The Northmen's Log, Vol. 58, Issue 4, Spring

The

Northmen’s Log May 2023, Kansas City, Missouri

Mens Volleyball

As of May 1, the mens volleyball team is 16-1.

There’s talk of the sport becoming MSHSAA sanctioned.

Read more on page 10.

Volume 58,Issue 4

Student Opinion

Missouri legislators proposed a bill that could deeply affect LGBTQ+ students.

Read a column on page 4.

2

9

Table of Contents Mourwel May 2023

Table of

Contents 3

May 2023

Religious Celebrations Within the Community The end of April draws a multitude of religious practices to a conclusion.

10

It’s Time to Take a Stand

Pass, Set, Mens Volleyball is a Hit

The school shooting situation is intolerable. It’s time for students to take a stand.

OP mens volleyball gets more hype as it continues a winning season.

4

12

Don’t Erase My Existence Column about the new bill Missouri legislators are considering regarding LGBTQ+ students.

6

Immerse Yourself in Creativity

Seniors Secure the Bag

OP leadership students create a new tradition for seniors’ last days.

14

Schools Grapple with the Effects of ChatGPT

The fine arts department wraps up the school year displaying students’ hard work.

New, easily accessible technology is now able to generate essays for students but is that a help or a cheat?

8

16

OP plans events to help students obtain a healthy wellbeing during Mental Health Awareness Week.

Read mini stories about the Culture Fair assembly and KC Scholars program.

Briefs

Seek Help

About the Cover

Senior Demi Gallen performs a hula dance during the Culture Fair assembly on Friday, April 28. More coverage on page 16. photo by Brynlee Tucker.

Publication

Staff

Veronica Mourwel, Design Editor Tatem Petet, Copy Editor Brynlee Tucker, Photo Editor Jacob Eischen, staffer Lilian Everley, staffer Lily House, staffer

Mia Ivan, staffer Julie McPhail, staffer Bela Parrett, staffer Ben Place, staffer Rachel Prate, staffer

“The Northmen’s Log” will publish four times during the school year. “Log” staff strongly supports and opposes censorship. Freedom of expression and press are fundamental values in a democratic society.

Therefore, “Log” encourages readers to participate in discussion by submitting Letter to the Editor in Room E123 or by email to christina.geabhart@nkcschools. org. Letters cannot be exceed 350 words and must be signed. “Log”will not run letters that are libelous, obscene, or that may cause a verifiable disruption to the education process at Oak Park.

Advertisers may contact the advisor at christina.geabhart@nkcschools.org for more information.

Opinions expressed in “Log” do no reflect student, staff, or district endorsements of that opinion, product, or service.

“Log is a member of JEMKC, MIJA, JEA, NSPA, and Quill and Scroll.

QUICK FACTS It’s Time to SCHOOL SHOOTINGS SINCE 1970

2,332 VICTIMS KILLED SINCE 1970

724 MOST SCHOOL SHOOTING EVENTS IN ONE YEAR 2022

303

PROJECTIONS FOR 2023

400+ MONEY SPENT ON ELECTIONS BY NRA SINCE 2000

$155,995,970 infographic by Ben Place statistics from K-12 School Shooting Database and Open Secrets

Editorial Place May 2023

Take a Stand

by The Northmen’s Log Staff

B

eing a high schooler in 2023 is dangerous. More than ever, school can feel like a hostile environment. School shootings are more prevalent than ever and lawmakers don’t have our interests at heart. This is not okay.

Change won’t happen on its own.

It’s time for our generation to take a stand.

In less than a decade, the idea of being affected by a shooting at school has changed from a farfetched fantasy to a grim reality.

According to the K-12 Shooting database last year had the most school shooting incidents ever at 303. Projections show that in 2023, we could exceed that record.

Year over year, the problem is only getting worse, and our lawmakers are doing next to nothing to help.

To bring about real change, we need laws that keep guns out of the hands of dangerous people.

That means universal background checks, concealed carry licenses and strengthened laws on how people secure their guns at home.

However, in the last decade, Congress has only passed a single law restricting the purchase of firearms.

The Bipartisan Safer Communities Act of 2022 is a step in the direction of gun control, but on its path to being passed, it made many concessions to pro-gun legislators, severely limiting its impact. Our legislators need to do more to pass gun laws, it seems like our lawmakers just don’t care enough to make the change.

In fact, politicians are paid to

3

not care. The National Rifle Association has been lining government officials’ pockets with money from lobbying for years. Since 2000, the NRA has spent over $150 million on swaying elections in favor of pro-gun candidates, and over $24 million to direct campaign contributions. The NRA and other groups like it have politicians under their thumb. In this status quo, change isn’t possible.

Students have to step up and be part of the solution.

One goal of student activism is to bring awareness to an issue, and recently by working together, many schools have been successful at this goal. After the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., schools across the nation held marches and walkouts in protest.

It brought renewed media attention to the issue of school shootings and added to the national outrage that had been building since the Sandy Hook shooting in 2012.

Despite all the attention, very little real change came from the mass student activism. That’s because those walkouts were only a half measure. Even though they were spread across the United States, they weren’t enough to pressure lawmakers into making changes.

To produce the climate needed for real change, it will take an effort from all students, from every school, to make legislators understand the stress we go through every day. If we aren’t able to commit to that level of dedication to the cause, we just have to get used to the way things are now.

Column Eischen May 2023

by Copy Editor Tatem Petet cross the country there has been a noticeable increase of hateful rhetoric and fear mongering in regards to LGBTQ+ issues. This spring, there have been 417 transphobic and homophobic bills proposed by state legislatures, according to CNN. Not only are these bills misguided, but they pose an active threat to LGBTQ+ youth that could result in irreversible damages. CNN reported that this number doubles all of 2022 bill proposals on this topic.

Missouri is not the first, nor the only state to propose harmful legislation of this nature. In March 2022, Florida passed a law that bans the teaching of diverse sexual orientations to children under third grade. This reignited the nation’s conversation surrounding queer identities and created an example 19 states would soon follow, according to NBC. Missouri State Rep. Maggie Nurrenbern said, “Between social media and cable news a lot of the same legislation is pushed more easily across the nation simultaneously.”

Traditionalists across the country are under the impression that exposure to diverse identities and sexualities will create confusion in young people’s minds.

In a video posted to his personal YouTube channel, State Sen. Mike Moon clarified his overarching goal, “My number one priority has been to protect children from the radical gender confusion plaguing our nation.”

Moon claimed he proposed this bill to protect children but for someone who seems to be so passionate, I am confused why he chose to not speak with a journalist. He ignored multiple phone calls, emails and failed to meet with me in a scheduled interview.

Column Eischen May 2023

In reality, the traditionalists’ refusal to acknowledge the existence of LGBTQ+ identities only promotes the probability for bigoted and ignorant adults.

On the flip side of the coin, if children are never exposed to queer identities, as a normal occurrence in society, they may experience a large amount of inner turmoil if and when they are coming to terms with their queerness. When we constantly portray queerness as something immoral and deviant, we cultivate a culture of self-hatred for the next generation of queer people.

Possibly the most enraging and disappointing aspect of this wave is the mandatory reporting.

“As it currently exists, Senate Bill 134 will require parents to be notified within 24 hours if a student expresses confusion about their gender identity or requests to use pronouns that differ from their registered sex,” Missouri State Sen. Lauren Arthur said.

This bill could cause a catastrophic amount of harm. For a large number of teens, school can serve as a safe place to test the waters with diverse gender identity and/or diverse pronouns before having to face the monumental task of coming out to their family and community.

If this bill is passed the reality of living life as a queer teen would become even harder. When you take away someone’s rights to come out on their own terms, not only can it cause extreme harm to their mental health but it may even spiral into something much darker.

“Legislation of this extreme has serious consequences, particularly for LGBTQ youth, resulting in homelessness, poor mental health, self-harm, and harassment,” Arthur said.

Lawmakers have clearly con-

vinced themselves that the solution to queer children in our education system is to first pretend that we don’t exist and later put our well-being at risk in order for parents to do damage control.

I can assure you the solution to our issues is not silencing queer people by pretending they don’t exist and that taking their autonomy away is not the answer.

Living as a queer teenager in this country today is a horrible mix of terrifying and infuriating.

It feels as though every day when I wake up there is a new law trying to invalidate my rights to just simply exist in peace.

Something must be done. I believe it all starts with individuals coming together to express their opinions to lawmakers. It can be easy to feel powerless in these situations but this is one thing we can do to hopefully better our situation.

6

Feature Mourwel May 2023

Junior Adam Campbell points his pirate sword at junior Jaiden Jarman. Sophomore Josey Willard looks on as her love interest is threatened. photo by Jacob Eischen Sophomore Rayna Key smiles at her co-star, senior Dylan Blair, in their show “Middle School: The Best Years Of Our Lives.” photo by Jacob Eischen

Immerse Yourself In Creativity A

by Design Editor Veronica Mourwel

s the school year comes to a close, the fine arts department showcased what its students learned. The art department’s annual art show and the theater department’s One Act show commenced.

The One Act show was a series of 10 to 15 one-act plays written

by Theater III and Theater IV students. They’ve been preparing for this since the beginning of the school year, some students prepared since their Theater I class.

This year there 12 shows were produced. The students held after school auditions the week of April 3. Since these shows were short, each held three to five actors.

“They put together shows of whatever genre they’d prefer.

Sometimes that fits them and their personality and the message they would like to get across to

the audience. Sometimes it’s just entertainment,” theater director Matthew Aspaugh said.

Throughout the year, students wrote and edited their acts. When it gets closer to the time, the students read their work aloud to the class where they received feedback and revised. When students finish their final draft, then they’re allowed to hold auditions.

The audition process is a little bit different in the sense that at first, it’s a big group of people doing improv, and the One-Act writers choose around 15 people to come back. Afterwards, all the writers take turns picking which actor they want to cast for their show.

Some students use this opportunity to portray a political or social

message to the audience. Senior Ivy Byers is a Theatre III student who showcased a one-act play with senior Jay Carter based on the HIV and AIDS epidemic in the 1980s.

“What we’re trying to portray is that AIDS is a horrible disease, but the people who get it are not,” Byers said. “It’s kind of just supposed to be like we’re all just people, we all should just treat each other with respect and love.”

The One Act Show event was produced Wednesday, April 26 and Friday, April 28.

Tickets for the show were $5 at the door, and the money was used to fund the theater department.

With this money they’re able to buy the props that they need for future shows and events.

Watercolor advertisement made by sophomore Sophy Marks. photo by Jacob Eischen

Feature Mourwel May 2023

7

3D art sculpture done by sophomore Fae Hamid.

Featured in the school art show. photo by Jacob Eischen

Crocheted octopus by sophomore Bridgit McCoy. photo by Jacob Eischen

Artists Emerge T

he art show is a collection of several pieces of different forms of art. From abstract paintings to pottery, visitors can see students’ art pieces. Since the beginning of the school year, each art teacher has collected art pieces from projects. When it gets closer to the art show, teachers print out their students’ digital work they want to have published.

“Just advocating for the arts and just making sure to give students voices,” art department head Tu Wana Williams said.

Senior Katherine Stedman had about 10 pieces of artwork featured at the show. As an AP Art student, it took a couple weeks for Stedman to produce each piece. Stedman said painting was her favorite medium of art because of the smooth movement and how free and relaxing it is.

“I’ve done a lot of like studying and research on other artists and they’ve influenced me a lot,” Stedman said.

Students with art featured in the show had the opportunity to earn awards from the show. Teachers and staff pick a piece they like and that artist receives a ribbon. The principal can give out a “Best of Show” award, while each administrator picks out a

best piece. They choose a first second and third place for each class.

For those interested in buying an art piece, this year Williams started a fundraiser where an art print was $5. Williams printed out a few pieces that could only be bought the night of the art show. To be able to buy art prints was new to the art show. Williams added it in hopes to raise money for the art department and fund field trips to art museums.

Kansas City is home to the Kansas City Art Institute, less than a 30-minute drive from Oak Park.

KCAI is an art school that prides itself on preparing students to transform the world through art and design. According to Niche.com, KCAI ranks 50th for art schools in the country.

Senior Kaihliya Laurendine will attend KCAI this fall. Laurendine’s favorite type of artwork is surrealism and idealism. She also said she finds inspiration from her dreams. At KCAI, she will major in painting in hopes to open her own gallery one day.

‘I think they’re interesting to look at like because you don’t really know what you’re looking at. So I think it’s cool to have your own interpretation,” Laurendine said.

8

Feature House May 2023

infographic by Mia Ivan

Seek Help by staffer Mia Ivan

A

s the year concludes, stress commonly rises throughout the school. Senior Destiny Weber outlined the event she and her classmates organized to help.

“It’s essentially just to bring awareness to mental health,” Weber said.

“I feel like a lot of people in the school they struggle with mental health and not a lot of people know that, and know how to help, like, support them or know what resources are provided for them around in the community.”

Mental Health Awareness Week started Monday, April 24 and concluded Friday with the Mental Health Awareness Fair.

In the following week, a guest speaker planned to come to the school to continue to spread awareness.

art courtesy of Canva.com

“Everybody that’s in the commitee, they deal with their own mental health issues and we just want everybody to feel like they’re not alone,” junior Christa McCormack said.

The group worked to pull the event together.

“We’re also having some crafts and yard games and its gonna be a fun way to get the community involved,” McCormack said. “We really want everyone to come.”

When planning this event, the group wanted to focus on the community and how to spread the knowledge.

“And then there’ll be two days where actually my group will actually be at Antioch speaking to their health class about mental health,” Weber said.

Senior Iman Nuur poses with younger sister Israa Nuur, mom Shamsa Abdalla, and older sister Amira Nuur while at an Eid al-Fitr celebration for the end of Ramadan. Photo courtesy of Iman Nuur.

Feature Prate May 2023

9

Religious

Celebrations

Within the Community by staffer Rachel Prate

S

pring is a time for celebrations and new beginnings.

This year, three religions celebrated their respective holidays.

Christians observed Easter, Jews celebrated Passover, and Muslims honored Ramadan throughout the months of March and April.

Christianity

Christianity is a religion based on the life of Jesus Christ. They have 10 major holidays throughout the year, one in December is Christmas, to recognize Jesus’ birth. The other is Easter, celebrated in April and sometimes March. Easter celebrates the death and rising of Jesus Christ.

Many students have their own style of celebrating Easter.

“Probably my favorite part of Easter is going to a big dinner with my family and celebrating why Jesus rose on the third day,” said senior Wyatt Rueter.

Senior Celeste Morgan said, “My church would hold service, and then afterwards, they would have an Easter egg scavenger hunt.”

Judaism

Judaism is a religion developed among the ancient Hebrews. Judaism is characterized by a belief in one God who revealed himself to

Abraham, Moses, Many students “Something I like must and the Hebrew change their prophets. It also daily schedule to about Ramadan is has four major adapt to Ramagetting rid of the dan. holidays throughout the year. One Junior Ali Habila bad habits and is Hanukkah celsaid, “The way I strengthening work around it is ebrated from Dec. 7 to 15. Another is your relationship if I have a track Passover, celebratmeet or cross with God,” country meet that ed in April and sometimes March.

-junior Ali Habila day, I don’t fast.

Senior Jay Carter And then, the has been particidays I just have pating in Passover practice or somesince they were very young. thing like that, I do fast.”

“I just like that most Jewish “Something I like about Ramaholidays all have a lot of meaning dan is getting rid of the bad habits to them, and I really appreciate and strengthening your relationthat,” Carter said. ship with God,” Habila said.

Islam

Islam is a religion centered around the Quran and the teachings of Muhammad. It has two holidays in the Islamic calendar.

One is the last day of the Islam calendar, and one ends Ramadan.

Ramadan is the holy month of worship, study of Quran, prayer, and fasting. This year, it started at the end of March and ended at the end of April. During this month, Muslims follow a strict daily fast from dawn until sunset. They are not allowed to eat or drink, not even water, during these daily hours.

A large part of all three of these holidays is making connections with others.

Carter said, “I love eating with my family. I love latkes, they are so good. Also bagels and lox. You can also get an amazing Jewish brisket.”

Senior Hafsah Khan said, “I like seeing my community because we get together a lot more.”

These holidays can encourage some students’ faith to grow.

“I want to have my own personal relationship with God, and then, I want to be able to spread his gospel to the rest of the world,” Rueter said.

10

News Eischen May 2023

Pass, set, mens volleyball is a hit Senior Nikolas Morales preparing to receive a hit from senior Tyler Nagrassus, during practice. All photos by Julie McPhail.

by staffer Lili Everley

G

oing undefeated in their first regular season as a club sport and 16-1 this season as of Monday, May 1, mens volleyball is set for success.

A club sport means the team does not compete under MSHSAA. They also receive no funding from the athletic budget and have to provide their own money via fundraising for all uniforms, tournaments, and anything else the team needs to be successful.

Coaches Candace McCall and Kyle Lawson are volunteer coaches. This means they receive no stipend for

the time they spend coaching the team.

The team found success in several aspects of the game, including serving as well as passing. The offense is also very strong with a balanced attack across the court.

“We have boys at every position who can swing and swing hard,” head mens and womens volleyball coach McCall said.

But through all of the strengths this group holds on the court, their team bond has been their greatest asset in competition.

“During practices and games, the vibes are just really fun, we all have a good time playing games, and

we’re all just laughing and having a good time,” senior Luke Morrison said.

Unfortunately a balanced offense does not mean a consistent one. McCall said the team struggles in hitting consistency, the players combat this with time spent practicing their hitting.

The team has also taken up watching game film, looking for ways to improve.

But since they do not have their own Hudl account, the team uses the womens volleyball Hudl for film. They also started to keep stats in order to track progress as the season moves forward.

While the team’s bond and chemistry are a

News Eischen May 2023

strength, emotion on the court can be troublesome for this group.

Sophomore Will Strub said, “We try to keep energy up and bring each other up by playing our game and helping others if they’re down.”

Only graduating one senior in 2022, the team has grown in volleyball experience together, plus some of the players played club volleyball together in the off-season. Despite five seniors graduating in the class of 2023, the future is bright for this group of volleyball players as they make the potential move to MSHSAA.

“I’m excited to see what the team might look like next year,” Strub said.

MSHSAA policy states that over half of Missouri high schools will have to register it in order for it to be added to the list of sanctioned sports.

According to district athletic director Casey Vokolek, it will likely be known whether or not mens volleyball will become a sport in the late spring or early summer, and if it does, Oak Park and other North Kansas City schools plan to field varsity teams.

Sophomore Delcan Watson blocks a hit from junior Samuel Gillespie during practice.

Sophomore Will Strub hits the ball. While sophomore Brian Vergara prepares to block and senior Tyler Nagrassus prepares to receive the hit.

Senior Nikolas Morales receives the ball with strong focus during practice.

11

12

Entertainment Mourwel May 2023

Senior Sharo Mahdi hyped up at the Black Light Dance Assembly, on Friday, Feb. 3. photo by Charli Miller Seniors Paris Boston and Haylee Reeves cheer in the senior section at the winter assembly Wednesday, Dec. 19. photo by Charli Miller.

Seniors Secure the bag

by staffer Lily House

W

ith the countdown to the seniors’ last days of high school, anticipation fills the building. To make their last days memorable, various activities, events and traditions encourage excitement and uplift.

“My favorite senior tradition is my senior nights for band, basketball and tennis,” senior Alyssa Sukup said. “I loved getting to go over all the good stuff that happened at each of them.”

A lasting school tradition, Senior Celebration, will be slightly changing from past years. The event will happen during the school day after the walk at feeder schools, instead of an evening

event, and will include a student speaker, a senior slideshow, video tributes, announcements of senior superlatives and a cookout.

Another big way to celebrate seniors this year is through leadership class’ activities planned through its new event 23 Days of Seniors. This event began Monday, April 10, and was promoted through Instagram on the account, @2023opseniors, by a committee of students including seniors Morgane Jastrzemski, Khalil Henderson, Carley Freeman, Sophie DePetre and Caitlyn Grisham.

“I think doing 23 Days of Seniors will help the seniors bond and have something to look forward to during these last couple weeks of school,” leadership member senior

Hafsah Khan said.

The account keeps students updated each week with events, activities, and ways seniors can be involved during their last 23 days of high school. The committee also makes the graphics for the account and puts orders in for the supplies necessary to host activities each day.

Some of the activities include senior dodgeball, popsicles, spirit days, writing notes for teachers, and getting candy from a variety of staff members. For the committee’s overall goal, senior Caityln Grisham said, “I would honestly say just keep up attendance and excitement. We want kids to enjoy their last days of high school and savor the moment.”

Entertainment Mourwel May 2023

In addition, the leadership class recognized individual seniors through this account.

Seniors were given the option to have a photo posted of themselves with a brief section including information about what school they plan on attending after graduating, their major/minor, a sport or activity they’ll be involved in, their favorite memory from school, and what they’re excited about for college.

One new tradition started this year is having a faculty member speak during graduation. This was voted on by the senior class and occurred during the senior class meeting in March, as well as by discussion between senior class officer sponsors Megan Pabon and Megan Lacy and administration.

“We felt that a faculty speaker at graduation would be more purposeful because it was based on who the students wanted to hear from,” Lacy said.

For people around the

13

Seniors Karl Knaack and Austin Dahlberg play school, graduation is one of the most memorable occasions dodgeball during the Back to School Assembly Friday, Aug. 26. photo by Brayden Gillespie to experience.

“It’s such a special event with lots of emotions and one of the best nights of the school year,” Lacy said. “Teachers, students and parents don’t get many chances to honor the success of all students at one time and this is the one night we get to.”

In making graduation night possible, seniors had to meet the graduation requirements based on the diploma they aimed for, whether it was for the college career and readiness, Gold Medallion, or the AP Capstone diplomas.

“The hardest one to get was my community service hours just because it takes so much time,” Sukup said.

At the end of it all, through their challenges, celebrations, and accomplishments, seniors have taken with them a collection of memories from their four years in high school that will last a lifetime.

Seniors Brooke Baker and Khalil Henderson announce the 2023 StuCo class officers at the Black Light Dance Assembly Friday, Feb. 3. photo by Charli Miller.

infographic by Lily House

14

Feature Parrett May 2022

Schools Grapple with the

by staffer Bela Parrett

T

he AI service, ChatGPT, is growing exponentially, becoming more well-known and used.

Since its launch in November 2022, schools across the U.S. and beyond have worried about the effects of what they believe to be a nearly uncatchable cheating machine.

Despite the negatives of a program designed to write essays in seconds, some teachers and students have begun to see some good in this new technology as it continues to impact the education system. ChatGPT has many capabilities that have nothing to do with easy essay writing.

“ChatGPT is an artificial intelligence language model developed by OpenAI, designed to answer any type of natural language processing questions asked by humans,” the AI wrote.

ChatGPT is a generative AI, which means it uses algorithms to generate various types of text, images and audio. All of which is original from the AI and virtually undetectable to most plagiarism checking websites.

“As an AI language model, I do not condone or encourage cheating on school essays or any other academic work,” ChatGPT wrote. “My primary purpose is to assist students and individuals in generating ideas, providing explanations, and answering questions to help them improve their understanding of a topic. It’s important for individuals to use the information and resources provided by me in an ethical and responsible manner, and to always give credit to the original sources of information.

Cheating undermines the integrity of the educational system and can have serious consequences for individuals who engage in such behavior.”

Many educators were and still are fighting against the use of AI, but some embraced the change and tried to see the positives. English Language Arts teacher Frieda Green said she uses it in her classes.

“So one of my students, her topic deals with seahorses, which is awesome,” Green said. “It’s kind of a weird thing to argue about, the question became ‘how can we create an argument around seahorses?’ So I pulled up ChatGPT and I said, ‘Give me five examples of arguments around seahorses,’ and it spit out five things. Some of it was usable, some of it wasn’t, but it at least gave her a starting place to come up with a solid argument.”

Green has also caught students who used the program to cheat.

“We did an argument paper over the book ‘Amer-

ican Street’ in my multi-lit class, and of the papers turned in, I caught two students who have used it,” Green said.

She explained a reverse program has been made to detect AI-written papers. The AP College Board added a similar AI checker to its website this spring.

“Over winter break a college student, I believe he was at Yale, developed essentially a reverse program, because teachers were, for obvious reasons, freaking out,” Green said. “And so I take the papers and I put them into this reverse program, and it tells me the likelihood that it was written by AI, versus a human. So I caught two students on that unit who had plagiarized their papers. Well, plagiarized in the sense that they had AI write.”

AI could mean various things for education, but it will likely continue to be used both as a tool and as a cheating device. AI only responds to people, so it depends on individual students’ decisions on how they’ll use the program, whether it be for good or for getting out of work.

“Overall, I believe that AI language models like myself will continue to evolve and improve, becoming an even more integral part of our daily lives and contributing to advancements in various fields,” ChatGPT wrote. “However, it’s important to remember that AI should always be used ethically and responsibly.”

Teachers across the English-speaking world have used ChatGPT for lesson plans, worksheets and more, and the AI is still learning how to produce complex analyses and expand the use of generative AI to various fields.

“In the future, I believe that AI language models like myself will continue to play an increasingly significant role in various fields, such as education, healthcare, customer service, and more. They may also be able to assist with more complex tasks beyond just answering simple questions, such as analyzing data and making recommendations,” ChatGPT wrote.

ChatGPT has the capability of improving literacy rates and even school grades as it learns how to teach school subjects from acquired internet information. This positive outcome counts on people to use the program correctly.

“While I can aid in improving literacy rates, the ultimate responsibility lies with individuals and communities to prioritize and invest in literacy education,” ChatGPT wrote.

Green agreed, saying that if used correctly, AI

Effects of ChatGPT could be an educational tool just like calculators and search engines.

“I think it just depends on how we as educators embrace AI,” Green said. “It’s around, It’s been around for a while, but this is the first time we’ve really seen an impact in the classroom. And just

Feature Parrett May 2023

15

like when Google came out... and how you use it to find things is just another tool in our toolbox. And so I think that not only do we have to learn how to embrace it, how to use it, but we also have to teach students how to use it responsibly.”

ChatGPT Wrote a Similar Story

by ChatGPT

C

hatGPT has had a profound impact on education in recent years. It has transformed the way people learn and has opened up new opportunities for people who may not have had access to education before. However, it has also created an environment where cheating is more prevalent than ever before. In this essay, we will explore both the positive and negative effects of ChatGPT on education.

One of the biggest benefits of ChatGPT is that it allows people to learn at their own pace.

Students can access information and resources whenever they need them, which means they can work at their own speed. This is particularly beneficial for people who work full-time or have other commitments that make it difficult to attend traditional classes. In addition, online courses are often less expensive than traditional courses, which means that more people can afford to pursue higher education. This has the potential to create a more educated workforce and to reduce income inequality.

Another positive effect of ChatGPT is that it has made education more interactive. Students can participate in online discussions and collaborate with other students from all over the world. This has the potential to create a more diverse and inclusive learning environment.

In addition, online courses can be designed to accommodate people with different needs, which means that more people can participate in higher education. This is particularly beneficial for people with disabilities, who may have difficulty accessing traditional classrooms.

However, there are also some

negative effects of ChatGPT on education.

One of the biggest concerns is that it has made cheating easier than ever before. Students can easily access information and resources that they shouldn’t have access to, which means that they can cheat on assignments and exams.

This undermines the integrity of the education system and can lead to a lack of trust between students, teachers, and institutions.

Another negative effect of ChatGPT is that it has made it more difficult for teachers to monitor student progress. When students are working online, it can be difficult for teachers to know if they are actually learning or if they are just copying and pasting information from the internet. This can make it difficult for teachers to provide feedback and to ensure that students are meeting the learning objectives of the course.

Despite these negatives, there are still many positive effects of ChatGPT on education. Online courses can be accessed from anywhere in the world, which means that people who live in rural or remote areas can still access higher education. This can help to reduce the educational divide between urban and rural areas.

In conclusion, ChatGPT has had both positive and negative effects on education. While it has made education more accessible and interactive, it has also made cheating easier and monitoring student progress more difficult. However, the benefits of ChatGPT outweigh the negatives, and it has the potential to create a more educated and diverse workforce. As technology continues to evolve, it is important that we continue to explore new ways to use it to improve education and to make it more accessible to everyone.

16

Feature Tucker May 2023

Cultures Share

by Photo Editor Brynlee Tucker

D

iverse students gathered in the gym for the first-ever Culture Fair Assembly to celebrate the diversity of different cultures throughout the school. The assembly started with a fashion show that allowed the represented cultures to show off outfits from their culture.

Then students got to see cultural dances. The assembly ended with a group dance celebrating all the cultures.

“My favorite part was when everyone from diversity came together for the group dance,” freshman Yatana Soe said.

For more coverage visit NorthmenNews.com.

Friday April 28, sophomore Amara Baty walksin the fashion show representing Mexican culture. “It was actually really exciting,” Baty said. “Quince dresses you don't get a lot of times in your life to wear it, So anytime you get to where it you soak it in,” photo by Brynlee Tucker

Scholars Achieve

by Photo Editor Brynlee Tucker

S

elect students gathered in the welcome center to celebrate the 2023 KC Scholars. Freshmen Yatana Soe, Isabella Johnson, Hartley Ibarra-Berg, Ebana Aban and Avery Foster; and juniors Gabriella Nida, Chaw Yatana, Olin Spencer, Claire McMahon and Halimo Ahmed received select scholarships ranging in amounts.

“I love the look on people's faces because it's life changing,” AVID teacher Amanda Edinger said. “To have that register that this just altered the state of not only their lives, their family's lives and their future lives,” Edinger said.

For more coverage visit NorthmenNews.com.

KC Scholar students taking a posed group photo. Front row: Hartley Ibarra-Berg, Isabella Johnson, Yatana Soe. Second row: Halimo Ahmed, Ebana Aban, Chaw Yatana, Avery Foster, Olin Spencer, Claire McMahon. photo by Rachel Prate Friday April 28, junior Olin Spencer calls home to tell his mother the exciting news. “When I called, my mom may have said some very happy choice words but overall she was very excited and proud. It was like a proud mom moment,” Spencer said. photo by Brynlee Tucker