How Is This School Year Going?

Changes to Homecoming court nominations still in place

THEO OLLIER

staff writer

Due to complications with COVID last school year, nominations for Prom court were selected by a vote from WHS teachers. In years past, WHS students voted to nominate other students for Homecoming and Prom court and voted on king and queen. This fall, Homecoming nominations were chosen by a teacher’s vote and WHS students were able to vote for Homecoming king and queen. Connor Rotolo (12) was selected for the senior Homecoming court and stated he is honored by the nomination and is happy for everyone else who was nominated. However, Rotolo noted that he did not know what the nomination process for Homecoming was before this year. “I’m really excited, it’s a huge honor to do this . . . I’m really happy for the other two guys and three girls that got nominated . . . I’m gonna be honest, I don’t remember how it [the nomination process] was before COVID,” Rotolo said. According to Brooke Coblentz, adviser of Student Council, Student Council members chose to have teachers nominate students for Homecoming and Prom. Coblentz stated there was no specific criteria for nominating students. “I asked them [the Student Council] if they liked that [teachers voting to nominate students] and wanted to do that again for Homecoming, and they said yes . . . There was no specific criteria [for nominations] because criteria for one teacher is different for another,” Coblentz said. Jared Pennell (12) does not think that teachers should vote for Homecoming nominations, noting that teachers do not know WHS students very well and people who want to get nominated will not get the chance. “I don’t think that’s the best [teachers nominating students for Homecoming court] because I don’t think that teachers know us that well, to DELANEY WILSON The homecoming court poses for pictures with king Nate Monastra (12) and queen Olivia Fox (12) before the varsity football game against Mt. Vernon

be honest. And, I feel like the people who actually want to be Homecoming king or queen aren’t going to necessarily have the opportunity to [get nominated],” Pennell said.

WHS students and staf still adapting to in person classes

OLIVIA HINER

trends editor

With the start of a new school year, many new changes have been introduced. There were a lot of unknown factors last school, which led to educational challenges this year. School board president Sue Herman said she believes the biggest challenge for this year has been, “getting everything up and running again.” Jill Coppola, English Dept. member, worked as an all online teacher last year. She said the biggest challenge for this school year has been making the transition from last year. She brought up the fact that “...some freshmen this year haven’t been in school since seventh grade.” Along with the difficult transition, Coppola said students are lacking in focus, social skills and studying skills, so pacing this year has differed from years past. Eric Heller, Science Dept. member, was an in-person teacher at the high school last year. Heller said the biggest challenge for him this year, “... reacclimating to the rigor, stress and anxiety that usually comes with a normal school year, which nobody has experienced in over two years.” He noted that this reacclimation process is the case for both teachers and students. Freshman this year have a unique perspective as they have gone through considerable transitions. Grace Jones (9) notes she decided to go to in person school last year. She said she made this decision because she thought it would be the most beneficial for her. Jones said the biggest challenge for this year has been, “...trying to get in the habit of studying” and returning to old habits. From a senior’s perspective, Nathan Bonvallet said this year has been more difficult. He said that it’s the, “...same work, but you have to put in more effort for it.” Each of these people have very different perspectives, but their answers are somewhat similar in the fact that they all include the difficult transition and getting used to school again. Students have been adapting to this somewhat normal school year in different ways. Herman stated she thinks students are adapting “pretty well.” She said students are, “... to be back in school and learning like they’re used to learning.” Herman acknowledged that getting used to being fluid has been a challenge and said there is still confusion and uncertainty, but said we, “... have to be open to change and understanding of each other.” Coppola said older students have been adapting to the transitions and changes of this year better than most of her younger students, but overall, said students have been adapting how she expected. Heller said students are adapting pretty well. He stated that WHS students are, “...some of the most resilient students and they have adjusted as well as I could have expected. It has come with challenges, but students are always ready to take on a new challenge.” Jones said adapting to this school year has been a lot easier than she thought it would be. Bonvallet said that personally, he has control over everything and notes he has talked to some people that are still adapting to the transition to the new school year.

Kean Elementary launches Lighthouse Program

BRITTANY WACHTEL

views writer

Marking the start of the 2021 school year, Kean Elementary School unveiled its newest student leadership program, Lighthouse. Guidance counselor Kaley Egli, who leads the Lighthouse program, says the program is based off the Leader In Me initiative, which is posted throughout the school building “Leader in Me is our whole school transformation process based off of Steven Covey’s 7 habits of highly eff ective people. It teaches children how to be leaders of their lives through the 7 habits,” Egli said. Egli says the Lighthouse program is set to mimic that of a high school student council. “Two students per grade level represent and oversee a multitude of diff erent roles throughout the school,” Egli explains. The pathway to leadership at Kean is no easy task. The children interested in the Lighthouse program went through an application and interview process to prove they are fi t to lead their fellow classmates. “After looking through the applications, our adult Lighthouse team narrowed it down to four kids per grade to interview, and from there two were chosen. Everything was taken into consideration, but a rubric was followed to determine which kids would be the best fi t,” says Egli. These selected students hold monthly meetings to determine which events they think will lead to the betterment of their school. Students help with leadership rallies that promote the seven habits to the rest of the student body. Fourth grader Malia Chenevey and third grader Alexis Barker are both student representatives for their grades and were eager to discuss their roles within the school. Malia was focused on her natural born leadership throughout the interview, which she highlighted when asked why she was inspired to join the Lighthouse program. “I love helping people at home and at school, and I wanted to do something to make my last year here (Kean) fun,” said Malia. When asked what she was most looking forward to doing with the other Lighthouse students, Alexis was enthusiastic in responding. “I’m excited to do fundraisers like for the American Heart Association and the Christmas bell ringing,” said Alexis.

Cornerstone celebrates PlayLab anniversary

THEO OLLIER

staff writer

The Cornerstone PlayLab, Cornerstone Elementary School’s playground, celebrated its fi fth anniversary Sept. 19. The PlayLab has been enjoyed by Cornerstone students and Wooster’s community, as a whole for the last fi ve years. Marcy Campbell, a member of the Playlab’s executive committee, stated that the need for a new playground was initially addressed by teachers in a Cornerstone PTO meeting. According to Campbell, the original playground had some broken parts and was not suitable for the age group of the students. “ . . . Several teachers came to a PTO meeting and we [Campbell and other PlayLab executive Committee members] were part of the PTO and asked if we could help replace the equipment because at that time, there was not enough equipment, some of it was broken, and it was not suitable to the age of the kids who went there,” Campbell said. Eric Vizzo, the principal at Cornerstone for the last 10 years, also notes that within his fi rst year of being at Cornerstone, there was a need for a new playground. Vizzo added that the lack of adequate playground equipment was causing some behavioral problems at Cornerstone. ‘“Within the fi rst year or so, we were like ‘there’s just not a lot of stuff ’ . . . it was not a real planned out space . . . so kids just got in trouble and didn’t have things to play on, so we started talking to the PTO,’” Vizzo said. According to another member of the Playlab executive committee, Amy Jo Stavnezer, the PlayLab has a few features that are used for learning purposes. These learning spaces mirror the common core curriculum that students are taught at Cornerstone. “ . . .We very intentionally tried to match some of the learning spaces to what the kids were learning in the common core curriculum . . . the rock garden [is one example] because rocks and soil are a big part of the fourth grade common core for science . . . the last one is the pollinator garden because many kids would do the monarch life cycle…,” Stavnezer said. Cornerstone Elementary was clearly in need of a new playground fi ve years ago, and with extensive fundraising by the PlayLab’s executive committee comprised of Dave Broehl, Dani Schantz, Marcy Campbell, and Amy Jo Stavnezer, a new play space was built. The PlayLab provides various learning opportunities for students.

Students and teachers transition back to a traditional school year

MOLLY BYRNE

staff writer

This year, like last year, has a very unique set of circumstances for educational learning platforms. Wooster students have the option of staying all online or learning, in person, fi ve days a week. Being able to learn completely at home was also an option last year for students, as well as the hybrid learning which is not off ered this year. Students may feel more comfortable working from home and being in their own environment, which is an advantage that was mentioned by Kristina Kostorhyz, English Dept. member, who also teaches online students. Mike Sullivan, History Dept. member, who taught online students last year, said that students are able to get more sleep when working from home, which for teens helps them to be more attentive when doing school. Kostorhyz stated she is glad that students online are still able to be Wooster students, rather than taking courses from online platforms elsewhere, if they are not comfortable with being in person. This way, Kostorhyz said she and other online facilitators are able to write to students about things they may be doing in class at school that could help them. Jen Snowbarger, WHS Online Coordinator for Generals Academy, Wooster Online Academy and Credit Recovery, notes that fi nding balance for working online is a diffi cult skill to develop. “I think students that were online last year struggled with the consistency of classes and having to build their own routines for school work at home,” Snowbarger said. However, there is a common issue that many teachers experienced last year, where students would copy and paste work that was found online or plagiarize work. Kostorhyz also stated that the platform, Edgenuity, that online students use has added new features to help detect plagiarism in essays and extended response questions. The platform is also more precise to each student this year. This system is more personalized from student to student. “I don’t get the ‘face-to-face’ time that we are used to, it can be hard to email back and forth about questions instead of teaching in person,” Kostorhyz said. While students that learn virtually are not physically at school with teachers, they are still able to email and chat with their instructors about any questions. According to Snowbarger, the number of students that are all online have increased in the last two years. While the topic of all online learning has been an option for WHS students since before the pandemic, the pandemic has increased its success with students.

Gabby Petito case garners attention from millions across the world

MOLLY SNYDER

feature editor On Sept 11, social media infl uencer Gabby Petito was reported missing by her family after her fi ance, Brian Laundrie, returned home in their shared camper van without Petito. Authorities found a body on Sept 19 in Wyoming which they later identifi ed to be Petito, according to fox13news.com on Sept 21. Offi cer April Teichmer, WHS resource offi cer, says there are potential factors that cause a case to be investigated further by police, such as age, mental or physical disability, or dependency on medication. Teichmer also noted that the police department needs to determine if a person left of their own accord or was abducted or held against their will. Investigators will also look for places the missing person may be, such as the last known area they were seen, work, and relative or friends house, or somewhere familiar to them. “[The police department] will physically look to see if a person is at a certain place… we will work back to see the last time they were accounted for,” Teichmer said. According to Teichmer, Petito was well known for travelling in her van across the country, which can make investigating her case diffi cult as it crosses department jurisdictions. Communication between police departments can be challenging as details get lost along the way that can change how the case is handled, says Teichmer. The nationwide attention for Petito’s case has attracted many on social media to follow the story, which has advantages and disadvantages when it comes to tracking down whoever is responsible for the crime. According to ”Why the Gabby Petito case, but not others, has drawn so much attention” by politifact.com on Sept. 22, by Noah Kim, much of the attention is due to Petito’s race and gender. “The vast majority of people who go missing and are murdered are not young white females but people of color,” Kim said in the article. The article explains that over 700 Indigenous women have gone missing in the same area as Petito, yet none of them gained nearly as much media coverage. Social media coverage of missing persons reports shows a racial disparity, says Kim, noting he hopes to spark a conversation about this disparity and why some cases are covered more than others.

Signs garner attention

ASHTON DUNLAP

co-editor-in-chief As election season nears once again, it is very common to see an assortment of political and other opinionated yard signs sprinkled throughout Wooster. Wooster City Schools School Board candidate Danielle Schantz says yard signs are a way for community members to impress their opinions on others, as well as get impressions from other community members. “I think, obviously, political yard signs are advertising. And if you happen to know the person who lives at the house that has that sign, and you respect their opinion… that just kind of gives you extra encouragement to consider that candidate,” Schantz said. Schantz also says people tend to be impacted by political yard signs if they have not done their own research. “I think there are people who don’t do a lot of research on who to vote for based on the actual content of the election, or the issues that are being raised, or who the candidate is and what they have to offer,” Schantz said. Wayne County Republican Party chairman Brian Deeken says that yard signs do not serve an active purpose. “Yard signs don’t make a persuasive argument for or against a candidate like you see in a live debate. Instead, they are a static reminder about the candidate. Other kinds of political advertising, like brief videos on social media or literature pieces like direct mail, can make persuasive arguments for a candidate for those voters interested enough to read them,” Deeken said. Deeken said he believes that a better method of political advertisement is door-todoor campaigning, where the candidate knocks on a person’s door and directly asks for that person’s vote. Regardless of method, both Deeken and Schantz agree that physical advertisements should not replace a voter’s research. “I think it [yard signs] shouldn’t take the place of people doing the homework to figure out what candidates stand for,” Schantz said. The Wayne County General Election will occur Nov. 11.

The 20th anniversary of 9/11 evokes emotional stories and reminders

NORA LEVY

staf writer When writing about the 20th Anniversary of Sept. 11 in our fi rst issue, I was saddened about all of the stories I wish I could have shared. One thing I have grown to better understand is that it is important to fully recognize the events of that catastrophic and tragic day. One portion of the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, about which people sometimes forget, is the hijacking and crash of Flight 93. United Airlines Flight 93 took off from Newark Airport at 8:46 a.m. This takeoff time was 45 minutes later than the original fl ight time. The fl ight contained 33 passengers and seven crew members. Despite the tragic events of Sept. 11, Flight 93 is an example of the unity and bravery displayed by Americans in the hours after the attacks. With a 45 minute delay, news of the terrorist attacks reached the passengers of Flight 93 much quicker than the hijackers had planned for. The passengers knew what was happening when their fl ight was hijacked. Audio recordings of calls made from the plane help share the passenger’s stories. As Flight 93 turned around over Cleveland airspace, the passengers began to form a plan. A group of passengers decided to rush the cockpit. As a fl ight attendant boiled water to throw on the hijackers, a group of passengers readied themselves for the moments to come. Over a fi eld in Pennsylvania the passengers’ plan succeeded. With the threat of the passengers looming, the hijackers crashed the plane into a rural fi eld near Shanksville, PA. The passengers aboard the plane spent their fi nal moments thinking of others and saving lives. Their fi nal act was to protect their fellow citizens, and to protect their country. The presumed target of Flight 93 was the U.S. Capitol Building or the White House. The heroism of the passengers of Flight 93 saved the lives of many prominent fi gures in American politics. The heroism and bravery shown by the passengers aboard the hijacked aircraft, is an act that should never be forgotten, and once again, they proved and reinforced that we are far stronger united, than we are divided.