Students may be falling out of their want for extracurriculars, and it is unclear as to whyStudent Council advisor Josh Feller attempts to recruit sophomore Quinn Nissen and senior James Kerr for student council seats. Student involvement in clubs such as student council is seeming to decrease. BY MAYA HARTIG Between daily school and home expectations, personal goals, and basic human needs, high school students seem to have a lot on their plate. This constant flow of work and achievement can overwhelm students, making them forget about other aspects of life, such as mental health, interests, and extracurriculars—all things which are important to a developing mind.
This lapse of memory in high school students tends to come and go with each passing class, but recently, it appears that the rate of student involvement is lower than ever. Student Council, Interact Club, and countless other clubs have next to no freshmen, sophomores, or even juniors in membership, which could become a problem in upcoming years. Math teacher and Student Council advisor Josh Feller said, “I think the Juniors tend to be more [involved] just because they have to.” This year’s 2019 BHS Prom planning is an example of one expectation which falls to the junior class. “Typically, your senior year, if you are not going to be on Varsity sports, you really do not go out” for the sport in general, continued Feller, “so it has to be the suniors” who are the most involved. Juniors and seniors, as upperclassmen, tend to have a lot of weight on their shoulders with academics and higher education goals, so it seems a bit backwards for them to be the most involved. “For me, coaching swim,” stated English teacher and swim coach Charlotte Ball, “a big problem that I have heard time and time again with students is the practice time.…Especially with freshmen and sophomores, if students are taking Driver’s Ed, that cuts into that time of day.” This time dilemma causes a ‘Catch-22,’ or an endless cycle of mutually exclusive and inclusive results, that many students find themselves trapped within. Without the means of independent transportation to arrive at practice on time, such as a driver’s license, students cannot participate in this sport. However, to receive a license, some may find that they must sacrifice that season of participation. This could explain why students are becoming less and less invested in the extracurriculars they enjoy, such as the student section and the pep band, both of which seem to be fading away this basketball season. Senior Hannah Crutsinger commented that “we could improve it by having the band be more united and showing more leadership by going to the games and being present.” The general consensus made by Crutsinger, Ball, and Feller is that students need to prioritize and consider what they put into their day. “I was in basketball,” says Crutsinger about her freshman year, “but I did not like playing it…and then I started hearing that ‘oh, there is a swim team,’ and I was like ‘okay, I will try for that.…’ So, if people were more aware of the sports and activities going on,” then student involvement, overall, would increase. Both Feller and Ball agree that students should “learn to say no to something,” says Ball, and “find what fits,” according to Feller. So, with all this in mind, maybe the problem with student uninvolvement does not lie in uninterest, but in overachievement. Either way, it is true that Bigfork High School has a plethora of talented individuals, and each and every one has their own passions and interests which can be pursued through the many clubs and sports teams the school has to offer. It can be easy to want to do everything, but it is important for students to focus on what it is that they love the most and chase it to the end of the world.
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This year’s blood drive at Bigfork High will take place on February 14, and it is not something to miss out on BY MAYA HARTIG Vampires—for hundreds of years, these parasites have plagued the movie theaters, bookshops, and necks of the world. In fact, they are showing up in pop culture more often than many people would like to admit, but as much as these tyrants need attention, they crave blood, and are not the only ones to do so.
In a manner of speaking, there are plenty of ‘vampires’ in the world; according to the Red Cross, every two seconds, someone in the United States is in need of blood. These people, though it may be disappointing, are not vampires, but patients who may not live without the contribution of someone else’s blood. Natividad Lewis, an external communications manager for the Red Cross, explains that “these blood products are needed to help many patients for many different reasons. Accident and burn victims, heart surgery patients, organ transplant patients, and those receiving treatment for leukemia, cancer, or sickle cell disease may all need blood.” Now, many students may know the Red Cross in more of a mythical sense; this organization seems to always hover over the heads of students, but never shows itself long enough for anyone to prove it was actually there. However, without the Red Cross, the aforementioned patients would be severely at risk. “The Red Cross is the single largest provider of blood products in the U.S., supplying about 40 percent of the nation’s blood supply each year by collecting nearly 13,000 donations every day to keep up with demand,” says Lewis. Because there are so many in need, the Red Cross and other organizations such as hospitals or clinics work hard to generate enough blood just to keep patients alive for the time being. They travel to workplaces, businesses, and even schools in an attempt to receive the required amount of blood necessary from the people they encounter. This part of the job, however, can be the most troublesome. “I have not donated blood,” says Bigfork High School math teacher Jodi Carter. “They have a hard time getting the blood out of me, and I always pass out.” Lewis admits that “common concerns may be a fear of needles or not knowing if they are eligible to give blood.” These concerns and Carter’s experience contribute to the ‘taboo,’ so to speak, of donating blood. The mere idea of losing that much blood can be terrifying, especially to teenagers. Despite this, both Carter and Lewis encourage BHS students to give blood, even if the idea seems frightening. “Many donors say they feel a great sense of gratification knowing they helped someone in need, and they enjoy they juice and cookies,” says Lewis. Additionally, Carter remarks that “we have a shortage of blood,” especially O- blood which can be administered to any other blood type and students should donate for this reason alone. Needles and the very sight of blood may still seem daunting to hesitant students. This is no problem for the Red Cross, though, because “90% of the Red Cross workforce are volunteers,” remarks Lewis. There are plenty of volunteer opportunities waiting to be snatched up by the not-so-eager donor, and those interested can visit redcross.org for more information and applications. Any student can be proud of the work they have done, but not everyone can say they have saved a life. Carter, Lewis, and the student council encourage every student at BHS to donate blood on February 14. As Lewis says, “it is through the efforts of ordinary people that we can do extraordinary things.” The stigma surrounding dropping out needs to disappear, and here’s why Office skills teacher Cindy Landers stand disapprovingly, holding a form for a dropout to sign and return. When students choose to drop out, many of their teachers and peers feel disappointed. BY MAYA HARTIG The halls of high school—in Bigfork’s case, anyway—are drab, uninviting, and cold in comparison to the open arms of home. Teachers can be tough and demanding, standardized tests tedious and boring, and when it comes to other students, well, they can be just mean. The environment of school is not always a desired one, causing many students to ‘drop out’ and seek other opportunities in their life.
By definition, a ‘dropout’ is “one who drops out of school,” according to Merriam Webster. It is also “a momentary defect on a magnetic tape or disk caused by a temporary loss of signal,” but that is not the point. The point is that the stigma surrounding dropouts has become so much more than the definition; to many, dropping out means being lazy and making excuses, but this viewpoint often comes from a community member or outsider. “Dropping out could have benefits for some people depending on your situation,” said junior Shea Meisner. “I do not see myself dropping out…if I got to that point, it would be because something traumatic happened in my life outside of school,” such as a car accident or the death of a close family member. While Meisner believes that dropping out means “quitting, because you give up on…the most basic level of education,” it is clear that she can still empathize with someone who might. “I think [students] drop out because either situations at home are hard, or they are not putting in effort. Generally, the kids who drop out do not drop out because it was difficult just at school. They drop out because things are difficult everywhere in their life,” says Meisner. To educator and principal Mark Hansen, however, dropping out means that “the student does not have a plan after they leave high school.” Hansen’s opinion, based on years of experience, is factual and unbiased, which is a strange occurrence for opinions. “I do not think you are dropping out because high school is not your thing,” commented Hansen. “To me, a dropout is leaving school without a plan.” But in most cases, dropouts do have a plan. An observational study done in 2013 showed that 87% of dropouts completed the General Education Development Test (GED), and 41% of dropouts were able to find employment without any form of diploma whatsoever. Though these numbers may seem optimistic, there are still other options for those at risk to seek out. Meisner suggests students “do extracurricular activities, and I know this sounds way easier than it actually is, but find friends who are good, because kids who drop out are friends with kids who are at risk of dropping out or drop out…they should get involved in things that benefit them other than in school.” Additionally, Hansen is willing to work with such BHS students who feel they cannot complete high school. “I try to intervene in it quite early, just so I can get a feel for what the kids are doing. We talk about hopes and dreams and what they want to do and see how they feel.” Both Hansen and Meisner see dropping out as a serious issue, yet many students joke about the concept as if it were just a term. Meisner admits that she jokes about dropping out “all the time. I am not serious about it though, and I feel like that is a dangerous thing to joke about.” She hopes that students, and herself, will find the seriousness in these terms before their high school years are over. If a dropout is truly “one who drops out of school” and nothing more, then there is no need for any more bias towards dropouts. In many cases, there are underlying situations that jokesters and critics are not aware of; this stigma is not helping anyone, especially not the kids in need of support. Students are learning to control their computers, pixel by pixel, and it is not too late to join them. Senior Jaclyn Saunders sits at a desk, playing a game she created. This kind of computer usage is just one way the student in Sue Zelanski's coding class express themselves. BY MAYA HARTIG Education is a topic many people accept as segmented, meaning that extended learning is often overlooked by high schoolers. For example, every Bigfork Elementary student is enrolled in a computer class in order to learn the basics: how to type, use a mouse, and create with Microsoft Word. Bigfork Middle School employs a more difficult curriculum involving Adobe Photoshop, SketchUp, and speed typing.
However, Bigfork High School’s extended computer science program falls out of the required spectrum, causing students to lose motivation for computer arts. One of the available computer arts courses is Coding I & II, a year-long study of how a computer functions and how to manipulate programs based on personal preferences. “I think there is so many different things that kids could do under the umbrella of coding, whether it be going into web page development or software or games,” says computer science teacher Sue Zelanski. “It is just a matter of what they are interested in pursuing.” Students in the class learn about HTML, “which is how a webpage works and what it looks like. CSS, that’s [another] thing we do in coding. There is also JavaScript, or Scratch,” detailed Zelanski. She also noted how “everybody finds their own little nitch and what they want to do.” Coding is to a coder much in the way art is to an artist; everyone has their own style and goals. But, like art, the amount of interest varies depending on the person. Although she encourages other students to give coding a shot, senior Jaclyn Saunders, a member of the Coding I class, notes that coding is “not for everyone,” explaining how “I think you need to have it, it is something that needs to be there,” due to the amount of coding utilized within society today. “It is becoming more of a mobile thing…you do not have to be based in a certain place. You can really live anywhere and do coding,” Saunders says. She, along with Zelanski, feels that coding is a very expansive subject, but does not see it being taught as an essential high school class in the future. Freshman Jacob Lawrence, however, has a different opinion. “I would say, definitely further in the future, but yes, it could be a core class,” states Lawrence. He also sees coding as “getting more complex and advance, [with] bigger teams of people doing bigger amounts of code, maybe more coding languages.” Despite their love for the activity, Saunders, Lawrence, and Zelanski seemed to stumble upon it by accident. In fact, Zelanski even remembers that she “really didn’t care for it in college,” but when she saw Bigfork’s need for a computer science teacher, “I took a class to get familiar with it, so I had a little bit of background knowledge.” Lawrence and Saunders both found coding via various technological platforms, eventually leading them to find careers or hobbies where coding skills are useful. Saunders claims that “I never did anything with coding, and I had always been interested in it,” before she took Zelanski’s class, and Lawrence “already knew a bit about coding…but it’s a good refresher.” These ‘happy accidents’ are typical of any great passion, but slightly concerning as well. All three coders confidently recognized coding as a necessary skill due to the nature of society, and yet none of them knew much about it until recently. Coding is often viewed as ‘nerdy’ or a waste of time, so it is avoided by many high schoolers who believe they will find better prosperity through other careers. Specifically, teenage girls, despite their aptitude for puzzle solving and patterns, tend to stray far from the coding environment. This is the exact attitude Reshma Saujani, founder of the organization Girls Who Code (GWC), is trying to combat. “I think that’s cool, because in the past, the coding and the whole computer thing is seen as more of a guys kind of thing, like video games. I have always been interested in stuff like that. I used to play some video games myself, [so] I think it is cool that they are helping girls out who are interested in that,” states Saunders. GWC is a nonprofit organization dedicated to teaching young girls how to code through afterschool and summer clubs. The girls who joined this organization have not only gone on to become some of the most highly skilled professionals in the world, but used their platform as coders to defend many social injustices against women; for example, thanks to GWC, a game entitled ‘Tampon Run’ is now available for free on the App Store. Despite the popularity of video games, there are plenty of other options for an aspiring coder. Coding is arguably an art form, and can leave different impressions upon numerous people. Saunders is “not totally passionate about it, but it is just a fun activity for me,” whereas Lawrence spends his free time on a computer, because he “really seriously started [coding] this summer.” In today’s society, coding is simply another language, and those who choose to learn it have the power to rule the world. The scoop on Solveig Munson, Bigfork High School's refreshingly peculiar new counselorBY MAYA HARTIG After the departure of former counselor Tyson Roe, many students remember him as more than a counselor; he was a friend. However, in lieu of disappointment over Roe’s depart, BHS celebrates the arrival of Mrs. Solveig Munson, the recently appointed student advisor and counselor.
In her high school years, Munson took part in sports, music, band, and speech and drama. “I have always thought of myself as weird because I never fit into one group, I was in a lot. I played basketball, softball, track...I have so many passions it is hard to narrow them down sometimes,” said Munson. Munson’s passions led her to great things, including her college expeditions in the state of Washington. “I was an english major in college, and I wanted to just write. My dream job would have been to be a columnist, like a syndicated columnist.” These dreams helped her to write a column for the school newspaper called ‘Eccentricities in the Third Person. “I would talk about myself, like ‘Solveig, do not do this, Solveig, do not do that,’” Munson stated. “But then, once I graduated, it was really hard to make a living on fifty bucks a week for an article, so I went back to school and got my certification and thought, ‘I will inspire others.’” After completing her certification, Munson moved back to Eastern Montana and lived there for several years. “I have been an english teacher for the last twelve years of my life,” Munson explains. “I taught in Deer Lodge for five years, and then I taught in Highwood, Montana for five years.” In addition to teaching english, “I am huge into theatre; I have been doing theatre for the past five years in Deer Lodge….my dad was in a bunch of plays when I was a kid, so I got the bug there and I have always been a singer and showman.” Munson was the head of Deer Lodge’s theatre department during her time spent there. “I’m really proud of that part of my life, and it was hard to leave that behind, but I knew that Bigfork also had a very strong connection with the arts.” Munson began her Bigfork adventures in July of 2018. “We wanted to live in town,” says Munson. “We are very community-oriented people. I like to go to all the games and I like to be part of the community, so I did not want to live anywhere else.” Since her arrival, Munson has undergone several techniques to better connect with students, including classroom appearances in support of the Student Assistance Program (SAP) and personalized sessions with each student in preparation for life after high school. “I would like to just kind of organize the counseling office and all of the things that I do. Number one, make sure that kids know that this is a safe place to come if they need somebody. Also, really working on college prep and making sure that kids are prepared for their future. I just want to get to know everybody...I am making those connections with all the kids and just helping out where I can.” During her time at BHS, Munson hopes to influence students in both areas of personality and responsibility. “I just want people to be kind, because you don’t know what battles other people are going through, and I think that’s super important in high school because you’re all in the same boat. Yet, you pick on each other and sometimes aren’t understanding of people’s differences.” Munson wants to “encourage people to be self-advocates. If you have a problem with a teacher, if you have a problem with a friend, talking about it and advocating for yourself instead of having someone else handle it for you or not saying anything at all. Because when you go out into the real world of adult life, you have to advocate for yourself. Nobody’s gonna make that call for you. Those two things I think are huge in high school,” said Munson. With Munson’s spunky, hard working attitude, it’s clear that Bigfork High School is going to see some incredible changes in the counseling aspect by the end of this year. |
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