The Triangle, Vol. 100, Issue 6

THE TRIANGLE issue six

What's in a

PERSONALITY? March 5, 2021 / Vol. 100

Columbus North High School / 1400 25th Street Columbus, IN 47201

ONLINE PREVIEW

16 8

10 opinion

04 IS TIKTOK LOSING HYPE?

With so many social media platforms to choose from, junior Lawrence Delano questions the popularity of TikTok.

05 THE WAY THE COOKIE CRUMBLES

Sophomore Molly Hotek ranks her favorite Girl Scout Cookies.

06 APART BUT TOGETHER

Senior Elise Maschino dissects of the criticallyacclaimed book series “The Red Queen”

sports

07 FINISHING THE SEASON

Players reflect on their season and thoughts on sectionals.

08 TAKE TO THE FIELD Amidst the

chaos of the COVID-19 pandemic, the CNHS track team is channeliing their ambition to prepare for a succesful season.

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09 READY TO SERVE

After a canceled season last year, the CNHS women’s tennis team is hopeful for a succesful 2021 season.

news

19 TAKE THAT, WALL STREET What's going on with GameStop?

student life

14 VACAY OR STAYCAY?

How the pandemic has put a damper on vacation season

15 MAXIMIZING THE MINIMUM

Students discuss potential changes that would come due to an increase in minimum wage.

16 MASK MANIA

Columbus North students and fashion teacher share their opinions on masks

BNN POSTS WEEKLY VIDEOS News show every week Mag show every two weeks

Workplace Personality The Triangle staff investigates the accuracy of personality tests to determine students’ future careers

W

hat do you want to be when you grow up? Not a hard question, one that people have been asking since children could talk and college students could switch their majors. The difficulty comes from coming up with an answer. For those that are lost, turning to a personality test seems like the best place to start. However, the accuracy of personality tests connecting students to specific careers is questionable. A person’s interests and ideas change over time, so this can affect how a person’s ability to succeed in a specific job at a given time.

According to Saeid Fard, founder of Career Explorer by Sonaku, a modern service that matches people to careers based on multiple factors, career tests usually evaluate one specific quality.

“Most career tests are simply a mirror reflecting back to you what you already know about yourself and are thus limited by how well you know yourself.”

Showing the subjects the results they already know, or even what they want to

see causes the subject to only see what they want to see. “[Modern methods produce] tests that are flattering but not necessarily accurate, reflecting our self esteem over our blind spots.”

For example, a person will pursue careers with more financial or respectful opportunities than something that may be a more accurate fit than one that does not have the prestige. This viewpoint is dependent on what the personality test shows the subject.

“Personality, on the other hand, risks highlighting strengths in careers we don’t care for and weaknesses in those we do.”

When a person evaluates their personality, they expose themselves to the potential of disappointment. A career they felt was a perfect fit may no longer be, due to their personality or even the work environment.

“Personality and work environment... are incredibly multifaceted.”

Personality goes beyond how an individual views themselves, including how their personality would handle a corporate office versus working with their hands. In

“Based on results from a nationally representative sample of 1,378 people, median internal consistency . . . is .77.” (The benchmark for reliability is 0.7.)”

MBTI's publisher, CPP

addition, career tests also ignore another key component.

“Most career tests completely ignore market conditions and supply of jobs.”

Not everyone can be a doctor, diversity in specialization makes the world a more innovative and creative place. However, personality tests often recommend the same types of jobs, leaving students to feel as though there are only ten or twenty career options. But the purpose of these tests is not to decide a student’s future. “[Career tests] measure your interests and recommend careers that more or less satisfy those interests.”

Although personality tests can be an entertaining way to pass the time, putting stake into the results is not an accurate way for a person to decide what career they want to pursue, especially young students who still have not fully developed their personality.

“How many 15-year-olds know whether or not they would be good leaders or motivated by monetary compensation?”

“The Myers-Briggs is useful for one thing: entertainment,” Vox

“Importantly, people cannot be perfectly placed into distinct boxes that personality tests create. There are too much complexity and uniqueness amongst people, and the likelihood of having an in-between score is quite high” Michael Puskar

sources: betterhelp.com, washingtonpost.com

3

Is TikTok Losing Hype?

With multiple social media platforms to choose from, junior Lawrence Delano expresses his opinion about if Tiktok’s popularity will last

By Lawrence Delano Design By Ananya Ramanujapuram

T

ikTok, a platform sharing short videos that has over 1 billion downloads, may be on it’s way to the social media graveyard like MySpace and Flickr. It had a good run, but it’s simply losing steam.

60 seconds just isn’t enough

time to create meaningful content. You can get a meme in, but inevitably it will be lost in a sea of shorter videos or used in a YouTube meme compilation. It’s better to just put it on YouTube in the first place, better algorithm, better monetizing, more user friendly, and YouTube is better at

removing traumatizing content before it can do much damage or get reposted. TikTok is great, as long as people don’t abuse it or use it inappropriately, which the internet will always find a way to do. In short, TikTok is far too easy to corrupt for mass use. It was a good run, but it’s time to take it down.

Tiktok has

1.1 billion

Tiktok has been downloaded over

2.6 billion

active users worldwide

times on the App Store and Google Play as of December 2020

Some popular trends on Tiktok in 2020 were

Tiktok was launched in

September 2016

10/10

Prominent Creators Zach King Charli D’Amelio Nava Rose Sorn

Addison Rae Lyn Lapid Loren Gray Alyssa McKay

whipped coffee and rating items

The Way the Cookie Crumbles

Sophomore Molly Hotek talks her way through her top tier

by Molly Hotek Design By Samantha Dearing Girl Scout Cookies

I

t’s a cookie- what’s not to love? The only thing not satisfying about a Girl Scout cookie is when you’ve eaten the last one and come to this horrible realization that there aren’t any more in the box. What’s even more dissatisfying? When you find out that they aren’t selling them anymore and that you now have to wait an entire year until you can buy another box (or ten).

If you’re like me, then dessert is your thing. What I lack in physical height I more than make up for in size of sweet tooth.

Just ask my friends who have, on more than one occasion, had to stop me from eating the dessert so that they can have some too. I’m not really picky when it comes to sweet things-if someone gives me a box of cookies, I am not about to turn them down.

That being said, even a cookie connoisseur such as myself is allowed to have a favorite (or three).

In my humble opinion, Samoas are by far the most elite of the Girl Scout cookies. I for one love the combination of carmel, chocolate and coconut on top of a cookie because it’s reminiscent of another of my favorite desserts- coconut cream pie.

Close seconds would be Thin Mints and

Tagalongs (because anything is instantly better when it’s dipped in chocolate). Both pairings of mint and chocolate and peanut butter with chocolate are matches made in cookie heaven. Thin Mints are like the York Peppermints of the Girl Scout world whereas Tagalongs are the Reese’s (two of my favorite types of candy). In short, I like to compare desserts to other dessertspretty sweet, right?

But surely there’s something I don’t like when it comes to desserts, right? Don’t worry, I’ve asked myself the same question and the answer is lemon (among other things, but lemon is one of the big ones).

I’ve no idea why, but I’ve always disliked lemon being in desserts, specifically cookies.

If it’s good, I’ll do lemon in a cake or lemon in ice cream, but 9 times out of 10 lemon in a cookie makes for a dry and cloying taste reminiscent of Kool Aid Powder. For this reason, I’ve never been big on certain Girl Scout cookies like Lemonades or LemonUps (or the shortbread Trefoils simply because they’re a little plain). But again, if someone handed me a box of them, I’d eat them anyway. It’s just I’d rather be eating a Samoa or a Thin Mint.

While I’ve never actually been a Girl Scout

myself, I like to think I’ve contributed to a great organization in some way through the mass overbuying of boxes of cookies. But the reality is- Girl Scout cookies are genius.

It’s a perfect way for the organization to raise funds by selling something people want to buy. Plus, it’s an educational opportunity for the girls selling them, as they develop decision making, problem solving and business skills they can use in the future.

Knowing that, who wouldn’t want to buy some? (Or if you’re just not into cookies, you can always buy a box and give them to me).

The Best Selling Girl Scout Cookies

girlscouts.org

Thin Mints

#1

Girl Scouts “Oh, what a girl can do” Thin mints

Samoas

#2

Girl Scouts “Oh, what a girl can do” Samoas

Tagalongs

#3

Girl Scouts “Oh, what a girl can do” Tagalongs

5

A Quick Flip Through Senior Elise Maschino dissects of the critically-acclaimed book series “The Red Queen” By Elise Maschino Design By Tanya Iyer

S

eparated by blood and ability, a life known for over a century.

Silver blood: it holds power, it is superior. Red blood is human, normal, dirty.

The New York Times #1 Best Selling book series “The Red Queen” is a masterpiece in the Young Adult category, and in my opinion, the best book series I’ve ever read. This four-part series, with published short stories, sticks out among many other book series.

With a diverse character base and plot line that carries throughout the entire series, it is almost impossible to put each book down. Mare Barrow, a girl with red blood is brought into a world she does not belong; she has powers even though she does not

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have silver blood. Throughout the series, she tackles the divide of her people, PTSD and the loss of loved ones.

Each character is unique not only because of their special powers, but the author, Victoria Aveyard, gives each of them a personality you can relate to. Some of my personal favorite characters are Evangeline Samos, Shade Barrow, Farley and Maven Calore.

I especially love the casualness of LGBT representation. Throughout the series, Aveyard gives a realistic approach to the addition of gay characters. It doesn’t seem forced and as a person of the LGBT community, it is quite refreshing to see, especially in the Young Adult category.

Overall, I recommend this series for anyone with a love for fantasy, drama and romance.

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Finishing the Season

Players reflect on their season and thoughts on sectionals

T

he last time the 2020-21 basketball team was able to play on the hardwood before they were quarantined for the rest of their regular season was Feb. 3. Due to this, many of the players had to prepare on their own for the sectional games that took place at the beginning of March.

The boys’ basketball team had a strong regular season and even amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, found unity to play their best. Senior team member, Diing Diing discusses the strengths of the team this year.

“This year has been kind of challenging for the boys with the pandemic. It’s hard going off-season twice because we were quarantined,” Diing said. “The team has been full of strength, and [our] team motivates each other and teaches [each] other. We have been in the gym every day working hard.”

As a senior, Diing discusses his feelings about sectionals and why he believes the team will do well.

“To be honest, I have both sides. I’m excited but nervous. I know that we are going to face some challenges through the

sectionals against some athletic teams as LC and Carmel,” Diing said. “[However], we have confidence in each other so we are ready.”

Junior Noah Abfall, another Columbus North Men’s basketball player, is getting ready for his first sectional playing as a Varsity basketball player. Abfall shares his opinion on what the sectional will look like for the Bull Dogs.

“Being quarantined before sectionals [has] definitely created some uneasiness because a few games [are against] teams we could possibly play if sectionals got canceled,” Abfall said. “[Therefore], we can’t use past experience to better prepare for them this year, but we are definitely excited.”

All in all, despite the difficulties of COVID-19, Abfall acknowledges the team’s ability to persevere and have a good season.

“The team has been really positive this year despite all that’s going on in the world. Our coaches have consistently reminded us that every day we play is a blessing. [So], we just treat every day like a blessing, and [we] really found our sense of unity to stay positive all year.”

By Margaret Mowrer Design By Sanjana Penmathsa

Gearing up to make a layup, senior Diing Diing shoots in an attempt to make another basket for the Bull Dogs.

senior send-off

Cornered by two Martinsville players, senior Blake Barker makes a quick pass to his teammate. for the Bull Dogs.

Guarding the ball from Martinsville, senior Jakub Trusina assists the Bull Dogs on another basket for the Bull Dogs.

Photos By Jordan Brady

Senior Max Wilson jumps into the air attempting to make a basket for the Dogs.

Senior Reese Harmon drives towards the basket and shoots a layup.

7

Take to the field Track and field prepares for the season

T

By Addy Rogers Design by Ananya Adur eammates and continuously improving herself are what motivates senior Mackenzie Barnett, a member of the track and field team, to bring home some medals this season.

“Our team wants to medal at state in the 4X800 this year, which would be a big accomplishment for us,” Barnett said. “I also want to medal in an individual event at the state meet.”

Barnett is no stranger to success. Last season, she took home a blue ribbon from the Bloomington North indoor meet and received Academic All Star status from the Indiana Association of Track and Cross Country Coaches. Sophomore Kellen Hottell has ambition for this season as well.

“My biggest goal is probably going to state,” Hottell said. I have some time goals, like going sub 4:30 in the mile but going to state would be awesome.”

In addition to running, there are also several field events, including the long jump, high jump, discus and pole vault.

“I’ve only tried a field event once,” Hottell said. “I tried discus and long jump in middle school, and they’re much more difficult than they look.”

Track training is a year-round event. Mr. Sluder coaches the girls cross country and both boys girls track teams, and they often train together according to Barnett.

“Our distance team does Winter Warriors for off season training. We practice outside six days a week,” Barnett said. “It’s a bit of a switch between cross country and track because the [track] races are shorter. In cross country, we run a 5K, which is 3.1 miles, but for track we run two mile, one mile or 800 meter races.”

This season also carries an element of uncertainty. Like many sports this year, there’s lots of unknown concerning which events will be on and which will be canceled.

“As of right now, we don’t really know if we will or won’t have certain meets. It was like that with cross [country] season, where we went day by day,” Hottell said.

“We just know we have to keep working so that if we do have those meets, we can race fast.”

The Bull Dogs hope to make the best of this season and get as much participation as possible.

“A goal that coach [Sluder] has for us is to get as many guys in the state track meet as possible for as many different events as possible,” Hottell said.

Upcoming Meets March 12 Center Grove 6:00 p.m.

April 6 6:00 pm Bloomington South April 10 11:00 am Columbus North Invite April 13 5:30 pm Seymour April 27 5:30 pm Shelbyville

Sophomore Kellen Hottell runs this past fall at the XC Town Meet of Champions. The meet took place on the LaVern Gibson XC Course in Terre Haute. “I’m just happy to have the opportunity to race,” Hottell said.

“Never a take a race or practice for granted. You really don’t know if you’ll have another one. Never a take a race or practice for granted.” photo for the Triangle

Ready to Serve

The girls’ tennis team gets ready for this year’s season

A

By Kaitlyn Ayers Design by Shenyi Gong

s the sun radiates down on the tennis court, the players stand ready to start their match while their teammates cheer them on from the sidelines. The first thing they must do to start their season is their tryout process.

“Tryouts take place over a couple of days over Spring Break and it helps the coach see what level everyone is at and who they play well with,” sophomore Zoe Bishop said.

Even though there aren’t usually cuts, tennis is a demanding sport that requires a lot of stamina as sophomore Siri Poludasu explains.

“The hardest part of tennis for me is being able to keep your stamina up through long matches,” Poludasu said.

“Everyone has their different strengths and difficulties when playing tennis though depending on what you are good at.”

Tennis requires training to be able to particpate in a full match.

“The hardest part of tennis for me is being able to keep your stamina up through long matches.” Poludasu said.

“Everyone has their different strengths and difficulties when playing tennis though depending on what you are good at.”

Matches can either be one on one or there can be teams of two people, junior Tiffany Fu explains how the team would win.

“Our varsity team is composed of three singles players and two doubles teams.

junior Tiffany Fu

That means every match we play five separate games against the other team,” Fu said. “Whoever wins the majority of the five games wins the match.”

Fu reflects on the factors that make a successful tennis match.

“The hardest part about tennis is all the factors that go into playing a great match. Tennis players have to think about footwork, technique and ball placement all at once,” Fu said. “Tennis is also a game of physical and mental endurance so it requires lots of energy and strength.”

The team doesn’t win every game and losses can affect the team but they are always there for each other.

“The hardest part about tennis is preserving through the losses, but the team is so uplifting that we hardly notice most of the time,” junior Leah George said.

Playing tennis at a college level can be challenging can be a goal for some players.

“I will continue playing tennis in college but I am not sure if that will be as a part of a tennis team or just a club,” Fu said.

“It will depend on what college I choose to attend and if I have any offers to play in college. Although I do not think I will be able to play college tennis at an elite level I hope to continue to compete and perform well to set myself up for good opportunities to play in college.”

Overall, through the ups and downs the team is always supporting each other and rooting each other on and that makes them work better together.

“The best part of being on the tennis team is bonding with all of the players and becoming a big, supportive family,”

"The best part of being on the tennis team is bonding with all of the players and becoming a big, supportive family." junior Leah George

9

W

hether it’s by a favorite color, favorite food, how one interacts with others, or how one thinks about something, personality is defined differently by everyone.

According to Buzzfeed, personality may hinge on something as simple as a favorite vacation destination, while the Myer-Briggs 16 personality test would say personality is defined by how a person thinks. Either way, it may be concluded that what personality truly depends on is individuality, what makes someone special or unique from everyone else. But, with so many pieces making up a larger puzzle, it can be difficult to determine what really makes up a person’s personality.

While some tests may be for fun, others may provide valuable insight into how one thinks and behaves. Junior Savannah Skinner acknowledges the line between inaccurate and accurate readings of her personality, and she is careful to let the results define her.

“I have [taken personality tests] for PCC and for my own fun, and I feel like the results can be pretty

Parietal Lobe

accurate depending on the test,” Skinner said.

Accurate results, however, depends on how honest the subject answers the test’s questions.

“I think that they can [be accurate] if the answers are totally unbiased because the responses are based on personal experience and feelings,” Skinner said. “They shouldn’t be relied on though because they can’t possibly tell everything about a person.”

Sophomore Mattheus Dos Santos feels as though personality tests can be easily manipulated, giving the person an answer, but not always the one that best describes them. “[People can] choose the answers that they know at the end will be the personality that they wanted,” Dos Santos said.

For some, taking the test is more of an entertaining experience than an accurate reflection of who they are. For sophomore Ritisha Rashmil, the results of the test are just fun, not putting her personal identity in the results.

“I’ve taken many just for fun, like Buzzfeed quizzes and such, and others like the Enneagram

Frontal Lobe

Occipital Lobe

Cerebellum

Source: lesley.edu

Spinal Cord

"People are constantly changing. No one will ever be the same as we are in this exact moment because we change as we gain more experience."

Junior Savannah Skinner and MBTI tests,” Rashmil said. “I take personality tests for fun, so I don’t really “trust” them per say until I see the results and at least slightly agree.”

Rashmil does relate to specific results given on her tests, but she does not believe it is fair to categorize everyone in the same way based on the answers.

“I think to some extent they may be accurate, but every person is different, and categorizing people into similar categories based on how they answer a quiz doesn’t properly define everything about a person,” Rashmil said.

For Skinner, the test results connect him to others that answered the same way and other aspects of his community.

The Science Behind It

The frontal lobe of your brain controls both your movement and your personality. The Trait Theory, created by Gordon Willard Allport, claims that your personality is stored in your brain in three different categories: cardinal traits, central traits, and secondary traits. Cardinal traits are the most rare and the most dominant, and they are the traits you are born with.

Central traits are the characteristics that generally come to mind when you think about personality that define the basic qualities of an individual, such Temporal as someone’s confidence or intelligence. Lastly, Lobe secondary traits are characteristics that depend on context, like your food or entertainment preferences.

11

“It’s fun to think about your life in relation to the world around you and how maybe everything that happens is supposed to happen for a reason,” Skinner said.

For Rashmil, these connections are a simplification of the larger human experience.

“It gives people the ability to put others in boxes to, in a way, be better at understanding other people,” Rashmil said.

“It simplifies how complex human emotions, actions, and personalities are.”

Personality tests can also be used as identifiers, causing people to blame their actions based on what their test results said.

“I have definitely seen other people use their personality type as an excuse for things, but I don’t believe that a personality test defines who you are as a person,” Rashmil said. “It’s not an excuse for something you’ve done wrong.”

However, Skinner identifies that people are still growing and changing, and that their personality is adapting to these changes.

“People are constantly changing. No one will ever be the same as we are in this exact moment because we change as we gain more experience” Skinner said.

Overall, Rashmil feels that people understand themselves better a personality test, and that how they are does not depend on the test results.

“I think a personality test gives you an idea of how you see yourself, and if you don’t like the result, then you don’t have to believe it,” Rashmil said. “In the end, you know yourself better than a multiple-choice test ever could.”

“[Zodiac] is way more than people think it is;nobody takes time to understand how complicated it is.”

Junior Lillie Tickle

51% of North students believe in Zodiac signs

YES

NO

Do North students pay attention to their Zodiac sign?

Not at all

100% yes

“I don’t believe you can “I think zodiac signs have judge someone on a time no real value. They’re fun they were born.” to talk about and share Sophomore Adah with your friends, but Newman Stump they don’t actually mean anything.”

Junior Sam Settle

Take that, Wall Street

By Addy Rogers Design by Annagail Fields

What’s going on with GameStop?

M

any teens have fond memories of GameStop, a long-standing video game store.

They may have gone there to await the release of a new Wii game or to pick up the QR code for a special Pokemon event. The once popular chain, however, is going to the wayside, and large investors are looking to make money from its downfall.

“All of this was unremarkable until users on a Reddit forum called “WallStreetBets” decided to buy into GameStop shares (or options to buy them), initially because they thought it was undervalued, then to send a message to the shortsellers,” The Independent reported shortly after the surge.

Billionaires often make money when stock prices are falling, as they were for GameStop, through short selling. They lose money if the stock starts to rise. A forum of small investors decided to drive up the stock price. Economics teacher Natalie Perry summarized the situation.

“A lot of people see this as the little guys - the small investors rising up against these hedge fund owners,” Perry said.

Hedge funds are groups of wealthy investors who put money in the stock market together. The

online small investors took offense to these funds trying to profit off of GameStop’s fall. The massive money gained and lost these past few weeks have called this system into doubt.

“When it comes to getting rich quick schemes like this, people start talking about regulations,” Perry said. “Usually when people make money from the stock market, it happens over a long period of time.”

The squeeze caused many to lose money quickly as well. It’s estimated that the hedge funds lost around $19 billion from the stock prices being driven up. Fortunately, students likely don’t have anything to worry about.

“Scholarships usually invest money in the stock market, so this could have an impact on students in the future, but it’s a lot of speculation,” Perry said. “Unless students had shares of GameStop stock, it most likely won’t impact them.”

So what’s the takeaway? For some, it’s an exciting tale of the people sticking it to the billionaires. For others, it’s an incident of a social media mob gone too far. Perry’s conclusion is somewhere in between.

“As much attention as the media is giving it, this is Wall Street,” Perry said.

What are stocks?

Stocks are shares in a large company like Disney or Apple. If the companies do well, the stock value goes up; if the companies lose value, so do the stocks. GameStop stock had been falling for a while because the company was struggling to compete with large online stores like Amazon.

How short selling works:

WALL ST 1. You borrow a stock valued $150 and pay an interest fee of $15 on it.

2. You sell the stock and wait for the price to go down.

3. When the price has gone down to $100, you buy it back.

4. You keep the difference, $35 after the interest fee, and return the stock.

Congrats, you made money!

13

Vaycay or Staycay How the pandemic has put a damper on vacation season

F “I hope that less people travel this year due to COVID, but I won’t be surprised if a lot of people’s families take them somewhere.” freshman Brianna Guthrie

Tips to Keep Safe while on Vacation

By Molly Hotek Design by Abinaya Ganesan

amilies frantically shove the last bit of luggage into the car and speed off to the airport, or hit the highway for a long road trip. People flee to warm sunny beaches or take to the mountains for hiking and skiing. This is your typical picturesque spring vacation, and this year will be no different, right?

Think again, because this is the year of the Staycation, otherwise known as the Quarantrip.

Freshman Brianna Guthrie admits that, while her family didn’t normally take big trips, her Spring Break will still be different.

“Although my family doesn’t normally do trips for Spring Break, we’ll definitely be more confined to our house and do a lot less shopping or going to the movie theater,” Guthrie said, “If you don’t travel, you have less of a risk of getting COVID or spreading it.”

Kate Russell, a sophomore who usually travels to Bonita Springs, Florida, explains that some families might seek alternative means of transportation.

“Some people may be staying away from others at their destinations and will be cautious about wearing masks in the airport or where they venture during vacation,” Russell said, “Others might choose to drive instead of fly to avoid contact.”

Despite the ever-looming threat of the pandemic, it is likely that many families will still choose to go somewhere because they want to get away.

“The drawbacks of not traveling are missing the feeling of being somewhere, or feeling bored with only being in your house,” Guthrie said.

Russell said that traveling can provide a much needed break from everyday life.

“If you don’t travel, then you may never be relieved from stressors at home and if you do travel you become more susceptible to exposure to the virus,” Russell said.

While she hoped people would reconsider traveling, Guthrie said that there were still precautions they could take if they chose to take a vacation.

“Though the vaccine isn’t available to everyone, people can definitely still take precautions if they do travel. They can wear masks, socially distance, and stay quarantined after traveling,” Guthrie said.

Russell agrees and offers a different outlook.

“Traveling can help build up your immune system and vacationing can reduce stress.

However if you don’t travel you don’t risk catching the virus,” Russell said.

But perhaps a safer alternative is to just stay home. It might not seem like it, but there are plenty of things to do locally in lieu of hopping on a plane.

“You can spend time with your family! A lot of people travel to spend time with family, but you can spend time with the people in your house without going anywhere,” Guthrie said.

Despite this year’s differences, a common theme is the hope that things will be better next year.

“I hope that, by next year, the COVID vaccine will be more easily accessible, and people will be able to travel more safely!” Guthrie said.

Russell expresses similar sentiments.

“I hope that we don’t have to worry about if we should or shouldn’t travel because of the ongoing pandemic,” Russell said, “I think that it is important to begin to return to a form of normal. It is a family’s decision if they want to risk traveling or not.”

• Wear a mask to protect yourself from COVID Wear a mask to protect yourself from COVID • Sanitize your hands to keep them free from bacteria and so viruses cannot spread • Wash your hands frequently to prevent the virus • Social distance to prevent catching COVID

Maximizing the Minimum Students discuss potential changes that would come due to an increase in minimum wage

By Hannah Larson Design By Anushka Nair

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fter the inauguration of a new president, there seems to be a lot of new changes on the horizon; one of these changes being a potential increase in minimum wage. Senior Trisha Yerragudi and junior Charlie Terry are anxious about what this change could do for the country.

“I think an increase in minimum wage would be a good idea,” Yerragudi said. “It would help mend economic inequality in some way and help those who had to face financial losses during the pandemic.”

Yerragudi further explains the benefits from increasing the minimum wage.

“Many people whose pay would be at the current minimum wage could be pulled above the poverty line, which many people are below right now,” Yerragudi said. “In turn, the government would have to spend less of its money on expenditures for financial aid programs. Effectiveness of employees can also increase as they are able to maintain a better way of living and can be more motivated.”

Although there could be many benefits from increasing the minimum wage, there could also be several setbacks.

“It would increase taxes which would be a con to a lot of people,” Terry said.

If a minimum wage increase does occur, it

could potentially affect high school students.

Senior Trish Yerragudi reflects on the possibility of raising the minimum wage.

“Raising the minimum wage would affect me,” Yerragudi said. “I am planning on pursuing a career in the healthcare field, so until I finish medical school, my first jobs will pay close to that of minimum wage jobs.”

Like Yerraguidi, Terry also believes he could benefit from a minimum wage increase.

“The minimum wage increase would help me because my current job pays less than the $15/ hour increase,” Terry said.

Similar to the impact on students, a minimum wage increase could affect the entire economy.

“There are two expected impacts associated with raising the minimum wage,” Yerragudi said. “One being that as the workforce is given higher wages, they are also likely to spend more, which would stimulate the economy. Some economists also argue that raising the minimum wage would imbalance the labor market and result in inflation.”

Because an increase in minimum wage is all in theory at the moment, there is the question of if it will actually happen.

“I think there is a possibility of an increase in minimum wage as President Biden is in support of raising it to $15 an hour, and there is Democratic majority in Congress, which makes it

senior Trisha Yerragudi more likely for this to happen as compared to a raise during Trump’s presidency,” Yerragudi said.

If an increase in minimum wage was to occur, Terry believes that it would be beneficial for students.

“I think it’ll help a lot of high school students because a large portion of students have jobs that would be increased,” Terry said. “I think the students would be for the increase because we’d just want more money.”

World’s Hourly Wages South Korea $6.84 Israel $7.94 Canada $9.52 United States $7.25 Source: worldpopulationreview.com

15

Mask Mania

By Margaret Mowrer Design By Michaela Brown

Columbus North students and fashion teacher share their opinions on masks

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here have been many fashion trends throughout the decades from scrunchies to hair scarfs. But one element of people’s everyday lives that has transformed into a new piece of fashion, is the face mask.

Since COVID-19 started in March of 2020, the CDC issued that everyone should wear a face covering in order to prevent the spread of the virus. In order to adapt to wearing a mask, many students at Columbus North have decided to style their face covering with different styles and colors. Senior Grace Lemley has developed a preference to certain masks and has noticed that students have adapted masks into their daily fashion choices.

“I think that surgical masks are the best option for wearing masks. I personally believe that gaiters or buffs are not effective forms of masks,”Lemly said. “I think masks have become an everyday fashion item. I don’t intentionally match my masks to my outfits. I think it is really cool when people do that though.”

Many individuals used the internet, social media, and YouTube in order to find out how to make face masks when the pandemic began. C4 FACS teacher Amanda Godwin was one individual who made her own masks and sold them to others as well.

“I made about 200 for a local therapy company. Later I sold about 150 to teachers,” Godwin said. “[I enjoyed] knowing that I was helping to protect people from COVID [through the process].

In her fashion and textiles class this past fall, Godwin taught her students how to make masks. Each student was able to select a fabric of their own choice to use during the class instruction. Throughout the time that people have worn face masks, Godwin has observed an impact they have on the world of fashion.

“I think over all the pandemic has affected the fashion world, we are seeing a much more relaxed look,” Godwin said. “We’ve gotten used to a less polished look and we are going for more comfort than fashion-like yoga pants and a t-shirt. No need for a full face of makeup when you have a mask on.”

All in all, both Godwin and Lemley would agree they have gotten used to wearing a mask. Lemley shares her predictions for how much longer she believes everyone will have to continue to wear a mask.

“I have gotten used to wearing masks recently. Sometimes I do jump out of my car and forget to grab one,” Lemley said. “I think we will have to wear our masks for at-least another six months.”

cloth masks

face shields

senior Grace Lemley

Family and Consumer Science teacher Amanda Godwin

surgical masks