Category Archives: Editorials

Editorials

Making college affordable

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     On average college students spend roughly $26,027 per year. This is for students who live on campus in a public 4-year-instate college. Additionally, out-of -state students pay on average $27,027 per year. If these numbers get put all together of the 4 year course of a degree it will come out to about $108,364. 

      College should not be free, but it should be affordable for students based on the federal minimum wage. This is because minimum wage is not really minimum, it is just to “survive.” Making $10.10 an hour is not enough to pay for college. 

     Many students who have a passion for education and who want to get an education, can not because they are not financially stable enough to pay thousands of dollars every year. 

      Furthermore, colleges should be more affordable because there would be higher salaries and better futures. When lowering costs of colleges and universities it will persuade people to go and get their degrees which will allow them to make more money. 

     Because of the way student loans are set up today, if students decide to go to college after they graduate, they may be thousands of dollars in debt. This could be harmful to them because they will be too busy paying off their debt instead of investing and focusing on their careers. 

    Halah Anwaar, sophomore, said, “I think they should be free for those who cannot afford it at all, so they don’t have to work 40 hours a week for their job. I think they should be free for local community colleges, but if it’s out of state colleges should be affordable for the majority of people.” 

     Riya Bhattarai, sophomore, said, “I think colleges should be more affordable than what it is right now because right now it’s literally ridiculous, it’s so expensive where it’s to the point students have to work more than they study.” 

     Paying off debt can hinder peoples lives after college, imposing numerous problems.

     Sophomore Claire Green said, “I think it’s unfair that students have to live their entire lives paying off college debt, and I’m not saying it should be free completely because of needing to pay for things like school maintenance and professors. I think it should be more affordable than it is now.” 

     College is not the only path after high school, many degrees do not require a degree, resulting in less debt.

     “I think college should be much more affordable than it is, in college for all model would be great but I also think the idea of everybody having to go to college is one of the worst things that has happened in the last couple generations,” History teacher Colin Martua explained. “There are a lot of jobs that don’t require a college degree, a lot of trades we don’t have enough people to fill those types of jobs, and they’re well paying jobs, so I think every high schooler in the nation thinks that they will have to go to college is ultimately just putting them in a lot of debt.”

     In many cases, the cost of tuition being so high does not make sense when comparing the learning to the future career.

     “It’s an absolute crime that college tuition is that high, there’s no reason why a text book for a course should be $300,” Martua said. “I think that has to do with area model of capitalism and what we choose to put our money towards and what we choose not too, I think that there are people around the country that are decision makers that decided not to invest in education at a college level, at a high school level, at every level, there is the money to reduce that cost it’s just the matter where we send the money.” 

      Many people ask me if colleges are free and or affordable how would we pay the professors and get a good university. The question is how are other country’s doing it? My home country, Iraq, has free colleges, and we have a lot of educated people, such as doctors, engineers, lawyers and business men/woman.

Now I am not saying college should be completely free in the United States because there are a lot of differences between the United States and Iraq but college should be affordable. Since the United States has one of the best education systems in the world, education should be easily accessible.

       As the prices go up for college tuition it makes higher education seemingly unattainable. Although by making college more affordable it would drive economical growth and it will encourage people to go get an education. As the prices of college tuition goes up, many people will decide not to go to college 

     

According to letterstopresident.org it states, “Every year more students drop out of college for many different reasons, and a major reason is because of the cost.” By lowering the cost of student tuition it will help students continue their education and get their degrees. 

    A country with a population that is educated is excellent because it supports a civil society and political stability.

      College in the United States should be affordable because it will help the economy, help students financially and increase the education rate.

Community, Editorials, Front/Home, News

What now for the Disney Trip?

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  Amanda Ostrowski

 Stow Munroe Falls High School band trip to Disney was postponed. I feel that the decision made was the right decision to make. 

     There are alot of kids in the band and the government and Disney does not want us to get the virus or give the virus to other people. Especially because there are a lot of old people down there. 

     I am glad they decided to postpone the trip and not just cancel it completely because going to Disney was the only reason I joined the band.

     They also probably postponed the trip instead of canceling because the band can only go once every four years and they do not wanna make students and parents unhappy. 

     There are many band kids that are very upset still by this but I think people are just trying to stop the spreading and trying to protect the students and others safety. 

     Plus even if the school decided to send us to Disney it is closing anyways so we would not be able to go. 

     Even though I feel it was the right decision it is sad because of all the work band kids worked. We did extra practices and took time away from concert season to work on the music Disney gave us. 

     The band directors though really have worked hard to get this trip together and it is sad that all of their work will be postponed to a later time. I am sure they have given up a lot of time to make sure everything was set and to make sure all of the kids would have a great safe time. 

     I hope the school and the band and the local government can work all of this out and we all still be able to go to Disney World. 

     As a senior I hope for myself and my classmates that we will go to Disney soon.

 

Advice, Editorials, Front/Home, Lifestyle, Student Voice

Dating in High School

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Abigail Kuhns

     As a kid I had a perception of what I thought high school would be like. The truth is that high school is not like the movies: no one is shoved into lockers, no one breaks into song throughout the school day and not everyone looks like a model after puberty hits. However, the most stereotypical high school experience I could not have predicted is dating. 

     Amongst us there are some who have it all figured out, but most of us have it all wrong. Children of the 21st century are unconsciously beginning to fall into a pattern of habits.

     First, it has become “cool” to show a lack of care and to show nonchalant attitude towards others. Showing care is showing weakness. Way too often, I have found myself or my peers rewriting a text or blatantly not speaking up because it would show we care too much as if that is a bad thing. 

     In middle school health class, they always say how as a teen it will be an emotional rollercoaster. The biggest reason for this is because it is a constant fight with our emotions. Rather than just saying how we truly feel, we hide our emotions to have the upper hand against a friend, boyfriend or girlfriend. 

      No one is willing to take the risk or put them self out there in fear it may not work out. Today, we would rather have love find us than going out and finding love. 

     Second, it has become a misconception that going on a date, such as dinner, all of a sudden means it is a serious relationship with someone. As a result, some of us will not date at all. 

     Instead, we have decided to just be in this stage of “just talking,” or “being a thing” because referring to the concept as dating makes it sound way too serious. Dating has also been conceived as causing drama or being too complicated when in reality the dynamic is up to the people.

      In the past 40 years, the proportion of seniors who report not dating at all increased substantially over this period, from 15 to 49 percent.

      No matter what the situation is, the ‘title’ or ‘label’  has become a defining point for relationships. There are specific time frames as to when it is acceptable and expected for relationship norms such as when to say ‘I love you.’  The label has started to define the norms and boundaries instead of the people.

      Finally, a common area of confusion is intent. If one is dating someone else, it means they are looking at them as a possible husband or wife. This is high school; most relationships will die within the four years. 

     Some will put themselves out there and accept it for what it is: dating. And some will end up together. However, the reality for most of us is dating in high school is not about looking for someone to spend the future with. We are not mature enough yet to even know who we will be for the rest of our lives. 

      At this point in life, dating should be focused on someone with of interest instead of a desire to find “the one.” Looking for someone who makes them smile, someone who keeps them on their toes, someone who brings out something positive in them that they did not know they had or needed.

     No one should feel ashamed for choosing to date or choosing not to. It should be embraced as an experience towards growth. When it comes to an end, and so often it does, the relationship should be left with an insight as to what can be better next time.

     If everyone gave up after the first try, they could easily let an exceptional experience dating has to offer slip through their hands. We should be taking advantage of this time when dating is not expected to lead into marriage to figure ourselves out and learn from experience. 

     Before we know it, we will be walking out of high school, the goal will shift and dating will become serious. Be a high schooler, how care and appreciation, take a chance on someone, build meaningful connections, learn from each other, and most of all, stop making everything so complicated. More often than not, the best relationships and experiences come from something that was least expected. 

      

     

     

 

Editorials, Entertainment, Front/Home, Reviews

Anne With an E – Cancellation Opinion

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Shea Sullivan74BD6D1D-C7CF-4D89-8D17-D8FCF108794E.jpeg

     In today’s day and age, a show tackling racism, homophobia, sexism, sexual harassment, censorship and a range of other big issues, is something the world seems to need right now. This made it shocking when Netflix and CBC decided to cancel the coming of age and emotionally moving show, ‘Anne with an E.’

     ‘Anne with an E’ is a 2017 Netflix and Canadian award winning series, based off Lucy Maud Montgomery’s 1908 novel ‘Anne of Green Gables.’ On Fri, Jan. 3, season three of ‘Anne with an E’ was released on Netflix, bringing excitement yet sadness considering the show would not continue due to disagreements between the two networks.

    Fans immediately took to Twitter, tweeting “#RenewAnneWithAnE” and bringing it to trend. Billboards were also hung in downtown Toronto, condemning the cancellation of the Canadian originated series. 

     Irish actress Amybeth McNulty portrays, Anne-Shirley Cuthbert, a young orphan girl with a fiery personality, taken in by an elderly brother and sister in Avonlea, an old fashioned farming town on Prince Edward Island in Canada. 

     Taking place in the late 1890’s, Anne witnesses the unfairness of life, and struggles to make friends, being shunned by other families because of her appearance and simply because she is an orphan. The show did not hold back on exposing the legitimacy of racial discrimination, lack of LGBT and women’s rights, discouragement of fine arts education and the gruseoum treatment towards the Indigenous people of Canada.

     Also, the show had an underlying theme of feminism and female empowerment, showing that a woman does not need a man to be successful in life. A prime example is Ms. Stacy, a widowed woman who is the first female teacher in Avonlea, who faced constant judgment for being a powerful woman in her position, without a husband.

     ‘Anne with an E’ stays true to the culture and history of the setting it is portrayed in, an authentic element that other shows seem to lack. The show gives insight on the local culture of Indigenous people, even having scripted lines in the native language of tribes on Prince Edward Island. 

     Also, the show spotlights the French Acadians who travelled to the region during the same time period, and highlighted the belief that wealth does not equate to happiness. One can have all the money in the world, but sometimes the most important things come from a loving and supportive family.

     How can a show with so many prominent messages and such emotional appeal, be cancelled after only three seasons? A show that is not afraid to shine light on the cold hard injustices of the world should not be given up on so easily. 

     A successful show that is able to resonate with so many different cultures, minorities and ages should certainly be given another chance on a different network such as Hulu or even Disney Plus. Yet, maybe it is not the network that is the issue. Maybe it is the fact that today’s society is unable to admit to the inequalities faced in the nineteenth century, considering most of them are still being fought today. 

     Currently, Canadaians and Americans still refuse to educate current generations on the fact that past ancestors forced Indigenous people into assimilation: kidnapping native children and forcing them into schools where they were stripped of their culture.

     Or maybe a more modern example would make sense: the fact that women still live in fear of speaking out about sexaul harassment, due to society’s subconscious actions of always throwing the blame at the female. 

     Such a powerful message is lost in today’s television, it seems that the most popular series today are thoughtless sitcoms, or Sci-Fi thrillers based on events that will never happen; however, maybe that is the trick to a successful show, giving people something else to worry about so they can ignore the actual problems going on in the world today.

     Maybe the disagreement between the networks was not the biggest cause of this show ending, perhaps Ms. Stacey said it best, “this is the result of small minds.”

     One of the best parts of ‘Anne with an E’ was to see the growth of certain characters over the three seasons. Even the stubborn and narrow-minded characters grew into loving, selfless people open to new ideas and accepted the modern ways of the world. 

     If even the most traditional and callous characters were willing to realize the prejudice and bigotry they contributed to, why is it so hard for today’s society to do the same? The world needed ‘Anne with an E,’ but maybe it is ahead of its time, or the world is still not willing to wake up to the issues people face today. 

     Despite its finish, the show made sure to carry their important messages out to the last episode. Towards the end of season three, elderly men tried to silence the voice of children, censoring their right to free speech in schools and discouraging them from speaking out about relevant problems. 

     Regardless of the push back, the characters would come together in the end and speak up for what they believed in. Society will not continue to advance if the problems of the world continue to be silenced, and no one decides to step up and fight them.

     As Anne Shirley-Cuthbert said, “Everyone has the right to express their opinion freely, whether it is unpopular or not.”