Category: Opinion

Editorial briefs: Chargers bring home several awards

Don’t foul a Charger

Juniors Maddy Hutley and Rhett Murray took home the gold at the Royal Valley Basketball Tournament free throw contest. Hutley shot 13 out of 15 free throws. Murray tied with another competitor in the first round of shooting and had to shoot 10 extra free throws in a sudden death round. He went 10 for 10 at the line securing a win. Junior Hannah Mumpower also took home a first place medal in the free throw contest at the Lyndon JV Basketball tournament. She went 17 for 25 in the first round, tying with another competitor and came back to shoot 21 out of 25 in the final round. Congrats to all three of these individuals!

Abby Oliver Sets New Record

Senior Abby Oliver set a new record for WHS last week at the Lyndon basketball game. Oliver scored a total of 40 points in one game, beating the previous record of 39 points held by 2018 graduate Karsen Schultz. Oliver also recently surpassed 1,000 career points scored. Oliver achieved this milestone at the Mission Valley game. Congrats Abby on these accomplishments!

Chargers compete at State Scholars Bowl

Scholars Bowl placed 5th at State to end its season. WHS Scholars Bowl qualified for State after finishing in 2nd place at the Regional Tournament hosted at Wabaunsee. After going 4-1 in pool play, the team advanced to the championship rounds. With 6 members graduating the varsity team is wide open next year, so study up.

Chargers place at League Wrestling

Wabaunsee Wrestling had three wrestlers place in the top three at League Wrestling Friday night. Sophomore Eli Mumpower placed 3rd in the 132 lb weight class, sophomore Derek Wallin placed 1st in the 160 lb weight class and sophomore Koby Corp placed 2nd in the Heavyweight weight class. All wrestlers will compete at Regionals this Friday at Rossville. The top four wrestlers in each weight class will go on to compete at State in Hays February 22.

STAR events head to state

WHS FCCLA took 23 members to compete at District STAR Events in Manhattan on February 8. These members competed in 13 various events, 8 of them going on to compete at State Events in Wichita in April.

The editorial represents the opinions of the Charger staff.

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Opinion: Barber siblings dispense romantic advice for Valentine’s Day

With Valentine’s Day, love is in the air, and dating in high school is harder than ever. Fortunately, junior Laurel Barber and senior Luke Barber have great advice for high school Romeos and Juliets.

I’m an upperclassman. Should I date an underclassman?

Laurel: I say go for it. If you are happy, then stay happy. Dating an older guy is what some people are used to but dating someone younger doesn’t really matter. It’s 2019 — do you boo.

Luke: If you’re an upperclassman that means you’re probably around 17 or 18 years old. In the state of Kansas the legal age of consent is 16. Why date an underclassman when you can date an elderly billionaire. Think about it, you have college coming soon and we’re all broke. College tuition to an elderly billionaire is pennies on the hundred dollar bill.

How many zip codes apart should I keep my boyfriends?

Laurel: With social media it’s super easy to find out who is talking to who. So stick to one boyfriend at a time and if you aren’t feeling it, just break up. From the beginning set clear expectations of what you want out of the relationship and if you even want a relationship.

Luke: That’s an easy one, don’t. And by don’t, I mean have lots of boyfriends in the same zip code. Have you ever seen those tv shows where people have multiple wives? Just do that but with boyfriends. Make them awkwardly compete for your affection under the guise that they are okay with it.

How much PDA is too much PDA?

Laurel: Holding hands and a cute little 3-second hug are the only acceptable PDA. Kissing in the classroom, commons or at school is gross. No one wants to see you kiss your significant other in front of everyone. It’s more acceptable if you aren’t at school and you give them a little peck of a kiss — as long as it isn’t at a super inconvenient or uncomfortable time for people around you. Don’t kiss at church, in the middle of a grocery store or at a restaurant. It’s okay to kiss in the park. Just don’t scare little kids.

Luke: Any touching is immoral. Don’t do it. You think other people want to see you making goo goo eyes at someone? No they don’t. In fact you should do the very opposite. If you are dating someone in school you should actively try to make people think that you dislike them. Constantly make fun of them. Constantly annoy them. Do whatever it takes to make sure people think you don’t like them.

What is a good Valentine’s Day gift for my HS boyfriend or girlfriend?

Laurel: It depends… if you have been in an exclusive relationship for only a couple of months, you should get them something meaningful but less than $20. Get them some like candy and maybe a nice dinner at McDonald’s. If you have been together for multiple years than you can most definitely go a little bit more crazy. Maybe like $50 on a fine piece of jewelry.

Luke: Immortality. It’s understandable that everyone’s main and sometimes only fear is death. So free them from them from their mortal worries. There are plenty of ways to gain immortality just buy a voodoo cookbook or something and get cracking. Not that hard in my opinion.

Is Valentine’s day a good day to ask someone out for the first time?

Laurel: Valentine’s Day is one of the worst days to ever ask someone out on a first date — right next to New Year’s Day. It’s awful to ask someone out because you are lonely. It’s  Valentine’s Day. You are in high school. It’s okay to be single. Everyone has been in your shoes. Just go to DG and get someone ice cream and watch some funny movies.

Luke: Yes. Everyone thinks “oh no one’s going to ask me out I’m a major uggo so today’s going to be fine I’ll just be lonely like always”. But no, here you come guns blazing. Ask them out and it will surprise them so much that they’ll pass out on the spot. At that point you take all the cash from their wallet. They’ll be so happy they have a date they won’t even notice the missing cash when they wake up.

— Laurel Barber, Luke Barber

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Opinion| Gillette ad causes pointless controversy

Gillette released a controversial ad this month raising the question, “is this the best a man can get?”

If you haven’t seen the ad, it depicts some men in a number of questionable situations, such as sexually harassing women and being violent towards each other. Towards the end of the ad, some men begin to stand up and call each other out for their actions and bad behavior. The ad urges men to be the best versions of themselves possible, and to set an example for future generations.

So why are people so upset about it?

The ad, not surprisingly, went viral immediately. Some people were thrilled and enjoyed the ad. Some people argued that the ad is unfairly attacking men and leaving out women, while insinuating that all men take part in these bad behaviors.

Similar to the #BurnYourNikes hashtag that circled social media following the Nike Kaepernick ad, some have taken to twitter to post pictures of their destroyed razors to show their disagreement with the ad.

Personally, I enjoyed this ad and believe Gillette did a good thing by making it. Some people argue that they don’t see a reason for an advertisement, but being around teenage boys a majority of the time, I do. Some behavior that could be excused as “boys being boys” is an issue that should actually be addressed.

Most girls don’t like speaking up about these things, but I’ve heard personally from many girls that issues including sexual harassment do occur every day. By bringing light to this topic Gillette is making a positive impact. Even if it doesn’t have an impact, they aren’t hurting anyone by asking men to act better and it’s not worth getting that upset over an advertisement for razors.

Whether you agree with the ad or not, you have to respect the fact that Gillette is a brand, and this is an advertisement. It was made to bring attention to Gillette and in doing so, sell their product. While Gillette didn’t necessarily have to make a razor ad political, it brought attention to its brand and addressed important issue.

Not all men act inappropriately, but the ones who do need to consider the consequences of their actions. Even if Gillete’s message only reaches a couple of people it will have been worth it.

— Emma Frey, @_emmafrey_

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Editorial Briefs: Winter weather not cooperating

Winter weather causes headaches

Snow on Fridays is a tragic waste of a potential snow day. It also stinks for wrestling to lose meets. Basketball games at Royal Valley this week have been moved to Wednesday/Thursday/Friday, but might still be affected by the weather. We hope things cooperate this weekend, or maybe the snow will stretch into next week so we can play video games and binge Netflix on a snow day.

Staff taking new jobs

It’s sad to see Delfelder and Lawrence leave, but we’re happy for both of them. Good luck in new positions and careers!

Girls tearing up the court

Girls basketball is ranked #4 in 2A in the Kansas Basketball Coaches Association poll. They’ll face tough competition this week at the Royal Valley Tournament.

No dancing at WHS

NHS had to cancel the Winter Royalty dance after the games Friday. While most students were ready to head home after a long week, it’s a shame that NHS lost its biggest fundraiser.

ASVAB

Juniors spent Tuesday morning taking the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB). It’s good to get an idea of our strengths, but the test process was confusing and unorganized.

The editorial is the opinion of the Charger staff. Send letters to the editor to whscharger@gmail.com.

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Technology director, English teacher to leave WHS

Two Wabaunsee staff members will be leaving the district for new opportunities.

Technology director Austin Lawrence announced he is leaving after nine years serving on the Wabaunsee staff. Lawrence accepted a job as I.T. Director at Hanover-Barnes-Linn school district in Hanover, where Lawrence and his wife Cindy are from. They plan to build a house and raise their family there. Cindy, who currently teaches fifth grade math and science at Paxico Middle School, will stay until the end of the school year.

“What I’m excited about with this new job is that it’s basically an opportunity to come in and improve another school district,” Lawrence said.

Although Lawrence is excited about this job opportunity, he says he will miss Wabaunsee greatly.

“The things we go through in life are sometimes bittersweet, and we all have them. This is one of those moments for me. I really cannot put into words how great all of you have been over my nine years here. You are a great group of people to work with and I wish you all the best in your future endeavors,” Lawrence said.

English teacher Laura Delfelder will be attending Veterinary School at Kansas State University this fall. She has wanted to be a vet her entire life, so this was an opportunity she couldn’t pass up. She is excited to continue her education, because she really enjoys learning. She’ll be at WHS for the rest of the year.

What Delfelder will miss most about teaching is her students.

“I’m gonna miss my students. That’s like the one thing that makes me almost want to cry thinking about,” Delfelder said

“I’m going to miss my English classes, but can’t wait to move onto the next chapter.”

— Kendyl Bolinder, @BolinderKendyl

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Editorial Briefs: new pass system mildly annoying

Online passes are annoying

Students are crying because in the time it takes to fill out the QR code pass for the bathroom, they have already peed their pants. The new system is better than filling out paper passes, but we still think it can be streamlined. We hope the kinks get worked out in the next few weeks.

Homecoming candidates pull names from Winter Royalty

A couple of the Homecoming candidates pulled their names from consideration for Winter Royalty, giving new students a chance to win a nomination. We’re torn on whether this should be an official rule or not, but we applaud the students who made the decision. Good luck to the Winter Royalty candidates Friday night!

We miss Winter vacation

What is the point of having two days of school after Christmas break? We could have just gone a few days later before break and then continued with a full week after New Year’s. Fortunately, it looks like this will be fixed on next year’s schedule.

WHS welcomes New teachers

We’re glad that Perine and Hendricks stepped up last semester to teach P.E. and Spanish, but it’s nice to have teachers who are here on a more permanent basis. Congratulations to Mr. Eck and Mr. Amer on their first teaching jobs We hope you have a great experience at WHS.

Staff repairs commons ceiling

The custodial staff worked over break to repair damage to the commons ceiling. It’s a tough job caring for several old buildings in the district, and we’re happy when the district can find a way to stay on top of the challenges.

Binge this

After binge watching new things for two weeks over break, our opinion is to stay home and watch season 3 of “Series of Unfortunate Events” on Netflix instead of going to the theatres to watch the terrible “Holmes and Watson.” Other official endorsements from the Charger include “Birdbox,” “Taylor Swift’s Reputation Stadium Tour,” and “Dumplin.”

The editorial is the opinion of the Charger staff. Send letters to the editor to whscharger@gmail.com.

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Opinion: WHS needs better guest speakers

Miss Kansas speaks to WHS students during an assembly about seat belt safety. While seat belt safety is important, writer Kendyl Bolinder argues that hearing about the same issues each year does little to educate students.

Speakers should address issues important to students

“Don’t drink and drive.” “Stay drug free.” These are things that high school students are constantly reminded of.

The speakers who come to Wabaunsee are repetitive, and several have the same general message. We should be bringing in better speakers that will be more beneficial for the students.

Speakers are a waste of time for some students. They are missing advisor base and class time to attend mandatory presentations, even though they often have no interest in what the presenters are teaching.

Sophomore Karlee Feyh said, “I think the speakers we’ve had this year are good to hear, but after you hear the same stuff over and over, you tend to stop paying attention. A solution would be to expand the range of topics. We need to have speakers who have a way of reaching students that is more fun than just lecturing.”

There are so many speakers with important platforms that are relevant to high school students today. WHS needs to expand its speaker selection and the topics they cover.

There are things that will impact teens more than lectures about seat belt use and drugs — topics they are already fairly educated on. One great topic is depression and suicide. An estimated 3.1 million teens have had a major depressive episode in the last year. As a student body, students at Wabaunsee high have received little education about this topic, or the things that go hand in hand with it, such as anxiety/mental disorders, bullying, human trafficking, healthy relationships, academic struggles or social media use.

A small group of students traveled to Washburn rural high school earlier this school year to witness a speech by Kevin Hines, who survived a jump off the Golden Gate Bridge. He told the distressing story of his life. He talked about all the people he had lost to suicide, one being his first psychiatrist. He spoke about his struggles with bipolar disorder, his time in psychiatric hospitals and his failed suicide attempt. He reminded people that they they can get through it, and encouraged them to “Be Here Tomorrow.” He was very relatable and had a way of interacting with students that was both fun and inspiring.

Sophomore Ryleigh Jones, who attended the presentation, said “He communicated with us in a way we would understand, rather than just slides on a PowerPoint. His topic was the same as many other speakers, but he stood out. He has been through it all since he was born. He wanted to make kids understand there’s always another option.”

Wabaunsee should be bringing in speakers who will make an impact on students. We shouldn’t select speakers based on the fact that they’ve been here before, or that they don’t cost much. We should put in the time and money to host people who will truly make a difference in our schools.

— Kendyl Bolinder, @BolinderKendyl

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Editorial: School can address Vaping issue without punishing all students

Vaping is increasingly becoming a problem at WHS.

Its no secret that certain students abuse their privileges and freedoms during school hours, for example, vaping in bathrooms and locker rooms. We recognize the school’s reasoning and understand that vaping is an issue, and the problem at school has decreased after principal Jan Hutley outlined the consequences in class meetings.

While we agree that WHS should work to prevent vaping, we don’t agree with the way it has been handled during AB.

Most of the problems of vaping along with students not checking in with teachers has occurred during advisor base. AB is supposed to be a time to make teachers available to students for extra help. It’s also the time set aside for extra things such as club meetings, ZAP or school assemblies. In a sense, it is the student’s time to get caught up academically and participate in a number of other activities throughout the school.

With the new problems, recent restrictions on traveling to different classrooms during AB have caused an uproar in the student body. Students now have to obtain a signed pass from the teacher they wish to visit prior to AB and have it signed by their teacher. This creates difficulty because after running around the school to get a pass and talk to teachers it leaves very little time to actually work on our homework. Teachers also have little time to talk to us for help when they are continuously filling out the passes and answering phone calls from students who wish to travel to their classroom.

A better way to go about this situation would be to enforce the QR code sign-out sheet that we already have implemented. This method was only faulty because it wasn’t being enforced by certain AB teachers. If problems with students still arise during AB, a good way to handle it would simply be to take the specific person’s AB rights away, rather than the entire student body.

The editorial is the opinion of the Charger staff. Send letters to the editor to  whscharger@gmail.com.

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Opinion|Twenty One Pilots album a step forward

Emma Frey

@_emmafrey_

The highly anticipated fifth studio album, Trench, from Twenty One Pilots was released October 5th following the band’s year-long hiatus.

Everyone either loves this band or loves to hate them. Eighth grade emo Emma would be dying inside right now, but as for sophomore Emma, I kind of thought that Twenty One Pilots was a phase for me. I knew the album was coming, but I wasn’t really excited until it actually dropped.

This is definitely a different album for the band. While it includes a few thought-provoking and in-depth songs, true to their nature, it also features some fun songs that showcase the cryptic storyline behind Trench. Songs like “Neon Gravestones,” “Legend” and “Smithereens” seem to have a more personal meaning to lead singer, Tyler Joseph. These include his opinions on how the media deals with suicide, a song about his late grandfather, and a song that tells of the extreme lengths he would go to to protect his wife, respectively. These are my favorite types of songs because you can truly tell how someone feels and what they’re going through and can apply them to yourself.

Conversely, songs like “Bandito”, “Leave the City” and “Nico and the Niners” tell the story of Clancy, a fictional character modeled from Tyler, and his escape from Dema, a fictional city that is meant to represent Tyler’s fears and anxieties that hold him back.

Overall, I was kind of apprehensive for the release of the album. I was worried that Twenty One Pilots would become a sell-out band that only tried to cater to a certain demographic, (eighth grade emo girls, i.e. Emma two years ago) but I was pleasantly surprised to find a few songs I actually liked, my favorite being “Chlorine.” My favorite line is “Venom on my tongue, dependent at times; poisonous vibrations; help my body run… the moment is medical” because it shows how chlorine is a poison and it will kill you, but it’s also used as a cleaning agent. This analogy relates to Tyler in the sense of music. It’s cleansing for him to write his feelings and opinions down in a constructive way, but it’s still damaging to him to have to look at those thoughts written down and sing them over and over again when he’d rather just forget. That’s a pretty relatable topic for most people. It’s always nice to express how you feel but it’s sort of like beating a dead horse when you can’t ever get it off of your mind.

Although their style of music isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, I definitely believe that anyone and everyone can find at least one song that they can relate to or enjoy from Twenty One Pilots.

Music tends to be a common outlet for people, and I’m no exception. Everyone should definitely check out Trench or some of the band’s older albums and give them a try.

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