Going into the second semester of school, I often feel jarred choosing between one of the many sports being offered. The question comes to mind, “Why can’t some of these be moved into the fall semester.” Well, being in the south that answer is always football, the most popular sport. This is understandable because it brings in the revenue and all, but shouldn’t there be a way to not make multi sport athletes have to choose between Track and Field, Baseball, Soccer, Tennis, Softball or Golf?
All of these sports are able to be played in the fall semester except for soccer which would invade Football since they play on the same field.
The window to play multiple enjoyable sports for many athletes is thrown out the window by most sports being crowded into the spring season. Since less than 1% of young athletes will make a career out of playing sports, the focus should be on opportunity to enjoy and play sports. Expanding on that topic, we should allow for multiple spring sports to be played in the fall season.
I obviously understand that football will always be a priority, but restricting athletic potential and forcing kids to play one sport and making them make the hard choice of which sport they need to cut out of their high school life is not worth it just to keep the spotlight focused on football, even when most students don’t play it.
Brazilian Butt Lifts are the new service in the industry that lots are raving for, but what image is this creating for the world on body types. Are we normalizing going under the knife rather than going on the treadmill? Is the look worth the risk?
A Brazilian Butt Lift is a procedure that is a few surgeries in one. You go under anesthesia and then liposuction (suctioning out fat cells) is done on areas like the stomach, thighs, or lower back. Next, your fat is essentially “purified” to ensure it’s safe to go back into your body. After your fat is prepped and ready, it gets inserted in the needed areas to get the “lifted” shape. Lastly, they drain your body from any fluid build-up and close the incisions.
Now the hard part is done– or is it? The next step is the healing process which can take up to a year, with two weeks not sitting down on your bottom. Imagine that? You can’t even sit down for two weeks just to look a certain way. Several celebrities have done this surgery and openly talk about it, which isn’t a bad thing; However this is sending out a message to young women all around that this look is the only accepted look by the world. In our day to day lives, we hear in songs rappers and pop artists talk about women’s bodies and how they want them to look.
In the interview, Minaj opened up about why she felt insecure about her body at such a young age and revealed it was due to her male friends commenting about other women’s bodies. She talks about her struggle with her body image and the pressure to conform to certain beauty standards. However, she also blames herself for slightly creating the standard.
“Superstars inadvertently become role models,” said Minaj.
The BBL body type is so serious to some, we ignore the risks sometimes. According to Los Angeles Times, Television personality & actress, Jacklyn Smith or better known as Jacky Oh, underwent surgery in May 2023 for a “mommy makeover.” The surgery went well, until the next day when she started to complain of an ongoing, intensifying headache. As her headache turned into a burning sensation, her mom rushed her to the emergency room. Unfortunately after being rushed to the hospital, she was pronounced dead shortly before midnight. If society was accepting of natural bodies and didn’t bash new mothers into snapping back into shape, maybe women wouldn’t have to risk their life just to feel normal.
On the other hand, some celebrities are openly expressive and appreciative of their surgery. Lots of women like JT, Saweetie and even Kim Kardashian openly talk about their enhancements and how it has boosted their confidence. As stated in Guardian Life Archives, Nigerian Celebrity, Tonto Dikeh says she “see’s surgery as a form of self-care and urges women to do what makes them happy.”
While we shouldn’t bash women for getting surgery, we shouldn’t put down women for not having it. Without appreciation for natural bodies, all young women will lose self-esteem and confidence. Looking perfect all the time isn’t the goal of life, so we shouldn’t have to permanently alter ourselves to fit into unrealistic standards.
Mental health disorders and condition awareness have been on the rise. Across social media, content creators have been emphasizing the importance of diagnosing and treating mental health deficiencies. But with the rise of the influencer era, has mental health awareness lost its integrity?
The phrases “My OCD cannot handle this” and “I have ADHD or something” have been spoken by many of us. But how true are these statements? Has it become a trend to claim to have these conditions?
The Association of American Medical Colleges reports that currently, 1 of every 4 adults suspects they have ADHD (attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder). What’s more, this suspicion began during the COVID-19 pandemic for most. As people sat at home with little to do, boredom was guaranteed. This led most people to develop similar symptoms to ADHD and then consult healthcare providers, hoping to receive a prescription to ease their symptoms. Additionally, with the rise of social media “there’s been a lot of misinformation, sensationalizing and generalizing” claims Dr. Craig Surman.
Dr. Elizabeth Wolf speculates that the rise in diagnoses is correlated with the reduction in criteria to “have the disorder”. The required symptoms to verify ADHD have reduced from six to five factors, allowing for more people to qualify for prescription medications to treat ADHD.
What is the harm? Over-diagnosis of ADHD can result in overmedicating people who do not even require certain medications. This perilous and potentially irreversible practice can result in neurological damage. ADHD is most caused due to an abundance in white and gray matter in the brain as described by the American Psychiatric Association. Generally, it is treated by medications, specifically inhibitors to block the reuptake and release of neurotransmitters such as dopamine. However, if these medications are taken without an excess of these neurotransmitters, they can result in an imbalance, inhibiting normal brain function.
Additionally, therapy is generally recommended as well, which, if unnecessary, results in discomfort and insecurity due to the diagnosis and unfitting treatment. Misdiagnosed ADHD usually results in additional conditions such as depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts and humiliation or insecurity.
Accurate diagnoses are best conducted by a licensed healthcare professional. Social media and influencers are not a credible enough source to begin taking prescription medications and receiving treatment or a diagnosis. If you suspect ADHD or other mental conditions or suspect misdiagnosis, consult a healthcare provider. If you are having suicidal thoughts or need to have a conversation about your mental health, contact the 988 hotline.
Don’t hesitate to get help. You are valid in your doubts and questions.
Succeeding and doing well is a goal of many students. But, are they willing to feel the flame of academic burnout?
May 23 was my last day of school. Instead of spending it with end of the year parties or watching movies in class, I was spending it taking my geometry final. After taking my final and leaving the school building with my classmates, I felt stress free. During the school year I had many focuses, but school was most important. Since it was my first year of high school, I wanted to make sure I started it off with a 4.0. All of the late nights studying and working on projects paid off. I earned my 4.0. Although I earned straight A’s, I wasn’t aware of the price that I would have to pay. The excitement of the end of school was temporary. But the feeling of burnout and exhaustion feels permanent and continues to follow into my summer.
At the beginning of the summer, although I slept in a lot, I felt exhausted throughout the day. Sometimes I would even take long naps, which I don’t ever do. Also, getting started with my summer work felt impossible. I would constantly sit around, lacking energy, procrastinating starting my work. I felt so tired, yet so guilty for sitting around. I felt lazy.
Even during the school year I would be greeted with muscle aches. These aches possibly formed because of how tense I was studying for the tests that would trickle in one by one during the week. My sleep schedule was messed up and I would be exhausted the following day. I would hardly give myself breaks because I was so nervous that I was going to fail a test, so I kept studying.
The “Polygence” reported on a 2017 study which concluded that academic burnout shows cognitive, affective and physical symptoms. An example of a cognitive symptom is not engaging in work. An affective symptom is feeling tense and irritable. A physical symptom is decreased energy and chronic tiredness. Another study talked about how experiencing academic burnout causes students to earn lower gpa and perform not as well in school.
There are many different causes of academic burnout. For many, it’s the immense pressure of perfection. For me, since I usually perform well in school, I didn’t want to slip up and potentially mess up my gpa.
In 2023, Junior Monica Velasquez was given the title gifted at a young age and that brought on the perfectionist mindset.
“Being labeled as “gifted” at a young age planted the thought that everything I do should be perfect,” said Velaquez. “I thought of myself as a failure if I did not perform better than everyone else. My worth solely depended on my grades and achievements.”
As students and as humans we tend to put a lot of pressure on ourselves until we are over the edge. It’s possible for opponents to say that recognizing academic burnout is just recognizing weakness. But the struggles of students deserve to be heard. We shouldn’t just be on the sidelines watching students’ mental wellbeing plummet.
A lot of schools don’t tend to cover academic burnout and its importance in how it impacts students during the school year. I feel like schools should cover how to recognize and prevent it. I also feel like it would be beneficial for parents to talk to their children about how perfection isn’t everything.
As a society we should strive for excellence, being the best we can be, not perfection.
With college sports on a rise paying athletes only right, but at what point is NIL becoming to much? Is NIL taking away from student-athletes and making them just athletes.
NIL, which stands for “name, image, and likeness,” becoming official July 1, 2021 allowing student-athletes to make a profit from their NIL. If the athlete would like, they can hire an agent or business advisors but isn’t required. The polices and certain colleges require to know all details of deals or any possible deals with the school and have to be approved before any signing is done. NIL deals vary from all types of things. Popular ones being high end clothing and shoes or school related materials.
Granted these star athletes bring in huge attention and money to the school but here when it starts to get out of hand. This is when the transfer portal gets involved. The transfer portal is an online system where college athletes can declare their intention to transfer to another school publicly. It allows coaches from other schools to view information about athletes and reach out to them. As soon as a player enters the portal all their academic records become visible and the recruiting process starts all over again. A more recent example of transfer portal situations is Nico Iamaleava, Tennessee’s former quarterback, he left the university to seek a higher NIL after Tennessee refused. According to multiple reports Iamaleava was trying to renegotiate his $2 million a year contract with the school in hopes for a new $4 million a year contract. After the school declined this negotiation Iamaleava refused to show up to practices and missed the spring game in hopes to change their minds. Not long after, Iamaleava posted on Instagram his new commitment post to UCLA, which, UCLA offer was not remotely close to the $4 million he wanted. The Tennessee coach and athletic director were positive they made the right idea. Tennessee is a large football school being an SEC team, the Vols went 6-2 this past season and making the College Football Playoffs but fell short to the Ohio State. Meanwhile UCLA went 3-6 and hasn’t made the playoffs since 2014. It shows Iamaleava was more focused on his NIL income compared to playing for a team that’s a better overall team and has produced more professional athletes. It’s sad to see someone with so much talent and potential waste it somewhere just to make more money. This exist shocked his teammates. “He left his brothers behind,” Boo Carter says, a receiver and defensive back at Tennessee said.
This to pay and play system system does question the schools loyalty, the players loyalty, but the fans too.
What makes people enjoy college sports more is watching young athletes are not playing for money like the pros but the love of the game, unfortunately now it isn’t the same. The logo on players jerseys has now lost its meaning and is represented by the most followers and the biggest paychecks. NIL made these athletes believe playing for a brand is more important. The process of recruiting players has changed drastically since NIL, it used to be you would commit to the school with the culture, team chemistry, and coaches. Now to get recruits you try to bring them in to offer the most money. Schools with less funding are losing out on key players. College sports has turned into a business more than anything.
What Moore said is a perfect example of college sports were like before NIL was introduced, you committed to the school you dreamed of going to or grew up watching.
This year was the first year since 2008 all seeds in the Final Four were all the number one seed. The Final Four consisted of Florida, Duke, Houston and Auburn. Leaving the final matchup being both number one seeds it brings it more viewers knowing the game will be closer in score and competitive. When theres a lower seed and higher seed less people watch thinking the higher seed will more than likely win. People were upset knowing there was no “Cinderella stories” in this year’s tournament. Lots of people said it had something to do with NIL big time schools paying the best players to win them championships which happened to the Florida Gators this year. With just generating $1.5 million the week of the final four.
So quickly these players who become millionaires, are still students?
When this athletes pile up NIL checks how will they still reflect positive efforts on the academic side of school.
Paying athletes in college is important and something we need to keep because they bring so much revenue to schools by NIL has ruined the traditional college experience.
Have you ever put on a really cute outfit and you are feeling confident? You can feel peoples eyes on you, and then you start seeing looks of disgust and hatred. That has happened to me. Whether it was because my stomach was out, too much skin was showing or because I wore something that people don’t normally wear. People will judge you wherever you go and that is a lesson I had to learn.
In some cases, the clothes you wear would matter. There is a time and a place for the outfits you should wear. You don’t want to wear an overly revealing outfit to a very important meeting or interview. But, if you are out somewhere to hangout, eat, have fun with friends whatever the case may be , then you should be able to wear what you want (as long as you aren’t showing all of your bits and pieces). People should not dictate what you can and cannot wear. Other people should not be able to dim your light.
I feel that people who are not you, shouldn’t have a say in what you decide to put on your body. Sometimes, the clothes that we wear are an expression of how we feel. You are decorating yourself in a way that makes you happy. People shouldn’t feel self-conscious because someone looked at them with a side eye and made them feel as if they were ugly or looked like an outcast.
Your clothing choices shouldn’t be changed because someone else’s views. One’s fashion choices is supposed to be a form of self projection, a way to show what you like and how you want to be viewed. This means that people should have the right to their own style. Some outfits should only be worn at certain events and some outfits will make you look twice. But that aside, don’t diminish who you are to satisfy others.
Fashion experts say that the clothes that we wear show the personality that we created for ourselves. This is because it is a form of self expression which should be important to everybody. Nobody should tell you what you can and cannot wear. They are not you and you are not them. Don’t let them diminish your light.
Growing up, I learned early on how to pretend. Not pretend in the playful, childhood sense — like dress-up or imaginary games — but a more quiet, painful kind of pretending.
I learned how to act like everything was fine even when it wasn’t, especially when it came to food, my body and how I saw myself. And If I’m being honest, a lot came from growing up next to someone who seemed to have the body I was always told I should want.
My sister has always been skinny. Naturally thin, effortlessly “perfect.” I’d hear people compliment her over and over: “You’re so tiny!” “You could be a model!” Even when they didn’t say anything directly to me, I could feel the comparison hanging in the air like a fog I couldn’t escape. Like a moth watching a beautiful butterfly flying through flowers. I was growing up in a body that didn’t match hers, and somehow that made me feel like mine was wrong — like I was the “before” picture no one wanted to be. I remember my mom saying, “Put the food down Saybel, your sister needs it more.” This cut deep between me and my mother’s relationship.
So I started hiding. I didn’t talk about how hard it was to eat in front of people. I didn’t admit how often I skipped meals, or how much shame I carried around after eating something “bad.” I smiled. I laughed. I made jokes. And inside, I quietly punished myself for not being “enough.” I told myself if I could just be skinny like her, things would feel OK. That I’d feel OK.
But it wasn’t just my sister’s body I was comparing myself to — it was every girl on my screen. Social media, TV shows, magazines, ads … they all sent the same message: thin is beautiful, and everything else you have to “fix.” Every time I opened Instagram or TikTok, I saw endless videos of girls with flat stomachs, perfect angles and “What I eat in a day” clips that added up to barely a snack. When those images are all you see, they start to feel like the only standard that matters. What made it worse is how fake so much of it is – filters, Photoshop, angles and lighting tricks. I didn’t just want to be skinny ; I wanted to be accepted, loved, and seen the way those girls were. I didn’t realize that I was measuring myself against something that isn’t even humanly achievable most of the time.
But here’s the truth : Striving to look like someone else — especially someone you love — is a trap. It doesn’t make you feel better. It just makes you feel invisible. I was fighting a battle inside my own mind, and nobody knew. And I let that happen, because I thought admitting it would make me weak. I didn’t know that there is real strength in saying, “I’m not OK.”
Now I’m starting to learn that I deserve to be seen as I am. That my body is not a failure just because it isn’t like hers. That no one should feel like a failure because their bodies are different. That food is not something to earn or fear. And that pretending doesn’t protect me — it only isolates me. What I needed back then wasn’t perfection. It was protection and compassion. It was someone to say, “You don’t have to look like her. You’re already worthy.”
I am proud of who I am and how I look. I’m not going to pretend anymore.
CNN reported children’s deaths by guns have been steadily increasing each year, , passing car accidents in 2020, with at least 18 school shootings being reported in the US as of May this year.
In the spring semester of freshman year, my school had its first school stabbing. In America, gun violence in schools is normalized as it happens so frequently. In most cases, school shootings are forgotten a month later until the next one cycles through. That next week, no resources were provided and nothing was discussed, I was terrified for my life. The intruder was discovered to be an enrolled student, and he successfully stabbed a student. The victim was severely injured, stabbed multiple times and immediately transported to the hospital to undergo surgery.
Youths are the number one demographic targeted towards gun violence, all of them being too young to experience life to the fullest, their lives being cut short by a bullet. This is a result of the lack of background checks and instruction teens are given. In many states, there are few regulations for teens possessing guns at a young age.
These major effects can mentally and physically consume a person, a situation they had no control in permanently changing their perspective in life. Disproportionately affecting minorities
The Second Amendment gives Americans the right to “a well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”However, this amendment never states that gun rights supersede human life. Imposing stricter gun laws does not erase gun rights. Countless lives have been taken because of the lack of regulations to get a gun. A massive decrease in deaths will occur with stricter laws being applied to gun access following higher age requirements, weapon licenses, and extensive background checks. This will massively impact society to have a decrease in homicide, school shootings, suicides, and accidental deaths if we implement stricter gun laws.
CNN reported children’s deaths by guns have been steadily increasing each year, , passing car accidents in 2020, with at least 18 school shootings being reported in the US as of May this year.
In the spring semester of freshman year, my school had its first school stabbing. In America, gun violence in schools is normalized as it happens so frequently. In most cases, school shootings are forgotten a month later until the next one cycles through. That next week, no resources were provided and nothing was discussed, I was terrified for my life. The intruder was discovered to be an enrolled student, and he successfully stabbed a student. The victim was severely injured, stabbed multiple times and immediately transported to the hospital to undergo surgery.
Youths are the number one demographic targeted towards gun violence, all of them being too young to experience life to the fullest, their lives being cut short by a bullet. This is a result of the lack of background checks and instruction teens are given. In many states, there are few regulations for teens possessing guns at a young age.
The Second Amendment gives Americans the right to “a well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”However, this amendment never states that gun rights supersede human life. Imposing stricter gun laws does not erase gun rights. Countless lives have been taken because of the lack of regulations to get a gun. A massive decrease in deaths will occur with stricter laws being applied to gun access following higher age requirements, weapon licenses, and extensive background checks. This will massively impact society to have a decrease in homicide, school shootings, suicides, and accidental deaths if we implement stricter gun laws.
If you or someone you know has experienced suicide ideation or trauma by gun violence, dial 988. Reach out, you aren’t alone.If you or someone you know has experienced suicide ideation or trauma by gun violence, dial 988. Reach out, you aren’t alone.
“One of the ways that we know that increases dopamine in the brain are extreme feelings,” Joe Dennis, a professor at Piedmont University and a former journalist, says. “So extreme feelings of anger is one of the ways that people keep engaged on platforms.”
As artificial intelligence evolve, the challenge of pulling the truth from online is only getting harder. AI technologies enable individuals to generate images and news that can be difficult to tell apart from factual information. People with large followings with spiteful motives can rapidly produce and spread propaganda across social media platforms. Videos can be altered with realism to make people appear to say or do things they never did. Truth and fiction are even harder to differentiate real and fake.
“Even just regular people who don’t use AI just to tell stories and use pictures of people who aren’t even part of the story to describe it,” Vayda, a rising sophomore at Loganville High School, says. “Most people scrolling will believe it without Googling it.”
“They’ll be like, I’ve read about that and blah, blah, blah. And then you go there and blah, blah, blah is not even a website you know?” Saybel, a rising freshman at Academy for Classical education, says. “It’s like you read these and then you think they’re actual people commenting and being smart, but it’s false information.”
Bots and fake accounts spread information and they also help boost analytics by interacting with posts. When bots flood a post with likes, shares or comments; even if the content isn’t true, it gets pushed into more people’s feeds. The result is that false or misleading posts get more attention, while real information can get buried. It’s not just what the bots say, it’s how they help spread and amplify the lies.
“They’ll comment over posts and they’ll increase the engagement on those posts. And so that’s what pushes it into more people’s algorithms,” Alli, a rising sophomore at Academy for Classical Education, says. “So, even though the bots and themselves don’t seem to be doing anything, they’re pushing out that misinformation.”
Misinformation can spread like wildfire. The truth is still out there, you just have to look a little harder to find it.
By: Caroline Conner Walter M. Williams High School Burlington, NC
Yankee Stadium, 2024. Photo by Caroline Conner
My favorite memories are playing catch with my dad in the backyard, watching my beloved Chicago Cubs win the World Series and cheering for my Tar Heels on their road to the College World Series. The common denominator? Baseball.
The “national pastime,” baseball is a huge part of American culture and history. However, some, particularly the younger generation, find it about as exciting as their history class. Claiming that the game “takes too long” or is “boring,” many have concluded that baseball moves too slowly and that the 3+ hours it takes to get through all nine innings isn’t worth it. Lucky for them, Major League Baseball (MLB) came up with a solution. The new pitch clock, which was established in 2023, made for shorter games, less theatrics from players, and more action.
In an attempt to attract a larger audience, specifically the younger generation, the pitch clock has dramatically shortened the average MLB game length. According to ESPN, the average game time in 2022 was 3:04 (hours: minutes). After the implementation of the pitch clock in 2023, the average game length for that season was 2:40. According to Forbes Magazine, that 24-minute decrease in average game length led to a 9.6% increase in attendance from 2022 to 2023.
The pitch clock has also resulted in fewer theatrics and lengthy routines by players, which speeds the game up substantially. Batters are cutting down their time spent doing things like adjusting batting gloves, calling time to take a lap around the batter’s box and fastening elbow guards. They have done so due to the resulting penalty for taking too much time to get set up in box. The rule is if the batter isn’t set up and ready to hit before the pitch clock reaches 8 seconds, they are given a strike. Likewise, pitchers have had to shorten their pre-pitch routines to accommodate the new pitch clock. They must start their motion towards the plate within 15 seconds of when the ball was returned to him by the catcher. This time extends to 20 seconds with runners on base, or 30 seconds in between batters. A ball is added to their count if they fail to do this. These rules and penalties have allowed the game to move quicker, and therefore more action to occur, which has helped beat the narrative that the game is “boring,” increasing both interest and attendance.
The pitch clock and its new rules have also created more action by mandating that there be two players on each side of second base at all times, preventing infield shifting. When the infield can’t shift to cover the spots a batter is likely to hit the ball to, more hits will get through the infield. This creates more runners on base, resulting in more action and potentially more scoring. This is proven by the difference in batting average before and after the new rules on shifting were implemented. In 2022, the league batting average was .243, which was the worst in 54 years according to the LA Times. After the pitch clock and shifting rules were established, the league-wide batting average immediately rose 5 points to .248 according to the Society for American Baseball Research.
“These approval numbers for the rule changes seemingly verify that MLB made the right call.” said Seton Hall Professor Charles Grantham, who conducted a study that involved collecting polling data regarding the new pitch clock rules.
With MLB attendance and interest increasing as a result of the pitch clock, more kids will get to experience the thrill of baseball the way I did. Listening to Cubs games on the radio or watching the College World Series are some of my most treasured memories, and I’m excited that the pitch clock will allow more children to experience that same love for the game.
Rock Star Writers Blog 