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.”

 Women’s rights have been an ongoing issue for years and years. Women’s rights are essential and need to be taken into consideration. Women’s History month is March, and there are many ways members of society can advocate for them.

     Women all around the globe tend to face issues like getting paid less than men in the workplace for doing the exact same job. On average, women tend to get 20% less money than men in the workplace.  

     “Women ages 25 to 34 earned 83 cents for every dollar a man made,” according to pewreserch.org.

     According to PR newswire, only 8.8% of CEOs are women and the rest are men. Clearly, women have fewer job opportunities than men. 

     Women now only have about ¾ of the legal rights afforded to men. A big issue in the world recently is that the government is trying to take away women’s rights to free and legal abortion. 

      Ohio had and has been trying to ban all abortions, and with this, women would lose their right to their own bodies. 

     Women’s rights are extremely important, especially in today’s society–everyone should have a voice and be able to speak freely. 

    Help advocate for women’s rights by helping out at organizations and helping at women’s shelters.  All women should have the same basic rights as men. 

      In 1920, the government passed a law allowing all women to vote, which moved society one step closer to equality for women. 

    Susan B. Anthony is one of the best known women’s rights activists. She fought for equal pay, the rights of labor and equal work opportunities. She was also the president of the National Woman’s Suffrage Association which she founded with Elizabeth Cady Stanton. 

   With Women’s rights it is very important we are still fighting for them and continuing to advocate for women. 

St. Patrick’s day is celebrated worldwide on the 17th of March each year. It is a religious and cultural celebration among the Irish communities. It is also celebrated in many countries across the world, remembering Ireland’s patron saint, St. Patrick. 

    Countryliving.com states that St. Patrick’s day is a joyous celebration of Irish heritage, culture, and more historically, the bringing of Christianity to Ireland. The tradition of going to the pub, wearing green and putting on parades came much later in its history, as it first started as a religious feast in the 17th century.

     An iconic symbol of St. Patrick’s day is the shamrock, and everyone wears the color of the shamrock on this day. The shamrock is the Irish national plant, and according to Irishcentral.com, it is also a representation of the Christian trinity. Public celebrations include parades and festivals, wearing green attire. People also attend special masses or services at churches. Feasts featuring Irish food and drinks, mostly of green colors, are part of their celebration. 

History.com says most people in America do not know the significance behind this day and just wear green and think of catching the leprechaun. Testing the students of the high school on how St. Patrick’s day originated seems like a good idea, and if they do not know much about it, educate them so they can be aware of the significance.

     A student who wanted to remain anonymous shared how much they knew about St. Patrick’s day. They were asked if they celebrate St. Patrick’s day and what they do. 

     “I don’t celebrate St. Patrick’s day, unfortunately,” said the student.

      Most people do not think St. Patrick’s day is as important as the other big holidays, so no one pays attention to it. 

     Students were asked to share how much they knew about how this holiday came about and originated. 

     “I know nothing at all,” said the student.

     Sophomore, Isabella Weber seemed to know more about St. Patrick’s day than others: “It’s an Irish holiday, and that’s all I know about it.” 

     They were asked what they thought about the four-leaf clover, and if they thought it was a myth. 

     The anonymous student replied, “Well, I mean I think it’s a myth.” 

     Weber stated her thoughts on it: “I don’t think it’s a myth. I feel like it’s a real thing.” 

Students who were interviewed seemed to not know much about St. Patrick’s day, and that’s okay but people should become a little more educated on the holiday considering they could have friends or family members with Irish heritage. 

     Altogether, people should become educated about the holidays they celebrate because these are what brought this world to where it is today, and without these things happening, holidays would not be celebrated the way they are today.. 

   Ramadan, in Islam is the ninth month of the islamic calendar and is the month of fasting. It begins with the appearance of the crescent of the moon. 

     Every year Ramadan begins 10-12 days earlier than the previous year. For example last year (2022) Ramadan began April 1, 2022 and ended May 1, 2022. Although this year it begins March 22 or the 23 depending on whether the crescents of the moon come out and we see it, and then it will end on April 21. 

     Laylat Al Qadr which means “The night of power” is on one of the last 10 days of Ramadan, and usually it is on odd numbered days, for example the 21 day, 23 day or 27 day of Ramadan. Laylat Al Qadr is when God (Allah) revealed the Quran to the Prophet Mohammed. The Quran is the book of Muslims and the Quan is meant as a guidance for Muslim people. 

     Ramadan is from sunrise to sunset and it is where muslims cannot eat or drink anything until sunset or “Maghrib.” Ramadan is a time where Muslims can practice self-restraint, in keeping with sawm “fasting,” which is one of the five pillars of Islam. Although fasting is the major idea of Ramadan, Muslims also try to become better at their religion and getting closer to Allah. 

     After sunset prayer “maghrib,” Muslims gather in their homes or at a mosque to break their fast “iftar,” and this is often shared with friends and extended family members. Iftar usually begins with dates, where the prophet Mohamned (peace be upon him) after he was done fasting, broke his fast with dates. After iftar there are prayers that Muslims may perform called “tawarīḥ.” During these prayers the Quran may be recited over the course of Ramadan. 

     As a Muslim myself who celebrates Ramadan, I don’t see Ramadan as just a fasting month where I can’t eat or drink anything from sunrise to sunset. I try to learn more about my religion, and I try to become a better Muslim by reading more and getting closer to my religion and Allah. I try to improve in being a better Muslim because I am not perfect, and Ramadan is a time for me to improve myself in my religion.  

     Out of the ten people I interviewed, only two knew what the major concept of Ramadan is. One of those two were Ryan Hinman, 12th grade English, theater, and speech and debate teacher.

      “I don’t have the full understanding of Ramadan, although I do know that it is a Muslim holiday. I know what I need to know to help teach my kids the fact that I believe that there is fasting involved, where they do not eat throughout the day,” Hinman said. “I have students who are celebrating Ramadan, and I know they probably have pretty low energy for the day.” Hinman said.

     Many students are unfamiliar with the holiday, as well. 

     Samir Winchester, a senior, said, “I know a little bit about Ramadan, I’m pretty sure it’s where you don’t eat for a certain amount of days, it’s like a fasting thing.”

Winhester says he has a friend who celebrates Ramadan, but many people are still left in the dark. There are ways school officials could help with making more people aware of the varying cultures within the school system.. 

     Junior, Laura Zinsmayer said, “I definitely do think the school can do better with representing different cultures. I feel like they can do more than just hang up banners and call that representation. I feel like the school needs to have a day where different people of different cultures set up booths in the gym and teach us about their culture and educate us because as a society we are so uneducated about different cultures and people just assume things about different religions and cultures.” 

     Ramadan is a Muslim holiday and it is the month of fasting and getting closer to religion and Allah. Many people do not know about Ramadan or even different other cultures and religions, and school officials should do a better job at educating the students not just about Islam but about many religions and cultures.