Many different states have separate laws that pertain to recycling. In Ohio, recycling is often put on the back burner. Yes, Ohioans do recycle. Each classroom in schools have recycling bins and some even have more advanced ones that separate different materials like plastic, aluminum, paper, etc. However, are they really doing all that needs to be done? Other cities, such as Seattle, push their efforts even further to conserve the materials they throw away. For example, imagine having three trash cans all for recycling. For many other people worldwide, this is their reality. It is against the law to not separate your trash into the appropriate recycling bins. In Seattle, it is even illegal to throw food in the garbage. It seems that in places like these, recycling is unavoidable. Even if you simply go out to eat, you cannot get out of recycling. Restaurants where you throw your own food away require you to separate trash into different groups for better recycling. And plastic forks and straws - they’re a thing of the past. Paper straws and recyclable cardboard like material are used for silverware. With this being said, Ohio and other states with mediocre recycling need to take steps towards having a better recycling system. This way, everyone can try to better their waste management as a country and preserve the resources of their planet.
The Acquittal of President Trump By Kayci Lewis
For almost the past half year, President Trump was impeached for a few different reasons. But five months of hearings and investigations have ended with the acquittal of Donald Trump on February 5, 2020. President Trump was accused of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. When the impeachment finally came to an end, the Senate vote count came out with 52 to 48 Not Guilty of abuse of power and 53 to 47 Not Guilty of obstruction of Congress. Democratic leaders believed that the result of the vote was illegitimate and that it was just a self-interested cover-up by Republicans. Democrats also promised to continue searching for evidence and investigating Donald Trump. In the future, the President could go through the impeachment trials once again due to the relentlessness of the Democratic Party. In the end, our president should be running for a second term in the 2020 presidential election.
Clear Fork High School has an international trip coming up. For the first time, the Spanish club is planning a trip to Spain in the summer of 2021. Students and parents are welcome to go experience Spain’s beauty.
In Spain, the students will go to many places such as Barcelona, Madrid, and Andalusia. Visitors will also go to Portugal. The trip will last 12 days, starting from June 12 to June 21. Students will participate on a sightseeing tour and eat authentic Spanish food. The total cost for students (under 23) is $3,796 and the total cost for adults (23 and over) is $4,371. Breakfast and dinner will be offered daily and is included in the total cost of the trip. Students and parents alike will be able to practice their Spanish skills in an interactive and realistic environment. They’ll be able to learn about and understand the culture and language in Spain. The travelers will be able to see iconic landmarks in Barcelona, Madrid, Seville, and Lisbon. They will get to spend beach time at the Costa del Sol. All events in the trip will be under the supervision of an experienced tour guide.
All students are welcome to go on the trip. There is much to learn from visiting Spain. Whether you like the culture, the language, or you just want to have fun, going on the Spanish trip would be a life changing experience. For more information, talk to Mrs. Motter or Mrs. Weaver.
Royal Family News By Isabelle Annis
Harry and Meghan have recently decided to separate from their Royal titles and it will be official March 31. They are going to stop being represented by the Queen and are going to become financially independent. They will be living in North America but will also frequently be back in the United Kingdom for charity events. Their last appearance will most likely be March 9 at a Commonwealth Day. They might not be able to even use the royal term 'Sussex Royal,' but the Queen hasn't reached a decision on whether to allow them to use the title or not . Harry went from second in line to the throne to sixth in line. They have had many meetings with Harry’s family about the issue. They have been acting on this for the past year and it is just now becoming official.
Jeopardy! The Greatest of All Time By Allison Ross
Jeopardy, the well known game show, hosted a tournament featuring its three highest earning contestants. The tournament aired January 7, 2020, and ended January 14. The contestants consisted of Ken Jennings, James Holzhauer, and Brad Rutter. To win the tournament, the contestant had to win three games, and the winner earned one million dollars.
With 74 wins, Ken Jennings holds the record for the longest winning streak on Jeopardy. Brad Rutter is the highest earning American game show contestant of all time and obviously, the highest earning Jeopardy player with a whopping 4.3 million dollars . Before the tournament, Rutter had never lost to a human player, because back when he played the game the first time, winners were limited to five wins. James Holzhauer is the third highest earning Jeopardy player and has had the second longest winning streak with 32 wins. In the first round, Ken Jennings won with 63,400 points, 200 points ahead of James Holzhauer. Brad Rutter, however, was not as lucky. He got third place with 10,400 points. James Holzhauer won the second round, this time he had a significant lead against his two opponents. With this win, many fans questioned who would win in the end. Ken Jennings earned his second and third win in the last two games, and dominated the competition. This makes Ken Jennings the “Greatest Jeopardy Player of All Time.”
Jeopardy kept their watchers at the edge of their seat with this never-before-seen tournament of extremely talented players. With many close calls and close games, many viewers had no idea who would win and take the title as the “Greatest Jeopardy Player of All Time” and who would earn the one million dollar prize.
What Are Your New Year's Resolutions? By Kayci Lewis
Many people make New Year’s resolutions, some keep them and some do not. The University of Scranton conducted a study stating that only eight percent of people achieve their New Year’s goals, while around 80 percent fail to keep their New Year’s resolutions, says US clinical psychologist Joseph Luciani. Do high school students do the same? If so, do they keep up with their planned resolutions?
“My only New Year’s resolution is to pass college history. I’ve kept it so far, but we don’t have any grades yet, so I’m doing great,” says senior Megan Steinman.
Sophomore, Claire Stewart answers, “I want to learn to speak Italian. I can speak a little, but I don’t know many words. For the most part I have kept up with learning it but I have been busy lately.”
“My New Year's resolution is to go cliff diving. I’m going to Hawaii for vacation and I want to do it because I have watched a lot of videos and it looks fun. Do I plan to keep it? For sure,” states Klayton Rogers, a freshman.
Some high schoolers do make resolutions and intend to keep them. Not all people do, but these individuals are determined to stick with their New Year’s plans. Dr. Carly Moores, associate lecturer at Flinders University, says, “Start with small changes and continue to build on these or try to tackle one change at a time. Try to set yourself goals, reflect on your progress towards these, acknowledge that changes can be hard, and results won’t happen overnight … or even in the first two weeks of the new year.” This tip could help others keep their New Year’s resolutions.
Get comfortable, there are new movies!!! By Mya Ousley
Do you like watching movies? If you do, you might be spending a lot of money in this new year. There are many new movies coming out this year. Some of them are Mulan, To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before: P.S I Love You, and A Quiet Place II and so many more.
The new live Mulanmovie is about a young girl named Mulan who disguises herself as her father and goes to fight off the Huns. She is pushed to her breaking point in every way possible. Mulan has to fight and push herself so that the Huns don’t take over. This movie sounds good, but there have been some outburst about it. In the original movie there was a dragon that watched over Mulan. However, Musha or any of the other guardians will not be in the new movie. This has been a recurring question for the new movie.
The next new movie is To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before: P.S I Love You. This movie is about Lara Jean and Peter Kavinsky’s relationship. Lara Jean is trying to find herself while being in her new relationship. However, John Ambromse, a boy that Lara Jean wrote a letter to, comes back into her life and starts to cause new problems. She has to decide if she can be in love with two boys. This is from the Netflix original movieTo All The Boys I’ve Loved Before. That is not the only sequel that is coming out this year. The movie A Quiet Place II is about the Abbott family that lives in silence because of the creatures that hunt with sound. The family has to travel to places they have ever been, with new creatures that threaten their survival. The first movie was a big hit so maybe this one will be too.
These three movies are just a few of the ones that are coming out this year. Since they all have had previous movies that have been hits, people have big expectations for them Be sure to go watch and get your opinion on the three.
Clear Fork High School’s Annual Talent Show By Jadin Sansom
The Clear Fork High School Yearbook is hosting the annual Talent Show! There is going to be singing, dancing, comedy, and surprise staff acts. There are also going to be games being played throughout the show. The reason why we host the talent show is to make the cost of the yearbooks cheaper for you. The Talent Show is January 30th and the tickets cost $5. The show starts at 6:30. Please come and enjoy the show!
Social Media: Beneficial or Harmful By Grace DeWitt
Ever since it was created, presidents have been on social media to share the highlights of their times in office. However, in light of Donald Trump’s activity on social media in the last few years, people have begun to question if presidents should have access to social media or not. Some believe that it acts as a way for presidents to directly communicate with the people. Student Mariah Goodman voices that “social media can be used to keep the country up to date on the world news. This way, the President himself can easily show his support or distaste for certain events and actions.” However, it is not always the President who is posting on his social media accounts. It is usually a team of publicists who manage the President’s page for him. Donald Trump is one of the few to actually post his own words on his accounts. Some people also support the President’s use of social media because they think it is the most efficient way to spread different types of news to the media. This can be a good thing as long as the President spreads news that is appropriate for the public to hear. On the other end of this debate, there are people who think that presidents should not have social media at all. Student Regan Born shares that some presidents “are known to abuse the use of social media. They tend to expose too much information for the world to see, causing unnecessary conflicts.” Her view is shared by many who point out that the current President’s posts are often politically incorrect. They think that the President’s accounts are just a source for drama after they noticed that President Trump has been known to start twitter wars with other celebrities and politicians. He has even went as far as to block certain users such as Chrissy Teigen and Stephen King. The people on the opposing side feel that President Trump’s posts are far more informal and untraditional when compared to other presidents’ posts. Because of these reasons, they think presidents should not be permitted to have social media accounts. However, it is unlikely that presidents will ever be barred from using social media. The second amendment, the freedom of speech, will likely back the presidents’ rights in this situation. However, both sides continue to debate on whether or not presidents should have this privilege.
Australia has been devastated by the great wildfires that first started in July. Sadly, 28 people and over one billion animals have been killed during this great fire. Thankfully, the fires have been dying down because of the winds and the rain recently. The US has been helping with firefighting assistance. Fires have been started in every state in Australia, and South Wales has been hit the hardest. Back in December, the air quality was measuring 11 times the hazardous level in Sydney. Australia’s fire season is quickly coming again along with their dry season. This means that the fires could possibly not be over. Over 200 million dollars has been donated to help out Australia and its animals. There is a way for people to donate, you can donate through Australian Red Cross, Salvation Army Australia, the NSW Rural Fire Service, and the St. Vincent de Paul Society Australia. You can also donate money to help save the animals throughWIRES, the Port Macquarie Koala Hospital, and Currumbin Wildlife Hospital.
If you are unaware, one of the most popular award shows of the year just happened, The 77th Annual Golden Globes! They discuss and evaluates the best films of 2019. The show is usually filled with criticism and laughter. The next main awards show is the Grammy Awards. This will be on January 26th, 2020. Alicia Keys will be the host of the most well known music award show. The nominees for song of the year are “Always Remember Us This Way” by Lady Gaga, “Bad Guy” by Billie Eilish and Finneas, “Bring My Flowers Now” by Brandi Carlile, “Hard Place” by Ruby Amanfu, “Lover” by Taylor Swift, “Someone You Loved” by Lewis Capaldi, and “Truth Hurts” by Lizzo. I asked sophomore Hannah Therrien for her prediction “I think 'Truth' by Lizzo because it was really popular and it was on tik tok, so a lot of people heard about it.”
The Oscars are also coming up on February 9th, 2020. There actually is no traditional host for this event. It is similar to the Golden Globes in which it analyzes different films. The nominees for animated feature film are How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World, I Lost My Body, Klaus, Missing Link, and Toy Story 4. I asked Junior Drew Lind and he predicted Toy Story 4. He said it was because “They are some of the best Disney movies of all time”. What’s your future prediction for the upcoming award shows? Time will only tell.
I know that most of us have already given up on the chances of having a snow day, with it being January and having NO snow. But... according to Weather.com a winter storm may bring lots of ice, strong winds, and snow from the west to the plains, and then through the Midwest and Northeast throughout this weekend. Last school year when we had lots of snow days they started to become boring and you ran out of stuff to do. With this Snow Day Activity List you'll never have to worry about being bored on a snow day again!
1. Make snow ice cream (snow with vanilla and condensed milk) 2. Go snowboarding/skiing 3. Go on a winter hike 4. Go ice fishing 5. Make snow cones (snow and snow cone syrup) 6. Invite your friends over and bake/make your favorite foods 7. Binge your favorite Netflix show 8. Deep clean/de-clutter your room 9. Invite your friends over and have a movie marathon 10. Catch up on any homework/classwork 11. Have a winter photo-shoot
December 2019
The Most Windowful Time of the Year By Kodi Beachy
What have you done to get ready for the holidays? Have you set up your Christmas lights outside to catch people’s attention as they pass? Maybe you are the best house on the block with the brightest lights. Decorating for Christmas can draw a large amount of people’s attention. That is why, in our quaint little towns of Bellville and Butler, some of our local businesses paint their windows. I asked some of our students at Clear Fork High School if they have noticed the windows. I asked Philip Boettcher, a junior that is a foreign exchange student from Germany, if the windows made him pay more attention to the businesses and he said “the designs definitely make me want to see what is behind those windows.” I also asked another junior, Regan Born, what she thought of the windows and she said that “they really get me in the Christmas spirit.” Currently, the businesses are competing to see whose is the best and the locals are voting. Be sure to go to your favorite business and put a vote in!
What “Impeachment” Really Means By Grace DeWitt
Many people misinterpret what it means for a President to be impeached. Contrary to popular belief, it does not mean that a president is removed from office. It actually means “to bring charges in Congress that will form the basis for a trial” (“Trump impeachment inquiry: A simple guide”). This means that the recent impeachment inquiry puts Donald Trump’s actions into question. BBC explains that “President Trump is accused of pressuring Ukraine to dig up damaging information on one of his main Democratic challengers for the presidency in 2020, Joe Biden, and his son Hunter” (“Trump impeachment inquiry: A simple guide”). Some people have already come forward with statements that have uncovered evidence against President Trump. However, Trump denies these accusations despite the evidence presented against him. It is still an ongoing debate today. However, if evidence against Donald Trump was proven to be true, there would still be several steps that would need to be taken for impeachment to actually happen. In order for the President to officially be impeached, sufficient evidence of Trump’s wrongdoings need to be found. After this, the House would vote on the articles of impeachment. If less than the majority supports impeachment, the charges against the President are dropped. If the majority (51%) supports impeachment, then the President is impeached and a trial in the Senate begins. In this trial, the Senators vote on whether or not they want to remove the President from office. If two-thirds (67%) vote to convict him, Donald Trump would be removed from office and the Vice President, Mike Pence, would take over. If less than two-thirds vote to convict the President, Trump will remain in office. However, it has not gotten to that point yet. The impeachment inquiry is still going on today and officials still haven’t decided to actually impeach the President or not.
It’s Christmas Time for the Clear Fork High School Band! By Allison Ross
A major aspect of Christmas is its music, and what better way to spread Clear Fork pride and Christmas cheer than with Clear Fork’s very own band! There were many holiday themed events involving the band this month, such as the Christmas parade, the Yule Log performance in Bellville, the jazz band and concert band Christmas concert, and the upcoming Tuba Christmas.
On December 5, members of the brass section, donned in their Christmas attire, gathered in front of V and M Family Restaurant. They played a selection of Christmas songs to celebrate the lighting of the yule log at Bellville’s bandstands. Two days later, the whole Clear Fork Marching band marched down town square in Bellville. The Valley Guard passed candy out to all of the parade watchers, which brought smiles to many cold kids’ faces. Wearing their band uniforms and Christmas themed hats, the band really showed their love for Christmas and their love for the Valley.
Later, on the 15th, the jazz band performed a variety of jazzy versions of classic Christmas songs. A few of the songs featured solos that students volunteered for, composed, and performed by themselves. Those soloists were Brianna Dement, Laura Littleton, Hunter Walters, Charlie Myer, Alex Brown, Evan Moody, Riley Peterson, Sam Brandes, Sam Hahn, Caiden Moody, Benny Blubaugh, and Matt Marzetti. Directly afterwards, the whole concert band moved into the auditorium to perform their half of the concert. The band played a variety of classic Christmas songs combined with some creative and different pieces. For example, one piece, named “Christmas at the Circus” features a medley of Christmas songs, but played in ways that remind listeners of circus tunes. The Yule Log and Tuba Christmas participants also performed in between the concert.
Last but not least, is the up and coming Tuba Christmas concert. Tuba Christmas consists of tuba and baritone musicians from multiple different schools in Ohio. They'll perform December 21 at the E.J. Thomas Performing Arts Hall at the University of Akron. There are performances at 12:00 and 2:30. Tuba Christmas is a unique experience for Clear Fork students. If you love music and our band, come out and support our talented musicians!
All in all, the holidays are a time for celebrating, and that's no different for all of Clear Fork’s bands. Our students and band directors put a lot of effort into all of the music that the band performs during the holidays. Whether it be the parade or the Christmas concert, Clear Fork is always ready to put on a show!
Disney Plus Review By Kailee Barron
We all remember waking up as a kid and the first thing we would do is turn on Disney to watch our morning cartoons/movies. As the years go by and trends change, TV entertainment changes as well and not many TV shows you would watch on TV still air. But, on November 12 Disney released their streaming subscription ($7/Monthly), Disney Plus.
Disney Plus has a set-up similar to other streaming services like Netflix and Hulu. With many different selections, you can watch pretty much anything Disney related on this app. The categories on Disney Plus include but are not limited to: Disney Plus Original Series, Disney Holiday Movies, Disney Through The Decades, Disney Channel Original Movies, Star Wars Collection, Disney Princesses Collection, Spider Man Collection, Mickey Mouse and Friends Collection, National Geographic, Darth Vader Collection, Disney Channel Collection, The Muppets, Marvel Animation, Toy Story Collection, and Cars Collection. You can also access Out Of The Vault Disney Movies and Shows that they have stopped airing that are everyone’s favorite classics, All-In-All Disney Plus has EVERYTHING Disney.
I asked local peers what they thought of Disney Plus and if it was worth the charge of $7.00
“I don’t have Disney Plus, I’m too broke, but from what I’ve heard it sounds like it’s worth it” -Kylee Colegrove
“It’s cool that all the movies from your childhood are all on one outlet, I definitely think it’s worth it” -Jacob Shenberger
“I love that I can watch all the shows I watched growing up, it brings back memories” -Emily Hart
“It’s great, I don’t have it but it’s nice” -Hunter Walters
Disney Plus has so far gotten many stunning reviews from not only our peers but from other Disney Plus members. With the huge choice of entertainment and the low price many people say it is well worth having as a streaming service.
Do parents spend too much money on Christmas? By Mya Ousley
Christmas is right around the corner in this holiday month. There are trees being decorated, cookies being baked and carols being sung. However, we know that all kids look forward to the amazing presents that they get on Christmas morning. Now all these new technologies have been made and they’re very expensive. Parents spend a lot of money on children for Christmas. The average parent spends about $330 per child. That is a little expensive for a family with multiple children.
I went and asked students what their parents budget is, if parents spend too much and how many presents they usually get. Some of the students said that their parents don’t have a budget, they just get what they want but others say that their parents have a set budget for Christmas presents. Savannah Harriman said, “I usually get one big present and a bunch of small parents, but they don’t have a set budget for my presents.” This is a common way of gift giving for parents. For a kid it should be fun to open a lot of little presents and then wait for a bigger presents to top it all off. Hallie Gottfried also was asked these questions and she said, “''No, I don’t have a budget that I know of. But 100% I feel that parents spend way too much money on their kids.” Many students said that parents go too far with the amount they spend which I guess is good because it means they are not greedy. Lillian Wortman said, “ My parents want to spend around $200 to $300 per kid, but they usually pass that. They can over do it, but they do a reasonable amount.” So parents can over do it, but they’re pretty good at knowing when it’s too much. Just remember it’s not the amount they spend, it’s the thought that counts.
The Salvation Army is working hard, especially during Christmas time. Their most popular activity is their bell-ringing outside of businesses. The working shifts are always about 2 hours and they make enough money to provide for a family almost each time. Mrs. Haydocy has a volunteer list for people wanting to sign up for one shift or more. It is a great service opportunity for people needing service hours or people just wanting to get in the holiday spirit and want to give back. Other clubs from our school have also participated in bell ringing like Tech team, FFA, and Project Support. The Salvation Army has been in action since 1865 and has helped so many families in need. Donating just a dollar when you see people ringing the bell can help the organization help the 25 million people they help every year. You can find volunteers ringing the bell at local stores such as Stoodts or at your local Walmart.
Winter is in the Valley, and there are many drivers out on the streets. These cold months come with a great deal of weather conditions that can affect young drivers such as ice, snow, sleet, and more. These weather conditions can be hazardous to the students driving to school everyday. Did you know that more than 156,000 crashes occur annually due to icy roads? Or that 17% of all vehicle crashes occur in winter conditions? Or that every year, about 76,000 people are injured in traffic accidents during snowfall?
Driving during the winter can be dangerous, but here are three tips to help you drive safely during the winter: 1. Make sure your vehicle is in proper shape for winter driving. 2. Always adapt your speed to the road and weather conditions. It can take up to 10 times longer to stop, so you should decrease your speed by 30% on wet pavement and up to 50% on snow covered roads. 3. Finally, if at all possible, avoid driving in hazardous conditions. Driving during the winter can be dangerous, so make sure to drive safely.
Christmas Bests By Jadin Sansom Every year we get excited for Christmas. After Thanksgiving, all everyone can think about is Christmas. Everyone has different traditions than other people. Some people make cookies while others don’t. Here’s what some students said as their Christmas Bests.
Cooper Conkling (freshman): He watches Home Alone and The Christmas Story with his family. He also gets lasagna every Christmas Eve.
Savannah Gasser (freshman): She and her sister get to choose where they sleep on Christmas Eve.
Jahslyn Hicks (sophomore): She drinks hot cocoa and watches Christmas movies with her best friend, Kendall Huvler.
Morgan Remaley (sophomore): She said that her favorite Christmas song is “All I Want For Christmas Is You” by Mariah Carey.
Reece Hayes (sophomore): He wears fuzzy pajamas and opens his presents.
Gabe Ute (junior): He also wears fuzzy pajamas and opens his presents.
Layne Speckert (junior): She does Secret Santa with her friends.
Kyleigh Leffler (junior): Her favorite Christmas song is “Santa Tell Me” by Ariana Grande.
Kylee Colegrove (senior): She enjoys watching the Polar Express.
Caleb Shope (senior): He enjoys going to the mall and looking at the decorations.
November 2019
Vaping: Just How Bad Is It? By Allison Ross
As of recently, e-cigarette use has skyrocketed amongst teens. With as many as 33 deaths as of October 17, people are starting to notice a trend. The total number of cases of health issues supposedly caused by vaping is even higher. Up to 1,479 people have noted significant problems due to vaping. Eighty percent of the people affected by vape use are under the age of 35.
Vaping increased by 78% in teens and 48% in middle schoolers between 2017 and 2018. With most e-cigarettes small size and USB appearance, it is easier to hide a vape rather than an actual cigarette. This makes them very appealing to teens who are trying to hide a drug addiction from their parents. A lot of e-cigarettes (despite popular belief) contain nicotine, which is a highly addictive chemical. Vaping was created to stop cigarette addiction. However, it seems to be doing quite the opposite. “Vaping is reversing hard-fought declines in the number of adolescents who use nicotine,” claims Dr. Richard Miech, who led a study of the effects of vaping in teens at the University of Michigan. “These results suggest that vaping is leading youth into nicotine use and nicotine addiction, not away from it.”
Citizens have not turned a blind eye to the vaping outbreak either. Due to public outcry, Juul (a popular e-cigarette company) stopped selling their flavored products in stores and opted for online purchase instead. The Trump Administration has even gotten involved by planning to ban flavored e-cigarettes. To combat vape use, Ohio governor Mike DeWine raised the smoking age to 21 instead of 18. As of May 1, 15 states passed bills to raise the smoking age.
Overall, vaping impacts high schoolers and teachers alike. High schoolers can end up addicted which impacts their developing brains and lowers their grades. Staff and teachers are also realizing how vape affects their students. More and more students are going out of their way to vape during school hours, which interrupts their education.Whether it be banning flavored e-cigarettes from the public market, or raising the legal smoking age, it seems like more and more people are now aware of the effects of e-cigarette use.
Wehrman, Jessica, and Holly Shively. “Vaping Crackdown: Ohio, Other States Continue Push to Stop Teen Use.” Dayton Daily News, Washington Bureau, 13 May 2019, https://www.daytondailynews.com/news/local/vaping-crackdown-ohio-other-states-continue-push-stop-teen-use/W6k7qVhg8txq5b6msP781I/. Accessed 7 Nov. 2019.
Wein, Harrison. “Vaping Rises Among Teens.” News in Health, Feb. 2019,
Ohio Lawmakers Debate School Start Times By Kayci Lewis
Ohio lawmakers are debating a bill where schools would not start the day until after 8:30 a.m. Senator Sandra William introduced this bill in mid-October after a similar bill was signed in California. Kierra Branch, senior legislative aide for Sen. Williams, states “We’ve seen in the news, children who have been hit by a bus while they’re waiting for their bus in the dark, or children being at risk of being kidnapped in the dark.” Along with this, American medical groups have expressed that students should not start school before 8:30 due to the natural rhythms of a teen. This makes it difficult for them to fall asleep before 11 p.m. Although this helps with a teen’s sleep schedule, it would also create a domino effect for student activities such as sports or extra-curriculars. If schools did not start until after 8:30, they may not dismiss until nearly 4 p.m. which would set after-school activities to a later time. If this bill is passed, Clear Fork schools would start at 8:30 a.m. or later. Would you want school to start at a later time? “I think it is great. Not everyone gets enough sleep so it gives kids the chance to sleep in. That way kids would be ready to get up and ready to go. I have to wake up at 5:47 every morning because school starts at 7:40 so I think it would be great,” says freshman, Cooper Conkling. “I am okay with that, I need extra sleep. 7:40 is a little early, I get up at 5:30 to get on the bus and it’s a little much. Starting later gives you more energy because school would start later in the day because there would be more sunlight,” says junior, Kylee Spearman.
How to Avoid College Recruiting Scams By Jadin Sansom
As a student, we all have that dream school. The school we’ve wanted to go to since we were young kids. It’s our dream school so we work our hardest to try to get accepted there. Recently, student athletes and their families have lost thousands of dollars by college recruiting scams. The Better Business Bureau is informing student athletes and their families about this scam. The scams are looking for students that are vulnerable and unsuspecting that just want to play college sports at their dream school. The Better Business Bureau (BBB) wants students and their families to do research before hiring recruiting agencies. Here’s some ideas the Better Business Bureau gave for students and their families.
Check BBB.org for information on recruiting services/athletic information.
Know about the current scams: the BBB has a scam tracker that students and their families can see the scam trends.
Know your representative: who is your contact and can you call them if you need anything?
Write everything: to the terms of recruiting agreement before exchanging any money.
Don’t ever pay with cash or gift cards. No recruiter can promise a scholarship.
This advice from the Better Business Bureau will help the students, especially the seniors, here at Clear Fork. It will help the seniors because if they would hire a recruiting agency, they could get scammed without knowing then will have to lose $1,000 or more for a scholarship that may not even be credible. It will also help them to be aware of how the scammers would scam you. If the senior and their parents hire a recruiting agency, they should make sure their contact is an actual person and they will be able to call them anytime if they have questions or if they need help. Never pay the agency until you know for sure that they are an actual recruiting agency and that they aren’t trying to scam you. Also, make sure they are paying the amount they told you before, if they told you a dollar amount.
Ohio Trying for New Driving Age Law By Isabelle Annis
Ohio brings back the bill that moves the driving age to 16 ½ rather than the current age, 16. Teens would still be getting their permit at 15 ½ but they would have their permit for a year, which is making their drivers ed and practice driving time longer. Lawmakers want to change the age to reassure the safety of teen drivers. WBNS News stated,"Every year, young drivers in Ohio are involved in an average of 8,300 crashes involving injury or death." This bill would also prohibit teens from driving alone between 10pm to 6am unless they are with a parent or guardian.
Many parents agree with the lawmakers’ bill because they feel teens need more intense driver's education before getting behind the wheel alone. In 2017, a teen lost his life in a car crash. His mother, Stacy Schlotterback, made a statement to the WBNS News where she said,"He was not on his phone at all, they basically said it was inexperience. He went off the berm and over corrected because he had never been in that situation before. I personally would like to see more intense curriculum for driver education so that they get more defensive driving skills I think that's something they are lacking."
Teens in our school who have not gotten their license yet might be upset with the new law because it just means that they would have to wait longer to drive. Parents and adults could think that this is a good idea and that teens could benefit from extra teaching and driving practice.
As records show, the Browns aren’t the best NFL team. So far their record is 4-6. At least they don’t have the worst record though. In my opinion, I thought that Baker Mayfield would be the Browns saving grace. However, that has not happened yet. In the 2019 regular season for the Browns, Mayfield has thrown 12 interceptions. He has also been sacked 26 times and only has 11 touchdowns on the season. Also, he only has 2,394 passing yards this season. I guess it could be worse. The Browns are now 3rd in the AFC North. However, they are not the worst team.
So would you say that you’re a true Browns fan? I asked a couple people this question and why. Trinity Cook said, “Yes, I’m a fan because of my family. They have been fans since I was little so I feel like it’s necessary.” Many people said that they were a fan because their families are Brown’s fans. Another student that said this was Drew Lind. Drew said “Yes, because I grew up with everyone in my family being Browns fans. Also, I love Baker.#Bakerbaby.”
However, this was not everyone’s response to this question. Luke Popa said, “No, because everyone thinks they were going to be good but they are just overrated.” There were people that said no because of this same issue also. I asked Brielle Dornbier and she said, “State pride, I just can’t cheat on my state.” So a state pride was a factor to people liking the Browns. If you live in Ohio, why not root for your state.That’s how I see it. I guess we will see if the Browns can make a come back and change people's opinion of them in this 2019 season.
Have you ever visualized an object a certain way in your head and then realized your mental descriptions of it were wrong? If so, then you experienced the mandela effect. This “collective misremembering” of certain details became popular back in 2010. People swore that they remembered Nelson Mandela was dead, some even said they saw his funeral on TV. Everyone believed that he died in the 1980s while he was in prison. However, he actually lived and was released in 1990. He ended up dying in 2013, about 30 years after everyone thought he passed away. More examples of the Mandela Effect include people believing that the Monopoly man has a monocle. Despite popular belief, he does not. Another example would be people describing Pikachu as having a yellow body with black tips on his ears and tail. But Pikachu doesn’t have a black strip at the end of his tail, it’s just yellow. Don’t believe me? Go ahead and look it up, you’ll be shocked too. Many theories have been developed that could potentially solve the mystery of why people have distortions of these memories. However the solution is simple. Psychologists say that it is due to incorrect recall and memory inaccuracy. This just means that people are recalling false memories or they are distorting those memories into something that never happened. Despite all the bizarre theories on parallel universes and such, it just simply has to deal with our brain and how it stores and recalls our memories. The Mandela Effect will continue to baffle people for years and years to come.
What is the first thing that pops into your head when you hear “Thanksgiving”? Most people would automatically think food. Thanksgiving is a well known American holiday that is held annually on the fourth Thursday in November. It is a time for families to get together and give thanks for all they have. Food is a huge tradition and is a key factor for most people during Thanksgiving. While there are many foods we all look forward to eating, there are some that might be overrated. To prove my theory, I went and interviewed some of our students here at Clear Fork High School to get their input on the matter. Junior, Brady Au, said the most overrated Thanksgiving food is green beans because, “They’re kinda boring.” Brady Tedrow said cranberries were the most overrated. His reasoning was “They just don’t live up to the hype.” Brielle Dornbirer said stuffing because “It’s like mushy croutons.” Savannah Jackson said the most overrated is cheesy potatoes. She stated it was because “They’re basic.” It’s a good thing that we all go back to the basis of Thanksgiving, with the classic turkey and mashed potatoes.
Why Shopping Local Is Important By Kailee Barron Being from a small town can sometimes be challenging especially when it comes to shopping. Normally we all want to go to larger franchise stores to shop to save money, but it’s very important to shop locally. Shopping locally has many benefits like helping your local economy, helping others in the area keep their home-grown job, and keeping your community unique.
When you shop locally, a percentage of money that was your total stays in the community and invested nearby. A statistic shows that for every $100 spent at a local shop, $68 of that will stay within the community and be reused. When spending money at a local store you are also helping to pay the local workers for working. Not only do you help the workers stay in town by having a local job, but you also provide the opportunity to keep your town unique.
Bellville has a few of it’s very own businesses that benefit the town in many ways, if you are interested in shopping locally there are, Stoodts Market, Brumby's Coffee House and Pizzeria, Fast Eddie's, Elzy's, Dairy Belle, Weekly's, 5 Points, Whiffletree, V&M, etc… There are many options you can shop at to support your local town. Before you go to a franchise store to shop always ask yourself, “Can I buy this locally to help my town?”
Rampton, John. “6 Benefits for You and Your Community From Supporting Local Entrepreneurs.” Entrepreneur, 17 Apr. 2015, https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/244839. Accessed 6 Nov. 2019.