All posts by Stohion Staff

Front/Home, Sports

Boys Volleyball

Leave a comment

Courtney Katzenmeyer / Editor

     Boys volleyball kicks off their season in spring. Coach Ramierez and Coach Sheri are working hard to get their players ready for the upcoming games this season. 

     The team is playing a tournament in Columbus, which is exciting for the players. 

     “One thing I’m looking forward to is going to Columbus for a tournament this year.  It’s our first time doing this, and we’re playing many top teams in the state,” senior Campbell Tawney said. 

     There are more teams being added to the game schedule this year. 

     “One thing I’m looking forward to this season is the change to our schedule, we added a lot of top teams in the state to our schedule so seeing how we perform against them is very exciting,” senior Alex Kulkhe said.

     Some of the teams they will be playing are ranked as the top in the state. 

     “There are a few games I’m nervous for, we’re playing Saint Xavier, Saint Ignatius, and some Olentangy teams, who are all top ten in the state,” Kulkhe said.

     The players get along quite well on and off the court. Many of the players are friends during season and after. 

     “The best part of the team is the environment, we all have fun and get along with each other pretty well, but when the time comes we lock in,” Kulkhe stated.

     Seniors on the team do not have many set-in-stone traditions like some of the other sports, but they do have something new the players enjoy: “One tradition we have is the seniors design the team shirts.  It’s a newer tradition that started recently, but hopefully it’ll continue to be passed on,” Tawney said.

     The team lost several seniors last year, but that does not mean they became a weaker opponent. 

     “I really want the team to prove ourselves to everyone else. We lost a lot of seniors and the starting lineup, and I think a lot of teams think less of us now. I want to prove we are still good enough to compete with them,” Kulkhe said.

     Seniors on the team share similar feelings about this season being their last. 

     “One thing I’ll miss about the team is definitely the relationships I have with all the guys and the coaches: They’ve all been a big part of my life for the past couple of years, so I’ll be missing that for sure,” Kulkhe stated.

     The seniors are hopeful for the last season being together. 

     “I’m really excited for my senior year. It’s going to be fun to play with the other seniors one last time and see what we can accomplish,” Tawney said.

     The volleyball team has their first game at St. Ignatius, a tough opponent, as they were state runner-up last season. The team is very optimistic and excited to play St. Ignatius, and they are excited to see what they accomplish.

     An eventful and thrilling season is ahead for the team with new opponents and a larger variety of ranked teams. The players are striving to accomplish their goals this season and make new improvements every practice. 

Front/Home

Tik Tok Ban

Leave a comment

Emily Bezjak /  Copy Editor

TikTok Ban

     There has been much controversy recently about whether TikTok should be legal in the U.S. or not, which started an uproar in the TikTok community and many people were afraid of this shutdown. Influencers were afraid their jobs would be taken. 

     In 2020, the ban was first proposed by Donald Trump; he claimed the app was a national security threat because China had access to everyone’s information in the U.S. Multiple laws and different bills were pursued through these five years to keep TikTok on edge. 

     Influencers came to the platform and expressed their concern about the ban. Many videos on TikTok became people trying to stop the ban and find a way to fight the laws and lawmakers pushing through with the ban. 

     The U.S. officially banned TikTok on Jan. 19 and was banned for less than 24 hours, which had many users in an uproar. 

     “I am upset by the ban. Not only is it unreasonable, but it seems to just be a way to control the American people more. It damages people’s businesses as many Americans grew their companies off the platform,” senior Elise Mahoney said. 

      Many users transitioned to Rednote, the Chinese version of TikTok. Most of the videos were not in English, but the longer TikTok was threatening to get banned, the more users started moving to Rednote. 

      Rednote slowly started to get more and more videos in English. Rednote became more popular amongst different influencers and TikTok users in the U.S. Influencers were telling their followers to follow their different social media platforms.

     “I think the ban was important because it shows they really can take it away, and it was not just a threat. They are trying to keep us safe,” senior Kyra Bukowski said.

     TikTok being banned really showed people the government can take away anything with just a few laws and bills. 

     “I think it was stupid that it was less than 24 hours. If they really wanted to show they have the power, it should have been longer,” Bukowski said.

     Some users also feel there are many negatives about TikTok. Often videos come up of people with unrealistic or toxic lifestyles like many other social media platforms. 

     “My least favorite thing about TikTok is simply that it’s another social media platform with plenty of toxic and hateful people. Tiktok, like Instagram, also perpetuated unrealistic expectations for body image,” Mahoney said.

     With TikTok being back for users in the U.S., it shows that something can be taken away so easily but also brought back within hours. 

     “I don’t think it was pointless to ban it for less than 24 hours because it showed how badly everyone’s really addicted to it,” junior Austin Combs said.

     TikTok being banned really showed how people can be so addicted to something so small, like an app.

Front/Home

Foodie Palooza

Leave a comment

Maya Cooper / Staff Writer

     The annual Foodie Palooza fundraiser returned to the high school for another event which filled the commons.

     On Sunday, Feb. 2 from 12 p.m.-3 p.m., local business participated in the event formally known as Pizza Palooza, which began in 2017 as a way for local pizza restaurants to showcase their foods to the community. 

     This year, the event had more than just pizza. There were a variety of cuisines from all different kinds of restaurants for the attendees to enjoy.

     “We have since brought the Palooza back with this year’s event including more food varieties such as chicken sandwiches, beef kabobs, hummus, spring rolls and fried rice, pasta, tacos, doughnuts, fruit, sweets, and of course, we had to have pizza,” Gary Aleman, the organizer of the event said.

     Admission into Foodie Palooza was free with a price of $10 for 8 tickets. Each ticket could be used to try a food item from a booth or an inflatable in the lower gym. There were also other free experiences for children such as face painting and temporary tattoos.

     Junior Zowie Stanley worked at the Malley’s Chocolates booth. This is the second year Malley’s has come to Foodie Palooza, and Stanley believes they will likely return next year.

     “We had chocolate hearts and Betty Lou’s, which are pretzel caramels dipped in chocolate. We were happy with the amount of people that came to our booth, and I think it was a successful event,” Stanley said

     There were also many student volunteers who helped the event run smoothly. Some volunteers helped at different food booths to help the vendors, while others helped set up before the event and clean up after it ended.

     Junior Terah Bentley volunteered for three and a half hours. She was stationed in the lower gym.

     “I collected tickets for the kids to go on the inflatables. The kids seemed like they were having a good time, and the parents were happy” Bentley said.

     As people entered the school, they received a ticket they could use to vote for their favorite food booth.

     “The Favorite Food Winner this year went to Pancho & Lefty’s,” Aleman said.

      Additionally, guests were also presented with a brief questionnaire with questions like their zip code and how they heard about the event.

     “The most interesting was the zip code question, of course most were from Stow, but we had many come from Cuyahoga Falls, Akron and even West Akron and Portage County,” Aleman said. 

     Aleman, as well as the others who helped put the event together, were very happy with the turnout at this year’s Foodie Palooza.

     “The crowd arrived right before twelve noon and the ticket process went very well with the introduction of our new credit card readers. We are estimating anywhere from 1300 to 1700 people total including volunteers, vendors and support staff,” Aleman said.

     Foodie Palooza is expected to return to the high school again next year as Aleman’s role as part of the Stow Munroe Falls Community Foundation is to coordinate events and fundraisers. 

     “It takes months of planning for this event to go off as planned. We have follow up meetings and will coordinate with the SMF School System to reserve the Gym and Commons for next year which will be on Sunday, February 1  from 12 noon to 3 p.m.,” Aleman said.

     Next year’s event may also include some new features and improvements.

    “We are also considering adding a Judges Choice Award. We will also seek out additional seating for people eating in the cafeteria area,” Aleman said.

     Foodie Palooza is enjoyed by many because of its effect on the local community.  

     “One of the main reasons we hold the Palooza is bringing people together. There is nothing like food, a universal common thread, to bring people together to enjoy great food treats from local restaurants and to give back to the community with much needed funds that we contribute to Teacher Grants and Student Initiatives,” Aleman said.

Community, Feature, Front/Home

BSU Club

Leave a comment

Mira Woodward / Business Manager

      Black Student Union is a new club now being offered at the high school. Belonging to a club is the difference between going through high school and being involved in high school. For some people, it is hard to find a club that is diverse enough, which may drive some people to start their own clubs so others do not have to feel that longing for a group in which they feel comfortable being themselves. That is exactly what students senior Bryana Arnold and junior Rhyan Todd strived to do. 

      Their first meeting was on Jan. 28 after school in the library, and students were treated to free pizza, snacks, drinks and played fun games in order to get to know each other. 

     Martin Poder, one of the BSU advisors said Arnold and Todd wanted to start some community because they felt the student population was “a little bit scattered among the school” and there was not a place for them to get together. 

      Their goal for the meeting was to “break bread and socialize with each other. They also wanted to talk about doing some community service projects, some social events together,” Poder said.

      Poder also talked about how Arnold and Todd wanted to feel a sense of togetherness because “they felt there were a lot of Black students throughout the school, and they haven’t talked or communicated with one another, and they want to kind of bring it together.”

      Just like any new club, this one went through a long process to be officiated: finding a teacher administrator, running it by the Board of Education and promoting the club and its meetings. 

     “Rhyan and Bryana–I’ve known them for the last three years–came to my room a couple months ago, probably in November, saying they wanted to start Black Student Union. They asked if myself and Coach Sheppert would be advisors for it,” Poder said.

     While Poder agreed to advise the club, he wanted to be able to sit down with the girls to find out what their goals and objectives were. 

     “That was how it kind of started, and then we got Bryce [Sheppert] involved,” Poder said. 

      Arnold said one of the goals they want for Black students is to have a “safe space for students to connect, grow and thrive.”

      Both girls made sure to stay focused on the purpose of the organization by creating a vision for which they will use as a guide for the running of things: “Our mission is to promote unity and academic success, cultural education and community engagement while advocating for equality and inclusion within our school and community.”

      One of the first Black Student Unions was founded back in 1966 at San Francisco State University. From there many schools adapted one in order to make students feel more comfortable in their schools. 

     “We will meet once a month to discuss relevant topics, plan events and build a community for cultural celebration, events such as Black History Month, programs, cultural showcases, and we were trying to do guest speakers. We also want to incorporate community service projects into it such as partnering with local organizations to make a meaningful impact on the community,” Arnold said. 

      The Black Student Union club’s name may stray some students away from joining; however, club members have made it clear that anyone who wants to be supportive of the Black community in their school can attend any of the meetings.

    “It’s a Black Student Union, but that doesn’t mean that it’s strictly for black students. Anyone is welcome–[it’s an] open door,” adviser Bryce Sheppert said.