Paolite for September 9, 2016
Category Archives: Print Edition
STAFF EDITORIAL: Change Attitude, Change Life
Whether you see it or not, people are most likely to see you in a certain way.
It is human nature to judge others. These judgements, often made on image alone, lead to the formation of cliques and their associated stereotypes.
The Paolite staff has its own opinion on cliques and the reputations they often have.
We believe there are cliques here at PHS. We agree that, when it comes to reputations, it is easier for some groups to earn a bad reputation than it is to earn a good one. The staff feels that people’s reputations are based on their attitude and how they act, rather than the clothes they wear or the people they hang out with.
We are undecided as to whether or not cliques are good for individuals. Some of us feel they are bad, as many negative stereotypes can be associated with them. Others believe they are good, as students meet people who have similar interests, and offers them a sense of belonging.
Good or bad, cliques will continue to be there, coexisting in peace, neutrality or conflict with each other.
Survey Says: I Label Me…
From Issue 6, Published March 13, 2015
March Madness Upon Us
From Issue 6, Published March 13, 2015
Ingle weighs in on who will take home the basketball crown
March Madness is the most intense time of the year for college basketball. Only the best of the best teams make it all the way to the Championship Game. Usually, the winner of the championship changes every year, and can sometimes be unexpected.
Anyone who pays attention to March Madness fills out a prediction bracket. People usually look forward to filling out a bracket (or brackets) because they believe they have a chance to become rich in the process.
American business investor, Warren Buffett, offers $1 billion to anyone who gets a perfect bracket. Some people can win that type of money just for filling out the right teams in the right boxes.
I fill a bracket out every year because I want the same chance to win some nice money. And filling out a bracket is very fun too. Sadly, the odds of filling out a perfect bracket is 1-to-9 quintillion.
Plus, there are so many upsets during March Madness, it is nearly impossible to have a perfect bracket, so people have the slimmest chance of getting close to winning that much cash.
For anyone unfamiliar, the order teams play and who they play is not just random. There are four regions that teams are divided into, geographically. There is Midwest, South, East and West. Teams are placed in these areas are determined by where they are in the United States.
There are 16 teams for each area of the bracket. That makes 64 teams total that participate in March Madness.
The winners of each conference automatically are included in the 64 teams. The rest of the teams are chosen by what teams have the best records.
The first round of March Madness starts next week, March 17-18. After the first round, and all of the teams have played, there are only 32 teams left. After the second round, there are only 16 teams left. This known as the Sweet Sixteen. Winners after the third round advance to the Elite Eight teams. After the fourth round, the teams left are known as the Final Four teams. After that, is the NCAA basketball Championship, which will be held this year at the Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis on April 4.
Being from Indiana, I dislike the Kentucky Wildcats very much. Even though they are ranked No. 1, and are the only team with zero losses, I still do not like Kentucky.
Personally, I like watching all of the Big 10 teams play. This area ranges from Nebraska to New Jersey. Two Big 10 teams are the Purdue Boilermakers and the Indiana Hoosiers.
What Purdue has which most teams in the Big 10 doesn’t have is height. There is no guy on Purdue shorter than 5’10” on the roster. Height is one major factor that most other Big 10 teams lack.
The motto that represents the Indiana Hoosiers this season is to “live and die by the 3”. This means that if Indiana is not knocking down three-pointers, their wins will turn into losses. Since Indiana lacks height, three-pointers are what they live for. Most of the time, Indiana is on point with their shots.
Since I admire all of the Big 10, I want a Big 10 team to win the Championship. Currently, Wisconsin is ranked No. 6 in the Associated Press Top 25 poll. I want to see Wisconsin go all the way to win the James Naismith trophy.
I hope Kentucky gets blown out by Wisconsin in the Championship Game. What would be even better is if Kentucky does not even make it to the Championship Game.
Like I said before, I want the Wisconsin Badgers to win the Championship. There is a good chance that Wisconsin can go all the way because of their biggest play maker, Frank Kaminsky. Kaminsky averages 18 points and 8 rebounds a game. Frank Kaminsky could be the key to Wisconsin’s second National Championship.
It’s not just Wisconsin which has a playmaker. The Kentucky Wildcats actually have two major scorers.
These powerful players are the Harrison brothers. Andrew Harrison averages 10 points a game and Aaron Harrison averages 14 points a game. These elite forces are a major reason why Kentucky is undefeated.
What I expect out of March Madness are lots and lots of upsets. I also hope the Wisconsin Badgers win the NCAA championship and the Kentucky Wildcats go home feeling ashamed.
Column by Jace Ingle
More Than Meets the Eye: History of common symbols complicated for many
From Issue 6, Published March 13, 2015
More Than Meets the Eye: History of common symbols complicated for many
Each morning, students stand and pledge to a symbol that people around the world understand: The American Flag. The American Flag is a symbol of America, just like the Statue of Liberty, the bald eagle, Uncle Sam and many more. Symbols are a simple way to convey meaning with a simple image. What many people do not realize is over time, the meaning can change. That does not mean they physically change, sometimes just the meanings change. A common symbol with a big meaning is the swastika.
“Swastika was originally an Indian symbol,” said History teacher Chris Lindley. “Even today you’ll see it all around India. It’s an ancient Hindu symbol meaning good luck and prosperity. Whenever Hitler began looking for something to define the Aryans, his master race, he grabbed that symbol and used it for Nazi Germany.”
A lot of people do not know Hitler took the symbol and made his own. Because the symbol is so commonly associated with the Nazi Party, to this day, whenever someone sees Swastika they do not think good or prosperity, they think racism and anti-semitism.
The Confederate Flag and The Swastika both have something in common: a connection to racism.
“The Confederate Flag is another one,” said Lindley. “At one point, it simply represents the Confederacy. Then after the war, it begins to be viewed as nostalgia by some Southerners as part of their history. Then it gets to being used today more as a symbol of racism towards African Americans.”
A lot of students do not understand that the Confederate Flag, also known as Rebel Flag, has a very offensive meaning toward African Americans. The Confederate Flag colors are red, white, blue, with thirteen stars. Sound familiar? The thirteen stars represent the original thirteen colonies from which the United States began. But as time went on, more and more southerner’s adapted the flag and the image was transformed into a sign of “we hate blacks,” when that is not the original message.
Religions have their own symbols and meanings as well.
“For Christians their symbol is the cross,” said Lindley. “For the first two to three centuries it was the fish. The cross was a symbol of Roman execution, which had a very negative meaning to it, which now it has been transferred to having a very strong meaning. For Muslims its the crescent with the little star in it. Jews, star of David. There’s all these different symbols that people use.”
Having a symbol on a piece of paper is one thing. But with that, there are other symbols that everyone will just look by. An example would be gang signs. Such as bandanas hanging out your pockets, the rock and roll sign, “westside,” etc. In some cities, what you wear can determine whether you live or die.
“It’s language in another way,” said Lindley. “A symbol can have one meaning, then I guess you can say hijacked to have a different meaning. But what if someone doesn’t know that language and misuses it? That’s where we get our problems.”
As time goes on, there will be more and more symbols that will transform into meanings that no one could ever imagine.
Story by India Wong
Hard Workers Wanted
From Issue 6, Published March 13, 2015
Hard Workers Wanted: Early college degree begins Fall 2015
Next year, Industrial Technology teacher Jason Goodman will take over the Conexus Indiana Hire Technology course at PHS. This course is a two-year Advanced Manufacturing and Logistics program offered through high schools. The program is open to any high school student.
Anyone who joins Advanced Manufacturing classes will be able to learn the manufacturing process, which shows, how products are created, moved, packaged and shipped to the correct destination. Students can gain up to 15 college credits and five industry certificates upon successful completion. Students can complete a semesters worth of college by taking the two advanced manufacturing classes.
“Students can get a jump start on their life. They can leave high school ready for a great paying job, over $20 per hour, or they can move on to college and have one semester of work completed. Also, they will be able to participate in summer internships with companies,” said Goodman.
There are no requirements to join. The classes include field trips and hands-on activities. Students will be able to see the manufacturing process in person when they visit GKN Sinters Metals in Salem. Kevin Knies, the Lost River Career Cooperative Director discovered the program and suggested it.
“It incorporates fun computer based activities, field trips, as well as hands on lab activities. Think about it, one semester of college finish by taking two high school classes and doing a paid internship, or go to work and get a great paying job,” said Goodman.
The program helps high school students become prepared for life after high school.
“Students will be able to save money, make more money, be able to get a job easier, and will get a jump start on their life and career or their college degree,” said Goodman.
Story by Codie Emmons
Throw a Punch: Pay the Price
From Issue 6, Published March 13, 2015
Throw a Punch: Pay the Price
A look at the school policy on fighting
Though mentioned in detail under the Suspension and Expulsion (p. 8) section of the student handbook, many students still are not sure exactly what constitutes a fight, what punishment they might face, etc.
It is helpful to compare the way the administration handles fights to a court case.
“Everything is handled case-by-case because everyone is different,” said Assistant Principal Kyle Neukam.
Each incident is unique, containing different people and different scenarios. This means the way the administration has to mold the punishment around both the event and the people involved, is unique. It is possible individuals involved in a conflict will receive different penalties for their involvement. A big factor in determining how to discipline a student’s behavior is history.
“If someone has a pattern or a history of having bad behavior, that does come into play. The other one, maybe, it’s the first time they’ve ever done anything along those lines,” said Neukam.
The administration does their best to handle each and every situation in a fair, appropriate way.
“You would think that since they both hit each other, that it would be fair for them to be treated the same. But that’s not consistent, because the other kid has been in numerous fights, has caused trouble, or has been suspended. It’s much different, so you can’t hold that consistent factor with them,” said Neukam.
Students vocally threaten other students, which is also a cause for concern. When those types of conflicts are reported to the administration, they take immediate action.
“If we hear that a student said ‘I’m going to do something to that student’, then we bring them up, we talk to them and may even give parents notification and let them know that their child has been warned,” said Neukam.
The student is warned of the possible consequences for their actions, in the hope those actions will not be carried out.
“We sit there and talk with them, and tell them that we know what their plan is. If they do this, if they carry it out, then they are going to be expelled,” said Neukam.
If the conflict is serious enough, then the possibility of police involvement is not entirely out of the question. If it is required, then the administration will seek it out.
“If this is serious, then we’re going to call law enforcement, which is one of the reasons why we put the school resource officer in the building this year. That way, when we have those conflicts, then the officer can take them off campus and get them to the police station,” said Neukam.
If the student is under 18, then the police are not allowed to lock them up in a cell.
“The school resource officer, therefore, has to sit with them,” said Neukam.
Story by Chase Meehan
