Student Dances Through Life
Snow
Days Repla with eLear ced ning How Students Handle Stress
Golf State Recap
Borgia Shows Appreciation
What it Takes To Lead a Student Section
d a o r b A r a e Y s ’ r e h c a e T e n O
2014 Spotlight Issue
www.borgianews.com
2014-2015 Staff Members
Spotlight Issue December 2014 Table of
CONTENTS
Katelyn Skaggs
Chelsea Hill
Kevin Mabie
Editor-In-Chief
Copy Editor
Adviser
Contributors
NEWS
10 Getting Rid Of the Snow Day
Megan Jensen
LIFESTYLE
Hello loyal Outlet readers! I hope you enjoyed the New Issue of the Outlet. I am excited to present to you the second issue, the Spotlight Issue. In our latest issue, you will be able to learn about some students at Borgia that have very special talents. These talents are unique to Borgia and you may have not even known about them. Chelsea and I hope you will enjoy their stories as much as we enjoyed writing them. You may notice some other writers, besides Chelsea and myself, in this issue. We are excited to have many new Outlet Contributors take part in the making of this issue. Due to size, we are unfortunately unable to print all stories written by our helpful contributors. However, we invite you to go to our website and read through them all. These journalists-in-training really did a wonderful job. The Outlet staff would like to wish a very Merry Christmas to all Outlet readers. We also hope you have a Happy New Year and look forward to our last two issues to come in 2015. We hope you enjoy this issue as much as you did the October issue. Your Editor-in-Chief, Katelyn Skaggs
SPORTS
13 Swartz’s Road to State STUDENT SPOTLIGHT
3 A Passion That Sails 6 Leading a Student Section 11 Student Dances Through Life FACULTY SPOTLIGHT
8-9 Caldwell Spends a Year Abroad OPINION
8-9
A map of Nathan Caldwell’s travels during his sophomore year of college. Submitted Photo
Chris Minnie
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
4 Stress Affecting Students 16 Borgia Shows Appreciation
14 Why New Year Lists are Bad 15 The Fear of Sexual Harassment
Haley Calvin
Trey Johnson dances during a class at COCA. Photo Credit: Cheslea Hill
11
ON THE COVER Max Diener stresses over upcoming
exams. Exams for students will began on Dec. 19th. Read all about stressed students on page four. Photo Credit: Katelyn Skaggs
The Outlet is published quarterly by the students of the Newspaper Journalism class at St. Francis Borgia Regional High School, 1000 Borgia Drive, Washington, MO 63090. The purpose of the newspaper is to provide the school community with information concerning school news and events and to provide practical journalism experience to the students enrolled in the class. The Outlet is a member of the National Scholastic Press Association and Sponsors of School Publications. All editorials, known as columns, receive a byline and are the opinion of that writer. They do not necessarily reflect the views of the newspaper journalism class or the administration at SFBRHS. Any suggestions for guest commentators should be directed toward Katelyn Skaggs, Editor-in-Chief. Advertisements are paid for and purchased by companies and individuals. They are solicited by The Outlet staff. Advertisements fund production costs and web site maintenance. Advertisements vary in price, depending on the size. The Outlet staff can design an ad if needed. If you would like to advertise in The Outlet, please contact Katelyn Skaggs, Editor-in-Chief.
Katelyn Skaggs Sophomore Katie Bruton adds an unusual passion to Borgia. Bruton enjoys sailing every chance she gets. Bruton got hooked into sailing by her mother who use to sail herself. It was a family trip to Connecticut when she first got her chance. “My mom sailed as a little kid, she grew up on the east coast so she sailed when she was younger. We went back there one summer and she took me out sailing on the boat she used when she was a little kid,” said Bruton. “She sailed as a little kid and thats how I kind of got into it.” Starting as a Sea Scout, which is a part of Boy Scouts, she also joined another section of Boy Scouts called Adventuring Crew. She originally joined Sea Scouts because it focused on sailing more. She has since gained a leadership position in Sea Scouting. “Now I am really involved with Adventuring but also Sea Scouting. I have a National Youth leadership position in Sea Scouting, I am the Central Region Bosun,” said Bruton. “So I serve nationally to help advancement and to help keep youth retention in the program.” Originally getting involved to be able to go on a trip to Lake Huron with Boy Scouts, Bruton has gotten more out of sailing then she ever thought. “I have gotten a lot more involved in scouting then I thought I would be. Originally, I just wanted to go on that trip so thats why I joined,” noted Bruton. “Something just latched me into it. I just stayed involved for about two and a half years now. Besides learning how to sail and a leadership position, Bruton has found a love for nature. “It’s helped me to really come out of my shell and really enjoy being outside in nature. That’s one of the ways I can express myself is by going sailing. Because I just love how quiet and peaceful it is,” commented Bruton. Bruton has not competed in any sailing competitions. How-
Outlet Editor In Chief
ever, she enjoys going and seeing sailing competitions. “You have to do a lot of training and I like to sail more for fun. So it’s really neat to just watch,” said Bruton. Living in Missouri, Bruton does not get to sail as often as she would like. “When my family goes up to Connecticut, I sail about everyday while we’re up there. Or if we’re down at the lake or if am at summer camp. I love to sail when I have the chance but sometimes, time doesn’t let me have the chance,” said Bruton. While not sailing much during the winter, she works on her navigation skills and tying knots. She works on these skills to be ready for her next sailing opportunity.
Left: Bruton sailing on a J-35 in Lake Huran during July of 2012. Submitted Photo
Above: Bruton on Nims Lake in May of 2014. Submitted Photo Left: Bruton teaching on Nims Lake using a Catamaran Sailing Boat. Submitted Photo
Chelsea Hill
Outlet Copy Editor
As first semester starts to come to an end, students realize that the stresses of finals are to soon be hitting like a tidal wave. But for most students, stress has been around since the first quarter. “Usually what stresses me out is just trying to find the time to fit everything in,” said Junior Elona Ratcliff. Ratcliff is involved with Faith and Action Club and does a lot of technical work for theatre department, taking up three hours of her night, four days a week. Ratcliff isn’t the only student who gets stressed out with other activities, Senior Max Diener play soccer and golf. When asked if he gets stressed out during his soccer season, he laughed and said, “During soccer, my school work gets more stressful because I have less time after practice to work on homework. But I am more driven to get my homework done.” Sophomore Katie Ince who is involved with Pep band, Concert band and Marching band feels she does not have much free time for her homework either. “You never stop. Fall is marching (season), then right to concert and pep (season),” noted Ince. “I’m really involved because I take solos and I auditioned for district band and I have lessons every week so basically it takes up a majority of my time.” Each of these students are involved in a different way and get stressed out through those different activities. To understand their stress levels, they were asked to go through their night and how they get motivated to work on homework. Ratcliff went for a type of approach that pushes herself into doing her homework after a short break.
“I usually give myself ten or so minutes to just mess around on my iPad so I won’t be distracted by it later. When I think of the homework I have to do after my break, it motivates me to actually get started. After I get my homework done, then I do something fun so I’ll be in a better mood before bed. Even if it is one am,” Ratcliff says. Ratcliff likes to end her night in a positive state of mind and is joined by Ince on that notion. “I’ll give an hour for flute, then break, then my homework and then I’ll come back to flute and piano. I like to start my night out with flute because it gets me motivated to do the rest of my work and end on a positive note,” said Ince. Both students use their free time to motivate themselves. As for Diener, his workload is what actually motivates him. “Well when it’s soccer season, I eat. That’s my first thing and I’ll do my homework immediately after that,” said Diener. “I try to get it done as soon as I can because sometimes it will take until nine or ten at night. I can’t wait because I am more driven to do my homework after practice.” All three students do feel stressed during their season of activities but have certain ways of keeping themselves on track and not too stressed out. Ince has a planner that she fills out with everything she has to do for the night. Ratcliff likes to get away from people in her house so she can focus better and takes off her school uniform as soon as she gets home so she feels “more refreshed.” Ratcliff also confesses that she complains to her friends about stress to just get everything off her chest, she says it’s a tactic that “many
Left: Elona Ratcliff Middle: Max Diener Right: Katie Ince PhotoCredits: Katelyn Skaggs
Borgia students are aware of.” Diener takes a route that a lot of students could learn from, he finishes his Gold and Blue day homework all in one night. “If I have a long night because of a game or something, I can have it done for the next day,” commented Diener. According to an article on greatergood. edu, seventy percent of high school students feel overly stressed because of school and these three Borgia students most likely fall under that spectrum. Although school alone might not be as hard, throwing in the extra work from band, theatre and sports might push it too far. Diener puts it best when stating that “it is our choice to be in extracurriculars.” These students have figured out how to balance school and outside work but they still have advice to give teachers to help lessen the stress load. Ince requests teachers to realize that band and theatre kids work just as hard as athletes. Ratcliff asks that teachers make sure students are ready for tests and quizzes. “Teachers don’t have to feed us the study guide, but just help us out because we are trying to learn and we can’t pass the test without the information,” Ratcliff adds. Finally, Diener asks that teachers use eBackpack more. “Sometimes students miss fourth period for sports or other activities and it would be nice if teaches could put homework on there so we know what to do,” mentioned Diener. The students at Borgia can fit the criteria for a stressed out student, but hopefully the tips Diener, Ratcliff and Ince have shared can help the second semester start out on a good foot.
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Hill Chelsea
Editor y p o C t Outle
Left: Ben Marquart and Justin Baylard Right: Ben Marquart leading Pink Out.
Photo Credits: Katelyn Skaggs (Left), Chelsea Hill (Right) “I believe that we will win! I believe that we will win!” A chant that is recited before every football and basketball game that the Borgia Student Section roars to the crowd. Chants like this one can be heard throughout the games, led by Seniors Ben Marquart and Justin Baylard. The two leaders have the important task of deciding what the game’s theme is, leading the chants and making the football and basketball games fun for everyone who partakes in the stands. The two were handed down the position from 2014 Graduates Jonah Lykam, Josh Brehe and Josh Kleekamp. Marquart says that during the sports seasons last year, Lykam would tell him to “get ready for next year,” prepping him for the job to come. “Well I kind of knew I was going to end up being a leader when Robby Vossbrink was in charge,” Marquart said. Marquart picked up a few traits while observing the other leaders. “I didn’t want to repeat cheers so often, because Jonah did that a lot. I also wanted to be more creative with player chants,” he explains. While Marquart was leading the Football Student Section, Baylard was on the field. “I didn’t get to see Ben cheer a lot,” Baylard says. “Basketball is a lot different anyway. We’ve been working together and trying to innovate new ways to get people hyped for games.” The job of keeping the games fun and joining in on the constant rivalries between student sections is more complicated than meets the eye. No matter how big the student section is, it can be hard to have full participation. “I learned that calling out freshman is a good way to get them to participate,” Marquart says. “So if you single them out, they get
scared and cheer. Then everybody around them cheers, too.” Getting the crowd to participate in cheers is only half the job, the other half is picking out the game themes. “I’m pumped for ‘Moses Parting the Red Sea’ and any possible body painting... I’m ready to lower my self esteem,” Baylard jokes. Marquart says he is upset over toga night not working out during football season due to the weather. “For basketball season I’m kind of looking forward to doing the ‘traditional’ basketball themes,” continued Marquart, “Pilgrims and Indians, Brave Heart, Toga Night, those kind of things.” Since Baylard was playing the position of quarterback during football season, this is his first chance at being the student section leader. “I am ecstatic that we have an automatic spot in the front row and get to be in charge of choosing themes,” Baylard explains. “The scariest part is probably trying new themes and new chants because you never know when it’s going to fall on its face.” The pair have their work cut out for them, and they didn’t get this job on easy terms. “There was a special initiation process for Student Section Leading that Jonah put me through after basketball season ended last year,” Marquart explains. Baylard was, unfortunately, unable to attend the initiation process. “I didn’t get to share in that glorious moment,” Baylard says, “Ben will never let me forget it. I didn’t have to do anything to be initiated, but I’m definitely planning on an initiation of sorts for the next leader(s), whoever that may be.” Center: Ben Marquart and Justin Baylard
Photo Credits: Katelyn Skaggs
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intro to comic
rectory@OLLWashMo.org rectory@OLLWashMo.org
Chris's Comic Corner Chris’s Comic Conner
Episode One of the series Look on the Bright
Chris First LastMinnie Chris Minnie
Okay, class, today we are going to learn about congruent triangles postulates.
Ollie, would you like to explain to the class how to determine a triangle's congruency?
Now, any questions?
Nevermind, I'll tell you all myself. Congruent triangle postulates are classifications of the different pairs of congruent triangles. They are ways you can tell if two triangles are congruent or not. The five possible combinations are hypotenuse leg,angle-angle side, angleside-angle, side-side-side, and side-angle-side. If sides or angles match up in these combinations, the triangles are congruent. However, we do not use angle-angle-angle and angle-side-side for obvious reasons.
[
Katelyn Skaggs
Second Year History Teacher, Nathan Caldwell, says sophomore year of college was the “greatest year of my life.” During this year he was an exchange student in Graz, Austria. He went through Southern Illinois University at Carbondale. He continued to pay tuition to SIU and covered his own food, travel and room. Caldwell’s parents are the ones who got him thinking about going to study aboard. “My parents urged me to do it, they knew I would have fun with it,” said Caldwell. He took some classes in German that were built for students beginning to learn German. He also took some classes in English, finding the German language hard to understand. “I took some German classes that were designed for exchange students or for German learners moving to Austria. I took some classes in English that they offered,” said Caldwell. “I took some classes in German but very few, my German was too rough.” The coordinator of the exchange program in Graz, Doras, made a big impression on Caldwell. She was there to make sure that the exchange students felt welcomed and had a good year. Doras even made Caldwell think about becoming a coordinator of an exchange program. “She was super welcoming, lots of fun and planed a ton of events for us (exchange students),” said Caldwell. “For a while, I thought that would be a great job, I thought about pursuing that.” Caldwell made many lasting friendships from his year abroad. “Some of the best friends I’ve made were over
]
there. You really depend on the friends you make while there,” noted Caldwell. “So you really have time to get to know them, hang out and travel. It forged all kinds of friendships over there. Also, what I think helps, is you’re thrown into this situation where you don’t know what you’re doing, you’re in a foreign situation where everything is kind of an adventure.” Caldwell was introduced to many cultural difference during his year in Graz. He was most surprised about how people rode bikes more in Europe than in America. “Everything felt different. From what they ate, to the way they tip. The fact that you ride a bike over there, that was new to me. In America we drive and the fact that you walk, ride a bike or take a streetcar was all new to me,” said Caldwell. He used this opportunity to see many new countries beside just Austria. “The fact that you could be in an entirely different country by that afternoon was something we just don’t get over here (in America),” commented Caldwell. “I saw almost every country of western Europe and quite a few of eastern Europe by the end.” Caldwells favorite country to see was Romania. He had the chance to stay with a family who showed him the country, gave him food and a place to stay. “It was just a beautiful country. Everything was creap, people were nice and it was a blast,” said Caldwell. When he was not going to class he got to travel. These plans varied and the people he went with varied also. “Sometimes I would go by myself, sometimes I would go with a group and sometimes with just one other friend,” said Caldwell. “We just plan it out as we go. I was never big on planning it out ahead of time. So I find a place to sleep when I
Nathan Caldwell enjoys some gelato while touring Venice, Italy. Submitted Photo.
]
get into a town.” Not being big on planning, he hoped it would all just work out. However, there was one time that things almost didn’t work out for him. “I got kind of close to sleeping in a cemetery in a little village in the Austrian mountains once. I had already picked out my grave,” mentioned Caldwell. “It had some candles there, so at least there was some light.” However, Caldwell was saved and didn’t end up laying by a grave for the night. “I ended up getting to stay at this gorgeous hostile in the mountains,” noted Caldwell. “So I did not sleep in a cemetery.” Caldwell noted that his travel adventures “always worked out but there were a couple scares,” like almost having to spent the night in a graveyard. Although his journeys were mostly spontaneous, he no longer recommends traveling without a plan. Caldwell could not pinpoint one favorite memory for his year. “I have nothing but good memories for that year. I can still see in my head every town and city we went too,” said Caldwell. Caldwell enjoyed being the visitor in a new place. “I enjoyed the experience of being the outsider in the sense that you don’t know the ropes and you have to push yourself to ask questions,” said Caldwell. He looked back as his year saying “It was the greatest year of my life.”
Nathan Caldwell in the back wearing blue is with a group of some exchange students in the Alps. Submitted Photo.
v z Uh x Haley Calvin
As the cold weather starts to kick in, the roads can become slick with the potential snow and ice. Perks of being a technologically advanced school is that while students are at home, they still have the opportunity to learn. Soon Borgia students will have the opportunity to learn while snow sits on the the ground; eLearning Day allows students to ‘attend’ classes while staying safe. By nine a.m. teachers will have assignments placed on eBackpack. Students will have assignments from the class they would of had if school was in session. Questions about these assignments must be asked by noon and the teachers will answer by three p.m. Students can access assignments through smartphones and regular computers, not just iPads. All assignments given on eLearning days are due when the class meets next. However, some students run into a problem of not having an internet connection available to them. Freshmen Bradley Pelster runs into this problem. Pelster shows a great concern about students who have no internet connection and how they would be able to access assignments. “If they don’t have any internet connection they can’t work on it,” said Pelster. “If they can’t get out of the house then how are they supposed to do it?” Pelster also said that he disliked the thought of eLearning because if he was to stay home that day because of the
weather, he wouldn’t want to spend the day inside working on homework. If Borgia were to have an eLearning day fall on a Blue Day, students will still have two days to complete assignments. Due to block scheduling at Borgia, this enables students to be able to finish the assignments prior to the next class meeting. If the weather restricts students from going to school two days in a row, the school will have to use a regular snow day. This would cause students without wifi to be able to try and find a place with accessible internet connection when the snow clears. If students are unable to finish assignments, their parents would call the school and report that they have no access to internet connection. The school will then count the students as absent for that day. If there were to be snow and ice at the beginning of a semester, there would be a normal snow day. To have an eLearning day students need to have been in class for awhile to understand what a teacher would expect. Jack Wooley, freshman is open to the idea of eLearning days. “It gives us the opportunity to learn even when we are not able to come to school. It also allows us to save snow days for more disastrous things than a layer of ice on the roads,” said Wooley. Wooley also agreed that he would rather have eLearning days to save up snow days for more important times.
According Kevin Mabie, principal eLearning means ‘electronic learning.’ Mabie believes that you “can’t replace a teacher.” Due to needing teachers Borgia is not going to have too many eLearning days. “I don’t think a students could participate in eLearning all the time. I think it takes somebody to guide the students and to direct the students in the right direction,” he said. Mabie thinks this is a way to keep students safer when the weather gets bad. “I think this a great opportunity for us to keep kids safe by not making questionable calls about getting to school,” noted Mabie. “It’s an opportunity for us to take away some of the breaks that are build into our calendar.” Mabie would like to have an eLearning experience where teachers would be on a webcam with students. The teachers could present a lesson on a board or other types of platforms can be engaged with students. “I think the perfect situation is where the teacher is on a webcam and the students are also on a webcam and the teacher is able to put out a concept,” commented Mabie. “(teacher) shows his or her screen and the students would be able to ask questions. As the cold weather shoots through the town of Washington and an eLearning day has the chance to be scheduled, students will be emailed if Borgia were to have an eLearning day.
Senior Trey Johnson warms up for a COCA Dance rehearsal. Photo Credits: Chelsea Hill
Chelsea Hill
Outlet Copy Editor
Tonlie, glissade, tombe; terms that are only truly recognized by the Starry Knights dance team and those who understand the “dancer lingo.” Each of these terms, for students who are unaware, refers to a different dance move in the bare, mirror filled studios that some students partake dance classes in. One of these students, is senior Trey Johnson. “I’ve been dancing in musicals at East Central College since the seventh grade but I’ve been training for two years,” Johnson says. “I take my classes at COCA which stands for ‘The Center of Creative Arts.’ It isn’t just a dance studio, it’s an arts center that offers voice classes, acting classes, design classes, drawing classes...It pretty much has everything to do with the arts.” COCA is located in “The Loop,” a popular shopping area in St. Louis. It is about an hour drive that Johnson endures every Friday and Sunday for dance and Saturday afternoons for Allegro Music Company that is also at the COCA Dance School. But those are just rehearsals, he also has his classes Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. “The classes I take at COCA are most of the dance classes offered; ballet, jazz, modern, tap, but then there are speciality classes like men’s ballet class where we work on classical variations,” Johnson explains. “There’s a Musical Theatre dance class where we work on performance and learning audition combos faster.” For many of Johnson’s classes, instructors and professionals are brought in from New York, Chicago and other dance-oriented places. Johnson has had the pleasure of learning the audition combo (basically the small portion of a dance for an audition) for Newsies On Tour, a Broadway play that debut in 2012. “Then I have another layer,” Johnson shares. “On top of all the classes I take at COCA, there are student companies offered and I’m in two of the four companies. So I’m in COCA Dance, which is the modern/jazz dance company, and then I’m in Allegro, which is the music company.” Johnson has obviously offered a lot of time and energy within his COCA experience and he isn’t planning on letting it got to waste. “I think I will go into a career that involves dance but it will be in the musical theatre world. Ultimately, I would love to be on Broadway. It’s the dream of many people in my position.” His dream has a chance of coming true due to the many opportunities and exposure COCA offers. About three times a semester, professional dance companies visit the school and give the students a chance to make connections with people in the professional world. “COCA pushes me to be the best that I can be by giving me the hardest classes and serious situations where you get to perform for big audiences around the St. Louis area. It really makes you want to strive to your best.” Johnson’s COCA experience is very unique, especially to our student body. Being a male dancer is something that Borgia doesn’t see too often but he very proud of his accomplishments no matter what. “I’ve seen myself grow not only as a dancer but as a person,” he finishes. “Because of COCA, I’ve been able to experience and be exposed to many different things that normal studios couldn’t give me. I’m forever grateful to COCA for giving me so many great opportunities.”
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Swartz decided to play golf her freshman year instead of playing softball and she hasn’t looked back since. She was inspired to play golf by her older sister, Whitney, who was a senior when Swartz was a freshman. “We were on the same team. I made a goal that I wanted to be better than her, which is something I think all younger siblings want,” Swartz said. “Ever since I started playing, I got hooked and I just wanted to make myself better and better.” Her first practice wasn’t very memorable and she wasn’t very nervous as she had already met Coach James “Chip” Thompson over the summer. “I’m sure it consisted of Coach Thompson making fun of me and then him telling my sister that I was better than her.” Swartz, an avid hunter, good student and basketball player, found it hard to find time to practice golf her first three years. This summer she was able to practice and really improved her game. Her extra practice paid off. At sectionals, Swartz said she was in shock when she realized she had made it to State. She admits that she didn’t fully realize how big of a deal it was until after the State meet.
At State, Swartz said she put a lot of pressure on herself because she knew she could play well, but admits that sometimes that doesn’t happen. Overall, Swartz is happy with her state performance. She shot a 98 and a 97 for a two day total score of 195 at Rivercut Golf Course in Springfield, Missouri. Her final finish was 54th place out of 88 competitors. “Most girls have been playing golf for more than 10 years and I’ve only played for four and I don’t have a personal golf coach and I don’t play in a lot of tournaments,” commented Swartz. She acknowledged that her coaches, Thompson and Michael Pelster, helped her immensely through her career. “They would help me by giving me some tips and helping me with some difficult shots or watching my alignment,” Swartz continued, “and Mr. Pelster helped me stay calm by talking with me and made me laugh and just distracting me from things that could make me play bad.” Swartz’s road to state was relatively short, but with her hard work, she was able to create special memories on the golf team. “It is a huge honor and I’ll remember it for the rest of my life,” Swartz said.
“Ever since I started playing I got hooked and I just wanted to make myself better and better.”
Katelyn Skaggs
Outlet Editor-In-Chief
At the end of December everyone feels compelled to let you know what they will be doing in the coming year. People feel the need to make a list of everything they are going to try and complete in the year ahead. This is the New Years resolution list. Something that I believe should be gotten rid of. I never understood why people wanted to write down all their failures from the previous year. This only shows what your downfalls from the year were. I understant that people are going to try and work on themselves but how far do they really get into that list. By February most of the lists have been forgotten and deserted. Some people give it a good effort for a couple weeks while others do not even last a full seven days. I see this happen every year at the gym. Tons of people sign up for a new gym membership in January. Why not? All the gyms are offering no joining fee with a full year membership. Setting up the opportunity perfectly for people to try and reach their New Year’s goal of going to the gym everyday or so many days a week. Regular gym goers can pick out a new attendee with ease. The adventurous new gym goers usually are always sport-
ing the latest gym outfit of a popular athlete. However by February its back to sitting on the couch at night and watching a show like “Biggest Loser,” while eating something extremely unhealthy. It’s not the motivation that is the problem, it’s the time of year. Don’t talk about something for a month, start doing it. Use that last week in December to get a jump start. Making the list and waiting to start working on it is only holding you back. If there is something you want to change in your life, why are you waiting? The only thing stopping you from starting tomorrow, is yourself. The problem with the resolution list is people make goals too far out of their reach. People who have never even seen the inside of a gym decide they want to workout everyday. They need to start out smaller. Try, for the first mouth, going twice a week. Go more
frequently when you have gotten used to the change. Also, people usually put way too much on their list. Change takes time and someone who thinks they can change twenty things about there life in a day need to see it’s out of their reach Instead of making a list for the whole year, try and make a list every week. Only put one or two things on it and focus on achieving those goals. When you achieve those goals reward yourself a little. I applaud the people who do actually make a New Year’s resolution list and achieve their goals. The list can be a helpful kick start for some people, but that is a limited few. This New Year we should all resolve to make no more New Year’s resolutions lists. Without this list there is no disappointment at the end of the year. Plus you won’t habe to see the same goals on your list year after year.
Chelsea Hill
Outlet Copy Editor
This past summer, I had the unbelievable chance to go on the school sponsored German Trip. It was an unbelievable experience filled with great friends, beautiful sights and delicious food. The entire trip was amazing, start to finish, and I actually learned something unusual on the trip.
During the first part of our three week journey, we stopped at this huge market somewhere in Berlin. People were selling random things like clothes, magnets, food, music and just random junk you could get out of a dumpster. We were all allowed to walk around by ourselves for a set amount of time and just explore. A few of my friends and I decided to walk around together. I have traveled to European countries on several occasions before. Every single trip is as amazing as the last. But the lesson I learned had nothing to do with being in a different country. As we were walking, I noticed a man kept trying to inappropriately touch myself and two other girls. To be honest, this wasn’t my first time having to deal with a person like this. I pushed him away, got my friends to the middle of the group, and tried my hardest to get them away from him. I didn’t think much of it, just a usual pervert doing what they do best. But as we got away, I realized that my friends were very freaked out because this had never happened to them before. It hit me then that I shouldn’t expect to be sexually harassed, every time I travel. My other incidents of public sexual harassment include a man grabbing my leg on the subway, men grabbing my waist while I walk down the street, and endless cat-calling. I am not bring this up to show the lust that has been shown towards me, I’m bringing this up because people need to realize that public sexual harassment is a big deal. Nobody wants to walk down the street
and hear shouts like, “You look so good baby,” from some scary stranger who only sees you as a sexual object. A polite compliment would be to say, “You have very pretty hair,” or “I like your smile.” Not to feel like a piece of meat, but like a human being. Luckily enough, we live in a small town that doesn’t see public sexual harassment too often, but it does occur in the world. When going into bigger cities or different cultures, you can expect to see it more often. What you shouldn’t expect, and this was the big lesson I learned, for it to be treated like it is “okay.” It is not okay for someone to pull sexual moves on you in subway car where you can’t run away. It is not okay for someone that you do not know to pull you close to them on the streets and nobody help you to get release from their grip. It is not okay for anyone to think that you can force sexual encounters onto someone. Sexual harassment can include catcalling, public sexual harassment, workplace sexual harassment, sexual harassment in schools, sexual harassment in the home and all cases of rape. It is a broad spectrum that is a huge problem in today’s society. It is a huge problem that needs to be stopped Like I’ve been saying, it’s a big deal. If you see someone being taken advantage of, do something. Raise attention to it, shaming the harasser into stopping. Put yourself in between the harasser and the person being harassed, helping to raise
attention again and help the victim feel more comfortable. You can even sign petitions to help fight the causes. Online at iPetition. com, there are great sources for fighting against sexual harassment and rape in the Military. Another site, Change.org has petitions that fight sexual harassment in the workplace and at specific colleges that see its impact more profoundly. Also, Rainn. org has resources for student involvement, volunteer work, and victim support all on their website. There are small steps being put into place to stop sexual harassment but you can always help. I pray that one day, my child can walk through the streets not having to feel the fear that my friends felt in Berlin. We are the generation that can make a change, so let’s change it.
Borgia’s Yak Chelsea Hill
Outlet Copy Editor
Every student in Borgia is important and loved in several different ways. A few students and staff got the chance to call out the people who they appreciate the most, Yik Yak style. Here are their shout outs:
Drake Raftery, Senior:
“I appreciate Philip Swoboda just cause he’s a good person to everyone and he never ceases to make anyone laugh.” 3h ago
3 replies
14
Lori Johnson, Cafeteria:
“My co-workers because they make everyday fun.”
7h ago
Andrew Halaz, Theology Department:
“I’m very appreciative of all of the front office staff including Mrs. Chalk, Mrs. Michels, Mrs. Vossbrink, Mrs. Obermark, Mrs. Quattlebaum, and Mrs. Feldmann. They’re constantly keeping me on track and helping with setting up and carrying out my Campus Ministry work.”
26
12h ago
Atlee Waldee, Senior: “I appreciate all of my teachers because they are the ones who give me my education and prepare me for college” 1d ago
13 replies
19
Rachael Kren, Senior:
“My group of friends, you know who you are! I appreciate them because I’m so fortunate to have such a great group around me. They’re like the sisters I never had. We may fight and get mad but it never ceases to amaze me how we can make up like nothing has ever happened. I’m glad I can look back on my high school career and remember that I made it through with the best of friends.” 32 2 replies 3d ago
Emily Brown, Freshman:
“I appreciate Joe Schafer because he is non-judgemental and taught me a lot on Luke 18.” 3d ago
Alyssa Bouquet, Senior:
“I probably have to say Gabe Overman because he’s really nice to everyone and he’s a really great friend.” 4d ago
5 replies
12
Justin May, Sophomore:
“I appreciate Jacob Smith because he puts a lot of time and effort into all of the things he does, especially video production.”
19
5d ago
Ella Speckhals, Freshman:
“I appreciate my advisor Mr. Thompson because he just cares about how were doing.” 1w ago
9 replies
21
Mr. Eggert’s Gold I English III Class:
“We appreciate Mr. Westhoff because he’s intelligent in his sense of humor towards life and he’s one of the only people that can make Julius Ceaser understandable to a sophomore.” 21 replies 1w ago
Manuela Schmidt, Foreign Language & Counceling Departments:
“I could come up with several people, of course, because I think I appreciate everyone that makes Borgia the place it is.”