Pickleball has become a national phenomenon recently, and a favorite sport for so many people in the Jenks community. Nevertheless, there are many misconceptions about the sport, so here are some of the basics.

For over 28 years, the Texas Longhorns and the Oklahoma Sooners have been playing in the Big 12 conference. Composed of 16 teams, this conference scours across the nation and includes teams from Texas, Oklahoma, Arizona, Colorado, Kansas, Iowa, West Virginia, Utah, Ohio and Florida (SEC Network). As both Texas and Oklahoma were founding teams within the Big 12, nobody suspected their abrupt departure. When they announced their movement to the SEC, the main question surfacing the nation was: Why? Why would two of the top Big 12 teams move conferences with little to no explanation. After heavily researching, I found that the answer was quite simple. Publicity and money. 

In a unique class at Jenks Middle School, students take learning to a new level. Students spend 6 months rigorously studying the culture, history, and language of a specific country. Then in February they get to experience an unforgettable trip where they visit the country they have spent months studying. That class is known as Global.

When most people are little their parents put them in sports like soccer, dance, football, or cheer. But not everyone actually continues with these sports as they grow up, they usually try out new things until they find what sticks. Carter Jackson, senior at Jenks High School, used to cheer when she was younger and her dad wanted to guarantee she did not stick with it. So he sent her to horse camp. 

From coach to teacher, photographer to entrepreneur, Hanna Giddens does it all. Whether you find yourself at a Jenks Basketball game, in need of epic photos or looking for a great history teacher, she’s your go to girl. “Coach Giddens” as most Jenks students refer to her as, is a powerhouse within the Jenks High School community. 

From designing houses, to helping deaf kids learn, to even lending a hand in the fight against human trafficking, Jenks high school seniors can explore a plethora of opportunities in just about any field in their internships. 

In the back corner of the Jenks High School campus while you're walking to your car you may see little kids running through mini playgrounds, pigtails and little floral dresses flapping in the wind behind them, a group of little kids pushing plastic toy construction trucks, and a couple of kids standing along the fence, their small hands gripping the bars like its a prison, as they watch you walk by. As you walk toward the front of the building you will see more mini fenced-off playgrounds with water tables and, and slides. But what is this little school building full of young children on a high school campus, and what are they doing in there? 

As a junior in high school, who is constantly getting told that I need to pick a career, I am also getting told that I need to be careful because some career fields are being taken over by artificial intelligence (AI). I'm extremely confused. What kind of jobs are being taken over? If we are not supposed to use AI in class, how are we going to be prepared to use it in our future careers, are the schools preparing us for this, or are they just throwing us into the world not knowing whether AI is a useful tool or the enemy?  Are there going to be any jobs left? What do the teachers think? I have so many questions, and luckily, I got to talk to a lot of intelligent people at the High School to help clear up some of my questions and figure out how to approach AI. 

The Olympics, the World renowned international sporting event featuring athletes from hundreds of countries. It would be safe to say that everyone has heard of the Olympics and has watched at least one event in their lifetime. But did you know there is also an Olympic competition for those with intellectual and physical disabilities?

A majority of the Jenks community is able to say they’ve found themselves at a Friday Night Lights game sometime throughout the years. They‘ll walk through the gate, find their seat on the bleachers, and watch a game of football like millions of other schools are doing on that very same night. If they go to a game this year they may see something new. All of a sudden the opposing team is on third down and a song starts playing from the speakers. Cheer and Pom girls are on the sidelines holding signs and chanting, desperately trying to get the crowd to participate. 

Imagine starting a new book, getting a few chapters in, and finding that this new book speaks to you in ways that no book ever has. The characters, the story, and the overarching message makes you feel so understood in a world that doesn’t quite understand you. Now imagine that book being ripped away from you. Each page being torn, crumpled, gone. Banned