The Paw Print
Novi Middle School's Student Newspaper
Volume 22 Issue 4 / January 11, 2022
NMS IN THE NEWS
Increased enforcement of policies following Oxford tragedy
By: Aashmit Acharya & Aditya Ambarisha
With the Oxford tragedy still hurting like salt in the wound, NMS has decided to enforce new regulations that will ensure the safety of students and staff at all times, along with other community norms. However, are they really necessary? The Paw Print has surveyed several NMS students to obtain their opinion on this topic.
Let’s start with a brief overview of one of the most well-known rules that have sparked controversy schoolwide: the “backpack rule.” Assistant Principal Dinkelmann says that the purpose of this rule is to “declutter halls and classrooms” and “get organized.” Will this be viewed as a good way to get organized or a tedious process that many will loathe?
An anonymous 7th grader comments, “Carrying a backpack with all my supplies in it was pretty easy. With our backpacks in our lockers at all times, I have to carry all my supplies and my arms ache.”
However, another anonymous student believes that the backpacks can indeed “optimize the space in our lockers” and “ease the weight on [the students’] backs."
Another requirement at NMS is that students must always wear their school ID. This helps the staff and administrators identify the student and also helps let them know if someone is trespassing on school property, which ensures safety for everyone in the building.
Aarabhi Ratish, a 7th grader at NMS, says, "I believe that the school's ID rule is necessary because in case anything bad occurs, we have to be identified by something, which our IDs do for us.”
These new rules bring both ideas and questions to the table as students enter 2022.
New Teacher Feature: Ms. Carroll
By : Sanjana Ramesh and Sri Akshara Kanuparthi
One of the newest teachers here at Novi Middle School is Ms.Carroll. Ms.Carroll is an English Language Development (ELD) teacher on the 7th-grade side of the building.
Profession
Ms. Carroll’s full name is Martina Carroll, and she currently teaches English Language Arts (ELA) for 7th and 8th graders at the Novi Middle School. She attended the University of Michigan and graduated in 2007. Ms. Carroll is certified to teach students from K- 12 English as a second language, along with social studies for grades K-8. She has been teaching for 14 years straight.
Ms.Carroll enjoys working and collaborating with her students and her colleagues. She states, “At the end of the year, I like to see how much my students have grown and progressed not only as a student but as a person [as well].”
Inspiration
When Ms. Carroll was younger, she stated that she had some of the most amazing high school teachers. Ms. Carroll explains, “They were kind, understanding, great at what they did, and always encouraged me to step out of my comfort zone and try new and challenging experiences and things.”
Ms. Carroll said that she had very high expectations, and her teachers supported her. “Until this day, I think of them and know that whatever wonderful things that I have been able to experience is partly because of their hard work, care, and dedication.”
Fun Facts
Ms.Carroll likes art, enjoying both painting and drawing. Ms .Carroll also likes volunteering and watching sports like football, baseball, and golf. She loves reading history and archeology books, along with ones about ancient civilizations. Ms. Carroll has no pets, but she loves dogs.
Online learning is here to stay
By: Amreen Zaman
In more ways than one, technology has become a part of our everyday lives, whether it’s mindless social media scrolling or trying to finish that report that was due two weeks ago. Technology is here to stay, but does that mean that it should become the new normal when it comes to kids' education?
One of the many reasons why virtual education is so appealing is how efficient it can be with just one click. Students have access to a large variety of resources from podcasts to PDFs, and it’s all at their fingertips in just a few seconds. Online learning is a lot more affordable than physical copies of work. On top of that, online learning reduces the amount of waste made by schools, whereas before, you just threw away every worksheet when it was done.
On the other hand, we learn mostly by textbooks and worksheets, which were considered normal before the pandemic. A benefit to learning like this is that tactile learning helps people retain information. It’s a great way for students with learning disabilities to concentrate and improve their self-esteem along the way. However, tactile learning could prove to be more difficult in an online setting.
Learning using online resources doesn’t solely impact students, so a teacher's point of view is important. Elective teacher Mrs. Sowders gave her input on the topic. When asked “Do you prefer having physical worksheets or a digital form that you could fill out?“, her response was “digital”, her reason being, “As a teacher, I appreciate digital forms because of less paper clutter. As a student, though, I might prefer a physical worksheet because that is what I grew up with.”
When asked “What do you think is something good about learning being digital nowadays?”, she replied, “Digital learning makes learning more accessible because you can learn from anywhere! Also, you can do some really cool things such as 3D-print a digital file, play chess against an A.I., or take a virtual tour of a place you've never been to.”
When asked “What do you think are some downfalls of being on a computer all day?“, she responded, “Eyestrain, bad posture, too much screen time.”
Whether schooling is done online or on paper, both forms of education are going to be crucial to students globally in the coming years.
Sources:
Advantages And Disadvantages Of Online Learning - eLearning Industry
Healthy screen time is one challenge of distance learning | Science News for Students
Tactile learning: the importance of hands-on activities for children | South Bay Community Services
Should lunchtime be phonetime too?
By: Jyotsna Swaminathan
In the cafeteria each day, some students have their phones out and are texting, snap chatting, and playing video games. This is a common thing at school, but are students supposed to be doing this? Should lunchtime be a chance for kids to use their phones?
"My opinion of phones allowed in the cafeteria is a yes. First of all, bringing cellphones into school might increase the sense of safety for students and parents. This is because sometimes they might need to contact each other due to emergencies. Contacting children’s parents with medication concerns from school sometimes takes some time so the best option would be if the students contact their parents “directly.",” says Niveditha Sunil, a 7th-grade student. Some agree with her reasoning.
However, one of Mr. Baker's Smore newsletter states, "We would ask your support reminding students of our school's expectation that cell phones be out of sight while school is in session (8:30 a.m - 3:11 p.m. ) - including lunchtime."
Technology changes, but the difference of opinions regarding phones at school continues.
BEYOND THE BLUE ROOF
Tensions Increase: A Russian invasion of Ukraine is possible
By: Silas Hunter
Donbas is a region made up of a Russian-Ethnic Majority that is very coal-rich. This is why it’s contested. Russia wants it for both reasons, and Ukraine wants it for the latter. Since 2014, separatists have been fighting the Ukrainian Government for their independence. Russia has backed them, and despite multiple agreements to cease hostilities, both sides violated the agreements. This led to Ukraine and the Separatists gaining more support from NATO and Russia respectively.
Early last year, Russia began amassing soldiers on the Ukrainian border. This caused concerns and eventually, Vladimir Putin and Joe Biden met in person and discussed the situation. Finally, tensions decreased.
But in recent months, Russian forces returned to the border. This has caused concern yet again not only in Ukraine but in many NATO Nations. However, the number of soldiers is unknown. According to the Ukrainian Government, there are at least 90,000 Soldiers. US intelligence estimates there are 120,000 Soldiers. Nevertheless, Russia is being extremely secretive about its buildup. They can’t deny it, but they can hide it.
Due to that, the US and other NATO nations have ramped up support for Ukraine. Military exercises have been taking place in Ukraine between the Ukrainian Military and American Military. The European Union has also pushed back, as many of its members resent the Russian Government and are also in NATO. Many sanctions have been pushed towards Russia and its regime. These have seemed to have failed, though.
Will Russia Invade?
There have been multiple attempts made in the past month to deter Russia. Ignoring the aforementioned sanctions, Russo-American diplomatic missions have met four times. The first was on December 2nd, when the US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, met with the Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sergei Lavrov. The meeting went well, and by the end, it was agreed that diplomatic talks between the US and Russia should continue, and possibly result in a talk between Putin and Biden.
This talk came on December 7th, and the two leaders spoke virtually. During the talks, Biden expressed that there would be “strong economic and other measures” if Russia launched an invasion.
Diplomacy, however, seems to have failed. On December 17th, Moscow announced that it will oppose any more former Soviet Nations entering NATO. Already three have joined NATO, and three more, Ukraine included, are looking as if they could join soon. If these Nations do join, they would threaten Russia’s position in Europe.
Another Biden-Putin talk happened on December 30th, which was in preparation for talks between American and Russian envoys that started on January 10th. During the call, Biden expressed that there is “a diplomatic path forward” if Russia is willing to cooperate.
On the same day, Blinken reassured US support of Ukraine if Russia invades. He also mentioned that the US and its allies would impose “massive consequences” if Russia were to invade. The following day, in a phone call with the Ukrainian President, Biden also reassured him of US support. Apart from Russo-American diplomacy and EU sanctions, other groups of Nations have spoken out against Russia’s actions.
So, will Russia invade? Well, the answer is complicated. On the one hand, Russia has invaded before. But that was over 7 years ago. On the other, NATO, the EU, G7, and the US have all threatened to carry out severe consequences if Russia invades. The Ukrainian Government has also strengthened ties to NATO and the EU. Xi Jinping’s government also has announced China’s support for Russia if it invades Ukraine.
Considering opposition to Russia, and China’s support of Russia, plus the potential consequences for Russia, it would seem as if Russia could barely be deterred. But, when factoring in that Russia has invaded Ukraine before, along with that they could get a foothold using the area under separatist control, they could invade Ukraine and cause a massive crisis.
Sources:
- CFR.org (Used for most of the info on Ukraine)
- AP News (Used for US Intelligence/Diplomacy Info)
- TLDR News EU (Used for fully up-to-date info on Ukraine)
Amazon Web Services faces technical difficulties
By: Aamani Cherukuri
Amazon Web Services is a cloud service, which can be used by anyone, and offers computing power, database storage, content delivery, and many more things! However, Amazon Web services have been experiencing some shortages recently.
Causes of the shortage
Amazon has still said nothing about what has caused this shortage. The web page had said that they were experiencing issues with certain APIs and the AWS management console. The company limited its communications on Tuesday to terse technical explanations on the Amazon Web Services dashboard and a brief statement delivered via spokesperson Richard Rocha that acknowledged the outage had affected Amazon's own warehouse and delivery operations but said the company was "working to resolve the issue as quickly as possible." It didn't immediately respond to further questions. (ABC News) This caused robotic vacuums to stop working, Netflix and Disney movies to get interrupted, doorbell cameras stopped tracking porch pirates, and Amazon Alexa stopped responding.
The Impact of the Shortage
This shortage has had a lot of effects. Aside from streaming services, and automated products not working, over 20 apps had stopped working, being not able to access data. The AWS shortage also affected Amazon warehouses, some of which had to be shut down temporarily.
The shortage did not only cause the outage of a lot of websites and apps but also spotlighted our reliance on the cloud. According to the Wall Street Journal newspaper, “A man and woman came home to find their cats meowing. Normally, their internet-connected feeding machine would dispense cat food for them to eat, but the machine was not turned on and was not feeding them. They had to manually give them food.”
Also according to WSJ, “Steve Peters of Los Angeles couldn’t tell his Roomba robot to clean up the muffin crumbs that landed on the kitchen floor, and he had to manually sweep them up.” Along with countless other examples, the AWS shortage spotlighted our need for the cloud on tons of basic daily tasks and necessities.
Sources: Wall Street Journal, CNBC, WMTW
Joe Biden's first year sees mixed results
By: Nihar Joshi and Bianca L. Hirai
It may be hard to believe, but on January 20th, 2022, President Joe Biden will have been in office for one whole year. Taking office during an extremely difficult time, President Biden has accomplished many things. However, that is not to say that he hasn't made his fair share of mistakes.
Immediately after the presidential inauguration, President Biden took action by signing executive orders reversing a few of former President Trump’s measures, including some about global warming and the coronavirus. Biden made a statement that he would cool tempers rather than inflame them, promising to undo much of Trump’s legacy and restore “the soul of America."
"I think there are 3 accomplishments that stand out so far: The ramped-up coronavirus vaccine distribution, the passage of the American Rescue Plan, and the return to the Paris Climate Agreement," said John Frendreis, a political scientist at Loyola University in Chicago.
As Biden’s 100-day mark arrived, around half of people 16 and older had received at least one dose of the COVID vaccine. Also, more than 80% of seniors had received at least one vaccine shot, and around 25% of those who live in America were vaccinated. The American Rescue Plan (also called the COVID-19 Stimulus Package or The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021) is a $1.9 trillion plan, aiming to speed up the country's recuperation from the economic and health effects of the worldwide pandemic, and the present ongoing recession (period of a temporary economic decline).
In the last year, however, President Biden has made many mistakes. Pulling the US out of Afghanistan was extremely controversial, and nearly half of the country blames Biden for inflation. More than 6/10 of Americans say he hasn’t accomplished much.
Overall, our president has been trying hard to help this country for about one year now. Not everyone feels that what he has done is right or that he has done much at all. However, his one year in office has impacted our country, good and bad.
Au revoir, plastic packaging!
By: Yuna Hahm
From the moment the clock signals the start of the new year, your mind is whizzing with new beginnings, ideas, and resolutions. But for the government, it’s all about enacting new laws to make 2022 the best it can be. For France, this meant turning to a greener one-use plastic system.
According to a 2019 World Wildlife Fund report, “France is the largest producer of plastic waste in the Mediterranean region, with only 22 percent of plastics being recycled and 3.4 metric tons ending up in landfills or incinerators.” states H.C.N.Y.C. Food Policy Center. This plastic has whopping effects on the ecosystems, environment, and human health.
Plastic stays in the environment forever, breaking into smaller and smaller pieces until it’s microscopic. A study in 2019 conducted by National Geographic revealed that humans may be consuming anywhere from 39,000 to 52,000 microplastics per year. “With added estimates of how much microplastic might be inhaled, that number is more than 74,000.” (Nat Geo) And that’s only the organisms that don’t have tons of plastic dumped into their homes on a daily basis or forced to succumb to plastics as food. An analysis looking at the stomach content of 51 polar bears killed by subsistence hunters found that ¼ of a polar bear’s diet is plastic (The Wildlife Society).
France knew they had to do something, and on New Year’s day, the country-wide ban went into effect. This ban means no more plastic packaging on 30 types of produce including oranges, kiwis, cucumbers, lemons, bananas, pears, zucchini, and leeks.
France’s environmental ministry said in a statement, “We use an outrageous amount of single-use plastic in our daily lives. The circular economy law aims at cutting back the use of throwaway plastic and boost its substitution by other materials or reusable and recyclable packaging.”
The Rainforest Site, a blog dedicated to preserving ecosystems, says, “Targeting produce will likely lead to a sizable reduction in plastic pollution, as an estimated 37% of fruits and vegetables sold in France in 2021 were wrapped in plastic. Government officials say the change should lead to more than a billion fewer single-use plastic packaging units each year.” France plans to completely eliminate plastic packaging for all whole fruits and vegetables by 2026 to do its part in reducing plastic pollution.
End to strike is Grrrrrreat for Kellogg's 1400 employees
By: Samuel Xie
On October 5th, 2021, in several plants owned by Kelloggs from Michigan to Tennessee, around 1,400 workers went on strike as part of the BCTGM (Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers' International Union) due to disagreements about a labor contract. The company already had rough relations with these plants, but October 5th was the last straw. Kellogg's outrageously tried to seek replacement workers for the people on strike.
So, what caused this event to happen? Kellogg’s employee system is a two-tiered system with “legacy” and “transitional” employees. Transitional employees received about $12 per hour less per hour and reduced benefits compared to legacy employees. However, only 30% of employees could be a “transitional worker.''' Even if you were a legacy employee, workers have complained about 72-84 hour workweeks, including mandated overtime. This didn’t seem fair.
This cap was in place for a while, but seeking to make more profit, Kellogg executives wanted to remove that. Kellogg's even threatened to move production to Mexico, remove cost of living adjustments, and even pensions if their needs were not met. This outraged the union, and BTCGM president Daniel Osborn complained that manufacturing foods in Mexico were out of FDA and OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) control, which is a huge problem. In response to this unfair change, workers went on strike. Kellogg’s, not seeing the problem, tried to bring in strikebreakers(temporary workers in a strike).
Did the strike have an effect? After almost a month, on December 2nd, Kellogg’s reluctantly reached an agreement with the union, giving a little better pay to workers, but it still didn’t get rid of the 2 tier system. The union rejected this, and on December 7th, Kellogg’s announced it would replace all 1400 workers that went on strike. The media was outraged, and Joe Biden criticized Kellogg’s action. However, after 11 weeks from the first day of the strike, Kellogg’s surrendered and gave the contract that the BCTGM was looking for. They got rid of the two-tier system, as well as now allowing other significant changes that benefit workers. The strike was a great way to show how to stand up for what’s right. Congratulations to the Kellogg workers, they’ve earned it.
Sources: Forbes, CNN, Rolling Stone, BCTGM
CLUBS & ACTIVITIES
Up next....Novi Middle School's very own Jazz Band!
By: Henry Yim
The Jazz Band Club is a wonderful after-school club for students looking to enhance their musical skills, and play different musical compositions. Students play jazz music -- a combination of swing and syncopation, improvisation (learning to play a solo impromptu), bent notes and modes, and distinctive voices. This is an exciting opportunity for students to learn another type of music aside from normal band pieces.
Mr. Ronning, the band teacher, states that in Jazz Club, members get to play some other important types of music like swing and rock. They get to play more fun, popular music using the important techniques and elements they have learnt in band classes.
According to Aarush N. (8th grader), after being asked about Jazz Band, "It’s very impressive from the one meeting we had. The music handed out is very fun and challenging.”
Similarly, Jess (8th grader) comments, “I think this is a wonderful idea since it would be quite beneficial to our school.”
An anonymous 7th grader says, “I think Jazz Band is a cool experience to meet new friends from different grade levels, and overall trying out a different style of music. Normally either in music classes or private classes, you wouldn't learn much about jazz music. Through Jazz Band, however, you can learn a lot of new skills such as improvisation and chords while having friends there to encourage you.”
There were many more positive comments about the Jazz Band, and this club is a great way to spend time after school. Interested students can join the Jazz Band by emailing Mr. Ronning at adam.ronning@novik12.org.
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
Coronavirus continues its global impact
By: Shalvi Bhambare
Since the beginning of 2022, COVID-19 cases have been rapidly rising . This is because of the new COVID-19 variant called Omicron. Omicron is a variant that is derived from South Africa. This variant spreads fast due to its lack of severity. The average number of cases per day is 14,841. In Michigan alone, there are 1,904,949 cases with 30,014 deaths.
Covid originated in China, and it’s mostly found in bats. Corona started at Wuhan’s open-air markets. These markets are known for selling raw meat and fish. Animals are also killed on spot. When it’s crowded, the viruses from different animals swap their genes. Sometimes, the virus alternates so much that it infects and spreads among all the people. However, bats aren’t sold in these markets. Because of this, many people suspect the pangolins to be the cause of coronavirus. Pangolins are also infected by some coronavirus strands that are similar to COVID-19.
The first Coronavirus variant was discovered in 1965. The only symptom it had was a common cold. So far, there are a total of seven Coronavirus variants that can infect humans. One of the Coronavirus variants, SARS, had also originated in southern China back in 2002. SARS quickly spread to 28 other countries and there were more than 8,000 people infected and had taken the lives of 774 people by July 2003. In 2004, there were only an additional 4 more cases. Some symptoms included fever, headaches, coughing, and shortness of breath.
Another one of the Coronavirus Variants was called MERS. It began in Saudi Arabia in 2012. There were about 2,500 cases at the time. Although MERS is less contagious than SARS, MERS is more deadly than SARS. MERS killed 858 people and it has been reported that almost all of the cases have happened to people who traveled to or lived in the Middle East. Some symptoms include coughing, shortness of breath, and kidney failure.
Staying safe in these times can be hard but here are some steps that can help people stay safe. People should avoid large gatherings/crowded places. Doing this will prevent the spread of the virus and thus make it safer. Wearing a mask also slows down the spread of germs and the virus. If people are having any COVID related symptoms, stay at home and take an at home COVID test. Also, getting vaccinated is another big part of staying safe. Getting vaccinated helps people’s immune system as it would build antibodies that would help fight the disease, if contacted. This disease is harmful and is best avoided. Let's stay safe by taking safety precautions.
Time Magazine names Elon Musk its Person of the Year for 2021
By: Siddhani Singh
Recently, Elon Musk was titled Person Of The Year (POTY) by Time’s magazine. He's been named the world's richest person and is going to be the first trillionaire in the coming years due to his launch of SpaceX. It's safe to say that Elon Musk has made many accomplishments over the past few years. As the CEO of Tesla and founder of the expanding company SpaceX, he has his pros. But some say he doesn't deserve Person of the Year.
In 2002, Elon Musk founded SpaceX, a company that wants to revolutionize the aerospace industry. In 2004, he joined Tesla as a product architect and became the CEO in 2008. In 2006, he helped create SolarCity, a solar energy services company that was later acquired by Tesla and became Tesla Energy. In 2015 and 2016, he co-founded both OpenAI and Neuralink. OpenAI is a non-profit research organization that promotes friendly artificial intelligence, while Neuralink is a neurotechnology company that focuses on developing brain-computer interfaces. He has accomplished this and much more in only two decades. Now, he is the world's richest person and Person of the Year for 2021.
However, there are some cons in his personality that come with the pros. The main issue is that he has a strong opinion and expresses it freely. For example, Musk was one of the many people to underestimate the deadliness of COVID. He also has made comments that could and should have been avoided. Some of these comments are not correct and/or not thought out. Other than this, he is just generally different. He doesn't follow common practices. For example, he named one of his sons X Æ A-12. Not the most common name.
Another difference is that he declared not to have a house, even though he is the richest person in the world. All of these reasons and more have made him stick out in society. Sadly, people who are different are often disliked by crowds, and that is the same thing that happens with Musk.
Even now, no one is sure whether the pros outweigh the cons or vise-versa. What people do know is that these inventions have been life-changing, and may help us even more in the future to make revolutionary discoveries.
Apple Series 7 available for a discounted price
By: Hasini Teegala
Deals on Apple gadgets are rare, let alone a discount on a brand-new product right before the holiday season. That’s right, Apple’s latest Apple Watch, the series 7, is cheaper than ever with a $50 discount that brings the price down to $349. It's the perfect time to gift it to a dear one and if in a hurry, it might just be same-day shipping (depending on where people live).
Apple announced the Series 7 back in September but didn’t start shipping it until late October. It remains the best smartwatch for anyone with an iphone. The $50 off discount is available for both the 41- and 45- mm versions (if anyone has bigger wrists, go for the latter), as well as the cellular model, if people want the ability to leave their iphone at home and still get notifications to the watch (people need to sign up for a cellular plan separately).
WIRED editor, Adrienne So states that the Apple Watch Series 7 (8/10, WIRED Recommends) is the best smartwatch for iPhone owners. Users can ask Siri nearly anything, check messages, and control music playback and navigation all from the user's wrist with ease.
Users like upgrades from the Series 6 that came before, including a full-size keyboard with support for swipe typing, a bigger screen, improved water resistance, and faster charging. Apple has long been the frontrunner when it comes to smartwatches, and the Series 7 continues to showcase its dominance. It has great workout tracking capabilities, with features like SpO2- an important metric for endurance athletes - and an FDA- cleared electrocardiogram. That’s what helps make it one of the best fitness trackers too.
One of the adults says that they like the Apple watch Series 7 because it is really good for senior citizens because it has some of the most advanced fall detection available, as well as the ability to contact emergency services if they or a loved one are in need of help. Also improved for this generation is the watch’s ability to detect falls on bikes. All of this, plus the fact that this ability will also track our daily activity, makes it a great gift for those who are trying to improve their health or maintain their health.
GAMES & ENTERTAINMENT
Why are video games dangerous?
By: Srijan Agarwal
91% of kids ranging from ages two to seventeen play video games and spend an average of 2.5 hours a day on the games! (CMCH). (CNET). Researchers of Hospital de Mar in Spain investigated the relationship between weekly video game use and certain cognitive abilities and conduct-related problems. “In their study of 2442 children aged seven to eleven years, the researchers found that playing video games for one hour per week was associated with better motor skills and higher school achievement scores, but no further benefits were observed in children playing more than two hours each week.” (ScienceDaily).
The obsession with video games is increasing and grades in each subject are decreasing for some students when vice-versa should happen. Students stay up all night playing video games and are too lazy and tired to get up for school the next day. Millions of kids suffer from optometry problems because of their eyes being exposed to screens all day. In the worldwide spread of COVID-19, schools are offering virtual learning. Think about it: about seven hours of school on the computer each day and then playing video games for about three hours a day is so dangerous for all humans, not just kids. Parents should understand how dangerous video games can be.
The more video games someone plays, the more consequences their eyes face! People blink about 20 - 25 times per minute, but, when they sit in front of the computer for a long period, that number decreases to 4 - 5 blinks per minute, which causes our eyes to get dry. According to VerywellHealth, kids sometimes experience a syndrome called computer vision syndrome that is commonly found in adults and is rare in children (VerywellHealth). Also, fatigue, obesity, blurry vision, discomfort, and headaches can be caused by extensive viewing of the screen (VerywellHealth). These problems further lead to serious diseases making the person uneasy for the rest of their lives.
“Furthermore, when playing video games, the eyes tend to become "locked-in" to the screen. This may make it difficult for the eyes to focus easily on other objects, even long after the video game is turned off.” (VerywellHealth). This shows that even if children try to focus on something productive after they play video games, that useful information won’t be helpful to them because their eyes can’t focus and therefore can’t take in the information. This problem doesn’t happen if the children limit the amount of time they play video games. In conclusion, looking at screens for a long period can cause serious health issues like eyesight problems.
Can a child’s behavior change into criminal behavior because of video games? According to Children’s Health, an international study shows that some children who play violent video games for a huge amount of time show physical aggression in their behavior (Children’sHealth). Dr. Nicholas J. Westers, a clinical psychologist at Children's Health℠ and Associate Professor at UT Southwestern says, “It's hard to establish a clear link between aggressive behavior and video games, but this new study suggests that some young people who play violent video games do demonstrate increased physical aggression over time." (Children’sHealth). This problem is dangerous and should be taken note of because this might influence young minds to do something illegal or something that is considered a criminal offense.
A tendency that children and adolescents have is to behave or act like a popular personality who is trending on the internet. This habit can be harmful when video games are in use. Youths and teenagers may act like violent characters when they see one in a video game. This can shift their mind into doing criminal activities when they reach adulthood. In conclusion, violent video games can be an influential source of bad behavior.
Children can get Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS) because of playing video games! According to KidsHealth, “The tendons passing through the carpal tunnel can become swollen from doing the same movement over and over, like typing on a computer or playing video games,” (KidsHealth). The constant movement of hands is required in playing video games, and CTS can be a result (KidsHealth). Carpal Tunnel is a tunnel in which tendons run to connect muscles to the bones of the hand that help bend fingers (KidsHealth). Because of the Carpal Tunnel being tight, there is barely enough room for the tendons and the median nerve (the nerve that passes through the carpal tunnel to reach the hand) to pass through it, and if anything else takes up some space, then that causes the median nerve to pinch (KidsHealth). This leads to numbness and tingling where the nerve spreads out (KidsHealth). Having CTS can be very dangerous and is another reason to limit video games.
In conclusion, playing video games for long periods can be harmful and dangerous. Some reasons to limit playing video games are that eyes can be harmed, kids can turn violent, and kids can get Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. These all have tough consequences which are not easy to face.
The History Of Pokemon
By: Darek Wu and Kris Park
Everyone probably knows what Pokemon is. It’s a turn-based RPG game where players catch and collect pocket monsters, or pokemon. As of writing this article, it has gone through 8 generations of games, from 1998 to 2019, so here are all 8 games of pokemon, in a nutshell.
Generation 1 was made on September 28, 1998 and had Black and White graphics released on the gameboy, where the story was that you are a 10 year old boy who had decided to capture pokemon and train them in order to fight the eight gyms and become the champion. It had 151 collectible pokemon and was a success, selling 31.38 million copies as of 2020.
Generation 2 is no longer only black and white, but when compared to the colorings of today, it looks like a preschooler colored it. Still, the color was impressive at the time. This region reused a lot from generation 1 however, but the story was good and sold 23.1 million copies.
Generation 3 has better coloring now and a lot of pokemon are different from previous pokemon generations, along with a good story and an increase in difficulty, all while snagging 16.2 million copies.
Generation 4 contains a higher resolution and the story is good, as usual, along with better coloring and animation and a plethora of new pokemon. In addition, this is known as one of the harder pokemon games, with the final fight being extremely tough and unforgiving.
Generation 5 has even more improved graphics and a soundtrack that slaps, along with a ton of visual improvements in battle, and an overall improvement in pacing, getting 11.5 million copies sold.
Generation 6 was the first pokemon game to have 3D graphics, along with Mega evolution. This was the first pokemon game other than gen 1 to not have any minigames, along with not having much content outside of the main story, which all managed to gain 16.58 million sales.
Generation 7 added a ton of regional forms for gen 1 pokemon, giving them unique typing and abilities. Along with that they added Z moves. Totem pokemon were also added into the games as an increase in difficulty due to their enhanced power and health. The game is also very story heavy, which makes it great to play one time, but is not replayable in the slightest, due to how many text boxes there are that interrupt everything you do, but the story is good, so who cares, it sold 16 million copies so that’s cool.
Finally, Generation 8. This generation is known for being much easier than previous generations and also more critically received. They have recycled models and animations, some of the animations look bad, and 90% of the trees look bad. But otherwise, it’s a fine and acceptable pokemon game that sold 21 million copies.
Pokemon had a few ups and downs in each game, but this franchise overall is consistently great, with very good games at best and mediocre games at worst.
ADVICE & OPINIONS
Personal well-being starts with diet and exercise
By: Niveditha Vijay
Physical well-being has always been a vital part of one’s health. Although today, it is more important than ever to be healthy and active. According to CDC, 20.9% of American teens are obese as of 2018.
All around the US, new machines have been invented to make life easier for people. However, they also make life less physically demanding. In fact, only 23% of Americans get the required amount of exercise. Some of the reasons include not having access to exercising equipment, lack of motivation, and most commonly, not enough time.
Nearly half of Americans want to exercise but don’t have time to do so. Here are some quick ways to squeeze in exercise into peoples schedules:
Run up and down the staircase a couple of times.
Walk around the house
Drink water
Stretch for 2-3 minutes between study sessions.
Spend a couple of minutes stretching in the beginning of the day.
Walk around when people talk over the phone.
The diet (what is eaten) is also an important part of a person’s physical wellbeing. Fast food is becoming more and more common and more convenient. This makes fast food a tempting option to people with a busy schedule. In fact, 37% of American adults eat fast food regularly. However, most fast foods are very unhealthy. A proper diet is one with all the essential nutrients:
Vitamins
Minerals
Carbohydrates
Fat
Fibers
Proteins
There are lots of websites to help people maintain a healthy diet such as My Plate.gov. It is becoming increasingly hard to maintain good health in today’s world. However, hard work and determination is the only answer to this crisis, like it always has been an answer to everything.
Dear Wildcat
By: Lorelai Raudszus
Dear Wildcat: I recently received a poor grade on a subject I previously excelled at. It came as quite a shock to me as I didn’t realize I was struggling with the material. Now I see that this class has unexpectedly become more difficult for me and I’m not sure how to proceed. What do you recommend?
– Perplexed Peer
Dear Perplexed Peer: As time goes on and classes progress, it is not uncommon to discover the subject no longer comes as easy to you as it once did. The first step to approaching this is to identify the problem, which you have recognized. Next, talk to your teacher about that grade, and seek to understand what you struggled to comprehend and how to improve. Perhaps it was just that specific unit that tripped you up. Or maybe it’s the class in general. If that’s the case, then just know that from now on you may need to put more effort into the class and work harder to learn and study the material for the next assessment. If you’re ever unsure of your progression in the subject, then return to your teacher to be sure you will succeed in the following classwork. Remember, it’s only one ‘poor’ grade. It will be okay.
__________
Dear Wildcat: Returning to school after winter break has proved to be very challenging for me. I’m having a hard time adjusting to the busy schedule and workload. Not only that, but teachers are throwing tests at me after a very long and relaxing break, which I feel we all needed. What do you recommend to minimize stress as we all return to the normalcy and expeditiousness of school?
–Strained Student
Dear Strained Student: Don’t worry, this is expected. Some teachers are aware of the extra stress students may feel when returning from break, and consequently, minimize the workload for the first few days. Others, not so much. It can take time to mentally adjust back into the fast-paced classroom. To be successful from here on out, just be sure you’re focused and keeping up with assignments so you don’t fall behind. If you’re still struggling, seek aid from a teacher or your designated counselor.
So you want to adopt an animal…
By: Sydney Hartke
What would it be like to have an elephant? With Fahlo, an organization that helps save animals, it is possible to buy a bracelet with an animal charm on it. People also get a card that they can scan with the app to track the animal that is “owned.” The choices are a polar bear, sea turtle, shark, and elephant.
Some may be asking, “Why should I adopt a wild animal?” Well, they aren’t adopting an animal. It’s a symbolic adoption, meaning that they are donating to a cause and in return, get to do things like track an animal. It’s also more meaningful to the person because rather than just giving money to “the elephants,” the person seemingly donates money towards one elephant.
Fahlo has partnered with other organizations to help save these animals. Currently, they are partnered with the Sea Turtle Conservancy, Save the Elephants, Polar Bears International, and Saving the Blue. Fahlo will donate 10% of its net profits to each of these organizations.
Next time you want to buy something, remember Fahlo. You are not only getting a cool bracelet out of it but are also donating money to an organization to help animals. Think of all the animals that people could be saving if people buy a bracelet from Fahlo!
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