School bus drivers are a staple in a student's everyday life, as they drive them to and from school. So, you would think that being a bus driver would be a very sought out job, right? Despite how important a bus driver is to the everyday family, there has been a decrease in bus driver employment throughout the nation. Insignificant pay for the long and grueling hours make it difficult for schools to hire and keep bus drivers. As my mom is a school bus driver for Jenks and the topic could get someone in trouble for speaking about the topic, all the bus drivers will be anonymous for obvious reasons. After my mom interviewed several of her fellow Jenks’ bus drivers I got some answers on why the nation has a bus driver shortage in the first place.

On January 20th, Donald J. Trump took office as the 47th president of the United States. On the campaign trail, Trump repeatedly stated that he would impose tariffs on our allies. Then, on February 1st, Trump implemented 25% tariffs on Mexico and Canada, and raised tariffs on China by a further 10%. These tariffs will impact everything from oil, lumber, plastics, and clothing to computer chips, and auto parts. 

Whether it’s about dating, self help, competition, makeover’s, games, or even family shows- there is a reality TV show about pretty much anything. The vastness of Reality T.V makes it impossible to find a show that you don’t like just a little, there is something for all to enjoy. 

I have a piqued interest in colorful, extravagant, and chic nails. I look endlessly through pinterest boards of my favorite nail styles, imagining myself with the set. I get my nails done on the first of every month, and let me tell you; top 10 most exhilarating feelings. I have my nail ideas planned out for the rest of 2025. How exciting? But, when I come to really think about nails, and other people’s special sets, I wonder “Those are so cute- where could they be from?” Or, “Those are really cutting- edge, I wonder how much they  paid for them.” So, rather than sitting around wondering about peoples amazing acrylics- I can go and find out!

According to The New York Times, in late January 2025, the Trump administration announced a temporary freeze on federal grants and financial assistance, aiming to reassess funding allocations in line with new policy directives. This decision has had widespread implications for nonprofit organizations across the nation, including those in Oklahoma.

In high school, it’s hard to find a topic that every individual can relate to. Whether you are an athlete spending hours perfecting your craft or an AP student drowning in homework each night, there is one thing that each person can mutually agree on. Sleep. We all take it for granted when we are kids. Never wanting to take naps or trying your hardest to stay up past bedtime. The irony hits you hard when you enter high school and develop a fulltime job of being a student. Now it feels like there is never a chance to relax. Any ounce of freetime is spent practicing, studying or simply being a human. As soon as you get home from school, the only thing you want to do is sleep. I never fully understood why my parents were so tired coming home from work and why they didn’t want to stay up until midnight watching movies. Now that I am a Senior in high school taking multiple college classes and spending hours each day practicing, I understand more than ever. Throughout this article, I have examined and surveyed several students from Jenks High School to gain access on what their “normal” sleep schedule consists of. My end goal is to determine how much workload is on our plates and if it’s actually beneficial for us in the long run. 

Taking an Advanced Placement (AP) course feels like a badge of honor for high school students. Being enrolled in this course guarantees college credit for most schools (if you pass the exam) and a boost in your GPA, but behind this is also a significant cost. Does the financial part of AP courses hinder students' desire and/or ability to take them?

At the start of second semester, the preexisting finals exemption policy was widened to underclassmen. In hopes to communicate what the policies guidelines were, site principal David Beiler sent an email to the entire student body. After this official email announcement, I found that I, along with many of my peers, were riddled with confusion on what absences counted, how they were counted, and what is excused. 

January marks the start of a new year. It marks the start of new resolutions. It also marks the start of a widely favored sport’s event. January is the time to crown a new National Champion during the College Football Playoffs (CFP). Each year a set of teams are picked to fight against each other for the overall win. Like most sports, there are favored teams that are expected to be the best of the best each year. What would happen if one of those teams didn't qualify for the largest event of the year? For teams like Alabama, they had to learn the hard way and for an individual like myself, I disagree with the outcome of their CFP ruling. 

Chances are, if you’ve ever been to a hospital, you’ve been cared for by a nurse. Regardless of whether they were male or female, their gender likely wasn’t your focus—or at least, it shouldn’t have been.

The National Basketball Association, better known as the NBA, has been around since 1949 with a merger of two basketball leagues that were established only three years prior, according to this link. The NBA was something new and exciting to the usual baseball and football games that played on TV. It grew to popularity during the late 70s and early 80s.

Ding. I see a notification from my boyfriend. I open it to see an invitation to an app, Underdogs. I roll my eyes already knowing the string of texts that are about to be sent my way. Regardless, I click on the link. It says that if I open an account and put in five dollars my boyfriend will receive $100. This is sports betting. A world of recycling money that never seems to end up back in the hands of the bettors. However, as the users grow rapidly how do they all claim to be “winners”?

Being a Student-Athlete is exhausting. We are expected to give hours each day to our sports, which includes multiple hours before and after school. It doesn’t help going to Jenks where the word ‘excellence’ is around everywhere makes us feel the pressure of being the best in the state on the field and in the classroom. On top of that when we get to our sport we have a coach yelling at us and demanding that we do it this way instead of that way. However, in the moment we might not realize how much our coaches actually do.

Every year the Jenks High School students who can drive have to make a decision to either pay for a $30 parking pass or take the hot and smelly bus to school every day. But why should we have to pay to park? Every year I hear lots of complaints from students about having to fill out long forms and pay the school and a  lot of the students questioning what even is the point, what are they doing with our money, and how much do they even get from making us pay?  After researching this, I have found  that it makes no sense for us to have to pay.

You’re laying in bed and scrolling on TikTok when you come across a video of a girl in her 20’s raving about how this new addition to her morning routine has changed her life. Her bloating has gone down immensely, her skin has completely cleared up, and her overall mood has boosted. She goes on about how the Coconut Cult yogurt is the “fix all” for any possible gut issues and all of her viewers NEED to go out and buy their own jar. A spoonful a day will make you a whole new person.

Now that I’ve started antidepressants and ADHD medication, I started to look back and realize common signs with people who have ADHD. During reading time, I’d glance up to see the rest of my classmates deeply immersed into their novels; while I’m still struggling to read, rereading the same page or line hundreds of times. It’s hard to stay focused, to stay still, you fidget your pen and bounce your leg under the seat just in order to focus half as well. Even if you thought you had ADHD, you feel way behind the game as everyone else in school who has ADHD was diagnosed when they were still basically in diapers and you’re reaching adulthood. Over 75% of adults who were diagnosed with ADHD hadn't been diagnosed in their childhood. Growing up with undiagnosed disorders is just as damaging, if not more damaging, than an early diagnosis. However, it is still extremely beneficial to find out and get tested. 

Imagine you wake up, get ready for the day, and prepare for your set of classes. You walk outside, and admire your view of a wide and endless stretch of ocean and bright blue sky. This is the reality for students aboard the semester at sea ship. 

The question of women leadership in the church has been debated for centuries. As society grows to accept women's voices, the question resurfaces: Should women hold a position of power in the church? 

Being an American means being free. Being American is essentially the dream that millions around the world yearn for. Being in America is liberating—it's the goal. At least that’s what we’re taught, but what is being American really?

TikTok: The source of entertainment that every teenager seems to be consumed with. Through this app, many new trends, phrases, and even styles have been born. The majority of these new things consist of a backstory, or ‘lore’, as to why it has become popular. Explaining some of these new trends is a lot of work; for example, the purple heart trend. As you take a deeper dive into the year 2024,  you start to realize how much the media has changed us, and our latest obsessions.