Bullies Beware: Ed Smith Empowers Bystanders

Bullies Beware: Ed Smith
Empowers Bystanders
Don’t Argue with
Ed. Smith Students:
Argument Essays
16
Edward Smith School
January/February 2013
Cell Projects
By Rachel Hidek
Editors: Lauren Ashby, Molly Bankert, Tatiana Breland, Lucy
Brown, Tia-Marie Campbell, Hannah Cofer, Rachel Hidek, Emily
Houck, Nicholas Lozoponi, and Olivia Vought.
Contributing Writers: Lauren Ashby, Jared Atkinson, Molly Bankert, Tatiana Breland, Lucy
Brown, Joanna Byrant, Tia-Marie Campbell, Tino Caroli, Zach Caswell, Hannah Cofer, Michael Edmonds, James Erdman, Rachel Hidek, Emily Houck, Nick Lozoponi, Lucas Neville,
Kaya Pagano, Lucinda Saufley, Lauren Shatraw, Joe Vanable, Olivia Vought, Imani Williams,
and Nyasa Williams.
In our science
classes, we did a project in
which we were assigned to
create a model cell out of
edible materials. The final
products were very creative. Materials were also
very creative, with students
using foods such as squash,
pineapple, and watermelon, as well as debatably
more appealing foods such
as rice crispies, chocolate,
cake, and more. The
“organelles” of the cell
were often represented by
candies, but could also be
seen portrayed by fruits and
more.
The project was successful, and was praised as a
“fun, yummy, interesting,
and a delicious way to learn
about cells” in a collective
comment made by Olivia
Vought, Lauren Ashby, Kaya
Pagano, and Emily Houck.
Contributing Artists: Joanna Bryant and Lucinda Saufley.
Contributing Photographers:
Keegan Foster, McCell Lewis,
Gabe Rich, and Lucinda Saufley.
Advisor: Mrs. Gendron
Shame
I was ashamed of myself
Embarrassed
And afraid
Scared of the boy in front of me
Scared of the words I know so well
He shot them at me
And they burrowed in my heart
like bullets
Their probing splinters
Cutting me to pieces:
“Nerd! Know-it-all” and “Stupid”
And any others you could think of
Most of them worse than these
I shoved past him
Feigning the fearlessness I longed for
While feeling myself falling apart
2
But I knew it would be worse
If I showed him
My pain
I felt the hot tears
Spill from my cheeks
And I heard the jeers
As they laughed
As they shouted
As they smiled
Others just walked by
Not wanting to get
What I was
Not wanting to be in my position
No one helped
No one even glanced
My way
No one pulled me up from
The hole I was in
Depressed
Angry
Helpless
Alone
I faced the bully.
-Hannah Cofer
15
Catching Fire
By Suzanne Collins
that, or the lives of her loved ones are in
jeopardy. To do this, she must marry Peeta,
continuing the idea that it was their love that
Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark return to
prevented them from killing each other and
their home in District 12 from the Hunger Games,
threatening to eat the berries, and not their
which they have won against the odds. What is
rebellion against the games.
supposed to be a victory celebration, soon beBut the spark is ignited, and nobody can
comes volatile. President Snow, the ruler of the
stop the fire from spreading. President Snow
Capitol and all the districts, dislikes Katniss’ deciis forced to take extreme actions, creating
sion to eat deadly berries with Peeta during the
another Hunger Game. This time he sends
games. Eating the berries would leave no victor. This
previous victors to fight against each other.
act of rebellion sparks a fire of uprising in the surroundThis is the second book in the series, and I recoming districts, making Katniss the symbol of rebellion.
mend it to anyone who enjoyed the first book or who
Katniss, however, is unaware of this until she relikes action adventure.
ceives a visit from President Snow. He warns her that
she must squelch the fire while on her victory tour. It is
-Reviewed by Emily Houck
to get his bike into his dorm when a mysterious
man approaches him and reveals he is with the
FBI. The man wants to ask Chris a few questions
about his friend Win. Chris already knows about
Although they don’t have much in common, Chris
his friend’s disappearance after their trip the
and Win have been inseparable since early in
previous summer and knows that it was likely
elementary school. They take a
that Win’s father who had sent the man.
bike ride across the country
The book jumps between events during Chris
with a final destination in Seand Win’s trip the previous summer and the preattle. Throughout the trip, they
sent, with Chris beginning college. The
grow farther apart as various
flashbacks begin with Chris and Win graduating
factors put a strain on their
from high school and preparing for their trip
friendship. Early in the trip,
across the country. Chris’ parents are caring
Chris finds almost 20,000 doland supportive. However, while Win’s parents
lars in Win’s saddlebags. Chris
agree to let him go on the trip, his mother
never mentions it to Win, thinkseems more invested with her travel plans than
ing Win will tell him sometime.
her son’s, and his father doesn’t think Win can
But over the course of the book,
make it, even betting Win that he can’t. As the
Win’s behavior becomes harder
story progresses, it becomes evident that his
for Chris to explain, the flashbacks also become tenser. Chris feels like he knows Win less dysfunctional relationship with his family may
be a factor in Win’s failure to return home.
and less.
-Reviewed by James Erdman
On Chris’ first day of college, he tries
Shift
By Jennifer Brabury
Royally Crushed
By Niki Burnham
school. As the year progresses, Valerie
and Georg see that they have much in
common. They decide to become boyfriend and girlfriend. The first time they
Valerie Winslow’s life changes when her
walk to school together, the media
mother states that she is going to get a diswoops in taking many photos. The next
vorce from Mr. Winslow because she is a
morning, Valerie and Georg are on the
lesbian. Since Mr. Winslow works for the
President of the United States, he has to get front cover of all the magazines and
newspapers in Schwerinborg. As soon
transferred to Schwerinborg because the
elections are coming up and they don’t want a as Mr. Winslow finds out about this, he
suggests that Valerie and Georg lay low
controversy. Valerie has a choice of moving
for a while. Georg agrees and tells Valerie
with her mom and new girlfriend or moving
that they should “cool it.” This makes Valerie
with her father. She chooses the latter. On
her first day of high school in Schwerinborg, think that Georg is breaking up with her, so as
Valerie meets Ulrike and soon as she goes back to West Virginia for
Steffi. Soon after, Valerie Christmas vacation, she goes on a date with
realizes that Steffi is the David, who has suddenly taken a liking for
Valerie. But after a second date with David,
evil queen at the high
14
Valerie realizes that she
loves Georg and wants to
be in a relationship with
him, no matter what. Valerie
plans to tell Georg that she
went on dates with David as
soon as she gets back to
Schwerinborg, but will he
ever forgive her for
“cheating” on him? Or will
he fall for the evil queen?
The author achieves her purpose of informing the reader about high school drama,
royal love, and media interference. I would
definitely recommend this book to anyone
who likes romantic comedy novels. You won’t
be disappointed.
-Reviewed by Lauren Shatraw
The Coyote’s Pen
Contents
January/February 2013
Departments:
Events and Sports:
Page 4
Cover Features:
No Name-Calling:
Empowering Students
No Name-Calling:
Pages 5-8
Argument Essays:
Pages 9-13
Argument Essays: See
What Matters to Ed.
Smith Students
Book Reviews:
Page 14
Cell Projects:
Pages 15-16
3
ium.
Last,
we observed
several
tiny
bugs
from
a fieldtrip to the
your own
Most.
There
we
took
a
Science at
tour of prehistoric ani- backyard on
The Most
mals from the ice age dozens of miBy Nicholas
croscopes. At
including the saber
Lozoponi
the end of the
toothed tiger and the
A few months
day, we all
wooly mammoth. We
ago, the 8th grade
learned somealso split DNA from a
from Ed Smith went on strawberry in a simthing from the
ple, yet fun, experi- field trip while
still having fun
ment. Later we
and enjoying
viewed different
ourselves.
areas in the solar
system in the
Most’s planetar-
Another great
achievement this year
was by Hannah Cofer.
Hannah received the
highest achievement
This year, two students
from Scholastic Art and
made remarkable
Writing, a gold key. She
achievements. Lauren
created an owl out of
Shatraw placed 16th in
duct tape. It took her
the Post Standard/
about two months to do
WCNY Spelling Bee.
This was her sixth time and about five to six
rolls of tape. She was
participating, and she
invited to a ceremony
has won three times in
where she received her
the past. Lauren says
award.
that she studies for two
These two girls are
hours a night, and that
the hardest word she has making their mark on the
had was garibaldi. Lau- world one roll of duct
ren enjoys spelling bees, tape and one word at a
time. Great Job!
and she says she will
probably participate
again.
Student Awards
By Tatiana Breland and
Imani Williams
4
8th grade bottle drive
Please help support
the 8th graders by
bringing in
empty
bottles
for the
8th
grade
end of
the
year
field
trip. You can bring
your bottles to the
bins outside of Mr.
O’Leary’s room.
Thanks in advance for
your support!
Basketball
By Molly Bankert and Kaya Pagano
In the girl’s season of basketball, the
Nottingham modified team is at 2 wins
and 4 losses. The team has won against
FM Wellwood and Percy Hughes. Molly
Bankert, a guard on the team, talks about
the season. “Basketball is going well, and I
feel like we have really improved from the
beginning.”
All-City Music Festival
By Rachel Hidek and Lauren Ashby
On February 9, the 28th Annual All-City Music
Festival was held at Henniger High School. Ms. Stutzle
and Ms. Kupferferg accompanied and helped prepare Ed.
Smith students. There was one orchestra, and three bands.
There was an elementary, junior high, and senior high
band. The young and talented musicians were conducted
by Kevin Mixon, Anthony Greene, Frank Grosso and
Juan Francisco LaManna. Several hundred students from
all over the district played in the concert. “It was a good
experience,” says trumpeter Nick Lozoponi.
So how do we stop it? There are some simple ways to reduce
pollution, but to really make a difference, we need everyone to
help. Since CO2 pollution comes from the burning of fossil fuels,
it would make sense to stop using fossil fuels. However, alterna“Carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, is the main pollutant that is
warming the earth….In the past 150 years, [certain] activities have tive fuels such as solar and wind power are often more expensive to obtain, which keeps them from being very popular.
pumped enough carbon dioxide into the atmosphere to raise its
Electric and hybrid cars are very efficient, but they too are
levels higher than they have been for thousands of years,” says
much more expensive than vehicles that run on fossil fuels. Even
National Geographic about carbon dioxide, or CO2 pollution in
so, there are still things you can do to reduce pollution. Things
our atmosphere. CO2 is created by burning fossil fuels; it’s the
like walking more and driving less, turning off the lights when
smog that comes from cars, trucks, planes, smokestacks, and
you’re not in a room, reducing the time you spend on television
many other sources. CO2 is a big contributor to global climate
change, and it’s a big reason why we should use alternative fuels. or computers, or helping plant more trees.
Even with all this in mind, some people would argue that air
In our atmosphere we have greenhouse gases. When sunlight
pollution
doesn’t matter enough to stop using fossil fuels. Some
comes to earth, the greenhouse gases reflect some of it back into
would
state
that fossil fuels are vey cost effective, and the coal
space. When sunlight bounces off of the earth, the greenhouse
gases bounce some back down. This regulates the temperature on and oil industries give many people jobs. While these statements
are true, they are shortsighted and ignorant of the bigger problem
earth so life can survive. We have had this system forever. CO2
comes from our breath, and trees breathe it in, which regulates it. at hand. Although many people have jobs in industries such as
coal and oil, these jobs often jeopardize the health of the workers
However, ever since we started burning fossil fuels (coal, oil,
gasoline, etc.), we have been putting more and more CO2 into the and create an unsafe working environment. As for the money
atmosphere. And because we cut down so many trees, there aren’t fossil fuels make, is monetary gain worth not being able to
breathe?
enough trees to regulate the CO2. Scientists estimate that the
No doubt about it, CO2 is a huge problem. Even though it’s
amount of CO2 in the atmosphere is already past its “safe point”
supposed
to be in our atmosphere, we have put way too much of
and steadily growing.
it there. In the past few years, climate change has been responsiSo what’s the problem? The problem is that more greenhouse
gases mean more sunlight is reflected, resulting in global climate ble for terrible droughts, floods, and hurricanes like hurricane
Sandy that are devastating our towns and cities. And although
change. Climate change can mean more cataclysmic and more
alternative fuel sources are available, they just don’t work with
frequent natural disasters such as drought, floods, hurricanes,
most people’s budgets. However, climate change can only be
tsunamis, etc. Air pollution can also have effects on the human
body such as lung disease, aggravated asthma, and trouble breath- solved by stopping the use of fossil fuels. This is why we should
join together and do things like walk instead of drive or plant
ing because of a lower concentration of oxygen. And obviously,
trees wherever we can.
too much of any pollution could be lethal.
Carbon Dioxide
By Joanna Bryant
Exploitation of Third World Country Workers
By Lucy Brown
Check some of the tags in your favorite clothing. Along with size, most likely
they will say, “Made in China,” Made in Honduras,” “Made in Bangladesh,” or
any other countries except America. American corporations definitely take
advantage of poor countries for large profits. This is why we don’t see many
clothing tags that say, “Made in the USA.” The fact that Americans do not wear
or buy products made in their own country is troubling for many reasons and
needs to be changed.
Foreign labor gets cheaper as time goes on, which is beneficial for American companies and corporations, but not for the workers making the actual
products. Working day and night until they are told to stop, laborers earn 11-17
cents an hour for making goods Americans treasure. Factory workers in China
who put together the $549 iPhone 4 get only $10 of the profit. These workers
even include children. In Bangladesh, sweatshop workers get about 6 cents for
every $20 shirt they make for Wal-Mart.
The conditions of the factories where so many people are employed are
often uncomfortable and even unsafe. There are far less regulations about air
quality, temperature, safety equipment, and employee breaks. If the sweatshop
workers stop working for any reason, even exhaustion or sickness, they may
be beaten until they start working again. Workers do machine-like work and are
treaded like animals, and for what? Products that Americans may not choose
to purchase if they knew the full story of where they came from and who made
them. If we have regulations and enforcements in America, then why don’t
other countries? Why has this been considered okay for decades?
Nike, a brand that millions of Americans wear today, uses
cheap labor in Southeast Asia, so they can avoid the tighter enforcement rules and regulations of USA and European factories. American
corporations are cheap. The fact that Nike uses workers in undeveloped countries is appalling. Not only does this decrease the amount of available jobs in
America, but it also exploits the innocent workers who know they are getting
taken for granted. Foreign laborers are aware of this but do not have the opportunity to stand up for themselves and others.
American corporations turn to the poorest countries in the world, so they
don’t have to compensate as much as in we do America. In Bangladesh, one
of the poorest countries in the world, people live in shacks, share few water
sources, have a limited food supply, and own little clothing. They are forced to
accept 13 cents an hour as better than not working at all or begging for money
in the streets. Parents in Bangladesh bring their children to sweatshops because they have no day care and can’t afford to pay to have their children
watched. Plus, safety regulations are not enforced.
People in third world countries have been taken for granted by American
corporation for years, with little change to date. Children, women, and men
work day and night making our cherished possession in unsafe factories for
almost no pay. This exploitation needs to end. While you wear your favorite
brands and spend hours on your iPhone, iPod touch
or cell phone, think of the workers in other countries
who have close to nothing, who have worked hard
under poor conditions to make the products for you.
13
The NRA’s Wayne Lapierre has proposed placing an armed
guard in front of every school in the United States of America.
He says, “The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun, is a
good guy with a gun.” However, more guns are simply not the
On December 14th, 2012, a thin 20-year-old gunman entered
answer. The massacre at Columbine High School in 1999 in
Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut and killed 20
which 15 people were killed and 23 were wounded was not prechildren ages 6-7, as well as 6 adults before taking his own
life. On July 20th, 2012, a 25-year-old man with no prior crimi- vented by the armed police officer that was guarding the school.
nal record opened fire on moviegoers during a midnight showing In short, the good guy with the gun was not able to stop the killof The Dark Knight Rises in Aurora, Colorado, killing 12 people ing, and he even became another casualty in the attack. This fact
completely voids the NRA’s propositions.
and injuring an additional 58. Both tragedies may have been
The benefits of introducing heightened gun control regulaprevented if the gunmen had been denied access to one thing:
tions into law clearly outweigh the reasons not to. However,
guns. The recent mass shootings have brought the controversial
issue of gun control into the spotlight in government, the media, while all guns are capable of doing great damage, those that
serve no real purpose are the ones that deserve bans. For inand the thoughts of civilians and lawmakers alike, but thinking
about the issue is simply not enough to keep the deadly weapons stance, assault rifles and semi-automatic guns with extended
magazines larger than 10 rounds don’t kill deer. James Holmes,
out of the hands of those who would use them in the ways they
were implemented in the Sandy Hook and Aurora shootings. The the gunman in the Dark Knight shooting, had a 100-round drum,
while Adam Lanza, the Sandy Hook shooter, utilized handguns
time for the government to pass gun control laws is now.
with extended capacity magazines.
Many individuals and organizations that oppose gun control
For these reasons, Congress should waste no time, and there
laws reference the second amendment to the United States Constitution, which they say protects the people’s right to bear arms. is indeed no time to waste on passing bills that would ban assault
weapons and guns with extended clips. While a ban may not
However, these interpretations of the amendment are extremely
purge all of these weapons from the streets and homes of Amerloose. The amendment states, “A well regulated militia, being
necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to ica, it would make the acquisition of a highly destructive firearm
much more difficult. New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg
keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.” Those who use this
says that just because some people choose to ignore red lights,
amendment to advocate the right to bear arms choose to comdoes it mean we should get rid of traffic lights? No. Likewise,
pletely dismiss the portion stating, “A well regulated militia,
while some people may choose to illegally obtain an assault
being necessary to the security of a free state.” Another issue
with this argument is that it was written in 1791. At that time, the weapon or an extended clip, bans would make this a whole lot
harder. While we cannot save the lives lost in previous mass
most common gun was the musket, which could fire 4 bullets
shootings, it is definitely within our power to do all we can to
every minute, with a reload after each shot. In this day and age,
prevent similar tragedies in the future. Why? Because a child’s
the most common guns are semi-automatic, meaning they fire a
right to life—a full life—is worth much, much more than any
bullet for every time the trigger is pulled, however fast that
may be. And yet, despite the leaps and bounds that guns have individual’s right to own a gun.
made technologically, the second amendment remains entirely
unchanged. Gun rights advocates don’t just oppose gun control.
Gun Control: Now is the Time
By James Erdman
While Barak Obama does not weigh in on
every measure being considered, he believes in treating everyone fairly and
equally (CNN News). Constitutional equalSame-sex marriage is a good thing beity is a topic in which many have different
cause it shows how two people can love
opinions, and Obama does, too. He
and care for each other for who they are
agrees with the legalization of same-sex
and be confident with their personal
marriage law. This law will make America
choice of sexuality or partner, no matter
special: everybody gets a fair shot, everyhow they are seen in others eyes. Everybody gets a fair share, everybody plays by
one deserves to have equality and live in
the same set of rules (CNN News).
peace without worrying about discriminaMultiple marriage laws have been
tion based on sexual orientation.
passed, such as interracial marriage laws,
Everyone deserves love, so why can’t
gay and lesbian couples share their affec- and prisoners on death row have the right
to marry, yet, same-sex couples do not
tion for their partners through marriage?
Gay and lesbian couples have been fight- have these rights in all states today
ing for marriage rights for many years now (Andrew Sullivan).
Same-sex marriage allows people the
(Andrew Sullivan). Recently, Governor
right
to love without complications. Gay
Cuomo legalized
marriage does not harm anyone or any
same-sex marriage
particular group of people. It encourages
here in New York
strong family values and increases adopState.
Denied of Love No More
By Nyasa Williams
12
tion rates (Joe Messerli).
Oppositional religious groups believe
that homosexuality is a sin, so same-sex
marriage would be, as well. Many today
believe that homosexuality will confuse
children about gender roles and expectations of society today. Many also argue
that it weakens the definition and respect
for the institution of marriage. But everyone deserves love, and no one deserves
to be discriminated against. Even though
gay marriage was recently legalized in
New York State, we need to make a
change to get it legalized in all states. And
give everyone equal right. This will make
America a better place all together and
encourage others to love our country as
much as many of us to here in the U.S.
Poetry Slam To Stop
Bullying:
By Lauren Ashby
As a kick
off to noname calling week,
a published
poet,
Jackie
WarrenMoore,
came to our school to talk
to seventh and eighth
graders about bullying.
She presented several inspirational poems of her
own. Then she led a writers’ workshop. After
brainstorming and talking
as a group, students wrote
their own pieces of poetry
about their experiences
with bullying. The student’s poetry was amazing
and every person had
something unique and different about their poems.
After the poetry was
written, students started
to come up to the
podium on stage
and share their poetry, as if it was a
poetry slam. At
first only a few
people went up, but as students read their poetry,
more and more people
went up to share. Hearing
other people being brave
about their experiences
really helps you to be able
to get out there and share
your own. This was a
Suicidal Thoughts
Burning feeling in my throat and chest
As if a fire was starting
Agonizing pain
Alone
No one could help
Or wanted to
Stay home all the time
Rumors spread
Like an infectious disease
Try not to cry around my family
So I don’t cause trouble
Fein sickness
So I don’t have to go to school
Depression
Suicidal thoughts
-Anonymous
unique experience for everyone, and I think that
anyone would agree that it
was a lot of fun. Although
reading something you
wrote and putting yourself
out there can be hard, this
made it easy to go up and
share, one after
another. After
this students
spent the 2nd
half of their day
signing pledges to
stop bullying and spreading
the word around the
school through reading
children’s books to Elementary school classrooms. This day was a true
start to no-name calling
week.
The world spins
but we don’t with it.
We go at different speeds
in different directions.
One WORD
can change someone’s thoughts,
feelings, and how they act.
They can cause confusion,
embarrassment, and distrust:
break our hearts—bullying.
Words are
Power!
We must change this negative
energy
to positive
and cause
courage, hope, and happiness.
-Tino Caroli
You said, “Just playin.”
You said, “Wow, I was only messin with you.”
But deep down
I felt a wave—
a wave of devastation
rolling in
injuring
my soul.
Hatred filling my head
and tears filling my eyes.
-Jared Atkinson
5
Stay Confused
Confusion.
Feelings changing,
swirling through my head.
Am I upset? Embarrassed?
I know that I’m angry.
I have screwed up
I’ll admit that
I regret a lot
Of the things I’ve done
I have been bullied
For what I like
What I look like
What I wear
What I’ve done
Why me?
What person feels the need,
the need to pick at the things that a person does right?
Not even the wrong.
“Too perfect,”
“Too smart.”
I have been bullied
For how smart I am
How I do in school
How I’ll never do
anything with my life
If you can’t do well in life,
what are you supposed to do?
I’m proud of my grades,
my classes,
my friends,
Why should someone be able to change that?
Disgusted at those people,
who pretend they’ve done nothing,
who pretend they are my friends,
who want to take the good things,
the things I do well,
and turn them against me.
Should I forgive them when they come
beckoning back?
Or should I stand strong?
Ignore them in all senses
Not let them back in,
back in to pick at,
or to tease when given the option.
For now, I will stay confused and strong.
I won’t let them hurt me.
I won’t let them change the good things,
the things I’m proud of.
-Lauren Ashby
6
But I have to thank
Those people
I will always come across people like you,
and when I do,
I overcome them.
Pain, hatred, anger
You make it seem funny
I laugh along
With everyone else
Inside devastated
And humiliated
-Joe Vanable
I did this all by doing
the exact opposite of peer pressure.
I was myself.
And I am happier then I ever was.
So, thank you.
Thanks to all the people who doubted me,
Who thought I wasn’t important,
I wasn’t smart.
Look where I am and where you are.
In 20 years,
I will be successful, and you’ll be working for ME!
Anger like fire
Burning in my heart
Smoke clouds my thoughts
And tears them apart
Vicious words said—
Like small volcanic rocks—
Erupt through the sky
As I stand by
Holding back tears in my eyes
-Joanna Bryant
-Michael Edmonds
Shattering the Silence
Snickers in the class,
The early morning light shining
Through the translucent window.
A sweet fragrance
Tainted
by the horror—
Sudden bursts of laughter
Directed at one.
Confusion
Students run out of the room
While the teacher yells
To regain order.
-Nick Lozoponi
Suffering for Vanity: Animal Testing
By Lauren Ashby
I walked around the store while my
parents finished shopping. I wandered
through the makeup aisle looking for
nail polish and things on sale. As I
looked, it became clear how many of
these beauty products were tested on
animals. Animal testing has been
around since the 1920s and started
with poisoning and blinding tests. Progressively the tests have gotten crueler
and crueler and now they include pouring chemicals into rabbits eyes and cutting the eyes out of three week old beagle puppies (PETA). Animals held for
animal testing live their painfully short
lives in misery, with no home but a
cage. Animal testing is cruel and should
be banned for non-medical reasons.
Animal testing for non-medical reasons is vain and cruel. Most animals in
laboratories have little to no legal protection. Rabbits might have the correct
amount of food and hospitable conditions by law, yet could have burning
chemicals poured onto their bare flesh
and into their eyes. The protection of
the law is so minimal that it only states
the living conditions and food rations
that animals receive, but doesn’t restrict the test that can be performed on
them. Rats, mice, birds, cold blooded
animals, and animals commonly killed
for food do not even gain any protection under this minimal law
(www.dosomething.org). A rat won’t
even be given enough food or a clean,
regular size cage, and then it will have
to have chemicals placed on its teeth
and its decapitated head baked in an
oven for an hour to test for fluoride
(PETA). The problem is that it’s not just
one rat or one rabbit, it’s thousands, or
even hundreds of thousands. The sad
thing is that these animals are killed,
after having a horrible life. They never
even have a chance to live a life with
family or even be humanely treated.
The government doesn’t even require
companies to do these tests. According
to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), “Companies may determine
that animal testing is necessary to assure the safety of an ingredient.” These
“safety” tests are most often given
without even a painkiller.
In countries of the European Union
(EU), cosmetics testing on animals is
not even an option. Their cosmetics are
instead tested on more up to date resources such as lab generated human
skin (PETA). Unfortunately, the U.S. still
uses the outdated methods of animal
testing, which not only needlessly kills
millions of animals, but also puts us
behind other nations in the field of cosmetics testing. In 2009 approximately
101,130,000 were killed during animal
testing, only 5,056,500 were medical
(PETA). If other nations are stopping
this cruelty, than why can’t the U.S? A
lab generated substance, such as human skin, can provide a more accurate
result when testing how these products
might react when being used on a HUMAN. A mouse’s skin is very different
from ours, and so is a rabbit’s and a
dog’s! As a technologically advanced
country, one would think that we
would be able to come out of the outdated habits of animal testing and use
the more scientifically advanced methods.
Humans have very different reactions to the substances being tested
than animals do. According to PETA,
“Some government mandated tests kill
more than 2,000 animals each time
they are conducted. And not a single
one of these tests has ever been formally proved to be relevant for or able
to accurately predict human health
effects.” These horrific tests have no
effects on the actual reliability of the
ingredients. It doesn’t even affect what
a human’s reaction to the substance is.
Animals aren’t even the only tests used.
Human trials are necessary in all of
these cosmetics tests, just after the
thousands of animals were killed to test
that one product. It isn’t fair that about
95 thousand mice and rats should die
every year to test cosmetics and
other human-based, nonmedical products (PETA).
Some people feel as though
safety of a cosmetic product
is more important than millions of animal lives. An Oxford
based neurosurgeon, Tipu Aziz,
spoke his opinion to the Guardian newspaper: “People talk
about cosmetics being the ultimate evil. But beautifying oneself has been going on since we
were cavemen. If it’s proven to
reduce suffering through animal
tests then it’s not wrong to use
them. To say cosmetics is the
absolute evil is absurd” (Guardian Newspaper). But
he is wrong. What’s really absurd
is the fact that millions of animals have to die in order for
people to be able to “beautify”
themselves. The tests that are
conducted on the animals don’t
involve painting their nails or
making them pretty with eye
shadow and mascara. These
tests are not pretty, so why
should the outcome be pretty
for us? These tests involve
murdering innocent animals just
to be able to ensure the safety of
a sparkly eyeliner pencil. Nobody
felt the need to test their products until
less than a hundred years ago, and they
still made themselves pretty.
The world of animal testing may
seem far away in a world of laboratories and big companies, but it’s closer
than you think. Whenever you wash
your hair, you are most likely washing it
with shampoo that was tested on a
rabbit. Save those poor rabbits, mice,
and laboratory animals and never buy
cosmetics tested on animals. Other
countries have banned this cruelty and
we should too. Animal testing is cruel
and should be banned in
the U.S. for cosmetics and
other non-medical tests.
11
Hydrofracking—The Horrors
By Olivia Vought
the pipe down to the shale, which is over
6,000 feet deep, it is required to go
through the water table, which is anyThroughout the country, many states where from 40-400 feet deep. Since this
is the case, when pumping down into the
are having numerous heated debates
Earth to break open the shale, fatal
about whether hydraulic fracturing
(hydrofracking) should be legalize. Peo- chemicals unavoidably pump through the
water table that everybody within an
ple have proved that hydrofracking enenormous range uses as drinking water.
dangers our water supply and the environment. Others choose to ignore these So if the pipe has even a microscopic
leak in the region of the water table, then
facts and focus only on the enormous
amount of natural gas it produces. They a whole city and its outer lying towns
are wrong to ignore the facts: hydrofrack- could be at serious risk for water contamination. People mainly get their water from
ing pollutes the land and air, contamitwo places: wells for rural areas and the
nates our water supply, and consumes
public water syswater at an enormous
tem for urban
fatal chemicals unavoidrate. Because of these
facts, hydrofracking
ably pump through the wa- areas. Wells feed
right into the water
should be banned.
ter
table
that
everybody
table. With the
Hydrofracking undewater from the
within
an
enormous
range
niably pollutes our air
wells, people
and land. Our air is pol- uses as drinking water.
could water crops;
luted from the very behowever, with
ginning when 400 tankers trucks are required to drive back and chemical-enriched water, the plants will
most likely wilt and end up dying. But with
forth from the drill site, bringing chemicals, water and other materials required the small chance the crops will survive,
to break the shale. During the fracturing anybody who ingests that vegetable will
process, 1-8 million gallons of water and also be ingesting the contaminated water.
40,000 gallons of chemicals like lead, This makes it hard for farms to say they
radium, uranium, methanol, mercury, are organic and risk reduced business
hydrochloric acid, ethylene glycol, and because of it. Public water also takes
formaldehyde (many know carcinogens) their water from the water table; the water
get pumped down over 6,000 feet deep to that comes out of your tap might be directly from the water table. In many cities,
try to break open the shale
(www.dangersoffraking.com) When the the filtration system does not filter out
shale is broken, the gas is released into chemicals used in the process of hydrofracking; therefore, everybody using
the earth and is then sucked back up to
public water in a certain area could risk
ground level and collected. However, of
all the chemicals that get pumped under- the chance of water contamination, and
with that water contamination, cancer.
ground, only 30-50% is collected. The
Another part of the process in hyrest is left underground and is not biodedrofracking
is breaking the shale so gas
gradable. The chemicals that are colthat
comes
out
can be retrieved. But in
lected are distributed into open-air pits
order
to
break
it,
an extremely large
left to evaporate and join the water cycle,
creating acid rain and contamination that amount of water is used: 1-8 million gallons of perfectly clean drinking water.
becomes extremely widespread.
Through the process of hydrofracking, Since hydrofracking uses that much water, many times, places that have wells
there is evidence of widespread water
nearby run out of water. There are about
contamination. When the machine drills
10
5,000 open fracking wells in the United
States, which means approximately
40,000,000,000 gallons of fresh water are
being used to keep hydrofracking wells
open in the United States alone
(www.gaslandthemovie.com). There is
not enough fresh water in the world for
that much water to be consumed by
something like hydrofracking. The worst
part about it is that the water being used
cannot be reused. It is the only way to
consume water in which the water will
never be used again.
Many people who are for hydrofracking argue that it creates jobs. Though this
is true, the jobs it creates can be unsatisfactory, lethal, and temporary. Most jobs
hydrofracking creates are on the site of
the drilling. These are jobs that can be
hazardous to the people working on
them. It is a researched and proven fact
that radon gas is produced when drilling
for natural gas (www.epa.gov). It is another fact that radon gas is a producer of
lung cancer. In fact, it is the second leading cause of lung cancer and is associated with 15,000-20,000 lung cancer
deaths each year (www.cancer.gov). And
if you worked at a fracking drilling site,
you would be breathing radon gas almost
all the time, which means you have a
highly increased risk of developing lung
cancer. That means having an on-site
fracking job can be deadly. The jobs hydrofracking creates are also very temporary. Those hired by the companies will
only have the job for as long as the well is
open and running. Then when the well
closes, they will be left with no job.
Hydrofracking pollutes the air and
land, contaminates our water supply, and
consumes water at an enormous rate.
Because of this, hydrofracking should be
banned. If you agree that hydrofracking is
not worth the numerous environmental
issues it produces, then you should join
your local anti-fracking organization, like
shaleshock.org or other numerous organizations.
Peace
Peace of mind
I hoped for it all the time.
Not knowing when you were going to attack
You looked at me and talked all that smack
You always tried to bring me down
I tried to ignore the awful sound
It seemed like you had nothing better to do
You wouldn’t like it if someone bullied you
You scared me out of my wits
I always hoped that this was it
You never tired of calling me names
You never tired of the sick, twisted games
Why me? Why me?
You made me cry, but all
All I wanted was peace of mind.
Is that too much to ask?
-Tatiana Breland
Alone
I am alone.
Alone in a big world.
A big world
with many people
Yet I am so alone.
I don’t know why.
Why they hate me.
It’s their fault.
They are the reason
I am so alone.
That’s all I will ever be
Alone in a big world.
I am alone.
I feel regret
Hatred all around me
People laughing
Me laughing
You crying
I didn’t even know you or your friends.
I sometimes wonder
if you knew yourself
or what you were doing.
The words turned to violence;
you threw fists and kicks.
You act cool when you are not.
The closest thing to cool
is cold.
It is you who is lost
in your own cold world.
-Zach Caswell
Tears fall down my face—
broken:
I pretend the ugly names don’t hurt
that I don’t care,
when the reality is like being
stabbed a billion times
over and over.
Ridiculed, laughed at, shunned.
I never tell anyone of the pain.
Inside I crumble,
like the rubble of a destroyed building.
But I laugh and smile,
playing the part.
I surround myself with friends who lift me up.
Still, I never forget the pain—
screaming, crying, wondering why on the inside.
Invisible.
Why me? I ask.
What did I do to deserve this?
Nothing
Nothing, Nothing,
Nothing is what
I feel inside.
-Lauren Shatraw
You pushed me around,
Called me names,
Causing pain and hatred.
Playing the Game
I know it’s wrong
I can’t resist
It isn’t right
I should have helped
I could have helped
You have no control
You never did
You never will
Lost, confused, hurt
I know you feel hurt
Why can’t I stand up
for what I know is
right?
-Lucas Neville
-Tia-Marie Campbell
The Silent Table
Laughter comes pouring out of your mouth.
The table is silent,
and all I hear is your voice going on and on.
Everyone stares at me
to see my reaction to his hurtful words.
I look at him,
and he just looks and laughs more.
I am swimming in the middle of the ocean—
lost and alone, I can’t find my way.
I scream, but no one hears,
so I look up
and smile,
shutting him down.
I sit strong and proud.
-Emily Houck
7
LOST…
I am lost.
Lost in a cold world
Where hate and sorrow
Surrounds me.
Cheeks grow hot,
Hotter,
Burning.
Hands are shaking,
Quaking,
Trembling.
Head is dizzy,
Dazed,
Despairing.
Feet are liquid,
Gone,
Not standing.
Soul is injured,
Dented,
Tortured.
I am hurt,
In pain.
I’m BULLIED
-Lucinda Saufley
Apology
You said you were my friend—
more like a tortured confused soul
Left me hurt, mortified and sad,
left me with no apology
for the things you said.
Words scraping, painful
Like knives
Like the ones killers use.
A murderer to my soul.
I was never good enough.
I wanted approval
kindness and love.
But all I got was pain, lies, and
loneliness.
And no apology for
the past
My soul still aches from your
strong words.
And you don’t even know.
-Lucy Brown
8
I am lost
Lost in a place where society
is the judge of me.
Have I been bullied?
I am not sure
I have heard the
Insults, the
hatred
I have seen the
tears, the
shame.
I still am not sure
Have I been bullied?
I am lost
Lost in a place
Where there is no
Where to run.
I am stuck
Stuck in a place
Where each and
Every day, another
Flaw of mine
Is pointed out.
The people with their
heads down,
I have seen them
I know of the horrors,
of the despair.
But of myself,
I am not sure.
If I were to say
“I have been bullied,”
I think I would be cheating,
cheating those who
have been bullied,
tormented and humiliated
Any pain I have felt,
theirs is worse
I would be lying
If I were to say that I had been bullied
I like to think that
I am too
proud and strong
To allow myself to
be bullied.
Many may say
I’m trying to seek
Attention.
Many others don’t even understand the
Pain.
Many people don’t understand
The risks of
Bullying and
Many others
Never will until
They experience
The loss of a
Mother, father,
Sister, or brother
Like I have.
I am lost
Lost in a place where
I have no control
Over what others think of me
So no,
thankfully,
I have not been bullied,
though I have heard the insults.
-Rachel Hidek
Yet all I have
To say to them
Is, You may
know my story now
But before,
I bet you only
Knew my name.
-Nayasa Anana Williams
School Uniforms
By Molly Bankert
As the bus rolled into the school’s
parking lot, I looked out the window. I was headed to my after
school program, and we had one last
stop to pick up some kids from the
private, Catholic K-8 school. As the
bus doors opened, all of the kids
who got on had uniforms. All of the
girls were in plaid skirts and all the
boys were in khakis. I looked down
onto the sidewalk. The only things
different about the children’s attire
were their backpacks, their only
outlet to expression. I thought about
having to wear the same outfit to
school every day and how depressing it must be. I thought that taking
away the children’s freedom of expression was wrong. Kids should
not be required to wear school uniforms because they are expensive,
controversial, and most importantly,
they suffocate kids’ creativity.
When someone first begins to go
to a school with a uniform policy,
they have to purchase the school’s
required uniform. The average cost
for parents is $249 per set of a uniform. This is a ridiculous cost for
what will most likely turn out to be
a blazer, a white shirt, a tie, a pair of
shoes, and a skirt or pair of pants.
Not to mention that the child will
need more than one set of the uniform, and the parents could use the
money for things more important
than clothes. For some families
without a great deal of money, this
can be costly, especially if the family has more than one child attending the school. If the parents had not
had to buy uniforms for their children, they “would have sent their
children to school in old hand-medowns and knitted jumpers” (Mack
LeMouse). Even when kids go to
public school, the parents are forced
to pay for their children’s uniforms,
therefore, paying for their education. The whole point of public
school is for it to be free, but adding
school uniforms erases the point of
it being free.
The controversy within school
uniforms is somewhat obvious, especially with girls being required to
wear skirts in most policies. This
requirement could be seen sexist
and even perverted. Although some
schools allow girls to wear the boy
version, “it doesn’t change the message, which says that while girls
should want to wear ‘their’ uniforms, they can sometimes wear
boys’ clothes” (www.nytimes.com).
This message implies that girls
should want to wear skirts to look
like a girl and be poised and cross
their legs. Unfortunately when
wearing a skirt, it can be incredibly
difficult to keep their underwear
hidden. From the blowing wind to
bending over and picking something
up, wearing skirts limits girls’
movements and is just outright uncomfortable to move in.
Probably the worst effect of
school uniforms is the fact that they
stifle the creativity of children and
teens alike. Middle school and high
school are the times when teens find
themselves and their personalities,
and one of the main ways they do
this is through clothing. Putting
them in the same outfit encourages
them to be the same, to conform,
when in reality they should separate
and create their own styles. When
schools put kids in uniforms, they
imply that society wants them to
work for “the man,” instead of
branching out and being creative.
Some parents want this, whereas
“other parents would argue this is
undesirable and they would rather
their children were more creative
and more liberal” (Mack LeMouse).
If kids are put in school uniforms,
and they choose a job that they are
unhappy with because they couldn’t
be creative, it could lead to other
problems in life like stress and
health problems.
To many people, especially parents and teachers, school uniforms
are a good thing. One of the main
reasons school uniforms are supported is that they prevent bullying.
Kids will get bullied for a lack of
money, wearing something out of
the norm, and even not wearing
designer brands. When looking at
children without school uniforms,
some say “some children will be
more mature than others, some will
have better dress sense, and some
will have more money at their disposal” (Mack LeMouse). They even
say that when kids wear the same
thing, others can’t tell that a kid has
less money than others. If you put
them in uniforms, it may stop bullying about the clothes, but kids will
find other ways to bully. And although the kids will be wearing the
same thing, kids will still be able to
tell who has more money. Whether
it is the quality of the clothes or the
accessories that the kids wear, they
will be able to tell if something is
designer or from a thrift store.
People across the country need to
protest against school uniforms because it will be better in the long
run. School uniforms are too expensive for parents. They are sexist
against girls because most policies
require girls to wear skirts and imply that they should want to wear
skirts. And they take away kids’
freedom of expression. Kids should
be able to express themselves, and
parents shouldn’t have to worry
about updating their child’s school
uniforms. Even if there are good
things to school uniforms, you have
to think about the effects of them on
children later in life.
9