Editorials

I think we should all do more to protect endangered animals since some people are the reason they are endangered in the first place. The Endangered Species Act is very important because it saves our native fish, plants, and other wildlife from going extinct. Once gone, they're gone forever, and there's no going back.

Animals also play a critical role in the ecosystems and biospheres that make life on Earth possible for humans. The Earth is undergoing a mass extinction, which is caused by human activity. Animals produce only carbon dioxide while plants produce both Carbon Dioxide and Oxygen. According to David Drayer who is an author of many books said “If animals went extinct there would be less carbon dioxide to support photosynthesis and more complex plants would have a difficult time adapting to the reduced levels of carbon dioxide.”

Some people believe that it's okay to destroy  animal habitats because some people believe they don't play an important role in life. Although we need some of these buildings, they are building/ destroying some of their land for no reason or just making it worse.

Protecting animals as well as the oceans and grasslands they inhabit will help safeguard the future for all species. Having wild habitats for animals serves as a barrier. It prevents emerging infectious diseases from jumping from animals to humans. 

Volunteering or donating would help animals. Being an animal shelter volunteer is good for your emotional, physical, and mental health. It is scientifically proven that spending time with animals helps lower your stress levels and blood pressure. It will also keep you active, especially if you prefer to walk dogs. For bigger animals one of the easiest and most effective ways to help wildlife is to preserve the environment in which the animals live. Volunteer with organizations in your area to restore native forests, grasslands, and coastal ecosystems by planting native species, manually removing invasive plant species, and taking out old fences.

     Everyone's been loving the newest word guessing game by Josh Wardle “Wordle”. The New York Times has recently acquired the game and published it to their site. The game is simple: you have six chances to guess the day's secret five letter word; once you put in a word the game will tell you which letters are in the word and which aren't using a color code. Typically around 300,000 people play every day. 

The game can actually be very useful in the classroom for students. It has many other benefits besides being a way to pass time or just another competition to see who can guess the word. Studies have shown that Wordle is a good brain game that can challenge its players, and be used in the classroom to promote problem solving skills, according to techlearning.com in an article on how teachers can take advantage of Wordle. 

Along with providing problem solving skills, it also promotes an extra boost of serotonin. In an article on the overall benefits of Wordle, calmsage.com said, “Wordle not only challenges our brain and fosters social connection but experts say that playing the Wordle word puzzle can also give your mood a boost prompted by a sense of achievement.” That seems like a better use of time in the morning than a worksheet would be. 

Lastly, Wordle provides other skills that aren't typically seen in a school setting. For example, it “exercises the specific brain muscles of visual memory and attention”. This makes it more intriguing and students will later be more focused in class. Including a time for students to play Wordle in the morning- even for just 5 minutes- will have long lasting positive effects on them that can be utilized in classrooms everywhere. 

With the popularity of video games on the rise since the ‘90s, the question as to whether or not the violence in games makes people violent in real life has been debated across the country. Simply put, no, there is no clear correlation between playing video games and violence. Despite the lack of evidence supporting the claim that they do, people continue to use video games as a scapegoat to explain violent behavior.

A multitude of studies conducted on video games and aggression have shown little connection between the two. An experiment administered by researchers at New Zealand’s Massey University stated that “the studies showed a statistically significant but minuscule positive correlation between gaming and aggression, below the threshold required to count as even a “‘small effect.’” Violent video games may cause people to be more agitated, but to suggest that it makes violent people is an close-minded. I’ve always tried to equate this debate to movies -- you’ve probably seen a few violent thriller movies, but you’ve never wanted to replicate anything in the movies. It’s the same for video games -- no one wants to try and recreate their Call of Duty sessions with their friends in real life.

Another study by Dr. Ange Suziedelyte shows no strong evidence of violent games leading to violent people: “Taken together, these results suggest that violent video games may agitate children, but this agitation does not translate into violence against other people -- which is the type of violence which we care about most.” The difference between agitation and brutality cannot be understated. To once again relate this to something most people have experienced, just because you stubbed your toe doesn’t mean you’re going to become an assailant. The negative mental effects video games have on children are over exaggerated.

An argument that people who are against violent video games use is that several mass shooters have an interest in video games, and that games caused them to exhibit aggressive behavior. In addition to the studies above, a series of interviews conducted by psychiatrist Paul E. Mullen lists traits that most mass shooters that he talked to share: “All described feeling that the world was persecuting them. They were rigid, socially isolated and obsessive. They tended to be bullied as children and fascinated with guns. All also exhibited signs of general depression, but not diagnosable clinical depression.” When tragedies such as shootings occur, people will naturally look for things to blame to try and help them come to terms as to why it happened. Video games are the answer many stick with, but it’s just not reasonable to put the fault on them entirely. We, as a country, need to look at the facts and come up with real solutions to alleviate this issue.

Video games are a great way for people to connect and enjoy themselves. Unfortunately, many write off the whole medium based on misplaced and uninformed conclusions. We should all embrace video games for what good they’ve done for society, not for what they’ve been incorrectly criticized for.

Stores have labeled their sections of products “Boys and Girls” (along with the product category- like toys or shirts) as opposed to just the name of the item. It's commonly based off what it looks like and what society has said a gender prefers. It's a situation that has been going on for a long time, and should not be normalized. It could instead be changed to having sections based on size, color, or type of product. 

Labeling these sections is going to give children the idea that they can't like a certain shirt or product because it's labeled for a different gender. In many stores, it's a stereotype for the children's section that the pink aisle that has dolls and is for girls and the blue with cars and Legos is for boys.  According to cbc.ca- “Kids notice the subtle cues that are part of the toys that leads them to decide that a toy is a girl toy or a boy toy, and whether it's for them or not for them. And it actually changes their interest in the toy”. From a young age this is going to get them thinking that toys have genders and if they are a girl and they don’t enjoy the things that are identified as for girls, then it's wrong. In reality, it's actually wrong to tell a child that they shouldn't like something because of who they are. 

These sections and labels are highly sexist and stereotypical towards “what you SHOULD like”. Fastcompany.com hints at how many companies sell pink items and designates “for girls''. Especially when it comes to jewelry, almost all ads and companies say “for her '' as if women are the only ones who enjoy jewelry and men dont or cant want jewelry as well. It's really disappointing that we've put genders on all aspects of life, but especially products and the things we like to wear. Oftentimes, we don't even notice what companies have done to put labels on things because it was something that has always been going on and what many now adults grew up seeing, therefore it has been normalized. So companies get away with not being inclusive in their marketing, and it's their way of even making more money. 

Hidden behind these labels are the companies' tactics to affect consumer buying choices and a way to get families to spend more money. Cbc.ca and lettoysbetoys.org discussed that when children have been swayed into believing that there's a certain product they should want, it causes families with multiple children of different genders to buy separate toys- which is how they make more money on their gender based items. This has been an inappropriate way for industries to make money off products; which can be common. Although it might not be intentional for all businesses, it's what is happening.

We must encourage more stores to be more inclusive for all genders. This can be done by actually spreading the word on this topic that we didn't even notice, and doing whatever possible to make an impact for future generations. Many gender-labeled departments in stores align with stereotypes, and aren't understanding that there aren't “boy or girl items”. Therefore the gender-labeled sections in stores should be abolished and replaced with more inclusive and non-separated classifications. 

Should you get AP credit or get dual credit? Advanced Placement (AP) classes is a program by the college board designed to give highschool students an introduction to college level classes; this can be done online or in a classroom. Whereas dual credit classes help you obtain highschool credit and college credit at the same time, these courses can be taken on a college campus or your highschool campus. 

AP credit is oftentimes considered more convenient than dual credit because AP credit is more likely to be accepted than dual credit. Unlike dual credit, for AP credit to count you have to pass the AP exam or grade with a high score – which could be a disadvantage. 

They are more likely to be accepted because AP classes are more rigorous than dual enrollment classes – they show colleges you are more prepared to succeed at college level courses. 

AP college board claims that, “students who receive a score of 3 or higher on AP Exams typically experience greater academic success in college and have higher graduation rates than their non-AP peers”. 

As a result of taking AP classes and passing them, students were more likely to succeed in college, which supports the claim that students who receive a 3 or higher on AP exams typically experience great academic success. 

Dual credit can save you money in the long run by minimizing your college career. Dual credit classes get you high school credit and college credit, they also offer more classes to take compared to AP courses.

For individuals that want their college degree but don’t prefer school dual credit could be more favorable and less costly.

Research shows that students that take dual credit courses are more likely to enroll in and complete college than students who don’t—and to finish faster, too. Taking 1 or 2 college classes is a lot easier to manage and ease into than the average 4-5 college students take. After successfully passing a college class you’ll see your potential to take on a larger load.

When looking to get into college for academic value AP credit is better, it shows colleges you’re ready for a college curriculum and are more than likely going to succeed in college. Dual credit on the other hand is more in regards to getting into college. If your main goal is to just get into a college, dual credit may be better for you because it gives you a head start. Obtaining college credit through dual enrollment can earn you your degree earlier. 

AP credit is better than dual credit because in the long run it has more to offer you. AP credit can offer you more college opportunities and give you the experience and the confidence to successfully complete a college class.