Take a coat
Jennifer Pereyra, Reporter
December 13, 2019
Need a coat, take a coat, have a coat, give a coat. The school is providing free coats of all sizes for students and staff members in need of a coat, the coats are outside of the counseling office. For Students that are in need of a warm jacket, they are told to go ahead and grab one. Staff and admi...
Welding Club Cancelled
Ian Melville, Reporter
December 13, 2019
Every Thursday and Friday evening welders gathered in room A158 with welding teacher John Goddard to expand their skills. Students hung out, weld, and ate pizza with Goddard, but that came to a halt. “Students who want more help/enrichment in the trade come,” Goddard said. Cody Brinkman...
Education First: ACT Scores
Kaitlyn Bailey, Editor
December 10, 2019
Students in Columbia Public Schools (CPS) scored higher on average than their national peers on the American College Testing (ACT) exam in 2019; however, the district’s average decreased slightly compared to 2018, according to a report. In the report, the Missouri Department of Elementary and Seconda...
Redlining in school districts
Kalea Baker, Reporter
December 10, 2019
Redlining has been around since the late 1930’s and still continues to affect students in school districts today. Redlining is similar to gerrymandering because they both consist of drawing lines to benefit a group of people. Redlining is the act of fencing off where banks would avoid investments d...
Preferred pronouns in public schools
Kaitlyn Bailey, Editor
November 14, 2019
Kelsey Pegg is among the thousands of people who conclude their emails with four simple words. They/them/their pronouns. “Including your pronouns, whether or not someone asks, allows for two things. First, it makes it clear what your pronouns are right away. It doesn’t leave it up for discussion,...
Let it Snow
Kenny Miller, Reporter
November 11, 2019
In 2018, Missouri saw an unusual amount of snow, causing Columbia Public Schools (CPS) to take more snow days then they have had in the last four years combined. Because of this, CPS has implemented a new snow day policy to help make sure students will still be in school and won’t lose learning hours...
The Achievement Gap Crisis: Opportunities Decrease for Poor Children
Kaitlyn Bailey, Editor
October 27, 2019
Poverty affects more than a child’s home life; it also affects the behavior of adolescents in many different ways. In Columbia, 16 percent of children 18-and-under are living in impoverished conditions, according to 2018 data collected by Boone County. These numbers are still rising. Rachel...
The Great Wall of Honor
Connor Parrish, Sports Editor
October 25, 2019
On the first day of school, students walking down the hallway saw a noticeable change in the hallway: the wall of honor that is located right outside the gymnasium. On Oct. 4, a formal presentation was held with Adam Taylor, Dr. Kim Presko, Dr. Peter Stiepleman, and Lisa Bailey all giving speeches to d...
Federal Aid Craze
Aaron Melville, Copy Editor
October 25, 2019
On Oct. 1 every year, the application for Free Application For Student Aid (FAFSA) opens for students to fill out and submit to schools of their choice. Battle High School started participating in a statewide after-school program in mid-October every year for students to receive assistance when fill...
Fighting for change
Nicholas Myers, Web Editor
October 25, 2019
As the school year progresses and the temperatures drop, many people across the nation come together to raise awareness and advocate for change against a problem that impacts us all: climate change. Global climate change strikes were carried out in the past weeks in places including Canada, New Yor...
CPS to Implement No-Backpack Policy
Kaitlyn Bailey, Editor
October 25, 2019
In an effort to ensure more safety at football games, Columbia Public Schools (CPS) implemented a new no-backpack policy for all middle and high school sporting events. Sharla Hyler, guidance secretary, sent an email in the Spartan Mailer last month outlining the new policy. “At the home foot...
Parking Passes
Connor Parrish, Sports Editor
October 17, 2019
Throughout Columbia Public Schools (CPS) all three high schools have parking passes at $50 per person. The money from parking passes goes to the security staff at Battle. Also, parking passes are not prorated. Shelly Herman, the extracurricular activity (ECA) secretary, explained where the mone...