The Rock - February 2018

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The Student Voice of Rock Bridge High School Since 1973 • Vol. 45 Issue 4 • February 15, 2018

RBHS replaces heating system Katie Whaley

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olumbia Public Schools is replacing all thermostats and the master panels to the school’s climate control, including heating ventilation and air conditioning systems. The pipes themselves are not changing, but the controls to adjust the temperatures will be replaced.

This requires workers to alter the wiring behind the thermostats, which will take many months, said building supervisor Brian Gaub. The change is important for RBHS to "catch up" to current technology.

There have been updates to the system before; however this is the first time workers are updating the entire heating and cooling system. Some of the current systems date back to 1973 when the school first opened.

ONCE IN A WIRE: Electricians work on updating the climate control system in the art wing hallway after school Feb. 8.

CAMRYN DEVORE / THE ROCK

Principal seeks ways to encourage sobriety CPS, school board, Rukstad look at policy on breathalyzer tests at school dances Elad Gov-Ari

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BHS has seen an increase of intoxicated students at school dances as compared to previous years, principal Dr. Jennifer Rukstad said.

In an attempt to prevent such instances from occurring at future dances, Columbia Public Schools administration began to explore the idea of installing breathalyzers at the doors of prom and potentially the courtwarming dance.

No decision has been made and both logistical and practical aspects of the possible prevention method are still in assessment.

“Frankly, the conversation right now is happening between me and the superintendent and the director of safety and security, and they are also talking with the school board,” Dr. Rukstad said. “So all of these things are connected; it’s not just my decision. It’s not our school’s decision. We are an entity of

Columbia Public Schools and the Columbia community and so any decisions we make on this must fit not only board policy but also be something that our community supports.”

With conversations over potential solutions in place, the RBHS principal would have hoped the stakes of prevention wouldn’t have to go so far.

“My personal approach is [that] I’m very against this kind of thing. . . I would like to believe that students would be compelled by so many other things to not [drink at dances].

I have been proven wrong multiple times,” Dr. Rukstad said. “We say it. . . we show it and we let the message be known; it is not okay to come to dances under the influence. And yet, we continue to do it. So, my personal feelings about how I think about these things are based on a set of assumptions that may or may not be true. So I have had to shift my own thinking in that appealing to kind of logic or appealing to a sense of responsibility to one’s school or

the adults in one’s school or the safety of my friends is probably not realistic.”

Taking into account what school dances "should be" and with the trajectory of intoxicated students on the rise, Student Council President Dalton Nunamaker thinks the breathalyzers could be a practical and powerful method of prevention.

“I personally think that if people knew that to get into a dance they’d be subject to these breathalyzer tests, it would definitely deter them from [showing up intoxicated],” Nunamaker said. “At the least it would deter the students who were showing up drunk because that was really the problem. The problem isn’t underage drinking, which is a whole problem within itself. [The problem is] the liability risk for the school of having a bunch of drunk teenagers that can get in trouble on school grounds at a school function.”

Despite Dr. Rukstad and Nunamaker’s developed opinions, CPS community relations

director Michelle Baumstark said the issue is too new to be properly explained or debated.

“There isn’t much to share at this point.

There has been no decision or even a discussion in-depth enough to answer any [questions],” Baumstark said. “There was one short meeting where the idea, which I believe originated with RBHS Student Council, was brought up. That’s it. No decision, no further discussion since that time.”

Finally, Dr. Rukstad said the potential precaution is more of a discouragement than a means of catching students. With kids knowing of a breathalyzer, she hopes they will show up sober. That's not to say, however, that consequences would not be enforced.

“It’s absolutely a prevention thing,” Dr. Rukstad said. “But if we use it as prevention, it will also be enforcement. So if we get to the place where we’re ready to use them, then everybody will know it well ahead of time, and it will not be a surprise.”

Bond issue to pay for new middle school Graduating eighth graders most likely to feed into RBHS Ben Kimchi

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olumbia Public Schools (CPS) is set to hold a no-tax-increase bond issue April 3 for the remaining $5 million needed in funding a new middle school on Sinclair Road that will feed into RBHS. The middle school comes in an effort to accommodate the continued growth in south Columbia, CPS Director of Community Relations Michelle Baumstark said.

“The total project cost to build the middle school, using bond funds, is $34 million,” Baumstark said. “The district has $29 million approved by voters in previous elections for the project and will be asking voters to approve the remaining $5 million necessary in the April 3, 2018 election.”

CPS hopes to solve the packed school district with a new southwest middle school in 2020, two years earlier than originally planned, Baumstark said.

CPS purchased land on Sinclair Road following the 2016 bond issue election, which approved funds for the new mid-

dle school. Several decisions regarding attendance logistics have yet to be finalized, and boundary lines are expected to be a focus of upcoming CPS action.

“Gentry Middle School has more than 900 students in a school designed for 600-650 students,” Baumstark said. “Last year, the school district adjusted the boundary in order to help manage the continued growth until a more permanent solution of another middle school can be put into place.”

RBHS principal Dr. Jennifer Rukstad also had a say on the subject.

“CPS will be drawing boundary lines for the new middle school soon,” Dr. Rukstad said. “It is my understanding they will redraw for Gentry then and will adjust for the high schools, as well, at the same time.”

For some students at Gentry, the change cannot come soon enough.

Danny O’Toole, an eighth grade student at Gentry, describes the classroom environment as often chaotic and packed. O’Toole recalls one instance of particular chaos for a substitute teacher.

“A bunch of kids got up out of their

chairs and did whatever they wanted,” O’Toole said. “There were so many people in the class it got crazy. I think the new middle school is a good idea because it will give students more space.”

Graduates of Gentry agree with O’Toole’s concerns about overcrowding and the impact on their learning.

Sophomore Raiyan Yousuf attended Jefferson Middle School for sixth and seventh grade but had to move to Gentry after a boundary line change and noticed a stark difference between the schools.

“At Jeff it wasn’t crowded; we all had our own lockers,” Yousuf said.

“But once I got to Gentry it was two kids to a locker, along with a lunch line that was as long as lunch itself. At Jeff there was no problem with that.”

Both CPS administrators and students look toward the new middle school as an outlet for community growth. Columbia and RBHS will see the impacts of the change within the next few years.

“This middle school is really coming at the right time,” O’Toole said.

“Columbia is growing bigger, and our schools should grow with us.”

CAMRYN DEVORE / THE ROCK

SCHOOL'S OUT: Gentry Middle School students hurry to leave campus at the end of the day, Feb. 13.

[SOURCE: DR. JENNIFER RUKSTAD]

INDEX

Girls swimming and Different instances in which diving prepare for state students defy the social competition, expectations, ISABEL GOMPPER / THE ROCK IN-DEPTHS. . . 9 SPORTS. . . 17

[THE ROCK SURVEYED 200 STUDENTS, 10% OF THE STUDENT BODY] MOY ZHONG/ THE ROCK

Extra credit policy not standardized Emily Oba

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tudents gobble up extra credit points at school just as kids scarf down chocolate. While extra credit at RBHS varies from teacher to teacher, students, such as junior Drew Thomas, especially like extra credit because they receive free points.

Thomas said he received two extra credit points to the test category in his Precalculus class for bringing in a tissue box.

“I guess they didn’t have enough [tissue boxes],” Thomas said. “I mean, I’ve thought about [the ethics of extra credit] but, you know, I got extra credit. [If a student didn’t have money to buy something for extra credit,] that’s why [extra credit] would be bad.”

There is no official extra credit policy at RBHS to prevent the concerns Thomas has, principal Dr. Jennifer Rukstad said; however, she expects teachers to be reasonable. Dr. Rukstad said the school aims to get away from

Students discuss wellness trends and staying warm during cold weather,

H&W. . . 4

extra credit though she is aware that it is still occurring and trusts teachers to be thoughtful and fair whenever they let students have it.

“There’s not really a rule.

When you say purchases, that’s interesting. [A tissue box as extra credit], that should not happen,” Dr. Rukstad said. “However, sometimes experiences are used as extra credit, so going to a play or those kind of things could be a cost, and so that’s a little bit different.”

French teacher Kristin Reed agrees with Dr. Rukstad’s approach to extra credit and does not want augmented grades. Reed likes grades to reflect what a student actually knows and is capable of, and therefore offers very minimal extra credit. “[I give no more than] 10 points [of extra credit] per semester, again I do not want grades to be inflated,” Reed said. “It is imperative grades reflect knowledge and ability of a student, not effort or behavior.”

EXTRA CREDIT, 3

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Students weigh class offering types Bailey Stover

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long with finals, Advanced Placement (AP) tests and making plans for the future, selecting next year’s courses can be a nerve-wracking experience, especially since the last day to change schedules for next year is March 1.

With summer school, online classes, technical and vocational options offered through the Columbia Area Career Center (CACC) and the numerous interesting paths students can choose from, deciding what classes to take can be both overwhelming and invigorating.

For senior Kaelyn Kovarik, figuring out what courses she wanted to take was fairly straightforward and aimed at preparing her for the future.

When fitting required classes into her schedule, Kovarik said RBHS is good about informing students of what they need to graduate so they can make educated decisions. She prioritizes mandatory classes then fills in the rest of her schedule around them.

“For the beginning of high school, it was pretty laid out for you, but as it got later you got to pick more,” Kovarik said. “I also took some online summer classes to get them out of the way so I could take what I really wanted to later. I took Personal Finance and P.E. over the summer before junior year.”

As a track and cross country runner, Mu Alpha Theta president and a member of both National Honors Society and Mini MizzouThon, Kovarik said taking online classes is helpful for students involved in many extracurricular activities because they can be customized to fit into their schedules.

She also said, however, student-teacher interactions are more complicated in online classes than in-seat courses.

“I definitely have made some deep connections with some of the teachers that I have taken in-person classes [with] here, and that would definitely be sacrificed with a lot of online classes,” Kovarik said, “then teachers not being able to explain the point as fully, exactly how the student needs it, ‘cause you can read that a little better person to person.”

On the electronic side, David Bones, the Online Program Coordi-

nator for Columbia Public Schools (CPS), oversaw the development and delivery of initial and recovery credit online course work for students in high school for the past three years.

A variety of courses can be offered online to students, though the most popular online classes include health, physical education, government and personal finance. CPS faculty teach all the courses.

“I work with the curriculum coordinators for each of the content areas in [CPS] to decide what’s offered,” Bones said. “And I also get input from building principals, administrators and counselors. So I hear feedback from counselors on needs that they have that… would make their side of the scheduling a bit easier.”

After three years of working in his position, Bones said he saw a 30 percent growth in online course enrollment, which could have occurred for a variety of reasons.

“Maybe they couldn’t have taken this one course face-to-face due to a scheduling conflict, but they are able to take it online,” Bones said. “Another benefit is it can free up students’ time if they have other opportunities or other responsibilities. So, an opportunity might be if they need to do A+ tutoring during the day or a job sharing opportunity during the day.”

Just like students, teachers are passionate about their classes. Susan Lidholm teaches courses in the business department, including AP Economics, Personal Finance and Online Investing 101. Along with inseat courses, Lidholm teaches online.

She said scheduling and the desire to do individual work is what motivates students to take online courses, but a majority of her students take classes in-person.

“One part of [choosing an online course] is that it’s probably nice to get your feet wet with an online class because in college that is one way that they’re encouraging people to take classes,” Lidholm said. “But the disadvantage to it is if you’re not self-disciplined and self-motivated, you may not be the best online candidate with it. So you really have to take a look at what’s gonna fit for you.”

ALLIE PIGG / THE ROCK

PLANNING FOR THE FUTURE: Studies department chair Austin Reed explains Civic Studies class to parents of incoming freshmen at the RBHS Course Fair day, Jan. 22.

For sophomore Audrey Mueller, course selection follows a progressive path in difficulty, including AP and honors classes, and she has a hard time choosing between what she thinks would be fun and what looks good to colleges. Like Kovarik, Mueller deals with balancing the demands of her school work with other activities. She does work while having downtime in play practices, which she has every night, to stay on top of her course load. Mueller has to make sacrifices in order to stay committed to both parts of her life.

“Sometimes I will have to turn in things late because I was at rehearsal, [and] sometimes I am tired at rehearsal because I was doing school work,” Mueller said. “But I think everyone is like that, and it’s just kind of expected when you’re doing extracurriculars.”

Both Kovarik and Mueller said the classes they take or do not take are based less on whether or not it would affect their GPAs and more on if they could balance AP or honors courses with their already packed schedules.

In Bones’ experience, online edu-

cation helps students complete their required classes and free up schedules to take AP or CACC courses. They also relieve stress by providing students with more flexible deadlines.

“We do have some students who take it just because they have school anxiety issues,” he said. “It kind of gives them a different way to do some of their schooling. I’d also say, in part some take it because they realize that when they get out of high school, whether it be post high school education or a job, that online education is a part of what they’re preparing for these days, some see it as an important skill for post secondary learning.”

Although online programs offered through CPS have made significant advancements from when they were first offered eight years ago, Bones still strives for improvement.

“One of the challenges… is [finding] ways to communicate [among] faculty and students such that strong relationships are built between students and teachers. Just as face-toface in a classroom the student-teacher relationship is critical to student

success,” Bones said. “There are a lot of tools out there these days like Google Hangout, ZOOM and FaceTime that can help facilitate that and the district’s 1:1 program in high schools had certainly helped as well.”

Along with improving communication, Bones acknowledged that online courses do have limitations that in-seat classes do not struggle with.

For Bones, it would be “pretty awesome” if each building could have an online lab where students with problems or content area questions could receive face-to-face support from a full time staff member. With online classes, much like those offered in an in-seat environment, students and teachers alike view accountability and responsibility as the keys to success.

“The main thing of online programs, it serves probably a small minority of students,” Lidholm said. “I don’t know if, as a highschooler, if I would have even been self-motivated and wanting to complete my work in a timely manner and making certain that I am benefiting from the information with it.”

School schedule structured to abide by CPS guidelines Jacob Sykuta

W THE ROCK SURVEYED 200 STUDENTS, 10 %OF STUDENTS MOY ZHONG / THE ROCK

RBHS extra credit policies unclear EXTRA CREDIT, P. 1 Despite the opposition toward extra credit, there is an alternative. Reed gives students optional assignments. She says they are a great opportunity to create a more solid base to one’s grade and allows some motivation for culturally appropriate assignments that many students would not choose to do on their own.

“If there are relevant things going on or assignments to encourage [or] push students I may assign them, [for example], participating in a culturally relevant food day, etc.,” Reed said. “The end of the week raffle drawing are extra credit with a maximum of five points possible. The only other extra credit assignment I have offered in the past is the National French Exam. It takes a lot of time to prepare. It really increases one’s appreciation of the French language, and it costs money. I feel as though the time and effort involved, as well as the benefit, is worthy of extra credit points.”

While extra credit can be beneficial to students, Dr. Rukstad does not see it in future school years.

“I think if we were to change our grading system completely we might take extra credit out completely, but right now our grading system is still what it is,” Dr. Rukstad said. “I could see a scenario where extra credit would not be there [in the future].”

With only a year and a half left in high school, Thomas will likely not see extra credit leave by the time he graduates. Thomas appreciates the extra credit he receives in classes but thinks some restrictions should be necessary.

“I don’t think there should be a policy from classroom to classroom because ultimately all of the classes are different, and teachers can have their own grading scale,” Thomas said. “As far as buying your grade, I’m sure there should be a policy for that.”

ith March on the horizon, students look forward to the week-long spring break and the coming three-month summer break afterward. Most students take these breaks as a godsend, believing Columbia Public Schools (CPS) determine scheduling based on their own agenda and wishes.

Michelle Baumstark, CPS Community Relations Director, reports that while the district has some control in scheduling the school year, ultimately, the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) mandates that school districts meet a minimum number of school days, has the biggest influence on how the CPS Calendar Committee plans the upcoming school years.

“The state requires the number of days and minutes we have to be in session by law,” Baumstark said. “174 [school] days or 1,044 hours is the minimum. We are also required by law to build in six snow days.”

The same regulations that control how many days are in each school year impact the decision making process for determining the duration of each break and when it is. Baumstark, sees the difficulties in planning for each school year, including other factors than legal requirements. This balancing of influences results in many drafts of the school calendar each year.

“We have to consider community events, holiday dates (federal, state), when MU takes its breaks [and] federal and state elections,” Baumstark said. “Once draft calendars are created, they are shared with parents and the community for feedback.

That feedback is then used to make any tweaks before it is presented to the Board of Education for its consideration.”

Senior Alex Geyer believes that while the duration of breaks are fair, they should be spaced out throughout the entire school year for students to enjoy more often in moderation.

“For the schedule we have now,

[breaks] are satisfactory,” Geyer said.

“However, they could be spaced better throughout the school year. I feel like breaks are too few and far between. Summer break causes people to lose much of what they have learned and is too long.

The lack of a long break until winter break leaves a whole semester of work that drains students’ energies.”

Once the finalized schedule submitted by the Calendar Committee is approved, teachers begin planning around what is set in stone. For Kevin Taylor, who teaches Honors Precalculus and Advanced Placement Statistics, both winter and spring breaks have a larger impact on the curriculum for his classes.

“You try to be done with the unit before break if you can, just because it’s hard to retain information over a long break,” Taylor said. “You’re mainly trying to make sure that you’re done with the whole unit.”

Unexpected breaks have had a large impact on how he runs his classes and continue to complicate the ways to teach the curriculum fairly and at the same rate for both A and B day classes.

“When I had the same class on A and B days in the past, it became a logistical nightmare trying to keep track of the curriculum,” Taylor said. “But I don’t have that problem this year. I think that the biggest challenge, though, is when you have many absences that make it hard to maintain the momentum of learning in class.”

Geyer finds breaks are necessary for students who are faced with increasingly stressful schedules. Additionally, he thinks breaks are crucial for teachers, believing that breaks relieve some of the stress teaching entails. “[Breaks] are essential for all students who have busy and stressful schedules to finally get a break from their daily routine and at least be able to relax at home if they do not travel,” Geyer said. “Teachers need the breaks, as well, because all workers should have vacation time during the year or they will become just as stressed as students.”

Would you prefer longer school years with longer breaks or the opposite?

Long school year with long breaks because children often lose the knowledge that they build up over the school year over the summer, so if we just got rid of that I feel like it would be better” — Matthew

Burns, junior

CAMRYN DEVORE / THE ROCK

I would rather have a shorter school year with a shorter spring break and Thanksgiving and Christmas and a longer summer because I prefer the warmer weather.”

— Kesslyn McDonald, sophomore

CAMRYN DEVORE / THE ROCK

I think we should have a longer school year with longer breaks... because it can get people more connected within the school because they won’t feel worrysome about less time during breaks.”

CAMRYN DEVORE / THE ROCK

— Peyton Brooks, freshman

4 HEALTH & WELLNESS

Ji-Sung Lee

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purely because individuals want to avoid being outside for too long. There are certainly some risks associated with cold weather. The most obvious of these risks being frostbite, said Dr. Melissa Gervais, an assistant professor of Meteorology and Atmospheric Science at Penn State University. As for an explanation for the headaches, tingling sensations, redness and blisters, Dr. Gervais attributes the symptoms to a sudden drop in temperature.

“Often cold air that impacts more southern regions of the U.S. is formed over the Arctic or northern Canada,” Dr. Gervais said.

“Cold air outbreaks tend to happen when this cold ‘Arctic air mass’ is able to travel further south. The jet stream, which is a fast current of air higher up in the atmosphere, separates these colder northern regions from the warmer southern regions.”

Dr. Gervais said when this jet stream has more meanders, or a winding course, individuals can get some of the Arctic air that is traveling further south. The change in pattern can happen relatively quickly, and if the atmosphere continues in this same pattern, it can create a cold spell.

Not only does the frost remind individuals to grab some extra layers, the change in seasons can even cause a type of depression, known as seasonal affective disorder (SAD). SAD has shown that living in cooler climates can be a challenge for many people, the Dorsal Mental Health Forum reported.

The lack of light during the dark winter months affects those who suffer from SAD. According to data from the Mayo Clinic, those who suffer from SAD begin to see symptoms in the fall, which continues into the winter months, making individuals more moody.

The “winter blues,” may explain why individuals who typically prefer the warm sunshine may feel less inclined to get up and go out. For Wang, at least, the colder it is out, the less excited she is to go run. Like Wang, junior Lily Abraham is a spring athlete. As a soccer player, Abraham said the icy weather, which sometimes forces her to practice inside, can lead to injuries such as shin splints.

“Some negative effects are when your muscles are cold, your muscles tighten, which leads to injury,” Abraham said. “You just have to stretch extra to warm up your muscles. [The cold weather can] also can affect range in motion, so it can be harder to kick.”

Abraham’s ideal temperature for playing soccer is in the 60 to 70 degree range and sunny with a little bit of a breeze. Unfortunately for Abraham, the current below-freezing temperatures and wicked wind chills won’t reach 70 degrees anytime soon.

Abraham believes the extreme colds can be dangerous. The Mercy Hospital agrees, stating that freezing temperatures and dangerous wind chills can be especially threatening for individuals spending time outside, putting them at risk for hypothermia or even frostbite.

Mercy Hospital said a

victim is often unaware of frostbite because frozen tissue is numb.

Hypothermia, however, typically occurs at very chilled temperatures but can also happen at temperatures above 40 degrees Fahrenheit if a person is wet and becomes chilled.

Dr. Gervais believes one of the biggest problems is not the actual climate but how prepared individuals are for it.

Dr. Gervais said it is important to wear the right clothing. Her recommendations include a good hat, some mittens and a coat.

Despite the numb fingers and runny noses, Wang said the countless runs during the bleak winter months act as a great way to spend some extra time with teammates.

“Since these runs are a regular thing, we end up spending a lot of time together. We talk and play games and end up bonding because were all there and putting in the work,” Wang said. “While we’re out running, we can talk about whatever we feel like, and when track season starts, we’ll already have a com-

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s sophomore Rongrong Wang opens the east doors of RBHS, chilling winds and below-freezing temperatures are there to greet her. Not even a winter parka lined with fur could keep her from shivering.

With spring sports right around the corner, however, tolerating the biting cold is important for some extra mileage during long runs. To prepare for the weather, Wang said she brings gloves, headbands and lots of extra layers to track practice.

“I try to leave as little skin exposed as possible,” Wang said.

“We, as a group, check the outside temperature to make sure that the length of our run isn’t so long as to where we would be at risk of frostbite.”

Additionally, Wang believes people tend to run less

THE ROCK www.bearingnews.org February 15, 2018

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Wellness trends take modern world by storm

Kombucha, collagen, yoga, charcoal, meditation on the rise Grace Dorsey

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he definition of health has gone through a transformation during the past century.

In 1918, it meant one wasn’t dying of influenza. 100 years later, wellness means waking up with bulletproof coffee and collagen, catching an early-morning yoga session, staying hydrated with kombucha and/or detox water, renouncing dairy and subscribing to natural beauty products.

While there have always been trends in wellness, the age of social media has brought waves of products, activities and even lifestyles to the forefront. Globalization has certainly played

a role, with many prominent trends historically originating from regions such as south and east Asia.

Kara Ladd, a partnerships editor for ELLE, has used more qualitative research when it comes to trends in wellness.

She says it’s her job to “have her finger on the pulse” of what’s popular. In a 2017 article, she named 30 fads including turmeric, medicinal mushrooms and dry brushing.

In addition to her professional connection to what’s current in self-care, Ladd has personal experience with different fitness movements.

“Meditation was the most prominent wellness trend from

last year and was my personal favorite as I saw considerable difference in my own demeanor and mental state when I meditated on a daily basis. I was simply more calm, clear-headed and grounded,” Ladd said.

“Meditation saw a multitude of in-person studios as well as apps come to the center stage of the wellness community.”

Besides just practices and supplements, certain diets have also exploded in popularity.

Through the years, the Atkins diet, the Ketogenic diet and the Paleo diet have developed substantial fan bases, each claiming to be the perfect way of eating. Nowadays, followers of Whole30, a fad diet that

emphasizes whole foods, tout it as the latest and greatest innovation. Whole30, however, is not a long-time solution to weight loss, but a month-long trial meant to highlight any common food intolerances one might have.

Senior Caroline Kaiser has trouble reconciling Whole30’s limitation fruit as a way to reduce sugar intake. Additionally, as a pre-professional chef, Kaiser prefers to keep her diet options open.

“I have some issues with Whole30, but I think if you have the willpower to do all those crazy diets, then that’s good for you. I’m not going to do any of those crazy di-

Meal Makeover Trades for a trendy breakfast

1 2 3 4

Instead of traditional toast made from yeast, try to toast sweet potatoes.

Ditch the collard greens for a delightful salad with leaves from dandelions.

Switch out standard potatoes for hashbrowns made with cauliflower.

Swap out scrambled eggs with cloud eggs or whipped egg whites.

CAMRYN DEVORE / THE ROCK

ets,” Kaiser said. “I’ll just eat whatever I make that day or whatever’s available. So I don’t follow a super strict diet, but if there’s a better option, that’s usually what I go for, the healthy option.”

Kaiser does, however, partake in other health routines that one could consider trendy.

About five years ago her mom brought kombucha and essential oils to Kaiser’s attention.

More recently, Kaiser has started putting collagen in her coffee and using charcoal as a cleanser. Even so, she doesn’t think of herself as a trend follower.

“I live in a pretty healthy household. [Trying to be healthy] isn’t super new, but recently, with adding all these [wellness practices] together instead of doing separate ones over the years, I’d say I’m healthier,” Kaiser said. “Stuff that I’m really into, like yoga, meditation and kombucha, has been such a core thing for people for so many years, way long ago. I think it’s going to continue being steadily practiced.”

Unlike Kaiser, health and wellness journalist Christa Stiehl, who works for the website eatthis.com, has not only tried Whole30 but believes in its benefits, as it made her aware of her dairy intolerance.

Stiehl has tried many trends in her career, often writing articles about her experience.

Some of her experiments include drinking a gallon of water a day, trying every type of kombucha and tracking all of her body measurements such as how many steps she took, her caloric balance, her sleep

and her water intake.

Currently, Stiehl is working on a project where she’ll try taking collagen peptide powder everyday for a couple of weeks. Though Stiehl is up for testing the trends herself, she stresses the importance of knowing the scientific validity of popular fitness principles to avoid the gimmicks.

“There’s a general tendency in the wellness crowd [to believe] all these hyped tips and tricks and food that aren’t backed by science [but] purported health and wellness miracles,” Stiehl said. “Things like colon cleanses, even things like turmeric [don’t have] a ton of research to back it up. Turmeric is good for you, but it isn’t this magical cureall. In general, when it comes to trends, it’s important to find the research behind it from an expert, a doctor, a physical trainer or a research study that can support it. It’s important to know the difference between pseudoscience and quality sourcing.”

For those like Kaiser, who don’t necessarily rely on facts and figures to backup their habits, popular health practices will continue to be a source of happiness and perhaps community, depending on one’s friend circle.

“I try to make some of my friends go to yoga once in a while, and a lot of my friends are the same way. A lot of my friends like kombucha, and I’ve made some friends at yoga,” Kaiser said. “So I try to introduce it to them, but if they don’t like it, then I understand because I know it’s not for everybody.”

SPORTS 17

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MAYA BELL / THE ROCK

UPSTROKE: Junior Piper Osman swims the 100 fly event during the COMO girls invitational meet Jan. 6. The Bruins earned 20 automatics state and four consideration times at the meet.

Swimming, diving prepare for state meet Ji-Sung Lee

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team state championship title in 2015, another in 2016 and runner-up in 2017; that’s how dominating the girls’ swimming and diving team has been in the past three years. Tomorrow and Saturday, the Lady Bruins look to compete for yet another state title.

With the state meet taking place in the next few days, Head Coach Taylor Birsa said the team needs to have positive attitudes going into the meet. Additionally, she said the team is ready to compete against a lot of great swimmers from around the state.

“The atmosphere is amazing,” Birsa said. “It’s loud and exciting.

Everyone is cheering, and the stands are packed.”

The Missouri State High School Activities Association (MSHSAA) will hold the state meet at the St. Peters Rec-Plex where the Bruins will close out their season. Caroline Stevens is among the seniors who look to compete for the last time, and her goals are clear: to perform to the best of her abilities.

“Diving is a fun middle sport for

me, so I’m just looking to have fun and end on a high note,” Stevens said.

“Obviously I’d love to score a point for the swim team, but I’m there to give it my all regardless of where I place.”

Similarly, Nicole Williams said being a senior doesn’t affect her mindset. She has had confidence in her abilities since she was a freshman and believes nothing has changed.

She said gaining some fresh talent from the underclassmen has helped replace the seniors from last year.

Like Williams, senior Ellie Zweifel feels that bringing home a win will depend on whether some of the freshman can step up to the plate and compete.

“It’s my last one, so I really want to make it count. I think the older girls on the team are really going to go fast,” Zweifel said. “I’m just going to focus on having fun because I will never get to compete in another state championship.”

One of these underclassmen is freshman Olivia Henderson. While she is a new member to the team, she isn’t new to the sport. Henderson has been swimming for seven years and will compete in the 100 freestyle and backstroke.

“I do feel a little pressure going into the meet, but I have known these girls for years now,” Henderson said.

“I know that they’re going to make me feel little pressure and that they are going to make this meet so much fun.”

On the swimming side, the state meet is solely based on times. MSHSAA releases qualifying time standards for each event at the beginning of the season, and those times determine an individual’s chance at making the state team.

For diving, there are two ways to qualify. At a dive meet, where 11 dives are performed, an individual must score 385 points. In a six dive meet, a diver would need to score 240 points.

With more than 10 swimming events over the two day period, there’s certainly a lot of action in the water. Birsa, however, said the relays are probably her favorite events.

Williams, who will be competing in the 200 medley relay and the 400 freestyle relay said it’s critical to be comfortable with a teammate’s finish.

“For relay exchanges, you want your feet to leave the block as they touch the wall. It’s hard to time because if you leave before your team-

mate actually touches the wall, it’s a false start,” Williams said. “Tracking your teammate and getting as much power off the block as possible is important. When you’re going fast, it’s kind of difficult because you don’t want to get your relay disqualified.

Relays are double points. But with practice you learn your teammates stroke count and you get used to how they finish, so it’s easier.”

Despite all the technicalities of the event, Birsa believes the relay teams have some serious talent to bring to the competition. The difficulty of the handoff won’t hinder the Bruins and their competitive mindset for a high placing.

“Our relays are really strong,” Birsa said. “Adding all of these talented athletes into one race is very exciting to watch. Our breaststrokers and backstrokers have a great depth to them, as well.”

With such success in the past, it is clear the Bruins know how to win.

But Williams believes the success the team has had in the past adds additional pressure to underclassmen.

Williams said the upperclassman have already established themselves and have a good understanding of where the team will place, and how

many points they can contribute to the team score.

“How you place at state can literally be determined by hundredths of a second, and we saw that last year when we lost by three points,” Williams said. “Everyone on the team knows they’ll have to do their part and swim fast on the relays if we want to win, and I think our freshmen and sophomores have been working really hard to help put us in a position to do that.”

The physical demands of the sport show that mental toughness can be just as important as physical ability.

Earlier in the season, Stevens had hit the board with her hand. She said these setbacks just become another mental hurdle to get over. Even so, she has confidence in her teammates, who will hopefully leave the Rec. Plex feeling like champions.

“As a team, I think the swimmers have a good chance to place high on the podium,” Stevens said. “This year MSHSAA split swimming/diving into two classes, so I think that gives some of the girls the opportunity to place a little higher than last year.

State is an awesome environment, and our swimmers always perform to the best of their ability.”

MAYA BELL/THE ROCK

BOUNCE BACK: Junior Dajuan Harris goes for the lay up Feb. 2. The Bruins beat the Tigers, scoring 89-57.

Boys’ basketball to go up against the Rockhurst Hawklets Elad Gov-Ari

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he Bruins, holding a [19-1] record, gear up to face the Rockhurst Hawklets, [16-4], tomorrow, Feb. 16. RBHS, carrying out a phenomenal season, is ready to tear up the court.

One example is junior guard Spencer Miles, who isn’t worried about his team’s future opponents. The 6’1” student athlete is confident of his team’s track record and ability to take a victory.

“We haven’t studied on their films yet, but last year they had a pretty good squad, and I’m going to assume they’ll have another good squad,” Miles said.

In terms of opponent specific preparation, Head coach Jim Scanlon plans to continue what is working for him; practicing the fundamentals and playing zone defense. “[The Hawklets] are a very good team so our preparation has to be good but I don’t know that we prepare

much different,” Scanlon said. “We still do the basics, the rebounding, the defense, shooting. We pretty much practice like it’s the first game. We’ll do some press breaks, and practice against man and against zones.”

For senior forward Devin Bernskoetter, play review films are the best method of knowing each of his opponents strengths and weaknesses.

“We prepare as a team by watching their films and learning how to defend their sets on offense and also learning plays to run against their defense,” Bernskoetter said.

Despite keeping practices consistent, Scanlon sees flaws in his team’s game and hopes to improve upon these imperfections with each lesson.

“Our defense is getting better, we’re not a great rebounding team but we’re getting better,” Scanlon said.

“Maybe the biggest thing is we like playing, they like playing together.”

YOUSUF EL-JAYYOUSI / THE ROCK

LAY IT UP: Senior Jessica Hodder plants her feet before attempting a lay up against the Kewpies Jan. 25. The Bruins beat HHS 48-29. The team takes on the Wildcats Tuesday, Feb. 20.

Lady Bruins ready to face Wildcats Emily Oba

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ith a strong season and an even stronger [14-7] record propelling the girls’ basketball team forward, the Lady Bruins will face Blue Springs High School Tuesday Feb. 20.

After facing the Wildcats, the team will have one more game to play before their first district game Feb. 26.

Senior guard Payton McCallister does not feel the pressure of Tuesday’s game but, instead, plans on concentrating on the game plan. “[Blue Springs High School is] a district team so those games are even more important for district seeding,” McCallister said. “[However,] we know it’s just another game and not to overthink.”

The mindset McCallister possesses is the same for teammate junior forward Maddie Collier. Collier thinks the Wildcats are not going to be a challenge for the team because they have lost a lot of their strength from last year [6-18]. Currently, the Wildcats have an overall score

of [4-5], winning less than half as many games as the Bruins.

While the largest margin the Bruins have lost by is nine points on Feb. 2 against Kirkwood High School (54 - 63), during the Webster Winter Challenge, the Wildcats largest gap is 10 points when they went against Raymore-Peculiar High School Dec. 7. While not an immense difference, Collier is still confident the team has what it takes to succeed.

“I think we just gotta stick to the game plan and focus on us mainly,” Collier said. “I think [this season is] going pretty good [because] we are going hard and I’m excited for postseason.”

Head Coach Jill Nagel also believes her team has the ability to keep the successful streak going. While she recognizes the importance of the game because it is close to districts, she has placed her focus on more forthcoming games.

“We have played a challenging schedule and I see growth from each game,”

Nagel said. “[The] Blue Springs game will hopefully be a good tune up for districts since we play at their place, which is also the site of the district tournament.”

With districts nearing, it also marks the end of a season. With another year coming up for Collier, as a senior, McCallister reflects on the year so far.

While this season, the team had to deal with four seniors absence after their graduation, more are leaving after 201718. More than half of the team consists of seniors and, therefore, will not be on the team next season.

“Our season has been going super well,” McCallister said. “We win a lot and when we have lost they have been very close games.”

McCallister concludes in order to defeat the Wildcats, the team has to prepare and keep working hard, and playing like they know how.

“We for sure take it game by game and prepare how we need to for that game,” McCallister said.

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SPORTS 19

‘The Rock’ retracts ‘Boys’ basketball to face De Smet’ Rochita Ghosh

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n Dec. 14, The Rock published a fabricated story on C1, titled “Boys’ basketball to face De Smet.” None of the managing editors, Rochita Ghosh, Elad Gov-Ari and Nikol Slatinska, nor the sports editor, Emily Oba, nor the paper’s adviser, Robin Stover, was aware at the time of publication but learned of the error later that day when a source in the story said his quotes were completely made up.

“I immediately asked the writer if I could see the interviews, but he was unable to provide any at the time,” Oba said.

The purpose of The Rock is to educate, entertain and inform the RBHS student body and the surrounding community.

“Fabricating interviews is inexcusable and does not reflect the intentions of The Rock but will serve as an opportunity to strengthen reporting, writing and interviewing,” Gov-Ari said. “All staff members are students at RBHS and attend school with the intent to learn, whether it be from successes or failures.”

The staff is comprised of student journalists, and as journalists, the staff values honesty, consent and unbiased reporting.

Because of these values, the editors of the publication sincerely apologize to all sources mistakenly quoted in the story as well as its readership.

“This mistake is unacceptable and will not be tolerated in our publication,” Oba said. “I’m very disappointed and sincerely apologize to the misquoted persons. Everyone on staff values integrity, and we hold ourselves to a high standard no matter what type of story it is. This will not happen again in the future.”

In past cycles, section editors received first drafts from staff writers and edited for grammar, coherency, Associated Press style, potential bias and for accuracy of information. Stories are then sent to the editors-in-chief of The Rock and Bearing News, which are then edited again.

Before being placed on any page in The Rock, the story is read by the section editor, an editor-in-chief and Stover.

The newspaper staff then has two “Late Nights,” which are two separate days where staff members stay at RBHS until 11 p.m. to edit pages and stories until they are considered ready for publication, usually going through 11 additional rounds of editing.

The staff refers to the last edit before converting pages to Portable Document Formats (PDFs) as “last looking.” This process involves at least three people reading all words written on the page, with one person reading every word out loud, to ensure there are no factual errors in the story and that there are no small mistakes in spelling or grammar before publication.

The editing system in place at The Rock and Bearing News will be revised for upcoming print cycles to ensure staff writers are interviewing, writing and reporting truthful information and stories.

“When editing stories, we used to blindly trust our writers with sources and interviews,” Gov-Ari said. “Now that we’ve encountered this shameful issue, we will, moving forward, check and hold our writers accountable for truthful interviewing.”

In order to avoid future publication of untruthful reporting, the management has adjusted the editing system in place at The Rock and Bearing News.

Section editors must now check interviews conducted by the writer to make sure all sources are quoted correctly.

The editors-in-chief and the adviser will engage in discussion with the section editor and the writer if needed.

Furthermore, the editorial board apologizes to the student body and greater community for printing misinformation.

“We were not informed of this misstep, and we hope our reputation as the school’s source of truthful news is not tarnished,” Gov-Ari said. “We will undoubtedly grow from this mistake and continue to produce content that is both factual and entertaining for the student body to read. As one of the leaders of this publication, and I speak on behalf of the entire staff, I apologize for this mistake and assure everyone it will not happen again.”

Additional reporting done by Elad GovAri and Nikol Slatinska

MAYA BELL / THE ROCK

NICE SHOT: Junior Ja’Monta Black drives into the lane for a layup in a game against Lincoln Prep Friday, Feb. 2. The Bruins beat the Tigers in an 89-57 blowout. They play their last home game of the season against the Helias Crusaders on Friday, Feb. 23.

Triumph on, off the court

Black works hard to create future success also has the chance to play with his friends he’s worked with since middle school, Harris and ousins by marriage, junior Travis Mosley. This friendship, Black says, has helped Midgyett became friends with juhim a lot with motivation and to become a better nior Ja’Monta Black during a family player all around. reunion on the Fourth of July eight “Both of them [helped and motivated me] beyears ago. Midgyett recalls watching Black cause they’ve been good since they were little,” shoot himself with a firework.

Black said. “They’ve just been good their whole “Ja’Monta is 100 percent comedian. You life and so just watching [those] two and playing can’t take him seriously ... never,” Midgyett with them made me a better player all around. said. “He shot himself with a Roman candle, They teach me a lot of things they know.” [and] I thought it was pretty cool, so I ran over Similar to most high school athletes, Black while he was crying and started laughing and plans on continuing his high school basketball we’ve been best friends since.” career in college. While he has not decided what Standing at 6’3”, Black looks the part of a school he would like to go to, he believes school basketball player perfectly. Playing for RBHS’ is just as important as sports. varsity basketball as a guard, Black’s love for This mentality took place after a tough freshthe game has existed his entire life. men year, Black said. He took responsibility for Black started playing on competitive teams his future and in order to stay on track academwhen he was in fifth grade. He began on the ically, he decided to go to Cor. This organizaColumbia Warriors when he was in fifth grade tion was founded in 2013 by Angie Azzanni and and switched to the Travis Craig. Their COMO Celtics. In a vision was to create span of three years, “educational support from sixth to eighth with athletic involveHe’s a lights out shooter when grade, Black was on ment, experiential opneeded, he’s unselfish with the the MOKAN basketportunities and caring ball and always looking for opball team, the Blazers relationships to help portunities to make the team and Gateway. It was students achieve lives better. He’s a team player.” during this time on difwith character, com—Travis Midgyett, junior ferent club teams, that munity, and career.” he met his friends and Cor works with soon to be teammates, more than 40 middle varsity guards, Dajuan Harris and Isiaih Mosley. and high school students with a staff of 30 that “I would say my favorite team was MOKAN, help four nights a week. After teammate junior [because] that’s when I really learned a lot about JaVell Sanders’ suggestion, Black started going basketball,” Black said. “I wasn’t really good at to the program, the beginning of his sophomore the time, but I would say that’s the point where year. my work ethic, and my love for basketball “It was really fun because when you get there changed, and I gained more love for the game you can have fun. You can have fun with your and playing basketball, because I realized how friends and stuff like that but when it’s time to much harder I needed to work to be playing for work you can really start working hard and we that team.” can help each other with our homework and stuff This mindset stayed with Black to high school like that,” Black said. “Cor is really helpful for where he earned a spot on the varsity team. Not athletes to focus and to just have a place where only does Black say he loves the Bruins, but he you can bond with your friends and work at the

Emily Oba

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same time.”

While Black no longer needs Cor, he knows he always has support with Vicki Reimler. Currently living with her, Black says he has known Reimler for a long time.

Reimler has known Black’s grandfather for more than 25 years through West Middle School basketball and has known his mother for more than 20 years.

The arrangement to move in with Reimler was a whole family decision. Currently in the BHS district, they felt it was better for Black to go to RBHS and Reimler was their number one choice for Black because of her long and close relationship to the family.

Reiterating twice that Reimler is “a great woman,” Black sees her at every basketball game and gets support with whatever he needs from her.

“She just does everything for me, and she’s really taught me a lot,” Black said. “She’s teaching me a lot of lessons that I’ll need in the future like money and stuff, [and] how to save money.

[She’s also teaching me] just how to be more like an adult right now. She’s just teaching me how to grow up and it’s really helpful.”

Watching Black’s growth in life, Reimler says he has shown great leadership on and off the basketball court. She also believes Ja’Monta recognizes how much his hard work in the classroom will benefit him in life.

“I believe Ja’Monta can be whatever he wants to be,” Reimler said. “He is smart, hardworking and disciplined. He is a great friend, has great communication skills and is confident.

He possesses all the qualities that can help him be successful in his future.”

Midgyett, being friends with Black for eight years, also recognizes the exceptional character his cousin contains. With basketball, he said Black helps lead his teammates.

“As a basketball player Ja’Monta is a huge leader,” Midgyett said. “He’s a lights-out shooter when needed, he’s unselfish with the ball and always looking for opportunities to make the team better. He’s a team player.”

20 ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

THE ROCK www.bearingnews.org February 15, 2018

True False: a comic adventure VALERIA VELASQUEZ / THE ROCK As filmmakers ourselves, we see efforts like ours as crucial. we see this as a growing, important commitment to do more care and feeding of the filmmakers we believe in. That way directors will be incentivized to not give up after one or

two films.

We have a great, functional downtown.

Columbia is a classic college town. It is not unique in terms of its geography or architecture, but we have a good layout.

Paul Sturtz and David Wilson discuss starting their film festival, dubbed “The Year of Film,” hoping to promote underground non-fiction films, This festival would become the widely known True/False festival.

Source: http://filmmakermagazine.com/84235-truefalse-film-fest-announces-innovative-pay-the-artists-program/#.WoOlrCOZORY, https://indienyc.com/interview-david-wilson-co-founder-truefalse-film-festival/

The event started small in 2003 when 1,200 people attended, but it began to grow.

In '07, 15,000 people attended

and in 2015, 45,000.

What’s your favorite part of True/False?

“we are really able to explore documentaries, Which I feel like aren’t an important part of very many curricular activities or even as a main curricular at our school.”- sophomore Amira Mckee

“I love just the atmosphere and the people and just getting to experience all the different sides of the documentaries and getting to hear all these people’s stories.” - Sophomore Maddie Marrero

Share a Table with one of the 45,000 visitors who will come to The festival.

Catch The True/False parade, March 2.

“The vibe and the different people it brings to our little town in literally the middle of Missouri. I just think it’s super cool how one thing could do that.” -junior Eric Estrada

T/F also enables viewers to attend unreleased films a few months early.

Be sure to catch these “secret” films.

“I love the energy it brings to Columbia. It brings artists, musicians, filmmakers and film lovers from across the country and around the world to Columbia. The air in the city feels so electric.” - Senior Roman Wolfe

Some shows are back-to-back, so stock up on caffeine.

Finally, be sure to tip the buskers/musicians before the shows!

The festival uses its platform to raise money for one select film and helps its subjects. This reoccurring effort is dubbed “The true life fund”. This year’s film, “primas,” is an evocative portrait of two Argentinian cousins who free themselves from the shadows of violent pasts. Source: https://truefalse.org/program/true-life-fund

IN CRISIS FEATURES 5

THE ROCK www.bearingnews.org February 15, 2018

Drug abuse doesn’t discriminate A Maddie Murphy

fter Cody Marshall graduated from Jefferson City High School in May 2010, his life went on a downward spiral.

All of his closest friends packed up and moved to college, spreading out around the country. During his high school years, he had not applied himself enough to get into the “traditional college setting,” so he was saving money to attend a technical school.

Marshall worked temporarily, bouncing around from factory job to factory job. He gained a new set of friends that were far beyond the experimental stages of drug use. Marshall was always low on cash and without a car after totaling his in an accident.

Unhappy with his life, Marshall decided to experiment with substances, desperately searching for a way out of the black hole he felt he was in.

On Sept. 25, 2011, his father, Jim Marshall, experienced something he never thought he would.

Cody Marshall was home alone, 20-years-old at the time. Jim Marshall walked into the house to find his son unconscious, lying on the living room floor. His friends had picked him up from his family’s house, gotten high with him, then dropped him off at home where he overdosed on Xanax and heroin.

Jim Marshall was able to revive him through cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), but two short days later, doctors pronounced his son brain-dead because of the time he was without oxygen.

“Cody was a trusting boy, and that was his downfall to the end,” Jim Marshall said. “He trusted the wrong people and made a poor choice.”

Cody Marshall didn’t fit the stereotype of a “bad kid” or a heroin abuser. He was a fun, loving young man that wanted nothing more than to make people laugh, his father said.

At his funeral, Cody Marshall’s love and compassion for others became evident to his family. The diversity of the people he had touched in his life was moving.

“He had a good number of special needs kids at his funeral because he was one of the few that hugged, highfived or stopped and talked to them,” Jim Marshall said. “Cody also gave a lot of his nice clothes to a homeless man named Lucky, as well as giving him food. He did the same to kids without these things. He was just a good kid all around.”

Cody Marshall was an organ donor. After his death, he donated 33 organs including skin tissue, bones and joints. Jim Marshall even received a letter from a mother of two under the age of seven that has Cody Marshall’s heart.

This inspired Jim Marshall to start a website called Cody’s Gift. He wanted to give a gift to others just as Cody Marshall had done his whole

[SOURCES: NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON DRUG ABUSE/ASHWOOD RECOVERY/CABLE NEWS NETWORK]

life. jail,’ and that’s the answer to it. But Jim Marshall’s mission is to make that’s typically what I continue to see a difference. He believes there is a lot as I educate, the ignorance or lack of that individuals can do to improve knowledge that blocks common sense their perception. solutions from being addressed.”

“When you see a newspaper RBHS Outreach Counselor Lesley thread from a Facebook post, you just Thalhuber doesn’t think there is any want to shake your head in disgust,” particular way that will work perfectJim Marshall said. “This is why we’re ly for dealing with an issue of this having a problem.” caliber. Thalhuber does, however, see A study from the National Institute the removal of stereotypes as a major on Drug positive.

Abuse “Nev(NIH) er judge reveals a book m a n y by its Never judge a book by its cover. No people c o v e r, ” one plans on becoming addicted to don’t unThalhudrugs or alcohol. It happens acciderstand ber said. w h y “No one dentally, slowly, over time.” someone plans on — Lesley Thalhuber, outreach counselor could becombecome ing adaddicted dicted to to drugs. drugs or People alcohol. mistakenly think that those who use It happens accidentally, slowly, over or abuse drugs lack morals and that time. Think about the people who they could stop by choosing to. become addicted to pain medication “So many people just don’t un- after a surgery: a totally unintended derstand what an addiction is. They consequence of relieving legitimate don’t understand that it’s a disease pain.” and not necessarily a choice once you A study on the impact of stigma by begin to develop this tendency,” Jim www.drugabuse.com aligns directMarshall said. “A lot of people say, ly with Jim Marshall’s findings. The ‘Well, we just need to throw them in study shows that stigma can lower the

chances of seeking help and attending treatment, resulting in economic, social and medical costs.

“Quite frankly, this is what I believe normally shuts people down from wanting to reach out for help or even admit that they have a problem,” Jim Marshall said. “They hate the way that they would be viewed.

They’re viewed as bad people who continue to make poor choices and don’t care about the condition they’re in, which is the farthest thing from the truth. There is always a deeper, underlying issue.”

He believes the lack of awareness surrounding this epidemic is life-threatening.

“I just think there is such a low level of knowledge by our youth and by our parents of youth that they continue to make poor choices, which lead or spiral to this epidemic getting worse,” Jim Marshall said. “I mean the kids make poor choices; they need knowledge. Then, the parents make poor choices on how they handle it; they don’t know what to do either.”

Junior Eric Van Delden believes that no matter how hard the school system tries to educate students about drug abuse, a student must first change their perspective in order for a real change to be made.

“People shouldn’t stereotype drug abuse because neither race or socio-

VALERIA VELASQUEZ/THE ROCK

economic status cause someone to abuse drugs,” Van Delden said. “It can be easy at times to try to blame a problem like this on someone else, but that isn’t ever going to fix the issue, doing that will only divide people further. The idea of doing more in schools to prevent stereotyping is a great thing, but in reality, nothing will change until people accept that stereotyping anything is wrong and pushes us in the wrong direction as a country.”

Jim Marshall has made it his mission to get more psychologists and psychiatrists in the school setting.

For a school like RBHS, Jim Marshall said it could use two or three mental health professionals for the amount of students that walk through the school doors. This way, students could receive more personal, one on one help.

Statistics, according to livescience. com, show that one out of five adolescents are suffering from depression or anxiety, maybe even a combination of the two, at any given day of the year.

“If you have 2,000 students, that’s about 400 of them every day that are struggling from one of those mental health issues,” Jim Marshall said.

“If not stressed because of whatever stress they put on themselves. Something needs to change, and it starts here.”

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FEATURES 7

THE ROCK www.bearingnews.org February 15, 2018

Too much too soon?

Social media affects trends Ann Fitzmaurice

I

nside the YouTube search bar lies an endless selection of videos ranging from movie reviews all the way to controversial challenges. Among these genres exists a constant that outstands any big-company advertisement: beauty vlogs.

The most watched beauty vlog is by Cassandra Bankson, a 25-year-old model who gained more than 20 million views on a makeup tutorial for acne-prone skin meant to hide insecurities.

With this widespread content easily accessible, senior Abigail Hackney thinks social media is a big reason that people of younger generations are incorporating makeup into their daily lives.

“Nowadays, everyone is on at least one social media platform, and makeup is constantly being talked about on all of them,” Hackney said. “I think some girls see it as a fun thing to experiment with when they see people they admire online wearing makeup, but I [also] think other girls start to wear makeup because they are insecure.”

Despite this assumption, Hackney said her own reason for using makeup isn’t from her insecurities. Her incentive comes from the time she wakes up and the duration she has to get ready for the day. Usually, Hackney just fills in her eyebrows and wears mascara, highlighter and concealer, but when she has more time, she opts for something extra such as eyeshadow. Although she is a bit insecure about the dark circles under her eyes, Hackney is comfortable with her face, so makeup is just a fun confidence boost.

While some girls turn to makeup to enhance their beauty, junior Olivia Sowers finds her confidence in clothing in order to feel more professional and increase her productivity. Sowers also feels she gains a lot more respect from her parents and teachers when she looks put-together. “[One time] I wore leggings, [and] I totally felt more tired all day, and I [didn’t] sit up straight, and [the outfit didn’t] motivate me throughout the day as it would if I dressed nice,” Sowers said. “People [also] respect you more, in my personal opinion, when you present yourself in a well-dressed manner, and I definitely feel that when I dress nice.”

With Audrey Hepburn as her idol, Sowers looks to fashion from earlier decades for inspiration and is a huge advocate of denim on denim and ‘80s style. Sowers is confident that she would rock the outfits of any decade thrown at her, she said. Despite her

own tastes, however, Sowers also strives to make her parents proud by dressing skillfully, though she mainly does it to motivate herself.

“Dressing nice translates [to satisfying] my parents’ higher standards for me because it shows them I take myself seriously and am presenting myself neatly,” Sowers said.

“They set the standards, and I strive to make them proud.”

While Sowers’ influence comes mainly from her own likes and dislikes in clothing, Columbia Area Career Center (CACC) marketing teacher John Fuenfhausen believes the change in beauty culture comes from advertising and the attitude of women in general.

Dove’s “Real Beauty” campaign motivated women to see the allure they already had and discouraged self criticism. In the campaign, which launched in 2013, Dove brought several different women for a portrait based only on the descriptions they gave of themselves, then descriptions other women gave of them. The self-given descriptions were largely negative, focusing on flaws and blemishes. On the other hand, the descriptions other women gave of them were quite the opposite.

This campaign was meant to empower women and reflected the marketing change based on this value.

“If you look back in the 1950s and track marketing and advertising over the last half century, you’ll see a definite change in how women are approached and depicted in marketing/advertising,” Fuenfhausen said.

“Women are in the workforce taking top positions in major corporations. They’re seen as strong [individuals] charting their own courses in careers and family life.”

Hackney agrees with this change in the persona of women. With advertisers such as Dove marketing to all women in order to break beauty standards, the push for female strength is becoming more mainstream.

This is also prominent in Rihanna’s Fenty Beauty line, which contains 40 different shades of foundation for all women and the freedom to choose what one wears for any reason whether it’s internal or external.

“Regardless of what we do with ourselves, we’re all beautiful and equal,” Hackney said. “This world is sexist, racist and oftentimes difficult to women, so just do you.

If people are going to disrespect you for your choices, [stick it to them] and continue being flawless.”

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Cosmetics Fast Facts

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L’Oreal is the leading cosmetics brand in the world.

In 2016, the global cosmetic market grew four percent in comparison to the previous year.

58 percent of girls between the ages of 8 and 18 wear makeup.

From 2007 to 2009, the percentage of girls ages 8 to 12 who regularly used mascara and eyeliner nearly doubled.

[SOURCE: STATISTICS BRAIN /TODAY/ NEW YORK TIMES]

Peter Pan performance to take stage Katie Whaley

thew Barrie script from 1928.

“I chose Peter Pan because it is so much fun. I knew that it would allow for me to cast a lot of students because the show calls for a large cast, and I knew that we could really enjoy working on this. The characters are quirky and delightful; the story is magical and invites going big with performance choices, and even the stage directions have exciting and challenging language,” Kerns said.

“We are modernizing the timeline for the show. Also, this show predates Disney’s version of it by many years. I wanted to bring the original show to the stage and escape some of the Disney stereotypes of the show.”

This magic is often brought to the stage through enchanting costumes and fantasy-like makeup. For junior Brenna Cornelison, aside from wearing a light-up fairy dress, she is excited about meeting the audience.

“It’s a play based off of a children’s story, so I’m sure there will be lots of kids who come to see it,” Cornelison said. “It’ll be amazing to bring to life something that they’ve probably only seen on a screen or in a book.”

After the announcement of the play title, junior Jocelyn Heimsoth MAYA BELL/ THE ROCK hoped that she’d get the part of WenHIT THE LIGHTS: Sophomore Olivia Anderson and junior Brenna Cornelison respectively, apply their dy, which she did after doing well in makeup before a dress rehearsal for the play on Feb. 13. The cast will perform the show for three days. her audition. Playing Wendy, she

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ith a clash of swords and a chorus of shouts, a group of characters jumps back from the pirates, egging their leader on with encouraging cheers. Their leader, dressed in a forest green shirt, lunges toward his opponent, a brash smirk on his face.

Then the director yells for a change in lighting, cutting the scene

short. Though it was late in the night and he’d been practicing for four hours already, freshman Kellen Sapp was thrilled for the upcoming scenes.

“I was really excited [that we’re doing Peter Pan] because it’s such a fun story. Captain Hook is a wonderful villain, and Peter is such a relatable hero because he wants to always remain a child without the

responsibilities of growing up,” Sapp said. “All the rest of the characters are so exaggerated and colorful that it would be a joy to be any of them.”

For drama director Holly Kerns, Peter Pan was the perfect fit, as she knew many students were interested.

This show, however, will differ from Disney’s version of Peter Pan since Kerns used the original James Mat-

said, is like a dream come true.

“One of the things that’s very interesting about Wendy is that though she is very young, she has a strong idea about what being a mother is like. You can see in the beginning that she enjoys pretending to be a mother with her brother John, and you can see that she really cares about Peter and the Lost Boys,” Heimsoth said.

“She knows how you’re supposed to treat your parents, and she teaches the Lost Boys how to treat their ‘mother and father.’ Like, for example, you’re never supposed to sit in your father’s chair when he isn’t there.”

The performance runs today through Saturday. Tickets costs $6 for the general public, $4 with student ID and free with activities’ pass.

The actors practice daily to create a great family show that everyone can enjoy.

“I have done a lot of thinking about and practicing how my character acts so that I can make sure I am portraying someone else’s story on stage. Many of our characters are children, so we’ve had to think about how children move and what they value so that we can tell that story,” Sapp said. “Other than that, we’ve had to do the usual memorizing lines and learning where we move on that stage in relation to other characters and the set.”

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EDITORIALS 13

THE ROCK www.bearingnews.org February 15, 2017

Extra credit should be standardized

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veryone has seen their grades on the tip- policy for each department eliminates any unfair ping point: the place where only a few advantages one class might have over another and points could mean all the difference for localizes classroom policy. their report card. This situation is where Some may believe the ideology of “Freedom extra credit gets to shine. A quick essay, a 90-min- with Responsibility” should apply to this issue as ute movie or even a trip to buy a box of tissues well, arguing that teachers know their individuare all simple ways some teachers offer students a al classes enough to delegate what is appropriate saving grace. Of course, extra credit isn’t always a for their students. Unfortunately, this topic isn’t reliable source of point income. Different teachers rooted in debating the autonomy of teachers but across the same course or subject aren’t always on rather what’s fair for students. Every pupil has the same page when it comes to these opportuni- a right to a good education, no matter who their ties. The types of extra teacher is. It simply doesn’t credit exist on a wide make sense for one student to spectrum, with some have more opportunities than Should extra credit be standardized being strictly curricuanother just because of the for courses in each department at lum-based while others random process that is class Rock Bridge? veer more toward comscheduling. munity or teacher serEven so, since there are so THE ROCK STAFF vice. many disciplines to study at Within RBHS, there RBHS, it wouldn’t serve the VOTED are no defined expectaschool to have one overarchtions or limits on extra ing approach. Instead, teachYES -21 credit. Thus, students ers should take advantage of NO - 7 find plenty of variance their Professional Learning from one class to the Teams.When they meet up, next. While some teacheach section should develop ers, such as those in its own policy on extra credit, the science department, have agreed to enforce based on what works best for that type of class. a policy, in their case no extra credit, there’s no Additionally, these shouldn’t just be mindsets, but real way to make sure everyone is on the same tangible and enforceable plans of action. It is usepage. It’s more akin to a coalition of like-minded less to discuss this problem if not every teacher, individuals rather than a true administration. The within a section, ends up on the same page. Some lack of a set policy on extra credit devalues the aspects of extra credit that teachers should considuniform letter grading system as it can transform er include: course-related vs community service, grades based on the teacher’s personal preference. extra credit on tests, giving extra credit to bump While a one-size-fits-all approach to extra credit a student right on the edge of a grade and givmay fail to meet the needs of each class, a depart- ing students other assignments if they are unable ment-by-department solution would address the to complete any extra credit opportunities due to unique needs of each subject. A teacher-created monetary or time constrictions.

Photos affect quality memories Maddie Murphy

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ecently, I asked one of my friends what I should caption my Instagram photo.

It was a candid shot of us in front of a restaurant, not even looking at the camera.

This was the moment before the seriousness set in.

We were so concerned with getting a cute photo together that night, likely because that was one of the rare occasions where we weren’t wearing leggings and oversized t-shirts. It was actually a bit concerning.

Since Instagram was created, less than eight years ago, 40 billion photos have been shared.

And that number has doubled in the last two years. This is indicative of an oversharing prob-

lem in society today.

For many of our generation, remembering a moment is as fast as a few taps on the iPhone, occasionally even using flash. We think that we will go back and look at all of the photos we’ve taken and all of the fun times that we had, but odds are we won’t. We fill the storage on our phone with selfies, memes, sunsets, food, ugly screenshots of our best friends and just about anything else we can capture with a camera, as if we won’t remember when our favorite football team won the national championship or the best gooey butter cake we’ve ever eaten without a photo.

That night at the restaurant, we should have been less concerned about getting the perfect

CARMEN RAMIREZ

angle and more concerned with enjoying the moment. Most of us don’t go through an evening with any significance without pulling out our phones to snap a picture. With the increasing popularity of Snapchat, a social media application that prides itself in being “the fastest way to share a moment,” and its 178 million daily users, we are somewhat encouraged by society to make every aspect of our lives public. Many think everyone who watches our Snapchat story will be interested in whatever we decide to post, when deep down people know that most people mindlessly tap through their stories to clear a notification.

Some think the more interesting photos they have on Facebook, the more interesting their lives must be. They think that there must be direct correlation between self-worth and the number of likes one gets on Instagram. To

battle this mindset, it all starts with ending the societal pressure to constantly document everything people do.

Next time I’m in the middle of making a memory, I will make an effort to embrace that memory. Furthermore, I must avoid looking for the best camera angles, backgrounds, savy props and perfect lighting. It's not worth it to stop the motion of my life just to photograph little moments that I will probably forget in the near future. Live in the moment. Don't just pull out your phone to feel alive or a part of the group. We need to stop and take things in with our own eyes, not through a lens.

This is not to suggest that we stop taking pictures entirely. But we must stop living life through iPhone lenses and instead live life to the fullest. Your eyes do much better justice to a sunset than the best VSCO filter.

Letter to the editor: integrated studies helps students

Ben Niewoehner

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love Rock Bridge High School, and I appreciate The Rock for offering to its readers the opportunity to respond to its reporting. It is precisely because of my love for this school that I feel compelled to write this letter to the editor. This is not a critique on the reporting, but rather a faculty member’s perspective on integrated courses and separate Honors classes.

I believe in course integration.

Two years ago, as a Teaching Fellow trying to decide which school I wanted to work at in order to earn my Masters degree, I ultimately chose Rock Bridge because of the integrated, co-teaching model. After being here now for three school years, I cannot imagine teaching any other way.

Due to the complementary nature of English and social studies, it seems obvious that these two content areas would be integrated to highlight the best qualities of each. Reading, writing, and critical thinking all happen in individual social studies and English classes. So, why not integrate the content areas and encourage two teachers to combine their areas of expertise to overall deepen the level of critical reading, writing, and thinking skills of their students?

Daily, I see the benefit of co-teaching and integration. Our students engage in critical thought through argumentation, discussion, as well as literary and content comprehension

The Rock Rock Bridge High School 4303 S. Providence Rd., Columbia, Mo. 65203 Vol. 45, Issue 4 February 15, 2018 Population: 1,962 Students, 148 Faculty Circulation: 1,500 Contact Information: Phone: 573-214-3141 Website:

and analysis. To understand the liter- we do Honors and integrated studies ary themes of a dystopian novel and here at Rock Bridge is: analyze the significance of these First, the Honors argument is septhemes, it is essential to pair that arate from the integrated courses arwork with an essential question, such gument. It’s my belief that integrated as “Why do people create govern- courses is not the issue that a select ment?” group of parents (who are the vocal I take to heart the parent claim, minority in this situation) have a probwhich states that what students are lem with; it’s the fact that a separate taught at Hickman (at least at the Honors option does not exist. I would tenth-grade level) is “far superior to support the idea that we remove Honanything offered at RBHS.” Hickman ors contracting at the 10-12 grade is a great school. I’m not disputing levels given that students currently that. Hickhave the m a n ’ s opportunimethod of ty studies reaching courses for I believe this issue of class size to students is AP credit. be impacting every core content based on Very few class not only in our building but common students commiteven opt also Hickman and Battle." ments to for Hon— Ben Niewoehner, studies teacher each other ors credit that are when the different opportunifrom those here at Rock Bridge. It is ty for AP credit exists. Honors credit my belief that the opportunity Rock is not seen as significant to students Bridge High School provides to its because CPS has a non-ranking, students through course integration unweighted grading system, which is just as meaningful as the opportu- makes this an irrelevant factor in the nity provided to students at the other college admissions process. two high schools in the district. Data Second, race does matter. By sepfrom the district supports my view- arating Honors from on-level classes, point that the integrated approach to students are engaging in self-segrestudies is not harming our students gation based on social groups, which but rather allowing our students the ultimately creates white and Asian opportunity to excel beyond district classrooms and classrooms with stuaverages. My counter argument to all dents of color (as indicated by the this discussion surrounding the way reporting). Creating a school setting

bearingnews.org Advertising: $50 – 1/4 Page $100 – 1/2 Page $150 – Full Page $200 – Backpage The Journalism Newspaper and Honors Seminar classes produce The Rock, Bearing News and Southpaw.

The paper’s purpose is to accurately inform, educate and enlighten readers in an open forum.

The Rock is a member of the National Scholastic Press Association, Columbia Scholastic Press Association and Quill & Scroll.

The Rock accepts letters to the editors from its readers regarding any possible issues of concern in the publication.

If you have a letter to send, email it to contact@ bearingnews.org or fill out the online form. Limit entries to 400 words. The

that does not promote the sharing of diverse opinions within a singular classroom setting is harmful. Students who want to earn Honors credit do not solely benefit from the sometimes challenging, sometimes not so challenging curriculum that is differentiated for “Honors.” Students who want to earn Honors credit benefit by learning from a wide variety of their peers with diverse opinions, backgrounds, and experiences.

Third, some students would complain no matter what their options were. There are students who complain about the integrated course approach; guaranteed, there would still be students who complained if we had English classes separate from social studies classes. However, it is poor educational practice to change policy based on isolated complaints.

Finally, I believe it is not the integrated approach that truly bothers parents and students. I believe it is issue of class size. There is research that overwhelmingly shows how an integrated, co-taught model of teaching benefits students. However, this does not mean that a co-taught room should have twice as many students simply because there are twice as many teachers. The ideal co-taught classroom setting is a relatively conventional class size but with the powerhouse of two teachers seamlessly weaving together content. I believe that if class sizes could be even just a bit smaller, the teaching and learning

Rock reserves the right to accept or reject material based on standards set by the staff.

STAFF: Adviser: Robin Stover Editors-In-Chief: Elad Gov-Ari, Nikol Slatinska, Rochita Ghosh Production Manager: Nikol Slatinska Art/Design Editor: Moy Zhong Business Manager: Rochita Ghosh Photo Editor:

would be even more beneficial to our students than it already is, because studies teachers would be able to more effectively reach every level of learner in the room from struggling to advanced.

I believe this issue of class size to be impacting every core content class not only in our building but also Hickman and Battle. Instead of reviewing a studies program that has been proven effective, through our own CPS data, I suggest concerns be raised to the district regarding Full Time Employment (FTE) and question why more FTE cannot be granted to Rock Bridge given that our building has fewer FTE positions than either of the other two buildings despite our greater population of students. I recognize that the studies department might not be the first on the list to receive more FTE right away, but if the community keeps advocating for more FTE district wide, perhaps we can move closer to more equitable class sizes for all content areas.

With great respect, Ben Niewoehner and Austin Reed, Bree Anderson, Caitlin Alexander, Neal Blackburn, Emily Cissi, Mary Dix, Chris Fischer, David Graham, Lacey Hahn, Greg Irwin, Matt Johnson, Jim Meyer, Daryl Moss, Maranda Mustoe, Josh Nothom, Bryn Orton, Amanda Schirmer, Deb Tucker, Kelley Wittenborn, and Alex Worman

Yousuf El-Jayyousi News Editor: Katie Whaley Features Editor: Ji-Sung Lee Editorials Editor: Faaris Khan Commentaries Editor: Nikol Slatinska In-Depths Editor: Ann Fitzmaurice A&E Editor: Elad Gov-Ari H&W Editor: Grace Dorsey Sports Editor: Emily Oba

Staff Writers: Allie Pigg, Atiyah Lane, Ben Kimchi, Jacob Sykuta, Jordan Rogers, Jordyn Thompson, Maddie Murphy, Ryan Choe, Siena Juhlin Photographers: Camryn DeVore, Kai Ford, Maya Bell Artists: Carmen Ramirez, Isabel Gompper, Valeria Velasquez Videographer: Cameron Fuller, Kai Ford

14 EDITORIALS

THE ROCK www.bearingnews.org February 15, 2018

ISABEL GOMPPER / THE ROCK

Valentine celebrations stir mixed ideas Feb. 14 is worth the extra money

Grace Dorsey

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t’s no secret that as humans age, celebrations become less and less remarkable. For a seven-yearold, each and every special occasion is marked by generous amounts of sugar and fun. Entire school days are devoted to parties, allowing for bonding and festivities.

The buzz around a child’s birthday lasts for weeks before and after.

Young students acknowledge even seemingly trivial holidays, such as Earth Day or Columbus Day. Fast forward to high school, and holidays, excluding Christmas, are indistinguishable from any other Tuesday. Unsurprisingly, this trend includes Valentine’s Day. The downhill slope of Valentine’s fun is clearly reflected in research from the platform We Heart It. According to data, teens are most likely to forgo sending out Valentines. Additionally, 24 percent of teens think the day is irrelevant; 22 percent think it’s overrated.

While it’s true that teenagers can’t quite capture those magical childhood experiences, that’s no reason to give up trying to make Valentine’s Day as special as it can be.

Take, for instance, couples. Valentine’s Day should be an occasion where spending a little extra money shouldn’t be an issue. Celebrating one’s relationship should be worth it. If one treats the holiday like any other day, by going out to a fast food

restaurant and watching Netflix, then he/she is missing an opportunity to experience something more memorable and splendid than two Big Macs.

Plus, a lot of places offer discounts and deals for this exact purpose.

There’s something to be said for going out to a fancy place dressed in nice clothes. By no means does Valentine’s Day have to break the bank, but research has proven that the “star treatment” is effective. In a study by Ipsos Reid, 85 percent of participants said they felt special when others put a lot of effort into their birthday and 53 percent thought celebrating reenergizes them. Though the research focused on birthdays, the concept can easily be applied to Valentine’s Day. People respond well when they are treated in a special way, and the resources put into Valentine’s activity then can help reenergize the relationship.

Even though Valentine’s Day marketing mainly features couples since it is a romantic holiday, there are ways single people should get outside their house and celebrate. Making strong memories is important, and Valentine’s Day is the perfect excuse to do so, even if means breaking out one’s wallet. Activities like brunch with friends, taking a new workout class as a way to express self-love or dining out with one’s family, granted they don’t already have plans, are great options that don’t require a significant other. The fact that the Pew Research center found that 82 percent of 13-17 year olds aren’t in relationships means that high schoolers are capable of celebrating through these methods.

Going out? Stay at home instead

Allie Pigg

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magine this: a nicely-dressed gentleman arrives at your front door with a bundle of ruby red roses and a heart-shaped box of chocolates. He leads you to his car, opens the door for you and drives you to dinner at a fine dining restaurant, where he picks up the bill.

Some of us relate to this scene better than others: Valentine’s Day. The year’s most romantic holiday triggers mixed feelings in the population. The single folks and the men who are expected to spend loads of money may cringe at the thought of it, while the women receiving the gifts might develop a warm, excited feeling inside for their upcoming day of romance.

According to the National Retail Federation, Americans spend, on average, $18.2 billion on rose bouquets, chalky candy hearts and elegant dinners at luxurious steakhouses or other high-end restaurants in the weeks around Valentine’s Day. It seems couples think they’ll renew their “spark” if they dress up and go out to a fancy dinner, where a high-class waiter serves them above a lavish red carpet. While this treatment allows the significant other to feel like royalty for a night, couples should instead use the holiday to stay at home and connect in a deeper way than would going out.

A romantic date doesn’t have to be at an elaborate restaurant. Sharing a home-cooked meal under the

light of a dollar store candle can be just as powerful. The Huffington Post said cooking for others is a form of altruism, the practice of selfless concern for the well-being of others, Julie Ohana, a licensed masters clinical social worker and culinary art therapist, explained. This altruism promotes happiness and connection because the cooking shows more effort toward the relationship than does going out to an expensive dinner, where the only effort is signing the check.

The article adds that cooking for each other creates a sense of nurturing. Making dinner strengthens bonds because the partner feels that he or she can rely on their cook for support and care. A homemade Valentine’s Day meal forms lifelong trust that a deluxe dinner may not be able to replicate.

To make a homemade Valentine’s meal unique from any other evening at home, couples should treat their night in as they would any romantic date. Phones should be put away to ensure both people are completely focused on each other. Both should also put effort into their looks. While this doesn’t have to involve a skintight dress or an expensive tuxedo, wearing something nice shows the significance of the night, and makes the occasion more romantic than it would be in sweatpants or pajamas.

It’s easier to make small talk at a public dinner with other couples around, but it’s difficult to find a way

to ease into a more powerful, personal conversation. While this “table talk” is important to avoid awkwardness, talks at home on a deeper level are more meaningful.

People who spend more time in deep conversation rather than small talk tend to be happier, a study by University of Arizona psychologist Matthias Mehl reported. Mehl added that this tendency is because humans are driven to find and create meaning in their lives and are social animals who want and need to connect with other people.

It’s hard to connect via small talk.

Additionally, relationship researcher Dr. John Gottman has found that emotionally intelligent and successful couples are intimately familiar with each other’s worlds. Having deep conversations at home can establish this look into the other’s world, having a greater effect on the social intimacy of relationships than would going out.

Valentine’s Day is a day of celebrating or renewing the spark between two people. It isn’t about how fancy someone can dress up or how expensive the bill is at the end of the night.

Thus, couples should spend Feb. 14 at home with each other because a personal home setting allows for a bond of trust and compassion for each other as well as allow couples to focus on what’s important, and that is being with the person you love.

NBA must address talent imbalance in league teams riors into a ferocious monster of a basketball squad; there was simply no other organization he Golden State Warriors are the epitome in the NBA that had anything close to the talof a super team. Before July 2016, they ent level the Warriors possessed. had arguably the best-equipped roster in Even in the 2017 NBA finals, the Warriors the National Basketball Association (NBA), were easily able to crush the Cleveland Cavwith dominant players like Stephen Curry, Klay aliers. The significance of the triumph lies in Thompson and Draymond Green already on the the roster of the Cavaliers. Standing as the roster.

2016 NBA champions, Cleveland had a powTheir success was undeniable; only a few erful roster of their own that still had Kyrie other teams in the league had a legitimate Irving, Kevin Love and LeBron James. That’s chance of dethroning their historic success, and three well-known, highly talented All-Star even then, that chance was relatively slim. players. As if that weren’t enough, James is Suddenly, that already slim level of competi- also widely regarded as the best basketball tion plummeted even more when then-Oklaho- player on the planet. ma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant joined One may wonder what the problem is with the Bay Area Dynasty in July 2016. With this the Warriors’ success last season. The answer move, Durant, one of the best scorers in the is, there is none, at least not with the success NBA, completeitself.

The ly changed the players on the atmosphere of roster who creNBA basketball ated that success In basketball, competition by significantly found their place skewing a mason the team in is the driving force behind sive advantage to accordance with games, and a ‘super team’ the Warriors, an league policy. already phenomAfter all, the tends to lessen that force.” enal team.

NBA is a busiDurant’s ness. Free agent move was detridecisions take mental for the NBA. In a league where only the place in the league no matter how significant most commanding teams are legitimately able they can be. Durant did nothing to violate any to compete for the title, Durant turned the War- league policy, and his move to the Warriors fell

Faaris Khan

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perfectly within guidelines.

That, however, is the problem. While Durant was perfectly within his rights to sign with Golden State, the NBA is meant to be the most competitive basketball league in the world. Durant’s addition resulted in a roster that had significantly greater talent than any other team in the NBA, which created disappointing competition, especially in the playoffs. In basketball, competition is the driving force behind games, and a overpowered competitor tends to lessen that force.

While fans should definitely appreciate and respect the Warriors’ success, the NBA should

still find a way to ensure that teams throughout the league maintain a level of talent that is not heavily weighted towards one specific team.

Superstar free agents shouldn’t be able to sign so easily with other teams that already have a heavily armed roster.

There are always going to be competitors in the league that are obviously better than others, but players should not be able to make decisions as free agents that would simply be unfair to the rest of the league. It is an insult to the high quality reputation of the NBA and an even bigger insult to the fans hoping for quality competition.

THE ROCK www.bearingnews.org February 15, 2018

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be monitors marching around the school, checking everyone’s lunches for carrots, chips, dry cereal, gum and all other loud foods, and people who have them must should be a go into that isolated room. law that This same system should take place in every restaurant allows denacross the nation, nay, the tists to pull world. That way, noisy eaters out all their won’t interrupt the meals of teeth if they break others so that everyone can any of the aforementioned rules. dine in peace.

People should be able But what if these people to report anyone who refuse to go into separate eats in a disruptive way. rooms? After two offenses, That way, we can save the federal government should the world from repugnant step in and mark a person’s wrist with a tattoo recogniz- chewers.

My entire body was tense, able by electronic scanners. my fists balled and nails The scanners will sit by the digging into my palms. I indoors of grocery stores, and haled deeply, stealing anothan alarm will sound whener glance at the clock. 3 a.m. ever someone with the tattoo I was wide awake, just like crosses through. yesterday and the day before Then, a worker will acthat and the day before that… company the person throughout the visit and keep him I needed to let this go.

All these sleepless or her from buying crunchy nights, lying under the food. This will prevent loud blankets in rigid eneaters from persisting in mity, was no use of chewing food loudly. Waiters my time.

No matter at restaurants will carry handhow bothered I was held scanners to be sure they by loud eaters, I catch loud eaters and give could do noththem menus with a selection ing about it. of only quiet, soft foods.

Although this system is I needed to flawless, it still irks me that let this loud eaters could somehow go. K RO smuggle gum to smack their E TH / lips with or crackers to NG monstrously munch MOY ZHO on. There

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Katie Whaley rolled over, fluffing my pillow for the hundredth time. Through a squint, I stole a glance at the clock on my bedside table: 2 a.m. It was happening again.

I tried breathing deeply, as if that would bring the Sandman with his magical sleeping dust. I wanted to sleep, but I was haunted by the abhorrent events from earlier that day. Just thinking of it made me boil in rage.

It had happened so suddenly. One minute I was taking notes in my English class. The next, I was viciously attacked by the heinous sound of crackling potato chips; a boy across the room had pulled out a bag of Lays and began snacking on them, loudly.

In an instant my func-

tioning systems started shutting down; my hand refused to copy the words on the slides, and the sound of each prolonged crunch prevented my brain from thinking about anything but the boy who had the audacity to chew his food that obnoxiously during a lesson. It was impossible for me to focus on anything else; each bite was a gunshot, resounding through the room with a thunderous boom that clawed my eardrums.

I was on edge. If one is intent on eating crunchy food in public like that boy, he or she should at least put the whole thing in his or her mouth and chew with sealed lips. Blatant chewing is extremely disruptive and disrespectful, so one who chews loudly must be considerate.

On that note, it would make even more sense that people can only eat loud foods during lunch so their munching is not a disturbance. They should have a table set off to the side of the cafeteria where they can eat together in boisterous chaos.

Yet, that may not be enough to keep the firecracker snacking away from the rest of us. There is no way I could enjoy my meal if I was anywhere near a large group of loud eaters. People who chew noisily or eat crispy food should have to dine in a separate, soundproof room.

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COMMENTARIES 15

Lighting fear on fire Rochita Ghosh

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ple. Not literally, of course, but when I get in moods where I just want to change everything about my life, I wonder if I should just start over and make myself somebody I can be proud of.

I wanted to do this more than ever when a family friend passed away. I’m pretty open about my past suicidal tendencies, and for that, I’m usually comfortable with the idea of death. Now, after watching the surviving family members mourn and listening to my mother recount the cremation of the friend, I look at the flickering flames of the candle and wonder: when my time is up and I’m on my deathbed, will I be happy with what I’ve done?

We spend too much time conforming to what society and our parents want: Graduate high school as a perfect, well-rounded student, go to college, get a well-paid job, get married, have children and then die. Isn’t it tiring to play the role of something not meant for you?

I’m ready to burn the script I’ve been given and write my own.

I understand why my mom is afraid of the flame. You just don’t see life the same after you watch a person burn. Hinduism says we burn bodies to remove the soul’s last attachment to the earth, to let it reincarnate into another being. It is the same principle I want to apply to my life though without burning the body.

I want to let go of my anxiety and my fears and just live.

Live life on my own terms. Whether that be burning a candle, backpacking across a continent or protesting, they are my choices to make. I have to take responsibility for them, of course, but what an honor it is to do so.

I’ll burn my fears so they can be reborn into action, and perhaps, when I’m looking back on my life, I’ll have no regrets.

fter watching countless videos on how to flick a lighter, I sat on the floor of my bathroom — one of the only rooms in the house without a fire alarm — and held a red lighter in my trembling hand, unsure of what was to come. My mother had warned me against fire in the house, painting me a picture of our burning home caused by a candle carelessly forgotten.

Yet the allure of a burning candle has always enticed me. The way the flame flickered as time passed was hypnotizing, and holding something warm provided comfort in a way I can’t describe.

I had no idea if starting a lighter would trigger the fire alarms in my house, but I did it anyway, purely because I wanted to for myself.

After texting my friend three times, telling her, “Starting a lighter is way harder than it should be,” and burning my finger at least five times, I finally held my efforts: a lit candle, smelling of both a snowfall and success.

Now, it takes a couple seconds for me to light a candle, my anxiety gone because of my experiences. My drawer stands tall with the plentiful of candles I buy. It’s been months since I first flicked that lighter in the bathroom, and every time I ignite the lighter now, my mother warns against the burning candle: “This house is made of wood, and wood burns.”

There are times when I remember her words and hesitate to light the candle, or it takes me longer to start the fire. In these times, I curse myself and my unfounded anxiety. I’ve done this before — I know nothing bad happens from the candle, so why do I wait? Farmers torch their own land for better soil quality, and therefore, for more quality crops to grow. Perhaps it’s the same with peoCARMEN RAMIREZ / THE ROCK

ISABEL GOMPPER / THE ROCK

Learning along the way 74-year-old imparts wisdom Maddie Murphy hen we stopped at the first gas station about two hours into our 20-hour road trip, and she told me she wasn’t wearing any underwear, I knew we would become very close over the 18 hours to come. I learned a lot that day, some things I could live without hearing, and some things that I will never forget.

As fans of all things Mizzou sports, we were making the 10-hour drive to Tuscaloosa, Ala. to watch our friends and family members play basketball. Spending almost a full day in the car with a 74-year-old woman could be a 16-year-old high school student’s worst nightmare. For me, though, this was the best way to end 2017. Those 20 hours could’ve felt like forever, but they blew by.

For the entirety of that trip, we didn’t turn the radio on once, nor did we take a nap.

We spent hours discussing anything we had wondered about in life and gave each other advice based on our experiences. She valued the wisdom that I have from my 16 years, which is something I have very rarely felt before from someone older than myself. During the ride, I learned the importance of real conversation.

Through the jokes and

W

politically incorrect state- learned that a day that isn’t ments that brought on a roar full of constant, go-go-go exof laughter from the group, I citement is a blessed day. learned that not everyone has Without knowing that she to get “old and boring.” was teaching me anything at She is probably one of the all, she showed me that it’s coolest, funniest and most okay to go “off the grid.” She down-to-earth people I’ve never has her phone, and she ever met. In the boring mo- is absolutely okay with it. I ments, she never fails to say understand she wasn’t born in one of her famous one-liners. an age defined by digital conBut when you need a shoul- nection, and yet that hasn’t der to cry stopped on, she is her from there to having In the boring moments, she console a Facenever fails to say one of you. She b o o k her famous one-liners. But taught me and uswhen you need a shoulder to cry on, she is there to that there ing a console you.” is a time family to laugh group and a time c h a t . to be serious, the first sig- She doesn’t need to know nificantly outweighing the what everyone is doing 24/7 second. “Laughter is the best and doesn’t take pictures of medicine,” she constantly everything she sees; she is preaches. content.

The most important lesson From now on, I plan on I learned from her is to find accepting the fact that I don’t the extraordinary beauty in the need constant interaction with ordinary day-to-day. What I social media. I want to be used to consider a boring day, better at keeping a balance a day on my couch, studying between staying relevant and and listening to music, is a day being able to disconnect and some people dream of. Teen- communicate with people agers battling illness rarely without distractions. There see anything other than the are so many things you can bland white hospital walls and learn from someone older doctors’ offices, if I am being and wiser than you. You don’t ‘forced’ to spend one day en- need to ask for advice, just joying the comfort of my own slow down and enjoy the stillhome, is that really the worst ness. You’ll be surprised how thing that could happen? I’ve beautiful it is.

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IN-DEPTHS IN-DEPTHS B3 9

THE ROCK www.bearingnews.org February 15, 2018

Giving Life Allie Pigg

T

wo weeks into her sophomore year, junior Alexa Alderete-Raygoza couldn’t shake off a nauseous feeling. For two months, she could only eat fruits and vegetables without getting sick. The feeling was similar to the jet lag she experienced over the summer after traveling via airplane to see her sister in Utah.

By mid-September, Alderete-Raygoza made an appointment with her pediatrician to figure out what was wrong.

Twenty minutes into the appointment, the 15-year-old’s life changed forever.

Alderete-Raygo-

za’s doctor announced she was three months pregnant.

Alderete-Raygoza was exhilarated, but she knew she had to break the news to her parents and the baby’s father. Since she and the baby’s father were not together at the time, they decided it was best to not force their relationship. After speaking with him, Alderete-Raygoza broke the news to her parents. Telling her mom went much smoother than telling her dad.

“My father was heartbroken and didn’t like to talk about the fact that I was pregnant,” Alderete-Raygoza said. “[But] after a few months, he became more understanding and more involved in the pregnancy.”

Her father’s initial bitter reaction may have been in response to the dire statistics for pregnant teenagers. Only 40 per-

cent of teen mothers finish high school, and fewer than two percent finish college by age 30, the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) reported. Alderete-Raygoza, however, undoubtedly overstepped those statistics by working diligently with her teachers to finish her classes and take her finals before her daughter arrived at the end of the school year.

The first teacher Alderete-Raygoza told about her pregnancy was Daryl Moss, whom she had developed a close relationship with through her Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) class. Alderete-Raygoza said Moss was immediately ready to help her with whatever she needed and made telling the rest of her teachers much easier.

Her teachers were stunned by the news but were ready to work with her around her schedule of preparing for motherhood.

After months of preparation with assistance from teachers and friends, Alderete-Raygoza gave birth to a healthy baby girl named Zaina Yanet Raygoza on May 17, 2017. Zaina is now eight months old, and Alderete-Raygoza loves every second she spends with her daughter.

“My favorite part of having [Zaina] in my life is just seeing her development,” Alderete-Raygoza said.

“Every milestone she reaches is like an accomplishment to me as a mom. Although I’m so young, I feel like I have matured and figured out how to be there for my child and still continue to have a regular high school experience.”

Despite her efforts, raising her daughter sets Alderete-Raygoza’s reality apart from most of her peers. After school every day, she picks Zaina up from daycare and arrives home around 5 p.m.. She plays with, bathes and feeds her daughter until 8 p.m., then puts Zaina to sleep. Alderete-Raygoza can then temporarily transition from mother back to student.

She also takes advantage of CubHub, which is a free after-school program located across the street from RBHS that provides child care while parents do homework. The service is available to all parents who are also students in Columbia. CubHub is not a daycare because parents do not drop their children off and leave; rather, CubHub requires its users to stay in the building to do schoolwork.

Although her average day leaves her little time for herself or her social life, Alderete-Raygoza says it’s important for an infant to have a regular schedule, and she will stay up later studying as long as her daughter has a healthy development.

“Having consistency with children is very important so that they begin to develop a routine,” Alderete-Raygoza said.

“Putting homework into the equation isn’t just hard for me. It’s hard for Zaina as well.”

After high school, Alderete-Raygoza plans to attend Columbia College to obtain her degree in education and become a teacher. She believes this newfound desire to teach emerged because seeing Zaina’s development has inspired her to be a part of the same experience for other children.

“Even though I had Zaina so young, I don’t feel as if she’s a barrier between me and my goals,” Alderete-Raygoza said. “I feel she’s actually a huge part

Young parents carve new expectations and motivation to get to where I want to Additionally, Fancher said it is usube in life.” ally most beneficial to have two parents Alderete-Raygoza is not the only stu- in a newborn’s life, as each parent serves dent at RBHS simultaneously manag- a special purpose, but ensuring the child ing high school and parenthood, rather will grow up with two parents is harder 750,000 teenagers get pregnant in Amer- for high schoolers in younger relationica every year. Junior Cherokee Cobb is ships. It is more challenging for teenagalso one of these teenagers; she is expect- ers to raise children because they tend to ing a baby boy March 1, 2018. Similarly have less emotional and financial matuto Alderete-Raygoza, the primary critic rity than an older, married parent would. of Cobb’s young pregnancy was her par- Teenage parents are more likely to rely ent. on public assistance and to be poor as “The only person who was hard on me adults, according to HHS.gov, but with was my mom,” Cobb said. “She knows the right support, babies of young mothmotherhood is very difficult, so she is ers can grow up to be just as stable and helping me stay focused on school and healthy as babies from older mothers. getting me ready to be the best mom I “There is always the exception to the can.” statistics and what the experts believe,” Cobb is succeeding in school with her Fancher said. “In the end it’s about mother’s encouragement, as her grades what’s best for the baby and giving the are higher now than they were before child every chance for a good life.” she got pregnant. She feels more motiCobb’s biggest hope is to provide this vated to do well in school now that she good life for her son, but first, she has to has a son to succeed for. Although there overcome the obstacles of teen pregnanare days when cy. She said the the fatigue hardest parts of of pregnancy her pregnanmakes it hard cy thus far are Even though I had Zaina so to continue, the “stairs and young, I don’t feel as if she’s Cobb said her the stares,” rea barrier between me and my teachers are ferring to the understanding back pain from goals.” and always walking up — Alexa Alderete-Raygoza, junior excuse her to flights of stairs take a quick and the feeling nap in the of her peers alnurse’s office during those times. ways looking at her growing stomach.

Additionally, the father, Joey Martin, “I know my adorable son will make is involved in the pregnancy, which has me forget all the negatives from pregmade the experience easier for Cobb. She nancy. Feeling him move around in my said the father is “giddy” about having a stomach brings me to tears knowing I son, and that encourages her to stay pos- created an amazing human, and I can’t itive through the uncomfortable aspects wait to see him out in this world,” Cobb of pregnancy. Martin said he and his said. “I have no regrets after knowing family were shocked to learn of Cobb’s that my son is the best thing I could have pregnancy, but immediately starting sav- created.” ing up for diapers.

While Alderete-Raygoza experienced “The most exciting part about father- a rather easy pregnancy in terms of pain hood [will be] being able to be a role and nausea, it was some of the people model for the little one,” Martin said. surrounding her and her unborn daughOverall, with the help from the father, ter that made being a pregnant teenager being pregnant has given Cobb a happier, so uncomfortable. Her daughter’s grandmore hopeful outlook on life. mother made it difficult to maintain a Both Alderete-Raygoza and Cobb positive attitude about bringing such have both defied the American social a miracle into the world. The father’s clock, which is the culturally preferred mother was suspicious as to whether or timing of social events such as marriage, not the child was her son’s, and thereparenthood and retirement. Marriage fore refused to let her son be involved tends to occur before childbearing on this in his daughter’s life. Despite efforts to clock, according to psychologenie.com. find a connection between Zaina This sequence of events, however, has and her father, he has become less of a tradition in American l o s t contact with Alculture than before in history. In an arderete-Raygoza, ticle on parents.com, author Patty and she filed for Adams Martinez claims that full custody of her putting “carriage daughter. She said before it is heartbreaking to marknow that Zaina’s father riage” isn’t there for his daughseems ter. to be the “He claims that Zaina new trend. isn’t his daughter anymore, As of 2012, Marand that I don’t allow him to tinez noted, more than half see her,” Alderete-Raygoza said. of the babies born to American “The doors have always been open.” women under 30 are born out of wedBut despite the turmoil and judgment lock. during her pregnancy and the hassles of Child Development teacher Deanna being a full time student and mother, the Fancher believes this changing tradition struggles are all worth it once she comes may be because there is no longer a neg- home to her sweet Zaina. ative stigma toward women who have “A lot of people ask me this question: children before marriage.

‘If you could go back in time and not get “Hollywood stars, professional ath- pregnant so young, would you?’” Alletes, etc. are having children out of derete-Raygoza said. “Honestly, at this wedlock,” Fancher said. “This group of point in my life, if I had the choice to go individuals drive a lot of people’s deci- back in time and decide whether or not sions about what and how they want to to get pregnant, I️ wouldn’t change anylive their lives.” thing.”

Against the Grain

Effects of parenthood on youth

The responsibility of having a baby early in life increases productivity and competence at a young age

Having a child can give some young parents a sense of purpose in life if otherwise missing

Rough relationships between parents and their children often comes from a large age gap

Teen parents are more likely to live to meet their grandchildren and great-grand children

SOURCE: HEALTHYFUTURESVA.COM

IN-DEPTHS 10

THE ROCK www.bearingnews.org February 15, 2018

compare

How do you

with the average?

Age to learn to read and write

Age to graduate high school

17 to 18 years old

4 years old

SOURCE: NCES.ED.GOV

SOURCE: KIDSHEALTH.ORG

Age to have your first kiss

Age to lose your first tooth

FillBlanks

15 years old

6 years old

SOURCE: PFIZER.COM

SOURCE: WEBMD.COM

in the

Jordan Rogers

and even just going to a two-year school for basic credits can igh school graduation day is filled with be a good way to save your money.”

Students may also consider going to a community college celebration, shared memories and relatives asking what the future holds. Par- like the Moberly Area Community College (MACC) where ents and adults push the idea of going shorter two-year certifications and basic classes can transfer to a University for four years to get a to larger colleges after completion, providing a more afforddegree in some field, forming a mis- able option for students looking for a career path.

“MACC is able to offer courses like Computer Numericonception that a bachelor’s will always equal success in the cal Control (CNC) Machining, welding, hands-on electronic desired career.

It’s clear that parents of children still in K-12 grades have courses and many others that might not be available at a trabig expectations for their kids, and according to a Pew Re- ditional four-year institution,” said Allan Sharrock, an Engisearch study, 94 percent of parents who have children aged neering systems instructor at MACC. “MACC also has certificate programs like law enforcement 17 or younger expect their kids to and non-credit programs, like the attend college. While ‘College for Fire Academy that prepares students everyone’ may be the desired mean. . . Children are pressured to to enter the workforce in a short ing in that students pursue higher go into a university either four amount of time. We even allow stueducation after high school, societal dents to ‘audit’ classes if they wish misconceptions have morphed the years or longer . . . that’s not alto gain skills but don’t want to worry belief into ‘University for everyone.’ ways the answer for everyone” about a letter grade.”

The difference between a college — Don Osborn, junior While community colleges and and a university is that a university technical schools offer shorter deis usually a four year school, which gree programs at a more affordable also controls other undergraduate schools (ex. University of Missouri). A college is typically a cost, funding can still be tough for lower income families. smaller school that offers degrees in more specified areas (ex. Enlisting in the military, however, can help students receive University of Missouri Science and Technology) according to scholarships up to a full ride. This presents another way to help pay for college courses, while gaining valuable experibestvalueschools.com.

Unlike the ‘University for everyone’ mentality, ‘College ence in a real world job.

“The Air Force offers many benefits to going the traditionfor everyone’ includes not only four year or more programs, al route of a four year. Going through the Air Force for educabut also technical schools, community colleges and the miltion is a great way to get your education paid for, and they can itary. The ‘University for everyone’ mentality leads to some students pursuing degrees they have no interest in just to sat- even pay you while you’re in school,” Osborn said. “After isfy parents expectations, causing some to be underemployed. you get out of the Air Force, many aspects of your insurance While junior Don Osborn believes it is good that parents are taken care of, and you get other military benefits.”

During their time in the Air Force, airmen can attend the push their kids to go to a college for a four-year degree, he also thinks pursuing a four-year degree might not be the right Community College of the Air Force to earn college credits.

The air force also offers scholarships to airmen who show path for everyone.

“It’s very clear that children are pressured to go into a uni- exemplary performance, with some scholarships giving 100 versity either four years or longer, and I think that it’s a good percent tuition assistance according to airforce.com.

While other options such as technical schools and comthing but that it’s not always the answer for everyone,” Osborn said. “Two-year technical schools can be a better option, munity colleges can be a better path for graduating students,

H

some career fields may require an actual degree from a four year (or more) school. Junior Cooper Smith, who is pursuing a career in pharmacy, will seek a four-year degree; however, he believes students should assess their career paths before deciding what kind of college they want to attend.

“I think that parents should urge their children to try to attend a four-year college,” Smith said. “But I also know that technical schools can better prepare you for different careers.

So overall, I think that parents should look at what their child wants to pursue and then push them towards that goal.”

Although it’s true that jobs which require bachelor’s degrees end up with a higher average salary than other jobs, they only make up 33 percent of projected jobs in 2018, which means the majority of jobs will be middle skilled requiring only a person trained in that field of work or a technical degree according to the National Science Foundation. Sharrock views this as an opportunity to find a job in what is called the skills gap; a gap in what employers have and what they need.

“Students should look on job engine websites like Glassdoor.com to see what postings are there and what the wages are. Once students get an idea of the labor shortfalls, they can start searching for programs that provide the skills to be successful in those areas,” Sharrock said. “Always remember employers care more about what someone can do versus what someone ‘thinks’ he or she knows. Never assume anything about a certain industry and what the work environment will be like.”

To Osborn, the most important thing when considering what kind of post-secondary education a student should pursue, is the type of career they wish to go in. Finding a career that one has the skills in and is good at is a necessity, which can result in a higher salary than somebody who has a job that requires a bachelor’s, but one that they lack the skill in.

“The biggest thing I would say to consider when looking into post secondary school and higher education is what you want to do after your education,” Osborn said. “If the job field you’re looking to get into doesn’t require some high degree, then don’t waste your money on the high degree. If you have a dream and have the means to chase that dream, then by all means do what it takes and pursue that route. But always think ahead.”

Lost in translation

When boundary lines reach across more than maps, gener

Elad Gov-Ari

F

or many young, foreign Americans, cultural nuances at home are far different than what they experience with their friends and peers. Whether that be a first-generation individual or an immigrant, exploring the disconnect between their religion, mannerisms and ways of thinking can be insightful yet stressful.

With that, American culture is hard to pinpoint in regard to the vast amount of migrants that have consistently made this land their own. The Census Bureau reports that an immigrant moves to the United States every 33 seconds. With such a large number of newcomers, American culture is ever changing, though distinctions of norms are apparent.

For senior Sid Kutikkad, a first generation Indian-American, the confliction of his native culture and American culture came about primarily through religious disconnect.

“Hearing about Christianity and Christmas and Easter and not actually doing the more traditional parts of those things was really different,” Kuttikad said.

The difference, he said, didn’t necessarily bother him; rather, they gave him an outside look into something that wasn’t his own. This dissonance held true to more than just Christianity but ways of thinking and addressing daily problems.

“The actual [religious] terminology growing up was something that confused me the most,” Kutikkad said.

“Other small cultural things like eating meals and having guests over was also really different to me. Things like education and treating animals and treating others like just day to day things that made me realize the way I think and go about my day is pretty different than my friends.

It didn’t cause too much internal conflict because I could differentiate what was my culture and that I could just live my life.”

Luckily for Kutikkad, the actuality of growing up ‘different’ was not lost upon his parents. His father, Das Kutikkad, who moved to the United States in 1984 to further his education as a nuclear engineer, kept this disparity in mind as his two kids grew. Although the Indian-born father tried to nurture his children with similar values to what he grew up with, he left room for their independent decisions on things like religion.

“[His mother and I] did want both Sid and his sister to For junior Malik Ibda grow up with Indian culture, but we realized they couldn’t ity lies beyond labeling grow up fully Indian,” Das Kuttikad said. “We certainly culture. Instead, Ibdah tri wanted them to have even half of [what we grew up with], both his American and Jo like with the ways of thinking and different values and all of his opportunities. that. So we tried to instill some of those values in their “My dad is from Jor childhoods. Sid’s sister is a vegetarian, and both of them Ibdah said. “My mom i grew up vegetarian, and we didn’t eat meat. And that’s not to say that all Indians don’t eat meat. We grew I feel very strongly regarding up not eating meat, and that’s what people of color because I identhey were exposed to that was something instilled in them early tify with those incidents of racon.” ism and prejudice.”

Livestrong.com reports that — Malik Ibdah, junior growing up culturally diverse has a plethora of benefits ranging from moral clarity to a grounded ego.

Knowing who these people are, and what makes them gion. With a Muslim fath unique is an advantage kids like Sid Kuttikad have over the religion, Ibdah exit natural born Americans. With the idea of native culture be- parental religion and ch ing just a piece of that person, many U.S. foreigners attain American trend, pewrese more introspective and grounded egos.

“I am actually not Mu

IN-DEPTHS 11

THE ROCK www.bearingnews.org February 15, 2018

More than one choice

Unique education gives original perspective on life Olmsted said. “I know sometimes not everyone gets along and understands what I need, uring her seventh but I feel like most of them have really gone grade class, sopho- above and beyond to help me. I think overall more Lydia Olmsted the classroom environment is pretty good for received an assign- me.” ment her teacher Olmsted experiences classes as any other explicitly referred sophomore would along with help from her to as the “dumb paraprofessional and technological aid. Jukid” worksheet. The nior Daniel Schroeder, however, remembers teacher wasn’t confident in Olmsted’s abili- his brother, Matthew Schroeder, to have a ties, not because she was behind in math or different educational experience, as he was any of her classmates, but because Olmsted born with Down syndrome, just as every one was born blind. out of 700 babies each year according to sta“When she gave [the worksheet] to me, tistics from the National Down Syndrome I was quite speechless because it seemed Society (NDSS). Daniel Schroeder, howevquite uncalled for,” Olmsted said. “But then er, said his life diverges from his brother’s that also motivated me; just from that anger only because they will take different paths of that event, it motivated me to kind of tell when out of school. her that [I am more “While I come capable than that], home with textI think the most common misand [I felt] hurt books, essays and that she gave me conception is that a person with worksheets to that worksheet.” do, he hasn’t a disability is different from Occurrenchad a lot of anyone else.” es similar to the homework as — Daniel Schroeder, junior “dumb kid” workof late,” Schrosheet happened eder said. “He often for Olmsted, works jobs especially in elementary and middle school as part of the special education class when students and teachers didn’t under- at [RBHS], cleaning tables at Shakestand her situation. Olmsted cannot see col- speare’s, for instance. Once we get out ors or any distinct, detailed figures, but she of school, I’m off to college while he is able to see light and the shapes of objects stays at home, holding down the fort.” blocking the light. She walks with her cane, As the Schroeders begin thinking about relying on it by touch and using sound to their future as they wrap up junior year, Dannavigate the busy halls of RBHS. iel Schroeder is unsure of what his broth“I don’t necessarily see myself being er’s life will entail. They will graduate at overly different, but it can be a little bit in- the same time since they are in the same teresting in a way because a lot of people are grade yet one year not sure how to interact with me, or they are apart in age. Matkind of afraid to,” Olmsted said. “That can thew Schroeder will be interesting with the cane; a lot of people stay at home with get kind of freaked out when they see it. It his mother and facan be kind of challenging navigating with ther, Daniel Schroeher it, but I think I do pretty well with it.” said, but the legal proWhen Olmsted reaches her destination, cess for their parents to she often takes a seat with her paraprofes- keep custody of Matthew sional, an aid that helps her interpret class- Schroeder is complicated. room activities such as describing images In order to keep custody, and videos or describing what’s on the board Matthew Schroeder’s parto her. As for worksheets, Olmsted utilizes ents could seek the route braille and electronic formats in order to get of guardianship, which her work done quickly and efficiently. Olm- is just one of many other sted, however, is not alone in her unique high alternatives. Guardianship school experience. Approximately 62,528 can give parents the ability students under the age of 21 are visually im- to make decisions for their paired, according to a study by the National child’s healthcare, housing, Federation of the Blind, with 8.2 percent of money and property dependthat population using braille to read in class, ing on which type of guardianship they seek. like Olmsted.

These legal decisions and discussions among “I feel like a lot of my teachers, especial- the family often come during the transition ly in high school, have been really helpful,” out of school, friendshipcircle.org reported.

Ann Fitzmaurice

D

As for now, Matthew Schroeder plans to become a rapper or a movie star when he gets out of school.

“Before [the legal decisions] happen, I think Matthew and I will continue to do what we do: playing video games together, listening to music, watching movies,” Daniel Schroeder said. “I think the most common misconception is that a person with a disability is different from anyone else. Sure, there are hurdles to jump through sometimes, and disabilities require more [obstacles] than others, but a person with a disability is just like anyone else.”

Schroeder’s point of his brother being no different than anyone else is not uncommon.

In a blog on theguardian.com, a student publicized his campaign, “Don’t Call Me Special,” in order to express disagreement with calling students with disabilities “special.”

Likewise, Columbia Public Schools transition coordinator Caryl Smarr recognizes all students as students, regardless of special needs.

“All individuals have strengths and weaknesses, and this is true with any high school student. Our hope for all students is a successful and purposeful transition after high school, be that attending college, receiving vocational training, employment, supported employment or volunteer work,” Smarr said. “With the exception of an area of educational weakness that has been identified as needing support and/or services, students receiving special education services are no different than any other student, and our hopes and expectations for their future are no different from any educator.”

Olmsted also doesn’t recognize herself as different from anyone else and makes a point to show people who doubt her that she is capable of doing anything others can do despite her visual impairment. Her goal is to be treated as any other person and for people to not see her as “the blind girl.” Olmsted, who wears her ‘keep calm, it’s just a cane’ sweatshirt proudly, loves animals and arts and crafts, as well as playing and listening to baseball, horseback riding and baking sugar cookies, which she has a really good recipe for. For the future, Olmsted wants to have a family and a seeing-eye dog, and she plans to have a career in marine biology, journalism or maybe even law or legislation.

“I think, at least, my hope is that [my blindness] will be more of a positive impact [on my future] because I’m hoping that I can be able to use that to kind of help others better understand those with disabilities,” Olmsted said.

“I just hope in the career areas that it will kind of help and have a variation of people, and I’m hoping that my visual impairment will have a unique perspective on whatever field it is that I go into. I want to show people that I’m capable of all of the things that they are able to do.”

rations must forge connections

ah, his identity and sense of moralhimself as a product of a certain ies to identify the good and bad in ordanian roots and make the most

rdan, and he grew up in Aman,” is from Texas, but growing up in America, I grew up around American traditions, but I do feel very strongly for my Jordanian and Palestinian roots, and I feel very strongly regarding people of color because I identify with those incidents of racism and prejudice.”

Despite Ibdah’s cultural pride, he does not identify with his country’s predominant reliher and a personal disconnect from ted the expectation of following hoosing his own faith, a common earch.org shows. uslim. I am not religious; however

my father is. He grew up with the religion,” Ibdah said.

“He did kind of expect us to grow up Muslim; he raised us, as children, to believe in God. However, as I grew up I didn’t really believe those things but I do, nonetheless, have a connection to Muslim people and family that’s Muslim.”

With certain expectations placed by parents, kids of any culture, be that American, Jordanian or Indian, are likely to adhere and rebel against certain aspects of that religion.

With that, parents hope to educate kids to their best ability to gain the morals their culture and religion taught them as they grew up, Das Kuttikad claims.

“I know that for Sid and [his sister] and other kids in similar situations it’s really a tough thing ... I hope as he grows older, they will be able to pick good things from the two cultures because I’ll be the first to say there are bad things in Indian culture and good things in Indian culture,” Das Kuttikad said. “Same with American culture.

Obviously, growing up in Indian culture I [have a bias], but good things are in both cultures. I hope he picks up the right things from both of those, and I hope that will make him a better individual as opposed to being from one culture.”

CARMEN RAMIREZ / THE ROCK MAYA BELL / THE ROCK

12 IN-DEPTHS

THE ROCK www.bearingnews.org February 15, 2018

Off Limits

Age restrictions guide youth

pose is to ensure that most people are mature enough to handle being under ights run low in the the influence. He said many people can hot room, full of manage it well before the age of 21, dancing teenagers however. at a house devoid of “I see nothing wrong with just having parental supervision. a few drinks with your parents or famiThe partiers pass red ly on some kind of holiday or event or cups from person whatever,” Geyer said. “If you just want to person, seeming- to go drink with your friends and have a ly filled with whatever alcohol the kid good time and [you’re] being relatively with the fake I.D. could get. In a room responsible, like not driving, and doing close by, other teens smoke cigarettes all the good things that a legal-aged perthat someone’s brother bought for them. son would do when they go out on the Everyone laughs under the light of the town. As long as you’re being responsimoon, partying until dawn. ble, the only law you’re breaking is the Such is a stereotypical scene people drinking itself, then I see no wrong with come to think of when picturing high that as long as you’re not hurting peoschool parties. Despite not being of le- ple.” gal age to drink, 11 percent of alcohol Drinking while out on the town often consumed is by minors, the Centers for brings the question of how to get home, Disease Control reported. The effects of which more often than not involves underage drinking can be drastic on the drunk driving. The National Highway consumer, said Dr. Constance Scharff, an Traffic Safety Administration reportinternationally recognized speaker on al- ed that 10,497 people died because of coholism recovery. drunk driving in 2016. This is lower “Probably the most important prob- than in the past, as 26,173 people died lem for early involvement in substance because of drunk driving in 1982; as a use [or] abuse is that the brain is not yet result, Mothers Against Drunk Driving fully developed in young people,” Dr. claim the higher drinking age is responScharff said. “The brain does not reach sible for the decrease in car accidents, maturity until 25. In teens and young according to an article published by adults, very important ‘pruning’ is going Boston University, which was before the on. The brain is deciding which neural federal standardization of the drinking connections are important to keep and age in 1984. which are not.

Geyer cauSubstance abuse tions, howevimpairs this proer, that people I see nothing wrong with just cess, which can will likely die having a few drinks with your lead to lifelong of alcohol-reparents or family on some kind problems that lated car accimay not beof holiday or event.” dents regardless come apparent — Alex Geyer, senior of where the until well after drinking age the damage has falls. been done.”

“You’re going to have problems with Problems that Dr. Scharff refers to wherever the age [restriction] is,” Geyer include a shrinking of the hippocampus said. “When [people turn 21], whoever it region in the brain, which is connected is, they’re going to go wild — some peoto memory and learning impairment, ple will go wild — and it’s shown that according to the National Institute of drunk driving accidents increase dramatHealth. It is for this reason that Dr. ically from [age] 21 to 24 in the United Scharff believes an age restriction is in States. In Britain, where [the legal age place for drinking alcohol. is] 18, they increase dramatically from A person cannot lawfully consume al- 18 to 21. Wherever it is, there’s going to cohol under the age of 21, which 25 per- be that problem.” cent of people consider too restrictive, European countries tend to have a according to a poll conducted by Gallup different view on the restriction of legal News in 2014. This includes senior Alex substance use; the median legal drinking Geyer, who believes the limit’s pur- age there is 18, with many countries allowing 16-year-olds to consume light alcoholic drinks, according to an article on tripsavvy.com. French foreign exchange student and junior Marine Caron said the culture around alcohol in the United States is much different than in her home country France.

“If you [tell] your parents [that] you will drink alcohol, they will be worried, but I know if you’re going with your friends and you will be drinking alcohol and you don’t tell [your parents], they will be so mad at you because they prefer to know you are going somewhere and you will drink alcohol,” Caron said. “That’s at, like, 17.

At 18 they don’t care because they aren’t responsible for you.”

Italian foreign exchange student

Rochita Ghosh

L

MAYA BELL / THE ROCK CARMEN RAMIREZ / THE ROCK

and junior Giada Batticani attests to the same mentality in her country, finding the reaction to drinking alcohol odd in the United States.

“It’s not like here where it’s like ‘Oh, I’m 21’ but in Italy and France it’s not a big deal. It’s okay. You can drink alcohol,” Batticani said. “People … never think, ‘Oh, I have to drink alcohol. Let’s drink alcohol.’ Here you see that, but it’s different. [In Europe] sometimes you can, but it’s not like every weekend like it’s a big deal. Nobody gets too drunk — nobody does [binge drinking].”

In terms of first-world countries, the United States ranks high in terms of alcoholism rates, according to a report by the World Health Organization. In general, the United States’ rates are higher than developed European countries, which Geyer attributes to the stigma of drinking and alcoholism in the country.

“The culture of the United States has always stigmatized drinking more than other Western societies, in Europe especially,” Geyer said. “I think the stigma leads to alcoholics because of their problems, and they have to hide out because it would be looked down upon for them to get drunk by themselves, but that’s what they do because they’re alcoholics, and the stigma causes more problems because of that.”

In contrast, smoking is more accepted in society; around 42 percent of adults smoked 50 years ago, decreasing as a public understanding of how smoking affects the body grew, according to an article published by NBC News. In addition, many companies give “smoke breaks” despite not being required to by law, according to the Texas Workforce Commission.

While most people smoke because they’re addicted to the nicotine inside the cigarette, according to smokefree. gov, one junior says teenagers just starting to smoke, whether it be cannabis or cigarettes, do it for the fun of it.

“I think a lot of teens smoke to get away from the stress of school or their lives,” a junior, who asked to remain anonymous, said. “Personally, I [smoke marijuana] to have fun with friends most of the time, but it’s very helpful when you’re stressed out.”

In Columbia, a 2014 ordinance raised the cigarette purchasing age to 21, but 18-year-olds are still able to smoke, as reported by KOMU. This is likely because of the plentiful effects smoking can have on the body, which range from blood circulation to fertility issues, according to the National Health Service in the United Kingdom. The junior said these effects are detrimental to body and mind, regardless of why one smokes.

“Personally, I realized that I was becoming more lazy and unmotivated to do anything,” the junior said. “Smoking isn’t necessarily good for your brain when it’s still developing, either.”

Regardless of the unhealthy effects on the body, Caron and Battacani alike said they think the amount of people who smoke in Europe far exceeds the amount in the United States, and they both come into contact with smoking regularly in their home countries.

“In France, everyone smokes,” Caron said. “We have a break every two hours in France for ten minutes and all the kids go outside of the school and to the parking lot to smoke cigarettes.

I don’t smoke but almost all of my friends smoke. It’s crazy.”

Battacani also points out that, when comparing the attitude around alcohol and cigarettes from Europe to the United States, the approach flips considerably.

“One good thing here is that cigarettes aren’t a big thing,” Battacani said. “Like, this is the difference. Alcohol is not that big in Europe but here I see like ‘Oh, I have to drink.

I have to buy alcohol,’ and in Italy it’s not like that, but with cigarettes you can start smoking when you’re 18, but they don’t check your I.D.” This highlights a major cultural difference regarding age restrictions globally. A person can do essentially everything by age 18 in most European countries, Caron said. She thinks the gradual increase in responsibility in the United States is a good system to implement, however.

“I think it’s good here just to have some steps,” Caron said. “Like, at 16 you can drive, so you have more ability.

After 18 you can vote and 21 you can drink. I think it’s good to have steps, but it’s [a] very large [gap in between in the United States]. It’s 18 for everything in Europe.”

Geyer agrees with Caron, saying the gap’s wideness can catch Americans offguard, which can cause more dangerous behavior to occur because of the restrictions.

“I think when you set the age in the middle of college it creates this weird societal effect that you’re not really an adult yet until you’re 21, although you’re doing all these adult things,” Geyer said.

“You’re going to college; you’re making decisions for yourself. You’re paying for things; you might even have an apartment and living on your own. It’s a dangerous effect because why would you listen to that when you’re doing all these things that a 21-year-old does, and it makes the law not matter anyway?”