Athletes Involved in Politics

           
       Over the past couple years, many athletes have been using their status to state their beliefs on how the US is being run.  The athlete that has made the biggest impact on society and motivated other athletes to speak out recently is Colin Kaepernick.  During the preseason of the 2016 NFL season, Kaepernick sat during the National Anthem.  During the first two games, it went unnoticed because he wasn’t wearing a uniform.  He finally got attention in the third game, when he had his uniform on which shows how much recognition an athlete is given by the media compared to an average person protesting.  Throughout the course of the 2016 and 2017 season, more and more NFL players knelt.  This led to a decline in ticket sales and television ratings because many consider it disrespectful to America and those who have fought for it.
            Many athletes from other sports have supported Kaepernick.  The USA Women’s Soccer Team all knelt during the anthem.  Kobe Bryant, Stephen Curry, and Lebron James are the most prominent NBA players to support Kaepernick through interviews and tweets.  When the Golden State Warriors won the 2017 NBA title, they declined the White House visit because they don’t agree with President Trump’s leadership.
            A major cause for athletes speaking out recently has been Donald Trump.  Trump has insisted that any NFL player that kneels should be fired.  NBA player, Lebron James, has called Donald Trump racist and his role as president laughable.  NBA coach, Gregg Popovich, has raved that he is soulless and a disgrace to our country.
            Although it has expanded a lot recently, athletes have been making political statements since the 1960s.  In 1967, boxer, Muhammad Ali, refused to fight in the Vietnam War since it was against his religious beliefs.  He was then arrested and stripped of his Heavyweight title belt.  NFL player Pat Tillman enlisted in the army shortly after 9/11.  He explained that he thought that his role as a football player was shallow, and he didn’t like how George Bush was running the country.  He was found dead in battle in 2004.  It was later discovered he was killed by friendly fire.  These are just a few examples of the many times that athletes have spoken out in the past.
            I interviewed student-athletes from around the school and asked them what their opinions were on celebrity athletes using their sport to make political statements.  The majority of those interviewed suggested that it is disrespectful to kneel during the anthem.  Many replied that they think athletes should be allowed to state their beliefs in social media and in interviews, but they shouldn’t be allowed to during game since it’s a job and part of their job is to appease the fans.  The students also believe that making political statements can cause an unnecessary rift between the team.  IJournalism teacher, Mr. Stoll, believes that “team sports are about winning and losing as a team.  Individual players should not do anything to stand out.”

~Edward Gamel

What WC students have to say about sexting.

  

        Sexting is a worldwide issue that all high schools deal with, including ours. Even though Worthington Christian High School is a Christian school it doesn’t mean that we are excluded from these issues. Nearly 40 percent of all teenagers have posted or sent sexually suggestive messages, according to a recent study done in high schools across the U.S. Knowing this statistic I became curious of the amount of sexting done at WCHS, so I anonymously interviewed over ten students about sexting and whether they participated in it and why.  

The answers I got were from the survey were shocking. When I questioned students on the matter they became very uncomfortable but I assured them it was anonymous and they then felt more compelled to share. The first student I spoke to was comfortable with his reasons for sexting, he said simply "I was horny and under the influence". This seemed to be a continual theme. Some students said they did it as a joke. Others said they did it out of desperation. Either way, most regretted it. One student told me he sexted "because I am a savage". And another said, "I am sex". Reasons for sexting varied from needing to feel accepted to feelings of inadequacy.  


          Not all the interviewees said they have sexted. Few had never sexted but only received sexts. One student described her sexting experience as "unsolicited and annoying". Another student said, "sadly no". Sexting has come to the point where it is socially acceptable and expected. But sending or receiving sexually suggestive messages and photos under 18 is considered child pornography and can result in criminal charges. 

It is a lot more serious than teenagers realize. Not only that but often times the receivers of the messages or photo will share them with other people. You may think the photos or message are just between the two of you but you never know who they are with or what they may do with them.

                                                                                 ~Laura King

Heritage: Celebrating Diversity

    "Know where you come from, be who you are, and find the strength to change the world", words of wisdom that my old principal of Columbus North International said to us every day. These are words that keep me going and drive my hunger for learning about and experiencing other cultures. I grew up in an African American home but I went to a predominately Hispanic elementary school, so I was constantly surrounded by the culture. 95% of the teachers were from Latin countries so their culture automatically spilled into their lesson plans. We would have an event called the Culture Show where each class performed a song, dance or poem from a specific Latin country and following that we would have a Cultural Fiesta where the teachers would bring in food from their home country and we would dance and play games. 

     Going into 8th grade, the school board of Columbus decided to do a feeder system where three elementary schools (Eco Kenwood, 5th Avenue and Spanish Immersion) fed into one high school: Columbus North International (CNI). CNI offered over 30 different language courses to take and represented cultures from Morocco all the way to Korea. We hosted many cultural events and shows that showed me that the world is beautiful and unique because all of the different people that exist. I started to think that the Tower Of Babel incident wasn't so bad. 

       I have left every culture with a better sense of how the world works and why people are the way that they are. I had the opportunity to travel to Israel over the summer and it was a different experience than what I had at my old schools because this time, I was IN the country, not just surrounded by the people. I was able to go to places, eat authentic food and experience the land that truly represented the culture. I had an first hand experience with another culture and I will forever be grateful for the opportunity to see part of what Jesus saw and experienced when he was here. All I want to do now is travel and see the rest of the world first hand!

       I believe that humans were not meant to stay in one place forever. God has created too much beauty, too much life to stay in the city line of Columbus or wherever you come from. There are Indians that are waiting to meet you, Africans who can't wait to hear about your God, Spaniards who want to hear about who you are and where you come from. There is still beauty to be seen and the great part is, that beauty is only one person away. Look to your neighbors, your coworkers, your classmates and experience who they are and where they come from. I encourage you to look at your heritage, your ancestors and see what makes you, you! Let  the atlas come alive and I promise your experiences will give you "strength to change the world". 

~Jalauna Phillips 

Beyond the Classroom- Musings from Israel

Musings from Israel -  2017

Mount Carmel WC

June 2-14 of 2017 will go down in the books as the greatest journey I have, and will ever, go on. A group of Worthington Christian students and staff, including myself, embarked on the adventure to Tel Aviv Israel on June 2. Our first day in Tel Aviv we spent roaming the streets, and swimming in the Mediterranean Sea. This was quite the experience, because there were biting fish in the sea, and one bit our own dearly beloved Mr. Baugher. Luckily the bite was so small that it barely even drew blood. After a day of recuperating ourselves in Tel Aviv, we continued our Journey to Galilee.

The Sea of Galilee

The sea of Galilee was my favorite stop on the trip. Galilee, more than any other stop, truly brought the Biblical stories to life. I could clearly imagine Jesus calming the sea, because waves on the sea of Galilee could be crashing five feet high one minute, then still as glass a few moments later. This is due to the desert terrain and the valley that is the sea, which creates a wind tunnel. We climbed up a mountain cliff while there, which had no biblical significance, but was possibly the most breathtaking sight my eyes will ever gaze upon.

Mt. Arbel

Bethsaida

We also ventured to the site where Jesus fed the 5,000

Our Worthington Christian crew all were baptized in the sea, by Mr. Baugher.

After a few days exploring around Galilee we went to our next stop, the Dead Sea.

The Dead Sea

The Dead sea is the saltiest place on earth. The sea itself is so salty that we were floating like ice cubes as soon as we sat down in it. The salt is so powerful that if I would have taken my phone into the sea it would have started to disintegrate. A single drop of the saltwater was enough to send me out of the sea with my eyes watering like old faithful.

In the Dead sea area, we got to embark on a trip up to Matsada. We planned on hiking up the stronghold, but the temperature was close to 115°F, so it would have been a health hazard. Although disappointed that I was not allowed to tackle this physical challenge, what I saw at the top was amazing nonetheless.  We got to see the ancient ruins of the Jewish stronghold, and see where the Romans would have camped out to surround them. 

Next we went to the Negev Desert, a Bedouin camp where we rode camels and slept in huts.

Negev Desert

Bedouin Camp

This was an experience that I will never forget, not only because we slept in a sweet hut in the middle of a desert, but because my best pal turned 18 that day. I tried to give Pete a bar mitzvah, but Dr. Price was the only participant.

Western Wall

After we left the desert, we continued on to our last stop, Jerusalem. We hit about every sight you could possibly think of in Jerusalem, from the Western Wall to Hezekiah's Tunnel.

Roaming the streets of Israel, I ran into one of my baseball coaches and great friend, Michael Kraynak, who was on a separate tour around Israel. It was one of the highlights of my trip, and was exciting to hear what he had learned too.

Coach Mike and Danny Myers

           

Streets of Jerusalem

On our very last day in Israel, we ventured around and went to the Israel Museum in Jerusalem, where our Biblical Hebrew students read and translated the dead sea scrolls with Dr. Price. Walking around Jerusalem was also a journey, and we ended up reenacting the Beatles famous cover photo.

This marked the end of our adventure, one that truly brought this unlikely group of students closer together as brothers and sister in Christ.

The Worthington Christian students and teachers with tour guides Hagia Gov and Dr. Randall D. Smith

Sharon's Story

In August of 2017, Hurricane Harvey devastated the Southeast of the U.S. causing almost 200 billion dollars in damage. Grace Polaris Church in Columbus partnered with Southern Baptist Disaster Relief Ministries to send a team of 12 to Vidor, Texas. Among the 12 were our very own Ben and Mr. Stoll, who felt God calling them to help. One week in November was selected to make the trip. We stayed in the First Baptist Church of Vidor for 5 nights, and to them, we are extremely grateful. Our team was given the task of gutting out houses that were affected by the hurricane.
     This is where we met Sharon. Sharon Dunigan, a long time resident of Vidor, Texas, was completely devastated to see her house destroyed by the storm. Her husband passed away back in 2015 and has been living alone since then. Her husband was a hoarder and every belonging on the ground floor had to be thrown away. The entire first floor had 3 feet of mold growing and everything had to be ripped out from the drywall to the flooring. In the three days that we were with Sharon, we saw her begin to open up as she felt her burden being lifted off.

In my interview with Sharon, I got to hear her rescue story and how her faith in Jesus has been strengthened through this experience. Check out the video posted above to hear her story.

~Ben Stoll

God's grace and faith through depression

 
Sometimes life is not easy, and depression creeps in and can consume you. Life can seem pointless and all possibilities and hopes can seem exhausted. Throughout my life I have been through hell and back but with God I’ve managed to dig myself out. Although I am not always optimistic and happy and sometimes I doubt God, and I push him away, I know he never leaves me. God's love for his children is so great, and never ending. Nothing we do will ever push him away, or scare him away. Life can be crazy, and everything around you can seem to be moving at a thousand miles an hour, and yet you're stuck in place. Holding on to hope can make things just a little bit better. One way I accomplished this was by taking time to write poetry, and write stories. By releasing all my inner thoughts and feelings rather than keeping them bottled inside I was able to face them easier. Poetry is such an amazing outlet, and I recommend journaling or poetry to those who need a way of letting go, without therapy, or face to face interactions.

Ben King Capstone

     Amos is a book of the bible, but some people haven’t heard enough about Amos.  I interviewed three intelligent pastors from Linworth Baptist church to see what they think about the book of Amos. I have asked them four questions about the book and I have put together a great picture on the book of Amos. 

     The prophet Amos lived during a time period where there were two kingdoms in Israel, the northern tribe and the southern tribe. The Northern tribe(Israel) is prospering and relaxed and they are a superpower, but they are disobeying God's law and committing sins. God calls a shepherd named, Amos to speak against Israel. He condemns them to judgement and calls them out on there sin and states that they will be swept away by enemies and be taken away from the land that was promised to them. But at the end of the book it ends with a promise that they would be restored to there land someday and would be at peace.