Lykens Travels the World with Curiosity

“I like going on vacation to meet foreign people” revealed Mackay Lykens during the
interview. Most people know of Mackay as a lovable 15 year old sophomore at
Worthington Christian High School. One who is quite odd, but in a way that can make an
entire room explode with laughter. Mackay lives in downtown Columbus in the booming
area of the Short North. He is a big fan of the class we share together
(9th period I Journalism) and especially loves Mr. Stoll’s signature dance move the
“Double Dab”. One of the most interesting things I learned about Mackay is that he
often vacations to various countries during breaks in the school year. He has been to
multiple places in South and Central America! When asked what was so amazing
about these vacations, Mackay expressed his interest in seeing the different cultures
and meeting people of different ethnicities. Overall Mackay Lykens is more than one
of the funniest and coolest kid you will meet, he has a very interesting life and has
experienced many crazy travels and life experiences.

~ Brien Wall

Pitzer emerges from unknown to known

 “My sisters always remind me that they’re older than me as a way to boss me around, even though they are only older by only a couple of minutes,” explains Pitzer when describing the sometimes delicate relationship with his triplet siblings, Elizabeth and Joy. Noah Pitzer and his two other sisters are the only children in their family. They are a set of triplets with a great upbringing by his father and mother David and Mary Lynn. All three attended Worthington Christian from their first eligible year of school and still attend to this day. Noah is involved in many extra-curricular activities such as soccer, boy scouts, and drone aerial photography. Those being Boy Scouts where he has earned the title as an Eagle Scout. “It’s quite the rank but also very humbling.” At boy scout Gatherings Noah and fellow Eagle Scouts set tents and activities up and then will start running around/wrestling during down time.  

Noah and his sisters plan on graduating from Worthington Christian in spring 2020. Noah takes many advanced classes and has been excused from English 11 because he is taking College Writing out of school(and is even taking College Writing through Mount Vernon Nazarene University in place of junior English). “He enjoys taking this English because it develops is writing drastically and overall helps him become better.” In school he is a very smart/accomplished student, but he does have a life to live outside of school. 

Besides Boy Scouts Noah is very interactive in the digital and technological world. Noah is an aspiring professional drone user. He often rises before the sun comes up to capture beautiful sunrises or stays up late editing and uploading his breathtaking sunset videos.  "everyone has their own little ways they express themselves and I can proudly say aerial photography is my way of expressing and sharing how beautiful the world is.” He has many montages of the sunrises and sundown's, he takes drone shots of events per request of people such as soccer tournaments and church events and even makes montages of lake activities when he and all his cousins go. He believes that his 1st Period Broadcasting class and 9th Period iJournalism class go hand in hand with his out of school drone filming. He believes that with the knowledge of his teacher Mr. Stoll, he can pick out things here and there and just get a whole new perspective on things. 

It was a great time hearing and learning more about Noah in his life at school and out of school and really getting to know different things about what his life branches into out of school and individual aspects of class, family, and hobbies. “Everybody has a different life and stories to tell, and I am glad I had the opportunity to share mine with you.” 

~Lucas Hartings

A glimpse at Brien's sucess

“My life is crazy”, Brien expressed when telling about his amazing story.  Brien Wall the 16 year old junior goes to school at Worthington Christian and participates in after school sports.  Brien plays soccer in the fall, basketball in the winter, and more soccer in the spring.  Brien has been doing very well in school this year and says that his soccer season went great.  Basketball has started and just like always he is doing phenomenal.  As you can tell he is a very athletic kid.  He is a kind, funny, and all-around cool guy and you would be happy to meet him. We talk about his pet lizards that are truly amazing.  I learned about how his sports he does after school his hobbies that he is interested in, and more interesting information about the craziness that is his life. 

-Mackay Lykens 

 

The Spotlight Falls on Logan Once Again

“One big mess of egotism and immaturity”, vented Logan when describing his past years in choir.  Logan Keevins, a 17 years old senior at Worthington Christian High School (WCHS), is a kind, fun-loving, opportunity seeking gentleman who really loves being social.  While Logan certainly loves acting and singing, there are some downsides.  Choir, a class that he enjoyed previously, unfortunately became “less enjoyable during his Junior year.”  According to Logan, this large letdown mostly came from other students (not to be named), who corrected small details just to serve their ego and put others below them.   

With his immense passion for singing and acting, Logan loves WCHS plays and musicals.  Attending 9 plays and 3 musicals, Logan’s experience on stage only improves.  Of all the plays he has been in, he loved Peter the Starcatcher the most, but his favorite role was actually Robertson in Mary Poppins.  He works at Pacsun, participates in plays and musicals, hangs out with friends… can anyone think of a more fun student in WCHS?  In addition to his participation in many fun activities, he also loves to talk to people and get to know them one to one.  He plans to pursue broadcasting and journalism with perhaps a dash of acting and singing on the side.  With all these amazing attributes and facts about Logan, his drive to be a positive leader tops them all.  In noticing other ‘wounds’ in the WCHS student body, Logan wishes for justice and to “bring WC together the best I” (Logan) “can.”   
~Jake Flanigan

Lucas Hartings: The Life of a Warriors Football Star

Touchdown! Another great pass from Lucas Hartings for 43 yards to put Worthington Christian up on Fisher Catholic! When outside of school, Lucas Hartings can often be found on the football field. Hartings, a Junior at Worthington Christian High School, plays Quarterback for the Varsity Football Team. It is easy to say that football runs in the Hartings’ family. Jeff Hartings, Lucas’ father, played professionally in the National Football League for 10 years, retiring in 2006. Michael Hartings (WCS ‘19), Has played alongside Lucas as a running back and linebacker for the Warriors. Mianna Hartings (WCS ‘20), plays Futbol (Soccer) for the Warriors as well. The rest of Hartings’ family includes his mom, his 3 younger sisters, and his little brother, Malachi.

Lucas came to WC in 2015, as an 8th grader at the middle schoolIn school, Lucas enjoys Anatomy and Physiology, taught by Mrs. Dawn McMahon. Hartings’ describes his schedule as “easy,” possibly because of the two study halls he has, that come in handy for finishing homework. Outside of school, Hartings plays video games and watches Neflix, along with chillin’ in the Hot Tub.

From Lego to Legacy

As one of the smartest, most under-rated students at Worthington Christian. Jake Flanigan’s life is much like his job: organized mayhem. Jake has a sister and two brothers with Patrick being his favorite sibling despite him being the “bad one” in the family. Jake tells me that he’s much closer to his mom’s side of his family but dislikes his dad’s side, apparently due to the family dynamics. 

Jake has been a lifer at Worthington Christian for 13 years, his favorite courses here are the computer classes with programming being his favorite. In fact, he plans to be a programmer later in life. However, Jake is not a fan of school. Not the academic part but the social structure of the student body. He cites the problem being the “pride and selfishness”. What makes him distinguished from the rest of the student body is his ability to get great grades without studying nor putting in too much effort into his classes. 

Jake describes his work at Legoland Discovery Center as organized mayhem. Although he loves his co-workers, the customers he deals with is hectic and the only way to get through the day is nothing but teamwork, which he cites as been a huge help to developing his social skills. Jake works on the Kingdom quest ride at LDC, where he must quickly load and dispatch rides to get the constant flow of customers through the line. Once again, Jake’s life is much like his job: organized mayhem. 

St. John: A Drummer with two sides

“I think one thing for sure to realize is that you shouldn’t stress because you’re probably going to forget about a quiz that you bombed last week, and over time I realized that it’s best not to worry too much about your social life because it will all work out in the end.” These are the wise words of Noah St. John, a high school Sophomore at Worthington Christian high school. Noah is 16 years old, he has a passion for both soccer and the drums. I asked how his school year was so far, “Good, it’s been definitely harder than I thought it would be, I’ve learned a lot though, just these past few weeks.” I also asked him basic questions, what’s your favorite subject at Worthington Christian and why is it your favorite subject? “I would definitely say Biology because shows how big and amazing Gods creation of the animals and Earth really is. After this I asked him more detailed questions, I asked “What’s the best part of playing the Drums” he answered, “I would say that the best of part of playing the drums would be the freedom to make any sound or beat you want, including the challenges that come as well.” 

Noah is a musician so I asked him questions to get a different perspective of what it’s like as a drummer. What’s it like playing the drums? “Playing the drums is definitely different than playing the guitar or keyboard, it’s nerve-racking sometimes because the job of the drummer is to keep the band on tempo, but overall it’s taught me a lot about patience.”  

~Austin Crum

Crum Procures Inspiration from Guitarists

“The vibe of learning a new song is great, and the work ethic used in learning it is a good trait for life,” described Austin Crum, a Worthington Christian Sophomore on his motivation to play the guitar.  Austin was born in Ohio and has lived here his whole life with his two older brothers and parents.  He used to be in the Big Walnut school district until transferring to WC this year because his parents wanted a Christian environment for him.  He says that transferring from a large public school to a school of only 360 people hasn’t been much of a challenge, it’s really just tricky getting used to having to wear a uniform.  He also says that one thing he likes about WC compared to Big Walnut is that although no one really wants to go to school, everyone at WC is “ok” with it, where as the students attitudes at his old school didn’t like any of school.  Austin let me know of his favorite subjects in school saying, “I like English and History because they go hand in hand and English is passed down throughout our history and tells of our past generations while giving us freedom of expression.”  

When he isn’t at school he enjoys playing basketball, golf, video games, and has a deep passion for the guitar.  He first got into the guitar around three years ago because most of his family plays and therefore he naturally had the interest to play.  When Austin is playing on one of his five guitars he usually can be heard playing rock, blues, old country, or alternative.  He listens to this because they flow so well with the guitar and is what he enjoys listening to.  Austin enjoys listening to,  “Jimmy Hendricks or Paul McCartney because of how inspirational they were and the great songs they made. Jimmy Hendricks also pushed boundaries and was innovative in the music industry.” 

~Noah St. John

Guns or No Guns For Teachers

“There is a recognition the Second Amendment rights, like the First Amendment and other rights, come with responsibilities and limitations. There is no reason both sides of the gun debate can’t support policies that both can’t protect the right to legally own guns for sport and safety, and reduce the likelihood of mass fatality.” Quoted by Randi Weingarten. 
There are many mixed feelings on allowing teachers to have guns at school and how safety could be improved. This has proved a problem that requires more attention because of the recent shootings in Florida, California, Kentucky and the tragedies that have occurred during them. Because of the problems guns have caused, some people think that guns should be taken out of the picture or that there should be more restrictions placed on them such as a higher age limit. Others think that more security should be added such as police officers or people previously in the military to guard entrances.

I asked some students at WCHS what their thoughts on the subject are and most had different viewpoints on it. The majority however believed that teachers should be allowed to have guns at school for additional security in classrooms. One of the interviewees stated “teachers are already laying down their lives to save their students, why not give them a way to protect themselves too.” the most common follow up to why students wanted their teachers to have guns was that teachers were protecting their students as past news stories have shown and the teachers don’t have a way to protect themselves and they should to better improve the safety of the school.

Here at WC we have installed threatextinguishers around our school as an alternative to guns. 

Threat extinguishers are concentrated cans of pepper spray that set off and alarm when they are removed from their containers. The people I interviewed that thought teachers shouldn’t have guns, said that they saw these as a better alternative to allowing the teachers to have guns. Another alternative that was seen fit was just following school procedures in classrooms such as attacking the trespasser with the objects they have in the classroom with them. Another student stated they think teachers could be impulsive and cause further issues than what could be prevented. each person I have interviewed has a different opinion on the matter but they all think that there should be a change in some way.

~Lilly Heidorn

The Dangers of Cellphones

What exactly are smartphones doing to us?

In this day and age, smartphones are a huge part of our lives. People rely on their smartphone for directions, communication, and even personal financing. Health officials have been researching the effects that smartphones have on our society.

In order to dig into this question, we must understand a few different demographics. According to the “Pew Research Center” 94% of young adults ages 18-29 own a smartphone in the U.S. Virtually every young adult owns a smartphone or smart device in one way or another. The average person looks at their phone at least 221 times a day. That is about 9 times an hour, but really about 14 times an hour assuming everyone gets about 8 hours of sleep. Would you consider 14 checks in a single hour, addiction? Studies show that nearly 50% of students claim to be addicted to their smart device, but in reality it is likely that every student that checks their phone 14 times an hour is truly addicted to their smartphone.

Smartphones are addictive, and cause several health issues, like sleep disruption, and neck issues. Studies show, that blue light emitted from smartphones, and other smart devices, disrupt your sleeping patterns. Blue light is the most disruptive light to the human body towards sleep. It hinders the release of the hormone melatonin in the brain that causes the human body to relax and fall into the REM cycle. If one is exposed to blue light right before they go to bed, it will take much longer and be much harder for them to fall asleep.

Ever seen a student walking around with their head down looking at their phone? Studies show that looking down at your phone causes great amounts of stress on your neck that can eventually lead to neck issues like pinched nerves and poor posture. At the upright position, your head puts about 10-12 pounds of stress on your neck, while at a 45 degree angle your head gives about 49 pounds of stress on your neck. With the average student checking their phones 221 times a day, that equates to be a whole lot of stress.

Few people would say to never use 
your smartphone, the key is, to be responsible with how you use it. Peter Mallory says “Phones can be extremely dangerous to those with feeble minds.” It is important to know your boundaries and monitor the effects your devices have on you. If you are one of the millions of people who have a cell phone addiction, there is no shame in contacting a professional, like Mrs. Nancy Secrest.

~Danny Myers

Bullies at WC?

Could bullies be the real playground victim? Everyone can relate to the struggles of middle school and the inevitable clash of the ‘school bully’ but if this fact is universally relatable than the bully must be bullied as well. It is 2018 and anyone can be the victim.
After interviewing ex-bullies, who shall not be named throughout this article, a common thread runs from the “bullies” school life straight into their front doors. Experts say that bullying originates by what the antagonists consumes from experiences at home and simply reacts to their social challenges of their high school life. Displaying dominance and or social skills through insults and abuse, bullies often struggle with more than they are given credit. One of our ex bullies talks about being mistreated by others earlier in their education and led them down a dark road and ended up becoming the thing they hated most.
          As culture evolves education is always close behind and with the evolution of schooling and social media a new form of bully has arisen: cyber bullying. Students are now vulnerable to bullying outside of the classroom and even in the safety of their homes. Parents should always keep an eye out for signs of cyberbullying. Any kids

who experiences it should always remembered that you can shut off the phone or delete the app.

           Worthington Christian prides themselves on a bully-free zone and as a student who has attended the school their entire life, attributed that privilege to the families behind the scene. If you look behind the scenes of the school you will find hundreds of hard-working Christian families dedicated the upbringing of their children in a safe environment. WC acts as this incubator and for the most part helps eradicate bullies at the source: home. Ex victim laments his journey “I was severely bullied in middle school but thanks to the support of my father, we held a meeting with them and resolved our differences”. If you are experiencing bullying of any sort do not hesitate to grab an adult. The Wc handbook makes a clear strict rule that bullying will never be tolerated and the faculty and staff are all there to help. So, on behalf of Worthington Christian High School we thank all our motivated families for keeping the community safe and secure.

~Peter Mallory

Texting while driving impacts WC

Texting while driving is a common factor among drivers everywhere. From teenagers to adults, chances are most people have texted while driving at least once, even though it is illegal. On average, there are 1.6 million car accidents a year caused by texting while driving. In a recent online poll about texting while driving, out of 130 that responded, only 22% of the voters have reportedly texted while driving. 

Out of ten students recently interviewed at Worthington Christian High school, eight confessed that yes, they have texted while driving, while only two of them stated that no. 
The people that replied yes, however, have never been pulled over for texting while driving. A few people were asked about their experiences with texting while driving, but everyone responded the same way: No one has ever been pulled over or in an accident. One person had stated they text and drive all the time, while another person had mentioned the only time they touched their phone was to change the music playing. 

While it is very lucky that nobody at Worthington Christian has ever been injured for texting while driving, it doesn’t mean that it will never happen. Studies show that 78% of distracted driving accidents are caused by texting while driving.

~Mia Schoonover

The impact of drugs and alcohol on teenagers

Cocaine, Heroin, and Meth are roads that lead to death. According to a 2014 survey a reported 44.1 million Americans used drugs and or alcohol. About 12.6% of those users were between the ages of 12-15, and many people between the ages of 18-30 also contributed to this number. This marked the sixth straight year that 60 percent or more of teens reported that their high schools are “drug infected". However, for the first time in the survey’s history, a majority of private school students reported drugs on campus. The number jumped from 36 percent in 2011, to 54 percent in 2012. A survey that was taken in the US and the UK, showed much of the drug use was in high school student's binge drinking and using marijuana. Binge drinking being considered five or more drinks in a time span of 2 hours.  

Public schools are not the only ones to blame for this. There are just as much or close to the same amount of drug use/drinking happening in private school. Many people think that Christian schools are also completely clean but that’s far from true. Researchers found that teens who are deemed more privileged, or those who lived in nice areas and attended elite schools were more likely to use marijuana, cocaine, and ecstasy. Girls from top schools are said to three times more likely to suffer from drugs and alcohol-related problems. Boys from the same backgrounds were said to be twice as likely as other male students to becoming addicted to drinking or substances in early adulthood. 

I believe this is a problem in WC because not only does it make us look bad and potentially ruin our testing scores but it also goes against our Christian beliefs. I personally took a survey at WC and was sad to find out that about 90% of the people I asked said that they have done drugs and or drank alcohol. About 60% said that the reason they wanted to because they wanted to or it seemed fun because their friends where doing it. The other percent said that their parents where either also doing it or just letting their children do it. 

~MK Divine