Opinion

Make those New Year's Resolutions!

Story by Khushi Patel ▪ January 10, 2025

As we get settled into the New Year, most of us are already thinking of our New Year’s resolutions. Some people believe these resolutions mean nothing more than a way to waste time.

However, in my opinion, resolutions are important to make. They are excellent for setting personal goals, encouraging positive change, and staying motivated. Even though people often say that resolutions are easy to break, they are still a great way to improve yourself.

One of the reasons to make New Year’s resolutions is that they offer a fresh start. As Piedmont Healthcare points out, “The New Year offers a fresh start and provides an opportunity to reflect on what’s happening in my life.” At this time of year, people take a moment to rethink their goals and plan for change. Making resolutions gives them a clear path, helping them focus on what they want to improve, like their health, job, or personal life.

For example, many high school students take this opportunity to think about their school goals. Maybe they want to study more efficiently, raise their GPA, or stay on top of all their assignments. Setting a resolution to study for 20 minutes each day or complete your homework ahead of time can make a big impact in managing schoolwork and stress.

Additionally, resolutions help in bringing new, healthy habits into your life. According to National Alliance for Mental Illness research, “New Year’s resolutions can help set a clear path toward achieving personal growth.” For example, many people begin the year by exercising, eating better, or managing their time better. If these habits are kept up, they lead to long-term benefits that improve overall well-being.

However, some argue that New Year’s resolutions are a waste of time. Critics point out that most resolutions fail by February leading to disappointment. They think that there is a lot of pressure to keep these goals, which creates stress and negative feelings, especially if they are unrealistic. High school students might feel the pressure to make big resolutions like getting perfect grades, and then get upset and feel pressure when they can’t achieve those goals.

The key to overcoming these challenges is setting achievable and specific goals. Instead of vague resolutions like “get fit” or “lose weight,” setting small, measurable targets like “walk 30 minutes a day” or “eat more vegetables” can make goals more realistic and easier to keep for a longer time. For example, a student might want to make a goal to stay after school with a teacher whose class they are struggling in the most once a week for more help which can improve that student's academic performance in that class. This helps people stay motivated, which avoids the pressure of impossible goals.

In conclusion, New Year’s resolutions are not only an opportunity for personal growth but also a motivation to make positive changes. While it is true that some resolutions may not work, setting small and more specific goals increases the chances of success.

Julie Capers,

freshman

“My New Year’s resolution is to make more time for doing the things I love.”

Wynnie Amilicar,

freshman

“My New Year's resolution is to lift more weight and to get better grades.”

Palveer Singh,

sophomore

“My New Year’s resolution is to make as much money as possible.”

Ryleigh Koretzky,

sophomore

"My New Year's resolution is to get closer to god and spread the gospel."

Gabby Jovic,

junior

"My New Year's resolution would be to get my grades up and start focusing on tennis more."

Manal Ameddah,

junior

"My New Year's resolution is to code an app on the Apple Store."

Danica Martin,

senior

"My New Year's resolution is to not fail any of my classes and make the most of senior year."

Caroline Barboza,

senior

"My New Year's resolution is to learn to do a split."

Don't take away TikTok!

Story by Jazryel Pabron ▪ January 10, 2025

My New Year’s resolution is going according to plan, I’m reaching my goal. Let me post the process on TikTok about how it’s go– Oh No! Where did TikTok go?

Unfortunately, in April of 2024, President Joe Biden passed a bill to ban TikTok due to it being owned by ByteDance, a China co-parent company. Alex Demas of The Dispatch recently reported, “In April 2024, lawmakers passed the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, which required ByteDance– TikTok’s Chinese parent company—to sell its business interest or face a ban.”

The bill is said to be reinforced January 17, 2024. Currently, the Supreme Court is hearing arguments regarding this matter. But, it might mean the days of scrolling or making fun videos with your friends and family may soon be over.

During his campaign, President elect Donald Trump’s control team said that Trump is planning to repeal this ban as soon as he gets the office, which caused him to gain many votes in the election.

A question came up while I took in the information I had just read: should TikTok really be banned?

The ban is to ensure the U.S. TikTok user’s data is not being collected by the Chinese government and used against the United States, since a Chinese Company does own a part of TikTok.

Though I understand the concerns, the company has made it clear they can not collect any data of the users of TikTok.

TikTok is a form of entertainment to a lot of people in the U.S. It also is a way to make money for some people as well as a way for people to show their creativity.

TikTok has many uses, and I believe that by banning TikTok, the government is taking away that outlet for creativity, entertainment, and business.

This social media platform is used as a form to show one's artistic ability whether it be dancing videos, visual arts, singing video, or crafts. These things are shown to the world as a way for people to have fun and share to others their talents and imagination.

On TikTok, you will usually see some funny videos, as well as informational videos and the beauty of this platform is its freedom of expression. TikTok has become very popular over the last 4 years and to take away people's way of expressing themselves and opinions could silence their voices.

The application software also is a business to some Americans. Americans such as teens and adults make money on TikTok when they upload a new video and it goes well. Not only that, but TikTok is also a way to promote an individual’s small business and let it gain recognition.

I know that there are other platforms that people can use to find entertainment, or show their creativity or businesses but it is hard to gain recognition from these apps. Not only that, but TikTok is very mainstream.

TikTok has 1.04 billion active users worldwide, 170 million of them are from the U.S. as of January 2024. Which is an increase from February of last year where there were only 150 million active users.

If the Government bans TikTok, there would be many disappointed Americans and teens, who find the relatable content amusing and enjoy making TikTok dances with their friends.

Should we have snow days?

Story by Julie Capers ▪ January 10, 2025

Remember the days when you were a child waiting patiently for your school’s name to appear on the TV screen, indicating that you would have a snow day? When I was a child, this was probably the best news you could hear all year. I mean, a free day off to play in the snow, stay in and watch a movie, or whatever else you desired

But, what happened to these snow days? Many districts around East Pennsboro have decided to eliminate traditional snow days and make students either complete remote work or spend time on Zoom meetings.

Some districts do completely asynchronous work and often call these Flexible Instruction Days or FIDs. These days mean that students are away from school but must complete work from school.

While these may be practical options, I believe these days take away the magic and happiness from snow days that we once felt as kids.

Our school district, however, has decided to keep snow days and let students take some time off for themselves.

There are many good reasons to keep snow days around that perhaps some people are not seeing.

For one, students can sleep in and catch up on well needed rest. Another reason is that many memories are made on snow days. Children (and even high schoolers) play in the snow, hang out with family, or do other fun things that could stick with them forever.

FID days take away the much needed mental health days that students get out of a free snow day. According to studies, 45% of high school students say that they are stressed every day and 61% of teens between the ages of 13 and 17 say that they feel stressed to get good grades.

When a snow day comes around, this can give students a day to catch up on all this work or a much needed chance to relax. In fact, recent studies have shown that teens' stress levels rival the level of stress adults face.

Even though snow days are now more scarce than ever, we should acknowledge how amazing it is that our school still uses them. So if you find yourself hating the snow covered streets, just be thankful for the relaxing day off.

Sources

“American Psychological Association survey shows teen stress rivals that of adults.” American Psychological Association, 11 February 2014, https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2014/02/teen-stress. Accessed 8 January 2025.

Zauderer, steven. “47 Student Stress Statistics (High School/College).” Cross River Therapy, https://www.crossrivertherapy.com/student-stress-statistics. Accessed 8 January 2025.