April 2020

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Vol. XXIV Issue V

April 2020

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Durham Public Schools responds to COVID-19 In this issue: Prom and graduation remain TBD

By Tai Gordon In response to the stay-at-home guidelines implemented by the city of Durham, Durham Public Schools has released a number of important updates for students as instruction moves online.

Starting Monday, April 6, RHS teachers will deliver new lessons.

Teachers will post their own assignments on their preferred digital platform, such as Google Classroom.

All teachers will hold virtual “office hours” to provide student support and answer questions.

New assignments submitted will be graded based on completion, not accuracy. Students who do not complete the new assignments will not be penalized.

Because of calendar changes, the third quarter will end on April 17 instead of March 13.

Students will have the opportunity to make up missing work from the third quarter as well as earn credit for new assignments.

In a call released by DPS representative Chip Sudderth, it was made clear that a primary goal is to help the senior class graduate high school on time, by meeting the NC State Board of Education's (SBE) graduation requirement of 22 credits on the originally scheduled graduation date.

Online Graduation?

By The Editorial Board, p. 2

COVID-19 has impacted... everything

By Ben Patton, Emmer Rice & Jacob Hindman, p. 6-7

• PHOTO BY TAI GORDON

The sign outside RHS encourages students to remain in high spirits despite coronavirus outbreak. All DPS schools closed last month in an effort to slow the spread of the virus.

“The goal is to allow students to improve their grades,” said Sudderth.

“Teachers will have office hours every day and will be available for calls, emails, or video chat to answer questions and encourage our students.”

According to the SBE, “seniors will receive a ‘Pass’ or ‘Withdrawal’ based on their learning as of March 13 for spring courses.” There will also be remote learning opportunities for students failing classes to improve

to a passing grade. If ninth, tenth and eleventh grade students fail quarter three and do nothing to bring up their grade during quarter four, then they will be withdrawn and re-enrolled in the course next year if it is a required course.

To deal with unequal access to technology, district-made assignments are available for physical pickup from several locations. Packet pickup will happen from 11-1 and 4-6pm on

Tuesday, April 7.

On April 2, DPS announced its first confirmed case of COVID-19 affecting an employee or student.

“The employee was involved in food and instructional materials distribution through the Bethesda Elementary site,” an DPS press release revealed. DPS has since cancelled food delivery services.

New plans for Riverside's Prom and graduation ceremonies are yet to be determined.

OCS, engineering students design vertical gardens

By Georgia Fishback, p. 9

Andre George named new football coach

By Robert Duncan, p. 12

Escuelas Públicas de Durham responde al COVID-19

Por Tai Gordon En respuesta a las pautas para quedarse en casa publicadas por la ciudad de Durham, las Escuelas Públicas de Durham han publicado una serie de actualizaciones importantes para los estudiantes a medida que la instrucción avanza en línea.

A partir del lunes 6 de abril, los

maestros de RHS comenzarán a impartir nuevas lecciones. Los maestros publicarán sus propias tareas en su plataforma digital preferida, como Google Classroom. Todos los maestros tendrán “horas de oficina” virtuales para brindar apoyo a los estudiantes y responder preguntas.

Las nuevas asignaciones enviadas se calificarán según la finalización,

no la precisión. Los estudiantes que no completen las nuevas tareas no serán penalizados.

Debido a cambios en el calendario, el tercer trimestre finalizará el 17 de abril en lugar del 13 de marzo.

Los estudiantes tendrán la oportunidad de recuperar el trabajo perdido del tercer trimestre, así como obtener crédito por nuevas tareas

En una llamada hecha por el representante de DPS Chip Sudderth, se dejó en claro que un objetivo principal es ayudar a la escuela secundaria de posgrado a tiempo, cumpliendo con el requisito mínimo de graduación SBE de 22 créditos en la fecha de graduación programada originalmente.

“El objetivo es permitir que

los estudiantes mejoren sus calificaciones”, dijo Sudderth. “Los maestros tendrán horario de oficina todos los días y estarán disponibles para llamadas, correos electrónicos o video chat para responder preguntas y alentar a nuestros estudiantes”.

Según la Junta de Educación de Carolina del Norte, “Estudiantes

Cont. en p. 11

• Editors: Tai Gordon, Elijah King • Photo editor: Fabian Hernandez • Section editors: Braeden Hilliard, Jarek Harris, Kaitlyn Busch, Ben Patton, Maya Dulli-Ray • Staff: Katherin Aparicio-Pereyra, Jacob Breuer, Jakyies Evans, Georgia Fishback, Nathan Gordon, Xavier Harris, Ikey Harrison, Jacob Hindman, Dean Hunter, Desmon Lynn, Drew Marley, Abby Martinez, Ben Neal, Cammy Patterson, Janel Perry, Emmer Rice, Cristela Vargas-Delgado, Ella Whithaus, Elizabeth Williams

Riverside High School 3218 Rose of Sharon Rd Durham, NC 27712 thepirateshook.com @thepirateshook

The editorials, unless signed, are the consensus opinion of the editorial staff and do not necessarily reflect the views of the adviser or the school administration. The Hook welcomes letters to the editor. The Hook reserves the right to edit letters for space and clarity. All letters must be signed, however The Hook will withold names upon request for good reason. Advertisements in the newspaper are paid advertisements and are not the opinion or endorsement of The Hook or the school administration.

Opinion

2

Editorial

Online Graduation?

2020 has definitely been a very interesting year to say the least, especially for a lot of seniors. Due to the recent Covid-19 outbreak, a lot of senior activities are either going to be canceled or rescheduled.

But the one question that matters to seniors most is “what are we going to do about graduation?” And the answer should be “Go digital...and make it the best one in school history.”

One application that can make this possible is Google meets Google meets is just like Google Hangouts, a social networking app that allows people to video chat and text each other. The only thing that makes Google meets superior is there’s no limit to the amount of people who can join. Students would have to sign up for the correct date and time in order to make attend their ceremony. Google meets can be installed on mobile devices and PC. Students would need a code/ “nickname” to join the call though Now, it’d be quite a bit to handle if everyone was on one call, so it might be wise to have graduations held on different days. One way to have this organized is to base these meetings on their last names, similar to how students and their counselors are organized. You’d have Ms.Williams in attendance, a guest speaker, and students graduating for the day. The Hook staff can make as many social posts as possible to get the message out to students before hand.

Despite all the memes and videos surfacing on social media, it is very possible that a lot of seniors might actually have to attend their graduation via Skype, Google Hangouts, etc. It may not seem like the flashiest or the most fun, but students have the potential to make it a day they’ll remember.

Green screens are definitely going to help spice things up on skype. With the proper equipment, students can appear to be on the beach while sitting in their living room. If you’d like to graduate from the planet Venus, you have the option to do so.

Now, you don’t need an expensive, movie production set. Amazon sells a simple green screen for $13 (but order them now...shipping’s slow). If that’s still too much, hanging a bedsheet behind your camera will work almost as well.

Another question is, “What about the cap and gowns?” If they never make it to Durham, students can get a refund and use the savings to buy a green screen, fancy computer software and props to take their class of 2020 livestream to a whole different level.

Riverside can also save a lot of cash by doing this. Cameron Stadium isn’t a cheap place to rent for a couple of hours for ONE day. More money could go into getting more and better food options during lunch. Kids are tired of the same, bland food every year.

It may seem like graduating online is a bad move, but the future is now. This is going to give seniors a chance to express themselves a lot more and go out with a bang.

Graduation is usually the same thing every year, why not change things up a bit this year. The world as we know it is moving towards a more digital lifestyle. Students are video chatting as they practice social distancing. Businesses are transitioning to workfrom-home models and staying in touch through videoconferences. Teachers are using platforms like Zoom and Google meets to stay in touch with their classes and assign new work. With everything that’s been going on as of recently, this is a great way of practicing social distancing.

Pirates' Hookok

Graduación en línea?

2020 ha sido definitivamente un año muy interesante, por decir lo menos, especialmente para muchos Estudiantes del grado 12. Debido al reciente brote de Covid-19, muchas actividades de alto nivel serán canceladas o reprogramadas.

Pero la pregunta que más le importa a los Estudiantes del grado 12 es "¿qué vamos a hacer con respecto a la graduación?" Y la respuesta debería ser" A pesar de todos los memes y videos que aparecen en las redes sociales, es muy posible que muchos Estudiantes del grado 12 tengan que asistir a su graduación a través de Skype, Hangouts de Google, etc. Puede que no parezca lo más llamativo o lo más divertido, pero los estudiantes tienen el potencial para que sea un día que recordarán.

Las pantallas verdes definitivamente ayudarán a condimentar las cosas en Skype. Con el equipo adecuado, los estudiantes pueden parecer estar en la playa mientras están sentados en su sala de estar. Si desea graduarse del planeta Venus, tiene la opción de hacerlo.

Ahora, no necesitas un costoso set de producción de películas. Amazon vende una pantalla verde simple por $ 13 (pero pídalos ahora ... el envío es lento). Si eso sigue siendo demasiado, colgar una sábana detrás de la cámara funcionará casi igual de bien.

Otra pregunta es: "¿Qué pasa con la gorra y los vestidos?" Si nunca llegan a Durham, los estudiantes pueden obtener un reembolso y usar los ahorros para comprar una pantalla verde, sofisticado software de computadora y accesorios para llevar su transmisión en vivo de la clase 2020 a un nivel completamente diferente.

Riverside también puede ahorrar mucho dinero haciendo esto. Cameron Stadium no es un lugar barato para alquilar por un par de horas por UN día. Se podría invertir más dinero para obtener más y mejores opciones de comida durante el almuerzo. Los niños están cansados ​​de la misma comida suave todos los años.

Puede parecer que graduarse en línea es un mal movimiento, pero el futuro es ahora. Esto les dará a los Estudiantes del grado 12 la oportunidad de expresarse mucho más y salir con una explosión.

La graduación suele ser lo mismo todos los años, ¿por qué no cambiar las cosas un poco este año? El mundo tal como lo conocemos se está moviendo hacia un estilo de vida más digital. Los estudiantes están chateando por video mientras practican el distanciamiento social. Las empresas están haciendo la transición a modelos de trabajo desde casa y se mantienen en contacto a través de videoconferencias. Los maestros están utilizando plataformas como Zoom y Google se reúne para mantenerse en contacto con sus clases y asignar nuevos trabajos. Con todo lo que ha estado sucediendo recientemente, esta es una excelente manera de practicar el distanciamiento social.

Según Britannica, las pandemias ocurren cada 50 años, por lo que esta gran práctica para cuando algo así vuelva a suceder en el futuro.

The Streaming Wars

it’s good news for consumers, creators, and the pop culture landscape

By Tai Gordon As the outside world remains frozen in time due to COVID-19, the internet is busier than ever. Our shared experiences in social distancing prove just how important virtual spaces are to our culture and how we connect with each other. As society tries its best to transition to working, learning, and communicating from home, streaming services emerge as an essential part of our connected lives. Netflix and Hulu are more than just convenient alternatives to live TV or movie theaters. They represent a shift in the entertainment world that could give consumers and filmmakers more representation and greater freedom of choice.

The “streaming wars” is the term that describes the current state of the media industry. With Netflix’s continued success and the number of “cord-cutters” rising every year, major

networks and tech companies are racing to stake their claims in the growing world of online entertainment. Consumers display an increasing demand for instant, unlimited content on any device, and traditional cable giants like Comcast are forced to either keep with the times or lose the next generation of customers.

Contenders in the streaming wars approach the battle with unique motives and strategies. Netflix, for example, has been racking up enormous debt over the years as it throws millions into both original content and highly sought-after entities like The Office (which accounts for around seven percent of all Netflix viewership).

Monolithic media conglomerates like Disney favor consolidation to make their marks. Buying up Marvel, Star Wars, FOX, and Pixar gave Disney+ the attractive assets it needed to garner 28 million subscribers within its first

few months of release.

As the handful of media corporations that dominate the industry continue merging, swallowing smaller fishes, and expanding into online content, the market for streaming services gets more and more crowded. Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, and upcoming services like NBCUniversal’s Peacock and ViacomCBS’ untitled platform all offer unique content selections and pricing options, forcing customers to make tough decisions on who to give their money to.

This all seems to be leading to a time when, like with cable TV, households will subscribe to a package of streaming services that most closely fits their preferences. Some wonder whether consumers have really gained anything if in the end they will just be replacing their cable package with a streaming package. However, this pessimistic view doesn’t take into account

several important new differences.

First, the nature of the technology behind online streaming allows more choice and representation than cable TV ever did. As RHS alum Emmanuel Tobe, a communications major at Elon University, argues, the streaming wars may actually put power back in the consumer’s hands.

“This is the most valuable consumers have ever been,” said Tobe, who interned with Fox last summer.

Instead of just tracking viewership numbers through the singular stream of a TV channel, the nature of streaming services means that consumer choices and preferences matter even more.

“Since companies can now track who’s viewing what, they can target and cater to minority voices that went unheard in the past,” said Tobe.

This leads to greater diversity in

Cont. on p. 11

April 2020

By Elijah King There is a big difference between diversity and tokenism. Diversity is the inclusion of indivisuals representing more than one national origin, color, religion, socioeconomic stratum, and sexual orientation, according to Dictionary. Using Meriam-Webster, tokenism is the paractice of using and recruiting a group of people, specifically from underrepresented groups to give the

Watch out for "tokens"

appearance of equality in a given space. Everything from campaigns and elections to college materials and recruitment brochures, to everyday activities and opportunities have been tainted by the practices of tokenism.

Too often, adults and institutions create projects that need to look diverse, so they bring in people, youth and people of color to give off an equitable persona. This is a problem because its pure exploitation, whether it is a young person, a person of color, or anyone else, this practice creates the look of a poster child for the benefit of others. This practice spills into almost every aspect of life in one way or another, whether its on college materials, in politics, or even with students.

Although filling race quotas is illegal when it comes to college admissions, it still exists in several ways. In everything from pamphlets to commercials, colleges attempt to draw in various groups through the practice of tokenism. Tokenism is used to attract people like minorities for the benefit of the college to show

a “colorful” and diverse campus and to spark interest. Demographics on college materials that don't reflect that of the school population, for example, on various college materials that I have recieved, there are mulitple pictures of groups of people and every picture includes at least one person of color. Minorities are used as a ploy to convince people that there is diversity even if there isn't any.

As a college-bound senior, it’s hard not to laugh at the mail from colleges with photos of the perfect mix of students doing vari-

ous staged activities like studying together on the steps of the dining hall or students joking around in a dorm room. It is humorous not because the picture was orchestrated for the benefit of the college, but also because the students probably have never met.

Starting in 1972 with Shirley Chislom, who was the first black major-party candidate to run for President, the “black vote” has played a prominent role in every local and national election. And now that we are in an election year, examples of tokenism designed to win black voters are everywhere.

When candidates put forth nominees or choose people for certain poisitons, such as campaign chair, from an un-

Tokenism: (noun) The practice of using people, specifically from underrepresented groups, to give the appearrance of equality.

3 derrepresented group, like a woman or a person of color, just for the sake of securing votes among a particular population to gain popularity, it’s shady because of the value attached to that person and the lack thereof.

On one side the nominee is valubale to the candidate for the sake of securing votes and needed populations, but on the other, anything that nominee says or does for the sake of the campign in worthelss. As a student journalist who has attended a fair share of election events, I’ve witnessed it first-hand. From the speaker who introduces the candidate, like at a February rally for former Democratic presidential candidate Mike Bloomberg, who wanted to gain popularity among minority voters and [not so coincidentally] had a young lgbt hispanic male speak before he took the stage, to the general makeup of the crowd shown on cameras, tokenism shows up everywhere. A strong exapmle of this is in President Trump's press conferences, there is usually a person of color or a female in the backround, this can be seen as way to make everyone in his adminstration feel like they are part of the team or to provide a way to fill the disconnect and unpopularity with minorities and women.

Having women at the forefront of politics has been an increasingly popular idea. Since the beginning of the 2020 presidential election, male candidates have talked about their plans to have women as their running mates and have placed several women, especially women of color in high positions in the campign.

Examples of this go as far back as 2008, where John McCain nominated Sarah Palin as his running mate and is as recent as Democratic candidates Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders, announcing that they’d both pick female running mates.

Tokenism with youth happens, too. Adults at school and in work environments put youth in positions without any specific purpose or say just so people think they care about kids. I have seen this first hand as a student activist. Teachers, principals, organizations sometimes bring kids on board and in front of the cameras as a symbolic gesture to show their own youth engagement without actually engaging the kids in their work. This is a bad look for that particular board or activity, and it also takes a toll on the student.

They even go so far as to ask the students how this project represents diversity, even if that was not a main focus of the project.

Tokenism is in every aspect of our lives, even if it isn’t obvious. Adults often use words and phrases like “youth empowerment,” “equity,” equality,” to make youth, African Americans, and other marginilized groups, feel valued to excuse their wrongdoings and use of tokenism.

It is important to call tokenism out not only because it is wrong, but because it uses people who have been historically marginalized as a pawns. It suggests that whatever an organization has is perceived to be valuable, but in reality isn’t.

4

Pirates' Hookok

Face Off: Who is

A second act is more likely than the first

By Elijah King

740 9th St. Durham, NC 27705 (919)286-2884

Over the past three years, President Trump's growing approval ratings have proven he can, reach moderate and minority voters, unite his Republican party and win re-election.

Trump's “tell it like it is” attitude comes as an essential part of his success. After a detrimental election year like 2016, Trump has proven to be a candidate that knows strategy and can't be beaten easily, especially among minority and female voters.

African American and minority voters play an important role in the Democratic party and are essentially little to none with the Republicans.

Being that President Trump has growing numbers among minority voters, it shows promise that he can secure the votes needed to secure a Republican White House for another four years. President Trump has gained 35 percent support among African American voters, 38 with Hispanics and 28 among Asians, according to Emerson Polling. These numbers show that Donald Trump has gained much-needed support among minorities andstrategically expand his coalition.

The President’s polling numbers are just as promising with female voters. 38 percent of women support Trump as of January 2020, according to Social Science Resource Solutions (SSRS). Considering Hillary Clinton won just 54 percent of female voters in 2016, accord-

ing to the Business Insider, Trump remains a strong contestant with female voters.

Numbers aside, no President has ever lost reelection during a time of national crisis. Franklin D. Roosevelt, reelected during Wo r l d Wa r II; Lyndon B. Johnson, elected during the Vietnam War; and Richard Nixon, during the Vietnam Wa r and G e o r g e W. Bush during the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. President Trump isn’t fighting a war overseas, but he is fighting the coronavirus, which is the national crisis of this election year.

During crises, people don’t want the confusion of a new election; they want continuity and stability. New leadership brings with it confusion and chaos, which will only add to the challenges provided by Covid-19.

President Trump has also proven that he can build a coalition with Congress. After the recent impeachment trials of President Trump, the President has proven that he has strong and very loyal support among not only republican voters but also lawmakers.

President Trump has also proven that he can build a coalition with Congress. After the recent impeachment trials of President Trump, the President has proven that he has strong and very loyal support among not only republican voters but also lawmakers. Out of the 197 Republican legislatures

Trump's 'tell it like it is' attitude is an essential part of his success.

in the House of Representatives, 195 voting against the articles of impeachments including 2 Democrats. The trend stayed the same in the Senate, where 52 out of the 53 Republicans also supported President Trump and voted against the articles of impeachment.

Voters who identify as independent or moderate are what gave Trump a victory in 2016, with a 41% approval rating. This is important because his ability to secure not only loyal republicans but also moderate and undecided voters will again secure him the election in 2020. As of January 2020, President Trump's approval ratings among moderate voters were 33 percent and 39 percent among independents. The ability to stay consistent among independents and gain support from moderates proves he has what it takes to win in 2020 and beat Joe Biden.

A constant battleground for any president is the economy, which President Trump does a good job of managing. Acording to the US Burea of Labor Statistics, under former President Obama's administration, US wages were up above 3.5%, in 2009 and dropped drastically. Under President Trump, wages went up to 3.5 percent and have and remained consistent throughout his presidency. President Trump has also done more to lower unemployment than his former President at 3.6 percent and the stock market, specifically the DOW Jones Industrial Average, is at its highest nearing 30,000 per share [Bloomberg].

These numbers prove that President Trump can not only manage an economy but create a growing economy.

April 2020

our next president?

Change is on the way

By Dean Hunter On the face of it, Joe Biden’s old age, uninspiring demeanor and status quo policies leave him dead in the water against President Trump. Despite these shortcomings, however, Biden is the best candidate to not just beat Trump in 2020, but to bring Democrats back to power come January 2021.

To start, Joe’s moderate politics are an asset, not a liability. In such a narrow and hard-fought election as 2020 is likely to be, a dyed-in-the-wool progressive like Senator Bernie Sanders will alienate moderate Democrats and secure Trump another four years. The polls show this as well. According to the New York Times, Democrats in battleground states like Florida and Arizona overwhelmingly prefer a Biden nomination. Biden’s status as Vice President to Obama (perhaps the only man still capable of uniting progressive and moderate Democrats) will help bring both sides of the party on side. In order to win in 2020, Democrats are going to have to present a united front, and alienating over half the party is not the way to do so.

More importantly, this election is about more than winning the White House. The Senate has been controlled

by Republicans for six years, and the

House is going to take a lot of blood and treasure to hold. If any Democratic legislation is going to be passed, both houses of Congress have become all but a necessity.

If anything was learned from the 2018 midterm elections, it’s that progressive politics don’t win battleground districts. Of the forty-one Congressional districts flipped by Democrats in 2018, only eight registered with the House Progressive Caucus. According to exit polls at the South Carolina primary, around half of Democratic voters want to see a return to Obama-age politics, not shifting further left or further right.

Progressive politics don’t have the chops to turn the Senate or the House blue, while moderate, Obamaera policies have time and time again brought Democrats to power in Congress.

Finally, Biden’s coalition is infinitely more diverse than any other candidate. Old voters, African-American voters, latinx voters and moderate voters can all coalesce around the Biden campaign. That diversity is going to

be essential to winning in key states like Florida and Arizona. Florida, for example, has one of the largest elderly populations nationwide, and their vote is going to be critical to turning the state blue. North Carolina, as we all know, needs large black turnout to go blue in any election. Hispanic votes are going to be essential in both Florida and Arizona. Biden’s campaign is the only one with the unifying force to bring all these groups out to vote, and those groups would see him win in November.

To p u t it frankly, Biden beats Trump. He has the more diverse coalition, the right politics and the Congressional support necessary to win the swing states and take back both houses of Congress in this election.

With the spreading coronavirus and deteriorating economy, there’s no better time for a sitting President to lose re-election.

Biden's status as vice president to Obama will help bring both sides of the party on board.

5

6

COVID-19 has impacted...everything

Watch these five movies about viruses while social distancing J H

Workers across the nation face unemployment

medical leave for organizations with under 500 workers. It would also provide free tests. For some, this is incredibly effective, but for others In an attempt to slow the spread of COVID-19, many businesses have the relief bill is not enough. On March 23, Nancy Pelosi and other Demtemporarily closed or adjusted their working hours. ocratic House representatives introduced another bill in an effort to more Big name companies like Nike, Adidas, and Apple have announced quickly pass legislature. Also on the 23, Trump, against the Center for the closure of retail stores across the Disease Control and World Health United States. America’s largest mall Organization’s advice, announced owner, Simon Property Group, has that the U.S.’ businesses would soon closed all outlets and malls. While open and return to normal. these decisions will almost inevitably

“Workers generally still don’t help combat the spread of COVID-19, have sick leave available to them,” they come with a cost - unemploysaid Donald Taylor, the international ment. president of Unite Here, a labor union The Hospitality Labor Union, whose members primarily work in the which represents people working in hotel, food, and laundry industries. hospitality such as hotel management,

Locally, all North Carolina restaurant staff, and event planners, public schools have closed through predicts that up to 90% of its members May 15 and are beginning distance could lose their jobs. This could result learning programs. Roy Cooper, the in loss of health care and food and governor of North Carolina, made a • PHOTO BY KAITLYN BUSCH house insecurity. statement telling all gyms, salons, On March 18, President Trump Letters Bookshop, located in downtown Durham, posts a sign directing etc. to close. He also banned all signed a bill that provides more customers to their website. Many nearby local businesses have made similar gatherings of more than 50 people. funding for food security, sick, and decisions to close their physical stores.

By Emmer Rice

By acob indman The coronavirus has put a lot of strain on communities around the world, and as our schools are shutting down and the quarantine goes into effect, it’s important to do your duty and stay inside. These five horror movies are all virus related are sure to keep you entertained and your spirits up in this time of stress.

Contagion (2011): It’s no secret that Contagion movie sales have gone up since the spread of the Coronavirus. The thriller pandemic movie, Contagion is about a family coming home from a business trip in Hong Kong, wherein some of them caught an extremely deadly virus that starts its spread across America. Contagion stars Gwyneth Paltrow and Matt Damon as the main protagonists, and it scored a 6.7/10 on IMDb. Outbreak (1995): Outbreak, like Contagion, is a pandemic-action movie.

An extremely lethal virus is discovered in Africa.

The United States Army Medical Research Institute for Infectious Diseases isn’t worried about the spread of the virus and a customs worker ends up releasing a monkey infected with the virus, which allows it to spread and start killing very quickly. Outbreak stars Morgan Freeman and scored a 6.6/10 on IMDb.

Fast Facts: Stats and Symptoms

• PHOTO BY KAITLYN BUSCH

"Major," the bull sculpture located in the Main Plaza in downtown Durham, wears a medical mask. The normally bustling streets surrounding the statue have become noticably empty in the wake of N.C. Governor Roy Cooper's March 27 statewide Stay at Home Order.

COVID-19 vs. other diseases: which is worse and why we should care

By Ben Patton

• GRAPHIC BY BEN PATTON

7

this plague, but a 3.4 percent mortality rate is still ridiculously high. For those above the age of 65 or those with a compromised Is the coronavirus really as bad as the media is immune system, that mortality rate is closer to 20 to making it? Or is it being hyped too much to the 30 percent. That is why we should care. point of panic?

The coronavirus isn’t just causing damage in terms COVID-19, also known as the coronavirus, is of lives. In the past few weeks, more US citizens filed a viral infection that causes respiratory illness in for unemployment than during the 2008 recession. those it infects. It is especially harmful to seniors In fact, unemployment recently skyrocketed to 10 and others that have compromised immune systems. times the unemployment rate that was the result of From reported evidence, children are less likely to the housing crash in 2008. Most leaders have had to be harmed by this disease. It is as bad as everyone make the hard decision to close non-essential busi• PHOTO BY KAITLYN BUSCH has been saying. Let’s see how bad it actually is. nesses to keep the coronavirus from spreading, How does the coronavirus compare to other dis- A sign in the window of downtown Durham's Bulldega but that has caused millions of lay-offs and now eases? Simply put,, the coronavirus is worse than Urban Market reads "Keep Calm and Wash Your Hands." those unemployed families are suffering. The the flu. According to the World Health Organization alternative is just as bad though. Imagine a future, (WHO), the death rate (the percentage of people that a few short weeks from now, when U.S. hospitals are overrun with people who die from contracting the disease), is .1 percent. The death rate for coronavirus is have contracted this virus. We know it is possible because it has already happened 3.4 percent - 34 times greater than the flu. in Italy. These are the choices that our leaders are making right now, and in order There are some other diseases that can put this virus in perspective. On the dead- to keep this virus under control, we must listen. liest side of the spectrum is the Black Death, which killed 50 percent of Europe’s While the coronavirus’ current death toll is low compared to other diseases, population 1346 - 1353. We know that the coronavirus isn’t nearly as deadly as the peoples’ panic is justly founded.

28 Weeks Later (2007): The sequel to 28 Days Later (2002), 28 Weeks Later is a zombie-horror movie that follows six months after a zombie-like “rage virus” has destroyed London; the US Army restores order and repopulates the quarantined city.

A carrier enters the re-populated city and starts the spread of the virus all over again. 28 Weeks Later stars Jeremy Renner in a lead position and scored a 7/10 on IMDb. Quarantine (2008): Quarantine is a found footage horror movie, much like The Blair Witch Project (1999). A camera crew for a television network is instructed to spend the night shift with a Los Angeles fire crew. They get called to a quarantined building where they’re attacked by a woman with an unknown virus. Quarantine stars Jennifer Carpenter and Steve Harris as lead roles and scored a 5.9/10 on IMDb. Viral (2016): Viral, another horror movie, is about teenagers dealing with the spread of a virus in their small hometown. They start to have fun in the wake of the virus but as it spreads to people closer to them, they have to decide what’s most important to them. As schools close, just like in the movie, we need to be wary of the measures our government is taking and heed their warnings.

Viral stars Analeigh Tipton and Sofia Black-D’Elia as protagonists and the movie received a 5.5/10 on IMDb.

8

Bull City rising

Pirates' Hookok

Construction of upscale housing in downtown Durham is booming

By Jarek Harris Durham has recently planned multiple major projects within the heart of Downtown and many other places.

Over the past few years Durham has been growing pretty consistently. Durhamnc.gov predicted that the population of Durham county would be 314,188 and they weren’t off by much. Durham is currently home to 311,640 people. With more people moving into the city, there’s going to need to be more construction. These upscale apartments may seem like a bit of a stretch, but a great portion of residents can afford it. 63.4% of residents in Durham meet the median income of $58,190, Durham has taken an interest in constructing upscale apartments.

Not only is it nice for new residents, but it can also serve as an attraction for tourists. Approximately 12.2 million people have visited Durham in total and that’s a great thing for current residents of Durham. We’ve earned $881 million from the direct spending of visitors. Of the 12.2 million visitors, 4.23 million people spend a few nights within the city either for business or leisure.

• PHOTOS BY ELIJAH KING

(Left) Located on W.Main Street, the Solis Brightleaf Condos, is one of downtown Durham's newest developments and the development firm's third major project in the Triangle. (Right) Located on S.Mangum Street, the Van Alen Condos, built in 2019, consists of a 12-story tower and a 5-story plaza.

The more money visitors spend, the better it is for the residents of Durham county. 2016 was a record year for tourism within the city.

Durham accumulated $928 million from tourists alone. This same money can be placed back into Durham to build more attractions, such as these upscale apartments.

Now it can be argued that the

money accumulated from tourism can be put into older housing facilities and more housing within the center of the city.The only problem with building more housing within the center of Durham is, older residents are going to move out of the city because of how crowded it is.

The thing about remodeling older houses is that it’d cost entirely too

much.

Overall it’s much cheaper to construct these apartments rather than just repairing current housing places like McDougald Terrace. In an article published by the News and Observer, to repair McDougald Terrace, it’d take $4.3 million. It took only $300,000 to construct the Andover apartments in Durham and

Swimming in the Red Sea

$2,250,000 to complete the housing for seniors in Durham.

It’s overall better to just throw some new apartment complexes up rather than just repair older housing facilities. This is too much money to be spent on repairing just ONE housing facility. Repairing older facilities isn’t a waste to say the least, it’s just super expensive to do. If repairs were made, the cost of rent would have to increase as well in order to make a profit from construction. It’s almost certain that people, especially older residents, would strongly dislike the sudden change in prices. As bad as it sounds, it’s best to not touch the current apartments.

Now of course this construction is going to require space and tons of areas have been cleared of trees and surrounding animals. In order to make sure that the environment is protected, the EPA requires all major construction site owners to provide and maintain buffers around surface waters, stabilize soil, and to implement ways to prevent soil erosion. Failure to comply with any of these laws put in place by the EPA can be punished either with a fine or even with imprisonment.

Durham consistently votes Democrat in an otherwise Republican state “We are a university town,” Riverside media coordinator Kate Mester said. “We are hard blue in a state that is light purple, mostly red.”

It is a known trend that college towns are more liberal than their geographic surroundings. Riverside social studies teacher Rebecca Stone, who grew up in Durham and attended UNC-Chapel Hill, says that this is especially true in the Triangle because Duke University, North Carolina State University, and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill are Research I universities. Stone says that this means that within these college

• PHOTO BY KAITLYN BUSCH

Durham identifies as communities, value is a sanctuary city in placed on research, a state where some which often concludes Durham has never voted like the rest of politicians, includcutting edge, liberal North Carolina. ing President Trump, policies will solve In 2016, nearly 78% of Durham county are actively trying social problems. voted for Democratic presidential candidate to outlaw the idea of Additionally, she Hillary Clinton, but Donald Trump won sanctuary cities. There says, Durham is simply North Carolina by 3%. Durham is part of is an EPA headquarters more diverse than its North Carolina’s 1st district, which has been in Durham, while envisurroundings. represented in Congress by Democrat George ronmental action might “Durham, even hisButterfield since 2004, but 10 of the state’s be seen as an economic torically, has been other 13 districts are represented by Repubthreat elsewhere in more accepting of peolicans. Durham County just elected an all North Carolina. ple who come from diffemale, all Democrat Board of County ComMester, who has ferent backmissionlived in many differgrounds,” ers, but ent places, including Stone said. Health/PE teacher Broc Dickerson's shirt b o t h People of says "Durham: You aren't in North Carolina Illinois and Washingsenators ton, D.C., facilitates color make anymore." Durham's political landscape that repthe Kids Vote Durham u p 4 4 . 9 % differs greatly from the rest of NC. resent program at Riverside. of Durham North County’s population, compared Riverside’s U.S. and N.C. House and Senate Carolina to just 29.2% of North Carolina’s Kids Vote election results show that students in the vote overwhelmingly for Democratic candias a whole.

House “Durham is a really good ex- dates. Mester noted that when students were are white ample of the U.S. and all of its provided with pictures of candidates, they m a l e also voted noticeably in favor of candidates nests,” Stone said.

RepubShe pointed to immigration and of color. licans.

All of this makes one thing clear: if everythe environment as issues that There are important to Durham but not one eligible to vote in Durham did, our state is a clear The 2016 presidential election results show Durham was one of few democratic contrast. strongholds in the state.

• GRAPHIC BY ALI ZIFAN necessarily to its surroundings. politics could look very different.

By kaitlyn Busch

April 2020

Andrea Cooper wins Teacher of the Year

By Elizabeth Williams Personal finance teacher Andrea Cooper is Riverside’s 2020 teacher of the year.

This is her third year teaching at Riverside even though it seems like many more because of the impact she has had on her students. Senior Stevie Lennon says Cooper shows her kids with absolute value by making sure they are not only successful in her class but as a student.

“She is very in tune with her students,” Lennon said. “Most of them have a high grade average in her class. Kids don’t fail her class because she won’t allow them to fail.”

This is Cooper’s first time being Teacher of the Year.

“I didn’t think I would win,” Cooper said. “I was very excited but still highly shocked.”

The award means a lot to her, and she’s excited to represent her fellow Pirates.

“Being teacher of the year means that I carry one of the torches on the pirate ship,” she said. “I model what all of us at Riverside strive to do each and every day and that is to be the best teachers we can be and prepare our students for the next phase of life because when we succeed, our students succeed, their parents succeed and our community and school succeeds.”

PHOTO COURTESY OF TONYA WILLIAMS

Personal finance teacher Andrea Cooper poses in the media center after being announced as the 2020 RHS Teacher of the Year. Cooper has taught at Riverside for three years.

Cooper grew up in Oxford, North Carolina about thirty minutes north of Durham. She attended North Carolina A&T and graduated in 2001 with a bachelor's degree in administrative systems. She graduated from A&T again in 2003 with another bachelor's degree in management, and at A&T for the third time in 2006 with a masters degree in human resources.

Cooper has been interested in

teaching since she was a child. “My grandmother gave me my first job working at a daycare when I was five years old,” she said. “She is the one who inspired me to be a teacher.” Cooper said.

Cooper taught at Ragsdale High School from 2008 to 2017 and moved to Riverside in 2018.

When she isn’t teaching, Cooper has a side job “selling junk.” She sells her items through Ebay and

mostly in the summer when she has more free time. She lives by the saying “one man's trash is another man’s treasure” and has been using it as her business model for 28 years.

“I’ve been thrifting since I was about twelve years old,” she said.

“Going with my mom to thrift shops that’s what we did on Saturdays. Ten years ago is about when I realized that I could make extra money in buying and selling old stuff.”

She focuses on old materials and antiques, especially furniture, old China, jewelry, purses, belts and educational materials.

Riverside's Teacher of the Year is picked through a staff vote. No students are involved in the selection process. The district will also host a celebratory dinner at the Washington Duke Inn. Cooper now hopes to become the DPS Teacher of the Year. She submitted a 15-page application about what she does as a teacher for her students, the school and the environment on March 26. “[The application] consists of several different areas, one being discussing issues facing public education today,” Cooper said. “I must say with this current coronavirus pandemic, it will provide me a platform to advocate for those kids who are being directly affected by the school closures. Their voices will be heard through me.”

Andrea Cooper gana Maestra del Ano Por Elizabeth Williams La maestra de finanzas personales Andrea Cooper es la maestra del año 2020 Riverside.

Este es su tercer año de enseñanza en Riverside, aunque parece mucho más debido al impacto que ha tenido en sus estudiantes. La estudiante de último año Stevie Lennon dice que Cooper muestra a sus hijos un valor absoluto al asegurarse de que tengan éxito no solo en su clase, sino también como estudiantes.

"Ella está muy en sintonía con sus alumnos", dijo Lennon. “La mayoría de ellos tienen un alto promedio de calificaciones en su clase. Los niños no fallan en su clase porque no les permitirá fallar ".

Esta es la primera vez que Cooper es Maestro del año.

"No pensé que iba a ganar", dijo Cooper. "Estaba muy emocionado pero aún muy conmocionado".

El premio significa mucho para ella, y está emocionada de repre-

sentar a sus compañeros piratas.

"Ser maestra del año significa que llevo una de las antorchas en el barco pirata", dijo. “Modelo lo que todos nosotros en Riverside nos esforzamos por hacer todos los días y es ser los mejores maestros que podemos ser y preparar a nuestros estudiantes para la próxima fase de la vida porque cuando tenemos éxito, nuestros estudiantes tienen éxito, sus padres tienen éxito y nuestra comunidad y escuela tienen éxito ".

Cooper creció en Oxford, Carolina del Norte, a unos treinta minutos al norte de Durham. Asistió a Carolina del Norte A&T y se graduó en 2001 con una licenciatura en sistemas administrativos. Se graduó de A&T nuevamente en 2003 con otra licenciatura en administración, y en A&T por tercera vez en 2006 con una maestría en recursos humanos.

Cooper ha estado interesada en la enseñanza desde que era niña. "Mi abuela me dio mi primer trabajo trabajando en una guardería cuando

tenía cinco años", dijo. "Ella fue quien me inspiró a ser maestra".

Dijo Cooper.

Cooper enseñó en Ragsdale High School de 2008 a 2017 y se mudó a Riverside en 2018.

Cuando no está enseñando, Cooper tiene un trabajo secundario "vendiendo basura". Ella vende sus artículos a través de Ebay y principalmente en el verano cuando tiene más tiempo libre. Ella vive del dicho "la basura de un hombre es el tesoro de otro hombre" y la ha estado usando como su modelo de negocio durante 28 años.

"He estado prosperando desde que tenía unos doce años", dijo. "Ir con mi madre a tiendas de segunda mano, eso es lo que hacíamos los sábados. Hace diez años fue cuando me di cuenta de que podía ganar dinero extra comprando y vendiendo cosas viejas ".

Se enfoca en materiales antiguos y antigüedades, especialmente muebles, China antigua, joyas, carteras,

cinturones y materiales educativos.

El maestro del año de Riverside se elige mediante una votación del personal. No hay estudiantes involucrados en el proceso de selección.

El distrito también organizará una cena de celebración en el Washington Duke Inn. Cooper ahora espera convertirse en el maestro del año de DPS. Presentó una solicitud de 15 páginas sobre lo que hace como maestra para sus alumnos, la escuela y el medio ambiente el 26 de marzo. "[La aplicación] consta de varias áreas diferentes, una de las cuales trata los problemas que enfrenta la educación pública en la actualidad", dijo Cooper. “Debo decir que con esta pandemia actual de coronavirus, me proporcionará una plataforma para abogar por aquellos niños que están siendo directamente afectados por el cierre de escuelas.

Sus voces se escucharán a través de mí ".

Traducido por Abigail Martinez

9

DPS wins $500K grant

By Emmer Rice Durham Public Schools was recently granted $561,901 from North Carolina’s Center for Safer Schools.

At first, the grant seems large, but the DPS system contains 54 different schools, leaving many people wondering if significant change can actually be made.

The money will be spent on three different things; school safety equipment, student crisis services, and school safety training.

The grant aims to provide more support for students who’ve been exposed to trauma and better equip teachers to help said students.

Social studies teacher Gabrielle Minnick believes this grant could be a good thing for the schools.

“I teach a lot of students, and a lot of them experience trauma, said Minnick. “Students come to me because they can talk to me. I wish that students could feel comfortable in all classrooms so that they’re constantly in a safe space.”

Opinions on the purpose of the grant vary between teachers. Many are curious about how they money will be distributed between all the schools.

Conner Bolen, an engineering teacher at Riverside, is one of them.

“What’s best for Riverside might not be what’s best for Northern,” said Bolen.”What’s best for Northern might not be best for Southern.

I have a more sheltered view being stuck down here with the engineering classes, so I don’t get to experience what all of Riverside needs.”

"I wish that all students could feel comfortable in all classrooms."

- Social Studies teacher Gabrielle Minnick

10

By Ella Whithaus

Pirates' Hookok

Trailers - Helpful or Harmful?

The common solution to school overcrowding isn't leaving any time soon

From the muddy ramps to no air conditioning, Riverside students know the trailers all too well.

When Riverside first opened in 1991, it was only for ninth, tenth and eleventh graders; but when it added a senior class the following year, overpopulation quickly became an issue.

“Our first year we had plenty of room,” said science teacher Jeffery Harris, who has taught at Riverside since the school opened. “Very quickly, Riverside became the place to be. And it was overcrowded,” To create more space, the school added trailers to both sides of the building.

“I would say the trailers started to arrive probably in the late 90s,” Harris said.

The extra classrooms made it possible for hundreds of additional students to attend Riverside, but it also created new challenges.

Safety is the utmost concern for teachers across the school campus. French teacher, Koussaila Boumeridja has spent 7 of his teaching years in a trailer.

“It’s not safe,” Boumeridja said “If something • PHOTO BY ELLA WHITHAUS were to happen from outside campus...we are A trailer located next to the tinnis courts outside the main school building. These trailers have more worried outside the school.” been on site for almost 30 years and there is no room for more.

For social studies teacherAnnaAllman, teach-

ing in a trailer can be a struggle. Her classes do not have access to the laptop cart, which makes planning online lessons complicated. She is also concerned about accessibility. During rain and other bad weather, her ramp often gets muddy and slippery.

Allman attended Riverside as a student and remembers having classes in the trailers, as well.

“The room was always freezing, a pain to get to in the rain, and that it was awkwardly lit with no decorations,” she said.

But Riverside teachers enjoy their outside classroom set up.

“I personally love it,” social studies teacher and basketball coach Brian Strickland said. “I think it kind of sometimes separates us from the busy hallway. We’re kind of in our own little world.”

Strickland also uses his trailer as a team meeting place and for study halls.

“Sometimes it’s good here,” Boumeridja said, “because in my class we get loud sometimesplaying instruments and listening to music.”

“I really like that I don't have to deal with noise/ chaos/skippers of the hallway,” Allman said.

According to district enrollment data, Riverside is the third most populated school in DPS. Love 'em or hate 'em, the trailers are here to stay.

OCS, engineering students Estudiantes de OCS, ingeniería diseñan jardines verticales design vrtical gardens

By Georgia Fishback EC teacher Jenny Bailey has one big dream: To revive the greenhouse and make it accessible to everyone.

A new partnership with Riverside’s engineering students is about to turn that dream into a reality.

“The greenhouse burned down many years ago and we want to restore it and give our students the job skills they need,” Bailey said.

“They have to get a certain number of hours of work for graduation.”

Bailey, who graduated from Riverside in 2002, said this is a learning opportunity for her kids and will prepare them for working in the real world.

Vertical gardening is a way to grow more plants which is important because they will then sell their plants and give the profits to the school at the end of the year.

“We partnered up with engineering, who is going to design and build vertical gardens,” she said. “Right now they are in the design stage and then we will vote on the one we want to move forward with and then they’ll build it.”

Bailey’s goal is to have about 1000 plants sold by the end of the year which, she says, is an ambitious but doable goal. The OSC program actually sold 600 plants last year. In fact, that’s how Bailey came up with the idea of a vertical garden.

“Last year we sold 600 plants and we sold them fairly quickly,” she said, “but everything used to be on the ground, nothing was watered evenly and [the plants] didn’t have enough sunlight.”

So they came up with a storage solution to make it easier to access all the plants, help them grow and hopefully increase profits.

Engineering teacher Adam Davidson is a key player in helping design and build the vertical gardens for Bailey and her kids. “[Bailey] wants to be able to build something

that is accessible by people of all different disabilities,” Davidson said. “People that are tall, people who are short, people who need to be able to get something at one particular height.

It’s not doable to a lot of the people who work in these gardens, so she wants to make it more accessible physically.”

After hearing what she had to say, Davidson thought it was a great idea and was totally on board, so Bailey then went to REPAC, or Riverside Engineering Parent Action Council, and asked for funding. “[REPAC] said ‘we’ll fund it if you can get more than six kids to volunteer to do it,’” he said.

Once REPAC approved, Davidson got to work. He recruited student volunteers to help design and build the gardens.

“We’re making them go through the process of designing them, testing them out,” he said.

“Students are] making the plans for them, building them, creating models of them and then eventually using funding that REPAC can provide to build the structures.”

Once the kids finish their designs, they will help Bailey and her kids implement and test them. This is important to do because Davidson says they then have to report back as to how well they function and if they do well the kids are going to improve upon their design and make new ones.

“The design they come up with is purely up to the kids,” he said.

Bailey said it’s been to see her students grow and take charge. The vertical gardens will double, perhaps even triple, the amount of plants the OCS program can sell. The increased sales will then allow them to make the much needed repairs to the greenhouse, which would make the program even more successful.

“It has been incredible to watch students take on this project voluntarily in their own time and with no reward except benefiting the program and our school,” Bailey said.

Por Georgia Fishback La maestra de EC Jenny Bailey tiene un gran sueño: revivir el invernadero y hacerlo accesible para todos.

Una nueva asociación con los estudiantes de ingeniería de Riverside está a punto de convertir ese sueño en realidad.

“La invernadero se quemo hace años y queremos restaurarlo y darles a nuestros estudiantes las habilidades laborales que necesitan,” dijo Bailey. “ Ellos tienen que obtener un cierto número de horas de trabajo para graduarse.”

Bailey, quien se graduó de Riverside en 2002 dijo que esta es una oportunidad de aprendizaje para sus alumnos y los preparará para trabajar en el mundo real.

La jardinería vertical es una forma de cultivar más plantas, lo cual es importante porque luego venderán sus plantas y darán las ganancias a la escuela al final del año.

"Nos asociamos con los de ingeniería, para que diseñarán y construirán jardines verticales", dijo ella. "En este momento están en la etapa de diseño y luego votaremos por el que queremos avanzar y luego lo construirán".

El objetivo de Bailey es tener unas 1000 plantas vendidas para fin de año, lo que significa, dice ella, es un objetivo ambicioso pero factible. El programa OSC vendió 600 plantas el año pasado. De hecho, así fue como a Bailey se le ocurrió la idea de un jardín vertical.

"El año pasado vendimos 600 plantas y las vendimos bastante rápido", dijo ella, "pero todo solía estar en el suelo, nada se regó de manera uniforme y [las plantas] no tenían

suficiente luz solar".

Entonces se les ocurrió una solución de almacenamiento para facilitar el acceso a todas las plantas, ayudarlas a crecer y, con suerte, aumentar las ganancias.

El maestro de ingeniería, Adam Davidson, es un jugador clave para ayudar a diseñar y construir los jardines verticales para Bailey y sus hijos. "[Bailey] quiere poder construir algo que sea accesible para personas con diferentes discapacidades", dijo Davidson. “Personas que son altas, personas que son bajas, personas que necesitan poder obtener algo a una altura particular. No es factible para muchas personas que trabajan en estos jardines, por lo que quiere que sea más accesible físicamente ".

Después de escuchar lo que tenía que decir, Davidson pensó que era una gran idea y estaba totalmente de acuerdo, por lo que Bailey fue a REPAC, o al Consejo de Acción para Padres de Riverside Engineering, y solicitó fondos. "[REPAC] dijo ‘lo financiaremos si puedes conseguir que más de seis niños se ofrezcan como voluntarios para hacerlo’", el dijo.

Una vez que REPAC aprobó, Davidson se puso a trabajar. Reclutó estudiantes voluntarios para ayudar a diseñar y construir los jardines.

"Los estamos haciendo pasar por el proceso de diseño, probándolos", el dijo. "Los estudiantes están] haciendo planes para ellos, construyéndolos, creando modelos de ellos y finalmente, utilizando los fondos que REPAC puede proporcionar para construir las estructuras".

Traduccion por Javier Morales

Streaming wars cont. from p. 2

content and representation. To reach the widest subscriber base possible, companies hold their original and licensed content to an extremely high standard and opt for a diverse selection instead of the one-sizefits-all approach of blockbuster film and TV. Now, people can find content that appeals to underrepresented cultures and niche tastes that were largely ignored by mass media in the past.

Another area where the streaming wars have the potential to have a positive impact is on creative content producers. In the filmmaking world, the streaming wars have massive implications. Another RHS alum, Tristain Asuncion, now studies film at UNC School of the Arts. He is excited for the career prospects arising from the current industry climate.

“There’s an unprecedented amount of movies and shows being made,” said Asuncion.

“This means they’re going to need a lot of writers, editors, assistants, et cetera.”

For an industry that is notoriously hard to break into, this is a good sign, even if there remains a lot of uncertainty. “A lot of content gets cut early on,” said Asuncion. “Entry level workers are getting paid less, because there’s no guarantee the project they work on will come into fruition.”

Still, when streaming services are scrambling to lock down well-known talent in contracts for original content, the increased demand presents smaller productions and up-and-coming filmmakers with great opportunities to get their start in the industry.

Netflix and Amazon Prime, for example, are well known for buying distribution rights from indie producers.

For example, Amazon Prime’s partnership with independent film studio A24 has helped bring films like Lady Bird and Midsommar to wide audiences. “It’s the best way right now to gain recognition, and hopefully get hired for bigger projects in the future,” said Asuncion.

By granting consumers the freedom to choose what to watch, the real victor of the streaming wars won’t be a media conglomerate or an underdog tech startup. It’ll be the consumers whose preferences were ignored in the past, and the aspiring filmmakers who want to shake up the status quo. Here is a chance for the internet to stay true to its promise of being a platform where individuals can get their voices heard. If people vote with their money and viewership, we may see a rise in fresh and original content, and increased representation in the media industry. If not, we’ll keep re-binging The Office and mediocre superhero sequels.

Covid-19

Cont. de p. 1

del grado 12 recibirán un” Pase “o” Retiro “en función de su aprendizaje a partir del 13 de marzo para los cursos de primavera”. También habrá oportunidades de aprendizaje remoto para los estudiantes que no aprueben las clases para mejorar a una calificación aprobatoria.

Si los estudiantes de noveno, décimo y once grado fallan el tercer trimestre y no hacen nada para mejorar su calificación durante el cuarto trimestre, entonces serán retirados y reinscritos en el curso el próximo año si es un curso obligatorio.Para lidiar con el acceso desigual a la tecnología, las tareas hechas por el distrito están disponibles para su recogida física desde varios lugares. La repartición de paquetes ocurrirá mañana Martes 7 de abril de 11-1 o 4-6pm.

El 2 de abril, DPS anunció su primer caso confirmado de COVID-19 que afecta a un empleado o estudiante.

“El empleado estuvo involucrado en la distribución de alimentos y materiales de instrucción a través del sitio de la escuela primaria Bethesda”, revela una actualización. Desde entonces, DPS ha cancelado los servicios de entrega de alimentos.

Los planes para las ceremonias de graduación y graduación aún no se han determiTraducido por Abby Martinez nado.w

11

Alumni Spotlight: SaydenuTukan

When Tukan graduated from Riverside in 2010 she had plans to study journalism. But when she Soft-spoken, patient and friendly. These are began college at UNC Charlotte she fell in love the words people use to describe Riverside with music and dancing.‘ alumnus Saydenu Tukan.

“I thought I wanted to be a writer but the arts Tukan attended Parkwood and Hold elemen- have my heart,” she said. tary schools and Carrington for middle school.

Moving away from home and leaving her four During her four years at Riverside she enjoyed brothers and one younger sister wasn’t easy, but journalism class and grew close with business she enjoyed the challenge. teacher Coluette Brown-Hicks, who was both “life is about leaving your comfort zone,” her teacher and sorority adviser. she said.

“Saydenu was a hard Her art classes worker, enthusiastic, were challenging and and very outgoing,” helped her become Brown-Hicks said. who she is today.

“She always wanted In addition to music, to fit in, until tenth grade she’s also involved in when she realized who dancing, modeling and she was in herself.” her sorority.

Brown-Hicks reDuring a recent members how the sovisit to Riverside, rority team was so Tukan reconnected excited about coordiwith Brown-Hicks nating steps and excited and some of her other to be around each other. teachers.

“They always added “I liked Riverside Saydenu into everyand had good friends,” thing they would do,” Saydenu Tukan's album, Reflection, was she said. “The place she said. still looks the same.” released this spring. She also teaches dance.

By Janel Perry

• GRAPHIC BY @EIGHTYTWENTYDESIGNS

April 2020

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A life without sports feels empty

Sports 12

Nothing to watch. Nothing to talk about. Nothing to do.

By Braeden Hilliard When the corona virus outbreak began, I did not believe that it would impact me as much as it did, or in the ways that it did.

I never thought that I would see March Madness completely skipped. I was extremely excited for this year’s tournament, regardless of UNC being a sure miss for it. It was going to be so unpredictable and so crazy. Now, it will not happen. It is still honestly difficult to comprehend. A tournament has never been skipped in the modern era for something like this, and it is hard to imagine that it will happen again in our lifetime.

Despite March Madness meaning a lot to me, the fact that the MLB season got postponed until at least mid-May is the toughest blow. Because this means along with the majors, minor league baseball, which is also my go-to form of entertainment in the Spring because of the Durham Bulls, is not going to be here until later. I was especially looking forward to seeing how my favorite MLB team, the Rays, would do after the playoff run they put together

last season. They are a young organization with a lot of talent and it would be a shame if their young players would miss a whole year of play.

Even though I never really paid attention to the NBA when it was still on, I did not realize how much of my time it still took up. I would still spend several minutes and sometimes hours a day watching highlights from the night before on Sports Center or on Instagram on my phone. So much discussion comes from the NBA as well, such as who is the best player or team in the league.

This is probably the strangest part of life without sports for me.

I would usually talk about all different types of sports with my friends. But now we have nothing to talk about.

No big game from that night to break down and analyze.

No upcoming season to look forward to. No stats to obsess about. No sports.

Personally, I have felt

An NCAA tournament has never been skipped in the modern era for something like this.

lost without sports. It has left a hole that is going to be very difficult to fill with anything else. Once it gets warmer I will be able to start my other hobbies, such as fishing, again.

But until then, I’m stuck watching re-runs of big games and highlights of some of my favorite players.

I do appreciate that ESPN is still attempting to put out the same level of content. It has allowed me to learn a lot about what is going on with the NFL and its player’s association.

I have also learned a great deal about what each NFL team needs to do in the offseason in order to improve from last season to the next. Now more than ever before, America is ready for football season.

And I am one-hundred percent with America on this one. It would be great to see some college football right about now.

Something to bring the nation together again.

Because in reality, that is what sports provide for the world: a way to come together for a common passion. We have sports for a reason, and that reason seems pretty clear now. Life without sports is a very boring one.

In reality, this is what sports provide for the world: a way to come together for a common passion

Andre George named new football coach

victory over Bowie State.

During his first three seasons of coaching, As a junior in 2005, George returned from George coached defensive backs and A native of Columbia, Maryland, Andre an injury to become the team’s second- assisted with outside linebackers and George graduated from North leading defender with 59 tackles. special teams at Southern High School, Carolina Central University in helping the Spartans to three December of 2007 with a degree straight PAC-6 titles under Head in Public Health.

Coach Adrian Jones.

He spent the next three years While in pursuit of his Masters in the health promotion field, in Public Administration, encouraging people to live George returned to North healthier lives through his work Carolina Central University with the Center for Health and as a graduate assistant with Healing and Duke Prospective the football team. He was then Health. hired as the full-time Defensive In 2013, George earned Backs Coach and Special Teams h i s M a s t e r ’s i n P u b l i c assistant.

Administration.

While at NCCU, George As a student-athlete at NCCU, was influential in recruiting George amassed 150 tackles and and developing Defensive 10 interceptions. A four-year Backs Ryan Smit (‘16 NFL starter in the NCCU secondary Prospect), CJ Moore (MEAC/ (2002-03, 2005-06), where All-American Performer) and seven of his picks came during Mike Jones (MEAC/ Allhis senior season in 2006, when American Performer). he earned first team all-CIAA Coach George and his wife and first team all-region honors.

Krystal are honored to join the He collected a season-high Pirate Family. They are proud six tackles to go along with an parents of daughters, Haliegh interception and a pass break(12), and Harper (50), and son up during the 2006 CIAA Haiden (6).

Championship Game win over Coach George has many Elizabeth City State. He also New head football coach Andre George poses in RHS' athletics hall. quotes, his favorite is, “Our Best made six stops in the 2006 CIAA George played defensive back for NCCU and replaces former coach Ability, is AccountABILITY”. titles game to aid the Eagles to Cory Lea. • PHOTO COURTESY OF RIVERSIDE ATHLETICS

GRAPHIC BY DREW MARLEY

By Robert Duncan

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