I Stand for the Silent - My High School Journalism

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September 2, 2011 The Stinger
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It Gets Better
By Ulysses de la Rosa/gk
Wednesday, August 24 th , Kirk Smalley
came into KHS to tell us his son‟s story.
Which is one of tragedy; he also explained
how to put a stop to ten suicides related to
bullying. This man‟s struggle reminded me
of a project
I heard about this summer thanks to a
band called Rise Against, It Gets Better.
IGB is an organization trying to put an end
to bullying towards young homosexual men
and women and encourages them to look
toward the future, promising that „it gets
better‟.
It Gets Better was started by author
Dan Savage in September 2010, whom is
currently editorial director for The Stranger
in Seattle. Mr. Savage started this movement
with one video he made with his partner
after hearing about the suicides of Billy
Lucas and Aaberg. They ended it with the
phrase, „It gets better‟, and a movement was
born.
„The project has received submissions from
celebrities, organizations, activists, politicians
and media personalities, including
President Barack Obama, Secretary of State
Hillary Clinton, Rep. Nancy Pelosi, Adam
Lambert, Anne Hathaway, Colin Farrell,
Matthew Morrison of "Glee", Joe Jonas,
Joel Madden, Ke$ha, Sarah Silverman, Tim
Gunn, Ellen DeGeneres, Suze Orman, the
staffs of The Gap, Google, Facebook, Pixar,
the Broadway community, and many more.
Mr. Smalley‟s story reminded me of
everything I‟ve heard about from this project.
It Gets Better, highlights the struggles
our gay and lesbian brothers and sisters go
through daily just being themselves. The
music video “Make It Stop (September‟s
Children)” by Rise Against displays a variety
of different scenarios that could and do
happen every day.
I took a pledge, alongside the pledge I
took for Stand For The Silent, to do my best
to help spread this movement and work to
spread tolerance for everyone‟s lifestyle. If
your interested in watching any of these
videos, check out www.itgetsbetter.com or
www.youtube.com/user/itgetsbetterproject.
Stinger PDF Available
Go to www.khsstinger.com
New Voting ID Requirement
By Grace Krepel/la
As of July 1 of this year all voters must show proof
of identity in order to cast there ballet in any election.
According Kingfisher County Election Board Secretary
Sharon K. O‟Hern, the law is very specific about the kind
of document that can be used. “It must be issued by the
federal, state, or recognized tribal government. Also it
must have the name and photo of the person registered.”
O‟Hern warned in a press release from the Election
Board.
If you are worried about acquiring such a document,
which included a driver‟s license, a state ID, a passport,
or a military ID, Never fear. You may request a voter ID card when you register. Speaking
of registering to vote, if you will be eighteen before the next election you may register to
vote now. Don‟t miss this opportunity to participate in our government. Voter Registration
forms maybe obtained from Dr. Johnson or the Kingfisher Country Court House. It is a
simple form and for the cost of a stamp you can make your voice heard!
The Other Sport
By: Grace Krepel/la
You may be alarmed to see somewhere between seventy to a hundred and fifty people
dashing across a grass field following the sound of a gun.
However, this isn‟t what it appears. These individuals in
their short shorts are not running from something but rather
towards the distant finish line, and for these cross country
runners the finish line is very distant.
Let me make something clear. This is not fall track! We
don‟t run in circles, sprint, hurdle, or throw anything. This
sport involves grueling distances over hills and rough surfaces.
By the end of the season the girls will be running two
miles and the guys will be running upwards of three. It‟s
also important to note, when following CC results that seventy
people in a race is small so when you hear people excited
about getting eighteenth or twentieth, they aren‟t slow.
They are simply pleased that they beat fifty other people.
Cross Country may not be a contact sport according
to the rules, however when you put a hundred
people a single line and fire a gun all bets are
off. Elbows and shoulders seam to be everywhere
making you seriously question the validity of such
rules. Hold up, don‟t think this is the toughest part of
the sport. Running long distance is a battle of sheer
will power.
Make sure to keep and eye out for the result of
such battles as the season kicked off last Saturday at
Chisholm. Pay special attention Shane Wright and
Colin Stallcup who led the guy‟s team Saturday and
also Grace Krepel who placed second over all. Don‟t
forget Alan Murphy and Brook Boeckman our up
and coming freshman.