Staying Put
by Emma Clouser
There once was a student named Emma
When Wolf cancelled school she cheered yay-ah!
To her phone she got moored
And became crazy bored
And missed everyone at Altoona
Coronavirus
by Austin Parker
Rose are red
Violets are blue
Corona has struck
Now what do we do
Corona means round
This virus is too
Everything has stopped
Seriously what do we do
It infects our lungs
Makes some say adieu
I hope it is almost over
Because we don’t know what to do
Horrid Red
by Landen Fisher
Why, O horrid Red?
You have left friends and family dead,
Because of you, many tears have been shed,
Presidents and dictators have kept us in our beds,
Waiting for you to leave, O horrid Red
Spreading from one to another,
From father to mother,
Barging your way into our once peaceful lives,
Stealing from many their husbands and wives
Scientists and researchers doing their best,
Will we pass time’s test?
You came from the crow’s nest,
At our death and sorrow you jest
You start out slow,
Slipping your way into the baker’s dough
But slowly you grow,
A cough, a fever, now begins your twisted show,
You can’t last forever, I hope you know.
Cancel shows, cancel school
Whatever it takes to stop this fool
Red, the one that thinks he can stumble in and rule
But hear this, O horrid Red,
Like a thief in the night,
You have wrought havoc and fright
But we have you in sight
And we will fight the good fight
Your reign ends tonight
Death is your date
As well as your fate,
We will wait, and wait
We will stand together, tall and straight
Because together, nothing can stop us
Not even you, O horrid Red.
Coronavirus
Ben Shank
I turn on the TV and watch the news,
But it seems the world is changing their views
Due to a virus that they're calling corona.
But this is probably just a TV persona
I'll be fine, it shouldn't hurt me.
I'm as healthy as anyone could be.
I’m surprised I’m just hearing this today,
But I’m not gonna worry anyway.
I went to the mall, but an issue arose.
Every store in the building was closed.
So I drove around, but every store was out,
And then I began to question my doubt.
This is much more serious than I thought.
I better prepare for the worst, I ought.
I bought supplies. Then in the worst possible place,
With unwashed hands, I touched my face.
I didn’t think much of it at the time.
I figured everything would be fine.
But a few days later while sitting at home,
A cough appeared that I could not hone.
And later a fever of 103,
And I thought, “What is happening to me?”
So I went to the doctor to figure out
What these symptoms are all about.
I went to the doctor and got a dreadful word.
He said, “To the hospital you’ll be transferred.
We caught it late, and there’s nothing we can do.
We’re short on supplies, and there’s none left for you.”
They took me away as I fell into despair.
My family didn’t visit to keep their health fair.
And as I lie alone in my hospital bed,
I realized, if I would’ve been more careful…
I wouldn’t be dead.
The Love of my Life
Kyah Schraff
I awoke from my early morning slumber to the warm aroma of pumpkin and coffee. I stumbled down the stairs, passing the crackling fire, to my kitchen where I found my dad making pumpkin muffins. The autumn weather was begging to be felt. Out the door I dashed, as the crisp autumn air bit my legs. The night air was still present, the days getting shorter, and nights getting longer. Briskly, leaves swirled in the air like little tornados. Shades of reds, oranges, and yellows filled the trees and were scattered on the nearby ground. As I ambled through the crystalized grass, my feet crunching under the surface, I knew that autumn would soon be coming to an end.
Concussions
Sean Bettwy
I will never forget the day that my eleven year-old All Star team was playing baseball at Independent Baseball Field. My best friend Brayden Kane was pitching and I was catching. That pitch threw a fastball and the batter hit a line drive right back at Brayden’s head. He didn’t react in time and the ball hit him directly in the center of his forehead. He threw up everywhere and an ambulance came to drive him to the hospital. He ended up having a severe concussion. A concussion is a severe condition in which your brain is affected by a blow to the head and the brain hits the skull. A concussion occurs most often when playing a rough sport such as football or rugby. When the possibility that a concussion has occurred, the person affected must be watched very closely to see if they show any signs or symptoms of the injury. There are multiple treatment options and prevention methods available for the disease.
According to the Webster’s Dictionary for Students, a concussion is an “ injury to the brain caused by a hard hit to the head.” Usually symptoms can be displayed right after the collision, but others may take hours or days to be recognized. Some of the side effects may include headache, unconsciousness, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, incorrect speech, and loss of energy. This problem is very serious and may need immediate care.
Whenever you visit the doctor’s office they will carry out a Neurological examination. This particular inspection evaluates your vision, hearing, strength, sensation, balance, coordination, and reflexes. The doctors may provide a series of tests in which they inspect your brain and skull. These tests are called an MRI and CT scan. After suffering a concussion, you may be required to stay overnight in a hospital. Sadly, you will need to rest and you are therefore unable to play any sports or exercise. Sometimes you may have to take a break from school, but most often, they just shorten your school hours. To prevent a concussion, make sure all of your equipment fits and is ready. Wearing the right helmet while playing a sport or riding your bike can positively affect the prevention of a concussion. Preventing concussions is extremely important and should be treated with the utmost importance by both players and coaches.
I chose this topic for two main reasons. First off, concussions are common in the sport that I love: football. For my own protection, I felt it would be a good idea to learn and understand more about concussions so I can prevent myself from getting one. Secondly, some of the kids on my elementary football team had suffered concussions in the middle of the year. I did not fully understand the factual meaning of a concussion. Therefore, I decided to choose this as my topic to become more aware of this injury.
There can be several negative consequences after a concussion occurs if medical attention is not sought out immediately. For some athletes, having multiple concussions can even lead to serious brain damage. This is why it is extremely important to rest and not return to physical activities until you are fully healed. Luckily, there are many treatments available and ways to prevent this type of injury. This topic interested me because I participate in baseball, basketball, and football. Considering all the information I have learned while researching concussions, I have to say that I’m a little nervous to continue playing contact sports.
Cell Phone Use in Classrooms
by Delainey Wisor
In today's society, teenagers tend to bring their phones wherever they go. The mall,
soccer practice, car rides, any place imaginable. However, the argument whether or not cell
phones should be used in the classroom setting is often disputed. Modern technology is
advancing at a quick rate and cell phones being used in the everyday lives of students is more
plausible than not using them. Students should be permitted to use cell phones during the school
day for a multitude of reasons. Using cellphones during the day would administer a better
environment, responsibility, and safety.
Notably, using cell phones in the classroom brings forth a better environment. Textbooks
and assignments waste tons of paper each year. In a twelve month span, at least 90 million tons
of paper is used, with about two million of these products being books. Transitioning to cell
phone usage would not only save paper, but also time and money. Clarkstown Central School
District in New York recently shifted to only using cell phones in classrooms. They documented
that “eleven elementary schools, three middle schools, and two high schools within the district
are saving millions of sheets of paper annually.” If this could be made a nationwide change, the
environment of every community would be superior.
Furthermore, using cellphones in class teaches responsibility. When students have their
phones, it allows students to choose whether to use them in an appropriate manner or not.
Choosing to use them correctly shows maturity and awareness. Students can research, download
educational based apps, and submit assignments. Additionally, to avoid cheating teachers can ask
students to turn their phones off when test taking. There is also an “airplane mode” feature on
most phones that limits all internet access.
Some may argue that using cell phones during school will not teach responsibility. They
believe that the mobile devices will serve as a distraction, rather than an aid. Students will play
games, text, and not pay attention to crucial information. While these points are valid, a student
using their phone incorrectly is manageable. The proper actions can be taken to punish the
offender. Other students should not face the consequences of another student's actions.
Developing a sense of responsibility at a young age will assist in the lives of students as they get
older. Therefore, cell phones are necessary in classrooms and will help teach responsibility.
Most prominently, having cell phones during school will be safer. Recently, school
shootings have been more frequent than ever documented. In 2018, 28 schools were subject to
gun violence with tragic outcomes. After the Parkland school shooting, a teacher was
interviewed and asked to discuss the horrific event. She noted, “It was like a warzone... blood on
the stairs, in the hallways, blood in the front of the building, bodies being dragged...” Innocent
lives were taken and nothing can replace them. This shooting was awful and will take some time
to recover from. Students who had their phones were able to contact their families, call for help,
and text other classmates to see if they were safe. Families were met with relief knowing that
their precious child was safe and still alive. Without the phones, the parents would not have had
any way of knowing if their child was safe. Schools throughout the country should allow
students to have their phones and safety can be insured.
All in all, the importance of students being permitted to use their cell phones in
classrooms is substantial. Technology is progressing at rapid speed and implementing cell
phones into the everyday lives of students would make life easier. A better environment,
responsibility, and safety are all to follow when cell phones are used in classrooms. What can
you do to advocate for cell phone use in your school? Like John Dewey said, “If we teach today
as we taught yesterday, we rob our children of tomorrow.”
The Only Living Girl in 2020
Alyssa Clark
“Can I talk to you for a minute? I need to tell you something.” She glanced over her shoulder to make sure our train car was empty.
“You can try, but there isn’t too much that I don’t already know,” I replied, knowing she hated it when I reacted to her mysterious ways with my sarcastic ones.
“Oh, very funny May. You know I’m serious. This is the safest time: June 24th, 1934. It’s concerning that little problem we had a while back.”
Her tone trailed off to leave me to reminisce that fated day not so long ago…
The year was 2178. It was my first day as a cadet for the Time Travelers Guild and I was ecstatic. Working for the Guild was every child’s dream, especially growing up in District 11L9. It was an impoverished district on the outer region of the galaxy. Crime, malnourishment, and other atrocities were just everyday life.
My brother dropped me off at the Guild building just as he always promised he would in our youth. Parking was scarce, as it would normally be in such a busy metropolis, so we walked the little distance between us and my future.
“So, are you excited?” He was just making conversation. Of course I was excited. It was all I had ever dreamed of.
“Of course I’m excited Luc, I mean, just look at the place! It’s huge, it’s important, and it-it’s my dream.” I fought back tears as it all hit me: I was really going to become a Time Traveler!
We walked to the Headquarters dreaming of all the adventures I would have over the next couple of years. All the people I would meet, all the places I would see, and all the experiences I would have.
“I bet you’ll be the youngest Lieutenant ever. The record is twenty-five, and you got plenty of time to beat that old man,” Luc joked. He always wanted to be funny, which was quite a relief. As life got harder, Luc got funnier.
“Stop messing around,” I said to him laughingly. “It’s gonna be hard work, I’m going to miss the family, especially you Luc.”
He replied by enveloping me into a large bear hug. I wished my brother farewell as I walked towards the first day of my new life.
Fast-forward a few days, I was getting along fabulously with all of my fellow Guild members, rocking my prep classes, and was so close to getting my first assignment. If only I knew then what I know now: that first assignment would change my life.
On that fateful morning, the Director of my division called me to his office, all the way up on the ninety-ninth floor. As a cadet, I was living in the basement, floor negative twelve. As a training initiative, I was not allowed to take the elevators or use any mode of transport except for my own two feet.
On the climb, I was met with the life-changing moment you never know occurs until it's written in the history books. About halfway up, I heard this loud humming noise coming from the floor above me. Normally, I would play this off as just a simple old quantum generator that still needed updating to Picher’s power, but the exercise made my senses heightened.
I drew my weapon from my side belt and prepared for the worst.
I slowly climbed the stairs, recalling all the spooky stories told to us in the 11L9 about all the awful things they did to species that refused to conform to the way of our ever-growing society.
As I finally reached the top of the stairs, I glanced around nervously, expecting an aggressive creature to appear, but nothing of the sort happened. What was making that noise? My question was quickly answered as the creature scurried behind me.
I whipped around, weapon at the ready, but what I saw was nothing like the overly large, lethal alien I was expecting. Instead, I saw what looked like a little stuffed bear that we learned about in our Twenty-First Century History Class. It was small, hay-brown, with large, doll-like eyes that wore a petrified expression. It looked as though it had not eaten in days, and its fur was falling out.
“That’s Teddy by the way.”
I turned around to see a girl I had never laid eyes upon before. She was tall, brunette, and wearing a very stressed expression behind her beat up, thick glasses. She was very skinny and, like the “Teddy,” looked like she hadn’t eaten in days,
“And who are you?” I replied suspiciously.
“Carson, or as all my friends call me, Project 693. Oh, and by friends, I mean the people who have been keeping me hostage. Wanna join our departure?”
Her sudden bluntness surprised me. Whether or not she saw my Cadet badge, I will never know. I didn’t even have long hair that could cover it then, and it baffles me how she just didn’t seem to mind.
“Um, if you can’t tell,” I said, as I tried to make myself seem important, “I have a meeting with my Director, and really shouldn’t mess around.”
“Oh, sorry your highness,” her tone was filled with sarcasm. “Didn’t mean to waste your precious time. Let’s roll out Teddy.”
She left in such a fashion I thought she was just gonna jump down the flights of stairs she had yet to descend.
I had finally arrived at the Director's office, where my new “partner” was waiting for me outside the door. He was tall, muscular, and was reading over what looked like our mission statement.
“Hey, I’m Rye,” he said, his eyes finding mine. They were piercing blue, like the waters in the Unichar Sea.
“Um, hey. Sorry, I’m late. What did he have for us?” I said quickly, as I tried to find my breath after sprinting up a hundred and eleven flights of stairs.
“Nothing hard,” he said, a falsely nonchalant tone in his voice. “All we have to do is travel to 2020 and pick up some escapees. They just got out and shouldn’t be too far gone. They stole one of the Time-o’s, so we’ll get them no biggie. Follow me.”
He led me down a beige corridor into the mission room, which was where all Cadets have to leave from, due to our lack of experience. This was it, it was finally happening!
We were ushered into a cube with just enough space for the two of us, yet Rye, for some reason, scooted closer to me.
The air was sucked out of my lungs as we were shot back in time. The colors flooded my eyes and nausea spread throughout my torso. As quickly as it began, it was over, and we were standing in a parking lot under a street lamp.
“Alright, this way,” he said matter-of-factly, as he swooped his hair to the side. I glanced at my tracker beacon and realized that he was leading me in the wrong direction.
“Um, your beacon is upside down. The signal is coming from that direction,” I said, as color-filled his large face.
He fixed his tracker and we headed my way. The night was dark like velvet as the occasional street-light filled the void. My tracker had told me we were in a small town called Altoona, Pennsylvania, USA.
We trekked on for what seemed like hours until the tracker finally made the sweet ping that signaled we were close to our target. It was quite common for the cadets to have several little inside jokes, and one was the sweet ping was like an angel singing.
“Oh, this thing has such a wonderful voice, just like you,” he said in a creepy manner.
I was stunned and decided to disregard it as just another little joke.
“So, um, who are we tracking anyway?” I asked, trying to not sound disturbed.
“Project 693 and 690. They escaped only this morning. The Director is trying to keep it under wraps, and wanted to bring in his most trusted guy: me. He also said that your numbers were really good and wanted to test your skills, but all you gotta do is take a step back and relax and let me do all the work.”
I didn’t even really hear what he had said after the names of our targets. We were hunting down the rogues I’d met in the stairwell.
Normally, this wouldn’t bug me, but I don’t know what hit me. All of this rubbed me the wrong way. I almost missed Rye trying to pick me up to awaken me from my thoughts, but I persuaded him to let me down.
We walked for probably another mile, and, during that time, I decided I needed to find Carson and Teddy before Rye did.
“Why don’t we split up?” I offered.
“Oh, but darling, we just met.”
That was the last straw. I marched off towards the beacon on the tracker while Rye complained on the paved road about how we should stick together. I didn't care what he had to say then, nor do I care now.
There was a flash of lightning above, and that’s when I saw them: Carson and Teddy crouched behind a fallen tree right next to me.
Not caring what they had to say, I had sat down in front of them and began calculating my plan of how to throw my life away only a month or so into my job.
“What are you doing?” Carson asked with such shock in her voice an outsider would’ve guessed I was tap dancing in the middle of the woods.
“How are you treated in captivity?” I asked the pair.
“I don’t know about Carson, but they torture to try and get me to defect to their side. They do such awful monstrosities like threaten my family and-and” Teddy burst into tears right then and there, unable to be consoled for several minutes until he calmed down enough to look me in the eye.
“What about you Carson?” I asked the beautiful girl sitting next to me.
“I was born in captivity, so I don’t know anything but it. They rarely give us any food, and if they do, people steal it. They make fun of us for entertainment and make us do back-breaking manual labor. My father died while working and all they did was push his body aside.”
“You hate being treated the way you are, right?” I asked the pair, as tears formed in my own eyes. They replied with only shocked nods of the head.
“I hate that they treat you the way that they do, and if the best person in the Guild is my partner back there, then I might as well give up on my career now. We need a plan to get you guys out of here without the Guild knowing. You guys are innocent, right?” Again, they only replied with nods.
“Okay then, Operation Escape is a go. First of all, we need a-” I was suddenly cut off by the sound of someone appearing from out of a time void behind me.
“Cadet Berkinstein, you are under arrest for helping criminals escape prosecution. Please stand and-.” It was his turn to be cut off, and he was by the sound of Carson hitting the Director in the thigh with a massive pebble.
All three of us took off in the direction of the road. We ran as fast as our tired feet could carry us. We reached the road with our chasers hot on our heels. As we ran past Rye, he shouted more words at us, but, as I said before, I don’t care.
We reached what looked to be a train station, empty of people. We hopped on the departing passenger train, not without our struggles, but we still made it.
We took a seat at the nearest empty booth to catch our breaths.
“Great job out there guys,” I said breathlessly.
“Thanks,” they said in unison.
Thus began our fugitive careers. We ran from the Guild for months, traveling to a vast number of time periods, barely escaping capture each time. Once, Teddy saved us by hitting the agent in the head with a grand piano. Another time, Carson threw off our enemies by making it look like we were in an Uber in 2019, while we were hiding in Mesopotamia.
On the six month anniversary of our escape, we traveled to our favorite day, June 24th, 1934 in Switzerland. This seemingly random day is one that we cherished, due to the amazing weather and incredible sunset that evening.
Teddy went to get more pop from the diner car, leaving Carson and me alone.
“Can I talk to you for a minute? I need to tell you something” She glanced over her shoulder to make sure our train car was empty.
“You can try, but there isn’t too much that I don’t already know,” I replied, knowing she hated it when I replied to her mysterious ways with my sarcastic ones.
“Oh, very funny May. You know I’m serious. This is the safest time: June 24th, 1934. It’s concerning that little problem we had a while back. May, pay attention when I’m talking to you.”
“Sorry, Carson. What were you saying?” I reply back.
“We can’t live like this forever. I think we should return home. We all have families, well us two do. Teddy just misses quantum tech. I think we should go back to our home time. We can go out of the Guild’s jurisdiction.”
“Carson, I can’t. They probably still have me in the system as a Cadet, so I will immediately go to the Guild’s building. That wouldn’t be a good thing just in case you are wondering.”
She rolls her big, brown eyes. She understands that I can never return to my family. Carson reaches across the table we are sitting at and places her hand on mine.
“I’m so sorry. This is unfair, but I have to go back home. I have a family that I’m sure misses me. I can’t live like this forever.” Her eyes fill with tears, and mine do too. We both understand what we have to do.
I can’t go home, and that’s the only thing in the entire time-space continuum that she wants - except for me.
At sunset that night, we travel back to the place where it all began, that forest near Altoona, Pennsylvania, 2020. We all cry, and hug, and say our final goodbyes.
Teddy promises to visit (i know he will). He will go live with his family in the Andromeda galaxy, far from the reaches of the Guild. He steps through the time void we created towards where he was meant to be from the beginning.
Carson begins to cry real tears. She cries for all the time we will miss together, all the people I will not meet, all the things I will not see, and all the experiences we will not experience together.
“I swear to you that I will not forget you, May. I swear it. As soon as I find a loophole in their dumb plan I will come for you. Stay safe, please, I beg you.”
“Don’t do anything stupid, Carson,” I say with a weak laugh. “It’ll all be okay.”
She pushes up her glasses and walks through the time void, away from me, away from what could be to where it should be.
As I sit down among the wildflowers in the place where my life went so wrong, I feel strangely calm. I know that she will never forget me, but I also know that she will never find a loophole and I will never see her again. Yet, I think I will stick around here for a little bit. 2020 was the perfect resting point between the far off past and my time, my life. But it is all worth it in the long run, as I would do anything for the woman I love...
by Emma Clouser
There once was a student named Emma
When Wolf cancelled school she cheered yay-ah!
To her phone she got moored
And became crazy bored
And missed everyone at Altoona
Coronavirus
by Austin Parker
Rose are red
Violets are blue
Corona has struck
Now what do we do
Corona means round
This virus is too
Everything has stopped
Seriously what do we do
It infects our lungs
Makes some say adieu
I hope it is almost over
Because we don’t know what to do
Horrid Red
by Landen Fisher
Why, O horrid Red?
You have left friends and family dead,
Because of you, many tears have been shed,
Presidents and dictators have kept us in our beds,
Waiting for you to leave, O horrid Red
Spreading from one to another,
From father to mother,
Barging your way into our once peaceful lives,
Stealing from many their husbands and wives
Scientists and researchers doing their best,
Will we pass time’s test?
You came from the crow’s nest,
At our death and sorrow you jest
You start out slow,
Slipping your way into the baker’s dough
But slowly you grow,
A cough, a fever, now begins your twisted show,
You can’t last forever, I hope you know.
Cancel shows, cancel school
Whatever it takes to stop this fool
Red, the one that thinks he can stumble in and rule
But hear this, O horrid Red,
Like a thief in the night,
You have wrought havoc and fright
But we have you in sight
And we will fight the good fight
Your reign ends tonight
Death is your date
As well as your fate,
We will wait, and wait
We will stand together, tall and straight
Because together, nothing can stop us
Not even you, O horrid Red.
Coronavirus
Ben Shank
I turn on the TV and watch the news,
But it seems the world is changing their views
Due to a virus that they're calling corona.
But this is probably just a TV persona
I'll be fine, it shouldn't hurt me.
I'm as healthy as anyone could be.
I’m surprised I’m just hearing this today,
But I’m not gonna worry anyway.
I went to the mall, but an issue arose.
Every store in the building was closed.
So I drove around, but every store was out,
And then I began to question my doubt.
This is much more serious than I thought.
I better prepare for the worst, I ought.
I bought supplies. Then in the worst possible place,
With unwashed hands, I touched my face.
I didn’t think much of it at the time.
I figured everything would be fine.
But a few days later while sitting at home,
A cough appeared that I could not hone.
And later a fever of 103,
And I thought, “What is happening to me?”
So I went to the doctor to figure out
What these symptoms are all about.
I went to the doctor and got a dreadful word.
He said, “To the hospital you’ll be transferred.
We caught it late, and there’s nothing we can do.
We’re short on supplies, and there’s none left for you.”
They took me away as I fell into despair.
My family didn’t visit to keep their health fair.
And as I lie alone in my hospital bed,
I realized, if I would’ve been more careful…
I wouldn’t be dead.
The Love of my Life
Kyah Schraff
I awoke from my early morning slumber to the warm aroma of pumpkin and coffee. I stumbled down the stairs, passing the crackling fire, to my kitchen where I found my dad making pumpkin muffins. The autumn weather was begging to be felt. Out the door I dashed, as the crisp autumn air bit my legs. The night air was still present, the days getting shorter, and nights getting longer. Briskly, leaves swirled in the air like little tornados. Shades of reds, oranges, and yellows filled the trees and were scattered on the nearby ground. As I ambled through the crystalized grass, my feet crunching under the surface, I knew that autumn would soon be coming to an end.
Concussions
Sean Bettwy
I will never forget the day that my eleven year-old All Star team was playing baseball at Independent Baseball Field. My best friend Brayden Kane was pitching and I was catching. That pitch threw a fastball and the batter hit a line drive right back at Brayden’s head. He didn’t react in time and the ball hit him directly in the center of his forehead. He threw up everywhere and an ambulance came to drive him to the hospital. He ended up having a severe concussion. A concussion is a severe condition in which your brain is affected by a blow to the head and the brain hits the skull. A concussion occurs most often when playing a rough sport such as football or rugby. When the possibility that a concussion has occurred, the person affected must be watched very closely to see if they show any signs or symptoms of the injury. There are multiple treatment options and prevention methods available for the disease.
According to the Webster’s Dictionary for Students, a concussion is an “ injury to the brain caused by a hard hit to the head.” Usually symptoms can be displayed right after the collision, but others may take hours or days to be recognized. Some of the side effects may include headache, unconsciousness, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, incorrect speech, and loss of energy. This problem is very serious and may need immediate care.
Whenever you visit the doctor’s office they will carry out a Neurological examination. This particular inspection evaluates your vision, hearing, strength, sensation, balance, coordination, and reflexes. The doctors may provide a series of tests in which they inspect your brain and skull. These tests are called an MRI and CT scan. After suffering a concussion, you may be required to stay overnight in a hospital. Sadly, you will need to rest and you are therefore unable to play any sports or exercise. Sometimes you may have to take a break from school, but most often, they just shorten your school hours. To prevent a concussion, make sure all of your equipment fits and is ready. Wearing the right helmet while playing a sport or riding your bike can positively affect the prevention of a concussion. Preventing concussions is extremely important and should be treated with the utmost importance by both players and coaches.
I chose this topic for two main reasons. First off, concussions are common in the sport that I love: football. For my own protection, I felt it would be a good idea to learn and understand more about concussions so I can prevent myself from getting one. Secondly, some of the kids on my elementary football team had suffered concussions in the middle of the year. I did not fully understand the factual meaning of a concussion. Therefore, I decided to choose this as my topic to become more aware of this injury.
There can be several negative consequences after a concussion occurs if medical attention is not sought out immediately. For some athletes, having multiple concussions can even lead to serious brain damage. This is why it is extremely important to rest and not return to physical activities until you are fully healed. Luckily, there are many treatments available and ways to prevent this type of injury. This topic interested me because I participate in baseball, basketball, and football. Considering all the information I have learned while researching concussions, I have to say that I’m a little nervous to continue playing contact sports.
Cell Phone Use in Classrooms
by Delainey Wisor
In today's society, teenagers tend to bring their phones wherever they go. The mall,
soccer practice, car rides, any place imaginable. However, the argument whether or not cell
phones should be used in the classroom setting is often disputed. Modern technology is
advancing at a quick rate and cell phones being used in the everyday lives of students is more
plausible than not using them. Students should be permitted to use cell phones during the school
day for a multitude of reasons. Using cellphones during the day would administer a better
environment, responsibility, and safety.
Notably, using cell phones in the classroom brings forth a better environment. Textbooks
and assignments waste tons of paper each year. In a twelve month span, at least 90 million tons
of paper is used, with about two million of these products being books. Transitioning to cell
phone usage would not only save paper, but also time and money. Clarkstown Central School
District in New York recently shifted to only using cell phones in classrooms. They documented
that “eleven elementary schools, three middle schools, and two high schools within the district
are saving millions of sheets of paper annually.” If this could be made a nationwide change, the
environment of every community would be superior.
Furthermore, using cellphones in class teaches responsibility. When students have their
phones, it allows students to choose whether to use them in an appropriate manner or not.
Choosing to use them correctly shows maturity and awareness. Students can research, download
educational based apps, and submit assignments. Additionally, to avoid cheating teachers can ask
students to turn their phones off when test taking. There is also an “airplane mode” feature on
most phones that limits all internet access.
Some may argue that using cell phones during school will not teach responsibility. They
believe that the mobile devices will serve as a distraction, rather than an aid. Students will play
games, text, and not pay attention to crucial information. While these points are valid, a student
using their phone incorrectly is manageable. The proper actions can be taken to punish the
offender. Other students should not face the consequences of another student's actions.
Developing a sense of responsibility at a young age will assist in the lives of students as they get
older. Therefore, cell phones are necessary in classrooms and will help teach responsibility.
Most prominently, having cell phones during school will be safer. Recently, school
shootings have been more frequent than ever documented. In 2018, 28 schools were subject to
gun violence with tragic outcomes. After the Parkland school shooting, a teacher was
interviewed and asked to discuss the horrific event. She noted, “It was like a warzone... blood on
the stairs, in the hallways, blood in the front of the building, bodies being dragged...” Innocent
lives were taken and nothing can replace them. This shooting was awful and will take some time
to recover from. Students who had their phones were able to contact their families, call for help,
and text other classmates to see if they were safe. Families were met with relief knowing that
their precious child was safe and still alive. Without the phones, the parents would not have had
any way of knowing if their child was safe. Schools throughout the country should allow
students to have their phones and safety can be insured.
All in all, the importance of students being permitted to use their cell phones in
classrooms is substantial. Technology is progressing at rapid speed and implementing cell
phones into the everyday lives of students would make life easier. A better environment,
responsibility, and safety are all to follow when cell phones are used in classrooms. What can
you do to advocate for cell phone use in your school? Like John Dewey said, “If we teach today
as we taught yesterday, we rob our children of tomorrow.”
The Only Living Girl in 2020
Alyssa Clark
“Can I talk to you for a minute? I need to tell you something.” She glanced over her shoulder to make sure our train car was empty.
“You can try, but there isn’t too much that I don’t already know,” I replied, knowing she hated it when I reacted to her mysterious ways with my sarcastic ones.
“Oh, very funny May. You know I’m serious. This is the safest time: June 24th, 1934. It’s concerning that little problem we had a while back.”
Her tone trailed off to leave me to reminisce that fated day not so long ago…
The year was 2178. It was my first day as a cadet for the Time Travelers Guild and I was ecstatic. Working for the Guild was every child’s dream, especially growing up in District 11L9. It was an impoverished district on the outer region of the galaxy. Crime, malnourishment, and other atrocities were just everyday life.
My brother dropped me off at the Guild building just as he always promised he would in our youth. Parking was scarce, as it would normally be in such a busy metropolis, so we walked the little distance between us and my future.
“So, are you excited?” He was just making conversation. Of course I was excited. It was all I had ever dreamed of.
“Of course I’m excited Luc, I mean, just look at the place! It’s huge, it’s important, and it-it’s my dream.” I fought back tears as it all hit me: I was really going to become a Time Traveler!
We walked to the Headquarters dreaming of all the adventures I would have over the next couple of years. All the people I would meet, all the places I would see, and all the experiences I would have.
“I bet you’ll be the youngest Lieutenant ever. The record is twenty-five, and you got plenty of time to beat that old man,” Luc joked. He always wanted to be funny, which was quite a relief. As life got harder, Luc got funnier.
“Stop messing around,” I said to him laughingly. “It’s gonna be hard work, I’m going to miss the family, especially you Luc.”
He replied by enveloping me into a large bear hug. I wished my brother farewell as I walked towards the first day of my new life.
Fast-forward a few days, I was getting along fabulously with all of my fellow Guild members, rocking my prep classes, and was so close to getting my first assignment. If only I knew then what I know now: that first assignment would change my life.
On that fateful morning, the Director of my division called me to his office, all the way up on the ninety-ninth floor. As a cadet, I was living in the basement, floor negative twelve. As a training initiative, I was not allowed to take the elevators or use any mode of transport except for my own two feet.
On the climb, I was met with the life-changing moment you never know occurs until it's written in the history books. About halfway up, I heard this loud humming noise coming from the floor above me. Normally, I would play this off as just a simple old quantum generator that still needed updating to Picher’s power, but the exercise made my senses heightened.
I drew my weapon from my side belt and prepared for the worst.
I slowly climbed the stairs, recalling all the spooky stories told to us in the 11L9 about all the awful things they did to species that refused to conform to the way of our ever-growing society.
As I finally reached the top of the stairs, I glanced around nervously, expecting an aggressive creature to appear, but nothing of the sort happened. What was making that noise? My question was quickly answered as the creature scurried behind me.
I whipped around, weapon at the ready, but what I saw was nothing like the overly large, lethal alien I was expecting. Instead, I saw what looked like a little stuffed bear that we learned about in our Twenty-First Century History Class. It was small, hay-brown, with large, doll-like eyes that wore a petrified expression. It looked as though it had not eaten in days, and its fur was falling out.
“That’s Teddy by the way.”
I turned around to see a girl I had never laid eyes upon before. She was tall, brunette, and wearing a very stressed expression behind her beat up, thick glasses. She was very skinny and, like the “Teddy,” looked like she hadn’t eaten in days,
“And who are you?” I replied suspiciously.
“Carson, or as all my friends call me, Project 693. Oh, and by friends, I mean the people who have been keeping me hostage. Wanna join our departure?”
Her sudden bluntness surprised me. Whether or not she saw my Cadet badge, I will never know. I didn’t even have long hair that could cover it then, and it baffles me how she just didn’t seem to mind.
“Um, if you can’t tell,” I said, as I tried to make myself seem important, “I have a meeting with my Director, and really shouldn’t mess around.”
“Oh, sorry your highness,” her tone was filled with sarcasm. “Didn’t mean to waste your precious time. Let’s roll out Teddy.”
She left in such a fashion I thought she was just gonna jump down the flights of stairs she had yet to descend.
I had finally arrived at the Director's office, where my new “partner” was waiting for me outside the door. He was tall, muscular, and was reading over what looked like our mission statement.
“Hey, I’m Rye,” he said, his eyes finding mine. They were piercing blue, like the waters in the Unichar Sea.
“Um, hey. Sorry, I’m late. What did he have for us?” I said quickly, as I tried to find my breath after sprinting up a hundred and eleven flights of stairs.
“Nothing hard,” he said, a falsely nonchalant tone in his voice. “All we have to do is travel to 2020 and pick up some escapees. They just got out and shouldn’t be too far gone. They stole one of the Time-o’s, so we’ll get them no biggie. Follow me.”
He led me down a beige corridor into the mission room, which was where all Cadets have to leave from, due to our lack of experience. This was it, it was finally happening!
We were ushered into a cube with just enough space for the two of us, yet Rye, for some reason, scooted closer to me.
The air was sucked out of my lungs as we were shot back in time. The colors flooded my eyes and nausea spread throughout my torso. As quickly as it began, it was over, and we were standing in a parking lot under a street lamp.
“Alright, this way,” he said matter-of-factly, as he swooped his hair to the side. I glanced at my tracker beacon and realized that he was leading me in the wrong direction.
“Um, your beacon is upside down. The signal is coming from that direction,” I said, as color-filled his large face.
He fixed his tracker and we headed my way. The night was dark like velvet as the occasional street-light filled the void. My tracker had told me we were in a small town called Altoona, Pennsylvania, USA.
We trekked on for what seemed like hours until the tracker finally made the sweet ping that signaled we were close to our target. It was quite common for the cadets to have several little inside jokes, and one was the sweet ping was like an angel singing.
“Oh, this thing has such a wonderful voice, just like you,” he said in a creepy manner.
I was stunned and decided to disregard it as just another little joke.
“So, um, who are we tracking anyway?” I asked, trying to not sound disturbed.
“Project 693 and 690. They escaped only this morning. The Director is trying to keep it under wraps, and wanted to bring in his most trusted guy: me. He also said that your numbers were really good and wanted to test your skills, but all you gotta do is take a step back and relax and let me do all the work.”
I didn’t even really hear what he had said after the names of our targets. We were hunting down the rogues I’d met in the stairwell.
Normally, this wouldn’t bug me, but I don’t know what hit me. All of this rubbed me the wrong way. I almost missed Rye trying to pick me up to awaken me from my thoughts, but I persuaded him to let me down.
We walked for probably another mile, and, during that time, I decided I needed to find Carson and Teddy before Rye did.
“Why don’t we split up?” I offered.
“Oh, but darling, we just met.”
That was the last straw. I marched off towards the beacon on the tracker while Rye complained on the paved road about how we should stick together. I didn't care what he had to say then, nor do I care now.
There was a flash of lightning above, and that’s when I saw them: Carson and Teddy crouched behind a fallen tree right next to me.
Not caring what they had to say, I had sat down in front of them and began calculating my plan of how to throw my life away only a month or so into my job.
“What are you doing?” Carson asked with such shock in her voice an outsider would’ve guessed I was tap dancing in the middle of the woods.
“How are you treated in captivity?” I asked the pair.
“I don’t know about Carson, but they torture to try and get me to defect to their side. They do such awful monstrosities like threaten my family and-and” Teddy burst into tears right then and there, unable to be consoled for several minutes until he calmed down enough to look me in the eye.
“What about you Carson?” I asked the beautiful girl sitting next to me.
“I was born in captivity, so I don’t know anything but it. They rarely give us any food, and if they do, people steal it. They make fun of us for entertainment and make us do back-breaking manual labor. My father died while working and all they did was push his body aside.”
“You hate being treated the way you are, right?” I asked the pair, as tears formed in my own eyes. They replied with only shocked nods of the head.
“I hate that they treat you the way that they do, and if the best person in the Guild is my partner back there, then I might as well give up on my career now. We need a plan to get you guys out of here without the Guild knowing. You guys are innocent, right?” Again, they only replied with nods.
“Okay then, Operation Escape is a go. First of all, we need a-” I was suddenly cut off by the sound of someone appearing from out of a time void behind me.
“Cadet Berkinstein, you are under arrest for helping criminals escape prosecution. Please stand and-.” It was his turn to be cut off, and he was by the sound of Carson hitting the Director in the thigh with a massive pebble.
All three of us took off in the direction of the road. We ran as fast as our tired feet could carry us. We reached the road with our chasers hot on our heels. As we ran past Rye, he shouted more words at us, but, as I said before, I don’t care.
We reached what looked to be a train station, empty of people. We hopped on the departing passenger train, not without our struggles, but we still made it.
We took a seat at the nearest empty booth to catch our breaths.
“Great job out there guys,” I said breathlessly.
“Thanks,” they said in unison.
Thus began our fugitive careers. We ran from the Guild for months, traveling to a vast number of time periods, barely escaping capture each time. Once, Teddy saved us by hitting the agent in the head with a grand piano. Another time, Carson threw off our enemies by making it look like we were in an Uber in 2019, while we were hiding in Mesopotamia.
On the six month anniversary of our escape, we traveled to our favorite day, June 24th, 1934 in Switzerland. This seemingly random day is one that we cherished, due to the amazing weather and incredible sunset that evening.
Teddy went to get more pop from the diner car, leaving Carson and me alone.
“Can I talk to you for a minute? I need to tell you something” She glanced over her shoulder to make sure our train car was empty.
“You can try, but there isn’t too much that I don’t already know,” I replied, knowing she hated it when I replied to her mysterious ways with my sarcastic ones.
“Oh, very funny May. You know I’m serious. This is the safest time: June 24th, 1934. It’s concerning that little problem we had a while back. May, pay attention when I’m talking to you.”
“Sorry, Carson. What were you saying?” I reply back.
“We can’t live like this forever. I think we should return home. We all have families, well us two do. Teddy just misses quantum tech. I think we should go back to our home time. We can go out of the Guild’s jurisdiction.”
“Carson, I can’t. They probably still have me in the system as a Cadet, so I will immediately go to the Guild’s building. That wouldn’t be a good thing just in case you are wondering.”
She rolls her big, brown eyes. She understands that I can never return to my family. Carson reaches across the table we are sitting at and places her hand on mine.
“I’m so sorry. This is unfair, but I have to go back home. I have a family that I’m sure misses me. I can’t live like this forever.” Her eyes fill with tears, and mine do too. We both understand what we have to do.
I can’t go home, and that’s the only thing in the entire time-space continuum that she wants - except for me.
At sunset that night, we travel back to the place where it all began, that forest near Altoona, Pennsylvania, 2020. We all cry, and hug, and say our final goodbyes.
Teddy promises to visit (i know he will). He will go live with his family in the Andromeda galaxy, far from the reaches of the Guild. He steps through the time void we created towards where he was meant to be from the beginning.
Carson begins to cry real tears. She cries for all the time we will miss together, all the people I will not meet, all the things I will not see, and all the experiences we will not experience together.
“I swear to you that I will not forget you, May. I swear it. As soon as I find a loophole in their dumb plan I will come for you. Stay safe, please, I beg you.”
“Don’t do anything stupid, Carson,” I say with a weak laugh. “It’ll all be okay.”
She pushes up her glasses and walks through the time void, away from me, away from what could be to where it should be.
As I sit down among the wildflowers in the place where my life went so wrong, I feel strangely calm. I know that she will never forget me, but I also know that she will never find a loophole and I will never see her again. Yet, I think I will stick around here for a little bit. 2020 was the perfect resting point between the far off past and my time, my life. But it is all worth it in the long run, as I would do anything for the woman I love...