By Jordyn Wirth – Staff Reporter

On January 28, Keloni Grand was harassed and threatened to be killed for being a transgender female. This happened as she walked home from school shorty after school was dismissed. A group of males followed her out of Melrose High School in Melrose, Massachusetts, calling her hurtful names, threatening to do harm to her, and threatening to kill her. Grand tried to be the better person by trying to avoid the situation by simply walking away, but the group continued to follow her and harass her. One of the boys even spit on her.  Her grandmother and aunt could not believe what they saw and heard when they arrived to pick her up. Grand had made many complaints to the school and the police about the harassment she was receiving from others and no one acknowledged her.

“Sometimes, I think I should hide myself, but people tell me to keep pushing and be myself,” said Grand.

She claims that she is no longer a stranger to bullying since her transition started a month before this had occurred.

“There were 15, 16 guys out there, and I said, ‘All of them want to fight you for what?’” Grand’s aunt said.

These boys pushed her so far that she now wants to transfer high schools for her own safety.  She is just one of the 55% of LGBTQ youth that lives in a state that does not have laws that explicitly protect them from the discrimination towards them based on their sexual orientation or gender identity.

Kids are no longer wanting to attend their school’s in the fear of being bullied and harassed. This issue has been a growing world renowned problem for well over a decade. Something must be done to protect these innocent lives.

Many results from the 2017 Youth Risk Behavior Survey shows that, throughout the nation, 31% of United States high school students who identify themselves as lesbian, gay, or bisexual report about having been bullied on school property and 27.1% been cyberbullied in the past year. The study also showed that 10% percent more LGB students than the 6.1% of heterosexual students reported not going to school because of their mental and physical safety concerns. Among students who identified as “not sure” or “unaware” of their sexual orientation, 24.3% of them also reported being bullied on school property, therefore 22% of them being cyberbullied, and 10.7% of them not going to school because of safety concerns.

High school can be extremely challenging for the entire student body at times. High school is about finding yourself, your friend group, and interests. But, the LGBTQ students face additional harassment, abuse, and violence on a daily basis. Daniel Segobiano, who has self-identified as gay since kindergarten has been dealing with the harsh harassment all his life.

“I was bullied for being ‘too feminine and to avoid being teased I’d deepen my voice around others in P.E.,” Segobiano said.

Not only are kids no longer wanting to attend their schools, but they also are trying to change themselves in school to try to avoid the daily harassment that they receive.

LGBTQ students are surprisingly twice as likely to say that they were not planning on finishing out their high school years or even continuing their education on to college. No student deserves to feel like cannot continue their success because of the way others are making them feel.

The issue with harassment towards LGBTQ people has been going on for years and has been growing into a global issue for years as well. Not all people that are a part of the LGBTQ community face these problems everyday. However LGBTQ people, in general, are at a higher risk than the overall population of people in attempting suicide and having suicidal thoughts because of what society and peers put them through every day.

When narrowing the LGBTQ community down to specifically highschool students, these students who self identify as gay, lesbian, transgender or bisexual are almost five times more likely than the population as a whole to attempt to commit suicide and have suicidal thoughts based off of the discrimination, prejudice, denial of civil and human rights, harassment and violence and even family rejection which most parts of the LGBTQ community face.

On April 18, 15-year-old Alabama high school student Nigel Shelby committed suicide due to the harassment towards him for being gay.

“When you have a kid that’s already depressed and going through an immense amount emotionally, for you to call him names that you shouldn’t call them or say stuff to them — it sometimes has a worse effect than it would on a child who’s not struggling with depression,” his mother, Camika Shelby, said.

Nigel was described as “full of light” but he was still battling depression, attending doctors appointments to help him get better although this was very unexpected said his mom, she wanted him to be remembered for so much more than the reason for his death.

“He told me, ‘Mom I’m going to do better in school.’ He kissed me and told me that he loved me,” Camika said. “That was the last conversation that I had with my baby.”

This tragedy became intensely public, spreading so much awareness of suicide prevention and acceptance that even Justin Bieber took one of the articles on Nigel’s death to his instagram platform saying, “This is Horrible.”

“I hate this with a passion… stop the hatred please! I don’t understand how people can be so ignorant and hateful,” Bieber said.

Shelby explained she hopes to see that her son’s death sends an efficient message especially highlighting the harmful effects and long lasting effects of bullying and to encourage tolerance throughout the community.

School should be a safe environment to the whole community for the students to have the ability to learn, process, and build a foundation for their own success. The issue with certain kids not wanting to come to school, certainly reflects on the school itself and the community it is in, in fact nine out of ten students who self identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or queer reported about the deteriorating harassment and bullying that they were receiving last year.

In the hallways of North Bend High School, the gay and lesbian students are taunted with homophobic slurs. In the cafeteria, students pelted a transgender student with food. When the gay and lesbian students got into trouble, the school’s principal assigned a discriminating and harsh punishment specifically just for them; readings from the Bible.

The state was then able to uncover “substantial evidence” showing discrimination to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer students at North Bend High School.

“The department finds that discrimination on the basis of sex and sexual orientation may have occurred,” the investigator wrote.

People like Keloni Grand and Nigel Shelby should have never even have had to face these difficult situations in the first place. LGBTQ activists insist that a message of acceptance and tolerance must be more well-spread throughout the community highlighting some of these students stories to show the effects of their peers.

(Some information nytimes.com, stompoutbullying.org, nami.org, williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu, people.com)

By Ethan Harrigan – Staff Reporter

Brian Zirkel is a sophomore at Jonathan Law High School, balancing a large course load, including an AP class, with playing varsity tennis for the Law team. He usually gets only 6-7 hours of sleep due to the homework he has to do after his extracurricular activities, and because of the school start time of 7:20 a.m.

“I’m really tired whenever I get to school and it’s hard to get out of bed a lot of times,” Zirkel said.

Zirkel and many other high school students often suffer from the early start times Connecticut schools have, not getting close to the 9-10 hours of optimal rest teens are supposed to get.

The lack of sleep can lead to many different deficiencies and studies have shown that schools with later start times may be beneficial.

The sleep teens lose out on when they wake up early is Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep, the phase in which dreams usually occur. Lower amounts of REM sleep have been linked to behavior and memory problems. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), adolescents who do not get enough sleep are more likely to be overweight, not engage in daily physical activity, suffer from symptoms of depression, engage in unhealthy risk behaviors such as drinking, smoking tobacco, and using illicit drugs, and perform poorly in school. Lack of sleep can also limit your ability to learn, listen, concentrate and solve problems, as well as making you aggressive or impatient.

Additionally, the National Sleep Foundation(NSF) said that, “Many teens suffer from treatable sleep disorders, such as narcolepsy, insomnia, restless legs syndrome or sleep apnea.”

In an NSF poll, 73% of adolescents who reported feeling unhappy, sad, or depressed also reported not getting enough sleep at night and being excessively sleepy during the day.

Teenagers are proven to have a different biological clock than adults, going to sleep later and statistically needing 9-10 hours of sleep. The onset of puberty lengthens the daily cycle in adolescents and also decreases the rhythm’s sensitivity to light in the morning. These changes cause teens to fall asleep later each night and wake up later each morning relative to most children and adults. These biological changes are often combined with poor sleep habits including irregular bedtimes due to academic responsibilities, and the presence of electronics in the bedroom.

“Biological sleep patterns shift toward later times for both sleeping and waking during adolescence — meaning it is natural to not be able to fall asleep before 11:00 p.m.,” the National Sleep Foundation says.

School start times like those in Connecticut make teens get up early and this is the largest factor preventing them from getting the amount of sleep they need. A U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention survey of youth released in 2017 shows that only one-quarter of high school age adolescents reported sleeping the minimum recommended eight hours each night.

“We’ve put them in between a rock and a hard place where their biology to go to bed later fights with societal expectations,” said Gideon Dunster, Graduate Student studying sleep at the University of Washington. “All of the studies of adolescent sleep patterns in the United States are showing that the time at which teens generally fall asleep is biologically determined—but the time at which they wake up is socially determined.”

Many teenagers in response to their late nights during weekdays, try to catch up on sleep by oversleeping on weekends however this doesn’t entirely benefit them. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), “Although this weekend oversleeping can help offset the weekly sleep deficit, it can worsen circadian disruption and morning sleepiness at school.”

The AAP has a substantial body of research that has demonstrated that delaying school start times is an effective countermeasure to chronic sleep loss and has a wide range of potential benefits to students with regard to physical and mental health, safety, and academic achievement. The AAP has suggested that high schools start at 8:30 a.m. or later to allow teens the chance to get a better amount of sleep, but most Americans start school earlier.

According to the 2014 School Health Policies and Practices Study, 93% of high schools and 83% of middle schools in the U.S. started before 8:30 a.m.

“To ask a teen to be up and alert at 7:30 a.m. is like asking an adult to be active and alert at 5:30 a.m.,” said Horacio de la Iglesia, Professor of Biology at the University of Washington.

In 2017, the Seattle school district changed the school start time from 7:50 a.m. to 8:45 a.m. Researchers gave every student wrist activity monitors to track their sleep. The wrist monitors were worn by the students all day for a period of two weeks, and recorded  light and motion data every 15 seconds, which was used to determine when the students were awake or asleep. Researchers from the University of Washington found that after the time change students got 34 minutes more sleep on average than the earlier start times while bedtimes stayed relatively the same.

“This study shows a significant improvement in the sleep duration of students – all by delaying school start times so that they’re more in line with the natural wake-up times of adolescents,” De Iglesia said.

It also improved the academic performance of the students involved. After Seattle schools changed start times to nearly one hour later, researchers looked at a group of 88 students taking the same biology classes. They also wore wrist activity monitors and kept a sleep diary. The data collected showed improvement in academic ability.  For example, students who took the biology class after the later start time got final grades that were 4.5 percent higher than students who took the class when it started earlier. That could be the difference between a B and an A. This was due to several benefits of the later start times and added sleep.

Students could be more punctual to their morning classes, not having to roll out of bed, eat breakfast and rush to school.

“When we started at 7:50 a.m. there would always be stragglers who were having a hard time getting here,” said Cindy Jatul, who teaches biology at Roosevelt High School in Seattle. Students were groggy and noticeably different from students who took her class later in the day. “For example, if I gave them a project in the lab, they would be the most likely class to mess up,” she said.

The number of students who were tardy or absent decreased significantly, because the later start times gave families in all economic situations more time to get to school. Delayed start times may even lead to a decrease in the achievement gap between students from low and high socioeconomic backgrounds.

“We need to give every bit of equity we can for kids in lower socio-economic families,” said Dr. Cora Collette Breuner, spokesperson for the American Academy of Pediatrics and professor of pediatrics at the University of Washington School of Medicine.

Teens were more alert and attentive in classes, an improvement from the previous situation. The later start times enabled them to fully participate in class with less drowsiness. Franklin High School science teacher A.J. Katzaroff said “there was lots of yawning” when school started at 7:50 a.m. Students had a hard time engaging in the work or in brief discussions which is a reflection of the amount of sleep they were getting.

“Some of the best practices in science education have students talk, discuss and investigate together and those are all very hard when the brain is not fully powered,” Katzaroff said.

Starting school later also helped students combat the symptoms of chronic sleep deprivation, such as fatigue, depression, and memory and cognition impairment.

While Connecticut schools don’t start at 7:50 anyways the same results might hold true if the same was done. The problem with school districts is that they have already been accustomed to the start times set in place and don’t want to change them because it’s easier to do what has already been done. Other factors are the extracurricular activities and jobs undertaken by teenagers that are directly after school ends, as well as changing bus schedules. However, schools changing start times could result in healthier students who have less of a need for nurses and counselors. There are pros and cons for both sides of this issue and school districts attempt to look out for what teens want and need.

“I would feel better with an extra half hour of sleep,” Zirkel said. “I wouldn’t have school start at 8:30, but yeah I favor a later start time.”

For now, with summer on the horizon, Zirkel and other high school students sleepily continue their schedules heading into finals and the last full week of school, trying to get the amount of sleep they need.

(Some information courtesy futurity.org, sleepfoundation.org, cdc.org, neatoday.org, npr.org, pediatrics.org)

By Stefanie Lojko – Staff Reporter

Shayna Levay, a senior at Jonathan Law High School, had to make the tough decision between the University Of New Haven and Central Connecticut State University. She thought about all the factors such as dorms, commuting, food, and program types. When she saw how much the prices of each school were, she struggled for a few weeks on deciding what to do, deciding between what she wanted out of her college experience and what she could afford.

In the end, it all came down to the price.

For most seniors like Levay, college is the next step in their educational journey. For many, however, college is a goal that’s just out of their reach.

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, the average cost per year for the 2015-2016 academic year was just over $19,000 for a public four-year university. Middle class families make an income “between $45,000 and $135,000” a year.  

Going to a four-year college for $19,000 a year adds up to $76,000. These numbers are scary to any student that’s been in a free public school for the past 12 years.

The government tries to soften the impact of college pricing with financial aid through grants and loans. Unfortunately, they can’t give a lot to every student because so many students are all doing the same thing – applying to get money help from the government.

Federal student loans average that students will pay off their debt in less than 10 years. Most of the time, that is not the case.

“With a college degree often being a basic requirement for professional jobs, not getting a college degree can put workers at a major disadvantage in the job market,” Camilo Maldonado, co-founder of The Finance Twins, said.

According to the Center On Education And The Workforce, 35% of the job openings require at least a bachelor’s degree and 30% of job openings will require some college or associate’s degree.

One in five college grads still aren’t working a degree-demanding job a decade after leaving school. With many students that do not have a job right out of college, they think of it as a phase but a few months could lead to a few years.

Students will tend to spiral once they do not have a job out of school because they can’t afford to pay back loans and support themselves. They find any job they can but as life goes on, they can not afford to be unemployed looking for a job relating to their degree. They end up in a downward spiral.

Prices for private and public four-year colleges have risen so much in the past 10 years that community college enrollment rates have increased by 25%. Community colleges are a perfect way for many students to get an education without having to pay these crazy loans.

College tuition prices and student loan debt have even become major issues on the 2020 presidential campaign trail.

Many of the 2020 presidential candidates are agreeing that public education needs to be changed. Many, like John Hickenlooper, believe that student loans interest rates should be brought down while some believe that education should be free entirely.

“We need to commit to 16 years of free public education for all our children,” 2020 presidential candidate Joe Biden said. “We all know that 12 years of public education is not enough. As a nation let’s make the same commitment to a college education today that we made to a high school education 100 years ago.”

Bernie Sanders believes that public college tuition should be free and that the federal government would fund two-thirds and the states would fund the rest.

“It is totally counterproductive for our future that millions of Americans are carrying outrageous levels of student debt,” Sanders said.

In 1981, the average student debt was only $1,910 and grew to be $16,604 by 2016. That’s a 35 year difference with student debt pricing raising about $16,000.

“Our child is in ecstasy, but where is the money going to come from?” Beth Greulich, financial advisor at Abacus Wealth Partners, said.

Students aren’t the only ones suffering. Parents can no longer think about their retirement plans because they are taking money out of their savings in order for their students to pay for their education.

“Many of these dreams are gone because they would rather help their kids with their own financial stability,” Greulich said.

Many people are starting families and getting married later on in life because their debt is so bad, they can’t afford it. The percentage of graduates moving back home after college have raised to 28% in 2016 after being at 19% in 2005.

Graduates are also having a hard time making down payments on homes after college because they are only in their 20s and are already paying back the debt of college.

For students like Shayna Levay, going with the least pricey option isn’t always enough. Not every student will receive thousands of dollars in scholarships or get help from FAFSA in order to pursue their college career.

It’s time that more people understand this struggle that thousands of students face.

(Some information courtesy ctpost.com, forbes.com, usnews.com, georgetown.edu, debt.org, cnbc.com, collegeboard.com, marketwatch.com, investmentnews.com, higheredtoday.org)

By Mia Cerrato – Staff Reporter

Jairo Gomez, a 17-year-old who lives in a one bedroom apartment with his other eight family members, is amidst the horrors of poverty in the U.S. Gomez has grown up in poverty just like one third of kids in New York City. He attempts to support his family financially, but it is very difficult. Gomez had to trade his freedom to support his family. Most 17-year-olds hang out with friends, go to sports practice, or just attend school. But in Gomez’s case, he is working 13-hour shifts, making food deliveries on bike, and in his spare time watching his siblings while his single mother is working as well. He acknowledges that to dig himself out of poverty is impossible without an education, something he is not receiving.

Jairo Gomez is just one of millions of teenagers fighting poverty in the U.S. every day. According to Child International, one in seven children will be born into poverty in the United States. Poverty is an issue that impacts kids mentally and physically. It will affect every aspect of their life.

Jenny Brundin of Colorado Public Radio said, “Poverty can have long lasting impacts on children, mainly because of the stress and trauma associated with it. Researchers are finding a significant link between that stress, brain development and academic performance.”

Many kids in poverty are controlled by their endless responsibilities. For instance, those in poverty must worry about feeding their siblings or helping to pay rent. 

“‘I know a student’s got a better life than me when all they have to do is go home and do homework,” 17-year-old Chaunsae Dyson said. “Working a job is a necessity; it is a need for me.’”

Many children in poverty also lack strong parental figures; they often don’t have anyone to look up to or rely on.

Luis Robles, a teen directly impacted by poverty, said, “‘As a young man you see your dad or your older brother as a role model – for me it was a role model of what I did not want to do. I would see my brother – he was into smoking marijuana – my dad he was an alcoholic – so I always told myself, that’s not what I want to do. When I grow up to that age – I don’t want to be like them.”

In many of these cases, a teacher can take the place of a parent or guardian. A teacher’s attention and support makes a large impact on how a student performs and feels. It enables them to see their own potential.

Brudin said, “It takes one teacher noticing them, telling them they have potential. That’s made the difference.”

According to Brudin, creativeness, imagination, and motivation could be in danger for kids living in poverty. These kids could improve and grow if they were provided with the right people, resources, and circumstances. Poverty also has colossal impact on brain development.

A new study in the Journal of Health Affairs shows that for the one in five children who’ve been through at least two of these traumatic experiences, the consequences can be dire. Those kids were twice as likely as their peers to have a chronic condition and special health needs. They were 2.5 times more likely to repeat grades in school.

Their often chaotic living situation also greatly contributes to brain development. Studies have shown that poverty impairs vocabulary and language development. Poverty-related stress can lower the prefrontal cortex’s ability to process information. For instance, learning and memory.

Researcher Pilyoung Kim has written about how this stress impairs development in the prefrontal cortex – that’s the part of the brain that regulates emotions like fear, sadness, and anger. She found that too much stress strengthens connections in the amygdala, which helps us detect dangers and threats from the environment.

“If there is imbalance in communication between two regions, one possibility would be the child needs a lot longer time to recover from negative states like being very anxious, fearful or sometimes angry when experiencing a stressor, like someone reacting to them in a hostile way,” Kim said.

This can explain some hostile, violent behaviors in children living in poverty and why they think that harmless situations or interactions are threatening. Mental illnesses such as depression and anxiety go hand and hand with the development of the brain.

Destiny Carney, 18, grew up in severe poverty. For a majority of her life, Carney was homeless with her mother who struggled with addiction. Her mother often neglected her and she was bullied in school because of these circumstances.

There are many studies that show mothers and children in extreme poverty will suffer from depression.

“‘I feel that when you are homeless and the environment the people you are around sometimes kind of make you feel like you can’t do it,” Carney said.

Those in poverty have to deal with constant negativity, whether it be people they are surrounded by or situations they are in. To most, it feels like they will be stuck in poverty forever.

“Because some of the other people are, ‘well, you know I really wanted to do this but I’m just going to get Section 8,'” Carney said. “They’re not really trying hard and other people want to bring you down and there’s drama and I feel like once you get in poverty, it’s kind of hard to get out.’”

Race plays a large role in poverty as well. Hispanic and black children are more likely to live in poor families than their non-Hispanic white and Asian children. In 2017, 11 percent of both non-Hispanic white and Asian children were impoverished, compared with 25 percent of Hispanic children and 29 percent of black children.

In the same year, more than half of Hispanic (54 percent) and black (57 percent) children were in low income families. By contrast, 27 percent of Asian and of non-Hispanic white children lived in low-income families. Black children were more likely than Hispanic children to be in deep poverty (15 and 11 percent, respectively), and both were more likely to be in deep poverty than non-Hispanic white or Asian children (each at 5 percent).

Age is also connected to poverty and homelessness.

Research agency Child Trends wrote, “In 2017, the poverty rate for children under age 5 was higher than for children ages 5 to 17, at 19 and 16 percent, respectively.”

According to Jill Rosen of John Hopkins University, 5.6% of kids from 0-5 years of age, 10% of teen girls from 12-18 years of age and 14% of teen boys  from 12-18 years of age aren’t receiving enough to eat.

Those who suffered the most from food deprivation are boys.

About six percent of children up to five years of age weren’t getting enough to eat, and slightly older children, those up to age 11, fared about the same. But with children 12 to 18, nearly 12 percent of them regularly went hungry.

It’s unclear why teenage boys go hungry more often than girls. It could be because of their need for more calories and being outside of the house often.

Adults on the other hand have different hunger statistics.

“Researchers found 12 percent of the adults in these disadvantaged families suffered from extreme food hardship, answering ‘yes’ to several of the screening questions,” Rosen said.

Yet, there are various supports for these low income families to reduce poverty and apparently have long term effects.

Some assistance programs funded by the federal government are Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and the Earned Income Credit (EIC).

There are other programs that are not funded by the government in hopes to end poverty such as, Save the Children, Children’s Hunger Alliance, The Hunger Project, Bread for the World and many more.

Although, these programs and organizations could only do so much for citizens such as Jairo Gomez.

“It gets me mad that my mom works so hard,” said Gomez. “And there are people out there who are just born into it.”

People who are born into wealth don’t have to endure the struggles others have.

“They make money like nothing,” said Gomez. “They don’t have to clean houses, wake up early, drain themselves. We’re told, ‘If you work hard, you’ll get results.’ But for my family, there haven’t been any results – just survival.”

(Some information courtesy futurity.org, cpr.org)

By Anish Sikhinam – Staff Reporter

Jake is a high school junior in North Carolina who takes three Advanced Placement courses, runs cross country for his school, and has attended multiple Model U.N. conferences. Although Jake worked hard, failure at anything always scared him. Jake believed he couldn’t keep up with his peers, or that he won’t succeed in life.

All of a sudden, Jake had a massive stress breakdown, and he felt that going to school was impossible. Jake was prescribed Prozac, an antidepressant given to depressed and anxious teenagers by his physician. The drug, which was one of many Jake would soon be prescribed, did not work, and seemed to make an already tough situation even worse.

A few weeks later, Jake locked and tried to drown himself in the bathroom. After being hospitalized for four days, Jake started hiding out in his room, and argued with his parents about going to school, making him feel more anxious and depressed. He even began to threaten suicide again.

After two more hospitalizations, Jake’s parents have sent him to a residential facility in New Hampshire that has programs geared towards stressed and anxious teenagers like Jake.

Jake is one of the many high school and college teenagers and students that suffer from anxiety from school, which has recently overtaken depression as the reason that many students seek out guidance and help. High school teenagers have many activities, and responsibilities to keep up with in their lives – doing good in AP classes, as well as in honors classes, playing one or more sports, playing instruments, joining and participating in clubs, doing community service, and much more. In addition to this, many students feel that if they don’t succeed at any of these, they won’t succeed in their career or their life.

Students also have a lot going on in terms of social life, due to the smartphone bringing social media apps like Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat to prominence. Teenage students usually spend a lot of time on these websites, and some often lose sleep over keeping up with all of these things, and they often have little to no free time to get rest or spend valuable time with their family.

There have been an overwhelming amount of studies done on this topic, and many statistics have been found supporting the increasing amounts of student burnout, exhaust, and stress, especially in a time of smartphones and fast internet and social media. According to the American College Health Association, there has been a significant increase in stress over the past few years – from 50 percent in 2011 to 62 percent in 2016.

“Anxiety is the most common mental-health disorder in the United States, affecting nearly one-third of both adolescents and adults, according to the National Institute of Mental Health,” New York Times journalist Benoit Denizet-Lewis said. “But unlike depression, with which it routinely occurs, anxiety is often seen as a less serious problem.”

Forms of severe stress and anxiety similar to what Jake and many other high school students experience is often overlooked. This is because everyone has stress and anxiety to a level – it was an evolutionary feature that helped early ancestors escape threats and dangerous situations by triggering a “fight or flight” response.

“Highly anxious people, though, have an overactive fight-or-flight response that perceives threats where there often are none,” Denizet-Lewis said.

According to Suniya Luthar, a professor of psychology at Arizona State University studying stress in all students, the privileged students are often more stressed.

“These kids are incredibly anxious and perfectionistic,” Luthar said. For many students, they can “never get to the point where they can say, ‘I’ve done enough, and now I can stop.’” Her research shows that “kids have a sense that they’re not measuring up” and that “the pressure is relentless and getting worse”.

The increase in competitiveness in schools can also pressure students, causing stress.

“School is putting so much pressure on them with the competitiveness … I’ve seen eighth graders admitted as inpatients, saying they have to choose a career,” said Marco Grados, an associate professor of psychiatry and clinical director of child and adolescent psychiatry at John Hopkins Hospital.

In addition to stress from school, social media sites such as Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat can increase the anxiety levels that a student experiences everyday. Due to the rise in prominence of smartphones and social media networking sites over the last decade, this is something that many parents of students cannot relate to. This current generation is the first to experiment with social media and actually see its effects on human behavior, especially with regards to stress and anxiety. Indeed, “when it comes to treating anxiety in children and teens, Instagram, Twitter and Facebook are the bane of therapists’ work,” Washington Post journalist Amy Ellis Nutt writes.

Grados notes that “with (social media), it’s all about the self-image – who’s ‘liking’ them, who’s watching them, who clicked on their picture. Everything can turn into something negative… [K]ids are exposed to that day after day, and it’s not good for them.”

And the numbers really do add up. A UCLA study done by the Higher Education Research Institute asked incoming college freshmen if they “felt overwhelmed” by their experience going forward. According to the study, 18 percent said yes in 1985. By 2000, that number had climbed to 28 percent, and by 2016, this number had climbed to 41 percent. Jean Twenge, psychology professor at San Diego State University, looked at Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) results. The MMPI is one of the oldest surveys assessing human psychology and psychopathology, and it is still in use today, dating back to the era of the Great Depression. After looking at the responses of more than 77,500 high school and college students over the decades, she concluded that five times as many students in 2007 “surpassed thresholds” in more than one mental health category, and anxiety and depression were six times more common since 1938.

This anxiety problem also seems to be affecting some more than others. According to the National Survey of Children’s Health, among the parents who responded “yes” to if their child had feelings of anxiety or depression, 10.7 percent of parents reported that their child’s depression was severe. Furthermore, 15.2 percent reported that their child’s anxiety was severe. The survey also found that anxiety and depression were more common amongst white and non-Hispanic people. Another study done by the National Institutes of Health describes the incidence of stress among girls as 38.0 percent – far above the incidence of stress among boys, which was 26.1 percent.

Moreover, clinicians have stated that anxiety in teenagers can lead to many other health problems down the road. In the National Survey of Children’s Health, it was found that children with anxiety or depression were more likely obese compared to their peers.

“I have a wide range [of patients], take all insurances, do inpatients, day hospital, outpatients, and see anxiety across all strata,” Grados said. He regularly treats patients with anxiety and sees them as part of his clinical practice.

“Anxiety can be an early stage of other conditions,” Grados said. “Bipolar, schizophrenia later in life can initially manifest as anxiety.”

However, there is hope for those with stress and anxiety. Mountain Valley is a non-profit “residential treatment facility and one of a growing number of programs for acutely anxious teenagers,” Denizet-Lewis said. These facilities are usually a last resort – after conventional therapy – however, more and more students arrive at them each year due to the increase in anxiety.

“The young people I met there suffered from a range of anxiety disorders, including social anxiety, separation anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder,” Denizet-Lewis reports after visiting Mountain Valley.

After going to Mountain Valley for three months, Jake had improved significantly and was in much better shape compared to his past self and other newcomers there. During Jake’s time at anxious facilities like Mountain Valley, he had learned to analyze and cope with his thoughts of being unsuccessful and a total failure.

“I’m free to play the part of terrible, evil thoughts for anyone who needs them,” Jake said. Teens also learn to voice their insecurities that cause them to feel stressed and talk about it amongst others. By talking about it amongst each other, these problems seem more relatable to teenagers, and they don’t have the feeling that “they’re the only one.”

Jake had also learned mindfulness techniques, and had participated in art, equine, and most importantly, exposure therapy. Exposure therapy exposes teenagers like Jake to their fears – in this case, their thoughts of being unsuccessful – incrementally, allowing them to familiarize themselves with the cause of their anxiety. Therapists at Mountain Valley had devised exercises tailored to specific fears that students like Jake had. Since Jake’s main fear was failure, he learned ways to cope with imperfection and ways to de-stress when he seemed anxious.

After leaving Mountain Valley, Jake eventually got into his dream school – University of North Carolina. However, the change that Jake experienced during his time at the treatment facility was invaluable. As of now, Jake says that if he hadn’t gotten into UNC, that he would have been disappointed, but he really would have been fine. According to him, ¨there are other schools in the world where I would have been happy. I definitely wouldn’t have believed that a couple years ago, but a lot’s changed.”

(Some information courtesy nytimes.com, washingtonpost.com)

By Stephanie Caron – Staff Reporter

A recent nationwide survey of high school students in the United States found that 16% of students reported seriously considering suicide, 13% reported creating a plan, and 8% reporting trying to take their own life in the 12 months preceding the survey.

Milford student, “Jenny Parkers” is all too familiar with that statistic. She is still dealing with the death of an 18-year-old family member who took his own life in October 2017.

“I’m still not over it,” Parkers said. “It’s better now, it’s been two years, but it is also still hard. When the day it happens comes around, and his birthday.”

Suicide and depression affects many more people each year. Suicide also affects an entire community, families of the victim, and friends.

With suicide increasing in teens and young adults it has now become the second leading cause of death for 10- to 24-year-olds.

In Dallas County, Texas, the numbers are alarming. “The suicide rate for children 14 to 17 in Dallas County increased 79 percent from 2015 to 2016. Between 2008 and 2015, rates of children seen for suicidal ideation and behaviors in hospitals and emergency rooms almost doubled,” Psychiatrist Betsy Kennard said. “The Children’s Medical Center has also experienced a similar increase in those seen for suicidal thoughts and behaviors during that time period”

This begs the question: Why are these numbers on the rise? Why are more and more teens depressed or committing suicide? There are many theories as to why it has increased greatly in the past years.

One theory is that there is more stress on families and teens which may be a factor to depression and other mood disorders.

“Disruption in family structure can lead to several adverse events impacting both the mental health of children and their parents. Not all disruptions have equal effects. More emotional and behavioral problems occur in families disrupted by divorce than compared to other types of disruptions, for example, death of a parent,” Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist  Dr. Aniruddh Prakash said. “ Certain characteristics have been identified in caregivers as well as the children themselves that serve as risk factors for abuse. Young age, depression, substance abuse, poverty, and history of mothers being separated from their own mothers during childhood serve as risk factors.”

Some believe the popular Netflix show “13 Reasons Why” has been big factor in the increase of teen suicide. The show is seen by some to glorify suicide in teens. A recent study that was conducted by using segmented quasi-Poisson regression and Holt-Winters forecasting models assessed monthly rates of suicide among individuals aged 10 to 64 years grouped into 3 age categories (10–17, 18–29, and 30–64 years) between January 1, 2013, and December 31, 2017, it was shown that, “After accounting for seasonal effects and an underlying increasing trend in monthly suicide rates, the overall suicide rate among 10- to 17-year-olds increased significantly in the month immediately following the release of ‘13 Reasons Why;’ Holt-Winters forecasting revealed elevated observed suicide rates in the month after release and in two subsequent months, relative to corresponding forecasted rates,” Jeffrey A. Bridge, PhD said.

In another study, American Academy of Pediatrics researchers found, “in the days following the premier of ‘13 Reasons Why,’ a significant spike in internet searches using terms such as ‘how to commit suicide’ and ‘how to kill yourself.’”A more recent study funded by the National Institutes of Health found a 29% increase in suicide among U.S. adolescents between ages 10-17 after the release of Season 1. In April 2017, the month after Netflix released all 13 episodes for streaming, the teen suicide rate in this age group reached a 19-year high. It remained high the rest of the year, with 195 more suicides reported in this age group than would have been expected.

Depression is increasing in teens at a rapid rate. Twenty percent of adolescents experience depression before adulthood, and 80% of that percent goes undiagnosed. Many of those adolescents show warning signs of being suicidal, or having suicidal thoughts that go unnoticed.

There are many signs to depression, such as poor performance in school, withdrawal from friends and activities, sadness and hopelessness, lack of energy or motivation, anger or rage. But although it might not seem someone is going through depression, most of it is very secretive and goes under the radar for many families, or friends to notice. Something parents are having a hard time noticing is; is it normal teenage blues or are they dealing with something more serious. If you take a closer look it might come clear to if it is just teenage blues, or something way more serious. Paying closer attention could save many more teenagers’ lives. The family of Natalie, a 13-year-old who took her life due to bullying,said there weren’t any warning signs.

As the bullying continued and Natalie’s behavior spiraled, her family says the school proposed moving Natalie to an alternative school in Nashville,” Natalie’s grandmother, Colleen Lindsay said.  “They never got that far. On March 3, the day of her 13th birthday, Natalie was found dead. I don’t think Natalie meant to do it. She just made a rash choice that went too far.”

Another theory is that teens don’t have any escape from negative communication and bullying because it happens online and over text messaging. Social media is so popular with impressionable young people and could be a factor in the increase in suicide and depression. Kids who might be getting taunted at school could also experience it at home through social media or text messages. This could leave kids feeling like they have no escape from the rude comments or taunting words they could be receiving at school.

A study conducted at the University of Pittsburgh found social media has played a huge role in increasing depression rates. One study out of the University of Pittsburgh, for example, found a correlation between time spent scrolling through social media apps and negative body image feedback. Those who had spent more time on social media had 2.2 times the risk of reporting eating and body image concerns, compared to their peers who spent less time on social media. The participants who spent the most time on social media had 2.6 times the risk. 1 Results from a separate study from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine showed that the more time young adults spent on social media, the more likely they were to have problems sleeping and report symptoms of depression. And another small study of teens ages 13-18 from the UCLA Brain Mapping Center found that receiving a high number of likes on photos showed increased activity in the reward center of the brain. Further, teens are influenced to like photos, regardless of content, based on high numbers of likes.

The best thing people can do is to become aware of the rising risks of teen and early adolescent depression. Many people are devoted to publishing educational articles and studies on how to notice when teens are showing suicidal signs or signs of being depressed. These articles give tips on how to try to prevent suicide and what to do after you might suspect that someone might be battling with depression or suicidal thoughts. Another aspect these articles provide is advice to someone who thinks their friend might be dealing with depression or suicidal thoughts. They encourage peers to talk to a trusted adult if they see these warning signs in a friend.

To decrease the alarming rising number in teen suicide, it is important to learn the warning signs. Having the knowledge of the first signs of depression and or suicidal thoughts can and will save many lives. Experts say that reaching out to the peers or family members you may be concerned with and offering help or advice can be a significant factor in the decrease of the suicide rates within the teens.

“Jenny Parkers” is just one example of someone dealing with the lost of a loved one from suicide. She hopes she is one of the last.

(Some information courtesy psycom.net healthychildren.org mayoclinic.org mentalhealthamerica.net usatoday.com)

By Jessica Owens – Staff Reporter

Death is inevitable but it’s always a little hard to believe when some of the most legendary or promising musicians pass on. It’s easy to feel personally connected to these artists through their music. Unfortunately, 2018 and 2019 have already seen the heartbreaking deaths of a long list of influential rappers and singers. A Billboard-charting newcomer lost his life after he was reportedly gunned down in a botched robbery; a rising talent out of Toronto with ties to Drake was killed in a triple shooting; a hip hop pioneer caved into health issues; a rising talent from Washington D.C. was murdered in cold blood. Sadly, the list goes on and on. Although these stars are gone, their art, talent, and performances are forever in fans’ memories.

Mac Miller

Twenty-six-year-old rapper Mac Miller was found dead in his home from an apparent overdose on September 7, 2018. Miller has struggled with substance abuse and depression throughout his career. Many of his songs were about the use of various drugs and Miller had long struggled with addiction. While he was attempting sobriety, he had frequent “slip-ups;” he openly brought up his dependence on lean, a combination of codeine and promethazine. It started around the time he was making his 2012 mixtape, “Macadelic.”

“He had sort of made a turn after the making of [his 2011 debut album] ‘Blue Slide Park,’ where I think he got a little bit deeper into drugs and was talking about it,” said Benjy Grinberg, the founder of independent Pittsburgh record label, Rostrum Records, who signed Mac to his first record deal in 2010 and served as his de facto manager for several years afterward. “It was definitely scary. I had never been that close to somebody who had issues like that.”

Miller’s death came as a shock. He was in his best mental and physical condition in years when he died. Miller had been working with his sobriety coach since 2016, and was working out at an L.A. gym nearly every day. His final album, ‘Swimming,’ was considered to be his best and was an indication that he had more to offer as an artist. There was a tribute concert held in his honor, benefitting the newly founded Mac Miller Circles Fund, a charity established in his name. Travis Scott, Chance The Rapper, SZA, and others performed at the show, and many of Miller’s friends and collaborators weighed in with what made him a talented artist.

XXXTentacion

On June 18, 2018, American rapper XXXTentacion, real name Jahseh Dwayne Ricardo Onfroy, was shot and killed in an apparent robbery just outside RIVA Motorsports, an upscale seller of motorcycles and watercraft in Deerfield Beach, Florida. He was shot multiple times in the neck and was in critical condition before being pronounced dead at exactly 5:30 p.m. He first found fame with the track “Look At Me.” Onfroy’s fame accelerated by multiple Billboard-charting hits and his No. 1 album “?.” By early 2018, Onfroy was arrested on charges of domestic battery. He maintained his innocence, but never saw his day in court. In XXXTentacion’s last Instagram Live before he passed, he discussed what he hoped his legacy would be.

“If worse things comes to worst…and I’m not able to see out my dreams, I at least want to know that the kids perceived my message and were able to make something of themselves and able to take my message and use it and turn it into something positive and to at least have a good life,” he said.”If I’m going to die or ever be a sacrifice, I want to make sure that my life made at least five million kids happy, or they found some sort of answers or resolve in my life regardless of the negative around my name, regardless of the bad things people say to me. Do not let your depression make you. Do not let your body define your soul, let your soul find your body. Your mind is limitless. You are worth more than you can believe. All you have to do is dream and all you have to do is want to fulfill that dream and have the strength.”   

Lil Peep

Lil Peep died of an overdose of fentanyl and generic Xanax on November 15, 2017, according to the Pima Country Office of the Medical Examiner. His death at age 21 was said to be accidental by the medical examiner. Lil Peep released two albums, one posthumously on November 9, 2107, and many mixtapes and EPs. He left a lasting impact that is still felt by his fans even a year after his death. Lil Peep was not just  the next wave in emo, but a voice who touched upon the very real pain that comes with just existing in today’s day and age. Many of his songs were outlets to younger listeners and took their pain away from everyday problems or issues that they were going through. Many looked up to Lil Peep because he went through a lot and he came out the other end but ending up losing his battle with drugs. His mother, Liza Womack, was devastated hearing the news of her son’s passing.

“If you had seen Gus at night walking down the street, you might have been put off, scared even. You might have thought, ‘What a loser,’” she said. “If you had made these judgments about this teenager, about this young man struggling on his own to find meaning as a man, then I ask you to use this moment, right now, as a time to reflect on your actions. Ask yourself these questions: ‘Do I really know this person? Have I sat down face to face and asked to tell me about himself? Do I know what matters to him? Do I know what he values?’ Please do not make assumptions about people, or events, in ignorance. Try to step outside of your own box, and open your mind to new ideas. Must everyone fit into the box? Why must we have a box? My sweet little Peeper is gone, but he has surely left us a lot of wonderful material to review and consider. He has left me with new people to know. I am so proud of him. You have no idea.”

Christina Grimmie

Christina Grimmie, a former contestant on “The Voice,” was killed during a post-concert meet and greet with fans on June 10, 2016, and her death has been ruled a homicide.  In 2014, Grimmie was a contestant on Season 6 of “The Voice” and finished in third place. Adam Levine, her coach on the show, announced in the finale that regardless of the results he would sign her to his label 222 Records. Lil Wayne also offered to sign her to his label, Young Money Entertainment. She was signed with Island Records for a short time before being dropped.In 2016, Grimmie released her second EP, “Side A.” This same year, she also took on an acting role, making her first and only motion picture appearance in “The Matchbreaker.”

At Grimmie’s funeral, her father said, “The three things that keep me walking upright, otherwise I would just be a crumpled up mess in the corner, are that I know I’m going to see her again…she’s way better off now, she’s more alive now than she’s ever been, she’s not going to be hurt anymore, and thirdly, and this is where I’m wrestling, is that God’s plan is better than my plan.”

He said that his daughter was given a gift, and while many use their talents to bless themselves, she used that gift to love others.

Nipsey Hussle

Nipsey Hussle, whose real name is Ermias Asghedom, died Sunday, March 31, after a shooting in Los Angeles near a clothing store he owned. Two other people were injured in the shooting around 3:20 p.m. The shooting occurred in the area of Slauson Avenue and Crenshaw Boulevard. The victims were taken to a hospital, where one of them was pronounced dead, the other two were in stable condition. In 2010, Hussle, founded the record label All Money In, which he debuted with the release of “The Marathon,” the rapper’s fifth official mixtape. His 2013 “Crenshaw” release sold more than 1,000 cassettes each priced at $100.

The next year, he performed across the country in his Crenshaw Tour. Hussle teamed up with dozens of successful artists, including Kendrick Lamar, Drake, YG, Ty Dolla Sign, Meek Mill, and Young Thug. He also did things outside the music industry. Last year, he launched the first Marathon Clothing smart store at 3420 W. Slauson Avenue in Los Angeles. He also owned The Marathon Agency, SC Commercial Ventures, Proud 2 Pay, and All Money In, No Money Out Records.

Nipsey’s mom shared beautiful words of encouragement to everyone, including her, mourning the death of her son.

“I have strength, and I want to lift you up,” she said. “Please do not stay down, do not stay stuck, do not mourn. Because Nipsey is great. And now he’s even greater because he has no bounds and no limits. His energy is everywhere. He’s there with you now and he’s here with me now. And please be encouraged. When you walk this earth and you do good deeds for people and you are loving and kind, those are the things that will show on your face — you will look more beautiful.”

(Some information courtesy rollingstone.com, ladbible.com, billboard.com, tosavealife.com, nbcnews.com)

By Addison Schwing – Staff Reporter

Anja Schultz is a 17-year-old girl from Germany. She’s a photographer, an equestrian, and an athlete. Like most kids her age, she attends her local high school, and takes a variety of subjects. One of her classes is history – the history of her native Germany. She’s learned all about her country’s history, including that of the second world war, as well as the Holocaust. Eighty-six years ago, the Nazi empire began one of the most horrific events in history; the mass genocide of 17 million people, including Jews, Catholics, LGBT, and Communists. Eighty-six years later, the world is teaching itself about the Holocaust. But in recent years, the number of people who know exactly what happened during the Holocaust is dwindling.  

Between February 23-27, Schoen Consulting, a political consulting firm, was commissioned by the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany to conduct a study on Holocaust knowledge within the U.S. The study consisted of interviewing 1,350 US American individuals, aged 18 and over. The study also referenced millennials, which were considered individuals aged 19-24 years old. In the study, it was found that 11% of adults, and 22% of millenials did not know what the Holocaust was. Forty-one percent of adults could not correctly identify Auschwitz, widely considered to be the most infamous concentration camp operated by the Nazis. Forty-five percent of adults and 49% of millennials could not identify a single concentration camp or ghetto during the Holocaust. Eighty percent of Americans say that they have never visited a Holocaust museum or memorial, and 66% said that they have never been to a Holocaust museum.

Claims Conference Board Member Matthew Bronfman remarked about the findings.

“The study found significant gaps in knowledge of the Holocaust,” he said. “We must take a look at these results and determine where and how best we can begin teaching the next generation these critical lessons which must resonate for decades to come.”

These findings show many things. Primarily, it exposes the ignorance of American adults about one of the worst genocidal events in history. In our current climate, where tumultuous events like slavery and the Civil Rights Movement are frequently taught and referenced, it is surprising that something like the Holocaust, which saw the deaths of millions, is not receiving the same treatment. When presented with the results of the study, Anja remarked that the numbers were “very frightening.” She says that a large percentage of individuals cannot comprehend the scope of the Holocaust, not entirely equating it to denial, more so to bewilderment at something that is understandably incomprehensible – how so many people were exterminated at the pace that it was conducted.

Today’s society is much different than it was a decade ago. Information about anything, from barbeque sauce to cryptocurrency, can be easily accessed from a computer or mobile phone. In a world where such information is so easily accessible, why is it that we are presented with these statistics? What could possibly be as to blame for this disparity in knowledge of the Holocaust?

For one thing, there is the issue of desensitization to violence. Studies link such desensitization to violent video games. For example, a study conducted by researchers at the University of Michigan studied the effects of violent imagery on the brain activity of 39 individuals. First, the participants were asked how regularly they played video games, and how violent they were The participants were fitted with electrode caps to measure brainwave activity. The participants were shown many negative images, and their brain activity was recorded Those that regularly played violent video games responded less to the violent images; they showed less brain activity compared to those who didn’t play video games as often as those who did.

Bruce Bartholow, an assistant professor of psychology at the University of Missouri-Columbia, believes our natural response to violent images and our apparent desensitization to violence affects this.

“Most of us naturally have a strong aversion to the sight of blood and gore,” he said. “Surgeons and soldiers may need to overcome these reactions in order to perform their duties. But for most people, a diminished reaction to the effects of violence is not adaptive. It can reduce inhibitions against aggressive behavior and increase the possibility of inflicting violence on others.”

Similar to this point could also be the rise of nazi sympathizers in the United States. Recent events, such as the 2017 Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, saw the rise of right-wing nationalism and nazi sympathizers waving swastikas and Countries such as Germany and Poland have laws explicitly banning the sympathization of Nazis and national socialism in general. These laws include verbal sympathy, use of imagery outside of educational purposes, and even prohibit denial of the holocaust. One can receive serious legal consequences for violating these laws. However, the U.S. has no such laws. Americans value the freedom of speech as one of the most powerful rights they have, granted by the First Amendment. However, the line between what is and is not acceptable are blurred. In November 2018, 60 students in a Wisconsin High School were widely condemned for performing the Nazi salute, but were not punished because of the protection granted by the First Amendment. 

However, there is a growing rise in the use of the word “nazi” being used as a blanket term for anyone that shows a dissenting opinion. The latin term “Reductio ad Hitlerum” was coined in 1953 by Leo Strauss, a German-American philosopher, to refer to ad hominem attacks attributing things or ideas to Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Empire. People have been called Nazis for acts such as supporting immigration reform and denying climate change, or outright supporting President Trump or other conservative politicians and ideas. Researchers reiterate that this devalues the meaning of the word, devalues the atrocities they committed, and trivializes the message they were trying to convey. Both sides of a story can’t be forgotten.

So, what’s the solution? The answer is quite simple; there needs to be legislation to require education about the holocaust. Many European countries have already mandated holocaust education as part of the regular school curriculum; why not us? It is easy enough to want to avoid learning about such a sensitive topic, and understandably so, especially for people whose forefathers may have been held in a camp. Yes, children should keep their innocence, but at what point are we supposed to stop shielding them from the realities of the world we live in? An education about the Holocaust – its causes, effects, and realities – is important for the education of young individuals to ensure that they know what happened, and so that they may never repeat it. The fate of the world rests in the hands of this young, new generation. 

Anja may be shocked by the statistics presented to her, but she is hopeful for the future. When asked if she thought that everyone should learn about the Holocaust, she said that she did not expect people to learn about it at the intensity that German students do, but she thinks that everyone should be able to say a little bit about what the Holocaust is and why it happened. And to those who deny it, she has a simple reply.  

“I would tell someone who denies it to come here and visit at least one concentration camp, walk through the remains of the barracks, to look at the hair that the Nazi’s shaved off the heads of women and see the shoes that they took, and the gold teeth they collected from the ashes,” she said. “Although it was not the fault of our generation and we can’t change history, we have to make sure that it never happens again.”

As philosopher George Santayana said, “Those who forget history are condemned to repeat it.”

(Some information courtesy claimscon.org, news.umich.edu)

By Nyasia McDonald – Staff Reporter

Kevin Breel is a 23-year-old writer, comedian, and an activist. When he was in high school, he was the captain of his basketball team, the Drama and Theater Student of the Year, the English Student of the Year, and someone who was consistently on the honor roll and consistently at every party.

But he has also been struggling with depression for the past six years.

¨Real depression is being sad when everything in your life is going right,” Breel said. “That’s real depression and that’s what I suffer from.”

Breel would sit at the edge of his bed some nights with a pen and paper in his hand and a bottle of pills. He has come close to taking his own life. He feared himself. He feared his truth, he feared his honesty, he feared his vulnerability.

¨That fear made me feel like I was forced into a corner and there was only one way out, and so I thought about that way every single day,” Breel said. “I thought about it every single day, and if I’m being totally honest, standing here I’ve thought about it again since, because that’s the sickness, that’s the struggle, that’s depression, and depression isn’t chicken pox. You don’t beat it once and it’s gone forever. It’s something you live with. It’s something you live in. It’s the roommate you can’t kick out. It’s the voice you can’t ignore. It’s the feelings you can’t seem to escape, the scariest part is that after a while, you become numb to it. It becomes normal for you, and what you really fear the most isn’t the suffering inside of you. It’s the stigma inside of others, it’s the shame, it’s the embarrassment, it’s the disapproving look on a friend’s face, it’s the whispers in the hallway that you’re weak, it’s the comments that you’re crazy. That’s what keeps you from getting help.”

Teen depression is a mental health problem that causes a feeling of sadness, loss of interest in activities which is emotional, functional, and physical problems. Teen depression signs and symptoms include a change from the teenager’s previous attitude and behavior that can cause significant distress and problems at school or home, in social activities, or in other areas of life.

About 20 percent of teens are affected by depression by the time they become adults. Teen depression can lead to suicide or cause suicidal thoughts. Teen suicide is the third leading cause of death in youth 10-24 years of age in the United States. Each day in the U.S. there are an average of 4,800 suicide attempts by young people in grades 7-12.

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, “four out of five teens who attempt suicide have given clear warning signs. In 2017, an estimated 11 million U.S. adults aged 18 or older had at least one major depressive episode with severe impairment.”

Female teens develop depression twice as often than men. Abused and neglected teens are especially at risk. As are adolescents who suffer from chronic illnesses or other physical conditions and teens with a family history of depression or mental illness.

Between 20 to 50 percent of teens suffering from depression have a family member with depression or some other mental disorder.

Approximately two-thirds of teens with major depression also battle another mood disorder like dysthymia, anxiety, antisocial behaviors, or substance abuse. Young people who experienced trauma or disruptions at home, including divorce and deaths of parents.

According to the National Center for Health Statistics, “Women were almost twice as likely as were men to have had depression. Women (10.4%). Men (5.5%).”

Among men, the prevalence of depression was 5.7 % in 2007–2008 and 5.4% in 2015–2016. Among women, the prevalence of depression was 10.4% in 2007–2008 and 9.3% in 2015–2016.

According to the Mayo Clinic, “Depression symptoms likely won’t get better on their own — and they may get worse or lead to other problems if untreated. Depressed teenagers may be at risk of suicide, even if signs and symptoms don’t appear to be severe.”

There are many ways for teens to develop depression: having issues that negatively impact self-esteem, like obesity, peer problems, long-term bullying or academic problems, having other mental health conditions, like bipolar disorder, an anxiety disorder, a personality disorder, anorexia or bulimia, having ongoing pain or a chronic physical illness such as cancer, diabetes or asthma, having certain personality traits, such as low self-esteem, being overly dependent, or self-critical, being gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender in an unsupportive environment, having family history and issues with family like having a parent, grandparent or other blood relative with depression, bipolar disorder or alcohol use problems, having a family member who died by suicide, having a dysfunctional family and family conflict, having experienced recent stressful life events, such as parental divorce, parental military service or the death of a loved one.

Some warning signs of a teen suffering from  depression are: sadness or hopelessness, low self-esteem, sluggishness (less active), substance abuse, spending more time alone, a decrease in desire to do things they used to like to do (sports, activities, hobbies), physical ailments (headaches, appetite problems, sleeping problems), problems in school (falling grades, getting into trouble, not paying attention in class), talking about death or suicide, not caring about appearance, and running away from home.

What is most important for teens to know, researchers say, is that depression is treatable.

There are different types of ways to treat depressions like therapies and different types of medication.

“Treatment depends on the type and severity of your teenager’s depression symptoms. A combination of talk therapy (psychotherapy) and medication can be very effective for most teens with depression,” The Mayo Clinic said.

There are two different types of medication that are often prescribed to treat depression which are fluoxetine (Prozac) and escitalopram (Lexapro). The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved those two medications for teen depression.

When taking fluoxetine (Prozac) the side effects can cause nausea, upset stomach, constipation, headaches, anxiety, sleep problems (insomnia), drowsiness, dizziness, nervousness, heart palpitations, loss of appetite or increase in appetite, weight changes, cold symptoms (stuffy nose, sneezing, sore throat), dry mouth, and/or impotence.

And when taking escitalopram (Lexapro) the side effects can cause about the same effects as when taking  fluoxetine (Prozac). It causes, drowsiness, dizziness, sleep problems (insomnia), nausea, upset stomach, gas, heartburn, constipation, weight changes, dry mouth, yawning, ringing in the ears, and/or impotence.

When a depressed teen is prescribed by a doctor medication to take the doctor encourages the teen to take the medicine for six months to a year. If the teen stops taking the medication too soon may cause symptoms to return or to get worse.

Some depressed teens has to take the medication for a longer period of time to keep the depression from coming back.

If the medication seems to not work and the depression signs and symptoms continue, begin to interfere in your teen’s life, or cause you to have concerns about suicide or your teen’s safety, talk to a doctor or a mental health professional trained to work with adolescents. Your teen’s family doctor or pediatrician is a good place to start. Or your teen’s school may recommend someone.

There are two major different types of teen depression that are called Major Depressive Disorder and Dysthymic Disorder.

Major Depressive Disorder is characterized by a combination of symptoms that interfere with a person’s ability to work, sleep, study, eat, and enjoy once–pleasurable activities. Major depression is disabling and prevents a person from functioning normally. An episode of major depression may occur only once in a person’s lifetime, but more often, it recurs throughout a person’s life.

Dysthymic Disorder is also called dysthymia, is characterized by long-term (two years or longer) but less severe symptoms that may not disable a person, but can prevent one from functioning normally or feeling well. People with dysthymia may also experience one or more episodes of major depression during their lifetimes.

The best way to help a depressed teen is to talk to a pediatrician or family physician and to talk to the teen about your concerns. There may be a specific cause for why he or she is acting a certain way. Opening up the lines of communication lets your teenager know you care and that you are available to talk about the situation.

Be available to listen and encourage your teen to talk to you about anything that might be bothering her. Support your teen’s daily routines, such as taking medications and eating healthy, and make sure your home is a safe, comforting place.

Do not ignore the signs or symptoms of depression. If depression is left untreated, the depression can get worse and can lead to thoughts of suicide or even the act itself.

Kevin Breel is living proof that depression is serious – and treatable – condition if warning signs are not missed and help is sought.

(Some information courtesy medicinet.com, centerfordiscovery.com, nimh.nih.gov, cdc.gov, mayo.edu, rxlist.com, verywellmind.com)

By Rachna Vipparla – Staff Reporter

On the Kip Blog, which details people’s struggles with Imposter Syndrome, an anonymous poster writes, “I know that I first struggled with Imposter Syndrome in my first three years of college. I kept wondering how I got into Yale and what would happen if my classmates and professors found out that I wasn’t really as smart as everyone else. It led me to not speak in class, delay or avoid taking courses I wanted to take but thought I’d fail, and be less outgoing than I usually am. I still struggle with these issues sometimes, but I’ve learned how to cope and manage my confidence.” Impostor Syndrome the persistent inability to believe that one’s success is deserved or has been legitimately achieved as a result of one’s own efforts or skills.

This is just one of many real life examples of how people struggle with Impostor Syndrome.

As Megan Dalla-Camina, author of many best selling novels, said,” Impostor syndrome is a phenomenon in which people are unable to internalize their accomplishments.”

Impostor Syndrome is a psychological term referring to a pattern of behavior where people doubt their accomplishments and have a persistent, often internalized fear of being exposed as a fraud.

“It is basically a lack of self-confidence, anxiety, doubts about your thoughts, abilities, achievements and accomplishments, negative self-talk, feelings of inadequacy, dwelling on past mistakes and not feeling good enough,” said Karen Schneider, a physician who specializes in the brain.

Although Impostor Syndrome may seem common and insignificant, it often leads to severe anxiety, stress and depression.

Because the phenomenon is often so severe, it overlaps with many mental health disorders. This is why many people mistake Impostor Syndrome to be something else and diagnose themselves incorrectly.

“Despite external evidence of their competence, those experiencing impostor syndrome remain convinced that they are frauds, and do not deserve all they have achieved,” said Royse Roskowski, a researcher who has been looking into Impostor Syndrome for many years. ”Individuals with impostorism incorrectly attribute their success to luck, or as a result of deceiving others into thinking they are more intelligent than they perceive themselves to be.”

Some Celebrities that have experiences this syndrome include, Emma Watson, Michelle Obama, Tom Hanks, Mauro Ranallo, Sonia Sotomayor, Chuck Lorre, Tommy Cooper, Mike Cannon Brookes, and Maya Angelou.

Actress and Brown alumni, Emma Watson, said, ”When I was younger, I just did it. I just acted. It was just there. So now when I receive recognition for my acting, I feel incredibly uncomfortable. I tend to turn in on myself. I feel like an impostor. It was just something I did.”

The term “impostor” was introduced in 1978 in the article “The Impostor Phenomenon in High Achieving Women: Dynamics and Therapeutic Intervention” by Dr. Pauline R. Clance and Dr. Suzanne A. Imes. Clance and Imes defined impostor phenomenon as an individual experience of self-perceived intellectual phoniness (fraud).  

The first scale designated to measure characteristics of impostor phenomenon was designed by Clance in 1985, called the Clance Impostor Phenomenon Scale (CIP). The scale can be utilized to determine if characteristics of fear are present, and to what extent.

The scale can has six key elements. These include: The impostor cycle, the need to be special or the best, characteristics of Superman/Superwoman, fear of failure, denial of ability and discounting praise and feeling fear and guilt about success.

In addition to this scale, there are five types of people who struggle with Impostor Syndrome: the perfectionist, the workaholic, the natural genius, the soloist, and the expert.

Esteemed Neurologist, Melody J. Welding said, ”Perfectionists set excessively high goals for themselves, and when they fail to reach a goal, they experience major self-doubt and worry about measuring up. Whether they realize it or not, this group can also be control freaks, feeling like if they want something done right, they have to do it themselves.”

Perfectionists are often accused of being a micromanager, having difficulty delegating, thinking they are not cut out for a job just because they mess up once, and always having to be one hundred percent perfect.

Impostor workaholics are actually addicted to the validation that comes from working, not to the work itself. They feel that they are below than the rest of their colleagues and struggle to work necessarily hard. They often stay at work longer than necessary, get stressed when they are not working, feel guilty while taking a break, sacrifice their hobbies to work, and feel like they do not deserve their title.

“The natural geniuses judge their competence based on ease and speed as opposed to their efforts,” said Dr. Valerie Young, an author and expert on Impostor Syndrome. “In other words, if they take a long time to master something, they feel shame.”

The natural geniuses set their internal bar impossibly high. But they do not only judge themselves based on ridiculous expectations; they also judge themselves based on getting things right on the first try.

They are often used to excelling at things on their first try, hold a perfect track record, are frequently referred to as the “smart one,” dislike having a mentor because they feel they should do it on their own, tumbled confidence by only one setback, and avoid challenges.

“Sufferers who feel as though asking for help reveals their phoniness are what Young calls Soloists,” Welding said. “It’s OK to be independent, but not to the extent that you refuse assistance so that you can prove your worth.”

Soloists feel as if they need to accomplish everything by themselves, and think of their accomplishments of a lesser value because they took someone else’s help.

“Experts measure their competence based on ‘what’ and ‘how much’ they know or can do,” Young said. ”Believing they will never know enough, they fear being exposed as inexperienced or unknowledgeable.”

They tend to shy away from applying to job postings, constantly seeking out trainings or certifications because they think they need to improve their skills in order to succeed, feel as if they do not know enough, and get shy when people call them an expert.

“Simply observing that thought as opposed to engaging it” can be helpful, says writer and physician, Dr. Ervin. “We can help teach people to let go and more critically question those thoughts. I encourage clients to ask ‘Does that thought help or hinder me?’”

To get past Impostor Syndrome, it is essential to ask questions such as, “What core beliefs do I hold about myself?”.

Evaluating  and analyzing the actions/beliefs of the person enduring Impostor Syndrome allows them to get a better understanding of who they are in order to defeat the Impostor Phenomenon.

Impostor syndrome can last anywhere from a few weeks, to peoples entire lives. In severe cases, the syndrome prevents people from achieving their dreams and holds them back from future opportunities.

As famous American actress Meryl Streep said, “I have varying degrees of confidence and self-loathing…You can have a perfectly horrible day where you doubt your talent.”

Because Impostor Syndrome can take such a significant toll on people’s life, it is essential that everyone knows how to overcome it.

These methods include: Accept that your accomplishments come from somewhere, focus on providing value, keep a file of nice things people say to you, stop comparing yourself, keep a journal, talk to someone that you trust, realize that you deserve your success, do what you can and see your credentials for what it is.

“I use to have a sticky note in my desk that said “Just Do It” – then would beat myself up for not doing it and procrastinating,” Will Mitchell, a man with Impostor Syndrome  said.

Apart from these techniques, it is essential to maintain a sense of self and understand that not everything will be perfect.

“Like most things – getting rid of this mindset is a habit. Every time you feel those feelings coming up – realize it’s genuinely a chemical-state, and you can change it,” Mitchell said.

Impostor Syndrome is also most common in women.

“If you’ve ever been to a women’s conference, a professional development course or a leadership event for women, you will have no doubt heard about the Impostor Syndrome,” said Camina.”Spoken about amongst women as one of the key reasons for their lack of confidence, other than the notion that, “I feel like a fraud,” it’s often not defined or clarified as to what it actually is and how to deal with it.”

Many psychologists are currently studying Impostor Syndrome in women, because they are trying to figure out why it is much more prevalent in women than in men.

“You get the promotion at work, and your inner narrative is that they must have been short on candidates,” said Camina. “Your business has a great win, and you tell yourself that it was sheer chance that the client found you (and they mustn’t have looked too far and wide).“

While many people struggle with this phenomenon, similar to the anonymous man from the Kip Blog. This is why researchers say it is essential that awareness of Impostor Syndrome is spread.

(Some information courtesy pyschologytoday.com, themuse.com, time.com, startupbros.com, scientificamerican.com, verywellmind.com)

By Catie Rice – Staff Reporter

Second-grader Nicholas Reeves, who lives in Tennessee, is battling the bulge of child obesity at just eight years old. Reeves is a very active child who loves to play basketball, but weighing 117 pounds has impeded his progress in many ways.

“He can finish eating a meal and then five minutes later he goes in the kitchen saying that he’s hungry again.” Angel Reeves, Nicholas Reeves’ mom said.

Reeves had to have his tonsils removed because the thickness of his neck was causing sleep apnea.

Beyond the emotional toll of taunting and teasing, the stakes for obese children can be as high as for obese grownups.

Reeves is only one of the many children battle with child obesity. Childhood obesity has more than doubled in children and quadrupled in adolescents in the past 30 years.

Overweight is defined as having excess body weight for a particular height from fat,muscle, bone,water, or a combination of these factors. Obesity is defined as having excess body fat.

Overweight and obesity are the result of “caloric imbalance”—too few calories expended for the amount of calories consumed—and are affected by various genetic, behavioral, and environmental factors.

More than two percent of young children were severely obese, five percent of 6-to-11-year-olds were severely obese and 6.5 percent of 12- to 19-year olds were severely obese from 2011 to 2012.

Up to one out of every five children in the U. S. is overweight or obese,

“This generation is on track to be the first generation in America that’s less healthy than their parents,” First Lady Michelle Obama said.

Obese youths are more likely to have risk factors for cardiovascular disease, such as high cholesterol or high blood pressure. Children and adolescents who are obese are also at a greater risk for bone and joint problems, sleep apnea, and social and psychological problems such as stigmatization and poor self-esteem.

Later in life, children who are obese are more likely to become obese adults. Consequently, adult obesity is associated with a number of serious health conditions, including heart disease, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and cancer.

Treatment for childhood obesity is based on a child’s age and if he or she has other medical conditions. Usually it includes changes in a child’s diet and level of physical activity. In certain circumstances, treatment may include medications or weight-loss surgery.

Good habits established in childhood help adolescents maintain healthy weight despite the hormonal changes, rapid growth and social influences that often lead to overeating.

Four-year-old New York resident Samantha Stevens is also struggling with obesity. At 54 pounds, Samantha is the biggest girl in her pre-kindergarten class .By the standard medical definition, Stevens is actually counted as obese.

“She eats very slowly and deliberately and finishes everything on her plate,” Stevens’ mom, Lori Cohen, said.

Samantha entered a program on Long Island run by Dolgoff, who set out to help her get healthier in a six-month period.

Dolgoff created a kid-friendly program called “Red Light, Green Light, Eat Right.”

“I took every food and divided them into either red light, yellow light and green light categories. I made it fun for the kids.

Green light foods are go. Yellow light foods are slow. And red light foods are bad

The main idea is to get kids, and their parents, to think before they eat.

In today’s society it may be hard for children to make healthy food choices and get enough physical activity. Some bad factors may be,Advertising of less healthy foods,No safe and appealing place, in many communities, to play or be active,and an increase in portion size.

Child obesity is now caused by many other factors like fast-food plus processed food adding in some preservatives, some sugar; a mix of video games, television, computers and our dependency on cars.

Surprisingly, Lack of breastfeeding support affects a child’s weight. Breastfeeding protects against childhood overweight and obesity.However, in the United States, while 75% of mothers start out breastfeeding, only 13% of babies are exclusively breastfed at the end of six months.

A review of studies in the journal Archives of Disease in Childhood, researchers found that kids who sleep less than the recommended amount of about 13 hours a day at age two are more likely to be obese at age seven.

Lifestyle issues like too little activity and too many calories from food and drinks are the main contributors to childhood obesity but genetic and hormonal factors may play a role as well.

Some kids may turn to food as a coping mechanism for dealing with problems or negative emotions like stress, anxiety, or boredom. In most cases, Children struggling to cope with a divorce or death in the family may eat more as a result.

Also if a child was born into a family of overweight people, he/she may be genetically predisposed to the condition. There are certain genetic diseases and hormonal disorders that can predispose a child to obesity, such as hypothyroidism,Prader-Willi syndrome, Cushing’s syndrome.

Body mass index (BMI), expressed as weight/height2 (kg/m2), is most often used to define overweight and obese conditions. Using a growth chart, a child’s pediatrician will calculate your child’s percentile, and how he/she compares with other children of the same sex and age.

Dr. Gail Nunlee-Bland,a pediatric endocrinologist and director of the diabetes center at Howard University Hospital has seen firsthand the causes and effects of childhood obesity in her own practice.

“It’s just not the child’s problem – and really encouraging families to have more physical activity in their lives, to choose healthier food,” Nunlee-Bland said. “So we really need to work on this in our society so that we can break this vicious cycle.”

Obama, is challenging all of America to turn around the trend in children’s health by putting an end to the epidemic of child obesity. She launched “Let’s Move!” on February 9, 2010.

It was created as a comprehensive initiative dedicated to solving the problem of obesity within a generation called “Let’s Move!” so that children born today will grow up healthier and able to pursue their dreams.

The program focuses on five pillars: Creating a healthy start for children, Empowering parents and caregivers, Providing healthy food in schools, Improving access to healthy, affordable foods, and Increasing physical activity.

Since the movement started, Disney announced that it will require all food and beverage products advertised, sponsored, or promoted on various Disney-owned media channels. The U.S. Olympic Committee and several of its national governing bodies have provided beginner athletic programming for free or low cost to more than 1.7 million kids since 2012, and through the Healthier U.S. School Challenge, more than 5,000 schools now meet high standards in nutrition and fitness.

To prevent the chances of becoming overweight, parents should limit their child’s consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages, provide plenty of fruits and vegetables, eat meals together as a family as often as possible, limit eating out, especially at fast food restaurants, and limit TV and other electronics to less than two hours a day

Also, parents should be sure their child sees the doctor for wellness checkups at least once a year. During this visit, the doctor measures a child’s height and weight and calculates his or her BMI.

Reeves has set out on a program designed for obese kids. Reeves entered a program led by a team of experts at the Pediatric Weight Management clinic at the Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn. Dr. Greg Plemmons monitored his progress.

Plemmons said Reeves was just young enough that his condition was still reversible.The child then met with a physical therapist. At the end of the appointment, he was given a list of individualized goals. Reeves was working on his new healthy goals. He played basketball with his brother while, back in the kitchen, his mom helped him with portion control.

“He is greater than the 95th percentile, and the No. 1 thing that he is at risk for developing as a young adult is type 2 diabetes,” Plemmons said. “That’s the No. 1 thing that we see directly related to obesity. He is also at risk for heart attacks and heart disease. He’s at risk for low self-esteem, he’s at risk for mental health issues.”

Reeves’ story is a prime example of a child who is overweight that is trying to turn his life around.

(Some information cdc.gov, mayoclinic.org, abcnews.com)

By Renee Lynch – Staff Reporter

Megan Grabowski, a senior at Jonathan Law High School in Connecticut, is highly involved in her academics and outside of school activities.

Grabowski, is an honor student, who is looking to become a nurse, is also a captain of the high school gymnastics team and is employed, working 18-20 hours per week.

Many full-rounded students, including Grabowski, experience major stress due to the inability to balance school work, working, sports, and relationships with friends and family.

“It’s hard for me to balance my academics, when I also have a job and have other after school activities,” Grabowski said.

Teenagers in high school are also stressed due to SATs, ACTs and college applications.

“College applications were so stressful for me,” Grabowski said. “There were so many different criteria for each school, including separate personal essays, and also it was hard to have everything completed for the deadlines, when I had homework and studying to do on top of that.”

Research shows that 30 percent of teens reported feelings of sadness due to stress, 31 percent of teens felt overwhelmed due to stresses, 36 percent of teens are tired because of stress, and 23 percent have skipped meals because of stress.

On average, students reported their feelings of stress on a 5.8 out of a scale of 10.

“In order to break this cycle of stress and unhealthy behaviors as a nation, we need to provide teens with better support and health education, at school and at home, at the community level and in their interactions with healthcare professionals,” Norman B. Anderson, the APA’s chief executive and senior vice president said.

Stress seems to be getting worse for some teens, according to the survey. About 31 percent of kids said their stress level had increased in the past year, twice as many as those who said it went down, and 34 percent said they expected their stress level would rise in the coming year.

One recent study from the Stanford School Of Medicine indicates the number of children ages 7-17 doubled since 1991.

High-stakes tests, such as the TAKS in Texas and the FCAT in Florida, are particularly stressful, for students and teachers because students in certain grades must pass these tests to advance to the next grade. In Florida, children as young as 8 years old face the prospect of being held back if they fail the test, creating considerable stress.

Another source of school-related stress occurs in high school where more students are taking more rigorous classes, such as Advanced Placement (AP) classes offered by the College Board. In the past 25 years, there has been explosive growth in the number of students taking AP classes, with one-quarter of all high-school graduates having taken at least one in 2004.

In addition, more high-school students are now taking the PSAT twice and the SAT and ACT at least once, if not multiple times.

“SAT scores are very crucial for your college application,” Grabowski said. “So, taking my test created stress and was very nerve racking.

The college admissions process has become more demanding, the the percentage of high school graduates has gone up 24% since 1991, an additional 17,000 graduates queuing up for college admission, leading colleges to become more picky.

Due to college becoming more demanding; the more admissions tests, more rigorous classes, more applications, more college tours. All these factors intensify stress, on top of all other stresses.

Bryce Goldsen, a junior at Bishop Blanchet, a Catholic high school near Seattle, carries a near-4.0 grade point average, takes advanced placement history and language arts classes, plays varsity tennis, participates in mock trial events and sits on the city’s local youth commission.

“Most of my stress comes from the pressure to perform well day in and day out,” he said.

Students want to please their parents by getting good grades, creating stress among teens of all ages.

Parents set unrealistic expectations for their children; studies show that parents often push their student to take higher level courses, though the child may not meet the requirement for those courses.

Parents should talk to stressed children about their feelings, make sure they get enough sleep and that they are not overscheduled.

On top of these factors, teens are stressed to fit in, to be popular, to be liked so they will not be bullied for being different.

Seventy-one percent of students have reported bully being a serious problem at their school. Being the victim causes stress for a student, intensifying anxiety and depression.

Being active is supposed to be a stress reliever for athletes, however, it could create more stress rather than relieving stress.

Student-athletes can have a late away game, only to arrive back at home at 8pm on a school night, having loads of AP and honor course classes of homework to do.

Also, athletes are driven to be the best, which may mean putting in extra hours at the gym to get faster, and stronger. However, improving in a sport will mean less time to get sleep and do homework.

“When I get home from a gymnastics meet, it could be around 7 p.m. or 8 p.m.,” Grabowski said. “I would still have a plentiful amount of AP Psychology and Calculus to do. Along with work and friends, it’s hard to balance all the work, while improving on myself as a gymnast.”

Signs of stress includes tears, crankiness, nightmares, attitude, and physical symptoms, including stomach aches, headaches and vague body pains.

High school junior, Hannah O’Brien, 17, of Acalanes High School in Lafayette, California has seen some of these extremes. She says she has witnessed student crying after getting low test scores, and seen students go days without sleep for a few days in a row to keep up with homework.

“I personally have seen so many of my closest friends absolutely break — emotionally, physically and mentally — under stress, and I knew a lot of it was coming from school work,” O’Brien said.

Over scheduling is a huge impact on student stresses. Students will enroll in too many AP classes that they can handle, and not be able to manage their time with other activities.

“For me it’s either do well in school and hangout with friends and not practice for gymnastics, or hangout with friends and do well in gymnastics, but fall behind on school work,” Grabowski said. “It’s so hard to balance.”

Parents should be on the lookout for previous stated symptoms of stress, however, eating disorders, alcohol and drug abuse are also signs of stress.

“Parents should look for a change in grade status, attendance, tardiness, lack of responsiveness in the classroom or at home, and withdrawal into solitude,” said Richard Hall, assistant headmaster of Atlanta’s Lovett School.

There are safe, healthy ways for teens to cope with stress, however, according to the APA stress in America report, forty-two percent of teens have reported that they don’t know how to cope with stress, or they don’t do anything to cope with it.

Physical activity is reported to be the most effective way for teens to cope with their stresses. Whether this means playing a sport, going for a jog or taking a dog on a long walk.

Sleep is highly recommended to cope with stress, considering students do not get enough, To better sleeping habits, it is encouraged to cut back on watching television or engaging in any screen time at late hours, along with cutting back on caffeine intake.

Another way to handle stress is to focus on hobbies. Listening to music, drawing or painting and going to the movies could be a key component to relax someone after a stressful day.

Talking to someone about stresses is always a great idea. A parent or teacher may have ideas to help out to manage stress.

“After dealing with all types of stress throughout my high school career, I’ve learned what helps me manage stress, however it’s an ongoing trial and error process,” Grabowksi said.

Figuring out which coping mechanism works best will take time, but experts believe that everyone will figure what works for them.

“Sleeping, eating and going to the gym really are my prime mechanisms to manage stress,” Grabowski said. “The gym helps me relieve stress, due to endorphins being released, I have a more positive mindset.”

(Some information courtesy of psychologytoday.com, webmd.com, nbcnews.com, apa.org, nyu.edu and medicaldaily.com)

By Megan Grabowski – Staff Reporter

Tom Poulis, a senior at University High School in Southern California, is really feeling the stress that most teens feel throughout their high school years. Poulis is mainly stressed over applying to colleges, as well as multiple other things including his academics and his extracurricular activities. He is president of the debate club, an officer with Amnesty International, and a student representative on the Associated Student Body Cabinet, among other activities that he needs to keep up with.

For Poulis and the majority of high school students, stress is a something that they have to deal with on a daily basis. Stress can be caused by multiple different things. Some of the big causes of stress in teenagers are school, sports and activities, their friends and family, or a job that they have. Stress can have a big impact on teens.

“At the extreme, and I want to emphasize that this is the extreme, we’re seeing more kids who are engaging in self-mutilation,” said adolescent medicine specialist Kenneth Ginsburg. “It’s a way of taking control over their life when they feel their life is out of control. And I see quite a few kids with eating disorders. It’s kids who just feel like they can’t handle everything they’re doing.”

School alone is a big cause of stress for teenagers. Teens have a constant workload and are expected to somehow get all of the work done on time and done right. According to the American Psychological Association, teens routinely say that their school year stress levels are far higher than they think is healthy.

“You have to be able to perform at a much higher level than in the past, when I was in high school,” said Dave Forrester, a counselor at Olympia High School in Olympia, Washington. “We have so many choices for kids. They need to grow up a little faster about what they want to do and how they’re going to do it.”

On top of academics, many teens participate in after school sports and activities. Even though these activities are supposed to be fun, they usually add extra stress onto the teens shoulders.

Bryce Goldsen understands what it takes to get everything done. He is a junior at Bishop Blanchet, a Catholic high school near Seattle. He has a 4.0 grade point average, takes advanced placement history and language arts classes, plays varsity tennis, and sits on the city’s local youth commission.

“Most of my stress comes from the pressure to perform well day in and day out,” said Goldsen.

A survey by the American Psychological Association stated that just under 60 percent of teens said that having to manage too many activities was a “somewhat or very significant” stressor. Most teens reported that their stress levels affected their performance at home, work, and school. Respondents said that it is tough to keep their grades up, especially when they have a busy schedule after school with limited time to do homework.

Grades, homework, tests, and after school sports and activities are not the only factors that go into teen stress. Teens’ relationships with their families and friend groups cause them more stress than you would think. The struggles of dating, fitting in, and friendship are magnified by social media even when the school day ends.

Today it is rare to find a teen who does not have a phone or Internet access and it is true that this technology can cause them more stress than they already have. With smart phones, instant messaging, and social networks, the social environment of the school has spread into the home. Teens’ social problems follow them home and they cause mental stress while the student should be relaxing or studying.

“It follows them home,” said Tim Conway, who directs the counseling department at Lakeland Regional High School in Wanaque, N.J. “There is no escape anymore.”

The American Academy of Pediatrics considers peer pressure and social life a teenage stress factor. Although teens may have a solid group of friends, their peers may pressure them to hang out instead of studying, break ties with former friends that the group doesn’t consider “cool” anymore, or experiment with alcohol, drugs or sexual activities that go against their morals or family rules.

Family problems can also cause teenagers to feel the stress at home. Arguments with siblings and parents is a big factor in how the teen feels at home. After coming home from a stressful day at school, teens should be able to relax at home and have a way to escape. Stress in teens can come from their parents pressure to do well and be successful.

Teen stress levels are found to be higher than those of adults, so the support from adults is truly what teens need.

“It is alarming that the teen stress experience is so similar to that of adults,” said Norman B. Anderson, the American Psychological Association’s chief executive and senior vice President. “In order to break this cycle of stress and unhealthy behaviors as a nation, we need to provide teens with better support and health education, at school and at home, at the community level, and in their interactions with healthcare professionals.”

Another major cause of stress in teens is lack of sleep. Teens need about eight and a half hours of sleep every night in order to keep healthy and energized. Not getting enough sleep can cause a teen to be tired and stressed, and being stressed about something can cause a teen to not be able to sleep. It is an unhealthy cycle.

Teens report sleeping an average of seven hours on a school night and sleeping an average of eight hours on the weekend.

This year’s Stress in America survey shows that stress may be interfering with Americans’ sleep, keeping many teens from getting the sleep they need to be healthy. Sleep is a necessary human function and when we do not sleep long or well enough, our bodies do not get the full benefits of sleep.

Teens are more likely than adults to say they do not get good quality sleep and have more trouble achieving their sleep goals. Teens are also more likely to say they feel stressed from a lack of sleep than adults are.

It is very evident that teens feel more stress overall than adults do. As a result, teens need effective ways to cope with stress and to avoid stress in order for them to live a healthier lifestyle. According to the American Psychological Association, it is normal to have some stress in life, but if stress persists at high levels for a long time, it can have lasting negative effects on health.

According to Dr. Henri Roca, a Family Medicine Physician, believes that stress can be avoided.

“No one and nothing can make you feel stressed, said Dr. Roca. “Stress is our natural response to our interpretation of the world.”

Dr. Roca believes that there are three components to coping with stress. You should redefine the circumstance so that it is no longer stressful. Once stress gets into the body, exercise is the best way to get it out of the body. And lastly, in order to reduce the likelihood that stress even arises, it is imperative to create stress management skills.

Some of the best ways to avoid stress in teens is to get enough sleep, exercise daily, eat healthy foods, and stay organized.

According to the American Psychological Association, physical exercise is one of the most effective stress busters. Getting enough sleep is essential to keeping stress levels down. An important way to keep stress down is keeping a balance. You need a balance between school, homework, friends, work, sports, etc.

However, the most important thing is to enjoy yourself, do things you love doing, and be happy.

Tom Poulis was feeling the stress right at the beginning of the school year.

“I’ve been in school for three weeks and already it’s really hectic, because you get thrown into all this college stuff,” said Poulis. “And people are always telling you, ‘Apply here.’ And when are you going to take your SATs? And on top of that I’m taking four AP classes. So already, the stress level is very high.”

However, Poulis says he genuinely enjoys all of his activities and courses in school, which is what keeps him going. That is why it is important for teens to manage their stress and simply have fun with what they are doing.

(Some information courtesy nbcnews.com, drhenriroca.com, apa.org, npr.org, washingtonpost.com, everydaylife.globalpost.com, and livestrong.com)

By Maeve Rourke – Staff Reporter

Brie Boothby was excited to play out her field hockey season for Riverbend High School in Virginia. On September 10, 2013, Boothby was at an away game not too far from her hometown. The opposing team was at her goal trying to score, while her team was scrambling around to get the ball out. Amongst the chaos, Boothby took a a field hockey stick to the head and blacked out. In that moment, she turned from a optimistic teenage athlete to an anxious girl plagued with constant headaches.

“The next thing I remember was walking off the field,” Boothby said. “I got ice from the trainer, answered questions like ‘what day is it?’ and ‘what did you have for breakfast?’ and then went back in the game. Looking back, there was no reason to go back into the game after a head injury like that.”

That night, the 17-year-old began to feel nauseous, and began losing her memory. A trip to the doctor revealed Boothby had sustained a serious concussion that left her with permanent brain injuries.

It took Boothby 10 months of physical therapy just to be able to stand up without falling over. Since then, Boothby said that her school work suffered, and she’s been diagnosed with ADHD.

Over time she realized that she had lost several key moments of her life. Brie could no longer remember her first kiss, first date, passwords, or some days even what month it was. She became easily distracted, couldn’t make eye contact, and carried a vomit bag with me at all times.

“My GPA dropped so much that I’m really anxious about college,” Boothby said. “I’m not sure if I’m going to get into what I’ve worked for my entire life.”

Boothby is one of 1.35 million youths that have sustained a sports injury that year. Thousands of young athletes continue playing through their pain, and further their injuries everyday.

According to a Med Sports System Study, high school athletes account for an estimated 2 million injuries, 500,000 doctor visits and 30,000 hospitalizations each year.

No single sport is specifically to blame for the increase in sports injuries. Instead, experts suspect that choosing to play one sport all the time, or playing several sports all at once, are factors leading to what are called overuse injuries. In fact, nearly half of injuries sustained by middle school and high school students during sports are overuse injuries.

“Unfortunately, there is not a lot of education built into the system to help prevent overuse injuries and this has contributed to a ten-fold increase in high school injuries in recent years,” orthopaedic specialist Dr. Jeffrey Guy said.

Also, young athletes today train more, have better equipment, and coaching. These factors all play into the increase of injures. Today, children discover what sport they enjoy at a young age. Parents are increasingly pushing their children to play that one sport year round to become better. Constant involvement in one specific sport puts stress on the muscles, tendons, and even bones that are used, ultimately resulting in an overuse injury.

Research reported earlier this year found that young athletes who played a single sport for more hours a week than years they were old — such as a 10-year-old who played 11 or more hours of soccer — were 70% more likely to experience serious overuse injuries.

There is also increased pressure on young athletes to support their team, and play in college. When injured, athletes are often afraid to tell their coach or parents because they do not want to disappoint anyone.

Similarly to athletes, coaches feel pressure to leave injured players in the game. In fact, a new study by national research group Safe Kids Worldwide which surveyed 3,000 athletes, coaches and parents, found that 42 percent of kids said that they have downplayed or hidden injuries so that they could keep playing, and 53 percent of coaches said they’ve felt pressure to put injured players back in the game.

In addition, parents and coaches do not normally implement sufficient safety precautions for their players.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC), although 62 percent of organized sports-related injuries occur during practice, one-third of parents do not have their children take the same safety precautions at practice that they would during a game.

Letting the body rest, conducting preventive and strengthening exercises, and following proper technique are among injury prevention strategies recommended in a report created by multiple sports medicine physicians at Loyola University Medical Center . It also says athletes should be encouraged to speak up about injuries, coaches should be supported in injury-prevention decisions, and parents and young athletes should become better educated about sports safety.

“These statistics don’t have to be part of the game if we take some simple precautions,” says Kate Carr, Safe Kids president and CEO.

There is not only an increase in overuse; there has also been a rise in serious injuries.

“Although the number of injuries cited in the report may seem high, the actual number is likely even higher,” Neeru Jayanthi, a sports medicine physician at Loyola University Medical Center said.

Approximately 25% those injuries end up being serious, Jayanthi said.

Many parents and organizations have noticed the increase in youth injuries, and are seeking a change. According to the CDC, more than half of all sport injuries in children are preventable.

“One of the biggest problems with youth sports is that they are unregulated,”  Bob Ferraro, Sr. CEO of the National High School Coaches Association said. “The National High School Coaches Association believes that there should be a standardization of rules that protect our young athletes when it comes to injuries.”

The National High School Coaches Association think it should be mandatory to have medical personnel at each game to attend to injuries and to make all medical decisions about re-entry to the game. While current economics may make this financially impossible, the NHSCA suggests that youth programs seek-out athletic trainers, EMT’s, doctors and nurses to volunteer their services.

Safe Kids Worldwide, a global organization dedicated to preventing injuries in children, is one of the most successful institutions in preventing injuries in athletes.

Safe Kids works with more than 200 partners across the country to hold free youth sports safety clinics for coaches, parents, young athletes and league organizers. The clinics provide the knowledge and skills essential to preventing sports injuries and emergencies in young athletes. The content for the clinics is based on relevant information and tools to combat the most common and severe injuries in sports today, including acute and overuse injuries, dehydration and concussion. They also work with parents and community leaders to urge school boards to adopt best practices and guidelines to address all sporting injuries among their student-athletes.

Since the creation of the program in 2010, the organisation has reached more than 700,000 parents, coaches and kids with key information needed to keep athletes active and safe. Additionally, they have held more than 1,000 clinics and awareness events to increase the knowledge and awareness of sports injury prevention.

Also the STOP (Sports Trauma and Overuse Prevention)’s public outreach program focuses on the importance of sports safety-specifically relating to overuse and trauma injuries. The initiative not only raises awareness and provides education on injury reduction, but also highlights how playing safe and smart can enhance and extend a child’s athletic career, improve teamwork, reduce obesity rates and create a lifelong love of exercise and healthy activity.

In addition, in the event of an injury the Sport Trauma and Overuse Prevention’s website has a list of specialists that you can contact that will accurately diagnose and treat the injury.

These programs prevent thousands of athletes a year from sustaining a sports injury. They do not have to worry about sitting out for a season, or their future being impacted by a preventable injury.

Not only are organizations dedicated to preventing injury and helping those who are hurt, but also athletes such as Brie Boothby.

Boothby has created a peer support group called Concussion Connects to help others cope with the effects of suffering a severe concussion.

“I am grateful for the lessons I have learned throughout this difficult journey,” Boothby said. “Today, I remain a proud survivor of a Traumatic Brain Injury and am blessed to live (and remember) another day.”

Brie is enjoying her final year of high school and looks forward to fulfilling her dreams by going away to college next year.

(Some information courtesy of Today.com, SafeKids.org, stopsportsinjuries.org, and USAtoday.com)

By Danielle Tancredi – Staff Reporter

Kate Dwyer, an 18-year-old college student, conducted her own social media experiment last year when she tried to quit social media for 72 hours. Even though she labels herself as someone who doesn’t entirely rely on social websites such as Twitter or Instagram, she started having trouble the first day without using her phone.

On day one, she admits that even when she was out trying to avoid any form of media, she felt the urge to take pictures for Instagram. She also found herself unconsciously opening apps after answering text messages, but then quickly closing them after realizing what she was doing. She began feeling desperate only at the start of day two when realizing that she had to access forms of media for a work project and felt the urge to give in. Ultimately, she was successful for the most part, but the 72 hours taught her that “the feeling of connectedness on social media is an illusion,” since the people teens communicate with on social media is one way of seeing into other people’s lives they don’t speak to in real life. This easy access of communication has led teens to social media addiction.

Social media has made its positive impact through businesses, cultures, and politics, but where does its greatest influence fall? Based on research, 92% of teens admit going online at least once a day and 56% admit they go online several times a day. Social media websites such as Facebook has around 1.5 billion users, and Twitter has around 300 million. Teenagers’ reliability on social media has greatly increased as well as a link to having a greater risk of anxiety, depression, impaired sleep, and/or poor self-esteem.

Scott Campbell, an associate professor of communication studies at the University of Michigan, says that social media isn’t all bad.

“Kids are getting a lot of social support through social media,” Campbell said. “Still, research has shown that there is definitely a causal path between social media use and lower well-being in general.”

Though this may be a problem for people of all ages, teens are more vulnerable to these negative effects.

Today’s children ages 8-18 are called “Generation M2,” and their free time, or most of their time, is dependent on electronic devices. Generation M2 spends close to eight hours a day in front of various electronic screens, which is more time than school and sleeping. The average teenager also sends an average of 3,400 texts a month, which is more than 100 a day, according to estimates from a 2010 Nielsen survey.

It’s easy for a teen to get caught up in communicating through social media since they can accomplish many tasks that are important to them offline such as staying connected with friends and family, and sharing pictures. Although many positive opportunities can come from its impact on socialization, such as creating and expanding new ideas, risks tend to vary. It’s been researched that when preteens and teens spend a great deal of time on social media sites, they can begin to develop symptoms of anxiety and depression. Teenagers may be put under the pressure of making themselves available 24/7 when it comes to having to always respond to texts and posts. These symptoms can be caused by the lack of sleep teenagers get on a daily basis. Research has shown that teenagers need 9.5 hours of sleep every night, but on average only get 7.5 hours. This will lead to irritableness, exhaustion, and depression which can also lead to catching colds and flus.

June Eric Udorie, a 17-year-old high school student, recently wrote a blog about her experience losing her phone and how it affected her.

“For the week that I was phoneless, it felt like a disaster,” Udorie said. “I love my phone. It gives me quick access to information and allows me to be constantly looped in with my friends, to know exactly what is going on in their lives. By the end of the week, I got used to not having a phone and I enjoyed the break from social media, but there was a lingering sense of sadness at the back of my mind that there would be conversations I had missed, messages that had been sent, funny videos shared, and night-time chats that I would probably never see.”

Teens are clearly invested into their phones and social media, but what seems to not be as obvious to others is the effect on mental health, especially teenage girls.

“When using social media, I tend to compare myself to other people,” Jonathan Law senior Jenna Caron said. “I feel like if I wasn’t online as much, I wouldn’t feel the need to be like other people.”

The pressures of social media can set teenagers to have high standards for themselves when it comes to apps like Instagram, and if these standards aren’t met, self-loathing and bullying can occur.  While being exposed to so much information in the media while also balancing school and extracurricular activities can be a major contributor to stress.

Psychologist Peddell Hall explains that many parents expect their teens to get straight A’s, which not only causes major anxiety and depression but also makes teens feel the need to belong since it is difficult to maintain a social life as well. Therefore, they use social media sites that only impact their stress more. Unrealistic body types aren’t on only Snapchat, Twitter, and Instagram, but also TV, movies, music, magazines, and advertising as well. Social media messages play a major role in shaping gender norms and body satisfaction.

Many high school students and college students couldn’t imagine a day without updating their Twitter feeds or Facebook statuses, which can impact academic performance. Researchers who tracked first-year college students’ use of 11 forms of social media over the course of the academic year found that they nearly spend 12 hours a day using social media on average. There was a correlation between lower GPAs and higher social media use on average.

A recent study of researchers at The Miriam Hospital’s Center for Behavioral and Preventive Medicine shows the connection. The study included texting as well as watching TV and movies.

Jennifer Walsh, who was the lead author of the study, wrote that students who spent the most time on social media had “fewer academic behaviors, such as completing homework and attending class, lower academic confidence and more problems affecting their school work, like lack of sleep and substance abuse.”

It’s easy to make the connection that more hours spent on social media leaves only some left to study and do homework. With students who have extracurricular activities as well, there are even less hours in the day to focus on school when social media is involved.

“An assignment that should take me 30 minutes ends up taking me an hour and a half to get it done,” Jonathan Law senior Kayla Carollo said. “Since I always have my phone on me and people texting me, I have to stop my work to answer back. And with sports, it leaves me even less time to do homework.”

Besides the distraction, it’s also easy for students to get answers and other school information which defeats the whole purpose of learning the material. This also results in many methods of cheating. Students can actually pay websites to write a paper or download one, which results in less knowledge learned from the class. For the brain, this increases the reliability on internet information and less data remembered. Overall, this results in a decrease in academic performance as well.

Kate Dwyer’s social media experiment generalizes the rest of the average teenage population and their connections with social media. Many positives come along with online sites such as easy information and quick communication. Unfortunately, this generation’s needs for these positives may result in addiction. Social media now revolves around most teen’s daily lives. Social networking influences difficulty in one’s self-regard and vulnerability to peer pressure. This may cause depression and other mental health effects like anxiety. Social media becoming a major distraction can also impact student’s academics if they put more focus towards Twitter and Instagram.

(Some information courtesy teenvogue.com, theguardian.com, sciencedaily.com, digitalcommons.edu, ecampusnews.com, huffingtonpost.com, techwalla.com)

By Ann Reed – Staff Reporter

To 11-year-old Molly Reed, the members of the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team are superheros. Their fast footwork, and overwhelming success remind her that if she works her hardest, she too can be a superhero. The look of utter disappointment that came over her face when she first learned of the pay gap was one i will never forget.

“Equal pay for equal play, equal pay for equal play.” This is the sound that can be heard miles away from Pratt and Whittney Stadium in East Hartford, as twenty thousand fans plea for equality. This is a game Reed has been counting down the months to, dreaming of the moment that she could see these powerful women grace the field. However, there was a different energy in the air, one of  which she has never experienced. An energy of anger and disappointment.

After being informed that the women she aspires to be are unjustly underpaid, Reed’s response was, “But why? They work just as hard as the men! That doesn’t make any sense!”

Reed isn’t the only one to feel this way; thousands of fans all around the country have voiced their disbelief in this stark injustice. The statistics are staggering. U.S. women’s soccer players make a mere one fourth of what the men soccer players make, despite being the highest ranked team in the world opposed to the men’s ranking of twenty-ninth in the world. The women made $16 million more for US Soccer then the men last year, yet they are getting paid significantly less. For a won game, each Woman’s National team player receive $3,600, plus a $1,350 bonus. For the exact same victory, the men’s national team would receive $5,000 each plus an $8,166 bonus. Getting views is not a problem for the Women’s national team either, in fact, last July’s Women’s World Cup final was the most watched soccer match—men’s or women’s—ever in the U.S., with some 25.4 million viewers.

The problem doesn’t lie solely in American soccer, however. According to USWNT midfielder Carli Lloyd, Yorely Rincon, the Colombian midfielder and a friend of Lloyd, told her that players on that team had not been paid for four months.

“We want to help them, too,” Lloyd said. “It’s a shame. We’re trying to set the standard and get what we deserve.”

This movement for equality is not a new development; in fact, the fight began back in January for several women’s soccer stars, when they filed a request to U.S. Soccer for equal pay for equal work. Instead of considering this request, or even discussing the inequality with the women’s, U.S. Soccer sued all women involved. After issuing a statement saying it was “disappointed” that the action was taken, U.S. Soccer issued a second statement Thursday afternoon, saying it is “committed to and engaged” in negotiating a new CBA “that addresses compensation with the U.S. women’s national team when the current CBA expires at the end of this year.” The President of USSF adds by saying”We think very highly of the women’s national team and we want to compensate them fairly, and we’ll sit down and work thru that with them when all of this settles down,”

“I’ve been on this team for a decade and a half, and I’ve been through numerous CBA negotiations, and honestly, not much has changed,” U.S. Women’s National Team Goalkeeper Hope Solo says,”We continue to be told we should be grateful just to have the opportunity to play professional soccer, to get paid for doing it.”

How are women all around the world supposed to gain the confidence needed to demand what they deserve when they see women trying to and being sued in return? If the women that are known all around the world for being the toughest and the strongest can’t get the equality they deserve, then how are everyday women supposed to. The hierarchical diffusion of inequality is one that is preventable, which is what makes it so painful. Advocates argue that if U.S. Soccer simply gave the women what they deserve, other major corporations would see that it is the right thing to do and the cycle would start to be broken.

To top everything off, the US Soccer Federation is a nonprofit organization, making it confusing as to why they are basing compensation decisions not based on performance, but on potential revenue, especially after Title IX. In fact, Title IX did not change much for women in any sports. Women in Tennis do earn equal prize money at all four grand-slam events—the Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon and the U.S. Open. However, when looking farther into their salaries, Women can earn up to 37,000 dollars less than their male counterparts. In Basketball, the highest-paid player in the WNBA makes roughly one-fifth that of the lowest-paid player in the NBA. Two years ago, 52 NBA players each earned more than all of the players in the WNBA combined. And within the golf world, the LPGA awarded a total of $61.6 million in prize money, while the PGA awards five times that with $320 million. These women are training just as hard as their male counterparts, and in whole, are more successful than them, yet they still continue to be unjustly consempated.

The wage gap is not an isolated instance within sports, In fact, the average woman in the U.S. makes 77% what a man makes for the same work, with an even lesser percentage for women of minorities. The wage gap includes women in all lines of work, with the largest ones occurring with Physicians and surgeons and personal financial advisors.

It is interesting that some of the most educated women in the country, (doctors and physicians), are the ones being treated with the most inequality. Furthermore,  this stark injustices is nothing new, and according to predictions, won’t be going away anytime soon.

According to the OECD, the U.S. gender pay gap is 17.9%. These pay gaps aren’t fading anytime soon; at current rates of progress, gender wage equality will take another 70 ‘years to materialize. And that is just within the United States. There are plenty of countries around the world with even more inequality than right here at home. While the pay gap in the U.S. is 17.9%,, Korea’s is 36.6%.

This is an unimaginable amount for women in the U.S., as many already feel their current situation is as bad as it can get. What makes the wage gap so difficult to comprehend is that completely lacks ration. Opposers to equality say that women get paid less because they work less, and are less educated as a whole. There is absolutely no truth to this statement, as a matter of fact, women outnumber men in college not only in the U.S, but all around the world. Other opposers to equality say that women get paid less because they are more likely to take maternity leave than men are to take paternity leave. But even if this difference didn’t exist, the gender gap in pay still would, and a lack of education, skill, and experience cannot explain it. The only explanation for this gap is simply discrimination against one gender.

Although on April 6, at Pratt and Whittney Stadium in East Hartford, the U.S. Women’s National Team walked away with a win over Colombia, their fight towards a much larger win continues on. It is disheartening that, as of right now, Molly Reed may never know what it feels like to be equally consempated. At just eleven years old, Reed has already learned had to learn the harsh lesson that no matter how hard she works, she will never be treated or paid the same as her male counterparts. She arrived at that game a young girl with big dreams, and she left a whole new person, with a firm grasp on reality. Watching sports is supposed to provide hope for a nation, a feat the U.S. Women have succeeded in doing, however if we continue down this path of inequality, hope could be lost for many more young women out there just like Reed.

(Some information courtesy of nytimes.com, espn.go.com, huffingtonpost.com, fortune.com, newsweek.com)

By Isabela Roldan – Staff Reporter

 

Wake up. Brush teeth (5 minutes). Foundation, concealer, powder, blush, eyebrows, eyeshadow, liner, mascara, lipstick  (20 minutes). Find outfit (15 minutes). Brush and tame hair (10 minutes). Last minute final touches (5 minutes).

When Olivia Tramuta, a junior at Jonathan Law, first wakes up in the morning for school, her first thoughts aren’t about preparing mentally for the day ahead of her, but rather preparing physically for it by following these exact steps.

After spending an average of 55 minutes in the morning to choose a suitable outfit and finish her makeup for school, she has no time to in the morning to do basic necessities, such as eating a proper breakfast.

Although certain girls may avoid this meal, or others, intentionally in order to achieve a more slim figure which is admired in today’s society.

“I wouldn’t eat breakfast…Most days, I didn’t eat lunch….And I might have a snack at some point during the day,” said Quita Tinsley, a youth activist writer for The Body is Not an Apology magazine.

For Tramuta, and many other girls, ensuring that they look their best is seen as more of a priority than ensuring that they are well prepared for their day. A girl spending an average of 30 minutes per day getting ready will have devoted 10,950 minutes in a year.

Societal beauty standards have been a long-standing issue among the public, but even more so in today’s day and age due to advanced media and changing beauty standards.

Men and women are body shamed constantly by peers and expected to meet certain standards regarding what they should wear and what they should look like (weight, makeup choices, and body/facial features).

“The media and society often tell us what we should perceive as perfection, which we then perpetuate in the notions and ideals we carry,” said Georgina Jones of Bustle Magazine.

Major diseases which affect masses of people have even arose from these ideals. Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia Nervosa, Binge-Eating Disorder, Body Dysmorphic Disorder, and Social Anxiety Disorder are just some of those various diseases.

People affected by Body Dysmorphic Disorder tend to obsess over the appearance of their hair, nose, hands, feet, and skin. For men affected, they tend to worry over the appearance of their body size and muscular build.

Although this disorder is psychological, many affected by BDD perceive themselves as having something physically wrong with them and thus avoid seeking out psychiatric help, and rather turn to cosmetic surgical solutions.

Eva Fisher, a student at Colorado State University, was one of the many affected at an early age by Body Dysmorphic Disorder.

When Fisher turned 16, she became increasingly focused on her appearance and began comparing herself to peers at school along with models in magazines. This sparked her lasting insecurities.

“My eyes were too small and close together, my nose too large, my forehead too short, and my chin too long…I identified my body as ‘pear-shaped’ according to the fashion magazines I read.”

After turning 18, she finally confessed her developing struggle to her mother, telling her of her decisions to never get married or have children due to her concern that her children would share her flawed features.

In response to this discovery, Fisher’s mother decided to support her by offering to pay for her cosmetic surgery. This surgery proved to be completely ineffective, however.

She later discovered, aftering reading a Shape magazine article about BDD, that the symptoms listed matched perfectly with hers. This allowed her to receive further insight and reassurance about her case and potential psychiatric treatment for it.

Fisher’s case shows how deeply set in the struggle can be for those affected and is a clear example of a patient’s thinking.

Since skin appearance is one of the major concerns of BDD patients, some begin to pick at their skin to fix it, but end up making it worse. This method is not recommended by doctors.

New fashion and beauty trends arise daily, making it a bit difficult for people to keep up. Contouring fades and strobing becomes the new fad. Being curvy fades and skinny becomes beautiful.

“Body ideals shifted to center on an idealized slimmer figure, leading to the popularization of various products and methods to reach this goal,” said Kelsey D. Lamkin of the Huffington Post.

In early ancient times, being pale, using perfume instead of showering, being curvy, wearing wigs, and being blonde was in. Nowadays, white, blonde, tall, and skinny have become the certain specifications for being beautiful.

Many girls struggle to manipulate their appearances through chemical processes such as hair dying, hair perming, and UV tanning.

These methods of manipulation seem harmless and are otherwise brushed aside, however, they both do possess strong consequences which can affect users’ health.

Despite the consoling speeches and advertisements that tanning salons preach to their users, the aggregating damage caused by UV radiation can cause premature skin aging (wrinkles, brown spots, etc.), along with skin cancer.

According to the Skin Cancer Foundation of America, people who tan for the first time before the age of 35 raise their risk for Melanoma, a highly cancerous mole, by 75 percent.

A recent study by JAMA dermatology has also found that the number of skin cancer cases due to tanning is higher than the number of lung cancer cases due to smoking.

Tawny Willoughby, a 27-year-old registered nurse in the state of Alabama, is one of these fateful few.

Willoughby spent most of her time as a teenager, laying out in the sun or using UV tanning beds at least four or five times a week. This would be one of her biggest regrets in life.

At the age of 21, she was diagnosed with skin cancer and has since removed six carcinomas, or cancerous tissues.

“I had my first skin cancer diagnosis at 21,” said Willoughby. “Now, at 27, I’ve had basal cell carcinoma 5 times and squamous cell carcinoma once (excluding my face).”

Hair processes tend to be another very popular beauty trend in today’s culture. Many people turn to bleaching their hair to create a lighter look for themselves. Hydrogen peroxide is often combined with chemicals such as ammonia and a toner to change the pigmentation of hair.

Bleaching has many risks such as stripping the hair of moisture, causing hair cuticles to separate and leave the hair broken, burning sensations on the scalp along with redness and itching.

Hair perming is another highly used process, usually used by women with coarse hair. The process consists of applying heat and chemicals to the hair in order to make it straighter or curlier.

Perms which are incorrectly done can cause the hair to lose its normal elasticity, which makes it brittle and more prone to breakage. Scalp damage is another high concern for perms. Redness, itching, burning, and peeling on the scalp can also occur. Ceased hair regrowth, altered texture, and baldness may also occur.

Not only are all of these beauty methods potentially dangers, but also very costly.

Usual perms tend to range from being $30-$150, depending on the individual’s hair type and the salon’s price preference. Hair coloring, however, can range up to as much as $215 for an overall color, also depending on the type of hair, the salon, and the color an individual wants to receive.

The strife for achieving a perfect image to match the one’s of models in magazines and on television, seems to be a never-ending race. This is due to the fact that many advertisements that display gorgeous models, to promote products, are greatly altered using popular tools such as PhotoShop.

It is almost guaranteed that every celebrity has gone through some sort of post-production alteration to their images in order to make them appear more glamorous and fitting with today’s beauty standards.

Actress Kate Winslet is no stranger to this process, as she has appeared on television multiple times, along with many turn ups in magazine advertisements.

After appearing on the cover of GQ’s latest 2003 British magazine cover, Winslet noticed the magazine editors had altered her body through photo manipulation. This tactic of digital slimming is widely used by almost all magazines across the nation in order to make the subjects look more appealing and fit to how society thinks women should look.

However, Winslet claimed that this manipulation was excessive. The model said that she had not wished to be altered to look like that, as they reduced her leg size “by about a third.”

Since image alterations for models on magazine covers is so common and accepted by most people, excluding the models directly affected, no fallout occurred to the editors who slimmed Winslet down.

The media’s submission to these outrageous body “norms” will not end anytime soon. However, if the people in today’s society allow themselves to accept their features and their bodies as a whole, issues such as these wouldn’t arise.

Nevertheless, Tramuta continues her efforts to comply with these societal commands. She continues to expend any amount of money necessary to corporations which seek to solely profit from self-doubts.

(Some information courtesy of teenvogue.com, storify.com, thebodyisnotanapology.com, mic.com, adaa.org, healthresearchfunding.org, aafp.org, semel.ucla.edu, bdd.iocdf.org, hellomagazine.com, allday.com, rehabs.com, docakilah.wordpress.com, bustle.com, cbsnews.com)

By Colleen Rice – Staff Reporter

Catie Rice was prepared to have a stellar sophomore soccer season at Jonathan Law. Rice was ready to play in her first preseason scrimmage of the year at West Haven High School. As the whistle blew, Rice’s athletic life would soon be changed forever. She was running on the left side of the field as the ball was kicked in the opposite direction. Alone, Rice pivoted to follow in the direction of the ball, suddenly collapsing to the turf. In serious pain, Rice was taken off the field and later examined at a local hospital. Soon after the MRI, the doctor told her that she had suffered a torn ACL and that she would need surgery in order to have a future in sports. After an extensive six months of physical therapy and doctor appointments, Rice returned to athletics, needing a brace until a full season passed.

“Tearing my ACL was one of the most difficult things I’ve experienced in my athletic career,” Rice said. “I think I’ll always play different now after my surgery but I’m glad to be back doing what I love.”

Rice is one of 100,000 athletes every year who tear their ACL in the United States. The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is a crucial stabilizer for the knee. Most ACL tears occur in athletes of high demand sports and activities. Many studies have shown that a majority of tears occur in high school sports such as soccer and basketball. This injury is most prevalent (1 in 1,750 persons) in patients 15-45 years of age.

Approximately 70 percent of injuries are non-contact and occur when the athlete is trying to change directions, slow down or land from a jump. In contact injuries, a direct blow can cause the knee to hyperextend or bend inward (valgus stress) according to Beaumont Orthopedic Specialist.

The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is in the middle of the knee. It prevents the shin bone from sliding out in front of the thigh bone. Most ACL tears are seen in the middle of the ligament, or the ligament is pulled off the thigh bone. These injuries form a gap between the torn edges, and do not heal on their own if athletes intend on returning to sports.

Eighteen-year-old “Amy” expressed her story of tearing her ACL. When she was a freshman in high school she tore her ACL, meniscus, and LCL in a jv basketball game. She then got surgery and used her hamstring for the new graph. Once Amy recovered she played softball in her sophomore year and yet again tore lateral and medial meniscus, thus undergoing her second surgery. Junior year went smoothly and she finally thought she was going to get past her ACL struggles. Speaking too soon, Amy ended up tearing her ACL, lateral and medial meniscus in her right knee during the last week of her senior basketball season. Amy was in and out of the operating room for her knees but never gave up hope and is on the road to recovery.

For most tears, especially for athletes, surgery is necessary. The cost of ACL surgery varies across the country and from facility to facility. The average cost of ACL surgery in 2010 was between $5,000-$6,000. But this cost did not include the surgeon’s fees or the anesthesiologist’s fees. The total cost of ACL surgery can be as high as $11,500. During the operation, the surgeon will either prepare the graft, if from a cadaver or harvest it from another area of the patient’s body. Then the surgeon places an arthroscope in the knee to examine the joint. Any cartilage injuries are repaired, then the surgeon removes the torn ACL stump, drills into the femur and tibia, puts the ACL graft in place and attaches it. The surgeon then checks to make sure the graft has good tension and the knee has full range of motion.

In preparation for surgery, patients should do several weeks of physical therapy in order to strengthen the knee and get it as straight as possible for a better outcome from surgery. One single physical therapy session costs around $100. Some exercises patients do are made to stretch out the knee. For example, patients do a lot of work on the bicycle and light weight training. It is crucial to minimize pain and swelling, restore range of motion in the knee, and to rebuild quad muscle.

There is mental preparation that patients need to undergo as well. The recovery and rehabilitation process following ACL reconstruction is long and difficult, thus this is a good time to begin to mentally prepare the patient for the process.  In addition, doctors can educate the patient on the time and effort that will be required to return to a sport at an even higher level than prior to their injury. A major obstacle most patients face is the set back the injury causes. Being prepared and knowing how much effort and time it takes to recover fully from the surgery will cause a better outcome both physically and mentally.

“Sitting on the bench and watching my team play was definitely one of the hardest parts mentally speaking,” Rice said. “You want to be able to be on the field and help your team out but you know you can’t.”

Talking about one’s feelings to an adult or physical therapist will help as well.

Dr. Vivek Sharma explained the step by step procedure of an acl reconstruction surgery. Surgery can be both arthroscopic and open surgery. Reconstruction of the ACL begins with a small incision in the leg where small tunnels are drilled in the bone. Next the new ACL is brought through these tunnels, and then secured. As healing occurs, the bone tunnels fill in to secure the tendon. The normal ACL is a taut rope-like structure which goes from the femur to the tibia. Probing of this ACL indicates that it is lax and frayed. This indicates a functionally incompetent ACL (torn ACL).

To reconstruct the ACL, it is necessary to remove all of the existing damaged ligament. This is done with a motorized device which is called a shaver. In some patients, the “notch” where the ACL is located is extremely narrow. If the notch is not widened, then the newly reconstructed ACL may be at risk for re-rupture. To decrease the probability of injury to occur, the notch may be widened using a burr.

At this point, attention is directed to the patella tendon. Incisions are made at the inferior pole of the patella and at the tibial tubercle. Each incision is approximately 1.5 inches in length. After making the skin incisions, the tendon is identified, and the central third is harvested with a bone block at each end of the tendon. Initially, the tendon is removed from the tibial tubercle area. The graft is then passed beneath the skin and retrieved from the superior incision. Harvesting is completed. For the graft to heal, blood vessels must grow into the reconstructed ACL. To hold the graft in place, a screw is inserted into the femoral drill hole. This particular screw is a bioabsorbable screw. A second screw is inserted into the tibia to hold that part of the reconstruction in place. Following this, the reconstructed ACL is inspected. Now the procedure is completed and the healing process may begin.

Once the surgery is over patients start to undergo recovery. Patients are set to start physical therapy and light workouts immediately after surgery. The first two weeks after  concentrates on decreasing the swelling in the knee and regaining knee extension, with less concern about knee flexion. This is accomplished by elevating/icing the leg and riding the stationary bike.Two weeks after surgery, the goal is for patients to achieve and maintain full knee extension and increase quadriceps muscle function. While knee flexion of only 90 degrees is the goal for this stage, obtaining full extension is more of a priority.Patients can typically return to driving two weeks after surgery because crutches won’t be needed. Some people heal differently though so it all depends on the person.

The American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) recommends that patients do exercises without pressure on their leg (called “non-weight-bearing exercises”) and ones that have they placing weight on the leg (“weight-bearing exercises”). These exercises might be limited to a specific range of motion to protect the newly-healing ACL graft. The therapist might use electrical stimulation to help restore the quadriceps (thigh) muscle strength and help the patient achieve those last few degrees of straightening the knee.

Rice had a successful surgery and recovered in about six months and is now back and ready to play sports.

“I’m going to work hard to be a better athlete than I was before the surgery,” Rice said.

(Some information courtesy ryortho.com, sports-injury-info.com, apta.org, orthoinfo.org, viveksharmamd.com)

By Abby Williamson – Staff Reporter

Seventeen-year-old Australian teenager “Amanda” had the same feelings for years. Her gloomy mood left her with very few friends and a family who didn’t know how to help her. People at Amanda’s high school gave her no attention as if she was invisible. Even Amanda’s boyfriend claimed she was too stressful for him and broke up with her. It wasn’t until Amanda started seeing someone at the local Child and Youth Mental Health Service Center that she discovered what was causing her despondent behavior. She was diagnosed with anxiety and depression.

“I had these feelings for a long time, years in fact, but it wasn’t until May 4, 2009, that I realized how wrong something was,” Amanda said. “Unfortunately, this was the same day I wanted it all to end.”

Amanda is one of many teens around the world who suffer from depression. Depression is the most prominent issue existing among teens nowadays.

As of 2014, approximately 2.8 million adolescents in the United States experienced at least one major depressive episode over the past year. This statistic represents an average 11.4% of teens aged from 12 to 17 of the U.S. population. While depression is more likely to occur with a family history, females are more likely to develop depression than males. More specifically, 17.3% of the teenagers who experienced depression in 2014 were female and 5.7% were male.

Bullying, a lack of social skills, learning disabilities, poor parenting or caregiving and the loss of a parent to death or divorce are the most common factors in teenage lives that can trigger depression. Teens who suffer from depression are likely to suffer from additional illnesses, as well. Some of these disorders are anxiety disorders, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), bipolar disorder, and eating disorders such as bulimia and anorexia.

The most common changes that a teen experiences when suffering from depression are sleep, eating, energy, concentration, and self-image. Amanda experienced this firsthand when she developed her depression.

“I was only 16 and I was confused. It felt as though there was a big wall between me and any possibility of a future or any hope,” Amanda said.

Because behavioral changes are considered to be something normal among teenagers, most teens do not even realize that they suffer from depression. Parents also unintentionally fail to give teenage depression attention since depression among teens and adults are significantly different. When troubled with depression, teens are more likely to be easily frustrated and experience angry outbursts. Additionally, more common side effects that teens are affected by and adults are not are unexplained aches and pains, extreme sensitivity to criticism, and antisocial behaviors.

When these symptoms go unnoticed and untreated, teens tend to do poorly in school, abuse substances, retain a low self-esteem, and engage in violent, reckless behavior.

“Depression in teens usually goes undiagnosed, and often leads to drug and alcohol abuse or additional behavioral disorders. Furthermore, depression is the leading cause of suicide,” Teen Depression Specialist Doctor Carol Glod said. “In a recent national survey of high school students, nearly 20% of teens thought about attempting suicide, and more than 8% made a suicide attempt.”

Like Amanda, teenager Kevin Breel suffers from depression. Breel considers having depression as living a “double life”. He seems like a happy, popular basketball player in school but is miserable in reality.

“Real depression isn’t being sad when something in your life goes wrong,” Breel said. “Real depression is being sad when everything in your life is going right.”

Breel believes that his depression was caused by the loss of his best friend in combination with his parents getting a divorce.

“I felt so unhappy and I couldn’t explain why or justify why to anyone. So I didn’t feel like I could talk about it,” Breel said.

The question is: how does teenage depression begin and can it be controlled?

Teenage depression is very broad issue. No teen experiences the same form of depression nor the same side effects, therefore it is difficult to trace it back to what initiated it. However, stress is the most common trigger of depression.

One of the most common branches of stress that causes depression among teens is school. Teens who experience trouble with school performance and problems when engaging with peers are more likely to develop depression than kids who succeed socially and academically. In addition, personal problems such as confusion with sexual orientation, judgemental parents, and a rough home life can each have a major effect on whether or not teens suffer from depression.

In a world where teens are pushed to “grow up” and be independent, having miserable moods isn’t a reason to reach out for help. This, of course, is a major reason why depression in teens goes unnoticed.

A common argument on why depression in teens is overlooked is that teens are uneducated on the topic. However, that is not the case. Teens are educated on depression in health classes but never seem to take it seriously.

“When it comes to teens and depression, the problem isn’t the lack of education, it’s the lack of common sense,” Jonathan Law health teacher Mr. Sweeney said.

Because of this, about 86% of the depressed teenage population are suffering from untreated symptoms. Therefore, careless teenage behavior in combination with overbearing stress leads to developing stress.

“I knew I needed help, but how? Where? Who could help me and more importantly who would want to?,” Amanda said. “I had no idea what was happening to me.”

When it comes to medicating depression, most cases can be simply treated. In fact, approximately 60-80% of depression cases can be contained through psychotherapy and medications.

“The fastest way to treat depression is with a combination of therapy and medications,” Dr. Susan Uhrich said. “It is also the best way of treating depression.”

Amanda decided to treat her depression with therapy, and not medications.

“I went to a psychologist with whom I just talked and in all honesty, I left feeling worse than I did when I arrived,” Amanda said.

It wasn’t until she had weekly sessions with the Child and Youth Mental Health Service Center where they helped her work through problems based around creative expression that she started to see a change in her depression.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, Breel almost let the weight of depression take his life.  Fortunately, Breel got help. He began speaking at schools to try to educate teens about depression. Breel caught the attention of TED, an organization dedicated to sharing ideas, and his story became famous.

When it comes to preventing depression, there are tons of measures both teens and parents can take.  Studies show that if a child receives cognitive-behavioral therapy in a group setting, it can help prevent or delay the onset of depression. This is the case especially with a teen whose parent has a history of depression since the child at greater risk for becoming depressed.

Other than regular counseling appointments, eating a balanced diet and getting regular exercise are easy ways to steer from depression.

More specific ways that parents can prevent depression from affecting their teens are making sure that the child has an active social life and strong support system. Whether it’s  at home, through teachers, family members, or friends, a strong sense of support and acceptance can keep a teen away from depression.

Amanda is still battling depression, but she has learned how to cope with the array of sorrow feelings and go on with her life. She puts her story out in the open with hopes that teens struggling with depression stumble upon it and find the hope to get through depression and move to a brighter future.

“There is always someone out there who knows what you are going through and there is always someone who can and wants to help you. What I never realised but I want you to realise is that you are worth it,” Amanda said.

(Some information courtesy today.com, beyondblue.org, nimh.nih.gov, healthline.com, usatoday.com, familyaware.org, webmd.com,and healthtap.com)

By Arielle Eighmy – Staff Reporter

Amanda Todd, born in British Columbia in 1996, was very happy and easy-going person until  an anonymous person on Facebook convinced her to flash her topless body to him. A year later, the anonymous person posted the photo on the internet for everyone to see. This caused a string of bullying, harassment, and tormenting to the point that Amanda had to change schools several times. Her reputation was ruined, she had no friends, she was beaten up by some classmates, she even tried drinking bleach but was saved at the last minute.

Months later, Amanda Todd took her own life. The hate still went on even after her death. The authorities couldn’t find the suspect of all this harassment because they weren’t of interest in the case.

Cyberbullying can lead to depression, anxiety and suicide. Many teens suffer from this and you can prevent this from happening by getting people involved that you trust and let them know what’s going on.

Cyberbullying takes many forms such as sending mean threats online, posting harmful messages or posts, spreading rumors, sexting or stealing someone’s account. Over 25 percent of adolescents have been bullied repeatedly over the internet or using cell phones.

The most common types of cyberbullying is spreading rumors or sending/posting mean and hurtful posts or comments. The bullies believe this to be funny and posting or sending inappropriate things can harm them when they want to go to college or pursue a job. Whatever you post or send will stay there forever.

The most common locations for cyberbullies are in chat rooms, in e-mails, and on social networking sites. The sad part is that only one in 10 teens tell their parents about being a cyberbully victim. There is a correlation between how much time teens spend on social media networks and the likelihood that they will be bullied.

Being bullied can make people feel helpless, lonely, and cause problems at home. People who bully others do this to feel in control over the person and could be because they are having issues themselves and feel the need to take it out on someone who seems weaker than them.  It is important that the parents of both children know what is going on and try stop what is going on.

It is good for the victim of cyberbullying to not respond to hateful texts or posts, save all evidence that someone is harassing and giving you a hard time. Also if the school gets involved then it can put a stop to the bullying and this can help others come forward and talk about what is going on. Unfortunately, 58 percent of teens do not tell their parents about being harassed online and suffer since they don’t tell anyone. Some people believe bullying is just a part of growing up but this is intentional and extremely mean. The consequences are unbearable for the victim and can cause anxiety and depression.

Cyberbullying is growing more dangerous and malicious. Students have been becoming more aware of the threats made online, spread rumors or scandalous pictures. Cyberlaw expert Parry Aftab was honored by Congress in 2005 because of her cyber safety.

“In high school, they don’t call it cyber bullying at all,” Aftab said. “They call it digital drama, they call it life. They don’t want to call it bullying because they think it makes them look weak.”

Most times schools are busy dealing with in school bullying rather than internet bullying.

“Schools can work to set some policies and behavioral expectations, but it’s nearly impossible for school administrators to police the internet,” Kenneth Trump, a school safety expert and president of National School Safety and Security Services said.

Bills have been brought to Congress about cyberbullying, but unfortunately, Aftab said, lawmakers have failed to find the right definition.

“I’ve been doing this over the past 16 years,” Aftab said “But I’m losing this battle.”

Teens tend to create more of issue by continuing to send hurtful messages or inappropriate pictures.  Teens should not send the pictures or harmful comments to more people because this just creates a bigger problem.

“If a child receives a photo circulated through social media there are many things that he or she can do. Perhaps the most important thing is to let someone know and not be part of the problem, but part of the solution,” Debra Pepler, scientific co-director of PREVNet, a national authority on research and resources for bullying prevention said.

The summer after Tyler Clementi’s high school graduation , he started to share with people that he was gay. Clementi attended Rutgers University, and he had a roommate named Dharun Ravi, who decided to take a video of Clementi kissing another man. This video was shared among many people. Clementi found out that others teens were criticizing him over Twitter. On September 22, 2010, Tyler Clementi committed suicide by jumping off the George Washington Bridge. Almost a week after his suicide, his roommate was charged with invasion of privacy.

Ryan Halligan was a bright kid who developed speech language and motor skills from preschool to fourth grade. He started receiving help from education services. Ryan’s struggles and hardships through school made him an easy target for kids to pick on him. In February of 2003, Ryan and a bully had a dispute which then ended with what seemed to be like a true friendship between the two children. Unfortunately,  Ryan had shared personal information with his supposed friend who soon let out a rumor that Ryan was gay. The bullying continued during the summer of 2003.

Ryan thought he had finally became good friends with a very pretty and popular young girl, through instant messaging. The girl made Ryan think that she liked him which led to him sharing more personal information which was copied and pasted to all of her friends. On October 7, 2003, Ryan Halligan committed suicide. Shortly after his death, John, Ryan’s father found all of the messages between the girl during the summer.

Approximately half of all young people have experienced some form of cyberbullying, and 10 to 20% experience it regularly. The most common type of cyber bullying is mean, hurtful comments and spreading rumors. Girls are as likely as boys to be cyber bullies or their victims.

Kids who are bullied may start struggling at school,they will receive poor grades, have low self esteem, use alcohol or drugs and even drop out.

Interestingly enough, kids that were bullied when they were younger had three times more suicidal thoughts than other adults. People who are bullied begin to have increased feelings of sadness and loneliness, changes in sleep and eating patterns, and loss of interest in activities that the person enjoys.

95% of social media-using teens who have witnessed cruel behavior on social networking sites say they have seen others ignoring the mean behavior; 55% witness this frequently.

Bullying is becoming more common over texting and about 90% of students see the online cruelty and ignore this behavior.

Megan Meier, a 13-year-old girl, was a victim of cyberbullying and as a result of that, she committed suicide just weeks before her 14th birthday. Megan dealt with ADD, depression and issues concerning her weight. Sixteen-year-old Josh Evans wanted to be friends with Megan on a social networking site, MySpace. They communicated all the time but never spoke in person. Soon enough, Josh decided he didn’t want to be friends anymore and then began saying cruel things to her such as ,“The world would be a better place without you.”

The bullying grew as more kids on the internet started taunting her, too. After Megan’s death, Tina Meier founded the nonprofit Megan Meier Foundation. Later that fall, Tina was informed that an old friend of Megan was impersonating “Josh Evans,” and saying all those things to her over MySpace.

(Some information courtesy nobullying.com, bullyingstatistics.org, guardchild.com, stopbullying.gov, netsmartz.org, usnews.com, globalnews.ca, nobullying.com, cyberbullying.org)

 

By Vishal Manglani – Staff Reporter

Law senior Bobby Phong wakes up in the morning and never expects to be bored at any part in the day. After his long day of academic classes, Phong practices as the captain of the tennis team. At home, Bobby stays committed to his rapping career, performing for audiences and releasing songs.

Soon, Phong is ready to start a new chapter of his life as an incoming freshman at Sacred Heart University. Phong has been exponentially growing in his high school career and has no intent to stop as he begins college. Along with his impressive transcript, he has given more definition to himself as an artist and a tennis player.

Phong’s teachers and peers have no complaints when it comes to assessing him on his schoolwork.

“Bobby is enthusiastic in class and eager to share his creativity – especially in my video production class,” technology education teacher Mr. Barcello said.

Over his four years in high school, Phong’’s academics have gained more significance as his career went on.

“Bobby always puts his academics before rapping, making sure his schoolwork is always complete,” said Jax James, Bobby’s producer.

James has seen Phong’s growth mainly in the past two years as a student and as a rapper. Phong recognizes the importance of his schoolwork in relation to his future as a rapper and a person.

With so much on his plate, many wonder how Phong manages to keep up with his school work when his leisure is consumed by his tennis and rapping career.

“Bobby handles his rapping, schoolwork, and music better than I ever could,” James said. “Somehow he always finds a way to get everything done in a timely fashion. He never ceases to amaze me.”

With so much on his plate, Phong remains focused and hard-working. The harder he works, the more he gets done.

“I have to juggle a lot of things as well, but a lot of times Bobby seems like he is able to focus more than me and knock out his work so we can book more shows.” said Zack Bailey, Phong’s manager.

Phong’s hard work and dedication to his academics have definitely paid off.

“It has come to my attention that he is attending Sacred Heart University,” Bailey said. “Bob shows a lot of intelligence in his vocabulary and common sense. This definitely ties into his rapping career.”

Phong’s future at Sacred Heart University will, without a doubt, feed into his growth.

Phong’s tennis career has been constant throughout his life. Currently, Phone is ranked 19th in Connecticut, 45th in New England, and 1,198th in the nation.

“I’ve been playing tennis for eight years so tennis has been in my life for a while,” Phong said. ““It means a lot to me because it has build my character and let me be able to meet people,who are now my close friends.”

Phong did not play tennis at Law his freshman year, but immediately made his mark as a sophomore. He led the team in wins and was named All-SCC..

His junior year, Phong lead his team in wins again made All SCC. He was also named captain of the team This year, Phong is projected to make All-SCC once again, lead his team in wins, and make states for the third year in a row. He also remained team captain.

“l am more ambitious and I try to fight for things i want now,” Phong said. “Basically tennis makes me more dedicated.” Phong’s tennis career will not stop making him fight for what he deserves.

Phong’s rapping career is the aspect of his high school career that shows the most growth. Originally, his art was a simple hobby and he rapped for jokes. However, with the release of his first song “Rigamortis,” a remix of Kendrick Lamar’s song, created much buzz around the school and sparked his rapping career.

The song quickly received over one thousand views on YouTube. His newer songs also receive the same amount of attention and it’s growing due to his public appearances at local clubs and events.

“In the course of a year, Bobby has gone from performing at only prom, to performing at the space in Hamden, Toad’s Place and PLM for Maren,” James said.

Phong’s producer and manager both have a profound effect on his career and life.

“With my help, the improvement of overall sound quality of Bobby’s music has brought him to the next level,” James said.

James is one of the main reasons Phong has been able to expand as a rapper from recording in his bedroom to performing in front of large crowds.

Bailey also plays a large role in Phong’s rapping career.

“He wants me to book shows all the time, which inspires him to put together songs and content that he can sell to venues and clubs.,” Bailey said.

Without Bailey, much of Phong’s fame and support would be non-existent.

Phong’s supporters have recognized his rapping as a hobby, but are beginning to see it more as a profession and expect him to move onto bigger and better things.

“He has grown in confidence and his ambitions have risen to a new standard,” said Masur Ahmed, Bobby’s close friend. “Performing in front of real people has placed a new found pressure on him to succeed and move onto greater things.”

Phong’s rapping style is unlike other big name rappers in the music industry. While most rappers rap about money, drugs and girls, Phong raps about his feelings, stories and anger, doing so with passion.

“Bobby has become very passionate about his art. Its very noticable that I get more calls asking about updates and new ideas from him compared to other DJs,”  Bailey said.

It is hard to pinpoint exactly where his passion falls in his music simply because there is so much to take in at once.

“After I listened to his music, I realized it got a lot deeper, more fluent and had a lot of style,” said Bailey. “Most of the time he is able to channel his anger anger and frustration and anger into his music which shows a lot of growth”.

His music continues to be sung with passion and heart in his newer songs. For Phong, his music isn’t about the fame he gets; it’s the passion he releases into the world.

On Soundcloud and YouTube, Phong’s songs can be found under his rapping name B-Phong. His newest songs are “Im B-Phong” and “Can We Both Talk”. In both songs, listeners can hear and understand Phong’s varying styles of music.

“Can We Both Talk” is a very elegant song and contains a very soft spoken chorus. This song was released on one year anniversary of his rapping career, which fell on Valentine’s day. To put a spin on this song, Phong made the song about love and dedicated it to “all the single ladies.” This style of music is just one of the varying styles of Bobby Phong.

“I’m B-Phong” is a very angry, and fast-paced song. This is nearly the opposite of “Can We Both Talk.” Both songs have received extensive positive feedback. In “I’m B-Phong” he raps about being the 18-year-old he is from Connecticut, wanting to be something more. He also outlines his battle against the stereotypes and criticism he has been hearing all his life.

Phong’s peers and teachers have recognized him for being dedicated to his work, whatever it be.

“He seems very dedicated to things he’s interested in – rapping and tennis especially. He also seems dedicated to annoying me occasionally,” Barcello said.

Phong dedicates countless hours of his life to master what he loves.

“Just know that is not just talent or luck,” Ahmed said. “It’s the hours that get you far. As far as I can see, he puts in hours.”

As Phong graduates from Law and enters a new chapter of his life, he knows that his work ethic and passion will carry over. His workload will increase as he studies in Sacred Heart University, but Phong will not fail to keep up with his various growing careers.

Additional information on Phong can be found on http://www.tennisrecruiting.net. His music can be found on YouTube and SoundCloud under the name “B-Phong”.

By Nisali Fernando – Staff Reporter

At the age of five, Daniel Trust’s life was radically altered by the Rwandan Genocide of 1994. While most five-year-olds are concerned with cheerios and Disney channel, Trust was forced to witness the murder of his mother in cold blood. His mother, a Tutsi, along with thousands of others, were targeted and exterminated by Hutu rebel forces in Rwanda. Trust recalls being placed in a circle alongside other Tutsis and “one by one” they fell. As the blade fell on his mother’s neck, his innocence went with it.

Since that day, Trust has rewritten the narrative. He is more than just a victim of the Rwandan Genocide. Since immigrating to the United States in 2005, Trust has managed to open a foundation in his name that “supports students from low-income communities with their educational and career needs, and to honor teachers, who are making a difference in the lives of these students and communities in which they teach.” He speaks at high schools to bring light to the Rwandan Genocide and hopes to teach and inspire students to make a difference. A man, torn down by years of hatred and suffering, proves that with determination good things can happen.

Though Trust’s situation may be unique, he demonstrates that no matter the obstacles in the way, to create change in the world, one must take their future into their hands and take action. This action however, has been taken, aside from Trust many others have devoted their lives to making the world they live in a better place. They have all come together to stand up for the voiceless and advocate for change. Be it from a social media platform or knee deep in the sewage of Nairobi, Kenya.

Janet Patry, a Connecticut native, participates in the latter. Unlike Trust, Patry’s story is a little less bloodied. She first arrived in Kenya to embark on a, “big adventurous trip.” Her adventure took another turn when she came across Neemaland, a boarding school housing 22 young girls. Compelled to make a change, Patry promised these girls that they would indeed go to school and get an education, and that she would return to Kenya.

She did not go back on her word, and since her expedition to Kenya, Patry has founded Right 2 Thrive and relocated to Kenya permanently. Right 2 Thrive is an organization set out to, “invest in women and children to break the cycle of generational poverty.” Patry, since the establishment of her organization in 2008 has managed several incredible feats. Including enrolling 1,800 women in business and empowerment training, training eight mothers to start businesses, and guiding the take off of five successful businesses. On the adolescent side, the organization has sent six students to high school and has managed the impossible feat of sending two students to University.

Trust and Patry are two incredibly inspiring people. They work tirelessly to promote their causes, but it doesn’t stop there. It became apparent after their speeches that the duo wanted more than the sympathy of students. They meant to motivate students to make a change, to persevere, and reach their goals – goals that they themselves have devoted years of their lives to.

Trust, while on stage addressing the students of Jonathan Law High School began to tear up. Much of the crowd looked up at him remorsefully as he recounted his dream of coming to America.

“America is the country where you could do anything,” Trust said. “I had been dreaming of coming to the US since I was 11 years old.”

At 15, this dream became a reality when Trust’s Visa had been approved. On the stage, a man who had recently just broken down during his presentation after going through a slideshow of his deceased family members, stood proudly as he recounted his journey of the American Dream.

Aside from a slight Rwandan lilt, Trust’s English is almost perfect. Which is no surprise because he forced himself to learn English with the help of his high school’s ESL teachers and television shows. With this determination he enrolled in Southern Connecticut State University and majored in business management. The same man who had dreamed of America, managed to conquer it’s native tongue and graduate from a qualified university. Trust, “had hope and faith things would get better” and because of his willpower his situation shifted advantageously.

Patry who now lives in Kenya, found her calling leaving America behind. Nairobi, the capital, has a poverty rate of 49.1% translating to at least 16,728,251 people out of a population of a whopping 45,545,980 (2014). Ultimately proving to the ambitious Patry that her work is cut out for her.  While speaking students at Jonathan Law High School, Patry recalled the sickening sanitary conditions in the streets of Nairobi. Raw sewage flows in the street, and children who play in these toxic water suffer from rashes, stomach aches, diarrhea, and dehydration. Many children in Kenya (and in most developing African countries) do not live past 10 years old. And of those who do survive past 10, at least 2 million are orphaned.

The disheartening conditions in Kenya not only motivated Patry, but forced her to immerse herself in the lifestyle. She was taking no shortcuts, during her first night at Neemaland, Patry slept atop a lumpy mattress with a flashlight by her side to keep the critters away. Since that day Patry has remained hands on with her organization. The relocation to Kenya was sparked by the fact that she could, “do so much more if I was on the ground there,” Patry said. Determined to end this cycle of poverty, where half of the country is incapable of surviving. Patry understood it was not enough to educate children, but their mothers had to be educated as well. She, alongside others in her organization teach the mothers of the students they educate how to develop self-worth, new skills, income generating techniques, and how to keep their children in school.

Trust and Patry, though on opposite hemispheres, manage to ignite and cultivate change for the better.

After Trust’s presentation was over, the audience was left with a devastating feeling of anguish and helplessness. For many, Trust’s wavering composure was the most heartbreaking parts of his presentation. Ms. Rowley, an English and Social Studies teacher at Jonathan Law High School, organized the event. She has known Trust since he was a teenager, and recounted one other time during his 10 visits to the school where he had cried. “It was a perfect storm of events that were happening at the time, just talking about his loss culminated in that overwhelming moment for him,” Rowley said.

Sydney King, a Junior at Jonathan Law High School wholeheartedly agreed with Rowley. Trusts’ outburst of emotion, “brought everything that we watched previously in Hotel Rwanda right before us,” King said. “Although I could never even imagine the whole of his pain, I felt just a small bit of it and that made the issue very real for me.”

Patry’s story was equally as stirring and Mr. Roumeles, a History teacher at Jonathan Law High School was in awe of both speakers. “I really admire them both,” Roumeles said. “Especially Janet for what she does on a daily basis, and I admire Daniel for dealing with things the way he has.”

Almost immediately, following the presentations, many students rushed up to the speakers to ask them questions; and in Trust’s case to share a warm embrace. Students, who hours before were complaining about missing class time, took selfies and exchanged stories with the speakers.

“Seeing so many of you (students) really get engaged, for some it was even a life changing event, that made it all worth it,” Rowley said.

One of the most memorable pieces of advice to advocate for change came from Mr. Dooley, another History teacher at Jonathan Law High School. “Even on a small scale, the Milford community or the Jonathan Law community can make a real difference,” Dooley said,  “Any improvement, any difference we can make, helps a lot. I hope that came across to the students.”

For students like King, the message was apparent, “as I move forward and choose my career path and future I would love for it to align closely with the missions of these two wonderful people. Since the assembly I have been looking into philanthropy as a serious option for my future.”

Daniel Trust and Janet Patry came to Jonathan Law High School to spread the word about two deserving causes, and in the process managed to transform the atmosphere of the high school toward kindness and selflessness.

Once the speeches were over and after the tears were shed, change was no longer an impossible feat. As a society, people live in a world surrounded by horror and it is our responsibility to get involved and make a difference. People can no longer stand idly by, they must take action and in the words of Trust, “stand up for the voiceless.”

For a man who wasn’t meant to live past the Rwandan Genocide, Trust’s story is one of triumph and perseverance. As he stood on the stage recounting his story he was no longer a victim, he was a survivor.

(Some information courtesy danieltrustfoundation.org, right2thrive.org, ruralpovertyportal.org, worldbank.org)

By Tyler Chavez – Staff Reporter

In the heart of New York City’s Broadway stands the Richard Rodgers Theatre. Home of prominent shows such as “Guys and Dolls,” “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying,” and “Chicago,” the theatre holds the largest number of Tony Award winning musicals and plays with 10. Today, the theatre houses the Broadway show that has captivated the world: “Hamilton.”

“Hamilton” tells the story of founding father Alexander Hamilton. One of the lesser known founders of our country, the show uses a unique blend of hip-hop and rap to cover Hamilton’s life from his arrival in New York City to his death at the hands of a duel with Aaron Burr. But the music isn’t the only thing that has caused “Hamilton” to gain traction, the show has also become famous for its impressive cast of diversity. When the audience looks at the leads of the show, they are seeing a cast of non-white, biracial actors. The show’s creator, Lin-Manuel Miranda, is no stranger to diversity on Broadway. His previous show, “In the Heights”, was famous for the same reason as it was about a hispanic neighborhood in Washington Heights.

But the timing of “Hamilton” is also interesting. In another major entertainment industry, the past year’s Oscars awards ceremony was also under fire the exact opposite reason. For the second year in a row, all nominees for actor, actress, supporting actor, supporting actress, and director were all white, something that had not happened in decades. However, films featuring people of color such as “Straight Outta Compton”, “Concussion”, “Creed”, and “The Hateful Eight” were noticeably snubbed for major awards despite the critical and commercial success. People began to speak up as they were outraged at the lack of representation and diversity in the film industry. And then, there’s “Hamilton,” a show that is firm on its racial diversity, and has gained so much success because of it. The success of “Hamilton” and other racially diverse shows raises the argument as to how racial diversity can help Hollywood and why the film industry needs to progress and be more inclusive.

“It’s not diverse for diversity’s sake,” said Daveed Diggs, who plays both Marquis de Lafayette and Thomas Jefferson, “It’s that these are the actors who should play these parts, and it looks like America looks.”

Indeed, the cast of “Hamilton” displays a rainbow of cast members. For the first time that people can think of, founding fathers such as Aaron Burr, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and, first president George Washington, are being played by black, biracial, and Hispanic actors. Hamilton’s wife, Elizabeth Schuyler, is played by Asian-American actress Phillipa Soo. Ensemble members and King George are played by white actors, but the lead actors are all non-white, something that American media often does not see.

“Hamilton” is a story about America, and the most thing about it is…it’s told by such a diverse cast with such diverse styles of music,” said Renee Elise Goldsberry, the actress who plays Angelica Schuyler. “We have the opportunity to reclaim a history that some of us don’t necessarily think is our own.”

Renee’s quote truly resonates with many people of color who feel as if early American history is not “their” history since they were not included in the conversation and many were treated as property. They feel separated from the rest of American history. The juxtaposition of actors of color being the leads shows audience members that yes, this is a part of their history too. They are Americans and this is their American history. For the first time, they are being shown as fighters and leaders of the American Revolution.

Beyond that, children of color are also seeing people who look like them in the spotlight, something that is very rare. Growing up, the only time I heard last names like mine or heard Spanish like I did was when I watched a show like “Dora the Explorer”. There were very few Hispanic families or Hispanic children on my TV. And millions of black, Asian, and Hispanic children like me have felt the same thing. As we grew up, we saw so little traces of people like us. That shapes the way we look at the world. When all the models and stars you see on screen are white, it changes the way you look at yourself. You feel like an outsider and like a “token” when finally included. You almost never felt truly involved in the country that so frequently brags about how diverse it is.

The diversity of “Hamilton” has truly helped in its success, as the show has won a Grammy award, is among the top grossing Broadway shows of the past season, makes an average of $1.5 million a week, and is even expected to break the $1 billion mark before it leaves New York City. Celebrities and politicians, including President Obama, from all walks of stardom have gone to seen the show, praising it and spreading the word.

The success of “Hamilton” brings to attention something that has gained much traction in the past few years: diversity in media. Is there a correlation between diverse productions and success? According to a UCLA study conducted between 2012 and 2013, yes. Films with relatively diverse casts also saw the biggest global box office returns. On the television side, the 2014 Hollywood Diversity Report showed that TV shows with casts of 41 to 50% non white characters earned the highest revenue.

The proof is in the numbers; diverse TV shows and movies sell. People want to see more than just largely white casts. People of color want to see people who look like them in movies and shows. And when studios get it right, they’re making more money. And yet, the numbers are also showing that these same media outlets are not featuring enough representation and are under-representing people of color and women.

Even though nonwhite minorities represented 36% of the population in 2010 (and that number is expected to quickly ascend into the majority within the near future decades), they filled just 5.1% of lead roles in broadcast TV comedies and dramas. They also had only  10.5% of lead roles in film. The numbers get even worse when you learn that only 2.3% of films had casts with diversity percentages similar to the general population. The data is almost shocking. A country that frequently boasts on how much of a “melting pot” it is does not even remotely represent that on screen.

Women are being treated to a similar under-representation. According to the UCLA report mentioned earlier, in 2013, women only made up 25% of lead actors in film. Despite the obvious pool of talent to choose from Emma Watson to Jennifer Lawrence, women are given the short end of the stick. But if you notice, the names I mentioned are white women. Women of color are going to be given even less representation compared to their already underrepresented white co-workers. But there is some hope. TV shows with nonwhite, female leads such as “Jane the Virgin,” “How to Get Away with Murder,” and “Empire” are receiving critical and commercial success. The time are changing, but they are changing too slow compared to the general population.

The lack of diversity has stirred up quite a controversy in recent years. That controversy reached its tipping point this past year with the “Oscars So White” fiasco. People of color not being appreciated in the Academy Awards is nothing new, but 2015 was an especially bad. For the second year in a row, the nominees for actor, actress, supporting actor, and supporting actress were all white. That is not even including films such as “Straight Outta Compton”and “Creed” which were snubbed for directing and writing nominations (even though Sylvester Stallone, one of the few white actors in “Creed” picked up a nomination for best supporting actor), and “Salma” which was also snubbed in 2014 for multiple awards. This also does not include the fact that no Asian actress has won an award in 58 years, and no Latina in general has taken an award home in 54 years.

The anger about the lack of diversity led multiple prominent black film stars such as Spike Lee and Will and Jada Pinkett Smith to boycott the Oscars, calling for reform in the executive offices of film and TV studios. Host Chris Rock ripped the Academy in his opening monologue, referring to the Oscars as “the White People’s Choice Awards” among other jokes about the lack of diversity. He finished the show by proclaiming, “Black lives matter.”

Beyond the numbers showing the revenue and backlash from colored communities, diverse casts are something that many people want to see themselves. One of the biggest draws to “Hamilton” was that

If there was any doubt about it before, it is clear now to see that Hollywood and American media in general has a diversity problem. The fact that productions like “Hamilton” need to be put in the spotlight because it is so diverse says enough. In a perfect world, diverse casts would be the norm and would not need to be beacons of light.

And even though all the numbers show that diverse casts make more money, Hollywood continues to snail towards the finish line that is diversity. Which brings us back to “Hamilton”, the show that for so many people has sparked the conversation on diversity in media. As the Broadway hit edges closer to a national tour, the producers have already made it clear that they want to continue the theme of a diverse cast when the show hits the road, leading some to become angry as they saw it as an “anti-white” movement (even though the show’s creators have made it clear that diversity is a major aspect of the show, as it would be for a show like “In the Heights”).

As show creator Lin-Manuel Miranda Jr. and his cast continue to rake in revenue and awards (they just broke a record 16 Tony nominations), time will only tell if Hollywood and other media outlets will take note and move towards diversity. The future seems bright to many as the topic is finally getting recognition, and TV studios have also seen the benefit of diverse casting, but only time will tell if American media learns a lesson from “Hamilton” and embraces diversity.

(Some information courtesy of npr.org, huffingtonpost.com, thegeektwins.com, passionweiss.com, deadline.com, ew.com,.latimes.com)

By Owen Paiva – Staff Reporter

After years of wishing and hoping, packed cinemas across the U.S. were treated to the premier of “Deadpool” on February 11. Many walked out ecstatic, their immense expectations met by the film, an event to behold, especially in IMAX, with the action scenes shining through good audio and visual design and editing.

Two months before this, a galaxy of fans eagerly flocked to the cinema to see “The Force Awakens,”, the seventh installment in the Star Wars saga. The feel of Star Wars was finally back, and to many it was their first viewing of the franchise in theaters.

The theater experience enriches certain movies. It allows the audio to be loud and crisp, and fully provide the effect intended by the editor. “Avatar” and “Titanic” Producer Jon Landau sums this up best.

“Both Director James Cameron and I remain committed to the sanctity of the in-theater experience,” Landau said. “For us, from both a creative and financial standpoint, it is essential for movies to be offered exclusively in theaters for their initial release. We don’t understand why the industry would want to provide audiences an incentive to skip the best form to experience the art that we work so hard to create.”

A new start-up service is being proposed by Napster co-founder Sean Parker, known as Screening Room. This will be a service that allows for the broadcast of movies, while they are currently in theaters, in your home.

The company is offering new movies in the home for $50 at the same time as they open in theaters. It would charge $150 for access to the anti-piracy equipped set-top box that transmits the films. Customers have 48 hours to watch the movies, and the idea is to capture an audience older than teens and young adults, who might have responsibilities such as children that prevent them from going to the theater.

In order to convince studios and exhibitors to back the plan, Screening Room is cutting them in on a significant percentage of the revenue. Theater owners could get as much as $20 of the $50 fee.

Customers will also receive two free tickets to see the movie at a cinema, which will further benefit exhibitors when concessions are purchased. Still, this idea is causing people in the industry to go ballistic, especially the National Association of Theater Owners.

The National Association of Theater Owners may only be interested in the money they earn from sales and concessions; however, others are concerned for other reasons. The whole movie-viewing experience could be set to change.

To some people, the theater experience is holy. They love the the gigantic screen, the comfy chairs, the amazing audio system – none of which they can replicate with a home cinema.

Yet, home cinemas could be the way of the future, and could provide a more accessible experience to the public. Babysitters would not be needed for parents for a PG-13/R rated movie, and the hassle of the trip and overpriced food in concessions could be avoided.

Many people also prefer matinee showings which are generally before noon or on Tuesdays due to the $5  ticket price. Otherwise, tickets are generally $12-$13.

Theater chains like the Alamo Drafthouse are gaining popularity because they offer an experience previously not available in cinemas. These are cabaret style theaters where customers can order and be served food and alcohol during the film, as cabaret style tables accompany the seats. The food served at these theaters is not the usual faire, as it is actual restaurant-quality food. Besides great food, Alamo Drafthouse does not tolerate texting or phone use in their cinemas, as evidenced by their famous “Don’t Talk/Text PSA”

With many competitors copying this style, it could be the new trend that saves traditional cinema. But with the growing trend of digital media, can it compete with the notion of brand new movies being accessible from the comfort of home?

Cameron and Landau are not opposed to having films in the home, but they feel the period of exclusivity for theaters needs to remain.

“To us, the in-theater experience is the wellspring that drives our entire business, regardless of what other platforms we eventually play on and should eventually play on,” Landau said. “No one is against playing in the home, but there is a sequencing of events that leads to it.”

There is a service similar to Screening Room, which is not drawing much flack. It is known as Prima Cinema, and it offers movies straight into subscribers’ homes. The service costs $750-$1,000 per movie, which makes it favorable only to the Bel-Air crowd and not a meaningful threat to cinemas.

“It’s not a scaleable business,” said one insider.

Hollywood heavyweights are divided on this issue. Famed directors such as Steven Spielberg (“Indiana Jones,” “E.T. ,” “JAWS”), Peter Jackson (“Lord of the Rings,” “Hobbit”), and Martin Scorsese (“Goodfellas,” “Taxi Driver,” “The Wolf of Wall Street”) have voiced their support of Sean Parker and Screening Room, as they are purported shareholders.

Across the aisle, the aforementioned duo of James Cameron and Jon Landau (“Titanic,” “Avatar”), and Christopher Nolan (“Dark Knight Trilogy,” “Interstellar,” “Inception”) have opposed the initiative,

“It would be hard to express the great importance of exclusive theatrical presentation to our industry more compellingly than Jon Landau and James Cameron did,” Nolan said.

Nolan is a fan of the IMAX set-up, and his movies utilize the full potential, both visually and audiolly. This process allows his movies to be exactly how he wants them.

That same crowd was mired in debate back in 2011, when Jackson and nearly two dozen other directors penned a letter objecting to studios’ deal with DirecTV to shrink the theatrical release window, which, they believed, would threaten the theatrical business.

Only one director has had a change of heart so far. Peter Jackson opposed DirecTV’s deal, but is now found at the forefront of Screening Room supporters.

Jackson made comments regarding differences between the two different services and why he had a change of heart.

“I had concerns about ‘DirecTV’ in 2011, because it was a concept that I believe would have led to the cannibalization of theatrical revenues, to the ultimate detriment of the movie business,” Jackson said.

“Screening Room, however, is very carefully designed to capture an audience that does not currently go to the cinema. That is a critical point of difference with the DirecTV approach – and along with Screening Room’s robust anti-piracy strategy, is exactly why Screening Room has my support. Screening Room will expand the audience for a movie – not shift it from cinema to living room.

He continued: “It does not play off studio against theater owner. Instead it respects both, and is structured to support the long term health of both exhibitors and distributors – resulting in greater sustainability for the wider film industry itself.”

Even with the measures taken by Parker and Screening Room to appease theater owners, resistance is still massive.

Reports have even come out about cinema juggernaut Disney, who also owns Marvel, who churns out blockbusters, Lucasfilms/Lucasarts who owns “Star Wars” and “Indiana Jones,” and Pixar, 3D animation pioneers. Millions of children flock to see movies under the Disney umbrella.

Why is this so important to Disney and theater owners? There is a substantial profit in concessions, since movie theaters usually mark up prices, especially in candy. Disney and theater owners do not want to lose out on these profits.

The debate may soon go to the public if Screening Room begins to gain steam. This will divide movie-goers mainly the casual fans and the cinema crowd.

When directors take full advantage of resources available, they can create a masterpiece for all to enjoy. Would action scenes pop in a move without the stunning sound of IMAX, and would movie scores carry the same magic if they were on television instead of theaters?

These are questions that cinema fans will ask, but they may not affect the casual crowd. There are benefits of Screening Room, but it could be harmful to the current medium of movie distribution.

Whether moviegoers are in favor of or in opposition to Sean Parker’s startup, it paints a painfully clear message for the future of cinema. It is at a crossroads, and the future of movie distribution could be radically different 20 years from now.

Movie theaters owners do not fear just Screening Room, they also fear the potential change in the industry, and some directors are scared to adapt, as their methods may not work in future mediums. No one knows what the future holds, but theater owners and directors fear the change that may be coming to the industry.

(Some information courtesy of ew.com,screendaily.com,variety.com,deadline.com,cinemablend.com, thewrap.com, and highsnobiety.com)

By Brianna Arnold – Staff Reporter

Jonathan Law senior Amita Sastry, just like any high school junior or senior taking the SATs, was stressed out beyond belief. She was stressed out not because she didn’t know the material but because so much of it was dependent on the score she got. When she was studying for the SAT she wasn’t trying to improve her skills, she was trying to learn shortcuts to maximize on the number of points she could obtain to get to get a high score. Preparing and studying for this one test was the dependent factor to see if she would even be considered into Yale, Brown or Harvard.

Standardized tests have been a part of Sastry’s academic life since elementary school. Sastry knows that they are in place to measure people’s skills and how well they are doing. However, they compare the scores to other students and the expectations colleges and other institutions have, rely too heavily on the score as a gauge of “preparedness” and almost like “eligibility” for college.

“The minimal skill set for tests and this one score on the SAT cannot possibly predict how well you do in college,” Sastry said. “I feel like it shouldn’t be emphasized so heavily and considered this giant obstacle to overcome to get into a school.”

Sastry is just one of over a million other students that begin to get clammy hands, have trouble breathing, have the inability to sit still, and even have nausea while taking standardized tests such as the SAT, ACT, and HSPT.

Standardized tests are dreaded by many students because standardize test scores are factors in how much federal funding schools receive and whether a student can get into the college of his or her dreams.

Katy Bowman, a researcher on the effectiveness of standardized tests, knows how much schools put pressure on students to do well on testing. They also set standards for teachers to meet in order their students receive good scores on their tests.

“Advocates say the tests raise the bar on student achievement and that they are the best way to ensure that students around the country are meeting similar curriculum standards,” Bowman said. “Proponents also believe that teachers will do more to nurture the learning environment within their classrooms if they are rewarded when their students perform well on standardized tests.”

Some people are on the fence about standardized testing, They are used to help students, teachers, schools, and parents know what students have learned and what they still need to study. Teachers can use information from the tests to design lessons to help their students.

However, students are often stressed out and worried because one test defines their placement, and or acceptance in other schools.

There are positive and negative views on if standardized test are effective.

Those in favor of standardized testing believe that the tests are proven to measure the success of a student. Without testing, they argue, policy makers would have to rely on tests scores by individual schools and teachers who care a lot about the success of their students. They are argue that standardized tests are not narrowing the curriculum; they are focusing on important basic skills all students can master. According to a study in the October 28, 2005, issue of the peer-reviewed Education Policy Analysis Archives, teachers in four Minnesota school districts said standardized testing had a positive impact, improving the quality of the curriculum while raising student achievement.

Many parents also approve of standardized tests. In June/July 2013, the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll found that 75% of parents say standardized tests “are a solid measure of their children’s abilities” and 69% say the tests “are a good measure of the school’s quality.” 93% of parents say standardized tests “should be used to identify areas where students need extra help” and 61% say their children “take an appropriate number of standardized tests.”

Many schools are now using performance assessments. They measure a student’s ability to do an actual task, such as conducting a chemistry experiment. This test focuses directly on complex performances and the knowledge and skills required to complete these tasks. However, performance assessments can be seen as difficult, costly to score, and require a lot of classroom time.

Opponents of standardized tests argue that the tests do not give a complete picture of a student’s knowledge. Some students are not good test takers or have bad days here and there.

Many teens taking the SATs argue that the multiple-choice format used on standardized tests is not the correct assessment tool for the real world. It encourages only a way of thinking that there are only right and wrong answers. Some argue that the format is also biased toward male students, who studies have shown adapt more easily to the game-like point scoring of multiple-choice questions.

In a video posted to Facebook by the White House on October 24, 2015, President Obama pledged to take steps to reduce testing overload.

In “moderation, smart, strategic tests can help us measure our kids’ progress in school, and it can help them learn,” Obama said. “But I also hear from parents who, rightly, worry about too much testing, and from teachers who feel so much pressure to teach to a test that it takes the joy out of teaching and learning, both for them and for the students. I want to fix that.”

Testing is shown to affect eighth-graders the most, who spend an average of 25.3 hours during the school year taking standardized tests. Testing affects even younger students, with the average pre-K class giving 4.1 standardized tests. Students are often overwhelmed by how much testing teachers give out tests to prepare for these standardized tests. Many teachers have to change their instruction to “teach to the test” and believe that tests do not give students a view of the real world.

Supporters of standardized tests argue their cost-effectiveness and help in data analysis. Standardized tests are graded by computers rather than humans. This reduces costs by eliminating the need to pay graders as well as enforcing objective standards. The second advantage is seen when a local school board needs to determine the overall level of achievement. Standardized tests could help ensure, for example, that all of the sixth-grade students will be evaluated on a common, objective standard. This allows a fair evaluation of sixth-graders and helps determine which schools or classes may be in need of improvement.

Just like Sastry, thousands of teens struggle when it comes to taking standardized tests. They put a lot of pressure on students when it comes to college. Often, teens get stressed about taking tests in general and aren’t the best test takers. Standardized tests do have some benefits, they give colleges and schools a look into how well a student is doing other schools and colleges. Testing students starting when they’re younger helps them adjust to test taking strategies.

There are ways to prepare for the test like SAT and ACT; however,most of them cost money. Kahn Academy along with the College Board allow students to study from their PSAT scores and design a schedule to help them review for their next SAT. Test taking is hard to master but with time can improve.

There isn’t a definite answer to whether standardized tests are bad or good. Students that are worried about testing should see a counselor or work with their teacher in order to improve their scores. Standardized testing has been going on for decades and doesn’t seem to be going away.

(Some information courtesy cogito.edu, procon.org, washingtonpost.com, teaching.about.com, usnews.com, and everydaydebate.com)

By Jessica Cuevas – Staff Reporter

Glenna Kohl started using tanning beds when she was 16. It started out as an occasional thing, only for prom and graduation, but as her love for being bronze grew, so did the amount of hours she spent in a tanning bed. She was at the salon almost as often as once a week. This habit grew quick and soon enough she became diagnosed with melanoma, the deadliest of skin cancers, at age 25. It changed not only her life but her entire family’s.

“She wasn’t resentful; she focused on getting better,” said her father, Bob. “Back when we all first got the news, it wasn’t a matter of if but how soon she’d be cancer-free.” Glenna is just one of the 2.5 million teens that use tanning booths each year. 35% of these girls are only at the age of 17 and many girls start as early as age 13.

Many people, including the 2.5 million teens that use beds, do not realize how dangerous beds can be to your skin and health. More than 419,000 cases of skin cancer in the U.S. each year are linked to indoor tanning, including about 245,000 basal cell carcinomas, 168,000 squamous cell carcinomas, and 6,200 melanomas.

Tanning beds emit mostly UVA (ultraviolet A) rays that penetrate deep into the skin, as deep as the dermal-epidermal junction. These rays can damage your cells’ DNA at precisely the place where most melanomas begin.

Essentially this all causes abnormal cells to begin to grow which is how melanoma can form. Tanning beds also emit some UVB (ultraviolet B) rays that also increases your chances of getting melanomas as well as other types of skin cancer.

There are other negatives impacts of tanning as well besides cancer.

There are often dieses found in correlation with tanning use in the eyes, most often these diseases can be treated like inflammation in the cornea, but other chronic eye problems can be developed like cataracts.

Other effects of tanning include photoaging, a term that refers to premature aging of the skin due to exposure to UV radiation. The skin will typically develop a texture similar to leather and wrinkles, it will sag and sun spots can develop.

The most overlooked effects are the ones you can’t physically see happening like spread of diseases such as staph infections and some sexually transmitted diseases in beds that are not sufficiently cleaned and disinfected between uses. Excessive exposure to UV rays can also affect the immune system, making your body vulnerable to disease.

Tanning is also particularly dangerous for younger users because people who begin using tanning beds during adolescence or early adulthood have a higher risk of getting melanoma.

“We’re seeing younger and younger patients coming to us with skin cancer,” said Dr. Eleni Linos, assistant professor of dermatology at the University of California-San Francisco. “That is a new phenomenon.”

Some states in the U.S. have taken note on this issue and begin to pass laws prohibiting indoor tanning for minors younger than 18. These states include California, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Louisiana, Minnesota, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Texas and Vermont. If indoor tanning has to be prohibited in some states, then wouldn’t you think that teens would finally understand that it’s not good? Apparently not.

Many people do not even begin to think about all these risks and how detrimental tanning is to our health when they head to salons to try and achieve their perfect tan. Glenna sure didn’t think about the risks when she began tanning.

Of course she knew that is was bad for you but never believed that it was that serious, that a little tanning would do no harm. “As health-conscious as Glenna was, she didn’t connect tanning with skin cancer,” said Colleen Kohl, her mother.

Like Glenna, the risks with tanning and skin cancer are often overlooked in girls her age. They are only a mere thought compared with the desire to be golden tan. This is because being tan is almost always associated with being “pretty”, while pale is perceived as being “ugly.”

This theory has been investigated at many universities. Researchers use websites that allow users so rate each other, in this case they used Hotornot.com, to see if your hotness score raised when they Photoshopped people to tanner.

They photoshopped 45 photos of women who were aged 21 to 35 to look more tan. The original photos and the photoshopped versions were posted to the website at different times in the day. The researchers found that the darker version was twice as likely to be rated as more attractive.

“When I look in the mirror I feel more attractive when I’m darker, like my face is prettier. It’s 100 percent a confidence boost for me,” says Lauren Kafka age 31 from Miami, who uses a tanning bed around three times a week.

There have been many campaigns by health organizations to warn the public about the risks of tanning but have had limited success. Even with awareness there are still about 28 million Americans that frequently use tanning booths each year and tanning-bed use among teens has been growing as well.

One campaign that’s been trying to spread awareness is the “Take a Stand, Don’t Tan!” campaign run by the Melanoma Research Foundation (MRF). They encourage everyone to take their pledge to avoid using indoor tanning beds and also try to educate everyone on the physical impacts tanning has on the body.

Tanning not only has physical impacts on your body, but also economical impacts to your wallet. According to Business Wire, in 2003: 10% of Americans spend on average $300 per year to tan indoors. This equates to a total U.S. market for tanning of over $9 billion per year, and does not include the $3 billion tanning products market.

This cost doesn’t include the tanning lotions, the membership cards you can receive in order to get special perks or deals. Also this doesn’t include the extra amounts of money people will pay to get unlimited sessions.

Also, a law passed back in 2010 by the Obama administration states that businesses who offer indoor tanning services are required to collect a 10 percent excise tax, on top of the state’s already set sales tax, on the indoor tanning services they provide. Of course the law passed caused unnecessary costs to already pricey tanning packages so it was then repealed in early 2015.

Unfortunately the biggest impact of tanning is death. In December 2008, Glenna Kohl had lost her fight to cancer and passed away. She was only 26.

Her parents, being as devastated as they were, decided to start a campaign in honor of Glenna to raise awareness to the importance of melanoma and UV protection. “Glenna’s not here to inform people of the dangers,” said her mother, “so we’re going to continue her work for her.”

Glenna leaves her legacy of hope that one day people will realize the costs of tanning aren’t worth it. Hopefully her passing and her story will make you think twice about heading out to tanning salons.

(Some information courtesy cosmopolitan.com, mfne.org, skincancer.org, abcnews.com, wisebread.com)

By Nick Ferrara – Staff Reporter

Austin Collie started in the NFL by being a fourth round draft pick for the Indianapolis Colts in 2009. Collie is a wide receiver. Collie also played for the San Francisco 49ers, BC Lions, and the New England Patriots. Austin Collie attended Oak Ridge High School in California. His senior year, he recorded 60 receptions for a total of 978 yards and 18 touchdowns. Many awards came his way in high school; he was a PrepStar and SuperPrep All-American as well as being voted Northern California’s Most Valuable Player. After being scouted and recruited by Stanford, Arizona, Arizona State, Washington State, Oregon State, Colorado, and Utah, Collie signed with BYU. In 2004, Collie was named MWC Freshman of the Year. He was also named the MVP of the 2007 Las Vegas Bowl and all–MWC first–team receiver in 2008.

On November 7, 2010, things would change drastically for Austin Collie. A game against the Philadelphia Eagles; two defensive backs treated Austin Collie’s 6-foot, 205-pound body like a rag doll. It was two consecutive hits on both sides of his head by Quintin Mikell and Kurt Coleman; then silence. Collie laid on the turf frozen in unconsciousness. After 10 minutes inaudible and senseless, Collie was taken off the field by the medics.

For some football players, this would have been the end. Collie always wanted more football and always got up. The main issue was the concussions always kept coming.  Bad hits came from the Eagles, The Steelers, The Jaguars, and more. Collie was soon known for being the king of concussions.

“A study of 2,500 retired NFL players found that those who had at least three concussions during their careers had triple the risk of clinical depression as those who had no concussions” Dr. Kevin Guskiewicz, research director of the University of North Carolina’s Center for the Study of Retired Athletes said. “Those who recalled one or two concussions were 1 1/2 times more likely to be diagnosed with depression.”

Austin Collie went from being a young, vibrant athlete for the Indianapolis Colts to out of the NFL in five years and done with football by the age of 30.

“I don’t enjoy people talking about me or tagging me to concussions,” Collie himself said in 2013 while training for an NFL comeback that never happened. “It doesn’t make me happy.”

Collie hated not being able to go back on the field. Making the decision to not play football again was one of the hardest decisions Collie had to make in his life. Collie was well aware of the science of it all and the science of his concussions. Collie studied this and relied on it heavily each time he decided to strap on his helmet and go back out on the field. Since Austin Collie decided to retire from football, he might as well pursue the science he studied so much as a football player: concussions. Collie spends most of his time at a facility in Provo, Utah that treats the very brain injury that wrecked his once-promising career with the Colts. Cognitive FX claims to be the most advanced concussion treatment center in the world.

“I’m fortunate to have found out early, in 1990, just two years after I retired, that I have neurological damage. I try to manage it. I know what can trigger headaches and try to avoid it” Hall of Fame Linebacker, Harry Carson said. “I have short term memory problems, so I make a special effort to remember people and names. I have to work harder, but it’s important.”

CFX offers world class treatment for people suffering from cognitive problems caused by injury, accident, or disease.  CFX is the place to go when no other place has been able to provide the answers or solutions to your cognitive problems.  In fact, CFX services have attracted professional athletes like Tom Brady and Austin Collie, who have enlisted fNCI and CFX services into their standard cognitive care regimen.

Ironically, Austin Collie, even out of retirement, can’t get away from concussions. At least now it’s of his own reconciliation. Instead of sustaining them, he’ll be researching and investigating them. Furthermore, educating athletes young and old, no matter the sport, about the injuries misconceptions. First on his agenda: Set the record straight on the impression that an athlete who suffers a concussion can’t rehabilitate. Many think time is the only medicine.

“Wrong,” Collie says. “Just because you had a head injury, people assume you’re going to keep deteriorating, that dementia is right around the corner. Not true. What we’re doing is taking a proactive approach. We’re identifying the weaknesses in the brain and making those strengths.”

Collie explains how the brain is like a muscle: it can be rehabilitated. If anyone is to know, it’s Austin Collie. He’s lived it, and felt it. After Collie’s frightening concussion in Philadelphia, he made his first stop in Utah at Cognitive FX after his first concussion. After that visit, Collie’s education began to grow and he never returned to the field without a full clearance from the doctors there. Dr. Alina Fong and Dr. Mark Allen are the ones who take care of him, a pair of leading concussion experts, along with a professional, well-trained crew. Ever since then, he’s been a regular patient, and even now undergoes regular check-ups.

During his time at the clinic, Collie was rehabbing his brain just like an injury he had in 2012 when he ruptured his patellar tendon his last season with the Colts. Both of these injuries followed the same ideas to heal themselves: rehabilitate and grow stronger from them. The brain is just like a muscle you injur. After healing his patellar tendon, he came back with the Patriots and caught 5 passes for 73 yards in two playoff games with the patriots in 2013. Which was the last season of his career in the NFL before the team electing to not bring him back to play.

“You are supposed to be tough. You are supposed to play through pain. You are not supposed to cry. We are taught that early on in the game as kids. Tough sport. Brutal sport. It’s like the gladiator” Hall of Fame Running Back Eric Dickerson said. “People want to see the big hits. They wind up on Sports Center. And as a player, you don’t want to admit you are injured.”

Collie spent one season with the BC Lions of the CFL. Attaining 43 catches for 439 yards and seven touchdowns. Collie soon realized after this season it was time for him to move on from the beautiful game he loved most, football.

Collie dug in at Cognitive FX and dove into case studies and research in an effort to learn more about the head trauma the NFL seemed to know very little about.

“For some people, one concussion is enough—they are slow to recover and they should give up the sport. But most athletes recover in 7 to 10 days.” Dr. Robert Cantu, Professor of Neurosurgery at Boston University Medical School and Co-Director of the Center for the Study of Traumatic Encephalopathy said.

Concussions are technical injuries and many people have different tolerance levels. Some are able to operate after multiple concussions, and others are unable to function after one bad one. Athletes need to know themselves and what they can handle in order to stay healthy. After one concussion, certain steps need to be taken in order to rehab that injury.

Cognitive FX has many advancements in their technology and research that makes them the most advanced concussion treatment center in the world. One advancement offered by the clinic: Instead of studying an injured brain with a simple MRI; Cognitive FX studies them with the use of an fNCI which stands for functional NeuroCognitive Image, a more powerful diagnostic assessment that picks up on more subtle impairments. The clinic claims an fNCI scan provides more information about brain function in 24 minutes of patient testing than 6-10 hours of traditional testing.

“I’ve always had an interest in medicine,” Collie said, “And hopefully that’s what my future holds.”

Athletes need to know themselves, and their limits. Many other professional athletes share Austin Collie’s story. The ability to know your body and know the steps to take once injured is something Austin Collie had a lot of time to practice. Concussions are serious injuries; but they can be rehabilitated if you allow them to.

(Some information courtesy athleticbusiness.com, burlingtoncountytime.com, bizjournals.com, indystar.com, wikipedia.org, headcasecompany.com, and stonephillipsreports.com)

By Kristin Frank – Staff Reporter

In 2002, John Dauscher, a husband, father of eight, and grandfather of 10, was diagnosed with a devastating disease that would impact the last seven years he had to live. When Dauscher was 70, his irregular patterns and abnormal memory loss determined the fact that his brain had developed the Alzheimer’s disease.

Living with this permanent illness was no easy ride. For the last two years of Dauscher’s life, he was no longer able to speak; it was like his brain forgot how to. Also, he did not eat, chew, or swallow for the final year of his life. Dauscher had Alzheimer’s for seven years, and in those seven years he never went to a hospital to treat this disease. The morning of his death, his wife, Frances Dauscher, woke up to find her husband unable to breath correctly. He was struggling and his face was pale. That morning, he was admitted to the hospital.

“Happy Birthday, Mary,” Dauscher said two years before he passed away on December 23, 2009. Little did his family and friends know these words were the last to be spoken from Dauscher. Mary Dauscher is one of John’s five daughters. At this birthday party for Mary, the family spoke to Dauscher for the last time.

Alzheimer’s is proven to be a hereditary disease. Dauscher’s older sister and brother also lost their battle in fighting Alzheimer’s. There are many other members in this family that are able to inherit this setback in life. There is only little time before another generation is affected by Alzheimer’s. Many treatments are on the way to prevent this heartbreaking disease from taking over the lives of the Dauscher family and others.

John Dauscher is one of the 5.5 million people in the world who has suffered from Alzheimer’s. In 1906, Dr. Alois Alzheimer noticed irregular changes in a woman’s brain tissue who had passed away from an unusual mental illness. Her symptoms of the disease include memory loss, language problems, and unpredictable behavior. From Dr. Alzheimer’s findings, this is house the name of the disease came to be.

Doctors have proven that Alzheimer’s disease is a serious illness that affects the brain and how it operates. A human brain is broken up into three parts essentially. The largest part of the brain is the cerebrum. The cerebrum involves remembering, problem solving, thinking, and feeling. This part of the brain also controls the movement of the body. The second part of the brain controls coordination and balance. This part sits in back of the head; it is called the cerebellum. The brain stem is located beneath your cerebrum and in front of your cerebellum. This connects the brain to the spinal cords and controls automatic functions that include breathing, digestion, heart rate, and blood pressure.

The cortex of a human brain is known as the “thinking wrinkles.” The certain functions that the cortex is linked to are: sensations, sights, sounds, smells, generates thoughts, solves problems, makes plans, forms and stores memories, and controls voluntary movement. When someone suffers from Alzheimer’s, all of these functions that seem effortless for us, are unmanageable for them.

Alzheimer’s is a disease that destroy neurons which are the main cells in the brain. The neurons connect and communicate at synapses. Synapses contain information from one neuron flows to another neuron across a synapse. They contain a small gap of separating neurons. This site in the brain consists of: a presynaptic ending that contains neurotransmitters, mitochondria, and other cell organelles.

On April 10, 1980, an organization was created to help and provide support to anyone who may be caring for a loved one with Alzheimer’s. Alz.org offers detailed information about the brain and how it works, as well as home remedies and medications to try and treat this disease.

There are current medications that are used to lessen the symptoms of Alzheimer’s such as memory loss and confusion, for a limited time. Although the medications as of right now, cannot cure the disease or stop it from progressing, doctors and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are on their way to approving more drugs for a cancellation of Alzheimer’s. Cholinesterase inhibitors and memantine are medications used to treat the cognitive symptoms such as memory loss, confusion, and problems with thinking and reasoning. Doctors have noted that as Alzheimer’s progresses, brain cells die and connections among cells are lost. This causes the cognitive symptoms to worsen.

These medications are used to not fully cure the disease, but to lessen or stabilize symptoms for a limited time. The stabilization of the disease is done by either drug, Cholinesterase inhibitors or memantine, altering certain chemicals linked with carrying messages among the brain’s nerve cells. In more recent years, doctors have prescribed both Cholinesterase and memantine together. Doctors believe that taking these two medications at the same time, will increase the chance of slowing down the process of memory loss and confusion which are aspects of Alzheimer’s.

The benefits of Cholinesterase inhibitors vary depending on the different parts of the brain. When analyzing the cerebrum, which controls problem solving and memory, Cholinesterase prevents the breakdown of acetylcholine, a chemical messenger crucial for those functions that are managed in the cerebrum.

When taking these inhibitors, it can delay the symptoms that this disease carries for six to 12 months. This is an average of half the people who have taken them and has seen partial success of what they had hoped for, prior consumption. There are some downfalls of Cholinesterase inhibitors. The side effects that come along with taking this drug are tolerated. The reactions include loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, and an increased frequency of bowel movement.

There are three cholinesterase inhibitors that are prescribed more commonly than others. Donepezil, is recognized to treat all stages of Alzheimer’s. When dealing with mild to moderate Alzheimer’s, both Rivastigmine and Galantamine is approved.

As for Memantine, this drug works in similar ways to Cholinesterase inhibitors when considering the delaying of Alzheimer’s. Memantine regulates the activity of glutamate, which is a different messenger chemical than acetylcholine. Glutamate mediates a lot information in the brain and plays an important role in the learning process and memory. It is a powerful excitatory neurotransmitter that is released by nerve cells in the brain. Glutamate is responsible for sending signals between nerve cells.

There are a few more medications that the FDA have approved of as well. These drugs treat the symptoms of Alzheimer’s, but not the disease as a whole. Donepezil, also known as Aricept, is approved for all stages of Alzheimer’s. The FDA accepted Donepezil in 1996. Rivastigmine, or called by its brand name, Exelon, is approved for all stages as well. This drug was FDA approved in 2000.  The last and most recent drug that the administration has approved was another type of Donepezil and Memantine. This drug goes by the name of Namzaric. Namzaric was approved in 2014, and in the last two years has been put to use by many Alzheimer’s patients. Many cases have proven that prescribing high doses of vitamin E can help cognitive changes of this disease.

Similar to Cholinesterase and Memantine; Donepezil, Rivastigmine, and Namzaric come with side effects. As for Donepezil and Rivastigmine, nausea, vomiting, and loss of appetite are normal when taking these. Namzaric will bring headaches, diarrhea, dizziness, and bruising. These side effects are more intense to put up with.

The list of medications and treatments for Alzheimer’s goes on. The most important thing to note is that there are future treatment breakthroughs. Hundreds of researchers are looking for new and modern ways to treat this disease. Although current medications help disguise the symptoms and stages of Alzheimer’s, doctors just aren’t satisfied. After all the years of cases and studies that went along with each of the drugs prescribed today, they do not fully treat the underlying disease. This breakthrough drug that researchers and doctors discuss of, would treat the root of this disease as well as delay or even stop the cell damage in the brain. This will help prevent the disease from worsening because it will cease the destroying of the cells that cause the symptoms to appear.

In the future, there are several, promising drugs in the development process and in testing. This is the perfect time to change the way Alzheimer’s work and manipulates our brain cells. Finally, for the future generations of families just like the Dauscher’s, there is hope for a brighter and longer life.

In the following years to come, many lives and relationships will be saved. This devastating disease has caused millions to suffer for the last of their years to live. John Dauscher was one of the 5.5 million diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. Imagine how different his life could have been with the right treatments and breakthroughs to stop the symptoms from conquering his brain.

Since researchers and doctors are creating new medications, stories like Dauscher’s will be heard less often and occur rarely. The ending of Alzheimer’s is just around the corner and will soon bring success to many.

(Some information courtesy of alz.org)

By Valeria Araujo – Staff Reporter

High school senior “Kate” from the UK posted on end-your-sleep-deprivation.com about all the homework she has and how it has caused her to lose sleep because of it.

She writes her post at three in the morning as a break from all of the work she has left.

“My headache has gotten bad enough that I need to separate me from my writing for long enough for my thoughts to clear,” “Kate” said.

Her course load has unregulated her sleep schedule for a minimum average six hours of sleep to a maximum of four. Since starting the program she continually gotten heart palpitations, her hands start to shake, huge under eye circles start to form, she experiences weight gain, and also due to her inability to go outside or see many friends she has also grown paler.

“I haven’t been outside for more than 45 minutes in months,” Kate said.

Many of Kate’s friends have the same 3:30 a.m. pass out times as well because they’re slaving away into the night, texting each other for help, they are also suffering with many of the same health problems.

Kate and her friends are some of the many high school students suffering for health issues because of too much homework. A recent Stanford University study showed that more students who spend too much time on their homework experience more mental stress, physical health problems, and also may have so damage done to their social skills.

A Stanford Graduate School senior lecturer, Denise Pope, who was a co-researcher, said more than 2 hours of homework a night can be counterproductive.

“Our findings on the effects of homework is inherently good,” Pope said.

The study was done using survey data to examine perceptions about homework (4,317 students for 10 high-performing High Schools).

Many if not all of the students confirmed that they have about 3.1 hours of homework on regular school nights.             Many of the surveyed students commented on how they believed it to be “pointless”, also only “somewhat helpful” in learning the material, and their only reason for doing it being to get a good grade.

“This kind of busy work, by its very nature, discourages learning and instead promotes doing homework simply to get points,”  Pope said.

Pope and her colleagues believe that many teachers are just assigning homework out of routine instead of necessity, which will ultimately hurt the students in the end.

“The concept of homework is so ingrained in our culture that people can’t and won’t think about what it might be like if we just stopped making our kids do homework,” said Lisa Morguess, a mom of seven in Fullerton, California.

A high school in Germany has recently decided to ban homework as a two year test-run to see if it will benefit students.

“No child would be having their free time dominated by doing school work,” said head teacher Brigitte Fontein.

Students from Elsa-Brändström High School in North Rhine-Westphalia were facing a lot of stress because of their now longer school day. They now have to stay until 6 p.m. meaning a 44-hour work week.

“Children have a right to free time, to play games in the afternoon,” said Cornelia Schiemanowski, head of the GEW in Oberhausen.

The administration has decided to ban the homework so the students have time to unwind after school. However, students who are struggling in certain areas get homework and even that is very short and less time consuming.

The only students who are not exempt are the high school students taking exams.

 

A similar event happened in a New York elementary school, which has also put a ban on homework telling the students to play and interact with family more.

“In fact, you may be surprised to learn that there have been a variety of studies conducted on the effects of homework in the elementary grades and not one of them could provide any evidence that directly links traditional homework practices with current, or even future, academic success.” Principal Jane HsuHsu wrote in a letter to parents.

Parents are outraged and have almost resorted to pulling their kids out of school because of the ban. They believe that they are not getting quality educations and not using their young good memory to full capacity.

“They didn’t have much to begin with, but now homework is obsolete,” Daniel Tasman, father of a second-grader, told the website DNAinfo. “I think they should have homework — some of it is about discipline. I want (my daughter) to have fun, but I also want her to be working towards a goal.”

The parents must not know that students are going to actually not going to benefit for doing homework or not doing homework, it’s basically neutral.

CONSEQUENCES

The consequence of too much homework is that most homework has been proven to not help students in learning material. Especially for younger students. Through out studies researchers have not been able to link future good academic skills to doing homework while the student was young, meaning it is not necessary to even give homework because it will not help the student with the course. Many students believe that most homework is now only busy work to get a grade now a days.

Students are required to go to school for about seven hours or more each weekday, then recommended to do extracurricular activities after school whether it be a sport, a club, or both which many students do and takes about three hours or more, so they get home around 5 o’clock then they have to do the four hours or more of homework all their teachers gave them, and expected to be able to socialize and eat and shower and sleep also chores that their parents give them after all of that school work taking up all of their time. They have no time to do anything else.

Although it might not seem so, there are many health issue included with assigning a student to complete more than two hours of homework.

“The findings address how current homework practices in privileged, high-performing school sustain students advantage in competitive climates yet hinder learning, full engagement and well-being,” Denise Pope said.

The obvious alienation from social settings because of the amount time being spent on the students homework is a big problem that comes with assigning too much homework. Many of the student surveyed are “not meeting their developmental needs or cultivating other critical life skills” Students had resorted to canceling family and friend events and not see them, dropping out of club activities, and not continuing hobbies they used to enjoy.

Alex Rosales, who is a freshman at Sacred Heart University had to quit lacrosse, his favorite sport, because of his massive homework load.

There are also physical health problems like headaches, sleep deprivation, weight loss, and stomach  problems. “Kate” had many health problems because of her lack of sunlight (because she was inside doing homework all day), nutrients (because she wasn’t eating a balanced diet), and sleep (stayed up hours on end during her homework).

Students can develop stress because of the homework load:  Fifty-six percent of the students surveyed during the stanford study said that the homework was their primary source of stress, 43 percent said that test was a primary source of stress, 33 percent said that the pressure for them to get good grades was the primary source of stress, and lastly one percent said that homework didn’t stress them out at all.

Camila Araujo, a junior at Jonathan Law High School, said that her homework load is a leading cause of stress. When she can’t get all her homework done without giving up sleep and or other responsibilities, she gets very anxious.

Students will have more time to interact with other kids and also be happier and healthier because their time is not taken up by homework. If homework were to be lessened students like “Kate” will be happier and healthier.

(Some information courtesy end-your-sleep-deprivation.com, news.stanford.edu, washingtonpost.com, .cnn.com, debate.org, thelocal.de, kdvr.com, and alfiekohn.org)

By Malena Araujo – Staff Reporter

The advancement of cell phones has made many conveniences for users over the years, but has it caused an unhealthy addiction towards these devices? Ana Veciana Suarez, a writer for The Miami Herald, has admitted to feeling a compulsion towards her device and thinks that she would be lost without it.

“My phone is never more than arm’s length away,” said Suarez. “It charges overnight on my night stand, which means that it is the first thing I reach for in the morning and the last thing I touch before crawling into bed.”

Suarez has avoided ”awkward” social situations by using her phone and has seen others do the same. Lately, she has been witnessing more and more people staring at their phone at parties rather than enjoying the company of others. She spends hours on her phone daily and feels very dependent on it.

“Cell phones, smartphones especially, are the 21st century’s blankie,” said Suarez. “The nifty little device that offers instant communication with far-flung loved ones also serves as savior of awkward social situations.”

Although cell phones could cause a negative effect on everyone’s social skills, Suarez believes is it has helped her life sufficiently .

“It organizes my life, keeps track of family birthdays, reminds me of pending projects and allows me to be a button away from my grandchildren,” Suarez said.

Despite that, Suarez does admit that she could be developing an unhealthy addiction and wants to stop immediately.

Suarez is one of many who believes that their phone has taken over their life. According to a recent Time Magazine poll, 84 percent of respondents say that they could not go a single day without their cell phones.

People didn’t always feel this constant need to be on their phones. Overtime, technology has advanced significantly and cell phones are one of the best examples that represent this growth.

Cell phones have progressed greatly since 1973 when the first one was invented. They have gone from two pound blocks that were a hassle to carry around to these thin touch screens that weigh 4.55 ounces and are seen as a necessity to carry. These advancements are what sparked this fixation to cell phones.

“I not only love having a cell phone, there are so many things I use my iPhone for that I not only want it as my constant companion, but need it by my side at all times,” said Marcy Weinburg, a writer for Fedora Outlier LLC.

Addiction is defined as the fact or condition of being addicted/dependent to a particular substance,thing or activity. Popular addictions include abuse or overuse of drugs, alcohol, gambling and food. Cell phones can easily be added to this list.

“Whatever it is, I am hooked for sure,” Weinburg said. “If I was asked to name the three modern conveniences I own that I wouldn’t want to be without, my iPhone would be way at the top of the list.”

One of today’s most popular cell phone is the iPhone. According to The Statista Portal, in 2010 about 5.6 percent of the entire U.S. population owned iPhones, which increased to 19.8 percent in 2014. This implies that about 63.2 million people in the U.S. own an iPhone.

The reason why people find this cell phone so admirable is because it is easy to use and provides many conveniences. Cell phones are used not only to make calls, but now to send texts, shares photos/videos and surf the internet. Also, phones can now hold notes and music. All these conveniences have greatly contributed to this addiction to the cell phone.

Cindy Springsteen, a poet and mother of two teens, is worried for the teenagers who are constantly glued to their cellphones. In her article for stressfreekids.com, she writes about how she is worried for future communication.

“My children have sent me a text message from the next room, while I am within hearing distance!” Springsteen said. “As you walk around today, wherever you seem to go, there is not a teen walking without a phone attached to their ear or fingers busy moving sending a text message.”

Are cell phones killing social communication/human interaction? According to a national survey from CTIA and Harris Interactive, their study confirmed that texting is replacing talking amongst teens. Teens admitted to spending nearly an equal amount of time talking as they do texting each month. The feature is so important to them that if texting were no longer an option 47% of teens say their social life would end or be worsened.

Randall Sokoloff is a writer, artist and psychotherapist who believes that he is competing with an iPhone 5 for his wife’s attention.

“While driving, eating, walking, hanging out on the couch, gardening, sitting by the pool- we were always engaged in some kind of conversation,” Sokoloff said. “We looked into each other’s eyes at least a hundred times a day and it felt good knowing that her attention was consistently focused on me.”

Sokoloff claims that all of that attention changed when the iPhone 5 came out. At first, Sokoloff didn’t notice how much his wife was dependent on the phone, but later realized the phone consumed a lot her time. He believes it had gradually made it’s way into their marriage. His wife would use it excessively reducing the time that they spend together. Sokoloff also believes that future relationships will adapt and being on your smartphone whilst your partner is around will be normal.

“As human beings we seem to be evolving further and further away from one another and more and more into the compact space of a digital screen,” Sokoloff said.

According to Daily Mail, smartphone users spend 33 percent more time on their phone rather than with their partner. This shows how cellphone users are becoming more dependent on the company of a device than the company of their partner.

Melissa Nilles, an Arts & Entertainment Editor for The Bottom Line, wrote an article about how technology is destroying the quality of human interaction.

Nilles writes about how she absentmindedly avoids human interaction almost everyday. When recapping her day with her friend she would text her for hours rather than going out for a cup of coffee. She would email her professor rather than visit him during office hours. Unfortunately, losing the relationship between teacher and student when needing letters of recommendation. She has admitted to spending hours “catching up” with her 1000+ friends on Facebook, but never plans to actually meet with them. In her article, she compares all of this to a nightmare.

“Little by little, Internet and mobile technology seems to be subtly destroying the meaningfulness of interactions we have with others, disconnecting us from the world around us, and leading to an imminent sense of isolation in today’s society,” Niles said.

Besides the decrease in social interaction, cell phone overuse unfortunately has more than just one negative effect. Amanda Hawkins, a writer for goodhousingkeeping.com, listed five bad side effects of smartphone addiction. A phobia called nomophobia, which is the fear of being without your phone, is popular amongst smartphones addicts.

“Some of the symptoms of nomophobia include anxiety or negative physical symptoms if you have lost or cannot use your cell phone, obsessively checking to make sure you have your phone with you, and constantly worrying about losing it somewhere,” said Hawkins.

According to a survey created by OnePoll in the UK, two thirds of the 1,000 respondents fear losing or being without their mobile phone.

Another unhealthy effect of phone addiction popular amongst user is Phantom Pocket Vibration Syndrome. This syndrome is a disorder where the user feels as if their phone is vibrating when it actually isn’t.

“A professor at Indiana University found that 89 percent of the undergraduates in her study experienced phantom vibrations when their phones weren’t actually vibrating,” said Hawkins. “The study also found that students who were dependent on text messages and social media updates were more anxious when their phones weren’t really vibrating.”

The most dangerous side effect of phone addiction is texting and driving. According to textinganddrivingsafety.com, 84 percent of Americans age 16-17 own a cellphone. 34 percent of those Americans have admitted to texting while driving and 52 percent have made a call while driving. Texting and driving is the cause of nearly 25 percent of all car accidents and 330,000 injuries each year. Over one million accidents are caused by texting and driving each year and about 11 teen deaths every day.

Although seemingly harmless phone addiction is very dangerous. Smartphones have changed users in the best and absolute worst ways. To prevent phone addiction, users must limit their time wisely, interact more, and know when to put the phone down.

(Some information courtesy childmind.org, marketingcharts.com, stressfreekids.com, miamiherald.com, thebottomline.as.ucsb., textinganddrivingsafety.com, fedoraoutlier.com, themanifeststation.net, and goodhouskeeping.com)

By Emily Carroll – Staff Reporter

During the Victorian Era it was wrong for a woman to show her ankles in public. Not until the 1900’s was it seen as more acceptable to be able to reveal ankles. It wasn’t until the 1930’s, during the Great Depression, when four men from Coney Island protested to have topless rights. In 1936, after the men went to court, the male judge passed a bill so that men can go topless. Now not only is it a time to show that women deserve to be able to do what they want with their  bodies, but it’s a time for gender equality. The question about this topic is whether it is a feminist movement and how the campaign Free the Nipple is shedding light on inequality.

“It doesn’t come down to being a female rights issue,” said actress Rumer Willis, a supporter of Free the Nipple. “It comes down to a human rights issue.”

This act is to draw public attention to gender equality and encourage discussion of violence and repression of sexuality. It is to simply change the publics view on womens bodies and to highlight the obvious gender inequality.

“Girls are growing up to believe their value lies in the way they look and their sex appeal [as defined by men],” Lina Esco the creator of Free the Nipple, Lina Esco, told Elle Magazine.

Free the Nipple is an organization and a film created in 2014. The movement involves issues that are being addressed such as equal rights for men and women, a more balanced system of censorship, and legal rights for all women to breastfeed in public.

It’s not a movement telling women to go topless. It’s about women who would and do want to go topless being able to have the choice.

“Free the Nipple is a way for us to shine a light on other areas of inequality that women face around the world,” said Esco.

The film refers to the characters starting a movement and observing how it progresses.

“The title is supposed to be funny and engaging, that’s the whole point,” said Esco.”The film has to be charming so people allow themselves to open up to the dialogue on this subject matter.’

The movie was filmed in New York City where people are allowed to be topless with only that intention.

The woman featured in the film mapped out the locations and rehearsed with clothes on, then  did the scene topless in one take at about 6 a.m. During filming, they were being arrested for “disorderly conduct”.

“You can see at the end of that scene the cops are pulling up,” said Esco. “They are real cops.”

There are 37 states that don’t allow women to go topless in public, but in 33 of those states is it legal in certain areas.

“Even if it’s legal, no one is going to go out topless all day long,” said Esco. “It’s about having that right [equal to a man’s right to go topless].”

As of April of this year, it is legal for women to sunbathe topless on Venice beach in California. In other areas it isn’t legal, though, there is the Ta-Ta Top.

The Ta-Ta Top is a bikini top that is made to look like a breast which supports organizations like Free the Nipple. This was created to use a sense of humor in a serious situation while simultaneously raising funds for women’s rights and breast cancer awareness.

“It’s great to create a product that makes people laugh, but it’s even better to be able to do something very serious with that success,” said the creators of the Ta-Ta Top, Michelle and Robyn Lytle.

It is legal in 49 states for a women to breastfeed her child in public wherever and whenever and are exempt from public nudity and indecency laws. Still, women are being shamed and told to cover up because the act of breastfeeding involves a nipple.

A study from the Center for Disease Control and Preventions in 2013 showed that 77 percent of mothers breastfeed. Most children start off life feeding off of a breast and only see it as shameful when taught to.

“Why can’t a mother proudly breastfeed her child in public without feeling sexualized?” said Willis.

There are many arguments to why women shouldn’t be given this choice. Some of which include: Men will stare, children will see, and mens’ chests are different.

“There’s no reason why we should be censored,” said Willis. “Literally, the only difference is that we have some fatty tissue and milk glands.”

It is something that people will get used to just like men being topless. Fifty years ago, seeing woman in a bikini was obscene and a century ago it was ankles.

The argument that men will stare entails that it will lead to an increase in rapes, but in Europe being topless was normalized decades ago and is statistically one of the safest places for women today.

Many well known female celebrities show support with the organization by sharing pictures and spreading the word on social media using the hashtag #FreeTheNipple.

“We started getting attention and other people started tweeting about it- Lena Dunham, Scout Willis, Cara Delevingne- and that’s when distribution companies started calling,”said Esco.

Miley Cyrus, who acted in LOL with Lina, contributed to the film by doing a cover of Melanie Safka’s song “Look What They’ve Done to My Song, Ma”  that plays during the end credits.

Scout Willis posted a photo on instagram of her buying flowers topless in New York City with the caption, “What @instagram won’t let you see #FreeTheNipple.”

The hashtag has impacted such a change in society today. Now facebook now allows mothers to post pictures of themselves breastfeeding their children.

Social media is a way to promote low-budget films like Free the Nipple; Especially because of the films title.

“I like to think social media is an outlet i’m really thankful for – without it, we wouldn’t be where we’re at right now,” said Esco.

The Tribeca Film Festival, founded in 2002 by Robert De Niro, made comments on what they thought about the film.

“The film has great energy to it,” said Zachary Wigon, a writer for tribecafilm.com. “It’s about a political organization, but the narrative is infused with a kind of energy and momentum that recalls the feeling of starting a business or a creative endeavor.”

When Lina and her partner, Hunter Richard, starting writing the film they were completely broke. Until enough money was raised, they went out and were learning who the real topless warriors are.

Lisa Azuelos, the director of LOL, raised a million dollars to help Lina and Hunter start filming.

When the trailer was released in November of 2014, ironically, the video was censored.  In order for the video to be shown on YouTube, Facebook or Twitter, it had to be censored.

“You can show beheadings on Facebook, but you can’t show breastfeeding,” said Esco. “If you’re going to censor nudity and love, you should censor violence.”

There is a page on Facebooks called “Free The Boobs” where there are porographic pictures of women, to the point of objectifying them, except their nipples aren’t exposed.

The Free the Nipple campaign shows breast cancer survivors and women breastfeeding, but had their website shut down three times.

“The only time it’s made a weird, secretive thing, is when we make it that way,” said Willis. “We have a choice in what we objectify.”

This also connects to how women aren’t getting equal pay. Women still get paid 77 cents for every dollar a man makes.

“We still live in a world where gay marriage was just legalized recently,” said Willis. “So as progressive as we are and we hope to be, I hope that in the next ten years that we can continue to grow to a place where it’s not even a question.”

Free the Nipple implies the all around idea of equality for everyone in every situation.

“It’s about trying to fight for an equal playing field for everyone,” said Willis.

The money accumulated from donations go towards making t-shirts, posters, and stickers to raise more awareness for Free the Nipple.

(Some information courtesy telegraph.co.uk, thetatatop.com, freethenipple.com, huffingtonpost.com, wikipiedia.org, elle com, gotopless.org, time.com, randominterestingfacts.com, foxnews.com, instagram.com, cbsnews.com, tribecafilm.com, womenyoushouldknow.net, variety.com, dragonflyeffect.com, bustle.com, etonline.com, usmagazine.com)

By Ian Hugo – Staff Reporter

Over the past several years, Netflix, the revolutionary television-streaming service, has been continuously expanding and has seen its popularity grow larger and larger each year since it was founded in 1997.

While many folks with Netflix subscriptions like to come home, sit down in front of the TV, and watch an episode or two of “House of Cards”, that’s certainly not the case for all.

For instance, take the case of Brandon Macey, a junior at Jonathan Law. Macey has said that in one school week (five days) he watched five seasons of the hit A&E television series “Storage Wars.”

Considering each season of “Storage Wars” is comprised of between 20-30 episodes each running around 20 minutes, Macey’s “feat” comes as no small achievement.

Or take the case of Thomas Kinross, a junior at Jonathan Law, who watched six seasons of “Lost”, the ABC hit drama with around 20-25 episodes per season each running at a length of 45 minutes per episode, in the span of just two short weeks.

While this may seem alarming to some, “binge-watching” has become widely accepted in mainstream society as of late. Macey and Kinross are just two of millions of Netflix users who have undoubtedly “binged” on Netflix every now and then.

A 2013 study by Netflix of 1,500 TV streamers (online U.S. adults who stream TV at least once a week) found that 61 percent of those surveyed binge watch regularly. 73 percent of the 1,500 users that were surveyed defined binge-watching as watching between 2-6 episodes of the same show in one sitting.

While some companies may be wary of the term “binge” associated with their product, this is something Netflix is proud of. Ted Sarandos, Netflix’s chief content officer, believes that binge-watching has the opportunity to change how stories are told through television and movies.

“I really think we have the chance to radically change the depth of character connectivity,” Sarandos said.

Although sometimes it may not seem that way, Netflix has a huge amount of shows and movies in its database: Netflix’s content library contains over a petabyte of video- that’s 1,048,576 gigabytes. Netflix CEO and co-founder Reed Hastings was quoted saying in 2011, “Our brand at Netflix is really focused on movies and TV shows.”

According to the previously-mentioned 2013 study done by Netflix through Harris Interactive, 61% of those 1,500 surveyed agreed with the statement, “There are too many shows to watch, and not enough time to watch them.” Each month, Netflix users spend over 1 billion hours streaming and watching all sorts of shows and movies offered by the on-demand media streaming company.

While Netflix is seen as the “premier” video-streaming service, other companies such as Hulu and Amazon Prime Instant Video cannot be passed over. While Hulu, 6 million+ users, and Amazon Prime Instant Video, around 8 million users, are dwarfed by Netflix’s numbers of over 60 million worldwide users, each provides a large variety of television and movies, some of which are not on Netflix, that add to the huge library of content accessible online to the public for streaming.

Unsurprisingly, like many other quasi-new “Internet Age” products, young people use Netflix the most. Geoffrey Graybeal, a professor at the College of Media and Communications at Texas Tech, conducted a study in 2014 on college students and their use of Netflix. Graybeal found that nine out of ten college students in the study were found to use Netflix on a regular basis, and more often than not binge-watch.

According to Graybeal, 68 percent of college students use Netflix to binge-watch while only 11 percent use television marathons.

“Some students use television for binge-watching, such as when a marathon of a show is on, but Netflix is used more to watch in mass than any other form of streaming,” said Graybeal.

According to a 2013 study conducted by Nielsen, a global information and measurement company, 63 percent of the population that streams content online does not have children. Graybeal also added that those aged 18-29 are the age group most likely to binge-watch.

“Nielsen also did a study that concluded that 88 percent of people who use Netflix binge-watch shows,” Graybeal said. “With the way Netflix works, users only have around 15 seconds in between episodes to decide if they want to keep watching. It is easier for them to just click next and watch the next episode.”

Most students use Netflix as a form of relaxing and destressing and binge-watch when they do not have class, such as the weekend, even though they know it can distract them from their schoolwork, according to Graybeal.

“One reason they use it is to just escape from reality by immersing themselves in a show,” he said.

Unsurprisingly, there is a negative side to watching television and Netflix in large quantities. Graybeal cites becoming depressed about running out of episodes to watch to being distracted from schoolwork and lagging behind in one’s studies specifically.

“When someone is doing one thing, they are also not doing something else,” Graybeal said. “TV is entertainment by design, but students should have the incentive to control it.”

While Graybeal, a professor at Texas Tech, may be more concerned with the negative effects on students and their academics, there is substantial evidence that binge-watching Netflix can have a negative effect on one’s physical health as well.

“There’s convincing evidence in adults that the more television people watch, the more likely they are to gain weight or become overweight or obese,” Lilian Cheung, a lecturer at the Harvard School of Public Health, recently told NBC News. “And there’s emerging evidence that too much TV watching also increases the risk of weight-related chronic diseases, such as Type 2 diabetes.”

However, don’t think that getting outside and running some laps after binge-watching a season of “The Office” will undo the damage done to your body after a substantial amount of “sit-time.” But for those binge-watchers looking to watch their weight or lead a healthier diet, binge-watching allows viewers to skip fast-food commercials, which may be a major link between television and obesity, according to Cheung.

John Black, a professor at the Teacher’s College at Columbia University who studies how technology affects learning and memory, compared binge-watching to becoming addicted to drugs.

“You take a dosage of a drug and have a certain amount of reaction to it,” Black said. “But if you keep doing it, it takes more and more of the same drug to get the same reaction. If you’re watching too much at a time, you kind of get dull to it and you’re not really appreciating the show.”

Netflix, a pleasurable activity that releases endorphins and helps us relax, feeds viewers’ binge-watching addictions by automatically playing the next episode in a series 15 seconds after the previous episode ended. Viewers, or more binge-watchers more specifically, would much rather wait 15 seconds for the next episode to play than reach over, grab the remote, turn the TV off, and get back to whatever tasks are awaiting them back in the “real world.”

In addition to the negative physical effects binge-watching can have on viewers, there are also a substantial amount of negative emotional/mental side effects as well. Yoon Hi Sung, Eun Yeon Kang and Wei-Na Lee from the University of Texas at Austin recently conducted a survey given to 316 18-29 year olds on how often they watched TV, how often they had feelings of loneliness and depression, and how often they binge-watched TV.

Their research found that the more lonely and depressed participants were, the more likely they were to binge-watch television, using binge-watching to attempt to distance themselves from these negative feelings. Those who lacked the ability to control themselves were more likely to binge-watch, not being able to stop watching after the end of an episode.

“Even though some people argue that binge-watching is a harmless addiction, findings from our study suggest that binge-watching should no longer be viewed this way,” Sung said. “Physical fatigue and problems such as obesity and other health problems are related to binge-watching and they are a cause for concern. When binge-watching becomes rampant, viewers may start to neglect their work and their relationships with others. Even though people know they should not, they have difficulty resisting the desire to watch episodes continuously. Our research is a step toward exploring binge-watching as an important media and social phenomenon.”

While the practice of binge-watching can be negative, mentally and physically, in the long run, stringing together a few episodes in a row every now and then won’t drastically alter your well-being forever. For many, such as Macey and Kinross, they see binge-watching not as an addiction with negative effects, but as a hobby, something just to pass the time.

“I don’t consider binge-watching as an addiction. It’s more of a hobby because it only takes up a small part of my life and I am fully capable of controlling my watching,” Macey said.

(Some information courtesy of dailytoreador.com, hsph.harvard.edu, eurekaalert.org, huffingtonpost.com, cinemablend.com, consumer.healthday.com, everydayhealth.com)