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As of May 31st, 2022, Burlington High School has introduced a new pass system. This system requires students to use a sign-out sheet which includes their name, the date, where they are headed, and the time they leave and come back.

As well as filling out the sheet, students are required to bring with them a laminated pass which is specific to whatever room they are leaving from as it has a room number written on it. These passes are color coded based off of the hallway the classroom is in (ex; English Hall - yellow) in order to ensure students are using the correct bathroom for their classes’ location.

There is only one of these passes per classroom, meaning only one student is allowed out of the room at a time for using the bathroom or getting water. However, when a student needs to go to the nurse or another destination, they will use the sign-out sheet as well except instead of using the classroom’s designated hallway pass, they will get a traditional pass in which their teacher signs showing approval for where the student is going.

There are a few reasons why this new pass system has been added, the main one being that there was a great number of students wandering the halls every class period, every day, all year long. On top of this, there are often large groups of students smoking in the bathrooms, vandalizing bathrooms, or hanging out in there with friends for long periods of time.

These often occurring scenarios in the bathrooms affected other students who were genuinely planning to use the bathroom as they would avoid certain bathrooms in order to steer clear of the massive groups of students.

Understandably, administrators and staff seemingly got sick of all of these factors and decided to do something more about it. Many students are unhappy with what they chose to do. There are good points on both sides when it comes to the positives vs the negatives of the newly added pass system.

Looking at the positives, there will be a better grasp on where students are in the building which is vital for safety, there will ultimately be less wandering and less large groups in bathrooms, and there will most likely be less poor behavior in bathrooms as every student’s whereabouts will be accounted for, leaving them more likely to get caught than they have been up to this point.

As for negatives, it is fairly gross that the same pass is brought into the bathroom by each student who uses the bathroom from the same classroom; some people are not going to use the school bathroom again due to how disgusted they are. It is also unclear what the option is for students who simply need a break to clear their heads; it is no longer acceptable to take a couple laps around the first floor so the solution may be something like the bridge room, but not all students want that level of support as a quick walk after a stressful test is all they need.

Also on the negative side, if someone takes a long time in the bathroom, another student may suffer as only one person is allowed out of the room at once. Signing out is sort of useless when it comes to getting water because depending on what part of the building a student is in, doing this can take less than thirty seconds.

The pass system is extremely new so there is much time for change and improvement depending on its success. A couple ideas being having two passes per room and having a sanitization of some sort for the passes each time they are brought back. Evidently, this will be a work in progress getting everyone used to following the new rules at BHS, but it will be interesting to see how it plays out.

With summer beginning, everyone's favorite activity is just around the corner; AP summer work! Well, not exactly, but how great would it be if summer work was enjoyable? My goal today is to get you to change your outlook on summer work, give you some helpful tips on completing it, and to motivate you to do it.

The majority of students will groan in annoyance at the thought of summer work; it is supposed to be the time where there is nothing to worry about after all. Being annoyed is completely understandable, but before you call it pointless let’s acknowledge its importance.

Yes, the summer is a time for your brain to relax, but it still needs some stimulation. Think about sports for a minute; players do not just jump onto the court for the first game of the season, they have pre-season practices to get prepared and bring back skills. Compare those pre-season practices to summer work; it is preparing your brain and easing you into the workload that is to come when the school year begins.

Taking an AP class is a commitment that goes beyond the school day as it is a college-level course which is preparing you for the future. These classes have a vigorous curriculum and expect you to have some prior knowledge of the subject matter before walking in on that first day. That is why summer work exists.

It is easy to stress and get down thinking about your summer assignments, so if you find yourself getting overwhelmed looking at all of the work you have to do, take a moment to think about all of the assignments you normally do in three months, about the length of summer. You will quickly be met with relief because you will see that the average amount of work you do in three months during the school year is much more than the amount of summer work you have, meaning you are more than capable of completing it.

Despite knowing you are capable of doing the work, it can still be overwhelming to think about all of the assignments you have. Something that can help calm you down and allow you to see what you have to do from a different perspective is creating a schedule. Make a list with all of your assignments, purchase any items needed to complete the work, designate the order of how you want to complete your assignments, and use a planner or a wall calendar to write down each assignment on the date you want it completed by; seeing things written out like this will help you to stay on task and realize that you have more time than you think.

Keep in mind that you can incorporate summer into your summer work, you do not have to miss out on a beautiful day because you have to finish an assignment. Read on the beach, do math in the backyard, summarize a piece of history in a sunflower field; nature is your best friend!

Even if you understand the importance of it and have a schedule laid out, it can still be hard to find motivation to complete your work. A way to find this motivation is by rewarding yourself. Every time you complete an assignment, make it a priority to do something you love such as eating your favorite dessert, watching your favorite movie, or going out with friends.

If you are really struggling to do the work and find yourself continuously procrastinating, you can even give an item of yours to a friend or family member and have them give it back to you as a reward once you finish an assignment. This way, even if you have not even the slightest desire to do an assignment, you will find motivation to get back your item.

Now that you hopefully have a different outlook on your summer work and are less overwhelmed about starting it, you can get to it! It is better to start soon than wait until the last minute; you will thank yourself later!

Burlington High School proudly commits itself to its core mission of “respecting differences in an increasingly diverse society.” Thanks to clubs like the African-American Student Association, Multicultural Club, and Gay-Straight Alliance, and events like Culture Fest, the school certainly demonstrates its efforts to include diverse voices in our community. However, it seems that one group of students is often not included in these efforts: English language learners.

The ELL program has flourished in recent years, not just at BHS but throughout the district. As Kerri Lamprey, Director of English Learner Education, explained, the program’s growth has not just been in the number of students enrolled but also in the number of languages represented.

“When I came [to Burlington] it could be described as a low-incidence program, meaning there were not as many students. There were about 8 students at the high school when I first came…and the total was about 85 students across all the schools,” she said. “Now we have about 257 students across the district…Growth has been around numbers of students and the change in languages that we currently have represented.”

Indeed, once the ELL classes had a majority of students who spoke Gujarati or Hindi as their first language, but now our halls have a mix of Spanish, Portuguese, Creole, and Arabic speakers. With this growing and diverse population of students, it is crucial that the school does not let language barriers prevent them from incorporating the English language learners in the community. This all prompts the question: Is BHS giving enough support to the ELL program and students, and is there more to be done?

One of the ways in which the school has helped these students is through the multilingual partner group, a program that paired an English language learner with a native English speaker. For the students who took part in this program, it was instrumental in helping them acclimate to a new environment.

“This group really helped me to meet new people as a freshman and as a non-native English speaker,” Serli Jabnian, junior at BHS, said. “The group was a judgement-free zone, which allowed me to ask for help about so many different aspects around the school, including classes, clubs, and every other social aspect of high school.”

Although the program temporarily stopped due to the pandemic, there are plans for its return next year, and Jabnian played a key role in this.

“I find it very important for ELL students to be able to have a safe place where they can meet and learn from other people and, at the same time, show their cultures to others,” she said. “It is very important for ELL students to feel included in the community and valued between peers and classmates.”

Beyond the partner group, ELL students have also been welcomed by their peers who use the tools around them to connect across any language barrier.

“I used to get lost going to different classes during the first two weeks of school, and I had no idea what to do because I did not understand or speak any English,” Emerson Perez, a BHS graduate, said. “One of the students who was learning Spanish helped me get to my classes on time and showed me how the lunch system works…Students used Google translate to help me with instructions when we were doing group project work.”

Whether it is through translation programs or their own language skills, teachers and staff, too, play an instrumental role in including the ELL students and supporting them as they balance school, work, and other obligations in a new country.

“It was really hard to focus on all three things well—going to school, helping my family, and doing my job—and it’s really hard to have energy in all of those things and to do your best in each one,” Jeu Ajcac, recent BHS graduate, said, as translated by Ms. Lamprey. “Ms. Gloria [Wojtaszek, BHS counselor] was always encouraging me to come to school and always supporting me, saying you need to do this, and so I did graduate.”

While community support is important, it does not always go far enough. It is easier for students to get involved in clubs because the meetings have a set schedule and typically last thirty minutes a day or two after school. What about the students who wish to get involved in athletics but struggle with the particulars of how the program works?

“There are hurdles that for you and I in America might see them as little hurdles, like some of the normal paperwork…and talking about tryouts, the announcements are in English and the students don’t understand,” Adam Chiocca, BHS ELL teacher, said. “There is more to it than just making the tryout day. As an American kiddo used to going to sports things, they would have an idea of how many tryout days you would have.”

The problems continue from there. If the team does not practice at the high school, that can be difficult to communicate to parents. For sports the ELL students are not familiar with, there is another challenge in wanting to try the sport but being unfamiliar with the equipment needed.

In addition to all of that, friends typically participate in extracurriculars like athletics and theater together, and so for ELL students who have yet to form friendships with their classmates who are familiar with these activities, that may be a deterrent to getting involved.

Moving to a new country, surrounded by unfamiliar customs and an unfamiliar language, is a struggle that not everyone experiences. Stepping out of one’s comfort zone, learning a new language, getting involved in a new school, making new friends—these are risks made easier by a supportive community willing to listen and make accommodations. As a school, we made a commitment to be a respectful, welcoming, and empathetic community. If we want to truly live up to that, we must make sure no one gets left behind.

With course selections underway, many students are looking for insight into AP classes.

At this time of the year, students are beginning the course selection process for next year. Students are currently looking at and considering different options in hopes of trying to find what classes will be the best fit for them. For many, some of those options may be AP classes.

Advanced Placement classes, or AP classes, are offered by an organization called the College Board. They define AP classes as “college-level courses” with a cumulative exam towards the end of the year. The college board says that some benefits to AP classes are that you get a taste of the college experience and that you can stand out when applying to colleges. Additionally, they mention that the classes can boost your GPA.

However, it is ultimately the students who are taking these classes and forming opinions of some of the possible benefits and setbacks. A survey about AP classes with the intent to gather the opinions on the classes was sent out to all AP students on February 16. It garnered 77 responses.

When looking at their options, some students may look for AP classes that generally have a reputation of being easy. However, there isn’t really such a thing as an easy AP. It is true, though, that some are more universally seen as difficult while others are more opinion based.

For example, the AP English classes (AP Language and Composition and AP Literature and Composition) were a bit divisive among respondents. 11 respondents said they struggled the most with an AP English class, while 27 students said they struggled the least with an AP English class.

A collection of 27 students said that they would recommend taking an AP English class. Multiple respondents referenced that the classes help enhance the writing of students. Junior Megan Ohol said, “the class drastically improved my skills as a writer,” in reference to AP Language and Composition.

Similarly, when it comes to the AP Histories (AP US History and AP World History), respondents had largely varied reviews about the difficulty of the courses.

12 students said they struggled the most with AP US History, while 5 said they struggled the least with the class. 8 students said they would recommend the AP US History. 14 students said they struggled the most with AP World History, while 8 said they struggled the least with the class. 9 students said they would recommend AP World History. Ohol recommends AP World History “if history is interesting to you.”

This variation in numbers seems to suggest that the difficulty of the AP Histories is not constant for every student. Essentially, particularly in the history APs, the student’s personal interest in the subject seems to be a key factor in determining how challenging the course feels.

This is true for all subjects as well, however. One anonymous respondent simply wrote that they would recommend any class that a student “has strengths in.” They discourage students from taking classes that they will likely do poorly in just to take more AP classes.

While, other AP classes seem to be more broadly considered difficult, as seen in the survey. For example, 14 students listed AP Chemistry in their brief lists of AP classes that they struggled with the most. Only 4 listed it as one of the AP classes that they struggled with the least.

But, that’s not to say that these courses which are seen as more difficult should be written off immediately. Of the 77 respondents, 10 said that they would recommend AP Chemistry. Junior Mike Woodilla added that AP Chemistry is “really hard, but when you get used to it, it becomes rewarding.”

When determining which AP class you may want to try, consider that some courses may be more of a challenge. But, these courses also likely cause you to learn a lot about the subject.

It is clear that personal strengths and preferences play a definite role in how students perceive their AP classes. Senior Tommy Ryan recommends “any class that a student is interested in,” and advises against taking a class “purely for a GPA boost.”

One class that was overwhelmingly recommended was AP Psychology. 17 respondents said that they would recommend the class.

Towards the end of the year, typically around May, the AP exams take place. They cover all of the material of the curriculum and are scored on a scale of 1 to 5. Generally, a 3 is considered a passing score, but a 4 is a more concrete passing score. The exams are a large part of what makes an AP class, and can be stressful for students.

“Generally, if you put the work in for the class, you won't have a problem on the exam. But, wanting a 5 on an AP exam is a really, really bad reason to take an AP course. You need to like the subject and be willing to fail (sometimes literally),” Woodilla said. “The exam should be a byproduct of the effort you've put into the class. That's not to say you shouldn't study, though, and the studying can be quite a lot. Like the rest of the course's aspects, you have to commit to it.”

The exam scores can be sent to colleges, though it is optional. Not all colleges look for AP exam scores, though.

“I believe that [the exams] are pointless and do not capture our knowledge of the content, rather our ability to study for convoluted College Board style questions,” senior Sean Gallagher said. “They are absolutely not worth it and most colleges only take 5s, which are extremely difficult to get.”

However, some students, like Ohol, see benefits to AP exams. Ohol admitted that “there is a lot of stress involved,” but added that it is worth it in the end if you “spend time studying and preparing for your exam.” She also recommended that students “should use stress as a motivator, not a reason to procrastinate.”

Ultimately, students have varying opinions on AP classes and exams, but it is undeniable that they differ from CP and Honors classes in many ways.

That doesn’t mean that you have to be perfect in a certain subject in order to take an AP class, however. An overwhelming 88% of students who responded to the survey felt that their AP classes have challenged them to become better in the subject area.

AP Classes also require responsibility and self determination. 67.5% of respondents felt that AP classes are a big step in regards to responsibility. An anonymous student said “Generally, AP classes genuinely expect a lot out of students.”

Ultimately, students agree that AP classes are meant to be a challenging opportunity for those who feel that they are interested in the subject matter and want a more in depth understanding of that subject.

Going back years and years, kids, teens, and adults have always wanted the latest, greatest, and trendiest items, especially clothes. This craving is still present today and it has never been easier. With online shopping, you can find just about anything you want and oftentimes for very cheap prices.

Although it seems great to have inexpensive and trendy clothes right at our fingertips, grave damage is being done the more often people participate in this type of shopping; there is an extremely large risk of encountering a fast fashion brand during your seemingly innocent browse on the internet.

Fast fashion is inexpensive clothing produced rapidly by mass-market retailers in response to the latest trends. More stores and brands than you think participate in this; I can nearly guarantee that at least one store you know and love is fast fashion.

Online shopping is not the only form you can encounter this on, but that simply just adds to the problem as it allows people to have easier and quicker access to purchasing clothes made from these conditions.

It is also not the average consumer's fault if they happen to buy from fast fashion brands. However, you should do your best to limit the amount that you do purchase from these places as overconsumption and disposing of the items as soon as the trend is over causes great damage to our planet.

Fast fashion comes with extreme consequences. In order for these clothes to be made quickly, cheaply, and in large quantities, the industry has its production take place overseas in poorer nations for cheap labor. This action is done to avoid the labor laws and taxes in place within countries that have more developed governments.

The clothes are produced in extremely poor working conditions where so many are overworked and underpaid. Fast fashion is a very messed up system; our trends should not be somebody else’s blood, sweat, and tears. There are clearly ways around this problem as many brands do not produce their products in such a way, so there is no need for it to still be going on.

Not only are people put in danger and overworked, but fast fashion is detrimental to our environment. Just about 20% of worldwide water waste is due to the fashion industry; it takes approximately 3,000 liters of water for one cotton shirt.

There are many toxic chemicals used in fabric dyeing which eventually end up in our oceans. Since most areas of production are in countries with underdeveloped governments, the contaminated water goes untreated to the point where it is no longer able to be safe again.

As these fast fashion brands produce such cheap clothing and at fast rates, consumers are getting used to the process of getting rid of their clothes after just a couple of wears because it does not do much damage to their wallets. And rather than donating clothes, they simply throw them away which ironically does not have a simple outcome at all.

The excess amount of clothes that are thrown away creates massive landfills and massive amounts of landfills. Once these pile up too much, they are relocated to where they can be burned. This recurring cycle endangers public and environmental health as toxic gases are released into the air from the burning landfills, polluting our air.

With these just being some of the dangers of fast fashion, you should be able to see just how horrible the impact this industry has on the entire planet. Even though the problem of course goes beyond individuals, we can do our best to help.

There are simple ways to avoid feeding fast fashion such as doing a quick google search on the brands you buy from, buying from small businesses, thrifting, not buying excess clothing, and donating old clothes. If enough people take action, great differences will be made to help our planet!

What is your name and what are you teaching this year?

My name is Michayla Hogan and I am teaching freshman biology and physical science.

To start, what are some of your interests and hobbies outside of school?

Outside of teaching, which is one of my favorite things ever, I also teach Irish dance. I've danced from the time I was three and I competed through college. Now I teach it at the McHale school in Woburn, so it’s pretty close by and I love doing that. I also play piano and flute to try to keep up with my musical skills.

Where did you go to college?

For my undergraduate, I got my bachelor's in science at UMass Lowell. I did nutritional sciences for my undergrad. For my graduate school, I went to Leslie University, and I did my master's in education.

What inspired you to want to be a teacher?

Ever since I was super little, even pretty much before I knew what a teacher was, I was teaching my stuffed animal [or] my younger siblings. For the holidays, I wasn't looking for dolls and stuff-- I wanted a projector and world maps and things like that because I was so enthralled by the classroom and teaching. So, I always kinda knew I wanted to do it. I also love science a lot, so I was inspired by some of my own teachers I had through the years. One of them was Ms. Sturtevant, who is a sixth grade teacher [at MSMS]. I had her and she was one of the best teachers I ever had. I wanted to be just like her. So, that was my goal-- because I love science, I decided, I might as well teach science.”

So, biology and physical science were among the subjects that interested you most?

Yeah. I’ve always especially loved the human body and that's why I kinda went to nutritional sciences. I love chemistry and biology, so I love a little bit of all the sciences. Which is kinda nice because I get to teach biology which is very different than physical science.

I understand that you were a student teacher at BHS two years ago. How did you like that experience?

I loved it. I was very lucky to be placed in Ms. Cheever’s classroom, she's a very inspiring teacher. She’s very innovative and likes to try out different techniques with her students. She let me kind of start teaching very early on, which, if you go to education school, a lot of the mentors don't let you teach their classes very early on. But she let me kind of jump right in and get that hands-on experience.

Last year you taught at Wilmington. How was that experience and what made you return?

When I heard about this job opening up, I was like I'd love to be back at Burlington. Even with COVID shutting things down that March, it was still such a great experience up until then. I loved it at Wilmington, I had a great experience, it was definitely tough to leave. But, teaching in Burlington was always my goal, I always wanted to end up back here because I had such a great experience. I mean, I'm from Burlington, too, so that extra piece as well.

Now that you are an official teacher with your own classroom, what has proved to be a new challenge for you?

Grading. Grading’s my biggest challenge. I do love planning, and I spend a lot of time outside of school planning activities, stations, and labs, so sometimes my grading can kinda get left behind and eventually pile up!

What have you enjoyed most so far about teaching at BHS?

I love the Burlington community, I think it's such a strong, close-knit community of both students and teachers. I think the science department is a really good group of teachers, everyone helps each other out, which is important to have [as a] new teacher. And I know a lot of students from when I used to teach preschool, so some of them come on up and I think ‘Oh, I had you when you were four years old, and now you’re in my science class!’ So I know the families, as well. I’ve always been a part of the Burlington community, so it’s really fun to be a part of it in a different role.

What was it like teaching preschool?

I loved preschool-- it was definitely very different. I taught it while I was going to college to become a teacher and I started kind of working in a preschool since I was a freshman in high school. Very fun, very different. I still teach a preschool dance class on the weekends, so I get my fill of little kids and I also get the big kids during the week, too.

What is something new that maybe you haven't experienced yet that you’re looking forward to at Burlington?

Going forward, I would love to create my own science class. There’s a couple of areas, like maybe a nutritional science course, that is what my specialty is. So, I could definitely see myself in the upcoming years creating a curriculum to go into the deep biochemistry of nutrition, which would be fun.

Is there anything else you want to add at all?

I also signed up to be the freshman class advisor, so I am working currently with the student government, and we are starting to think about our fundraisers and future dances and stuff like that. So, that’s been really fun to be involved with because I get to meet new students and do more work for that grade. I’m excited to kind of follow the freshman class as they go up through graduation.

So, is it safe to assume that you can see yourself staying here for the foreseeable future?

Yeah, absolutely. That is the goal! I love being here and I hope that I will still be here in ten years, that’s the goal.

From costume parties to trick or treating, Halloween is a great holiday where everyone can be a kid again, or really, be anything they want.

Children, teenagers, and adults can dress up and celebrate in countless ways. There is Screamfest, Witch’s Woods, and Ghost Tours in Salem for those with the desire of a thrill. For the less spooky side, there are events like public costume contests with prizes such as the Halloween Ball in Salem. And for the kids, there is your classic trick-or-treating, trunk-or-treat, and many fun other places to go such as corn mazes!

These are all super fun and classic ways to get into the Halloween spirit, but every so often, there becomes the problem of Halloween being on a Sunday. Most, if not all, of these events listed only take place at night which is where having commitments the next day becomes a conflict.

With work or school the following morning, it leaves many at a loss of what to do or leads to people having to completely change their plans. Yes, there is the option of staying home and being festive in ways like pumpkin carving and watching scary movies, but the options of what to do are limited.

Trick-or-treating usually does not start until the sun sets which will leave kids with limited time to participate in activities if they have school the next morning since they will need to get their costumes off, get ready for bed, and sleep. This goes for teens and adults as well since activities like Witch’s Woods and costume parties can leave attendees to get home extremely late, even past midnight.

So, Sunday night Halloween’s are no fun for anyone. This is where the light bulb comes in: no school the day after Halloween!

They do it for all other popular holidays like Easter and Christmas, so why not Halloween? It actually makes more sense to give the day off after Halloween since the two listed above are holidays specific to a religion while Halloween is celebrated by people of all different religions; it is more widespread so there are likely more kids in a school celebrating Halloween than say Easter.

It is likely that some parents feel that giving the day off after Halloween is opening the doors for bad choices of their teenagers since it could give them the option to stay out later at a party, but this would not be the majority or necessarily anyone at all. Yes that is a possibility, however having no school after this holiday would benefit all school age kids who celebrate it since they could do anything from trick-or-treating for longer to staying at Screamfest for hours!

If schools would give the day off, why not work too? Adults deserve to have a night of fun where they do not have to go to work the next day just as much as kids do!

Halloween should be a stress free and not rushed experience where people of all ages can have an amazing time; afterall, it is the night where anything is possible.

The music I listen to always seems to project onto my mood. If I listen to slow or calm music, my mind tends to ease and I become more relaxed. If I listen to upbeat music, I get super hyper out of nowhere even from having zero energy prior.

I am definitely a frequent listener of music and it is often that I develop emotions from songs that I was not in any way feeling before listening. I have always wondered to myself just why this happens. As in why can I, someone who has never been in a relationship, feel like I just experienced the most extreme heartbreak after listening to certain songs?

Well, it is proven that music is capable of bringing us to tears, moving us, and conveying deep emotional messages within us. But how? Recent studies of a branch in music psychology have shown that music may convey emotional information by activating the mirror neuron system within our brains.

When people are having a conversation it is natural to subconsciously mirror each other's movements; I am sure you have found yourself doing this at some time or another. This action is caused by the mirror neuron system.

Also, emotions are contagious. For example, in the case of seeing someone upset, it is likely you will start to feel bits of sorrow. This is another natural reaction caused by the mirror neuron system.

Music has been reported to induce a full range of human emotion of anything from sorrow and nostalgia, to happiness, calmness, and joy. This proven fact is what made scientists create the hypothesis that music gives off emotional expression within its structure. Elements such as its pitch, tone, and volume, are mirrored by the brain which creates internal bodily rhythm in the listener that then corresponds to an emotion.

In short, music is capable of stimulating the brain in ways that can establish extreme emotion.

For example, my mom is a caregiver for an elderly woman with Parkinson’s disease who is often down and does not have the best outlook on life. She listens to upbeat salsa music and it has been known to continuously lift her spirits. According to my mom, the change in her mood is remarkable from before and after listening.

Due to the strong impact music has on emotions, people have the option to use music and psychological connections to their advantage for things such as getting work done or relieving stress.

So next time you’re working on a project or writing a paper, don’t just listen to your favorite songs, take a few minutes to figure out what kind of music will stimulate your brain in a way that will help you focus!

Schooltime has recently sprung up again, with the Covid-19 pandemic still occurring. Unfortunately, in these difficult times, back-to-school has been a rough transition for both new and returning students alike. Whether students had returned to school via hybrid learning or remote learning, a schedule had to be put in place to accommodate every grade level and background. In this manner, an upheaval to the previous scheduling system was put in place to assist students in ensuring a safer and more productive learning environment.

This new schedule was already planned in advance and was supposed to be in effect last year, only to be delayed due to the ongoing pandemic. Grade rotations, lunchtime, ending times, and many more factors went into this change, with both the time of the faculty and the time of the students at the front of the scheduling committee’s mind.

Mrs. Whitcomb, a teacher at BHS and one of the members of the committee, commented on her thoughts about student reception of the new schedule. “As always, students are amazing,” Mrs. Whitcomb said. “It is definitely a bit confusing at the beginning, but students have taken it in stride and seem to be adjusting well.”

She also states that the “most important [part] was designing a schedule that maximizes positive learning experiences for students and builds in time to address social emotional needs,” along with other miscellaneous issues that may come up with scheduling. A modified schedule was soon created to attempt to fill the needs of all.

However, for those who are still not used to this unfamiliar environment, navigating the schedule in general is still a great challenge. Justin Hollis, a freshman at Burlington High School, is one of those who have these trifling issues.

“I don’t like it because it’s an odd change from middle school”, Justin said. “I think that it would be confusing for other students, too. All we can do is adapt.”

Justin would also much rather prefer a standard schedule, similar to other freshmen, where periods would go from 1-3 one day, and 4-6 on the next day.

The hustle and bustle that comes with issues of scheduling and personal student time constraints are rarely avoided with any school schedule. In spite of this, the structure and thoughts about BHS’ version still remain clear. A new challenge of unfamiliarity comes with the solution of exposure and adaptation, which this schedule attempts to do. It is only a matter of time before more thoughts and opinions are gauged for the creation of an even more effective variation.

Streaming services have changed society massively. This is something made clear by Netflix's 209 million users, Spotify’s 165 million users, Hulu’s 42.8 million users, and YouTube’s staggering 2 billion users. It should come as little to no surprise that it has had an effect on students.

“I think the problem with streaming services, is that if you have them downloaded on your device and you’re trying to do schoolwork you can get very distracted,” Ella Tedesco, a junior at BHS, said.

Seeing that ADHD rates have climbed by nearly 30% in the past eight years according to BlueCross BlueShield, it is no surprise that these streaming sites have become a distraction for students. Music streaming especially can be a common distraction. Just by walking through the halls during period changes, it is easy to estimate that about a third of students have earbuds in their ears streaming music.

“Sometimes, I’ll stop and go watch an episode of a show on Netflix or I’ll start playing music and then it takes me longer to get my work done,” said Tedesco

Listening to music may not seem as distracting as other streaming services. In reality, it can really inhibit a person’s ability to complete work and problem solve. The issue is that music can be seen as less distracting than other forms of entertainment. And while that may be true to some extent, it is still hindering one's ability to work efficiently.

YouTube also is a common distraction. The ease of access and the over 800 million videos on the site makes it so.

“There definitely is that temptation when I’m sitting next to my laptop and I’d much rather be watching YouTube than doing my homework,” said Emma Naddaff, a junior at BHS.

While it’s clear there are distractions that can be caused, there are definitely positives if one can manage their time. For starters, YouTube can be used as an educational tool with channels like Khan Academy and Crash Course. Other streaming services, like Disney+ or Hulu, can be used for entertainment as well after work has been finished.

“I think that my use of streaming services is not during the day so it doesn’t really distract me from the work that I’m trying to get done,'' said Mike Woodilla, a junior at BHS. “I really see the positives in it. I think it’s a nice way to not be working and just relax and not focus your mind on something.”

While it is clear all this content at the hands of teens comes with a risk, there are many positives if managed well. The key is learning proper time management, something that is not easy but very attainable.

How has coming back full time to in-person school affected freshman students at BHS? The 2021 school year has started up quickly, and students at Burlington High School are already busy with schoolwork, sports, studying, and more. Many of the students here at BHS walking through the crowded halls each morning may seem happy and ready to learn, but how are they really feeling inside?

Managing schoolwork on top of sports and other activities is not an easy task, especially after learning over a computer screen for several months due to COVID-19. For freshmen students, the transition can be stressful and overwhelming, while some have found it easier to learn and more enjoyable. This year, freshmen students at BHS are busy with learning where their classes are in a new building, meeting new people, getting much more schoolwork, transitioning from middle school to high school, and keeping up with sports and other after-school activities.

The difficulty of this transition from middle school to high school during a pandemic has been noted by professionals. Studies show that academic stress can increase the chances of becoming depressed or developing anxiety. A new and recent national survey called the “JED Foundation” ran a study on freshmen students and found that about fifty percent of freshmen students feel stressed with school and time management, while the other half is able to manage without any stress.

“Being back to in-person school has been better than remote,” Olivia Floyd, BHS freshman, said. “This year has been different from last year with coming to a new school and making new friends.”

During quarantine, minimal amounts of homework were given each day, along with a minimal amount of schoolwork, which led to students losing motivation and beginning to develop the mindset that school was no longer important. Coming back from remote learning and into in-person school has been a big jump, but despite the transition, students and teachers feel it is easier to focus.

“I think it’s been easier to manage my time,” Marissa Ulmschneider, freshman at BHS said. “When we were remote it was harder to focus. We have had enough time for homework and teachers have been helpful.”

With being fully back, students can feel stressed and overwhelmed, even with after school activities like sports and clubs, but students are finding it very helpful that teachers, friends, parents, tutors, guidance counselors and more are willing to help them through it. Tutors and counselors are always willing to help struggling students and are very easy to talk to.

“My classes this year are pretty manageable,” Marissa Ulmschneider says.

For the past two years, classes were difficult to follow along with, especially over technology. For example, the Google Meet app would glitch and there would be moments where the sound would not work or the video would appear blurry. With school finally being almost completely back to normal, we are all learning better.

“Some students are doing better and some doing worse and I saw the same thing last year,” Mrs. Emily Minty, BHS guidance counselor said. “I had some students who thrived in the remote or hybrid model because it gave them more downtime and flexibility who suffered with anxiety and feeling overwhelmed.” I have others who felt disengaged not being here every day and are loving being back. Neither model is perfect for all students.”

The return has been different for all students, with some enjoying being fully back and having no problem completing their homework class work, while others have found it stressful and challenging. If you are struggling, contact a guidance counselor, talk to friends, or reach out to teachers. We are all here for each other to make the 2021 school year great!