Growth in Our City and the Ten District: All That You Need to Know on the Group Shaking Things Up in Jenks
Have you heard the news? Jenks, America is growing!
Almost everyone in town can say that they have seen at least one sign advertising “new construction” or “coming soon,” read an article, seen a post on social media, or heard a rumor or two.
Jenks Athletes Battle Record Heat
Imagine you are on the field under the blistering sun, heart pounding, sweat dripping down your face. You feel the sun beams hit your back as exhaustion overcomes you. Every day is the same. Same burning sun, same draining drills. Your breath is shaky and your body is about to give out, but a surge of pure adrenaline rushes through your veins.
Academic Culture: The Effect On Students
Jenks High School has always had a “Tradition of Excellence,” proudly displaying the achievements of its students, complete with an ACT and AP score wall, and National Merit plaques. But how does pursuing that “excellence” affect Jenks students?
Empowering Students: The Impact of Oklahoma’s House Bill On 2768 Dysgraphia
Dysgraphia is one of the most undiagnosed learning disabilities, but House Bill (HB) 2768 is working to change that, by transforming Oklahoma's education system to empower students with learning disabilities. HB 2768, introduced in January 2021 and passed in May 2022 represents a significant milestone in Oklahoma's education system. This legislation took effect September 1st, 2023, and aims to better support students with learning disabilities, specifically those with dysgraphia.
Teachers in the Bathrooms: Privacy Invasion or Safety Mechanism
Have you ever questioned your safety at Jenks High School? With all of the violence and frightening events happening in our world, the administration at Jenks has been forced to make numerous safety improvements to our school. But how is one of these changes, having teachers monitor the bathrooms, affecting our students?
How It Came To Be: The Gathering Place Celebrates 5 Years
The Gathering Place is a 66.5 acre park next to the Arkansas river, with basketball and tennis courts, along with interactive landscaping, and playgrounds. But questions still remain on how this place was thought of? Who was the true creator? And how does this truly benefit the community?
Money, Money, Money: The Fundraising Behind the Jenks Pom Fashion Show
Bright lights, long ball gowns, and disco music. All of these are what make up the annual Jenks Pom Fashion Show. On Tuesday, September 12, the PAC held this program's main fundraiser for the year. But what is this money going towards?
Pass… Set… Kill!: Jenks Volleyball is Taking Down Their Competition
The Jenks Volleyball teams are jumping into their 2023-2024 season! On and off the court, the athletes have been putting in the work to improve their skills and get ready to fight for their states titles.
Tales From Ground Zero: Jenks Theatre Department Puts On 110 Stories
It’s been nearly 4 years since a play has been added to the shows the Jenks Theatre Department cycles through every few years. The last play to enter the cycle, The Grapes of Wrath, ran in the fall of 2019.
The Lifeline Around Your Neck: Suicide Hotline on Student IDs
Entering the new year, students at Jenks High School took notice of a subtle but powerful addition to their school IDs. Alongside their picture and grade level now displays the number to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline as well as the Crisis Text Line. The new attachment has sparked several discussions among students and teachers about the ongoing mental health epidemic that lingers throughout schools.
The Keys to Success: The Notes of JHS Piano Class
Walking into the music building, you would expect every classroom to be filled with sound, but one is different. In one classroom you’ll be met with 24 students playing instruments silently. Each one is a piano student. Immersed in their own musical world with a keyboard each, they play into their headphones diligently.
A New Era: Trojan TV Broadcasting
It’s a Friday night in Jenks, Oklahoma as the entire community comes together to watch the Trojans play football. The sidelines are filled with supporters and athletes tediously watching the game. A new edition can be found clustered on the sidelines this year. Spotted with a large camera and a microphone, the students of the Trojan TV program can be found covering the exciting action.
Passion Over Pay: That’s the Problem
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.
Full of Promise? Or Empty Solutions?: Jenks and Their New Clear Bag Policy
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.
Senior Reflection- How the Jenks Dual Language Program Shaped My Future
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.
It Doesn’t Matter if you Unfollow that Person
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.
State Culture: The Effects On Jenks
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.”
Divorce at Jenks
In a world where communications, availability and freedom can get the best of us, making a lifelong commitment can be implausible for many adults. According to the University of Maryland (UofM) [Stratification, Sociology 441: studies on sociology of inequality], divorce rates have risen from 10 in 1000 to 20 in 1000, nearly doubling from the mid-1900s to 2000s. As of now, estimates for divorce rates are as high as 500/1000, or 50% if not greater. This problem is pressing and global, and it is no stranger to many students at Jenks High School. Students who are victims of parental divorce suffer internal trepidation that cannot be effectively explained, but there are extensive resources available to these students. While it's evident that not all parents' commitments are seen through, it's agreed on by both the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) and the SpringerOpen Journal of Chinese Psychology (JCP) that while Children are typically not a direct cause of divorce, some statistics may suggest an increased rate of divorce among specific parents:
Menstrual Inequity Among High Schoolers in the Tulsa Metro Area
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.
Our (ADHD) Story
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.