By Maria Hatziminadakis '18 The average woman in the United States gets paid 79 cents to a man's dollar. Women make up 30 percent of the workforce, yet only 17 percent have Tech jobs. The average yearly wage of a U.S. tech worker is $104k--102 percent more than the average wage in the private company. Paying women the same rate as men would help the economy. In 2010, although 57 percent of undergraduate degree recipients were female, only 14 percent of the computer science degrees were obtained by women at major research universities. According to the Department for Professional Employees (DPE) Research Department, 57 percent of jobs in the workforce are held by women, in tech jobs that number is only 25 percent. Of people who are CIO’s of 250 companies, 20 percent of this position was held by a woman (2012). To get into specific details, in a Gender pay Gap visualization provided by National Women’s Law Center, statistics provided these following facts: an Asian American woman makes 84 cents to a man's dollar. An Asian woman happens to make the most amount of all ethnicities. But why? A white, non-Hispanic woman makes 76 cents, a Black woman makes 61 cents, an Native American makes 59 cents. While this is the case, the most surprising statistic is that a Latina Woman only makes a little more than half of a dollar, 55 cents to be exact. The pay gap among coders/programmers is 28 percent. According to an interview, featured in the LA Times, Andrew Chamberlain expressed how the work space is biased, therefore the work space has a major impact the pay gap. "My view is that in heavily male-dominated fields, the people who are making the decisions about pay and promotion are disproportionately men, and that can play a role in why we're seeing gaps in male and female pay," said Chamberlain. Companies often feel pressured and fearful, if they start addressing the gender gap, they would be looked as discriminating. Women leave technology companies at twice the rate than men do. Why? In a recent study by Anti Borg Institute, a study that included over 1000 women working in an engineering field mostly left their job for these following reasons: Working conditions, work-life integration, didn't like the work, and organization climate. Women also expressed how the job consists of too many hours and not enough pay. Many women discover with a job that's demanding on work hours, they find they wanted more time with family and caused conflict or too much travel time. Women are viewed as caregivers and take upon more of a responsibility with caring for their children. Long work hours might cause distress in the mother and child relationship. Women didn't like the work because they lost interest and became rather boring. The reason why women shouldn't be working in tech is because “that’s a man’s job.” Allegedly, a woman’s career span is only 10 years because they go on to get married and have kids. This isn't the case. Women are interested in STEM and sure, they want to work a man’s job. Anti Borg Institute also proposed a solution. The Institute expressed how women should be applying for more leadership and accountability roles. Formally trained managers in best practices and hold accountable for retention. Corporate Culture built for innovation can offer training programs to raise awareness of micro-inequities and biases. Also, it can provide a development for opportunities. Women should get involved with establishing a mentor program, in order to be more interested and more prepared for the work space.
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By Gabriella Carone '18 Purchasing cafeteria food is a large part of the Fontbonne Hall Academy community. Fontbonne is an all girls high school located in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. Yet, many students of Fontbonne Hall feel that the prices for cafeteria food can be very high. The majority of students at Fontbonne purchase lunch everyday, while some prefer to bring from home. That large majority who purchase lunch know the prices of the food very well and some have even noticed that the prices have gone up. If the prices of cafeteria food were lowered a small amount, it would be more affordable to students.
“I buy lunch everyday. Although the prices of the cafeteria food are not super high, it would be easier if they were lower,” said junior Rachel Deodato. The cafeteria offers a panini option, soup, either pasta or special plate, fries, pizza, some type of specialty fried option such as chicken tenders or mozzarella sticks, and the most popular: the salad bar. The salad bar is the most popular lunch time option for the students at Fontbonne, and that is why so many people are pointing out the prices. The toppings at the salad bar include cheese, vegetables, chicken, and dressing. The individual toppings are 50 cents each, chicken is $1, and dressing is 25 cents. Although this may not seem expensive, all of the toppings add up to be rather pricey. The start of the salad is $5, so adding toppings can make the salad be expensive. “I spend around $10 every time I buy a salad from the cafeteria. I usually get a snack and water as well so I end up spending around $15 every lunch,” said junior Joanna Palopoli. Salad is not the only expensive option in the cafeteria. Some of the specialty plates such as General Tsao’s Chicken plate can be around $6. Many of the students purchase these specialty plates everyday and it can get overwhelming in price. On average, a student spends around $75 every week in the cafeteria. Taking a large amount of money out every week to be purchased in the cafeteria is a stressful process on one’s wallet. If the cafeteria lowered their prices and students spend around $50 a week, it would help not only students who regularly purchase lunch but the entire student body. Another local Bay Ridge school, Xaverian High School, also has various lunchtime options. Students of Xaverian enjoy the cafeteria food, saying it is delicious and not expensive at all. “I buy lunch everyday. I take around $5 or $7 everyday to buy lunch and that usually covers it. All of the options are pretty cheap, it makes more students want to buy lunch. The line is always out the door to get into the cafeteria area,” said Xaverian freshmen Francesco Carone. The low prices at a neighboring school should inspire Fontbonne to lower their cafeteria prices. If prices were lowered, more students would purchase lunch at school. “I bring lunch from home everyday. It’s not that I don’t like the cafeteria food, it is just expensive. I don’t have it in my budget to be spending almost $100 every week in the cafeteria,” said junior Lauren Lezamiz. If Fontbonne lowered all prices on food, by $1 or $2, it would accommodate more of the student body. On average, pizza and fries is $5 from a pizzeria, at Fontbonne it is close to $7. Although this does not seem like a large difference, it can be when buying lunch everyday. If the cafeteria works to accommodate the entire Fontbonne community, the student body would be much more satisfied. By Sabrina Gheller '18 High school administrators set strict rules regarding dress code, cell phones, and everything else under the sun. Studies conducted by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) show that allowing students to leave campus for lunch is beneficial to their mental and physical health. This concept is known as “Open campus.”
Open campus is a privilege that students should have access to. According to a report from The Pew Charitable Trusts, nearly one in three campuses across the United States allow students to leave campus during lunch. By offering students a chance to leave, not only are they given a break from the academic atmosphere, they are exposed to healthier food options, they learn time management, and learn social skills when interacting with others. Students are able to interact with restaurant workers and learn how to handle their time since they are given a certain time slot for lunch. A study by the CDC reported that more than one-third of U.S. children were obese and contributed part of their obesity to unhealthy school lunches such as french fries, chicken nuggets, and mozzarella sticks. An open campus policy allows students to choose healthier, more favorable foods and also allows them to blow off steam after a stressful school day. Although students have access to hot lunch, many bring homemade lunch, lunch that they bought from stores, or they don’t eat at all. In a lunchroom of 60 students at Fontbonne Hall Academy, all of the students were in favor of an “open campus.” Their reasoning was being able to gain more freedom during their high school experience. Some parents, however, cite their concerns about safety. They also worry that students will stray towards the fast food option rather than a healthier option. “I go to work knowing that my child is safe at school and not wandering around looking for a place to eat. If she’s allowed to leave campus in the middle of the day, how will I know she’s safe?” said Angela Hodge, mother of a sophomore at Fontbonne Hall Academy. The answer to this problem lies in the hands of school administrators. By making “open campus” a junior and senior privilege, as long as the student doesn’t have a school record, would ease the worries of some parents. Additionally, a majority of students have cell phones, allowing them to keep in touch with family and friends. With regards to safety, the police are just one phone call away. At North Shore High School in Glen Head, N.Y., students in grades 9 through 12 are allowed to leave campus for lunch and free periods. According to school principal, Elaine Boyrer, 95% of students use this privilege of open campus responsibly. Students at Fontbonne Hall Academy, an all-girl high school in Brooklyn, N.Y., have an array of healthy options on Third Avenue. They have the option of fruit bowls, wraps, smoothies, and soups. The advantage of open campus is not just limited to students gaining freedom. Students learn how to be responsible for themselves and their money. They gain access to the real world when interacting with different people, rather than the normal cafeteria workers. It gives freshmen and sophomores the incentive to work harder in order to gain access to this luxury. High school administrators across the country are finding ways to implement this privilege, while also keeping important factors in mind such as health, safety, and student behavior. Students await anxiously, hoping that their small chance at freedom would be granted. By Marissa DeVito '18o “There are worse crimes than burning books, one of them is not reading them” - Ray Bradbury Reading used to be a staple in society, especially in regards to teenagers. It was not only a nice way to pass one's time but also an invaluable source of information. However, in today's age many teens have checked out early on reading, opting for smartphones and other technological outlets instead. Reading for fun is practically in it’s grave.
. According to recent studies, 45% of teenagers say they read once or twice a year for fun. Studies conducted by Common Sense Media confirm this proving that 17-year-olds read for pleasure no more than one or two times a year. Since the age of technology has fully shadowed over the world this problem has gotten even more prominent and clear. Teen literature is staggering at a drastic all time low. The halting of teen reading not only threatens the future of the establishment of literature’s future, but teengager’s growth intellectually and creatively. Books are a source of knowledge that it is hard to find a substitute for anywhere else. Intellectually, books can introduce teens to new ideas as well as different writing styles. Reading books also benefits teenagers in school. The more one reads, the better a writer they become. With the absence of books in teen’s life, it is hard to find a substitute for these factors. Falon Veccia is a junior at Fontbonne Hall Academy. When asked how she gains knowledge she said “I don’t really get my information from books. I’m always studying for tests or doing homework so I don’t have much time to read books. In middle school I used to read more because school wasn’t as challenging. I still try and read though. Information-wise I get most of it from the internet or Snapchat news.” Reading can also build up creativity through exposing teens to new ideas and concepts. Books bringing new ideas also expose teens to new and creative ideas. This creativity can help in school, workplace, and also for just personal preferences. Some people think that the internet is a valid substitute for books and will nourish students intellectually and creatively. The internet does have some valuable resources, however often times these resources are neglected. Some common apps teen use during internet use such as Instagram and Snapchat can be fun but are not apps that will spark knowledge or creativity. Reading is not completely dead, it can still be saved. Disinterest is often the result when people are told what to do.The same stands when people are told what to read. Some teens claim that they would like the free will to read whatever they choose in school. Many people often feel restricted to what the teachers choose for students to read in school. Also many teens due to the overwork load and uninterested stopped reading when they enter high school. If there were some independent reading opportunities for grades in high school such as free read or book reports, teens might read more actively. By Rachel Deodato '18 There’s nothing like being a high school student watching the sunrise after studying for the tests he or she has later that day.
Students are getting little to no sleep and suffer from stress due to the fear of failure. Multiple tests in one day can cause so much stress it causes a student to stay up to 1 a.m., making it almost impossible for the student to retain information. Multiple test given in one day can cause unnecessary stress for students, causing sleep deprivation and poor results. It is impossible for a student to achieve excellence if they are spending their class time studying for numerous tests they have later on that day. Students claim they are “too tired” or “worn out” after their first or second test. “I feel that having more than two tests a day is ridiculous. I am already stressed about these test but having more than one stresses me out a lot more. I have to stay up past midnight trying to retain the information. I know for a fact if I have multiple test in one day I will not do good on all of them,” said high school junior, Olivia Cusumano. Stress and sleep deprivation affects students everyday lives. According to the National Sleep Foundation, only about 8% of high school students get enough sleep on an average school night and over 90% of high school students are chronically sleep deprived. Lack of sleep affects the student’s behavior and physical health. It limits their ability to learn, their mood, memory, good judgment, and efficiency. It physically can affect students by causing pimples and increase the chances of illnesses. According to the American Psychological Association, teens stress levels during the school year far exceeds what they believe is healthy. Stress, like sleep deprivation, affects the body's physical and mental health. Students who suffer from extreme stress and lack of sleep can become depressed and/or turn to drugs. The National Mental Health Association states that suicide is the third leading cause of death for 15- 24 year olds, 46% of teens harm themselves on purpose, 15% of teenagers abuse alcohol, and 16% could be categorized as drug abusers. Stress affects the body physically by causing sickness and mentally by changing students behavior, mood, and increasing the chances of drug abuse. Some people believe that having multiple tests in one day helps students. They believe it helps by preparing students for college and that it helps them learn time management. “College professors will not care if you have multiple tests or finals that day. Having multiple tests in a day teaches a student not to study for their tests the night before. Personally, I think it helps the students deal with their time management but I know the students don’t agree,” said high school teacher, Kristen Deodato. Teachers should come up with a test schedule that will prevent high school students from having multiple test in one day in order to improve testing scores. Doing so will allow the students to focus on studying on one test rather than trying to study for all of them. If a student focuses studying on one subject the test results will be higher. Multiple test given in one day can cause unnecessary stress for students, causing sleep deprivation and poor results. This can cause effects on the body that can be as extreme as death. If teachers come up with a schedule where it prevents students from having multiple test in one day it will help students mental and physical health. This schedule can even have the power to possibly save a life. By Olivia Cusumano '18 Many American high school juniors freak and stress out over the SAT test. This test can determine a great deal of their future, however, many students don’t perform to their full academic potential during the 4 hour exams. Many sophomores going into junior year dread the whole school year because of the big exam that they have to take to get into the college of their choice. Tests like the SAT should not determine a student’s future.
This test is long and intimidating. Sitting in the same room for a certain amount of hours straight makes students lose focus and causes them to not be able to concentrate. How many times have you read something but got nothing from it because your full attention wasn’t on it? The same thing happens during this exam and with many reading not just one. According to the American Test Anxieties Association, approximately 16-20% of students have high test anxiety which makes this the most widespread problem in academics today. Another 18% have problems with moderately high test anxiety. Colleges are expensive and this test shouldn’t be the reason certain people get scholarships or not. In studies shown if a student has a 3.8 GPA, he or she should score a 1200 on the SAT. However, a 1200 is challenging to most students since it is one of the higher grades to get out of 1600. GPA show a student’s work over the whole year. It shows their effort and hard work. An SAT score is determined from just a couple hours of working. It is suppose to resemble a student’s GPA, however, that is not always the case. For example, I have a 3.7 GPA but scored a 980 on my first SAT. Nerves and anxiety all played a role in my poor performance on the exam. It might have been just because it was my first time but it definitely doesn’t reflect my GPA. For colleges that don’t require taking the SAT exam, there has been no difference in grades in college for those who took it and who didn’t. Also jobs have no need to see what people got on the SAT so no matter what score was attained got, so it doesn’t really determine one’s job. A logical solution for these problems would be making the test shorter. Even better, different sections can be given on different testing days. Schools can also teach students techniques to taking these tests instead of having tutors which asks for a good amount of cash. By Kate Collins '18 Fontbonne Hall Academy is an all girls, college preparatory high school, located in Brooklyn New York. In Fontbonne Hall students have a six day cycle and nine periods a day in their schedule. During those nine periods students have a combination of classes, resource periods, and a lunch period. However, this is not the case for every student. Some students do not receive a lunch period on one or more days of their schedule. Instead of a receiving a lunch break during the day, students have nine straight classes. It should be required that students have a lunch period every day.
Although students are allowed to eat lunch during one of their classes if they don’t have a lunch period, this does not make it okay. Students need a break from classes. They need 40 minutes to regroup and take a work break. Eating during a class does not give them the break they need because they are balancing eating and writing notes at the same time. “You can talk about kids eating during class, but that loses the relaxation and social element of a lunch at a time when they should have lunch. It's important to take a break, and have time to relax and a chance to see their friends,” said Dr. Marcie Schneider, Director of Adolescent Medicine Program at Greenwich Hospital. Dr. Schneider is right, kids need to sit down with their friends put their work aside while they eat. Students who don't receive a lunch period not only lose social interaction, but it can increase stress in students. Students are stressed out enough, but having a day without lunch can certainly add to their stress. If they have a lunch period, it will help to relieve some of their stress. Stress relief will also help them perform better in their classes. “We’ve watched as some kids implode and bend under the weight of having to go period after period without a break,” said Mr. Kaishian, principal at Briarcliff High School. Kids should not have to go six or seven hours without a break to relax and eat. Research suggests that students who eat a nutritious meal perform better on standardized tests and it improves thinking. It is not fair that students work hard all day at school and work hard when they get home. They need a lunch break to relieve their school stress. When a lunch period is not required, it promotes unhealthy eating for students. If they do not have the time set aside to eat everyday, they may not be eating everyday. Public schools have to provide their students with free breakfast and free lunch because some kids may not be able to afford to buy food. The National School Lunch Program provides kids with nutritious meals, that they may not have access to at home. If they don’t have the time to eat lunch, it may make it seem like it is okay for students to not eat a meal, or two meals during the day. This could lead to potential eating disorders. It is estimated that eight million Americans suffer from an eating disorder. When asked if a lunch period should be required everyday, Lizzie Golden, a student from New Trier High School responded, “I think it's good because with the amount of eating disorders that we have in this school, requiring a lunch is definitely a positive.” Schools should not be adding to the growing problem of eating disorders. Instead they should promote eating everyday but requiring that all students have a lunch period every day. A popular belief is that students who chose to have a heavy schedule are opting out of a lunch period. Many believe that they can make the time to eat during class or in between classes. However this is not okay. Students are encouraged to take on a harder course load, but they are not signing up to not eat their lunch. Eating in a classroom does not give them the social break and stress relief period that they need. Students who are taking harder and a greater amount of classes, they need a lunch period more than anybody. Schools should set aside a lunch a period in a day where the entire school or an entire grade does not have any scheduled lunches. This would solve the problem of students not having room in their schedule for lunch. Having a period that is meant for lunch and only lunch will encourage students to eat. It will also ensure students that at some point during their day, they are going to have a break to eat. Six hours without a break, added stress and eating disorders can all result from a student not having a lunch period every day. Students grow up the regularity of having a lunch period every day, so there should be no reason that changes in high school. It should be required that in all schools students have a lunch period every day. By Kaitlyn Check '18 In past years, technology has been a common commodity introduced to the classroom. Is technology playing a large role in the classroom by bettering education for students? Or is the introduction of technology damaging the education of students? Using technology in the classroom is increasing the amount of distraction in the classroom as well as a having negative impact on the grades of students.
Along with the benefits of access to technology and the internet in the classroom comes disadvantages. Students have the opportunity to drift off in the classroom and find themselves on non-educational sites such as shopping and social media sites. Fontbonne Hall Academy student that prefers to stay anonymous admits, “At least once or twice a day I find myself drifting off to a shopping site. It is very difficult to have internet access all day and always stay on task.” Ultimately, this can lower student’s grades because they are not paying the amount attention in the classroom that they should be. Too much exposure to technology can directly affect the brains of students. A 2015 Edudemic study done my Pamela DeLoatch found that technology was negatively affecting the brains of students. As stated in the article, “as children age, with 95% of teens 12-17 spending time online. The time spent with technology doesn’t just give kids newfangled ways of doing things, it changes the way their brains work.” DeLoatch’s article says “that while video games may condition the brain to pay attention to multiple stimuli, they can lead to distraction and decreased memory.” Using technology can completely and directly alter the way a brain is wired and works. The amount of children using technological devices is so large that this dilemma is reaching countless amounts of adolescents. A study at the University of California showed how technology could be negatively affecting students. In the study, one group of children was sent to a camp in which they had no access to technology and the other remained home and continued learning with the use of technology. Both groups were given a pretest and a post-test in which they were tested on emotional intelligence. The findings were as followed, “after one week without their devices, the students at camp had made significant improvements over their peers.” With less exposure to technological devices children have the opportunity to interact on a personal face to face level and interact with other human emotion. However with the technological age society is currently in, it can be nearly impossible to restrict the use of technology. The idea that technology benefits students in the classroom does not prove to be true with the overwhelming amount of disadvantages. A survey done by Cengage Learning questioned high school students supports this refutation. The findings of this survey were that “60% claimed that texting is a major cause for distraction. 59% said that students are busy checking out their favorite social-media sites. 45% noted that students are distracted by games. 25% revealed that some students use the search functionality of their tech tools to search for answers (that is, cheat) during class.” A solution that might aid in stopping this problem is the restriction of technology in the classroom. Technology in the classroom should be used under strict watch. There should be settings on the devices that keep students from being able to visit non educational sites. There is a large amount of evidence and studies that will agree that technology in the classroom leads to the decline of student ability as well as distraction from learning. By Lauren Silverman '17 Fidel Castro, who lead the 1959 Cuban Revolution and served as the country’s dictator for 47 years, died at the age of 90 on November 25, 2016. His brother Raul, who is currently in power, announced the event on television. Castro’s death has caused a frenzy of mixed reactions from Cubans who have both stayed in and fled from their nation.
In Florida, Cuban-Americans took to the streets with their party supplies- champagne, pots, pans, Cuban flags, and American flags- and celebrated the death of the leader they despised so deeply. Just 330 miles south, however, the festivities were different. All public events ceased, and the only accessible media related to Cuba’s history and patriotism. Citizens have traveled to various mourning sites to pay respects to their old leader. So, what is this split down the middle? How can it be that one group waves Cuban flags with glee while the other one lowers it to half mast? People have always disagreed over Fidel Castro’s legacy, and his death only highlighted these mixed reactions. |
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