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Loudoun Valley High School / Purcellville, VA / October 2019 / Vol. 58 / Issue 1
The Tracking Issue
SPORTS: Down, Set, SNAP PLUS: Misconceptions
pg. 7
pg. 14
REMEMBER THIS YEAR FOREVER. BUY T ODAY
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REMEMBER THIS YEAR FOREVER. FOOTBALL IMPROVEMENT A look at the football team’s recent success on the field.
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THE PROBLEM WITH MAKING LIVEACTION DISNEY MOVIES A podcast discussing Disney’s remakes of timeless classics.
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A jostensyearbooks.com sneak peek into the student section during the first win of the season.
OCTOBER
Volume 58 Issue 1
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TECH TENSION The truths and sentiments about E-hallpass
ME, MYSELF & I Misconceptions and rumors can be counteracted by listening to the whole story
THE TIMES THEY ARE A-CHANGING Students are surprised to see the new policies administration has implemented
DUULING WITH THE JUULS The rise in vaping-related illness has adminstration worried and ready to take action.
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How sports injuries impact a player and their team
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An editoral on student accountability
DOWN, SET, SNAP
LOCKED IN
Senior Liz Fairfax performs in the black box during open mic night Sept. 20. Photo | Marissa Licciardone Layout | Lauren Smith | Sarah St. John
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Te c h Te n s i o n Truths, sentiments about e-hallpass
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ick, tick, tick. Your cellphone is continuously counting down waiting to alert your teachers when the timer strikes 10 minutes. The new time oriented hall pass implemented this year is called e-hallpass. Students are obligated to use e-hallpass whenever they leave the classroom, causing an uproar of discontent from the student body. The School’s new tracking system, e-hallpass, is a direct result of parents, teachers and students voicing their discomfort with the lenient nature of the school environment last year. E-hallpass allows communication between teachers and their students and has a feature that lets students know when teahers are “out of office” or unavailable to assist. “From a student’s perspective, knowing where a teacher is going to be and being able to expect and predict where a teacher is going to be if they need help is helpful,” Principal Sue Ross said. Although e-hallpasses are effective at allowing better communication, student body have voiced concern. The interruption caused by e-hallpass during class time is an encumbrance on both teachers and students.
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It is not a good switch from last year. I know we need more regulations, but there are easier and better ways to regulate if people are where they are and where they say they are going. -Senior Alice Roberts
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According to junior Lukas Clites, E-hallpass also makes getting water difficult for athletes in the school,
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Layout | Jennings Felt
BY ABBY KEANE
which affects their performance at practices. “I’m an athlete, Clites said “although I’m not a good athlete, I still need to hydrate, and I can’t do that easily. Whenever I have to get a pass, it distracts the teacher a lot and takes away from them teaching a lesson.” Another obstacle for students is creating an e-hallpass in the first place, because of the limited phone use in classrooms. “You aren’t allowed to use your phone in class, but you have to use your phone for an e-hallpass to go to the bathroom.” Junior Kate Brennan said. “How am I supposed to use the pass if I can’t go on my phone. This is the predicament I have.” Students aren’t the only ones voicing their concern. Teachers are worried about the amount of time it takes up, especially during Viking Time, but they don’t mind using the normal blocks. “I like it during regular school blocks like block 1,2,3,4,5 etc. biology teacher Taylour Hudson said. “However, I do think it’s more of a hindrance during Viking Time, as we do have a very limited amount of time to meet with students for academic purposes.” E-hallpass isn’t the only new feature. There are now hall monitors, or teachers that sit in the hallway checking for e-hallpasses, that were put in place because of the reoccuring vaping issues from last year. Hall monitors prevent students from leaving for the first and last 10 minutes of class. This protocol accommodates for the time it takes the monitors to get to their posts. “A big part of what I heard, mostly from students last year, is the vaping in the bathrooms,” Ross said. “So we did need to find a way to monitor the restrooms without being intrusive, and so that’s why we went
with hall monitors,” To the dismay of some students and teachers, this new tracking system isn’t going anywhere because it allows for greater safety and communication than traditional passes. “If we were to have a crisis or an incident, we’re missing someone,” Ross said. If we just had paper passes, we wouldn’t know kind of where that person was. Whereas with e-hallpass, we’d at least know where he signed out from and where he was headed to, so it just gives us more information to work with.” Although safety and communication are improved with e-hallpass, some senior Alice Roberts think that the administration went to the extreme, with the tracking of students from last year’s free-form nature to the current tracking. “It is not a good switch from last year.” Roberts said. “I know we need more regulations, but there are easier and better ways to regulate if people are where they are and where they say they are going.” Last year, more freedoms were available. However, administration thought teachers and students abused these liberties, forcing them to come up with alternatives. “We tried some things last year,” Ross said. “We did try some additional freedoms that kind of worked out okay first semester, but a few students and a few teachers actually kind of went outside the boundaries, and so then we had to pull things back.”
Me, Myself & I Misconceptions and rumors can be counteracted by listening to the whole story BY JENNINGS FELT AND SAHANA ARUMANI
Freshman Rebecca Little
Freshman Becca Little’s cover may read “Extrovert,” but the story that follows isn’t quite so simple. A passionate member of the theater community, Little embraces her social adeptness as she continues on her spiritual journey of self-betterment. Since seventh grade, Little says she has gone through a phase of selfrealization. She has evolved from a self-proclaimed “haywire kid” to her current energetic, outgoing and humorous self. This transition is a product of one unmistakeable plot twist—religion. Growing up as a pastor’s granddaughter, religion has always been intertwined in Little’s life. Churchgoing is a habit. However, in eighth grade, she started to immerse herself more actively in the community and her religion
Photo | Victoria Navarette
by frequenting her youth group and reading the Bible. Little finds this involvement directly affected her social reputation. She says a bout of perspective resulted in her becoming a changed person. However, Little finds that even now, people on the fringes of her social circle tend to incorrectly label her as unkind. “If you really really know me,” she said, “You know that I’m just naturally super sarcastic and funny and trying to joke around.” Another integral part of Little’s life is her love for theater.
Layout | Sahana Arumani | Jennings Felt
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She dipped her toe into musicals in middle school, where she was cast as a lioness in the production of “The Lion King” and as Dorothy’s understudy in “The Wizard of Oz.” These early roles served as a launching pad into plays such as “Anne With an E” and “Bye, Bye Birdie,” in which she participated in the ensemble. However, the pinnacle of Little’s acting career so far was being cast as a Lost Boy in the production of “Peter Pan.” “That was the best show I was ever in,” she said. “It was so fun to be crazy on stage in that role.” Little is also inspired by role models in the theater industry such as Andrew Keenan Bolger, who played Jesse Tuck in one of her favorite plays, “Tuck Everlasting.” Pulling from Bolger’s strong sense of perseverance, Little hopes to dedicate her future to giving scripts a life and characters a voice. “I just love the talent that people have to be able to go in front of millions of people and just belt-sing and be them,” Little said. “And I just want to do that when I’m older, because why not?” While theater is always within earshot, Little admits it comes with a stereotype of being “loud and obnoxious.” But she doesn’t let that sway her. She maintains a strong sense of identity. “I feel like if more people were themselves, it just would be better.”
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to go their separate ways. “Stereotypes are a negative way to categorize somebody just because of the way they act or the things they do,” Powell said. Looking past stereotypes can be a challenge for some people. They are everywhere, and people naturally have a tendency to overlook the details. However, Powell believes it’s possible for people to view a person for who they truly are. “Get to know them in situations that [are] not central to them because that’s going to help you get a much broader perspective on who they are, and then you might like them,” Powell said. To Powell, people are more than what they do. He Senior Jack Powell Photo | Alison Pike believes that people should take time to get to know someone. “Everyone should Senior, Jack Powell Powell gave the be open to just get to feels most at home when example of two different know a person for their performing on stage. types of stereotypes. real personality and not His love for theater lives The athlete and the necessarily for what they within both the black theater kid. do,” he said. box walls and He believes on stage for the that people should community as look past their he lets his inner Ever yone should be open differences and thespian free. on their Powell to just get to know a person for focus similarities. considers himself By doing so, to be one of the their real personalit y and not connections can be “theater kids” made that would here at Loudoun necessarily for what they do. not have happened Valley. He also otherwise. feels like his “There’s “theater kid” a bridge, that stereotype has stereotype is broken,” affected his relationships Those two groups Powell said. “I think with others. would not normally stereotypes are just “I wasn’t a center of spend time together, completely horrific because attention, people weren’t but if they were to find they just ruin something necessarily drawn to me a similar interest, like that can be fantastic.” for a lot of my life and soccer, they would be theater not necessarily able to connect on a enhanced that, but it just whole new level than if made it clearer.” they had just continued
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something so that they can learn more about me before they stereotype me,” he said. While it is easier said than done, Hall said that by giving people a chance instead of basing everything on stereotypes, it will be easier to see who the person truly i
Sophomore Benjamin Hall
Photo | Alison Pike
Standing 6’7”, sophomore Ben Hall is a champion on the basketball court. His height allows him to dominate the game. However, along with the positive stereotypes that come with being tall, he experiences downfalls as well. To Hall, the hardest time he has with his stereotype is on the first day of school. “Well I get a lot of ‘holy crap,’ on the first day of school especially, and that’s not fun. When I’m with my friends though, it doesn’t affect me that much,” Hall said. “They like me for who I am.” “Everyone expects me to be a basketball player since I’m tall.” However, instead of hiding from his stereotype, he embraces it. Seeing as he can’t get away from his height, he goes along with it and decides to look at the positive side. “It’s who I am,” he said. “I can’t change that, so why be mad at it if you can’t change it?” Hall believes that stereotyping is just a normal part of being human. “That’s just what comes to them normal — like that’s what everyone does now,” Hall said. “It’s not a good thing, but everyone does it.” Hall believes that we should not judge so quickly. By giving people a chance, impressions won’t be based on stereotypes. “Make them watch a game or
Junior Lindsey O’Hara resides under the stereotype of perpetual reliability. She is mainly perceived as being constantly “put together” in the context of the classroom. However, this blanket statement masks O’Hara’s true background, struggles and ambitions. Success in school and life are the overarching goals to which O’Hara devotes much of her time. One of the most critical goals O’Hara wants to achieve is a pristine academic record. However, she notes that this drive also comes with multipule sources of stress and anxiety. “School is probably the biggest one because I really care about how well I do,” she said. O’Hara’s oasis from this stressor is a tranquil setting surrounded by her friends. She finds that once she connects with someone, she no longer comes off as guarded or reserved. “When I’m with somebody who makes me feel comfortable, I tend to stick with them and let myself be who I actually am,” she said. However, getting good grades isn’t a goal created in a vacuum. There is a context to her determination that connects to a desire to move out of Purcellville and create a life in which she is free to travel to dream destinations such as Paris and Hawaii, have a family and experiment with politics, her area of interest. Another important aspect of O’Hara’s life is her family. She
Junior Lindsey O’Hara
Photo | Alison Pike
characterizes them as loving, hilarious and connected. Some cherished moments include her family driving up to her birthplace, Pittsburg, in to visit their grandparents. “I just have really fond memories of driving up to see my grandparents in the winter and seeing all the mountains,” she said. O’Hara feels as though the stories of others are overlooked largely because teenage conversations often take a detour. “I think people look for their lives to be interesting and entertaining when they actually want something to talk about,” she said. “It’s easy to talk about someone else and not talk about yourself.” O’Hara believes that assumptions cannot be made at first glance. “I would just say keep in mind that when you are like looking at someone or talking to someone, that you have no idea what that person is going through or what’s happening in their lives.”
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The Times, They Are A -Changin’ With the start of a new year, new policies surprise students BY ELLA KRUG Last spring, confusion surrounded pruject-based learning (PBL) and personalized learning (PL) for both students and parents alike. Valley parents voiced their concerns over the implementation of the approach, some even participating in a protest outside of the school. Students worried over how their academic careers would turn out under this new educational system. This misconceptions that have plagued the community may all have been caused by a lack of communication. Administration has worked over the summer to come up with a new school management system including a few schedule changes, new rooms and different duties for some staff members. “We’ve really worked on improving our communication with families and making sure that our message is clear about what we’re doing, why we’re doing it, and how we’re doing it,” assistant principal Bill Gulgert said. This is what students and parents can expect for the 2019-20 school year.
Personalized Learning, Project-Based Learning
Powerpoint. Powerpoint. Quiz. Test. This process is all too familiar to high school students all over the country, and it has forced many who have grown tired of this type of education system to look for non-traditional forms of schooling. Administrators and principals all over the county have recognized that problem and want to appeal to millennial students who are hungry for alternative methods of education. Thus, personalized learning was born. Principal Sue Ross prefers to refer to this method as 21st-century learning because the world has changed so much with the arrival of advanced technology and the internet. Schools have come to the conclusion that they need to adapt to the changing world to support a new wave of 21st-century adolescents. The whole goal of 21st-century learning is to push students to think critically. Ross has acknowledged the reality of students struggling through Powerpoint after Powerpoint and how 8
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it doesn’t positively impact students the way decision? Loudoun County Public Schools is it should. supporting schools using it as an initiative, and “That doesn’t have you guys thinking other schools in the county are applying for the critically,” she said. “It has you doing training. Valley is one of them. knowledge and understanding that knowledge Three other high schools utilizing this and maybe even applying it on a multiplesystem are Tuscarora, Heritage and Park View. choice test.” Ross said Stone Bridge has also come on Twenty-firstboard this year. century learning Middle schools are is supposed to testing Project-Based push students’ Learning (PBL), a skills even further teaching method where by teaching students work on a them to analyze, project over an extended evaluate, and period of time that synthesize. The engages them in solving goal is to embed a problem. Tabs on thinking skills into middle schools’ websites everything students describe the new do. These skills are education initiative. vital to get students Part of Ross’s through college. rationale was that if “What college students were coming Sophomore Keira Anderson has her English class in one of professors say up from middle schools the Flexible Learning Spaces. photo | Alison Pike is their frustration exposed to PBL, then is that college freshmen come to them with Valley should be ready. opinions but not really being able to state a Ross has talked to a number of Valley position and back it up with facts,” Ross said. alumni about how college is going, to which This is what administrators and faculty those past students remark how difficult the were seeing last year at Valley. It was all about year has been in terms of managing their time. spun-up opinions and no facts. Project-Based Learning is supposed to help Ross and fellow administrators have been students plan those timelines by picking a very supportive of teachers at Valley when it project and planning it out themselves with the comes to 21st century learning, advising them facilitation and support of the teacher. College students have stated that their ability to plan and get tasks completed sooner so they’re not as stressed is because they lack I know e-hallpass was a experience with Project-Based Learning. shock to upperclassmen.” “The idea of this kind of learning got confused and conflated with the greater Principal Sue Ross freedoms that we gave you guys last year,” Ross said. to take baby steps or just dip their toes in. As parents protested against this new “I’ve never insisted that teachers go slam learning style, they also associated it with the full into anything,” Ross said. “There are a supposed lack of safety in the school and kids couple teachers who are struggling a little always being in the hallways, where they were bit with it, and we support them. We don’t collaborating. hammer teachers any more than we hammer In addition to PBL, there is also a kids.” personalized learning initiative, the point of So how is personalized learning being which is to make students take more initiative implemented at Valley, and who came to that to get work done and be more involved with
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their classes. They are in charge of what they want to achieve. “Personalized learning is not independent learning. That may be an option for a student who says they learn better visually rather than listening to a lecture,” Ross said. “It offers students and teachers a choice about how the learning gets into the brain and about how the learning then is expressed in terms of assessment.” Gulgert emphasizes that personalized learning is just another tool a teacher can employ to help students succeed. “I think it was portrayed as something that it’s really not,” Gulgert said. “We want teachers to work more directly with kids in smaller groups and more individually. That is an aspect of personalized learning.”
with drawers that one might find in other classrooms. “It’s not an issue because it’s baggage for me,” Finny said. “It’s just one more thing to hold me to a certain spot in the classroom, whereas I need to be up and moving and with the kids all the time.” Students seem to be in favor of the Flexible Learning Spaces, too. “I think the kids are more comfortable,” Finny said. “I think it feels less sterile here, and I think it just creates a more homey atmosphere. Plus, I just have different options for them as far as working in groups or working individually.”
Viking Time Before school started, when a copy of the new schedule was posted, Valley students went into a frenzy. Flexible Learning Spaces Where is Prime? Students may have a class or two in This new schedule sucks! particular classrooms that look starkly Kids were surprised and a little different from the others. There are tables disappointed to see that they would go to of different heights and modern furniture, first block first, and then there would be a and the room has a clean, gray aesthetic. period of Viking Time afterwards, which Other classrooms are furnished with leather is equivalent to what Prime was last year. couches and loveseats. These rooms are They were used to having Prime in the aptly called Flexible Learning Spaces. beginning of the day and were shocked to “What we’re trying to do is give see this change. students and teachers Ross revealed that more space to be able the administration sent to learn because a big out a survey over the push this year is having summer to parents, people collaborate more,” teachers and students Gulgert said. “I think about the status of the way we’re looking Prime. at flexible spaces is The results were the ability to do many mixed. Admin looked different things with large into why some people and small groupings.” said not to change These rooms go hand Prime. The responses in hand with personalized revealed that students learning. They’re used it to ease into supposed to push the their day, and teachers teachers to not do as used the period for Sophomore Sadie Cooper listens as her teacher much stand-and-deliver lectures in the Flexible Learning Space. planning. According photo | Alison Pike instruction. Instead, to Ross, that time was teachers can work onenever meant for either on-one with students so one of those things. they get more feedback. “That time was originally for students Superintendent Eric Williams provided working with teachers to get caught up, to six Flexible Learning Spaces, and the PTO make up a test, or to get help on a concept lent two more. they don’t understand,” Ross said. “It’s not “I love it,” English teacher Shea Finny for planning or for easing into the day. So said. “I think because we can change the because the people who did not want us to classroom seating no matter what we’re change it were using reasons that it wasn’t doing, it just offers the kids so many more meant for is what helped us decide to go options for their learning style.” ahead and change it.” Teachers in these rooms are given a One hundred students replied to the small, moveable desk that they can shift survey, and the vast majority wanted admin around the room to work directly with kids. to leave Prime where it was, but for reasons However, they don’t have a traditional desk it wasn’t meant for in the first place.
Some teachers gave feedback to Ross that they should go into the day right away with classes and then have a break after. “The idea was it would be easier to refocus what the time is really about by changing the time during the day,” Ross said. E-hallpass and New Teacher Duties Among the new implementations that gained strongest, and mixed, reactions is e-hallpass. Students were surprised by the change, and staff took on new duties. “We’ve had to give every teacher in the building a longer duty than what they’ve been used to so that we can have the bathroom areas manned as well as some of the open areas, like the Mixing Bowl and the Viking Head,” Gulgert said. Administration implemented these two new methods to combat the wave of safety concerns that were brought up last year by parents. e-hall pass has faced student opposition since the school year started. Complaits include its inability to work consistently on phones and the burden of teachers keying in codes when students leave or return to class. “I know e-hallpass was a shock to upperclassmen, and at the same time everybody’s taken it in stride. Typical Viking stride,” Ross said. “As I was told by teachers the other day, most students have settled in.” There are many questions regarding if e-hallpass will stay, but according to Gulgert, it’s helped administration gather data, but they’ve just scratched the surface. “We only have about a month’s worth of data,” Gulgert said. “We haven’t really spent a lot of time analyzing it other than which teachers are giving passes more frequently, which kids are using passes more frequently and how long are the kids using the passes for.” Ross has also stated that staff is more supportive of the changes than she’d expected them to be. “We are meeting with them regularly to try to make sure that from an admin perspective, we’re making things as supportive as possible,” Ross said. The feedback Ross has gotten from teachers and parents is positive and there have been no recent complaints about safety. “I think everybody is in agreement with preparing seniors for their next adventure,” Gulgert said. “We’ve just got to figure out how to do that and how to make sure that everybody knows you guys are safe.”
Layout | Ella Krug
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Dueling with the Juul The threat of vaping-related illnesses has administration worried and ready to take action to protect the health of students BY ELLA KRUG
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here once was a time at Valley when you couldn’t walk into the bathroom without seeing a group of students huddled together, passing around a Juul and being hit with the sweet scent of mango. Oh, how times have changed. Or so we think. With all of the recent vaping-related illnesses and deaths, Principal Sue Ross has made it a priority of hers to diminish the amount of vaping that goes on in the school. So far, according to Ms. Ross, her plan seems to be working. “I’ve heard no complaints about vaping in the bathrooms at all this year,” Ross said proudly. This is most likely due to the teachers and other staff members who are stationed outside, watching and keeping an eye on the amount of people in the bathroom. The E-Hall Pass, dreaded by many students, was also implemented this year to control the vaping situation. “The E-Hall Pass helps us monitor how long kids are gone. It helps us monitor where they’re going,” Assistant Principal Bill Gulgert said. “We’re going in just as often as we did before but I think having people right there has changed some things.” In 2019, an outbreak of vaping-related illnesses occurred, raising concerns for parents and adolescents alike. As a result of the news, Snapchat created a story of teenagers ditching their vaping devices in eccentric ways, such as flushing them down toilets or tying them to balloons and releasing them into the air. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the affected individuals experience coughing and shortness of breath before eventual hospitalization. As of September 20, 8 people have died, causing the Trump administration to make plans to ban most flavored e-cigarettes. Many states and cities have already started to take action. Michigan became the first state in the United States to ban flavored e-cigarettes followed by
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Teachers Kelly Cockrill, Erin Boldin, and Cynthia Sweatte chat while monitoring the bathrooms in the science hallway. photo | Alison Pike
the state of New York . A new law in Virginia sensors do exist but it would cost up to raised the minimum age to buy tobacco, $20,000 to install them in all of the restrooms. including cigarettes and e-cigarettes. Earlier Turnbull is unsure if there are ways to stop this year, San Francisco also banned the sale vaping in the restrooms because someone of flavored tobacco products. addicted to nicotine will find a way to do it Vaping in bathrooms is an epidemic in no matter what. And with all of the vapingschools across the country. Anyone who goes related illnesses, it’s unlikely that teenagers to Valley knows the frustration of having are going to completely stop because of them. restrooms shut down, a method administration “I think an addict is going to be an addict, once used to try to reduce vaping. Many and that continuing to vape is much easier students have developed strong opinions about than quitting, no matter how scared a person the situation and how it personally affected is,” Turnbull said. “I think it’s a tragedy that them. so many companies “I think it sucks. I think that geared their products when you do things like that, towards young people you’re not thinking of anyone but to grow their business yourself and it can be harmful to and now these the people around you,” senior teenagers are paying Delaney Turnbull said. Turnbull for it with their herself struggles with asthma health.” and scar tissue built up in her Snapchat, a lungs. As a consequence, it’s popular form of difficult for her to breathe all the social media used by time. Her asthma is set off easily teenagers, has been by vaping and walking into the noted to promote public restroom just opens up the vaping devices in ads opportunity for another attack. between stories. The Instead, Turnbull has to use FDA even warned the bathroom in the nurse’s vaping companies Math teacher Andrew Koch monitors a bathroom in the office. But with the new policies about using social math hallway. photo | Alison Pike administration has set forward to media influencers to reduce vaping, such as the bathroom promote their products. monitors, Turnbull should be able to It’s safe to say that use the normal restrooms, right? Wrong. although vaping is still occurring in the “Some people have told me that there bathrooms at Valley, there has definitely been are still people vaping in there and it isn’t some progress. A few students have shared worth taking a chance,” Turnbull said. Even that they can walk into the bathrooms without though many school policy changes have facing an onslaught of Juuling adolescents. been made, students still seem to be vaping. As for those who still vape in the school, And the bathroom monitors are nothing but Turnbull has a simple piece of advice for bothersome to some students. them: “I don’t think having teachers outside “I just think people should try and be more of the bathrooms is anything more than an considerate of the people around them, though invasion of people’s privacy,” Turnbull said. that isn’t likely,” Turnbull said. There are very few ways to deal with the vaping situation and limited options. Nicotine-
Dangers of E-cigarettes
use
illness
death
Among middle and high school students, 3.62 million were current users of e-cigarettes in 2018.
As of Sept. 20, officials counted 530 confirmed and probable cases of vaping-related illnesses.
As of Sept 20. there have been eight reported deaths caused by a vapingrelated illness.
Reported lung illness cases from vaping in the U.S
-states reporting one or more confirmed or highly probable case
Why Teens Vape 81% of teens
surveyed by the FDA, cited the availability of appealing flavors as the primary reason for e-cigarette use.
10.5 million teens are exposed to e-cigarette advertising through the internet.
17.1% of teens believe that e-cigarettes are less harmful than other forms of tobacco, such as cigarettes.
https://truthinitiative.org/research-resources/emerging-tobacco-products/3-main-reasons-youth-use-e-cigarettes https://www.nbcnews.com/health/vaping/7th-person-has-died-vaping-related-lung-illness-n1055216 https://www.fda.gov/tobacco-products/products-ingredients-components/vaporizers-e-cigarettes-and-other-electronic-nicotine-delivery-systems-ends https://www.statnews.com/2019/09/16/vaping-related-illnesses-question/ https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2019/9/3/20847219/vaping-health-risks-2019-lung-damage-death
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Down, Set, SNAP How sports injuries impact a player and their team Inevitably, the moment nobody hoped for had come. The ear-piercing whistles erupted in distraught synchronization. In a domino effect, each player instinctively knelt to the ground as the crowd’s buzzing cheers turned to a deafening silence beneath the Friday night lights. Where once there was intense battle now sat a suffering player, with the trainer rushing frantically onto the turf to provide aid. Sport injuries range from broken bones to concussions to minor sprains and pulled muscles. All of these have something in common: they can keep athletes sidelined for days, weeks or longer. Injuries are devastating to an athlete’s blossoming career, but they can also become mental and physical turning points that show athletes the real power of motivation, redemption and
BY PATRICK STEVENSON AND BEN COWER
desire to succeed. As a student sports trainer, sophomore Pooja Kaushal commonly deals with a multitude of player injuries. “The most common type of injury we see are calf cramps on the field,” Kaushal said. “It usually happens during games, and the things we do to make it better is we usually load up the players with water and do some stretches and maybe give them some liquid IV.” Junior Michael Mauer experienced his own personal setback on Sept. 13, in a football game against Freedom High School. “I was going to sack the quarterback, and one of the linemen pushed me over and fell on top of me,” Mauer said grimacing, recounted the excruciating moment of his injury. “I dislocated my collarbone.”
Junior Michale Mauer ices his shoulder while talking with fellow teammates, Junior Declan Nash and Diego Beraun.
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Photo | Sophie Datillo
After determining the severity of an injury, Cross-country and football the next step in the post-injury process for aren’t taking any athletes is accepting the situation. It might be chances. a harsh realization, but it’s up to the athletes “We stretch before ...62 percent of injuries in to toughen up, settle in and prepare themselves every practice, and we organized sports happened for their comeback. do yoga sometimes, during practices. However, 33 Over time, athletes are burdened with but, I mean, not every percent of parents have their fears of re-aggravating their injury. Practices injury is preventable,” children take different safety and games suddenly turn into deceptive Michael Mauer said. precautions for practices tests of player motivation, prodding at an Mauer makes a than they do in games. athlete’s desire to succeed. Acknowledging point: every injury something’s wrong is the first step in making isn’t preventable, no progress — that’s why the cross-country matter how much training one team is doing what they can to reduce injury does with the aim of preventing frequency. it. However, witnessing the injury of a teammate can have an Senior Lukas Clites has experienced his fair share of injuries effect on the rest of the team. on the cross country team. With injuries to teammates being a It can light a flame, trip a wire, flip a switch. An injured player fear and occasional occurrence, Clites and others have learned to may be silent, but the situation itself speaks a thousand words to adapt to the team’s procedural warm ups. teammates. Suddenly, the game isn’t just a game — it becomes a “We have a really thorough warm up that’s sometimes longer mission to avenge their fallen friend. than the actual run,” As the head coach of the football team, David Bishop instills Clites said. “Then an important value within his players when a teammate goes we do these things down. called Ebbets [foot and “You know, when injuries happen the mentality that kids have ankle exercises that is that they're concerned with their teammates because they want strengthen the muscles them to be on the field,” Bishop said. “But, then the same aspect around the foot and is, it's always next man up, we prepare everyone in the program help prevent ankle that they have to be ready anytime to be able to go in.” injuries]. The coaches Ultimately, motivation is what drives athletes to bounce back are really big on, like, stronger for their team, school and own career. if something hurts — But it’s exactly what motivates them that makes each unique. even just a little bit — “I love playing football,” Mauer said. “I want to get back as fast to make sure that you as possible and to help the team and just to play football again.” talk to them.” Varsity cross-country runner Kate Brennan added her personal Although sports story. injuries are old news, “I wanted to come back because I knew that I had more it’s a recent discovery potential now that I had gone further into the postseason,” she that practice-induced said. “I thought I could go to states.” injuries occur more For Mauer, it was simply his love of football that fueled frequently. While it’s his desire to play again. For Brennan, it was her self-realized rational to assume potential. Motivation doesn’t have to be complex, it just has to be most injuries happen meaningful. during games, Justin When athletes are wounded, motivation helps them stand back Weinstein from the up and keep fighting to succeed despite their circumstances. Weinstein Legal firm Whether it’s a team, trainers, parents or peers that have one’s in Fort Lauderdale, back, support and motivation can be the keys to redemption. Florida says otherwise. When one is down for the count, they’ll need someone in the In his 2019 article corner of the ring to tell them to keep fighting. “Surprising Statistics It’s a minor setback that paves the way for a major comeback. About Injuries in Mauer said it best. High School Sports,” “Stuff happens.” Weinstein noted that 62 percent of injuries in organized sports happened during practices. However, 33 percent of parents have their children take different safety precautions for practices than they do in games.
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lue to grey. Blue to grey, each E-hall pass, ticking away. Receiving a notification when you get home. Receiving a notification when you leave school. Students are now being tracked by adults in all aspects of their lives. Whether turning out of your driveway or out of the restroom, we are all familiar with the feeling of being watched. Modern technology allows no escape, leading to the possibility that the next generation of children will never experience life without tracking apps. Accountability and trust are what adults want to instill in children, but they aren’t giving kids the opportunity to prove themselves. Too often, parents are overly involved in many aspects of their teen’s life. This leaves teens unable to be independent in the future. The 2019 National Poll on Children’s Health, conducted by the University of Michigan, stated that a quarter of the parents surveyed admitted that they were blocking their child from being independent, and 24% of parents believe their child isn’t mature enough for independence. However, if parents want to raise maturity levels, one of the first steps is giving teens more independence. This independence could be gained from not constantly knowing where your child is at all times. Yes, this is a scary thought to most. The chance for teens to prove to an adult that they can be trusted can make a world of change in a parent-teen relationship. Tracking is a form of control that is seen in many millennial-style parenting tactics today. Parents want to completely prevent their kids from having the opportunity to make any mistakes. It’s a constant safety net that is not doing its job and is actually causing more harm than good. It’s one thing to be responsible for a toddler, but when they grow up, they shouldn’t be enclosed by the same restrictions. Tracking apps are causing teens to feel the need to lie and to do everything
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in their power to be the ones in control again. Now, instead of just sneaking out, teens will leave the house without their phone for fear of being tracked and caught. This ultimately defeats the purpose of the tracking app and causes more trust issues between parent and child. A study conducted by Danielle Kassow states, “The parent- child relationship is the first social relationship that teaches children that they can communicate in order to meet their needs. This transfers to forming relationships later in life.” Without
recounts her phone blowing up with texts from her mom worrying about her leaving the school during the school day. The student wasn’t being disobedient, just leaving the Life360 permitted parameters. According to a Pew Research Survey, 48% of parents go through their child’s messages and phone calls. The same survey shows 16% of parents regularly check and track their children. Tracking is a good tool for safety. Life360 has a feature that allows 9-1-1 to be dialed directly if a user is in a car accident. Improvements like this help parents feel safer about giving their child freedom and building trust. - National poll on Children’s Health Parents who have this new technology this crucial first step into the social realm, and are not going to be willing to give it up. children are at a disadvantage for future Checking their child’s location is almost as relationships for the rest of their life. addicting as checking their child’s grades. Role models generally practice what they It’s understandable that if a student does preach. But parents of Gen Z can’t. Their something to lose trust, then tracking apps high school years were much different. can be a way for the teen to gain back trust Today’s tracking technology didn’t exist and the parents to be able to provide a when they were growing up. consequence. Additional stress is added to parents’ live Students or parents should take the time when they have to manage both their own out of their day to discuss the positive and lives and their child’s. According to a study negative capabilities of these tracking apps. conducted by the U.S National Library of Students could be making parents aware of Medicine, parents of young children pick alternatives to watching their every move. up their phones an average of 70 times per Teens can text or call to alert the parent day. This number should be decreasing as they arrived somewhere safely before the a child ages because he or she has more parent has to check the tracking app. responsibilities. With set boundries, a certain level of When apps such as Life 360 glitch, its privacy maintained, and an open line of yet another cause of anxiety for the entire communication, a happy, safe medium can family. When walking out to the stadium be reached between parent and child. field for science field day, one student
24% of parents believe their child isn’t mature enough for independence
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Shari Adwers, MJE
Senior Ashlee Hall leads summer colorguard practice Aug. 17.
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