OPINION: IS HAVING AN OFF-CAMPUS LUNCH A FEASIBLE OPTION?
Does the monotony of the same food choices every week or so have you down? I don’t know many people that enjoy a routine like that. The debate that surrounds off campus lunches in high school has probably been around as long as high schools have themselves. There is no clear-cut, right or wrong answer in this matter. We have taken the issue into our own hands and decided to investigate the matter a little further at Jasper High School.
As we mentioned earlier, the ability to have choice in food selection played a large role in prompting this investigation. The second reason, which is also the biggest reason, is that it would give us all a break from being inside. Especially in the winter months, it seems like we only get a little bit of sunshine each weekday. It would be nice to have a chance to stretch our legs and go grab a bite to eat. “It would give us more freedom, and the ability to make healthier choices than fries every day,” says Jordan Haas (Junior). That is a very true statement. Everyone thinks that we would all go to McDonald’s or Wendy’s or other fast food places, but some would probably go home to eat. Not all of the students feel the same way about off campus lunch. “Why would I want to leave and waste even more of my gas when I like the lunch?” says Senior Michael Bies.
Even though almost all of the students agree that we should have it, it’s obvious why we don’t. The extra driving during the day could lead to an increased risk of a traffic accident, especially with the increased lunch time traffic flow. Secondly, the increased liability the school would have when trying to enforce all school rules during the off campus lunch period would be an incredible burden. It seems that no matter what the opportunity is, there are always people that will take advantage of it, or take it too far.
In the end, the probability of having an off-campus lunch is probably a pipedream. However, it has been good just to go around and see how everyone else feels on the issue. “It would be a good idea for seniors, but people would abuse it anyway,” says Mitch May (Junior).
Jasper High School Athletics, Winter Preview
Jasper Basketball
This year the boys are craving a Sectional Championship. With Cody Zeller out of the picture the Wildcats have a good chance with their ace shooter Caleb Begle. This year the cats led off their season by completely shutting out the Pike Central Chargers on their home court. Senior guard Max Bawel responded to his new leadership role by shutting down Pike Central with his oppressive defense. “Going into this year, our expectations are pretty high, but we have to take one game at a time. We have to out hustle our opponents because we know we don’t have the same size we had last year,” Bawel stated. Bawel was correct in his assessment because the Cats lost two big impact players from last year’s front line. Forwards Sam Rumbach and Adam Sander were a big part of the team last year. The Cats are a smaller team this year, but they plan to make up for this with hustle, aggression, and scrappiness. The Cats are off to a strong start with a 2-1 record going into the holiday break. Come out and support the boy’s at historic Cabby O’Neill gymnasium!
Jasper Lady Cats Basketball
The Lady Wildcats basketball team is at it again. They started off the season at an impressive 5-1 clip. The current record includes two impressive victories over the likes of Evansville Memorial and Evansville Central. Evansville schools are always a big part of every Jasper team’s schedule and they are often used as an indicator to where the team stands. The Lady Cats returned two of their leading scorers in Megan Sternberg and Shelby Merder. They both are a threat down low for any team. The Lady Cats have started a little tradition of their own recently winning back-to-back sectional titles. This year they are looking for a three-peat in the sectional tournament. However, the Lady Cats have their eyes set on a bigger prize with the Regional tournament and beyond all looking winnable. It is safe to say that Coach Erny will have the girls prepared and this will be an exciting season for sure.
Wrestling
The Jasper Wildcat’s wrestling team is off to another high flying start with a current record of 5-1. This is just the start to the season the boys needed and head coach Rick Stenftenagel is once again doing a great job getting the boys ready for their grueling grudge matches every week. Junior Paul Varner stated, “I do not enjoy the practices but the meets are pretty fun.” Paul is a Junior Varsity wrestler and has currently won three of his four matches. Dillon Wagner, who is a Varsity wrestler, stated, “This season is going pretty well so far and I hope that I will be able to make it to state this year.” Dillon has currently won all six of his matches and is looking pretty unstoppable right now. The wrestling team appears to have a very bright outlook for the rest of the season as they are showing great potential. They have a strong team and they seem very motivated. Be sure to get out and see a match if you are interested in seeing some intense, high-flying action.
Swimming
The Cats are looking strong again this year! At the December 8th meet, both the boys and girls squads looked impressive. Both squads defeated the Tell City Marksmen and had their heads held high. It is still early in the season, yet anyone in the crowd could see Jasper looked good. Our swim teams have usually been pretty tough in the past and from the looks of it, that hasn’t changed so far this year. According to Clay Kincer, “We have been working really hard this year but it has still been really fun, especially as a senior.” Also, sophomore Rachel Louviere added, “Practice is difficult but it will all be worth it if I make it to state.”
The boys are sitting with a record of 5-2 so far and they appear to be the powerhouse in the Big 8 conference. The girls have looked great in all four of their meets so far this season. The outcome of this year for the swim team looks pretty promising and I expect the returning swimmers to carry the Cats on to victory for the next few years. Both teams only have a few seniors and many skilled lower classmen to take their places next year. I hope everyone will come out to the high school and watch these boys and girls lead the Cats to victory.
OPINION: Has Black Friday Gotten Out of Control?
Black Friday has routinely been the busiest shopping day of the year since 2005. Are you on e of those crazy shoppers? Black Friday has been becoming more and more popular each year and the sales continue to grow as the search for the best deals on the hottest toys and electronics escalates. Practices such as going to bed early in order to get up at midnight or 1 A.M have become commonplace. This has most people wondering if Black Friday has gone too far. Is it worth sacrificing time with the family in order to get the newest toys, electronics, or hot clothing trends? Is it worth braving the mad rush as the doors open and risk getting hurt or hurting others? It is hard to realize what type of harm others can cause.
In my opinion, this so called holiday has been taken too far. This year, antics reached a new level of extremity as shoppers tried to better position themselves in line. For example, a seemingly cheerful holiday shopper was offering other shoppers glasses of holiday cheer in the form of nice hot beverages….laced with laxatives. Another woman pepper sprayed people in the eyes in order to get what she wanted.
Black Friday has changed a lot since the past years. However questionable it was, the point of Black Friday was to open up the stores in the early morning hours Friday morning. This year stores started opening at 10 PM. That is not even Friday yet! Thanksgiving Day is about spending time with your family and being thankful for what you have. It is not about waiting in line and being greedy to get what you want. Instead of being in stores wasting time and spending money, you should use that time to be with your family and friends. Everybody is forgetting what Thanksgiving is even about. If you can’t be with your family on Thanksgiving, go to a shelter to help and be with other people who are not as fortunate to be with their loved ones and have a big, nice dinner.
Winter Senior Spotlight
Every quarter we will spotlighting two Jasper High School seniors. This Winter, we will be spotlighting Clayton Tyler and Andrea Foll.
What is your full name? Clayton Tyler.
How old are you? 18.
Would you pick IU or Purdue? Purdue.
Do you play any sports? No
Dogs or Cats? Dogs.
What is your favorite class this year? Building Trades.
What are you going to miss about high school? My friends.
Are you in any events after school? No.
What do you plan on doing after you graduate? Going into the navy.
What is your favorite kind of ice cream? Chocolate.
What is your hardest class this year? Algebra 2.
What is one thing you are going to miss at Japer High School? My friends.
What is one thing you love the most in your life right now?
My truck.
What is your full name? Andrea Leigh Foll
How old are you? 18
Would you pick IU or Purdue? IU
Do you play any sports? No
Dogs or Cats? Dogs
What is your favorite class this year? HOSA
What are you going to miss about being in high school? My friends and the atmosphere.
Are you in any events after school? I am in student council.
What do you want to do after you graduate? I want to go to college and study pre-med
What is your favorite kind of ice cream? Vanilla
What is your hardest class this year? Honors physics.
What is the one thing you love the most in your life right now?
My friends and family.