The
BUZZ Issue 1, Volume 87
“Every day I get up and I go to school, and I teach. And I hope that we are safe.” -Tuan Nguyen
(NKCHS’s insight on gun control, pg 8)
Inside this Issue
4-5......................editorial & opinion: stop the stigma 6-7......................................popeyes & new on armour
8-9..................................nkchs insight on gun control
10-11..........................gun control cont. & 2020 voting 12-13............end of open-lunch & 1st football game 14-15.....................................................global warming
nkchsbuzz
northtownnews.com
hornetsbuzz1
The BUZZ Staff:
Editor in Chief: Iasha Williams Managing Editor: Alexis Birdsong Copy Editor: Iasha Williams Photo Editor: Ava Jones Opinion Editor: Joyana Burns Writers/Photographers: Anthony Lockwood, Skyler Dodd, Joy Burns, Ava Jones, Chris Sauer, Demaray Amaro, Hannah Lawrence, Cay Tolbert, Joe Mormino
In other news...
Kim Kardashian is a Lawyer?
Demaray Amaro, Writer Kim Kardashian West is a public figure as many people know. With a net-worth of $350 million. But her life is taking a turn. Earlier in April she announced that she is studying to be a lawyer. She has recently taken a four-year apprenticeship with Jessica Jackson and in the year 2022 she will finally complete her study. However, she isn’t actually going to school to become a lawyer. She’s just doing the apprenticeship so she can become a lawyer. Many have differing opinions on the subject. The question is, does anyone have the right to judge? What is there to judge? Let us know your thoughts and feelings via this link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScWX3X7OwmeKmlc6WTYu8QWF-tgXlIbR_rYBw8THDZg2c42kw/viewform?usp=sf_link
(Or for an easier option, follow us on instagram!)
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The
Foreign Exchange: New school year, new students
BUZZ
Demaray Amaro, Writer North Kansas City high school is home to many different students. Recently we have been expanding our diversity of students by having a few students from different countries come to learn at our school.
big test. At the end of the year they put the oral grade (60%) and the test grades (40%) together. This is your grade of the year” said Ruediger It’s a change in the new grading process from what they are used to but also in their living style.
Student Louis Backman is from Copenhagen, Denmark, which is the Danish capital. Although he loves where he comes from, he has always wanted to live here.
The exchange programs come along with housing. Students get placed in a host family for the amount of time they are attending school.
“My very first thought of coming to the U.S was that it was going to be a dream to live here. I’ve always wanted to live in the U.S, and at first, it seemed crazy to me that I could spend a year here” said Backman.
“Everything was so exciting and the first day in the USA was overwhelming for me. I have Chris Sauer/Photographer never been out of EuRobin Voelker a student council member working on homecoming decorations. Northtown has a lot of extracurricurope before. Of course, I lar activities for students to participate in like STUCO. was also a little sad because I won`t see family elementary school. It is also very common and friends for 10 months.” for other countries to do exchange prosaid Ruediger. grams. That’s not the only thing different There are very unique programs students other countries do. can get enrolled in and have many opporLeonie lives with a host family with four tunities to come to the U.S. other kids plus another exchange student. “You just turn your paper in and that’s that. When the teacher gives out grades, he or “I applied for a scholarship. It’s the CBYX Each student has had a different experience she looks at how we’re doing in the class, program” said Leonie Ruediger another coming to Northtown and adapting to the and how we behave in class, and then deexchange student. The CBYX is the Condifferences Northtown brings as a school. cides a grade from there” said Backman. gress-Bundestag youth exchange program. “I play soccer, and I’m on the JV team,” In Denmark, they have a grading scale Leonie Ruediger is from Hannover, Gersaid Backman. from -3, 00, 02, 4, 7, 10, 12 with twelve being many. Many places offer scholarships/prothe highest. They represent your grade you grams like the Congress-Bundestag youth As he hopes to reach varsity in upcoming have overall like how in the U.S it ranges exchange program. It’s a series of events events he also feels very welcome due to from A’s to F’s. starting with an application, acceptance, a the team he is on. group meeting/interview. Germany does a different process: there are “I am on the tennis team and also I’m doing two big tests which evaluates an applicant’s Unlike Backman, Ruediger could not pick basketball, I am also new in student council grade. They have an oral test and then two any state or location to be placed in. and junior assembly,” said Ruediger. paper test which tie into their overall grade. Both faced questions on why they speak English so well. It’s because in many countries students start taking English classes in
“In Germany, you get an Oral grade for every lesson and twice a year you have a
As different as they are, and as different as Northtown is as a community, difference is what makes Northtown, Northtown.
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Editorial: Be more responsive to your friends As Mental health continues to be a worldwide epidemic, 1 in 4 people in the world will be affected by mental health at some point in their lives, according to estimates from the world health report. Every year, Northtown recognizes mental health by having a Stop the Stigma Week in the month of November. During that week, students are encouraged to be there for their friends and to be aware of mental health issues. But why are students only told to talk to their friends during that week? Mental health affects people on a daily basis, not just one week out of a year. Students should be eager to check up on their friends in general.
the time, teens lack communication with their friends because teens tend to focus on themselves. Jesse Tyler, the school’s community resource specialist recommends that you should occasionally reach out to your friends. It could be in person or through social media. Say whatever you would normally say to interact with your friend; just make sure you’re checking up on them and listening to them. If you do notice them being a little bit down or you’ve seen them crying or whatever
Finally, be sure to offer some resources. There are going to be times when you’re checking up on your friend and they’re at the point where they might need major support. Never try to take matters into own your hands if that’s the case. In the heat of mental health, your friend may not be able to think about any resources they already have. That’s why it’s your job as a friend to offer some resources. You could give them a Hotline number or reach out to those who your friend may be comfortable talking to. That could be family, counselors, teacher or a therapist.
“But why are students only told to talk to their friends during that week?”
Every year Northtown engages students in Stop the Stigma by including a spirit week. Adding in the spirit week has devalued the purpose of Stop the Stigma because students are anxious about how much spirit they’re going to have. The effort to show the awareness is really good, but too many students are seeing it as a way to show off their spirit. The Stigma Week’s purpose is to recognize the types of mental health issue. It’s not supposed to recognize how much spirit you have during that week. This year Northtown is going to make changes for the Stop the Stigma by opening the conversation more in a safe environment by including our community and having resources in Northtown and out of Northtown. Checking up on your friends is important. However, not everyone knows how to talk and check up on their friend or maybe how to approach them and that’s okay. Most of
You’re not alone. Confidential help is available to you for free 24/7
emotion you see that’s different than their regular state, then you should check in with them individually. Mention to them the changes you’ve been seeing and that there’s a concern coming from you. It’s best to ask them directly if they want any advice. Never argue or act like your friend deserves to suffer because they don’t want to take your advice.
You’re not alone. Confidential help is available to you for free 24/7
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255 Jesse Tyler, School’s community resource specialist Jesse.Tyler@nkcschools.org The Trevor project: www.thetrevorproject.org or if you or someone you know is thinking about suicide, call the Trevor Lifeline at 866-488-7386 Cathy Blanch, Youth Behavioral Health liaison at 816-965-1016 or catherineb@tri-countrymhs.org In a life-threatening situation go to your local emergency room or call 911
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The
BUZZ
Opinion: Care for yourself Cay Tolbert, Writer Every year in November Northtown we have a stop the stigma week for Suicide. During this week you’re encouraged to check on your friends and make sure they’re doing okay. Which is great in theory but if your friend does have a mental illness checking on them once during one week in November isn’t going to help them long term. You shouldn’t just check on your friends during this week, check on your friends all the time.
Suicide Hotline 1-800-273-8255
Although, there is more than one problem with Stop the Stigma week. Teenagers have a hard time with mental illness, they’re stressed, they want to be liked, do well in school, and form relationships, which can all be too much. I think Stop the Stigma week needs to be about yourself. Spend the week focusing on you, loving you, caring for you. Teenagers try too hard to make sure everyone else in their life is doing well, while doing that they neglect themselves. They don’t realize it until it’s too late and the mental illness overtakes them. Some say Stop the Stigma week is fine how it is. Because it’s important to check on your friends, and make sure they’re doing okay. Checking on your friends is important of course, but if everyone is checking on their friends and trying to help them with the problems they’re having, then what about yourself. Being a therapist to your friends is only making your mental illness greater. Having a week to focus on yourself and unwind, get some of the stress out of your life can change so much. Even if it is just for a week, taking each day to do something for yourself can improve mental illness. We should also be encouraging people to practice this all the time, not just for a week. Taking a little time out of each day, even 5 minutes, for yourself can help reduce stress and the threat of mental illness. Always check on your friends, and let an adult know if you or one of your friends is feeling suicidal.
Illustration by Sameya Anderson
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Free advertising: memes, social media, and Popeyes Iasha Williams, Editor in Chief
A common phenomenon taking the internet by storm is that of the “viral meme.” One recent occurrence of a viral meme started on the social media platform, Twitter, and launched a debate about the best fast food spicy chicken sandwich. The contestants? Most notably Popeyes and Chick-fil-A. The winner? Popeyes, in more ways than one. Memes – as the internet has named them – are image-based posts accompanied by some sort of comedic, on-trend caption. Every few months, or even weeks, one meme subject or format seemingly takes over the internet. In the land of Twitter, memes such as the spicy chicken sandwich one, run rampant, with all sorts of new twists every time someone new joins the discourse. “Memes have taken over our culture. In today’s world, big dog companies such as Apple, Microsoft, Wendy’s, Chick-fil-A, and Popeyes use memes to connect to customers,” says senior Libaan Hussein. The prevalence of memes in today’s society is most noticeable to those who frequently use them. For businesses and casual web-surfers alike, memes can be a viable option for pushing hidden agendas. Whether it’s quietly convincing you to watch the new movie everyone’s making memes about, summoning you to storm a military base to “see them aliens,” or telling you to go try a spicy chicken sandwich, memes have power not to be underestimated.
“Memes have really influenced our culture. They have inserted into our everyday lives from speaking [to] texting.” Said Hussein. He notes how he even uses memes when in casual conversation with friends. The comedic aspect they bring to any interaction is what is most intriguing about memes.
tween the two companies, Popeyes benefitted from a considerable amount of free advertising. With everyone wanting to validly have their say in the conversation, Popeyes across the country were busier than ever and running out of sandwiches left and right.
Without much work, the chicken restaurant Popeyes launched their new menu item into stardom. However, as the internet revealed, for some, the best fast food spicy chicken sandwich on the market was Chick-fil-A’s. So, when competition arrived people were eager to see who would dominate.
“Work was hectic, we had a lot of people come in. There were some that just didn’t get any sandwiches, we had people throwing food at us, cussing us out, all types of crazy stuff over chicken sandwiches,” said senior Deon Blake about his experience working at Popeyes during the craze.
“Bun + Chicken + Pickles = all the [love] for the original,” said the Twitter page for Chick-fil-A, starting the comparisons.
This also calls into question the treatment of Popeyes employees during the frenzy caused by the spicy chicken sandwich. The craving for this trendy food item was so huge that it seems normal customer-employee interactions shifted for the sake of satiating customers’ hunger. For many, such as Popeyes employees, the Twitter war had more real-life impacts compared to the people only involved on Twitter itself. While only a PR stunt to some, for Popeyes employees the effects of this craze were all too real.
“… y’all good?” said Popeyes’ tweet in response, and thus began the “war” as some Twitter users have called it. When it was all said and done, a winner emerged, and that winner was Popeyes. For a number of different reasons listed by the Twitter community and professional publications around the country, Popeyes now had the trophy for the best fast food spicy chicken sandwich.
“[Twitter] made it even worse,” says Blake.
However, along with winning this, Popeyes also saw the glory of free advertisement. With memes centering around the frenzy of Popeyes drive-thru lines wrapped around their buildings and the competition beUnknown, via Twitter A Popeyes employee takes a break outside of the restaurant. With soaring sales due to the new spicy chicken sandwich, Popeyes employees felt the brunt of the crowds and multiple employees were photographed seemingly exhausted.
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Demaray Amaro/Photographer Sign outside of Popeyes informing customers of the absence. Popeyes is currently not serving chicken sandwich as of print.
The
BUZZ
What’s new on Armour? Photo Collage Ava Jones, Photo Editor
Armour Road is the Times Square of North Kansas City. It’s full of wonderful places to visit that maybe hard to see due to the traffic. In this photo collage, there are places that may not have enough appreciation. Armour also just installed street parking and bike lanes. Some students and residents find it inconvenient and annoying, some find it helpful and safer. Take the time to explore the area and shop locally!
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Northtown’s insight Joe Mormino, Writer Skyler Dodd, Writer A Walmart in El Paso, Texas. A popular nightlife district in Dayton, Ohio. The Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida. Places such as these were just a few of the many locations for some of the most horrific and violent tragedies to take place on U.S. soil in the past three years. These are chilling examples of gun violence. This has been discussed extensively over the past few decades, and virtually nothing has been able to curb it. Mass shootings and gun-related crimes in the U.S. continue to take place by the day, and American citizens endlessly hope for the bloodshed to end. However, is any progress being made on the issue?
Amendment, right? But I believe that there is no room or semi-automatic weapons, AR-15s, or AK-47s,” Nguyen said. Fellow teacher, Margaret Nurrenbern, like Mr. Nguyen, also teaches language courses, as well as sponsors the school’s Young Democrats of America branch. Like Mr. Nguyen, she too has strong feelings about gun control. “I recognize that for a lot of people, especially those here in Missouri, their guns are really important to them. And this isn’t about taking your guns away, it’s simply ensuring that there’s policies in place that are going to keep our kids safe.” Nurrenbern says. According to Nurrenbern, the people
Hannah Lawrence/Photographer Glass cases of rifles on display at Academy Sports. Stores all over the country carry firearms.
Tuan Nguyen, a foreign language teacher at North Kansas City Highschool, feels unsure that progress has been made, but he’s still hopeful regardless of all the gun violence. “Every day I get up and I go to school, and I teach. And I hope that we are safe,” Nguyen said. Mr. Nguyen is confident in his fellow staff members are prepared enough. Yet he is also unsure how things will go if NKCHS was ever invaded by a school shooter. “We do what we can. Now, God forbid, I don’t want to think about that, but in real life situations, just hope for the best,” Nguyen said. According to Mr. Nguyen, there should be adjustments to the law. Not the complete abolishment of said gun ownership laws, but some things need to change. “I’m not arguing for taking away the 2nd
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Hannah Lawrence/Photograhper Academy Sports and Outdoors holds glass cases of handguns for sale. Walmart had experienced mass shootings and violent threats, and took them out of their stores.
The
BUZZ
Gun Control
shouldn’t solely rely on the government to fix this issue. Instead, they need to unify in order to resolve this situation. “I think that we have to come together and come into agreement in passing measures that the vast majority of people support, specifically universal background checks.” Nurrenbern says. Nurrenbern’s sense of public safety is waning, even to the point where she’s trying to be actively aware of her surroundings when she’s in public. Every public area, including schools, are still at risk.
“Every day I get up and I go to school, and I teach. And I hope that we are safe.” Tuan Nguyen. “Because of our shooting situations, I think we’ve all realized that over and over again, this has swept over the country, and we’ve stopped saying it can’t happen here, because unfortunately we know it could.” Nurrenbern says. Regarding the safety of North Kansas City Highschool, Mrs. Nurrenbern claims that she questions the safety but is, for the most part, confident in the students’ well beings. The staff will act as necessary
essary, but changes do need to make for a safer community. “I think that we have to get out of the idea that when we talk about common-sense gun reform, we are not talking about going in and taking guns from law-abiding citizens. Nobody’s going to do that.” Nurrenbern says. Duncan Carmichael, a senior at NKC and Vice President of the Young Americans Foundation, believes that when it comes to public safety, American citizens are safe.
“My main reason for that being is that there are people, good people, who have concealed carry and open carry licenses and there are police officers that do not have bad intentions that are patrolling the streets.” Duncan says. Duncan believes that the government should invest in mental health research and other human based issues instead reforming the gun laws. Claiming it’s the people
“I think at Northtown, we have a presence of teachers, off-campus supervisors, our resource officers, and our administrators being present and just being eyes, but to be honest, it’s our students here that are kind of the first reporters. I always say that if you see something that’s not quite right, say something.” Nurrenbern says. When it comes to gun-reform, Nurrenbern would like to point out that the fear of the public’s guns being taken away are unnec-
Hannah Lawrence/Photographer Anonymous holds their personal gun. Lots of Americans choose to conceal in carry.
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Continued on page 10
on
that is the root cause. “I believe that the government is doing too much in the wrong place. Something that the government should, instead of spending all this money on banning guns and stronger gun reforms, everybody is blaming the guns, but nobody is talking about the people. We could be putting more research into mental health.” Duncan says. When it comes to how the topic of gun violence is being handled, Duncan solely believes in the Second Amendment. The government should not fix the issue by taking away or restricting the guns. “My personal views are constitutional views and that is the right to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed. I personally believe that any gun law is unconstitutional, and I will stand by that until I die. Now do I believe that some places should not have everybody having guns? Yes. And, I do believe that you must be eighteen or older because that is when you are a full citizen.” Duncan says. Duncan’s faith in the school staff is not absolute. Some staff members he believes are capable of handling a dire situation like a shooter and some he does not. “Some teachers I am not confident in just because I see them not being able to handle the stress of day to day classwork... Not everybody is able to be under the circumstances where people lives are in danger and keep a full maintained fashion.” Duncan says.
Hannah Lawrence/Photographer Security guard at Northtown poses for a photo. Northtown Security officers are armed and trained at all times.
“…everybody is blaming the guns, but nobody is talking about the people. We could be putting more research into mental health.” -Duncan Carmichael, senior.
Duncan states the open campus for the school, as nice as it is, doesn’t ensure the safety of the students. Open environment with little monitoring makes for a vulnerable crowd. “There is no way to secure this entire campus because of the open campus. From a student’s point of view, yeah, I love being able to leave, but looking at it from a logistical and security point of view it’s not good at all.”
Glass cases of rifles on display at Academy Sports. Stores all over the country carry fire arms.
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Hannah Lawrence/Photographer
The
Northtown’s class of 2020 prepares to vote
BUZZ
Cay Tolbert, Writer “Vote, vote, vote, and make it a habit to vote,” Margaret Nurrenbern said when asked about the 2020 election. This upcoming election will be the first election that the class of 2020 will be able to vote in, as well as 2019 and 2018. One thing most people can agree on is the excitement of this class voting. “I think it’s great, I think it’s important that we participate as citizens. So, three years ago I never thought I would be able to vote in the 2020 election. I never really thought about it so it’s pretty cool and exciting to know that my class will be able to.” said Josiah Mendoza. There are people on both sides of the election so it’s important to be informed about who is who. There are so many great ways to get informed about where, when, and how to vote. “The easiest way is to go to both democratic and republican offices that they have. They have offices here in the Kansas City area. Get information from them. Do a little bit of research, if you know what the person stands for, it’s a lot easier to research what they stand for, rather than what the individual said here or there.” Louis Breinen said. Being informed is also a great way to come up with your own opinion on who to vote for. Most kids are influenced by their parents to think or believe a certain thing. Some people, like Mendoza believe that influence on who teens vote for is a good thing “Well, without being biased, probably a little bit, but what is too much influence? You know.” Mendoza said. Breinen also feels older generations are influencing younger generations.
Anthony Lockwood/Photographer An American flag waves outside of North Kansas City’s Norclay building. American citizens await the undecided fate of the 2020 election.
Breinen and his wife both voted for Trump so, when his daughter came home crying after the election, they were both shocked. Breinen looked for the root of the problem and found the teacher was inadvertently saying bad things about Trump. Breinen was sure that the things the teacher said influenced his eldest daughter.
“I want Trump for 2020. I think he’s doing great things.” To really get informed on how to vote here are some websites to help inform you about who’s who and what’s what in the upcoming 2020 election.
Some people already have an idea of who they’re voting for in the 2020 election. “I just Bernie man, he’s the best, and I know he can beat Trump, that’s what’s important.” An anonymous source said. On the opposing side of that is another anonymous source.
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Changes: End of Open Lunch Ava Jones, Photo Editor With the new building comes many other new aspects to Northtown. One of the new aspects coming is the end of open lunch. While the freshmen may not really understand what is happening, the upperclassmen do. “I think it is sad to see open lunch ending because it was a major part of Northtown and made us special in the eyes of students” senior, Wyatt Zirkle, has said about open lunch ending. The freshmen and the seniors both have different thoughts. comes and goes. According to Brenda Copeland, some stores have changed such as “I used open lunch when I first got here QuikTrip and Dairy Queen, the Little Store and I do think that kids should be able to has always stayed the same. Even through and it’s not really fair because other high different ownership, Little Store has stayed. schools don’t have it but I guess that’s the good thing about it” Ruben Hernandez, From the 1970s to 2019, open lunch has a freshman at Northtown has said about been a part of Northtown’s history. From hearing that open lunch is ending. the Little Store to QuikTrip, open lunch has given students a sense of freedom to go out While Northtown has had open lunch for for lunch. Open lunch is one part of what a while - possibly since the 60s but for sure made Northtown what it is today. in the 70s – that will be changing. There is a possibility that the attendance will be affected even more. “I think it will affect the attendance because I write a lot of passes third block so we have a lot of kids that don’t go to class before they go to lunch so they’re late to class and that affects attendance.” Says Joanne Schwartz, who takes care of the attendance in A and B building. She said that this will affect the attendance scores here negatively. Open lunch has a lot of history here from the restaurants changing, to how often it
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photos by Chris Sauer
The
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BUZZ
Hannah Lawrence, Writer
name/role captions; palatino italic, size 7, two sentances. DuntoremNullanis evendio nseque ped quaspel il ese evendaernati.
School Spirit is a very important thing at North Kansas City High School, with having themed games it’s great to see all the students dressed and excited for the night. The first game theme was Tacky Tourist. Student, Victoria Mendolia, said, “I’m excited to see how our boys do tonight, with how good we did last year the expectations are very high.” Last football season the home team went 9-2.
Skyler Dodd/Photographer NKC Highschool students cheering their team on from the stands. They showed enthusiasm for their players.
Alexis Birdsong/Managing Editor Students Hailey Rice and friends cheer on late in the game. Northtown’s student section was full for the first home game.
There were many students almost an hour early waiting with excitement for the game to start. The players appeared very excited and ready for the game; they had been practicing for weeks preparing themselves for this game. “The Coaches and team have been working very hard to get our team to this point I think we’re going to just as good this season as the last there’s been a lot of hard work and dedication put in from all areas of the team.” Varsity player Brian Pacheco said. Many Northtown students showed up dressed and ready to cheer their team to victory. All the school had spirit in the student section. Everyone in their ‘Tacky Tourist’ shirts, fanny packs, and leis you would almost believe you were in Hawaii yourself.
Alexis Birdsong/Managing Editor Brandon Hall scores the first touchdown of the game. Brandon Hall scored many noteable touchdowns throughout the night.
Alexis Birdsong/Managing Editor Northtown Hornets set up for defense in their first home game. Northtown Hornets beat the Chrisman Bears on the first game on home turf, the Hornets contine to be undefeated as of print date.
Skyler Dodd/Photographer NKC Highschool students celebrating during halftime. The Skyler Dodd/Photographer name/role crowd decided to have some fun during their waiting. Hornets football team’s ilintroduction to the beginning captions; palatino italic, size 7, two sentances. DuntoremNullanisNKC evendio nseque ped quaspel ese evendaernati. of the season. They were hyped for the game that was soon a victory.
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Global warming and its effects Anthony Lockwood, Writer
As the school year has started, many students have noticed the weather. As the sun shines its bright rays down on the brand-new campus, students are sharing their takes on global warming. Aiden Dougherty, a junior and a Young Democrat member, believes that the gap between Republicans and Democrats stances on global warming is large. “Everyone agrees [that] climate change is occurring” and we need to work together, but that more Republicans are “ignoring the issue,” and blame “global warming on other variables” than human intervention. He believes that global warming is an issue, and we need a feasible solution, also adding that ideas like stopping the burning of fossil fuels might not work. He also says, “It’s one of the largest factors for many economies, so it would greatly hurt a lot of economies if we just solely phase them out completely, so I think it should be a slower process their phasing off.”
Another Young Democrat member and newly named secretary of the club, Gracie Cates, gave her take on the issue as well. She also believes the Republican and Democratic stances have become “extremely politically polarizing” but that there are “some people (who) are still willing to reach across the aisle from both parties” and help discuss the issues and implications global warming have. Recently, The Wall Street Journal released a survey conducted two times, once in 1999, and another time in 2018. It compared Republicans’ and Democrats’ stances on global warming and if they believed it was a national crisis and if it needed to be talked about and dealt with. The results were astounding, with 29% of Democrats in 1999, and then 71% in 2018 saying it was an issue at the time, compared to Republicans’ 14% (1999) to 19% (2018). Cates responded to this saying that “research and awareness for global warming has reached many Americans”. “I think that it is extremely important to understand and learn about other people’s perspectives. That is how we get things done in society.” Ella J. Skaggs, president of the Young Democrats club of Northtown also gave her opinion, saying that humans have caused global warming. “Yes, the earth’s climate has changed in the past, but science has proved the latest warming trend is due to human activity.”
(http://www.truevaluemetrics.org) This pie chart shows the breakdown of the gases in the air.
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And as the planet has heated up, we have noticed the changes ev-
ident because of global warming as well, According to Skaggs, “Since the late 19th century the earth has warmed 1.62 degrees and most of that has happened in the last 35 years. Greenland shed 11 billion tons of ice in one week, but people still deny climate change”. Skaggs also knows that several Democrats believe that global warming was a top concern, and that many Republicans have held firm on their beliefs as well. She also thinks it is still important to learn about others’ perspectives as well, “Debating doesn’t get you anywhere
“Yes, the earth’s climate has changed in the past, but science has proved the latest warming trend is due to human activity.” Ella Skaggs, senior
The
BUZZ
(Image from Berkelyearth.org) This data shows the rising trend of land temperatures from 1880 to 2020, and how it compares to the ocean temperatures.
but listening to different sides and working across the aisle is what allows you to change things.” Science teacher, Daniel Berkland, defines global change as referring to “any change on a planet-wide scale that affects the Earth Systems.” While also adding that global warming and climate change are different, “These terms have been used interchangeably. However, Global Warming would be referring to the rise of average temperature on the planet, and climate change is a response to the Global Warming phenomenon. This would be a long-term change in the pattern of weather.” Many people might wonder why or how the temperature keeps going up, and why it is such an important topic. The reason we are involved is the burning of fossil fuels, according to Berkland. ‘The release of methane and carbon dioxide are bi-products of burning fossil fuels. Humans are typically associated with an increase in both of these gases based upon the consumption of fossil fuels. More people = more fossil fuel usage = increase in global temperatures”.
community is also split on what to believe, according to Mr. Berkland, “It seems as if the scientific community is split on this topic. Some believe that this is a major issue that could be affecting us in the very near future. Others believe that the currently warming is just part of a cycle the earth is undergoing, and it is not the result of human interactions with the environment.”. Even though we know global warming is happening, there is very little we know about it still, seeing as many people’s opinions are split and continue to be. Mr. Berkland also said, “Long story short, we simply don’t have enough data to support either side of the argument concretely. With that being said, it is good science to find out what causes global warming and be prepared to intervene if it seems necessary to save our climates and resources.” As awareness of the August and September heat this year and global warming circulates the campus, so does the heat warnings, says Dr. Chad Ryerson.
“The only thing the heat impacts is the practice schedules of outdoor athletics.” Also adding that the school trainer decides “if athletes can practice outside and for how long.” While sports teams and other groups have to deal with the heat, Ryerson also brought to light the hard work of the Northtown marching band, who “practiced really early in the morning several times to beat the heat.” As every member dedicates to hone their craft. Although many students aren’t affected by the heat, some groups like band and football have been affected, and it’s important to have more discussions about how global warming is affecting our community, and our planet. As we all have our own opinions, it is still good to keep an open mind, and respect others, along with their unique perspectives.
Just like in the political parties, the science
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…everybody is blaming the guns, but nobody is talking about the people. We could be putting more research into mental health.’’ -Duncan Carmichael, senior (NKCHS’s insight on gun control, pg 8)