MCPS Needs to Extend Recently Implemented Hazing Precautions

Editorial Board

December 21, 2018

Filed under Editorials, Opinion, Opinion Showcase

In light of an incident at Damascus High School (HS) where members of the JV football team were allegedly sodomized with a broomstick as part of a hazing ritual, MCPS has finally begun addressing hazing and its severity as there have been minimal efforts to combat hazing in the past. The recent pre...

Administration’s Unprecedented Turnover Rate Harms Policies, People

Matthew Liu, Opinion Managing Editor

December 21, 2018

Filed under Opinion, Opinion Showcase

The Trump administration’s turnover rate for top officials has shattered records. As of the most recent standings, it is up to nine times as high as previous administrations at similar points in their presidencies. To combat this, President Donald Trump should reduce the turnover rate in his admini...

MCPS: Prioritize Student Health with Cleaner Drinking Water

Erin Bode, News Managing Editor

December 20, 2018

Filed under Opinion, Opinion Showcase

Greater amounts of attention are being given to students’ health as high levels of lead continue to be discovered in the schools’ water systems, including in water fountains. This past summer, testing of water quality in several Montgomery County schools showed that certain schools have elevated le...

Counselors Present to Classes, Discuss Suicide Prevention in Step Toward Better Mental Health

Emily Nagy, Editor-in-Chief

December 19, 2018

Filed under Opinion, Opinion Showcase

Suicide and the tragedies that accompany poor mental health are inescapable in society. No community is immune to these adversities which have created an increased awareness and incentive to educate the public. MCPS and RHS counseling have taken a step in the right direction by promoting mental health with...

MCPS Should Use State Accountability Report Cards to Help Improve Quality of All Schools

Zoe Moser, Editor-in-Chief

December 19, 2018

Filed under Opinion, Opinion Showcase

The Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) distributed new statewide report cards Dec. 4, and in response, MCPS proposed a new initiative to create an Equity Accountability Report to measure school success. The Equity Accountability Report will focus on specific racial and socioeconomic groups...

Pro/Con: Current Grading Policy Causes Inflation

November 29, 2018

Filed under Opinion, Opinion Showcase

Students Need to Learn More About Paying for College, Alternate Options

Jack Uhl, Staff Writer

November 28, 2018

Filed under Opinion, Opinion Showcase

University tuition in 2018 is at an all-time high and the amount of debt students now face once graduating college is crippling. There was a time when students managed debt from student loans because they were likely to be hired into a well-paying job in a robust job market.  Times have changed. Studen...

MCPS Made Right Choice Extending Spring Break

Michael Carvajal, Staff Writer

November 28, 2018

Filed under Opinion, Opinion Showcase

After Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan implemented an executive order in 2016 changing the length of Montgomery County Public Schools’ (MCPS) school year, spring break was cut short for the 2018-19 school year. Late last year, the governor agreed to offer five buffer days at the end of the school year to f...

Excused Absence Policy Promotes Student Civic Engagement

Editorial Board

November 28, 2018

Filed under Editorials, Opinion

The Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) Board of Education (BOE) passed a resolution Sept. 11 allowing students to be excused from school for participating in “civic engagement activities.” While this is a great opportunity to encourage social and political activism in students, it also allows for...

Too Many High School Athletes Skip College for NBA

Jack Horan, Staff Writer

November 21, 2018

Filed under Opinion

With the NBA creating the G-League path, a developmental league for NBA players, which pays elite prospects $125,000 to play in the G-League, it begs the question, should the “one and done” rule be abolished? The “one and done” rule requires high school basketball players to play one year ...

Stay Realistic With Bermuda Grass

Daniel Pujo, Sports Managing Editor

November 20, 2018

Filed under Opinion

With the installation of bermuda grass on the sports field at Joseph B. Good Stadium this summer, many athletes and students had renewed hope of an improved field.  However, as rain exposed flooding problems with the new material, players and students have been quick to request a transition to a tu...

Politicks Me Off: New Immigration Policy Causes More Harm

Elenna Mach, Editor-in-Chief

November 20, 2018

Filed under Opinion, Poli-Ticks Me Off

Since its implementation in May, the Trump administration’s “zero-tolerance” immigration policy has received backlash for its inhumane and unethical practice of separating children from their parents. Now the administration is proposing a “binary choice” policy in which detained parents decid...