The Network
Marian High School
7400 Military Avenue Omaha, NE 68134 402-571-2618
www.marianhighschool.net
Volume 57, Issue 2
September 2012
Students deal with Test Anxiety, ADHD, Insomnia and more Indepth pp. 7 & 8
Freshman Liliana Boyle
Peanut Allergies: They’re Nuts!
sydneyrhoades t seemed like an ordinary bag of popcorn and M&Ms, but for freshman Collette Gillaspie, it was a disaster waiting to strike. She had bought the seemingly harmless snack from one of the numerous Walk-A-Thon bake sales. “I thought the M&Ms were regular ones because they are the same size as peanut butter ones.” Little did she know, these were peanut butter M&Ms and for Gillaspie, who is allergic to peanuts, they could seriously harm her.
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Walk - A - Thon Photo Essay p. 16 SWC Junior High Dance p. 3
“I ate the popcorn first, and then had some M&Ms. I couldn’t taste the peanut butter because of the salt from the popcorn, so I had a couple more M&Ms. After that, my tongue started feeling itchy and by throat started swelling up,” Gillaspie said. Gillaspie and some friends then went up to the office to call her mom. She said that her stomach started to hurt, her tongue kept feeling itchy, and eventually she threw up everything in her stomach. Although now she is okay,
Gillaspie’s close call brings important issues to light. Gillaspie is not alone. She is among the three million Americans who suffer from peanut allergies. Of these, almost onethird of these suffer from severe allergic reactions. According to medicinenet. com, some common symptoms of allergic reactions to food include itching or swelling in the mouth or throat, or diarrhea, vomiting, and intense stomachaches. See Allergies p. 6
interest challenge p. 15
Senior Spends Semester Abroad p. 7
Speaking Out on ADHD: Sophomore
explains life beyond the acronym
meganwoodruff orty-five minutes of lecture and frantic note taking aren’t exactly a walk in the park. For most students, there are two options: spend the class in full attention-mode and write down every important detail, or spend it drawing an intricate doodle. For sophomore Hannah Goebel, however, sometimes there’s not a choice. Goebel has been diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) since she was 9. For her, focusing in class takes an extra effort. “When I don’t take my medicine, I feel off-task. I can’t pay attention, and I will spend whole class periods just doodling in my notebook,” Goebel said. According to Mayo Clinic, ADHD is a chronic condition that can involve a variety of conditions including difficulty sustaining attention, hyperactivity and impulsive behavior. Some of the most common symptoms are an inability to focus, frequent fidgeting and trouble with paying attention to detail. Between fourth and fifth grade, Goebel’s parents began to notice a drop in her grades in certain classes. “It especially stood out on standardized testing, most noticeably on reading and reading comprehension,” Mrs. Becca Goebel said. Goebel’s parents consulted teachers about the situation, and a friend who is an educational specialist assisted them with the referral process. The testing took place at Immanuel Hospital and involved a parent interview and a test for Goebel. See ADHD p. 7
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Ready for a New Coach? Okay!
nicolamccutcheon n attractive male walking down the halls of Marian rarely goes unnoticed, especially when he is one of Marian’s newest staff members. Mr. John Yenny, an Elite Cheer coach, was hired this year as the new Marian varsity and junior varsity cheerleading coach. “I had been working with the [Marian] girls at Elite for the past couple years, and they suggested me to the administration to be their coach when they were looking for a new one,” Yenny said. See New Coach p. 12
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Ready, Set, Lift. Coach Yenny assists freshman Maddie Shely in a new stunt for the 2012-2013 cheerleading season.