By Katie Bowling, Jill Moore, Claire DeFrancisci, and Grace Runkel
Category Archives: News
Sugarland concert disaster hits home
By Jacob Baumann
With all the tragedy and madness behind the recent Sugarland concert stage collapse, it is difficult to stomach that it was close to home.
On Aug. 18, a gust of wind caused the stage to be overtaken at the Indiana State Fair in Indianapolis. Sugarland was set to perform, but was never on stage and were not injured physically.
Although none of the band members were injured, it was another story for a few spectators close to the stage.
With seven people confirmed dead and close to 50 injured, the tragedy’s magnitude continues to grow.
Thousands of on lookers began evacuating right after the stage had fallen. Announcements had been made prior to the stage crumpling, about the evacuation process, but it had taken the viewers by complete surprise.
Senior Sydney Shelton was in the audience at the time and saw the terrifying ordeal. Shelton had gone with friends and family, none of whom were hurt.
Shelton said, “Everyone stopped and stared as it collapsed and ran afterward.”
During the evacuation process the officials were telling people where to go.
“We all went into the Pepsi Coliseum,” said Shelton. “They were housing horses there at the time.”
At first, Shelton was not disturbed out about the stage buckling. News then began to spread about people having been injured and killed by the collapse.
At that time, the reality of the disaster set in and everyone was scared and worried about what had happened to other observers.
“I didn’t think they had any idea it was coming,” said Shelton.
The National Weather Service had issued a thunderstorm warning at 8:45 p.m. This was just minutes before the gust of wind pummeled the stage.
Shelton said they had made announcements about cancelling the concert after they had retrieved food. About two minutes after that, the stage was knocked down.
Although Shelton was not injured by the collapse, it was a horrible experience.
While Shelton was there, senior Bethany Hoskins was also at the concert. “It was really scary, it made you realize things can change so fast,” said Hoskins.
“The evacuation was crazy, people were pushing others down the stairs and jumping over people,” said Hoskins.
After the concert, Hoskins also went into the Pepsi Coliseum.
“We watched a lady next to us have a panic attack because she was in the front row and had lost her friend,” said Hoskins. A state fair manager told the woman of hospitals to try and find her friend.
With similar experiences, it makes this tragedy hit home even harder.
“We went to have a good time and it ended up in tragedy,” said Shelton.
Gipe remembers 9/11 experience
By Nathan Hemminger
Lt. Col. Ben Gipe, who is the co-instructor of the ROTC program, said he thinks of himself as a sheepdog.
“There are three types of people in this world: the sheep, the wolves, and the sheepdogs. I’m a sheepdog, protecting all of the sheep from the wolves,” said Gipe.
This is certainly an accurate statement, considering Gipe’s military history and his passion for protecting his students. But even Gipe was not prepared for the tragedy that would befall the nation on Sept. 11, 2001.
Gipe said he will never forget where he was when the first plane hit the towers. He was working as felony drug probation officer in Clark county, Indiana. He said he was with his co-workers when a woman came into the room and told them to turn on the news.
His coworkers then began to turn to Gipe asking, “How could this happen?” They turned to Gipe because he flew fighters in the Marine Corps in his earlier years, and they were worried that it was some sort of malfunction. Gipe came to this conclusion that it must have been some sort of unavoidable error in the mechanics.
“If it comes to the point of an inevitable crash, any pilot worth his salt will try to avoid crashing into an over populated area,” he said.
It was not until the second plane hit that Gipe realized the tragedy that had just occurred, and what that tragedy foretold.
“I looked at the men standing around me, and I said, ‘Gentlemen, we are at war.’ Even thinking about that moment now makes my stomach upset. It just brings back a lot of terrible emotions,” said Gipe.
Gipe immediately wanted to do whatever he could for his country. He called up his friends from the Marine Corps and the Kentucky Guard, both of which he was retired from, and told them he was ready to fight. Sadly, his friends told them that he had been retired for too long, but that they appreciated the offer.
“I gave the same pitch to both of them, but they said they had no use for an old guy like me,” Gipe said with a chuckle.
However, Gipe was not going to let a minor factor like age stop him from being the sheepdog he was meant to be. He started working for the ROTC at Floyd Central in 2004, and he said he is training his students to be honest, responsible citizens and also giving them a strong sense of patriotism. If there are sheep, sheepdogs, and wolves, then Gipe said that he refers to his students as the lambs, and that he works to protect his students as if they were his own family.
Ten years ago, Gipe had an uneasiness in his stomach, knowing that our country was about to start a war on terror. 10 years from now, Gipe hopes that terror will be eradicated from the face of the Earth completely and that everyone will be able to live in peace. However, Gipe knows that right know he must do his best at being a sheepdog, because no one is going to stop being a wolf or a sheep.
“I think that instead of having everyone be a sheepdog, we should hope for less wolves, and we should try not to get angry at the sheep or the lambs,” he said.
Freshmen transition to high school life
By Anna Berry, Eli Bolus, and Blake Dykes
For most freshmen, the transition from middle school to high school can be a big change. From the number of people, classes, and halls, the first week can be full of different opinions.
“I expected to get lost a lot,” said freshman Colleen Bryan.
This can be the case for many others new to the larger high school. However, freshmen Josh Sauer said he had problems finding classes. After he learned where they were, he described it as “pretty easy, simple.” The first week, according to some freshmen, was different than they expected for several reasons.
“All the teachers were suppose to be hard and strict,” said Sauer.
Also, freshman Brayden Hoke thought high school was going to be tough but said it turned out to be easier than he thought.
One of the biggest changes for many freshmen is the teaching style of their teachers. Some freshmen have trouble studying for the harder tests.
“It’s harder to take notes because teachers do not explain much,” said freshman Kaelei Gnthulier.
Some freshmen also enjoy how the school rules are a little more lenient. “I like the dress code a lot better,” said Gnthulier.
“[I like that] people have grown up a little, and are not as concerned about what you wear and what you say,” freshman Jalyn Kowalski said.
Overall, freshmen tend to find their place in high school and begin to get the layout of the school down. Many have high hopes for the rest of the year.
“For the most part, I want the rest of my high school career to be similar to this week,” said freshman Liam Resener. “The best part about being a freshman is that you’re going to be a sophomore.”
Weather in Indianapolis causes disaster at Sugarland concert
By Darian Eswine
While awaiting a Sugarland concert, storms cause stage crew to announce precautionary measures for worst case scenario. Moments after, a strong gust of wind blows over the entire set as though it was paper. The stage not only fell onto stage crew, but also onto “standing room only” audience members. Pieces of stage blew into grandstands.
Screams, chaos, and panic ensued. Everyone ran into stables and Pepsi Coliseum. A few thousand people were packed in. All were on phones and tears and terror surrounded the horrified crowd.
EMTs, policemen, and firemen arrived seconds after the collapse of the stage, and procedures started at 10 p.m. to rescue those trapped beneath the stage. Some people rushed to cars while others tried to locate family members. Scene is still chaotic.
There have been 45 injuries and five deaths, according to Indy Channel. We are awaiting further details.
To see a fan-made video of the stage collapsing click here.