Hello Beavers! Today is October 31st or what most people refer to, Halloween! For some people, Halloween is their favorite time of the year. The costumes, the candy, the scares and the spooks never get old. Today I’ve seen some hippies, cats, nurses, some senior citizens, some fruit, a witch, a camel and even a dragon! On the other hand, Halloween is “so last year” and not cool to dress up according to others. I, being 18 years of age, have no problem dressing up and letting my inner child out. I wanted to look into the opinions of others to see what they thought about dressing up as a senior in high school. I went around to random people in the highschool and asked the simple question “do you think people reach a point where they’re “too old” to dress up for Halloween?” Here’s what I got back.
Alexis, senior – “Never! There’s no age limit on Halloween!”
Timothy, senior – “Yes. I think you should stop once you get in Highschool. Halloween is for little kids.”
Brooke, sophomore – “I don’t dress up anymore, but that doesn’t mean other people my age can’t!”
Barrett guidance counselor- “You’re never too old!” *while putting her costume on*
Jacob junior – “Halloween is for little kids. It’s time to grow up.”
To me, the results were as expected. A mixture to both sides. As for me, I will continue to wear a costume any chance I get. You don’t always have to follow a crowd, if you want to dress up and it makes you happy, go for it!
Category Archives: Beaver Blog Opinion Posts
Cell Usage During School
The usage of cellphones in schools has been an ongoing debate now for a couple years, but over the years, teachers and administrators seem to have more tolerance for the mobile devices as cell phone policies have changed. In the Beaver Local School District, cell phone policies changed when the new facility began it’s operation and the use of iPads became more prominent. The reasoning behind the change in policy was that since iPads would be in use during classes and most likely lunches, it would be too hard to prevent students from using their phones by hiding them behind the school distributed devices.
In the high school handbook, it states that students are allowed to use their phones during lunch, between classes, or if they are instructed by a teacher to do so with no voice calls being allowed. If the students fail to comply with these rules, the phone may be confiscated, and depending on the number of offence, can be picked up at the end of the day either with the teacher or in the office with a parent. In the middle school, students are allowed to have their phones during lunch and before and after school, with further rules being announced by the teachers that the students have. If a phone is to be confiscated and the student refuses to hand their phone over, they can get internal or external suspension. Further infractions afterwards may result in internal suspension or removal from the public wireless connection. High school vice principal, Jim Ricardo, believes that the greatest problem with cell usage is that students rely on them too much and use the mobile devices too much. Mr. Ricardo added that he would like to see face to face interaction more than seeing students have their heads down staring at a screen.
With the more lenient policy, teachers have had to find ways to stop their students from using phones during class. The main way that teachers stop students from using their phones during class is by having pockets hanging on a wall in the back of the classroom. Students can put their phones in the back of the room in an assigned number, and can even win bonus points for that class depending on the teacher and the day. This method seems to work best, especially when the offer of extra credit is put in place. Other teachers allow students to have their phones on their desks, but upside down so the screen is not facing the student so they can not be tempted. Along with the screen facing down, the volume needs to be turned off so other students do not get distracted from their work if the phone were to go off. With this course of action, it is not as effective as having students put their phones somewhere in the classroom as they still have the devices in their possession, meaning they could still pick it up and use it.
Then there are teachers who do absolutely nothing about the problem. In classes where there are no strict rules about cell phone usage other than “don’t use them,” students can be seen on their phones. Those students are told to put their phone away multiple times, and they do until the teacher stops looking at them. Usually after being asked a couple times to put their phone away, the teacher will confiscate it and give it back at the end of class. If students are having their phone confiscated various times, then something needs to be done in that class. The most effective way that works best is, again, having students place their phones somewhere in the classroom so they don’t get distracted and can focus more on their education than what is going on in their virtual lives.
Gun Control in the United States- Share your opinion!
There are several sides to the gun control debate, one being “Anti-Gun Control”, and the other for “Pro-Gun Control”. In many situations, people tend to say Gun laws need to be more strict, especially in regards to automatic assault weapons. After a recent study in 2016, approximately 44% of American households own a gun. This number has rapidly increased from 31% just several years ago. However, major gun advocates believe that gun laws are too strict, and must be reduced. Which would allow concealed carry for those who qualify. These mixed opinions spark many problems with security and question whether people’s rights are being violated.
Those who are for gun control reform want laws to be more strict and not allow open carry in public. One of the biggest issues with open carry is the impact that it may have with younger children and those who are not comfortable around firearms. Background checks help keep firearms out of the hands of people with criminal records and previous issues. These supporters also believe that increased training should be done for those who have weapons on the job, such as officers and security agents.
The opposing side, who are against gun control, believes they should be able to protect themselves in the case of something horrific. Not only can something happen in public, but people are also concerned about self-defense in their own homes. In the case of an intruder, people should not have to wait for responders to defend their own lives; this is one of the biggest arguments for anti-gun control.
With the help of teachers at Beaver Local High School, we are conducting a poll to decide what people in our community really think about this topic of gun control. In most circumstances, it is tough to take a position on the issue because of the many situations people can be in while going through their normal day lives.
Tell us, what do you think about gun control.