This Week's Issue 

Social Media Trend Kills Girls

By: Haley Ruser 

Platforms like Tiktok, Instagram, and Snapchat are commonly used by youth for entertainment and communication. However, these social media apps can become dangerous and even life-threatening because of online predators, cyberbullying, and most importantly, trends. From consuming Tide Pods to intentionally choking oneself, these trends became popular, especially on TikTok, because of the online attention that a person could receive.

Recently, teens Zemfira Mukhtarov and Ebba Morina were found dead atop a subway car in Manhattan from allegedly participating in a subway surfers online trend. Originating from the game, participants in the trend “...ride atop or hang off the sides of fast-moving trains,” describes Maia Coleman, a New York Times reporter.

Unfortunately, this incident is not the only case where lives were lost due to an online challenge.

Two girls, age 8 and 9, tragically lost their lives by following the blackout challenge where participants were encouraged to choke themselves and pass out. According to New York Times reporters Michael Levenson and April Rubin, the parents of these young girls filed a lawsuit against TikTok, “...claiming its algorithm intentionally served the children dangerous content that led to their deaths.”

Regardless of the kind of dangerous circumstance, it’s essential for parents to be aware of these challenges to ensure their children aren’t subjected to the same fate as those like Mukhtarov and Morina. More importantly, children and teens need to recognize that the amount of likes on a video should not be prioritized over a human life.

What are peoples thoughts and concerns about hand foot and mouth?

By: Andan Nguyen 

Hand, foot and mouth disease has been going around our school for the last few weeks. It got bad enough where the administration emailed the school community to wash their hands and take precautions. I went around and interviewed multiple people about their concerns and feelings about the school and conference wide epidemic. 

At first I interviewed members of our high school staff 

Our anatomy and biology teacher Mrs. Stannke says “I think it is dying down, It could’ve been handled better in the beginning to prevent the infection spreading as bad as it did”

Our world and college U.S. history teacher Mrs Feldott has been taking extra precautions such as “Making sure to wash my hands more frequently and not touch anything young people touch.”

English Teacher, Mrs Cline, who previously had Hand, Foot, and Mouth says “I had it many years ago and I feel bad for anybody who got it.”

Probably the most sanitary person in our whole school, Chef Greenwood says “I can’t stand it, I’m actually terrified.”

Our history teacher Mr. Podwojski has a different approach to the other members of staff and believes that “it’s not as big of an issue people are making it out to be, it is a classic case of fear mongering.

Moving on to the kids in our student body who have to face the infection head on. Starting off with a student who unfortunately had the sickness a week ago, senior Mallory Pronschinske says “I really don’t like that this infection is going around as it infects people like myself, even though I’m not contagious I still have a lot lingering effects, it made me lose 10 pounds, it’s horrible.”

Junior Tyler Sandburg made some strong claims and believes “Bridger Burnham was behind everything, I just know, but I can’t prove it.”

Junior Rylin Price says “I don’t know how it happened, but whoever in our conference started the infection should be criticized or punished for spreading it to our school, God bless”

Sophomore Bailee Ward says “it’s very icky and very infectionous, and if I get it, I will cry, then I will infect people I don’t like.“ Even though it's not a good situation, she found a way to end with a good outcome for her.

Sophomore Brandon Bakener takes an opposite stance and advises that “If you have Hand, Foot, and Mouth to just stay at home.” Which is a statement I can get behind. 

Sophomore Nashe Changa gives several ideas for some very extreme policies to be put in place. He says “I think we should stay out of school for 2 weeks, and let the school clean the place After that everyone needs to get their temperature checked when they get in, just like we did for Covid-19, there should also be a 5 minute break to wash your hands between every class period, clock it”

Junior Bella Nightingale, like many, thinks “Its gross” and adds the concerning news “that it’s spreading a lot, it’s really bad at the middle school” 

Senior Ethan Wardlow gives a very blunt but very agreeable statement “I think it’s nasty, I know a lot of people are very worried about it but personally, just wash your hands and honestly just don’t be filthy." 

Freshman Ella Wardlow adds onto his comment and claims that “I have never used more hand sanitizer in my life.”

Nolan Cook and Braden Kincaid made the shared statement that they “Have never felt more unsafe in their school.”

It is a very unfortunate situation for all the students and staff who have been affected by an epidemic stretching all over our conference and Quad City area. Schools such as Newman, Mercer County, Pleasant Valley, and many more school communities have been hit by Hand, Foot, and Mouth amongst many other things. Out of the many interesting comments and concerns from the people I have interviewed, the Census seems to be that it is gross and people need to clean themselves better. Those people know who they are, is it really that hard to shower, sanitize, and wash your hands guys? If you know anybody who is or has been sick, give them your best wishes and check up on them. Stay healthy, stay safe, and stay clean, Scarlet Ink readers.

Choir Concert 

By: Allyssa 

The middle and high school choirs combined to put on a concert on October 9 named “Songs that Stay.”

The High School Choir sang three songs which included: “Will the Circle be Unbroken”, “Here Comes the Sun”, and “Musica”.

The 7th and 8th graders sang two songs which included: “Man in the Mirror” and “Let My People Go”

The 6th graders sang: “Make a Little Music” and “Earwarm”

As a whole choir they sang “Haunting Melodies” together. 

• Soloist: Grace Lilly 

• Trio: Julia Rogers, Grace Lilly, and Collin Patterson

Syncopation sang “Birds of a Feather”

• Soloist: Anise Arrington

Soloist Grace Lilly stated “She gave her performance a 9 because she feels like it did really well and she thinks that the choir did really really well.”

Soloist Anise Arrington stated “That she rated the concert a 10 because of the experience and she likes being able to open up when it comes to music, it got her out of her shell”

I also asked the trio how they think they did and rate how they did, “they felt like they did really good and thought it was good, they rated their trio 8.5 because they all did very good because their voices blended very well.”