Pick your Fights

f o r g i v e n e s s i s e s s e n t i a l i n l i f e Choose your Battles

olivia sherlock staff writer

The idea of right and wrong is subjective. Most things are not as simple as good or bad. The majority of us can agree on the big things that are considered wrong like murder, rape and theft. But when it comes to the little things, we have a hard time agreeing to disagree. In our world we find balance in both being held accountable for our actions and being forgiven for our mistakes.

If we were forgiven for every little thing, no one would get better, no one would be able to grow.

But, as mathematician Issac Newton once said, “for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.” So while we may grow from criticism, forgiveness is one of the most powerful things in the world. Think of all the times you mess up or do something objectively bad in your everyday life — it’s too many times to count.

What if every time you walked too slowly in front of someone they yelled at you, or if every time you went five over the speed limit, you got pulled over?

Whether it’s taking an extra chicken nugget from the cafeteria or something much more serious, we are all humans who are all flawed. We need forgiveness to survive. One of the most important lessons I learned from my mother at a very young age is how to choose your battles.

Choose your battles because fighting is exhausting and because mistakes are constant.

If we can’t learn to forgive, we will never be successful in life — for life is not as simple as good or bad, and neither are people.

Let’s treat others the way we want to be treated and forgive others the way we want to be forgiven.

Choose forgiveness because you never know when you will need it in return.

MEDIA MATTERS the importance of a basic journalistic education in the American high school

charlie trent design editor

While bombarded with a myriad of required courses, students often overlook a branch of the educational system imperative for a knowledgeable and well-informed society. This unexplored area is journalism.

In recent years, there has been a major decline in the number of undergraduate enrollments in this field, which is especially troubling, considering the amount of manipulation seen within the media.

Without a basic, if not full, understanding of the intricacies of the field, how are those apart of the younger generation expected to distinguish between reality and falsification?

Journalism is defined as “a utility to empower the informed” by the American Press Institute. If that’s the true definition, why is it so that each school is not implementing this practice?

By definition, students should be informed of not only what is happening around them by the media, but also how the media functions in order to fully understand the power of manipulation of this system.

As an editor and leader on the staff of The Tiger Print, I have seen how simply words can be twisted — not only by the writer of the piece but also by the student body reading the article.

Many people in our generation cannot understand how easy it is to manipulate a quote and take it out of context, which happens often with media sources who don’t hold themselves to high standards, such as gossip tabloids.

How has student enrollment gone up in American high schools in 2018? *according to a survery done by the Journalistic Education Association

While some may argue media is toxic, manipulative and “the true enemy of the people,” as President Donald Trump would tweet, this policy immediately sparked an inspirational flame in young adults wishing to become involved in journalism in order to regain control of their informative media sources. Because of the behavior toward the media from our president, there has been a surge in enrollment in this field, known as the “Trump Bump.”

According to Lucy Dalglish, JD, Dean of the Philip Merrill College of Journalism at the University of Maryland, “[College students] enrolled in journalism because they want to hold the powerful accountable.” By suppressing the American youth in regards to media, it is clear there is a hunger for this type of fulfilling enrichment missing from the everyday lives of these students.

Although journalism is generally a particularly small program in many schools, especially high schools, the students in these programs boast an academic advantage when compared to other students.

According to a study done by The Newspaper Association of America, “high school journalism students perform better on standardized tests, make higher GPAs and earn higher grades their first semester of college than their classmates.” In accordance with many other real-world benefits, this academic distinction could lead students to gain entry into many colleges and possibly receive scholarships.

With all of this in mind, there is a clear lack of representation when it comes to the education of journalism and the media for high school students in the United States. Considering the current political climate and the toxic relationship the media has with many Americans, there is a need for a resurgence of ethical journalism, all of which begins with the education of high school students.

of teachers reported a rise in student enrollment in high school journalism of teachers reported increased student interest in majoring in journalism 44% 30%

| CARTOON BY ANI KREEGAR

Repairs missed in the bond need attention next time

The Bond, as shown by the Blue Valley electorate, is something that is desired.

The mobiles are rundown and the classroom expansion will be much appreciated by teachers who have to share rooms. The third gym will also surely be appreciated by the athletic and physical education departments.

But there are still areas of the school that need improvement that are sadly ignored.

The ceiling is leaking in many spots around the school such as the PAC and in the 400 hallway.

In multiple rooms, there is a brown slime that has crawled down the wall and has yet to be dealt with.

The band and orchestra still have to share a room. This has made it a confusing environment for practicing musicians with conflicting schedules. Dr. Shah’s room remains the only chemistry room that lacks a hood, thereby limiting the experiments that can be done by his classes.

The aging PAC is still in need of improvements. There are seats toward the front that require repair.

Additionally many parts of the stage have been damaged, posing a hazard to performers.

Underneath the stage, the pit’s crowded spacing makes moving about a hassle.

Technical Director of the PAC Tyler Lasche was able to give info of the condition behind the scenes.

“Since the theatre was built in 1986 there have been many additions added on to the theater,” Lasche said. “Instead of replacing the entire [curtain] fly rail system, they have just been adding on to it. This is where we get different size counter weight holders. We have different batons that come in at different heights or batons that don’t fly all the way out. Our fly system is safe, but it

is dated. Now if a new school is built, there are certain guidelines that have to be followed, like a loading bay. A loading bay is a catwalk that is above the rail on the stage. This makes it easier to load weight on and off as well as [making it] safer for everyone.”

The pool is measured in meters instead of yards. This has prevented the hosting of specific meets, such as State qualifiers, because of this idiosyncratic measurement.

The boys bathroom in the 500 hallway has a broken soap dispenser, a lock that is bent and therefore does not lock the door and a door that is completely missing.

This is not to say that all areas of the school deserve equal attention — not all activities, obviously, draw in the same attention and revenue — merely that the next time funding comes around, the lesser-known areas of the school should get some love.

ORCHESTRA

seniors reflect on their high school orchestra career

Willy Jiang

“I saw my sister playing [the violin] and said, ‘Alright, I need to crush her self esteem. It’s nice playing because I can flex on people.” Lily Damron

“In the cello section, I feel like we have a good time. We have a groupchat the boys always put memes in, so it’s always interesting.”

Clare Chambers

“I like the people — there is a lot of different students you wouldn’t expect to be in orchestra that I wouldn’t have met otherwise.”