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With heavy hearts, we celebrate the amazing life of Niye' Aunesti Young. She was a military child, born on January 17, 2007, in San Diego, California. She made her mark on this world in so many unforgettable ways before she passed away on November 9, 2024. Niye' walked through life with her head held high and refused to succumb to the battle she had been fighting for so many years. Those of us lucky enough to know her were truly blessed. Niye’ had an incredible gift of spreading joy wherever she went. Her warm heart and playful sense of humor made her a beloved friend and family member. Let's not forget that iconic laugh of hers, often punctuated with her enthusiastic "YEAHHHHH!" It's these little things that created lasting memories for everyone around her, turning everyday moments into pure magic.
While at school, Niye' didn't just focus on her future; she was all about sharing her vibrant spirit with others. She was an entrepreneur, turning her love for candied grapes and baking cookies into a small business that had her peers asking for more. Beyond that, her creativity truly shined through her hobbies. Whether it was building LEGO structures, painting, sculpting artwork, or crafting unique waist beads and bracelets, Niye' poured her heart into everything she created. Her creative flair extended to nail artistry and even culinary experiments
every project was a chance for her to showcase her passion for life.
Family meant everything to Niye', and she leaves behind her loving parents, Quinton and Geneva Young, along with her siblings Amaiah, Amari, and Shaniya. Her friendship with Janiyah and her bond with her godbrother, Grayson, was incredibly special, and both will miss her deeply. She also became an auntie recently and had the opportunity to meet her niece, Zari.
Niye's legacy will continue through Aunesti Angels Foundation, which was created in honor of her to support families that are going through a similar battle and to award an annual scholarship to a young inspiring artist who is striving to make their stamp on the world through their art.
Beyond her family and friends, Niye' touched so many lives in her community, leaving behind a legacy of love and laughter. Niye' was much more than just a daughter, sister, aunt, cousin, and friend; she truly was a beacon of joy and creativity. The warmth and happiness that she shared with all of us will continue to inspire and guide us. So, as we say goodbye, we remember the amazing time we had with Niye'. Her incredible spirit and passion for life will forever be woven into our hearts. She inspired us to embrace every moment and spread love, just like she did.
In an attempt to decrease spending, the Duval County School Board and superintendent Dr. Christopher Bernier have considered many options including the cessation of transportation for magnet schools.
"Eliminating transportation to magnet schools would save money possibly $12 million a year,” Bernier said. State law requires school districts to provide transportation for students who live more than 2 miles from their zoned schools, but Bernier said there's "no legal requirement" to bus students to magnet schools," journalist Megan Mallicoat said in an article for jaxtoday.
This proposal is in response to budget constraints faced by the school district. According to a school district spokesperson, $100 million needs to be cut from the operating budget for the district to remain solvent under state law.
"In recent years, we have been covering that gap with reserves, but we no longer have the reserves necessary to continue this practice," Bernier said on duvalschools.org.
While a change like this might be necessary, parents and students are equally worried about its effects on students and schools. It could cause serious disruptions in daily routine for many families and the schools could experience a shift in their students' demographics.
"Magnet schools are one of the district's strengths, numerous parents told the superintendent, and eliminating transportation to them would risk putting the magnets out of reach for many students, they worried," according to Mallicoat in an article for jaxtoday.
Because magnet schools tend to offer a more diverse and wellrounded curriculum, they tend to attract students from across the district. Many of these students rely on the bus to get to school, and without transportation, they may find it difficult to attend these magnet schools, possibly limiting their educational opportunities.
"Had there not been magnet transportation, I don't know if attendance would have been a priority," a mother of three Duval students told Bernier, according to jaxtoday.
Not only is it a concern for the students, but it would also have negative effects on the schools. Specifically, advanced schools like Paxon would be impacted because some students rely on bus transportation to able to attend the school. This is especially true for those that don’t drive or have parents that can provide transportation in the absence of busses. If they no longer have access to transportation, then who's to say that our school will maintain its advanced stature if these students can no longer attend? Other advanced schools in the area would face the same problem.
"It's all about money. From what they were saying, they were talking about spreadsheets and costs,” Barbara Clemmons, an active community member said on jaxtoday. “Not once did I hear them say anything about the safety of the children, the convenience for the parents to get the children to school."
Ultimately, there is no question about whether or not the district needs to cut funding because the answer is clearly ‘yes’. However, we do have to question if eliminating bus transportation is the best solution, considering the potential negative consequences for the community. Maybe there are other areas where cuts could be made that would not have such drastic effects on students and families.
TikTok’s ban was supposedly followed through to protect national safety. But is that the only reason?
On January 18, TikTok was banned at 10:30 pm EST for 12 hours. This followed a bill passed in early 2024 requiring TikTok to sell to a US company or face a shutdown. Many lost their main source of income, or an app they use daily, while others found alternatives to this sudden change, such as the Chinese app, RedNote.
“It was a bit of a spite thing and I also wanted to be one of the first people over there,” entrepreneur Christina Shuler said in an interview with Time Magazine. “Hopefully I can be part of the crowd that maybe can change how our government views this whole situation.”
In an act of protest, many moved on to RedNote, an actual social media app that was explicitly influenced by the Chinese Communist Party. CCP influence was one of the accusations TikTok faced, while another was that American data was being sold to the Chinese government
“Some 77% of Americans have little or no trust in leaders of social media companies to publicly admit mistakes and take responsibility for data misuse,” according to the Pew Research Center. “71% have little to no trust that these tech leaders will be held accountable by the government for data missteps.”
If the government truly cared about our safety, instead of holding only TikTok accountable, they should also have other companies, who may even steal more data, face the same charges.
“Although X and TikTok collect extensive data, their focus is more on their platforms, resulting in Meta having not only more data but more detailed and comprehensive data from across its platforms and user interactions,” according to Kiteworks, a software privacy company.
If the ban was truly focused on national security, why hasn’t the government acted on other, worse, privacy-compromising companies?
“They tell you this is about China. About security. About safety. That’s a lie,” Rand Paul said in an interview with Spectrum News. “This is about control. About fear. About silencing you.”
I agree with Paul, this ban isn’t to protect you, but instead to silence you. TikTok hasn’t shown hostile behavior when it comes to privacy, which is even confirmed by the CEO himself.
“Building what amounts to a firewall to seal off protected U.S. user data from unauthorized foreign access,” CEO Shou Zi Chew said during a congressional hearing. “The bottom line is this: American data stored on American soil, by an American company, overseen by American personnel "
The ban isn’t meant to protect your data, it’s intended to ensure your data is for, and monitored by, the US alone.
J. Trump made history as the second president to serve two nonconsecutive terms, and he has not failed to stir debate. The president, who promised many things during the campaign, proceeded to sign 26 executive orders on his first day in office. The number is a huge jump from the one executive order he signed on his first Inauguration Day in 2017. So, what were they?
One of the highlights of the President’s actions was to, once again, withdraw from the Paris Climate Agreement. The Paris Climate Agreement is a legally binding treaty between world leaders of 196 countries to attempt to combat climate change.
“[The Paris Agreement’s] overarching goal is to hold ‘the increase in the global average temperature to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels and pursue efforts ‘to limit the temperature increase to 1.5°C above preindustrial levels’,” the United Nations stated on the treaty’s official website.
President Trump made the argument that the United States’ participation in the global agreement was a waste of taxpayer dollars. World leaders and experts have expressed sadness regarding the decision. However, they also took the step to reaffirm their commitment to the Paris Accord, despite the US departure. Domestically, about half of Americans “somewhat” or “strongly” opposed the withdrawal, according to the Associated Press.
Equally important was the President’s executive order to withdraw from the World Health Organization (WHO). He attributed the decision to WHO’s mishan-
The international agency, which includes 194 countries, commits itself to tackling public health concerns and chronic conditions. At the same time, WHO frequently provides assistance to underprivileged regions. The United States’ withdrawal threatens to shake the agency terribly, considering the country’s position as the largest donor.
“If we think it’s expensive to be part of the WHO, just wait until we aren’t part of the WHO,” Judd Walson, Robert E. Black Chair in International Health, shared with John Hopkins’ Bloomberg School of Public Health in an interview. “That’s where we’re going to see the true costs.”
In addition, January 19 represented the start of ICE (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement) raids all across the country. Speculations of immigration raids targeting undocumented immigrants in Chicago were widespread even the day before, followed by similar news from other cities and towns. The administration claimed to only target criminals, but the statement came under suspicion. Trump now allows raids to be conducted at schools or religious locations such as churches. This has never happened before, and sure enough, criticism was almost immediate.
“What happens if students see their classmates plucked out of a classroom? So how do you explain these things to them?” co-founder and director of the National Newcomer Network Alejandra Vázquez Baur asked in an interview with The Guardian.
Amongst all the important changes, the president was also eager to announce identity changes of two famous natural landmarks. Naming the executive order “Restoring Names that Honor American Greatness”, Trump reasoned the changes as promoting American heritage and honoring the nation’s rich past. Particularly,
the Gulf of Mexico now bears the name Gulf of America, Mount McKinley. The former change put the United States in a confrontational position with one of our closest allies: Mexico.
“Why don’t we call it America Mexicana. It sounds pretty, no? Isn’t that true?” Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said while pointing at the territory that spans across all three North American countries. Furthermore, President Trump simultaneously managed to disrespect Native Alaskans, as the name Denali carries significance to the native people of Alaska, which Trump dismissed. Against public outrage, the president also called for an end to birthright citizenship and scrapped away the identities of millions of Americans by condemning “gender ideology”. He emphasized identification by sex at conception. What Trump and his team might not know is that scientifically, sexual organs are not developed until 6-7 weeks post-conception. As a result, the new executive order made everyone a woman.
“Donald Trump is a stunning and brave woman now,” according to conversations on Reddit sparked by a user, which received a response from another user “has to be, to have made it as the first female POTUS”.
Among all other things, his actions were fortunately challenged by federal judges across the country. A federal appeals court in New Hampshire recently blocked Trump’s effort to end birthright citizenship. They are the third court to do so.
Similar responses have signaled hope and resistance against an administration creeping to destroy the Constitution.
Baseball season is upon us, and the Paxon Eagles are hot! With changes in mindset and dedication, the team is ready to make their mark this season.
“The addition of new coaches is a big change we’ve seen this year, said.
This addition of leaders has made the team more motivated and dedicated than ever. The team strives to achieve goals this season winning the district, regional, and hopefulJackson said. These are big goals and can only be achieved when the team
attitudes have changed, we’ve become more levelheaded as a team,” junior Robert Ward mentioned. The group is more connected with each other, and this is reflected in their playing this year. “We know what we want and we’re hungry enough to fight for it,” Jackson added. As a result, the team won a preseason game on February 5 by 6 runs. This drive and dedication does not go unnoticed by the coaching staff.
As the team evolves this year, the upperclassmen share one sentiment. “Take it all seriously,” senior Micheal Belcher said. “You don’t want to lose focus and regret not making the most of these four years.”
So, with great coaches, wise upperclassmen, and incredible team chemistry, the Eagles are ready to take this season by storm.
By Trenity Gray
Girls flag football is starting a new season after having such a good run last year. Could flag football keep everyone interested in spring sports at Paxon?
Many athletes are very excited for the new flag season as they enter a new era, hopefully full of victories. Flag football also brings the same excitement as boys football season, which keeps students interested in the spring sport as they know the Friday night lights feeling all too well.
“I’m so excited for the new season,
Flag football players have been working continuously over the summer and as practices have begun, students
The winter sports season is coming to an end as spring sports approach. Paxon is in for a very eventful season, especially with our flag football team on the field. As the new flag football season approaches, students and athletes perk up at yet another sport that’ll have their attention. Since the season is beginning, students and coaches have expressed their interest in flag football.
ren Sams explained. see what the girls got this year, especially since I have friends that play. They’re definitely ready to dominate anything that comes their way.”
Students are ready to feel that football excitement re able to get twice a year during spring and summer sports. Many students and faculty are very proud of s flag football team, and the interest in the new
The girls flag football team is definitely capturing s attention as the spring sports roll in. Their winning streak has been splendid as they won districts last year. Students, staff, and athletes are beyond excited for the new fresh season.
