The Bison Stampede – April 2002

At Home by Tia Sandusky
A Personal Story of Adoption

Sleep Deprivation by Dawn Sovell
Teens and Lack of Sleep

Frustration by Tia Sandusky and Ashley Menzel
A Debate on Religion and its Place in the Schools

We have been talking about it for nearly a year, but now it is actually happening—the stampede is going digital.

Starting with this issue, we are going to be publishing the magazine on the web. And as a result, some things are going to change. Unlike the paper version of the magazine, the web version will contain no pictures where faces can be identified. Also, names will appear merely as first names and last initials. Although this will, at first, seem weird—it is done to protect the people that appear in our pages.

As a result, you will begin to see the changes in these pages. Editorially, we have moved towards using more clip art and non-representational photography. Also, in upcoming issues you will begin to see a move towards features, opinion writing, and investigative journalism. We are confident that these changes will enhance the product, and will not diminish the confrontation with issues that we seek to uphold here at the stampede.

Please visit us at: www.204.169.207.122/bhs/stampede

The Price of Dating 3
Tale of Adoption 4
Depression 8
Sleep Deprivation 10
Religion Debate 11
stampede Editorial 14

Take a look at your report card. See that "D"? Some people might think it's the result of spending too much time with your boyfriend or girlfriend.

Sure, one day you're running late for class, you see the same two people making out, and you think they must get bad grades because they are tardy all the time. But actually, being in a relationship doesn't affect most people's grades.

Many students at BHS have disproved this myth, and some even think it helps their grades.

Junior Sarah Hayes says, "I have to do my homework in order to see my boyfriend so it helps in that way."

Peer Pressure can help raise grades among students. For example: your boyfriend/ girlfriend could be on the Honor Roll, which can push students to want to do well and be on the Honor Roll too.

"Having a girlfriend actually made my grades better because she was smarter and helped me with my homework," says sophomore Chris Gudvangen.

Most teens feel that their relationship doesn't consume a lot of their time in school. Usually students see their girlfriend/boyfriend only during passing period or Triple A during school.

But then most of the students asked say a lot of their time is spent with their girlfriend/ boyfriend outside of school. Sophomore Jamie Tokkesdal says, "We are together a lot, but we do make time to get our homework done."

If students' grades weren't that great or what they wanted them to be, it wasn't because their relationship was affecting them. "My grades have always been like that," comments Sarah Hayes.

Or it also could be what Junior Alicia Schultz says, "Sometimes my grades were lower because of the fact that it was a hard class and I wasn't very good at it."

When asked if she thought grades would be affected from being in a relationship, Junior Kim Kotila replied, "They could go down if someone got too attached to that person they were with and just put off everything. But if they knew what they were getting into and knew when they should be doing their homework, then they'll be fine."

It really depends on the people in the relationship. Having a relationship during high school, while keeping grades up, may not be for everyone.

Teenagers always seem to have a knack for fitting what is important to them in their busy lives.

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Having a girlfriend actually made my grades better because she was smarter and helped me with my homework

A wise man once said, 'You'll never know where you belong until you know where you're from.'

There aren't many that would be able to comprehend the complexity of this short, but precise proclamation. All in all, this intense declaration illustrates more than meets the eye.

Adopted from Seoul, South Korea, and raised in a small white community, has certainly left a lasting impression on me.

Finding positive ways to express one's self about the joys and hardships of being adopted are few and far between, not to mention finding anyone who understands your personal experience. In a town like this, you're expected to keep your opinions and emotions inside. No one is interested in what life is like for a true minority, or how hard it can be to deal with being different.

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As a young child I used to think about my racial differences constantly, but now it's not as big of an issue
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As a young child I used to think about my racial differences constantly, but now it's not as big of an issue. People, as well as I, have learned to recognize me for who I am because of the things I do, or don't, and not by how I look or how I don't.

Letting go of the insecurities and doubts is an extremely arduous task. Each morning, when I wake up and I look in the mirror, I am not able to recognize my face to another face. I only know myself, and I feel as if I'm missing a whole other part of me. A part I will never find. I feel incomplete and not as if I belong anywhere in particular. I am frequently asked questions about my adoption, if I know my biological parents, of if I want to meet them. All of these questions are obvious.

I consistently ponder from where I originated. It's normal for adopted children to frequently wonder what life would have been like had the adoption not taken place.

Along with myself, there are a couple of other adopted Korean teenagers, who relate to me. When we're with each other we're very open about our adoptions, and what we think about the whole process. Junior Elizabeth Jacobson was adopted from Korea at the young age of four and a half. Most children who come to America are infants, while there are a few who are of older age. Beth remembers a few details from her short life in the Korea.

My younger sister, SunMee Sandusky, was also adopted at the age of four, and I remember when she first came here she spoke fluent Korean, and absolutely no English. I was in the second grade when she came, and I remember leaving school early the day she was scheduled to arrive. The look in her eyes when she stepped off that plane was of pure terror. Never in my entire life have I ever seen anyone look so completely helpless.

My parents were probably just as nervous as she was, but then again they had al-

Approximately 4 out of 100 teens get seriously depressed each year. At any given time 10% of people are depressed. Having depression doesn't mean that a person is weak, or a failure, or isn't really trying-all it means is they need your help.

In order to understand how someone is feeling you will have to listen, and take time to understand what he or she are going through. Clinical Depression is a serious illness that can affect anybody, including teenagers. It can affect you thoughts, feelings, behavior and over-all health. It can make someone a completely different person when they are feeling down or depressed.

"When my friends are in a bad mood I help them get in a better mood by getting them out of the house and go see a movie or go out to eat." says sophomore Sara Dooley.

"Often students with depression, their grades and attendance decline," says school Psychologist Paula Dietz

Can depression really make someone think about committing suicide? Most people who are depressed do not commit suicide, but depression increases the risk for suicide attempts. It is NOT true that people who talk about suicide do not attempt it.

When teenagers become depressed they take the easy way out by doing drugs or drinking alcohol. Because alcohol is easy to obtain and socially acceptable, it is a very popular means of self-medication for depression.

The average age for teens to start drinking is the age of thirteen years old. Statistics show that 58% of teenagers drink when they are upset or depressed. Teenagers feel the only way out of depression or being upset is drugs and alcohol.

There are two kinds of depression: the sad kind-called major depression, dysthymia or reactive depression-and manic-depression or bipolar illness.

When you are depressed you feel sad or cry a lot and it doesn't go away. You don't feel like doing a lot of things that you used to do. Now you just always want to be alone and don't want to talk to anyone. You get irritated often. Little thing make you lose you temper; you over react on the littlest things. You start to sleep more than you have or you sleep a lot less than you normally do. Your eating habits change-you eat more or less than normal. You feel restless and tired most of the time. You think about death or you feel like dying, or have thoughts about committing suicide.

When someone is depressed the only way to get help is going to talk to a counselor or a good friend that knows what you are going through or is willing to understand your situation. If you go to a counselor, and if you are in deep depression they may put you on some kind of antidepressants. "I was on like sixteen different kind

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Having depression doesn't mean that a person is weak, or a failure, or isn't really trying-all it means is they need your help.

Morning. The dreaded time of day for any student. While most of us have to literally roll out of bed, others slam the snooze button and refuse to get up. No reason to get up-school lacks importance at that time. Until grades come out that is. Then we are in big trouble.

A common question among many students is " why does school start so early"? As this question began to boggle my mind, I asked Superintendent Tom Nelson. His answer made sense; but then again many sleep counselors would disagree. The reason is to save this school and tax payers some cash.

Instead of having double the amount of buses to go every which way to get us to our education kingdom, they double routed. They chose the high school to start earlier because some parents huffed and puffed about having their little ones out in the dark morning waiting for the bus, and many teens have extra curricular activities to attend after school and if school started later, so would the activities. So students wouldn't get home till way past bedtime.

However, if you're too sleepy too stay awake in class, how can you learn? When asked if she thought students here got enough sleep she says "Its about 50-50. Many don't get the sleep because of choices they make the night before." Which is somewhat true. It is our fault if we stay up till 2 a.m. to watch a "Sponge Bob square pants" marathon, but its not our fault if we had to work till 9:30.

Teens need anywhere from 9 to 12 hours of sleep per night. This age group needs the most sleep among everyone. In all reality most teens (75%) only get 5-7 hours. Leaving them totally drained and not able to focus. 20% of teens fall asleep in class on a regular basis. Teens also report being most alert after 3 p.m. What good does that do?

It's a vicious cycle, we get up at almost dawn, if not a little earlier. We manage to get to school totally dazed and having no interest in paying attention to another boring lesson. After school we either have a job, activities or some sort of life crisis to deal with. We get home, try to get some homework done but by that time we're wide-awake again. So many stay up, but others attempt to go to sleep but end up lying awake for about an hour. Then have to get up and do it all again.

I gave a survey to the students here at BHS and the results were not what I expected. On average, students get 6 hours of sleep per night, which is pretty risky since they need 9 to 12 hours. Many said they haven't fallen asleep in class, which is surprising. The best part is just about every survey said school should start at 9:30 but get out at 2:20 still.

Is this insomnia? If we can't fall asleep are we insomniacs? The night comes so quickly our minds can't deal. We see the moon as our friend, and we don't want to meet the sun. For the sun brings day where we have to work and be productive. A teenager's life revolves around sleep. We don't have it, we can't function. The solution, my friend, is unknown. Perhaps a teenager is meant to be tired. So once we get out of school, we have our education, we have our jobs and we make our money, can we then finally get our sleep?

Religion has invaded the educational process—there's no where to hide. School prayer has been one of the most controversial discussions our government has had to take on. Two hundred years of interpreting the First Amendment has lead to freedom of prayer in public display and freedom of expression through clothing and other accessories. In order to deal with this thorny issue, Ashley Menzel and Tia Sandusky had a discussion on some of the key issues.

How far should religion be taken in school?

Ashley: "I don't think it should be displayed at all, I think it's private. It's a personal matter and your beliefs are different from everyone else so you shouldn't preach about them or display them in public schools. High school is a very important time in a person's life—it's the place where you transform from a child into an adult. This is a time where you will grow on your own, you will form your own opinions, and this would be the worst possible time for you to be judged by what you believe."

Tia: "Displaying your faith in school is a positive thing, and I think that as long as it's not potentially hurting anybody you should be able to express yourself and your beliefs. Religion is everywhere you go, so people might as well get used to having it around. Maybe you don't like it, or approve of it, but you need to accept it. There are going to be many different things in life that you're not going to agree with but that doesn't mean that they will just disappear. It's essential for a person to grow spiritually, and now it's a better time than any. You can take what it is you know and from there grow as a Christian."

Ashley: "If you want to go to a religious school then go to one. If you're going to go to a public school then leave religion at the front door. If you really need to bring religion inside then keep it private. No one has the right to impose his or her beliefs on anyone, and when you bring religion into school that's what happens."

Tia: "The point of going places and witnessing to non-Christians is to help others come to Christ. I am not saying that you should go up to someone who is an atheist or who has no interest in Christianity and try to convert them. But in the Bible it tells us to be bold witnesses for God and by teaching and helping others who know nothing about Him, we are working for Christ. If other extracurricular groups are allowed talk about their clubs openly in school, and publicly demonstrate their activeness, then, by law Christians are also allowed to express themselves as"

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If you want to go to a religious school then go to one. If you're going to go to a public school then leave religion at the front door

Bullying—when someone enjoys using power to harm another person again and again—either verbally or physically. We have all experienced it, committed it, or witnessed it. Bullying is coming out from behind the anachronistic phrase "boys will be boys" and something is being done about it.

On February 15th, the students of BHS filled out an anonymous survey on bullying in our school. The Bison Safety Team used that information to determine how big of a problem we have, and are now formulating a solution to deal with this issue.

The Safety Team has written skits to teach the significance of bullying in our schools, and are working to spread the program to other schools in the area.

The stereotypical bully is a muscle-bound male who pushes kids around for their milk money. But this stereotype is being shattered. It is not only boys, but girls too. And more destructively at BHS, the abuse is usually more verbal than physical.

The Bison Safety Team has trained peer mediators to deal with conflict. Students can access mediation through a teacher, counselor, one of the advocates, or Officer Ridley.

With a little help from students and staff, this program can be a success and will make our school safer for future students and us. Together, we can make the definition of bullying non-existent.