Knight Times
The John H. Glenn High School Newspaper
Vol. 1 No. 2
Spring 2021
JGHS Teacher Highlight:
Ms. Locascio
By Madison Slesinski
Ms. Locascio is a social studies teacher here at John Glenn High School. Those who have had the pleasure of being her student already know her encouraging spirit and explosive personality, and it takes just one conversation with her for others to see it too. Although she now can’t imagine being anything other than a teacher, Ms. Locascio started school set on becoming a lawyer. She was in the government and politics program, but realized law wasn’t for her. She decided she wanted to be back in the classroom and was inspired to become a teacher. It can be so overwhelming for high school students to decide what career to pursue, but Ms. Locascio shows that decisions can be changed and still lead to an exceptional future. She could never imagine being in a different place now and loves coming to work everyday.
When asked what she liked most about being a teacher, Ms. Locascio answered, “Everyday is different.” She described how at John Glenn, she interacts with so many different people over the course of a day and gets to impact the lives of all of her students. “Every class brings a different dynamic and I think that just makes it so interesting. With teaching, you’re always up on your toes.” Ms. Locascio teaches two subjects, Psychology and US History, and enjoys them both, but her favorite to teach is Psychology. She loves how students can relate the subject to their own lives and apply it to their experiences. “Without psychology, you wouldn’t know why things happened or why people do what they do, and kids internalize this differently because it applies to them.” She has been teaching AP Psychology since its beginning at John Glenn and is happy to see how it has grown into such a successful program.
In all of her classes, she is perpetually impressed by her students, whether by their resiliency and finding creative ways to solve problems or asking questions when they are curious about something. She appreciates her students showing interest in her class and loves when students ask how what they learn in class applies to their lives. She loves to share parts of her life with her students as well. As many know, she loves to dance and listen to Celine Dion, but it might be a surprise to hear she loves reality television shows and silly movies. “People think I probably watch like historical documentaries and I do, but I also watch tons of nonsense stuff.”
Ms. Locascio is a perfect example of the giant support system at our high school. She encourages students to advocate for themselves and not be afraid to reach out to people here at John Glenn. “So my own advice would be to have kids put themselves out there if they need help. If they need anything, just know that this building and everyone in it is here to support them.”
JGHS Celebrates Black History Month
Image courtesy of Preacher Pollard
The Great Conjunction
By Nicole Wang
It’s common knowledge that all of the planets in our solar system have their own individual revolution and rotation speeds. Revolution refers to a planet’s orbital motion around a star, while rotation refers to a planet’s spin on its axis. An easy way to visualize this is thinking about our solar system as a race track, with each planet running its own race. So, what happens when one planet passes another in orbit? And why would that be notable in science?
For starters, planet conjunctions are when one planet in our solar system crosses another in revolution. These phenomena are not uncommon, but the great conjunction is when the fifth and sixth planets in our solar system, Jupiter and Saturn, align. These planets appear in the sky as two bright lights. These occurrences happen about every twenty years; however, the most recent great conjunction is significant because it would bring Jupiter and Saturn closer than they’ve been since the conjunction in 1226, or a time just under 800 years ago. This event was also the most visible conjunction in 40 years, as the conjunction in 2000 took place on the opposite side of the sun to the earth, and proved difficult to view in our skies. The most recent great conjunction materialized between December fifteenth and December twenty-ninth of 2020. It was deemed a “Christmas Star” in that the two planets would be closer than they have been in centuries, just four days before Christmas, and considering their star-like appearance in the sky due to the sunlight reflecting off of the planets.
Moreover, planet conjunctions are a brief period of time where we are able to see a planet in our solar system “overtake” another in orbit. All the planets in our solar system revolve and rotate around the sun at different rates. The closer a planet is to the sun, the stronger the gravitational pull on that planet will be, and the faster that planet will revolve around the sun. This makes the years on other planets longer or shorter than earth’s years, depending on whether that planet is closer or farther away from the sun. In addition to this, it seems there are many factors that could contribute to a planet’s rotation speed. Such as its distance from the sun, the angular momentum the planet has, or even any impacts the planet might encounter after it has formed. Closely observing astronomical events such as this can help scientists gain more knowledge about the universe we live in, how it developed into what it is today, and aid engineers in designing advancing technology to assist in human space exploration.
Thirdly, scientists predict the next great conjunctions will take place on November 2, 2040, and again on April 7, 2060. However, the planets will be approximately eleven times farther apart in both circumstances. Nevertheless, this is an amazing sight to see. Considering all the prior and enduring events of 2020, this was definitely a silver lining that hopefully foreshadows a great year to come.
Citations
Byrd, Deborah, and Bruce McClure. “Jupiter and Saturn's Great Conjunction Is Today!” EarthSky, 2020, earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/great-jupiter-saturn-conjunction-dec-21-2020.
Dunn, Marcia. “Jupiter, Saturn Will Appear to Merge in Night Sky for the First Time in Centuries.” PBS, Public Broadcasting Service, 21 Dec. 2020, www.pbs.org/newshour/science/jupiter-saturn-will-appear-to-merge-in-night-sky-for-the-first-time-in-centuries.
Keeter, Bill. “The 'Great' Conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn.” NASA, NASA, 15 Dec. 2020, www.nasa.gov/feature/the-great-conjunction-of-jupiter-and-saturn.
Hipschman, Ron. “YOUR AGE ON OTHER WORLDS.” Exploratorium, 2000, www.exploratorium.edu/ronh/age/.
Jones, Graham. “Great Conjunction 2020.” Timeanddate.com, 2020, www.timeanddate.com/astronomy/planets/great-conjunction#:~:text=After%202020%2C%20the%20next%20great,than%20on%20December%2021%2C%202020.
Image courtesy of Pxhere
The Effect of Climate Change on Polar Bears
By Julia Stawecki
Over the past few centuries, life on Earth has changed drastically without much notice from society. The sea level has risen, ice is melting, the Earth’s temperature has increased, there is an increase in glacial retreat and increasingly extreme events such as more frequent hurricanes. NASA's Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment shows Greenland lost an average of 279 billion tons of ice per year between 1993 and 2019, and Antarctica lost about 148 billion tons of ice per year. In other words, between 1981-2010, we have lost about 770,000 square miles of ice, an area larger than Alaska and California combined. Thanks to these increasingly horrid conditions many animals are put in severe danger, including polar bears.
Polar bears, often recognized for their white fur and cute baby pictures are getting hit hard but the impacts of climate change. Polar bears are very powerful animals, but the increase in climate change is testing their abilities. Polar bears have started to need to swim long distances in order to eat, and as a result, these polar bears are losing their normal daily conditions; reduced body fat gives these bears lower energy and less insulation in the icy waters of the Arctic sea. In one study, a collared female polar bear went on a marathon, a 426-mile swim over nine days without finding a resting place. Somewhere along the way, she lost her cub and 22% of her body weight. One of the most recent studies estimates there are currently about 23,000 polar bears worldwide, however, without action, these numbers will continue to decline. Recently, The International Union for the Conservation of Nature released a new assessment of polar bear populations showing that the 19 different polar bear subpopulations have experienced recent declines and have increased to four, with eight populations still being data-deficient. The good news is that five populations are stable while two have been experiencing an upward trend. It has been predicted that Polar bears will be wiped out by the end of the century unless more is done to tackle climate change. Scientists say some populations have already reached their survival limits as the Arctic sea ice shrinks.
But don’t worry there are ways we can help! Since the leading problem is climate change we can use our cars less, recycle, and use energy-efficient appliances. Also, be aware of how much electricity you are using and only buy food that you will eat. For more information please visit https://polarbearsinternational.org/get-involved/actions-with-impact/. There are also many organizations that take donations in order to help the polar bears. Including the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, World Wildlife Fund, National Wildlife Federation, Defenders of Wildlife, and International Union for Conservation of Nature.
Citations
https://globalnews.ca/news/6590250/polar-bears-climate-change-2020/
https://climate.nasa.gov/evidence/
https://polarbearsinternational.org/
https://www.worldwildlife.org/species/polar-bear
https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-53474445#:~:text=Polar%20bears%20will%20be%20wiped,the%20Arctic%20sea%20ice%20shrinks
Students Against Destructive Decisions
By Angelina DeMarco, Olivia Mascia, & Julia Stawecki
Devastatingly, around 10,496 people's lives are taken away by the irresponsibility of drunk driving at the hands of inconsiderate individuals who "had a little too much." Thousands of families had to say goodbye too soon to their loved ones who unluckily faced the fate of a driver who lost control. Being killed by a drunk driver was 3.2% out of every 100,000 civilians. In the hope of change, the S.A.D.D club was established in 1988 to help students across America stand up and become educated against drunk driving, In hopes of trying to stop the 29 alcohol caused accidents caused each day. Students have been successful in doing so; hence the rate of drunk driving accidents has gone down 2% since the club was established. This club has awoken many young leaders to take a stand and hello inspire many others; continuing with their focus on empowering, engaging, and mobilizing, many respected individuals are working hard to spread awareness of such accidents. With such success, the club has now decided to expand and cover issues of drunk driving and all destructive decisions in hopes of lowering these percentages.
Students against destructive decisions or, in other words, S.A.D.D is a universal, beneficial, and engaging club that has been administered throughout all of the United States. S.A.D.D has had such a staggering impact that it has been around for a remarkable half a century and comprises students of all backgrounds. The club welcomes all members to spread messages about all sorts of destructive behaviors such as traffic safety, drug, and substance abuse while teaching the importance of body image, mental health, and overall self-care. John Glenn has its version of the S.A.D.D club, which is working toward spreading general awareness of destructive actions every month around the school with posters, donations, and announcements to remind us of our actions' consequences. In the spirit of giving, a drive was being hosted where you could drop off gift cards, food, and toys for families in need this holiday season. The club had participated in “Chalkoween” which spread the message of staying drug free as students designed chalk messages on Halloween throughout Elwood. S.A.D.D's overall goal is to not only educate but give back to the community in any way possible.
S.A.D.D has changed so many lives and has so many resources to help students make the right choice. Dedicated to overall wellness, empowerment, and happiness S.A.D.D informs teens about the consequences of their actions. S.A.D.D has many resources to help students who have suffered from an addiction, such as Above the Influence, The Red Ribbon Campaign, and The Meth Project. S.A.D.D also provides resources to stop bullying and violence in schools. Resources such as Break the Cycle, Love is Respect, Teaching Tolerance, and think B4 You Speak has taught students worldwide about bullying and have helped many speak up against bullying. These are not the only types of resources provided. Many others help educate yourself on things such as teen pregnancy, body image issues/ eating disorders, depression, and suicide. S.A.D.D overall strives to improve wellness and spread important messages throughout our community. Thanks to all who contributed to our Spring Blood Drive!
Image courtesy of SADD