Category: Opinion
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Graffiti considered art with story, not vandalism
by: HANNAH NELSON/Staff Writer Everyone sees it when they are driving through a city. The spray-painted pictures on the sides of buildings is known as graffiti. Most people look at these pictures in disgust, because the act of graffiti is a form of vandalism. Many people will also spray many inappropriate pictures or words with…
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Design of Starbucks cup not religious persecution
by: SKYLER McCLESKY/Staff Writer Persecution can be defined as hostility and ill-treatment, especially because of race, political, or religious beliefs. There are Christians around the world being persecuted right now. Every month, 322 Christians, on average, are killed for their faith and 772 acts of violence are committed against Christians because of their beliefs. The…
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Police officer accused of racism during student arrest
Excessive force used in student arrest by: RACHEL MEANS/Staff Writer In the past few years, there has been an increase in the number of cases questioning the police that receive national attention. In most of these cases, people pick the same side every time. You’re either on the side of the cops or on the…
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Freedom of speech involving threats has consequences
by: MAKENZIE MEANS/Staff Writer The use of the First Amendment, which includes freedom of speech, is constantly offending someone or causing trouble. However, it is important that people express their freedom of speech. To have the rest of the Constitution, the people must have the First Amendment. Throughout history, people have used their right to…
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Standardized tests put undue pressure on students
by: :LINDSEY BLACKWOOD/Staff Writer Kids are under too much pressure when it comes to standardized testing. That’s what teachers and schools are more focused on. Rather than teaching the students, that’s all the teachers seem to be focused on, are those tests. I remember all throughout high school, all my teachers only taught toward a…
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Lower legal drinking age, could encourage responsible consumption of alcohol
by: SKYLER McCLESKY/Staff Writer When I was younger, I sat at the kitchen table and watched my mom cook every night. Being maybe 4 years old at the time, I always wanted to help. One night she was going to let me stir the dish she was making. Once everything was done and all was…
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Wrongful objectification, alcohol consumption cause sexual assault
by:SKYLAR HERNANDEZ/Staff Writer The twisted logic in this society is that if a girl or boy is at a party and drinking, there is permission for anyone to take advantage of them. We live in a cruel world where the villains are always praised and the actual victims are left alone and helpless without someone’s…
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Back Talk: Connection between video games, criminal acts cause debate
Violence in video games inspires criminal behavior by: JONATHAN BROOKSHIRE/Feature Editor There is nothing else in the world that is more influential than entertainment. Movies have viewers leaving the theater feeling invincible. Music has listeners singing along, and violent video games lead to violence. Imagine playing the new game, “Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare.” Guns,…
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Evils of body shaming lead to dangerous side effects
by: RACHEL MEANS/Staff Writer We live in a society where nothing is more important than appearances. Our culture is absolutely obsessed with looks. Hundreds of teens have eating disorders because they feel like they’re too fat to be attractive. Hundreds more have low self-esteem and depression because they think they’re not good enough. And there’s…
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Plastic surgery necessary to eliminate insecurities
by:MATT MOLINAR/Opinion Editor Ever since the practice originated, cosmetic surgery has been labeled as a negative thing for some people who wish to ban it. However, I believe that it can be a necessity for those who have body issues, or for people who have been in disfiguring accidents. Many people believe that cosmetic surgery…
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Back Talk: Planned Parenthood center of political moral debate
Misplaced moral controversy clouds judgement regarding planned parenthood by: PAMELA GANDY/Entertainment Editor Planned Parenthood has been the center of many political, legal, and moral debates during the past year. One of the biggest arguments against the organization is that they are “immoral” because they perform abortions. However, I find that the controversy about abortion has…
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Student shares personal experience with depression
by: BRANDI ORTIZ/Editorial Assistant Sometimes the multitude of life’s changes that occur during your college years can trigger serious depression. Other times, you are already familiar with the war that is a mental illness before you even graduate high school. Dealing with depression, or any other mental illness, while in college can be very challenging.…
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Gun control should be more rigorous through screenings, criminal history checks
by:LINDSEY BLACKWOOD/Staff Writer There is a lot of controversy when it comes to guns. Whether they should be allowed on college and university campuses, gun rights in general, even who should and who shouldn’t have a gun are topics of discussion. I feel that guns are something to be handled with a lot of care.…
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Unattainable standards of beauty harms both genders
by: TAYLOR ZARBANO/Staff Writer I strongly believe that America has a distorted perception of what beauty actually is. The world’s view of beauty has become a goal for girls to reach. But that goal is impossible to attain. When we look at the cover of a magazine, we see several covered with “beautiful” women with…
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Quality of education should not be evaluated by standard test
by: SKYLER McCLESKY/Staff Writer Today, if a school’s standardized test scores are high, people think the school’s teaching staff is effective. If a school’s standardized test scores are low, they see the school’s faculty and staff as ineffective. However, evaluating by standardized testing is a poor way to measure the success of a school and…
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Student offers insight on popular presidential candidates
by: MAKENZIE MEANS/Staff Writer Although the 2016 presidential race kicked off just a few months ago, it is going to be interesting to watch during the next year. With 15 Republicans and six Democrats running for their party’s nomination, this may just be the biggest presidential race ever. Since there are so many people running,…
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Social media providing new medium for bullying
by: JAYCEE CALDWELL/Staff Writer Bullying. It is happening every minute of every day. People used to see bullying only as a physical act. But now it is so much more. Words hurt just as much (if not more) than a punch to the face. Social media is not making it any easier on victims. More…
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Problems concerning mental illness should be acknowledged
by: LINDSEY BLACKWOOD/Staff Writer Mental illness is something that is pushed aside a lot. I feel that people don’t give mental illness the importance that it deserves. As a person who has had depression and anxiety for the majority of my life, I have had to mature a lot quicker than I should have. I…