Inaugural Issue
FEBRUARY 21, 2018
Hello, world.
Dear reader,
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Welcome to the Steward School's inaugural issue of the Upper School digital newspaper, Steward Ink!
I am so proud to say that this newspaper has finally become a reality with the help of the incredibly dedicated and hardworking staff writers, Mrs. Jeter (our wonderful sponsor), Mrs. Kerns, who has helped with the website and the logistics every step of the way, and of course, Steward's amazing faculty and administration who have supported this idea and the launch since the beginning. I am continually inspired by my fellow writers and classmates, who are the true backbone of Steward Ink. We are so happy to say that this newspaper, though nascent, has already become an outlet for students to release ethical content and have the freedom to write about their perspectives and world views.
I came up with the idea of Steward Ink in my freshman year, and I never knew that it would actually happen. After months and months of website development, meetings, posters, and late nights, Steward Ink emerged at the start of the 2017-2018 school year, prepared to be an outlet for all those who wanted to make their voices known. It feels incredible to be announcing our inaugural edition, as it has become a testament to the power of hard work and dedicated contributors.
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We have been given this platform to make our voices and opinions known, giving us the responsibility to release ethical content and media that stresses the very foundations of our school: open-mindedness, diversity, inclusivity, and respect. Our mission will always be to make a positive impact in our school, community, and in the minds of others. This is just the beginning.
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Thank you all for your support, it means the world.
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Sincerely,
Sonali Sanjay, '20
Serendipity
By Sonali Sanjay, '20
laissez-faire healthcare?
February 14th, 2018 / Sonali Sanjay, Founder and Editor
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Healthcare, specifically its cost and efficiency, has been a reoccurring problem in the United States. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) has aimed to provide affordable universal healthcare, but instead, has also resulted in higher clinical prices and has intensified the problem of unaffordable healthcare. Even though the U.S. is the only country without a publicly financed universal health system, it still spends more public dollars on healthcare in the entire world. Compared to other countries, Americans have relatively few hospital admissions and physician visits, but are greater users of expensive technologies like magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machines. The problem is that incomes of middle class Americans and lower class Americans have been greatly affected by the ACA and its policies because of higher taxes to combat the rising prices of healthcare, which still doesn’t result in positive trends in clinical efficiency. New policies have to be amended to the ACA and/or the ACA needs to be eliminated and revised so that medical care can influence positive patient outcomes without increasing health care prices and taxation. The restoration of incomes and the strengthening of preventative medical care can save the tax plan and also help increase the positive outcomes for patients.
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The first way that I believe that incomes of middle-class Americans can be restored, is to develop new healthcare business models that reward healthcare providers on the basis of their patient population’s health outcomes. Providing incentives such as reduced corporate tax rate to private sector companies who invest in research and development (R&D) and innovating in healthcare fields to improve medical outcomes. In global comparison, the United States spends the most on healthcare per capita, but its medical outcomes and efficiency aren’t as positive as other countries who spend less on healthcare. This means that the gap isn’t necessarily in medical treatment, its in the budget allocation and the institutions/healthcare facilities where American money goes.
Clinical intervention is also one of the factors of skyrocketing medical bills. In today’s world, every symptom has a medication or pill/drug that is immediately prescribed to the patient. Physicians are getting paid on the basis of the amount of medication prescribed to the patient, not the medical outcomes of the patient. Drugs and pills increase a patient’s dependency on medication, which means that more money is funneled into overheads, but less money into decreasing a patient’s dependency on medicine. The U.S should motivate healthcare providers to invest in social programs such as wellness (yoga, exercise, etc.), diet, behavior (smoking cessation), and non-clinical interventions that will be more medically cost-effective but also increase positive outcomes for the patient in the long run.
Lastly, I believe that the majority of the money invested by the U.S government in healthcare should be distributed within preventative medical care. The reason that healthcare is so expensive is because of all the overhead costs, as well as dividends that taxes and patient payment goes to. By lessening our expenditure on insurance companies, we can reduce the disparities between socioeconomic classes in regard to healthcare, and also restore a large amount of the incomes in middle class families. Investing in preventative medical care will result in lower healthcare prices and healthier patients in the long run. A reduced dependency on hospitals/invasive treatment, equates to less taxation to fund unnecessary drugs/opioids, which could put a stop to the perpetuation of the opioid epidemic. By minimizing the circulation of drugs and the dependency that patients have on them, other problems such as antibiotic resistant bacteria will start to become less and less prevalent. Preventative care comes full circle.
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In conclusion, the incomes of middle class Americans as well as lower class Americans can be restored by investing in measures that lead to positive medical outcomes, social programs to promote wellness and non-clinical intervention, and preventative medical care. The world is rapidly innovating, with aims to place the future of medicine on every doorstep. However, by taking a step back, analyzing the options, and picking the choice that is the most beneficial to the patient, the medical industry will be catalyst in the salvation of family incomes, infrastructure, and also create a more efficient patient outcome service for America.
Caroline willhite '18,
senior lifer.
February 15th, 2018 / Kendall Shamus
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What is your favorite memory from your 13 years at Steward?
That’s really hard to answer because so much has happened here in 13 years. I would say my favorite memory was walking down the colonnade this year at convocation with my Kindergarten buddy, Finley. I saw how far I had come and it was bittersweet because it was the last time I walked down the colonnade since I started at Steward.
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Which teachers (to name a few) from each division of the Steward School have had an impact on your time at Steward?
Mrs. Saunders was my first grade teacher. She was wonderful and taught me patience and kindness. This same year my aunt passed away, and Mrs. Saunders came to the funeral for me and my mom. I saw then, how close the community at Steward is and I realized how truly amazing the community is.
In middle school, Mrs. Raggi was my advisor for a year at Steward and I have kept in touch with her even after she left to stay home with her kids. I always felt comfortable talking to her about anything and she helped me gain confidence in myself.
In the Upper School, Mrs. Freed is my favorite person ever. She is like my mom and best friend. I can talk to her about anything and I don’t know what I will do without her next year. She has taught me to be patient, kind, and hard-working.
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What will you miss the most?
The relationships with students and teachers and the community of Steward. I feel so comfortable on campus and everyone genuinely cares about me and my plans for the future.
Which year of high school has been your favorite?
So far, senior year has been my favorite. I feel so close to others in my class and I am so excited that we can experience college acceptances together! I can’t wait to go on many more adventures with the class of 2018.
What is some advice you’d like to leave behind to the upcoming seniors and underclassmen?
Take each day as it comes. I know some days are tougher than others but there is always someone who cares about your well-being. Every teacher wants to see smiles and laughter and happiness throughout the student body. Try to focus on the little things that make you laugh or that are significant, because before you know it, you’ll be walking down the colonnade for the last time wondering what ever happened to the years.
UNTITLED.
February 9th, 2018 / Anonymous
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Me? -
Blind by my heart
You? -
Gone from the start
Me? -
I just stood still
You? -
An ocean can’t kill
No words -
From my lips
And your -
Heart won’t skip
Something gone -
Was it there?
You’re -
Lilac rare
My - thick -
Golden hair
You -
had me waiting like a bird in midsummer
I -
Had you breaking like the ice meeting water
To you -
What was I?
To me -
You were light
Try we did -
Was it the end?
I hope - someday we will meet again.
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Symmetry
By Thomas Halsey, '20
By Allison Langenburg, '20
THE psychology of savings.
February 19th, 2018 / Sachin Sanjay
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Savings are the reason that in “rainy days”, people, companies, and even countries can maintain themselves. Over the years, the average savings to income ratio for the common American man has decreased. Factors such as more spending and financial literacy, as well accumulating large amounts of debt, are some of the reasons for this. With a median balance of $2,400 in savings, most Americans are not prepared for unexpected problems and especially retirement. To combat this and make more Americans prepared for the future, social reforms must be made. Having the right environment applies to spending less on things that are not necessary is very important, it is more pivotal to save for the future. College tuitions, loans, and insurance normally increases over time as the 21st century is passing by so what one saved 25 years ago is less than what one must save for 25 years from now. All three of these ways to learn about the importance of saving ties back to the need of financial literacy. The common American must know what to do financially before they goes out into the real world.
The first way to save money is that in terms of saving money, there is short term saving and long-term saving. Goals such as saving 20 dollars a week contribute to saving $50,000 for retirement as well as an emergency fund for times of need. Establish a spending budget. If a week’s spending exceeds that budget on a birthday or shopping spree, reduce the budget the following week. It may seem like very little saving every week, but in thousands of weeks of one’s life, a saving account can have thousands of dollars. Public plans such as the 401k were built for this purpose. Tracking your saving by becoming more financially literate and checking your savings frequently will also help very much. The second way to save money is not to have too much credit card debt. It may sound obvious but just in the U.S., the public debt to GDP ratio is over 75%. For example, try to spend on small things using cash or try not to put debit and rather spend with credit. Credit card penalty rates can be as high as 35%, which can further plunge families into debt. The third reason, which ties to financial literacy, is to learn more about saving and spending. If you do not, you are more likely to make wrong financial decisions which can lead to problems with banks, FICO scores, and loans. In all, financial literacy is a crucial skill to learn for the future, along with saving money, managing money sensibly, and tracking spending.
Spot the Difference
By Sachin Sanjay, '20
Cayman Palm
By Matt Lane, '20
SPACE RACE 2.0
February 8th, 2018 / Matthew Cantor
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61 years ago, the Space Race between the United States of America and the Soviet Union started, effectively ending in a US victory when they landed on the moon. Fast forward to modern day, and two private companies, Boeing and SpaceX, are locked in the same battle. Boeing has long worked with NASA to make rockets, like the Saturn V and now the SLS (Space Launch System), and SpaceX is known for Falcon 9 and recently from their launch of the Falcon Heavy in which they launched a mannequin and a Tesla into space. These two companies have potential contracts with NASA to be the first private company to transport humans to the ISS and low earth orbit. Under the CCP (commercial crew program), NASA has signed a contract with Boeing for $4.2 billion and $2.6 billion for SpaceX, with the contract starting after the first successful launch. With these contracts, the company that does it first gets to fly a minimum of 2 missions, with a maximum of 6. They also have a better position to help in future NASA projects. Until recently, SpaceX has had a comfortable lead for their first test flight, but they had to readjust their timeline, which puts their manned launch in December after Boeing’s planned manned launch in November. These companies are also in a separate race to Mars with Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg tweeting that they are going to beat SpaceX to Mars and Elon Musk responding with “Do it.”
Who do you think will win the 21st century space race?
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Pictured: (left) SpaceX’s Dragon capsule
(right) Boeing’s Starliner capsule.
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Photo credit: http://www.spacex.com/dragon ; http://boeing.com/cst100
TOO EARLY.
February 9th, 2018 / Sydney Johnson
How many hours of sleep do you get a night?
Many students hate waking up early for school because many stay up late doing homework or other activities. Studies have shown that growing teens need to get nine hours of sleep or more. On average, young adolescent adults in high school get 6-7 hours of sleep due to workloads and many other factors. Sleep deprivation can cause many mental and physical problems such as diabetes, depression, anxiety, substance abuse, mood swings, and potential impacts on brain development. Those effects are just to name a few. Many private schools start later due to these outcomes, and counties are starting to plan for a later start time in public schools in the future years. While many teens drive to school, 56% have recorded that they have felt too tired to drive, and more than one in ten have said to have fallen asleep while driving due to early school times. Sleep is extremely important, and should be prioritized!
Toronto on Vinyl
By Sonali Sanjay, '20
American crime story
February 9th, 2018 / Thomas Halsey
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Looking for a new television show to watch with friends, family, or by yourself? Well you’re in luck! A new show recently premiered on FX on January 17 about the assassination of Gianni Versace. The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story Season 2 follows the first season of American Crime Story which was “Simpson: American Crime Story”. The first season followed the tragic murder of Ron Goldman and Nicole Brown Simpson, and the court battle of suspected murderer OJ Simpson. “It was a smash hit just like the second season is suspected to be,” wrote Spencer Kornhaber, writer for The Atlantic.
The first portion of The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story starts with Versace’s life prior to his killing, depicting all its glitz and glamour, then gradually dives into the heavy hitting and dark portion of the murder investigation. It has plenty of drama, romance, and true events that are sure to captivate audiences of all ages. Gianni Versace is portrayed by Emmy nominee Edgar Ramirez, Versace’s wife, Donatella, is portrayed by Academy Award winning actress, Penelope Cruz, Antonio D’Amico, fashion designer and extremely close friend to Versace, is played by Latin singer Ricky Martin, and the killer, Andrew Cunanan, is portrayed by Glee star, Darren Criss. Rotten Tomatoes gave this show a fresh score of 83%, while the audience score had an even higher satisfaction rate with an 88% on rotten tomatoes. With a captivating plot, great reviews, and an all-star cast, there is no reason you shouldn’t watch this show. The show premiers every Wednesday night at 10:00 pm eastern time on the FX Channel. Be sure to tune in and experience the madness of the assassination of Gianni Versace.
DO THEY RELATE?
February 12th, 2018 / Blue
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no one can relate
it's a feeling i can't decimate
my mind is always in a debate
i don't know if i will receive
love or hate
no one can relate.
my personality is extremely zealous
words flow out unfiltered
people catch on & say "tell us"
how could i be so careless
do i tell them or not?
its arduous.
i'm free in my mind
where i can be undefined
but how can i be so blind
society is not confined
behind my back, i feel so maligned
but that's just mankind
thinking they are designed
to control fate
but in fact they cannot because,
they. cannot. relate.
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SoHo After Rain
By Matt Lane, '20
By Sydney Johnson, '20
By Allison Langenburg, '20
Me TOO.
January 18th, 2018 / Courtlyn Dranoff
Did you know over 17,700,000 women have reported sexual assault since 1998? In 2006, Tarana Burke founded the Me Too movement. The movement’s aim is to help survivors of sexual violence, but is also targeted at young women from low income communities. This movement is a way for young women to find a “pathway for healing.” They use the idea of “empowerment through empathy.” The Me Too movement was created to show survivors of sexual assault that they are not alone. Burke says, “By bringing vital conversations about sexual violence into the mainstream, we're helping to de-stigmatize survivors by highlighting the breadth and impact sexual violence has on thousands of women, and we’re helping those who need it to find entry points to healing. We’re aiding the fight to end sexual violence.” The movement has connected women all over the globe from all different paths and walks of life. The movement’s slogan, “You Are Not Alone,” helps women remember that someone has experienced the same things as them. Some famous women that support the Me Too movement are Gwyneth Paltrow, Cara Delevingne, Taylor Swift, Sarah Hyland, and many more. Everyone is taking a stand to show support and spread the message that the survivors of sexual assault are not alone.
Photo credit: http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/metoo
THE RISE OF WHITE NATIONALISM IN POLAND.
February 9th, 2018 / Aayush Lalwaney
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America has had many conflicts with white nationalism over this past year, but not many were aware of the recent dispute that occured in Poland on November 11, 2017. To many Europeans, November 11 is Armistice Day, but in Poland, this day is remembered and celebrated as Poland’s Independence from German, Austrian, and Russian powers in World War I.
This past independence day contained 60,000 nationalists marching in a parade through the streets of Warsaw, chanting, protesting, and throwing red-smoke bombs. Others carried banners, or flags with the portrayal of a falanga, marked as the far-right symbol dated back to the 1930’s. Tens of thousands of people gathered in order to represent their vision of a, “Pure Poland, a White Poland,” while they pushed for refugees, Muslims, and Jews to leave the nation. Though many pushed for white power in Poland, the invitation extended outside of Poland as American Neo-nazis were welcomed to the parade. Some participants marched under the slogan “We Want God!”, words from an old Polish religious song. This event was recorded as one of the largest gatherings of white nationalists in Europe.
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After the rally dispersed, there was a plethora of mixed responses, not a unilateral answer. “If there was one lesson that every European – and not just Jewish ones – had learned from the first half of the 20th century, it was “never again”. Never has that slogan sounded more hollow than on Saturday, when the white nationalist parade [occured], (Taylor).” Many connected the rally to the lesson of the World Wars, and were shocked by the numbers that contributed to the parade, but others also commemorated the march. “ It was a beautiful sight,’ the interior minister, Mariusz BÅ‚aszczak, said. ‘We are proud that so many Poles have decided to take part in a celebration connected to the Independence Day holiday,’(Taylor).” BÅ‚aszczak was one of many that named the rally, “a great march of patriots,” and continued to call these marchers regular citizens of Poland expressing their love towards Poland, disagreeing to the term, extremist.
Photo credit: https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive
/2017/11/europe-far-right-populist-nazi-poland/524559/
A DEMOCRATIC GAME.
February 6th, 2018 / Allison Langenburg
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“No one can ever master the game of baseball, or conquer it. You can only challenge it.” So said baseball Hall of Famer Louis “Lou” Brock, and, if this is true, we as Americans love the challenge. In the United States, Major League Baseball is second only to NFL football in popularity. Following this logic, the game of baseball should have many fans at the Steward School.
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When Steward baseball players were asked, answers varied as to whether baseball is a technical sport, power sport, or both. Varsity catcher Harrison Johnson decided that it is both. “Anyone can be really good at baseball and still not know how to play it.” He says. “Anyone can go up there and swing a bat.” To be really good, Harrison comments that one needs the ability not just to hit the ball, but to know how and where to hit it. This sophomore has learned from experience that baseball requires more than just brute force, it requires what Harrison calls “baseball smarts.”
Varsity player Logan Ransom, who pitches and plays outfield, disagrees just slightly, calling baseball more of a technical sport “because it doesn’t matter how hard you throw or how hard you hit, you have to get people out.”
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But, when asked what makes a good player, Logan’s answer had little to do with throwing or hitting at all. “What separates a good player from a great player is mental strength.” he tells us. This pitcher similarly considers “mental fortitude” the most challenging aspect of his sport. “You can’t let anybody get in your head. If you do, you’re done.” Additional Varsity pitcher Matt Gaither agrees, saying: “You can’t get anywhere without the mental part.”
One article has called baseball “a democratic game”1, meaning that extreme physical prowess is not the most important element of the sport; a player does not have to be big and tall to succeed. If you have watched any sport game before, you may have caught onto this same concept of mental strength.
“Baseball is ninety percent mental and the other half is physical.” Once quipped Yogi Berra, famous coach, manager, and MLB player. While perhaps the mathematical total of this quote leaves behind a trail of furrowed brows or counting fingers, the logic holds true for any sport. The most important element of any sport is that in one’s own mind. A drive to work and win, an ability to function under pressure, or when the whole crowd seems to have already foreseen your failure, to focus and defy expectations by giving one’s all is what makes an athlete truly great.
Considering this, as an athlete myself, one answer to the final question on my list by Logan Ransom brought a smile to my face. When asked what his favorite thing about baseball was, considering all aspects, he didn’t hesitate before giving his one-word answer: “Winning.”
DIY ACAI BOWL
February 7th, 2018 / Emory Sutton
INGREDIENTS:
2 packs of Sambazon Acai Puree (you can get it at Kroger or Whole Foods in the frozen aisle)
1 TBSP. of Almond Milk or Whole Milk
1 banana
¼ CUP of granola
SOME chopped strawberries
STEPS:
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Follow instructions on pack of ACAI (tip: once acai is in the blender crush it with a spoon a bit to help blending go faster)
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Add ALMOND MILK, and BANANA, and add any extra VEGGIES or FRUIT (I like baby spinach)
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Then pour out into a bowl and add GRANOLA+STRAWBERRIES on top or any other toppings (I sometimes add dark chocolate chips)
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ENJOY! I like to eat this for breakfast or I’ll turn it into a SMOOTHIE by adding a bit more almond milk and about ¼ cup of GREEK YOGURT and no toppings and eat it as a snack.
By Sydney Johnson, '20
My Favorite workouts & Tips
February 7th, 2018 / Emory Sutton
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I’m going to start by saying that working out really isn’t that bad and once you start working out you will love it because your body releases endorphins while you workout which make you happy. You will also feel great and accomplished afterwords.
MY NUMBER #1 WORKOUT TIP: Do it every day and it will become a habit -- f you workout almost everyday and take one or two break days (but STRETCH during those break days), working out will become a habit.
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MY FOUR FAVORITE AT-HOME MOVES + TIPS:
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RUN: I like to try to run 2 miles at least three times a week but my goal is to start running five times a week. While 2 miles is not a very long distance it is still beneficial and it is how much my skating coach tells me to do because it helps with my stamina on the ice (but you can run 10). Run with your DOG to make it more fun, if you want. CARDIO is very important and running is a fun way to do it, however I recommend doing other cardio exercises too, such as playing a sport or dancing.
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AB WORKOUTS: I love doing ab workout videos. One of my favorites and a classic at the skating rink is Uptown Abs (it can be found on youtube if you look up “Uptown Abs”. My skating coach has me do this workout twice a day except for Sundays. I play the video and then without a break restart it and repeat the workout. However, if you would like something a little bit less hardcore try doing planks or do Kendall Jenner’s 11 minute at-home ab workout (just google it and it should pop up). It’s a light and slow-paced workout that still works the core. I also do pushups and use resistance bands for my ARMS, but I won’t go to into depth about that.
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LEG WORKOUTS: I have a few favorite moves for strengthening my legs. I do ankle raises (about 3 sets of 50) to strengthen/tone my calves and ankles. I also do squat-jumps (go into a parallel squat positions hold for 5-seconds and then jump and land in the same position and repeat. I do about 3 sets of 15). Finally, to work the inner thighs I do multiple things but there are tons of great inner thigh workouts on youtube. My favorite is a one by POPSUGAR FITNESS and it is a 10 minute at-home leg workout. I also do specific leg workouts for skating but they are hard to explain and kind of unnecessary for a non-skater. But, if you want more info email me at emory.sutton@stewardschool.org.
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Finally, STRETCH STRETCH STRETCH. Always stretch before and after working out. You don’t have to do anything super wild, but stretch. It helps PREVENT INJURIES and just helps your muscles look less bulky. I like to do lots of stretches but it would take up two pages for my stretching routine so I recommend going on youtube and finding an after workout and/or before workout stretching video.
Varsity boys basketball.
February 15th, 2018 / Tre Chalmers
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The Steward Boys Basketball Team is currently sitting at a record of 15-10. The Spartans are doing great with their two dynamic freshman, an athletic playmaking point guard and two great junior leaders. The Spartans recent schedule of games have been very competitive with the Spartans going two and two in their last four games, concluding with a statement victory over Greenbrier Christian Academy.
Sophomore Jabari Atkinson states "Obviously it's been tough to sit out, but I have enjoyed watching the guys play this year and proud of the way each individual has matured throughout the season to help the team become better. I am excited to see how these guys close out this year and this summer it will be time to get back in the lab and to better ourselves even more. I am excited for the noise we are about to make next year when I return!". The Spartans are making a great push for states and have a very strong opportunity to make the playoffs. The Spartans are a hard working team, and are going to do big things in the upcoming future.
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Niagara
By Sachin Sanjay, '20
By Sydney Johnson, '20
This is the end of our inaugural issue!
We have new issues updated at the end of each month, so please stay tuned for new changes and uploads on our site. If you wish to print this issue, please do. We hope you enjoyed reading our articles as much as we enjoyed writing them!
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Love,
The Steward Ink Team