by Saber Slate | Mar 5, 2018 | Athletics & Activities
After many months, the Boys Varsity Basketball season has come to an end. I personally went to many of the games this year, and I must say, I was thoroughly impressed with the Sabers. So, in honor of their season, here are some of the best accomplishments our Boys Varsity Basketball team achieved this season.
1. A School Record
This season, the boys went 22 – 2 in their games, and one of the losses was only due to a half court buzzer-beater shot. This actually sets a school record for the best Boys Varsity Basketball record. If you do the math, the boys won 91% of their games during the season! That’s quite impressive, to say the least.
2. Max Alba’s 1000 Points
This season was a big one for local athlete and Varsity Basketball starter Max Alba. During his final season as a senior, Max Alba hit an important career milestone — 1000 career points. This is a huge accomplishment and a huge honor, so congrats to Max Alba on a great final season.
3. Conference
This year, the boys were able to celebrate becoming conference champions after a win against Horlick (85-75) last February. Everyone was in high spirits!
4. Great Seniors
The senior basketball players on Varsity are all talented, kind, and great players. It’s a shame we have to say goodbye to players Max Alba, Josh Narrai, and Riley Clark, but they gave their all on the court for their final year as Sabers. All were a part of the starting line-up, along with juniors Jacob Vonderwell and Zak Klug.
These are just some of the highlights of this year’s season, and next year is projected to be great as well. Congratulations to all Franklin Varsity Basketball players, and good luck in all of your future endeavors.
by Saber Slate | Mar 5, 2018 | News
On Monday, January 22nd, two post-it notes changed how people would look at Franklin High School. These notes, one saying “white,” the other, “colored,” hung ominously over the water fountains for what seemed like an eternity. This racist act, though small, shocked students and administrators alike into the realization that the school may not have been as kind a place as we all thought it was.
Over the past few weeks, events such as what happened at the water fountains have made it difficult for some people to be proud of FHS. This school’s goal of creating an environment promoting kindness and diversity may have been cast aside by some, but the majority of students of Franklin High still believe in those ideals. These are the students that stand up against discrimination, that practice kindness rather than hate.
These students that saw what was happening decided to not only take a stand, but organize one. On Valentine’s Day, students from freshman to senior all joined hands in the main commons to show their peers just how many of them will continue to stand for the ideals that FHS hold so highly.
One such student leader was Hailey McCoy, a senior that helped to organize the stand on Wednesday. I recently had the opportunity to speak with her, and asked her some questions about what it meant to her:
What did this event mean to you?
“The main purpose of this event was to show the students of Franklin High School that these small events that have been happening have been happening around the school, like what happened with the water fountains and a lot of what other students have been experiencing, isn’t what Franklin High School is and is not representative of Franklin High School.”
In your opinion, how did it go?
“I thought it went pretty well, it had a lot better turnout than I thought it would. I knew the sign was going to get a lot of signatures, but with the whole hand holding — the giant unity circle — I didn’t think a lot of people would want to hold our hands. But we had about 20-25 people, and that’s better than none.”
What can people do now to help what you’re trying to do?
“The signings that we had, the signatures we had, are going to be hanging in the main commons. The purpose of those was for people to walk by and see them every day and just be reminded that: ‘I’m in Franklin High School, this is my school, and I’m going to be kind to everyone that’s here. I’m going to step up when I hear someone being racist or someone being unkind.’”
I likewise was able to get a quote from one of our assistant principals, Mr. Hein, about the event just moments after it had ended:
“I’m super proud of students that want to make a difference by being themselves and that stand up to discrimination and hate. I’m glad that a lot of students want to talk about this topic rather than just seeing it and accepting it for what it is rather than what it could be. Overall I think that acts like this truly show how much actions speak louder than words; seeing all of the people here that are willing to not only speak up, but also to stand up for what they believe in.”
The signed poster will be hanging in the main commons these next few days if you want to see it for yourself.
by Saber Slate | Feb 14, 2018 | Opinion & Reviews
It is the best of days, it is the worst of days. It is the brightest of days, it is the darkest of days. It is, of course: Valentine’s Day. A day for those in relationships to spend quality time with their “special someone.” For the rest, however, it is a day for all that are single to be put through the tortures of PDA and relentless posting on social media. Whether it be on Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, or MySpace, no user is safe from Valentine’s Day. It doesn’t have to be dreary, however. You can use this time to improve yourself, or to just kick back and enjoy your solitary self. In that case, here are some of my tips on how to survive Valentine’s Day: (Note: This is in no way a factual “you-must-do-this-or-you-will-be-unhappy” list, it is all based on what I thought would help people to stay positive during this holiday.)
1) Take a day off of social media. The only thing you’re going to get from social media on Valentine’s Day is the same thing you’ll see through the hallways: Unnecessary PDA (which is to say, any PDA).
2) Go out with some of your single friends. Take a note out of Leslie Knope of Parks and Rec fame’s book and have a Gal-entine’s Day with some of your friends to celebrate your solidarity together.
3) Catch up on MemBean. I know I have to.
4) Read through some of the latest or past articles on the Saber Slate!
5) Buy all of the heart-shaped chocolate-filled boxes for yourself because you deserve them!
6) Going off of #5, enjoy yourself! Do what you want to do because you’re strong and independant and I believe in you!
I understand some people will wish I added/took out some examples, however this is only a short list of the possible ways to enjoy Valentine’s Day alone. It is in no way a must-do, it is all opinion and simple gestures I thought would help people get through this holiday. The only criteria there is for what you do to make the best of V-Day is to make sure whatever you do is constructive and helps you make it through the day while maintaining a positive attitude.
So to all you singles out there who are perfectly happy being just that, and to those of us still wishing somebody would find us somebody to love: raise your metaphorical glasses on February 15th in celebration of surviving another solo Valentine’s Day. After the metaphorical glass is lowered, remember this: you don’t need anybody else to be happy, you are in control of whether or not you’re happy. It’s alright to feel bummed out by Valentine’s Day, you have a right to be. Just don’t let that negativity weigh you down for more than that day. You’ve always got next year and the next year and the year after that, and I believe in you.
by Saber Slate | Feb 7, 2018 | Athletics & Activities
Do you have a favorable opinion of the music genre “Jazz”? If you do, come to the FHS Cafeteria on Saturday, February 10 from 5:00 pm to 10:00 pm to listen to some fellow students of both FHS and FPMS sing and play! The groups performing include Franklin High School Jazz I, Franklin High School Jazz II (also known as Jazz Alpha), the Franklin High School Jazz Combo, Franklin High School choirs, and Franklin High School orchestras. From Forest Park Middle School, their Jazz Band, Golden Voices, and Pop Strings are coming to display what their practice has lead up to. At the end of the night, Jazz Ensemble I from UW-Whitewater is coming to play as a guest artist. Food will also be available, and tickets at the door cost $9 for adults and $7 for students & seniors. If you like Jazz, this is a great event to come to and enjoy!
by Saber Slate | Feb 7, 2018 | Advice
Just in time for Valentine’s Day, ‘Loveless in Language Arts’ asks: “How do I get a girlfriend? I’ve been crushing on this one girl for a while now and I wanted to know how to get her to go out with me.”
Now, this is a very exclusive and biased topic, so I’m going to extend the question a bit and ask: How can I start a healthy, love-filled relationship in this high school environment? The answer is simple: don’t try so hard. I know it’s not the answer you want but hear me out. If you’re trying so hard to get that person to like you like you like them, then you’re probably passing by people that are interested in you as well.
Another important step in the road towards a relationship is accepting rejection. Picture this: you’ve got it all set: the flowers, the corny sign, the backup dancers; your promposal is complete. Here they come, walking down the hall, and here you are with enough confetti for a New Year’s Eve party. You do your whole bit, and it finally comes to the question: Will you go out with me? “No,” they say. How do you react? Do you:
- Scream in their face about how they’re wrong?
- Repeatedly ask that person until they change their mind?
or
- Say that you accept their choice and respect their right to say no?
If you answered A or B, you need to learn how to take no for an answer. No matter who you’re asking out, there will always be the chance of them saying no. If this happens, you should tell them that you respect their choice and stop trying. You might take a hard hit to your emotions, but you can’t let it out on them, no matter how much you want to.
In the event that they say yes, however, congratulations. You’ve completed step one. Oh, you thought just because they said yes that you were in the clear? No, you’ve just begun you’re journey towards a relationship. There are many more steps in the adventure that we call love, however I know them not. They are different for each situation, and no one answer can be made for how to solve every conundrum. The only absolute I can say is that honesty must be part of your relationship. If you cannot trust each other, then you cannot possibly begin to have true love for each other.
Well, question asker, I hope you found this useful on your quest to start your relationship, and I wish you well on your journey. Sorry for the long wait, but technical difficulties as well as personal conflicts kept me from writing back.
If you have any questions that you’d like me to answer then please leave a comment below and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can!
