Eye of the Tiger April issue 2021

EOTT Eye of the Tiger // Bonanza High School

Teens struggle to balance shifts at school, with health

Cover art by Aryan Passey

Issue 45 // Volume 3

Table of Contents News: Las Vegas opens up The ups, down of opening back up

page 3 page 4

Opinions: Maintaining a healthy immune system Going down as a class End of an era?

Finding myself while in quarantine

6665 W. Del Rey Ave. Las Vegas, NV 89146 (702) 799-4000 eyeofthetigerbhs@gmail.com

Editor in Chief

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A&E: Harry Styles through the years The (fun)damentals of board games

Eye of the Tiger

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Sports: Spring sports gets OK to start season page 11

Melissa Een

Section Editors Sofia Gaitan Yhajaira Garcia Cassandra McCoy Elliott Prehm

Staff Writers Tiannah Dizadare Natalie Gordo Aryan Passey Isabel Murillo Chloe Resma

Adviser Ms. Breanne Hubbard

Eye of the Tiger is a public forum for the students of Bonanza High School. The staff will publish news, features, editorials, entertainment and sports stories in an unbiased and professional manner.

Editorials are they official opinion of Eye of the Tiger, and in no way reflect the official policy of Bonanza High School, nor the opinions of the administration, faculty or adviser. All content decisions are mae by studen editors.

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Letters to the editor will be published at the discretion of the staff.

Eye of the Tiger is the official student publication that publishes six o eight issues throughout the year.

Las Vegas opens up Coming back from quarantine

Mirabelli community center is one of many places in Las Vegas that have opened its doors.

By: Melissa Een As the world slowly returns to some semblance of normal, Las Vegas is beginning to open up its casinos, movie theatres and schools.

Though quarantine was clearly necessary, many take issue with the way the whole situation has been handled.

“I feel like the necessary steps should have been more strict in the beginning so it didn’t have to last this long,” teacher Katie Patzke said. “I really feel like my motivation has decreased. When I’m busy I like to stay busy and this quarantine has made me slow down and now I feel less motivated.”

After a long quarantine, spanning over a year now, it will be strange to see people out and about again. “We need to get back to some normalcy and opening back up may be a good thing now that we have

[Covid-19] vaccines in distribution,” senior Charity Terry said.

The Las Vegas economy has taken a huge hit with the closing of the strip and other tourist attractions, with many people being laid off or getting far fewer hours.

Thus opening up is about more than just social and entertainment opportunities, it’s about people finally being able to get back into well-paying jobs.

The first things to open should be “restaurants, bars, and casinos because they are the major employers,” Spanish teacher Patrick Herbert said. Then as time goes on, other businesses can re-open again.

Re-opening should be kept as safe as possible, with precautions like capacity limits, social distancing, masks, temperature checks, Covid-19 tests or proof of vaccination enforced

Melissa Een //EOTT

to assure the risk of the virus spreading is kept to a minimum.

Even when Las Vegas is fully operational and the Covid-19 virus is no longer a pressing issue, the effects of this quarantine will continue to affect us, both as a global community and as people.

“I’m definitely more uncomfortable with germs these days and think about how other’s proximity affects me,” Patzke said.

This pandemic has changed the way we see personal space and high-traffic public places.

“People will be apprehensive in general in terms of physical proximity on a more regular basis,” Herbert said.

It is exciting and amazing to be able to get out of the house and interact with people, just be sure to be smart, be safe, and keep smiling.

The ups, downs of opening back up By: Natalie Gordo COVID-19 has affected everyone around the world. The virus can spread rapidly, which frightens many people. Therefore, many precautions have been taken because of the virus.

Now that most things are opening up, such as school and casinos, there are many new rules and regulations put in place to prevent future outbreaks.

Although people are able to go out now, there are going to be some things everyone is expected to do in order to keep themselves and those around them safe. COVID-19 is a very scary thing to face; it will affect everyone differently depending on your age or state of health.

One of such precautions is to wear masks at all times. If it’s going to the mall to go shopping or the grocery store to pick some stuff up for dinner, masks are going to be a requirement.

However, a lot of people have been opposed to having to wear masks to enter establishments.

Some people aren’t comfortable wearing them or just don’t like them.

Other people though, could care less and will wear them since they’re being asked to.

Freshman Dewain Dukes has a neutral perspective. “If they help, they help,” he said. “I have nothing against them.”

Some of the people who might not like wearing masks might still agree to them, understanding they are necessary to keep people safe.

One of such people is freshman Tyler Smothers, who also doesn’t enjoy wearing masks but understands that “we need to so we can go to places, like stores and schools, so I wear mine,” he said.

In addition to wearing masks, social distancing rules have also been

put in place. These rules range from keeping safe distances between people standing in line to capacity limiting buildings.

“I feel mutual about capacity limits; they don't really bother me,” Dukes said.

Capacity limits range from four to 24 people in a gathering that moment.

They don't only apply to restaurants but many other gathering places.

When a building is at its limit people will have to wait in line outside the establishment. They may not be allowed in until someone or multiple people have left the building depending on how many people are in a group.

What helps society get back to normal is the ability to get the vaccine.

At time of publication, about 40 percent of people were vaccinated in the United States. In Las Vegas, vaccination sites were seeing a

slowdown because many people already went out and received their first dose.

Just like every new rule and regulation and what not a lot of people have a lot of different opinions on the vaccine.

“Since there is a vaccine out I am not very worried,” Smothers said. “Yes, some people might have not gotten vaccinated but I'm sure many others have and I feel more safe not worried.”

Most people have felt isolated or scared because COVID-19. The new regulations, rules and vaccines that have been made due to the pandemic have started to ease minds. Letting people have a good time getting out and having some fun without the stress of thinking they may get Covid. There might be so many new things to follow, but it's all for the good and everyone's safety.

Maintaining a healthy immune system Isabel Murillo// EOTT

By: Isabel Murillo If you've ever been sick, you know how easy it is to take for granted basic things like breathing normally, talking normally, and thinking clearly. You see the value of looking after your body and the benefits of having a good immune system. But how does one get at that point? Eating healthy, sleeping seven to nine hours a day, and maintaining a healthy lifestyle are all indicators of a healthy immune system. High levels of stress, constant colds, fatigue, digestive problems such as gas or constipation, slow wound healing, frequent infections such as more than four ear infections per year, and fatigue are all signs of a struggling immune system.

Having a healthy and strong immune system is extremely important. The immune system is a complex system of cells, tissues, and organs that operate together to defend the body from foreign invaders. A weakened immune system can be caused by unhealthy eating habits, dietary patterns, lack of sleep, and chronic stress. Bacteria, viruses, and toxins will overwhelm the body when the immune system is weakened. The result is sickness.

A healthy immune system has

much more benefits other than just being healthy. Relationships are a lot easier to acquire and maintain.

Relationships are a lot easier to maintain and acquire because once your body is healthy and thriving, your mental health will follow.

Having a healthy body and mind can make any goal or desire much easier to attain because your well being is no longer an obstacle you must overcome. Maintaining a healthy immune system can make relationships, goals, and happiness a lot easier to acquire.

One can build a healthy immune system by following a set routine.

Going to sleep at the same time every day, or at least five days a week, will boost immune health significantly. According to studies, good sleep habits, or the lack thereof, is directly related to illness.

A well-balanced diet is another important factor in maintaining a strong immune system. Eating a well-balanced diet will help avoid chronic diseases. Supplements are another effective way to maintain a well-balanced diet. While supplements have not been proven to prevent or cure chronic diseases or sickness, they do a fantastic job overall strengthening the body's

immune system. Vitamins C, D, and probiotics are excellent options for supporting a healthy immune system.

Maintaining a daily exercise regimen will help the cells regenerate on a regular basis, as well as improve the efficacy of vaccines for those with damaged immune systems.

Keeping one's stress level under control is essential for good immune health. Long-term stress can trigger an imbalance in immune cell function and even suppress immune response in children. Meditating, journaling, and even something as simple as going on a walk can help maintain stress levels.

After being sick, you see the value of looking after your body and the benefits of having a good immune system. However, after maintaining your health, you continue to see the benefits of having a healthy immune system.

Maintaining a strong immune system isn't just about not getting sick, it's about being healthy and happy. Overall, maintaining your immune system and your body will not only help prevent you from sickness or chronic diseases, but it can help your mental well being.

Going down as a class Teen mental health plummets during pandemic

Elliott Prehm // EOTT

By; Elliott Prehm Mental health. It’s a difficult and touchy topic, yet also at the same time a very normalized conversation in today’s world.

Everything we knew and loved was swiped away from us with no time to say goodbye. With the mental health of teens and adults alike plummeting during the pandemic, there has been more news coverage and posts about mental health in hopes that everyone can get the help they need.

As a class, our mental health has been negatively impacted over the pandemic. Before the quarantine, most of us described our mental health as good. Now that we stay at home locked up by ourselves, our mental health is more on the “OK but iffy” side of things.

There are a lot of contributing factors to this: increased time with family, decreased time with friends, an entirely different way of learning

and social media taking over our lives.

You’ve probably heard people say that this should be the easiest school year, but that’s far from the truth.

Stress from our daily online class is one of the biggest reasons our mental health has taken a dive. Most teachers are trying to make things easy on the students by giving us less work and adjusting due dates, but it is still stressful.

For all of our lives, we’ve woken up, got dressed and headed to a building to learn. Now when we wake up, we just open a laptop and listen to our teachers through a screen. There is no more social interaction with online school, and even those going back to in-person school will still not have the same amount of social interaction as they used to.

Just as students started to get used to online school, our schedule was flipped and adjusted back to partially in-person school. Continuously changing events in a short period of time has a negative impact on us.

A worldwide pandemic, protests in George Floyd’s name, an election and everything people have going on at home, it’s overwhelming. Add school, and it’s enough to make us hide under the covers, hoping sleep will make it all go away.

Everything is still changing drastically but at least we had a big change that’s putting us in the right direction; the Covid-19 vaccine.

Things are starting to get better slowly but surely.

Gen Z is one of the most open generations when it comes to mental health. We spread awareness on social media platforms and are more willing to go to therapy than any other generation.

Whether a teacher, therapist, friend or sibling, having someone to talk about your mental health is super beneficial. If you need help finding someone to talk to there are plenty of online help centers and school resources. If you are not comfortable with that try reaching out to a close friend.

End of an era?

Reopening full capacity could be a cure or a curse

Cassandra McCoy // EOTT

By: Cassandra McCoy Our minds are in a state of seclusion. It’s been over a year; a year of lockdown, human trauma and despair, rising numbers of hospitalized patients for this apparently deadly sickness. A year of face coverage and fretting over hand sanitizer. It’s been an entire year of complete havoc; havoc that we have gotten used to.

Some students recently went back to school with the new hybrid schedule that has been conjured up.

It’s different for all schools, but only some kids went back while others stayed home.

Whether this was an experiment on how school would work or not, was it really necessary?

Is it truly necessary if we are completely opening up in June?

It has been stated that officials plan to completely reopen full capacity in the beginning of June, with the exception of the mask mandate still being intact.

Now, when this is broken down, all that is seen is pure irony. Masks have been a new addition to our everyday lives, something that no one (in the U.S., at least) can forget to leave the house without. They’ve become popular, and trendy in fashion. They became popular in a half capacity city, though.

The vaccine has allowed the city to open to full capacity, but not everyone is getting vaccinated. For instance, some pregnant mothers can’t get innoculated as it could harm their unborn child, and they wouldn’t want to take something their baby cannot have.

If we had to wear masks half capacity and they either did or didn’t work against the virus, who’s to say opening full capacity wouldn’t do the same, if not worse.

In past cases opening up anything usually ended remotely bad and definitely on the news. It is understandable the excitement to be back up to full capacity and having faith in the vaccination, but it’s like teasing a dog with peanut butter as we still have to be precautious and wear our face coverings, which many have gotten fed up with after this year.

It is inevitable to feel that things should have been handled differently last year, and maybe we would be back to normal life now.

At this point and time, a whole year later, it feels very much like this just is the new normal.

Finding myself while in quarantine Chloe Resma //EOTT

By: Chloe Resma In March of 2020, the world shut down, disconnecting us from most forms of social interaction. Having all this time separated from others gave everybody the opportunity to spend time in their own presence without others.

Within the past year many people, myself included, spent it on self reflection. I questioned my beliefs, values, what interests me, who I want to spend my time with and how I'm truly doing mentally. The answers were rarely clear but that's as to be expected.

Needless to say, it hasn’t been easy.

The process of discovering oneself can lead to various emotions. At many points throughout the year, I felt anxious, insecure, alone, numb; but in others my mind felt at ease, I have gained confidence, awareness, and so on. Everybody's journey is different, but personally, mine was a struggle.

For a good portion of middle school I was a people pleaser, I had lost myself but wasn't aware that I had. It wasn’t until everyone was stuck at home that I realized I wasn’t happy with who I was.

I didn’t like the way I dressed, the people I hung around, my views, how I took care of myself, everything was determined by the question of “what are other people going to think?”

When I realized this, I cut off the factors of my life that I felt were

blocking passages to happiness.

Quarantine gave me the opportunity to step back from multiple aspects of my life and work on myself.

I spent a lot of time in my head. As my beliefs changed, I became more comfortable in my own presence and mind. In other areas, quite the opposite occurred. A lot of those changes were difficult to adjust to. I started to self-isolate. I stopped taking care of myself, lost my appetite and slept the time away because staying awake felt like an inconvenience. I felt empty and numb.

For a good portion of this time period I was really struggling. This worried my parents, best friends and boyfriend. My parents offered to take me to a psychiatrists, therapists, mental hospitals and counselors. I refused all these because I didn’t feel like I deserved to heal.

This mindset set me back for a long time. It wasn’t up until lately that I realized I do deserve to heal and feel loved. But even now that I’ve realized that, I have moments where I feel tempted to go back to my self-destructive tendencies.

After making internal changes, the factors of my environment also began to alter. One of the first things that changed was the connections I had with others. I realized my friends were holding me back from what personally

makes me happy. It was a difficult realization to make. They weren’t bad people, they were just bad for me. As hard as it was, I chose to let go. Saying goodbye wasn’t easy. As nice as it sounds, letting go of what no longer serves you is really hard. But looking back, I'm glad I let go so I could move forward.

Now although self-reflection can be emotionally exhausting, I wish those reading this not to ignore the benefits of introspection in the long run. But excluding those moments of doubt and just overall struggle would be to neglect more than half of this experience.

Self discovery felt like such a curse.

It damaged my relationship with my family, food, boyfriend and friends, as well as my confidence in my body and persona. Nothing felt right. I'm still mentally recovering, but after all the damage is done, it's been incredibly advantageous to my overall quality of life. Quarantine forced me to be my own company and, over time, I learned to appreciate it.

I urge everybody to self-reflect and work on bettering themselves. It may be a roller coaster of emotions but it's how we grow and improve as individuals. Be patient with yourself; self-love and growth truly is a lifelong process.

Harry Styles through the years By: Sofia Gaitan “It'd be so sweet if things just stayed the same,” Harry Styles sings in “Lights Up”.

Harry Edward Styles is a British singer, songwriter, actor and recently a Grammy award winner, who has impacted the music industry with his two albums.

Before becoming a solo artist, he was part of the boy group One Direction, formed

by Simon Cowell in 2o10 after the British reality TV competition X-Factor.

The band became an instant sensation, but ultimately parted ways in August 2015. Styles is putting his solo work on full display and is outshining the rest of his former bandmates.

Up All Night-2011 Harry Styles at three different points in time.

Four- 2014 “Sign of the Time” serves as a soft rock Four is the last album One Direction made all together as a band, which pushed ballad. It is beautifully written and gives raw emotion. It shows how much passion away from their usual bubblegum pop he has toward his art. This album also songs and boyish teens, and moved gives fun songs like “Kiwi”, “Carolina”, toward manhood. It tries something new “Woman”, “Only Angel”. like pop rock meets folk, showing what These songs make your heart ache in the members are capable of in terms of the best way possible and want to get up songwriting and found which voice fits and dance and literally want to make you more to the songs. go pursue a modeling career because of Up All Night is One Direction’s debut the adrenaline rush and confidence you album, where Styles’ voice is heard get from listening to “Kiwi”, “Carolina”, alongside his bandmates. Their most and “Only Angel”. Songs like “Two known song “What Makes You Beautiful,” Ghosts”, “Ever Since New York”, and has the 17-year-old Styles crooning about “Sweet Creature” make you stare at the being mesmerized by a girl who doesn’t ceiling for five hours and rethink your know her own beauty. entire life.

This album has classic boy band Then songs like “Meet Me in the sounds and is comparable to classics like Hallway” and “From the Dining Table” NSYNC and Backstreet Boys. make you cry in a cool way. It’s open and Harry Styles- 2017 vulnerable but also safe and even going Harry Styles is Style’s solo debut out of his comfort zone to write this album, which breaks away from One album. For it being his debut album his Direction’s sound. It displays more of Styles as the artist, rather than Styles from work is immaculate it takes the person into a different world.

One Direction.

Fine Line-2019 He also has complete creative freedom Fine Line is Styles’ sophomore album. compared when he was with One This album is just hands down the best Direction, where management had album to come out in 2019. He really complete creative control. The lead single

outdid himself on this album. There are no skips on this album. Every song is an instant classic and something that you could listen to over and over again and never get tired of.

The title of the album “Fine Line” means trying to find the fine line between being content and thriving for more, between happy and sad and all of the other things life throws towards your way.

It shows a new side to Styles, especially in the song “Lights Up”, which is about self-acceptance and being open with one’s self. “Golden” is one of the best album openers. “Fine Line” is a perfect closing song. In fact, there simply couldn’t be a better way to close the album.

It was taken on a journey after going through everything on the album and “Fine Line” kind of just wrapped it up and said, “Yeah all this stuff happened to me but it's going to be okay. I'm growing and learning.” That's why the orchestra build throughout the last few minutes is just beautiful, giving an optimistic view of the future. It's like an epic ending to a movie.

The (fun)damentals in board games

Aryan Passey // EOTT

By: Aryan Passey Did you know that playing board games can relieve stress and give off happy hormones?

Why would board games radiate happy hormones? They give off those happy hormones because when you’re playing a good game of Monopoly and you're either winning or losing, you’re still having fun with those you're playing with. You get that boost of excitement and joy from playing with friends or family.

Overall, having a good time can trigger those happy hormones while forgetting why you were even stressed or sad.

Other than having a good time while playing a board game, you're also learning more of the game and gaining some kind of skill. Games such as Monopoly, life, or even puzzles can have its perks. Monopoly you’re learning about having money, buying and selling properties and being able to make deals with people.

The Life game is fun and it teaches you responsibility and how to figure out life choices along the way to retirement. Also learning the

games that you are playing are helpful in making the game go smoother and you will know how to win quickly and efficiently.

Brainteasers, puzzles and even spelling are a great way to strengthen the mind. Brainteasers can be a problem or puzzle that is designed to be solved for amusement and to catch people off guard. Puzzles/jigsaw puzzles have been around since the 1760s. Jigsaw puzzles are commonly used to reinforce connections between brain cells, improve mental speed and is an especially effective way to improve short-term memory.

Although it does improve memory and speed, it can be therapeutic and calm a lot of people while sparing their mental skills.

Some older board games can be that too. Board games have changed over the years for many reasons and some are still up to day like; Connect Four, Twister, Monopoly, Sorry!, Candy Land, Guess Who?, Yahtzee, Hungry Hungry Hippos and so many others. Games like Dominion, Risk, Settlers of Catan and Master Mind are surging in popularity.

When playing these old board games there is a chance of getting a whiff of nostalgia and having a good feeling when playing with an old game.

But at the end of the day, or at the end of the game, it's all a friendly competition. It might sometimes get really out of hand and be more than a “friendly competition” to a super competitive competition that can lead to prizes or have bragging rights of those she/he played with. Some of these competitives games can lead to the end of friendships, or have a hate all because of a board game, but being a little competitive can be fun and make the game more exciting.

Either being a sore loser or sore winner just makes it fun and can influence another round of the game and see who can win and get back at another player for fun. To sum up everything that came down to this, is that it's just a family and friend board game with no hard feelings and just a good time all around.

Spring sports gets OK to start season

By:Yhajaira Garcia

Since Covid-19 hit America and schools shut down, sports have been closed and it has been a while since student athletes have been able to play with their teammates.

But not anymore. As of the beginning of April, CCSD has allowed spring sports to commence, and fall intramurals to begin.

No one really thought that sports would be returning. “I thought they were going to shut them down for our safety to protect us but I’m really glad they didn’t,” senior Jazmin Cervantes said. “I just wish they would’ve included the rest of the sports if they were going to bring them up again.”

Swim coach Katie Patzke-Sullivan agreed. “It was a complete surprise,” she said. “It is a late start and I didn’t think the school district felt it was necessary.”

Everyone thought that sports were not going to return this year, since school is almost over. Even though no one thought they were returning, students who will be returning are excited to play. It’s amazing to have the opportunity of “seeing my volleyball friends and playing with them because I miss the sport so much,”sophomore Tara Jackson said.

Even though sports are back,

Melissa Een //EOTT

there are many rules teams have to follow, such as having to be tested for coronavirus or you won't be able to play or practice. Covid-19 tests are also a way for people to not be worried about getting the virus and instead they can have fun without worrying. “Honestly, if it allows me to play then I don’t mind,” Cervantes said. “I would rather take tests to play then to not play at all my last year.”

A lot of people like doing sports because it helps them socialize and make new friends while also having the opportunity to do something that they like to do.

When they closed sports it took that away, which is why some people are happy that they get to play sports even though school is about to end.

It could be very exciting for people to go back to sports, since they will be able to play with their Friends and teammates even though school is almost over.

“I am excited to be playing for my last year honestly,” Cervantes said. “I’ve loved playing basketball for the past ten years and soccer is now my second love too. I just enjoy the feeling of being in the moment on the court/field.”

Sophomore Tara Jackson doesn’t feel the same way. “I think it’s pointless

going back this far because it’s too much work and change,” she said.

While some people think it’s pointless, others think it’s not since they get to play with their teammates.

“I think it’s necessary, especially for seniors,” Patzke-Sullivan said. “I saw a lot of grades turn around very quickly because they view their sport as a goal. Students need extracurriculars.”

Even though sports are back, some teams struggled to fill a roster.

While some teams, such as baseball and men’s volleyball only have a varsity squad, softball wasn’t able to fill any team. According to Fox Five News, only three athletes showed up for softball tryouts, ultimately causing an end to the season before it even began.

Going back to sports might be different since it has been a while since students who do sports haven't been doing school sports in a while.

Then all of sudden they are going to go back when school is almost over with new rules and regulations that they have to follow. Such as having to be tested.