by Payton Cleary

In 2024, over 81.7 million people went into stores spending around 10.3 billion, averaging around 11.3 million per second on what is commonly known as Black Friday.

The Friday following Thanksgiving is the busiest shopping day of the year in the United States. National chain stores bring guests into their shops by offering limited time money saving deals on items. Many companies offer similar, or sometimes even lower, deals online.

The term Black Friday stems from the 1960s, when police officers in Philadelphia used the term “black friday” to describe the chaos that resulted from large amounts of tourists that came into the city to go holiday shopping.  The commonly understood term for shoppers didn't really take off around the US till the late 1980s. (read more)

by Payton Cleary

As if being a nurse were not difficult enough, being a school nurse requires many skills. A school nurse constantly creates bonds with students by trying to make that person calmer both mentally or physically. 

To shine more light onto school nursing The Daily Trot interviewed school nurse Rebecca Hudson to go deeper into the ups and downs associated with the stress levels of being a school nurse.

What made you want to be a high school nurse?

When I first became a school nurse, I worked in a middle school. But when I heard about the new high school being built, I quickly became interested because I enjoy working with teens and know they need as much, if not more, compassion and care as little ones. 

What's the hardest part of being a school nurse?

Being the only healthcare professional in the building! In a hospital setting, you have other nurses, doctors, etc to bounce questions off or to assist with situations. In the school setting, the nurses train certain staff to be first responders to help with different scenarios and they basically work under our nurse license. 

When is it most busy?

My most busy time during the day is around WIN time. That is when I have an influx of students who come up for a variety of reasons. The most busy time of year is the beginning of the year. This is when I do most of the medication processing, medical plans, staff training and immunization reviews.

Is it ever overwhelming or too stressful?

I used to be a Cardiac/Medical-Surgical nurse at a hospital (read more)

by Payton Cleary

Journalism is undergoing a profound transformation. Advances in technology, from artificial intelligence to social media, are reshaping how news is created and shared. As traditional models' decile and public trust wavers, journalists must adapt by embracing innovation while upholding the core values of truth, transparency, and accountability. 

The previous paragraph was created by AI. How do readers know the difference between AI and human work? Will journalism, as we know it, continue to exist? 

Journalism is the practice of gathering, preparing, and distributing accurate news coverage. Now mostly covered through social media, such as television, radios. Although it was originally shared through printed news.

The word journalism originally applied to the reportage of current events in printed form, specifically news papers. But with the increase in use of radios, television, and the internet, the term journalism started to broaden to include all paper and electronic communication. (read more)

by Payton Cleary

In North Carolina the number of teachers leaving the position has fluctuated significantly in the last four years. In 2022 over 11.5% (which is equivalent to 1,500) teachers left the profession.

The number has gone as of 2023 to 9.88 percent. Teacher attrition is highest for newer teachers and those who have 28+ years in the field. 2023-24 the attrition rate was between 11.7 and 11.5 percent for teachers with 0-5 years of experience and between 18.5 and 26.8. North Carolina lawmakers have not yet  passed a comprehensive state budget which would increase teacher pay.

The impact of teacher pay and teachers leaving their jobs has significantly affected students and administration at many schools. At Southeast (read more)

by Payton Cleary

The GPA (grade point average) grading system in the United States has been around for 125 years. Scientists believed the GPA system emerged in the 20th century. Often it is the case that a better GPA carries more weight when colleges are considering student applications.

But..how much should the GPA matter? 

When asked about if GPA should be a deciding factor to get into college, Mr. Krocke, a science teacher at Southeast stated, ¨I think that GPA is the best tool we currently have for post-secondary education admissions, as it is a measure of knowledge acquired and effort expended during your earlier years of education.¨ There is evidence that GPA can be stressful for students. When asked if GPA and stress go together, Mr Krocke said, ¨I think that it depends on the student. GPA is often used to discern promising applicants in post-secondary education [college]. Some students are not thinking that far ahead yet due to a variety of factors in their lives.These students tend to worry more about getting their credit to graduate and worry less about what their GPA is. If students don't have good coping strategies it may impact their mental health.” (read more)

by Payton Cleary

In 2024, over 81.7 million people went into stores spending around 10.3 billion, averaging around 11.3 million per second on what is commonly known as Black Friday.

The Friday following Thanksgiving is the busiest shopping day of the year in the United States. National chain stores bring guests into their shops by offering limited time money saving deals on items. Many companies offer similar, or sometimes even lower, deals online.

The term Black Friday stems from the 1960s, when police officers in Philadelphia used the term “black friday” to describe the chaos that resulted from large amounts of tourists that came into the city to go holiday shopping.  The commonly understood term for shoppers didn't really take off around the US till the late 1980s. (read more)

by Payton Cleary 

When students enter high school, sometimes the first person they encounter is a high school guidance counselor. What, exactly, is a counselor? What do they do? How do they assist students?  Counselors help students stay on track, support your mental health, resolve conflicts, help plan for your future/college. 

To get more of an insight on the counselor's life, The Daily Trot reached out to find out more from the lead counselor at Southeast, Ms. Joy Toms. (read more)