The Trojan Issue 1 September 2015

THE

TROJAN

homecoming An in-depth look at the changing dynamics of this year’s homecoming court after three decades of Queen Rule.

Sports season flushed away The PHHS Men’s Swim and Dive team is recovering from an early season obstacle as they try to regain strength and earn State qualifying times.

TROJAN

THE

2 CONTENTS

Issue One

September 2015

About the Cover: Photo by: Ariel Jones

Senior Dalton Basset crouches down on the sideline after The Trojans score. The Trojans won 45-7 agaisnt Belton on September 4. The PHHS Varsity Football team is now 4-1.

About the back Cover:

Photo by: Keeley Myszka

PHHS varsity softball played St. Joe Central on September 1, 2015. The Trojans unfortunately suffered a loss of 11-0, ending in the fouth inning.

The umpire took his mask off to see a play at home plate.

In the back is Junior Sarah Werner playing second base.

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

1 1- Photo by: Keeley Myszka 2. Photo by Delaney Noland 3. Photo by: Keeley Myszka 4. photo by: Mia Tyler 5. Photo by: Keeley Myszka 6. Photo by: Keeley Myszka

Dear Readers, The Supreme Court decision to legalize same-sex marriage took effect on June 26th of this year. The ruling has been marked in history as a step forward towards equality and acceptance. Ironically enough, I spent that day reading less than respectful arguments online between those who had a rainbow filter on their profile picture and those who didn’t. I especially found it upsetting that many of the people who were celebrating the change of heart and open minds that our government now has on the matter, were ridiculing those who opposed it. I recognized that there is some sort of double standard there. Now with that being said, I am in no way arguing for either side. That is not what this is about. However, the debate did have me thinking about the way we present ourselves in all aspects: What if in this life we decide what is worth living for and spend our lives being known mostly for those things instead of what we disagree with?

Sometimes we act or speak on impulse; especially on social media. We feel the need to shout from a mountain top when we disagree with a current hot topic or encounter someone that lives a life that looks much different from our own. That doesn’t necessarily make us bad people, but it also doesn’t mean someone’s opinion was more important simply because it was louder.

During this school year as you cross paths with people that think differently than you, I would encourage you to be known for what you are for instead of what you are against. Spend the majority of your time and energy fiercely doing the things you enjoy, striving for the goals you want to achieve, and being with the people you love. So much more can be accomplished by promoting your own cause instead of pointing fingers at the opposite end. Show others love and grace regardless of whether or not you agree with them.

To me that alone displays a deeper meaning behind the hashtag, “LoveWins”.

The differences at our school piece together a beautiful student body. We are all Park Hill, so if we could stop placing ourselves into an “us vs. them” mindset, we could turn this community upside down.

15-16 Staff: Editor-in-Chief: Delaney Noland Senior Advisor: Ally Buchberg Design Editor: Keeley Myszka Copy Editor: Andrea Tenney Story Editor: Pierce Klempnauer Reporters: Ali Ball - Lucas Bruce - Kyleigh Conkling - Abby Hostick- Chelsee Tirmai- Mia Tyler - Alec Wormington

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.

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Think before you ink

More students are getting tattoos without thinking about the outcome and how it will affect them later on in life. PHHS students explain what tattoos they have and the meaning behind them.

SPorts Season Flushed away ing times.

The PHHS Men’s Swim and Dive team is recovering from an early season obstacle as they try to regain strength and earn State qualify-

The wage rage

Students and Staff at PHHS weigh in on the conflict to raise pay distribution for jobs that require low skill levels.

White noise

Listening is becoming the biggest lost communication skill, especially in teenagers. This story goes in depth about the problems with technology and how it is affecting the way people listen to one another.

Homecoming

An in-depth look at the changing dynamics of this year’s homecoming court after three decades of Queen Rule.

4 CAMPUS

SENIORS: Caroline Lowery, Erin Moore, Alana Mathis, Kate Stafford JUNIORS: Kelly Feeley, Trevor Guzzo SOPHOMORES: Grace Fink, Randen Plattner Homecoming: it’s that time of the FRESHMAN: Gracie year where spirit spills out of the school. Fall sports Link, Christopher begin and the buzz of excitement is in the air. This year is the Munez

homecoming

By: Chelsee Tirmai rebirth of an old tradition, and people are feeling excited. It has been Kyleigh three decades since we’ve had a homecoming King, but now, he’s back.

Conkling “I think everyone wanted a change, we are the only school that I know of in the Photos Northland that hasn’t had or does not have both a homecoming queen and king. I think it’s By: Kaela an awesome thing that we are bringing it back,” said senior Ariel Jones.

Baack Competition runs in PHHS students’ blood, and not just on the fields. Candidates this year are

prepared to win. Homecoming King highlights the boys in school, as does Mr. Park Hill.

This is the time when the school comes alive. It was announced at the fall sports assembly that the theme this year is Around the World. The events following that announced are Spirit Week, the homecoming parade and the game against the Ruskin High School Eagles.

The candidates for king this year are Henry Eckold, Payton LaFerla, Ryan Moise, and Deondre Wallace.

Candidates for queen are Caroline Lowery, Alana Mathis, Erin Moore, and Kate Stafford. However, you can’t have royals without the court. Representing each grade this year are juniors Kelly Feeley and Trevor Guzzo, sophomore attendants are Grace Fink and Randen Plattner, and for the freshmen, Gracie Link and Christopher Munez.

Many PHHS students were at first unaware of the changes made to homecoming. Voting has gone from paper to computers and the number of attendants has fluctuated. For many years, voting has been held during homeroom.

Students received a small slip of paper and wrote down nominees; later on, students voted for attendants. This year PHHS students voted on laptops during lunch.

In the previous years, homecoming queen candidates included 5 girls, and there had been two girls from each following grade. This year, there are 4 girls, and 4 boys, with each other grade having only one female attendant. It wasn’t fully known around the school that the King is returning, but now that nominations have been revealed, our candidates are excited. Others excited about this remarkable return are students.

When asked about it, there were some opinionated responses.

“I think that it’s really cool that we have a Homecoming King, but I don’t really see the point.

Especially when we have Mr. Park Hill and Court Warming King,” said junior Emily Green.

Henry Eckold How does it feel Payton LaFerla to have been How does it feel to be nominated for king? nominated for king?

“It feels great to know that the people around you respect you and care enough to nominate you.”

“I was pretty surprised but obviously I’m honored that enough people wanted me on court and to be nominated.”

Deondre Wallace How do you think it will Ryan Moise How do you think it will feel to be the first king feel to be the first king after so many years? after so many years?

“I’m just happy to be on court...I think there’s more “It would feel so deserving candidates out good to be the best there.” around.”

• new teachers on the block By: Alec Wormington and Pierce Klempnauer Stephine Thompson *Teaches English Language Arts *Tought in Germany at the Internationale Schule Frankfurt-Rhein-Main *South Africa at the American School of Capetown

Bre Crall *Teaches Chemistry * University of Kansas alumni *Attended Chillicothe High School *Enjoys cooking and coaching basketball

Lauren Chapman *Teaches Spanish *Truman State University alumni *Enjoys music, running, and traveling

Marcus Fryatt *Teaches Math * University of Oklahoma alumni *Previously tought at Shawnee Mission Northwest High School for three years *Enjoys observing the waether and

Rebecca Hart *Teaches ELA I and World History *Mizzouri University Alimni *Previously taught in Houston, TX *Prefers high school to teaching middle school at Congress

Chad Jones *Teaches Social Studies and Personal Finance *PHHS alumni: Class of 1992 *New Head Boys Basketball Coach

Zachariah Karasek *Teaches Spanish *Mizzouri University Undergrad in Spanish and Economics *Tought English in Portoviejo, Ecuador *Alumni of Northwestern University

Stefanie Hughes *Teaches Math *Attended Truman State: Undergrad in math; Grad inprogress *Was on dance team in high school and college

Hawar Khalandi *Teaches Biology and AP Enviormental Science *Previously tought at Shawnee Mission High School *Has five children

Andrew Haws *Teaches Math *From Chicago *Huge Chicago Cubs fan *Previously tought at Smithville for five years

Margan Sobbe *Teaches Math *PHHS alumni: Class of 2005 *Northwest Missouri State alumni *Previously tought in North Kansas City School District

Leza Palguta *Teaches English Language Arts *Previously tought at Amarillo High School , in Amarillo, Texas *Has three children all are boys *Houston Texans fan

Jamie Littich *Teaches Design and Draw as well as Adaptive Arts *Previously tought at Congress Middle School *Enjoys painting and reading

Deborah Wilson * Teaches Algebra I and Algebra II * Recieved Bachelers Degree in business from University of Missouri *Recieved Masters Degree from Websters University

6 FEATURE

White NOISE By: Abby Hostick

Design By: Ally Buchberg

The first communication skill people engage in from the moment they are born is listening, which is also becoming the biggest lost communication skill. It’s no big secret that people today have access to everything they could ever need in a small device, but this is starting to affect the way people interact with one another. To some people, engaging in conversations on Facebook or Twitter is more important than having real-life conversations with the people around them. Nowadays, it’s very rare to see a person walking down the street without earbuds in or completely focused on a phone in hand. If people are always distracted by technology, communication skills are going to go down the drain. Everyone has faced the addiction that is technology, whether they want to admit it or not.

“Having a phone makes everything a little easier, but I agree that they can be addictive in all the wrong ways.” said junior Jasmin Armstrong-Cruz.

It is becoming more and more common to get phones at a young age, sometimes for safety reasons, sometimes not. According to CBSNews, today about 80% of teens between 12 and 17 own a cell phone, about half of those owning a smartphone. That’s about twice the rate from just two years ago.

“I got my first phone in 6th grade, and since then owning a phone has made it easier to make and keep friends over long distances.” said sophomore Kyle Downes.

Many people feel much safer while carrying a cell phone. They know that they’ll always have a way to get in touch with someone if they need to. This is especially important for younger people like kids and teenagers, who need that reassurance. While cell phones can help keep people safe, they can also cost lives.

Whether it’s a call that just can’t wait or a text that’s just too tempting to read, distracted driving usually involves a cell phone. According to The

National Safety Council, cell phone use while driving leads to 1.6 million crashes every year.

This is especially dangerous for teens who are just starting to drive, and now have to worry about the distraction of a cell phone. “I snapchat a lot when I drive. I check my phone when I get a text message, but I don’t text back, and I also switch the music, so my phone does distract me while I’m driving”, said Armstrong-Cruz.

Social interaction is vital to develop skills in understanding the emotions of other people. The people who try to do something about this and disconnect seem odd to everyone else, when in fact it should be the other way around. There’s no denying that technology is convenient, and the idea of getting rid of it completely is absurd, but people must learn to take a break once in awhile. The thought of leaving their phone alone for more than a day is terrifying to most people.

“Lately I’ve been trying to distance myself from social media because I got too hooked to it, so now I use my phone more for if I need to contact someone than being constantly on it,” said sophomore Judiann McMahon.

Humans interests are focused only on the Internet, losing their ability to think and discover. “Discovering” on the internet is not finding new information, it’s finding information someone else discovered first. The world needs thinkers, not people who rely on technology for all their “thinking”.

It’s hard to determine what this will mean for future generations. They could be thinkers and listeners, or they could rely on technology even more than people do today. People can teach their kids not to rely on technology and to go outside, see the world, meet amazing people, make memories, all while not hooked to the computer or cell phone. People aren’t going to remember that one tweet or post they thought was hilarious, they are going to remember the memories made with the people around them.

“Having a phone makes everything a little easier, but I agree that they can be addictive in all the wrong ways,” said Judiann Mcmahon

8 COMMUNITY

Wage Rage Most teens would do anything for loads of money, but by the year 2020, they will only have to keep a part-time job.

Everyone has heard about the hashtag “fight for 15” where people explain why part-time fast food workers or other types of minimum wage jobs deserve $15 an hour. Right now, minimum wage is currently set at $7.65, after being raised $0.40 on Aug. 24, 2014.

Government officials voted to raise minimum wage, by September 2020, to at least $13 an hour in the state of Missouri.

“With the rate of inflation, [$13-$15 an hour is not too much.] The rate of inflation and minimum wage has not been equal for years,” said business teacher, Deborah Crouse.

“I think minimum wage is designed for jobs that are for people with little to no skill other than basics. $15 an hour to flip burgers doesn’t seem fair to me when there are people saving lives that aren’t making enough money. Example, people from the army,” said junior Alaina Ficken – who makes $6 an hour, which is less than minimum wage. “[Part-time jobs] are something for teenagers and college students, but at the same time, I understand that some people don’t have any other option but working at those kinds of places.

Everyone wishes they got paid more. I wish I could get paid $1,000 just to sleep all day,” said Ficken.

Crouse believes that fast food places aren’t only for kids looking for something to do. “I think it’s diverse. If you walk into a food place you’ll see that. You may see more and more adults working fast food.”

Ficken isn’t the only one to think $15 is a little too much for part-time fast food workers. Junior Sarah Obrien is a hostess at On the Border making $7.65 an hour and gets a few tips on the side. “$15 is too much for minimum wage. Someone

By: Keeley Myszka that needs that kind of money to support themselves probably should have a job that pays above minimum wage. Minimum wage jobs are made for younger people, such as students. They are generally part time so they’re good for people that are still in school or have multiple jobs,” said Obrien.

Since minimum wage is being raised, that also means that food prices at fast food stops will also.

So instead of paying about $5 for a Big Mac from McDonald’s, people will be paying close to $8-$9. “[Prices being raised] is based on supply and demand. What they’ll have to do is raise the prices and some companies have gone out of business from that,” said Crouse.

Obrien thinks the same way.

“I think food prices will raise if minimum wage is raised. For example, in a fast food restaurant, the restaurant pays for food and they pay their employees. The prices of the customers food is higher than the prices the restaurants pay for the food. If this wasn’t the case, the restaurant would constantly lose money. If minimum wage is raised the prices of the food that customers buy would have to be higher in order for the restaurant to be able to pay for their employees and not lose the money in the process,” said Obrien.

In the next few years, customers will be paying about $10-$13 for a meal from McDonalds.

“I just want to go get some fries for a dollar. I don’t want my dollar going toward a 15-year-olds $15 paycheck,” said Ficken.

The other side of marrs By: Mia Tyler Twin brothers Mason and Micah Marrs are well-known at PHHS for their country band Stateline Drive. While the boys have quite the fan base and an album on iTunes, they also have the love and support from their younger sister, Kaylnn, who is now a PHHS freshman.

Just like her brothers, Kaylnn Marrs is very talented and absorbed in the arts. She is also on the PHJV Cheer team this year.

“I really like to cheer and dance, and I’m also really artistic like them, although I’m more artsy. I like to read and sing as well. My whole family is very musical,” said freshman Kaylnn.

Just as Kaylnn is very supportive of her brothers, they in return support her wholeheartedly.

“She’s definitely a better dancer than me. And also a really good artist.

I am terrible at drawing or anything like that. She supports us a lot in our music so we really enjoy any chance that we get to support her in anything that she does,” said senior Micah.

Stateline Drive consists of five members: Mason and Micah, Jordan and Joel Mills, and Jacob Filer. They are a pure country band and when they aren’t playing country music, they’re listening to it. Kaylnn has come to enjoy the music her brothers play.

“I used to not like country music at all, but since they listen to it so much it’s grown on me, and I like it. They have a Pandora station and it’s really funny to hear them on Pandora,” said Kaylnn.

Mason and Micah started touring with their band this past summer and will continue into early October. Over the summer, Kaylnn was able to get a taste of life on the road as she went on tour with the band.

“I went with them when I didn’t have dance or cheer practice, and it was really fun. We rode in a big van with all the other boys in the band. They would always get to where they were going to play a little early so they would have time to

set everything up and sound check and things like that. Then we would just hang out before the show,” said Kaylnn.

There were times when the touring city was beautiful, and they would stay one more day and turn it into a little vacation.

“Sometimes when we were somewhere semi-cool we would stay there a little bit longer. For example, one time their show was near Illinois so we went to Chicago for a day after their show and that was really cool,” said Kaylnn.

Mason also enjoys the traveling aspect of the tour.

“It was a good time. We got a chance to go to a lot of cool places and meet a lot of really cool people and eat a lot of fried food,” said Mason.

The boys really enjoy touring, but they admit they couldn’t do any of it without the constant love and support they receive from their family.

“Our family has always been really supportive of us. As things have picked up and grown for us they have continued to do that even more so. Just our family showing up to shows and being there to support us has been awesome. We’ve been pretty busy so it’s hard to have the normal family time together, but we make time for it. We get to have fun experiences on our own while we’re on the road and have a good time, and we still continue to be close even though we travel as much as we do,” said Micah.

Mason and Micah love being a part of Stateline Drive and hope to continue making music for as long as they wish.

“We definitely want to take it as far as we possibly can. Eventually we will probably all end up in Nashville because it’s a cool city that is really connected to the music scene, but we wouldn’t be where we are today without [our family],” said Mason.

10 SPORTS

Sports Season Flushed Away By: Ali Ball

Welcome to our “Ool”. Notice the P has been left out of the pool but that wasn’t the case at the aquatic center recently. At the Northland Invite the swim team had to take on an unlikely competitor, a bacteria in the pool. The boys swam through the meet without knowledge of anything being wrong until days later.

“I remember feeling a little funny a day or two after the meet and then it hit me, a sore throat, upset stomach and sniffling,” said senior Cain Randle The swim team was bombarded with a major setback to its season, 12-20 athletes in the program were victims to the sickness and sentenced to two weeks without being able to set foot in pool due to the fear of effecting others. Physically and emotionally the boys were drained knowing that they couldn’t carry through the full season attending every meet they could to receive those state qualifying times. Team captain, senior Marcin Glebocki, took the sickness quite hard and was out of school due to it.

“This really is taking a toll on us we may have to cut anywhere from 3-5 meets from our seasons list and that’s major, especially for those who haven’t made state cuts yet. But I know and believe that we can make it through and battle back” said Glebocki

It’s been heard amongst peers that the illness was due to a swimmer at the meet having an accident in the pool. In this case, according to lifeguard/ pool supervisor proto-call the swimmers should have been removed from the pool immediately. The accident had seemly gone unnoticed and the

“We want the well-being and health of our boys to be but first, the last thing we need is another epidemic taking over.” chlorine didn’t “kill” it all off leaving it time -Karl to grow and attack not only our team our team but many others. The effected pool Haley community included Park Hill South, both Liberty and Liberty North and many of the other teams.

All teams that took on the illness had to take their own precautions in making their pool healthy and safe for all to swim in. This accident was reportedly someone, pooping in the pool at the meet. There was press release posted by the PHHS and they attempted to put the rumors to rest by saying that they and the aquatic center are unsure of the source of the sickness and were taking every step possible to eliminate the issue and get our boys back in the pool.

With swimming off the table as of now they have had to find other means of getting in a good work out. The swimmers, with the help of Coach Haley, have adopted a cross country like practice. Those who were contaminated can be seen working hills, completing sprints and taking part in long distance runs. The physical shape they are all in is critical to the sport and not a minute can be wasted not putting in time to better themselves.

“We want the well-being and health of our boys to be but first, the last thing we need is another epidemic taking over,” Haley explained

There are definitely still some patchy places in this whole ordeal. No one really has a straight answer about what really happened in the pool. The aquatic center, did though, drain and shock the pool to eliminate any source of bacteria that could possibly make the Trojans swim team sick again. The two week sentence out of the water was lifted on the Sept. 9 and the team is expected to compete in up-coming meets, hoping soon to claim another state title.

12 LIFE

By: Ally Buchberg

Every tattoo has a personal meaning. Each person will say it is an expression of their identity. Nearly 40% of people between the ages of 18 and 29 have at least one tattoo. Body piercings are also a growing act of selfexpression among young adults in this generation.

For some, their tattoos helped their faith by reminding them of their journey. While others decided to get theirs spontaneously.

“When I was a kid, [my dad] made me promise that I wouldn’t [get a tattoo]. Personally, I don’t want to make the commitment then regret it. I would probably wait a year,” said senior Abi Tripp.

Although some may look forward to a future of acceptance, others focus on whether or not to get a tattoo. Waiting can lead to more thought out decisions about the location and kind of tattoo. There are currently no laws that prohibit discrimination against people with visible tattoos, body piercings, or unnatural hair colors.

“I’m not concerned [about getting a professional job] because whatever job I have will be one that will accept me for expression,” said senior Madi Martin.

The amount of people with tattoos and body piercings have increased over time, and employers may begin to adjust their requirements in the future.

“I want to get sleeves but due to the profession I want to go into, it is unprofessional.

That and money are the only reasons I’m not getting visible ones. I’m still going to get a back piece soon, but I’m still getting more non-visible ones,” said senior Connor Phelps.

Even though some may have to hide their tattoos in their professional lives, it is their personal lives that their tattoos represent.

“I’m glad [my tattoo] has a lot of meaning. I’ve always felt really stuck all my life and I’ve had a passion to travel everywhere. My dad has told me so many stories of the beautiful places he’s been. It has inspired me to go travel and see the entire world as well. I want to mark each place I go on my tattoo when I go there, so this tattoo will have add-ons throughout my life,” said Martin.

Martin has a world map tattooed on the front of her wrist as a symbol of her love for traveling. Phelps also has a tattoo with a meaningful purpose.

“I find tattoos to be great works of art that are permanent and also tell a story or a personal memo.

‘Pura Vida’ in translation means ‘pure life’, but the common Costa Rican version translates to ‘enjoy life’. I want to enjoy the life I have and to live as I see fit,” said Phelps.

THINK BEFORE YOU INK

OF AN ILL hUM RK H

PA By: Ally Buchberg Many would not look at senior Lane Hurtado and see a future counselor, but he is the image that most students are relating to nowadays.

For Hurtado, a new student at PHHS, being a counselor would be the most fulfilling line of work for him after high school. He enjoys having the ability to be a catalyst for helping an individual with their problems.

“I’m a caring person. If somebody needs someone to talk to [if] they have personal issues [and] they don’t know what to do, I help them out and tell them the best way to approach the problem kind of like a counselor,” said Hurtado.

He intends to go to Maple Woods for college to become a school counselor. However, the visible tattoo he has may affect his chances.

“As a counselor, you can have visible tattoos if they are appropriate. I think tattoos are a

great way of expressing your thoughts by art,” said Hurtado.

Currently, Hurtado only has one tattoo. Although there is a possibility of discrimination due to the tattoo he has on his arm in his future workplace, he still plans on getting more tattoos.

“I’m getting a bald eagle clutching a tattered American flag, my last name on my back, a rattle snake going in and out of my arm, and a rebel flag on my left arm,” said Hurtado.

He first took an interest in psychology when he attended Oak Park. Now, he is studying sociology.

“I like the psychological part [of being a counselor] better because you get to know more about people,” said Hurtado.

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Across all news broadcasting channels today, there is coverage of the upcoming 2016 presidential election. While many high school students glaze over at the sound of politics, this year it’s a little different for the class of 2016 and for some of the class of 2017. Many ballots will be cast on November 8, 2016, some will be cast from this year’s juniors and seniors. Many news stations are covering the political agenda, a few presidential candidates are making the headlines with issues coming up behind the scenes.

While the candidates are pushing their political standpoints to the front lines, even the smaller issues are being viewed by the public by just changing the channel. While some are discussing what Bernie Sanders has to say about income and his ideas to reform Wall Street, many people are talking about Hillary Clinton’s private email scandal and how Donald Trump has seemed to keep his name in the news every day.

“He’s been threatening to run for 30 years and I think it’s ridiculous that he claims that he’s so fast acting, but yet it’s taken him 30 years to run. Honestly I think he’s just going to cause more racism issues, not exactly African Americans but towards another culture that he really doesn’t understand or know anything about. He’s also relatively misogynistic. He claims that there’s a lot of benefits, but yet all he does is trash things that they do. He says he supports women and women’s rights, but then comes back and says things against them, said senior Taryn Huffer.

If one were to check CNN or ABC news, a lot of what is seen is all about Donald Trump. Trump took the country by surprise when he announced that he would be running as a 2016 presidential candidate. Trump has been known to be a very wealthy business man; he now must tackle the knowledge of the political agenda, addressing issues that a politician must confront every day. As some may argue that Trump’s entire campaign is a joke, Debate teacher Tyler Unsell believes that though Trump has come across to be incredibly racist, his campaign may be somewhat smart.

“I think that he appeals to a certain subgroup that feels that their political power is waning and see him as a voice that reflects their beliefs. Storm Front the largest White Supremacist organization in the country endorsed him. While not everyone who supports him is racist I think they generally tend to reflect that fear,” said Unsell.

Trump is a known business man, and a very successful one at that. But more recently in the news, he is being por-

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trayed as a very negative person.

Highlights including his negative commentary towards ney n e T Obamacare, how he feels Obama has a dre n done as the President, and his strong opinion on A By: immigration. While one would think commentary like this would drive people away from Trump, it’s having a completely opposite effect, recently sending him over 4 million subscribers on Twitter.

“It’s honestly repulsive on both sides, he doesn’t understand the repercussions of his sexist and racist claims and people don’t understand that by supporting him, they’re essentially voting for the deportation of some of their best friends by the actions he’s promised, and that might be the only thing worse than how the media portrays him,” said senior Lucas Yahtzy.

Donald Trump isn’t the only one whose campaign is being impacted by how the news channels are making him appear to the public. Hillary Clinton is no stranger to having this much attention on her. As a former First Lady, Clinton is very familiar with how a presidential campaign works, but this time, she steps up to the podium as a candidate, feeling the heat that comes with running for president. Taryn Huffer gave her view on Hilary Clinton, but has decided until she casts her ballot next November, she will remain impartial.

“I don’t really know much about her campaign. All I really know is there are articles about her changing her campaign and her changing her opinions on things she originally campaigned on. I remember she was first saying a marriage is between a man and a woman, and now she campaigns for gay marriage. I think her own views have modernized. She’s modernizing her views, not exactly to compete with Bernie Sanders, but to reflect what she thinks the people want,” said Huffer.

Clinton has gotten quite a bit of attention recently regarding a private email account she had as Secretary of State, which had been claimed to contain private information about topics that are now considered “top secret”.

“I don’t keep up with her as much, but her ideas seem to be guided in the rugby direction but her presentation and execution is poor,” said Yahtzy.

While the candidates still have one year to campaign, the media is continuously pushing everything they have to the frontlines.

Design By: Luke Bruce Photos from abcnews. com

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