Category Archives: Editorials/Student Voice

Editor’s Note: The Plaid Line publishes editorials that contain opinions that are those of the student authors. They do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of the the Plaid Line, HPSH, or its staff.

Editorials/Student Voice

The wrong ice is melting

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By: Dahlia Man and Brayden Marsh

In elementary, I remember when I was introduced to the issue of climate change at school for the first time. This was one of those rare, significant issues that revealed to me how small I was in comparison to the size of the world. I remember the various educational materials used to educate us about climate change: things like the video of a glacier melting, a large number of polar bears being unable to find enough food, and how gases were creating a “greenhouse” of sorts to keep the earth warm. I understood what was explained to me and knew it was vital information even when I was a child. While it wasn’t a thought consistently I had with me every hour, I did carry it in my mind and considered the lesson it was teaching me. 

Climate change stayed an important topic within my next years of school. In middle school and high school, the subject found its way back to me every single year. My awareness of it had never disappeared. As I grew older, the issue didn’t just pop up in lessons at school, it also showed up on my social media feed and news articles. Each time I read/saw more, the more urgent it felt. I began to realize that it wasn’t just ice simply melting, it will affect our food systems, extreme weather change, ecosystem failure, etc. But as big as it was, I had never felt a firm grasp onto how extreme the matter truly was globally. It felt as if it was a distant problem, a concern I had no immediate solution to. 

Parallel to my time growing up, I had never felt a concern of worrying about immigration enforcement affecting my own family because I was in a household of US citizens, long before I had even been born. It never had truly felt like something that could have impacted me directly, even if I had parents who were born in a foreign country. It was another topic brought up in the news, but I felt as if it wasn’t a personal one. Or I had at least thought in my young ages. Every school day I left in the morning and returned home in the afternoon, never questioning whether my family would still be there. That familiar perception had made it so much easier for me not to be my concern. 

But as I grew older, this began to change drastically. Around me I would hear various stories of families being ripped apart from each other or stories of living in fear. Something that had felt so far, suddenly felt so real and present. I was concerned about the Earth becoming warmer over time, to abruptly worrying if my parents would be waiting at home for me just as they do everyday. This time, it was a different fear. It felt immediate – it was heavy. When I came across a social media post with the words; “The Wrong ICE is Melting”, I felt moved. It stuck with me for days. The double entendre felt so raw, as it addressed not just one issue, but two. It connected climate change and immigration enforcement in a way I hadn’t thought of before. I understand now as I’ve grown, that it is important to care about all issues and matters even if it does not affect me. 

We believe the importance of keeping our planet cold is absolutely vital, because it doesn’t just affect us humans, it affects every single part of our Earth. With rising temperatures, we have rising sea levels. This can cause major displacement within our people and even disrupt ecosystems that animals highly depend on. Even beyond this, weather events will become severely extreme, with critical droughts, harsh hurricanes, drastic wildfires, etc. And these aren’t even dire ideas, these are issues some may already face. This is what makes it so crucial for our communities, individuals, and government to take action into fixing our planet before it becomes irreversible. 

All together, it is also foremost that we all reconsider how we as a country have treated people within our own borders. It is almost “safe” to say that Immigration and Customs Enforcement instill fear and precariousness instead of actual safety within our communities. With more humane approaches, everything will properly be resolved with dignity and respect. This will help protect families and ensure everyone is treated with integrity. Just like climate change, they are both long-term issues that focus on what we can do for our planet and our future. It builds a strong bond within the people and the vision to the world we want to create. 

Basketball, Editorials/Student Voice

March Madness in the NIL era

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By: Fred Gallatin

March Madness, college basketball’s premier tournament, is one of the most anticipated sporting events of the year. The adrenaline, stakes, and emotion of the 68-team tournament make it a cultural event every spring.

Cinderella stories, miraculous buzzer beaters, and high-intensity showdowns attract millions of people to the tournament each year, regardless of whether or not their favorite team is competing.

The most popular way to get involved with the tournament is by filling out brackets. Across America, nearly 40 million brackets were filled out on online platforms. Competitions among friends, family, and steep odds attract people year in and year out.

If each one of the 63 games were decided by coin flip, the odds of filling out a perfect bracket are around 1 in 9.2 quintillion. Although not every game is a coinflip, this feat has yet to be accomplished once over the forty-year existence of the tournament.

In addition to filling out brackets, Americans engage with the tournament through a large amount of sports betting. Vegas estimated that during the tournament, Americans will wager $3.3 billion on everything from player totals to game spreads. This makes March Madness second to only the Super Bowl in volume of bets placed during a sporting event.

March Madness would not be the same without Cinderella stories. These upsets and shocking moments create the iconic entertainment and excitement that doesn’t exist in other tournaments. The unofficial prerequisite for earning the title of a Cinderella is reaching the Elite 8 as an underdog, which requires three wins in the tournament.

Due to the format of the tournament, these teams are nearly exclusively from smaller conferences around the country. For example, 2022 North Carolina (8-seed to the National Championship) is not considered to be a Cinderella due to UNC’s perennial college basketball dominance.

Prime examples of Cinderella runs include: 2022 Saint Peter’s (15-seed to Elite 8), 2018 Loyola-Chicago (11-seed to Final Four), and 2023 FAU (9-seed to Final Four).

Unfortunately, thanks to NIL, these archetypes are fading in the modern college basketball world. NIL, or Name-Image-Likeness, allows players to be directly compensated for their talent, giving larger, richer schools a huge advantage.

Even when a mid-major (small conference) team overcomes the massive talent gap and finds success in the tournament, their valuable assets are bought away by high-major conferences like the Big 10, Big East, and SEC.

The best example of this comes when looking at Florida Atlantic’s (FAU) miracle Final Four run in 2023. As a 9-seed, the Owls entered the tournament with low expectations. However, the team fought their way through four tournament games before a loss to San Diego State ended their incredible run.

In the following year, the Owls lost their head coach and four star players to larger schools with more available assets.

HC Dusty May – Hired by Michigan, 60-13 since arrival, 2026 Big 10 Champion

G Alijah Martin – Transferred to Florida, 2025 National Champion

C Vladislav Goldin – Followed Coach May to Michigan, all-conference honors

G Johnell Davis – Transferred to Arkansas, All-American

G Nick Boyd – Transferred to San Diego State and then Wisconsin

This deliberate deconstruction sparked conversations about maintaining equality and forcing the prioritization of recruitment and team chemistry over monetary bribes.

By looking at the seed aggregates, or sums, of each Sweet 16 since 2015, a disparity is clearly shown. A lower number suggests that favorites dominated the bracket, whereas a higher number suggests a chaotic and upset-heavy tournament.

Sweet 16 Seed Aggregates: 2015-2026:

64, 72, 68, 83, 49, 94, 74, 78, 53, 53, 47

This pattern is expected to continue trending towards total inequality unless something is done about the talent and resource disparities of college basketball. Otherwise, the most vital parts of March Madness will vanish into irrelevance. Cinderella stories, shocking upsets, and, eventually, the passion of fans will slowly disappear.

Editorials/Student Voice

Why being bilingual is important 

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By: Alexia Williams

Multilingual information board in Plitvice Lakes National Park in Croatia. July 2023 by: Mudroslov via Wikimedia Commons

As someone who has been learning Spanish for over 10 plus years, I’m extremely grateful that I was given the opportunity to learn a language that is very versatile in many aspects, and fun to learn. Although neither of my parents speak the language, my grandfather is from Panama and Spanish is his first language. Given that, my parents placed me into a Spanish immersion program in kindergarten, which is something I’ve been continuing doing all the way up until now in high school.

Being bilingual and having the opportunity to learn Spanish for so long has been very beneficial for me because not only am I getting the opportunity to be able to learn the language but I also get the opportunity to be immersed in the various different cultures that speak Spanish. Whenever I go out with my parents, and are at a restaurant where we encounter workers who may not speak English, my parents immediately grab me to start speaking/translating for them. Sometimes it’s out of nowhere, but either way I genuinely do enjoy being able to lend a helping hand and communicate.  

My mom has always told me that being bilingual will always come in clutch, especially when I apply for jobs and start working. What she said was completely true because ever since I started working at my current job, I’ve had to use my Spanish on more than several occasions. 

Studies have shown that bilingual employees have 5-20% higher salaries compared to employees who only speak one language, and they have a 45% higher chance of promotions within their first five years in the workforce.

Not only does being bilingual provide career advantages and better job opportunities, but it also enhances cognitive abilities  meaning that bilingual individuals showcase better focus, and mental flexibility because of the fact that they have to navigate two language systems which strengthens the brain’s executive function.

There are many reasons why being bilingual is important and I think it’s critical that everyone gets the chance to learn another language. 

Editorials/Student Voice, School Life

The pros and cons of the ACT and the SAT

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By: Karl Salkowski

(Image Credit Unsplash)

Both the SAT and ACT are standardized tests used to gauge college readiness and academic ability. Almost every college in America accepts scores from both the SAT and ACT in order to determine admissions, scholarships, and possible financial aid. Both tests are timed, and have been shortened recently in order to make them less fatiguing for students. For example, the ACT has been shortened by 44 questions and the SAT by 56. Which test you choose to take doesn’t really matter, as universities do not accept one test over the other.

Overall, the SAT tends to be the more popular exam, with over 55% of students taking it in 2019. Both the SAT and ACT are learnable, and with studying many people are able to significantly improve their results. The math portion of the SAT calculates towards 50% of your total score, while the ACT is weighted equally. For the most part, ACT questions tend to be more concise and clear than SAT questions, but you have less time to answer them. However, both tests have no penalty for guessing, and you should leave no questions unanswered. Only your correct answers are factored into your score for both tests. 

The digital SAT has a total time of 2 hours and 14 minutes, graded on a scale of 400 – 1600. It includes only two primary sections, math and reading/writing, both making up 50% of your total score. Science has no dedicated section but sometimes appears in part in the reading section. Overall, the SAT gives you more time per question on average. Both tests allow the use of a calculator for the entire math section as well. The SAT’s main difference to the ACT is that it uses an adaptive structure. Module two changes based on your performance in both sections. 

The ACT is usually 2 hours and 55 minutes long and graded on a scale of 1-36 for your composite score. It is composed of reading, English, and math with optional science and writing sections. All scores are weighted equally. On average, you have less time to answer questions, but they tend to be more concise and clear. The ACT has a linear structure; all modules are independent and your scores from each don’t affect which modules you receive later in the test. 

Overall, the tests are very similar, so I would personally recommend taking whichever test is offered by your school. I also recommend studying for the tests, as the question formatting can be a little confusing. 

For more information, please visit: 

Editorials/Student Voice, Advice/How To

The importance of social interaction

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By: Alexsia Williams

happy summer, 2 July 2011, 20:04:14, by:
Viktoriia 1987, via Wikimedia Commons

As someone who values social interaction it was beyond devastating when in 2020 we were forced to go on lock down due to the COVID-19 virus. Having to go on lock down also meant we weren’t able to go to school, which also stopped us from having  our daily social interactions with one another, at school.

Given that 6 years have passed since the pandemic, and we don’t have to do distance learning anymore, my favorite part about coming to school is being able to see my friends and being able to interact with all my other peers and teachers in person.

Studies have shown that people who have  face-to-face social interactions with each other have a better likelihood of survival by 50%. Having social interaction can also  prevent anxiety and depression, which people living alone and in isolation can experience if they spend their time in isolation instead of going out and having social interactions.

Actively going out and meeting new people, which for some that can mean meeting new people at school, joining a club or extracurricular, or even simply going to a coffee shop are ways people can form connections. Being able to form new connections with people and form meaningful relationships with others can raise your own senses of connection, belonging and purpose.

Although social interaction is important there are some people who struggle to talk to new people due to stress and social anxiety. As someone who struggles with anxiety, especially when going up and talking to new people, nine times out of ten, that other person also may feel the same way and feel a little nervous, as well.

Some techniques that can help calm your nerves before talking to new people can include deep slow breathing, utilizing  positive self talk prior to talking to that person, and visualizing a successful interaction with that person, instead of thinking and visualizing about  the worst of what could happen. Having been able to do this myself beforehand, has been beneficial because these techniques have led me to some of my best friendships I have now. 

Baseball, Editorials/Student Voice, Sports

World Baseball Classic

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By: Fred Gallatin

In a society that has never been more divided, countries across the globe have discovered a sense of unity in an unexpected way — competition. 

Every four years, countries such as the United States, Japan, and Venezuela compete in a 20-team baseball tournament called the World Baseball Classic (WBC). 

Qualified teams are sorted into four different pools, or groups, each consisting of five teams. The teams play each other once each and the top two move into the 8-team elimination bracket that determines the winner. 

Tensions across the world are being felt now more than ever, and some were worried that extra competition between countries would exacerbate this. 

Immigration tension between the United States and Central America (home to eight of the countries competing) headlined these worries. Additionally, Israel’s plummeting global popularity led some to speculate that the tournament would be used as a political platform by many different parties.

The WBC began in early March and immediately proved it would not negatively influence the state of the world. In fact, it could be argued that the 2026 World Baseball Classic was vital to repairing the damaged bonds between countries around the world. 

With the United States and Japan heavily favored to win the tournament, many assumed the other countries would simply roll over and accept the success they earned before bracket play. These expectations meant that Japan was not prepared for the scrappy Venezuelan team they met in the quarterfinals. 

With their home country facing political and economic difficulties, the Venezuelans were playing for more than a trophy. Omar Lopez, the team’s manager, said that the goal of the team was to bring pride and joy to the people back home. This mindset drove Venezuela to play with heart, emotion, and unity. 

On the other side of the bracket, the United States took down Canada in the quarterfinals and advanced to play the dangerous lineup of the Dominican Republic. Fans packed the Miami Marlins’ stadium for what was expected to be a high-intensity and entertaining game. 

In a low-scoring and, as expected, intense game, the United States took down Fernando Tatis Jr. and the Dominican Republic en route to advancing to the final round.

After upsetting Japan, the Venezuelans, led by Ronald Acuña Jr. and Salvador Perez, beat Italy to advance to the championship game against the star-studded United States of America. 

As seen many times in sports, the David vs Goliath narrative was on full display prior to the game. Analysts, fans, and players were not asking if the United States would win, but asking how many runs they would win by.

Aaron Judge, Bryce Harper, Bobby Witt Jr, and many more stars looked to avenge the United States’ WBC loss to Japan in 2023. On paper, they would beat Venezuela every single time. Thankfully, baseball is not played on paper. 

Through eight innings, Venezuela had a 2-0 lead and limited the United States to just two hits. After a two-out walk, Phillies star Bryce Harper stepped up to the plate with the weight of an entire country on his shoulders. 

Harper patiently waited on a breaking ball and sent it into the center field maintenance tunnel, tying the game with one swing. The game had been flipped upside down and Venezuela’s first WBC title appeared to be slipping away. The Americans were imminent. 

After a walk by Luis Arraez and an electric steal, Venezuelan slugger Eugenio Suarez stepped up to the plate and calmly sent a ball into left-center field, giving his team a 3-2 lead. 

After the United States continued their offensive struggles during their last at bats, flamethrowing closer Danny Palencia struck out Roman Anthony to end the game. 

Jubilation broke out across the stadium as Venezuela’s players poured onto the field to celebrate the monumental win. Right fielder Ronald Acuña fell to his knees in tears, as did many others on the field and in the stands. 

Suarez, overcome with emotion, draped the Venezuelan flag over his shoulders and thanked God while embracing teammates and coaches. 

With immigrants and minorities being targeted in today’s society, the importance of this pride cannot be overlooked. Often, people only represent their cultures when they are being oppressed or treated unfairly.

To see diversity being proudly displayed on a world stage is something that everyone should be able to appreciate. The players and fans showed pride for their country and compassion for others, which is something that people around the world should strive to do. 

On a global stage, people put their differences aside and honored their country, culture, and families through baseball. The critics who said that the WBC would create division and chaos have been silenced, and the global baseball community has been brought closer together.

As hate and persecution plague our world, the 2026 World Baseball Classic will serve as a reminder to represent your culture well, respect the culture of others, and remember that all humans strive for peace, prosperity, and happiness above all else. 

Editorials/Student Voice, School Life, Tech/Games

AI’s impact on education

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By: Karl Salkowski

(Image Credit Unsplash)

As artificial intelligence continues to become more and more widespread and accessible, it only becomes more prevalent in our day to day lives. Every year AI plays a larger role in public education, but it is not always constructive. Although AI can be used to enable student creativity, it comes with the risk of over dependence. With artificial intelligence models becoming more aware and accurate it becomes harder to distinguish between human and artificially created work. New systems such as ChatGPT Zero and Turnitin have gained popularity as systems able to verify human work, but they aren’t always accurate.

AI can help students understand difficult concepts, simplifying details through instant feedback and explanations. However, AI can also be used maliciously in order to pass off assignments as student work. Over time many students become over-dependant on artificial intelligence leading them to fall behind.

AI has changed the landscape of education, forcing both students and teachers to adapt very quickly. Many schools use certain firewalls and tools to ban AI software on school WiFi, while others have opted to create policies on constructive and safe AI use. Many use these strategies in conjunction, such as Highland Park Senior High, which has chosen to block less trustworthy cites, while also integrating an AI responsibility policy.

AI forces educators to rethink how to assess students, figuring out new methods to preserve academic honesty. As AI continues to integrate more with our lives, students will continue to rely more heavily on artificial intelligence and online resources. This makes it significantly harder to judge whether student work is genuine or manufactured. In my own experiences, many of my teachers have decided against more traditional testing methods and started using new types of essays and activities that are harder to cheat on.

When used responsibly AI can be an incredible resource for students, but it is likely that most students have already developed an over dependence on it, leading to more of a struggle long term.

Editorials/Student Voice, School Life

Personal Project stress

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By: Merob Geleto

The Personal Project is a semester-long project completed by 10th graders for IB schools like Highland Park. Students have to choose a topic, create a product, and submit a paper about the process.

The Personal Project is stressful for students due to it usually overlapping with other academic pressures, being more of a self-directed project, and being long-term. The project spans over several months meaning students have to manage their time wisely so they can submit the project on time. Some students have a lot on their plate with school work or extracurricular activities so students usually push off doing their project which leads to extreme procrastination.

Managing your time and doing the project is a challenge but picking a topic is usually what is most stressful and hardest for students. From what I’ve seen from my peers, many students don’t know their topic until December or even January. There are a lot of topics to pick from, too many in fact, which makes it harder for students to choose. A common issue when picking a topic is picking one and it being too broad and actually being three projects. This usually leads to a burnout.

Usually students find a way to deal with the stress and submit their Personal Project finished. Many students, including me, broke down the project into smaller pieces. Some made a schedule to make sure they were on track.

I interviewed a sophomore who had just done their Personal Project and asked how stressful the Personal Project was and how he dealt with it. The interviewee replied with “It was extremely stressful because I procrastinated a lot”. He then said that when the stress was too overwhelming, he went to his PP advisor. His advisor gave him a layout and some advice which helped him a lot. The interviewee ended up finishing his project on time.

No matter what method, most students doing the Personal Project managed themselves well enough to prevent burnout and to pass.

Editorials/Student Voice

Why do some people prefer solitude?

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By: Ro’Mel Bryant-Oliveraz

Photo by Buwaneka Boralessa on Pexels.com

In the modern world with constant stimulation, forced routines, and social gatherings, being alone for some people lets them feel free. Maybe by having a routine they can control having the freedom to not perform, or creative freedom to do things their own way. Most people prefer being alone often but some people revolve their day around being alone. Some people may go to sleep early because they are lonely, while others stay up late because they love being alone.

People that prefer solitude often prefer to do casual things alone than to do what people think is fun in social settings. They might prefer to go exercise at home than to go to a party, not because they don’t like people but simply because going to a party is less fun than being alone.

One big reason people prefer being alone is because they have the freedom to focus deeply without distractions, whether on themselves, work, or the future, thinking often can be better alone. Many innovative jobs have come from people with preferences like this. Think scientists, coders, artists. You can dig deep into the technicals when you’re alone and have the chance and freedom to really focus. From people at school buried in homework to someone with a career that demands focus, solitude is often a tool you can’t afford to skip out on.

Also, while in solitude, you can vent much more. Most people like to vent about things, and people do this in different ways. Many ways of venting can only really be done when alone. Things like writing in a diary, talking out loud, exercising, or having a hobby, are usually about having a time when you feel free and can be yourself, often when alone.

It’s about focus and balance, not dislike of people. I personally think about my day as getting through it alone, and social settings can just cloud my routine. I usually set up alone times, like studying time, exercising time, and time with my hobbies in order to feel complete and stay on routine. This only is one example of why people may prefer solitude.

In the end, solitude is about balance, physical freedom, creative freedom, and routine. People may need their alone time to exercise, make something new, build skills, and manage time, ensuring their entire routine is structured and on schedule. If you notice someone probably prefers solitude it could be because of one of these reasons or similar, it’s not a bad thing.

Editorials/Student Voice, School Life

Highland’s new cafeteria

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By: Weston Halgunseth

A new era for dining

For years Highland’s cafeteria was known for its shift between the middle school’s dark, gloomy side and the overly bright high school side, however after the remodeling of the cafeteria last year, the space has been completely transformed. The revamp hasn’t changed the menu much but it did change the vibe of the lunch room for the better.

A modern aesthetic

The first thing students notice when walking in is that the room simply looks better. Gone are the crazy shifts in lighting between sides. The big wall blocking each side making parts get crowded is also gone. In is new modern furniture that reminds you of what colleges have. The new lunch lines and the overall vibe of it is better. This aesthetic shift makes the lunch room become a highlight of many student days.

Comfort & space

The renovation also has improved the comfort of the lunch room. By introducing more space, the new modern seats, and the link that connects the two floors. The school has created an environment where students can take a break and have it feel like a break. The new layout provides more space to move around, effectively eliminating the crowded feeling during lunch.

This extra room allows for people to become more social and overall become more of a relaxed area.

New options

Perhaps the most noticeable change was the new food lines that were made, one of them having salads and yogurt and the other having stuff you can buy like sandwiches, drinks, etc. For me, I see a lot of people going to these lines instead of the normal 2 options they usually have.

A schoolroom is the heart of student life, and this revamp of the lunchroom has given that heart a much needed boost. By creating a space that is spacious and comfortable, Highland has provided us with a good revamped lunchroom.