CUB REPORTER
January 2019
VOL. 5 ISS. 4
STERLING HIGH SCHOOL
the Dangers of Juuling Born To Ride +pg 5 +pg 5
Sterling High School | January 2019 1
+ 02 EDITORIAL
CUB REPORTER WWW.STERLINGPSTUDENTPUBLICATIONS.COM
308 E. Washington, Sterling, KS 675779 Phone: 620-278-2171 Fax: 620-278-3237
+STAFF
editors +MCKIAH San Miguel +grace rowland REPORTERS +andy norez +lucas gilmore +christina voth +Riley Richter +megan roelfs ADVISER +TODD VOGTS
+POLICIES
The Sterling High School Cub Reporter and all subsidiary publications are designated forums of free speech. The print edition is published October through May of each school year by the journalism class at Sterling High School. It is distributed for no charge throughout Unified School District 376 buildings and the Sterling community. The first copy is free. Subsequent copies will cost $1 per copy. For information about being added to the subscription list, contact Todd Vogts at 620-278-2171. Letters to the editor are welcome. Email them to journalism@usd376.com. All letters must be signed. Anonymous letters will not be printed. All letters subject to editing for legal, grammatical and factual reasons.
+ABOUT THE PHOTO This month reporter Riley Richter looked into freshman Talee Thompson’s life outside the classroom. She also participates in rodeo competitions. See more coverage on pg. 05. www.sterlingcubreporter.com
Generation Snowflake Is this term an accurate representation of our generation?
68.2% Yes
31.8% No
(Poll taken by 66 students)
Generation Snowflake: Accurate?
Generation Snowflake is a term commonly associated with young Millennials and the newest generation, Generation Z. The term has been coined by many publications, such as Forbes, Financial Times, and The New York Times, to name a few. It is often used as an insult by other generations and attacks our generation’s softness, defined by our generation acting entitled, taking offense easily, and being sheltered throughout our lives. Other things that this term attacks are our intolerance of disagreement, and need for political correctness. So, is it true? Are we really Generation Snowflake? The answer is: Yes! We are what the other generations say we are. Before we can work on a solution to this issue, we must first explore the roots of it. One reason why we are in fact Generation Snowflake is our collective softness. We are much softer than previous generations. Hannah Fingerhut of Pew Research Center states that 64 percent of Gen X-ers think we’re too easily offended. According to Olivia Rudgard, universities now have “trigger warnings” to alert students of distressing topics that could be “damaging to their mental health.” Rudgard also points out that some universities have “safe spaces”, which allow individuals to get away from certain opinions and ideas. In other words, many of today’s students can’t even study certain topics without getting offended or suggesting it is causing them mental stress. Also, these “safe places” point out our generation’s obvious intolerance of disagreement.
Our intolerance of disagreement is something that makes us appear self-centered and incapable of taking other’s ideas into account. Good examples of this are the protests and social media tirades by many members of Generation Snowflake when Donald Trump was elected President in 2016. They just seemed unable to cope with something not going their way. Another thing that causes us to be called this is our need for political correctness. A recent Pew Research Center poll states that 59 percent of Americans think political correctness has gone too far. A couple examples of this are our needing to use correct pronouns when referring to others and the fact that we don’t allow people to assume things about us without taking offense. So, now that we’ve cleared up that we are, in fact, Generation Snowflake with evidence such as our softness, intolerance of disagreement, and need for political correctness. How do we fix what we’ve become? There is no easy answer, as this issue has been festering for an entire generation. There are some things we can do to improve from our current state, though. We could make an effort hear what others have to say, and not just write off someone else’s idea like so many do now. We could also work away from so much political correctness and try not to be so offended by every little thing people say. In other words, try to not take things so literally, or be so thin-skinned… no offense. — For the Editorial Board
+ 03 Briefs
BRIEFLY STATED +SHS
SHS plans for Sterling Invitational
Sterling High School hosts the 47 boys and the 5 annual girls Sterling Invitational Jan. 14, 15, 17, and 18. Participating teams include Beloit, Hugoton, Hutch Trinity, Lyons, Remington, Smokey Valley, Southeast of Saline, and Sterling. Regardless of the tournament only lasting four days, the amount of preparation starts in August, five months before the tournament. “We are really always planning for the tournament,” Athletic Director Wes Laudermilk said. “The majority of the main planning takes place in late November and early December.” Along with many months of preparation the tournament requires many volunteers from the community to pull off. “It takes around 200 people between the high school and the college for officials, gate workers, and clock workers,” Laudermilk said. Despite the hard work, Laudermilk believes the planning is worth it in the end. “It really brings our community together and is great for our school,” Laudermilk said.
+LOCAL
Genzada Pharmaceuticals receive FDA approval
+nATIONAL
Genzada Pharmaceuticals clinical trial for a new cancer treatment was approved by the Food and Drug Administration Nov. 16, 2018. Trials for the treatment will take place early this year. The cancer treatment, molecule GZ17-6.02, includes an extract from the black calla lilly found in Palestine. The treatment has shown success in patients with pancreatic cancer and squamous cell carcinoma, cancer of the mouth, throat, and nose. Genzada has recently bought the former Dillons store on 30th and Plum in Hutchinson to use as the headquarters for the company. The new headquarters will include housing for a molecule development lab. The greenhouse outside of Sterling will be used for growing the black calla lily used in the cancer treatment. Founder of the company, Gene Zaid and his son Jason West are working with the Transitional Drug Development, in Scottsdale, Arizona to bring the treatment to the market.
Outbreak of Salmonella effects the U.S.
JBS Tolleson Inc., the worlds largest beef producer, has recently sent out a recall for 12 million pounds of beef, due to a salmonella contamination. Affected beef came from a plant based in Arizona, and packaged between July 26 and Sep. 7. The Food Safety and Inspection Service was notified late Sep of possible outbreak and found 246 cases of salmonella that was linked to the beef plant in Arizona. The outbreak was reported between 16 different states including Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas and Colorado. Recalled beef was sold at nationwide stores Walmart, Ceder River Farms Natural Beef, Showcase, Showcase/Walmart and JBS Generic. According the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, fourteen patients from this outbreak have been hospitalized. No deaths have been reported. Recalled beef containing the establishment number “EST. 267” are considered affected beef. These products should not be consumed and thrown out or returned to the place of purchase.
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107 N. Broadway, Sterling Sterling High School | January 2019 3
+ 04 News
Jones elected to state BOE +by Christina Voth
B
en Jones, a Sterling high School alumnus, has been elected to the Kansas State Board of Education. Publicly launching his campaign in April, Jones began his journey toward becoming a member of the board of education as District 7’s representative fairly recently. However, this won’t be his first time dealing with education. “I teach voice privately. I’m also frequently hired to teach music. When I was in college I was in the music education field. I’m also an assistant debate and forensics coach for my eleventh year here at Sterling,” Jones said. While deciding on whether or not to run for the position of District 7 representative, Jones realized something about the previous representatives and the candidates that he would be running against, which combined with encour-
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agement from friends and family ultimately persuaded him to run for District 7 representative. “I got a lot of encouragement. And with the knowledge that when you look at the state board of education — there are 10 members on it — they all represent different districts. When I looked at it, six of those 10 seats come from what we call the big five school districts,” Jones said. “So that leaves four seats to represent predominantly rural Kansas,which is the majority of the area of Kansas. And then of those, none of them come from small towns. They all come from a 5A/6A community.” Considering the board contains so many representatives from larger, more-populated portions of the state, Jones said he can bring something unique to table.
“So to come from a small town — Sterling — is a unique vantage point and is a voice that needs to be heard. Somebody who has lived and experienced it,” he said. Now that Jones has reached new heights, he hasn’t forgotten about his hometown or the people and would like to encourage students interested in government offices however he can. “Do it. But if you’re gonna do it, do it for the right reasons. If you’re doing it to elevate yourself, then your doing it for the wrong reasons. Then don’t do it. Get a CEO job,” Jones said. In terms of running for office, Jones said he views it as a way to give back, but he pointed out there are other ways to do it. “Public service manifests itself in a lot of varieties, and if elected office is the direc-
Ben Jones tion you want to go, it is very brutal. You have to really be confident in who you are first,” he said. “And if feel like you’re ready for it and you want to serve your community, do it, even though you might lose. It’s still a valid effort.”
+ 05 Feature
Born To Ride
Freshman Talee Thompson Saddles Her Dreams In Rodeo With The Working Cow Horse
+By Riley Richter
Sterling High School | January 2019 5
+ 06 Feature
(Photos by Grace Rowland) Freshman Talee Thompson poses with her horse Whiskey.
F
or many students participating in school sports or other school activities is a normal thing to do. Unlike normal students freshman Talee Thompson does the opposite: rodeo. Like barrel racing there are many events in rodeo. Thompson became fond of the working cow horse, after going to the 2017 Lucan Oil AQHA World Show in Oklahoma City. It sparked an interest within her to compete in the working cow horse. “I saw how fun and exciting it was and I had the horse to do it with,” Thompson said. “The working cow horse is a series of classes that judges on your horses ability to do multiple things,” Thompson said. Along with the classes the horse gets judged on various things. “They get judged on how they move with the horse, how they perform over all, how there body is built, and more.” Thompson has two quarter named Zippy and Whiskey. Zippy was born at Thompson’s house in 2004, where she began to show horses using Zippy.
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Thompson received Whiskey last December, and uses her for the working cow horse, and started training Whiskey soon after she got her. Thompson’s entire rodeo career all began before she could even walk. She began showing horses when she was one year old. Thompson won many buckles from showing horses. After showing horses for many years Thompson soon got bored with it. “I really just wasn’t enjoying it,” Thompson said. She tried barrel racing for a while before she realized she also wasn’t enjoying it. “I figured that out this past year because I was just so stressed about getting hurt.” After Thompson figured out that she wanted to do the working cow horse she began training. The working cow horse requires a lot of training and can really change your life style. Thompson began training her horse for the working cow horse when she was just ten years old. “It has definitely had its challenges because we were both very young,” Thompson said. Training and practicing has busied up Thompson’s’ schedule.
+ 07 Feature
Rodeo Attire Traveling to many rodeos, Thompson requires many different items before she can compete
+ Boot cut Jeans + Western snap Shirt + Cowboy Boots + Big belt Buckle + COwBoy Hat + turquoise Jewelry Top Right Thompson rides her horse Whiskey Top Left Thompson and Whiskeys eyes.
“It definitely has created my lifestyle, normally on weekends I am at a show or at a clinic improving and trying to get better, and on the weekdays I am exercising with my horse,” Thompson said. Since rodeo is her only sport that she does, Thompson prioritizes her horses. “I put my horses before my school work, especially since it has been getting darker earlier. I usually put my homework off until nighttime.” Thompson practices almost every day of the week that she can to keep consistency and to have better performances each time a rodeo comes around. “We work on drills and speed so it is kind of like a normal sports practice but just with a horse added into the mix,” Thompson said. During her practices, she mostly works on transitions and soundness with her horse, she also perfects her keep her horse busy and engaged while she practices.
Bottom Thompson and Whiskeys legs.
“I just try to keep her moving so she doesn’t get bored with the same thing. For me, it takes a lot of hard work, time, and tons of patience.” “They help me prepare my mind, so that I don’t get as nervous going into the arena and I think it helps Whiskeys’ mind because she won’t be stressed on what we’re going to do because we have been practicing. It really helps prepare me for what comes next.” Thompson loves the relationship that she has made with her horse Whiskey throughout the years. “I enjoy the bond and trust that I have with her because she trusts me and at any given moment she could turn into a beast that could kill me,” Thompson said. Although Thompson trusts her horse it still doesn’t help the nerves that she gets before she competes. “It’s very nerve-racking because you don’t want to make a fool of you have a crowd that you want to impress. I try not to watch other people that are going before me because watching them makes me even more nervous,” Thompson said. Sterling High School | January 2019 7
+ 08 Feature Thompson does get nervous at the before the rodeo, but that doesn’t stop her from performing well. “Once I am in my pattern I actually relax. Just going into it is when I am not relaxed.” Despite getting nervous before rodeos, Thompson has won many awards from showing her horse Zippy for several years including five buckles and also three buckles from barrel racing. With only starting the working cow horse last year in December, Thompson has only won one buckle from the Cactus Classic held in Hutchinson. “In 2012 I won my first buckle when I was eight, and over all of the years I have won ten buckles,” Thompson said. “A few of the buckles I won were in the little rodeo association called HQHA I did in 2014 and again in 2016.” Thompson has competed at Hutch, Kingman, Lyons, and Great Bend. Although most of her rodeos are local Thompson has gone to a rodeo in Nebraska.
Horse NeCEssITIES Thompson plans on continuing the working cow horse for now, but would like to expand on her rodeo events. “I am looking to continue doing this (working cow horse) in the future, and I would like to start getting into other events, because my horse can do it,” Thomson said. Thompson’s goal is to go to college with rodeo. “I honestly really just want to be a team roper, because I feel it will lead me to a good path in life; I love it so much,” Thompson said. “Plus it will be like a second job for me and it just creates a really good atmosphere for me.” Thompson also has big dreams for her future rodeoing career. “The biggest dream that I have is to win a world title in either the working cow horse or breakaway roping,” Thompson said. “I want to win a world title because that will prove what I am capable of.”
Like humans, horses require many things to keep maintenance of them, here is a list of the few things they require
+ feed Tub + Water trough + Halter + Lead Ropes + hoof Pick +Body Brush + Mane Comb +Saddle + Stirrups
“The biggest dream that I have is to win a world title in either the working cow horse or breakaway roping. I want to win a world title because that will prove what I am capable of.” -Talee Thompson
www.sterlingcubreporter.com
Thompson stands next to her horse Whiskey.
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S
+ 09 Sports
e w
THE COURT IS IN SESSION Siblings Kinzie, Kaz Comely play together for first time in high school +BY Megan Roelfs
Kinzie Comley #40 S
()
ibling duo, junior Kinzie and freshman Kaz Comley will be hitting the basketball season together for the first time. As both from a young age, have grown up around the sport of basketball, and it has been a part of their lives. For the first time this year, they get the opportunity to play at the same level together. “I like it because all of the people that are so involved with it, make it fun and enjoyable,” Kinzie said, “Also, I’ve been around basketball since I was young and you just learn to love the sport and all that it teaches you.” With both of their love for the sport, Kinzie enjoys getting to watch Kaz play in high school. Kaz has been playing basketball since the first grade, and like Kinzie, he has enjoyed getting to learn the sport. “I can go to gameday, and watch him also when I’m playing and that’s really nice. When he was in Jr. high, I couldn’t do that because of high school practices for me,”
Kaz Comley #3
Kinzie said. “I grew up around basketball because my family members played basketball. My dad was a coach when I was growing up, so I was at a lot of his practices,” Kaz said. Kaz is a starter this year for the boys. High school basketball different than jr. high, and Kaz really enjoys it. Becase the atmosphere and competition is a lot more different. Kaz also likes this year, is being able to watch his sister play, and knowing that she will be watching and supporting him, they also support and watch each other along with pushing each other, whether that be on the court or in the gym together practicing. “It’s really cool, because not many siblings have that opportunity to watch each other and I like getting to watch her,” Kaz said.“Everytime we are in the gym, we make sure that both of us are working hard.” Sterling High School | January 2019 9
+ 10 Sports
THE SHS
The Cub Reporter strives to cover everything we can, but with so many things going on in fall it can be difficult. And so: The SHS Extra Inning was born. Here we cover everything we can fit in this space.
EXTRA INNING +by Grace Rowland
Female Forces For the first time in many years the junior high and high school girls basketball teams are coached by an all female coaching staff. The junior high coaches include new head coach Melissa Ekart and assistant coach Wendy Calderwood. The high school team is led by head coach Jill Rowland, assistant coach Staci Lewis, and assistant coach Paula Crandall.
Freshman Kali Briar
Sophomore Cody Royer
Junior Brady Myers
Senior Debi Schmidt
Who plays what?
“I think it is really rare but very cool,” Rowland said. “What a strong group of women to be great examples for our young student athletes.” Along with being all females, the coaching staffs all have ties to Sterling College. Ekart, Calderwood, Lewis, and Rowland all played basketball at Sterling College under Lonnie Kruse. Steve Crandall, Paula’s husband, assisted Kruse at the college.
The Cub Reporter takes a look at football during January.
9%
College Bowl Games
30% 27% 33% NFL Playoffs
Both
Neither
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(Poll taken by 33 students.)
Kingman Tournament
Sophomore Tyus Wilson jumps for the tip at the beginning of the Kingman game. The girls and boys teams played Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. Both teams came out with a 1-2 record and each placed fourth in the bracket. (Photo by Morgan Anderson)
Q&A
Basketball Player Ryan Birzer
CUB REPORTER: What is your favorite part of the season? Ryan: I like getting to play basketball games, especially when we win and getting out of class early. CR: What are your thoughts on this being your last season? R: I am kind of upset. It has been fun playing all four years and I am going to miss the team and the coaches. CR: What is the hardest part of basketball? R: The hardest part of basketball is having a good attitude. CR: What is the most important thing you have learned from basketball? R: I’ve learned to never give up no matter what. CR: What is your favorite part of the game? R: I like encouraging my teammates because they preform better and that makes the team play better.
+ 11 Opinions
POINT / COUNTERPOINT
Mean Muggin’ Coffee provides perfect mix of Hot cocoa serves up warm, heat, flavor to battle the cold comforting winter beverage +by Andy Norez When winter comes around there’s only one hot beverage for me... coffee. Coffee is the perfect choice in winter because of its versatility. You can leave it bitter, make it sweet, drink it hot, drink it cold, or can be used as a pick-me-up with a boost of caffeine. I enjoy coffee’s general bitterness with a hint of sweetness to it, although I will drink just about any kind of coffee. Coffee is such a unique item in my mind because of the variety of coffee out there, ranging from nutty to extreme bitterness. Another example of coffee’s superiority is how easy it is to make. I like to start my weekend mornings by drinking coffee that I take special care in brewing. I get the bag of columbian coffee beans and scoop some out, their smell already strong, and place it in our grinder. Grinding them is something I find to be relaxing, the smell intensifies as soon as you hit the button. The beans rattling against the glass is also something I find to be enjoyable. Afterwards I place them in the filter, pour the water in and let it brew. You can tell when it starts to brew because you can hear the whirring form the other room and can smell it from upstairs. I put a little milk in and it’s ready to go, a nice hot cup of coffee to start my day.
Coffee isn’t just a morning drink for me, it’s a drink for a special occasion. Every step I take towards adulthood and independence, I’ve had a cup of coffee with my mother. It wasn’t planned but seemed to happen every time that it’s a tradition now. It doesn’t seem interesting to others, but for me it’s something that doesn’t happen often. We’re quite a busy family and rarely do things together. With college right around the corner I’ll see them even less but I can still feel a sense of home when I drink coffee, that’s why coffee means a lot to me it isn’t just a beverage, but a reminder of home.
+by Mckiah San Miguel My ideal warm drink during the winter time is hot cocoa. Personally I would prefer a warm cup of hot cocoa with a pinch of cinnamon to spice it up a bit. A little ingredient my grandma gave me as I was growing up. Which is now the only way I choose to drink it. Hot cocoa has always been the perfect comfort drink for me especially during the winter time. Growing up my grandma taught me how to make hot cocoa, and behind that is pure memories. My favorite being my first time experiencing snow and having my first ever snowball
fight. Following the snowball fight I drank hot cocoa. Another childhood memory was my first time going sledding, and drinking hot cocoa afterwards. Hot cocoa really brings back simple childhood memories. The best part about it is you can drink hot cocoa anytime. Cold? Hot cocoa. Watching christmas movies? Hot cocoa. Snuggled up reading a book? Hot cocoa. This is a casual drink that anyone can have. Often this might be found as a child’s drink, but it is my go to. I enjoy the warm, silky, consistency of this drink. As the drinks slides down my throat I can almost immediately say it warms my body. Which is why it is my go to. Drinking coffee is okay and all, but its dark flavor really upsets your stomach more than warming it up. The consistency is always different and I do not think it can be perfect every single time. I prefer got cocoa over coffee you really just can’t mess it up. With coffee you have to put the perfect amount of sugar and creamer to make it just the way you like it. It really can be a hit or miss with it. With hot cocoa it is a super simple to make either with a packet or on the stovetop. Personally my favorite is on the stovetop. Sterling High School | January11 2019
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