Blair Bear Tracks Factual. Informative. Entertaining. Student Journalism.

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1 1/12/2016 All of the Support in All the Wrong Places Blair Bear Tracks Blair Bear Tracks Factual. Informative. Entertaining. Student Journalism. Home About Organizations Sports Academics Buy a Yearbook Senior Ads All of the Support in All the Wrong Places 16vanhornsarah / October 30, 2015 Story by Section Editor, Brooke Kobs Save the boobies, the ta-tas, and second base. But my question is, at what point do people start valuing breasts more than actual lives? At what point does a woman s body matter more than her well-being? October is known famously world-wide as breast cancer awareness month. That s right, time to break out the I love boobies t-shirts and participate in no bra day because that will definitely help wipe out the disease..except it won t. Breast cancer is sexualized across America and in the end it s the boobs, not the survivors, getting all of the support. Is using a women s sexual orientation to help raise awareness for a deadly disease 1/5

2 1/12/2016 All of the Support in All the Wrong Places Blair Bear Tracks really what it has come to? I m sure that mastectomy survivors love to hear about how important their breasts are. The reality of it is, breast cancer sucks. It s not fun and it s not sexy. Not wearing a bra to school does absolutely nothing to help the fight against breast cancer. Instead, try donating money to organizations who actually try to find a cure for cancers, not profit off of obscene logos. Making straight donations to non-profit foundations such as the American Cancer Society and the National Breast Cancer Foundation is even more beneficial in helping the fight against cancer than buying brands with logos. Take a moment to appreciate the person with cancer, not their cleavage. About these ads Occasionally, some of your visitors may see an advertisement here. Tell me more Dismiss this message Press This Twitter Facebook 1 Google Print Loading... October 30, 2015 in Uncategorized. Edit Related posts Pay Attention to Suicide Awareness Living with Autism Got Blood?: Students at Blair make a Difference Crimson Peak BHS Sex Education Curriculum Leave a Reply 2/5

3 1/12/2016 Got Blood?: Students at Blair make a Difference Blair Bear Tracks Blair Bear Tracks Factual. Informative. Entertaining. Student Journalism. Home About Organizations Sports Academics Buy a Yearbook Senior Ads Got Blood?: Students at Blair make a Difference 16vanhornsarah / November 19, 2015 Story by Section Editor, Brooke Kobs What s black and blue with a bright red sticker? Students at Blair High may have the bruises on their arms and a red cross sticker to show after giving blood in the annual drive this year, but to many students, such as those in the Medical Career Club(MCC), it s a small price to pay to save a life. On Nov. 20 a blood drive will be open all day at the high school run by the students in MCC. Students have the opportunity to make the kind of donation that just might save a life someday. Giving blood makes me feel accomplished in the sense that i m helping someone out, junior Cara Penner said. It doesn t really require anything of me but I could still 1/5

4 1/12/2016 Got Blood?: Students at Blair make a Difference Blair Bear Tracks make a difference for someone else. Although the donors are a critical element to the donation process, the event itself will require a lot of effort from others. FBLA has taken charge of registering donors for the big day and FFA has volunteered to help set up and take down the blood drive equipment. MCC will work the food and drinks for donors after giving blood, taking a role on the healthcare side of things. One of their key jobs is to make sure the donor does not pass out. School nurse Ashley Turner says it it critical that donors to not try to engage in any physical activity for at least 15 minutes after giving blood. Personally I think that donating blood is a really important thing, junior MCC member Lexi Wheeler said. When my sister went through cancer it was donated blood that saved her life. The school has 74 students and staff members set up to give blood during the day, which is 14 more than they had last year. MCC hopes they will get more and more donors each year. To students like Wheeler, donations are the difference between life and death. About these ads Occasionally, some of your visitors may see an advertisement here. Tell me more Dismiss this message Press This Twitter Facebook Google Print Loading... November 19, 2015 in Uncategorized. Edit Related posts BHS Blood Drive Donate to the Food Pantry 2/5

5 4 FEATURE BEARTRACKS Got Ink? March 2016 Students have a few Surprises up their Sleeves Story by Brooke Kobs Senior Adrianna Smith sits in math class, tugging at the end of her sleeve and looking down at the small black roman numeral three that is stamped across her wrist. She thought of the day she got her tattoo with her two other sisters, the three each getting numbers on their wrists. It was spontaneous, but it s something she has that will always remind her of them. Across the hallway in history class, junior Zach Mcdonald is hunched over in his desk, writing. He thinks about the black angel scrolled across his left shoulder. He got the tattoo a few months after one of his close friends passed away. He remembers his friend Trent, and he thinks about how much he misses him. Students are coming to school with marks up and down their arms, legs, and backs, walking down the hallway covered in black and blue ink. High schoolers are sporting something new to school and they just might have a few surprises up their sleeves, literally. I feel like tattoos are a way for students to express themselves and represent who they really are, senior Megan Leehy said. Leehy currently has three different tattoos she has gotten at different times throughout out her highschool years. One of them being, For those I love I will sacrifice written in bold black ink across her upper rib cage. It s a military tattoo, It s nice to have something that I can always remember my sisters by, no matter what happens, said senior Adrianna Smith Leehy said, which she plans on joining after graduation. When you go into the army you re sacrificing yourself so that others can have freedom. Like many tattoos with dual meanings, Senior Lexi Wulf said that the lotus flower she got tattooed on her thigh symbolizes beauty and strength. I got it for my mom, Wulf said. It reminds me to stand strong and be confident with myself. While students such as Smith, Mcdonald, and Wulf have tattoos to remind them of the ones they are close to, senior Taylor Karls tattoo reminds her of her faith in the Lord. I always knew I wanted to get this tattoo, Karls said, referring to the solid black cross depicted on the back of her neck. Karls said she got it the summer after her sophomore year with her mom, someone that is important to her in her life. It symbolizes my faith and strength in the Lord, Karls said. According to Statisticbrain.com, about 14 percent of people(all ages) have at least one tattoo. Thirty-six percent of these people have or got their tattoo when still in high school. So what s with this pandemic plaguing the skin of young adults? Statisticbrain suggests it could be students way to rebel, standout, or a way for them to tell their stories in their own way. Down the hallway, senior Alyssa Vanderman sings in choir class with pink, purple, and blue colors dripping down her back. A music note is formed through the colors caressed in running ink. The saying Where Words Fail, Music Speaks, are painted under a bird made out of treble clef notes amiss the waterfall of colors. Vanderman said music has always been her one escape, the one thing that has always been there for her. The treble clef bird symbolizes my love and connection with music, Vanderman said. Back in math, Smith is still looking down at her wrist, smiling. Her tattoo is more than just ink, and it s more than just symbols. Her tattoo is her and her sisters and it s what unifies them.