The Paw Print
Novi Middle School's Student Newspaper
Volume 22 Issue 2 / December 1, 2021
NMS IN THE NEWS
Study smarter; Not harder!
By: Lakshmi Bijukumar and Tanisha Paul
Ever find yourself overwhelmed with schoolwork and with little time for relaxation? Here are some simple tips for time management.
Tip 1: Using the Pomodoro Method
The Pomodoro Method is a very effective way to manage time. This method breaks study sessions down into sections of 25 - 30 minutes, with a 5 - 10 minute break. This will help someone get productive in a short period of time, and it will ensure someone isn’t overworking themselves. According to absolutelystudying.com, there are many benefits from using this technique. One benefit is that using the Pomodoro technique can help improve work quality.
Tip 2: Use a Planner
Using a planner is an excellent method to plan ahead and see what needs to get done all in one page or two. If you have difficulty using a planner for time management, here’s a tip. Ask a teacher to estimate how long a homework assignment will take, write that down, and it’ll be easier to plan from there.
Tip 3: Prioritize Wisely
It's important to focus when working because the faster kids get all of their work done, the more time they have for themselves. This way, students won't feel rushed to do all their work at the last minute. It’s hard to not procrastinate, but by prioritizing work, it’ll feel a lot better when it comes to time management.
Tip 4: Use Active Recall
Last but not least, another very effective strategy to use is active recall. Active recall is a method in which, instead of taking notes during a lecture or from a presentation, the student writes down questions they might have. Then later, the student uses these questions to recall the information they learned. The person should try to recall the information for the first time right after finishing writing the questions. Then, later that day, they should try to recall the information. Then do it after a week and every couple weeks to keep on reviewing the material. This will cause the information to “stick in”, which means that the person can recall the information at any time.
To sum up everything, these are some ways to organize school life when it comes to time management. There are many other ways to stay organized when it comes to managing time.
Students serve up their opinion of the NMS cafeteria
By: Aashmit Acharya & Aditya Ambarisha
A cafeteria can have various purposes. It can be an oasis; a haven away from the stressful schedule of a middle schooler. It can be a battlefield; an arena prone to food fights and arguments. It can be a quiet study where students try to catch up on their favorite book or finish up their homework. In its purest form, it's a place where students carry trays laden with meals and appetizers.
However, what do students truly think about the NMS cafeteria? The Paw Print sent out a survey to a handful of NMS students to gather their opinions on this topic. Overall, 80% of the survey respondents seem to enjoy school food! Let’s take a closer look at what NMS likes and dislikes about the NMS cafeteria.
What’s liked: Something that is adored about the cafeteria is that there are a variety of items to choose from, and that the items vary every day. Another thing that people enjoy about the cafeteria is that they get to see their friends and freely interact with them every day. Foods that are enjoyed in the cafeteria include cheese pizza and spicy chicken burgers. Sides that are enjoyed include curly fries, froyo, and milk.
What’s disliked: Something that is disliked about the cafeteria is that bottled water costs $1.50, which is immensely overpriced in several people’s opinions. Another thing that is disliked about the cafeteria before B lunch is that the tables are mopped and sanitized. This causes the tables and chairs to be soaking wet, making it an uncomfortable environment for eating. In terms of food, several people are dissatisfied with the pizza, complaining that it’s quite “doughy”. Finally, the lines are quite long, making it a long wait to get food.
Improvements: To resolve all these issues, the custodians can do a quick cleanup by dusting away crumbs and wrappers that may be lying around the cafeteria when B lunch arrives. Perhaps students could then use a wipe on their own part of the table like they do on their desks in the classrooms. Custodians could do a “deep” clean after all the lunches (A, B, and C) have eaten. To make the pizza less “doughy”, the chefs could use the advice from several websites like “survivalfreedom.com” or “na-pizza.com” to improve the pizza quality. The school could reduce the price of the bottled water and possibly even make it free.
In conclusion, the majority of the survey respondents are satisfied with lunch. The lunch monitors and chefs are doing a phenomenal job in guaranteeing that lunch is an enjoyable experience for all. If students ever feel that they need to make any improvements, they should talk to a lunch monitor, chef, or Principal Baker & Asst. Principal Dinkleman. Let’s ensure everyone can have a positive experience in the cafeteria.
New teacher feature: Mrs. Crandell
By: Lorelai Raudszus
Mrs. Crandell recently started teaching in the Novi Community School District, and is currently teaching at Novi Middle School.
The Beginning:
When Mrs. Crandell was in sixth grade, she was the science partner of a student with special needs, named Trevor. Working with Trevor, such as assisting with homework and notes, encouraged young Mrs. Crandell’s desire to help students.
As Mrs. Crandell explains, “It just kind of made me realize that I loved working with other students. I love seeing when that light bulb goes off in their head and you can tell they really understand something.”
Mrs. Crandell’s love of reading began at a young age, and with passion as well, as success for English rather than any other subject was what drove her to the teaching career, specifically ELA. She favors memoirs and biographies, including auto-biographies, stating, “[they are] definitely my favorite type of book.” Interestingly, Mrs. Crandell also adds she owns all of the original Nancy Drew books in hardcover.
Background & Today:
Mrs. Crandell shares that she graduated from Hope College in Holland, Michigan, in 2019. She majored in Elementary Education, and is CAE certified for a self contained classroom for all subjects for grades K-8. Crandell then minored in English Language Arts (ELA), the subject she currently teaches to eighth grade students today.
Clubs, Sports, & Activities
Why join an after-school activity?
By: Sydney Hartke
“Should I join a club or sports team?” A lot of you have probably asked this question to yourself at least once. The answer is, YES! There are a lot of health and educational benefits to joining an after school club.
First, being part of a sport or club can boost your academic performance. According to blog.schoolspecialty.com, “Every leading study regarding the impact of extracurricular activities on child development shows that academic grades, study habits and school-based behavior all improve when children attend regular after school clubs and team sports.” This means that if you attend an after school club, you might see an improvement in your grades.
Also, kids who frequently attend after school activities will be more engaged in school, have greater levels of attention in class, and are less likely to develop an inclination for violent or problematic behavior.
Finally, it can improve your time management because you are more busy. You have to manage your time more efficiently so that you can do other activities.
Landon Egli, a student at NMS, says that, “Kids should play sports to get better and for fun.” If you play a sport or do a club, you also might find friends you wouldn’t have found otherwise and you have a common interest.
As you can see, there are many benefits to doing an extracurricular activity. They can boost your academic performance, academic grades, study habits, and school- based behavior improves, and you will be more engaged in class. Hopefully now you will consider doing an after school activity like sports or clubs.
Some girls at NMS are demanding football opportunities!
By: Kaitlyn Chopra
At the Novi Middle School, students have the opportunity to engage in sports such as soccer, basketball, softball, cross country, along with many other extracurricular activities such as theater, art clubs, and writing for the school paper. These opportunities are given to students of all genders, even if girls and boys are separated for sports like soccer and basketball.
However, football is a sports team only provided to boys at our school. The same is true at most schools. Girls can play flag football in PE class, but it’s hard for them to get the chance to play tackle football against other girls' tackle football teams as a school activity. Girls are allowed to play on the NMS football team, which currently has only boys on it, but why can't there be a girls' team like there are for so many other middle school sports.
A 7th grade student from Novi Middle School says, “Girls should be allowed to play football! It’s not fair that boys get to do certain things while us girls don’t.” She reasons, “Rugby is a sport which is exactly like football but with no protection. Guess what? There’s an Olympic girls rugby team. But not a girls football team. Girls should be given the same opportunities as boys.”
This 7th grade NMS student isn’t the only one who thinks that a girls football team should exist at our school. With the funding, a coach to help train a girls football team, and equipment, a girls' football team could actually exist at our school.
Another 7th grade girl from NMS explains, “We are capable of doing anything we put our minds to, and we will stand up for what we believe in. The USA is all about opportunity, and middle school football is an opportunity that should be available to all genders, not just boys.”
As you can see, girls should be able to have the same opportunities as boys do, and we should be able to have a girls' football team.
BEYOND THE BLUE ROOF
The gender pay gap still isn't going away
By: Arianna Huyck
How many times have you heard the term “unequal pay” or “gender pay gap”? Have you heard it from parents, a relative, or close family? Have you heard it from a friend’s family? Or have you listened to the news and discovered that the term popped up a few times?
Some people think that unequal pay means that women are simply getting paid less than men for doing the same amount of work, or that women are simply being denied the same amount of pay as men. However, you might want to take a closer look, because unequal pay is different than you might think.
The gender wage gap has been a problem for decades. Currently, women only earn about 85-90% of what men earn in jobs (according to a 2018 Harvard study). This percentage is even lower if someone is a woman of color, Hispanic, or Latinix. If this issue has been around for longer than our lifetimes, and it has had numerous protests and marches concerning it, why hasn't it been solved yet?
Unequal pay means that one gender gets paid less than the other while working “substantially equal jobs'', according to www.eeoc.gov. This can be prevented by the Equal Pay Act, which states that it’s illegal to pay someone less just because of their gender. Every form of pay is covered by this act: salaries, overtime pay, vacations and holiday pay, benefits, etc. The Equal Pay Act also claims that if there is an imbalance in wages between genders, the employer cannot reduce either gender’s pay to equalize them. So if all of this is covered by this act, why is the gender pay gap still a problem?
A big factor that often impacts salary is choice. Usually, the people who tend to take longer-working jobs or more dangerous ones are men rather than women. Jobs with higher risk are more inclined to pay more, so this means a man’s income is often higher.
Another big impact is a person’s opportunities and the jobs they have available to them. If a woman is on maternity leave, the company or industry she is involved with might not support that, and her pay might not be equal to that of a man’s. It also depends on their culture - if their religion or beliefs require them to stay home and take care of children, they must do so. This can cause women to drop out of work, making it more difficult for them to be promoted. Plus, depending on where a person lives, they might not have the resources to get a good job with good pay.
Some people ask, “Why is this a problem?” The answer: it affects more people than some might think. After retirement, this makes women worry more about managing their money (like social security, for example). In turn, this affects the economy of the entire U.S.
However, women around the world are beginning to notice and take action. Recently, one of the big names in the news has been the U.S. Women’s Soccer team and their protests. In Australia, women walked out of their work demanding higher pay. In Switzerland, there was a rally on the streets for an increase in salary.
The gender pay gap may be a problem right now, but if everyone works together - no matter their gender - people can close this pay gap for good and stop unequal pay.
SOURCES:
Team Seas - A leap in society
By: Shravya Dumbala and Siddhani Singh
Team Seas, a non-profit organization, is getting rid of trash in oceans, rivers, and beaches all over the world. They have already gotten rid of over 16 million pounds of trash with the help of MrBeast, Mark Rober, Youtube Originals, and other individuals across the globe. Team Seas is aiming to get rid of 30 million pounds of trash by the end of the year with the help of The Ocean Cleanup and people’s donation. 1 dollar donated to the website will remove 1 pound of trash from the sea.
Mark Rober, a former mechanical engineer at NASA is one of the many celebrities who support this cause. He made a YouTube video with Mr. Beast introducing one of Team Seas biggest allies, a trash eating robot. Boyan Slat, the founder of Ocean Cleanup and creator of this 50-ton machine aspires to clean up trash from every ocean in the world. To do this, he has to cut off the trash from its source. 80 percent of the plastic from rivers actually only comes from only 1 percent of those rivers. So, the idea is to put these robots on those main rivers and stop the flow of trash. This will help greatly to reduce the trash pollution by a ton.
That's the strategy, but the robot's process is a whole different story. Step one is to anchor it near the bank of the river. As trash flows down the river, it runs into a barrier on the surface of the water. The barrier is only a foot and a half deep, so fish are free to swim back and forth under it. This barrier guides the trash to the mouth of the robot. Once the trash is funneled in, it travels up a conveyor belt and is dropped into one of six giant floating dumpsters. The fact that they float is very handy and clever because when they get full, the barrier and the actual robot can stay put while the dumpsters are floated down the river. Once they reach land, whatever can be recycled is recycled and the rest are properly disposed of using the local waste management system.
Team Seas is making a huge impact on our oceans. A donation of just 1 dollar will make a difference to this organization and to the seas. Every day, around 8 million pieces of trash make its way into the oceans. The Great Garbage Patch has grown to become even bigger than Texas. If people don’t take action now, the world could be filled with just trash. Even though 30 million pounds of trash is only a fraction’s worth of all the trash in the world, hopefully this act inspires others to do similar.
Daylight Savings: Why is it a thing?
By: Aamani Cherukuri
Daylight savings time is the practice of advancing clocks during warmer months so that darkness falls at a later clock time. But what is the purpose of daylight savings time?
It all started in 1895, when George Hudson, an entomologist, proposed a 2-hour time shift so that there would be more after-work hours of sunshine to go hunting in the summer. Back in that time, farmers based when they planted and harvested crops, on the seasons. Soon, they started to notice that, after a many years, when the winter harvest was supposed to happen, it was Spring!
Scientists studied the shift in the seasons and noticed that the seasons were shifting by about ¼ of a day each year. This led people to set forward their time in the spring (hence the term” spring forward”) and to set back their time in the fall. As a result, there is one 23 hour day in late winter and one 25 hour day in autumn, according to Wikipedia. This also keeps the seasons aligned on farming schedules, and gives extra hours of daylight in the summer.
Interestingly, World War 1 pushed daylight savings times into a law. Out of an effort to conserve coal during World War I, daylight savings became a law.
But is daylight savings a good or bad idea?
Pros:
- Gives extra hours of sunlight after work/school--More time to do things like yard work
- Promotes active lifestyles--More sunlight for people to play sports, or go for walks
- Good For the economy--More shopping after work because people have the time
Cons:
- Bad for health--Can mess up sleep schedules
- Drops productivity--“Sleepy Monday” (the Monday after the time change) is the most sleep-deprived day, which can cause people to be unproductive
- Can be costly--According to procon.org, the time change in winter causes people to lose an hour, which for some people, is time that they may have made money in. The simple act of changing clocks caused Americans to lose 1.7billion dollars in opportunity cost!
Yet, daylight savings time is not observed worldwide! Countries that get a lot of sunlight(e.g . India, Egypt) Do not practice daylight savings time, since they have more daylight than other countries. Another example is Antarctica because 95 percent of the continent is located south of the Antarctic Circle and the midnight sun phenomenon renders the use of DST unnecessary.
Biden accused of sending mixed signals about oil and gas drilling
By: Yuna Hahm
At this moment, thousands of people are riding in cars that spew carbon dioxide in the form of fossil fuels, sending it into the atmosphere and slowly, but steadily, heating up the planet at a dangerous rate. As long as the gasoline continues to be supplied, so will the heat, climate disasters, and freak storms that rage on continue.
However, spurred by the Interior Department (a gov. department that manages and protects the nation’s natural resources), the Biden administration recently released a blueprint to require fossil fuel companies to pay more for natural oil and gas drilling on federal lands.
“The Interior Department has an obligation to responsibly manage our public lands and waters — providing a fair return to the taxpayer and mitigating worsening climate impacts — while staying steadfast in the pursuit of environmental justice,” Interior Secretary Deb Haaland said in a statement last Friday.
This decision was met with a lot of controversy from activists to the fossil fuel companies themselves. Environmental activists are dissatisfied with the rate at which Biden is managing oil and gas drilling, saying that his campaign promise aimed to ban oil and gas drilling completely rather than only reduce the cost. On the other hand, the American Petroleum Institute accused Biden of sending mixed signals after he ordered the release of 50 million barrels of oil from the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve.
As did the Center for Biological Diversity, after the Biden administration prepared to lease more than one million acres of Alaska’s Cook Inlet (branch of the Gulf of Alaska) to oil and gas drilling. This sale, Lease Sale 258, if carried out, will increase coastal erosion, storm effects, and sea-ice retreat with local villages already having been forced to relocate due to sea-level rise. Lease Sale 258 will also threaten native species including the Cook Inlet belugas, one of the most imperiled whales on the planet. The Center is offering a valid petition requesting the Biden administration to cancel this climate-change-contributing sale.
Despite all this controversy, the Interior Department remains steadfast in their 18-page long document that states, “The direct and indirect impacts associated with oil and gas development on our nation’s land, water, wildlife, and the health and security of communities — particularly communities of color, who bear a disproportionate burden of pollution — merit a fundamental rebalancing of the federal oil and gas program.”
Sources:
Washington Times , Washington Post , Center for Biological Diversity
Consumers question effectiveness of iPhone 13 and 5G service
By: Srijan Agarwal
There was a lot of hype about the new iPhone 13 that was released in September. So much so, that by September 16, the pre-orders had already crossed 2 million units (CNBC). That’s a lot when looking at just pre-orders. But, in the news, there are a lot of stories that say the iPhone 13 has encountered some major issues. Are these just rumors, or does the iPhone 13 have some deceptive background?
According to gottabemobile.com, a lot of the iPhone 12 users had complained that the battery had been draining much faster than usual. The major reason for this downside is that the iPhone 12 supports 5G connectivity. The iPhone 13, however, supports 5G connectivity and has a longer battery life. So, Apple did improve that one drawback in its new model.
Apple released three cameras in its iPhone 11 Pro/Pro Max, and they are still in the latest iPhone 13 Pro/Pro Max. So, do the megapixels/resolution of the cameras increase model by model, or do they stay the same? The camera resolution has stayed 12-megapixels from as far back as the iPhone X. So, the camera quality hasn’t changed much.
“A number of iPhone 13 users are complaining about touch issues where the device's display doesn't respond to swipes and gestures,” (gottabemobile.com). That can become very frustrating for some individuals. Since people now do literally everything on their smartphones, it can really disrupt their daily routines. On the other hand, Macrumors.com believes that the response time to touch on iPhones is fast compared to Android and Windows.
Everyone thought that their lives would be a lot smoother because of 5G service, but it isn’t found to be effective. Even though Apple fixed the battery drainage of the iPhone 12 caused by 5G service, problems are still to be found brought about by the faster service technology. Users are reporting that the 5G LTE cell service is surprisingly dropping; internet speed is also slower (gottabemobile.com). Now the question arises, is the 5G service not only supporting Apple, or are other companies also struggling with this?
According to tomsguide.com, Samsung is doing pretty well with 5G connectivity. Released in April 2021, Samsung Galaxy A52 does support the faster service, but doesn’t put too much strain on things such as battery life, which was a problem with iPhone 12. To sum it up, Apple does need to look and find a sustainable solution to the repeated issues in their phones.
ENTERTAINMENT
Three adventure-packed page-turners for this holiday season
By: Nidhi Katipally, Srija Katipally, and Sri Akshara Kanuparthi
Winter is right around the corner, and this is the time of year when people bundle up and crank up the heaters. This article gives people 3 amazing series and books to read while they curl up near the fireplace with a steaming mug of hot cocoa.
Land of Stories is by the American actor and singer Chris Colfer. This series contains 6 books filled with exciting fantasy adventures. In the first book of the series, The Wishing Spell, the main characters, Alex and Conner Bailey, are transported into a fairytale book given by their grandma. Once in the book, the twins face several challenges trying to get back to their mother in the real world. Along the way, they meet many fairytale characters they adore and uncover many secrets. Some people that would enjoy reading these books are those that enjoy fairy tales and fantasy/magical adventures. People who are familiar with the original fairytales would also enjoy this series.- Sri Akshara
Daughter of the Deep A thrilling undersea adventure written by acclaimed author Rick Riordan. Daughter of the Deep is an adventure and sci-fi novel recommended for children ages 8 to 14. In the book, the main character, Ana Dakkar is a freshman at a five-year high school called Harding-Pencroft Academy, which graduates the best marine scientists, naval warriors, navigators, and underwater explorers in the world. On the last morning of her freshman year, Ana and her classmates are going to the scene of their weekend freshman trials when they witness a tragedy that will change the course of their lives. The professor accompanying them informs them that it was an attack from their rival school, Land Institute.
The two schools have been fighting a cold war since they were established, and the attack turned it up to a full boil. Now Ana and the rest of HP’s freshman class are in danger of becoming fish food. In a race against LI, they must uncover the secrets of the world’s most technologically advanced submarine, the Nautilus, and learn to use it before Land Institute finds them because both the Nautilus and Ana are prizes LI would go to any lengths to gain control of. This book is great for fans of Riordan’s previous books, people who like adventure and sci-fi books, and also people who are familiar with Jules Verne’s 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and The Mysterious Island. - Nidhi
The Cursed Carnival & Other Calamities is “ten short stories set in various fantasy universes that demonstrate what it means to be a hero.” The Cursed Carnival & Other Calamities is a fantasy collection of short stories recommended for ages 8-12. These stories are written by Rick Riordan and voice authors Carlos Hernandez, Graci Kim, J. C. Cervantes, Kwame Mbalia, Rebecca Roanhorse, Roshani Chokshi, Sarwat Chadda, Tehlor Kay Mejia & Yoon Ha Lee.
The book includes 10 short stories following the adventures of each authors’ respective protagonists from their books in Rick Riordan Presents publishing imprint. It’s perfect for people who’ve read books from Rick Riordan Presents. It’s also great for people who love fantasy & mythology because there are stories from different pantheons, so there’s a wide range of characters and cultures. A dash of humor makes this anthology a mythological must-read. - Srija
Fun must come first when creating games
By:Darek Wu and Kris Park
Most video games have a layout. According to Game Maker’s ToolKit, in most popular games, the structure of a successful game is art, music, story, game design, and code. Most people interpret them to be equal, but that’s not true. Game design has to come first, because no matter how good the others are, if the games are not fun, the game fails and doesn’t get sold. Most people try to find and add different themes to add to the game, because if every game had the same themes, then the atmosphere would become boring and stale. But if the new atmosphere is too different and not executed carefully, it could be hard to see the level itself.
Things that are a detriment to a game are bad graphics, low quality sound, and not fun gameplay that takes away too much control from the player. It's hard to strike the balance in a game, most of the time when trying something new, and sometimes when redoing something old. Some games like to copy off of other games, like Jurassic World Alive is a copy of Pokemon Go. So games are good and bad, and if someone is going to make a game, please do the good and avoid doing the bad.
Forza Horizon 5: The Problems
By: Akilesh Bharat
This month has been a great month for Xbox. This November was their 20th Anniversary of Xbox, which was celebrated with a Special Edition Xbox Series X Halo Edition. Many awaited games that were announced over the summer were also released such as Halo Infinite and Forza Horizon 5.
Forza Horizon 5 is a continuation of Forza Horizon 4, one of the best Free Roam Racing Games according to many people. The Forza Horizon series has been going on for almost 10 years now. It all started with the original Forza Horizon, which released on October 23, 2012 and took place in Colorado. It was a risk for Microsoft at the time since they wanted to test if this new series would do well and also because they partnered up with a company called Playground Games to make it. The great news was that Forza Horizon was a big hit, so they decided to continue it as a separate series from Forza Motorsport. Forza Horizon 2 released in 2014, which took place in Nice, Europe. The series continued from Horizon 3, 4, and now 5.
Forza Horizon 5 released on November 9, 2021. For people who bought the Premium Edition, it was released 4 days earlier on November 5. The game was awaited for a long time since Forza normally releases a new Forza Horizon game every 2 years, but took an extra year for Forza Horizon 5. The game takes place in Mexico in Guanajuato, Baja California, and other locations as well. The game has over 400 cars, with more to be added over time. Some cars that are exclusive to Forza Horizon 5 include the new and unreleased Mercedes AMG One and the brand new Porsche Taycan S and Taycan Turbo S. The map is over 50% larger than the map of Forza Horizon 4’s map which took place in the UK (Edinburgh). The game has updated graphics, supporting 4K like Forza Horizon 3 and Forza Horizon 4, but with support for “Ray Tracing” which allows for better reflections from the cars on Xbox Series X. The Game is available on PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X and S.
Forza Horizon 5 got mostly positive reviews on the gameplay, graphics, and story. The game’s ultra graphics, great cars, huge map with volcanoes and lots of tunnels got positive reviews. While the game’s story and graphics are amazing, the game has multiple flaws and glitches which gave it lots of negative reviews in terms of user experience and software. There are multiple issues such as people randomly disappearing online, convoys not working, the game crashing whenever, game lag, and much more. Playground Games released a quick “Hotfix” update, fixing many of the issues. But they still occur again and are not completely fixed. The games online events also don’t work that well. Forza Horizon 4 and 5 have an online event called “The Eliminator” which is based off of Fortnite Battle Royale but with cars instead and no guns. You have to eliminate each player by finding someone and racing against them to win. Forza’s Horizon 4 Eliminator is very good with no flaws even when it was released for the first time in December of 2019. But in Forza Horizon 5, the Eliminator is very messed up with multiple glitches and flaws.
Forza Horizon 4 was one of the best racing games ever. It had a great story, great quality with 4K, and a great user experience with very little glitches. Forza Horizon 5 expands on this in Mexico, but the user experience is very bad with tons of glitches that have not yet been fixed.
ADVICE & OPINIONS
Peer pressure calls for coping strategies
By: Niveditha Vijay
“Mom, Dad. I really NEED a phone! Please, can I have one?”
“Well tell us why you need one, because I don’t see a reason why you should get a phone before you turn 18.”
“Mom, literally everyone in middle school has a phone and pretty soon everyone is going to know me as the ‘girl without a phone’!”
“Well, honey I don’t understand why you're making such a big deal out of this. The only reason you want a phone is because a lot of people in your school have a phone. So what’s the point of having a phone anyway? You can just borrow their phone to call me.”
Does this sound familiar? This stressful situation is an effect of peer pressure. Peer pressure can be defined as a feeling that one must do the same things as other people of one's age and social group in order to be accepted by them. Peer pressure is common for everyone, and it is human nature to envy others and want things that others have. However, teens are the group of people who are affected most from it.
Now, facing peer pressure is completely normal during someone’s teen years. The brain is still growing, and teens are very naive during this time period. Teenagers are old enough to understand that other people have better things than them, but they’re too young to realize that whatever they own is perfectly fine and there is no need to want more.
Peer pressure can cause someone to do a lot of things they don’t mean to do, hence it needs to be avoided. Peer pressure can be really hard to avoid, and it isn’t in anyone's control. But what can be controlled is how one processes peer pressure. Here are some coping mechanisms to help deal with peer pressure:
- Think about the things that you have and others don’t (This will help you realize how lucky you already are)
Set multiple goals, enroll in lots of clubs & other activities.(This acts as a distraction from peer pressure, having a packed schedule doesn’t give one much time to envy someone else)
Talk to someone like a friend or a parent and tell them how you feel, they may be able to help.
Sources: 5 ways to Deal with Peer Pressure, Peer Pressure (for Teens) - Nemours KidsHealth
Holiday gift ideas to fascinate your friends and family
By: Bianca L. Hirai & Nihar Joshi
Coming up with good gift ideas is always a struggle; but with these suggestions, you’ll have lots of ideas for this holiday season. The holiday season is a great time of the year, and so there’s no need to spend it worrying about gifts. Sit back, relax, and read all about these crafty tips, tricks, and inspirational ideas to kick start this holiday season!
One of the most crucial elements of a gift is personalization. Make sure not only that the receiver will enjoy their gift, but also that a bit of personalization is added to make it special. This can be anything, from little pops of color to a written note. This is where a bit of self-made charm goes into the gift! Just remember throughout all of these gift recommendations that special touches can be made to a gift to make it special.
Snow Globes: Snow globes are a nice gift, especially for Christmas. They’re mini-worlds with their own weather. These are great gifts for people who like collecting things, and for people who maybe don’t live in the area that the snow globe represents.
Box of Chocolates: This is a pretty common gift; mostly used for valentines day, an anniversary, or other romantic events. However, chocolates are a great gift for any occasion. There are lots of different flavors and themes to choose from. Chocolates mostly show that a person has a strong bond with the receiver. These are great gifts for people who have a sweet tooth, loved ones, and for people who live far away. (Chocolates are different around the globe!)
Camera: Cameras are great gifts for people who like photography, but also for people who enjoy antique things (although those cameras would have to be pretty old). Cameras are great for any occasion, but they are on the expensive side. This one isn’t as popular, but there are still people who would love this gift.
Tie-Dye-Kit: Thanks to Business Insider for recommending this one. Tie-Dye clothes are very vibrant and colorful, and can be used on any piece of clothing! With this gift, clothes can be provided along with a kit that lets the receiver customize their own clothing. This gift is great for people who love arts and crafts. If there are any siblings, they could all make matching outfits with this kit.
Sketchbook: In this day and age, a lot of things are done and made digital. Now, that includes things such as art. However, many people will love a good-quality sketchbook. There are a lot of creative and artistic people who will enjoy this gift. While this gift may not be holiday-related, anyone can make it holiday-related by maybe including another gift or choosing a decorated sketchbook.
Kalimba: Many call this instrument a “thumb piano,” while others may call it a “thumb harp.” This instrument varies from under thirty dollars to almost fifty dollars each. According to Kalinbahq.com, it is one of the easiest instruments that one can learn. Unlike a piano, it doesn't have dozens of keys to memorize, but instead it can vary from 5 to 21 keys. Even though it might not be as festive as other presents, it's still a creative and fun gift to give this holiday season.
Home Karaoke Machine Kit: This present is rather expensive, costing between $50 and $150. Budget karaoke machines usually start at around $50 and professional karaoke machines usually cost between $200 and $400, while karaoke microphones cost roughly from $25 to $50. However, it’s still a fun and interesting gift for those who enjoy music and/or like singing. Though it’s not festive, people can still sing holiday-themed songs while using it.
Remember to customize gifts, adding that personal touch to them. Hopefully, this list has helped. Have a great holiday season!
Novi Middle School
Email: kenneth.fenchel@novik12.org
Website: https://ms.novi.k12.mi.us/
Location: 49000 West 11 Mile Road, Novi, MI, USA
Phone: (248)-449-1600