The categories are set…time to nominate your peers for the

Class of 2021 Senior Superlatives

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/14A1IuPYOs0rSyv456-KfiVLL2fNCYMK8CSuID6VockM/edit

Deadline for nominations is March 10,

Polls will open for final voting on March 22

Students at Westside High School who are willing to self-produce or have your own items that correspond to one of these arts and writing categories, are eligible to participate in this competition. There will be two selected winners for each category with a prize of choosing either a Chick-Fil-A, Starbucks, and Barnes&Nobles gift card.

The final day for submissions will be on Friday, February 19, 2021 at https://forms.gle/yyJ95WRjNQ2F3uTE8. If you have any other questions or concerns, please fill this form out, https://forms.gle/MhmDg7saSLVdyFsG7.

Now obviously this decision is up to the school and its administrators, but we have to ask those who plan on going if there is one, how they feel about the chance of not having a prom for their last year in high school. I took it upon myself to ask around to see how seniors feel about whether we should have a prom or not.Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

“Yes, I think Westside should have a prom. Even if it’s outdoors and we have to wear masks, it would still allow the senior class to have something special in this year where we have gotten practically nothing that normal senior classes have gotten.” (Rachel Wright, class of 2021)

As you can see, the seniors would prefer to have the option to go to the prom this year. They would like to make it memorable before they go to college, so a prom wouldn’t be a bad idea. In fact, if we can make sure that those who have been tested are able to come and everyone there wears the proper masks, the prom shouldn’t be a problem for anyone. We should let the students have one more special night before they become adults.

Every Esports professional starts off with a dream. No professional Esports player had ever thought they would make it big, but eventually, with the time and effort, they achieved their goals. It all starts with the resources that kids have. Companies nowadays are starting to develop better tools more suited for gaming rather than everyday life. And with these tools, kids start developing skills and getting better at a certain game. Eventually, organizations recognize the best of the best and ask them to join their team to play for money.

Some big examples of these organizations are Team SoloMid, FaZe, Team Liquid, and Cloud9. These teams and others have recruited the best players off any game you can think of, regardless of their age, to play professionally for them. Even if you’re not good at the game, you may have a shot of becoming a content creator for the team. No matter what videogames and Esports can change a person’s life. Some of these tournaments that people partake in have enormous prize pools, with the largest so far being almost $35 million dollars in total. And if the players aren’t making money by tournaments, sponsorships and exposure can easily pay for the player’s living expenses.

The point is that videogames and Esports are usually laughed at when it’s come into the scene of ESPN or CBS. Nobody really takes it seriously since they just think videogames are a waste of time and will get you nowhere. But how can it lead people nowhere when people like 16 years old, Kyle “Bugha” Giersdorf had won $3 million dollars in less than 24 hours from beating out 99 other players at the 2019 Fortnite World Cup. Esports has had a big impact on people’s lives, and yeah it may not have a physical impact on your body like normal sports, but it’s safe to say Esports has earned its respect.

A sensation that seems to transport us to an entirely new dimension away from the despair

Such as the melodies, harmonies, and voices of music

That can take some to a world without chaos or fear in sight

A world of twirling colors and serenity

Comfort,

A sensation that seems to center yourself in the midst of the moment

Such as one stroke of a yellow-coated bristle onto a blank canvas

That activates the creative mind and to understand what is happening directly

A window that reminds us of the bigger picture

Comfort,

A sensation of warmth that seems to revive the soul

Such as the bursts of fondly flavors that swirl in your mouth

Relishing this familiar experience that goes beyond ourselves

Like a mellow hug from a loved-one

Comfort,

A sensation of relief where you can escape turmoil

Such as your furry-friends that are there during your lows

Full of joy, curiosity, and affection

Like a therapeutic blanket

Comfort,

A sensation similar to a breath of fresh air

Such as the lush aspects of nature that appeals to eye

The buzzing, swaying of the crashing waves, or even the walloping of trees amongst each other by the wind

A place or rather journey of solace

During the afternoon of January 6th, chaos erupted: protestors managed to break-in the U.S. Capitol against its “unprecedented” security, the violent-dark historic Confederate flags waved inside the nation’s Capitol for the first times, neo-Nazi’s in “Camp Auschwitz” attire and others with tees that read, “MAGA Civil War” flooded the building, and acts of violence unleashed even to the point of setting up pipe bombs, which were detonated. An entire insurrection, initiated by President Trump, something that has not occurred since the War of 1812 when the British attacked. 

AP World History and former AP Human Geography teacher, Elena Diiorio, voices her thought of the breaching, “It still gives me chills, I’m having them right now to think that what we saw on Wednesday was actually the reality of what was going on Wednesday. The idea that you know, we are the first Democratic country. We fought a revolution against tyranny and one against authoritarianism, the established democracy, meaning you know, the ability of the people to voice their desire for their leadership and their popular sovereignty through, not just the president, but through the elected halls of Congress. We’ve set up those institutions and we have cherished those institutions for all these years, because those institutions are the hallmarks of what democracy means. And to watch those symbols, those institutions, be trampled by, you know, by a crowd wearing fur and Viking horns, and with painted faces and flags draped over there. I mean, that was just mind blowing. These are people with intent on bringing down all of the institutions associated with that democracy and that is just devastating, we have to stop that. We have to. We have to do a better job to make sure that this does not ever happen a third time in our history.”

America watched these horrific scenes that spurred from false ideas given by the president, reflecting this modern-society’s reliability and belief of opinions and misinformation without any form of evidence. This displayed how incredibly dangerous social media has become, in fact, U.S. adults who prefer to obtain their news through social media are more likely in sharing or rather spreading false information than those obtaining their news from conventional sources according to a study by the Pew Research Center.

Mrs. Diiorio states, “I think social media…I really do not like social media. I understand that it is a way to keep in touch with people who are a long distance away, but it has also become the biggest device for circulating and re-circulating and then confirming lies and misinformation. Anybody can say anything. You do not know who is saying it or why they are saying it. People do not question the basis of things that are said. So, I think social media is an increasingly major problem.”

What should we do? What can America do to prevent further violent crimes and insurrections? I believe we need to teach the current and future students to understand and recognize false information on social media through media literacy classes. 

Mrs. Diiorio, who developed this thought and I completely agree on, claiming, “Media literacy classes teach kids what information is out there, not just scrolling through and getting your ideas off of social media posts. Where is the proof? It is a multifaceted thing. One piece is that I want to teach citizenship, better citizenship in terms of what it’s like to be a citizen here and how important it is to become an educated citizen. We need to teach people that they have to educate themselves and the importance of voting. Another piece of it is that we have to teach kids about the different resources that are out there and to expand their ideas from where they’re getting their information from. We also need to teach kids how to critically think about this information that is available to them in the world. How to digest it better? How to discern whether there’s evidence to back up statements and how to have a more diverse view of the world.

I took ten minutes to talk about what happened on Wednesday, and I fell behind on the content for that class. So that is an issue, which needs to be looked at by the educators as to where we can better serve our students and better serve our responsibility to help you guys learn to be good citizens. This is not to downplay the importance of math, science, English, or other subjects, but understanding the history of our progress to this point and when we were able to do what a good citizen should do is critical. 

So if we don’t figure out a way to teach you guys about it, you know I worry about our democracy. And like how I told you guys before, you will have to protect our democracy as our future generation. You will have to have the tools to do it. We are the ones that have to teach it.”

The importance of understanding others’ opinions and what it means to become a good U.S. citizen is so essential, yet not represented in our education enough. The National Assessment of Educational Progress or NAEP civics assessment measures civics knowledge and skills of becoming a citizen, which is administered to students at 4th, 8th, and 12th grades. The most recent one was given in 2018 where nearly 13,400 8th graders took it, averaging a score of 153 out of 300, well below a NAEP proficient level. We need change. We need to better prepare our future generations in running our democracy and to better expand the core values of a good citizen in this country.

Moral Character

As someone who is an adolescent, I am entirely and consistently immersed in the culture of social media platforms where I have observed how political ideologies have become inseparably connected to morality. Personally, as someone who is strongly for the Democratic position on prevalent social issues, I find it difficult to comprehend for those who are not bothered or supportive of the numerous injustices occurring around the world. Republicans seem to have been the majority opposition population, which 87% of Republicans stirred the direction of the BLM movements with “All Lives Matter” from the Race and Policing in America survey and only 15% of Republicans wanting to take in refugees escaping from war and violence according to a 2019 survey by the Pew Research Center. The majority of both political parties are torn upon the long branch of social issues, having their own concepts of equality and degrees of morality in America. For me, having different views on the economy, such as tax plans, can be bearable whereas the failure of acknowledging basic human rights in the “land of the free” is absolutely unacceptable, losing something seen as the basis of any relationship: respect. 

The Trump Effect: The main source of this continuous intensification of political polarization in the U.S.A is by its own head of state, Donald Trump. He has deepened the divides in our nation more than ever and has polluted the entirety of the Republican party. Someone who supports Trump is endorsing the representation of misogyny, racism, homophobia, xenophobia, ignorance, and hatred that has become evident under his time as president. According to a Wakefield Research survey, 1 in every 5 American relationships or marriage has been noticed to have been impacted negatively by President Trump’s election. One’s political belief in supporting Trump is what divides relationships, which is almost entirely based on his moral issues while allowing him to run the country and making the decisions that will affect our children for decades. 

What is being prioritized?

Most relationships are grown from having a common ground or rather a basis of belief, sharing the same goals and ideas. Let’s take the topic of wearing masks as an example, which has become a statement of partisanship in the United States of America while during a global health pandemic, making it reasonable why our country suffers from the most deaths and cases of COVID-19 in the world. According to a 2020 Pew Research Survey, 46% of Republicans would consider COVID-19 a major threat to the U.S.A while 85% of Democrats would consider it a major threat to the country. Also according to the Pew Research Center, many Republicans express skepticism or oppose wearing a mask, claiming it was ineffective, unnecessary, or oppressive. An enormous divide on something that is a symbol of protection and consideration for others, something that is important in any relationship. 

Let’s also understand the general priorities of both political parties in 2020 from an assessment by The Washington Post. The Democrats’ five leading priorities are the coronavirus pandemic, climate change, racial inequality, foreign interference in U.S. elections, and economic inequality in the country. On the other hand, the Republicans’ five leading priorities are the development of China as a world power, international terrorism, large numbers of immigrants and refugees coming into the country, domestic violent extremism, and Iran’s nuclear program. Both with completely different concerns and ideas of threats to the U.S.A. as the Democrats seem to focus more on internal conflicts while the Republicans seem to focus on external conflicts. Relationships are not able to be maintained under this immense gap of a common ground with entirely different mindsets and goals. 

The United States of America is currently a nation of division on partisanship, which can be seen throughout all generations and across media platforms, having an impact on relationships. Both the Democratic and Republican parties have completely different stances on the prevalent social issues, the presidency of Donald Trump, and the priorities of our country. These elements of morality and shared goals are what relationships thrive on, which are important in laying the foundation of any commitment to another person. Having separate political affiliations is what drives our country more than ever, it is not only the difference of association in policies, but also one of opposing ethics and priority that shape family relationships, friendships, acquaintanceships, and romantic relationships.

Westside High School has now announced the dates of the finals and the exact information about it. The finals for the fall semester are going to be taken place on January 25-29, 2020. It has just been told that the finals are going to be 10% of student’s grades rather than 25%. As you can see the finals have little impact on student’s grades however Westside has still chosen to have mandatory finals. As a student at Westside High School, I believe that this is a big problem and our school is obviously not thinking of what’s in our best interest. As a student who has been impacted by covid 19, this year has been very hard and I have lost family members to the virus. Many students have to work because of their family losing income, many students have to take care of their siblings, and many students have even had coronavirus. When creating finals specifically during this time, it adds stress that the student body does not need. So why are finals necessary this year?

All in all, I believe that finals should not be mandatory but I do think it should have an exception and this will be the perfect solution for all! Westside should not make finals mandatory but I do think it should have a rule/exception. I think that students who have an 85 or higher every cycle in a class should be given the exemption of taking that specific final. Students have been working hard this year and I believe their work should be rewarded and they don’t have to take the final for every class if they get an 85 or higher every cycle. For the people who get an 84 and lower, finals should be mandatory and the students have the opportunity to higher their semester grades. This is the perfect solution this semester and would be perfect for the staff members of Westside and most importantly the student body! This has so many positive advantages, that it is truly the best solution for students and can motivate students to work hard!

indicate Harris County has a current positivity rate of 8.4%, with numbers climbing, with a risk level of Red Zone 1.  With the data indicating community spread, why is HISD maintaining a COVID-19 Orange Level for the district? Students, staff and parents can find the current threat level published on the Westside High School website.  The information bar indicating Westside is under a Code: Orange level of COVID-19.  How exactly is this determined? With Harris County indicating a Red Level, Maximum Threat, why is HISD maintaining a lower level. As Westside moves into the third grading cycle, its estimated that an additional 100 students have opted to return to face to face instruction.  Putting somewhere between 400 – 500 students on campus at any given time.

How is the Code Orange Level determined and what does it mean?

HISD’s COVID GAUGE is based on the Harris County and CDC guidelines for maintaining school buildings in a open to students status.  As stated “COVID GAUGE Level 2: Orange – Significant risk. Minimize contacts, rolling school closures with required physical distancing. Orange signifies uncontrolled level of COVID-19 in the community.” Avoiding large gatherings outside of “household pod” is recommended.

Westside, and HISD have been under Level 2: Orange since October 19, 2020 when campuses opened for student and staff return.  As soon as October 20th, HISD had closed for deep cleaning a total of 17 school buildings due to either positive or presumptive positive cases on campus. Seeing this would be unsustainable, HISD quickly adjusted the requirements of closing schools to students.  After one day of students on campus, the guidelines were changed.  But is it possible. “Unfortunately, I think member of our community that now done there part to reduce the risk of spreading the virus. Until we all understand and conform to social distancing, wearing masks, and washing our hands regularly, we will continue to experience positivity rates that merit HISD’s Code Orange risk category.” a popular sentiment expressed by Dean Cabral.

The Code Orange Level indicates the precautions Westside needs to incorporate in the day to day function. Promoting safety by minimizing contact. While all field trips are cancelled, athletes remain active with heavy restrictions.

While Harris County has remained in Level 1: Red, HISD has maintained one tick lower. The levels are set by positivity rates, local active cases, hospital occupancy, and ability to contact trace.  When asked for this story why HISD maintains a different risk level than Harris County, no source would reply.

What happens daily at Westside?

Every morning before entering campus, all Westside staff must answer a health check through an app on their phone.  This is HISD standard procedure.  The process requires staff to answer three questions, and take a tempurature reading. If cleared with a GREEN sticker, teachers are permitted to come to campus.  A RED sticker pauses that process. Westside has had teachers who were unable to attend school due to a RED indicator.

Students are given temperature checks upon entrance every morning. They are required to wear masks (except during the 30 minute lunch), and maintain distancing when possible. With less that 400 students on campus, distancing has been accomplished. Everyone has done a good job of following guidelines.  Rooms are stanitized once every hour, with deep cleaning occuring every night. A notable change to a Westside day is the restroom policy.  Student restrooms are closed the first 30 minutes and the last 15 minutes of each class period. No students are permitted to leave the 30 minute instructional time, and during the final 15 restrooms are throughly cleaned and stanitized.

Lunch tables in the commons have been replaced by rows of well spaced desks and chairs.  A senior who didn’t wish to be identified described it as “Just plain weird.”

Code orange, part II takes a look at what comes next as HISD and Westside continue to navigate a school year during a world wide pandemic.

The importance of this election was widespread and well-known as at least 161 million Americans voted in the 2020 election, the largest number of voters in the history of U.S. presidential elections. It took four days of counting ballots after Election Day to announce the president-elect, Joe Biden, on November 7th, 2020. These ballots were the main reason for the extensive time it took to obtain the results, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic that caused many to cast their vote through mail-in ballots for safety concerns. A major issue was that many states were not allowed to even begin counting these ballots before Election Day, lengthening the entire process and burdening the Election Day workers. This has also created conspiracies of fraud and cheating in electing the president as many mail-in ballots were predominantly Democratic votes as shown in data of election officials.

Jeffrey D’Onofrio, HISD’s leading teacher for AP U.S. Government and Politics, wanted to add that, “Most states expanded voting options this year, including Texas, which added an extra week of in-person early voting. Some states sent ballots or applications for ballots to all eligible voters. President Trump objectified to these changes and he discouraged his supporters from voting by mail, even though he voted with an absentee ballot by mail as do many Republicans. Voting by mail was not a partisan issue prior to 2020.” D’Onofrio further explains how mail-in ballots do have a form of greater support from one party compared to the other.

Additionally, understanding what your ballot means is critical in effecting the process of the Electoral College. When any American voter goes to the polls in a presidential election, they are essentially selecting a group of electors that will vote for the party’s candidate in the Electoral College. The number of electors varies from state to state as it correlates to the size of that state, such as California with the largest population of roughly 40 million people in the U.S. has a greater number of electors . There are a total of 538 electors, in which 270 exact or more are needed in winning the presidency. Electors almost always vote for the candidate who wins the most votes in their state. However, the Electoral College has made the possibility of a candidate winning the presidential election while having lost the popular or public vote, causing many to point out the hypocrisy of the entire process of selecting the most favored candidate.

D’Onofrio explains the significance and process of the Electoral College, “Polls regularly show a majority of Americans would like to abolish this indirect system for selecting our president. Twice in the last twenty years, the president elected by this system received the second most votes nationwide — George W. Bush in 2000 and Donald Trump in 2016. The Electoral College is a relic in time when most people couldn’t vote and even those voters’ opinions didn’t matter, those already elected in state government were selecting other people to cast votes for the president. Today, candidates focus all their attention on competitive states like Florida and Wisconsin to secure victory.” 

After the seemingly never-ending election of the president, the American people have elected former Vice President, Joe Biden, as the president-elect, who will be in office as of January 2021. The result of the presidential election has received completely different responses, from a time of celebration and relief to one of horror and grief. The idea of change is both a term that strikes fear and happiness, something this president-elect will bring to the United States of America. As citizens of this country, we must respect and concede to the election process as well as honor the president-elect’s effort and work he must commit to in restoring peace amongst the current “mess” that is the U.S.A..