The Occurrence, Vol.3, Issue 1

YOU ARE

BEAUTIFUL

YOU ARE ENOUGH. bryant junior high

january 5, 2022

vol. 3, issue 1

THE OCCURRENCE

THE OCCURREN body positivity ................... page 3 social media ....................... page 3 harm of vaping ................... page 4 spotlight on officer ............ page 5 helping heroes ................... page 6 freedom of speech ............. page 7

STANDARDS OF BEAUTY

B

eauty can come in many different shapes and sizes.

The thing about beauty is that it is our worst critic. We see things on social media that don’t particularly look like us, and we tear down on ourselves for not being good enough.

We don’t need to be skinny to be beautiful, we don’t need to have perfect skin to be flawless, we don’t need to be perfect, we just need to be ourselves.

We are all beautiful in our own way.

We are intelligent, and we shouldn’t

look at one thing on social media and cry for hours and hours in our bathroom because of it. It is time for all of us to realize that we are indeed beautiful, and that no one should tell us any different.

Research has proven that the more time we spend on social media looking at all the unrealistic body expectations, the more we are likely to experience negative body image and eating disorders. Scrolling through social media, seeing photoshopped bodies and filtered

NCE

bryant junior high

faces, can make us start to look at ourselves differently than we usually do. We’ll be thinking, “Why don’t I look like that?” Or “How can I look like that?” These standards deteriorate mental health which can cause Body Dysmorphic Disorder.

Body Dysmorphic Disorder is a mental illness involving obsessive focus on flaws perceived in appearance. It is very common and has around 200,000 recorded cases per year in the U.S. We have apps, such as Snapchat, based on filters and photoshopping which change the way you look, sometimes almost completely. These apps could cause body dysmorphia because we look different than usual and it is seen as beautiful by society. Beauty shouldn’t be determined by how smooth our skin is or if we look a certain way.

Because of social media displaying non-realistic things, it could potentially cause depression or any other serious mental health case. Social media is not the only online platform that displays unrealistic body expectations. This occurs outside of social media, as well. Some people might get their nose done, or face done, leaving others wondering why they don’t look like that. If everyone had

january 5, 2022

vol. 3, issue 1

the standards of beauty of today, no one would ever be satisfied. Not one person is exactly like the other.

Beauty does come in many shapes and sizes and we need to remember that. Social media shouldn’t be how we determine if we’re pretty or not.

We all are beautiful in our own ways!

Therefore, we need to stop these toxic standards. They are causing us to look at ourselves badly because we want to be what everyone else thinks is “beautiful.” Embrace what you have! Textured skin, Cellulite, stretch marks, curves, etc. We can stop these expectations together!

YOU ARE

BEAUTIFUL.

YOU ARE ENOUGH.

The Occurrence

page six

bryant junior high

january 5, 2022

vol. 3, issue 1

BODY POSITIVITY I

n modern society, individuals are being told what they should do with their bodies.

Social media has played a big role in this issue, while people scroll through platforms like Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok and Twitter, they see the standards and expectations for society. The problem with these standards and social media is that it gives people unrealistic expectations of what they should look and act like. When people are scrolling continuously, the images can get stuck in their heads.

The constant internal pressure can become overwhelming for society and can cause them to develop anxiety, depression and body dysmorphia. These effects can be long-lasting and very damaging as well.

At Bryant Junior High school, many students that were interviewed say that they support the body positivity movement, but they had some concerns for social media.

When asked about the pressure of social media, Maxwell Browning, freshman, said, “It gives unrealistic standards.”

Social media has also caused many insecurities in society. The media has a standard which can cause the viewers to feel bad about themselves.

When we asked Browning about what should be normalized, he said, “People expressing themselves with their bodies.”

Another destructive element to social media is the physical effects.

Individuals who are constantly on social media and judging themselves can lead them to having an eating disorder such as anorexia or bulimia. The body positivity movement can also be a positive effect. It gives a voice to people who have different body types. It lets them express themselves and break the stereotypes of insecurities. Some insecurities include hip dips, muffin tops, larger thighs, rolls and many others.

The body positivity movement helps individuals accept what society has fought against.

Another concern is when younger individuals see the standards and expectations. It can cause them to feel like they’re eating too much or too little. The mental stress starts from such a young age that can lead up until they’re older.

We asked Catherine Moore, freshman, her opinion on the movement itself rather than the social media pressure. She explained, “I really like the body positivity movement and I think it can positively affect younger people.”

Everyone can have different opinions and standards on what beauty is to them and it shouldn’t be limited.

We also asked Moore what her standard of beauty is and she proceeded to say her standard is“being unique, beautiful on the inside and outside.”

Another way the body positivity movement can be more known is the advertisement in stores. Store websites can spread more positive ways to love yourself and your body.

We interviewed Maricka Farr, freshman, about how stores can help and she expressed, “I think they can be more inclusive with sizing plus size and more petite clothes.” When we asked Farr about how social media makes her feel, she said it “definitely puts pressure on people around me.”

Writer: Erin Taylor Design: Molly Kitchens

VIRTUAL FIGHTS, REAL

S

chool can be a very lovely place to be.

It has many different opportunities for anyone who wants to be in something extracurricular. However, social media has a big effect on people at the school, which could potentially cause drama, fights, etc.

Madison Williams, freshman, was asked if social media causes any type of drama.

“A lot of people start drama on social media,” Williams said.

Social media is the main place in the community that everyone uses. It can be the subject that causes fights, or be the subject that fights are displayed on.

Drama is displayed on social media an abundant amount of times.

When asked about why drama is shown on social media so much, Williams said, “Because people are too scared to start (drama) in person, and they think it’s easier to sit behind a screen and call out people.”

Drama on social media can reflect back to cyberbullying. Cyberbullying is one of our most difficult things to deal with on social media. It can be detrimental to people’s lives, and their mental state.

Drama on social media can affect schools around the world. It can affect the kids ability to learn, the feeling of safety, and the peace of everyone.

“Behavior problems (get) way worse. People will post (on social media) about fighting, and will take drama on social media into schools,” Williams said.

The things said on social media rarely ever stay on the internet. They spread around schools and could potentially cause fights.

When we see drama on social media, it’s not just from a certain place. “(Drama can be found) through Snapchat stories, with calling people out or addressing rumors, and Instagram lies,” Williams said.

EFFECTS OF SOCIAL MEDIA record numbers of teenagers

S

ocial media is something that every teenager uses. For some people it could be used for showing off their cooking skills, dance moves, or just to watch other people. However, social media can be very mentally exhausting.

According the CDC, “more than 1 in 3 high school students had experienced persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness in 2019, a 40 percent increase since 2009.In 2019, approximately 1 in 6 youth reported making a suicide plan in the past year, a 44 percent increase since 2009.”

The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry reports that 90 percent

o0f teenagers now use social media. Prior to 2008, only 55 percent of teenagers utilized social media according to Pew Internet.

Social media can be a different experience for everyone. When asked about how she felt about social media Candice McJunkin said, “I like social media, I think it's good if you are mature enough to use it.”

Social media can be the cause of depression, anxiety, etc. When seeing things on the internet such as the “perfect body,” it could cause a self deprecating state of mind.

“I do believe it affects mental health, especially with hateful posts in general,” McJunkin said.

The Occurrence

page eight

bryant junior high

DAMAGE

january 5, 2022

vol. 3, issue 1

The variety of many social media accounts does not benefit the reduction of drama. Instead, it makes it spread and makes it gradually get worse.

How can we stop drama from spreading on social media? How can we be able to keep the peace for everyone?

“I don’t really think there is a way, even if people stop posting on social media you’re still going to see people’s posts. You really can’t stop it. Its human nature, the only way is to not have social media,” Williams said.

Writer: Erin Taylor

ON MENTAL HEALTH in depression crisis Some use hateful posts online to exhibit their emotions, which can be very hurtful to others.

The internet can have a different effect on people. For some it can be entertaining and fun, and for others it can be a very hurtful environment.

“I would say it affects me negatively or positively. It's easy to keep in touch with people, and it's fun to see good things about people's lives. But (I also) see a lot of the negative things,” McJunkin said.

There are some things on social media that are good, and others that are grim. Such as, posts, comments, stories, etc.

“I don't think social media should have comments. People are (always) leaving hateful comments. Comments should have a filter on what people can and can't say because that affects people's mental health,” McJunkin said.

From a day-to-day basis, there can be many different things displayed on social media.

Social media has a way for people to see things that they relate to and that they particularly want to see.

“I see a lot of cheerful stuff, some political debates, and friend's posts,” McJunkin said.

Writer: Rylee Rutledge

VAPING NOT SAFER O

ne puff won’t hurt, Vaping is way better than smoking, It helps with stress. Lies that everyone has heard before.

In 2014, vaping started to become more popular than smoking for students. In 2018, it was considered an epidemic because of how many people were using e-cigarettes and how many issues it was causing. How did this happen, though? Quick answer is marketing. E-cigarette companies, like Juul, have hooked kids by using marketing.

Companies use different flavors which younger people tend to gravitate towards. The flavors don’t make this product any healthier however.

Vaping is becoming more popular among younger students. We set up an anonymous Google Form for students at BJHS to submit their story. We had over 60 responses from students all over the school. The results show that nearly 7 percent have vaped or tried once.

These numbers are small in comparison to data collected by the CDC. According to the CDC’s website, more than 53 percent of students use a disposable e-cigarette with refillable cartridges. Among those being used by students this year, more than 84 percent choose flavors such as; fruit, candy, desserts, and other sweets. This leads to a more addictive habit because it doesn’t cause their clothing or themselves to smell and it even tastes sweet. Even during quarantine

and with the Covid pandemic, the CDC has not seen numbers decrease in regards to students using e-cigarettes.

Despite this popularity, the list of side effects are too long for comfort. The most common side effects include headaches, coughing, dry mouth and throat, mouth and throat irritation and shortness of breath. It has also been known to sometimes cause nausea. People think that vaping is an alternative to smoking but no research proves this to be right.

Breathing in the harmful chemicals can cause irreversible lung damage and disease. It has been proven to disrupt the normal lung function (in people who were mostly healthy) with or without nicotine. Not proven but it is believed by many professionals that vaping can cause lung cancer. It increases the chance of getting cavities and studies suggest that e-cigarettes can cause gum inflammation which usually causes people to develop periodontal diseases. The most shocking effect of them all is that vaping could possibly cause brain damage to people under twenty-five years of age (which is the age when the brain is fully developed).

In 2019, Simah Herman was an eighteen year old who was hospitalized from vaping. She took to Instagram to share the events that happened.

“About two years ago, I started having terrible nausea issues. That turned into being unable to eat, sleep and

The Occurrence

page ten

bryant junior high

january 5, 2022

vol. 3, issue 1

PANDEMIC CAUSES RISE IN USAGE just live normally.” Herman writes, “two weeks ago I started having trouble breathing. It took 48 hours for my lungs to fail which led me to be put on a ventilator.”

She posted a picture of her in the hospital holding a sign stating, I want to start a no vaping campaign.

Later on in her social media post she says, “It took less than 48 hours for me to be put in a drug induced coma and a tube down my throat because I could no longer breathe on my own. The dangers of vaping are real and this can happen to you. Please don’t let it.” (Instagram@SimahHerman).

Vaping doesn’t just affect physical health. It has been known to worsen depression for its users.

In a 2017 study, 2,500 ninth graders (who use e-cigarette products) were shown to have increasing depressive symptoms. Not only does it cause increasing depression but it also impacts impulse control and other mood disorders. Vaping can cause permanent damage to parts of the brain in charge of memory, emotion and critical thinking. Vaping is said to help with stress but all the given information makes you stop and think: does it actually?

Writer: Katie Wright and Annabel Odom

RISK OF E-CIGARETTES

-Most contain nicotine which is addictive -People that use e-cigarettes are more likely to smoke traditional cigarettes which are known to cause cancer -People that use e-cigarettes are more like to try controlled substances such as marijuana or other drugs -Long-term use of nicotine can cause issues with memory, learning new information, and attention -The “ultra fine particles” inhaled from e-cigarettes can cause irreversible lung damage

TIPS ON QUITTING

-Get rid of all vaping products -Avoid situations where vaping is a common activity -Reduce stress -Exercise by running, jogging, etc.

-Buy gum and other candies

Opinion: OFFICERS

Many officers have some amazing backstories that make you gasp. Of-

internet safety. Hastings said she was fortunate to be in that program which ficer Shanna Hastings story is how she led her to the Pulaski County Sheriff’s Office. She later moved onto Benton worked her way up in the world to get Police Department where she became where she is now.

Her life starts off in juvenile court an officer and worked on patrol. She with her mother, where she sits through loved where she was but was later was asked to join Bryant Police Department all of the hearings and trail’s listening as a SRO. to it all gaining information. In sixth She has built a routine to keep grade, a girl at her school gets abducted and murdered. The girl’s father the school safe. was the school resource officer (SRO). In the mornings, Hastings heads to the He created a program where students backside of the school where the traveled to other schools and present- buses drop off. After the first bell, she patrols through the halls making sure ed on

The Occurrence

page twelve

bryant junior high

january 5, 2022

KEY TO SAFETY

vol. 3, issue 1

everyone is settled into class.

Following, she starts to go through reports, emails and training courses. She does take a break when the bell rings to change classes, patrolling the halls to keep students safe.

“[After school], I go down to the light at Reynolds Road and Hill Farm Road, where I control the light cycle to make sure the buses get through together,” Hastings said, “I then go back to the junior high and go back to keep an eye on the remaining bus pickup’s until they are all finished.”

Hastings often has to continue working at night for sports and other activities.

Time ranges from 8 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.

Of course everyday is different for her.

Hastings believes there should have another SRO with the size of the school. It is difficult to monitor the whole school with only two of them, she said.

“I think this would be beneficial to everyone,” Officer Hastings said.

This would give them more of a benefit to interact with students and have more of a presence at the school along with being able to present different topics in classes.

The officers we see daily are a big reason why we are still safe. We should

be more aware of the effort they put into this community from now on.

Being more aware of the good ones and what they put into the community helps them feel more motivated and shows how you care.

The police and other people who have decided to join Law have made this world safer, even if that just means opening the door or walking an elderly lady across the street, it’s helping us better ourselves.

Writer: Annabel Odom

SUPREME COURT I

n May 2017, Mahanoy Area High School student Brandi Levy - who goes by her initials “B.L.” in court papers - failed to make her school’s varsity cheerleading squad as well as a position on a softball team that was unassociated with Mahanoy Area High School.

During one Saturday afternoon, Levy and a friend of hers made two Snapchat posts that contained profanity regarding school, softball, cheer and “everything” at a local convenience store in Mahanoy City. The posts were seen by multiple “friends” of Levy, which included fellow students of Mahanoy Area High School (some of them being members on the varsity cheerleading squad).

According to the opinion of the Court (which was delivered by Justice Breyer), one student - using a separate cell phone - took pictures of Levy’s posts and shared them with other members of the cheerleading squad. One of those members shared the pictures with their mother (who was a former cheerleading coach), and the images of the posts soon spread.

After several cheerleaders and students approached the cheerleading coaches with being “visibly upset” regarding Levy’s posts, the matter was discussed between the school principal and coaches. The coaches decided that since the posts made by Levy regarded profanity and were connected to a school extracurricular activity, then the post violated team and school policies. Due to this, the coaches decided to suspend Levy from the junior varsity cheerleading squad for the upcoming year.

The punishment of suspending Levy was affirmed by the school’s athletic director, principal, superintendent and school board (even when Levy later apoligized for the posts). In responce to this, Levy, together with her parents, filed a lawsuit in Federal District Court claiming that punishing Miss Levy for her speech made in the posts violated the First Amendment.

The District Court granted an injunction

to reinstate Levy into the cheerleading squad, as they found that Levy’s Snapchat posts had not caused a substantial disruption at the school (which they reasoned the Tinker v. Des Moines Indepedent Community School District Supreme Court case applied). The District Court also declared that Levy’s punishment by the school violated the First Amendment.

The Third Circuit affirmed the conclusion made by the District Court, however the panel majority reasoned that the Tinker case did not apply as schools are given no special licenses to regulate student speech that is to occur off school campus.

One member of the panel agreed with the rest of the majoirty, yet wrote that Mahanoy Area School District had not justified Levy’s punishment - if the Tinker case was to apply or not - as Levy’s speech had not caused a substantial disruption.

Mahanoy Area School District then filed a petition for certiorari in the Supreme Court, asking the Nine Justices to decide if the Tinker case applies to student speech that is to occur off school campus (one of them being Justice Breyer).

The Supreme Court granted the petition and made it clear that students do not “shed thier constitutional rights to freedom of speech or expression,” even “at the school hosue gate” (as ruled in the Tinker case). According to another Supreme Court case known as Brown v.

Entertainment Merchants Association (which the Supreme Court ruled that video games - even if they are violent - are protected under their First Amendment rights), minors are also entitled to significant First Amendment protection. Yet, the nine Justices of the Supreme Court also acknowledged that First Amendment protection also applied to the school district (as found in the Hazelwood School District v. Kuhlmeier Supreme Court case - in which the Supreme Court ruled that student

The Occurrence

page fourteen

bryant junior high

january 5, 2022

vol. 3, issue 1

RULES ON SPEECH newspapers are not classified as “public forums,” therefore school districts are allowed to restrict what may be published in a student newspaper. Several states, Arkansas included, have laws that limit what can be restricted in student media).

Justice Stephen Breyer also wrote in the opinion of the Court that the Supreme Court had previously outlined three specific types of student speech that schools may regulate according to certain circumstances: speech that is classified as “indecent” or “lewd” or “vulgar” when uttered during a school assembly on school grounds, speech uttered during a class trip that promotes “illegal drug use” (ruled in the Morse v.

Frederick Supreme Court case), and speech that others may reasonably perceive as “bear[ing] the imprimatur of the school,” such as that appearing in a school-sponsored newspaper (mentioned in the Kulmeier case).

The Supreme Court ruled 8-1 that Levy’s Snapchat posts had not caused substantial disruption (therefore, Levy’s First Amendment rights were violated due to the punishment provided by the school district). Stephen Breyer - Associate Justice of the Supreme Court - noted that Levy’s parents should be the ones to decide the disciplinary actions, not the school officials.

As Levy’s social media posts were not made on school campus and were outside of school hours (and due to Levy not targeting any specific member of the school community), the school did not have the right to punish Levy.

Although the Supreme Court did not concur with the reasoning of the Third Circuit’s panel majority, they nevertheless agreed that Mahanoy Area School District violated Levy’s First Amendment rights (leaving the judgement made by the Third Circuit affirmed, according to Justice Breyer).

Writer: Molly Kitchens