A Student Production of Franklin Learning Center
March 2018
theflashflc.org
#EnoughIsEnough
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Phedora Jean-Phillipe, ‘20, holding a handmade sign on March 14 in front of Franklin Learning Center before FLC students joined other schools in walking out of their buildings. · Staff Photographer Bwe Ku
The Killer Flu
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FLC Needs More Security
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Pizza and How To Make It
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FOLLOW US! @THeFlashFLC
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#EnoughIsEnough
NEWS
Students Take Matters Into Their Own Hands
By GENESIS TEJADA-PERALTA On March 15th, 2018 students all over the country took to the streets to protest gun violence. They walked out of their classes at 10:00 AM and remained outside for 17 minutes to honor the 17 lives lost in the shooting in Stoneman Douglas High School. Some of the participants read out the names of those killed in school shootings, the attendees were invited to join in a moment of silence, and then many walked to the school district to join other Philadelphia schools in protest. Although the pur-
pose of the walkout was to honor the lives lost to gun violence it was also a way for students, parents, and even educators to tell politicians that they demand gun reform. Here at Franklin Learning Center, hundreds of students stood outside of the school as Junior Luvonda Fuller led the peaceful protest. FLC teachers stood outside in solidarity with the students and even Principle Nicole Lee showed her support as she stated that there would be no repercussions for those who decided to participate. The names of victims were read out, participants chanted “Enough is Enough,”
a student read out a poem, and at the end of the walkout the mic was open to anyone who had anything they had to share. “We are going to turn these 17 minutes into 18,” said Luvonda Fuller. “We’re going to turn these 18 minutes into 20, we’re going to turn these 20 minutes into 30. Because I feel as though that these kids, 17 minutes is not enough.” If you should take away anything from the events on #NationalWalkoutDay it is that, for these students, enough is enough. The youth of America has found their voice and will not be silenced. They will demand reform and demand a change.
Editorial Board Editor-in-Chief Genesis Tejada-Peralta Associate Editor Faridah Nguyen Ombudsman Alex Fernandez News Editor Franchesca Carrera Opinions Editor Nickey Sawbo A&E Editor Janelis Duran Layout and Design Editor Sally Duong Social Media Editor Tyahn Hassan Multimedia Editor Deja Dawkins Director of Marketing Erica Williams Faculty Adviser Colin Chrestay
FLC students join with others from around Philadelphia in a walk out on March 14 for gun legislation · Staff Photographers Anannya Kundu and Mohamed Bah
NEWS The Killer Flu
By JESSICA MUNZ This season’s flu has claimed the lives of many people, resulting in one of the deadliest seasons to date. Whether you heard about the flu on the news or from a parent or friend, one thing is sure: take the proper precautions and be careful. To put it simply, the flu is just a common viral infection with symptoms that may include fever and muscle ache. The flu has left those affected feeling uncomfortable with symptoms of chills, dehydration, fatigue, fever, flushing, loss of appetite, body ache, or sweating. My cousin, William, was affected by the flu at college, and was even sent to the hospital. He said he felt “dizzy with muscle aches.” The pain was so severe that he could barely sit up and had an overwhelming fever. Even though William was affected recently, our normal flu season started around November. November and December are the times of year where most family gatherings and social events take place, which can lead to more harmful bacteria and sickness being spread. But what causes this deadly flu? Every year different strains of influenza circulate. This year, influenza A, specifically H3N2, the most dominant strain, is especially prevalent, according to the CDC (US Centers for Disease Control). The country tends to see more serious cases of the flu, especially in young children and elderly adults, as well as decreased vaccine effec-
Staff Illustrator Isaiah Fletcher tiveness, resulting in more infections and more hospitalizations. Most tragically, seniors 65 years of age and older are being hospitalized more than any other age group, according to the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. By February 10th, approximately 84 children and infants had died because of the flu. Treatment is simple, just like any other cases of the flu. Stay home to avoid spreading it to anyone else, take prescribed antiviral drugs (used for treating viral infections), as well as taking everyday precautions like washing your hands and sneezing into a napkin, and making sure that you are up to date on your flu shot. The death rate is still elevating each week and H3N2 is clinging on to the last of the season.
DACA Deadline Passes With Silence announced that DACA would be coming to an end and that he would be putting a Six months ago President Trump made six month delay on the process in order to one of the most controversial decisions in give Congress a chance to come up with a his presidency yet. After six years, DACA legislative solution to replace the program. would be coming to an end. DACA, which Now the March 5th deadline has passed stands for Deferred Action for Childhood and many are left asking, what now? The Arrivals, protected undocumented immi- actions, or rather the inactions, of congrants who were brought into the United gress has left thousands worried. More States illegally when they were children. than 800,000 people who are protected unDACA granted those children authorization der DACA are now uncertain about what to work in the US and protection against will happen to them. Trump blames this deportation. In September 2017, Trump on Congress and their inability to come together and come up with an effective solution. On the day of the deadline Trump took to twitter to share his opinion on who he feels is to blame. “It’s March 5th and the Democrats are nowhere to be found on DACA. Gave them 6 months, they just don’t care. Where are they? We are ready to make a deal!” Who is to blame? Congress for their lack of action in the past six months, or Trump for pulling the plug on the program in the first place? More importantly, what will happen to the future of 800,000 Staff Illustrator Elijah Collins immigrants? By GENESIS TEJADA-PERALTA
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Justice for Our Clubs
Full disclosure: This article is about a policy change that affects the fundraising of clubs at Franklin Learning Center, including The Flash.
By ANIAH GONZALEZ In the middle of the 2017-2018 school year, a major limit regarding school club funding was enforced on Franklin Learning Center clubs, restricting them to being limited to selling products only one day a week. Although this rule has affected funding for clubs, students can still buy snacks from the cafeteria during their lunchtime everyday. Clubs like Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA), Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA), and The Flash (Franklin Learning Center’s school newspaper), all raise money by selling snacks. HOSA was in charge of selling pretzels two times a week. FBLA sold donuts on Fridays and sold chips, candy, juice, etc… everyday. The Flash also sold ramen noodles everyday to students. This limit has made a huge difference for FBLA. Michael Gardner, the head of FBLA, explained, “It pretty much cut our profit by a quarter of what we were making before, and will highly affect what students will pay for the Hershey trip.” Not only is the price of the trip to Hershey amusement parks, for the FBLA students and chaperones, expected to be more expensive than what it originally was predicted to be, but if the students can’t manage to pay for the trip they could miss out on real life skills. “It’s been helpful not only in the sense that we’ve been able to provide something, but one thing it did for my class was teach the students business
skills,” Gardner said. “They were learning how to manage money, and how to do stocks, they were learning skills that students wouldn’t normally learn in school.” Jessica Way, the advisor of HOSA, is also experiencing problems with the selling limit. HOSA goes to a national competition to compete in their knowledge in health occupations and how well they can complete certain occupation related tasks every year, after placing in the state competitions. “It costs approximately $450 to take each student. Some of that gets offset by the district,” she said. “Sometimes it depends on where nationals take place,” but sometimes it can be very costly. “Some years $20,000, when we had a lot of winners to go compete.” On the other hand, Newspaper Club advisor, Colin Chrestay leans more with the administration’s rules. “Yeah it’s a conflicting issue. I think there are ways it hurts the clubs but the rules were in place before the clubs,” Chrestay explains. Students also understand there are positive and negative sides to the newly enforced policy. “It kinda sucks, but it’s kinda okay because I get to save a little more money at school by not buying snacks everyday,” said Kody Taylor, a junior at Franklin Learning Center. Even with personal opinions aside, all of the clubs agree that they believe that the new policy was enforced because they would often be in competition with the school’s cafeteria.
The Science of the Seasons By JESSICA MUNZ
Fall, Winter, Spring, and Summer: we’ve always heard about the seasons changing but why do they actually change? “The seasons are basically the change of weather patterns and daylight hours over the course of the year,” says FLC biology teacher Scott Stein. “It changes gradually over the year, however, we mark four specific points during the year where it changes to the next season.” Some assume that the seasons change just because of ‘Mother Nature’. The earth has seasons because its axis is tilted. Dominick Gode, a freshman, believes “the one spot of the earth that is closest to the sun is the one that’s the warmest, and the other spot that’s farthest from the sun is the coldest.” Since the earth rotates on its axis, or tilts, Dominick’s assumptions are correct. But then why are some months summer months, and others winter months? NASA Science states that it is the North Pole that begins to tilt towards the sun around June, and the South Pole tilts toward from the sun around December. June, July, and August are known as summer months in the Northern Hemishpere because in June the sun’s rays hit that part of Earth more directly than at any other time of the year.
December, January, and February are winter months because in December (in the Northern Hemisphere) the South Pole begins to tilt away from the sun, causing colder weather. We live in the Northern Hemisphere, where it’s warm in July and cold in December, but if we lived in the Southern Hemisphere, in places such as South Africa and Australia then the weathers would be reversed. We are now starting to experience the feeling of spring. Spring is often called the season of rebirth, due to all plant life beginning to blossom once again. During spring is when the Earth’s axis begins to tilt towards the sun, causing warmer temperatures. The name ‘Spring’ was first introduced around the 14th century. Before then spring was known as ‘springing time’ or ‘springtime’. Recently we changed our clocks forward and lost an hour of sleep, but in exchange we also get an extra hour of daylight. Because of the extra hours of daylight, our Baseball, Softball, Volleyball, and Track teams can now enjoy the start sof their seasons. The rest of us can look forward to picnics, playing outside, and celebrating Holi, Earth Day, and countless of other springtime activities and holidays.
Staff Photographer Mohamed Bah
OPINION
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E D I T O R I A L
FLC Needs More Security
By THE FLASH EDITORIAL BOARD entrance of the building. FLC is not alone The board voted 7-1 to publish this editorial
Lately, schools are faced with the enormous responsibility of keeping their occupants safe during the school day. Many schools across the country are re-evaluating their safety measures after the February 14 shooting in Parkland, Florida. As all tragedies do, the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School has influenced administrations to look into their means of protecting students and at the same time has forced students and faculty to notice the breaches of security that occur on a regular basis. Here at Franklin Learning Center, our security system includes metal detectors and checkpoints for students and visitors. Students are stopped in the morning and have to put their bags through a scanner while they go through a metal detector. Visitors are stopped at the front desk and are required to give a form of identification before being able to proceed upstairs. Theoretically, this should keep the school free from metal weapons or any sort of contraband. What we have noticed, though, are the many ways the security system is being exploited. Administration has begun to force students to remove their hoodies and jackets during the morning checkpoint, and although this intensifies the security process, there are still gaps. While these gaps are impossible to completely remove, these are our recommendations.
in its use of metal detectors and scanners at its main entrance, but many students worry about whether the scanners are effective—whether they decrease the risk of a shooting. Because students are required to pass through the scanners, a significant number of students are checked for weapons as they enter the building. Recently this has led to long lines, especially in the minutes leading up to the start of advisory. But are all students in those lines? Syreeta Williams (‘18) doesn’t think so. “Our school does a decent job with stopping all of the people who go through the machines that might or might not have weapons; however, that’s only for those who do go through the machine.” Students who arrive late, like Syreeta, often enter the building after the scanners have already been turned off and stored away. It is ineffective for the school to spend money on a security system without subjecting all students to it. If FLC is going to improve their scanning procedure, it will take a stronger security force. Most of the responsibility falls on the security guards who are the school’s first layer of defense. Principal Nicole Lee agrees that “we need more people in the building” but has her own “ideals about what creates a sense of security and [she doesn’t] believe it’s more police in a building.” School officer Mac, who staffs a scanner before the start of school, is one of the adults who can see if any students are bringing weapons into the building: “Students try to bring dangerous weapons into schools everyday, however not at FLC.”
FLC has been one of the many schools to fall behind in its task of protecting its students.
Ms. Russell, staffing the front desk · Staff Photographer Negar Ghasemi As the school safety debate rages on, there are many factors to consider. Scanners are doing a good job of keeping harmful weapons out of schools but only for the students who walk through them.
Visitors
Another safety concern for students and faculty at FLC is what happens when visitors enter the building. By the time most visitors arrive to the building, the scanners and metal detectors are already pushed to the side. Many find this dangerous and question why it is that students have to go through the metal detectors and the scanners but not visitors or teachers. Are students seen as more high risk and more capable of breaking policy than visitors who have never been to the school Metal Detectors and Scanners For many administrators, the first place before? Or is the root of the problem less to address the safety of students is at the controversial, and simply because we are understaffed? Either way the policy still stands. Ms. Russell, who works at the front desk, says that if a visitor wants to enter the building they have to ¨show me their ID, then they have to sign the log, the name [of the] company they work for, and the date and the time.” Although it is school policy for every visitor to sign in no matter what, that is not always the case and there’s really no one to blame for that. There are several different scenarios where visitors can get inside the building without the knowledge of a staff member. Whether it be because no one is at the front door after Two backpacks, as seen through Officer Richardson’s scanner · Staff Photographer Negar Ghasemi school or because a
“What would best thing to for my stude
-FLC Princ student lets someone in, FLC doesn’t catch every visitor entering the building. But what we can ensure is that when a visitor does sign-in they are made to go through the metal detector and scanner, along with teachers and any other faculty members. Faculty and visitors should be no exception in this policy. To ensure the safety of everyone in the building, everyone should be treated equally in this matter and undergo the same safety regulation. It is ultimately the school’s job to keep everyone in the building safe, and that means not only keeping them safe from each other, but safe from anyone who could walk in this building with an intention to harm.
Side Doors
Besides visitors entering the building unnoticed, the side doors at FLC are a chronic weakness and compromise student safety by how easily accessible they are. Although locked to the outside, many visitors enter through these doors by having a friend on the inside who is willing to open the door for them. It may be an innocent offense to sneak out of the side doors, but opening the doors for friends could put lives at risk. Let’s say for example you’re sneaking back into the school and a random stranger sneaks in behind you as the door closes. Now there’s a strange person in the building and you just put innocent lives in jeopardy. Because it would be a waste of assets and manpower to place staff at those entrances, students must be vigilant and aware of their surroundings.
OPINION
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E D I T O R I A L
Lockdowns
In the event that a shooter makes it around the scanners or through the side door and into the school, FLC would institute a lockdown. To prepare for such events, the Pennsylvania State Police recommend that lockdowns be performed during each semester of the school year with the assistance of the local law enforcement. At FLC our last non-fire related drill was in October 2016. Many schools decided to have a lockdown after the February shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas high school in Parkland, Florida. One such school was the Academy For College Preparation and Career Exploration in Brooklyn, New York. Princess Johnson, a Junior at the Academy for College Preparation and Career Exploration, says that her school’s most recent lockdown was “the very ending of February or earlier this month.” Before then, her school practiced lockdowns during the beginning of the school year. FLC isn’t the only school to ignore the recommendations, though. Many other
Other students have different opinions on lockdowns. Jason believes that they give “the staff a better chance to understand the situation.” But he also agrees that most students don’t take them seriously. “When it’s
Besides noisy students, lack of planning and formation can also be at fault for ineffective lockdown drills. The School District of Philadelphia is starting to make sure schools have their own formula for the best type of lockdown that can protect its students. “The school district is asking for finalized plans,” says Lee. “They need to identify what should be the procedure so that there is one clear message. Not ‘Oh we’re going to do this’ and find out that it doesn’t work too well.” With full cooperation from students and staff, as well as a solid plan, lockdown drills could be a lot less messy in the future. Lee has begun meeting with school police officers and Philadelphia police to talk about certain scenarios in which a lockdown may have to be enforced. She often asks “What would be the best thing to do for my students?” “It’s sadly our only form of protection against the increasing rate of school shootings,” Princess said. Other than practicing the lockdown drills, there’s no other way to prepare students for internal lockdowns due to threats. Without the lockdowns, chaos could follow. “You never really know when something is going to happen,” said Jason. “The best thing is to be prepared.”
It is ineffective for the school to spend money on a security system without subjecting all students to it.
be the o do ents?”
cipal Nicole Lee Philadelphia schools do as well. Jason Granados, a senior at Excel Academy, says that ever since his transfer to Excel Academy during his sophomore year, he has only witnessed one lockdown and that was also during February this year, the month of the shooting in Florida. So, why are schools just now starting to show an interest in lockdowns after shootings? And why isn’t FLC doing the same? Vox reports that since the 1999 shooting at Columbine, 32 states have passed laws requiring schools to conduct lockdown drills, or some form of emergency drill, to keep students safe and ready in case of intruders. In the face of a Parkland-style shooter, Principal Nicole Lee says, “honestly, I don’t think there is any way to ever prevent that. That is something that somebody came up in their mind to do. You can never prepare for that.” Some students, as well as staff, believe that lockdown drills won’t provide much protection in itself. Princess thinks “lockdowns can be efficient only if there’s full cooperation. My school once had a real lockdown earlier this year and it was a mess. No one quite knew what exactly was happening.” The threat her school had to face wasn’t a school shooter. “Luckily,” she said, “or it would’ve been really bad for us.” While some districts run simulated shooter drills that use fake blood and simulate casualties, Lee thinks it is important to “let everybody know this is just a drill because based on the climate we are living in, [lockdowns] create panic.”
a practice drill, they tend to joke around, but we always perform the drill safely.” With so many school shootings taking place in America, questions arise when American students don’t take their drills seriously. “Everything is taken as a joke now,” says Princess. “Eventually even serious matters become the latest joke. It’s definitely a coping mechanism.” Using dark humor among teenagers has been seen to be a coping mechanism in many things, like internet memes. These type of relevant and dark memes get shared all over social media, keeping the issue fresh in the minds of students. So, if humor and ridicule tend to help teenagers cope and ease up during stressful situations, then there are certainly bound to be noisy lockdown drills. But according to the State Police’s RVAT school safety report, during an internal lockdown (a lockdown where the threat is inside the building) students should be “seated out of sight of the windows and doors and should remain silent.” This means no humor, laughing, or talking is allowed. “It makes sense that a teacher should be able to lock that door from the inside and go ‘be quiet, to the back’ until you hear the all clear,” says Lee, but if a student is caught outside a classroom during a lockdown, she believes that they should do whatever they can to keep themselves safe, even if that means leaving the building.
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The Flash is seeking: Illustrators Photographers Videographers Graphic Designers Submit your original illustrations, photos, or videos to
flash@flchs.org
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With schools all around the nation acting upon the recent shootings, FLC has been one of the many schools to fall behind in its task of protecting its students. For the protection of all members of the FLC community, the following changes must be made: 1. More staff must be assigned to monitor the scanners and the front door of the school 2. That staff must be available before and after school 3. All people who enter the school, including staff and visitors, must pass through the scanners and metal detectors
4. All side doors should be actively monitored by security cameras 5. Lockdown drills should be performed once per semester It is impossible to let schools be the sanctuaries they should be while outfitting them like maximum security prisons. However, these steps will make many of the efforts FLC is already taking more effective. In our Principal’s own words, “if we all work together to keep ourselves safe and secure, then that’s what we’ll be.”
Franklin Learning Center High School, 616 N. 15th Street, has many entrances but most are locked during the school day · Staff Photographer Anannya Kundu
OPINION
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The Eye of a Camera Never Blinks unsure whether or not his camera was recording; thankfully it was. Figorski believes body cams help. “I think that police are less likely to act aggressively when they know they are beIt records any and all activiing filmed.” He said. “Anyone would be ties and action within range. In othhesitant to engage in bad behavior when er words, the camera doesn’t lie, either. he or she knows a camera is filming evOn August 9, 2014 a shooting was erything.” This is proven to be true. Rebrought to light after being caught on a searchers at the University of Florida cellphone camera and posted on varireleased a report on a body-worn camous forms of social media in Ferguson, era pilot program at the Orlando Police Missouri. What was special about this Department, where they found that there specific event was the fact that the vicare significant reductions in the number tim, Michael Brown, an 18-year-old of injuries in both officers and civilians black man, was unarmed when shot. when a body-worn camera is involved. Darren Wilson, the 28-year-old cop These cameras can also keep police who shot Brown, believed he had fit the defrom getting side tracked while on duty. scription of a suspect in a “strongOfficers that know their moves armed” convenience store robbery. are being watched could beThis sparked discussions from all have differently in many sitover the country, questioning rauations. “For example, they cial profiling, trigger happy cops, may not stop and have disand police brutality. Was it not for cussions with people because that short video on twitter, no one they may feel uncomfortable would’ve been able to fight for the having even routine encounjustice Brown and others deserve. ters on video.” says Figorski. “When I first heard of body Although body-worn camcameras, I was against them,” said eras are a new practice, they James Figorski, a former police ofkeep both sides safe and proficer turned lawyer who has been vides us with more intel on focused on seeking exoneration of how officers spend their time prisoners who have been wrongly and how they react to situaconvicted in Pennsylvania. At his tions. “Body cameras are good visit to the Acel Moore Workshop for two reasons: they have he said “I thought they would make the potential to expose the cops hesitate before taking action.” misconduct of bad cops, and He also worried that the hesitation they have the potential to help could “lead to their injury or death.” good cops by protecting them Figorski has since changed from false accusations and by his mind saying that a camproviding evidence of crimes era should not change a good A police officer, seen with a body camera on his uniform · Photo reprinted with permission from Ryan Johnson committed against them.”
By FRANCHESCA CARRERA *** Published in conjunction with the Philadelphia Inquirer***
cop. Only bad behavior is discouraged. Long before the events of the Ferguson shooting, police body cams have been in use in places like California, protecting the police and the public by being able to surveil police activity. On November 26, 2014 the Philadelphia Police Department began to put body cameras into practice, thanks to the uproar in Ferguson. The new body cam movement has swept the nation, introducing police to another pair of watching eyes from Los Angeles to New York City. But the question that has yet to be answered is, are they helping? After the dreadful events in Ferguson, Missouri, then-president Barack Obama proposed the idea of implementing cameras that could be easily worn as an acces-
Is Artificial Lighting Harmful to Students?
By NEGAR GHASEMI and HANNAH of which take place under bright light.” WOODRUFF The use of daylight promotes a healthy Even after a good night’s rest, have you learning environment in schools. Those ever felt exhausted during school hours? exposed to natural lighting improve acaOne of the leading causes behind this demically. In a study conducted by medphenomenon derives from the setting. ical researcher and virologist Jonas Salk, Lighting is one of many influences affect- results showed that kids in contact with ing our moods. People often feel a con- more sunlight during their school day disstant surge of happiness while in contact played 26% higher reading outcomes and with daylight, whereas a gloomy atmo- 20% higher math outcomes than kids in sphere may over cast a heavy state of mind. less sunny classrooms. Having said that, Places where our brains other studies have shown are stimulated most need that replacing artificial lightnatural lighting, but it’s not ing with blue-enriched bulbs always present. Due to its can also improve students’ cost and energy efficiency, cognitive performance if schools and office buildings the classroom has limitoften use fluorescent light. ed access to natural light. However, spending time Utilizing natural light solely in harsh artificial lightcan encourage substantial ing can lead people to expeenergy and budget savings. rience negative side-effects. Depending on artificial light Schools should increase alone has more disadvantagthe use of natural lighting in es associated with it. Besides classes because lighting sigits negative effects on school nificantly affects the mental performance, artificial light Staff Photographer Negar Ghasemi well-being of both teachers is costly. The U.S. Departand students. An individual’s mood, or ment of Education states that schools in emotions — both positive and negative the United States spend “more than $8 bil— can be measured under the intensity lion each year on energy, and about 26% of the lighting. Research published in the of electricity consumed by a typical school Journal of Consumer Psychology shows is just for lighting alone.” By reducing that “turning down the light, effortless and utility bills through the usage of daylight, unassuming as it may seem, can reduce schools will be supported financially to emotionality in everyday decisions, most spend on other programs and necessities.
sory on police officers in over 20 states. The idea was received with hope from both ends. Sadly, the peace didn’t last long before the cameras began to catch the police engaging in deceiving acts. One particularly striking case was when a Baltimore cop was caught, by the body cam, planting evidence at the scene of what would’ve been a simple drug bust. The footage shows the officer placing plastic baggies full of white capsules into a food can, and then hiding that can under various piles of trash. Then the audio comes on and we hear the cop say, “I’m going to check here. Hold on.” as he searches for the evidence he planted there himself. The lack of audio during the officers planting suggests that he was
Trump Proposes Arming Teachers with Guns By GENESIS TEJADA-PERALTA It appears as if the Trump administration is willing to do whatever is necessary to protect Americans from gun violence. Everything except banning guns. On February 24, 2018 President Trump tweeted “Armed Educators (and trusted people who work within a school) love our students and will protect them. Very smart people. Must be firearm adept & annual training. Should get yearly bonus. Shootings will not happen again- a big & very inexpensive deterrent. Up to States.” Trump feels that the obvious solution to mass shootings is more guns and the idea couldn’t be more absurd. When did the idea of teachers being “Armed Educators” become acceptable and part of the norm. Why is it up to those who are responsible for educating the youth, to also murder and use violence to protect them? When did part of the criteria begin to include killing? It is baffling that, despite budget cuts in schools and teachers consistently being laid off, Trump thinks he can find it in his budget to arm teachers and train them in
the use of firearms. Not only this, but also that he would provide them with yearly bonuses. Trump’s belief that a teacher who is adequately trained in the use of firearms could “very well end the attack very quickly” assumes that it has to get to that point? Why is the President discussing ways to stop mass shootings while they are happening instead of searching for ways to prevent them from happening in the first place? Teachers all throughout America are speaking out and sharing their opinions on Trump’s proposal. They have taken to Instagram and Twitter with the hashtag #ArmMeWith to tell the President what they feel they need in their classrooms opposed to guns. In the tweets, teachers ask for better funding, resources to adequately help students with mental health issues, qualified counselors, and many other things that should already be provided for educators. There is a shortage of countless resources and materials needed in schools all over America and adding weapons to the list should be the President’s last priority. Help educators succeed in the job they learned to do and the field they chose: teaching.
ENTERTAINMENT
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“The Crater Lake Monster” Review By DARIANA GARCIA It all started with a meteorite. “The Crater Lake Monster” is a low-budget movie released in 1977, directed by William R. Stromberg. It is a stop-motion horor film with a plesiosaurus that attacks people; Steven, the town sheriff along with some scientist all work together to stop the monster. Although it was received with negative reviews, I would recommend giving the movie a try. It’s not the best, but it could be worse. The film takes place in Crater Lake, Northern California. It opens with Dr. Richard Calkins, he is told by his colleague Dan Turner that he and Susan Patterson, his colleague and girlfriend, have found a cave system. While they were exploring the cave system a meteorite crashes into the lake. The meteorite causes the plesiosaur egg to hatch and the rest is history. The movie is supposed to be a horror film, but it features dynamic duo Arnie Chabot and Mitch Kowalski, owners of a boat rental services that are used as comedic relief. However, they only made me laugh once. When I did laugh it was when the characters would talk about how dark outside it was, while you could
clearly see that it was daytime. An example of this is when Ross Conway and his wife Paula rent a boat. As they are admiring the lake and their surroundings, Paula makes an i nte re s t i ng comment, “Look at all the stars, I’ve never seen so many.” This would be a normal scene if only it were actually night when they filmed this part. And, the stop-motion quality seemed poor, the monster looked too fake, too plastic. In the scenes where the monster is out of the water it looked out of place, like it was clearly in a fake set. The parts when the monster attacks became too dark, leaving no clear quality. The acting wasn’t the best, the dialogue was too dry, with little emotion. Although it has some cons, there
Staff Illustrator Joshua Ramirez
are some parts that I did like about the movie. The fact that in some scenes when the monster is going to attack, you can see it through the point of view of the monster. That is something that I haven’t seen many horror movies do today. Something that the movie does really well is that it doesn’t rely on jump scares to keep the audience’s attention, like most horror movies do today. But instead it builds the suspense with the music that plays when the monster is nearby. Throughout
the movie I kept thinking, “Who will the monster attack next?” and “What are they going to do?” In a way, the end of the movie is what I expected it to be but with a twist. Be warned the ending was kind of sad, but I won’t spoil that. I would recommend watching the movie if you’re bored and need something quick to watch. Or if you’re tired of today’s horror movies and want to see what horror movies used to be like. I give “The Crater Lake Monster” 2.5 out of 5 stars.
The Plot In You Releases New Album “Dispose” By NICER HALL The Plot In You, an American metalcore band from Ohio, formed in 2010 just released their new album “DISPOSE.” “DISPOSE”, which is also their fifth album after signing with Fearless Records, is a rock album that I think is great. This album shows how much this band has grown and started moving away from the songs where the singer, Landon Tewers was always screaming and now he is doing it where it feels right and when it is appropriate. After three years I knew the band was coming out with a new album when I heard their new song “FEEL NOTHING”. I thought this song was a good way of introducing the new album, what is to come from the album, and how much it will change the band’s image. There would be three songs that come out after this and one of them is called “DISPOSABLE FIX.” A song that came with a very good verse, a good build up with great gui-
tar/bass play and very good drums that went with the rhythm of the song. This shows that the band can go in a different direction with their music because of songs like these where it is softer and has a smoother rhythm. Another song that came out before the album was the song “NOT JUST BREATHING” where it has the same feel as “FEEL NOTHING” but it has that combination of good rhythms and emotional singing. These songs sound like the singer is really putting a lot of emotion into it and a exam-
ple of that is the song “I ALWAYS WANTED TO LEAVE” where you can just hear the pain and emotion in the lyrics. While listening to this album I was really surprised because I thought this was going to be
like the last four albums, but when I heard “FEEL NOTHING” I knew this was going to be something different and that’s what I liked about this album. I like that the style they went for was songs that stray away from a lot of screaming but that can still pay homage towards their last albums. This album is showing signs of growth from the band where they can switch things up and the music still sounds great. To me, my favorite songs from the album would be “DISPOSABLE FIX”, “I ALWAYS WANTED TO LEAVE”, and “RIGGED”. I would recommend this album and I give it a 4.5 out of 5 stars.
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Italy’s Finest: Pizza and How To Make It By ALEX FERNANDEZ
Pizza is everyone’s favorite food, well, except for those who are lactose intolerant, and it has been around for centuries. The first modern pizza dates back to the late 1800’s and it was made by a man named Raffaele Esposito. Esposito owned an Italian bakery in Naples, Italy. However it is important to note that the origins of pizza date back to as early as Egyptian times. Esposito made the first modern pizza for King Umberto I and Queen Margherita. The pizza that Raffaele Esposito made for the King and Queen was dubbed Pizza Margherita named after the Queen and the pizza features fresh san marzano tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, basil, and a drizzle of olive oil. My version here is more of a typical upbeat take on pizza that is easy to make and is very nutritious (as nutritious as a pizza can be). Enough history, let’s jump into the recipe! Pizza Dough: 4 ½ cups of flour 2 cups lukewarm water (if your water is
too hot you will kill the yeast and it won’t activate) 1-2 tbsp of sugar (this ‘feeds’ the yeast and helps it rise) ½ tsp salt 1 ¼ oz packet of yeast Vegetable or olive oil Pizza Toppings 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese 1 cup cheddar cheese ½ cup sharp white cheddar Can of tomato sauce 1 egg beaten (egg wash) Cooked chicken breast chunks 1-2 cups of spinach
Step 1: Prepare your pizza dough by adding the lukewarm water to a large bowl. Add the yeast to the warm water and add ½ cup of flour, mix well and let proof for 5-10 minutes. In the pizza I made, the type of yeast I used was active dry yeast so proofing wasn’t needed but I did it anyway. After 5-10 minutes the yeast mixture should be foamy and you’re ready for step 2.
Step 2: After the proofing stage begin to add the flour in 1 cup increments (4 cups total). Mix well after each addition before adding the next cup. After the final cup keep mixing until a ‘shaggy dough’ is formed. Lightly flour your countertop surface and begin to knead the dough. It’s fine if the dough is still ‘sticky’ that’s what you want to start and as you work your dough it’ll become more smooth and elastic after about 5 minutes. Kneading well helps work the gluten in the dough but be careful not to overwork the dough or your pizza won’t be light and airy. Step 3: Once the dough is smooth and elastic place it in a bowl covered in oil and be sure to spread a little bit of oil on top of your ball of dough. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and put a kitchen towel overtop of it. Allow your dough to proof for 1 hour, it will double in size. Step 4: Preheat your oven to a temperature between 400-500 degrees (depends on the
thickness of your crust). Personally for my pizza I used 400 degrees to give my crust time to cook all the way through without burning the toppings. While your oven preheats prepare the toppings for your pizza. Cut 1 chicken breast into medium-small size chunks and brown until cooked through. Using a bit of the oil and some of the juices left over from the chicken cook the spinach with salt and pepper until the spinach has shrunk in size. Step 5: With flour or cornstarch lightly dust your pan you’ll be preparing your pizza. (this prevents sticking). Begin to layer with sauce, cheese, meat, and spread the spinach out over the pizza. Brush the crust with beaten egg. Let the pizza cook for 10-14 minutes or until crust is golden brown (cook times vary based on thickness of crust and size of pizza). Step 6: Let the pizza cool down for 1012 minutes before slicing. This recipe makes 2 medium pizzas or 1 large pizza.
No-Spectator Policy: For Better or Worse? By HANNAH WOODRUFF
Following an incident on January 18, 2018 that ultimately ended with a call to the police, student spectators will no longer be permitted at Franklin Learning Center games in the Cunningham Community Center. Athletic Director Brian Kelly enforced a new policy for all games last season after an FLC student refused to leave the community center. Despite being asked to leave multiple times, the spectator caused arguments and was “being disrespectful and rude,” according to Junior Varsity (JV) basketball coach Michael Gardner. As a result, the authorities were contacted and spectators were banned from attending future games. News of this policy angered players and spectators the moment it reached the school community. Tori Greer, a freshman girls’ basketball player said that “spectators should be allowed at games because they encourage players to do better.” If their friends aren’t there to support the teams’ games, Tori says “the games will be corny.” She also believes that the teams will “slack and not care about how good they did” because no one was there to see it. On the contrary, Kelly clarifies that the risks associated with spectators runs deeper than what meets the eye. After the incident, Cunningham Community Center, where FLC basketball and volleyball teams play, concluded that it’d be best if students were no longer permitted to watch the games. Installing the policy wasn’t an easy decision to make and both parties had a say during the process, but the FLC athletic
coaches ultimately settled with the center’s wishes. Kelly explains that his main concern is to make sure that FLC has athletic programs for their athletes. Part of this responsibility includes finding facilities where athletes can engage in such programs. Kelly argues that for the sake of all the FLC sports teams that compete at the center, he has to “abide by all the rules they [the recreation center] put in place.” After all, “the recreation center is not obliged to continue letting FLC play there by any means.” Possibilities of the policy being lifted next year are slim. Due to this, some players are Students, no longer able to attend basketball games, look into the gym · Staff Reporter even going as far as refusing to play next Hannah Woodruff season. Gardner understands the seThe FLC Bobcat basketball team, in a photo verity of the situation, but doesn’t ful- The 1998 FLC Bobcat basketball team, in a photo from ly agree. “Overall, do I like it? No, but an old yearbook, on the bench in front of a full house from the 2017-2018 season, competes against Randolph · Staff Photographer Tai Dang I understand 100% it had to be done.” during a basketball game · FLC Yearbook Archive