Park Hill Trojan Issue 2 October 2014

TROJAN the

Park Hill High School Kansas City, MO October 2014 Issue 2

The 1950’s Myth Non-traditional families are becoming more of the norm.

iCrazy

As innovation in technology grows so does the dependence.

#YesAllWomen

After the popular hashtag spread across Twitter, there is a new outlook on how culture supports misogyny

TROJAN

4 6 8

10 12

Students at PHHS break the norm when it comes to a mother, father and 2.3 kids.

A Jump into Fall

Rape Culture

With the rising numbers of rape victims, #YesAllWomen has made an appearance in promoting awareness for the epidemic.

#LikeAGirl Women’s sports have a history of being less popular than male sports, but many wonder if that is changing.

Editor-in-Chief:

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Matt Eblen

Copy Editor: Amanda Battmer

Ally Buchberg

Non-Traditional

Despite the prediction of this being the coldest winter yet, PHHS can still get excited about fall finally arriving.

the14-15 STAFF

Photo + Design Editor:

Homecoming The first dance of 2014 is quickly approaching with a unique theme of “Mosaic”.

Technology

With the swarm surrounding the release of the iPhone 6, students wonder if the obsession is getting out of hand.

of PHHS 16 Humans We spotlight those people making a

1

difference in PHHS.

Reporters:

CONTENTS

Jerron Archer Delaney Noland Andrea Tenney Keeley Myszka Hattie Saltzman Pierce Klempnauer

2

ABOUT THE COVER

Photo by Carly Hostetter Senior Alexis Santoyo is known as a power hitter and for her strength at second base.

The Trojan, published monthly during the regular school year, is the official publication of Park Hill High School, and is printed by Antioch Printers in Kansas City, MO. All unsigned editorials represent the opinion of The Trojan staff. Editorials do not necessarily represent the opinion of the faculty or administration including the adviser. The student body receives this paper free of charge to encourage readership, promote awareness of school and community events, and issues, and to showcase student journalistic work. The Trojan welcomes letters to the editors. All letters must be signed to be published, but may be anonymous if the author chooses. Letters may be no more than 350 words and must be delivered to room 350 ten days prior to publication. The Trojan staff welcomes comments, questions and opinions. Send comments to berans@parkhill.k12.mo.us 7701 Barry Road, Kansas City, Mo 64153, or call 816-359-6238.

ABOUT THE BACK COVER

Picture by Allison Foster Senior Alexis Shokere is a member of PHHS girls tennis team. She has been a member all four years. The girls tennis season ended midway through September

1- Photo By Hattie Saltzman, 2- Photo By Kaela Baack, 3- Photo by Derek Reynolds, 4- Photo by Carly Hostetter, 5- Photo By Olivia Woods, 6- Photo By Ally Buchberg

LETTER FROM

THE EAR READERS EDITOR

D

The anonymity of the Internet has for years provided people a chance to spill their inner most thoughts and feelings. And it turns out what most people, or at least people who have the time to run anonymous accounts, believe is trenched in misogyny.

Recently PHHS has had a serious problem with the tendency to air any grievance with one another on social media. Inane discussions about how certain women use their own bodies, the recent use of twitter

by PHHS is reckless. A device that started out as a way to keep your friends up on your latest meal has become a way to publicly shame other’s choices who you disagree with.

So, the next time someone’s morals are too loose for your standards. Stay off of twitter.

In September of 2014, a massive leak of celebrity photos were released on to the Internet. Twitter was set ablaze. The content of the photos consisted largely of female celebs in compromising positions.

One of the leading ladies turned victim was Jennifer Lawrence. The 24-year-old actress has already received an almost incomparable amount of successes: with two high-grossing franchises and an Oscar. After pictures of her were leaked to the Internet the reaction was varied.

Many were disappointed with the revelation the twenty year old actress was in fact not a saint, and others idiotically decided to leak their own nude photos in order to show solidarity with the famous stranger.

However, the most troubling aspect came from those who congratulated the hacker on being able to severely invade another’s privacy. Men around the world tweeted things such as, “You da real MVP.” These comments are despicable on both a moral and grammatical level.

The treatment of women on social media has recently become a problem even here at old PHHS. So, the next time someone’s morals are too loose for your standards. Stay off of twitter.

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5

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4 Campus

Homecoming Queen Candidates Marissa Ballard

Last Day on Earth?

I would probably take all the money out of my bank account and donate it to one of my favorite charities just because everyone deserves to have a chance. And spend all the time with the people I love Inspiration?

My mom definitely inspires me because she works so hard and being a single mom she would go through so many struggles but she always makes it through.

Anna Bay

Inspiration?

Probably my brother. I look at his hard work and what he has accomplished at his age and I want to be the same way.

Last Day On Earth?

Spend it with family and friends because I would want to be with my loved ones How does it feel to be a candidate?

It’s an honor. It’s a great feeling and it’s awesome. It’s scary.

Madeline Mudd

Inspiration?

I inspire myself. Everything I’ve been through has been a long, hard journey and I fought through so much. I can look at myself as a whole new person.

How does it feel to be a candidate?

It’s still pretty crazy right now, I had no idea I would get voted on. I thought it would be cool but I didn’t think it would happen. I’m really thankful and blessed to be on the court.

Chelsea Osei

Inspiration?

My mom. She’s been there for me since day one. She keeps me going everyday Last Day on Earth?

I would spend time with my family How does it feel to be a candidate?

It feels really good. I’m really excited that my peers voted for me just to have this honor.

Jocelyn Weyer

What’s music do you listen to?

Anything from sad white girl music to gangster rap.

Inspiration?

My brother inspires me because he is super important to me.

How does it feel to be a candidate?

I am extremely grateful for it that my class voted for me. I think it’s an honor and I appreciate the opportunity.

PHHS MELTING POT

by Keeley Myszka

Like a mosaic, PHHS comes together every year for homecoming. From hall decorations, dress up days, the football game, and lastly the actual dance, the week can be considered by all both exciting and stressful.

Girls are going dress shopping and making plans to get their hair and nails done, while guys are getting their things together to ask their girls to homecoming. Those aren’t the only arrangements needed for this big event. The halls have to be prepped, clothing them in red, white and the unexpected but seemingly common blue; the floats have to be finished and ready for the parade.

Each club works hard to get the halls decorated in the time they are given. Throughout the school day, the decorations tend to be torn down.

Senior Emma Franzen participates in senior exec, friends of Rachel, SADD, peer mentors and student council. She helps with the homecoming hallway decorations.

“My sophomore year the entire hallway was torn down, streamers and everything when I got back to school. I was really upset. Jacqui [Aguirre] and I had decorated the whole hallway ourselves. It [homecoming decorations] makes life busier and I have to stay after school until nine o’clock at night,” said Franzen.

The pre-homecoming arrangements aren’t the only thing students are finding difficult. Homecoming participants are finding it difficult to match their floats and attire to this year’s homecoming theme.

“The overall theme “Mosaic: Pieces of America” was a combination of ideas from Senior Executive Council and Mr. Erneste,” said ELA teacher Helen Bridges. “Instead of decorations in the gym this year, he will have a laser light show and will host a dance competition. Our plans this year are the same with minor changes to the assembly. Mrs. Tillman is retiring this year. We’ve asked her to do something special for the assembly.”

Some students believe that the theme for this year doesn’t stack up to previous outings.

“I don’t really understand the mosaic theme this year,” said Conkling.

“My brother said they did the same theme when he came to Park Hill. I feel like last year’s theme [back in time] was better.”

The Trojans will be playing the Lee’s Summit Tigers who have a record of 3-2. The Trojan football team have been playing strong and are 5-0.

“I don’t think we’ll win, I know we’ll win,” said senior and football player Jeremiah Benson.

“I think the boys will do good against Lee’s Summit. They have been doing very good this year,” said Sophomore Kyleigh Conkling. “They seem to have the motivation.”

The 2014 homecoming court Molly McCoy, Allison Walls, (freshmen), Christina Brown, Andie Powell (sophomores), Raena Woodruff, and Jillian Roepe, (juniors).

REQUIREMENTS GET HARDER AS CHOICES GET WIDER

From rules to graduation requirements, change happens every year at Park Hill. Among this change, comes new additions to the school. Starting this school year, there are five new classes added to the list of options, and not a lot of people seem to know much, if anything about them.

There are five new choices of classes this year. Forensic Science, Materials Science & Engineering, Principles of Biomedical Science, AP Seminar, and the CAPS program..

According to the AP Student College Board, the class is a part of what they call the ‘AP Capstone’ innovative diploma program. Since the course is comprised of two courses, the course is only offered to juniors. There are two courses in the program, first of which is AP Seminar, the second course being AP Research. If students complete both courses and score well enough on AP exams, they will receive an AP Capstone Diploma. AP Seminar is described as a foundational course that engages students in cross-curricular conversations that explore the complexities of academic and real world topics and issues by analyzing divergent perspectives, while also practicing reading and analyzing. The class also teaches students to synthesize information from multiple sources, helping them develop their own perspectives. Ultimately, AP Seminar’s goal is to equip students with the ability to analyze and evaluate information in order to craft and communicate evidence-based arguments.

AP SEMINAR

THE CAPS PROGRAM

“The CAPS program gets a lot of misconception because people think it’s exactly like DECA. The CAPS program does a lot more hands on projects and teaches more about marketing and advertising than DECA does. While DECA is more competition based, the CAPS program allows you to help real businesses solve their problems, while helping the community at the same time. The projects the CAPS program gives students also correlates with the type of business the student is involved with,” said Barajas.

PRINCIPLES OF BIOMEDICAL SCIENCE

When students walk in the classroom, they walk in to see the mysterious death of a certain person. Throughout the course students investigate, document, and analyze evidence to eventually find out how the person died. Students also find out about different careers in the Medical Science field through hands-on activities and projects, like the crime scene.

FORENSICS

“A lot of people think that it’s just about dead bodies, and murders, and serial killers. We do learn about that at times, but we also learn about things like the periodic table and other things you would learn in a normal science class. You learn about the procedures of a crime scene, how to package evidence and the background of forensics in general,” said junior Cailin Morrow.

6 Feature

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"There's no need for it to be a big deal, because it is a normal family. The values are the same, growing up was the same, it was just a different experience."

E H T

1950 MYTH

1. Senior Taylor Jones poses with her cousins. The two were adopted from Ethiopia seven years ago.

2. Jones holds hands with the youngest of her two adopted cousins, Bethi.

By: Amanda Battmer

A

happy marriage, 2.4 kids, and a white picket fence: add it to your wish list. With the rising prevalence of divorce and the growing acceptance of concepts like gay marriage, the “Leave It to Beaver” notion of family takes on a whole new meaning.

Senior Noah Higgins-Dunn was born into a family that few would consider “traditional.” Dunn has always had two moms, who chose his (and his younger brother’s) father through a medical organization.

“I’ve never seen a picture [of my dad]. I don’t even know his name, I just know the cultural background.

But when my parents were actually choosing who to use for my father, they tried to choose—I call one mom, and one L.B., so they tried to get the person most similar to L.B.’s background and cultural history, sort of to donate that way,” said Dunn. “It’s definitely a unique situation. There’s no need for it to be a big deal, because it is a normal family. The values are the same, growing up was the same, it was just a different experience.”

According to ABC news, demographers estimate that only fifty percent of children will spend their entire childhood with two married, biological parents, so Dunn’s family situation is not a rare case.

0's “I understand people that don’t come from a traditional family, so you know, whether that be a different culture or religion, it’s really eye-opening to see all the different cultures that come with people and all their different backgrounds,” said Dunn.

Sophomore Will Pittman is also dealing with a nontraditional family situation. Pittman’s biological parents got divorced and have since remarried.

“My mom is married to another woman, and my dad is married to another woman, and they have a kid together and I have two step-siblings and a half-brother. It was really hard when they got divorced. I was so young, that’s probably why.

It was weird to get used to the fact that my mom was gay, but after a couple weeks I got okay with it,” said Pittman. “I support equality, and I want everybody to be able to do what they want to do.”

Divorce is also a concern that causes a family to look “nontraditional.” However, around fifty percent of marriages in the U.S. end in divorce. Senior Taylor Jones’ parents got divorced about six years ago, and the situation has opened her eyes to how much big decisions can affect an entire family. “[My parents’ divorce] showed me what I don’t want to be when I grow up,” said Jones. “I just want a family where we love each other. No matter what, it’s always good. We don’t yell at each other, we don’t call each other names, we don’t get in arguments. I just feel like we should treat each other with respect. [Divorce] isn’t a real solution. It’s just a way to avoid solving the problem.”

Jones’ family grew by doubling her number of parental figures and giving her a total of four new step-siblings—but that’s not the only way it expanded. Jones also has two cousins

that were adopted from Ethiopia as toddlers.

“It’s nice because I have new family members to love and hangout with and spend time with, but it’s hard because little kids will make comments like, how are you cousins, she’s black and you’re white. It’s hard to explain that to people and some people don’t get it,” said Jones. “It was also hard when they first got here because they were learning English as a second language, but now they don’t even remember their first language so it’s almost as if they were born here.”

What one considers their family doesn’t have to be made up of strictly blood relatives. Sometimes a sort of chosen family can be the biggest help when dealing with problems of a biological family situation.

“Rely on other people in your life, like your friends. If you have siblings, siblings are really good to talk to because they are going through the same thing as you. You just need to let people know how you feel because if you don’t then you’re just going to hold it in and explode eventually,” said Jones.

Whether you’re in a family of various cultural backgrounds or of completely different genetic makeups, the most important factor in a family revolves around loving and supporting one another.

“I just wish people realized that you can’t choose what you’re born into,” said Dunn. “I’m very proud of my family and I’m sure other people are very proud of their non-traditional families, as they should be.”

8 Community KC opens its arms to new businesses in the Northland

WHAT’S NEW IN

IKEA:

TOWN

IKEA, Chick-fil-A, and MAC have all grown in business sizes and migrated towards the Kansas City area. Most are familiar with the Swedish furniture, chicken sandwiches and Apple products, but here are some statistics about the popular companies. by: Amanda Battmer and Delaney Noland

IKEA products use $37.8 billion in annual approximately revenue is larger than

1%world’s of the

the GDP of Serbia.

wood supply.

One tenth of all furniture purchased in Britain comes from IKEA.

Chick-fil-A: Founder Truett Invented the fast Chick-fil-A is the largest Cathy started the food chicken purchaser of Sunkist lemons in restaurant only sandwich. the world. after the success of the Chick-fil-A sandwich in 1967.

worldwide. Collectively, these stores generate $18 billion of revenue per year.

There are over 30,000 Apple employees in the US alone.

MAC:

Apple now has 363 stores

The Chemical Color Change

Cut It Out, Ghouls!

Whether it’s carving a pumpkin out to make some pie and cookies or sit on the doorstep for Halloween night, this tradition is a main event for young and old alike. For most, Halloween is a night for dressing up, trickor-treating and pumpkin carving. What many do not know is that Halloween is actually based on an ancient Celtic holiday known as Samhain, which means “summer’s end”. It was also a night to honor loved ones that had passed on.

Glowing jack-o-lanterns were set on porches or windows to welcome deceased loved ones, and to act as protection against malevolent spirits.

During fall and winter, there is not enough light or water for photosynthesis. As the green chlorophyll disappears from the leaves, yellow and orange colors begin to show. Reds and purples are formed by glucose being trapped in the leaves after photosynthesis stops. The cool nights and sunlight cause the leaves to turn.

October has an average temperature of 54 degrees, with precipitation of 4”.

The Farmer’s Almanac predicts below average temperatures again this season with above-average rainfall. The coldest periods this year will occur in mid- to end December and early to midJanuary.

FALL Students of PHHS know when fall has finally hit because Starbucks will start making the pumpkin-spice lattes again. This year is the eleventh anniversary of the popular drink, with a change in the trend: many people are choosing to order the iced variation instead. The drink has been popular since it’s inception in 2003.

Spice Up the Season

Black cats have always had a deeper meaning, no matter the culture. In Japan, the felines are considered good-luck, while in Western culture it’s been thought of as bad-luck, believing them to be a bad omen. In ancient Egypt black cats were common in the household because they believed the goddess Bastet, who had the head of a cat, would favor them. Some shelters have prohibited adoption around Halloween out of fear of the cat being tortured.

By: Ally Buchberg and Hattie Saltzman

Cats Crossing Cultures

10 Feature

By Matt Eblen

#yesallwomen

Society has set definitions for every possible word, however the connotations of words can bring a whole new meaning.

Recently the term ‘Rape Culture’ has been spreading around. The term describes the belief that the discrimination and sexual harassment of women has become a social norm, instead of a rare circumstance. In late May of this year the hashtag yesallwomen remained trending on twitter for multiple days. #yesallwomen was used to spread stories from women who had previously experience some type of sexual harassment. The hashtag was created in response to #notallmen, which was used to describe how not all men are sexual predators. Students here at PHHS participated in the trend.

“It’s a movement to help bash rape culture in American and destroy the idea that women are less than men. It’s a great movement. Instead of saying that all men or evil it says that some people are, there are awful people, like rapist, murders and a combination of the both. #yesallwomen helps make everyone aware of what their rights are, and what they need to do to stop certain behaviors,” said Stockwell.

Most of the movement focused on the recent string of high profile rape cases that have been circulating in the past few years. From a high school girl in Maryville, MO who received backlash after pressing charges against two of the small towns football players who had raped her, to the recent attack at Columbia College in New York City.

The inaction of various administrations has led to criticism from #yesallwomen supporters, who believe that current policies about sexual assault are ineffective.

“Instead of teaching boys to respect women in some cases, they teach girls that they’re the distraction and that they’re the problem. I think that’s wrong. It’s like the idea that you teach women how not to get raped, but you don’t teach men not to rape. People also blame the victim to much like ‘she wore that so it’s her fault that I harassed her’ She could have been walking around naked and she still wouldn’t have asked for it,” said Dani Wiles.

The popular twitter hashtag has been met with some criticism, some more outlandish than others.

“I saw on twitter a lot that some guys will say if you throw a piece of meat into a shark tank, and that is the same thing as putting a half-naked girl in front of us. And that bothers me. We are higher beings, we should be able to control ourselves,” said Stockwell.

“Halter-tops, tube tops, spaghetti strap tops or any clothing which exposes a bare midriff or back, or is otherwise revealing, are prohibited.” This one line is highly debated within PHHS, and since the rule is commonplace for most high schools, and elsewhere. There are those who find the dress code entirely reasonable, yet others find twenty-two words be part of a much larger problem.

“I decided to write a whole paper about how women are objectified and their bodies are sexualized. Specifically how dress codes basically promotes the sexualization of women’s bodies. I do believe that there is a time and a place to wear certain things, like you probably shouldn’t be wearing your crop top and your spankies to school, but you should be able to wear a dress with spaghetti straps without being told you’re going to cause an erection,” said junior Dani Wiles.

The dress code is put in place to stop any type of distraction, in order to focus more on education. Yet a popular belief among students is that women are not allowed to wear certain clothes in order to leave no distraction for their male counterparts.

“I don’t like that some people say, boys will look at it and it will distract them from their learning. That just lessons my education. If a guy can’t control himself he should be the one to leave. I think girls shouldn’t be limited on what they wear because it distracts a guy. It’s not my job to control what they look at or find attractive. I don’t know about PHHS, because I don’t get’ dress coded’ a lot, but at other schools you can’t wear tank tops, it’s ridiculous it’s only a shoulder. That wouldn’t be censored on TV. It shouldn’t matter. I shouldn’t have to edit myself because other people can’t control themselves,” said senior Kailey Stockwell.

Stockwell finds it even more irritating that students are disciplined when they don’t meet up to the standards that are set for dress. However, other students have a more positive outlook on the requirements that must be met.

“I think that the school, for example, is trying to protect us and keep us moderate. They’re are preparing us for the future. If we were to dress skimpy, or against the dress code here what’s to say that we aren’t going to dress like that in the workforce. How are we going to gain respect,” said Senior Jubilee Kao. Since the majority of the dress code’s regulations about reveling clothing seem to relate more the females than males, students have found discrepancy with how clothes are dealt with between the two genders. This is particularly pointed when it comes to the new trend of ‘Bro-Tanks’ in which males wear shirts that have no sleeves and resemble a tank top.

The bro-tank thing is very unfair. If all these guys are wearing tank tops, why can’t a girl. What if I find his shoulder sexually attractive? Does he have to go change, I’ve never seen a guy have to go change,” said Stockwell.

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an attempted or

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the victim of

I got this really cool summer internship down at the Mayor’s office. So, one day all of the interns went out to lunch, and I had to go run down to CVS which was just down the street. When I came out of the store these two men said ‘hey beautiful’ ‘Are you lost?’ You look lost let me help you find your way home’. They followed me all the way up the street. They were harassing me. I didn’t speak to them, I didn’t even look at them. I felt really helpless. I was alone and I didn’t have anything to protect myself with.

-Senior Jubiliee Kao

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I was at WalMart with a couple of friends of mine. Three girls, counting me, and two guys. Two of my friends are a couple, so obviously they hold hands and look like a couple. It was pretty late and we were just walking around. I kind of wandered off, not too far, but a little bit away from the group. One of the workers looked at me and kind of smiled and said “Hey bae where your man at?” and my immediate reflex was to point at one of my guy friends and say “Over there” even though we aren’t a couple. The sad thing is, I know if i had said “I don’t have one” he would have kept following me around because guys respect another guy’s “claim” over me than my choice to say no. He followed us around the rest of the night to make sure I wasn’t lying.

- Jacqui Aguirre

I had a few instances at the YMCA where old men would stare at me while I was working out. I would be using the work out equipment and they would be [lurking around]. It was to the extent where I had to cancel my Y membership. So, now I can’t go work out. I was really upset about it. When I go to the Y, I wear those really loose Nike shorts and a baggy t-shirt. Stuff I wouldn’t even wear to school- disgusting workout clothes. This man was following me a little bit. I was on the treadmill and he just there staring at me. Everywhere I go I walk with my keys in between my fist, so if anyone tries to attack me, I’ll stab their eyes out.

- Junior Dani Wiles

of all victims are male. During #yesallwomen movement there was an incident. I had just closed up the shop where I work and it was 9:30 pm. I was waiting for Alec [Stockwell’s boyfriend] to come pick me up. Then this older man, around late 40’s pulled up. He stopped his car and asked me if I was okay. My aunt’s car was sitting out there, and he asked me if I had any car trouble. So, he drives away. Then he comes back around and says he wants to give me a ride home or help me with my car. So I said no I’m completely fine, I’m okay. The instead of driving off like he should have done he told me ‘I must say you’re a very beautiful woman and I was wondering if you’re single,’ I then told him that my boyfriend was coming to pick me up and that I’m seventeen. Then he sped off. I have to deal with that kind of stuff all the time. If I don’t say I have a boyfriend men won’t take me seriously. A lot of times I will be out and a guy will hit on me, people respect other men more than respect me as a woman.

- Senior Kailey Stockwell

12 Sports

#LikeAGirl

by Andrea Tenney

“Don’t act like a girl” is a phrase that has been exchanged for a long time, implying that with girls there is a certain way to be. The recent Tampax commercial uses the terms “like a girl”, without the negative connotation. Their commercial #LikeAGirl tells women to be like a girl to empower them to be independent strong women and to go against the grain of what “like a girl” has implied for a long time. Playing “like a girl” and fighting “like a girl” are what #LikeAGirl show, and our Park Hill Lady Dragons rugby team does just that, showing that fighting and playing “like a girl” is something to really be proud of.

“People use it as an insult when if anything it should be something empowering,” said sophomore Chris Atkins.

A lot of women’s sports are viewed not only as passé, but also less supported than those of their male counterparts. At a football game, the stadium is always full. People show spirit and cheer the entire way through, but with women’s sports, such as tennis, you are most likely not to see the same thing.

“I think they do though because a lot of people go out and watch their sports and not a lot of people come to watch tennis but I feel like when people come to watch sports it’s hard for them to cheer because it’s not the cheering time,” said senior Angie Williamson.

Not only is spirit for women’s sports lacking, but also the amount of work that female athletes put into their sport is not as known as it should be. Women’s fall and winter sports, basketball and volleyball show that the female athletes at Park Hill work just as hard as the male athletes. The girls’ basketball team puts in a lot of effort that isn’t shown, but really pays off once they hit the court. They do fall and spring conditioning where the team will run drills and hill and also lift weights for one to two hours. Also the girls’ volleyball team shows that training “like a girl” isn’t anything to look at in a negative way.

“Not a lot of people know this but the volleyball team lifts with the football team during weights over the summer and so I think that opened up the football teams eyes that we can do what they do. We don’t lift as much weight but we can do what they do but we do the same conditioning as them,” said senior Katie Reichert.

Women are being shown in a very positive light, giving the term “like a girl” a whole new light. Athletes are playing and training like girls, but it doesn’t mean they are weak. Katie Reichert is a varsity athlete on the basketball and volleyball team and has been her entire four years of high school.

“I feel like the two genders see it differently like if you’re a girl and you say you’re doing something like a girl it could mean that you’re doing it powerfully and confidently but sometimes when guys use it its used to be like you’re playing like a sissy and not competitive,” said Reichert.

In football, we see men running around a field, tackling one another to the ground in pads, attempting to score a touchdown. Well, now imagine that but with women and no padding. Women’s rugby is played two different ways. Rugby is a sport that combines soccer and football. Imagine football, but now there are no helmets, no padding. It’s just you and the other players.

When they show women playing sports, it’s spandex covering petite bodies as they run across a field or around the court. But not anymore. The Park Hill lady Dragons Football Club really shows that women can do just as much as men.

“I think that a lot of the time they are expected to be like you can’t do the same sports that men can do. Like you’re expected to play soccer and if you get hurt you’re out for the season. In rugby, there are kids who get a concussion, and don’t say anything and play for the rest of the season. And it break barriers of expectations, “said junior Autumn Jakubowski.

Women have taken sports to a whole new level, portraying strong independent women in society. “Like a girl” is being turned into the statement of empowerment for young women today,

Imagine a sports fan who has been looking forward to a game all week. Their favorite team is about to go up against a main rival, and they’re absolutely sure their team is going to get revenge on the losses from the last few years. With just a few minutes left, the game is in their favor, and they’re on their feet, cheering for them to pull a bigger lead.

Just when it looks like they’re going home victorious, the other side takes on a few more points. The buzzer goes off, leaving them on the losing side for the third year in a row. There are probably several emotions going through their mind - frustration just one of them. But when they go to a restaurant for a post-game meal, some people wonder what the effects of losing a game can be.

A study published in “The Telegraph” says that supporting a losing team can trigger a

by Hattie Saltzman fan to eat more saturated fats and sugars following the game, while a winning team causes the opposite. The research concluded that fans feel that losing a game is a “threat to their identity” and that they use comfort food as a coping mechanism.

A similar study found that after a game was lost, the supporting city had an increase in drinking, crime, domestic violence, and heart attacks.

An effect that is closer to PHHS students, however, may be that they are actually losing money.

“I’ve talked to two of [my coworkers],” said senior and Granite City employee Katelyn Gilland. At Granite City, there are televisions where customers can sit and watch the game. “Everyone leaves or no one comes in if a team loses. So [we] just lose business in general.”

Minimum wage in Missouri is currently $7.50, and servers are given $3.75 an hour by most employers, or about half of minimum wage. Tips are meant to make up the difference, but if a server’s salary doesn’t average to $7.50, their employer must pay them the remaining amount. However, many waiters and waitresses have been noticing that after losing a big game, their customers come in upset and end up giving smaller tips, which is what makes up most of their paycheck.

“Games on Sundays are a serious loss for servers, especially making $3.65 an hour. The pay just doesn’t cut it,” said junior and Winstead’s employee Nikolas Klemmer.

Restaurants are also typically empty during a game, leaving servers to rely on their hourly wage for several hours.

“Even though the three hours that we are extremely slow may not seem like a huge loss, it really is. Normally we get the biggest rushes around the time that the game is in action. When we don’t hit that rush on game-days it’s a major loss on us.” said Klemmer.

Emotion can affect a person’s judgment. When someone is unhappy, they often have a negative view to most things going on around them, while happier people view things in a positive way. This is called mood-congruent behavior actions typically match mood.

“I do think that when people get mad they tip less, and I have seen customers come in angry after a bad game,” said Klemmer.

Game days aren’t the end of the world for servers, however, because it’s relatively simple to avoid the repercussions.

“Another guy said that [losing games] does affect the tips, but that it’s easy to turn around if you try to relate to them like, ‘Man, that was a close game!’” said Gilland. “If you discuss things with them and relate to them, they’ll tip higher.”

My Sports Team Made Me Do It

iCrazy

14 LIFE

Dependence on Technology Grows with Innovation It is no secret that teenagers are constantly on their phones. Whether it is for texting, tweeting, or filtering selfies, the amount of time teens spend on their phones has skyrocketed over the past few years. The sight of students silently staring at their phones in the lunch room is not uncommon. Some students cannot go from one class to the next without having their ear buds plugged in and phones out. The growing demand for those little magic boxes of communication among adolescents has correlated with the increasing cell phone trends and stereotypes.

According to Pew Research Center, 84 percent of Americans 12 and up own a cell phone. Out of that, 31 percent own a smart phone. They have become such an essential part of daily life that 15-18 year olds are reported to spend an average of one hour and 51 minutes a day sending text messages.

Some Park Hill students claim they could not last a week without their phone.

“I mostly talk to my friends, but also my parents because they need to know what I’m doing and where I’m at. My school email and college resources are all on my phone too.

Pretty much anything I could possibly need is on my phone,” said junior Sara Marshall.

While a majority of teenagers spend a great deal of time

clicking keys on a hand held screen, others say that they would not have a problem surrendering their phone.

“I could probably give up my phone for a week or so, I don’t use it enough,” said Senior Carter Anchors.

Human beings tend to divide themselves into “us vs. them”, and with the percentage of both Android and iPhone users growing, it seems inevitable that this behavior would extend to smartphones.

“We tend to judge who has more money and who’s cooler by the type of phone they have. All of society wants to fit in. Apple is the most popular, which makes more and more people want to have that particular phone. Kids think that having the newest phone is super important in a social aspect,” said sophomore Rachel Sutlief.

Apple Inc. is not oblivious to their popularity. Their

by: Delaney Noland

brilliant marketing technique of constantly updating iOS software and new products keeps customers on their toes as they wait for the next big thing. Yet, what attracts most teens to the iPhone is their sleek design.

“The main reason I wanted the 6 was for the bigger screen, and I don’t like Android so I was waiting for Apple to finally release their device with a bigger screen that I can do a lot more on; I don’t have to squint to see everything,” said junior Jordan Evans.

Other smart phone users are happier with the phone they have.

“I used to want an iPhone only because mine didn’t have emojis, but now it does so it works out. Plus you get more options with Android whereas all iPhones are the same, really,” said sophomore and Android user Megan Monroe.

Teenagers without smartphones have claimed to feel left out when it comes to certain devices they own and the lack of resources on them.

“Everyone is always saying ‘hey let me send you this link to a video,’ and I feel like I’m stuck in 1990 with this phone,” said Walker.

Some cell phone companies feel the need to keep up

with the effects of Apple to maintain a happy customer status. There has been a costly legal war between Apple and Samsung over the past three years due to Samsung’s release of a device strikingly similar to the iPhone.

Although companies have made efforts to lure in previous Apple users, there are still those willing to wait in line for the latest iPhone.

Evans skipped first block Friday Sept. 19 to wait 2 in line for the brand new iPhone 6.

“Apple had over four million orders on the phone and everybody who pre-ordered is on back order until around October. So I figured it was either Friday morning or midOctober and I just wanted to have my hands on it early,” said Evans.

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HUMA of Park

16 Spotlight

Teacher of Park Hill A new program at Park Hill is providing opportunities for teachers and students alike. Autism is a name for a group of disorders that regard brain development. People who are autistic can have difficulty interacting with others, communicating, and how to act in different situations and environments.

The program, centered around helping autistic teenagers, offers one on one time between student and teacher, which is crucial to help autistic kids to succeed.

“It allows them to have a normal high school experience and they mingle as much as they can with the other students,” said teacher’s aid Jacquenette Tatum.

While the one on one time is important, the social interactions found in high school are also necessary to help

By Hattie Saltzman

the students learn.

“It gives some of them a real chance to be like high school students,” said teacher’s aid Katie Pearl. “They get to hang out with other kids and see them in the cafeteria as well.”

Autism affects over three million people all over the world, with high school being the first time they get full social interaction. This program does its best to teach the students life skills, harnessing the high school environment as the base for doing so.

“It’s a great opportunity to give the autistic kids in their own environment it helps them learn and helps them succeed,” said teacher’s aid Justin Poncy.

ANS f Hill

By Jerron Archer

Student of Park Hill

On September 2, 2014, Park Hill went into lock-down at about 5:30pm. Administrators received word that there was a manhunt around the school’s area for a man accused of a triple homicide that same day. After the lock-down concluded, the school was told that there was an attack at a Motel 6 about a mile away from the school. At the motel, a man and his son were attacked by the murderer, Brandon Howell, and managed to get away. The man’s son attends Park Hill.

Sophomore Kenny Gage was involved in the hectic encounter.

“We were up at Motel 6, and this guy out of nowhere comes in our room and starts beating my dad, he (Howell) was punching him in his jaw and cheeks. I had to go in and rip him off my dad, and after I did that, he slammed me into the ground. As my dad ran out of the room to get help, he got up and ran after him. He caught up to him, and hit him in the back of the head a few times. My dad was on the ground, and he wouldn’t stop kicking him. He kicked him in the head, and his head hit the wall, and split his head open.”

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Gage tried to run away from Howell, in fear of his life.

“He started chasing me and tried to throw me over the second story railing. As I was running from him, I fell and scuffed my knee pretty badly. I took off running, and tried to go down the stairs to the main level. He reached over the railing to try to grab me as I was going down the stairs. He grabbed a hold of my shirt, and it ripped, but he still held on to it. So my first instinct was to just take my shirt off, so I did.

I ran and finally got away. Then he took off running toward World Liquor and he was gone,” said Gage.

Gage is surprised and grateful that he is still alive after the confrontation.

“I honestly don’t know why he didn’t shoot us. I didn’t even know he had a gun on him at the time, but I was told that he had his shotgun in his right pocket, while he had his shells in his left pocket the whole time. I had to talk to the police, and it was a super long process. I didn’t go to bed until about 6 in the morning that day,” said Gage.

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Park University 2014-15

CAMPUS VISIT DAYS

Discover and explore all we can offer you at an exciting Park University event or a personal campus experience.

FALL PIRATE PREVIEWS

Get hooked. Stay hooked. Join us for one of our fall Pirate Preview events. The 1 visit will begin with light refreshments along with an introduction and welcome to our campus. You will then have the opportunity to mingle with our devoted faculty and staff. We have representatives from every department eager to speak with you and help you decide where you fit in as a Park Pirate! Then, an admissions counselor will provide you with a fun and informative presentation about the admission process and the various scholarships Park offers. Following the presentation, you will receive a guided tour of our historical, charming campus from one of our Student Ambassadors. Please join us and take advantage of this opportunity to explore all things Park U! •

SATURDAY, OCT. 4, 2014 • SATURDAY, NOV. 1, 2014

1-ON-1 WEEKENDS

JUNIOR OVERNIGHT EXPERIENCE

These special weekend dates are for students looking to get details one-on-one with an admissions counselor.

RSVP early for these dates as space is limited.

• Sept. 20, 2014 • Jan. 17, 2015 • Dec. 13, 2014 • Feb. 21, 2015

High school juniors are invited to experience the life of a Pirate during an overnight visit at Park U. During this visit you will spend the night on campus with Park student hosts and experience life on campus “after hours.” The overnight experience begins Friday afternoon and concludes Saturday after our Pirate Preview Day. • Apr. 24, 2015

SPRING PIRATE PREVIEWS

Juniors starting college in Fall 2016 are invited to one of these special days to help you get a jump start on your college decision.

• Mar. 21, 2015 • Apr. 25, 2015

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PERSONAL CAMPUS EXPERIENCE

Make any day your visit day. Tour the Parkville Campus, meet faculty, talk with current students and discover historic Parkville.

To RSVP or for more information please contact Admissions: (816) 746-2533 or

parkvilleadmissions@park.edu. You can also visit us on the web at www.park.edu/visit

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We’re everywhere!

PARK HILL HIGH SCHOOL KANSAS CITY, MO

.COM

MYPARKHILL.