Madeline Park
Modern Broadway
By: Madeline Park
Throughout the years, Broadway has mirrored the important social issues of the time period. Whether it be “Rent” with the AIDS scare or “Miss Saigon” with the Vietnam War, Broadway reflects American troubles and culture. Recently, Broadway has become more commercial using iconic images and already known stories to bring in an audience. Disney has become a large part of the industry with plays like “Mary Poppins” and “Lion King” prospering. Most people are familiar with the movie “Matilda” which has just recently become a musical on Broadway. Broadway has begun to use celebrities to write the music for musicals to further appeal to audiences. Cyndi Lauper wrote the music for “Kinky Boots” which was also based off of a popular movie from a few years ago. The music from the group, ABBA, was used to create the musical “Mamma Mia” which has also become a blockbuster success. New Broadway plays are doing very well, but older ones continue to flourish and be a part of our culture as well. “Phantom of the Opera” is the longest running Broadway play and it is still playing. “West Side Story” was brought back to the stage as well. Broadway will continue to morph and change, but it will always be a part of American history and culture.
Beta State Convention
By: Madeline Park
Beta is a great service organization at our school that requires a 3.5 GPA or above. While the club has many events that it is a part of, perhaps the most exciting is the state convention. Members of the club travel to Orlando for a three-night stay at the Florida Hotel where they will compete in artistic or academic events. Among the many events are painting, creative writing, spelling, quiz bowl, oratory (public speaking), Spanish, English, and mathematics. The members also vote for the state officers of the Beta club. The state convention has many fun aspects as well including dances and talent competitions. Students are free to the commodities of the hotel including its swimming pool, fitness center, restaurants, and mall which it is attached to. The students who go work hard to put together items like a wreath, banner, and scrapbook that are entered in competitions during the convention. The students also put on a fun skit about good character. Overall, it is a great event and congratulations to those who went this year!
What is Bias?
By: Madeline Park
A man and his son are in a car crash. The man dies on the way to the hospital, and the boy is rushed to surgery. The surgeon says, “I can’t operate on this boy. He’s my son.” How can this be possible? Most people are momentarily confused by this question because we all associate doctors as being male. The answer to this riddle is that the surgeon is the mother of the son. We all have a little bit of bias harbored somewhere inside of ourselves, but we must try to set aside all of our bias so we can live without our lives being clouded by judgment and backwards thinking.
According to the Oxford Dictionary Definition of bias, it is, “prejudice in favor of or against one thing, person, or group compared with another, usually in a way considered to be unfair.” Bias originates in personal experiences or backgrounds. For example, a person has a bad experience with a police officer, therefore, that person is inclined to disrespect and dislike all police officers in all of their future encounters with them. Most people would agree that this is not exactly a fair judgment; however, this person allows this bad experience to dictate their life and future choices.
It is very important to learn from your background and experience, but make sensible choices and do research before forming your opinion. This is why voters are encouraged to do research on the candidates and different policies before they vote. Many Americans will vote exclusively Democrat or Republican without any knowledge of either party simply because that is how their family votes. Just as you should look into things before forming an opinion, you should also make sure to not base your decision solely on one source. The person writing or reporting the story could be, either consciously or subconsciously, manipulating their words so that they enforce their own personal opinions and bias. It is very important to learn from your background and experience, but do not let it dictate your life. Avoiding bias is important because you do not want to let narrow-minded opinions control you. Hopefully, someday we will be able to set aside our biased views, and no longer allow stereotypes like ‘a surgeon must be male’ govern our thoughts and actions.
Religion in Schools
By: Madeline Park
As of now, religion is a touchy subject that tends to be avoided in public schools. When something religious is mentioned an air of discomfort reverberates through the room. It shouldn’t be like that. Religion is something that is huge part of humanity and should be celebrated rather than suppressed. Since schools aim to teach about the world and all the people in it, they should add religion of all kinds to the curriculum.
The American outlook can be narrow-minded and insular; this stems from a lack of knowledge about other ways of life. Many people simply accept the faith that they were born into without truly understanding it or other faiths. This reinforces the practice of blindly accepting without questioning and forming opinions which leads to the apathy of the younger generations in politics and in other important things in our world. Currently, most public schools are sensitive to the diversity of religions within the schools, and try to disengage religion completely from academic life. Religious students feel as if they have something to hide by expressing their religion, and in a way they do as most students are intolerant of different lifestyles.
Tolerance is something that is developed. Generally, one is not tolerant unless he or she was born into a tolerant society. By creating classes that teach religion, students will grow up to be more tolerant and create a society with total world peace. Peace seems to be unattainable and far away, but the first step to peace is tolerance, and the first step to tolerance is an understanding of all religions and ways of life.
Clockwork Angel
By: Madeline Park
Clockwork Angel is a prequel to the popular Mortal Instruments series, or City of Bones books, by Cassandra Clare. The main characters are different as this is about the ancestors of the characters in the Mortal Instruments Series. The story takes place in London during the Victorian Era. It is written in the perspective of Tessa Gray, who goes to London to live with her brother, but instead is pulled into the mystical world of Shadowhunters, or demon hunters. She learns she has the power to transform, at will, into another person, and her gift becomes invaluable to the Shadowhunters. Living at the London Institute for Shadowhunters, she finds herself romantically torn between two friends: Jem whose delicate beauty hides a deadly secret, and Will who has volatile moods and keeps everyone at arm’s length. Throughout the book, the Shadowhunters aim to stop the evil and mysterious doings of a secret organization known as the Pandemonium Club. The book is highly entertaining, and it is not necessary to read the Mortal Instruments Series first.
Little Paws
By: Madeline Park
Academic subjects are certainly important for a students’ future, however it is not the sole factor that guarantees a students’ success. Many students from an early age tend to discover an affinity or interest in a particular area, making our academies and programs so beneficial. Ridgeview High School hosts an excellent program known as Little Paws for students that are interested in education or childcare as a future career. The Little Paws program offers a daycare for the children of teachers at this school. Students involved in the program assist adult teachers in caring for and teaching the children. Students might read stories to or play games with the children for an elective class period.
The children certainly have interesting days in that they often get to participate in school functions and activities. Often times, the teachers of the daycare will take the children to pep-rallies or flash mobs that the school hosts. The IB ninth grade drama classes have an activity in which students divide into groups and write short plays inspired by children books. The students get together to create performances including scenery, costumes, and makeup to put on a show for the Little Paws children. The Little Paws program also puts on a parade once a year for the children during Halloween. The kids dress up in costumes and parade through the halls for teachers and students who attend the school to observe. The teachers will give treats to the kids. The activity is a blast for everyone involved: the children, the students involved in Little Paws, the students not involved in Little Paws, and even the teachers.
While the program does witness and participate in many high school functions, it is incredibly safe as there are always supervising teachers present in the room. Little Paws does not go out in the halls in between class periods or to the cafeteria during normal student lunch. Little Paws is isolated and sheltered from the majority of high school activity even though there is some limited contact with high school life as described above. The dozens of young children attending the daycare make it evident that many teachers trust the daycare enough to put their kids in it.
The Little Paws daycare is a program that is unique to Ridgeview High School and allows for high school students to get a chance to gain experience in the area of childcare and education. The program allows for a fulfilling educational experience for both the students and children involved.