By Emma Stok - Writer - November 22, 2023

Many people have grown up watching animated Disney movies, but recently the live-action adaptations of these films have been beginning to become more popular. Despite this recent focus, the original films will always be better because they are what made Disney famous from the start. Movies like Cinderella, The Little Mermaid, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, and so many more were a huge part of my early childhood, and over time I have grown a huge attachment to these films. I remember watching these all with my family, enough that I knew—or at least thought I knew—every word to every song that played. I would also constantly dress up like my favorite princesses by wearing bright and sparkly dresses with little plastic heels. These memories can never be replaced by any new version of a story. 

          Although there are a large number of Disney movie adaptations made over the years, the majority of them will never live up to the animated originals. Many aspects of animated movies simply cannot be recreated with the same effect in real life. The 2019 version of “The Lion King” uses incredibly realistic CGI to illustrate Simba and the other animals, but it has been criticized for having a lack of emotion because real animals cannot express emotions like the loveable animated characters can. This is also seen in the 2023 “The Little Mermaid”, with less exciting but realistic ocean scenes and creatures, which darkens the overall mood of the story. Entertainment critic Kelly Lawler explains the impact that “Every change −to aesthetics, to story, to soundtracks, to length −that is required to make these films ‘live action’ chips away at the magic of the originals”. These adjustments do not make the movie better or even compare to the original, despite the goals of more drastic changes in stories. 

          Several adaptations completely change the story or leave out important aspects of the original. If a movie was loved enough to make a remake, then there is no reason to fix something that already works. Some upsetting examples of this are the absence of Mushu the dragon in “Mulan” from 2020, or the addition of a completely new character in the 2019 “Aladdin”, a handmaid named Dalia. These changes may not seem important, but they have a significant impact on the story and overall message of the movie. Live-action films can only be as captivating as the actors, settings, and editing make it, but the visuals are never able to fully meet the expectations of the audience. The true excitement of animation for all ages is that there is no limit to creativity. 

          However, not everyone has the same memories and nostalgia associated with Disney. Younger generations today have more exposure to all sorts of entertainment with plenty of options to choose from, and many adults may have seen more Disney films with their kids than when they were kids themselves. Some people would argue that live-action adaptations are more modern and realistic than the originals, but that does not prove them to be any better. No matter the abundance of newer adaptations, the magic of Disney will always be remembered through the stories that made Disney famous in the first place.

By Norah Brusco - Editor - November 13th, 2023

Which is better? Ostriches or chickens? 

Recently, the left-leaning media has been filled with chicken littles who scream  “the sky is falling, the sky is falling” about climate change. Everyday, headlines blare The Purge-esque sirens about our climate: forests are burning, algae blooms are poisoning the ocean, and earthquakes are shattering the foundations of the strongest buildings. Articles with these headlines go even more in-depth using terrifying language. One Californian photographer described forests as where “tangles of bony branches obscure the ground…An aura of doom hangs over the green conifers that remain.” This deathly description creates despair in the reader. 

While it’s important to sound the alarm about the environment, fear mongering goes too far. Fear mongering evokes a feeling of fright and resignation for the state of the planet, creating an aura of pessimism that makes it hard to care. We cycle through normal days and give up on creating change. We hug our parents, take a history test, and gossip at lunch. We try not to think about the climate because it is frightening. But there isn’t anything we could do. It’s just unfortunate. There isn’t a solution. This type of reporting adequately captures the situation at hand, but it reduces people’s willingness to make change.

While the left wing media is playing the part of Chicken Little, their right-wing contemporaries act as the opposite-ostriches. The right wing media bury their heads in the sand around the climate crisis by dangling other topics in front of their readers. A recent NPR study found that 74% of Republicans were willing to sacrifice the climate if it meant economic prosperity. Maureen Dowd, a columnist at the New York Times, writes that “republicans have been weaponizing fear, trying to scare us about gays and transgender rights and ambitious women and people with darker skin.” By pushing an agenda of hatred and eternal economic growth, they are able to distract from the climate crisis. Right wing presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy recently declared that “climate change is a hoax” on the presidential stage. The right-wing media is an expert at being the ostrich and denying the problem.

So, what should our media look like, ostriches or chicken littles? Well, neither. Some might argue that the chicken littles raise awareness and the ostriches speak on important topics. Despite this, it’s imperative that the media take a middle course when describing the environment. By doing this, people are well informed but not scared out of their wits. This is best seen through my sister, Maureen, a chemistry student at NYU. Maureen is well versed in the apocalyptic state of the world. Yet, she is a leader in Sprout Up, a national organization that seeks to educate elementary school kids about the environment. I was shocked at the individual initiative she took to better our climate. She was able to navigate the chicken littles and the ostriches of the world and make change.

Thus, reporters are responsible for finding a happy medium. Until that happens (which given the state of reporting, it could be a while), we must be responsible consumers. Don't let fear mongering nor denial stop you from bettering our climate. Pay attention. Make change.

By Max Huberty - Editor - November 15, 2023

In our collective pursuit of perfection, the decision to inflate our grades and scores seems easy. A Business Insider report by Chris Weller revealed that from 1998 to 2016, the percentage of A-average students in high school jumped from 38.9% to 47%. Meanwhile, Weller’s report also showed that the average SAT score during this same period actually fell from 1026 to 1002. While not entirely destructive, America’s grade inflation hurts all high school students, especially low-income students, by unequally removing the value and learning behind everyone’s grades. 

The incessant awarding of participation trophies in kid athletics has made trophies – well-earned or not – much less meaningful. Just like trophies, an A means less when every other student in your school has that same A on their transcript. More than for just As, students’ transcripts suffer worse under grade inflation by making other grades more of a sticking point. In order to return value to As and improve the views of the rest of letters, grade inflation needs to be remedied. 

The loss of grades’ value are especially harmful when considering that the impact is distributed unequally. In the Titanic, lifeboats kept the first-class passengers afloat while leaving third-class passengers, like Jack, to sink. Grade inflation acts as an educational lifeboat that only benefits those who can pay for it. Catherine Gerwitz, a senior contributing editor for Education Week, divulged that the average GPA for students at private independent schools jumped 8% from 1998 to 2016. During this same time frame, average GPA for urban public school students went up only 0.6%. This discrepancy in rising GPAs convolutes the college admission processes as admission officers try to account for grade inflation with class rank, but still often prefer those with high GPAs and class rank over those with lower GPAs and comparable class rank. 

No matter what type of student you are, grade inflation reduces the quality of your education. Painting over cracks in a wall fails to address the structural issues in a house – grade inflation works the same way. Giving artificially higher grades while never fixing underlying issues in students’ understanding of topics leaves gaps in our educations. Grade inflation moves the focus away from what is important; the grades we get will eventually not matter, but the actual skills we learned can have lasting impacts on our lives. 

Even knowing the problems of grade inflation, I can still understand the appeal. When I think about all of my tests that are coming up, I find it hard not to advocate for grade inflation. During the last week of quarter four, I would have told you without hesitation that Mr. Meyer and Mr. Haugh and Mrs. Durocher should all give me easy As in Chemistry and Math and English. Overall though, the difficulty of these classes is what motivated me to gain a deeper understanding of content matter and actually earn my grades.  

By Maggie Xu - Writer - November 15, 2023

People frequently associate “the future” with “growing up.” And it’s cute when a child openly declares that they wish to become a mad scientist who cooks up disaster in an underground lair, but as adolescence nears to an end, high-schoolers begin to wonder what they really should do. Jobs like engineer, accountant, doctor, lawyer, and computer programmer are regarded as the most obvious smart choices because they promise financial security; for many high-schoolers, the only motive is to get rich. Here is where I urge others to reevaluate. How much do you actually care about the job you’re planning to pursue? Is it worth the years you’ll spend in graduate school slowly losing your will to live? Trust me, I understand the pressure to do well for yourself, however, your passion matters—your stupid childhood dream matters. 

To be clear, I am not advocating for students to throw away their studies and chase dreams blindly, rather, students shouldn’t feel compelled to narrow down their options to the practical, white-collar professions that they feel no spark towards. However, in the face of the current economy and rising costs of living, our generation has adopted a stubborn mentality that there is nothing of greater value in life than money. On Handshake, a career site for college students, an anonymous class of 2024 industrial engineering major openly admits, “I don’t have a preference on what industry or job title I work for. I just want a high salary and benefits in a job.” It concerns me that a lot of people share the same attitude. Say, your dream is to be a lawyer—go for it! But I’d hope it’s not solely for profit. I hope you are purposeful about your actions and your clients, and that you picked that path because you are at least a little bit interested in dealing with legal matters or in the betterment of our justice system. A satisfying career should not be like a chore done for an allowance. When deciding to pursue a career, passion should be considered on the same level as income. In a Workplace study by Gallup, young millennials and Gen Z have reported lower engagement rates and higher burnout and stress rates. These feelings are prevalent causes of the “job hopping” many young employees experience. We need to understand that in the long-run, a loathsome job can hinder your happiness and your success. 

This summer, my family took a trip down to Chicago and we visited the Shedd Aquarium. We stayed to watch the dolphin show, which was definitely a highlight of our day. The perceptible joy and energy of the dolphin trainers had been enough to convince even my immigrant dad that loving your job is truly important. The amount of money you make is less so. Coming from him, this was very validating to me. I believe that even if your aspirations are wild, the people closest to you will come to support you. Though at times it may seem less beneficial diverging from the safe and conventional route, when your work is fueled by desire, each day is meaningful, and each day is progress. Ultimately, pursuing your passion is well worth the risk; it is infinitely more rewarding spending a lifetime doing something you love than something you don’t.

By Ashton Abram - Editor - November 15, 2023

There's no bigger change in your high school life than when you get your driver's license. Bringing new freedoms and opportunities, it's no surprise that we all race to get them as soon as possible, especially since car ownership is necessary to get just about anywhere in parts of the country like Apple Valley. It's this lack of choice, though, that I think we all ought to have a problem with. As young suburbanites, it's about time we take a long hard look at our relationship with cars to understand the desperate need for a restructuring of our cities and transportation.

The most immediate effects of the number of cars on our roads are the pollutants they emit. Something as simple as noise from vehicles can be a real issue for people in our area. I grew up in a house backed up to Pilot Knob, a fifty mile per hour four lane road. For twelve years of my life, something as simple as keeping a window open at night was a non-option, and I grew up just accepting the constant roar of engines in my backyard. On top of this, the emissions from these vehicles are just plain bad for you. Vehicular exhaust and emissions account for 23% of the carbon emissions in Washington D.C., a number that would be higher in a more spread out city like Apple Valley. Combined with other kicked up particles, this can have serious effects on your breathing and lung health. All of this for vehicles we embrace without questioning.

Even more appalling are the human costs of car-based cities. 7,508 pedestrians were killed in traffic accidents in 2022 according to the Governor’s Highway Safety Organization. Since childhood we are taught to look both ways, to be ready to run from the street, to know that it is a child’s responsibility to prevent an accident. Pedestrians obviously have responsibilities, but it’s not normal to feel afraid of the space right in front of your home. It's not normal to accept the fact that thousands will die every year because that's just the way the world is. It's not normal for us to stand idly by while this issue is right in front of us. Why do we let this happen? 

There is no acceptable answer.

When it comes to facing this car crisis, there are no easy solutions. People may say it just takes too much time, effort, and money that meaningful change is unrealistic. But at the end of the day, there is no cost greater than the lives lost by inaction. Journalist Jamelle Bouie explains in the New York Times how in the short term, “effective traffic enforcement” and “automated traffic cameras… have been shown to reduce the number of vehicle crashes and deaths” (Bouie). Changing infrastructure with processes like “road dieting,” where roads are slimmed from four to two lanes with centers for left turns, can also be used to decrease crashes by up to 47% and slow traffic. Increasing funding for sidewalks, bike lanes, and public transportation that can get cars off the road all also have a role to play. It’s about time we understand the America we live in is ours to shape to create a better future.