Category Archives: Feature

Feature

Book Club sets up Skype with author

Leave a comment

One annual tradition that takes place at the high school every year is the author meet up that the book club holds.

They either skype or bring in a guest author to speak with them for the book they are currently reading.

The book they have been reading is “AntiGoddess” by Kendare Blake. Blake is from South Korea and was adopted at the age of seven months.  She grew up in the small town of Cambridge, Minnesota.

She has a Bachelor’s degree in Business from Ithaca College and a Master’s degree in Writing from Middlesex University in London.

Her debut book was “Sleepless Society,” which is about post 9/11 teenagers coming of age. Her next two books were “Anna Dressed in Blood” and “Girl of Nightmares,” which are horror novels following the strange life of the main character, Cassio Lowood, a teenage ghost hunter. Her most recent greek-mythology focused series called “Goddess War” started with “Antigoddess,” which is the novel the book club read. Following Antigoddess is Mortal Gods and she plans to conclude the series with Ungodly, which will debut this year.

She currently lives on the West Coast, which is where she will be skyping from.

The main people in charge of this event were Kelly Lanci and Christina Getrost. Christina Getrost is the teen librarian at the Stow Public Library.

Getrost started by selecting a book that they were reading around spring time because she likes to do the Skype visit around the new year. She decided to go with the book “AntiGoddess” because they had planned to read it this spring.

Getrost got a hold of Blake and was able to set up the Skype visit for the exact day they had planned.

“One thing I also asked her was how to pronounce her name, and she gave me this cute reply. ‘So it’s three syllables. Ken, like the doll. Dahr, like Darth Vader, and a little uh on the end, like uh, what the [heck] are you doing with that Ken doll, Darth Vader? Ken-Dahr-uh.’ I thought that was hilarious,” said Getrost.

Blakes’ Skype visits usually do cost a fee to take place and this is common amongst many authors. Blake said that she would waive the fee if they purchased copies of her book. The public library had already purchased 50 copies, so they did not have to pay a fee for this Skype visit.

The book club members are very excited for this event to take place and have been preparing questions they are very eager to ask. Do not forget to tune into Stohion.com on March 19 for a live recap of the Skype visit.

Feature

History behind Black History month

Leave a comment

As February took its toll and ended, students look back through the month and discover new and old ideas. One many seem to have forgotten is the importance of February; it is a month chosen for the celebration and recognition of Black Americans and is well known as Black History Month.

According to Inventors.about.com, “What we now call Black History Month originated in 1926, founded by Carter
G. Woodson as Negro History Week. The month of February was selected in deference to Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln who were both born in that month.”

The importance of Frederick Douglass being born in February is that he was one of America’s top anti-slavery activist. He was born a slave, but later gained his freedom at the age of 20, escaping from his past.

He fought against the commonly know Jim Crow laws and the acts of lynching.

According to history.com, “For 16 years, Douglass edited an influential black newspaper and achieved interna- tional fame as an orator and writer of great persuasive power. In thousands of speeches and editorials he levied an irresistible indictment against slavery and racism.”

Douglass also worked alongside former president Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War.

Lincoln, who was head of the Union army during the war against the Con- federation (or the South), was a man of integrity and wisdom. Lincoln saw the inside of all people and forewarned those who judged others.

According to ourdocuments.gov, “In 1863, President Lincoln had issued the Emancipation Proclamation declaring ‘all persons held as slaves within any State, or designated part of a State, the people whereof shall then be in rebellion against the United States, shall be then, thenceforward, and forever free.’”

However, the Emancipation Proclamation did not end slavery in the nation completely. Lincoln saw that this document would have to be accepted by a constitutional amendment in order to guarantee the abolishment of slavery.

“The 13th amendment, which formal- ly abolished slavery in the United States, passed the Senate on April 8, 1864, and the House on January 31, 1865. On February 1, 1865, President Abraham Lincoln approved the Joint Resolution of Congress submitting the proposed amendment to the state legislatures,” ourdocuments.gov said. “The necessary number of states ratified it by December 6, 1865. The 13th amendment to the United States Constitution provides that ‘Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.’”

Feature

Student makes great achievements in singing

Leave a comment

For eleven years and counting, Senior Rayla Garske has been focused on singing.

From singing her heart out at every opportunity given, overcoming her nerves, practicing over and over again

and giving it her all, she has made singing her official career choice.

Garske has sung in small groups, in front of family and friends, in front of small crowds and at competi- tions. She has had leads in school plays and ETC show choir competitions. She competed and won “Stow Idol” and “Ohio Idol,” performed at Cleveland sports games, which included singing the National Anthem at a Cavaliers game. She also sang in her second, fourth, seventh, eighth, ninth, tenth and eleventh grade talent shows; in her eleventh grade musical; and now plans to sing in her twelfth grade school musicals.

Rayla Garske was born to be singer on Broadway. She dreams of making a career out of her singing, and she is completely capable of doing so.

“Rayla is awesome. She has so much talent,” senior Sean Flemmings said.

Sophomore year, Garske won her first show choir solo competition, fourth best soloist in a show, best vocalist music in Parks with Jazz Band and “Show Choir Camp of America” talent contest. In eleventh grade, she won two show choir competitions and one best soloist
in the show, Stow’s high school Talent Show and “Ohio Idol.”

To top off how incredibly talented Rayla is, she also dances, plays the flute and is very artistic. She has been singing since she was seven-years-old and in second grade.

With all of the competitions and shows Rayla has participated, she says her favorite is the Show Choir Camp talent show, “Hearing the Roar of the crowd.” She also says her best accomplishment she has achieved so far has been winning “Ohio Idol” and meeting so many new people from it.

Her plan for her future is to attend “American Dramatic Arts Academy” in Hollywood for two years. Then attend their branch in New York for two years to graduate and obtain a Bachelor’s in Fine Arts. She hopes to obtain her degree and pursue a future in performing.

Rayla has accomplished so much already and still has her whole life ahead of her, filled with opportunities.

She says all that she thinks of and all that fills her once she starts singing is simply joy.

“Music and singing are what I love,” Garske said.

Rayla puts so much work into performing and the star she looks up to for her singing is Beyonce Knowles.

Although she does look up to the star, that is not the only person who keeps her going with performing an following her dreams.

“I Have a lot of support from my mom, brother, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, friends, teachers and ETC family,” Garske said.

The first competition Garske ever participated in was when she was in second grade, which started her whole singing path.

“I wanted to sing in it, so I did,” Garske said. “My mom helped me find a song, which ended up being ‘Somewhere over the rainbow’ by Louis Armstrong. When I sang it, people stopped to listen, and it felt right.”

She took lessons for a few months in seventh grade.

Rayla also has taught herself to play the guitar and has played the flute since fifth grade.

Rayla says she enjoys playing the flute and thought Marching Band was so much fun. She also loves to hang out with her friends, take naps, watch show choir and look up new songs to sing.

Feature

Freshman shares story about life-altering genetic deficit

Leave a comment

Most people take their everyday skills for granted without realizing that not everyone has the same abilities.

A category of dispositions that is most commonly taken for granted is the five senses. Most people do not think about what their life would be like without one of these five senses. For freshman Owen Norris, being without one of these senses is a reality.

Norris has been declared legally blind at birth due to a genetic disease. While this is a very difficult and unfortunate condition for someone to live with, Norris still tries his best to make the most out of everything life throws at him.

Norris describes his condition as “being able to see most things, just not as clearly or as easily as most people can.”

Norris, because of the loss of the use of his vision, relies mostly on his hearing. Instead of seeing and taking notes, he has to listen to the reading of the notes aloud and usually records the teacher so he can replay it in case he misses anything.

Most tasks a normal student finds tedious or annoying, such as taking notes, is something that proves to be essential and helpful once that task cannot be done. Norris would like to be able to see and take notes and do other things of this sort, but instead, has to find ways to get these notes besides reading them.

Located in the library is a braille printer which Norris frequently uses to take tests and complete homework. Norris learned to read and write in braille when he was only in third grade.

Although everything in school is slightly more difficult for him, Norris has learned to work with his condition and still does very well.

“I think even though school is more challenging for me, I still have the same amount of stress that most students my age do,” Norris said.

To help relieve the stress from school, Norris likes to play the guitar which he has been playing for four years now.

Norris’ mother explains that “Owen has a great ear for music. He plays keyboard and also the guitar both by ear. He loves most types of music and has enjoyed music since he was very young.”

Upon being asked what he wants to be when he grows up, Norris said he would like to be a sound engineer; however, along with this career, he wishes to prove to everyone that he can do things just as everyone else does.

Norris is unsure of where he would like to attend college, but wishes to go somewhere with good programs for music producing and sound engineering.

Norris’s mother explains the gene her son has that causes his blindness.

“The gene, NF or neurofibromatosis, which caused Owen’s loss of sight was inherited through my family. No one else  in my family has a loss of sight, however. There are two types of  Neurofibromatosis: NF1 and NF2. One can cause deafness and the other tumors and rarely sight problems,” Mrs. Norris said.

Often times Norris’s mother worries about people judging her son. Not only does this judgment come from peers but also from some adults who are afraid of getting to know a person with vision problems.

He is frustrated at times to find places where he feels that he fits in. Norris is unable to play sports which eliminates finding friends on a team.

Not being able to see as well as most of his peers and other people in general is the only world Norris has ever known; therefore, he has not had to learn to cope with his disability. He has simply learned to grow with/through his condition.

Hiking is one thing Norris and his family enjoy doing together that has also become a little trickier for them.

“When we hike now, we choose trails that are mostly clear. Our family loves being in the woods, but we are more aware of trails with tree roots and large rocks, but we work around it easily. We watch for the word ‘accessible’ now,” Norris’s mother said.

There is one person who inspires Norris the most according to his mother: his brother Matthew.

“Matthew works with the homeless in Denver at below poverty level pay himself.  Matthew’s work ethic in giving of himself regardless of whatever job needs done inspires Owen to try his hardest at school and all things he must do,” Norris’s mother said.

Norris does not want to be excluded out of anything most other kids do just because of his condition. In fact, his condition has taught him to try new things, even if he is unsure of the outcome.

While being as impaired as he is, Norris has learned to be strong and has actually benefited from his condition instead of letting it bring him or his family down.

Norris said, “ I want to prove to everyone everywhere that people with disabilities can do all the same things every other normal person is capable of doing.”