of social influence, which applies to politics just as much as anything else. The influence of the people that surround you has a huge impact on your actions without you even realizing it.

When you are surrounded by people who associate with the same party and you don’t, sometimes conforming seems like the best option, even if you don’t agree with it, because that’s what is socially acceptable.

When people identify with an opposing party, people tend to look down on them because of opinions they may not agree with, which leads to a stereotype being

made for the other party due to the opposition and conflicts that arise from those differences. There’s a stereotype for almost all political parties made by people who disagree with that party. These harsh stereotypes make people hesitant to oppose the dominant party in their community because of the possibility of those stereotypes being pushed on them, leading to people treating them differently and singling them out just because of the party they associate with, which can be a scary feeling.

This feeling of conformity can come from pressures from family, friends, peers, or the community. In most situations, the larger a group is, the more likely someone is to conform to that group, making someone feel more and more pressure to go with the crowd. When everyone’s doing one thing, you feel pressure to do it too, or you may feel forced to do it. A perfect example of this is school; there are [number] students in the school and you are surrounded by them 5 days a week for

Where You Could See Conformity Online

Politics 23

Family

most of the year. After realizing where your peers stand politically and how many of them are in the same party, it’s enough to rethink your political ideology and whether you should stand with them. This might not always be bad until someone completely disregards their own ideology to fit in with the rest of their peers, knowing they disagree, but giving in to conformity.

“

I always question myself when I’m around people who have different opinions, Anh Ho said.

”

There is a strong biological aspect to conformity and multiple factors that contribute to us feeling the need to conform. “Our brains are hardwired to conform to others,” Psychology teacher Sarah Akridge said. There are multiple theories explaining what exactly happens in our brains when we experience conformity. One explanation we have is a specific neuron in the brain called the mirror neuron. This neuron is the reason why when you observe someone doing something, your brain feels compelled to do it too, “mirroring” that person’s actions. This neuron does not only act when you are observing an action, but with emotion too. “If you watch someone cry, your brain starts setting

School

the same activity as if you were actually sad yourself,” Akridge said. The activity caused by the neuron, mirroring the actions of others, could likely be why we feel that we should conform to the people around us.

Another theory for why conformity happens is that conformity is an evolutionary trait. “There’s an evolutionary theory that says we have tendency to conform, because it helps us fit into a group, and us being in a group helps support survival, because we have people around us to protect us,” Akridge said. In the theory of evolution, humans may have developed an evolutionary trait that makes us want to fit into a group in order to survive, where they could protect each other and survive together. This theory fits the actions made by humans today, while we may not need to be in a group to survive, it still applies to society today. When politics is such a popular topic, you hear a lot of what people have to say and what people agree on. This evolutionary trait could be the reason you feel compelled to go with the group and vote for this candidate, or support this politician.

The biological aspect helps us get an understanding of how conformity works and how it applies to politics.

Conformity causes conflicts in politics, “People have a tendency to have their beliefs, and even if the other side will present opposing information, they still continue to

Seretonin is released when we experience conformity, subconciously making us want to conform.

Career HELLOmy name is...

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believe their beliefs,” Akridge said. By making someone go with the crowd and stay with that same crowd even when met with opposition and evidence disproving what the crowd thinks, because their brains have been hardwired to believe what the group believes. This is an issue because when there is opposition and one or both sides aren’t willing to consider the other side’s perspective, there is no resolution, just more of a divide and polarization between groups and people.

Working Towards a Better Global temperatures are rising in our world and unless we acknowledge the problem, and try to do something about it, there will be bigger problems in the future than there are now.

BY NATALIE MCGARRY

W

e started the fire since the world’s been turning.

Global warming is becoming a worse and serious issue that people like to ignore.

The impact of global warming is starting to become unavoidable and most people don’t like to admit it. As long as people start to listen to others and try their best to acknowledge the issues, it can be a good way to start change. Individuals themselves might not make drastic changes to stopping global warming but starting small can help more people use their voice to push for bigger and better change.

Global warming is something that is happening very rapidly and lots of people don’t realize or admit to that fact. More and more evidence of global warming is showing up as new people avoid what’s happening in the world. “It’s a lot easier to ignore a problem rather than changing the way you live your life.

People don’t like to care about a problem until it directly affects them, but the ironic thing is that it is affecting everyone,” junior Lyndsey Price said. People decide to ignore this problem because it’s the easy thing to do and it means they won’t have to admit the cold hard truth. “People always try to find the easy way out of things, but with global warming there is no easy way out, you either fix the problem, or we all have some serious issues coming our way,” Price said. People ignoring this issue is what causes it to get the way it has been and if they keep doing it, it can lead to a much worse future than they think.

Talking about global warming or climate change can be a heavy topic because of what it means for our future. When people hear things about global warming, it can turn into an uncomfortable conversation and something that is hard to hear about especially when it’s leading to an unfortunate ending in our near future.

“Global warming isn’t a fun topic, we don’t want to talk about how if we don’t reverse it, it’ll be irreversible in the future.

People don’t want to believe because it’s scary so they’ll believe what they want to hear and that’s global warming not being real,” junior Addison Stopher said. It’s easier for people to ignore the data when it’s over a scary topic because it will make them feel safer. “To stop global warming people have to admit they were wrong and then change what they are comfortable doing,” Price said. Admitting that we did this to the place we live and are creating this future is not something that’s easy to admit so many people won’t. People want to blame it on other causes that they can’t help so they don’t have to change the way they live. Other

causes like big corporations that use fossil fuels and release the harmful carbon emissions back into the air, causing damage to our planet. If everyone steps in to do their part then this can be something that benefits everyone.

Although these problems aren’t always caused by regular people in the world, it has become our problem. A lot of the problems have been caused by big corporations and companies that use tons more fuel than the average person, this situation involves all of us. “It’s an everybody thing, it impacts all of us. If we don’t fix it, then the world’s going to end,” Stopher said. This is our only planet we have, there is no backup plan if we destroy this one. If we don’t try to work together and do what we have the ability to do to fix things, our future won’t be a good one.

Many people don’t understand that even though most of the fixing to reverse these problems has to be done by the government, everyday people can still do their part.

Doing things like spreading the word over topics like these can tremendously help the information spread all around the world to all types of people. “I think talking about anything is benefitting because it spreads the word,” Stopher said. The best way to start and get into helping is just listening to informed people who have the right information to give.

“Acceptance and acknowledgment is the very first step to creating any change,”

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r and Brighter Future junior Anh Ho said. There are many ways to help a cause but the first step is always acceptance. In this case, acceptance that we have messed our world up is our first step in getting started and now it’s our turn to try to redo that.

ones that start the change. The people in this world are fully capable of starting something and working toward fixing this rising issue. When they stop ignoring the issue and start putting in effort to change things, that’s how we achieve our goals. “We The global temperature has Global warming is our problem are in the age now where we can increased a little more than 2 we caused so it’s our problem do something about it and we to solve as well. “Humans are can turn this around, but only degrees Fahrenheit since 1880 what pushed global warming to if people care and start doing and two-thirds of the warming start earlier and go faster than it something about it,” Price said. has occured since 1975. should, humans are killing the Global warming might not seem planet, so humans have to stop like a bigger issue than having it,” Price said. This problem isn’t more tornadoes or warmer days but something we can ignore because in the future it will be. It will cause it affects all of us, maybe not now problems that will become irreversible but definitely in the future. “It’s not that we won’t want to fix until it’s really the type of thing you can just put too late. People don’t like to admit this off until later, eventually it’s going to get because it’s a scary future but if we don’t at bad enough to where there is no reversing least admit it now then there’s no way for us it,” junior Kiara Warren said. If people start to make a change and fix what is already becoming to really focus on at least acknowledging that we worse. have a big problem to fix, it can give them a better mindset on how to start doing more.

Even if it feels like there’s nothing we can do, something Everyday people’s actions lead to a bigger can always be done to help. Starting simple with actions like and brighter future for us all. “It’s not educating yourself on these matters can lead to the biggest hard to do a little bit to work on change and you might not even realize it. Once you helping things, but people don’t educate yourself on these issues, you can start to do want to admit this as a thing so other things to help as well like educating other they don’t do anything about it. people or starting to incorporate ways to help People just don’t want to change protect the Earth in different ways. Recycling, the way they live life so they using long lasting light bulbs, and taking shorter don’t do anything about it showers to conserve water are all painless and either,” Stopher said. When easy ways to change the way you live but also people hear about fixing help the environment for the better. Ignoring global warming, they think the problem of hoping that someone else about how issues it will cause will step up and fix things is not the way them in the moment rather to help. If we don’t start caring now and than how they will have to trying to do our own part then it will live in the future. Even doing only be worse problems for us in the something small can make future. We need to make a change the biggest of changes in the together and work together to future. “The more people help the planet and give our that we can educate or help future generations a chance realize this is serious and a big of a long and pleasant life. problem, the better off we will be,” Price said. Having an open mind and a willingness to try can be a good start into fixing the world we have destroyed.

People who give their best to try are the

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Between 1994 and 2017, 22% of Earth’s ice loss was during this period of time.

Now, we lose around 1.2 trillion tons of ice each year due to the warming of the planet.

Police Officers in Schools

All across our country there has been huge debate on whether law enforcement officers should be present in every school building. Some districts have begun to rethink officers in school after nationwide protests. By removing them from schools, many think this helps create a safer environment for all students. On the other hand, some think that will do the exact opposite and allow for more violence in schools. Currently, legislators are in Frankfort attempting to pass a bill that would require School Resource Officers (SRO) to be present in all schools of Kentucky. Here’s what students think.

BY KYLIE HUBER

Sophomore Lindsey Jennings agrees with having officers in school. “I feel more safe knowing we have a police officer here if anything were to happen. If someone were to come in they would take care of it.” She told about an incident that took place at school and how our SRO was there to take care of the issue. Jennings believes they should be armed and take any measures needed to protect our schools.

Sophomore Neveah Ricketts does not think police officers should be in schools.

“I feel like it’s really unfair to everyone in the building that we have to take these measures,” Ricketts said. She explained how she feels uncomfortable with having them present because it makes her feel something is wrong. Ricketts also believes they should not be armed in the school building. “So many things could go wrong…there’s a reason you’re not allowed to bring firearms in. Even though it’s in an enforcement officer’s hand, it’s just a really unsafe measure,” Ricketts said. She did agree that an unarmed security guard would be good for our school but hopes to one day get to a point where no one is needed.

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Senior Vice Haysley thinks police officers should be in school. “It’s really more of a safety thing, especially in America with school shootings happening more and more often. It’s just like having that extra level of security helps.”

Haysley said. He believes that police should be armed but the firearm should be used only as the absolute last resort. Haysley thinks officers should be present in school and is needed as a safety precaution in today’s world.

Sophomore Jeffrey Marzian thinks police officers should not be in schools or armed. They think they make many students uncomfortable. “I don’t think they should be armed. It really just brings in more violence… officers make people uncomfortable and makes it feel more like a prison,” Marzian said. They did agree that a security guard would be a good option for our school.

In this video, the administration of Bullitt East talk about what it’s like to have a police officer in a school setting on a day to day basis. Bullitt East’s very own SRO gives his thoughts on being in a school and interacting with the student body.

Video and Graphic by: Sophia Blanton

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Staff Editorial

In a world where being more comfortable or making things easier is the main goal, it is important that we take a step back to realize what being uncomfortable really does for us. It helps us to grow stronger, become more outgoing or to have more compassion.

In order for a muscle to grow, it has to work harder than it is used to working.

It has to push to an uncomfortable place to become better overall. If we don’t push ourselves then we will never be able to become a better version of ourselves.

In this magazine, we felt that it was important to showcase how getting out of our comfort zones can be the best thing that we do for ourselves. This can be applied to much more than just working out. It’s about meeting new people, having tough conversations or putting away political differences.

Bettering yourself even through tough situations can lead to achieved goals and lessons learned. You can not only learn things from others, but also yourself and where you stand in present situations.

Editor-In-Chief

Magazine Editor

Political boundaries have been driving countries apart for centuries, but in recent years, it is easy to feel the tensions pulling people apart. We have always tried to stand united whether it’s nationwide or in our community but the difference in political ideas as of late has divided us more than ever. Politics control our actions, ideas and friends.

But when we put our pride aside to truly listen to someone, we are able to grow to understand another person’s point of view.

Change is always a little uncomfortable, and becoming a better version of yourself can be challenging. Growth can look different for everyone whether that is going to the gym, reaching out to new people or giving yourself a little R & R. It’s important to find ways to improve your own life and the lives of those around you.

Pope Benedict XVI once said, “The world offers you comfort. But you were not made for comfort. You were made for greatness.” Let’s push to be great.

Sincerely, The Livewire Staff

Executive Editor

Design Editor

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