Sincethe1970s, theMcKinley High School Band and Orchestrahascreated amotto to hang behind the conductor?spodium
Thisyear themotto is?Our Growth isFueled With Ambition and Diligence?Thismotto also hangsin the students?heartsastheBand and Orchestrarestoresthat ambition and diligenceafter thedifficult pandemic years ?Thismotto servesasareminder that wemust all rebuild theprogram through our own desiresto begreat again,?Band president SerenaRatonel said
Although thismotto servesasareminder,Ratonel said hard work isstill needed to achievesaid greatness However,after coming out of thepandemic, membersof theBaO worried about theoutcomeof aquarantined generation of musicians
?I feel likethereareproblemswith motivation and finding thedriveto keep going and practiceevery day but I feel likethepassion for successisstill therebecause nobody wantsto sound bad,?Band vicepresident, Abcdee Gauthreaux, said
Along with motivation and ambition, camaraderieis important to agood music program, which thepandemic madedifficult.
?Thepandemic definitely halted my progressin music becausealot of it involveslistening and rehearsing with each other in real life,?Ratonel said
Theseparation from otherswasasetback that online school failed to fix Band director and MHSalumnus, Joseph Nakamoto, started hisstudent and first year of teaching during thepandemic.
?I haveto help them sound better,but there?sonly so much you can do or say if you can? t hear them altogether, all thetime,?Nakamoto said DespitethestrugglesNakamoto had to faceduring his yearsof student teaching, heempathized with the students?motivation and ambition regarding music
?Playing music on ascreen by yourself and not being ableto beheard wasprobably demoralizing for alot of people,?Nakamoto said
Theentireideaof music isconnectionsand having fun playing together,Nakamoto said However,when everyone wasin thepandemic, theopportunity to makefriendsand socializewasmoredifficult
Despitethesetback, Orchestrapresident Abigail Trumatamadegood useof thepandemic in termsof music
?Being quarantined allowed meto havealot of free time, so I used all of that timeto practiceand improvea lot of my skillson my viola,?Trumatasaid
Thisyear,thefreshman classconsistsof around 14 students. They comefrom different backgrounds, middle schools, and musical experience Freshman AndreKam is part of that group
?I think thepandemic hasset back ageneration of Band
studentsby restricting what they can do in regard to hands on experiencein music, likeperforming or even practicing,?Kam said. ?Thishasled to somestudents falling behind and they haven? t been ableto catch up ?
Nakamoto said hefearsadiminishing number of studentsin theupcoming years
?I just think becauseof COVID that it wasalittlemore challenging to get studentsengaged in music? , but that?s why I try to maketheprogram asfun aspossible,? Nakamoto said.
Band and OrchestraWeek? atimefor studentsand advisorsto celebratetheprogram? wasduring Thanksgiving week Many eventssuch asoutdoor activities, potlucks, and traditionsoccurred These activitiesenhancetheexperienceof being in theMcKinley High School BaO, restoring theprogram after the pandemic
Theprogram hasexperienced ahectic first semester. Studentsexpect greatnessfrom theprogram in thefuture
?Thepurposeof every motto isfor something to look up to throughout theyear,"Trumatasaid
TheeSportsClub started four yearsago but had several struggles. On Sept.6, themembersheld their first meeting to revivetheclub and kick off thepreseason
They weregrouped by theclub adviser Rendall Choy, forming thegroupsby what gamethey play and what role they play in thegame. Choy then got them familiar with who they wereteamed up with by making them play some practicematches
?Thispreseason isto work out all thekinksand get into aroutine,?Choy said
Theseason started Sept 20 Choy said hehopes, now that McKinley istrying to go back to normal, to get people interested in eSportsagain Choy also said that hopeto get studentsto play morepopular titlesor gamesin the eSportsrealm
?I just want to seeMcKinley go back to theregular regimen of eSportswhilestill focusing on their gradesand character,?Choy said
Four yearsago, theclub received scholarshipsfrom Hawaii Pacific University to join their eSportsteam to play Leagueof Legends, amultiplayer onlinebattlearena game Choy wastheadviser then TheeSportsClub could not competein thestatechampionshipsdueto the members' gradesand school attendance
Choy said they tried to continuetheeSportsClub in 2019 but student gradesbecameeven moreof aproblem. Lack of sportsmanship and respect werealso problems Choy said theeSportsClub took abreak during the pandemic years
?They werereally talented, but ran into troublewith gradesand attendance,?Choy said
Junior Trinity Kishimoto, current vicepresident of the club, agreed gradeshavealwaysbeen aproblem.She called grades?ahugeblock ?
Kishimoto said sometimesmembersof theclub slack off or just focuson playing their gamesrather than focusing on their studies, which shesaysisastrugglefor astudent involved with eSports
?You haveto keep up with good grades,?Kishimoto said Although thestudentsstrugglewith gradesand such, they aremotivated to play becauseof their passion for eSports.
Kishimoto said theeSportsClub ?givesagood opportunity to new people, especially thosewho have been closed in dueto onlineclasses?
They also haveapassion for winning Senior XuanXiang Peng said hehopesto win thechampionship for thegame Leagueof Legends
Junior Randy Tran said hehopesto ?absolutely destroy Iolani ?
Kishimoto said themembersshould also focuson being respectful and displaying good sportsmanship. Shesaid oneof thestrugglesisalso being rudeor ?toxic,?so they need to takecareof that ?You can still lose, but also havefun,?Kishimoto said
by Dominic Niyo
Hopeof Hawaii, oneof McKinley High School?snewest clubs, focusesentirely on community service Theclub, founded by senior JadeBluestone, isastudent led volunteer organization that focuseson issuesaffecting Hawai? i themost.Theclub meetsevery other Friday during lunch at C104 to discussrecent events, statistics, and how memberscan positively impact their focusissue
Thisyear?sfocusissueis?Homelessnessin Hawaii,? whereclub membersintend to develop volunteer opportunities, projectsand partnershipswith other groups to benefit thecommunity Bluestone, theclub?spresident, said you don? t haveto beamember of their club to participateor beinvolved in supporting their cause
?We?vebeen setting up donation binsthat anyonecan contributeto. Themoredonationswehave, thebigger impact it?ll likely havetowardsour goal of combating homelessness,?Bluestonesaid
Theclub started when Bluestonewasassigned to do an in depth study of an issuethat wasparticularly relevant to Hawaii during her junior year of history class The research sheconducted inspired her to haveagoal of forming an organization that engagesin volunteer work.
?I felt that it would begreat to do something about it,? Bluestonesaid
At first, Bluestonewasn? t sureif shewanted to go after thisgoal of hers, but when shestarted sharing it with others, most fondly approved of it
?They really encouraged meto keep going,?Bluestone said.
Senior CayenneDabalos, theclub treasurer,recalled having aconversation with Bluestoneabout starting aclub that emphasizesvolunteerism
?Shewanted to createaclub that wasfocused on a specific issueeach year Shebelieved that theclub couldn? t makeany progressif it concentrated on too many issues,?Dabalossaid.?Shealso wanted that every year, club memberswould voteon which issueto focuson ?
After Bluestonehad accomplished starting aclub, she and her new club memberscontinued to pursuetheir goal of implementing community service Theclub has successfully begun to hold donation bin drivesand fundraising campaignsto combat Hawaii?sgrowing
Club event coordinator,senior JamesRodden said, ?We aim to influencethestudentsand to act asleaders Again, we?respreading opportunitiesfor volunteer work, so it would benicefor them to takeresponsibility and join usin serving our community.?
Every month, theclub organizesdifferent categoriesfor their fundraising bins During themonth of September, they fundraised school suppliesto providerelief to studentsand teacherswho may not havesubstantial funds
Junior LeilaGonzales, theclub?sfirst president, said, ?Our goal isto makeasmuch impact aswecan towards combating homelessness, and webelievethat wecan achieveit through littlestepsalong theway?
Gonzalessaid, ?Overall, we?rereally just excited that we can affect our community in apositiveway, becausethat?s what we?reall about ?
Senior SophiaDang, theclub secretary, said shebelieves themorepeoplewho join, thequicker they?relikely to createmorechange Shealso said shebelievesthat joining thisclub can potentially beenjoyableand beneficial for extending one?sknowledge.
?I encouragethestudentsto join theclub becauseit?s just agreat opportunity to help others, and you?ll also likely learn plenty of thingsfrom it,?Dang said ?I just love thelittlecommunity we?vecreated; just abunch of people interested in making achange?
Student
student council isnot just assembliesand meetings There isactually alot morebehind it
Treasurer JeseReeves, Recording Secretary Madison Rubio, Corresponding Secretary Michel Libokmeto, 1st VP ReeceLapas, 2nd VPLeilaGonzales, and President
Hopeof Hawaii council membersposefor a photo Fromright, Jade Bluestone, Sophia Dang, CayenneDabalos, Leila Gonzalesand JamesRodden. PhotobyDominicNiyo. council membersareoneof themany facesof McKinley High School and with representing theschool comesalot of hard work and struggle Being in theDesereeAgustin arehereto fill in theblanksand givemore information on what thestudent council does
Thestudent council membersweren't alwaysthestudent council members; they wereonceregular studentslike everyoneelse, but something pushed them to run in the election
For Gonzalesand Libokmeto, that ?something?wasApril Nakamura
?I washesitant at first sincethestudent council seemed likealot of work, and I wasn't sureif I wasprepared for that, but after acoupleweeksof thinking it through I decided to run for VP,?Gonzalessaid
Libokmeto'sreasoning wassimilar to Gonzales's
?It took at least two weeksfor meto decideto run after thinking through all of theresponsibilitiesI would haveto hold,?Libokmeto said
Many studentsmay wonder what thestudent council does. DesereeAgustin waswilling to answer thisquestion for thestudents
?Thestudent council plansschool wideactivities, inspiresand involvesstudentsto participatein activities. Being in thestudent council makesyou aleader of the studentsand it will beyour job to lead everyonein the right direction," Agustin said Augustin said thestudent council helpsplan school wideactivitiesand thismakeseveryonewonder what thestudent council hasplanned for quarter 2
It turnsout that theCouncil actually hasalot planned for quarter 2
?For Halloween, acostumecontest will most likely happen. ChristmasVillagewill happen for its2nd year and weplan on making it better than last year,"Lapassaid
Oneday, new student council studentswill haveto carry on thesetraditionsand Reeveshassomeadviceon how to beagreat member of thestudent council
?When being in thestudent council, no matter what role you haveyou need to alwaysbeon top of your work Try not to fall behind and remember to practicetheassemblies and get to know each other Thestudent council isagreat opportunity for everyone,?Reevessaid
Thestudent council for surecan bestressful at timesbut it isan important roleand not just anyonecan fulfill that role
?Student council will haveitsstrugglesbut you always haveto pick yourself up. Alwayspresent yourself asagreat rolemodel asyou arethefaceof thestudentsand you must represent our school with pride,?Agustin said
TheAmerican Red Crossrecently declared its?first ever blood crisis" dueto acritical blood shortage earlier thisyear. McKinley High School?s11th blood drivein October, wasareported successsurpassing it's goal with 51 registered donorsand plansfor another driveon Feb 8 Traditionally hosting two blood drivesper year,McKinley High School hasbeen hosting since2012 Blood DriveHost and Health Scienceteacher Tiffany Miyashiro recalled theeventsduring theblood driveasasuccess?Theprocessof
blood drivestakesalot of planning and preparation,?Miyashiro said ?Wereached our donor goal of 40 membersand actually exceeded it ? Through thisprocess, Miyashiro and other blood driveorganizerswere ableto raiseawarenessabout blood donation and promotehealthy lives Blood isessential for patientsto survivecritical surgeries, cancer treatments, injuries, blood disorders and more, with asingledonation giving achanceto saveup to three lives. In theU.S, someoneisin need of blood every two seconds But through collectionsof blood during donations, blood banksareableto sourceand providefor hospitalsand
other health facilities, according to theBlood Bank of Hawaii
Recently, theAmerican Red Cross Organization declared its?first ever blood crisis?dueto acritical blood shortageearlier thisyear from the eventsof Covid 19 and theOmicron surge It resulted in doctorsdelaying critical blood transfusionsand the Red Crosshad to ?limit blood distribution to hospitals?Patients havehad to wait daysto weeksbefore they could continuewith treatments and certain conditionsworsened from lack of blood supply
Hawaii wasalso affected by the blood shortage. In Juneof 2022, there
Pleasesee BLOOD DRIVE
wasacritical shortageof O negative blood and Hawaii hassincecontinued to regain itsloss.With itsfragile blood supply, theBlood Bank of Hawaii hascalled upon all donorsto giveback asreported by KHON2 They continueto try to replenish their O negativeblood supply by calling upon all first timeand returning donors.
TheBlood Bank of Hawaii servesas thecommunity'sblood center with a mission to provideasafeand adequatesupply of blood, products and related transfusion servicesto thepatientsof thestate Prior to donations, thesafety of donorsisof thehighest priority
By strictly adhering to the regulationsof theFood and Drug Administration, standardsmust be met to determinedonor eligibility At thetimeof donation, you must bein good health, 16 yearsof ageor older, weigh at least 110 pounds, and havea photo ID
To lessen thesymptomsof reactionsafter donations, it is required that beforeyou donateyou drink 8 10 glassesof water,get adequaterest,eat ahealthy meal, know thecountriesyou'verecently visited and know any medical conditions In fact, theBlood Bank of Hawaii hasitsown donation sitefor any interested donor
ThisOctober at McKinley, there wereafew complicationsduring the October driveregarding how afew studentsreacted after donating and thesymptomsthat occurred. But with careful planning and consideration, Miyashiro wasprepared for any side effectsand provided water,snacks, cookiesmadeby theCulinary Club,
and even aplaceto rest afterward if needed
McKinley senior Kimberly Epit was theOctober Blood DriveAmbassador after being offered theposition by Miyashiro and acted asthestudent representative Through this experienceshesaid shelearned alot about how to bealeader,giving roles, taking on responsibilitiesand helping others Thisblood drivebecamea learning experiencefor everyone involved
?I didn't realizehow important blood wasuntil I went into the workshop and peopleweretelling their personal stories,?Epit said ?You don't know who you could behelping in your community?
Donorsplay avital rolein theblood supply for patientsworldwide Without them, patient mortality rates would significantly increase McKinley senior Allen John Reyes, a third timedonor,participated in the October driveand plansto donate again at thenext drive But hisreason for doing so drawsfrom personal experiences. During hisbirth in the Philippines, Reyeswasborn prematurely, causing him to bein
critical need of ablood transfusion.
Fortunately, thehospital was prepared and hewasableto get the treatmentsheneeded to behealthy again. Reyessaid without theblood of others, hewouldn't betheperson he istoday, ready to proudly servehis country.By volunteering for theevent and donating afterward, hewantsto now help othersin thecommunity who may need blood
Whether donating in school or at sites, thecritical need for blood is constant Epit continuesto encourage othersto donateblood to help people in thecommunity ?I'm really grateful that thereareselflesspeopleout there,?shesaid.
"You don't know who you could be helping in your community," - Kimberly Epit
Located in A building on thefirst floor isthecounselor's offices Many studentsonly stop by thecounselorsoffice to ask for help with their schedulesor talk about colleges. Even lessoften doesastudent ever stop by to talk about feelingsand what isgoing on within their life Thishas sparked aquestion on why studentsdon? t feel comfortable with talking to school counselorsabout what they are struggling with
Turnsout, plenty of studentsbelievethat school counselorswill alwaystell their parentsor guardians about what they havetold their counselors Studentsalso believethat school therapistscan only seestudentswith a diagnosisand they believethat school therapistswon? t report anything astudent told them. However,all of this information isnot true
Freshman ChanceSaveenaMartinez isoneof the studentswho believed thismisinformation. They said that any student who knowsthey haveaproblem should see someonethey know they can trust When asking students wherethey heard that counselorsdon? t commit to confidentiality,amajority of them told thisreporter they
heard from other studentsand friends.
?I had no ideathat studentswerethinking this, counselorsdon? t need to break confidentiality Weusually only call parentsor acrisisteam when wefeel astudent is at risk of harming themselvesor others,?Erik Smith, counselor for All Star Tiger Team and TLMCAcademy, said
School therapistsplay by thesamerulesthat the counselorsdo; theonly differenceisthat theschool therapistsspecializewith studentswith adiagnosis ?Studentswho haveadiagnosis, IDEA or a504 can seea school therapist,?ShaneCummingssaid.
Thismisinformation can beincredibly harmful to studentswho areunder thebelief that they arenot ableto trust counselorswith their situations. Studentsneed to know they can trust thestaff in their school, especially their counselors
?I believethat uscounselorsaren? t out theremuch with thestudentsand wemostly just stay in our officesand that doesn? t really help out Thecounselorsneed to get their voicesout thereand let studentsknow wecan be trusted,?said Smith.
by Aubryanna Hale
SHEIN, UNIQLO,Nike, H& M, and Forever 21 are trendy storesthat lots of peopleshop at However,these brandsuseunethical tacticsto make and producetheir products
According to brightly eco, awebsite dedicated to "consciousconsumers", a
majority of thesebrandsusechild labor,steal designsand contributeto environmental waste Thesebrands arecreating bad impactson society and weshould not besupporting them
On theother hand, somecompanies brand themselvesas?ethical?which isgood, but most of thetimethese brandsareproducing very expensive products. Peopleusually gravitate towardsbrandslikeSHEIN, which haveshirtsfor aslow astwo dollars, rather than brandslikeABLEthat has shirtsthat start at fifty dollars Many peoplearenot ableto afford clothing that ispriced thishigh, so they buy clothesfrom unethical brands.
Personally, I havemixed feelings about fashion brands On onehand, I think weshould not besupporting thesecompaniesasthey haveproven
themselvesto beunethical but on the other hand, brandsthat areethical overchargetheir products I try not to buy from brandsthat areunethical but sometimesit isalittlehard to buy ethical clothing when you can? t afford it If I'm going to spend onehundred dollarson clothes, I?d much rather be getting fivepiecesrather than only getting two
Instead of buying from unethical brandsor brandsthat areethical but cost too much, you should try thrifting Thrifting or buying second hand clothing isamuch better way to buy your clothing Most of thetimeit isalso way cheaper When you thrift, you'rebeing ethical and sustainable You can even buy luxury piecesfor avery discounted price
Music ismy forte? perhapsnot in playing perfect pitchesand rhythms, but definitely in listening I have been afan of variousgenressinceI havebeen out of my mother?swomb.I spend most of my timewith AirPodsin my earslistening to music; theinstrumentals, vocals, and lyricsareall top notch Although music issubjective, a good mix of thesefactorsismy definition of music
I havenoticed that modern music iseffortlessand accessible; throw someangsty lyricsand agood beat and it'sanumber onehit I noticed thiswhen I'm in restaurants, whereasong playsand I absolutely dread it becauseof how many timesI?veheard it online Which mademethink? istoday?smusic actually good or just trendy?
In thevideo essay, ?TheOliviaRodrigo Effect +TikTok Music," YouTuber Madisyn Brown toucheson thenew genreof music that Rodrigo hassupposedly created Rodrigo contributed to thepop punk rebirth with her single, ?good 4 u?which washeavily influenced by the Band, Paramore Thissong supposedly influenced hitslike ?TwinkleTwinkleLittleB****?by Leah Kate. Brown claimsthat instead of thisbeing ?TheOliviaRodrigo effect," it ismorefitting as?TikTok music" Releaseafter release, themusic I hear daily on TikTok hasbecome increasingly atrociousand annoying.
In thevideo essay, Brown talksabout how theseTikTok musiciansarecreating songswith theintention of aviral 15 seconds. Listenersmay beattracted to thesmall bit they?veheard on social media, then listen to thesong and think, ?why isn? t thisasgood asthepart I?veheard??The rest of thesong soundslikean emotional word vomit; they put so much thought into onepart that therest felt likeacompletely different song It'slikeI'm watching a moviethat isthecompleteoppositeof thesynopsis, I feel cheated!
Music isan art form that should beenjoyed and shared for acommunity Musiciansmay bein it for fameand money, but at least makeit sound good Objectively, these songsaren? t that horrible They fit into their designated genre, but aren? t enjoyed by many, including me I see commentson thesemusicians' videosthat say, ?unrelease this?and ?how do theseartistsget famous?.I discovered theanswer? industry plants
?Industry plant?isaterm used to describemusicians that aresigned to major labels, but claim to beself made and independent Singer songwriter,Clairo, hasbeen accused of being an industry plant Yet, I still listen to her
and find her songsenjoyable Her lyricshavedepth and meaning Her instrumentalsaremorethan just alooped beat madeon GarageBand, they aremystical and have personality That?sthedifferencebetween viral TikTok musiciansand artistslikeClairo They areboth considered asmodern music, but oneismusical
However,thiscomparison may beseen asunfair asthese artistsarein different genres Therefore, comparing ?TikTok?musiciansto artistslikeTaylor Swift may be moresuitable.Swift hasrecently released her album, ?Midnights," and thedomino effect of modern music has hit her Lyricslike, ?draw thecat eyesharp enough to kill a man," ?it?sme, hi, I?m theproblem it?sme," and ?sometimesit feelslikeeverybody isasexy baby?can be taken aspartsof thesong used for TikTok trendsor fun audios I haveseen many videoscommenting on these specific lyrics, saying that they arechildish and that Swift haslost her lyrical flare However,I cannot completely diminish Swift and her song writing abilities Sheisan amazing artist and lyricist, so her lyricsstill havemeaning despitebeing seen ascorny.In comparison to these one-hit wonderswho havean obsession with angsty breakup songs, Swift will alwaysbesuperior
Furthermore, Swift and many ?TikTok?musiciansare obsessed with writing angsty breakup songs Swift is known for her hitslike"Blank Space" and "All Too Well " However,Swift isdiverse Thediscography of TikTok musicianshaverepetitive, outdated lyrics. Sooner or later, their fanswill get bored If I listened to asong they've released recently, I could listen to it again in afew months and think "thisisso October 2022..."
My strong opinionson ?TikTok music?may beextreme to thosewho enjoy thisgenre, but all thingsconsidered ?subjective?deservecriticism Whether or not they are implemented into theindustry for alabel?spersonal intakeor their own, thereshould at least beimprovement or something good to comeout of their music Although I am raining on multipleparades, music in this?genre?to meisjust slam poetry on an Electronic dancemusic track beat I hopefor better sound, instrumentals, and lyricsasI scroll through my feed in theupcoming weeks
In honor of Depression and Mental Health Screening Month in October, it?stimeto spread awarenessabout therealitiesof teenageburnout. Recently established studies, aswell asmy conducted McKinley High School student survey, examinethe unsettling truth that teenagerswho strugglewith higher stresslevelscan lead to teenageburnout and emotional exhaustion.
Defined in Webster?sMedical Dictionary, burnout is?exhaustion of physical or emotional strength or motivation usually asaresult of prolonged stressor frustration ? Burnout often occurswhen onefaces emotional reactionscaused by ongoing stressand isoften related to school among teenagers The majority of teenagerswho experience burnout either suffer from or will later develop aseriesof negative emotionsand formsof mental exhaustion which may include anxiety, depression, detachment, and lack of motivation
Though burnout can heavily impact teenagersin their personal lives, it often resultsin reduced ability in school Whether gradesbegin to drop, workloadscontinueto rise, or inability to makeconnectionsat school, studentsoften endure difficult mental detachment asa result TheNational Library of Medicinereported in 2020 that some casesof burnout can becomeso consequential that it can lead to lower academic engagement, higher student dropout ratesand negative coping mechanisms.
In my experience,whether with myself, friendsand proven by other studentsin theMcKinley survey, burnout typically startswhen one beginsto talk lessin conversations, hesitatesto makeplans, and participateslessin thingsthey used to enjoy Other times, their work may begin to build up, to apoint where they find themselvesunableto see
past it and let their emailsand assignmentscollect It sometimes getsworsewhen they stop coming to school altogether,asthey may feel there?sno point in trying
Asreported by Honolulu Civil Beat, anational analysisof ?peopleseeking help with their mental health? conducted in Juneof 2020, revealed Hawaii had thehighest number of survey participants Of those participants, 40%wereaged 11 17
Another 2021 articleby Honolulu Civil Beat revealed that with the eventsof 2021, teenagershavebeen facing fewer highsand very low downs. Thearticlereported, ?Mental health expertsin thestatewarn of burnout and anxiety?
In October 2022, I conducted a survey and 150 high school students responded in thefirst 24 hoursof releasing thesurvey Ranging from freshmen, sophomores, juniorsand seniors, I asked aseriesof seven questions In an attempt to better understand how teenagestressand burnout affect studentsat McKinley, I took asmall portion of the1,500 studentsto spread awarenessabout mental health issues.
With thedefinition I provided being, ?Teenageburnout occurswhen studentsfaceemotional or physical reactionscaused by ongoing stress,? 71%of studentsreported having experienced teenageburnout at least oncein their lifewith 57.3%of those studentsexperiencing it morethan that Theleading causeof stressin studentsreported school astheir main stressor
I then asked what affected students themost and thetop threeresults reported that 32%wereleft unmotivated, 18%wereled to a depressivestateand 9 3%were unableto carefor themselvesduring that time Thehighest level of stress on a1 5 scalewasafour,reporting 31 3%and only 6 7%wererecorded as not having any.
Thesurvey reported acommon connection with heavily affecting individualsemotionally and their
academic performance Themain management of stresswasto ignoreit with 34%and 22%choosing isolation
Lastly, I included ashort response section for studentsto anonymously sharetheir advice, thoughtsand experiences. Herewereafew,
?It?sokay to beselfish ?
?Don? t do anything rash when you?rein abad head space.?
?It?sokay to not beokay, but it?s never okay to suffer in silence?
?It getsto thepoint wheremy lifeis just work and nothing else.?
?Most teenscan? t ask for help and thosewho do areusually ignored ?
?Stressing out affectseverything in my everyday lifesuch asschool, friendsand extracurricular activities?
?Burning out islikeacandle You start off filled with wax, but you get lit, and lit,and lit, until thewax lowersmoreand more Eventually, thereisno wax. You can? t get it lit anymore, thereisn? t anything to light ?
Somestudentsshared their experienceswith mental health and brought attention to the overwhelming impact that stress holdsin their lives. Whether it?s academics, work, relationshipsor anything else, each and every reason isjustifiable
Burnout isacommon issuein high schoolsand it?simportant othersare awarethey arenot alone, whether facing it themselvesor helping another student
Sincemany classroomsin Hawaii haveno air conditioning, it?stough to concentrateon studieswhen it?sunbearably hot
Thesummer season, which lastsfrom May to October, hasan averagetemperatureof 85°Fdaily, making the beginning and end of theschool year unpleasantly hot Furthermore, overheated classroomscan leavestudents feeling exhausted, irritated and discouraged
A research project conducted by theHarvard Kennedy School of Government in 2018 examined 21 million test scoresfrom 10 million high schoolsnationwideand compared them to temperaturedata Thestudy discovered that ?Without air conditioning, each 1°Fincreasein a school year?stemperaturereducestheamount learned that year by onepercent,?meaning that even theslightest temperatureincreasecan haveasignificant impact on a student?slearning
Additionally, overheated classroomsin severe temperaturescan induceweariness, nauseaand even heat strokein both studentsand teachers
Back in 2015, an EwaElementary School teacher was sent to theERdueto heat exhaustion According to Hawaii NewsNow, theteacher felt dizzy and started to really feel fatigued. Thedoctorslater added that, dueto her present health situation, it could havelikely resulted in heat stroke
To combat thehigh temperaturesof her non air conditioned classroom, shehad to spend her own money to keep herself and her studentscool, but even that wasn? t enough Many of her students?parentshavealso informed her that their children looked pale, felt fatigued, and someeven started to vomit
At McKinley High School, wefaceasimilar problem Fortunately, nobody in our school had to besent to theER dueto insufficient cooling systems, but many of our faculty members, including English teacher Evon Le, have experienced symptomsof exhaustion dueto thehot temperaturesof their non air conditioned classroom
?I haveexperienced fatiguein theclassroom, especially when it isduring theearly start of theyear and near the end of theyear becausethat?swhen it?sgetting hotter,?Le said. ?I alwayshaveto bring awater bottleto keep cool.?
Many studentslikemewho enjoy participating in extracurricular activitiessuch asplaying sportsduring lunch often find it challenging to cool off in ahot class room
Lehasobserved thissituation and claimsthat her studentsareoften left feeling exhausted
?By thetimethey get to class, they havevery low motivation when theclassroom isreally hot, so air conditioning would definitely help, and I think it would encouragestudentsto cometo class,?Lesaid
TheDepartment of Education hasconsistently funded cooling systems, primarily in elementary schools In my opinion, they should now try to providethesamefunding for middleand high schools, becausethemain issuethat many of theseschoolsarefacing isashortageof government funds According to Le, theseupgradescan be quiteexpensive
?When usteachersreached out to talk to theprincipal about it, hesaid that basically what?shappening isthat thereisalack of fundsfrom thegovernment itself that is ableto givemoney.?Lesaid. ?If thefansunexpectedly break down, I alwaysfeel likeI haveto get my own funding, and even in termsof that, it?svery limited becauseit?sbetween buying morefansor getting school supplies?
Many dedicated teachersnationwidehavebeen known to spend their own money to better improvetheir students?learning, so why istherichest country in the world in termsof grossdomestic product unableto keep up with thecosts?A sufficient amount of educational funding ensuresthat studentswill havebetter learning environments, which will likely lead to higher test results and graduation rates
Theholiday season isfinally here It?sthetimeof theyear to celebratewith family and relax with acoupleof iconic movies ThePinion sent out asurvey to thewholeschool asking McKinley studentsabout their favoriteholiday movies; wereceived 170 responses Thesemoviescan takeon many formsand genresranging from goreand horror to asappy comical romance No matter what your ideal film is, thisisMcKinley?stop threelist of holiday movies
HomeAlone, produced by John Hughes, isan amazing, classic Christmasmovie Themoviefollowsaboy named Kevin McCallister who causesascenethenight before their big family trip Heawokethenext morning to an empty houseafter hisfamily mistakenly left in arush without him During theholiday season, two thievesare planning to rob thehousesout on vacation Kevin hasto defend thehouseby himself against thetwo men Thisis an amazing comedic film, yet it hastheperfect touch of heartwarming moments, for example, when Kevin?s mother camehomeor when Marley reunited with hisson I remember watching thesequenceof Kevin?screative housetrapsasakid, knowing that thismovieisat thetop of McKinley?sholiday list provesthat thismovieisamust to watch
ThePumpkin King of Halloweentown himself, Jack Skellington, got bored of hisholiday and found himself upon Christmastown, regaining anew goal in life Along with Sally, hisFrankensteined girlfriend, and hisdog Zero, hewasdetermined to bring Christmasunder hiscontrol and takeover SantaClaus?role I?vealwaysbeen asucker
for claymation moviesand thisonealwaysstuck with me becauseit wasthefirst full Disney stop-motion film Tim Burton found agreat way to incorporateboth holidays into thismoviewhilekeeping auniqueand interesting plot
Buddy wasborn and raised in North Poleup until hewas an adult However,hewasn? t an elf Unlikeeveryone around him, Buddy wasahuman Ashegot older,themore out of placehebecame.Dueto this, hemoved to New York to spread Christmascheer and to look for hisbiological father After finding hisfather,who turned out to bea crazy businessman, they start building their father son relationship. Will Ferrall delivered an amazing comedy Christmasmoviewith hisroleasBuddy Hisjokesnever get old and they alwaysfill meup with laughter This moviefillstheroom with joy and it?stheperfect movieto watch for theholiday season
Whether it?saheartwarming or comedic Christmas movie, thereisalwayssomething to watch and enjoy this season. Thisyear,snuggleup in bed with awarm blanket and put on oneof McKinley?stop holiday moviesto enjoy with your friendsand family
Homework hasalwaysbeen something that you do after school, may it beaproject, or an exercise that you weren? t ableto do during classtime Sometimeshomework isa problem. It can beassmall asnot letting you hang out with your friends, or asbig asputting adent on your grades
However,homework can behelpful asit providesyou morematerial to learn moreabout thetopic at hand, but it shouldn? t besomething that studentsend up resenting Homework can help you learn more at something you areunsureof becauseit helpsyou refineyour skills It shouldn? t beseen in abad light; it should beseen ashelpful rather than harmful.Many problems can beat fault asto why homework may seem likeabig wall that studentshaveto climb, rather than a helpful guideto help you out Oneof theproblemsof homework isthat therecan betoo much to do at once. Sometimeshomework can pile up and causestressto students Having homework piled up can make it harder for studentsand even discouragethem from even starting It robsthestudent of therelieving feeling of finishing their homework, becausenow they haveto prepareto do another oneright after
?It?sjust ahassle,?said senior TaimaneMose, who said homework is unnecessary Shesaid sheiscurrently working and trying to not let homework interferewith her job She also said shelacked motivation to do homework Shesaid homework has unreasonabletimesfor them to be finished, saying that therearealso six other classesbesidethat one class, and said teachersshould be awareof that
Another problem is
procrastination Homework piling up isbad, but what makesit worseis someoneprocrastinating and working on atimecrunch Some studentsliketo do their work aday or two beforethedeadline. I should know, becauseI am oneof those students I am writing thisarticletwo daysbeforeitsfirst draft isdue, so you can say thisisaproduct of procrastination
Thelast problem I?ll stateis outsideproblemsor issues, usually with friendsor family Homework is hard to do already, but it'sharder to do when thepeoplearound you at homeareinterfering with you doing homework A freshman who choseto beanonymoussaid that they are dealing with family problemsand sibling favoritism They said they often haveother problemsto deal with and argumentsthey haveto fix.
A solution to homework piling up is by having teachersspread out homework based on thestudent?s schedule Teachersshould communicatewith each other to know if somestudentsarealready having alot of work on their plateso that they could decidewhether to givehomework or not, or if they should extend thedeadlines.
A solution to procrastination is moreon thestudent?sside Students should learn how to spread their work timesevenly so that they don? t rush
all their work in oneday If students spread their scheduleproperly, then they would haveabalanced schedule of work and play If itshard to do homework at home, you can always do it at school during 20/20 or study hall time Themain way to combat procrastination isto alwaysjust motivateyourself to do work littleby little, and to takeadvantageof the freetimethey get to do it
?Do not procrastinate Haveaset to do list,?senior TaimaneMosesaid.
Lastly, asolution to outside problemsismorecomplicated, asthis issomething that werarely have control over Theanonymous freshman said schoolsshould be morelenient and try to understand They pointed out that it?shard to open up to counselorsasthey feel likethey will tell their parentsabout what they talked about. Onething that thefreshman suggested isto do work away from distractionsand problems, to haveasafespacewhere they aren? t interrupted and bothered so that they can do their homework
Homework should beencouraged, but not required. Homework might not begoing anywhereanytimesoon, but it isn? t an issuethat?sblack or white. It isn? t an issuethat isjust student versusteacher It should bea group effort whereeach sidehelps each other so that thestudent may grow up and graduateand to learn so
High school isthemost crucial timefor students. It?sthe year when studentshaveto really focusand work hard Many decisionsthat studentsmakecan immediately affect their gradesand their futureopportunities Missing just a coupleassignments, cutting class, and themost crucial, not even coming to school at all arejust someexamplesof how studentscan affect their grades
Observation and datashow that attendanceisaproblem at McKinley High School Therearestudentsin my class who I seecometo classlatethen walk out afew minutes beforethebell ringsand theteacher just marksthem absent Datagiven from Hawaii Department of Education Panoramadatabasestatesthat out of the1,490 studentsin McKinley from August October of 2022, only 56%attend 95%or moreof theschool daysthisyear to date.
Therearemany downsidesto studentscutting or not coming to school Theimpact of attendanceisn't as meaningful asstudents' grades If studentsdon? t makeit up, it will causehorriblegradeswhich schoolsdo care about
I'm positivethat every student hasmissed aclassor school day once.But there'sadifferencebetween students missing aclassor not coming to school dueto being sick or having an appointment and studentscutting classor not coming to school.
Therearemany downsidesto purposely not attending classes
Of course, how would any student get away with not attending school?In articlepublished by New York Times, reporter Samuel Weissin said, ?There?sacumulative processwhereby astudent who?sallowed to get away with cutting someclassesbeginsto think hecan stay away for an afternoon, then awholeday, aweek and then, before you know it, he?sout indefinitely?
Therearemany downsidesto purposely not attending classes.
Of courseparentsmay beat fault sometimesif they don? t follow up with their child or if thephonenumber is not up to date, which would lead to parentsnot getting a messageif their child isabsent Thisleadsto thefact that it?snot thestudents' fault completely for not attending school, but it istheir choice It can lead to students' education and gradesbeing at risk.
If studentsarewilling to learn, they would still care about going to school even if nobody elsecaresso they can get agreat education and expand their knowledge.
Another articlewritten from TroubledTeens com in 2021 said, ?Studentswho missmorethan 15 daysout of one
school year (two daysper month) havepoorer academic performanceindicatorsthan studentswho don? t miss10 percent of theschool year.?Thiswould really affect high school students, especially thosewho areon their way to graduating
Of course, somestudentshavetheir reasons. I think somestudentsmay do thesethingsdueto thefact that they aremaybebeing bullied, don? t likeaclass, or simply they just don? t enjoy school Thesamearticlefrom TroubledTeens.com said, ?Oneof theleading causesof teensskipping school and classbeforeand during the COVID 19 pandemic isbullying?Thereweremany other reasonssuch asnot having friendsor nobody wanting to haveanything to do with you, teachersignoring you, or not feeling likeyou'resmart enough
No matter what, studentsshould know they will always havesomeoneto betherefor them whether they know it or not But don? t let it get in theway of your education If you really carefor your education, then therearemany solutions Themain onecould simply bejust talking to a parent, teacher,counselor,or therapist who you feel comfortabletalking to and you know they arewilling to listen
So when you think about walking out of that classroom door or deciding to not go to school, you should think again Think about how your choiceswill affect you in the long run Then if you still completely don? t care, I just want to say that you may regret it oneday
If you know someonewho doesn't attend classes, please realizehow thiscan really impact their future If you're their friend, I also hopeyou convincethem to stop and think thoroughly about their decisionsbeforeif affects them for therest of their life
Editor'sNote: Thisarticleincludestopicsof self-harm and suicide
?It?sjust aphase, you?ll get over it,?Mom told me. Wiping away my tears, I nodded
That wasfiveyearsago, and yet that wound still drips blood That responseI got after admitting to wanting to commit suicide I believed what my mom told methat it wasjust awholebig phasethat I will get over. I walked back to my room, eyesfilled with tears As thedayspassed my parentsacted asif nothing happened
I knew they cared for me and wanted to help, but they didn't know how
Chatting away onlineon adiscord server,I mentioned in thevent channel how I had started starting to self harm using needles.
"Thosearen't real self harm wounds Stop faking".
But theseactionsweren't something I could control, yet nobody took me seriously.
Threeyearsago, I was caught in theact of self harm with my arms littered with small cuts from aneedleI used My mom could only yell out in frustration and anger, asking why I wasso selfish
?Stop doing that! Stop being so selfish! Do you know how much you arehurting meand your father?!?
I didn't think what I wasdoing wasselfish, but her words mademefeel likeI needed to hidemy feelings
That old wound grew bigger that day
Oneyear ago, I sat outsidemy parents' apartment, locked out after afailed suicideattempt Theneighbor downstairscalled thecopson methinking I wasa homelessperson When I wastaken back inside, my parentsfound out thetruth They started to sob and cry, asking mejust why. Why would I do thisto them?Why would I bethat selfish?
That word again Selfish I?m not selfish knowing this now. If I could only find thecouragein myself that day to explain how I felt and how I wasn? t selfish Thesewords would continueto seep into my brain, keeping mequiet I don? t remember when I finally got better and started to heal, but all thosethingsmy parentssaid to mestill stick with meand affect thethingsI do today
Mental health stigmaisdefined assomeonewho views you in anegativeway becauseof aprominent characteristic or personal trait that aperson hasthat is seen/ or isa disadvantage It can be subtleor right in your face, yet either way, it can still causeharm to a person. Stigmacan dehumanizeaperson and makesit lesslikely they?ll seek help It can also createfewer opportunitiesin school, theworkplace, and social activities. Thisin turn only makesit worse for theperson
Coming from personal experienceit certainly mademefeel likethere wassomething wrong with me, asmy parents would put it before, I was"crazy" My parents never really dealt with anything likethisso the first thing that cameto their mind wasI wasjust acting crazy, and each timeI had an outburst it just affirmed their belief They just shooed me away into another room thinking I would calm down
Thosein turn only made my panic attacksworseasI grew up, and madetheway I dealt with them worse I?d bottled it up asmuch asI could, trying to seem ?normal?to othersin adesperateattempt to stay in thecrowd
Today I still strugglewith thethingsmy parentsand otherssaid to mein thepast
Just writing about thistopic makesmequestion and wonder,wasI just overreacting in thepast?WasI really selfish?
Just to put it simply, mental health stigma damages peopledeeply It can happen anywhereand to anyone Elderly, young adults, teens, and children At home, at
parties, at work, in public, and at school You can seeit anywhereat any time You can seeit happening to someoneelseor unknowingly to yourself It can bein theform of discrimination, peoplestereotyping, or overall having anegativebelief.
I know my parentswereworried for meand cared deeply for me They just didn't know how to show it and lacked theinformation on what isgoing on with meand what they could do to help me
Sadly, mental health stigmacomesfrom alack of understanding, misinformation, and becausepeople havenegativebeliefstowardsthosewith mental illness. Thebest wecan do isinform and educatepeopleon the topic so they can haveamoreopen mind Or if you are willing to do it, speak from experienceand how it affected you
Think of it asan invisiblewound I only started to noticemy wound when I saw otherslikemeon social media
That wound may leaveascar onceit heals, and that?s okay I'vebeen ableto win my battleand it showshow far I'vecome.
Thestudentsof CynthiaReves' English classcould win a trip to Washington D C and receiveacash prizeif they reciteapoem selected from theSpringboard textbook or from thePoetry Out Loud website Hold On! They must first enter in thePoetry Out loud school widecontest and win Then they haveto win thestatecompetition
Thiscontest hasmany benefitsthat all studentsshould join
Someof Reves?studentsmight contemplatemeeting the minimum requirement of reciting apoem of 10 linesfor theclassassignment and to disregard thecontest'smany benefitsbecausereciting thepoem in front of judgesistoo stressful to them
True, however,thiscontest isan opportunity to overcomeanxiety.
For one, they could challengethemselvesto seeif their skillsof delivering thepoem could makeit to thestate competition or even to nationals Every timethey encounter challengessuch asforgetting their lines, being too stressful, or even just thinking thisisnot for them, pushing through and coming out victoriousisthebest feeling ever.
Overcoming anxiety isn't theonly benefit of thiscontest Self-confidencedevelopsasthey start to practicefor the
They will haveto reciteto apanel of judges, which is scary enough. However,they will put many hoursinto getting their poem memorized and also will help build their confidenceto expresstheir feelings
That feeling isexpressed through thepoem they find that they enjoy to share.
Thewebsite(Poetry Out loud) hasavariety of poems When scrolling through thepoems, onewill resonatewith them. Finding theright poem iskey.If thepoem is meaningful, their emotionswill show and themessageof thepoem will stun everyone
Thestudent who winstheschool widecompetition is also given an opportunity to participateat astate level competition Thestatewinner will receive$200 and an all expensespaid trip to Washington, D C , to competeat theNational Finalsasstatewinner. Thefirst runner up in each statereceives$100
At theNational Finals, $20,000 isawarded to the National Champion, $10,000 for 2nd place, $5,000 for 3rd place, and $1,000 for 4th 12th places
Therearemany moreexperiencesto bediscovered as theindividual student istheonewho createsthem Join thePoetry Out loud contest. Thiscould bealifechanging moment Any McKinley student can join Visit https://bit.ly/POLEntryor scan theQRcodeon page16
