15 Seconds of Fame
Latest Harmful TikTok Challenge Swarms Nation
The last 18 months have been nothing short of weary for educators. As teachers trudge through yet another year of challenges caused by the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic, an unusual TikTok trend is threatening to push them to the edge.
In mid-September, the latest trend to go viral on TikTok was called “devious licks”, where students were vandalizing school property. Some schools have had to closely monitor or even shut down bathrooms, where much of the damage is occurring.
Many students are just attempting to go along with the trend that overcame the nation so quickly, and others are doing it for attention and praise from peers. The custodians of the affected campuses nonetheless deserve better than what our peers are giving them intentionally, simply for Internet fame and attention to one up others doing the trend.
Unlike other challenges, this one isn’t likely to result in bodily harm, though it is extremely unnecessary and disrespectful. A recent challenge encouraged people to walk on stacks of milk crates. This challenge, instead, encourages raucous acts of vandalism at schools.
As a way to hold students accountable, administration announced they would award students for reporting the vandalism.
To tackle the challenge, according to USA TODAY, TikTok was removing content related to “devious licks,” including the hashtag #devious licks and “redirecting hashtags and search results to our Community Guidelines to discourage such behavior.” In response, TikTok users have begun using alternative hashtags and keywords.
We as a staff all want TikTok to do more to deter the “bathroom challenge.” TikTok should participate in an upcoming hearing on the impact of social media and teens. Clemens also has their own plan on making sure this never happens again, including increased monitoring of common areas and relying on the integrity of the student body.
Mary Mithanga (12)
In mid-September, the latest trend to go viral on TikTok was called “devious licks”, where students were vandalizing school property. Some schools have had to closely monitor or even shut down bathrooms, where much of the damage is occurring.
Many students are just attempting to go along with the trend that overcame the nation so quickly, and others are doing it for attention and praise from peers. The custodians of the affected campuses nonetheless deserve better than what our peers are giving them intentionally, simply for Internet fame and attention to one up others doing the trend.
Unlike other challenges, this one isn’t likely to result in bodily harm, though it is extremely unnecessary and disrespectful. A recent challenge encouraged people to walk on stacks of milk crates. This challenge, instead, encourages raucous acts of vandalism at schools.
As a way to hold students accountable, administration announced they would award students for reporting the vandalism.
To tackle the challenge, according to USA TODAY, TikTok was removing content related to “devious licks,” including the hashtag #devious licks and “redirecting hashtags and search results to our Community Guidelines to discourage such behavior.” In response, TikTok users have begun using alternative hashtags and keywords.
We as a staff all want TikTok to do more to deter the “bathroom challenge.” TikTok should participate in an upcoming hearing on the impact of social media and teens. Clemens also has their own plan on making sure this never happens again, including increased monitoring of common areas and relying on the integrity of the student body.
Mary Mithanga (12)
Deep in the Heartbeat of Texas
Justice Department Sues State of Texas for Heavy Abortion Regulations
On Sept. 9th, 2021, it was announced that the Justice Department had filed a lawsuit to prevent the State of Texas from executing the Senate Bill 8, otherwise known as “The Heartbeat Bill” which was put into place at midnight on Aug. 31st.
“I hope that they can revert back to what it was so people who were a victim of rape and incest and any woman just in general can have a a choice in what to do with their body,” Thayer Brown (12) said.
The heartbeat bill is a ban that was put in place to prohibit all abortions in the state of Texas after a detectable heart beat is found, which is typically around the six-week mark. If allowed to remain in law, the heartbeat bill will be the most intense restriction on legal abortions since the U.S. Supreme Court's 1973 Roe v. Wade decision legalized abortion across the country. Due to such a short time frame, women across the nation have outraged, as well as the Justice Department itself.
“I believe that the bill should most definitely be less restrictive, with the six week mark, with the fines for people who know about someone getting an abortion, someone who drives them to the appointment or who made the appointment, and the fact that with rape cases and incest, it’s still illegal, abortion is healthcare.” Haley Welker, march attendee, said.
The Justice Department is suing the state of texas for the passage of this ban. The department states the ban is “in open defiance of the Constitution.” Attorney General Merrick Garland announced the lawsuit in response to the U.S. Supreme Court failed to veto the law and going against a persons right to an abortion that were established in the Roe v. Wade 1973 court case.
“I believe the bill should be less restrictive, but keep in mind that the percentages for careless abortions are higher than any other.” Anayah Huc (12) said.
Nationwide, there have been multiple marches advocating the removal of this act, holding up signs and shouting for their rights. Haley Welker, a Clemens alumni, attended a march on Oct. 2nd at the Texas capitol, which was just one of many marches happening that morning.
“I hope the justice department wins and that the bill will be removed, and that all women and men and children feel as if this is actually the free country that has been projected to everyone.” Welker said. “Women and men don’t fight for abortion, they fight for a choice. A choice that can only be made by one person. It’s not pro abortion it’s pro choice!”
Kennedi Adams (12)
“I hope that they can revert back to what it was so people who were a victim of rape and incest and any woman just in general can have a a choice in what to do with their body,” Thayer Brown (12) said.
The heartbeat bill is a ban that was put in place to prohibit all abortions in the state of Texas after a detectable heart beat is found, which is typically around the six-week mark. If allowed to remain in law, the heartbeat bill will be the most intense restriction on legal abortions since the U.S. Supreme Court's 1973 Roe v. Wade decision legalized abortion across the country. Due to such a short time frame, women across the nation have outraged, as well as the Justice Department itself.
“I believe that the bill should most definitely be less restrictive, with the six week mark, with the fines for people who know about someone getting an abortion, someone who drives them to the appointment or who made the appointment, and the fact that with rape cases and incest, it’s still illegal, abortion is healthcare.” Haley Welker, march attendee, said.
The Justice Department is suing the state of texas for the passage of this ban. The department states the ban is “in open defiance of the Constitution.” Attorney General Merrick Garland announced the lawsuit in response to the U.S. Supreme Court failed to veto the law and going against a persons right to an abortion that were established in the Roe v. Wade 1973 court case.
“I believe the bill should be less restrictive, but keep in mind that the percentages for careless abortions are higher than any other.” Anayah Huc (12) said.
Nationwide, there have been multiple marches advocating the removal of this act, holding up signs and shouting for their rights. Haley Welker, a Clemens alumni, attended a march on Oct. 2nd at the Texas capitol, which was just one of many marches happening that morning.
“I hope the justice department wins and that the bill will be removed, and that all women and men and children feel as if this is actually the free country that has been projected to everyone.” Welker said. “Women and men don’t fight for abortion, they fight for a choice. A choice that can only be made by one person. It’s not pro abortion it’s pro choice!”
Kennedi Adams (12)
Fall Breeze and Autumn Leaves
Favorite Local Halloween Activities
From feasting on turkey to dozing at dusk, there are many ways to observe Thanksgiving with friends or family. Different people do different things like watching parades, breaking the wishbone or even just taking a nap.
One popular tradition is to break the turkey’s wishbone. This stems from a tradition that an ancient Italian civilization performed. They believed that birds could predict the future, so they would dry out the bone then make wishes, hence naming it what it is. This tradition spread to the Romans who added to the tradition by breaking the bone. Later, the English also adopted the tradition. When the Pilgrims came to America, they brought the wishbone breaking tradition with them and it is still done to this day.
Another way some people celebrate is by watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Compared to the wishbone tradition, this is a lot more recent. A Thanksgiving parade was actually the idea of a different company before Macy’s put it in their own style. While the parade occurred on Thanksgiving day of 1924, it was actually meant to have been a Christmas parade. It featured nursery rhyme character floats that coordinated with their winter display window and animals on loan from the zoo. After the first parade, the real animals were replaced by balloons. Back then, the entire parade was only a couple blocks long, now it is more than 20 floats, 10 balloons and many performers long.
The Turkey Pardoning is another thing people look forward to on Thanksgiving. Throughout the years, many presidents have been gifted turkeys by different farms and organizations. The first president to keep his gift was Abraham Lincoln. This was the first unofficial turkey pardon. The first official pardon was by John F. Kennedy in 1963 after he received a turkey. Presidents Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama and Donald Trump have all pardoned turkeys since then. These turkeys live the rest of their lives in farms or zoos.
There are many other ways people celebrate, but these are some of the more well-known ones. Other ways include shopping on Black Friday, watching football and more. It’s a holiday to be thankful for what one has and there’s no wrong way to be thankful.
Tristan Perez (09) , Julissa Tootle (09)
One popular tradition is to break the turkey’s wishbone. This stems from a tradition that an ancient Italian civilization performed. They believed that birds could predict the future, so they would dry out the bone then make wishes, hence naming it what it is. This tradition spread to the Romans who added to the tradition by breaking the bone. Later, the English also adopted the tradition. When the Pilgrims came to America, they brought the wishbone breaking tradition with them and it is still done to this day.
Another way some people celebrate is by watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Compared to the wishbone tradition, this is a lot more recent. A Thanksgiving parade was actually the idea of a different company before Macy’s put it in their own style. While the parade occurred on Thanksgiving day of 1924, it was actually meant to have been a Christmas parade. It featured nursery rhyme character floats that coordinated with their winter display window and animals on loan from the zoo. After the first parade, the real animals were replaced by balloons. Back then, the entire parade was only a couple blocks long, now it is more than 20 floats, 10 balloons and many performers long.
The Turkey Pardoning is another thing people look forward to on Thanksgiving. Throughout the years, many presidents have been gifted turkeys by different farms and organizations. The first president to keep his gift was Abraham Lincoln. This was the first unofficial turkey pardon. The first official pardon was by John F. Kennedy in 1963 after he received a turkey. Presidents Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama and Donald Trump have all pardoned turkeys since then. These turkeys live the rest of their lives in farms or zoos.
There are many other ways people celebrate, but these are some of the more well-known ones. Other ways include shopping on Black Friday, watching football and more. It’s a holiday to be thankful for what one has and there’s no wrong way to be thankful.
Tristan Perez (09) , Julissa Tootle (09)
The Greatest Weekend
A Look Into Homecoming Events
The weekend kicked off with the exhilarating football game. The crowd went wild as the team scored. Halftime began and with it came an air of anticipation for the announcement of homecoming court. Positions were announced and the game resumed. The home team won, leaving students to feel pumped up and infused with eagerness. At the dance, students were buzzing like bees; eating, socializing, dancing, and having a good time.
This year’s homecoming game was on September 24 and the dance was the following day. Students enjoyed a weekend full of homecoming fun and activities.
The homecoming dance theme this year was “The Greatest Homecoming,” set up and hosted by the student council. Addison Newman, (09) is a member of the student council.
“I got to help decorate for homecoming and I can tell you there is a lot of work that goes into it, but it was definitely worth it. The end result was stunning,” Newman said.
Students had the opportunity to take pictures with friends in the photo booth, indulge in a variety of snacks, and of course; tear up the dance floor.
“It’s fun, there’s a lot of music and dancing. But if you’re going to go, make sure you have a friend to go with because it’s always better with friends. And you’re always going to be dancing,” Gael Cuencar (11) said.
There were cheesecake bites, chips, cookies, lemonade, and juice for students to enjoy at the dance.
“My favorite food at homecoming was definitely the cheesecake bites,” Newman said.
The dance was a semi- formal event. Students could choose to wear a dress, suit, or anything they felt confident in, as long as it was in dress code. Kaylee Hund (11) chose to wear a dress to homecoming.
“It was really sparkly and the back was showing, and I liked that. And I liked my shoes. They were like those wrap-up gladiator shoes, with sparkles,” Hund said.
Students could invite friends from outside of school, as long as they filled out a guest form. Haidyn Lorenz (09) went to homecoming with her childhood friend from Colorado.
“My favorite part of homecoming was getting to spend time with my friend because I haven’t seen her in a few years,” Lorenz said.
Homecoming was an overall positive experience for most students.
“I would say it was like the standard high school dance experience,” Logan Freaney (12) said. “Like everything you see in the movies you can expect.”
Hailey Gorzell (09) , Madyson Isenberg (10)
This year’s homecoming game was on September 24 and the dance was the following day. Students enjoyed a weekend full of homecoming fun and activities.
The homecoming dance theme this year was “The Greatest Homecoming,” set up and hosted by the student council. Addison Newman, (09) is a member of the student council.
“I got to help decorate for homecoming and I can tell you there is a lot of work that goes into it, but it was definitely worth it. The end result was stunning,” Newman said.
Students had the opportunity to take pictures with friends in the photo booth, indulge in a variety of snacks, and of course; tear up the dance floor.
“It’s fun, there’s a lot of music and dancing. But if you’re going to go, make sure you have a friend to go with because it’s always better with friends. And you’re always going to be dancing,” Gael Cuencar (11) said.
There were cheesecake bites, chips, cookies, lemonade, and juice for students to enjoy at the dance.
“My favorite food at homecoming was definitely the cheesecake bites,” Newman said.
The dance was a semi- formal event. Students could choose to wear a dress, suit, or anything they felt confident in, as long as it was in dress code. Kaylee Hund (11) chose to wear a dress to homecoming.
“It was really sparkly and the back was showing, and I liked that. And I liked my shoes. They were like those wrap-up gladiator shoes, with sparkles,” Hund said.
Students could invite friends from outside of school, as long as they filled out a guest form. Haidyn Lorenz (09) went to homecoming with her childhood friend from Colorado.
“My favorite part of homecoming was getting to spend time with my friend because I haven’t seen her in a few years,” Lorenz said.
Homecoming was an overall positive experience for most students.
“I would say it was like the standard high school dance experience,” Logan Freaney (12) said. “Like everything you see in the movies you can expect.”
Hailey Gorzell (09) , Madyson Isenberg (10)
Does Delivery Mean Danger
The Pros and Cons of Outside Food
Schools don’t allow students to get outside food delivered due to concerns for their safety among other things. While these are legitimate concerns, there are good things that come with students being able to order food from outside sources. Students should be allowed to order food from delivery sources because it can be safer and students are less likely to be late to class.
When students leave campus, they are taking a risk. Teenage drivers are not very safe. In 2019, over 2,000 teenagers died due to car accidents according to the CDC. About eight percent of people killed in car crashes are teenagers. Going off campus can make this risk worse. If deliveries were accepted, then there is less of a risk of anything bad happening.
Students will be less likely to be late to class and more likely to go to class. When students are allowed to walk or drive off campus, they are more likely to consider skipping class. Teenager’s brains don’t fully develop until around the age of 25.This means that when given the opportunity, there is a chance that a student would take advantage of the system and not come back. If they were allowed to order food, it would lessen the chance of students skipping and leaving school during the day.
The administrators don’t want students to order things from third party places for a variety of reasons. One is that they are concerned about students’ safety and what could happen if someone or something dangerous was brought on campus. The problem with that argument is that students go off campus and could potentially bring dangerous stuff back with them. Students already pick up food and bring it back. There’s no difference between a student and a delivery service bringing food back to the school.
In order to give students the opportunity to order things from off campus, a few courses of action could be taken. First, there should be a form of parental consent to make sure the student’s parents are fine with that. Then, the day before ordering something, the student should fill out a form to make sure the administrators approve and know what to expect. When food arrives, the administrators then can make sure the bag or box is safe and briefly look through it with gloves on. If the food is deemed safe, then it can get passed along to the student. If multiple students order delivery services, their names can be written on the bag then placed on a table in the indoor courtyard under the watch of a teacher or administrator.
In short, delivery services make it possible for students to be safer and on time. While there are some concerns about delivery services, there are also concerns about the open campus policy. These concerns can be taken care of with a system that the administrators control. Delivery services provide good opportunities for students, so this should be made into a privilege rather than taken away altogether.
Adriana Strang (11)
When students leave campus, they are taking a risk. Teenage drivers are not very safe. In 2019, over 2,000 teenagers died due to car accidents according to the CDC. About eight percent of people killed in car crashes are teenagers. Going off campus can make this risk worse. If deliveries were accepted, then there is less of a risk of anything bad happening.
Students will be less likely to be late to class and more likely to go to class. When students are allowed to walk or drive off campus, they are more likely to consider skipping class. Teenager’s brains don’t fully develop until around the age of 25.This means that when given the opportunity, there is a chance that a student would take advantage of the system and not come back. If they were allowed to order food, it would lessen the chance of students skipping and leaving school during the day.
The administrators don’t want students to order things from third party places for a variety of reasons. One is that they are concerned about students’ safety and what could happen if someone or something dangerous was brought on campus. The problem with that argument is that students go off campus and could potentially bring dangerous stuff back with them. Students already pick up food and bring it back. There’s no difference between a student and a delivery service bringing food back to the school.
In order to give students the opportunity to order things from off campus, a few courses of action could be taken. First, there should be a form of parental consent to make sure the student’s parents are fine with that. Then, the day before ordering something, the student should fill out a form to make sure the administrators approve and know what to expect. When food arrives, the administrators then can make sure the bag or box is safe and briefly look through it with gloves on. If the food is deemed safe, then it can get passed along to the student. If multiple students order delivery services, their names can be written on the bag then placed on a table in the indoor courtyard under the watch of a teacher or administrator.
In short, delivery services make it possible for students to be safer and on time. While there are some concerns about delivery services, there are also concerns about the open campus policy. These concerns can be taken care of with a system that the administrators control. Delivery services provide good opportunities for students, so this should be made into a privilege rather than taken away altogether.
Adriana Strang (11)
