The Pirate Post is the school newspaper created by OHS students taking Journalism. The class aims to release a new issue each month. Below you can find links to each issue.
Stalled
Written by Heather Byrnes
Don’t you hate waiting for the bathroom during school? I think that one person in the bathroom at a time is a useless system. It is a waste of time and a waste of space. We have four bathrooms and about 16 bathrooms in the upstairs hallways and the downstairs hallway. Now at school because of COVID and the number of people smoking and spending too much time in the bathroom we can only do 1-2 per bathroom at a time. Students have gotten in trouble a few times with their teachers because they spent too much time out but it is usually just because there is a long line outside the bathroom. There is a new TikTok trend called “devious licks” where the students vandalize and take things such as sinks and soap dispensers from the school bathrooms and can result in destruction and suspension. Some kids are even being brought in by the police. Some kids in the school have a nicotine addiction and use the bathroom time to vape which leaves a strong and distinct smell. Kids that meet in the bathroom to vape are another reason for having the 1-2 person bathroom system.
Of course, COVID is a huge reason the bathrooms are limited to one to two people at a time. I think that if we are allowed to walk in the hallways in big clusters then four people should be able to use the bathroom at the same time. If everyone keeps their mask on, which even some don’t while walking in the hallway, then maybe we could go back to four-person use. In our bathrooms, we have a teacher waiting outside to time us and write down our names which seems too strict to me. Say you spend over 5 minutes in the bathroom, you will look suspicious. We also have passes that the teachers have to sign and only one person from the classroom can go at once which doesn’t make a lot of sense to me because it could be an emergency and maybe the student doesn’t want to say that. Anyway, I think that the school bathrooms should not be limited to one to two-person use.
A Very Rainy Summer
Written by Zoey Gould
This summer, it felt like almost every day was nothing but rain. Cancelling plans and flooding streets, it felt like it was never going to end. Central Massachusetts averaged 11.50 inches just this July. July has set a new record for being the wettest Massachusetts has ever seen. The rainfall this year broke the record by 1.34 inches. The statewide average was 10.30 inches, which makes it 6.29 inches above normal, the Associate Director of the Climate System Research Center Michael Rawlins told MassLive.com on Friday. The old record, set in July 1938 was beat by 1.34 inches. From 8.96 inches in 1938 to 11.30 inches in 2021 is a pretty big change. Human caused climate change is to blame. As the earth heats up, the oceans evaporate and the icebergs melt. With so much vapor in the air it naturally called for a very humid summer as well. This should prove the negative and long lasting effects of climate change, and what it can do on our planet. Such as, increased heat, drought, and insect outbreaks have been taking control, much more obviously this 2021 year. Due to rising sea levels, it is expected many small island nations will be underwater by the year 2050. This may sound very negative, but we still have time to reverse the effects.
What you can do to help: reduce, reuse, and recycle. You can reduce the amount of plastic by using refillable water bottles. You can reuse them, as to produce less waste. Recycle: recycled water bottles can become things like plastic lamps, plastic beads, clothes, shoes and more. Carpooling can reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Planting trees can fight climate change, producing more oxygen in the atmosphere. Buy electric or hybrid over gas. Electric cars are better for the environment, not producing carbon dioxide like gas cars. We can make our voices heard by powerful officials, and stop the use of fossil fuels. We can switch to renewable energy. By using wind turbines, which harmlessly produce electricity. There is plenty of negative effects, but there is still time to reverse them. We need to take action before it's too late.
Paige the Page Turner
Written by Paige Gustafson
If you know anything about me, you know that I am an avid reader. Reading for me and for many others is a way to escape into a world different from our own and escape our everyday problems. And there are multitudes of genres and subgenres to pick from, including YA, Non-Fiction, Fiction, Science Fiction, Historical Fiction, Mythology, Romance, Poetry, and many more. Personally I prefer dystopian fantasy/adventure books. Which paint pictures of made up worlds, and societies that are slowly falling apart. My favorite book that falls under this genre is a series written by author Victoria Aveyard named Red Queen. The series has a total of 5 books (Red Queen, Glass Sword, King’s Cage, War Storm, and Broken Throne), the 5th book being a compilation of novellas that take place after the first 4 novels. The books take place in Victoria’s version of a future America, in the kingdom of Norta. A world seeded with betrayal, and divided by blood. Where red blooded people are treated as less than human, and silver blooded people are treated as gods due to their superhuman abilities. The series follows Mare, the red blooded thief from a town called the Stilts, who is doomed with the fate of conscription. But instead somehow finds her way to the royal family’s palace after being offered a job by the silver blooded crown prince Tiberias Calore (Cal). When at the palace, Mare accidentally falls into the Queenstrail arena, where she learns that she is no ordinary red, but a red with the supernatural abilities of a silver, that allow her to control electricity in all of it’s forms. From there she is forced into the silver world, masquerading as Mareena Titanos, a lost member of the silver nobility, and forced into a betrothal to Cal’s brother Maven Calore. And soon after that, Mare joins the Scarlet Guard, and meets her tutor, Julian Jacos who warns her that “Anyone can betray anyone.”
Lyte Leggings Suck!
Written by Valerie Magill
When you go to the store and shop in the leggings section you can find many different kinds of leggings. All different colors and styles, but if you ever come across these leggings in stores do not buy them. Lyte leggings can be found on a social media platform called TikTok and were a little trendy at one point. These leggings were made so that when you wear it, it helps show off your body curves and features. Since these pants help better show your curves it was pretty popular for people who like to do this.
But when you see what these pants look like you shouldn’t want to buy them in stores. Such pairs of pants are really unattractive looking since they come in many different colors including very bright colors. These colors really make you look like a traffic cone or a highlighter and really makes you stand out wherever you go. Also they have a hexagon looking kind of pattern on the pants that feels strange to the touch in general, based on this it most likely will really give it a preternatural feeling that can make you not like these pants.
Even though these pants do help advance the way your body shows in them since they have a weird texture and a very strange style to them I recommend not getting them when you see them in stores. They also look unpleasant to the eye and I feel as though they should not have even ever been made in the first place. So if you ever come across these leggings in store I recommend you avoid them. Instead buy better, more stylish looking pair leggings that don’t have any patterns attached to it or even ones that come in better looking colors that don’t make you stand out as much.
Does Listening to Music Help You Focus?
Written by Marissa Moore
Have you ever been in class and have to take this big test the next day and have to study? If most of you said yes it can be very difficult to pay attention. Do you think it'd be easier if you were listening to music? It's been proven that music can improve your mood and help you feel more motivated to do tasks such as studying. I know that it has definitely helped me pay more attention during class, not being bored, losing focus on the task or even looking around because of boredom.
People who also have anxiety or any other mental health problems like ADHD can lose interest or focus easily. Music really can tie you into place. Most people think it's harder to focus while listening to music, but calm music helps most people concentrate. It's been scientifically proven that music moves the brain to pay attention. Most students have figured out that music can help them memorize while studying, from boosting memory formatting. I mean if it creates a better, more positive mood why do most teachers not allow it? They think you're not paying attention? They want all eyes on them, but if the students can't focus, do you really think they'll get the answer to the next question right?
Researchers have found out the best type of music to listen to while studying is classical music. This theory is dubbed the “Mozart Effect '' which enhances brain activity and acts as a catalyst for improving health and well-being. But say you don't like listening to classical music and more upbeat music? Does that still work to concentrate? Well yes and no, it still motivates you and improves your brain performance, but it will distract you more than classical music only because it's louder and more aggressive. Say you're trying to study in the library or even to read a book and there's a group of kids talking and eating out loud. Can you still focus on your book? No, I don't think so. Then again, it all depends on the person and your attention span.
You're taking finals next week and you're over stressed because somehow you didn't study, music can calm you down. It can improve your performance because it helps with high-pressure situations like say you have to go present in the front of class, just pop in an ear bud and you'll be less stressed because you're not focused on the presentation fully. So honestly I do think listening to music helps you to focus, I mean it helps me out. Overall, that is why I think “listening to music can help you focus”.
Must Have Masks?
Written by Evelyn Torosian
Do you think masks should still be required in school? Massachusetts Education Commissioner Jeff Riley issued new regulations requiring all public school students over the age of 5, all staff and visitors to wear masks indoors. This is a controversial topic because some people strongly agree that we should still wear masks and there are others who are totally against it and only obliged by the rules because they don't have another choice. I can see both sides for a number of reasons, people who do think we should wear masks are usually scared to get sick and take it home to a loved one. They might also want to wear a mask for other reasons such as not wanting to get sick themselves causing them to stay home and miss school and assignments. There are students who take hard AP and honors classes that can't afford to miss a day of school and fall behind. There are also student athletes who could not play if they got sick and could possibly stop the whole sport from playing. If you have any conditions or diseases it makes you more likely to get COVID-19. Being over the age of 65 can also increase the risk of getting COVID-19. Then there are people who want nothing to do with masks, some people believe that masks do not prevent your chances of getting sick. A study of an outbreak abroad the USS Theodore Roosevelt, found that use of face coverings was associated with a 70% reduced risk. As stated on the FDA.gov site “If worn properly, a surgical mask is meant to help block large-particle droplets, splashes, sprays, or splatter that may contain germs from reaching your mouth and nose. Surgical masks may also help reduce exposure of your saliva and respiratory secretions to others”. Another reason some people may not wear masks is because of how uncomfortable they are. I know for me after wearing one all day at school, sports, and work that the back of my ears hurt a lot. Which leads me to my next reason, students play sports and have jobs and at our school all indoor sports are to wear masks, and most places of work require you to wear a mask while clocked in. They also can be hard to breathe through especially if you're keeping it over your nose all day without removing it. At Oxford High you are allowed to have your mask off if you are in the lunchroom, this gives students a little break from wearing a mask. There is good reasoning behind both arguments of wearing a mask or not. Unfortunately whether you'd choose to wear one or not doesn't matter because there is no option when it comes to having one on when you're at school.
The Importance of Music
Written by Will Owusu
Music: music has been around for many generations past and I’m sure it will be here for. Some people tend to oversee the benefits of music and what it can do for the average human. With other 40+ primary genres, what you can listen to is essentially endless, from Hip-Hop to Alternative music there are classics all around. During times like the pandemic and alone time, sometimes music is all people really have as the different types of music can help people get through difficult times, contain happy moods or even produce a mellow vibe.
Music is shown to reduce stress and anxiety, blood pressure, pain, mood, memory etc. The different components of music like the beat, tone and singer can be used to help bring people together, in the most obvious example of concerts. When lots of people gather around in an arena or stadium all singing to the same beat of one person, it almost feels surreal; like no other feeling before. Furthermore, you could say something like a childhood game of music chairs, which quite everyone has had to have played once in their life. Moving around to the beat of the song and being forced to sit when it stops (only if you get lucky enough of course). It is everywhere, all around us in our lives at times we may not even notice, sometimes I feel like music has become so normal to life people forget to acknowledge what it has really done for us. Even animals to some extent can understand music or even use them as signals.
At Least for me alone, music has gotten me through sad times, happy times, anything you name it. It’s almost like a go-to at this point you could even call it free therapy! We may not remember the artist but we will always remember the lyrics to a song and what it has done for us.
Balancing Academics
Written by Nicole Ucher
Going to school takes up 6 hours of the 5 days a week and let's not mention the amount of time students spend doing homework or studying each night. On top of that, most students also play a sport which they devote their time to as well. So, with the time that high school students have left, what do they do? They work. Whether it be at Subway, Walmart or a restaurant; students maintain a minimum wage job to pay for any expenses they have.
From my personal experience, I find it hard to balance a sport, school and my job while also making time to spend with friends and family. Most of the time I end up making plans after my work shift, which ends around 9, just to be social. Even when I find myself having a conversation with a fellow student, we always end up talking about work or mentioning how we have work later that day. Another subject that is also brought up is homework. On days after school that I have a packed schedule, I find it almost impossible to complete homework. I usually end up falling asleep once I get home because of how exhausted I am (luckily I have an academic lab at school to help me out with that).
According to the U.S. Department of Labour, in 2019, 20% of high school students had a job while 45% of college students had a job. In 2021, 54.4% people between the ages of 16 and 24 were employed. Compared to 2020, the employment percent for this age group was only 46.7%. Although COVID affected the workforce severally, high school and college students still maintained jobs and as restrictions lifted, more of them acquired a job. Minimum wage, entry level jobs are what is most common for young adults. According to the McDonald’s website, the average age of workers there is 20. Jobs are taking over the majority of high schoolers' lives but it will only prepare them for the future.