November
Special Outlook
MVHS students weigh in on upcoming election
The presidential election of 2020 is fast approaching and the senior class here at MVHS is gearing up to vote.
Voting for the first time is a very big deal. Senior Josie Baker says voting for the first time is “very scary” and “super stressful.” She knows that her thoughts, feelings, and opinions finally “count.” Aaron West, senior, says, “I am glad to finally be making a difference this year with my vote.”
Both West and Baker will be voting for candidate Joe Biden. The Green and White Review also reached out to students who planned to vote for Trump, but unfortunately never received responses.
Choosing who to vote for can be a very daunting task. There is truly a lot to look for in a candidate. West emphasizes the necessity for everyone to do their own research before making this decision, saying, “Don’t trust what other people are telling you. Go look it up and read it.” Baker says young voters should look at both what a candidate “offers the country as a whole” as well as “who they are as a person.”
This year’s election is full of controversial elements to consider. Among some of the most popular topics, we have COVID-19, climate change, and healthcare.
West views healthcare as the most important issue. He says, “So many Americans are living paycheck to paycheck and if they get sick, they’d have to choose between going to the doctor or eating for the week.” He then goes on to say, “I don’t believe that economic status should determine your health. America should support all of its citizens, not just the ones who can afford insurance.”
Climate change and COVID-19 rank number one in Baker’s eyes. She believes that they are “very real” and are not being taken seriously. She then goes on to say, “Even if this whole thing is political, why does it matter? Right now, we’re just in a time where it’s super dangerous and wearing a piece of fabric isn’t going to take your rights away.” Baker redirects to climate change by highlighting the positive effects quarantine had on the planet, saying the Earth began to “replenish” things we didn’t even know it had anymore.
For Baker, Biden was an obvious choice over our current president, Donald Trump, when it comes to morality. She believes he “stands for a lot of good, even though it doesn’t always come off like that.” As for Trump, Baker says he has “very racist tendencies” and is also “anti-LGBTQ.” She continues to highlight that his actions show this even though he has directly said the opposite.
West is voting for Biden because of his ideas on expanding healthcare, free college, taxation, his clean energy plan, and more. Trump lost West’s vote due to his sexual assault allegations, the number of deaths resulting from COVID-19, and his attempts to decrease healthcare access for the LGBTQ community.
Baker and West both have advice for anyone struggling to decide who to vote for. West says to research both candidates and their policies, and then see how your thoughts and feelings align with their plans for office. Baker recommends you really look into how both candidates handled two of the major issues our country faced this year, Covid-19 and the Black Lives Matter movement.
Green & White redesigns website
The Green & White has a completely updated look. The staff has decided to do a redesign of the website. This month, readers will notice navigational links to sections in the current issue, links to past issues, an About Us page, and a new, simple logo.
Along with our redesign, the staff is introducing a mental health column and a cultural differences column. These new columns include Mind Space, a column about recognizing and overcoming problems with mental health, and New Perspectives, a column about differences upon ways of life across the United States.
Students make music in uncertain times
For the 2020-2021 school year, almost everything has been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. A lot of these changes are affecting the music department here at MVHS.
Band director Brad Heckman says the changes to this year’s marching season aren’t necessarily a bad thing. “However we have noted many changes all of which are due to safety concerns in regards to COVID-19.”
The Marching Mountaineers attended no competitions, but still played the national anthem, along with the school’s fight song and alma mater, at home football games. Besides their pre-game performances, the band stood in bleachers on the North end of the field while playing a variety of pep band tunes.
“We mask at all times and use instrument covers to help dissipate aerosols when we are inside. Even our drill is socially distanced,” says Mr. Heckman. When "arced up" on the field, students stand six feet apart, approximately a four-step interval, from each other. Due to sanitation issues, the band did not wear uniforms, either.
The band’s camp was shortened to four two-hour days, atypical of the usual 100-hour camp. Despite the monstrous change in summer rehearsal, Mr. Heckman says, “Music is music, marching is marching and the most unchanged thing is the cooperation of the band members and their desire to make good music with friends.”
As for the winter concert usually hosted in December, nearly every aspect of the event will change. “Many things depend upon new information from the health department which does change due to advancements in health research,” says Mr. Heckman.
Choir director April McBaine states, “I do not feel that it is, at this point, the safest choice for the kids and parents for us to host a traditional performance. Our plan is to have each group perform and the performance will be recorded, and emailed to the parents, and live-streamed so that parents are still able to watch the performance ‘live’. There will not be an audience at the concert.”
“If COVID has taught us anything, it is that many things that we took for granted are far more important than we thought and other things that we thought that were terribly important are not," says Mr. Heckman. "Getting back to 'normal' is everyone's goal, but we have to be prepared to make the new normal work as well."
Ms. McBaine says that every aspect of this year’s show choir season is changed. “No costumes or costume changes, wearing masks, singing and dancing 500 feet apart," she embellishes. The group’s competing will be switched to virtual, or will be canceled altogether.
“One of the biggest, most wonderful experiences is the competition experience, and performing in front of a cheering crowd, meeting new people, leaving early, coming home late and being so tired that you can barely move, but loving every minute of it,” Ms. McBaine explains. She also says show choir is one family and that this year’s distancing has been a large challenge. “I have, however, been amazed at how well the kids have adjusted to each and every change and made the best of it. I truly believe that we have the best kids in Mt. Vernon.”
Ms. McBaine hopes the changes made this year will not affect future seasons and believes next year will be closer to normal than the 2021 season. “I think that this year is just what it is, and there are many changes that will occur, and we will adjust many, many times throughout the year, but it can be done. I will do whatever I need to make sure the kids learn and feel loved, and as long as that happens then everything will be ok, no matter what changes we must make.”
CDC recommends putting holiday traditions on hold
The holiday season is right around the corner. A season full of presents, cookies, movies, and most importantly, socialization. Now that COVID-19 has taken over, the holidays are going to be a bit different this year.
Thanksgiving is a time when many families travel long distances to celebrate together. The problem this year is that traveling increases the chance of catching and spreading COVID-19. The CDC suggests staying home this year to protect yourself and others.
They also suggest that if you must travel, be informed of the risks involved. There are many lower risk activities you can partake in this Thanksgiving without having to travel. A few ideas include having a small dinner with people who live in your household, having a virtual dinner or sharing recipes with family and friends, and watching parades, sports events, and movies from home. The CDC also suggests sticking to online shopping this year for Black Friday.
Christmas is also a time for getting together via travel. As one of the biggest holidays of the year, it’s expected COVID-19 cases will increase rapidly during Christmas. Again, Christmas shopping will be different and mainly online this year. Many Christmas traditions such as meeting Santa Claus in malls will have to come to a halt.
Again, staying home is the best bet. There are many things one can do in replacement of the joy lost this Christmas. Such ideas can include watching your favorite holiday movies, listening to Christmas music, decorating around the house, adopting an Elf on the Shelf, and cozying up whenever.
Top Movies to Watch This Holiday Season
The sweet smell of hot cocoa, the chill of an icy day, the crackling of a warm fire, the familiar glistening colors of Christmas lights. Yes! It’s almost that time of the year, folks.
It’s crazy to think that the holiday season is almost here, especially with 2020 being lightly described as what some would call “a series of unfortunate events." With this year already being saddening, it’s important to make this holiday season as best and happy as possible.
This means embracing all the family traditions and spending as much time as you can with your loved ones. Some of the most common family-time traditions include decorating the Christmas tree, listening to holiday music, and a personal fav, watching Christmas movies! When it comes to the topic of Christmas movies, comes many different memories surrounding them. Some students here at MVHS when interviewed, gave input on their favorite Christmas movies and their favorite memory surrounding them.
Jenna Delay, a sophomore here at MVHS, responded saying, “Home Alone because my family would always watch those movies first." Jordan Duncan, another sophomore here at MVHS replied with, “Home Alone and The Grinch (Jim Carrey version) because they were funny, and I made my family watch them every year.” She continues saying, “They remind me of decorating and making cookies.”
An article by the Readers Digest speaks more on some of the top must-watch holiday movies. Their list includes movies such as Home Alone, A Charlie Brown Christmas, A Christmas Story, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, The Nightmare Before Christmas, and Elf.
So during this holiday season when you find yourself on a snow day cuddled up with a nice, warm mug of hot chocolate, maybe grab a blanket and sit down to enjoy a nice, traditional holiday movie.
Seeing that 2020 is a major election year, things in our country have been pretty hectic to say the least. People are getting more and more on edge as November 3 approaches. Which candidate will win? Which person will run our country for the next four, maybe even eight years?
When it comes to politics, people can get pretty, well, opinionated. Some people feel very passionate when it comes to politics, so things can get pretty heated. So should politics be brought to school?
Twenty-three out of 43 people said that yes, politics should be brought to school. “We need to be educated and be able to form our own opinions so that we can think for ourselves instead of mimicking our parent's biased opinions. That way, once we turn 18 and are able to vote, we are voting for what we truly believe is right, not what we have grown up being told,” said "Jolie," (who didn't provide her full name) a student at MVHS.
However, some students do not agree. Thirteen out of 43 people said that politics should not be brought to school. “It just causes unneeded conflict,” said an anonymous MVHS student. Some people believe that school is a safe place from all the conflict going on in the world. “I believe that school should be apolitical. I see school as a safe haven from the constant cynical drone of the news. Politics will spark a lot of conversation, but I fear that most people are unwilling to listen to another’s viewpoint,” senior Dalton Joachim says.
Some students are even in between. Three out of the 43 said both yes and no. Ms. Michelle Rust, MVHS teacher, says, “I think if a student asks me a question, I should be able to answer it without adding any other ‘propaganda’ or influence on the student. If a student asks me ‘who are you going to vote for?' I should be able to say who and why, but I would always add that I think they should make their own) decision after they read about the candidate or issue on the ballot. You should not try to influence the student or shame them for their vote in any way.”
Two out of 43 people said that it depends on the situation and the context used with it. “It's a government funded school so I don't really see why not, but it should be respectful. I don't think integrating it into school will be smooth for the democratic leaning side, since Missouri is very republican, but as long as the school can guarantee that opposing political opinions will be chill/respected it's no big deal in my opinion,” Keira Monroe says, student at MVHS.
Most people, when talking about their opinions on politics, don’t want to get judged. If politics are brought to school, they want to be in a safe environment where they can express their opinions without it turning into a big argument. What do you think? Should politics be brought into school?