By: Tonya Newbold BRHS’s jazz band will be going on Elementary Band Tours on the 27th and 28th of January. Every year, they go to North Park, Garland, Fielding, and Mckinley elementary schools. The band goes to one school in the morning, comes back for lunch, then goes to a second school. They will be going to North Park Elementary and McKinley Elementary on the 27th. Fielding Elementary and Garland Elementary will be on the 28th. They’re at each school for about two hours.
This year, one song being performed by the jazz band is very notable: The Incredibles Theme Song. The band will play three songs total as part of each performance. Following the performance, Mr. Walton introduces all the different instruments. In the past, Walton has had each section give solos to provide students with a sampling of their sounds. Julia Hawkes, a senior and a section leader, hopes to be able to play a solo this year. She has been doing the elementary band tours since she was a freshman. As they go from school to school, the jazz band hopes to spread their love for music to the younger generations. This elementary tour allows elementary students to get a feel for music at a young age and consider specific instruments. The tour also allows students to become acquainted with Mr. Walton, who might be their band teacher one day. Most kids at this age don’t know the difference between orchestra and band. Giving them this opportunity allows them to start thinking about what they want to do in the higher grades. Hawkes says, “The best part about the elementary band tours is seeing the kids’ faces light up when they hear the different types of instruments.” Hawkes also says, “If you play a band instrument you need to try out for jazz band. You won’t regret it.” If you’re already in band or otherwise interested in music, give jazz band a try.
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By: London Hillis Rachel Kropf, a sophomore at BRHS, started a club called “Students Against Slavery” at the beginning of the school year. In an interview with Kropf, she revealed why she decided to start a club with O.U.R. [Operation Underground Railroad]: “I want to help other students know about human trafficking and I want to spread awareness of this danger.” Human trafficking has been proven to be more lucrative and a bigger threat than the selling of drugs.
O.U.R. is a non-profit organization dedicated to spreading awareness of human trafficking and raising money to stop and prevent human trafficking. It is estimated that internationally there are between 20 million and 40 million people in modern slavery today. When asked, Kropf stated that the most important thing to know about human trafficking is “that it happens anywhere including here and that they go after who’s vulnerable.” Internationally, estimates suggest that only about .04% of survivors of human trafficking cases are identified, meaning that the vast majority of cases of human trafficking go undetected. Around half of all sex trafficking cases, that are reported, involve children, which means that there is no estimate of how many children are involved and go undetected. Kropf’s view on the subject is directly related to the overwhelming data that supports the fact that human trafficking is a serious danger in not just the United States but also internationally. The definition of human trafficking is the action or practice of illegally transporting people from one country or area to another, typically for the purposes of forced labor or sexual exploitation. Which means that human trafficking can happen to anyone and that there is no specific profile a human trafficker can fit into. Social media is also a very common medium human traffickers use to “groom” (prepare someone or lure them into getting abducted or trafficked) people, so be careful and make sure you know who you’re talking to on social media. All in all, human trafficking is a very real problem and Kropf, along with the members of Students Against Slavery, are trying to put a stop to it. If you would like to support or join Students Against Slavery their next meeting is on January 29th, 2020 and will be held in the library after school. |