The Bruin - March 2023

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Environment Should be Considered with the Recent Ohio Disasters

With recent accidents and disasters in Ohio, the environment has been at severe risk. This causes health issues to Ohio citizens, hurting wildlife and livestock, consequently harming the food and water supply.

To be specific, the train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio released many harmful chemicals into the community. As said by the New York Times, these chemicals include: butyl acrylate, ethylhexyl acrylate, ethylene glycol monobutyl ether, and vinyl chloride. Norfolk Southern train wrecked on February 3, causing a “controlled burn,” according to the New York Times.

Depending on who speculates, there are many different opinions on whether or not East Palestine’s water is dangerous. However, many citizens have explained their

concern.

In addition to the train derailment there was an industrial plant explosion in Cleveland at the end of February. This could have also released harmful toxins into the waterways. Despite a staggering amount of citizens complaining about side effects to their health, there have been no official reports of chemicals in the water.

This being said, the tests done on the water in Ohio should take place more frequently in general, but especially after an accident. It is no question that the regulations, on paper, are very helpful. But, there should be more extensive tests on the quality of water and food-the United States requires FDA approval for items that are consumed by the citizens.

According to the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, “The Division of Drinking and Ground Waters ensures compliance with the federal Safe

Drinking Water Act and evaluates potential threats to source waters that supply Ohio’s more than 4,800 public drinking water systems.”

Therefore, if there was a known instance in which the cleanliness of water and food may have been depleted then citizens should not be worried about whether or not it is safe to consume.

According to the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, “The Division of Drinking and Ground Waters ensures compliance with the federal Safe Drinking Water Act and evaluates potential threats to source waters that supply Ohio’s more than 4,800 public drinking water systems.”

The Drinking Water Standards, or DWS, set the acceptable quality of drinking water in Ohio.

Depending on who speculates, there are many different opinions on whether or not East Palestine’s water is

BRUIN STAFF

625 Broad Street Wadsworth, OH 44281

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ADVISOR

Eric Heffinger

SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER

Katie Griffin

ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR

Brenden Barlett

FEATURES EDITOR

Katie Basinger

NEWS EDITOR

Katie Allen

IN-DEPTH EDITOR

Haley Reedy

SPORTS EDITOR

Carson Bernard OPINION EDITOR

Luke Houser

STAFF WRITERS

Aiden Brown Alex Banks Angel-Belle Jones

Bri Perkins Drew Bowerman Lizzy Edwards

Grace Barrett Joseph Davis Lauren Ball

Lezlie Tinney Lily Love Mallory Gershutz

Noelle Allen Olivia Benner Jade Wilcox Sydney Blake

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However, many citizens have explained their concern. This gained lots of notice– for example, many notable politicians visited the citizens of East Palestine. Instead of offering relief, many used it as a way to self promote. People in any position of authority need to stop playing politics and begin to work together in order to protect the state, the people, and the environment.

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WADSWORTH WATER PROVES TO BE SAFE

AFTER EAST PALESTINE EXPLOSION

BY KATIE GRIFFIN

After a catastrophic train explosion took place in East Palestine, about 75 miles from Wadsworth, many citizens of Wadsworth have been concerned about the safety of Wadsworth’s drinking water. Vinyl Chloride, a dangerous gas used for creating plastic, flowed into the Ohio River. The Ohio River happened to be where much of the water in surrounding areas such as Cincinnati was being sourced from. People in the area were encouraged to avoid using their water until further notice due to the exposure to Vinyl Chloride.

According to Ohio. gov, “The Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission is no longer detecting contaminants related to the derailment in the Ohio River.”

As for the presence of Vinyl Chloride in the air, the area is being tested frequently.

“Twenty air monitors, strategically located throughout the community by U.S. EPA and an independent contractor, continue to monitor outdoor air,” stated Mike Dewine in a recent statement. “Those monitors, which are not detecting contamination from the derailment, continue to be moved throughout the area to collect samples from various locations.”

Robert Patrick, the Director of Public Service in Wadsworth, claims that due to the way Wadsworth’s water is sourced, there will be no threat to the city’s water supply. Another contributing factor is that water flows

STUDENT CREATES ART IN HALLWAY OF WHS

BY GRACE BARRETT

Emily Hall, a senior at Wadsworth High School, is completing her Gold Award project for Girls Scouts by creating a mural that will be displayed in the 1200 hallway of the high school.

The Gold Award is the highest award available to Seniors and Ambassadors within the program and requires projects to be created that represent an important issue in the community or something that the member is passionate about.

Hall was inspired to create this mural because she feels that the school walls do not have enough artwork.

“I know a lot of people that don’t like how the school is mostly gray and lacks color,” Hall said.

Camryn Henderson, a junior at WHS, agrees.

“I just think the halls are really boring,” Henderson said. “There’s very little decoration or school spirit.”

Before beginning to paint, Hall had set out to get approval from the Girl Scouts organization and the school board, starting with Dr. Suber.

“I scheduled a meeting with Dr. Suber and we discussed the mural and how it will work,” Hall said. “Then, it went to the school board and it got

approved through them.”

Mr. Derrig, one of the art teachers at Wadsworth High School, is serving as Hall’s advisor for the project. As well as this, seven of Hall’s classmates and peers will be painting alongside her.

Hall is choosing to encompass a positive message within her mural, using plenty of colors and lighthearted designs.

“It will be of butterflies, flowers and a sun with the saying, ‘you are loved’ on it,” Hall said.

Overall, Hall is excited to display more artwork on the currently empty walls of WHS, and to spread positivity through her creative outlet.

from the continental divide to the Ohio River, so it is going towards the Ohio River.

“Our water comes from groundwater wells here in and around Wadsworth, so we have a long distance away from that area of the contamination zone,” Patrick said.

He also believes that as well as being protected from this calamity, Wadsworth’s water would generally be safe in other similar situations.

“The nice thing is that we have many different sources and well fields,” Patrick said. “We don’t have just one place, there’s not just one lake or reservoir that we get water from so we’re diversified… we have many different areas to get water from, so I feel comfort in that.”

He urges any people that see issues with their water to contact the city so that they can test it for any issues.

“If anyone has concerns, folks can always reach out to the City of Wadsworth and can always reach out to our water treatment plant, we are

always available to provide accurate information to folks,” Patrick said.

Patrick believes that Wadsworth’s water will continue to remain safe throughout the rest of the East Palestine’s recovery, and if issues reach the city, there will be multiple access points for safe water.

MOSAIC CHURCH OPENS KINGS STREET CAFE

BY ANGEL JONES

As Rise and Grind closed their building, Mosaic Church wanted to find a way to fill the space.

“When we found out their plan to close, we had a decision to make. We could either find a new business to rent the space or we could try and utilize the space ourselves. We choose to utilize the space ourselves,” said Adam Barton, the pastor of Mosaic Church.

The church will be opening up a coffee shop that is open to everyone.

“We are going to serve great coffee and create a really cool vibe,” said Barton. “The menu isn’t finalized yet but we are excited to share it as we get closer to opening.”

The hours are not yet finalized either but the coffee shop will not be open on Sundays.

“On Sundays (when the King’s Street Café is closed) the space will be used by our youth group here at Mosaic, “ Barton said.

The Mosaic Church had been in the building for over a year and the church has always wanted to open some sort of coffee shop.

“We really wanted to create a space where people could work, spend time with friends, run a meeting, or just hang out,” Barton said. “We love Wadsworth. Our goal is always to be a service to the community and add value wherever we

Mosaic does not have any more ideas of expanding as of right now they are just “letting God lead them ,” Barton said.

The church wants to have a nice community and is welcoming many people.

“The vision of Mosaic is to be a “church for people who don’t think church is for them,” said Barton. “ We do everything we can to make it as easy as possible for a new person to come in and feel welcome and accepted.”

The Mosaic Church is excited to share and open up the “Kings Street Cafe” to the public.

Map shows the direction of the water flowing away from Wadsworth. Water in East Palestine is said to be safe currently. Photo courtesy of City Of Wadsworth.

Sketch of the mural Hall plans on drawing in the 1200 hallway at Wadsworth High School for her Gold Award project in Girl Scouts. It includes the message ‘you are loved’ to spread positivity and inspire students. Photo Courtesy of Emily Hall.

The former location of Rise and Grind in downtown Wadsworth will be reopened as “Kings Coffee Shop”. Mosaic Church, the owners of the shop, stated that they are excited to be opening up a nice and fun place for the public.

Photo by Angel Jones.

Wadsworth’s water tower stands on the corner of Hartman and Akron road. The city declares that none of Wadsworth’s water has been impacted through the East Palestine derailment. Photo courtesy of City Of Wadsworth.

WADSWORTH’S COUNCIL PRESIDENT THURBER CHALLENGES MAYOR LAUBAUGH IN PRIMARY

BY KATIE ALLEN

Wadsworth’s Mayor, Robin Laubaugh will face her first primary election, in May against the current President of the City Council, Bob Thurber. Mayor Laubaugh will finish her fourth term as mayor, while Thurber will finish his second term in his current position. The two will run against each other in the republican primary and winner will then go on to run in the general election in November.

Having been in the position of mayor since 2008, Mayor Laubaugh has seen many different projects; and changes come through Wadsworth in her time as mayor and is still motivated to do more and move the city forward.

“I have great optimism for our community, we have some wonderful and exciting projects on the horizon, and I’m excited to see them come to fruition,” Laubaugh said. “I think the other thing that provides great motivation is I see so much potential and I can see the next project or initiative unfolding and improving our community and way of life.”

Initially, in 2014, Thurber had been elected to fill a seat in the city council, then in 2016, he was picked by his party to fill the vacant position of President of the City Council. Having been in the position since Thurber feels it is time for him to do more than he can from his current position.

“I think I’ve accomplished everything I can from this particular seat, City Council has a pretty narrow lane,” Thurber said. “It’s great, I’ve loved my time there but I just think it’s time for me to do more. We are at a very interesting time in our history of Wadsworth and I’d just like to do more.”

Despite his experience in city administration, running for mayor is something Thurber did not think he wanted to do originally. After getting involved in city administration, he found problem solving was something he wanted to do more of.

“I’m not a career politician, I’ve never set my sights on anything to do with that. It’s one of those things I believe how should work in small towns, you put your time in for how many years, and it’s time for somebody else to come in and move on,” Thurber said. “I’ve never really thought of it as anything more than just do what you can do, do the best you can, and move on letting somebody else do that.”

Both candidates have many years of experience in city administration and have had important roles in running the city and

moving new projects forward. However, Mayor Laubaugh believes her experience can be trusted by a proven track record.

“I provide experience that they can trust. I have been mayor for a long time and I have a proven track record of moving the community forward,” Laubaugh said. “I provided strong leadership, an example of that, I guided the city through a global pandemic as well as a global recession.”

On the other hand, Thurber has experience in both the city administration and business. He first opened the downtown shop, Thurber’s Jewelers, over 30 years ago and believes his experience running a business makes him a good fit for mayor.

“Those are the kinds of things that I love to do so I like big projects, and I’ve always had a sense of urgency and business, and to move at the speed of business,” Thurber said. “I think a lot of these projects die of atrophy and we don’t

is the catalyst which moves things forward, it doesn’t change the outcome necessarily, but it changes the speed. That’s kind of how I see it, I think we are very similar in a lot of ways, and I certainly think a lot of our beliefs are similar,” Thurber said. “But, because I’m in business, I just approach problem-solving, and that’s just one of my favorite things, solving problems. I run towards them, not away from them. I think expediency is always better, I think a hallmark of leadership is making good decisions quickly.”

As this is Thurber’s first time running for mayor, and Mayor Laubaugh’s first time facing a primary election, this is new to them both. Thurber will be campaigning for the first time and Mayor Laubaugh will be campaigning a bit differently from past years.

“The main thing is we want to make sure that people get out to vote. During a primary, very few people actually go vote, percentage-wise,” Laubaugh said. “You don’t want just a handful of people deciding who your leadership should be in the community, it will definitely change the future of Wadsworth. So I think the difference is I just really want to make sure that individuals get out to vote.”

of the city council to be seated for his current position, this is his first time campaigning for a position outside of being a city council member.

campaign in my life, so you know you do the best you can,” Thurber said.

“You get out there and meet people, I’ve been here for 35 years so I know a lot of people, I just talk to people.”

had the opportunity to vote for anybody else. I think it just gives them the first opportunity to say, maybe there’s a different way to look at things, maybe we should do some things differently,”

Thurber said. “I just think we need to focus a bit, change our direction and think what projects are out there that we could really do something unique and wonderful for this city.”

In the state of Ohio, citizens can vote in primary elections, even if the election is not within their registered party. This means, anybody in Wadsworth can go and vote in this republican primary election upon asking for a ballot. As this is the first time in so many years that citizens have a choice of mayor, citizens should make the most of this

have somebody pushing them.”

Although both candidates believe they have similar beliefs, Thurber believes it is a matter of outcome which differentiates the two.

“I think it’s a catalyst issue, I think we both see things pretty similar, the difference

To be elected, Thurber has to unseat a four-time incumbent, which he understands is “an uphill battle.” However, he believes that giving citizens the chance to vote for somebody else may get them to look at things differently.

“I think for the last four terms they haven’t

REPUBLICANPRIMARYELECTION ROBINMAYOROFWADSWORTH LAUBAUGHBOBTHURBER

canRegistration be done online by scanning the QRcodebelow,inperson at Medina County Board of Elections, or by mail.

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MASS SHOOTINGS ARE ON THE RISE

Michigan State University students begin to recover from tragedy

BY GRACE BARRETT AND ALEX BANKS

Michigan State University students went into lock down when an active shooter entered the campus on February 13, 2023, just one day before the 5 year anniversary of the shooting that occurred at Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.

At MSU, a 43 year old man took the lives of three MSU students; Brian Fraser, Alexandria Verner, and Arielle Anderson, and injured five more.

Michigan State University has since been holding vigils and funerals to pay respect for the lives lost in the shooting. Although the university has offered crisis support and safety measures, many students were still hesitant to return to school on February 20, as the grief and pain that the families, friends, and classmates of the victims experienced was still very present.

Kaylee Sochocki, a senior at MSU, went into lock down with her fellow classmates the day of the shooting.

Sochocki was walking home from urgent care moments before receiving an email to go into lock down. Fortunately, Sochocki was able to get to her apartment before that.

“I kind of had a moment,” Sochocki said. “I was like…‘I need to go home.’ So, I turned around and within two minutes of getting in my apartment I got the email.”

Originally, she did not think that the threat was serious because they receive warning emails frequently.

“We will hear this a lot and nothing ever comes of it,” Sochocki said. “And then my roommate had come home ten minutes later and was like ‘Turn off all the lights, we need to go barricade the door.’”

Within the four hours they were in lock down, Sochocki and her roommate downloaded a police scanner app in order to hear calls coming in to have a better idea of what was going on.

“We didn’t know what was really happening,” Sochocki said. “Every time that we heard someone was coming closer to us, we were texting our families.”

While Sochocki was able to remain in her own apartment for the duration of the lock down, many other students found themselves in public settings.

“When I found out that I had friends in the Union [student center] midall of it happening… I literally just screamed bloody murder,” Sochocki said. Because MSU had informed every student of the situation, and instructed them to remain where they were, Sochocki did not expect to see students walking, so, when she saw a man walking outside of her apartment during the barricade, she was terrified.

MASS SHOOTINGS IN AMERICA

“I was like, ‘Oh my God, this is him. And we’re done for,’ because I couldn’t even imagine why anyone would leave the house during something like that,” Sochocki said.

Many students are incredibly shaken by the event and have been speaking out about what they went through.

“I’ve always felt really safe at MSU, it’s like you hear about it all the time but you never really think it’s going to be your school,” Sochocki said.

Although she and millions of other students have grown up doing lock down drills and hearing about

stories of tragedies occurring at other schools, she was never really prepared for the idea that it could someday be her and her classmates in danger.

“I didn’t know exactly what it would be like to live through until I had to live through it,” Sochocki said.

To make students feel safer and to increase security, there has been a greater police presence around campus. However, because of everything students had to see that day, seeing police and hearing sirens brings them back to those terrifying moments.

“For all of us, police sirens are never going to sound the same,” Sochocki said.

Since ending the lock down, MSU has opened up more counseling services, including therapy dogs, and has sent counselors to different locations around the campus. As well as this, many local businesses, such as cat cafes, have also offered support to MSU students by offering things such as free meals.

“I think MSU is doing their best but I don’t think anything will ever be enough,” Sochocki said.

Originally, MSU planned to only have one day off after the tragedy occurred. However, they then extended the time off and classes started back on Monday, February 20.

“It wasn’t even a full week past when kids died where we had to go back in classrooms,” Sochocki said. “I understand that… it’s more beneficial for some people to get back into a normal routine…but I think it’s a lot harder for people who aren’t ready to go back to have to be forced to.”

As well as this, Sochocki believes that the loved ones of the victims have not had enough time to grieve either, as by the time they had to return to school, funerals had just begun for the kids who were lost.

“Not every parent has even had the chance to bury their child yet and we’re supposed to be back in the classrooms,” Sochocki said.

As well as this, on their walk to class, many students pass memorials and can even see the destruction that resulted from the chaos that day.

“We can see broken windows from where people had to jump out of it,” Sochocki said. “It’s hard to see that.”

Fortunately, many professors have been accommodating for students and have said that they will not be grading strictly or enforcing harsh deadlines. Additionally, many hybrid classes have

said that they do not have to return to classrooms and that they can just stay online.

Outside of campus, Sochocki believes that the media has failed to properly cover the severity of the incident. The first two days after the event were filled with headlines about what had happened but after that, Sochocki saw almost nothing about it.

“We have already become a forgotten story,” Sochocki said. “We were just another headline while it was hot and now we are forgotten about. Everyone else gets to go on with their lives while there are 39,000 students here. This is our everyday, we don’t get the luxury of it just being a headline.”

Since the tragedy, people have been protesting outside of the Michigan capitol building, calling for stricter gun control. As well as this, March for Our Lives has organized protests around the nation. Gretchen Whitmer, Michigan’s governor, has been advocating for gun control.

“I think it’s all in the hands of the government,” Sochocki said. “So many more kids, and so many more people are going to have to die… How many people are going to have to have their worlds shifted for there to be change?”

Despite any possible governmental change, nothing will ever erase the effects of the shooting at MSU.

“We all feel a collective sense of belonging here and just walking through campus, there used to always be a sense of comfort and warmth, and it’s gone,” Sochocki said. “Every student that you look at; no one looks the same, no one carries themselves the same.”

Infographic showing the amount of mass shooting that have occurred in America from 2014 go 2022. This includes school shootings and shootings on college campuses. Information courtesy of the Gun Violence Archive

“NOT EVERY PARENT HAS EVEN HAD THE CHANCE TO BURY THEIR CHILD YET AND WE’RE SUPPOSED TO BE BACK IN THE CLASSROOMS.”

-Kaylee Sochocki, Senior at Michigan State University

Memorial created to recognize the students who lost their lives in the shooting at Michigan State University on February 13, 2023. Many students pass similar memorials and place things such as flowers near it in order to pay respect to the victims of gun violence.

Photo courtesy of Kaylee Sochocki

Information courtesy of the Gun Violence Archive

BY KATIE ALLEN

SCHOOL BOARD HEARS PROPOSITION FOR A NEW SPECIAL EDUCATION SCHOOL

BY GUEST WRITER COLIN MOORE

At the February regularly scheduled school board meeting, Joyce Walker, Director of Student Services, Jennifer Thomas, Coordinator of Special Education, and Superintendent Dr. Andy Hill presented a new addition to the school district.

explains that a fundamental tool in other programs is a strong counseling presence.

This February has been the least snowy February since 2001. Cleveland reported 1.2 inches of snow for the whole month, while the average snowfall for the month is 9.3 inches. The snowfall for the whole winter is already 56% below the regular season average.

In the status quo, students with certain special needs are sent out of the district for a more specialized education environment. The primary differences outlined were that “the students are in a very small setting in a separate location.”

“Being in a separate location is largely important because it decreases the excess stimuli,” Thomas said.

The classrooms are laid out a little differently as well. Each classroom has around 8 to 12 students.

“Each room of this size will have two general education teachers,” Walker said. “These teachers are fundamental to ensuring class-wide progress.”

Each class will also have two intervention specialists to continue progress on students’ “Individualized Education Programs.”

On Tuesday, February 28, the Supreme Court began the hearing of President Biden’s Student-Loan Forgiveness Plan. After keeping the program on hold since December, the court started the hearing with two challenges filed against Biden’s plan.

To help get these students back with their peers in the standard classroom, the school will have a Board Certified Behavior Analyst and a Registered Behavior Technician. The BCBA will work with all the therapists, parents, and the entire team to ensure that the child is reaching their maximum potential, while the RCB is primarily responsible for the direct implementation of treatment plans related to skill- acquisition and behavior reduction.

More importantly, to ensure the development of these plans set, there will be a behavior technician aide in each classroom. Walker

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“Many times when students are dysregulated, it’s just because they have something they need to work through, they need to feel comfortable, and they need to have their voice heard,” Walker said. “They have to deal with some heavy emotions. A dedicated counselor will be fundamental to their success.”

Even though they are small in size, each building will also need to have an administrator, secretary, health aide, and custodian.

As for location, there would be no new building built. Dr. Hill describes the plan as renting a pre-existing space, with the current prospects being churches. He mentions a benefit of renting from churches is that in informal meetings they would see it less as a business expenditure and more as a service to the community.

The benefits of Wadsworth’s own program are fluid transition between the traditional

learning environment, and the specialized program. Based on individual growth within the program, access to home base activities during the school day or during PTO planned events will be available. Temporary support based on student needs help students receiving services by either an IEP or 504 plan, and a greater ability to support students experiencing trauma/dysregulation.

Finally, the team presented the board with the financials of the matter. Due to how the district currently sends the students out, any price will benefit from a lot of savings from the move. This is because transportation tuition costs are no longer in question. For a K-4 program, they presented a very conservative estimate of a $203,183 bill, without venue costs. If the school sees success, the board has the option to move to a K-8 program or a K-12 costing 147,162--the latter saving the district $55,480.

PHILOSOPHY CLUB OPEN TO ALL

BY ANGEL JONES

Within Wadsworth High School, there are many different clubs. One of these clubs is Philosophy Club. The Philosophy Club is mainly focused on big questions, such as things that go on in the world and politics.

“We often discuss questions that have not been answered,” said Mr. Knapp, a history teacher at WHS.

The Philosophy Club is one that many students take part in. The club takes place every other Wednesday after school, lasting from 2:34 to 3:30.

“[Philosophy Club is] all about wisdom,” Knapp said.

Each week during Philosophy Club, the students get a chance to discuss and share thoughts on difficult topics with their peers.

The club really looks outside of the box when it comes to their discussion topics. During the club you talk about many diverse topics that do not always pertain to what we learn in school.

“I think that it is interesting to talk about things that you don’t get to talk about during school,” Manion said. “I liked it when we talked about the five ways that Thomas Aquinas used to prove that God was real.”

The club is geared around teaching the kids how to argue, how to make a good argument, and how to formulate different premises and conclusions.

“I enjoy the way that Mr. Knapp teaches and approaches topics during the club,” Manion said.

Over a month ago, the Norfolk Southern train derailed in East Palestine, Ohio, spilling toxic chemicals. Both state and federal officials have been sent to the scene since, and there has been no detection of dangerous levels of chemicals in the air or water.

Students also get the chance to lead team or group discussions during the time that the club is together.

“It’s not about who yells the loudest, that never wins an argument,” Knapp said.

One of the club’s members is sophomore Jacquelyn Manion. This is her first year in the Philosophy Club.

Learning these skills helps kids in many different areas of their life, such as preparation for a story or speech they present in class, university applications, and going out for different types of teams where these skills are needed.

All students who are interested in joining Philosophy Club are welcome to attend any of the Wednesday meetings held by the club, located in Mr. Knapp’s room.

Photo

Photo courtesy of Supreme Court of the United States

Photo courtesy of Fair Use

Wadsworth School Board meets to discuss new school plans. Wadsworth School Board {left to right}: Colin Moore, Julie Batey, Doug Beeman, Jill Stevens, Dr. Andrew Hill, Linda Kramer, Gary McComas, Amanda Gordon Photo Courtesy of WCTV

“THEY NEED TO FEEL COMFORTABLE, AND THEY NEED TO HAVE THEIR VOICE HEARD.”

-Joyce Walker, Director of Student Services

Photo courtesy of Creative Commons

Photo courtesy of Creative Commons

HIGHLIGHTED PERFORMER DOMINIC RUTHERFORD SINGS AT KAVÉ

BY HALEY REEDY

Every Thursday a coffee shop in Barberton named Kavé hosts an open-mic night. This open-mic night provides opportunities for people from all over to come together to listen and perform.

“The goal was to host an event, not at a bar where local youth performers could feel comfortable performing in front of a crowd,” said Ryan Struckel, the General Manager of Kavé. “We want to make sure that there is a space in the community for people under the age of 21 to grow and explore their talents in a constructive way, and we believe that hosting an Open Mic

onstage in a family-friendly establishment is one of the best ways to provide that experience.”

Thursday, February 23, Dominic Rutherford, a junior at Green High School performed 3 songs at an open-mic night.

“I just came here during summer once and I heard about it [open-mic night] and I came to watch a couple of performances,” Rutherford said. ”Then after watching a couple I built up the courage to actually want to perform.

The open-mic night gives people the chance to try something new that they have not tried before. “[I started performing] just very recently compared to some of the other people here, I’ve only been playing here for a few months,” Rutherford said. “I started playing in December.”

The three songs that Rutherford sang were all written by Canadian singer Mac DeMarco. Rutherford sang “K”, “This Old Dog” and “Preoccupied”.

“I like how he sounds and partially the fact that he’s easy for me [to sing], there are obviously things that are outside of my [vocal] range.”

Rutherford said, “I’m sort of an amateur when it comes to this, so it’s nice to have something that isn’t going to strain [my voice].”

On this open-mic night, there were around 20-25 people gathered

POPULAR STUDY SITE AT WADSWORTH HIGH TEMPORARILY BLOCKED

BY HALEY REEDY

Wadsworth High students discovered that they were unable to access the Quizlet website on February 24, due to a temporary block. This became an issue because many students use the site to study and teachers will often use it for work in their classrooms.

Quizlet is a study website where teachers and students are able to create flashcards and play study games in hope of memorizing the study set that students are learning.

The head of the technology department, Phil Luthman was contacted about the issue.

“These decisions are more made by building administration,” said Luthman.

In the morning during second period, no student was able to access Quizlet, as seen in the image below. By later afternoon, after the head principal at Wadsworth High, Dr. Vincent Suber was contacted to comment, Quizlet was unblocked and students were able to access it. “It was found that students were using the website to find answers during tests and quizzes,” Suber said. “Kids said they were in class using Quizlet to

cheat on quizzes and tests.”

Suber explains that Quizlet is not blocked but it is up to the individual teacher to decide if they want to block Quizlet through an extension called Go Guardian.

“Me personally, I think that students could use anything to cheat,” said Hunter Burrows, a junior at WHS.

Go Guardian is an extension on teachers’ computers that allow teachers to see the students’ Chromebook screens at all time when a session is activated. Teachers are also able to block certain websites while students are in their specific classes.

“I support the teacher,” Suber said. “If a teacher wants to block whatever website in their classroom for their 45-minute period, I support that.”

Students are worried that they will have to find new ways to study rather than using Quizlet if teachers will choose to block it.

“Quizlet is what we were taught all through elementary school, CIS [Central Intermediate School], and high school to use to study,” Burrows said.

Suber believes that the reason that students cheat is just laziness. His logic is that if a website can give students the answer right away then they will use it.

“Students can use Quizlet at home to study for quizzes and tests but it can no longer be accessed during school hours [when a teacher blocks it] for that reason and to prevent cheating,” Suber said.

to listen. Although to some this might not seem like a lot of people, some of the performers are still jittery when they perform. “I’m so nervous every time I’m up there,” Rutherford said.

According to Rutherford, the nerves go away as you perform more.

“You’ll feel a lot less nervous after your first [performance] because you’ll realize people don’t care that much if you’re bad,” Rutherford said. “Even if you think you’re bad no one is really judging you that hard and everyone here is very welcoming people.”

Anyone is able to come to an open-night mic. Students from various high schools come to sing, not just students from

Barberton and Wadsworth. Even some adults come to sing and perform.

“Not everyone here is amazing or a professional singer so you’re not going to be the only one who is a bit inexperienced,” Rutherford said.

Even if performers are not looking to pursue music as a career, it is still an event to put themselves out there and connect with others in the community.

“I’ve never been much for [music programs], I like to have my own thing, I like to choose what I perform, what I practice, and when I practice and choir or band can’t do that for me,” Rutherford said.

Dominic Rutherford sings at open-mic night at the coffee shop named Kavé. Rutherford is a junior at Green High School. Photo By Haley Reedy.

People gather at Kavé to listen to the performers on open-mic night. The open-mic night is hosted every Thursday. Photo by Haley Reedy.

WHS ALUMNUS JOEY BAUGHMAN PLAYING IN EUROPE

BY SYDNEY BLAKE

After experiencing injuries during his time playing Division 1 football at Elon University, Wadsworth alumni Joey Baughman knew his time playing football was not over yet. All of his hard work and dedication has finally paid off as he is now playing for the Milano Rhinos in the Italian Football League.

Baughman found out about this experience from a teammate on his Elon team who played for a team in Sweden for a year.

“After I talked to him about this experience I decided it was something I’d be interested in doing and was going to give it a shot,” Baughman said.

There was not a second of hesitation in Baughman’s mind about packing up his whole life in North Carolina and moving it all to Milan, Italy. He arrived mid January and started

strong in training camps in preparation for the team’s first game on March 11.

“I feel like this was where my journey was heading all along from the second I heard about this opportunity,” Baughman said.

Not only is Baughman focusing on his game, but he is also focusing on perfecting his eager teammates’ technique and teaching them concepts from true American football. Although most of his teammates have been playing American football for years, Baughman has brought a more advanced style to the field.

The Milano Rhinos practice three days a week, with games on Saturdays. They do not have games every week, which has given Baughman the opportunity to explore the country.

Elon Coach Drew Folmar was a part of Baughman’s college recruitment process from the very start. After Elon was on the search for a high school quarterback for at the end of their 2017 season, Baughman immediately caught the attention of Folmar. He accepted Elon’s offer, and immediately

started getting to work.

“He was highly productive as a high school player,” Folmar said. “He threw the ball well and ran exceptionally well. He was what we were looking for in a quarterback as someone who is a dual threat.”

After Folmar’s college years, he also went on to play football in Italy and shared his experiences with Baughman.

“I told him, ‘Man that this is an awesome opportunity at the age that you’re at, you don’t have a lot of connections and ties that are keeping you here. Go over, it’s a great opportunity and great experience,’” Folmar said.

Before Baughman left for Italy, Folmar encouraged Baughman to take every opportunity to teach his teammates the game of American football. While Folmar played football during his time in Italy, he did not have any American coaches and they were learning

the game just as much as the players.

“American football is a relatively new game over there,” Folmar said. “I said, ‘You’ll end up coaching players on the team as much as anybody does because of the knowledge you have.”

The Rhinos have a rule about how many Americans they can have on the team. It is Baughman and two others.

“Usually what they want is an American quarterback, it’s the most important position in football,” Folmar said. “If you don’t have a quarterback, you’re going to struggle to win.”

Baughman’s contract with the Milano Rhinos is through the end of the season in June. After that, he plans on traveling Europe for the summer. He will sign another contract with a different team in Europe next season.

WHS GIRLS LACROSSE TEAM PREPARES FOR THE SEASON SPORTS BLURBS

BY BRI PERKINS

Wadsworth High School’s girls lacrosse team has kicked off their preseason for the Spring. The team plans to work hard to have the best season possible.

Girls lacrosse is a spring sport at WHS and has been growing in popularity over the years. Their tryouts were held on Tuesday, February 21 through Thursday, February

23. The team resumed with lifting and workouts on January 7.

To start off they began lifting 3 days a week for an hour at a time to start to get back into shape for their upcoming season. Alongside this they started “open fields”. Open fields are where members or prospective players can come to work on their skills at their own pace.

Tessa Blake is a senior at Wadsworth High School and has been playing lacrosse since she was in 6th grade.

She enjoys playing lacrosse because of the environment.

“High school lacrosse is really fun because we have a wide variety of grades and personalities,” Blake said.

Blake encourages others to try lacrosse even if they don’t have any experience. The team embraces new team members and loves when new freshmen join the team.

Blake’s teammate, Sophia Whited, is looking forward

to their upcoming senior season. Whited predicts that the season will be not only fun, but challenging for the team.

“The game schedule is going to be tough because we have good competition,” Whited said.

This doesn’t discourage the girls from making the most out of this season as they work through the preseason. The team has a total of eight home games and seven away games. Their preseason preparations will soon pay off as their games begin and the team has a strong base to start off the year.

BY JOSEPH DAVIS

In the preseason many girls have been attending a lot of open fields and workouts before to prepare for lacrosse season. With tryouts finished up; the Varsity girls lacrosse team is hoping to make big strides for the upcoming season. With confidence and hard work the girls hope to accomplish a lot this season.

The best time of the year is coming up for college basketball, March Madness, with 68 different competitive schools face off in many rounds and hoping to accomplish the biggest goal which is winning the national championship. This will take place March 16th-17th.

This week tennis tryouts are coming up for the boys. The boys have been engaging in numerous of training and conditioning indoor’s at Springside Athletic Club and Paramount Tennis Club. Currently the team is looking to have around 30 kids tryout, the most the program has seen in years.

Joey Baughman and teammate on the sideline of training camp. Photo courtesy of Irena Leite.

The WHS girls lacrosse team poses together after one of their preseason workouts. The team has lifted and participated in open fields to get ready for the season. Photo courtesy of Tessa Blake.

Photo Courtesy of Brena Nagy.

Photo Courtesy of Dylan Currens

Photo Courtesy of Fair Use

“I FEEL LIKE THIS WAS WHERE MY JOURNEY WAS HEADING ALL ALONG FROM THE SECOND I HEARD ABOUT THIS OPPORTUNITY.”

-JOEY BAUGHMAN, FORMER MR OHIO FOOTBALL & WHS ALUMNUS

Joey Baughman in training camp with the Milano Rhinos. Their first game is March 11th. Photo courtesy of Irena Leite.

Photo Courtesy of Brenden Barlett.

After taking First Place as a team at the Wadsworth Sectionals, the Grizzlies’ full fourteen man line-up advanced to Districts to face multiple teams at NorthCanton Hoover High School. The tournament took place March 3-4 and the State Tournament will be on March 10-12.

WHAT IT TAKES TO MAKE THE WADSWORTH HIGH SCHOOL BOYS BASEBALL TEAM

BY CARSON BERNARD AND LAUREN BALL

On Monday, January 20, the students at Wadsworth High School had the day off for President’s Day. But that does not mean it was a day off for the baseball team; in fact, this was just the beginning. The team had to be at the Wadsworth High School track by 12:00 in the afternoon to start their four day tryout. Before any specific baseball skills were evaluated, the team ran through timed sprints and weightlifting in order to set a baseline for improvement and to show overall athleticism.

“Monday we did 60 yard dashes and… you can either dead lift or you could bench,” said senior and varsity catcher Daniel Hall. “With 60s it really just measures your top speed and measures how fast you get going on see how fast you really are. That way, the coaches can get a good gauge of if you’re going to be able to steal bases or if you’re going to be more of a liability on the bases,” Hall said.

It may seem like a simple drill but every little thing is graded.

“In the 60 yard dashes we learn how to run the bases, fast,” Ethan Green, a junior at Wadsworth High School and current infielder for the team, explained.

Green said that while many think of baseball as just hitting the ball as hard as you can, there is a lot more to it. Speed is a huge factor in how quick an athlete can run the bases.

Tuesday January 21 the athletes saw themselves indoors in both the hitting facility and the YMCA field house. The athletes split up their practice into groups, with half of the group split up with half practicing hitting in the hitting facility, and the other half practicing fielding ground balls in the field house. The team cannot practice on the actual field yet due to weather conditions and the field being too wet.

“[In the field house] we did exit velo, and that’s really just a measure of strength and seeing how hard you can hit a ball because especially at the high school level if you’re not hitting the ball hard enough it’s not going to get through those gaps in the infield and you’re gonna have a hard time reaching the bases and getting like runners moved over,” Hall explained.

In the hitting facility the team also worked on bunting and hitting off a tee to see the power the athletes had as well as their accuracy.

In the field house the team focused on the throwing program. Green explained that the throwing program has been at the school for 10 years and has worked out really well for them.

On Wednesday the team was back at the field house and YMCA practicing.

At the YMCA the team again worked on throwing and fielding with an emphasis on infielding.

“On Wednesday we did, well It was more like a practice but we did pull downs where you run and throw the balls as hard as you can and we just did a bunch of infield stuff,” Green added.

In the field house the team continued hitting the ball and pull downs. Seniors Aaron Keating and Jason Moore and junior Noah Gromofsky sat down and discussed what was going down Wednesday.

“So today and I guess all of tryouts we follow a rubric and today we did throwing, basically a run down practice with some measurable stuff in there,” Moore said.

The emphasis on throwing velocity was echoed by Keating.

“Today we did pull downs, so you basically

throw the ball as hard as you can and they clock the velocity on it,” Keating said. “We are getting ready to hit and field tomorrow.”

“This is basically just practice, we worked hard, pitchers worked on PFP or Pitching Field Practice to get ready for the season,” Gromofsky explained.

The group shared that the team feels very comfortable going into tryouts knowing the hard work they put in off season will show.

Thursday was the final day of tryouts. The team again saw themselves inside the facility and field house. Caleb Cikity, a sophomore at Wadsworth High School and current infielder for the team, gave his thoughts on Thursday’s tryout.

“Thursday we did fielding to test our arm accuracy. If you’re an infielder, you field the ball like an infielder, and then throw into a net from about nine feet away like an infield throw in an outfield, you would feel like an outfielder and then throw from a net little farther way and I’m whatever group wasn’t doing the infield and they were in the facility hitting to get graded on hitting as well,” Cikity said. By now the coaches already have a solid thought on where everyone on the team will be playing. After looking intensely at the grading scale the coaches meet to determine teams and carrying capacity for each.

“DURING TRYOUTS OR ON THE FIELD I’M HONEST WITH THEM AND I DON’T HOLD BACK. THEY HAVE TO LEARN WHAT THEY DID WRONG AND WHAT THEY DID RIGHT TO DO IT BETTER.”

-ETHAN GREEN, JUNIOR AND GRIZZLY BASEBALL PLAYER

On Monday the team worked outside running 60 yard dashes to test their speed and agility. After this, the players headed to the weight room for lifting metrics.

Photo by Lauren Ball.

On Tuesday the team practiced hitting in the field house. “[In the field house] we did exit velo, and that’s really just a measure of strength and seeing how hard you can hit a ball,” senior Daniel Hall said. Photo by Carson Bernard.

On Wednesday the team practiced the throwing program and some field work inside the YMCA. Due to the conditions on the field the team was forced to practice indoors. Photo by Lauren Ball.

“So Coach [Pickard] is grading on a scale between zero and eight,”Hall said. “Zero is that you didn’t even do it. The only reason a guy wouldn’t do it is some guys don’t do certain stuff just from injury so a lot of it is based on a rubric that they have.”

Every little bit of an athlete’s game is graded, some more than others. From bunting to fielding, to catching pop flies everything is accounted for.

“[We grade]... bunting which that’s really good with us because we play a lot of small ball, especially in close games...so that way you can have the bottom of the lineup flip the lineup over and get those top guys some really good opportunities to get some RBI’s,” Hall said.

Hall is one of the many athletes who put in a lot of time and effort during the postseason last summer. Athletes compete in programs and teams that are not run through the high school during the offseason. It’s very beneficial to

the player to participate in the extra play to focus on their game. Being a senior, Hall is definitely an athlete that the coaches look up to and expect to lead by example. At

University.

“From the college perspective it’s not gonna change anything as far as playing time and it really does take a lot of stress off because you now don’t have to worry about what am I doing next after my high school careers over,” Hall shared.

Athletes like Cikity and Green shared thats its very stressful not knowing where they will go after high school as of now.

Even though the team competes for the same spots, they all know they are one team.

“Since I played freshman last year and I didn’t really get to know them [the team] much I think it’s cooler I’ll be able to be surrounded by them more often,” Cikity shared.

what to do, getting everyone involved making sure everyone is using their time efficiently. Hall recently committed to play baseball for Davenport

WEDNESDAY cont.

Green understands that athletes like Cikity look up to him during tryouts and in season, and he needs to be a role model both on the field and in the facility.

THURSDAY

“During tryouts or on the field I’m honest with them I don’t hold back. They have to learn what they did wrong and what they did right to learn how to do it better. I always pull people away from the drill, at least like the people on surrounded by other in shoulders, and I try and teach them to the best of my ability,” Green said.

The teams are now set and the season is about to begin. The team’s first scrimmage is on March 17 at home against Waynedale and their first game is March 27 at home against Lake.

1.) Ethan Green (11) is pictured posing tossing the ball in the air. Green is a multiple year varsity athlete and is often looked as a role model on the field. Photo by Lauren

2.) Daniel Hall (12) posed for the media day photo shoot. Hall recently committed to Davenport University to be a catcher. Hall is extremely thankful and grateful for the opportunity to continue his baseball career at the collegiate level, and can’t wait to get started on his final high school season.

3/17 Scrimmage - Waynedale HS

3/18 Scrimmage - Strongsville HS

3/22 Scrimmage - @ Wooster HS

3/27 Lake High School (Uniontown)

3/29 Buckeye High School(Medina)

4/1 Hoover High School

4/3 Lake Catholic HS

4/8 @ Dover High School

4/10 @ Mayfield High School

4/13 Cloverleaf High School

4/15 @ Barberton HS

4/17 @ Archbishop Hoban High School

4/21 @ Aurora High School

4/28 @ Brunswick HS

4/29 @ Medina High School

5/5 Highland High School - Medina

5/12 @ Norton High School

5/13 @ Green High School - Uniontown

“DISTRICT CHAMPIONSHIP, HERE WE COME.”

-DANIEL HALL, SENIOR AND GRIZZLY BASEBALL PLAYER

On Wednesday the team also practiced hitting in the hitting facility. The boys would practice hitting the ball off a tee as well as off the pitching machine.

Photo by Carson Bernard.

On Thursday, from left to right, Noah Gromofsky (11), Aaron Keating (12), and Jason Moore (12) pose on their last day of tryouts. Tryouts were wrapping up and the day looked similar to an in-season practice. Photo by Carson Bernard.

3.

Ball.

Photo by Lauren Ball.

3.) Caleb Cikity (10) is pictured. Cikity played on the freshman team last year and is extremely excited to play on the JV team this year. Photo by Lauren Ball.

WADSWORTH GUIDANCE DEPARTMENT

LOOKS AT THE WHOLE CHILD INITIATIVE

BY HALEY REEDY

The Whole Child Initiative is a program that focuses on broadening the development and success of students in schools. Originally launched in 2007, the this initiative aims to open the conversation about children’s education and development, to focus on development outside of the classroom as well as in the classroom.

Recently, students across the Wadsworth District have filled out a survey asking questions correlated to each of the five tenants for child development. These tenants that the Whole Child Initiative are healthy, safe, engaged, supported, and challenged.

The ASCD, Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, is the nonprofit organization that works with this initiative. Their goal is to create “innovative programs, products, and services that empower educators to support the success of each learner.”

Through the Whole Child program, educators are taught strategies and tools to help support the entire child not just aspects of them. For example, Wadsworth High School has put a lot of time and resources into student mental health. Although that supports the students, the Whole Child framework would look at how to support a student in all aspects, not just mental health.

The Whole Child Initiative is in its early stages at Wadsworth High School. The survey sent to all students in the district received around 900 responses and administration, as well as the guidance department is looking at what to do with the results.

“There are conversations happening about is this something we do every year and maybe not those exact questions but we ask questions of our students to see how they’re doing, how they’re feeling, how is the climate [of the school], and then maybe even creating some goals [based off the results],” said Sara Kopacko, Intervention Specialist at WHS. “Some conversations of what we’re [having] is what do we want to do with this data, we want to continue with student voice.”

Kopacko along with the director of student services are representatives for the district of Wadsworth in the Whole Child Meetings.

“We just got to sit in, me and Mrs. Walker, the director of student services, we just got to sit in on this Whole Child liaison meeting because we are the Whole Child liaisons for our district,” Kopacko said.“We’ve been talking to a lot of other districts that are going through this process, or on year like three or four of this process to see what they’re doing,

and then we can talk about where this can go.”

In talking with other districts that have implemented the Whole Child Initiative in their schools, Kopacko plans to use the knowledge of other schools as well as Wadsworth’s individual survey data in order to shape what programs Wadsworth will look at implementing.

“I feel very confident that there are going to be things happening around it, right now we’ve got three initiatives that seem to be standing out in these meetings that we will probably land on, but we haven’t landed on yet,” Kopacko said.

“Part of what we want to end the school year with is like a three to five year strategic plan, the district already has plans, like improvement plans they do every year. But this would be specific to this Whole Child [Initiative].”

The next meeting about what the district plans to do with the Whole Child Initiative will be held in early March.

“Whole child education is an idea, it’s a mindset, it’s a strategy,” said Brittany Miracle,

social work and the work she does with the Whole Child.

“I looked at that intersection between social work and student wellbeing and education and that’s what really got me interested in supporting the needs of the Whole Child,” Miracle said. “There’s a lot of ties between non academic needs and things that a social worker would be doing, that could take place in the school.”

The work that Miracle does deals with providing specific resources to schools.

“My role specifically is to help with the statewide implementation of the Whole Child supports, we have a statewide network of Whole Child where we invite 300 stakeholders from across the state to learn about Whole Child Practices to take back to their districts,” Miracle said. “My office doesn’t

34.3% Always 29.3% Often 21.4% Sometimes

Never/ Rarely

14.9%

need it.”

Some of the supports that the Whole Child framework provides are programs that help with student attendance, student safety, and other student interests. For example, Miracle gave a presentation that correlated student attendance with breakfast, that if schools could increase school breakfast then they could also reduce chronic absences.

implementing Whole Child,” Miracle said.

Miracle originally started as a social worker and found herself working with the Whole Child Initiative.

“I started as a school social worker, I spent all of my internship time in a school with child welfare and what I came to realize is that there are a lot of students who needed nonacademic support to be successful,” Miracle said.

Miracle draws the comparison between

work directly with school districts unless a district calls and says they would like the department’s guidance. But it’s not divided up where each person [who works in Miracles office] gets 100 districts that we’re working with, it’s more of the state department we are a support the schools can tap into should they

“Looking back from the last three to five years we have a lot of progress towards implementing Whole Child in schools in that education setting so I’m hopeful that as more schools and districts learn more about the research behind addressing the students non-academic needs more will start integrating that into their strategic plans,” Miracle said.

Throughout her time working with the Whole Child Initiative, Miracle has been able to experience individual moments with the children she aims to help.

I know when I go to school I will not get hurt physically (hit, beat up, touched inappropriately, shoved)

I can be myself at school and people won’t make fun of me 978 responses

“WHOLE CHILD EDUCATION IS AN IDEA, IT’S A MINDSET, IT’S A STRATEGY” - BRITTANY MIRACLE, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF HEALTH, ATTENDANCE, FAMILY AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT SUPPORTS IN THE DEPARTMENT’S OFFICE

CAVALIERS

WHS MEDIA CLASSES ATTEND CAVS MEDIA DAY

BY MALLORY GERSCHUTZ AND NOELLE ALLEN

Students from the Bruin and the Media Communications compact were invited to participate in the Cleveland Cavaliers Media Day. The event consisted of interviews with professional panelists, a tour of the media department, and a behind the scenes look of the Cavalier’s production.

The goal of the Cavs Department was to begin an annual event where students from local media could experience their skills being utilized in the “real world.”

The Cavs Media Department personnel reached out to a number of schools within the district which offer either journalism or media classes, including WHS, Hudson, Avon Lake, and others. The Bruin class and Media Communications Compact were invited to the event in order to

gain insight on how media and journalism work in a professional setting.

Mr. Paul Taylor teaches the WHS Media Communications compact. This is a program in which students learn how to create online videos and other aspects of media professionally. His goal was to give his students a fun day with exposure to the career aspects of what they learn in class every day.

“They’ve been working really hard all year, so it’s kind of a good way for them to unwind and have fun,” Taylor said.

The panelists at the event included Ryan Banks, the Senior Director of Broadcast Services, Jimmy Longo, the Digital Content Producer, Matthew Eck, the Executive Producer & Sr. Director of Live Entertainment, and Joran Van Dootingh, the Senior Manager of Corporate Communications.

“They were very open, they all introduced themselves, talked about their job, gave a little anecdote about getting into the industry, and took questions,” Taylor said.

Students were given the opportunity to ask any question they had about the industry, from what the panelists do in a

day to how they kicked off their careers. Cale Bruers, media communications student at WHS, asked Rafael Hernandez, Brito-Bilingual Announcer, for some tips on live broadcasting.

“Rafa gave me some really good advice about keeping calm during a live broadcast, which we are planning to do for the announcements in a few weeks,” Bruers said.

Following the personnel interviews, each group was toured around the department. The tour included a behind the scenes look at the Cavs Media room, the studios in which they host live television and radio broadcasts, and the personnel who commentate and produce these shows.

The day concluded with both classes attending the Cavaliers vs. Spurs game. Students were able to see everything they had previously learned brought to life in the stadium.

“I was watching the game and just thinking that all this work has to go on behind the scenes to broadcast it and all these people to be able to watch it at home,“ said Lizzy Edwards, junior staff writer on the Bruin.

This opportunity inspired WHS students in many ways, as they experienced how their skills are utilized in the real world.

“These people are really similar to us and what we do in class everyday, just on a larger scale,” Bruers said, “Seeing people getting paid for doing what they love would definitely drive people to want to pursue [this career] even more.

Taylor and Eric Heffinger, advisor of the Bruin, hope to continue taking trips like this, to give their students an enjoyable learning experience and spark their interest in potential

SPURS

Students were taken on a tour around the media department where they saw the Media (left), Audio, and Creative Studios, as well as the TV Truck Compounds, also known as mobile broadcast units (far left). These departments are vital in presenting the game to thousands of viewers.

Photos by Noelle Allen

(Right) Students were taken to a recording studio where radio broadcasting takes place. The room had two sides with a glass panel between them. Communication is available between the two through a sound system.

Photo by Noelle Allen

(Left) Seniors Cale Bruers and Logan Kennell from the Media Communications Compact sit in the exact spot where the players of the Cavaliers are interviewed by press throughout the season. (above) The WHS group hears a presentation about the Media room.

(Right) Members of the Media Communications compact pose for a BeReal with one of the head radio Broadcasters, Rafa. Photo CourtesyofCale Bruers.

Photo Courtesy of Paul Taylor

The students of the Media Communications met the Cleveland Cavalier Dancers right before heading to the game. Photo courtesy of Cale Bruers.

“THESE PEOPLE ARE REALLY SIMILAR TO US AND WHAT WE DO IN CLASS, JUST ON A LARGER SCALE.”

-CALE BRUERS, SENIOR MEMBER OF MEDIA COMMUNICATIONS

SIX WADSWORTH SPEECH AND DEBATE MEMBERS

QUALIFY TO THE NATIONAL TOURNAMENT

BY DREW BOWERMAN

Wadsworth High School’s Speech and Debate team competed at the national qualifying two-day tournament from Friday, February 17 to Saturday, February 18. The tournament, which was held at McKinley Senior High School, represents Wadsworth’s big district competition that qualifies the top placers in Eastern Ohio’s main events for the national tournament in June.

Although there are more opportunities for students to qualify for nationals through

last-chance tournaments and supplemental events, Wadsworth guaranteed six national spots through its placings at the big district tournament. The top three or four placers in each event received a reserved ticket to the national tournament in Phoenix, Arizona.

In Duo Interpretation, Evie Silliman and Cale Breuers won the title of district champions, having obtained one of the three available seats to nationals. Along with this, Anna Wallace qualified in Informative Speaking and Leia Gonzales-Banaag qualified in Program Oral Interpretation after both taking second place. Ben Wilkinson

and Colin Moore qualified in Public Forum Debate after taking second place in the final round.

Knowing the high stakes of the tournament, much of the team endured stress and anxiety over the course of the two long days. Not only did the team leave school early on Friday and return around 11:00 PM, but students also had to be on the bus at 6:15 AM the next morning.

Connor Gaugler, a Wadsworth competitor in Public Forum Debate, took the spot as the second alternate in his event with his partner, Garrett Preusser. Gaugler, along with the rest of the team, was nervous for break rounds after Friday’s preliminary rounds.

“That night, I was anxious and up until 12:30 AM -1:00 AM because I started upping my expectations,” Gaugler said.

Because there were long layover periods between rounds, Gaugler and other team members disregarded the stressful nature of the tournament by filling their time with fun activities.

“We killed time by eating tacos, watching Cars [the movie], joining James Welsh’s [Dungeons and Dragons] campaign, and watching Anna’s final round,” Gaugler said.

Students who either did not progress after preliminary rounds or lost at the beginning of their following rounds observed other Wadsworth students in finals. The team divided up to observe all five final rounds that Wadsworth competitors had advanced to.

Neighboring schools of Wadsworth also participated in the big district tournament. Olivia Gray, a Norton competitor who typically competes in Declamation, tried Program Oral Interpretation at the big district tournament. Although she tried to do well, she mainly held this spot as a warm body in the event.

“Warm bodying is going into the round on purpose and doing bad so everybody else in the round can do better and get higher ranks,” Gray said.

Even though she did not place or qualify, Gray supported her teammates throughout the duration of the tournament, hoping that fellow Norton competitors would qualify.

After two exhausting days, as described by Gray and Gaugler, the tournament held awards around 9 PM on Saturday. On stage, the finalists in speech events were recognized, along with the quarter-finalists in debate events.

Gaugler, having quarter-finals in his event with the two other Wadsworth Public Forum teams, was excited to be recognized.

“Going up on stage was awesome,” Gaugler said. “Being up there with every Wadsworth team felt crazy, and then the results got called out one-by-one, and in the end, Ben and Colin qualified, which made it all a massive W.”

Overall, Wadsworth Speech and Debate was able to rank high in its big district, allowing talented competitors to further their skills in Phoenix this June. With states on the horizon, the team will continue to prepare and represent Ohio.

WADSWORTH HIGH SWIMMER MADDY SCHNELZER BREAKS RECORDS, QUALIFIES FOR STATE

BY LIZZY EDWARDS

Junior Maddy Schnelzer qualified for the OHSAA State Swimming and Diving Tournament on Saturday, February 18, after competing in the District Tournament at Bowling Green State University.

Schnelzer swam in four events at Districts: the 200 freestyle, 100 butterfly, 200 freestyle relay, and 400 freestyle relay. She advanced to State in the 100 butterfly with a time of 57.54 seconds.

“I’m glad to have qualified for States,” Schnelzer said. “I’m really looking forward to what I can do there and hopefully medal[ing].”

A total of 32 swimmers advance from Districts to State in each individual event. The top two finishers in each of the four districts are guaranteed to advance. The remaining 24 spots are then decided based on times.

Schnelzer placed fourth in the 100 butterfly at Districts. Although this did not guarantee that she would advance to State, her time was fast enough to put her in competition for a spot. It was not until Sunday afternoon that she found out for sure she had qualified.

“I am super excited for Maddy with her second year qualifying for the state swim meet,” said Autumn Reeves, the head swim coach. “She puts in a tremendous amount of time in the water as well as in the weight room. She is focused while training to reach her goals.”

In addition to qualifying for State in the 100 butterfly, Schnelzer also saw success in her other events. She broke the school record in the 200 freestyle with a time of 1:57.61. She was also part of the team that set a new school record in the 400 freestyle relay by swimming a 3:45.79.

“I think my favorite moment at this year’s

Districts was breaking the 4×100 free relay record, which is the second oldest school record if I’m remembering correctly,” Schnelzer said. “The girls have been working so hard for this moment and to get to experience and share that with them was great.”

Schnelzer qualified to State in the same event last year. The experience she gained there has given her confidence going into this year’s State meet.

“I am super excited for States this year because it’s the last possible high school

meets, so I feel like I can really just focus on swimming rather than having to qualify for something else,” Schnelzer said. “I’m not really nervous because I have already gone last year, so I know what to expect.”

The state meet will be held from February 21-25 at the C.T. Branin Natatorium in Canton. Schnelzer will compete in the preliminaries on Friday, February 24. If she advances to the finals, she will compete again on Saturday.

“My goals for State are to hopefully medal, as well as go a 55 in my 100 fly and just have a good time,” Schnelzer said.

Colin Moore (12), Ben Wilkinson (12), Evie Silliman (12), Cale Breuers (12), Anna Wallace (11), and Leia Gonzales-Banaag (12) returned to the high school with their hardware after becoming the six national qualifiers from Wadsworth Speech and Debate. These competitors all attended the national competition in Louisville, Kentucky last season, which is much closer than this year’s national tournament in Phoenix, Arizona. Photo courtesy of Sam Zulia.

Maddy Schnelzer swims butterfly in the District tournament on Saturday, February 18. She qualified for the state meet in the 100 butterfly with a time of 57.54. Photo Courtesy of Maddy Schnelzer.

Maddy Schnelzer, Hailey Ortradovec, Eliana Wilson, and Burgan Danger celebrate after the 400 freestyle relay. The team broke the school record with a time of 3:45.79. Photo Courtesy of Maddy Schnelzer.

GHOST KITCHENS CHANGE THE FOOD SERVICE INDUSTRY FOR WORKERS AND CONSUMERS

BY KATIE BASINGER

Businesses like Uber Eats, GrubHub, and DoorDash have hit a breakthrough in recent years. Approximately 60% of Americans have used these third party delivery services and as the number keeps rising, so does the drive for standing restaurants to take advantage of the services.

As a way to make an extra couple dollars, many restaurants have introduced the idea of Ghost Kitchens. Ghost Kitchens are individual businesses that run original restaurants out of their physical store but market them as brand new businesses to save money on property.

Many people are eager to try what they see as a new food establishment. However, people that have thorough experience are not too happy.

Wadsworth High School Senior, Colin Moore, explained that they are misleading to the average customer.

“If someone has a bad experience at a restaurant, let’s say Chilis, and then they order It’s Just Wings, I feel like they would be unhappy when it gets to their house and the box says Chilis on it. I think that if businesses

need a quick buck then they are good but I don’t think they are good for long term customers,” said Moore.

Moore explained that businesses also have to pay an upkeep fee for having their business on apps like DoorDash, so not only would they be paying the price for their restaurant but for their Ghost Kitchen as well.

Kristi Gonzales, a local DoorDash employee, explains that the pickups can be difficult for the Dashers.

“Typically the hardest part is figuring out which restaurant you’re actually going to,” Gonzales said. “DoorDash has done better with the accuracy regarding adding the correct address. It would definitely help to know the actual business storefront name that you’re picking up from though. They are almost always listed under the ghost kitchen name, if ordered under the ghost kitchen.”

While Moore thinks that overall they are unnecessary for the average businesses due to the inaccurate vision they are painting for the consumer and the additional costs that the businesses pay, Gonzales also explains that they do benefit the business and the delivery service

though. To the average customer, they are illusionary.

“I’m not sure if I would say they’re scamming necessarily, it is still goods exchanged for payment, though it’s definitely illusionary from a customer’s standpoint,” said Gonzales.

Many recognizable businesses such as Applebees, Chilis, Chuck E. Cheese’s, and Mr. Beast Burger,

have taken advantage of this supposedly prosperous business tactic.

Overall, a tried and true way to get one’s moneys worth is to simply go to the restaurant in person. It is necessary for one to consider time versus money–the customer makes the ultimate choice, but to be knowledgeable on the facts can often make the difference to the overall experience.

DOWNTOWN WADSWORTH REVAMPS WITH TWO MURALS

BY DREW BOWERMAN

Jhonattan Arango, a 40-year-old artist who specializes in murals and studio arts, worked alongside his wife, Samantha, during the summer and fall of 2022 in Downtown Wadsworth. In different areas, the couple created two murals on the sides of Wadsworth’s buildings.

Even though Arango currently lives in West Palm Beach, Florida, his career in art did not begin in the United States. Before moving to the United States. Arango lived in Cuba where he discovered his passion for art.

“I was born in Cuba and got an early start with the arts in a few forms: literature, painting, and performing arts,” Arango said. “I got to the States when I was 13 and everything changed.”

Although his life in Cuba initially nurtured his artistic tendencies, he was forced to focus on other priorities, when moving to the United States.

“I painted a little along high school, but then joined the Navy as a medic for five years,” Arango said. “I went back to school for Graphic Design when I was 28 or so.”

After attending school for Graphic Design, Arango quickly shifted his mindset toward fulfilling his life goals. Rather than fixating on survival in the job market of Union City, New Jersey, which is where he originally immigrated to after departing from Cuba,

he decided to refocus on a career in art.

“Fortunately, I entered my 30s with the determination to use the relatively short amount of time I have on this Earth to do what I love,” Arango said.

With his rediscovered love for art, Arango began painting murals across the country with his wife. In Ohio, their artwork has flourished through the murals that they have painted in Wadsworth.

“The two [murals] at Wadsworth are my only murals in Ohio so far,” Arango said.

Originally, Main Street Wadsworth put out a request for artists on a nationwide scale. Arango and his wife, after having responded to this request, were selected to collaborate on Wadsworth’s murals.

“Though initially selected for one mural, we ended up doing both, which was great because we got to do something we hadn’t done before: we created two sequential murals,” Arango said.

Jhonattan Arango and his wife, Samantha Arango posing together at their home in Florida. Photo courtesy of Jhonattan Arango.

Beginning with the first mural,

Arango and his wife utilized the function of triangles as the most fundamental method of representing reality.

“The first one, located in the parking lot behind Sonnets and titled, ‘Music is…,’ features local legend and ‘Godfather of Free Jazz,’ Albert Ayler, and takes its name from his song, ‘Music is the Healing Force of the Universe’,” Arango said.

After Main Street Wadsworth discussed their intentions of renovating this parking lot; into a music venue, Arango and his wife decided to design the piece to incorporate an underrated musician, colorful features of music, along with natural elements of flora. These intricate designs, however, were not only a two-person

effort.

“This mural had a community component where over 300 people painted over the course of a day during October’s First Friday event,” Arango said.

Beyond this, the couple completed a second mural, which cohesively corresponds with the messages presented in the first mural regarding the significance of universal law.

“The second mural, located at 124 Lyman and titled, ‘..the Healing Force,’ is a continuation of ‘Music is…’ and together they make up the phrase, ‘Music is the Healing Force’,” Arango said.

This mural depicts a 17-foot cardinal that flies around local flora, which Arango feels can be interpreted in a variety of ways.

Over the course of creating these complex murals, Arango and his wife, discovered their appreciation for the experiences that they gained in Ohio.

“It was wonderful to stay in Wadsworth for those two months, witness the fall, and see so many beautiful country sights,” Arango said.

If interested in Arango’s pieces, look to www.artofanon.com and @art_of_anon on Instagram.

The first mural that was painted behind Sonnets entitled, “Music is...” Photo courtesy of Jhonattan Arango.

The second mural that was painted near the police station entitled, “... the Healing Force.”

Photo courtesy of Jhonattan Arango.

Businesses above are examples of businesses and the restaurants that run out of them. Many popular chains are also adopting this technique for drawing in new business. Photos courtesy of fair use.

SHOULD FINE ARTS COURSES BE

FINE ARTS SHOULD BE REQUIRED

OPINION BY LIZZY EDWARDS

Students at Wadsworth High School have many different course requirements they must fill in order to graduate. One of these requirements is that each student must take one credit of fine arts courses. Although some people believe this is not necessary, fine arts classes are beneficial to students and should be required.

Many people think of drawing sketches or painting portraits when they hear the term “fine arts.” In reality, fine arts consist of much more. Along with traditional art classes, fine arts courses at WHS also include things like newspaper and yearbook, band, choir, and speech. This gives students a wide range of options to choose from.

“Most students find courses that satisfy [the fine arts credit] that they’re also interested in,” said Lauren Ross, a guidance counselor at WHS.

Taking fine arts courses is a great way for students to go out of their comfort zone and try new things. For college-bound students, this can be beneficial in applications. Colleges like to see students that are wellrounded and have a wide range of interests. The most common criticism of this requirement is that it is not necessary for every student to take fine arts classes, especially if they are planning to go straight into a career after high

school. However, the requirement is flexible. Accommodations can be made for students who have no feasible way of meeting it.

“For students that are exploring a career technical pathway, those programs can actually exempt them from needing a fine art,” Ross said.

Even students who have to follow the requirement shouldn’t worry about not being able to meet it. One credit is only two semester-long classes or one year-long class. This is only a small fraction of the classes students take throughout their four years of high school.

REQUIRED?

FINE ARTS SHOULD NOT BE REQUIRED

OPINION BY LUKE HOUSER

What classes count as fine arts?

High school is a time for students to learn general skills to help prepare them for college, trade school, or just life in general. However, some of the classes that students are required to take in order to graduate should not be mandatory. Classes such as fine arts, for example, are usually an unnecessary requirement for high school students.

would have gone into band if fine arts wasn’t required because I enjoy it.”

Core classes, such as math and English should be required.

With there being such a wide range of fine arts classes, students are more than likely to end up meeting the criteria anyways. But with them being required, students who really want to place a focus on a certain subject are forced to still set aside a portion of their time at high school for a class that may not help them.

“I think just knowing that there’s different options for students who don’t want to feel forced into something more traditional makes me absolutely feel like it’s a good requirement,” Ross said.

Overall, the fine arts credit is a very reasonable requirement for students at WHS.

Most students take some type of art class through middle school. These art classes generally teach students the basics of drawing, painting, and basic types of art forms. However, students who are more artistically inclined will usually gravitate towards art based classes on their own.

“I don’t think it should be required, but there should be an emphasis on it,” said Thor Nagel, freshmen. “I still

Juniors and seniors who put off taking an art class may have to take them in their junior or senior year, which could cause conflict with something like a CCP, AP, or compact class. This, paired along with other required classes, could be the cause of unnecessary stress for students. And with such a wide range of classes counting as a ‘fine art,’ it is hard to justify that these classes will provide the student with any real positive impact.

Forcing students to take certain classes just to meet a criteria should not be how high schools are run. It is fine to require core classes, but since art classes are more similar to extracurriculars being that they are more ‘fun,’ it should be left up to each student to decide whether or not they want to take certain fine arts classes.

THE ACT SHOULD BE OPTIONAL

OPINION BY LUKE HOUSER

The ACT has long been the golden standard when it comes to college admissions. For decades, students were required to turn in their ACT test scores to be admitted into any college or university. However, in recent years colleges have begun lessening the test requirements needed for their applications, instead more heavily basing it on their merits.

Especially due to things like the COVID-19 pandemic, many schools are now test-optional. This is great for students who do not wish to upload their scores in their application. For these types of students, or for those who do not wish to go to college after high school, the ACT is not necessary for them and can be a waste of time and money.

“Yes, I’m taking the ACT,” said Brad Bomgardner, junior. “But I don’t really know if I’m going to a college.”

Many students in high school view the ACT as something that they must take if they ever hope to attend college. That might have been the case decades ago, but more colleges have dropped their ACT requirements as time goes on.

Another lesser known fact about the ACT is that students can take it at any age. If someone decides they want to go to college later on in life, they can still apply and take the ACT then. There is no good reason for the peer pressure into

making every student take a test that may not help them.

“Yeah, I think I’m probably gonna go to Ohio State,” said Rocky Clites. “If I don’t do well I’ll probably take it again. I personally believe it should be optional because there’s a lot of colleges that are going ACT optional now, so I really

adopting for years.

The overall numbers show that only around 1.7 million students from 2022 took the ACT. Compared to 2019 and 2020, where it was around 2.2 million, it is clear that the ACT is losing popularity among students and schools.

“Definitely not, just because schools

COLLEGE POLICY ON SAT/ACT APPLICATION REQUIREMENT

TEST OPTIONAL (TEMPORARY) - 45.8%

TEST OPTIONAL (PERMANENT) - 42.2%

TEST FREE (PERMANENT) - 6.2%

SAT/ACT REQUIRED - 3.6%

TEST FREE (TEMPORARY) - 2.2%

theACT

In

think it should depend on the person- if they want to take it or not.”

OSU, for example, has remained test optional for its 2022 and 2023 applicants. At least for the time being, they are continuing down the test optional trend that schools have been

nowadays are starting to understand that grades aren’t everything,” said Dexter Bonds, junior. “You can’t just gauge a person’s intelligence with a number, so I don’t think it’ll be nearly as important in the future.”

I took the ACT a total of three times, as

I was not happy with my first two scores. I did this because I wanted to have a better chance of getting into my first choice college. However, even with a score that I was comfortable with, I was still not accepted. Instead, I opted for a second choice school that I was still very interested in, but the other school was completely test optional, meaning I wouldn’t have had to take the ACT any of those three times and I still could have been accepted.

Many students place more importance on the ACT than they should. This causes unnecessary stress on the students. It is hard to gauge the genuine knowledge of a student from just one test, but that’s exactly what colleges did for a while. Recently many colleges have realized this and have moved to a test-optional format, and I believe it has helped students in their college application process.

For some students who have a lower GPA than their ACT score correlates with, it could actually be beneficial to submit an ACT score alongside a transcript. But for many others, their GPA, which reflects a much more long-term picture of their overall grades, submitting an ACT score could potentially lessen their chances of being accepted.

The ACT should still remain a tool that students can optionally use to apply for college, but it should be a choice and not an expected prerequisite.

a study done by Compass Education Group, 416 colleges across the U.S. were evaluated regarding their testing policy for the 2021-2022 school season. With half of the colleges permanently maintaining a test optional or test free system, the ACT is often not necessary for the average student, even if college is something they want to pursue. Infographic by Luke Houser.

OPINION BY AIDEN BROWN

The popularity of chess has grown exponentially in recent years, and with that, Wadsworth High School has started up its first chess club in school history on March 1, 2023.

People around the world have been playing chess more than any other time in human history, thanks to the addition of chess websites like Chess.com and Lichess.com it has never been easier to learn the game.

“I remember watching my friends play during study hall and that’s what sparked my interest in the game. Ever since I have been playing,” said Casey Hoffman, Wadsworth Senior and chess beginner.

The most difficult part of starting a club at Wadsworth is finding an adviser and working out the scheduling together.

Chess club was no different.

“Finding time was the most challenging part,” said Mr. Boytim, adviser of the chess club. “I’d like to thank my wife publicly for watching the kids for an

hour while we do this, she’s the real MVP.”

Chess club met for the first time on Wednesday March 1st after school. Mr. Boytim and many of the others in the club were pleasantly surprised at the turn out on the first day.

“Wednesday was good. It was just nice to play in a relaxed setting and it was a lot of fun.” said Jason Moore, senior and avid chess player. “I believe the appeal of chess is to play with your friends!”

With the rise in popularity of chess it was only a matter of time until a group was formed about it.

Here is a QR code leading to a Google form, there one can sign up for chess club if they wish to.

ALL GRADES SHOULD BE ALLOWED TO BRING AN OUTSIDE GUEST TO SCHOOL DANCES

OPINION BY OLIVIA BENNER

Wadsworth High School puts on two dances each year that are available to the entire student body, meaning that all grades are invited and given the opportunity to attend. These dances are Homecoming, which takes place in October, and Winter Formal in March.

Many students look forward to both of these occasions, as it is a chance to get pictures, eat dinner, and attend the dance, making for an overall fun time with their peers. Although many of the students attend with a group of friends or a date from within the school district, there are a number who choose to be accompanied by an outside guest. While all grades would like the opportunity to bring someone from outside of the WHS walls, this is currently only a privilege that is available to the senior class. For seniors that choose this, they must fill out a form that is provided in the office and get administration approval in order to bring a guest from another district. However, there are still restrictions on who can attend as a guest so that seniors who choose this option cannot bring anyone. The guest must be under 21 years old, follow all Wadsworth High School policies, and

provide contact information and approval from administration at their school. Bringing an outside guest is considered to be a ‘senior privilege’ that is provided by our principals.

But a large majority of students believe that this shouldn’t only apply to students in the senior class, but to everyone within the school. Many underclassmen have friends and relationships with people outside of the district that they would want to attend the dance with.

Justin Ferguson is a senior at WHS, and says that he thinks all grades should be given the opportunity to bring an outside guest.

“All classes should be allowed to bring an outside guest to school dances because it’s not fair if you’re an underclassmen that is dating someone from a different school and you’re not allowed to bring them, that would really suck,” Ferguson said.

Although it is nice to have senior privilege in different ways throughout the school, such as the senior commons, early release, and late arrival, guests attending dances should be available to all grade levels. Many of the students that want to bring an outside guest but cannot because of grade level will turn to their senior friends for help. By having a senior fill out the permission sheet, it allows them to make it seem as

though the person they are bringing into the district would be ‘their guest’. This essentially allows underclassmen to bring whoever they would like if they can have help from a senior. This creates a lack of trust between the students and administrators, since many underclassmen use different tactics to get dates and friends into the dance.

“It should be for all classes because many of the students are cheating the system anyway,” Ferguson said.

If the school were to open up bringing a guest to all grade levels then it would avoid instances like this. It would also make it so that, in the case that a guest is brought the school is aware of the exact student that they would be attending the dance with. In the case of an emergency or event where you would need to contact the guests’ administration it would cause less chaos for the principals to know who is attending with them.

Junior Zac Klaehn agreed with the idea that all grades should be allowed to bring an

outside guest with the reasoning that it would not be “that big of a deal” for every grade to have the opportunity to bring a guest.

“I don’t think that there should be a boundary with who students can bring to dances, all grades should be allowed to have an outside guest” Klaehn said.

Although it would make it so that administrators have to approve more guests, it would also allow for them to be fully aware of all outside students that are coming into the school district. This would improve the amount of students that actually attend the dances, the trust relationship between students and principles, and the organization of those coming to the dance.

“IT SHOULD BE FOR ALL CLASSES BECAUSE MANY OF THE STUDENTS ARE CHEATING THE SYSTEM ANYWAY.”

-JUSTIN FERGUSON, SENIOR AT WHS

Avery Neville (10), Lauren Ball (10), Autumn Brown (12) pose for a picture while at this years homecoming dance. All three girls are members for WHS and did not bring an outside guest. Photo courtesy of Lauren Ball.

The chess program allows for students to bring in their own boards, creating a diverse array of boards to play on. Chess club hopes to buy more sets to accommodate the vast amount of players. Photo by Aiden Brown.

One of the many ways that the chess program has advertised for the club at Wadsworth. Fliers were hung around the school, often on the doors of teacher’s rooms. The club is constantly looking for new ways to get the word out about chess club. Photo by Aiden Brown.

“THE BEST WAY TO GROW AS A CHESS PLAYER IS TO WATCH OTHERS PLAY AND ASK QUESTIONS!”

-MR. BOYTIM MATH TEACHER CHESS CLUB ADVISER

NORTHEAST OHIO DANCE PERFORMS THEIR SPRING GALA PERFORMANCE

BY LILY CHESBRO

This coming spring season Northeast Ohio Dance will be performing their annual Spring Gala performance on March 18 at 7 PM.

Spring gala is performed by only the Senior and Junior Company members of the studio which is the advanced level of the pre-professional company. The dancers start rehearsing for this show right after Nutcracker season is over.

This year they will be performing a ballet piece choreographed by Brenda Stygar the co-director of the company, a swing jazz piece (will get title and choreographer), a character dance piece titled “Tambourine” choreographed by Brenda Stygar as well as any modern composition pieces that the dancers choreograph during a composition workshop.

Each year a variety of pieces are selected to be performed or choreographed then performed by Mr. and Mrs.Stygar.

“You look at who you have to work with and what their skills are and what you think will be within their talent range but also which can help stretch them as dancers and that’s how you choose the repertory,” Mrs.Stygar said.

The group of dancers the company has each year is what determines which pieces will get selected, and if new choreography is being made, what choreography will fit them best.”

When choreographing, Stygar shared what process she goes through.

“I’m looking to find music that I feel will work well with the dancers and I choreograph as logically as I can trying to match the style and energy of the music to the dance choreography,” Mrs. Stygar said.

The character piece that will be performed is something different that the dancers really are not used to doing that often but brings light to another style of dance.

“The character dance is giving the older dancers a chance to dance in a dance genre that is used rarely now, only in full length ballets,” Mrs. Stygar said. “It has been introduced to them in a summer workshop so some of the dancers have done that workshop. It’s one thing doing a class in character and doing a dance in character.”

Styles of dance that push the dancers’ limits are sometimes chosen to go into Gala.

The jazz swing piece that NEOD will be performing is another example of a style that is different from what the dancers are

“I felt this piece was appropriate because it’s not like your jazz classes are so everybody started out on equal footing,” Mrs. Stygar said.

The dancers in company are part of the intermediate and advanced levels of jazz offered at the studio, so this jazz swing piece being a style of jazz that is completely different than the weekly classes presented a challenge to all the dancers.

Lisa Weiler, who made the Senior Company Apprentice level at NEOD, performed in spring gala last year as a Junior company member and this year it looks a little different for her.

“The biggest difference between rehearsals for junior and senior company is the time and effort we put into each dance,” Weiler said. “When I was in junior company we practiced one dance and ended up finishing it pretty quickly.”

Once making it in senior company the dancers get more stage time for the spring gala performance and their rehearsals last a lot longer in order to perfect the multiple

pieces they have.

The spring gala show is different from any of the others that NEOD presents.

“What makes spring gala so different is that it has no storyline or purpose really besides to show off our abilities to perform more,” Weiler said.”It is fun though and I am glad that we do it, but it is always a mix of different styles with no purpose or connection.”

From the point of view of both the company Co-Director and a dancer that is newer to performing this show. Spring gala is different from anything else NEOD performs and showcases what the advanced levels are working on with technique and performing skills.

THE CAST OF “PUFFS” BEGINS REHEARSALS

BY JADE WILCOX

Wadsworth High School was originally going to perform the production of “CLUE.” This changed, as the rights to the show could not be received. The new show chosen was “Puffs” written by Matt Cox.

Students were disappointed that they could not perform “CLUE,” but

they also looked forward to the new show.

“I was very sad for ‘CLUE’ to get cut because the show would be very fun and I had been looking forward to it, but I am glad this is the show we replaced it with,” Chessa Homan said. Homan plays Megan Jones, the lead female role.

“Puffs” features a cast of witches and wizards, performing magic and going to school at the same time as the “famous certain-boy wizard.”

The writer tip-toes around becoming copyright stricken. It is evidently a spoof on the “Harry Potter” series, written by J.K. Rowling. For example, the school the magic users attend is called “a certain school of magic and magic” instead of the original phrasing used in the books. He had also renamed the houses as the Brave, Smart, Snake, and Puff houses instead of the ones used in the famous franchise. This borders on satire, seeing as the houses include their own stereotypes-- stereotypes that Cox decides to name the houses after.

change his fate.

Auditions were held Monday, February 13. Rehearsals began a week later on Tuesday, the 21. They were originally going to watch the movie on Amazon Prime, but when that did not work out, the directors decided on doing a read-through of the script, as per tradition.

There are character changes throughout the entire script. James Welsh, a WHS sophomore, changes from Cedric in the first half of the show to Voldy in the second-- two characters with vastly different personalities. The cast is smaller, but is determined to succeed.

Sophomores like Welsh have more years to continue their acting career, but a majority of the WHS cast are seniors performing their last show at the high school. So far each rehearsal has been filled with laughter and cast bonding.

Even though the script looks like it has a typo, “Magic and Magic,” this is just to avoid copyright. This is the script the cast will be using for the next eight weeks. Photo by Jade Wilcox.

The script follows the life of a young wizard in the Puff house by the name of Wayne Hopkins. He was allegedly never destined to do anything great, as he was placed in the Puff house, but he intends to

“Yes, I am very excited for this show because it is my senior show and I can not wait to see how amazing everyone does. I am also very excited because Puffs is a spoof of Harry Potter and I have always loved Harry Potter,” Homan said.

The students in the production share a similar love of the wizarding franchise and acting alongside one another. The cast has been together from last year’s comedy

production of Game of Tiaras all the way through this year, with some new additions to the group.

The cast looks forward to sharing this play with the high school, and putting in the work to prepare.

“Our previous comedy was probably the best part of my school year, and I’m looking forward to another great show,” Welsh said. “Come see Puffs April 27-29!”

Some of the Senior Company members of NEOD are rehearsing the swing jazz piece. This piece was originally set on a previous group of dancers but was reset on this year’s company. Photo courtesy of Christopher Stygar.

Emily Kneisly and Callahan Conley are rehearsing a section of the ballet piece Brenda Stygar choreographed. The title of this piece is Waltz Allegretto. Photo courtesy of Emily Kneisly.

used to.

“Which house were you placed into with the Pottermore test?” was a bonding question the cast used on the first day of rehearsals. Half of the cast either abstained from answering, or hadn’t taken the test, hence why there are five categories. Infographic by Jade Wilcox.

BY LILY LOVE

Since the initial release in 2016, “It Ends with Us” has become an extremely popular release among high school students.

This novel, written by Colleen Hoover, is soon to be made into a major motion film, which is set to release in mid 2024.

WHS senior Zoe Parrish is a fan of Colleen Hoover’s popular books. “I feel like “It Ends with Us” blew up on Tik Tok, and everyone wanted to become part of this series,” Parrish said. “Then everyone realized that she was actually a good writer and kept reading her books.”

Recently, her books have become popular within our school as well as many others. This is largely due to the casting announcement regarding the “It Ends With Us” movie.

WHS sophomore Karley Allwood is a longtime fan of Colleen Hoover and is excited to see “It Ends with Us” turned into a movie.

“I think her stories have become so popular because there are a lot of high school students that like to read about Romance,” Allwood said.

“When you add a really good plot with a lot of twists and turns in it, the results are going to be appealing to people all over America.”

Casting for the movie will include big name actors such as Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni.

Due to the series being so popular among students, there has been some controversy over the casting of the books’ two biggest characters.

“I wish she choose different actors, but I think it will still be a good movie,” Parrish said.

The book “It Ends with Us” was originally published in 2016, and has received various fan made cast speculations as to who would portray the two main characters.

“I feel like everyone when they read has a picture of someone,” Parrish said. “ I feel like [Blake Lively] does not fit Lily’s character in the book at all.”

Despite this controversy, the casting of the two main characters has not changed. While many people see an issue with the casting, they also believe that the movie itself will be a success.

WHS freshman Keira Hutchinson, is excited for the release of the “It Ends with

It Starts with us book cover. This is the sequel to It Ends with us. Many fans of Colleen Hoover are speculating that after the release of It Ends with us, it’s sequel movie will follow. Photo courtesy of Fair Use.

accounts.

Us” movie.

“One thing I like about her books is how they deal with more serious matters that are not talked about in other teen books,” Hutchinson said.

With the increasing popularity of “It Ends with Us”, Colleen Hoover has begun to share details regarding the movie across her Instagram and Tik Tok

“I am excited just because I love the books so much, but I am worried that people are going to build it up so much,” Allwood said. “I don’t know if a movie can really show how good of a good book it is.”

In doing this, many readers have begun to speculate about different topics concerning the upcoming movie.

The two most speculated topics among fans are casting,

and book to screen accuracy.

“I feel like they should have picked a younger role for Lily to fit the character better,” Hutchinson said. “I know some people thought that Sadie Sink would have been a better choice because she is younger, and a redhead.”

While casting may be one of the big issues for fans of Colleen Hoover, book to screen accuracy is also a discussion topic among fans.

With the making of any adaptation, there are always things that are changed throughout the film. These changes could be small things like dialogue,set design,or character appearance. However, the changes could also be big things like, where the story takes place, who is in the story, and what the story is about.

“I don’t think that the movie will ever match up to the book,” Allwood said. “I personally like to be able to make up what the character looks like in my head and when the movie puts a face to the characters it doesn’t make the story as good.”

Fans will continue to speculate about details of the movie, as the release date comes closer. Leading to an even bigger rise in popularity of her books.

SONS OF THE FOREST IS A WORTHY SEQUEL TO THE FOREST

BY BRENDEN BARLETT

Imagine surviving a terrible disaster only to end up isolated and alone in some unknown forest, forced to learn how to hunt and build as well as survive the elements and wildlife. Except, as time progresses, it turns out something or someone is out there, and they may have some irregular hunting tendencies, tendencies that cause the hunter to become the hunted.

This is just a brief synopsis of the plot of “The Forest,” a 2014 open-world horrorsurvival game on Playstation and PC, where either solo or co-op, players traverse an isolated peninsula, search for missing passengers from the plane crash they survived, and defend themselves against a variety of cannibals and mutant humans.

“The Forest” has a 10/10 with 394,539 reviews on Steam. That said, as of February 23, 2023, “The Forest’s” long-anticipated sequel, “Sons of the Forest,” is in early access, begging the question of whether or not the Sequel is worth the buy.

“I’ll just say this right off the bat,” said Jacob Forrester, a junior at WHS, “it’s easily a ten out of ten for me.”

Forrester bought “Sons of the Forest” the day it was released for 30 USD on Steam and quickly started playing it with two friends.

“It is a beautiful game, and the building system is great,” Forrester said. “You can basically build anything you want, which is pretty different from ‘The Forest.’”

In both games, players use a “survivalist guide” that helps them learn designs for

things to build or craft. The difference, however, is that players in “The Forest” lay out a recipe that they fill in with materials. In “Sons of the Forest,” players can simply place things how they want, and using imagination in their building is heavily rewarded.

“The only thing is,” Forrester said, “since it’s still in early access there is still a lot a building options and other things from the first game that have yet to be added, but I’m sure they will add a lot more things over time”

While playing both “The Forest” and “Sons of the Forest,” Forrester played alongside fellow junior at WHS, Bryden Barlett. Teaming up to play each game has made it both easier to progress in each game and identify the best and worst aspects of Endnight Games’ two titles.

“It is definitely better with friends.” Barlett said. “I feel like the game is kind of only three fourth’s baked so far, but it functions.”

Forrester and Barlett both experienced some performance issues throughout playing. Forrerster said he faced a sort of lag during the game’s initial cutscene, while Barlett faced the occasional stutter and physics issue. It is worth noting that

Barlett’s Graphics Card is a RX 6700 XT.

“When I would chop down trees, if the logs would roll and hit a surface of water they would randomly bounce like three feet.” Barlett said. “If they would bounce further they could sometimes even just glitch out of the world entirely.”

Overall, the two did not face any game breaking bugs or performance issues and as Forrester hinted at, a lot will likely improve as the game develops throughout Early Access. After all, “The Forest” spent four years in Early Access (2014-2018) before its official release, so “Sons of the Forest” may experience similar treatment throughout the years to come.

Moving on from the few issues the game currently has, perhaps its most interesting aspect is its horror elements. Make no mistake, “Sons of the Forest” is a horror game, and navigating the worldspace, especially during the night or winter (yes the game has a seasons system) can be

especially intimidating.

“Yeah, it is scary, man.” Barlett said, “this one time, Jacob [Forrester] and I were in this dark cave. We could barely see and we only had lighters to light the area for us, and these tiny baby cannibal things appeared and crawled around attacking us. There were also these faceless men and people with wide open mouths attacking us too.”

Perhaps what makes Endnight Games’ titles work is their unique blend of survival with horror. There are games that throw players into the wilderness and force them to survive, “The Long Dark” being a fine example; There are games that take man-kind and twist it into something sinister that makes players uncomfortable and always mindful of their surroundings such as “Outlast 2.”

“Sons of the Forest’s” combination of these ideas does not disappoint and is why “Sons of the Forest” is more than worth the buy for any fans of Survival, horror, or crafting games.

It Ends with us book cover. This is the first book of Colleen Hoover’s that is being turned into a movie. Photo courtesy of Fair Use.

Colleen Hoover is the author of 24 books. In mid 2024, she will release her first movie based on her popular novel “It Ends with Us”. Photo courtesy of Fair Use.

The player is surveying a “Camp” in “The Forest”. In both games, after the player dies they wake up captured in a camp and have the opportunity to escape instead of immediately facing ‘Game Over.’ Photo Courtesy of Fair Use.

A “Camp” in “Sons of the Forest”. To the right of the player is the player’s companion that helps gather resources and in the distance is a cannibal. Photo Courtesy of Fair Use.

TIKTOK PUTS A TIME LIMIT

BY LEZLIE TINNEY AND CARLEY SORRENT

Minors who use TikTok will now have a one hour time-limit every day. It is easy to override because all teenagers have to do is enter a passcode to continue using the app for as long as they want. Kids who are under thirteen will also have a one hour time-limit, but to override it their guardian will have to enter the password and it will only give them an extra thirty minutes of time. Weekly recaps of their screen time will also be sent to teenagers and if they average more than an hour and forty minutes a day, TikTok will suggest that they give themselves a daily-limit.

During all of this, a house committee is voting to move up legislation that would pressure the Biden administration to create a nationwide ban of TikTok due to national security concerns. Federal agencies have been told that they have 30 days to remove TikTok from devices that are government-issued.

While it’s still unclear what TikTok in the U.S. will be like, the pressure is being put on to put strict limitations until it can be determined what the effects of it are.

TikTok already has an option for caregivers to set daily-limits for their

BY LEZLIE TINNEY, ALEX BANKS, & CARLEY SORRENT

teens and it allows them to see how much time their children spend on the app each day, breaking down the time by day and night. This allows them to regulate their child’s use of TikTok.

Once their child reaches the

limit, they are not able to switch accounts or log out, blocking them from bypassing the limit by using a different account. They can also set specific limits for each day of the week and do not have to stay with a specific schedule every day. Additionally, guardians can specify time ranges where notifications will not be sent to their child’s phone.

The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences is hosting the Oscars on March 12, 2023. This has been a yearly event and this is the 95th time it will happen. It honors films that were released in the previous year and the people who were involved in making them. They have categories such as best actor or actress in a leading role and best supporting actor/actress. Along with honoring the actors, they also select the best animated feature film, cinematography, costume design, directing, documentary feature film, documentary short film, film editing, and international feature film. It honors the people behind the scenes with categories such as best makeup and hairstyling. The best original score and the best original song for a movie are also judged.

“There should be a time limit for ages around 13 or 14. It makes sense because kids really shouldn’t be sitting on TikTok for hours on end, but us, to be honest, we’re just too far gone. We cannot be saved so there should be a time-limit for people under 14.”

“I feel like this can introduce conflicting sides, on one hand this can reduce phone addiction but on the other hand many use this as a way to decompress after school and work. I think this time limit would be better for 13 and under rather than all minors because maturity of the individual can differ.”

ACTORS/ACTRESSES

AUSTIN BUTLER - ELVIS

COLIN FARRELL - THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN

BRENDAN FRASER - THE WHALE

PAUL MESCAL - AFTERSUN

BILL NIGHY - LIVING

CATE BLANCHETT - TAR

ANA DE ARMAS - BLONDE

ANDREA RISEBOROUGH - TO LESLIE

MICHELLE WILLIAMS - THE FABELMANS

MICHELLE YEOH - EVERYTHING

EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE

BEST PICTURE

AVATAR: THE WAY OF WATERJAMES CAMERON AND JON LANDAU

TOP GUN: MAVERICK - TOM CRUISE, CHRISTOPHER MCQUARRIE, DAVID ELLISON, AND JERRY BRUCKHEIMER

WOMEN TALKING - DEDE GARDENER, JEREMY KLEINER, AND FRANCES MCDORMAND

TRIANGLE OF SADNESS - ERIK HEMMENDORFF AND PHILIPPE BOBER

TAR - TODD FIELD, ALEXANDRA MILCHAN, AND SCOTT LAMBERT

THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN - GRAHAM BROADBENT, PETE CZERNIN, AND MARTIN MCDONAGH

COURTNEY CHURCH (9)

GABBY BAILEY (10)

Wadsworth Bruin took a poll on Instagram: the results were mixed, almost half and half.

Photo by Carley Sorrent. Time limits are not new on Tiktok, but enforced ones are.

Photo Courtesy of Fair Use.