People are terrified to leave their houses on Black Friday considering all of the recent terrorist attacks. Mall management has sent out a email to all company managers located in the Mall of America stating that their has been NO recent threats for an attack.

I myself have talked to police officers located at the Mall of America about my concern because I will be working on Black Friday. They told me they have K-9 units working with them, the SWAT team, and they even have their own police station located in the Mall of America. They won’t only have mall cops located in the mall but they are bringing in others from all around Bloomington. Black Friday will be a busy day at the Mall of America, but they are saying they have never been more prepared and are on high security.

Although there has not been threats yet, this does not mean they are lowering their guard. Many people are saying the Mall of America is more concerned about making money rather than losing people, and want them to shut the mall down.

I for one do not believe it’s fair that mall employees are supposed to work on a day they do not feel safe, there is no concern of any threats being made but if you truly do not feel safe – stay home. It’s better to be safe then sorry. Have a safe, fun, and careful holiday weekend, and if you see anything suspicious report it.

The thought of being a vegetarian can be frowned upon by many people, and as a result of this, many people might not take into consideration that there are plenty of students surrounding us that are vegetarian or vegan. Being a vegetarian/vegan can become very difficult during school hours and may result in students eating an unhealthy diet because there aren’t many options, or not eating at all.

Some days there aren’t any lunch lines at Highland Park that have products that don’t contain meat or animal products. I don’t understand why this is.

Everybody thinks being a vegetarian is so difficult, but you might think it is for the first week, only because you’re so accustomed to going to the McDonald’s drive thru and grabbing a cheeseburger. Yes, eating meat can be quick and easy, but it isn’t difficult to stop. So, why does everything have to be topped with bacon or chicken?

Having a vegan/vegetarian lunch line would make lunch much easier and convenient to students. They could easily serve soy milk with meatless patties with veggies on the side. It’s healthy and not as difficult as everyone tells themselves. Also, eating vegan saves up to 600 gallons of water a day.

Many people think about becoming vegetarian but don’t have easy access to it because everyone around them is eating meat, and that’s always been the easiest route to go. This could be a great alternative to those people that would like to try it out.

The more meat we eat in the cafeteria means the more meat they order for the next month, which results in more animals getting killed. We can prevent that from happening by simply eating a veggie burger, or pasta with no meat.

We already have many lunch lines where ONLY people that eat animal products can eat from, so how about we start a lunch line where EVERYONE is able and comfortable to be eating from.

Animal cruelty is a big problem, but is often not viewed as such. Many animals are abused daily but it is not a major issue to a lot of people because they are just “animals”. Many people don’t take into account that animals have feelings too and this abuse takes a toll on them. When people think about animal abuse they think dogs or house hold animals, but there is abuse everywhere.

When you go to a zoo or a circus that uses animals you are supporting animal abuse. Zoos may seem like a nice place to take kids as a form of entertainment, but the reality is that animals captive in zoos are deprived of everything that is natural and important to them. As a result of this, most animals suffer from a condition called “zoochosis”. The website Peta.org talks about how if you have ever noticed a captive animal sway back and forth this is a first hand symptom of this disease. This can get so bad that at some zoos they give animals a mood-altering drug, such as Prozac, because the public has started to catch on. In some cases it gets so bad that animals risk their lives in desperate attempts to free themselves. The reality is most people spend several minutes at a display for an animal whose whole life is misery. Instead of going to a zoo, watch documentaries on animals in their natural habitat happily living. For more on captive animals kept in zoos here is the link to the Peta website http://www.peta.org/living/entertainment/reality-zoos/ for more information.

Circus are very big places where many animals are abused. Many circus, animals are trained through the use of intimidation and physical abuse. According to Paws.org, former circus employees have reported seeing animals beaten, whipped and denied food and water. These actions are taken all in an effort to force them to learn their routines. Animals are taught that not obeying the trainer will result in physical abuse. This is very stressful for these animals having to go through all this abuse. Animals aren’t actors, instead they are spectacles imprisoned and forced to perform these silly, stupid, tricks for the amusement of humans. If you are interested in reading more about animal abuse in circuses, please visit: http://www.paws.org/get-involved/take-action/explore-the-issues/circus-cruelty/.

There are endless amounts of animal cruelty everywhere, these are just some of the more open to the public forms of animal cruelty. There is way too much suffering for these animals, and there is no compassion shown towards them. Humans seem to forget that animals are mammals too, and they have feelings  just as humans do, but still seem to matter less.

Parents assume that schools are a safe place for their children to go and socialize with friends and be educated but little do they know that some kids are bringing:

• Guns
• Knives
• Drugs

Some kids think it’s O.K. to show off the weapons, drugs, etc. that they bring to school with no consequences. School resource officers (SROs) are not making it any better by putting guns, Tasers etc. on their utility belts, as this can show kids that it’s O.K. to have weapons in a school building.

According to Kare 11, a student at Patrick Henry High School brought a .38 caliber handgun to school with the intention of shooting another student after school. Patrick Henry school administrators are now talking about making a stand, and to make the district a weapon, violence, and gang free zone.

Another Kare 11 report of a student bringing a gun to school was in Hanover, MN, where deputies took a 9th grade student into custody after reports of seen a gun.

According to huffingtonpost.com about 17 percent of American high school students are drinking, smoking or using drugs during the school day. Of 1,003 students ages 12-17, 86 percent indicated they were aware their classmates were abusing substances during the day, and more than half acknowledged there was a place on, or near, school grounds where students periodically go to use drugs, drink, and smoke.

On Wlwt.com a middle school student in Lawrenceburg, Indiana, is accused of bringing two knives to school. Students alerted administrators about a threatening comment made by the middle school boy. The school isn’t releasing the child’s grade or age, but he was pulled from class immediately. That’s when administrator said the child admitted to having a pocket knife on him. The administrator said the knife had a 2 to 3-inch blade. According to the administator the student claimed the knife was left in his pants pocket from the night before.

According to the site Wdrb.com an Osceola County high school expelled two students. The two students attended Pine River High School in Leroy. The district superintendent says both students were expelled. While they’re not giving out names, they are saying one 17-year-old was expelled for having a knife at school during an athletic event. The other 17-year-old student was expelled for criminal sexual conduct on school property. The superintendent says they made the decision in order to keep a safe and orderly environment for their students.

No matter where they go, or what school they go to, students are not completely safe. They may feel that they are, but they don’t know what’s going on in other students’ minds.

It is this writer’s opinion that students deserve a place where they can be safe and be educated and not worry about if they are going to live that day or not.

When students bring harmful things to school, some of them get arrested and get charged. That goes on their permanent record, so maybe they will think twice before they do it again. But then again, maybe it won’t.

College is a huge step most of you will choose to take. It’s no secret that everything that is implied with the word ‘college’ can send a rush of stress down your spine. The cost of this basically mandatory

education has increased 1,120% over the past thirty years, according to Bloomberg Business, a business that delivers market news, data and financial analysis. Tuition costs has increased by 15% since 2008, and these increasing numbers seem to equal a goal only the top 1% may end up achieving; the American Dream.

Many Americans are beginning to question if adding to the $1 trillion of nation wide student debt is worth the nine to five desk job. Education Secretary Arne Duncan told the Associated Press in June that lowering college costs needs to be priority for the whole country. “As a nation, we need more college graduates in order to stay competitive in the global economy,” Duncan said, but that may not be achievable due to the steadily increase of national debt and student loans.

So all of these numbers beg the question, is being thousands of dollars in debt worth the chance at getting an average paying job?

Speaking from a high school student’s perspective, I don’t believe four to five years of digging a hole in my family pocket for a piece of paper that has failed thousands of Americans in the search for a substantial job, is worth the ever-growing debt, and many high schoolers would agree. “I feel like it’ll be hard to pay it off, but once you get a job you can start paying it off…but you’ll spend most of your life paying it off.” says Highland High school student, Cristina Ebner.

I asked another Highland student, Amarah Otto, if the debt that would follow your acceptance of your college diploma would be worth the lack of crucial funds. “It depends on the profession you’re going for. Like if you’re going to be a doctor you can pay it off, but if you’re a teacher you might have have a harder time paying it off.”

Otto also added that “you don’t need to go to an expensive school to get a good education or to get a good job” which is what might’ve been the thought process of a recent Highland graduate. He opted out of attending a four year university in exchange for a debt free education at a community college. He tweeted that he had just paid for his college and the lack of debt feels great.

So ask yourself, is over-paying for a chance at a successful future worth it?

This letter was submitted to us from a HPSH student. They wanted to share their thoughts on the recent homecoming pepfest. If you’re interested in submitting an editorial to us on any topic, please send an email to: hpshplaidline@gmail.com