PHOTO ESSAY

Sadies Assembly 3 1. Junior Abram Martinez pulls fellow prince William Slater on a fake horse during February’s First Friday. The “Into The Woods” cast made appearances at both lunches. 2. Junior Torrence Orsborn plays Connect Four in the quad during First Friday on Feb. 7. Gator Pride threw an early Valentine’s Day celebration with their love themed decorations and games. 3. Junior Londyn Hill laughs with a student during the cast’s appearances. Hill played the role of Snow White in theatres’ production of “Into The Woods.” 4. From left to right, freshman Janeir Cintron, junior Maximus Timoteo and senior Anyssa Ortiz perform during this year’s Sadies week assembly. Poly Club performed between the sophomore and junior girlbands. 5. Madrigals member and junior Brenden Stephens hits a dance move to hype the crowd. Madrigals performed the National Anthem to kick off the assembly.

By Abigail Culpepper

6. Senior Girl Band ends their performance by throwing Jackie Mason in the air as other members release confetti. The seniors won Girl Band for the second year in a row. 7. Members of junior Girl Band hold Ashlyn Welter in the air as they dance to High School Musical’s “Fabulous.” The juniors kept the crowd active with their use of Tik Tok songs. 8. Freshmen Girl Band grabs the crowd’s attention with their fierce facial expresions. The freshmen brought the heat with their clean and fresh dance moves. 9. Senior Braydon Clayton is lifted up by other seniors as the class wins the spirit stick yet again. So far, the seniors have won the spirit stick at every assembly this school year.

Along with school and home life, teenagers often times decide to take on a job. As they grow older, the want for independence grows; therefore, they crave having something for themselves. However, a hostile workplace, especially for a teenager, can negatively affect many aspects in their life.

A toxic workplace, is a workplace that is marked by significant drama, where personal battles harm people and their productivity. A toxic work environment can differ from small drama and bickering to the boss dictating instead of being a leader.

“When I was working over the summer, my co-workers would start rumors about me and call me derogatory names just because I was a teenager,” senior Tatyanna Wilson said. Wilson used to work at a business that was popular over the Summer months.

In a teenager’s life changes can become consuming. Teenagers already have to keep their school life, social life and home life in tact. With this, some have to maintain a job as well, so having a toxic work environment brings more than enough stress to a teenager’s young life.

Mental health, something that does not receive as much awareness as it should, is an important part of a teenager’s life. It is a sensitive subject; however, it is crucial to pay attention to, for teenagers are most prone to having depression, anxiety, etc. Many factors play into this, such as school, home and a teen’s peers; the last thing they need is toxicity.

“It took quite a toll on me - it was seriously stressing me out, and it made work ten times harder. It stops you from being able to actually work sometimes because co-workers decide to be immature,” Wilson said, continuing on her old drama filled work environment.

A common treatment for teenage employees is also being disrespected just for being younger than most workers. They are looked down upon and often unappreciated for being young and new to working.

“Managers would talk badly about us and purposely schedule us on days we couldn’t work. They would see anyone younger than them as less and would give them the work they were asked to do and take credit for By Neyta Flores it,” senior Victoria Perez said, who worked in customer service.

In Perez’s work environment, her managers were less leaders and more dictators. Not only did they see younger workers as weaker than them, but they took advantage. Along with being malicious, they would completely change personalities.

“They basically became different people when they weren’t being ,,

watched by anybody more ‘powerful’ than them. When something was done wrong, the younger ones, including me, were always blamed even when we didn’t do anything,” Perez said.

Most teenagers are not only new in their job, but they are new to working in general. Therefore, they are learning the ropes and accustoming themselves to new things; but with this comes mistreatment. Because they are so new, and younger than most workers, they can be - for lack of a better word - bullied.

“All of the workers treat me like I don’t know what I’m doing, or like it’s my first day there. And even though I don’t need help, they don’t even try to ask me if I need anthing. They tend to choose to be disrespectful and rude. I know what I’m doing, and they know that, but they prefer to treat me like I’m stupid,” junior Gabe Shank said. Shank currently works at a local fast food restaurant.

In every form, even statistically, toxic environments put everyone involved in distress. It is troublesome to not only the actual work required for the job, but the people involved. The toxic environment pours onto personal lives, causing many things that are not often talked about.

Overall, a toxic work environment, especially in a teenager’s life, will not bring them anything beneficial in the long run.

World War III refers to the next potential worldwide military conflict caused by tension between the US and Iran. Hours after the announcement of the death of Iranian Qasem Soleimani “World War III,” was trending all over twitter. Qasem Soleimani ran Iran’s military operations across the Middle East and was significant for many decades. The death of Soleimani on January 3, 2020 just escalated the already suspicious conflict between Iran and the US.

Memes have spread all over Twitter, Instagram, and even on TikTok turning the potential devastating event into a joke. Many Gen Z (born from early 1990s till 2010) have been coping with the use of comedy. This may be since we know we are all well unprepared for this catastrophic situation we might as well do what we do best and lighten up the event. Our generation has become desensitized that we use jokes and memes as much as we can, and there are very few things we can take seriously.

The scope of these posts range from platforms to platforms, treating this event like an episode of reality T.V by posting things such as, “My man better not be answering his phone cuz of war training.” Many other variations include people imitating soldiers in battle on tiktok. This is sending a dark message that the suffering of soldiers and people in warring states has no importance, unless it gets you TikTok famous. With our new internet addiction we have lost the reality of it all, instead the exposure to news has caused us to make it about ourselves and turning it into a comedy.

Truthfully, most of these jokes are not coping mechanisms, they are narcissistic cries for attention from people who are obviously so far removed from any actual danger that they have the advantage to remove their empathy.

“Teens are posting memes about WWIII because they do not actually think it will happen when in reality it really can, which is disrespectful to the army in a way since they’re making fun of a war when it’s a really serious manner and could very well change our lives, senior Sebastian Anderson said.

At times like these we need our celebrities and so called “TikTok stars” By Vivien Liebhardt to use their influence to advocate for those who sadly cannot. It is easy for many of us to poke fun at the potential crisis since it is not us being the ones innocently being killed by air strikes and frightening unimaginable weapons.

Albert Einstein once said, “I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones.” Unlike other wars fought World War III would be fought with the use of nuclear weapons which will have potential global impacts of nuclear blasts, even a small-scale war would quickly devastate the world’s climate and ecosystems, causing damage that would last for more than a decade.

“If an event that could be considered WWIII were to happen did occur, it would if significantly damage our environment, possibly to a point where we wouldn’t be able to salvage it. War and weapons ignore what’s important for the environmental future, so we would likely find ourselves without resources, clean air, or live able land in the future,” junior Piper Irvin said.

World War III would not only differ from past wars due to weaponry but also because of tactics. Globally, civilians are more educated on the past; this war would not be to prove

United States 6,1 85

, , power or military mass but instead be based on overthinking the other’s intelligence and having the financial ability to utilize it. This in turn would cause a more significant devastation, and could potentially affect future generations.

“While it wouldn’t be a war we

necessarily started, our generation would face the most serious consequences if events resembling a WWIII were to occur. Our generation would be changed physically, but the mentality of the masses wouldn’t change so easily. Those who wish to make jokes of serious situations will continue to make jokes out of the misfortune of others. Essentially I believe there would be a split in our generation, those that would experience a wakeup call and realize social media doesn’t mean the world, and those that would continue to utilize social media as a platform to make light of dark circumstances,” Irvin said.

In the time that it takes to draft a tweet about war, a person could call an organization, donate to a charity, or simply share their opinion to help bring attention and potentially aid other countries. It is unfortunate enough that our own President is not being realistic of the possible frightening and devastating event he caused. Consequently, Americans are following his footsteps in regards to not taking the threat seriously. This has caused the generations to follow that example.

I will not disagree that directing our fear into something more easily to swallow such as memes helps people make light of an event, but it should not allow us to completely disregard it and become so insensitive. A strong nationalism can be shown in Americans across the states, and with the advantage of being one of the most influential countries globally we need to use our power for change not entertainment. It is time for us to put away the bag of Lays potato chips, turn off Netflix and get off the couch and take action in whatever capacity possible.

United Kingdom 200

France 300 Israel 90 India 1 40 Pakistan 1 60 Russia 6,490

China 290

North Korea 30

Estimated Global Nuclear Warhead Inventories The world's nuclear-armed states have a combined total of 1 4,000 nuclear warheads. More than 90% belong to Russia and the United States. Approximately 9,500 warheads are in military service, the rest awaiting dismantlement.

Alex Estrada

By Hannah Serquina

The InvestiGator t GVHS I n 52 weeks of 2019 there were 45 school shootings. That is nearly an average of one school shooting a week. Of those, 32 of them were at facilities serving kindergarten through 12 th

grade. Gun violence in America is a growing problem and the more it is ignored the more people become desensitized to it. Ultimately everyone wants to find an answer to the dire question, “How do we keep our schools safe?” The answer is arming teachers.

Many schools are “gun-free zones,” but the federal Gun-Free School Zones Act allows states to authorize certain individuals to carry firearms on school grounds. Texas, Utah, Wyoming and South Dakota allow staff members—with certain caveats—to carry guns on school grounds.

Arming teachers gives the classroom a fighting chance in a lockdown situation. The time period between when the shooter arrives on campus to when the police arrive is crucial. Teachers would have the capability to take a shot at the suspect before a child is shot. This allows for students to be protected in a situation as opposed to being helpless.

Another benefit to consider with the arming of teachers is the fact that

, , active shooters often take their own lives once an armed person confronts their behavior. It is one of the most effective ways to stop an active shooter incident at a school. Not all shooters do this, but the difference between an armed response that is 30 seconds in the making compared to one that is five minutes can save dozens of lives. Since one person is shot on average every 17 seconds in the United States, there are good odds that every child will experience an authentic lockdown incident at least once during their educational career.

Arming teachers does not necessarily mean those in the classroom. Campus security, individuals who are trained, have the power to deescalate a situation before a student is harmed. A law enforcement officer prevented an incident in 2010 at Sullivan Central High School in Tennessee. Then in 2013 an incident at Arapahoe High School in Colorado was stopped by a sheriff’s deputy on duty at the school.

Those who oppose the idea fear inexperienced adults will have control and have a firearm. Before carrying a firearm, most schools require at least 80 hours of training in the use of force, evidence of weapon proficiency, first aid certification and an overview of legality concerns before going before the school board for approval. The opposition does not consider the fact that training will be required for teachers to be armed. In other words, those who oppose arming teachers act like weapons will just be given to staff without thought. In the state of Florida a state legislative committee approved a $67 million “school marshal” program this week to train and arm teachers — over the vocal opposition of Parkland residents.

In Texas, some public school systems have been quietly arming teachers and administrators for more than a decade. Teachers and other school personnel who volunteer to undergo specialized training receive approval to either carry a concealed firearm in school or have one within reach.

Arming staff enables them to pro

tect their students. It gives them the resources to face the problem hands on. The idea of combating gun violence is only something talked about after a tragedy has happened. Arming teachers puts power in the hands of the vulnerable. After the Sandy Hook incident in 2012, where they faced a slaughter of 20 first graders and six staff members, Sheriff Lenhart decided to take measures in his own hands.

That same year, the district spent about $70,000 on safes, bulletproof vests, cameras, guns, radios and ammunition. Uniformed, armed officers cost $200,000 a year, and an insurance policy of $100,000 a year includes coverage for its staff with access to firearms. These resources provide an extra layer of defense in the instance of a shooting.

The one guarantee that one has when they are armed is time. There is no time lost or students lives lost in the quick process of being armed. Rather, teachers have the time and opportunity to defend themselves and the students. If all else fails in a situation arming staff gives a group of 40 educators — teachers, principals, custodians, secretaries — in under a minute, can act as a defense team for students. Refusing to arm teachers leaves children defenseless in the face of danger.

Imagine having a gun in the classroom all day waiting to be used. Would you feel safe? Most students say they would not feel safe with having such a lethal weapon in sight. Any teacher could use the gun whenever they wanted to, or they could even threaten students with it. To add to that a student could also somehow get their hand on it which would defeat the whole purpose of having a gun in the classroom.

In 2019 110 schools out of 132, 853 had a school shooting. School shootings are rare. Although they are still possible a student is more likely to die on their way to school than by a school shooting. With having such a dangerous weapon in the classroom the amount of school shootings could even go up because some teachers could lose their tempers with students.

“I do not think teachers should have guns because it would not be safe for our school. To add to that letting teachers have guns would be very unethical since teachers would be able to threaten students,” freshman Dominic Coudin said.

There are (about) 35,000 employees in Clark County School District (CCSD), it would be very expensive to By Kristel Alfaro Borbon Alex Estrada

buy each teacher a gun. A gun costs about $600 to $1000, CCSD gets a budget of $5.2 billion each year for education, and that is barely enough. The district would have to raise taxes to be able to even afford all the guns, and not all parents would agree with such a dangerous weapon being in a students classroom. To add to that teachers would have to take a course on how to use the weapon which would add more to the cost for the school district. We would additionally also have to add some sort of safe to every classroom to keep students from handling the weapon.

“I just feel like it’s not necessary to spend all the money and the education on training all of these people,” junior Jaden Randall said. “Especially since not all the teachers agree with, and not all the teachers are comfortable with doing it either, so I don’t think we should force them to do something that they might not be comfortable with doing.”

Some students and parents would not feel comfortable with such a dangerous item in the classroom. Since students know their teachers have weapons there would be a constant fear among the students. Already some of the kids do not feel safe at school, this would be causing more kids to feel in danger. Parents at Paige Bordelove

home could also be scared knowing that at any moment a teacher could grab a gun.

“If there were to be a weapon in the classroom I would personally feel more uneasy because there’s a gun in my classroom. It all depends on the student but it would make me very uncomfortable,” freshman Kaci Rohrer said.

There are some teachers that would not feel comfortable shooting another person or student. The teachers care for their students all year, so when being told to shoot one of the children they might not know how to react. Some of the staff might even resign their jobs making it so we need more teachers. With one of the job descriptions of a teacher being to have to shoot a person if the school is in danger less people would want to become teachers.

“I don’t think most teachers would want to pull the trigger on a student because obviously they feel closer to the student the more they teach them. If a student were to just do that they would obviously feel more comfortable pulling out a gun and shooting someone than a teacher would be being untrained,” junior Tucker Andrewjeski said.

There are other ways to fix this problem one being talking to kids about mental health and having someone they can talk to. According to Alfred University the number one reason shootings occur is people “want to get back at those who have hurt them.” If we could teach children I would personally feel more uneasy because there’s a gun in my classroom. ,, news.gallup.com

February 2020 from a young age that you can solve anything by talking with someone there would be a lot less school shootings.

“I think in order to fix a lot of the school shootings issues we need especially in CCSD we need better resources for students who are going through things because as of right now there is literally none. Like if you try to go to a counselor or a social worker in CCSD, first of all most of the students who need help don’t even know about these things and we second of all just do not have it,” sophomore Cayla Thames said.