Grace's portfolio

Grace’s Portfolio

2018

ESSAY This semester I have learned a lot about journalism. Starting as a staff member, then becoming an editor was a big change for me. In the beginning, I just wrote a story or two, but now I contribute to putting the paper together. I have really enjoyed being an editor because I love creative design. Having the ability to be creative with my page has been a of of fun. Working with the other editors as also been a lot of fun. When it came to deadlines, on occasion, it was a little stressful; only because sometimes the stories would not be done until the day before they were due. I didn’t always like having to be on people’s backs for getting stories done, but at the end of the day I understand that that’s part of the leadership that comes with being an editor. In the future I hope I won’t run into problems like these, however, I know I will. So, I hope that I will be able to approach it with an open mind.

I also learned a lot about Indesign and Photoshop. Photoshop is always been something that I’ve wanted to learn about, so I’m glad that I had the opportunity to use it. At first I was definitely a little lost, but with help, I eventually got the hang of it. Learning how to properly use Indesign was also a little tricky at first, But like Photoshop, I got the hang of it.

In the future, I assume I’ll be able to use these skills, because I’m interested in graphic design.

As far as deadlines go, I didn’t find them hard to reach. However, the writers on my page occasionally did. Overall, they always got it done, but some needed a little push at the end. Being an editor, I only needed one big story, which I liked because I could spend more time on it and get more in depth. During production week there was a lot more to do though.

I found it stressful, mainly because I was new at it and didn’t know how to manage it all the time. In the future, I don’t know what I’d do differently. There isn’t really anything in particular that stands out to me as something that I need to change. Maybe not waiting until the last day to do my portfolio.

Journalism ethics are obviously very important in a newspaper class. I never had an issue with plagirarization, from myself or writers on my page. I did have issues with writers lying about how far along they were on their stories. This posed an issue because it was hard to tell who was being truthful all the time. I feel that being honest is one of the most important, if not the most important, things in journalism. Primarily because the point of news is to educate people on the facts, and it’s hard to write the facts if you yourself lie. I hope that in the future everyone will be honest about when their stories are done, so they can get the help they need in order to get it done on time.

I am really proud to be a part of the newspaper team. Being one of two sophomore editors is something that I am very happy about. I’m glad that people were able to trust me with taking on a responsibility like this. I am very committed to the staff and will be taking newspaper for the rest of high school. I hope that we will be able to win an award, like the years prior. I always write my stories like I’m competing to win an award, because I am. If I were to be apart of a newspaper that won an award from Columbia University, I would be beyond happy.

In all honesty, I didn’t face a lot of hardships this semester. My experience has been pretty laid back, aside from having to urge writers to get their stuff done on time. From situations like that I learned a lot. The main thing was probably to approach it with an open mind. I tried to keep in mind that I wasn’t the only one with a lot on my plate. If they arose again I would do the same thing and just try to help them. My greatest weakness was probably time management. I often waited a while to start things, but it didn’t cause an issue for anyone but myself. I always had things done and turned in on time. To overcome this, I would just start assignments early so I didn’t have to do it all in one night.

REFLECTION #1 Overall, this semester I was really proud of a lot of my work. However, my favorite was my first article. I wrote an article on the late Senator John McCain and I am really happy with the finished product. I interviewed Senator Jeff Flake and that was a big accomplishment for me. I ended up winning an award for best article of the paper, and for me, being a sophomore, that was a big deal.

This was my best work because I took the most time on it and conducted the best interviews I could. I really enjoyed writing the piece because John McCain was in my opinion, an outstanding individual. The article wasn’t hard to complete, but I did need to leave school early to get an interview. Over the course of a week, I wrote an article about someone very highly regarded and in the end, when it went into the paper, I was really proud of it. I would have liked it to say “Death of an Icon” instead of “Death of a con” but in the end there was nothing that could be done about the “I” not being printed.

THE CACTUS SHADOWS PRESS THE NEWS

Country mourns the death of an icon

By Grace Carey staff writer

At age 81, John McCain, a Prisoner of War survivor, an Arizona Senator, and a presidential nominee, died on August 25, 2018 at his ranch in Cornville, Arizona due to Glioblastoma, an aggressive form on Cancer occuring in the brain. McCain’s life, in and of itself, was an eventful story. Whether or not one always agreed with him, one thing was true, he lived a life dedicated to serving his country.

“I don’t even know Washington without him,” said Jeff Flake, an Arizona senator who served with McCain for the past six years.

Following his father’s and grandfather’s footsteps, McCain became a naval aviator after graduating from the United States Naval Academy in 1958. Nearly ten years later, McCain’s plane was shot down while flying over

“

Greatest value, courage. You don’t make it through five years as a prisoner of war without having tremendous courage.

Jeff Flake Arizona Senator

Hanoi, Vietnam. Then, he was released back into the hands of the U.S. government after enduring torture and interrogation for five years. By 1981, he entered the political world and went on to serve three decades in Congress, which included six terms in the Senate.

“I think that he served our country valiantly. He did a lot for military families and veterans. I know he is very popular

within the military,” said Ryland Davidson, a sophomore.

McCain was often referred to as a “maverick,” meaning that he was an independent-minded person. While he was a Republican, he was not always partisan to his party. For instance, in 2017, after eleven hours of deliberating, McCain gave a thumbs-down to the Republican National Party’s motion to undo the Affordable Care Act. “Greatest value, courage. You don’t make it through five years as a prisoner of war without having tremendous courage. Courage to stand up to your leadership, to push for unpopular things on Capitol Hill, like Campaign Finance Reform or Spending Reform; things that needed to be done, but weren’t very popular. The courage to pursue them, nonetheless, that’s what I learned from him,” said said Flake.

Not only was McCain a political giant, a “maverick”, a prisoner of war, and a Senator, he also promised the people his honesty, even in the toughest cases. For instance, during his 2000 political campaign, he made a pivotal comment, regarding the state’s right to choose whether or not to fly the Confederate flag.

Ultimately, his conscience got the best of him, and he later redacted the statement, citing how wrong he felt it really was.

“He showed that he didn’t just have a loyalty to his political party, he had a loyalty to his country in general,” said Molly Scaccia, a sophomore.

Though McCain was not a native Arizonan, due to his father’s Naval career, he moved to Arizona in 1981, and became the Senator in 1983. He lived there until his final days with his wife, Cindy McCain.

McCain received many medals, including the Silver Star, the Bronze Star, the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Legion of Merit, and the Purple Heart; and of course he fought for the United States in Vietnam.

With the sudden opening in the Senate, Republicans are now fearing a possible Democratic majority. Considering the fact that Jeff Flake will not be running for re-election, this leaves a seat to fill in the upcoming election in November, 2018. However, McCain’s seat, will not be permanently filled until 2020. In the meantime, Jon Kyl, a former Arizona Senator, has stepped up to fill the late Senator McCain’s vacant position.

September 28, 2018 ● 3

MOTIVATED BY APRIL’S RED FOR ED MOVEMENT, many

teachers are moving from their classrooms to the state capitiol. Christine Marsh, an english teacher, is the democratic nominee for Legisative district 28’s state senate elections. 4 BLAKE DORAME

Teachers run for office After the recent Red for Ed movement, many teachers across the state were inspired to take action for their community.

By Julia Knies spotlight editor

Inspired by the Red for Ed movement, an influx of teachers have stepped up in Arizona to run for a variety of offices, with the goal of making significant changes in how Arizona fund.

The National Education Association stated that the average Arizona teacher makes around $47,000 annually compared to the national average of around $58,000. This makes Arizona the 49th worst state in the nation for high school teacher pay and 50th worst state for elementary teacher salaries. In addition, it is one of the only states that gives tax money to non-public schools.

“For as much as [teachers] work, and all the stuff they have to deal with, helping kids out and everything...They should be getting paid more,” said Halle Abadi, a senior.

In 2008, funding was cut across all platforms due to the recession. Since then, it has continued to decrease. According to the U.S. Department of Education, it is estimated that funds will continue to be cut since there is an increase in students.

Because of the low schooling budget and lack of resources, educators and supports organized the Red for Ed movement. The six day walkout in April resulted in a 20 percent increase in teacher pay in Arizona over three years, though educators originally requested a higher increase in budget.

“It’s one of those things where everybody has to be on the same page, and so once they had the opportunity to [walkout], they seized it, and I admire teachers for doing it,” said Gabe Ozaki, a senior.

Inspired by the Red for Ed movement, many teachers like Christine Marsh, a Cactus Shadows English teacher, have decided to take the political approach. According to the Arizona Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, more than 40 past or current education professionals are run-

ning for Arizona state legislature.

Marsh is Arizona’s 2016 Teacher of the Year and is running for a seat in the state senate. One of her original inspirations for running was when a student asked if Arizona students were worth less than other students because Arizona students are funded less.

“I realized I have to run, or I won’t be able to look my students in the eyes. I realized I would lose more sleep by not running than by running,” said Marsh.

Additionally, the CCUSD governing board elections are coming up and a teacher is running for a position on the board. Involving themselves in their community, the IB seniors have decided to host a debate between the three candidates running for two slots.

“I think it’s a great thing [that teachers are running] because they know, like, they’ve been there inside of the classroom. So, they know what needs to be done, and they know how it can be done. So I think it’s a really good thing for teachers to run for the governing board,” said Ozaki.

As for a teacher winning, many Democrats are guessing that voters will side with educators rather than Republicans. The Democrats only need to pick up two more seats in the Senate to flip it. “[If two more Democrats are elected,] everyone down at the capitol will have to work together, they will not have an option… It will be a game changer for Arizona because they will have to compromise and negotiate,” said Marsh.

If Marsh wins, she plans to continue teaching, and have the teacher with whom she did her student teaching with come in for her while the legislature is in session.

Election day takes place on Tuesday, November 6, 2018, and voting can be done at any local polling place.

REFLECTION #2 For the October issue, I wrote about national trafficking for the In-Depth page. I am proud of this piece because I think it is a very sensitive topic and to have the opportunity to cover it was a good experience. I learned a lot about the topic and I really enjoyed learning about it, because I may pursue a career in human rights activation.

10 ● October 19, 2018

in Depth

THE CACTUS SHADOWS PRESS

The horrors of human trafficking

THE CACTUS SHADOWS PRESS IN DEPTH

Trafficking in Phoenix

With the current sex trafficking industry boo could be a person’s greatest tool against the Evan Myers Staff writer

Arizona, land of the sun and retirees… and human trafficking. While the Valley of the Sun is not usually associated with this particular crime, Arizona had almost a 30 percent increase in reported cases of human trafficking in 2016, according the National Human Trafficking Hotline -- 151 cases were reported, up from 117 the year before.

Brad Penner, the School Resource Officer, who used to specialize in cases of human trafficking and reported that there is a problem locally with trafficking.

“In recent years, Arizona State University conducted

SEX TRAFFICKING STATISTICS

Modern day slavery

4MAJA PEIRCE

Thousands of Americans are sold into the sex trade every year.

V

By Grace Carey staff writer

ictims are given false hopes and promises everyday, eventually leading them into trafficking.

An estimated 14,500—17,500 people are sold into human trafficking in the United States annually, according to DoSomething.org. World wide, the profit made by this crime is an estimated $150 billion. It can happen at any time, anywhere, to whomever.

“Human trafficking is the third-biggest criminal enterprise in the world,” said Amy Klobuchar, Minnesota Senator at the Democratic Convention.

According to ark.cs.washinton.edu who fact checked Klobuckars’ speech, “A U.N. agency estimated the total value of human trafficking at $150 billion. The comparable estimates for the drug trade range from about $280 billion to $420 billion. There is one dicey estimate for counterfeiting of $250 billion. By those measures, human trafficking does rank third.”

It is on it’s way to surpassing the illegal sale and distribution of drugs and arms, because, unlike drugs and guns, people can be sold time and time again.

Generating this amount of income annually, the business has proved to be highly lucrative. Therefore, the trafficking numbers have greatly increased.

Sex Trafficking The most prevalent type of trafficking is sex trafficking. This alone makes roughly $33.5 billion each year. Young women, in particular, are primary targets. Most often, victims are not physically abducted.

This is considered messy and it is significantly easier for traffickers to lure people into relationships.

On the contrary, some are abducted. These victims are typically sex trafficked. They are held against

their will and forced into sexual acts by their pimp.

They do not run, because they fear being killed. They do not talk, because they fear risking others lives.

Occasionally, they are impregnated by traffickers and their child is used as blackmail to keep them around.

Once they have been under the pimp’s manipulation for some time, victims often develop Stockholm Syndrome, sentiments of trust or affection toward their captor. When the pimp has faith in their loyalty, girls are given the title “bottom girl,” and begin to handle money, training, and recruiting.

“A pimp is the guy, he’s the one who gets the money, he’s the one who runs the show. He can’t do it alone, because he wants to go party, so he promotes one of his girls to his bottom. She’s now the leader in control when he’s not around,” said Brad Penner, the school resource officer who worked with the Federal Bureau of Investigation for five years on Sex Trafficking.

What a Pimp Looks For Traffickers are typically clever in how they find and keep their victims. Traffickers can be anyone from low-level pimps to women dressed to the nines. They target people with similar backgrounds, making it easier to form a connection with potential victims.

“I think that traffickers probably look for people they view as being weak, because they can manipulate them,” said Natalie Persyn, a sophomore.

Victims are targeted because they experience a hardship. These stick out to traffickers, because they make a victim vulnerable. Traffickers also look for those that seem to be out of their element making it easier for them to manipulate people into performing tasks that they would not typically engage in.

The Sad Truth After bonds form, traffickers begin asking for favors, resulting in men, women, and children, being

in over their heads.

“It’s really sad, because these people trust the traffickers and a lot of times they’re all they have,” said Cheyenne Yerkes, a sophomore.

Internationally, 40.3 billion people are involved with a type of human trafficking, according to the International Labour Organization. Some are sex trafficked, some labor forced, and others kept in a debt bond. The targeted victims can be anyone from young girls living on the streets, to grown men trying to repair debts.

As soon as traffickers have manipulated an individual enough, they cling to anything that can keep them. From threats to buying them desired things, the victims are roped in.

Traffickers frequently move their people in a circuit formation. Typically, they move from state to state, and are placed in trafficking hot spots. States are either referred to as being hot, or cold. If a state is hot, people are taken there; if it’s cold, they are not.

These terms are able to tell traffickers whether or not law enforcement is heavy in that area.

“They actually have a website, it’s for pimps to go on to and they can “check the temperature,” and what that means is, if it’s hot, police is low and money is good. If it’s cold police is high and money is not good, so they won’t go there,” said Penner.

Both the east and west coast are prevalent locations where victims are taken. Sometimes, they are even taken out to port cities and shipped off to other continents.

Once victims are abroad, they are likely to spend their life in trafficking. They will never own anything as long as they “belong” to someone else. Their once promised “better life” has been taken from them and they often never get their old life completely, if at all, back.

Less than 50% of victims are kidnapped as most victims are “groomed” by the traffciker.

81% of victims are stuck in forced labor.

25% of vitims are children.

75% of them are women and girls.

Forced labor and human trafficking is a $150 billion dollar industry worldwide, according to the International Labour Organization.

The International Labour Organization estimates that there are around 40.3 million victims globally and 1.5 million in the United States.

Around 2 million children are subjected into the prostitution for the global commercial sex trade.

polarisproject.org and arkofhopeforchildren.org

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REFLECTION #2 In November I wrote about the upcoming elections and celebrities influence in them.. I really enjoyed writing this piece, because I’m interested in politics. Ever since I was little, my parents have always taught me about it, so I’ve grown up knowing about it. Being able to research politics and what may influence them was really cool.

8 ● November 16, 2018

THE CACTUS SHADOWS PRESS

COMMENT

OPINION

Grace Carey

OPINION

Should celebrities be involved in politics?

Yes

No

style editor

Makenna French staff writer

In recent years, celebrities have been seemingly more active in politics than ever. From all corners of the world, they have been voicing their political beliefs, through various manners.

This has raised some concern with everyday men and women.

The words “celebrity” and “famous” go hand in hand, to some it would be a dream come true to have there words uttered about them, to others, it would be a nightmare. With social media being so prevalent in today’s society, there is bound to be some controversy about who should be saying or posting what.

There is an argument that those with a larger platform than the average person, should be keeping their mouths shut about which candidate they believe would best suit the whole.

While this is a valid argument, many disagree with this for a number of reasons.

Asking someone who has built an empire for themself to simply fly under the radar when it comes to politics is absurd. No matter what kind of net worth or following they have, they still deserve to speak their mind openly and freely, without fear of the backlash that they are currently receiving.

When someone is asking about another person, they would most likely expect to hear some adjectives describing them possibly, funny, nice, kind, or even mean. Although, when someone is famous, that is often all they are: just famous.

The word famous is so overused, that at a certain point, it is almost pathetic to hear. Just because someone is considered famous, does not mean that they have any more or less value than any of us. They are just like us, normal people.

The First Amendment is arguably one of the more important amendments. It consists of five basic freedoms, giving to those in the United States. The amendment states that congress may not punish people for freedom of religion, speech, press, assembly, or petitioning the government. The ratification of this amendment gave way for everyday people to express their opinions, without fear of prosecution; therefore, a celebrity should not need to hide his or her beliefs.

People deserve to voice their opinions, especially in the United States, even unpopular ones need to be heard. It is understandable why people agree with the argument which states that celebrities and politics should be separated, however, the other side of the argument needs to be voiced as well.

No matter how “famous” someone is, they are still a person. Their platform does allow them to reach a greater variety of people in a quicker time, but they should still be able to have a voice in something other than their favorite brands and who should and who should not win an oscar.

Celebrities like Beyonce, Jay Z, Katy Perry, and Alec Baldwin could be described as Democrats. Dwayne Johnson, Clint Eastwood, Adam Sandler, and Tom Brady, on the other hand, could be described as Republicans. There are even some celebrities that straddle the fence, like Taylor Swift.

Because of this wide variety of influencers, there is bound to be some disagreement on who the “right” candidate is. Most of these celebrities are acquaintances or even friends. Just because their friend posts something about their endorsement of a Democratic candidate, does not mean that they will text them with a laundry list of reasons that they are in the wrong.

The bottom line is quite simple, it is important to hear opinions from all sides of the equation. For this years Mid-Term elections, if 50 percent of people eligible for voting in the United States voted, it would be the highest turnout in history.

Celebrities, no matter how well known and influential they are, deserve a voice in political matters. They are just ordinary people, trying to do what they believe is right.

The Report Card

A = 4%

\KASSIDY WHEELER

From a survey taken on 11/6 of 100 total students

C = 11%

B = 9%

F = 37%

1

C = 22%

D = 28%

With the big platforms celebrities have, they have started a lot of controversy in politics. Celebrities are very influential, especially when it comes to social media, any young fan of said actor, singer, or influencer would most likely follow their icons and what they believe in.

All it takes is just one Tweet or Instagram post to cause a whole big uproar. People are constantly re-posting things celebrities say on a daily basis. While everyone has the right to their first amendment right to say whatever they believe, sometimes there is not always a right time to enforce it that strongly. If people want to learn about any political or maybe even a legal issue, there are plenty of experts to learn from.

Instead of choosing to search for information sources that may be helpful in learning about a situation, people are always most likely to choose something that is more entertaining. Which is why there is so much turn towards celebrities. That is their job, to entertain people. That is why all of the Twitter arguments and threads are so common to read in a political situation. Everyone knows them and everyone cares about what they are going to say because celebrities are “always right” on the internet. Everything they do is perfect in their fans’ eyes.

An example being Kanye West, when he got bashed for supporting and loving the President. It was all over Twitter. People unfollowed him and were mentioning him for weeks. People cared so much because it was Kanye West posting about it.

Everything everyone does turns into something political nowadays and most do not even have a real understanding of the problems being faced. Politics are everywhere, social media, sports, and it is now a large part of everyday life.

It is hard for people to go to a sporting event because everything is so political. Not everyone wants to see a celebrities political views, and not everyone cares about them either. It has turned into almost an everyday thing. There is always drama somewhere about what a certain person said and how it is such a big deal. People want to see good stories, get away from the real world for just a little bit and not have opinions forced on them.

Another example is when Nike started a campaign with Colin Kaepernick and made him the face of their advertisement, it got very controversial very quickly. People were furious. They started burning their Nike items and posting it online. They were talking about how disrespectful it was to the flag. All because one football player kneeled during the national anthem at a football game. Others followed him and started kneeling as well. Just because he did what he believed in, he got negative feedback from people everywhere.

Using their platform is not beneficial because no matter how they explain themselves there will always be people who disagree.

For similar reasons, why would you ask a celebrities advice on vaccinations when you could ask a doctor, someone who actually studied and practices medicine.

Celebrities getting political is not always beneficial for them, so why do they continue to do it? Maybe for publicity or maybe they actually think they could make a difference in certain situations. However, when it really comes down to it, it does not matter how rich they are, or how big and popular they may be on social media, their vote is the same as everyone else’s vote.

School efforts to recycle

F = 15%

B = 3%

F = 38%

A = 11%

2

1 2

3

3

4

4

5

5

D = 37% Juul assembly

A = 8%

1

D = 11%

2

B = 42%

3 4 5

C = 24% Nest at football games

\ KASSIDY WHEELER

REFLECTION #2 For the December issue, I covered the FDA ban on JUUL the News pods. I liked this article because Singing I found it interesting. their way through the year Being a teenager in 2018, and seeing all the kids who vape, it was interesting to see and understand the effects of smoking. The interviews I conducted were also very informational.

2 ● December 21, 2018

THE CACTUS SHADOWS PRESS

Mia Brito staff writer

PERFORMING DURING THEIR CONCERT, Hannah Rudee and Madison O’Sullivan, both sophomores, and Brooke Cameron and Natalie O’Nea-l, both freshmen, sing to the right tune. 4LOGAN MCDADE

I

By Grace Carey

The Choir program at Cactus Shadows has changed a lot over the last 3 years. It had been run by Kevin Brady, who is now the band teacher. However, it is now run by Karen Dolezal, who has been teaching Choir for 25 years prior to teaching here. The Choir classes are still relatively small, only reaching a max of 15 students in regular choir and 11 students in Honors Choir, but it is growing every year as new students show more interest.

There are two divisions of choir; honors and regular choir. One of the biggest differences being the music. In Honors Choir, the music is more difficult and there are more expectations, as far as being able to read music and singing skills. Regular choir is not as rigorous, where students can sing in a more relaxed setting.

Dolezal said some students may not know but, “it’s not just singing all day.

There’s learning about the music and how to read it and sight reading.”

In choir, you learn how to read sheet music and you learn scales and notes.

One of Dolezal’s favorite sayings is “practice makes permanent,” as she believes the more you practice something a certain way, it will be more likely to be drilled into your head that way.

As far as singing in front of the school, Hayley Smith, a junior, says it can often feel, “self conscious and embarrassing, but at the same time it’s fun to show Cactus Shadows what choir is like.”

It is a process to give students the confidence to sing in front of their peers, and to prepare them, Dolezal makes sure they know their music and, to give them an extra boost of confidence, Dolezal often tries to have choir and honors choir sing together when performing in front of large audiences.

Choir is not only about learning new music and performing, the class also has bonding activities and fun in class events. Some of the bonding activities the class does include “music charades” and “sing or dare.”

“Sing or dare is where you have to sing a song or do a dare, like someone had to go sing happy birthday to Mr. Brady and it wasn’t his birthday,” Grace Redmond, a sophomore, said about some activities the choir does during the week.

One of the universal things most choir students agree on, is that Choir is a family..Dolezal wants to make sure everyone in the class is always there for one another and the kids in the class always have a safe place to go. Even after leaving the class, Dolezal’s students know being part of the Choir family is forever.

FDA BANS FLAVORED JUUL PODS

style editor

n July of 2017, James Monsees and Adam Bowen founded the e-cigarette company, JUUL. Originally, it was intended to help reduce smoking in adults by creating a substitute for a cigarette. However, many people under the age of 18 began to smoke after JUUL was created.

“We envision a world where fewer people use cigarettes, and where people who smoke cigarettes have the tools to reduce or eliminate their consumption entirely, should they so desire,” said the JUUL company.

Recently, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), have seized over 1,000 documents from JUUL, related to the sales and marketing of the product. About 72 percent of the US market for e-cigarettes belongs to JUUL. With seized documents, the FDA is investigating whether or not the sales tactics were directly aimed at teenagers.

In light of recent events, the FDA has banned the company from distributing certain flavors, in hopes to slow the sales in underage teens.

“I don’t think that the ban will help because I don’t think that, at this point in time, it’s all about flavors anymore, due to the power of nicotine that comes from JUUL. I think that people are just addicted and don’t care what flavor it is,” said Brad Penner, School Resource Officer.

Between 2017 and 2018 the sale of e-cigarettes has gone up 800 percent, making it the most prevalent distributor in the business, with 72 percent of market share. In only a couple years, over 3.5 million people under 18 have started using e-cigarettes.

77 percent of high school kids and 50 percent of middle schoolers reported their use.

“This week has been pretty good. But, usually, it’s about once a day or maybe twice that a JUUL is confiscated,” said Penner.

While the FDA hopes to decrease underage use, many believe it may not help because the addiction is already too far along.

“I think that kids will just switch to a different brand that still has flavors, so I don’t think it will slow sales,” said Jaden Selin, a senior.

Although the risks of smoking are known among teens,

many are not concerned about the health issues later down the road. This is primarily because of the advertisement that is presented, making it seem as though e-cigarettes are a safe alternative to smoking actual cigarettes.

While it may appear safer, according to the National Center for Health Research, some e-cigarettes may contain chemicals like formaldehyde and benzene.

It has also been determined by Truth Initiative, that one single Juul pod contains about 20 cigarettes worth of nicotine.

“I would guess that some people just think they will be able to quit when they want to. They probably don’t realize how addicted they really are,” said Cheyenne Yerkes, a sophomore.

Kevin Burns, chief executive of Juul Labs, stated that, although the intent was never to sell Juuls to youth, it has happened, and it is an issue that needs to be addressed. The JUUL company was recently given 60 days, by the FDA, to come up with a plan of action to stop the underage sales. If they fail, the FDA will take the ban of all flavored e-cigarette pods into serious consideration.

4 LOGAN MCCDADE

TEAR SHEETS WHAT I DESIGNED: NOVEMBER Style

18 ● November 20, 2018

THE CACTUS SHADOWS PRESS

An earful of self-expression

Students share their quirky earrings and the stories behind them.

“I got my ears pierced last year, I think...

It didn’t hurt at all to get them professionally pierced. The first time, my friend and I tried to pierce my ears ourselves,” said Dallas Overfield, a senior. 4MIA BRITO

“I bought them because I found them weird and didn’t think people would like them, so I wore them for myself. As cheesy as it sounds, since then I’ve been more comfortable with expressing myself,” said Nia Sogaard, a freshman. 4ANNIE SOGAARD

“I got these earrings from my friend for my birthday. I think they are so cool because they are so unique. I’ve always wanted ones like these,” said Holland Loberg, a senior.

4ANNIE SOGAARD

“I got these earrings at Urban Outfitters.

Nice earrings and necklaces always compliment an outfit so well,” said Zyra Lawrence, a senior. 4MIA BRITO THE CACTUS SHADOWS PRESS

To spend or not to spend big bucks on brand names

N

By Grant Richardson staff writer

ike. Gucci. Vans. All of these companies owe at least some of their success to branding - meaning that many people will buy an item simply because it is made by them. Some brands have been around for a long time. Other brands show up for only a short time, creating a fury of sales, and then they die out and disappear.

Companies target their brands to different audiences. For example, the company that owns the Gap also owns Old Navy.

Both of these stores have clothes designed for different buyers.

There are plenty of brands that target teenagers.

Favorite brands among the youth

“My favorite clothing brand that I wear is American Eagle because I like the look of the eagle, and I also like their style of shirts and designs of them,” said Derek Pederson, a junior.

American Eagle is an American clothing and accessories brand that has one consumer in mind when they design their clothes: teenagers. Other companies, like Nike, target both teenagers and adults.

“My favorite brand that I wear is Nike because all of their stuff is comfy and they have so many different styles you are

able to choose from,” said Brad Johnson, a junior.

Nike is a successful company based out of Beaverton, Oregon, whose edgy television ads and logos work together to create an image that helps sell their products. The company slogan, Just Do It, is used as an example by many marketing teachers. Their shoes are often associated with the famous athletes, whose edgy television ads and logos work together to create an image that helps sell their products. The company slogan, Just Do It, is used as an example by many marketing teachers. Their shoes are often associated with the famous athletes they sponsor..

Big brand names take storm

Two other big brands of shoes are Vans and Converse. These shoes are very popular with teens because they fit with anything.

“My favorite type of shoes are white Converse or old school Vans because they remind me of shoes that people would wear twenty years ago,” said Pederson.

One brand that has been really big over the last year is Supreme. Supreme is high priced, ranging anywhere from 30 dollars to 100 thousand dollars.There are many people who are willing to invest this kind of money, and others who think that Supreme is overrated.

“I think Supreme is the most overrated brand right now

because a lot of their stuff is regular things you can find anywhere, but [people pay more because] there is a Supreme logo on it,” said Johnson.

Upcoming trends

Supreme is an American skateboarding company that was established in New York in 1994. They have stores all around the world including three in the U.S. “Everybody talks about it, but you rarely see people with some of their clothing or accessories that they own personally,” said Pederson.

When people are shopping, there are some who are looking for a particular brand they like, and there are others who look for things that are cool.

“When I’m shopping, I am looking for stuff that looks cool and not necessarily a certain brand,” said Johnson.

Jacob Bombaci, Social Studies teacher, likes to wear Vans because they “fit my natural style. Since I am a teacher and I don’t make a lot of money, I look for stuff that is cheap and looks nice instead of looking for a more popular brand because I wouldn’t be able to afford much of it,” said Bombaci.

The big brands make a lot of money off their sales. For example, Nike made 36 million last year and still has a 5-6% annual growth.

November 20, 2018 ● 19

STYLE

Timeless trends From checkers to bell bottoms,

Skincare is not just a girl’s thing WYATT

trends come and go, but one thing is for sure, some trends never die.

EIDE, a sophomore, relaxes under the sun with a face mask. 4

By Connor Green

F staff writer

ALL is in session and with winter approaching fast it is hard to keep up with the latest fashion trends.

In school or out, it is always important to keep up with current fashion, especially with how quickly trends change. But, when the weather changes, it is a whole other ball game.

As of recently, most trends seem to be directly going against typical fashion rules, such as socks and sandals, chunky sneakers, and baggy pants. Brands like Supreme and Palace have been dropping sweatpants and hoodies left and right, as many other brands are too. While in recent years pants seemed to keep getting tighter, this year almost everyone went back to baggy.

Baggy clothes are back “I don’t like hoodies, I like jackets because it is easier to take off when I go inside,” said Muhannad Aljohani, a Saudi Arabian teacher visiting our school.

With baggy being back, people have also begun to wear big and chunky sneakers to compliment the new laid back style.

Made popular by rapper and fashion icon, A$AP Rocky, the chunky sneaker made its way into the scene and took over. After the burst in popularity, everyone wanted the shoes, causing many brands to take their own approach on a chunky sneaker or “dad shoes”.

“I love dad shoes, I can rock them,” said Nico McCormick, a senior, with a love for fashion.

Winter fashion takes a colorful turn Heading into winter, color pallets change from a vibrant look to a more monotone approach. Tonal colors, such as shades of grey, tan, and olive, seem to be popular.

These shades work well together to complete the rustic look. While most winters people stick to the monotone look, this year a plethora of neon colors and black seems to be the way to go.

Going into the winter season, brands seem to be experimenting with new looks.

With brands pushing the envelope of fashion, it is fun to see where these trends will end up. One of the brands testing the limits, Off-White, was recently called “the most popular fashion brand” by GQ magazine. The brand took off this year because of its ‘The Ten’ collection with nike, featuring Nike Air Forces, Air Prestos, and some of Nike’s most popular silhouettes being taken apart and put back together again. ”I like Off-White, Supreme, and probably Tommy Hilfiger, definitely a more baggy approach, for the winter,” said Colin Sommers, a junior.

Brands definitely run the trend scene in fashion right now. With Off-White’s founder, Virgil Abloh, becoming the Louis Vuitton men’s artistic director, the possibilities of this brand seem to be endless.

EMMA BAUER

By Max Sotelo film editor

The truth is, very few teenage boys are blessed with effortlessly blemish-free skin.

Many do not devote too much time or effort into developing a good skincare routine.

Even the most flawless of skin needs to be kept clean. A good skincare routine calls for proper face cleansing and understanding which products work for specific skin types.

“I use Cetaphil to wash my face twice a day because it doesn’t dry your skin out,” said Dmitry Jakobs, a sophomore.

Cetaphil gentle skin cleanser uses a non-irritating formula that softens skin as it cleanses it. It works for all skin types so whether you have oily, combination, or dry

skin, this is a great face wash for both morning and night use.

Body lotion—while probably not the best idea for use on the face, can be a good moisturizer for non-sensitive skin, if it is specifically labeled as a body and face lotion. The Burt’s Bees Daily Moisturizing Cream is good for intense hydration while not leaving the skin too oily.

SPF protection is often overlooked by many people, not just teenage boys. The most common concern being that it will cause the skin to break out. However, the Cetaphil DermaControl Oil Control Moisturizer is a moisturizer that protects the skin from the intense Arizona sun while keeping it hydrated.

STRUTTIN’ IN STYLE

AS FUN, COLORFUL

SHOES TAKE OVER, more students share their thoughts on unique shoes. 4LOGAN MCDADE

With No-Shave November going on, shaving products may not be something guys are looking for right now but for those not participating, shaving cream and aftershave are essential. Cosmetic Lad, an aftershave cream by Lush, is incredibly effective at soothing the post-shave skin. With the many kinds of blade choices, electric shavers tend to be more convenient and safer than traditional razors.

“I usually use what they used to call a safety razor, which is actually just a single blade cutting,” said Jim Swetter, principal.

With skincare products, it truly is a matter of different strokes for different folks.

What works for someone with oily skin may not work as well for someone with dry skin.

When it comes to figuring out which products to use, boys usually do not resist the skincare advice from the girls in their lives.

“I’ve always used Cetaphil, just because it’s what my mom used, and she told me to use it,” said Jakobs.

A healthy diet is also a key part of keeping the complexion clean and clear. Consuming too much high fat and sugary foods can cause the skin to break out more than is normal for a teenage boy going through puberty.

“It’s important to take care of your skin so it’s not nasty,” said Joseph Denzak, a sophomore.

Partly because of the stigma surrounding men’s grooming, there is not much interest in teenage boys to partake in the hygenic act. Oftentimes, skincare advertising is directed towards girls which can be off-putting for many boys.

Raven Ramirez staff writer

Students use fashion to express their personality through different ways, including the shoes they wear.

“Overall, [a cool shoe is] something that you feel comfortable and confident wearing, a shoe that you, and only you love,” said Brooke Minor, a sophomore.

Fashionable shoes have a different meaning to everyone. Minor owns a pair of Nike Slides that are a variety of colors that she picked up for around 35 to 40 dollars. These shoes stood out to her because of the color and design.

Jacob Bombaci, a social studies teacher who is known for his relaxed style, has a different take on the role of shoes and fashion.

“My definition of a cool shoe is something that fits your whole attire from shoulder down,” said Bombaci.

Maddie Terhark, a sophomore, owns many unique shoes that she loves to wear. In addition, she has a very creative way of seeing the power of wearing shoes. In her collection, she owns 24 pairs of glittery shoes, yellow shoes, platform shoes, boots, etc.

“People express themselves a lot through their shoes. You can tell a lot about a person from the shoes they wear,” said Terhark.

For avid shoe collectors, it is not uncommon to spend a lot of money on just one pair. Shoes are not just to wear, they are a way to show personality.

TEAR SHEETS WHAT I DESIGNED: DECEMBER Style

18 ● December 21, 2018

THE CACTUS SHADOWS PRESS

Flashback to the past Teens bring back styles from the past with their own spin on it

By Frida Alvarado staff writer

2018 HAS BEEN A YEAR FULL OF OLD TRENDS. FROM PANTS, TO SHOES, AND EVEN HAIR STYLES, OLD trends from the past have been incorporated into almost everyone’s closet and style.

One of the most popular article of clothing that can be seen on everyone at least once are jeans. Jeans were first invented in the 1800s, made particularly for minors and workers because they were sturdy and reliable for their working conditions.

Throughout the years jeans become more popular and started to become more modernized. In the 1950s, jeans started to have a more western, cowboyish style and were seen among actors like James Dean and Marlon Brando. They became a staple for women’s fashion in 1952 when Marilyn Monroe, one of the most well known female actresses, was seen wearing them in her film, “River of No Return.” Jeans evolved during each time period, being seen on both men and women and becoming one of the most well known pieces of clothing in the world. From embellishments to flares, each pair of pants has become a fashion forward statement.

Bell Bottoms, hip huggers “Bell bottoms, I loved bell bottoms, hot pants, and hip huggers. I definitely used to wear hot pants. My husband used to wear a lot of leather, especially pants,” said Kim Lindvig, a science teacher Fast forward to now where all types of pants are worn by both men and women.

A well known style of jeans that are popular now are the high-waisted jeans. Highwaisted pants, used mostly in women, started its come back in 2015. They were seen on celebrities like Miley Cyrus and Taylor Swift.

“A lot of my outfits come from people that I follow on instagram. I do see that they wear a lot of jeans and high-waisted stuff and I also do see people around school wear high waisted stuff and since it’s like a trend right will celebrities and stuff it’s gonna be here for a while,” said Nia Sogaad, a freshman.

Before they became popular in 2015, they were worn a lot in 1940s to the late 1980s.

In that era, wearing high-waisted bottoms were trendy with teens and young adults.

According to the Odyssey, high-rise jeans first came onto the clothing market when Levi’s manufacturer produced jeans for women that had been working on the lands and in the factories for the war in the 40s. It allowed the working women to retain their modesty while they were bending over during work. After Marilyn Monroe was seen wearing a pair of high waisted jeans with a belt and shirt tucked in it in “The Misfits,” in 1961, their popularity skyrocketed.

Baggy jeans JAKE NOVACK AND DEREK PEDERSON,

JUNIORS show off their unique styles with both newly bought and thrifted items. 4 LOGAN MCDADE

Now, they have evolved into slightly baggy, cuffed, high-waisted jeans, earning the name, mom jeans.

Teens usually pair their high-waisted jeans with a shirt, tucked or untucked, in warmer weather, and style it with a sweater or hoodie in colder temperatures.

Most of the time when they are not wearing jeans, they will wear high waisted shorts, or skirts.

“I really like to wear high-waisted jeans because it give me a very vintage vibe that I really like when it comes to style and my outfits,” said Michaela Warner, a sophomore.

The trend has been through many different stages and times. Even though there are rumors of it fading out of the trends, like every other style, it will be making a come back.

Flashback to the past

Flannels and hoodies dominate men’s fashion this winter

By Maja Peirce In-Depth Editor

With the temperatures dropping, men are trading in summer apparel for clothes that will keep them comfortable and cozy.

“I’d say the most popular thing for guys to wear this winter is a sweatshirt with a flannel on top,” said Noah Benner, a senior.

A flannel brings pattern and visual dynamic to an outfit.

Sweaters and brightly colored sweatshirts offer a level of cozi-

ness with some unique style.

“I love my sweaters. In fact my sweaters sit out all year until the first day I can wear them. That’s basically my winter apparel.

Sweaters, and coats- I have a nice black peacoat or a double breasted jacket as well,” said Andrew Cupo, a theatre teacher.

This winter, men are getting creative with tops, but even more so with pants. Vogue has men wearing plaid pants with matching hats on the runway and Cactus

Shadows has its own unique twist.

“I know it’s kind of cold, but I like to wear my jean shorts. My dad inspired me to wear jean shorts.

They’re just so cool. You know, John Cena wore jean shorts,” said Chase Kirby, a senior.

If it is too cold to wear jorts, they can be easily traded in for a pair of full length jeans, corduroys, or jogger sweatpants.

“I think those sweatpant jogger things are the most popular thing for guys to be wearing this winter.

I see those things everywhere,” said Cupo.

This gives men a range of options, corduroys are a bit more formal, whereas jogger sweatpants air on the side of casual. This array of options gives men stylish opportunities to be comfortable during the colder months.

“I like layering a lot of things, so I wear a long sleeve under a jacket.

So I like to stay cozy, I try to wear as many warm things as possible that look good,” said David

Zamora, a sophomore.

While visiting thrift stores to find vintage and unique style clothing is a popular pastime, men are also finding specific brands that match their styles personality.

“I like to shop at Buffalo Exchange, Sidewalk Surfers, and Savers,” said Noah Benner, a senior.

Mens fashion this winter strives for warm and cozy with some pops of color and texture.

THE CACTUS SHADOWS PRESS

December 21, 2018 ● 19

STYLE

Holiday hype What to wear where

By Grant Richardson staff writer

Going to family holiday events is a normal occurrence this time of year. Knowing what to wear can cause stress.

One situation that can be stressful is whether or not to dress up or dress casual. No one wants to feel like they are out of the ordinary by what they are wearing.

“For more formal events I like to wear dresses, but otherwise I would like to wear something classy and nice,” said Noemie Neipert, a French teacher.

For regularly attended events, there is no need to dress to the nines. One can simply wear a normal outfit that would be worn anywhere else.

“I would way rather wear casual clothes than fancy clothes because it just feels normal,” said Tate Andrus, a freshman.

There are some people in this world who like to stand out a lot by what they wear to events. By wearing casual clothes, one will never be the person that is going over the top with what they are wearing. On the contrary, other people want to draw attention to themselves and want to go above and beyond with what

they wear.

“When I go to an event I want to dress up but not overdress to where I am standing out,” said Shanna Schuckman, a sophomore.

Some people care what their outfit says about them and others do not really care what it says about them.

“I want my outfit to show that I am happy and having a good time and that I am enjoying myself with how I look,” said Andrus.

One way to make an outfit more special without spending a lot of money, is to use something already owned. It makes it even more special if it is only worned to special events.

“I have a special pair of shoes that I wear only to my family Christmas party every year because they go with Christmas and look pretty cool,” said Andrus.

Some hosts of events dictate what to wear to the event. This helps because it makes it easy to pick an outfit.

What people wear to events during the holiday season is usually important to them. People want to feel confident with themselves at events and have fun.

Bucket Hat: $1.99

Shirt: $2.99

Boujee on a budget Clothes can be expensive, luckily, there is always a cheaper option for something great.

Thrift shopping is a great alternative for finding a shirt for two dollars that normally runs for 30. Places like Goodwill and Savers are popular among high school students in search of one of a kind items.

Lip smackin’ Makenna French explores lip soothing products to fight off winter’s dry weather Makenna French

F staff writer

INDING a lip balm that works well can be complicated. Everyone has their own preferences for chapstick, some like a lighter weight while others prefer a thicker type that provides more moisture.

A well-known chapstick that is used by many is Aquaphor. This has no scent and is used as a chapstick and a healing ointment. According to advertisement on the bottle, this chapstick works well for dry, cracked or irritated skin. The price range can vary according to the bottle size. The 1.75 ounce bottle costs $4.99 at Target. Aquaphor is also the number one Dermatologist recommended lip care brand.

Personally, I think Aquaphor is a really good chapstick and it lasts for a long time. It also makes my lips feel very moisturized and nice. I highly recommend it.

While Vaseline Lip Therapy is not as common as some others it is really nice. This chapstick is used for soft, glowing lips according to the advertisement on the bottle. There are all different types such as, cocoa butter, rosy lips, and creme brulee. The 0.25 ounce mini bottle of cocoa butter vaseline costs $1.89 at Target. I really enjoy Vaseline, it is small and easily accessible. Both Aquaphor and Vaseline are a heavier type of chapstick that I use when I want a lot of moisture for my lips.

Nivea Lip Care is another one of my favorites.

Personally I really like the milk and honey one. It is .17 ounces and costs around $2.99 a bottle at Ulta Beauty. This chapstick has a lighter moisturized feel to it. It leaves my lips really soft and I use it right after I use a scrub on my lips.

The Candy Cane ChapStick is probably my favorite of the ChapStick brand. It is seasonal, so it is good to stock up on. It has a lighter feeling and smells just like a candy cane. The .15 ounce bottles range from $3.88 for a pack of three and $1.30 for just one.

The last one is more of a gloss base. Hempz Ultra Moisturizing Herbal Lip Balm is sold at Ulta Beauty .44 ounces for $8.99. While it is more on the pricey side, it is a really good lip balm. I use it over top of a heavier chapstick to make my lips look glossier. It is very lightweight and just has an overall nice feel to it.

If I had to choose a personal favorite, it would be between Aquaphor and Nivea. One is heavier and one is lighter so, depending on what I want to wear, these two are perfect.

ANNIE SOGAARD, A SENIOR,

on a recWhile Vaseline lip tries ommended lip-balmbrand, therapy is not as Hempz. common as some 4MIA BRITO others, it is really nice. This chapstick is used for soft, glowing lips according to the advertisement on the bottle.

Pants: $3.50 MARCUS WATTS, A SENIOR- wears

Total: $8.50

a trendy ten dollar outfit from a nearby thrift store 4

LAURYN STORNELLI

Aquaphor $4.99

Vaseline Lip Therapy $1.89

Nivea Lip Care $2.99

Candy Cane ChapStick $1.30

Hempz Ultra Moisturizing Herbal Lip Balm.$8.49

4MIA BRITO

TEAR SHEETS WHAT I WROTE: SEPTEMBER THE CACTUS SHADOWS PRESS THE NEWS

Country mourns the death of an icon

By Grace Carey staff writer

At age 81, John McCain, a Prisoner of War survivor, an Arizona Senator, and a presidential nominee, died on August 25, 2018 at his ranch in Cornville, Arizona due to Glioblastoma, an aggressive form on Cancer occuring in the brain. McCain’s life, in and of itself, was an eventful story. Whether or not one always agreed with him, one thing was true, he lived a life dedicated to serving his country.

“I don’t even know Washington without him,” said Jeff Flake, an Arizona senator who served with McCain for the past six years.

Following his father’s and grandfather’s footsteps, McCain became a naval aviator after graduating from the United States Naval Academy in 1958. Nearly ten years later, McCain’s plane was shot down while flying over

“

Greatest value, courage. You don’t make it through five years as a prisoner of war without having tremendous courage.

Jeff Flake Arizona Senator

Hanoi, Vietnam. Then, he was released back into the hands of the U.S. government after enduring torture and interrogation for five years. By 1981, he entered the political world and went on to serve three decades in Congress, which included six terms in the Senate.

“I think that he served our country valiantly. He did a lot for military families and veterans. I know he is very popular

within the military,” said Ryland Davidson, a sophomore.

McCain was often referred to as a “maverick,” meaning that he was an independent-minded person. While he was a Republican, he was not always partisan to his party. For instance, in 2017, after eleven hours of deliberating, McCain gave a thumbs-down to the Republican National Party’s motion to undo the Affordable Care Act. “Greatest value, courage. You don’t make it through five years as a prisoner of war without having tremendous courage. Courage to stand up to your leadership, to push for unpopular things on Capitol Hill, like Campaign Finance Reform or Spending Reform; things that needed to be done, but weren’t very popular. The courage to pursue them, nonetheless, that’s what I learned from him,” said said Flake.

Not only was McCain a political giant, a “maverick”, a prisoner of war, and a Senator, he also promised the people his honesty, even in the toughest cases. For instance, during his 2000 political campaign, he made a pivotal comment, regarding the state’s right to choose whether or not to fly the Confederate flag.

Ultimately, his conscience got the best of him, and he later redacted the statement, citing how wrong he felt it really was.

“He showed that he didn’t just have a loyalty to his political party, he had a loyalty to his country in general,” said Molly Scaccia, a sophomore.

Though McCain was not a native Arizonan, due to his father’s Naval career, he moved to Arizona in 1981, and became the Senator in 1983. He lived there until his final days with his wife, Cindy McCain.

McCain received many medals, including the Silver Star, the Bronze Star, the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Legion of Merit, and the Purple Heart; and of course he fought for the United States in Vietnam.

With the sudden opening in the Senate, Republicans are now fearing a possible Democratic majority. Considering the fact that Jeff Flake will not be running for re-election, this leaves a seat to fill in the upcoming election in November, 2018. However, McCain’s seat, will not be permanently filled until 2020. In the meantime, Jon Kyl, a former Arizona Senator, has stepped up to fill the late Senator McCain’s vacant position.

10 ● October 19, 2018

September 28, 2018 ● 3

in Depth

THE CACTUS SHADOWS PRESS

The horrors of human trafficking

MOTIVATED BY APRIL’S RED FOR ED MOVEMENT, many

teachers are moving from their classrooms to the state capitiol. Christine Marsh, an english teacher, is the democratic nominee for Legisative district 28’s state senate elections. 4 BLAKE DORAME

Traffick

With the current could be a person Evan Myers Staff writer

Arizona, land of the sun and ficking. While the Valley of th ated with this particular crim percent increase in reported c 2016, according the National -- 151 cases were reported, up Brad Penner, the School Re specialize in cases of human t there is a problem locally with “In recent years, Arizona

SE TRAFFI STATIS

Teachers run for office

Thousands of Americans are sold into the sex trade every year.

V

By Grace Carey staff writer

ictims are given false hopes and promAfter the recent Red for Ed movement, many teachers across the ises everyday, eventually leading them into trafficking. state were inspired to take action for their community.

By Julia Knies spotlight editor

Inspired by the Red for Ed movement, an influx of teachers have stepped up in Arizona to run for a variety of offices, with the goal of making significant changes in how Arizona fund.

The National Education Association stated that the average Arizona teacher makes around $47,000 annually compared to the national average of around $58,000. This makes Arizona the 49th worst state in the nation for high school teacher pay and 50th worst state for elementary teacher salaries. In addition, it is one of the only states that gives tax money to non-public schools.

“For as much as [teachers] work, and all the stuff they have to deal with, helping kids out and everything...They should be getting paid more,” said Halle Abadi, a senior.

In 2008, funding was cut across all platforms due to the recession. Since then, it has continued to decrease. According to the U.S. Department of Education, it is estimated that funds will continue to be cut since there is an increase in students.

Because of the low schooling budget and lack of resources, educators and supports organized the Red for Ed movement. The six day walkout in April resulted in a 20 percent increase in teacher pay in Arizona over three years, though educators originally requested a higher increase in budget.

“It’s one of those things where everybody has to be on the same page, and so once they had the opportunity to [walkout], they seized it, and I admire teachers for doing it,” said Gabe Ozaki, a senior.

Inspired by the Red for Ed movement, many teachers like Christine Marsh, a Cactus Shadows English teacher, have decided to take the political approach. According to the Arizona Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, more than 40 past or current education professionals are run-

4MAJA PEIRCE

Modern day slavery

An estimated 14,500—17,500 people are sold into human trafficking in the

ning for Arizona state legislature.

United States annually, according to DoSomething.org.

World wide, theof profit this Marsh is Arizona’s 2016 Teacher themade Yearbyand crimefor is an estimated $150state billion.

It can happen is running a seat in the senate.

One ofat any time, anywhere, to whomever. her original inspirations for was when a “Human trafficking is running the third-biggest crimistudentnal asked if Arizona were worth less enterprise in thestudents world,” said Amy Klobuchar, Minnesota Senator at the Democratic Convention. than other students because Arizona students are According to ark.cs.washinton.edu who fact funded less. checked Klobuckars’ speech, “A U.N. agency esti“I realized I have to run, or I won’t be able to mated the total value of human trafficking at $150 look mybillion. students in the eyes.

I realized I would The comparable estimates for the drug trade range fromby about billion than to $420 There lose more sleep not$280 running bybillion. running,” is one dicey estimate for counterfeiting of $250 bilsaid Marsh. lion. By those measures, human trafficking does rank Additionally, the CCUSD governing board electhird.” tions are Itcoming and a teacherthe is illegal running is on it’sup way to surpassing sale for and distribution drugs and arms, because, unlike drugs a position on theofboard.

Involving themselves in and guns, people canseniors be sold time time again. their community, the IB haveand decided to Generating this amount of income annually, the busihost a debate between the three candidates runness has proved to be highly lucrative. Therefore, the ning fortrafficking two slots. numbers have greatly increased.

“I think it’s a great thing [that teachers are runSex Trafficking ning] because they know, like, they’ve been there The most prevalent type of trafficking is sex trafinside of the classroom. So, they know what needs ficking. This alone makes roughly $33.5 billion each to be done, they knowinhow it canare be primary done. So I year. and Young women, particular, tarMost often, physically think it’sgets. a really goodvictims thing are fornot teachers toabducted. run for This is considered messy and it is significantly easier the governing board,” said Ozaki. for traffickers to lure people into relationships.

As for a teacher winning, many Democrats On the contrary, some are abducted. These victims are guessing that voters will side with are typically sex trafficked.

They are educators held against rather than Republicans. The Democrats only need to pick up two more seats in the Senate to flip it. “[If two more Democrats are elected,] everyone down at the capitol will have to work together, they will not have an option… It will be a game changer for Arizona because they will have to compromise and negotiate,” said Marsh.

If Marsh wins, she plans to continue teaching, and have the teacher with whom she did her student teaching with come in for her while the legislature is in session.

Election day takes place on Tuesday, November 6, 2018, and voting can be done at any local polling place.

their will and forced into sexual acts by their pimp.

They do not run, because they fear being killed. They do not talk, because they fear risking others lives.

Occasionally, they are impregnated by traffickers and their child is used as blackmail to keep them around.

Once they have been under the pimp’s manipulation for some time, victims often develop Stockholm Syndrome, sentiments of trust or affection toward their captor. When the pimp has faith in their loyalty, girls are given the title “bottom girl,” and begin to handle money, training, and recruiting.

“A pimp is the guy, he’s the one who gets the money, he’s the one who runs the show. He can’t do it alone, because he wants to go party, so he promotes one of his girls to his bottom. She’s now the leader in control when he’s not around,” said Brad Penner, the school resource officer who worked with the Federal Bureau of Investigation for five years on Sex Trafficking.

What a Pimp Looks For Traffickers are typically clever in how they find and keep their victims. Traffickers can be anyone from low-level pimps to women dressed to the nines. They target people with similar backgrounds, making it easier to form a connection with potential victims.

“I think that traffickers probably look for people they view as being weak, because they can manipulate them,” said Natalie Persyn, a sophomore.

Victims are targeted because they experience a hardship. These stick out to traffickers, because they make a victim vulnerable. Traffickers also look for those that seem to be out of their element making it easier for them to manipulate people into performing tasks that they would not typically engage in.

The Sad Truth After bonds form, traffickers begin asking for favors, resulting in men, women, and children, being

in over their heads.

“It’s really sad, because these people trust the traffickers and a lot of times they’re all they have,” said Cheyenne Yerkes, a sophomore.

Internationally, 40.3 billion people are involved with a type of human trafficking, according to the International Labour Organization. Some are sex trafficked, some labor forced, and others kept in a debt bond. The targeted victims can be anyone from young girls living on the streets, to grown men trying to repair debts.

As soon as traffickers have manipulated an individual enough, they cling to anything that can keep them. From threats to buying them desired things, the victims are roped in.

Traffickers frequently move their people in a circuit formation. Typically, they move from state to state, and are placed in trafficking hot spots. States are either referred to as being hot, or cold. If a state is hot, people are taken there; if it’s cold, they are not.

These terms are able to tell traffickers whether or not law enforcement is heavy in that area.

“They actually have a website, it’s for pimps to go on to and they can “check the temperature,” and what that means is, if it’s hot, police is low and money is good. If it’s cold police is high and money is not good, so they won’t go there,” said Penner.

Both the east and west coast are prevalent locations where victims are taken. Sometimes, they are even taken out to port cities and shipped off to other continents.

Once victims are abroad, they are likely to spend their life in trafficking. They will never own anything as long as they “belong” to someone else. Their once promised “better life” has been taken from them and they often never get their old life completely, if at all, back.

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TEAR SHEETS WHAT I WROTE: NOVEMBER 8 ● November 16, 2018

THE CACTUS SHADOWS PRESS

COMMENT

OPINION

Grace Carey

OPINION

Should celebrities be involved in politics?

Yes

No

2 ● December 21, 2018

style editor

Makenna French

the News

staff writer

In recent years, celebrities have been seemingly more active in politics than ever. From all corners of the world, they have been voicing their political beliefs, through various manners.

This has raised some concern with everyday men and women.

The words “celebrity” and “famous” go hand in hand, to some it would be a dream come true to have there words uttered about them, to others, it would be a nightmare. With social media being so prevalent in today’s society, there is bound to be some controversy about who should be saying or posting what.

There is an argument that those with a larger platform than the average person, should be keeping their mouths shut about which candidate they believe would best suit the whole.

While this is a valid argument, many disagree with this for a number of reasons.

Asking someone who has built an empire for themself to simply fly under the radar when it comes to politics is absurd. No matter what kind of net worth or following they have, they still deserve to speak their mind openly and freely, without fear of the backlash that they are currently receiving.

When someone is asking about another person, they would most likely expect to hear some adjectives describing them possibly, funny, nice, kind, or even mean. Although, when someone is famous, that is often all they are: just famous.

The word famous is so overused, that at a certain point, it is almost pathetic to hear. Just because someone is considered famous, does not mean that they have any more or less value than any of us. They are just like us, normal people.

The First Amendment is arguably one of the more important amendments. It consists of five basic freedoms, giving to those in the United States. The amendment states that congress may not punish people for freedom of religion, speech, press, assembly, or petitioning the government. The ratification of this amendment gave way for everyday people to express their opinions, without fear of prosecution; therefore, a celebrity should not need to hide his or her beliefs.

People deserve to voice their opinions, especially in the United States, even unpopular ones need to be heard. It is understandable why people agree with the argument which states that celebrities and politics should be separated, however, the other side of the argument needs to be voiced as well.

No matter how “famous” someone is, they are still a person. Their platform does allow them to reach a greater variety of people in a quicker time, but they should still be able to have a voice in something other than their favorite brands and who should and who should not win an oscar.

Celebrities like Beyonce, Jay Z, Katy Perry, and Alec Baldwin could be described as Democrats. Dwayne Johnson, Clint Eastwood, Adam Sandler, and Tom Brady, on the other hand, could be described as Republicans. There are even some celebrities that straddle the fence, like Taylor Swift.

Because of this wide variety of influencers, there is bound to be some disagreement on who the “right” candidate is. Most of these celebrities are acquaintances or even friends. Just because their friend posts something about their endorsement of a Democratic candidate, does not mean that they will text them with a laundry list of reasons that they are in the wrong.

The bottom line is quite simple, it is important to hear opinions from all sides of the equation. For this years Mid-Term elections, if 50 percent of people eligible for voting in the United States voted, it would be the highest turnout in history.

Celebrities, no matter how well known and influential they are, deserve a voice in political matters. They are just ordinary people, trying to do what they believe is right.

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A = 4%

With the big platforms celebrities have, they have started a lot of controversy in politics. Celebrities are very influential, especially when it comes to social media, any young fan of said actor, singer, or influencer would most likely follow their icons and what they believe in.

All it takes is just one Tweet or Instagram post to cause a whole big uproar. People are constantly re-posting things celebrities say on a daily basis. While everyone has the right to their first amendment right to say whatever they believe, sometimes there is not always a right time to enforce it that strongly. If people want to learn about any political or maybe even a legal issue, there are plenty of experts to learn from.

Instead of choosing to search for information sources that may be helpful in learning about a situation, people are always most likely to choose something that is more entertaining. Which is why there is so much turn towards celebrities. That is their job, to entertain people. That is why all of the Twitter arguments and threads are so common to read in a political situation. Everyone knows them and everyone cares about what they are going to say because celebrities are “always right” on the internet. Everything they do is perfect in their fans’ eyes.

An example being Kanye West, when he got bashed for supporting and loving the President. It was all over Twitter. People unfollowed him and were mentioning him for weeks. People cared so much because it was Kanye West posting about it.

Everything everyone does turns into something political nowadays and most do not even have a real understanding of the problems being faced. Politics are everywhere, social media, sports, and it is now a large part of everyday life.

It is hard for people to go to a sporting event because everything is so political. Not everyone wants to see a celebrities political views, and not everyone cares about them either. It has turned into almost an everyday thing. There is always drama somewhere about what a certain person said and DURING how it is THEIR such a big deal. People want PERFORMING CONCERT, Hannah Rudee and Madison O’Sullivan, both sophomores, and Brooke Cameron to see good stories, get away from the real world for just a little bit and not and Natalie O’Nea-l, both freshmen, sing to the right tune. 4LOGAN have opinions forced on them.

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Mia Brito staff writer

The Choir program at Cactus Shadows has changed a lot over the last 3 years. It had been run by Kevin Brady, who is now the band teacher. However, it is now run by Karen Dolezal, who has been teaching Choir for 25 years prior to teaching here. The Choir classes are still relatively small, only reaching a max of 15 students in regular choir and 11 students in Honors Choir, but it is growing every year as new students show more interest.

There are two divisions of choir; honors and regular choir. One of the biggest differences being the music. In Honors Choir, the music is more difficult and there are more expectations, as far as being able to read music and singing skills. Regular choir is not as rigorous, where students can sing in a more relaxed setting.

Dolezal said some students may not know but, “it’s not just singing all day.

There’s learning about the music and how to read it and sight reading.”

In choir, you learn how to read sheet music and you learn scales and notes.

One of Dolezal’s favorite sayings is “practice makes permanent,” as she believes the more you practice something a certain way, it will be more likely to be drilled into your head that way.

As far as singing in front of the school, Hayley Smith, a junior, says it can often feel, “self conscious and embarrassing, but at the same time it’s fun to show Cactus Shadows what choir is like.”

It is a process to give students the confidence to sing in front of their peers, and to prepare them, Dolezal makes sure they know their music and, to give them an extra boost of confidence, Dolezal often tries to have choir and honors choir sing together when performing in front of large audiences.

Choir is not only about learning new music and performing, the class also has bonding activities and fun in class events. Some of the bonding activities the class does include “music charades” and “sing or dare.”

“Sing or dare is where you have to sing a song or do a dare, like someone had to go sing happy birthday to Mr. Brady and it wasn’t his birthday,” Grace Redmond, a sophomore, said about some activities the choir does during the week.

One of the universal things most choir students agree on, is that Choir is a family..Dolezal wants to make sure everyone in the class is always there for one another and the kids in the class always have a safe place to go. Even after leaving the class, Dolezal’s students know being part of the Choir family is forever.

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Singing their way through the year

Another example is when Nike started a campaign with Colin Kaepernick and made him the face of their advertisement, it got very controversial very quickly. People were furious. They started burning their Nike items and posting it online. They were talking about how disrespectful it was to the flag. All because one football player kneeled during the national anthem at a football game. Others followed him and started kneeling as well. Just because he did what he believed in, he got negative feedback from people everywhere.

Using their platform is not beneficial because no matter how they explain themselves there will always be people who disagree.

For similar reasons, why would you ask a celebrities advice on vaccinations when you could ask a doctor, someone who actually studied and practices medicine.

Celebrities getting political is not always beneficial for them, “I don’t think that the ban will help

By Grace Carey styledo editor so why they continue to do it? Maybe for publicity or maybe because I don’t think that, at this point in they actuallynthink a difference July ofthey 2017,could James make Monsees and Adam in certain situa- time, it’s all about flavors anymore, due to Bowen founded the comes e-cigarette company, tions. However, when it really down to it, it does not matter the power of nicotine that comes from JUUL. Originally, it was intended to help how rich theyJUUL. are, or how big and popular they may be on socialI think that people are just addicted and don’t care what flavor it is,” said Brad Penner, School reduce smoking in adults by creating a submedia, their vote is the same as everyone else’s vote.

From a survey taken on 11/6 of 100 total students

THE CACTUS SHADOWS PRESS

“We envision a world where fewer people use cigarettes, and where people who smoke cigarettes have the tools to reduce or eliminate their consumption entirely, should they so desire,” said the JUUL company.

Recently, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), have seized over 1,000 documents from JUUL, related to A = 8% the sales and marketing of the product. About F = 15% 72 percent of the US market for e-cigarettes belongs to JUUL. With seized documents, the FDA is investigating whether or not the sales tactics were directly aimed at teenagers.

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Between 2017 and 2018 the sale of e-cigarettes has gone up 800 percent, making it the most prevalent distributor in the business, with 72 percent of market share. In only a couple years, over 3.5 million people under 18 have started using e-cigarettes.

77 percent of high school kids and 50 percent of middle schoolers reported their use.

“This week has been pretty good. But, usually, it’s about once a day or maybe twice that a JUUL is confiscated,” said Penner.

While the FDA hopes to decrease underage use, many believe it may not help because the addiction is already 1 too far along.

2 “I think that kids will just switch to a different brand 3 that still has flavors, so I don’t think it will slow sales,” 4 said Jaden Selin, a senior.

5 Although the risks of smoking are known among teens,

many are not concerned about the health issues later down the road. This is primarily because of the advertisement that is presented, making it seem as though e-cigarettes are a safe alternative to smoking actual cigarettes.

While it may appear safer, according to the National Center for Health Research, some e-cigarettes may contain chemicals like formaldehyde and benzene.

It has also been determined by Truth Initiative, that one single Juul pod contains about 20 cigarettes worth of nicotine.

“I would guess that some people just think they will be able to quit when they want to. They probably don’t realize how addicted they really are,” said Cheyenne Yerkes, a sophomore.

Kevin Burns, chief executive of Juul Labs, stated that, although the intent was never to sell Juuls to youth, it has happened, and it is an issue that needs to be addressed. The JUUL company was recently given 60 days, by the FDA, to come up with a plan of action to stop the underage sales. If they fail, the FDA will take the ban of all flavored e-cigarette pods into serious consideration.

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