Dear Editor,

Many people would consider the city of Portland to be fairly walkable, which means amenities are accessible by foot. Despite this, however, there is still plenty of traffic, carbon emissions, and unnecessary hassle. These cause issues in not just our city, but our personal lives and environment.

We have an amazing public transportation system here in Portland, and I feel we take it for granted. The use of public transit is also very beneficial to our environment, because it significantly cuts down on our use of fossil fuels. We could also save lots of resources  from the construction of roads, streets, and highways if we continue to use consistent public transit routes. 

Having a personal vehicle has many benefits , but ultimately, it would not be a hard switch to make if we started putting more emphasis on using public transportation. Having more people on board with this idea would result in more regulations and protections  around public transportation.

Bailey Dye

Junior

Dear Editor:

Over the years, products have become more and more expensive because of inflation. Not having a menstrual cycle isn’t an option so having the right products to manage it should not be so hard to get for an affordable price.

Prices all over the world and inflation is to be expected with products of all kinds, but it becomes a big risk when it targets health products that are necessary for people who have a menstrual cycle. The International Sanitary Supply Association stated, “Since 2019, the average price of a pack of sanitary pads has risen 41%, with tampons increasing by 36%.” I believe prices should be lower. This ensures companies are still getting money, while keeping their prices accessible for their customers.

When somebody goes to the store they usually want to get the cheaper option. With menstrual products, the more harmful products are priced lower the majority of the time. Without proper menstrual hygiene, serious health risks can occur, such as reproductive and urinary tract infections. It shouldn’t be a choice between paying more or harming our bodies. 

Although the prices of these products seem low, they build up over time. Women’s rights to healthy and affordable menstrual products should not be a debate. 

Aislynn Hawk

Junior

To the Editor of The Highlander:

I believe we should focus on making our school cooler. Classrooms deserve proper and adequate cooling units. I strongly believe that fans, or small AC units, should be mandatory for most if not all classrooms. 

The rising heat during the start of school, around the whole month of September and slightly into October. But also with a much larger concern, the end of the year. The end of April, alongside the months of May and June. During these months there are constant heatwaves. In the month of September, during school, temperatures were peaking over 100℉. These temperatures were so severe that not only DDHS let out classes ealy, but several other school districts.

Studies by Jisung Park, from Harvard University from 2017, show that 4.5 million students attending New York City high schools had scored significantly lower on their exams when the temperature was 90℉ versus when students had taken the exact same exam on a 72℉ day. Yet there are people who will argue that AC is unreasonable,  that this would be a rather large request to ask for the building. To put in Air Conditioning, not only are the expenses for such a request very high, but the time constraint would make this rather difficult. 

However, we do not need a large remodel. Things like a full fleshed out AC unit for all school buildings here at DDHS is completely and understandably unreasonable, financially speaking but also regarding the time this would require. Though, there is a better solution. One which is less time consuming, and less financially taxing, fans, and window AC units. This is still expensive on such a large scale, all things are, but, this will greatly benefit students and teachers alike. 

This is  a critical issue that hinders a student’s learning abilities. Despite the financial effects of such a large ask, it’s very important we focus on the educational aspect of this issue.  Temperatures have been rising globally, the days are only getting hotter. It’s critical that we solve this issue.

Thank you,

Zero Page, DDHS Junior

Dear Editor,

I would like to differ with the school’s decision on class time.

One of the worst things about having almost an hour and a half of class time is we don’t have enough time to go through all our periods in a day. Another thing is that it’s very difficult to concentrate with how long each period is. Lastly, we start so early compared to most of the schools around the area. My issue is that most of my friends are from different schools and if I were to text them in the morning before school about anything, they’re still sleeping. 

A lot of the students here would say that they would rather  start early and  get out early than start later and get out later. Although this gives you more time to do stuff in the evening, you would probably need to sleep earlier. According to education researcher Tim Walker, in 2018 two schools in Seattle pushed their start times back an hour. It resulted in 4.5 percent higher grade averages compared to the schools who kept their school start time. So which would you prefer?

Thank you for taking the time to read this,

Jackie M. Tran

Junior, DDHS

Dear Editor,

My name is Phillip Dengub and I am 50% Russian/50% Ukrainian. I have driven with Russians in their Beamers and I would like to talk about Russians driving BMW’s and how they should not be allowed to drive them. 

One of the reasons why Russians shouldn’t drive BMW’s is because they drive really recklessly. Each time I am on the highway there are a bunch of Beamers swerving and cutting up traffic and the worst of all them not using turning signals. Another thing Russians do is drift in parking lots. This ruins the parking lots with their drift marks and a bunch of rubber flies out and trashing the parking lot. The smoke from the wheels also pollutes the air and it smells awful.

Lots of Russians will say that they don’t drive recklessly and carelessly. I agree some Russians don’t but lots of them do. I believe that there should be trackers in BMW’s and if the car is sliding or speeding way too fast it will slow itself down and be in cruise mode for 15 minutes. This will cause the driver of the vehicle to slow down and realize the mistake they have made and go slower. If they keep speeding it will charge their bank account making them realize  they have made the wrong mistakes in their life.

Phillip Dengub

Junior, DDHS