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.

I’m not sure if it’s my fried dopamine receptors talking, but I love to scroll. Instagram, in particular. I could spend hours looking through my followers, and I do! Just don’t look at my screen time. However, as my senior class dwindles out of high school for the final time, there is nothing I cannot wait to do more than to Social Media Purge. Throughout my years growing up on the ever so changing and conscious internet (thanks ChatGPT), I’ve gained a somewhat new outlook on the content I consume. I decided that once I walk out of the school doors forever and into college, I will leave my not-close IRL Instagram followers and Snapchat friends behind. Because in all honesty, was I really going to stay in touch with them in the first place? I like to do a clean sweep every couple of months of people I no longer talk to in person, or am friends with. I don’t understand the importance of keeping someone who you don’t converse with in real life outside of your phone, on your phone.

198. That’s how many state championships Jenks High School has won, ranging from football to baseball to swimming, all the way to tennis. For context: Union, BA, and Bixby combined have 192. As Jenks keeps racking up championships through the years, it has set a pretty high standard for our athletes. It can feel like “ordinary” is never enough–even coming in second place is a loss. I’m diving deep and talking with Jenks Varsity tennis players, Krishna Bhadjiru (9), and Varsity football player Jace Hager (10), to talk about the pressures of Jenks standards and “state culture.”

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.

My whole life I thought I was a weirdo. I thought I was stupid for misunderstanding something everyone else thought was “so simple.” People thought I was awkward because they didn’t understand when I tried to explain something. Then I realized that I have ADHD, this doesn’t make people’s perception of me change or change how I feel about it, but it gives me solace to know I’m not alone.

On a Friday night football game, looking into the stands, you see bleachers filled with students. Screaming and cheering as the boys play on the field. Excitement is filled in the air and the mood is bright. When you go to a girl's sports game, the energy is quite different. Not as many supporters in the crowd, and less publicity to share their hard work. Times are changing at Jenks, whether we like it or not, and women in sports should start being embraced and not criticized.

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.

The Jenks Football Team will win the state championship in 2023-24, and here is why.

After winning back to back state championships in the 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 seasons, our Trojans fell just short of three peating last season after they were unfairly cheated against the Bixby Spartans. However, the Trojans have already reloaded, and will win this year’s state championship with ease. My name is Jack Denney, and I am the president of the Superfans club, as well as an avid watcher of football on all levels, ranging from High school to Professional. Today I will be reviewing the Trojans schedule, reviewing it, and giving my game predictions.

At Jenks, it feels like there’s something always going on. Especially when it revolves around sports, where Jenks strongly excels at. Amongst most sports, Jenks has over 200+ state championships. The surrounding school districts simply can’t compete. Union, Broken Arrow, and Bixby combine for just under 200 championships. Except for maybe a few outliers, barely any of these amazing games are streamed for viewers at home. Bixby, Owasso, and Broken Arrow all broadcast their games, so why can’t we?

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?

Since 1976 when the original “Rocky” movie was first released, fans have constantly been craving more. So much so that they created not just a sequel, but eight more additions to the film collection. “Creed III” made its way onto the list as number nine. Like most fans, we wonder how it could get better than the first. Can new actors such as Michael B. Jordan, ever live up to the original standards that Sylvester Stallone set almost 50 years ago? I’m here to answer any questions or thoughts you may have, and personally detect if it’s worth your time.

The scratch of pencil on paper, the rattle of the air conditioner, the silent tension in the room. The students are taking their AP Exams, nervous and terrified of failure. They anxiously answer the multiple-choice, dreading the free response section. And throughout, they wonder: was there anything they should have known about the test beforehand?

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.

ChatGPT, an AI chatbot, has been taking over schools and changing educational systems around the world. This AI bot uses natural language to mimic human-like responses to various types of questions. It can also create articles, generate discussion questions, write essays, codes, and emails. Since the release of ChatGPT the last November, talk of the new AI has been rapidly spreading around schools like Jenks. So how do students and teachers at Jenks feel about using this chatbot in the classroom? This article answers this question and gives an insight into what your teachers and students are thinking.

In 2012, The Young Adult thriller “The Hunger Games” was presented onto the big screen, where it took fans' hearts immediately. Fast forward a decade later, and the first three books have been adapted into movies, and all have been major successes. However, once the final movie came out in 2015, fans were immediately thirsty for more, and author Suzanne Collins answered their prayers with a book in 2020, dubbed: “A Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.”

Following the announcement of ASL III coming to Jenks next year, as someone who has been learning ASL for six years and plans to pursue American Sign Language as a career, there are some things I've learned on my journey that I think new signers should know before learning this beautiful language. Specifically, when interacting with the deaf community, it might be a whole lot different than you expect!