Knowing one’s personality is difficult to grasp as a teenager, so the Flathead LGBT+ Youth Group spends two hours a week helping out with this concept. There is not a single person alive who knew, right from the start, exactly who they were. Everyone, especially teenagers, spends years discovering, building, and changing their personality. The hardest part of this is knowing sexuality and identity, because these are the traits that can define the outcome of one’s life.
In the Flathead Valley, though, there are those who understand this concept and have founded the Flathead LGBT+ Youth group (FLY), which meets every Wednesday from 6-8 pm. The aim of the group is to foster a welcoming environment for LGBT+ students and help them feel more comfortable with who they are through icebreakers and other activities. “We start with introductions, say everybody’s names and pronouns, and there’s a question of the day,” which, according to frequent member senior Madison Mueller, can range from personal analysis to things like “what would you do for a Klondike Bar?” Mueller explained how a normal meeting involves SAP-like conversations as well as board games, painting, or just hanging out. Because FLY provides such a safe environment, some teens have found themselves more outgoing than they previously did. “I’ve talked to more people in the past year than I ever have,” said junior Josh Sorenson. “You feel different there,” Mueller comments. “I feel like I am a lot more outgoing there, because everyone else is, and you feel free to just shout random stuff….It’s so fun to just go and talk to people.” “It’s just something that can take your mind off of everything, and you can just go for two hours and socialize,” added another student who wished to remain anonymous. Fitting in is difficult for any teenager, and it is much harder for LGBT+ students. Thankfully, with the help of FLY, LGBT+ students in the Flathead Valley have a place to vent, make friends, or simply relax and hang out with people who relate to them. The group is designed to help those who are questioning their personality, dealing with unacceptance at home or at school, and students who want to learn more about themselves. Both Mueller and Sorenson recommend that any LGBT+ student should attend, “especially if you are not sure. It gives you a place to find out if you are sure. And if not, you make some awesome friends."
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Everything that needs to be understood about acne, as uncomfortable a topic as it may seem. Fair warning—never Google Image Search for acne. The results that come up, while they do represent acne, only present the worst, most severe cases of the medical condition.
Everyone, at some point in their life, will have acne, but not everyone will stare into the deepest pores of acne’s effects. This leaves people wondering why teenagers, who are most commonly affected by acne, find it such a hard topic to casually discuss. In simple terms, “acne is a skin condition that occurs when hair follicles become plugged with oil and dead skin cells,” as defined by the Mayo Clinic. There is no standard to acne—some people may have lots of it, and some people will experience very little in their lifetime, but the fact remains that acne affects people universally. According to the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, “an estimated 80 percent of people between ages 11 and 30 have acne outbreaks at some point,” but as common as acne is, medical professionals struggle to see it as an issue. “Doctors need to stop thinking of acne simply as a skin problem, and to start regarding it as a disorder that can damage a person's emotional state,” says Dan Kern, writing for Acne.org. Kern goes on to explain how acne can actually be damaging to self-esteem in everyone affected by it. “People are embarrassed to talk about it because they do not want it to seem like they are having a problem with it,” says Bigfork School District Nurse Jennifer Knopik. Working primarily out of the Middle and Elementary Schools, Knopik has seen her fair share of developing acne. Her advice is that “a good skincare routine includes washing your face every night or twice a day,” with or without additional products, but always with soap and water. Most acne clears up after a few washes, but, “for acne that seems to be resistant to just plain old, over-the-counter facial wash products or soap and water, a lot of kids do see a dermatologist,” assures Knopik. However, most family physicians are not concerned about acne, given that it is not a life-threatening issue, so it is perfectly reasonable to see a dermatologist about acne that never clears up. Acne is not limited, however, to hormone-flooded middle and high school students. Knopik affirms that “there are definitely adults who seek treatment for acne-related problems.” Contrary to popular belief, acne does not simply disappear or magically clear up on one’s eighteenth birthday—but it can clear up over time with the correct face washing strategy. To find what the best acne treatment is for you, call a local dermatologist or visit TeensHealth.org. An update on the Level Up Class’ Coat drive, which took place this past fall. In the spirit of giving, some members of our Bigfork community took it upon themselves to help out the students in our schools. On November 7th, 2019, sophomore English teacher Sam Tudor’s Level Up Class ended their collection of coats for the coat drive. Level Up, a class created by Tudor, is designed to teach students leadership and the value of community service. Overall, they collected “over 200 jackets,” commented Tudor, “and our goal was 100, so we did pretty good.”
“It is a lot of jackets…I do not know if I can get it all into my truck,” laughed Tudor. Coats for Kids, the donation center to which the proceeds are being donated For organizations such as Coats for Kids, collecting 200 jackets is very commendable within a high school setting, and the Level Up Class has stayed honorably humble. By not including a compensational element into their drive to serve as motivation, these students set a new precedent for future community service projects. Many drives of the past have promised a reward, such as a pizza party, to the class which naturally accumulates the most donations, but Tudor decided to keep the celebration solely to his class in order to teach kids the reward of giving without receiving anything in return. This value is exemplified in the way Tudor runs his teaching environment.“[This Level Up] class is kind of just whatever gets thrown at us, and if we feel we can do some good for the community or the school, we will try, and it is great to have a class period where I can do that,” Tudor mentioned. Level Up is geared entirely towards community service, so when the opportunity came for them to place a donation box at the local Harvest Foods, they took it, which resulted in a bulk of donations by the people of Bigfork. It is no surprise that such a small town would come together for such an important cause, and Tudor is proud of his class’ involvement with this community act of generosity. Each member of the class has a job on all of these projects, and Tudor admired their leadership, saying, “it was great to get each kid a role, and they all did their best with their role, and everything from advertising to collecting to documenting to publicity was all taken care of really well.” As of right now, Level Up does not have any upcoming projects planned, but this group of high school students are beginning to foster a love for giving back to the community. While both the coat drive and the food drive have already concluded, there are still many other ways for other Bigfork High students to get involved with community service. Mrs. Solveig Munson and Mr. Sam Tudor have an abundance of information regarding local volunteer work, and there is sure to be more donation drives in Bigfork High School’s future. Whether it is Mele Kalikimaka, Feliz Navidad, or Merry Christmas, BHS students celebrate Christmas in many different ways. As the lyrics say, “it is the most wonderful time of the year.” The band kids will play, and the teachers will say ‘happy holidays,’ ‘see you next year,’ and though the meaning of Christmas differs between the peers, the Christmas season brings people closer together, no matter how they do or do not celebrate the holiday. At Bigfork High School, many religious denominations are represented by the student body, and almost all of them have some variation of the popular holiday, but all of them seem to have the same base value: spending time with loved ones and keeping core beliefs true to heart is a staple under the consideration of Christmas.
No matter the religion, Christmas is known for strengthening the relationships people have. Senior Elizabeth Kirby, a devout Catholic, says that the involvement of Christmas traditions into her life have “strengthened [my] family ties, so I do not feel like I just have my mom and my dad and my siblings. I can call my aunt if I need advice or I can text my uncle and just ask him if he wants to buy something, or stuff like that. My cousin is my best friend, just things like that.” Kirby also notes that a big part of her Christmas is the “church aspect,” because on Christmas Eve, “we do not do anything during the day, but then my whole family gets ready to go to church at 4:30.” Church, for her, does not just involve attendance; “I am in charge of all the little kindergarten kids carrying candles and baby Jesus up in front of the whole church,” says Kirby. Similarly, junior Allie Reichner, who is a member of the Church of the Latter Day Saints, says that her Christmas traditions have “brought our whole family closer…it has made us remember what Christmas is about. Not just about presents and fun things, but about God.” Reichner explains how “I don’t think we do very weird things.” The Christmas traditions Reichner described of her family are very much like many other people’s—for example, “we get pajamas every Christmas Eve”—save the time she normally wakes up for church on Christmas day, which is around “six or seven.”. Junior Isabella Sloan, as a non-denominational Christian, sees church and family to be big parts of her traditions as well, and states that “usually, we go to my grandma’s. We have a big dinner, but we usually think of the true meaning of Christmas, and how it is not just getting gifts. It is about celebrating Christ’s birthday. So, we work on that, and we give gifts to each other and celebrate our family time.” Sloan says that her traditions are “really important to me, as well as to know the true meaning and to be kind to people.” Kirby, Reichner, and Sloan, despite their slight differences in tradition, all come back to the same general statement: Christmas, first and foremost, is about celebrating God and the birth of Jesus Christ. There is no denying that this is due to the origins of this particular holiday, so it is interesting to see how some people, particularly those of Bigfork High School, have a different take on Christmas. “We do not celebrate Christmas,” says senior and Jehovah Witness Chloe Storest, “because we do not believe that Jesus wanted us to celebrate his birthday or that he even was born in December.” To her and her family, December 25 is just another Friday, in this year’s case. While she does not partake in any of the holiday festivities, Storest still stresses the importance of strong family ties, even after the Christmas season has passed. “Since we believe that we are going to have a paradise in the future, it is a lot more reassuring of a hope that we can live on earth and see our dead loved ones again…it makes us a lot happier,” says Storest. Each of the religions above have provided religious reasoning for the way they do or do not celebrate Christmas, but for senior Elyse Pendlay, religion has nothing to do with her traditions. For her annual commitment to the holiday, “we set up a tree, throw some garland around the house, and we have a really nice Christmas Eve dinner, open presents on Christmas Eve—usually PJs—and then we open our Christmas morning presents.” Pendlay celebrates Christmas because “we have done it since I was a little kid, and it is something fun for our family. It is not really a celebration of God…it is just a celebration to be with family.” In the end, Christmas does not have one singular definition. Though there are many stereotypes that surround it, the holiday can be celebrated with a church, without church, or even not at all. The most important thing about the holiday season is not the individual’s celebration, but the care and kindness they show towards others, even if their beliefs may differ from their own. Christmas is a time to celebrate with loved ones; as Andy Williams once said, “hearts will be glowing when loved ones are near,” so this holiday season, be sure to spend some precious time with those who matter the most. The scoop on the school’s new Student Resource Officer. Two words that used to bring terror to high schoolers minds were: school cop. At least, this may have been a scary tale prior to this year. Bigfork High School has been lucky enough to gain a “school cop” who is not, in any sense of the word, terrifying.
Paula Sullivan, recently welcomed into our school as the Student Resource Officer, is quite an approachable and kind individual. After just a few weeks on campus, she has already influenced the lives of many Bigfork students, family, and community members. “I have gotten a lot of feedback from the school. I think she has been well received,” says Principal Mark Hansen. He also remarks that students and faculty feel safer with her present. “I think it is just another resource for kids…and, more importantly, for the safety issue. It is very comforting to have somebody there in case, heaven forbid, something does happen,” Hansen states. Officer Sullivan, who graduated from BHS and has lived in the valley all her life, “always liked helping people and kind of what it stood for and the service to the community,” in her own words. For such a community-oriented town like Bigfork, a Student Resource Officer with such rooted values is very pleasing. Between her years at BHS, however, Sullivan has accomplished much in her career as a cop. As well as working for the Sheriff’s office for over a decade, she “was an adult probation officer in Flathead County, for the state of Montana, for four years.” As if her life were not already crazy enough balancing Bigfork High School and her employment at the Sheriff’s office, Sullivan still manages to make time for her family. “My parents still live in Ferndale. There are eight of us, so I have five sisters and two brothers….I am the seventh of eight. I have thirty to forty nieces and nephews,” some of which are even her age, due to her wide spectrum of family members. In her immediate family, “I am married with two children; one is fourteen and one is four,” remarks Sullivan. Outside of all this, though, “I still play softball and basketball. I do women’s and rec leagues. I like the outdoors, I like being on the lakes, traveling. Really just hanging out, too. Spending time with my family is important to me,” says Sullivan. Ten years ago, having a ‘school cop’ at BHS would be almost outrageous. As it turns out, the prospect is not all that bad. Having a Student Resource Officer could potentially be a very positive influence on the school community, but the only way to make that happen is through student acceptance. Keeping a positive outlook, with the help of Officer Sullivan, will make the 2019-2020 school year safe, productive, and completely feasible. Memes influence the modern world every day, but this may not be negative. The modern teen is constantly plugged in—as hard as it is to admit it, many teens of this era are addicted to the internet. Whether this is a good or bad thing is yet to be seen, but because of this present trend, the media scene is expanding rapidly; this is best explained through the development of memes, which are very commonly known by teens and some adults today.
According to the Urban Dictionary, “Memes are jokes that need to be a way of life for anyone who owns technology…[and] expire after 2 days.” TikToks, Vines, and some YouTube videos are considered a video incarnation of these memes. These videos can include original content or be replicas of 2D memes, but they are considered hilarious just the same. Memes are everywhere, and can influence moods, likes, and the way time is spent, but just how much influence these memes have on teen lives is the question. According to researcher and TED speaker Susan Blackmore, “as the memes evolve, as they inevitably must, they drive a bigger brain that is better at copying the memes that are doing the driving.” Essentially, the human brain is an expert at mimicking, recreating and copying, and memes give teen brains the outlet to do so. Sophomore McColl Miller says that “I quote TikToks all the time,” and also confirms that some TikToks have made their way into her daily vocabulary and choices. “I avoid being a ‘VSCO Girl’ now,” states Miller, because “if I wear a lot of scrunchies,” people will judge her and label her as the stereotype. Even though the “VSCO Girl” meme is quite popular, there is still a subconscious fear of being ridiculed for one’s own likes or dislikes. “I think there are some kids, who, if they do not have it, they feel left out,” claims math teacher Mr. Feller. ‘It’ refers to a phone or a social media connection. There may not be a direct correlation between popularity and the vocal use of memes, but the line between a clique and the awareness of a meme is very thin. “It’s visibility, is not it, so whoever’s most visible is going to have the most influence in language and trends,” says history teacher Mrs. Wilondek, talking about the trends she sees in her students. However, this does not have to be a negative thing. “That is how fads work, really,” she adds, “it is just natural, I mean we do that with our clothes and our hair, so why wouldn’t we do that with our language as well?” With a new decade rapidly approaching, the study of teen language and trends is becoming more and more interesting. Through the use of memes, TikToks, and strange humor in daily language, students today are creating the history for tomorrow. |
AuthorWriting about things I find interesting since 2002. |