Holy Cross' 8th Grade Ashland Trip: What You Can Do to Help!Emamaria Diaz De Leon
The Ashland trip is for the 8th graders. It's a way to create more memories that will help them stay in contact with each other before they graduate. What the 8th graders will be doing is they will go to see two plays with their classmates and go to a workshop. This 8th grade class is fortunate enough to see the Odyssey and Beauty and the Beast. The Odyssey is about the lives after the Trojan War. To be more specific, a Greek warrior was suppose to come home, but didn’t. So, all of the people thought he was dead, except one, Telemachus. Telemachus knows that the warrior is being held captive. Telemachus, the warrior’s son was then told to go look for his father. On his journey to find his father he finds out that he is alive. Another thing he finds out is how his brother died when he came back from Troy. Going off of the dead brother fact, he also found out how the murders died. The son of the warrior also met Athena, who is the daughter of Zeus. She asked Zeus to have mercy on the warrior, but Zeus didn’t care. The warrior also got into some trouble with Poseidon. This landed him in the Phaiakians’ land which is not where he wanted to go. The actions towards the warrior that Zeus and Poseidon did, caused Athena to make the princess, Nausikaa develope a crush on the warrior. Nausikaa showed him hospitality and in return he told her and her family what had happened to him. He told them how he got stranded on an island, how his ego got the best of him, how he ran into Poseidon, how he got stuck in a windstorm, and how he saw his dead mother’s ghost. Those aren’t the only challenges he faced. He faced more like when the ship passed by the sirens, when they met two horrible monsters, when they landed on the island of Helios (sun god), then got stranded on an island and was held captive for seven years. Nausicaa's family then felt sorry for him and gave him riches. They disguises him as a beggar and sent him on a ship back to his home. He met his son and unrevealed himself to him. The son then tried to convince his mother that his father is on his way home. She then decides to host a contest with her marrying the winner. The contest is about who can string the warrior’s old bow and shoot it through the heads of twelve axes. All fail except the beggar ( the warrior, her husband) in disguise. The warrior is soon reunited with his wife. They wanted to live their normal life but one of the contestants parents were furious. They wanted revenge but Athena asked the village “why can’t we get along.” The village agreed and lived in peace. The other play that we are going to see is Beauty and the Beast. I don’t believe that I have to explain this story, but I will. It’s about a girl whose dad gets trapped by a beast. The girl, Belle, traded herself to free her father. She spends her time with the beast and realize that he isn’t all that bad. The villagers hear this rumor and they decide to go after the beast. They get the beast and hurt him, but because he loves Belle and Belle loves him, he is healed and turned back into the human him. From a Holy Cross graduate, some of the experiences they had were they were put into a room and they had to walk around inside that room. The point of the exercise was to not touch anybody, even with having to walk faster. The first day they were there, they had a picnic in a park. Most importantly, they got to know their classmates better before they graduated and they still talk to this day on social media. Now that you know about the plays we are going to see and what the purpose of the Ashland trip is and why it is important to the 8th grade class, we were hoping that you might have ideas on how to fundraise money. In the past, the 8th grade class has volunteered at Burgerville and the Twilight room. Because this class has 28 students, we need more ideas to help fundraise. So if you have any ideas please feel free to tell an 8th grade student so we can contact the organizer for this. You may also contact our principal Mrs. Johnson to give you the email of the organizer. Thank you for taking the time to read this and hopefully you’ll be able to help the 8th grade class. |
Women's March: Portland EditionVincent Benedetti
On January, 21st, thousands attended Portland’s Women’s march to protest xenophobia and bring awareness to gender equality. The march was on the same day as 600 others worldwide, the largest being the march that took place in Washington D.C. Portland’s march was expected to originally have only 30,000 people attend. but an estimated 60,000 to 100,000 people decided to brave the heavy rain and participate. The protest took place at noon near the Morrison bridge and continued on for the rest of the day. Even Kate Brown (Oregon’s current governor) participated. The march wasn’t just for women, and conveyed many points, however, everyone shared one thing in common, they were all against Trumps proposed policies. The march was successful and no violence broke out. Many Portland residents were interviewed on the issue. "I have to accept that the political situation is what it is, but I also have a voice, and I'm not going to stand by and just let random people get put into office. If I can't get a job because I'm not qualified, then they shouldn't be able to either.”(from Oregon live.com) reported 26 year old Mikaela. This shows that the march was not to protest Trump being in office himself, but to convince Trump to make good decisions while in office. The march was solely peaceful. Most participants joined because of their fear of Donald Trump’s attitude towards women. The main reason most participated was to protect the rights they feel were being threatened by Donald Trump’s administration. They believe that access to clean water and healthcare are basic needs of all people and should be provided to all citizens. Secondly they expressed that diversity is a strength in our country, diversity includes: racial justice, immigrant equality, LGBTQ rights and finally that women’s rights are human rights. These participants want to ensure in the form of protest that Donald Trump’s administration understands that misogyny and racism are not to be accepted by the people of the United States. Through this march, protesters were given an opportunity to unify with others who shared their concerns. Where do the protesters go from here? One, they wanted to show their force in numbers, they wanted to show their children that the process of democracy is important. On a broader scale Angela summarized the essence of the movement with this quote, “I am no longer accepting the things I cannot change. I am changing the things I cannot accept”. This quote was meant to empower women to take control and ensure a safer future. Other forms of protest were women who braided their hair together at the northern border of Mexico, to symbolise their common heritage, and to show that our similarities are stronger than our differences. The next step is for the protestors to encourage others and exercise our right of protest. The 1913 women’s suffrage march, although it was an uphill battle, ultimately was a victorious cause and helped create a more civil and equal America. The real work for these participants begins when they go back to their communities where they will fight for causes they believe in. Many feel angry, scared and sad for America’s future but they want to take back the country that they lost. To generalize, the marches were very successful and for Portland it was a momentous event. Still many citizens are feeling scared for the USA's future during these next four years, but many others are working to keep America in check during Trump’s term. Either way, to get what the want will definately be no easy task, but they will be able to achieve it with enough hard work. Let’s hope that whatever happens during these next four years will be in the best interest for both our country, and other countries around the world.a |
It's Official: President TrumpTedrose Teshager
January 20, 2017 will forever be remembered as the day Donald John Trump became the 45th President of the United States of America. As you may know Donald Trump decided to run for president back in June of 2016 and was widely considered to be a long shot to be president. And on his way to becoming our new president he ran into his fair share of controversy because of comments he made about Mexicans, Muslims, and also comments he had previously made about women. He received negative criticism for not releasing his tax return because every president before him has released their tax return and many are speculating that he is hiding information. Whether or not the criticism of Donald Trump is fair or not fair one thing is for sure. After the inauguration of Trump, some protesting and some rioting took place with many screaming “Not my president”. Some rioters were even as young as the age of 12. A protest you might have heard of was the Women’s march. The women’s march was a protest saying that Trump needed to respect different cultures, races and women. Many of the riots turned violent when rioters burned U.S. flags and started fires on the streets. As you may know protests and riots started immediately after Trump became president. Also protests were happening during President Trump's election after comments about Hispanics, African Americans and women. As you know the Inauguration is held every time a new president is election. As I said President Trump’s Inauguration was held on January 20 at 9:00 a.m. President Trump’s speech was about 15 minutes not as long but it was straight to the point. During President Trump’s speech he spoke about putting America first as in putting America as its first priority. Also he spoke about ending prejudice in our country so we can become closer. That caused a little controversy. Many are asking “how is Trump going to talk about ending prejudiced in our country when all throughout his campaign he said many prejudiced things. Even after the integration there was a lot of controversy because White House press secretary Sean Spicer went on record saying that this integration was the most attended and watched integration ever. Which isn't true at all as you may have seen people took pictures of Obama’s Integration and President Trump’s and it wasn’t even close Obama had way more than Trump did. To be fair to Trump Obama didn’t even have the biggest inauguration President Ronald Reagan did back in 1981. Many celebrities have gone on record saying that they don't like Trump. In fact, during and after Trump’s inauguration, many celebrities went and protested. Many of the celebrities were seen at the women’s marches speaking and protesting. Just to name some of the celebrities at the marches were Alicia Keys, Amy Schumer, Janelle Monae, Scarlett Johansson, and Madonna. One of the speakers, Madonna, had caused a lot of controversy after she said this, “I have thought about blowing up the White House.” Also during her speech she used very strong language, strong enough language that when CNN was live broadcasting her speech, they cut it off because her speech because the language she was using was very strong. The inauguration happens on a specific day every time on new president is elected. The first inauguration happened on April 30 1789 when our first ever President George Washington. And since then it has become a tradition. Also if you didn’t know the Vice President has a inauguration and it happens on the same day as the president's inauguration. This year the president’s Vice president was Mike pence. The president and Vice president is sworn in by the chief justice of the supreme court. In conclusion whether you like it or not January 20 2017 will forever be remembered as the day Donald John Trump became our 45th president. |
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Super Bowl LI... Who Will Win!?Bryan Soriano-Salinas
Super Bowl LI Hype From the New England Patriots, to the Pittsburgh Steelers, and to the Green Bay Packers who play on a football field, fans seem obsessed with proving that their football team is the best. In some cases, fans realize that season is not their best season but there is that love for their team that gives them hope. Some people bandwagon towards the better team; they look at statistics and facts rather than love for their team. Some, in the other hand, become obsessed with their team colors and support them throughout their victories and loses. These fans imagine their team being at the top and being proud of them win or lose. Fans enjoy their favorite teams playing against others. They enjoy some great games to see who is the best. This is the case with the wonderful Super Bowl LI, an exciting tournament where twelveteams race to be the best and is televised annually by several television channels including FOX Sports. During a Super Bowl, teams face off in heated and intense football games, where every point counts. It is understandable why people fell in love with it. The first Super Bowl was held on January 15, 1967. Even though the first Super Bowl was way before I was born, tons of people don’t say it’s getting boring. Instead, they say that every year that comes, they see the Super Bowl as more exciting. This year I expect the superbowl to be even more exciting than last years. What Is The Super Bowl? Football is definitely one of the most exciting and well known sports in the United States of America. So when football is played in a series of games trying to get to the top, people get thrilled of the ides of the Super Bowl. The first Super Bowl was around 50 years ago, making the coming up Super Bowl be the Super Bowl LI. There are 12 teams total that make up the NFL Playoffs. They are split into different brackets. One bracket is called AFC, while the other is called NFC. AFC stands for American Football Conference. NFC stands for National Football Conference. Each bracket has 6 teams that make it to the NFL Playoffs. 4 teams are determined weather they are the highest in their division and the other 2 play to become the wild cards. When watching the Super Bowl, not only do you enjoy a good game, but you also get to see celebrities perform at the halftime show. How The Super Bowl LI Is Going So Far In the beginning of the NFL Playoffs, the teams who were striving for victory in the semifinals are the Denver Broncos, New England Patriots, Arizona Falcons, and the Green Bay Packers. After having a close match in the quarterfinals, the Green Bay Packers lost to the Arizona Falcons. The Denver Broncos lost to the New England Patriots in the semifinals. The two finalist that qualified to be in the Super Bowl LI are the New England Patriots and the Arizona Falcons. The Denver Broncos won the Super Bowl one year ago in 2016 against the Carolina Panthers. The New England Patriots won the Super Bowl two years ago against the Seattle Seahawks. The Big Game The Super Bowl LI will he held in Houston, Texas at the NRG Stadium. The game will start at 3:30 pm on Sunday, February 5, 2017. The NRG Stadium is the only stadium that hosts rodeos and NFL games with a retractable roof. The stadium contains 72,220 seats and with the 97,000 sq. ft. of room, the celebrities, including Lady Gaga, that will be performing at the halftime show will have lots of space to be able to entertain. The people have favorites, and the Patriots have just a little bit of more favoritism in this coming up Super Bowl. Conclusion I believe that the Super Bowl LI will be an exciting match between the Denver Broncos and the New England Patriots. I have watched some of both teams games and they both play well in my opinion. I personally am not rooting for a specific team, but still hope to see an awesome clash between these two great teams on the field.
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Finding Inspiration in an Impoverished WorldGemma Tkel
Poverty. (noun) The state of being extremely poor. “Millions of people are living in poverty and are suffering profoundly.” Just one word that holds so much meaning, so much power over mankind. Nobody wants to be in poverty; it’s just one of those things that are unavoidable. Poverty has taken the world by storm, and there’s no way to stop it. Poverty is ruthless and cruel, and that’s just the truth. Whether you like it or not. There are people all around you who are in poverty, but you may not even notice it. Like a hidden disease that eats you from the inside, poverty eats all the money from inside your bank account. There are many causes of poverty and many things that poverty can cause. There are many different ways that poverty is caused. One reason is bills being too high. Ever since the year 2000, the incomes of low-budget housings decreased as the rent only began to grow higher. Another reason is parents losing their jobs. In April 2008 through April 2009, there was a 32% rise of foreclosures resulting in six million jobs being lost. 41 of the most indebted poor countries, holding around the amount of 567 million people, have a lower amount of money compared to the top seven richest people in the world. Another cause of poverty I will be listing will be the locations in which people live. Around 33% of places, in which poverty is the norm, are of places in which there is war and conflict. These places include: Rwanda, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and many more. In addition, it can also be found in places that are located in rural areas and locations in which natural disasters are easily found. Natural disasters like earthquakes, floods, or tornadoes can ruin crops and other resources that people, who are already suffering in poverty, need to survive. Next, probably the saddest and the most helpless cause of poverty, is the inheritance of poverty. There are children who can’t help but be born into poverty. These children must carry their parent’s burden with them and must suffer the things that poverty can cause, which we will discuss about more about further into this article. The last reason of poverty that I will be listing is, jobs having unfair wages. Did you know that 3 billion people - half the world - have to live off of less than $2. 50 a day? Can you imagine how malnourished they must be and how many diseases these people must have? Sadly, these are only a few things of what can cause poverty. Poverty can lead to many, many sad things. Chances are that poverty can be the lone cause behind loss of education, health issues, and poor nutrition are high. Getting more in depth, loss of education can be caused by poverty in many ways. Usually, it’s caused by not having enough money. Families living in poverty struggle to earn money and end up scrapping the little they can in order to pay for their children's, or their own education. Parents, and sometimes even the children themselves, have to work multiple jobs in order to pay for a good education and have to work endless hours while trying to balance their studies at the same time. Background also plays a big role in all of this. For example, in America, it would be difficult for people who are unable to speak the English language due their background or race. Having to learn the language while trying to learn everything in the foreign language would be difficult and stressful to the person, or people. Moving on, poverty can also cause health issues and a lack of ways in order to help them. Diseases are the leading causes of death in the world and is also the leading causes of death for people in poverty. Because they lack the resources for a healthy environment, they are shoved into a situation of having to fend for themselves against germs that could very well kill them. Lack of food, which we will get more into soon, is a contributing factor of how people in poverty can catch diseases. Without the right nutritions, the human body’s ability would become too weak to fight off any diseases. Sanitation is yet another contributor to the ways of catching diseases. The condition of sanitation is usually low, which can conclude in the case of a minor disease, but in certain cases it can become life-threatening, and not being able to purchase the proper medical supplies to treat these, can cause in getting even more sick. Or worse. Finally, poverty can also be the main cause of malnutrition. People in poverty scarcely ever have access to nutritious food, and even if they do they almost always never have enough to purchase them. Families in poverty would usually have to buy food that isn’t as nutritious, considering that the most nutritious food is the most expensive. Poor nutrition is the cause of 45% of deaths for children over the age of five. Malnutrition can also lead to many other health issues as well. There are so much these people are lacking, but they are still making the most out of what they have. It inspires me. They show me how to be thankful for what I have, and we should all be as well. They are fighting for their lives and I admire them for it. So always remember to be thankful for your what you have. Thank you for reading my article, and I hope to see you next month. |
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