THE
LANC E nimal the a
Dec. 16, 2019
Westside High School
issue
Volume 64, Issue 3
02 | info
design by abby schreiber | cover by sage wein
Contributors
Editors-In-Chief Design Editor Maryam Akramova Abby Schreiber Malia Battafarano Copy Editor Julia Steiner Reese Pike Isabella Tyler Graphics Editor Angela Li Managing Editors Photo Editor Virginia Jansen Ella Kirkpatrick Angelina Pattavina Staff Writers Will Christiansen Izzy Dodge Brooklyn James Lydia Kasem Auguste Kuehne Charlotte Miller Katie Palais
A&E Editor News Editor Jane Knudsen Luke Steiner Opinion Editor Business Manager Faith Rice Alex Vandenberg In-Depth Editor Graphic Artists Eleanor Dodge Parker LeFebvre Feature Editor Sage Wein Emma Miller Guest Contributors Theo Jansen Photos on cover Emma Rieser contributed via Jonathan Snover Twitter with #animalsofwestside
Table of Contents Page 03 - News Page 06 - Opinion Page 07 - Editorial Page 08 - In-Depth Page 13 - Feature Page 16 - Sports Page 18 - A&E
Follow us on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook at @WestsideWired Subscribe to Warrior Television on YouTube
Featuring the pets of Lance!
design by julia steiner | graphic by angela li
news | 03
Children’s Hospital Partnership Expansion Therapists available at the high school, West Campus and middle school |by charlotte miller| W
estside Community Schools has an ongoing partnership with Children’s Hospital and Medical Center to offer mental health services to students. The program began when Children’s Hospital proposed a joint venture with Westside’s Guidance Department that started in the 2015-2016 school year. This year, the services provided by Children’s have been expanded to additional locations outside the high school and middle school. “We started services at the alternative school,” therapist Kimberly Vogel said. “I think that was the biggest difference [from last year]. Then, we are planning to expand the time that we’re here and at the middle school too.” This year there are two other providers, or therapists, throughout the district. Ana Damme is the therapist at Westside Middle School and Mike Coutts is at West Campus. Vogel is at Westside High School on Thursdays and Fridays. Lauri Cunningham, a social-emotional counselor at Westside who works with Vogel, said she believes the Children’s Hospital program is beneficial to students. “What I think is really cool about it is that everyone needs social [and] emotional support and mental health resources,” Cunningham said. “Actually, Dr. Vogel and I have worked together, and we’re so happy that Westside is willing and able to offer this support for our students, because many schools don’t have that foundation, that support, that resource, and there’s a lot of problems with that.” Jane Doe* receives therapy from Vogel and said the program has helped her. “[Therapy has] really helped me change the way I act towards people, because before I was starting to lose my friends,” Doe said. “I learned how to act towards other people, grow as a person and not worry so much. It helps me gain friendships and be easier to hang out with.” According to Cunningham, meeting with Vogel is different from meeting with a school guidance counselor. “We aren’t trained or licensed mental health practitioners, which they are,” Cunningham said. “They have a lot of schooling, like dialectical
behavior therapy techniques, acceptance commitment therapy and all kinds of other therapies and other techniques that they know of that we aren’t trained in.” According to Doe, receiving therapy through the school allows her family to afford it. “My mom didn’t have to pay for us to see a therapist, because she knew we needed it,” Doe said. “That was the main reason [to see Vogel instead of a provider at a clinic]. [It] was due to financials.” According to Kami Jessop, the district’s Director of Special Services, the program expanded because of the importance of having access to mental health resources. “[The expansion was inspired by] the increasing and continued need to provide mental/behavioral health services and supports that are supplemental to the ones students already receive in school,” Jessop wrote in an email. “This adds a layer of expertise and integrated, community-level system support to our already strong student support efforts.” The costs of expanding the program have actually saved the district money, according to Jessop. “Interestingly enough, we’ve actually decreased the amount of money we spend, despite the additional on-site service time,” Jessop wrote. “Huge win! For this school year, and moving forward, we utilize a cost-sharing model to fund the services, which includes district funds, Children’s Hospital Foundation funds and access to family insurance.” There was a need to expand the program due to the amount of students needing to see the therapists.
“We saw at all buildings that kids and families had a high demand for these services,” Jessop said. “One day a week wasn’t enough. People were being put on a wait list [to meet with the therapist], and they shouldn’t have to wait to receive help. ” Jessop said she believes that the program at Westside is different from similar programs at other schools. “I’m really proud to be able to have this community partnership for kids and families,” Jessop said. “It’s not just a provider sitting with our kids. The providers also meet with counselors so kids can continue to get help throughout the week. It’s not an isolated program.” According to Jessop, about 200 to 250 students a year in Westside benefit from this program. Students must receive a recommendation from their counselor in order to talk to one of the psychologists. Families who’d prefer to remain anonymous can call Children’s Behavioral Health at 402955-3900. Those who call need to be sure to tell Children’s about their residency. Cunningham said she believes the program does not differ at the West Campus. “It’s all the same,” Cunningham said. “We’re helping support mental health, wherever it is. The therapist there would do pretty much the same thing here [and] use all of their techniques and skills to help [students] with any mental health needs. They’re going to use the same techniques and do the same things to help the mental health as they would do in a clinic.” Cunningham said she believes having good mental health is the foundation to success. “It’s like not having food or clothing or shelter,” Cunningham said. “Those are the basics you need to live and do well. If you’re worried about relationships or home, or you’re stressed out and you can’t even make it to class, you can’t do well.”
*Jane Doe is a pseudonym for a student who wished to remain anonymous.
04 | news
an educational purpose, whether it is a laptop or phone, use it for that purpose.” Although there may be some benefits to using personal devices, freshman Jules Wuestewald said he understands the policy. “I think [the rule] is justified in some sense,” Wuestewald said. “If you have [a device] in an open mod, I think, okay, that’s your time to do whatever. I think if it is a problem in the classroom or it’s distracting others from their work, then maybe that’s where I understand the policy. I mean, at least they let you have your phone.” According to Sanchez, there are occasional exceptions to the rules if students need to connect to WiFi with another device. He said that the rules are rarely shifted though, because they would need approval from administration to bypass the regulations. There are also regulations for the content students can access, both locally on their computers and through the school’s network. The regulations mainly include sites that are required to be blocked by the federal government and non-academic sites that would take up space on the school’s network, like streaming. “Network-wise, what we block is stuff we are required to block, via federal law,” Sanchez said. “[This includes] stuff like pornography, violence, things that the federal government says, ‘If you want funding, you need to block these.’ Other than hen high school students received personal laptops, a new set of regulations and restrictions that, [we] just kind of [block] stuff like Netflix. We only block [it] during the school followed. Students use these laptops for both academic and recreational purposes. Recently, day, and at home you can use it freely. That’s more of just band[width] stuff. We have there have been problems with students bringing personal devices to school. According to the a limited bandwidth, and streaming just takes up a lot of that, so that’s why we block head of the technology department, Michael Sanchez, the only devices students should be using things like that.” are cell phones and school-provided laptops. There are also websites that are banned for teachers because using them would “The guidelines, I believe, currently say phones are okay,” Sanchez said. “All other devices, break the website’s Terms of Use policy. iPads, personal laptops, Switches, stuff like that, are not allowed on the network during school “The issue for using [streaming services] at school is that [with] things like Netflix hours.” and Hulu, their privacy policy and user terms say that you are not According to Principal Jay Opperman, the school-provided supposed to use it in a commercial environment with more than one laptops should have most of the capabilities students need person,” Sanchez said. “It is supposed to be for your own use. So, for schoolwork and things like digital art projects. The we are technically breaking the law if a teacher streams something reasons students are not permitted to use other devices at for more than one on the school campus.” school, include protecting the school WiFi, management and French instructor Anne Johnson said she noticed the new maintaining a learning environment. change in the policy this year. “In both the student handbook and Accept of Use policy, “We have actually only used [Netflix] in our French club as it does specify that computers [used] are really only to be the an after-school activity,” Johnson said. “It is a lot easier to access school computers [on campus],” Opperman said. “Students foreign films via Amazon Prime and Netflix, so that’s why we used should be carrying only their school computer, and then it. We’ve used it maybe once or twice in the past [couple of years]. obviously, they’re carrying their phone. Really, that should Just this year, it got blocked when we were trying to bring it up to be all that is on our network. A big part of that is [that] we watch it. It was interesting, because we had watched a portion of want to control what’s on our network, so all of our devices, Principal Jay Opperman the film, and then when we came back two weeks later to finish both staff and student, are managed devices. This way we watching it, it was blocked.” can prevent viruses and other things of that nature.” According to Opperman, there is a lot of filtering on sites because the school is Students can be seen using personal devices around Westside, both for relaxation and required by law to have filtering in order to have accessible WiFi. If students are on academics. a site that is against policy or is concerning, Tech Support is notified. “I would like to keep as much [academic work] on laptops,” Opperman said. “My true belief “If [students] are connected to the WiFi and they hit something that we need to is [that] if the device can be used for an educational purpose, let’s use the device. I know, be worried about, we do get an email notification,” Sanchez said. “[With] stuff like occasionally, there are things where the phone is the handier device. I think students have joked gun violence, so a kid is searching how do buy an AK47 or stuff like that, it emails about me being uptight about phones. I am not uptight about phones. I am uptight [that] in us immediately.” learning spaces we are using time for learning. I would be the first to say [that] if there is
| by luke steiner |
w
“
I am not uptight about phones. I am uptight [that] in learning spaces we are using the time for learning.
design and photos by luke steiner
Westside also has a privacy policy on all the things administration and Tech Support can see when students are using the school-provided laptops or accessing WiFi. Tech support has access to logs of every site, application and network system students have ever visited. They also have access to all the sites students see on their cell phones, if they are connected to Westside’s WiFi. According to Sanchez, Westside Tech Support’s monitoring of devices does not include having access to students’ webcams on the school-provided laptops. Tech Support also does random checks of students’ computers for a multitude of reasons. “Truly random checks, we do them monthly,” Sanchez said. “We select about ten to fifteen students randomly, and we just pull their computers, just to verify everything’s working, make sure stuff’s okay, go through to see how kids are actually using the computers, stuff like that.” They also use random checks to fix widespread problems that may occur between many students’ devices, like some that have happened recently. “We missed a bunch of management issues with a shelf of seniors, which is why it is specifically seniors that we are trying to fix,” Sanchez said. “Pretty much their computers aren’t checking into our management system like they should be.” One senior affected by the current check, Katelin Smith, said she didn’t see much of a positive result after she was given back her laptop. “[Tech support took my laptop] about a week ago,” Smith said. “First, they said [the check] was for updates, then they said random check and then they didn’t [have a reason]. I think that’s the point they cleared my laptop. They gave [my laptop] back to me, but then they had to take it back because they cleared everything, so [the check] took about four days. They could not recover anything.” Many of the technology regulations at Westside are enforced to keep an academic environment at school. According to Opperman, the rules for what students can and can’t use as their devices can be altered to maintain a comfortable environment. “Obviously, I see kids with [gaming devices] in the courtyard,” Opperman said. “My understanding is [that] they are using them locally, so again, not accessing the network through our service. A big part of our policy is to prevent devices from our network that we can’t manage or don’t know. I guess, for me, my only concern is that when we are in a study space, we are using it as a study space and not disrupting other people. If it’s mod 14 and two kids are down playing on their Nintendo Switch because they are having a brain break, I don’t think I am getting too uptight about it. In the end, we are here to learn, and hopefully the technology we provide will serve that purpose. I do understand there’s brain breaks. Even I want to look at something funny, but really the technology is there for learning.”
news | 05
Assigned Mod Program Update A follow-up on a program designed to help freshmen by will christiansen O
n Oct. 22, 2019, a new program was put in place for freshman students who were failing one or more classes. The program places students in assigned mods where they have supervised time to focus on academics. According to social studies instructor and director of the program Bob Brousek, the program’s goal is to provide students with structure during their day, so they can continue to be successful in their academics. Currently, there are 84 students in the program that takes place in rooms 222, 117, the Little Theater and the upper auditorium. According to Principal Jay Opperman, as of Dec. 5, about 40 percent of the students assigned to the freshman study program are now passing all classes they are enrolled in. “[These statistics are] a sign that having this extra structure and an opportunity to get work done, as well as working with teachers who can guide them, is something that they were lacking, and now they are improving their grades,” Brousek said. According to freshman Diana Bailon Espinoza, having the assigned mods helped her get more work done than she did in the beginning of the semester. “My grades are up now,” Espinoza said. “[It helped] when I got the opportunity to talk with teachers before tests.” According to Espinoza, she typically worked on algebra homework, big projects and studying for tests. According to social studies instructor Derek Fey, a volunteer supervisor for the program, the goal of the program is to teach students study habits that they can use in the future. Fey said that when he was a freshman at Westside in 1994, he was in a similar program. “All freshmen were required to be in a study hall for the first quarter,” Fey said. “There was no such thing as an open mod for freshmen until the second quarter, and that was only if you could prove you could handle it by having good grades. I found it very useful and a huge motivator when I went [to Westside].” According to Fey, the program is having problems with unexcused absences for the assigned mods. “Skipping the assigned mods is an issue, but I’m willing to bet that if we analyzed those students’ schedules, they are skipping their other classes as well,” Fey said. “But just because they might skip doesn’t mean we shouldn’t have the program. We need to provide the opportunity for these students, and then it is up to them to take advantage of it.” According to Brousek, assigned mods have helped many students get their grades back on track. Brousek also said the teachers are hoping the students can carry through with their new study habits. Students are required to stay in the assigned mod until the end of the semester.
design by julia steiner | graphic by eleanor dodge
06 | opinion
Pay
Businesses shouldn’t to $ $ $ profit from $ college process $
Win $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $
I
n 2017, high school seniors across the country submitted approximately 6.8 college applications per person, according to the Pew Research Center. That added up to 10.2 million applications in all. All those applications take a lot of work for everyone involved in the process, from students to counselors to parents. Students need more free help with this process to help manage a stressful part of high school. While not every student will apply to college, those who do often apply to multiple. With different schools comes different requirements. Some schools require supplemental essays that range from 10 to 500 words in length. Others might ask for portfolios, depending on the student’s intended major. Balancing the application requirements for different schools is difficult, and it helps to have someone to guide you through it. College counselor Vicki Londer said that college counselors here at Westside can help students narrow down their list of colleges to apply to, provide help with the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), send required documents to colleges, write letters of recommendation or help with any other part of the process. “We’re advocating for our students and making sure their application package is the absolute best,” Londer said. However, counselors simply don’t have the time to provide hours of application advice for every single student. According to Londer, each counselor is responsible for anywhere between 200 to 300 students. Londer said she has written 23 letters of application so far this year, and will continue to write more over winter break and through next semester. For students who need more outside help with their applications, the options are expensive. The average cost for an independent college counselor is $200 an hour, according to the Independent Educational Consultants Association.
$
|by reese pike| Families in the Midwest who hire someone in this position pay an average of $4,100 over the course of the college application process. This includes both firms who charge by the hour and those who don’t. This is ridiculously expensive. For students who struggle to come up with funds to simply pay application fees for multiple colleges, there need to be more options for outside help. Senior Cindy France applied to approximately ten colleges this year and said her counselor helped a lot. “[Stover and Londer were] especially [helpful in] getting me started and getting me calmed down,” France said. [They] were really, really helpful in getting me in the right mindset.” The college application process is complicated and stressful. Tensions run high during this time for a lot of students. Arguments with parents about intended majors, college choice, application deadlines and the many other things involved can add to stress, despite everyone’s best intentions. When everything seems like it’s piling up, personalized advice from an outside professional could help lots of students. School counselors do provide that, but for the rare occasion when they have too much on their plate and aren’t in their office, more help is appreciated. Access to more free organizations, like College Possible, would greatly help students. College Possible can provide more long-term help, starting with students’ junior year of high school. This organization offers application coaching, advice on writing for
$ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ the ACT and SAT, help with financial aid, advice for transitioning to college and other services. EducationQuest is another similar organization in Omaha. If there were more organizations like these ones, students wouldn’t have to worry about cost being a barrier to receive more help. Having a specific mod every week that all counselors could dedicate to college advice might help too. Students shouldn’t have to pay $4,000 for extra college help, and they shouldn’t have to worry about automatically being behind other students who can afford that price. We need to reevaluate the cost of college preparation in order to help more students at an important step in their education.
design and graphic by parker lefebvre
editorial | 07
Cruelty Free? Consumers should avoid products created using animal testing T
hink about the cosmetic and household products people use daily — anything from toothpaste to deodorant to makeup to soap. Now consider what goes into making these products. Do you know if animals were experimented on to produce them? This is something consumers must start considering. The Humane Society International estimates that 10,000 to 200,000 animals around the world are used every year for cosmetics testing alone, according to their website. These animals, usually rabbits, hamsters, mice, rats and guinea pigs, are typically used to test the safety of chemicals in cosmetics, pharmaceutical drugs and pesticides. Unfortunately, these tests are often harmful to the animals. The test subjects may have chemicals rubbed into their eyes and shaved skin for irritation tests, or are forcefed different substances to search for potential health hazards and illness. The Humane Society International’s website also said these treatments on animals may cause “considerable pain and distress including blindness, swollen eyes, sore or bleeding skin, internal bleeding and organ damage, birth defects, convulsions and death.” Many companies use animal testing to ensure the effectiveness of their products. While ensuring quality is necessary, there are ways to go about it without using animal testing. Humane Society International’s website reports two ways of doing this. First, companies can use ingredients with a history of safe use, and second, they can use some of the 40 validated non-animal safety tests out there. In short, appropriate alternatives to anof thousands of animals to test products and cosmetics? Absolutely not. That’s why we’re urging everyone as consumers to purchase cruelty-free products. as “any commercial product that has been manufactured using methods organizations that can help consumers identify brands that are cruelty -free. One such organization is the Coalition for Consumer Information on Cosmetics. The coalition has created a list of over 1,300 cruelty-free brands for consumers to reference. Some of these brands are popular and accessible in stores around the country, like E.L.F. for makeup and Seventh Generation for cleaning supplies. Utilizing lists like these may make a consumer’s cruelty-free shopping experience easier.
Consumer Information on Cosmetics. According to Leaping Bunny’s website, the organization formed to “work with companies to help make shopping for animal-friendly products easier and more trustworthy.” Leaping Bunny has a single standard for certifying brands as cruelty-free, so brands must abide by a consisognizing their blue and white rabbit logo on products or by visiting their website While organizations like these might help shoppers, we understand there are ing animal-friendly brands when possible. If there is a demand for cruelty-free products, companies will listen and may make in changes in the future as a result. It is important to note that some cruelty-free products may be more expensive than alternatives, and we do not wish to condemn anyone for not buying cruelty-free products because of the expense. However, there are often affordable reach for your wallet, do a little digging. Was an animal harmed at the cost of what you’re about to buy? ■
08 | in-depth
design and infographics by julia steiner
Pets of Westside
These statistics are based on a non-scientific survey conducted by The Lance with 661 student responses.
design by angela li | photos provided by pets’ owners
in-depth | 09
RHUBARB ZEUS
Freshman Garrett Hampton owned his pet pig, Rhubarb, from the summer of 2016 to November of 2019. Hampton had to find a new home for his pet this fall because his family couldn’t take care of the pig anymore. Rhubarb is a Juliana pig, which is a smaller breed of domestic pig. Rhubarb is three years old and weighs sixty pounds. “My mom had a dream about a pig, and when she woke up, she said we should go and get one,” Garrett Hampton said. “I was so excited that we were getting a new pet.”
Sophomore Maddie Flansburg has a blue-tongued skink, which is a lizard native to Australia. She purchased the animal five years ago at PetSmart. Her lizard’s name is Zeus, and he is around two feet long. “I got him because I loved it when Zeus flicked his tongue, which reminded me of a blueberry,” Flansburg said. “He’s really lazy all day, just like me, which is why I love him.”
Funky Friends
Westside’s most unusual pets |by katie palais| A
mong the possibilities of different pets a person can have, the typical choice is between a dog or cat. Yet, at Westside, there are some students who have pets that may not be seen in the average home.
Junior Kora Muirhead has been raising butterflies for more than ten years in her backyard. Muirhead plants milkweed so that monarch butterflies will visit and lay eggs. She waits for the eggs to hatch and keeps the caterpillars. She keeps them in a container until they are mature but will keep any with deformed wings or that seem ill. Muirhead has even named two of her butterflies Silky and Slinky. “One of my neighbors would raise butterflies, and I thought it was really cool,” Muirhead said. “I liked to collect bugs back then, and so she taught me how to handle them.”
PUFF
Sophomore Aly Rad has owned a bearded dragon named Puff since last March. Rad’s brother bought Puff from a breeder as a gift for her. Puff is 22 months old and is around 18 inches long. Rad even created an Instagram account for her lizard. Her username is @lovely.puff. “Puff loves being the center of attention, but she deserves it, so I don’t have a problem with it,” Rad said. “She’s my little light of my life. In a way, I wish lizards could feel affection and love. I want her to know how much I love her.”
10 | in-depth
design and infographics by malia battafarano
we got
An Inside Perspective
Beef The history of animal processing in Omaha
1884
Investors begin building cattle pens south of Omaha
1926
1885
1886
1955
1957
Investors build the Meatpackers original Livestock start building Exchange Building processing plants by the cattle pens
Omaha becomes the A new city with the largest Livestock Exchange Building is built livestock industry in the world
Half of Omaha’s workforce is employed by the livestock industry
1971
Today
1999
The Union Stockyard The stockyards shut closes and Omaha down ceases to be the biggest ED S CLO stockyard in the world
More than a million
bushels of government grain used to feed livestock were stored at the stockyards in 1958
Only the Livestock Exchange Building remains from the stockyards
The value of the livestock handled daily in the 1950s was more than
$2.5 million Information according to the Omaha World-Herald, KETV, the Chicago Tribune, Wessels Living History Farm and NET
|by theo jansen and malia battafarano|
T
he stockyards played a large role in history instructor Bob Brousek’s childhood. Not only did he live in South Omaha, but his father, who passed away two years ago, worked as a meat inspector for the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). One of the things that Brousek said stood out most in his memory was the smell. “If there was a northern wind in my neighborhood, you could smell the remnants of the slaughtering process, maybe the burning of the blood, and it would be vented into the air,” Brousek said. “If there was the right breeze coming from the north, you could smell it. My dad and mom would always say, specifically when my dad got home, ‘You know, that’s the smell of money,’ because that meant that things were going well for those companies and those businesses.” Brousek said his father, Richard Brousek, worked in the meat processing plants for upwards of 35 years. Richard Brousek started on the kill floor in Cudahy, one of the “Big Four” meat processing plants and eventually moved to work for the USDA. Bob Brousek said his father’s job involved more than just inspecting meat. “[My dad] had to have quite the relationship with the workers and the management in order for him to do his job, so they were willing to work with him to meet those expectations and that kind of stuff,” Bob Brousek said. According to Bob Brousek, the stockyards attracted immigrants from many ethnicities to South Omaha. “Both the meatpacking industry and the railroad ... would have had a significant role in why South Omaha grew as it did in the late 1800s [and] early 1900s,” Bob Brousek said. “They were just magnets for people who came and said, ‘I’m trying to find an economic livelihood, and here’s where I can find it.’” Bob Brousek said his own family is Czech, but his parents came to Omaha not from Europe, but from a farm in rural Nebraska. “Even though my heritage and my mom and dad were Bohemian, they came from the farms,” Bob Brousek said. “They lived on a farm in Saunders County, which is maybe an hour-and-a-half west of Omaha, and my dad left the farm because he believed that a better economic life lay ahead of him in going to the city to find work.” Bob Brousek said that today, many of the ethnic neighborhoods of the past, such as Little Bohemia, have been replaced with a new ethnic group: the Hispanic population. Despite this shift, one thing has remained constant. “It is still a working class neighborhood,” Bob Brousek said. “The demographics and socioeconomics of that neighborhood have definitely changed over the last 100 years, but what has not changed is that it is an attractive location for an immigrant worker seeking to better themselves.” According to Bob Brousek, although the smell of the plants would follow his father home and his work clothes were stained with blood, Richard Brousek liked his job and still had the stomach for beef. “Boy, he still liked beef,” Bob Brousek said. “He didn’t shy away from a hamburger or steak or anything like that. I could have never done it.”
in-depth | 11
design by eleanor dodge | graphic by angela li
Helping Hounds |by maryam akramova|
Westside’s policy on service animals I
n 2015, the district adopted a policy regarding the usage of service animals and what defines a service animal. According to the district, a service animal is a dog or miniature horse that can do work or perform tasks. This policy specifically states that the usage of emotional support animals does not constitute “work or tasks.” “If [an] animal is just there for emotional support or protection, that’s not defined in our policy as work or a task that assists that person,” Principal Jay Opperman said. “But, if an animal is needed to help pull or push a wheelchair or pick things up or to do some type of task ... that would be completely allowed to be with an employee or student.” According to district communications director Brandi Paul, the reason the district follows that policy is because it is in accordance with the policy the American Disabilities Association (ADA) has put in place. “We have to figure out where is the start and the end of our policy,” Paul said. “We’ve got to have some parameters somewhere, and the American Disabilities Act is a good guide for us. It’s the federal authority. That’s what we’re following.” The ADA’s policy states that “service animals are defined as dogs that are individually trained to do work or perform tasks for people with disabilities,” just like the district’s. The ADA policy also says that emotional support alone does not qualify the animal as a service animal. Some examples of tasks that an animal can perform are navigation for people with low vision, physical support for those needing assistance with balance and alerting against allergens, according to the district’s policy. “In my last school district, there was a student in a wheelchair who had a service animal that actually would do some tasks for those elementary students in the classroom,” Opperman said.
According to the ADA, miniature horses can perform similar tasks to dogs, but each animal has its own benefits. Miniature horses can provide up to 20 years of work and are the ideal size for people struggling with mobility issues.
“
If an animal is needed to help pull or push a wheelchair, or pick things up, or to do some type of task ... that would be completely allowed to be with an employee or student. Principal Jay Opperman
To request a service animal, there is a different process for both students and employees. For students, their parent or guardian must submit a request in writing to the Director of Special Services at least ten days before bringing the service animal to school. Employees have to submit their request ten days beforehand to the Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources. Opperman said he has received requests for emotional support animals from parents or students and stands by the policy.
“We’ve had a couple of times when students and families have asked about emotional support animals,” Opperman said. “We’ve referred to the policy and said that under our policy, that doesn’t fit our definition of a service animal … I like that it’s an animal required for a task. As I referenced, [with] the student in the last district … it was clear the purpose of the dog was specifically to help with tasks, and I think that’s a good line.” According to Paul, there are no service animals currently being used in the district. Under the policy, those with service animals are responsible for their care and control. If an animal is not controlled properly, perhaps attacking others or not being housebroken, the district can ban the animal from school grounds. If a student feels the decision to remove a service animal was unjustified, they can make an appeal to the Office of Student Services at the ABC Building. In the timeframe of 14 days, the decision is issued by the Coordinator or Director of Student Services. If the student finds that decision unfavorable as well, they can appeal to the superintendent, and their decision is final. According to Opperman, he is occasionally asked about allowing emotional support animals. In regards to changing the policy towards them, Paul said she believes it’s worth looking at, but changing the policy might be harder because it’s a long process. “We base everything we do on personalized learning and what is the best for each individual student and staff member,” Paul said. “We have incredibly caring administrators who want the absolute best for our students and staff … Our doors are open all the time, and if people want to come to us with their thoughts about this policy and how it affects them, we’d certainly want to hear it.”
12 | feature
design by abby schreiber | photos by ella kirkpatrick
The Music Man ith its band, choir and orchestra about 45 to 54 mods scheduled every programs, Westside has a variety year, so basically every open mod I of music classes for students to have is just through cross-sections, participate in. Most students who are especially now with the lesson involved in music start in one program program,” Sanwick said. “Last year, I in elementary or middle school. took the voice lessons, and this year However, senior Mason Sanwick said I’m taking upright bass lessons, so he has been able to find a community those just eat away at [my schedule]. in all three of them. If I knew how to balance it, I would, Sanwick said he was surrounded by but I don’t.” music from a young age but was never In addition to music performance pressured into getting involved. classes, Sanwick has also taken music “My dad’s played music since theory classes. AP Music Theory, before I was born,” Sanwick said. taught by orchestra instructor Lanny “So, I’ve always had, like, a ton of Stutheit, was educational and a lot of equipment in fun, according my basement. to Sanwick I think the “I liked real reason [AP Music I pursued T h e o r y ] [music] is because it was because I was just a time never forced to nerd out to, so I actually about music,” had a genuine Sanwick said. passion and “I love Stutheit drive for it.” as a teacher, In eighth and just g r a d e , getting a mod Sanwick hurt a day where I his leg, which could just sit Senior Mason Sanwick led to him not down and have being able to play sports anymore. smart conversations about music Because of this, he said, he began to [was great] … It’s stuff that I still play the piano. When Sanwick got apply to everything I do.” to high school, he said his music Sanwick said that although taking activities began to multiply. all of these music classes keeps him “Freshman year, I was only busy, they also work together to make involved in show choir and choir,” him a better musician overall. Sanwick said. “Then, I got into show “I like taking so many [music band, and then from show band came classes] because you get [a lot] of jazz band, and from jazz band came different teaching styles,” Sanwick orchestra.” said. “I just think combining all of Currently, Sanwick has eight music them is just perfect … and you can just classes on his schedule that each take apply all of it at the same time.” up many mods every week. Sanwick Choir instructor Greg Woodin said said this has been hard to fit, but he he has known Sanwick since freshman manages. year and has done a lot of different “Since junior year, I’ve always had musical activities with him.
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Senior Mason Sanwick plays bass in a Chamber Orchestra performance on the Landing.
Senior shares his musical journey at Westside |by virginia jansen|
I think the real reason I pursued music is because I was never forced to, so I actually had a genuine passion and drive for it.
feature | 13 “I’ve been working with Mason in several musical mediums,” Woodin said. “He’s been in choir with us the past four years and was a three year All-State choral member, but he also played guitar for show choir band for the past few years, guitar and drums for musical and was also in music theory class with me. I’ve gotten to see his skills progressively improve in all those facets, and it’s been truly marvelous to watch.” Woodin said he has seen Sanwick’s involvement in other music classes help him in choir. “Because of his involvement in so many music classes and being proficient on multiple instruments, he’s very fluent in the language of music, and that translates well to singing because he can sight-read music more quickly and get to the details of music-making faster, where the real
Senior Mason Sanwick plays drums in a Chamber Orchestra performance on the Landing.
magic happens,” Woodin said. In addition to music at Westside, Sanwick is involved in many musical activities outside of school. One that he said has been very helpful to prepare him for a career is BluesEd. “BluesEd is a really cool program that you audition for, and, if you make it, they put you in a band with other kids across the city,” Sanwick said. “They give you songs to learn and give you gigs, and the more songs you learn and the better you are, the more gigs you get. If anything [I do] has helped me the most with being a musician, it’s BluesEd because you get the real experience of it.” Sanwick said that all of these music classes and activities have led him to decide to do music for the rest of his life.
“I’m going to UNL to be a choir teacher with an emphasis in composition, so I can teach at whatever choir I end up at and write music for other schools,” Sanwick said. Woodin said that he supports Sanwick’s plan to go into music and, in addition to Sanwick’s musical talent, his passion and character will take him far. “He’s easy to work with and brings a personality to the rehearsal that goes a long way,” Woodin said. “But most importantly, he’s just a good human and truly loves making musical experiences with everyone around him and is so willing to share his gift. He lives and breathes this stuff, and if he continues to outwork everybody, he has a bright future as a musician. ”
14 | feature
design and graphics by isabella tyler | photo by brooklyn james
Inside the
Colosseum Behind the scenes of Westside’s school store |by brooklyn james| W
hen looking around Westside, there is a large amount of Westside spirit gear available. A lot of this merchandise is made in the school. The Colosseum is a place that students, staff and members of the Westside community can come to purchase a variety of gear. The store is run by marketing and DECA students in the junior and senior class. It is open during the school day from mod one to 14. During conferences and other school events, it is also open for parents and other members of the community to shop for themselves or students. There are three to four store managers who are in charge of the store each year. If students are involved in DECA and have time, they can apply to become a store manager. Senior Morgan Mumford is one of the DECA store officers this year. Mumford said that store officers have many responsibilities. “The store managers are in charge of coming up with designs for the clothes, coming up with new things to sell, responsible for printing, checking people out and teaching other student employees how to run the store,” Mumford said. To keep the store up and running, it is important for the store to have designs and merchandise that will keep people coming back. There is freedom for the store managers to design what they think will sell the most. If someone has an idea that they think will sell, then the managers said they are open to trying it. Mumford said she draws inspiration from popular culture logos when designing apparel. This may include designs and fashion seen in the media or worn by celebrities. Being a store manager also provides an opportunity to do a DECA project for the store at competitions. This is because the store is student-based and run. DECA projects deal with the categories of marketing, business management and administration, finance and hospitality and tourism. The process of completing a project includes a written component as well as a presentation given to judges. Senior Tiana Dancer is another of the store managers this year. Dancer said the managers talk about what they do with the store, what it is for and the kind of merchandise that they sell when they use it for a DECA project. The store has been used to compete for multiple years in the past. “In years past, they have done it and won,” Mumford said. “If you do the store project and you do good at it, you can go to nationals with it, which is what has happened in the past and happened last year.” DECA and marketing instructor Kalen Carlson also helps with the designing and running of the store. Carlson said one of the first things she had to help out with in the
store was the t-shirt bundles for the home football games for the 2019-2020 school year. “This year was kind of different, being my first year,” Carlson said. “We didn’t really have designs coming in, so we kind of had to rush getting designs. For some of the games, we had multiple designs to choose from, but for some we only had one.” The Colosseum uses Transfer Express to make all of the designs. Transfer Express is a design template and has shirt transfers available for use. They have a lot of templates to choose from and play around with as well as the ability to upload your own designs from apps like Photoshop. Working and running the Colosseum provides real world experience for students. “I like the experience here,” Dancer said. “I like how it prepares me for the outside world and for any other job I may have.”
Senior and store manager Tiana Dancer operates the t-shirt press in the Colosseum.
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16 | sports
design by isabella tyler | photos by emma rieser
Warriors Go Cold at State Westside varsity football competes at state championship in Lincoln |by jonathan snover| W
hile the wind was blowing and the snow was coming down on Tuesday, Nov. 26, Westside took to the field at Memorial Stadium to take on the Bellevue West Thunderbirds in the 2019 NSAA Class A State Championship game. After giving up 214 yards and two touchdowns to Jay Ducker, Westside fell 35-0. Offensively, sophomore Cole Payton threw for 75 yards in the scoreless effort. The trip to Lincoln was Westside’s first state championship appearance since 2013.
Junior TJ Ingram (center) and senior Jack Bush (right) meet up with their team in a huddle before the game.
sports | 17
Junior Avante Dickerson shifts past a Bellevue West defender to advance down the field.
Junior Avante Dickerson receives a handoff from the quarterback.
Junior Cole Payton attempts to break loose from a tackle.
Junior Cade Haberman (right) blocks for junior quarterback Cole Payton (center) as he looks to run through a gap.
Senior Bodie Harrell jukes a Bellevue West defender.
Junior Cedrian Haywood hypes up his team during pregame warmups.
design and graphic by jane knudsen
18 | a&e
Rankin/Bass Or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Kitsch
escribing something as kitschy or campy may be an unfamiliar concept to some, but these qualities are instantly recognizable in media. These works are usually characterized by theatricality, corny writing and garish visuals. It’s ludicrous entertainment. This kind of media has never really gone away, but the way it exists now seems to be appreciated only ironically. In the past, camp had a renaissance between the 1940s and 1970s, when Norman Rockwell reigned supreme and rosy cheeks and sharing a can of Coke with the family were staples of Americana. In this space, completely unbothered by irony, one could find the cartoons of Rankin/Bass. Even if you’ve never heard of Rankin/Bass, it’s a safe bet that you’ve seen something made by them. Founded in 1960 by animation directors Arthur Rankin and Jules Bass, their most commonly known hit was one of their first: a 1964 television special entitled “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.” It was a stop-motion animated project that retold the plot of the song of the same name. It featured the classic song it was named after, but also new ones, like “We’re a Couple of Misfits” and “We are Santa’s Elves.” The unique animation style, charming acting and a soundtrack full of earworms allowed it to join the pantheon of classic Christmas movies right off the bat. “Rudolph” is so notable because, as corny as it is, it was not afraid to go absolutely off the rails. The basic premise was “Rudolph saves Christmas,” and they ran with it. Some very major, albeit somewhat unconnected, events occurred in the special. Rudolph is given a sidekick, an elf who wants to break the status quo by being a dentist. A flying lion named King Moonracer brings them to an island full of toys that no children wanted. The two, along with a prospector named Yukon, fight a snow monster and pull out its teeth. The plot ventured leagues ahead of what was expected. All the studio had to do was make a movie special based around a 25-year-old song, and they established an entire canon with a style of animation completely different from what was being produced in other studios. One of the best examples of Rankin/Bass’s work would have to be their 1970 special “Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town.” It has a star-studded cast (featuring Mickey Rooney and Fred Astaire) and even more original songs than “Rudolph.” The plot revolves around a young Kris Kringle growing up as an orphan among the “Toymakers to the King.” He seeks to bring toys and happiness to a nearby town, but toys are forbidden by Mayor Burgermeister Meisterburger. Kringle befriends the Winter Warlock from a nearby forest and does everything in his power to deliver toys.
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The plot is so ridiculous that one can’t help but accept it. It’s delivered in such a sincere way – they wrote a backstory for a major holiday symbol, and although it’s convoluted and bizarre, it’s so well-executed. You can’t help but think, “Oh, of course this is Santa’s backstory.” Mickey Rooney does an especially good job at playing Kris Kringle. He has that kind of golden, slow, deliberate intonation that could only be found in the stars of the 1960s. He acts with a very admirable naivete, but also a determination, a willingness to be kind to everyone no matter what. There’s a dialogue exchange in the song “Put One Foot in Front of the Other” during which he responds to the Winter Warlock’s singing in his speaking voice, and it’s soothingly natural and indicative of how he speaks. It perfectly encapsulates the way he nails Kris’s lines. The special wouldn’t be nearly as good if it weren’t for the songs. A personal favorite is “My World is Beginning Today,” sung by Jessica, Kris’s love interest. It does not fit in with the musical language of the rest of the special. It reeks of the 1970s, and it includes some 2D animated sequences. Do they look good? Absolutely not. Do they mesh well with the stop-motion? Not at all. But, again, you can’t help but admire its sincerity and appreciate the song itself. Rankin/Bass has delivered so much to American holiday culture, it’s hard to summarize it all. They made other specials based on older songs, like the 1969 “Frosty the Snowman” special (2D animated but still keeping that distinct Rankin/ Bass style), but they did other original projects, like “A Year Without a Santa Claus” and “Jack Frost.” “A Year Without a Santa Claus” delivered the Miser Brothers, twins that controlled the world’s cold and heat. They’re unforgettable, mainly due to their ridiculously catchy song in which they give exposition on what their jobs are and why they love what they do. It’s very goofy, and the Miser Brothers are huge hams, but you wouldn’t want it any other way. The Rankin/Bass Christmas specials are ridiculous, but that’s what makes them wonderful. They’ve built a pantheon of Christmas lore without a hint of shame or irony, as should be expected. Half of the charm in these specials is the shamelessness that comes with the kitsch: the total and complete sincerity. It reminds the audience that, yes, it’s totally acceptable to have fun with something stupid, charming and meaningless. Of course, it’s not at all meaningless. Something that left such a huge mark on American culture can’t be meaningless. Ludicrousness and meaninglessness are not mutually exclusive, and Rankin/Bass represents that.
|by jane knudsen|
design and graphics by izzy dodge
a&e | 19
Highlighting Hanukkah
|by auguste kuehne|
Students share their Hanukkah traditions veryone enjoys the holiday season. It’s a time for families to come together in a shared time of enjoyment. Several holidays take place during this season, including Hanukkah. Hanukkah, a Jewish festival, celebrates the rededication of the second temple of Jerusalem. This celebration lasts eight days. Over these days, families are able to reunite and take part in various activities. The Kuglers are one family at Westside who said they enjoy the festivities that take place during this special time of year. Junior Lauren Kugler and freshman Alex Kugler said they always cherish the celebrations that are intertwined with Hanukkah. “I like the family aspect of it, because it brings everyone together,” Alex Kugler said. “It’s just a happy time.” Alex and Lauren Kugler said they relish taking part in many of the traditional Hanukkah celebrations. “I enjoy lighting the menorah,” Lauren Kugler said. “I really enjoy getting together with my family and playing dreidel.” The tradition of the menorah consists of lighting and placing candles on the menorah. These candles are used to represent miracles within the Jewish religion and other customs.
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Another common tradition that is part of the Hanukkah festivities is the exchanging of gelt, traditional chocolate coins. Along with exchanging coins, families bond over an enjoyable game of dreidel. Dreidel is a traditional gambling game that was first played over a thousand years ago.
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IItt is important to connect with your culture, as well as being able to celebrate something different than most others.
Sophomore Sam Dowd As times have changed, so have the traditions associated with Hanukkah. Many families have adopted their own unique traditions, including more modern, child-friendly activities. These activities allow new generations to connect with older Hanukkah origins. Lauren and Alex Kugler said one thing they often try to focus on during Hanukkah is celebrating during the first night. “Every first night of Hanukkah, my mom makes dinner, and she gets jelly doughnuts, which are a Hanukkah tradition,” Lauren Kugler said. “She makes latkes and brisket, and we open presents.” Many Jewish families also enjoy baking traditional and nontraditional Hanukkah dishes while surrounded by their loved ones. Alex and Lauren Kugler said they have also made other nontraditional treats that contribute to their Hanukkah
celebrations. “My grandma bakes special sugar cookies in the shapes of Hanukkah things like dreidels and Jewish stars,” Alex Kugler said. “It’s so much fun. Traditions like these I enjoy the most.” Although many families look forward to this special time of year, there are sometimes downfalls that can cause challenges when celebrating. Many students are unable to take off school during Hanukkah, which can cause a conflict when trying to celebrate as a family. “School and swimming make it so I usually am not here to light the candles,” Lauren Kugler said. “It gets really frustrating when I’m at school and it’s Hanukkah.” Alex Kugler said he agrees that it is unfair that students like himself have to go to school on Hanukkah. He said he believes it does not get the same amount of respect as some Christian holidays. Junior Isabella Persky said she believes that there is a very important cultural aspect tied to Hanukkah. “I think it is very important for Jewish families to celebrate [Hanukkah] so we can carry on the tradition,” Persky said. “There aren’t many Jews compared to predominant religions, so it is important that those who are Jewish do celebrate.” Most families can find themselves overwhelmed with the holiday season. During this time, it may be hard to focus on the true meaning of the holidays. Sophomore Sam Dowd said Hanukkah helps him get back to his Jewish roots and reconnect with the meaning of this faithful holiday. “I think, in an age so dominated by consumer culture around the holidays, it is important to take a step back and appreciate the rich part of Jewish history that Hanukkah represents,” Dowd said. Dowd said his family takes advantage of this opportunity to reunite with loved ones and look back on old memories. “It is important to connect with your culture, as well as being able to celebrate something different than most others,’’ Dowd said.
20 | a&e
design by angela li | graphic by sage wein
Snow Shows Festive TV episodes to watch during the holidays |by angelina pattavina| “Glee” Season Three, Episode Nine “Extraordinary Christmas” Another show that is well-known for its holiday episodes, “Glee” brings the full holiday spirit with renditions of famous holiday songs like “My Favorite Things,” “Santa Baby” and “All I Want for Christmas is You.” In this episode, the Glee club has a chance to star in a Christmas special in black and white. The New Directions have to choose between making this special or singing at a homeless shelter on behalf of Sue, the show’s antagonist. Watching this episode will surely bring to light the true meaning of Christmas and spread some holiday cheer.
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uring the holiday season, with winter break right around the corner, the best thing to do when the weather is cold and snowy is to curl up and watch some good holiday episodes of everyone’s favorite TV shows. The following episodes are great to watch when you want a good laugh, and you don’t have to watch the whole series beforehand to understand what is going on because they were made to focus on the holiday season. “Friends” Season Seven, Episode Ten “The One With the Holiday Armadillo” Among the numerous holiday episodes that the ‘90s comedy gave its audiences, “The One With the Holiday Armadillo” is one episode many remember just from its title. This episode mainly focuses on Ross’s son, Ben, and the way he embraces the Christian holiday of Christmas. Ben ignores his other heritage, Judaism, which makes Ross upset. Wanting to be a good father, Ross tries to find a Santa Claus suit, but since it is so close to Christmas, the only thing he can find is an armadillo costume. This makes the episode great to watch because it follows in the typical “Friends” episode style of being light-hearted and funny. It makes for a great episode because it doesn’t focus only on Christmas. The audience learns a little bit about other holiday traditions. “Gilmore Girls” Season One, Episode Eight “In the Clamor and Clangor” A reenactment of a Revolutionary War battle, the first town hall meeting, a frozen pizza and the first snowfall of the year make for a great winter episode of “Gilmore Girls.” While this is technically not a holiday episode, it falls right before Christmastime, and the holiday vibes are all there. This episode is also the first time one of the main characters, Lorelai Gilmore, says her famous phrase, “I smell snow,” a clever line that nobody would hear in any other show. Getting to see Stars Hollow, the main setting, covered in snow is one of the best ways to get in the holiday spirit. All around, it’s a great episode to get one excited for the winter season.
“Jane the Virgin” Season Two, Episode Eight “Chapter Thirty” This episode of “Jane the Virgin” shows the challenges that parents face when they share custody of a child. Around Christmastime, Rafael, the father, wants to take Mateo for Christmastime, which is against the previous agreement he and Jane, Mateo’s mother, made. Jane argues back, saying Rafael doesn’t even celebrate Christmas. He’s just doing it to get back at her. When Rafael still refuses, Jane decides to sue Rafael for full custody of Mateo. This leads to an intense couples therapy session where important revelations are made. Many other events happen in the episode, but it ends in true “Jane the Virgin” fashion when Alba receives her green card, making everyone emotional. But, at the end, of course there is a telenovela twist. One has to watch it to find out what will happen next. “New Girl” Season Six, Episode Ten “Christmas Eve Eve” Among the many benefits they have to offer, “New Girl’s” holiday episodes are something that one shouldn’t miss during the holidays. In this episode, Jess, the protagonist, is trying to get her roommates in the loft to participate in a Secret Santa, but not everyone is feeling the spirit. Jess draws Nick, her ex-love interest, and decides to fly his current girlfriend out to L.A., but things get complicated when Nick tries to get a plane ticket to visit his girlfriend. Through all the chaos, the members of the loft forget to get Jess a gift, which makes Jess’s spirits low. In order to lift them, the crew puts together a little Christmas surprise. The episode is really sweet and heart-warming, as it shows the tight bond between friends. “The Office” Season Two, Episode Ten “Christmas Party” In this episode, the office decides to hold a Secret Santa for the Christmas party. Jim draws Pam, his love interest, for his Secret Santa. With a $20 limit, Jim gets Pam a teapot filled with inside jokes between the two. During the gift exchange, Jim’s plan for the gift doesn’t go as planned when Michael feels everyone should have tried harder with the gifts and changes it to a “yankee swap,” which is basically White Elephant with a Michael Scott twist. The main item in the mix is the iPod Michael bought Ryan, but it ends up with Pam. Dwight ends up with Pam’s teapot, which Jim tries to get back because of its value. In the end, Pam trades the iPod to get the teapot back, and she discovers all the hard work Jim put into it. It’s become one of my favorite episodes of “The Office” altogether. It shows the dysfunction that some families, or companies, in this case, face during the holidays.