Stop saying ‘Fake News’

by Jimmy Yates ´21 Recently, the New York Times released information regarding President Trump’s shockingly low $750 income taxes in past years. He responded with one of his most common defenses: “Fake News,” with no further explanation other than the argument that the New York Times and the media is out to get him. Trump has repeatedly labeled any information … Read More

MAP Tests are Detrimental in 2020

by Colin Horan ‘21 The MAP, or Measure of Academic Progress, is an assessment that is designed to measure a student’s growth over the course of an academic year. The test is divided into two sections, math and reading, and the tests are normally administered during the spring and fall. The intention of MAP is to provide crucial insight into … Read More

Wish We Still Had Google Classroom

by Katelynn Diuguid ’22 With the start of the 2020-2021 school year occurring virtually, teachers have had to adapt their teaching to the land of the Internet. This meant MCPS Administration had to come up with an infrastructure for teachers to use to keep students’ classes consistent and all in one place. They settled on the use of Synergy for … Read More

Celebs Need To Be Held Accountable

by Jackson Hongtong ‘21  Famous country artist Morgan Wallen was supposed to perform on “Saturday Night Live” on October 10. However, the day before the show, SNL disinvited Wallen due to videos surfacing of him partying, drinking, and kissing women at a party with no masks or social distancing, completely ignoring CDC guidelines about Covid. The Nelkboys, a famous Youtube … Read More

MAP This Year Should Be a One Time Thing

by Lizzy Hermosilla ‘23 MAP stands for Measure of Academic Performance, and there is a math and reading variation that MCPS students have been accustomed to taking since elementary school. During online learning, many high school students are confused about why they are taking this standardized test again after they were told they would not do it after 8th grade. … Read More

This Isn’t a Dystopia

by Ella Scher ‘23  We want your money, they say. We want your time. We want your energy, and we want your will to live. The government? No. The Illuminati? Hardly. Instead, it’s that most dreaded of terms, the one that makes parents break out in nervous hives and gives juniors and seniors the shakes. College applications. College applications are … Read More

An Annoying Game of Hide and Seek

by Avery Prudenti ’22 Online school has been going on for a little over a month now, and the teachers and students are finally starting to get used to the many different online sources that are used for classes. MyMCPS Classroom is the main platform that is used, and the many classes are filled with different tabs, such as “Modules” … Read More

Yelp, You’re Doing it Wrong

by Naomi Bang ‘23 There’s no question that racism has become a prevalent topic in the United States. But Yelp’s new “Business Accused of Racist Behavior Alert” will not help aid this problem. The online review company announced on October 8 that following numerous complaints and further investigation, they will place a consumer alert on businesses marked to be “associated … Read More

Extended Lunches Must Stay

by Tori Newby ‘22 In the new virtual world, MCPS has graced teachers and students with extended breaks between classes and a 75-minute lunch period, in hopes of helping to maintain mental health in spite of the stress that accompanies a changing environment. This “wellness break” in the middle of the day is allotted so students can spend time outside, … Read More

Stop Celebrating Columbus Day

by Reade Fenner ’22 As Columbus Day approaches, I can’t help but wonder why people continue to celebrate it. In 1934, President Roosevelt decided that the day Christopher Columbus sailed across the Atlantic Ocean in 1492 to the Americas, where he would enslave and murder millions of indigenous people, warranted a federal holiday. Although Montgomery County does not cancel school … Read More