By Brianna Gilbert

December 16, 2025

Individuals around the globe of all ages have reported a plethora of new and strange medical oddities dating back to the discovery of the Coronavirus. COVID-19 has been researched at both face value and in depth for years, evaluating symptoms and helping to explain this newfound teenage health crisis. While Long COVID affects everyone in every age group, health professionals have linked this condition to a spike in POTS and ME/CFS (Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome, Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome) cases, often in AFAB (assigned female at birth)  teens and young adults aged 14-25. 

While there is no universal definition of Long COVID, nor is there a definitive list of symptoms or causes, many individuals detail having symptoms aligning with this syndrome after a COVID-19 infection, no matter the intensity or length of the initial infection. Many individuals describe over 200 different symptoms that linger after that initial infection—most of which are reported to stay the same, get worse, or go away and come back—where multiple symptoms can plague someone at once.

Long COVID is often identified by lasting covid symptoms that exist long after someone has been infected. It’s not necessarily its own disease. These symptoms include extreme tiredness (worsened upon exertion), problems with memory (brain fog),  lightheadedness or dizziness, the absence or alteration of taste or smell, sleep problems (insomnia/hypersomnia), shortness of breath, cough, headache, irregular heartbeat (tachycardia, arrhythmia), and digestive problems (loose stools, constipation, or bloating). 

(For a more detailed Long COVID run down and tips for care/prevention: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/coronavirus/in-depth/coronavirus-long-term-effects/art-20490351)

Since the naming of Long COVID, there have been more and more previously rare disorders popping up more frequently around the world. Some conditions linked to Long COVID may have been caused by or worsened by the disease. Some of these health problems include heart disease, mood disorders, anxiety, stroke/blood clots, postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), myalgic encephalomyelitis-chronic fatigue syndrome (ME-CFS), mast cell activation syndrome, fibromyalgia, diabetes, and hyperlipidemia.

AFAB individuals are disproportionately affected by Long COVID. Multiple studies show that they are more likely to develop it and experience severe symptoms compared to AMAB (assigned male at birth) individuals, likely due to hormonal dissimilarities. Some research defines females as 3 times as likely as males to be affected by Long COVID. Females also experience unique symptoms regarding their menstrual cycle, noting hormonal fluctuations. 

Specifically, there has been a large spike in POTS cases since the pandemic, also disproportionately affecting females. With cases originally popping up at a rate of 1.42 per million people, the post-COVID rates rose all the way to 20.3 per million. (This information and more here: https://news.utoledo.edu/index.php/03_24_2025/covid-19-brought-about-a-large-rise-in-pots-cases) 

POTS is a disorder of the autonomic nervous system. The autonomic nervous system controls the body’s involuntary functions, which include things like breathing, digestion, heart rate, and blood pressure. Due to POTS causing the dysregulation of these functions, an individual affected by POTS may experience a rapid heart rate upon standing, insufficient blood flow to the brain, dizziness, brain fog, and fatigue. It’s important not to rule out POTS as a potential diagnosis, as there are several subtypes of POTS that all function differently. (For more information on POTS and its other causes: https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/16560-postural-orthostatic-tachycardia-syndrome-pots)

While Long COVID remains a somewhat large medical mystery, medical professionals waste no time denying its correlation with the increase in chronic illnesses since the discovery of COVID-19. If you or someone you know has a few of the aforementioned symptoms, it’s good to chat with a doctor to be sure nothing worse is going on.

By: Kayla Friend and Bree Nace

January 13, 2026

Red Land students and staff have noticed multiple temperature variations throughout the school, where some classes are warm but most are quite cold. Most people have talked about having to dress warm simply because of the temperature in the school, regardless of the weather outside. However, we have to take into account the fact that the size of the building is relatively large, and it is somewhat near impossible to maintain a consistent temperature throughout the entire school at all times. Regardless, students and staff have noted extreme changes in temperature that occurs from even simply leaving the classroom to enter the hallway. Specifically, the cafeteria is known for being warm or even hot, but once you leave, the hallways are significantly colder. 

          While the school cannot do much to fix the temperature, during the winter it has some serious downfalls with quite a few kids out sick. The low temps throughout the school can cause someone to feel tired, or increase chances of catching a virus. As much as the temperature itself cannot directly cause you to get sick, we have to take into account that most viruses survive longer in the cold, meaning they are airborne longer, which increases the chance of an outbreak. 

       We talked to a few people about how they feel about the temperature and how it affects them.  “I think it's usually way too cold in here, like I'm always freezing in school.” said senior, Taylor Eastman. Most, if not all kids at Red Land think that the school is cold, and with it being cold, kids are not as focused as they could be. When someone is cold all they can think about is the fact they are cold and how to get themselves warm instead of focusing on the school work they should be doing.

          When the outside temperature drops down to 30’s and lower,  shouldn't the students walk into a warm building, and not a cold building?

We decided to investigate. After recording the temperature of various locations in the school, we noticed that the temperature gets significantly lower closer to the windows. In some rooms, many can even feel the air coming from the window, and one classroom even said that the curtains move because of the amount of air coming from outside. So, as the school is spending hundreds, even thousands, towards pumping hot air into the building, the windows are letting it all out, and bringing colder air in.

     Some windows in the school have not been replaced for decades, and the seal is almost nonexistent. While the glass itself may be in good condition, the border around it is not. We wonder if the school has not put new seals on the windows in over thirty to forty years, if not longer. As a result, the seals are less effective, especially taking into account the fact that most seals last up to twenty years and extreme weather conditions can shorten that to about ten years.

      It can cost tens of thousands monthly just to heat the school and with a seal that has gone bad, it could make it much more expensive as the heat that the school is paying for is not staying in the building. With a rough estimate we would say there are about seven hundred windows in the school, so to get all new windows the school would be putting in about $210,000, not counting the labor. If the windows were resealed, it could cost around $35,000.

     While it may seem like a lot to spend on just windows, we need to remember that this isn't only for the colder months; this also would apply to the summer time when it's above 70 outside. So, sealing the windows would save the school money, keep the temperature reasonable, and make the students and staff happy. Anyone have $35,000 Red Land can borrow?

Written by: Alyssa Payne

 December 3, 2025

Teen love. Something almost every teen wants to experience. It seems beautiful and perfect. Falling in love with a guy or girl you meet in the same class as you. In the beginning, it feels meant to be… but that young love doesn’t last forever. Only 2% of teen relationships make it past high school and lead to marriage. That’s a very low percentage. I want to figure out why that is.

The first point to consider is, teens are still young. They’re still learning and developing. There’s not a whole lot of room for emotional maturity yet. Knowing that, let's start off with emotional immaturity. Having little to no emotional maturity can harm a relationship, especially in adolescence, we need to understand what emotional immaturity is. 

The actual definition is, “The state of being not fully grown or developed.” 

But that’s a very vague answer. Let's dive more in depth using this article called, “Talk to Angel”. 

 “A lack of emotional development and self-control is referred to as emotional immaturity. In romantic relationships, this can manifest as an inability to manage emotions, communicate effectively, or take responsibility for one’s actions. For instance, one partner may frequently lash out in anger during disagreements, refusing to engage in constructive conversation. Another partner might shut down emotionally or withdraw, leaving the other person feeling unheard and unimportant. These behaviors can create a cycle of dysfunction that erodes the foundation of the relationship over time.” 

Knowing this, it’s easier to recognize how that might ruin a relationship, especially if both people are this way. From my own experience, emotional immaturity is something I would like to never experience again; someone who would never apologize no matter what they did, use what they did for me, which I never asked them to do, against me, trying to control what I wear, and who I talk to. All of this is emotional immaturity as well. It’s extremely draining to be in a relationship like this especially when you're so young and your emotions are all over the place. These types of relationships can and will lead to depression. 

I got some personal answers from my journalism teacher, Mrs. Dorsey, Vivianne, my friend, and my boyfriend, Connor. It’s always nice to get real, raw answers from people. 

I’ll start out with my teacher, Mrs. Dorsey. She answered the adult’s only question, and gave advice to teenagers in relationships. 

Q: Do you see a pattern in teen relationships which are potentially harming said bond?

A: “I sometimes see a desire, mostly from the ladies, to want to stick around, even if things aren’t good. I’m not sure if they stay because they like the idea of the relationship OR they feel like they can “fix” what’s wrong by themselves? Either way, anyone who is in a relationship that is harmful should ‘trust their gut’ and move on.”

She gave a very straightforward answer. From my experience, girls DO feel like they can help or change their partner, even if it hurts them in the process. It's cruel to ourselves to feel that way, but as teenage girls grow older, they’ll learn. Mrs. Dorsey’s advice is something everyone should follow as well. “Either way, anyone who is in a relationship that is harmful should “trust their gut and move on” If everyone did this, I can happily say most people would be happier. This is how we begin to see emotional immaturity. The feeling of wanting or needing to “fix” someone because we care and love them. This shows they’re immature because knowing someone does things that hurt you and they don’t stop because they’re struggling mentally, is never good to stay around, let alone try by yourself to fix them. You can only do so much for someone, but they have to do their part as well. They have to want to be helped in the first place. A lot of people don’t want help because they’re too comfortable in whatever state they are in. It shows you don’t respect yourself. If you know someone is constantly hurting you and there are no signs of change whatsoever, leave. Staying just screams, “I don’t care about myself, they matter more. I don’t care what they do to me, as long as I get to be with them.” If you ever catch yourself thinking or saying this that is similar to the quote above, leave. Realize this relationship isn’t good for you or your mental health, and just leave. It’s the best option for you. 

The next person I chose to interview was my boyfriend, Connor. Interviewing him not only helps me understand his views on why teen relationships fail, but I feel as if his answers could be relatable to others as well and open their eyes a little bit. 

Q: “Do you have any relationship struggles currently?”

A: “At the moment no. But in the beginning of our relationship there were some struggles because we just met and we didn't fully trust each other. Past relationships affected us, but now we are good and as perfect as can be.”

Goes to show, the beginning of relationships can either be perfect, or really hard. This is where the emotional immaturity starts to slowly spill in. Bringing past relationship issues or traumas into a new relationship, can be damaging to both parties. Which is just wrong and immature. If you don’t fully trust your partner, why even be in a relationship? If you see yourself having trust issues or abandonment issues, it’s best to not get into a relationship, because it can mentally harm the other party. It’s draining to constantly feel like your partner doesn’t trust you. Heal and find yourself again! In this case though, Connor and I stayed together even through those tough times and grew together more. It ended up making our relationship way less stressful, which led to us being perfectly fine now. Our relationship is now really good in our opinion, and how many arguments we have weekly, have drastically dropped since then. Don’t think arguing is a sign you and your partner aren’t meant for each other, just work through any issues, understand and really listen to what your partner is communicating with you, and change your ways. It can be a little challenging if something you do all the time harms them. If they would prefer you to stop, then you put the effort into not doing said habit anymore to make things a little easier for the both of you. If you don’t communicate or even try to change your toxic habits, it shows immaturity. 

Q: “What relationship struggles have you had in the past?”

A: “Overthinking issues, being accusatory towards my partner, kind of mean because being in a healthy relationship was a new thing for me. Moments where my significant other felt the need to break up with me because I wouldn’t listen to her and her feelings and what I was doing. I ended up draining her a lot and it hurt me to see her like that, so I got better for her. In my past relationships before my present one, I ended up getting cheated on, lied to, and manipulated. Ever since I was cheated on, I have also cheated on people. But then I realized I didn't want to be that person. I wanted to be better than that. Now, I am able to better understand more than I did about how relationships work.”

Q: “Are you overcoming these struggles in your current relationship?”

A: “Yes. I am. We communicated more, talked about things that are very important, came up with ways to express our feelings better, and respect each other's boundaries more to be a greater couple. It took a lot of understanding and apologies, but we made it.”

This is very true. We did start communicating about stuff way better. Communication can go a long way. But there’s something more important than communication, and it’s understanding. You can communicate to your partner all you want, but if they can’t or don’t want to understand you, things won’t work. 

Q: “What advice would you give to other people about how to help relationships last longer, and overall be better than they are now? 

A: “In my opinion, the best advice would be to talk through those issues with your partner and not keep them hidden. Give them a proper explanation on why you act and say the things you do, communicate everything and figure out ways to do stuff better with what you can do for each other to feel respected. Be respectful. Show them that you care about them, by giving them gifts, taking them out on dates, compliment them all the time and reassure them that you think they're pretty or handsome because there will be times where they will feel the opposite. The little things go a long way.

This is all so true. Doing everything stated in the above quote explained by Connor Hertz, can make your partner happy. Showing your partner you care and love them in ways they can feel it, is the best thing you can do for someone. It releases some tension, causes less arguments, helps you understand them and yourself better, and just over all makes the relationship better. 

Q: “Do you see a pattern in teen relationships which are potentially harming said bond?

A: “Yes. Patterns of cheating, lying, manipulation, because teens brains aren't fully developed and don't know how relationships work. I feel like teens don't communicate a lot with each other. For dudes, a lot of them can come off as very nonchalant even though they try to show they care, because they're not good at showing emotions because most of them are raised to not show emotion and push them down and be a warrior I guess you could say. For girls, I feel like a lot of the time girls can give way too much attitude just because they want to. And I think girls, when they get into an argument with their significant other, tend to be avoidant and don't want to talk about the issue right away which can lead the dude to think his girlfriend doesn't like him enough to get through the issue, or just make him overthink in general. This is just what I’ve seen and went through. Not everyone and all relationships are like this, but there’s definitely a lot of relationships I see or hear about that have these issues,” Stated Connor. 

I agree. Not every relationship is the same. Everyone is different and has their own struggles, traumas, and triggers. 

Moving on, I’ll start explaining more things I've seen, heard, and done research about how addiction can ruin teen relationships as well. It can ruin any relationship no matter the age, but in this day and age there’s a lot more teens who are getting into bad substances from what I’ve seen on social media like TikTok, Instagram, and Snapchat. Substance use can lead to mental illness, or potentially make it worse if mental illness is something you struggle with beforehand. 

According to the article called, “Substance Abuse Among Youth”, on the CDC website,

It says, “Youth with substance abuse disorders have higher rates of physical and mental illness.” 

To add onto this, an article called, “The Impact of Substance Abuse on Relationship and Families”,It states, “Addiction can damage trust, ruin communication, and create an emotional environment that feels unsafe. Over time, it can change your relationship completely. You might feel like you’re always walking on eggshells, or like you have to take care of everything by yourself. These are signs of codependency, and they’re more common than you think.” 

As it explains in the quote, addiction can damage trust, communication, and create an unsafe environment. Addiction can 100% ruin trust between you and your partner. They could be stealing money from you for drugs, or stealing valuables from you to sell for money for drugs as well. They could lie to you and tell you they’re sober this time or lie about how they’ve “changed”. Most of the time they don't change, they just want something from you. Addiction can completely change who someone is. It can change their character in so many ways. One common change in someone's personality when they are addicted to something is, only caring about themselves and their high. They lose all sight of what they do to other people because they’re so caught up in this addiction that it blinds them. Bringing up the stealing and lying again, it shows they don’t care about what they do or say to you or how you feel about things, because all they want from you is something that could help them get their next use. That can damage relationships, especially romantic relationships. Because as I said, you lose trust in them. You don’t know that person anymore, they're different. Adding in mental illness, according to the quote from the article above, "Substance Abuse Among Youth”, it says drug use and addiction can lead to mental illness. It affects their brain in ways it ruins their dopamine hormones by lessening the production of the hormone in the brain, which can lead to depression. Depression is basically the decrease in the “happy drug” in your brain, which affects you being happy. Addiction can lead you to feel like the only way you can be happy is if you continue abusing their drug of choice. Because as I’ve stated, that happy drug isn't producing as much as it should be anymore because of the drug they're abusing. Being someone dating a drug abuser is hard. It’s draining, and quite frankly scary. Seeing your partner in this state of an all time low can really make you sad, which could lead to you getting depression as well. It’s best to try your best to get them help or send them to rehab, but if they’re unwilling to get better and change them, getting help won’t do anything for them. So at that point, the best option for yourself and your mental health is to leave them. Even if you aren’t stealing from your partner, the addiction you have and how it changes you, alone, can ruin everything they have built. 

Now, communication. Let's start with explaining what communication is.

Communication in any type of relationship, especially a romantic one, is NEEDED. You will never know what you’re doing to your partner if they don’t speak up, same goes the other way. Your partner won’t know what they’re doing to you if you don't tell them. If you want to keep your relationship healthy and intimate, not only should you communicate, but both should be willing to understand the other person, and change what they’re doing so they aren’t hurting one another. Or start doing something more, or start to do something to make your partner happy, feel safe, and keep the love alive.

How does addiction play into this? Well for starters, drug abuse affects your brain and its chemistry. It can make it hard to understand your partner, not realize what you're doing to your partner or understand how what you’re doing is wrong even if your partner explains why. It can also lead to a severe decrease in communication altogether. Without any sort of communication that’s important, the relationship will not last long and will end before you know it. Alcohol is a part of addiction as well. Alcohol abuse can do all of the same things I've explained above. 

Creating an unsafe environment is something that always happens when you’re with someone who has any sort of addiction. The way it becomes unsafe because as I said, it changes them and how their brain works. They could potentially become abusive towards you. Whether it's physical, mental, emotionally, or psychologically, it will happen eventually. Which is why the earlier you leave them, the less you will endure, the safer you will be and feel. Abuse isn’t always physical. It could be constantly putting you down, yelling in your face and purposefully trying to intimidate and scare you, make you feel less than you are. Manipulation and gaslighting is also a form of abuse. All of this can lead to trauma, which isn’t healthy for you. You should never be with someone who is constantly traumatizing you or hurting you in any way. 

So, from what I have heard and researched, I figured out why relationships fail and don’t last till marriage out of high school: addiction, bad communication, all types of abuse, overthinking issues, trust issues, cheating, emotional abuse, and controlling your partner. If you want your teenage relationship to last, I would advise not doing any of the things I have listed or explained. Good luck.

By- Nova Maliszewski

January 16, 2026

Math has always had a significant impact on the drive to learn for some students, either positively or negatively. Students' drive to learn in general has declined over the years to 2025, especially in math. Although math is a great skill to be able to learn for trying to live on your own, and for financial responsibilities. Without this skill, students, when moving into adulthood, might struggle financially and not be able to budget for a steady home, security, and food.

People feel math is hard simply because it requires a lot of critical thinking skills. And it's hard to think of math abstractly. This is based on an article from Arizona State University, Why Is It So Hard to Learn Math? | Office of the President, as they state, “It often starts with the problem of teaching math in the abstract.” Students may not be able to understand how to solve a lot of word math problems because it's hard to be able to understand what the question is asking. It's also not easy to break up into parts, but it's a great skill to have whenever you can't understand the question in one go. It's good to always draw out what it's asking and label all of the sides. Some students also suffer from learning difficulties, which can make it extremely hard to improve. According to Ryan Stanely from The Prodigy, Why Is Math so Hard for Some Students? | Prodigy, “Children with difficulties, such as dyslexia, can find it challenging to read math questions or solve word problems.” This is a very true statement because with dyslexia, it makes it harder to read a question, because not only does a math world problem require reading, but it also requires deep thought into what you need to do to solve it. 

When people are taught the basic knowledge in math during adolescence, it gives them a great boost in critical thinking skills, brain activity, and healthy aging. Stated by Hazun Oztunc, Your Brain Will Thank You for Learning Math - The Fountain Magazine, “Mathematics can contribute to healthy aging by enhancing overall brain health.” When learning math, it helps create new formations of brain cells, making your brain stronger and live longer. It's like a workout for the brain, just like a puzzle. Based on Oxford learning, The Myth of the ‘Math Brain' - Oxford Learning, they state, “When students practice math, they strengthen the neural pathways that help them understand numbers and problem-solving techniques.” This supports how math can create the neural formation of brain cells, and help you be able to solve future problems.

When people are not given the basics of knowledge in math, they are found to have lower brain plasticity. According to Gen Juillet, Lack of Math Education Negatively Affects Adolescent Brain and Cognitive Development - Neuroscience News, they state, “The study found that students who didn’t study maths had a lower amount of a crucial chemical for brain plasticity (gamma-Aminobutyric acid) in a key brain region involved in many important cognitive functions, including reasoning, problem solving, maths, memory and learning.” Overall, without these certain chemicals in your brain, it can overall affect your wellbeing, such as your hormones and the way you are; however, because people feel math triggers their anxiety and stress, they don't want to do it. This is also stated in Oxford Learning, The Myth of the ‘Math Brain' - Oxford Learning, “Studies show that math anxiety triggers the same areas of the brain associated with physical pain, making it harder to focus and process information.” This can explain why a lot of people, not only students, simply don't like to do math because it genuinely causes them to not feel well.

Overall, math should be taught to all students in many different ways so that everyone can learn the concept. People with learning disabilities are able to learn math and get better at it; it just takes time and a different way to explain it to them. They don't understand like everyone else, and the problem is that teachers only teach the standardized way when there are so many ways to teach math to certain people, and have them enjoy it, without feeling pain.

by Sydney Maneely and Ciya Liverman

November 14, 2025

College application season is rolling along and as it does, seniors at Red Land High School face the common struggles of applying to college. There are the usual struggles of getting teacher recommendations, figuring out programs, and navigating the different application formats. Now, Red Land students face a new challenge: Schoolinks. Schoolinks is a new system where students upload transcripts and teacher recommendations. Regular decision applications due are February 1st, Early Applications are underway, and Rolling Admissions are rolling through. We explore how seniors at Red Land High School are struggling with application questions and with the new system: School Links. 

Counselors Mr. Moore and Mr. Walter answer some of the difficult questions high school students are facing. Also included is information from the highly esteemed Princeton Review on what they think makes a good application. 

Mr. Moore, the senior counselor at Red Land High School, states, “I want to see them successful.” Mr. Moore explains that there are 270 seniors in the current senior class. 55% of them will apply to college. He stresses the importance of seniors who plan to apply to college to get their application materials prepared in advance.

One of the questions that counselors hear often is about teacher recommendations. This is especially true this year as we navigate our new system SchooLinks, which is replacing Naviance. 

Mr. Walter recommends that students visit their counselor with questions about SchooLinks. SchooLinks is used for requesting teacher and counselor letters of recommendation and other official documents like school transcripts.

When asked how they would solve a student’s confusion with SchooLinks, Mr. Walter said, “Mr Moore would probably just show them where it’s at and how to do it correctly.”

In every counselor's office, there is a “How to Apply for College” book that Mr. Walter recommends that students look at. The resource is also available online in Schoology under the “Class of 2026” course in the Senior Bulletin Folder. In the book, it explains how students are able to apply for college, how to add teacher recommendations, and other important dates for seniors. 

In addition to this, on an annual basis the school hosts Student Aid nights where families can learn about applying for financial aid. There are many local college and career fairs where students will have the opportunity to explore their options when it comes to colleges. 

We also looked at the Princeton Review, a popular resource for preparing for college. Specifically, we looked at what the Princeton Review recommends students need for a good application. The majority of colleges require different items for college applications, but there are some commonalities all colleges look for such as participation in extracurricular activities, to include clubs, sports, community services, jobs, and even theater. Schools also look at GPA and test scores, awards and honors, and a well-written college essay. 

Keeping focused on building a strong application will benefit seniors in the long run if they plan to apply to college. Earlier planning, in high school will make them more successful long-term. Mr. Moore said that part of helping seniors prepare to apply to colleges includes when “counselors go in and introduce them to inventories and link up aptitude tasks, and personality.”

A final piece of advice for seniors is to make sure they stay on top of important dates for applications, scholarships, and FAFSA. Any questions can be solved by looking at the Senior Bulletin in the Class of 2026 in Schoology or reaching out to a counselor.

By Annabelle Stonesifer and Reagan Gossard

November 20, 2025

With the school budget under pressure, extracurricular programs like the art and music departments are feeling the impact. Many schools are being forced to make difficult decisions about where and when to spend their funds. Ms. Miller, a ceramics teacher at Red Land High School says, “So I think the hardest thing has been like prices are going up, but we've still had to kinda maintain and stay the same as far as our budget.” As budget discussions continue, teachers and even club directors at schools talk about how to maintain spending, while still trying to make lessons enjoyable for their students. 

As the school budget is changing, there are positive and negative effects for some extracurricular activities, while some teachers say they do not see a significant impact. Mrs.  Shepski, a teacher in the music department of Red Land, states, “I mean… I haven’t noticed a super large difference in budget items, other than, like, things that maybe were wish list items.” The school budget creates a cutoff between necessities and possible things that teachers may want to purchase for their students and classrooms. Ms. Miller reinforces Mrs. Shepski’s perspective saying, “Since we are in a deficit, we definitely are encouraged to go with absolute needs instead of wants.” Although teachers cannot spend money on things that they may want, there are still some positive aspects in terms of the budget not harmfully affecting their classrooms completely. 

On the other hand, some teachers state that the school budget is negatively affecting how much they can spend on resources for their classrooms. Mr. Peffer, a seasoned art teacher at Red Land High School, emphasizes,  “I push a lot with my sculpture students, a lot of cardboard and paper assignments, so we can use recycled materials that are free.”

Teachers have to find alternative ways to spend and budget their money in their classrooms, as well as creating interesting and engaging activities for their students. Mr. Peffer continues, “Yeah so a lot of it’s just, like problem solving, you kind of have to.” Many teachers take away their own personal time to formulate ideas for their classes by going to stores, and looking for any additional resources.  

Ultimately, the school budget can both be harmful and beneficial to extracurricular  activities as they are often overlooked. Most students would be surprised to hear how creative Creating awareness over this topic, which is usually kept to the teachers and advisors, can possibly help develop a new perspective on where schools stand when it comes to the budget.