December
Special Outlook
MVHS election predictions miss the mark
After MVHS students and staff received a survey from The Green & White asking for their 2020 election predictions, it was no surprise that Donald Trump would have the most votes, due to Mount Vernon’s mostly conservative population.
With 28 votes for Trump (73.7%), nine votes for Joe Biden (23.7%), and one vote for Jo Jorgenson (2.6%), most of the predictions were proven wrong after Biden collected his victory on Saturday, November 7. An overwhelming number of responders said the country would break out in protest.
Many said the Democratic party would “meltdown” or “outlash” per Trump’s winning, and that Trump would sue for voter fraud, or believe the election was “rigged,” per Biden’s winning. Responders who said that the left would rebel also said that the country would be fairly calm if Biden won.
When asked what they believed would happen no matter the outcome, a lot of the responders said the country would remain calm, with the exception of a select few.
Following Biden and Kamala Harris’s win, major cities like Los Angeles and New York City took their celebration to the streets where thousands of individuals hit pots and pans together, danced, sang, flew Biden/Harris flags, LGBTQ+ pride flags, and other flags and signs.
However, citizens who support Trump also had their own protest. Thousands gathered in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 14 to rally for President Trump. The gathering was known by several names, including the Million MAGA March, March for Trump, or Stop the Steal.
Citizens who attended the rally had Trump, “Blue Lives Matter,” and American flags, with other signs and flags. People wore red, white, and blue, along with “Make America Great Again” hats to show their support for President Trump.
Thus far, Trump has refused to concede the election to Biden. On the morning of November 7, President Trump tweeted “I WON THIS ELECTION, BY A LOT!” after news broke of President-elect Biden’s victory. Since then, Trump has begun to sue for voting fraud, along with claiming the election was rigged, as some of MVHS’ predictions said. Biden has not responded to Trump’s actions.
Seated student vs virtual student, the struggles from both sides
School can get extremely stressful, especially in these times. You know, with Covid and all. Just ask most students at MVHS, whether they be virtual, seated, or quarantined.
Imagine having to stay home for two weeks, multiple times. Just ask Bekah Flora, junior at MVHS. Though she is officially designated a seated student, she has spent more time quarantined than in being in her assigned seats at school. Flora has been quarantined a total of five times since March. She said, “My experience being in quarantine during the school year definitely wasn’t the greatest. Keeping up with the teachers and the work was challenging, and not being able to communicate face-to-face with the teachers was as well.”
The struggle for some students may be a little harder than others. Learning online may be easier than going to school in person for some people. Surprisingly, some people love it. Junior Cameryn Cassity was forced to go online after coming down with Covid and ended up loving it. She claims that she learns better this way.
Cassity believes that being forced to go online made her enjoy it. “I am not nearly as stressed and worked up as I have been in the past due to school," she explained. "Playing three sports and having to wake up early everyday and stress about my schoolwork is something I have chosen not to do. It’s hard to believe that I even used to do that. I don’t ever want to go back to being a seated student.”
Most virtual students love the experience of doing online school. Bethany Coffer, a sophomore, says “I love the experience, I wake up, take my time getting ready, do school and have no stress whatsoever, and repeat. I don't have too much work or too little work, and virtual school works great for me.” Fourteen out of 20 virtual students are going to stay virtual next semester because they like it so much.
However, not all students like learning online. Senior Josie West says she gets more stressed at home then she does at school. “Honestly everyone talks about how great it must be to be quarantined to be able to sit at home and not have to come to school, but I hated it so much," She explained further, "I was more stressed when I was at home than when I'm at school. I constantly felt so behind and felt like I was missing out on so much of my education.” Some students find it hard to learn at home due to not having motivation to get up and actually do their schoolwork.
Here are some tips for holiday gift giving
The time of year where families gather around a Christmas tree and hand each other gifts wrapped with love is finally here. Many people wait last minute to start gift-planning for loved ones. With the help of studies, The Green & White Review has put together an essential gift-giving guide to help you out!
Giving gifts can be a hassle and stressful to some. Many givers focus on the desirability of their gift because they feel it will make the recipient more appreciative of them. Nathan Novemsky, an expert on the psychology of judgment at Yale University explained to Smithsonian Magazine how gift-giving works. He says, “The interesting solution to this particular problem is to think about yourself using the gift.”
According to Reader’s Digest, there are four simple things to keep in mind when gift-giving this holiday season. First, listen to your loved one and what their interests are. This is the simplest way to have an idea on what to do for them. Second, the size of a gift doesn’t matter; a heartfelt note to your loved one is always enough. Third, keep it open. If you have picky loved ones, a simple gift card and note could do the trick. Finally, create a memorable moment. As long as the gift has thought and meaning behind it, you’re all good.
Generally speaking, if your loved-one has certain interests, try to lean towards that. For example, if your loved one enjoys cooking, get them a cookbook or cooking utensils. If they have a favorite influencer or celebrity, research what to get that is related to that certain person. All in all, it doesn’t necessarily matter what you get somebody as long as there is thought put into it. A handwritten note mentioning how much someone means to you can mean as much or more than something materialistic.
Despite distance learning plan, semester finals still planned
With Covid-19, some would expect finals to go a bit different this year. Final exams are to ensure that a student has retained all of the information that they have learned throughout the semester. In the past, finals have been taken in seated classes. With Covid-19 cases constantly on the rise, this option is no longer possible for MVHS.
The Mount Vernon R-V Board of Education voted to shift to a Level 3 educational environment in grades 9-12. The school district writes in an online post, “This represents a shift to Distanced Learning beginning Monday, November 30 and ending Friday, December 18.”
In an interview with Kami Eddington, the Pre-Algebra and Geometry teacher here at MVHS, she explains her rundown for finals this semester. “In past years, we study a few days, we play a few review games, and then we take a final exam. This is still my thinking as we approach the end of the semester.”
Snow Day predictions for MVHS
Snow days. For most of us students here at MVHS the two words seem to be an instant boost of serotonin. The feeling of waking up on a cold, icy winter day to the news of “NO SCHOOL!” can be one of a student's favorite outcomes of the winter weather.
Normally these days off are spent getting extra hours of sleep, watching movies, or just simply relaxing around the house. When asked, Emily Horrell, an MVHS sophomore, gave input on how she usually spends a snow day: " I usually spend them at home, and since my mom works I’m usually alone, so I watch movies and talk to friends. Sometimes I just take the time to take care of myself.”
Unfortunately, according to Almanac.com this winter might not be that snowy. They say “Precipitation will be below normal, with snowfall below normal in most places. The snowiest periods will be in mid-November, early to mid-December, and mid-February.”
With these predictions, at least students can look forward to not having to make up snow day homework, which always seems to outweigh the enjoyment of staying at home.
Overall this year might be filled with less snow days, but we can still reminisce on the fun of an unexpected no school day. From enjoying a nice movie, hanging with family, or having a self care day, most can agree that snow days are a gift that comes with winter weather.