Helping or hurting?

Snow more Work written by: Sami Binning

fter last year’s amount of snow days, Liberty North has put in place a new policy regarding snow days. On snow days teachers have to assign an online Canvas or Google Classroom assignment that should take about 45 to 60 minutes to complete. I believe that this is an imperfect idea for a few reasons. First, it assumes that all students have internet access at home. Most students do, but we cannot assume in absolutes. If it is too dangerous or frigid that we cannot go to school, then those students cannot get to a library or coffee shop to access the internet to complete assignments. Second, for some classes that have non-online lesson plans, having online assignments on snow days would just be busywork. For students who take multiple classes like this, having a bunch of work just to do work is pointless. Third, it makes more work for teachers who already have enough to do. Assuming that this online assignment would be graded, and if it’s not then what’s A

the point, it gives teachers even more to do. Teachers have upwards of 100 students, so that’s 100 more assignments to grade. But, these online assignments do have their benefits. I speak from experience when I say that I lost motivation last year when I found out that another snowstorm was coming. I didn’t work as hard as I could have. By having work on snow days, students can stay on track and keep their brains going for their classes that have online assignments. I propose that these assignments be extra credit instead of mandatory. I think this would be beneficial to both students and staff because students who can’t or don’t want to do the assignments aren’t penalized and students who do complete them are rewarded. If they are extra credit, then the teacher doesn’t have to put as much work into the assignments, and possibly fewer students will complete them. Overall, I don’t think that snow day assignments are completely bad, I just think they could use some tweaking.

Dry written by: Neal Shusterman his year, more than ever, the topic of droughts and wildfires is extremely topical. From California to the Amazon Rainforest, our world has recently succumbed to fire. Dry by Neal Shusterman takes a first-hand look into these droughts and fires. Dry takes place in California in the midst of a terrible drought, the Tap Out as it is called. We follow Alyssa and her brother Garrett as their lives change because of the drought. They no longer can mow the lawn or take long showers, but everything changes when the tap runs dry. In the blink of an eye, the people Alyssa has known her whole life turn against one another and she has to fight for her and her brother’s life. Alyssa is faced with extremely hard choices throughout the book and it really shows you the extremes of these situations. We in the midwest hear about these wildfires, but we never will know what it is like to experience those tragedies, and I hope none of us ever will. “People can be monsters. Whether it’s just their actions, or whether it’s who they really are, it doesn’t matter. The result is the same.” T Neal Shusterman, Dry

Social Media Does it hurt or help Students? S written by: Ella Pritchett and Mackenna Rowe

ocial media isn’t bad, but it also isn’t great. While there are many great things that happen on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook, not every ‘charity’ or ‘campaign’ is actually looking to do good. When the Amazon was on fire, there were actual non-profits and campaigns on Instagram that looked to help the fires. But there were plenty more fake charities looking to make a quick buck. People blindly donated money to these ‘non-profits’, when in reality they were scams. Social media is also addictive, can lead to poor mental health, and leads people to care about their image a little too much. On much of social media, people only put forth the best version of themselves. This can only lead to comparisons and insecurity. People can also be incredibly hurtful on the apps as well. The app empowers people to judge people based on what they wrote, and the things people post on the internet never go away. Dr. Lucie Hemmen, a clinical psychologist and author says, “If you struggle with feelings of insecurity and find yourself putting a lot of time and effort into portraying yourself a particular way on social media, then you are more vulnerable and would benefit profoundly from regular breaks.” In order to combat insecurity, I would encourage taking breaks. It’s also a good excuse to take care of yourself and form some new habits outside the realm of the internet. You would be surprised at what you can find out in the world. While social media does have it’s plusses, it’s so important to remember the dangers. It’s important to protect yourself when it comes to social media. There are people who are looking to scam you out of money, use your information, and make you feel less about yourself. Just remember to protect yourself and take social media with a grain of salt. You are more than your profile. photo by: Ashton Overby ow that social media has been around for a while, I think it is starting to have a positive impact on our society. Social media has started giving representation to lots of different communities, and the advertising industry is now straying away from typical beauty standards. Because of this, a lot of news that news stations choose to avoid will be spread around, like the Amazon rainforest and the gang takeovers in Colombia. People are able to be more aware of certain topics and have small businesses thrive within those topics. Small businesses can also be made through social media, a cheaper alternative to continuing a dream of someone who is interested. Some businesses like vintage markets or photographers can gain a following and be able to support their company. Small sustainable companies can now reach millions of people with a shared interest. Social media is also helpful in getting donations to different organizations. If someone needed a Gofundme or a kidney transplant, it is much easier to reach a wide group of people who would like to help! Instagram has an option to put a “sticker” for donations on stories. They also have a way to link to organizations or donations in the biography of that person’s page. Team Trees is a large donation campaign happening right now, for every dollar donated, one tree is planted, and they hope to reach 20 million by the end of the year. Colleges and businesses have also taken apart of trends and popular apps to spread advertising. Some colleges are also taking advantage of social media to connect students together. Creating connections between students already attending, and those about to join creates a smoother transition for new students. They also use media to help students find roommates and make friends, even if a student is coming from out of state. It also is a great way to keep in contact with people and old friends. That is why I think social media is now an important aspect of our society and can continue making a difference. N

“They think that if they retweet something, or they hashtag something, they are doing something, which is more than they would be doing if they did not know anything about it. I think we are doing some fake activism right now and it is making people feel better about themselves, but it is not addressing the actual problems,”