April 2020 Eagle's View by Eagle's View

The

LIBERTY NORTH HIGH SCHOOL

EAGLEâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S VIEW

covid-19

A pandemic of fear among Americans and what liberty is doing to prevent it p. 10

the dying of print news today p. 7

VOLUME 10 ISSUE 6

How people are handling quarantine p. 13

EV in this issue of

the Eagle’s view:

Eagle’s view staff

Editorial board

sports 04 Spring sports - rolling with the changes Eagle’s Life 06 All they do is win - and teach 07 Print news - save it! Indepth 09 COVID-19 Culture 12 Who runs the world? Girls. 13 Day by day: life under quarantine spotlight 14 North teachers react: quarantine edition Opinion 15 Is 2020 the new 2016? The Liberty North High School Eagle’s View is committed to promoting accurate and unbiased reporting, as to best supply Liberty North’s students, staff, and peers with quality and reliable journalism.

2019-2020

Ella PritchetT: editor in chief Mackenna rowe: Production manager ashton overby: Visual editor zac purdue: ads manager

section editors madi burrow: Sports claire severson: eagle’s life abby roberts: culture emma suppes: indepth emily johnson: spotlight sami binning: opinion

photographer ashton overby

graphic design

braden clapper

reporters

On the cover // A pandemic has swept across the world, leaving more than 1,000,000 people infected and at least 50,000 dead. Schools across America have canceled the rest of the year. At Liberty North, classes were suspended until the end of April. This month, the Eagle’s View looks at the effects of the virus and how it affects us as students.

How are you doing under quarantine? Let us know! Twitter: @LN_EaglesView Instagram: @LN_eaglesview Northnationmedia.com

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jaeda dickens morgan griffin ava henry mary martinez ian toney megan wright kirsten zirjacks

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Sports

CORONAVirus Attacks Spring athletics written by: Mary Martinez & Kirsten Zirjacks

BAseball

Some baseball players have been having issues with the lack of equipment and face to face coaching that happens during the regular season. Because of the quarantine, some of the players have been seeking a different type of guidance form their coaches. “There’s really not a lot they can do for us if we’re not with them, it’s a little harder to coach kids over the phone, to say the least. But they’ve been helpful in keeping our hopes up and keeping us in check,” senior Luke Mathews said. Everything that has to happen differently during quarantine will make a change for the worse or better. Not having a coach there to help the baseball team and push them to become better can be hard but having words of wisdom can be helpful. “Keep working hard and trust the process and the results will follow. They have done a great job of that and will continue to do so,” Baseball Coach Ryan Stegall said.

photo by: Ashton Overby

Men’s Tennis

Practices and meets are a must with a sport and there are always ways for athletes to improve themselves. This year was different. A pandemic has been spreading and stopped all sports-related activities. “I think this year we’re the closest we have ever been cause our group of guys have known each other for so long and have created a bond and it’s sad to see that the season may not happen,” junior Jed Anderson said. Players who can’t get on the court can find their time away to be difficult, but this isn’t the first time that events and seasons have been canceled. Students born in the 2000s don’t know what it was like when their teachers and parents had experienced bad things just like COVID-19. “Most of us have never been through anything like this unless we photo by: Lincoln Russel were alive during the Great Depression of one of the World Wars. It’s unfortunate that people’s lives/health is in jeopardy but it’s also a great opportunity to get stronger,” Men’s Tennis Coach Art Smith said.

Men’s golf

Between virtual classes and at-home practices, the mandated quarantine has impacted the men’s golf season. “I hate not being able to go out and practice every day. But I mostly feel horrible for the seniors for not being able to play their last season,” sophomore Drew Casey said. More than a month off can be stressful for coaches and players and no one is sure what might happen to the season. The season might have to start in the spring or there could be no sports until next year. “Honestly, I think there is little chance we will have a season at all. This is heartbreaking for all those boys who had made the golf team, and it is particularly disappointing for the seniors who will not have an opportunity for another season,” Men’s Golf Coach Jeff Braden said.

design by: Madi burrow

photo by: Trey DeGarmo

Sports

photo by: Emily Presser

Women’s Soccer

Track and Field

Track and Field is another spring sport that has been changed due to the Coronavirus. The team wasn’t able to get enough required practices for meets, so if the season returns the team will still have to complete practices before competing, pushing their season back even further than it already is. “I feel frustrated and helpless. I love this sport, and I think we had a really good team this year. Possibly 10 or so school records. More importantly, the Senior class has dedicated so much of their time, energy, and lives to this season that I feel bad for them. Even if we do get an abbreviated season, they won’t have the same opportunities as they would have had,” Coach David Chatlos said. There is more than just a medical effect that the Coronavirus is having on people. It is affecting school, sports, and their daily lives too. “I’m unable to go out and do things that I would normally do and practicing by myself just isn’t the same. It also gets a little boring just being stuck all day but I am able to still get out and run every day and I’m thankful for that. It’s kinda like the highlight of my day. COVID-19 has affected my track season, but I find myself lucky because unlike some people on the team I get two more years of track. For some of my friends and other people, this was their last year and I can’t even imagine what they’re thinking,” sophomore Ethan Lee said.

A postponed season or is it the end? The Woman’s Soccer team is feeling much uncertainty not knowing if they will get to have a season due to the Coronavirus. “The virus is affecting the season drastically. We were supposed to play our first games in the Platte County tournament which got canceled first, then school was canceled until April 24th along with our season and now we won’t be able to play until after April 24th. With all of those changes, there is some talk about being able to extend the season into the summer months which will be much different than what a normal season would look like. There is also the possibility that we won’t get the opportunity to play all of our previously scheduled matches,” junior Julia Johnson said. If the Women’s Soccer team gets a chance to play this season they will need at least two more practices before they can compete. They will also be missing many games they were expected to participate in. “Right now all of our tournament and non-conference games look like they are going to be off the table. That leaves us with conference schools to play locally. Given our current timeline, it is conceivable to play each of those teams once giving us a seven-game schedule and time to start district playoffs, but there are a lot of moving parts. photo by: ReeceMcCune We are not just regional and our season is determined by MSHSAA. They can opt to push our playoff dates back, but if there are member schools who elect not to follow a similar schedule to our region then who are we going to play? MSHSAA has been very slow to commit to postponing or canceling events and has instead left it up largely to the An unexpected end has come for the Men’s Rugby team. COVID-19 has local districts to set policy then react,” head coach Steven Person said. caused their season to end, only giving them a brief time to play together. “We follow USA Rugby rules and they have canceled all competition through May. I am very bummed. We have put in a lot of effort and time since early January and to have our season cut short is very upsetting. Honestly, I am trying to stay positive about the entire situation so I have not dwelled on it,” head coach Maddie Backes said. Students and coaches were told that the season would be over as of spring break. Many emotions went through the player’s heads when they heard this news. “I was pretty sad, as it was a lot of our last year of playing together for us seniors and knowing how strong of a team we had along with how good our chemistry was it hurts quite a bit. I was also very sad to know that the virus would be affecting all spring sports in general because it’s photo by: Daniel Tran such a big part of a lot of people’s lives,” senior Alex Geisert said.

Rugby

design by: Madi burrow

Eagles Life

eip brings home a win for the eagles written by: Ian Toney

photo by: Melissa Taylor Recently, EIP students had the oppertunity to attend a competition at Mizzou. Through this competition, everyone from North who went qualified to go to state.“EIP is short for the Educational Internship Program, where students get to spend one to two class periods at either a middle school, elementary school, or the Early Childhood Center four days a week,” senior Faith Covey said.

n this day and age, the benefit of a high-quality teacher is being highlighted during this time of pandemic. After all, the young shall inherit the Earth, and will eventually be the ones running the world. To help with this hefty responsibility, programs like EIP train high schoolers for future forays into the education field. “EIP is short for the Educational Internship Program, where students get to spend one to two class periods at either a middle school, elementary school, or the Early Childhood Center four days a week. As part of the program, you are paired with a mentor teacher and get to spend the school year helping in their classroom, which can be small activities, to activities that are more significant like giving lessons or grading papers. All in all, though, a majority of the time I’ve had in my classroom this year is just helping the students on different assignments,” senior Faith Covey said. On top of teaching students about education through experience, EIP allows participants to take part in state competitions that test their knowledge of everything they have learned first-hand. “State, just like for any club or sport or activity, is a chance to prove why you are the best at what you do. Whether that is playing a sport, singing, or in this case, teaching,” senior Jackson

graphic by: Braden Clapper

Krop said. Despite the competitionsoriginally being tailored for the students, the teachers also find pleasure in mentoring and training their pupils in preporation to them competing. “I always enjoy giving students the choice to go above and beyond to prepare for state competition for Educators Rising. It truly is a challenge by choice. Each year, I am always pleasantly surprised by the students that choose to compete. This year’s competition was the most rigorous I’ve seen, but every single Liberty North student placed in the top 5 in their events,” EIP Counselor Melissa Taylor said. EIP is a class that is meant for instructing Seniors on how to become educators, but many who have taken part in the program claim that it is a good experience regardless of whether education is a student’s career choice or not. “I would 100% recommend for other students to apply to the Educational Internship Program, Being part of this program is extremely rewarding, and easily the best choice I have made in my high school career. I hope that I’ve made a positive impact on my students and my mentor teacher this year, and I know that they have made an incredible impact on me; they’ve solidified the idea that I want to be a teacher,” Covey said.

DESIGN BY: Claire severson

Eagles life

Is Print news dying?

written by: Morgan Griffin

xtra! Extra! Read all about it! Print news and digital news having different accessibilities and effecting companies. When people choose a preference of digital articles or print newspapers people look at how accessible each one is. In most cases, people have to pay to read a print newspaper while others can go online to read a news article. This can play a role in what people decide is better. “I prefer digital because it is easier to access than printed. It’s something I can get at the tip of my fingers at any time,” freshman Lianna Morelli said. Some people prefer a print newspaper because they like being able to hold the paper or it can even sometimes just be easier to read the physical copy rather than reading something on a screen. Others also like the print newspaper from the many puzzles newspapers will have in them. These puzzles can be a nice addition for the people that read print newspapers and enjoy small games like sudoku or crosswords. “I prefer a physical newspaper. I like to have something in my hand with which I can turn pages and read the paper. I do not like digital. I find it much more difficult. Although I often read through various articles of the paper online, particularly the Kansas City Star, I find all the videos around it to be a distraction. Often I can close them, but I shouldn’t have to close them in order to read what I am trying to read. I also do puzzles that are in the paper and prefer a physical copy. I have learned that I can print off various puzzles, but again, I like the physical paper so that I don’t have to do that,” teacher Dennis Bunch said.

Many companies that provide news that also make digital articles will even have different ways they provide access to their articles. Some companies have apps people can use, like Apple and their news app, and others have many different websites or platforms to use on all different devices to browse through for articles. “I think digital articles are more popular because they are more accessible. Many companies even have apps to get the news easily. You can easily go to many websites to get news articles so they are definitely more accessible than a printed newspaper you have to pay for,” sophomore Maurice Cullum said.

“I am a news junkie, to the point that I do have various newspapers and TV stations bookmarked on my computers,” teacher Dennis Bunch said. Reasons people might choose one over the other sometimes comes down to time and money. In many cases, people have to pay to access a print newspaper that gets delivered to houses on certain days. This can lead to people having to wait many days to read a paper while others that prefer digital have many articles to choose from at many different times almost in an instant. “I think they would get more popular because the reason the digital articles are so popular is from being so easy to access and if the print was just a little easier to access it could boost that popularity,” Morelli said.

photos by: Ashton Overby Print news and online news have been working together for years. The debate on which way to share news is better has been especially relevant recently with the increase in social media use. “It’s now going to screens more. It is more beneficial because most people have cell phones and can access digital articles more,” senior Natalie Coleman said.

DESIGN BY: Claire severson

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indepth

covid-19: pandemic panic

written by: Megan Wright

The disease outbreak known as Coronavirus or COVID-19 has begun to affect the whole world. This disease causes respiratory illness, like the flu, with symptoms such as a cough, fever and in more cases, difficulty breathing. Doctors and Health Professionals say to avoid touching your face and to avoid close social contact with people who are unwell. COVID-19 is a fast-spreading disease and has led to self quarantine. “I am following the recommendations that are being told. Not going out unless it is to get food from a drive-thru or grocery store, carrying Purell with me at all times, practicing social distancing, going for long walks, washing my hands constantly,” Nurse Stacy Sarnell said. The COVID-19 outbreak has been spreading fast. For some people it has been a big shock and caused mixed feelings. It has closed down many schools across the United States and the government is attempting to get people to stay tucked inside to help prevent the spread of the virus. “I did not think anything like this would ever happen. Just prior to spring break when sports leagues began to cancel seasons and then the state of emergency was declared I was just in shock. I think it just shows how as a society we take everything for granted. I think it is important to find positives in every situation. With this, our family has had an opportunity to obviously come to a stop and be together more than we would during a typical spring,” Director of LPS Communications, Dallas Ackerman said.

It is not certain when students and teachers will go back to a normal routine, and schools have only been closed for a few weeks. In the meantime, students and teachers do work from home and it’s called online school, meaning staying at home for normal school days and staying safe and healthy, while still being able to get work done. “Online learning has been a big adjustment, however, I just completed an all online master’s degree this December so I applied a lot of what my professors did there to class now. The big thing is the balance of not overwhelming you but also giving you what you need academically,” Social Studies teacher Callene Farrell said. With many schools being canceled students and teachers have to do school work from home online, for some, it is an easy adjustment, and for others, it has been difficult. Teachers have been sending out work to students every week online as if they were at regular school. “I would say this has been harder than a regular school day in the fact that I have to be completely thorough with directions because you will be reading them and I will not be there face to face to help you have a better understanding. I also would much rather answer a question face to face with my students in the classroom instead of emailing regularly,” Farrell said.

I do think this will have some positive outcomes from it though. People will be a lot more concerned about illnesses and hopefully will come into a new routine of washing your hands and being aware of touching our faces,” Nurse Sarnell said.

Scenes like these have become nationwide commonplace as fearful Americans overstock on household necessities, food, and other products to prevent self shortages during a possible shelterin-place amid the COVID-19 pandemic. “Two weeks ago, I would have never thought it would come to this. Last week, I was still hopeful that we would return to school and the world would be back to normal very soon. I am concerned that people are not taking this seriously and they really need to be so we can get back to our normal routine, and our normal life,” Nurse Sarnell said.

design by: emma suppes

photo by: Ashton Overby

indepth

graphic by: Braden Clapper

For some of the teachers and adults that work hard at their job every day, the virus has affected their job and career by having to work at home. “I am working from home. It is going pretty well actually. We stay in contact using Zoom with the entire Health Service Team twice a week. We have broken off into four smaller teams and meet with our team once or twice a week working on tasks that we have divided up that need to get done. I have two teenage boys at home that I am trying to assist as well if they need it. We are all on our computers by 10 and work until we get everything on our list done,” Sarnell said. People who are not United States citizens, such as foreign exchange students, are at risk of not being able to stay in the United States. Most of the borders have been closed because of health reasons, and this affected foreign exchange student Maprang. “We were in Ireland for a spring break trip, and the travel ban was issued on our third day. When we tried to fly back home at the end of our trip, Maprang was not allowed back into the U.S. because she is not a U.S. citizen, and she booked a flight back to Thailand from Ireland. We were extremely upset and we barely got to say goodbye because we had a flight to catch. There is a lot of follow-up stuff to deal with now, such as how we have to ship her all of her belongings and she technically is still enrolled in the school,” sophomore Maggie Morris said. The virus outbreak does not just affect United States citizens, it affects the entire world. The virus started in China and spread fast towards the United States. “Our foreign exchange student named Maprang was sent home on our way back from spring break in Ireland, so she did not get to participate in quarantine with our family. It was

not a good experience. Coming home was even worse because we were so used to her in our lives and were all bonded closely with her. We have a schedule we follow, as for Maprang, she is still running on American time, though there is a 12hour time difference in Thailand, so she is awake at night and sleeps during the day,” Morris said. Due to COVID-19, schools across the United States have either been temporarily closed for a few weeks, or closed for the rest of the school year. Because of restrictions and suggestions from health departments, it is changing the way people go about their daily lives. “The biggest thing I am doing differently is staying home. I love to shop and I love going out to get coffee and fast food. I have completely cut that out of my life and about the only outside of my home interaction I get is going to the grocery store on Sunday mornings. It has been a huge change. This has been a huge change for my husband and son too, we are so used to being an on the go family that it has been challenging for my son with the understanding that we have to stay home right now to not spread the virus,” Farrell said. While still being on lockdown and being asked to stay home, there are ways for students, teachers, and others to stay in contact. Whether it is social media or a simple text message or phone call, staying in contact and communicating with close friends and family can pass time, or even be a daily activity. “Having had an opportunity to visit with a variety of people

Some days I have a lot of anxiety about it and if it will affect my family and students and friends and then other days I think it will all be okay and we will get through it. It really just depends on the day,” MRS. Farrell said. from our district and local community through our Facebook platform, I am just blown away by the resolve that we have. Our motto has become #InThisTogetherLPS, and this hashtag really says it all. We will get through this and be stronger for it. We are doing just what everyone else should be doing, sticking around the house and social distancing from others,” Dallas Ackerman said.

design by: emma suppes

Culture

National Women’s Month written by Jaeda Dickens

graphic by Braden Clapper

nternational Women’s Day is March 8th of every year. On this day marches, rallies, and speeches are given to promote female empowerment globally and recognize how far women have come in the fight for equal rights between genders, “International Women’s Day began in 1917 after women gained suffrage in Russia. It wasn’t officially named International Women’s Day until 1977 when the General Assembly of the United Nations passed resolutions declaring it ‘International Women’s Day.’ Females Empowered, the club I run, did a lot of research regarding the history of International Women’s Day and it was really interesting and kinda epic to see all the work women had done throughout history to earn their rights, and cool that we get a whole day to celebrate them now,” senior and founder of Liberty North’s Females Empowered, Alyssa O’Hare said. International Women’s Day of 2020’s theme was “I am Generation Equality” appealing to the younger generation and creating inspiration for many artists who then posted their artwork to social media. “I also saw a lot of posts celebrating all different kinds of women whether that’s different races of women or transgender women, other women in the LGBTQ community or women who want to have families or women who want to work. I love that the newest thing in feminism is accepting all kinds of women, and women supporting women. Our generation of women is different than others because we’re accepting each other in ways which are pretty much unprecedented,” senior Sophia Tulipana said. International Women’s Day at Liberty North High School

was celebrated by different clubs and classes. KNET did an all women’s broadcast on International Women’s day, and Females Empowered club members celebrated by having a supplementary meeting and helping shed light on the women in history who’ve made the day possible, “For International Women’s Day, KNET put on an all-women staged show, we tried to get every female on staff from Beginning Broadcasting to Sports Media to KNET involved. We tried to highlight not only the women on screen but behind the camera,” senior and Director of KNET, Emma Reiser said. Globally, International Women’s Day held many marches and riots for different causes in different countries all over the world, all pertaining to women’s rights, “In Mexico City, marches were held protesting the femicide of women in Mexico. It’s terrifying knowing I have family there. In Pakistan, women who marched were protected by the government and that is truly amazing. Women held marches in countries where it wasn’t legal for women to march. In Paris, a march protesting domestic violence and the government remaining apathetic towards it. In many South American countries, women danced and shouted in the streets for equal rights. I found them dancing as a form of protest to be beautiful, and an incredible metaphor for what it is to be a woman,” Spanish citizen and previous foreign exchange student Cristina Rivera Grobas said.

design BY: abigail Roberts

Culture

The Covid-19 virus: How Liberty Is handling a quarantined lifestyle written by Ava Henry

s the number of cases of COVID-19 in America grows, health professionals continue to urge people to social distance and not leave their homes if they do not have to. This quarantine has caused a large disruption in many people’s lives and has forced families and people to adjust to living in one space for a long stretch of time. “My least favorite part about the quarantine is that I miss people. As of now, it has been two weeks without talking to anyone outside of my family and I get lonely easily. I just miss being with new people and being able to talk about my day to my friends cause my days have been boring and all the same. So far I have not left the house for two weeks and I expect that it will be a couple more before I can leave, which I’m not looking forward to because I’m so bored. It could be much worse though, so I do not want to complain too much,” sophomore Jamison Lewis said. Despite the warning to social distance and not travel, thousands of people still decided to journey to locations for spring break. Doctors think that this is one contributing factor to why the virus had spread faster in the past week. “I think that the people who have traveled for spring break are irresponsible because even if they don’t care about their own health or safety, they are creating a larger chance of exposing those to the virus who would be more affected. I think some people are overreacting to the coronavirus, but I don’t think that’s a bad thing. It seems like governments and organizations are acting on a safer side, but individuals are the ones who are getting carried away and end up causing some of

the harm that we are seeing,” sophomore Kate Karmen said. Keeping busy and staying active during quarantine can be essential to maintaining a happy and positive attitude. It can be difficult, but some students are finding ways to refrain from getting bored. “Quarantine has really sucked because I used to spend a lot of time hanging out with my friends and doing things like going to the movies or eating out, but now I can’t see anyone because we are all on lockdown. Since I can not go out anymore, I have been doing a lot of reading, working out, and watching TV. I also facetime and talk to my friends as much as possible so I do not get too lonely,” junior Grace Kaiser said. Due to the virus, students have not returned to school. Liberty North has confirmed that we will remain in virtual flexible learning until April 24th. “I think that virtual learning will have a very rocky start as teachers attempt to transition to online learning. I’m not looking forward to it because it has a high potential to cause frustration from both the teachers and students. But I think once everyone has adjusted it will improve. I do not think the pandemic will get to the point of canceling the rest of the semester but I do believe that virtual school will last longer than April 24th, ” Karmen said.

Liberty North High School announced that they would be closing school until April 24th 2020, with the thirty day quarantine. This announcement may have caused some panic with a select few people about not seeing friends or not going outside, “My least favorite part about the quarantine is that I miss people. As of now, it has been two weeks without talking to anyone outside of my family and I get lonely easily. I just miss being with new people and being able to talk about my day to my friends cause my days have been boring and all the same. So far I have not left the house for two weeks and I expect that it will be a couple more before I can leave, which I’m not looking forward to because I’m so bored,” sophomore Jamison Lewis said.

photo by Ashton Overby

design BY: abigail Roberts

Spotlight

Oh how the times Are Changing written by: Ava Henry

trip that was planned to go to Costa Rica over spring break that was sponsored by biology teacher Andrew Bilen was canceled at the last minute due to the outbreak of COVID-19. This decision has postponed the trip and has left many students disappointed and surprised. “I was really sad when I learned that the trip was canceled. I had spent a year working on this trip and getting my travelers prepared. It all happened so fast that it was hard to process the cancellation. I really did not know that the trip would be canceled until I got the call. My travelers had mixed emotions, on one hand they were super disappointed and just sad and frustrated. But on the other hand, I think it was the right decision to keep up safe. Currently, I am still in the process of rescheduling the trip,” Bilen said. The trip to Costa Rica is not the only thing that has changed. The Coronavirus has caused upheaval to people’s everyday lives. Many teachers and students alike have had to adjust their everyday routines and have had to adapt to online school. “The two main changes in my life due to the Coronavirus are the lack of freedom of mobility in not being able to travel and even move about the city. However, I do think it has forced me to reexamine what is meaningful and a distraction in my life. I have been a teacher for 20+ years and I have found that both students and teachers are adaptable. I think everybody will have some problems to start, but we’ll get through it and be fine. I am trying to stay positive and I think we will be able to return to finish school at Liberty North in May. However, only time will tell,” Bilen said.

n these difficult times, it can be hard to be happy and stay positive. Science teacher Rolland Yoakum is one person that is working towards brightening other people’s day and spreading joy with an interesting skill: juggling. “When the social distancing recommendations went into effect, my wife wanted to go check on neighbors of ours who are in their 80s. She suggested that I bring along something to juggle, to entertain them a little. The idea really took off, so I put something on Facebook offering to come juggle in people’s yards or driveways. Mrs. Backes reached out and asked if I could come that day to juggle for a friend of hers, I did, and it was a lot of fun. For a few days after that, I stopped by several places to perform and chat from a safe distance. Since the travel restrictions have become more stringent, I’ve limited my outings, though I’m going to visit a teen crisis center for a friend who works there. This has been a lot of fun, and I’ve enjoyed the chance to connect with people,” Yoakum said. With the restrictive travel and how many people are selfquarantining, it is important to keep a healthy mental attitude and keep as much of a routine as possible. “Find some way to connect with people. I’ve been so impressed with the Zoom and Google Meet meetings I’ve had over the last week. It has been good seeing faces again. I think high schoolers are probably much better at making this a part of their daily routine. Stay healthy: physically, intellectually, emotionally, and spiritually,” Yoakum said.

photos by: Ashton Overby

Design by: Emily Johnson

Opinion

Curse or CoinciDence photos by: Ashton Overby

ith how undeniably turbulent the year 2020 has been in only three months, it’s no wonder it’s believed to be cursed. The 20th year in any Millenium seems to be predestined to be turbulent, what with the plague of 1720, cholera outbreak of 1820, the devastating Spanish Flu written by: Ian Toney outbreak in 1920, and now the Coronavirus pandemic this year. Alongside the already devastating COVID-19 situation is the panic over a potential conflict with Iran in January, the death of famous basketball star Kobe Bryant later in the month, the Australian bushfires worsening in February, the eruption of the Taal volcano in the Philippines, and many more unlucky disasters. Even though this year is “cursed” with a lot of sucky things, we have to remember that humanity has survived two global wars, innumerable plagues, and the imminent threat of nuclear war and still managed to come out on top. 2020 may be cursed, but as we’ve seen in the past, humanity has been able to overcome these disasters and prevail if we stick together.

Is 2020 A cursed year or Not?

020 appears bleak. The world seems cursed right now, but the epitome of hope to be found for 2020 is in the singing streets of Italy. The citizens of Italy came together in spite of being confined to their own homes and sang together through their open windows. They created joy in spite of fear. We were taking everything for granted: school, health, each other. We began treating each other as if we were expendable instead of important, and our refusal to slow down our busy lives began impacting how much time we had to take care of ourselves. The quarantine of COVID19 has changed that. We’ve stopped taking school for granted. We started appreciating our health. We’ve found a new appreciation for each other. Everyone seems to appreciate themselves a little more too. Shared fear brings people together. Our world is a scary place right now, but we desperately needed a reason to come together. 2020 is a rebuilding year, written by: Jaeda Dickens not a cursed year.

Let’s Callby: Katie It AHenryDoomsday Let’s Call It a Doomsday is a book that I have wanted to review for a while, but I felt right now is the perfect time. This book is about Ellis Kimball, a girl who is convinced that the world is going to end because of her anxiety. One day Ellis meets Hannah, a girl who seems to have visions about the end of the world. The two bond and try to find answers about the apocalypse. I really found this book relatable. Not because I’m a doomsday prepper, but because I can relate photo by: Ashton Overby

to the feelings that Ellis has in the book. Ellis has an inner voice that is always telling her bad things and preventing her from living her. Ellis also feels like a burden, which I have also experienced. Overall, Let’s Call It a Doomsday wasn’t perfect, but it was exactly what I needed in this time of quarantine.

“Just Because Something Makes You uncomfortable Doesn’t mean it’s a lie” Katie Henry, Let’s Call It a Doomsday

design by: Sami Binning

april 2020 “ When the virus first started, like most people i wasn’t too concerned. But then it reached the united states, then missouri, and now it’s in liberty. it has moved closer and closer and it really put it into perspective for me and made it feel so much more real. ”

Senior John paul williams