Issue 5

the

Lance

In-depth To be or not to be politically correct?

Read pages 9-12.

8701 Pacific St. Omaha, NE 68114 Volume 60 Issue 5

January 29, 2016

“Liv”ing ON

Basketball team plays game in memoriam

N A TA W A R D

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF For two years, the varsity girls basketball team has played the Bellevue East game for Olivia.

On Tuesday, Jan. 5, Olivia’s picture was printed across the white t-shirts that all members of the varsity squad wore for warm-ups. Her memory was everywhere, in the mind of every player on the court and the parents and spectators in the stands. It was her name that basketball captain senior Lynsey Curran called when they went in for the huddle.

The pre-game ritual involved laying on the floor by their bench, heads together, a circle. This was the time for talking. All 12 varsity players look at the captains: senior Bridget Mizener, sophomore Quinn Weidemann, and Curran.

“Let’s do this for Olivia,” Curran said. They cheered.

There was a lot riding on this game. There was a lot of pressure to play for the girl who had died, suddenly and unexpectedly, in the summer of 2013 of a brain aneurysm.

This was the second year the team had put on a memorial for Olivia during the Bellevue East game, because the Bellevue coach and the girls on his team knew Olivia too. But this year, Olivia McGinnis-Taylor would’ve been a freshman at Westside, and, in all likelihood, on the varsity roster, according to her friends. The team felt her loss more strongly now.

Curran had helped Olivia at basketball summer camp once and remembered her determination and dedication to others.

“She was really good,” Curran said. “But she didn’t think of herself like that, so she was always

working and bringing people up with her.”

Thinking of Olivia didn’t make Curran play any different, but it made her perspective shift. Her standards for herself were the same — extremely high — but now she didn’t just want to exceed them, she had to. She was playing for something bigger than herself.

“It’s hard to play that game because both of us teams are trying to playing for her,” Curran said.

“So, it was really sad because of that, and [then]…

I, personally, wasn’t playing very good…I was the one who said, ‘Let’s play this for Olivia,’ and I wasn’t living up to that. I wasn’t playing SENIOR my game. I was frustrated with that.”

The entire team started off rough; their shots were off, something just wasn’t clicking.

At half time, the girls knew that something had to change. The audience, among them Olivia’s family and friends, could feel the tension.

As the team left the court, and people began to move around to concessions or to the bathroom, someone started crying. It was freshman Elizabeth Robinson, and other girls immediately came to console her. Robinson, seeing the swatch of white memorial shirts around her, had realized

LY NSEY C U R R A N

suddenly what this game truly meant.

Her best friend was dead.

The members of the JV team who knew Olivia were given the same white warm-up shirts the varsity squad had, and Robinson was among them. The 15-year-old let her friends and teammates hold her as she cried. It had been two years, but it still hurt. Seeing all the people who cared so deeply about Olivia made the tears start all over again.

Olivia and Robinson met at basketball tryouts in elementary school, when Olivia was the only one to approach the new girl Robinson during a drill.

“Hi, I’m Olivia, do you want to be my partner?”

Then they were inseparable.

They hung out whenever they could and went swimming together and threw Olivia’s little sister, Jasmine, into the pool. On the court, Olivia was everything Robinson wanted to be: smart, strong and talented. She always knew where to pass the ball, when to make a play and where everyone was at all times.

Without her, basketball was empty.

Watching any varsity game was hard for Robinson. Playing any basketball, period, was hard. continued on page 2

“It’s hard to play that game because both of us teams are trying to play for her.”

Senior Lynsey Curran and freshman Lizzie Robinson pose in their t-shirts memorializing Olivia McGinnis-Taylor, Wednesday, Jan. 27. Olivia was going to be a freshman, most likely on varsity basketball, before she suddenly died of a brain aneurysm two years ago. Photo

by Mitch Francis

2

NEWS

The warm-up shirt in memory of Olivia McGinnis-Taylor is pictured here, the front on the left and the back on the right. Photos courtesy of Nachia Olsen

MEMORIAL: Student struggles after friend’s death The duo was one of the best basketball has seen, continued from page 1 After losses in her own season, Robinson would but what happened when one partner was gone? find herself back at her house thinking, “If only Robinson didn’t have the height or the confidence that Olivia had. And now, suddenly, she was playOlivia was here, we would’ve won then.”

“She would’ve been on varsity this year and ing Olivia’s position — the center. Olivia used to we’d probably be amazing,” Robinson said. “It be the leading scorer for the team, but now that just makes me think about how many people was Robinson’s job.

Robinson not pass away before only had to be herthey could really do Lyns self anymore, but something.” @CurranLynsey she also had to carry The second half the parts of the team started, and the dethat Olivia left befense improved, but hind. no one was scoring. Bellevue east is our sister school, would “I [used to be] For Robinson, the rather be playing with them than against out on the arc [beemotions from halfthem but it will be a good competition fore Olivia’s death,]” time stayed. But Robinson said. “Nothey still weren’t 1/5/16, 6:06 AM body really relied winning, and in the on me. [But now,] I final minutes, they had to score. I had to were tied. As the do well. Or else the clock expired the whole thing would referees called a foul and the other team had an opportunity to seal a come crashing down.”

So she pushed herself. How many rebounds win at the free throw line.

“I was thinking, if they lose this game, it’s go- would Olivia get? Robinson had to make the same. ing to be bad because it’s in memorial of Olivia,” She wanted to make the smart plays and amazing Robinson said. “I understand you can’t win every shots that Olivia had.

But no matter how good she’s gotten, how amgame, but winning that game would mean a lot — bidextrous she has become, how many shots she to her mom, to her family.”

The reason Robinson came back to basketball has made, Robinson believes that she can never in the first place was Olivia’s mom, Karla Taylor. be Olivia.

“I still feel a lot of pressure going into games After Olivia’s death, Robinson decided to quit sports all together. She didn’t come to the first [about] how I should play for her, and not just fobasketball practice of that season, and so Karla cus on myself, but play for her family,” Robinson approached her about her decision outside of bas- said. “Sometimes, I think about not playing basketball, I don’t know.” ketball.

Robinson thinks about Olivia all the time, and “I want you to play for my daughter,” Karla said. “I want you to be my daughter now because especially during sports. If she could switch places with Olivia, and give her the life she was livOlivia is gone.”

But how could Robinson be Olivia? Robinson ing now, Robinson would’ve done it a long time was Scottie Pippen to Olivia’s Michael Jordan. ago. Especially during the Bellevue East game,

and especially during the final free throws, Robinson could feel Olivia there, cheering them on.

The first free throw went wide, and all the players went back to their places on the line for the second. Robinson didn’t look away. And then, the girl shot.

She missed.

Back in the locker-room, there was a quiet kind of sadness. People were crying. Karla was there, as well as Robinson from the JV team. The varsity coach talked about Olivia during the after-game talk. Westside had beat Bellevue East in overtime, 48-40 in overtime, but still, a player was missing from the bench. They all felt her presence. “[The memorial is] amazing,” Karla said. “…

It’s a huge honor and it means a lot to our family because, when you lose a child, you don’t want to lose their memory. You want people to remember them, and so it makes it so nice for them [to do] that, to keep her memory alive at least.”

Bellevue East and Westside basketball players pose on the Bellevue East court with the white memorial shirts in memory of their former teammate, Olivia McGinnis-Taylor.

Photo courtesy of Bridget Mizener

NEWS

3

400 schedules changed since break Scheduling program from 1983 is being replaced agement is working with Sosalla to create a new scheduling software.

“There have been five attempts to write a new one, but no one was able to do it,” Sosalla said.

“They’ve tried, but no one has been able to figure it out because of the limits and constraints inherent in our modular schedule.”

Currently, the Reikes students are on year two of designing. Last year, they came to the point where most classes worked, however, the schedule could not contain large groups.

The steps to a schedule change, as many students have experienced, include the student and counselor meeting. The counselor meets and finds new class times. All the scheduler does is processes it into the computer and prints the schedule.

Many students have complained changes took too long. Sosalla said she processed the changes as soon as she received them.

The Reikes program at this point in time has been able to handle most of the scheduling this year. In fact, 20 teachers have access to the program now and three homerooms used it when scheduling over the last few weeks. This summer, when Sosalla will be scheduling, she will use the two programs in parallel. She will create the master schedule using the new beta version of Reikes and will fill in individual student schedules using the Schleifer program.

Over the next few years, the Reikes team will assist Sosalla and the Westside team through the transition into using their program.

BE N JA MI N B R O D K E Y STAFF WRITER

Being a first-year scheduler for a modular system, having 400 schedules to change over the course of three weeks, and using an 32-year-old computer system to fix it seems like a difficult job.

Many of the issues that have arisen are due to the seemingly unlimited combination of classes that exist for each student, pushing the 32-yearold Schleifer program, the current scheduler, to its limits. Much of this is because there are numerous single-section classes and a larger variety SCHEDULER of course structures. This is not to mention loads of classes with tied sections and opportunities such as CAPS, a program where students can get realworld experience in a specific career field. One of the hardest items for the scheduler is cross sectioning. “[Modular scheduling] has such potential;” scheduler Rebecca Sosalla said. “We are just starting to find the edges of that potential, and we’re still working to find ways to make it all fit.”

The Schleifer program, written in 1983, is the program Westside still uses today. It runs on Windows XP, an operating system discontinued in 2007. The program is also unable to function on Mac Operating System and Java, an internet programming system, which Westside primarily used to function.

A team of students and staff from Jeffery S. Reikes School of Computer Science and Man-

RE BE C CA S O S A L L A

“[Modular scheduling] has such potential. We are just starting to find the edges of that potential, and we’re still working to...make it all fit.”

Comic by Jack Cohen

ART+DANCE+MUSIC+ACTING+WRITING+FILM CLASSES

ONLY $10 PER LESSON + JANURAY 11-APRIL 23, 2016 South Omaha (2315 I St.)

Bellevue (7308 S. 42nd St.)

Mondays - Begins 01/11/16

Beginning Art General Art Drawing for Adults Painting for Adults Piano Piano Piano Guitar Guitar Mariachi Guitar & Violin Mariachi Guitar & Violin Ballet & Tap Ballet Folklorico

5:00pm 6:00pm 6:00pm 7:00pm 5:00pm 6:00pm 7:00pm 5:00pm 6:00pm 6:00pm 7:00pm 5:00pm 7:00pm

Tuesdays - Begins 01/12/16

(4-6 yrs) (8-12 yrs) (16+ yrs) (16+ yrs) (7+ yrs) (7+ yrs) (7+ yrs) (8+ yrs) (8+ yrs) (9+ yrs) (9+ yrs) (4-7 yrs) (6-14 yrs)

Benson (6319 Maple St.) 5:00pm 5:00pm 5:00pm 6:00pm 6:00pm 6:00pm 6:00pm 7:00pm 5:00pm 6:00pm 7:00pm 6:00pm 7:00pm 6:00pm 7:00pm 5:00pm 6:00pm 7:00pm 6:00pm 7:00pm 5:00pm 6:00pm Theater Makeup & Costumes 5:00pm Acting/Improv 6:00pm

(7+ yrs) (10+ yrs) (7+ yrs) (4-6 yrs) (7+ yrs) (16+ yrs) (8+ yrs) (7+ yrs) (7+ yrs) (7+ yrs) (8+ yrs) (8+ yrs) (7-9 yrs) (9-13 yrs) (10+ yrs)

Tuesdays - Begins 01/12/16

(8+ yrs) (5-7 yrs) (8+ yrs) (10+ yrs) (8+ yrs) (8+ yrs) (12+ yrs) (12+ yrs) (7+ yrs) (7+ yrs) (7+ yrs) (7+ yrs) (7+ yrs) (8+ yrs) (8+ yrs) (8+ yrs) (8+ yrs) (8+ yrs) (8-12 yrs) (13+ yrs) (4-6 yrs) (7+ yrs) (8+ yrs) (8-14 yrs)

REGISTER NOW!

5:00pm 5:00pm 6:00pm 6:00pm 6:00pm 7:00pm 5:00pm 5:00pm 6:00pm 7:00pm 6:00pm 7:00pm 5:00pm 6:00pm 7:00pm

Westgate (3015 S. 82nd Ave.)

Mondays - Begins 01/11/16

Cartooning Beginning Art Animal Portraits General Art Cartoon Animation Fun with Fiber Drawing Painting Piano-1 Piano-1 Piano-1 Piano-2 Piano-2 & 3 Drums Drums Guitar Guitar Guitar Voice Voice Ballet Ballet

Pottery Art Around the World General Art Beginning Art Genres in Cartooning Painting for Adults Music Appreciation Piano 1 Piano 1 Piano 2 Guitar Guitar Ballet Jazz & Hip Hop Intro to Swing

General Art Pottery Drawing Painting Drawing Piano-Early Playing Piano-1 Piano-1 Piano-1 Piano-2 Piano-2 Drums-Beginning Drums-Beginning Drums-Intermediate Guitar Guitar Guitar Violin Violin Violin Ballet Ballet Acting/Improv Acting/Improv

*

5:00pm 5:00pm 6:00pm 6:00pm 7:00pm 5:00pm 5:00pm 6:00pm 7:00pm 6:00pm 7:00pm 5:00pm 6:00pm 7:00pm 5:00pm 6:00pm 7:00pm 5:00pm 6:00pm 7:00pm 5:00pm 6:00pm 5:00pm 6:00pm

(7+ yrs) (10+ yrs) (9+ yrs) (12+ yrs) (12+ yrs) (5-7 yrs) (7+ yrs) (7+ yrs) (7+ yrs) (7+ yrs) (7+ yrs) (6-9 yrs) (10+ yrs) (8+ yrs) (8+ yrs) (8+ yrs) (8+ yrs) (7+ yrs) (7+ yrs) (7+ yrs) (7-9 yrs) (4-6 yrs) (6-9 yrs) (8-14 yrs)

Ralston

(8009 Q St.) Thursdays - Begins 01/14/16

Fiber Monsters Intro to Cartooning Beginning Art General Art General Art 3-D Art Drawing Drawing Graphic Novels Drawing Heroes & Villains Painting for Adults Piano-1 Piano-1 Piano-1 Piano-2 Piano-2 Guitar-Intermediate Guitar-Intermediate Guitar-Intermediate Guitar-Beginning Guitar-Beginning Guitar-Beginning Ballet Ballet Creative Writing Acting/Improv

5:00pm 5:00pm 5:00pm 5:00pm 6:00pm 6:00pm 6:00pm 6:00pm 7:00pm 7:00pm 5:00pm 6:00pm 7:00pm 6:00pm 7:00pm 5:00pm 6:00pm 7:00pm 5:00pm 6:00pm 7:00pm 5:00pm 6:00pm 5:00pm 7:00pm

501(c)(3) Nonprofit Organization

(9+ yrs) (8+ yrs) (4-6 yrs) (7+ yrs) (7+ yrs) (8+ yrs) (8+ yrs) (10+ yrs) (8+ yrs) (16+ yrs) (7+ yrs) (7+ yrs) (7+ yrs) (7+ yrs) (7+ yrs) (8+ yrs) (8+ yrs) (8+ yrs) (8+ yrs) (8+ yrs) (8+ yrs) (4-6 yrs) (7-9 yrs) (8+ yrs) (8-14 yrs)

Tuition & Fees

ALL CLASSES

+ Winter semester runs for 14 weeks + Prepay in full or reserve your seat with required prepayment of $20 + Additional $3-$12 supply/book fee for all visual & music classes

SPECIALTY CLASS

* Pottery—$16.50 per class/1.5 hrs. long class/$231 for semester

www.artsforallinc.com + 402-556-7821 + info@artsforallinc.com

the

4

OPINION

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 $25 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 Nata Ward, Jace Wieseler; Managing Editors Jack Cohen, Libby Seline, Celena Shepherd; Production Editors Madigan Brodsky, Jim Schueneman; Design Editor Casey Arritt; Cartoonists Nick Gross, Raven Young; Staff Writers Alexander Bergin, Benjamin Brodkey, Shannon Chinn, Sam Cohen, Sarah Hermann, Cole Hopkins, Emma Korengel, Kayla Kyle, Trevor Mumford, Nicole Petersen, Bella Radler, Steven Simon, Nolan Tracy, Elise Tucker, April Van Unen; Photo Editor Mitch Francis; Adviser Jerred Zegelis.

Graphic by Raven Young

Editorial

Pledge of Allegiance policy raises questions Whether you like it or not, you are never going to forget this.

Every school day since kindergarten, it’s been drilled with confident and proud voices into our minds. To confess, as a high schooler, that this common piece of knowledge was unknown, or forgotten, would be implausible and absurd.

No, we’re not talking about your address, or your parent’s phone number, but instead the arguably most constant practice in all public schools throughout America: the Pledge of Allegiance.

Considered by some as a patriotic brainwashing tool, and to others, a loyal salute to the country we call home, the act of reciting the Pledge has fueled a century long controversy and national debate.

Written in 1892 by socialist minister Francis Bellamy, the Pledge was first published in The Youth’s Companion, a children’s magazine, with the intention of giving readers a sense of pride and passion for their country. After multiple revisions, the pledge was not officially recognized by Congress until 1942, which eventually led to the 1943 West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette Supreme Court decision, which found that forcing children to recite the Pledge was unconstitutional.

The West Virginia Board of Education had required a flag-salute and recitation of the Pledge to be a part of all public school activities and programs, and stated that failure to comply would be punishable by expulsion.

In a 6-3 ruling, the Court found that this demand violated the student’s First Amendment rights, considering it “compulsory unification of opinion,” as it infringed upon their freedom of speech.

While the Barnette decision pertained to student’s rights when it came to reciting the Pledge, the 1973 Goetz v. Ansell 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals case and the 1978 Lipp v. Morris 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals case ruled that requiring students to stand during the Pledge was also unconstitutional.

Goetz justified that requiring a student to stand for the Pledge “can be no more required than the Pledge itself.”

It wasn’t until August 2012, however, when the Nebraska State Board of Education voted to approve the requirement of the recitation of Pledge each school day. Failure to comply with this expectation could put districts at risk of losing their accreditation and therefore state funding.

This order states: Each public school district shall require each such district’s schools to establish a period of time during the school day, when a majority of pupils is scheduled to be present, during which pupils will be led in the recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance in the presence of the flag of the United States of America, in grades kindergarten through twelve. Pupil participation in the recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance shall be voluntary. Pupils not participating in the recitation of the Pledge shall be permitted to silently stand or remain seated, but shall be required to respect the rights of the pupils electing to participate.

When this expectation was established, Westside’s administration announced to the staff that starting on Dec. 17 of 2012, the Pledge would commence at approximately 8:01 every morning across the intercom. To help implement this requirement, social studies instructors Diana Schergin and Jonathan Preister assisted in the creation of an activity that focused on the history and interpretation of the Pledge, which was to be done in homeroom during the week of Dec. 10.

At Westside, these expectations are made known to all staff by the administration and enforced to the best of their ability. However, just as the level of participation during the Pledge varies from classroom to classroom, so do the opinions on what is considered respectful behavior from the students who chose not to participate.

On Jan. 13, dean of students Kim Eymann sent an email to all staff regarding the Pledge, stating that, “Students and Staff are NOT required to stand or say it (this is according to the State Law), but everyone DOES have to be respectful and stay off all technology.”

Westside does not have a definition of “respect” when it comes to these situations, but Eymann and assistant principal Trudi Nolin ensure that the staff is aware that refraining from using technology during the Pledge, specifically computers, (which are a constant in every classroom) is what is regarded as respectful at Westside.

“Last year we talked about it,” Eymann said. “And we said, ‘Students should not be on their technology during the 30 seconds of the Pledge of Allegiance.’ The computers are one thing that we can try to make them [be held] accountable [for].”

As in most situations, the definition of respect is open to interpretation, and this topic is no exception.

“People have different opinions on what’s respectful and what’s not,” Eymann said. “Or I should say, what is disrespectful versus not. They might not necessarily think it’s respectful, but they might not see it being disrespectful.”

This whole subject matter falls into a gray area, and becomes even more grayer when you bring the First Amendment back into the picture. The freedom of speech protects those who choose not to stand for the Pledge, whether it is for a politically affiliated reason or otherwise.

There should no longer be an argument regarding if you should have to stand for the pledge or not. The answer to this has long been supported by the First Amendment, and it is now time to apply our rights to the current question at hand: By defining what is considered respectful and essentially deciding what can and can’t be done during the Pledge of Allegiance, are the First Amendment rights of non-pledging students being violated?

Multiple First Amendment lawyers who have been questioned admit that they don’t have an answer to this question. The First Amendment allows all citizens to express their opinions without fear of retribution from the government, or in this case, public school officials who are under the authority of the U.S. government.

So, for example, would telling a student who was demonstrating their political disagreement with the Pledge to put their computer away, stop reading a book, or to stop painting their nails, be infringing upon their right to express their opinion?

Arguably, none of these actions would be disrespecting or impeding up on the ability of the next student who chose to say the pledge.

While situations such as these make it essentially easy to hold the school accountable for the debate at hand, it is important to remember the balance that our schools must maintain between respecting the student’s and staff’s First Amendment rights and the law that the school must uphold.

Regardless, this dispute is worth the conversation. It is important that we discuss our rights and question the ability of others to interfere with them.

If someone were to choose to participate in a quiet and respectful activity while the pledge is being recited, we need to recognize that they have the right to do so. Just as the First Amendment protects non-Pledging individuals, it also protects the right and opinions of those who disagree with them.

The beauty of the First Amendment, which is arguably taken for granted far too often in our country, or simply just misunderstood, also gives us the ability to have these conversations in the first place.

While Westside is within its bounds to ask students and staff to abstain from using technology during the Pledge, we should not always conform without question to these demands. We need to question authority within reason, and hold ourselves accountable for regular checks and balances of those in control. If no one is scrutinizing the power that governs us all, the security of our First Amendment rights are in jeopardy.

OPINION

5

LANCE

ask

Q: How do I get more people to like Obama?

A:

Getting people to understand and agree with your political views is hard, but not impossible.

Most of the time, when people talk about politics, things can get heated.

Blame might be thrown towards a certain politician, or maybe even a whole political party. The first thing you should do while attempting to get others to see your point of view is speak calmly and clearly. Speak without comparison to other people in politics or comparison to a whole political party. For example, if you want to talk about how the economy has changed under the Obama administration, you could talk about statistics using years instead of names. Instead of saying, “Obama has done a better job at fixing the economy than Bush ever could”, try saying something along the lines of, “In January of 2009, unemployment was at 7.8 percent and in November of 2015 unemployment was down to 5 percent.”

Along with speaking calmly and clearly about your politician, you have to actually get the courage to speak. The power of words has been used since early civilizations, and is still a strong tool today. The power of people speaking about their views has gotten people elected, ruined, praised, and angry.

Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there and speak your mind, for every voice has the power to change the world.

You have to be well informed on whom you are talking about so that when you are trying to convince people, you sound confident and unshakable. People have a hard time listening to and believing someone who sounds like they’re making things up. Make sure you look up statistics from both sides of the argument. Know what the American people hated about Obama, and know what the American people loved about Obama. This way, when someone argues, which they most likely will, you are prepared to back yourself up.

Politics are one of those issues people tell you to keep quiet about so you don’t upset anyone else, but the thing is this; if you don’t let yourself have a voice, nothing will ever change. Speak your mind, Obama Fan.

Q: Why do people skip class? What should be done to fix it?

A:

High school has always been inaccurately portrayed in TV shows. Passing periods are made longer and seniors are made to be misleadingly attractive. Something that TV shows like Freaks and Geeks and Gossip Girl have actually gotten right however, is how many highschoolers tend to skip class.

Skipping classes isn’t only done by the rebellious teens as it might be thought. Telling your mom to call you out of a class because you didn’t study for a quiz is still considered skipping to me. We’re teens, we have five or more classes a day and sometimes we deserve to just cut ourselves a break.

I mean, we shouldn’t be skipping a class a day, or even a week. But when you get to the point that your mental health is being damaged because you’re overextending yourself, I would say it’s okay. Just have your mom call you out so you can go home and take a nice rejuvenating nap, rather than ditching and being marked unexcused.

On the other hand, there are people who are skipping classes all the time. Those are the people who lack in the self-motivation department. If you want to skip everyday to go hangout with friends rather than learning in math class, you clearly do not care too much about your grades. But if you are in this category and do care about your grades, then try giving yourself rewards for achieving things. Buy yourself a new pair of shoes for passing all of your classes, or give yourself a nice little treat every time you go a week without skipping. Then soon enough, you will have formed the habit of attending class.

If you feel that you can skip all the time and still get good grades, you’re honestly just bored! Take up a few harder classes and challenge yourself! I know that during my freshman year, school was a breeze, but I was completely and utterly uninterested in what I was learning. I wanted and needed a bigger challenge. When I started picking up honors and AP courses, school became harder, but it oddly enough became more bearable.

So if you find yourself skipping, figure out what it is that’s making you think to do that. If it’s because you have no motivation, try finding classes you enjoy and start rewarding yourself for showing up to math class. If it’s because you are bored, pick up some more interesting classes that will challenge you and keep you busy. If it’s every once in a while just to ensure your mental health then, well, keep doing you!

SMall country, large involvement Israel trip opens eyes for American teenager BE LLA R A D L E R STAFF WRITER I walk through an overcrowded market, shoved simultaneously from my left and right.

Older men are yelling out supposed bargains; a woman is talking and pulling at her children; a teenager is holding a loaded TAR-21 assault rifle, finger on the trigger.

When I visited Israel over winter break, I finally felt like I was part of a majority. The land was beautiful and I had the satisfying knowledge that the people around me understood what a bat-mitzvah is; however, I could not ignore the violence. The country has a need for every Jewish Israeli to join the army at the age of 18. Because of this necessity for everyone to come together to defend the country, the atmosphere seemed to be much more unified there than in America.

The first time I heard about every Jew having to join the army, it provoked a sense of fear within me. It seemed crazy that joining the army is not a choice, and at such a young age. This reaction is predictable for someone who lives in a place where going to college straight after high school is normal; however, after talking to Israelis my feelings towards the Israeli Defense Forces changed drastically. Everyone that I had discussed the topic with changed my view with his or her first-hand experiences.

I talked to this woman who invited me and my friend over for dinner, and she kept mentioning the word “responsibility;” how being in the army and having to wake up early and train for months not only resulted in a physically strong individual, but a mentally strong one too. Her life would be completely different if she hadn’t trained and been a part of the Israeli Defense Forces. She declared that she went in to the forces as a naturally lazy person, and came out wanting to pursue.

Israelis address their success in the business and technology industries to having this early establishment of will power. I know what you’re thinking, “But Bella, America has so many more successful businesses than Israel,” and yeah that’s true but the goals behind the businesses are completely different. In Israel, it is to strengthen the country’s economy, industries and

to create jobs. In my opinion, people in America create businesses for the selfish reason of becoming richer.

There’s a huge gap in between the CEO of a company and the workers here in America. When you think of the stereotypical “successful CEO,” you picture a rich white man chilling at his beach house thinking of what he could possibly do with his abundance of money; meanwhile his loyal employees of 10 years are being paid barely over minimum wage thinking about how they are going to get food on the table for their family that night. There are selfish people everywhere, but I feel that America is the mecca of selfishness.

Not only that, but the sense of community in Israel is extraordinary. In Israel there are communal settlements called kibbutz, which are based off the idea that everyone gives what they can and takes what they need. It’s practically small-scale communism. Everyone gives their salary to the kibbutz no matter the ranking of their job. They all live in close quarters, each having their own house or apartment, depending on the kibbutz. They take turns with kitchen duty, and folding laundry, and buying supplies for the community.

To any American this would seem strange.

Giving up your success in trade of a community is not something most Americans would do. The idea of being unselfish to strangers may seem completely foolish, but that’s not how it is in Israel. Most people there already have something in common: religion. On top of that, having been in the army also draws them closer, it’s just another possible topic to start conversations over, immediately bonding with someone who had been in the same unit as them. Joining a community of people who have things in common with you makes it a lot less outlandish idea.

Which makes me wonder what Americans have in common. What draws us together as a community? It is certainly not where our great grandparents came from, or our religion. In such a diverse country full of individuals from different backgrounds and with different dreams, it’s hard to find something we all have in common.

Having experienced the results of an entire country being required to defend their country,

I’m 18. How old are you?

I think it could benefit America. Of course this wouldn’t mean that everyone would be deported and sent into battle, just possibly join some branch of the military, such as intelligence and handling foreign relations. I feel like this would be a decent way to unite our country and bring more pride to those who live here.

The result would be something that unites us as people, a conversation starter and the knowledge that we did something to help our country, rather than listening to a pledge that reminds us that others are doing it for us. The result would be every highschooler standing together with a buzz of anticipation for the future.

Me too.

Graphic by Bella Radler

6

OPINION

Presidential Next Students share predictions for the 2016 presidential race TREVOR M U M F O R D

STAFF WRITER

2016 marks the 58th Presidential Election of the United States of America. With a diverse group of candidates, holding numerous confounding views, this year looks to be an action-packed election with an element of drama to excite voters.

Senior Abdinasir Abdi is an advocate of pro-life and would consider himself Republican. Abdi’s prefered candidate is Marco Rubio, whose campaign site says he plans to repeal Obamacare, modernize troops and make the tax code into three brackets of 15 percent, 25 percent, and 35 percent. Abdi agrees with all of these points. “[Marco Rubio] understands what he’s talking about and knows what he is doing,”Abdi said.

Donald Trump is his least favorite candidate. Abdi doesn’t like how Trump isn’t welcoming immigrants in with open arms and disagrees with some of his foreign policies. He believes that we should not build a wall on the Mexican border like Trump is suggesting and that the restriction on immigration is wrong. By blocking immigrants out of America, Abdi thinks that Trump is restricting their freedom and desire to be an AmerABDINASIR ABDI ican. Abdi has confidence in Rubio and is hopeful for SENIOR his victory later this year. He predicts that if Rubio continues to impress and influence others, he will be the next President of the United States.

Junior Lilli Marvin believes that picking a political party to side with isn’t as important as choosing to support a candidate who represents your values and beliefs. For example, you shouldn’t just choose a candidate because they are in the Republican or Democratic party, but choose them because they personally suit your wants and wishes in office. However, if Marvin did have to decide what party she sides with, it would be the Democratic party because she agrees with more of the liberal policies. Her favorite candidate is Bernie Sanders for a number of reasons. One of them is Bernie’s stance on Planned Parenthood. While other candidates are quick to judge and attack Planned Parenthood, a nonprofit organization that provides reproductive services, Lilli likes how Bernie is addressing it and giving it a chance. Also, she is a fan of how Sanders plans to distribute the wealth away from the top 1 percent and overLILLI M A R V IN all agrees with his human rights views, such as acceptance JUNIOR of refugees and women’s rights.

Like Abdi, Marvin also believes Donald Trump is not a good fit for President. She thinks that he is sexist, racist and overall not the “nicest” person. Trump plans to build a wall on Mexican border according to his campaign site and this doesn’t make sense to

Political reporters are always expressing their views in creative ways, whether it is accusing Clinton or bashing on Trump. What about us high schoolers though? Although some of us may not have an official say in the election, we still have our own opinions on what this year’s election will look like. With much to be anticipated in the coming months, here are the opinions from two Westside students, senior Abdinasir Abdi and junior Lilli Marvin, and what they predict will be the end result.

Marvin. She feels that this action, along with many others, is giving the Republican Party a bad reputation. As for who will be the next President, Marvin thinks the election could have some unexpected results. She predicts that Donald Trump won’t win the Republican nomination because the Electoral College will find Trump’s responses to Muslims unconstitutional. In Marvin’s opinion, this will give a young and likeable candidate, Marco Rubio, the Republican nomination. Because of the conflict involving Hillary Clinton keeping confidential government info on her personal server, Bernie will win the Democratic nomination and gain support from younger voters. However, since people are frightened when they hear that Bernie Sanders is a socialist, Marvin predicts that the close election will result in Marco Rubio winning and becoming the 44th President of the United States.

I just recently started taking an interest in politics and I’m very excited for this year’s election. I would consider myself a Republican and built these views on both my parent’s opinions and my own. My prefered candidate is Jeb Bush because, according to his campaign website, he wants to split up the tax code from seven brackets to three, with the top rate at 28 percent. This is would be the lowest tax rate since 1986 when Ronald Reagan signed the 1986 Tax Reform. This was very successful and, as a fan of Reagan, I believe restoring certain ideals and getting away from a liberal agenda will improve the country. Also, I agree with Jeb’s stance on how to defeat ISIS. Jeb’s site also stated that we need to support the Iraqi forces and work with them to defeat the radical Islamic State. In Syria, the key to defeating ISIS is by defeating the Syrian dictator, Bashar Assad. Jeb plans to carry out these plans as Commander-in-Chief and will sit in the driver’s seat in the TREVOR MUMFORD fight against ISIS. I like his standpoint on immigration too, STAFF WRITER which would improve infrastructure and technology to help eliminate illegal immigrants from coming into the United States.

I am not a big fan of either Bernie or Hillary, but I’d have to say my least favorite candidate is Bernie Sanders. He is a socialist. Plain and simple. The United States was not build on socialism nor should it ever be. He wants to make college free for everyone, which I find to be absurd. It would flood the job market and decrease the value of an education significantly. Aside from my likes and dislikes, I predict that Marco Rubio will win the 2016 Presidential Election. I see him as the dark horse, who could get the votes because of the problems involving the other candidates. Hillary Clinton is under fire for emails, while Trump has a strong supporting, but just an equal amount of hating. This will provide a window for Rubio to get the votes and become the next President of the United States of America.

‘Star Wars’ toys misshap is taken too seriously

SARAH H E R M A N N STAFF WRITER

“Star Wars: The Force Awakens”, was released in theaters December 18, 2015. One of the main characters in the movie is named Rey, who just so happens to be female. She is portrayed by actress Daisy Ridley.

The addition of a strong female role added to the mostly-male cast was very much appreciated by fans, but fans of “Star Wars” were angered by the absence of Rey in the merchandise.

Hasbro’s official “Star Wars” merchandise has been given thousands of hateful comments for not including an important leading character in their merchandizing. They often include an equally important male character, Finn, a Stormtrooper, into their merchandise, so sexism have been speculated by “Star Wars” lovers.

The speculation started when people noticed a pack of “Star Wars” action figures being sold at Target, which included the characters Finn, Kylo Ren, Poe Dameron, Chewbacca, a Stormtrooper and a TIE fighter. Even though Rey is a prominent character in the movie, she was not included in the set of action figures.

This observation caused the trending hashtag, #WhereIsRey, on Twitter to spread, in hopes that Hasbro would respond. The trending topic spread even more, when fans noticed that Rey was also excluded from Hasbro’s Force Awakens Monopoly set.

I am not a huge “Star Wars” fan, but when I learned this information, I was outraged, considering that I am a female who believes in the importance of strong female roles in male-dominant movies. However, once I

gained more knowledge on the subject, I realized that there is no reason for anyone to be angry over this.

In response to the millions of critical hateful comments, Hasbro released a statement January 5, saying, “The Star Wars: Monopoly game was released in September, months before the movie’s release. Rey was not included to avoid revealing a key plot line that she takes on Kylo Ren and joins the Rebel Alliance.” Additionally, they also stated that Rey is featured in many other “Star Wars” toys and games, including Hands Down, Guess Who, Chess, and action figure sets.

Hasbro refrained from including Rey in early “Star Wars” merchandise strictly to avoid spoiling the movie before it was even released. I’m sure if it came down to it fans would rather Hasbro refrain from putting Rey in early-released merchandise rather than having a highly-anticipated movie spoiled for them.

I can see why fans are upset over the controversy, but that is because they have not been informed about the recent “Star Wars” merchandise.

I’m sure that if this information was spread, everyone would be at peace with the situation.

I can see how Hasbro failing to include Rey in their early toys and games may have been offensive to the “Star Wars” fan population, but now that they have properly addressed the situation and explained themselves, I find it ridiculous how people are still ridiculing the popular toy-making company.

Romeo and Juliet

Taxes for Dummies

War & Peace

I’m a Pole and So Can You

7

Clifford the Big Red Dog

FEATURE

OPENING A BOOK ON MEDIA SPECIALISTS

Media coordinators talk about the past and present

EL I SE T U C K E R STAFF WRITER

CARRIE T U R N E R LIBRARIAN

JANA B R A W N E R

LIBRARY EDUCATION ASSISTANT

Being unsure about the future has always been a part of Carrie Turner’s life. She started out being the “goodie-two-shoes” in high school, getting good grades and passing classes, but when college came around she felt like she couldn’t focus on education.

“There were too many distractions and too many other things besides college,” Turner said. “And too many things that people had in high school that I didn’t because I was too focused on work.”

When Turner was younger, her family didn’t have a lot of money, so Turner had to work as many hours as she could while being a student. The kids in her college didn’t have to work as hard as she did and it was frustrating for her.

“I dropped out of college in the first semester and worked full time at a retail store, so it wasn’t a great, wonderful, upwardly mobile job, but it paid the bills,” Turner said.

Turner was then able to get an apartment after she left and continued to work, but she remembers she had some experiences in college that made her want to leave, like how her roommates wanted to find a husband as fast as possible.

“One of my roommates jokily told me that she was after her ‘MRS. degree,’” Turner said. “I was in Boulder, Colorado at CU and the girls in my dorm were on the same page of getting a husband.”

Turner’s roommates were really wealthy and she felt left out of their group. She left college because of that, but she took some classes outside of the university.

Marriage soon came after, but Turner’s relationship with her husband wasn’t very good. She continued to turn to her love of education for support.

“I got a job in a small job up by Fremont and worked there with kindergarten through 12th graders,” Turner said. “After that experience I wanted to work with high school kids.”

Turner looks at kids here at Westside and sees the potential they all have. She talks to students going through a troubling time in their lives and helps them get through every event.

“The hardships that you experience are the things that show who you are and a lot of the times that ‘who you are’ is a lot better than that person,” Turner said.

Traumatic events hit library education assistant Jana Brawner like a wave. The domino effect came into play when her father died when he was 60, and then her husband fought with cancer, but she pulled through.

“My father had to go through a great ordeal before he died, but I looked at this and thought that there are much worse things than dying, which is suffering,” Brawner said. “I miss him terribly and my sons never got to know him.”

Getting through cancer with her husband was a different story in itself. Being by him and watching him suffer made her think that this was the lowest point in her life.

She remembers her friend who has a bad illness and compares that to her husband’s life.

“She gets up everyday in pain and gets through the day [which] really inspires me to keep going,” Brawner said.

Dealing with all of those events the light at the end of the winding tunnels are her boys.

“The greatest gift in the world is to be able to have children and I have four beautiful sons that means the world to me,” Brawner said.

Her sons inspire her to achieve goals that she would have never accomplished. She looks at Matt, Chris, Tim and Andrew and sees them accomplishing so many things in their lives.

Brawner treasures her family so much and looks to her family for comfort and support.

LAURA GIRMUS

LIBRARY EDUCATION ASSISTANT

THERESA GOSNELL LIBRARIAN

Library Education Assistant, Laura Girmus’ childhood wasn’t the stereotypical, happy one that you see on TV. She was the sixth of eight kids and she felt like she was living in her older siblings shadow. Going to a Catholic school, Girmus was exposed to the life of mean nuns, not wanting to go to school and getting her hands slapped by a ruler.

“I used to hide in the bushes on the side of my house because I didn’t want to go,” Girmus said. “Sometimes my dad would walk me to school because his job was actually near by.”

Girmus had to experience old time Catholic school and she remembers saying goodbye to her dad from the classroom window.

“Once dad would drop me off at school and I would stand in the classroom crying while standing next to the classroom windows,” Girmus said.

When she got home from school, her home life was okay, even though some of her family wasn’t always there with her.

“The older four were old enough that they were able to be gone a lot (I don’t want to put them in a bad light), I didn’t have a terrific relationship with them because I think in their minds they were the ‘babysitters,’” Girmus said.

Girmus and her older siblings have always had great relationship. She had friends that would be there for her whenever she needed them, but she was the shy one. Her family life was a little different than her social life though.

“They were there, but they weren’t there you know?” Girmus said. “They didn’t want to be the parents that became so involved in my life that they would be clingy.”

Listening to music like The Beatles and reading books like Nancy Drew helped her block out some troubling times in her life, but she thanks her family for staying by her every step of the way.

When Theresa Gosnell steps into the Senior Project room she has a smile on her face. The students in that class have impacted her in so many ways that she still talks to her past students today.

“Everybody has just a different perspective in life and where they come from,” Gosnell said. “And just the things that they know and it’s just so interesting to learn from them.”

Gosnell loves learning from her students even if they are going through a troubling time in their lives.

“I learn different life experiences from them and how to cope,” Gosnell said. “There are just different situations that I see the students go through and they inspire me.”

When getting a job at Westside, she thought about working with the high school students and elementary school students.

“I did used to teach elementary and they are just at a different time in their life,” Gosnell said. “They are so innocent, but the high school students are coming to learn about how to get through life; they are their own persons.”

Gosnell got her start as senior project by co-teaching and helping out Carrie Turner, another librarian here at Westside.

Jana Brawner was the senior project teacher at the time. Carrie Turner also co-taught with Jana Brawner.

“We were teaching it for eight to nine years, so we knew that we would want to stay with the class and help out the students.”

The senior project students not only impact her life but her homeroom and cross-country team impacts her as well. Alumni from the team continue to ask her to run with her and one of them even babysits Gosnell’s dog.

For Gosnell, she loves to build relationships with students, teachers and people in general and senior project is just the beginning of building relationships with students.

8

FEATURE

Family invites adopted children to home, teach traditions CE LE N A S H E P H E R D

MANAGING EDITOR The woman was short in stature, darker-skinned and wore a navy uniform. A look of disgust and disapproval engulfed her face. “‘You should be ashamed of yourself. You can’t even speak your own country’s language,’” said the female airport worker in Ethiopia.

Junior Grace Yohannes is used to it. Not Ethiopian enough, not American enough. Never feeling fully accepted by either side.

She was born in America, a first generation American. Her parents emigrated from Ethiopia at the ages of 12 and 14.

She was so flustered by this comment that she did not get the chance to explain to the worker that she can speak and understand Amharic, the language native to Ethiopia.

A jab from one of her own people. She wasn’t ready. She didn’t expect that.

She expects that from her friends. She expects to feel left out in Nebraska. In elementary school at her private school there were only two other black children in her class. She felt odd, not like her other classmates, but she was used to that.

This was different. She didn’t fit into her own country, located in the horn of Africa. Where her parents and ancestors had once lived, she felt like a foreigner. Where her heritage and culture was rich, she at first felt isolated.

“I have a huge American accent when I speak my language and people easily noticed that [in Ethiopia],” Grace said.

After Grace’s trip she wanted to work at the language, so she could speak more fluently. She had a burning desire to connect to her culture on a deeper level. The opportunity for her to satisfy this desire would come sooner than she expected.

After returning from their journey to Ethiopia Grace’s mother Emma Yohannes, with the help of a church member, who had adopted an Ethiopian child, came up with an idea.

They contacted parents all across Nebraska who also had adopted Ethiopian children. Emma invited several parents and children to her home where she planned to host a class that would

allow the children to learn about their unique Ethiopian heritage, which otherwise they may not have aquired the same opportunity. The class is held at Grace’s house usually, once a month. Each class showcases the aspects of the culture such as foods, traditional dress, the native language, hair etc.

Coffee originates in Ethiopia and is a revered beverage in the country. During one of the gatherings, Emma performed the traditional coffee ceremony. In Ethiopia when families come together they often drink coffee while conversing. It is a very important tradition.

The children and the Yohannes family also wear traditional Ethiopian clothing sometimes.

While Grace think’s it’s important for the kids to learn about their heritage, she also admires the parents who support their children.

“It’s so important that these parents are willing to bring their children to allow them to connect to their roots,” Grace said. “I’m just really thankful I could be apart of this experience and be with these kids as they learn more about their culture.”

Grace taught several mothers how to manage their daughter’s hair. She showed the hair products she uses and how one should apply them.

“These kids feel connected,” Grace said. “I connected with the moms. I didn’t know I could be so helpful to a mother, [so they can] help their child.”

In the Ethiopian culture family is very important and Emma wants these children to know that the bond Ethiopians have for one another is thicker than blood alone.

“Everything we do is very family oriented, even the way we eat,” Emma said.

A traditional family meal is served on one platter, so everyone eats off of the same large plate.

“Most Ethiopians tend to stick together because we feel a bond with each other and understand one another well,” Grace said.

Emma wants the adopted children to know this precious aspect of their culture. The children are like family to her and she wants to plant a seed, so when they get older they can chose to explore their heritage on their own more, and the gatherings held at her house are the perfect place to start.

Grace thinks passing on the traditions and unique culture of Ethiopia through all generations

is essential and while she sometimes felt unaccepted, she feels more embraced now.

For Grace, accepting her American lifestyle and embracing her Ethiopian culture wasn’t always an easy balance. She knows that growing up some of these adopted children might feel the same way.

Grace is optimsitic that these classes will help the children become proud of and appreciate their unique heritage. She hopes they will be excited to embrace their American and Ethiopian cultures like she is.

“A huge part of my identity is that I’m Ethiopian,” Grace said. “I’m proud of this part of myself and want these children to feel the same way.”

Junior Grace Yohannes and her mother, Emma Yohannes, demontrate a traditional coffee ceremony to adopted Ethiopian children on Nov. 14. They teach kids from Nebraska about thier unique heritage. Photo by Celena Shepherd

Preparing Warriors for the ACT and SAT for 14 years!

Helping Schools & Families Create College Graduates With Minimal Debt JohnBaylorPrep.com 157649-JBTP-Westside10x8.indd 1

8/29/14 4:36 PM

IN-DEPTH

9

TO BE OR not to be politically correct?

Lance takes a look at both sides of the debate

Here’s what the current President had to say at Baxter Arena this month about political correctness: “I want to be clear about this. This is not about being politically correct…If somebody doesn’t agree with affirmative action, that’s a legitimate policy difference. That doesn’t mean they’re racist. If somebody has a disagreement about my economic policies, we can have a discussion about that. There should never be a situation on college campuses, for example, where people can’t speak at all…The First Amendment is important. The First Amendment is valuable. So we do have to be cautious about suggesting that anytime somebody says something we shut them down.

But let me say this. That doesn’t mean that you go around insulting people and thinking that that is clever, or that is being honest, or telling it straight. No, that’s just being offensive. And that’s feeding some of our worst impulses. And that does not make us strong…It betrays who we are as a country -- one people, who rise and fall together.”

Is westside politically correct?

This survey was conducted at westside high school with a sample population of 100 students. Population represented All Grades, Ages, Genders and Races.

Politcal Correctness:

agreeing with the idea that people should be careful to not use language or behave in a way that could offend a particular group of people, according to Merriam-Webster.

Do you believe teachers should share their own political views in class?

Have you ever been offended by a political figure due to political incorrectness?

No

No

60%

40% Yes

52%

“A lot of times kids are only exposed to their parents political beliefs, hearing more opinions gives us more opportunities to learn about new opinions. Students and teachers 48% alike should discuss these things.”

Yes

“School is a place to learn. If a teacher is going to represent political views they need to show both sides of an argument and be unbiased. Morals and values should be taught at home or left up for the kid to decide.”

Is “The Redskins” an appropriate name for a football team?

No 51%

On a scale of 1 to 10 How necessary is political correctness?

49% Yes

Which is more appropriate: "African American" or "Black"?

Black 36%

64% African American

Which is more appropriate: "Native American" or "Indian"?

Indian 11%

89%

Native American

Do you prefer hearing a general holiday greeting or specific?

Specific 57%

43%

General

Graphic by Jim Schueneman

Not very

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Very

10

IN-DEPTH

Case for Political Correctness Against Political Correctness...

COLE H O P K I N S

STAFF WRITER

“Political correctness.” It is something that is abundant in our schools, our work places and is now common in most social interaction. Being politically correct has become an expectation for virtually all people under almost all circumstances.

Although most of us have been conditioned to fully accept being politically correct and partake in its speech restricting principles, I would like to challenge the notion. I also would like to demonstrate the adverse effects of “political correctness” in society. I believe that political correctness has become a device used by liberal bureaucrats to restrict the free speech of conservatives and people with right-wing opinions. I believe that political correctness is an attempt to monopolize the free exchange of ideas by only allowing certain sides of issues to be talked about freely.

But why is it that liberal authorities would go so far to restrict the free speech of others? After all they themselves are commonly some of the biggest proponents of free speech in the first place. As said

by Denis Prager, founder of Prager University, “something that is ‘politically incorrect’ is simply a truth that people on the left find too painful to acknowledge and therefore do not want it expressed.” It is mostly liberal people who simply do not want to acknowledge things that are painful or make them feel uncomfortable. This is where I believe the concept of “political correctness” comes from.

There are many instances of things that are true but cannot be expressed because they are “politically incorrect.” For example, it would be politically incorrect for me to state that African American males commit a hugely disproportionate amount of violent crime when compared to white males in the United States. According to the FBI Bureau of Investigation, 6.78 percent of African Americans

were convicted of a violent crime compared to their total population in the United States in 2012. Comparatively, only 2.91 percent of Whites were convicted of a violent crime compared to their total population. Yet bringing attention to this factually proven issue is “politically incorrect.” The issue here is that we as a society have come to a place where valid, factually supported conversation and speech is being suppressed in the name of sparing peoples feelings.

Political correctness, in essence, does not support the freedom of speech, but instead the freedom from speech. The system of political correctness has developed into a way of censoring things that are subjectively deemed as “hateful,” “hurtful,” or “insensitive.”

People who support political correctness tend to claim it is done in the name of safety.

But does safety mean everyone has a right to always feel comfortable?

I would suggest that being uncomfortable and having adversity is essential to the progression of society.

Liberal groups of people have even gone as far to create a thing called trigger warnings.

A trigger warning by definition of the Oxford Dictionary is “something placed at the beginning of a piece of writing indicating that the contents of the piece may be potentially distressing to the reader.” This is the most obvious example of liberal authorities trying to deter people from reading certain things that may make them uncomfortable. One example would be at the University of Santa Barbra. Time Magazine reported a story about a college student who petitioned to place trigger warnings at the beginning of The Great Gatsby. The student claimed that the book “possesses a variety of scenes that reference abusive, misogynistic violence.” It is obvious in this instance that the student had little consideration for the book’s historical and ed-

For Political Correctness...

E MMA K O R EN GEL STAFF WRITER

As the new year begins and the race for the White House picks up, a disturbing trend has emerged. It’s the removal of filters. Apparently, some people find noholds-barred throwing of insults, accusations and slang “refreshing.” And yes, free speech is in our Constitution.

It’s a human right. But in today’s day and age, it’s just not okay to completely forget basic political correctness.

Political correctness has become a dirty term. In fact, comments will most likely be received for this piece alone. Political correctness usually makes people think of screaming “SJWs” (social justice warriors, a common internet term) trying to silence every move a person makes.

But this is far from the real case! People talk about how we get carried away, and how we’re becoming too politically correct.

While it is easy to get carried away, and doing so has tarnished the concept as a whole, the author believe there are more pros than cons to abiding by political correctness.

Political correctness, when done correctly, is about not being a totally asinine human being and showing others respect. Had we never adopted politically correct guidelines, who’s to say we couldn’t be going around the halls calling people racist slurs? If you take a look back at the 1950’s compared to now, calling minorities offensive names is a thing best left in the past. But that isn’t the only benefit.

Many women enjoy having their capabilities judged on their own merits and not the fact that they are female.

Political correctness has opened doors for new opportunities and representation in the media for minorities and genders alike, which makes certain dreams much easier to achieve, as opposed to only a few decades ago. Women in the workplace, ages 35-44, has jumped from 39 percent to 71 percent employed. Minorities are making progress, now in 30 percent of the jobs of fortune 500 companies. (according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics)

More important still is how it has brought respect of other cultures and how they are portrayed. For example, in 2014’s critically-mixed Peter Pan Live, a song formerly known as “Ugg-A-Wugg” was changed due to the original being comprised of nonsense words parodying Native American languages. However, the Broadway musical from which the production was based originally premiered in 1954, and was understandably altered to fit today’s standards.

Similarly, not until recently has it been realized that perhaps Natives do not enjoy having a pro football team still named after cruel slang towards them. In almost all circumstances, politically correcting something is updating and changing older ideals into more socially acceptable and mutually respectful terms for today. Be it for African Americans, Latinos, Asians, etc., it’s good that we’re wiping away the relics of those old racial stereotypes and caricatures. That isn’t necessarily something to be frowned upon.

But of course, one must bring up the controversial ideas of political correctness. Some ideas brought on by it can leave a sour taste in people’s mouth if overextreme or just seem unnecessary or confusing. None more so than the love-it-or-hate-it idea birthed from the movement: trigger warnings. Most of the time, should you bring up trigger warnings, those against them will go up-in-arms, asking what exactly you’re triggered by and if you are too weak to handle modern society. But that’s just it. Trigger warnings as an idea are not largely available in modern society. They’re a product of online filtering, to make people more comfortable.

It sounds more complicated than it is. Let’s explain.

Maybe you don’t like spiders. Maybe they freak you out to no end. There’s nothing you can do about that in real life. Nothing is stopping you from seeing spiders out and about in daily life. But should you go online, you don’t want to look at all those spiders. So you tag them.

Block the tag, and it’s no longer a problem! Maybe you just have a phobia of blood, or gore, or sudden jump scares. In the same way you wouldn’t watch a horror film, you wouldn’t want to see those trying to enjoy the

Graphics by Casey Arritt and Nata Ward

ucational value. Yet even if the book may cause someone to have a negative reaction, there is still little scientific evidence to support that censoring or ignoring triggers actually helps people with PTSD. In fact it is suggested by a study conducted by Pacific Standard Magazine that repeated exposure to triggers (in people who suffer from PTSD) is most commonly the way people overcome their disorder.

The bottom line is that the institution that is “political correctness” in its entirety undermines the process of people’s free thought and ability to formulate individual opinion. By only allowing certain people to share their opinions or ideas, and censoring the opposition because it may offend somebody. The free exchange of ideas by speaking is absolutely an essential part of the development and progression of society. Political correctness has done nothing but hinder the way people are allowed to communicate.

Adversely, it is even starting to cause young people to think the same way. More and more often studies are showing the increasing amount of liberalistic ideals being prevalent in today’s youth. According to Pew Research Center in Americans born from 1981 or later there has been a 20 percent rise in people who support gay marriage since 2001, a 72 percent fall in the influence of religion in young people, and there is a total of 51 percent of American adults who believe that abortion is not a moral issue, or is just morally acceptable. I don’t believe we would be seeing these trends if certain opinions (mostly conservative) weren’t censored by political correctness. All the while liberals stand firmly on the platform of diversity, they are undisputedly the same people trying to make everyone think the same way.

Don’t let political correctness control you. The ability to speak freely on all issues without censorship is an essential piece to building a better society and a better tomorrow. Remember this; it’s usually the things that need to be said the most that can be the most painful to hear.

net. It’s not so much censorship as it is voluntarily blocking unpleasant imagery. This is especially kind and important for victims of rape, abuse, and other experiences where seeing reminders could make them very distressed. You don’t have to do it if you don’t want to, but it makes everyone’s online experience easier to control.

Again, it’s important to realize that political correctness is not the same as censorship.

Should you desire, nobody is stopping you from using 1930’s racial slurs in the halls.

The movement of political correctness just aims to show you how that it could be rude to certain people and how it’s frowned upon by the majority. You don’t have to listen if you don’t want to, but it will be putting you in the minority.

It’s amazing how we’ve evolved, by practicing simple respect and understanding, from an age of casual racism and belittling into something much brighter, however flawed. In the 1950’s, kids would go out and buy a 10 cents makeup kit to look black or Chinese. (According to wired.com, with photos of said kits) Not exactly family-friendly fun by today’s standards. Sexism sold ads with weak housewives too dainty to open a ketchup bottle alone, ideally dependant on her man, when the same housewives could have well been riveting warplanes a few years prior. Stereotypical and derogatory characters were used to sell everything from soap to jello to chalk and more, branded with words that most people wouldn’t dream of saying nowadays. These products of their time were built on a foundation of distrust and misunderstanding, which we’ve worked hard to remedy today.

It’s still far from perfect, but one could never get away with the disrespect of the past.

As we’ve changed and entered a new era, we need to adapt and evolve from a society that has been all too eager to gobble up minstrel shows to a more sensitive people well-attuned to respecting the rights of other human beings.

And while it can be easy to get carried away with political correctness, we must remember all the positive aspects the movement has brought and not just focus on the problematic examples that have soured the idea for so many people.

So before you condemn an entire movement of progress, just remember all that has come from it, and think before you criticize it all.

IN-DEPTH

11

What?

they said

MADIGAN B R O DS K Y PRODUCTION EDITOR One would expect political correctness, or the explicit effort to not offend or exclude any particular group of people, to be a prerequisite character trait for any politician. However, this seems to be the exception more than the rule.

While it is hard to discern if the incidence of contentious comments is truly increasing, or if the growth of social media just brings these instances more into focus, it is hard to turn on the news or scan your twitter page without encountering dominant adversaries on just about every political and social issue. This month, the Lance staff takes a look back at a handful of comments where political correctness is severely lacking.

“The Jews have no sense of proportion nor do they have any judgment on world affairs… The Jews, I find, are very, very selfish.”

In 2003, a private diary containing these remarks was found belonging to Harry S. Truman, the 33rd President of the United States. These diary entries disclosed a pitiless and anti-Semitic side of Truman that was unknown to the majority of the public until his written thoughts became exposed. When Treasury Secretary Henry Morgenthau, Jr. called Truman to discuss the geopolitical dispute involving the refugee ship Exodus, which was to transport Holocaust survivors to British Mandatory Palestine on July 11, 1947, Truman wrote in his diary that “He [had] no business, whatever to call me… [The Jews] care not how many Estonians, Latvians, Finns, Poles, Yugoslavs or Greeks get murdered or mistreated…. as long as the Jews get special treatment.”

“If it’s a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down.”

On August 19 of 2012, Rep. Todd Akin (R-Missouri), presented this statement during a debate in an attempt to clarify his stance on abortion. When questioned on the topic, Akin made it clear that he believed no instance of abortion was admissible, even in cases of what he called “legitimate rape,” in which a woman’s body could somehow prevent an undesired pregnancy. Akin also mentioned that from what he understood, pregnancies caused by rape were “really rare.” Medical research conducted by the National Center for Biotechnology Information refuted Akin’s statement, showing that approximately 32,101 American women are impregnated by rape every year and that 50 percent of those women chose to undergo abortion.

“We have done our level best [to prevent blacks from voting]…we have scratched our heads to find out how we could eliminate the last one of them. We stuffed ballot boxes. We shot them. We are not ashamed of it.”

Known by some in the early 20 century as “the best known and most vitriolic Negrophobe in America,” Benjamin “Pitchfork” Tillman defiantly admitted these actions to the Senate in Feb. 1900. Elected Democratic governor of South Carolina in 1890, Tillman adamantly advocated for a culture based on racial discrimination and violence and continued to tirelessly support this agenda through his time in the Senate, which began in 1894. Tillman stayed in office until his death in 1918, and has been credited by his biographer, Francis Simkins, as having “fostered the modern reaction against the Negro.” In 1940, a statue was built outside the South Carolina State House in his honor and still remains there today.

“They’re bringing drugs, they’re bringing crime, they’re rapists.”

It was hard to miss this profound statement from the current front-runner Republican presidential candidate, Donald Trump, during his campaign launch on June 16, 2015. Trump’s declaration, aimed at Mexican immigrants, caused many of his corporate partners to immediately distance themselves from the candidate. While statistics on crime and immigrants (of any nationality) in the United States are incomplete, there has been no evidence discovered that proves native-born Americans commit less crimes than immigrants. Since his June campaign launch, the 69-year-old businessman has created an extensive record of controversial statements, including his imitation of a disabled journalist, Serge Kovaleski, and questioning if Carly Fiorina, another Republican candidate, had the physical appearance necessary to obtain votes.

12

IN-DEPTH

Touchy Subjects

Westside instructor balances controversial discussions SAM C O H E N

STAFF WRITER

Social studies instructor David Bywater poses for a picture Wednesday, Jan. 27. Bywater uses politcally charged discussions during his classes. Photo by Mitch Francis

Even though social studies intructor David Bywater is careful about discussions in class, the discussions can become more than just a simple class conversation. Students in the past with strong opinions have raised their voices and insulted each other. Bywater was able to calm them down and end the discussion peacefully. With that being said, he thinks that telling students to be politically correct is not the answer.

Bywater is an economics and government teacher at Westside High School with an extensive background in politics. He believes that through teaching and in class discussions, he is getting his students ready for the real world.

“What I feel that we do in class is prepare you to have an adult conversation,” Bywater said. Although some sensitive subjects are the topic of discussion in class, Bywater makes sure that everyone is comfortable, but also that he has the discussion under control.”

Bywater tells all of his students that they have the right to their own opinion.

“My parameters are that you have your [rights,] but you don’t have a right to ridicule or make fun of someone else’s,” Bywater said.

When discussing sensitive topics, Bywater said that it is hard to judge what people will be offended by. It can be difficult to decide what people will take offense to and what is necessary to discuss.

“If we’re talking about a current event, and as long as it is academic, then I think it’s okay,” Bywater said.

He uses this set of rules to decide what to talk about.

Bywater said that during some serious discussions, people are afraid to offend others, also that people are often too easily offended. He reached the conclusion that this conflict is interrupting progress in the real world, and that political correctness is stopping productive conversation.

“Not only does [political correctness] hinder discussion, it limits solutions,” Bywater said.

These discussions may not always be civil, but according to Bywater, are necessary and don’t just stop after high school.

“As we grow older, we’re going to have to discuss these things one way or the other,” Bywater said. “If you feel offended that we’re having a discussion about Black Lives Matter, guess what, when you get out in the real world, they’re still having that discussion.”

He also stresses that people have rights while discussing these things and need to be respected.

“Two individuals or groups [should be able to] have a conversation about a serious issue [while staying] level headed, and [not] name calling,” Bywater said.

Bywater believes that everyone has a right to their own opinion, and also feels that others shouldn’t be scared of people who are different.

“I’m not afraid of anyone else’s opinion, but I am also proud of mine,” Bywater said.

Social studies TEACHERS SPEAK OUT

Views on the role of political correctness in classrooms Q: What is your definition of political correctness?

Q: What is your definition of political correctness?

Q: How do you judge what your students or other people might find offensive?

Q: How do you judge what your students or other people might find offensive?

A: Typically, being politically correct is when someone avoids saying things that people might find offensive.

A: When you go so sickly sweet that you have to have an insulin shot after you’ve said it because [there’s] absolutely no basis to it, it’s just to be nice.

A: I think there are obvious heated topics that people could become more offended about.

A: By the look on their face. If they look absolutely shocked or horrified I know I may have gone too far. If they look confused I figure they’re an idiot, so they didn’t get it all.

JOHN B R IA N

SOCIAL STUDIES INSTRUCTOR

Q: Would you handle situations differently in the future if you know a certain topic offended someone?

A: No. Evidently it’s their problem, not mine. If they ask me for an opinion then I give an opinion and if they don’t like it they shouldn’t have asked for the opinion.

Q:Are there any topics you avoid discussing in class?

A: We can discuss anything in my class, except for the lunch menu because I find [it] absolutely disgusting how they feed American children. I don’t want to contribute to childhood obesity. And we don’t discuss football because football’s not really football, it’s American gridiron.

AMY STUDTS

SOCIAL STUDIES INSTRUCTOR

Q: Are there any topics you never discuss in class due to political correctness?

A: I would say that in current events class we talk about a ton of different topics that people could be offended by, but we try to make sure in the class that students are careful about how they phrase things. Making sure that it’s a space where people can say their opinions without being harassed or judged. We don’t necessarily avoid certain topics because we think its important for students to discuss and put their ideas kindly.

Q: What are your views on political correctness?

A: I think it’s important to express yourself well. Some people do get offended and you can’t always help that, but I think the way in which you speak makes a difference.

Story by Celena Shepherd

Opinion

Speech codes can be positive for schools K A Y LA K Y L E

STAFF WRITER On March 27, 2015, a video surfaced of a Univeristy of Oklahoma fraternity chanting racist slurs and saying that any African American that tried to join their fraternity would “hang from a tree.” This rightfully sparked an outrage in our society and began a debate about speech codes.

Speech codes are rules and regulations that restrict your use of offensive/derogatory words. These are mainly enforced on school campuses. Classic speech codes will ban words and phrases that are prejudiced to a particular group of people. This prevents any discriminatory harrassment.

However, some universities will enforce these rules more or less than others. It can either lead to too much speech restriction or vague rules where the student is left unclear as to what’s off limits and what’s not.

The main issue people have with speech codes is that it’s said to violate the First Amendment of free speech. Col-

lege campuses banning what people are allowed to say isn’t far off from the government doing the same thing. It’s our constitutional right to be able to express our opinions and ideas without fear of being punished or taken to jail as long as our speech is legal.

When college campuses begin to censor what people can and can’t say, it begins to feel like a part of our freedom is being stripped away. This is a legitimate concern to have with speech codes as it does violate our constitution and could be a stepping stone to banning other rights citizens of the United States have.

However, I don’t believe speech codes violating our First Amendment right is as big of an issue as people are making it out to be. The words they are banning are commonly used to harm other individuals. Slurs based on race, sexuality, gender, etc. should never be okay to use because of the damage they’ve done in the past and the context they’re almost always used in.

If someone is using their First Amendment right to mer-

cilessly taunt their peers, then they’re abusing that power.

There’s a difference between using certain phrases to analyze and debate a topic, but if you’re using them for the sole reason of causing harm to someone else, you don’t deserve to have that right.

No one should be legally punished for having an opinion, but you shouldn’t get a free pass to attack other people based on those opinions either. If this rule makes the school community safer and healthier for the student body, I don’t see a huge problem with it. It’s important that people are in environments they feel comfortable in and can freely express themselves in.

It’s not fair that people can go around and hurt other people based on their prejudices. Speech codes are about having some form of punishment for students who can’t hold their tongue and have damaging views.

To put it simply, if a person is really that upset they can’t make racist, sexist, and otherwise demeaning comments anymore, they’re the problem, not the school system.

FEATURE

13

IN THE NICK OF TIME

Senior faces repercussions after serious car accident

Photo by Mitch Francis mother decided to take him to the hospital whether he liked it or not.

The building was cold and Nicholas was the kind of tired He should’ve been dead a long time ago. that made his body ache and made him fall asleep three Senior Nicholas Young making it to the twelfth-grade times waiting in the emergency room at Methodist. Within was a miracle in itself. He didn’t care about himself, he a few hours, the doctors had him take a CT scan to check didn’t care about what happened to him. He was into the for bleeding, requiring him to lay on a table to allow a giant wrong things and hanging around the wrong people for a machine to conduct X-rays. The shaking had stopped soon long time. But he had gotten through that, gotten involved after the crash, but now it started again, twitching and in theater, let the people there pick him up again. small movements. Probably shock.

It was Monday afternoon, “You have to stay still,” the Jan. 4, when bystanders witdoctors reminded him.

Mean Streets Omaha nessed Nicholas’ car slide across He tried. @MeanStreetsOMA four lanes of traffic. There were Later that night, with a diagconflicting reports whether it nosis of concussion and a prewas ice or a hit and run driver or scription for nausea medicine, a mixture of the two. He doesn’t Personal Injury Wreck: 108/Sahler St. Hit he laid on his couch, stared up remember any of it, only waking and run, blue SUV fled northbound, white at the ceiling. He didn’t pick up up across his steering wheel, vihis phone or computer, didn’t Saturn in the ditch sion limited and blurred. look for any distractions. He Was he dead? wanted to go to college for busi1/4/16, 4:33 PM No, his head hurt. He definess. He wanted to be successful nitely wasn’t dead. and have dreams and actually There was a woman banging do something in the world. He on the window. A bus driver. wanted to prove all the people “Are you okay?” The damage wrong who never believed in came in flashes: shattered glass, broken frames, crushed him. Who never loved him. panels.

But his car was at the bottom of an embankment, front He needed to get out. It was too cold; there was damage tire almost gone, windows broken, totaled. All of those to the gas tank — a fire could start — but he couldn’t leave. dreams and hopes and goals could’ve been gone in the ten No one would let him out. You could’ve hurt your spine. So seconds he slid across the street, down the hill and into he just waited. Shivered. He was crying. that fence.

Everyone said it was a miracle he wasn’t dead.

--The next day was hard. He didn’t go to school, just sat Nicholas wants a big house. He wants a Lamborghini, around his house. There were moments when the world not the 2013 Chevy Malibu that his mom drove to pick him didn’t feel attached him, just for a minute or two, when it up in. Brenda Young isn’t his birth mother, but she was the swirled around and he was lost. only mother Nicholas remembers. He wants more than the He could’ve been dead. He couldn’t get over that. Nichfamily whose blood he shares could offer him. olas hadn’t been texting and driving, he hadn’t been on Brenda was angry at the wreck, and then she was scared. anything, hadn’t done anything illegal. He had just looked They were both scared, both wondering if he was actually down at the radio for a minute, there was the flash of a blue okay.

SUV — or was it white? — and then nothing.

“I’m fine,” Nicholas said. Over and over. A mantra mayNicholas had a ticket for “approaching a stationary obbe more to himself than anything, because he knew ambu- ject” and “failure to stay in his lane.” On the whole, nobody lances were expensive and hospitals were bad. Whenever was sure what happened. he went to a hospital, someone died.

He still didn’t like hospitals. The bracelet on his wrist Nicholas wants to be rich. He wants money. He wants reminded him. Once, when he was two months old, he was all the things he never had when he was a kid in Texas, admitted to the hospital in El Paso, Texas for a broken leg. at the time named “Juan” after his birth father instead of His father’s reasoning: Nicholas was “crying too loud.” The “Nick.” He wants a nice car and a steady income and to be judge said his father wasn’t allowed to see him anymore. a part of successful business. He wants more. He wants to Come to think of it, perhaps there were a lot of things be more than the infant who was taken away from his birth Nicholas shouldn’t have made it out of. Like, for example, parents. he was kidnapped once. It was his birth father, after the But his head still hurt. It hurt an hour later, when his court sentencing. His mother was supposed to sever all

N A TA W A R D

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

contact with him, but she couldn’t stay away, couldn’t resist showing him his son one last time. Maybe she didn’t mean it. Who knows. She still didn’t listen to the judge, met her husband in secret, and gave Nicholas to him. The man promptly fled across the Mexican-American border, taking Nicholas with him, and disappeared for weeks.

That was another time that Nicholas, just seven months old, doesn’t remember.

Brenda Young, then in her thirties and attending graduate school to become a librarian, got a call about a child to foster.

“We are waiting at the bridge,” the authorities said. “If the father shows, we’ll have a kid that needs a home in a few hours.”

That’s all the warning Brenda got before Nicholas arrived in her home for the first time, and she became a single mom, no longer just ready to have a family, but actually with an infant son.

So maybe he started off rocky. Maybe he shouldn’t have made it through to the adoption’s finalization at 13 months old. Or maybe it should’ve been growing up in a single-parent household, because that’s been hard on both of them.

There’s not another person to lean on or give Brenda a break.

If Nicholas was still alive, how could the crash have happened? How was it possible to be driving one second and passed out the next? It couldn’t have happened. It was unreal.

“You should’ve died,” his mechanic decided, when he was looking over the damage of Nicholas’ totaled car.

“Thanks,” Nicholas said. That was the standard response now. Everyone kept bringing it up.

The first time driving again was a week later, in his new car. Not a Lamborghini, but it ran.

Nicholas used to drive with one hand on the steering wheel, radio up loud; he used to drive fast. Now it’s the 10-2 hand position, car silent, driving below the speed limit.

He passed the place where he crashed, the hill by 108th and Sahler. You could still see the tire tracks. Pieces of metal littered the sides like extensions of the snow; electrical pipe laid in miscellaneous places.

Nicholas passed by within a minute. He was on his way to work.

He is going to University of North Texas to study marketing and advertising, on track to becoming part of the most successful marketing company in the world by the time he gets older. He has dreams. He is going to have all the things people tried to keep from him. Materialistic, but he doesn’t mind the word; there’s nothing wrong with wanting things. He likes to think ambition is his greatest strength, still going strong after everything that has happened to him.

So sure, maybe Nicholas Young should be dead by now.

But he isn’t yet and he isn’t going to let anything stop him.

Far Left: Senior Nicholas Young’s car lays in the embankment Monday, Jan. 4, at the bottom of a hill on 108th and Sahler.

Middle: Damage is shown in closer detail to Nicholas’ car’s rear wheel. Right: The hospital bracelet is pictured after Nicholas’ ER visit. Photos courtesy of Nicholas Young

14

FEATURE

on the run

Student moves from Somalia to America during conflict JA CE W I E S E L E R

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF It was red. The water, the dirt, the bodies lying on the ground. All red.

Senior Mohamed Sodal remembers leaving Somalia, with nothing but these memories engraved in his mind.

“Right as we were about to leave, that’s when it really came to our doorstep,” Mohamed said. “I remember people losing their arms and legs. Most of them were saying, ‘Help’ but I couldn’t because if I stopped I would be dead as well.”

Somalia had declared its independence from Britain in 1991, but there was never a strong national government established. The role of the government was fought over by many groups, including Al Shabaab.

Al Shabaab, an extremist group affiliated with Al Qaeda, was trying to take over the capital of Somalia, Mogadishu, where Mohamed lived. Al Shabaab’s goal was to kill public officials so they could overthrow the government and Al Qaeda could control the country.

Because of this growing conflict, Mohamed, his parents and his siblings originally planned to flee the country a few days later than they actually did.

But they needed to act fast; the Al Shabaab had reached the outskirts of the capital.

Mohamed and his family were looking to escape to Egypt, but the closest they could get is through the Djibouti border. They waited in Djibouti for Mohamed’s father, Abdi Salan Sodal, to come and take them to Eritrea so they could fly to Egypt. Abdi had authorization to get his family through to Egypt, but wanted to aid help family friends as well by helping them through.

“The journey was tough because we would see the kids walking toward the safe zone and we felt privileged with a car and water and [resources] to

get us there,” Mohamed said. “Even though we had a lot of people in [our] bus, I felt kind of cowardly for not giving them any help.”

When Abdi was helping his family and friends enter Egypt, the Egyptian government believed that he was helping terrorists enter the country, when he was helping his friends along with his family. So although Mohamed’s family and friends were able to escape with the aid of his father, Abdi was held back in Egypt for five years because the Egyptian government had him trialed for treason.

“I felt like it was the only thing to do, meaning I either bring my friends with them or the thought of leaving them to die just for my families’ sake,” Abdi said.

Mohamed’s family stayed in Egypt for four years before they made the journey to America when Mohamed was nine years old.

“It was tough growing up without a father here, especially in a foreign nation,” Mohamed said. “[I] didn’t have a positive role model. Every boy needs that.”

Mohamed saw America as his safe haven, full of new opportunities for not only himself, but his whole family.

By telling the Egyptian government what exactly was going on in Somalia, Abdi was released from Egypt and was able to move to the U.S. with his family in 2010. The Egyptians wanted to know what kind of people would be escaping to Egypt, away from the civil war in Somalia.

“I didn’t recognize him, to be honest,” Mohamed said. “It was weird. But it was really nice seeing him again.”

Now that Abdi is back with his family, Mohamed has that “positive role model” back in his life.

Today, the conflict in Somalia isn’t as chaotic as it was when he was living there, according to

Mohamed. The first permanent central government was formed in August 2012 since the start of the civil war in 1991. Representative to Somalia Nicholas Kay describes Somalia’s current state as fragile, but making progress towards stability.

Despite the sudden leaving from his country and the conflict he encountered, Mohamed and Abdi both want to back to their home country, someday, when “everything settles down.”

“For all I know, if we went back there we’d be welcomed with open arms,” Mohamed said.

NO ROLE MODELS

Senior Mohamed Sodal poses for a picture Tuesday, Jan. 26. Sodal and his family escaped Mogadishu, while a group affiliated with Al Qaeda tried to take it over. Photo by Mitch Francis

Westside DECA advisor becomes influence she lacked JACK COHEN

MANAGING EDITOR Many people would not describe high school as the best time of their life. Looking back on those four years often is filled with cringe worthy memories and uncomfortable thoughts. Countless people go on to the real world and try to forget high school and who they were in that time. It takes a unique person to come back and teach high school, let alone teach it with a tremendous passion. It takes an even more unique person to not enjoy high school and still go back. Westside business instructor and DECA advisor Sarah Schau is one of these select few.

INSTRUCTOR Schau’s high school years were not her favorite.

“I was a good student, I was a jock,” Schau said. “I was a very typical high school girl, that worried about what people thought of me and always worried I didn’t look right. On the outside, people would have thought I had it all together, but secretly, I was super insecure.”

After high school, Schau received a business degree and began working in the industry. However, she quickly realized it was not what she was looking for.

“I just didn’t feel like I was making a difference,” Schau said. “I didn’t leave work excited about what I did.”

After leaving the business industry, Schau went back to school and decided to teach, eventually choosing high school. She made it her goal for her students to enjoy the high school experience and not hate it as she did.

Schau quickly found passion for her new career.

“I teach because I love it, but I love teaching seniors because I love to see the growth between the first day of senior year to the last,” Schau said. “I feel it’s a lot like kindergarten, in that they become completely different people and I really like that.”

SA R A H S CHAU

Schau is one of the leaders of Westside DECA. Marketing 1 and 2 are classes upperclassman must take to be in DECA. Marketing 2 focuses on personal growth, goal setting, self image, etc. This allows Schau to connect with students on a deeper level.

“I think you can form relationships with kids in any subject matter,” Schau said. “Marketing allows me to get to know kids outside of school through DECA, competitions, traveling which I love. I think it was what first got me excited about my job.”

Working as a high school teacher allows Schau a interesting reflection on her own high school years.

“I always say [that] I wish someone would have taught me this,” Schau said. “I would have worked on my self image, I wouldn’t have judged as much I think, I think I would have been more focused and stronger mentally. I think I would have had a completely different experience.”

Schau works to be that person she didn’t have and receives feedback that confirms the benefits of the material she teaches.

“I hope I make a difference, I don’t truly know if I make a difference in kids lives unless they tell me or something,” Schau said. “It’s the little things like letters I get from kids or texts that they saw a food truck and thought of marketing.”

Students who don’t embrace the message of self exploration at first, but find the meaning years down the road hold special importance for Schau.

“Those are the moments I love because those are the kids you didn’t really feel like you got to when they were here, but two years out of high school they’re still thinking about it and the light bulb goes off,” Schau said.

Schau’s passion remains because in the seemingly confident yet insecure person many students are, she sees herself. This dedication has continued to make DECA one of the largest clubs at Westside.

“I wish someone would have taught me [what I know now].”

Business instructor Sarah Schau poses at her desk Wednesday, Jan. 27. Photo by Mitch Francis

FEATURE

15

Treacherous Tosses

Sophomore struck during practice mishap E MMA KORE NGE L STAFF WRITER

A blustery fall day usually brings crunchy leaves, chimney smoke and excitement for the upcoming events of winter. It was that sort of day, when a sudden incident struck the practicing color guard on the football field, in particular, sophomore Color Guard member Hannah Petri.

The incident in question? Having her front teeth knocked out. By a pole.

It all began at the practice field one day. For safety reasons, the routine was being practiced beforehand to get a feel for the COLOR GUARD MEMBER wind that day.

“When y o u ’ r e on Color Guard, you need to adjust to it, throw it with a certain strength,” Petri said.

“You want to throw it forwards because the wind’s coming at you.”

As the color guard practiced their routine against the wind, 45s were performed, which can be quite dangerous if not made correctly. Petri had done many before, but the wind worked against her, catching it and sending it straight into her face. She went to the ground, staying put, knowing that something was obviously wrong.

“I did it just to gain composure, but once I moved my tongue around I knew there was teeth missing,” Petri said. “Like, I had teeth in my mouth.”

The band looked onward from far away, the

H AN N AH P E T R I

rest of the small group of Color Guard not reacting to what had just occurred. Action had to be taken for Hannah as soon as it was made clear what was done. In a twist of fate, the expensive uniforms of the Guard were pure white, a color that indeed clashes with the stain of blood. One member held said dress back to avoid staining as the coach rushed over, asking if she was okay. The rest of the team didn’t know how to react, standing in shock alongside the band.

A golf cart came to take her off the field to get medical aid. From there, the reconstruction began.

“I’m still getting work done,” Petri said. “ I had to get two root canals the night it happened. It was basically a race against time from there to try to cover the gap up with paste.”

(Said paste being a sealant to prevent infection of the tooth.)

She finally arrived back home at two a.m, after many hours of work. It’s worth noting that the entire incident could possibly mean braces again for poor Petri.

“And this all happened while I had German exchange students,” Petri said. “When we came home, they were all like ‘Are you okay?’. They were so scared. They had thought Color Guard was an artsy kind of thing, after that they were terrified of it. They didn’t want to be nearby when we were practicing.”

Petri believes the entire fiasco had indeed altered the exchange students’ perception of the

“They had thought Color Guard was an artsy kind of thing. After that, they were terrified of it.”

sport. They were now significantly more hesitant to admire the Color Guard’s skills up close.

“The very first night, we had them come in the room, and they were like ‘Oh my gosh! That’s pretty!”, Petri said. “They thought it was like ballet or something. After, they still thought it was pretty, they just wanted to watch it from the stands.”

Even though the entire accident was quite an ordeal, Hannah continues to practice color guard, learning from the experience. The Color Guard hopes to keep on high-alert to prevent any more accidents in the future. Overall, she has moved on, literally, with flying colors.

Traditional and Most Romantic Spainish Restaurant in town!

11036 Elm St, Omaha, NE 68144 (402) 557-6738

Sophomore Hannah Petri poses for a photo on Tuesday, Jan 26. Petri had some of her teeth knocked out by a pole at color guard practice. Photo by Mitch Francis

16

FEATURE

ALL FOR THE BEst

Father’s back injury affects daughter’s life

LI BBY S E L I N E

MANAGING EDITOR

Freshman Trinity Kothe struggled to understand her father’s back pain. It was hard for her to simply feel the pain of a shattered backbone; the weight of a plane crushing her father’s spine.

The injury couldn’t be seen. Her father, Ben Kothe, never wore a cast. He just seemed tired and slower to 4-year-old Trinity. Trinity only knew that the games they used to play stopped FRESHMAN and he was different from his usual self. “ O n e night [my dad] was working on a plane [as an engineer for the military] and the plane c a m e down and crushed h i m , ” Trinity said. “Because he was working late he was left overnight so he stayed there for six or seven hours….[I found out] he broke his back, but I didn’t know how bad [his back] was until I got older. ” Trinity’s younger self still thought Ben was “vampire dad.” He was up all night and sleeping throughout the day. Despite the injury Ben continued to work for the military for four years after the incident. He later determined that the back pain was too much for him. The family moved off the military base and adapted to a life where Ben was confined to a wheelchair.

“I was sad because I thought [my dad’s life] was a horrible life to live,” Trinity said. “Even though he was with [us] all the time [now and not always gone for the military] he was never happy and he never wanted to do stuff.”

The family adapted to a life of routine. They moved into a small townhouse in Omaha that was near a hospital. Trinity was glad her father was

TRI N I T Y K O T H E

home more often, but his life was still difficult. In this home, Ben did the same everyday: got into his “special chair,” went downstairs and had his wife, An Kothe, push him back upstairs. This was the Kothe family’s life.

“I didn’t really know he was in so much pain,” Trinity said. “He just seemed so unhappy all the time, and I thought that was normal. Sometimes I was scared of him because he would always get mad. He would [do something] and yell, but that’s because his back was hurting and he couldn’t take it a n y more.”

T h e Kothe f a m ily remained grateful and c h e r i s h e d w h a t they had.

Trinity’s mother An enc o u r a g e d t h e i r f a m ily lifestyle to change.

She saw that Ben accepted his life in a wheelchair, and she was not okay with that. She spent many nights researching possible solutions for Ben’s back pain. An arranged swimming therapy for Ben and bought him heating pads. These forms of treatment did not cure Ben’s back pain. “[I was mad because] I thought he wasn’t getting better on purpose,” Trinity said. “I was like ‘why aren’t you better? Why are you doing this?’

I didn’t really know because I was too little understand.”

An eventually encouraged Ben to try Chinese herbal therapy and acupuncture. According to Trinity, Ben was skeptical because he interpreted eastern medicine to be “voodoo.” An decided to take Ben to massages. As soon as they arrived at the masseuse, they decided to undergo acupunture treatment. “[The masseuse] would massage him and then [the acupuncturist] would come in and stick

“I didn’t really know he was in so much pain.

He just seemed so unhappy all the time, and I thought that was normal.”

the needles in his back, [and] he was like ‘wow, this really works,’” Trinity said. “ For the first time in almost ten years, Ben was beginning to support himself and no longer need a wheelchair. He eventually regained strength and was walking again.

“He started taking herbs and stuff and got better and better and better,” Trinity said. “Instead of being in a chair we got him a walker with wheels, so he was using that. Now he doesn’t have to use a cane [or anything] and he can ride a motorcycle again.”

An and Trinity also tried eastern medicine for their illnesses. An had suffered from symptoms of asthma. These symptoms became less frequent as she started using the herbs given to her by the eastern medicine doctor. At a young age, Trinity was showing symptom’s of Crohn’s disease, which was a syndrome many of her extended family members had. As she started taking eastern medicine, her symptoms started to weaken.

“We all felt happier, we all felt better [and] we all had more energy,” Trinity said. “[Eastern medicine] is like magic. It’s crazy.”

Ben became inspired by how eastern medicine helped him. He has decided to become an acupuncturist and Chinese herbalist so he can help like him through eastern medicine. He is currently studying eastern medicine at the American Acupuncture Academy in Minnesota.

“I think [the fact that he’s at school is] really good because it’s giving him a purpose in life, and before his purpose was to sit in a chair,” Trinity said. “[His healing] made me happier. I think it’s great that he’s better and thinking big and trying to help people. I like seeing my dad enjoying life…Every time I talk to him he’s always happy. He’s like ‘my school’s great, this is great, everything is great.’”

Trinity is convinced that eastern medicine saved their lives and is thankful for everything that has happened because of the incident.

“When the accident happened it was horrible on our family, but I don’t wish it never happened,” Trinity said. “If it wasn’t for my dad’s back breaking we never would’ve moved, my dad would’ve been in the military, we would’ve never tried Chinese medicine and we [would] never get healthy and better as people. It’s like [we] had to sacrifice one thing to get all these great things.” *Ben and An Kothe declined an interivew. This story is told from the perspective of their daughter Trinity.

Freshman Trinity Kothe gazes out a window in the sports hallway on Tuesday Jan. 26. Kothe’s father suffered a spinal injury while working on a plane at Bellevue Military Base.

Photo by Mitch Francis

SPORTS

17

Going, Going, Gone

High school transfers for athletics lack loyalty to school ST EVEN S I M O N STAFF WRITER

For the last three years you’ve struggled through morning practices, heart-breaking losses, and numerous other obstacles and conflicts. Going forward into your senior year, a state championship doesn’t seem likely and up to this point you haven’t been recruited heavily. With things looking down you decide to leave your school, teammates, and coaches behind for a new school where you don’t know anyone but believe that your athletic future looks more promising. Transferring schools for solely athletic reasons breaks ties, shows a lack of loyalty, and doesn’t improve chances of success.

Within the last year, numerous student athletes from Westside and many other Omaha high schools have transferred for athletic reasons. I believe transferring schools for athletics alone is ridiculous.

Athletes who transfer schools for athletic reasons are conveying the message that they lack any loyalty or pride in their former school. It is an unveiling of true character and shows that personal gains matter more to the athlete than the team or community. It’s a selfish move and a completely unnecessary one as well.

A seemingly very common reason athletes transfer is to move to a school where they think they’ll have a better chance to win a state championship. Transfer students leave all their relationships with former teammates, coaches, friends, and teachers behind. Athletes choose to leave their school and the people within it behind when they transfer and this could be perceived as wanting to move on from those relationships. This could cause harsh feelings and breakage of ties.

In my opinion an even less sensible reason for

an athlete to transfer schools is to be more widely known and heavily recruited. This reason is absolute nonsense because in reality, it doesn’t change anything. According to Matt Franzen, the head football coach at Doane University, the record of an athlete’s high school team doesn’t have much to do with recruiting. Franzen also noted that players are evaluated based on individual ability and getting to know the athlete. For example, Noah Fant, a football player from Omaha South played on a team with a record of 3-6. Despite his team’s record, Fant, a talented athlete was recruited by and signed with Iowa, a top notch Division I college.

Barely increasing their chances at winning a state title and not changing These athletes seem to be sending the message that they’re tired of their school and its people.

It shouldn’t matter if you believe your team will go undefeated or winless, loyalty to your school should be undying and come from within.

Every sport in high school is demanding, physically, mentally, and otherwise. The long and strenuous seasons endured by teams and the numerous obstacles typically bring athletes together with their teammates. In most cases, within a team a family-like element is created and each player cares for the next. In the minds of athletes who fer primarily for practical reasons such as locatransfer, something just doesn’t click and those tion, personal conflicts, or religious affiliations is perfectly acceptable and reasonable. People who relationships are apparently expendable.

Often times, student athletes that transfer at- transfer for these reasons have a serious concern Jace Wieseler Wednesday, January 27, 2016 at 8:14:34 AM Central Standard Time and a transfer benefits their learning environment tempt to maintain relationships and offer support to former teammates and peers. Gestures like this and overall education.

Loyalty and pride in your school, the familyjust add salt to the wound that is created when an like bond formed with a team, and playing for the athlete abandons his or her team.

Not all transfers are absurd like transferring name across your chest and all that it represents solely for athletics is, sometimes moving schools should always mean more than a better record. If is a necessity. Transferring schools is forgivable if someone doesn’t believe their school is the best athletics is only part of the reason. Making a trans- around and wants to leave, good riddance.

Graphic by Nick Gross

Senior Ads Due March 1st Full Page - $285 - (8” x 11.16”) Half Page - $160 - (8” x 5.5”) Quarter Page - $95 - (4.16” x 5.5”) Want your ad designed for you? email Majdi Alkarute

CRA ZE out february 16 check it out on westside wired!

18

SPORTS

Skating on thick ice Sophomores find winter hobby in unique way N OLA N T R AC Y

STAFF WRITER For many people, winter is a dreadful time full of cold and bad weather. For sophomores Tommy Simon, Andrew Overgaard, Mike Hickey, Mack Tempero, Christian Madsen and Jack Lawlor, they take full advantage SOPHOMORE of the conditions. “ L a s t winter me and a few of my other friends decided to go down to Standing Bear Lake to play some pond hockey, [which] was my first time,” Overgaard said.

Fast-forward to this winter, and Overgaard and his friends were back out on the ice, once again.

This time, they wanted to find a new spot to play at so they were closer to their houses.

“It was tough to find a solid and safe pond to play on. We looked around and did some research, but we couldn’t find much,” Overgaard said. “We drove around town and looked at places such as Lake Zorinksi. [But one dayy],when I was passing

by Toll Park, I saw a few guys out ice fishing on the pond. It was [the] perfect place.”

Hickey, who is a player for the Westside varsity hockey team, adds an element of competition for the other boys.

TO M M Y S I M ON

“It’s an honor to play alongside a player with such a legendary status, such as the one Mike posseses,” Simon said. “The only part that is scary about playing with him is disappointing him, but he always is helping us get better.”

There are multiple teams that are built of three players each. One of the teams consists of Hickey, Simon, and Overgaard.

“Playing on a pond compared to indoors is a lot different, but you get used to it” Hickey said, “It’s fun to get a chance to play for fun every once in awhile.”

W h e n playing on ice, safety is never guaranteed so they have to take a lot of precautions before hitting the ice. Ice is considered safe to play on, if it’s at least four or five inches thick.

“Every time before we play we make sure that the ice is stable to safely compete,” Simon said.

“Usually one of us goes out to the ice fishing holes and ensures that the ice is at correct depth.”

Violence is very accepted, even encouraged between players, in the National Hockey League (NHL). There aren’t really set rules for pond hockey, so the boys just make their own rules.

“We don’t play like they do in the pros, but we definitely play with aggression,” Simon

“It’s an honor to play alongside a player with such a legendary status such as the one Mike posseses”

said. “We have a lot of friendly body checks, but punches haven’t been thrown yet.”

Although there have not been many injuries because of play, Madsen did have a bit of an injury. He was playing in regular tennis shoes, instead of ice skates. Somebody’s skate cut his toes and required him to go to the hospital and get stiches.

“Hopefully we get a few more weeks of cold weather so we can keeping playing,” Simon said.

Sophomores Tommy Simon and Andrew Overgaard stand in the middle of a pond on the outskirts of Towl Park. Photo by Mitch Francis

A&E

19

HOROSCOPES Horoscopes by April Van Unen

Aries 21 mar – 19 apr A new person will bring a positive change in your life. What they have to say may surprise you, but they are reaching out to you and it’s a good idea to reach back. You should accept invitations that are sent to you.

Cancer 22 jun – 23 jul You’re feeling serious, thoughtful and focused. It’s the perfect time to show those you love just how useful you can be. Direct your energy towards helping others.

Libra 23 sept – 22 oct Take time for yourself. Readjust your expectations. It takes time to learn new skills, be realistic. Learn your limits and make good use of your time.

Capricorn 22 dec – 20 jan You can connect with people nicely, but today consider taking a step back. Don’t try too hard with your interactions, be patient and natural.

Graphic by Casey Arritt

Taurus 20 apr – 20 may Consider your current relationships. Take a new perspective about them by putting yourself in their shoes. Really listen to the wants and needs of those around you. Listen to their advice, even if you don’t follow it, know their intent was positive.

Leo 24 jul – 23 aug Someone in your life will bring to your attention that your mind can never be too open. Don’t be afriad to change your opinion on big issues or have a fiery debate. Share your new ideas and impress others with your insight.

Scorpio 23 oct – 22 nov If something doesn’t seem right, it’s not right.

Listen to your gut even if it means walking away at the last minute. You are in tune with other people’s energies today so trust your instinct.

Aquarius 21 jan – 19 feb Try not to crowd your friends’ time. You’ve always been there to listen to them and comfort them during their problems but now it’s your turn to take time to figure your own stuff out. It’s good to learn a little independence.

Backstage breakthrough

Gemini 21 may – 21 jun You may be feeling overwhelmed lately, make the most of your free time by relaxing and focusing on steering yourself in the right direction.

Virgo 24 aug – 22 sept You’ve been waiting for the perfect time to take a risk. Today is the day to go out on a limb and try to move ahead. Others may open up their minds and join you.

Sagittarius 23 nov – 20 dec Meeting new people can feel like a chore but it’s an adventure. Observe those around you and listen to how they react to certain statements. This will help you get to know them better and they will appreciate your efforts.

Pisces 20 feb – 20 mar A person in a position of authority may be letting you down repeatedly but dont let disillusionment make you blame those not responsible. Set aside your judgment today and give those the benefit of the doubt.

Dual-enrollment tech theatre gives students new opportunities SH A N N ON C H I N N STAFF WRITER

Behind the singing, acting, lights and costumes of any theatre production are the people who tech it. From the clothes on actors bodies to the spotlight hitting them during their big solo, every aspect of a play or musical is crafted by the tech crew to keep the show running swiftly.

In Westside’s theatre department, the tech side is significantly growing with each production. But, the skills of sewing, construction and design, are not common knowledge, it takes the work of theatre director Jeremy Stoll to create classes where students can not only learn the essentials of technical theatre, but also prepare for a future in it as well.

Introducing a dual-enrollment technical theatre class to the curriculum has given students an opportunity to earn college credits as well as participate in a field that is of interest to them.

Sophomore Isabelle Liske who is a part of the dual-enrollment class spoke about why she decided to take the class.

“It’s something I really enjoy doing,” Liske said. “I’m so interested in how it works and I really want to continue with that and maybe even explore a career in tech.”

Stoll had been teaching a tech theatre class, known as Theatre 4 or Stagecraft, prior to the new dual-enrollment. He wanted to give more than just a basic overview of tech theatre and have a more advanced approach. “[Theatre 4] was enough to start a tech program, but not enough to really get students immersed in what tech theatre can be,” Stoll said.

To achieve this more advanced approach, Stoll partnered up with Liz-Kendall Weisser, who is the coordinator at the Technical Theatre Apprenticeship Program (TTAP) at Omaha Community Playhouse to create the course. The program gives students opportunities outside of high school to earn college credits with Metropolitan Commu-

nity College as well as an associate’s degree after two years.

“There are not a lot of programs like [TTAP] around the country and I haven’t heard of any high schools partnering with a program like that,” Stoll said. “I thought that would be such a great opportunity for students that have interest in technical theatre to start figuring out career wise what they can do with that before even finishing high school.”

Weisser says that the goal for the class is to give an idea of not only the safety and skills of working in the tech industry, but also how to develop ideas and design theories in that environment as well.

“Learning how to do rigging, how to choose proper hardware, how to hang a light properly are all important, but not as important as how to understand the greater world of art and how people interact with it,” Weisser said. “The concepts or tools of design theory and how you articulate yourself as a designer is the primary purpose of the class.”

Not only can students benefit from the class by gaining these necessary skill sets, but it can also kick start future careers, as well as provide a less expensive choice than earning credits in college.

“For those kids who are wanting to get some career skills they can both find their interest and earn college credit while it’s still really cheap, and go into college with a real direction of what they want to do.” Stoll said.

In addition to preparing for a future in tech theatre, the skills learned in the class can also be transferrable in not just theatre environments but also multiple other fields.

“The technical skills learned all apply in other areas, we draft like architects do and we use engineering [and] math to figure out rigging and we need a basic understanding of physics to do color theory, so it’s universally applicable,” Weisser said. “Both skill sets can be applied to interior design or fashion design or architecture.”

With all the possibilities that can branch from

technical theatre, Stoll believes that this can significantly help students in future careers.

“You could leave with an associate’s degree one year after high school,” Stoll said. “You could make more then I make being a teacher who’s been doing this for more than a decade.”

Stoll advises all students that taking the class is beneficial whether or not you want to continue with tech after high school.

“You will get a ton out of [the class],” Stoll said.

“Even if you want to be something very different then what technical theatre or the entertainment industry would typically look for, you will learn a lot from the class and develop as a human being.”

Seniors Madison Hoy and Zachary Bowen listen to Theatre 6 instructor Liz Kendall-Weisser during class Wednesday, Jan.27.

Weisser teaches a new tech theatre class that students can dual enroll in.

Photo by Mitch Francis

20

A&E

WINTER MOVIE REVIEWS Star Wars: The Force Awakens Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past year, you’ve heard of this Star Wars: The Force Awakens. One of the most anticipated films of 2015 and one of the highest grossing films in cinema history, Star Wars: The Force Awakens is already a huge cultural icon and the next installment of a beloved franchise.

Going into this film, my expectations weren’t overly high. I knew it was highly praised, but it had been years since I had watched the original Star Wars movies. Many of the details of the original movies were a little fuzzy to me, so I didn’t know how much I was going to enjoy this one. However, I’m generally a fan of movies with large productions, so I figured I would enjoy it despite not remembering too much from the first six films. I knew that, no matter what, I was still in for a pretty fun and exciting experience just based on its plot and the hype surrounding it.

This movie was as action packed and fun as you would expect from a movie like this. It was filled with fight scenes, weird creatures, alternate worlds, and witty humor. There’s never a dull moment and you find yourself getting lost in The Star Wars universe with each minute. From the beginning scene, you’re immediately hooked.

Beyond that, this movie really makes you care about the

Story by Kayla Kyle

characters. They all have a huge amount of depth and heart and make you care about what happens to them. That’s what separates this from other action blockbusters. Underneath all the special effects and larger than life sets, you genuinely care about the characters and their well-being. You feel victory when they do, you feel pain when they do, and you genuinely feel as if you’re along the ride with them which puts this above other blockbusters in cinema.

People have complained about the similarities between this movie and the first made Star Wars: A New Hope. After watching them both recently, I can definitely see similar plot points between the two, but that doesn’t take away from the fun I had watching this movie. No one can deny that The Force Awakens delivers in enjoyment and excitement. Throughout its two hour run, I can’t think of a time where I was bored or where the pacing was bad.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens is great to watch if you’re looking for an action movie to watch with a surprising amount of depth and heart. It makes you laugh, cry, and feel just about every other possible emotion, which I would say is a success for the film. It definitely holds its own next to the other six films and is something people of all ages can find something to love about and enjoy.

The Hateful Eight The Hateful Eight is the newest film by Quentin Tarantino.

It’s a Western starring Samuel L. Jackson and takes place almost entirely in a cabin with eight characters. This movie unfolds in a “whodunit” fashion and, as Tarentino’s movies always do, delivers a lot of action, gore, and dialogue along the way.

I had seen and enjoyed most of Tarantino’s movies before going into this one, so I had fairly high expectations for The Hateful Eight. I expected it to be somewhat similar to his previous movie, Django Unchained, as they both took place in the same time period and involved a plotline with a bounty hunter.

Other than that, I didn’t know anything about what happened in the storyline or the characters and was going into it completely blind.

Tarentino does a great job at setting up a sinister atomosphere for this film. From the opening shot to the way all the characters are confined in one cabin to the well-timed, eery music. It does well at developing an unbearable tension between the eight characters and makes you feel uneasy as you wait for something bad to happen. From the beginning, no one in the cabin trusts each other and that makes it hard for the audience to decide who they can trust as well. Every character has suspicious things about them which makes the events in this movie even more fun to watch.

It’s also set up in chapter format, as several Tarantino films have been. With each new development in plot, set change, or tone shift, a new “chapter” of the story begins. At certain points, it feels as if you’re watching a play rather than a movie which adds to the unique experience.

The first half of this movie is pretty slow. It’s mostly talking scenes as the storyline is developed. At first, I didn’t like it and wanted things to pick up as I didn’t really know what this movie was about and was struggling to figure out the plot of it.

However, looking back, I’m glad that it was set up that way. The tension needed to build so that the second half could be effective. If it rushed into things, that would have taken away from the film as a whole.

This movie won’t be for everyone, as there’s quite a bit of gore, derogatory terms used throughout, and a slow buildup to the finale. However, if you are looking for a film that delivers in tension, mystery, and western themes, this will be perfect for you. If you’ve been a fan of Tarantino’s movies in the past, this will not disappoint. I walked out immediately wanting to watch it again to catch all the things I missed the first time around.

I would recommend it to anyone bored of the run-of-the-mill movies in theaters today and looking for an original and exciting film experience.

The Forest The Forest is the newest horror film out right now and one I was intrigued by when I first heard about it. Taking place in the Aokigahara Forest under Mt. Fuji in Japan, otherwise known as the “suicide forest,” it follows a woman searching for her sister who went missing in the forest days before. While she is there, she is warned that people who go off the trail in the forest begin to “hear and see things” that may not actually be there. However, desperate to find her sister, she ignores these warnings and makes her journey into this forest.

I was excited to see this movie, considering this is a real place in the world and seemed like a unique idea for a horror movie. As much as I love scary movies about haunted houses and demon possessions, it’s always refreshing to get an inventive and original horror story. Forests in general are very eerie and a good setting for horror movies. If you’ve ever been in a forest at night, you’ll know the feeling of vulnerability and unsafeness that surrounds you. This is what this movie preys on and is very effective at making you feel like something bad could happen at any second.

The movie begins slower than I would have liked it to. It spends most of the beginning of the film outside of the forest and uses cheap scare tactics during dream sequences to get people on edge. I would have liked to see the main character go into the forest a little earlier as that was the main plot point

and where the horror really was. Using dream tactics feels like a cop out and also made me feel as if they were wasting their time in the movie.

Once she entered the forest, things began to get interesting.

This film did a good job of keeping you on your toes and making you feel unsafe. You never quite felt comfortable and were always anticipating something terrifying to happen.

There were quite a few jumpscares in this movie, which I believe began to detract from the actual plot, and you weren’t always invested in the characters, but I enjoyed it for what it was. The Forest has a very unique premise and one that was very nerve wracking to watch. The jumpscares definitely did succeed in making me jump and cover my eyes in fear, although there wasn’t too much substance to the movie beyond that. Unfortunately, even with the psychological aspects of the forest, you weren’t left thinking about this movie after it was over. If they had played up on the psychology behind the forest more than the ghosts and ghouls, this might have been more effective overall.

This movie is worth watching. It’s not the best horror movie I’ve seen, but it’s not the worst either. It’s enjoyable while you’re watching it and a good way to kill some time if you’re looking for something to do. I recommend it to anyone looking for a few scares and an inventive storyline.