Opinions and Editorials

Why Journalism?

Hope Balog

May 10 , 2021

“I still believe that if your aim is to change the world, journalism is a more immediate short-term weapon” -Tom Stoppard. In journalism you do more than just write stories, you reveal the truth. Your job as a journalist is to make sure everything you are writing is factual. You can’t lie to make it more interesting or easier to write. In journalism you can’t favor one side in the story. For example, saying, “The best football team ever…” You have to be equal to both sides. Journalism is a great class to take if you have any interest in being a journalist, news producer/editor, or if you simply just want to take Yearbook the year after.

Tips for STAAR Success

Ayannia Anchondo

April 8, 2021

How can you best prepare for the dreaded STAAR? As said by Penny Evans, “a good supper, having fun and going to bed early is the best thing to have the night before the STAAR test.” Most students don’t know the importance of studying and prepping up the night before the STAAR test. I promise once you start getting the hang of having a good routine, the STAAR will seem less and less scary. Here’s a list of tips to help you be the best for the STAAR:

The Routine:

• Relax, enjoy some shows and movies.

• Have a very good and filling dinner.

• Study real quick. Do a run down on what the test is about.

• Take a nice warm shower

• Set up an alarm and be in bed by 9pm

The Studying:

• Remove distractions.

• Make flashcards.

• Teach the material to someone else.

• Make your own study guide.

• Reward yourself once you hit a milestone

"Driver's License"

Maegan Garza

January 22, 2021

On January 8, 2021 Olivia Rodrigo released her new song, “Driver’s License,” and it immediately took off. Within a couple of hours people were posting their reactions on the song and saying that it was one of their new favorite tunes. As of today her song is number one trending right now. Some people also thought that the song was aimed at her ex; Joshua Bassett and his girlfriend Sabrina Carpenter. Over the past two weeks, people have only become more obsessed with the hit. ‘Driver’s License’ is also favored by girls over guys. Since her song is so popular, I decided to ask a couple of girls in my grade what their opinion on the song is and whether they like it or not. Most girls that I asked said that they loved the song and they also thought that it was sad. Freshman Torah Smith, said, “It’s really sad and I like it.” One of the girls said that they like Olivia and Joshua together more than Sabrina and Joshua. Weeks after Olivia released the song, Basset and Carpenter wrote about the song and saying how Olivia was acting innocent, but fans do not agree with that statement. In my opinion, this song has to be one of the best songs to be released.

The Destruction From Your Phone

Ashlee Moore

January 21, 2021

Technology has rotten our minds. It took away the one necessity humans need... face-to-face socialization. Teenagers have become depressed more than ever and their sleep is slowly declining. This all links to one thing, your phone. Technology, first designed to be a helpful tool, has slowly become a destructive, addictive drug.

Undoubtedly, gen-z is the first generation introduced to social media, and this started when we were in junior high. We have no idea how this will affect our ever-so developing minds in the long run. Furthermore, studies show introducing technology at a young age has increased the suicidal and depression rates of teenagers. Jean Twenge, a psychology professor at the San Diego State University, stated young people “spend less time with their friends in person and less time sleeping, and more time on digital media.” In addition, Patty Yabes, an 8th grader, recognized how she spends most of her time on her phone. Look at your screen time. Does it have more than 4 hours?

Moreover, with one click of a button, a young teenager can have access to hundreds of friends at all times. This develops the need for constant attention, and where many kids look to posting on social media for a following and likes because of that. They use technology as a means to escape what is going on in the world. Additionally, many teenagers have found they were being judged by fellow peers and strived to make their profile’s flawless. Michael Massingill, a junior, admitted to feeling “constantly judged” from the use of social media. He stated, “That is why I have left most of my social media outlets. And I've found that when I step away from the platform that I am happier, and I would encourage others to do the same.” As another teenager that has complete access to the internet, I’ve realized how critical social media can be. Body standards have changed drastically. Instagram, for example, has many influencers that photoshop pictures or even do poses that unrealistically show their body. This leads to young girls and boys developing high standards and may even cause eating disorders or depression. And I admit I had my fair share with these things.

It can be therefore concluded that technology has been playing a harmful role in our lives as students (and possibly adults). I encourage teenagers to cut short of screen time on phones and social media and pay attention to life more. Who knows? Maybe you’ll find yourself smiling a little bit more.

Top 5 Movies or Shows To Watch On Christmas

Ayannia Anchondo

December 4, 2020

Everyone celebrates Christmas differently. Some have huge get-togethers with friends and family. Some just spend it with the people they live with. And others spend it with their friends. Well, while you spend time together with your loved ones, here are some movies to watch together:

• The Nightmare Before Christmas: The Nightmare Before Christmas is a movie made by Tim Burton. This film is about Jack Skellington, the pumpkin king, going through the hardships of getting tired of the same old annual thing of scaring people in the “real world”. Then Jack accidentally comes across Christmas town and is overjoyed from all the magic and warmness. He decided he wanted to take control of Christmas under his own rule. By kidnapping Santa Claus and stepping into the role.

• Arthur Christmas: This film is about how one year of the work of Santa Claus goes completely different. As everyone knows, Santa delivers presents to every single kid in the whole world every year. But once he misses one kid, everything goes wrong. It’s up to Arthur, Santa’s youngest son, to say the day by delivering the forgotten present before dawn.

• Jingle Jangle: a Christmas Journey: Decades after his apprentice betrays him, a once joyful toy maker finds new hope when his bright young granddaughter appears on his doorstep.

• The Muppet Christmas Carol: In this film, the muppets perform The classic Dickens holiday tale. The tale is about how Scrooge is visited by three ghosts. The ghost of Christmas Past, The ghost of Christmas Present and the Ghost of Christmas Future, they help him see the error of his way and start making a better attitude and personality to himself and others.

• How The Grinch Stole Christmas: The grumpy Grinch who hates Christmas most of all gets tired of how much Whoville loves it. Every song they sang he practically covered his ears and wished they were gone. Every time their Christmas lights, his eyes burn from the brightness. And every time they smile and look so cheerful, he snarls and wants something to take their big bright smile away. But wait maybe there way, an idea came to mind. He decides in the middle of the night he was going to take Christmas in Whoville away and make it simply disappear.

How much does a quick peek affect everyone?

Ashlee Moore

November 19, 2020

Sadly, cheating has been normalized in many education fields. Students frequently use it to pass quizzes, tests, or daily work by a quick search on the web or quickly copy one of their peer’s work. But have you ever wondered how it affects everyone else? Teachers and parents cannot determine what areas students need to work on if they use other people’s work. This can lead to students failing state-issued tests such as the STAAR. It can also give a student unworthy recognition making it unfair to students who put in the time and effort in order to make a good grade. It’s important students learn in order to apply lessons into the real world. In an ABCNews poll indicating to high schoolers provided, “30% say they themselves have cheated, rising to 43% of 16- and 17-year-olds” (middleearthnj). As these numbers go up, many students will continue to resort to cheating. Cheating does not help education and should be stopped. Joanna Gato, a sophomore at Forsan, agrees: “It has created a dumber generation.” She feels as if many students have become unmotivated and turned their heads to cheating as a way of passing. I believe cheating needs to come to an end.