The revival of Lunch with a Leader

AshleyBialas

Everyone has a different view of what it takes to be a leader. It could be a physicist, entrepreneur, doctor, movie producer or even a Marian girl. To discover the qualities of a leader can be a daunting task. To help achieve this, the Marian administration recently resurrected a program last held in 2015: Lunch with a Leader.

Originally founded as a part of the “Year of Leadership” in the 2010-11 school year, this program works to invite Marian alums back into the building to share how they achieved succesful careers.

Oct. 20 marked this year’s revival with the first alum speaker Jay Warren Teamer, alumn ‘05. Teamer talked with both lunches about her transition from high school into college. She also shared insight into her career as well as how she felt prepared for college coming from Marian. She helped reassure students that they don’t have to have it all figured out right after high school and that even now she still doesn’t know what she wants to be when she grows up.

All students and faculty were invited to sit in on this presentation and ask any questions they had. Marian hopes to continue hosting Lunch with a Leader throughout this year and in the future.

Marian’s first teacher of the month

ElenaBrown

After the seniors showed off their creative costumes, a new tradition began  when Mrs. Kim Morgan was presented with the “Teacher of the Month” award. This new award is an addition to the ways students recognize and show appreciation for their teachers at Marian.

Morgan, one of Marian’s newest English teachers, was nominated by a student, then selected by Student Board. This goes to show the scale of the impact she has on her students despite having taught at Marian for only one full school year.

Every month, a different teacher will be nominated for the “Teacher of the Month” award. Students will receive a Google Form that gives them the opportunity to nominate a teacher who they feel deserves some extra recognition.

Model UN grants cultural understanding

LillyItalia

On Nov. 5-8, Marian chaperones, Mrs. Katy Salzman, Ms. Susie Sisson and Dr. Renee McGill, took a group of 24 students to Stanford’s Model United Nations Conference for high school students.

Here, the students were each placed on committees where they engaged in delegation to address real-world inequities.

These committees are represented by various countries or people within the UN (played by high school students). They had the ability to step into the shoes of what it’s like to be an official UN ambassador. Within, they were responsible for researching, debateing and writeing solutions for and vote on globally-pressing issues.

The trip granted students the opportunity to build skills in international cooperation, teamwork and in understanding the United Nations.

Diesel dilemma causing price cuts affects Nebraskans

AshleyBialas

Seeing the price of gasoline at $4.92 per gallon would be quite a shock to many. This price is a 1.65x increase compared to the average price of $2.98 per gallon before the conflict between the United States and Iran began. However, this is what farmers are facing every day.

The average pre-war price of diesel fuel was just under $4 per gallon and, today, farmers face prices over $6 per gallon. Ongoing Iranian and U.S. conflict has caused all oil prices to skyrocket and has hit industries that are large consumers of oil in order to function. Earlier this year, the Strait of Hormuz, a major shipping channel in the Middle East responsible for exporting a vast majority of the oil needed worldwide, was closed by Iran in response to airstrikes from both the U.S. and Israel.

Americans have felt this price jump at the pump. Farmers, who are major consumers of diesel for farm equipment, and truckers, who also use considerable amounts of fuel as it is the basis of their trade, have been boarded the struggle bus.

Oct. 5 marked a day of relief for the workers in these industries. That day, President Trump signed an executive order in Grand Island during a Republican campaigning event which, effective immediately, eliminates the federal penalties for using red-dyed diesel on public highways.

This allows farmers to buy red diesel in bulk and use it to fuel all of their equipment, which helps them save a considerable amount of money, especially during the peak of harvest season when combines, farm machinery used to pick crops, are constantly being used.

Red and clear diesel are chemically identical. However, clear diesel which powers cars, trucks, buses and all other vehicles on the road includes both a state and federal tax while red diesel, dyed to be used in off road machinery, is exempt from the federal tax by Trump, making it a little more affordable. It also allows the deferral of the federal tax on clear diesel fuel, helping truckers save immense amounts of money each time they fill up as many semi-trucks can hold anywhere from 100-300 gallons. This order is effective until the end of this year.