Issue 5 by The Lance

FEBRUARY 2, 2018

LANCE

THE

8701 Pacific St. Omaha, NE 68114

WESTSIDE HIGH SCHOOL

*SPORTS Check out the state swimming story on page 9 VOLUME 62 ISSUE 5

DEFINING DISCRIMINATION District works to protect school environment

R E E S E P I K E , MERED ITH M A T Z

COPY EDITOR, NEWS EDITOR

More than 150 women testified against Larry Nassar, the former doctor for the U.S. Olympic and Michigan State gymnastics teams, in his week-long trial. Nassar was accused of multiple sex crimes and sentenced to between 40 and 175 years in prison. The trial was extremely emotional for all the victims involved. Any of the people who were sexually harassed by Nassar were allowed to speak during his trial to receive closure for themselves and for justice. According to the New York Times, when giving the sentence, Judge Rosemarie Aquilina told Nassar, “I just signed your death warrant.” Due to his age, Nassar will likely die in prison. Aquilina’s statement was controversial, with some arguing that her comments weren’t professional.

With the recent #MeToo and Time’s Up movements, systemic sexual harassment and abuse in many fields has been revealed. More than ever, conversations are being held about how to deal with the effects of harassment, help survivors and move forward. Due to sexual harassment being brought into focus, it is important to understand the school’s policies on the subject. Westside school board policy number 2213 states, “The District strictly prohibits all forms of harassment on the basis of sex, sexual orientation, race, color, national origin, religion, age, disability and any other protected class.” Sex discrimination and sexual harassment are also prohibited in the state of Nebraska. Westside schools have an overarching definition on harassment for the District, included in both the student and staff handbooks. According to the Unlawful Harass-

ment School Board Policy, “Harassment Graphic by Julia is a form of discrimination, and includes Steiner unwelcome verbal, non-verbal, written (including electronic), graphic or physical conduct relating to a person’s protected class that is sufficiently serious to deny, interfere with or limit a person’s ability to participate in or benefit from an educational program or work program or activity.” Administrators said they hope this definition is clear enough to help foster a safe and respectful environment. “We want our students to feel comfortable and safe enough that if they have any concern at all, they can come right to us because they know we’re going to get the bottom of it and make it a priority,” Westside communications director Brandi Petersen said. According to Petersen, if students have a concern, they can talk to any employee as well as remain anonymous. All staff

NEWS

CONT.: Sexual Misconduct Policy at Westside The LANCE

The Lance is a school-sponsored publication of Westside High School, Westside Community Schools, 8701 Pacific St., Omaha, NE 68144. The Lance office is located in room 251. Phone: (402) 343-2650. The Lance is an in-house publication. The paper is distributed every month to all students, except in vacation periods. Subscription rates to others are $30 prepaid. The Lance is printed by White Wolf Web, in Sheldon, IA. Advertising rates are available upon request. The Lance editorial staff reserves the right to edit all ads for clarity and grammatical errors. The editorial staff reserves the right not to publish any ads that are libelous or that contain non-factual information. The Lance editorial staff also reserves the right to nullify contracts at any time without prior notification. The Lance also refuses ads that promote activities illegal to a majority of the student readership. Reader response is welcomed in the form of letters to the editor. Letters should be less than 300 words, signed by the author and sent to room 251. Names may be withheld upon special request. Lance editors will decide whether to honor such requests. The Lance editorial staff reserves the right to edit letters for clarity and grammatical errors. The editorial staff also reserves the right to not publish any letters that are libelous or that contain non-factual information. The Lance is a member of the Nebraska High School Press Association, the Columbia Scholastic Press Association, the National Scholastic Press Association and the Quill & Scroll Society. The Lance staff recognizes that the administration of Westside Community Schools controls the curriculum and, thus, sets the parameters of the production process of school publications. The Lance staff also recognizes its own responsibilities to inform, enlighten and entertain its readers in a way that reflects high standards of journalism, morals and ethics. Editors-in-Chief Jim Schueneman, Sam Cohen; Managing Editors Malia Battafarano, Georgia Wimmer; Design Editor Julia Steiner; Photo Editor Emma Miller; Copy Editors Reese Pike, Mina Testolin; News Editors Nick Vincentini, Meredith Matz; Opinion Editor Maryam Akramova; Feature Editors Alex Vandenberg, Virginia Jansen; Sports Editor Theo Jansen; Arts and Entertainment Editors Kaelyn Mettler, Nick Protzman; Staff Writers Alex Goldstein, Tristan Newman, Joe Graves, John Maier, Meghan Maynard, Will Cohen, Brooklyn James, Lauren English, Syd Barton, Abby Schreiber, Angelina Pattavina; Photographer Taylor Baca; Advisers Timothy Kaldahl, Jerred Zegelis.

staff at Westside High School are considered to be mandatory reporters, whether they teachers, food services workers or administrators. This means that if a staff member hears about any sort of sexual harassment, abuse, neglect, self harm or sexual assault, they are required by law to report it, anonymously or not, to the school. Students, as well as employees, can also file a complaint themselves. The form for this is located on the District website. There are two Title IX coordinators in the district: Enid Schonewise and Alan Bone. Schonewise deals mainly with staff concerns, while Bone focuses on students. Title IX is defined as a “federal law prohibiting sex discrimination in educational institutions, activities and programs that receive financial assistance.” Schools are required to have policies set in place under Title IX, which include various categories like sexual harassment, bullying, sexual violence and assault. Title IX helps to give schools an effective and efficient way of dealing with sex discrimination complaints and issues. Westside, along with every school across the nation, is required to investigate and determine as quickly as possible what happened in sexual harassment situations, as well as what to do to solve the problem. Schools are also responsible for addressing the effects of harassment. At Westside, there are also programs in place for victims of sexual abuse or harassment. The district has a partnership with Children’s Hospital, which means students can talk to counselors there. Ac-

cording to Principal Jay Opperman, Westside has various connections with people and services to help both the victim and the school when these situations arise. However, employees of the District are not required to have official training to prevent sexual harassment. Administrators said they hope the policies detailed in the handbooks are clear enough to communicate acceptable behavior. According to Petersen, this topic is also brought up during staff development days. “[Sexual harassment] is certainly something [staff] talk about all the time,” Petersen said. “We just had professional development for all of our teachers ... Those are the types of things that, when there’s a current issue, we want to stay proactive and on top of it no matter what the issue may be.” A recent sexual harassment issue occured in December. An assistant princip a l at Millard South was accused of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old female student. According to a report by the Omaha World-Herald, the school found out about the accusation through the mother of the student. A journal kept by the student was found by her parents with details about her relationship with the assistant principal. The school was notified and the assistant principal was arrested and sent to Douglas County Jail. He was charged with two counts of first-degree sexual assault on a child. The minimum sentence for this is 15 years in prison. In a similar situation in 2015, a teacher at Millard North was accused of sexu-

ally assaulting a 15-year-old female student. The teacher was sentenced to 32 to 60 years in prison and must serve at least 17 years before he is eligible for parole. Punishments for sexual harassment vary depending on what school, district and state the crime occurs in. The punishment also relies on what truly happened between the people involved in the situation. “I wouldn’t sit here and say that for any consequence on any discipline [punishment] is consistent,” Opperman said. When a complaint or concern is received, it eventually goes to Schonewise and Bone. From there, they determine what to do on a case-by-case basis, according to Petersen. They consider who the complaint involves and how to investigate the situation. If something happens off-campus, the consequences are different. Typically, the school can intervene only if the events are affecting the school environment, but they still offer services for victims. To ensure that a culture of respect is maintained, the district revamped their policies on sexual harassment two years ago. According to Petersen, Allison McGill, the District’s legal coordinator, looked at the policies to see if they were up to date and protecting students and staff as best as possible. Policies are the same throughout the different schools in the District. Petersen said that the school has not had to deal with many situations involving sexual harassment, but if they do, they are prepared. “If and when they do come up, we’re ready to tackle them, but there’s no Mad Libs formula that you can follow,” Petersen said. Overall, Petersen stressed the district’s zero tolerance for both sex discrimination and sexual harassment. “I think the bottom line is clear,” Petersen said. “Everyone should be treated with respect.”

TREATING TRAFFIC New policies introduced to reduce hallway congestion Graphic by Mina Testolin

NICK P R O T Z M A N acknowledge that. We’re not going to say a bunch convenience,” Principal Jay Opperman said. “I

A&E EDITOR

Westside has been no stranger to newly-implemented rules within the past school year. This school is known for its freedom, made possible by modular scheduling, and is seen as prep for college. With “no go zones” and rules restricting the times students can be in the hallway, many students have felt as if their freedom is starting to become limited. “[The new rules] are just really unnecessary,” a Westside student said. “[They] make getting to where I want to go a lot harder, even though I have no bad intentions.” Since the end of the first semester, leaving class to go to the bathroom or for another purpose was limited by staff. This semester, a policy was created for lunch mods where if a student is open, they cannot leave the area they are in until the next passing period passing period. “We know we’ve taken away a little bit of

of things, we’re just going to try one thing at a time and evaluate how it’s working and if it’s helping.” Opperman explained that a Google Form was sent out to staff asking if they had one great idea that they thought would help our school. The administrative team and PBIS teams looked through the ideas sent in and tried to find recurring themes, in order to determine what needed to be implemented. “A concern I’ve heard since I’ve started working here is the hallway traffic and noise disrupting classrooms,” Opperman said. “We picked out the time of the day where we got the most traffic, so I guess we were going for the most bang for our buck.” Amidst these rules that students are adjusting to, rumors have surfaced about eliminating phone usage from the entire school and implementing bathroom passes.

“We know we’ve taken away a little bit of convenience.” Principal Jay Opperman

“As a staff we did discuss if we needed to go to a standard pass and we decided no,” Opperman said. “There may be a situation where a kid really does need to go to another spot or just needed to ask one question and now we’re in the mod, but we’re not going to a standard pass or anything.” Aside from policies implemented by administration, teachers have taken matters into their own hands. Some teachers have experimented with the usage of bathroom passes or having students turn in their phones as a method of taking attendance. “I don’t want it to feel like we’re constricting everything,” Opperman said. “I think our measure needs to be that students can still access teachers and teachers can still access students.”

Graphic by Sam Cohen

NEWS

school board

MARYAM A K R A M O V A & T H E O J A N S E N

OPINION EDITOR & SPORTS EDITOR

Durng this election season, two seats are up for grabs on the Westside School Board. As of this writing, there are six

a ll ot

candidates running, but by Feb. 1, there will be four or fewer candidates as a result of the caucus. Here are the candidates’ views on the issues.

Photos provided by the candidates Graphic by Georgia Wimmer

Sean Conway

Jill Novotny

Tyler Gloe

Running: “I’m a parent of elementary age students. I’ve got two daughters who go to Loveland, and I have a two-yearold who will go through the school system eventually. I care very much about the long-term future of the school district.” Goals: “My three main areas I care about are community engagement, academic performance and financial stewardship, [and] making sure that we have a stable financial future going forward as a school district and to make sure we get input from all the community members.” Qualifications: “Professionally, I’m a lawyer. I practice doing criminal and civil law, and so, on a daily basis, I advocate for people, I fight for people. So I think my legal background lends itself to advocating for the people of this district … I also have been involved in public service before. I was on the Nebraska Accountability and Disclosure Commission, which regulates campaign finance and makes sure that public resources are not being used by officeholders for private gain. I found that experience to be really enjoyable … I cared very much about that public service component.”

Running: “I feel that a teacher needs to be on the school board because teachers are the front line when dealing with kids, and kids are the most important part of a school district. They are the reason everyone is there. I’m a teacher, and I want to be on the school board because I want to make sure that there’s a teacher’s perspective.” Goals: “[My goals are] to ensure that the district is financially on the right path and to make sure teachers’ voices are heard. I also want to learn more about the district. I have a daughter going into kindergarten this upcoming school year.” Qualifications: “I have personal experience dealing with different ages. I did my student teaching at Westside Middle School. I also have experience with high schoolers and that’s a wide range of different ages … I’m pretty good at talking in front of people because I am a teacher. I can be fairly persuasive, having persuaded high schoolers to work on a daily basis. Those are my main assets that I will bring.”

Running: “I moved into the Westside District a few years ago and specifically moved into the house that I bought to live in the Westside District. I really want to get involved in my community and put my skills to good use.” Goals: “The biggest thing that I would like to see is more careers in technical education in both the high school and middle school. I really think that training students to have a career once they leave the school environment is important. Ideally, every student should graduate career ready.” Qualifications: “I’ve been in finance for my entire career and, obviously, a major part of being on the school board is handling budgets and finance. For over a decade, I’ve been in the financial industry. I’ve worked on bank budgets and balance sheets. I think that’s going to go a long way to making an effective school board member.”

Meagan Van Gelder

Steven Taylor

Doug Krenzer

Running: “I’m running because I am passionate about Westside Community Schools and serving our students and our community.” Goals: “If I am elected, I would love to see Westside attract and retain the best teachers and educators. I believe teachers make a difference in the classroom and that helps give our students the best education possible. I would also like to see our teachers have the resources they need to do their teaching in the classroom … My third goal is to provide all of our high school students excellent guidance and counseling services, so they have the opportunity to explore the many pathways that are beyond high school so they can reach their full potential.” Qualifications: “I believe I bring my career background [as a qualification], which is in education. I have been a teacher and currently work at University of Nebraska at Omaha. My degrees are in education. I have been very involved with Westside Community Schools at a district level. I feel like I’ve been able to be a good representative for our community. I have served on the bond issue committee and there was a big district task force, and I served on the curriculum committee and I currently serve on the teaching and learning communicators group. Those opportunities have allowed me to learn from the school district. It’s allowed me to be a voice of our community.”

Running: “I’m a Westside graduate and I really struggled in school my sophomore, junior and senior years. I felt lost and I felt like no one really wanted to help me. It was only with help from my parents and a few other select staff that I was able to identify some learning disabilities … and overcome some challenges that kind of helped me get through school … I really want to see a more robust focus on coding and programming languages … I want to bring those perspectives so that kids feel like they can engage with the school and can get the best possible outcome.” Goals: “What I strive for in terms of budgets is spending enough to put the resources and the tools in place for teachers and students to do the best they can, but also to be fiscally responsible for future generations. If I could accomplish one goal it would be to normalize and make code accessible to all students in the district, to all socioeconomic backgrounds. We have a wide swath of backgrounds in the district and some people feel that code is accessible and other people feel that it’s not … That’s where I want to start, at the bottom of our platform and work up, so that code is accessible to anybody.” Qualifications: “I’m a job creator, an entrepreneur. I have several businesses that I started. I know what the in-demand jobs are, especially in the technology sector … I’d like to create a lot of skilled jobs in the Nebraska area and put up a fence so we don’t lose the talented kids to other companies out of state and out of the country.”

Running: “I am running because I was appointed to the board back in October of last year and when I applied, the board wanted someone who would run and hold onto the seat when it was up for election, which is this time … I am running because I believe it’s really important work, and I love Westside Community Schools.” Goals: “I have several goals. One of the important goals we have is to make sure that the good teachers we have in the district stay here and don’t leave for other teaching opportunities and that we attract the best new teachers that we can find to come teach at Westside … Another goal I have is to make sure that we are continuing to operate within the means that we have. In other words, that we are operating within the budget, the financial resources that we have, and are making good financial choices … Then the third main goal is to make sure that we’re doing all we can to get our students college or career ready.” Qualifications: “I think number one is experience. I’m the only one of the the six people running for the board that have experience because I was appointed last year, and I have a head start on this job. So number one is experience, number two is my long dedication for working for the Westside schools … I’m very involved in the schools anyway, and I have a good understanding of what is going on at the schools because I have school-age children. I think all of those things make me very qualified to stay on the board and continue that work.”

OPINION

Birth Defect Awareness month Birth defects, also known as congenital disorders, affect children all over the world. There are over 4,000 different types of birth defects. It’s Birth Defect Awareness month, so it is important to know what birth defects are. Birth defects break down into two groups, LAUREN ENGLISH according to the STAFF WRITER NICHD. Those groups are structural and developmental or functional, although some can be both. Structural disorders are when a part of the body is structured abnormally, such as cleft lip, spina bifida and abnormal limbs. Functional and developmental disorders are when part of the body has a problem with how it is supposed to work, these include metabolic, sensory, nervous system and degenerative disorders. Seventy percent of birth defects’ causes are unknown. Genetic and environmental factors are the leading causes of birth defects. Genetic defects can cause chromosomal abnormalities or single gene defects. Single gene defects are usually inherited, whereas chromosomal abnormalities are generally determined during fertilization. Environmental factors include radiation, chemicals, infections and medication. Because only 30 percent of birth defects’ causes are known, it’s crucial to take preventative measures against those you can. “[Expecting mothers should] be very cautious about their food [and] what things they’re putting into their bodies,” Dr. Robert Woodford, a pediatrician at Methodist Physcians Clinic, said. “Use of medications need to be discussed with their physicians. [Get] prenatal care and screenings [and] have follow-up testings as recommended by a physician. Women of childbearing age need to be taking extra folic acid [and] a multivitamin.” The prenatal environment is vital to a baby’s development. Taking 400 mg of folic acid (vitamin B) daily helps prevent neural tube defects. Taking a prenatal multivitamin supplement provide folic acid and the needed vitamins, A, C, D and iron. Mother’s to be should avoid alcohol, caffeine, drugs, harmful agents, radiation, chemicals and smoking. Smoking causes 20 to 30 percent of underweight babies, 14 percent of preterm deliveries and ten percent of infant deaths. Getting the recommended health screenings, knowing family health history and of course communicating with a doctor can all help decrease the risk of birth defects. Why should you care? Birth defects are more common than you think. One in 33 babies is born with a birth defect, according to the CDC. Congenital disorders were the leading cause of death for U.S. infants in 2017. “There are a lot of types of birth defects, some of which have a catastrophic impact on families,” Woodford said. Approximately 17 percent of children in the United States have a developmental disability and two percent of those result in lifelong care, as stated by the CDC. Birth Defect Awareness Month isn’t just about preventing birth defects, it’s about the people living with them right now. “Always remember that everybody deserves love, dignity, respect, all of the medical care and everything that everyone has a right to have,” Woodford said. “There are countries that babies with birth defects are just left alone, go unfed or they are actually murdered. We live in a country where at least everyone has the freedom for life and respect, dignity and just like everyone else everybody deserves the chance to be loved.”

Graphic by Abby Schreiber

PEOPLE NOT PROBLEMS Hallway rules limit student freedom The administration constantly puts emphasis on how modular scheduling gives students the privilege to choose what they do in the classroom. Although the student body continues to hold this freedom, throughout the school year, our choices outside of instructional time have become increasingly limited. These regulations can have a destructive impact on the learning environment and their effectiveness ABBY SCHREIBER can and should be questioned by the student body. STAFF WRITER “There is now a more formal emphasis on students either being in class, an IMC or the Courtyard during each mod,” Principal Jay Opperman said. “During mods four through 11, [WHS is] changing to a practice where students actually move at the passing time of the half mod … Instead of having continuous traffic flow during these mods, we are narrowing it down to a specific time.” Assistant Principal Trudi Nolin responded similarly to the questions of hallway traffic, stating that these new rules have lessened disruptions from the hallways. “WHS has a great educational advantage with modular scheduling, as long as staff [and] students are using it to maximum potential,” Nolin said. “However, the negative that can happen with modular scheduling is unnecessary hallway traffic … We do have some students that wander the hallways, whether individually or with a group, and can cause disruptions to classes that are going on.” Both Nolin and Opperman went further into detail about how these rules were necessary to improve attentiveness and productivity in and out of the classroom. Although administrators find these rules to reduce hallway traffic as well as make students more attentive, an important topic that is often left out of the conversation is that 95 percent of students are being punished for the acts of five percent of student body. With disruptions in the halls coming from a small number of students on an infrequent basis, the hallway regulations have similar negative impacts to collective punishment. In an experimental investigation by Eric S. Dickson, assistant professor in the department of politics and center for experimental social science at New York University, he showed that using collective punishment to influence a group’s aggregate behavior was ineffective. Dickson’s experiment relates closely to the new

rules at Westside, with both the administration and the students trying to maximize the ability to learn, but having different ways of doing so. His experiment for Opposed Interests Treatment, where authority has different interests from the group, discovered that, “While collective punishment is estimated to have a substantial effect on public goods contribution behavior in the Opposed Interests Treatment, there is no evidence of a significant effect on in-group punishment behavior.” In the Aligned Interests Treatment, where authority has the same interests as the group, collective punishment is shown to have long-term negative effects. Both the Aligned Interests and the Opposed Interests Treatments can apply to Westside’s situation. Dickson’s experiments provide evidence that by enforcing rules upon all students to fix a small percentage of the student body, the learning environment will quickly worsen and continue to go downhill. In the end, this isn’t necessarily about earbuds, using the bathroom during class or being confined to the courtyard during lunch mods. This comes down to the thing the administration has been telling us we have since day one: freedom. There is no point in letting students choose what we do inside of the classroom when we can’t choose what we do outside of the classroom. How are students supposed to learn when so much of our freedom is taken away that school becomes a prison-like environment? Teachers should not have to play the role of prison guards; classrooms should not feel like prison cells. In Dismantling the School-to-Prison Pipeline: Tools for Change, a study by University of Florida Law Professor Jason P. Nance, he states that in order to maximize our learning and productivity we need to improve our school climate. Nance dove further into the concept of school climate and discussed how positive relationships between teachers, students and other staff members can result in better academic achievement and safer learning spaces. These new regulations are doing exactly what shouldn’t be done if the administration wants to improve the school climate by treating the student body like problems instead of people. Students should not be defined by school rules. The administration is not fixing the real problem at hand by turning us into a walking version of the Warrior Handbook. I’ve heard many teachers and administrators say that we are the future, but they must decide: are students a blessing or a burden? By creating rules that turn the students into the problem, the administration is deciding that they are a burden. Students are not a burden. The students are the future, and deserve to be treated with the same respect as the past.

FEATURE

FEATURE EDITOR, STAFF WRITER

WORLDLY WARRIORS Freshman prepares to spend year in Germany Graphic by Angelina Pattavina

ANGE LIN A P A T T A V I N A hope to learn] how to manage my money because going to be pretty different,” Seran said. “Also, [I

STAFF WRITER

Freshman Laila Seran plans on taking her education and life out of the United States. She will travel 5,000 miles to a town called Braunschweig in Germany where she will be a foreign exchange student during her sophomore year. Through the Rotary Foreign Exchange Student program, she has the chance to stay with three different families and attend a German school while another student will come to Omaha to live with her parents and attend Westside. This opportunity was presented to Seran by her German teacher, Amber Hollenbeck. Seran said she took the information home to tell her parents, and they encouraged her to apply. Seran then filled out the application and went through a series of interviews with Rotary members where they asked her questions about adapting to the new culture that she would be surrounded by and how she’d be affected. She got the email on Nov. 26 saying that she got into the program. After being accepted, she began to prepare by taking some sophomore classes this semester, like Earth and Space Science and Personal Finance. She also plans to take summer classes, so she is ready to come back her junior year. Seran said one of her main reasons for choosing this trip was being able to have this opportunity at such a young age. “I want to improve my German speaking skills and see the cultural differences between [the United States] and Germany because I expect that it’s

I’m going to have to learn how to do that better.” According to the Rotary Youth Exchange page, more than 100 countries are involved in the program. Their potential is to show students the different cultures, help develop leadership skills, friendships and become a global citizen. While she said she feels that the program is a great opportunity to get out there and experience other parts of the world, Seran has expressed some concern with the trip. “When I’m there I can’t talk to my parents for the first three months for separation anxiety,” Seran said. “I think it’s going to be interesting having [a German exchange student] here because next year my sister, Mali, is going off to college, so it’s just going to be my mom, dad, the student and the dogs.” Seran said she’s heard from a few people in the program that it’s hard being away from family, but she doesn’t have a choice to come back if she doesn’t like it. She said she isn’t sure what to expect once she gets to Germany because she has certain rules she must follow. According to Seran, some rules she has to follow are she can’t work, date or drive even if she is of age. She also has to make presentations to Rotary about her time in Germany and what she has gained from the experience. She also said she can only bring two suitcases and a carry on with her when she leaves. These same rules apply to the student coming to Omaha. Laila’s mom, Robin Seran, will be the one enforcing these rules in

her home. Robin Seran said she really liked the program because it wasn’t like other opportunities to go out of the country. She said she knew Laila would actually be gaining something out of this. “I liked how long the program was,” Robin Seran said. “With her being gone a full school year, I think that will give her more experience. There’s other programs out there that are shorter, where she could have gone anywhere from six to eight weeks, and I think that’s just kind of scratching the surface.” Laila Seran said she agrees with her mom with the time frame aspect because she feels it will help with her future. “It will help with having studied abroad for a year at this young of age, not a lot of people will have done that,” she said. “It’ll look good on college applications and also with my bilingual status. [Germany] has amazing medical programs too.” Laila Seran said that after being there for a full year and seeing how the culture is, she might decide to go to medical school there. Both Laila and Robin Seran hope that this opportunity opens up Laila’s mind and eyes to the world around her. “It will be interesting. We look at the exchange student as a child of ours where we’re responsible for taking them to and from school [or] if they choose any other activities, we have to figure out carpool situations,” Robin Seran said. “They go on family vacations with us. We are not supposed to be too involved. They’re really on their own, just like Laila.”

Senior reflects on foreign exchange experience VIRGINIA J A N S E N , SYD B A R T O N

FEATURE EDITOR, STAFF WRITER

Participating in a foreign exchange program can be daunting, exciting and difficult. Senior Katrina Mitchell was one of the students lucky enough to be able to immerse herself in a new culture. Mitchell said she believes that the experience was extremely beneficial. Mitchell first started her journey to become a foreign exchange student in her sophomore year. Her mother studied abroad in college, which she said inspired her to take advantage of the program available to students at Westside. The agency that Mitchell went through is called the American Field Service-USA. There was no certain schooling or education necessary in order to be a foreign exchange student, so Mitchell signed up. Mitchell said she was originally planning on traveling and staying with a family in New Zealand, but things changed. “The program for New Zealand filled up fast,” Mitchell said. Because of this, Mitchell had to find somewhere else to go to within the program. She chose to travel to Argentina instead. “Argentina was a totally different world,”

Mitchell said. There are many cultural and societal differences between Argentina and the United States that Mitchell had to adjust to when she moved away. The most obvious one was the language difference. In Argentina, they speak Spanish, which Mitchell was not fluent in when she moved there. “It can be scary and uncomfortable when you don’t know how to communicate [with] others,” Mitchell said. Even though it was scary at first, Mitchell said it wasn’t a problem most of the time. Overall, Mitchell said she loved the experience she had on her foreign exchange. She also said she created a great relationship with the family she stayed with over her six month period in Argentina. She still stays in touch with the family and recently traveled there to visit. Because of this experience, Mitchell said her Spanish speaking skills improved greatly. “It is definitely helpful to know the language of what culture you are going into,” Mitchell said. Another element that Mitchell said was important for an exchange program is having an open mind. This helped her actually become immersed in the new culture. Coming back to Nebraska after her six months

in Argentina, Mitchell said she was beyond excited to reunite with her friends and family. “It was refreshing to have a break from school, but coming back was really nice,” Mitchell said. Mitchell went right back to school the following semester, so she said she adjusted back easily. “I took online classes so I wouldn’t fall behind,” Mitchell said. Mitchell said the experience of being a foreign exchange student really helped her with her Spanish skills and putting herself in new situations. Overall, she said she believes it was a positive experience and she encourages others to put themselves out there as well and try something new.

Graphic by Malia Battafarano

FEATURE

SCORCHED BY SIMMONS Senior builds new pieces of equipment for the weight room KAELYN M E T T L E R

A&E EDITOR

For many, welding sounds like a tedious task very few can master. For senior John Simmons, who's been welding since 2014, it’s an elective that he plans to expand on outside of high school. “Back [in] my freshman year I took Welding Processes and Woods 1 and I enjoyed that I could make something of my own,” Simmons said. “It then became more of a hobby and something I could become efficient in.” Before Simmons’ new project, he was preparing for the skills necessary in trade school. He worked on many small projects these last few years, each increasing in size. With the support from welding instructor John Bombac, Simmons is now using his experience in the classroom to help other places in the school by making two pieces of equipment for the athletic hallway. “The kid is a great student with good skills,” Bombac said. “I’ve known him for four years and I've never met a kid who I can jam out Kenny Rogers with.” Simmons began with welding the landmine, a heavy weighted mount a barbell and plates stick into, which then becomes a pivot. This is used for upper arm workouts, so that an athlete

can safely use weight in the air. The second piece is called a chain sleeve, a seemingly simple weld consisting of metal welded together that prevent the chance of a chain slipping off while in use. It has to have a 100 percent certainty it won't fall off. For the chain sleeve in itself, the welds he put on could support 20 times the weight applied. “Because the metal isn't that thick, but the weld is almost four times as thick as the metal,” Simmons said. “From the base of the weld to the surface, it’s very safe.” A landmine goes for around $100 in stores and online. The chains are less expensive, but can still range from $40 to $100. Ten landmines and chain sleeves’ retail cost would come out to upwards of $1000, but Simmons is making everything for $300. Westside is compensating Simmons for his labor in tools that he can later use as he expands his talent. “Just having the equipment that costs so much, and being able to make it at school makes it much more affordable,” physical education instructor Justin Haberman said. “For the students and athletes this means they’ll have more up to date equipment to perform at the best of their ability.” The landmines and chain sleeve are scheduled to be used by students towards the end of April.

“[Simmons] is a great student with good skills.” Welding Instructor John Bombac

Senior John Simmons uses an angle grinder to round over the edge of a metal cylinder. Photo by Kaelyn Mettler

SPRING TO SUCCESS Freshman helps Westside dive team to reach new heights B RO O K Y L N J A M E S ing big improvements,” Saalfed said. “[It’s] pret“We have a lot of new kids and they are mak-

STAFF WRITER

The swimming and diving teams have had great success so far this season, including a win over Creighton Prep on Dec. 5, a first place finish at their home meet on Jan. 26 and 27 and many other victories. There have been many impressive performances from multiple athletes, including freshman Koby Bretz. Bretz has been diving competitively since third grade. After trying many other sports, including gymnastics, he decided to stick with diving. He is part of the football program at the high school as well. “I dive at Omaha Dive Club for coach Peter Charles,” Bretz said. This is where he first learned and started to perfect all the different dives and techniques. He is still a part of the same club team. “Every week I dive Monday through Friday twice a day,” Bretz said. “First, right after school for the high school team, a quick hour break and then I head over to Burke for my club practice.” He said he has been looking forward to coming up to the high school and diving for the school team. According to his coach and other teammates, he is greatly contributing to the team and the whole program. “The school team has been very different from club, but I like it so far and we have been competing very well at our meets,” Bretz said. Head dive coach Katy Saalfed has been the coach at Westside for 11 years. She said she has seen a lot of new things this season, including the young freshmen stepping up in big ways.

ty impressive.” Although Bretz is one of the youngest, he has been an important part of the team and a leader. It has helped the team as a whole. “From the competition standpoint, having someone like Koby that has more diving experience and bigger dives helps push the rest of the divers to want to get there,” Saalfed said. “They strive to better themselves, they strive to do bigger dives and they strive to be competitive.” Saalfed said the talent that Bretz shows is very fun to see and something she enjoys being a part of. “Koby is fun to watch because he is throwing some of those big dives that other kids aren't throwing in his age group yet, and so I think it has made the sport more exciting,” Saalfed said. Although it has been a good season so far, there is still more diving to be done. The state swimming and diving championships are Feb. 22 through 24 in Lincoln at the Bob Devaney Sports Center. Bretz said he has been working very hard this season and is excited to see what state and the rest of his diving career brings. “My goal for the rest of the year is to not lose another meet and place top three at the state meet,” Bretz said. “A lot of people tell me that I have a good chance of performing well at state.” Saalfed is among one of the many people who said they see Bretz’s talent and have hopes for him going into the rest of the season. “Koby is very competitive and we hope and expect that he has the talent and skills to compete with the top divers in the state very successfully,

but you never know until you get there,” Saalfed said. “It’s kind of a stressful time of the season for all of them. Not only are they tired and worn out, but they are stressed and trying to reach goals.” Overall, Bretz has a very high potential for the rest of the season and the future. “Hopefully he will continue to enjoy the sport,” Saalfed said. “That’s the main thing. Some kids burn out early. He trains year-round which can wear your body out, but he’s a good athlete so our fingers are always crossed that he is going to enjoy his experience at Westside and continue to be on the Westside swimming and diving team.”

Freshman Koby Bretz talks to sophomore Jack Bush at dive practice. Photo by Kyndall Goodwin

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SPORTS

MISSING MURPHY Varsity Basketball squad adjusts to loss of star freshman CONNOR TRACY

STAFF WRITER

Decisions are a part of life. Everyone makes them and everyone’s life is affected by them. There’s times where decisions must be made to benefit yourself, and times where decisions are made to benefit others. Earlier this month standout freshman basketball player Preston Murphy, who currently holds a division 1 offer to Buffalo University, announced his decision to transfer from Westside to Elkhorn South. The surprising transfer has forced the varsity basketball team to adjust to a major change. “Preston and his family made a decision that they felt was in his best interests and I wish him well moving forward,” varsity basketball coach Jim Simons said. “He’s a good kid and a talented player, he’ll do well.” When one of your brightest young players transfers, it brings a lot of added pressure to the other players on your team. “Everyone’s role has seen an increase, we’ve all had to step up our game and make up for the talent that we lost when Preston transferred,” sophomore Cal Weidman said. How the players choose to react is up to them, they can let it break them apart or they can use this situation to bring them together. Since the transfer they’ve cho-

sen the latter. “So far we’ve all stayed vaguely positive regarding the whole situation, it hasn’t been easy having to adjust but it’s brought us closer together as a team,” said sophomore Jadin Booth. “We’re all looking forward to the rest of the season and hopefully we can end on a high note.” With an open spot on the team, there is a great opportunity for other young players on the JV team, giving them a chance to try and prove that their worthy of being a potential replacement. “When I first heard the news I wasn’t necessarily excited but it definitely came across my mind that this an opportunity for me to show the coaches that I can keep up with the varsity players,” said sophomore Michael Fishburn. “It’s made me work a lot harder than I was earlier in the season.” Now with a little under two months left in the season, the team that just lost one of their key players still has their goals set high, specifically going to win a state championship. “The main thing a lot of people critique when talking about our team or when watching us play is how young our team is, this gives people the impression that we can’t win now,” senior Dylan Plautz said. “But the team that we have now is more than capable of winning a championship this year.”

“The team that we have now is more than capable of winning a championship.” Senior Dylan Plautz

Above, sophomore Jadin Booth breaks away against Bellevue West. Below, sophomore PJ Ngambi begins an offensive move against Omaha South. Photos by Brooke Sip and Taylor Weis

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SPORTS

SPLASH AT STATE Westside’s swim team continues to prepare for the state meet JOHN M A I E R

STAFF WRITER

Junior Jackson Hanus practices his strokes with a kickboard. Photo by Emma Miller

This year, Westside’s swim team travels to the state meet with the hopes of bringing home a first place team finish. Sophomore swimmer Sam Kelly said that after a fifth place finish last year, the team is even more motivated to win than past seasons. Kelly said he hopes to compete in the 500 meter and 200 meter free this year at state. He said the state meet is always on the team’s mind. “When we first start training in November, [the state meet] is what everyone’s thinking about,” Kelly said. “We’re looking at the end goal. Everything’s been going towards state and getting people cuts to go to state.” Junior swimmer Jackson Hanus said he agrees that everything goes towards the state meet. “[We train for] two and a half months with the high school season,” Hanus said. “Including the club season, we train for [the state meet] yearround.” Westside swimming head coach Douglas Krecklow said he believes that chemistry is great this year. “Great leadership [creates great chemistry],” Krecklow said. “Seniors always become the leaders, they do that by the nature that they are seniors.” Kelly said he believes that you have to push yourself when swimming because you don’t have a teammate. The team aspect occurs in the scoring. “Swimming is very much a lone sport, because your times all matter to you, but [team placement in the meet] always comes down to scoring,” Kelly said. “So everyone’s motivated to go as hard as they can to try to win.”

Krecklow said that the training from season to season is pretty similar. “Overall, the scheme has lots of similarities [to previous seasons], mostly based on what my philosophy is in terms of training,” Krecklow said. “There’s always adjustments we make based upon who we have on the team and what the emphasis needs to be.” Creighton Prep has been very successful in the state meet, placing first in the tournament for the past eleven years. Westside recently defeated Creighton Prep in both their invitational and dual meets. Kelly said he believes that there is outside pressure to succeed, due to their victories against Creighton Prep. “[Other public schools] are rallying behind us to win, and for the whole team aspect I think that’s a big push to swimming harder and practicing harder,” Kelly said. Hanus said he believes that since their victories against Prep, the team has been even more motivated to succeed. “We’ve just been focused on what we need to do,” Hanus said. “The win against Prep was a big morale booster and has been getting us hyped for the state meet.” Junior swimmer Matthew Sutej said he believes that the team can perform well with the outside pressure, but they will have to stay composed. “We’ll be able to tell if people can handle the pressure when state comes,” Sutej said. “People will have to step up and swim well.” Krecklow said he will not worry about what Prep is doing, but will focus on what the team needs to accomplish. “They aren’t invincible,” Krecklow said. “So if we play our cards right and continue to stay focused on what we need to do, things are going to be fine.”

UNIFORM CHANGES

Wrestling team takes advantage of rule change, offers new uniform JOE G R A V E S

Freshman Quincy Hogan pins sophomore Tanner Martin. Photo by Julia Steiner

STAFF WRITER

Wrestling has always has had a single uniform called a singlet. Up until recently, it has been the rule that a singlet must be worn to any match. However, in a new rule it has been revised so that a new style of uniform with two pieces is allowed. Now that the new uniforms are accepted, Westside has decided to update their uniforms to the new twopiece uniforms. The team said they are hoping that this new change will attract more people to the sport. “There was a rule change, and now the new uniforms are allowed so we thought we would take advantage of the situation and get them, ” wrestling coach Justin Haberman said With the new uniforms, the wrestling team hopes to attract more people who were a little bit skittish at first because of the amount of skin-toskin contact or how the singlets looked. forms, so that more girls will join the sport. “I would be more likely to join the sport if they With new wrestlers joining, the majority have had the new uniforms, taken to the uniforms and because they give more embraced the new rule. “...the new uniforms are choice to the wrestler However, some people and in the end, it is an allowed so we thought we have still chosen to go individualistic sport,” the more traditionwould take advantage of with said sophomore Michael al singlet. When polled, Finan. the situation and get them.” more than 70 percent of Now that they have the wrestlers said that the new uniforms, the they like and will use the coaches said they are new style of uniform. hoping more boys and They said that the new girls will join the sport. uniforms are more comGirls wrestling has startfortable and allow them ed to take off over the past few years and the team to move more freely. The new uniform also allows is trying to get ahead of the trend and have the uni- for easier access for girls to join the team.

Physical Education Instructor Justin Haberman

“Girls wrestling has really taken off recently and we hope that it will be state-sanctioned and more girls will join,” wrestling coach Michael Jernigan said. "I think the new uniforms will tempt more girls to join.” Girls wrestling is now a state-sanctioned sport in six states and will hopefully be a sanctioned sport in the state of Nebraska soon. Some girls do not participate because of the uniforms provided. However, the team hopes that the new uniforms being implemented will attract more girls to join the sport. “The new uniforms are really nice and reduce skin-to-skin contact, which will prevent diseases being spread, and I think that it will get more people into [wrestling],” sophomore Jacob Vincentini said.

SPORTS

NUTRITION GOALS Varsity girls soccer begins new dieting program MAX F R O S T individual athletes, but has also helped many 13 years. She has most of her experience with

STAFF WRITER

A student athlete does whatever they can to improve their game. Here at Westside, students have been introduced to many alternative methods to do just that, such as yoga, meditation and now dieting. Recently, girls soccer started a month-long dieting program with four of their senior players, Cara Maynard, Lauren Fehr, Kyndall Goodwin and Dani Barton. Tenth grade English instructor and varsity girls soccer coach Nathan Moseley said he started thinking of incorporating this diet into training after the success he and his family had with their paleo diet. They started the paleo diet after one of his daughters was diagnosed with celiac disease, and as a result, they started ridding their diets of wheat and many other refined foods. “As a family, we eliminated all those things and we started feeling way better and had a lot more energy,” Moseley said. After experiencing the physical and mental benefits of the diet, Moseley said he decided to introduce it to his team. He asked registered dietician Rebecca Mohning of Expert Nutrition to come in and create a personalized diet for each of the four seniors involved as a sort of trial run. “The women seem really engaged and excited about the plan,” Mohning said. Mohning has been a sports nutritionist for

teams before, such as the Millard North swim team. Having previous experience as a state track athlete, Mohning said she knows just how hard student athletes work to get better. “You can only do so much training … but if you can tweak your diet, you can get that extra benefit,” Mohning said. Moseley and Mohning said they both hope to improve the performance of the team and the individuals. To begin the program, Moseley and Mohning found four senior girl volunteers to find what works best for them. Then, starting in February, Mohning will introduce four different meal plans to the rest of the team. “I look at level of activity, their goals and what they eat now as I make a plan for an athlete,” Mohning said. Mohning will be creating the four plans based on what she gathers from the girls involved. Then Mohning will adjust those plans for four different types of athletes based on her criteria. Mohning and Moseley said they both hope that this will give the players the ability of pursuing a diet that they think will work best for them. “The avenue of thinking about eating is important to any athlete,” Mohning said Mohning and Moseley said they hope this new program will translate to benefits in both soccer and everyday life. One aspect that

they said they believe will also benefit from dieting is academics. “Taking care of body and health will also improve their focus for school,” Mohning said. Moseley made no promises on this bringing more wins in the upcoming season, but he said he believes it will help his players bring more energy into their every day and game. “I believe if we can help 75 percent of the girls feel better, play better and have better stamina on the field, then it’s worth it,” Moseley said.

Graphic by Malia Battafarano

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A&E

MOVIE REVIEW A L EX G O L D S T E I N obviously comedic, you can see Franco’s respect dedication to his screenplays and acting. While

STAFF WRITER

Based on a cult classic movie, “The Room” by Tommy Wiseau, which is known for being the best worst movie ever, comes “The Disaster Artist” starring James and Dave Franco. The movie highlights Wiseau’s journey to Hollywood and his creation of a spectacular failure with his best friend, Greg Sestero. As Wiseau is rejected from many talent agencies and auditions, he decides to write his own screenplay, “The Room,” which he and Sestero simultaneously star in. His screenplay results in a disaster. “The Disaster Artist” arguably features James Franco’s best performance yet. Franco transforms into Wiseau in this film, which, since its release, has put Wiseau into the internet spotlight, making him a widespread joke. Wiseau has masterfully milked this new fame, introducing a re-release of “The Room” and appearing at the Golden Globes. Franco spectacularly emulates Wiseau’s goofiness and determination for success. Surprisingly, the Franco brothers work really well with each other in the film. The film goes in depth over Wiseau’s

and empathy for Wiseau, conveying his passion for fame. The movie also goes into Sestero and Wiseau’s unlikely friendship. They met through acting classes in San Francisco. As Sestero notices the teacher ripping Wiseau’s shoddy recreation of a scene from “A Streetcar Called Desire,” he is taken aback by Wiseau’s fearlessness. As they become friends, Wiseau suggests the two move to Los Angeles and try their hand at pursuing acting careers. Other actors in the movie include Seth Rogen, who plays the true director of the film, even though Wiseau is listed as acting and directing. Josh Hutcherson plays the actor who portrays Denny in “The Room.” These two add great comedic moments to the movie by bouncing off of Franco’s weirdness, which works wonderfully. Overall, “The Disaster Artist” is a heartwarming story of how a person can fail so badly that they succeed. It provides a great look into Wiseau’s odd and unknown life and offers a solid moral: never give up on your dreams, no matter how much you fail.

“The movie highlights Tommy Wiseau’s journey to Hollywood and his creation of a spectacular failure.”

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A&E

The Evolution of Winter Formal JULIA S T E I N E R DESIGN EDITOR

Dances have been an essential element of Westside’s social life since it first opened in 1951. Because dances are such a crucial aspect of the high school

experience, we thought it was important to explore the history of tomorrow’s dance, Winter Formal. Over the years, dances have evolved along with culture. From live music to DJs, and from the Sweetheart and Prince coronation to Battle of the Bands, tomorrow’s Winter Formal dance is rich in history.

In the sixties, to prepare for the Sweetheart Dance the Pep and W-Clubs would have gone through weeks of planning. They decorated the Girls Gym, now known as the Activity Gym, with cupids, hearts and balloons.

1957

1959

1962

1967

1964

In 1959, there was the first high school Basketball Sweetheart Dance, the winter sport’s equivalent to football’s homecoming. A Sweetheart and a Prince were crowned on the Royal Court.

1975

1980

In 1975 there was both a Christmas Prom and a Sweetheart dance and this was common throughout the seventies.

1998

1999

The first Winter Formal was in 1998 on Valentine’s Day. It was run by the Student Advisory Board (SAB), and girls still asked the boys in the tradition of previous winter dances.

In 1980, a Valentine’s Day Dance replaced the Sweetheart and took place on Feb. 14.

2000

In 1999, Winter Formal’s theme was Candyland and took place in the Courtyard. Instead of Battle of the Bands, Westside had the first annual Westside Independent Film Festival (WIFF). Five student films were premiered at 10:30, and then a winner was selected. Although WIFF was recognized as the first annual film festival, it was the only one at Winter Formal.

1974

1970

1960 The first Sweetheart Dance was for junior high, called the Sweetheart Hop, in 1957.

1972

By 1962, the Basketball Sweetheart Dance had shortened its name to the Sweetheart Dance, although it was still scheduled to accompany a basketball game.

1981

In 1964, there was a Snowball Dance as well as the Sweetheart Dance. The Snowball was hosted by boys in the Key Club and members of the Z Club. A Snowball Queen and King were voted in as royalty. A band of nine Westside boys provided music for the night, with the help of the Reserve Band director on lead trumpet.

1964’s Sweetheart Dance was again hosted by Pep Club. This time the decorations varied from previous years with the theme of Warrior Wonderland.

The first Christmas Prom was introduced in 1967 and sponsored by the Distributive Education Clubs of America (DECA). Originally, it was an Omaha-wide dance inviting high school students from many districts. For the Christmas prom, girls asked boys to the dance.

1996

2005

Instead, in 2000 the students held a karaoke competition based on MTV’s show “Say What?” That year, students also had a voice in choosing the music they heard at the Winter Formal. SAB burned CDs and allowed students to DJ the event.

2018

2006

Candyland was again the theme of 2004’s Winter Formal, and it was regarded as a major success, if not improvement, from the prior year’s dance. At the time, Winter Formal had a record-breaking attendance and doubled their ticket sales. In 2003, the profits from the dance were $2800, while $4500 was made in 2004.

1997

The Sweetheart Dance made a twoyear return from 1996 to 1997 when the Christmas Prom retired.

In 1981, a Westside-exclusive Christmas prom was held, maintaining the tradition that girls ask the boys. From 1981 to 1996, this winter dance was still called the Christmas Prom. In 1996 when the Sweetheart Dance was revived.

2004

The Sweetheart Dance officially honored all sports except football, instead of just basketball, as it had before. It would be referred to as the All Sports Dance until 1974. The theme of this redefined dance was the “Night of Stars.”

In 2005, SAB’s Winter Formal featured a half-time show performance from school bands. That year the theme was Monopoly: Omaha Edition, and the dance was decorated with landmarks of Omaha like the Henry Doorly Zoo and Rosenblatt Stadium.

2006 presented WHS students with the first annual Battle of the Bands. Since then, no major changes have been made to the dance we call Winter Formal.

This year’s Winter Formal theme is “Starry Night, inspired by the Van Gogh painting. The Battle of the Bands tradition will continue, with Mondo and the Squeezers, Phat as Phunk, BAM!, MILK, 622, Band Name and Pagan Athletes competing to be the best band.