The C&G | Volume XII | Issue 1 | Fall Edition

“Literally anyone that lives and breathes has mental health challenges.” -Megan Kraner, freshman and sophomore counselor. It is important to spread awareness about mental health because more than 15% of adolescents have experienced at least one depressive episode in the last two years. (CDC.gov) Whether it is because of COVID-19 and lack of con tact with friends, or feeling isolated at school, mental health issues are present with the majority. Many people in the older generations seem to think Gen Z is dramatic because they seem more concerned about this major issue. They often dismiss the fact that some of us are truly struggling. Things need to change, and these stigmas need to be rewritten. Teaching should be a collaborative process, not a confrontational one. Reaching out to a teacher for an extended deadline because something trau matic has happened or you are overstressed should become normal. Not to say that homework isn’t important, but a student’s health should come before academics. You can’t take care of anything else if you yourself are not taken care of. Teaching both students and teachers about mental health and being more aware is important for the health and wellbeing for everyone in the school community. Often, a teacher will be the one to interpret behavior changes in a student and make the recommendation to visit the counselor. If those signs are misinterpreted, students may end up in the nurse’s office, principal’s office, or even worse, no help at all. Recent studies show that teachers that are given signs of mental health issues are more likely to recommend the student get help.

Allowing teachers to have the resources to become more aware of health issues can be very beneficial.Learning better teaching strategies and how to moderate work can make the learning do main for a student more comfortable for them. There are many training programs that can better educate faculty about the impending problem. Some courses allow teachers to see how mental health can change a student’s behavior during a period when the men tal health is bad or to just understand how these problems arise. Educating teachers on the different illnesses can make any school more productive and a better environment for everyone.

“A child’s mental health is just as important as their physical health and deserves the same quality of support,” -Kate Middleton, Princess of Wales. Unlike physical health problems, there are no precise ways to diagnose an issue. For example: there are many signs that any given person may be struggling. People often undermine the fact that they feel different than how they usually do. The most common sign is feeling withdrawn from others or not enjoying the things that usually bring happiness. (NAMI)This is one of the biggest signs of depres sion. Another sign is thoughts of hurting yourself or others. (NAMI) Self-harm can be very dangerous and life threatening. An indication of a panic dis order is sudden overwhelming fear for no reason, sometimes with a racing heart, physical discomfort or difficulty breathing.

One of the most detrimental mental health problems are eating disorders. (NAMI) This disorder has a range of specific eating patterns that are extremely bad for the body. When people look at social media, they see models or friends with a thinner build than themselves and they want to change to fit in. Most people can never get to their “ideal” image because it is often not realistic.(World Health Organi zation) Overall, these signs are for some of the more common issues but there are so many more that people suffer from.

Seeking help if worried about your mental health should become normalized. The first step you should take is talking to a trusted adult or a men tal health professional such as the school counselor. Counselors should also be actively talking to more students because some adolescents might be too scared or embarrassed to reach out first. For example, Megan Kraner has been working at HIES since February of this year. She provides insights on how to deal with larger mental health issues when they arise. Accord ing to Kraner, whenever there are worries of a student causing harm to themselves or others, that is a sign that they might need a little more help than a shoulder to cry on. Being transparent with the student is the first thing she does. Telling them what is going to happen makes things just a little easier for the student. Having another trusted faculty member can help support the student and aid in making the process easier.

Kraner adds that the next step is contacting a parent or an adult when the student feels comfortable enough talking to someone about the problem. Depend ing on the risk of the crisis, the counselor might suggest going to the hospital if they are planning to harm them selves or others. Alternatively, they might need to get picked up from school or speak with their therapist if they have one.

To be more effective towards preventing major mental health we as a society need to be more accepting of the rising issues presented in our youth. To ensure a prosperous future they need to have the support now, while their minds are still developing. Major mental health issues as a child can impact how they act as an adult.The current teens will be the future. We need to have the resources to help them become the best they can be.

Work Cited

“Data and Statistics on Children’s Mental Health.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 3 June 2022, https://www.cdc.gov/childrensmental health/data.html.

“Adolescent Mental Health.” World Health Organization, World Health Organization, https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/ detail/adolescent-mental-health.

“Warning Signs and Symptoms.” NAMI, https://www.nami.org/ About-Mental-Illness/Warning-Signs-and-Symptoms.

“Mental Health by the Numbers.” NAMI, https://www.nami.org/ mhstats.

By: Sophia Siddiqui, staff writer

The Dawn of a New Day: 4A

By: Parker Miles, editor-in-chief

During the 2021 school year, the athletic department pushed to move up to the 4A division and the decision was accepted by the GHSA. Within the school com munity, there are pros and cons with regards to this decision. The negative side of the story is that moving up will increase the level of competition, thus making it harder to win games. The positive spin is that moving up will increase the level of competition, thus providing an opportu nity for teams to challenge themselves to get better and better through playing difficult opponents. This increased effort will not only help our teams get better but will help student athletes work even harder to be the best they can be. In order to explain and magnify the impacts of the decision on the student athletes, I spoke to Joe Sapone, XC and Track and Field phenom at HIES.

Of all the changes from moving up to 4A, one could argue that the level of competition is the greatest difference. Sapone mentions, “The competition will be

more difficult, but it allows us to compete on a higher level due to the size of the schools”. A state champion in Cross country and in the 800-, 1600-, and 3200-me ter races in track and field, Sapone knows what it takes to win and how the strategy has changed for the better.

“I think the move up to 4A is extremely beneficial”, Sapone adds. He continues, “Seeing and competing against deeper teams and schools that have a larger athlete pool should motivate us to work harder”. While some might see the new division as a hindrance to winning, Sapone sees it as an opportunity for the team to get better.

Sapone adds, “I think that our team has recognized that we need to work harder than before and we all have our sights on an XC championship and that’s been a driv ing force for our team”. The cross-country team has finished in 2nd place for the past two years in the state championship and despite the division change, they know that they have a golden opportunity to get to the top of the podium for the first time.

“Seeing and competing against deeper teams that have a larger athlete pool should motivate us to work harder” - Joe Sapone.

HIES Fine Arts Spotlight

By Sophia Siddiqui, staff writer

There are many talented students at Holy Innocents’. These talents come in many different forms. In the Fine Arts program, many students play an instrument, sing, and perform for many years. One of these students is Jake Hunter, a freshman student of 2022-2023. Jake has been playing the cello since third grade when he randomly chose an instrument to play for orchestra. Turns out he had a talent for it. Over the last six years, he has been playing and perfecting the instru ment. Recently, he was selected to join The Georgia Youth Symphony and has gone to All State twice. As he continues to perfect his craft in and outside of school, his talent excels and his future is sure to be filled with music.

Another talented cellist is sophomore Katherine Lamback.

Katherine has been playing the cello since she was five years old. Her mother, Mrs. Lamback, the middle and upper school orchestra teacher, greatly influenced her desire to play an instrument. She was able to do All State where she played in a statewide orchestra in 8th and 9th grade.

Katherine does different camps such as FSU and various others pro grams to help improve her skills. Music runs in the family. Both of her parents have worked in the Fine Arts department at Holy Innocents’. Her brother, Samuel, is also a very talented musician. He has sung his entire life and played the violin from 1st grade. Over the summer he sang with a Barbershop-quartet-style chorus called the Heralds of Har mony at the International Barbershop Harmony Society Convention. The Lamback name has been the musical last name for many years now and will continue for many more.

Zoe Woods is another gifted individual who has been sing ing for most of her life. She says “music has always been the biggest part of my life.” She really got into singing during the quarantine due to the feeling of loneliness, “but the knowledge that music ties everyone together no matter the distance,” really spoke to her. Zoe has many songs on music platforms and her most played music across all platforms is “Not my Place” with 10,000 streams. The song features her close friend Eli Hannon. Her favorite part of being a singer is the live performances. Zoe says she “love[s] seeing groups of people come together to appreciate music.” While the future is daunting, Zoe hopes music will continue to be a large part of her life.

New At HIES

By: Parker Miles, editor in chief

At the start of the 2021-2022 school year, new addi tions to the faculty and staff overwhelmed the Upper School at HIES. One of the most exciting aspects of the team is their incredible diversity. With new facul ty members from all around the country, each has a unique background. One of the notable new faculty members are Mr. Will Lundy, an English teacher and Dr. Leah Roberts, a science teacher. Of all the new teachers at HIES, one can argue that their backgrounds are the most remarkable.

While many teachers might eventually lose interest in a subject they teach year after year, Lundy and Rob erts have both taught the same subject for decades for the same reason: A continued passion in the subject matter.

First and foremost, Lundy’s arrival to HIES has been akin to a homecoming for him. Prior to his teaching at HIES, Lundy had actually attended the school as a student himself. Beginning in the early 1980s, Lundy was a lower and middle school student. He “graduat ed” from the school in 1985, but the school only went through 8th grade at the time.

“I loved being a student here when I was young”, Lun dy mentions. He continues, “I loved all my teachers here – it was always apparent that each of them cared a great deal about every single one of their students”. Lundy makes it clear that in his time at HIES, he promises to spread the same enthusiasm with his stu dents that his teachers had.

On the other hand, Dr. Leah Roberts has had a much different path to ending up at HIES. In college, Roberts obtained her (bachelors) in Biology and a minor in Chemistry at UNC chapel-hill. Additionally, she also has a Master of Arts in teaching from Duke University.

Similar to Lundy, Roberts has been teaching for 15 years in various public, private, and charter schools in the Atlanta area. Roberts mentions, “Most recently I was teaching middle school Physical Science and upper school AP Environmental at Westminster before coming to HIES”. After finding out about a job opening to teach AP Environmental Science at HIES, Roberts eagerly took it.

“I love the amazing science classrooms here, as well as the primary school program, which I was excited for my 3-year-old daughter, Athena, to join”, Roberts men tions. Roberts knew that given her own circumstances and those of her son, HIES would be the perfect fit for her family.

“I have taught American Lit pretty much every year of my career, and I love it – especially Gatsby!”, Lundy emphasizes. Lundy is embarking on his teaching jour ney at HIES by teaching Honors 12 English (Monsters) and Honors 11 English (American Literature). He con tinues, “I am excited to teach the Monsters class this year and am looking forward to sharing those works with my classes as well”. For Lundy, even though he is reading and teaching the same work of literature year after year, he has realized something different every time, and that is what has kept him interested.

Furthermore, Roberts has also maintained a strong passion in many branches of science, particularly Envi ronmental Science.

“I really love the ways all different kinds of science (ecology, biology, earth science, etc.) come together with economics and political science in our APES course”, Roberts describes. She adds, “Teaching the class has taught me how to be a better steward of and advocate for the environment”. For Roberts, environ mental science has enabled her to examine the world in a way in which she has never had and through teaching, she hopes to encourage her students to do the same.

While both teachers are extremely passionate about their given subjects, their top priority is to make sure the students have the best possible experience in learn ing the subject matter.

“I hope that during my time here at HIES I will always be able to talk about what we can learn from literature with my students and have some fun while doing it”, Lundy declares. For Lundy, teaching goes way beyond making sure the students are prepared for tests or quiz zes. Rather, Lundy aspires to instill genuine curiosity within his students. He concludes, “My greatest hope is that I will be able to teach a novel written by one of my former students to my future classes someday – that would be awesome”.

The Invasive Species of the United States

By: Sophia Cardillo, staff writer

“Our world is connected. The more connec tions, the more we import and export. This inevitably will lead us to come into contact with other species,” says Dr. Leah Roberts, a science teacher at HIES . This article contains interviews from Dr. Roberts, Mr. George Bevington, and Mrs. Jameela Reed, all of whom currently teach at HIES.

The United States suffers with the problem of invasive species, but before we identify them, we must define them.While the term, “invasive species” has a similar connotation, it is defined differently amongst faculty members. Roberts mentions,“ Invasive species are not native to the area. They’re harmful in some way”. On the other hand, Reed describes, “For me, they are a species non-native and create a problem for our native species.” . Some examples of species that can cause the “problem” Reed describes, are the Burmese Python, Spotted Lanternfly, Kudzu, Chinese Ivy, English Ivy, and Chinese Privet. According to Reed, the dangerous thing about having invasive species is, “When they come they are displacing, and they are invading,”. She simplifies it for us by saying, “ The more biodiverse a place is, the more sustainable and long-lasting: but, ecosystem dynamics are changing, the invasive species are decreasing the biodiverse species.”

Although unexpected, invasive plant life can cause just as much, if not more, damage to the ecosystem it invaded. For example, Kudzu, an invasive plant, has something known as a tap-root, a singular root grounded deep into the earth. This means that the plant can grow over large areas of land without being killed since it stems back to a singular root. One place in which these plants can be seen in the real world is at the University of Georgia football stadium. The stadium is partly surrounded by thick walls of chinese privy, a big invasive species. In fact, there is also a small stream running under the stadium, and because chinese privy grows like a weed, parts of it end up in the stream, which takes them to new places to grow and spread.

In addition to plants, there are many invasive animals. One of them is the Burmese Py thon. According to Dr. Roberts, this species is one of the most destructive and one of the most dangerous invasive species, This is mainly due to the fact that it is disrupting the careful balance of the Everglades ecosystem. This giant snake has been known to prey on multiple mammals, reptiles, birds, and even alligators at times. With no natural predators, the snake is free to eat and reproduce. Another invasive animal is the Snakehead, a type of fish local to a few parts of Asia. However, it was recently discovered that this species also resides in Florida. The average adult Snakehead diet is fish, insects, crustaceans, amphibi ans, reptiles, mammals, and even birds.

In order to prevent more species from entering our land, I asked our professors what laws or regulations could be put in place, mainly on international trade. Mrs. Reed suggested there should be more control on ports, since the only way many illegal species enter the United States are by these large entrances. Reed continuously emphasizes that if we have more security around baggage and cargo entering, the damage caused by invasive species could be significantly decreased. Another argument commonly used is that these animals should not be in places they aren’t fit to be, referring to the pet trade and the ownership of dangerous species. “The reason why animals are where they are is because they have adapted to live there, they aren’t supposed to fit in somewhere else,”says Mr. Bevington. He also brought up a clever point against the pet trade, “ the people that have these pets sel dom know how to take care of them, especially if presented with a problem.” To his point, if the owner is having a hard time with the animal, most of the time they are quietly re leased into the area, leading us to the major issue of invasive species.

T H E W R

D E T A I

B R I T N E Y

Britney Griner, a two-time Olympic gold medalist and champion and member star Griner has better income than average league players. The salary for a “maximum” season, most players travel overseas to potentially make more money. The salary most WNBA

In March 2022, Griner traveled to play on UMMC Ekaterinburg, a Russian Premier

MAR 5: The New York Times reports that Griner has been detained in the Sheremetyevo Airport in Russia. Officials found hashish oil in her luggage upon her arrival. During this time the WNBA has acknowledged her detainment and their priority is for her to return to the U.S.

“ Todays verdict and sentencing is unjustified and unfortunate, but not expected and Britney Griner remains wrongly detained.” - WNBA

JUN 14-27: The court of Russia extends Griner’s tenure through July 2nd. The Khimiki court of Moscow states that the request of investigations caused her extension. Her trial begins o the 27th and Griner remains in custody.

At six foot seven Griner has experienced difficulty in a cell designed for an average height at five foot six for a woman. Russian cells are known for being arranged to fit uncomfortably.

MARch MAY JUNE JULy

MAY 3: “Wrongfully detained” is what the U.S government refers to Griner’s case in Russia. Rather than letting her case arise, the U.S wants to arrange her return. WNBA announces that it will represent Griner with a “BG” on all sidelines of all league courts. Across the WNBA and NBA, there is a substantial amount of representation for Griner. Sue Bird, Layisha Clarendon and Skylar Diggins-Smith, among many others, have all advocated for the release of Griner. As a result, the statment “Free BG” has been one that has grown across the U.S after her detainment.

Griner has been detained for 59 days

MAY 25: Griner’s wife requests a meeting with President Biden regarding her wife’s circumstances.

JUL 1-7: A written letter from Griner is sent to President Biden pleading for freedom. White House secretaries state that Biden has read Griner’s letter and deems for freedom a priority. Griner pleads guilty for all charges against her in court. She explains she never intended to break any laws. Legal team of Griner’s strategy was to plead guilty in hope of a prisoner swap.

Griner mentions “I’d like to plead guilty, your honor. But there was no intent. I didn’t want to break the law”

Griner has been detained for 118 days

O N G F U L

N M E N T O F

Y G R I N E R

of the Phoenix Mercury, is one of the greatest WNBA centers of all-time. As a WNBA super “maximum” player would be $195,000-230,000 and the average $60,000-70,000. After the WNBA salary in women’s basketball leagues can be $250,00 and up. As a result, it’s more appealing to WNBA players to move overseas.

Premier League team, along with former MVP Breanna Stewart. However, with rising tensions

AUG 4: Russian judge sentences Griner to nine years of prison of drug possession and “smuggling”, the worst possible scenario for Griner

Griner’s 0.7 grams of cannabis oil found in the Sheremetyevo airport called for nine years in Russia prison. Griner’s sentence was outraged and reacted across all media sources in the U.S .

AUGust OCTOber

OCT 3-18: Russian court sets an appeal date for Oct 25. The NBA season has begun, but the league has not forgotten about Griner’s detainment. During the Golden State Warriors season opener versus the LA Lakers, Stephen Curry reminds the audience of her situation “We hope that [Brittney Griner] comes home soon and that everybody is doing their part to get her home”

She has been detained in Russia for 243 days, trapped in a prison cell, with little to no hope All events up to the publication of the magazine

By: ZAYNAH PRESTON, Managing Editor

By: Alma Frazier, staff writer

Campus $hop Inflation: It’s For the Benefit of HIES

By: Ryder Milon, Sophia Siddiqui, staff writers

Recently our Campus shop prices have skyrocketed and students are frustrated by the fact that food that used to cost 75 cents is now a dollar or more. This is 25% more than the original cost, which may not seem as much, but stu dents who pur chase frequently from the campus shop have no ticed the dent in their money. Students have started to won der why things like a bagel cost two dollars but cream cheese costs a whole extra buck. The catering fees of many businesses have gone up as inflation does. The school wants to keep profit margins larger to support school sports, extracurricu lars, and to pay the hard-working staff at the Campus shop.

Chick-Fil-A sells 50 chicken biscuits for about $220. That is about $4.50 per biscuit. At the campus shop we can purchase these biscuits for $4. It shows that we aren’t being robbed of our money, rather they are help ing to cover the cost. Senior Alma Frazier states “You never go to the campus shop and just buy one thing. If I buy a muffin, I will also buy a coffee.” The campus shop may benefit from other products. It is apparent that the rise of costs is mainly a product of inflation as the prices have similar correlation. As the quality of the outerwear the school provides increases, so does the cost. We all know that the cost of outerwear is extremely expensive. Looking at com

panies the school buys from, the Campus Shop hikes up the prices, and in some cases, it is almost 50% more expensive. The middle school students are affected the most because of this. They are only allowed to wear “bear wear.” That means that if they want to stay warm during those cold er seasons, they will be forced to spend a small fortune just to be comfort able. These prices are somewhat unaccept able be

cause the school is tax exempt. While the money does go toward helping pay staff and contributes to the cost of equipment, technology, and facilities that school provides for students, the amount of money required outside of our tuition is exceptional. These profit margins are important to fund the school. It helps fund activities on and off campus, such as food trucks and field trips. The money made from the campus shop also goes towards on campus technology and fine arts resources. The new technology we can use is because we make extra money from the Campus Shop. While prices at the Campus Shop are quite expensive, the money isn’t just cash into the school’s bank. As stat ed above it helps the school provide educational and fun activities for students. This in turn creates a deeper between students and their school experience.

Tony Time Oh Hail The Queen

London bridge has fallen, as Queen Elizabeth died on September 8th 2022, announced by the Peckingham Palace. The death of the lon gest living, most recognized queen, Elizabeth the II marked the end to her 96 year legacy leaving the world in shock. Born on April 26th 1926, she has witnessed many important his toric events: World War 2, the Cold War, and the Fall of the British Empire.

In the summer of 1951 after the king's death, King George, on February 6, 1952. Elizabeth became the Queen of England. In the summer, after she had moved from Clarence House to Buckingham Palace, she began the routine duties of the crown and carried out her first state opening of The British Parliament(simi lar to US congress) in the winter of that year. Her coronation was held at Westminster Ab bey on June 2, 1953, and for the next 70 years, she would be the primary ambassador for the “British Empire”. This marks the importance of continuity since Queen Victoria(1819-1901). As Elizabeth the second becomes the 8th Queen; Britain welcomes her new Queen in 50 years.

During her long time of ruling she had many official visits to various countries.Such as France, Germany, Canada, and the United States. The most significant official visits hap pened during her early and mid years of her ruling. Was definitely her ice-breaking visit to the far east during the height of the Cold War. In 1961 she made the first royal British tour of the Indian subcontinent in 50 years, the first visit of a British royal after gaining indepen

By: Tony Wang, staff writer

dence from England in 1947. Too many people this visit marks the point that the so-called “British Empire” does not have the ability to keep its colonies in the East anymore. Even more, it marks the importance of Britain for mally recognizing sovereignty of India. Also 26 years later she marks the first British royal to visit mainland China, The People’s Republic, after the Chinese Civil War that took place in 1946-1949. After the war was over there were no British Royals visiting either Mainland China or Taiwan. However, after the economic reformation and reopening of mainland China under president Deng Xiaopeng in the 1970s, president of China, Queen Elizabeth landed in Beijing. This visit marks the importance of economic tie reconnection between England and China. For example, after her visit the British owned bank, HSBC, expanded its busi ness from Hong Kong and spread to the whole of China. However, the most important of this visit was not about business; instead it was about the negotiations between the UK and China over the return of Hong Kong.During the 19th century China and Britain signed series of unequal treaties for example, the 99year lease of Hong Kong was agreed in 1898 following the signature of the Convention of Peking. Hundreds of years passed, in Decem ber 1984, Prime Ministers Zhao Ziyang and Margaret Thatcher had signed the Sino-British Joint Declaration, in the Great Hall of People in Beijing, under which the Chinese would resume sovereignty over the territory from July 1, 1997.

The Astounding Changes in Twitter’s Management

As Hong Kong returns back to Chi na, Twitter returns to the hand of Elon Musk. On April 14th, 2022, the billion aire Elon Musk announced that he will be purchasing Twitter with the price of 44 billion USD. Roughly seven months have gone past the billionaire Elon Musk has finally completed the purchase. As the public have already got used to his “innovative” ideas, this time he has in deed surprised the public by doing many major adjustments within the manage ment of the company and with many new additions on Twitter. First after the twitter purchase Elon musk have fired various senior management members such as the CEO Agrawal ,furthermore Musk have fired CFO Ned Segal and policy head Vijaya Gadde. Not just the senior management but also on 4 No vember, Twitter fired around 3,700 peo ple via email as a way to cut costs. Those major movements made by Elon Musk as he seeks to transform the company. Elon Musk has a very ambitious plan for this social media giant. Elon Musk has provided more of his insights of his plan through social media, which will now also see the company embark on a hiring

push, after firing over 60 percent of its workers, in order to get in more development and engineering talent to help realize Musk’s grand vision. Furthermore with his plan under execution he has sent out many twitter polls to let the users vote whether many restricted accounts should be re opened.

The most notable one out of many is the account of the former president Donald Trump, after the ban because of the capi tal riot it is almost two years since Donald Trump sent out his last tweet. Although this opening has triggered many pub lic controversies, many claim that Elon Musk has defended the right of speech on the other hand many have also claimed that his action will increase hate speech. With controversies about him and his ideas, Elon has not gotten distracted by it. Based on business insider report that “Elon Musk has teased the release of what he described as “the Twitter Files” about “free speech suppression” by the social-media platform.”

COP CITY

Crime has long been at the center of local politics and Atlanta’s growing population only amplifies the issue. Atlanta Police Department Data shows crime jumped by 60 percent from 2019 to 2020 -- then just slightly in 2021. Now, this year, the city is outpacing last year’s numbers. Community activist Shar Bates states that Atlanta’s economic divide has created more crimes of opportunity. Bloomberg asserts that Atlanta has the worst income inequality in the country with a mere 4 percent growth rate from poverty. It is apparent that crime is a growing issue but some Atlanta residents question if policing is the answer.

The value of police is evident and the intention of policing is pure however modern-day policing has created moral, economic, and political qualms. The topic of policing has become more contentious in the modern-day social climate and Atlanta‘s recent decision to build The Institute for Social Justice and Public Safety Training is at the center of it all. The Institute for Social Justice and Public Safety Training is a proposed $90 million training facility for the Atlanta Police Department and firefighters, dubbed “Cop City” by activists.

The $90 million dollar investment spans over 85 acres of Atlanta green space in Dekalb Counties South River Forest. It aims to further the training of Atlanta police officers by instructing them in a mock environment.

The Atlanta City Council in a 10-4 vote approved the construction of the facility after 17 hours of public comments in which 70% of callers were not in favor of the facility. Supporters and protesters make compelling arguments on both sides of the spectrum which can be narrowed down into three main arguments: crime, over-policing, and use of green space. Philip Bump, a Washington Post National columnist, in an opinion ar ticle argues that over the past 60 years an increase in police spending has not meant a decrease in crime, “More spending in a year hasn’t significantly correlated to less crime or to more crime. For violent crime, in fact, the correlation between changes in crime rates and spending per person in 2018 dollars is almost zero.” Protestors make a strong argument that crime is a sociological issue solved with income equity, education, and healthcare; not policing.

Written by Co-Editor-in-Chief, Jayla Jackson

Further, they argue that the facility will only create over-policing and disproportionately affect people of color. “To Protect and To Serve”. This phrase functions as both the slogan and oath for the officers that we see every day. Policing in America was founded in the 1800s and was staffed with volunteers who wanted to evade military service. Philadelphia created the first-day watch in 1833 and New York instituted a day watch in 1844 as a sup plement to its new municipal police force (Gaines, Kappeler, and Vaughn 1999)

Overpolicing is a modern term that means to police excessively, such as by maintaining a significant police presence or by responding aggressively to minor offenses. It is typically used with an intersection of race in America. In America, there is a history of policing being utilized to continue control and modernize slavery. The fourteenth amendment abolished slavery except in instances of punishment by the law, creating the prison pipeline for Afri can- American people. Daanika Gordon, an assistant professor of sociology in the School of Arts and Sciences at Tufts University, is finding that “predominantly Black neighborhoods are simultaneously over-policed when it comes to surveillance and social control, and under-po liced when it comes to emergency services.” The central contention argues that Cop City will only increase the over policing of African-American communities.

All of this shows its face in the fact that tmhe land acquired to build Cop City is the remains of a prison farm. Prison Farms were institutions developed and owned by states that housed plantations and prisons on the same land. Inmates would give free labor under the impres sion it could lessen their sentence, most served life for crimes they never committed or unfair offenses. Prison farms are an example of how policing has been used against Black people and the policing facility being built on top of it doesn’t serve as a memorial.

While policing is at the front of the issue, there is a rallying cry behind the underbelly of the decision. Cop City is projected to use 85 acres of Atlanta Green Space. Environmental activ ists have built tree homes in the South River Forest boycotting the construction of the facility. Locals report the area has been imperative in preventing stormwater flooding. There is also a growing concern about the decrease in air quality because of obsessive fire and weapons training along with the wide-scale deforestation that would be needed to begin.

Both sides of the issue provide thought provoking logic that should weigh heavy in mind during the upcoming elections. Crime is a growing concern in the Atlanta area and wheth er policing is the solution is a needed discourse as well. Protecting Atlanta green space will always be a concern, but at the expense of innovation, is it worth it? As Atlanteans, these are the questions we should be answering for ourselves and the questions we should be engaging each other in. The fight against Cop City is far from over, so get involved and stay tuned for more developments!

Bear

south campous baker feild teacher golden campous shop groesback student crimson humanities episcopal tendies bear stem hies

Two Truths and a lie

-there are 7 differnt species of bears in the world -during winter, bears hibernate up to 100 days

-bears have a good sense of memory

Draw what you see in the left graph on the right:

EDITORIAL POLICY

The C&G is a student-run, quarterly magazine published by the Crimson and Gold journalism staff at Holy Innocents’ Episcopal School of Atlanta. All opinions expressed in this publication are those of the individual author, and do not necessarily reflect those of the entire staff or those of Holy Innocents’ Episcopal School. The magazine is written and designed as part of the journalism curriculum, and contributing writers can be included. The C&G values inclusivity and would appreciate any feedback or contribution. The staff strives to publish a diverse set of writing and perspectives while maintaining a standard of excellence. Please contact thecrimsonandgold@gmail.com for more information. The advisor and the editors have the ultimate say on content and have permission to edit contributions for grammar and the editors have the ultimate say on content and have permission to edit contributions for grammar and taste. The staff will only publish legally protected material and keeps the privacy of individuals included in mind. taste. The staff will only publish legally protected material and keeps the privacy of individuals included in mind.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR POLICY

The C&G values inclusivity and encourages any feedback or contribution from its readers. To express any complaints, concerns, or compliments with our most recent issue, please write a letter to the editor and include your name. Email the letter to thecrimsonandgold@ gmail.com, or slip the letter under the door of room STEM 603. Letters deemed appropriate by the C&G staff will be published in the following issue alongside a response from the editorial board.