Choice One Restoration has been helping local families restore their homes now for over a decade.

      Choice One is a local roofing, siding, and window company. 

     “For the most part we stay in Northeast Ohio. I have three kids and I’m married so I like to stay local and be around my family. I like to have roots here. I sponsor my son’s baseball team, and I just overall like to be involved locally,” Frederick Heberling, one of the owners described. 

     Staying local allows them to balance their work and family life.

     Choice One restores many different parts of people’s homes and offers other services beyond roofing.

    “We do roofing, siding, gutters, and windows. I prefer roofing because it’s a ‘Do you want black, brown, or gray?’ Essentially with siding it’s do you want your corners to match, do you want to do gutters as well, and there’s so many color options. The more options you give somebody the more things they want to do, which is a little more time consuming,” Heberling stated. 

     Heberling prefers roofing because it’s simpler to plan with customers, but he is in the business of helping people, so he will do the work needed, and he does it without hesitation. 

     Herberling enjoys working at Choice One in part because of the relationships he has formed over the years: “I like having my own hours. I enjoy the people I work with, and my two business partners are my best friends–one of them was the best man at my wedding.”

     One of the reasons Choice One Restoration has been able to maintain their popularity is due to the quality of work they have provided their customers over the years. 

     Heberling said, “We have all Amish installers that just have a phenomenal work ethic, and we never have to worry about them not showing up on time. They worked through covid, and they’re there every single day at 7 a.m. and are wrapped up by 3 p.m. We don’t have to worry about them not showing up or coming with drugs or alcohol or things of that nature. They don’t steal from people, and they’re very respectful.”      

     The roofing process is fairly quick. Heberling discussed on average how long it takes to complete one roof, but it also depends on the size of the building, how steep it is, and how many layers of shingles are on the roof. 

      “On average a roof takes generally about a day. We have eight to twelve Amish roofers that will show up at 7 a.m. They are very efficient, but larger projects can take two to three days,” Heberling said.  

     The process for building a new roof is tedious but their crew is very efficient. 

     “It starts by tearing off all the existing roofing, all the way down to the decking of the roof. Then we install new synthetic underlayment, also an ice and water shield that is required by the state of Ohio. Then we install a new 50 year warranty limited lifetime shingle of the customer’s color choice. Then you have a new roof on your home,” Heberling stated. 

     Heberling enjoys the work he provides to his customers by improving his neighbors’ homes.

     “I like to build a relationship with my customers. I like to get to know them and their families,” Heberling said. 

     He has many connections with customers and enjoys working with all of his customers because they are all local and in Stow and surrounding areas, so for him, it is like he is “improving [his] neighbors’ homes.” 

     Heberling did not have the normal experience of getting into roofing. Heberling described his experience getting into the profession: “I was at a barbeque at one of my buddy’s house, who owned Choice One. I was talking to his business partner, and at the time it was just them who owned Choice One. I was talking to the one who managed the sales side of things, and as we were talking, he said I would be really good at selling roofs. At that moment I was like, ‘How do I sell a roof? I’ve never done that before.’ He described it to me, and he thought I was a very good people person. I called him a few days later, and the rest is history.” 

Trans Day of Visibility is a day to celebrate transgender people and raise awareness on the discrimination that transgender people face on a daily basis. Trans Day of Visibility is on March 31, 2023, and it is an annual celebration for the trans people who have made a difference in this world. 

     Senior Moz Taylor shares his experience with Trans Day of Visibility.

     “Some may see it as something to celebrate and some may not; it’s just like any holiday or observation. What makes it special is that every trans person is different, so there’s many different ways to see it. A great way to celebrate it is to recognize that every trans person goes through a different process,” Taylor expressed. 

     Being transgender is a unique experience within itself and not to add everything else that a person goes through while being a human. Things can be hard, especially when someone feels they have been born in the wrong body. 

     Taylor went on to describe how they feel about trans representation in the media. 

     “They are represented well sometimes and sometimes not. Some representations are well thought out and accurate while others go against all the progress made in the past. What people focus on the most is the bad and not the good which it should but the opposite,” Taylor shared. 

     Senior at Twinsburg High School, Lauren Cohen, shares her experience with how to be a better advocate for trans people. 

     “I think the most important thing we can do is listen to people’s experiences and share them when we can. Education is at the core of advocating. By spreading awareness of what life as a trans person is actually like, society can better know how to support this group of people as well as what stereotypes and misconceptions need to be broken,” Cohen said. 

     Cohen shared something super important about how advocating has the core of education. Education stems from wanting to teach people how to be more well rounded, and for trans people, that is the best thing others can do. 

     Cohen carries on with the questions she has for trans people to try and get to understand their experience better than before. 

     Cohen explained, “I think, at least for me, it would be most helpful to ask what the biggest misconceptions transgender people face are. I would also want to ask when they felt a shift in their identity, if there even was a shift or if they always knew they were born in the wrong body. Finally, I would ask what it felt like to finally look the gender that they know they are if they went through that process.” 

     Many people have the wrong idea of what transgender people go through, and this generation is going to change the stereotypes that have been shoved into society about this group of people. 

     Cohen wraps up her thoughts with how we can spread awareness on Trans Day of Visibility. 

     “Everyone’s story is important, and those who have an influential voice in society or the media need to give these marginalized people a louder voice. For Trans Day of Visibility, speaking up for trans rights and educating ourselves on the issues that transgender people face will spread awareness for the importance of trans people,” Cohen added. 

     Trans people and their accomplishments have made history and making those experiences known is something that can share the real and raw experience of those who have been hidden away in the past. 

     Junior at CVCC, Kayden Hayes, explains his opinions on why Trans Day of Visibility is so important.  

     “Trans Day of Visibility is so important because it highlights the achievements in the trans community, and it goes into how trans people have changed so much in our society,” Hayes stated. 

     The achievements of the trans community are definitely an important part of our history, and during Trans Day of Visibility is a great time to educate others about such history. 

     Hayes continues with how the stereotype of trans people has changed over the years. 

     “Over the years the topic of transgender people has become less taboo, and has given people the opportunity to express themselves the way they want to. There has been more representation in the media, yet it can always be better,” Hayes expressed. 

     Representation in the trans community is as important, if not more, than any other community. It gives trans people the opportunity to see themselves within situations and gives them the feeling that they are not alone within the things they struggle with. 

     Hayes finishes with how people can make trans people feel more comfortable in their own identity. 

     “Always ask politely someone’s pronouns instead of assuming their gender. That’s how you can be a better advocate for trans people,” Hayes shared. 

     Advocating for trans people is definitely the most effective way to support them especially on Trans Day of Visibility. There are multiple ways to support trans people and every way is an important way as long as it is done the right way.

Culture can affect many things for someone including their mannerisms, religion and psychology. A person and the way they were raised can change no matter what but their psychology can be the most affected. 

     Recent findings have outlined possible ways that the cultural scripts we learn during childhood and the cultural practices people observe as adults influence their brains.Western cultures promote an independent self-construal, where the self is viewed as separate with the emphasis is on the self’s independence and uniqueness. 

     East Asian cultures, on the other hand, foster an interdependent self-construal, with a self that is more relational, and interconnected with others. Culture also appears to influence the way the self is represented in human brains. 

       There are differences in body language, religious practices and wedding rituals. While these are all obvious examples of cultural differences, many distinctions are harder to see because they are psychological in nature. Culture can be seen in dress and food and can also be seen in morality, identity and gender roles. 

     People from around the world differ in their views of religious tolerance, respect for elders, and even the importance they place on having fun. 

     Similarly, many behaviors that may seem innate are actually products of culture. In the United States, people who ride public transportation without buying a ticket face the possibility of being fined. In some other societies, people caught dodging the fare are socially shamed by having their photos posted publicly. The reason this campaign of “name and shame” might work in one society but not in another is that members of different cultures differ in how comfortable they are with being singled out for attention. 

     It turns out that cultural skills and knowledge are learned in much the same way a person might learn to do algebra or knit. They are acquired through a combination of explicit teaching and implicit learning by observing and copying.

     Cultural teaching can take many forms. It begins with parents and caregivers because they are the primary influence on young children. Caregivers teach kids, both directly and by example, about how to behave and how the world works. They encourage children to be polite, reminding them, for instance, to say “Thank you.” They teach kids how to dress in a way that is appropriate for the culture. They introduce children to religious beliefs and the rituals that go with them, which is why many see different ways of expressing the same emotions in different parts of the world.

  Boys baseball is swinging their way into a great season this year, while having practices in three locations.

     Sophomore Nick Hosey is a returning member of the team and plans to return next year as well. 

     “Stow baseball officially starts on March 20,” Hosey said. 

     According to team members, they have been practicing for a while and are excited for the new season.

     Hosey said, “Practices take place at three different places: here at the highschool, Kent State University and Stow Youth Baseball Hall.” 

    Many of the boys also feel a sense of unity within the team and when asked about his teammates, all he has to say are good things.

     Hosey also has much respect for the coaches this year, and all of the coaches play a respective role in making the team a safe place for their teammates.

     Hosey said, “The coaches are Coach Debord, Coach Hackim, JV Coach Flatt, Coach Sobey, and freshman Coach Shoff. They are great respectful coaches who just want to get the job done.”      

    Hosey and the other players are looking forward to a winning season and just having fun. 

    Hosey commented, “I love being a part of the team, hanging out with the guys and making a difference.”