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ARCHIVE - October, 2020

October, 2020 - Sheridan Olds, 12 PCO

     Learning online has its ups and its downs. From the blessing that is pausing lecture videos, open-note exams, and the ability to learn at your pace in a day depending on the class. 

     Yet, there are some negatives such as; losing motivation, losing track of time, sudden overwhelming amounts of work that appeared out of nowhere, and the list goes on.

     Important steps to surviving distance learning are maintaining a good study setup, motivation, and preventing burnout.

     First, attempt to find a designated place that you can study, i.e. a dining table, desk, outside, just somewhere you know that you can be the most productive. Everyone’s situation is different so tailor this to what suits you best!

     Second, AVOID studying on your bed. Your bed equals sleep and relaxation and that is not good if you want to get work done. 

     Third, separate your work from play. If you can work outside of your room even if it is for a few hours, it will break the habit and the tension of wanting to climb into your bed and scroll through TikTok for hours.

     Fourth, turn your phone off, put it on airplane mode, or even invest in one of those apps that can block certain apps for a certain amount of time. There are some really good free ones out there. 

     Fifth, have all of the items you need on your desk. There is no need to have extra supplies on your workspace. With that, keep your work area organized, A clean space equals a clean mind. The more stuff visible the more likely you are not going to do your work.

     Sixth, organize your time. Write things down so you do not forget an assignment until it is due or past the due date.

 How to get motivated:

  • The most important thing is to discover what type of studier you are. Do you prefer studying in the mornings, afternoons, or late at night? It also helps to know your strengths and weaknesses.  

  • Have a study group and do online calls once or twice a week. HOLD EACH OTHER ACCOUNTABLE

  • Write out all of the assignments given every day and write the deadlines next to them.

  • Set a timer and work for five minutes or complete one assignment, this helps to get your brain excited or tricks it to where it wants to continue working. It sounds strange but it works.

  • Go for a walk, stretch, or read a book before studying. When you are active your brain feels as if it has been productive already and will want to continue being productive. 

  •  Just start. Do not say that you will start at 9:30 and then when 9:31 hits you just wait until 10:00. THAT DOES NOT WORK. Just push yourself to start studying, TikTok will be there for you when you are done.

  • When you make your list of assignments, start with what is easiest for you. This also helps start your brain transition into the working mindset.

How to prevent burnout

  • Start larger assignments and work on it a little each day. This helps relieve stress as well as the panic when the deadline is literally tomorrow and suddenly you are doing a project two hours before the deadline. 

  • Plan out what days you are going to do certain assignments. 

  • Dedicate certain days for one or two subjects to lessen the overwhelming feeling that everyone gets on Sunday night

  • The biggest tip to avoid burning out is just to manage your time. If you are just sitting on your bed scrolling through TikTok, your work is just going to build-up and for some of you, it will eat away at you, and then you will not be able to sleep. Just plan your time wisely.

REVIEWS

Enola Holmes

October, 2020 - Lilith Kerfoot, 11, PCN

     Enola Holmes is an interesting story that depicts a young girl who had a happy and exciting life while her brothers were away. It begins at home, where she learned to shoot a bow, play tennis, fight, and most importantly, survive from a young age. Then, on her 16th birthday, her mother vanished from the house. A week later, her brothers, Sherlock and Mycroft Holmes, return to investigate their mother’s disappearance and to “educate” Enola by putting her in a finishing school for young ladies.

     I admire all of the simple,yet complex ways that Enola uses to escape her brothers, like finding hidden money behind the painting of flowers, and decoding messages. Above all, her attitude towards others is the best. While she attempts to escape, she meets a certain missing lord, Viscount Tewkesbury, who’s life is threatened by a strange man who intends to kill him.

     The first daring escape they have is falling off a train. I find it impressive that she managed to time her jump so she doesn’t land in the water, and their pursuer can’t follow because of the bridge.

     My personal favorite escapades are the simple, animated martial arts form called the corkscrew leg-hold, and the scene where the pursuer tries to drown Enola, and she fakes her death.

I also like that even though Enola is trying to find her mother, the real story is Viscount Tewkesbury vs. his grandmother, who was behind the murder of his father. 

     All in all, it was a very interesting and exciting movie. I recommend it, and it's on Netflix.

New Video Game Releases

October, 2020- Quang Thien, 11, PCN

           Spider Man Miles Morales

Spiderman Miles Morales is a Playstation exclusive coming out on November 12, 2020. Miles Morales is an action-adventure game made by Sony Interactive Entertainment. After the death of Peter Parker, a Puerto Rican kid who goes by the name of Miles Morales steps up to become the next Spiderman.
 

                        Dirt 5

Dirt 5  is the fifth Dirt game in the series. This game was made by Codemasters. This game is an online racing game. You can race with dirt bikes and off road cars. The game incorporates a powerful climate framework and seasons, which influence the hustling; for instance, the player can just compete in ice dashing occasions in New York during cold weather months. A four-player split-screen framework is additionally brought into the game. This game came out on November 6, 2020.
 

                    The Falconeer

The Falconeer is an open world, air combat adventure. In this game, you are able to fly through the skies on a falcon, fighting many different unique enemies. It includes quick, ruthless, aerial  combat and big, open world exploration. This game is playable on the PC and Xbox.

New on Netflix

November, 2020- Taleaya Cotton, 11, PCN

     With everyone taking the necessary precautions to stay safe during this time, we all need something to take our minds off of things. A good way to so this during quarantine is watching one of the many new series that have been released this year on Netflix. 

     Grand Army is a Netflix original series following five high school students in Brooklyn as they deal with and battle to excel and become someone with gender, ethnic, and economic politics. Along with phenomenal acting from all of the main characters, this show also carries some heavy topics that showcase similar issues that also happen in our world. This would be great for teenagers that want to watch a show about what it’s really like to be a teen in America, and the struggles that some go through.

     The Queen’s Gambit is also a Netflix original series that was released in October of 2020 and is about Beth Harmon, an orphaned chess prodigy. She struggles with addiction in a search to become the world's greatest chess player. Throughout the show, Beth also comes to find her family and true friends, while at the same time conquering the dominantly male world of chess. This series is good for anyone that wants a show that is really uplifting and showcases that you can overcome anything if you work hard enough .

     The Haunting of Bly Manor is a series that was also released this year.  This show is about a young governess hired by a man to take care of his niece and nephew after they fall into his care at the family country house. She starts seeing apparitions that continue to haunt the premises when she arrives at the Bly house. This show is good for anyone that is looking for a fright or a good psychological thriller. With great acting and amazing character development, this show is one that everyone should watch at least once.

    Ratched is a drama filled psychological thriller that was released in September of 2020. It is a suspenseful drama series that tells the original tale of Mildred Ratched, an asylum nurse. Mildred arrived in Northern California in 1947 to search for a position at a leading psychiatric hospital where fresh and disturbing studies on the human mind began. This is a show that will definitely keep the audience interested, with an intense plot and mystery. It will definitely keep viewers on their toes.

Sports

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Safety protocols for student athletes

October 2020 - Maria Ramirez, 12, PCO

     This year has been a roller coaster of unexpected events. A virus called COVID- 19 appeared and many treasured school events were cancelled. Students missed out on graduation, prom, spring sports and many others.

     School is now back in session even though there is a pandemic going on. This has interfered with many school activities such as sports. Even with all the confusion and chaos going on many teams still manage to practice to prepare for their sport.

     “It is obviously different because since Covid started. It has been iffy. We never know when or who we are going to play based on their COVID numbers but it has not slowed us down. We are still growing as a family,” sophomore softball player Taylor Cronic said.

     With a virus spreading, it is very important to stay safe and healthy. There are many new rules and regulations that student athletes have to follow during practices or games.

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     “For every single practice we have spread everyone out as much as possible, wash our hands repeatedly, wear a mask for the duration of the practice (unless we are outside actively running) and everyone has to get their temperature taken as they walk in. Depending on the color of our county for the week, which is based on the amount of positive cases, the entire squad has to wash/sanitize their hands either every 15 or 30 minutes - and that takes up a lot of practice time! We also have to sanitize our tumbling mats after each student,” Cheer Head Coach Ms. Blanchard said.

     Many games are being postponed due to COVID leaving many athletes waiting for their chance to play. This has made them value the time they have when playing and giving it their best.

     “Covid has impacted our season this year by cancelling our first game sadly. There are no guarantees this season so the time we get the chance to go there and fight, we go 100%,” senior football player Rafe Vosler said.

Student Life

Seniors 2021 facing a COVID year

October, 2020 -

Jazzlyn Ortiz, 12 and Cassie Ponce, 12, PCO

     COVID-19 has been the biggest topic of discussion this year. As cases continue to rise, several different activities and day-to-day tasks had to be put on the back burner to ensure the safety of others. Due to this, everyone has been affected, some in more drastic ways than others. Doctors, teachers, and other public workers have all had to shift their daily routines to adjust to safety precautions required by the government. However, there is one group in particular who have been affected in different ways; the senior class of 2021. 

     “I obviously didn’t expect my senior year to be like this. I had always expected it to be fun. Ever since I was a kid, I anticipated to enjoy the last year of high school and finally come out of my shell. I would've hoped that this year panned out way differently. In regards to my future, if things continue to go the way they are currently, I suspect senior year will be very challenging considering we would have to basically teach ourselves since many teachers aren’t as accessible as they were before,” senior Anayeli Chacon said. 

     From prom to football games, to graduation, many different adjustments have been made. However, perhaps the most daunting and important task are college visits, and applications. All seniors and teachers are currently treading through uncharted territory, but some seniors are taking alternative and safer measures such as virtual college visits to protect themselves and their futures. 

     “Before senior year began, I planned to go visit college campuses and travel to cities that I would be interested to attend college in. However, when COVID happened, all my plans for college visits were canceled and all of my informational activities were changed to online zoom meetings. I was so excited to start senior year, but Covid has drastically changed how I learned and connected with others. I have to learn online now and contacting teachers for help is more difficult than before. I no longer was able to have the senior year previous classes before me had. COVID has completely changed my world upside down, and I was stressed and uncertain about my senior year and future plans more than ever,” senior Brittney Luong said.

     Perhaps academics may not be the only thing seniors are worrying about. For many, senior year was supposed to mark an ending to a significant chapter of their lives, or a gateway to future opportunities and new beginnings. However, for some seniors, their lives have been halted due to the effects of the precautionary measures that have been applied.

     “I feel like COVID has affected us as seniors by not being able to attend school (physically), or enjoy other senior activities such as having our senior sunrise the way it was before and having normal football games. I was especially looking forward to the games this year because of our student section, and I wish we had the opportunity to walk around school knowing that it would be our last year of school. However, personally, I don’t like doing online because I procrastinate on all of my work, and put it off until the end of the week. I am looking forward to coming back. COVID has affected my plans for the future athletic wise because we don’t get to practice like we used to, and I haven’t been able to peak like I did last year due to the cancellation of meets and other COVID related protocols,” senior David Gamas said. 

 

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     COVID-19 has changed so many people's lives and what they do daily. So many things have changed in 2020 such as social distancing, staying at home, and starting online classes. Although these changes have happened many people are still getting adjusted to it and some are still struggling to this day whether it is with school, mental health, or just wanting to have a normal life as they did before.

     Some seniors are struggling with online schooling which could also end up affecting their mental health. It even affected their senior plans that they had been looking forward to.

     “It affected my senior year because my mental health got more difficult to deal with and it is harder to enjoy senior year when you don't know what to expect. It is also hard when you are missing the huge events you have been looking forward to,” senior Vivian Ponce said.

     Some find it hard to cope with getting used to online schooling. This is especially hard for seniors with harder classes and the requirements of being a senior at the same time.

     “Online learning is better for some classes, but for harder classes. It is tough as a senior because you do not get the in-person learning experience,” senior Megha John said. 

     Covid-19 can also affect family members who have gotten the virus which can mentally affect students.

     “Covid affected me personally because I have had family members and friends get sick because of it. You don't think it's serious until someone close to you is affected. Although everyone reacts differently there have been thousands who died and it's scary to think your loved one can be one of those.” senior Lizeth Villegas said.

     Covid-19 has changed the plans many seniors had including graduation, prom, and many other things. Senior year 2021 will not be the same.

     “Covid has made my senior year a one of a kind. Event though I technically did get to experience my last first day of school and senior sunrise on campus, it's just not the same as being able to enjoy it without masks, social distancing, or worrying about getting myself and my loved ones sick.” senior Cynthia Ortiz said.

Check on Your Friends

October 2020, Taleaya Cotton, 11, PCN

     In a world crisis such as Covid, it’s important to check up on your loved ones because you never know how greatly they could be affected.

 Everyone’s daily routines have been significantly affected, positively or negatively during this time due to Covid. “My routine has changed immensely due to Covid. I don’t spend time with my friends as much, and the after school activities I used to enjoy I can’t do anymore. Covid has truly caused my life disarray,” junior Hunter Butler said. 

     With all of the big changes that are happening in all of our lives, one of the many things that can be significantly affected both negatively and positively is our mental health. “For me, mentally it can go both ways because I don’t have to worry about going to school and what other people think about me, and I can focus more on taking care of myself. Then, on the other hand, it’s draining because I’m always stuck at home, and I don’t have anything to do,” junior Bre Stucks said.

      In our society, we tend to only focus on the pessimistic things that are going on in the world instead of looking at the positive things that are happening. “One way Covid has affected me positively is that it has shown me that people can work together in hard times like these,” Stucks said.

     One of the biggest changes that teens have had to face is transitioning from going to school seven days a week to doing all of their school work virtually. “Distance-learning was weird at first, but now I’m used to it. I like how I can do my assignments on my own time and not have to worry about them as much,” junior Jaylon West said.

     Remember to stay safe during these times and check in on loved one and see how they're doing because we are all going through hardships, so it’s important to make sure they are doing well.


 

Tiktok is a widely known app that became one of the most downloaded apps in the United States, reaching over 750 million downloads, and is what some teens or adults would call addictive. The app was created for young people to express their creativity in short 60 second clips. However, there have been many controversial and quite daunting accusations being made against the creators of the app.

    There have been several claims that Tiktok is being used to send user’s data to China. While there has been no actual evidence to support this statement, President Donald Trump placed many blacklists on most Chinese tech firms to prevent them from purchasing American products over national security and human rights concerns. 

           Although the President and other people have had major concerns about Tiktok, the younger generation and the people who support the creativity behind the app have done everything in their power to keep it alive. While being owned by ByteDance, several franchises such as Microsoft and Walmart have taken a shared responsibility with the creators of the app so it would ensure user’s safety and not have to be put to rest. Now, Tiktok’s cloud provider is a franchise named Oracle owning 12.5% stake, with Walmart also continuing to support the app, purchasing 7.5% of its stake. 

      With authorities now set in place to keep the app running smoothly with hopes of no future complications, the franchises and owners of the app will continue to ensure that the creativity dwelling in the minds of young people will proceed to sprout and be a safe place for them to express themselves freely.

      When worrying about a generation’s safety and the country they’re growing up in, it’s normal to take as many precautions as possible. But when you have kids who have found happiness in something as little as an app you can download on your phone, you’re going to have to put up more of a fight rather than to throw that joy and creativity away.

Can't Overthrow Creativity

November, 2020-Breanna Stucks, 11, PCN

Five Things You Can't Live Without

December 2020, Mary Heimbach, 10, PCW

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  • My phone

  • Food

  • Starbucks

  • Jason Momoa

  • My car

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  • My phone

  • Mascara

  • Eyelash Curler

  • Cane's Chicken

  • Phone Charger

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  • My best friends

  • Music

  • My family

  • My cats

  • Chicken

Amanda Heimbach, 12, PCW

Arely Gutierrez Garcia, 10, PCW

Olivia Humphrey, 10, PCW

Voice Message

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News

PCO School COVID Precautions

October, 2020 Sheridan Olds - 12, PCO

            The schools are taking precautions to protect the students, teachers, and staff from COVID. Everyone will be required to wear face masks or any sort of covering of the mouth and nose, constant hand washing and sanitizing will be enforced. 

            The A/B schedule allows 50% of student in the building at a time. This means an original class of 30 students will be limited to 15 students, half going on the A schedule while B is learning online that day and vice versa. This limits contact throughout the building even during the hallways as well as at breakfast and lunch with every other seat being blocked off.

            Hallways will be operating in one-way directions, and stairs will be divided as well. Class dismissals will also be staggered at the end of the day. Hand sanitizer has been placed in every classroom as well as in common areas. Some of the sinks in the restrooms have been upgraded to touch-less faucets and all water fountains, except the touch-less ones, will be shut off.

     In case of a school COVID outbreak, the school has created a plan.  The school will ask the individual to enter quarantine, and then the school will evaluate the number of positive cases. Those who have been exposed will go into quarantine. Depending on the person and the grade they are in, the entire grade could enter quarantine or even just the part of the building the individual was in. There even is a possibility that the entire school will re-enter quarantine. The school is also asking students to check their temperatures at home before coming to school, but the school will also take your temperature if you do not have access to a thermometer.

     The school also has a plan in case a teacher tests positive. A substitute teacher will be contacted. If no sub is available, an administrator may step in temporarily, or the class would switch back to online for that class, possibly meet in the cafeteria or auditorium, and then return for the remaining six classes.

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