COVID Rules in WCSD

Master plan brings changes to schools within Wooster City

RHYS FLORENCE-SMITH

staf writer

The Wooster City School District is on the brink of a transformation with the phased implementation of a facilities plan for Wooster’s schools. Since the frst formal presentation at the School Board Annual Retreat in July 2019, the community has been discussing the Facilities Master Plan, a multi-phase plan that will demolish old buildings within the Wooster City School District and construct a new middle school and two new elementary schools. At its August 23 public meeting, the school board afrmed to move forward with the plan, voting to hold informational nights and send letters home to solicit public feedback. Ted Hill, one community member, wrote in a letter to the editor to The Daily Record, “I trusted the board to use the adoption of the master plan only to save their spot in line for state funding, not to end community discussion.” Superintendent of Wooster City Schools Gabe Tudor clarifed the necessity of the Master Plan. He described multiple reasons behind the plan, stating: “We have aging buildings: all of the buildings outside of the high school are 60 to 70 years old and, as buildings age, there are going to need to be more signifcant repairs needed...The reality is that a school shooter and intruder wasn't really in the vocabulary of education or architecture back in the ‘50s or ‘60s,'' Tudor said. Tudor explained the importance of equity in the Master Plan. He clarifed, “Cornerstone is about a 75 percent poverty [rate], while Kean is about 30 percent poverty. Poverty itself does not create a barrier to education. It's all the things that poverty creates. We feel that all our students should have the same opportunity and the same experience so putting all our students together at a kindergarten or pre-k level will be better than in ffth grade," Tudor said. Another issue with the state of the school system was the communication among the teachers. Tudor explains, “Right now if we want to get our frst grade teachers to talk about something with early literacy, that's challenging because we have four buildings.” Tudor said he hopes the Master Plan will reduce confusion among staf. The fnal point Tudor expressed over the need for a Master Plan related to the population growth of the community. With the recent addition of housing developments around Wooster, Tudor said he wants to be ready to accommodate more students. The Facilities Master Plan is still far from complete, but well on the way to showing the full scale of the project. As Tudor summarized, “We are going to try hard to honor the past,” but the district needs to address fve issues: “aging buildings, meeting student needs, teacher collaboration, equity and growth.” With the master facilities plan approved the School Board is still waiting on an architectural frm, a decision over a bond levy, and building designs.

Cody Austin joins WCS School Board

GRACE KOSTOHRYZ

focus editor With the retirement of Dr. Michael Knapic from the Wooster City School Board efective on Aug. 24, the board recently appointed Cody Austin to fll the position. According to Austin, he is a fnancial advisor at Austin Wealth Solutions. He graduated from the University of Akron with a bachelor’s in fnance and an MBA in Leadership and Organizational Change. Austin said he joined the school board as he wanted to help WCS students. “I was interested in joining the board as a way to be involved in the growth of the next generation of Wooster residents. My hope is to do everything I can to help students grow and be successful,” Austin said. Austin notes that board members have the obligation to help improve the district and work with other board members in order to do so. In joining the board, Austin has many aspirations. “My hope is that I can be a resource in any and all areas that help the board make strategic and wise decisions for the future of our school district,” Austin said. Austin was appointed Sept. 19 and he expressed that he is eager to help the students and families of the district.

Ethan Keating Cody Austin was approved at the Sept. 19 board meeting.

Administration updates COVID policies

JACKSON STANSIFER

staf writer Over the last three years, the Wooster City School District has had diferent methods of addressing the COVID-19 pandemic, and the 2022-2023 school year is no diferent. Concerning the district policy entering this school year, Gabe Tudor, WCS superintendent, said most recently, Wooster’s COVID-19 policy, “was updated this summer after the CDC and subsequently the ODH revised their recommendations.” One part of the district that has been heavily afected by COVID-19 in the last few years is the athletics department. Alex Mallue, WHS athletic director, described how positive cases of student-athletes are addressed. “If you test positive, you must stay home for fve days. On the sixth day, if you are fever-free and your symptoms are improving, the student-athlete can return to school and to their sport, but must wear a mask through day 10,” Mallue said. Despite the spike in COVID-19 cases across Wayne County in early September, Tudor said there have been no localized outbreaks in any school building, team or group in the school district, but explained how a situation like this may be addressed. “Since the January 2022 board meeting resolution, the district has used a 3% threshold of active cases to prompt alteration. When a school building within the district has 3% or more of their students with an active [COVID-19] case the individual school building will be required to mask for two weeks and until active cases are reduced below 3%,” Tudor said.

WHS News to Go

Boys Soccer is the 2022 outright OCC champion Volleyball are the 2022 outright OCC champions Girls Tennis wins third OCC title in a row.

Drama Club Creative Writing

Adviser: Bret Hiner

Hiner said: “Our primary objective is to immerse students in the theatrical arts. They have the ability to take advantage of/learn all aspects of theater (performance and tech). Our best club members work of stage and on stage. If a kid joins us in eighth grade, they'll likely have 10 opportunities to perform and/or work tech. We hope they learn all.” Meetings: As they are working on their musical production, meetings have quieted down a bit. Most of our gatherings are tied to ELF. Adviser: Chelsey Porter Porter said: “Meetings will include practices for the Power of the Pen and the JustWrite teams. Anyone is welcome to come to any meeting, regardless of the team participating or not. We will be working on improving our creative writing skills with a focus on short story writing.”

Meetings: Tuesdays after school from 3 p.m.-4 p.m. starting on Sept. 27

NAACP

Advisers: Oliver Warren and Brian Questel Warren said: “Our mission is making WHS a more inclusive and well-informed community; a place where each student is secure and welcome enough to learn & grow--especially focused in the areas of race, sexuality, gender identity, and economic justice.”

Key Club

President: Seth Jarrett

Jarrett said: “Key Club is an internationally recognized, student-led, service organization for high school students. We work with groups around Wooster and Wayne County to fnd volunteer opportunities to help people around our community.”

Meetings: Every other Tuesday morning (7:20 a.m.) in the LGIR. Meetings: Every other Friday after school in the High School Meeting room (next to the Guidance Ofce) and usually only last 15-30 minutes.

Fellowship Of Christian Athletes Clubs and Activities

Adviser: Cordell Smith

Natalie Gibson (11) member of club said FCA is, “A group of student athletes who talk about ways to be living for God, playing their sports for God, and spreading His word. We usually read a verse and talk about a certain topic each time. Run through WHS and not afliated with a specifc church.”

At WHS, students have a number of options in which to get involved. In addition to the clubs listed WHS also ofers Esports club, Student Council, One club, National Honor Society and OCC leadership.

Blurbs collected by Hannah LoGiudice, Caleb Singer-Holden and Caleb Kostohryz. Graphics created by Hannah LoGiudice and Nora Levy.

Meetings: Every other Friday at 7:20 a.m. in the library

Future Health Care Professionals

Adviser: Erin Petruzzi

Petruzzi said: “The club's focus is to inspire students in grades 8-12 to educate themselves on the medical industry to create the future generation of medical professionals. The club highlights the diferent medical professions and provides details of these professions through tours and invited speakers from the various parts of the medical feld.”

Meetings: Monthly, Wednesdays before school (7:20 a.m.) in Erin Petruzzi’s room, C131.

Green Club

Adviser: Erin Petruzzi

Petruzzi said: “The Green Club is a student organization that focuses on creating environmental awareness and activism within the study body of WHS . The purpose of the Green Club is: To inspire students in grades 8-12 to be active stewards of their community. To educate students on the ways humans can mitigate harm to the environment. To provide solutions to actively combat environmental problems. To advocate for better environmental policies around Wooster.”

Meetings: Wednesdays at 7:20 a.m. in Ms. Petruzzi’s room C131

Speech and Debate

Adviser: Holly Custer Custer said: “Speech and Debate is a unique extracurricular activity. We ofer 13 distinct categories of debate, public address, and interpretation. Our goals are to improve oral and written communication skills - and we compete weekly from November through March. Through weekly practices and tournaments, we focus on effective communication skills to help students improve their research, writing, and speaking skills.”

How to Join: If students are interested and were unable to make the category placement sessions,they can still join. They would just need to come see me - they can email Custer at wstr_hcuster@woostercityschools.org to set up a time to meet.

To help ease the stress of the college admissions experience, a roadmap highlighting all of the major pitstops for students was created to simplify the experience.

Graphic by Ben Stavnezer

College: students begin admissions process

JAMIE OGLE

staf writer College admissions can be a stressful process. Ask any senior: the college search is something that most high school students dread, but once applications are in and students know which school they are going to, most stress is relieved. Most schools in Ohio are partnered with the Common Application, which is a website where students can fill out an all-encompassing application to multiple colleges. Some colleges require an essay on which students are able to choose between multiple prompts when they write their essay. Not every school has partnered with the Common Application, and there are multiple ways to apply. Schools have an online application that students can fill out if they choose not to apply with the Common Application and only want to apply to one or two schools. The first step students should take when applying to colleges is figure out the colleges they would like to attend. Many colleges have daily visits where students can go and tour campus. According to an Aug. 22 article in US News, Cole Claybourn, “Visiting a college can help prospective students get a sense of the culture and community and understand how they may or may not fit in. While it’s not part of the formal application process, exploring a college can help students determine which schools to apply to.” Schools also have days for specific majors that students are interested in order to get more information about that specific major. Schools regularly visit WHS on campus: students are able to register for these visits on the Naviance website. After visiting the school and finding more information online, including school websites and college admissions websites, it is a good idea to apply if students think they could see themselves there. Usually, deadlines for application are posted on each school’s website or within the Common Application or Naviance. A quick fact about college applications from College Board states, “A college application—the package your child sends to colleges—usually includes many different elements; it’s not just a form.” Once students apply to schools, they should fill out the Federal Application for Federal Student Aid. It is important that students keep a variety of schools in mind to which they apply and keep their options open. According to the College Board, “There is no magic number, but five to eight applications are usually enough to ensure that a student is accepted into a suitable institution ... This number should be made up of a combination of ‘safety,’ ‘match,’ and ‘reach’ colleges.” By doing so, if their other choices fall through, they are able to have a fall-back option. According to collegeboard. com “This term [match] refers to colleges whose requirements mean little chance of rejection for that applicant. Most students apply to just one safety, but a student may opt for an academic safety and a financial safety.” Match colleges are colleges where the student matches the average statistic, and reach colleges are colleges that are less likely to accept the student. The last step to the college admissions process is to enjoy the ride and do not stress. It can be a stressful time, but colleges are constantly looking for people to go to their school.

Shows depend on licensing

BEN STAVNEZER

feature editor For any high school drama club, selecting and licensing a show can be as hard as producing the show. ”After selecting a show, you have to apply for the rights to the show. There are many licensing companies and the application process, depending on the show, can take anywhere from a week to many months,” Brett Hiner, director of the WHS Drama Club, commented. “The contract might just be a page or two or, in the case of Grease, 20 pages. It can get pretty insane,” Hiner said. There are plenty of reasons a show can be rejected as well. If a theater close to an area has already licensed the show, the licensing company may refuse so the shows and theaters do not have to compete. Sometimes there are also professional touring productions happening, so companies may refuse certain productions for that reason, as well. In Columbus, a touring group is performing Elf around the same time as the Drama Club, leading to some restrictions. Hiner said he is thankful that “Music Theatre International ultimately said ‘yes’ to our production of Elf, but some restrictions have been placed on what we’re able to do because of the touring production hitting Columbus in December.” Musicals can be as expensive as $3,000 to 4,000 just for the license while plays cost around between $500 to $1,000. Hiner said the WHS Drama Club’s most expensive show to produce to date was the musical Grease in 2019. “When it was all said and done, which included licensing songs written for the movie, we paid close to $10,000,” Hiner said. The Drama Club is producing Elf: The Musical to perform this fall. Tickets will go on sale Oct. 14.

Greek life popularity spikes

LAURA RAPPORT

a&e editor Sororities and fraternities, also known as Greek life, have been a staple of college life since the late 18th century. During September and October, most Greek life organizations start their recruitment process. Currently, Greek life exists at over 800 universities in the United States, according to an article written in January of 2018 by Katherine Weaver for Freely Magazine. Recently, Greek life has surged in popularity with the help of social media sites such as Tik Tok. Sororities and fraternities post about their recruitment process, known as rush week. During rush week, prospective members attend gatherings organized by different sororities and fraternities where they meet current members and discuss Greek life. Tyler Keating, 2020 WHS alum, and current member of Alpha Sigma Phi at the Illinois Institute of Technology, encourages people to join Greek life, saying, “Joining a fraternity was one of the best decisions I’ve made... It has given me a more active social life, a network of future connections, has opened up opportunities for me while in school, and most importantly, given me a group of guys that treat me like family...”

Midterm Voting

Student Edition

For voters, the deadline to register is Oct. 11. Nov. voting is for congressional elections. Midterm voting impacts daily lives

REBEKAH LAY

staf writer Midterm elections are important for decisions that are made financially and environmentally and therefore affect day to day lives, through environmental laws, gas prices, war and taxes. Midterm elections include elections outside of the Presidential election. In midterms, voters select Congressional representatives. According to the U.S. Census, in the last midterm election in 2018, 36 percent of people, between the ages of 18 and 29 years old, voted. Having 36% of people between the ages of 18 and 29 years old means that 64% of people between those ages are not being represented in financial decisions that are made during these elections, and also for the representation of political figures. Through the midterm elections, taxes are affected along with other financial issues. Brian Questel, Social Studies Dept. member, , said, “I make it a point to always vote. The midterm voting cycle always has levy and financial issues to vote on, and those are critical for many of our local agencies. As a result, I can impact our communities’ quality of life.” Citizens of the United States are able to take away power

Graphic by Brittany Wachtel

from officials that are not doing their job how the citizens see fit. Nathanial Byrne (10) stated the midterm elections are important, “for office positions that are gubernatorial, insinuate that they should be evaluated and reviewed for their overall ability to govern.” Voting is a responsibility and liberty that is granted by the government to the citizens of the United States. The liberty/right to vote was not guaranteed when Britain was in rule over the United States and therefore is a civic duty. Daniel Proano (11), stated that “People should vote because it is an important civic duty and responsibility, one that affects our daily lives.” Midterm elections for this year, 2022, will take place Nov. 8 . Polls will be open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., you have to be 18 to vote. The deadline for registering to vote is Oct. 11.

States determine new abortion laws NASA schedules launch

BRITTANY WACHTEL

co-editor in chief Since the overturning of Roe v. Wade on June 24, all eyes have turned toward state governments to make individual decisions regarding women’s rights. When the Roe decision was announced, the initiative was placed on state governments to determine abortion laws within each state. Since June, many states have made individual decisions, with most Republican states choosing to either ban abortion or create more strict laws. According to an article published September 15 by PBS NewsHour, there are now 14 states where various types of bans are in effect. The severity of these rulings have varied state to state, with West Virginia pushing to enact a nearly full ban that is waiting for signing by the governor. Ohio was set to implement a bill that would ban abortion after six weeks, but Democrat Judge Jenkins of the Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas has blocked the bill from coming to effect, saying that the state Constitution protects abortion. Since individual state laws have gone into effect, there has been an increase in news articles reporting women who had to travel outside of their home state to get an abortion. As reported by Abigail Abrams from Time Magazine on August 22, a 34-year-old Ohio woman was forced to travel to Michigan in order to get an abortion that would save her life. Another story that sparked debate was that of a 10-year-old Ohio girl who had been raped and then refused an abortion in Ohio just two weeks after the overturning of Roe, also reported in Time Magazine. The overturning of Roe v. Wade has not lessened any controversies, but has instead changed the way that women across America obtain abortions as seen by an increase in media attention. hydrogen molecule is the smallest molecule in the universe, which makes it a pesky little thing to keep contained. Liquid hydrogen is pumped into the rocket under cold temperatures and high pressures to keep it as a liquid for rocket fuel. Any leak is detected with a change in pressure in the tanks and thus triggers the potential ‘no launch’ for the rocket.” Balsinger is still optimistic about the launch. “I do believe that it will be successful. There are always unknowns in any scientific endeavor, however, NASA works tirelessly to control every variable they can in a launch so it can be successful,” Balsinger said. NASA will likely be prepared to perform the cryogenic demonstration by Oct. 2. It will launch no later than mid November.

States where abortion is

banned: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Idaho, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, West Virginia, Wisconsin. In Ohio: A judge temporarily blocked the state’s ban on abortion after 6 weeks of pregnancy.

(Information courtesy of The

New York Times)

LILY CAMPBELL-LEHTINEN

staf writer

In relation to cosmic and space travel updates, NASA is still working diligently on the Artemis Project where they plan to reach the Moon for the first time since 1972. According to NASA’s website, the Artemis Project is a mission whose goal is to reach the Moon for a second time and to obtain more knowledge about the lunar surface. NASA has also stated that the Artemis rocket will have a cryogenic demonstration launch in order to test whether or not a large hydrogen leak in the rocket has been repaired. Matt Balsinger, WHS Science Dept. member, said that the hydrogen leak was a pretty major issue for NASA by mentioning that: “The