NOV. 22 2021
THE BI-WORD
Fall Festivities commence! Bishop Ireton shifts into holiday season Profit over Public Safety?
Lady Hoopers seek WCAC title
A Year in Review
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Junior Owen Hull carves an American Flag pumpkin for the Holiday Season.
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR Dear Reader,
Greetings to all of our
readers! Thank you so much for reading the November edition of the BI Word. This edition has many articles including some relating to Thanksgiving. We hope you all enjoy this edition over the break and take the time to relax, watch some football, connect with friends and family, and enjoy good food. Thank you again and enjoy a safe and fun
BI-WORD STAFF JANE ELKINS - EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Thanksgiving! If you would like to have something put in the
JACK GRZEBIEN - EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
paper please feel free to reach out to Jane Elkins or Jack Grzebien and we will consider
THAD WORTH - EDITOR
it. Have a great year!
CHRISTOPHER STONE- STAFF WRITER
Jack Grzebian and Jane Elkins
JAMIE KAISER - STAFF WRITER
Editor In-Cheifs of the BI-Word
CAMI PEREZ - STAFF WRITER OLIVIA DICARLO - STAFF WRITER
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Profit over Public Safety?
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Fall Sports Wrap Up As Winter Sports Begin!
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An Upset in Virginia
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Atlanta Braves win the World Series!
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Sucessful Winter Play
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COVID-19’s affect on Holiday Shopping
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Time for Turkey?
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A Year in Review
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NOVA Special Olympics held at Ireton 08
Thanksgiving Day Parade!
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Lady Hooper seek WCAC Title
Thanksgiving Prayer
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Profit over Public Safety? An editorial opinon by Jane Elkins
Is facebook to blame for inciting hate online and harming teens mental health?
Photo Credit: The Daily Universe Social media has become a prominent part of today’s society. Since its creation in the early 2000s, its use has become widespread across the entire globe. Students, teachers, and people from all walks of life utilize different social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter to socialize with family and friends and to connect with people all over the world. Especially in 2020 with lockdowns and quarantine requirements, social media became, for many people, their primary way of interacting with each other. It allowed people to cure their boredom, discover new hobbies, talk to friends, and get involved with civic engagement. Nevertheless, social media clearly has many shortcomings. Over the years, social media platforms have received backlash due to their addictive nature, misuse of user privacy, and mass mis-information campaigns. One popular social media scandal occurred on Facebook during the 2016 Presidential Election when Facebook partnered with a political consulting firm called Cambridge Analytica. According to the New York Times, Facebook provided the firm with roughly 87 million Facebook profiles that were then used to create psychographic profiles of the users based on their Facebook activity. This data was then used to create targeted ads for Facebook users based on whether they were a Trump Supporter or a swing voter. Although Facebook claims that the data of their users cannot be
“sold or transferred to any ad network, data broker or other advertising or monetization-related service” in its terms of service, in reality, according to Haugen, Facebook allows research companies to have access to the data for ‘academic purposes’ but does very little to enforce their so called rule. Currently, the issues of the dishonest discourse which social media allows to go unchecked and the harmful content it promotes have taken center stage on the Senate floor. Recently, whistleblower Frances Haugen, a former Facebook Executive, testified before the Senate and stated that Facebook purposely promotes misinformation and material that creates a toxic online environment in order to increase engagement and create a profit. According to Haugen, Facebook constantly disregarded providing safeguards for their platform, instead choosing to maximize its growth. This is exemplified when examining the app’s algorithm. She explains that Facebook, like most other social media platforms, utilizes a business model that relies on specialized algorithms that uncovers their users interests. This technology has been improved in recent years to recognize material that elicits the most interaction with the post, regardless if it is positive or negative. Nonetheless, Facebook profits off a post’s popularity or more frequently, its controversy. “The result has been more division, more harm, more lies, more threats and more combat. In some cases, this dangerous online talk has
led to actual violence that harms and even kills people,” Haugen stated to Congress. It is clear that Facebook is more concerned with money than the health of its users. Despite their stated goals, an arguement could be made that Facebook’s specialized algorithm harms people and Facebook has not done enough to address the problem. This tendency can be seen across all other social media platforms, especially Tiktok. On these platforms, users are provided with an endless amount of content on topics which they have shown interest in. Users have the ability to spend hours upon hours scrolling and interacting with content, often losing track of time during the process. The addictive nature of these platforms in itself is clearly harmful, but when the content being promoted on people’s pages advocates dangerous and unhealthy behaviors like eating disorders, self-harm, and other addictions, it becomes more than just an addictive passtime. “I deleted almost all of my social media apps.” Senior Kendall Dunham says. “Often when I would go on them, I would end up feeling worse about myself. Seeing perfect images of people as well as other triggering behaviors made me realize how much of an unhealthy pastime these apps are.” Another problem with social media is the reality that much of the “news” and information which is posted lacks an actual source. As such, rumors and myths can quickly spread across the world, regardless of whether they have any basis in reality. Since posters on social media can hide their true identities, they can get away with cruelty that would never be condoned in a more public forum. In all, Facebook and social media platforms should take a more active role in providing safeguard for its users. Since it is incredibly difficult to do so because of censorship issues, users should also try to be more aware about the content they are consuming online. Social media platforms profit off the instant amount of dopamine users get while using their app. No matter what kind of reaction it elicits, it prompts a reaction in which the platform will profit off of.
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An Upset in Virginia By Thad Worth
November’s gubernatorial race was one of the tightest that Virginia has seen in years. After 18 months of lockdown, inflation, Congress in a standstill and controversy over what schools teach, many are desperate for life to improve. In a state that has become an increasingly blue state in recent years, a Republican won the highest political position in Virginia. Before he entered politics, Governor-elect Glenn Youngkin worked at The Carlyle Group, an investment and private equity firm, for 25 years and became the co-CEO of the company before he stepped down in 2020. Youngkin has been married to his wife Suzanne for 26 years and has four children. His opponent, former Governor Terry McAuliffe had been in politics since he campaigned for Jimmy Carter in 1976. He has five children and lives in McLean with his wife of over 30 years Dorothy. One thing that is unique about Virginia is that it has its gubernatorial election the year after the presidential election. The only other state that holds elections a year after a presidential election is New Jersey. So all eyes are on these two states, which only increased the pressure on the candidates. Calling for support from top Democrats, McAuliffe called on President Biden and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi to raise money and show their support for him. Glenn Youngkin faced an uphill battle against former Governor Terry McAuliffe, who has many connections and friends in the world of politics. With little experience in politics, Youngkin had to tread carefully as he needed Democratic votes if he wanted to win. His opponents said that Youngkin is a radical
Photo Credit: The Roanoke Star
Republican Canidate Glenn Youngkin defeats Democratic Canidate Terry McAllife in historical blue state. Trump supporter with AP News reporting that Terry McAuliffe said he was “bought and paid for” by Mr. Trump. Youngkin has shown his support for former-President Trump by saying that he would vote for him if he ran for president in 2024. Despite facing these challenges, Youngkin managed to beat Terry McAuliffe and win the Gubernatorial race. According to Politico, Youngkin won 50.7% of the vote with 1,677,436 votes, while McAuliffe won 48.6% of the vote with 1,610,142 votes, losing by 2.1% or 67,294 votes. Youngkin cut into the Democratic stronghold of Northern Virginia gaining 44.5% of Loudoun County and 40.9% of Prince William County. On a side note, Northampton County located on
Virginia’s Eastern Shore, voted 50.6% for Youngkin and 48.7% for McAuliffe. This is almost exactly the same as what both candidates won state wide. Youngkin campaigned heavily in Northern Virginia and its suburbs, but still lost in these areas . Despite this, Youngkin managed to win as he gained a large percentage of the votes in an area that has been the deciding factor in Virginia politics.
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Sucessful Winter Play
Murder on the Orient Express leaves viewers stunned By Fiona Fedorochko
Bishop Ireton Theater Arts is back on stage this fall with Agatha’s Christie Murder On The Orient Express! Murder On The Orient Express is a thrilling murder mystery starring famous detective, Hercule Poirot. Poirot aboard the notorious Orient Express with several foreign passengers and notices that one passenger does not belong. After one suspicious murder, this detective begins his investigation while dealing with an outspoken Minnesotan, a Scottish colonel, a Hungarian countess, and so many more exciting characters. Director of Theater Arts, Mrs. Kathryn Rice has worked tirelessly to help bring this exciting mystery to life, along with costuming teachers, stage crew directors, and technicians who collaborated to put together a fabulous production. Starting with auditions in September, this show has come a long way. Murder On the Orient Express is a packed show, so the cast members have
spent these past few months working on accents, character work, and even a little stage combat. In addition, the stage crew classes have dedicated hours to building an elaborate set, painting set pieces, and working on lighting and sound design. The costuming classes have helped by sewing costumes, researching the time period of the show, and measuring the actors. Collaboration has been key to putting this amazing production together. The show took place on November 12, 13, 14, 19, and 20th and was an astounding sucess! Hundreds of students and faculty enjoyed the performance and the hard work of the cast and stage crew truly showed! The Theatre Arts department now shifts its focus to the spring show which will be Anatasia. Auditions are right around the corner and given the quality of the winter show, the spring show will not disappoint!
What was your favorite part of the play?
Charlotte Harrison Junior
“My favorite part was when a character got up in the middle of the night and started dancing, which disrupted the other characters’ sleep.”
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Celebrated on the third Thursday of November, Thanksgiving is a wonderful time involving food, family, and activities throughout the community. Some of these activities include parades, tree lightings, decorations, and football games. Regardless of how you spend this Thanksgiving, if one thing is for certain it’s that you will not be bored. This Thanksgiving, as you move to your living room, full and tired from eating turkey and mashed potatoes, you will surely find yourself watching television with your family. The must watch football game is undoubtedly the Ole Miss vs. Mississippi rivalry game at 7:30pm. Ole Miss, whose record is 9-2, is the definite pick to win over Mississippi State with a 7-4 record. Regardless of who wins, the game is expected to be a thrill to watch. Other football games on Thanksgiving day include the Chicago Bears vs. the Detroit Lions, the Dallas Cowboys vs. the Las Vegas Raiders, and the Buffalo Bills vs. the New Orleans Saints. Along with these programs, there will also be the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, with floats, singers and dancers. A fun activity on Thanksgiving morning is The Alexandria Turkey Trot in Old Town and Del Ray. The run will take place the morning of Thanksgiving, and will begin and end at George Washington Middle School. While most people will be running for fun, there is a $2,000 grand prize to be split by the first, second, and third place runners.
While there will be a prize for the winners of the race, you do not have to run competitively. The Alexandria Turkey Trot is meant for families, therefore everyone in the Alexandria community is encouraged to run, walk, or cheer on those running the 5K on Thanksgiving. In addition to the festivities, there will be a Thanksgiving Mass at Bishop Ireton, led by Father Noah. In an interview, Father Noah said “Thanksgiving is a good time to reflect, and thank God for the many blessings that we have such as our families and our country”, showing families that although Thanksgiving is not a particularly religious holiday, we can see God’s work in effect throughout this time of festivity. The annual Campagna Center Scottish Walk, involving kilts, bagpipes and scottie
Photo Credit: Will Niccolls
Time for Turkey? By Chris Stone
dogs. According to the City of Alexandria’s website, there will be over 100 Scottish clans represented in the parade, along with Scottish dancers. The walk takes place on December 4th, the weekend after Thanksgiving, and is sponsored by the Campagna Center, a group who is dedicated to helping underserved children in schools throughout Northern Virginia. While this article only mentions a few things you and your family can do in the Alexandria community this Thanksgiving, there are a variety of activities to ensure that you have a fun filled time with family and friends.
What is your favorite Thanksgiving food?
Wilson Alverado
John Putzu
Micheal Meehan
“My favorite Thanksgiving food is Turkey because it is a staple and it puts me in the Thanksgiving spirit.”
“I like pumpkin pie the most at Thanksgiving because it is the superior Thanksgiving pie.”
“My favorite Thanksgiving food is Apple pie because it is by far the best pie out there.”
Senior
Senior
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Andrew Benson Memorial Tournament Held at Ireton By Cami Perez
Bishop Ireton High School hosted the 2021 Nova Special Olympics Soccer Tournament which was held on October 31st on Fannon Field in memory of Andrew Benson. According to the socialstudies teacher and Co-Chair of the event, Mrs. Sbragia, “This was the first major community event hosted by our Bishop Ireton Special Services Program. We are overjoyed that the First Annual Andrew Benson Memorial Special Olympics Soccer Tournament was an incredible success and special memorial to our former student. All of the organizers and volunteers were excited to be a part of this extraordinarily memorable event that honored Andrew and supported the Special Olympics. It truly felt like a magical day.” The Benson family attended the tournament and was very happy to see the tournament
succeed. Charlotte Benson, Andrew’s sister and a sophomore at Bishop Ireton, commented that “Andrew was always so passionate about helping others, especially people who had disabilities, so that’s why the thought of hosting a Special Olympics came to mind. Whether it was speaking up for those who were too afraid to or simply lending a helping hand, he was one to count on.” A junior at Bishop Ireton, Ginny McMahon, played at the tournament that day and said “The games were fun, there was candy, I had friends who played for PVI and I knew people who work at the Cameron’s Chocolates who were there. I was the only BI student who played, and I want the event to continue next year.” The tournament had approximately 140 students, staff, and community volunteers
who worked at the checkin station, concession stand, provided donations for the concession stand, supervised many games for athletes and families in between games, acted as referees and line judges, emceed the event, and kept the whole day running smoothly.
Senior Spotlight: Ella Rier By Jane Elkins
Senior Ella Rier started playing field hockey her sophomore year and immediately made varsity. This season, she played a key role in the teams sucess. The team went 11-4 overall, which is their best record ever. Throughout the season, the team remained a strong competitor, defeating some of the best teams in the conference like Saint Johns and Good Counsel. They even made it all the way to the WCAC finals this year where they faced Saint Johns yet again. The team fought hard, but eventually lost in sudden death overtime. Nontheless, the team still finished 2nd in the conference, which is the furthest the team has ever gone. Rier was named 2nd team all-conference. Her favorite memories of this season were singing Hamilton on bus rides, being able to practice with her best friends every day, and winning. “I am so lucky to have such an amazing team” Reir says. “We had such great chemistry this season which I think is the reason we saw success on the field.”
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Lady Hoopers seek WCAC title By Jamie Kaiser
Members and Coaches of the Bishop Ireton’s Womens Basketball team celebrated Senior Kennedy Cliftons signing to RICE university. The Bishop Ireton Girls Basketball Team is beyond hungry this season. With COVID-19 cancelling WCAC play last year, our girls basketball team is chomping at the bit to get that title. With COVID-19 ending the 2019-2020 season, these girls are going into this year relying on veteran leadership and young talent. Coach Kesha Walton is entering her 3rd year as the head coach at Bishop Ireton. Previously she coached at nearby Alexandria City High School where she worked her way up from junior varsity head coach, to varsity assistant and later became the varsity head coach where she led her team to numerous conference and district championships along with regional and state tournament appearances. After serving an overall record of 181-31, she won 3 District Coach of the Year awards which led her to being named Alexandria City Sportsman Club Coach of the Year in 2017. With Coach not being able to realize the full potential of her past Lady Cardinal teams due to Covid, she and her coaching staff believe this is the time to capitalize on the hard work and time they have put up until now. After an outstanding high school career to this point
Kennedy Clifton has committed to play basketball at Rice University on full scholarship. She is said by many to be the focal point of a very talented Lady Cardinals squad this year. I recently discussed this year’s team and what her goals are personally and as a team this season. “As a team our goal, like every other year, is to win the WCAC championship as well as the state championship. Even though we are young I feel like we have enough experienced players to get the job done.” Kennedy says. “Personally my goal is to make first team all WCAC and just be the best player I can be” Kennedy seemed very enthusiastic about the season as she should be. Hopefully players are able to gel this year and bring home a championship. Saniyah King, a sophomore guard on the team and senior guard Lauren Mingo also shared their thoughts about the upcoming season. Both are Division 1 prospects on this very talented Lady Cardinal team. Lauren proceeded to say “ The offseason training this year has really been a push. I don’t ever remember doing so much work in the preseason as a team. For our schedule we’re either lifting weights after school or we’ll have
a two hour practice some days we’ll have both.” King continued saying “ Yeah it’s tiring most days and some days our hearts aren’t all the way in the workout, but we know that it makes us better as a team. Not too many teams are working as hard as us because we have goals and aspirations as a team that are hard to obtain for other teams, but our offseason training has made it so it won’t be hard for us with all the work we’ve put in” After speaking to these lady hoopers it’s not hard to say that their ready for games to start and translate all their offseason team and individual training to the court. With all these pressures and expectations the Lady Cardinals are more than ready to hunt for that trophy this year and bring a lot of hard work and memories with them. Don’t join the bandwagon too late and stay tuned for this special season to come for the Bishop Ireton girls basketball team.
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Fall Sports Wrap Up As Winter Sports Begin!
All photos courtesy of Mrs. McNutt Cardinal Students attended the first home game of the season at the Mount Vernon Recreation Center. Student showed their spirit by wearing white and team tied 3-3 against Woodson.
The Bishop Ireton Field Hockey Team saw incredible sucess this season. They made it all the way to the WCAC finals where they lost to Saint Johns in sudden death overtime. This is the first time the team has ever made it that far and we our so proud of these ladies hardwork!
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Seniors Sarah Pane and Joe Lis and juniors Ryan Quaid and Jack Richie celebrate after Jack Richies tying goal against Woodson. “This game was a great home opener, ‘’ junior Ryan Quaid says. “It was awesome to have so many fans supporting us despite it not being one of our best games. We were missing a few key players but our younger players definitely stepped up.” The Bishop Ireton Wrestling team began practices and has high hopes for the season.
Sophomore Sam Finamore and Morgan Seibel had fabolous sucess this season. The two won the Doubles WCAC Championship and Finamore won the WCAC Singles Championship. Finamore was also named Alexandria Sportman’s Athlete of the Month!
Seniors Ainsley Scruggs, Katie Scolese, Ana Jones, Maggie Gately, Ian Cook, Kennedy Clifton, Peter Charello, and Gavin Brusman signed their letters of intent to play sports at various colleges.
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Atlanta Braves Win the World Series The year is 2021. The United States is still in the Coronavirus pandemic but the sports will go on! After a spotty 2020 sports season due to teams across many leagues not being eligible due to Covid regulations, exposure to the virus, and unwillingness to play for safety measures, the return of a full Major League Baseball (MLB) season is a sight for sore eyes to many fans across the country. With last year’s MLB season being shortened to only 60 games, this year’s full 162 game season was a great improvement and one of the many things that made players and fans alike happy about. The MLB playoffs started on Tuesday, October 5 at Fenway Parks with the Yankees facing off against the Red Sox for the American League (AL) wild card game. The Red Sox were victorious with a 6-2 win over their long time rivals. The Wild Card games finished with the National League (NL) wild card game hosted by the Dodgers. The St. Louis Cardinals traveled to Dodger Stadium on Wednesday, October 6 to lose 3-1. The American League Division Series (ALDS) started on Thursday, October 7 with the Houston Astros facing off against the Chicago White Sox. The Astros routed the White Sox 3-1 clinching their spot to fight for the AL title. The Red Sox also started on Thursday, October 7 against the Tampa Bay Rays. Boston also won in a commanding performance beating the Rays 3-1 and advancing to the American League Championship Series to fight for the AL title against the Houston Astros. The National League Division Series (NLDS) kicked off on Friday, October 8. The Milwaukee Brewers played against the Atlanta Braves. While the San Francisco Giants went against the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Atlanta Braves took the Series over the Brewers with a 3-1 series win. The Los Angeles Dodgers won two games straight to beat the
Source: Curtis Compton
By Jack Grzebien
“Atlanta Braves manager Brian Snitker hoists the Commissioner’s Trophy after defeating the Houston Astros 7-0 in game six of the World Series at Minute Maid Park, Tuesday, November 2, 2021, in Houston, Tx. The Atlanta Braves beats the Houston Astros 4-2 to take the World Series.” Giants 3-2 in the series. After all of the Division Series finished, the American League Championship Series and National League Championship Series began on October 15 and October 16 respectively. Both the ALCS and the NLCS went to a six game series. The Boston Red Sox tried to fight off the Houston Astros but were not successful. The Astros beat the Sox 4-2 to advance on to the World Series. The NLCS started with the Braves winning their first game 3-2 over the Dodgers. The Braves kept their momentum throughout and won the series 4-2. The World Series, one of the most important and most watched sporting events all years, started in Houston with the Atlanta Braves taking the win on the road. The Atlanta Braves took a commanding 4-2 victory in the series. This is the first time in 26 years that Atlanta has brought home the Commissioner’s Trophy. This is the second World Series for Atlanta and the Braves’ two World Series wins are the only two major championships that Atlanta has according to Bradford Doolittle at ESPN.
What is your favorite Major League Baseball team and why?
George Pacious Senior
“The Baltimore Orioles are my favorite team because I have a lot of family in the Baltimore area and that is where I hit my first home run in little league. I also I like Maryland crabs a lot.”
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Christmas Spirit Through Adopt-a-Family By Jack Grzebien It’s that time of year! Christmas cheer is starting up, the winter weather is coming in, and the time to buy all of our Christmas gifts has arrived. As always Bishop Ireton will be running the Adopt-A-Family program through each advisory. Once we all return from Thanksgiving break, advisors will be discussing the Adopt-A-Family program with their students. AdoptA-Family is a program that we do in cooperation with Community Lodgings, where each advisory is given the opportunity to purchase the Christmas list of a less fortunate child in the Alexandria area. This year, students will be able to go out and purchase the gifts on the list and then at a time after school, students will have the opportunity to wrap these gifts before they are delivered to Community Lodgings. This is a great time to give back to the community especially when we are all so blessed to be able to attend a Catholic school. If you have any questions regarding Adopt-A-Family please direct those to your advisor.
COVID-19’s Affect on Holiday Shopping By Olivia Decarlo
The name “Black Friday” originated in Philadelphia during the Army versus Navy football game in 1961. Police decided to give it its name due to the mass amounts of traffic and crowds at the “kickoff’’ of the holiday season, according to the official Black Friday website. Also, the name refers to stores operating ‘in the black’ due to increased sales according to the History.com website. Cyber Monday takes place after Thanksgiving and Black Friday. Cyber Monday became known in 2005 when online shopping began trending in the United States. Last year, Cyber Monday became beneficial due to Covid-19. This allowed stores to stay Covid safe and still get the business they needed. Due to the amount of people on the stores websites at this time trafficking became easier, stores then began to put out warnings and cautions. Black Friday and Cyber Monday allow an early jumpstart for your holiday shopping. This year stores are continuing with their great deals and sales. However, according to the
International Chamber of Shipping (ICS), COVID-19 has impacted overseas shipping due to leaving 400,000 seafarers stranded. Another impact of COVID-19 was protecting seafarers themselves from the virus. Mr. Barger, Bishop Ireton’s finance class teacher, did some research and said “big box stores will lead the way due to having more inventory, better sales, and a larger presence online,” some examples of these businesses such as; Amazon, Best Buy, Target, and Costco will be having many deals and sales items such as phones, TV’s. These prices can be up to 50% off. This year most stores are going to open back up for their inperson shoppers. Last year the holiday season started with most stores pushing the majority of their sales to Cyber Monday and throughout the week. This year Black Friday and Cyber Monday will be returning back to normal with in store and online deals. “With the pandemic I would not even think about going to a store on Black Friday and I think this year many shoppers will do the same.” says Mr. Barger. Black Friday and Cyber Monday usually level out to be even.
Where do you plan on doing your holiday shopping?
Siena Puglisi Junior
“I plan on doing most of my holiday shopping at Macys because they always have good deals during this time of year.”
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A Year in Review By Thad Worth
2021 has been quite a year. It started with the continuation COVID-19 pandemic, and an angry mob assaulting the United States Capitol. It continued with President Biden being sworn in, and an investigation into the origin of COVID-19 proving inconclusive. A vaccine campaign in the U.S. enables all who wish to get vaccinated
to get vaccinated. Jeff Bezos went into space with his brother, while Elon Musk sent the first completely civilian crew into space for three days. In the world of sports, the Atlanta Braves won the World Series and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers won the Super Bowl. The 2020 Olympics were held in Tokyo after being postponed due to COVID. 2021 was also filled with tragedy. Larry King, the famous talk show host and Prince Philip, the husband of Queen Elizabeth died. Many mourned on the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorists, which came less than two weeks after America withdrew from Afghanistan, followed by a takeover of the country by the Taliban. The Chinese government has been accused of genocide
Photo Credit: Timothy A. Clarey
Thanksgiving Day Parade! By Cami Perez
The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is New York’s largest parade of the year. According to Macy’s website, the parade started in 1924 in Macy’s Herald Square. When the parade started in the 1920’s, it was only two blocks long and had live animals. From 1924-1926 they had elephants, tigers and other central parks zoo animals were used, but kids were starting to get scared by the growling and the roaring of the animals, so they discontinued the live animal feature at the parades. Then they progressed to rubber balloons filled with helium and floats which were held down by people holding ropes and walking with the balloons. Today, almost 100 years later, this famous parade
THANKSGIVING MACY’S
accounts for various traditions on Thanksgiving Day. Including waking up at 9am to turn on your television at home to watch the parade. This parade has become a tradition for many families and while it has evolved over time, many of the parade activities, such as the floats, balloons and performances repeat each year. Mrs. Briody, a computer science teacher at Bishop Ireton, has attended the parade numerous times, and said, “The enormous character balloons like Underdog, Spiderman, and Snoopy are my favorite part - when you are there in person you are constantly looking up. Over the years I have seen different balloons added -
against the Uyghur ethnic group in Western China, and begun to menace Taiwan. Over 200 girls were kidnapped from a boarding school in Nigeria, and released several days later. Ethnic warfare has begun in Northern Ethiopia with the native Tigray rebels fighting the Ethiopian government. Despite all this, the world seems to be getting back to what it was before COVID-19. As the world returns to what it was many questions remain. After being battered by COVID, will America still be a global superpower? Will China invade Taiwan as many have predicted? We may not know what will happen tomorrow, but we can work to change what we can for the better and pray that others do the same.
SpongeBob, Papa Smurf, Hello Kitty and others.” However, some people would like to see the parade change. According to Andrew McCoy, a senior at Bishop Ireton, “They need to change it up a little more because there’s not as much variety and they do the same 20 activities every year.” According to Jonathan Franklin of NPR news, “Because of the pandemic, last year’s Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City was a virtual event — made just for TV — that was held in the one-block stretch in front of the company’s flagship store on 34th Street. But this year, the public will be able to watch the parade flow through Manhattan in person, Macy’s says.” Due to covid last year there were several adjustments to the parade. Everyone who hosted the parade had to wear a mask so it was hard to read their lips while watching the broadcast and significantly fewer people were able to attend the parade because of Covid. Normally, more than 3 million people show up to watch the parade every year.
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Thanksgiving Prayer
Father in Heaven, Creator of all and source of all goodness and love, please look kindly upon us and receive our heartfelt gratitude in this time of giving thanks. Thank you for all the graces and blessings you have bestowed upon us, spiritual and temporal: our faith and religious heritage. Our food and shelter, our health, the love we have for one another, our family and friends. Dear Father, in Your infinite generosity, please grant us continued graces and blessings throughout the coming year. This we ask in the Name of Jesus, Your Son and our Brother. Amen. Source: Catholic.org
Thanks for reading!
