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SPRING 2014 HOTHOT WWW.NEWSOK.COM/HOTINK A DIFFERENT INKINK KIND OF JAM PAGE 16 A PUBLICATIONAND THE OF OKLAHOMAN NEWSROOM 101 IMMIGRANTS BRING ART, BUSINESS PASSIONS TO STATE PAGES 12-14 NEWSROOM 101 JACLYN COSGROVE Program coordinator NATE BILLINGS Assistant coordinator GRAHAM LEE BREWER JENNI CARLSON KYLE FREDRICKSON SARAH HUSSAIN ADAM KEMP ANDREW KNITTLE BEN LUSCHEN LEIGHANNE MANWARREN JAY MARKS JENNIFER PALMER Jacob Bishop, a senior at Edmond Memorial High School, chats and laughs with a friend during an Mentors AP government class. PHOTOS BY LUCILLE SHERMAN, EDMOND MEMORIAL HIGH SCHOOL CAROLINE DUKE Right: Cameron Aus- tin, a senior at Ed- About the program Publication designer mond Memorial, plays on his phone and Newsroom 101 is presented THE OKLAHOMAN AND talks to a senior office by the News and Information NEWSOK.COM aide while waiting in Center staff at The Oklaho- the counseling office, man, in conjunction with the where students can Oklahoma Publishing Compa- KELLY DYER FRY drop by at any time in ny’s Newspapers in Education Editor and vice president of between classes or if service. the News and Information Center they have a pass from The 11-week program is for their teacher to speak high school students interest- with their counselor ed in different areas of jour- MIKE SHANNON about anything from classes to home life. nalism and is designed to Managing editor cultivate the skills needed to be a good journalist. ALAN HERZBERGER This publication contains content produced by the 2014 Managing editor of digital program participants and will content be distributed to Oklahoma high schools and other loca- ROBBY TRAMMELL tions. News director Newsroom 101 publications have won the National Asso- ciation of Educational Publish- CLYTIE BUNYAN ers awards twice, most re- Director of business cently in 2006. and lifestyles The program also works in cooperation with NewsOK- .com, which carries the con- tents of this publication at Student council members count ballots for Mr. and Ms. All- www.NewsOK.com/HotInk. Sport Court at Edmond Memorial High School. OKC DISTRICTS KEEP GROWING, ENTERTAINING BY CERA GREWELL | EDMOND NORTH HIGH SCHOOL ROWDS are becoming distance of a huge aquarium, all more commonplace in with easy parking and easy ac- COklahoma City as the cess to and from the highway.” city’s growth has created a With an expanding city, wealth of new entertainment maintenance and construc- and dining options. tion are guaranteed. A maze of The influx of people attend- detours and construction sites ing events like Oklahoma City is a price commuters and tour- Thunder games or the month- ists are forced to pay. ly H&8th Night Market often Oklahoma City is growing leaves many struggling to find as a tourist attraction, with a place to park. events and attractions in many More than 15,000 people parts of the city. braved frigid temperatures at “I think all of the districts March’s H&8th, a gathering of truly enhance each other,” said food trucks, live music and Elizabeth Newton, event coor- shopping opportunities, but dinator for Downtown Oklaho- many had to walk several ma City Inc. “I can’t tell you blocks to get there. how many stories I’ve heard that “I would say the biggest thing go a little something like this: missing in downtown are fam- the person was in Midtown ily-friendly activities and shop- shopping and one of the em- ping — and along with that ployees suggested they go to comes a need for easy parking Automobile Alley to visit a few and walking access,” said Bobbie of the shops there, then head to Earles, director of business de- Film Row for pizza at Joey’s. velopment at Insight Creative “...We truly have a commu- Group. “If you go to somewhere nity mindset in downtown and like Dallas, there is a four-story the various districts value the science museum in the middle importance of supporting one of downtown, within walking another.” People mingle during a recent H&8th Night Market food truck festival in downtown Oklaho- ma City. The festival is held monthly for part of the year. PHOTO BY NATHAN POPPE, THE OKLAHOMAN BY JORDAN EVANS | YUKON HIGH SCHOOL GROWING Preston Northcraft started high school off well, taking honors courses and making straight A’s. But by his sophomore year, Northcraft’s grades started to slip, and his STRONGER attitude changed. At 15, Northcraft was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, a brain disorder that causes unusual shifts in mood and energy. Man overcomes obstacles after However, unlike the staggering 40 percent of Oklahoma youth with bipolar disorder diagnosis at 15 mental illnesses who didn’t receive treatment in 2013, Northcraft was PHOTO ILLUSTRATION/GETTY IMAGES diagnosed and began treat- Unearthing talents ment. “ONE THING I’VE LEARNED IS NO MATTER Northcraft dropped out but later moved “One of the things we talk to the University of Central Oklahoma. In about is that early intervention is key,” WHAT YOU’VE GONE THROUGH IN LIFE, college, he began to unearth his passion said Jeff Dismukes, spokesman of the IT DOESN’T MATTER IF YOU’VE GONE for writing. Oklahoma Department of Mental THROUGH REALLY TOUGH TIMES, AS LONG Northcraft is now a published novelist Health and Substance Abuse Services. with his second book scheduled for release “The earlier we identify an illness, the AS YOU REALLY WORK AT LIFE AND TRY in September. Both works discuss his per- earlier we can give the appropriate care, TO GROW EVERYDAY AND GROW son struggles with his mental health and and the more successful we are on help- the ways he overcame them. Writing the ing them to that road to recovery.” STRONGER.” novel was a form of therapy itself, he said. With half of all mental illnesses oc- PRESTON “One thing I’ve learned is no matter what curring by 14 and three-fourths by 24, NORTHCRAFT you’ve gone through in life, it doesn’t mat- Northcraft was not out of the norm ter if you’ve gone through really tough when the diagnosis was given. times, as long as you really work at life and Bipolar disorder often develops in a try to grow everyday and grow stronger,” person's late teens or early adult years, Northcraft said. “I think that you’ll be a and at least half of all cases start before 21 PERCENT better person because of it.” age 25, according to the National Insti- When he was 21, Northcraft fulfilled his tute of Mental Health. Some people Oklahomans who report having a mental illness in the past year desire to give back by starting Flashpoint, have their first symptoms during child- a non-profit organization that he began hood, while others may develop symp- with his father. The organization aims to toms late in life, according to NIMH. support people with mental illness and al- But a majority of the time, people so help their families understand what don’t receive treatment until well into 70 PERCENT/ their loved ones experience through their adulthood for a disease they developed illness. in adolescence, according to NIMH. He works as a young adult coordinator 40 PERCENT and has played a role in implementing Getting help Adult Oklahomans and Oklahoma multiple programs geared toward bringing Northcraft’s treatment plan began youth, respectively, who need mental awareness about mental disorders to with bi-monthly therapy, and then health treatment and do not receive it young adults. changed to seeing a counselor once a One of these programs is a support month. He now goes to a psychiatrist group for young people ages 16 to 29 who every three months for a check-up and either have been diagnosed with a mental continues the medication regiment pre- NO. 3 health disorder or have a family member scribed to him at 15. In Oklahoma, mental health disorders are or friend who has been diagnosed. Anoth- “An essential piece of treatment is the third-leading cause of er program will focus on education, with helping people understand their own chronic disease Northcraft and other advocates traveling lives,” said Teresa Capps, executive di- to schools across the Oklahoma City met- rector of the Children’s Recovery Center ro to speak about topics like suicide pre- in Norman. “Helping them understand vention. what pressures have a negative outcome 58 “I’ve had friends that have told me they on their recovery, helping understand Age, on average, to which Oklahomans struggle with depression or anxiety,” what triggers exist, and teaching coping with mental illness live Northcraft said. “I’ve even had a friend skills is really helpful. Education is key.” who said he’s bipolar just because I talked After graduating from high school, OKLAHOMAN ARCHIVE to him and told him about that. So I think Northcraft went on to college at the SOURCE: THE OKLAHOMA DEPARTMENT OF MENTAL HEALTH once you open up and start talking to peo- University of Oklahoma, but found the AND SUBSTANCE ABUSE SERVICES ple, people will really open up to you about large campus life overwhelming. issues they have.” SILENT SIGNALS BY ASHLEY MURDOCK | BETHEL HIGH SCHOOL STARTED cutting myself last March. I can Also, children and teens cut themselves in the ignores you. honestly say I have changed since then. privacy of their bedroom and in locations on People would just walk by me and not ask me I I thought cutting could help me through a their bodies that are usually covered when what’s wrong — when it’s obvious I’m sad and lot of emotional pain. they’re around their parents.

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