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

How large vehicles are killing us

Leave a comment

By: Nathaniel de Sam Lazaro

Image generated using Canva AI

Every year, around 40,000 people in the United States are killed by vehicles. This includes both those who die driving when they get in accidents and those who are hit by vehicles while walking or biking.

Per mile driven, our nation’s roads are almost twice as dangerous as many comparable nations. Furthermore, the death rate on our roads has been increasing for the past decade, despite all of the new safety features being included in cars, now mostly consisting of features that assist drivers in keeping the speed limit, staying in lanes, and braking.

Even worse, the number of pedestrians killed by vehicles has nearly doubled since 2010, and is now the highest it has been since 1981. According to a recent piece published in ‘The Economist’, the blame for this is on the increase in the weight of vehicles.

The average new vehicle in America now weighs 4,400 pounds. American vehicles are getting bigger and heavier. Vehicles weighing over 5,000 pounds made up 31% of the market last year, up from 22% in 2018. This trend shows no sign of stopping.

This increase in weight is an issue because it means an increase in force of vehicles, force being mass times acceleration.

Ironically, for a long time, the conventional wisdom has been that this increase in vehicle size has been making us safer. This is because very heavy vehicles are able to better protect those inside if they get into a crash with lighter vehicles. However, this causes a much greater decrease in the safety of those in the lighter vehicles, creating an endless arms race of heavier cars. It’s even worse for pedestrians and cyclists, who lack the safety provided by the walls of a car.

The biggest issue is the difference in weight. According to an estimate by ‘The Economist’, fatalities could be reduced by 12% if the heaviest 10% of cars got just 10 percent lighter. And, to be clear, this is all focused on passenger vehicles, not commercial vehicles like semi trucks.

Another thing that makes this issue more difficult is the fact that the shift to EVs has also made cars heavier, with their battery adding a lot of weight to new electric vehicles.

The solutions to this problem are also quite complicated. Regulations could be changed to encourage lighter vehicles, but this could also disincentive electric vehicles. One of the reasons that larger vehicles started being sold so much was that they were made exempt from fuel efficiency regulations in the 1970s. 

Some changes have already occurred. The National Transport Safety Board last year changed their definitions of vehicle safety to account for those outside the vehicle in question, accounting for those in the other cars and pedestrians as well.

I think more should be done. We should be passing laws to encourage lighter vehicles and make our roads safer. We should also redesign many aspects of our roads, which are wide, with many uncontrolled intersections, and designed to make driving comfortable and easy. These conditions, however, encourage very fast car speeds, the other half of mass times acceleration.

Editorials/Student Voice, Events

Christmas is America’s most popular holiday

Leave a comment

By: Isabel Strack

Image created: Freepik AI

There is a survey on YouGov.com that shows that more than ⅓ of America stated that Christmas is their favorite holiday.

Christmas is celebrated to remember the birth of Jesus Christ who people believe in as the son of God. The name “Christmas” comes from the mass of Christ which is a mass service. Mass service is where Christians can remember that Jesus had died for us then came back alive. Christmas was a holiday in the mid-1800s. It was seen as a day of peace and rest.

Many people also enjoy celebrating Christmas because that is when you can see your loved ones that you may not have seen in a while. Some people will celebrate with just their immediate family and others will celebrate with their extended family. It is very common for people to have family reunions over the holidays. It’s a perfect time to spend with family, as you can decorate your Christmas tree with ornaments or make some Christmas baked goods. It is a celebration of love. The Christmas season provides great opportunities to strengthen bonds with friends and family.

You could also get gifts for yourself and other people. If you love giving gifts to other people this is a perfect opportunity to do that. It’s also a perfect time to do secret Santa with your friends, family cousins, etc. Secret Santa is like another word for a gift exchange, but Secret Santa can be a little bit different. In Secret Santa you don’t know who’s giving you your gift or what you are getting. You only know who you’re getting a gift for. You can pick names out of a hat or find an app that can pick the names for you.

Christmas falls on a different day every year so sometimes it’s hard to plan a time to get together with your family, but if you are able to plan it right it is always worth it. Christmas is a perfect time to pause and spend quality time with loved ones.

Editorials/Student Voice, Tech/Games

AI hallucinations: Why and how AI makes mistakes

1 Comment

By: Karl Salkowski

Photo by Miguel u00c1. Padriu00f1u00e1n on Pexels.com

It is very well known that AI isn’t perfect; even simple questions can confuse AI, leading it to spread misinformation. These mistakes have become so common that they have earned their own moniker, “AI Hallucinations”.

Some of these famous “Hallucinations” include using glue to stick cheese to pizza, misspelling words, and the health benefits of eating rocks.

AI formulates answers based on data from all over the internet. There is no way to filter correct information from misinformation, so AI is trained on everything. When AI answers your question it attempts to replicate data it was trained on. AI makes observations on the data it was trained on and forms its answers based on the patterns it finds.

Along with the inability to tell correct and incorrect information apart, AI also has biases regarding race and gender. According to Bloomberg.com when AI was asked to generate pictures of people in different professions, the photos it generated showed harmful biases. For example, AI generated more photos of people with lighter skin tones in higher paying jobs, and more people with darker skin tones in lower paying jobs.

AI also generated more perceived men than perceived women in many high paying jobs including: engineering, architecture, CEO, Doctor, Lawyer, and Politicians. Out of the 100 images AI generated for the prompt “Engineer” only two were not of perceived men. 

There are large disparities between the images AI generates and the people in those careers. These images construct a distorted viewpoint of the world. According to Bloomberg.com, by 2025 30% of marketing materials by large corporations will be created using AI like this.

These mistakes and biases will reinforce a lot of these stereotypes. The misinformation AI spreads can undermine education and people’s world views if left unchecked. If people stay poorly informed on AI then there will be negative repercussions in society.

For more information, please go to:

Editorials/Student Voice, Tech/Games

Screen addiction in China

Leave a comment

By: Cleo Newton

Technology has been advancing faster than ever in the last couple years. With these advancements, the amount of teenagers developing screen addiction has also gone up. Because of this, there have been many policies set and many discussions taken place.

Two Israeli directors filmed a documentary called ‘Web Junkie’, this documentary talked about the screen addiction. They tell us that China is the first country to recognize screen addiction as a medical issue. According to the report, these teenagers spend an average of 6 hours online playing games a day. The parents of these children have tried many different things to try and help their kids with their screen addiction but it never got better. In the end, they sent their kids to a rehab center for screen addiction.

To help teenagers with screen addiction, China has opened over four thousand rehab centers managed by the military. Medical treatment, family therapy, and military exercises are included when treating internet addiction. Sending kids to these rehab facilities costs a lot of money. Every month costs double the average monthly salary. Many households can’t afford this and have to take out loans to meet these expenses.

According to the press (according to my Chinese packet), teenagers have received abuse in forms such as getting shocked or being hit in these rehab centers. This impacts their physical and mental health negatively, making them scared and hate more. As a result of this, some teens who come out of these rehab centers have either killed themselves or others.

There are reasons for the development of screen addiction though, the first is China’s one child policy (which ended in 2016), and the second is the strict education system. Because most families only have one child, that child feels a lot of pressure to “honor” their family. It’s typically the family that places this pressure on the kids to do good. On top of this, some of the kid’s parents fight a lot at home. I think that neglectful parents can also cause screen addiction as well as abusive parents.  Turning to video games has become a way to escape the burdens of life for many people.

As technology continues to advance and be used in day to day life, it becomes harder and harder to avoid the screens. I hope after reading this that you’ve learned more about screen addiction and its causes.

Editorials/Student Voice, School Life

Learning styles

2 Comments

By: Nathaniel de Sam Lazaro

Image created with Canva AI

As a student at Highland, you have probably heard a teacher at some point talk about your “learning style.” We are told that there are three learning styles, visual, auditory, and tactile, and that everyone prefers one of these as a method of learning.

Visual learners like to see things to understand them, auditory learners prefer to have things explained to them through audio or text, and tactile learners like to understand things using physical objects and things they can touch and feel. We are instructed to take tests to determine our learning style.

Supposedly, understanding our learning style will help us in school by allowing us to understand how we learn. It will help our teachers teach us as well, by catering to our preferred method of learning.

We are made to assume that the concept of learning styles, and these tests to determine them, are backed up by science. But in fact, they are not.

The idea of learning styles gained popularity in the 1970s, at a time when psychology was focused on individual differences between people. The idea was that people learned in different ways, and that these differences could be split into different categories of learning. Since then, at least 71 different models have been created of learning styles. And none of them have stood up when held to scientific scrutiny.

A recent study by the University of Michigan broke down many of the problems with learning styles. It found that nearly everyone experiences traits of the various learning styles at different times. For example, they found that nearly everyone learned to ride a bike best tactilly, that is, by the physical act of doing such. Furthermore, the same person can exhibit different “styles” at different times, and when learning different things.

The larger, fundamental problem was that there was no evidence that teaching to a learning style had any impact on student’s ability to gain knowledge and skills.

The American Psychological Association estimates that nearly 90% of teachers still believe in the myth that teaching to a learning style improves learning and academic performance. In addition, 29 states, including Minnesota, still require teachers to be taught about the supposed benefits of learning styles. Only one state, Massachusetts, educates teachers on the fact that this theory has been disproven by various studies.

I think it is time that we stop telling teachers about these debunked theories, which waste time and effort in teaching and learning. It may even be detrimental, prescribing students specific strategies rather than allowing us to determine what works best for us.

Editorials/Student Voice

Why Greyhound racing is bad

Leave a comment

By: Cleo Newton

Greyhound racing is a sport that is harmful towards the dogs that are racing. People gamble money on the dogs.

According to Bluecross.org.uk, the living space for greyhounds is very poor. They live in kennels most of the day if they aren’t training or racing, there aren’t any enriching activities for the greyhound to do in these kennels. The quality of the food they eat is also poor, many of them starve to death or die of dehydration. Welfare standards when transporting greyhounds from track to track also impact these dogs negatively. They are transported in trucks that can hold up to 60 greyhounds in crates, each crate holds 2-3 greyhounds.

Greyhounds are expected to compete in races no matter how hot or cold it is out. They have been forced to race in subzero weather and on days when the weather reaches above 100 degrees (Farenheit). This is another health liability that greyhounds face when on the track, as greyhounds naturally lack thick fur and have thin skin. Greyhounds may also be drugged to improve their performance.

Many greyhounds are injured during training or while racing. Between 2018 and 2023, there have been over 26,000 injuries recorded by industry officials. 2,700 dogs have died or have been put down since 2018. Aside from this, there are also many puppies and dogs that haven’t been accounted for in records, these missing dogs are called “wastage” by the industry.

According to Humanesociety.org and Peta.org, a racing greyhound dies every three days in Florida. These greyhounds are also denied medical care. One greyhound in Florida named Kiowa Dutch Girl had a broken leg. It was described as “dangling” and bleeding. She was left in her cage like that for four days.

When greyhounds don’t win, they’re either put up for adoption or sent to breeding farms. Some greyhounds are sent to blood banks for their blood to be taken routinely and sold. 150 of them were found in a filthy, old turkey shed that belonged to The Pet Blood Bank in Texas. Fortunately, The Pet Blood Bank has been closed and all the dogs have been transferred to adoption programs.

After reading this article, I hope you’ve learned a bit more about greyhound racing and have maybe even considered adopting rescued  greyhounds or donating to a greyhound rescue such as MNGR (Minnesota Greyhound Rescue). 

Editorials/Student Voice

The consequences of the 2024 election

By: Priya and Ruby Anderson

Source: Microsoft Designer AI Image Creator, prompt by us

Americans sat anxiously Tuesday night two weeks ago. It’s been 8 years since a female has run for president, and almost 12 years since a person of color has run. When asking around, people stated they were disappointed, but not surprised by these results. Trump is now the 47th president of the United States, serving for his last term.

We asked our good friend and community organizer, Charlie St. Dennis, his opinion on the matter. He mentioned how every swing state that turned blue in 2020 suddenly shifted towards red, and how all but 2 states had close margins. A lot of factors play into this shift, such as the undeniable factor of identity. Charlie stated, “The societal standard that a duly elected district attorney, attorney general, senator, and vice president who is a Black/South Asian-American woman, is less qualified than an old, White, male criminal.” Inflation and a troubled economy are also very important when looking at peoples’ voting choice. Many blame Biden and his administration for those issues, not looking at the bigger issue we are facing with Trump’s re-election.

The consequences of Trump being the president for a second term lies in Project 2025. According to the Project 2025 site, their mission statement is:

“To promote conservative and right-wing policies to reshape the federal government of the United States and consolidate executive power after Donald Trump is inaugurated as president in 2025.”

When reading the “about” section, it talks a lot about how the left has brought damage to America, and there needs to be an effective conservative administration. They are built on the “four pillars”: a policy agenda, personnel, training, and a 180-day playbook. What this means is they essentially want a broad coalition of conservative organizations to ensure the administration begins January of 2025. Project 2025 is also built by The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, whose stated principles are free enterprise, limited government, and traditional American values.

Project 2025 may sound innocent enough, but this administration has some extremely concerning policies. These policies are concerning because they infringe on the rights of almost all minorities in this country. While they primarily target these minorities, this administration also affects the entire American population. According to the Project 2025 site, their policy suggestions are:

  1. Secure the border and deport illegal aliens
  2. De-weaponize the federal government by increasing accountability and oversight of the FBI and DOJ
  3. Unleash American energy production and reduce energy prices
  4. Cut the growth of government spending (this includes social security and essential title 1 school funding)
  5. Ban biological males from competing in women’s sports (and heavily limit the resources for trans health care)

And some other policies that are not included on the public page are:

  1. The Department of justice can rush to use death penalty
  2. National book bans, but also word bans, such as diversity, gender, and abortion
  3. Abortion care inaccessible and illegal to anyone no matter the circumstance

On page 6 of this manifesto, it states,

“This is just the beginning.”

Not only do these policies show the individualistic nature of America and its leaders, but it shows the fear people have for change and equality. Many can argue that traditional American values are extremely flawed and toxic, leaning heavily on white supremacy and the patriarchy.

While this policy does target the LGBT community, people of color, and women, this also affects men and White Americans just as much. Once the doors are open to banning and prohibiting rights, that only leaves room for more basic freedoms to be stripped from everyone, in order to secure the high-class, corrupt Christians who misinterpret the bible, and white supremacists a place in power.

To the White women, lower class/working class and people of color who surprisingly voted for Trump, they may have believed that he was on their side. That he would protect them. What they don’t realize is that while they may have gained lower taxes, they have also elected a false prophet: someone who is not fighting for you, but for the wealthy, White, male elites in our country. As we stated many times before, even White men are not safe from these policies. America has beaten down its citizens for so long that we are desperate for any way out, even if it means selling out our fellow Americans.

Trump has shown he is not a fitting president through his actions and words. All we can do now is create safe spaces within our communities, and stay close to our people. And while safe spaces are dwindling, the oppressed always remain strong and connected throughout human history. Some good can come out of this presidency, and while we are clearly biased, that is the truth. The good, however, will be in lower gas prices.

For more information, please visit:

Editorials/Student Voice, School Life

The stressors of post-graduation

1 Comment

By: Gabriella Bell

Photo by Gu00fcl Iu015fu0131k on Pexels.com

High school graduation is one of the most significant accomplishments during the early years of life. Some people continue their education through college acceptance and attendance, while others may put their energy directly into their career or family after graduation. Although everybody’s post-graduation journey may differ, this doesn’t make any path less important or invalid than the personal choices of others. Not everyone necessarily desires to attend college in its entirety and may prefer to search for short-term or long-term career paths as an alternative choice. Many people also tend to choose taking a few years off of being in school in order to regather themselves prior to pursuing an extended education.

Gap years are extremely common for those who want to continue their schooling, although there are several negative stigmas associated with them. Instances of this could include the impressions surrounding the “laziness” of the people making this choice, but this is untrue.

Another negative stigma often stems from the fear of parents for the future of their child which can often be observed through implications that they will never attend college if they take a gap year. For a lot of people that choose to take gap years, this is false, and with the proper motivation and positive environment, they often do attend and achieve further education if they choose to do so. Regardless, even if they eventually choose not to go to college, this is valid and should be accepted and supported by the members of their family.

Through surrounding yourself with positive influences, and motivations, this can prove to be a lot easier of a transition. Pressure from family members, friends, or even peers can be a major factor in raised levels of stress for people as they move closer to graduation. These outside pressures often leave people extremely unmotivated and stressed, which may impact their overall decisions regarding higher levels of education, or other life choices.

One of the big reasons that gap years are popular among high school graduates is financial responsibilities. This may be through some of the major financial responsibilities of future college students which could include the high costs of student loans, text books, and possibly even rent, which could come in the form of rent for apartments, student dorms, or family homes. This is often why many take time off to pursue a career and save money in order to support themselves and their educational choices successfully, which also increases motivation leading to college graduation. Although gap years can help improve this, financial stability can be a major stressor for many people, which can also impact their motivation to eventually attend college. With the proper support and people surrounding them, this can set them up for success, and help them achieve their goals.

If you are a high school student close to graduation, one of the most important things you can do is surround yourself with a positive support system, which can be found within family, friends, teachers, counselors, or even classmates. This will help to assist you in whatever choices or challenges you encounter following your post-graduation journeys, and set you up for success. Do not be afraid to ask for help during this period in your life. If you are a parent or friend, all that can be said is to be there for your child or friend in order to help support their goals and to be a positive source of support and encouragement to help them succeed.

Editorials/Student Voice, Sports

Why it is important to play at least one sport

Leave a comment

By: Isabel Strack

Image created with StarryAI

Here are some reasons why you should play at least one sport.

If you want to play sports but don’t like contact sports there are still many other non-contact sports you could play. These sports include: volleyball, golf, tennis, swimming, gymnastics, and more.

Playing a sport can help you stay in shape. Going to your sports practices everyday and doing exercises can help you feel more energized and feel more healthy.

It can help develop more social skills. You can also create new friendships that you most likely wouldn’t have made otherwise. Sports can bring people together from different schools.

Another reason is that it can help your mental health benefits. By being around other encouraging people that enjoy what you enjoy it can help with your mental well-being. Being in a sport is a fairly social activity and can provide psychological benefits. Getting out of your house at least a couple times a week and exercising and seeing other people can help raise your mental health.

Research has shown that if you play a sport you perform better in a classroom. If you play a school sport it can motivate you to get better grades so that you can stay in your sport. It can help overall with a higher IQ. High school students who play a sport are less likely to drop out of school. By participating in a sport there are results in a higher GPA. It also helps with problem solving skills

By playing a sport it can help you become more responsible. By showing up to practice it can help you with time management. It can help you balance your academic responsibilities with your athletic commitments. It teaches you discipline and how to balance your time.

It can help build your confidence. By having a wide range of skills it can help your self-esteem. By being involved in a sport you’re in a safe structured environment that could help you gain confidence.

There are many more reasons why you should join a sport, these are just a couple of reasons.

Editorials/Student Voice

Breaking stigmas: Mental health awareness in schools

Leave a comment

By: Gabriella Bell

Photo by Mizuno K on Pexels.com

In the past, and across our education systems, resources and strategies surrounding mental health weren’t as recognized. Not only were they uncommon, but there were also several different conflicting stigmas surrounding even the general discussion of mental health. While it’s not as taboo of a topic as previous years, these negative connotations are still prevalent today and can ultimately disregard the importance of the subject. Due to these connotations, many people were, and still are, unable to receive the proper support surrounding their struggle(s) regarding their mental health. This could exist in the form of a diverse range of mood disorders such as Depression, Bipolar Disorder, Seasonal Affective Disorder, as well as anxiety disorders, or eating disorders, along with many other examples of mental illnesses. Not only do hundreds of thousands of people live with these kinds of mental illnesses each day, but it also affects a drastic number of our youth.

The beginning of adolescence can be one of the most conflicting periods across an entire lifespan. There may be internal conflicts experienced within one’s school life, which can often come alongside major relationship dynamic adjustments and bodily changes. These can appear to be recognized as physical, emotional and mental changes. These alterations throughout young adulthood can dramatically impact the emotional and mental health of the youth, which is why it’s so incredibly essential that there is more awareness and resources openly provided and available to all young people in the school systems.

Overall, mental health should also be a more public and honest conversation topic, especially due to the various negative opinions and inaccurate information surrounding the general knowledge of mental health as an entirety. Not only should it be shamelessly discussed, but there should also be more taught regarding mental illnesses, so as to make the subject more of a normalcy in our society rather than a taboo conversational topic. It is also important to note, that people of all ages, racial identities, gender identities and social class can, and are, affected by mental illnesses all across the world, and regardless of who they are should have the ability to receive the necessary support.