IS THE NEW SCHOOL PHONE POLICY EFFECTIVE?
PAXON SCHOOL FOR ADVANCED STUDIES
A BRIEF HISTORY OF
EAGLE TALON
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Victor Duong, Rayonna Young
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The Golden Eagles welcome Brandon Cribbs, new math teacher for AP Statistics and Algebra II. Cribbs transferred from Southside Middle School.
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Kairi Medeiros, Oliwer
Michael Belcher, Royal
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“The Annenberg Institute at Brown University found in a recent study there were an estimated 55,000 vacant fulltime teaching positions in the U.S,” Janet Loehrke said in USA Today. “Florida has the highest demand for teachers, while Utah has the lowest.”
Florida has 5,294 vacancies for teachers that schools are trying to fill for students. Sometimes schools request teachers to transfer to fill their vacancies, which is how Mr. Brandon Cribbs arrived at Paxon.
and has two siblings, aged 13 & 18. His motto is “A dead snake is a good snake #truth.”
His tests are based on AP-style questions because he fully believes that giving these types of questions will prepare students for the exam in May. His lessons are note-based and the homework follows the same protocol.
As a teacher, he has made his mark on students and is getting used to teaching high school. There is no doubt that he will learn the ropes of Paxon soon.
Cribbs was asked to transfer in April of 2024. He accepted and did not mind the transfer.
“I’m here due to the county surplus, though Paxon is a very good school, so I’m honored to be here,” Cribbs said.
“From the classes I’ve attended from him so far, he seems like a well, puttogether teacher and he is adjusting to the school transition well,” senior Malerie Lehman said.
Cribbs has a Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics and a minor degree in History. This is Cribb’s tenth year of teaching. He taught in England for a few months, while visiting family and then returned to Florida, where he is from.
Cribbs was born in St. Augustine, Florida. He graduated from the University of North Florida but does not like the swoop. Cribbs fears snakes and spiders
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Anticipation buzzes through the air. You can feel the pulsing energy from the crowd in the stands. It’s the first game on the new turf field and you can’t let your school down. Transitioning from grass to turf over the summer wasn’t a big deal, or was it?
and the only maintenance we truly have on the turf field right now is just dragging it once a month,” Brown said.
Earlier this year, Paxon became the third school in DCPS to receive an artificial turf field. Construction began in February, making them relocate athletics still using the field, and it finished just in time for football season with a ribbon cutting for the field on the first game. The new field has generated a lot of excitement for both players and staff.
The installation process was lengthy, though many believe that the outcome will be worth the time taken.
“The first thing they had to do is dig up all the old field and they dug down seven inches and removed everything that was from the top of the field down seven inches,” athletic director Maltbie Brown said. “Then they came in and flattened it, put in two inches of sand or an inch of sand, rocks, and then five inches across from the ground.”
The team and coaches have experienced many benefits from this transition to artificial turf. The field cost the school approximately $1.6 million, but it is expected to save the school money and time in the long run.
“I save about four hours a week between cutting, lining,
The field has been extremely well received by coaches, administrators, and especially students. During the first football game of the season, there was a great fan turnout with a ribboncutting ceremony to celebrate the new field.
"This new field will bring more people to watch us play," defensive tackle Antonio Blair said.
"Under Friday night lights, this turf field is something to witness and be proud of. It was a long time coming."
The new field has the school's signature golden eagle in the middle with bright green turf and crisply painted white lines, both end zones are painted a deep, continuous navy blue throughout.
"Students and families have generally been impressed with the appearance of the turf,"
Principal Dr. Royce Turner said. "Many comments on the clean look of the field."
The turf field has a hard "sleek" feeling, with less give, and some athletes say turf fields feel easier to grip with cleats, allowing them to accelerate faster. Many athletes prefer artificial turf over their natural grass counterparts.
"Turf fields are a lot nicer to play on, I look forward to being able to use it every home game,"
lacrosse player Evan Harding said. "This is a great upgrade from the old field."
Many football players have different opinions on the field change. Players who like the turf described how it helped them during the game and in practice, seeing an influence on how they played the sport.
“Turf is just really comfortable,” senior quarterback Jayden Simpo said. “You know, it’s softer on the ground. Falling and stuff like that, hitting the ground, you really can't feel it that much unless you just fall in the wrong way.”
Other athletes spoke about the injuries that come with the turf field, and how weather conditions can change the field completely.
“One thing I don't like about it is the turf burn,” sophomore linebacker Alfred Jiokeng said. “It's insane. Once you fall, all of your skin is gone. Sometimes when it's wet, you just slip and slide and when you go to tackle somebody, you’re sliding around.”
Despite the new challenges, the new field not only generates excitement for just athletes, but also gives the school, as a whole, something to be proud of.
"This new field gives a new sense of Paxon pride to its athletes and students alike," lacrosse player Santiago Rodriguez said. "This was a muchneeded upgrade.”
(Michael Belcher / Eagle Talon)
Love it or hate it, testing season is here and there’s no avoiding it. This winter, maximize performance with advice from experienced Eagles.
“I wish my students all knew that preparation is the key to success,” reading instructor Mrs. Porubski said. “They forget to bring small snacks, wear layers to account for the room temperature, and read their test tickets in advance. Preparation is the key to the SAT.”
Be ready! There is nothing worse than performing poorly due to a lack of preparation. By studying in increments, being dressed well, and eating the right foods, students can set themselves up for success.
“Don’ testing coordinator Mrs. Swiercek mentioned. When stuck on a question, go with your gut.”
It is important to attempt every item on the test! On the multiple-choice section, there is a 25% chance of getting a question correct from just guessing. Don’t be daunted by not knowing the answer to every question, nobody does. Eagles try their best!
Senior Treyton Schnorbus scored a 1550 on the paper SAT in December of his junior year. He then scored a 1480 on his SAT during the
which has now changed into a six-week limit that went into effect on May 1st of this year. Many Floridians have contested this ban and on November 5, 2024, Floridians can vote on Amendment 4. This amendment will allow Floridians to access abortions until fetal viability, which is around 23 to 24 weeks (about 5 and a half months) of pregnancy.
"No law shall prohibit, penalize, delay, or restrict abortion before viability or when necessary to protect the patient’s health, as determined by the patient’s healthcare provider,” the amendment said. “This amendment does not change the Legislature’s constitutional authority to require notification to a parent or guardian before a minor has an abortion."
This amendment has notable opponents including former President Donald Trump and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.
"I'll be voting no," the former President said to a Fox News reporter when asked about Amendment 4. Trump has been slightly vague on his view when it
comes to abortions. He has said that he doesn't support Florida's six-week limit and that there should be more time.
"I am going to be voting that we need more than six weeks," former President Trump said in the same interview. This discrepancy, in view, has confused some voters about his true opinion on the matter.
Governor Ron DeSantis has urged his fellow Republicans to publicly oppose the amendment and contribute to the opposition of it.
"Every one of our elected representatives needs to say where they stand on this. And obviously, it would be a ‘no’, "Governor DeSantis said at the Republican Party of Florida’s 2024 Victory Dinner on Saturday, September 7. "And so now you have an amendment that is the most extreme in the other direction you can go, and some are not saying anything or not offering to help us to defeat this.”
At this same dinner, DeSantis explicitly stated his concerns about the amendment.
"Here’s what’s going on: This is an amendment that will effectively green-light abortion all the way to the moment of birth," Govenor DeSantis said. "They do it indirectly, they use loopholes, and that’s obviously very bad."
While there are notable opponents to the amendment, there are also some supporters. These people include Paxon students and President Joe Biden.
The topic of abortion is something that teenagers have been talking about across the country. On campus, multiple students have expressed their opinions on the matter.
spring of his junior year.
“What surprised me was vocabularyheavy questions without context as well as the difficulty of the math section towards the end,” Schnorbus said.
Since the change from paper to digital format, the test is unfamiliar to students and teachers alike. Students must be aware that some of the same study methods that may have worked previously may not have the same effect now.
“There are helpful tools such as the built-in calculator & an annotation tool to highlight part of the text and leave a note to yourself to help you answer the question,” Swiercek said.
Sophomore Anilah Jones weighed in on the amendment.
"So many situations happen that cause a female to want an abortion," Jones said. "And to those who think that it should be illegal and that it's 'murder' shouldn't get one. Why put every other woman at risk."
Sophomore Derrington Harris commented about possible effects of the amendment if passed.
"A positive effect of the amendment will be that we'll have fewer irresponsible and neglectful parents in our state due to the amount of people who are forced to give birth,” Harris said.
President Joe Biden is a supporter of the amendment and has stated his support for the right to abortion multiple times.
"Donald Trump stripped away the rights and freedoms of women in America,” President Biden said during a speech in Tampa, Florida. “This November, you can add Florida to that list. Are you ready to do
Fibonacci Blue, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
to pewreaserch.org. With this staggering amount of people checking their social media apps every day, a new threat emerges, media manipulation.
“Social media manipulation has become increasingly prevalent in recent years, with organized campaigns found in 81 countries, up 15% in just one year,” according to Simone Bonnett, writer for LinkedIn. Media manipulation can consist of spreading disinformation about a politician’s goals, impersonation of an influential figure, spreading misleading statistics with no context, etc.
With the upcoming 2024 election, misinformation will continue to spread to sway votes away from candidates. This was seen in 2016 when Russia was found to be using operatives on social media to disseminate false information and sow discord among American
source, research the person behind the post, and decide for yourself if the person is credible based on previous posts/places of employment. Check the date, often videos are spread from a long time ago to fearmonger in events such as international conflict. What are the experts saying, make sure to check what well-credited researchers are saying on the matter and confirm whether the information is true or false.
Although social media’s spread of misinformation is unpreventable, the mere existence of social media is a major positive in the effort to stay informed. Social media is a powerful tool that allows critical information to be spread to the public, without it people could only get their information from biased news companies or the government.
thing, according to studies done by pewresearch.com.
Social media allows the public to rise up against decisions by the U.S. government that may spark controversy. The abortion ban, for example, has divided the country but social media informs the public of the specifics of the bill as well as motivates people to vote in state polls that may change the state’s decision on the legality of abortion.
Social media will continue to do both good and bad for world politics, without it, society would be vulnerable to being fed misinformation by the government, with it the public can make strides to accurately stay informed and stop falling victim to disinformation.
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Eagle football is off to a hot start as the new season of football has started. In previous years, they more than three games with last season being the highest at four. Last season, they reached the championship in their division but only came out with a silver trophy because they lost by one point. In 2022, they went to the championship as well but lost and got another silver trophy.
This season is different for them because they hope to win more than four games and reach the championship game again, but this time come out with the win and the gold trophy.
Defensive and offensive tackle Jonathan Holloway, one of the main elements of the team, rated the team so far.
“I would rate the success of the team so far a seven out of ten,” Holloway said. “I believe my performance aids the team in that success rating because I’m a part of the offensive line, so I have to protect the quarterback and on the defensive line I have to get after the opposing quarterback.”
Holloway has had high praise for the team so far and believes they can finish the season with eight wins and only two losses.
Another player, half-back Michael Belcher, has been battling an injury throughout the season but is eying a return to the field of play soon.
“The team is holding up really well while I’m injured,” Belcher said, “It makes me happy to see them winning and competing on a weekly basis in practice and at games.”
Although Belcher sees future success for the team without him being there, there are still some things that he wants to improve.
result of the season is, but I see us winning our first state title in Eagle football history because everybody on the team is dedicated to getting better.”
Most players play both sides of the ball to ensure the team’s success, but not all of them play on all three levels of the game.
Running back Charles Johnson is one of the few players who play on offense, defense, and special teams.
“Taking one play at a time, deep breaths, full effort, remembrance, and knowledge,” Johnson said on how he manages to play each level without slowing or getting tired. “I believe this team this year has the talent to achieve all things if we follow our coaches’ orders and give it our all. In the end, I want a state championship. Bump the other side. Eagles gon’ ride!”
(Michael Belcher / Eagle Talon)
(Michael Belcher / Eagle Talon)
Over the last few years, the MCU has pushed out some disappointing movies and shows. Movies like "The Marvels", "Eternals", "AntMan and the Wasp Quantumania", and "Black Widow" were all losses for Marvel. For the MCU losses like this were unheard of and were proof of a downward trend in the quality of their movies.
On July 22, 2024, "Deadpool & Wolverine" premiered at the David H. Koch Theater in New York City. The movie was released across the United States on July 26 as part of Phase Five of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). It surpassed a billion dollars in global box office revenue on August 11, 2024. "Deadpool &
Marvel’s “Deadpool & Wolverine” made over a billion dollars at the box offices.
James Yates
Wolverine" was very well-received, with some suggesting that it helped to course-correct the MCU.
“Reynolds is at his impish best and has the perfect foil in Jackman, who provides gravitas among all the mirth and bloody mayhem,” Radio Times critic Jeremy Aspinall said.
Most of the audience and critics largely enjoyed the movie for its comedy, cameos, and combat. Other critics, however, had critiques for the movie.
“The movie is overall a great time, and I had fun, but it's a big bag of nothing that doesn't mean much,” critic from the For All Nerds Podcast DJ BenHaMeen said. “It's a cameo-fest
with no real plot since the movie ends where it began. If you want fanboy worthy entertainment, then it works.”
Other critics agree the movie lacks plot, and some say it means little to the future of the MCU. Although some may have their issues with the movie, overall, it was very wellreceived and critically acclaimed worldwide.
“Because it has so many surprises, “Deadpool and Wolverine” deserves a second look – even if you were hesitant to take a first,” Sioux City Journal Critic Bruce R. Miller said. “It has laughs for everyone and plenty of profanity to make sure the wrong crowd does not embrace it.”
