Esme Martinez-Lopez
Rigo Nava
Ashley Lopez-Montiel
What Happened to BIC? An editorial by Esme Martinez-Lopez
What is BIC? BIC (Breakfast In the Classroom) is a designated eating time during instructional class time. At least it was... however, due to the current pandemic, BIC time no longer allows students to eat in class. We understand that having BIC the traditional way increases risks of potential contamination by Covid-19, since students need to take off their masks to eat.
What should we change and how will that change benefit? Most students seem to agree that this time should be used for something more useful, such as having a longer break that allows students to eat, or giving students time to finish assignments/homework. Though we are grateful the school is taking extra precautions during these odd times, we can wonder if staff members have ever sat down and considered the multiple possibilities that can replace our current BIC. Since most students are already using this time to study, many do feel the need to spend more time outdoors. Going outside may benefit us since everyone is cooped up in one building. The extra break time might also help students get to classes faster; the hallways are always crowded with rushing students, which makes it very inefficient for others in a hurry. Perhaps giving us a better (preferably, longer) break may reduce the number of tardies in classes.
Who does this affect? The people who are directly affected are the students. One can only go so long without eating. Most, if not all, wake up extremely early in the morning and don’t have time to eat breakfast as they busily get ready and rush to catch a bus, a ride, whatever. If energy isn’t given to the body 6-8 hours after it’s awake, it’d be hard for someone to listen and concentrate effectively. BIC already affects our schedules; what’s the harm in asking for more? This way, not only will students have a productive, effective break, but they’ll be able to properly nourish their bodies. Teachers will have better listeners and, overall, better students. It’s a win-win situation.
A Disaster as Bad as Katrina An attack from a natural disaster has been the reason for over 90 deaths across 4 of our states in North America. This disaster is named “Hurricane Ida”. Though the hurricane has come to a fortunate end, its aftereffects are raising the death toll at an alarming rate. Floods force citizens to evacuate. Former missing citizens are turning up everywhere with their lives unfairly taken from them, and calling the electricity shortage a “problem” is an understatement.
Louisiana, after an attack from Ida Jacqueline Nam
Some scientists say that Hurricane Ida is the result of climate change. For a hurricane to be formed, it needs warm, ocean water, which is why most hurricanes are formed in tropical areas, such as Florida, Louisiana(which has taken the most damage out of all other affected areas), and North Carolina. However, due to recent changes in climate/global warming, the already warm oceans are starting to heat up to much higher temperatures than usual. Meteorologists believe that why Ida was so destructive.
More About Ida Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Ida
Ida has been classified as a Category 4 hurricane(the second-highest classification), with winds as fast as 150 mph. Though the damage wasn’t as bad as Katrina from 16 years ago(a Category 5 hurricane!), it has dealt an overwhelming amount of damage, with the damage cost being $80 billion.
Though we were lucky enough to avoid the disaster, there were hundreds of families affected quite heavily. If you would like to support these families and show your condolences to those who’ve lost their loved ones, go to: https://www.gofundme.com/f/ HurricaneRelief-Fund Your donations will be of great help to many families. Thank you.
Discard Litter Properly There is some obvious effects that come with littering, for example, a place strewn with litter is not going to be the most visually appealing. However, littering causes more than just a visual problem, there’s many other issues that come with the incorrect disposal of garbage. Some of these issues include potential hazards for both drivers and pedestrians, ocean pollution, increased possibility of flooding, and other forms of environmental harm. The problem of littering gets worse with each passing year despite the efforts of multiple programs, volunteers, and implementation of littering fines. In some places fines given out for littering have gone up 150%, with repeated offences resulting in even higher costs.
Disposable and reusable face masks are items that that are now very frequently appearing on the ground as litter. Face masks and other types of litter that are tossed on the ground ultimately end up in storm drains. Litter getting into storm drains is potentially dangerous for both humans and animals, especially sea creatures. Any litter that gets into storm drains is dangerous for humans because of the increased possibility of flooding that comes with littering, especially in locations with creeks or tributaries. Garbage eventually ends up in the ocean where creatures get stuck in debris or mistake the garbage for food. Discarding trash correctly is the proper thing to do. Janeli Cruz
Jesus Vargas