CHALLENGE: ABANDON PHONES TO ENRICH YOUR LIFE

Arlene Lewis | Guest Writer
Since my son was in the University of Virginia Glee Club several years ago, we receive their periodic newsletters, which I always enjoy reading. However, the most recent one had a troubling article written by the conductor, Frank Albinder.

Albinder was dismayed that the smallest number of students auditioned for the club this year since he arrived in 2002. This wasn’t because students were busy with other clubs or sports. In fact, participation in all groups at the university suffered from the same lack of interest.

In his opinion, this disinterest is a result of the effects of technology on “brain development and other aspects of behavior and personality.” He commented that while university curricular classes can ban device use during class, he is unable to do so during rehearsals.

Albinder added, “Students are more and more distracted, seemingly unable to focus or concentrate for more than a few minutes at a time.” Also, he noted that students simply don’t have the desire to commit to weekly rehearsals, working toward mastering vocal pieces for a concert that is weeks away. From his perspective, the goal is not immediate enough in an age when young adults see instant gratification as a norm.

Smart phones only came into wide use ten years ago, but the changes to us, not as a society, but as people, are astounding.

Have we really gotten to the point where we are not unwilling, but actually unable, to participate fully in activities that are both fun and enriching? Choosing not to participate is very different from being incapable of participating.

Are you living your life on a three-by-five screen instead of the three-dimensional world (or a three-dimensional reality)? Is your natural curiosity being satisfied with Instagram and Snapchat instead of life’s many opportunities?

In this new decade, I challenge you to take a break from your phone, even if it is just for a few hours each day. Open yourself up to the possibility of alternatives to video games and social media. Explore your options.

Don’t let technology limit your life.

CONVEYOR BELT EDUCATION: GRADUATES’ OPTIONS SHROUDED BY SOCIETAL STANDARDS

Cara Hodge | Editor in Chief
School has become a factory and students are cycled through six years of elementary school, three years of middle school, four years of high school, then they’re lurched to college on a conveyor belt and after four years they are spit out into the real world with loads of student debt and no marketable skills.

As soon as students enter middle school they are ingrained with the belief that a four-year college is the only viable option for them to pursue after high school. All the while schools fail to mention the other marketable options like trade school, the military, or an actual job.

“The big push especially in Loudoun has been college, so the stuff we do for careers seems to take a backseat,” said Dan Croyle, head of the counseling department.

One might assume that this shift is a result of a lack of interest from students, but the real issue seems to be a lack of information about these options being presented by the school system.

“I think we do an awful lot for students that are college-bound, but I get concerned about students that are not necessarily college-bound,” said Langston West the head of the career center.

This factory-like system quickly becomes monotonous. Instead of being provided with skills, students are being programmed to memorize facts, take a test, and then wipe their brains for the next information. The end goal, of course, is a college acceptance—as if that is an end in and of itself.

“It started in the late 80s with the ‘work smarter not harder’ idea and then it became really stigmatized to want to do a job in construction or dig a ditch or fix pipes,” said Daniel Chandlee, technical education teacher.

Schools spend all of their time telling students all about the illustrious benefits of going to college but not the affluence that can be obtained from pursuing a trade.

“It’s not the most glamorous work you’re ever going to do, but it will definitely pay the bills,” said Chandlee.

By not promoting trades, the school system is stifling students’ options to get ahead. Trade school is a viable option, and the skills learned at those schools will be imperative to the continued growth of upcoming generations.

“If we have a million doctors, that’s great,” said Chandlee. “But nobody’s going to have a place to go to the bathroom or a house to live in [without attendance at trade schools].”

The haughty attitude of Loudoun County has led students to look with disdain on any option other than four-year college, but electricians, plumbers, welders, and construction managers are always going to be imperative to growth in society.
Trades and tangible skills are important, and “we can’t just all go to college and all be on that track,” said Chandlee. Trades are “not a negative alternative to going to college that’s what needs to be stressed.”
The way to emphasize this point would be by increasing students’ options when it comes to career and skill oriented classes, allowing them to study information that is specific to what they are interested in or what would benefit them, rather than classes that won’t benefit them in the future.

According to an article written by the senior vice president of workforce strategies at Strada Education Network, Michelle Weise, “43 percent of recent graduates” from college suffer from underemployment. Underemployment is having a job that doesn’t require a bachelor’s degree, which means a student is putting to waste the four years they just spent at college.
“If graduates start off underemployed, there is incredible inertia that prevents them from getting out of that rut,” wrote Weise.

The reality is that most students aren’t going to get out of this rut by plugging a formula into a calculator or by writing a perfectly formatted essay. They are going to need the versatility and ingenuity that most college degrees will not provide.

“I just feel that leaving high school there’s a lot of students that have no idea what they want to do,” stated Croyle.

If students had access to opportunities that weren’t strictly based on academics they would have a greater expanse of career options to choose from. With this in mind, the school system should find ways to promote trades and apprenticeships.

Trades allow students to “get into an apprenticeship or get into a job much quicker and then learn on the job as opposed to spending extra years in college,” said Croyle.

The school system should accept their duty to serve students and provide them with every possible option to be successful, rather than sending students through the factory year after year.
If a student chooses a skill to focus on they could go “to Monroe or Academies, get out and they can start making $50,000 or $60,000 a year,” said Chandlee.

Companies want employees with tangible skills, and our school system could provide that by offering certification and training for EMT, mechanics, or construction management at the school.

The school system could also promote trades by making options like Monroe or Academies that offer training in things like welding, HVAC, or healthcare services more apparent and accessible to students.

West took a group to Academies of Loudoun and “LCHS was the largest school base of the other 15” schools that attended, said Croyle. Despite the growing interest among students and parents, Academies of Loudoun appears to have an acceptance rate of less than 10 percent, which leaves most students with no other outlets to pursue their specific interests.

“It’s easier to sit students in front of a computer, and say let’s run them through some scenarios,” said Chandlee.

Easier isn’t always better. In today’s diverse and competitive workforce it is imperative to provide students with skills that will help them stand out in a large pool of candidates.

“It’s a machine, so you go through the whole process and it wants to spit out that one made thing that is successful, so that in the past has always looked like a college graduate but I think it’s slowly changing,” said Chandlee.

Our society doesn’t need more carbon copies of graduates that leave college with nothing to show but a piece of paper, it needs more workers who are trained and prepared to serve their communities.

HOCO AT LOCO LOSES POPULARITY

Maggie Sheridan | Managing Editor

There is one night each year on which all students at LCHS have the opportunity to dress in their finest outfits and participate in an evening of laughter and fun. Homecoming should be one of the most exciting events in a high school student’s life.

Unfortunately, this event has been losing its popularity over the last several years. In fact, this year we had a significant decrease in attendance. There seems to be a wide variety of reasons behind this result.

The first culprit appears to be a diminishing sense of school spirit. Especially when compared to other schools, LCHS lacks greatly in an outward appearance of school spirit.
It seems as though students are not motivated to participate in school-sponsored activities compared to years past.

For example, fewer students attend assemblies, and no one cheers especially loud. They believe that they will be made fun of, and rightly so, by other peers for showing their pride and will become embarrassed.

“They aren’t very fun and no one has any school spirit,” said sophomore Jessica Booker.

“Students are less willing to go out and be social or to go support our school at events compared to previous years,” said biology teacher Robert Hanger. “It seems that this is due to the growing use of cell phones. They feel as though connecting online is enough rather than connecting in person too.”

Another factor in decreased attendance at Homecoming specifically relates to the theme, decorations, and music.

“The dance was fun, but it could have been better due to the lack of decorations and only decent music,” said sophomore Sarah Moshrefi.

“I’d go if we had a better DJ,” said sophomore Kirsten Ponticelli. “No one likes the same old music that is played every year.”

This appears to be a common complaint among other students who also were in attendance, even though this year there was a new DJ.

Many students stop going to Homecoming after freshman year.

The price of the dance is also an issue for some students. Several high schools around the county charge less. Heritage charges fifteen dollars for admission, and Tuscarora charges ten dollars, but County charges twenty dollars.

“Twenty dollars is a lot for Homecoming, and not everyone can afford to pay that much money, especially if you’re bringing a date,” said sophomore Franklin Castro.

Lastly, students indicate that the location is also a cause for concern. Every year, Homecoming is held in the gym. This is odd considering the high price for tickets. “I would go if it was held at a nicer facility,” said sophomore Lillian Kern. “It would feel more special for us students.”

Unless attendance improves, Homecoming will have to be held in the gym and the price will remain the same since the small amount of profits are used to fund senior events.
In fact, most of the money from tickets is used for entertainment, including the DJ and lighting.

“Unfortunately, since attendance has dropped over the last few years, we cannot afford to lower the ticket cost,” said math teacher and senior class co-sponsor Jarod Brown.

It seems as though in order for Homecoming to be as popular as it was in the past, we’re going to need to work things out and make some changes. The best way to increase the popularity of the dance is to increase student involvement.

One solution would be letting students help in organizing the dance. A majority of the dance is run by adults on the PTA. Most staff and students are unaware of the details in the planning, but many students have ideas about how it could be improved.

Student-led committees could volunteer to help with decorations, food, and a theme. They could also provide input about what the money will be used to fund. The widespread problem seems to be a lack of school spirit, so this approach could be used in a number of areas, including Homecoming.

Hiring a student DJ might be a good alternative, especially since we have so many talented musicians at the school. It would be less expensive than hiring an actual DJ and they would understand the style of music their peers want to hear.

With more students helping plan Homecoming, they will care more about the outcome of the event and the end result should be a more successful turnout.

YOUTH OBLIVIOUS TO WORLD EVENTS

It seems to be a theme we come back to each issue this year, it’s highlighted by our guest opinion piece by Arlene Lewis, and it’s an issue that has become compounded in our lifetimes.
Perhaps people have always been more concerned with their own well being than important events and disasters happening in the world, but it seems electronics have made this problem much worse for us.

As an “altered generation,” our youth are addicted to electronics. Everyone grew up around them, and in a vicious cycle became more self-absorbed and less concerned about the real world. Now, we are approaching voting age, and we are frequently uninformed. In an election year, this is concerning. According to The Washington Post, a mere 36 percent of young voters actually voted in the last election.

The statistics are shocking. A poll at theguardian.com reveals that 85% of Americans are oblivious to hunger in Africa and the Middle East. And yet, according to ABC News, teens spend an average of seven hours and 22 minutes a day on their phones. That is almost a full-time job.

Young people are not encouraged to make a difference, whether it’s donating or helping, and they are led to believe they can’t make a difference. While this should bother them, their electronics are a distraction that keeps them pacified. Why worry about the world when you can check your phone instead?

This generation needs to realize that they’re the future of our world and a key part of our society. Someone, somewhere, should be placing a larger emphasis on keeping up with world issues.
Perhaps we should stop waiting for someone else to tell us what to do. Whether it’s through a newspaper, a news show, or the Internet, we need to take the initiative to be informed. Electronics themselves are not inherently bad, but the way they are being used is making us more complacent towards the problems of the world.

Today, you hold the world in your pocket, with constant access to Wi-Fi and 4G. Our question to you: how are you going to use it to change our world for the better?

COURSE SELECTION GUIDANCE: TOO MUCH OR TOO LITTLE?

Karen Cortes | Raider Staff

When it comes to choosing our classes, our school offers several resources.

Dan Croyle, the director of counseling, stated that the school used to print off a schedule sheet for every student, but not anymore. “Now that we’ve gone paperless with a lot of things, it’s online.” But as with a lot of things online, “people just don’t look for it or don’t know where it is,” Croyle said.

Croyle made it very clear where to find the program of studies: “If you go to Loudoun County High School, school counseling webpage, under academics, under P for program, it’s right there.”

But that requires students to actively search. And there’s little to no communication among teachers, counselors, and students that benefits students. While the program of studies is available, it provides a formal description of the course with little description to help students decide what is right for them. While teachers do show brief presentations about classes in their departments, they are broad and presented quickly.

Counselors do meet with students individually, but they are each assigned 300 students, so how can they be expected to know each student’s strengths and weaknesses, other than what they hear from teachers or see from transcripts?

And it’s really not their fault. When the time comes to choose classes and you know what you want to do, you might sit down at a counselor’s office and they might say you’re not fit for it, or they might let you try it.

When it comes down to it, students don’t know what they don’t know. Teachers don’t realize students need direct suggestions for next year’s classes. Our teachers aren’t really telling us what they think we should sign up for, and it really isn’t their fault.

Sometimes students don’t know what to ask when it comes to classes for next year; an informal poll showed that not many students know there is a program of studies available online, and those who were aware don’t really seem to take advantage of it.

To help students with a decision that impacts them significantly the following year, the school should allow a two-day window in which teachers use class time simply to meet with students one-on-one to discuss plans for next year’s classes.

Taking two full days for teachers to have a one-on-one conversation with each student for an average of 2-3 minutes before winter break would be useful, because the last thing on a student’s mind is work before Christmas break.

An A day and B day “meeting day” with teachers would limit teacher frustrations when students choose the wrong level class and find it either too easy or too hard. Two days of class is worth limiting that frustration.

FREEDOM OF SPEECH GOES UNAPPRECIATED (EDITORAL)

The armband that started the landmark Tinker case is on display at the Newseum in Washington, DC. The Tinker case is instrumental in establishing student freedom in a public school setting. Unfortunately, too many students take their rights for granted. Photo: Valerie Egger

This October, our staff had the chance to visit the Newseum in Washington, DC, just a few months before it closes its doors. With its closing came discussions of free speech and the importance of the press in this country.

Upon entry, we noticed a banner on the museum exterior with the hashtag #FreeAustinTice, “held captive for being a journalist since August 2012.” A former Marine, Tice went to Syria as a freelance journalist before his last year of law school. He never returned.

Tice wanted to report from inside Syria because of the lack of reliable sources—almost nothing being reported from on the ground—regarding the civil war there. He did, for several months, contributing helpful information that increased our awareness of the conflict there.

After he stopped tweeting and sending reports in August 2012, a brief video was released showing him bound and blindfolded, but no group has taken credit.

In 2018, the US State Department and FBI worked under the assumption that Tice is still alive and potentially held by Syrian government. This remains unconfirmed.

Sadly, Tice is not unique. As the Newseum showed us, journalists have been threatened and even killed for their work in uncovering the truth. But this is a true testament to human willpower: journalists are those willing to use their voice to uncover the truth, even at cost to themselves.

One of the startling displays in the Newseum was a map of free press in the world. The US, thankfully, was in the “green,” showing that we—like a few other nations—have the power to express the truth. Sadly, this power does not extend to much of the world.

Without a free press, there is no one to question the decisions of those in power. Without a free press, government is left unchecked, the oppressed have no voice, and change for the better is unlikely to occur.

We are fortunate to live in the nation with the most freedom of the press. We have access to all sorts of information. Too often, we see people our age—and even older—taking their freedoms for granted, distracted instead by Instagram or games and ignorant of the news. And we are always on our phones.

Our challenge to you is to spend some of your swiping time reading the news instead.

We are fortunate enough to live exposed to the free flow of news. It’s time we take advantage of that and help journalists, some of whom risk their lives, fulfill their purpose of informing the public.

Self checkouts: the venom infecting consumer America

Anna Claire Mitchum | Raider Staff

At the Target grocery store, regular cash register stands are steadily being replaced by self-checkout machines. These machines are slowly chipping away at the goodwill human beings possess. Raider Staff Photographer: Anna Claire Mitchum

It resides in stores such as Target, Walmart, Food Lion, and many others. It requires the consumer to perform manual labor that would have originally been done by the worker. It watches your every move. It enables the youth to commit crimes. I am talking about the poison slowly killing humanity: self-checkout.

Cashiers hold the most common job for people without a college degree, according to the Sacramento Bee. However, with the rise of self-checkout, the rate of cashiers employed has dropped and is projected to continue to drop, even though retail stores are on the rise.

The biggest percent of grocery store spending is to the wages of its workers. With one worker monitoring several self-checkouts, the store is able to cut down the number of workers it needs, saving money by having the consumers pay them to work.

A set of four self-checkout stations costs about $120,000 to install, but over time that cost is less than what the store would pay cashiers.

Since many students at Loudoun County High School work at stores, the self-checkout stations would take away jobs from students who need them to support their family and pay for college.

For many, self-checkout is a way to avoid the awkward interaction with a cashier when purchasing personal products. Still, according to Cardfellow, 43 percent of consumers still wanted a worker to be there to help with issues.

“I use self-checkout because sometimes I just don’t want to talk to the cashiers,” senior Kat Parker said.

With many people using their phone as a form of communication, Jessie Green, a school counselor, believes that some young people have become increasingly more uncomfortable in face to face interactions. Green says that the use of an electronic device to communicate has afforded students the time to think before providing a response. Unlike texting, conversations happen face to face, and you have to be able to think on your feet. Are these satanic machines enabling young people to further dehumanize the shopping experience?

However, others use self-checkout as a way to shoplift. If there is only one worker watching 15 self-checkouts, they cannot watch everyone scan everything. It is easier to steal from something that’s not human, than someone you talked with.

In Florida, a woman was caught putting clearance tags over the barcodes of expensive electronics. She paid $3.70 for what should have been $1,800 purchase. The theft rate has more than doubled for stores using self-checkout.

The future of humanity is changing. We will no longer be able to ask someone to direct us to the paper towels, no longer will we interact with human workers, no longer will we be able to enjoy the kindness that comes from humans. What will our future look like?

Flipped classrooms produce varying results

Sally Stimpson | Editor

Flipped classrooms: taking direct instruction and placing the responsibility on the individual learner rather than group instruction, then using classroom time to apply the content rather than doing direct instruction. This method has become increasingly popular in high schools across the country as evidence has shown that it can promote student engagement and enrich learning.

In fact, this approach has found its way into our own school with a variety of teachers using the process to teach their classes. In AP Government, teacher Monica Gill has adopted a flipped classroom every year for a number of different units.

“I use a flipped classroom in order to allow for more interactive classroom time. A flipped classroom sets up the opportunity to maximize time in covering content and allowing for richer class activities and simulation.”

Gill believes this setup has generally benefited her students. “I have mainly seen the flipped classroom help students. Students who engage in the flipped classroom tend to have a deeper connection with the material and are more invested in their learning.”

While from 2012 to 2014 there was a 30% increase in the number of teachers using a flipped classroom, some studies indicate that they may not be more effective than the traditional classroom. A 2013 study from Harvey Mudd found no statistically significant difference between the success of their flipped classroom versus the success of their traditional classroom.

Furthermore, it seems that the flipped classroom has created mixed results among students. Some complain that the flipped classroom creates a heavier workload as they are expected to do more outside of class while others enjoy the hands-on activities included in the flipped classroom.

Despite these mixed opinions, flipped classrooms have continued to gain popularity and produce impressive results. 71% of teachers indicated that grades improved while implementing a flipped classroom strategy and 96% who have flipped would recommend the method to others.

Although there are two distinct sides to the flipped classroom debate, the majority of studies lean in favor of the method. However, most people recognize that the flipped classroom is only effective when implemented correctly. This means instructors must be dedicated to creating a positive experience for students that valuably utilizes classroom time to build upon material.

If done right, the flipped classroom has the potential to benefit both students and teachers with engaged learning and increased participation in the classroom.