XBOX VS PLAYSTATION
DEALING WITH A PANDEMIC
RECRUITING DURING COVID
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A review of the two new gaming consoles that came out at the end of the year
Students share their coping mechanisms while dealing with the new normal
SPOTLIGHT Pg. 4-5
Senior Jordan Fritzsche signs to play golf during a different recruiting season
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A&E Page 8
THE PEPPER BOX RITENOUR HIGH SCHOOL
ISSUE 2, VOLUME 98
9100 ST. CHARLES ROCK ROAD, ST. LOUIS, MO 63114
JANUARY 2021
Joe Biden becomes the 46th president of the United States The democratic candidate was sworn in on January 20 despite a lengthy fight after the election
TYRA SMITH Pepper Box Staff On November 7, after a four-day-long nationwide ballot counting process, Democratic nominee Joe Biden was declared the winner of the United States presidential election after his home state of Pennsylvania finally pushed the candidate above the 270 electoral vote requirement. Biden received over 81 million votes, which is more votes than any previous presidential candidate has ever received. Biden will be one of five challenging presidents that have been able defeat an incumbent president within the past century. The other four previous presidents include Franklin Roosevelt in 1932, Jimmy Carter in 1976, Ronald Reagan in 1980, and Bill Clinton in 1992. Biden received 51.4% of the popular vote. Roosevelt has been the only challenger within the past century to earn a higher percentage than Biden with 60.8% of the vote. “I think the biggest factor in Biden’s win is the voter turnout especially in minority communities,” social studies teacher Brett Mueller said. “Since Bill Clinton (D) won in 1992, only once (G.W. Bush in 2004) has a Republican won the popular vote showing that for a long time, the majority of people have supported Democratic candidates and policies” Mueller believes that there
were many factors that led to Americans voting at a higher rate, and Democratic voters representing themselves more in previously Republican heavy areas. “People like Stacey Abrams getting people out to vote in Georgia at record numbers resulted in more voices being heard, especially in minority communities that heavily favor Democrats; even though a greater percentage of minorities voted for Trump in 2020, the sheer numbers of new voters outweighed the change in percentages,” Mueller said. “Also, in this election, white males were 8% less likely to vote for Trump. I believe that everyone has their own reasons for voting the way they vote so I don’t want to overgeneralize, but I think Trump’s character and demeanor and the pandemic were key factors for many people.” Similarly to Mueller, fellow social studies teacher Michael Murray also attributes the result of this year’s election to the increase of new voters. “Both parties had their core constituents excited and ready to vote. The new voters to this election were the difference, with many people feeling the need to voice their opinion on what is happening in the United States,” Murray said. As of Biden’s inauguration on January 20, he became the oldest inaugurated president of the United States at the age of 78.
Photo Courtesy Geoff Livingston via Flickr Supporters celebrate at the Black Lives Matter Plaza in Washington DC on November 7, after it was announced that Joe Biden would win the 2020 presidential election.
In addition to Biden’s achievements, his running mate, Vice PresidentElect Kamala Harris, has simultaneously made history as the first female, first African-American, and first South Asian-American Vice President. Senior Trinity Williams shared her thoughts on the president and vice presidentelects. “My personal opinion on President-Elect Joesph Biden is that he is a genuine person. He cares about the people and he’s a family man. My political views on Biden are that he’s made some political mistakes, as do many other politicians because no one is perfect,” Williams said. “ My political views regarding Kamala Harris are just the same just like Biden. I do believe she has made some
questionable decisions regarding her last positions in the public eye, but, I was ecstatic hearing that Kamala would not only become the first woman to be VP, but a woman of color. She has opened even more doors for women of color [and] for little girls, especially black and brown girls, who have another woman who they can look up to.” After the Associated Press declared Biden the winner on the morning of November 7, crowds across the country gathered in celebration. In Washington D.C., streets were even forced to close due to traffic caused by the thousands of participants. The members, notably masked due to the pandemic, were seen dancing, singing, drinking, honking, wearing Black Lives Matter attire, and waving US and LGBTQ+
flags. The reaction came as no surprise as 93% of the nation’s capitol voted for Biden. “My initial reaction to the results of the election to say the least was relieved,” Williams said. “It felt like a weight lifted off my shoulders knowing I would not have to worry about my rights as a black indigenous woman in America. I think the results of the elections symbolize a breath of peace. This year has been extremely emotionally draining, and to have some good news this year was very much needed.” In other parts of the country, Trump supporters were seen protesting the results. Trump had claimed that voter fraud would occur as early as August, stating the election was “rigged”if he was not declared the winner.
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COVID vaccinations begin as the country looks to end the pandemic Two companies have created viable vaccines, although not all citizens are sure they want to get vaccinated JERSIE COX Pepper Box Staff When COVID-19 came into society, countries around the world raced to find a vaccine for the virus. As of late November, with Pfizer having a success rate of 95%, the start of a plan to vaccinate people for COVID-19 began. As of January 2020, there are over 22 million cases of COVID-19 and over 400,000 deaths related to COVID-19 in the United States alone. America has taken the lead for the highest number of cases out of every country in the world. The first reported case of COVID-19 in America was in February, and as the months went by the numbers of cases and deaths skyrocketed.
IN THIS ISSUE
President Trump called the plan to find a vaccine, Operation Warp Speed, and the speed in which the vaccine was created has been celebrated by some, and questioned by others. The vaccine is now being pushed out globally and people in the 1A and 1B category in Missouri are starting to receive their doses. The 1A group includes longterm care facility residents and staff, as well as healthcare workers. After 1A is vaccinated, it will move to 1B, which includes high risk individuals, individuals over 65, first responders and essential workers (including teachers). Finally, it will move to phase 2, which includes populations at increased risk, like WORD ON THE R POLITICAL CARTOONS PAGE 2-3
prisoners and the homeless, and then to phase 3, for all remaining Missouri residents. “I will be more than happy to take the vaccine if it means that I will potentially be saving lives,” Ritenour parent Stephanie Robbinson said. Unfortunately, the rollout of the vaccine has hit some snags, as less doses than expected have reached hospitals, in some places doses have been mishandled, and in one instance, doses were intentionally tampered with. As of Monday, January 11, 9.27 million people have been vaccinated in the United States, which is much fewer than had been expected at this point. English teacher Christina Melly says that this is not uncommon with anyone who
HOW THE PANDEMIC HAS CHANGED THE WORLD PAGE 4-5
FACS TEACHER DONATES HOMEMADE MASKS PAGE 6
has ever had to organize a mass rollout. She is patiently waiting for her vaccine, and is hopeful that the early rollout to health care workers will help her sister-in-law, who is a nurse. “The development and testing processes that companies have had to go through are intense: the trials account for the possibility of reactions, and I know we’ll have to watch for long-term impacts, but medicine has learned a huge amount about making vaccines safe in the last 100 years,” Melly said. “Anyone who has distributed anything before -whether that’s books, meals, computers, or something as simple as lemonade -- knows that you have to have a plan and a clear flow for people POLITICAL TENSION LEADS TO VIOLENCE PAGE 7
to follow. There isn’t any sort of clear regional or national plan for anyone to follow, and that confusion is showing in the slowness of the vaccine campaign so far. It’s hard to do better when public health offices are already getting so much pushback (even threats) over other COVID issues and don’t have enough funding or staff.” RHS nurse Jonathan Speak has been tracking the progress of the vaccine for a while, and has been involved in the process of trying to help get vaccines to Ritenour staff members. “I’ve been attending multiple webinars since August with experts in the field, such as Dr. Fauci,
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TOP 5 MEMES OF 2020
MISOGYNY AND SPORTS
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