Sterling Cub Reporter: November 2018

CUB REPORTER

November 2018

VOL. 5 ISS. 2

STERLING HIGH SCHOOL

the Dangers of Juuling +pg 5 Sterling High School | November 2018 1

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 photo illustration depicts an individual exhaling smoke after using a Juul, which is becoming a common occurrence. Read more about Juuling on pg. 5. www.sterlingcubreporter.com

Nike scores with Kaepernick advertisement Nike’s latest ad campaign, built around former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, has been a great move on Nike’s part.

Since Kaepernick took a knee during the National Anthem in a 2016 NFL game to protest racial injustice, losing his job in the process, Nike’s choice to make him the face of the “Just Do It” sparked a controversy that included a quote from him saying, “Believe in something. Even if it mean sacrificing everything.”

The ad drew criticism from those against the kneeling, resulting in many people being upset with Nike for placing Kaepernick in their 30th Anniversary campaign of their motto “Just Do It.” Those in disapproval have shown their dislike for the ad by destroying their Nike apparel. The haters have posted videos and pictures of them burning sneakers and cutting the nike logo off of socks.

Other people have decided to boycott Nike to protest the ad and have posted their complaints on social media, including tweets from President Donald Trump about the ad.

Little do the haters realize, though, burning or cutting the Nike merchandise is doing nothing to negatively impact Nike. When the ad was released on Sep. 5, online sales for Nike gear rose 31 percent, according to investors.com, and Nike’s stock rose 1.1 percent to 83.37, a new record high. According to cnbc.com, Nike shares had fallen 3 percent when they first released the ad, but stock in

$86.00 $84.00

general has been 51 percent higher than the last 12 months.

For people to burn or cut up Nike gear, they first have to buy it. So when people want to boycott the campaign by burning their shoes, it doesn’t even phase Nike. They don’t care what you do with their product. They only care that they make a profit from you. Nike’s products are often aimed at younger ages, which to some extent are the people most likely to support the campaign and the people who will continue to buy their products regardless.

According to Forbes.com, the release of the ad caused more than 43 million worth of media exposure for Nike. When you post your video of burning sneakers, you aren’t hurting Nike. You are just giving them free advertising. The more and more people they can get to talk about them in the end just helps their sales because even negative press is good press.

Although you may not agree with Kaepernick or what he stands for ,or even Nike’s choice to make him the face of the campaign, we can all agree that recent efforts to hurt Nike has just been making them a lot of money.

So if you protest, don’t talk about Nike.

Don’t post about them. And, if you are dedicated enough, don’t buy their products. Doing any differently doesn’t hurt them. It only helps.

— For the Editorial Board

Raise of Nike Stock During Release of Advertisement

$82.00 $80.00 $78.00 $76.00 $74.00 $72.00 Jun 24 Jul

08

15

22

29

Aug

12

19

26

Sep

09

Information found at www.cbsnews.com

+ 02 EDITORIAL

+ 03 Briefs

BRIEFLY STATED +SHS

SHS Performs the musical ‘1776’

The tradition for equal casting roles for males and females is skewed this year with a male heavy cast list.

“I never thought I would be able to do the musical 1776” musical director Betsy Dutton said.

With a total of 26 cast members, there are a total of only three female parts, played by seniors Debi Schmidt, Jasmine Bates, and Sarah Walker.

The remaining females play male congress members with senior Brett Riffel playing John Hancock. The musical also features Jacob Pieplow as Benjamin Franklin. “The male sound is really nice thanks to Clark Comley.” Dutton added “1776” features the events leading up to the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

The musical cast hopes the elements of humor will entertain the audience during the show.

“It’s funny, surprisingly. Because you hear the topic and think, ‘this won’t be very good,’ but it’s a funny show and our Forefathers were real characters,” Dutton said. “I think the audience will laugh a lot.”

+LOCAL

+nATIONAL

Kansas Gubernatorial Elections

On Nov. 6, 2018, the Kansas gubernatorial election will take place for election of Governor of Kansas, and U.S Representatives to the House.

Candidates for Governor include: Republican Kris Kobach, Democrat Laura Kelly, and Independent candidates Rick Kloos and Greg Orman.

As of the Republican and Democratic Primary held on July 24-26, Kobach won with 40.6% vote, Kelley won with 51.5%, and Orman trailed in the single digits, according to the Kansas City Star newspaper.

Voters will also be voting on U.S. Representatives for the House for the second and third districts. In the second district current representative Lynn Jenkins, will be retiring from office and replaced by Republican Steve Watkins or Democrat Paul Davis. In the third district, current Republican representative Kevin Yoder, will be re-running for his position against Democratic candidate Sharice Davids.

General public voting polls open on Nov. 6. with early voting opening on Oct. 17- Nov. 5. Polls will be open 7a.m.7p.m.

Kavanaugh sworn into Supreme Court

Despite all of his sexual allegations against Dr. Christine Blasey Ford, Brett Kavanaugh was sworn in as a Supreme Court Justice, Oct. 8, 2018.

After a close vote from the senate — one of the slimmest margins in American History—a vote of 50-48 was counted Saturday Oct. 6. The votes almost entirely from senators respective sides, except Senator Joe Machin from West Virginia.

Kavanaugh also won a vote from Senator Susan Collins from Main, who has been in undecided for months. She announced her vote for Kavanaugh on the Senate floor before the vote was cast.

“It is when passions are most inflamed that fairness is most in jeopardy,” Collins said. “I will vote to confirm Judge Kavanaugh.”

Kavanaugh was sworn in by Chief Justice John Roberts Jr. and retired Justice Anthony Kennedy, who Kavanaugh will be replacing.

Kavanaugh started hearing cases Oct. 9. One of his first cases will be involving convicted felons with firearm possession, and sentence time if convicted of three felonies already.

www.sterlingbulletin.com A proud supporter of

USD 376

Academics, Activities and

the Cub Reporter

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107 N. Broadway, Sterling Sterling High School | November 2018 3

+ 04 News

SHS’s new bunch New teachers Rich, Weiner settle into the school year +by Lucas Gilmore and Grace Rowland

A

fter the departures of long time science teacher Dan Whisler, English 3 teacher Todd Vogts, and Wes Laudermilk’s position change to assistant principal and athletic director, the district had teaching spots to fill. These positions were taken on by Matt Perkins(featured in last month’s Cub Reporter), Kathy Rich and Nancy Weiner.

Since the district lost Vogts to Sterling College, Rich will be replacing his position part time. Rich was born in Omaha, Nebraska and moved to Hutchinson, Kansas when she was in first grade.

She is the wife of Sterling College President, Scott Rich, and has three sons. She lives in Sterling with her husband.

“This year I am teaching both sections of English 3,” Rich said. “I am definitely enjoying the students and also the content.

I am working hard to learn the project management piece that Mr. Vogts used so successfully.”

With Rich’s English experience and love for teaching, she decided to take the position at Sterling after teaching at Central Christian for 20 years.

“I became a teacher in order to be a caring adult in the lives of students,” Rich said. “It was in my junior high years that I sensed the strong desire to teach, and I have loved every year

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+N

www.sterlingcubreporter.com

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Rich

I’ve had in the classroom.”

Sharing the same love for teaching, Nancy Weiner will also be helping out the district by teaching a few of Laudermilk’s classes; including Beginning Algebra and Algebra 1.

“I really am enjoying both algebra classes,” Weiner said.

“I became a math teacher because I have always enjoyed working with number and working with kids.”

Weiner is originally from Chester, Nebraska but has lived in Sterling for many years. She is married to Dan Weiner, the Sterling Grade School Counselor. They have three sons, Henry, Edward, and William.

“I hope that by the end of the year, some of my students will have developed a better understanding of how numbers work and possibly enjoy working with numbers to some degree,” Weiner said.

Wes Laudermilk was teaching math classes such as Algebra 1 and Beginning Algebra last year, but has gone away from some of his teaching this year. Laudermilk has a lot of new duties with his position change.

As the new athletic director, he is in charge of all things surrounding our sports teams. He also has much to do as the assistant principal.

“The thing that I’m looking forward to most in both positions is being able to reach and impact more students,” Laudermilk said. “Before, I was limited to who was taking my class. Now, I can impact students in all activities and learning.”

+ 05 Feature

Dangerous teen trend

JUULing can cause longterm physical, social, and mental damage to teenagers due to the overusage at a young age. +by mCkIAH sAN mIGUEL

J

uuling in school is becoming a larger issue in schools, and have many effects on students. Although students often might disagree that Juuling can be bad for you, it is in more than one way.

Socially and physically, Juuling has an impact on individuals.

Juuls were created with the intentions of being an alternative for adult smokers.

Although the alternative itself is not good for someone’s health, it was a way to help adult smokers try and quit. The creators attempted to make the device small and unnoticeable, but this was an outlet for students to hide it more easily during school hours. Students wait for the moment the teachers turn their backs to take a quick hit or even going to the restroom to sneak in a hit.

“It is pretty obvious when a group of people leave the room at the same time and go to the restroom or locker room every single day,” senior Morgan Simpson said.

Nicotine is one of the most addicting substances known, and is harder to beat when you start at a young age. 40 years ago 29% of high school students smoked daily, and in 2015 it was at an all time low of 5.5%. In 2017, 11.7% of high school students reported using a juul. 99% of Juul products contain nicotine. Each Juul has about 200 puffs, having as much nicotine as a pack of cigarettes. Nicotine is at least as difficult as giving up heroin, according to Medical News Today.

“National statistics say that 1 out of 10 students are Juuling,” student counselor Tina Wohler said, “ I think this is a bigger issue than it has ever been because of how accessible juuls are.”

Although students might see vaping to not be as harmful as smoking a regular cigarette, they should become more informed with what they are putting into Sterling High School | November 2018 5

+ 06 Feature

their bodies. Nicotine has more than 4,000 different chemicals in it which all have physical, mental, and psychological effects on the body, according to Health Line.

Vaping still exposes people to several different types of cancer causing chemicals. The chemicals used to make the vaping flavoring liquid is also as dangerous. These flavorings can cause popcorn lung, a respiratory condition. Vaping has no combustion or burned product, but it releases an aerosol that is inhaled. Aerosol is not harmless, in fact in contains fine particles of toxic chemicals that can be linked to cancer, respiratory and heart diseases.

“Teenagers know the disadvantages of smoking a cigarette, but I think Juuling markets to teenagers by saying it is trying to reduce the amount of time smoking, www.sterlingcubreporter.com

but it is only getting younger people involved,” Wohler said.

According to creators of Juul, it was never their intentions for minors to get involved with their product due to how harmful it can be for their bodies. They have pledged that over the next three years, $30 million will be dedicated to independent research, youth and parent education, and community engagement.

Their website uses a unique ID match and age verification technology to make sure minors are not able to access and purchase our products online. “Juul Labs has supported partnerships for educating parents and educators on the risks of our products, the challenges of nicotine use and ways we can make products less attractive to young people. We currently respond to educators’ requests for information about our product to ensure those

working with youth are aware of its nicotine content,” according to Juul.com,.

“We as a school are trying to educate parents at parent teacher conferences, and we will have Officer Ploutz come in and educate the student body about the effects of Juuling,” Wohler said, “We are most concerned about getting parents informed so they know how to take action.”

33% of people suffering a mental disease are found to smoke more heavily than someone without. According to a 2016 report, people are expected to live a shorter life by 10 years if they are suffering from a mental disease. Smoking while having depression can be very dangerous, because people suffering depression produce less dopamine; a hormone produced by the brain to release happy feelings.

The nicotine in cigarettes lures the brain into releasing dopamine for a tempo-

+ 07 Feature

rary high feeling, but this is dangerous because nicotine can almost convince the brain to shut off its natural supply to dopamine. Due to it only satisfying for a short amount of time, a person may crave another smoke or use of vape, according to Fit for Work.

“Juuling is very addictive, and so when a student gets addicted not only does it affect their health, but they prioritize it first, so when the urge to juul comes to them, they do it,” Wohler said.

Stress is another mental disease that can lead individuals to relying on cigarettes. When suffering from the symptoms of stress, it is often found that those individuals will result to smoking.

Although it may be a short term satisfaction, in the long run it will bring greater health issues, according to Fit to Work.

The more a person is involved with nic-

otine, the more their body becomes tolerant to it. The more a person smokes or vapes, the higher risk they put themselves at for ruining their health, according to Everyday Health.

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, nearly 60 percent of new smokers are under the age of 18. Some teens start to smoke as an act of rebellion.

Peer pressure also plays a role for teens who smoke. Since nicotine is so addictive, they can’t stop once they become adults.

It is very important to teenagers to have a social life, but sometimes that can lead into peer pressure into doing things they may not want to do. Teenagers friends are their biggest influences in their lives.

“All teenagers at one point will be a victim of peer pressure to try something that everyone else thinks is ‘cool’,” Wohler said.

The influencing to start smoking or vaping is much stronger than trying to quit. The influencer knows how to vape, where to buy them, and how not to get caught, all of which an experienced smoker would know and teach to their friends. Children and teens whose parents have less education or income, or who believe smoking is expected or normal, are more likely to smoke. Those who are not doing well academically or not involved in extracurricular activities appear to be at greater risk for taking up smoking. Those who feel bad about themselves or lack self-confidence might also be more prone to smoke, either on their own or in response to peer pressure, according to Live Strong.

“We know it is here at SHS, and we want to help, but right now it is hard to pinpoint where it is,” Wohler said.

Sterling High School | November 2018 7

+ 08 Feature

Demographics 14-15 15-16

Gender

AGe

14% 20%

25%

16-17

40%

17-18

WHY? 40

43%

CURIOSITY DEMOGRAPHICS

30

PEER PRESSURE

23% 20

OTHER

16% 13%

10

REGULAR SMOKER 3%

Survey taken by 70 students at shs. www.sterlingcubreporter.com

“IT’S COOL”

+ 09 Sports

The Running Man Senior Max Dutton runs his way to the state cross country meet +by gRACE roWLAND AND cHRISTINA voTH

1

,000 miles. It took senior Max Dutton over 1,000 miles to prepare for the only three that mattered. The three that would take him to state cross country.

Starting in June, Dutton ran 40 miles a week until July, when he increased to 50-60 miles. He continued to run that pace all season leading up to the 2a regionals in Mead where he took eighth place, qualifying him for state.

“It was a sigh of relief to make it,” Dutton said. “I just wanted to get through regionals comfortably and not do anything to crazy that would risk my chances at making it.”

This will be Dutton’s second time competing at state, the first being his freshman year. From that point on Dutton has trained to better his times, eager to reap the benefits from his training.

I feel like my training has paid off pretty well, but not as much as I had hoped,” Dutton said. “I can’t complain about the improvement I’ve made, but I was wanting to run around 16:30 this year, but as of now 17:23 is my best time this season.”

Despite not running the times Dutton wanted, his training has helped improve times on different courses throughout the season.

“This has definitely been my best season of cross country,” Dutton said. “Last year, I was hurt

for three meets, and didn’t ever run a race that I felt 100% in. This year has been a blessing to stay injury-free. I won two meets this year whereas last year I was only able to win one. My times have also been faster on every course I ran on, so that’s a testament to the training I put in this summer.”

With a successful season under his belt, Dutton is excited to run in the state meet in Wamego, Saturday, October 27.

“2A is probably the fastest classification individually in the entire state this year, so the race will be extremely fast,” Dutton said.

From being in cross country for four years, Dutton has learned many important aspects of running that he can use to finish his high school career, take into his college career, and into life in general.

“The most important thing I’ve learned is how powerful the mind is,” Dutton said. “If you think you’re going to fail at something, there’s a pretty good chance that will end up happening. If you go into a race, or anything in life with a positive mindset, you’re naturally going to achieve at a high level. In cross country especially, you have to take risks and give yourself a chance to do great things. Sometimes you fail, but that’s okay, that’s where the growth comes.”

Sterling High School | November 2018 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 Riley Richter

State Tennis At Pratt

Who plays what?

Junior Kinzie Comley, seniors McKiah San Miguel, Jasmine Bates, and Lydia Miller pose with the banner at state tennis. Miller and Bates took fourth place, and Comley and San Miguel took fourteenth.

(Photo by Grace Rowland)

The Cub Reporter takes a look at sports students plan on playing in the winter.

46% 2% 10% 42% Basketball

Wrestling

Cheerleading

Nothing

(Poll taken by 56 students)

New Coach, New Season With the resignation of cross country coach Larry Brownlee, the running bears sought for a new coach. Former black bear alumni Pamela Simpson jumped at the opportunity for the position.

Simpson participated in cross country when she attended Sterling High School.

Simpson received the coaching job in August of 2018.

“The way I was coached as a runner is similar to the way my current runners have been coached, “ Simpson said.

“That gives me an advantage of not www.sterlingcubreporter.com

Q&A

Football Player Kaz Comley

CUB REPORTER: What is it like to be a freshman playing on varsity?

Kaz: Sometimes it can be nerve-racking because you have to get your job done, but it’s fun because you can score touchdowns.

CR:How are relationships on the team different between the high school football team and junior high football team?

K: In junior high we always yelled at each other a lot, but in high school Brady (Myers) and Dylan (Stewart) get on you for yelling at teammates, so a lot of things like that are a lot different.

CR:Who do you look up to on the team?

K:I look up to Brady the most. He helps me a lot and he is a really good leader.

having to create a brand new program.

It’s a great honor for me to follow in Coach Whisler and Brownlee’s footsteps.

I love being a Bear again.”

Being a new head coach can be tough without any self-leadership within the team. With six seniors and five juniors, the cross country team has a lot of upperclassmen experience. This showing through senior Max Dutton as he took eighth place at the regional meet in Mead. He will finish his season at 2A state cross country in Wamego.

Senior Lydia Miller

Freshman Noah Svaty

Junior Mallory Beltz

Sophomore Allan Anderson

+ 11 Opinions

POINT / COUNTERPOINT

Thanksgiving Favorites

Turkey tops the list of must-have holiday dishes

Go ‘ham’ during your family feast

+by Riley Richter

+by Andy Norez

Thanksgiving, probably one of the most overlooked holidays, that is if you are not a food lover. If you are a food lover you wait year-round to gorge yourself in amazing food, but what foods are the best foods to have on Thanksgiving? Let me tell you the ultimate Thanksgiving meal.

First up the most important food, the thing that could make or break your whole Thanksgiving, the main dish.

For the main dish, there is really only one way to go, and that is the turkey way. Turkey is a classic whether it is in a tv show or not. A Thanksgiving without a turkey wouldn’t really be the same.

Next up the side dishes, while they may be the turkeys’ sidekicks they are still very important. Let’s start with a dish that almost everybody can agree on, potatoes. Turkey and potatoes go together very well, it’s like they were a match made in heaven. While this is a classic it is still necessary to have.

The next dish you need to have at your meal is corn.

Whether it’s creamed corn, corn on the cob, corn bread, or just plain old can of corn, it is also a necessity to achieve the best Thanksgiving dinner.

Corn is a really healthy vegetable that will help balance out all of the deserts you will have.

Another important side dish is the cranberry sauce. Although it can be rather tart, it

is somewhat sweet too. When the cranberry relish is paired with a slice of turkey, it is delicious and can’t be beaten.

My final pick for the side dish is stuffing. Stuffing is a classic, and I couldn’t have a Thanksgiving dinner without it. Stuffing goes well with everything, you name it and it will most likely go with it.

Finally everybody’s favorite part of the meal — dessert.

This was a very hard decision, but I would have to choose is pumpkin pie with a dollop of whipped cream, and you have to have the whipped cream on it. Or if you aren’t a fan of pumpkin, apple pie a la mode is the perfect way to end the meal, with a sugary sweet treat.

While many people find themselves with different Thanksgiving traditions the one event many agree on is Thanksgiving dinner. This is at the core of every Thanksgiving celebration while the dishes may differ, but the sentiment remains the same. What makes an ideal Thanksgiving meal for me differs from most.

The main dish is not turkey as most but rather ham that has been slow roasted seasoned with salt and pepper.

Next comes the homemade stuffing, it’s just bread pieces mixed seasoned with a variety of spices than coated in a thin layer of butter and baked in the oven. Of course you also have to have mashed

potatoes and gravy with any Thanksgiving meal, although many prefer mashed potatoes without the skin I personally like it with the skin.

Vegetables are also a must have a more elaborate way to add vegetables to your meal and make them more appealing is baking thin layers of potatoes, tomatoes, zucchini, and squash in a pan covered in melted cheese and adding italian sausage to it to add a bit more flavor. A simpler and easier to prepare one is a green bean casserole, this is a favorite of mine that is an acceptable addition to most dinners or gatherings.

An important addition is bread. Basic homemade rolls are my favorite. Now comes everyone’s favorite part — dessert. First is my grandma’s cranberry salad that she makes every year with her own recipe. It’s a great blend between sweet and tart and has a hint of citrus. While it wasn’t something I liked when I was younger, I love it now.

Pumpkin pie, hands down, is my favorite kind of pie.

There’s just something about it that makes it stand out. While we do have other kinds of pie nothing is more satisfying than pumpkin pie with a glob of whip cream on top. Which is the way the Thanksgiving feast should end after a mountain of food that begins with salted ham and end with sweet pumpkin pie.

Sterling High School | November11 2018

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