Category: News

Leaders From the Other Side of the World

Staff Photo

Student Council co-presidents Bethia Busingye and Amelia Epperson are not only from different countries, they’re from different continents. Busingye immigrated to the United States from Rwanda, Africa four years ago, and Epperson moved to the United States from Melbourne, Australia about three years ago. 

Epperson and Busingye joined Student Council together when they were sophomores and now run the club together. 

“It’s good that we’re already friends, because we already know how to work with each other,” Epperson said. “Look at us, (Student Council) presidents, three years later.” 

Despite being in the United States for several years, the two seniors have had challenges, especially adjusting to life in a foreign country. “Well, I have family here,”  Epperson said. “I came here once before when I was 10. So I kind of have a feel for it. I wasn’t terrified, but it was still kind of scary and, it’s a new school, it’s way bigger than any school I’ve ever been to. It was a little culture shock.” 

“People have different, really weird questions to ask you,” Busingye said. “And I had to make a lot of adjustments, like with my accent. I had to start putting on an American accent in order for people to understand me, because kids would (be) like ‘That’s not how you say that.’ So it was kind of a big difference, and people were a lot less nice.” 

Epperson agrees with this, saying, “I feel like there was a little bit of discrimination with us. Like, your (Busingye’s) accent, people are like, ‘Oh my God that’s weird, what are you saying?’ and (with) my accent people are like, ‘Oh my God it’s so great.’” 

Epperson and Busingye feel that it’s important to have an example of foreigners running a school club. “It makes other students (feel) like they are welcome to come,” Busingye said. 

“I’ve seen many students who are foreign, and…they don’t join any clubs, (because) they feel like they’ll be out of place. (But they’ll) be like, there’s two foreigners running Student Council.” 

Natalie Bronson, the sponsor of Student Council, feels that Epperson and Busingye represent Jeff High well. “I truly feel that Amelia and Bethia, both being from different countries, genuinely and accurately represent the dynamics of Jeff High,” Bronson said. “We have a diverse group of students and it is not only shown in the student body as a whole, but in the leadership roles we have throughout the school that students hold.”

Story By: Greta Reel

by Greta Reel

New GCCS Five-Year Plan Proposes Investments in Jeff High

On Sept. 17, 2019, Greater Clark County Schools Superintendent Mark Laughner presented his five-year strategic plan to the school board. Some of the proposed expenditures for Jeff High include:

  • Year one – 1 million dollars for a new football turf, 300 thousand dollars for a new track, and 2.4 million dollars for new football bleachers and press box.
  • Year two – 75,000 dollars for Radio and TV lighting
  • Year 3 – 2.8 million dollars for new locker rooms and weight rooms and 750,000 for HVAC

Jeffersonville High School Principal Julie Strait believes the bleachers are smart investments, saying, “Take a good look… it would be a much wiser investment, and something we could take pride in if we replace them.” She also was supportive of the new turf saying, “We’re the only high school in 6A without a turf football field. It’s part of pride in your community”

These proposed expenditures were part of a larger plan to support the school district’s goals in four focus areas. 

The first area is climate and culture, and the primary goal being to increase trust and communication. The district proposed many tasks in order to achieve this goal, including releasing a newsletter, providing more professional development, overhauling the website, increasing the marketing budget, and increasing many other forms of communication. 

The second focus area is community partnerships. The first goal is to engage diverse partners. The district hopes to implement a more formal tracking process to acquire more diverse partners that better represent the community. The second goal of this focus area is to make sure that these partnerships have mutually beneficial results. 

The third focus area is financial stability and responsibility. Within this focus area, a primary goal is maximizing and sustaining enrollment. The district proposed many solutions including creating more options for dropouts and homeschool children, adding a bus on Salem Noble Road to stop migration to other districts, transporting more students to their school of choice, redrawing school lines, and sending letters of intent to all 5th-8th grade parents. The second goal being reducing costs of programs and facilities. Some solutions proposed include a restructuring of the preshool system, a changing of instruction with elementary related arts, closing the River Valley Middle School Pool, and a possible retirement buyout. The third goal of this focus area is upgrading and updating facilities. The tasks of this goal include keeping the tax rate steady, implementing a five-year facility plan, reducing energy costs, and completing a five-year facility and demographic study. 

The fourth focus area is quality academics. The first goal is to improve student achievement by increasing the percent of students above their grade level in math and reading. The second goal of this focus area is to reduce the achievement gap in literacy, numeracy and PRIDE by transforming teaching and learning to increase student achievement. 

The school board will meet next on Tuesday, Oct. 1, at 7 p.m.

 

Written by Maxwell Fisher

by Max_Fisher

Chris Moore takes the top coaching spot for Jeff High Boys Basketball

New head coach has experience at the college level

 

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Moore (in blue) is announced as head coach at the GCCS board meeting on Sept. 17, 2019. (Photo: @JHSRedDevils on Twitter)

During the Greater Clark County Schools board meeting on Tuesday night, Chris Moore was announced as the new head coach for the Jeffersonville boys basketball team. Moore joined Jeff High this fall as an assistant coach. Prior to that, he coached at the college level at schools including Indiana University Southeast, Bellarmine University, the University of Cincinnati and Wright State University. Most recently, he served as an assistant coach at Southeast Missouri State. 

Because so many players who helped the team secure a 2019 sectional championship are expected to be back this year, expectations are high for the upcoming season. Moore acknowledges that taking over as head coach under those circumstances is stressful, yet exciting. “A lot of both,” he said. “I’ve taken over teams before,” he added, “but this one has the talent and potential to go a long way.”

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Senior point guard Jacob Jones (Photo: Kyle Tincher)

Jacob Jones, a senior point guard for the Red Devils who recently verbally committed to playing college basketball at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, is pleased with the coaching decision. “He’ll be a good coach,” said Jones. “He has a lot of experience coaching at colleges.” 

Moore holds a bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice from Kentucky State University and a master’s degree in sport administration from the University of Louisville.

Moore succeeds Joe Luce, who joined the Red Devils as head coach in 2015.  Luce resigned from his position as head basketball coach and principal of the Engineering and Manufacturing Academy on Aug. 29, 2019.

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The Jeffersonville boys basketball team celebrates their 2019 sectional win. (Photo: Kyle Tincher)

by jhshyphen

Coaching with Confidence

Isaac Parker Headshot

Isaac Parker takes over as the new JHS Football Head Coach

The Jeffersonville High School football team recently introduced Isaac Parker as the new head coach. Parker was the assistant coach for the team for four years before becoming the head coach.

Parker attended Jeffersonville High School and played for the football team for all four years. He went on to play for the University of Louisville for one year before becoming a police officer for the Jeffersonville Police Department.

For Parker it was an emotional experience becoming the coach. “It was emotional at first, I contacted my wife and then my parents, let them know,” Parker told WAVE 3 News, “I went from just that pure excitement, to a little bit of anxiety and I’ve pretty much lived with that over the last month,” he continued.

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Nolan Schultz, a sophomore on the team, says that the team is extremely happy about their new head coach and that they believe this year’s season will be much better than last year. “He’s a great coach,’’ said Schultz.

After losses against Fern Creek and Seymour to start the year, the team secured their first win of the season in a 32-13 victory over New Albany in the Sept. 6 Homecoming game.

Written by Kaitlyn Monroe

Parker Photo: Submitted, Practice Photo: Kyle Rider

by Kaitlyn Monroe

Student Views on E-Learning: The Pros and Cons

Over the summer, Greater Clark County Schools announced that instead of adding make-up days for school closures, the district will begin to use online learning. Other schools in our area have already adopted E-Learning.

Jeffersonville High School students’ views on E-Learning are mostly supportive, but some students have their doubts about it. On an Instagram poll made by a Hyphen staff member, 67% of people supported E-Learning and 33% did not support it.

Jade Worrall, a Jeffersonville High School sophomore, said, “We don’t have to make up any days, so our breaks are longer, and you don’t have to work that hard.”

Chaela Austin, a Charlestown sophomore, says that her hometown, Scottsburg, has been doing it for years and that it works and it will probably be very beneficial to Greater Clark County Schools. This could also inspire other schools to start E-Learning by hearing the positive feedback from schools like Jeff.

On the other hand, a Jeff High student who did not want to disclose their name for this story thinks it won’t work: “Kids aren’t going to do it and take the F,” Others expressed concern that students could struggle with connectivity issues at home or other home-related issues that may interfere with getting the work done.

This feedback mirrors what other school districts have reported after implementing E-Learning. According to studyinternational.com, there are both pros and cons.

The pros are: not having to make up snow days and also having easier work for the students on those days. It can also be useful if a student misses a day of school because they are ill. The E-learning site is also accessible offline.

The cons are: you still need the internet if you need to contact a teacher. If a student’s Chromebook is broken and they don’t have another device at home, they can’t do their work. Younger students who don’t have Chromebooks may not be able to do these activities, though, which will put them behind.

 

By Marni Scholl

by mscholl252

Jeffersonville High School Has Its Third Annual Dance Marathon, and Raises Over $23,000 For Riley Children’s Hospital

On Saturday, May 10, Jeffersonville High School had its third annual Dance Marathon, an event that brings awareness about Riley Children’s Hospital. The event revealed the amount of money raised throughout the year for the hospital, which totaled $23,540.01. The original goal for the amount of money raised was $25,000.

While the Dance Marathon was small in number, those who attended made up for it in spirit, dancing to music and lighting glow sticks in honor of those who have had cancer.

The event had speeches from patients of Riley Children’s Hospital, including Derwand Wilson and his fourteen year old daughter, Genesis, who has severe scoliosis.

“My daughter, Genesis….she has been going to Riley for the last ten years….Our experience there has been amazing, as far as making sure that all the surgeries are scheduled…and follow up visits, financial situations,” Derwand said.

Genesis said of Riley, “During my experience of going through surgeries…I’ve had very amazing surgeons.”

Derwand said of Dance Marathon, “I thought this was awesome, I had no idea that you all even did this….I think it’s amazing.”

Natalie Bronson, a teacher at Jeff High, said that she participates in honor of her niece.

“I lost a niece when she was three years old,” Bronson said. “She had a brain tumor and this has always been real near and dear to my heart just because we have a personal experience with losing a very small child.”

Mariane Fisher, JHS Academy Coach and one of the sponsors of the community service club, Key Club, thinks that this year’s Dance Marathon “was, in some ways, one of the better ones that we’ve had.”

“I was hoping we’d get to the $25,000,” Fisher said. “But I’m happy with the $23,540.01. That’s a great total. Everybody worked really hard for that.”

by Greta Reel

by jhshyphen

Jeffersonville’s Promise Will Stand…For Now

Bill challenging the Ivy Tech scholarship program fails to move to the full Senate for a vote

Jeffersonville’s Promise, a program that gives qualifying Jeffersonville High School graduates a full tuition scholarship to Ivy Tech Community College, has survived legislation intended to strike down the program. According to the News and Tribune, the bill failed to move from committee to the full Senate for a vote this week, so there is not enough time to pass the bill before the end of the session.

The city of Jeffersonville announced the program in November 2018. The city pledged that 150,000 dollars of Tax Increment Funds (TIF) for the next five years would fund Jeffersonville’s Promise. This is the first partnership of its kind in the state of Indiana.

However, the program has had its fair share of battles. In February, New Albany representative Ed Clere and co-sponsors proposed a new bill in the Indiana House that would have changed the spending of the TIF funds, which would directly affect the core of the new program. At that time, many expressed concern that the program would be eliminated.

Jeffersonville High School principal Julie Straight said that during that time of uncertainty, she had many students and parents reach out to her, some of them even in tears.

“Some had not made applications for housing or to some other schools once Jeff’s Promise was presented,” Straight said. “Because they made their decision. They were going to use that for their beginning college education. (They were) very upset that they’ve missed deadlines and they’ve missed out on opportunities that they would need.” Straight added that she heard of some students “really upset that…maybe they wouldn’t be able to go to college.”

Senior Amber Rowe, who plans to attend Ivy Tech before transfering to a four-year program, was relieved when the bill failed to pass. “If they had dropped the program, it would drop the rate of people who can afford college.”

Sophomore Mollie Davis agreed, stating that “Jeffersonville’s Promise would greatly help my peers who maybe couldn’t afford college on their own. It gives them a chance at a great future and an opportunity to make their own impact on the community.

To qualify for the scholarship, students must fit the following criteria:

  • Jeffersonville High School graduate from the Class of 2019 and those classes thereafter.
  • Students who have earned a minimum of a 2.0 high school GPA and maintain a 2.5 GPA while enrolled while enrolled at Ivy Tech.
  • Students who have completed the FAFSA.
  • Enrolled in credit-bearing and workforce-focused courses towards attainment of a certificate, certification or degree at Ivy Tech.
  • Students must enroll at Ivy Tech during the Summer, Fall or Spring term after their commencement from high school starting in Fall 2019.

Although the partnership has come with some controversy and criticism, Jeffersonville’s Promise will help the student body and open many opportunities that weren’t there before.

By Sophie Rousseau and Greta Reel

by jhshyphen

Caffeine: Harmless Habit or Addictive Drug?

The media portrays the word addiction as a terrible thing, and it no doubt can be one, in certain circumstances. Drugs and alcohol are the main things people associate the word addiction with, which are obviously two of the worst possible forms of it; however, there are many other addictions that aren’t life- threatening.

Caffeine, though being categorized as a drug, is not a serious health problem. Experts do not consider this addiction consequential, even when consumption of the “drug” has been seen to cause hallucinations and people who go without face major withdrawal symptoms. Sophomore Kaelin Elsner stated, “When I go like a week drinking caffeine every day and then go a day without it I become very irritable and sometimes get headaches.”

The reason for caffeine not being a serious addiction is the high amount of positive impacts it has on consumers – for example, an increased sense of alertness and wakefulness, which is sometimes vital for people who lack in sleep, or in general just need an extra push.

It was found that addictions usually begin when people are under the age of 18, and develop more into their adult years. Which means that high school is the main time people get introduced to their addictions. Caffeine is known to give people extra energy. Ranging from just needing a little push to get to school in the morning to bouncing off the walls and staying up all night with your friends on the weekends.

“I usually don’t go out of my way to drink caffeine, I just like the taste of soda and energy drinks,” added Elsner. On an Instagram poll with around 200 votes, it is shown that 58 percent of people use coffee as their source of caffeine; however, younger adults and high schoolers seem to turn more toward soda.

Whatever the source of caffeine, it’s up to each person to weigh the immediate benefits with the potential side effects.

Written by Adley McMahel

by jhshyphen

Any Drug Carries Dangers, With Risks Beyond Addiction

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When you look at the impact of drug use, it is natural to wonder how addiction starts. “In most cases, nobody starts with hard drugs,” said Scottie Maples, a Colonel with the Clark County Sheriff ”s Office. “They start with marijuana.”

Many people believe that “gateway” drugs don’t exist. However, Maples disagrees.

“There’s people that want to push the limit,” Maples said. He believes that there are people with personalities which are attracted to addiction. While not everyone who uses “softer” drugs become addicted, users should be wary.

According to Drug Watch International, almost 90 percent of cocaine users began smoking tobacco, drinking alcohol, or using marijuana before trying cocaine. While this does not show that all marijuana users become addicted to drugs like cocaine, it does show that trying marijuana can be a starting point for using hard drugs.

Maples says there are dangers with any type of drug, whether it be marijuana or heroin. In Indiana, if someone is at fault in an accident and someone is injured or killed, having marijuana in his or her system can cause more problems than you might think.

“You could smoke marijuana 20 days ago, not be high, crash a car, hurt or kill somebody, and go to prison because you smoked marijuana 20 days prior to that,” Maples explained. “If that doesn’t open your eyes about smoking marijuana, and how it can get real bad for you, I don’t know what does.”

Maples tells teenagers to stay busy and driven. He believes if teens are involved in activities, it could keep them out of trouble.

“The more you’re involved in positive programs, whether it be sports, theater, or art, the less chance you’re going to have to go down these avenues to become addicted to drugs,” he said.

Written by Kristen Jacobs

by jhshyphen

Vaping Gains Popularity Among Teens, Causing Concerns about Health

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Toxic chemicals, brain damage and fruit flavorings. Many would think that these words don’t go together. However, for those who vape, these words combine on a regular basis.

Vaping is the use of e-cigarettes to inhale a flavored vapor packed with nicotine and other substances. Vaping is often advertised as helping smokers stop smoking, as e- cigarettes are considered safer than traditional cigarettes.

If vaping helps smokers stop using cigarettes, then what’s the problem? The answer is simple: vaping is extremely popular among people who never smoked at all, including teens. While vaping may be safer than cigarettes, it still comes with risks of its own.

Vaping is dangerous for teens because the large amount of nicotine can permanently alter developing brains. Not only that, but e-cigarettes contain other harmful substances, including formaldehyde and lead, that can cause lung damage such as popcorn lung (a disease that damages the smallest airways in the lungs, making it difficult to breathe).

One brand, JUUL, is popular among students because the devices can be concealed easily. JUULs come in many flavors, making them even more appealing. Because of this, JUUL has been accused by the FDA of marketing their devices toward minors and getting a new age group hooked on nicotine.

In an article published on April 24, 2018, FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb,M.D., stated: “The troubling reality is that electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS), such as e-cigarettes have become wildly popular with kids. We understand, by all accounts, many of them may be using products that closely resemble a USB flash drive, have high levels of nicotine and emissions that are hard to see. The FDA must – and will – move quickly to reverse these disturbing trends and, in particular, address the surging youth uptake of JUUL and other products.”

Vaping is a national issue, as well as a local one. William Eihusen, an assistant principal at Jeffersonville High School, said vaping has had “a negative impact on the school, basically through discipline.” He added, “There’s been kind of an uptick in students using vape sticks in class and so obviously as an administrator, we deal with that a lot more than we do with traditional cigarettes.”

Eihusen elaborated on the consequences for students caught vaping: “If a student is caught here and it’s the first time with any type of tobacco product, which includes vaping, typically as long as there haven’t been any other significant issues in the past, they would receive three days at the alternative school,” he said.

Nola Garrison, the nurse at Jeff High, grew up in a time where smoking was glamorized and says that in today’s society, vaping is just as trendy.

“People just didn’t know how addicting nicotine was and how harmful cigarette smoking was, but were bombarded with the practice,” Garrison said.“Vaping has many of the same long- term dangers of smoking and a few additional dangers of its own.”

Students who vape are divided on the issue. One anonymous student has been vaping daily for almost a year and says that in addition to vaping being dangerous, it costs him a lot of money.

He said of the habit, “I would’ve saved probably hundreds of dollars if I never started and also wouldn’t be addicted to such a harmful substance.”

Another teen says she’s been vaping daily for four months, but that she mostly vapes as a relaxation technique. She focuses on the positive aspects of vaping. “I wish I hadn’t started vaping due to the habit that I formed, but I also don’t regret it because it’s actually helped me a lot,” she said. “Vaping has strongly helped me deal with anxiety and being under a lot of stress.”

Society may be divided on the issue of vaping, but one thing is certain: vaping can have numerous health consequences.

Garrison said, “The more unnatural products we introduce, the more unnatural consequences we should expect from our bodies, which moves us further from our baseline healthy state. Everything has a point of failure.”

Written by Greta Reel

Photo by Caleb Sorrells (Not on school property)

by jhshyphen

The Powerful Pull of Video Games

There always seems to be a new game that “everybody” is playing, from Flappy Bird to Fortnite. Over the years, video games have become more alluring and addicting to children, teens and young adults. According to World Health Organization (WHO), gaming addiction in some cases can qualify as a disorder.

The people who use video games as a distraction from their problems instead of doing something to solve them could cause more problems. Those problems can, in turn, cause more gaming. It’s a vicious cycle. That is why gaming addiction can get to the disorder level of severity if left unchecked.

For gaming disorder to be diagnosed, according to WHO, one has to have one or more of these symptoms: little control over playing video games, prioritizing gaming over regular activities and continuing to play even when there could be negative consequences. For gaming to be considered a disorder, it has to majorly interfere with social, home, school or work life. Symptoms must also be prevalent for 12 months.

Rewards within a game, such as login streaks and global rankings, encourage users to log into a game regularly. The reward feature gives the gamer a sense of accomplishment. Consequently, the more rewards or in-game items they receive. As a result, the cycle continues.

Some people use video games for social and entertainment purposes. But like other addicting things, there is a science to why video games are addicting. Like social media and slot machines, video games are intentionally designed to get people to spend a lot of time on them.

People who get a gaming addiction or disorder can play games either recreationally, or to temporarily escape their problems and stresses. Both groups spend time playing, getting in-game rewards and feeling like they have accomplished something.

Gaming disorder, despite skepticism toward it, is a real addiction and should be treated as so. Gaming addicts need strategies and coaching to get off of their addiction. An avid smoker or alcoholic needs support and strategies to get off of their addiction; they can’t quit “cold turkey.” Gaming addiction should be treated similarly.

Written by Meredith Shepherd

by jhshyphen