Impeachment reverberates locally
By Noah Orloff, St. Louis Park High School
January 16, 2020
After the full House voted to officially impeach President Donald Trump, the recent political discourse has called into question the effect of national politics on Park. According to social studies teacher Jill Merkle, impeachment has generated varying degrees of interest among students. “In gener...
Francis Howell School District files a lawsuit against JUUL
By Mansi Mamidi and Waha Siddiqui
December 12, 2019
Francis Howell School District (FHSD) filed a lawsuit on Oct. 7 against JUUL Labs Inc. (JUUL) for intentional harm out of the district’s control, joining many other school districts throughout the country. This situation isn’t a class-action lawsuit, but rather a multi-district lawsuit, in which...
HB joins the fight against vaping
By Hannah Riseman and Ella Mouradian
December 11, 2019
Across the country, the use of vape and e-cigarette products has been on the rise. The percent of students vaping recently rose from 11.7 in 2017 to 27.5 in 2019, a drastic increase Hollis and Brookline haven’t been immune to. On Nov. 13 and Nov. 21, Hollis-Brookline High School welcomed guest spea...
DGS still buzzed by Juul epidemic
By Ariel Oh, Teagan Smith, Alex Miranda, and Paul Szmanda
December 9, 2019
The presence of vaping at DGS has drawn attention from students, teachers and other staff. What used to be a social trend has evolved into something extremely different, and teenage vaping rates and injuries continue to rise. As of 2019, there have been 39 deaths linked to vaping, and for Illinois, 137...
Montgomery County sues Juul in latest effort to end vaping epidemic
By Sammy Heberlee, Walt Whitman High School
December 2, 2019
As part of Montgomery County’s ongoing efforts to curb teen use of electronic cigarettes and vaping, the Montgomery County Council authorized a lawsuit Oct. 16 against Juul Labs and Altria Group, a company that owns a 35% stake in Juul. The lawsuit claims that the e-cigarette manufacturers and distributors...
New research uncovers health risks of vaping
By Megan Neal, Piper High School
November 20, 2019
The teen vaping epidemic has taken a turn for the worst as new research surfaces, bringing into question if vaping is truly the safer alternative to cigarettes many companies claim it to be. According to the Centers for Disease Control, there have been 26 confirmed vape related deaths, along with 1,30...
One simple ‘NO’ can save peoples’ lives
By Shree Delwadia and Regan Blood
November 19, 2019
The simple consent or thought to vape is all it takes for one to join the thousands in today’s society that are part of an epidemic called vaping. Many people can conclude that the rates of vaping, among teens especially, continue to escalate every day. It has become common place to hear about anothe...
Vaping can lead to serious pulmonary illnesses
By Maggie Klaers, St. Louis Park High School
November 19, 2019
Years ago, senior Quentin Cloutier said he began vaping, but noticed adverse effects as his dependence on nicotine grew. “I was 16 when I started (vaping). I’ve been doing it for a really long time,” Cloutier said. “It’s for the buzz effect, honestly. It’s a stress reliever, but it’s a...
Vaping epidemic leads to illnesses, deaths
By Summer Rains, Willis High School
November 11, 2019
Watermelon, Strawberry, Blue Raspberry Pop and Tobacco Dream. Most students are just now coming to the realization that, “hitting it” is killing them. The death toll has risen to 39 people and hundreds of others are facing life threatening illnesses according to the CDC. Incidents like this are...
A deeper look into the district’s actions against vaping
By Anna Owsley, Mill Valley High School
November 5, 2019
The USD 232 school district was among the first across the nation to take such public and decisive action against e-cigarettes as its lawsuit against Juul Labs, Inc. However, the district’s objectives encompass far more than a settlement. With the occurrence of student suspensions related to e-...
The Blue Valley School District takes legal action against JUUL
By Megan Yates, Blue Valley Northwest High School
November 4, 2019
Joining the Olathe, DeSoto, Goddard, Concordia and Shawnee Mission school districts, Blue Valley has decided to sue JUUL. The Blue Valley school district is being represented by the Goza & Honnold law firm, located in Overland Park, Kan. Addressing Blue Valley staff members in an email,...
CDC links vaping to 33 deaths in U.S.
By Anna McClellan and Evelyn Griffin
November 4, 2019
Butyl hydroxytoluene. Crotonaldehyde. Diethylene Glycol. Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon. Propylene glycol. Valeraldehyde. These chemicals are just a few of the thousands that go into e-liquid, which is heated up and inhaled using what most people refer to as vapes. All of these chemicals have an...
All-time high
By Avery Platt, Wylie East High School
October 30, 2019
It's bad for you. It's dumb. It's not cool. It’s a killer. It's addictive. The opinions adults have on teen vaping are well known but the opinions teens have on vaping are never discussed. Two teenagers opened up about the fact they vape and they answered a series of personal questions related to...
Head in the clouds
By Madi Olivier, Marcus High School
October 28, 2019
It was the worst case local pulmonologist Adekunle Adekola had seen. The patient — a woman in her thirties — recently walked into the hospital complaining of shortness of breath, coughing and a fever, but she was breathing on her own. Soon, she required almost 100 percent oxygen. Her history of...
Vaping outbreak worries students
By Valery Barrera, Daniel Pearl Magnet High School
October 25, 2019
Inhale. Hold. Exhale. Youth vaping rates have been on the rise since 2017, with rates doubling in 2019, leaving parents concerned for their child's health. “The impact on the students and communities we serve, totaling nearly 5 million people, is very real,” Los Angeles Unified School Dist...
The Struggle To Quit
By Nathan Yon, Tyrone Area High School
October 23, 2019
Thanks to vaping, I am one of the millions of American teens currently struggling with nicotine addiction. I first tried a Juul when it became popular during my eighth-grade year. The buzz felt good so I would hit my friends’ when I was with them. Flavors like mint, blueberry, mango, and strawberry...
Vaping deaths spark controversy
By Savannah Dupper, Cathedral Catholic High School
October 22, 2019
When Cathedral Catholic High School student Cameron Nash ‘20 scrolled through his social media feed, he did not expect to see several news stories about teens dying from excessive vaping. “There wasn’t a lot of negative press on vaping for a while, but now it’s all over the internet,”...
District joins lawsuit against JUUL, while students and staff still struggle to handle vaping epidemic
By Hannah Chern, Steven Curto, Sophie Lecuru, Tanner Smith, and Ben Wieland
October 21, 2019
After Olathe Public Schools filed a lawsuit against JUUL Labs, Inc. on Monday, Oct. 7, USD 232 followed in their footsteps. The USD 232 Board of Education authorized legal counsel to file a lawsuit against JUUL, a manufacturer, distributor and seller of cigarette alternatives known as e-cigarettes or...
Vaping incident brings national problem to surface
By Ariel Leykin, Homestead High School
October 16, 2019
E-cigarettes, invented over ten years ago, are marketed as a safer alternative to smoking cigarettes. However, instead of transitioning from cigarettes to e-cigarettes, many teens are heading straight to e-cigarettes. The (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) CDC has reported e-cigarettes being...
Opinion: Time to quit the Juul
By Jack Rosenblum, Vanderbilt University
October 15, 2019
For several decades, Americans have worked hard to reduce the presence of cigarettes only to see them replaced by something which could be far more dangerous. As of Sept. 30, 2019, 15 Americans have died from vaping-related activity in addition to 800 cases of lung disease. Emerging over a decade ago, the e...
Gen Z facing the vaping epidemic
By Ashley Yung, Granite Bay High School
October 15, 2019
As vaping becomes a more common and widespread practice, various ramifications are coming to light. Concerns have already surfaced about the addictive qualities of nicotine, but the most recent and concerning phenomenon has been respiratory failure. Ricky D’Ambrosio, a 21-year-old Rocklin resident...
The Vaping Experiment: Are We the Guinea Pigs?
By Nina Lavezzo-Stecopoulos and Noah Bullwinkle
October 10, 2019
Advertisements for e-cigarettes, including JUUL, the e-cigarette which represents 76.1 percent of the market (Nielsen), have been a contentious issue between vaping companies and the federal government. In a July 2019 congressional hearing on JUUL, information was released about a representative from...
Illnesses and deaths spark efforts to curb vaping
By Lindsay Ruhl and Marcus Johnson
October 10, 2019
Twenty-three people nationwide have died from vaping-related illnesses this year, according to U.S. health officials. Vaping has always been advertised as a “safe” alternative to smoking. However, with new studies showing people with severe lung problems, the safety of vaping seems not fully understood. “What...
Rising teen use, dangers of JUULs cause concerns
By Priyanka Anand and Sharlene Chen
October 9, 2019
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, in the early 2000s, adolescent smoking reached new lows due to realization of the health hazards of nicotine and tobacco within communities. However, with the rise of new technology such as e-cigarettes, teen smoking has began to skyrocket again,...
Vaping: Is Brentwood Hooked?
By Jonas Wall, Brentwood High School
October 9, 2019
Frequent trips to the bathroom to calm the nerves and groups huddled together with their heads down to fill the craving of nicotine are a common sight to see in any American high school. It is common knowledge that teenage vaping has been widespread in recent years. From the perspective of parents and...
“Vaping” becomes a dangerous trend among teens
By Olyvia Flemming, John Sevier Middle School
October 9, 2019
Tobacco has been an epidemic around the world since it was first harvested and used. The cancer-causing plant, filled with addictive nicotine, has had a major negative impact on the world. Alternative methods to smoking tobacco have been produced, such as vaping, juuling and smokeless tobacco. Vaping...
The stewing storm of sweet smoke
By Peter Dang and Cade Spencer
October 8, 2019
A teenage boy hides away in a bathroom stall as he slowly takes a small device from his pocket. Lifting the e-cigarette to his mouth, the boy inhales a puff of smoke. As he exhales, a light haze of sweet vapor fills the room. This very scene has become commonplace in high schools across the nation. ...
LETHAL VAPOR: At least 12 deaths so far from mysterious vaping illness
By Jacob Joseph Lefkowitz Brooks and Sivan Karz
October 8, 2019
There are lots of reasons not to vape. For one thing, it’s against Shalhevet rules, as Principal Daniel Weslow announced to the community at an assembly in the fall of last year. Vaping can also cause addiction to nicotine -- the most addictive part of tobacco -- even though it contains no tobacco....
“We’ve stopped keeping track” EHS school resource officer says vaping is a troubling and growing problem at EHS
By Vivian Cedillo and Julian Galvan
October 3, 2019
"We don't even keep track. It is so many now. It has grown in popularity. Back in the day, it was cigarettes. Now it is so incredibly common that we've just stopped keeping track," said Matthew Creaghe, the EHS school resource officer. Based on the number of e-cigarettes confiscated at Englewood High...
SCCC students speak up about future of vaping
By Calen Moore, Seward County Community College
October 2, 2019
A puff of steam escaped Hailey Logarth’s mouth and filled the room. The air smelled like strawberry, mint, watermelon and tasted like candy. However, behind the bubble gum exterior lies controversy. So much so, that Logarth asked for her name to be changed. The vaping controversy began in earnest...
Vaping illness sends alum to ICU
By Molly Burgener, Lake Forest High School
October 2, 2019
Marketed as a safer alternative to smoking cigarettes, the e-cigarette has come under intense federal scrutiny after being linked to 12 deaths and hundreds of hospitalizations this year. Alum Frank Phillips, 19, said he spent eight days in an intensive care unit because of complications connected...
Captain Marvel Analysis: Are Skrulls Taking Your Jobs?
By Riley Hull, Sage Creek High School
April 30, 2019
Disclaimer: This article in its analysis of the movie contains spoilers of the plot, so if you plan on seeing it, perhaps wait to read this article until afterward. This year’s smash hit of “Captain Marvel” is not only breaking records, passing fan favorite “Spiderman: Homecoming” in sal...
CHS Students React to College Admissions Scandal
By Kidan Williams, Clarksburg High School
April 2, 2019
The recent college admissions scandal has stirred up a lot of emotions especially with high school and college students. Celebrities such as actress Lori Loughlin, known for her role as Aunt Becky on the popular show Full House, paid for her daughters, Olivia Jade and Isabella Rose, to be accept...
Opinion: The college admissions scandal is unfair, but not unexpected
By Alex Janoff, Wayland High School
April 2, 2019
For many high school students across the country, the college admissions journey is a time-consuming and stressful process in which students set themselves up in the best way possible to market themselves to top colleges. For a select wealthy few, however, guaranteed admission to a prestigious university...
Student, teacher perspectives on the college admissions scandal
By Lauren Shields, Foothill Technology High School
April 2, 2019
The college admissions scandal that was uncovered in mid-March of 2019 highlights the one major injustice in the process of college admissions: the fact that fraud, bribery and cheating give the wealthy an advantage. The method that wealthy parents used to guarantee their child’s admittance in...
Column: College admission scandal steals opportunities, reveals superficiality of higher education
By Maggie Del Re, Algonquin Regional High School
March 27, 2019
Over 50 people were indicted by federal officials on Tuesday, March 12. These people won’t be on trial for stealing money. In fact, they’re being arrested for doing quite the opposite: these were wealthy people spending exorbitant amounts of money to ensure their children admission into selective...
Column: Rich People Pave the Way for Their Kids College Admissions. Are we Surprised?
By Fabian Mendoza, Godinez Fundamental High School
March 27, 2019
Parents try their hardest to make their children happy, often times at the expense of others. On March 12, 2019, federal prosecutors released information that uncovered a bribery plot where rich and successful parents were bribing colleges for a guaranteed admission for their children. William Singer,...
‘I honestly wasn’t surprised’: Archer reacts to college admissions scheme
By Emma London and Liz Haltrecht
March 26, 2019
In an affidavit released on March 12, 2019, the Federal Bureau of Investigations [FBI] indicted 50 people of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraud. The FBI titled this case "Operation Varsity Blues." Fraudulent acts ranged from doctoring images of students playing sports to che...
Students, teachers frustrated over alleged college admissions bribery scandal
By Anna Yuan, Walt Whitman High School
March 26, 2019
When senior Evin McDonald, who is committed to play tennis at the University of Texas at Austin, found out that his college coach was set to be prosecuted for accepting an approximately $100,000 bribe in a college admissions scheme, he was stunned. “I was just in complete shock,” McDonald said....
Column: Cheap Cheats and Expensive Bribes
By Jonathan Ross, North Allegheny Senior High School
March 20, 2019
I think it is safe to say that a majority of students in our school have, at some point during their academic careers, cheated, finessed, conned, bluffed, or otherwise bamboozled their way to a grade that was better than what they likely deserved. I myself am included in this—we have all felt the all-too-prevalent...
Stressed for success
By Savannah Dupper, Cathedral Catholic High School
March 20, 2019
Fluorescent lights beam down upon the nervous students, their pencils moving frantically as they bubble in answers, each hoping to achieve a higher score than their counterparts. The Scholastic Aptitude Test and American College Testing, culprits of this stressful environment, recently made headlines...
What would keep you from going to the college of your dreams?
By Edgar Hernandez, Middle College High School @ Santa Ana College
March 20, 2019
It’s that time of year for high school seniors to be consumed with anxiety and stress as colleges will begin to send out both their acceptance and rejection letters. According to the College Parent Center, these times are one of the most stressful for high school seniors. Not only do they experience...
The Scoop on the College Bribery Scandal
By Noelia Arteaga, Woodside High School
March 20, 2019
Fifty people were charged in a thread of college bribery scandals unveiled on Tuesday, involving some of television's top-name Hollywood actors. Many top schools including Yale, University of Southern California (USC), and Stanford have been involved in the bribery, and 750 families benefited from...
Column: Hard work pays off, but money does too
By Sophie Stephens, West High School
March 20, 2019
One of the most cliché pieces of advice we’ve all heard growing up is that hard work pays off. For the most part, this has proven to be true. Take the “miracle stories” of people working their way from the lower-class to making millions because of their dedication and ability to push themselves...
$1.2 million gets you into Yale? Students aren’t surprised
By Noah Raaum, St. Paul Academy and Summit School
March 20, 2019
Students at St. Paul Academy and Summit School are all too familiar with the many facets of a college application: test scores, academic records, references and essays. None of these, however, guarantee a student’s admission to top universities. A recent criminal indictment makes it abundantly clear that there is a foolproof way of getting kids into big-name schools like Yale, Stanfo...
Shutdowns in space: What Mars rovers and NASA scientists have in common
By Nicki Rosenberg, The Archer School for Girls
February 21, 2019
After 15 years of exploring the red planet, the Mars Opportunity rover died Feb. 12. After the rover team's attempt to contact it on Tuesday was unanswered, NASA shut down Opportunity's mission. This, however, was not the only shutdown NASA was concerned about this week. The government agency was facing another...
Longest-ever government shutdown affects local citizens
By Alexa Davis, Freedom Area Middle School
February 12, 2019
On Friday, Jan. 25, President Donald Trump signed a bill to reopen the government for three weeks after a 35-day shutdown. A partial government shutdown started in the United States on Dec. 21, 2018. A partial shutdown is the result when Congress fails to pass a budget for the country. When a shutdown...
Low Country businesses and organizations step in to provide for furloughed workers
By Ryan Okpych, Summerville High School
February 8, 2019
As the government shutdown continues into its 35th day, many Low Country restaurants and stores have begun to provide for workers affected by the shutdown, such as those working at the Charleston International Airport with TSA. “To the many businesses and individuals in the greater Charleston community...
Longest Government Shutdown in U.S History
By Tonia Bloomingberg, Klein Cain High School
February 8, 2019
Throughout the nation, January brought an abounding amount of stress to federal employees and contractors. Over 1.8 million Americans were denied pay and left out of work, 1 million of which are contractors who will not be seeing back pay. After rewriting history by setting a new record for the longest...
No Budget, More Problems
By DJ McInturff, Herrin High School
February 7, 2019
Complete economic free fall, the closure of schools, the unemployed forming into unimaginably long breadlines, violence in the streets, an entire country in disarray-- these might be some of the images that come to mind when you hear the words “government shutdown” in every headline on every news...