Wednesday, January 3, 2024v
New Year’s resolutions are ‘out’ Kennedy Thomason News & Lifestyle Editor
The 12 strikes of midnight marked the start of lifestyle changes for many on Sunday night. In pursuit of inspiration, I turned to TikTok where I discovered the latest trend: ‘ins’ and ‘outs’ for 2024. Instead of New Year’s resolutions, users posted short lists of the things they want to do in 2024 and the things they are planning to leave behind. Common ‘ins’ included fitness goals, travel and making time for friends and hobbies. As for their ‘outs,’ some users are looking to ditch toxic relationships, hours of daily screen time and spending extra hours at work. Generally, I’m not big on the concept of New Year’s resolutions. I have often found that they set you up for failure, or they become just another thing to check off your never-ending todo list, which misses the point entirely. Resolutions are supposed to be things you are motivated to do, not things you have to force. I like to approach the new year as an opportunity to reflect on what I did and didn’t like, and what changes, if any, I think would be beneficial. I make a small five to 10 item list of the things I think would be cool to do, such as running a half marathon or reading the
Courtesy of Creative Commons This year, New Year’s resolutions are out and making a cool to-do list is in.
books I haven’t touched on my shelf. There aren’t any items on my list that take away things I already do, which helps to set a positive tone for the list. It may sound no different than making resolutions, but it takes the pressure off to shift the mindset around
the concept of resolutions. This year, I am sticking strictly to the ‘ins’ for my list, and I’m leaving the ‘outs’ off of it. I’m rolling into 2024 with positive vibes. As you have compiled or already started any resolutions or lifestyle
changes, try not to get too bent out of shape if you don’t accomplish every item on your list. Remember, there’s always next year. news.ed@ocolly.com
Cursive writing was so yesterday in California, but in 2024 it’s back in class John Woolfolk Bay Area News Group
Payton Mullikin Data courtesy of the U.S. Census Bureau.
The Walton’s canvas Changing Bentonville’s future Payton Mullikin O’Colly Contributor
In Bentonville, the average household income is $124,164, according to the most recent estimates by the U.S Census Bureau. Bentonville is more Bentonville, Arkan- saturated with wealth in sas, is a town that resides relation to its population in large part because of in the northwest corner Walmart’s employment of the state and has been and the companies that home to Walmart headwork alongside it. quarters for the last 50 Walmart is currently years. upgrading its corporate Founder Sam Waloffice in Bentonville to ton started the company compete with companies in Bentonville in 1950, and in the 1970s, Walmart like Apple, Google and Amazon in talent attracbuilt its headquarters tion and retention. The there.
company is currently in the midst of constructing a 350-acre campus. The campus will offer a variety of amenities like a childcare center, fitness center and hotel. Alongside the construction of the future campus, the Waltons have also added a large variety of attractions to the area to draw people in over the years, such as the Crystal Bridges art museum. Within the northwest Arkansas area, the Waltons have also added 163 miles of biking trails. See Future on 7
“Why in this age of technology should we even be talking about cursive?” Quirk-Silva asked Assembly members as she pitched her bill. “As a teacher for 30 years, there’s a lot of research that shows that cursive handwriting enhances a child’s brain development, including memorization, and improves fine motor skills.” SAN JOSE, Calif. — Sierra Many historical documents, Rivera and her older sister, Dahlia, famous diaries and letters and family were thrilled at the idea of baking up a batch of their grandmother’s pump- histories are penned in cursive, said said. kin cookies last month for Thanks“Many of our private schools giving, but when their dad gave them teach cursive writing,” Quirk Silva the handwritten recipe, they froze. Letters of each word gracefully said. “I want the balance, that all of flowed from one to the next in a style our students can access historical information.” familiar to those of a certain age. Around the Bay Area, some But to the Rivera sisters, it might as districts said they’re still teaching well have been Latin. “I didn’t know how to read it,” cursive, including Palo Alto Unified said Sierra, 8, a third-grader at Dub- and Menlo Park City School District, lin Elementary School. “I thought it both upscale districts in the heart of Silicon Valley. was like a different language.” “Cursive is a highlight for The girls’ father, Steve Wynn, many third graders,” said Dana Rustranslated Grandma’s cursive handsell, a third grade teacher at Menlo writing into more familiar block letters for them, and before long they Park City School District. “It’s all had bellies full of the warm, tasty amazing to see how seriously they take learning cursive and fun to feel treats. But it was stories like theirs that led lawmakers this year to con- their excitement.” For one assignment, she asked clude that learning cursive still has them to write in cursive what they value — even in the iPhone age. like about it, and got responses like, Gov. Gavin Newsom this fall “Because it looks fancy and better signed a bill, AB 446, by Assemblythan printing.” woman Sharon Quirk-Silva, a FulBut many other schools said lerton Democrat and former schoolthey no longer teacher cursive conteacher, requiring cursive instruction sistently districtwide, including San in elementary grades starting this Jose Unified, Santa Clara Unified, year. Milpitas Unified, Oakland Unified, Cursive began fading from Hayward Unified, San Ramon Valley classrooms after California and 40 Unified, Dublin Unified and Sunnyother states adopted the 2010 Comvale School District. mon Core State Standards for EngAB 446 wasn’t Quirk-Silva’s lish and math, which didn’t include first attempt to enforce a cursive rethe out-of-fashion script. But the quirement, an idea she said she was American Handwriting Analysis encouraged to pursue by former Gov. Foundation said several states have been adding it back, with more than Jerry Brown. But a similar bill she carried died in committee in 2018. 26 requiring some cursive instrucThis time around, AB 446 met tion. with little resistance. California kept cursive in That doesn’t necessarily mean its state standards for 3rd and 4th everyone’s thrilled. Some school offigrades, but it wasn’t enforced, Quirkcials noted privately that it’s unusual Silva said, leaving it up to the discretion of districts and often individual for such a mandate to take effect in the middle of the school year, and teachers. Quirk-Silva told lawmakthat there’s been no guidance from ers based on her own surveying of the state Department of Education, districts around the state that about half of California’s students are now leaving districts little time and no roadmap to comply. taught cursive. See Cursive on 6