The Wooster Blade, Volume XVII, Issue 6

THE WOOSTER BLADE

WOOSTER HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT NEWSPAPER 515 OLDMAN ROAD, WOOSTER, OH DEC. 2, 2016 VOLUME XVII, ISSUE 6

DO YOU FEEL SAFE AT SCHOOL? Reviewing safety drills at Wooster High School

Index: Cover 2-4 Trends 5 Feature 6-7 On Campus 8 Focus 9-10 A&E 11-12 Sports 13-14 Views 15-16

#WHSALICE2016

Students respond to simulation 4%

52%

48% NO

1%

Graphics by Matt Lorentz.

5%

15%

28% 47%

Do you feel safer at school because of this drill?

students for a possible intruder?

Acting classes portray victims

on Nov. 18.

Wooster Fire Department members carry out a fake victim on a stretcher. Victims were played by students in acting classes.

WHS students participate in JACOB GOOCH

THE WOOSTER BLADE | COVER | DEC. 2, 2016 I PAGE 3

The Deal on : DRILLS FIRE

SAFETY

TORNADO

THE WOOSTER BLADE | COVER III | DEC. 2, 2016 | PAGE 4

Alumni share experiences during attack on Ohio State campus NATE KING-SMITH & SARAH HOPKINS co-editors-in-chief In light of the recent occurrence at OSU and looking at the drills WHS has performed in preparation for a school intruder, it only seems fitting to examine the training and reactions to these situations that exist at the collegiate level from former WHS students’ perspectives who experienced an attack on their campus.

According to cnn.com, on Monday, Nov. 28, Abdul Razak Ali Artan, a student at OSU, drove his car into a group of peers who were evacuating a building due to a fire alarm. He then proceeded to attack and stab multiple

members of campus, leaving 11 injured. Artan was shot and killed by a campus police officer within two minutes of the attack.

CNN also reported that Artan was a Somali-born U.S. resident who was motivated by his discontent with the overall treatment of Muslims in America.

Generally, students were informed by word of mouth or through “Buckeye Alerts,” which they received on their phones via text messages or twitter.

“I saw this girl sobbing and telling her friend how she saw a bunch of people get run over by a car,” Alli Wigham, WHS grad (‘15) and OSU sophomore said.

It was a chaotic moment on campus, as students and

professors alike scrambled to organize and stay safe.

“Some people hid in the bathroom, some of us stayed in classrooms and put belts on the doors; the school alert system was really good at keeping us informed and told us right away that there was an active shooter,” Shiyuan Wang (‘16), OSU freshman said.

Although the students’ preparation for a situation of this caliber was minimal, both Columbus police and campus police were quick to respond to the initial 911 call and arrived at the scene of the attack almost immediately.

“It was a really good response from Columbus Police Dept. and campus police were able to safely lock down campus for about two hours,” Katie Ward

(‘16), OSU freshman, said.

The students interviewed said, generally, they felt safe with the measures taken in reaction to the attack. According to Ben Snoddy, (‘15), OSU sophomore, although students did not participate in full on campus drills, they were sent periodic emails about safety procedures and they felt reassured by the police rapid response. “[The police] did the best job they could; he was literally taken out in 60 seconds,” Snoddy said.

Although the ALICE training scenarios Wigham received at WHS were not applicable to the given situation, she said she would have utilized some of her background from previous ALICE training if she had encountered the attacker.

What we know:

-Abdul Razak Ali Artan attack students and members of campus on the morning of Nov. 28.

-Artan drove his car into a crowd of people and stabbed several of them.

-Eleven people were injured.

Info courtesy of cnn.com

TRENDS

THE WOOSTER BLADE | DEC. 2, 2016 | PAGE 5

Alternative Gift Ideas: Gifts delivered POPSUGAR

From fashion to beauty, fitness, home and food, PopSugar contains a whole range of full-sized products with the option of a regular subscription ($39.95/mo.) to a mini subscription ($15.95/mo.).

EMMA STRONG

Causebox is a quarterly subscription box that features brands and items dedicated to doing good all over the world. Five to eight of seasonal lifestyle products are included for $54.95 a month.

Say It With A Sock is a subscription box for adults who like to make a fashion statement with their socks. For only $9.99 a month plus $3 shipping, funky socks will be delivered right at the door for subscribers to mix and match.

SAY IT WITH A SOCK

OWLCRATE

OwlCrate is a Young Adult book subscription that includes other small gadgets and knick-knacks for the book lover. The price begins at $29.99 a month.

CAUSEBOX

BEAUTCON BOX

Curated by popular YouTube personalities, the BeautyCon Box is a quarterly beauty subscription box that sends a mix of beauty and accessory items. For $29 plus $6.99 shipping, all items can match with a variety of YouTube tutorials.

Abebooks.com is a website built for buying and selling first editions and rare books. Use the advanced search tool to find a specific edition or browse the site’s collections. Sellers must fill out an application and individual sellers can also be contacted for more information through the website.

For a handmade gift, covering items like a picture frame, large cardboard letter, or jar with old book pages using mod podge is a simple way to create a personalized gift.

In downtown Wooster, Books in Stock is somewhere to find used and rare books. Old books can also be donated for in-store credit, making this an even more affordable gift option for book lovers.

Gift boxes

CHRIS ROCHE With the holiday season right around the corner, gift ideas are in high demand.

It can be hard to find the gift that is just right for someone; however, gift boxes are a new type of gift that can be the right gift for someone.

Gift boxes have recently become popular gift ideas.

A gift box consists of a subscription service where monthly or annual payments are a made and, in return, a gift box is delivered.

Some of these gift box services include, the WoofBox, a treat delivery service for dogs and Loot box, a toy gift box for people who like books, television shows and movies.

Gift boxes offer a tailored gift experience for anyone from a loving family member to a man’s best friend.

THE WOOSTER BLADE | FEATURE | DEC. 2, 2016 | PAGE 6

What is the “Before I die� wall?

After battling deep depression, New Orleans Artist, Candy Chang, created an anonymous wall on an abandoned house in her neighborhood where people could post their aspirations for the world to see, according to beforeidie.cc.

Walls became a huge hit; now over 1,000 Before I Die Walls have been created in over 35 different languages and in over 70 countries, according to beforeidie.cc. One of these walls is in Wooster, at the restaurant Spoon Market.

Spoon Owner, Patrice Smith, first discovered the walls while visiting her son in Asheville, NC. Smith paid for the stencils, as they are copyrighted, and the wall took only one afternoon to complete.

The wall is behind Spoon, facing S. Walnut St. Anyone can post appropriate responses on the wall.

FEATURE Blurb written by Isabelle Cannon Quotes compiled by Hannah Knapic At WHS, on Nov. 17 period study halls were asked what they want to accomplish the goals below before they die.

THE WOOSTER BLADE | FEATURE | DEC. 2, 2016 | PAGE 7

Contest inspires interdisciplinary creativity Kaylee Peet (12)

Emily Kemmerer (11)

RACHEL WOOD “Chemotherapy” and “heart disease” are words that rarely come to mind when viewing an oil painting, but eXpressions, a contest sponsored by the Cleveland Clinic, is inspiring students to incorporate medical research into their creative endeavors.

According to the Cleveland Clinic website, the eXpressions contest enables art, English or math students to create projects that interpret a medical study performed by high school interns at the Cleveland Clinic.

Students can view the data

collected by interns on various topics, and are then free to create anything from sculptures to short stories to scatterplots that embody the medical subject. They must also submit a 100-word explanation of how their project interprets the research, according to the Cleveland Clinic website.

Numerous WHS art students participated this year, including Emily Kemmerer (11).

Kemmerer created a 3D piece that interpreted chemotherapy dosing in obese patients.

“I [show] a woman being lifted by a male form that represents chemotherapy… the therapy is giving life to her, shown by colored oil

paint and colored wire spirals that surround the woman,” Kemmerer said.

WHS Art Dept. member Tricia Taggart said the contest is both challenging and rewarding.

“I love linking the arts to [other] subjects… and seeing the personal connections students make with the medical research, the conversations they are prompted to have,” Taggart said.

Winners of the eXpressions contest will be announced by February 2017.

WHS students seeking to participate in next year’s contest should visit the Cleveland Clinic website for more information.

Chey Sprinkle (12)

Cleveland Clinic eXpressions

Kaitlyn Watts (12)

E v a n R i c e (12)

Summer Miller (11)

Photos courtesy of Tricia Taggart

ON CAMPUS

THE WOOSTER BLADE | DEC. 2, 2016 | PAGE 8

ERIN O’DONNELL

review of 2016, collaborations

cover editor

at Cornerstone Elementary School, a cover section based around the theme of growing up and “post secrets,” which are anonymously submitted secrets from WHS students.

Adviser Kristi Hiner said Walmart awarded The EDGE the Walmart Community Grant for this student production two years ago. Hiner said one of the main aspects of the grant was to also encourage

The Wooster Blade beginning production of its third literary/newsmagazine, The EDGE, and plans for its mid-December or early January.

Co-editors-in-chief, Isabelle Cannon (12) and Estelle Shaya (11), are working alongside their editors and many more

to create this showcase of student of the t a l e n t magazine throughout to work the district. alongside Graphics n d manager MADISON CULVER-LEE a include and news the work section editor Ryan Miller states that The of younger students of the EDGE The Wooster Wooster City School District, Blade in that the magazine not just WHS students.

WHS student submissions is a bit more design oriented.

“With smaller pages and will be accepted until Dec. 8, and while the editors can allowed ourselves more not guarantee publication room to be creative in our of every submission, they design,” Cannon said. look forward to accepting many submissions The magazine will include as several sections: submissions as possible, Shaya said.

Students who wish to submit from WHS students in the forms of writing and art, a news artwork or writing may see section featuring a timeline-style Cannon, Shaya or Hiner.

GRANT PEABODY

The Edge publication of school year

WHS welcomes Fairy Godmother Project HANNA MORGAN feature editor Fairy godmothers grant wishes, and that is the goal of the Fairy Godmother Project in Wayne County, which gives selected girls a chance to have a perfect fairy tale like Prom night.

The project stems from OHuddle, which is “A Nonprofit Mentoring Program For Your Neighborhood,” as stated on their website, ohuddle.org OHuddle was brought to Wayne County in response to their awareness of various stellar youth who desired to attend Prom, but were prevented from going

because of financial problems.

Mary Marshall is an intervention specialist at EWMS and is one of the lead members for the collaborative group that is running the Fairy Godmother project in Wooster. this project, and when she was notified about it, she could not wait to get started.

“Our goal is to provide deserving young ladies with a true fairy tale She stated that each girl will be assigned their own “fairy godmother,” and will get to choose a dress they get to keep.

The girls will also be given complimentary Prom tickets.

Amanda Terakedis, WHS

administrative intern, has been collecting dresses that have been donated from community members throughout the past year.

Marshall said that five girls will be chosen to participate this year, but she hopes in

the following years.

“We hope that through this program, we can make positive things happen,” Marshall said.

The project committee running the Fairy Godmother program appreciates all of the gently used dresses that have been donated.

If people would like to contribute additional dresses, Terakedis said they should drop them off at the high school main office.

FOCUS

THE WOOSTER BLADE | DEC. 2, 2016 | PAGE 9

Wooster Volunteer Network Service Houses aid community Boys and Girls Club:

“For our program house, my housemates and I volunteer two hours a week at the Boys and Girls Club of Wooster. We dedicate our time to helping students with homework, playing board games and sports with them and simply being a familiar face for them to connect with during their time at Boys and Girls Club. We have found that the

Local Roots:

that it is a great way to get involved easily in our community, as well as get to go through our volunteer experiences with a group of people who are going through the same thing. We use our house as a way of communication and a space to get ready to go and volunteer each week.”

-Program Coordinator Mallory Crane

Cornerstone PlayLab:

“With the Cornerstone PlayLab Program, we have a few COW students go to Cornerstone Elementary School every day to play and facilitate games with the kids during recess.

While we did the same thing last year, our experiwelcome change. Being involved with a service house has a number of perks: having the opportunity to live in a house is obviously one of opportunity to work with the elementary school and increase our connectivity with the Wooster community, something that can sometimes to be tough to do without an outlet like our program.”

-Program Coordinator Sarah Vonck

Girl Scouts House:

“The Girl Scouts House is a group of 10 girls at the College of Wooster who live together and lead local girl scout troops. We helped to create two new troops with the Girl Scouts of Ohio’s heartland this year. The members of our program house help our Girl Scouts earn badges, sell cookies and serve the Wooster community. Many of our program members are former Girl Scouts ourselves, and we’re enjoying working with the next generation of Girl Scouts. Being a part of a service house is a great way to live in a positive and close community with other students, and to gain leadership skills through community service.”

- Program Coordinator Nan Denette

“Basically our house volunteers at the food co-op Local Roots, which operates on the work of volunteers. Our consistent hours give them the opportunity to give us jobs like cleaning and working the cash register so that the actual employees can work with the local producers to better serve them and the customers. We, as a house, especially love the large events that Local Roots hosts since it gives better opportunity to serve the community.”

- Program Coordinator Matt Kelly

Service house backstory The original Wooster Volunteer Network service houses began in the 1970s.

Since then many new houses have popped up, with some even being founded as recently as this year. WVN asks that each house completes anywhere from six to to review the month’s activities.

According to WVN Board member Lydia Barr, the ser“I would say the current WVN believes the purpose of the service house is to cultivate a culture of service through establishing an environment where students are the purpose of their work. We hope this allows students to form a stronger connection with both the community they volunteer for, as well as the students they volunteer with,” Barr said.

Each service house serves a unique purpose and connects its members with their community.

Quotes collected by Ryan Miller Photos by Grant Peabody Blurbs by Ryan Miller

THE WOOSTER BLADE | FOCUS | DEC. 2, 2016 | PAGE 10

Original techniques provide fresh take on studying for exams Relaxing in the hot tub

Teaching a

Relaxation is often cited as an integral part of the learning. Studies conducted by the California Institute of Technology have proven the brain

in the hot tub? Laminate your notes, invite some friends over and have a laid back study session.

memory

John Nestojko, a psychological researcher at Washington University in St. Louis, conducted a study that found learners preparing to teach material absorb the information more preparing to be tested on the material.

Teaching the material to a friend can help you learn the material.

While using these original studying techniques or more traditional methods, try

studied and help you recall the material, according to research done at Hanover College.

written by Austin McCully.

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

THE WOOSTER BLADE | DEC. 2, 2016 | PAGE 11

Wayne Center for the Arts performs Nutcracker this December EVAN DOAN views editor

This December, the Wayne Center for the Arts will be performing The Nutcracker in the WHS PAC. Katie Newlon, Dance program coordinator at the WCA, explained the prevalence and fun of the ballet.

The Nutcracker is a timeless classical ballet that is sure to delight every audience goer,” Newlon said.

According to nutcracker. com, the classic ballet first premiered a week before Christmas in Moscow in 1892.

The story focuses on a young girl’s Christmas Eve and her awakening to the surrounding world and her discovery of romantic love.

GRANT PEABODY

Wayne Center for the Arts ballet performers diligently working on their complex dance routines during their studio time while rehearsing for their upcoming ballet, The Nutcracker. The performance premieres this weekend and continues into next weekend on the stage of the Wooster High School Performing Arts Center.

The holiday ballet came to San Francisco in 1944 and has since become one of America’s most

popular ballet performances.

Newlon is confident in the WCA’s preparation and looks

forward to the show’s premiere.

“The Wayne Center Ballet dancers have been working

very hard in preparation for this performance and they look wonderful,” Newlon said.

Dancer Gillian Fannin (12) said she enjoyed preparing for her last Nutcracker performance.

“Lots of hard work goes into making the performances great.

The instructors are all very nice and they’re always giving good feedback and making it fun,” Fannin said.

For Fannin, the most enjoyable aspect of preparation has been working with her fellow performers.

“The most fun part of it is dancing with all of the little girls. They’re so much fun to be around and they have so much energy,” Fannin said.

The Nutcracker will be performed Dec. 10 at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. and Dec. 11 at 2 p.m.

THE WOOSTER BLADE | A&E | DEC. 2, 2016 | PAGE 12

Calvin If you have read the lovable comic books Calvin and Hobbes, by Bill Watterson, you would definitely enjoy the spin-off novel titled Calvin.

It centers around a highschool boy named Calvin who has always felt a connection to the comic books: his name is the same as the main character, he was born on the day the last comic strip was published and as a child, he was given a small stuffed tiger

named Hobbes.

As a 17-yearold, Calvin has been diagnosed with schizophrenia, and Hobbes is back, as a delusion who talks to him.

Calvin embarks on an exciting adventure he believes will cure his mental illness.

This novel would make an amazing movie due to its creative plot. It has a nostalgic feel, but a very serious tone that teenagers and adults can find interesting.

The Diviners The Diviners, by Libba Bray, is a novel with the potential for an outstanding movie were it brought to the screen.

The plot of the novel, dark and suspenseful while set in the chaotic world of 1920s New York City, is never dull.

At the same time, the plot remains consistent without major holes that could ruin the story.

The novel also contains the characters that make a film great.

No character in the novel is flat; each evolves and grows,

while being tortured by his or her inner demons.

As for one of the most important moments in a movie, the climax, the novel creates a scene that could stand alone in film. All of the separate plot elements combine at this moment with action and suspense into what would make an amazing movie scene.

If directed right, The Diviners could become the next summer blockbuster hit.

Books that should have movie adaptations Eggs Eggs by Jerry Spinelli should be made into a movie.

Eggs is the story of 9-year-old David and 13-year-old Primrose who become friends through mutual losses they have experienced.

David’s mother passed away in an accident, and his father was never really in his life, leaving him to stay with his grandmother.

There, he meets Primrose, who lives with her strange mother who tells fortunes out of a van and has

never met her father.

This book explains the loss both characters experience and how they cope by forming their friendship.

This book should be made into a movie because it is a great story of friendship prevailing in times of hardship and has a good method of informing young children about coping with loss and grief.

The Other Side of the Island Recent years have seen many dystopian novels, but Allegra Goodman’s The Other Side of the Island is a unique member of this genre that would make an excellent movie.

Set in a future Earth ravaged by extreme weather, the story is told through the eyes of Honor Greenspoon, who has been relocated to one of the few remaining islands on the planet.

Since most of Earth’s land and inhabitants were destroyed by a flood, the society that emerges is centered on fear of the

natural world.

While Honor grows up believing the government can protect her from nature if she fits into the social order, catastrophic events on her island soon leave her questioning these beliefs.

This story provides the emotional weight needed for a great movie, while raising crucial questions about the environment, family, and governmental protections.

SPORTS

THE WOOSTER BLADE | DEC. 2, 2016 | PAGE 13

GYMNASTICS

BOYS’ BASKETBALL

The gymnastics team counts on their strong returning gymnasts, as well as promising newcomers to achieve another undefeated league season.

Deb Knapic, head gymnastics coach, said the team has no seniors competing and they rely on leadership from their three returning junior captains, Sarah Weeks, Aleesha Vaughn and Hannah Knapic.

Knapic also said the team is making great strides and learning new skills.

“Coming off an undefeated league season last year, I know that is high on the list for all of us for this year as well. Then to finish as high as possible in the sectional meet with hopes to move on in the tournament,” Knapic said.

The team’s first competition is Dec. 15 at Massillon High School and their first home meet is Jan 7.

With a league record of 11-3 last season, the boys’ basketball team looks to continue building its strong core and depth.

With seven seniors and eight returning lettermen, two year letterman and four year member of the program, Ben Wiest (12), says the team has great depth to work hard on both ends of the court.

“Us all being on the same page, is extremely important. When everyone is working together on both ends and following coach’s game plan, we will be a hard team to play against,” Wiest said. at Massillon Washington at 7:30 p.m.

Colton Sparks (11) is looking to make a splash in his second year on varsity.

Returning letter recipient Alyssa Sims (10) prepares her bar routine.

Wooster sports teams prepare for coming winter competitions 2016-2017 Winter Sports preview

CHEERLEADING

The Generals Girls’ basketball team is on the rebound from last year with head coach, Mike Baus and assistant coaches Kelly Shetler, Andy Nicholson and Emily Morgan.

Varsity player Izzy Rico (11) is confident in the team’s new talent and leadership, “I’m excited for this season because we have a lot of talent and the potential to have a successful year,” Rico said.

The girls basketball team has an away game against Buchtel tomorrow at 7:30 p.m.

Cheerleading is beginning its winter basketball season, after Duper Pallotta, head cheerleading coach, says her team is strong, athletic and ready for the season.

“They strive for perfection, they’re tight knit… they truly know the want to succeed not only for their own personal satisfaction, but for each other. These attributes are consecutive years,” Pallotta said Pallotta says they are already working on their routines for a University on Jan. 29.

The teams will be cheering on the boys basketball teams at every game, starting tonight in Massilon Washington.

GIRLS’ BASKETBALL

Kaitlyn Watts (12), Jillian Schneider (11), Amber Swigart (11), Kaila Taylor (11) and Adrian Evans (12) practice chants in preparation for their upcoming games.

Captain Skylar Clapp (12) hopes to leave a mark in her last basketball season.

Blurbs by: Grant Peabody, Evan Doan and Maddy Nacci.

Photos by: Grant Peabody, Madison Culver-Lee, Hannah Knapic and Chelsea Patterson.

THE WOOSTER BLADE | SPORTS | DEC 2, 2016 | PAGE 14

Winter sports start their seasons with high expectations BOYS’ SWIMMING The boys’ swim team is adapting quickly to their new coach,Foreign Language Dept. member Chris Matthew.

“They’re outstanding. They’re training really hard and getting used to a new coach is difficult, but they’re stepping up to the plate,” Matthew said.

Connor Orr (12), Matthew Chidsey (12) and Nathaniel Cornelius (12) are captains.

“We lost two coaches this year, two coaches we loved very much, but we’re making it work,” Orr said.

Both Matthew and Orr were quick to laud the work ethics of the captains and newcomers such as Kyle Ward (9), Thomas Matthew (9) and Patrick Parker (11).

Orr and Matthew said the team is striving to win OCC again and perform well in the Northeast Aquatic Conference.

GIRLS’ SWIMMING The girls’ swim team is not only ready for the season, but they are prepared for success.

Head coach Chris Matthew, Foreign Language Dept. member, speaks highly of her young and talented team. “This year is a great year for us, we are young and strong,” Matthew said.

Not only does the team have strong newcomers, but many returning letter winners. Sophia Davis (12), team captain and state qualifier, is not only confident about her team, but also said that because the team has been training at a higher intensity, they will go far.

The girls’ next meet is at Warren G. Harding High School tomorrow.

preparation for the swim teams home meet on Nov. 29.

WRESTLING Coming into the 2016-2017 winter sports season, the wrestling team is prepared for a competitive year.

Coached by History Dept. member Don Rammel, and led by captains Brad Stoll (11), Avery Winans (12) and Chad Courtemanche (12), the Generals wrestlers went 5-9 last year and look to improve their record this upcoming season.

Stoll (11) said he looks forward most to the hammer match between Wooster and Orrville, an ongoing competition in which the winner receives a sledgehammer.

According to Courtemanche (12), the underclassman to watch for this season will be Jake Burns (9).

The next meet will take place at Madison on Dec. 3 at 9 a.m.

BOWLING The bowling team has rolled out a successful start to their season this winter.

Returning Wooster and Jr. Team USA bowler, Allie Leinendecker, (10) believes the team will continue to develop through the season.

“I think, as a team, we will continue to improve not just as bowlers, but as teammates as well,” Leinendecker said.

The WHS girls varsity and JV teams have started the season at 1-0.

The boys varsity and JV teams have started out 0-1, but expect to bounce back next match against Mansfield Sr. People may support the bowlers at their next home match at Wayne Lanes on Dec. 17 against Triway.

VIEWS

THE WOOSTER BLADE | DEC. 2, 2016 | PAGE 15

BLADE students weigh in on environmental concerns Environment Facts

Even if global warming does not impact our generation or our children, something must be done to protect the Earth for posterity’s sake. We must reduce our pollution and emissions to ensure that future generations have a planet on which to live and thrive. -John Gorman (10)

Climate change is not an opinion or a liberal issue; climate change is a scientific fact, and a direct result of human actions. The government needs to take action in the form of more funding to programs that work to reverse these toxic human behaviors before it is too late.

-Erin O’Donnell (11)

all of us, and we need to talk about it now, not after we are underwater. -Jacob Gooch (10)

The majority of Americans believe in manmade climate change and to silence this plurality would be to work against our democratic ideals. Global warming seriously threatens both our children and millions of animals around the world. Taking actions such as eliminating the EPP and putting an emphasis on coal production over renewable energy would be counterintuitive in preserving nature and our well being. -Drew Friedhoff (12)

An environmental issue that must be a concern for U.S. citizens addresses the devastating results of climate change, something that many politicians neglect to even acknowledge.

The rising sea levels can mean detrimental outcomes for local communities that are destruction of coastal cities.

-Olivia Sleek (12)

Illustration by Evan Doan.

Climate change contributes to diasasters, such as Hurricane Katrina.

Around 15% of the carbon released in the environment is due to deforestation and change in use of land.

57% of Americans think the U.S. government is not doing enough to protect the environment.

Hurricanes, droughts and coral deaths are a few of the natural disasters caused due to climate change.

Climate change enhances the spread of pests that causes lifethreatening diseases like dengue, malaria, Lyme disease, etc.

Climate change is rapidly causment of people. Floods further cause major damages by injuring and killing people. They can even cause deadly diseases by spreading

The United States constitutes 5% of the world population and contributes to 22% of the world’s carbon emission.

64% of Americans worry about global warming.

Poll data from Gallup.com Facts from conserve-energy-future.com.

THE

WOOSTER

BLADE

Editors-in-Chief Sarah Hopkins, Nate KingSmith Webmaster Alexander Thompson Graphics Managers Spencer Dilyard, Matthew Lorentz Design Managers Estelle Shaya, Isabelle Cannon Business Managers Grant Peabody, Estelle Shaya On Campus Editors Drosos Kardulias, Tatumn McGrew, Focus Editors Austin McCully ,Ryan Miller, Sports Editors A & E Editors Kayla Barnet, Nick Cosmo Trends Editors Olivia Sleek Cover Editors Erin O’Donnell, Amber Swigart, Valerie Anderson, Hannah Knapic Views Editors Evan Doan, Maureen McKeown Feature Editors Hanna Morgan, Emma Strong Staff Writers Madison Culver-Lee, Jacob Gooch, John Gorman, Glara Lee, Holly Miller, Christopher Roche, Samuel Schonfeld, Leah Sim, Rachel Dugan Wood Head Photographer Grant Peabody Photographers Madison Culver-Lee, Hannah Knapic, Tracy Morgan, Chelsea Patterson, Cartoonists Jess Lyons, Leah Sim Adviser Kristi Hiner The Wooster Blade is a biweekly student publication printed every other Friday by the Newspaper Production classes at Wooster High School. The paper is designated as an open forum and follows publishing guidelines as established in a district-wide publications policy protecting students’ freedom of expression. All copy, art and photography are property of The Wooster Blade and cannot be reproduced without permission. Letters to the editor are limited to 300 words and The Wooster Blade reserves the right to print and edit as per length and content. The Wooster Blade is a member of Quill and Scroll, National Scholastic Press Association and Columbia Scholastic Press Association. The Wooster Blade is printed in cooperation with Wooster’s The Daily Record.

Letters and inquiries should be addressed to The Wooster Blade, 515 Oldman Road Wooster, Ohio 44691. The Wooster Blade can be contacted at 330-345-4000 ext. 3210.

The newspaper can also be found at the woosterblade.com

THE VOICE OF WOOSTER HIGH SCHOOL

THE WOOSTER BLADE | VIEWS | DEC. 2, 2016 | PAGE 16

OUR VIEW

Past and present disasters cause worry In a year full of tumultuous events occurring on what seems like a daily basis, it can be easy to forget about some of the ongoing crises.

The Wooster Blade Editorial Board believes that continued support of issues such as the water crisis in Flint Michigan and the recent natural disasters in Haiti, have been overlooked in the media and it would be irresponsible for us to not raise awareness of these problems.

While The Wooster Blade Editorial Board commends the outpouring of support that traditionally rises after a catastrophe occurs, we believe the dwindling levels of support after the initial wave of support

In the wake of this past election, The Wooster Blade Editorial Board believes that frustration, misunderstanding and prejudice within our communities has been heightened this past year on both sides of the political spectrum.

Rather than assigning blame, The Wooster Blade Editorial Board would like to express the importance of trying to understand people with beliefs contrary to their own.

According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, more than 700 cases of hateful harassment and intimidation were reported in the 10 days following the election. While this is not a long enough period of time to show a trend, it is alarming nonetheless.

These cases include racist

is an issue that must be remedied.

The continuing water crisis in Flint, Mich., is a prime example of an event receiving tremendous media coverage for only a short period of time.

Coverage of the crisis essentially came to a screeching halt a few weeks after the story made headlines, but the problem did not.

According to an article from The Wall Street Journal, entitled “Flint Extends Emergency Declaration Over LeadTainted Water,” the residents of Flint still can not drink the water coming out of their faucets without additional filtration.

Subsequently, the mayor of Flint has extended

the state of emergency declared last year.

In addition, coverage of Flint was heavily politicized which took away from the overall message and changed the narrative. The Wooster Blade Editorial Board believes the coverage of a crisis should not be politically charged because the focus should be on bringing awareness to the issue.

This unfortunate phenomenon is not confined to Flint. The same pattern is seen when looking to NBC as they report, in an article titled “What Does Haiti Have To Show for $13 Billion in Earthquake Aid?”, which points out that five years after the

7.0 earthquake that shook Haiti, 85,000 people still lived in displacement camps, showing that levels of ongoing aid were not sufficient to effectively solve the issues present there.

It is imperative that we do not follow similar paths in the future. Haiti has been struck by yet another natural disaster, Hurricane Matthew, and The Wooster Blade Editorial Board asserts it is necessary that similar mistakes are not made again in relation to providing ongoing relief.

We need to be cognizant of ongoing issues, as the problems faced by the people involved in disasters like those in Haiti or Flint persist, even if media coverage does not.

after the election, President Obama urged Americans to not divide themselves along party lines, saying, “We’re not Democrats first, we’re not Republicans first.

We’re Americans… That’s what the country needs: a sense of unity, a sense of inclusion, a respect for our institutions, a respect for our way of life, rule of

law and a respect for each other.”

Whether the outcome of this election was what certain people hoped and planned for, The Wooster Blade Editorial Board urges the public to stand up for what is right in order to foster a better understanding of various points-of-view.

Graphic by Matthew Lorentz graffiti, threatening fliers, physical attacks, as well as violent protests and riots. The Wooster Blade Editorial Board condemns these actions and asks that as a nation, and as a community, we attempt to understand people with beliefs that conflict with one another.

In a speech given the day