Incoming high schoolers experience an enormous increase in freedom but also responsibility, and cell phones are a prime example of this. Having to put your phone away for each class frustrates some but keeps others focused. Are Norton High School students grateful for this policy, or do they wish it was something different? We interviewed students to find out.

Last year, the policy at Norton High School was similar to the policy now. Students put their phones in holders called caddies. At the end of the block, students took them out of the holder and brought their phones to their next class, where they would then put them in the next holder, rinse, and repeat. However, the policy lacked enforcement. While some teachers used the holders, others did not and allowed students to blatantly have their phones out, causing distraction in the classroom. Cell phones could be brought to the restroom with students to track their passes, which encouraged students to stay on their phones. Since the end of last year, the enforcement hit students hard. No more leniency and, worst of all, no more bringing cell phones to the restroom.

Phone policies have never been as hot of a topic as they are after the pandemic. While phones still frustrated teachers before the pandemic, they used to be in backpacks, not reserved for holders. The pandemic likely triggered this change. Time alone during quarantine gave students the choice of when and how to use their phones. Now, it’s hard to break away from the results of those decisions. Additional causes include cyberbullying and isolation, but cheating on tests is also a concern. Class disruption when students get caught on their phones is an issue, too. Using social media outside the classroom can bring a lack of attention span inside the classroom. Since students spent the school day alone, social media rose drastically since 2020, causing students to be more likely to get bored or distracted in the classroom. For teachers, building connections with students-- creating an engaging hook for learning-- is now even more critical to student success in a classroom as technology becomes more important and distraction increases. 

When interviewing sophomores who experienced the policy change in past years, a sophomore claimed that it is “not asking too much”: LLB, passing periods, and lunch are still open to phone usage. “It helps me get off of my phone,” one student said. Students believed that the policy helps teach self-control. It introduced a chance to be free of the addictive shackles some experience with a cell phone. 

Last year, the cell phone policy lacked enforcement, and many students took advantage of that by sneaking phones past the holders and into the classroom. This year, a senior said that the school wanted to “crack down” on misbehavior. However, according to the interviewees, most abusers of this policy obey “without a fight” when caught. One student thought that “a few rotten eggs ruined it” for the rest; it became a mass punishment. Only a few people overall were outliers to this policy, but a student said that “I’ve seen many people like take their [phone] case off their phone to sneak into the pocket so it looks like they have a phone.” Despite the levels of enforcement, students still find ways around the policy. 

Students have many thoughts about the policy, ranging from seeking improvement to not minding it at all. Students suggested bringing back the old-fashioned policy: allowing phones in bags until students are caught with them out. However, this could potentially cause more disruptions, and adding an extra step of separation between students and their phones may be advantageous. Additionally, students think that classes where cheating isn’t as much of a worry, like business-- where students research using their phones anyway-- shouldn’t have as many restrictions. Cell phone restrictions, however, belong in other classes, such as core classes, according to the students. There are some benefits of using phones in class (in small doses). For example, cell phone use could accompany certain activities like busywork in order for students to listen to music that helps them focus. This is a common practice that students find effective when work can be done independently. Phones are also typically available when class finishes early or just before the bell rings. Students call teachers to act more open and balanced when coming up with their cell phone policies. 

What if there was a real incentive to put cell phones in the holder? Well, this year, Norton High School introduced this. One day, Mr. Shaughnessy went classroom to classroom during the last block of the day and handed out Dunkin’ Donuts gift cards to those who behaved. The same thing happened again. Could this pattern motivate abusers of this policy to follow it? Well, according to students, not really. Although it rewards those who already follow the policy, it’s “useless” for those “attached [to their phones].” The encouragement of this incentive does not sway those that are “really dedicated to just having their phones in class.” If someone follows the policy just for the reward and puts their phone up in anticipation, the incentive might make it a habit since there isn’t yet a predicted schedule for it. However, for the minority that don’t follow the rules, the need to save themselves from distraction is ever present. 

TRIGGER WARNING: Article covers a video which unpacks the subject's involvement in child pornography. 

James “Jimmy” Donaldson, otherwise known as exorbitantly popular YouTuber “MrBeast,” has been subject to a shocking amount of controversy recently. Despite being famous for his philanthropy and charity projects, MrBeast had already been accused of being involved with a situation surrounding his best friend Ava Tyson, who allegedly groomed a minor as well as supporting an artist that drew disturbing art of a similar nature. There were also problems with his own content---in an intense YouTuber showdown reminiscent of the dystopian show Squid Games (which is its own can of worms), many have come out anonymously with complaints of mistreatment. And yet there is another nail on the coffin. MrBeast’s Lunchly, a recent venture created in collaboration with other famous content creators, KSI and Logan Paul, was meant to compete with the iconic childhood to-go meal Lunchables. They had gambled for their internet presence and popularity to drive sales and marketing. However, consumers were horrified to discover mold in the product, specifically in the cheese portion of the meal.  

All of this and more is covered in Rosanna Pansino’s shocking and comprehensive series of exposés on the situation. She has been detailing all of the dramatics with much of her information collected or verified by former employees or participants of MrBeasts “challenges.” Now it all seems to culminate in her most recent video on the topic, where in the comments she tells the views that she has “reported what [she] found and [her] concerns to the authorities (FBI).” She has made numerous videos covering the problematic aspects of MrBeast. It seems like everything she has covered is reaching a fever-pitch in this most recent video. This time, Pansino delves deeper into the controversy surrounding MrBeast’s best friend Ava Tyson, and confirms the rumors that he fully knew of her questionable behavior and did nothing to stop it. 

With former employee “DogPack404” under MrBeast to provide further commentary on the situation, and to translate a few things to Pansino, who is an older YouTuber. DogPack404 has his own channel dedicated to criticizing MrBeast. Together they unpack a selection of chat logs in MrBeast’s Telegram group---which is notably for work purposes. What they reveal to the audience is anything but professional, and horrifyingly, its content is quite the opposite from family-friendly. Together, they reveal that MrBeast was fully cognizant of the fact that Ava indulged in perverse, illegal content. He had made jokes and light-hearted comments about the fact that Ava was a groomer---or at least someone who enjoyed sexual content that portrayed minors. She had sent numerous messages that joked about being a groomer, including a meme that proclaimed she was an “asexual predator.” The joke is that she is a-sexual predator. The most shocking and disgusting message is a photo that Tyson decided to send to what was supposed to be a work chat for employees. It was allegedly a photo of “thirteen-year-old Ivanka Trump.” The photo is censored for obvious reasons in the video, but it is of an obviously-young girl in a see-through top. If this really is a minor, then Tyson had committed a horrible crime by being in possession of and distributing child pornography. There are more messages that are of a disturbing and sexual nature. 

MrBeast himself was quite complacent in the content that Tyson enjoyed, despite the majority of his own audience being minors. He allowed a young boy to moderate his Discord server, which at the time contained a “Not-Safe-For-Work” (also known as NSFW) channel (a section of the Discord server dedicated to post sexually suggestive or explicit content). The boy himself expressed that the channel should not exist. Tyson claimed that there was no use in getting rid of it, and that she had no obligation to. However, the server was “scrubbed,” where much of the content was removed, including the NSFW channel. This means that much of what used to be there is gone, and we may never know how deep the situation really was. 

Beyond the shock factor and obvious issues with MrBeast’s behavior, one needs to be careful when navigating media surrounding the issue. It will be easy to be swept into the news and sensationalism surrounding such a large public figure. It makes me consider Rosanna Pansino’s role in this debacle. Of course as a content creator, there’s an obligation to use your platform for good. But the views are incredible as well, and Rosanna is obviously making a lot of money from “exposing” MrBeast. Pansino is famous for being “family-friendly” herself---collaborating with YouTubers with a similar audience and being a fond memory in the childhood of many people. As someone who hasn’t kept up with her content in years, the shift almost seems sudden. She seems to be leaning into criticism, an example being a look into grocery commodity Erewhon’s obnoxiously-priced smoothies. Although her intentions seem quite earnest and genuine, it’s important to remember that much of the news aims to be entertainment. Where does information begin, and when does it become another form of an attempt to garner views and engagement? Who can we really trust on the internet? Who’s the dog? 

Sean John Combs (otherwise known as P. Diddy) has dominated the music industry for many years. He created his record label, Bad Boy Records, where he released many hip-hop records that hit number one on the charts. Not only did he top the music industry for many years, but he also was a fashion and television idol. In September, the public was shocked when Diddy was arrested for many allegations following violence, abuse, and trafficking. Multiple victims have spoken out against it and he is currently facing many of these accusations in the courtroom. Their victims include his ex-girlfriend, Cassie Ventura, who made multiple accusations about their abusive relationship, as well as Kimberly Michelle, who had criticized Diddy for his terrible treatment toward women in the music industry. 

This all connected back to Beyoncé because of her and Diddy's long lasting friendship in the music industry--they have been known to collaborate on many projects, and even perform at each other's events. Due to Diddy’s arrest, there have been many conspiracy theories created on social media behind the death of many famous singers. Most of the conspiracy theories revolve around one common idea: that Beyoncé is the mastermind behind the deaths of many famous artists including Michael Jackson, Aaliyah, and “Left Eye” Lopez. 

Many people have use J. Cole’s famous song “She Knows” as proof behind these accusations as the song states,

 “Rest in peace to Aaliyah

Rest in peace to Left Eye (Left Eye)

Michael Jackson, I’ll see ya

Just as soon as I die (I die).”

Some people have even gone as far as stating that Beyoncé's maiden name, Knowles, is the reason why J. Cole named the song “She Knows.” Others have also gone as far as saying the reason Beyoncé is brought up and acknowledged so much at certain award shows is that because artists are scared they will be hurt (or even killed) next if they do not thank her. In 2017, Adele, broke her Grammy statue on stage and dedicated her whole moment to Beyoncé. Fans believe this was not an act of kindness and appreciation, but rather an act of fear. They think Adele was scared that she would be next if she did not thank Beyoncé in her speech.

For many years, Diddy was known for the big, million dollar parties that he would throw. The guest lists to these extravagant parties would include many A-list celebrities who the public is now questioning as they believe no one is innocent in these situations. Some of his most famous parties include a birthday party in his $61 million mansion that occurred two years ago and his annual “White Party.” Many celebrities attended this party, but society wasn't alarmed by these functions until this year when P-Diddy was accused of many sexual offenses. BBC News stated, "In the weeks after settling Cassie's lawsuit, Mr. Combs was accused of sexual assault dating back to 1991 by multiple women."  

Police searched this mansion in March of 2024, and they found drugs and over 1,000 bottles of baby oil. Over time, there have been many women and children who have come out to Diddy and the court about their offenses against him, and on September 17th, 2024, P-Diddy pled not guilty to all of these charges. Diddy will stay locked behind bars until his trial in May 2025 as he was denied bail.  

As the public has brought awareness to the P-Diddy case, many parallels have been drawn between P-Diddy and Michael Jackson's. Many different accusations have come out as Diddy has awaited his conviction. One accusation that made the public question a relation between Diddy and Jackson was Diddy's relation with young children. Allegedly, Diddy has many allegations of sexually abusing minors. While Michael Jackson was never convicted of this crime, he is known for having inappropriate relations with minors, and many think the parallel between these two is more than just a coincidence. The only difference between these two cases is that Diddy is admitting that he had sexual contact with these people, but he says it was consensual. Jackson, on the other hand, never admitted to having any sexual relations or contact which separates the two by a little bit. 

While P-Diddy has pleaded guilty to these charges, he will still be going on trial in May 2025 where his accusations of sex trafficking, racketeering, and conspiracy will be put on trial. Most of the public has already formed strong opinions on the case as it has been a huge topic all over social media. While many connections are being drawn between certain celebrities and their involvement with Diddy, people need to keep in mind that none of these are facts. Until the trial is brought to court no one will know whether Diddy is truly guilty, and if he is, what other people and/or celebrities were involved.

This year's 2024 most popular Halloween trends range from watching movies, to wearing costumes, to eating delicious treats, to doing fun outdoors activities, and are all spooky and festive ways to spend your fall season. Whether you prefer a good fright, a hurt stomach from eating too much Halloween candy, or a foliage-filled nature walk with a warm pumpkin spice latte, we have all the trends for you! 

There's a variety of things to do this season that are affordable, fun, and a great way to spend time with your family and friends! The Roger Williams Park Zoo in Providence, RI has its Jack-O-lantern Spectacular through November 3rd, and The Fear Town Haunted House, in Seekonk MA, provides you with 45 minutes of complete and utter fear, if you can handle it. Ward’s Berry Farm is just one of the many pumpkin patches around Norton, and it also offers apple picking, hay rides, seasonal crops and flowers, and many more. Some great ways to get some steps in before Halloween! 

If you’re looking to spend a cozy night in, we have a range of scary horror films to family friendly movies. This year’s most highly ranked movies for Halloween are Hocus Pocus and Hocus Pocus 2 (Disney Plus), Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (Amazon Prime), The Nightmare Before Christmas (Disney Plus), Halloweentown (Disney Plus), and some scarier options like Scream VI (Paramount Plus), Halloween Ends (Peacock), Halloween Kills (Netflix), and Smile 2 (in theatres).

Whether you prefer chocolate or fruity candy, 2024’s top Halloween candy hits every category. Ranked at number one, we have Reese’s peanut butter cups, followed by M&M’s, Sour Patch Kids, Skittles, and Starbursts. Candy isn’t the only fun-sized treat this season. Dunkin' has brought back the beloved Spider Donut and introduced the purple Potion Macchiato for a limited time only, as well as Starbucks’ Pumpkin Spice Latte amongst many other seasonal drinks. They’ll only be out until early November, so savor them while you can.  

According to Google’s annual “Frightgeist” list, a majority of the top 25 Halloween costumes for 2024 revolved around movies like Inside Out 2 or Beetlejuice, different celebrities, and even items from Chipotle.  

The top ten Halloween costumes for 2024 are…

1. Shrunken Head Bob from Beetlejuice

2. Raygun from the Olympics

3. Catnap from Poppy Playtime

4. Delores from Beetlejuice

5. Pomni from Amazing Digital Circus 

6. Envy from Inside Out 2

7. Red from Descendants

8. Dr. Doom from Marvel

9. Sabrina Carpenter

10. Lady Deadpool

The average school day is roughly six hours, five days a week, for nine months. Students and faculty are often overwhelmed by the endless workload and mundane tasks. All year, students are expected to excel in their school assignments, get involved in extracurricular activities, be involved in sports, and all while trying to be stress free. It’s no secret that students are stressed, overwhelmed, and exhausted. We took a poll of 87 Norton High School students to find out what school events are their favorite and why.

School events such as SEL days, half days, spirit weeks, and football games have proven to improve the mood of the students. Spirit days help students get involved in spreading awareness about different causes such as Rock Your Socks for World Down Syndrome Day. Social emotional learning days (SEL days) give students a chance to bond with teachers and their peers through activities that help them manage their mental health. In a survey of 87 NHS students, 16 said their favorite school event was football games. Sporting events like football games not only get students involved in supporting the community, they also give students an opportunity to connect with one another outside of school. Special events like these give students and teachers something to look forward to. School events help students become more connected with their school community. Half days won our poll by a whopping 19 students. Half days are very beneficial to students as well as teachers in multiple ways. Students for example, have more time to finish their homework, prioritize their mental health through resting and relaxation, and focus on their extracurricular activities such as sports, jobs, etc. Teachers have more time on half days to plan for classes, grade the students' work as well as getting caught up on their own, and teachers have more time to prioritize their nutrition by getting a longer lunch.

Election Day is coming up quickly. For Massachusetts voters, ballot question #2 is something that has been up for massive debate. Parents have been discussing it with one another, and they’ve been talking about it with their teenage kids. What is ballot question #2, and what will be the potential consequences of it?

Standardized testing is already a contentious subject in the field of education. The Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) is no exception. Students from grades three to ten have to take the MCAS exam to track progress that was made during the school year; the exam usually consists of a reading and writing section, as well as a math section. High school students have to take a science section in addition to that. Some Bay Staters are concerned about the added stress from an ungraded assessment that may determine whether or not their child would be able to graduate. Voting “yes” on the ballot would mean ending the mandate requiring students to pass the high school MCAS exam to graduate high school. A "no" vote would leave the graduation requirement in place.

Teachers who would vote yes on question #2 would tell sources “the test is only a snapshot of a student's achievements.” Some students aren’t very good test takers, but they are good at actually applying their knowledge in real life scenarios; the MCAS exam requires students to sit in a silent room for around three hours to take the test. The “one size fits all” nature of MCAS wouldn’t be a good environment for those children. The exam wouldn’t represent the abilities of the students accurately. There were even some professionals who described it as something that restricts students from learning other, arguably more important subjects. Because educators are required to teach certain subjects and units by the time the tests roll around, the curriculum is restricted to matters that the test typically covers.

Those who are planning to vote “no” are fairly passionate about this matter as well. Many disagree with their opposition describing MCAS as high stakes. Students are able to retake the MCAS up to five times without repercussions, so that lowers the intensity, according to teachers in support of the MCAS graduation requirement. Parents in favor of the requirement believe it ensures a consistent quality of education throughout the state. As well as that, a study done by Tufts University noted that test takers very rarely fail the exam. According to the report, the MCAS exam very rarely prevents young people from getting their high school diplomas. There are often accommodations and alternatives to MCAS; if one is upset by their score, an appeals process can be started. Even elected officials, such as Governor Maura Healey, advocate for a vote for “no.”

Whether or not someone votes for or against the MCAS graduation requirement, students will still have to take the test. While it is still a widely debated topic, it is highly likely that the system will stay in place, and MCAS will remain a graduation requirement.

UPDATE: The results are in! By a close margin, voters of Massachusetts voted “yes” on question #2 (58.8% voted “yes,” 41.1% for “no”). This means that MCAS will not be a graduation requirement any longer. While the program will still be in place, students will not have to pass the exam to graduate from high school. Massachusetts is known for having some of the top schools in the country; many say that the MCAS graduation requirement isn’t necessary. Most students and parents won’t be too concerned about whether or not they pass anymore.