The Insider December 2017 Issue

Issue 4

The Insider

December 2017

EC Giving Back Emma Vansickle Insider Staff This year, during the holiday season, the Eastside Catholic community has been setting up for their annual Christmas and New Year activities. Along with this, EC is doing things that will also help our community outside of school grounds. Each year EC sets up a tree in front of the attendance office that has cards hanging off the branches with certain gifts for our students to buy to give back to the community during the holiday season. The goal of this tree is to reach the less fortunate.

Down by the attendance office EC has the Giving Tree. This tree is covered in cards, with each containing instructions to purchase a gift card from a store to help families in the community who are struggling to get gifts. The tree is here at EC so that during the holiday season, we as the community can help families in need and give back to our surrounding community.

Photo Credit |David Dingler|

EC Insider Staff spoke to the people who started this tradition to get more information about the trees history. Mrs. Kittridge, said that ?the actual giving tree started when I came to EC? so 2008.?

The start of giving back to communities during the holidays was first started back in 1996. It is an opportunity to donate to families who wouldn?t otherwise be able to have Christmas gifts or who are struggling financially during this holiday season. EC donates to families who are connected through St. Vincent de Paul at Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Church, Holy Innocents Catholic Church, and Tent City IV. Each tag on the tree represents an individual who will then be given a gift card to help with groceries/gas, or to buy some items for Christmas. The past few years, the Giving Tree has brought in more than $5000.00 in gift cards each year.

The entire EC community rallys around important causes, and that is the true meaning of Christmas. Merry Christmas EC!

L ife is Better With Options Ryan Xue Insider Staff The Eastside Catholic Options program provides a student- centered environment for individuals with diagnosed intellectual disabilities. The curriculum, activities, and community involvement focus on the development as the person as a whole. The Options program mainly promotes individualized academic progress, spiritual education, and communication and life skills.

The options program hopes to prepare its students from the transition from high school to an independent lie through a career and post- secondary exploration.

Support Services Executive Director Ms. Burnham, started working in the options program back in 1994 and later transitioned into the Academic Resources program. She came back to EC in 2016. She said that the students are the best part of the program.

This year, the program has expanded from four to nine students, and there is now a ParaProfessional named Ms. Barton who works with Mr. O?Rourke to help with the students and peer tutors. In the Options program, students earn a certificate of completion. They take many of their core classes (English, Math, and Science) in the Options program and they take their elective and religion classes in general education with everybody else.

They are also assisted by peer tutors.

Peer tutors help students with their work, assist the options classes, accompany the students to their general education classes and sit with them and help them with anything and everything that they need help with. Students who are peer tutors instead of taking a regular class or an elective tutor for a class period during their normal seven class schedule.

Delaney Green, a Senior at Eastside Catholic is one of the Options peer tutors. As a peer tutor she helps her buddy Justin during his English class with any of his questions.

She said that, ?My favorite part of being a peer tutor is seeing the transition from the beginning of the year to the end. Typically, at the start of the year students are shy, tentative, and quiet. But by the end of the year they are outgoing, confident, and just overall happy to be at school with their friends.? She also said that her favorite part of being a peer tutor is to

Photo Credit |David Dingler|

make friends with and get to know students that she would not normally cross paths with.

Jack Rossmeissl, also a senior, was an Options peer tutor last year. He helped with different students through their classes. Last year he assisted all the students through a communications class. His favorite part about being a peer tutor is making new relationships within the school and ultimately making new friends. He also enjoys helping to coach the options basketball team on the weekends. Jack is going to be a peer tutor during the second semester of the 2017-18 school year.

Options students are encouraged to participate in extra- curricular activities. A popular club for many students is the Circle of Friends which encourages socialization and understanding within the broader school community. There is also the Special Olympics which allows options kids to participate in various sports such as basketball, soccer, bowling, softball, or golf. Any student who participates in either of these sports for two years gets a varsity letter.

Students increase their self- confidence and social skills while also improving their athletic ability.

In the future, the program helps to grow back to how big it used to be. There used to be twenty students and the goal is to become a program of that size again.

Options is a wonderful part of EC and the program has helped so many wonderful people.

The Insider

Issue 4

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Your Insider Staff Anna Leist Mitch Flippo Blake Barrett Sophia Vandewark Matt Wittress Joe Burroughs Riley Wilkins Lauren Michels Katie Springborn Zach Esteb Ephraim Vea Garrett Wallace Madelyn Floyd Ryan Xue Emmy Kistner Keenan Porter Liam Edwards Emma VanSickle Nick Beaver Justin Merlino

From the Writer's Room: Our Favorite Kitchen Utensils Ryan Xue- Wr iter "A fork because I use it the most."

Emmy K istner- Social M edia Co-M anager.

Broadcast Anchor "Straws! They make drinking boring things like water more fun."

M ustin Jer lino- Wr iter

? A spoon because I can eat peanut butter with it.?

ZESTEB - Wr iter "A fork because it is fun to poke things with and an effective means of getting food to my facial orifice."

K eenan " Protein" Por ter- Wr iter "A burrito, I don't know. Actually, a blender bottle. How about a wooden spoon."

Issue 4

Special Editorials

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America Needs Stricter Gun Control Laws Owen Bernstein Guest Writer In 1994, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops issued a statement in response to rising violent crime rates. In this message, the bishops stated that ?We have an obligation to respond. Violence -- in our homes, our schools and streets, our nation and world -- is destroying the lives, dignity and hopes of millions of our sisters and brothers.?

That was over 20 years ago. In the last two decades, we have stood by and allowed the assault on human dignity to continue unchecked. Now, as conversations about gun control once again dominate the national conversation, we must respond. I believe that the most viable response, the response that will save the most lives, is stricter gun control on all weapon sales in the United States.

Critics of gun control often argue that gun violence simply isn?t that large an issue.

They say that the benefits of guns far outweigh the costs and that the simplest solution to gun violence is for more people to be armed.

However, statistics show that every year in the United States 114,994 people are shot and 33,880 people die1. 16.4 mass shootings on average have occurred annually over the last twelve years compared to 6.4 in years prior2.

Additionally, the gun homicide rate in the United States is 25.2 times higher than the average high income country3.

Gun violence in the United States is a pressing issue that increases in urgency every day. New policy has the capacity to save lives.

We cannot sit by idly and justify such atrocities, we have the responsibility to seek solutions and work tirelessly for change. Gun

control is one such solution that is proven to work, proven to save lives, and proven to protect human dignity.

These statistics reveal that having more people carrying guns is actually causing more violent crime such as rape and homicide.

Firearms in the United States are marketed as a way to protect oneself; however, guns are rarely used in self-defense and are much more likely to be used in a destructive manner. According to a study by the National Crime Victimization Survey, firearms are only used in self-defense 65,000 times a year. This means that for every one time a gun is used in self-defense there are 4 unintentional shooting 7 criminal assaults or homicides, and 11 attempted firearm suicides. Guns take lives and very rarely save them.

Opponents of gun control point to decreasing violent crime rates and higher rates of gun ownership as proof that guns, and access to guns, decrease crime. While it is true that the number of firearms has increased, the percentage of American households that own guns has decreased. In 1977 54% of American households owned guns with an average of 4.1 guns per household. In 2009, 33% of United States citizens owned a gun and these citizens owned an average of 6.9 guns4. The general decrease in violent crime rates over recent decades can be associated with a decrease in gun ownership. Owning firearms does not make a person safer, a community safer, or the nation safer. By making guns harder to purchase, by making concealed carry permits harder to obtain, and by banning unnecessary assault weapons, lives can be saved, communities can be healed, and our nation can become a safer home to all.

Additionally, guns in a household have been associated with higher rates of homicide and suicide. Two studies, one by Arthur Kellerman of the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences and the other

by Douglass Wiebe at the University of Pennsylvania, show that having a gun in a household is associated with a 40-60 percent increase in likelihood of being murdered as well as a 244-488 percent increase in likelihood of suicide. It has been proposed that owning a gun in an attempt to find safety actually leads to more reckless actions by the gun owner. Owning guns does not make a family or an individual safer, and oftentimes it puts that owner at greater risk.

Outside of the household, communities have suffered from easily accessible gun permits. A 2003 study by John Donohue, a Stanford university economist, has shown that over the past 37 years violent crime has dropped much faster in states that have hard to access concealed carry permits when compared to states that have easy to obtain permits.

It is, of course, possible to point to specific circumstances that contradict the viability of gun control. Evidence can be hand selected to prove any point. In a country as complicated and diverse as the United States there will always be examples of firearms being used to save lives. However, as Archbishop Cupich has written, ?It is no longer enough? to comfort the bereaved and bewildered families of victims. It is time to heed the words of Pope Francis and take meaningful and swift action to address violence in our society and return accountability to the place it deserves? We must act in ways that promote the dignity and value of human life. And we must do it now.?

The Right to Bear Arms is Sacred Riley Wilkins Insider Copy Editor This summer one of my neighbors and close family friends experienced a break in.

The 50-year-old woman was home alone mid-day and a man, much larger than her, broke down her front door, beat her to the ground, and stole many of her valuables. Two days later, in the middle of the night, my neighbor and her husband were in bed and yet again the front door was broken in, the same man from earlier entered with a baseball bat, beat both her and her husband, breaking his back and ribs, and her arm, and stole more of their hard-earned valuables.

The next morning, she bought a gun and got her concealed weapons permit. Broken and terrified she awaited the return of the intruder. He came back for a third time several days later, again in the middle of the night, and this time she yelled, ?I have a gun, step back?then fired a warning shot into the ceiling, and the man quickly ran away and was met outside by the police.

More and more frequently the Bishops of the United States speak up about gun control saying that they have an obligation to, as leaders of the Catholic community, respond to the violence in homes, school?s streets, nationwide and worldwide, to something that ?is destroying the lives, dignity, and hope of millions?

The Pro-gun Catholics association has responded to the bishop?s comments saying, "Advocating for the rights of people to defend

themselves with the appropriate weapons is part and parcel of my Catholicism," said Snyder, of Washington. "I do feel a great loyalty to the church and the bishops and it pains me to see them behaving so foolishly."

"The Catholic church is a spiritual guide, but it's not a guide in determining my rights," said Mark Cunningham, a Salinas, Calif., Catholic who opposes increased gun control laws.

"They're offering an opinion, but it's not something that I have to believe in as a Catholic."

result in 37,461 deaths per year, significantly higher than death due to guns. It only seems fair that if we are to put on stricter gun laws, we should put laws on things that kill much more frequently that guns do.

Guns are used for violence, that is something no one can deny, but laws and regulations won?t stop terrorists and criminals, who aren?t deterred by the laws. But more often than not, guns are used for good.

Law-abiding citizens use guns to defend themselves against criminals as many as 2.5 million times per year, about 6,850 times a day. This means that firearms are used more than 80 times more often to protect the lives of honest citizens than they are to take lives. Of the 2.5 million times citizens use their guns in self-defense, an overwhelming majority merely brandished their gun or fired a warning shot to scare of their attackers.

That means that less than 8% if the time, a citizen will kill or wound his/her attacker.

Without a gun, there?s a very good chance that my close family friend would The top ten leading causes of death in not be here today. I could throw numbers into the US, as of 2015, in order are, heart disease, this article all day long but in the end, it really cancer, chronic lower respiratory diseases, does come down to the fact that guns save accidents, (accidents such as motor vehicle, lives and protect innocent people. My family drugs, accidental falls and other accidental has had guns my whole life and at a young age injury?s), stroke, Alzheimer?s disease, I was taught to handle a firearm, in a safe and diabetes, influenza and pneumonia, kidney protective way. If stricter laws are placed on disease and lastly suicide.

PHOTO CREDIT | MITCH FLIPPO | fire arms it will make it almost impossible for people who need guns to get them, like my These are the real issues in America family friend, who got hers just in the nick of today, not gun violence which was not time. included on the top ten leading causes of death list. So, if we are to put stricter laws on guns, shouldn?t we also on things like cars, which

Issue 4

World News

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A Defector Makes a Run for it in North Korea Keenan Porter Insider Staff

Along with the damage from the bullet wounds the soldier was infested with parasitic worms. These worms show the humanitarian crisis within North Korea. He was a soldier who was appointed to the MDL meaning he was supposed to be the best of

On November 13th, 2017 over Thanksgiving break, a low-ranking North Korean soldier raced past military check points towards South Korea. He smashed into a ditch and got stuck only a few yards from the Military Demarcation Line (MDL). On his way to the South, he was shot at forty times and hit five times. Once he crossed the border, he slumped against a building where he waited for rescue. A short while later, three South Korean soldiers slowly crawled over to him whilst keeping cover from North Korean soldiers.

Once they grabbed him, they quickly Photo Credit |CNN| dragged him back and got him on a the best. However, even this boarder guard United States Blackhawk helicopter. had Hepatitis and a massive worm infection.

This just goes to show how poor the Once the defector was taken back to conditions are in the isolationist state. Even the doctor in South Korea, he was treated for the supposed healthiest are riddled with the five bullet wounds, Hepatitis B, and disease. Now imagine the common farmer. malnutrition. The soldier lost over half his They are likely much worse off and it is blood and was near death. Most of the bullets likely to just get worse. only grazed him or hit him in unimportant areas. However, one bullet hit him in the abdomen, which caused severe damage.

This escape also resulted in problems for the northern soldiers on the border. They have reportedly been reprimanded due to them failing to stop the defection. It can?t be said exactly what will happen to these soldiers but it is likely they will be severely disciplined or even sent to work camps. Along with this due to the defection, the soldier?s family will also be put into work camps. All of his family for three generations will be forced into slave labor for the regime.

This action could have vast implications on the North and Souths relations. It is likely the north will try to start something to get the soldier back or even begin more missile/ nuclear tests as justification for the south taking one of their soldiers. It is unclear how this will affect the future of the peninsula but it must be watched carefully.

Not matter what transpires between the United States and North Korea in the next few months, one thing is certain: North Korea is on a collision course for trouble.

Zimbabwe's New Era Anna Leist Insider Editor-in-Chief The country of Zimbabwe, located in a southeastern part of Africa, has been the location of political tension in the last several decades.In the past month, these tensions have been bubbling to the surface under the presidency of long-time dictator, Robert Mugabe.Now, a new leader is stepping forward as Mugabe steps down from his 37 year-long position of running Photo| voiceofpeopletoday.com| the government in Zimbabwe.

Mugabe?s presidency left the country of Zimbabwe in mass destruction, shown through the worthless currency used until 2009, large debts, the population left impoverished, and an unemployment rate of nearly 80%.

The horrendous state he left the country in brought about more hate and fear for him than love from the people of Zimbabwe.He faced impeachment from his political party, and agreed to step down with a five-million-dollar payoff and an additional $150,000 salary each year until his death.

Despite the hopefully more positive turn to a new era in Zimbabwe, many wonder about how much of a positive

influence the new leader, Emmerson Mnangagwa, will have on the country.Formerly referred to as ?The Enforcer,? Mnangagwa worked as Mugabe?s right-hand man.The population worries that he will cause more terror and fear in Zimbabwe than Mugabe had ever caused.

Zimbabwe has had a history of corrupt elections and oppression against the population.Mugabe had ruled the country, seemingly only looking out for his own interests.Government inflicted violence was covered up, and those protesting or refusing to show support for him faced a bleak and violent future.

When I traveled to Zimbabwe in the summer of 2014, I saw this corruption firsthand.It was the year of the election, and Mugabe won almost the entire population over.Everyone stood in hour long lines to vote, and have their finger dipped in red ink as a symbol that they had voted.I learned that these seemingly harmless elections were truly corrupt.If an individual didn?t vote, or voted for Mugabe?s opponent, Mugabe had the power of his army against them.

Although this seems to be the start of a new era, it may just pull Zimbabwe into deeper struggles and oppression.

Issue 4

US News

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A Look Back at President Trump's First Year Zach Esteb Insider Staff On January 20th2017 Donald John Trump was elected the 45th president of the United States. Prior to politics he was a successful business man and a television personality. The fact that Donald Trump is the first president without government, or military experience, led to many people having doubts about him. Along with the outlandish comments he has made in the past made his presidential win unconventional. He has been in office since January 20th and is reaching one year on January 20th 2018 and has done some notable work and not so supported work.

His first major act only a week into his Presidency was signing an Executive Order banning travel from several Muslim-majority nations. This left the nation in shock and many were against this ban. Many protest happen due to this ban.

The second part of this ban came in March when re revised it to a 90 day ban of six Muslim countries including Iraq, Syria, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen.

Trumps comment on the violence in Charlottesville between the Antifa and white nationalists saying there were ?fine people on both sides?. His comment was frowned upon by many and people were

confused why he was not shutting these hate groups down. Trump also banned non-governmental organizations that receive any US cash from "providing counseling or referrals for abortion or advocating for access to abortion services in their country" This outraged many pro-abortion activist and they protested.

Trump signed a climate change policy reversal undoing a key part of the Obama administration?s efforts to tackle global warming. This reversed the clean power plan which required states to regulate power plants. Many environmentalists criticized Trumps decision saying it will have serious consequences. Trump has also order for the revisions of the Obama waterway regulations. This regulation gave authority to the federal government over small waterways, including wetlands, headwaters and small ponds. Trump has put Scott Pruitt who is leading the EPA in charge of rewriting the rule.

Trump has also been very invested in border security. Throughout his campaign and presidency, he has declared that the Unite States will build a wall on the Mexico border to keep all illegal immigrants. He has signed 2 executive orders that will fulfill his vision. The first states the US will create "a contiguous, physical wall or other similarly secure, contiguous, and

President Trump's First Year in Pictures

impassable physical barrier" The second states that the US will hire 1000 more immigration officers to tighten up border security. There is already a prototypes for this wall and it will continue to be developed. It also states that sanctuary cities will not receive money from the government if they continue not to deport undocumented immigrants. It is unknown how Trump plans to pay for this as it is estimated to cost 12-15 billion dollars.

Overall Trump has done a lot in his first year and many are happy and other not as so pleased, but it will be an interesting presidency to follow and experience.

Issue 4

Sports

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Freshman Football: A Season to Remember Riley Wilkins Insider Copy Editor

They my brothers, I don?t even have to say it, its just something they know.?

(-Drake) -Will Reed

With the Varsity Football season coming to an end its tome to say goodbye to our four-year veterans and welcome in a new generation, the Freshman, who have been training tirelessly since summer break.

Head Coach Kwan Johnson, and Assistant Coaches, Drew Cambell, A.J. Hostak, Jarrod Roberts, and Nic Sotelo, worked nonstop to get these young men ready to enter the Varsity team next season.

Going 7-1 this season, the team says they did much better than they thought they would. One team captain, Bryce Lewis, ?21, says ?In the beginning of the season we struggled to work as a team, but as the season went on we became brothers, through blood sweat and tears.?

Another team captain, Ta?Vareus George says, ?We weren?t working as a team but then we all had a conversation and it brought us together like a family and we

?Let the bridges we burn light the way.? (-Kwan Johnson) -Aden Hartman ?Be humble, keep moving forward.? Jahlahn Tuimoloau

ended the season even better than we thought we would because we showed that we were a team.?

Both coaches and players were very happy with their season, and every players performance on and off the field. Head coach, Kwan Johnson says, ?There wasn?t one single MVP, the whole team was an MVP.?

Some other favorite quotes from the year: ?Quit running around like a bunch of village idiots? (-Kwan Johnson) -Sheenah O?Connor

Varsity Football Season Cut Short Garrett Wallace Insider Staff This past month, Eastside?s Varsity Football team had their season cut short after a devastating loss to Garfield in the quarterfinals. The after effects of the loss are still being felt but many on the team are eager to get started preparing for the 2018 season.

After an undefeated season and a strong first two playoff games things were looking great for the team and many players were confident they would make it to the state championship. After nearly 6 months of preparing for the season, the team was confident based on their performance that they would go all the way to State. After the game against Garfield in the regular season, a forty-point blowout, the team was confident in their ability to win against Garfield again, just as they had done before. Many people believed that EC would take the game over and walk out winners, the resulting outcome was a four-quarter battle that went into overtime, during the overtime period, possession went back and forth until Garfield decided to kick a field goal,

after a successful kick the all-out war ended with the scoreboard reading 10-13 with Garfield as the winner.Now, the team is preparing to come back better than ever and go all the way to state and bring home the title. ?We hope to win state next season and become champions.? Says Hayden Harris the starting quarterback, ?We are preparing for next season so we can be the best we can be, I am confident in the ability of me and the team to take the season all the way to the championship.?

Accomplishing such a task will not be easy, off-season training has begun and the team is pushing to be better for themselves and the school.

Next year, they are saying they are going to come back better than ever.After a strong season with no losses and full of blowout games against many teams, ended with a close scoring overtime game that ended in a loss for EC.

The team captains all said they loved playing with their team and thought the progress they made was really amazing. From the beginning of the season to the last game the team got better and strong every day, ending the season with seven wins and only one loss.

Each bringing their own individual strengths, Everett Isaac, ?21, says, ?We are just the best freshman team to come to Eastside.?There?s no doubt these young men will be ready for the Varsity team next season.

Opinion

Issue 4

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Political Polarization Liam Edwards Insider Staff It?s hard to go a day without running into some sort of political conversation, we almost all ways find a way to bring up our political beliefs in our everyday academic conversation. But why do we always bring up politics? And why, every time we bring it up, do we always find a way to get into an argument? Why are we so divisive in our modern-day society? Why is it either this or that? Us and them? Why into today's political system are we so polarized? The pew research facility defines political polarization as:Cases in which an individual's stance on a given issue, policy, or person is more likely to be strictlydefinedby their identification with a particularpoliticalparty (e.g., Democrat or Republican) or ideology (e.g., liberal or conservative).

To understand this, we have to understand some of the history behind our political system. Our political separation started years ago with the Civil War when the biggest issue divided our country: Slavery.

This divided our country right down the middle, North and South, and from that day forth we started to otherize. According to the Oxford Dictionary to otherize is to: "View or treat (a person or group of people) as intrinsically different from and alien to oneself.

From the day, we started separating each other because of our beliefs we started the very slow

process of dividing our people.

Ok, so polarization has existed for a long time, so what!? Well in recent years the amount of separation between the two main parties, Democrat and Republican, has grown exponentially. With the previous election, we have seen a huge gap between the two parties.

This theory is explained by Morris Fiorina in her essay "America's Missing Moderates: Hiding in Plain Sight." In her essay, she explains that people like to do something called Party Sorting. Party Sorting is the theory that in society you can't be anything but one party. Its either all or nothing. Through this, Fiorina states that political polarization not only stems from our history of otherizing, but from the disappearance of centrist candidates.

Take the previous election, we saw two very strong candidates from both sides fight for presidential office, but during the debates they answered the questions the way we thought they would answer them. They answered everything according to their party. Both were so far in either direction, left or right, it gave many Americans a tough choice.

Through Party Sorting, we eliminate moderates and allow ourselves to only align with certain groups of people even if only a few of our beliefs align with theirs. For example, take the situation of liberals against abortion. A group of liberals have currently made a stand against the democratic party because the democrats say that to be a

democrat you must support abortion. This excludes people from the party and goes back to the point of party sorting, only allowing us to align with the things parties support, not what we support. We can listen to the words of political scientists all day, but one thing for sure, we are so used to otherizing people that we separate ourselves from people who don?t believe in the same things as us and we make our society more and more controversial.

So how can stop this? How can we stop our cyclical perpetuation? First things first is to remember that you are not bound by the ideals of a certain party. If you identify as a Liberal don?t think you have to support gun control and if you are a Conservative you don?t have to be pro-life. Next, remember that there are more than just two parties. If you don?t agree with things that the two main parties stand for, then look at other parties like Libertarian, Green, and Constitution. Also, you don?t even have to fall under any party, just follow what you believe in. Finally, we need to stop otherizing people. We need to accept everyone and listen to what everyone believes in and not criticize people for certain ideals they may have. Mark 12:31 says: ?Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these.? Remember always to love and no matter how different someone?s beliefs may be

from yours treat everyone with love.

Imagine if Reading This Cost You $10 Matt Wittress Copy Editor The Federal Communications Commission, or FCC of America, as of late 2017, has been demanding the repeal of Net Neutrality.Net Neutrality is the internet?s guiding principle: It preserves our right to communicate freely online. Big companies like Verizon and Comcast want to see this get repealed because since the internet is a free to use service, greedy corporations want to tax the nation for this free service. The courts rejected two earlier FCC attempts to craft Net Neutrality rules and told the agency that if it wanted to adopt such protections it needed to use the proper legal foundation.

You may be asking how this is going to affect me, besides costing me extra hundreds of dollars a month? For starters, Net Neutrality is crucial for small business owners, startups and entrepreneurs, who rely on the open internet to launch their businesses, create markets, advertise their products and services, and reach customers. We need the open internet to foster job growth, competition and

innovation. If it gets repealed, it will create an unlevel playing field in which big companies at the top, and entrepreneurs on the bottom.

Making a small business dream a reality will suddenly become much more difficult, and nearly impossible.

backers to date. Nationwide on December 7th, the ?Battle for the Net is staging protests outside any and all Verizon stores across America. Their mission statement: ?demand that the FCC cease and not to destroy the internet as we know it?. Imagine for a moment, if your favorite sites, such as Youtube, Google, and Wikipedia were on a five-dollar extra internet plan.

The FCC has proposed several ?add-on plans? (ten so PHOTO | TECHCRUNCH | far) which each include about eight or nine different internet sites. Each package can add up to thirty dollars to your internet bill, which currently is about $54.99 per month on average. If Net Neutrality is repealed, internet bills are expected to skyrocket to upwards of $150-200 a month.

Chairman, Ajit Pai of the FCC has PHOTO CREDIT | CNN | battled on the side of big companies for the repeal of Net Neutrality since April. In November of 2017 the lawsuit is coming to a head, with a decision set to be announced soon. Campaigns such as ?Save the Net? have started nationwide unrest and online protest of the court case, and has recruited millions of

Imagine, if you will, the next time you want to look up a quick article for homework.

Now imagine of you did not happen to have the five dollars to access Wikipedia. As students we should be afraid for our grades, as well as for our tuition as well. If the school has to pay for specified internet plans for our computers, our tuition will skyrocket.

Personal Interest

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25 Days of Christmas Socks Emmy Kistner Insider Staff

When it comes to Christmas, perhaps no one is more excited than Senior Kate Harder. You may know her as that one senior girl who can be found roaming the halls in ugly holiday sweaters and light up Christmas shoelaces. She has been counting down the days until her favorite holiday for months, and has been torturing her friends and classmates with Christmas music since November (which, by the way, is completely not acceptable).

thoroughly documented on her Snapchat. I asked her brother, freshman Blake Harder, about his feelings toward Kate?s Christmas obsession, and he explained that ?it?s kind of scary. Actually it?s a lot scary. When the sock obsession first started I thought it was normal, but then she started going to Target three times a week to buy holiday socks.

We?ve gotten used to it though.? This year she is keeping the tradition alive and her holiday sock collection is bigger and better than ever. When asked about her favorite pair, she decided on ?the light blue pair with huskies wearing Santa hats."

Kate is quick to point out that she is the self-proclaimed biggest Christmas fan at Eastside Catholic, pointing us towards her outward displays of holiday spirit via clothing, especially socks, as evidence. English teacher Mr. Knott has even nicknamed her ?Buddy the Elf?, after the Santa-obsessed character in the popular movie Elf. Last year, Kate started the tradition of the 25 days of Christmas socks, which has been

With what she ?believes is around 27? pairs of socks to choose from, it must have been a difficult decision. Her favorite thing about Christmas is ?the holiday spirit? and favorite songs for the holidays include ?Last Christmas?, ?It?s Beginning to Look a lot Like Christmas?, ?Underneath the Tree? and anything from the Justin Bieber holiday album. When asked what she?ll do after Christmas is over, she said ?cry for 100 days then start celebrating again. Duh?.

Be sure to stay tuned to her social media or find her in the halls to keep up with her 25 days of Christmas socks. Kate?s last words to everyone this season are ?the best way to spread Christmas cheer is to sing loud for all to hear.? Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from Kate Harder and the EC Insider team!

A Day in the Life of Aidan Lalime Katie Springborn Insider Staff

that day. He was determined to find a seat to sit in, therefore moved a backpack off of a chair and took it as his own. To say the least, this did not go over well with his friends. After everyone is settled, Aidan eats his PB& J sandwich his mom made him and talks to friends.

On Wednesday, November 29th, I spent my day shadowing my classmate, Aidan Lalime, around school to see how an average day of his life goes.

Wednesday schedules are E.L.O. days which means I only went to four of his classes for an hour and ten minutes each.

I chose to follow Aidan to see specifically what a day in the life of a teenage boy was like.

Aidan starts off his day by being perfectly on time to his English class, yet ?forgetting? to place his phone in the phone cubby. His teacher, Ms. O'Donnell, then calls him out for it, just to make sure that Aidan keeps his memory fresh and able to know that the phone rule that has applied for a few years, and still applies to him! Although, Aidan did make up for this by being the first volunteer in his small group to write on their poster, and was an active participant for the whole class.

Besides the work in English , I also found that he has some cool conversations in this class, ranging from fantasy football, basketball, and even pressure washing! My personal favorite quote from Aidan that day was ?pressure washing can be very satisfying."

From English, he goes to break. At

break, Aidan is a very stressed out guy. He walks down to the Lunchroom and attempts to send as many Snapchats to Tori (a.k.a his girlfriend) as humanly possible but when the Snapchats don?t send and he is not very happy.

Once they send, he is at peace, Aidan goes and talks to his friends in the lunch room until it?s time for US History where he works on a group project with his partner. However, not much exciting happened in this class until Aidan got a note to go down to the attendance office where he was threatened with detention because of an accidental unexcused absence.

Next up was mentor and he mainly just Snapchats Tori and talks about airplanes even more. At lunch I found out that Aidan is not the best rule follower, it turns out that the very intense ?backpack rule? is not one he followed

During time management, Aidan has a grade check and when that and all of his other assignments were completed, he begins to look at more airplanes and explains that he is going to be a pilot when he grows up. Aidan really likes airplanes, that much became clear today.

It was cool to see his passion.

Finally, ending the day comes his religion class. In class they had a seminar, and he spoke many times and even got a ?Way to go Aidan!? on a point he made, from Religion teacher Ms. Thomas.

At the end of the school day, Aidan drew a lovely plane on the bottom of my note paper and named it ?Tori Airlines? with hearts coming out as the fuel. It was really cool and fun to see what a day in the life of someone with a regular EC schedule, live a day in their life and see their behaviors and actions from a different perspective. EC has some unique personalities, and Aidan is one of a kind.

Issue 4

Entertainment

Page 9

Disney is Set to Make a Killing with The Last Jedi Joe Borroughs Insider Staff The Last Jedi, the newest Star Wars movie is set to come out Thursday, December 14. It has been eagerly anticipated for many months by devoted fans and Star Wars newbies alike. The contract that Disney has in place to show the newest Star Wars film increases Disney's take from its previous percentage to 70 percent. US theater owners are required to run the movie for at least four weeks without skipping a single screening if they want to v of a whopping 5 avoid the penalty, an increase percent. They also have to employ special marketing promos for Disney and Star Wars. It is a strange requirement, both because of the length of the requirement which is longer than most hit Disney movies last in theaters, and its level of punishment.

Unfortunately, most theaters cannot afford to pass up big Disney movies, especially not the Star Wars ones. Theaters today already make almost none of the actual commission that comes from the movie sale, and have to rely on concession sales to support themselves.

Other blockbuster movies might give back a high of 60 percent to the studio, and even then the theater would usually get more after the

first week or so of running the film. Because however, since Disney maintains the movie powerhouse in the states, it holds all the power in this deal and they know that they can make these demands because they know that theaters need their movies to stay in business.

This new deal might however not be as daunting as it seems. The newest Star Wars movie to be released The Last Jedi will likely make the top grossing list as its predecessor The Force Awakens became the top grossing film of all time in the US within the first three weeks of its stay in the theaters. By the end of its showing in theaters,The Force Awakens had grossed a total of $937 million in the US and another $1.1 billion outside of the US. The film was played on more than 5,000 screens in the US, and some theaters kept showing the film until June that year.The Last Jedi is projected to make about 1.372 billion in sales, making it the second highest grossing Star Wars movie right after Rogue One. If The Last Jedi does that well in theaters, it will change the precedent for all US theaters. Personally, I think Disney has enough of a grip on the movie industry already.

Regardless of who makes how much money, at the end of the day I?m still hoping The Last Jedi is better than the rest and no one mentions midichlorians.

PHOTO |@ STARWARS TWITTER|

Discover a Sense of Wonder Madelyn Floyd Insider Staff So many of us have felt out of place, unwanted, or isolated in our school lives.

School can be taxing on students, both emotionally and physically. High school years are known to help students grow and mature as people, by dealing with insecurities and stress. In the hit film Wonder, middle schooler Auggie Pullman struggles with this isolation every day of his life.

Auggie was born with a genetic facial deformation that makes him look different from other kids. Other than looking different, Auggie is just the same as any other middle schooler. Early on in his life, he underwent surgeries to help make his face look more normal, and allow him to see and hear. His parents home-schooled him, fearful of what bullies would do or say to Auggie. The movie starts off with the final days leading up to Auggie?s first day of regular school, and his parents are wondering if this is the right choice.

The film continues to the whole school year, highlighting mostly science and homeroom classes. Friends and foes alike become prominent people in Auggie?s life and help grow and overcome his insecurities and differences. The movie wraps up with a culminating assembly at the end of the school year that will leave you cheering on Auggie

and all his friends.

Overall,Wonder is a heartfelt story of people learning to look past what is presented at face value, and instead seeing the intentions and actions of others. It is a story for people of all ages, and an easy one to personally connect to. There is not a person that has not felt a small part of the pain Auggie faces daily. The story ends positively, no sob story about

characters regretting actions. This film is about internal change, among all characters, and learning how to admit you were wrong.

Among the morals and lessons in this movie, I personally enjoyed the different perspectives through which the story is told. The primary perspectives are Auggie and his older sister Olivia, nicknamed Via. Via has her own struggles and pains, all of which deeply contrast Auggie?s. Via?s struggles are solely internal, and are often dismissed by her parents as they focus on Auggie. Via?s perspective on her brother?s condition adds an element of reality to the story that makes it more believable. As much as Via loves her brother and feels badly for him, she has a tinge of jealously for all the attention he gets.

Wonder?sstar-studded cast, including Julia Roberts, Jacob Tremblay, and Owen Wilson, tells an unforgettable story that will surely leave a mark on your heart. Each character has his or her own story to tell, and each of them are special and real.

The themes and morals are extraordinarily important for everyone to learn and understand. To add even more credibility to the film, it was rated 85% by Rotten Tomatoes, an 8.2/10 on IMDb and praised as ?well crafted, intelligent and sincere? (Rotten Tomatoes). Wonder is a film that I would recommend to anyone, because we can always be better at be kinder to each other this Christmas season.

Issue 4

Entertainment

Page 10

The Christmas Industrial Complex Nick Beaver Insider Staff The season of giving is dawning upon an expectant country. Christmas lights everywhere glimmer red and green at night, and the smell of pine drifts through each house along the lane. People of many backgrounds come together to celebrate. However, there is a distinct difference between the religious tradition of Christmas and what is has become in America. It is necessary to ask the question when looking at secular tradition: what is this holiday we call Christmas?

would inspire Christian traditions such as advent and services. But while it is true that many Americans attend these same services, the typical American Christmas is much different. Enter the all-American Christmas Industrial complex.

The voice of Christmas swells as the ever-lengthening Christmas season approaches, coming to a screaming head as the awaited day approaches. Advertisers, the media, the state, and each family boards the thundering Christmas train earlier than even Thanksgiving. Everyone who lives in America

Every country has different cultural norms and icons when it comes to the holiday season. However, there are a few basic traditions and symbolism that remain constant even across oceans. Giving to others, holiday cheer, colors, and festive decorations have become that which signals the arrival of Christmas. But in countries such as China, very few people know about Christmas in the same way that America so intimately does. It is important to remember that culture affects traditions widely accepted to be unchanging.

In many non-Western countries, Christmas more closely resembles a religious celebration.

This is especially true for countries with a high proportion of Catholics, such as Croatia Photo|Campaignlive.co.uk| or certain South American countries. It is wholly unsurprising that a Christian holiday

knows of the avalanche of Christmas commercials that shows up everywhere you look, and of the Marketer?s promise that only their product will bring the Christmas joy you seek. As the snow falls, Christmas is shoved into the face of every man, woman, and child whether they want it or not. In America, Christmas has become a commercial holiday.

The undoubted effectiveness of advertising and the selling power of a holiday is proof that, even on Christmas, it really is all about the Benjamins. Even Christmas spirit itself has been hijacked; you simply cannot hate Christmas, and the only way to like it is to participate in its ritualistic commercialism.

If you are reading this article and you think that it is anti-Christmas propaganda, you?ve probably fallen into the jaws of faux Christmas spirit. Everything from the jazzy feel of American Christmas music to the Western style Christmas dinner demonstrates how the Western lifestyle has been a big part of Christmas culture for a very long time. At the same time, thematic seasonal decorations and culture including an entire genre of Hollywood dedicated to holiday movies demonstrates how Christmas has been a big part of American culture. Around the holiday season, many things become Christmas versions of themselves, ranging from modern pop artists covering old Christmas tunes to whole cities and houses donning bright lights.

America and Christmas have become

What Christmas Movie Should You Watch this Season?

Sophia Vandewark Insider Staff As soon as December comes along Christmas movies start playing non-stop on television.

This is a list of the top 10 best Christmas movies comprised of both classics and new family favorites.

First on the list is the 1946 movie starring Jimmy Stewart, It's a Wonderful Life. Not only does It's a Wonderful Life focus on the true meaning of Christmas by highlighting the importance of life and family, it also is an incredible film that checks all the boxes.

Second up is Miracle on 34th Street.Originally released in 1947, Miracle on 34th Street brings Santa to life in this comedy about a girl and a Macy's Santa Clause that will make you laugh.

A lesser known, but equally stellar, Christmas film is 1934 March of the Wooden Solider (also released s Babes in Toyland) that stars the hilarious duo, Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy. The film takes place within Mother Goose's nursery rhymes.While this movie is slight cheesy it is a heartwarming film that is great for the long winter nights.White Christmas(1954) takes fourth place. This musical classic revolves around two veterans as they try and do a good deed for their old commander, General Waverly. Whether or not

you are a musical fan, this movie is a family classic .

In fifth place is a the more recent 2003 favorite Elf. Elf is sure to spread the Christmas cheer to everyone. Other great Christmas movies include Charlie Brown's Christmas special, Little Women, Home Alone, Die Hard, and Holiday Inn. This Holiday season you cannot go wrong with any of these favorites. No matter what movie you and your family decides to watch this Christmas, I hope you all have a very merry Christmas. Happy Holidays!

Issue 4

Student Life

Page 11

What are EC Students Doing Over Break?

Lauren Michels Insider Staff Winter break is just around the corner with the students leaving in 2017 and coming back for the new year 2018. Students will be getting out Friday, December 15th, 2017 and coming back January 3rd, 2018! With the new Thursday half-day schedules, students will get a half day Thursday and the Friday before break. Unlike most years students will be getting back the third of January as opposed to the second.

A lot more students will be traveling this break than there were traveling over Thanksgiving break. The group of students that are traveling are traveling to visit and celebrate the holidays with their family. Junior Jackie Johanneson is going to Florida with her mom and sister to stay at her grandma?s house for Christmas. Junior Elise Soldenwagner is waiting for her brother to come home from college and then going to Chicago to hang out with her cousins. Junior Elizabeth Brummer said she and her younger sister will be traveling to New York to see their grandparents. Kieran Davis said he was going to Portland to spend the holidays with his entire family. Junior twins, Felipe and Andres

Rivera-Uribe are going to Columbia with their parents to their grandparent?s house. Junior Matthew Frank is going to his Aunt and Uncles house to celebrate with his whole family. Senior Kevin Vu said, ?I have a trip to San Francisco planned to just drive around and then road trip up to Canada to see a lake that is absolutely beautiful in the winter time and of course spend as much time with the boys as I can?. Junior Gabby Iem said she is traveling to Utah with her sister, who returns from college, and going skiing at her grandparent?s house, and then she goes to visit her Aunt. Junior Hailey Terry is going to Hawaii for Christmas with her parents and little sister, but is coming home right before the new year!

O. and Jason Medeiros said they will be watching Christmas movies with their siblings by the fire. Several students said they were planning on waiting for the snow to come, so that they can sled by their houses. Freshman Lauren Carels said her favorite part of the break is getting to spend time with her friends and relax. Freshman, Emily Brummer said that her favorite part of the break is the breakfast stew her mom and grandmother have always made on Christmas morning.

No matter if they are staying home or going away, students are excited to have two and a half weeks away from school. Students are also extremely excited to celebrate the holiday season and jump into the new year!

Although not everyone is traveling over break, the students staying home have fun things planned to do over their break as well. Junior Aydan Jeske said she and her family go into Seattle and see a play every year, either a Christmas improve play,Elf, or The Nutcracker. She also says it is a tradition to decorate her house as a family and set up their miniature Christmas town.Juniors, Olivia

Krampus: Maybe Coal Is Not That Bad...

Justin Merlino Insider Staff Every kid at EC gets excited for Christmas. Who does not like waking up Christmas morning and seeing presents delivered by Santa? However, not all kids get presents; naughty kids will typically get coal as a punishment. In some European countries, such as Austria, Bavaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovenia, South Tyrol, parts of Northern Italy, and Germany, another Christmas helper is present, his name is Krampus. Krampus is described as a half-goat half-demon being Photo |inkedmag.com| with large horns on his head. large chains with bells attached to them and Rather than Santa giving coal to naughty sticks used for battering. children, Krampus punishes them.

Krampus is far from a jolly man in red. The beast shares characteristics from other demonic creatures in Greek Mythology like Satyrs and Fauns. Krampus is described as bearing horns that curl up over his head, black hair covering his body, and fangs. His face is mangled He carries

Krampus originates from a German folk tale that was made to counterpart the kindness of Santa Clause. Santa rewards kids for being nice, and the Christmas Devil would swat naughty children and take them away. Krampus goes into towns at night before December 6, which is known as

Krampusnacht or Krampus Night, where the Demon or Santa Clause leaves stuff for kids. In Germany, kids would put either a shoe or boot outside their door for the holidays.

Santa Clause would leave presents in the shoe or boot for nice kids as a reward, and Krampus would leave a rod for the wicked children.

Krampus has mastered many forms of punishment. Getting beaten with a rod by a demon would be the nice punishment.

According to a series of very popular 1800s postcards, Krampus enjoyed: ripping pigtails out, leading children off a cliff, sadistic ear-pulling, putting pre-teens in shackles, forcing children to beg for mercy, and throwing youngsters on an Express Train to The Lake of Fire (aka the Underworld, Hell) with no local stops, and then there?s the extreme: drowning children to death in ink and fishing out the corpse with a pitchfork. Maybe getting coal in your stocking is not that bad after all.

Issue 4

Student Life

Page 12

EC Broadcast: Coming Soon!

Blake Barrett

senior Spencer Hunt needed a second to think, but said, ?yea, maybe like stuff that?s trending or upcoming things?. Current senior, Kate Harder says, ?Christmas!!!.? Another senior, Parker McLaughlin said, ?Umm no, just because I don?t know what they would report.?

Finally Senior, Jen Luger said, ?sure! Like maybe highlights from the week and upcoming events and other things going on around the school."

Insider Staff Throughout the years journalism throughout the world has become more focused on news broadcasting rather than reading newspapers. Society watches CNN and FOX, but who ever reads the paper? In 6th period Journalism at EC we have seen these changes first hand.

Whenever people think about Journalism they may think, ?Ewww that?s boring?, and ?Isn?t that people that just write the school paper,? or even ?that?s whack.? Lately in Journalism we have been thinking of new ways to get the school involved with the news and the paper.

We began to think about doing a broadcast.

The insider team thought about just filming news anchors that would do the basic sports, news, and weather updates, but after lots of research and watching the legend himself Ron Burgundy and Veronica Corningtstone. It was decided we would need more than just the basic news show. We watched a normal KOMO 4 news broadcast and decided that it was too boring, so we think we need to spice up the broadcasts with skits and fun ideas that

students would look forward to seeing on a broadcast.

I took it upon myself to go around the school and ask people about whether or not they would like to see a school broadcast and if so, what would they want to see on it besides the basic sports, news, and weather. I got a lot of yes?s and some no?s. Junior, Jackie Johanneson said, ?Yea totally! And in the morning on ELO days in first period or on the school TV?s." She added, ?You could do something like ?most spirited? or just vote for something every week.? Another student,

PHOTO CREDIT 1 MITCH FLIPPO 1

After hear ing these responses we the EC Jour nalism team have decided to tr y and make a school broadcast. I f anyone has any other ideas they believe would be great for the school broadcast email: blake.bar rett@eastsidecatholicschool.or g or message us through our I nstagr am page @ECI nsider.