Wabaunsee High School's Student Newspaper
Since the release of “Star Wars” in 1977, everyone who’s anyone knew the whole ‘Luke, I am your father’ moment that apparently shocked the world — but up until a few months ago, I had no true knowledge of the magnitude of this epic franchise.
Two weeks ago I got the news that I, along with sophomore Sarah Vanstory, had made the Kansas Choral Directors Association 2020 All-State Treble Choir. I was super excited at first. It is such a huge accomplishment. Only about 75 high school girls across the entire state of Kansas get into the choir each summer, and this is the second year for both Sarah and I to make it. I made it my sophomore year, and Sarah made it last year.
With COVID-19 being passed around like wildfire, many sports programs decided to end seasons early. The NBA suspended the season after a Jazz player preliminarily tested positive for the Coronavirus. The NCAA cancelled the winter and spring championships to combat the problem. Both organizations had a very valid reason to end the season, since health comes above sports, but many athletes did not want to see the end so suddenly. From the NBA to the NCAA to KSHSAA, the ending of many seasons crushed the dreams many hopeful athletes had to be named the top dog.
With new cancellations and closings happening every minute, it’s hard not to have coronavirus on our minds. We here at the Charger believe that, although inconvenient and disorienting, closing down the school and activities is smart and probably necessary. First, you have to look at the number of students and faculty that have travelled outside of Kansas over spring break. Some have likely been exposed to COVID-19 and it’s smart to provide time to practice social distancing and assure that they do not have the virus.
Here at Wabaunsee High, you may think that we are a very supportive community to all of the many activities offered here, but that is not the case. Some activities garner a large fan base, such as the volleyball team and the basketball teams, whereas some activities become altogether forgotten by the greater part of the student body and surrounding community — specifically the wrestling team. While the wrestling team may only boast six members, what they lack in numbers, they make up for in might. Just this past weekend, three of the six members qualified for the state tournament. The sad part of this joyous occasion was the fact that, aside from direct family members, there were no spectators in Wabaunsee’s fan club. This is a little concerning considering the fact that the regional tournament was held in Council Grove, which is a short drive compared to many of the trips that other athletic teams travel for postseason competitions.
To whom this may concern. Building a K-12 new school would be great, providing it is not built in Alma. Doing so would not unify the district — it would pull it further apart. Doing so would cause more dislike because this is not USD 329 Alma, it is USD 329 Maple Hill, Paxico, Mcfarland and Alma. Alma has never lost a school, has never had to bus young children down the road. They get to keep it all.
At the Oscars Sunday, the South Korean movie “Parasite” won best picture. A movie wins best picture every year, but what’s special about “Parasite” is that it’s entirely in Korean. It’s the first non-English language to ever win best picture. “Parasite” also took home awards for best original screenplay, best international film and best director. The Oscar’s recognition of a film like this is a reminder that we don’t have to understand the language of a movie to enjoy it and take meaning from it.
With the board set to take action on a bond, the Charger staff believes option 10 is the best choice for the future of our district. The option, which calls for a new K-12 building, unifies the school district, which will make the district more financially efficient and benefit many aspects of the students’ experience.... Continue Reading →
Wabaunsee County tragically lost five of its citizens to suicide in 2019, sparking a change in the way Wabaunsee Sherrif Rob Hoskins hopes to tackle mental health awareness. “We had a rough couple of weeks. It was rough on my staff, it was rough on the emergency responders, it was rough on me personally, and I know the families involved, it was devastating and terrible for them. Afterwards, I felt that something needed to be done,” Hoskins said.
