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RUBEN JARVIS PAGE 7
TABLE OF CONTENTS
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CONTENTS: 3 NEWS Stricter security in troubling times DCPS has updated safety polices and added equipment throughout their schools in an effort to make students more safe.
Duval superintendent search
Superintendent Dr. Diana Greene retired. The search for her replacement is underway.
4 FEATURES What happened to AP Psychology? AP Psychology’s curriculum is back in its entirety.
Boxing for a New Generation The Paul brothers spark interest in a classic sport.
5 OPINION Should phones be allowed in school? Governor Ron DeSantis passed a law banning phones in Florida schools.
Students should form a pep club Paxon students desire more school spirit.
Dinner’ 6 ‘Girl The implications of ironic online anti-feminism
7 COVER STORY Rising Hispanic Artist: Ruben Jarvis
Jarvis is enthusiastic about continuing his progression as a young artist in the music industry.
8 ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT Barbenheimer Summer blockbusters revive a struggling movie industry.
Studio Ghibli Fest The fest features one of Studio Ghibli’s best-selling movies and notable works, “Howl’s Moving Castle”.
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EAGLE TALON
NEWS
Duval County Public Schools (DCPS) updated safety policies and added equipment throughout its schools in an effort to make students safer starting at the beginning of the 2023-2024 school year. Throughout its schools, DCPS has added weapons detectors, and the new Centegix security system, which allows staff to report incidents by using their IDs, and a darker film on the windows. “These security measures were implemented by Duval County Public Schools as an additional
security measure to help keep our “The Evolv machines, which schools safe,” Dean Matthew use radar-like technology and Valaro said. artificial intelligence to detect weapons, were approved by the Due to recent trends around school board in August and are the U.S. with school shootings and violence in schools, DCPS has being hailed as a critical addition implemented weapons detectors to the county’s school safety to prevent students from bringing measures,” according to Vic Micolucci of NEWS4JAX. weapons into schools.
lockdown is being initiated.” Everything isn’t without its downsides, however, as weapons detectors have been known to flag different, harmless items as weapons. “The technology is great, but it also detects laptops, binders, eyeglass cases, and umbrellas,” Valaro added. “It requires vigilant security measures to ensure there DCPS has also added the are no weapons getting on camCentegix system into their high pus.” schools as a portable alarm system So far for the 2023-2024 school year, DCPS’s new security that staff can wear on their IDs. measures have been a successful Pressing the IDs allows for an deterrent on campus. alarm to go off. “Paxon students are generally “It sends an immediate alert to well-behaved,” Valaro said. school administrators that there is “While the new technology may a threat, and a lockdown needs to make someone think twice about be initiated,” according to Team bringing a weapon to school, it Duval Newsroom writer Laureen doesn't have any real impact on Ricks. “And also sends an immedi- student behavior.” ate alert to school police and Jacksonville-area law enforcement that there is an emergency, and a
Following former Superintendent Dr. Diana Greene’s retirement after five years in the position, DCPS is searching for her replacement.
intendent, Dr. Greene made of improvements during her time many changes to schools. Greene as the superintendent.” helped raise the funds needed for Duval County Public Schools many school improvements and has the Florida School Board Assought to change the names of sociation overlooking the process schools that shared names with Greene announced her retireof finding a new superintendent. Confederate soldiers. She also was ment in May, and exited the posiThe position is being advertised able to help schools transition tion in June, with many having and by November the list of differing opinions about her retirement. "...Make no mistake," Board Member Darryl Willie said in a news conference. "We're not here by accident. She's not retiring early; she's being forced out. That's how this works."
rights,” are among the qualities that Thomas hopes to see in the new superintendent. As for parent and student involvement in the selection process, Thomas thinks that “It’s needed, it's something that we should be involved in.” Mr. Williams is sure that, “DCPS will conduct a thorough search and pick someone that they feel is the most qualified to lead our district.”
candidates will be narrowed back to in-school education plans down. The school board held after the COVID-19 pandemic. meetings and hosted surveys “I think that as the leader of allowing students and parents to schools, she is ultimately respon- have input in the process. sible for the conduct of employ“Honest, trustworthy, all ees underneath her,” journalism about our kids and protecting teacher Tim Williams said. “But I our kids and the teachers' During her five years as super- do also think that she made a lot
In response to Dr. Greene's retirement, parent Tarra Thomas said, “If she had to retire, it is what it is.” Thomas feels that “she made a good decision because things were getting heated, and it wasn’t looking good on her end.”
SEPTEMBER 2023
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FEATURES
classes affected ents of students decide to report flexibility as it’s not the was the AP it. student's fault.” Psychology “I’ve never had any parents, “I would’ve been very sad if class, with more students or administration raise this course was banned because than 30,000 stu- any questions,” AP Psychology this is one of my favorite subJonah Derechin & Mia Maksimovic dents enrolled in it across the teacher Connor Rains said. jects to teach, and I believe it's AP Psychology’s curriculum state. “Never any discussions on relevant to every student − is back in its entirety after a “The course just covers inappropriate material.” we’re talking about human beconflict between the Florida De- different explanations regarding havior,” Rozelle said. “There is Under Florida law, curricupartment of Education (FLDOE) sexual orientation,” Psychology at least one subject in psycholoand The College Board over “age teacher Heather Rozelle said. “I lums that cover analysis or explanation of gender orienta- gy they can find relevant.” -appropriate topics.” don’t believe that there is any tion and sexual identity are subOverall, this course covers After recent events surround- propaganda in trying to support ject to being prohibited or mod- many aspects of psychology and ing new legisone side versus another side.” ified. While few raised concerns topics that relate to the human lation atAP African American History about AP Psychology’s course mind. Many students consider it tempting to was also rejected and subseinformation, the Florida Depart- to be an interesting part of high prevent any quently modified in an attempt ment of Education decided that school, with a high number of form of inapto limit the amount of “woke these topics should be altered enrolled students as evidence. propriate mamaterial” within the state. for high school students in “[We] haven’t altered anyterial and indoctrination relat- Along with these modifications, Florida. thing,” Rains said. “There were ing to gender identity and sexu- penalties have arisen for teach“I think that there are certain discussions at the beginning al orientation, certain AP classes ers that do decide to teach proabout what we could take out, were rejected in whole or in part hibited topics, including a sus- standards and qualifications to but in the end, they went pass the AP exam,” Rains said. by the FLDOE. pension or complete revocation “There could have been a little forward and said you could One of the most prominent teach the class in its entirety." of their teaching licenses if par-
controversies and publicity stunts.
Many found out about Logan and Jake’s new boxing careers through Logan Paul’s infamous “A video he posted fight with Floyd Mayweather, a to YouTube of the Mason Ackerman & Tyreese Smith globally recognized boxer who reforest showed the body Have you heard of the comemains currently undefeated. The of a man who appeared to have back of boxing? Well, the Paul fight generated over a million paykilled himself,” according to brothers are bringing it back. per-views, according to Damon Kalhan Rosenblatt of NBC News. Martin of MMA Fighting. Logan and Jake Paul started as Logan pushed into the boxing content creators with a large cult Logan shocked the world by scene in 2021 in the hopes of makfanbase of younger kids. The Paul holding his own against the proing the sport popular once again. brothers earned their fame fessional boxer back in June of Jake mixes his controversies into through Vine and YouTube con2021, proving to the world that his fights, causing the fights to be tent, as well as many controvermaybe the YouTuber has what it talked about more as the drama sies. The two brothers are comeditakes to be a real boxer. between boxers and other online ans who used their overwhelming personalities becomes a focal point However, there are some number of followers on social meof many online circles. doubts on the validity of the fight. dia sites such as TikTok, InstaAccording to ESPN staff writer “Floyd Mayweather Jr. finally gram, and Twitter. Marc Raimondi, Logan “is one of stated the obvious Thursday, sayWith over 50 million followers, the biggest financial draws in that ing he would have scored a firstthey brought new attention to the medium, filling arenas and selling round knockout of Logan Paul if sport of boxing with the younger hundreds of thousands of pay-per- their June exhibition was an offigeneration. However, the Paul view units.” cially sanctioned boxing match,” brothers are no strangers to
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according to Bleacher Report writer Tim Daniels. Now in 2023, Logan Paul’s influence on boxing is evident, as it is once again gaining attention from the younger generation. Logan is getting ready to fight his new opponent, Dillon Danis, on October 14. His return to boxing since his 2021 fight has brought a lot of hype around it. With the hype comes controversy, which seems to follow the Paul brothers.
EAGLE TALON
OPINION
Do you use your cell phone in school? Do you feel like it’s a distraction or an asset?
Governor Ron DeSantis passed a tacted, most modern phones have a law in July banning the use of feature that allows you to call imcellular devices in all class- mediately. rooms in Florida. Additionally, students use their “95 percent of teens cell phones to learn and complete in the United States assignments. They are most benefibring their phone to cial when doing activities on Kaschool,” according to Kid- hoot, Quizlet, and live games. Due slox. Although some, like De- to convenience, most students carry Santis, believe that cell phones are a their mobile devices in their pockhindrance, technological devices are ets, which is a luxury you don’t have essential in schools today. Phones, with tablets or laptops. This easy tablets, and laptops are used daily, accessibility allows class time to especially in high schools. Cell flow easily and quickly. Students phones have a multitude of uses can also record homework they that are beneficial to both students need to complete or take a picture and staff. of it so they can do it later.
one’s card. It allows the teacher to see who understands what concept. Contrarily, critics may argue that cell phones are a great diversion from educational instruction. “...phones and school don’t mix,” according to Michael Rich, an associate professor of pediatrics at Harvard Medical School in The Harvard Gazette. “Students can’t meaningfully absorb information while also texting, scrolling, or watching YouTube videos.”
However, students use cell phones for many other purposes. Many do get distracted by their cellular devices, but more are distractTo begin with, cell phones can be Furthermore, cellular devices are ed by approved technological devicused for safety. Due to advances in an asset to teachers and staff. Some es like school-issued laptops. The technology, contacting family mem- teachers use their phones to grade district cannot ban every gaming bers and friends takes a matter of assessments quickly, like scantrons. website, and students will continue seconds. If an unfortunate circum- They also use them to get the class to play games during instructional stance takes place in the classroom, to interact. For instance, there are time. Is all technology going to be you are one message away from teachers who use “Plickers”. These banned? No, so it is unfair to single contacting your parent or guardian. are cards with a certain scanner on out phones. This process is much simpler than them, with a different answer on Cell phones are a valuable tool to having to tell your teacher to call each side. The instructor asks a use in classrooms. They provide your parent or guardian and can question, the students flip their many benefits that outweigh the save a student from embarrassment. cards to the answer they think is disadvantages. Sometimes they are Also, if something awful happens correct, and the instructor scans the a distraction, but they are also useful tools that allow students to learn and the authorities need to be con- room with their phones for everyeffectively and efficiently.
Now, when you see the schools listed, some major problems may come to mind, such as “those schools receive much more funding than Paxon”. This seems to be the common excuse for our school not exhibiting proper school spirit. But what would make all the difference is gathering students who care about our school and image compared to other high schools in Duval County.
port, which would not only benefit us as students, but even our school itself. With more incentive to attend school events, the school would gain more money due to greater sales of sports tickets, school merchandise, and possibly even donations.
Take Wolfson's “Pep Club” for example. “Paxon’s student section is the perfect ex- The club consists of three students who took their school spirit into their own hands. This ample of school spirit!” said no one ever. resulted in Wolfson’s football student secOne thing many students on campus can agree on is the lack of school spirit exhibited tion gaining huge turnouts, leading to an at school events, sports events in particular. increase in school spirit. They even have their own signal when chanting “Go pack!”. Our student section compared to other The involvement of students in their stuschools such as Bolles, Wolfson, and Bishop dent sections and planning pep rallies would Kenny leaves much to be desired. result in greater exhibitions of school sup-
SEPTEMBER 2023
eagletalonpaper.com | 5
OPINION
Makayla Blanton
“…it
[…]
This is far from where “girl dinner” stops, though---the template of putting “girl” in front of
In summation, leave “girl dinner” on TikTok---women deserve to eat their fill after being
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EAGLE TALON
COVER STORY
Taylor Ramos There is a new rising star on campus! Senior Rubén Jarvis has shown his potential as Jacksonville’s next big thing, with an old-school style that contrasts much of what is considered “new age rap”, offering a refreshing sound with powerful messages about spirituality. “I do consider my music different, and it’s intentional,” Jarvis said. “There is oversaturation in the music industry with a lot of the same sound.” Jarvis is enthusiastic about continuing his progression as a young artist in the music industry. “I think simply the process of making music is exciting,” Jarvis said. “Just being able to see the manifestation of ideas in your mind.”
inspired by people’s situations close to me.” This strategy seems to work for the young rapper, as his top streaming song on Spotify, ‘Breathe’ garnered over 9,000 streams to date, and surely more to come with the release of 2 EPs and multiple singles that continue to gain popularity. Jarvis continues to produce and write music that is meaningful, passionate, and ultimately unique to his experiences and journey as an artist. As to inspire others through his art, Jarvis has one thing to say. “The message I want to send is that everyone has their own path to follow and that they should orient them to the highest possible conceptualization of success in their mind.”
What drives Jarvis and his artistry isn’t fame or media attention, but rather pushing the boundaries of his own art. “My number one goal as an artist is to not become complacent; no matter what I do I don’t want to feel like I hit a plateau.”
The local rapper also draws on his own journey as a person to fuel his creativity and convey different messages. “All of my music is a reflection of all the experiences I’ve had up to this point,” Jarvis said. “The most meaningful songs were
SEPTEMBER 2023
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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Rayonna Young The release of "Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” in theaters on July 21 grabbed the media’s attention and had people debating about which one was worth watching. The name “Barbenheimer” was coined after popular comparisons of the two movies sparked online. Was this the biggest movie rivalry of the summer? Starring Margot Robbie as Barbie, and Ryan Gosling as Ken, “Barbie” starts off like a typical “Barbie” movie, with everything seeming to be perfect and never changing. However, when disaster strikes in Barbie World, Barbie goes to the real world to resolve these issues. During the movie, real-life topics such as gender roles and identity are shown, in both Barbie and Ken, as they are both trying to find their place in the world. Many people on social media found this movie to be empowering and uplifting for women.
In movie theaters across the U.S., there was a sense of companionship among women as the movie brought them together, some even getting emotional.
War. The film portrays the entire process from start to finish, while also including aspects of his personal life, such as troubled friendships and romances, and dealing with controversy.
“Margot and Ryan have worked together before, which is why I feel like they made the perfect Ken and Barbie,” Walton added. “The chemistry was just there, and it was so fun watching them together.” The movie gained popularity very quickly, even before its release, earning over $1 billion at the global box office. The movie’s soundtrack is also very popular, as it took over the charts this summer. The album includes features from artists such as Nicki Minaj, Ice Spice, Dua Lipa, Lizzo, Charli XCX, Ryan Gosling, and many more. Many people around the world went to see the movie, dressed up in their Barbie and Ken attire, and some even dressed up as Barbies and Kens.
“A drama about genius, hubris, and error, both individual and collective, it brilliantly charts the turbulent life of the American theoretical physicist,” film critic Manohla Dargis of The New York Times wrote. Written and directed by popular director Christopher Nolan, “Oppenheimer” gained him even more respect and recognition. Many people loved this film, as it earned about $851 million at the box office at the time of writing.
“Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” don’t seem to have very much in common, however, they were the main talk of the summer. “Barbie” is more of a fairy-tale world turned reality movie, while “Oppenheimer” is based on a real person and real “This movie made me feel very lucky being a “Oppenheimer”, on the other hand, is a biopic -life events. Furthermore, the viewer’s opinion of girl,” Riverside High School junior Zuri Walton and focuses on a historical event. Starring Cillian a movie stems from their personal preferences and beliefs. Many preferred one over the other, said. “Surrounded by women in the movie thea- Murphy as J. Robert Oppenheimer, the movie but some enjoyed both. As for which one is ter who come from different backgrounds, we’ve sheds light on Oppenheimer’s involvement in worth watching, go to your local movie theater all had universal experiences that helped me feel the Manhattan Project, during which he created and decide for yourself. less alone.” two atomic bombs used in the Second World
tone of the scene. Those are just two ways it was used. The music, Studio Ghibli Fest is art, and setting complement underway! Gkids, who each other so well that it is diffihost the annual event that is Charles Hendrickson cult to see beyond them. held all over North America until “Howl’s Moving Castle” is a November 1, is showcasing come and determine the direchas a purpose to carry on in the masterpiece with beautiful art, “Howl’s Moving Castle” from tion of the story. Vibrant settings movie. Each area is used to its stunning music, meaningful setSeptember 23-27. The film is one allude to big pivotal moments in full potential, creating a vast tings, and a childlike charm that of Studio Ghibli’s best-selling the movie, as well as hint at what land that will soon be explored. will awe watchers. These elemovies and notable works, and it characters may be feeling at the Another prominent aspect of ments complement the movie to is easy to see why. The movie’s moment. What also contributes the movie is the music. Specifi- the extent that it is much more beautiful art, stunning music, to the beauty of the art is how cally, the theme is named “The than just meaningful settings, and the well the lighting influences the Merry Go Round of Life”, a piece art and childlike wonder that is captured tone. Dim settings create a tiring by Joe Hisaishi. He has commusic. in the essence of the movie or calming effect in contrast to posed themes for other Studio charms every watcher. vivid locations that have granGhibli movies, though this one deur. Although they cannot be Art and setting give every stands out because of the pleasused often, when employed they picture meaning that adds to ant sound and versatility. “The add much more to the scene. each scene. It is like Merry Go Round of Life” eases in Lastly, the grandiosity of each the scenes foretell by starting off calmly, reflecting location, even if it is a small what actions are to the rising action and the somber town, feels like it is broad and
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EAGLE TALON