Classroom teachers make ends meet by working seven hours a day, five days a week. But when the school day ends and the bell rings, many disperse to do their secondary professions so they actually can afford to live. To get the personal experience of what goes on behind the teacher’s desk, I interviewed Carrie Loeber, Blake Connelly, Katie Franco, and Juliana Lynch, as well as Tim Abel–all of whom work second jobs.

We all know the feeling, the moment when lights blind your eyes, when your ears violently shake from the echo of the crowd's cheers, when the only thing you can smell is cheaply buttered popcorn, as your body is closely crammed against the backs of fans. Friday’s are spent at stadiums, on courts, waving banners and screaming at the top of your lungs.

Hello! For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Sophia Stunkard and I’m the current editor-in-chief for the Jenks Trojan Torch. For my last story, we were prompted to create an Op-Ed, an article in which we state an opinion about a given topic, and discuss how it has affected our everyday lives. After reflecting on my years at Jenks Public Schools, I decided to dedicate this article to a program that has changed my views on the world, created cultural awareness, and shaped me into the student I am today.

Menstruation is defined as periodic discharge of blood and tissue from the uterus, commonly known as having a period. This common health process occurs among half the population, yet many menstruators experience menstrual inequity, the inability to access menstrual products, menstrual education, and the surrounding stigma around menstruation.

Books have always been an integral part of my life. My first memory with books comes from my Mom, who spent hundreds of nights reading me her favorites like Little House In The Big Woods, or The Kissing Hand. As I’ve gotten older books have still been there, connecting me with new people and new emotions--taking me on wild journeys across new lands, or comforting me with stories that feel like home.

After crossing the border from Cambodia into Thailand with my classmates in ISP during our trip to Southeast Asia, our tour guide Mini announced that the first thing we had to do in Thailand was visit a 7/11. Unaware of the hidden gem of Southeast Asia we were about to experience, we obediently got off the bus. Each item in the 7/11 was tailored to Southeast Asian flavors. Instead of hotdogs, there were actual Asian meals packed and ready to be eaten. There were rows of unique food: different buns filled with custards and jams, cute candy, seaweed flavored chips, dried seafood, and the most intriguing drink aisle with different flashes of pink, orange, and green. I decided to try a matcha latte after hearing about my classmate’s obsession for the beverage. I was intrigued by the way she described the way matcha didn’t give her a caffeine rush like coffee but provided enough energy to wake up for her day.

You are walking down N Main Street in Tulsa, suddenly you hear a shredding guitar and a crowd chanting ¨Re-Spect-Walk¨ coming from the Vanguard, so you look inside. You expect to see a 30ish-year-old Pantera Cover band; instead, you find four teenage boys owning the stage. You hear the crowd shouting the lyrics along with the band. The feeling of the ground shaking from the rumble of the amps. There are flashing lights that move with the song, for added effect. The first thought that comes to mind is: who are these kids?

Phoebe Storm is an athlete, waking up at the crack of dawn, training no matter the weather: rain, snow, or blazing heat. She has felt the ache of tired muscles and the instant pain of long, hard falls. Her ring is fenced in, with a dirt-dusted ground and scattered across, it sits an array of obstacles. Her uniform consists of pristine leather boots, black blazers, and hard helmets. Her equipment is polished with precision, as her ribbons and awards litter the walls around her. And you should know, as she walks into a rustic barn and approaches a chocolate brown horse ready for riding, that Phoebe Storm is an athlete.

When a local thinks of Jenks’s downtown or mainstreet, the word “modern” doesn’t come to mind. It’s old school, with a jukebox joint, an ice cream parlor, and plenty of antique shops that you can pluck straight out of the 50’s. As more creative and innovative spaces pop up in Tulsa, it’s about time that Jenks had some renovation. Rain Ross, Jenks High School 2013 alumni, is hoping to be the front of that innovation, one haircut at a time. Ross is the founder and owner of All Good Studio and Barbershop, a creative space and salon showcasing different local arts communities under one roof.

Louie Lopez wanted to escape corporate work as a welder, a field he worked in for over a decade, but he never quite knew how. Over time, Lopez thought about how he could have used his cultivated skills to employ himself, and it eventually came to him: a taco truck. Lopez wasn’t always a local: he grew up in Chicago, with a family who made him learn to cook. Because of this, his mother and sisters brought him up to be great at cooking authentic Mexican food with a twist: it was all Chicago street style, and he wanted to bring it to Jenks.

A lot of people know of him, but they don’t really know him. Meet Raymond Jiang, a senior at Jenks High School. A highly accomplished and intelligent individual that serves in the community and is a leader in and out of school.

Christmas day is about giving, receiving, friends and family, but like all other days, we have to eat on Christmas (aside from advent chocolates, candy canes and cookies). But because nobody wants to spend their holiday cooking meals, I've compiled a list of restaurants that will do it for you. Included is Mexican, Brazilian, upscale and casual cuisine.

Ice cream is a delicious treat that people usually enjoy on a hot summer day, but why not in the winter? In this review, I’m gonna be looking at 3 random ice cream shops in Jenks, examining their winter ice cream specials, and discussing their flavor, texture, and overall quality. So grab a spoon and let's dive into this tasty review!

Dumpling making is ingrained in my blood. The skill has been passed down for generations within my family line. What’s even more ingrained in our souls is dumpling eating. From chicken and shrimp dumplings to the new vegetable dumplings on our family menu after my dad became vegan, my family's diet consists of 30% dumplings. This past Thanksgiving, instead of the traditional meal you see in most American households, my mother’s side of the family decided to make wontons together.

There’s something about coming together around a table, carefully spooning filling into wrappers, folding each packet of edible gold into perfection, that makes a dumpling so much more satisfying than any other dish. However, this task takes time and skill. As we approach the winter season, I am in search of a restaurant that will provide a similar “homemade” factor for days I don’t feel like making dumplings myself.

On a rainy Wednesday night, I attended et al.’s weekly pop-up, Dumpling Night, at Foolish Things Coffee Downtown alongside two of the most experienced dumpling connoisseurs I know - my brother and my dad. As we tasted selected dishes off the Dumpling Night menu, I rated each dish based on price and taste.

Commitment, dedication, and passion, landed two juniors their own basketball team. Reese Watson and Cameron Anderson started coaching their fifth grade team via Trojan Hoops, a program that forms teams and lets them compete with each other.

Elaine Gao, a junior at Jenks high school published her first novel, “The Oracle,” on September 26, 2022. She spent eight months writing it and over a year getting it published, but at last her work has come to fruition.

As we get into the colder seasons, people have a tendency to huddle indoors for warmth. This makes it easy to neglect our social lives during the winter. This year, I’ve compiled a list of places, restaurants, and events for friends, families, and date nights to help balance staying warm and our social lives this December.

As a Senior here at JHS, I am sure you have heard the anxiety-riddled question, “What is your college essay about?” At face value, most college essays seem simple. Colleges tell you to slap 250-650 words onto a document and call it a day. But if you are like me, you may not have written a narrative essay since 6th grade and may feel lost throughout this process.

I detest horror as a medium for entertainment. In concept, I can understand the thrill of getting scared, but in practice, I just can’t take it. I cannot watch horror movies without every light in the building on and at least seven people in the room at the time. Knowing this, I intentionally chose possibly the worst option for my personal well-being: a haunted house review! I’ve ventured to two of the ghastliest, spookiest, and scariest places (within Oklahoma for $30) ever!