The Eagle Gazette
February 2021 Issue
Annual Meeting
By Adrien Wood
On January 22, Mountain Oaks had their annual meeting. There were approximately 40 people that attended. They talked about how there are two school board seats up for election and also about budgets and their school goals. Mr. Redford went over results from the parents and students surveys. There was also something very exciting, Mountain Oaks is an Honor roll school! What this means is that an education group in Sacramento gave Mountain Oaks a “STAR” which puts us at the top 25% of the schools in the state. Although in person is always better, the virtual meeting was a success. If you would like some more information, visit the Mountain Oaks website.
Social Isolation and the Effects on Students’ Mental Health
Lilly O’Geen
We all know what health is. We go to the doctor periodically for checkups. We wash our hands to stay free of diseases. We eat good food to keep us healthy and strong. Although we emphasize the importance of physical health, we should also pay attention to what's going on inside our heads. Perhaps, when you're reading this you're stuck inside daydreaming about what it would be like -because you've forgotten- to hug that one person whom you haven't seen in months. Maybe you just want to hold them and tell them everything is going to be okay. It will be, don't worry! You see, when things go south, sometimes we forget to check in on ourselves mentally. So ask yourself, how are you doing?
Recently, I created a survey of which 53 kids between the ages of nine and eighteen completed. It was about social isolation and its effects on children's mental health. Twenty-one of the kids experienced anxiety, and five said their preexisting condition worsened. While that's not the majority, it’s still forty-nine percent of students who experienced heightened levels of anxiety. Approximately sixty-two percent of students surveyed experienced negative thoughts/feelings of loneliness, helplessness, or despair. To take it to the next level, nineteen of the kids have experienced depression, while three had preexisting conditions that worsened. A friend of mine told me the hardest parts of lockdown; they said “My OCD has gotten increasingly worse since COVID-19, and the school has made everything much more stressful.”
Even though the survey group may be small, we can still see the drastic results of social isolation on students' mental health. It’s important we recognize this issue and find ways to fix it. So, dial a number, call a friend, text someone you haven't talked to in a while. We have been blessed with means of communication like technology, use it! Learn a new skill, try to play an instrument, take an online art class. Who knows, maybe you’ll find something that makes you happy right now. Most importantly, pay attention, not just to your physical health, but also to your mental health.
Credits
Survey link: https://forms.gle/3f9Yxmm3dSSZNRHw5
Thanks to those who filled out the survey.
Special thanks to the person who gave me the quote.
Do you ever wonder where your bacon comes from?
By: Cali Andahl
Do you ever wonder where your bacon comes from? Most of the time the pork you buy in-store often comes from a large feedlot. Well, it can also come from a farm or the backyard of a young ag kid like myself, once you taste homegrown pork, the store-bought pork will taste inferior.
In our area and other places, more and more people are wanting to raise their own meat or at least know where it came from and how it was raised. I'm currently raising a pig to sell at the 2021 Calaveras County Fair junior livestock auction. I bought the pig from a local friend who is starting her own pig breeding project, with the money I made selling a pig last year. This year I'm excited to start out with an organic local pig knowing it had a good healthy start. I am continuing to raise it on organic feed, without the addition of antibiotics growth stimulants, or any chemical additives. It does not live in a small paddock but has ample room to exercise and live its best life.
Every day I'm out there feeding, watering, mucking out the stall and making sure it has good bedding and training it to walk in the arena so that it's show-ready, it's all worth it in the end. It's worth it because I can take pride in raising a high-quality pig that I will be able to sell and continue building my savings. The majority of my money will go toward big things such as a car, college, etc, but at the conclusion of each sale, my parents will let me buy something I really want. To anybody looking for a way to raise money for the future, I suggest getting involved in raising livestock because you make a lot of money you learn a lot and it's a good way for kids to learn the foundation of hard work.
If you are interested in learning more about raising livestock come on down to the Calaveras County Fair the third weekend of May 2021. Any livestock kids in the barn would be happy to answer any questions you have.
Cali Andahl's 4-H pigs
Cali's little sister feeding acorns to her pigs.
Help Wanted!!!!!!!!
By: Cecilia O'Geen
Do you like reading the Eagle Gazette, our school's newspaper? What's your favorite part? The fascinating article on virtual learning, the upcoming events, the tutorials, or the funny comic strips? Would you like to contribute to the Eagle Gazette? We are looking for inspiring journalists who have a good work ethic and can meet deadlines. If you have always dreamed of writing in a newspaper, well now’s your chance! Age and grade do not matter; you can write anything from poems to articles. If you want to be in the Eagle Gazette please contact our teachers by emailing Ms.Kayle Hamilton at khamilton@mountainoaks.net or Ms. Kelly O’Geen at kogeen@mountainoaks.net. You will have an amazing time and meet new friends. Remember eagles can accomplish anything and so can we. Together we can make the Eagle Gazette even better.
Movie Review: TEEN TiTANS GO!™ VS. TEEN TITANS™
By: Tammus Johnson McCartney
Teen Titans Go! vs. Teen Titans is a movie created by Cartoon Network and DC in 2019. It is a movie about the same team but in different dimensions. Teen Titans Go! is a cartoon TV show made in 2013 about 5 Heroes. Their names are Robin, Cyborg, Beast Boy, Starfire and Raven. Teen Titans is pretty much the same except it was made in 2003 and it is a different kind of animation.
Teen Titans Go vs. Teen Titans is about both of the Teen Titans teams battling each other and then working together to save both teams' hero Raven. Both teams meet other versions of themselves, such as a 1930s TV show of themselves. They even battle Santa Claus! This is a GREAT movie! 5 ***** rating!
Age Rating: PG
Distributed by: Hulu
A Funny Valentine
By: Cecilia O'Geen
How To Make A Paper Flower
By: Sadie Woden
What you need:
10 - 3in. x 3in. sheets of tissue paper
a stapler
a pair of scissors
Instructions:
Neatly stack your ten sheets of tissue paper.
Staple the center of your stack of tissue paper.
Staying close to the edge of your stack, cut a wavy circle around the staple in the middle.
Grab the top sheet of tissue paper and pinch it so it gathers in the middle.
Repeat step 4 with the rest of the nine sheets.
Fluff your flower so it gives it a more natural look.
Now your flower is done! You can leave it as it is, or attach it to something.