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Issue #7 - Front Page

Advance Art Students Spice the Halls

by Allie Harris

   Little groves of Wildcat art have been present in the school for quite some time now. In fact, having students paint the walls or other parts of the building is certainly not a new concept for BHS or the administration. However, the number of murals and requests for more have boomed in the last couple of years, and the art classes are ready to go.

   In just these two years, four have at least been started. The first was at the middle school, requested by Librarian Diane Marshall. The previous administration then asked for the black and white wildcat mural outside of the library. Finally, this year, the administrative assistants asked for the office bathroom to be painted and the school resource officers wanted their room painted as well.

   “I’ve worked on two. There were the books at the middle school and the Donut Shop,” says Junior Jadyn Cheever. The middle school mural is only partially finished, as the final vision behind it is a tunnel of books leading into the library. However, the Donut Shop for the officers is almost completed.

   The two Jadyn has not personally worked on were the mural done by the 2D Art kids last year, just outside of the BHS library, as well as the “Wildcat pride” mural still in progress in the head office bathroom. As for the latter, the idea behind it is to match with plans a redone commons floor.

   One might underestimate the amount of time and effort that goes into projects like these. With around nine people working on it, just half of the currently planned books at the middle school took weeks. This is not the case for all of them, but the average small mural takes around a week to complete, and the longer projects must be done sporadically throughout the year to make enough time for it.

   This also takes away project time for students. This year, smaller groups of Advanced Art students have been using their free project slots to work on these, but more structured lessons must still happen, making the kids have to sporadically work on these large projects.

   It also takes a surprising amount of skill. Junior Mo Allen agrees that it can be physically exhausting, sometimes even comparable to a workout, to paint over such a large area using one’s entire

body, sometimes with the subject barely within arm’s reach. There is also the amount of paint used to factor in.

   Even so, there are far more good things that come out with opportunities like these. “We wanted to give students the opportunity to contribute to beautifying our school,” Administrative Assistant Jaci Harsch explains. She then went on to mention that these paintings will be up for far longer than any other piece artists will do in high school, acting as a fond memento to come back to when visiting.

   Another benefit is that current students get to learn new skills and commit themselves to large projects that they will remember far in the future. The school also gets something nice to look at, which is far more special when its inhabitants were contributors. Plus, alumni will always see the mark they made on their school.

   So many little things have been changing BHS in huge ways recently. The artwork of the student body is only a small part of that. However, with every other little contribution, students and staff have been making this school a great place to be.

Tardy? Find Out The New Rules

by Teagan Harris
Newsie Teagan Harris interviewed Principal Jodi Grover on the newly-enforced tardy and absence policies.
Q: Does this new policy differ at all from what’s already in the student handbook?
A: “It’s essentially the same rules, but we are just working harder to enforce them.”
Q: What spurred this inclination to begin really enforcing these already existing rules, even if the students weren't aware? 
A: “We have had a very large increase in absences, especially kids leaving school for reasons 

that are not technically excused. Parents will even check their kids out just to skip.”
Q: How many days does someone need to be out sick to require a doctors note?
A: “If [a student] is out for three or more days they have to go to the doctor and show the office proof.”
Q: Will you be accepting/requiring photographic evidence/documentation of any other excused absences?
A: “If a student has a family emergency, all we need is confirmation from a parent.”
Q: At the beginning of the year, 

you addressed mental health days to the student body. how will you be handling students who call in with that excuse?
A: “If a student is truly in need of one, all they need to do is communicate with the school. Of course, this will not be something allowed several times a month, as it takes away from class time.”
Q: How do you plan to make this a widely known and respected policy?
A: “We are really going to crack down on enforcing this for every students without showing any favoritism toward any grade or student.”