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

The Repeal of the Second Amendment impacts WC

                "Necessity is the plea for every infringement of human freedom. It is the argument of tyrants; it is the creed of slaves." - William Pitt (the Younger), Speech in the House of Commons, November 18, 1783

Repealing the 2^nd amendment is a hot topic after the recent shooting at Stoneman Douglas High in Parkland, Florida. This tragic event spurred a massive anti-gun movement and “The March for our Lives.” The main question at hand is if we repealed the second amendment, would that severely diminish the number of gun deaths in the country? The answer is simply yes. If you take away the guns, logically the gun deaths will be lowered. The argument to this can be found through my Christian worldview, and that is sin. Evil people will always exist. People that want to murder will stab or beat a person to death if they don’t have access to guns.

                The purpose of the second amendment was seen by the founding fathers as our God-given right to self-preservation and having an armed citizenry under the threat of a tyrannical government. Is it really that unlikely that our government goes rogue? Look at Germany in the 40’s after Hitler took control. He took away all the guns from the populous and then did whatever he wanted. If the military decided to attack an armed populous, it would be suicide. The current population of the United States is about 300,000,000, and the current military holds about 800,000 service members.

                Worthington Christian’s Head of School, Troy McIntosh, commented in an interview that “I do not think the 2nd amendment should be repealed. I believe it was put in the Bill of Rights as a means of securing all the other rights within it.” What he means by this that the amendments are God-given and absolute. These rights cannot be infringed upon and they are what make us free and independent people. A great example of this being the 1^st amendment. The constitution defends a citizen’s ability to say whatever he/she pleases. If this amendment could be infringed upon or policed, (a good example of this is Canada) then what is stopping that same government from removing the amendment outright or removing others? He goes on to explain that “An armed citizenry provides a necessary defense against a potentially tyrannical government. I believe scripture allows the use of force in cases in which loving our neighbor requires it.” Mr. Heath also remarked “that the strength of The Constitution (including the Bill of Rights) is in its ability to adapt and be modified in accordance with changing circumstances. In this case, it may be possible to achieve necessary changes in the United States without modifications to the Bill of Rights.” Where we may be able to add more stringent background checks for buying firearms and maybe a waiting period for the purchase of a handgun, the fact that these rights are inalienable given to us by God means that changing the amendment because the “times have changed” is irrelevant. In the past, the Washington Artillery of New Orleans was an artillery militia and was not regulated by the government. This means that cannons were permitted under the second amendment. They both later stated that stricter gun control should be enforced, but that is another discussion for another time.  

~Ben Stoll

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