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Just the other day I had asked my father if I could put a fraction of my money in an account that could maybe gain some interest over the years for college or for other needs I may have have later on in life. His response was “huh” and I asked him what does that mean? He told me that interest rates have been at an all time low for a couple of years now because all of the money that should be going towards interest is going into the stock market. The government has done this because now that we have really low interest rates people tend to spend more money. Most of this is for the good and there are many pros for this action but there are also many cons. So how would this affect people in college? The interest rates on student loans will be lower which is a good thing. Interest rates when they are low it discourages people from saving money because their money in the bank isn't doing anything and it's not earning any interest. So people are taking their money out of the bank and putting it in the stock market,and the stock market will flourish because all this money that people would normally have in a bank goes into small companies and now the companies go out and spend that money creating jobs, doing research and development and also giving raises. The government wants to stimulate the economy because the government doesn't want people to be putting their money in banks when the banks would just sit there and get fat off of all the money going in. They want to reinvest all of the money back into the economy, put it in the stock market and let the companies that you invest in determin how you spend that money rather than the banker. So I’ve researched some new ways yall college folks can save up some money for college. Go to NerdWallet.com and check it out it's totally free! So the first thing you would do would complete a simple Free Application for federal Student Aid (FAFSA). After doing so you would pick the college you would most likely want to go to (the list of colleges are limited btw). Once your done picking your top colleges you can go and visit the college and they may even give you money for just visiting! Crazy right? This web site is almost like a go fund me and you can do the simplest of things just to earn money for college. I've also asked one of our economics teachers about how all of the money going into the stock market affects saving up for college. Mr.Duke, economics teacher at Samuel Clemens said “ A lot of savings accounts and investment accounts are actually tied into the stock market. The better the stock market does the better for 1k’s and the better investment markets do, so if you invest generally you get more money and if you are saving up for college and investing in that then you should have more money for college.” If you are working right now and are planning on attending college you should be thinking about saving 30% of your money a month.
Brooke Schrantz Staff Writer
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All photos belong to Ivie Gordon
Ivie Gordon Staff Writer Clemens gets a certain amount of money each school year through attendance. This is not a new concept, so most kids and staff are well aware. Yet, the students and staff of Clemens still miss so much school even though they know Clemens gets some of their money from attendance.
For the most part, kids get sick so they are unable to go to school. That counts as an excused absence as long as they have a note, so it doesn’t really matter, right? Students believe that since it’s an excused absence, it doesn’t matter since it won’t count against them. While that is true, it’s also not. Clemens earns a certain amount of their funding from the students’ presence at school. There is nothing anyone can do about getting sick, but when kids go to school while they are sick, it causes everyone around them to be exposed to germs in one way or another. When a kid goes to school when they are sick, it’s causing everyone around them to have a higher risk of getting sick. Which could lead to more absences in the school and the school is unable to get the money they need to run the school. Some students don’t care about their attendance, or school in general. If they don’t care about the school or attendance, the school suffers. Clemens won’t get as much money as they could potentially have and that could hurt the school. If they aren’t getting as much money as they possibly can, the school won’t have enough money for things and extra activities the students might want in the future. The students could start to ask questions about why they can’t have this and that, but the truth is, it’s the students’ responsibilities to show up to school. If the students start wanting things but show up less than needed, the school won’t have the money for what they want. “I’m opposed to the school getting money off of our attendance. We don’t get money for going there and they do. We’re doing what we’re legally required to do so they shouldn’t be making money off of what we’re required to do,” said Sam Mcdowell. (09) While some students feel as if the school shouldn’t gain money from them going to school because it’s something the state of Texas says they have to do, others feel differently. They know that they have to go to school, but if the school didn’t gain money from students’ attendance, the school could be a completely different environment. The hallways could be trashed since the school wouldn’t be able to pay their employees, Clemens wouldn’t be able to enter any of the students into UIL competitions, or they would not be able to provide sports teams with new uniforms or equipment. Of course, these are just some of the many complications that could occur if Clemens were to stop earning money from students’ attendance. “School districts in Texas receive state funding based in part on average daily attendance numbers, which ultimately determines how much Clemens gets from the state,” said Ms. Mora, the attendance clerk. Regardless if students agree with this policy or not, Clemens earns money for their students’ attendance. There isn’t anything they can do about it, except use the money for Clemens’ needs and things the students want. Students who are opposed to the policy will make that choice for themselves, but their school life could look much different if Clemens did not get that extra money from attendance. Kaylee Mora Staff Writer Should Kids Be Entitled To Smoking Marijuana? What helps you relax the most after a stressful and long day? A nice hot bath? Some pampering? A little bit of nap time? Teens these days are not settling for a little down time to ease the day. Kids are residing to a little more extreme relaxation technique to calm themselves. Such as smoking marijuana.
Marijuana is also known as, weed, loud, pot, and dope. Marijuana is known for stopping cancer from spreading, reducing the chances of seizures from epilepsy, and a severe seizure disorder, called Dravet’s Syndrome. Also other health- problems. A student from Samuel Clemens High School, Bryana Johnson, gave her opinion about the positive and negative effects of marijuana. Johnson said that the most negative effect of smoking marijuana was, “Losing your mind and not doing what you are supposed to do.” Pot, which is a slang term for marijuana, is recalled for its short-term effect of hallucinations. Bryana also said that the most positive effect of smoking marijuana was, “You’re more easy going. No stress.” Depression and anxiety are some symptoms that may decrease when using weed. Other than Marijuana being know to aid physical health problems, it is also known to help mental conditions such as, insomnia, migraines, anxiety, depression, and bipolar disorder. Statistics that were medically proven, showed that depression is more common in the ages of kids who are 14-17. Most of them are girls. Another student from Samuel Clemens, Adrianna Worthy, said, “Teens have a lot of anxiety and stress and marijuana makes you feel free.” Worthy also explained that, “When smoking marijuana, You don’t really get crazy. It just relaxes you and you feel chill but when you drink alcohol, you get all crazy and do bad things. Such as, crashing cars.” Study says, that 30% of Americans are alcohol abusers. Another study also proved that pot increased the rate of being in an accident by 83%. While alcohol increased the rate of being in an accident by 2,200%. This is why kids are succumbed to smoking marijuana. Brooke Parker Contributor Two Samuel Clemens Sisters Go To Region For most high school music students, the prospect of region auditions is the equivalent of being drawn and quartered, but for sisters Michaela and Marlena Carrillo, it was a blessing in disguise.
The Region Orchestra of Bexar County is comprised of the best players in the entire county. Michaela and Marlena, two varsity orchestra students of Samuel Clemens, were recently announced at the Oct. concert that they each placed a seat in Region Orchestra. They were the only students in the entire orchestra, varsity and lower levels included, to place in the elite orchestra, and they will be representing the school in the upcoming Region concert. “I’m honestly so excited to be playing with my little sister,” said senior Michaela regarding playing alongside her sister in such a prestigious group. “We are three years apart and have never really got to go to the same school since elementary. To be able to play in an orchestra with her with this kind of recognition is honestly something I have been looking forward too for a long time.” The sisters began playing their respected instruments when they both entered their fifth year of school. Michaela has been playing cello for eight years, and younger sister Marlena has been playing her violin for five years. Both are dedicated to the orchestra program and their instruments in school and out, with both of them practicing up to ten hours a week. But for the audition, even more practice was required for top notch performances. “I played along with the recordings,” Michaela said. “I also practised with my sister a lot because this is the first and last time we’ll be playing the same orchestra.” Audition for Region Orchestra was held at Veterans’ Memorial High School on October 21st. Students are allotted approximately two or so hours depending on the time they arrive, and most of the students practice during that whole time. This year, all the students were held in the high school’s cafeteria, and sorted based on the instrument played. To the Carrillo sisters, the cacophony of all those young and talented musicians only served to increase the weight on their shoulders, especially for freshman and younger sister Marlena. “I felt very nervous going into it,” Mariena said. “I was competing against other freshmen as well as a bunch of upperclassmen with way more experience.” Now that the audition had passed, both Michaela and Marlena Carrillo will continue to practice for the upcoming Region concert together. “I feel very proud,” said Marlena, “because I get to share this experience with her.” Dharma Boskat Contributor  Students have been walking through the halls carrying fake babies, and others wonder why. The Child Development class students have made their own personalized infants and are taking them to all of their classes.
The students spent multiple days in class preparing the fake babies for their debut in the school. Two or three liter bottles were brought in and first filled with water. Then students had to attach a styrofoam ball, toilet paper roll, or actual baby doll head. Putting on the foam head was a much more difficult task than it appears. Summer Morgenroth, a Junior member of Child Development, describes that one had to take the cap of the bottle and twist it on the head to make an indention. They had to continue to screw the bottle cap into the foam ball until the hole was deep enough to attach to the bottle top. She says “it was kind of hard to make because that part was tedious, but other than that it wasn’t too bad,”. Next the students were able to personalize their babies by adding hair, eyes, skin color, pacifiers, clothes, and blankets. Each baby was unique. The weight of the baby varies from person to person depending on the size of the bottle, what head was used, and the weight of the clothing and blanket. A two liter bottle with a five inch styrofoam head weighs about 4.6 pounds, though each baby will have a different weight, slightly larger or smaller. The purpose of the project is to teach the students how to care for the basic needs of a baby and to give them a look into the life of being a parent. The students have to carry the bottle babies around for a full day, and hold them throughout each class. They are required to support the head, and hold it as if it were a real child. After each class period students have to get their teachers to sign a slip of paper and give any comments if the child was not treated with proper care. Kaylin Banister, a Sophomore Child Development student, says that “you have to make sure your baby is protected from other people” and Cassidy Steadman, another Sophomore Child Development student, said that “you have to stress about moving and not hitting the baby’s head on anything,”. When walking in the crowded halls of school, other students would bump into the babies. Any dents or scratches on the babies result in point deductions for the assignment. Caring for a child is a much bigger challenge than some realize. There were minor occurrences in everyday life that became increasingly difficult with a baby in one arm. For instance, some students noted that putting their backpack on or taking it off was hard because they had to put one arm in, then switch the baby to the other side and put the other arm in. Getting a pencil out or putting away a folder was hard too. If the student needed to use the restroom, they had to find a temporary babysitter in that class. During athletic periods, students had to rely on trustworthy babysitters to care for the child without dropping, denting, scratching, or breaking it. Taking care of the babies may sound like an inconvenience, but they are definitely not. The students enjoyed the process of making and caring for the babies, along with the attention they received in school. Everyone was asking to hold or take a picture with the fake babies. Kaylin Banister said “I loved it and I’d totally carry around my baby tomorrow,”. It was a fun project and an eye opening experience as well. Madeline Sturdivant Staff Writer And it’s Evolution |
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