Category Archives: News

COVID-19, School Life

How COVID-19 has affected students’ education

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By: Leslie Lopez Ibanez and Kayla Arellano

In December of 2020, a virus was discovered in Wuhan, China. The virus slowly went spreading worldwide creating a human pandemic. This virus is called the Coronavirus (COVID-19), and thousands of people have died from it. Some have recovered, but there is no cure for it yet.

To prevent the spread, there have been restrictions that caused all businesses and schools to shut down with only a few businesses open because they were deemed essential.

Now that the schools are closed, teachers are forced to be giving online classes. They are slowly opening everything back up, but still with restrictions, and it’s very difficult because school districts have to get their system approved on how they are going to manage to have all their students in school safely.

COVID-19 has affected student’s education in a couple different ways. Many schools around the U.S. have switched to full time online learning to prevent the spread of coronavirus and to social distance.

Other school’s have chosen to do part time online and part time in school.

Students K-12 are not being able to do face-to-face learning because of the restrictions. A family source informed the authors that because of this, parents are now taking their kids out of public schools to put them in private school because private schools are now open.

But not everyone can afford a private school, and are instead forced into isolation. They also can face depression and anxiety due to always being inside their house and not being able to go to school everyday.

Some students also don’t have equipment that the school provides for them like WiFi, food, and much more. A lot of families can’t afford WiFi, or an everyday meal for their kids, and a lot of students rely on the schools for that. 

Due to the pandemic, and school getting held back, student assignments are getting canceled or postponed. This is affecting students in a negative way because it’s interrupting their learning and they aren’t receiving the education they need.

Studies show that students have lost a large percentage of their learning skills, achievements in math and reading, and overall learning skills. According to brooking.edu, students are now showing low grades and are making less than 50% of educational gains, which may be putting them almost a year behind compared to when they were attending school. 

The class of 2020 graduation was also affected by COVID-19. College students have experienced teaching interruptions in the final parts of their studies. Instead of them graduating on time, they get to graduate at the beginning of a major global recession. As for high schoolers, they didn’t get the graduation they thought they would’ve had. Some schools did virtual graduation and some schools did a graduation ceremony, but having to be 6 feet apart or more without any family or friends being present. 

Many high school graduates have changed their mind about going to college and what they want to study for because of the crisis going on. Some of them are having a delay on college to start, or some of them just have decided to just work and not even go to college anymore. 

Even though all this negative stuff is happening, let’s look on the positive side!

Students are getting the chance for a new learning opportunity. Some people may find online school better for them and might just switch to online school learning from now on. People are also considering this because they find it more affordable and it’s a way to keep yourself socially distanced.

With all of this happening, this also means that there are more online resources for the students. More programs and educational resources are becoming available for students doing online classes. 

Science/Nature

Threats to biodiversity

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By: Olivia Kendle

There are many threats to our planet at this current time. One of the most serious threats is loss of biodiversity. It is important to know the main risks that decreasing biodiversity poses for the health of our planet.

First of all, the term biodiversity is short for “biological diversity”. Biological diversity refers to the way that all plants and animals and everything on earth are interrelated and dependent on one another. Since everything is dependent on everything else, if anything changes to one part of the environment, it shows up in other parts of the environment. Scientists are especially concerned about the effects that humans have on biological diversity. They study these effects so that they can tell us what we need to do to keep our environment healthy.

Among the serious threats is climate change. The effects from climate change include weather and climate effects which some animals can not adapt to in time or are struggling to survive. For example; pollution and trash in ocean waters as well as warming in ocean temperatures are affecting many species to survive. Ice is one of the main reflectors of sun rays. But with the ice melting, many rays of sun are coming into our atmosphere, “bleaching” our coral reefs. Many marine species die without the protection of the coral reef.

Another threat to biodiversity is human population growth. The slow growth of population causes expansions of cities. More farms and factories are built and forests are being cut down to make room. Many species can not adapt to these large changes and are forced out or killed in the process.

Fortunately, there are many things that can be done and are being done to solve these issues. According to the American Museum of Natural History, “Over 100,000 protected areas—including national parks, wildlife refuges, game reserves, and marine protected areas, managed both by governments and local communities—provide habitat for wildlife, and help keep deforestation in check.”

We need to be informed about the threats of biodiversity because it affects the wellbeing of all of us and more importantly, our planet.

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Events, News

Harm caused by gender reveal parties

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Revealing the gender of your child is typically a joyous occasion for you and your partner. But the desire to make it unforgettable or over top has sometimes led to some shocking outcomes.

A soon to be grandmother named Pamela Kreimeyer, 66, was killed at her home when shrapnel struck her in her head. The homemade gender reveal shrapnel was filled with gunpowder; it exploded sending pieces of metal flying.

A couple’s gender reveal video went viral when the parents were on the deck outside their house ready to launch their cannons. Just as the blue powder came out, the back of the cannon shot right back at the dad in his groin area.

A new life is always a joyful thing to celebrate, but there is always a safer way to reveal the gender of a baby rather than to go over the top with planes, alligators, or using fire arms. Why not cut a cake with the gender of the baby inside the cake or use balloons to reveal your baby’s gender.

National, News, Science/Nature

California wildfires are on an all time high

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By: Aisha Dirie

With West Coast fires are at an all time high, and there is no doubt that climate change is to blame for these disasters. According to ‘Scientific American’, These fires have expanded across 1 million acres throughout the West Coast. Hundreds of people have lost their houses due to these fires, with California being a hotspot for COVID-19 currently, it’s not ideal. 

The causes for the fire is unknown but this has been happening for decades. There are some though that question whether climate change is to blame. “Jon Keeley, a senior scientist at the U.S. Geological Survey Western Ecological Research Center, argued that the study from Swain and others failed to show that hotter temperatures are driving wildfires.”

Although California has always been a hotspot of wildfires, it is not a surprise that these fires happen continuously, but this level of destruction has caused more people to wake up and look at the real life effects of climate change. 

With the wildfires, fire tornados have also erupted within those fires. Fire tornados happen when heat that is rising pulls in fire, dirt, ash, etc. and spirals into a tornado. “To have even one tornado within a fire is rare,” CNN meteorologist Taylor Ward said. These are rare, and with West Coast (specifically California) fires rising and continuing to damage homes, fire tornados are happening more frequently.

According to the Los Angeles Times, “The Creek Fire, which started on September 4, has burned 291,426 acres in the Sierra National Forest and remains just 34% contained.” This is one of the fires that started on the West Coast that left many people trapped in their homes. 

All along the West Coast, people were evacuating homes in response to the fires polluting the air. There is no doubt that these fires are getting worse, and we need to take action. If you look at the fires over the years, they have gotten significantly worse, especially since 2018. Climate change is real, and it’s destroying our planet.

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Editorials/Student Voice, News

Black Lives Matter!!

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“I can’t Breathe”

“I can’t breathe, see his knee is on my neck as I take my last breathe 

I can’t breathe, my life is ending now as everyone sits here and watch 

I can’t breathe, someone please help me I’m begging you 

I CAN’T BREATHE, boom I’m dead another black man gone 

I can’t breathe,  George Floyd May 25, 2020

I can’t breathe, Eric Garner July 17, 2014

I can’t breathe, you shot me Tamir Rice November 22, 2014

Trayvon Martin, Ahmaud Aebery, Breonna Taylor, how many more.

How many more will it take for America to realize the hate

I can’t breathe, I want to but it’s hard, it hurts, I can’t see

I can’t feel, I’m dieing, I love you momma, I’m gone.”

As a young black African American teenager it hurts to see that my culture has to destroy things just for us to get a point across. BLM ( black lives matter) is more than just a protest, more than a hashtag, it’s our lives. We say black lives matter but we still aren’t heard more of the less we still aren’t safe. Day after day the death of a black man or child or woman is on the news. Why? Because there are racist cops who will do anything just to harm us. They say “I saw a weapon” but they saw a hairbrush. He was resisting but in reality I asked you why was I being detained.

Video proof of cops, racist, KKK, and all and yet the white man doesn’t go to jail for long. Oh but when it comes to a black man killing anyone they get the death sentence. There have been plenty of times and opportunities for a change to happen. It’s so sad that I have to grow up in a world where I could be killed just because of the color of my skin. It’s sad because young boys and girls have to see how messed up the world is. No parent should have to sit down with their kid and tell them that they could die at a young age, because a racist police officer or man or woman will fear them because of the race they were born into.  

What did Sam Cooke say? “A change is Gonna Come” and yet we still haven’t seen it. When the color of my skin is seen as a weapon, I will never be unarmed. I will never be not seen as a threat, a murderer, a demon, a vicious animal. Everyday an Black African American faces a racist encounter. We are free, but it really doesn’t feel like it. We as people as human beings shouldn’t have to always wonder if today will be the day we die. If we’ll be talking our last breath in a matter of seconds and minutes. The world needs to change and it needs to change fast. 

I’ll leave you with these quotes and maybe it’ll help you realize why rioting was the only option that was left.

“It’s hard to elevate when this country’s ran by whites

Judging me by my skin color and my blackness” – Joyner Lucas 

“Is it a crime, to fight, for what is mine?” – Tupac Shakur

“A riot is the language of the unheard.” – Martin Luther King Jr

“There comes a time when silence is betrayal” – Martin Luther King Jr

The last quote left an engraving in my spirit because there have been many other races that have protested with us. They have contributed during the protest by speaking up and marching with us. But there are also the ones that aren’t doing anything to help us spread the word. We wanted the protest to be peaceful, but instead they were violent. We wanted to get a point across but instead we were called hoodlums.

Point is we are not hoodlums, we are not ratchets, we are not ghetto and we are humans. 

We are America’s people just like everyone else in this country. We are Black African Americans, We are Black Lives Matter and until everyone gets it into their heads we will not stop until our voices are heard. 

Long live my black queens and kings 

COVID-19

How COVID-19 has affected different forms of transportation

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Image taken from: https://www.nbcnews.com/business/business-news/coronavirus-battering-airline-industry-turning-some-airports-ghost-towns-n1150011

One thing that has been affected by the coronavirus pandemic is transportation. Whether that be public transportation, or moving by cars or bikes, they all have had significant changes over the last few months. 

Public transportation, including buses and subways, have taken a pretty big hit from the virus. This is because the amount of germs and commonly used areas deter lots of people from using public transit.

Also, many people are working from home and no longer are leaving their houses as often. As a result, in many large cities in the United States, China, and Europe, the amount of people who utilize public transit has dropped 50-90%.

Unfortunately, this takes a negative toll because the funding and money invested in these systems has been going quickly. 

Another form of transportation that has seen a significant difference recently are airlines. Because lots of people have been limiting their travel and staying home, airports are starting to resemble ghost towns and flights are almost completely empty,  with some flights only being about 15% full.

As of the time of this article, only one in five seats are being filled, while in the beginning of the year, airlines were filling about four out of five seats.

While thousands of airplanes are not being used and there are only a limited number of operating security lanes, airlines have asked for a $58 billion federal relief package. This is so they can pay grants to their employees and pay loans for some expenses during a time where airlines have lost big sums of money. 

While other forms of transportation have been struggling, a very popular way of getting around has been cars and personal vehicles. Not only is this the most sanitary option for many, but it also is significantly safer. Although fewer people are hitting the roads because of the ability to work from home, and the limited things to do outside, traffic has gone down leaving roads bare and somewhat empty.

Unfortunately, this has resulted in more fatal crashes and deaths mainly caused by speeding. In Minnesota and Louisiana, there have been more traffic related fatalities during the coronavirus pandemic than there had been at the same time in previous years. 

On a positive note, the environmentally friendly ways of getting around by foot and bike have flourished during this unfavorable time. While more of us have time to spare, and the weather has been enjoyable, lots of people have been out riding their bikes, walking their dogs, or going out for some exercise during the day. Not only is this a safe way to leave your house and get some fresh air, but it can be a very relaxing and stimulating thing to do after a long day of work at home to change up the scenery and relax. 

COVID-19, Movies/TV/Theaters

How the pandemic has affected movies

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The coronavirus pandemic has brought a lot of changes to daily life and how things are going. Stores started closing early and only letting a certain number of people into the store, some business closed entirely, and many people have started to work from home.

Production on lots of movies and TV shows has been halted due to it including large groups of people and it being hard to adhere to the safety guidelines: like staying six feet apart. Movie theaters have also closed.

Due to the theaters closing, many film studios have opted to release their movies instead on a streaming service to be able to rent. Movies typically cost twenty dollars to watch this way.

This has proved to be beneficial for the movie companies too, as Trolls: World Tour made way more money than its projected profit.

Companies seem to be comfortable offering their movies this way, as at home theater rentals seem to become more and more common.

Not every movie can benefit from the pandemic. Many have had to halt production and change their release date. This can cause a shift in a company’s schedule for years. This can be seen with Marvel. They had every movie planned out for many years, so even having to push back one release date can affect all their movies. This can result in a major profit loss.

Movies like Mulan, Wonder Woman 1984, and Venom 2 have been pushed back months for their release. Scott Pilgrim vs. The World is nearing it’s tenth anniversary and was going to be rereleased in theaters, but now it’s going to have wait.

The pandemic has caused many things in our daily life to change. One thing is for sure though, movies will always be around and many studios are willing to adapt to change to put out their movies for viewing. Although production has halted on some projects, they will still be released.

COVID-19, Editorials/Student Voice

What the US government has done wrong during the pandemic

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Some countries have handled the COVID-19 pandemic better than others: Australia is already going back to school, South Korea has had widespread testing since the beginning of the pandemic, and Germany has the lowest mortality rate in the world.

One of the biggest issues that the US has faced is the lack of testing. In the beginning, the WHO came out with tests that worked and were widespread and were working for the most part, but the CDC made their own tests that were going to be used in the US. These tests had major setbacks, and the US couldn’t get as many people tested as other countries because we weren’t producing enough tests.

Another huge issue is that states are competing for resources like ventilators and masks. The US government hasn’t done a good job providing, and rationing, resources so whichever state has the most money, or is willing to spend the most money, will get the most resources.

Finally, the spread of misinformation by the president is causing a lot of problems. Trump has been contradicting Dr. Fauci and telling people to take medicine that hasn’t been proven to help, or ingest chemicals that could have disastrous side effects. He recently told people that testing is overrated and that the less you test the less cases you have. Ever since the beginning of the pandemic, Trump has been saying things that aren’t true and has not been listening to the government issued guidelines.

COVID-19, Tech/Games

Apps

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There are lots of things to do during this time.

This app is a really good way of keeping track of your mental and physical health. It’s good for stress, and is a good way to help wind down for the night.

2. Brain Test:Tricky Puzzles

This app is so much fun! It’s a fun way to find new ways of solving problems and it is a really good way to spend time playing! It’s not really an IQ tester but it’s fun to play around on. 

3. What’s up? – A Mental Health App

This app has a lot to offer, it keeps track of your good days, when you rate them on a scale of good to bad. It’s almost like an online diary to help you reflect on the past. It has habit trackers and uplifting quotes. 

4. Bored Button – Games 

This app offers a bunch of games and puzzles! A great way to pass the time with many levels and games to choose from. Once you finish up school work this app has a lot to give.

5. Houseparty 

This app is one of my favorites! It’s a great way to connect with others through a video chat! There are built in games that you can play with your friends from a distance! If you get your friends to download it you can play with a bunch of your friends! It’s a great way to stay connected and have fun! 

I hope this was a helpful article! I know how hard it is to find ways to spend your time since we’re all stuck at home. Stay safe!