With the time of paper worksheets and physical textbooks remaining far in the past, the digital age has ushered in significant changes across all aspects of the education world. 

In classrooms worldwide and specifically here at BHS, traditional chalkboards and textbooks are being replaced with fast, interactive iPads. These modern day teacher assistants are thought to enhance learning by increasing student engagement, quicken research for projects, and prepare students for a mostly technologically driven world. 

However, critics are quick to point out numerous deficiencies and looming downsides of the iPads effect on student learning as they refer to digital devices providing quick access to distracting games or the monster of ChatGPt—which can complete a student's essay within seconds. 

For a little background, over the past decade, iPads have become a staple in many schools. Their integration into classrooms hoped to promote a more interactive learning environment—-as many believed students would be more intrigued by a bright iPad than a paper worksheet or huge textbook—while also providing a much quicker option for lectures, research, and access to other resources. 

Here at BHS, a couple notable benefits of the iPads include their ability to offer content to all different learning styles. For example, visual learners can benefit from high-quality, interactive videos, while those who prefer learning through their ears can access podcasts and audiobooks for their source of content. 

More specifically, teachers here at BHS will often assign videos to watch at home due to a lack of class time. Thus, the iPads often act as a secondary teacher by providing students with content that a teacher might not have the time to emphasize. 

One student points out this positive aspect of learning cooperatively with iPads as its providing of helpful YouTube videos, assisted this student through a tough AP class.

“Oftentimes, Mr. Parkin would assign Heimler videos so we could learn content he didn’t have the time to focus on," said BHS sophomore Mathew Conte. “I would also watch his videos on my own before tests, which was extremely beneficial.” 

Steven Heimler is a history teacher in Kentucky who has a large following across many social media platforms due to his incredible knowledge and teaching ability. Thus, Mathew provides a great example of a student who is effectively using BHS’s iPads to his advantage.

Another BHS student pointed out their enjoyment and appreciation for the interactive games the iPads provide. 

“Interactive games such as Gimkit provide an opportunity for me to not only learn content, but also enjoy the process of learning,” said BHS sophomore Drew Garvey.

Beyond catering to various learning styles, iPads can make learning more engaging through educational games that track progress or create a fun, competitive game based on school content against other classmates. Oftentimes, it is very important for teachers to make learning fun, which the iPads consistently do effectively. 

This point was once again demonstrated by another student's positive talks towards the use of technology for learning. 

“I feel learning from textbooks is much less engaging than educational videos, games, or demonstrations which are all provided through BHS’s iPads,” said BHS junior Simone Pastore. 

Despite the numerous benefits of iPads in schools, and specifically here at BHS, there are without a doubt many challenges. For starters, is the potential distractions iPads offer. With endless amounts of games, YouTube, and social media right at the hands of students, it is nearly impossible for kids to maintain proper focus while learning content. 

This point is often a primary concern for teachers specifically, as they can find it challenging to teach to a group of students who are preoccupied with games or distracting videos.

Maybe the most major and faulty growing concern for teachers is students' unlimited access to AI technology such as ChatGPT which can write essays or complete assignments within a couple clicks for students. 

Teachers have been battling with this monster for only a couple years now, but the vastly growing technology is very dangerous. From personal experiences, the use of this artificial intelligence is very common amongst students as such easy access is almost impossible to ignore for students. 

Mrs. Rose pointed out this temptation of easy work completion as it is an undeniable issue. 

“I think sometimes the temptation to take the easy way out is too great and we need to start creating scenarios where students can be successful and helping them avoid the pull of cheating with AI by limiting their use of the iPad, may be one way to do that,” said Mrs. Rose. 

Furthermore, two final points of frustration for iPad critics include the possible negative long term effects of an abused usage of technology which conclude high amounts of screen exposure can cause limited attention spans and other medical issues such as eye strains. Also, another point is that writing on paper can enhance students' retention of technology which is primarily lost art due to the high volume of iPad usage. 

The integration of IPads here at BHS represents a significant shift in educational teaching. While their are undeniable benefits, such as increased engagement through interactive learning experiences, it is important to address the looming problems such as the usage of ChatGPt and the many distractions that come with iPads. With all of this being said, if a balance can be obtained with effective limits set on students' access to AI technology and other distractions, while also maintaining access to interactive learning platforms, BHS could find the sweet spot for learning and thus promote the ideal school environment. 

Vinyls have been around for a long time and have made a huge comeback. People have been buying vinyl records and collecting them like baseball cards in recent years. Due to this mass increase in Vinyl record buying, artists have been able to get more creative with the art they put on the Vinyl itself. This makes them more limited and more expensive but also more exclusive.  So what’s captivating audiences to go and buy records?

A common factor among teens saying they’ve seen aesthetic videos of people who have vinyl records either on TikTok or Instagram. They see their artist who create vinyl records that have different colors or designs or exclusive posters on the inside. This makes them more appealing and also appeals to the parasocial aspect of being a fan. 

When asked, Marley Gonzales, a freshman at Burlington High School, said, “In my opinion, Vinyls are such a cool way of physically storing music. With that, musical artists can get very creative with how they design their vinyls too, which is nice.”

CDs scratch easily, MP3 players are too expensive and iPods are not worth the trouble setting up. Vinyls are quick and easy and the fact that they last long is helpful.

Liz Early, a sophomore at Burlington High School, said,says “In my personal experience with vinyl, they are very durable and last a long time as long as you take care of them.” 

Generally, it seems like the return of Vinyl records has been because of the style and the ability to be creative with the vinyl records, some even using Vinyls for decoration. 

With the posters that come inside the sleeve that the vinyl records themself come in. Liz Early “[likes] to have the album art on display in [her] room.”

The difference between the first Vinyl records and now is glaring as at the time they were used they were not half as colorful or decorative. They were made around the end of the Second World War in 1948 and these were played on phonographs. Now the general idea of a spinning disc playing music already existed but it was not vinyl and they did not use a phonograph they used a gramophone. 

However, to this day they still serve the same purpose to play recorded audio by running a needle over the grooves. So maybe it’s not a question of if it’s coming back— maybe it just never really went away.

In India, marriage is seen as a big deal. As someone who has lived in India, it’s clear that there are separate roles as well. Usually, the husband is the breadwinner of the family while the wife takes care of the household.  

As the 21st century comes into play, the cultural barrier around marriage and love changes. The Hindi movie Laapataa Ladies depicts the humble and realistic transition from integrated misogyny in Indian marriages in the early 2000s. 

In the movie, we follow newly-weds Deepak (Sparsh Shrivastava) and Phool (Nitanshi Goel) as Deepak mistakes his wife for another veiled lady on the train, leaving Phool behind. 

The storyline blends in with Indian culture in a way that the progressiveness to modern culture shows irony of the past. After being married to each other, Deepak and Phool take a seat in a crowded train with other newlyweds. The other husbands wore the same clothes as Deepak did; a beige-colored suit. The other wives wore the same veil as Phool did: A thick red-gold veil over their face and neck. And in the dark, Deepak takes a veiled lady’s hand and only once they reach the house, Deepak realizes he mistook Phool for someone else and took the wrong woman. 

The writer, Sneha Desai, really does reflect the overly-conservative ways that women were masked (both literally and metaphorically) just a few decades ago. Kiran Rao, the director, presents what can happen when doing the same practice over and over again with a satirical sense, and he criticizes it as a way of not showcasing one’s individuality.

Speaking of satire, humorous elements are introduced as a way to criticize misogynistic societies as a whole.

Both Shrivastva and Goel play their roles beautifully when it comes to this reflective irony. They put themselves in the “oblivious honeymooner” act so well, it seemed natural.

Eventually, Phool had to file a case in order to find her husband, but the officer was frustrated as Phool didn’t know any towns or villages around the area. Phool had persisted, saying that the village was named after a flower. And to add more irony, an acquaintance of Phool’s named a dozen villages that were named after a flower. 

Goel’s confused facial expressions in this scene felt almost genuine where she didn’t even need to use many words to convey that emotion. Instead, the expressions matched the very few questions she asked. The expressions didn’t foreshadow them, but emphasized them. 

We viewers can make the connection that Phool doesn’t have much education regarding local geography as she spent that time learning housework skills. She has been focused so much on being a “good woman” in cultural eyes that she can’t do anything in the outside world.

It was so institutionalized in India that Phool’s obliviousness can quickly make people who are part of the culture realize how absurd it is, through the unserious music and yet the actual, contrasting event that directs Phool’s path in another way.

I will say that this is part of a group of movies that try to stir away from these institutionalized notions. Another notable movie like this would be Badhaai Do, also about the harsh expeditions in Indian marriages. It more focuses on the pride community in India, and how India is having a hard time with acceptance. 

I recommend Laapataa Ladies on Netflix for its comedic, yet interesting take on the absurdities of past cultural traditions. The storyline is weird and chaotic, but in a way it symbolizes something out of reach with a slight serious tone.

When I went to watch Madame Web when it came out, there were only five people in the theater, including me. So, rather than waste your time watching the nearly two hour long movie like I did, you’re better off here, reading a review that barely takes up five minutes of your time.

The movie depicts Cassandra Webb (Dakota Johnson), who faces her own past when she gets snippets of her mind about the future and helps three teenagers get away from a self-preserving villain who also has clairvoyance.

Right off the bat, the storyline goes way too fast in a way the characters aren’t fully developing, or at least, it’s hard to tell they’re developing.

Like what? As much as the development for characters was there (wow, who would’ve thought?), it's not a natural progression. For example, Johnson’s character at first was a very apathetic character but only after a few hours of knowing the three teenagers (a few!), you can see an attempt in her bonding with them by teaching CPR. 

Dialogue, action, and even silence in a scene can help emphasize characters. And the dialogue here seemed forced, the actions seemed like plastic, and the silence was so loud. It’s clear that this was supposed to be a grand turning point in the four characters, but it just felt awkward, not natural. 

Yes, one could say that the plot is not realistic, so the characters don’t need to be realistic. And I’d object, saying that in order for us to relate and connect with the story, the characters need to feel real to us viewers.

Another thing— Pepsi advertisements. This might be such a small detail but, wow, was this everywhere! The ad placements were so obvious sometimes, it would really change the mood of certain scenes. 

I can recall the climax, where the three teenagers were on the verge of falling off a large sign by the edge of a tall building. Guess what sign it was? A bright red Pepsi sign. 

It made the scene so off-putting in a way you can’t take it seriously. After all, it was the climax of a superhero movie. It’s supposed to be dramatic. Instead, the Pepsi ad was a corny addition that changed the mood of when you’re expected to be on the edge of your seat. I was laying almost lazily with a groan.

What made it worse is that the self-preserving villain wasn’t defeated by Cassandra or the three teenagers. Nope, he was killed by the Pepsi sign. That was another horrible ad placement. What disappointed me was that it was part of the climax. The climax is expected to show the main character(s) defeating their own weakness and breaking out their strengths.  Instead, the climax made it so that the line between their weaknesses and strengths was blurred, and didn’t even address it! 

The ad placement really didn’t let the characters test those limits. Instead, it felt like a solution to the problem (that is the villain) that wasn’t a choice impacted by the characters. Well, that’s because it really wasn’t. 

Morbius seemed like the go-to superhero movie to compare this too, and for good reason. It was equally as flavorless and dry. Even if the plot is something that might’ve been predictable, at least it was going somewhere.

Overall, Madame Web was just less plot, less character, less story, and more Pepsi. If you like those 1 hour advertisements on YouTube, you might actually like this movie. However, alas, I couldn’t enjoy this movie without being repelled against Pepsi and cringing every few seconds. You’re better off watching Morbius.

If you haven’t watched Fall Guy consider yourself as missing out. This one of the best movies in 2024. It is one of the only good romance and action movies I’ve ever seen. From the actors to the CGI and the stunts they make in this movie are just the most amazing movie making I’ve ever seen. If you like watching movies with stunts then this movie is for you.

Let’s talk about the amazing acting from these three character’s. First is Ryan Gosling as Colt Seaver. He did this actor perfectly, a stunt guy that is absolutely one of the best. He played the role of being having no fear and having great fighting skills and overall a great guy in the end. 

Then we have Emily Blunt as Jody Moreno and she played Judy so well and how she was heart broken for most of the movie and overall a great director in the way she thought of these ideas for scenes and stunts that Colt Seaver could do. 

Then finally we have Aaron-Taylor-Johnson as Tom Ryder he played the best impression of a jerk playboy and millionaire famous guy that is extremely stubborn and he really uses it when he tries to kill the main character and just the way he talks to everyone around him so badly making himself look good instead of anyone else.

That is why you should go see this amazing movie named Fall Guy especially if you're  into action and romance. You are missing out if you don’t use your money and go see this because this really is a great use of your money and time.

The Bear (Hulu)

This show is about an award winning chef that goes back to his hometown and runs his brother's chaotic sandwich business. This show is great because of the acting and if you are into food shows then this is for you. They end off with the main character's dream come true and completed service and they also end off with him getting a text from his moms nurse that she has died. Whatwhat to expect for the new season is a lot of tension in the kitchen and a lot of them end up at odds.

Cobra Kai (Netflix)

Cobra Kai is about a down and out Johnny Lawrence making his redemption by opening up a old karate dojo called cobra Kai which reignites a rivalry with Daniel Larusso. If you are into action this for you and like the acting between the cobra Kai dojo and the miyagi dojo is great. They beat this named silver and that took over the cobra Kai dojo with johnny and Daniel working together and crease the old owner of cobra Kai brakes out of prison. Crease is going for revenge on the people that put him in jail and also the Sakai tekai is going to be starting. 

All American:Homecoming (Netflix)

This is an all American spinoff about Simone Hicks and her tennis career at Brighton university. If you watched All American and liked the character Simone hicks then you will like this and about a college friend group. Basically what happens at the end of season two is that Simone sleeps with this baseball player named Peyton smith. 

What to expect for the new season is that her romantic drama takes a back seat when her tennis ambitions are threatened.

The Boys (Amazon Prime)

It is about a group of boys who are vigilantes who bringvigilantes bring down Vought Iinternational and expose corrupt heroes. This is a great show if you like stuff about superheroes and action. The latest season of The Boysleft off where Maeve saves the day from Homelander and then gets in a fight with Soldier Boy. What to expect for the new season is the world is one the brink and Homelander has his thumb on it.

The Umbrella Academy (Netflix)

The Umbrella Academy is about a dysfunctional family of adopted siblings with superpowers who reunite to solve a mystery about their fathers death and the threat of the imminent apocalypse. This TV showmovie is also great if you like supper heroes and mystery and the actors are great. It ended with Hargreaves ruling over everything with his revived wife. What to expect for the new season is the family reuniting to fight hargreaves.

Love has been romanticized in the media. It really comes to a point that we see a fake and artificial version of it almost 90% of the time. Yes, as much as it is nice to take that break from the real world, it also puts these unrealistic definitions of love in our head. The Netflix show Summer Strike defies those odd definitions. 

It’s about a woman, Lee Yeo-reum (played by Seolhyun), coming to the countryside from Seoul to take a break from life, after being made to work around like a dog. 

There, she meets people who help her change and she helps change as well. These people include an introverted librarian (Ahn Dae-beom, played by Im Si-wan), a grumpy schoolgirl (Bom, played by Shin Eun-soo), a sunny schoolboy (Heo Jae-hoon, played by Bang Jae-min), and a soft shop owner (Bae Joon, played by Kim Joon).

The comfort between the characters seems so pure-hearted. Bom’s and Yeo-reum’s relationship made it so that they were like sisters. Bom, in the show, has family trouble and whenever she doesn’t want to be around them, she goes to Yeo-reum. 

Yeo-reum doesn’t quickly question her, and that’s why Bom trusts the person she only knew for a week or two. And they continue to have that sibling relationship, smiling and laughing more with each other. 

Another instance is with Yeo-reum and Dae-beom. Their romantic relationship felt so real. Dae-beom, at first, was really introverted and would only talk to a select few people. But as both Yeo-reum and Dae-beom start talking to each other, Dae-beom tends to be more like himself. Again, it was such a realistic and warming progression that just melts your heart!

Like other raunchy films about love, there are ups and downs as well in this story. However, while those ups and downs are intense like those raunchy movies, it’s intimate in a way that it both hurts the characters and you. 

For example, Yeo-reum figures out Dae-beom’s past when Dae-beom breaks down crying after his past slapped him in the face. Yeo-reum, in realization, stays quietly by Dae-beom’s side. The bare silence in this scene makes it so intense, but Yeo-reum’s actions were sweet enough that we feel it as well.

Bom and Jae-hoon have a relationship as well, where Bom was the quiet one and Jae-hoon was quite bubbly. Jae-hoon was always the one who started a conversation. Then, Bom went through a hard time and Jae-hoon understood that Bom wanted that quietness, so he aided Bom with only a few words.

In a way, co-directors and writers Lee Yoon-jung and Hong Moon-pyo teach us a lot about regular relationships, and how it’s different from the intense ones we see on TV. The intense ones aren’t the ones we should expect, we should expect more relationships like the examples this show gives out.

Summer Strike is beautifully crafted with a fresh view of romance for our eyes. It feels genuinely humble as a good show to binge watch when you’re lonely with only a cold drink beside you. Trust me, you won’t feel alone with this movie.

What a show so far! If you haven’t started watching this show, from the start, then what are you doing? As far as the end of Season 3 and the new Season 4, it was outstanding. The plot so far in the new season is absolutely crazy. 

Without spoilers, I can say one of the main characters (Leland Townsend) does a phenomenal job coming up with genius ways to bring upon evil. 

Here’s a little rundown to show you what this show is all about. The main character (Kristen Bouchard)'s husband (Andy Bouchard) was out of state for business, or so the Bouchard family thought. Andy never made it out of state, as the mastermind of Leland got a hold of him. Drugging him and getting Andy knocked out in Leland’s house, where then Leland can inject this mysterious liquid into Andy Bouchard. Leland will later let Andy out of his house, as he has no recollection of what happened to him. 

Oddly enough, every time Andy gets a phone call with this certain music playing, his brain sets something off and he makes his way back to Leland’s house. It leaves me and many others to believe that the mysterious liquid that Leland injected into Andy, has something to do with the fact his brain tells him to go to Leland’s house when he receives that phone call. 

That is just a little bit of how the show has been going, as you get a sneak peak of how the evil character in Leland Townsend goes about things.

If a great atmosphere was a place, Goodnight Johnny’s would be it! This place surprised me in a positive way. The food was surprisingly good, in comparison to other sports bars which aren’t usually the best quality food. This stands out in that department because of how quality the food was. 

They had the Celtics game, which is most sports fans favorite type of environment. Great music, great food, and a great Celtics game playing. 

Speaking of great food, I ordered the most appealing thing on the menu to me, which was the Bohemian Bacon Burger. So many delicious factors go into this masterpiece of a Burger. For starters, the burger is on a nicely buttered and toasted brioche bun with a 6 oz a bus beef patty. 

Don’t forget about the crispy tasty sliced bacon, along with the bourbon bacon jam and garlic aioli. Just be prepared to be left speechless. I’m not done yet, as there is a nicely sliced piece of cheddar top on that, with lettuce and red onion also. I don’t know how all of these things go so well in a burger, but it’s insane. 

Maybe I got lucky with how good the quality of my burger was, but it was well worth the $18 dollars that it was. Also, it gives you the option of a side of fries or a side salad, and obviously I went with the fries, because who eats salad anyways. The fries were golden and crispy with great seasoning. On top of that outstanding burger, you get these delicious fries. 

For my drink all I got was water, so there’s not much to say other than it was refreshing and went well with my meal. The table next to me looked to have gotten the Bruschetta Chicken, which looked phenomenal and smelt great. Something about this place leads me to believe all of their food, or at least most of it tastes amazing!

The Buffalo wild wing are having a deal for boneless wings where you can get infinite wings for just $20 each person from now till July 10th if you are hungry then this where you want to go because it will fill you up in no time. This is massive deal and you cannot miss out on this.

Now let me tell you these flavors are absolutely amazing with my favorite being the honey barbecue but if that’s not for you then there another 20 other flavors like if you are looking for something spicy there are 6 different heat levels of wings. And the others ones are amazing to like the sweet barbecue, lemon pepper and etc.

I haven’t even got to the best part they have other types of food like every thing so if you don’t like chicken. They also have the best service the people there are very nice and they get your food very fast and is just such a great place. This is why your should go and spend just $20 of your money for infinite wins

Where do I start? For starters, the burger melted in my mouth. If you like a sweet and salty mixture, this is one of the best things for you. The bun is buttered on a delicious potato bun. Then there are the juicy patties (I got a double patty) that are smashed down, giving the outsides of the patty a nice crisp to it. Then you got the pepper jack cheese slices, that brings this whole burger together. 

I’m not done yet, next you got the fried pickles, which is the reason this burger melted into my mouth. Also, the crispy bacon slices that are absolutely delicious, high quality thick bacon slivers. 

Finally, the sweet Carolina BBQ sauce. This makes this burger take the next step, it fits so well and is a huge reason this is one of the best burgers I have ever eaten. On top of all of that, the service was outstanding. 

The workers took my order with a big smile on their face, and gave me my number to dine in. No more than 5 minutes after they walk over to my table and deliver that masterpiece of a burger. They asked if I needed anything else and I was all set. 

I felt very welcomed, and they genuinely cared about what I wanted to order. The atmosphere was great, they had some nice calm music playing over the loudspeakers. The line was also pretty long, which tells me that Shake Shack is a very popular place that has great food, especially if people keep coming back to eat it. Great customer service and great food, nothing really beats it!