THE WOOSTER BLADE
WOOSTER HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT NEWSPAPER • 515 OLDMAN ROAD, WOOSTER, OH • DEC. 18, 2015 • VOLUME XVI, ISSUE 7
Mad Men says farewell
Blade wins CSPA Award
Parks and Rec says farewell
A YEAR IN REVIEW Courthouse renovations commence Godspell
New shopping plaza construction begins
BOE elections
Templeton’s Coffee Shop opens downtown
Speech and Debate wins state tournament
Wooster announces Dunkin’ Donuts to come in 2016 The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
Letterman says farewell
Birdeye opens Minions movie premieres
WHS football ties for OCC champs Hotline Bling music video WHS graduate Sarah Hider is crowned “Miss Ohio” 2015
Caitlyn Jenner
WHS accepts “Rachel’s Challenge”
New Coldplay album debuts
Empire premieres
Muddy’s opens in new location
Adele releases 25
College of Wooster announces new president Tent city ceases to exist
Go Set a Watchman is published
New Star Wars premieres
Saint West born
Apple Music launches
Hunger Games series concludes
Ariana Grande doughnut scandal
Starbucks red cups controversy
2015
INDEX
THE WOOSTER BLADE | DEC. 18, 2015 2015 | PAGE 2
front section 1-2
cover 8-9
on campus
trends
4
3
feature 10-11
focus
sports 12-13
5-7
a&e 14
views 15-16
Graphics made by Samantha Brunn and Shreya Gurumurthy. Front photo taken by Becca Foley.
CORPORATE SPONSORS We would like to thank all of our
supporters for the 2015-2016 school year.
Corporate $250
BCI Buckeye Division Bogner Construction Critchfield, Critchfield & Johnson Ltd. D&S Distribution Franklin Gas and Oil Gionino’s Seaman Corporation Swigart-Braunscheidel Insurance The Pines Golf Club Wooster Glass
Correction: In our last issue we mistakenly printed that Broken Rocks Cafe recognizes patrons’ birthdays. That information was received from one person’s experience, but is not the restaurant’s policy.
Blue $500
Dyer, Roche & Company, Inc. Freeman Building System Metals USA Pine Tree Barn The Western Reserve Group Thank you to the Western Reserve Group for sponsoring our work night meal.
TRENDS Overalls returned to popularity this spring, sported by men and women alike, according to “The Top 8 Street Style Trends: Spring 2015” on harpersbazaar.com.
Spring Fringe made a comeback as fashionistas everywhere reminisced about the ‘70s, according to “Spring 2015 Trends” on vogue.com. Fringe was seen on shoes, bags, pants and blouses.
THE WOOSTER BLADE | DEC. 18, 2015 | PAGE 3
Lacy tops provided a light and stylish way to dress on hot summer days, according to en.vogue.fr.
Summer Long, flowy maxi dresses were a summer staple, bringing out every girl’s inner bohemian style, said “Top 20 trends for Spring/Summer 2015” on en.vogue.fr.
Fashion year in review: seasonal trends
Blurbs by Isabelle Cannon and Sarah Hopkins
Flared jeans are one of the most sought after fall 2015 fashion trends, according to the article “Fall 2015’s Most Wearable fashion Trends” on glamour.com
Upscale joggers made of silk or sequins are a big hit in the fashion industry for winter 2015, according to an article entitled “4 Ways to Wear Sweatpants to Thanksgiving Dinner” on Elle.com. They are the perfect piece to be comfortable, yet stylish.
Fall Fall plaid, especially red, is making a major hit on popular runways such as Chanel and Marc Jacobs, according to “The Complete 2015 Fall 2015” Trend Guide on Elle.com.
Winter Black and white are back this winter season, making a strong comeback to add to the monochromatic look, according to an article titled “Fall Winter 2015 Hottest Trends” on theblondesalad. com.
ON CAMPUS
THE WOOSTER BLADE | DEC. 18, 2015 | PAGE 4
IB students “Adopt a Family” for Christmas SHIYUAN WANG feature editor
For many, Christmas is a time for giving, and this is especially true for the Tri-County International Baccalaureate students. During this year’s holiday season, IB students adopted a family for Christmas and recently purchased and wrapped their gifts. According to Deana Worth, the IB teacher who is in charge of IB adopting a family, Jobs
HANNAH KNAPIC
IB student Levi Kaiser (11) wraps one of the presents for the Adopt a Family.
and Family Services accept applications from families encountering tough times. The IB program is then provided with the children’s first names and their wish lists before going shopping to prepare an entire holiday haul. Molly Kilbourne (11), Beth Clayton (11) and Adam Kirk (11) are some of the IB juniors who are volunteering. Students are in charge of individual tasks, such as gift wrapping or collecting donations. According to Kilbourne, this year’s family has three children and a mother, so the students are aiming to buy gifts for the entire family. “I think the holidays is a time when people who are less fortunate really feel that they are less fortunate,” Clayton said. According to Worth, IB students collected over $600 from other IB students and staff members in order to purchase gifts for a family. One of the children’s wishes was an Xbox 360, so the IB students managed to get a refurbished Xbox 360 from GameStop, and they received donations of Xbox 360 games for the child. Clayton hopes the family will enjoy their gifts, which are a mix between practical needs and the family’s wishes.
“I THINK EACH PERSON FOUND PRIDE IN WHAT THEY HAD ACCOMPLISHED,” BENNINGTON SAID. HANNAH KNAPIC
Pictured third-year staff members were page editors, designers and staff writers last year, and helped contribute to the nationally recgonized newspaper in the 2014-15 school year.
The BLADE staff receives Gold Medalist award from the CSPA annual critique SHREYA GURUMURTHY webmaster
In May of 2015, The Wooster Blade staff submitted their newspapers to the Columbia Scholastic Press Association for their annual critique. Recently, the staff discovered their paper was recognized as a Gold Medalist recipient. According to CSPA director Edward Sullivan, The Wooster Blade was one of about 1,200 schools evaluated for the 20142015 critiques. The critiques follow a 15-page evaluation form on essentials, verbal and visual presentation to award the publications a total score out of 1,000 points.
The Wooster Blade was awarded 923 points to earn the Gold Medalist recognition. “[The critique] allows us, as a staff, to reflect on what we have learned, review and set goals for our publication for this year and also see how our publication measures up within the nation in terms of scholastic journalism,” Kristi Hiner, adviser of The Wooster Blade said. Both Hiner and 2014-2015 co-editor-in-chief Taylor Bennington agree that the staff’s time and dedication is what resulted in the gold medal. “We had the ultimate quality of a staff that embraced a leadership model that was
centered around success. We were a success driven staff. The people wanted to promote a culture that rewarded success and after each issue, I think each person found pride in what they had accomplished,” Bennington said. The staff hopes to continue this success in the future. “We are going to try to implement several of our judge’s suggestions, and we will continue to uphold the qualities for which our paper was recognized as outstanding,” co-editor-in-chief Mary Grace Gorman (12) said. The Wooster Blade has won the Gold Medal 15 times in the past and has been a Silver Medalist four times.
FOCUS
THE WOOSTER BLADE | DEC 18, 2015 | PAGE 5
First Amendment closes, but owner plans to continue mission RYAN MILLER on campus
After almost three years of business, the First Amendment Public House will be closing its doors on Dec. 31. Kyle Barnes, co-owner of the First Amendment, says it was an opportune time to close. “We are closing. The timing is perfect. We put three years in and our lease came up. We had to decide whether we’re meeting our mission statement, and it got to a point where the restaurant was overtaking our goal,” Barnes said. Barnes also mentioned her interest in public debate. “My passion has always been public discussion,” Barnes said. According to their website, the First Amendment’s mission
statement is, “We believe that any problem can be solved, or at least minimized, through healthy debate and education.” The First Amendment Public House was home to many events, including public discussions and speech nights, where members from the WHS Speech and Debate team would perform for an audience and other various events. Maria Snoddy, a speech and debate parent and attendee of speech nights, said the First Amendment has been helpful to WHS Speech and Debate program and was a great place to host speech nights. “The First Amendment has been very supportive of the program. It was a wonderful venue to showcase the many talents of the team to the community,” Snoddy said.
Brian Gigax, a frequent customer of the First Amendment, recalls being impressed the first time he went into the establishment. “When I first came into this place, I realized it was the place for me. They were playing types of music that weren’t on the radio, and it was good music,” Gigax said. Gigax also noted he enjoyed the ability of civil discussion and food to bring people together. The First Amendment will continue its efforts by organizing public discussions around town through various venues A list of upcoming events will be posted on the First Amendment’s website www.1apublichouse.com, by February of 2016.
“It was a great place and cool environment.” -Kobe Russell (12)
“I’m really going to miss their tater tots; they were so good.” -Gillian Fannin (11)
“It had some good food.” -Michael Cosmo (9)
“It’s really a shame to see it go.” -Anthony Panepento (11)
THE WOOSTER BLADE | DEC. 18, 2015 | FOCUS | PAGE 6
t n a S ing
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Graphic made by Shreya Gurumurthy
Drones may soon alleviate holiday season shipping difficulties DROSOS KARDULIAS staff writer Holiday shipping is currently a busy time for postal workers, but the future may take the burden off postal workers and place it on the backs of drones. Nina Cicconetti, owner of PostNet in Wooster, states that while the holiday season’s impact on her work can vary, it is always significant.
“It is hard to determine the volume to expect in shipping from year to year. My business is usually doubled or tripled in the month of December,” Cicconetti said. This increase is consistent with the website of the United States Postal Service, which states that the 2014 holiday season resulted in the delivery of 524 million packages during the month of December alone. However, the near future
may see Amazon Prime Air delivering some of these hundreds of millions of packages via an automated drone delivery system. These drones would carry packages to their recipients within time frames as low as 30 minutes, according to Amazon. Amazon will not begin its drone program until it is considered absolutely safe under a variety of conditions. “Safety is our top priority.
Our vehicles will be built with multiple redundancies, as well as sophisticated ‘sense and avoid’ technology. We will not launch Prime Air until we are able to demonstrate safe operations,” Amazon Prime Air’s frequently asked questions page states. However, the limitations of the technology include a range as low as 10 miles, the current difficulties in coordinating airspace and a weight limit on
packages that can be delivered using the service. In the present, Cicconetti states delivery costs are being driven up by increased security, the advent of free shipping on certain items and day-specific deadlines. According to Cicconetti, items bought online are not inspected by any individuals, but security is usually done via drug-sniffing dogs and scanners in distribution centers.
THE WOOSTER BLADE | FOCUS | DEC. 18, 2015 I PAGE 7
WaCPAC presents the play The Best Christmas Pageant Ever VALERIE ANDERSON staff writer As the holiday season unfolds, many churches and theaters put on productions of famous Christmas stories. Made possible by WaCPAC, Wooster Foursquare Church hosted a production of The Best Christmas Pageant Ever. Performances, featuring community members, took place the weekends of Dec. 4 and Dec. 5 and Dec. 11 through 13. According to director Margaret Leatherman, the play tells the story of the Herdmans, a family full of delinquent children who lie, bully other children and are troublemakers in the community. When they hear
the news of the annual church Christmas pageant, they bully their way into the main roles and start to wreak major havoc. In the end, what some feared would be the worst pageant in the history of the church turns out to be pretty special and causes the community to rethink the real meaning of the Christmas story. WHS student Daniel Carpenter (10) played the role of Ralph Herdman, the oldest of the many Herdman children. He began to relate to his character throughout rehearsals. “I have brothers at home and we tend to rough house a bit, but I try not to take it too far,” Carpenter said. The church hosted an audience of all ages throughout
MEGAN BUSS
Andrew Sarri, as Charlie Bradley, acts out a scene in front of his fellow castmates during a rehearsal that took place on Dec. 10. Performances took place during Dec. 4 and 5 and Dec. 11 through Dec. 13.
the weekend, showcasing the message that The Best Christmas Pageant Ever holds. “Our actors range from five to 70 years of age. We all work together as a team to make the play a success,” Leatherman shared. Jenette Karger, 31, playing Grace Bradley, the lead role, was glad to share an important message this holiday season. “I am excited that we get to entertain the audience. All and all, it is a lovely story with a valuable message…The theme is that sometimes we judge others based on their actions, but maybe the bad kids need an opportunity to learn, grow, and thrive,” Karger said. Even with no snow on the ground, the actors and actresses got to spread Christmas cheer.
Great Lakes Theater presents:
A sensory-friendly Christmas Carol CHLOE LANDERS trends editor
The Great Lakes Theater production team put on a sensory-friendly performance of A Christmas Carol at the Ohio Theater in Playhouse Square. Director of Educational Services at the Great Lakes Theater, Kelly Florian, explained how the cast and viewers cherish these sensory-friendly plays. The company takes pride in having a wide variety of accommodations for those who attend these plays. Some of those accommodations include: keeping lights at half dim rather than turning them completely off, keeping doors open to the lobby to allow those who need to leave to be able to do so, and having quiet rooms with bean bag chairs, toys and tents for those needing a break. “The mission of Great Lakes Theater, through its main stage productions and its education programs, is to bring the pleasure, power and relevance of classic theater to the widest possible audience,” Florian said. Thomas Kelbley, psychologist with the Cuyahoga County Board of Developmental Disabilities, has been working with the company production for its third year of A Christmas Carol. Kelbley said the Ohio theater has a warm atmosphere that makes the performance not only enjoyable, but magical. “Folks with developmental disabilities may not have ever seen or experienced live theater, with all of the encompassing richness of sound and wealth of visual delight. And it is truly an experience reflecting emotional involvement of a very positive emotional response,” Kelbley said. The stage manager, Tim Kinzel, said this production is a very important aspect to the theater as well. “We understand why some families are unable to attend normal performances, but it shouldn’t stop them from being able to witness the magic of live theater,” Kinzel said. The company is also planning for a sensory-friendly play of the Fantasticks in May at the Hanna Theatre in Playhouse Square.
COVER
THE WOOSTER BLADE | DEC. 18, 2015 | PAGE 8
The Wooster Blade looks back at events that shaped this year.
A Year in Review
2015
FEB. APRI
Marijuana usage becomes legal in Alaska
L inWSaolter Scott is
JUNE
uth C
H C R A M
killed na
aroli
Supreme Court rules in favor of same sex marriage
AUG. U.S. wom en
Headlines compiled by Katie Ward Chosen events are writer’s opinion
Paris te r attacks ror occur
OCT.
Attacks on Charlie Hebdo take place
nister i M e m Pri Israeli n Netanyahu i Benjam Congress ses addres
MAY
s first e t e l p m NASA co luto P flyby of
wins W ’s orld C soccer tea up m
NOV.
JAN.
ever
“Fight of the Century” Floyd Mayweather beats Manny Pacquiao
JULY
. T P SE
s
isit v s i ranc tes F e Pop ed Sta Unit
Bombing of MetroJet flight 9268
DEC.
Mass shooting takes place in San Bernardino, Calif.
THE WOOSTER BLADE | COVER | DEC. 18, 2015 | PAGE 9
Ahmed Mohamed
Ahmed Mohamed made international headlines when he was only 14 years old. He was arrested for bringing a homemade clock to school because school officials mistook it for a bomb. According to an Oct. 27 Time article entitled, “The 30 Most Influential Teens of 2015,” his arrest prompted a national discussion on the racial profiling of people of Middle Eastern descent. Mohamed received support ranging from presidential candidates to major news organizations to even a personal meeting with President Obama, and now plans to attend a prestigious school in Qatar.
Malala Yousafzai already made headlines in 2012, when she was shot in the head by the Taliban for bravely standing up for the right of girls to receive an education. In 2015, she became the youngest person to win the Nobel Peace Prize and continues much of her work advocating for an education for all children. According to an Oct. 27 Time article entitled, “The 30 Most Influential Teens of 2015,” she celebrated her 18th birthday by traveling to a Syrian refugee camp in Lebanon to open a school.
Malala Yousafzai
Laverne Cox
Star of Orange Is the New Black, Laverne Cox has made waves in the transgender community for being an proud icon for LGBT people in Hollywood. In an op-ed for Time on April 16, Jazz Jennings wrote, “...having someone as visible and strong as Laverne Cox to look up to is inspiring. She’s done so many amazing things—not just acting on Orange Is the New Black , but also loving herself enough to share her story with the world. She’s a pioneer for our community.”
Originally starting out as a Vine star with 4.3 million followers, 17-year-old Shawn Mendes is a breakout star in the music industry. According to an Oct. 27 Time article entitled, “The 30 Most Influential Teens of 2015,” he was the youngest star to top the Billboard 200 ever since Justin Bieber, and was even an opening act for Taylor Swift in her massive 1989 world tour. His hit single, “Stitches,” is now in the top 10 in the United States, Canada, Sweden and more countries around the world.
Shawn Mendes Blurbs compiled by Shiyuan Wang and Tatumn McGrew Blurbs are writers’ opinion.
2015
The most influential people of Joshua Wong
Hong Kong became the center of the international stage when citizens of Hong Kong demanded a more democratic government in the famous umbrella revolution. According to an Oct. 27 Time article entitled, “The 30 Most Influential Teens of 2015,” Joshua Wong was one of the core leaders of the thousands of peaceful demonstrators, mostly student activists, who assembled in the city’s public squares. The umbrella revolution also became a trending hashtag on Twitter.
Pope Francis, “has described himself as a sinner, and his nonjudgmental views on contentious church issues such as sexual orientation and divorce have brought hope to millions of Roman Catholics around the world,” said Desmond Tutu for Time Magazine. on April 16. His trip to America also helped him gain recognition for innovative approach to the papacy.
Pope Francis
Vladimir Putin
Kanye West left his mark on 2015. “Kanye does think... And he wants everybody else to do the same: to engage, question, push boundaries. Now that he’s a pop-culture juggernaut, he has the platform to achieve just that. He’s not afraid of being judged or ridiculed in the process,” wrote Elon Musk for Time on April 16. His 2014 marriage to Kim Kardashian and the recent birth of their second child, Saint West, helped Kayne gain more influence of society.
Although Vladimir Putin is often overlooked by Americans when considering influential people, he has definite influence in the world. The amount of power Putin has gained in Russia has skyrocketed his popularity and his ability to stand up to Western powers, “in ways that boost his popularity in a country suffering through an economic meltdown, for which his own policies are largely responsible,” according to Ian Bremmer for Time on April 16.
Kanye West
THE WOOSTER BLADE | DEC. 18, 2015 | PAGE 10
Who is your favorite holiday icon? Poll conducted the week of Dec. 7. A total of 222 people participated in the poll. Polls were distributed by Evan Doan, Emma Jeries and Maureen McKeown. Red- change to section color Blue- ask Samantha for coordinating color Grey- leave it as is
Graphics by Spencer Dilyard, Nate King-Smith and Shreya Gurumurthy. Photos fair use courtesy of Warner Bros., New Line Cinema, Hughes Entertainment and 20th Century Fox, sweetdream87 via deviant ART and Keith Williamson via Flickr.
Buddy the Elf: 17% Santa Claus: 13% Rudolph: 9% Kevin McCallister: 8% The Grinch: 7% Frosty the Snowman: 5% Clark Griswold: 4% Jack Frost: 4% The Gingerbread Man: 3% Heat Miser: 3% Scrooge: 3% Snow Miser: 3% Mrs. Claus: 2% Elf on the Shelf: 1% Other: 18%
FEATURE
THE WOOSTER BLADE | FEATURE | DEC. 18, 2015 | PAGE 11
A snapshot into the Burchett family’s life with quadruplets: Photos by Maggie Flechler
The family used around
6,000 diapers during their first year with PHOTO COURTESY OF TABITHA BURCHETT
PHOTO COURTESY OF TABITHA BURCHETT
PHOTO COURTESY OF TABITHA BURCHETT
quadruplets.
Raising quadruplets presents challenges and rewards MARY GRACE GORMAN co-editor-in-chief
If two is company and three is a crowd, then what are four and five? Local couple Tabitha and Shane Burchett discovered the answer to that riddle when they welcomed quadruplets last December, bringing their total number of children to five, counting their then four-yearold daughter, Brielle. Brock, Grayson, Hadley and Corbin turned one on Dec. 15. The couple recalled discovering they were expecting four babies. “I didn’t believe my wife at first, and then once I looked at the ultrasound pictures, it was, ‘How are we going to do this?’” Shane said. However, the pregnancy went incredibly smoothly. “I worked up until I delivered
them. So, we delivered them at 32, almost 33 weeks. I really didn’t have any complications at all... I went shopping on Black Friday and we delivered them 15 days later. We did everything, it was just like a normal pregnancy,” Tabitha explained. The babies were in the hospital for two weeks, and once they came home, the family soon fell into a routine. “All six of us go drop Brielle off at school every morning. And they usually take a nap then. Most of the time I’m by myself,” Tabitha said. She explained Shane is around for a few hours before he heads off to work second shift, and her sister Jessica Zimmerman picks Brielle up from school and comes over for an hour each afternoon. Brielle also assists her parents. “Brielle’s a big helper. If it’s bath night, she watches two
while I give two a bath. But I’m not very far away. She
“...THE MOST REWARDING IS WHEN THEY ALL COME TO YOU AND WANT TO BE HELD AND SNUGGLED,” TABITHA REFLECTED. helps entertain them while I get dinner ready. They like to watch her dance,” Tabitha said. Furthermore, running errands is nearly impossible. “To go to the grocery store, you have to have two carts, and then you have to have a place to put the groceries… Today, we went to Aldi’s because
they have double seats, and so I went by myself, and I took all four of them, and we made it. Usually, if we have to go there, I take Brielle, because she can take one cart,” Tabitha explained. Quadruplets present the same difficulties as singletons, but those difficulties are amplified. “The most challenging is when they’re all crying and you can’t get to them all. It takes forever to make four bottles and get out here to give them to them, and they’re all crying, so it’s a little frustrating,” Tabitha said. Zimmerman noted that the transition into toddlerhood brings new challenges. “Now that they’re all mobile, keeping track of them [is most challenging]. I watched three of them the other week when Hadley had a doctor’s appointment and I lost Grayson a couple times, and they were gated,” Zimmerman said.
But, having so many children around can also be rewarding. “I’m always buried. Sometimes I go, ‘Oh my gosh, I don’t think I’m going to make it through the day,’ but in the end, it’s really all about the kids…The most rewarding is when they all come to you and want to be held and snuggled, when they’re not crying. And in the morning when they’re so happy to see you, it’s so fun,” Tabitha reflected. The future will hold challenges of its own for both the children and for their parents. “How am I going to teach them all to drive at once?” Shane remarked. But for now, the family thinks in the short term. Tomorrow holds a superherothemed birthday party, next week, they will face one-yearold shots, and finally, the family of seven’s first Christmas at home together.
SPORTS
THE WOOSTER BLADE | DEC. 18 , 2015 | PAGE 12
Kaitlyn Fast dives her way into the WHS records books GRANT PEABODY sports editor With a score of 235 on six dives, Kaitlyn Fast (12) recently broke the previous record at Youngstown State University on 12/5. Lizzie Wagoner held the previous record with a score off 221 in 2013. Kaitlyn Fast is in her fourth year on the diving team and is off to a hot start this season. “She told me last year that she was going to train all summer, and that’s what she did, and she has improved a lot,” coach Chris Matthew comments on Kaitlyn’s work in the offseason. Kaitlyn’s goals for the season included making it to States and breaking the school record. With one of her two goals already accomplished and much of the season left, Fast is
GRANT PEABODY
Kaitlyn Fast performing a front double. determined to make it to States. “My favorite part about diving has been getting to see the same divers from other schools for four years and getting to know them and becoming like a little
diving family,” Fast said. With so much precision and detail put into every dive, Kaitlyn says consistency is one of the hardest parts of being a diver. “Even though you can practice a dive 100 times, it’s extremely hard to be perfectly consistent all the time,” Kaitlyn said. To Kaitlyn’s surprise, she was on track to breaking the school record. “I actually had no idea during the meet that I was on my way to breaking it, and I was extremely happy and excited when I found out,” Fast said. Fiona Davis, one of Fast’s teammates, said Kaitlyn is very inspirational to her team. “Kait is so motivational and always positive at practice and at meets no matter what,” Davis said. Their next meet is tonight at Cleveland State University.
“She acts like an older sister to me, she always offers great tips and is always smiling and laughing. Her presence takes the pressure and stress out of the meets. She is a great role model and is so determined to succeed.” - Fiona Davis (9)
Wooster and Princeton together again! Every year since 2002, U.S. News and World Report has asked college presidents and deans to name schools with outstanding undergraduate research opportunities and senior capstone programs. Only two have made both lists every year: Wooster and Princeton.
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THE WOOSTER BLADE | SPORTS | DEC. 18, 2015 | PAGE 13
SEASON PREVIEW: Wooster wrestling & gymnastics NATE KING-SMITH graphics manager
The WHS wrestling team last year had a winning record of 8-7 and set a school record for the most dual meet wins, with a grand total of eight. With such a solid previous year, the 2015 wrestling team is
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ERIN O’DONNELL staff writer
The gymnastics team is leaping off to a successful start to their season, with a victory at their first meet. The girls won their meet against Perry, 123 points to 110 points. Coach Deb Knapic sees this victory as foreshadowing a good season. “I believe we will finish very well in the season this year; one of our tough competitors is now behind us … The first meet does a lot to tell us where we stand, and what we need to improve to keep getting better,” Knapic said. Nine girls are on the team this year. Seven of the girls are returning WHS gymnasts
Photos taken by Grant Peabody
highly anticipating the season to come. Chad Courtemanche (11) is entering his second year of wrestling and hopes to beat the previous record set last year, which would also push the Wooster wrestling program above 250 wins in its history. Alongside his aspirations for the team’s achievements, Courtemanche is also optimistic about how they look as a whole for the upcoming
to t a
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season. “The team looks really promising as we have a lot of new
freshmen who show the will to work hard and succeed. We have filled every weight class, which we could not do last year,” Courtemanche said. This growth in
the
into
and two are freshmen. The four seniors, Becca Foley, Jenna Zhu, Elizabeth Weeks and Camila Herrada, are the four captains of the team. Teamwork and camaraderie are very important to the team, according to Aleesha Vaughn (10), returning varsity gymnast. Vaughn says of the captains, “They’re all amazing teammates and great friends. They all have great attitudes and are good role models for the underclassmen.” Early in the season, the team’s strengths include growing confidence in routines and strength on the floor event, according to Vaughn. The gymnastics team’s next meet is Dec. 22 versus Cloverleaf at home.
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numbers allows the team to have promising new wrestlers and the ability to fill all weight classes. Brad Stoll (10) is also entering his second year of wrestling and is expecting another solid season from the team. “Well, compared to last year’s season, I think we’ll have a pretty decent year, considering we lost a lot of experienced wrestlers. We have also gained a lot of new wrestlers with potential that will definitely benefit the team,” Stoll said. The team’s co-captains are Avery Winnnings (11) and Kory Hershberger (11). Hershberger says the team is making good progress, as they are working towards 250 program wins this year. Following a successful previous year, the wrestling team is looking forward to another strong season. Their next match will be tomorrow at Brooklyn High School.
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Beauty and the Beast January
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Beauty & the Beast meet returns for a third year AUSTIN MCCULLY staff writer
WHS will host its third annual Beauty and the Beast event on Jan. 2. Beauty and the Beast is a dualmeet for the girls’ gymnastics team and the boys’ wrestling team. The gymnastics team will compete against Triway, Brunswick, Orrville and Glen Oak; the wrestling team will compete against Port Clinton and Smithville. According to gymnastics coach Deb Knapic, the event was inspired by Kent State University. Wrestler Brad Stoll (10) says the event displays the versatility of student-athletes. “Beauty and the Beast is held to see both aspects of studentathletes’ strength, as wrestlers are strong in their toughness and power, while gymnasts are strong in their precision and artistic abilities,” Stoll said. Gymnast Aleesha Vaughn (10) spoke to the uniqueness of the event. “It’s a lot bigger since we have [both] meets going on; it’s something different which makes it a lot of fun for us and the wrestlers.” The meet will be held in the main gym at 2 p.m.
THE WOOSTER BLADE | DEC. 18, 2015 | PAGE 14
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
The 12 Days of Christmas: best holiday activities to prepare for Santa’s arrival 1
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A Very Murray Christmas, released on Netflix Dec. 4, follows Bill Murray’s struggle to prepare for a holiday show filming in New York City. The musical comedy is directed by award-winning screenwriter Sofia Coppola and features guest stars such as Amy Poehler, Michael Cera and Miley Cyrus, according to vox.com.
This year, take a drive to Columbus to experience the Wild Lights. Each year, Columbus Zoo sets up the brilliant Wild Lights display, which contains over 3 million lights according to the Columbus Zoo’s website. Tickets cost $12.
Located in Medina, Castle Noel is America’s largest indoor Christmas entertainment attraction, according to castlenoel.com, and is open year round. Inside, they boast an impressive array of costumes from hit Christmas films such as How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Elf, The Santa Clause and more. Tickets are $16.
Christmas Vacation is the story of Clark Griswold’s endeavors to prepare for his extended family’s yearly gathering. The dysfunctional characters and never-ending jokes throughout the film make it a holiday favorite for many. Christmas Vacation will air on ABC Family at 7 p.m. on Dec. 20.
Spending a day baking and trying recipes for anything from pies to cheesecake can be very satisfying. Once the sweets are all made, they can be given to friends and family and can brighten up someone’s day. After all, who does not love being given cookies?
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On Dec. 21 through Dec. 28, take a trip to Cleveland to visit Glow, a winter spectacular that includes a train ride through the Cleveland Botanical Gardens decorated with thousands of lights, carolers, musicians, and enormous professionally-made gingerbread houses. Tickets are $16.
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from photography to books, and they serve as a great way to relieve stress and express passions. Starting a blog is a perfect idea for a New Year’s resolution. Many blogs are free to create and winter break is an ideal time to get started.
A beloved winter classic, Frosty the Snowman holds wide appeal because of its warm and sentimental themes of love and friendship. According to tvguide.com, fans can catch the holiday special on CBS tonight at 8 p.m.
According to northeastohiofamilyfun. com, a must-see attraction in Wooster is Santa’s Christmas in Motion at 1400 E. Milltown Rd. The private home has more than 200 animated figures in illuminated outdoor display cases. It is open daily until Jan 1, 2016 from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. with Santa appearing on Fridays and Saturdays. Admission is free.
According to www.woosterymca.org, the second annual Reindeer Run 5K at Christmas Run Park will be held Dec. 19 at 8 a.m.. Participants are encouraged to don festive costumes to run with Santa, Rudolph and Buddy the Elf. Admission: $20 for YMCA members, $25 for nonmembers.
With the holiday season in full swing, decorations can be displayed around the house to brighten up any room. Even after the holidays end, rearranging furniture and adding decor is a great way to spend any day.
BREE FLINN-JOHNSON
Go ice skating at the Alice Noble Ice Arena. According to nobleice.com, public ice skating is open throughout December and early January, and times can be found online. Admission costs $5 per person, and figure and hockey skates are available for rental for $2 per pair.
Blurbs compiled by Becca Foley, Claire Lanham, Maddy Nacci and Amber Swigart. “Wild Lights” photo fair use courtesy of Ben Sanborn via flickr.com. Graphics by Shreya Gurumurthy and Claire Lanham.
VIEWS
THE WOOSTER BLADE | DEC. 18, 2015 | PAGE 15
This new year, we should resolve to create long-term changes
SAMANTHA BRUNN business manager
A Forbes article entitled, ”Just 8% of People Achieve Their New Year’s Resolutions. Here’s
How They Do It,” from Jan. 1, 2013, claimed that while almost 40 percent of Americans make a New Year’s resolution every year, a meager eight percent of them actually keep it throughout the entire year. Considering this dismal fact, it is not surprising that many people seem to have little faith that our world can improve at all, given that so few of us obtain the resolve to achieve our desired goals. Despite our short attention spans, in looking to the upcoming year, it is important to be reminded of our values
as a nation and as members of the international community, in order to foster a better world for the future. Recently, according to a Dec. 2 article from The Guardian entitled, ”Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan announce baby girl – and $45bn charity initiative,”, Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Facebook, and his wife, Priscilla Chan, have vowed to donate 99 percent of their Facebook shares, valued at $45 billion, for the purpose of improving the future. “Our society has an obligation to invest now to improve
the lives of all those coming into this world, not just those already here,” Zuckerberg said. The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative has a valuable lesson to teach the world. People of the world could stand to learn how to work for the good of others, rather than the good of themselves. Politicians often propose changes that have immediate impacts, in order to prove to the public that things are actually getting done. But we should instead demand longterm change that will solve our world’s complex problems.
The ideology of the American dream is a selfish one. People should live with the purpose of leaving a legacy that will help future generations, rather than for the sake of personal gain or accolades that become meaningless after death. As the Greek proverb goes, “A society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in.” The year 2016 should be the year the world resolves to take the initiative to plant something that has the ability to outlast the current generation.
Africa needs clean water STEPHEN KRIDEL co-editor-in-chief
GRAPHIC BY NATE KING-SMITH AND SHREYA GURUMURTHY
Our views: New Year’s resolutions for the world City flags require new design
It is easy for the media, politicians and other people to get distracted and enthralled by the big headlines about ISIS, Donald Trump and gun control, but there is a scary lack of care for problems that have been around much longer and seem much less threatening. Clean water access is a struggle that has turned into an epidemic for some African countries. For us in the United States, it was not until California started feeling the effects of the drought that people turned a fraction of their attention to issues regarding the resource. A common misconception, caused by how hydroelectric energy is taught in schools, is that water is renewable. Water can deplete. Water can drain from our faucets quicker than it rains which will force us to realize our error.
Gender equality must improve
SCOT NIELSON
OLIVIA SLEEK
Chicago has a beautiful and magnificent flag. On the other hand, Milwaukee’s; Pocatello, Idaho’s and Pueblo, Colorado’s flags are visually assaulting. Milwaukee’s is too intricate, Pocatello’s features a trademark and Pueblo’s is just appalling. While these atrocious flags fail to represent their cities, they do represent a worldwide affliction: ugly city flags. This new year, I challenge the world’s cities to take unattractive flags back to the drawing board. When less is more, it takes little to make a flag great. First, the flag should embody the city’s significant features. Second, the flag should be simple, sticking to few colors and avoiding text. The world needs to resolve to reimagine the flags representing its cities.
With a new year coming up, steps still remain to achieve gender equality. According to the Oxford Dictionary online, “gender equality” can be defined as, “The state in which access to rights or opportunities is unaffected by gender.” With that being said, gender inequality could be defined as the state in which access to rights or opportunities are affected by gender. “Despite decades of reform, statistics suggest that for every dollar a man earns a woman in a similar job earns just 77 cents,” according to the International Labor Organization’s most recent “Gender Inequality and Women in the US Labor Force” fact sheet. Although many laws have been passed to try fix this problem, it is still a prominent issue in American society and the world as a whole. This upcoming year can be the time for important strides to be made.
staff writer
focus editor
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Editors-in-Chief Mary Grace Gorman, Stephen Kridel Webmaster Shreya Gurumurthy Graphics Manager Nate King-Smith Business Manager Samantha Brunn Front Editor Maureen McKeown On Campus Editors Kayla Barnet, Ryan Miller Focus Editors Kayla Cooper, Olivia Sleek Sports Editors Casey Baik, Grant Peabody Arts & Entertainment Editors Becca Foley, Claire Lanham Trends Editors Emma Jeffries, Chloe Landers Cover Editors Isabelle Cannon, Sarah Hopkins Views Editors Alex Barnard, Fred Holmes Feature Editors Hanna Morgan, Shiyuan Wang Staff Writers Valerie Anderson, Megan Buss, Nick Cosmo, Spencer Dilyard, Evan Doan, Bree Flinn-Johnson, Drew Friedhoff, Hannah Knapic, Austin McCully, Maddy Nacci, Scot Nielson, Erin O’Donnell, Amber Swigart, Katie Ward, Tatumn McGrew, Drosos Kardulias Photographers Fred Holmes, Grant Peabody, Casey Baik, Megan Buss, Bree Flinn-Johnson, Hannah Knapic, Jenna Zhu, Maggie Flechler, Maureen McKeown, Claire Lanham Cartoonist Scot Nielson, Jess Lyons, Fred Holmes, 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 VOICE OF WOOSTER HIGH SCHOOL
THE WOOSTER BLADE | DEC. 18, 2015 | PAGE 16
2015 calls for criticism and reflection OUR VIEW
As 2015 approaches its show no sign of minimizing. end, The Wooster Blade While Trump attains more Editorial Board takes a popularity, he also manages to closer look at some of offend almost every group in the major events that America, ranging from people have occurred in 2015, with disabilities, to Muslims, to both domestically and Mexican immigrants. internationally, that have The Wooster Blade Editorial created some of the biggest Board condemns the ignorant impacts on both the United and hateful speech from Trump States and the world. and believes America should The year 2015 started off be open to diversity. on a grim note when the Trump’s words and actions staff of the French satirical oppose the American values newspaper, Charlie Hebdo, of open-mindedness and HASHTAGS COMPILED BY DREW FRIEDHOFF acceptance, values that would was ruthlessly attacked by PHOTO BY SAMANTHA BRUNN two gunmen, which ended with the Islamophobia has become a part of truly make America great again. tragic deaths of eleven people. our national conversation. Despite these problems, 2015 was The newspaper was unafraid of Governors and politicians have one in which the progress toward expressing strong opinions via denounced the plight of the equality grew. satire, and many people around the refugees and oppose allowing In June, the Supreme Court voted world viewed these attacks as an a refugees into the country, citing in favor of same-sex marriage, violation of the right of free speech. security reasons. making it legal in all 50 states. The world stood in solidarity for Ted Cruz and Jeb Bush advocated Ireland also had a historic vote, Paris, and world leaders gathered for a religious test on refugees, where a majority of the people there to show their support, while Donald Trump proposed a voted in favor of allowing same-sex including President Obama. ban on all Muslims into the United marriage in the country. The Wooster Blade Editorial Board, States. The Wooster Blade Editorial as part of a student newspaper, Americans stand very divided on Board praises the great strides recognizes that free speech is one the issue of allowing refugees in, as made toward equality in the of the most valuable rights that well. According to a Bloomberg poll LGBTQ community, a group that people have in a society. The attacks conducted Nov. 18, 53 percent of for too long, has been continually on Charlie Hebdo proved that free Americans oppose allowing Syrian oppressed in society. speech is not so easy to take defeat. refugee resettlement in the United We realize that the legality of Overall this year, Paris suffered States. same-sex marriage in the United many tragedies. When terrorists The Wooster Blade Editorial Board States does not mean full equality attacked several locations, believes refugees do not deserve has been achieved, but we hope including a concert venue Nov. 13, to be treated with such fear and this is a good first step for greater the world was shocked to discover disdain by Americans. strides for equality for the LGBTQ that over 100 people were killed. Refugees are fleeing the same community. The Wooster Blade Editorial Board kind of terror of which everyone is However, total equality has still would like to praise the kindness afraid, and the United States should not been achieved in the United and support given to the citizens follow the lead of Canada and be States, and more needs to be done of Paris, showing that goodness welcoming toward refugees instead to ensure that all people are given can still be found during times of of chasing them out. the freedoms they deserve. darkness. Instead of spouting hateful Instances of police brutality However, the attacks triggered rhetoric, politicians should use their against African Americans, as another response that was not powerful influence to aid the cause shown by the cases of Freddie Gray as positive. The attacks showed of refugees. As a nation founded and Laquan McDonald, are still a that the terrorist group ISIS on immigration and refugees, the problem. was a greater threat than many United States has an obligation to While we realize police brutality people imagined, and now many help out all the refugees trying to represents only a small portion of westerners are racked by fear. The escape some of the most horrific the actions of the American police attacks happened amid the growing conditions and human rights force, it is still crucial to address. refugee crisis, in which millions of abuses. With all the positives and negatives refugees are fleeing war and terror As the 2016 presidential election that occurred in 2015, it resulted in their homes in the Middle East nears, presidential nominee Donald in quite a tumultuous year. Now, and North Africa. Trump’s influence rises. Trump’s The Wooster Blade Editorial Board Because of these attacks, poll numbers remain strong and looks forward to 2016.