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2024-2025, Community, Front/Home, News

National Park Layoffs

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Jennifer Ostlund / Staff Writer

     As part of the Trump administration’s attempt at reducing the size of the federal government, around 1,000 National Park Service employees were laid off on Valentine’s Day. 

     While an official list of all the layoffs is yet to be released by the NPS, the impact of these cuts is already being felt before the start of the busy park season.

     NPS employees do more than welcoming and guiding visitors: According to the NPS website, they also make sure the parks remain clean, research wildlife and ecosystems, operate important machinery, enforce park regulations and other important jobs that keep U.S. parks safe for both visitors and the wildlife living there. 

     Having well-maintained parks allows for visitors to experience the benefits of nature, including the improvement of mental and physical health. 

     According to Kirsten Weir of the American Psychological Association, exposure to nature leads to “improved attention, lower stress levels, better mood and even an uptick in empathy and cooperation.”  

     As for physical health, The University of California states that spending time in nature, “reduces cortisol levels, muscle tension and rates of heart disease,” among other benefits.

     However, more than the safety of the parks and health benefits are being lost–the parks themselves will have to make cuts to the services they provide in response to a smaller workforce.

     According to USA Today, the cuts could lead to “shorter visiting hours, fewer activities, closed campgrounds, limited area access” and other cutbacks. 

     With these losses, profit generated from park visitation and tourism will potentially decrease as well as impact any surrounding communities.

     The U.S. Department of The Interior states that in 2022, “visitor spending contributed $50.3 billion nationwide, with around $23.9 billion being spent in communities 60 miles of a national park.”

     Despite the huge economic impact, the group most affected by the NPS layoffs are ecosystems and the wildlife that live within them at the National parks.

     The National Park Conservation Association states that without proper NPS employees to “regulate park rules, track wildlife and work to protect the park ecosystems,” historical losses will occur.

     With all the potential losses on the horizon due to cuts, the NPS has plans to hire seasonal workers to make up for it, but the impact will already be underway.

     National parks are a staple of American tourism as well as environmental and historical conservation, making the protection of them all the more important. 

     There are still multiple ways to help the parks and those affected by the cuts: offering to volunteer in important positions at the parks, spreading awareness to those in your circle, donating to NPS conservation groups and signing multiple petitions–many of which can be found on the National Parks Conservation Association website. 

Front/Home, News

Winter Formal set to be a fun night on the dance floor

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By Riya Bhattarai

     Dances are one of the most anticipated events of the school year for many students. 

     Homecoming occurs at the beginning of the school year, often in September, while the Winter Formal tends to happen mid-year. 

     Although this year, the date has changed a bit, and the dance is occurring later than previous years as it is being held March 1 according to Student Council adviser, Dana Kester.

     Usually like previous years, dances happen in the school gymnasium, and this year’s winter formal will keep the same tradition. 

     ¨SMFHS Commons and Gym [is where the dance will take place],” senior Elena Kimmich, chair of Student Council said. 

     Food and drinks are also another important factor in a formal dance. 

    ¨We will have free cookies and water, [and] Kona Ice and Rowdy Beans will be there for purchase,¨ Kimmich stated. 

      This year’s Winter Formal date has had some problems in the planning area as it was changed “a few times this year due to building scheduling issues,” Kester said.  “We had to work around basketball schedules, Speech and Debate tournaments and Foodie Palooza.” 

     Planning and creating an event may seem like a semi-easy thing; however, once a theme is chosen, there is quite a bit of work that goes into finalizing everything in order for the event to be successful. 

    “Once they choose a theme, they create a vision board for inspiration and also to ensure their design is cohesive. From there, they think about the different areas that need to be decorated: the staircases, lockers, trophy cases, windows and tables. The committee chairs oversee the decor decisions, but committee members work on their own areas,” Kester said. 

     Kimmich discussed how each committee member is given an area of the commons to decorate, and she is in charge of designing that part of things.  

     ¨This year, each are is a different part of ‘Wonderland,’ so the entrance staircase is themed ‘The Garden’ where Alice is seen, and the lockers are themed ‘Mad Hatter.’ We work with Mrs. Sedor to sell tickets and make purchases. The committee makes sure all of our advertisements are approved and fit the theme,¨ Kimmich said.  

     Student council members will be busy the morning of March 1 preparing the commons and surrounding areas for the dance later that evening. Kester said about 40 students will participate in the decorating from 8 a.m. until 12 p.m., and will work in their designated areas to make the commons suitable for a magical night. 

      “Student Council is a well-oiled machine on the morning of a dance,” Kester said. 

News

Speaker shares her story with juniors and seniors

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     Life includes numerous challenges for nearly everyone. 

     Aleanya Moore has experienced and overcome such challenges: having a mother addicted to drugs, growing up without a father and having an overall lack of foundation for her future. Moore was able to move past her complications to graduate college and gain her master’s degree, create a foundation to mentor young girls, join Delta Sigma Theta Sorority inc and win Ms. Black Midwest USA.

     Moore spoke to juniors and seniors on Feb. 16 during the school day about their futures in college or other avenues. She gave advice, spoke of her struggles and explained how she was able to persevere and create a positive life for herself and her daughter.

     Moore grew up with her grandmother as her guardian because her mother had a drug addiction, and her father was not present. She explained the lack of support led to not having “the social and emotional support I needed as a child.”

     When Moore was in high school, she had a 1.7 GPA and was not very dedicated to her studies. She kept her grades up to participate in Basketball and Track. When it came to attending university, many colleges did not accept her because of her GPA.

     Moore was accepted into the University of Cincinnati on academic probation. She had to receive a 2.0 during her first quarter; otherwise, she would be sent away. She achieved this feat and graduated from college after five years.

     She warned against ignoring academic responsibilities when attending college. She had seen people around her, including her roommate, fail out of college.

     “Many people got to campus and partied it up, and they failed. They flunked out of college,” Moore explained.

     Moore emphasized the importance of not letting certain events define who you are. She explained that despite her challenging childhood, she was able to create success for herself.

     Being the first person in her family to attend college, Moore felt she was taking her destiny into her own hands. 

     “I’m the person that can change the trajectory of my bloodline,” Moore said.

     Many people fear the shift from high school to college, and Moore acknowledged that the change can be a scary experience. She also spoke on how failure is not as common as many think.

     “If you fall and get back up, that’s not failure,” Moore stated.

     Moore warned against going into a career field based solely on income. She admitted that numerous people around her did not think of their passions when choosing their career. Moore chose to be an educator because she was passionate about it, and she is currently the dean of students at a charter school in Indianapolis.

     “I love what I do to the point that if I didn’t get paid, it would still be an honor to me,” Moore said.

     Moore explained that even if the students were unsure of what they were passionate about, they could take general classes to prepare themselves for the other classes they would need to take for their major. She also recommended that each person find a mentor in their chosen field of study and learn from them.

     Along with following passions, Moore encourages students to think of what truly speaks to them and not what their parents want from them. 

      “Sometimes what you want to do may go against your parent’s views and goals,” Moore stated.

     Moore divides her life into chapters, and she gives each chapter of her life a title: high school was endurance, college was assigned tenacity and her 2007 chapter was titled courageousness.

     She invited students to the stage to speak of what chapter they are currently experiencing.


Source: Stohion/Hailey Sanford
Aleayna Moore spoke to juniors and seniors on Feb. 16 to prepare them for college; she spoke of the different chapters in her life. She encouraged students to share what chapter they are currently experiencing with the rest of the auditorium.

     Senior Noah Brown explained he is in his transition chapter: “Before coming to Stow, I was in a not-so-great area.”

     Brown discussed how he is doing better now that he is experiencing this chapter. Other students described their chapters of learning, healing, perseverance and sisterhood. Each student is experiencing different things, this is evident through their chapter titles.

     Moore was able to become something she never thought possible. When she was in high school, she had no belief in herself, but she transformed her struggles into something greater, something that helped her overcome her complications.

     Moore is currently a PhD student and will compete for Ms. Black USA in August. She has also written four books. Her accomplishments are impressive, and she would have been unable to achieve them without believing in herself.

     Moore left the students with a piece of advice: “Don’t be afraid to be the eagle that is going to soar over others.”