SPECIAL COVERAGE: LGBTQ+ youth in PHS

Story by Nicole Konopelko and Ximena Ibarra

July 7, 2018

Filed under Feature, Showcase

It’s hard to live in a body that you feel you were never born to live in. It’s hard to feel accepted when others say you are unnatural because of who you love. It’s also hard to put yourself in the shoes of a person who has dealt with all of these difficulties firsthand. But it’s easy to ...

Bonding for success

Story by Matthew Moore, Reporter

May 23, 2018

Filed under Feature

As senior Coltin Oehme lays his first layer of brick at the SkillsUSA National Masonry Competition, he thinks back to the times he spent learning masonry with his coach and uncle, Nakoma Oehme. “[My favorite part of masonry is] just knowing that I can continue the family tradition: just trying to honor their legacy,�...

Freshman finds her passion for speaking without words

Story by Nicole Konopelko, Managing Editor

May 22, 2018

Filed under Feature, Multimedia, Showcase

Every time she takes a science test, freshman Emily Wachter grips her pencil and tries to block out every thought running through her head. A potential F on her transcript. A wrong answer. The closet door she had left open in her room. She knows the material, yet self-doubt still infiltrates...

Four student publications staffers place in KSPA’s state digital contest

Story by Susana Canales, Reporter

May 22, 2018

Filed under Feature

Sophomore Dain Reiling-Gutierrez attended the Kansas Scholastic Press Association (KSPA) State Contest in Editorial Cartoon(ing). “Qualifying for state, I was shocked mostly,” Reiling-Gutierrez said. “I've never really competed in any visual art aspect at all, I was thrilled to even hear that I f...

Painting with a passion

Story by Maddy Robison, Reporter

May 21, 2018

Filed under Feature, Showcase

While other students prepare with paper and pens for their club meeting, Art club president Alesha Lawson, junior, grabs a brush and paint. Art club works on a variety of projects and community service throughout the year. “We have meetings every month to organize activities. We also do a �...

Konopelko wins awards at Regionals, qualifies for State journalism

Story by Susana Canales, Reporter

May 18, 2018

Filed under Feature

On May 4, junior Nicole Konopelko traveled to Lawrence. She attended the Kansas Scholastic Press Association (KSPA) state conference. Konopelko qualified for editorial writing and copy editing. “Editorial writing is just opinion and copy editing is literally just editing,” Konopelko said. “They g...

HOSA students qualify for internationals

Story by Violet Norman, Reporter

May 15, 2018

Filed under Feature

Students from all over the U.S. and Puerto Rico will be competing at Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA) internationals leadership conference. Seven students from Pittsburg High School qualified for the competition. This is the largest amount of HOSA qualifiers that PHS has ever had Jun...

Exploring different cultures

Story by Cassidy Bayliss, Reporter

May 14, 2018

Filed under Feature, Showcase

To promote diversity in the school, sponsors Kristin Thomas and Anatolia Ruiz decided to create Multicultural Club. For junior Rachel Ruiz, multicultural club is a place for people of all different ethnicities, and she says she loves being immersed in different cultures and ideas. “Multicultu...

From Southeast Kansas to Ft. Lauderdale, Florida: Q&A with forensicator Mikayla Kitchen

Story by Journey Jaramillo, Managing Editor

May 14, 2018

Filed under Feature

This year, 14 PHS forensicators and debaters qualified for the National Speech and Debate (NSDA) tournament in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida — the largest group of students in school history. Sophomore Mikayla Kitchen qualified in "humorous interpretation," a 10-minute long comical acting monologue. In an int...

Results: 2018 Poetry Contest

May 12, 2018

Filed under Feature

Three students placed in PHS's annual poetry contest, hosted by the English Department. Click the images to read their award-winning poems and bios. Courtesy to Creative Commons for hover photos.