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Feature, Sports

New coaching rule brings major changes to winter sports season

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Trevor Ing / Editor-In-Chief

     At the beginning of every school year, teachers may retire, and teachers step up and take higher roles or new teachers are hired in replacement. The same goes for coaches of different sports. 

    This year, Stow saw the addition of five new sports coaches. Girls’ and boys’ basketball, girls’ soccer, baseball and bowling. 

     Recently, there has been a huge emphasis on high school sports. A student’s coach can quickly become the most important teacher they have, and when that teacher walks the hallways of their own school, it may mean more to the student than expected.

     Many of these coaches have been at Stow for many years, so what brought about this change?

     When figuring out the right person for the job, the Athletic Department first needs to figure out what exactly they want to have as a priority. Recently, the school has introduced a new emphasis on hiring coaches who are teachers at the school before reaching out to the community. 

     “We emphasize that if they’re walking the halls, we want to get them coaching,” Athletic Director, Cyle Feldman said.

     With the coaching contract being one year, the athletic department had enough time to communicate and decide on teachers in the building who would be better suited to fit the needs of the student athletes. In Feldman’s mind, “you always are looking for what’s best for kids.”

     A huge component of the change was that each coach needs to understand what’s happening in the classroom as well as on the field. For example, there was a problem with volleyball matches ending late, which caused many athletes to be unable to get all their work finished without sacrificing the much needed sleep to recover from a big game. A teacher in the building has better understanding and is able to communicate much better to other teachers if problems like this occur.

     “If somebody’s walking our halls, we want them to be able to see our kids during the day and have an influence on them, mentoring them and communicating with them,” Feldman said.

     One big coaching change that received a lot of attention was the replacement of Bob Podges, the previous girls’ basketball coach, who had been coaching for 32 years. Math teacher Andrew O’Keefe will be taking Podges’ position as the new girls head coach. O’Keefe has been coaching at CVCA for the past eight years. O’Keefe posted a 137-65 record in eight seasons as CVCA’s girls’ basketball coach, winning six league titles, three district championships and four Coach of the Year honors.

     Similar to O’Keefe, Podges coached 12 league Players of the Year, named Ohio High School Basketball Coaches Association Division I Coach of the Year back in 2017, earned league Coach of the Year 12 times and was named the All-Ohio Northeast Inland District Division 1 Coach of the Year three times.

Continued on website…

     So this begs the question, why not continue the contract of a coach who has such an incredible legacy? 

     According to Feldman, it came down to two things. The first being the emphasis on having a coach be one of the administrators in the school to better mentor their athletes, and the second being how much of a relationship O’Keefe was building with the younger generation.

     “One of our big goals in all our programs is aligning with the youth, and Kimpton, and the early returns on coach O’Keefe are great,” Feldman said.

     A big problem with basketball, along with other sports at Stow, is how many students are advancing CVCA or Walsh instead of the Stow because of athletics. One of the reasons students were going to CVCA instead of Stow was because they knew about O’Keefe prior to going to high school.

     While coaching at CVCA, O’Keefe felt a disconnect between himself and the community at Stow. At the time, both head coach positions were taken at Stow, so O’Keefe didn’t see a path where he would become the head coach while working under Coach Dave Close. He was given the opportunity to become a Head Coach at CVCA and took it despite it not being his home school.

     “I remember my first pep rally after getting hired at CVCA, and I just stood there in the gym, and I was just like, ‘man.’ It just wasn’t the same for me. It was hard because I wasn’t coaching here anymore,” O’Keefe said.

     O’Keefe also felt how much he lost with not having his athletes in his classroom. He felt like a huge part of how he coaches was gone because he lost that ability to connect.

     “I lost that relationship that gets developed in the gym. I think it’s completely different than the classroom because in the classroom, kids are working on something that they have to do; whereas in the gym, they’re working on something that they love,” O’Keefe said.

     When administrators gave O’Keefe the opportunity to become the new girls’ head coach, he stepped up for the job hoping to follow Podges’ legacy the best he could.

     “They saw me as a qualified candidate, and they asked me if I’d be interested in applying for the position, and I did,” O’Keefe said.

     Besides the controversy, O’Keefe is excited for this year and thinks the team will perform well. O’Keefe was not just handed the job solely because he was a teacher who applied.

      “I’m really excited to be back. I think the girls are excited, I think families are excited, and we’re looking forward to the season,” O’Keefe said.

Source: Stohion/ Maya Cooper

Girls basketball coach Andrew O’Keefe coaches the 11/15 scrimmage. 

Entertainment

LGBTQ+ Banned Books

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By Finley Missella/Copy Editor

     Books are something that everyone can pick up, whether this has just words or pictures, it shouldn’t matter. Just like how it shouldn’t matter if a book contains content related to the LGTBQ+ Community.

     Many different books have been banned in schools because of the content being deemed “inappropriate” for students, while supporters argue these stories offer representation and understanding of identity.

     One of the most prominent books banned in the United States is “Gender Queer: A Memoir” by Maria Kobabae, which explores gender identity among Kobabae growing up.

     Senator John Kennedy of Louisiana was one of the reasons the book is now banned around the United States. On Sep. 12, 2023 Kennedy read excerpts from the novel during a Senate Hearing on book bans, which only included the graphic quotes from the book.

     To enhance his argument, Kenndey claimed that the content of the book is “not suitable for children.” Many people interpret this as an attack on the LQBTQ+ community, as the graphic content relates to the LGBTQ+ community.

     On the contrary, many books depicting straight couples with graphic themes have been left untouched.

     For example, “It Happened one Summer” by Teresa Bailey is known for its graphic scenes related to a sea captain and city-raised socialite. This book is still widely accepted among the world, even though the content is similar to Kobabes’ memoir.

     Junior Ziah Pittman states her uneasiness of books being banned just because it has graphic scenes.

     “I feel like if we are going to police graphic content, it needs to go for every book,” Pittman said. “I’ve seen swearing in books. I’ve seen sexual content in books. I’ve seen it exploring sexuality in teen books and fiction. Why is it different when it’s queer fiction rather than when it’s straight fiction is my question,” Pittman said.

     This is not the only LGBTQ+ book that has been banned throughout states and schools. 

     “And Mango Makes Three” by Justin Richardson has been challenged because of its portrayal of a same-sex penguin couple raising a chick. 

       Another book on the list is “Lawn Boy” by author Jonathan Evison, which is a coming of age novel and semi-autobiography about his life and his mission to self discovery.

     All these books and more have been banned because of their content. So the question is, should schools have the right to remove LGBTQ+ books for shelves, or does doing so silence voices and limit a student’s understanding of identity?

     Junior Brody Bartunek feels that banning books in schools should depend on the age of the individual and its content.

     When it comes to books like “Gender Queer: A Memoir” he feels it should not be as widely banned as it is.

     “We are in high school,” Bartunek said. “We can take things seriously, and if not, the student can be removed from the class.”

        Pittman shares she feels that the book ban limits the self discovery of people. By banning books a person’s ability to cultivate their identity is at risk.

     “It’s important for the [LGBTQ+ community] to have nonfiction and fiction books for representation,” Pittman said. “So they see themselves in the same way other people see themselves in pieces of media.”

     Pittman believes that ignorance is the biggest leading factor when it comes to schools and governments trying to ban books.

     “I think a lot of these books are getting banned because a lot of people fear what they do not know and do not understand,” Pittman said.

     Without the willingness to learn about other topics, there is no room for these ideas to flourish, thus preventing students and others from discovering themselves.

     It’s hard at times for people to open their eyes to a new idea, but once the person accomplishes this, then the result can be groundbreaking.

     “People cannot truly comprehend that there are other lifestyles outside of their own,” Pittman said. “When those lifestyles are portrayed in a positive light, or a light that they just haven’t seen yet, it causes emotions [to rise] because you don’t know what that’s like.”

     Books are an important part of life. They provide humans with useful knowledge about problems, identity and a multitude of other information that applies to everyday life.

     English teacher Shawn Stratton believes that reading is a gateway for students to learn about the world.

      “I think we should be reading as much as we can, about as much as we can,” Stratton said. “Even if some of it is objectionable to someone, we need to see and read it because books are all about truth in the human condition.”

      Reading does not only cultivate the mind, but it bestows people with knowledge about the world they would not think about otherwise.

      “We need to see what other people are thinking, what other people are feeling,” Stratton said. “So if what they’re putting out into the universe is not good for us, we can call it not good for us and be able to fight back against these ideas that no one should be sharing.”

     The ability for a person to choose the content they consume is something to be determined by the individual. If the person ends up not liking it themselves then that’s their opinion to have. Just because one person doesn’t agree with a topic does not mean no one will.

     Stratton shared a powerful quote from Aristotle that perfectly sums up the necessity of all types of literature:

     “It’s the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.”

News

Girls’ flag football may be coming to the high school

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By Mira Woodward/Business Manager

     Girls’ flag football is one of the fastest growing sports at the moment. Played in over 100 countries around the world, this sport is known for being a non-contact version of American football that is inclusive to all genders.

      The high school will be starting a girls flag football team for this year’s spring sports season. The team will be working with the Cleveland Browns football team as part of a program that started in 2021 around Northeast and Central Ohio. 

     This program created the first Girls’ High School Flag Football division in Ohio. The person in charge of this program is Hannah Lee, who is also the manager of youth football for the Cleveland Browns. 

     “We have been working to elevate girls’ flag football to promote equality in sports offered at the high school level. The Cleveland Browns programming for girls flag football aims to provide access and opportunities for female student athletes to learn the skills and fundamentals of flag football, while competing in and experiencing the fastest growing sport of flag football,” Lee said.

     With this partnership comes not only a wide exposure to the sport and surrounding schools who play it, but a big helping hand from the Cleveland Browns to get the high school’s team started.

     “Through the partnership, each new team that joins the league will receive a one-time donation of uniforms, equipment toolkits and invitations to participate in year-round Browns Girls’ High School Flag Football events — including camps, clinics and other programming,” Lee said.

     Last spring David Morgan, an English teacher at the high school, became involved in a girls’ flag football team that would spark the idea to bring this sport to the high school.

     “I was helping a friend of mine who was doing a project, a documentary, on girls’ flag football at Massillon,” Morgan said. “This year I was just talking to some girls outside of my room, and I heard one of them say something about flag football, and my eyes lit up. I said if you guys have a lot of interest, I could talk to the people at the Browns and see if we could get a team started here.”

     The three students who continued this idea were Annia Castillo, Jayliah Baker and Lily Morris. They will be some of the leaders for this new team.

     A common concern that high schools have with adding a girls’ flag football team is that it may take athletes away from other spring sports such as track and field or lacrosse.

     “When these concerns are raised, it’s important for us to share that nearly 50% of girls participating in flag football did not previously play another varsity sport. This helps reassure schools that the program is attracting a new group of athletes–not simply shifting participation from other sports,” Lee said.

     The leaders are still in the early stages of putting together this team, but there are already some details as to how the season will work.

     “We just know that there will be a spring season of six weeks starting around March. Teams will play on Friday or Sunday depending on what they decide on because it’s flexible. They’ll play two games every week and 10 games in total,” Morgan said.

     The beginning of this team has such a deep meaning for not only the players, but for history. Giving women the opportunity to play a sport that increases their physical fitness, skill development and character building is so important.

     “Starting this team just means a new beginning and opportunity. It’s one of the biggest and fastest growing sports right now, so it feels very accomplishing to be a part of something that’s bigger than you,” Castillo said.

Editorials

Bathroom closures cause for concern

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By Cooper Gregg/Editor

     Whether it’s rules about passes and when students are allowed to go to the bathroom or new legislation pertaining to transgender students’ bathroom use, school bathrooms have previously fallen under heavy controversy.

     Looking more specifically here at the high school, a different problem arises: bathroom closures during lunch periods.

     When a school already only contains two bathrooms per gender, any sort of closure becomes major. While closures are inevitable as things break and messes happen, consistent closures are a different story all together.

     Having the lower restrooms closed every day during lunches is equivalent to not having lower restrooms at all for periods which make up roughly a third of the day. This fact on its own is a rough statistic, but when you look at the actual numbers, things only get worse

     The International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials (IAMPO) publishes the Uniform Plumbing Code (UPC) among other codes and resources by working “in concert with government and industry to implement comprehensive plumbing and mechanical systems around the world,” as per their website.

     Table 422.1 located on pages 38 through 42 of the 2024 UPC gives requirements on minimum plumbing facilities per the number of people occupying the building.

     Located on page 39, there are the minimums for the high school as shown in the row for type of occupancy E which is described as “Educational occupancy- private or public school.”

     Starting with the male statistics, according to the Institute of Education Sciences’s (IES) National Center for Education Statistics, there were 873 male students enrolled in the 2023-2024 school year. For males the UPC requires one water closet (flush toilet) per 50 males. 

     Rounding down to 850 male students, according to the UPC’s minimum requirements, Stow needs 17 water closets for male students to adhere to code. There is an additional requirement for males, that being one urinal per 100 male students. Along with this, every urinal above the required amount, which Stow does do, allows for one less required water closet as long as two thirds of the original requirement are still present. This bumps this required number down to roughly 11 rounding down slightly.

     Looking at the reality of the situation, there are two in the upper restroom and three in the lower, adding to a total of five, which on its own is a little under half of the requirement. 

     When accounting for the lower restrooms daily closure, there are only the two upper water closets remaining, which is a measly 18.18 percent of the minimum amount. 

     The UPC requires slightly more water closets for female students, with one per 40 females. According to the IES, Stow had 850 female students enrolled in the 2023-2024 school year. This means that the UPC would require a minimum of 21 (rounded down) water closets for females. 

     In total, the two girls restrooms have 13 water closets, with eight of those being located in the lower restroom. With both bathrooms open, the girls have it slightly better, as their total is roughly 62 percent of the UPC minimum.

     With five water closets in the upstairs female bathroom, the girls statistics are only marginally better with 23.81 percent of the minimum being fulfilled during lunch periods when these upper restrooms are the only option.

     One simple change that could be made to aid in padding these statistics a small amount is by closing the upper restrooms during lunch and instead keeping the lower bathrooms open. These statistics are still low and far beneath the minimums; however, this small change does help a bit with the boys percent during lunches going from 18.18 to 27.27 and the girls from 23.81 to 38.1. 

     It is more than likely that these codes do not apply to high school legally as the building was made far before this more recent code was put in place, and buildings typically are exempt to the codes that were around at the time. Regardless of it being a legal issue or not, it starts to become an issue of safety as we fall so far below what is now considered the minimums, as these codes “are rules that provide for safe and civilized living” according to the IAPMO website. *

     As of at least 2012, the UPC has had the same minimum requirements for schools when it comes to bathroom facilities. Even if the school isn’t breaking any rules, it is still cause for concern that Stow’s restroom count is so far below today’s accepted minimums.

     When speaking with administration about the school restrooms, assistant principal Jayson Yeagley stated that he believes new policy has helped cut down on unsavory activity taking place in the bathrooms.

     “We’ve assigned teachers and various staff members to be outside of the restroom to make sure that they are first on post. If anything’s odd or they see trends or they smell something or hear something, they say something,” Yeagley said.

     According to Yeagley the reasoning for closing the lower restrooms during lunches is because of a lack of “human capital.”

     “Staff were taking their lunches, and we weren’t able to consistently cover it during lunch, and it only made sense to close that just because we couldn’t be consistent with the way that we were applying these adjustments,” Yeagley said.

     Yeagley firmly believes, while not totally ideal, that these changes implemented have been successful in their intended goals.

     “The adjustments we’ve made, obviously, have been a little bit of an inconvenience for students, [and] for staff, but the data shows it is helping in a lot of important ways,” Yeagley said.

     When discussing the aforementioned statistics with Yeagley, he was unable to share any actual numbers or statistics other than his statement that, “[the data] is definitely trending in a better way.”

     Not only do these closures conflict with international, universal code, but also with the schools own internal systems.

     The colored hallways each have their own distinct colored pass which is in an effort to stop students from wandering the school by keeping them confined to their own colored hallway matching the pass being carried. 

     This system in itself is very intelligent. It allows for easy monitoring of those who are not where they should be due to the passes being the wrong color; however, this system completely falls apart when you are required to leave your floor to use the restroom. 

     During periods where the lower restrooms are closed, students from the two lower hallways have to go up to the second floor to use the upper restrooms, which means they are bringing different colored passes into the different colored upper hallways.

     With all four colored passes converging in one restroom, as well as the chaos of lunches, the monitoring power of this pass system is completely lost.

     High school officials are potentially compromising safety by lowering the already lower than minimum amounts of bathroom facilities as well as sabotaging its own hall pass system, all to solve an issue that can just as easily be fixed by placing a staff member outside of the restroom.

     School officials need to look at their priorities and decide what they believe to be a bigger issue–having to find an additional staff member/members for three periods of the day, or sitting more than halfway below what is seen as the minimum requirements for restrooms for a major portion of the school day.