Student Central

Editor: Darrah Dickinson

Senior Spotlight

Seniors find meaning in the high school experience

By Tanya Hannaford

Izzy Rutherford

“I've lived the majority of my life dreading what was to come,” Izzy Rutherford says, “because nothing felt like it was ever good enough. But I pushed on.” This is what separates Rutherford from typical perfectionists who find themselves paralyzed by failure: when the going gets tough, she pushes on.

Not only that, Rutherford pushes herself. She remembers moving from eighth grade to high school, determined to overcome her greatest fear: public speaking. So she took speech class and eventually found ways to compete in the practical art form.

Anyone who spends time with Rutherford can see the training in her manner of speaking. She makes minor movements with her hands for emphasis, but never so much as to distract. Her bright, steady gaze reassures the listener. Her speech is clear and direct, as if she were rehearsing lines she’d memorized long ago, even though you know this is all off the cuff.

Senior Izzy Rutherford (center) and fellow group members (seniors Alex Watts, Lily Davis, and Carter Underwood) work on the rough drafts of their literary analysis papers for College English. The writing group will later work together to improve and polish the drafts. photo by Tanya Hannaford

At a recent FBLA competition, senior Izzy Rutherford (left) and junior Keira Monroe pose with their earned medals for their outstanding performances in the journalism event. Rutherford received the first-place gold and Monroe took fourth. photo by Bridgett Schmutz

For Rutherford, high school has been an opportunity for exploration, and she encourages others to do the same. She advises, “It’s okay to take the time and decide what you want to do, to experience new things that you fear that you might not like, and to take that on. Find your own path and realize that you’re in charge of that.”

“The one thing that I have come to pride myself on is my writing,” Rutherford says. “It used to be something that I despised. Nothing that I ever wrote felt like it was good enough, something to hide away from the rest of the world. In my more recent years, it's become something that I feel like is mine and mine alone. It's not something that anyone can take away from me, change, or alter because they're my words. I even got to prove this fact when I placed top 100 in a poetry competition, making me a published poet.”

Her wide-ranging interests have led her to deep exploration and development of skills in business, in writing, in publishing, and in criminology. Her biggest concern is in choosing a single path among these many options.

Ultimately, in true Izzy fashion, she has found a way around that issue. “There are so many things that I want to do, and I feel like I don’t have to stick with just one career,” she explains. “I could do publishing and that will help me get an idea of how I can use my knowledge from that career to push my writing forward as a separate entity. I could also get into forensics, and the things I learn there I could also incorporate into my writing on the side.”

Colton Trotter

Colton Trotter doesn’t hate himself as much as he used to. He says he vehemently despised his freshman self and gradually felt less animosity towards his sophomore person. And while he tolerates himself a lot better than he used to, he still regrets the time he lost in getting “overly political” throughout his junior year and part of his senior year before realizing “that doesn’t really matter at all.”

Trotter is wearing a gray t-shirt that reads, “SURELY NOT EVERYBODY WAS KUNG FU FIGHTING,” but he’s more serious about things than he lets on. He believes his energies will be better spent focusing on his family and his friends. The political world, he says, is “going one way; I don’t have much hope for it.”

He says the people who most influenced him politically ultimately let him down. “I got some big disillusionment there. Just seeing all those people running for Senate…it wasn’t pretty,” he says, his face flushing as he remembers that darker time. “Politics were like a religion [for me] and I just hated it. It’s a game you never win.”

Colton Trotter, senior, proudly wears a gold medal at a recent FBLA competition for his stellar performance at the economics event. At the same competition, he also earned medals in supply chain management and personal finance. Trotter has participated in FBLA contests since his sophomore year. photo by Bridgett Schmutz

Using his aide hour during fifth hour journalism with Mrs. Tanya Hannaford, senior Colton Trotter knocks out some writing of his College English literary analysis rough draft. photo by Tanya Hannaford

One of Trotter’s friends, who aspires to be a senator or a governor one day, unwittingly began Trotter’s disillusionment journey. “He wanted to please everybody,” Trotter explains. “He compromised everything. He contradicted his own beliefs so many times just to get support.”

Trotter says he thinks a person’s integrity should be more valuable than that. “To win in this game [of politics] was to either go all the way on one side or be nothing, and I just can’t agree with that,” he says.

“If I wanted to be in a big political process, to be governor or something, I would have to sell all my values,” Trotter says. “There’s tons of people in government who care about people, it’s just you can’t. You’re not in the position—the system’s not made for that.”

On a lighter note, Trotter would like it to be known that he met Beau Bridges on an airplane when he was young. He only knew him for the side role he played in My Name Is Earl. On the plane, Trotter’s dad alerted him, saying, “That’s Earl’s dad.”

He adds, “That was a great show, by the way.”

Riley Gipson

Though he is just about the least judgmental person you could ever meet, Riley Gipson is pretty sure people are quick to judge him. He thinks it’s because he’s so quiet. “They get the wrong message by my closed-off nature,” he explains.

As Gipson speaks, he maintains steady but gentle eye contact. He says sometimes people also assume he isn’t all that intellectual or that he doesn’t know much because he doesn’t say much. “I was diagnosed with ADHD at a young age. Being closed off is a part of that.” Gipson compares himself to a turtle: “I sometimes have to go back into my shell.”

Overall, Gipson says that high school has been a lot less stressful than he had imagined in middle school, when he thought, “This is where all the important stuff happens.” His advice to younger students? He takes a moment and adjusts his glasses before answering: “Don’t overthink it. Take it in stride. It’s another step in the journey.”

A percussionist for the MVHS band, senior Riley Gipson engages in a variety of courses throughout the day, including an advanced business class and Spanish III. photo by Tanya Hannaford

Senior Riley Gipson’s habit before the start of sixth hour College English is to grab an after-lunch mint from the resource table. photo by Tanya Hannaford

Gipson’s biggest concern as he goes into college is the pending expense. He explains, “Lots of people go into it and spend thousands of dollars.” He doesn’t want to be saddled with debt if college doesn’t turn out to be what he wants or needs.

But for now, Gipson wants to study marine biology, a subject that has fascinated him ever since he saw the movie Finding Nemo as a young child. But the child has grown, and though the fascination continues, his understanding has clearly matured.

“I’m fascinated with the fact that these creatures have developed these different ways of surviving different environments, especially the ones in the deepest parts of the ocean,” he adds. “They’ve adapted to survive with hundreds of pounds of pressure on them, so much so that they can’t even survive in the upper parts of the ocean.”

He also wants to be of service in solving problems related to climate change and overfishing of the ocean. “We take way too much from the ocean as it is,” he argues.

MVHS considers movies, crews vying for prestigious award

By Makayla Wise

photo via The Guardian.

It’s raining awards and glamour! Towards the beginning of every year, an extraordinary event occurs: The Oscars, a time for hundreds of celebrities to come together to appreciate the magic of the movies. Celebrations ensue as their hard work from the previous years of filming and acting is recognized. Clothed in designer outfits, they sit side by side and anxiously wait to see who will win the golden trophy. It’s known that the Oscars are one of the most prestigious award shows, and only one can win. With 10 grand nominees and the opinions of MVHS, here’s the forecast for who deserves Best Picture.

Starting off strong, Everything Everywhere All At Once has had a beautiful award season. The cast and film itself have been winning every trophy imaginable. It would only make sense that this incredible film would win Best Picture, and deservingly so. One MVHS student loves the movie endlessly, saying “I cannot express how much this impacted me and I think it deserves the number one spot.” This film is easily a fan favorite, many members of the voting academy having publicly expressed their love for it. The probability of winning is extremely high for this multiverse movie.

Smushed in between last year’s blockbuster hits are more niche films, such as Tàr, Banshees of Inisherin, and Triangle of Sadness. These films are some of which no one has seen. They are likely good films and also deserve to win, but their lack of promotion and Twitter hype prevents them from being recognized for something great.

On the other hand, there are well-known films, essentially blockbusters, that have been nominated for Best Picture, including Top Gun: Maverick, Elvis, and Avatar: The Way of Water. In a poll curated by The Green & White, a whopping 30 out of 33 students have seen and loved the Top Gun sequel. This leads to the question: should sequels be nominated for such a high award? And the rebuttal to that question would be: what if the sequel is actually good? Top Gun: Maverick and the sequel to Avatar are two of the most-grossing films released in the past year.

With many fans of each movie, it is destined that there will be at least some people satisfied with the result of the biggest award in a few weeks.

MVHS fine arts hot take: unequal recognition ruffles feathers

By Grace Corey

In the media, typical portrayals of fine arts students include nerdy band kids, fun, alternative “main character” art students, and High School Musical-type choir and drama students. While some students resemble these stereotypical descriptions, it simply isn’t true.

So, is there an issue with real fine arts representation?

In a form sent to the student body, many remarkable points were made. For example, 64.7% responses concluded that there is an issue with fine arts recognition. Some suggest that in a small, sports-oriented town, there might not be enough room for fine arts students/departments to shine like they should.

MVHS show choir "Vocal Moton" poses after their finals performance at Carthage Soundfest on February 25. The group place first in class 3A, fourth runner-up in finals, and recieved best show design as a caption award. "Vocal Motion" works all year learning choreography and music. With a show titled "The Main Event," show choir has placed first in class at every competition this year and is predicted to take first runner-up at the Webb City Showcase via showchoir.com on March 4. photo from the show choir Facebook group

While an overwhelming majority of respondents said fine arts are under-appreciated, a few disagreed. Senior Harley Daniels stated that the local newspaper, Lawrence County Record, talks a lot about MVHS arts, including Art Club happenings, band awards, show choir competitions, and drama events. However, since the beginning of the 2022-23 school year, the LCR generally published articles about events at other school districts more than events at MVHS.

Many students noticed that despite the efforts of fine arts advertisements, sports are the school’s main priority in media posting. Even when Mt’Neers aren’t celebrating a successful season, they remain comfortably situated in the spotlight. In addition to this, band director Mr. Brad Heckman questioned why fine arts seniors aren’t included in the MVSD’s social media posts recognizing sports seniors at the end of their season.

What about the performing arts center?

With such a diverse performing arts community at MVHS, some students wish the fine arts had their own performing arts center, adding that it might heighten the representation of fine arts programs.

Meanwhile, according to superintendent Mr. Scott Cook, during the 1994 bond issue on building a new high school building and additions to the elementary school, the district wound up needing to cut $2.5 million dollars from the project. While doing so, the auditorium was eliminated.

Many students, especially those in fine arts, argue that the new football stadium lights, the newer weight room, greenhouse, and other new additions to the high school campus are “unfair” or “unnecessary.” Science teacher and former football coach Mr. Joy Maberry notes that these additions are more than likely a part of grants positioned to buy items in specific categories, not to be distributed between school extracurriculars, buildings, and programs.

After their performance, the MVHS band receive a standing ovation. The crowd was filled with Mt. Vernon parents, teachers, Missouri music educators and even a few MVHS students. This was an incredible experience for the group as MVHS has never been selected to play at MMEA. One of Mr. Brad Heckman's goals for his teaching career was to play for the conference. photo from the MVSD Facebook page

This presents a new question: where are the fine arts grants?

In reality, there haven’t been many. Heckman says, “We’ve worked for everything we’ve gotten.” With a budget around $10,000 per year, sometimes it just isn’t enough for the equipment needed to run a successful band.

That doesn’t mean they stop there, though. The band fundraises multiple times throughout the year. In October, they sell fried pickles at Apple Butter Makin’ Days. They work with companies like Century Resources to sell a variety of different items, and even sell fried Oreos at the show choir competition in January. Additionally, the marching band’s newer uniforms were sponsored by Stanbury, a company that sells to universities like the University of Missouri or Drum Corps International (DCI) groups.

“I think that it’s interesting that both band and show choir have placed higher than most of our athletic teams.” - Natalie Barker

But fine arts groups don't bring in any money...

Factually, this isn’t true. Both show choir and marching band host their own competitions on the MVHS campus, bringing in tens of thousands of dollars. While in some cases they don’t bring in as much as some sports programs, the numbers are still impressive.

Despite both programs succeeding in raising money, placing well at competitions, taking many students to All-District and All-State, the band performing at the Missouri Music Educators Association conference last year, art awards, plus the drama department also raising money and making accomplishments, MVHS fine arts continue to walk in the shadow of sports programs.

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