ABC News states that fifty school shootings have taken place since the Columbine shooting in 1999.
School systems take shootings very seriously. A new procedure called ALICE (Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, and Evacuate) is a plan of action that tries to keep students safer than they previously were under the old system of lockdown drills.
“ALICE is thinking about the situation and what you can do and what you feel comfortable doing if put in that situation,” Assistant Principal Chris Hunsaker said.
ALICE training for teachers started this school year. Later in the year students will be learning about the revamped crisis drills from teachers and be seeing them in action during intruder drills.
“We will have one intruder drill every quarter, I don’t know a specific date,” Hunsaker said.
The way schools and law enforcement respond to shootings
have changed dramatically since Columbine.
When the old lockdown system was designed to protect students from drive by shootings, gang violence, or random shootings outside the building.
“Even police officers were taught it would be a hostage situation. And most school shootings are no longer hostage situations,” Hunsaker said.
The first step of the new procedure would be to try to get the student body safely out of the building.
“If you knew you needed to get out of the building and you could get to it safely then you’re going to run,” Hunsaker said.
The next step, if it isn’t safe to get out of the building, is to block the intruder from getting into the room.
“If you knew that the person was right outside your door you’re going to barricade it and make it as
hard as possible for them to get in,” Hunsaker said.
And if neither of those options can be put into action and the intruder is already in the room, students and teachers are asked to contain the threat.
“If you knew that person was coming in the door, you’re going to do everything in your power to prevent the situation from getting any worse than it already is,” Hunsaker said. “You’re going to make things as difficult as possible for them to do the act that they’re wanting to do.”
Many teachers have strong opinions on the new procedures.
“I was skeptical. I’d heard through word of mouth a lot of different things about ALICE training, but I hadn’t received any of the training yet,” Hostetler said.
ALICE gives teachers and students a plan to rely on if an event like a school shooting was ever to take place.
“You cannot plan for a tragic event like a school shooting. They’re not all the same, they’re not carried out in the same way. So you really can’t be prepared for that, but what you can be prepared for is what to do in the moment,” he added.
School shootings are unique situations and should be treated as such.
“You don’t know until that day comes if they’re going to be in your classroom or the hallway outside of the classroom or the other end of the school,” Hostetler said.
ALICE could help teachers and students react in a high-stress situation outside of the school environment.
“It’s good thought process to have no matter where you go. Whether it be a movie theatre or some other public place,” Hunsaker said.
This will be new to a lot of students, but in the end, it could save lives and prepare them for situations later that may occur further down the road.
Trying to take out the intruder is the last step in ALICE, and it can save lives.
“The resource officer talked to us about training that he had been to. He talked about what happens if you just stay in your room versus if you just try to get out and what happens if you fight against a shooter coming into your room,” Hostetler said.
All the information about ALICE, such as a full history and tips on implementation is available at www.alicetraining.com.
“If we are running this efficiently, within seconds of a shot being fired people are getting out of the building or they’re blocking the room so an intruder cannot get into the room. That person is going to be left with empty halls and rooms they can’t get into,” Hostetler said.
ALICE is nothing for students, parents, or staff members to worry about. If a tragic event like a shooting was to ever happen, having a set procedure like ALICE is more likely to keep people safe.
“I think the training and their ideals are good, but the situation is something that I hate,” Hostetler said.

(1) Of the taxed portions from a pack of cigarettes, the greatest amount goes towards Missouri’s Schools Money Fund.

Missouri’s lowest tobacco tax in the nation can have adverse effects, especially in a high school setting.

Lawmakers are proposing tax increases, which, they believe, may could help discourage young people from purchasing tobacco products.

   According to the Congressional Budget Office, a 10% increase in the per-pack cigarette tax would decrease smoking among citizens under the age of 18 by from 20% to 15%. It would also decrease the smoking among adults by from 11% to 8%.

   Missouri voters rejected the proposed tobacco tax increase in November of 2016.  Currently, 4 ½ mills (a mill is one tenth of  cent) for each cigarette goes to a Schools Money Fund, according to the Missouri Department of Revenue.

   That’s 17 cents for a pack of 20 cigarettes.  Other, smaller portions of the tax go to the Fair Share Fund and the Health Initiatives fund.
   Other tobacco products like cigars, smokeless tobacco and tobacco-free alternatives that still contain nicotine get taxed similarly.    10% of the manufacturer’s invoice price goes to the same state funds.

   According to Ozarks First, the Amendment 3 was a 2016  proposal which would increase tobacco taxes in Missouri from $0.17 to $0.60.  $0.60 is still only about a third of the national average.

   Funds from the proposed increases would have gone into an Early Childhood Health and Education Trust Fund; the Amendment failed with 59% of people voting against it.

   Comparison to nationwide prices Missouri has the lowest excise tax per pack of cigarettes in the country, coming in at $0.17 per pack. Compared to New York’s $4.35 tax per pack and the national average of $1.72 cents per pack, the difference is quite notable.  Currently, Missouri’s tobacco excise tax is a little more than a tenth of the national average.
   So what does raising the tax even by ten cents hurt? Maybe in a year, you get to buy 10 fewer packs of cigarettes, but public health would actually benefit from an increased tax.

   The current tax is on tobacco products excludes E-cigs, and many believe that a more updated version of the tax would not only bring in more money for state funds, but they could also discouage the use of vapes.

   E-cigarettes, such as Juuls, Suorins or any other smoking alternative, are not included in the state tobacco tax. According to Tax Foundation, only seven states have an actual tax on e-cigarettes, including California, Minnesota, Kansas, Louisiana, Pennsylvania, West Virginia and North Carolina.

Science News For Students explains that within the past few years, the vaping and smoking have switched places.  In 2013, the number of students who smoked was nearly three times that as those who vaped.  But by 2015, nearly twice the number of teenagers vape as those who smoke.

   Knowing that the number of people vaping is on the rise, the government should take action in response.

   An additional tax on E-cigs and their accessories would discourage young people from purchasing them, says senior Christian Casertano, who knows a lot about vaping.

   “It’s already an expensive hobby,”  Casertano said.  “And I definitely don’t want to spend more money on it than I already do.”

For centuries marijuana has been a large problem in the world causing a lot of crime and leading to drug trafficking across the world resulting in people being arrested. Marijuana, also known as many other street names including cannabis, pot, mary jane, weed, THC, and many others is found in all 50 states across the country whether legally or not. This drug has been recently legalized in a handful of states including Colorado, California, Washington, Oregon, Nevada, Alaska, Maine, and Massachusetts.

   This has caused the black market to almost shut down which is an illegal way to order drugs on the “Dark Web”. Legalized states are also not arresting the marijuana drug dealers now which helps the crime rate go down for it causes lots of disagreements which in some cases leads to death.

  One of the biggest pros and the most drastically improved area in the business is the tax revenue. This money can be used to fix roads, fund public projects, improve schools, hire more police and firefighters, and many other things. Another pro is its use for cancer treatment to help with radiation.

  A big reason a lot of these states decided to make cannabis legal was that of the many medical conditions that are “untreatable” is now being treated with marijuana. These conditions include Crohn’s disease, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, migraines, post-traumatic stress disorder, (also known as PTSD)  cancer, problems due to chemotherapy, and the list goes on. Having access to these medical cannabis products means improved public health. This results in more public funds to better our community.

   The legalization makes our police and courts focus on the more violent crimes taking place in our country. Police and the court system were very overwhelmed with bringing in individuals for just possessing marijuana. These individuals were treated as they were carrying meth, heroin, or cocaine. This was causing a major problem of an overcrowded prison system.. which leads to either funding more prisons or letting out people who shouldn’t be.  With all the pros that come along with the legalization of marijuana also come many cons too.

   Marijuana can be addictive, many users can become very depended on it over time just like alcohol users. Even though it is not as addictive as the harder drugs like crack and meth cannabis can still be very addictive and depended on

some users. Stopping the use of the substance cold turkey can cause withdrawal symptoms like irritability and anxiety, but the same could be said about cigarette smokers. More studies will need to be done to determine if marijuana is really as addictive as the opponents of cannabis legalization claim.

   Another downfall of the use is that users have decreased mental health. Users suffer from restricted blood flow to the brain, memory loss, and increased likeliness of depression. Cannabis alters your perception; like alcohol, this could lead to impaired driving. Opponents also claim that this could lead to an increase in harder crimes like robbery and violence because of your altered judgment. This drug is also considered a gateway drug, once a person tries marijuana they are more likely to want to try another drug to get that “better high”.

This issue will only be a more prominent

discussion in the world and will lead to more bills being passed and more meetings.

A Protester makes known her argument at a rally. Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Bernie Sanders voices his opinion at a rally of his. Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

  “The focus of the event is to use have activities that we already have that not a whole lot of people know we offer, highlight it and make it more fun,” Ms. Netzer said.

Epsilon Beta president Lauryn Kisting is optimistic that students will have fun participating in the event.  

  “It’s something to take your mind off the daily monotony of school,” she said.

  Kisting explains that the idea behind teen tech week is to help teens start creating more.

  “There’s different activities that kids can do throughout the week to get placed in a drawing.  Most of the activities include creating bookmarks, take a shelfie, reading more, and using technology to get teens more involved in the library and books,” Kisting said.

  Kisting believes the event will bring about real benefit because technology has become a more integral part of life, and being involved in it is the way to succeed.

  “It’s Important to get involved in technology because it’s the future. It’s becoming more prevalent in our generation, and it’ll be a staple for future generations,” she said.

  Netzer explains that, while this tech week is the first of its kind in our school, she anticipates a lot of participation.  She’s set up the event to be rewarding for anyone who participates.

  Completing one of the seven activities will get you candy.  But completing at least five will put you in a drawing for a prize, a grab-bag including various library-related prizes like coupons to use the vinyl printer, earbuds and coupons for the 3D printer.

  “It’ll be fun.  It’s nice to hot have to focus on school all the time, ad the prizes are going to be really cool,” Kisting said.

  This tech week will hopefully pave the way for similar future events.  Netzer explains that she wants to begin monthly events for the library with Epsilon Beta starting in the next year.

  “We want all the students to feel like the library is a space to be utilized.  It’s supposed to be the living room for everyone to gather,” Netzer said.

The gun was offered by a players dad who owned a local gun shop. No player is required to sell tickets.

As of January 24, 2018, Kickapoos’ new neighbor, Birch Pointe Rehabilitation Center, has announced their grand opening to the public. This 17 million-dollar project has been in motion since late June of 2017 and is now open for business seven months later.

In Birch Pointes’ entrance, there is a glass window that leads into the physical therapy room, where patients who need it, will receive it.

     Reliance Health Care collaborated with Miller Commerce to build Birch Pointe as an addition to the Medical Mile.

In the front seating area of Birch Pointe there is couches and tables for residents and visitors. In the seating area there is a bistro.

     Birch Pointe is a seniors’ rehabilitation center. The three different communities at Birch Pointe are Long Term Care, which cares for patients who plan to stay at the facility for a longer time; Short Term Care, for those who are just coming out of the hospital and need physical therapy before they are able to return home; and Dementia Care for patients who have been diagnosed with some form of memory loss.

  Each community has their own dining and recreational areas along with singular and conjoined bedrooms.

  Administrator at Birch Pointe, Gene Vestal says that he doesn’t foresee any traffic problems in the future regarding the after school and before school rush.

  “You guys just can’t park in our lot due to the transportation of our patients coming in and out,”  Vestal said.

  Receptionist Rachel Mertz has high hopes for Birch Pointe and its long term effects on the community.

Birch Pointe includes conjoined rooms for patients who don’t mind sharing rooms with each other. All conjoined rooms include separate beds, wardrobed and TV’s.

  “I hope our facility brings a new standard of care in the community,” Mertz said.

Birch Pointe Rehabilitation Center, across from Kickapoo is open for business and is now welcoming patients and visitors.

  Birch Pointe is open 24/7 for residents transferring in and out of the facility. There are set times where the residents’ family members can visit them.

“We want to ultimately be a place where the community can come together for their families and loved ones,” Vestal said.

   “It’s a little hard to host at White River again because there’s animal prints on the carpet and a nature theme already exists, but it’ll be fun and interesting at the same time.  We’re going to make sure our theme compliments what’s already there, and our theme will stand out more than the existing theme.”

ARABELLA MASCHINO

“I’m excited to be on prom committee because I can’t wait to see how the setup looks, and we’ve got a really great group this year.  With Mrs. Fraser’s help, we’ll be able to set up something really special.  I can’t tell you what the theme is, mostly because it’s top secret (as of late January) but also because we don’t have a final theme decided yet.”

HEATHER CHAFFIN

“We help set the dance up.  Mrs. Fraser is in charge, but we get to give input and give our ideas for what we think everyone will enjoy.  We also get to plan the design for the merchandise for students to take home to remember the dance.”

QUIN REASONER

“There are between 20 and 25 people on prom committee.  We are picked individually based on what we do in the school and our creativity regarding the theme.  I’m super excited for prom this year because I’ll be with friends, and it’s extra special that I’m involved because the dance will have our personal touch.”

KAYLA HERRON

“The day of the dance, we go to the White River Conference Center and set up with Mrs. Fraser and Mrs. Moran.  It’s a great way to take it easy and relax on the day of prom.  For couples going to prom, my advice would be to not get too uptight and to make it fun.”

COLE MCCARVILLE

Example of posters and online graphics created for the Day of Action to save net neutrality.
Photos courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Example of posters and online graphics created for the Day of Action to save net neutrality.
Photos courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

In mid-December 2017, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and its chairman, Ajit Pai, made a decision that could change the way the internet is used forever.

The FCC made the decision to repeal the “open internet”, or what is referred to as net neutrality.

Net neutrality, for those who may not know, “is the principle that Internet Service Providers (ISPs) treat all content equally and not give preference to any digital content providers. That means the consumer can load every website, app or video equally, regardless of where the content is hosted,” according to ABC News.

In layman’s terms, that means the consumer has complete open access to the internet, and everything loads at the speed your connection allows. It doesn’t matter whether the content is found on the largest, most visited web page on the internet or on the site of the smallest business, it can be accessed all the same.

The FCC first voted in 2015 and classified the broadband providers that give the people the ability to get on the internet as public utilities. This classification, which was based on Title II of the Communications Act of 1934, means that ISPs like AT&T or Verizon cannot interfere with web traffic.

What the 2017 vote did is repeal that decision, and remove the public utility classification from ISPs. This means that the internet providers can charge money for access to some websites or slow down the content of their competitors.

Now, the result of this decision doesn’t mean that this ruling is final: the vote still has to go through Congress first. And under the Congressional Review Act (CRA), Congress can reverse a change in a federal regulation by a simple majority vote within 60 days after that regulation is published in the official record. 

Numerous interest groups, like Free Press or Public Knowledge, and members of Congress are ready to go to court against the FCC. The state general attorney of over 20 states have already filed lawsuits to stop the repeal, with Montana Governor Steve Bullock signing an executive order saying that, “any internet service provider with a state government contract cannot block or charge more for faster delivery of websites to any customer in the state,” according to the New York Times.

Large businesses like Netflix that could be seriously affected by the repeal of net neutrality have also criticized the repeal, and have said that this could be the beginning of a “longer legal battle” with the FCC.

Kickapoo senior Joseph Choi is against the repeal of net neutrality rules.

“I don’t like the idea of the repeal. I like the freedom the internet gives me to do what I want and search for what I want,” Choi said.

Choi also thinks that the rules in place should be left alone because they are getting the job done.

“I don’t think they should repeal the protections. It has upset most of the people in the country and a lot of its big companies. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with it and it’s better just to not mess with it,” Choi said.

Supporters of the FCC’s decision to repeal the 2015 vote state that it could save consumers money on their data plans. For example, Verizon allows its customers to stream NFL games without data charges. And T-Mobile lets some of its subscribers stream Netflix, HBO and Hulu without counting against their data limits as part of its Binge On service.

Opposers of the repeal argue that the “little guys” on the internet (websites of small businesses for example) will die without net neutrality. Without these open internet rules, consumer groups and smaller internet companies fear broadband providers could offer faster internet speeds to companies that can pay them and slow down access to websites and companies that can’t afford to do so.

Charter Communications, an ISP that provides for about 22.3 million U.S. homes, sent out a statement in an article from USA Today that they do not plan on “blocking” or “throttling” their customers’ internet access because it would be bad for business.

The statement explains that, “We don’t slow down, block, or discriminate against lawful content. Simply put, we don’t interfere with the lawful online practices of our customers and we have no plans to change our practices.”

Right, wrong or indifferent, some big changes to the way the Internet is regulated could be fast approaching. Whether or not the FCC gets what it wants, their vote certainly has divided the country.

83% of the over 1,000 registered voters  opposed the FCC’s decision to repeal the current net neutrality rules, according to a poll conducted by The Hill.

KARE team typically has between 20 and  30 dresses available to anybody who needs one this prom season.

   Amy Moran, KARE Team sponsor, said that the team relies on donations from former and current students to keep the dress drive stocked.  The gowns are cleaned, prepared and arranged in room 103 for students.

   “Just talk to your counselor, and we’ll let you try the dresses on,” Moran said.

   During the rest of the year, KARE team manages the food pantry, a collection of food for any Kickapoo student and their family should they need it.

   Moran and KARE team members wash and prepare the dresses for their future wearers.

   “They’re really pretty dresses,” Moran said, even though she explained that the dress drive does not contain the most fashion-forward dresses.

   Senior member JaMya Dean has been a member of  KARE Team for three years and has always been a part of the dress drive.

   “What KARE team is doing is really good because we’re able to provide for somebody who wouldn’t be able to pay for it out-of-pocket, especially since prom dresses are really expensive.  The fact that we do this is very special because girls are able to dress up and have opportunities that they normally wouldn’t have without KARE Team,” Dean said.

______________________________________________________________________________

This year’s dresses, like every year’s dresses, promise to make their wearers beautiful, confident and the belle of the ball.  Mothers across town will tear up at the sight of their darlings on their big night.

   The biggest trends for dresses this year, KARE Team sponsor Amy Moran says, includes floral print and two-piece dresses.  Floral dresses have been a staple for fashion for more than a thousand years, especially in ancient Japan, China and India.  The modern resurgence of florals made their way into American fashion in the 20s and 30s.  From there on out, flowers and floral gowns have  been a welcome part of everybody’s closet for the last century.

The Springfield Public Schools (SPS) district released an  official statement in late December regarding the academy pilot program.  Plans for the program’s launch are at Hillcrest and Glendale in the  2018-19 school year.

  The main goal of the release  was to explain the new pilot course as well as to dispel any rumors surrounding the academies program.

   “The pilot seminar course will introduce . . . students to a variety of college and career paths identified in collaboration with the local business community and Chamber of Commerce,” the news release stated.

   The pilot program is modeled off of a school district in Nashville, according to principal Kelly Allison’s November 3 newsletter. 

   In the statement, Allison explains that the academies program plans to break down schools so that they are “schools within a school.”  The program hopes to achieve “sustained instructional improvement which . . .  [enhances] student learning.”

   The official statement from the district promotes its academy program by listing the system’s ability “to ensure relevance in Springfield and Southwest Missouri.” 

   Many students find concern with the Springfield-centric plan because it limits them.  If a student wants to study marine biology, they won’t have the opportunity to study in their area of interest because there’ll be no marine biology academy on the account of there being no ocean in Missouri.   Should the district turn to an academies program, any students with a career interest outside of southwest Missouri will only be able to join an academy similar to their section of study.

   The district’s statement reassures its readers that “jobs are not in jeopardy and teachers will not be required to teach courses outside their area of expertise.  In fact, the teachers participating in the pilot course . . . volunteered for this opportunity.”

   An anonymous Kickapoo teacher isn’t convinced.  They are in favor of site-based academy programs like Kickapoo U, where students who opt in to the program have a more personalized education and teacher involvement.  They find skepticism when it comes to a magnet school program where the city’s high schools are split up.

   “There is no evidence that this type of academy program benefits schools that already have as high of a graduation rate as Kickapoo,” they explained.

   They are sure that magnet schools are always going to limit electives because there is no room for upper-level electives in the schedule.

   “Will we need four art teachers [at Kickapoo] when all we’ll have is art foundations?” they asked.

   This teacher wants their students to understand that they shouldn’t be geographically handicapped.  They think that, instead of the academies program being dedicated to  creating jobs in the local economy, the district should remain true to Kickapoo’s mission statement, which aims to “prepare all students for their futures in the global society.”

   “This is a public school,” they said.  “You should have the right to a comprehensive education.”

   Allison explained that fine arts programs being in jeopardy is just a rumor. 

    “I think a lot of that was just rumors and misinformation about what some other models are.  Just because you visit something . . . and it works for another district doesn’t mean it’s going to work here,” he explained.

          Despite such reassurances, senior Noelle Batchelder is convinced that  nobody, students and higher-ups alike, know what is going on.  Batchelder attended a mid-December meeting where she voiced her concerns in front of the school board members as well as superintendent John Jungmann.

   “As it stands, we do not know whether to believe these new changes to be positive or negative, and currently they can only be determined to be negative due to the lack of information that has been provided and the amount of information that has been withheld,” she explained during the school board meeting.

   Batchelder reminds students that they need to stay informed about all upcoming changes that SPS  plans to make.

   “Even if you won’t be directly affected, you should be informed because these changes will affect the economy, your younger siblings as well as Springfield jobs,” she said.

   Batchelder wonders why the district would want to switch to such a program.

“Something like this isn’t practical for Kickapoo,” Batchelder said.

      Glendale and Hillcrest will begin their pilot course for next year’s incoming freshmen, and Dr. Natalie Cauldwell, Glendale’s principal, is sure that the class will be helpful for getting students prepared for the high school experience.

  “It can be overwhelming for freshmen when considering their plan for high school.  Students will learn the ins and outs of scheduling, what’s available at GHS and how to plan for post high school. In order to help students develop meaningful plans for their high school experience, we will expose students to college and career opportunities.  This will help students have a better understanding of the course load they should take in high school,” Cauldwell said. 

     She explains that the fundamental problem that Glendale plans to solve is student engagement, and she is confident that the new course and its setup for small learning groups will take steps in the right direction.

  “We believe that the small learning community component is very powerful. Regardless of the future of academies in SPS, GHS will work toward creating a small learning community for all students,” she said.

By ZACH ARNOLD

Juniors in Springfield Public Schools have always had the option of taking a free ACT  through the school in the spring up until this past spring. in the past have always been offered a free ACT in in the spring up until 2016. The state decided to take away the fund the schools needed for the ACT.

  With having students in the school that don’t have a way to pay for this test and other students that just won’t take it because they don’t want to pay for it the Springfield Public Schools has stepped in to provide every junior student with the option to take the act sometime in April between the 3rd and the 5th.

  The test will be taken on the chrome books this year just like students took them last year. Having the test on the chrome books means that there will be no writing. Ways to study and fully prepare yourself consist of Getting books to study, taking the ACT prep class Kickapoo offers, buying tutorials, going to the library center in Kickapoo, and getting a personal tutor. You can sign yourself up for the ACT online for free if you are a junior. After the first free test any additional tests you want to take will cost forty six for no writing and sixty two with writing. “The option of taking the free test is completely up to you, we hope most students will make the right decision and use this free ACT to their benefit” Mr. Coffey said.

  To begin the meeting, Lemmon passed out sticky notes  and asked students to list three grievances that they have with the current wifi filter system.  The following list includes some of the blocked content that students put on their sticky notes.

• Drug use
• Reproductive content
• Forums content
• The whole website is blocked if the site has gaming advertisements
• Medical and anatomy searches
• Sex cells
• Pictures and Google images
• YouTube
• Chemistry research
• Drugs
• Health-related topics
• Slow wi-fi in certain rooms
• Controversial topics
• Everybody but one person in a class can access a YouTube video

 Douglas explained that while the district recognizes that they need to make changes, they cannot completely remove the filters because they must comply with federal regulation.  

  The Children’s Internet Protection Act (FIPA), Douglas said, requires schools to censor pornography as well as “inappropriate material,” which is up to the administrators’ discretion.

  According to the Federal Communications Commission’s website, FIPA requires institutions that get discounts for Internet access to comply with certain regulations.

  The website also mentions that these  schools and libraries that receive a discount for wifi must enforce a safety policy that addresses  “access by minors to inappropriate matter on the Internet . . . and dissemination of personal information regarding minors”

Essentially FIPA’s goal is to restrict “minors’ access to materials harmful to them.”  

  The only question left unanswered is: What material is “harmful” to students?  Because this is up to administration to decide what is and is not harmful, the blocks on the wifi have been inconvenient at best for many students enrolled in Springfield Public Schools.

  The wifi filter issue came to Douglas’s and Lemmon’s attention when students presented a group persuasive speech to Principal Kelly Allison for their Introduction to Speech class in October.  The students, seniors Coleman Chevy, Yatsi Mak, Jamila Makhloufi and Emma Swenson, presented their argument that wifi filter regulations should be changed.

  “The presentation was very informative.  It was great to get student perspective and to be able to hear their frustrations . . . I didn’t realize that students were having so many problems with the filters,” Allison said.

  The first thing that he did was get a copy of the presentation and send it to the district, and that’s how Douglas and Lemmon came to start the pilot group at Kickapoo.

  The software, Securly, that censors websites on the Internet has three ways of filtering.  The first way is that it places websites in one of fourteen categories.  If the website falls into one of the prohibited categories, like “friendship content” or “forums content,” then the program will block it.

  Second, the program censors based on keywords.  If a student’s Google search contains certain words, then Securly blocks it.

  The third way in which the software filters is based on domain.  Entire websites can be blocked or unblocked based on set parameters.

  This third way that Securly filters content, based on domain, will be soon lifted, Douglas explains.

  Streaming websites like Pandora, Spotify and SoundCloud have been removed from the blacklist for high schools as of December 4, Douglas said, because he recognizes that streaming websites are not inappropriate or harmful to students.

Special Education teacher Scarlet Cormack says that 90% of people like the students in the functional skills classes will never find a job.  Cormack, along with her colleagues, speech pathologist Kim Patterson and behavior analyst Amy Reese are working to change that.      

   “We want to break that statistic.  Special needs students absolutely can do things—they’re not  incapable,” Cormack said.

   Reece and Patterson own a greenhouse called Good Vibes that they started over this past summer.  They introduced their idea to start a business with Springfield’s special needs students to Cormack, and she immediately jumped on board.

   They partnered up with Nova, an agency to provide services to teenagers and adults with autism and other disabilities, to make a company called Succulent Enterprises.

   The Kickapoo chapter of Succulent Enterprises is called Super Succulents, and the special needs students create beautiful succulent arrangements with minimal assistance.

   “Students are shining in many different aspects,” Patterson said.

   The kids work in customer service, sales, clean-up, graphic design and budgeting.

“Everybody can use their own special skills,” she explained.

   The students cut the top of the succulent off and re-pot the rest of the plant before hot gluing the succulent to some moss.  The plants typically live an average of 3-8 weeks after they are purchased.

“Students are shining in  many different aspects.  Everybody can use their own special skills,” speech pathologist Kim Patterson said.

   Patterson is sure that the students working on this project are really benefitting from it, especially since the business has received overwhelming enthusiasm from other students.

   The future of Succulent Enterprises looks promising.  Currently, there are around 50 students at Kickapoo, David Harrison elementary, Carver junior high and Nova’s post-secondary education program involved in the business.

“All students in the functional skills classes are involved, even kids with multiple disabilities,” Cormack said.

   Super Succulents plans to host pop-up sales several times through the school year.  During their fall pumpkin sale on October 20, the Kickapoo chapter alone made more than $800 in sales.

   Cormack, Patterson and Reese are working with Home Depot to reverse the trend that 90% of special needs students will never get a job.  And those who worked for Succulent Enterprises through Nova have the opportunity to get a job at Home Depot in the future.

Cormack said, “Home Depot has been phenomenal.”

The business also provided Succulent Enterprises with their plants at a huge discount.

   Their next planned sale will take place some time during December, and it is open to the public.  The business greatly appreciates support of any kind, whether it be purchasing an arrangement or  following them on their social media handles: Succulent Enterprises on Facebook, @SucculentEnter3 on Twitter and @succulententerprises on Instagram.

 “I can safely say that no two situations are ever alike.  It’s not black and white at all,” principal Kelly Allison said regarding threats of violence against schools.

   He explains that the course of action depends on how administration gets the information, where it came from, who shared it and the threat’s intent. 

   “Most of what we see now is social media and using devices to share information, and people trying to either be funny or to get attention,” Allison said.

   The nature of social media is that content is copied and pasted and shared.

   According to vice principal Scot Phillips, administration can become aware of these threats on social media in a number of ways. Students can notify school police of any dangers through the tip line, the phone number located on the back of all student IDs.

   They also become aware of these threats of violence through word of mouth.  When a student discusses the matter with a teacher or counselor, administration is notified.

   “That’s where you have to figure out what’s legitimate and what’s not legitimate,” Allison explained. “Why does this person have this information?  Did they have any part in how it was originated?  It’s very time-consuming to try to come up with what really actually happened and what the intention was.”

   The reason why the process is so time-consuming, Phillips explained, is that the situation requires much investigation.

   “For example, in the most recent threat in October, administration spent two full days talking with students, trying to find the source of the information,” Phillips said.

   Both Phillips and Allison say the process is like “chasing rabbits” because someone will bring in their phone with evidence of a threat, and they have to find out where that student got the information.  From there they must follow the texts and tweets and Facebook posts up the chain until they find the original poster.

   “Arriving at the source is very difficult and time-consuming,” Phillips said.

  Chasing rabbits is why it takes  time to notify the public about the situation.

   “We’re wading through emails, Facebook posts, tweets and texts, so it takes time to notify staff and students, especially because we have to take into consideration both the school punishment side of the matter as well as the legal side.”

   In October, several schools in the area were

under threats of violence, among them  Kickapoo, Glendale, and Nixa High School.  Allison suspects that the reason for this is that students will copy off of each other.

   “When attendance is bad because of certain incidents that have happened, it may give somebody else the idea, ‘hey, if we do this, then maybe we won’t have to go to school on Friday,’” Allison said.

“When there’s a threat made, we treat them all the same.  We can’t assume it’s just a rumor,” Allison said.

   According to attendance secretary Kim Brown, students who elect to stay home on the day of a rumored shooting or bombing will have their absence coded as elective.  Elective absences are ones that are not related to medical issues, and they count against students’ attendance.

   On October 13, the day of Kickapoo’s recent threat, 22.6% of the student body decided to stay home, a stark contrast compared to the 94-96% average attendance on any given day.

   When somebody makes a threat against the school, it isn’t often that the Springfield Police Department gets involved.  Typically, Allison said, it’s handled within the administration and school resource officers. 

   “There are words that people can use that get the attention of authorities outside of school,” he explained.

   Citing safety concerns, Allison could not share the specific words that get authorities’ attention.

   “There are also some things that school resource officers are mandated to share with Springfield police . . . things that are of serious nature that are criminal.  In general, most of the time, they do not get involved.”

   The Springfield Police Department (SPD) will also get involved regarding threats of violence when   the Springfield Public Schools system needs assistance.  Since the SPD has more resources than the district in this respect, they will help if a school needs help tracking down a phone number, for example.

   However, anything beyond the scope of SPS becomes a police matter.  The SPD will take over when there are crimes involved.

   Allison explained that every threat is investigated fully, even if they’re rumor-based.

   “When there’s a threat made, we treat them all the same.  We can’t just assume that it’s a rumor.  That’s why it takes a  long time to talk with every single person to try to get all of the information because we don’t want to miss anything,” he said.

   Rumors are what make the situation so complex.  In the specific incident regarding Kickapoo’s shooting threat in October, the rumors are what gave the threat such teeth.

   “In the five years that I’ve been at Kickapoo, that was the first time that we’ve had to communicate with anybody outside the school, like the media and parents.  It was only because we could not stop the rumors.  [The threat] was actually almost a week and half old when the rumors started.”