campus view- issue 1

View

Cell Phone Policy ChangePage 7

Google Me2

Beiber Fever page 8

The November Gubernatorial Race Page 10

CampusTopeka West High School • October 2010 • Volume 50 Issue 1

3

There are several possible reasons why one-third of the high school students in America have jobs. It could be because they have to help their families pay the bills or just simply because they want that red Mustang that’s for sale in their neighbor’s yard. One reason why students get a job could be because their parents tell them to. Most parents will say that they think it will be beneficial to get a job, it’ll be a “character builder.” With most using the phrases “it’ll prepare you for the real world” followed by the popular “but remember school comes first.” The reason could even be that a teen gets a job to help their parent(s) pay the bills. (The average monthly expense for a family with

one parent and three children is $4,250, while that number can climb upwards of $4,500 for a two parent household with 3 children). The prevailing factor is probably that teens want spending money. After all there’s that growing cell phone bill, $150 Nikes, and new clothes that you saw while window shopping last weekend. “A fairly average teen is costing about $1,000 a month -- and that’s before he’s old enough to drive,” said Liz Pulliam Weston, from MSN Money. Yet because of the hurting economy students have to fight their peers along with unemployed adults for the jobs they want. Teenage unemployment is at an all-time high, hitting 26.1 percent in July versus 51 percent of teens having jobs in June 2000.

“Teens with families that make less than $20,000 a year have only a 20-percent chance of finding employment, compared with 38 percent for teens with families in the $75,000-$100,000 income range,” Andrew Sum, an economist at Center for Labor Market Studies at Northeastern University. On the flip side, however, students who work can suffer. “Students who work longer hours are likely to display less engagement, less motivation, and less effort to learn,” Researchers Kusum Singh, Sandra Dika, and Mido Chang in the Journal of Educational Research, said. The authors go on to say “part-time work during the school year is almost unique to the United States,” and speculate that it may be a factor in “the relatively low achievement of

U.S. secondary school students, compared with students in other industrialized countries.” Additionally, having a job in high school can detract from being involved in extracurricular activities. Consequently, your admissions chances to more selective colleges could be hurt. “When I work I don’t have time to hang with my friends, like Pops Concert,” Morgan Elder, 12, said. Due to the added stress of having jobs teens sometimes become ill from the stress and lack of rest. They many have migraine headaches, catch a virus or colds and/or contract Mononucleosis (the kissing disease). “On the days that I do work I get home late and I’m still expected to do chores and on top of that homework,” Ana Chavez, 11, said.

If working during the school year is too demanding and stressful for a teen, then they should consider working full time during the summer. Then save the earnings for the school year expenses. If not then teens must learn the time management. Time management is a skill that will come in handy in life. One should make a list of things “to do” in order of priority. Scheduling breaks will decrease the likeliness of goofing off when you should be working. Just say “no,” learn to delegate, you can’t do everything. Next, get organized. Being organized makes it easier to accomplish tasks. Lastly, but most important, get enough sleep. “I’m more focused on getting it [homework] done then the quality of it. At every moment I’m

High school students getting jobs

Cleveland State University published some interesting facts that most would find surprising:

• Most adolescent part-time work is not because of financial need; the higher the family income; the greater is the probability that a teen would work while in school.

• Adolescents spend their earnings for goodies like designer sneakers that their parents won’t pay for.

• Most adolescent part-time work is in the fast-food sector with few skills to acquire or transfer to other jobs; these jobs are filled

by adolescents only to meet the demands of the sector through minimal wages.

• Teachers lower their expectations if they have a large number of students working long hours, therefore having a spill-over effect on the overall teaching-learning

environment, including those who do not work.

• Part-time work has significant negative correlations with a number of behavioral and academic outcomes, including delinquent behavior, alcohol use, academic

achievement and attendance.

• Only in the U.S. is part-time work widespread among high school students; while it is rare in other industrialized countries, where students are only expected to continue their education.

Alex bindleyReporter

studentpublications.org

3

Cooperative learning introduced to schoolsAnalicia chavez

Reporter

Student 2A and 1B, shoulders and face partners these new terms are becoming well known to any student in Topeka because of the new learning system 501 school district has adopted. This year 501 has incorporated the Kagan Cooperative learning system into all grades and classes to approach teaching and learning from a different perspective. Dr. Spencer Kagan, who wanted to approach learning differently from the traditional methods used in the past, devel-oped the Kagan Coop-erative learning system. Traditionally teaching methods would frown upon a lot of group work and discussion but would rather focus more on lecture and individu-als being solely respon-sible for the information. Cooperative learning takes the perspective that teachers should allow the students to work together to help understand the material, so that in these small groups the students are both teachers and learners.

The Kagan system in the classroom is setup by having four people in a group and each member having a specific name and partner so it becomes easier to do cooperative projects. Kagan uses a four person group because according to Kagan studies four people maximize and equalize active participa-tion compared to any other number. Within the group you have two different partners, your face and shoulder partners so you can discuss more one on one and then share that as a group. A four person group gives a variety of perspectives and per-sonality so it’s not the same people grouped together. Kagan Cooperative learning helps students learn to work together which is an important skill to learn. “It’s a great life skill and helps put owner-ship on every member by getting everyone to participate,” Ms. Waters, Associate Principal, said. Cooperative working is becoming more com-mon in the real world, the kagan system helps establish the core skills

of working together which better prepares them for what’s to come. The system enforces people to work together by distributing jobs so everyone is held responsible and account-able for their own contri-bution. Using the Kagan system is suppose to be a new approach to learn-ing not grading, even though teachers assign group work it is still the students responsibility to retain the material for a individual assignment or test. With the Kagan sys-tems being enforce into the curriculum, teachers and students have their own perspective on the changes. The Kagan system means more than just getting into group work but for teachers it means books, training, and a whole new approach of planning out class time. “I certainly sees some value in many class-rooms; because it gets students involved, but I question if it was the best use of the districts funds” Keith Newbery, Junior English teacher, said. The district used some of its funding to

getting the necessi-ties such as books and programs to help train the teacher efficiently on how to in cooperate it into their teaching and only time will tell if it is effective. As for a student some see it as being a great way to learn while others are skeptical about working in groups. “The idea in general is good but for high school students it just seems to be a little to force.” Morgan Elder, 12, said. While many share Morgan’s perspective that the kagan system may seem childish others like the changes.

“The Kagan system is very useful because it’s easier to work in groups, and it gives you a chance to work on your people skills.” Anthony Harris, 11, said. With this being Topeka West’s first year for the Kagan system everyone is still trying to see what best works for their class and how it affects the material being taught. The Kagan coop-erative learning system like every other system has its pros and cons but with the cooperation of the students, teachers, it will be easier to use and see the benefits that it has to offer.

booked and trying to get stuff done,” Chavez said. Additionally, some ways that teenagers can manage school along with the added stress of working is one, to work reasonable hours. Meaning, only work on the weekends or on

a couple afternoons a week. Second, realize that school should come first. Employers should realize that you are high school students. However, if it becomes too much and your grades start to suffer consider cutting back

your hours or quitting. “Students should be allowed to have jobs only if the student can handle the responsibility of balancing the hours they work with getting their homework done and getting good grades,” said Mary Middleton,

teacher. Therefore, despite the reason why teenagers get a job there are many factors that should be considered. The three main factors are: the financial situation, the student themselves and whether

they can handle a job and school simultaneously, and the type of job. As to whether having a job in high school has more consequences or benefits, well, the jury’s still out.

Matt Rogers, 10, and Jeremy Selley, 10, in Jason Berryman’s Photography I

class. Photo by Kaylee Rudolph.

Players is the small acting troupe here at Topeka west. Constructed from 18-20 members the players put on different shows throughout the year including POPs concert, players shows, and elementary school performances. In the spring before school students are given the opportunity to audi-tion for a spot on players for the next school year. Auditions usually consist of a prepared memorized monolog, an improv group scene and an improv duet. The potential players are then judged by members of the school faculty. The group was started back in the late sixties early seventies as just known as the acting troupe. The Troupe was comprised of a larger

Players: An Actors Thingamount of students who unlike the Players did not audition but were selected from for their involvement in plays and crews. But in the eighties Players were officially started by Doug Go-heen, a former English teacher and the produc-tion director at West. The players have a long tradition of taking aspiring actors and helping them expand their styles of acting and ultimately make them better actors. This year 18 students make-up the Players group. Ryan McCoy, English and act-ing teacher is going on his second year as the groups advisor. “Its nice having the students control where the class is going. The class creates creative ideas together,” McCoy

said. Along with the actual players there are two people behind the scenes, the techies. Techie Player is a posi-tion that also takes an audition process, though quite different from a memorized monolog. The techies audition by fixing certain thing that would be necessary to a production and also small set design. “We set up props for the shows, do the sound and lights and sometimes grips,” Colin Neuckirch, 11 techie player said. Between the actors who put on the shows, and the techies who make the props and do effects, you can be sure that the Players will do it great.

Spencer GustinGraphics Editior

5

“Because acting is something I enjoy doing and I wanted to test myself, [plus, I like] working with some of my peers that I look up too.”

“Pops was a lot of fun, I know I love acting and it’s what actors do, and I love being on stage.”

“Getting to do absolutly outra-gious things that you never could imagine.”

“[I do} props, sound effects, sometimes we’re in dance routines, use class time to work on production, I just love the theatre in general.”

What do you enjoy about Players?

Adam Kinsinger, 11 Juan Deras, 12 Reid Hogan, 12 Colin Neukirch, 11

timeline

1991

1993

2007

2010

1987

Players


5West graduate becomes executive director of JEA

Jamie LadnerReporter

The Journal-ism Education Association hired a West alum as the new execu-tive director this year. Kelly Furnas, class of 1996, was named to the position. While Furnas was at West, he was involved in a variety of extracurricular activities. He lettered in tennis his freshman, sophomore, and junior years and was class president his fresh-

man, sophomore and senior years. He was in French Club and he was a part of all four of the musicals while he attend-ed. He was on the honor roll all four years but he found his home when he joined the newspaper his sophomore year. “Friendships made in journalism are ones that carry into college and beyond.” he said. Furnas figured out he wanted a career in journalism while he was here at West. “In C 308, about ten, fifteen years ago, I was taking an introduction to journalism course,” Fur-nas said. “I got hooked on the environment of the newsroom, especially the writing and editing.” He graduated as a Kansas Honors Scholar and continued onto Kansas State Univer-sity where he earned a bachelor’s degree in print journalism. While he was a student there, he was the editor of The Collegian, the newspaper produced at K-State. He graduated in 2000. Furnas went on to get a Master’s Degree in business administra-tion from Florida State University in 2003. Afterwards, he worked for the weekly journal In Business Las Vegas. He also worked for The Las Vegas Sun and the Tallahassee Democrat, which were both daily newspapers. In 2005, Kelly became the editorial adviser at Virginia Tech where he advised all media produc-tions including the news-paper and yearbook.

The publications staff re-ceived national attention when they covered the Virginia Tech shootings from the campus. This year, he has a new job as the executive director of the JEA and the associative director of student publications at Kansas State. Kelly enjoys his new job. “It is an excellent op-portunity to reach about and try to improve the journalism community. It’s a lot of work, but the staff and students are energized.” He is also an assistant professor at K-State. Even with his growing career, Kelly still appreci-ates his high school. “Topeka West gave me foundation for everything I continued to do,” Furnas said. “I took drama classes with Mr. Goheen, and that helped me with my public speak-ing skills. Topeka West also helped me focus on future plans. I knew what I wanted to do sopho-more year.” Kelly believes high school plays an impor-tant role in shaping a career. “High school is a great opportunity to figure out what you want to do, but it’s also an opportunity to get a step ahead. If you can figure out what you’re interested in, immerse yourself in it. You’ll be better off.”

Furnas speaking to Kristy Dekat’s newspaper and year-book class.Photo by: Travis Jenson

7

They say first impressions are important. In this case, three main points noted by our two foreign exchange stu-dents from China and Germa-ny are: horrible food, friendly people, and easy classes. Ariane Heyers of Germany and Qin Yue Yu (Cherry) of China will both be studying at Topeka West for one year as juniors. While they come from two rather different countries, their general consensus about life in the United States are very similar. Heyers comes from Frank-furt am Main of Germany, but also speaks fluent French. She finds that Americans seem to be more open, but school in Germany is not as strict. They

tend to be more focused on learning as opposed to things such as clothing and language, where people are generally al-lowed to wear what they want and say what they want. “Germany is more serious about stuff to learn…it should be more strict,” Heyers said. Heyers was rather sur-prised and delighted at the school spirit shown at Topeka West. In Germany, there are no sports for high school, so she was quite amazed by the pep rally. “Germany has no school spirit….when I walked into the gym, I heard the music and saw the cheerleaders every-where, and it was so shock-ing,” Heyers said. “I came here to see new things and have new experi-

Coming to AmericaHelen Sheng

Reporter

ences,” Yu said. Heyers and Yu found that education was extremely behind in America as op-posed to their own countries. For example, both of them found subjects like math and science were still teaching about things they had learned years ago. For Heyers, this has become an inconvenience, as she now has to dredge up old knowledge and learn every-thing again in a different way. “America is more open to new things, and less strict about education and learning,” Heyers said. Heyers and Yu are in full agreement about the condi-tion of American food: they despise it. Heyers misses European bread the most; in particular, brötchen and baguette. Yu yearns for just about every kind of Chinese food there is, but a certain fish

dish especially. “I heard in Germany that the food here is awful—and it’s completely true!” Heyers said. In her spare time, Heyers enjoys cross country, horse-back riding, and ballroom dancing. Of course, in Germa-ny they still dance to Wagner every now and then, but most of the time they dance to con-temporary pop and hip hop. Both exchange students are fitting in quite nicely in the American culture, except for the food, of course. Learning about the way of life in other countries can tell us more about what we as a country are lacking or surpassing in, and helps us expand our web beyond the borders of the US all the way to our interna-tional peers on the other side of the globe.

You try to put your money in the machine, expecting to get your favorite soda. You notice the bill acceptor has been ripped out of the ma-chine and only coins will buy you the soda you’re desper-ately craving. You try insert-ing coins only to be denied with an “access limited until 3:00” message on the LED screen. This is happening to many kids across campus and is becoming a bit irritating. The new placement of the vending machines behind science building, outside the gymnasium, and behind D

building have made it even easier for students to get a quick snack or drink, if its before or after school. “It’s a district health push”, Ms. Waters, Associate Principle said, “They cannot be turned on until one hour after last lunch, it’s a shame they’ve been vandalized.” So how is this affecting students?

“It makes me angry”, Jor-dan Amyotte, 12, said, “I used to get my pop every day and now I can’t get it anymore.” “They should not be locked because it’s an incon-venience for students”, Seth Akpovona, 10, said.

“Next year there wont be anything caf-feinated in the vending machines”, Ms. Waters said, “If you guys want to get a Pepsi before class, you might as well get it here than at the Quick Shop.”

Vending machines more accessibleTravis jenson

Reporter

One of the new vending machines placed behind the science building.

Photo by: Derek Rohrer


7

James Landsaw Why did you transfer to West? “Needed a new start, and need to get away from bad influ-

ences.”

What do you like about West?

“Love the teachers, the the-

ater department is really fun

sounding, and The Heritage

week thing I might do would be

great.”

What do you miss about your

old school?

“ I miss my friends and a few

teachers from Topeka High.”

Transfer Students

Ashley Jones Why did you transfer to West? “I moved from a different town.”

What do you like about West?

“How everyone is so nice and

help you fit in.”

What do you miss about your

old school?

“I miss my friends.”

Derek RohrerCo-Editor

A big issue in today’s high schools is the policies on cell phones. Mostly everyone has one and saying they are not allowed at all during school seem to be a losing battle. The School board has been through many policies on trying to control the issue of cell phones and when they are and aren’t appropriate, but all usually ended with more rebellious students until this year. Last year around this time the school board had a policy that banned any electronic devices such as phones, iPods, and mp3 players during school hours. West had allowed students the privilege of using them with permission or at certain times but a better policy was needed. This changed, though didn’t just happen overnight, it took a whole year for the new

changes to be approved. Last spring Mr. Hachiya, Division 1 Principal, had talked with the administrators from Topeka High and together they wrote up a new policy, which they then took it to Dr. Sigers, Su-perintendent of Topeka Public Schools. The changes were fi-nally taken to the school board to get voted on, finalized and finally put into effect this year. The new changes to the cell phone policy allow high school students to use their cell phones during passing periods and lunches, but are still not allowed to use them inside the classrooms. The changes are meant to be a compromise between students and staff. Giving student’s time to use their cell phones throughout the day gives students a reason to not use them during class time. “ I like it, because before everyone would get in trouble for using it but now they use it

without getting reprimanded. Plus last year it was pointless because everyone still used them,” Ashley Bindley, 12, said. The new changes are to help students stay focused more on the material during class since they are allowed to use them afterwards, it’s a give and take issue. Those at Topeka West who choose not to follow the policy are given cell phone violations; there is a chart that keeps track of who gets one and how many they have. With the violation the student could get as little as warning to having to turn in your phone everyday to your

division principal. “ Its better because teachers are sticking to the rule, since students are allowed to text during passing time and lunch, they are shouldn’t be texting in class,” Samantha Conley, 11, said. Most students and staff are happy with the changes be-cause there is an understand-ing on both sides. “I think it’s a positive im-provement and the students enjoy it rather than not having their cell phones allowed at all,” Anthony Harris, 11, said.

Cell phone policy changesAnalicia Chavez

Reporter

With new technologies being developed regularly, cyber bullying is a growing problem in the U.S. Cyber bullying is the act of harassing, threatening, hu-miliating or otherwise target-ing someone under the age of 18 using technologies such as the Internet or cell phones. It is only considered bullying when done by another minor; if it done by an adult, it’s considered cyber stalking or

cyber harassment. The website cyberbullying.us shows that 83% of students between the ages of 10 and 18 have a cell phone, and 77% have texting. About 42% of minors say they have been bullied online, and 35% have been threat-ened on the Internet. One of the most prominent forms of cyber bullying on the Internet is “account hacking”. This happens when a person gets private information about another by getting onto their account without permission.

Cyber BullyingJamie Ladner

Reporter

9

Music: Bieber Fever Born on March 1st, 1994, Justin Bieber grew up in Canada. As a child, he learned to play the keyboard, piano, drums, guitar, and trumpet, according to hubpages.com. Bieber was raised by a single

mother, but still had contact with his father. Bieber competed in a few local competitions and posted videos of

him singing online for his family. Justinbiebermusic.com states that in 2008 Bieber was found by future agent Scooter Braun on popular video

website Youtube. After much debate Bieber signed with mentor Usher’s label, Island Records. His first debut came in 2009. The single, “One Time” reached 12th on

the Canadian Top 100 and 17th on the Billboard Top 100. He soon released his debut album, My World, and other songs including “Baby,” and “One Less

Lonely Girl” from the record. On his list of accomplishments, Bieber was asked to perform on many

shows, he released My World 2.0 and along with other artists includ-ing: Miley Cyrus, Jordan Sparks, Kanye West, Akon and over

80 others, Bieber was asked to be a voice on the remake of “We are the World 25” for Haiti.

In the present, Bieber is on his My World tour, and is said to be

working on a new album. In September of this year, Bieber was voted Best New Artist on MTV’s Video Music Awards.

Shelbi MarkhamCopy Editor

show is going t be big. The first premier was a huge hit with every-one. People could not get enough of LA Candy the show was a huge hit. When Jane meet Jessie Edwards at the premier show that’s when her fame was going to get out of control. On his 21st birthday party Jane see’s him all over another girl. That’s when sneaky Madison Parker another girl on the show who secretly hates Jane for getting all the spot light. After a few days Madison

Boy’s, drama, lie, friends, nd one big show. This is what you’ll fine in LA Candy by: Lauren Conrad. Since Lauren was 17 she’s been a reality TV star. Which inspired Lauren to write LA Candy. Jane Roberts and her best friend Scarlett Harp move to the big city LA. When they meet Trevor Lord (the producer of LA Candy). This will be his big come back. Little do they all know this

Parker told Brendan (the guy Jane likes) that he should go to her house to comfort her. That’s when everything goes down hill and her life gets out of control. LA Candy is a can’t put down book. This book is drama full that deals with friendship, who to trust, who to hate, and who to look out for when it comes to getting advice from. This book leaves with a cliff hanger and the story continues with her next book Sweet little lies.

Emily SchaffertReporter

Book: L.A. Candy

9


Movie: The Social Network

just to understand him. He spent nights on the street with a 23 year old women named Danielle after a childhood of alco-holic parents who were abusive she cant help to think that there is a better life out there than this. From the streets to an MMA fighter named Anthony who supports his family with the money he makes from his fighting. The new-est episode on he spent with an animal rights activist named Brogan. She volunteers to help shut down illegal torture farm to save horses. The one she loves identity

Andrew Jenks is a documentary film artist who goes into other people’s lives. He adapts to the their lifestyle and see what their life is exactly all about. This is a brand new show on MTV every Tuesday night. The latest adven-tures he has been on so far have been very heart-warming and very tearful. The first episode he stayed with an autistic kid named Chad who just wants kids and everyone else

just so that they are safe have to hide their identity. Thanks to the show it now is a felony to own an illegal torture farm in Florida. Jenk’s Ad-ventures aren’t quite over yet. New episodes are on every Tuesday night with new and exciting adventures while making friends along the way. People should tune into World of Jenk’s just to see what it’s all about.

TV: World of JenksEmily Schaffert

Photo Editor

The Social Network is a story fitting for this generation, in a world full of new technology, a story about Facebook only seems fitting. The Social Network is directed by David Fincher. It’s a story about the creation of Facebook, and it’s creator, Mark Zucker-berg (played by Jesse Eisenberg). This story starts off with Zuckerberg (Eisen-berg) getting, dumped. In a drunken rage, he creates a new web site to compare the girls at his college, Harvard. He ends up shutting down

the Harvard system but gets some attention from others. Zuckerberg is then approached by the Winklevoss twins (Armie Hammer) and friend with a request for Zuckerberg to do the computer program-ming for they’re own web site. Zuckerberg gets his best friend Edu-ardo Saverin (Andrew Garfield) and together they start work on a web site called The Facebook for Harvard. The Facebook’s popularity spread and soon included hundreds of colleges. As Face-book becomes bigger, Zuckerberg and Saverin

have a falling out and Sean Parker (Justin Timberlake) steps in as Zuckerberg’s partner. Soon, the legal issues with the Winklevoss’s claims that Zuckerberg stole their idea and Saverin’s suing for all the money Zuckerberg owes catches up with him. The story is filmed during the settlement’s for both parties and it uses flashbacks to tell the story that caused the legal issues. In the end, Zuckerberg ends up paying both the Winklevosses and Saverin. Facebook is still continuing to grow now, and Zuckerberg becomes the youngest

billionare. The Social Network is a very well told story, and while it was hard to catch on at first, in the end your there. It fea-tures some great acting, from the dry sarcasm of Zuck-erberg, to the cool indifference of Parker all the charac-ters came to life on screen. The Social Net-

work is a story for our generation, Facebook, and technology has been on the rise, and here’s a movie that shows it.

Alexandria BindleyReporter

With Republicans in the lead, the candidates from the two major political parties will go head to head in the November election. Voters will decide who will be the next U.S. Senators and Representatives in Kansas, along with the next Governor of Kansas. Results from the Midterm election showed that Senator Sam Brownback (R) had a substantial lead over his opponent Tom Holland (D). “I think they [the Kansas government] needs to focus on education because the U.S. is seriously lacking,” Annastasia Lipp, 10, said. Brownback has stated that he supports the elimination on insurance rejection because of pre-existing medical conditions, a restriction on malpractice lawsuits, and tax benefits aimed at making health insurance more affordable. Furthermore, Brownback supports adult stem cell research and cord blood stem cells, instead of the use of embryonic cells. He has also stated that he is not a supporter of the death

penalty unless it is of a “bin-Laden” level. He has promoted the use of renewable energy such as nuclear, wind, solar, and hydroelectric sources to achieve energy independence. Other issues he has commented on are, he opposes gun control and supports a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage, and supports higher legal immigration levels. On his campaign website, Brownback has pledged to improve issues such as to increase jobs for Kansas citizens, to focus the state’s dollars on classroom instruction, to reform the state government, and will also strive to strengthen marriage, decrease the percentage of children in poverty, and protect the families of Kansas. “[The candidates should] fix the potholes, help businesses, and improve education,” Mackenzie Allen, 10, said. Holland ran for the Kansas House in 2002 as a Democrat and served the Kansas’ 10th House District from 2003-2009. In 2009, he became a

State Senator representing the 3rd District in rural Douglas, Leavenworth and Jefferson Counties. Currently he serves as the ranking minority member on the Senate Assessment and Taxation, Business & Labor

and Commerce committees and also serves on the Financial Institutions and Insurance committee, Interstate Cooperation, and the Joint Committee on Information

Technology. As for Holland’s platform, according to his website he plans to focus on a crackdown on illegal immigration, an increase in education funding, and

11

inexpensive healthcare. He also supports renewable and nuclear energy policies, and the idea that property taxes should be lowered. “In my opinion whoever is the right person for the job and is the most willing to represent the people honestly,” Dallas Hathaway, 12, said. Holland has pledged to create jobs for Kansas citizens, to help with renewable resources, work to get more funding for Kansas schools, and to make the Kansas Commission on Veteran’s Affairs more effective. Come election time, Kansas citizens will see the finale to the hotly contested gubernato-rial race between two qualified candidates.

The November Gubernatorial Race

Block scheduling is safe for nowbe in effect before 2013. The reason why the school district is looking into the matter for high schools is because of two issues, money and the amount of time given for plan periods. Everyone has heard how the district is looking on how to cut back on money and by switching to a seven period day 501 would be saving a lot of money. The main reason for the

possibility of switching would be because of the release time given to teachers. High school teachers have a 90-minute plan period every-day while elementary school teachers are given only half of that. The district wants to help give equal amount of time to all teachers, so they have pro-posed the idea of introducing collaboration meetings to high

school teachers. These meet-ings would be an alternative to switching to a seven period day. Collaboration meetings would be a part of the teach-ers release time and then after the meeting the remaining time would be spent on planning out their classes.

Students may complain about how the school days seem too long, but their complaints could become a reality if high schools are put on a seven period days. The issue for switching to a seven period day is still in discussion and if it were to get approved it wouldn’t

Analicia ChavezReporter

Read more at studentpublications.org


11

Though self-mutilation

isn’t a relatively new idea,

teens are finding new ways

to express pain everyday.

Self-mutilation, or “cut-

ting” as classified by Ste-

ven Levenkron, author of

Cutting, is “act of damaging

seriously by cutting off, or

altering an essential part.”

It is rarely life threatening,

and since it is the skin that’s

damaged, not major veins,

arteries, or tendons, the

long-term problem is mainly

scarring.

“[People cut] to release

pain,” Megan Ayers, 11, said,

“they do it because they’d

rather hurt themselves than

hurt someone else.”

Levenkron describes cut-

ting as ‘a method of choice to stave off emotional pain.’

Self-mutilation often begins

as one of the many symp-

toms, but becomes the main

one used to release pain.

Things like unemployment,

financial problems, divorce,

depression, drug or alcohol

abuse and death can cause

stress to build up, and some

people turn to self-mutilation

as a method of coping.

“[A lot of times] people

don’t plan on cutting,” Ayers

said.

Cutting is not the only

type of self-mutilation that

there is, like scratching,

picking scabs, burning, hit-

ting, infecting, hair pulling or

breaking bones, research has

shown a newly discovered

trend called self-embedding,

or needling.

Needling, according to

abcnews.go.com is the act of

mutilating a body by insert-

ing a needle, paper clip,

wood or glass under the


Needling: skin. There has been a lot

of skepticism about how or

when needling started, some

doctors and therapists have

said they’ve seen it for years

and years, while some say

that was unheard of prior to

2005.

No matter when it

started, needling has started

to get serious, at health-

kicker.com they reported

nearly fifty teens in Den-

ver that were sent to the

hospital with staph infec-

tions and blood clots due

to needling. They also state

that there are many Internet

“People cut to release pain”

sites dedicated to needling,

with tips on how to keep the

needle clean to where to find

the highest amount of pain.

And a simple survey from

S.A.F.E or Self Abuse Finally

Ends says that five percent

of people have or do self-

embed.

Healthkicker also says that

‘a lot of teens are willing to

look the other way, because

needling doesn’t leave a tell

tale mark like the scars of

cutting.’

Experts have said the self-

embedding isn’t a disorder,

but a growing problem.

Some say it could not be a

lasting trend, just another

example of how ‘self destruc-

tion moves in fads.’

Self-injury can be a cry

for help, or, according to

Ayers, is sometimes it’s a

way to seek attention. No

matter the reason, no one

deserves to go through, or

be put through that. If you

know someone whom is

self mutilating, or if you are,

reach out to someone. Or

call the S.A.F.E hot line at

800-DONTCUT.

Picture by Travis Jenson

Scratching the pain away

13

Hellen ShengReporter

You’ll be hard pressed to find an empire that hasn’t and won’t fall, be it the empire of Rome, Enron, or Myspace. Facebook might just be next. Social networking began as early as 1994, with online communities like TheGlobe, Geocities, and Tripod. It wasn’t until the late 1990’s when user profiles became a big part of social networking as it is today. Since then we’ve gone through multiple networks likes LinkedIn, Bebo, and of course, Myspace. Then, even Myspace fell when Facebook hit the stage, with over 500 million users since July of this year. However, the higher one gets, the harder they fall, and that just might be the goal of Google, who may be develop-ing a social network to over-take even Facebook. Multiple news sources including CNET, Fox News, Huffington Post, and PC World have reported rumours of Google’s next big project: Google Me. “Digg CEO Kevin Rose tweeted that he’d heard a “huge rumor” that Google was planning to launch a Facebook competitor called ‘Google Me’,” Jason Kincaid, reporter for TechCrunch, a leading technology media property, said, “now Adam D’Angelo, who was Facebook’s CTO (Chief Technology Officer) and is now founder of Q&A service Quora, is weighing in with more details. And from what he’s hearing, Google Me is in-deed very real, and it’s gunning

for Facebook.” For Google, social network-ing has always been its “white whale”. It has a record of internet domination to keep up, but that record has always been marred by its lack of power in the place of Facebook and Myspace. Unfortunately, Google has only had limited success at best. Just last February they launched the Twitter competitor Buzz, but it was immediately hit with multiple privacy concerns. While they did fix the problems, it has not gained the attention that most Google products have. Students at West seem to have mixed feelings about Google. Many are grateful for

the services it provides and are very confidents of its abilities. Mitch Montague, 11, feels rather reliant upon it, but is doubtful of the new projects success. “I love Google, Google is my life,” Montague said, “how-ever, I think the new network either going down like Google Wave and completely faceplant, or turn into Gmail.” On the other hand, there are also students who believe Google should be feared. While they do seem to have constant involvement with it, they feel it is wise to remain wary.

“In ten years, Google will take over the world. But Facebook isn’t just going to be taken down. Facebook is forever!” Josh Karimi, 10, said. As Google has yet refused to advocate or deny the claims of working on this project, it has to remain in the rumour category. However, this is the company that helped fund a race to the moon, so the idea is hardly far-fetched. If these rumours are true, then it’s also pretty easy to see just how serious they are. Most students believe that while the rumours are highly probable, it’s still rather un-likely that Google will surpass Facebook at all. Genevieve Akins, 9, doesn’t think it’s pos-

sible, and believes if Google Me does grow, it will “rise slowly.” Over the summer, Google supposedly quietly invested over $100 million in Zynga games, the behemoth behind Facebook games like Farm-ville and Mafia Wars. When questioned by the Wall Street Journal, Google CEO Eric Schmidt would not confirm this rumor, but did say “you can expect a partnership with Zynga.” Zynga’s main goal is to make money and gain popular-ity, so naturally, they are loyal to no one. This seems to be preparation for Google Games, which at least puts them neck-

to-neck with Facebook games. However, it is not clear if this is even a substantial gain. “Mafia Wars held my atten-tion just long enough for me to create an account,” Lucy Anton, 10, said. Many other students don’t use Facebook for its games. Bailey Carter, 9, feels “pretty reliant” on Facebook to keep track of events such as meetings for the theatre groups. She “would miss out on everything without it,” and checks nearly daily. She feels it isn’t possible for Google Me to grow either, because Facebook is “so widespread.” Hannah Pooler, 12, uses Facebook to keep in contact with relatives and friends all over the world. She feels that while rumors of a Google social network might be true, she also mirrors the general consensus that it will never surpass Facebook. “There is no chance, not even in a few years,” Pooler said, “if it does die, it won’t be for a very long time.” While Google is a certainly a strong and resourceful com-pany, it seems that it will not reel in the giant fish that is so-cial networking for a good deal of time. Facebook has been the biggest networking site ever. While Google definitely has an edge in a large part of the Internet, here is a company that has no intention of giving up its place in the World Wide Web just yet.

The Social Uprising of

“Google is my life”


13

Michael SnowdenCo-Editor

Derek RohrerCo-Editor


Spencer GustinGraphics Editor

Jordyn AmyotteYearbook Editor

Emily SchaffertPhoto Editor

Taylor WolfeyReporter

Travis JensonReporter

Emily AmyotteReporter

Alison O’hara ArrintonReporter

Helen ShengReporter

Alexandria BindleyReporter

Jamie LadnerReporter

Jordan MillerReporter

Kristy DekatAdviser

Editorial Policy

Campus View is an accessible public forum for the publication readers. Editorials rep-resent the collective opinion of the publica-tion staff. Other opin-ions expressed in any Topeka West student publication are not necessarily those of the Campus View staff, the student body, fac-ulty, administration or school district. Signed columns and letters to the editor represent the view and opinions

of the writer only. The publications are subject to state and federal laws, and the content reflects student thinking and is not necessarily in agreement with adminis-trative policies. The Campus View newspaper will act as an open forum for public discussions and field letters for all of the journalism publications. A forum, by definition, is “a marketplace of ideas”, or “a public meeting place for open discus-sion.” Letters will be edited for content and length as well as spell-

ing, grammar and other considerations. Letters will also be edited if the letter is in poor taste, and letters will be edited to fit space require-ments. Letters that are libelous, obscene, or are an invasion of privacy will not be printed in the paper. All letters must be signed and verified before publication. The number of letters included will depend on page space that is avail-able. The Campus View will not directly answer letters, unless a question is posed. The opinion pages

are a forum for the exchange of comment and criticism, and they are open to students and others interested in Topeka West High School. All letters to the editor must include the writer’s name, signature and class position or role in the community. Typed, double-spaces letters are preferred, but legible, hand-written letters are acceptable. Emailed letters to the editor WILL NOT be accepted (since no sig-nature will be included.) Letters should be limited to approximately


300 words, or about one-and-a-half double-spaced, typewritten pages. Poetry is not accepted for publication. Some information used has been provid-ed by MCT Campus.

TWHS Campus View2001 SW Fairlawn Rd.Topeka, KS 6660r4

785-438-4000

[email protected]


Emily DicusBusiness Editor

15

Helen ShengReporter

A new club for Human Rights Amnesty International is a worldwide organization that campaigns for human rights to be recognized internationally. The Topeka West chapter is being started in the next few weeks. The mantra of this new club can be summed up by a famous quote by Dr. Martin Luther King: “An individual has

not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity.” Lucy Anton, 10, will be the president of this new club, with Helen Sheng, 10, as the vice president. The official sponsor is Mrs. Lovett, but the primary supervisor will be her husband, Dr. Lovett. Anton first heard of this club from a highly involved

supporter of Amnesty Inter-national from her church, who requested her to start a club here. “I believe it will be a positive influence for the students to be involved in something larger than themselves,” Anton said. The main activities will be letter writing to influence gov-ernments around the world for prisoners around the world. “Amnesty is important be-

cause it allows average everyday people to make their mark on the world by helping impris-oned people earn basic rights,” Anton said. Preparation for the club is nearing completion. Questions can be directed to either of the co-founders or sponsors, but the first meeting is tentatively planned to start within the next two weeks.


West offers Christian students a new club

If you look around Topeka West campus, you can prob-ably tell who is a student ath-lete but what you might not know is some of them are also a part of the largest Christian organization in America. Fellowship of Christian Athletes or FCA is a world-wide group that is now of-fered as a club to Topeka west students. FCA was started in 1954 by Don McClanen who wanted to bring athletes clos-er to their faith while being an example of a good Christian on and off the field. Around

the United States thousands of teams have joined the organization and the start of it at West shows it’s still grow-ing. Coach Palmer wanted to bring FCA to West for the last 2 years but had problems with scheduling and getting other supervisors. This year he is joined by Mrs. Allison and Coach Brosius and the three of them got it started and took it to club carnival.

As a member of the Fel-lowship of Christian Ath-letes you demonstrate your

beliefs through example and following their four main val-ues: Integrity, Serving, Team-work, and Excellence. “That the group is opened to

any student that has interest in sports and Christianity and that the group will hopefully be wanting to take apart in see you at the pole, special events in the community, and

other outside school events,” Coach Palmer said. “The FCA is a good idea because it gives Christian students a group to join while sharing their faith with their peers,” Rickaya Branch, 12, said. The meetings will have speakers come and talk to the students about Christian-ity and how it relates back to the students life, there is also doughnuts and juice and at the end of the meetings the group joins in prayer.


“Good.” “Pretty good so far, we are 3 and 3 so not to bad.”

“Good, I score a lot of goals.” “For me I’m doing really well since this is my first time as a defender.”

Brandon Mcnamara, 9 Dominic Sheltrown, 10 Jordan Blankenship, 11 Brandon Talley, 12

How is this soccer season going?

15

Freshmen settle into high school life Freshmen are start-ing to feel the pressure of high school that everyone inevitably faces in their high school career. Naturally, some of the main concerns of the new fresh-men is the amount of work that will eventually begin pil-ing up. However, they did not find the transition particularly traumatizing. According to Daniel Baumgartner from French Middle School, “the classes are harder but it was just like going into another grade.” The freshmen also enjoy meeting other upperclass-men. “I love all the good people. Amen!” Tyler Shima, 9, said. Many of the freshmen are also looking forward to get-ting into our sports. Shima, in addition to being impatient for senior year, is also excited for the start of the baseball season. Tierinei Smith and Kelly King, both from French, are also looking forward to sports. “I love all of the spirit, especially the Friday themes,” King said. The new phone policy is getting great reception from the freshmen too. They all

enjoy the liberty being able to use their phones during pass-ing time, which is longer than it was in middle school. “French was lame. Here, you can have your phone out in between classes!” Madison Hemmer, French, said. Another highlight is the wider variety of activities that Topeka West offers, espe-cially the clubs and produc-tions. Smith agreed that there is more work, “but there’s more stuff to participate in”, and “loves being at Topeka West.” While there will always be classes that are disliked, the freshmen agree that teachers in general are harder, but also cooler. Lori Booher is one of the major favorites among students, and is already famous for the stories of her childhood excursions. “I love most of the teach-ers. I don’t like the more homework, but I was ready for it,” King said. As middle schooler, there were plenty of rumours about the nature of high school. Freshmen found that they increased amount of work is true but exaggerated. Also, movies are not a reliable source for descriptions. “The homework being harder was true, and that’s a

pain in the butt,” King said. “But none of the drama in the movies about high school were true.” Bailey Carter and Gen-evieve Akins, both from French, echo these thoughts. According to Akins, one of the major differences from middle school is the increased population here. Carter found that one of the hard-est things here was making it through the hall, simply because it would get far too crowded when the bell rang. Despite the traffic, they have found high school to being rather pleasant so far. “No one has tried to shove me in my locker yet!” Carter said. However, Carter has also found the people at West to be “really nice,” contrary to middle school legends. Like the other freshmen, they also heard a lot about the hell-ish work conditions of high school. “There were a lot of myths about high school, such as how the teachers would throw away your papers if you did something wrong, or how they were super strict. But then I got here, and it was just like, ‘I got this.’” Carter said. An integral part of the

freshmen experience is the mentoring program. Steve Roberts, our interim princi-pal, is a strong supporter of mentoring, praising it as “just an outstanding program.” While the freshmen love meeting friendly upperclass-men, they find the activities involved tedious sometimes. “It’s not awful, but the activities are kind of boring. I mean, it’s neat to work with people with experience, but there’s no need for these silly games,” Carter said. The teachers have also noticed some differences be-tween this year and last year’s freshman, particularly Melanie Ralston. “There is one thing that is a big difference: these people read books for fun and seem to have a keen interest in us-ing the library for recreational reading, and that’s kind of cool,” Ralston said. Each class is strictly unique from the next, and this year is certainly no exception. But each year will always yield a high quality class that will be just as competent as the next.


campus view- issue 1

Documents

high school students

secondary school students

jobs teens

percent of teens

school year expenses

campustopeka west high

hurting economy students

parttime work