opinion3
wingspan • february 19, 2010
• Staff Editorial
After 50 years, West is strong, but can still improve
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On West’s 50-year anniversary, what school improvements still need to be made? •
floods classrooms and pours down the walls of the auditorium and gym. Students, teachers, administrators, coaches and custodians are working hard to make West a great school, but the facility is hampering their efforts. A comfortable school environment is essential to learning. The Henderson County Commissioners and
“The thing that concerns me most is the severe lack of funding for the arts; the musical is given absolutely no money to be put on. Also, there is a lack of help from guidance.”
“Being a freshman, I don’t have too many complaints about West so far. I think some of the food could be improved, and I wish we had all day access to the vending machines.”
Evan Phillips freshman
the board of education need to address the facility issues. In these tough economic times, finding the money may be difficult, but the needs are real. While aesthetics are important, the problem is much bigger than the mismatched tiles in the cafeteria. We don’t need a quick fix designed to cover up problems; we need long-term solutions.
“The administrators at West freak out about all of these little things. Even the teachers do it. For instance, I don’t think cell phones are that big of a deal, but they make it into such a huge deal.” Patrick Hefner sophomore
Katie O’Shea junior
“I hate that to get to X-hall you have to walk outside. I’m ready to boycott until they connect it. I hate the temperature changes between different classrooms and wish they had hot water in the bathrooms.” Leah Moss senior
Viewpoint
Should marijuana be legalized for medical use?
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W
he medicine cabinet is the most dangerous place hat wonder-drug can aid in the treatment of in the home. For many children and teenagers, many life-threatening illnesses? Because of it is often the easiest place to find strong drugs. all of the bad things associated with cannabis, or marijuana, one might never know the amazing Opioids, depressants and stimulants that are prescribed to adults are made inthings that it can accomplish. stantly available to family Medically prescribed members and friends for marijuana helps treat sedangerous and potentially vere symptoms associated deadly abuse. with serious illnesses such Because of this frightenas AIDS, cancer, eating dising accessibility, the abuse Catherine Swift orders and multiple scleroNatalie Rice of prescription drugs is Feature Writer Feature Writer sis. Although marijuana is more popular than the use not cure, it eases the pain of cocaine and methamphetamines in all age groups, and of many patients undergoing treatment. is notably more popular than any other drug in children aged “The evidence is overwhelming that marijuana can re12 and 13, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. lieve certain types of pain, nausea, vomiting and other symp If marijuana is legally prescribed by doctors, it will betoms caused by illnesses or by the harsh drugs sometimes used come yet another drug that children of any age can simply pick to treat them. And it can do so with remarkable safety. Indeed, up off the bathroom shelf and abuse. marijuana is less toxic than many of the drugs that physicians There is also great financial risk with the prescribe every day,” Dr. Joycelyn Elders, former U.S. Surgeon legalization of marijuana for medical use. If General, said in an interview with the Providence Journal. highly coveted prescription drugs are not Unlike many medicines and antibiotics prescribed today, stolen or bought by abusers from consummarijuana is a physically nonaddictive substance. Overdose is ers, they are instead stolen from pharmacies, not an issue, so this makes it one of the safer, nontoxic alternahospitals and other care centers. The damage and lost medicatives to many standard medications. tion resulting from these frequent and widespread thefts would Legalizing marijuana for medical use would also help our amount to massive costs, sums that are passed to the individucountry financially. In October 2008, the stock market crashed al consumer. The presence of medical marijuana would detrian astonishing 777 points. Since the official announcement mentally increase these threats of theft and damage. of the recession, the Obama administration has attempted to Still, the primary concern in discussing new medicines is stimulate the economy. While things seem to be looking up, the effect on the patient, and the truth is that the health risks of deficit spending continues. Taxing medical marijuana dispensasmoking marijuana outweigh the benefits. John Walters, direcries would be a good strategy. In California, medical marijuana tor of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, lists some of patients are currently consuming somewhere between $870 milmarijuana’s long- and short-term effects as including damage lion and $2 billion worth of marijuana a year. That would transto the brain, heart, lungs and immune system, as well as imlate roughly to somewhere between $70 million and $120 million paired memory, perception and judgment. When smoked, the in state sales tax, according to stopthedrugwar.org. drug also includes many of the same carcinogenic compounds U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder has already found in cigarettes. made it clear that he finds no point in prosecuting me With or without damaging chemicals, any smoked subdicinal marijuana patients and has even advised not stance can be detrimental to the lungs by filling them with irdoing so to law enforcement agencies. Why do we con(based on a survey ritants and tar. Inhaling smoked substances such as marijuana tinue to waste precious time and money on arresting and proseof 315 students) also results in bronchodilation, the opening of airway passagcuting medical patients? Instead, we should focus on prosecuting es. This makes the throat and lungs unable to filter pathogens, big time dealers selling drugs that are actually dangerous and are which can be deadly in patients with immunity weaknesses, such of no medical value. as AIDS patients, who are sometimes prescribed smoked marijuana. Medicinal marijuana should be legalized. The small potential for medSmoked substances are difficult to control in terms of dosage and administraical marijuana misuse is a poor excuse to deny its use and benefit to the many people that need it. Not only is marijuana a remarkable pain reliever for serious illnesses, if tion, which results in the risk of the drug’s healthful qualities failing to reach their full extent. taxed, it would also become a way to help budget deficits.
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33%•
•PRO 67%
EDITORS-IN-CHIEF Joy Owens Jessica Tobin MANAGING EDITOR Elizabeth Huntley SENIOR EDITORS Ryan Duckett Kyle Keith
ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR Kiersten Ellsworth
ASSISTANT FEATURE EDITOR Whitney Howell
ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR Lindsey Fore
OPINION EDITOR Kaylan Proctor
CREATIVE DIRECTOR Katie Huntley
ASSISTANT ENTERTAINMENT EDITORS Meredith Cole Hailey Robinson
JUNIOR EDITOR Katie King
FEATURE EDITOR Ashley Roy
NEWS EDITOR Carly Holland
ASSISTANT OPINION EDITORS Kayla Sciupider Josh Wentzel SPORTS EDITOR Matt Thielke ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITORS Kevin Robinson Camen Royse
Entertainment media hiding true purpose
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Art by Katie Huntley
tudents sit frozen to their seats in some classrooms and are burning up in others. They are forced to put on their coats for a simple walk through the halls between classes. Ceilings drip in parts of the building, and students skirt around trash cans and buckets collecting the water. Restrooms are poorly lit without the benefit of hot water for proper hygiene. The 2009-2010 school year is West’s 50th anniversary, and there is much to celebrate. Athletic teams made the move from 2A to 3A with impressive success, including a state championship in women’s golf. Even though the school missed being a School of Distinction in 2009, test scores remain well above the state average, and members of the Class of 2010 are having great success getting into colleges and universities. In spite of the positives, the school’s facility is in desperate need of major repairs. The school was constructed between 1958 and 1960, and it shows. While there was a “new” part of X-building added in the late 1970s, and a multi-million dollar renovation that added the media center and “new” gym in 1991, the need for repairs is obvious. The heating and air conditioning system is outdated. The restroom facilities in the older buildings need serious work. There is no hot water in the restrooms, and in spite of air fresheners and the diligent efforts of the custodians, the restrooms are inadequate. Over the summer, the school cafeteria underwent the first part of a $400,000 renovation. Cafeteria walls got fresh paint and the lunch lines were reconfigured for efficiency, improving one area of the building. But then there’s the roof. No matter how many times the school replaces and patches the roof, it still leaks. No matter how much money is spent, water still
A little bit of joy!
FEATURE WRITERS Alisha Carland Natalie Rice Catherine Swift Michael Turlington STAFF WRITERS Collin Armstrong Mariah Case Zac Cole Ashley Heywood Hailey Johns Miri McClung Amy Taylor Kristen Woods
Talons & Feathers Feather to the students who performed in the recent dance concert and the 10-minute play performances Talon to the cold weather and snow that is threatening to shorten spring break Feather to the fall semester English IV students who successfully completed their graduation projects Talon to the new intercom system that has caused confusion for students and teachers with its multiple bells
ichael Jackson’s death, Tiger Woods’ women, Chris Brown’s violent outburst and Kanye’s infamous Video Music Awards interruption — some would consider these to be the top news stories of 2009. Did these stories have any lasting global impact? No. Are these stories going to cause major Joy Owens changes in 2010? No. Should these stories even be considered real news? No. Yet these were the stories that not only captured lunchtime conversations for weeks on end, but also grabbed the headlines of newspapers and news stations. It seems that there was more backlash from Kanye’s antics and Tiger Woods’ cheating than there was about President Obama’s sending 30,000 more troops to Afghanistan. Or how about the poor economic times we are just dragging ourselves out of? Yet more people are still mourning the loss of Michael Jackson than are mourning the loss of thousands of American jobs. It’s true that these sensational entertainment news stories draw an audience, and they do have their place. They belong on Inside Edition, People Magazine, TMZ and YouTube, not CNN or Good Morning, America. It’s sad to see real news become buried under our obsession with scandals, pranks and celebrity antics. While people were worried about Jon and Kate’s marriage and the safety of Balloon Boy, there were much more important things going on in the world. How about the massive protests in Iran after rigged elections? Or how about the fact that the unemployment rate was at a terrifyingly high 10 percent in December 2009? This real news makes the sensation over Lady Gaga’s gender seem ridiculous. So what were the real top news stories of 2009? Well, first I must define a top news story as this: an issue that has affected the nation or the world and that will still make an impact in the year or years to come. Using that definition, here are a few of the top issues. As already mentioned, there is the troop increase in Afghanistan, unemployment and the election in Iran. There is also Obama’s struggle to fulfill campaign promises and the unending health care reform battle. To round it out, I will mention the pirates that continue to terrorize the coast of Somalia and the Mexican drug war terrorizing our southern border. These are the stories I would keep my eye on in 2010 if you are looking for real news. Try switching E! News for World News Tonight, and instead of reaching for Star Watch, do a little reading in Newsweek. You will still find some entertainment stories (with a lot less dominance), but remember we’re all in the recession together and they are trying to pull in an audience and profit, too. The media work with ratings and the sad truth is that Americans will only give good reviews if they get what they want. What we look for in news today is scandal and entertainment, not information. Maybe we’re looking for the wrong things.
wingspan The student forum of West Henderson High School is published seven times each year by the newspaper journalism class. The purpose of Wingspan is to convey school and community news to the students, faculty, administration and community. Wingspan content is determined by an editorial board of student editors. Wingspan is a Southern Interscholastic Press Association All-Southern, National Scholastic Press Association All-American, Columbia Scholastic Press Association Gold Medalist and N.C. Scholastic Media Association All-North Carolina and Tar Heel Award publication. Staff editorials express the opinion of the editorial board. Columns reflect the opinions of the writer. Circulation is 1,200. Printed by The Mountaineer of Waynesville, NC 28786. Contact the staff at wingspan@henderson.k12.nc.us.