Category Archives: School Life

Editorials/Student Voice, School Life

Is social media hurting or helping students?

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By: Teagan Mack

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Social media has a huge place in student’s lives today. Social media platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat provide the opportunity to talk with friends, update people on their life, and stay up-to-date on the latest news. Whether reading posts or watching videos, social media is now an important part of the daily routine. Is it helping or hurting students, though?

On one hand, social media can be a really useful tool for learning and personal growth. Many students use YouTube to watch tutorials, watch educational videos, and even learn about new tips and tricks. Instagram and TikTok even have educational accounts that love teaching students new topics or skills. You can learn anything from historical data to math tricks. Students can also get involved in online study groups, connect with classmates, and be engaged in discussions that help with schoolwork.

Social media also allows people to stay in touch with friends even when  they are occupied or cannot meet physically. These connections can provide emotional support, especially during periods of stress such as during exams or when there are deadlines for projects.

Social media, however, has its dark sides. One of the most common problems with social media is that it can negatively impact one’s mental health. Spending too much time viewing social media can lead to depression, anxiety, and low self-esteem. Watching others who share their “perfect” lives can leave you feeling inadequate or not good enough.

Social media also exposes students to cyberbullying, where nasty comments and negative interactions can affect a person’s emotional well-being.

Of course, there is the issue of misinformation and fake news being shared, which can confuse students and affect their understanding of important topics.

So, is social media ultimately helping or hurting students? The answer is that it depends on how we use it. If we use social media to support our learning, stay connected with our friends in a positive manner, and engage in helpful discussions, it can be an excellent tool. But if we allow it to distract us from our studies, drain our energy, or damage our mental health, then it may do more harm than good. We have to find the balance and also notice how we are spending our time online. If we recognize that social media is causing more stress than it is good, then taking a break can be the best thing that we can do for our minds as well as our studies.

School Life, Tech/Games

Effects of phones on people’s education

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By: Chloe Rocha

The phrase “It’s because of your phone” is something that is commonly heard amongst adolescents. In some cases, that phrase can apply, but in others it is not necessarily accurate.

This phrase however, can apply to the education of kids during school. Cell phones have been something that is used in our day to day lives because they provide convenience and also connectivity. But at the same time they can also be proven to be a distraction while in the classroom.

There have been proven to be many negative effects of cell phone use while in the classroom, and according to an article by ‘Why Edify’, these are the top 10 reasons:

  1. Distraction
  2. Cyberbullying
  3. Academic dishonesty
  4. Social isolation
  5. Physical health issues
  6. Sleep disruption
  7. Privacy concerns
  8. Inequality
  9. Reduced physical activity
  10. Addiction

Distraction:

Decreased focus and attention in the classroom can occur because students become distracted by their phones, whether it be social media, or playing video games. These platforms are made by design to hook the user and keep them entertained. This can also be known as “doom scrolling” in some situations.

Cyberbullying:

In some cases students use their cell phone to send hurtful messages. Many adults don’t know how big of an impact cyberbullying can be and how frequently it is seen in classrooms. Nearly 42% of kids have been bullied online, according to an article by Annapolis, MD. When these children experience cyberbullying by their own classmates, it can cause them to be fearful or anxious about going to class and in the long run can have harmful effects on their education.

Academic dishonesty:

It is a very well known fact that AI has been evolving and also becoming more frequently used during people’s day to day life. Specifically in class, students have become more reliant on using AI to guide them in their class work. A global survey, that was conducted by Statista, showed that 86% of students used AI in the year of 2024. Students may also cheat during exams or assignments, simply because they have access to the answers or the information on their phones.

Social isolation:

When students use their phones excessively, it can cause them to spend less time interacting face-to-face with their own peers. Face-to-face interactions are crucial during a child’s adolescence because it allows them to develop many crucial social skills. Some of these skills include empathy, effective communication, the understanding of nonverbal cues, peer dynamics, and forming a strong sense of identity.

Physical health issues:

When cell phones are used excessively, they can begin to cause physical health problems, such as poor posture, eye strain and many other health issues.

Sleep disruption:

Cell phone use before going to bed can cause disruptions to people’s sleep patterns. When sleep patterns are disrupted, it can lead to fatigue and also a decrease in their academic performance. Sleep is important because it improves your brain performance, your mood, and also your health.

Privacy concerns:

Students may share their personal information or photographs and this can raise concerns about their privacy.

Inequality:

In many classes, a digital divide can be formed among students because not everyone may have access to a cell phone. This can cause students to feel left out from their peers.

Reduced physical activity:

This issue applies to both in school and out. During school, cell phones can discourage students from engaging in physical activity during recess or during their breaks. Outside of school, when a child has access to a cell phone, they often don’t release their energy in a physical way, like going outside, instead they go on their phones while in the house.

Addiction:

As mentioned before, many apps on your phone are by design very addictive. Mobile apps can stimulate the release of dopamine and this leads to the formation of habits. Some very popular apps that you may use that are also addictive are Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Youtube, and TikTok.

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Editorials/Student Voice, School Life, Tech/Games

The real reason some students use AI

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By: Nathaniel de Sam Lazaro

In the educational world today, much is made about artificial intelligence (AI) and how it could be used by students to cheat in their classes. 

By using AI, students are able to create work with far less effort than if they did it themselves, creating a well warranted fear amongst teachers that their students may be using AI to cheat by passing off AI generated work as their own. Not only is this academically dishonest, it actively hinders the student’s education. This fear among educators has been exacerbated by the increasing difficulty of differentiating work made by AI from that made by students.

Personally, I have never used AI to cheat, though I will admit to having intrusive thoughts of doing so from time to time. This thought comes up whenever I am struggling with an assignment, telling me that I could perhaps earn the same grade more easily, without doing any work. 

The reason I’ve never given in is not out of a fear of being caught or some compulsion to blindly follow rules, but because I know that by doing so, I would be hindering my own education. I wouldn’t be gaining the knowledge or skills that I would have if I were to do the assignment myself. This mentality is what has prevented me from giving in to this urge. But this made me realize that students who do use AI are doing so because they don’t value their own learning, only valuing the grade they earn in the class.

I was curious about what other people’s mentalities toward this were, so I asked some of my friends the following question: “If you could have AI do some or all of your assignments, knowing that there was no chance you would ever be caught, would you do so, and why?” Their responses intrigued me. 

Some people told me that no, they wouldn’t use AI in any cases, because they wouldn’t learn without doing so. This is similar to my mentality, and everyone seemed to agree with this in at least some of their classes. Some friends of mine stated that they would do so for certain classes, since they thought that those classes’ material didn’t matter for their planned careers. In other words, they saw no value in these classes other than to pass them, moving them closer to graduating. 

How does this happen, that these students don’t see any value in their learning except to pass a test, to get good grades, to get into college, and to start their career? They aren’t born this way. Young children have an endless amount of questions on their mind. They are naturally curious, ask deep questions, and annoy their parents by constantly asking “Why?”

By contrast, High School students only seem to see school as a transaction to get to where they want in life, and gain the information taught for the purposes of passing a test and getting an “A”. What happens that takes this natural curiosity out of our students between when they start elementary school and when they get to high school? What drives these students to use AI to pass their class, while they are missing out on learning and skills they would gain by doing their work on their own, missing out on the answers to the deep questions they asked when they were a child?

I think the answer is that our education system, and society as a whole, emphasizes grades above all else. If I could use AI and get the same grade, why not do so? Yes, I would be missing out on learning, but that doesn’t matter if all that I care about is my grade. In the above hypothetical, there are no consequences for using AI. One could get an A without doing any work on their own. In order to choose not to do so, a student would need to value learning, knowledge, and curiosity in and of themselves in order to get the most out of their education. Unfortunately, what is usually valued most by parents, educators, colleges, and society as a whole, is simply a letter on a piece of paper or computer screen. And in many cases, the allure of that letter grows to outweigh or even destroy any value one may have placed on what it is supposed to represent. 

School Life

Winter break

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Hello All!

It’s that time of year again where we are going on winter break. Since we will be off for 2 weeks, we wanted to let you know that there will not be any new content until January 6th.

Given that, this is a great chance to go and re-read favorites, or check out articles you haven’t had a chance to see.

We hope everyone has a good end of 2024 and start of 2025. We also hope you keep following us and checking out our content!

Thanks – HPSH Plaid Line

Editorials/Student Voice, School Life

Learning styles

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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, School Life

The stressors of post-graduation

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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, School Life

The lack of change in schools

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By: Ian Larson

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

The American school system needs to change. According to Tahoe Expedition Academy the education system we are using today originated from the 1800s.

According to a poll by XQ institute, “93% of respondents feel like high school isn’t preparing students for the future”. The math and reading scores on the NAEP are getting lower and lower.

The Carnegie Unit was introduced in 1906 and became the standard system for education. You earn a credit for completing a class and if you get enough credits you can graduate. Most schools still have the same time in class, ~50 minutes, 5 days a week. The Carnegie Unit was helpful to standardize schools, however it doesn’t account for factors like how good the teachers are or at what speed the students learn.

Another big problem with the current school system is that a lot of students feel disconnected from their life at school. School increases mental health problems in students, making learning more difficult and causing some students to stop trying in school.

High school is the final thing preparing students for the real world of being an adult, but is it really doing a good job at doing that? Most schools in the US don’t encourage students to find their potential.

When students are just listening to a teacher when in class, they only use the left hemisphere of their brains. However, if they are being creative and solving problems they can learn with both hemispheres of their brain.

So, in my opinion, schools are in need of change these days as they still haven’t changed the way they teach from a long time ago.

School Life

MY FIRST PEP FEST

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By: Grace Lopez

My experience:

We all got called down to the main gym and we had to sit down with our grades in separate corners. It was really packed with a lot of people and there was nowhere to sit and it was way too loud. For freshmen it was hard to get a seat because there were a lot of people sitting on the bleachers so half of us had to sit on the floor because of how packed it was.

Everything got settled down but when it was about to start everyone started to yell “Freshman go home!” I was really surprised about how loud it was and how funny it was people yelling at us, but it wasn’t that bad.

Then the cheerleaders had a performance for us and they did really well. After they were done some teachers were just talking about being respectful and kind but no one really listened.

After that, some kids explained some sports that they do at Highland and what it was about and all of that, and then they walked through the limbo and it was really funny.

Then the football boys and soccer girls and boys had a dance performance in front of everyone. They did really well and then the moment everyone has waiting for came: the homecoming queen and king.

The people that participated walked and did a dance and went in the middle of the gym. Everyone voted for a queen & king and one of the teachers got the microphone and said the winners for each grade. The winners got to sit in a special chair.

After all that was over, everyone started to yell once again “Freshman go home!” and it wasn’t that bad but it was just embarrassing. I guess it’s a tradition for American schools though.

And that was my experience for my first ever pep fest.

Getting To Know/History, School Life

How children get to school around the world

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By: Karl Salkowski

Children are raised differently around the world, but one experience that most kids share is school. How you get to school can vary greatly between students. Whether you bike, walk, take public transportation, carpool, or hike through the mountains, everyone arrives at the same destination.

According to Saferoutesinfo.org, “In 1969, 48% of children 5 to 14 years of age usually walked or bicycled to school.” This has dramatically decreased since then, and has fallen to only 13%. In 1969 89% of children who lived within a mile of school walked or bicycled. Now only 35% bike or walk. This decrease has been happening steadily over the course of the last 50 years. As more vehicles are on the road, biking and walking become inherently more dangerous. More and more parents see walking/biking to school as unsafe which may lead them to instead drive their kids to school. This feeds into the cycle.

However, not everywhere in the world is like this. For example, the city of Oulu, Finland has recently become one of the most pedestrian and bike friendly cities in the world. They did this by greatly increasing the amount of bike infrastructure, and plowing the bike paths immediately after the snow falls. According to BBC, “In one of Oulu’s biggest schools Metsokangas, more than 90% of the children get to school by bike or on foot.” Although the average for the city schools overall is 50%, it’s still incredibly impressive seeing that it’s the 4th most northern city in the world.

Biking to school in the middle of the winter may seem difficult, but it’s nothing compared to how strenuous of a journey some kids in China had to go through. Some kids had to hike almost half way up a mountain to get to school in Gulu Village, China. From 2005-2011 students in the Gulu Village would have to hike 3-5 hours to reach a school that stood atop the mountain. They had to take a windy path that is filled with many twists and bends. The narrowest part of the trail is 40 centimeters.

The school was first made of mud, but the principal Shen Qijun through support of the people living below transformed it into a somewhat safe building complete with five classrooms and a restroom. Soon the school lacked funding, and it was decided to relocate down below in the village. This is only a small glimpse into the different challenges school kids face around the world.

Advice/How To, School Life

10 things freshmen should know

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By: Priya Anderson & Ruby Anderson

Priya’s Iphone, September 12, 2024. Two freshmen walking to class.

1. Go to orientation!

One of the first most important things for a freshman to do (especially rising freshmen) is to go to orientation. If you are already a freshman in school, skip this one, but those who are coming up, keep reading.

This is not only where you learn the school, you learn your schedule, who will be in your advisory, who you will be peers with for the rest of high school. The schedule you receive is usually paper, which is helpful for those with iPad issues (common among freshies). And at orientation, you see the teachers and office staff; obviously an important factor to becoming acquainted with your school. By attending orientation, the transitional process is much smoother and easy to cope with. It can be nerve racking, but is worth the 2 hours.

2. Get involved in school activities

School activities get you connected with more than students, but with opportunities for your sophomore, junior and senior years. You can make friends that last, and will always find someone on your team/in your club in your classes. Almost everyone is involved with a school activity, so participating in your community is a great way to allow yourself to become a part of your high school.

3. Make connections with upperclassmen

As I said in my last point, try to befriend or connect with upperclassmen! Try to find someone you can trust to get info about the school and about classes. This can be helpful when learning about the school and getting tips on big assignments. Upperclassmen can also help get you connected to more people. Of course, have boundaries with these kids, and make sure they are trustworthy friends.

4. Don’t procrastinate

Procrastinating is the number one way to fail. You should try to complete your work as soon as possible because it will help a lot with getting good grades. A good way to not procrastinate is to make a planner. Making a planner will help a lot with keeping track of what assignments you have to do and when they are due.

5. Sign up for drivers ed

Once you turn 15, you can get your permit. Even though driver’s ed is very tedious (30 hours), it is worth the time to learn to drive. You could even get your license as a sophomore! It is 3 hours for two weeks, and that is awhile, but what’s better? Freedom or having to hitch a ride every day?

6. Find a favorite teacher/class

Having a teacher that you like or a class that you enjoy will get you through the day a lot faster, especially if you can look forward to that class. It’s also good to have a teacher you trust so that you can go to them if you have a problem. Having a class that you like can also motivate you to do your work.

7. Do not skip class or be late

Skipping class or being late is a great way to get on a teacher’s bad side. As a matter of fact, too many absences and tardies will get you on a list and a call home. Coming to class at the correct time and always showing up will define you as a trustworthy student. It will also set a routine for you and habits will form out of those routines. Being late in the workforce is a BIG no, so starting early, come to class. For freshmen, this is very important to get used to.

8. Ask for help

Can’t find a class? Don’t have an iPad? Don’t know your bus, etc, etc? Ask for help. As a freshman, no one expects you to know what to do right away. There are always students and teachers there to help, and the counselors office is a great resource for freshmen. Not only can you get help with the issues above, but you can change electives and if necessary, move core classes around. Don’t be afraid to reach out to your friends and peers. Your teachers also expect you to ask for help, so please don’t hesitate.

9. Bring snacks/drinks

School days can get long and tiring and sometimes lunch is not enough. Especially if you have lunch really late or really early in the day you are going to get hungry pretty fast. You should make sure to bring a few snacks to school everyday as long as your teachers are okay with it. Bringing water is also important during hot days.

10. Relax

Don’t get too stressed out over school. If your only focus is school work you’re going to get stressed and burnt out. School is important but relaxing and enjoying time to yourself and spending time with friends and family is just as important. You also need to make sure you’re getting enough sleep every night so don’t stay up too late.